Free Republic

A usual round of media self-criticism turned into a schoolyard brawl last week, as editors, reporters and bloggers traded insults over a front-page article in The Washington Post, all at the very online water cooler where they usually get their news about the industry. The Post article, which ran on Nov. 29, was about rumors of Barack Obama’s ties to the Muslim world. snip Then things got really ugly. On Dec. 10, Chris Daly, a Boston University journalism professor, posted an entry on his blog that turned the debate over the merits of the article’s reporting into a debate over...

And speaking of the America's Cup, just when the city's political factions were playing nice and putting up a unified front, Supervisor Chris Daly announced late Thursday he was opposed to the proposal "just on general principle -- G.P., they call it on the street." . . . "They'll just sweep the homeless people out of the streets and out of sight while the regatta is going," Daly said. "Instead of raising $270 million to hand over to a billionaire, why don't we try to house some people . . . "

Forget losing weight, exercising more or saving money. A standard New Year's resolution simply won't do for the perennially button-pushing Supervisor Chris Daly. He announced at the rules committee hearing this morning - and reiterated on his Facebook page - that "For 2010, I vow to use the word "f---" in each of my remaining Board of Supervisors meetings." He's termed out of office a year from Friday so that means dozens of potential Daly f-bombs are on the way.

San Francisco is a funny place. Everybody says that and nobody laughs. The issue of Propositions F and G in next month's election is a perfect example. If Proposition G passes, the groundwork will be laid to turn the huge abandoned Hunters Point Shipyard into 10,000 houses. A public housing project could be rebuilt, and toxic hot spots will be cleaned up. Some 300 acres of parks and open spaces are planned, in addition to the possibility of a new NFL stadium for the 49ers.If Proposition F passes, the developer has said it couldn't afford to do the project because...

(09-11) 20:25 PDT San Francisco -- Another attempt by San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly to permanently ban the Blue Angels from flying over the city was blocked Tuesday night. Daly previously introduced a nonbinding resolution calling on the Port of San Francisco to end the annual air show, but a board legislative committee refused to send it on to the supervisors chambers for a vote. The District 6 supervisor has subsequently amended the legislation to ask that flyovers by the elite aerobatic Navy squadron be prohibited above populated areas though allowed over the sea and San Francisco Bay. "I'm just...

The ornate golden dome atop San Francisco's City Hall belies the three-ring circus atmosphere inside -- and politicians, advocates and everyday citizens alike are wondering when the scandals and uproars that have marked the past five months will finally come to an end. Nobody seems to much care whether Mayor Gavin Newsom did cocaine, which he swore Wednesday he'd never done after Supervisor Chris Daly raised the allegation in the middle of a packed Board of Supervisors meeting the day before. But people are tired of what they see as outrageous antics -- even for San Francisco -- that have...

An Antioch Chamber of Commerce executive is heckled for backing a plan to expand a Wal-Mart in the city. Visitors to a popular progressive Web site call President Bush a "sociopath," a "despicable cretin" and "scumbag in charge" for vetoing a stem cell research bill. Oakland Council President Ignacio De La Fuente is jeered and told to "go back where you came from" by a crowd in the City Council chambers. In the new world of hot-talk politics, San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly's City Hall suggestion that Mayor Gavin Newsom had used cocaine fits right in. When state Sen. Leland...

Let the obligatory thunderous, self-righteous editorializing over Bill O'Reilly's recent San Francisco tirades begin, the Radio Equalizer can't wait. Why? Because Bugs Bunny will prove them all wrong. How is that, you say (with a puzzled look)? To put to rest the idea television talk shows have made the medium less "responsible" and "civil", only Bugs can help. Think cable talk shows are over the top? Just get a load of what passed for children's programming 50 years ago. The Radio Equalizer thanks Perry Simon for this history lesson, more on Bugs in a moment. Already, San Francisco County Supervisor...

San Francisco voters Tuesday will weigh in on the national debate over gun control by deciding whether to make their city home to the toughest handgun ban in the country. And in a place known for its left-leaning politics, gun opponents would seem almost guaranteed a victory. Proposition H would make it illegal for city residents to possess handguns, and those who already own them would be required to turn the weapons in to police by April 1. The measure also would make it illegal to buy, sell, distribute and manufacture firearms and ammunition within city limits, though there is...

San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly -- who escaped censure less than two months ago for conduct some of his colleagues considered verbally abusive -- lost his temper again Tuesday, causing board President Aaron Peskin to recess the supervisors' meeting and reviving talk of a code of conduct for board members. The latest incident followed a legislative defeat for Daly when the board voted 7-4 to reject a $100,000 aid package for tsunami victims -- a vote that prompted the District 6 supervisor to engage one of his colleagues in an increasingly profane exchange of insults. Daly said later that he...