HELLLOOOO. Mayor Brown must step up to the plate and appoint responsible and honest public servants like State Senate President Pro-Tem-In-Waiting Don Perata (D-Oakland) and incorruptable citizen-activists like Tim Staples to the Public Ethics Commission. Furthermore, the city should explore the creation of lucrative new assessment districts, like a crime-prevention assessment district, mailbox assessment district, broken glass assessment district and a sunlight assessment district. Furthermore, the city should immediatly launch a drive to sell naming rights for local politicians. For $50,000 Dan Siegal will change his name to Harcourt-Brace-Jovanovich, Jane Brunner can become Syda Brunner, Ignacio De La Fuente will become Walmart De La Pepsi and Jerry Brown can become Jerry UPS.
Furthermore, the city should explore other revenue generating concepts we have to offer: "urban adventure tours," where tourists can "ride along" in an actual Oakland Sideshow, hold three-day Poverty Pimp workshops for lucrative non-profits and a hold an accounting workshop detailing the fiscal benefits of attracting a major NFL franchise.

I want to thank Jeannette's family and friends for creating a beautiful memorial for her. I was very touched--and appreciative--of the whole moment. I wanted to speak but I could not find my voice and knew I would not be able to keep the tears at bay. The courage of others was comforting. The words, poems, memories that were shared, were all so loving and perfect for Jeannette. Thank you for the time and effort you put into this last good bye, while coping with your own grief. And thank you for making the lovely photo of Jeannette available. She would surely erupt with laughter if she could see how great she looks on my fridge.

Blessings and healing thoughts to all of you...
LCD

Today ex-district attorney Russ Giutini talked glowingly about a private mentoring program for youth who were first time offenders that he set up a number of years ago that helps trains these youth in partnership with PIC, Private Industry Council and Cypress Mandela Training Center. The problem is not that these are poverty "pimps", the problem is with $l3.5 billion in construction which Oakland politicians are pushing a hire oakland first project with their developers buddies? Or do you want to pin one of your labels on Russ too? Guintini highly recommended Safe passages which he was once a board member of. Pasting labels on those who care deeply and are looking for solutions is the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Being involved in the process as a mentor or donating time or money to Russ' group, is quite another. And, they are accepting donations to continue mentoring these youth in a highly successful program. You can call Russ in SF for more information at the district Attorney's office in sF where he now works.
Mona Howard

Today ex-district attorney Russ Giutini talked glowingly about a private mentoring program for youth who were first time offenders that he set up a number of years ago that helps trains these youth in partnership with PIC, Private Industry Council and Cypress Mandela Training Center. The problem is not that these are poverty "pimps", the problem is with $l3.5 billion in construction which Oakland politicians are pushing a hire oakland first project with their developers buddies? Or do you want to pin one of your labels on Russ too? Guintini highly recommended Safe passages which he was once a board member of. Pasting labels on those who care deeply and are looking for solutions is the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Being involved in the process as a mentor or donating time or money to Russ' group, is quite another. And, they are accepting donations to continue mentoring these youth in a highly successful program. You can call Russ in SF for more information at the district Attorney's office in sF where he now works.
Mona Howard

I just came across some remarks that Jeannette
Sherwin posted about me on December 9, 2003 in
an older forum that went back to last summer.
What Jeannette said about my interactions with
Cheshire Cat Hospital was a total lie. Neither
my partner, Nina, nor the cat clinic ever said
that I was "abusive" in my interactions with
Cheshire, which were totally positive.
Nina did have some words with Monique after
Cheshire reneged on Dr. Youdall's promise
to come to our house. But it was hardly "abuse."
In the event, the woman who did show up had
given Cheshire as one of her references, which
is why we called to verify same. Jeannette in
a typically cowardly manner cut off the
conversation after she posted her untrue and
vicious attack on me in response to a cat rescue
person who had wrote in to tell of her bad exp-
erience with Youdall, whom Jeannette hero-
worshipped.
What a stinking liar Jeannette was !
I had not bothered to respond to anything of
hers since last fall, and refrained from commenting on her death but now I say GOOD
RIDDANCE !!!!

Let's see, it's election day and the corrupt politicians are licking their chops, eager to guzzle another $192 in parcel taxes from EVERY HOMEOWNER in OAKLAND in order to backfill the city and county treasury which was delivered to Al Davis and cronies of Don Perata.
Thoughful debate here? No way! Instead, we have some clown harping about some convoluted story about his cat and then slandering the dead. Dude, you are one class act.
I guess the people really do get the government they deserve.

Michael had been banned from posting messages to the Snooze last year after a nasty dust-up with Jeannette. After Jeannette's untimely passing, I undid the ban, knowing that Michael and Jeannette had been friends at one point (or so I was told) and naively thinking he might have some kind or thoughtful words to share. Alas, he was unable to rise to even that level, or at the least, keep his trap shut. How sad.

Mr. Hardesty's comments to Jeannette when she she's not alive to defend herself is ugly and unattrative in any human being. What he said was both mean and cowardly.

Webmaster, Horrah for banning him. I say GOOD RIDDANCE to Mr. Hardesty.

