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The Final Assault on Public Education is On in Earnest

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During the halcyon days of the Trump transition period, the Education Committee confirmation hearing of Betsy DeVos stood out as perhaps the most jarring example of the craven cynicism that defines the new regime.

The headlines said it all, with nearly every major media outlet noting DeVos’s scant qualifications and terrible performance with extreme skepticism. The New York Times expressed “Big Worries About Betsy DeVos” while the New Yorker outlined “Betsy DeVos and the Plan to Break Public Schools.” Over at the Washington Post, they wrote “Six Astonishing Things Betsy DeVos Said—and Refused to Say—at her Confirmation Hearing” as Esquire opined that “The Betsy DeVos Hearing Was an Insult to Democracy.” The Los Angeles Times editorial, “Betsy DeVos Embarassed Herself and Should Be Rejected by the Senate” pithily observed that “what disqualifies her is her lack of understanding of existing law and policy, and her inability to address them thoughtfully.”

But, of course, the new leader of the free world was undaunted by all of this as he signed a stack of executive orders, one of which was his formal nomination of DeVos for Secretary of Education, saying simply, “Ah Betsy, Education. Right?”   [Read more…]

Who Are You Going to Believe? Trump, Truth, Citizens and the Press

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The unveiling of the Ministry of Truth

There are 1,457 days left in the Trump presidency, assuming that he doesn’t get bored and quit, is impeached or that the skies rain glass upon us all.

Trump’s inaugural address “(Liberal) Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” made it clear that he is only interested in his adoring base–the 46% of the voting public who narrowly installed him in the White House. The strategy among his handlers is clearly to let Trump be Trump while they roll up their sleeves and dismantle our democratic institutions.

The massive Women’s March in Washington on the first day of the Trump presidency was successful on many levels, not the least of which is that it got under Trump’s thin skin–bigly. The half million or so people who showed up were not Trump’s adoring base.   [Read more…]

Truth or Twitter? Why Donald Trump Is No John Steinbeck

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Donald Trump has bragged that someone once called him “the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.” There is no evidence that such a thing was ever said, though that is hardly the point.

Unfortunately for us, the new president possesses neither the courage nor the self-control of Hemingway, winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature for writing unforgettably about bravery under fire. As the problems created by Trump-tweets pile up, the source of Trump’s addiction to Twitter has become all too clear. Eugene Robinson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist, described it in words worthy of John Steinbeck: “Trump’s Twitter tantrums are a message of weakness.”
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Welcome To 2017: Seven Keys for Immigrants to Overcoming Adversity

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By Carlos Batara / OB Rag

As the new year dawns, most of us need to reflect where we’re headed, individually and collectively.

Unfortunately, far too many of those active in immigration circles are caught in the “feel sorry for myself” moment. With a new president, one who has articulated strong law enforcement measures, about to take office, the “doom and gloom” sentiments of immigrants and their advocates are deafening.

Yet, stop for a moment and reflect back to 2009 and 2013. What has really changed in immigration law since that time? In the majority of cases, my office helps immigrants under the same rules that existed back then.   [Read more…]

The Storm Ahead: Weathering the Trump Administration

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While the nation’s attention is focused on hearings for the five high-profile Goldman Sachs execs/alums and other swamp dwellers proposed for President-elect Trump’s cabinet, the horrible reality of what’s coming in the near future is taking shape.

Come Monday, the United States of America –practically speaking–won’t have a functioning executive branch of government. Of the 690 Senate-confirmable jobs, the incoming administration has nominated just 28 humans. Many of those who have been nominated are either antagonistic to or ignorant of the agencies they have been tasked to lead.

The silver lining in all this is that people and organizations are coalescing to resist the challenges of the coming months. Once you get past the bad news in today’s column, I’ll share some information on these positive developments.   [Read more…]

Call Congressional Reps Susan Davis and Scott Peters – Urge Them to Avoid Trump’s Inauguration

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Hey San Diegans – now is the time to call – or email or text – the two remaining Democratic Congressional Representatives of our area who have not made a commitment to either avoid or boycott Trump’s inauguration on Friday, Jan. 20th.

Rep. Juan Vargas said Tuesday that he was not attending the event and instead would be in his community praying with constituents. Fourteen members of California’s Democratic delegation are not attending.

Nearly sixty Congressional Representatives – all Democrats – and no senators – have gone on the record declaring their support for John Lewis by not attending the spectacle.

Come inside for contact info
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Health Care Reform Town Hall Meeting In Sizzling Spring Valley With Rep. Susan Davis

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Editor Note: The Republican plan to repeal and replace Obamacare is much harder and less popular to do than to simply promise it. Republicans were recently confronted by constituents demanding continuation of their ACA healthcare at rallies across the country. This article from the OBRag archives from 2009 is a reminder of the pitched battle that took place in San Diego to support health care reform. Obamacare, which so many loved to hate has suddenly become a program so many now hate to lose.   [Read more…]

“How Do I Explain to My Grandchildren that a Dishonest Man Is About to Take Over the Country?”

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For the life of me, I cannot understand why there is still going to be an inauguration later this week.  The papers regaled us this past weekend – and practically every day – with more and more dishonesty emanating from the President-Elect.  The fact checkers are on overload, checking the lies that are being told and yet nothing – absolutely nothing – is being done to prevent this monster from ruining our country.   [Read more…]

Resistance is Not Futile: Trump’s Troubles Are Just Beginning

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Another would-be Trump administration official fell by the wayside yesterday, as recently exposed serial plagiarist Monica Crowley backed out as senior director of strategic communications at the National Security Council. She joins former CIA Director James Woolsey and Jason Miller on the list of those who didn’t make it to January 20th.

Nominees for various cabinet positions, including Andy Puzder (Labor), Dr. Tom Price (Health & Human Services), Betsy Devos (Education), and Steven Mnuchin (Treasury) are all in for a rough ride as Republicans rush to get as many as possible lined up for quick confirmation votes after Trump’s inauguration.

And then there is the inauguration, which should serve as a warning for just how dysfunctional and sad the next four years will be. Active resistance at each step of the way is our best hope.   [Read more…]

A Little Bit of Aristotle’s Philosophy for the Ethically Challenged GOP

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Aristotle was of the belief that “Achieving good character is a process of clearing away the obstacles that stand in the way of the full efficacy of the soul.”

He came up with such an ethical notion somewhere between 384-322 B.C.E. And here we are, as a nation, in the 21st Century, facing GOP powers-that-be in Washington D.C. who, instead of seeking ways to ethically tend to our society’s political and social needs, choose to do whatever they desire whenever they please.

“To hell with the rules,” is their operating policy. I mean first the Republican House tries to weaken the power of an office that keeps an eye out for unethical behavior, and now the Republican Senate just bypasses the “background checks” and “ethics clearances” that traditionally a president’s cabinet nominees have had to go through throughout our modern history before they’re even considered for confirmation.   [Read more…]

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