still reading

Tedious slog so far, but lately I have the attention span of a ground squirrel.

I think I'll take a short break and watch the author speak

We're not buying Cheney's bullshit this time.

Cheney Tried to Stifle Dissent in Iran National Intelligence Estimate
By Gareth Porter
WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (IPS) - A National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran has been held up for more than a year in an effort to force the intelligence community to remove dissenting judgments on the Iranian nuclear programme, and thus make the document more supportive of U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney's militarily aggressive policy toward Iran, according to accounts of the process provided by participants to two former Central Intelligence Agency officers....

Rep. Dennis Kucinich: Effort to Impeach Vice President Cheney Still Alive
Democracy Now! 11/09/07

(What a great listen, no wonder the msm does their best to marginalize Kucinich)

The question I have is whether or not this will ever make it out of the Judiciary committee? Any of these critters belong to you?

Lions for Lambs

Lions for Lambs

Hope I get to see it today.

10:08 AM 11/10/2007 nope, not yet

update 11:09 AM 11/12/2007 Saw it yesterday. My friend loved it. I walked out thinking "Eh, feh."

Unless you are

A) Apolitical or twelve years old

B) Uninformed or misinformed (read drooling right-wing Faux Newz watcher)

C) Have had your head up your ass for last 6 years

There are no surprises in this movie.

WaPo Nov 8 2007

D.C. Tax Workers Charged In Scam
2 Accused of Taking $16 Million Worth Of Illegal Refunds

By Carol D. Leonnig, Clarence Williams and David Nakamura
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 8, 2007; Page A01



Clinton, in Particular, Draws Equal Parts Cash and Vitriol
By Jose Antonio Vargas For Candidates, Web Is Power And Poison
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 8, 2007; Page A01

How Blackwater Sniper Fire Felled 3 Iraqi Guards
Witnesses Call Shooting From Justice Ministry Unprovoked, But State Dept. Cleared Its Security Team After a Brief Probe
By Steve Fainaru
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, November 8, 2007; Page A01

Kaine Hails 'Balance' in New Political Landscape
By Tim Craig and Anita Kumar
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 8, 2007; Page A01


Bhutto Urges Protest Against Musharraf
By Griff Witte
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, November 8, 2007; Page A01
Read the whole article.

Women in Sri Lanka, South Africa, Cuba and Lesotho have it better than women in the US?

SRI LANKA HUMAN RIGHTS WOES CONTINUE -- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour criticized Sri Lanka's human rights record this week, questioning whether the government has the political will to address concerns expressed by human rights groups and the international community."In the context of the armed conflict and the emergency measures taken against terrorism, the weakness of the rule of law and the prevalence of impunity is alarming," Arbour said Oct. 13 at the end of a visit to the country.Human rights groups estimate 1,100 people have disappeared or been killed since the government signed a 2002 truce with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelan. Reports of abuses increased after hostilities recommenced last year.Both sides in the civil war, which has raged on-and-off since 1983, leaving over 70,000 dead, have been repeatedly accused of human rights violations. Despite many public statements of support for upholding human rights, the government stands accused of extrajudicial killings, forced relocations and illegal detentions.Four human rights activists resigned from the government's human rights panel Oct. 15, citing a belief that the government is not serious about addressing problems."We were not achieving anything. . . . We served the committee for one and half years, the human rights situation is getting worse," Rohan Edrisinha, one of the four, told Reuters. "We began to realize that in a sense serving in an advisory committee wasn't really yielding any concrete results from the ground when it comes to human rights issues."

Rape in South Africa
Aired March 23, 2006 - 18:00:00 ET


Lesotho
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor March 8, 2006
• allegations of torture by security forces
• excessive force against detainees
• impunity
• poor prison conditions
• lengthy pretrial detention and long delays in trials
• regular occurrence of domestic violence
• severe restrictions on women's rights
• societal discrimination against persons with disabilities and HIV/AIDS
• child labor in the agriculture and informal sectors


The IWMF also recognized Ethiopia's Serkalem Fasil, who was jailed and, under deplorable conditions, delivered a child prematurely. She was incarcerated because of articles her publications carried that were critical of the government during the May 2005 elections. According to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists, only China and Cuba have a worse ranking than Ethiopia for their treatment of journalists.

