Oct 07 2007
Looking for Sanity in San Francisco
The stories about San Francisco that have been inundating the blogosphere recently have caused me a lot of consternation.
First of all, I was born and lived most of my life within 60 miles or so of San Francisco, and many the time my friends or family and I would travel to the City for dinner, or just to have fun in the shops. Those were fun and innocent times, when I had no clue about the crazed nature of some of the politics that was slowly building up.
We rode bicycles in the park, walking along Fisherman’s Wharf, visited the old fort under the Golden Gate Bridge and so much more.
Not until my Military days did I fully grasp the military sentiments in the Bay Area, and the subtle growing hostility.
I have had an enlightening exchange with a resident of The City who is defending it a bit from it’s newer reputation as being a hostile place for the Military, ironically enjoying Fleet Week as we discussed it.
And it did make me remember that the city as a whole is represented by these anti war nut bags, but those sentiments are not wholly representative. There are people who hold the Military in firm and unwavering respect, and they should be remembered. One of the challenges in a representative government is that sometimes your government is representing others you disagree with, and all you can do is choke it down.
But.
I also have to wonder how the situation in San Francisco has become so outrageous, and my only conclusion is that more people agree with the nutbags then with some of the people who respect the Military.
Now the irony, is that the Military could end most of the complaints about it in the bay Area if it changed it’s policy on Gays. The Gay community has a firm foot hold in San Francisco, and has for decades, and that alone has planted the seeds of the unrest about the Military. The attempts to ban JROTC, the refusal to home port the Iowa, the unwillingness to house the Missouri battle group in the 80s were all tied directly to the subject of gays in the Military.
And where the unrest of the military can some uneasy alliances.
Groups like Code Pink and many other Anti War organizations have seen San Francisco as a fertile ground for their unceasing anti war activities.
So in effect, San Francisco has a two front war against the Military. And caught in the unholy triangle of hate are some people who love their city, but do not always advocate what is happening.
This blog I found is a good example of that, as the liberal author is now in the unenviable position of agreeing with the crowds at Free Republic, at least on the basic issue.
I know it’s a cold day in the hell of San Francisco politics when I find myself in near agreement with the Free Republic crowd. Sends a shiver down my spine. Then again, so does the notion of this JROTC ban.
But the more common perception is quite the opposite, as shown on this site:
Speaker after speaker on the pro-JROTC side said that while they didn’t approve of DADT or even the war in Iraq, they supported the military program because it benefited kids. Of course, they forgot to mention the plight of queer kids who want to go beyond JROTC. Even Mayor Gavin Newsom, considered one of the biggest champions of gay rights in the country, missed that point entirely. He told the press earlier that day that he didn’t back the resolution because it wouldn’t effect change in the Pentagon’s policy. Wasn’t he the same mayor who defied state law and married LGBT couples in City Hall even though it had absolutely no effect on changing state marriage laws? Of course, it garnered a lot of support from the city’s politically powerful queer community. The anti-JROTC resolution wasn’t going to win him any points with anyone he cared about.
…
In the end, those good old “San Francisco values” triumphed.
And there is the perception that needs to be addressed: that San Francisco Values were at work in this, because the notion of San Francisco values is going to bring images of this or this.
In other words, San Francisco has an image and identity problem, one that both the gay community and the anti war community are trying to control. Both want to present themselves as the soul and the representatives of the values of the whole city, and the fact is there is not nearly enough rational opposition to their campaign to control the City’s reputation.
Now to be clear, I am not talking about a revival of conservatism, I am talking about a return to rationality, pure and simple. Much of the image manipulation represents a more radical element, so where are the more moderate counterparts?
And the stakes are high, because San Francisco’s image represents a lot of money in business and tourism. The City’s refusal to reanimate Hunters point in th 80s had a direct economic cost, and sooner or later these later examples of activism will as well. Tourism particularly should be aware that this is slowly alienating many people from visiting a beautiful place, and that is a shame.
The reputation is growing, thanks to the media presentations like this one, and many the conservative blogger and pundit has hinted at a boycott. Military Forums are awash with this too.
But more important to me then threats of economic impact and such, the real issue is fairness. The Marines denied last week were not responsible for the war, nor are they the arbiters of the DADT policy, they are Marines, doing their job. The Military Recruiters, the Blue Angels and even the ships are not the makers of policy, they are the obeyer’s of policy.
If you disagree with the DADT (and there are valid reasons why it is not only fair but necessary that i may blog about another day) then the change has to come from the opposite end of the change of command. Punishing high school kids, and showing disrespect to honorable soldiers is not going to sway anything.
The same with the Anti War movement, trying to incite disobedience is not the answer. Petitioning Congress is.
My bottom line with this is a sense of regret. It is regrettable that so many short sided activists have stained a beautiful place, and caused so much fuss. It is a shame that a handful of elected representatives have done so much to tarnish an entire community.
Unless…Unless the majority of the residents support these measures and actions. If so, then San Francisco really deserves the reputation is now has as the haters of the military.
And the only way to show that is for those who live there, who disagree, to speak, and to speak loudly to denounce these actions.
At this point the truth or lie of the City’s real image is in their hands, and so far, they are losing that fight.
Trackposted to ST, Perri Nelson’s Website, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary’s Thoughts, AZAMATTEROFACT, The Random Yak, DeMediacratic Nation, 123beta, , Right Truth, The Populist, Stuck On Stupid, The Bullwinkle Blog, The Amboy Times, Phastidio.net, Cao’s Blog, , Conservative Cat, Adeline and Hazel, Nuke’s, The Magical Rose Garden, Faultline USA, third world county, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D’ITALIA, Right Voices, and Church and State, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
27 Responses to “Looking for Sanity in San Francisco”
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