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The drinking problem in Balboa Park after dark
Anti, I'd gladly give you a pearl necklace... :-) I read that wikipedia article about Rosemary. Wow. Nice family, huh? I recently saw a video lecture where it was pointed out that in most European languages "luck" and "happy" are the same word. Even in English, they started out that way, but were later separated through usage. I think the original concept is more reflective of the truth. What we call happiness is frequently the result of blind luck, randomness, fortune, accident of birth...rarely do people get what they "deserve" in this world. That's why the Calvinist mindset is so very wrong. The notion that there is a just God looking out for us is simply ridiculous. Look at John Moores. He got his fortune by screwing investors in his companies, then screwing San Diego through bribery of politicians and his friendship with all the major media outlets in town. He's about the worst scum bag in all of California, and perhaps the nation. In a just world, he would be shackled naked in a public place so that every citizen of our city could humiliate and abuse him. Instead, a lot of folks still think he's some kind of hero. See? No justice in this world. Just the wealthy and powerful doing all they can to rip off the rest of us. John Moores is the rapist whispering in your ear about how much he loves you, and how sodomizing you is in your own best interests. There will be no justice in our world so long as we've got cowards in positions of public responsibility who prefer to demonize mentally ill homeless people rather than go after the crooks like John Moores who have bankrupted this city. The politicians are so afraid of the money and power he wields that not a single one of our elected representatives have stated the simple and very obvious truth. We got ripped off and we need our money back. Instead we complain about a few unfortunates, usually mentally ill, who have little choice but to live on the streets. All the while, we continue to cut public services while giving John Moores tens of millions of our dollars EVERY YEAR to pay off the ballpark he demanded in exchange for his campaign contributions.— August 15, 2009 11:21 p.m.
The drinking problem in Balboa Park after dark
ElVinz, I was being satirical. Burwell, in German what you wrote can be summed up with the promise "Arbeit macht frei". Please tell me you're being satirical too...if not, read Ecclesiastes. It's a short little book in the Bible that makes it very clear that hard work DOES NOT guarantee success in life. Quite the opposite, really, Burwell. Being homeless is unrelentingly difficult...perhaps the hardest work one can do outside a forced labor camp. SurfPuppy, it was while Reagan was Governor that the California legislature failed to follow through and actually fund neighborhood-based mental health services. The result is as ElVinz describes. I believe the unintentional genesis of this tragedy was the book and then movie, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest". The depiction there of harmless eccentrics being imprisoned for their family's convenience was so strong that it led to major changes in attitudes and legislation. A sort of "live and let live" approach to the mentally ill, including a provision that anyone can check themselves out of a facility after just 48 hours, led to many mentally ill being put out on the streets. Then it got worse. The criteria for involuntary commitment have become impossible to meet. To get a family member the help they need, you have to let them get so far down that they're nearly dead before the system will lift a finger. It's quite sad. Here in the County of San Diego, the uber-Republican board of supervisors have made it even worse. They're so stingy with public benefits that getting mental health assistance is a futile waste of time. No matter how much you want help, you won't get it in San Diego. Instead, you'll be left on the streets, to be ticketed, arrested, and then victimized again in jail. Meanwhile, the likes of Ron "Flying on Moores Jet" Roberts continue to hand out public cash to their pet organizations...the symphony has a higher priority than homeless services. In return, members of the board get flown away on luxury junkets at our expense. Let's stop blaming the homeless for being down and out, especially when so many of them have serious mental health problems. They do NOT "deserve" their fate, unless you adhere to a delusional Calvinist world-view where everyone always gets justice in this world. Yet even the Bible tells us, very, very clearly, that this has never been true at any time in human history, and it's certainly not true here in San Diego -- where the corrupt are rewarded for their crimes (John Moores, Susan Golding, Jack McGrory, Steve Peace, Jim Madaffer, et al.), and far too many of the hard working residents are one pay check away from begging on the streets.— August 15, 2009 9:57 p.m.
Tijuana Tailspin Hurting San Diego?
Surfpuppy, I cannot agree with you that TJ is the filthiest city in the world...have you ever been to India, Cambodia, or Romania? When I worked in Delhi, the conditions of the average person appalled me...but worse was the attitude of the ruling classes. They do not even consider their poor neighbors to be human beings. (Anyone who thinks Hinduism is a "nice" religion doesn't have any clue what they're talking about.) I crossed the Thai/Cambodia border at Poipet on the way to Ankor Wat, and it's the most completely ****ed-up place I've ever seen. It makes Tijuana look like La Jolla in comparison. (Oh yes, those Buddhists sure have their problems too.) How about Bucharest? They still have roaming packs of wild dogs on the street. You don't know fear until you're running for your life chased by vicious mongrels. (Is it something about religion that makes people poor? Romanians are always crossing themselves out of deep respect for their Orthodox churches.) In comparison, Tijuana is a pretty, happy, friendly place. The most unfriendly, abusive, nasty, untrustworthy people I've encountered there are the border patrol and customs agents at the border. Don't even look at them funny if you know what's good for you.— August 15, 2009 1:09 a.m.
