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The Shame of US Journalism Is the Destruction of Iraq, Not Fake Helicopter Stories

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By Christian Christensen /Common Dreams

The news that NBC’s Brian Williams was not, in fact, on a helicopter in 2003 that came under fire from an Iraqi Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) should come as a surprise to no one.

Williams had repeated the lie on several occasions over the course of a decade until a veteran, who was on the actual helicopter that was attacked, had enough of Williams’ war porn and called the TV host out on Facebook. In a quite pathetic effort to cover his tracks, the anchor — who makes in excess of $10 million per year — claimed that his fairy tale was, in fact, “a bungled attempt by me to thank one special veteran and by extension our brave military men and women” who had served in Iraq.

Twelve years, it seems, is enough time for Williams to confuse being on a helicopter that came under fire from an RPG with being on a helicopter that did not.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at UT-San Diego’s Predictions for President Obama’s Second Term

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By Doug Porter

The Columbia Journalism Review recently posted an article about philanthropist Malin Burnham’s intentions to purchase San Diego’s daily newspaper. The only news in the piece–it’s still just a possibility– was that several large local non-profits have been approached about overseeing the deal.

The CJR report did talk about Papa Doug’s history of partisanship and boosterism for projects near and dear to his wallet. A September 2012 editorial predicting doom and gloom should President Barack Obama be re-elected was mentioned…

We’re at the halfway point in his final term so I thought it be appropriate to revisit many of those those predictions and comment on the progress made (or not) in what UT-San Diego’s editorial board predicted would be a national nightmare.

This is going to be fun, I promise.   [Read more…]

San Diego Man Faces Life in Prison for … Rapping

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Charges are a Blatant Violation of the First Amendment, Says ACLU

ACLU News

San Diego prosecutors admit that Brandon Duncan was not at the scene of any one of several shootings in the city, and they have no evidence linking him to those shootings that occurred between May 2013 and February 2014. Still, the District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis charged him for those crimes because…he rapped about them.

Only recently released on bail, Duncan, who performs under the name Tiny Doo, spent eight months in jail on so-called “gang conspiracy charges” arising from those shootings. The San Diego ACLU is filing an amicus brief in court asking the court to dismiss the charges immediately. In a blog post about the case, David Loy, legal director of the ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties said that the case was “not only absurd; it is a blatant violation of the First Amendment.”   [Read more…]

Bad News for San Diego: It’s Business as Usual

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By Doug Porter

The downside of business as usual in San Diego continues to make the news and not in a good way.

A local business leader tells a boldfaced lie in radio interview. Housing is too expensive for most people. The latest city hall scheme of dreams about a football stadium is already wrapped up in controversy.

Also, yet another GOP Presidential contender wades into the vaccinations controversy, the House will vote yet again today to repeal Obamacare and over-the-counter supplements sold in retailers nationwide are not even close to the real deal….   [Read more…]

Voice of San Diego’s Intern ‘Irony’ is Just the Latest Insult

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By Doug Porter 

Earlier this week Voice of San Diego Editor/CEO Scott Lewis took the Center on Policy Initiatives, a local think tank, to task for a Facebook posting soliciting for unpaid internships to assist in a campaign aimed at increasing minimum wages. 

In the essay and subsequent social media postings, Lewis said he found the idea of volunteer interns working on this particular issue to be ironic. And he seemingly disparaged the notion that the trade-off of job experience and/or college credit as a smokescreen for exploitation.

The old saying about people who live in glass houses comes to mind when viewing the web journal of a high school student who interned with Voice of San Diego.    [Read more…]

City Budget Requests, Unpaid Glitter Unicorns and Congressional Follies

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By Doug Porter

There’s lots to report on today, starting with the annual wish lists for the coming fiscal year’s City of San Diego budget. The consensus item among the city council’s lists is finding more money for paying police.

A local non-profit’s Facebook posting seeking unpaid interns (along with paying positions) to participate in building support for increased minimum wages came under fire yesterday. But things aren’t always as they seem; I think there is another agenda at play here.

And the 114th Congress is off to a great start, unless you want to count passing meaningful legislation as part of it’s goals.   [Read more…]

“The Solid Citizenry of Ocean Beach are Aroused.”

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Complaints About Homeless Have Echoes

By John Lawrence / OB Rag

The solid citizenry of Ocean Beach are aroused. For some time now, there has been a virtual state of war existing between businessmen and merchants, on the one hand, and homeless on the other. The growing homeless community in OB has been met with growing alarm on the part of the established citizenry.

