Overpass Standoff Ends Peacefully

i just would like to say thank GOD no one was hurt in the drama that unfolded this morning on the overpass, i would also like to add that this is trully a wake up call for police and emergency crews that in an event that would happen if we had to get out of santa barbara,this event just shows you that we cannot leave out of here,with side streets and the freeway bottled up we are truly stuck!!

Good job SBPD in resolving the situation peacefully and without any harm coming to anyone.

To luckydm, this scenario is not new. It has nothing to do with emergency crews, it has to do with development. When you live along a coast and have a mountain range between the coast and you, this is what happens. You remember La Conchita falling? OR the floods in the 90's? Traffic here is horrible. The price you pay for living here.

If you're a local resident, you'll find a way out. This town is full of side streets that can get you around any mess if you know where you are going! There is foothill/cathedral oaks, or other side streets that parallel State. People just get into a routine and stick to main streets and clog them up. It amazes me how angry people were at this young man for stopping traffic, like it was the end of the world! Seriously, we may not all agree with how he made a statement, and he's facing charges because of it, but he put himself out there and made a statement, said what he believed in and it truly didn't hurt anyone but himself. It may not sway voters to his point of view but it shows character. Too bad more of us don't stop and speak up!

Yeah, "santabarbarasand", what a grand idea! Anyone with something on their minds who wants to make a statement, get a gun, block an overpass, and stop all traffic for thousands upon thousands of people. It's a democracy, after all! We could do this _every_ rush hour! How grand!

Oh, as for using side streets, you apparently stayed in bed during this fiasco. The "side streets" became parking lots for ast least three hours yesterday -- nobody was moving -- including emergency vehicles.

Still, a small price to pay to let this Wacko Of The Day make his point, right?

Yea, I was going to say, Santabarbarasand obviously was NOT anywhere near cathedral oaks/foothill yesterday morning...many of us spent two hours on this "side street".

Oh poor you! These guys go fight so we can have the luxury of being stuck in traffic. Traffic gets bad, go home, pull over and phone a friend... you have that option.

I don't recommend going to extremes the way he did, you took my comments and went silly with them! I'm just saying, too many people are too selfish and yes, you all focus on the traffic fiasco and not on the issue itself. It is really sad! Narrow views are what cause so much of the strife that is around us. But we live in SB and are blessed so it's pretty easy to blot out the rest of the world and get on our high horse and be super offended if someone rocks the boat. His methods were unconventional and I don't encourage what he did, it's the point behind it that is what I'm seeing. Too bad so many took his actions personally and are upset about being late for work, you'll never look behind the scenes and give a crap, which is all he probably wanted people to do - care.

"Oh poor you! These guys go fight so we can have the luxury of being stuck in traffic. Traffic gets bad, go home, pull over and phone a friend... you have that option."

No, actually, I did not "have that option". I was on my way to a doctor's appointment that had taken weeks to schedule. My guess is that if the incident had slowed down your quiche delivery or whatever, you'd be singing a very different song. Get out of your idiotic dream mode and wake up to the real world.

As far as "guys fighting" goes, that issue is not going to be solved by kooks on a freeway bridge. That issue was addressed in past elections (the country got exactly what it deserved by putting W in power) -- and is being addressed today. This country is theoretically governed by rule of law, and permitting every mentaly or emotionally -disturbed nut case to bring the community to a stop is not going to improve things.

santabarbarasand- how about next time you or one of your family members has an important doctor's appointment, i can stand in your driveway for 3 hours preventing you from getting there. no big deal right?

You assume the only reason people were on the roads was to go work their lives away like as bunch of sheep. I can assure you this was not the case. This guy is not a hero, he is selfish and greedy. Is there anything he said that we don't already know? who knows, he was on the overpass surrounded by cops so no one even knows what he was trying to say. looks like his plan backfired big time.

Just another nutcase for Obama....

"Just another nutcase for Obama...."