Well, I guess it's all relative, eh?

What the Sam Hill

is going on in this world?

Georgia under state of emergency
The prime minister initially announced a state of emergency in the capital Tbilisi for 48 hours, but that was later extended to the whole country for 15 days.

At war with the law: Pakistan faces the consequences of a power grab
By Jo Johnson Published: November 7 2007 18:46 | Last updated: November 7 2007 18:46


I know I'm not the only one who's wondering if W is taking notes or calling the shots here?

Uh huh, that's what I thought:

Musharraf: Three Steps ahead of Bush in the Dictatorship Race
November 7, 2007 at 10:22:17
by Tumerica Page 1 of 1 page(s)

... San Diego households on average pay 34 percent more for consumer goods and services each year than the rest of the country, mostly for life's necessities: shelter, healthcare, food, and transportation. Thus, true poverty in San Diego is greater than what the federal threshold presents...


...In 2006, more than 330,000 residents of San Diego County lived below the federal poverty level, which last year stood at $20,614 for a family of four...

If that is their reported income, then obviously that family of four has at least the same amount coming in under the table in order to survive.

SDUT nov 7, 2007

Are retail clinics a healthy choice?
Outlets opening in county could fill niche; physicians warn of drawbacks
By Keith Darcé
STAFF WRITER

House overrides Bush's veto of water projects
Battle over spending bills intensifies
By Carl Hulse
NEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE
November 7, 2007

Underequipped and overenrolled
New Lincoln High beset with problems
By Helen Gao
STAFF WRITER
November 7, 2007

Facebook ads may revive privacy issues
Friends can be used to endorse products
By Anick Jesdanun
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Being a bit chubby might not be so bad
It may help fend off some ills, study says
By Lindsey Tanner
ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 7, 2007

Cracks me up

This creative link title from Buzzflash made me laugh:

Brownback to Endorse McCain, Robertson for Giuliani; Being a Republican right now must be like shopping in a grocery store after a riot. Not much left on the shelf to pick through. 11/7

And now that I'm smiling, Here's Kucinich on the Cheney Impeachment via BlueGal at Crooks and Liars

LA times front page tuesday nov 6 2007

Writers work picket lines as TV shows shut down
The WGA strike hits late-night programs first. It will take longer to affect series and films.
By John Horn
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2007

Arrests mount in Pakistan crisis
Musharraf rounds up lawyers and other foes amid international condemnation of his
emergency rule.
By Laura King
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Housing crisis tests GOP loyalties
The party could suffer in fast-growing exurban counties, where the real estate market is worst.
By Maura Reynolds
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
November 6, 2007


Sharing space, then lives
Aging homeowners find practical benefits in opening their doors to younger roommates. Sometimes, they forge strong bonds.
By Catherine Saillant
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Drug traffickers dive in
Submersibles are used to ferry narcotics. Some in U.S. fear the tactic may inspire terrorists.
By Chris Kraul

Schwarzenegger orders plan for 10% budget cuts
The directive to all state agencies comes amid projections of a growing shortfall driven by the housing downturn.
By Evan Halper
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 6, 2007

Mon Nov 5 NYT

Pakistan Rounds Up Musharraf’s Political Foes
U.S. Is Likely to Continue Aid to Pakistan

Trial Near for Shiite Ex-Officials in Sunni Killings

Fixing Citigroup Will Test Rubin By ERIC DASH

A History of Neglect Foster Children at Risk, and an Opportunity Lost
By LESLIE KAUFMAN

Different Rules When a Rival Is a Woman? November 5, 2007
Political Memo
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and PATRICK HEALY

2007 Weblog Awards and thieving journalists

Go vote pleeeeeaaaaaaase!

(Unless you think the Little Green Fascists deserve to win)

PS, anybody that comes up with the term "blogtopia" is number one in my book.


PSS, would somebody please whack Joel Stein over the head with a copy of the ten commandments, you know, like you do when the dog is bad.

