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The Second Amendment Has Nothing to Do with Gun Ownership

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From the Editor: In light of the Orlando Massacre, this article about the second amendment, published in 2012, deserves repeating. We have re-published it in full here.

By Navy Vet Terp / Daily Kos

The Gun Lobby’s interpretation of the Second Amendment is one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word fraud, on the American People by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.
-Retired Chief Justice Warren Burger, “The Right to Bear Arms,” Parade Magazine, January 14, 1990.

In 2008, this fraud was furthered by Mr. Scalia, joined by his fellow ideologues Thomas, Alito, Roberts and Kennedy. Yet five zealots in black robes cannot change the historical record. Writing something down on paper or pushing the send button to the internet doesn’t make it so.   [Read more…]

Does Bernie Sanders Losing In California Trump What Happened in Orlando?

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In the middle of all the anger and sadness I was feeling about the death and destruction in Orlando, I received an email that should have never been sent.

The sender, a long-time political activist in San Diego, was hoping for attention. I don’t think he’s going to like what I’m going to say.

Here’s the relevant quote, in the same all caps format as it was sent: PLEASE COME TO THIS RALLY. NEED BIG TURNOUT TO GET THROUGH MEDIA BLACKOUT DUE TO NIGHTCLUB MASSACRE IN FLORIDA!!   [Read more…]

LGBTQ Leaders Warn Against Islamophobic Incitement

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Sunday morning’s horrific mass shooting at an Orlando, Florida nightclub is being met with mourning, outrage, heartbreak and international solidarity, as well as words of caution against the unleashing of further cycles of violence through anti-Muslim and xenophobic incitement.

Approximately 50 people were killed and 53 wounded when a man opened fire at the Pulse club in the midst of Gay Pride month. The shooter has been identified as U.S. citizen Omar Mateen, who was killed by police.

Cindy Wiesner, a queer Latina Miami resident and national coordinator for Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, told AlterNet, “I am so saddened and angered by the senseless lives lost, people injured and a community that will be permanently marked by this. I worry about the fodder of hate and revenge that Trump and his kind will produce. Will he now opportunistically defend Latino people and LGBTQ people’s lives or are we just collateral damage?”   [Read more…]

DA Bonnie Dumanis Loses Another Marijuana Case

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Medical Marijuana Patient Dad Found Not Guilty of Child Endangerment

By Terrie Best / San Diego Americans for Safe Access

Almost a year ago this week San Diego police officers stormed past medical cannabis patient Micah Wojnowski’s organic vegetable farm in Golden Hill and into the home he shared with his teenage son and a couple of roommates.  The police entered the urban home with guns drawn on a tip from a confidential informant. They did not find what they were looking for but decided not to accept defeat. Instead, they searched Micah’s house and garage and set a stage to paint Micah as a child abuser because he is a medical cannabis patient, an industry expert and a parent.

Bonnie Dumanis took 37-year-old Micah to trial but a jury of 12, including one San Diego County sheriff put an end to her charade Friday afternoon. The five women and seven men panel deliberated for about nine hours and returned not guilty verdicts on manufacturing concentrated cannabis and felony child endangerment charges.  The eight hours were due to the fact they had deadlocked over a lesser-included misdemeanor offense with two jurors holding out to convict. After the reading of the not guilty verdicts and some discussion, the prosecutor moved to dismiss the misdemeanor charge.  Micah was free to go off and continue being a good dad to his son and an asset to his community.   [Read more…]

Tattoo Research Program Raises Legal, Ethical, and Privacy Concerns

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SDPD Raid on Strip Club Detained Workers, Forced Them to Pose Nude to Photograph Tattoos.

By Dave Maass & Aaron Mackey / Electronic Frontier Foundation

Tattoos are inked on our skin, but they often hold much deeper meaning. They may reveal who we are, our passions, ideologies, religious beliefs, and even our social relationships.

That’s exactly why law enforcement wants to crack the symbolism of our tattoos using automated computer algorithms, an effort that threatens our civil liberties.   [Read more…]

Anti-War Legend and Boxing Great Muhammad Ali Dies at 74

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“My conscience won’t let me go shoot my brother, or some darker people, or some poor hungry people in the mud for big powerful America… How can I shoot them poor people? Just take me to jail.”

