Shocked and Disgusted, February 14, 2006

SHOCKED AND DISGUSTED!

Just when I think I've heard and seen everything there is to see and hear, there's one more lunatic lurking around the corner waiting to shock me yet again.

I just finished watching the early airing of the Hannity and Colmes show on the Fox News Channel. I am still so dumbfounded at what I heard on that show tonight that I still am trying to comprehend it. But here it is in a nutshell. The topic tonight was the USS Iowa and the current attempt to find a new home for the historic battleship, where it will become a museum and a memorial. By federal law, it has to stay in the State of California as a condition of it release into private ownership. So the two cities attempting to get the Iowa into their communities are Stockton and San Francisco. For obvious reasons, San Francisco is a much more logical choice. More than half of San Francisco's three million plus residents agree as evidenced by recent (unscientific) polls by both AOL and by a local talk radio station. Tonight Hannity and Colmes had various proponets of the museum on to talk about the ship and why they support the USS IOWA Museum being placed in San Francisco along the waterfront. Then came the final guest of the night, City Superviser Gerardo Sandoval of District 11. Sandoval is one of the eight supervisors who opposed the project during it's last vote. He was pretty much what I expected from a San Francisco city politician. He spewed the typical liberal rhetoric that we're all to used to hearing. But then toward the end of the segment he made a statement which appeared to come from out of nowhere. Both Hannity and Colmes seemed surprised and shocked at the statement which is the reason for this posting tonight.

Supervisor Sandoval said on national television that The United States would be a much better country if we had no military. I almost went through the flippin' roof! Even Alan Colmes, one of the most liberal hosts on television today, couldn't believe what he was hearing. He gave Sandoval several opportunities to retract the statement and everytime asked Sandoval repeated his belief that the United States would be better off without a military. So Alan Colmes, God Bless him, called him on it and said in not so many words that he was out of his mind. I know I was certainly coming out of mine.

I then immediately went on line, found the website for the city of San Francisco and the page for Supervisor Sandoval and promptly sent an email ( which he may or may not see) that says most everything else that went through my mind as I watched this insanity unfold in front of me. Below is the email I sent:

Date:	Tue, 14 Feb 2006 19:48:06 -0800 (PST)
From:	"Mark Chase"
Subject:	Tonight's Television Appearance
To:	Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org

Supervisor Sandoval,

As a resident of Northern California and a veteran of the United States Navy, I must say that I have never been as ashamed of and embarrassed for a elected political official as I am of and for you tonight. I just finished watching the early broadcast of the Hannity and Colmes broadcast and their coverage of the USS Iowa situation. When they announced you were coming on the show, I fully expected all the left wing, liberal propaganda that the bay area has become famous for around the world. But I am absolutely dumbfounded and disgusted that you would suggest the United States shouldn't even have a military. What language do you suppose I would be writing this email in if the United States had no military? Japanese? Spanish? German? or maybe Russian? No...wait, if the United States didn't have a military, there's a real good chance that in what your view of what America should be, none of us would have the freedom and liberty write emails or voice our opinions on any topic. Tonight you have dishonored and disrespected the very people that preserve your right to lead the type of life you have today. You should be ashamed and embarrassed. You owe the people of the United States, the United States Military, the people of the Great State of California, and most of all the people of San Francisco a very public and sincere apology for your behavior tonight on national television.

One last thing.....As part of your closing statement you said that most of San Francisco agrees with your stand on the military. I'm here to tell you that I think you are dead wrong. San Francisco is a beautiful city with a lot offer it's residents as well as its visitors. It's also a very liberal city, but it's population is not stupid. There is no doubt that war for whatever reason is distasteful, ugly, and not something to be wished for. But some sometimes it's necessary to preserve the liberty that, again, gives you the right to publicly embarrass yourself as you have tonight. I think that's something that most of San Francisco would agree with as well.

Respectfully,
M.Chase
Oroville, California

For better or worse that is it. If any of you would like to voice your opinion to Supervisor Sandoval, he can be reached at Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org His web page is
www.sfgov.org/site/bdsupvrs_index.asp?id=4643 and if any of you would like to see the repeat of the actual broadcast, it comes on again tonight at 2 am on the east coast, 1 am cst, midnight in the mountain time zone, and 11 pm on the west coast.

(originally posted 2-14-06 on Yahoo 360)