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.
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
What’s the problem with San Francisco’s so called Progressives when it comes to getting the entitled motorists out of their climate killing vehicles?
It astounds me there is a line up of faux environmental Progressives who are trying to put the brakes on Proposition K. The ballot measure when passed on November 5th will move ahead with the creation of a two mile car free area adjacent to the Pacific Coast shoreline.
The Progressive opposition is inexplicable particularly when one considers that the lead argument in the voter handbook against Proposition K was penned by one of San Francisco’s most notorious reactionary loudmouths. MAGA Republican and Fox News commentator Richie Greenberg.
The bluffs adjacent to The Great Walkway Park in San Francisco
I fully expected the long entitled whining motorists to scream and yell that some limits are being placed on their misguided life long right of entitlement. I saw this play out during the pitched battle which resulted in the overwhelming voter approval of now car free JFK Promenade in November 2022.
Liz Heidhues on JFK Promenade during 4th anniversary celebration – 4.28.2024
San Francisco voters will soon decide whether to make the two mile stretch of land between Lincoln Blvd and Sloat Blvd, now known as The Great Highway Park, permanently car free. The motorists have gone into overdrive pulling every oily polluted argument out of the gas tank in opposition.
In a nutshell, these spoiled drivers will be inconvenienced.
Campaign mailer from No on Prop K campaign with its incendiary lede WANTED FOR THE ROBBERY OF THE GREAT HIGHWAY
The most alarming opposition is coming from so called Progressives. Quick to tout their environmental bonafides. Until a tough decision is upon them. When will these so called Progressives have some backbone and stand tall for the environment? Or will they shamelessly cave to the motorists and their fossil fuel industry climate killing vehicles?
The list of Progressive individuals and institutions is depressing.
Mayoral candidate and “Progressive” Supervisor Aaron Peskin
Supervisor Connie Chan who ran as a “Progressive” in 2020. Once in office she almost single handedly killed off JFK Promenade. And now is actively working against Proposition K
The usual political alliances in San Francisco have gone topsy turvy when it comes to the efforts to make the City a more pedestrian, cyclist friendly place. Some of more moderate, tech friendly, pro law enforcement organizations stand firmly on the side of Proposition K.
This Progressive ambivalence is unfathomable and unacceptable.
TOP PHOTO: ARTWORK FROM NO ON PROP K CAMPAIGN LIT _ HIGHWAY ROBBERY
Election Day is 28 days away. So I gotta say it and play it.
“The Lunatic is (sadly) in my Head.”
Only in America.
The idea of this convicted felon and sociopath liar Donald Trump being President is incomprehensible. So, I gotta bury my fear and loathing accompanied by The Pink Floyd.
Lyrics
The lunatic is on the grass The lunatic is on the grass Remembering games And daisy chains and laughs Got to keep the loonies on the path
Bendi knows The lunatic is in the hall
The lunatic is in the hall The lunatics are in my hall The paper holds their folded faces to the floor And every day the paper boy brings more
And if the dam breaks open many years too soon And if there is no room upon the hill And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon
The lunatic is in my head The lunatic is in my head You raise the blade You make the change You rearrange me ’til I’m sane You lock the door And throw away the key There’s someone in my head, but it’s not me
And if the cloud bursts thunder in your ear You shout and no one seems to hear And if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon
I can’t think of anything to say except, laughing is nice
Where is the Judge who will mete out a sentence to convicted criminal, liar and election denier Donald Trump???
When will the election deniers learn that doing Trump’s dirty work for him is a fools mission which will result in jail time?
Colorado Judge Matthew Barrett sentences former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters to nine years in prison
Excerpted from Colorado Public Radio 10.3.2024
Tina Peters is headed to prison.
The former Mesa County Clerk was sentenced to nine years of incarceration, most of which will be served in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Convicted election denier Tina Peters in happier days
Peters was found guilty of three felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. She was also convicted of first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and failure to comply with an order from the Secretary of State, all misdemeanors.
Her sentencing was handed down in a packed courtroom Thursday that included supporters of Peters, several uniformed sheriff’s deputies and local elected officials. Interested parties also gathered just outside the courtroom, streaming the proceedings on their phones from feet away.
Peters was found guilty by a jury of Mesa County residents in August on seven counts, including four felonies after she helped facilitate unauthorized access to county voting equipment that she was supposed to safeguard.
During Thursday’s hearing, the prosecution argued that Peters should face the maximum penalty for each charge and said Peters should serve time in prison, noting her lack of contrition even after she was found guilty.
“I don’t think anybody in this room would make a straight-faced argument that Mrs. Peters has demonstrated any respect for the law,” 21st Judicial District Attorney Dan Rubinstein said.
In her latest act of environmental betrayal and duplicity, Supervisor Connie Chan is an active foe of Proposition K on the November ballot. Which, when passed, will pave the way to enshrine Great Highway Park as a permanent reality along the Pacific Coast shoreline of San Francisco.
Connie Chan campaign mailer. Edited to tell the truth about her genuine priorities. “CONNIE CHAN FIGHTS FOR US MOTORISTS.”
