San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Standing Rock: Longest Running War for US

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Prayer gathering and vigil in San Diego on December 5

San Diego Free Press asked Stan Levin and Gil Field of San Diego Veterans for Peace to let us know about local involvement at Standing Rock. Over two thousand veterans are currently providing support and protection at the Standing Rock Sioux nation camp near the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

Stan and Gil put us in touch with Veteran for Peace Will Griffin whose work can be found at the Peace Report. Will provided us with the video below from his October 2016 trip to Standing Rock with Matthew Hoh, Advisory Board Member of Veterans For Peace.   [Read more…]

Looking Back at the Week: Nov 27-Dec 3

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This week’s edition of Looking Back at the Week features articles, commentaries, columns, toons, and other work by San Diego Free Press regulars, irregulars, columnists, at-large contributors, and sourced writers on: Trump’s twitter tantrum, California hate, 2016 voter fraud, Rosalia Salinas, Chef Ramon, Trump reneging, our Jeeni Criscenzo, looking back at B&C, and lots of other grassroots news & progressive views from San Diego’s friendly, neighborhood, all volunteer, slightly funky, community news site.
  [Read more…]

Rosalia Salinas: The Education of an Educator

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Part I: From Laredo Texas to San Diego

Rosalia describes herself as lucky. She grew up in Laredo, Texas, the daughter of hardworking parents. She says her father Octavio was the hardest working man she has ever met. Her mother Alicia, who loved music and sincerely enjoyed meeting people, had an anything is possible attitude. Ocatvio was born in Mexico and Alicia was born in Michigan to a mother who had also been born in the United States.

Rosalia’s mother faced tremendous economic challenges. Her maternal grandfather Celestino left Texas before 1920 and moved to Detroit Michigan in search of a better livelihood. Celestino was born in Saltillo, and while living in Texas, worked as a shoe repair man. When the word spread all over the country that the Ford Motor company was hiring, Celestino, like many other Mexicanos, moved north in search of a better life.   [Read more…]

Veterans Arrive at Standing Rock to Act as ‘Human Shields’ for Water Protectors

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“I signed up to serve my country and my people.”

By Nika Knight / Common Dreams

As tensions grow in North Dakota, with multiple eviction orders facing the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in their battle against the Dakota Access Pipeline, U.S. military veterans on Friday began arriving at the Oceti Sakowin protest camp.

The 2,000 veterans, which include Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), plan to act as an unarmed militia and peaceful human shields to protect the Indigenous activists from police brutality.

“I signed up to serve my country and my people and I did that overseas,” Indigenous U.S. Navy veteran Brandee Paisano told the CBC. “I didn’t think I’d have to do it here, on this land, so here I am. This is what I need to be doing.”   [Read more…]

Geo-Poetic Spaces: Up In Flames

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Dancers stepped on their own feet
bankers robbed
consumers shopped
sellers sold out
rappers wrapped themselves in gold chains
politicians shit bricks   [Read more…]

I Wanna Be a 501(c)3

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By Mic Porte

I wanna be a 501(c)3
I have a worthy cause and I wanna be
The CEO of my favorite charity
A big fat salary with vague accountability
Endorsed by all my friends with their administrative abilities   [Read more…]

The Lowdown on 2016 Voter Fraud

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Incidents of voter fraud in the 2016 general election have now been verified.

All four of them. In Iowa, Terri Lynn Rote tried to vote twice for Donald Trump and was arrested. In Texas, Phillip Cook was arrested for voting twice. He (falsely) claimed to be a Trump campaign employee testing the security system. In Illinois, Republican election judge Audrey Cook filled out an absentee ballot for her dead husband. It won’t be counted. In Florida, electoral employee Gladys Coego was caught and arrested for altering mail-in ballots, adding votes for a local mayoral candidate.

Meanwhile, internet wags are busy repeating variants on the meme “Trump’s lawyers are Russian to Putin legal challenges” to voter recounts in Michigan and Pennsylvania.   [Read more…]

Chula Vista’s Bayfront and National City’s Affordable Housing Problem

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The Chula Vista City Council has promised $1.2 million annually from the city’s general fund to back its agreement with the Port of San Diego on the Bayfront Master Plan project. The vote took place on Nov. 15. The San Diego Union Tribune elaborated on the details.

The Tribune quoted CV Port Commissioner Ann Moore as saying, “This action demonstrates the city’s continued commitment to this project, which will generate revenue and create the top-tier destination that Chula Vista deserves.”

The Editorial Board of the UT also wrote about Chula Vista this week, citing that the second most populous city is experiencing exciting times, particularly with an agreement to turn the 535-acre industrial site into a residential and resort destination (the Bayfront project). The editors did ask where the money might come from to build such an expensive project.   [Read more…]

Get an IUD While You Can

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With a new Congress threatening birth control access, millions of women are looking at long-term solutions.

By Olivia Alperstein / OtherWords

As soon as the presidential election results were announced, alarm bells went off for anyone who cares about reproductive rights.

Lawmakers around the country have been moving for years to restrict abortion rights. But for millions of women who’ve taken proactive steps to prevent unplanned pregnancy, there’s a much more direct threat: the next administration coming after their birth control.

As organizations like Planned Parenthood put out urgent calls for resources and support, ordinary women are asking: What do we do if we no longer have access to affordable birth control next year?   [Read more…]

KPBS Local Hero: Jeeni Criscenzo del Rio

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Advocate, Activist, SDFP Citizen Journalist

Last night, November 30, KPBS presented the 2016 Local Heroes Celebration at the Kitchens for Good at the Jacobs Center. KPBS and their partner Union Bank have been hosting this event since 1998 as a way to “showcase what is good in our communities”.

It is impossible to showcase what is good in our communities without showcasing the people in our communities who do good. Sixteen heroes who reflect the strengths and challenges of San Diego’s diverse communities were honored for the unique way they do good. Jeeni Criscenzo, who is known to the San Diego Free Press community as a vocal, fearless and tireless advocate for homeless women and children was one of those honorees.   [Read more…]

Too Bad About Your Health Insurance & Other Republican Nightmares

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Ah, reality. The feces is about to hit the fan on healthcare.

After years featuring sixty-plus votes in Congress to end the Affordable Care Act, interminable misrepresentations (remember death panels?), and failing to move on even one alternative plan for legislative consideration, it’s time to put up or shut up.

There are three possible scenarios on paying for health care emerging, none of which bodes well for the more than one in three Californians covered in some fashion by Medi-Cal. All of them will enrich a few at the expense of the many by continuing commodification of what should be a public service.   [Read more…]

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