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Smart Activism: Not Every Protest Or Petition is Worthy of Your Time

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Amy Siskind has published a weekly list of specific news stories representing eroding norms in the United States since Donald Trump took office. It’s a depressing read, and in recent weeks it’s gotten longer and more intense.

Over the weekend, we learned about an administration effort to quash a UN resolution encouraging breastfeeding. This wasn’t just a “hey, we disagree” situation; representatives of the U.S. Government threatened backers with trade sanctions and cuts to military aid. Outrageous.

Our taxpayer dollars also paid for a successful effort at this World Health Assembly meeting removing suggestions of introducing a soda tax from a document advising countries on fighting high rates of obesity.

This week in San Diego, mass trials for people charged with immigration violations, aka Operation Streamline, are starting up. Lawyers for the accused get a few minutes to speak with their clients in a courthouse garage, with US Marshalls standing nearby.   [Read more…]

Biggest Loser in the June Primary Wasn’t on the Ballot | Progressive Activist Calendar, July 6 -16, 2018

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Sometimes loser’s names in political races aren’t on the ballot. These folks are behind the scenes players working to advance their causes, some with less than sterling intentions. At the top of my losers column is Mickey Kasparian, the now-marginalized labor leader whose choices in the June primary amounted to a revenge campaign.
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The R in tRump stands for Racism.

Let’s face the facts: the President is really good at generating outrage (see low-lights from his Montana speech) and making good on his promise to Make American White Again. If the elimination of barriers to discrimination, the cozying up to nativists, and the cruelty to children weren’t enough evidence, perhaps the purges of immigrants from the military will be enough to convince you.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Stupid: State Ballot Propositions You’ll Vote on in November 2018

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One hundred seventeen years ago, direct democracy came to California with the adoption of the initiative, referendum and recall processes by way of a special election called by a newly empowered progressive wing of the Republican Party (yes, there was such a thing back then).

The push for direct democracy was a reaction to the excesses of the gilded age when millionaires and their corporate entities became powerful politically. In California, the entire state government was under the control of the Southern Pacific Railroad. Bribery was the accepted method of doing business in the state capitol.

The state’s political establishment and its wealthy backers spent a decade trying to undo the process but eventually threw in the towel, opting for gaming the new system. Although California voters have generally been cautious at the ballot box when it comes to exercising their power (only about one-third of ballot propositions have passed), there have been some embarrassing exceptions and unintended consequences over the years.   [Read more…]

A Challenge to Lorie Zapf’s Eligibility, Razor Thin Leads, Leave San Diego Primary Results Uncertain

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Tabulating the ballots from the June 5 primary may be just about finished in San Diego, but the results aren’t clear. Two contests are within single-digit margins, a recount is possible in one, and a court case could muddy the waters in another.

City Council District 2 candidate Bryan Pease has announced plans to challenge incumbent Lorie Zapf’s eligibility to run for a third term.

Pease was the third-place finisher in the June 5 primary. A court ruling affirming his contention would allow him to advance to the November general election.   [Read more…]

UPDATED: Resistance to Operation Streamline in San Diego, Assembly-Line Injustice for Immigrants

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The uproar over the Trump administration’s immigration policies continues unabated.

Over the weekend there were protests in big cities and small towns across the 50 states. (See San Diego coverage here.)  Sister demonstrations took place in London, Munich, Paris, Hamburg, Tokyo, and others cities around the globe.

Starting today, San Diego and nearby points will be the focus of more protests and non-violent civil disobedience in response to the ramping up of the Justice Department’s Operation Streamline, which applies a one-size-fits-all approach in assembly-line court proceedings for migrants.

Busses and caravan with labor and faith activists came to San Diego from Orange County, Los Angeles and Pheonix to a start-up rally in Chicano Park.

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Photo Galleries: Families Belong Together Marches in San Diego and Around the Nation

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While President Trump played golf on Saturday, people gathered for events protesting his immigration policies in 780 events nationwide, covering all 50 states and 85% of the congressional districts in the county.

Counts included 35,000 in Washington DC, over 60,000 in Chicago, 30,000 in New York and San Francisco, and 55,000 in Los Angeles.