Yeah AShaw just like the one in PA that got mugged...oh wait that was a lie dreamed up by a McCain campaign worker. But hey, why wait for the facts when they won't change your mind anyway!

I have "known" this young man for twenty years... not very well, but he lived very close by... a neighbor in a small, but nice neighborhood. I no longer live in there, but his family has lived there for several generations. His father died recently this year, I'm told. He was a loving father, but he was unemployed for over a decade during the time that I knew him. I knew his mother to be a very hard working woman and a loving mother. His grandmother was also very loving woman and the matriarch of many generations of this somewhat dysfunctional family... (sad to say, but true). The whole family lived in her house at one time or another ... sometimes all 4 generations together at one time. Unfortunately, having a loving family is not always enough. This boy was definitely disturbed, and going to Iraq probably did nothing to help his mental state. Hopefully, he will get the help for the PTSD that he incurred by serving his country in this horrible, never-ending war. Hopefully, this country will get relief by electing Obama/Biden in the today's presidential election. We will see more and more PTSD from this war no matter who is elected today, but the war needs to end now. We will be dealing with the aftermath of the last 8 years of George W. Bush's presidency for generations to come. Sad but true. It is definitely time for change. Edward was not another nutcase for Obama as suggested by AShaw above. He was clearly a disturbed young man. We should all be disturbed for him.

Lots of anger here. I think that the quiche comment is pretty hysterical.

Honestly this saddens me and I feel for the guy. Here is a man that selfishly gave to his country and was pushed to the edge right up to the delusional state that Obama will actually do something other exploiting the words we most want to hear .. "hope" and "change". I wonder how much the disguised "guilt trip" and ingratitude laid on these soldiers by the left was a factor in this?

patty - you are right we should all be disturbed that this is what becomes of those who give of themselves to make our lives so blessed that all we have to complain about is being stuck in traffic for a few hours and missing a doctor appt.

Unfortunately we just elected a president based on nothing other than the "hope" (rather than the certainty), that things will change and all of our problems will be solved. Unfortunately Obama, if he fails to deliver, will have the eternal scapegoat of the past eight years of the Bush administration . We elected a man not based on the content of his character, but in a large part on the color of his skin. Agree or don't, but there is no way we would have ever elected a white liberal socialist. MLK must be rolling in his grave.

"Hopefully, this country will get relief by electing Obama/Biden in the today's presidential election."

Hope springs eternal. We shall see.

AShaw, my bro, you have picked up a nasty habit of arguing by mass generalization, best illustrated here:

--- "Unfortunately we just elected a president based on nothing other than the "hope" (rather than the certainty), that things will change and all of our problems will be solved. Unfortunately Obama, if he fails to deliver, will have the eternal scapegoat of the past eight years of the Bush administration . We elected a man not based on the content of his character, but in a large part on the color of his skin. Agree or don't, but there is no way we would have ever elected a white liberal socialist. MLK must be rolling in his grave." (AShaw)

And in that tidy little paragraph you pull out your broad brush and paint the town!

It would be difficult for you to argue that:

1) You actually know why people voted for Obama (not withstanding that fact that YOU likely did not). An analogy would be saying every McCain voter did so because he is a war hero.

2) You pre-suppose both Obama's failure, and his at-the-ready excuse. Please use your crystal ball for the greater good of your fellow citizens!

3) You contradict your self with a new bald assertion, that we all voted for Obama cuz he's a Brother! Which is it?

4) You also ignore that we ALREADY elected a "white, liberal socialist" by the name of George W. Bush.

--- [SOCIALIST] "And this is why he nationalized airport security, created huge new bureaucracies, spent more than any president in American history, centralized control of education, put up more protectionist barriers than Clinton and his father combined, bailed out airlines, presided over the Sarbanes-Oxley reign of terror, unleashed anti-trust regulators, intensified health-care controls, and pretty much used every headline as an excuse to demand more money and power? " by your comrade in arms Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rockwell/bush...

