"Electoral System Dysfunction, JROTC..."
May. 10‚ 2007
Paul,
I agree that early primaries suck, because they strongly favor the most pro-corporate and pro-wealthy candidates who can raise the most money. However, this is merely a symptom of the root problems with our electoral system, which are the following:
Allowing private campaign contributions changes the electoral system from one-person-one-vote to one-dollar-one-vote. Private campaign contributions should be completely eliminated, either by amending the Constitution or by getting more honest people on the Supreme Court who will overturn Buckley v. Valleo. All campaign financing should be public, and all candidates should be given free TV time.
Regarding the presidency, a parliamentary system where the president is replaced by a prime minister who has no veto power and where Congress alone would appoint the heads of the administrative agencies would be much more representative of the will of the people. The strong executive branch was an insistence of the right wing Hamiltonians, who refused to sign the Constitution without it because they didn't want the masses running the country.
The lack of proportional representation means that we will always be stuck with a duopoly, as Ralph Nader puts it. The Democrats suck almost as much as the Republicans on many issues, and the many of us who want real choices are left without them. In a country with 300 million people there should be 20 or 30 major parties.
Jeff Hoffman
San Francisco
Editor,
I would like to share with you my experience back in the early 1960's, when I attended Abraham Lincoln High School in San Francisco.
When I was a youngster, I enjoyed playing sports although I was not very good at athletics. Regarding PE exercises, I also wasn't very good in the sense that I couldn't do for example 20 push-ups the way the PE teachers wanted them to be done. Nevertheless, the PE teachers at Aptos Middle School(called Jr. High in those days) would give me a B or a C for my excellent attitude and efforts. When I entered the 10th grade at Lincoln High, I had a PE teacher whose name was Mr. Greenberg.
He was very rough. I recall one day when we had to run around the track field, and we had to do it in so many minutes, and we were graded for how fast we could run the track. When I went to the locker room after trying to accomplish this feat, I almost vomited from the exhaustion. I must mention that I didn't run the track fast enough to get a decent grade. I couldn't do the exercises such as the push-ups the way Mr. Greenberg wanted them to be. When my first report card was issued to me, I received a D in PE. The next day, I acted on another student's advice. I went to my counselor and dropped PE and took ROTC. I recall all of the drills doing Right Face, Left Face, and marching around the school etc. I remember that once per week we had to wear this heavy wool uniform to school all day. Many of the other students laughed at those who took ROTC, on the day that we wore our uniforms.
Most often what I did was to wear the uniform to the ROTC class with my regular clothes underneath. After the ROTC class, which fortunately was always during the early part of the day, some of us ROTC students including myself would take off our uniforms. I always received a B in ROTC. I would have received an A, had I not taken off my uniform or had I marched in more parades such as the St. Patricks or Columbus Day parades. I should mention that at that time, I didn't have any strong opinions about our government's policies and how much money goes for military spending. Later after I completed High School and when President Johnson escalated the Vietnam War, I became more aware of things and I opposed the war.
I believe that ROTC must be abolished in the high schools. Our youngsters must be educated about the necessity of exercising and eating healthy foods, and PE must be a requirement. However, we can make the PE courses appealing to our young people and the students should not be graded with a letter grade. PE should be a Pass or Fail course, based on students attitudes.
Walter Ballin
Chico
You can submit letters to the editor by clicking on this link: rshaw@beyondchron.org
or by writing to:
Beyond Chron
126 Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-771-9850 (phone)
415-771-1287 (fax)
Stand-Up for Justice 2006
Dec. 05‚ 2006
2nd Annual Comedy Benefit for Death Penalty Focus
Thursday, December 7th, 7 p.m.
Cobb's Comedy Club
915 Columbus Avenue (at Lombard)
San Francisco, CA
Emcee: Mike Farrell, President, Death Penalty Focus
Featured Performers: Will Durst, Betsy Salkind, Johnny Steele, Aundré the Wonderwoman
Stand-Up for Justice Award: Tom Ammiano
Tickets:
Patron $100 *
Main Floor $50
Balcony $35
To purchase, email alison@deathpenalty.org or
call 415-243 0143.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., show starts at 7 p.m.
* Patron tickets include front section seating and 1 ticket to a VIP Dessert
Reception with Mike Farrell of M*A*S*H*, Shelley Fabares of Coach and
James Cromwell of Babe, Six Feet Under and Queen.
Board of Supervisors - District 6 Candidate Forum 10-10 @ 6PM
Oct. 06‚ 2006
League of Women Voters District 6 Candidate Forum in partnership with
Alliance for A Better District 6 will host a live panel discussion with
Cheryl Jennings, KGO TV personality as moderator. This event will also
be aired on SFGTV, Access SF, and EATV on a latter date.
Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Time: 6PM to 7:30PM
Place: SF Main Library, Koret Auditorium
Location: 100 Larkin Street, (Lower Level)
Contact: Virginia Grandi, 415-989-8683
The event is open to the public, and seating will be provided on a
first-come first-serve basis. Audience questions are asked by the
Moderator. Question cards will be collected from the audience and vetted
by a designated League member.
Outreach partners:
Central City SRO Collaborative
Lower Polk Neighbors
North Mission Neighborhood Alliance
TAC 8th Annual Celebration & Community Forum
Aug. 28‚ 2006
Tenant Associations Coalition of San Francisco (TAC) presents the Eighth Anniversary Celebration & Community Forum
On Wednesday, September 6, 2006 the Tenant Associations Coalition of San Francisco sponsors a Community Forum and Celebration. This event will be open to the public.
We are inviting candidates that are on November 7th ballot to come and address those assembled. Keynote speakers are California State Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Leland Yee and San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi. Highlighting all eight candidates in District 6 Supervisorial race with a moderated forum.
Our celebration will honor, recognize, and commemorate the long history of activities that Tenant Associations Coalition of San Francisco and it's affiliates have been apart of.
The events co-sponsors include: Alliance for a Better District 6, Central City SRO Collaborative, North of Market Planning Coalition, San Francisco Mental Health Association, and Trinity Plaza Tenants Association.
We look forward in your participation at our event.
DATE: Wednesday, September 6, 2006
TIME: 12:00 Noon to 3PM
LOCATION: 201 Turk Street Apartments, Community Room cross street is
Jones Street
TOPIC: Celebrating the 8th anniversary of TAC, Community Forum with
guest speakers
FYI: District 6 Board of Supervisor Candidates
Rob Black, rob@robblack2006.com
Chris Daly, superdaly@yahoo.com
George Dias, georgedias@comcast.net
Matthew Drake, mattdrake2006@yahoo.com
Viliam Dugovic, info@thenovember7.info
Manuel Jimenez, sfesquire@gmail.com
Davy Jones, votedavyjones@yahoo.com
Robert Jordan, vote4bobjordan@yahoo.com
Sponsors and Co-Sponsors
Tenant Associations Coalition of San Francisco
http://bapd.org/gteaco-1.html
Alliance for a Better District 6
http://bapd.org/gale-1.html
Central City SRO Collaborative
http://www.ccsro.org/
North of Market Planning Coalition
http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/865555/?brand=smx_yp-nc
San Francisco Mental Health Association
http://www.mha-sf.org/index.html
Trinity Plaza Tenants Association
http://www.megaone.com/kwfreelotto/TrinityPlaza.htm
http://www.aamovement.net/community/trinityplaza.html
THE 2006 SOMA COMMUNITY POT LUCK "in the heat of the SoMa summer!"
by Ken Werner, Trinity Plaza Tenants Association (TPTA)‚
Aug. 11‚ 2006
Wednesday, August 16, from 6:00-9:00 p.m. at The Arc of San Francisco (1500 Howard Street at 11th Street)
FOOD - Visit the SoMa Community Bulletin Board to view the current menu and post your own culinary contributions (http://p104.ezboard.com/fwesternsomacitizensplanningtaskforcefrm2). See below for the contact person.
DOOR PRIZES - Contributions have already come from Annie's Social Club, Capricorn Coffees, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival, the Peekabootique, Slim's, the South Park Cafe, Stompers Boots and The Best Impression. If everyone asks only a couple of their neighboring businesses to make a modest donation of goods or services it will help ensure that everyone goes home with something special! See below for the contact person.
DONATIONS - Save our San Francisco Tennis Club (SOSTC) has made a very generous cash donation. If your cooking skills are lacking or you don't want to solicit door prizes, make out a check to the "SoMa Leadership Council " to help defray the cost of supplies, decorations, publicity and other expenses. See below for the contact person.
DEADLINE - Monday, August 14 is last call to be recognized in the program. Food and door prize contributors, donors, community-based organizations and candidates for District 6 Supervisor must confirm participation by 4:00 PM on Monday, August 14. Candidates must have paid their $50 donation (which guarantees them a table, space for signs and speaking time) to be listed.
CONTACTS - If you have questions about food contributions, contact Dennis Juarez (dennis@gamh.com). Toby Levy (Toby@levydesignpartners.com) is coordinating door prizes. Brian Wallace (somawally@comcast.net) is the liaison to the District 6 candidates, and Paul Lord (Paul.Lord@sfgov.org) is working with the non-profits and community-based organizations.