I am sorry that Michael Hardesty can't see beyond his own anger at Jeannette. She believed he'd gone off the deep end and apparently she was right.

I, too, thought Jeannette's memorial was really dignified and painful, and kindly funny. There's a sort of generational discomfort with ritual that's left us with an unfortunate awkwardness when major changes come into our lives, but this was done beautifully. Jeanette's death, whatever your opinion of her, is major. She made friends (and enemies) in high places and low. And, as someone said, (I think Dennis Evanosky)"there'll be a bunch of people breathing a sigh of relief now that she's gone, and that's a damn shame". Jeanette would've been so proud of all of us at her memorial...we were so well behaved, well-spoken, and well-dressed! It was a charming and satisfying ceremony. Gee I miss her. Thanks to everyone who organized it. Joan

SOMEONE STICK A FORK IN THIS WEBSITE. IT IS DEAD.

someone else fearless needs to take it over.
Darth vader

When I was growing up in the late fifties during the era of Joseph McCarthy and the John Birch Society, (the local electric company gave cooking classes to women using John Birch type of propaganda-see the Mona Lisa smile with Julia Roberts for a "feel" of this era), there was a small coffeehouse in my hometown that was shut down by the police who cited "pornography" because there was a painting of a nude woman inside the coffeehouse. At that time we thought
Arizona's extremely conservative Barry Goldwater was frightening. Today he would probably be considered a mainstream Republican.
Josephina McCarthie

I've heard rumors that Oakland is being taken over piece by piece by OUT OF TOWN interests. Certain real estate SPECULATORS are buying up Oakland's heritage on the cheap, gussying up these houses, then flipping them at HUGE PROFITS. I have heard that these MIDWESTERN SPECULATORS are even trying to pass themselves off as OAKLAND NATIVES! This outrage must be stopped. No one will touch this story---even this website!

Do TIVO Direct TV Satelite people actually read books? I thought they were allergic to such things? What is it Georgie proclaimed? I am not one of the "deepthinkers" which he called "elites". I mean who needs books when you just need to obey orders? Get ready for the draft you poor Satelite suckers cause that's what Biden & Co. are talking about come November. And don't ever Study War no More. You might end up getting a rare disease called leftherpes.
Lisa Literati

Hey folks! Check out today's Trib! SIERRA CLUB PREVAILS!RIDE ON TO THAT STAR GENT FOREVER ROBERT REDFORD FOR WRITING A LETTER TO EDITOR OF SF CHRON SOUNDING ALARM TO MOBILIZE THE TROOPS! No sweat, we beat the white supremacists infiltrators l0-l according to Oak Tribune-Yeah Mario! Go Trib! Yeah Robert, the greatest and sexiest environmentalist ALIVE!
Val

Hey folks! Check out today's Trib! SIERRA CLUB PREVAILS!RIDE ON TO THAT STAR GENT FOREVER ROBERT REDFORD FOR WRITING A LETTER TO EDITOR OF SF CHRON SOUNDING ALARM TO MOBILIZE THE TROOPS! No sweat, we beat the white supremacists infiltrators l0-l according to Oak Tribune-Yeah Mario! Go Trib! Yeah Robert, the greatest and sexiest environmentalist ALIVE!
Val

.."With President Johnson practicing escalatio on the Vietnamese and then the Dominican crisis on top of that it has been a nervous year and people have begun to feel like a Christian scientist with appendicitis. Fortunately in times of crisis just like this American always has this number one instrument of diplomacy to fall back on. here's a song about it" And so wrote Harvard mathematician Tom Lehrer and songwriters as a prelude to one of his more famous songs

SEND THE MARINES

When someone makes a move
of which we don't aprove,
Who is it that always intervenes?
U.N. and O.A.S.,
They have their place, I guess,
But first send the Marines!

We'll send them all we've got
John Wayne and Randolph Scott,
Remember those exciting fighting scenes?
To the shores of Tripoli,
But not to Mississippoli,

What do we do? We send the marines!
For might makes right,
And till they've seen the light,
They've got to be protected,
All their respected,
Till somebody we like can be elected,

Member of the corps,
All hate the thought of war,
They'd rather kill them off by peaceful means,
Stop call it agression,
We hate that expression
We only want the world to know
That we support the status quo
They love us everyone we go
So when in doubt
Send the Marines

Val

.."With President Johnson practicing escalatio on the Vietnamese and then the Dominican crisis on top of that it has been a nervous year and people have begun to feel like a Christian scientist with appendicitis. Fortunately in times of crisis just like this American always has this number one instrument of diplomacy to fall back on. here's a song about it" And so wrote Harvard mathematician Tom Lehrer and songwriters as a prelude to one of his more famous songs

SEND THE MARINES

When someone makes a move
of which we don't aprove,
Who is it that always intervenes?
U.N. and O.A.S.,
They have their place, I guess,
But first send the Marines!