Connie Chan, branded herself as a friend of the environment during her 2020 drive to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Earning the endorsement of environmental groups such as Sunrise Bay Area.
Connie conned environmental progressives and took the environmental pledge in 2020
Safely ensconced in City Hall Connie dropped her environmental happy talk. Connie became arguably the most strident foe of all measures to get people out of their cars, including the slow streets program.
Arguably, Connie was the most strident foe of JFK Promenade. She nearly killed this citizen oasis in Golden Gate Park at the Board of Supervisors. Meeting with the monied foe of JFK Promenade Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco lobbyist Platinum Advisors 14 times.Despite her opposition the Supervisors voted to make JFK Promenade car free in April 2022.
In the November 2022 election Connie opposed Proposition J, the successful ballot measure which passed with a 63 percent YES vote. Proposition J confirmed the Supervisors vote and resulted in JFK Promenade becoming permanently car free.
During the summer of 2021 Connie was a moving force to halt permanently car free Great Highway which had been a pedestrian, cyclist oasis beginning in April 2020. Connie rammed through the “compromise” which resulted in The Great Highway being car free ONLY on weekends and holidays
Connie wasNot satisfied with her own “compromise.” In November 2022 Connie supported Proposition I which would have seen cars return to The Great Highway FULL TIME. That ballot measure was crushingly defeated with a 65 percent NO vote.
Connie’s act of environmental betrayal
Now, as her final act of environmental perfidy, in her drive to be reelected Connie is putting her foot on the gas with the motorists. Campaigning actively to defeat Proposition K as her campaign mailers make perfectly clear.
San Francisco, the one time City of tolerance, is rapidly descending down the rabbit hole of Orwellian surveillance.
What makes this all the more disturbing is the fact the San Francisco Chronicle, rather than critically analyze this totalitarian State activity and its impact on civil liberties, is acting as cheerleader. Raising none of the profound issues at stake and simply mouthing the words of Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Police Department.
Excerpted from The San Francisco Chronicle 9.16.2024
The burst of new technology comes after voters in March approved the Mayor London Breed-authored Proposition E, which expanded the powers of police to use new surveillance systems.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and Police Chief Bill Scott also cheered the latest devices.
“The burst of new technology..” SF Chronicle
“We are excited to add another tool in our department’s tool belt,” SFPD boss Scott said in a statement. “Our officers are already eagerly embracing other technologies like (automated license plate readers) and drones to make significant arrests. I can’t wait to see what they will do with assistance from these security units.”
The sort of pole-topping, mobile security cameras best known for looming over the parking lots of big-box stores are now getting a government job in San Francisco, where they will monitor the city’s high-crime zones when police officers are away.
Mayor London Breed unveiled the new fleet of camera trailers Monday as the latest addition in a wave of high-tech crime-fighting tools. The initial three cameras are launching weeks after city officials announced a new system of police-operated drones and automated license plate readers.
“New technology has been a game-changer for public safety in this city,” Breed said in a statement. “As we continue to fill our academy classes with new recruits, this technology not only helps our existing officers be more efficient today, but it means as our ranks grow we will see even more impact.”
San Francisco Chronicle – Megan Cassidy, Crime Reporter – 9.16.2024
Fortunately the San Francisco Standard has taken a deeper dive into the illegal activities being committed by the leadership of San Francisco all in the name of fighting crime.
Excerpted from The Standard 9.16.2024
San Francisco police have been using drones to catch car break-in suspects and investigate sideshows for months but internal emails show they knowingly broke the law by buying the crime-fighting tech.
Now the San Francisco Police Department is asking city leaders to approve the drones after it ignored warnings from within its ranks that it should have held off. Newly unearthed SFPD emails show the first call for caution came months ago from one of its own policy experts.
About a week before the March 5 election, the SFPD was planning what drones to buy if voters expanded police powers by passing Proposition E. But a department analyst noted that Prop. E alone did not give police authority to unilaterally add drones to its arsenal.
Asja Steeves, SFPD policy division manager, said that even if voters passed the law, it doesn’t excuse the department from abiding by Assembly Bill 481. Authored by then-Assemblyman David Chiu, the 2021 law requires police to get the blessing from city electeds before using new surveillance tools.
“Prop. E does not supersede state law,” Steeves wrote in a Feb. 28 email to department leaders obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and shared with The Standard.
SFPD drones flying high over San Francisco watching YOU
Chileans detained and destined for a horrible fate after the Coup – 9.11.1973Chileans being held in the Santiago soccer stadium after the Coup. Many were tortured. Some never made it out alive.
Top photo: The Flag is Bleeding – Faith Ringgold 1967
“We’ll Meet Again.” That’s what I told Liz on September 8th 1969 when I left Liz and departed for Europe55 years ago.The anniversary of when I flew from San Francisco to Paris and planted my feet on European soil.
I was correctwhen I promised Liz “We’ll Meet Again.”
Fast forward to December 22nd, 1971, when Liz and I landed on American soil in New York City aboard an Icelandic flight from Luxembourg. We then embarked on a three day Greyhound bus trip across the country feeling like vagabonds in a strange land. Arriving in San Francisco on Christmas night. With little cash, backpacks purchased in the mountain town of Ronda, Spain, and enough memories to unpack from traveling through Europe and Morocco together to last until our dying day.