Send donations (checks made payable to "SoMa Leadership Council") to Jim Meko at 366 10th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, or contact Jim at jim.meko@comcast.net.
Another Unarmed Young Black Man Shot Dead...
by Idriss Stelley Foundation‚
Jun. 09‚ 2006
...by SFPD on June 7, 2006
Is there any excuse for more of this madness? Check it:
" Asa Sullivan, age 25, is SFPD murder victim number 17 over the past 10 years.
" Asa, like all of the 8 other young Black victim of cop murder over the past decade, was shot while unarmed. The cops had no lawful reason for going to the house where Asa lived
" Asa had not broken any laws when the cops unloaded on his young body. In fact, no one at the home had broken any laws either. The cops claim that they got a report that Asa and others in the apartment were squatting there. The Parkmerced Apartment manager says that all occupants were legally in the house-NO ONE WAS SQUATTING THERE!
" Asa had a life. He was employed by Goodwill and was living at a friend's house at the ParkMerced Apartments next to San Francisco State University.
What Will You Do?
Make your presence count by making it known! Join us On Saturday, June 10, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. At the Parkmerced Apartments 3711 19th Avenue Cross: Holloway Ave
We are those who mean to achieve justice for cop murder victims!
Who are we?
Justice For Cammerin Boyd Campaign, Police Observers Working to Effect Reform (POWER), Justice for Gus Rugley, Idriss Stelley Foundation, and all those who believe that
ALL MATTER OR NONE MATTER!
"The Coming Media Monopoly: Concentration of Press Ownership and Its Effects on Democracy"
May. 31‚ 2006
A panel discussion presented by the Society of Professional Journalists and Media Alliance
--- Date: Thursday, June 1, at 7 p.m. - Reception at 6:30 p.m., refreshments and wine Location: San Francisco LGBT Community Center, 1800 Market St. at Octavia, SF Admission: $5 (FREE for members of SPJ and Media Alliance) ---
The last year has seen dramatic shifts in Bay Area media ownership.
MediaNews, the new owner of the San Jose Mercury News and Contra Costa Times, will soon control nearly two-thirds of local daily newspaper circulation; the two largest weekly newspaper chains, Village Voice and New Times, merged; and there's been an escalating scramble by several large media companies to control the expanding market for ethnic and foreign-language readers.
Can journalism survive in an era of corporate mergers and acquisitions? What about public service and community needs? What can be done in response to these trends to strengthen the quality of our news media workplaces?
Hear from journalists and media reformers who are responding creatively to the evolving media landscape.
Panelists: -- LINDA FOLEY, president of The Newspaper Guild, a union representing newspaper workers nationwide. Prior to the sale of the Mercury News and Contra Costa Times, the Guild advanced an ambitious plan to transfer it and other former Knight Ridder papers to a "worker friendly" company. -- TIM REDMOND, editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The Guardian says it has lost hundreds of thousands of dollars due to unfair competition for ads since the two competing alt-weekly chains merged. How can the little guy compete when the "alternative" press is corporate controlled? -- STEPHEN BUEL, editor of the East Bay Express. New owner Village Voice Media is the Guardian's corporate nemesis. As a reporter Buel once covered consolidation. -- SANDY CLOSE, founder and director of New America Media, plus an additional panelist to be announced, will address the effects of consolidation in ethnic and foreign-language media.
Moderator: -- ERNA SMITH, professor of journalism, San Francisco State University.
For more information visit www.spj.org/norcal or www.media-alliance.org/calendar.php.
Clean Energy Rally
May. 03‚ 2006
San Francisco has the opportunity to build the world’s largest urban clean
energy network in the world. When the Community Choice Energy program is
implemented, 50% of San Francisco’s electricity will come from renewable
sources. We say NO to asthma, war and climate crisis by saying YES to Community
Choice Energy.
