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So-Called Religious Freedom Laws Amount to An Attack on Democracy

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The culture wars aimed at dividing the nation are once again prominent in the media. Having lost battles in the courts and in the arena of public opinion, extremists have turned to state legislatures mired in the stone ages, thanks in large part to partisan gerrymandering.

Mississippi is the latest state to enact legislation allowing religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling effectively legalizing same-sex marriage.

Schools and companies would be allowed to set “sex-specific standards or policies concerning employee or student dress or grooming.” In other words, women could be told not to wear pants in Mississippi.   [Read more…]

Cancel April Fools Day – Who Needs It When We’ve Got Trump?

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The Republican party’s leading candidate for president is behaving so outlandishly that no made-up prank could possibly top it. It’s worse than a bad joke and the soiled image of the United States is the punch line.

The Donald’s had a bad couple of days, acting like a five-year-old on steroids as he defends the indefensible, makes vulgar threats, and runs roughshod over common decency.   [Read more…]

Readers Write : Media Reduces Sanders Supporters to 50 Shades of White

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An Open Letter to the New York Times

Amy Chozick,

I’ve been stewing over your New York Times story on Bernie Sanders’ sweep of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington states ever since I read IN ITS SECOND SENTENCE that those victories were a consequence of “the largely white and liberal electorate of the Pacific Northwest.” Did you really mean to write that?   [Read more…]

Secret Service Bails Republicans Out of Their Convention Open Carry Dilemma

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By Laura Clawson / Daily Kos

Republicans hate gun-free zones, so why are they holding their convention in one? A petition pushing to change that has now gathered more than 42,000 signatures:

The petition calls on each Republican presidential contender, the National Rifle Association, the Republican National Committee and Chairman Reince Priebus, convention host site Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to do what they can to allow convention attendees to openly carry firearms. The arena currently bans firearms and other weapons, it says on its website.

“Without the right to protect themselves, those at the Quicken Loans Arena will be sitting ducks, utterly helpless against evil-doers, criminals or others who wish to threaten the American way of life,” the petition’s author argues. Some have speculated that such dramatic language makes it sound as though the whole thing is a ruse intended to put Republicans in a tough political spot.

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Keep Your Eyes on the Prize, California – The $15 Minimum Wage isn’t a Done Deal

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A quick read through today’s news might lead the casual reader to believe California is all-but-set to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. The Los Angeles Times already has an article featuring interviews with low wage employees and low-margin employers talking about the impact of the proposed increase.

The New York Times, Washington Post and the wire services all have stories about what is really no more than a back-room handshake agreement. Gov. Jerry Brown is set to make an announcement today, and then the sausage-making in the legislature will begin. The promise of more food on the table for as much as 38% of California’s workforce could very easily end up looking like a shit sandwich.

In today’s column, I’ll take a look at what’s been proposed and the forces already at work to derail or water down the deal.   [Read more…]

Meet Sarah Saez: Candidate for San Diego City Council District 9 (Part Three)

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Sarah Saez is best known locally for her work on the heroic United Taxi Workers of San Diego (UTWSD) campaign. And the Taxi Workers’ victory was about more than just their own struggle in that, as I observed at the time, it “provided a good example of precisely how [a] new kind of workers’ movement can succeed.”

Saez continues her work with the UTWSD and is deeply involved in the community in a host of other ways. Most recently, she has decided to run for City Council in District 9 where she lives and works in City Heights.

What follows is the final installment of my interview with Saez.  If you missed the first part it’s here and the second part is here.
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House GOP Morality Crusaders Go After Scientists

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Having failed to find evidence of wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood insinuated by doctored videos, a House committee led by anti-abortion Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) is ready to start a new campaign targeting individuals engaging in fetal tissue research.

Since July 2015, 20 states have cleared Planned Parenthood of wrongdoing or decided not to pursue the matter. Yesterday, Planned Parenthood affiliates in three states joined a federal lawsuit filed in California against the videographers, alleging fraud, illegal recording, trespassing and invasion of privacy. The videos’ makers have also been indicted in Texas.

