Bad Attitude: The Art of Spain Rodriguez, a new feature film about the Bay Area comic legend who created the iconic working-class rebel known as "Trashman," will have its World Premiere during the virtual 2021 Slamdance Film Festival February 12-25. (The Utah-based Slamdance festival specializes in featuring films by "emerging" talents, with production costs of less than $1 million.)

BAD ATTITUDE: The Art of Spain Rodriguez (71 Minutes, Not Yet Rated) was directed by Spain's partner, Emmy-nominated filmmaker Susan Stern, and it features interviews with a galaxy of cartoon superstars, including R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Trina Robbins, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Ed Piskor, Ishmael Reed, Susie Bright, Cynthia Rodriguez, Robert Williams, Kim Deitch, Jay Kinney, Ken & Maxine Weaver, René Yañez, Yolanda López, Rio Yañez, Gary Groth, Andi Zeisler, Billy Martino, Janet Underwood, Ian de Beer, and Nora Rodriguez.

Called "moving, thought-provoking, both personal and political," Bad Attitude takes an intimate dive into life and work of the controversial legendary underground artist who, over the course of a six-decade career, created a memorable graphic novel legacy—a dark, post-nuclear, dystopia that that was part Mad Max, mixed with Marx, and haunted by conspiratorial hints of a QAnon-like "Sixth International."

As Wikipedia primly notes: Spain's work was "replete with graphic depictions of violence, sex and profanity, which were all but unknown in superhero comics of the past." -more-

I picked two meetings this last week as consequential, the Council Agenda and Rules special meeting on Commissions and the Measure O Bond Oversight Committee special meeting.

I’ve been writing about Councilmember Droste’s hatchet approach to commissions: discounting the value of work done and dissecting them down to the hours of staff time, as though that is all that mattered. Councilmember Hahn came through with alternate framing on Monday with the most important statement, “Commissions that are well organized and do meaningful work will always be a good use of time for commissioners and secretaries/staff.” Hahn made clear she was presenting a “Conversation on Commissions” not a proposal, but it was a welcome change. Those who care about the governing of our City need to keep a close eye and not let these changes slip by without engagement. Monday was not the last of the conversation on commissions. -more-

This essay was inspired by Margot Smith's recent comment on Trump's 600-dollar rip-off.

I have no doubt that those who received their six hundred in the form of a debit card are victimized by a Trump scam. Banks have no business profiting from the pittance that people received at the beginning of the year, intended to provide a drop of relief to those in a desert of poverty and misfortune. It would be worthwhile to find out whether any financial connection exists between Trump's businesses and the bank that issued the cards.

However, I did not receive mine in the form or a card or physical check; mine was direct deposit. And, since I live on chicken scratch, that money is an improvement to my circumstances. I used some of it to buy additional memory for my 100-dollar smartphone. I used some to buy a space heater for the room in which I do my writing--this, in turn causing a savings on energy bills, since I no longer need to heat the entire dwelling to make it acceptably warm in this room. I used some to purchase a new tire that had worn down to beyond legal tread on my Toyota.

None of my 600 dollars went to bank fees. This is just my experience, and I have no argument whatsoever with Margot Smith.

When a person lives on disability, 600 dollars is a lot. The 25 dollars that I sometimes get from writing pieces for the Street Spirit is significant help to my budget, as is the $8 or maybe $20 dollars that I sometimes get in book royalties for my self-published books.

Additionally: The Peril and Dilemma of Becoming Overdrawn: -more-

I wonder what would happen if I stood in front of the House of Representatives, held up a picture of Speaker Pelosi and screamed “shoot her.” How long would it take for law enforcement to arrest me and alert mental health authorities to hold me down and haul me off to the psychiatric ward for close observation – or perhaps shoot me if I were African-American? I wonder how parents who lost their precious children react listening to the insane ramblings of Greene who claims that school shootings were staged by young actors. -more-

Senator Mitch McConnell finally stiffened his spine and gave a scathing rebuke to the Aantichrist, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, calling her a cancer on the Republican Party.

Well done Mitch. I am sure the good Lord has decremented your karmic debt a few notches.

