Author Archives: gdewar

I’ve never made a secret of what I do for a living – anyone can find my LinkedIn profile or my resume online, and so on. I’ve also created several blogs to voice my opinions for fun, including the N Judah Chronicles and BSG fanblog Adama for President. And, as a result, I’m often asked to contribute writing and analysis for private compaines, often because of the work I put on display here.
So it was funny to get an email from Steve Jones, the City Editor of the Bay Guardian, who wrote this rambling, nonsensical note, apparently upset that I don’t worship at the altar of Public Power, and was asked to come work for those opposed to the $4 billion power grab by Supervisors Daly, et al:

So you troll the blogs calling people out for not being progressive enough, and now you’re PG&E’s bitch. I hope they’ve paid handsomely for your soul, you hypocritical scumbag.

(I penned a short, polite response to Mr. Jones, sans profanity and homophobia, but I won’t post it until he sends another insult via Facebook. Folks shouldn’t have to read private correspondence online.)
UPDATE: You can see a transcript of the silliness here. You can see how unhinged (and how much of a liar) he is. Despite the fact that I always said I was working on the campaign once I got hired, and despite the fact I complied with all the rules, and went overboard to make sure that people knew what I was doing, he’s just too angry, stubborn and stupid to admit he’s printed lies. Oh, and I wonder if his bosses ever just picked up the phone and screamed insults at their subjects like he did.
I love the part about “corporate sponsorships in Seattle and the East Coast.” Um, dumbass, I didn’t have a blog in Seattle, I never published anything back then, and I worked in fundraising for legislative candidates. East Coast? Yeah, the corporations sure were hard at work electing Mark Green in 2001 or Felix Arroyo in 2003 in Boston. I guess if all you have is anger, stupidity, and a blind belief in outdated Marxist bullshit, you don’t need to do any work. Or admit you’re a foil for the Yes On H campaign.

Um, whatever. The first part of his little note (gotta love that junior college journalism degree writing there) makes no sense, but the last part just sounds childish. I mean really, my “soul?” I didn’t realize the method of transmitting power to customers involved the spiritual realm, but according to the Great and Wise Mr. Jones, it does.
Now remember, folks, this is someone who claims to be a “journalist” but in fact is a partisan as any “flak” for a cause or candidate. Pot calling kettle black, for sure.
Thin skinned and a poor journalist, I’ve had some exchanges with Mr. Jones about the medicority the Bay Guardian has slid into. And each exchange reinforces what I’ve believed all along – Mr. Jones just doesn’t have the temprament to be a reporter and just isn’t a very nice guy. Some of his former colleagues have confirmed that notion.

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There’s no denying that people want to see Good Things happen in San Francisco, and around the country, when it comes to global warming. People have responded to Vice President Gore’s film, and want to do the right thing. So it’s a bit disturbing when people’s good intentions are manipulated by politicians, as they are with the so-called “Clean Energy Act” (aka Measure H) in San Francisco.
The measure claims simply to be about “clean energy” sources for San Francisco. But once you read the measure, you find out two things. It’s not really about encouraging the use of clean energy sources for San Francisco residents – it’s about a multi-billion dollar take over of a private utility by the City of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. But more importantly, the measure would actually replace enforceable state regulations with regards to clean energy, and allow a City-run utility to use any power source – clean or not – so long as it’s “non nuclear.”
Yes, you read that right. The so-called “Clean Energy Act” has two loopholes large enough to drive a fleet of panda-burning Hummers through that allow this to happen. First, publicly owned utilities are EXEMPT from the strict regulations that will ensure private power companies will adhere to rules that require clean energy sources. So while PG and E, a company strictly regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, must comply with these rules, a City-run system will not.
Worse, the act defines clean energy as simply any source that is “non-nuclear.” By that definition, coal, natural gas, diesel, and other fossil fuels could be used by a City owned system. While San Franciscans will go to the polls and think they’re voting for clean energy, in fact they could be voting to open the door to more polluting energy sources if a City-run system can’t provide the power we need to turn on the lights every day.
San Francisco has an unfortunate history of packaging bad legislation in good wrappers – in the 1950s citizens voted to “save” the historic Cable Car system – but the measure in fact dismantled the useful and profitable network and turned it into the tourist ride that it is today.
Likewise, the proponents of the Clean Energy Act use the spirit of Al Gore’s call to fight global warming to package an expensive takeover of a private utility by the Board of Supervisors – one that has consistently been rejected by voters in the past. Voters will need to cut through the packaging and see this plan for what it really is.