Soda-Free Idiocy Hits San Francisco

In their apparent quest to make sure that no one has to think for themselves, San Francisco has edged a little bit closer to a non-sustainable, faux utopia now that the mayor, pretty, pretty Gavin Newsom, has signed an executive order that "...bars calorically sweetened beverages from vending machines on city property." So says the folks across the bay at SF Gate.

Of course, this nanny state directive was fueled in part by a study which found that "...adults who drink at least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than those who don't". Uh-huh. And? I kept reading the article hoping that it would explain to me how it is the soda that is at fault and not the people who are drinking the soda, but it never did. I guess that sort of explained why Gavin Newsom didn't just ban those who are dim and, in this case, overindulgent.

If only there was something that might indicate that it isn't the soda that is the problem as much as it is a lifestyle choice of those that are choosing to drink the sodas. I mean, after all, diet sodas are readily available. And don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not implying that any soda, including diet soda, is going to be good for you. None of them are going to be great for you, but some are going to be not as bad as others. Oh, I know they taste like crap at first, but you get used to the crap taste. After a short while, you grow so accustomed to the crap taste that you forget what a decent tasting soda tastes like. That's when the overindulging can really begin...when it won't hurt you! But yet folks still indulge in the sugar laden sodas. Yep. That definitely sounds like it's the sodas fault.

The article also mentions that the study "...also found that 41 percent of children and 62 percent of teens drink at least one soda daily." Hmm. And of course, those children and those teens get their sodas from the machines that are on city property. Oh, wait a minute. No, they don't! You moron, Gavin. Could you explain this ridiculous decision?

Well, he couldn't but one of his spokesholes could. A one Tony Winnicker said that "There's a direct link between what people eat and drink and the obesity and health care crises in this country." Really? A direct link between what people EAT and OBESITY? Fascinating, sir! Absolutely fascinating. Do you have more words of wisdom for the sheeple? Of course he does. He said, "It's entirely appropriate and not at all intrusive for city government to take steps to discourage the sale of sugary sodas on city property." Hmm.

You're telling me that for a city government to step in and tell a private citizen what the best choices for him or her are is perfectly OK? Because the government knows best? What happened to the land of the free? Free to make choices, right? That doesn't say that we're free to make only the best choices. We're just free to make choices. But only choices that the government deems to be appropriate. Yeah, I have a problem with that.

Good luck with your utopia, Mr. and Mrs. San Francisco. Let me know how it works out for you when the city starts deciding that other things are bad for you and starts banning those as well. It starts with the sodas. What's next? Chips? Fries? White bread? Red meat? Gravy? Next thing you know, you're only going to be able to get raw vegan fare within city limits because that has been deemed by the government to be the best choice because the people are too inept to make their own choices. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But you let me know how that turns out. You know where to find me. I'll be inside of my walled off compound protecting myself from the likes of Gavin Newsom.

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They Smoke Crack in San Francisco!

When was the last time you were in San Francisco (if ever)? Recently? Within the last year? Two years? Five years? Doesn't matter. Chances are that when you were there, you noticed that there are parts of the city (say like Haight) that are rather, how shall we say, bum ridden. That's right. San Francisco has become rather bummy. They're everywhere. Kind of like the swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano every year. Only the bums are always there. They never leave, so they don't have to return. But when you think San Fran, you think bums.

I might be painting the wrong picture by describing some of these outdoor inhabitants as bums. That might be too generous of a term. They're the chronically homeless by choice. They're the drug indulging. They're the publicly defecating. (That's right. Publicly defecating. What? You've never seen someone poo in public? You've clearly never been to the Haight.)

Now, the mayor of San Francisco, a one pretty, pretty Gavin Newsom, has always been a proponent of the, shall we say, "disadvantaged". (We could even use the term "underadvantaged". But really who we're talking about are the folks who lounge about on the the curbs and sidewalks and doorways of businesses and engage in their less than savory lifestyle.) But suddenly, the pretty pretty mayor has spoken out in favor of what is called a sit/lie ordinance.

What is a sit/lie ordinance? It's just what it sounds like. (And if you think it sounds ridiculous that one is necessary, you're right on!) It's an ordinance that prohibits sitting or lying on public grounds such as on sidewalks and in doorways. And up until recently, the pretty, pretty mayor was against it. According to the folks over there at SF Gate, Newsom was "telling The Chronicle editorial board earlier this month it (the ordinance) was just too divisive to support." Too divisive?

I don't know about you, but when it comes to me and those who prefer to sit and lie, I prefer a bit of division. In fact, I encourage it. Please. Divide me from that portion of society and do it now. Divisive? Hell yes, it's divisive. That's the frigging point. But if it's so "divisive", why is Gavin suddenly all for it?

It would seem that the mayor "...took his 5 1/2-month-old daughter for a stroll on Haight Street one Saturday morning." A stroll? On Haight Street? How'd that go for you, Mister Mayor? "As God is my witness, there's a guy on the sidewalk smoking crack," Newsom said. Wait. What now?

As God as his witness? Does he actually think that we need convincing of this? Has he NEVER walked on the streets of the fine, fine city that he is mayor of? What in the hell does he mean "As God is my witness"? We KNOW!

