Author: leeheidhues

I am a Green Party member, legal worker, walker, cyclist who follows politics, world events, 🌎 the literary world and 🎥 film

Reactionaries in Germany, Trump USA and my block in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 11.16.2024

A year ago we were in Berlin. Who would have thought that 12 months later Donald Trump would be preparing to move into the White House?

Liz and Lee in Potsdam, Germany November 2023

Who would have thought that the coalition government in Germany, which included the Green Party, would collapse?

German Green Party members in happier times

Well, it’s all happened. It’s fair to say arch conservative reactionaries are on the rise. It’s not a comforting thought for anyone who believes in personal freedom and the expectation to be free from the oppressors.

The reactionaries are rising in Germany, America and, perhaps, on my block in San Francisco. Where it pains me to write Trump got nearly 22 percent (179 votes) in my precinct.

Nobody is exempt from the rising tide of oppression.

US President Donald Trump holds up a Bible outside of St John’s Episcopal church across Lafayette Park in Washington, DC on June 1, 2020.

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 11.7.2024

What now?

That was the question of the day after the collapse of the so-called traffic-light coalition — named for the colors of the three parties forming it: the center-left Social Democrats (red), the neoliberal Free Democrats (yellow) and the environmentalist Greens.

One day after the dramatic break-up, Chancellor Olaf Scholz‘s view was very different from that of the leaders of the center-right opposition, whose cooperation Scholz is seeking.

Alternative for Deutschland (AfD) – far right on the ascendency in Germany

The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU) are not only the largest opposition bloc in the current parliament, they are also, according to current polls, most likely to emerge from new elections as the strongest force.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz who is tipped to become Germany’s next chancellor urged swift action. “The government no longer has a majority in the German Bundestag and so we have to call on the Federal Chancellor — with a unanimous decision by the CDU/CSU parliamentary group — to call a vote of confidence immediately, at the beginning of next week at the latest,” he said.

https://www.dw.com/en/political-wrangling-starts-after-german-coalition-collapse/a-70725678

Taunts threats will not crush my car free San Francisco advocacy

Nextdoor and its Orwellian “Rant” policy

SAN FRANCISCO – GREAT HIGHWAY PARK VICTORY NIGHT

Lee Heidhues 11.9.2024

Tonight I feel vindicated with the passage of Proposition K and the approval of Great Highway Park.

My advocacy has been steadfast and unrelenting for a more pedestrian and cyclist friendly San Francisco. The creation of JFK Promenade and now Great Highway Park are two of the political achievements I will forever treasure and cherish.

It’s been a nearly five year battle with the smug, spoiled, petulant and virulent motorists who feel they have a birthright to drive their cars anywhere, anytime.

In March 2021, after responding to the personal and political social media attacks, I was labeled by Nextdoor as someone who “Rants” and was flagged by this organization. On which almost any behavior is tolerated.

Nextdoor admitted “your posts were not attacking your neighbors or using language deemed inappropriate, they still fall under our Guideline regarding ranting.”

My account was, in a nice Orwellian turn of phrase, “disabled.”

A short time later I exited Nextdoor and have not posted since July 2021.

Now, that my years long advocacy has been rewarded, I am reblogging the exchange I had with Nextdoor’s minders nearly four years ago.

Looking into the haze of vilification for speaking out for an environmentally friendly San Francisco

Great Highway Park wins. I am relishing this moment of victory

SAN FRANCISCO – GREAT HIGHWAY PARK
Lee Heidhues 11.8.2024

I am beyond joyous that Proposition K which will see the creation of The Great Highway Park by the Pacific Ocean in San Francisco has been approved by a healthy majority of ALL the voters.

Liz and Lee at the kickoff for Proposition K – Great Highway Park – July 27, 2024

I will never stand down, will continue to fight and am relishing this moment of victory for a pedestrian, cyclist friendly San Francisco.

Victory of Proposition K is another affirmation that San Francisco voters can overcome the juvenile mentality of the spoiled rotten entitled motorists. Motorists who have fought viciously to protect their false sense of entitlement.

Two years ago these same dead enders with their false sense of car centric privilege waged a despicable campaign to stop JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park. Their effort to bring cars back to JFK Promenade, aided by over 800K in funding from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, was crushed. The voters said “We want this car free oasis” by a 63 percent YES margin.

Two years later these vitriolic motorists waged a war of threats and personal insult against Supervisor Joel Engardio who put Proposition K on the ballot. These motorists have no shame. Even now they pledge to continue their onslaught against all who oppose their selfishness.

Mayor London Breed, voted out of office this week, may have sacrificed her political career by advocating for JFK Promenade and The Great Highway Park. When the history of her tenure is written this environmental advocacy will be long remembered.

Liz and Mayor London Breed parley at the 4th Anniversary celebration of JFK Promenade. Were it not for Mayor Breed JFK Promenade would not be a reality today.