We'll send them all we've got
John Wayne and Randolph Scott,
Remember those exciting fighting scenes?
To the shores of Tripoli,
But not to Mississippoli,

What do we do? We send the marines!
For might makes right,
And till they've seen the light,
They've got to be protected,
All their respected,
Till somebody we like can be elected,

Member of the corps,
All hate the thought of war,
They'd rather kill them off by peaceful means,
Stop call it agression,
We hate that expression
We only want the world to know
That we support the status quo
They love us everyone we go
So when in doubt
Send the Marines

Val

It appears I have to repost...
I've heard rumors that Oakland is being taken over piece by piece by OUT OF TOWN interests. Certain real estate SPECULATORS are buying up Oakland's heritage on the cheap, gussying up these houses, then flipping them at HUGE PROFITS. I have heard that these MIDWESTERN SPECULATORS are even trying to pass themselves off as OAKLAND NATIVES! This outrage must be stopped. No one will touch this story---even this website!

Let's assume the post above (re. the purchase of property in Oakland by "out of town interests" is 100% accurate. What's the problem? Can only Oakland natives buy property in Oakland? And what is the problem with buying an existing property and selling it for a profit? Maybe if there were more opportunities to make a profit in Oakland there'd be more opportunities for all of us. Instead, it's attitudes like Frank's that have created the stagnation that we're suffering from. I would welcome out of town interests fixing up property in the city and making it an attractive place to invest...maybe if more of that happened the city would stop allowing the real rape-the destruction of the native environment in the hills. Given a choice between seeing an old building in the lowlands refurbished and seeing one of the few remaining spots of open land in the hills paved over for a new McMansion I'd MUCH prefer the former.

This must have been posted by an owner in the "hills" or some developer-connected individual. Do people in the flatlands deserve the right to some open space as well? Hell no. Just the rich folks in the hills trying to preserve their views and open space in THEIR neighborhoods perverting the present focus of the Sierra Club.

The fact of the matter is the hills are not conducive to development in the first place. What we do need is better population control and access to birth control in countries such as Mexico and infilling in nearby communities in the metropolitan area. The area most in need of preservation is OUR FORESTS and NATIONAL PARKS.
Karl Marx is incorrect on this point. We need rationality in the planning system which presently doesn't exist under the laissez faire capitalism being espoused by our Mayor.
Frederich Engels

This must have been posted by an owner in the "hills" or some developer-connected individual. Do people in the flatlands deserve the right to some open space as well? Hell no. Just the rich folks in the hills trying to preserve their views and open space in THEIR neighborhoods perverting the present focus of the Sierra Club.

The fact of the matter is the hills are not conducive to development in the first place. What we do need is better population control and access to birth control in countries such as Mexico and infilling in nearby communities in the metropolitan area. The area most in need of preservation is OUR FORESTS and NATIONAL PARKS.
Karl Marx is incorrect on this point. We need rationality in the planning system which presently doesn't exist under the laissez faire capitalism being espoused by our Mayor.
Frederich Engels

Hmm, judging by the stern reaction, it would appear that this conspiracy of OUT OF TOWN real estate SPECULATORS has apologists posting on this very website. It is a sad day when people who aren't even FROM OAKLAND, but from the MIDWEST seize the political agenda in OUR TOWN and then grow fat by sucking the blood out of our community with GENTRIFICATION. These pernicious real estate SPECULATORS are destroying OAKLAND home by home, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood.

Frank Grimes is obviously so delusional from his leftist indoctrination that he can't understand the basic structure of this country. You can't discriminate between locals and out of towners with property ownership. I suppose Frank is content to see Oakland continue its decline. An infusion of investment is what we need, not another left wing sloganeer.

Karl Marx says what we need is an infusion of investment. On other occasions Karl has argued that this will create jobs, unfortunately, not for Oakland residents. Mandela Training program has only been able to place l0 out of 50 qualified individuals. People in the suburbs as in the "big unions" are getting the work. So, the questions needs to be asked. Who is benefiting from this investment? Who is benefiting from more traffic and congestion and air pollution, particuarly when investment is in redevelopment areas that will require more public services but will not be paying for any of them.
Probably the l35 new police measure will go to protect people in the Forest City project whose property taxes will roll back into the redevelopment. Who benefit from the $l6 million port deal? I know a lot of politicians in this town who campaign chests are brimming and overloaded. The developers bank accounts are soon going to be fat with all the subsidies. Meanwhile the city is cash poor and the citizens hard-earned money is being bled from their pockets in the form of more and more parcel taxes.

Also, these investors and those benefitting aren't crying out for reform of Prop l3 so that commerical property tax payers can begin paying at the same rate as the rest of us, and not at l978 tax rates.

But, we don't want this to get out, so let's redbait and atack them all as leftist sloganeers. Maybe we can organize some kind of hearings here in Oakland outing people who have been involved in progressive organizations are who have gone to countries like Cuba. I read Bush is not letting the Cuban performers come to Zellerbach once again. But, we want to be careful
and not let anyone know that we once went to Cuba ourselves. Let me go and check out those documentaries on the McCarthy hearings again and see how Joseph and Roy Cohn managed to do things.
They were some real slick hypocrites who redbaited and gay-baited by day and partied in the gay community at night.

