Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Close to Home — What it’s like on the street where you live
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
JF, you're right. Some of your suggestions have been constructive. I still wish you'd use your real name. You're able to find me with ease, learn my background, my skills, my experience...you could even, with diligence, find the number of votes I got in a city-wide election in 1994. Meanwhile, we can confirm nothing about you. Not a very level playing field. Would the city punish you for daring to give your quite reasonable opinions here? If so, that's something we should get the council to address as a matter of policy. Public employees don't give up their first amendment rights as part of their employment, regardless of what our paranoid ex-cop Mayor says. I noted your comments at VOSD. Is that the union line? Scott Lewis is a puppet of the Mayor? Anything the union doesn't like can be labeled as coming from DeMaio, and summarily dismissed? This tactic helped to get rid of Aguirre, but it sure does dishonor to the facts and the future of this city. You guys honestly see yourselves as victims. Good luck selling that to everyone else in San Diego, losing their homes, afraid of the future, when they see you getting a princely pension along with unrivaled job security and not very onerous work. I may have been one of the first making this argument, but I'm no longer alone. I'm doing you a huge favor by allowing you to see what you're up against. If it doesn't fly with me, you'll probably have a hard time selling it to the rest of the voters. Don, I've seen research that shows that investing in the arts is a far better economic magnet than investing in sports teams. I studied art in college, have exhibited and sold my paintings from time to time, but find the San Diego "scene" utterly anemic. If there were discretionary money to spend, arts funding might get my vote. But in times like these we need firefighters and police more than opera singers or painters. Since we've squandered so much on corrupt losers like the Chargers and Padres, there's nothing much left over. They're already planning to sell-off Balboa Park, and I consider that far more important to San Diego than opera or dance. Besides, opera, in its day, was popular bawdy entertainment. It came into being in spite of the opposition of states and churches. It's only after it became ossified that it got subsidized. If we're to promote music, how about the new stuff put out by struggling youngsters? Instead, just as it always happens, that's exactly what the state and churches are trying to suppress. Better to stay out of it entirely. Government doesn't exist to promote art, concerts, sports, parades or strip clubs. As we've expanded its duties in this direction, we've done a disservice to the core responsibilities of the city.— February 27, 2009 10:40 a.m.
A sampling of San Diego's vanity license plates
Way back when I was in the Navy, stationed with an F-14 squadron at Miramar, I dated a gorgeous girl whose plates read "XJENNYX". I've always wondered what happened to her. She was a lot of fun... I also remember that one of our pilots had the plates "TOMCAT". A guy who teaches deaf and hard of hearing kids has "DHHTCHR" on his plates. A brother had a car plate combo that ended with "3RP"...and we called that car "The Therp".— February 27, 2009 9:48 a.m.
Letters
Sophia Martinez has been so polluted by her religion that she doesn't know the difference between proselytizing and journalism. Grow up, girl. You want the journalist to have such an open mind that his brain falls out. That's YOUR job as a deluded "worshiper". The job of a journalist is to describe what he actually sees, not what he aspires to experience. How childish and insecure are the religious among us. I pray everyday that the stain of religion will be removed from this world and that all the Sophias of the world will live up to their names and start loving wisdom instead of bronze age mythology. Outraged and angry evangelical Christians are SO funny...it's too bad they've been running our country into the ground and shaming themselves with their bigotry and hatred. Time to grow up, Sophia. Your angry sky god doesn't exist, and you're wasting your time in this "mission". Try taking a few science classes instead. You have a lot to learn about the world...especially the difference between fact-based reporting and faith-based preaching.— February 27, 2009 9:41 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
There are only two of us here who have any right to point fingers at moniker abuse...Don and myself. So let's stick to the topic. Anyone seen Scott Lewis' suggestions on this matter at VOSD? From his writing, I get the feeling he had a look at this thread and got some good insights on the situation. I agree with him that there has to be give on both sides. I support the trash fee (it's only fair considering that renters have paid it all along) and I certainly think TOT money is better spent on public safety than football and baseball stadiums or pumping yet more money into wealthy hotel owners' pockets. I'd gore a few sacred cows too...sorry, Don, but the opera isn't even on my priority list of public subsidies. CCDC and SEDC should be wrapped up, saving a lot just on duplication and outrageous salaries for those well-connected developer cronies. The central library is both outdated and superfluous to our needs. SD Data Processing Corp also looks like an abject failure and ought to be gutted, replaced with contractors using open source software (just like various British and German municipalities decided to do). We should expect city workers earning over 100k to work with the city. They cannot justify those levels of benefits and goodies that no one else receives, especially since it's coming out of the public purse. Let's start with the Mayor's office, where he's paying a political hack $140k annually to do...well, nobody knows what that guy is doing. (Don, have you called him and asked?) Can we come together? Is it possible to bridge this divide? The future of the city depends on it. Hiding behind monikers while throwing mud doesn't help. Use your real names, step up and be counted. We need some solutions, and I've seen none coming from those who are afraid to use their real names. Best, Fred— February 27, 2009 9:29 a.m.
