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Trump Unhinged: Hot Gossip and Sad Stories, Served with a Side of Authoritarianism

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Lawyers for Donald Trump are seeking to block distribution of Fire and Fury, an insider account of the White House written by columnist Michael Wolff. The book is jam-packed with revelations portraying the administration as a ship adrift led by a president unconnected to reality.

Previews of the gossipy account have already appeared in New York Magazine and the Hollywood Reporter. Booksellers have already handed off copies to reporters at other publications. so the cat is out of the bag in the unlikely event a judge can be persuaded to issue a restraining order.

What we know for sure at this point is somebody granted Wolff a non-media pass allowing more access than common sense would dictate necessary for a year-long period. And the really big bombshell comes from a report at Axios, revealing the existence of an extensive collection of recordings made by the author.

I’ll come back to some of the more salacious accounts in Fire and Fury, but there is other news from Trumplandia also deserving of your attention.   [Read more…]

Attn Darrell Issa: The 1950’s Called – They Want Their Politics Back

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Congressman Darrell Issa is resorting to increasingly desperate measures to counter nationally publicized weekly protests outside his Vista offices, according to emails obtained by the San Diego Free Press.

This week Issa called in ‘the troops,’ summoned from a veterans association armed with some red-baiting slogans. News crews from Fox and KUSI were called to the scene in hopes of gaining coverage of a counterprotest coordinated with the North County Congressman.

The opposition rally, organized by emails sent out by a local affiliate of the California Military Officers Association (CALMOAA), drew all of 18 people who stood across the street from the over 400 anti-Issa/Trump protesters.
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San Diego 2018: What the Democratic Party Leadership Must Do

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The times, they are a-changin’.

Last weekend, the Union-Tribune editorial board called out the leadership of the county’s Democratic Party for enabling men who sexually harass women. You can’t know how weird it felt to have read the dead tree version of this editorial and having to admit it read like something I could have written.

In years past, I would have just chalked up such criticism to the urgings of the UT’s Republican masters looking to stir the pot. By putting their criticism in the context of what’s been happening nationally with high profile cases of sexual harassment and boorish behavior, the UT showed me this was more than partisan sniping.   [Read more…]

A Peek at California’s New Laws for 2018, Including Where to Buy Recreational Pot in San Diego

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Unlike Congress, the California Legislature actually passed (mostly) beneficial laws taking effect in 2018. And the provisions of various ballot measures passed by state voters are also kicking in.

Included in today’s column is an overview of how some of these 800+ changes will affect Californians. I’ve broken the coverage into the following categories: Crime, Immigration, Education, Voting, Working, Guns, Health & Safety, and Marijuana. Included throughout are short summaries, with links to more detailed explanations.

The biggie is, of course, marijuana legalization. Except that it’s more like marijuana regulation, as local governments struggle to either acknowledge/tax or ignore a $7 billion industry impacting everything from tourism to agriculture. Generally speaking, the state will treat cannabis like alcohol, allowing people 21 and older to legally possess up to an ounce of pot and grow six marijuana plants at home. (More on that subject at the end of this story.)   [Read more…]

Will You Spare a Few Seconds to Help Homeless People in San Diego?

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Editor Note: This Starting Line originally published on December 15, 2016 details the plight of homeless people and steps to solve the problem of homelessness as well as some thoughts on national issues.

Today I’m giving over most of my column to Women Occupy, who have crafted a petition to Mayor Kevin Faulconer to actually do something ‘not mean’ for our rapidly growing homeless population.

Yesterday I sat in on a meeting with homeless advocates and heard a litany of horror stories about how the growth of the population of unhoused humans in San Diego is directly related to policy decisions made at city hall. I’ll report more on what I learned at a later date.

Will this petition end homelessness? Nope. But it could well be –if enough people sign it and YOU tell your friends about it– a step in the right direction. Only in movies has a single action ever righted a wrong. Change occurs because of thousands of little actions. Make signing this petition your contribution to a better San Diego. It only takes a few seconds.

CLICK TO SIGN HERE

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Gore Disputes Cover Up Accusations in 11 Sexual Assault Complaints Involving Sheriff’s Deputy

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In the wake of interviews by KPBS and the Union-Tribune with four of the eleven women accusing San Diego Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Fischer of sexual assault, Sheriff Bill Gore is trying to reassure the public about the pace of the investigation.

The women say Fischer groped, fondled or hugged them inappropriately. They told KPBS they believe the department has enough evidence to fire Fischer and the DA’s office should have initiated prosecutions by now.