And when all else fails, remember the "C word.
(pause for advertisement: Cold Warriors do it with Cialis)
Roya Kohna

More leftist slogans, more empty statements, more hysteria that there is a conspiracy around every corner. Oakland is run by liberal/left politicians, folks, so your conspiracies are coming from within. Perhaps if you'd spend less time fretting about all the people out to get you and more time being realistic about Oakland's problems we'd all be better off. Oakland is in such dire straits exactly BECAUSE of the mindset of the left. Point fingers, fear everyone, find plots and conspiracies everywhere, drive any chance of progress out.

Karl,
Oakland "is in dire straits because of the left"?
Could you explain that please? Did the left destroy the economy, did the left elect Arnold,
did the left spend $l50 billion in Afghanistan and Iraq, did the left give $750 billion in tax cuts to the rich, starving the cities? And did the left elect Schwarzennegger who refused to raise taxes on the rich?

I see you most be either having a slow day or a red hot burn. Whatsa matta poopie? Not many developers doing business with the City today?
You don't see me protesting against 47th St. Along a major blvd, I don't care. I was out picking up the diapers last Saturday at MacArthur Bart while the Shay developer was sweeping the center divide doing my civic duty trying to promote the development of the MacArthur Bart transit village. What were you doing KARL the promotoer? We're you encouraging the troops who have hung in here fighting for this development for ther past l5 years? were you even living in this city then? So chill out and go have a nice cool drink at Jack London village and visit his wolf!

And stop looking for political scapegoats just because the political situation is looking dreary. Or are you blaming the left now for Kerry's pro-war stance? Is that the 'left's fault too? Talk about delusional and conspiracies. People who live in glass houses shouldn't cast stones. And they shouldn't get mad at people who don't agree with their self-deluding rationalizations and propaganda. That's the trouble in this sorry town. Nobody really knows who the enemy is--oh, I forgot, it's those small nasty fleas who stand in the way of certain individuals political aspirations. Well, maybe if their were more marijuana stores and everyone ran around stoned maybe everything would be just hunky dory in Oaktown! See you at the HUAC hearings. Oops, I think its called Homeland Security and the Patrio Act now.

Well Fidela, your ad hominem attacks aside, let me explain how your leftist government creates the problems we have. Have you ever looked at Oakland's budget? I have. I've read through the entire document, and it's many hundreds of pages long. Go through it some time and you'll see where the money comes from and where it goes. You'll see that you can't blame Oakland's fiscal woes on the federal government, as the great majority of Oakland's budget comes from local and state sources. As for the state sources, funny how you try to blame Arnold, when he's the one who has FIXED the problems of Democrat Davis. You know where our budget problems came from? Davis' idiotic programs and decisions. To wit, those long term power contracts cost us billions. So if you want to point fingers, point them at the DNC. At the time, Davis could have continued to allow spot market purchases, there was no need for long term power contracts at a time when the market was clearly inflated. As for the local issues, go look at where the Oakland budget spends dollars. Liberal program after liberal program. That's where our money goes.

Maybe if you'd stop looking for a conspiracy under ever rock and started to question your own dogma you'd be able to see what the problem is. Instead, you seem to be obsessed with obfuscating conspiracies that don't exist.

I'm sorry to disagree with you Karl that we cannot blame Oakland's fiscal woes on the federal government. The national security budget , which includes the military budget, the budget for the various intelligence services, a large part of the budget for the Dept. of Energy, and various federal research allocations totals roughly one-half trillion dollars. This amount is roughly euqal to the combined defense spending of the rest of the world.

This amount represents roughly $1500 for every man, woman and child in the country. Oakland's share, based on it's population of 400,000 is 600 million dollars per year. A 10% cut in the pentagon budget rebated to local governments would be $60 million per year for Oakland. This could be done without in any way jeopardizing the security of our country. Let's not forget that all the democratic presidential candidates said Bushes Leave no Child behind education act has left every child behind. We are facing the most devasting destruction of our schools system in both California and acroos the nation that our country has ever faced. To state that Oakland's problems are only local ones, caused by former Gov. Davis or the left, is to misstate and obsfucate both our city's, state's and nation's problems.

That is not to say that your former Chief of Staff Gray Davis did not make problems. But all you have to do is read today's Tribune to see, that a large part of our state's and city's problems could have been solved if Arnold hadn't granted the vehicle license rebate. NOw, after the election, after we could have passed Prop. 56 that could have raised taxes a mere fraction on the wealthiest Californias, we are having the disucssion. Now ironcially the media is reporting 2/3's of the citizens support new taxes. Now that their schools are being decimated. But before, it was NO NEW TAXES and give us the rebate. Arnold is playing a shell game shifting the money back and forth. He's not really solving the problem. All the Sacramento journalists are saying this. And yes, I agree, Davis did not handle the energy crisis well nor the schools. But, I don't think Arnold is doing better. I understand your position in having to support Arnold in order to get financial support for Oakland. But there is not going to be any real solutions until we raise taxes on the wealthiest and close some corporate loopholes. California is the only state where oil leaves the ground untaxed according to Lenny Goldberg.

