Watching City Hall #465
Watching Krissy run for Kongress V
(7-9-06)
“Bin Laden is a punk performance artist.
He lives in a cave and is still able to tweak
the strongest governments in the world.
He’s laughing his ass off while Bush
responds to his actions by taking
apart American democracy one brick
at a time.”
“Another way that Bin Laden is totally punk
is that he seems to spend lots of his time
producing and distributing bad videos.”
“What’s the difference between
Bush, Bin Laden or Son of Sam?
They all hear voices from God,
telling them to kill people.”
(Devo’s, Jerry Casale)
Great show. Channel 29 on cable. Public access. Show
called
‘Ry-peat … or, Ry-Cycle … something like that. Great show. Friday
or Saturday. Name of show is name of new zine from classic producer
whose name I forgot.
How’s that for a positive review? Two guests and they were
both
brilliant. Casales and an Australian punk artist. Anyway, it was
the
best conversation I heard all week.
Warren Hellman’s ‘Venture Philanthropy’
The Chron’s, Jonathan Curiel had an excellent (far as it went –
he
completely ignored the local angle – i.e., fact that Hellman invented
this ‘investment’ philanthropy years ago) … excellent piece in today’s
Chronicle about the “New philanthropy”. Let me try and tie all this
together, and if I do it, I want a fuckin’ Nobel.
There’s ‘wealth’ which is also called ‘capital’ and is made up
of a
combination of labor, resources and creativity. The product of
combining these elements is either ‘profit’ or ‘loss’. Wild cards
in
the equation are politics, religion and ethics. Morality is not a
concern.
The major problem on the face of the ‘modern’ earth has been
the
distribution of ‘wealth’. This process is normally accomplished by
building a huge military apparatus with which you murder millions of
your
neighbors and steal their ‘wealth’. You then use your huge military
machine to enslave the people whose armies you have defeated. Once the
situation in the economic colony is ‘stabilized’, you create a puppet
government and military force to protect the interests of the
international carpetbaggers whom the new kids call ‘neocons’ … these
are
the real scum buckets. These ‘conquerors’ are able to justify
anything
on the basis of the superiority of their race or religion or political
philosophy. The conquered peoples are deemed inferior. Thus, they
are able to turn a blind eye to murder and torture and rape and theft.
They know that since they own the media in their own native countries,
they’ll be hailed as heroes even if they bring home their treasure
soaked
in the blood of innocents. This, for instance, is how Donald Fisher
of
San Francisco’s, Gap, was able to make billions of dollars directly
from
the toil of underage asian children chained to sewing machines. And,
… be given awards for his ‘philanthropy’.
What to do with your ‘booty’
In an ideal world, the accumulation of massive profit would not
be
possible for individuals. In an ideal world, democratically elected
governments would carefully redistribute profit. Thataway, even the
most humble voter might feel that they can have a small voice in how
the
wealth of their people is spent. Millions of individual voices.
Instead, corporate barons determine which diseases should be
addressed,
which bridges and railways built, which energy sources to perpetuate
and
which non-profit enterprises and individuals to fund in the arts.
And, there are few things more damaging to a culture than a billionaire
with bad taste.
My entire point here was to point out that Warren Hellman (who
thinks
that Willie Nelson rivals Mozart) , a San Franciscan, deserves the
credit
for designing the new paradigm for the redistribution of the world’s
wealth. It wasn’t the Economist when they recently dubbed the
phenomena: ‘philanthrocapitalism’ or the Boston College professor who
offered: ‘entrepreneurial philanthropy’. Nope, like Henry George’s
land
trust philosophy, this new economic analysis was created in Fog City.
What’s it about, you might ask.
The implications of Venture Philanthropy
Well, you get an asshole like Donald Fisher using the proceeds
he
gleened
from child slave labor to publish pamphlets calling Gerardo Sandoval an
anti-semite, or buying the control of public soccer fields for his
kids.
Or, Warren Hellman deciding what kind of dance and theatre and music
you’ll be watching and hearing around these parts.
You get neocon candidates and issues supported by a necon media
and
treasure chests, spending ten times as much as their progressive
opposition. Buying every single voting machine company and 90% of
the
newspapers and 80% of the major musical tour performance venues.
