Meg Whitman, Jerry Brown on Opposite Sides of High-Speed Rail Tracks

By Mike Rosenberg, San Jose Mercury News
07/08/2010

Which side of the California high-speed-rail debate are you on? The answer could help determine the state's next governor and, in turn, the fate of a project that has divided the Bay Area.

Meg Whitman, the Republican gubernatorial candidate and former eBay CEO, said through a spokeswoman Friday that she "believes the state cannot afford the costs associated with high-speed rail due to our current fiscal crisis." She lives in the wealthy Peninsula town of Atherton, which is ground zero for the anti-bullet-train movement because of concerns about the tracks that would run through the community.

Jerry Brown, the Democratic nominee and state attorney general, started the push for high-speed rail in 1982 as governor and thinks the current plan is a "bold" one that "we should find a way to make work," his spokesman said Friday. Brown lives in Oakland, which is not near the proposed train route.

The $43 billion San Francisco-to-Los Angeles project — planned to run along Caltrain tracks in the Bay Area — is due to start construction in 2012. Key decisions on the rail-line plan will be made in 2011, after the new governor takes office in January and Arnold Schwarzenegger — a recent high-speed-rail supporter because of the federal stimulus dollars it garnered — is termed out.

The governor must approve the California High-Speed Rail Authority's annual spending plan and appoint five of its nine board members. The board stil has to decide which company will make the trains, whether the route will be above or below ground, and how the state will pay for it.

The candidates' stances on high-speed rail could help shape the election and the choice of governor could affect how, when and if the project is built.

Experts said the high-speed-rail issue could be drowned out by the state's budget mess and education and unemployment woes, but the candidates' opinions on high-speed rail could be seen as a microcosm for the disparity between the two.

And for those who live in cities where the tracks will be, or for those hungry for jobs, the difference of opinion should win votes for one candidate or the other, political consultants said.

But, along party lines, Brown is still the favorite in the Peninsula and South Bay, where high-speed-rail concerns have been loudest.

Of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties' 1.1 million voters, Democrats outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1; there are more independents than Republicans. The region does, however, have nearly 284,000 decline-to-state voters.

How they vote could be key, since polls indicate the two candidates are neck and neck.

"For the voter that looks at both candidates and fails to discern much of a difference between them, this could be a tiebreaker," said Larry Gerston, a San Jose State political science professor. "It will also stand out as a symbolic issue."

Gerston said Whitman could be seen as supporting the will of the Peninsula people and governments opposed to the idea while trying to control spending, while voters could view Brown as pushing for jobs and new transportation options while protecting the environment.

Former GOP strategist Bill Whalen, a Hoover research fellow who lives in Palo Alto, said the difference shows Whitman's plans are more concrete while Brown is "fuzzy and vague." Some Californians have questioned how the rail authority could find the remaining three-fourths of funding needed to bankroll the project and they still think it is a "pie in the sky" idea.

"In this case, she's being pragmatic and he's being more utopian," Whalen said. "This is part of a larger trend in the election."

Robert Cruikshank, Californians for High-Speed Rail chairman, noted that former Palo Alto Mayor Yoriko Kishimoto, the most vocal bullet-train critic in the southern Peninsula's 21st Assembly District race, lost to two candidates in the June Democratic primary who were more tempered on high-speed rail.

"If I'm Jerry Brown, I would strongly embrace high-speed rail in the Peninsula and the Bay Area. There's still reason to believe that most voters there strongly support it," Cruikshank said. "I would go up to Meg Whitman's turf in Silicon Valley and say, 'This is how we're going to get California back to work.' "

Whitman's hometown of Atherton joined Burlingame, Belmont, Palo Alto and Menlo Park this week in asking the state to halt the project until their concerns are met. The cities say the project would divide their communities as it comes down the Caltrain line on an elevated structure and want it instead underground.
Menlo Park and Atherton have also tried reopening a lawsuit to stop the project, and two more suits have come from Menlo Park property owners, including one recently thrown out of court.

Persuasive Essay Assignment

  

Note: If you were not in class last Monday to receive instructions for this assignment, STOP HERE and email me at dhdelao@gmail.com for specific directions.

For those in class this Monday, highlight below to view text:

Your assignment is to write a persuasive essay about same-sex marriage in California. As you know, you took an either pro or con position on one the issue. Your assignment is to write a concise essay in which you argue the OPPOSITE of the position you took in class. For example, if you took the position that same-sex marriage should not be allowed, you must now argue that it should be allowed.

