The Weekly Roundup

Howard’s end, Minutemen again, teachers hot for McPherson

Thursday, March 30
Conservative Congressional candidate Howard Kaloogian became blog-fodder
today when it was revealed that a photo posted on his Web site allegedly
taken on his “Truth Tour” of Iraq last July, was actually a photo of
downtown Istanbul, Turkey, not Baghdad. “We took this photo of downtown
Baghdad while we were in Iraq,” which is “much more calm and stable than
what many people believe it to be. But, each day the news media finds any
violence occurring in the country and screams and shouts about it–in part
because many journalists are opposed to the U.S. effort to fight terrorism,”
Kaloogian posted on his Web site.

After Kaloogian’s error was revealed, he responded in the only way he knew
how–blaming the vast, liberal-media conspiracy.

“The mainstream media was not happy with our trip and our message that our
troops are winning the war and the country is becoming stabilized. The news
networks either ignored us or criticized us,” he said in a statement. “But
in the last 24 hours they have suddenly taken an interest in our trip to
meet with the soldiers and inspect the progress being made in Iraq.”

Friday, March 31
Speaking of keeping the peace, a rally to commemorate Cesar Chavez’s
birthday got a little out of hand at the Capitol today. The rally, made up
of marchers who were mostly high-school age, clashed with a counter-rally
of conservatives in an odd mutation of the pro-immigration rallies of last
week. We’re not exactly sure what happened, though we are told that
fisticuffs were used and several people were hauled off in police vans.

Saturday, April 1
The Minutemen are back. About 12 members of the anti-illegal immigrant
militia group returned to the California-Mexico border to help draw
attention to the issue of illegal immigration.

“I’m not against immigration. I’m vehemently against illegal immigration,”
said the group’s co-founder, Jim Gilchrist, in an interview with the Orange
County Register. He said he was deeply disturbed by the marches in Los
Angeles and student walkouts across Southern California last week. “When you
come to the U.S. and plant a Mexican flag … to me that precedes a
declaration of war,” Gilchrist said.

Sunday, April 2
SF Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders tells us all we need to know about
Dianne Feinstein‘s re-election bid and her Republican opponent Richard
Mountjoy. “At 74, Mountjoy is an acquired taste–a plaid-leisure suit of a
man, a walking style crime, kin to your backslapping Uncle Ernie who always
cracked bad jokes, a token of a California that no longer exists. He’s so
corny that his bio claims he “failed kindergarten because he wouldn’t talk.
And he nearly failed the first grade because he wouldn’t stop talking.”

Monday, April 3
Somebody must have forgotten to tell the UCLA Bruins there was a basketball
game to play tonight. The 11-time NCAA champs were crushed by the Florida
Gators in the finals of the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis.

Also, insurance commish John Garamendi went under the knife to repair a
faulty heart valve. Byron Tucker, communications director for the
commissioner, said Monday night after the surgery that it was a “100-percent
success” and the doctors anticipate a “100-percent recovery.”

Tuesday, April 4
A proposal to force two-time drunken drivers to display red “DUI” license
plates on their vehicles failed Tuesday to win support of the Assembly
Public Safety Committee, reports Tom Bizjak in the Bee.

The proposal, AB 2099, authored by Assemblyman Ray Haynes, R-Murrieta, would
have required drivers with two or more drunken-driving convictions to keep
the plates on their cars for two years or the period of probation, whichever
is longer.

The bill failed by a 5-2 vote.

Also today, the California Teachers Association weighed in on the secretary
of state’s race, endorsing Bruce McPherson. The nod from the
traditionally-Democratic teachers union is a boost for McPherson, a moderate
Republican who was appointed to the job by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Wednesday, April 5
A new poll shows the governor’s poll numbers are on the rise. A poll
released Tuesday by the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose
State University saw Schwarzenegger’s approval rating climb to 45 percent
among voters, up from 39 percent in January, reports the San Jose Mercury
News.