We
need to even the financial landscape, but first a prayer.
God, save me from people who believe in you
(the Bulldog prayer)
Save me from people who are certain that you exist and are
speaking to
them. Save me from people who believe they can buy your love by
building fancy buildings with money they got from murdering my brothers
and sisters.
Nobel solution
Freeze prices and double the money supply. Might actually
have to
double, triple or quadruple it to achieve equity. Maybe even more.
Credit the new stream of money to the bottom of the population.
Value
wise. Use a simple pyramid structure. Upside is that if you make
ten grand a year, you’ll get a tax refund this year of three-quarters
of
a million dollars. Downside? Warren Hellman will deliver it.
How to conquer the world
Dump the ‘Star Wars’ missile defense shield. There’s lots of
billions
(100 at last glance), any new fighter/bomber technology … lots of
places
to free up several hundred billion (the Department of Defense spends
1.25
billion a day presently, not including special appropriations) … and
use
it to?
Assemble the world’s largest emergency response force. A
force that
responds (for free, cause we’re rich and we can afford it) to natural
disasters the world over. More airlifted bulldozers and field
hospitals and kitchens and temporary cities than has ever been deployed
in the history of the planet.
Call us for help
(no oil deposits necessary)
Imagine, if after the tidal wave hit the Far East that the
world
would
start thinking right away: “Well, at least we know that the Americans
will be there with their rescue equipment and food and medicine within
24
hours.”. Imagine that.
Keefer for Kongress news
“It’s a woman’s world.” Or, it should be. Ever look at
the
friezes
over the colonnades at City Hall? Warrior women standing over their
troops. Follow Joe Alioto Plaza from Polk Street to Larkin and
pause
to gaze up. Take a shot from the secret flask you have hidden in
your
overcoat, or pop another anti-depressant and look up. Up, from its
position in the center of the parking lot between the new and old
library
buildings, to the statue of a huge warrior Queen, Mother Earth to
California … shield and spear, with her protected subjects resting
below … as the scene in the City Hall friezes … so much like
Keefer,
the LGBT warrior Queen, costumed as such through so many theatrical
productions. Dance Brigade should get a nod from any campaign that
casts their female candidate in the warrior mode. They invented it.
These are not silent and docile, barefoot kitchen girls. These
are
the imprimaturs of San Francisco culture … and, defense. Such an
army is developing around Krissy Keefer now. An Art Army. The
Pelosi forces should take note.
The Keefer campaign is taking on shape and roots. Gathered
closest
are the women. Susan King and Denise D’Anne and Sue Vaughan and
Josalind Lord and Debbie Lammam and Erika McDonald sort through
position
papers and proposals from an amazing spectrum of supporters.
Lots of Krissy’s supporters cannot allow their ideas to have
their
names
attached to them. They’ll lose jobs or homes or lovers or whatever
should their support be revealed. That’s the truth. Soooo,
you’ll
be seeing lots of Eileen Left in this campaign.
Eileen: (just returned from the opening of the annual AIDS Walk,
she’s
stripped naked and lying on a lawn chair on Savannah Blackwell’s huge
deck
… near the pool, where Madeline the cat pokes at her reflection in
the
water and Golden Gate Park lies equally totally open to our
contemplative
stare)
“ So, I get to play a part in this election? I’m still
pissed at
Gonzalez for banning me from the mayor’s race and you for letting him
do
it.”
h.: “You’re part of my insanity, baby. He just wanted to …
(pauses and looks out to the ocean where the fog has receded well past
the
beach where hundreds are taking up umbrellas and …)
“Let’s leave Gonzalez out of this.”
