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NEWS | SAN DIEGO An unusual debate San Diego's mayoral candidates wrangle with questions from 'student' viewpoint
By KEVIN CHRISTENSEN, The Daily Transcript Thursday, June 2, 2005
The first debate in what is being billed as the city's most important mayoral election might go down as one of the biggest spoofs in local political campaign history.
The event was as much "Saturday Night Live" as it was serious discussion. A round of telephone calls were placed to seven of the city's leading mayoral candidates as early as Tuesday morning inviting them to the city's first live debate, "sponsored by the University of California at San Diego." The organizers said the debate was to be aired on the school's television station.
Candidates Richard Rider, Patrick Shea, Myke Shelby, Jim Bell, Donna Frye, Jerry Sanders and Steve Francis all committed. Those that actually showed up -- Rider, Shea, Shelby, Bell and Francis -- were surely surprised to find the debate in a small room, attended by about 15 students, more than five television cameras and mediated by a notorious campus prankster, Bryan Barton, 25.
The candidates had an opportunity to convey goals on city finances and housing, but appeared caught off-guard when asked a number of questions focusing on "student interests" such as beer and strip clubs.
"It seemed a little over the top, but it was a college thing," Shelby said. "I still felt that everyone had a chance to get their ideas cross and hear where others were coming from." What may have been most amusing, by the time the candidates had learned that the debate would not be as serious as hoped -- following a long introduction by Barton and a series of winks to one front row college co-ed -- the television cameras were running and it was clearly too late to leave.
That left the field of candidates -- featuring one former CEO of publicly traded company, a highly respected bankruptcy attorney and one Harley Davidson shop owner among others -- to do their best in maintaining decorum while answering questions such as: Will you push for legislation for more stringent alcohol rules on the beach? Better than the questions, perhaps, was watching serious candidates answer off the cuff.
To the alcohol questions, Francis responded, "When I was in college I had just as much drinks as everyone in this room. I think hat one needs to be mindful that excessive drinking leads to alcoholism." Shea, husband to famed pension whistleblower Diann Shipione, came back with a political gem and said, "I am not opposed to people having a good time and have been known to have that myself."
"New York" Myke Shelby, a veteran and crusader to keep the Soledad Cross memorial atop Mount Soledad, took a different approach and turned the tables on Barton, asking, "You've got some serious issues here. Is this really what you want to talk about?"
Wearing a Cheshire grin as if waiting for such a reply, Barton quipped to the delight of the audience, "Yes. We're college students." One campaign consultant, clearly not amused, began filing her nails about 35 minutes into the debate.
Shea, in a Thursday interview, said the event was a "good time" and commended Barton for being able to line it up.
"It's incredible he was actually able to pull that together," Shea said. A few of the candidates used the opportunity to show they had a sense of humor. Bell, a local environmental activist, responded to a student's question about the touch ordinance with, "I'm a good belly dancer." In a discussion about the local housing crisis, Rider, a local taxpayer advocate, likened his children to "vultures" on the fence waiting for him to die as the only way they can afford a median priced home in San Diego costing more than $500,000.
Shelby, obviously not entertained by the silly questions, took the opportunity to educate a few of the stone-faced student attendees on respect.
"You don't just applaud people you agree with, you applaud people out of respect," Shelby said. "So, you don't have to agree with anything I've done or anything these other guys have done, but sitting there looking like tough guys ain't gonna get it done either." Barton, perhaps sensing the tension or finding the opportunity to poke fun, later informed the small audience, "I'm afraid of 'New York' Myke. So, I just want everybody to know."
The candidates did, however, manage to salvage the evening by taking a couple of political jabs at their opponents' platforms and outlining their own stances on issues.
Possibly as an act of appeasement, Barton entered into the "softball question" period, where each candidate was given the opportunity to answer a question that highlighted his career accomplishments and professional expertise.
Mayoral candidates Frye and Sanders had originally committed, but reportedly dropped out at the last minute. To add even more comedic flavor, Barton began munching on a bagel about 20 minutes into the debate and a few minutes later followed that up with a Snickers bar.
Shelby, who had to ask Barton to repeat a question because his mouth was full, asked if the candidates would have to provide the munchies at the next debate.
"I'm a student," Barton mumbled.