You've turned from champion of the farmworkers to champion of the corporations. I'm not against developers per se, and lord knows we do badly need to create jobs, but cannot you do something that will incorporate a share of these jobs for locals? Why of Why is it so hard for you to make
any kind of small, even symbolic moves in the right direction. DEvelopment will not stop the meltdown of either our schools are our public health care and the loss of medical care for millions in our state as they lose their jobs.

As for ad hominen attacks, you in fact, are always the one who starts these by calling people delusional, etc. I realize you are trying desperately in hard times to make things work. I've told you in times past the road wasn't going to be easygoing for you in these times. For you Karl, or all the rest in charge reading the budget. You act as if it's only in Oakland. Do you know Baltimore laid off l,000 teachers last year? Parade magazine reported l3 million hungry children in America. Developers and democrats are lips and teeth and always have been. But truly, can you really patch a system with developers in Oakland and the greater Alameda county that is so broken down that we are now laying off more security guards, bilingual aides, cutting another $l00 million from the county of Alameda according to Keith Carson? You are holding out fairy tales to people who want to be lied to that development and the police are a cureall for a national deficit now of half a trillion dollars in just five years. Don't tell me this is not related to our cities problems.
Fidelo y Fidela PL.S. 30% of the people of the people now support the war as opposed to 70% just a year ago. Bring the troops home now. Feed the cities not the Pentagon!

I'm sorry to disagree with you Karl that we cannot blame Oakland's fiscal woes on the federal government. The national security budget , which includes the military budget, the budget for the various intelligence services, a large part of the budget for the Dept. of Energy, and various federal research allocations totals roughly one-half trillion dollars. This amount is roughly euqal to the combined defense spending of the rest of the world.

This amount represents roughly $1500 for every man, woman and child in the country. Oakland's share, based on it's population of 400,000 is 600 million dollars per year. A 10% cut in the pentagon budget rebated to local governments would be $60 million per year for Oakland. This could be done without in any way jeopardizing the security of our country. Let's not forget that all the democratic presidential candidates said Bushes Leave no Child behind education act has left every child behind. We are facing the most devasting destruction of our schools system in both California and acroos the nation that our country has ever faced. To state that Oakland's problems are only local ones, caused by former Gov. Davis or the left, is to misstate and obsfucate both our city's, state's and nation's problems.

That is not to say that your former Chief of Staff Gray Davis did not make problems. But all you have to do is read today's Tribune to see, that a large part of our state's and city's problems could have been solved if Arnold hadn't granted the vehicle license rebate. NOw, after the election, after we could have passed Prop. 56 that could have raised taxes a mere fraction on the wealthiest Californias, we are having the disucssion. Now ironcially the media is reporting 2/3's of the citizens support new taxes. Now that their schools are being decimated. But before, it was NO NEW TAXES and give us the rebate. Arnold is playing a shell game shifting the money back and forth. He's not really solving the problem. All the Sacramento journalists are saying this. And yes, I agree, Davis did not handle the energy crisis well nor the schools. But, I don't think Arnold is doing better. I understand your position in having to support Arnold in order to get financial support for Oakland. But there is not going to be any real solutions until we raise taxes on the wealthiest and close some corporate loopholes. California is the only state where oil leaves the ground untaxed according to Lenny Goldberg.

You've turned from champion of the farmworkers to champion of the corporations. I'm not against developers per se, and lord knows we do badly need to create jobs, but cannot you do something that will incorporate a share of these jobs for locals? Why of Why is it so hard for you to make
any kind of small, even symbolic moves in the right direction. DEvelopment will not stop the meltdown of either our schools are our public health care and the loss of medical care for millions in our state as they lose their jobs.

As for ad hominen attacks, you in fact, are always the one who starts these by calling people delusional, etc. I realize you are trying desperately in hard times to make things work. I've told you in times past the road wasn't going to be easygoing for you in these times. For you Karl, or all the rest in charge reading the budget. You act as if it's only in Oakland. Do you know Baltimore laid off l,000 teachers last year? Parade magazine reported l3 million hungry children in America. Developers and democrats are lips and teeth and always have been. But truly, can you really patch a system with developers in Oakland and the greater Alameda county that is so broken down that we are now laying off more security guards, bilingual aides, cutting another $l00 million from the county of Alameda according to Keith Carson? You are holding out fairy tales to people who want to be lied to that development and the police are a cureall for a national deficit now of half a trillion dollars in just five years. Don't tell me this is not related to our cities problems.
Fidelo y Fidela PL.S. 30% of the people of the people now support the war as opposed to 70% just a year ago. Bring the troops home now. Feed the cities not the Pentagon!

I'm sorry to disagree with you Karl that we cannot blame Oakland's fiscal woes on the federal government. The national security budget , which includes the military budget, the budget for the various intelligence services, a large part of the budget for the Dept. of Energy, and various federal research allocations totals roughly one-half trillion dollars. This amount is roughly euqal to the combined defense spending of the rest of the world.