Now the committee — called the “Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives” by the conservative representatives behind it — is seeking subpoenas to medical companies to gather the names of medical researchers, graduate students, laboratory technicians, and administrative staff.   [Read more…]

November Ballot Measures in Turmoil: Fifteen Bucks Per Hour and a Football Stadium

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An attempt by the City of Upland to delay a referendum overturning its ban on medical marijuana dispensaries has led to an appellate court decision challenging the presumption of a two-thirds majority being needed for tax increases in citizen-based ballot measures.

This is huge. And what seems like a good thing could end up being a nightmare, thanks to flaws in California’s initiative process. This ruling should mean a restoration of ‘majority rules’ when it comes to citizen-driven projects.

However, given the rash of special interest gaming of the electoral process, it could mean the public will be paying for projects benefiting private interests. In San Diego, that means the path to success could be a whole lot easier in the San Diego Chargers’ quest for a new stadium.   [Read more…]

Si Se Puede! Sanders Wows Diverse Crowd in San Diego

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The big news yesterday wasn’t that Senator Bernie Sanders spoke in San Diego. It was the diverse crowd of 13,000 plus people who put their lives on hold for a day to stand up for a better world.

The line to get into the San Diego Convention Center started in the wee hours of the morning. By the time the doors opened at 4pm the line stretched forever. Halls D&E were filled with the first ten thousand or so people in line, and an overflow room was opened. And then a second overflow room was opened.

It is an article of faith among some Sanders supporters that their candidate gets short changed by the media. Today we’ll examine a sampling of local mainstream coverage of yesterday’s events.   [Read more…]

America, Got Fascism?

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By Frank Gormlie / OB Rag

Okay, America – are we ready for fascism?

As the presidential campaign season degenerated into racist and xenophobic diatribes by the Republican front runner, with those images of Trump supporters pledging their loyalty to him in Hitleresque salutes, after that scene in Chicago when the Trump rally was cancelled, triggering skirmishes between Trump supporters and demonstrators, it seems everybody is forming an opinion of whether Donald Trump is a fascist, comparing him to Hitler and Mussolini, and other dictators.
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Feel The Bern, San Diego! March 22 Live Blog & Social Media Round Up

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I’m giving up my daily space at San Diego Free Press to the masses today. Starting at 9am or thereabouts I’ll do regular updates with All Things Bernie. I’ll stop posting at about 9pm, rolling the best of the best into tomorrow’s column

I need your help! If you hear something on the radio, see it in social media, witness something in the streets or see a worthy story on the web, sent it my way. I’ll distill the best of, do rumor control, fact check if needed and give you credit if you want it.
I want links, tweet, photos, you name it. This is how we beat the mainstream media when it comes to covering Bernie. Tweet me @dougporter506 or hashtag #SDBern,  or post to SDFP’s Facebook page. You can send emails to Contact@SanDiegoFreePress.Org
Let’s Do This!
PS– Be positive! This is about Bernie Sanders and San Diego. Save your #NotHillary for Facebook or wherever.

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Bernie Sanders is Coming To San Diego

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It would appear that California, long an afterthought in the quadrennial presidential primary process, will get a chance to weigh in this year.

On Sunday afternoon, the Bernie Sanders campaign posted an official event page, announcing a rally in San Diego on Tuesday, March 22 at the Convention Center. Doors will open at 5pm.

The ‘A Future to Believe In Rally in San Diego’ is free and open to the public…

UPDATE: Registration for the event has already reached capacity, according to the event page.

UPDATE #2: Now that the rally is booked, the campaign has announced the San Diego March To A Future To Believe In Rally, meeting at the San Diego Civic Center Concourse, and marching to the Convention Center, via 4th and 5th Avenues. Bring any Bernie Bling you have to show our support for Bernie. The march is expected to last about 3 hours, starting at 10:30am.   [Read more…]

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