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The Hot Potato by Gerry L. Galvan What's his face? Where's his face? Such were the younger generation's favorite colloquial expressions during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were expressions of anger with and displeasure over an individual or groups of persons whose behavior was offensive to and unacceptable in a civilized society. We have been witnessing, during the latter part of the 20th century, one of history's most bizarre incidents where the nation's chief executive has shamelessly resorted to any and all means to stay in office at the expense of decency and a right to look his fellow men straight in the eye. At this writing, President Bill Clinton has continued to defy an unwritten code of conscience and soul-searching. He not only has followed through his Dec. 18 vow to remain in the White House "until the last hour of the last day" of his term, but also unleashed through his press secretary and a battery of public and private lawyers, the message of fighting his battles out by all means and at all costs. One costly way he has resorted to was the unjustified waging of war against Iraq, a blatantly dirty diversionary tactic thwarting the then impending impeachment debate and vote against him. How shameful. How much thicker can one's skin get? Clinton's White House aides, allies
at Capitol Hill, the liberal media, leftist academia, hired pollsters,
manipulated sector of the clergy, and other assorted yes-men and apologists
have saturated the world's newsprint, airwaves, church congregational pulpits
and many other unsuspecting propaganda vessels with consulated messages
aimed at finding political support for an impeached perjurer.
May none be deceived into believing the President's lies. William Jefferson Clinton was a suspect in a crime, was investigated, deposed and sworn in, and was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on two of four articles. Apologists have loved to argue that Clinton's case can be compared to that involving President Nixon in 1974. But the two cases have no comparison. Nixon resigned his presidency immediately after three articles of impeachment against him were drafted. Clinton has already been impeached but has refused to resign. And now he has unleashed added fuel to an already inflamed political atmosphere that could remain divisive and confrontational for several months. One factor which fuels Clinton's defiance of the Lower House's Constitutional impeachment mandate is the Senate's numerical standing" 55 Republicans and 45 Democrats. His fate hangs on the hope that the impeachment process will fail to get the Constitutional requirement of two thirds vote in the Senate--at least 67 "Aye" votes to convict him. Clinton apologists also claim that the
President's impeachment "is illegal" and that a Senate trial would paralyze
the legislative and administrative agenda of his office resulting in untold
sufferings to the country. This argument is hogwash on two counts: First
and foremost, such a position is a direct insult to the Vice President,
and Al Gore should have filed a protest on such irresponsible talk long
ago; Second, the American people would be better off if there were fewer
laws enacted by Congress and signed by the President.
The U.S. must and will get to the core of this issue. What's at stake here is the search for unadulterated truth and the application of justice. Save Money and the Environment Too by David Assmann
Helping to preserve the environment and saving money are not mutually exclusive. In fact, some of the best things you can do for the environment can also bring you substantial savings. The San Francisco Recycling Program has determined, for example, that a family of four can save more than $3,000 a year by buying reusable and durable products and buying products in large sizes. When you buy groceries, you are actually paying more for packaging than farmers are paid to produce the food in the packaging. But by buying large sizes you will buy less packaging. Because packaging accounts for one-third of household waste, choosing larger sizes reduces the amount of waste ending up in our landfill. And since ten cents out of every shopping dollar is used to pay for packaging, buying the largest size you can use will save you money. For a family of four the savings add up quickly. Here are some examples: *At a local grocery store, 10 pounds of sugar costs $4.39; the same amount in 1 pound boxes costs $6.90. Buy the larger package and save $2.51. You can spend either 10 cents or 13 cents an ounce for dishwashing liquid depending on which size you choose. If you choose the 42-ounce bottle, you get over 12 ounces for free. Soap lasts forever so buy large and save money—it makes sense. *Buying two 20-ounce size packages of raisin bran cereal costs $6.98; one 47-ounce package is $5.99. Choose the big box and save a dollar while eating 7 additional, free ounces of cereal. To