Americans’ unhappy birthday: ‘Too much wrong right now’
The Associated Press

Sat, Jul 5, 2008 (11:18 a.m.)

Even folks in the Optimist Club are having a tough time toeing an upbeat line these days. Eighteen members of the volunteer organization's Gilbert, Ariz., chapter have gathered, a few days before this nation's 232nd birthday, to focus on the positive: Their book-drive for schoolchildren and an Independence Day project to place American flags along the streets of one neighborhood.

They beam through the Pledge of Allegiance, applaud each other's good news _ a house that recently sold despite Arizona's down market, and one member's valiant battle with cancer. "I didn't die," she says as the others cheer.

But then talk turns to the state of the Union, and the Optimists become decidedly bleak.

They use words such as "terrified," "disgusted" and "scary" to describe what one calls "this mess" we Americans find ourselves in. Then comes the list of problems constituting the mess: a protracted war, $4-a-gallon gas, soaring food prices, uncertainty about jobs, an erratic stock market, a tougher housing market, and so on and so forth.

One member's son is serving his second tour in Iraq. Another speaks of a daughter who's lost her job in the mortgage industry and a son in construction whose salary was slashed. Still another mentions a friend who can barely afford gas.

Joanne Kontak, 60, an elementary school lunch aid inducted just this day as an Optimist, sums things up like this: "There's just entirely too much wrong right now."

Happy birthday, America? This year, we're not so sure.

more...
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/0... /

A protester holds a sign during the speech of President George Bush at the Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello for the 46th annual Independence Day celebration naturalization ceremony in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, July 4, 2008.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)


A protester holds a sign during the speech of President George Bush at the Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello for the 46th annual Independence Day celebration naturalization ceremony in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, July 4, 2008.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)


A protester is led away during the speech of President George Bush at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello for the 46th annual Independence Day celebration naturalization ceremony in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, July 4, 2008.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)


A protester is led away during the speech of President George Bush at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello for the 46th annual Independence Day celebration naturalization ceremony in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, July 4, 2008.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)


A protestor is confronted by Secret Service agents during remarks by President Bush at Moticello's 46th annual Independence Day celebration and naturalization ceremony on Friday, July 4, 2008 in Charlottesville, Va.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)


A protester is led away as President Bush speaks at Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello, during the 46th annual Independence Day celebration naturalization ceremony in Charlottesville, Va., Friday, July 4, 2008.
(AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Jun 26, 2008 4:31 pm US/Pacific

Calif. Group Says Stimulus Checks Went For Gas

snip...
The California Public Interest Research Group calculates that an average household has spent more than $1,300 on gasoline since mid-February, when President Bush signed the tax rebate law.

The group says much of the stimulus money wound up going to oil companies, and points out that gas prices are higher in areas with less public transportation.

http://cbs13.com/local/stimulus.gas.pricey...

Judge dismisses suit charging VA with shoddy mental health care
Bob Egelko, Chronicle Staff Writer

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

(06-25) 11:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal judge in San Francisco dismissed a nationwide lawsuit by veterans groups today that sought major changes in the Department of Veterans Affairs' mental health system because of long waits for treatment and benefits.

Veterans' advocates accused the VA of making mental health care virtually unavailable to thousands of discharged soldiers through perfunctory exams, delays in referrals and treatment, and a prolonged and complex system of awarding medical benefits.

They cited internal department e-mails, released in response to the suit, that reported 18 suicides a day among all veterans and 1,000 suicide attempts a month among those under VA care. About 30 percent of the nation's 24 million veterans receive medical care from the department, which is required to provide care for five years after a veteran is discharged from active duty.

snip...
"The remedies sought by plaintiffs are beyond the power of this court and would call for a complete overhaul of the VA system," Conti said in an 82-page ruling. He said he found "no systemic violations" of law that would justify court intervention.

"Congress has specifically precluded district courts from reviewing veterans' benefits decisions and has entrusted decisions regarding veterans' medical care to the discretion of the VA secretary," said the judge, a World War II veteran who was appointed to the bench by President Richard Nixon.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...