For this particular essay, do not supplement your argument with outside texts. Instead, the basis of your argument should come from the pro or con articles of the e-reader. Cite at least three of the following articles to support your thesis:

Pro same-sex marriage writers should draw their evidence from the following articles only:

• “The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage” by Theodore B. Olson
• “Same-Sex Marriage: ‘A Basic Civil Right’” by James Rotondi
• “Same-Sex Marriage: Losing a Battle, Winning the War” by Andrew Cohen
• “Stupidity, Gay Marriage, and the Evolution of Religion” by Dan Agin
• “Why I Fought for the Right to Say ‘I Do’” by Greta Christina
• “An Argument For Same-Sex Marriage: An Interview with Jonathan Rauch” by David Masci 

Anti-same-sex marriage writers should draw their evidence from the following articles only:

• “Why One Queer Person is Not Celebrating California's Historic Gay Marriage Decision” by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
• “Preserve Traditional Marriage for Benefit of Future Generations” by Roger Crouse
• “The Worst Thing About Gay Marriage” by Sam Shulman
• “We Don't Need Gay Marriage” by Mark Vernon
• “Sex and Consequences” by Peter Wood
• “An Argument Against Same-Sex Marriage: An Interview with Rick Santorum” by David Masci

When constructing your argument, be conscious of the fallacies of logic we discussed in class. Look for them in the arguments against your position, but also be careful not to use them to propel your thesis.

Points you might consider in your argument:

• What is a civil right?
• Can this debate be framed as a civil rights issue?
• What is the historical role of marriage in societies?
• How does this affect children and families?
• What considerations, if any, should religion be given in this debate?
• What considerations, if any, should science be given in this debate?

Requirements:

• MLA format, including parenthetical citation
• 2.5-page minimum

The best papers:

• Stay within the parameters of the subject matter
• Have a concise thesis which clearly outlines a position
• Clearly support the thesis with solid evidence and a logical structure, citing at least three articles from the reader
• Cite a minimum of three articles to support the thesis
• Conclude with a summation of the argument
• Properly cite evidence using MLA's parenthetical citation method
• Are in compliance with MLA Style

Due: Monday, March 15 (Draft 1, Bring three copies)

Rhetoric 101

Aristotle's Modes of Persuasion
In 350 BCE, Aristotle's On Rhetoric identified what he considered to be the three basic components of a successful appeal.


Logos: Logos is an appeal based upon logic. The idea is that you are more likely to convince people of your position if it is framed in a reasonable manner. In other words, people are most attracted to those ideas that are clearly explained, logically constructed, and based in facts.


Pathos: Pathos is an appeal based upon emotion. People are more likely to be persuaded if base emotions are appealed to. Keep in mind, that the emotions tapped need not be positive. One can be persuaded by feelings of anger or anxiety, just as easily as feelings of warmth or optimism.


Ethos: Ethos is the appeal based upon the credibility of the speaker. This appeal touches on the element of trust. If one trusts the character, motives, and expertise of the person making the appeal, then he or she is more likely to be persuaded.


Fallacies of Logic
These are arguments containing errors in reason. They are extremely common and often very effective. However, the point here is not for you to use these in your argument, but to be able to point them out in opposing points of view.

AD HOMINEM: The Ad Hominem attack will focus on the person, not the argument.


Example: We can’t really take an argument seriously coming from her; she’s totally ignorant on the subject.


RED HERRING: A Red Herring is the introduction of an irrelevant subject, usually introduced in an attempt to drive the argument away (or distract) from its original subject.


Example: Does God exist? Of course, otherwise why would we have so many structures in His honor?


BURDEN OF PROOF: This is the tactic of shifting the Burden of Proof onto the wrong party. One party clearly has the responsibility to prove or dispove something, but instead shifts that responsibility to the opposing party.


Example: You don't believe I saw Bigfoot? Well, prove to me I didn't.


GOLDEN MEAN: The Golden Mean fallacy assumes that given two opposing viewpoints, the correct solution is invariably the middle or "golden mean." This fallacy is based upon the common belief that neither of two diametrically opposed viewpoints can possibly be correct.


Example: This recipe says to use four cups of flour, while another says to use six. I’ll play it safe and use five cups instead.


