Our fair city of San Francisco plans to suspend the Constitution for the Olympic Torch relay April 9th. I know SF is leftist, but even here - do our leaders really want to surrender the nation's Constitution to the Communist Chinese leaders without firing a shot?
For fifty years, we've been trashing our schools and hospitals to pay for missiles and bombers. Hell, if we were just gonna surrender anyway we could skipped the Cold War and saved the trillions for our kids.
Let's go all the way: rename the McArthur Tunnel the Great Tube of The People and replace the traffic police boot squad with organ "harvest" surgeons. At least Mayor Newsom could take credit for solving our parking shortage.
Because of the controversy generated by China hosting the Olympics, city officials coordinating the main torch relay event plan to designate areas for people to protest the Chinese government or other issues. The designated "free-speech zones" have been used at large events in other cities but have not had a significant presence in San Francisco.
[SF County Supervisor] Daly is critical of those zones and says he might amend his resolution to condemn their use.
"I don't see why we should break from our pattern of how we handle mass protests or demonstrations for China," he said.
Mayor Gavin Newsom said he has "very serious concerns" about the situation in Tibet but said that the city is "privileged" to be the torch's only stop in North America and that the event should rise above political concerns.
Ain't doublespeak grand? Don't ya love that term: "free-speech zones"? Doesn't it give your inner secret policeman a stiffy?
So...we value our free speech so much we'll cram it away out of earshot to please the world's largest tyranny, the human flesh merchants who run the tyranny, and the pampered princes of the USOC?
WTF?
Why should a city renowned for union activism and solidarity tape over our mouths for the world's largest tormentor of labor activists?
Why a should a city renowned for free public expression collude with China's tyrants to bring Beijing's oppression here to the US?
After fifty years of threatening to blow up the world 'cause the Communists would take our freedoms, why should Americans let SF's pols piss away those freedoms to please a bunch of murderous, organ-peddling tyrants and the USOC plutocrats who suck their gore-soaked cocks?
April 9th is the day for patriots across America to come to the Bay Area and remind SF's craven leaders that our freedoms and our Constitution are sacred. Americans haven't been dying for 232 years so Gavin Newsom can graduate from alcohol rehab and fucking his good friend's wife to sign off on suspending our basic rights. Americans haven't been dying for 232 years so the SF Board of Supervisors can purchase their all expenses-paid trade junkets to China by selling our basic freedoms. Americans haven't been dying for 232 years so the manicured plutocrats who run the USOC can tell us to shut the fuck up in our own country.
Fuck that noise.
The super-rich wealthy enough to join the USOC rulership have already colluded with China to arbitrage away our jobs, destroy our communities, and provide the Chinese tyrants murdering Tibet and her people with political cover for genocide. Hey - anything goes if it makes obscenely rich people richer - right?
Now the super-rich want to sell off our Constitution so they can suck up to the planet's biggest organized crime racket: the Chinese government.
Fuck them and their contempt for our freedom, our Constitution, and basic human rights.
Stand up to the tyrants of Beijing and the uber-wealthy USOC board.
Honor the athletes - defy the tyrants.
Stand on the streets of SF April 9th and reclaim America's rights for all of us. Join us in SF to tell China's corrupt murderous regime to fuck off and die. And while you're at it, tell our besotted mayor and the craven SF Board of Supes colluding with him what you think of traitors who sell out America's Constitution to please the butchers of Communist China.
Join us in protecting our freedom and calling for Tibet's freedom - and the freedom of China's people from her corrupt leaders.
Come to SF on April 9th - and speak up.
Oh - and Gavin? I don't know if it was all the years on the sauce, or the hair gel finally got to your brain, but since you can't be trusted with your dick, why would you think we'd trust you to control our mouths?
Next time you wanna fuck with our Constitution, Gavin - just say no.
PS: Gavin, the day after you told us you'd "harvested" our Constitution for sale to Beijing, you tried to tell us it was all a big misunderstanding:
Mayor Gavin Newsom revealed the first scant details Thursday about plans for the Beijing Olympic torch's April 9 stop in San Francisco....he emphatically stated that no one would be denied the right to protest its presence.
[snip]
The mayor said that the route for the torch relay has been broadly determined, but he did not provide information about specific streets... He also declined to specify the time of the festivities other than to say they will not take place during commute hours.
[snip]
Newsom...said no attempts would be made to suppress protests - not even those along the relay route.
"But no one will be denied the ability to protest all along the parade route if, indeed, they find that it is a great idea because they want to disrupt what should be a unifying event and try to make it more divisive," Newsom said. (emphasis added)
Uhh - Mr. Mayor, your Freudian slip is showing. But I digress.
