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What San Diego Needs to Do If Trump Fires Mueller

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I’m reposting this item, written near the end of July, in case El Presidente decides to pull a Nixonian move on the American people. It’s kind of amazing how little has changed… dp

The President and his defenders have been actively seeking a way to disrupt Robert Mueller’s Special Counsel investigation into allegations of illegal activities surrounding the 2016 general election.

While the ultimate response to an irrational decision to fire Robert Mueller should come from the other branches of government, a sense of urgency based on a strong showing of public disapproval is absolutely necessary.

Activists with MoveOn, Public Citizen, and Indivisible San Diego (among others) are laying the groundwork for local responses to actions the President may take along these lines.   [Read more…]

Issa Protesters Cry Fowl Over Sheriffs Ticketing

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It was supposed to be just another Tuesday on the picket line outside the Thibodo Road building housing Congressman Darrell Issa’s office in Vista. Little did organizers know the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department had a surprise waiting for them.

Roughly 300 people showed up, as they have every week for the past nine months, urging the 49th District Republican to disavow President Trump’s policies. To keep interest up, there are weekly themes and protest subjects. This week’s theme was “It’s a Bird It’s a Plane It’s the Resistance! the matter at hand was the GOP budget coming before Congress in the coming weeks.

In keeping with their weekly theme, protest organizers obtained a 20-foot tall inflatable chicken, complete with Trump hair styling, and arranged for a plane to fly overhead towing a banner “Not One Penny in Tax Cuts for Issa and the 1%.”   [Read more…]

If Trump Is Impeached Will His Base Mobilize Against a ‘Liberal Coup’?

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In one of the most provocative incidents involving self-styled neo-Nazis since Charlottesville, about 25 men in masks and bandanas descended on a progressive book fair in Houston, Texas, on Sunday, Sept. 24. They set off smoke bombs, shouted “Sieg Heil!”and “blood and soil!” and generally harassed folks at the event.

It was a story totally missed by mainstream media, but observed by reporters from AlterNet who filed a report, picked up by other progressive news sites:

They rushed the door of a multicultural community center [where children were inside], igniting a pair of smoke bombs. Together, they raised their arms in a salute of “Sieg Heil.” … After shouting “blood and soil” and other vulgar slogans for 15 minutes, they stole a handmade sign from the fair and fled the scene. They later posted photos of themselves defiantly clutching the cloth banner on social media. 

Police, who organizers claimed had appeared earlier in the day to intimidate the book fair’s participants, did not intervene. 

The masked men were part of a group called Patriot Front which is “loosely affiliated with Vanguard Front, a fascist organization” which includes James Alex Fields as a member, the man who murdered Heather Heyer at Charlottesville.   [Read more…]

The Battle of Cable Street – the London East Ender’s Response to Fascism | Video Worth Watching

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Eighty one years ago last Wednesday, October 4th, 1936, Londoners stood up to the threat of Fascism in England at the Battle of Cable Street. This was about eight months after the release of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times. In Europe, the Fascists were in power in Germany under Hitler and in Italy under Mussolini. In Spain, Franco had begun receiving military support from Germany and Italy in his battle against the Popular Front. Londoners were familiar with nature of Fascism and its virulent anti-semitism.

In England, the British Union of Fascists led by Oswald Mosley were planning to lead a march of about 3,000 in their blackshirt uniforms through the East End of London, which at the time had a predominantly Jewish population. The government hesitated to ban the Fascists from marching and instead dispatched a contingent of about 6,000 Metropolitan Police in an attempt to protect the Fascists. The Young’uns’ Cable Street describes how citizens opposed to Fascism who understood the march to be an attack on the Jewish residents and on solidarity in general, responded. In two words: No pasarán!   [Read more…]

Kevin’s Katrina – The ‘Good News’ Flows As the Homeless Crisis Grows – Progressive Activist Calendar September 29-October 9, 2017

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If you happen to live in or visit one of the neighborhoods surrounding the East Village, you’ve no doubt noticed an influx of homeless humans in the past few days.

San Diego’s been getting an increasing amount of negative publicity about the epidemic of Hepatitis A. Based on what I’ve seen this week, the City’s response has been two-fold:

  • Hire some new faces for public relations purposes
  • Send large squads of police to disperse homeless encampments

    •   [Read more…]

    President’s Third Attempt at a Muslim Ban Condemned

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    A Statement from Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA)

    President Donald Trump buried on a Sunday afternoon announcement of his new travel restrictions on visitors primarily from Muslim-majority countries just as the key portion of his prior travel ban was due to expire. This is the third time the administration has attempted the ban. In this iteration, there is no end date; its restrictions have no time limit, making it more insidious than prior versions.