By Jon Queally / Common Dreams

Boxing great Muhammad Ali, known around the world as a humanitarian who spoke out forcefully against racial inequality, social injustice, and the Vietnam War during the 1960’s, has died at the age of 74.

The news of the athlete’s passing was confirmed by several news outlets late Friday night as well as a brief statement released on behalf of the family.

“After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,” said family spokesperson Bob Gunnell in the statement.
  [Read more…]

Officer Misconduct and Use of Force: Blue Code of Silence to Remain Under California Law

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Bill to open up police misconduct records dies in Senate Appropriations committee

By ACLU of San Diego

Senate Bill 1286, introduced by Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and coauthored by Senators Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), John Moorlach (R-Costa Mesa), and Assemblymember Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), was held in the Senate Appropriations committee on May 27.

“Today is a sad day for transparency, accountability, and justice in California,” said Peter Bibring, police practices director for the ACLU of California. “Last year, 211 people were killed by police in California – more than in any other state – yet state law will continue to shield from public view the full findings of investigations into each and every one of these and all future killings.”

SB 1286 would have shined light on how departments handle confirmed instances of officer misconduct and serious uses of force. California, a national leader in upholding and expanding the rights of its residents, is surprisingly one of the most secretive states when it comes to releasing basic information about how departments investigate and address wrongdoing by peace officers, including racial profiling, sexual misconduct, and officer-involved shootings.   [Read more…]

Your Right to Protest In San Diego

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Free Speech Rights, Free Speech Zones, Interactions with Police, Resources and MORE

YOUR FIRST AMENDMENT-PROTECTED RIGHTS

By the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties

The right to join with fellow citizens in protest or peaceful assembly is critical to a functioning democracy. But it is also unfortunately true that governments and police can violate this right—through the use of mass arrests, illegal use of force, criminalization of protest, and other means intended to thwart free public expression.

Standing up for your right to protest can be challenging, especially when demonstrations are met with confusion, excessive force, or violence. But knowing your rights is the most powerful tool you have against the stifling of your voice.   [Read more…]

Homelessness and Housing by the Numbers – A San Diego Shell Game

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The San Diego Point-In-Time Count is a federally mandated annual report that identifies the number of homeless individuals and families in the county on one particular day. The 2016 report, which was released at the end of April, showed less than a one percent decrease from the previous year in the number of homeless people in San Diego County.
  [Read more…]

Superior Court Judges Averse to Open Seat Contests

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Nobody cares much about judicial electoral contests. And apparently the current batch of judges in Superior Court would like to keep it that way. At least that was the conclusion I drew after talking with more than a dozen local attorneys and prosecutors.

The 2012 judicial elections, where birther lawyer Gary Kreep upset Deputy District Attorney Garland Peed, were a national embarrassment. Since that time, “open seat” judicial contests have all but vanished in San Diego.   [Read more…]

County Board of Supervisors Extends Moratorium on Medical Marijuana Projects

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By Terrie Best / San Diego ASA

The County Board of Supervisors met Wednesday to vote on staff recommendations to extend a moratorium against new medical marijuana activity in San Diego County. The 45 day moratorium was put in place on March 16 and was largely a knee-jerk reaction to a group of community members from Julian and Ramona. At the March meeting the Board instructed staff to come back with options including a ban on medical cannabis; enhanced enforcement and more zoning restrictions among other things. Instead, staff returned with a request for more time which was ultimately granted.   [Read more…]

Denim Day: Calling Attention to Rape Kits and Domestic Violence in San Diego

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Talk about timing: Ninety-eight criminal cases, most of them involving domestic violence were mishandled by the city attorney’s office, according to an investigation by the Union-Tribune…At a recent press conference, Suzanne E. Morse of Heartfelt Voices United called attention to the backlog of several thousand unprocessed rape test kits in San Diego.

Hey folks, maybe America’s Finest City has a problem in dealing with violence aginst women, the ultimate assertion of misogyny.

Independent mayoral candidate Lori Saldaña and other community leaders are urging San Diego’s elected officials to join in the observance of Denim Day on Wednesday, April 27th as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Maybe we should all wear denim that day.   [Read more…]

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