Left coast moonbattery update
The UK Times Online reports on far left San Franciscans and their attempt at putting up for a vote this November to name a large sewage treatment facility after President Bush:
San Francisco is to hold a vote on whether to rename one of its largest sewage treatment facilities after George W. Bush, in what supporters describe as “a fitting monument to the President’s work”.
More than 8,500 signatures have already been gathered in support of the plan — 1,300 more than the minimum required to get the proposal on the November ballot. The scheme was devised by an official-sounding group called the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco.
“On matters ranging from foreign relations to fiscal and environmental stewardship, no other president in American history has accomplished so much in such a short time” says the group on its website. “We believe this is an appropriate honour for a truly unique president. If you think so too, join this grassroots movement to rename this important and iconic landmark in his honour.”
The official renaming ceremony — the sewage facility is currently named the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant — would take place in January, when the next President is sworn in. Part of it would include a “synchronised flush”, described as a way to send a gift to the renamed plant.
“It’s a very simple yes or no question and there’s no real fiscal impact – just the cost of relettering the sign in front of the plant” Brian McConnell, one of the organisers, told the San Francisco Chronicle.
[…]
Undeterred, the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco will continue gathering signatures from disaffected voters on the streets of San Francisco this weekend.
Campaigners will wear Uncle Sam top hats and suits and carry boom-boxes playing patriotic American music.
In related nutty left coast news, the SF Chronicle reports that a storm is brewing between UC Berkeley and the city of Berkeley over the “health and safety” of tree-sitting protesters:
A group of tree-sitters’ 18-month-long standoff with UC Berkeley intensified Monday, as the city of Berkeley demanded the protesters be allowed food and water.
“The city’s concern is that even though there’s not a lot of sympathy for the tactics utilized by the people in the trees, we do feel their health and safety should not be put at risk,” said Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates. “To starve people out of the trees does not seem rational.”
City officials have asked the university remove a pair of barriers, erected last week on city property, that block the sidewalk and prevent protesters from delivering food and water to the tree-sitters.
The university installed the barriers to protect the public and reduce interaction between the tree-sitters and supporters, according to a letter submitted to the city Thursday by university Police Chief Victoria Harrison.
The barriers, which line both sides of the northbound lanes of Piedmont Avenue near Memorial Stadium, remained there Monday afternoon.
Nine tree-sitters are perched in the grove, a week after the university began dismantling their platforms and increasing enforcement of a court order that prohibits occupation of the grove. The tree-sitters’ support crew has been unable to get food and water to the protesters for about a week.
“We’re in constant communication with them,” said UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof. “We can physically see they have food and water. But if they’re tired and hungry and thirsty, the easy solution is for them to come down.”
The tree-sitters have been in the grove since Dec. 1, 2006 hoping to save 44 redwoods, oaks, laurels and other trees the university wants to remove to build a sports training facility. A judge ruled last week that the university’s plan mostly complies with state law but a few safety and legal issues – including the value of Memorial Stadium – must be addressed before it can proceed.
The plaintiffs – the city of Berkeley, a neighborhood group and the California Oak Foundation – will submit a sample judgment to the court today. The university will submit its response Friday, and the judge will rule.
Last but not least, the story about left coasters who protested McCain’s visit to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History (where he met up with the Govnah to discuss alternative energy policy). They were protesting his (new) stance which favors domestic offshore drilling.
There’s never a dull moment in California, is there?