The Gathering Place Church
Hodge, this is NOT your website, NOR is its purpose to spread the word of your angry sky god. What an ignoramus. Larkin, it's amusing that you think your angry sky god raped a Palestinian school girl to make an undead zombie so that HE won't torture you for all eternity. What other stupid things do you believe? Helpfully you provided a list: The angry sky god cures blindness, deafness, cancer, asthma...helps your high school football team win a game...punishes you eternally when you masturbate. Uh, yeah. Um, hmmmmm. See, you're so stupidly arrogant that you think I haven't read your bible. Wrong, buddy. I used to give sermons and can easily hold my own with any theologian you name. The opposite, however, is obviously not true. You've never read any science or history, have you? Otherwise you'd have at least a basic understanding of physics and the difference between correlation and cause and effect. You'd know, from reading the recent research, that we've already identified the specific area of the brain that, when stimulated, gives you your "spiritual" hallucinations. Do you know how and when your bible was written? Do you know how much of Stoicism and Mithraism was ripped off and inserted into your small minded little book of myth and faerie tales? Probably not. Instead, you want to teach your children that your angry sky god created them EVIL and FLAWED, condemned to hell for the mistake of being born human, ashamed of genitalia, terrified of questions, eager to kill the infidels and destroy any who dare disagree with your hallucinations. Are you aware that we've sequenced the Neanderthal genome? Are you familiar with the recent findings showing the evolution of feathering in early reptiles? Do you know anything about radio carbon dating? What a small, petty, superstitious world you inhabit. Open your eyes and behold the magnificence of the universe around us. Wrap your mind around the implications of the light-speed constant, or learn something about genetics, plate tectonics, or something useful instead of "studying" your violent bible, looking for apocryphal clues to your angry sky god's capricious and unjust conception of natural laws. You can go on believing that tsunamis and hurricanes are your deity's punishment for sinful humanity...but the rest of us will learn about earthquakes, wave dynamics, convection currents, and other practical science that could save real human lives. Your ilk has been running this country, and it's become the laughing stock of the world. Time to stop, open your eyes, and accept the reality all around us. Your petty little god is no more real than Thor, Beelzebub, or Ra, and just as relevant to our lives. In the meantime, every time you tell your kids about Noah's ark or Jonah and the whale, know that you're handicapping them...deliberately cultivating ignorance. That's child abuse. You should be ashamed of yourselves.— February 27, 2009 9:13 a.m.
A sampling of San Diego's vanity license plates
I don't know if this will get through the Reader's censor, but it's germane to Josh's story. So here goes: http://impeachthemotherf*ckeralready.com/ A collection of license plates around the country with "ITMFA". (Note: It didn't make it past the autocensor, so when you paste that in your browser, replace the * with a "u".)— February 25, 2009 8:22 p.m.
The Gathering Place Church
Typical "Christian" stupidity. All these posts, and not a single one of you can contradict a single assertion I've made. Do they NOT teach "creationism" and contempt for science, thereby damaging the children? Do they NOT pervert religion to stuff their own pockets? Do they NOT preach hatred and fear, just like the Taliban? Silence. Complete silence. Instead, the cowards attack me for telling the simple and obvious truth. Then hypocrites like Cristofers engage in sacharine "let's pray for poor misguided Fred" rhetoric. Do any of you have an IQ above room temperature...in Celsius? Then tell us all why it's good to teach children stories about talking snakes and magical fruit, miracle cures, or the angry Sky God who condemns us all to immortal agony if we don't kiss his celestial butt. Can't do it? Maybe you don't believe a word of this church's nonsense either, but are just too cowardly to come out and say it. I'm waiting. Best, Fred (who's forgotten more of the bible than any of you seem to have read)— February 25, 2009 12:19 p.m.