Tijuana Tailspin Hurting San Diego?
I used to spend a lot of time in Mexico. But the last few times I visited the border hassle was so extreme that it just didn't make sense to even attempt for anything but the most serious reasons. This is probably the primary reason tourism has dropped so precipitously... As to the drug violence, there's only one reason for that. It's the idiotic "War on Drugs" and the violence it engenders. If we would simply recognize the futility and immorality of this phoney "war", the violence in TJ and the rest of latin america would drop dramatically. Those who blame Mexico for the violence just don't get it. The Mexican people are suffering (and dying) because our political leaders play at being moralistic pig-headed idiots who insist on being world-wide crusaders against disfavored intoxicants. Think about the affect of eliminating these stupidities from our lives. No hours-long waits as drug dogs sniff your car. No more financing drug-lords with enormous profits that are the direct result of the illegality of the substances involved. No more destabilizing our neighbors, ruining their economies because we unilaterally declare "war", and are too ignorant to listen to the rest of the world. Former presidents from across latin america are united in declaring the drug war a total failure, having achieved the exact opposite of it's aims and in the process destroying tens of thousands of innocent lives.— August 15, 2009 12:57 a.m.
Golding's Grudge
Hey Josh, you know I'm a busy guy. I have to pick and choose what I comment upon. And you're right. Seeing a story that leads off with that corrupt scum of the earth former mayor Susan Golding declaring that you are somehow verbotten because the Reader didn't stick it's tongue up her backside...well, I can't resist. It's not like she would have deigned to speak with you in any event. You don't have millions in cash lying around to fund her lavish lifestyle and puerile political ambitions, so she wouldn't have any more time for you than she did for the citizens and voters of San Diego. Personally, if I were ever to be allowed to enter the kind of party that welcomes the likes of Susan "Have we bankrupted the city yet?" Golding, I'd walk up to her with a big smile, reach out my hand, and b***h slap her to the ground. Same goes for former city manager Jack McGrory and notorious Peregrine and Padres fraudster John Moores. They both ought to be serving long terms in FMITA prison. Instead, they go to exclusive parties and nibble on dainty snacks while chortling about how they took us rubes to the cleaners. Oh well. That's how our "Christian Nation" works, it seems...lots of respect for law and order when it comes to busting homeless people for the crime of being poor and on the streets, but NO justice for wealthy and powerful criminals like Susan Golding, Jack McGrory and John Moores. Yeah...it makes me hot under the collar. Sorry about hijacking the thread, Josh. If you ever miss me, just put a famously corrupt politician's name in the headline again...I'll be back in a flash. Best, Fred— August 15, 2009 12:44 a.m.
The drinking problem in Balboa Park after dark
Burwell doesn't go far enough. The only reasonable solution to homelessness is the death penalty. God decides who wins or loses in this world, and if you're a loser who ends up homeless it's only because God doesn't love you. If, on the other hand, you're like Blackwater's Mr. Prince, a phenomenally wealthy REAL CHRISTIAN, God will shower money down upon you as a reward. So anyone who finds themselves without shelter is CONDEMNED by God. It's only right and fitting that in a CHRISTIAN nation we eliminate these miscreants from our midst. After all, it's okay to drink wine (actually the blood of Jesus, hallelujah!) in church, but if you have a beer on the street you are scum. Burwell, let's get together sometime soon and hunt down these sinners sleeping on the streets and douse them with gasoline. We can dance around the flames, praising the name of the Lord, knowing we have done the work of Jesus right here in San Diego. Yes, it's not only a CRIME to be homeless, it's proof positive that you're a sinner who deserves the worst. Hardworking REAL CHRISTIANS cannot waste their time, money, or sympathy on such trash. It's time to send a message to anyone thinking of moving onto the streets just because they lost their job, got ripped off by a mortgage broker, and cannot afford to pay their bills. The message is this: Anyone who fails in this world is unworthy of anything but DEATH. Get off the streets or DIE you scum bags. A REAL CHRISTIAN nation finds you disgusting, just like Jesus taught, and all of us will be first in line to throw our stones. The time you spend suffering on the streets is just a small taste of what is to come, because we all know that poor people have earned the displeasure of God and will burn in hell. When we set you on fire and and smile as you writhe and scream in agony, we're only doing what's right and just in this best of all possible worlds. Amen. Rev. Dr. Fred "Hell Fire and Damnation" Williams— August 15, 2009 12:26 a.m.