keep so much cereal fresh, the big box has two inner bags. *Changing habits on snack foods can save significant amounts of money and reduce trash. Popcorn is a good example: for $3.09 you can buy a 64-ounce bag of unpopped popcorn and get enough for 55 servings; that’s 6 cents a serving! Prepackaged servings of microwavable popcorn cost 27 cents a serving. A bag of ready-to-eat popcorn is 50¢ a serving. A family eating popcorn once a week could save up to $90 by buying the biggest bag of their favorite unpopped brand. *Using a thermos for school lunches can save $50 a year per child and the school will have 180 fewer juice boxes to throw away. How? Buy juice concentrates or apple juice in gallons instead of single-serving boxes and you double the amount of juice for the same amount of cash. A San Francisco price comparison study of 56 commonly purchased grocery items shows that shoppers can save 40 percent by buying products in larger packages. The study included commonly purchased items such as milk, cheese, juice, yogurt, detergent, rice, sugar, meat, shampoo, cookies, soup and canned vegetables. The basket of 56 products purchased in small or single serve sizes cost $137.88, whereas the same items, purchased in economy or larger sizes, cost $82.29. Many food items have their own natural packaging. Bananas, for example, don’t need to go into a plastic bag. There are other options for no packaging that may not be readily apparent. For example, getting ice cream in a cone instead of a cup allows you to eat the package. Another way to save money and help the environment is to buy products that can be reused over and over again. By buying durable and reusable products you reduce the number of products that have to be manufactured and help preserve the environment. Here are a few good choices: A family of four can save over $100 a year by switching to cloth napkins. Once the routine is set, washing and reusing cloth is as simple as recycling a soda can and you won’t have to buy napkins, or take out the garbage so often. Eliminating 2 rolls of paper towels a week by switching to cloth towels will save you as much as $175 a year. Cutting down on these paper products, as well as paper plates and cups, will not only save you dollars but also will save the trees and other natural resources used to make the products, the packaging and the grocery bags. There are numerous other reusable products,
including rechargeable batteries; cloth diapers; refillable pens, pencils
and lighters; washable plates, cups and silverware and electric razors
or razors with replaceable blades. For more information, including how
to get a free copy of our Environmental Shopping Guide, call the San Francisco
Recycling Program hotline at 554-RECYcle.
Books of Interest The Old Town II: More Tales of Real Life in Early Frisco by Matthew Brady (Independent Books, 1998, 126 pgs., $8.95) Matthew Brady's long-awaited sequel to his first book in 1992 collects more of his best columns from the San Francisco Independent on the history of the City. Cable cars, charging cows, and torch boys are among the fascinating stories of rugged living more than 100 years ago. Men of Courage: San Francisco Police Officers by Captain Thomas Dempsey (Ret.) S.F. Police Dept. (Cedar Publishing, 1998, 130 pgs.) An officer with the S.F. Police Department for more than 32 years, Tom Dempsey compiled newspaper accounts of the 92 policemen killed in the line of duty since 1878. Although tragic, the stories are, nevertheless, interesting and an important part of the City's history. True Stories That Cops Tell to One Another by Captain Thomas Dempsey (Ret.) S.F. Police Dept. (Cedar Publishing, 1998, 158 pgs.) Tom Dempsey's second book is an entertaining collection of 100 short funny stories of happenings which took place in the past and present, on the street, in the courtroom, in the station, and literally dozens of places around town. Contact: Tom Dempsey, P.O. Box 320777,
San Francisco, CA 94132
Five Years Ago in the Grapevine JANUARY 1999 *HUD's Art Agnos hosted a meeting Dec. 16 at John King Senior Center to gather input for the renovation of Geneva Towers and Sunnydale. *Two holiday assemblies at Visitacion Valley Elementary School celebrated a "Blending of Cultures." *Consultants exploring the possibility of light rail vehicles in the Bayshore Corridor recommended San Francisco apply for federal funding while expanding service on the 9X-San Bruno line. *The second annual Dr. Vernetta P. Caldwell
Health Fair was scheduled for Feb. 26 at Geneva Towers.
Historic Proportions Match clues to answers. 1956 1. He was renominated by Republicans
at Cow Palace on Aug. 22.
A. Andrea Doria
Answers: 1-G; 2-Q; 3-D; 4-L; 5-J; 6-P; 7-N; 8-O; 9-C; 10-R; 11-K; 12-M; 13-H; 14-B; 15-F; 16-I; 17-A; 18-E.
Sez Who? Match quotes with speakers. 1. "Words are, of course, the most powerful
drug used by mankind."
A. Ernest Hemingway
Answers: 1-H; 2-D; 3-A; 4-E; 5-C; 6-B; 7-G; 8-I; 9-F. |