Monthly Archives: September 2002

Okay, it’s sick. It’s disgusting. And I wouldn’t want to encourage this sort of thing, but hey, the guy who came up with the “Bumfights” idea graduated from Grossmont High School, my alma mater, in La Mesa, Calif. You’ve got to admire that kind of capitalistic spirit, don’t you think. I mean, the guy took a very simple idea and made a fortunate off of it.

The whole thing also reminds me of Charles Bukowski’s novel “Hollywood,” where Bukowski describes scenes of drunks fighting in back allies in what, whether intentional or not, was a form of entertainment.

The Bumfights scandal makes you wonder though — how much lower can our society sink? Continue reading →

As a reporter in El Cajon, Calif. (in San Diego County), I covered the plight of the homeless in that city many times. Anne Kruger, writing for the Union-Tribune, says El Cajon is “becoming a mecca for homeless people around the county.” No. it’s always been a mecca. The homeless are drawn there by the consistently warm weather and many programs catering to their needs.

Now another dogooder wants to build yet another shelter.

There are two problems with building another shelter in El Cajon. First, no matter how many shelters you build, there will always be more homeless. Build more shelters, draw in more homeless. Second, there are shelter beds throughout San Diego County that go begging every night. Why? Because any shelter that is going to be well run, well maintained and be of any real benefit to homeless people is going to insist residents follow a few rules and regulations. Many homeless people won’t give up their freedom. They will tell you as much in just those words. I’ve interviewed many, many homeless people in El Cajon. They want a bed and a bath and food, but not if it means they have to wake up at a certain time in the morning, do chores, get educated and be encouraged to find a job.

The El Cajon City Council rarely does anything right, but putting the breaks on this homeless shelter proposal makes a lot of sense. Continue reading →

Matt Welch loves LA and once again does a good job of keeping the pulse of the city. This time, giving a blow-by-blow report on big money, politics and the fear California has of losing entertainment productions to Canada. I have a couple of Hollywood chums who stop by hbo3 from time to time. Maybe they’ll have some thoughts on this issue. Continue reading →

I’ve read only two Raymond Chandler novels, both recently, including The High Window, which I finished last night.

One thing that strikes me about Chandler is his attitude toward cops. They are not to be trusted, though they are not necessarily evil or vile. He just doesn’t trust that they will be either competent enough or honest enough to uncover the truth of a crime. Phillip Marlowe is the lone-wolf investigator. The only one who cares about the truth.

This characteristic is best illustrated in a story Chandler tells in The High Window. It’s about an apparent murder-suicide in which the police declined to pursue an official inquest, even though there was ample evidence that not everything was as simple as it seemed. But one of the victims was a rich and powerful man. Marlowe recognized that the cops involved in the case were not necessarily corrupt; they just didn’t have the freedom to investigate the case in the manner it should have been handled. There were more powerful forces who wanted the case swept away. And so it was.

And it’s also a true story. I happened across this link this afternoon. It’s a fascinating bit of Los Angeles history that ties in with the power of the Los Angeles Times in that era, big oil and the Teapot Dome Scandal. This is my recommend reading for the next 10 minutes of your life. Continue reading →