    The new ban places various entry bans on immigrant visas for people from eight countries: Chad, Libya, Yemen, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Somalia, and very limited Venezuelans. Sudan is no longer included in the ban. It goes into effect immediately for people from the six Muslim-majority countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen), and in mid-October for those from Chad (also majority-Muslim), North Korea, and Venezuela.   [Read more…]

    Will San Diego State Take Provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos’ Bait?

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    After sticking the University of California at Berkeley with an estimated $800,000 security tab for a non-event, right-wing activist Milo Yiannopoulos is reportedly set to appear at San Diego State University in late October, according to the Daily Aztec. I’m suspicious about this announcement by the State College Republicans, who are promising an event at Montezuma Hall even though they have not completed the steps needed to be recognized as a student organization.

    Multiple media outlets are reporting the canceled-at-the-last-minute ‘Free Speech Week’ was orchestrated by the alt-right firebrand to defame UC Berkeley and, in fact, doomed from the start.

    During a Facebook Live stream following the cancellation of the Berkeley event, Yiannopoulos announced three future California appearances as part of his “Troll Academy” tour: on Oct. 25 at Cal State Bakersfield, Oct. 29 at San Diego State and Oct. 31 at Cal State Fullerton.   [Read more…]

    Homeless Tents for La Jolla and Rancho Penasquitos? Progressive Activist Calendar September 22-30, 2017

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    The consequences of years of neglect are now giving America’s Finest City’s reputation a beating as San Diego’s homeless crisis continues to unfold.

    The Hepatitis A epidemic, long predicted as a consequence of the city’s failure to recognize the necessity of public restroom facilities, has claimed 16 lives and over 400 hundred people have fallen ill with the disease.

    I don’t think the Mayor and his advisors get it yet. Given that his office has time to play political games with this situation, perhaps it’s time to start some serious advocacy for tents in some neighborhoods with enough clout to be heard at City Hall.

    Maybe it’s time to start discussing tents for Ranchos Penasquitos, La Jolla, maybe even Kensington, somewhere up near Chamber CEO and former Mayor Jerry Sanders’ home.   [Read more…]

    As DACA Deadline Looms, Alliance San Diego Can Help

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    If you already have DACA status and it expires between September 5, 2017, and March 5, 2018, you MUST apply to renew your status BEFORE October 5, 2017, in order to protect yourself from deportation.

    Alliance San Diego is sponsoring DACA workshops this month to assist with the application process.   [Read more…]

    Gomez, Democrats on San Diego City Council Refuse to Be Another Brick in Trump’s Wall

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    San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez’s resolution opposing the construction of a border wall was approved by a 5-3 vote on Tuesday. Saying the border wall to be detrimental to San Diego’s environment and tourism, the motion asked for public disclosure of all companies involved in financing or construction of the proposed project.

    Gomez left nothing to chance in shepherding the largely symbolic declaration, contacting a wide range of activist organizations asking for support, holding a press conference in advance of the Council meeting, and negotiating adjustments in the wording with the City Attorney’s office.

    Mayor Kevin Faulconer issued a statement later in the day saying he would not support the resolution because “it includes language that could blacklist businesses based on the political leanings of the city council majority.” According to a Tweet from KPBS reporter Andrew Bowen, no veto is expected.   [Read more…]

    Learning How to Resist Trump’s Shock Politics: Lessons from Naomi Klein Part One

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    Last week here at the San Diego Free Press, Sharon Carr provided a nice overview of Naomi Klein’s new book No Is Not Enough: Resisting Trump’s Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need.  These next two weeks, I’d like to follow up Ms. Carr’s good work by underlining what I see to be the two central insights in Klein’s book and why they matter.  

    In essence, Klein’s book is centered on two key points: 1) Despite all the drama and spectacle, Trump is nothing new; and 2) Neoliberal incrementalism is a dead end and we require bolder vision and practice to win the world we need.   This week, we’ll consider the first proposition.   [Read more…]

    UPDATED: Do You Really Want to Pay More for Dirtier Electricity? – Progressive Calendar September 15-25, 2017

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    Here comes the blizzard of baloney* from defenders of San Diego Gas & Electric.

    City News Service reports a coalition of business and civic leaders are now working to undermine Community Choice Energy (CCE) programs.

    CCEs –where power is purchased by public entities– across the state offer electricity with significantly more renewable content and comparable or lower costs. Customers can choose to stay with the status quo, if wanted.

    The ‘Clear the Air Coalition’ would like to halt the move toward the cheaper, cleaner, and locally generated electricity in San Diego because of “uncertainties.”   [Read more…]

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