Eileen: (turns her browning body from back to front and there is no
loss
of appeal – turns and curls finger for the forwarding of the flute of
champagne she brought out of the bedroom – takes glass, takes a sip,
then
another & accepts and draws from the glass pot pipe) “OK, I’ve got no
problem with that. But Jim Dorenkott used his first Green County
Council meeting to tell members that the only candidate worth
supporting
in November was John Rizzo. He ignored Krissy and Kim Knox and Jane
Kim
for the School Board and Emily Durkin for Bart Board. Plus, Bruce
Wolfe is running and he’s certainly paid his dues. What’s up with
that?”
h.: (pours more wine from the gallon of Carlo Rossi red that
Savannah
left – Madeline, the cat, comes and lays by my chair and demands a
belly
rub – you pinch their bellies and go ‘mew, mew, mew’ and these
necessarily
neutered females, knead and purr and imagine themselves mothers) …
“Go
after Dorenkott then. Matt says Jim speaks for himself, so take him
on
his word. I don’t see Matt involved much on the local scene anyway.”
Eileen: (rises to her full 6’ frame, goes to corner of deck where
there
is a 10’ flag pole attached to the end of a full Tiki bar. The
original phrases of a carefully crafted tune drift out through the
window
of the adjoining living room where Luke Thomas hammers out a tune …
she
chooses an American flag from a selection properly folded and stored in
a
rack on the side of the bar – aims a sardonic look towards h. … )
“I saw an interview on Cspan a couple of days ago with Nader and Kevin
Zeese talking about uniting the alternative political parties to form a
serious threat.”
h.: (as she hangs the flag, gravity and the somewhat occasionally
cool
sea breeze do wonders with her nipples and epidermis) “That would
explain all Zeese’s trips back here but Matt certainly doesn’t speak
for
the local Green party. What’s Camejo got to offer? (rubs ‘0’
haircut skull a moment, then points index finger in air in her
direction)
Peter controls the ISO contingent, right? (shakes head and goes
to
pour another bourbon on the rocks & to puff a fresh pipe of Maui Wowie)
If we’re right, they’re doing long-range planning from a bunker with no
troops and the devil at the door on the Iraqi war and Global Warming.”
Eileen: (smirks) “Matt might come around. Just don’t count on
him
for anything. Think of it as having your star player break both
arms
scoring a touchdown. He’s still your hero. He’s just out for the
season and wants to root for you from the sidelines, but he’s unable to
clap.”
h.: (smiles and takes another drink and puff) “It’s great to have
you back, Eileen. Let’s just make Gonzalez off limits for the
column.
You can ban him just as he banned you. We have real world
problems
and a qualified real world candidate to address them. Give me a few
minutes to catch up with current City politics.”
Eileen: “You go, boy.”
Mirk’s pot plan unravels
I told you so. I told you so. I told you so. I told
you that
although Ross Mirkarimi had the best intentions in the world when he
worked to write legislation regulating the local distribution of
medicinal marijuana … warned you that putting control over pot clubs
under the jurisdiction of the Planning Department (particularly that
asshole, Larry Badiner) would only wind up with Newsom’s Republican
appointments to the Planning Commission and the Board of Appeals …
would end up with them killing the clubs one at a time. Well, the
first club has bitten the dust. That would be the Green Cross which
proposed to operate in a tourist area (about all that was available
given
the amendments to the legislation added by Republican surrogate, Sean
Elsbernd) … proposed to operate near Fisherman’s Wharf.
Opposition to which it was nuts to deny, if you think at all. I
mean,
do you think that people go to Amsterdam to look at the neat wooden
shoes?
Fuck no, they go there to get legal pussy and pot. They come here
for
much the same reasons but repressed dickheads like Arthur Evans (who
opined in a BAR editorial 20 years back that gay men should stay away
from
Fleet Week because fucking sailors would give the City a bad name).
They come here to party, just like they come to Amsterdam and we should
be
encouraging that … but deeply sexually troubled individuals like
Evans
work without pause (gotta do something with that energy) to force gays
back into closets and pot back into the parks. I mean, you really
don’t
think he believes people will stop fucking hookers or smoking doobie,
does
he? He just wants it forced back underground so that we can have
more
disease and gang activity. This turns Art on.
So, the Mirkarimi legislation empowered the most reactionary
commissions
in the government (Planning and Appeals) to control pot clubs, then he
and
Newsom turned a blind eye while Mitch Katz cut the City Pot Card
program
out of the City budget and gave control of cards to the Republicans who
run the State.