This amount represents roughly $1500 for every man, woman and child in the country. Oakland's share, based on it's population of 400,000 is 600 million dollars per year. A 10% cut in the pentagon budget rebated to local governments would be $60 million per year for Oakland. This could be done without in any way jeopardizing the security of our country. Let's not forget that all the democratic presidential candidates said Bushes Leave no Child behind education act has left every child behind. We are facing the most devasting destruction of our schools system in both California and acroos the nation that our country has ever faced. To state that Oakland's problems are only local ones, caused by former Gov. Davis or the left, is to misstate and obsfucate both our city's, state's and nation's problems.

That is not to say that your former Chief of Staff Gray Davis did not make problems. But all you have to do is read today's Tribune to see, that a large part of our state's and city's problems could have been solved if Arnold hadn't granted the vehicle license rebate. NOw, after the election, after we could have passed Prop. 56 that could have raised taxes a mere fraction on the wealthiest Californias, we are having the disucssion. Now ironcially the media is reporting 2/3's of the citizens support new taxes. Now that their schools are being decimated. But before, it was NO NEW TAXES and give us the rebate. Arnold is playing a shell game shifting the money back and forth. He's not really solving the problem. All the Sacramento journalists are saying this. And yes, I agree, Davis did not handle the energy crisis well nor the schools. But, I don't think Arnold is doing better. I understand your position in having to support Arnold in order to get financial support for Oakland. But there is not going to be any real solutions until we raise taxes on the wealthiest and close some corporate loopholes. California is the only state where oil leaves the ground untaxed according to Lenny Goldberg.

You've turned from champion of the farmworkers to champion of the corporations. I'm not against developers per se, and lord knows we do badly need to create jobs, but cannot you do something that will incorporate a share of these jobs for locals? Why of Why is it so hard for you to make
any kind of small, even symbolic moves in the right direction. DEvelopment will not stop the meltdown of either our schools are our public health care and the loss of medical care for millions in our state as they lose their jobs.

As for ad hominen attacks, you in fact, are always the one who starts these by calling people delusional, etc. I realize you are trying desperately in hard times to make things work. I've told you in times past the road wasn't going to be easygoing for you in these times. For you Karl, or all the rest in charge reading the budget. You act as if it's only in Oakland. Do you know Baltimore laid off l,000 teachers last year? Parade magazine reported l3 million hungry children in America. Developers and democrats are lips and teeth and always have been. But truly, can you really patch a system with developers in Oakland and the greater Alameda county that is so broken down that we are now laying off more security guards, bilingual aides, cutting another $l00 million from the county of Alameda according to Keith Carson? You are holding out fairy tales to people who want to be lied to that development and the police are a cureall for a national deficit now of half a trillion dollars in just five years. Don't tell me this is not related to our cities problems.
Fidelo y Fidela PL.S. 30% of the people of the people now support the war as opposed to 70% just a year ago. Bring the troops home now. Feed the cities not the Pentagon!

I'm sorry to disagree with you Karl that we cannot blame Oakland's fiscal woes on the federal government. The national security budget , which includes the military budget, the budget for the various intelligence services, a large part of the budget for the Dept. of Energy, and various federal research allocations totals roughly one-half trillion dollars. This amount is roughly euqal to the combined defense spending of the rest of the world.

This amount represents roughly $1500 for every man, woman and child in the country. Oakland's share, based on it's population of 400,000 is 600 million dollars per year. A 10% cut in the pentagon budget rebated to local governments would be $60 million per year for Oakland. This could be done without in any way jeopardizing the security of our country. Let's not forget that all the democratic presidential candidates said Bushes Leave no Child behind education act has left every child behind. We are facing the most devasting destruction of our schools system in both California and acroos the nation that our country has ever faced. To state that Oakland's problems are only local ones, caused by former Gov. Davis or the left, is to misstate and obsfucate both our city's, state's and nation's problems.

That is not to say that your former Chief of Staff Gray Davis did not make problems. But all you have to do is read today's Tribune to see, that a large part of our state's and city's problems could have been solved if Arnold hadn't granted the vehicle license rebate. NOw, after the election, after we could have passed Prop. 56 that could have raised taxes a mere fraction on the wealthiest Californias, we are having the disucssion. Now ironcially the media is reporting 2/3's of the citizens support new taxes. Now that their schools are being decimated. But before, it was NO NEW TAXES and give us the rebate. Arnold is playing a shell game shifting the money back and forth. He's not really solving the problem. All the Sacramento journalists are saying this. And yes, I agree, Davis did not handle the energy crisis well nor the schools. But, I don't think Arnold is doing better. I understand your position in having to support Arnold in order to get financial support for Oakland. But there is not going to be any real solutions until we raise taxes on the wealthiest and close some corporate loopholes. California is the only state where oil leaves the ground untaxed according to Lenny Goldberg.

You've turned from champion of the farmworkers to champion of the corporations. I'm not against developers per se, and lord knows we do badly need to create jobs, but cannot you do something that will incorporate a share of these jobs for locals? Why of Why is it so hard for you to make
any kind of small, even symbolic moves in the right direction. DEvelopment will not stop the meltdown of either our schools are our public health care and the loss of medical care for millions in our state as they lose their jobs.

