Why we can be glad about Arizona's terrible law

By GottaLaff


In the old Hayley Mills movie Pollyanna, the title character was the eternal optimist and loved to play what she called "The Glad Game". There was only one rule: No matter how hopeless or frustrated you felt, there had to be at least one thing you could find to be glad about.

Time to play.

Arizona passed their new, terrible, jaw-dropping racial profiling legislation, aka the Show Your Papers law. That pretty much sucks as badly as anything could suck. Silver lining anyone?

I know! I'm glad that it's uniting opposition and attracting attention to the need for sweeping immigration reform as well as exposing racists who try to hide behind patriotism:

The Los Angeles Police are preparing for as many as 100,000 marchers to rally for immigration rights in downtown Los Angeles during the annual May Day event Saturday.

LAPD officials are preparing for a surge in the number of participants in the wake of an outcry over a controversial new Arizona law that requires police to check the legal status of people they suspect of being illegal immigrants.

I'm glad there will be a surge. I'm glad people are getting angry. I'm glad the law is being contested in court. I'm glad this has become a major topic of discussion. I'm glad we have a president who feels the outrage.

I'll be glad when racism becomes a thing of the past.

I'm glad I'm a dreamer.

Massive free health clinic in Los Angeles pre-registers to avoid long waits

By GottaLaff

The new and improved streamlined registration system should provide some relief to the thousands of people who so badly need health care. Hopefully, the elderly and/or anyone else who finds it difficult, or even impossible, to stand in long lines will have a much easier time of it now.

Now let's hope there aren't long lines to pre-register:

Patients seeking treatment next week at a massive free healthcare clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena must pre-register in person Sunday, organizers said.

The requirement marks a significant change from how patients were seen when the first clinic was held last year in Los Angeles. More than 6,300 people got free healthcare then, but scores more waited in line only to be turned away because of a shortage of medical volunteers.

Organizers hope a new color-coded wristband system will reduce both waits and the number of people turned away from the clinic, which runs from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to May 3.

Good idea.

These clinics are a godsend, and a lot of credit must go to Keith Olbermann, his producer Rich Stockwell, and anyone who donated to the cause. Because of that kind of generosity, Americans who have been forced to put off caring for their own bodies are now able to be seen and treated.

Lives are being saved.

Too bad Big Insurance doesn't have the same goal in mind for "their" America.

Bring the kids! White supremacist rally in L.A.

By GottaLaff

The L.A. weather will been nice this Saturday, clear blue skies, mid-sixties, a perfectly lovely day for an outing with the kiddies.

Don't forget to bring your hoods!

The LAPD is planning a large deployment of officers for a planned white supremacist rally at Los Angeles City Hall on Saturday, which will be met by more than a hundred counter-protesters.

The National Socialist Movement will be there, too! Won't that be fun? Why, teaching the young 'uns to rumble could be educational! I just adore an instructive outing, especially in my home town.

The LAPD is bringing in specially trained crowd control officers and plans to create a buffer if necessary to prevent any violence between the groups.

Nothing says family fun like spending a beautiful spring afternoon with white supremacists. Enjoy your weekend!

City Council votes to shut down hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries

By GottaLaff

Because suffering through the pain of a catastrophic illness is preferable to the evils of Mary Jane ... Via an e-mail alert:

In a 9-3 vote, the Los Angeles City Council today gave its final approval to an ordinance that will shut down hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries and impose strict rules on the location and operation of the dispensaries that are allowed.

The ordinance, which the council first began discussing more than four and a half years ago, will cap the number of dispensaries at 70, but make an exception to allow all those that registered with the city in 2007 and have remained open. City officials believe that number is around 150.

More soon at: http://www.latimes.com

My neck of the woods can be so backward sometimes.

Video- IWatch LA

Creepy as hell. Plus the camera is too close to their faces. Are things really that bad in LA? h/t Ben.

President Obama Townhall In Los Angeles

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Disastrous fires. KBR contract. Coincidence?

By GottaLaff

Well, well. Look what the Santa Ana winds blew in:

KBR Awarded Disaster Relief Contract by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Under Initiative for Emergency Power 11 Nov 2008 KBR today announced it has been awarded a disaster relief contract, valued at up to $75 million over a five-year period by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Pittsburgh District, for its advance contract initiative for emergency power for the Western region of the United States. The disaster relief contract was created by the USACE to respond immediately to power emergencies resulting from a natural or manmade disaster. KBR will provide all labor, transportation, equipment, materials, supervision and required internal logistics support to perform generator set activities in the Western Region, Geographic Area 3. KBR services will mobilize immediately upon activation by USACE to the "disaster" area. The company will work to quickly provide emergency power to the critical public facilities designated by the State and FEMA as directed by the USACE.

Timing is everything.

Los Angeles fears blackouts as wildfire burns --"The fire is threatening the power of the city of Los Angeles. We may have to move to rolling blackouts." 15 Nov 2008 A wildfire whipped up by hurricane-force gusts raged through northwestern Los Angeles foothills on Saturday, burning some 165 homes and threatening the power supply of California's largest city. More than 10,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders as the fire, which has burned more than 2,600 acres, spread westward fanned by dry winds. A separate fire burned a second day in the celebrity enclave of Montecito, where 111 homes have been destroyed. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the fire in the foothills at the edge of San Fernando Valley near Sylmar had destroyed more than any other in the past decade and that flames could take down power lines.

Breaking: Earthquake

By GottaLaff

We just had an earthquake here. It was disorienting, and disconcerting, but not bad where I live. Apparently it was a 5.6 in downtown Los Angeles.

UPDATE: It was a 5.8 centered in Chino.

UPDAT: Now it's a 5.4. By next week we will have discovered that it was all in our heads.