SF Examiner "Coit" Title Needs Examination

Am I the only one who finds this headline crass? Probably. And, that is a problem.

The story has nothing to do with the well know and highly flawed birth control method. It’s a story about a delay in getting a food vendor licensed at the well known San Francisco landmark, Coit Tower.

But, I get it. Oh yes, the Coit Tower has a phallic shape. But, so does the handle of my toilet plunger.  

Without putting much thinking into it, I can think of several other titles that would not be as shameful and just as cutesy. How about:

“Coit Cuisine Crashes”

“Coit Tower Starving?”

“Coit Chowless”

“Chowless Coit,”

“Chow Cut at Coit”

The title, while eye catching, is unnecessary.

Cheap headlines like this only seem to cheapen the story, our minds, and our bodies. Garbage in, garbage out. Perhaps the Examiner is impregnated with the seductive embrace of convention whereby we all go around coarsening our culture at every turn.  

We don’t’ have to be infected by the same coarseness.

Serving The Law that Serves Us Best

When I think back on my career as a police officer, it was not uncommon to say or think, “I served the law.” While I knew there were reasons for the law, the phrase, “I serve the law,” never seemed problematic. I always knew I served the people and didn’t get too hung up on the phraseology.

Even outside the vocation of policing, we often think in those terms. We serve our boss, we serve our company, we serve our stockholders, we serve our nation, etc.

Heck, we even service our cars.

We say these things without too much thought; we sort of understand and believe its all good. I wonder, however, how often we consider what’s behind that service.

Coming to American Shores Soon – The Thought Police

UK schools are now starting a data base to keep track of children who use language considered hateful or bullying.


Click HERE for the full story.

A WAR BY ANY OTHER NAME…revisited

I wrote the first article on 9-11 about one month after 9-11-01 and submitted it to the Contra Costa Times. (I have it posted here on my blog under the date of October 4, 2001) Of course, they never published it. What a surprise.


Looking back on my concerns of the time, I am saddened by the fact that what I feared has, for the most part, come true.

A WAR BY ANY OTHER NAME…

It has now been one month since our nation was transformed once again. On September 11, 2001, we were changed forever in the blast of fire, rubble, horror, and hate.