Bob McPhail

Bob McPhail is a Reader contributor. See staff page for stories and blog entries.

Comments by BigBob

Robbery suspect caught for Tijuana police

Thanks for the clarification. Gun laws in Mexico are so restrictive as to make legal ownership of a handgun almost impossible. Perhaps I should have written, "Private gun ownership or possession is *virtually illegal* in Mexico..."
— May 19, 2013 10:14 a.m.

Escondido: The ruling white minority

Anyone ever try single-shot voting? It was used in the South to get over a similar situation that kept blacks out of government. It worked this way: In a crowded field of candidates -- like a city council race in which you get to vote for more than one person -- identify a candidate for your cause and vote only for him or her; don't vote for anyone else. That way you concentrate your voting power and don't add votes to to the total of any other candidate. In such a situation, a typical winning candidate only needed about 30% of the total vote to win a seat -- sometimes even less. Seemed to work in the South when I was growing up, even if it meant only a single black got elected to the city council. Better than zero. (The only way this method failed was when a candidate had to receive 50% + 1 to win. Southern segregationists tried to defeat the single-shot voting technique by going to runoffs that required a majority to win. Doubt that would be the case in Escondido just because it's too expensive to have so many elections.)
— April 9, 2013 1:42 p.m.

Border Patrol schedules closure of Friendship Park

I have long thought this area would make an excellent -- and well-used -- pedestrian access between the US and Mexico. There is plenty of parking on the US side, and existing roadway for shuttle buses to run to a connecting MTS bus or trolley route, with additional parking at one of the South Bay trolley stations. Imagine how that would help the economy. Might even pay for itself -- ease border pedestrian traffic and generate revenue to keep the park open as well. As it is, even with Friends of Friendship Park's admirable work, the park is way under-used and has been for decades. Has this idea ever been studied?
— March 23, 2013 7:38 p.m.

Mother kills two young daughters, then self, in Rosarito

Thanks for pointing me to your work on the vanishing women of Baja -- very sobering material indeed. Have you noticed that over the last several days, something like four women have been killed in Tijuana? Don't know if it's coincidence or a trend.
— March 22, 2013 10:30 a.m.

Mother kills two young daughters, then self, in Rosarito

There is a lot more to this story, based on media accounts in Tijuana and a police press release. Suspicious notes supposedly left by the dead children and the mother who allegedly committed suicide suggest the mother did it because she no longer had the resources to support her family. However, the dead woman was apparently married to (or the girlfriend of) a gringo who visited her about every two weeks. Also, the dead woman's brother committed suicide a couple of years ago in a house nearby. Lots of confusion in the details, leading some commenters on the websites of El Mexicano and Frontera to question the facts surrounding the gruesome event. Some have suggested it was a triple murder disguised to look like a double-murder/suicide. Whatever the reason, still a tragic and heartbreaking story -- especially for the innocent little girls.
— March 21, 2013 1:27 p.m.

Golf ranks high on Hueso's special interest gift list

Wish I could find someone to buy my blankets for me.
— March 4, 2013 11:13 a.m.

More parking problems soon for La Jolla’s VA Medical Center

If you are able, another alternative is to park at the Old Town trolley stop and take the 150 express bus to the VA, which drops you right in front of the hospital. Plenty of parking in Old Town, and the bus trip on the 150 is only about 15 minutes.
— January 5, 2013 12:33 p.m.

Watchdog Institute, U-T to End Relationship

Lorie Hearn? Now there's a real gem of journalistic ethics for you. She seems to weather whatever storm blows her way. Wonder how?
— August 20, 2010 12:06 p.m.

In San Diego, Sherrod Says She'll Sue Breitbart

SurfPuppy -- you've got to be kidding me. Sherrod is not a public figure? Of course she is, and in that capacity, she was speaking to a chapter of the NAACP. Invasion of privacy? She was speaking at a PUBLIC event. False light? Where's the actual malice? Love to see someone try to prove that. Besides, false light lawsuits are increasingly restricted in the US -- except in the case of PRIVATE citizens who are WRONGLY portrayed. Don't think your theory fits the facts. Everyone seems to want to jump on the bandwagon here and bash Breitbart and sympathize with Sherrod. But if you review the facts carefully and dispassionately, she is not completely without blame either. Let her sue. She'll get nowhere -- probably tossed on summary judgment.
— August 1, 2010 5:26 p.m.

In San Diego, Sherrod Says She'll Sue Breitbart

No, Nan, I wouldn't like it at all. But every harm we suffer in life is not actionable in court. Going overboard, as you and many other posters here seem to suggest, would have a tremendously chilling effect on the exercise of free speech. Just imagine, you could be sued for something you post on this -- or other -- comments boards. You are mistaken if you think I feel any sympathy for Breitbart. I don't. But I'll defend to the death his right to do what he did. Sherrod's beef is with the Obama Administration and the NAACP... they are the ones who truly harmed her.
— August 1, 2010 5:16 p.m.