FEAR AND LOATHING ON THE CAMPING TRAIL
Ex-Minuteman Bryan Barton puts the party in partisan agenda
by CHRIS ZIEGLER
Outhouse of representatives
Photo by James Bunoan
Bryan Barton wasn’t the first person to get kicked out of the Minuteman Project’s citizen-border-patrol corps, but he was the first to get kicked out because of a T-shirt—instead of for waving around an M-16. On April 6, Barton stopped a Mexican national named Jose Sepulveda about ten miles into Arizona and gave him water, Wheaties and—here’s where we pass the quit-while-you’re-ahead line—a T-shirt that said “BRYAN BARTON CAUGHT ME CROSSING THE BORDER AND ALL I GOT WAS THIS LOUSY T-SHIRT.
And then he took some pictures of Jose uncomfortably holding the shirt, and some of himself (grinning) and Jose (not so grinning) cheek-to-cheek like summer-camp buddies, and then the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department got involved, and Bryan’s photos went all the way up to Drudge and CNN. Then people started mentioning phrases like “international incident and “Abu Ghraib, and this giggly 25-year-old San Diego resident left the Minutemen two days ahead of schedule and came home to 15 not-so-flattering minutes of fame.
Which is fine with him—because besides his congressional campaign as a young Republican, he’s got a reality show to pitch, and thanks to one dehydrated illegal alien and some savvy timing, the Bryan Barton name is hotter than ever. But if anyone digs up the real story on what makes Barton run, it could get hotter still.
“To all the people who say I did this for my own self-gain, says Bryan over lunch at a nice Mexican restaurant (where his loud jokes about rounding up illegals in the desert force us to leave a really generous tip), “I saved Jose’s life. The primary thing is that I gave him food and water, and nobody seems to care. Anybody who wants to criticize me, I say: When’s the last time you saved a life?
And that much is true—Jose is totally still alive. No word on whether he got to keep the T-shirt when the Border Patrol showed up. And Jose’s later charges that Bryan had illegally detained him—which, admittedly, are a little unrealistic when you meet skinny, spazzy Bryan, who doesn’t seem like he could detain much beyond a stiff breeze—were dropped, though Cochise County law enforcement remains pissed.
“[Barton] acted like a clown, Sheriff Larry Dever told a local newspaper. “He is clearly trying to make a name for himself for political purposes, and I’m not interested in helping him.
“It wasn’t funny, added a Border Patrol spokesperson. And: “Allowing such activity to go unpunished sends a message to the entire country that individuals are free to take the law into their own hands, said the ACLU of Arizona. “In a nation of laws, this is intolerable.
But Bryan Barton has made a career out of being intolerable, even if he has yet to evolve that into “electable. His congressional-campaign-slash-reality-show-slash-illegal-alien-photo-op is just the latest in a string of intermittently successful publicity snares (leading one UCSD student blog to call him a “narcissistic megalomaniac).
His last legitimate office was homecoming prince at Sacramento’s Bella Vista High School—he lost his bid for king—and his last political action before the Minuteman Project almost got him kicked out of school. In May 2004, he commandeered a public-input session of the university student council (with a borrowed goat named Carnival and a squad of Bartonites with water balloons backing him up) and declared himself dictator of UCSD. Ten seconds later, the elected council officials were soaked and Bryan was on his way to a meeting with the dean, which would postpone his official graduation (on a poli-sci major) until this summer. He still walked with the rest of his graduating class, however, beaming when students realized who he was and viciously booed him. So in some ways, he is extremely prepared for a career in Republican politics.
And he’s also extremely prepared to get blown apart, with a history practically collapsing under potential scandal—in fact, he should consider himself lucky that the Associated Press stringers who made him famous didn’t dig much deeper than what happened in the Arizona desert. Bryan was once editor of UCSD’s infamous Koala, the South Park-damaged campus humor publication that the UC Students of Color Conference hailed as “hate-filled and “very disturbing (“I think it’s popular among white guys, noted one UCSD lecturer. “Especially non-Jews.)
The Koala’s media zenith may have been its “Jizzlam issue, which reportedly won editorial staff actual physical beatings. So could, say, savvy Democratic operatives somehow make use of Barton’s association with a publication, say, featuring a photo of Barton in a Hitler mustache a few pages away from an ad with a sexy schoolgirl captioned RAPE AWAY? “I was NOT the editor during ‘Jizzlam’! Bryan says, waving his arms. “And nothing in that paper was ever serious.
