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Yippie! Party Video from 1968 | Video Worth Watching

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It’s roughly the 50 year anniversary of the Chicago Democratic convention and the police attack on the counterculture protesters. As a response to the event, the Yippie! party secured free air time through campaign “Equal Time” legislation. They made some of the time available to the ACLU, some to an anti-war group and used about 15 minutes for this gem of a protest parody campaign video. It features appearances by Alan Ginsburg, Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman and music by Phil Ochs. It also memorializes Mayor Daley’s Yogi Berra-like remark that “the policeman isn’t there to create disorder; the policeman is there to preserve disorder.”

The quality is marginal, but it’s worth a watch. This version has about ten seconds of audio deleted around the 1:40 minute mark right where Ginsburg appears. I’m guessing someone was concerned about a DMCA take down since there’s another version on YouTube that does have the audio and Ginsburg begins to chant “AUM” and a chorus morphs it into “dreaming of a white Christmas”! Gotta love that sense of humor!
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Rep. Duncan Hunter’s Support Solid As a Rock (Provided the Rock Has an ‘R’ Ballot Designation)

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East County Republican voters aren’t buying into the legitimacy of the charges against Congressman Duncan Hunter, according to polling publicized by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Hunter has an eight-point lead over Ammar Campa-Najjar,  47% to 39% with 13% undecided. 

The local daily and 10News commissioned the Survey USA poll, which contacted 539 likely voters in the days immediately following news of the 48-page indictment. Hunter and his wife Margaret have pled not guilty, and his legal team is calling the charges a politically motivated witch hunt.   [Read more…]

A First Look at Propositions on the California November 2018 Ballot

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There are eleven ballot measures for voter consideration on the 2018 general election ballot in California. Three were placed on the ballot by the legislature, the rest via signature gatherers (mostly) paid for groups with an interest in shaping the legal and political landscape. 

This column includes my initial takes on what’s on the statewide ballot. Snark is included at no extra charge, mostly to keep readers interested. And there are a couple of measures I’m unsure about how I feel.

There will be more detailed analyses over the next six weeks, prior to ballots being mailed out. In early October, the San Diego Free Press will post its Progressive Voter Guide, with the endorsements (or not) of our editorial board.

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Hidden Figures – ‘Human Computer’ Katherine Johnson Turns 100 Years Old | Video Worth Watching

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Katherine Johnson, one of the Hidden Figures “human computers”, turned 100 years old this Sunday, August 26th. The Daily Press notes that on Saturday she visited her alma mater, West Virginia State University, for the unveiling of a 7-foot statue in her honor and the creation of an endowed scholarship in her name. During an interview when asked what she thought was the key to such a long and healthy life, her reply was “I’m lucky. Very lucky.” (h/t to AGD)   [Read more…]

Senator McCain: Is the Enemy of My Enemy My Friend?

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A major public figure has succumbed to brain cancer. And now another round of the American bloodsport of ‘who can be shittiest?’ is underway.  

A petulant President Donald Trump has made it clear that Senator John McCain’s death will not bring an end to his scorn. The typical chief executive statement of condolence was squashed. A Tweet and an Instagram post (featuring a photo of Trump) will have to suffice. The flag atop the White House is no longer at half-mast.

History is being re-written to unabashedly sing the praises of “the maverick” and “the last real Republican.” McCain’s existence, as is true with most larger than life figures, was more complicated than that. It is, alas, too easy to fixate on some good deeds when the political world is awash with evil. The late Senator’s empathetic qualities do not negate his willingness to follow his party’s descent into madness most of the time.   [Read more…]

Ammar Campa-Najjar Responds to Fox News Smear and Fear Clickbait Headline

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Editor’s Note: Ammar Campa-Najjar has been in the news a lot since Congressman Duncan Hunter was indicted for illegally diverting a quarter million dollars in campaign funds for his personal use. Since there is no way to remove the incumbent from the ballot at this time, Republicans have come up with a “save the seat” strategy. Hunter will resign should he win the November election, clearing the way for a special election in the spring. In order to ensure that GOP voters in the 50th Congressional District don’t have second thoughts about voting for a crook, Faux News used the headline on this story to gin up some fear. 

Below is Ammar’s response along with a commentary from Pastor Paul Dabdoub attesting to the candidate’s moral character. For the record, Campa-Najjar never met the man in question, since the grandfather that Fox News has raised from the dead died two decades before the candidate was born. 

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Duncan Hunter Jr. must be desperate. He has to dig back three generations to attack me, all I have to do is look back three days ago at his indictment. Hunter is betting it all on the idea that the people in my district are a bunch of bigoted, backward people. I say don’t underestimate the people of the 50th, I’ve risen to occasion — they will too.

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Time Should be Running Out for the President and His Republican Cronies

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I began this writing a day after one of the president’s thuggish friends, a man who led his campaign, was found guilty of several counts of fraud, and his personal lawyer and “fixer” pleaded guilty to illegal payments under his direction.

I waited a day to see how the Republicans in the Senate and the House would react, foolishly holding out that they would finally say “Enough” to the lunacy coming out of the West Wing of the White House – considering that the clock should have run out on his presidency months ago.