-- [LIBERAL] "Unbeknownst to most Conservatives, they’ve been supporting the policies of a president, George W. Bush, which has been debatably one of the most Liberal figures in our history." from a website you would love, Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

5) And I have it on good authority that MLK is NOT rolling in his grave, today is his actually dancing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umzcbtAKt...

binky you need to read more carefully, because I do have a crystal ball and I anticipated how my words would be twisted and extended. Referring to your enumerated comments above:

1) I know one reason why SOME people voted for Obama, enough I am sure to push him over the finish line. My words were "IN A LARGE PART on the color of his skin." I did not say that EVERY voter voted only because he is black, but I am certain it was the only consideration for a good many. Since approx 95% of blacks voted for him I would draw the conclusion that race at least had a little to do with it wouldn't you? Just enough perhaps? My comment is how racist of them not to vote for a white guy for president!

2) I said "We shall see". Maybe I should have said "I predict". But mark my words, he will have great difficulty bringing about the changes he has promised, or even correcting Bush's "failures".. He is already making every attempt to lower expectations, if you haven't noticed. He will "need our help".

3) See 1)

4) I agree, Bush is a liberal socialist, but we didn't elect him as one. Somehow, everyone assumed he was a conservative. You pre-suppose that I support him, but I don't because he turned out to be a liberal..

5) Maybe so, I can't watch youtube here - but can you explain why Jesse Jackson was crying last night? I doubt it was because "the dream" had come true...I think it had more to do with black leadership envy....and being unseated, what do you think?

Why does it seem every liberal argument or rebuttal always ends with "Bush"? One thing at least that I HOPE will CHANGE is the Bush Derangement Syndrome...extreme cases have been classified as Bush Tourrette's syndrome. Can we get over it now?

Why does it seem every conservative argument or rebuttal always ends with "get over it"? One thing at least that I HOPE will CHANGE is the Values Derangement Syndrome...extreme cases have been classified as Pious Tourrette's syndrome. Can we get over it now?

Correction to above - had a typo attack:

Here is a man that selfishlessly gave to his country and was pushed to the edge right up to the delusional state of believing that Obama will actually do something other than exploiting the words we most want to hear .. "hope" and "change" - in order to get elected.

Sure standupcomic, but you need to stop being obsessed with me it's creeping me out. I know I have been chosen as your personal hate victim, but following me around and mimicking and mocking my ideas and profile add little to the conversation. You need some original ideas, it would be more becoming for you.

However, until I see you standing up outside my window I will consider your imitation to be the highest form of flattery. But I don't advise it, being a member of the NRA...
Thanks for the compliments :)

Oh.. and I am honored :)

I'll be sure to duck.

"you pesky wabbit, you."

And of course, STILL the right wingers are claiming that they "never supported Bush" or don't any longer because he didn't diligently apply the REAL conversative policies and values that would have ruined the country even more than the damage the GOP has already done. Look you fascists, this fool was never elected and Obama's victory means FIVE Democratic wins in a row (Clinton, Clinton, Gore, Kerry and Obama).

Seriously, where do this moronic right wing ideas come from? Do you really LIKE having your country in 40th place (or worse) in terms of health care, quality of life, freedom of the press, etc.? Progressives think we can do better and refuse to embrace your loser attitude about government and public policy.

Please get it through your skulls that the U.S. is a modern, progressive society that deserves national health, an intelligent national energy policy and a federal public education system -- all the things your party is against. You lost on Nov. 4 and you will always lose from this point forward as long as we stop you from cheating and hacking the vote. GOP = toast. Face it, Geroge Bush is the BEST you can do.

Patty writes: "We will be dealing with the aftermath of the last 8 years of George W. Bush's presidency for generations to come."

Quite possibly true. Also, keep in mind that Obama has a plan to shift the war into Afghanistan with a sixteen-month war plan. A LOT can go wrong with a sixteen-month timetable and be used as a justification for escalation.

Wasn't all this supposed to be solved when the U.S. invaded Iraq back in the early 90's? Funny how from president to president, this war never seems to end.