And there—at least for those who don’t care about the concerns of the Jizzlamic-American community—is the most pressing question for Barton’s future: Is this guy for real? He does have a platform—free speech (pro), illegal immigration (con, though he says if he catches anyone else crossing the border, they’ll get a free T-shirt), and the privatization of Social Security (pro), an argument he plans to pitch to his generation in terms of extra beer money—but he’s much more into talking about how Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura pioneered electo-tainment. And, he says, “There’s never been a reality show based on a political campaign—I have it copyrighted!
He’s not a fraud (as some have claimed), he insists, but he can’t even register for the primary until 2006. Until then, all he’s got is the good Barton name. And eight hours of a videotape for a reality show pilot, featuring Jose Sepulveda. Who, Bryan admits, never signed a release authorizing his appearance. That might be a problem later, too. Or it might get him on TV for almost causing an international incident—again.
“I don’t find attention, Bryan says. “Attention finds me. The original intent was to save some dude dying in the desert. He could have died if it wasn’t for Bryan Barton.
And he smiles wide and sketches a quick exclamation point with his fork: “Double-you-double-you-double-you-vote-barton-dot-com!
WATCH VIDEOS OF BRYAN AND JOSE, GET YOUR OWN BRYAN BARTON T-SHIRT OR CONTACT BRYAN ABOUT HIS REALITY SHOW AT WWW.VOTEBARTON.COM.
News about Bryan Barton's antics at the border:
Miami Herald Sun: Does it come in a large? a Mexican immigrant with the offending T-shirt
Does it come in a large? a Mexican immigrant with the offending T-shirt. Picture: AFP
Border control gets shirty
09apr05
DOUGLAS -- Militia volunteers patrolling the US-Mexico border in Arizona held a Mexican immigrant and made him hold a joke T-shirt for cameras.
The man filed a legal complaint, claiming he was held and forced to display a T-shirt distributed by Minuteman volunteer Bryan Barton that said, "Bryan Barton caught me crossing the border and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." It was the first complaint by an illegal immigrant against a member of the Minuteman group.
Between 300 and 400 volunteers, some armed, are in Arizona to stake out a 35km section of the border for a month to protest at what they say are ineffective border controls.
The Cochise county sheriff's department said three Minuteman volunteers picked up the 26-year-old immigrant yesterday.
"We have no time or patience for anyone attempting to turn this situation into a three-ring circus," Sheriff Larry Dever said.
Mr Barton, 24, of San Diego, plans to enter politics next year.
The man's complaint was referred to a prosecutor.
UC San Diego Student Joins 'Minute Men' at Border
Last Updated:
04-08-05 at 8:59AM
Bryan Barton, a former UC San Diego student, is causing a stir after posing with a border crosser he detained while holding a T-shirt with a "flippant" statement on it.
The T-shirt which reads, "Bryan Barton Caught Me Crossing the Border and All I Got Was This Lousy T-shirt", also featured a similar message in Spanish, a picture of Barton, and a web address promoting Barton's Republican bid for congress.
Barton, 24, was questioned by Cochise County sheriff's deputies after border-crosser Jose Sepulveda reported that Barton forced him to pose for the photo and that he was held against his will, The San Diego Union Tribune reported.
No charges have been filed against Barton, although sheriff's officials investigated the incident as a possible unlawful detention.
The encounter was also videotaped by Cameron Sawyer, a friend of Barton's from Utah, on Wednesday afternoon, the newspaper reported.
Jim Gilchrist, an organizer of the Minuteman Project, told the Union-Tribune that Barton Volunteered to leave after apologizing for the stunt.
Migrant filmed by Minuteman, forced to hold t-shirt
Xavier Zaragoza/The Daily Dispatch
Two Minuteman volunteers are being investigated after an illegal immigrant told Cochise County authorities he was held against his will.
The two volunteers were traveling on Highway 92 when they saw the 25-year-old man from Sinaloa, said Consulate officials.
The migrant was tired and hungry when he encountered the two volunteers near mile marker 328 in Palominas.
The volunteers gave him food, water, $20 and a T-shirt that read "Bryan Barton caught me crossing the border and all I got was this lousy T-shirt."
At the bottom of the T-shirt was Barton's website, www.votebarton.com; he apparently is running for office in California.