There will be a rally on May 15 in support of Community Choice, and we need lots
of people there to make sure it happens!
here are the details:
MAY 15, 2006 12:00pm CITY HALL (In front of City Hall-Civic Center Plaza on
Polk, between Grove and McCallister, near the Civic Center BART station)
Skyline Picket On Saturday
Apr. 28‚ 2006
Tolerance is not acceptance, support is not activism.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world;
indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
--Margaret Mead
CounterPULSE April schedule
Apr. 07‚ 2006
Musical Healing Dance and Ritual with Brook and Reverent Offering Sat. April 8, 8 pm $10-20 This participatory performance blends songs, chants, deep improvisational exploration, and ritual to create a new form: part performance, part devotional dance, part healing ritual. Come prepared to dance, to sing, to make musical and movement prayers, to make a Reverent Offering. Benefit for Code Pink Women for Peace. Res/Info: (510) 315-1104
April 12, 8 p.m. Spring Talk Black Exodus/Black Eviction The infamous redevelopment process of the 1960s did much to diminish a vibrant African-American community in the old Fillmore. The black population of San Francisco has been falling steadily since 1970. Is today's Bayview- Hunters' Point neighborhood facing another round of racist relocation? Community activists and historians will discuss the past to inform the present and change the future! Speakers: Kevin Epps (featuring excerpts from Straight Outta Hunters' Point), Alicia Schwartz (POWER) and Willie Ratcliff (publisher, San Francisco Bay View newspaper)
STREAM/fest MAP: Media-Assisted Performance Fri. April 14, 8 pm, $10-15 CounterPULSE presents a unique evening of site-specific dance videos, performance installation, and experimental multi-media performance by some of the Bay Area's most innovative creators. Res/Info: info@counterpulse.org or (415) 435-7552 EPF: Emerging Performance Festival Sat. April 15, 8 pm $10-15 CounterPULSE brings together choreographers, musicians, spoken word and performance artists for this mixed genre showcase of exciting, experimental, emerging performers. Res/Info: info@counterpulse.org or (415) 435-7552
Dance Down the Lock Down: an evening of music, dance and words celebrating a world beyond prisons Fri. April 21, pre-show 6:30, show 8pm, $15-25 buildingbloc arts collective with the prison activist resource center (PARC) and Critical Resistance (CR) present a community gathering of Bay Area performers as a benefit for PARC and CR. This second annual extravaganza includes talented artists: Richelle, Beatriz Restrepo, Loco Bloco Carneval Bateria, Isak Imanuel, Nejla Baguio, Shawna Virago,Graciela Osuna, and the brass liberation orchestra. Also speakers and videos about the growing movement to abolish the prison industrialcomplex. Res/Info: (415) 217-9885
WCCIF Show/Open House for Nat'l Dance Week Sat. April 22, 8 pm Free West Coast Contact Improv Festival presents performances from 2006 teachers and guests. Learn more about Contact Improv with a mini-lesson from one of our Festival Teachers. Pre-register during our event for WCCIF 2006 (June 29-July 4) and save $40! Food and CI Jam reception immediately follows the show. Res/info: (415) 789-7677 or www.wccif.com.
The Joy of Devotional Chanting –A Daylong Singing Intensive Sat, April 22, 10-5pm, $135/125 Journey through the transformative power of sound with Silvia Nakkach, MA, MMT. Share sacred chants from contemplative, shamanic, and ecstatic traditions: Indian ragas, Bhakti chants, Tibetan and Sufi songs and indigenous incantations from Africa, Brazil, and the Amazon. Correct method for breath, voice and leading chants will be taught. Pre-register by April 14th. Info/Reg: CIIS Public Programs (415) 575-6175 or www.ciis.edu/publicprograms.com
Dancers' Group presents the Living Room Series Sun. April 23, 2 pm and 3:30 pm FREE Please join Dancers' Group during Bay Area National Dance Week for this series featuring choreographers and dance companies from our Fiscal Sponsorship Program. Res/Info: (415) 920-9181.
April 26, 8 p.m. Spring Talk Cleaning Up After the Military: Reclaiming Bay Area Military Bases Featuring speakers addressing restoration and remaking the Presidio, community activists fighting over the future of Hunters' Point, and restoration and permaculture activists from the Alameda Naval Air Station. Speakers: Doug Kern (Presidio), Kat Steele (Urban Permaculture Guild, Alameda), Arthur Feinstein (Alameda), and others TBA.
"/" Fri./Sat. April 28–29, 8 pm free Intermedia collective DOUBLE VISION (Pauline Jennings/Sean Clute) and choreographer Amy Lewis split an evening of innovative dance, video, and sound. As part of Bay Area National Dance Week 2006, the performance will showcase works inspired by disembodies heads, mapping of social and mathematic structures, and survival strategies of Pier 39's waltzing sea lions. Res/Info: (510) 535-2504 or www.double-vision.biz
Workshop & Performance for Dancers over 40 Sat. April 29, 1-5 pm Free ..And Still Dancing, the celebrated company of modern dancers aged 40-66 invites dancers of all ages, sizes and abilities to learn our signature piece, "Why," at 1 PM, and then perform it at 4 PM. Come early- last year's event was a capacity crowd! Info: (408) 248-1670
March 19, 2010