The downtown San Diego rally, starting at Waterfront Park had roughly 4,000 people show up. Over 300 came to make their voices heard in deep red Temecula.   [Read more…]

Immigration Protests Continue Nationwide | Progressive Activist Calendar June 29-July 9, 2018

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It ain’t over till it’s over. Protests, rallies, and phone calls continue as people express their outrage at inhumane and racist policies.

San Diegans protesting the Trump administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy towards immigrants and separation of families at the border picketed the Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Sector Headquarters in Chula Vista yesterday.

CBP security personnel by the entranceway heard 2+ hours a recording of the children crying after being forcibly taken from their parent(s). An 800# was prominently displayed offering free legal advice for employees refusing to separate families.

Nearly 600 women were arrested in Washington DC on Thursday, as they staged a sit-in in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office building.   [Read more…]

San Diego Unions Respond to Supreme Court Ruling; New Strategies, More Activism

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There were two public responses in San Diego on Wednesday to the Supreme Court decision striking down the practice of government sector unions charging non-members fees for the services they provide.

At midday unions representing public employees led a rally and press conference in front of the University of California Medical Center in Hillcrest. Nurses, County employees, and supporters denounced the decision in Janus v AFSCME, pledging to step up organizing efforts in the face of what is widely considered a blow to the union movement.

Later in the day, unions piggy-backed protesting the ruling with an already planned action by UNITE HERE Local 30 aimed at calling attention to contract talks currently in progress at multiple hotels owned or managed by Marriott International.  Local politicians, including Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher along with San Diego City Council members Chris Ward and Georgette Gomez, joined the effort.   [Read more…]

Travel Ban Ruling by the Supreme Court Gets a Passionate Response in San Diego

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This week the Supreme Court was asked to stand up for the rights of the vulnerable against the biases of the powerful — and failed, not once, but three times. Conservatives on the bench prevailed each time, ruling against Muslims, women, and public sector workers.

In Washington DC, San Diego, and cities around the country opponents of the administration’s travel ban took to the streets to express their disapproval of the ruling in Trump v. Hawaii. Comparisons with earlier wrongful rulings, like the Dredd Scott case upholding slavery were made in speeches and rallies, mostly near Federal buildings.

The mood at the demonstration in downtown San Diego was one of profound sadness and determination. It was, in many ways, more powerful than much bigger protests I’ve attended in past decades.   [Read more…]

Fear Mongering 101: MS-13 as the New ISIS

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Are you afraid yet? The Central American gang known as La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, is everywhere in the news. They have officially replaced Al Qaeda and ISIS as the new poster children for why Americans need to live in fear.

Lately, I’ve seen what I thought were otherwise sane people mouthing government gibberish in social media about this group.

Don’t get me wrong. This gang and gangs, in general, are not nice people. They commit crimes to support their activities and are capable of extreme violence. But the narrative of MS-13 as a reason for more border security or immigrant roundups is severely lacking in substance.   [Read more…]

The Civility Distraction: Sorry, We Can’t All Be Friends, Right Now.

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There’s rampant pearl-clutching and whataboutism in punditland currently, stemming from incidents where public officials have been rebuked by private citizens.  

Engaging in that particular debate is a waste of time. We’re past that point in our national discourse.

Our fearless leader is openly proposing ending the rule of law. For asylum seekers. (For now) No judges, no juries. Just some guys with badges administering ‘justice’ to people regularly characterized as less than human who have fled injustice at great personal cost.   [Read more…]

Immigration Protests: The Whole World is Watching | Progressive Activist Calendar June 22-July 2, 2018

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Protests Set for Three Cities in San Diego County As Trump’s Psychosis Continues

The Trump administration’s policies on immigration have fired up local activists, with protests set for Escondido, San Ysidro, and downtown San Diego this weekend.

Another round of demonstrations is in the works for next weekend, coinciding with actions in over 400 cities being organized by Move-On. See calendar further down in the story for details.

And while a substantial part of the U.S. looks on in horror at the cruelty and chaos within the administration, the rest of the world is taking notice.   [Read more…]

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