The migrant held up the T-shirt while one of the volunteers filmed him, said Carol Capas, spokeswoman for the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
He told deputies he was held against his will and forced to hold the T-shirt while he was photographed and videotaped, Capas said.
In a press release, county sheriff Larry Dever was not pleased with the incident.
"We do not have time nor the patience for anyone attempting to turn this situation into a three ring circus," Dever said.
The video was turned over to the Sheriff's office and a report will be turned in to the county Attorney's Office for review, Capas said.
At press time Chris Simcox could not be reached.
Ex-UCSD student may have unlawfully detained Mexican
By Leslie Berestein
and Jerry Kammer
STAFF WRITER
and COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
April 8, 2005
An apparent publicity stunt by a San Diego prankster volunteering for the anti-illegal-immigration Minuteman Project in Arizona nearly turned into an international incident.
Bryan Barton, a 24-year-old former UCSD student, was questioned by Cochise County sheriff's deputies after an undocumented immigrant alleged Wednesday that Barton and others forced him to pose for a photograph while holding a T-shirt that read, "Bryan Barton Caught Me Crossing the Border and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt."
The T-shirt also featured a similar message in badly butchered Spanish, a picture of Barton and a Web address promoting his Republican bid for Congress.
"It wasn't funny," said Andy Adame, a spokesman for the Border Patrol's Tucson sector. "Illegal immigration is a serious issue, and unfortunately this individual took advantage of the attention that the civilians on patrol have brought to this area and used it as a trampoline to promote his own political agenda."
No charges have been filed against Barton, although the Sheriff's Department investigated the incident as a possible unlawful detention after Jose Sepulveda, a 26-year-old Mexican national, told Border Patrol and Mexican officials that he was held against his will.
The incident, videotaped by Cameron Sawyer, a companion of Barton's from Utah, occurred about midday Wednesday. The tape shows Barton wearing the T-shirt in question, talking into the camera by the side of a road.
Then a young Latino man who appears to be in distress comes into the frame. Barton walks over to meet the man, gives him food and speaks a few words of broken Spanish ("muy delicioso, Wheaties").
Barton tries to call the Border Patrol, but can't seem to find the number. Eventually, a man and woman, apparently other Minuteman volunteers, come along and make a call. The Minuteman Project, which began this week, is a monthlong effort that aims to alert authorities to illegal crossers in the San Pedro River valley in Arizona.
In the video, Barton is seen giving the man money. Then Barton takes off his T-shirt, puts on a different garment and hands the T-shirt – with its message clearly visible – to the illegal immigrant, who takes it.
Adame said a Border Patrol agent arrived just in time to see someone snapping a photo of Sepulveda with the T-shirt held in front of him. After Sepulveda is taken away, Barton says to the camera, "And now Cameron sells the footage to CNN."
Agents at the Border Patrol's Naco station alerted county authorities, as well as the Mexican Consulate and the FBI, after suspecting illegal activity. Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Alma Barth said deputies tracked down and questioned Barton, but after authorities saw the video, the Cochise County Attorney's Office concluded yesterday that there was no indication of an illegal apprehension.
Mexican consular officials said it was too soon to say if any civil action would be taken.
If it was attention Barton wanted, he got it.
"I'm going to go home and continue running for Congress," he said yesterday afternoon, juggling media interviews before heading out of Cochise County.
Barton, described by a sister as "just different," moved to San Diego from the Sacramento area to attend UCSD. A university spokeswoman said he attended between January 2002 and June 2004, but did not graduate.
He was suspended after a prank that involved crashing a student council meeting with squirt guns and water balloons, said a friend, UCSD senior Steve York.
York, who recently had his own troubles after he appeared nude and engaged in sex acts on campus TV, is editor of The Koala, a student magazine that, among other things, has poked fun at minorities. Barton was editor last year.
Barton's sister Gerilyn Ramey, 22, said her brother is neither violent nor racist, but when told of his Arizona stunt, she wasn't entirely surprised.
"It is not uncharacteristic," Ramey said. "He's just my brother."
Barton planned to spend last night at a Tucson motel. Jim Gilchrist, an organizer of the Minuteman Project, said Barton volunteered to leave after apologizing for any embarrassment he might have caused.
"It was an attempt by one of our naive young members to bond with someone from another country," Gilchrist said of the incident. Still, "he should not have done that."