Snapshots from San Francisco
Just a thought from 20 March 2003 about .

And here we see the socially-conscious people of San Francisco keeping other people from going to work, because we're bombing Iraq.

And here we see the politically aware people of San Francisco keeping a Muni driver from doing his job, because we're bombing Iraq.

And here we see one of San Francisco's most valiant citizens punishing a newspaper box, because we're bombing Iraq.

I love San Francisco. I really do. I love San Francisco because we're a little wacky. A lot different. But there are times when I'm sad for my city.

For example, when my fellow citizens put red food dye in milk, drink it, and then go to the financial district and vomit on the steps of buildings where ordinary people are trying to go to work, that makes me sad.

And yes, oh yes, they are feeding the capitalist machine, those people. I know. I went to college, too. But we're not talking about the capitalist machine today, class. We're talking about one moron head of state dropping bombs on another moron head of state because he can. Preemptively.

In 1939, when the Nazis invaded Poland and began to kill a lot of people, including most everybody who's last name was Powazek, that was a preemptive attack. In 1988, when Saddam gassed thousands of Kurds, that was a preemptive attack. What we do now, under the guise of a preemptive attack, is no better.

I am ashamed of my country. Ashamed of my president. But all those things are far away and out of my control (at least until 2004). It's the close-to-home stuff that stings. It's the black-clad Korn kiddies walking down Market Street spraypainting on windows that sickens me.

These people have their heart in the right place. They really do. And I am every bit as outraged by what's happening in the world as they are. I just don't think we should use it as an excuse to break windows and act like lunatics. I don't think we should take it out on each other. It doesn't help our case, it just makes all our lives harder.

We need to show the world that smart, rational, intelligent people oppose the war for good reasons. Not because we think Saddam is a kick in the pants, but because we don't believe in punishing the people of Iraq just because we haven't mounted bin Ladin's head on our wall yet. And because we don't believe our president when he says that Iraq has something to do with the horrible events of September 11, 2001. And because we all know that there really was no pressing need to do this now, except for our oversized national ego.

We need to come up with other solutions. Other ideas. We need to fight idiocy with logic until the truth is just so obvious no one can deny it. And, if nothing else, we need to let each other get to work on time.