Commentary on recent SF Chronicle news stories
Starchild's recent activities
  • Starchild commented on S.F. groups mobilize to deny permit to gun shop
    "We'd take anything where people go to be part of a community." -One of the NIMBY neighbors trying to deny High Bridge Arms owners their property rights Fine, you say you want something where people go to be part of a community? I call your bluff. Let's have a bath house. Or perhaps a night club. Or a video game parlor. Or a card room. Or what about... but what's the point, this is like hitting the side of a barn at 10 feet! Why don't you NIMBYs just admit that you want something "respectable" (according to bourgeoisie, conservative, middle-class values) that won't bring down your property values or expose your children to any aspect of life that hasn't been carefully filtered and sanitized for their consumption?

  • Starchild commented on Nevada candidate touts speedy fix to budget crisis
    Like other governments, the Nevada state government doesn't need additional revenue. They already take in plenty, they just need to eliminate wasteful spending, such as rewarding government officials with inflated salaries and pension plans. If they stuck strictly to doing things that are constitutional, and gave people back more control over their own lives, they would also save lots of money.

  • Starchild commented on Comments Page: Supes' races to decide city's political future
    Agreed, but we can do these things without abandoning district elections. Many people see getting rid of those elections as a way to reduce the power of "progressives," but it's a mistake to form opinions about such things simply based on who is in office now.

  • Starchild commented on Comments Page: Supes' races to decide city's political future
    As is typical in media coverage of candidates and elections, there is too much "horse race" style reporting here -- what the political landscape looks like in terms of jockeying between factions -- and not enough substance. All we learn about actual policy issues is that the debate centers around things such as which mental health programs to fund, whether to raise taxes or cut spending, and what gets built where and for whom. We are not told what any particular elected official stands for, nor are we told a single thing about who the 46 supervisoral candidates are who are running or what they stand for. Instead of just going over the same boring script of the progressives versus the moderates, why not get into philosophical differences among candidates and officeholders? Why not analyze positions and make some educated guesses about who actually has a political philosophy, and who simply says and does whatever seems politically expedient within a certain ideological range?

  • Starchild commented on NATO says 6 Afghan insurgents killed in clash
    The former presidential candidate's name is not "Abdullah Abdullah" -- it is simply "Abdullah". Like many Afghans he uses only one name. This has been frequently reported in the media, so why does the Associated Press continue to get it wrong? Are they wearing cultural blinders which make them believe people must have two-word names? Of course standardization and uniformity in such things makes it easier for governments to exercise control.