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It’s Off to the Races at the Del Mar Death Track

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It’s the time of year when the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club cranks up its well-oiled PR machine. Today, the $100,000 Oceanside Stakes, with a 14-horse field of 3-year-olds competing on the infield grass race track, will kick off a 36 day summer season. Are you excited yet? Don’t be.

There will be hats — outrageous hats, funny hats, and flamboyant head coverings–worn by people competing for a $5000 prize and 15 seconds of fame on local TV news. Later this year, the famed Breeder’s Cup, two days of racing moving from track to track each fall, will draw international attention to Del Mar.

The celebratory ‘cool as ever’ public relations slogan, opening day promotions, concerts and celebrity events barely mask the stench of death surrounding the Del Mar race track. It’s not just the (too many) horses dying; it’s the sport itself.   [Read more…]

The GOP’s ‘Wreck and Run’ Health Care Plan

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The Republicans’ hopes for killing Obamacare are fading fast. The already existing plans for protests over the next few day, drawn up when it appeared a vote was possible, just may be enough to end this round of folly.

Esquire’s Charles P. Pierce summed up the political dilemma on health care quite nicely today, noting “Ignorance and cruelty are the pre-existing conditions here, and the Republicans are finding out they’re not covered for those.”

What’s not going away, however, are the ideologies infecting the GOP’s big donor class. These folks paid good money to see government destroyed and are still looking for a return on their investment, so don’t put away those marchin’ shoes just yet.   [Read more…]

It’s ‘Lies in America’ Week

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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.   [Read more…]

Last Call for Repeal, Replace, Or ? Progressive Activist Calendar for San Diego: July 14- 25, 2017

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San Diego Pride Weekend Plus Dozens of Other Events 

Who knew one vote could be so important? That’s all it will take to stop TreasonCare V.3 in the United States Senate. Two key Senators on opposite ends of the GOP political spectrum have already said ‘no way.’

At this point, anything perceived as “win” is all the GOP wants. They’ll promise or say anything to get there. A whopping 61% of the American public opposes the plan.

So, if you know people in states with Senators known to be wavering on this legislation, make a call, send a text, or DM urging them to send a message to Capitol Hill.  

In the meantime, there is lots of activist action in San Diego over the next ten days.   [Read more…]

Issa, Sessions, Devos Headlining Republican Summer of Hate Tour

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Republican officials nationwide are now openly appealing to groups with a track record of advocating for policies based on misogyny, racism, and fundamentalist theocracy.

Rep. Issa’s hanging with the eugenics crowd. Atty General Sessions gave a secret address to the “Summit on Religious Liberty” at the Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel.

Education Secretary DeVos is meeting with so-called men’s rights groups–including the San Diego-based National Coalition for Men (NCFM)– and accused rapists as part of her consultations on campus sexual assault.   [Read more…]

DC Con Job Continues as TreasonCare V.3 Rolls Out

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Dumping Trump Isn’t Going to Happen Just Yet 

No, the Trump administration isn’t imploding. Revelation upon revelation keeps piling up, but if there isn’t an actual document ceding United States sovereignty to the Russians, the GOP’s deal with the devil will remain in place.

The terms of the deal should be obvious by now: Trump is in the White House as a warm body to sign legislation to eliminate the vestiges of the New Deal and usher in a new gilded era.

First up on this agenda is the redirection of one-sixth of the economy, namely healthcare. We won’t know the particulars of Trumpcare Treasoncare V.3 for another day or so, but rest assured, the aims are the same. And the response from the hinterlands must be the same: No, No, and No.   [Read more…]

Official Neglect Fosters Wage Theft In San Diego

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Study: Nearly 40,000 workers shorted on paychecks. 

What happens if voters approve an increased minimum wage ordinance and government can’t be bothered? Short answer–people get ripped off.

