Comments by emptynewsroom
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Posted on January 8 at 11:14 a.m.
Actually, Sunnyday, I WAS referring to Hendry's Beach. As someone who ran on this beach 3 to 4 times a week for around 8 years, I can assure you that the number of dogs off leash, especially on the weekend and holidays is significant. Many of the dog owners moved down to Henry's after Elings Park got tired of the expense of picking up dog poop and began charging an annual usage fee to dog owners, many of whom declined to pick up after their dogs OR pay this reasonable fee.
Of course, the more often one is on the beach the higher the probability of encountered a dog that wants to play or bite. But facts are facts: many, not all, dog owners are defensive of anyone asking them to take control over their animals.
You can wonder if I like dogs (the answer is "yes" and I've owned several) but that has NOTHING to do with the issue. Perhaps you don't like children? Would that fact change anything if a baby were screaming in a restaurant you were trying to enjoy a meal in? Its all about personal responsibility and that was the only point I was making. (And, yes, I've heard the "you must really hate dogs" nonsense before, so it must be a fairly typical way to counter the reality that dogs should be controlled when in public).
If you don't find my account reliable, I invite you to have a chat with a Park Ranger and get his or her opinion on the issue. Trust me, they see it all, good and bad.
Posted on January 8 at 11 a.m.
Bill Clausen: As usual, a brilliant comeback, but seriously the only reason you might think I'm a "shill" for the Dems is that I am a progressive so therefore my ideals appear "liberal" or "Democratic" to you and geniuses like AShaw.
Why I'm left-leaning is simple: I've seen firsthand how countries with better government and a more adult attitude towards blending socialism with capitalism deliver superior services to their citizens and better value to taxpayers. I'll point out again for anyone not paying attention: the U.S. is the ONLY western industrialized nation without a national healthcare system nor a national public education system. How does the penchant of some to hate government hurt us? The response to Katrina would not have been so poor in any other NATO country. CORPSES floating down the street of a major metropolitan city -- unthinkable in Western Europe. No wonder they think we're barbarians!
Our rankings among nations throughout the world in terms of quality of life, infant mortality, literacy, high school scores, acess to secondary education, freedom of the press, personal savings, etc. etc. are typically in the high 20s and 30s. Look it up.
Yes, I blame the Republicans and a co-opted mainstream media for much of this and although the Dems are far from what they could be and should be, right now they are all we've got. So I encourage you to continue to be pessimistic about our political landscape but at the same time no one deserves the scorn of the public more than the GOP criminals that largely have brought this nation to the brink of economic ruin, ridicule around the world and disastrous military interventions, not to mention a destroyed middle class on the verge of slipping into poverty. The Republican strategy of trying to win arguments and hijack public debates with their "heads I win, tails you lose" tomfoolery is over.
Posted on January 8 at 10:39 a.m.
Perhaps the time has come for Mr. Lee to approach the Elings Park Foundation, custodians of the parklands across Las Positas Road from the proposed development, so they can start the process of raising money to buy the property and annex it. Sort of a Wilcox 2, if you get my drift.
Steve and Mark, here's the number to call: 569-5611. Ask for Virgil.
Posted on January 6 at 1:22 p.m.
Hank: The bottom line is that the integrity of our elections is hugely suspect and it has been proven with mountains of evidence that "results" can be easily changed to favor the candidate of choice. That is the ONLY issue worth talking about in the context of the U.S. electoral system. Yes, the GOP and RNC are typically the cheaters (as has been documented in numerous films and by many researchers), but it is a bi-partisan issue. Anyone who doubts these simple facts is just ignoring the truth and not contributing to finding a solution. Why do some people refuse to accept the fact that electoral fraud in the form of voter caging and voter suppression is part of the American political landscape? Don't be frozen by fear!
Bill Clausen: Stop stalking me by always posting comments in response to mine that profess that the Dems are as corrupt and evil as the GOP. I don't happen to think they are (quite) as bad and your strategy seems primarily to somehow diffuse the issue that the Republicans are hurting the country and work against the interests of the average voter and taxpayer, which is exactly what they do. Why do you care if I lump the Dems into the same trash heap as the Republicans or not?
Posted on January 5 at 5:11 p.m.
Why is it every time I hear another chapter in the (never ending) Wendy McCaw saga I can't shake the image of Arthur Wisenburger as William Holden floating face down in a swimming pool in the weedy backyard of a run-down mansion?
"It wasn't the News-Press that got small, it was the readership!"
Posted on January 5 at 5:03 p.m.
Getting back to the point of the article above: Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the Republicans so concerned about the integrity of the electoral system suddenly became interested in the rigged general elections of 2000 and 2004? Dishonest voting technology companies such as Diebold and Sequoia continue to operate despite plenty of evidence that they consirpired with the RNC in both 2000 and 2004 and directly with the White House in the months leading up to the John Kerry "defeat". Yet, the mainstream media and public at large are mostly clueless about how corrupt and unreliable our system remains.
Why is this important? If George W. Bush had not been allowed to illegally occupy the Oval Office, clearly he would not have been in the position to do the damage he did.
Posted on January 5 at 12:31 p.m.
As an avid beach runner bitten twice and jumped up at too many times to count, I can say with certainty that far too many dog owners have virtually no respect for the safety and wellbeing of others. Of course, when you do request a dog owner leash their pet, you can expect one or more of the following reactions:
A) A cold, dirty look and no response, B) loud protestations that their dog is "not bothering anyone and is not dangerous", C) Rude remark indicating that they are insulted that you would question their ability to control their animal.
Expect the same caliber of manners if you dare ask a dog owner to pick up the poop their dog just left on the beach, park or sidewalk.
Only once in over 15 years (literally one time!) have I had a dog owner apoligize by saying, "I'm sorry that my dog bothered you." What a sad commentary on the state of interpersonal relations in this country. I'm curious what responsible dog owners think of their bretheran that give them all such a bad reputation?
Posted on January 5 at 12:14 p.m.
AShaw: Ah, the old Rightie canard -- "If you disagree with me you must move to another land! Begone, your intellectual curiosity and questioning of authority annoys and confounds me". Wouldn't it be great if everyone were just like Mr. AShaw! (Read his Indy profile and see if you don't laugh out loud.)
The post card you so desperately want to recieve from all the progressives you insist must move to another country is being mailed to you from the rotunda of the Capitol Building and it reads simply: This nation is turning away from idiotic right wing crapola spouted by the uniformed and those conned by "conservative" thinking. The result is that the progressive ideals that generally work so well in most other industrilized nations may yet save America.
On Waging Peace
Posted on December 29 at 7:46 a.m.
AShaw: Like many flag wavers unwilling to dig deeper than beyond the top news stories on Fox and NewsMax, you really would benefit from injecting some reality into your world view. Why not crack open a book or The Economist or watch BBC World News once in a while to gain some perspective of your nation's role in the world? It will make you a better informed voter and a citizen with critical thinking skills, I promise.
Start here with an excellent book written by a former Marine about U.S. involvement in Central America. Its not all negative about what this country does, so you'll be able to stomach it and it will open your tightly closed eyes: http://www.amazon.com/Banana-Wars-Milita...
On Waging Peace
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Posted on January 9 at 6:04 p.m.
Sad, but true Sunnyday. The best I've seen short of an actual communication expressing concern is the dog owner tending to their pet and stopping it from what it was doing. But no eye contact, no direct communication. I think a lot of Americas have become so self-centered that when it comes to a conflict of any kind they get angry, defensive or just shut down.
On Preventing Dog Bites