Those with Establishment interests want to drive the homeless out of OB since they view them as a treat to their businesses and are offended by the mores and folkways of the homeless youth culture. Homeless contribute very little economically to established businesses and tend to scare away more conventional people who would have patronized these businesses. Homeless people have been refused service at several places of business and in turn have taken revenge through acts of vandalism and theft. Because of this, insurance companies have raised the rates charged to OB businessmen.

Recently, there have been several public acts of sexual intercourse including screwing on the front lawn (an all-time first in San Diego according to some sources) which established citizens feel set a bad example for their own families.   [Read more…]

Sharia Law Comes To England: Hide Your Infidel Children, Pets and Jam

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By Abby  Zimet/ Common Dreams

Okay, maybe you thought Fox News really couldn’t get any lower or loonier. But life is full of surprises.

Thus did self-appointed terror expert Steve Emerson feverishly declare that Britain has no-go stealth caliphates ruled by sharia enforcers and “there are actual cities like Birmingham that are totally Muslim, where non-Muslims just simply don’t go.”

In parts of London, he went on, “there are actually Muslim religious police that actually beat and actually wound seriously anyone who doesn’t dress according to religious Muslim attire.” Umm. Actually, Steve? Actually, Birmingham, a city of about a million, is 14% Muslim. With – need it be said? – no Sharia law in sight.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron was among those pretty surprised to hear about all this Sharia stuff; he said he was having breakfast at the time and nearly choked on his porridge. Then he proclaimed Emerson “a complete idiot.”   [Read more…]

In Wake of Charlie Hebdo Attack, Let’s Not Sacrifice Even More Rights

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By Sophia Cope and Jillian York / Electronic Frontier Foundation Deep Links Blog

We are stunned and deeply saddened by the attack on Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical newspaper. As free speech advocates, EFF mourns the use of violence against individuals who used creativity and free expression to engage in cultural and political criticism. Murder is the ultimate form of censorship.

The journalists and cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo have long used satire to engage in cultural critique, a form of expression strongly protected by international norms and with deep historical roots in prompting societal change and igniting discussions on controversial issues (see, for example, Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal and Voltaire’s).

In the age of the Internet, satire is finding fecund ground on video sharing sites, social media, and across the blogosphere as a way of engaging in discussion on political issues, social ideas, economic theory, and even poking fun at celebrities.   [Read more…]

Behold! An Opportunity for San Diego Democrats to Get Their Act Together

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By Doug Porter
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Hours after members of its staff were murdered, the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo brought its website back online with a “Je Suis Charlie” graphic, which has become the image of social media solidarity. (See story in column inside)
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Are you sick and tired of elected Democrats who don’t act like Democrats? Does the phrase “herding cats” come to mind when assemblypersons in Sacramento can’t even get it together on things like climate change? Are you tired of voting for lesser of two evils? Can I get an “Amen?”

Well, you’re in luck. With a small investment of time this weekend Democrats in San Diego can help select delegates to the state party convention, the body that makes endorsements ( a critical step in our top-two primary system) and writes the state party platform, among other things.

Today’s column will start off by telling you how to participate and where to get information on some of the choices available. Mind you, this election won’t fix everything wrong with the party of FDR, but it’s a start.   [Read more…]

10 Ways Human Rights and Democracy Won in 2014 (Yeah, You Heard That Right)

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Let’s be honest: It was a brutal year for human rights. But we still have victories worth celebrating.

By Sarah van Gelder / Yes!

In 2014, we saw a lot of brutality. Unarmed black men and women were killed by police, women were raped on college campuses and in military barracks, foreign nationals were tortured, and young and mentally ill Americans were confined for extended periods in solitary confinement in U.S. prisons.

It was a violent year, but no worse than other years. What was different was the emergence of new movements of resistance—and with them new possibilities for change.   [Read more…]

End of the Year: Listicles of Made Up News, Brazen Lies and Centrist Propaganda

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By Doug Porter

The last few weeks of the year are like a black hole for journalists. Politicians and their media minders are on vacation. Celebrities aren’t doing celebrity stuff (unless they die). And research oriented organizations are waiting for the year to wrap up so their statistics can be complete.

This information void leads to stories with headlines like “Military Couple Relocates Wedding for Obama’s Golf Game” and airtime for a Fox News talking head speculating about confusion over the metric system as the cause of an AirAsia flight gone missing.

When stupidity won’t do the trick, stuff just gets made up, like the boy wonder featured in New York Magazine who claimed he’d made $72 million on Wall Street trades during his lunch hour at Stuyvesant High School. Or the story making the rounds on Facebook about the eight NYPD officers who were refused service in a Chipolte restaurant.   [Read more…]

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