He said protesters who want to stage a larger demonstration will be allowed to obtain permits in areas within sight and hearing distance of the beginning and end of the route... Activists said last week that they had been unable to obtain such permits, but Newsom vowed to review the permit applications.
Protesters without permits would be allowed in the so-called free-speech zones, he said.
Gee - how generous. So protesters with permits and protesters without permits get to go stand in the "free speech" pens. That's a solution, Gavin?
Uh - Gavin? You may have been too busy getting plastered and fucking your friends' wives to notice, but here in SF we don't need no stinking permits to speak in public - and we ain't gonna start getting them now. Even if we wanted to get permits, Mayor Hair Gel, your little scheme makes the route/time of the Great Torch March Forward a City Secret: held just for those with Need To Know.
I do hope you've decided to clue in the relay runners.
But - outside of your nearest and dearest in City Hall - the rest of us are expected to come cap (or mousse) in hand and scrape before one of your corrupt pols for a permit to assemble for petition of grievances? What part of prior restraint don't you understand, winebar boy?
Let me get this straight, Mayor Orwell - we're all free to protest wherever we want - as long as where we want is where the riot squad tells us to stand at the beginning and end of the Great Torch March Forward? Locations which just happen to be City Secrets - kinda like your scrogging your aide?
So, Gavin, in your perfect magnanimity, you deign to allow "organized protests" to obtain permits to assemble at the secret locations? You're leaving the secret route of the Great Torch March Forward to - what? Disorganized protests? And who the fuck makes the decree what's an "organized" versus a "disorganized" protest? You, Gavin - you lying treacherous sot? Your latest fuck-toy on the SF payroll? Some First Amendment scholar who joined the SFPD Riot Squad as their day job - to indulge their Kevlar fetish?
Mayor Mousse, in a city of bike riders, you should at least learn competent backpedalling. Your March 20 "solution" is yet another scam, one that leaves you and the people who come to work in SF with guns on their belts telling the people who pay your aides' bloated salaries to shut up and take our "organized" protests where they won't offend the delicate sensibilities of Beijing's kidney merchants and the uber-wealthy princes of the USOC.
Fuck that noise and fuck you and your subversion of the Constitution, Gavin Newsom. You should have stuck with peddling orthotics to podiatrists: you're not fit to tell us or the Constitution to bend over and take it in the ass. When we want butt plugs, we'll go to Good Vibrations.
The rest of us will you see you in the streets April 9th - where we'll be telling the butchers of Beijing to get the hell out of Tibet - and calling to free the people of China from the armed kleptocracy of the PLA and Communist Party tyrants.
Gavin, if you don't like it, go back to pulling asbestos and cleaning toilets - until your fine plutocrat friends with the wealth to sit on the USOC Board find a way to outsource even those jobs.
[photo: wai.ti]
Login Here
Share This
Spotlight
Aloha, Doc!
Hey Doc
On April 9th, come to SF and defend Americans’ most basic freedom from China’s murderous leaders and the local goons who serve them.
(this comment does not count towards the zed!)
hey Kirk!!!
Hi CT - congrats on zed!
Hi Raven!
I am so tired of money sports.
This has gone off the deep end.
Thanks to Democratic Mayor, Andrew Young, of Atlanta Georgia, for establishing fascist free speech zones in the first place.
I don’t like free speech zones, but what kind of restrictions on protests would you accept for this event? None at all?
I hope nobody applies for a permit.. It just feeds the wrong kitty.
There was an interesting editorial in the NYT this morning where the author, seemingly someone who knows, maintains that the “pressure” from the Free Tibet Movement has resulted in nothing but suffering for Tibetans in Tibet. I realize that’s not really the topic here but it gave me pause.
Hey, Doc, i’ve been looking for ya… Here’s that article from military.com that slurs the SF protesters…
http://www.military.com/NewsCo.....55,00.html
ES, thank you - I did not know of the origin. What a peach of a gift for our Republic.
And hi Biodun and SanderO!
RZ, the choice between free speech zones and no restrictions on protests at all is a false dichotomy. Sigh. Does Pennsylvania have a season for rhetorical tricks, or is it a year-round thing there?
After 12 years of training/being trained in nonviolent CD, the simple fact is that we protesters are subject to the same civil/criminal laws as are non-protesters. The full weight of CA’s state code ensures a net of legal restirctions on protesters.
Military.com also has Joe Galloway rip the Bushies a new asshole with great regularity.
One of the few columnists I read over there… Galloway was on TPM cafe today, excellent read…!