Or in this case, when the dog is good.

How politics really work in the USA

This is for you non Americans who would rather look down your nose at Americans for "electing" "representatives" who suck, than to actually figure out why that may be.

First of all this is a Republic, not a Democracy.

The electoral college sucks.

The pay to play system sucks.

The fact that worthwhile candidates never get media exposure sucks.

Quid pro quo sucks.

Campaign ads suck.

Our whole media system sucks, and you're next, bitches, those greedy media giants won't spare you, either.

Last, but certainly not least, our voting machines suck.

The voting machines really suck.

Brand name spies and disaster capitalism

Blackwater's Owner Has Spies for Hire
Ex-U.S. Operatives Dot Firm's Roster
By Dana Hedgpeth
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 3, 2007; Page A01

First it became a brand name in security for its work in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it's taking on intelligence.

Somehow I don't think these particular spies' investigatory talents will be utilized to discover the origins of the Harris fire.


Yeah, leave it to Cofer Black.

I'm so cynical that I think soon there will be shit going on in the border area that we residents of San Diego have NEVER seen before. Weird shit like, oh, how about suicide car bombers ramming Border Patrol vehicles? That's always a clue that the CIA is pulling shit in the neighborhood. Or drug runners using illegal Mexican mules except for maybe one of the mule's backpacks has explosives in it instead of drugs. These guys never stop coming up with reasons to create yet another underfunded law enforcement agency that will inevitably need to be supplemented with overpriced, overfed, overripe contractors who are accountable to no one. Double-dipping ain't near enough money for these greedy motherfuckers.

Hey, didn't the Roman Empire rot from the inside out?

People Burn Here

Rapture Rescue 911: Disaster Response for the Chosen Naomi Klein


Whoops, missed the CityBeat Blackwater article on the 30th, here 'tis

Who Really Set the California Fires?

By Mike Davis, Tomdispatch.com. Posted November 1, 2007.

Mmm hmm. Finally. A little light shined on San Diego politics.

Blackwater, Potrero, Naomi Klein

(update) “Shock Doctrine” Author Naomi Klein on State-Sanctioned Torture and Disaster Response for the Chosen (click on pic)

Happy Halloween.

How about a ghoulish San Diego story?

Tiny Potrero Battles County and Blackwater USA
Published on February 22, 2007
By Don Bauder

...Last July, Blackwater hired as a lobbyist Nikki Clay, a longtime cheerleader for corporate welfare (Chargers, Padres) and former president of the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce. Blackwater brought on the developer-friendly environmental firm of Mooney, Jones & Stokes, along with other companies to make up their project team. The team quickly snuggled up to the County, which was not playing hard to get...

( San Diego County is the largest urban county in the state without its own fire department.)

Massive security contractor faces growing protest in rural California town over 824-acre base
Miriam Raftery and Muriel Kane
Published: Tuesday April 3, 2007

Good neighbor?
Blackwater keeps its eye on a tiny East County enclave.
By Pat Sherman 10/09/2007

apparently the swamp things are ugly neighbors


11:53 a.m. October 21, 2007
Potrero fire causes evacuations around Julian
SIGNONSANDIEGO NEWS SERVICES

POTRERO – Santa Ana winds of 30 to 35 mph fueled a fast-moving brush fire that broke out Sunday in Potrero and resulted in evacuations of several rural communities, authorities said.

The fire started about 9:30 a.m. near Harris Ranch Road and Potrero Valley Road and was heading northwest as the noon hour approached, but no injuries were reported. The flames jumped Highway 94, according to Cal Fire officials.


Blackwater to California: Hire us to Put Out Your Fires
October 25, 2007 07:27 PM (EST)


Blackwater = Fire-Fighter?
By Noah Shachtman October 26, 2007 3:34:02 PM
Categories: Homeland Security, Mercs

...Local groups opposed to the complex said, before the latest conflagrations near San Diego, that Blackwater West's "regular detonation of firearms would be a risk both to the fire-prone landscape as well as to the wildlife that currently calls that area home, including the golden eagle and the California condor."

