Fascism and Circumcision in San Francisco

The Second Essential Scary Truth

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say San Francisco?

Dashiell Hammett.

Sam Spade.

The Maltese Falcon.

America’s Favorite City.

Fog.

Cold summers.

The center of the Untied States Gay Community.

The Giants.

Dirty Harry.

LSD

The Grateful Dead.  The Jefferson Airplane.

Alcatraz.

The People’s Republic.

San Francisco has long ago shed its image as noir a city shrouded in fog or the sub culture headquarters of the country.  Yes these views of SF were around for about 40 years – 1930ish to 1970ish – but thanks to Hollywood and Rolling Stone they remain the picture many Americans have of Frisco.  My personal view of ‘modern’ San Francisco would be fascist self-parody

The current San Francisco Board of Supervisors has helped to re-invent the city as the place where the government will tell you what to do.  First came the idea to ban the sales of all animals except for fish (because of hamsters!).  Next, came the ban on Happy Meals.  And now, the city romantically remembered by a bad Journey song (are there any good Journey tunes?) has decided to attempt to ban male circumcision for any and all reasons before the age of 18.

A group national group called Men’s Genital Mutilation Bill.Org and their San Francisco shill Lloyd Schofield managed to get enough signatures to force an MGM initiative on the San Francisco November 2011 city ballot.  Although experts claim on First Amendment/religious freedom reasons alone the law will never pass constitutional muster, people are up in arms that this would be law is actually on an American ballot.

James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal points out the anti-Semitic evils of this MGM initiative although he is skeptical of passage.  And the San Francisco Chronicle’s Debra J. Saunders points out just how foolish the politicians of San Francisco would look if the bills passes.

As much as I’d love to agree with all of Taranto’s and Saunder’s conclusions, I must admit a certain degree of grudging admiration for the actions of the San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s.  Instead of a straight up or down vote as they did with the Happy Meal ban, the Board had this come to them as a Ballot initiative.  Then the Supervisor’s voided approximately 40% of the signatures gathered by Schofield and his pals.  If the majority of city voters follow the weird Fascistic logic of San Franciscan Frank McGuiness (from www.advocate.com) –

SF is progressive and open minded. We are intolerant of sexism and inequality. This law brings males into the fold of protection currently enjoyed by females. Really simple equality for all. So either your FOR Equal Rights or Not. Simple simple simple.

-then the Board of Supervisor’s can void the law as unconstitutional or refuse to defend it during the inevitable court case.  If, as expected, the populous of San Francisco thinks this is the law that goes over the line of ‘reasonable’ far Lefties’ into the realm of real fascism and rejects it outright, the Supervisor’s haven’t alienated anyone.

Is this a passive/aggressive approach to modern American political leadership?  Absolutely.  However, this way everyone on the San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s gets to stay on the dole.

If there were real leaders on the SF Board, then they might have said something like this: (A letter to an MGM advocate from Maryland Delegate Shirley Nathan-Pulliam (D) of the 10^th House District of Baltimore County – from mgmbill.org)

January 13, 2011

Dear Ashley:

Thank you for bringing your issue to my attention.  However, female genital mutilation, according to my training as a Registered Nurse, and male circumcision, are two entirely different procedures done for entirely different reasons.  I will not sponsor this bill.

Shirley Nathan-Pulliam

Delegate