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Rebecca Solnit: Ending Sexual Harassment Means Changing Masculinity & Undermining Misogynist Culture | Video Worth Watching

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For some perspective on this Saturday’s “Me Too March” check out this recent interview of Rebecca Solnit by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez of Democracy Now!. Elaborating on her recent Literary Hub article “Let This Flood of Women’s Stories Never Cease” she reminds us that in the case of Abu Ghraib, where initially an attempt was made to characterize the problem as merely being a case of a few “bad apples”, it was eventually acknowledged that the issue was systemic, an issue of a toxic culture which sustained the behavior. Similarly, when discussing the current cases of sexual abuse and harassment coming to light it is dangerous to focus only on the behavior of some number of individual cases. We need to examine the system and the culture that supports that behavior. And for those who might suggest that these behaviors are unalterable genetic traits, there appears to be at least one instance demonstrating that it is indeed possible to create a culture which does not enhrine the alpha male heirarchical structure.

She also notes that the tenor of the times is reminiscent of earlier events which had energized public action on these issues, events such as Anita Hill’s revelations about Clarence Thomas in 1991, the Steubenville sexual assault and the New Delhi rape in 2012, and the Isla Vista mass murder near UC Santa Barbara in 2014. Let’s hope that recent events bear out that observation.   [Read more…]

Trump Administration Internet Scheme Allows Corporations to Throttle Free Speech

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By Jake Johnson / Common Dreams

Open internet advocates warned that “we’re running out of time” to save the web from corporate control and called on Americans to make their representatives’ phones “ring off the hook” Tuesday after FCC chairman Ajit Pai unveiled his long-awaited plan to scrap net neutrality that critics slammed as “naked corporatism” designed to give a major gift to the telecom industry at the expense of the public.

“The reckless wrecking ball strikes again,” former FCC commissioner and current special adviser at Common Cause Michael Copps said in a statement. “FCC Chairman Ajit Pai’s scorched-earth plan for net neutrality displays callous disregard for both process and substance. The chairman’s plan to do away with net neutrality will be a disaster for consumers and yet another handout for big business.”   [Read more…]

San Diego Is No Different Than Sacramento or Washington When it Comes to Sexual Harassment

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It seems as though 15 minutes can’t go by without a new revelation about some influential man being called out for sexual harassment. Sadly, the problem extends way beyond the rich, famous, and powerful, as a recent Huffington Post article about hotel housekeepers and casino workers explained. And then there’s the whole thing where women simply being in a public place are subject to a wide variety of what should be astonishing behavior, as documented recently in a photo essay at the Guardian.

Today’s column will take a spin around the media world to emphasize just how big a deal this overdue reckoning is, and offer up a few side thoughts along the way I felt were worth considering.

I’ll start local and work out from there.   [Read more…]

Help Wanted: A 21st Century San Diego County Sheriff

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What if San Diego had a leader in law enforcement who could see beyond warehousing the homeless? What if we had a Sheriff who wasn’t proud of the fact our jails are dumping grounds for the county’s mentally ill humans? What if we could find a way past the “us versus them” mentality, where fear drives the relationship with the government agency touching the most lives?

The question for voters in the 2018 election for County Sheriff shouldn’t be “what if;” it should be “why not?”

California’s electorate has (over and over and over again) spoken up. The days of lock ‘em up and throw away the key are over. Some of our public servants don’t like that idea. There are plenty of reasons to believe current Sheriff of San Diego County, Bill Gore, is one of those people.   [Read more…]

When Will Democrats Stop Being Losers?

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Is it any wonder that more than 1.7 million voters left the top of the ticket blank in 2016?

By John Atcheson / Common Dreams

Much was made of the “blue wave” some saw on November 7th.  Blue ripple is more like it.  Don’t expect those results to translate into a 2018 landslide for Democrats, unless the Party figures out what it’s for, not simply what it’s against.

Most of the Party leaders are only too eager to tell you what an idiot Trump is, or how mean Ryan, McConnell and the rest of the conservative wrecking crew is.  But they are loath to tell you what, exactly, they, themselves stand for.

Oh, yes, you will hear some vaguely progressive platitudes, especially around election time, but in terms of real, specific and substantive stands on behalf of the middle class and poor Americans, there’s more rhetoric than substance.   [Read more…]

Operatico Politico Returns with Rock Opera vs. Trump – Queen Edition | Video Worth Watching

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Operatico Politico is back!

