San Fran measure to name sewage plant for Bush makes Nov. ballot
Recently, it seems, voter referendums are used increasingly not so much to put in the hands of citizens crucial decisions on important issues of public policy. But they're being used as a more compelling excuse to get certain voter groups out to the polls on election day than simply electing candidates.
Think marriage amendment and the 2004 presidential election in such places as Ohio.
Well, a new measure has now qualified for the November ballot in San Francisco. And it'll likely help draw out city voters from the Democratic and from the Republican party, all three of them there.
It's the measure to rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant, which treats waste water from San Francisco's west side, the George W. Bush Sewage Plant in an effort to embarrass the president for actions such as the Iraq war.
When the president becomes the former president in January, he'll be returning to his isolated Texas ranch near Crawford, which likely has a septic tank. So he won't notice the change if it passes.
-- Andrew Malcolm
Andrew Malcolm's immigrant parents repeatedly stressed the importance of active participation in a democracy. Early lessons included learning the alphabetical list of states by watching televised roll calls of national political conventions. That childhood exposure led to a lifelong fascination with politics, including 40-plus years of covering them and a brief stint practicing them as press secretary to Laura Bush in 1999-2000. A veteran foreign and national correspondent, Malcolm served on the Times Editorial Board and was a Pulitzer finalist in 2004. He is the author of 10 nonfiction books and father of four.
Johanna Neuman is a veteran Washington correspondent for both The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, having covered presidents and politics as far back as Ronald Reagan. A former president of the White House Correspondents Assn., she authored a book on media and foreign policy, “Lights, Camera, Wars.” Most recently she was co-author of the 
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Glad to see this is going to be on the ballot. I hope everyone votes for this, and Bush does a ribbon cutting at the plant.
BTW I guess this will also be the "NEW" number one target for the Terrorists.
VJ Machiavelli
http://www.vjmachiavelli.blogspot.com
Posted by: VJ Machiavelli | July 17, 2008 at 11:48 PM
The only monument that would ever be fitting for George W Bush, and the most he would ever deserve is a sewage treatment plant... Although no sewage treatment plant ever made could clean up all of the crap George W Bush is responsible for... What George W Bush deserves is War crimes charges by international courts, and treason charges from U.S. courts.
Posted by: Vipercat | July 18, 2008 at 12:03 AM
Naming the sewage plant after georgie bush, will be an insult to respectable sewage everywhere...!!!! LOL.... Very appropriate idea, however...!!!! Hope it passes, OVERWHEMINGLY...!!!!
Posted by: Ted Roosevelt | July 18, 2008 at 12:47 AM
even if he could grasp the rationale, what reason to suppose he'd care, or even care to comment: 'it's waste, you know...wasted unclean water that gets used and cleaned by...and that's just like what we're doing, purging...you know make it clean, and so you get to use it and waste it all over again and it's not wasted. so it's really a great service and we appreciate the great job we're doing and someone's gotta do it and it's marvelous technology and a pleasure and honor...%*§§6$$***you all.'
Posted by: dave | July 18, 2008 at 01:07 AM
Oh, how enlightened and devilishly clever you San Franciscans are! You're.... gonna..... name.... your sewage plant after the president?
Its Hilarious and just darn cute that you would take up public time and taxpayer dollars to jab at a sitting president.
Way to show respect for the office of President, too.
I'm suprised you eliteists need a sewage plant since yours shouldn't stink!
Posted by: Blake | July 18, 2008 at 07:56 AM
I am a resident of San Francisco, and will certainly be voting for the proposition.
To those of you who say that San Franciscans should apply our energy to getting rid of our bad senators, ending world hunger and curing cancer, I must say, the rest of our attempts at doing good do not end because we are participating in a bit of political humor. Are you having fun yet?
To those of you who are saying, "I used to live in SF and I'm ashamed of this ballot proposition.", I can only say we don't miss you.
As to the suggested symbolic toilet flushing by all citizens on election day (to send a message to George W), I believe that gesture is included in the ballot proposition. I personally practice this part of the proposition every morning at about the same time, but then again, I'm a regular guy.
Posted by: chanwhite | July 18, 2008 at 12:56 PM
What an embarrassment for the state of California. This shows a real lack of class on San Francisco's part. The other negative is that this kind of stunt shows the fence sitters what kind of people they'll be supporting if they vote for a Democrat candidate. In that respect, this kind of stunt really does a disservice to Democrats nationwide.
Posted by: keith | July 19, 2008 at 11:17 AM