A study by the San Diego State University Department of Sociology, the Center on Policy Initiatives, and the Employee Rights Center of San Diego estimates employers in San Diego and Imperial counties have failed to pay the legal minimum wage to 39,900 local workers.

One year ago today the San Diego Earned Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Ordinance became law and established a local minimum wage (currently $11.50 an hour) applying to all work done within City limits.   [Read more…]

The Arc of San Diego’s Moral Universe Bends Oh So Slowly

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America’s Finest City isn’t really all that fine, sometimes. Especially if you happen to be a homeless human. Or a whistleblower. Or a woman. Or a protester. The same old, same old, keeps on happening, and like cartoon character Charlie Brown going after that football Lucy’s holding for him, we keep falling for it.

An $80 million commitment in funding for homeless services announced last week is just the latest in a series of moves designed to make people think something is being done by local officials.

The promises keep piling up and so do all the tents on city sidewalks and in parks. Money is being poured into a bucket with several holes in it. There is simply no way these dollars will create enough housing to catch up with demand.   [Read more…]

Progressive Activist Calendar for San Diego: July 7- 18, 2017. Get Ready to Show Some Pride!

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Five days of rioting followed a June 28, 1969, police raid on the Stonewall bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village mark the beginning of contemporary Gay Pride activities around the United States.

Groups with radical-sounding names and agendas like the Gay Liberation Front or the Gay Activist Alliance became part of the landscape of protest in the era of Black Power, anti-war protests, Women’s Liberation, and the Counterculture movement.

The first local Gay-In was held in December 1970 at Presidio Park, organized by the nascent San Diego State Gay Liberation Front.

Much has changed since those early days, where simply being gay exposed people to felony charges in most states. Community organizing enabled economic and political power, leading to increased visibility, and, most importantly, to a greater degree of equality in the eyes of the law.   [Read more…]

When It Comes to Healthcare, Does Nothing Left to Lose Amount to Freedom?

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While the CNN vs Neo-Nazis battle continues, and Donald Trump is busy negotiating parking permits for Russian tanks in Washington DC, the Republican plan for Wealthcare is getting tweaked for another run through the Senate.

Keep your eyes on the prize, folks, because Repeal and Replace may soon be transformed into to just plain old abolishment. Evidently, 22 or 23 million people losing access to health care wasn’t enough–now Republicans are shooting for 32 million.

This behind the scenes action on Capitol Hill comes as progressives in 21 states are calling for sit-ins outside the offices of GOP senators.   [Read more…]

Voter Suppression Commission is Just the Beginning of Bad News for Democracy

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The fourth of July is typically a time Americans have celebrated the success of our great national experiment with democracy. This year, more than ever, I reflected on just how much we as a nation stand to lose as the Trump administration takes us down the road to oligarchy.

The first thing they are coming after is our right to vote. This is not hyperbole. We are witnessing a nationwide campaign of voter suppression led by the executive branch and enabled by their Republican minions in Congress.

And, in the event we are able to make it to our polling places, based on what I believe was a trial run aimed at redefining the political landscape via information warfare, there remains the real possibility of voting being a mere affirmation of the views being thrust upon us.   [Read more…]

SD Sheriffs Stand By as Alt-Reich ‘Proud Boys’ Disrupt Impeachment Rally

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There were rallies calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump in cities around the United States on Sunday. Supporters of the President turned out for counter protests in Austin, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York. Law enforcement officers in those cities worked to keep the groups separated, allowing each to express their First Amendment rights.

The situation in San Diego at the County Administration Building was different, as Sheriff’s Deputies initially stood by idly and watched as members of the ‘Proud Boys’ disrupted, threatened and harassed attendees and speakers.

The Southern Poverty Law Center called this group an “Alt-Right Fight Club” in an article following the April street fighting in Berkeley, California. Many of the disrupters came down from Orange County. Some wore helmets and appeared as though they were ready for combat; others kept their battle gear tethered to their belts or hidden under American flag capes they wore.   [Read more…]

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