Let me get this straight. Gavin Newsom has been mayor of San Francisco since 2003 and he didn't know that people lounged around in doorways of businesses and smoked crack?! Welcome to the city, Gavin! Where in the hell have you been?! Could he be more out of touch? I don't think that he could! That is unbelievable to me.

So now that he is personally effected, now it's an issue. Never mind all of these people that have witnessed this problem getting worse and worse and worse over the years (probably most recently during the past seven years that he has been the mayor, as a matter of fact). Never mind all of their reasons that they had for wanting a sit and lie ordinance. Do you really think that NO ONE ever said to him "Hey, there are people smoking drugs in the doorway of my business." I'm pretty sure that they did. What did he think? That they were just making it up? I realize that he has done his best in an attempt to turn San Francisco into some sort of utopian haven for the displaced in the world. But I had no idea that he was THAT clueless.

Wake up, Gavin. There are people in your city smoking crack on the streets. There are people in your city defecating on sidewalks. There are even prostitutes! I know! Can you imagine?! I guess we all know what to do the next time that some sort of public issue needs addressing in San Francisco. I guess we know that we need to pull Gavin down off his high horse and give him a first hand look at what people are talking about in order for him to take any sort of action that is not nothing. What a joke. I can't wait to see how hard he pushes for this to be passed now that he is personally affected. Well, at least we know where his priorities are and they certainly aren't with the citizens of San Francisco, that's for sure.

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It's Gonna Happen, Whether You Like It Or Not

So the pretty, pretty mayor of San Francisco, a one Gavin Newsom and his almost equally as pretty, pretty wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom are expecting a baby! Wee-ha.

Gavin's been making a lot of speeches lately and the general thought is that he's most likely going to run for Governor of California when the current Governator's term is up. So a baby will fit nicely into that whole scenario. Politicians...babies...they go together for some reason, but I'm just not quite sure what that reason is. I know that politicians "traditionally" or "stereotypically" kiss babies when on the campaign trail, but I don't know why. Why would I want to hand my baby over to some guy that I don't know who is running for office and therefore is most likely a liar and a weasel? I don't want a lying weasel kissing my baby! (Then again, I don't want a baby. So if I was seen giving one to a puckered-up politician, chances are really good that I'd be running in the other direction soon after the hand off was complete.)

I can't say whether or not the timing was intentional. I hope it wasn't. I'd hate to think that Gavin was churning out a kid just for the sake of his image. (His image, by the way, is that of a pretty, pretty man who couldn't be more straight and couldn't look more gay. Look at him over there! Could he look any more gay for a straight man? Not likely. But I'm guessing that it's probably a very beneficial appearance for one who wants to be mayor of San Francisco. It's worked for him so far. Though I'm not thrilled with his hair. He's kind of got that Ross from 'Friends' thing going on and it's not a great look for anyone, really. ) But a kid will help his imagine I'd imagine. The husband and father running for office with his wife standing by his side and cradling their adorable child. You could make a Hallmark card out of it if it wouldn't make people retch and vomit.

Gavin's image doesn't need a whole lot of boosting, really. He's done OK, Oh, well, there was that one incident about two years ago. But something like should be pretty easy to bounce back from right? I mean, so you're the mayor of San Francisco and one of your aides, who is also one of your best friends, has a really smokin' hot wife. And, well, you know, you kind of have an affair with that woman for a while and no one says anything. But then she goes into some treatment program for something or other and next thing you know, she's confessing her sins, her husband is resigning and Gavin is appearing as if he's the body part that got him into the mess in the first place. Sure, no problem. (Yeah, right!) Adultery? Not a big deal in the political world. Nooooo. Of course not. (Translation: HUGE deal. Big. HUGE.)

In what little defense I have for Gavin in regard to this matter (and it's really pathetic at best, as I do loathe those who cheat, but it should be said), the woman that he slept with was really hot! I mean, the woman that he's married to now is pretty hot as well AND she's not married, so he did much better choosing his wife than he did choosing his frolicking buddy there. But it'd be a hard offer to pass up (pun probably intended).

But he did OK bouncing back from that one. Hopefully, he'll do fine as a father and as a husband and that he won't cheat on his current smoking hot wife. When I heard about the pregnancy, I couldn't help but wonder how Gavin's going to do with the whole childbirth experience deal. I mean, is he going to be her coach? Offer her encouragement? Be supportive? Now, those are all good things and things that I'd imagine that he probably should do. But why is it that whenever I picture him being in that supportive role, I always hear what he's saying in the clip below. Go figure. (The sound might be crappy, so you might have to turn up your speakers. Hey, I didn't post the video, I just pulled it from YouTube like everyone else does. Not my fault and you've been warned, so we're good.)

Aw, gee Gavin. She's your wife and she's giving birth. Did you have to put it like that?! "The door's wide open now!" Yes, she knows! "It's gonna happen!" I'm sure she's aware by that point! "Whether you like it or not!" OK, that's not very supportive at all! Maybe you should just go wait in the hall, Gavin. Congratulations, but wait in the hall.

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