Thanks CT - I checked with the legal observers and organizers at both Chevorn protests (last week and this week - no reports of thrown objects.. As tossing objects can be a felony, we tend to watch for that.
Sadly, Seattle PD Riot Squad Chief Mochizuki (? spelling) lost one eye to an object thrown by some asshole (this was after wel lafter the WTO protests, but I had soken with him re deployment of chemical weapons on during th eweek of the WTO protests). Throwing stuff just isn’t OK - and the default assumption amongst the orgnizers is that anyone who shows up and advocates/does same is a provacteur.
(sorry for typos)
One of those rare “journalists” that has really been in the shit.
How quaint. We’re in a war over here!
Gabriel Haile Selassie, the world’s premier marathoner, has pulled out of Beijing 2008–because of pollution, not politics. I think a few athletes will be making the same decision…
He described his experiences in Nam in today’s post at tpm cafe… 8-)
Gerry Owen!
Beat me to it. Operative term is peaceable!
DocM you do amazing work on the weekends. I can imagine what you do for a day job! Thanks for your brilliant work.
Actually, that’s not the one… “A Failure of Intelligence”
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsme.....elligence/
I bet the chinese ban traffic to try to curtail smog in Bejing.
Typos are fine.
Free speech zones are OK. Just no “Bong Hits For Gore-Soaked Cock Suckers” signs.
Put out the torch! Hand out Blow Hard awards to those who do. *s*
Dayam - I’m glad the athlete is protectinng his lungs, and I’m so sorry the residents of Beijing and so many other cities in the PRC have to live with crippling levels of pollution.
For eco-activists, the rising frequency of “protests” (some of which are pitched battles) between local residnets on one side, and (on the other side) Communist Party/PLA bosses selling off land for pollutiing industries has been simply astoundinng.
One of the Asia TImes “cited” below in the links discusses the persistance of “Shanghai Mafia” in the upper reaches of PRC government - so highly place they basically ignore the current titular leader.
The Communist PArty (and PLA) leaers pcoekt the money - the industry gets the people’s land - and the people get the cnacer and toxic water.
Factoring in the destruction of potable water, arable land, breathable air, net economic growth in the PRC over the last decade is estimated to be zero to negative.
Of course, the US has a hand in thei. By arbitraging away our industry jobs (thanks, globalization), we’ve exported away roughlty 25-30% of our net carbon emissions to China.
All of a sudeedn, those cheap consumer goods don’t look so cheap - and the money we send to China for them hold up the tyrants who murder their poown people and sell their organs.
Nice piece, a really stupid comment on the discussion.
Good evening Kirk and Firepups,
Kirk, did you get the email I sent you last Saturday night?
Does Pennsylvania have a season for rhetorical tricks…
No. Does California have a season for creating blog posts that use 2/3rds more words than necessary?
After 12 years of training/being trained in nonviolent CD, the simple fact is that we protesters are subject to the same civil/criminal laws as are non-protesters. The full weight of CA’s state code ensures a net of legal restirctions on protesters.
My question wasn’t rhetorical, since your post made no mention of your opinion. Is the government completely restrained from taking any steps that anticipate trouble? They can only punish lawbreakers after the fact?
I was in China about 25 years ago and the pollution was so bad even then that most of the people on the streets were wearing masks. It is truly awful and must be many times worse now. I really don’t see how the athletes are going to manage with it.
A buddy of mine is the women’s swim coach, I’ll axe him next time I see him.
Would really like to know the answer you get. I have thought about this a lot since China was chosen.
Well, it seems to me that since everyone will be competing in the same environment it shouldn’t really matter. LA ain’t no garden of eden.
Kirk, you’ve got to quit holding everything in. Bottling up your emotions cannot be good for you. Go ahead, and tell us what you think.
;)
World Health Organization official Dr. Michal Krzyzanowski said those with heart problems should consider whether they travel to the Chinese capital.
“Exposure to high pollution levels may trigger serious problems,” Krzyzanowski told the BBC. “People who do have heart problems might wish to reconsider their willingness to travel.
“Athletes who visit Beijing are very healthy people, probably without any sign of cardio-vascular disease. Otherwise they wouldn’t be at the Olympics, so they do not belong in the susceptible group. On the other hand, they are exercising very vigorously, so their intake of air is very high.”
The olympics are all about money folks. Why support that perversion of athletics by capitalists?
I don’t care, won’t watch and suggest others do the same.
And the same goes for government subsidized privately owned professional teams.
Ignore them all.
Not on my watch. I’m a patriot - I honor and revere our Constitution.
(see above).
And the awesome Mara Verheyden-Hilliard at the equally awesome Partnership for Civil Justice seem to agree.