SLIPPERY SLOPE: The Slippery Slope fallacy is based on the idea that once you take the first step down a path, you will be inexorably drawn down that path until you reach an inevitable and very bad end. In other words, if “X” is allowed to happen, then “Y” is sure to be the end result.


Example: If the government starts to monitor indecency in the media more closely, we’ll eventually get back to book burning!


STRAW MAN: A Straw Man is a misrepresentation of the opposing view, setup in such a way that it is easy to demolish. At worst, it is a complete fabrication which bears no resemblance whatsoever to the original argument.


Example: Vegetarians and vegans make such a big fuss about eating meat because, at the end of the day, all they want is the destruction of capitalism.


LOADED QUESTION: A Loaded Question presupposes something that has not been proven or accepted by all involved. It is posed in such a way that a person, no matter what answer he/she responds with, will inevitably commit him/herself to some presupposed claim.


Example: Are you still a jerk?


BANDWAGON: The Bandwagon is a fallacy in which a threat of rejection by one's peers (or peer pressure) is substituted for evidence in an argument.


Examples: We should end capital punishment; most of our neighbors in the industrialized world have outlawed this barbaric practice.


GUILT BY ASSOCIATION: Guilt by Association draws its power from the fact that people do not like to be associated with people they dislike. If it is shown that a person shares a belief with people he or she dislikes, then one might be influenced into rejecting that belief.


Examples: You enjoy eating fast food? I don't anymore; I suppose my tastes have evolved.

 

Journal 6: California, Here I Come—Songs of the Golden State

 
In 1965, The Mamas & the Papas famously pined for a warm Los Angeles day in "California Dreamin'":

All the leaves are brown
(All the leaves are brown)
And the sky is gray.
(And the sky is gray)
I've been for a walk
(I've been for a walk)
On a winter's day.
(On a winter's day).

I'd be safe and warm
(I'd be safe and warm)
if I was in LA
(If I was in LA)
California dreamin'
(California dreamin') on such a winter's day.

The Mamas & the Papas were certainly not alone in longing for California. For decades, hundreds of artists have drawn inspiration from California, and their songs are as diverse as the state itself. For this journal, examine three of the following songs about California. In your examination, consider how the state is portrayed through all aspects of the song (e.g. melody, lyrics). What images are used? What emotions are evoked? Is it a realistic portrayal or a fantasy? Is the state contrasted with another place? Finally, is the California of these songs something you've experienced?

Note: I've included YouTube links to some of the songs below. To listen to songs, try Last.fm, SoundCloud, Pandora, Rhapsody, and Grooveshark. Lyrics can be found at Lyrics.com, A-Z Lyrics Universe, and LyricsFreak.

Sheryl Crow, "All I Wanna Do"
Missing Persons, "Walking in LA"
Tony Bennett,  "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
The Beach Boys, "California Girls"
Carole King, "Back to California"
Randy Newman, "I Love LA"
Linda Ronstadt, ""Talk to Me of Mendocino"
Journey, "Lights"
Otis Redding, "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"
Dwight Yoakam, "Streets of Bakersfield"
The Thrills, "Big Sur"
The Doobie Brothers, "Ukiah"
Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Under the Bridge"
The Mamas & the Papas, "California Dreamin'"
Johnnie Davis and Frances Langford, "Hooray for Hollywood"
Leslie Gore, "California Nights"
Phantom Planet, "California"
Eagles, "Hotel California"
Tom Waits, "San Diego Serenade"
2Pac, "California Love"
Tom Petty, "Free Fallin'"
The Presidents of the United States of America, "Fuck California"
Joni Mitchell, "California"
The Beach Boys, "Surfin' USA"
Frank Sinatra, "LA is My Lady"
The Decemberists, "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade"
Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Lodi"
The Thrills, "Santa Cruz (You're Not That Far)"
Jan and Dean, "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"
Katy Perry, "California Gurls"
Hole, "Celebrity Skin"
Scott McKenzie, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)"
LL Cool J, "Going Back to Cali"
Al Jolson, "California, Here I Come"
Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Californication"
Judy Garland, "San Francisco"
Dionne Warwick, "Do You Know the Way to San Jose"
The Doors, "LA Woman"
Chris Isaak, "San Francisco Days"

Requirements:

• MLA format
• 2 pages minimum

Due: Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

'June Gloom' More Robust Than Usual in Chilly L.A.