Protestors picket before US Republican presidential candidate John McCain's campaign visit to the University of Nevada Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 25, 2008. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun (UNITED STATES) U.S.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (USA)


A protester stands outside University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Wednesday, June 25, 2008, where Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. is schedule to speak.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)


Protestor Naomi Millisor pickets at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before a campaign stop by US Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 25, 2008. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun (UNITED STATES) U.S.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (USA)


eorge Bubnis (L) and Jerry Osburn picket at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas before a campaign stop by US Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 25, 2008. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun (UNITED STATES) U.S.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (USA)


Protestor Naomi Millisor pickets before a visit by US Republican presidential candidate John McCain to the University of Nevada Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 25, 2008. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun (UNITED STATES) U.S.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION (USA)


Protesters stands outside University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Wednesday, June 25, 2008, where Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. is schedule to speak.
(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

http://presidentbushlegacy.com/bushlegacy



Details of the exhibit are seen on the "Bush Legacy Bus" outside the headquarters of AFL-CIO in Washington, DC. An exhibition slamming the legacy of US President George W. Bush was unveiled Tuesday in Washington in a 45-foot (15 meters) long, 28-ton bus parked just steps from the White House.
(AFP/Getty Images/Alex Wong)


A Bush/Cheney gas pump is seen on the Bush Legacy Bus parked at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington, DC. An exhibition slamming the legacy of US President George W. Bush was unveiled Tuesday in Washington in a 45-foot (15 meters) long, 28-ton bus parked just steps from the White House.
(AFP/Karen Bleier)

Satire at the ballot box to 'honor' Bush
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer

Tuesday, June 24, 2008


(06-23) 18:49 PDT -- If you've attended an event or festival in San Francisco lately - or even just hung out at a city park - you've probably seen them.

Admittedly, they're hard to miss. Someone in the group is usually toting a large American flag, and another is often carrying a boom box blaring patriotic music. Sometimes one of them dresses up as Uncle Sam.

They're the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco, but don't let the serious name fool you. The group's intentions are in the gutter: They want to rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant come January, when the next president is sworn in.

During the inauguration, the group also wants supporters to participate in a "synchronized flush"- a way to send a gift to the renamed plant, which supporters say, would be a "fitting monument to this president's work."

It sounds like a harmless joke, or maybe a college civics lesson gone awry. But the handful of friends who dreamed this up over beers one night say they have already collected 8,500 signatures in support of the plan - 1,300 more than the minimum needed to put the question to city voters in November. When they submit the signatures in July, election workers will have to verify that at least 7,168 are from registered city voters for the measure to qualify for the ballot.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...



Brian McConnell stands at Stern Grove dressed as Uncle Sam trying to get more signatures for group's ballot petition. Chronicle photo by Marisa Lagos

Obama and McCain Give First Dual Interviews on the Economy to FORTUNE (Photo:
Business Wire)

Demonstrators stand on the steps of San Francisco City Hall on the first full day of legal same- sex marriage in San Francisco, California, June 17, 2008.
(Erin Siegal/Reuters)

Alton Kelley, psychedelic poster creator, dies
Joel Selvin, Chronicle Senior Pop Music Critic

Tuesday, June 3, 2008


Alton Kelley, one of the founding members of the '60s San Francisco rock scene, died Sunday at his home in Petaluma after a long illness. He was 67.

Mr. Kelley will be remembered as the creator (with his artistic partner, Stanley Mouse) of hundreds of classic psychedelic rock posters, such as the famed "skull and roses" poster for a Grateful Dead show at the Avalon Ballroom. Mr. Kelley and Mouse created 26 posters for just the first year of the Avalon's operation.

But Mr. Kelley was also one of four people who called themselves the Family Dog and decided to throw the world's first psychedelic dance-concerts at Longshoreman's Hall in September 1965, essentially starting the San Francisco scene. The quartet had just returned to the Bay Area after spending an LSD-drenched summer restoring a silver rush dancehall in Virginia City, Nev., called the Red Dog Saloon.

Mr. Kelley, a motorcycle enthusiast since his New England youth who painted pinstripes on bike gas tanks, designed the flyers advertising the original Family Dog shows, but lacked drafting ability. When he met Stanley Mouse, who had recently relocated from Detroit where he made a name for himself doing hot rod art, Mr. Kelley found the draftsman he needed. The two formed Mouse Studios and cranked out art together, Mr. Kelley's drawing skills eventually improving to the point where left-handed Mr. Kelley would be working on one side of the easel, right-handed Mouse on the other.

more...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...





edited to add...



The famous Grateful Dead 'skull and roses' poster designed by Alton Kelley and Stanley 'Mouse' Miller is seen in this undated photo provided by Evolutionary Media Group. Kelley, who created the psychedelic style of posters and other art associated with the 1960s San Francisco rock scene, has died. He was 67. Kelley died Sunday of complications from osteoporosis in his Petaluma, Calif., home, according to his publicist, Jennifer Gross.
(AP Photo/Evolutionary Media Group, Mouse Kelley)


A poster created by Alton Kelley and Stanley 'Mouse' Miller is seen in this undated photo provided by Evolutionary Media Group. Kelley, who created the psychedelic style of posters and other art associated with the 1960s San Francisco rock scene, has died. He was 67. Kelley died Sunday of complications from osteoporosis in his Petaluma, Calif., home, according to his publicist, Jennifer Gross.
(AP Photo/Evolutionary Media Group, Mouse Kelley)
Photo Tools



Artist Alton Kelley is seen in the 2005 photo provided by Evolutionary Media Group. Kelley, who created the psychedelic style of posters and other art associated with the 1960s San Francisco rock scene, has died. He was 67. Kelley died Sunday of complications from osteoporosis in his Petaluma, Calif., home, according to his publicist, Jennifer Gross.
(AP Photo/Evolutionary Media Group, Chet Helms)

Initiative to ban gay marriage qualifies for California ballot
Associated Press
Article Launched: 06/02/2008 05:43:10 PM PDT


SAN FRANCISCO - The Secretary of State says an initiative that would again outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot.