More importantly, so does DC Federal District Judge Paul L Friedman:
I hope all American patriots will join in defying the illegal restriction of our First Amendment rights by local pols’ contemptible “free speech zones”.
UCLA is up 4.
Hi greenwarrior - just saw it tonight - last weekend was meetings with pesticide activsits, and this week was the antiwar protests - I look forward to responding when I’ve more free time (any free time) Sunday
I’m gonna throw this open to the group. But if you think something is verbose shouldn’t you use a whole number greater than 1. Like “You used 3 times as many words as necessary.” To say “Does California have a season for creating blog posts that use 2/3rds more words than necessary” is kinda confusing to me. It seems to me that 2/3 of the necessary words is less - not more - than what is necessary.
For what it’s worth, I enjoyed the post so I guess I’m a big enough boy to handle 2/3 more words than necessary. Didn’t hurt a bit. Lemme tell you something from my experience. About 2 weeks ago on saturday Kirk had a post up and I was moving and had loaded and unloaded a truck by myself and was pretty beat. I sat down to read a post by Kirk and said “Oh shit. can’t this guy keep ‘em shorter?” So I said “fuck this” and never finished it. Went back a day or two later and I was really glad I did. I mean, it’s not fucking War & Peace. You can handle it.
From the sfgate item in the post:
I’m envisioning a single Chinese tank, surrounded by ten protesters carrying brown briefcases. You know, just for a change of pace while honoring tradition, all at the same time.
The presumption of innocence is paramount, right alongside, the right to peaceably assemble… How can you defend one and not the other?
Well, the Doc is all for free speech so I guess we have to listen to whatever drivel anyone want to post huh? UCLA still up 4 in this horrible capitalist exploitation known as MARCH MADNESS!
RZ, thanks for the concern trolling. When I can find a printer that works with TP, I’ll be able to do something useful with it.
In the meantime, concern noted.
Some days ago, RZ, Jane observed to you (I’m paraphrasing)
“This is what we do here. If you don’t like it, why are you hanginng around?”
But that would imply I give a flying jump about the answer.
Can the combine the tank action with the Pride Parade?
Careful there, Raven. You’re talking about an organization (the NCAA) that can force a team to play a doubleheader, so as to avoid losing out on television revenues.
I was joking. I thought the “Bong Hits for Jesus” kids were in a free speech zone but i could be wrong.
In fact, they suck. Down here at UCF in Orlando they had designated free-speech zones on campus. Can you imagine that? A fucking college and you’re only allowed to express yourself in certain areas?? Needless to say, the designated areas were off the beaten path. Nowhere near areas where alot of people congregated. Thank god, the school caught alot of flak and ditched the idea. But what (if anything) were they thinking?
evening, pups
Kirk, I’m with you
Newsome, humph I don’t know why I expect a politician here in this country to take a stand even when the Chinese Papers are calling for the military to totally squash all resistance and demonstrations. What say you, world? Boycott the opening ceremonies? Not enough, boycott the games!!!!
Now THERE’S a political image!
That was the SEC not the NCAA and it was my team.
Yeah, but it was the NCAA holding a gun to the SEC’s head.
And we won the tourney!
Nah, it was actually CBS.
Newsom, that is not Newsome.
If I can swing it, I’ll be up there with my sign (and they ain’t gonna be able to show it on the nightly news either)
Kirk
The words “free speech zones” make me queasy. What an oxymoron - stress moron. Are they concerned about the large Chinese community in SF and, if so, why?
Aite, I’m crashin but I’m gonna be checkin this thread in the morning and anyone else fucks with the doc and I’ll be openin up a can o whup ass on ya, hear me?
No problem, BFL - I assumed the joke, but took the opprotuinity to assert the 1st amendemnt - no ctrticvism of you intended impleid (and i agree theat bong hits for whatever is so not helplfu;l!)
Goodnight, Raven - sleep well and thanks for the cover!
:)
Peterr, I loove that visual. From your keyboard to art & revolutions’ ears - or easels - or..cardboard..
Twain, I lived in SF during Tiananmen square massacre. HUGE numbers of people, including Chinese Americans, demonstrated forcefully and peacefully for a long time (a couple of weeks without pause). I have great photos of Jessie Jackson and some Chinese ladies in bandannas.. Boy were they ever fired up!
The update is that two articles about this have now appeared in the Houston Chronicle. I can send the links to those if you’d like them.
On topic: I had NO idea organs were being harvested like this in China!
I’m surprised at Newsome’s reaction to this whole deal. We’re talking about the mayor who proudly stood up and proclaimed that the state Constitution REQUIRED that gays and lesbians be allowed to obtain marriage licenses. Free speech zones don’t exactly fit with my image of Gavin.