Greene’s recent history of spreading dangerous delusional conspiracy theories, encouraging violence against public officials and making bigoted statements about Muslims, Jews and other marginalized communities is an embarrassment to the U.S. Congress and presents a real danger to the people of color who have to walk the same halls with her each day.

Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Capitol was attacked by a violent mob inspired by a reckless conspiracy theory about the election that Greene gleefully amplified. She has repeatedly targeted Ilan Omar and Rashida Tlaib—at one point even trying to force them to re-swear their congressional oaths on a Christian Bible. Oh, Jesus would be so proud!

The Muslim members of Congress have all received death threats. One man who came to DC two weeks ago was arrested with explosives, an arsenal of weapons and a handwritten hit list that singled out André Carson as a Muslim. Greene’s consistent anti-Muslim attacks and her embrace of false conspiracy theories will ensure that these threats will continue.

For the safety of the Muslim and Jewish members and all people of color working in Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene must be expelled before she inspires more threats and violence.”

Greene who falsely claims to be a Christian would be well advised to attend Christianity 101 which clearly identifies true Christians who live by the “fruits of their actions.” Sadly, Greene has infested her party and the country with mountains of tumbleweeds. -more-

On the one hand we know we can't relax -- the forces of crazy are still trying to disrupt U.S. democracy -- but on the other hand it's exhilarating to have a President who is not a constant irritation, who (every day) isn't a danger to push the nuclear button and blow us all up. Joe Biden has done well so far, but he has a very difficult job. Six months from now, what should we reasonably expect him to have accomplished?

1.Get on top of the Pandemic. At this writing, more than 27 million Americans have contracted Covid-19 and 460 thousand have died. The infection rate has declined to 130,000 per day. About 8 percent of the U.S. population has been vaccinated -- with a current vaccination rate above 1.25 million per day.

Biden has a clear target: "...fully vaccinate 300 Americans by the end of the summer..." (The U.S. population is roughly 330 million.) If we achieve this target, by the end of the summer -- Labor Day -- most Americans, who want to be vaccinated, will be vaccinated. It's unclear if we will have reached the threshold for "herd immunity." -more-

I am revisiting this subject and this opinion, as I addressed the topic a few years ago. It is hard to write pieces that are not time-sensitive without repeating a subject some of the time, since I've been writing this column for more than ten years.

The "Work Ethic" that many people espouse, as a way to believe they are an acceptable person, is often punishment of self and others. Life has a lot more to it than work. And if we can't enjoy life, what is the point in doing work? -more-

President Joseph Biden Jr’s.administration faces a host of difficult problems, but in foreign policy its thornist will be its relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC). How it handles issues of trade, security and human rights will either allow both countries to hammer out a working relationship or pull the US into an expensive--and unwinnable--cold war that will shelve existential threats like climate change and nuclear war. -more-

On February 4, the Democrat-led House voted 230 to 199 — 11 Republicans voted with the Democrats — to strip Marjorie Taylor Greene from her two committees — the Budget Committee, and the Education and Labor Committee — citing the “conduct she has exhibited," including her history of trafficking in racism, anti-Semitism and baseless conspiracy theories, along with her support for online comments encouraging violence against Democratic officials prior to taking office. -more-

Padilla's Bill Would Make the West Coast Oil-Free! -more-

Worth Noting:

We are looking at a very long weekend for City employees with Thursday as reduced service day, Friday as Lincoln Birthday Holiday and Monday, February 15 is President’s Day Holiday.

While these summaries get quite long, please note that not every agenda item is listed, the link is given if you want to dig in for more detail. The Council Agenda Committee Monday and Regular meeting on Tuesday evening take up a lot of space. Zoning Applications that have been approved and are in the appeal period are at the very bottom of this long list. If you wish to see my comments from attending the City meetings of the previous week, go to the Activist’s Diary in the Berkeley Daily Planet, www.berkeleydailyplanet.com

If you have a meeting you would like included in the summary of meetings, please send a notice to kellyhammargren@gmail.com by noon on the Friday of the preceding week. -more-