The Other McCann
I served from '84 to '88, at the end of the cold war. I was first assigned to Fighter Squadron 211 at Miramar, the Fighting Checkmates. Then I was transfered to Airborne Early Warning Squadron 114, the World Famous Hawgs. With VF-211 I deployed on the Kitty Hawk. With VAW-114 we shipped out on the Carl Vinson. The schedule was the same for both ships. While deployed you work a 12 hour shift. Everyone worked either 7 am to 7 pm (day check) or 7 pm to 7 am (night check). Flight ops can occur at any time of day or night, and as the squadron ready room petty officer, I had to be on the jump in case we were called on to launch an alert. On the Kitty Hawk, I slept directly under the number 3 wire. So my sleep was punctuated by heavy aircraft crash landing just over my head. On the Carl Vinson, I slept between the two forward catapults. There is no such thing as a day off while at sea. Every day is Monday. The stresses can be enormous. Not only is the work itself sometimes arduous (because of my computer skills at the time, I had a pretty cushy job actually) and often dangerous, you also have to live under military discipline. I'm proud to have done my enlistment. I got two letters of commendation from flag officers and was named Sailor of the Month at VAW-114. I'd never want to do it again. Sure, the rare port visits (it's not easy to accommodate an aircraft carrier, so the options are limited) were interesting. But since I was working nights, I spent a lot of my precious free time just catching up on sleep. I have to say that the most intelligent, fair, hard working, ethical and courageous man I ever worked for was VF-211 Master Chief Charles O. Gaylor. He could cuss with literary flair, and with mere words reduce a strapping man to tears. He was tough but very fair. He ran the squadron...the officers just flew the airplanes. I'm sure Master Chief Gaylor is long gone now, but I'd vote for him to serve in any office in the land. Except he had such a open disgust for politicians that he'd never have run. He'd certainly have nothing but contempt for some officer who continues trying to be a city councilman (or state assemblyman) while on deployment. There is no possible way you could be any good at your job if you're pulling a stunt like that. When you're bad at your job as a councilman, taxes go up and the city goes through bad times. If you do a bad job at sea, sailors die. McCann needs to figure out where his duty lies. As Master Chief Gaylor would say, "nuff said."— August 14, 2009 11:35 p.m.
The Other McCann
As a veteran, I know that a deployment is no fun. It's twelve on/twelve off at best. And that's why it's unethical to attempt to retain public office while on an extended deployment. The honorable thing to do is resign. If you really care about your city, you can run again when you get back. If you did a good job, the voters will remember. But McCann has done a horrible job. He's a shill for the Chargers. He spent the whole of last year campaigning for a republican seat in the Assembly (how much did the Spanos family donate to his campaign?). He never once told the voters, "Oh yeah, if you elect me I can't really do the job because I'll be on deployment." Frankly, as a veteran, I'm not at all insulted by the wise-crack about car allowances while deployed. It was just a joke, and it was connected to previous discussions about official car allowances, so in context it wasn't at all out of line. Now I'm not at all impressed by Ms. McCann trying to throw her weight around. McCann can read this stuff online just about wherever he's stationed. He's got email. He can make his wishes known. Instead he's using his wife as a mouthpiece. Nobody elected her to anything. In fact, if she represents as much economic stupidity and bad policy as her husband, she would be a very bad choice for Chula Vista. She complains about advancing a political agenda? What's missing is an orderly transition. Again, if McCann had notified the city in a timely manner of his deployment, none of this would have turned so publicly ugly. If he'd done the right thing and resigned in a timely manner, he could have had a role in appointing his successor. McCann's gone about this in a truly unprofessional manner. Now his wife is making wild accusations? Give me a break. When you go off on deployment without getting your affairs in order, you don't deserve sympathy. You're just stupid. Any sailor will tell you that.— August 14, 2009 12:23 a.m.
Golding's Grudge
So, Susan Golding, one of the worst mayors in San Diego history, acknowledged corrupt minion of the Spanos and Moores crime wave, mistress and wife of convicted con-men...she doesn't like you Josh? The real question is what Jewel is doing hanging out with such a scumbag as Susan Golding?— August 13, 2009 11:39 p.m.
Tijuana Tailspin Hurting San Diego?
With numbers like that, why, why, why do the "Head in the Sanders" down town insist on building yet another extension to the Convention Center? I remember some years ago reading quite a few articles about how important cross-border traffic was to San Diego's economy. There were some impressive figures associated with Mexicans coming across to shop here. What are those numbers now I wonder? If tourism is a proxy for those figures, I'd guess they're down considerably.— August 13, 2009 5:31 a.m.