For all the imagery and language about this grand international event, I’m guessing that there’s a lot of local politics behind this. The politics of the Bay area are . . . Confucian. The twists and turns are bewildering, to say the least.
Hey Gavin, thanks for the Free Speech Zones.
Maybe you could also provide some Rape Zones and Murder Zones and keep everyone happy.
I got his back.
Good evening, Doctor.
Always good to catch your post in the present tense.
I’ve a question, did something happen in Pennswoods that should concern me?
Did I miss something? Although I envy you California, except in wild-fire season, I am a denizen of the ‘woods’ and would invite you to visit the forests of central Pennsyvania, someday, if you’ve never had the pleasure. Great place for re-creation of equinimity, almost like a cathedral of nature.
Lombardian? *s
wobbly, from your board to the world’s ears.
boycott the Blood Olympics
For the last couple of years at least, there has been a controversy around the Chinese New Year parade, and whether the Falun Gong group would be allowed to march. They’ve been banned from the Chinese New Year parade, although they have been allowed at the St. Patrick’s Day parade.
Welcome to San Francisco!
yes, sir
Late to the game. Well said, Dr Murphy. It sure doesn’t sound like the SF I knew in the 60’s.
Hi Margot.
Did you see my comment (mea culpa) from this morning/
Is the government completely restrained from taking any steps that anticipate trouble?
Depends. Obviously, any court will take a very dim view of any prior restraint on speech.
Think I may use that (with your permission) on my sign (Blood Olympics)
What has happened to SF? I’m down south from you but is there any fussin and cussin (besides here) happening?
the games must be boycotted
Southern Dragon, evening.
indeedy so! :)
Like I said, enjoys your style, wit, grace, and class …
Watch yer topknot bro.
Mark Morford is an online columnist for the SF Chronicle (he’s too . . . what’s the word? . . . graphic for the dead tree Chron), and he often has a wonderful take on SF politics and culture.
Says Mark:
But Mark goes on:
I think they are about to find out about Teh Internet, in a very big way.
Was kind of funny 9to me) that the 9 tight assed Supreme Court justices had to chew over the Bong Hits for Jesus case. Seems like they just don’t get good pornography cases anymore.
I can look this up myself……. nevr mind, i will. I’ll ask you if I can’t find it. I had no idea the torch was comming here now. The Olymopics are going to be here before you knowe it.
Lotsa folks seem to be having ‘difficulties’ with each other these daze …
Me, I’m havin’ trouble with spellin’ …. Jeez.
Kirk, I’m verra glad you’re there in SF to raise proper hell.
Yeah, it’s long and white. Piss me off to have a bald spot. Thought you were off to check yer lids for light leaks.
UCLA is up 4 what?
NYC is down 6
DWB, I’d love to take you up on that invitation. And I think the pennwooda are OK - one troll doth not a forest make!
GW, I’d appreciate the additional refs -a nd I promise to read them on Sunday.
TOrtoise, love your zones - great illustration
Twain, as Peterr observed, there are significant tensions in the local SF Chinese community. At least one Supervisor (SF city is also a county [don’t ask!] so our Supes are city councilpeople) from the CHinese communit stomps on any public protest (like the Falun GOng) that crticizies china. Friends of mine in the Chinese community say the same criminal triads discussed in one of the cited references seem to be pusing the prc’s line on PRC critics within sf’s chinese business community. as the triads are reportedly involved in shakedowns here, that (if true) would be a significant threat.
But I am no expert on the politics within SF’s Chinese community - I ams imply quoting news accounts and a few loal fisrt person reports form docs i trust.
Hola, Kirk!
In what way is it possible to punish someone before a law is broken? Has freedom (of assembly, of speech) become things to fear? ‘Ware.
Since I live in San Mateo County, I watch SF politics in amazement. It’s so strange. I will be watching with this with great interest to see how it plays out. Thanks for the post and your answer.
I’m not an expert in the politics of the SF Chinese community, but you don’t have to be an expert to know that it is a very complex situation.
If you think about the Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade, and their committee’s relations to the IRA, you are just beginning to get the picture.
right on!!!! The truth will be broadcasted over the intertoobz
Yeah, it’s probably not a good idea to route a parade through Chinatown, when it’s for an event in the PRC. Long memories around there, even if a lot of residents have roots back to the Gold Rush.
They had no problems that I know of, running all around LA county in 1984. Invisible security: we went down the street with a ladder to see it when it went through my area. The torch ain’t the problem, the host country (and its apologists) are. The differences between ours and the PRC get smaller all the time.