In an interview with NBC 7’s Catherine Garcia, Gore said there are four investigators and one District Attorney assigned to the case, adding ”We’re not dragging our feet.”   [Read more…]

What’s Bigger Than A Tsunami? Republicans Are About to Find Out. So Are Democrats.

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Congressman Ted Lieu passed that sentiment along –referring to the GOP– yesterday, via Twitter as #WednesdayWisdom, and he’s right as far as next year’s elections are concerned.

I’d take it one step further and say all politicians are about to find out, as the consequences of misogyny, racism, and market-first economics ripple through society.

Let’s take these in order as we prepare to pass into Year Two in the Era of Lord Trump. And, at the end of this article, there’s some breaking (and) good news, so do read all the way through.     [Read more…]

Tax Reform By Another Name: Grand Theft, Republican

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Despite abundant historical and economic data completely undermining the basic premises for what was called “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” it will become law once the “fixes” are applied due to errors in math, logic, and legal precedent.

As it turns out, the bill was so sloppily written the name had to be changed at the last minute after the Senate Parliamentarian ruled it did not pass muster. Trump may not sign the bill this year because a PAYGO provision won’t be accompanying it.

Republicans have just pulled off the biggest bank heist in U.S. history. More than $1 trillion over the next decade will leave our treasury to be deposited in the bank accounts of the wealthiest Americans and big corporations.

American corporations (which include about 40% foreign investors) are making record profits and the stock market is at an all-time high. (Fact: the market went up more during Obama’s first 11 months than it has under Trump).  Yet Trump and company based the need for tax breaks for corporations on the premise that our economy needs revving up.   [Read more…]

Happy First Issa-versary: 49 Weeks of Protests in the 49th Congressional District

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The few dozen people who met up outside Congressman Darrell Issa’s office on December 20, 2016, were, like millions of Americans, still processing the shock of a Republican victory in the presidential election.

They knew something had to be done, and Issa’s close call in the congressional election gave them hope and, most importantly, a tangible target to protest. His smirking and sneering leadership in Republican efforts to devalue the basic concepts of truth and fairness for partisan gain, his early embrace of a candidate who encouraged the worst in the American zeitgeist, and his confrontational style, all made him a logical choice.

One year later, Issa’s Vista office is the location of largest, most sustained weekly congressional protests in the nation. A core volunteer group of thirty oversees an average weekly attendance of close to 400 people. They show up at 10am and disperse one hour later. Every week. That’s what I call dedication.   [Read more…]

Trump’s War on Language: Seven Words You Can’t Say and Two That No Longer Exist

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Words have meaning. The Trump administration and its sycophants are using words as ammunition in their quest to reshape the country to the liking of its favored theocrats and oligarchs.   

An agency charged with overseeing the nation’s health told it’s planners to avoid using seven words in budget requests, including “vulnerable,” “entitlement,” “diversity,” “transgender,” “fetus,” “evidence-based” and “science-based.”

Another division of Health and Human Services was  told to avoid “entitlement,” “diversity” and “vulnerable.” “Obamacare” is to be used instead of the Affordable Care Act.   [Read more…]

Senator Al Franken Had to Go in DC, Doesn’t Mickey Kasparian Need to Do the Same in San Diego?

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Given the Latest Lawsuit Against Central Committee Member Kasparian, How Long Will Women Support the Local Dysfunctional Democratic Party?

How many incidents of discrimination and/or sexual misconduct is too many for San Diego’s Democratic Party? Are four enough? How long will the party’s leaders continue to disparage those who defend victims in these cases in order to protect their cash flow?  (Another story for another day)

In light of the latest news about a member of the organization’s Central Committee, it’s a fair question to ask.  We need to be talking about these ugly matters, even as a series of op-eds in the Union-Tribune revives the painful episodes surrounding the fall of former Mayor Bob Filner.

County employee and Service Employees International Union Local 221 Board member Melody Godinez has filed a lawsuit against Mickey Kasparian, President of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 alleging “gender violence” and “vile and despicable” conduct.   [Read more…]

Progressive Activist Calendar, December 15, 2017-January 5, 2018

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The holiday season is upon us, and many groups are taking a break, including the elves and gnomes prowling the interwebs for the Progressive Activist Calendar.  Today’s events listing will be the last one for 2017; I’ll resume on January 5, 2018. I’m posting the Startling Line column separately later today.

Check out this week’s Progressive Calendar listings below. Following those listings are upcoming events of national importance, along with opportunities for organizational involvement.

Get your event listed:  I try to list the next 10 days or so of mostly non-commercial events I think our readers might find of interest. I source my material from social media listings and press releases. Club meetings will be listed IF there are speakers and they are open to the public.
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