Au contraire, Blackwater execs answer. Brian Bonfiglio, vice president of Blackwater West, notes that the complex's proposal includes water tanks capable of holding 35,000 gallons. "I see a tactical operation center for East County fires," he says. "Can you imagine how much of a benefit it would be if we were operational now?"...

Injured California Firefighter Anticipated Dying
Updated: 10-29-2007 09:05:04 AM
TONY MANOLATOS, Staff Writer
The San Diego Union-Tribune

Rapue, 53, was in charge of Pikop and the two other firefighters, whose names have not been released. Both are in critical condition at UCSD.

...For Pikop, the day started like every other Sunday. The crew at the San Marcos station was mowing the lawn and trimming hedges.

Rapue, the captain, was normally based at Cal Fire's Rincon station, one of 18 in the county. He was covering the San Marcos station because the regular captain was off.

The four-member team heard about the fires on the radio, so they weren't surprised when they were dispatched to Potrero, 67 miles away.

The call came in shortly after 9:30 a.m., said Pikop, who started with Cal Fire less than five months ago....

Blackwater Provided Potrero with Relief Suplies During Fires
Oct 29, 2007
Amita Sharma

Blackwater's relief effort wins praise of project foe
By Anne Krueger
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 30, 2007

Fire facts

Why Aren't We Better Prepared for Inevitable Disasters?
...The GOP rivals parrot the same old, increasingly irrelevant and out of touch formula of cutting taxes and dismantling government....

Santa Ana winds set to make encore

By Harrison Sheppard, Sacramento Bureau

Article Last Updated: 10/30/2007 11:00:26 PM PDT

Let's meet Naomi Klein

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Today's Fishwrap

hmmm

All but one fire under investigation

...In South County, the Harris fire, which began in Potrero, is 85 percent contained at 90,440 acres. Full containment is expected Wednesday and full control on Saturday...

Calif. firefighters want Marines' help
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writer Tue Oct 30, 9:40 PM ET

Military aircraft are called in to supplement state and local fire resources when needed. That was the case last week when wind-fanned flames devoured more than a half-million acres and destroyed more than 2,000 homes.

After insisting for days that the winds were the reason some helicopters didn't get airborne more quickly, Schwarzenegger acknowledged Saturday that the firefighting effort might have been more effective if more state "fire spotters," also called helicopter managers, had been available at the outset.

except that the Marines were busy with backfire that exploded ammo on Pendleton

Perfect Drought

By Bill Manson
San Diego Reader
October 18, 2007.

"It's catastrophic!"...

...The past two years have been the driest since record-keeping started back in 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was president," he says. "The Sierra Nevada snow is at 30 percent, and the Colorado River is into the eighth year of its drought."...

"What we have done with our lands, says Patzert, from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, has exacerbated the problem. We have paved riverbeds with concrete; we have paved over much of the land. Rain can't soak in and make its way down into aquifers. Cars and gas stations contribute oil derivatives that spoil the purity of aquifer water. Dams keep rivers from depositing sand for our beaches. Coastlines recede. Nature's cycle is interrupted....

In fact, globally, Patzert, who looks at the Earth daily through his satellite cameras, feels gloomy. "It's the three P's," he says. "Population, pollution, poverty. But the single most critical element is population. Already China's, India's, Africa's lands are too degraded. Globally, it's the Grim Reaper. Locally, it's just a question of how much we can slow the degradation down."

Rickie Lee Jones - Flying Cowboys ...because it's a desert

Thank you firefighters

(click pic to read about some of their obstacles)


And I never knew I was supposed to say this, but thanks to the inmates

Looks like they're making progress

Crews Continue To Battle Harris Fire

POSTED: 9:34 am PDT October 28, 2007
UPDATED: 10:06 am PDT October 28, 2007
SAN DIEGO -- About 2,500 firefighters still working on the Harris Fire in East County started work Sunday under sunny skies and very little smoke, as no active flames were observed.

interactive traffic map

All evacuations ended Saturday, and residents were allowed to return home. Repair work on Highway 94 between Dulzura and the Tecate turnoff means that road is closed, but that is the only roadblock up anywhere in East County Sunday morning, California Highway Patrol officers reported.