Personally, I have been ridiculed and vilified on social media for vigorously promoting the car free movement in San Francisco. The most egregious example being my banishment by Michael Durand, publisher of the Richmond Review for pushing back against the entitled motorists.

To celebrate this joyous moment I am including La Mer by Claude Debussy. Music Liz and I listened to 55 years ago when we lived on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Close by what is now The Great Highway Park.

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Amerika parades its true self. I want to depart this incipient Fascism

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 11.6.2024

The crows are happily oblivious to the democratic disaster unfurling around them

“Every night I dream The Crow black dream.” ‘Burn’ – The Cure

The Trump cadres infiltrate San Francisco

Only in a country like Amerika could a convicted felon and insurrectionist grift his way into the White House. It hurts too much to cry. Stunned and mortified are the only words that come to mind.

There’s no way to gloss over this train wreck assault on democracy. So, what can I do but enjoy some home made French toast and marvelous Italian food down washed down with a little Red wine.

French patriot Joan of Arc rides over the French toast
I can find solace listening to The Cure perform their classic song “Burn” which can be found in the soundtrack to the classic noir film “The Crow.”

Top photo: Barbed wire Peace symbol purchased at the Jeanette Rankin Peace Center in Missoula, Montana.

Trumpies in San Francisco on election eve. Trouble comin’ everyday?

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 11.4.2024

Walking to the neighborhood market Andronico’s in the outer Richmond district on election eve I came upon an eerie sight.

A caravan of Trumpies blasting music from their vehicles.

“We just try to stay out. With what we see on the news, it seems like it’s for the best.”

This is not what I expected to see in San Francisco. Is it an omen?

Will it matter in the end?

https://steveroach.bandcamp.com/album/to-the-threshold-of-silence-remastered-2020

Chronicle gives Breed’s hand picked DA Jenkins election day pass

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 11.3.2024

San Francisco’s newspaper The Chronicle did not endorse DA Brooke Jenkins for reelection.

It’s lame coverage of the race for chief law enforcement officer in San Francisco is a de facto affirmation for this craven political creature.

Jenkins was Foisted into office by Mayor London Breed, the behind the scenes leader of the the 2022 Recall of DA Chesa Boudin.

The Chronicle has totally ignored the campaign of Jenkins opponent Ryan Khojasteh; the former assistant district attorney in the Boudin administration.

https://ryanforsfda.com/meetryan/

In its November 2nd piece on the DA race the Chronicle skates over the ethical lapses of DA Brooke Jenkins. Perhaps the most telling being the fact Jenkins called herself a “volunteer” during the Recall campaign. Only after the Recall did she admit to having been paid over 150K by the Recall funders for her “volunteer” political chores.

London Breed’s handpicked DA Brooke Jenkins called herself a “volunteer” after she resigned from DA Chesa Boudin’s office to work for his Recall. After the fact Jenkins admitted she was paid over 150K

Jenkins has refused to debate Ryan Khojasteh. Treating him in the most cavalier manner, dismissing his candidacy with the comment, “I don’t take Ryan to be a serious contender.”

During the 2022 election there was a debate at San Francisco State University with her foes. When pushed by people in the audience Jenkins, accompanied by her security detail, stormed out in a snit.

Brooke Jenkins at SFSU debate in 2022 moments before she stormed out of the event.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/2024-san-francisco-da-race-19877563.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc2ZjaHJvbmljbGUuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzL2FydGljbGUvMjAyNC1zYW4tZnJhbmNpc2NvLWRhLXJhY2UtMTk4Nzc1NjMucGhw&time=MTczMDY1NDY1MDc1OQ%3D%3D&rid=OTJhM2RhZWItNDMzYy00ZjMxLTgyMTQtZTU2ZjE2NDIzNDRl&sharecount=MQ%3D%3D

Shackled Harris being dragged. Welcome to Trump’s America

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 11.1.2024

Welcome to Trump’s America 2024

Of course the “Garbage” “Deplorable” MAGA morons are spewing forth bogus crocodile tears whining how bad they feel. Only because their blatant racism was uncovered and is being called out for all the world to see.

Excerpted from The Guardian 11.1.2024

Kamala Harris

A Pittsburgh-area Halloween parade’s depiction of Kamala Harris in chains and being dragged by a vehicle displaying Donald Trump’s name is being condemned as racist – and has prompted an apology from the event organizer.

Photos of Wednesday night’s parade in Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, that circulated widely across social media show a person dressed as the Democratic vice-president shackled and walking behind a golf cart-like vehicle. The vehicle – a float in a Halloween parade organized by the Mount Pleasant volunteer fire department – is decorated with American flags and Trump campaign signs carrying people dressed in what appear to be Secret Service agent costumes, along with a mounted rifle.

Social media was quick to express disgust at the float’s display, which came less than a week before the presidential election between Harris and the Republican former president comes to a head on 5 November.