As we pass the one year anniversary of that gut-wrenching November election, the Operatico Politico crew, using a mashup of the invitingly accommodating Queen classic “Bohemian Rhapsody” with the format of SNL’s Wayne’s World, gift us with an overview of iconic incidents that pull into focus the realization that something has gone radically wrong with our political and social contract.   [Read more…]

County Jail Deaths Don’t Matter in San Diego

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The decision of the county’s police oversight group to not look into the deaths of twenty-odd human beings should serve as a reminder of how true justice is a much rarer commodity than most people realize.

As part of my research into the upcoming elections for County Sheriff and District Attorney, it’s been made clear to me that oversight of the agencies vested with the power of arrest and the administration of justice is largely an illusion.

On one level this is about the frailties of humans; peer pressure to maintain the integrity of the tribe in the face of constant threats. The unspeakable cruelties of injustice are seemingly compartmentalized away from public view so the ongoing–and often misguided–crusade against crime can continue.   [Read more…]

Senate Republicans’ Tax Cut Bill Now Also a Sneaky Repeal of Obamacare … It’s a TwoFor! | Video Worth Watching

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It’s ba-a-a-a-ck! Another sneak attack on health care! The Republicans first attempt at legislation after coming to power in Congress was to try to engineer a tax give-away to the top 1% by masquerading it as a Repeal & Replace of Obamacare. When that failed they just shifted to directly drafting legislation to implement their tax cut for the super rich, attempting to pass it off as “tax reform” and a middle-class tax cut. Now, in an effort to find yet more sources of funds to deliver those tax cuts, Senate Republicans are calling for an end to the individual mandate component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Essentially this will drive premiums up for those who would still be able to afford it and make health insurance unaffordable for about 13 million people, thus “saving” the government about 338 billion over the next 10 years. Chris Hayes of MSNBC’s All In and Senator Ron Wyden break it down.   [Read more…]

County Elections Matter: Matt Strabone’s Campaign for Assessor/Recorder/Clerk

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Will the Blue Wave of victorious Democratic party candidates in recent elections include San Diego?  

The incumbent office holders of down-ballot county seats are hoping they’ll fly under the progressive radar come June 5, 2018. That’s because candidates in San Diego County can win outright –avoiding a November runoff– with a simple majority vote. Though county contests are technically non-partisan, the reality is local office holders at the county level are among the last local bastions of Republicans.

A smaller turnout and the older, more conservative profile of primary voters has all-but-assured an indefinite tenure for county positions like Assessor/Clerk, Sheriff, and District Attorney. And, when they’re ready to retire, they simply quit mid-term, ensuring a carefully groomed deputy appointed by five white Republican County Supervisors will have the advantages of incumbency in the next election.   [Read more…]

County Government Laid Bare

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Part I: Who knew the race for San Diego County Board of Supervisors could be so hidden, so mysterious?

County government leaders have gotten negative press lately with charges of complacency … neglect … elitism … callousness … and worse!  But that hasn’t stopped a vigorous set of candidates from vying for a seat on the tarnished Board of Supervisors.

What an intriguing mystery! It’s time for girl-crusader-for-good-government Nancy Drew to do some sleuthing.

She’s got five big questions about county government.  And she’s got a few question for the candidates whose eyes are glued on the June 2018 primary election.  All she wants are the facts, ma’am.   [Read more…]

The Deadly Link Between Domestic Violence and Mass Shootings

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By Sher Watts Spooner / Daily Kos

The fight for rational gun safety laws is frustrating. But the information that the perpetrator of the latest mass shooting also was guilty of domestic abuse—a conviction that should have kept him from buying a gun—seems to be opening some eyes.

Devin Patrick Kelley, who opened fire with an assault rifle to kill 26 people at a church service in Sutherland Springs, Texas, had been court-martialed for trying to strangle his wife and for fracturing his stepson’s skull. Kelley is just the latest in a series of mass shooters who also have committed domestic violence. Of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history, nine were committed by domestic abusers.

According to research by Everytown for Gun Safety, which has analyzed all mass shootings since 2009, more than half of all mass shootings in the United States are related to domestic or family violence.   [Read more…]

Silencing Women in Politics – The Threat to Democracy From Gender-Based Online Harassment | Video Worth Watching

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An necessary element to having more women in elected office is the need to have women run for office. A critical step in making that happen is identifying and overcoming barriers that discourage women from running for office. One barrier is the disproportional amount of hateful and misogynistic personal online attacks. Here’s a video that sheds light on some non-partisan work being done on that front. More information on this project here.   [Read more…]

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