Fire spokeswoman Roxanne Provaznik said the fire was 65 percent contained as of sunrise Sunday, and that there were no active flames anywhere. Firefighters were concentrating Sunday on extending fire lines around the entire burned area, and looking for any smoldering fires in tree trunks or underground.

Canada looks really good right now to me

Editorial: Fire is a part of California; state must prepare

More can be done with zoning, building codes and creating defensible spaces
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, October 28, 2007
Story appeared in FORUM section, Page E6.

Arnold Schwarzenegger made sure last week that no one could accuse him of ignoring the Southern California wildfires. But what the governor does in the post-disaster period will be far more crucial in preparing the state for even worse blazes in the years ahead.

More than ever, the governor needs to lead a rethinking of how California can minimize the loss of lives and property from fires. He needs to insist on a collaborative effort to reduce buildup of fuels in fire zones, and do it without undermining real environmental protections. He needs to drill down on whether local governments are taking responsibility for their own fire protection, instead of depending solely on state and federal help.

To some extent, these priorities were examined by the Governor's Blue Ribbon Fire Commission, which produced a 247-page report several months after the 2003 fires in Southern California.

But go back and read this report. You'll find it dodges some crucial issues – such as the need for stronger land-use restrictions in fire zones. It also seems overly weighted toward a militaristic approach – that California can defeat fire on the battlefield, if only we throw enough equipment, soldiers and dollars at this enemy.

The reality, of course, is that fire is a part of California's natural landscape, and we will never have an army that can fully snuff it out. The test for California is to find a better coexistence with fire – giving equal balance to fuels management, land zoning and firefighting capability.

Once the current fires are extinguished, the governor needs to reconstitute his blue ribbon panel and broaden its focus. In particular, this new panel needs to make recommendations on the following topics:

Local financial responsibility: Following the 2003 Cedar Fire, former San Diego Fire Chief Jeff Bowman pleaded for $100 million to build needed fire stations. Four months later, voters rejected a proposal to boost hotel taxes to pay for fire protection, and since 2003, only one fire station has been built in that city. California requires local governments to pay a share to receive flood control dollars. It should do the same for fire protection.

Land-use: Over the past decade, cities and counties have allowed tens of thousands of homes to be built on ridges and canyons that, as political scientist Steven Erie puts it, are a "fuel tank" for fires. The state needs to better map fire zones, and require local governments to limit building in the most dangerous of areas.

Defensible space: The previous blue ribbon commission urged stable funding for fire safe councils – local groups that help and empower residents to create defensible space around their neighborhoods. The governor and Legislature need to rise to this challenge.

Building codes: Smart investments in landscaping and building materials helped certain subdivisions survive this year's fires. Such investments should become standard.

Lastly, the governor needs to bring environmental leaders and fire officials together on ways to manage brush and dead trees through thinning and prescribed burns. Politicians who espouse a vast rewrite of federal environmental laws for fuels reduction are fooling themselves. The governor needs to break through this impasse, and find common ground.

Karma Dude off to the pokey

One Down: Obscenely Decadent War Profiteer Hauled Off in Handcuffs
By Sarah Anderson, AlterNet. Posted October 26, 2007.

It looks like the party may be over for one corporate crook.

America's most ostentatious war profiteer is no longer a free man. In a long-anticipated move, FBI agents arrested bulletproof vest maker David H. Brooks in his Manhattan apartment at dawn on Thursday...

...he blew some $10 million in profits from military contracts on a celebrity-studded party for his daughter. Leaked details of the bash drew national attention, including a description of Brooks' pink suede suit...

Aerosmith -- Dude (looks like a lady)

JP over at Welcome to Pottersville has more

Potrero and evacuees

A Town Beseiged: Potrero Residents Battling Blackwater Now Suffer Ravages of Wildfire
by: Miriam Raftery
Thu Oct 25, 2007 at 10:54:43 AM PDT

The Harris fire started in Potrero on Sunday morning

The cause is under investigation

Harris fire red on map

Harris fire Google

Google fire map

I just had a friend call and I hadn't known that he had been evacuated to Qualcomm. While I was on the phone with him a caller to Thom Hartmann's show called in from Qualcomm to say she was being told by the police to leave, but wasn't ready to go home. This is still nuts.