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen says a random check of signatures submitted by the measure's sponsors showed that they had gathered enough for it to be put to voters.

The measure would amend the state constitution to define marriage as a union "between a man and a woman."

If it is approved by a majority of voters on Nov. 4, it would overturn the recent California Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in the state.

more...
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9457886?sour...

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., speaks during a rally at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. Sunday, June 1, 2008.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., speaks during a rally at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. Sunday, June 1, 2008.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)


US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) greets supporters after speaking in Mitchell, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


US Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks in Mitchell, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


US Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks in Mitchell, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)

re-post since I originally put it in the wrong forum...


US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) catches a flipped pancake at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


US Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) catches a flipped pancake at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)



US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) catches a flipped pancake from chef Gregg White (R) at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., reacts to the crowd during a gathering of veterans and military families in the armory at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sunday, June 1, 2008.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

more pics...


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., greets people during a gathering of veterans and military families in the armory at the W. H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sunday, June 1, 2008.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)


US Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) speaks at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


US Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) poses for a photo with supporters after speaking at a pancake breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)

US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) catches a flipped pancake at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


US Democratic presidential candidate and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) catches a flipped pancake at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) catches a flipped pancake from chef Gregg White (R) at a breakfast for military families and veterans in Sioux Falls, South Dakota June 1, 2008. REUTERS/Rick Wilking (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008
(USA)


Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama D-Ill., reacts to the crowd during a gathering of veterans and military families in the armory at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, S.D., Sunday, June 1, 2008.
(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Duke Devlin, a Woodstock festival attendee who came from Texas in 1969 and never left, poses on the field where the 1969 Woodstock music festival took place at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, in Bethel, New York. The spasm of sex, drugs, rock music and politics that was the historic 1969 Woodstock festival has spawned a museum in tribute to the birthplace of US counterculture.
(AFP/File/Emmanuel Dunand)


Musician Richie Havens, who performed first at the Woodstock music festival, poses in front of a Hippies "Magic Bus" replica at "The Story of the Sixties and Woodstock" at the Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. The spasm of sex, drugs, rock music and politics that was the historic 1969 Woodstock festival has spawned a museum in tribute to the birthplace of US counterculture.
(AFP/File/Emmanuel Dunand)


Visitors walk through "The Story of the Sixties and Woodstock" at the Museum at Bethel Woods, north of New York City on May 28. The museum explores the experience of the 1969 Woodstock festival via photos, artifacts and multi-media exhibits.
(AFP/Emmanuel Dunand)


Paul Heim, an exhibit technician, watches a video at The Museum at Bethel Woods in Bethel, N.Y., Thursday, May 15, 2008. The museum opens June 2 on the site of the old dairy farm northwest of New York City that was trampled under by some 400,000 people on the wet weekend of Aug. 15-17, 1969. The museum, part of a $100 million music and arts center here, aims to tell the story of Woodstock. Mocked as a 'hippie museum' by conservatives recently, the exhibits actually give a thorough look at the generation-defining concert and the noisy decade that led up to it.
(AP Photo/Mike Groll)


The Museum at Bethel Woods is seen in Bethel, N.Y., Thursday, May 15, 2008. The museum opens June 2 on the site of the old dairy farm northwest of New York City that was trampled under by some 400,000 people on the wet weekend of Aug. 15-17, 1969. The museum, part of a $100 million music and arts center here, aims to tell the story of Woodstock. Mocked as a 'hippie museum' by conservatives recently, the exhibits actually give a thorough look at the generation-defining concert and the noisy decade that led up to it.
(AP Photo/Mike Groll)


A bus is on display at The Museum at Bethel Woods in Bethel, N.Y., Thursday, May 15, 2008. The museum opens June 2 on the site of the old dairy farm northwest of New York City that was trampled under by some 400,000 people on the wet weekend of Aug. 15-17, 1969. The museum, part of a $100 million music and arts center here, aims to tell the story of Woodstock. Mocked as a 'hippie museum' by conservatives recently, the exhibits actually give a thorough look at the generation-defining concert and the noisy decade that led up to it.
(AP Photo/Mike Groll)