“We’ll Meet Again” – That’s what I told Liz as I left for Europe on September 8th 1969
Little did I know about the indelible impact of culture shock 55 years ago. But now I know a lot. I made a mistake in returning to the USA. Our iconoclastic politics have never been a good fit in America.The fact Liz and I spent a large part of our formative adulthood learning to eat healthy foods and utilize the bicycle as our main form of transport was transformative.
Most importantly, we lived in a place where gun violence is not a systemic part of the society.
After fits and starts, intervening interim relationships and mutual couplings between Amsterdam, Holland, and Miesau, Germany, we’ve been together as one Since May Day 1971.
Liz and Lee ditched the main road to Miesau and took our familiar back route to Miesau as a local cyclist looks on
Wiesenstrasse. The street where we lived in Miesau, Germany
Why did Liz ask me to return? Liz missed the soul music and streets of her childhood (San Francisco and Oakland). Liz wanted to finish her education. President Nixon’s carpet bombing of Cambodia and the National Guard murder of four students at Kent State University in May 1970 had been a major push for Liz to leave San Francisco State University to roam abroad. Liz wanted to pick up where she had left off.
Since returning to America 53 years ago, we have survived a lot of Shit together in the USA that would have torn less resolute couples apart.
In May 2017 we made the first of several trips back to Germany. During that incredible way-back machine trip to Miesau and surrounding towns, our first time there in 46 years, we made a photographic chronicle.
Liz at the front door of her home in Miesau, Germany (1970-1971) – May 18, 2017
Looking up towards Liz home at 4 Wiesenstrasse. In 1971 the road wasn’t paved and the satellite dish is a bow to the 21st century
Herr Sauter was our landlord. Herr Sauter’s barn in Miesau was across from our home. Where the pigs lived. Liz would go to the barn and see Herr Sauter’s pigs. We could hear the pigs grunting at all hours of the day.Hundreds year old dwelling with lace curtains and modern recology cans in MiesauThe sky above Miesau, GermanySome of the inhabitants of Miesau, GermanyWe started our running careers through the green fields of Miesau in 1971. There were no power poles and the fencing was in the future.The Bahnhof in Landstuhl, Germany with the common mode of transportation parked by the platformThe cemetery in Landstuhl where 82 victims of World War II are laid to restThe neglected Jewish Cemetery in Landstuhl where pre 1933 Nazi era Jews were laid to restLiz respectfully walks amongst the tombstones in the overgrown neglected Jewish cemetery in LandstuhlIt was an arduous 1500M (nearly 5000 foot) climb through the mini “wald” on a cold, rainy and muddy day to reach The Nanstein Castle. Liz spurred me on to reach our goal
The Nanstein Castle. 1500M (nearly 5000 ft.) above the town of Landstuhl
The view from atop The Nanstein Castle overlooking Landstuhl
Lee stands in the archway of the ancient Nanstein Castle high above the town of Landstuhl
Liz on the staircase of the 12th century Nanstein Castle constructed of red sandstone
It was rainy, muddy and cold. We ate a hot lunch in the restaurant atop the castle in Landstuhl. Heads of various animals adorn the wall.
Lee shelters from the rain on the rickety balcony at the top of The Nanstein CastleLiz parleyed with an American G.I. recovering from his injuries at the Landstuhl military hospitalCUE CLUB – EVERY WEDNESDAY AMERICAN NIGHT in Landstuhl. Nearly 80 years after the end of WWII the Americans are still a large presence in Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramstein_Air_Base is nearby.
Lee enjoying the European life at an outdoor cafe in Landstuhl
Lee in the City Center of Landstuhl gives the “V” for Victory sign
Women’s fashion boutigue in Landstuhl sprang up for the G.I.s to shop for their wives and girlfriends. Liz doesn’t recall it being there in 1971
When Liz and I lived in Miesau we listened constantly to the Pink Floyd soundtrack from the film MORE. Each time we listen to this music we think of our time in GermanyLiz and Lee at Wiesenstrasse 4 in Miesau Germany – May 18th, 2017 – 46 years after returning to San Francisco
Top photo: The view from high in the hills in Southern Germany near Miesau, Germany
Publisher Michael Durand has boasted his newspaper The Richmond Review is a vehicle for citizens and organizations to share diverse points of view and ideas. The opinions currently being published fall in line with his Old Boy Network well suited to 1950’s San Francisco.
In a frenzied effort to silence opposing views in the heated ballot measure to make The Great Highway a permanently car free area the Richmond Review is censoring vocal advocates.
Michael Durand and former publisher Paul Kozakiewicz, currently a contributor, have selectively locked our voices out of the Richmond Review’s “Comments and Replies” section in an act of unprofessional and discriminatory journalism.
Michael Durand – Publisher Richmond Reviewdrinks from the cup of Censorship
This censorship of two individuals reminds us of the censorship the Nixon Administration tried to impose to stop the publishing of the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
Attached are several “Comments and Replies” submitted by Liz and Lee Heidhues which Michael Durand has refused to publish.
Lee's Perspective 