By Sue Manning and Robert Jablon, Associated Press

07/06/2010

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Beaches cloaked in fog. Skyscrapers vanishing into low clouds. Streets damp with drizzle. 

Welcome to summer in not-so-sunny Southern California.

As the East Coast swelters in blistering heat, temperatures in much of Southern California are almost downright chilly.

On Monday, downtown Los Angeles had a high of just 75, eight degrees below normal. Seaside Los Angeles International Airport was 12 degrees below normal with a high of 67, and San Diego's maximum of 65 was 10 degrees under normal for the date.

In comparison, temperatures inched into at least the 90s from Maine to Texas after the Fourth of July weekend, and the National Weather Service issued heat advisories for much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, including an excessive heat warning for the Philadelphia area, which hit 100 degrees Tuesday afternoon.

The seasonal influx of moist ocean air known as "June Gloom" in Southern California has been thick and unyielding even as July approached, keeping the sky a dismal gray through much of each day before sometimes retreating to the beaches or offshore in the afternoons.

"Nobody wants to go to the beach when it's windy and the sand is blowing," said Mary Moran of Chaos Enterprises in Hermosa Beach, operator of Perry's Cafe and Rentals in Santa Monica, along with Beach Butler Service and Legends Beach Bike Tours.

Beach Butler had 10 cancellations Monday. That's $1,000 in bookings, Moran said. 

Instead of a day in the sun with an ocean view, "everybody wants to huddle up," she said.

The number of beach visitors was down significantly over the Fourth of July weekend but there were good crowds, said Garth Canning, section chief with the Los Angeles County Fire Department's Lifeguard Division.

As soon as the sun comes out, "folks will be back in a heartbeat," he said.

He believes the gloom won't last all summer — unlike a season in the 1990s that was dubbed "the summer that never was." During that season, he said he counted "five days of partial sun through the summer months. It was solid overcast all summer long."

The year has been strange from the start, said Moran, the beach services provider.

"We normally make our money in the summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and things get slim in November and December, outside of the holidays. This year, because we experienced such a great December and January, we did better than we have in 35 years," Moran said. "Now we are getting December's weather."

Moran, who lives in Marina del Rey, said the July Fourth weekend was "awful, completely socked in. And there were extremely large waves and rip tides."

"The rest of the country is suffering with 100-degree temperatures," she added. "We would just like to see the sun."
The normal seasonal pattern is for night and morning clouds to roll in from the ocean and move off in the afternoon, said Tina Stall, a weather service meteorologist in San Diego.

But for the past week or so, a lingering low-pressure system has allowed the marine layer of overcast to deepen and created breezes that have pushed it inland, Stall said.

There also may be some impact from a high-pressure system that has kept the East Coast sweltering because "whatever's over us can't move east," she said.

The low pressure should weaken in a few days, so the region can warm up, Stall said.

"Toward the end of the week, you could probably break out the shorts," she said.

Week Five: San Francisco

North Beach

I meet a girl in Mexico, I should of told her then I know,
that I still think of you, we never will be through.
San Francisco days, San Francisco nights.
San Francisco days, San Francisco nights.
I still love you, I still want you.
I still need you, don't hang up and say goodbye.

—Chris Isaak, "San Francisco Days"

Week 5
M 7.5
NO CLASS

W 7.7
READ
eR: “Why One Queer Person is Not Celebrating California's Historic Gay Marriage Decision” by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, “Preserve Traditional Marriage for Benefit of Future Generations” by Roger Crouse, “The Worst Thing About Gay Marriage” by Sam Shulman, “We Don't Need Gay Marriage” by Mark Vernon, “Sex and Consequences” by Peter Wood, “An Argument Against Same-Sex Marriage: An Interview with Rick Santorum” by David Masci

IN-CLASS
Lecture—Rhetoric 101; Reading discussion; Presentations (Katie A., Katie D., Chris); Preview—Persuasive essay

DUE
Journal 5

UPCOMING:

Week 6
M 7.12
IN-CLASS
Presentations (Jocelyne, Josephine); Lecture—California on Film

DUE
Persuasive essay, draft 1 (Bring 3 copies)

W 7.14
IN-CLASS
Presentations (Andrew, Russell); Watch—The Bridge (2006)

DUE
Journal 6