As for ad hominen attacks, you in fact, are always the one who starts these by calling people delusional, etc. I realize you are trying desperately in hard times to make things work. I've told you in times past the road wasn't going to be easygoing for you in these times. For you Karl, or all the rest in charge reading the budget. You act as if it's only in Oakland. Do you know Baltimore laid off l,000 teachers last year? Parade magazine reported l3 million hungry children in America. Developers and democrats are lips and teeth and always have been. But truly, can you really patch a system with developers in Oakland and the greater Alameda county that is so broken down that we are now laying off more security guards, bilingual aides, cutting another $l00 million from the county of Alameda according to Keith Carson? You are holding out fairy tales to people who want to be lied to that development and the police are a cureall for a national deficit now of half a trillion dollars in just five years. Don't tell me this is not related to our cities problems.
Fidelo y Fidela PL.S. 30% of the people of the people now support the war as opposed to 70% just a year ago. Bring the troops home now. Feed the cities not the Pentagon!

We apologize for posting previous post so many times. My computer is old and slow and I thought is was frozen and stuck.
Fidela y fidelo

Wow, posting that multiple times made it even LESS cogent! Your first point is really quite ridiculous. Even if I accept the number of $1500 per person your conclusion is all wrong. We didn't get taxed at HIGHER rates, we got taxed at LOWER rates. You were just complaining about tax cuts "for the rich." So that $1500 per person wouldn't have been in the pockets of Oakland residents. Think about it. On the one hand you're complaining about tax cuts and on the other hand you're trying to argue that somehow the government would be returning money into the hands of the people who earned that money. Total contradiction. The fact is that most of Oakland's budget does NOT come from the federal government and tax rates have gone DOWN at the federal level, so there is actually no effect from what you describe. But if you are now advocating a tax cut, I'm with you 100% on that one.

Likewise, that "rebate" of the vehicle registration fee was NOT a rebate. Those fees had been raised by Davis and the increase was rolled back. It's hardly a "rebate" when you reverse a decision to increase a fee yet still charge a hefty fee.

Your mindset seems to be that the government deserves 100% of the money we earn and anything we get to keep is some sort of gift. I'm not surprised that you are so against anything that would lead to progress and prosperity here.

As for the war, your data are wrong, unless you're only talking about the population of leftists. The war should end ONLY when Islamic terror is eliminated.

Back to work Karl. The city needs your attention. Got to get those l35+ police officers to start locking up all the juvenile truants and putting them into the 5 closed elementary schools. What is it called? Independent study?

And, you had better start lobbying Arnold to build a new death row at Marin. The way things are going, we are going to have to put a lot of people to death. Both here in America and in Iraq.
This is not a debate. This is just you engaging in more AD HOMINEN attacks and ridicule. This city (excepting your friends in OPOA) will breathe a collective sigh of relief when you depart. You have set a new low for political debate and discussion in Oakland. Jeanette was right. You make us ALL nostalgic for Mayor Elihu Harris. But could you do me just one small favor?

Learn a new mantra other than "its the leftists". We don't hold power in Oakland or nationally. We didn't create the section 8 housing that the welfare dependents in this city & throughout the country are living in and we don't benefit from it.That was you demos and Repubs who did that. In fact probably most of the real estate or INVESTORS who built the section 8 housing in Oakland and reap the huge federal subsidies in rent are probably WHITE!

And tell me just one other thing, of what value is it subsidzing one investor to the tune of $l00 million dollars for jobs only lasting one year when you could sink that amount of money into small retails services businesses in Oakland that could create permanent jobs for people? But let's not consider those questions shall we?

You are more rigid and dogmatic than Karl Marx himself who wrote that "he was not a Marxist". Once individuals think they know it all, they stop learning. the more arrogant the individual, the less they seem to really know. Just continue following the zionist, neo-con position. Maybe you can offer your services as secretary of propaganda, (I mean defense) to George the lessor. You seem to be right on par with him when it comes down to simplistic analyses and refusal to study all points of view or learn or listen to all perspectives. Just keep left bashing and chanting it's the leftists! Talk about a sick conspiracy mentality!

Lastly, keep skirting and diverting from adressing the point of your ADAMANT refusal to allow any piece of the economic pie in Oakland to either BLACK investors, black contractors or black blue collar workers.

You might think history is on your side Karl, but you are definitely not familiar with what Marx wrote, and that's that he stated in the final conflict between the competing imperialist capitalist countries, it was not a given that socialism would indeed prevail, that this conflict, might result in the mutual annihilation and destruction of all involved.

