I had to fly to RAF Brüggen
to find an olive branch
for the country of my birth
talking itself to death
I had to travel to Germany
to see runways
outflanked by forest
munitions planted
in fortified bunkers frozen by Cold War
carpet bombed by meadows [Read more…]
Staff: The history of the OB Rag will be the subject of a presentation at the next OB Historical Society’s monthly gig. That will be Thursday, June 16th at the P.L. United Methodist Church, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd, 92107. The presentation will be by current OB Rag Editor Frank Gormlie. In light of that, we thought it would be cool and appropriate to publish some more history of the original OB Rag, OB’s underground newspaper of the 1970s. The following recounts the 2nd anniversary of the first OB Rag.
By Fall of 1972, it was the OB Rag’s second birthday – the beginning of its third year, and the community-wide effort to develop alternative institutions was in full swing.
The OB Community School was a year old. A childcare center had arisen among needy parents who were assisted by activists. The OB People’s Food Store had opened in a storefront.
And finally a new grassroots urban planning organization was in the process of forming, which eventually paved the way for a community frontal attack on the developer-driven Precise Plan.
Again, the Rag was on the front lines promoting all of these alternatives, as many of the paper’s staff were involved in these efforts.By now, the paper had taken on more a “professional” look; it was printed on newsprint with 16 pages – for a while it even had justified columns – but usually the text was simply typed out on typewriters. It had more photos and local news, along with poetry and artwork by local residents. [Read more…]
I don’t why it’s taken so long to get around to hearing about this, but opposition files on presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump are finally making their way into media. This is just basic research, done by every campaign.
Sixteen Republican presidential contenders lost out to The Donald and not one of them squawked about the more than three thousand, five hundred lawsuits filed against the New York billionaire. I guess these court actions were considered inconsequential by the GOP types because so many of the had to do with small business and workers not getting paid.
Also: Week Calendar of Progressive Events [Read more…]
Supervisor Greg Cox secured another term during the primary elections this week. He was unopposed.
You may remember my interview with him when he explained, among other visions regarding Parks and Recreation, that he would like to see a campground created within Border Field State Park. This week, however, a letter was released from U.S. Border Patrol that said it would not be an ideal location for a campsite because the Imperial Beach Border Patrol station apprehended more than 5,300 people during fiscal year 2015 alone.
“Over 3,200 of these apprehensions occurred within the immediate vicinity of the proposed campsites. Twenty-five percent of those apprehended had prior criminal convictions in the United States and some of the illegal crossers were documented gang members,” the letter says. Marty Graham, who termed the area an “active crime scene” has the full report. [Read more…]
By Lauren McCauley / Common Dreams
There is no doubt that history was made Tuesday night after Hillary Clinton sweptCalifornia, all but sealing her fate as the first woman to become a major party nominee for president.
Even before polls closed in the Golden State, the former secretary of state celebrated the moment at a Brooklyn rally, telling her supporters, “Thanks to you we’ve reached a milestone: the first time in our nation’s history that a woman will be a major party’s nominee.” [Read more…]
By Raul Grijalva / Daily Kos
This week marks the 110th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, a landmark law allowing presidents to designate national monuments on land owned by the federal government. Its signing by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 began the modern era of conservation, allowing Roosevelt to designate nearly twenty national monuments and protect natural and cultural resources that have come to define our country.
Many of the monuments he established, including the Grand Canyon in 1908, are now among our most popular national parks. The Antiquities Act, by any measure, has been a tremendous and popular success.
Despite that, the law is under constant attack by Congressional Republicans who mischaracterize the authority granted by the Act as a “land grab.” House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) was recently recorded at a public event saying that anyone who likes the Antiquities Act should “die” so as to get “stupidity out of the gene pool.” The Chairman went on to describe the law as “the most evil Act ever invented.” [Read more…]
Two high-profile Congressional supporters of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump are in the news this week. A loss of voter support for down-ballot legislative seats is considered one the biggest challenges for Republicans in 2016.
Congressman Darrell Issa’s surprisingly weak showing in the primary has delighted Democrats. Ex-marine Douglas Applegate is garnering national attention after a strong showing in a district that’s been a lock for Republicans in the past.
Congressman Duncan Hunter is under fire for comparing a Latino bar association with white supremacist groups in a radio interview with Fox News Sean Hannity about Donald Trump’s accusations regarding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel. [Read more…]
Keep an eye on some of the new ballot proposals that have been filed recently with the San Diego City Clerk. These proposals reflect focused citizen participation that offer correctives to the city’s Citizen Review Board on Police Practices (CRB) and the county’s meager health and human services. These small “d” democratic efforts also happen to be spearheaded by women. [Read more…]
Sore losers! you sneer,
because they question the way the game was played.
Cheaters! they cry,
because it just doesn’t make sense
the way it went down,
compared to what they saw with their very own eyes.
Just politics.
That makes it all OK,
As if this was just a game of chess,
With nothing lost but the round,
unless you waged a bet. [Read more…]
By Luis O. Osuna, San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association President
In recent days our organization and Judge Curiel have become the targets of Donald Trump’s attacks. The comments made by Trump have been misleading, blatant lies and even racist in nature. Given the amount of attention that Trump’s remarks have produced, this statement seeks to clarify who we are as an association, our purpose and the abject impropriety of Trump’s criticism of Judge Curiel and his attacks on the independence of the judiciary. [Read more…]
By Barbara Zaragosa / South Bay Compass
The Tijuana River Valley (TRV) was once filled with vegetable farms, dairies and ranches. As a matter of fact, the famous horses Trigger and Seabiscuit were boarded here. Today, many ranches still pepper the TRV. You can take horse rides out to the beach or buy vegetables at Suzie’s farm stand on weekends. Along the road in this sleepy area the TRV Community Garden also rents plots to local residents.
The Tijuana River Valley Community Garden has a simple goal: to promote healthy and fresh grown produce in a diverse community environment. [Read more…]
