San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Truth or Twitter? Why Donald Trump Is No John Steinbeck

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Donald Trump has bragged that someone once called him “the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.” There is no evidence that such a thing was ever said, though that is hardly the point.

Unfortunately for us, the new president possesses neither the courage nor the self-control of Hemingway, winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature for writing unforgettably about bravery under fire. As the problems created by Trump-tweets pile up, the source of Trump’s addiction to Twitter has become all too clear. Eugene Robinson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist, described it in words worthy of John Steinbeck: “Trump’s Twitter tantrums are a message of weakness.”
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Geo-Poetic Spaces: Rising Up

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Women
kiss icons in the church of Saint Lazarus
place devote hands
over a reliquary
containing the saint’s bones

Beneath the altar –
a crypt with an empty sarcophagus

My eyes christen the marble with tears
for a distant country
in need of resuscitation   [Read more…]

Inaugurate Resistance: In the Streets of Washington D.C.

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Resistance to the Trump Administration could not be ignored today. Signs everywhere on the streets of downtown Washington D.C. made individual sentiment clear.

Already early in the morning Trump supporters and quiet visitors who wanted to experience an inauguration waited in lines to get past the high fenced walls created around the National Mall. As expected, police and secret service presence was intense. Blockades were also ubiquitous, shutting off most traffic from several blocks.   [Read more…]

Community Campaign Against Accused Sexual Harasser Mickey Kasparian Continues

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UFCW headquarters site of protest in support of brave Latinas

The relentless campaign being waged by supporters of Sandy Naranjo, Isabel Vasquez, and Anabel Arauz continued Wednesday night at the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135 office in Mission Valley for the quarterly membership meeting.

Naranjo, Vasquez, and Arauz filed separate lawsuits against UFCW Local 135 president Mickey Kasparian accusing him of many things including gender discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. Also named in all three complaints are the union itself and in Arauz’s filing, Richard Barerra, secretary-treasurer of the local.

Almost two dozen supporters came out on a cold weeknight to champion the cause of these brave women. Each protestor held a homemade sign showing solidarity with their union sisters or contempt for the man accused of harassing them.   [Read more…]

Inaugural Weekend (And Beyond) Activism Calendar

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(See the SDFP election day liveblog for news throughout the day on Friday, January 20th)

There are community gatherings. There are rallies. There are protest marches. There are teach-ins. There are press conferences. There is art. There are even dance parties. And there are even events NOT related to the inauguration.

People from all walks of life find are finding ways to express their displeasure with the incoming administration. Check out the calendar below for events over the next ten days or so. Events related to the inauguration include the Trump/NOPE graphic.

Activism abounds in San Diego if you know where to look for it. I’ve been posting this progressive activism calendar on Fridays now for more than six months and every week I learn about new groups.   [Read more…]

The Miracle

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The face in the mirror was astonishing!
Visibly aged from the face that stared back just this morning.
It was certainly still me,
with all of the familiar memories of my past sixty-five years.
But there were also memories of a past I had not yet lived.

That wrinkled reflection grinned with satisfaction,
like a old tomcat recalling the huge rat it once devoured.   [Read more…]

Welcome To 2017: Seven Keys for Immigrants to Overcoming Adversity

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By Carlos Batara / OB Rag

As the new year dawns, most of us need to reflect where we’re headed, individually and collectively.

Unfortunately, far too many of those active in immigration circles are caught in the “feel sorry for myself” moment. With a new president, one who has articulated strong law enforcement measures, about to take office, the “doom and gloom” sentiments of immigrants and their advocates are deafening.

Yet, stop for a moment and reflect back to 2009 and 2013. What has really changed in immigration law since that time? In the majority of cases, my office helps immigrants under the same rules that existed back then.   [Read more…]

Liveblog: San Diego & National Inauguration Day News

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Welcome to the San Diego Free Press Inauguration Day liveblog. Additional coverage will appear on our Facebook page throughout the day. Our Progressive Calendar has updated information on planned protests for the entire weekend,

The most recent posts will be at the top of this page, starting at about 8:30am PST.

Each post will be labeled with one of three terms:

LOCAL NEWS: Reports from our citizen journalists
NATIONAL BREAKING: Reports & photos from our Washington DC correspondent, Barbara Zaragoza, along with information gleaned thru social media.
NATIONAL OVERNIGHT: News from earlier demonstrations, plus reports about the Trump administration.   [Read more…]

The Storm Ahead: Weathering the Trump Administration

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While the nation’s attention is focused on hearings for the five high-profile Goldman Sachs execs/alums and other swamp dwellers proposed for President-elect Trump’s cabinet, the horrible reality of what’s coming in the near future is taking shape.

Come Monday, the United States of America –practically speaking–won’t have a functioning executive branch of government. Of the 690 Senate-confirmable jobs, the incoming administration has nominated just 28 humans. Many of those who have been nominated are either antagonistic to or ignorant of the agencies they have been tasked to lead.

The silver lining in all this is that people and organizations are coalescing to resist the challenges of the coming months. Once you get past the bad news in today’s column, I’ll share some information on these positive developments.   [Read more…]

San Diego’s Peoples and Anti-Inaugurations Balls

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“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution”

The daily dose of headlines generated from the cesspool that is Trumpistan is horrifying. Enraging. Endless. And Trump hasn’t even been sworn in as president yet.

While we cannot let up on our resistance, maintaining our esprit de corps over the next years is also essential. Friday, January 20 has not just one but two opportunities to hit the dance floor.   [Read more…]

When Mexico Sends Its People, They’re Not Sending Their Best

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By Eloisa Amezcua / Literary Hub

WHEN MEXICO SENDS ITS PEOPLE, THEY’RE NOT SENDING THEIR BEST

I.

my father is not rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a drug trafficker or a criminal or a killer or a rapist
or a bad one   [Read more…]

Call Congressional Reps Susan Davis and Scott Peters – Urge Them to Avoid Trump’s Inauguration

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Hey San Diegans – now is the time to call – or email or text – the two remaining Democratic Congressional Representatives of our area who have not made a commitment to either avoid or boycott Trump’s inauguration on Friday, Jan. 20th.

Rep. Juan Vargas said Tuesday that he was not attending the event and instead would be in his community praying with constituents. Fourteen members of California’s Democratic delegation are not attending.

Nearly sixty Congressional Representatives – all Democrats – and no senators – have gone on the record declaring their support for John Lewis by not attending the spectacle.

Come inside for contact info
  [Read more…]

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