Of course the Garbage Deplorable MAGA morons are spewing forth how bad they feel. Only because their blatant racism was uncovered and is being called out for all the world to see.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/01/pennsylvania-halloween-parade-harris-float

Surf’s up for Chesa Boudin. He’s All in for Great Highway Park

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.16.2024

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, ousted from office in a disgraceful Recall in June 2022, is very alive and well. And doing just fine, thank you.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesa_Boudin

In June 2023, Boudin joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law as the founding executive director of the Criminal Law & Justice Center.

Today I learned that Chesa, a long time surfer in the waters off San Francisco’s Pacific Coast shoreline, has come out in favor of Proposition K. The November 5th ballot measure will create a permanent two mile car free space between Lincoln and Sloat.

POLITICS MAKES FOR STRANGE GREAT HIGHWAY PARK ALLIES

It’s no small irony that some of the very same individuals and political organizations who drove Chesa from office are major supporters of the Great Highway Park.

The law and order fueled opponents of DA Boudin joined with billionaire reactionaries and spent nearly 9M to oust this progressive prosecutor. It was a political lynching masterminded by Mayor London Breed and her cronies who wanted to rid themselves of someone not considered to be a City Hall insider.

These cretins drove an ethical and forward looking prosecutor from office. It was a pyrrhic victory. San Francisco is a sadder place without Chesa’s leadership.

San Francisco Standard-Power Play 10.16.2024
Surf’s up for Chesa Boudin

Dave’s Killer Bread French Toast eats up the miscarriage of justice

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.14.2024

It’s been a long six and a half years. Hi-lighted by a gruesome and unjust pair of false citizen’s arrests inflicted on Liz and having to spend 400K out of pocket to secure a semblance of justice in San Francisco.

Liz stands tall through it all

We stood up for our rights and have maintained our equanimity. Assisted by neighborhood friends and a weekly trip to the San Francisco Food Bank. Where to keep financially solvent we have walked our shopping cart and come home with a cornucopia of fresh food.

Fortuitously, Liz is one fantastic chef who keeps us well nourished through it all.

The latest creation being French Toast put together with Food Bank distributed Dave’s Killer Bread. And our store bought ingredients including organic maple syrup “Made in Canada.”

Dave’s Killer Bread – 15 Years in Prison
Dave’s Killer Bread gets a dunking in a French Toast batter made with cage free eggs from the Food Bank

Interestingly, Dave’s bread products are produced by a number of ex-convicts including Dave himself who spent 15 years in prison. Liz knows what serving time is all about after her two false citizen’s arrests. Both of which were tossed by the San Francisco Superior Court.

Blogger Lee enjoys Dave’s Killer Bread French Toast with 100% pure organic Maple Syrup standing in front of the memorial ribbon memorializing the late San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi

Blogger Lee met with Jeff Adachi the day of Liz’s first false citizen’s arrest on April 12, 2018 in front of the Hall of Justice. Jeff Adachi sent then assistant Public Defender Chesa Boudin to meet with and comfort Liz while she was incarcerated in San Francisco County Jail.

Our part time tuxedo cat Bendi looks on

Stop it!! Message to whiny seniors opposing Great Highway Park

San Francisco

Lee Heidhues 10.11.2024

The constant kvetching and bitching about the impending voter approval Great Highway Park in San Francisco by my Senior peers infuriates me.

This self indulgent flagellation by Seniors who are too damn lazy to get out of their cars or are, in many instances, unable to because they have spent their lives behind the wheels gets not one shred of empathy from me.

The complaining by some Seniors is blatant ageism and an insult to the many seniors like myself who are still very active and mobile supporters of Proposition K which will create Great Highway Park.

I am 77 years old and have spent my entire adult life as a runner and now walker. Perhaps just as importantly I have used my bicycle for transportation for nearly 53 years. I have suffered hamstring tears, meniscus tears and any number of debilitating mishaps. None of these setbacks has ever allowed me to indulge in the sense of self-pity exhibited by my peers.

Blogger Lee giving a shout out to YES on J for JFK Promenade

The seniors, many of whom are completely apolitical, act like the country will collapse if they can’t drive their cars on Great Highway Park. It’s the same pathetic litany which the whiny seniors used to try and destroy JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park in 2022. These seniors failed then. Their sad sack effort to destroy a future oasis by the Pacific Ocean will drive to a halt on November 5th.

Just this morning a neighbor, now a fellow senior, who I have known for over 40 years walked by me in Sutro Heights Park. I was wearing my “Vote Yes on Ocean Beach Park” t-shirt. She shouted out at me “NO ON K!!!!” Having NEVER heard her utter a political comment I was taken aback. I just kept walking.

Perhaps the whiny Senior perspective is best summed up in a recent letter to the editor in The San Francisco Chronicle. It is attached below. In compelled me to write this blog post straight from the gut and the heart.

For the writer to claim in such bizarre fashion, “We sense the city would be happy to be rid of us all” is patently absurd. And is illustrative of rhetorical road kill.

The People of all ages, including mobility challenged, rally for Great Highway Park