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Republicans Big Hurry to Ruin Healthcare for Millions

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Like a dog finally catching up with the car it’s been chasing, the Republicans are now faced with the question of “what do we do now?” when it comes to Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act.

Each of San Diego’s Congressional districts has roughly 30,000 people covered, thanks to the provisions of the law. There are 121,500 people employed in the healthcare industry locally, contributing $17.2 billion annually to the area’s economy. So any changes to the way the system currently functions are bound to have a broad social and economic impact.

The text of the GOP’s replacement health care plan was reportedly finalized over the weekend, with House Speaker Paul Ryan, Energy and Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, OMB Director Mick Mulvaney, HHS Secretary Tom Price, among others, hashing out details via a conference call on Saturday.   [Read more…]

#ResistSD Weekly Calendar for San Diego March 3 – March 14, 2017

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More Than Four Dozen Activism Opportunities

By Doug Porter

San Diego is becoming an activist powerhouse. Major local actions in the period covered by this calendar include Saturday’s OB March 4 Impeachment, and activities centered around A Day Without a Woman, on Wednesday, March 8. There are Townhalls, Teach-Ins, Art Shows, and Fundraisers.

So what will you do? Check out this week’s Progressive Calendar listings below. Following those listings are upcoming events of national importance, along with opportunities for organizational involvement and a few reading suggestions.   [Read more…]

Attorney General Sessions: The Latest of Trump’s Russia Troubles

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Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, former Senator from Alabama, campaign advisor, and current Attorney General is generating the latest waft of smoke from the smoldering garbage fire, also known as the Trump administration’s Russia scandal.

During his nomination hearings, the then-Senator from Alabama failed to disclose two occasions when he met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to the Washington Post.

A New York Times story published today adds more fuel to the fire, saying European intelligence agencies warned the US about meetings in European cities between Russian officials — and others close to Russia’s president, Vladimir V. Putin — and associates of President-elect Trump.   [Read more…]

So Presidential You Shouldn’t Believe It

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President Donald Trump’s first address to a joint session of congress was everything his handlers hoped it would be. It was largely based on falsehoods or exaggerations, as fact checks from the Associated Press, the New York Times, and Politifact document, but couched in less threatening rhetoric.

He stayed on script, starting with things Democrats have a hard time opposing like being against hate crimes and for education, then moving to placate the base with Islamic terrorism horror stories and a new homeland security unit for the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants.

Most importantly, Trump didn’t attack the media, giving them an opening to normalize the administration and acquire brownie points by saying things like the speech sounded ‘muscular,’ or the occasion marked (yet another) a ‘pivot point.’   [Read more…]

‘Playing Politics’ and ‘School Choice:’ Code Words for Bigotry and Ignorance

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Republicans on the San Diego City Council united yesterday to oppose an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit before the United States Supreme Court involving the rights of transgender students.

The brief supports Gavin Grimm, a transgender student suing a county district in Virginia for the right to use public facilities, including boys bathrooms, in public schools.

Support came from the council’s five Democrats. Council members Chris Cate and Mark Kersey abstained. Lori Zapf simply didn’t show up. Republican Scott Sherman, who is termed out, voted to oppose the motion.   [Read more…]

Trump’s Border Brownshirts Already Running Amok

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The ‘gloves are off’ is a terrible thing to say to anybody with a gun and a badge

We’re already seeing glimpses of what ‘empowered’ agencies charged with immigration enforcement will look like in the Trump era, and it’s not a pretty sight.

What seems to be clear at this point is that some enforcement personnel in Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol (two separate agencies, both in Homeland security) aren’t even waiting for the official go-ahead.

San Diego has been lucky–thus far– when it comes to the negative impact of recent executive orders on immigration and refugees. I suspect the reticence of the local ‘migra’ forces may have something to do with the potential for civil unrest as much as anything else.   [Read more…]

Weekly Progressive Activism Calendar for San Diego, February 24-March 5, 2017

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We’re Not Going Away! More Than Three Dozen Ways to Get Involved

Duncan Hunter’s on the Run! The Los Angeles Times ran a hilarious article about the San Diego Congress-Critter’s pathetic attempts to close down his offices in the face of ongoing protests. Also, Congressman Darrell Issa tried and failed to co-opt the local resistance this week.

