Brent Plater kicks off the "Destroy Sharp Park" Rally

The usual misrepresentations and half-truths from Brent. I might have a video clip to post here later.

UPDATE 1-May-2011:Done:


The clips I shot at the rally are not very good quality but hopefully you can hear what Brent is saying. For anyone following this story over the last 3 years, no surprises. The same tired WEBLEEDU claims about Sharp Park that have been factually refuted by scientists, local leaders, financial analysts, and Rec & Park management. On the plus side, since there is nothing new, I reused some of the same clips I've accumulated over that time to debunk the same nonsense.

There was one new element at the rally. Plater introduced Supervisor John Avalos, who is among the multitude running for Mayor of San Francisco.

In his short speech the city supervisor wondered aloud whether advocating the destruction of Sharp Park is good or bad for his candidacy. Gee... That's a tough one.

Let's think this through... We have 400 acres of beautiful, valuable coastal parkland that was a gift to the people of San Francisco, belongs to the people of San Francisco, is a 100 year old legacy of the people of San Francisco, is enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors every year and contributes 50,000 green fees per year to city coffers. And Supervisor Avalos thinks the right thing to do is just give it away to the Federal Government. Yeah... I'm pretty sure that is exactly the kind of vision my fellow City residents want to see in their next mayor.

Looks like I'll need to update my Mirkarimi for Mayor poster in the sidebar. Apparently he is one of the few pols in our fair city who is not running for mayor, electing to run for Sheriff instead. Fortunately John Avalos has stepped up and can be my new Sharp Park poster child. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: I'll be comparing our mayoral candidates positions on Sharp in a future post. In the meantime, John - try this on for size:

"Destroy Sharp Park" Rally is underway

Not a bad crowd. A fraction of the size of the "Save Sharp Park Rally" last night, but...

...almost as big as the crowd attracted to the lunch wagons just on the other side of Civic Center Plaza.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

A nice day for a protest rally, no matter how misguided and delusional.

Live Blogging the "Destroy Sharp Park And Give It Away" Rally about to begin.

I covered the Save Sharp Park rally last night. In the interest of fair play and equal time, I thought I should cover the opposition rally. The WEBLEEDU coalition (Wild Equity Biodiversity Litigation for Ecological Extortion and Deep Untruths) called for a rally on the steps of City Hall at noon today. Looks like a slow start as it's almost noon as I write this.

I think there are more cameras than protesters.

The studiously spontaneous-ish hand written signs were delivered and stacked together in the hope that there would be enough participants to carry them. There were.

Barely.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Apres Save Sharp Park Rally

Took a walk through the park and along the berm as the sun set. It's a magical place.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

At the Save Sharp Park Rally - The Raffle

The First Tee contingent are drawing the raffle tickets... Big excitement.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

At the Save Sharp Park Rally

There is a good crowd here as Bo Links kicks it off for the next round of this never-ending battle. Why would it ever end? Our EAJA taxpayer subsidized WEBLEEDU opposition have taken the Sharp Park battle to the courts. They won't quit - why should they? As taxpayers we pay them to sue us. If the Center for Biological Diversity alums that founded the Wild Equity Institute use the same model as the CBD, they will also submit their legal billable hours suing San Francisco to close the course to the Department of Justice to be reimbursed under the Equal Access to Justice Act. The more billable hours they document, the more we the taxpayers will pay them. Really. Since we as taxpayers keep paying, they'll keep suing. Sure - the $125/hour or so they are reimbursed for suing us is well below what most private lawyers make, but OTOH it is a hell of a lot more than most environmentalists make. It's a living.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

I'll add some shots and videos of the event to give you a little flavor. There were a number of notable local politicians and celebrities, but cannot remember all the names. I'll update this posts with links to stories covering the event when/if I find them.

UPDATE: Camden Swita of Pacifica Patch put a together a nice video compilation of the event:

Reminder: April 28th Rally to Save Sharp Park Golf Course

Below is a note from the good folks at SF Public Golf about a fund raiser at Sharp Park tonight. I know this is last minute but if you give a shit about Sharp Park or Public Golf, this is an opportunity to step up. We need to show public support for the course to give our SF pols the backbone to defend it against extremist environmental lawyers gaming the legal system in an attempt to intimidate the City and destroy the course.

For any who are not familiar with this story... Sharp Park is an affordable much loved Alister Mackenzie public golf course located in Pacifica and frequented by a diverse clientele of retirees, students and blue collar working stiffs from across the Bay Area. The course is under attack from environmental litigants attempting to bully and intimidate the City into giving up this historic course and park that was gift to The City and is a 100 year legacy belonging to the people of San Francisco.

I've been peripherally involved in the on-going battle at Sharp Park over the last three years and documenting the battle on this blog. Anyone interested supporting public golf should show up and bring a checkbook.