Update: It's definite: Game's on Sunday at Qualcomm
The comments are a trip. Emotions are still running high.

A friend just told me that they announced over the loudspeaker that they were going to be checking ID's and a thousand people left. No doubt that not everyone that was there was an evacuee. That would be the
San Diego the Tourists Never See

On PBS NOW tonight:

God and Global Warming
Raging Fires in California
Will homeowners be burned by insurance policies?

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

update 10:29 AM 10/26/2007 THIS is what the fishwrap did correctly --- it's non partisan

This Goddanmed Fucking Fishwrap OpEd is not

I'm PISSED.

The air support for the fires was grounded while the fucking idiot president (Bush) flew over.

Update 9:24 AM 10/28/2007 firefighters were not grounded?
I think. It was probably a pain in the ass for air traffic controllers, though. I'm not apologizing for what I did, I hope the moron saw me.

RB residents wait to return until after president's photo op

He flew directly over my house on his way to RB

I gave the whole helicopter group a big fat two handed, two fingered salute as they blew fucking ash, dust, & dried leaves that are still green all over the place, even though this area didn't burn.

There are still about 800 evacuees at Qualcomm, they will be booted out by noon so that the ball game can be played this weekend. (at ten thirty am, only sixty left)

Ramona (35,000) has no water, but Jacobs said she thought all the residents should be allowed in. I was thrilled to hear Mikey from Ramona's rant on KLSD this morning, and Stacy Taylor's voice on my little transistor radio down at the stadium was so comforting. He did a six hour show, even though his house could have been in danger.

Local news

I was watching the local news (coverage of the fire was great, but their slant to the right is typically San Diego) just now and it made me think of this book, and Wambaugh in general.

Wambaugh understands those turf wars that law enforcement types (and men in general) get into. If he were to write a book about this fire it would take him years to research all the different agencies involved.

I'm pretty sure that the bean counters had more to do with this mess than the fire department employees. I know I'll be looking for that fireman with the boot to donate into when these guys catch a break.

7:02 PM 10/25/2007 Jeebus. The fires are still burning and I just watched an ad for a mortgage company on the teevee complete with a guy in a hard hat spreading out a building plan. And then a news report that some guy was arrested for possible arson, he was dressed as a firefighter. I wonder about people in this city sometimes.

Fire politics disgust

Awww crap, living in San Diego it's pretty easy to get disgusted with the state of politics here:

{A blogger buddy send me this a few days ago (10:17 AM 9/14/2009) it's perfect for this post, but I don't remember reading it at the time}

Crews Battle Mighty Witch Fire For 5th Straight Day
POSTED: 8:41 am PDT October 25, 2007

...The roughly 2,300 firefighters and emergency personnel assigned to the blaze were aided by favorable weather Wednesday, as the Santa Ana winds that enabled the inferno to spread so quickly started to let up.

Firefighters Get Control as Questions Rise
(Page 2 of 2)
Published: October 25, 2007
..After bureaucratic snags delayed deployment, 14 military fire-fighting helicopters and 5 C-130 military planes were released Wednesday to help fight the fires, said United States Representative Duncan Hunter, Republican of California...

This would be me rolling my eyes right here. Why?

..._About 100 defense employees, including active duty military personnel and civilians, are fighting fires. That's 12 firefighting teams — mostly civilian — and their 12 fire engines.

_Some 1,500 Army National Guard and Air National Guardsmen are helping firefighters — not on the fire lines, but doing other tasks to free up the firefighters.

550 Marine Corps personnel at Camp Pendleton are preparing for possible firefighting duty. ...


...While covering a backfire designed to keep the wildfire from consuming more of the military facility, a CNN correspondent said he could hear previously unexploded munitions being detonated by the scorching heat...

Yeah, and one more thing Duncky, You can't get any aircraft into the air if it's too windy and smoky, so quit bragging and grandstanding, you can't control the weather.