And now, if you get a card (many, many people have opted out) … if you
get
a state card, they get your name and address and your doctor’s name and
address and on and on … and, they (like Evans) are repressed
anal-retentive butts who mostly fear anyone having a good time cause
they
aren’t … all the information goes to the State and that means the DEA
and many more. He ain’t alone.
And, Rob Anderson
These guys are my inspiration. I mean, really. A gadfly
really can
derail a train. Evans’ incessant lobbying online about ‘Narco
Nomads’
(great image, Arthur) and the evil of his local (mostly black run pot
club, the Vapor Room – Arthur is a racist who fought a basketball court
in the Panhandle years back because he didn’t want big black bucks
driving him up his sexually repressed Wall) … Arthur has succeeded in
creating an anti-pot panic that culminated in the denying of a permit
to
do business for the first pot club to reach Badiner at the Planning
Commission (Green Cross – perfect management – all ‘t’s’ crossed and
‘i’s’ dotted and still no permit. Only 5 of remaining 30 clubs have
applied for permits. You may expect them to get the same treatment
because Newsom appoints conservative Republicans to his commissions
(and,
doesn’t even know it).
Anyway, it’s gonna be back to Delores Park and the gangs to buy
your
medicinal pot, grandma. The pot clubs are going away. Because
Arthur Evans can’t get laid and there is no such person as Mayor Gavin
Newsom. Bill’s boy (that would be William Newsom, who – while his
boy
was chairing a task force to make the taxi industry fair - … Judge
Bill,
he described the 4,500 drivers who work for the cab companies and
medallion holders as … ‘vassals’) …
On bikes and cars
I went to Golden Gate Park on Saturday and boy was it jammed
with
people
on foot … and cars. Credit Rob Anderson for the cars. Rob never
saw a rich person or a car that he didn’t love on sight. He pushed
hard against neighborhood interests who were trying to stop a Warren
Hellman garage to house 800 cars under Dede Wilsey’s (Rob said her
step-kid who wrote an expose’ of her was just: “a spoiled brat”) … he’s
supportive of a proposal by the Brannan family to add another garage
for
162 cars beneath a chain store and market rate apartments along the
footprint of the old Cala at Haight and Stanyon. Toss in the UC
Medical garage 2 blocks over and you’ll have parking for over 2,000
cars
within 300 or so yards from the Stanyan Street entry to the park.
Think that’s good for the air or pedestrian safety? Anderson doesn’t
care. He also supports the Wilsey plan to repeal the Sunday, ‘no
car’
respite that has been such a success for the past 20 odd years.
Sunday car ban in danger
I was in the park this past Saturday and I saw lots of traffic
congestion
and lots of people and the two don’t go together. I also saw
something
else. Two somethingelse’s actually.
First, was David … what’s his last name? … father of skaters
in
Golden
Gate Park? … used to have a show on channel #29 Access and they drove
him off? …
Anyway, David is big supporter (along with 80% of City) of
‘Healthy
Saturdays’ closures of the park. We had that in the bag a month or
so
back until Bevan Dufty had a drink with Dede Wilsey and changed his
vote
to support a Newsom veto of Jake McGoldrick’s Saturday Closure to cars
(a failed Gonzalez initiative) …
David was there with an informational table manned by ‘Healthy
Saturdays’
supporters. That was just great and everyone was very supportive of
their efforts. But there was something very dangerous on a poll next
to the skaters’ station.
Warning from Gloria Young
Gloria only signs these announcements from the Board about
impending
meetings and actions, but it still chilled me a bit to see her name at
the bottom of the flyer scotch-taped to the poll. A public hearing
or
invitation for public comment regarding changes to the Sunday closure
law. Oh yeah, Wilsey and Anderson and Newsom and Dufty are not
happy
with just killing the Saturday closure proposal.
Nope, they used Michela Alioto-Pier to front opposition to
Saturday
closure on a disability access basis (no, Pier didn’t show pictures of
a
burning World Trade Center in her presentation) … and, she didn’t just
double-cross the Board into accepting amendments to the Saturday
closure
that included allowing anyone into park with disabled placard (there
are
23,000 of them in town and all of the rich have them) … she extended
the
requirements to the venerable Sunday closure as well.
Expect to see cars in the park on Sunday soon.