Two hundred representatives are not even bothering to try and meet with constituents during the February break. But that hasn’t stopped people from picketing their offices and flooding their switchboards with calls demanding answers on immigration, health care, and a host of other issues. And it’s not going to stop anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Congresspersons Susan Davis and Scott Peters spoke before full houses this week, answering questions and seeing up close and personal the passion people are feeling these days. As Democrats, these representatives didn’t face crowds that were necessarily upset, but the message of resistance was just as strong.   [Read more…]

Trump’s ‘Military Operation’ Against ‘Bad Dudes’

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In a meeting with corporate executives this morning, President Donald Trump took time out to extol the virtues of his administration’s immigration policies, saying his effort to ramp up deportations is a “military operation” aimed at ridding the U.S. of “really bad dudes.”

The reality of what’s happening is divorced from the administration’s portrayals. Mexican authorities say they’ve seen no increase in deportations. What has increased are public relations efforts to justify the new policies.

Locally, the suicide of Guadalupe Olivas Valencia, less than an hour after he was deported has impacted the immigrant community. The 45-year-old Mexican citizen jumped to his death from a pedestrian bridge spanning the border in San Ysidro.   [Read more…]

Nationwide Indivisible Movement Challenges Issa, Other Elected Officials

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‘This is Democracy. You Should Come Try It.’

By Doug Porter

Pressure from citizens groups continues to mount nationwide, as elected representatives grapple with political blowback over health care, immigration, environmental, and other issues raised by Republicans seeking to dismantle America’s social contract.

Nearly 2000 people came to what was billed as an ‘Emergency Town Hall’ in Vista on Tuesday night, even though the guest of honor, Congressman Issa, made it clear he had no intention of showing up.

The Jim Porter Recreation Center quickly filled up to its legal capacity of 350 people; the remaining attendees rallied outside. Midway through the proceedings, which included speakers from faith-based and healthcare organizations, the room was emptied to allow a new group of constituents in to hear speeches.   [Read more…]

Trump Still Won’t Say the Words: ‘Radical Anti-Semitism’

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“The President’s sudden acknowledgment is a Band-Aid on the cancer of anti-Semitism that has infected his own Administration.”– Anne Frank Center

For the second time this month, The Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla was evacuated in response to a bomb threat. San Diego Police searched the facility following a 6am phone call on Tuesday.

On Monday there were 11 new bomb threats against Jewish community centers, from New York to New Mexico. Over the weekend, vandals toppled and damaged as many as 200 headstones at a St. Louis-area Jewish cemetery.

Prior to Tuesday morning’s threat, the Jewish Community Center (JCC) Association of North America has documented 69 incidents at 54 centers in 27 U.S. states and one Canadian province since the start of 2017.   [Read more…]

Happy So-Called President’s Day: The Administration Spins On

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Here we are, just over one month into the Presidency of Donald J. Trump, [Insert your favorite descriptive phrase here]. Things aren’t going well for the current administration.

It’s leaking so much that ‘false leaks’ — like the story about the National Guard being mobilized to aid in deportations — are now part of White House strategy designed to portray the press as the “enemy of the American people.”

Based on a misunderstanding of a Fox news show, our government is now at odds with the government of Sweden. Rather than admit the error, the administration is doubling down on it. (If they want to declare war, I’m willing to negotiate terms of surrender!)

Most importantly, resistance against the policies and proposals of the administration and its Republican allies continues to spread.   [Read more…]

Photo Gallery: Rally in Solidarity with Immigrants

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“Trump’s a fool, Trump’s a clown, we are here to shut him down”– crowd chant.

The bad weather took a pause for Saturday’s Solidarity with Immigrants rally. SDFP editor Frank Gormlie counted two thousand people as the crowd left the staging area in front of the County Administration Building.

Speakers included Sharia Alam (Rage against Fascism), Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzales-Fletcher, Ismahan Abdullahi (PANA), Former Los Angeles Major Antonio Villaraigosa, Dreamer Maren Ramos, Imam Taha Hassane (Islamic Center San Diego) and Christian Ramirez (Alliance San Diego).   [Read more…]

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