I was disgusted to see DiFei bounce off of Preznit Poopypant's plane also. Bitch was probably here to see if she could profit AGAIN.

President Bush to visit San Diego

Are you fucking kidding me? What for? He jinxes everything. Everywhere that guy visits ends up having MORE problems than it did before.

9:44 AM 10/25/2007-

Crap, he's here, I hope my folks don't have to pay for another night in a hotel because of Bush's damn photo op.

These fires are not contained and it's still really smoky.

12:53 PM 10/25/2007

I love this article:
California fire evacuees disgusted by braggarts
By Brenda Norrell,
Posted on Thu Oct 25th, 2007 at 01:50:58 AM EST


I'm thinking about this fire as my folks get ready to go home and as long as some things stay the same, other things will continue to get worse:

"The economy of California is a dominant force in the economy of the United States, with California paying more to the federal system than it receives in direct monetary benefits"...

"The economy of California is often cited for how it would compare to other countries if California were an independent nation. The statistic quoted varies widely (usually placing California between 6th and 10th), depending on the source."

Republicans and developers

California is dry

Water shortages in CA and still they keep on building.

Americans use water like the supply of it is endless and it is not.

The firefighters are working very hard to keep the fires away from population centers and they are getting extra support from other states and countries AND the weather.

Population is not only a California problem, it's worldwide:
Planet of Slums by Mike Davis

County fire info

Streaming KPBS


more county info

Cause this be the important info, fuck the photo ops with their political blame game and circle jerk.

Stop comparing San Diego firestorm to Katrina

Lotsa big black SUVs at the stadium yesterday I'm sure this was from yesterday:


Fires are different. If vehicles can move on the highways, supplies and people can get through. Floods are different, only certain types of vehicles that can move through six or eight feet of water can move.

Still worried about people that I don't keep in contact with regularly, but close friends and family and their homes are ok.

Frankly this is just weird. I laugh at people that won't move to California because of the earthquakes. Nobody wants to talk about fires, which are much more frightening. Obviously the local, and state governments have learned something since the Cedar fire.

When you can't hear road and air traffic from my house, we are in deep shit. I hear both now.

Special note for those rich people who want less regulation and want to pay less taxes:

Do I really need to say anything?

If you still got your three or four million dollar home, you better be planning a party for fire-fighters, emergency responders, and law enforcement personnel. AND you better ask for a tax increase.

Ahhhhhh, a shower!

It's still smoky, but there's no escape from that anywhere in San Diego County, so bear with me, I'm a bit zooey. My folks house almost burnt down and they ain't out of the woods yet.

Wow.

San Diegans are REALLY GENEROUS. They had to turn people around and send them to other shelters if they wanted to give donations.

We (well, me anyway, my husband and kid kept rolling their eyes at me, eve though we were supposed to evacuate) freaked out and bounced down to Qualcomm stadium. Despite camping out in a parking lot, I felt safer until I saw military uniforms with big, obvious guns. No shit, the skanky tweakers trying to scam free stuff, & probably rip off the evacuees (you know, the ones that avoid the food lines) didn't scare me like the guns did. There were so many people driving around trying to help it was a bit overwhelming. I've never had to say "No thank you, we're fine, (we don't need popsicles ice cream water water water cheeze doodles cookies doughnuts sunscreen t-shirts) but thank you so much" so many times in my life. Someone handed us a ten pound bag of ice, and doofy me forgot the ice chest. There were so many donations I thought I would send my husband to see if somebody donated some of those $1.99 styrofoam ice chests. Guess what? He and this Red Cross volunteer get stopped dead in their tracks by some secret service looking guy. I guess the evacuee and the Red Cross Lady had the temerity to get too close to Chertoff's photo op.

I was like, Oh Shit FEMA's here, time to go home.

11:15 AM 10/24/2007 Ok, it wasn't Chertoff, it was Arnie who's secret service guys stopped my husband.
4:14 PM 10/24/2007 yeah, my husband is a dope, Chertoff was there, but it may have been Arnie's bodyguards who told my husband to stay put for a few minutes.