Tee'd off at the anti-golf extremists???? Then do something about it: Attend the April 28th rally to Save Sharp Park Golf Course. Don't forget to bring your foursome. WHEN: Thursday, April 28, 2011, 6:00 p.m. WHERE: Sharp Park Golf Clubhouse, Hwy. One at Sharp Park Rd., Pacifica, CA. Complimentary hors d'oeuvres. Cash bar. Raffle prizes. RSVP: info@sfpublicgolf.com or Facebook. DONATE AT THE DOOR, or send checks to: San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, Attn: Lauren Barr, Treasurer, 2840 Jackson St., San Francisco, CA. 94115.

If you would like to donate via PayPal:

We are on Twitter (@SFPublicGolf), Facebook and our website

If you received this email as a forward, and would like to subscribe, please visit our website.

19th hole

BD 109
MW 110 10 skins
RE 119 2 skins
RZ 123 5 skins

I have nothing more to say.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Bringing it it home on 18

Almost out of juice on the pre. This may be the last pic.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

My patented corkscrew follow-through.

After my 2nd on 14. Believe it or not - it was a good shot.

This finish executed by an experienced bad golfer on a closed course.

Don't try this at home.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Ricky in the sandbox again

He likes it.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Bob tees up a couple on 12

One of them was good. One of them was not. But he didn't hit any cars.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

On 11 Roy and Rick attempt jail break

Rick escaped.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

At the turn

BD 51
MW 52
RZ 58
RE 58

I had a good round going until that 8 and 9 on the last two holes.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

More 8th tee

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

8th tee

Most picturesque hole.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Rick hitting his 3rd or 4th shot out of the trap on 6

I lost count.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Enjoying a bloody mary..

While Rick plays in the creek.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Bob's 2nd shot on 4

That's my drive in the distance over his cap.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Rick tees on 3

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Roy nicely out of trap on 2

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Live blogging Eagle Ridge

Bob is joining our group. He does not understand what he is in for. Or perhaps he does. He reminds me we played in the same group at Poppy Hills a year ago.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Fishing in San Francisco

I think this must be the ultimate in urban fishing. Drain fishing in San Francisco. These shots are from an interesting cover story in the SF Weekly featuring local Kirk Lombard. I am going to have to meet this guy. Maybe sign up for one of his walking tours.

"Lombard's reservoir of fish-related knowledge is deep. He spent seven years as a catch monitor for the California Department of Fish and Game and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, where his jobs included interviewing local sport fishermen about what they caught, and accompanying sport-fishing charter boats, or "party boats," on trips outside the Golden Gate Bridge. Fish and Game still uses an educational placard he created on California surf perch and bait fishes featuring photographs he took."

This cracked me up:

"True to his background, Lombard's recreational fishing exploits are sometimes akin to performance art. In March, he treated an SF Weekly reporter and photographer to an unusual spectacle: fishing for surf perch through a storm drain in Mission Bay. Casting his line into the drain, which eventually opened on water flowing in from the bay, Lombard caught three fish in quick succession. "You think you're bad? You ain't shit, man," he cried, reeling furiously as a hooked perch gave him a fight. "You live in a drain." A female passerby, incredulous, stopped to gape: "Is that a fish in that little hole?"

Yes, yes it was.

Video of Kirk pulling a rockfish out of the drain linked here.

Bad day in Burkina Faso

Our tour group in Oaugadougou

Apparently the political storms sweeping the African Sahara have blown into Burkina Faso. I am embarrassed to admit I didn't even know it was the name of a country when we visited during our 2007 West Africa Tour. The journal for our 4 days in Burkina Faso are posted here, here and here.


The story of this uprising is getting almost no press coverage here. It is funny how travel changes your perspective. Undoubtedly I never would have noticed this story if we had not visited. The people we met there were wonderful and our thoughts are with them.

Our fist camp in a Burkina Faso village

Burkina Faso army mutiny spreads to fourth city

"An army mutiny which erupted last week in the West African state of Burkina Faso has spread to a fourth city. Protests have now broken out in Kaya in the north of the country, following disturbances in Po and Tenkodogo. The trouble started last Thursday when soldiers and presidential guards in the capital Ouagadougou protested about unpaid housing allowances. Hours before the revolt broke out, tens of thousands of people had demonstrated against high food prices. President Blaise Compaore, a former coup leader in power since 1987, has sacked his government and appointed a new head of the armed forces to try to quell the unrest. His government warned on Sunday that mutinous soldiers would face "the full force of the law". BBC Ouagadougou correspondent Mathieu Bonkongou confirmed that the unrest had now reached Kaya."

Burkina Faso army mutiny widens:

"The West African country of Burkina Faso simmered Monday as a mutiny by soldiers spread to two more towns and a student protest turned incendiary. Troops in the northern town of Kaya took to the streets Sunday night and fired their guns into the air until early Monday morning, residents said. "There was a panic in town and we have closed classes as a precaution measure," said Anatole Kiema, a teacher at a grammar school in the town of Kaya. A resident in Tenkodogo, a town east of the capital, also said soldiers shot into the air for hours Sunday night before returning to their barracks. He said they also stole cellphones and went to bars where they demanded free drinks."

Not paying your army and police is always a bad idea. OTOH - Going into bars and demanding free drinks is my kind of revolution.