So keep building those bombs and raining them down. Meanwhile, Americans have now been ordered to leave in Saudi Arabian and the King of Jordan decided to skip his visit with George. We could just bomb all these middle eastern countries into oblivion, but guesss what? we would lose our markets this way. Who would we have to sell our products too? Unemployed Americans are losing buying power. But, economics and political science and history are clearly NOT your forte WHICH IS proganda. You are indeed one cynical individual with a lot of contempt for the voting populace. The question is, why do you even bother debating? If you believe so strongly in power to the max, why stoop down and waste so much precious time debating a mere plebian like myself online? Just continue send one of your red goon squads over to take away my computer and my right to free speech. You and your brethen in OPOA want to rule ALL the airwaves now and dominate the debate by hook or crook. Your committment to this great American democracy is to plunder as much resources produced by working people as possible in the city's budget and through assets created by working people's tax dollars which bought Presvation Park, and city parking lots. Yes, rule by decree King Karl, that's what you seem to do best in that growingly secretive and backroom dealmaking place called Oakland's Tammany Hall.
Fidela

It's nice to see that some debate was inspired, even if it's between the usual suspects (the person who usually posts every message twice) and another, but there is one thing quite illustrative. Rather than discussing anything about OAKLAND, the thread devolves into "let's blame Arnie," "it's Bush's fault," or the cornerstone of East Bay debate, "Flats V. Hills."
I'm madder than Micheal Jackson at an all girls slumber party about these midwestern lilly livered liberals buying up every affordable home in OAKLAND, and flipping them at HUGE profits. These COMMUNIST CARPETBAGGERS have never worked an honest day in their lives, by Jiminy. When I see all these PINKOS demanding this and that, I think back to my fallen comrades in the battle of Pork Chop Hill. No one gave us discount bus fares, taxi coupons, art subsidies, new schools or "view corridors," by gum. We sacrificed our lives for America, and now these ARM CHAIR TRUST FUND SOCIALISTS living high off the hog on royalties and hoarding REAL ESTATE are hell-bent on starting their own revolution of pre-verts. It makes me sick.

We ought to start picketing the SF Chronicle. All those people who send letters to the editor against the war, in support of a two state solution. They are polluting and contaminating public morality. And it keeps running those articles promoting Gavin Newsome and his support of gay marriage.

And to top it off,Sunday's paper had an article about the Governor now visiting Israel to talk about jobs and tolerance. Ugh, I hate that left expression. That dimwit Arnold actually stated" because I come from a country where we have seen a history of prejudice that resulted in terrible atrocities, so I always made it my committment that I wanted to go around the world to promote tolerance." These leftists are pernicious in their influence. We must keep Arnold away from SF and the Bay ARea. Why Arnold EVEN decided to visit Jordan due to lobbying by the suspicious Arab Americans in California who complained "he was ignoring Palestians on the trip". We had better watch Arnold too. It also stated Arnold king Abdullah II was a personal friend of his and had visited his home in Brentwood. Homeland Security should considering putting their agents on that guy!
Personally, I'm really glad that Bush went into Iraq where Dick Clark, Paul Neil and other of his top officials revealed there were no threats. Now he has succeeded in inflaming all those A-rabs and Islamics to show their true feelings vis-a-vis the Americans. I just wish Bush would stop fumbling around from day today, one minute bombing the Islamics and next minute bribing them with money to come over to our side. Sheesh! That guy ought to get it together! Power to the max, George! Don't waste your time with the U.N. (They are just a bunch of United Nigerians and other A-rab countries)! What the heck is the SF chronicle trying to do for Christ sakes? Bring the U.S. back into cooperating with the rest of the world's industrialized nations who eat weird things like brie and then go lay out on nude beaches! Jesus H.! I read those crazy Europeans formed a peace circle with 3,000 NAKED BODIES!

STOP THE MORAL CONTAMINATION AMERICA NOW!
Leftwatch

Giorgio, I got a real crisis on my hands. That lesbian daughter of mine has become impregnated by a SOCIALIST Spanish matador. Cheneygang, why don't you have your friend Antionio Scalliwog At the court of the Supreme Beings proclaim mid-term abortions legal for those accidentally impregnated with RED foetuses. And, while we are on the subject of those moral Spaniard cowards who were the first ones to fight facism unaided by the rest of the world in the l930's, CIA operatives have told me that song Bandida Rosa is
being played again. See if you can't have Radio Free America send some daily broadcasts in their direction. And, let's introduce a travel ban to Spain. While we're at it, that General what's his face, who wants to send the CIA in to unseat that red cuckoo Venezeulan President who's more interested in giving his countrymen THREE WHOLE MEALS PER DAY than in honoring U.S. treaties, tell him to RE-ACTIVATE our spy operatives inside SPAIN. We must contain the red menace by all means. We cannot have humanitarian and anti-war sentiments spreading on two separate fronts. Get Condie on the job right away. That useless George Tenor! We should send him to Italy to study opera! Also, let's put up an embargo against Spain and prevent trade to that country immediately as in RAPIDIO! Enough of this foreign aggravationism , it's giving me a headache! I want to go back to BORN AGAIN Texas and trot around on the ranch with my new quarterback Yellow Boy.
the Informer

Geez, I stop looking at the Snooze for a while so I can write a book and help get Jeannette's house ready to sell, and look what happens. But we're not ready to stick a fork in the Snooze just yet- we have had other things to deal with in the interim.

A Towering bridge for a towering ego. Meanwhile as the exodus from Oakland leaves the city of decaying sewers, rutted roads and rotten schools behind, those fleeing can look at the art exhibits depicting wounded police officers of the chartered students from the Oakland Arts School at the Oakland Airport (thanks again to his Honor) before bidding their final farewell to the "other city".

Constructionman