San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

It’s ‘Lies in America’ Week

by

h/t Patrick.Net

So now the Trump administration is going to have themed weeks, kind of like what Olive Garden does with its ‘delicioso’ packages. This is part of a messaging campaign designed to make the citizenry look away from the burgeoning Russia scandal and the administration’s disastrous idea of a health care package.  

Instead of all-you-can-eat breadsticks, Americans will be asked to enjoy unlimited hypocrisy. This week the White House is featuring “Made in America.” We’re not supposed to remember how the Trump family’s retail ventures are nearly all made overseas.

Next week will be called “American Heroes Week,” focusing on American jobs, with the following week devoted to the “American Dream,” according to a White House official.

You’ll be thrilled to know, despite the strong push to pass Trumpcare through the Senate this month, the White House is not planning a week to focus on health care. That’s too bad, because MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, Indivisible and a host of other organizations will be calling, protesting, and speaking out on this topic for the foreseeable future.

Here in San Diego, Indivisible is planning on visiting both US Senate field offices:

On Tuesday, July 18th, our whole national network will be showing up together to say that TrumpCare would hurt our friends, our families, and our country–and we’ll remember this vote. Join us as we show constituent power and support Senators Feinstein and Harris as they continue the fight against the repeal of the ACA.

Plans are still in development, but we will meet outside of Feinstein’s office from noon to 12:30ish, then walk over to Harris’ office. We will be inviting the staff of Feinstein and Harris to come outside to hear from constituents about the dire effects of this heartless health care bill.

Bring your signs, personal health care stories, American flags, and your voices! Constituent comment forms will be available to fill out while we are there. However, if you’d like to write one up in advance please include your name, address with ZIP code, phone, and email info, along with your comments and concerns. Thank you!! 

Getting back to “Made in America,“ Sam Stein at The Daily Beast did manage to find a $32 branded T-shirt in the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. gift shop:

That’s basically the extent of the American-made products though. Walk a few feet further in and you will find a child’s bib on sale for $30 that is made in Peru; or a Trump golf hat for $32 that is made in Bangladesh; or a fleece pullover (yes, with “Trump” on it) for $50 that is made in Pakistan; or another type of golf hat for $32 that is made in China; or a Greg Norman golf pullover that goes for $80 that is made in Vietnam; or a kid’s t-shirt for $35 that is also made in Peru; or $15 worth of body butter that is made in Canada, which you could couple with the $15 Trump conditioner that is also made by our neighbors to the north.

The Washington Post dug a little deeper:

Similarly, the clothing line of Ivanka Trump, the president’s older daughter and a senior White House adviser, relies exclusively on foreign factories employing low-wage workers in countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and China, according to a recent Washington Post investigation.

Asked at Sunday’s briefing whether “Made in America” week would include a commitment from the Trump Organization or Ivanka Trump’s company to make more of their products in the United States, Ferre told reporters, “We’ll get back to you on that.”

Here in San Diego, it’s apparently “Reboot Old Politicians” week.

The Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune ran an article over the weekend purporting to show Congressman Darrell Issa as a moderate. This latest bit of propaganda is the second attempt to spin the man into something he’s not.

Issa votes with Donald Trump supported legislation 100 percent of the time. He scoffs at the idea of moving towards the center politically, telling the reporter who wrote both these articles, “Nothing could be further from the truth …. Bullshit.”

So how is it proven he’s a moderate? He apparently speaks from time to time with people who aren’t as conservative as he is. Issa–gasp–went on a junket with Democratic Congressman Juan Vargas.

There’s nary a mention in the Times/UT puffery about Issa’s attempts to throttle the weekly protests outside his Vista office. The ACLU weighed in and the bureaucratic hassles suddenly disappeared.

Oh, and he’s said stuff about a special prosecutor and the Paris Climate Agreement; not that his votes on the floor of Congress will ever match up with those utterances. Somehow being not the highest rated conservative by Heritage Action is offered as further proof.

In the meantime, the weekly protests outside his Vista office continue to draw hundreds of people every Tuesday. (Starting time has been restored to 10am)

And here’s the latest MoveOn.org ad on Issa and Russian collusion with the Trump campaign for your viewing pleasure.

Speaking of packaging, former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner’s got a blog to go with his book, Trumping Trump — Making Democrats Progressive Again. Both the book and blog reference the man as “Congressman Bob.” And he’s now “Dr. Bob Filner, as seen on The Washington Post, Fox News … yada, yada ….”

I’m gathering from the pearls of wisdom being dispensed here that Doc Filner is positioning himself as a talking head, coming soon to an idiot box near you.

It’s not like I disagree with anything he’s saying.

What’s not to like about

  • We’ve only got a little time left—let’s SEE you, Democrats!
  • When is a smoking gun NOT a smoking gun?
  • Let’s take the battle to these communities!  Pay me now or pay me later!
  • Happy Birthday America!…?

It just creeps me out.

***

The sky didn’t fall on the Pride Parade this weekend, contrary to predictions on right-wing talk radio and elsewhere.

A group did set up a tent and make some speeches in the park at Upas & Sixth. But there were no disruptions, no confrontations, and none of the arrests promised to anybody who’d dare point out that injustices continue .…

***

How’s this for recycling? Britain is paying Sweden to take its trash, via the UK Independent:

Sweden is so good at recycling that, for several years, it has imported rubbish from other countries to keep its recycling plants going. Less than 1 per cent of Swedish household waste was sent to landfill last year or any year since 2011.

Finally, speaking of recycling…

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Doug Porter

Doug Porter

Doug Porter was active in the early days of the alternative press in San Diego, contributing to the OB Liberator, the print version of the OB Rag, the San Diego Door, and the San Diego Street Journal. He went on to have a 35-year career in the Hospitality business and decided to go back into raising hell when he retired. He won numerous awards for his columns from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Doug is a cancer survivor (sans vocal chords) and lives in North Park.

Comments

  1. are you kiddin’?! it’s ‘Lies in America Week’ EVERY week with this administration. lies, deception, ineptitude, bad intent, lack of ethics….
    yea, interesting times.

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