And all they’ve done so far is claim that a sitting president can’t be indicted when, whether that is true or not, they have the power to take him down. Like they could impeach the sordid clown.   [Read more…]

Prisoners Risk Their Lives Fighting California Wildfires for $2 a Day

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Wildfires continue to ravage California. Instead of hiring firefighters to put out the fires, the government is turning to incarcerated people for labor. More than 3,400 prisoners risk their lives every day to tackle the wildfires. While the average California firefighter earns $74,000 plus benefits annually, imprisoned people are paid as little as $2 a day. By relying on prison labor, California avoids spending $80 to $100 million a year.

I first learned about the exploitation of imprisoned laborers during the snowpocalypse that hit Boston in 2015. Imprisoned workers were paid 20 cents an hour for shoveling the city in the freezing cold that no one else wanted to venture out and brave. It dawned on me then that prison wasn’t just about gruesome punishment: it’s about profit. And prison labor is responsible for more of this country’s everyday products and services than is let on.

Today, the United States holds 5 percent of the world’s population and incarcerates 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. More than 2 million people are separated from their families, deprived of basic human rights, abused, and left to suffer in cages. Incarceration has increased by 500 percent in the last 40 years, even though crime rates have decreased. More than one-half of all federal prisoners are incarcerated for a nonviolent drug offense.   [Read more…]

Judgment at Nuremberg – Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) Delivers the Verdict | Video Worth Watching

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Although the cruelties and injustices of this administration haven’t risen to the level of those of the Third Reich, the same principles of justice and moral responsibility apply. While some who support actions such as separating children from their parents might claim it necessary for the protection of our borders, as Spencer Tracy notes in his reading of the verdict:

There are those in our own country too who today speak of the “protection of country” — of “survival.” A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient — to look the other way.

Well, the answer to that is “survival as what?” A country isn’t a rock. It’s not an extension of one’s self. It’s what it stands for. It’s what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult!

Before the people of the world, let it now be noted that here, in our decision, this is what we stand for: justice, truth, and the value of a single human being.

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Protesters in Downtown San Diego and All Fifty States Object to Trump’s Supreme Court Choice

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One hundred ninely+ locations in all fifty states hosted events protesting the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on Sunday.

Led by Move On, NARAL, and the People’s Defense Coalition, more than 70 activist organizations endorsed the rallies and marches.

The event in San Diego was held at Waterfront Park on the west side of the County Administration Building. Roughly 300 people attended, cheering on speakers and marching thru downtown afterward.
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Unite for Justice Rally & March to Protest Trump’s Supreme Court Nomination

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On Sunday, August 26th, local activists, leaders, and champions for women’s reproductive freedom will gather for a Unite for Justice Rally and March at Waterfront Park in San Diego, beginning at 10am.

Donald Trump has long promised to only nominate a justice who will end Roe v. Wade and criminalize abortion. Trump has found his man in Brett Kavanaugh.

We can’t and won’t go back to the days when abortion was illegal in this country. We know what’s at stake in this fight: our most precious and fundamental rights. Brett Kavanaugh will not only work to end Roe and criminalize abortion, he will rule to gut health care, voting rights, LGBTQ rights, environmental protections, workers’ rights, and immigrant rights. And his record of arguing for extreme executive privilege, such as suggesting that the Supreme Court was wrong to compel the Watergate tapes from President Richard Nixon, creates the real threat that confirming Kavanaugh will help Trump put himself above the law.   [Read more…]

A Big Blue Wave Is Building In San Diego | Progressive Activist Calendar August 24 – September 3, 2018

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The stretch run for general elections is supposed to start after Labor Day. At least that’s the way it used to be. Activists countywide aren’t waiting for Septemeber this year. Instead, they’re canvassing, phone-banking, and organizing at a level I’ve never seen before. My first campaign volunteer work was for Senator Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential run, and while I’ve taken a year off now and then, suffice it to say I’ve seen a few elections. This one is special.

There are 17 events for progressive-leaning candidates (that I’m aware of) that are directly campaign-related in this week’s calendar. Best of all, there’s a healthy mix of bigger and lesser name candidates: Monica Montgomery (SD City Council D4),  Dr. Akilah Weber (La Mesa City Council), Dr. Jen Campbell (SD City Council D2), Ammar Campa-Najjar (50th Congressional District), Consuelo Martinez (Escondido City Council D1), Tommy Hough (SD City Council D6), Nathan Fletcher (County Supervisor D4), Mike Levin (49th Congressional District), Alan Geraci (State Assembly 75th), Michelle Gomez (County Supervisor D5), Jeff Griffith (State Senate 38th), Tazheen Nizam (Vista City Council D4), and James Elia (State Assembly 71st). Do check out these candidates at the links embedded in their listings.

Lest we become solely focused on electoral politics, there are three activist events that jump out at me as especially important. The UNITE for Justice rally (Sunday, August 26) to protest the runaway train that is Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court,  the National City Council Meeting (September 4) provides yet another opportunity to keep the pressure up over the death of Earl McNeil at the hands of police, and the September 8th Rise for Climate Action rally at the Civic Center (September 8) is a necessary reminder of the incredible damage the Trump administration is doing to the environment.

Let’s do this thing, folks! The persistence of our resistance is starting to pay off.   [Read more…]

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