The Gathering Place Church
This "church" is teaching children the same things as a radical Islamic madras. Hatred, faith in an angry vengeful deity, intolerance, miracle cures, and disdainful ignorance of science and rationality. They "speak in tongues", rolling on the floor, tossing away their crutches, condemning the sinners to hellfire and damnation. There is a war going on in our culture. The right-wing nut jobs declared that war, and have done everything in their power to take over our political and civic institutions to prosecute their war. These are the people who kill in the name of religion. They're the ones marching in front of doctors offices, yanking their kids out of science class, firmly convinced that the sooner they bring on Armageddon the better. They've turned America into the laughing stock of the world. Yet in addition to their tax exemptions, lavish lifestyles for their lying preachers, and unquestioning societal acceptance, you want them to be completely above criticism too. Nope. No way. How conveniently cowardly for you to declare that although you also find them vile, you're too respectful to dare to say anything about it. Josh, you make the common mistake of equating religion with morality. There's no justification for that. Morality evolved long before religion hijacked it. Gringo, you make the mistake of assuming I've not read the Screwtape Letters by Lewis, or that I'm not familiar with biblical teachings. In fact, I'd be happy to have a bible study with you and show you what is so vile about what these people have been taught to believe. They aren't preaching Christianity, or anything close to it. They're teaching hate and ignorance. If you two think this "church" deserves deference and respect, then explain why. Just attacking me personally for standing up and showing this cult for what it is...well, you don't accomplish much that way. Do you also support and defend radical Islamists who have an equal devotion to their nutty religion and teach it to children? How about followers of Ram who murder their Muslim neighbors? Is that deserving of respect too? What about Mormons? Gotta respect them? Jim Jones? He was a Christian preacher too. Can't criticize him? Where do you draw the line? These folks are the ones preaching poison to children, and demanding that everyone view the world from their eyes, Gringo...not the other way around. But you want me to shut up? No thanks. I'll keep calling these people what they are...deluded child abusers who ought to be treated with loathing by everyone who learns of their evil beliefs and their antipathy to everything this country truly stands for. Don't be cowed by your fear of reprisals. It's true that these kinds of Christians are violent bigots. But cowering away only makes them stronger. If you love this country, you have to oppose these idiots, call them out, show how ridiculous they are, and not be afraid.— February 17, 2009 5:55 a.m.
The Gathering Place Church
What a truly disgusting example of the poison that religion brings into this world. Here you have huckster "faith-healers", militant language usually reserved for the Taliban, and both biblical AND historical ignorance on display for all to see...yet people expose their CHILDREN to this junk. That's child abuse. Grow up, get off your imaginary sky-daddy's lap, and open up your eyes. None of this stuff is anything but the insane ramblings of people out to take your money with false promises. It's a cult more than a church, and those of you who attend and bring your children should be ashamed of yourselves. You "Christian warriors" would be funny if you weren't so serious, and well-armed. This is a pointed example of why America is falling behind in science and math...tax-exempt churches teaching obvious nonsense to kids, destroying their ability to navigate in the real world. I feel a little bit sorry for the poor deluded attendees at this sorry excuse of a mumbo-jumbo cult. But mostly I feel a deep concern that they're allowed to spread this dangerous and clearly lunatic thinking to kids. We're all supposed to just say, "Oh well, that's what they believe, and it deserves respect." No way. This is a cult teaching violence and lies, and is just as dangerous in undermining the peace and progress of our society as Islamic extremism. They don't deserve respect...they deserve a visit from child protective services.— February 16, 2009 8:04 a.m.
San Diego City Employees pension fund ailing
Whoops. The comment above was intended for another place where JF is telling all us mere mortals how special he is...my apologies. Here's what I wanted to add to this thread: http://www.economist.com/world/unitedstates/displ… Look at the graph near the bottom. Interesting... fred— February 13, 2009 5:28 p.m.