San Diego Free Press

Grassroots News & Progressive Views

Is Your Vacation Stealing Your Life?

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By Jim Miller

Upon returning from my travels it was with some amusement that I noted the tag at the end of my “greatest hits” series of columns in June: “We’re re-running some of the best of his columns while Jim takes this ‘vacation’ thing we keep hearing about.” I was amused because I hate “vacations.”

Hate vacations? What am I crazy? No, not crazy just not a fan of the way our consumer culture steals our lives and sells them back to us. As Michael Ventura notes in his seminal essay, “Report from El Dorado”:

Our idea of “a vacation” is an idea only about 100 years old. To “vacation” is to enter an image. Las Vegas is only the most shrill embodiment of this phenomenon … People come here to step into an image, a daydream, a film-like world where “everything” is promised. No matter that the Vegas definition of “everything” is severely limited, what thrills tourists is the sense of being surrounded in “real life” by the same images they see on TV. But the same is true of the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park or Yosemite or Death Valley or virtually any of our “natural” attractions.

Indeed, when we consume packaged experiences, even the most beautiful “natural” phenomenon can be drained of any wonder. When all that was once directly lived moves away into the realm of representation, we struggle to escape from the poverty of our experience. Thus, as the Situationists put it back in the 1960s, tourism is “the chance to go see what has been made banal.”   [Read more…]

A Good Day to Exercise Our 1st Amendment Rights; Barrio Logan BofA Chalk-In Demonstration a Success

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By Brent E. Beltrán

On Saturday, July 6, a little over a dozen people showed up in my neighborhood to exercise our 1st Amendment rights with chalk. At noon we gathered at Bank of America’s Barrio Logan branch on the corner of National Ave. and Sampson St.

The reason for our action was to protest not only Bank of America’s policies but to show our solidarity with Jeff Olson who had recently been put on trial by the out of control San Diego City Attorney, Jan Goldsmith. Mr. Olson faced up to 13 years in prison and a substantial fine for writing anti-bank slogans in chalk outside of BofA branches in North Park and Hillcrest on the publicly owned sidewalk.

The push to prosecute Mr. Olson was at the behest of Darrell Freeman, Vice President of BofA’s global corporate security. He made numerous efforts to get the San Diego Police Department’s Gang Unit to forward the case to the City Attorney’s office to prosecute.

And boy did they. The equally out of control deputy city attorney Paige Hazard went after Mr. Olson as though her life depended on a conviction. Her zeal to see Mr. Olson behind bars bordered on the ridiculous if not a downright obsession. Luckily the jury saw through her madness, as well as Lincoln Club stooge Goldsmith, and acquitted Mr. Olson of all charges.   [Read more…]

The Federal Reserve: Money Printer for Wall Street’s Benefit

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This is Part 5 of a multipart series on Wall Street.  Part 1 dealt with Republican economic philosophy over the last 30 years which has produced disastrous results for the American economy leading up to the 2008 crisis. Parts 2, 3 and 4 dealt with whether or not Wall Street banks should have been allowed to fail. Part 5 deals with the incestuous relationship between the Federal Reserve Bank and Wall Street.

By John Lawrence

The US Federal Reserve Bank is the central bank of the US. It’s mission is to control the nation’s monetary policy i.e. the amount of money circulating in the economy, and to maximize employment. It does this by raising or lowering interest rates. When interest rates are low, there is more money in circulation and it’s cheaper to borrow. Low mortgage rates encourage home sales and they also encourage the sale of large consumer items such as cars.   [Read more…]

Readers Write: Surprise – Inquisition!

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By Tom Hunter

I am amazed at how the “Founding Fathers” were so wise and how they are selectively worshiped by the GOP.  The Constitution (stand and salute!) is only one line below the Bible with the GOP, although they only worship a certain version of the Constitution and they are always threatening to fix it and or bitch slap the Supreme Court when they disagree with some decision.

They seem to worship a kind of Norman Rockwell vision before all that “science” got in the way.  They tend to like “prescience ” things like trial by ordeal.  (Hey if she drowns – she’s innocent!)  I can’t quite figure out their fixation with “other peoples” sex lives.  You’d think these modest Christians would shun the very concept of other people’s sex.

There is s an entire industry of lobbyists working in every state to figure out how to make sex less fun (in the dark, missionary style, for procreation only and they are extremely suspicious of people who manage to get themselves raped).  The GOP has pretty much obsessed with pointing out “other people’s sins”.  Their vision may be somewhat obscured by that stick in the eye.   [Read more…]

Video Picks of the Week

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These are oldies but goodies, and really don’t require an introduction. We invite you to sit back, relax and start your Sunday with a little bit of laughter.

  • Sad Cat Diary
  • Sad Dog Diary
  • Baby Trashes Bar in Las Palmas

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    Tío Emilio and the Secrets of the Ancestors: Chapter 7 — The Omen

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    When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.  Buddhist Proverb

    By Richard Juarez

    As I got close to the house I could see Tío and Tata sitting on the front porch, talking and drinking from their coffee mugs. They both said good morning as I approached the front gate.

    “Hola, Vicentillo,” Nana called from the living room. She saw me through the screen door as I walked up the porch steps. “¿Ya comistes?”

    “Sí, Nana, gracias, I’ve eaten already.” I thought about it for a second, but couldn’t resist. “¿Pero … tienes una tortilla?”

    “Pues sí.” She motioned for me to follow her into the kitchen where she immediately lit up two burners on the stove. “¿Quieres un burrito con frijoles y chorizo?”   [Read more…]

    Field of View: Torrey Pines State Park and Gliderport

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    By Annie Lane

    Torrey Pines State Reserve is a scene I will never tire of seeing. Striking colors, views and wildlife surround easily accessible paths making the excursion enjoyable for hikers of all skill levels.

    On this particular day, we ended our outing at the Torrey Pines Gliderport (a short drive), where we ate lunch at the Cliffhanger Cafe and watched paragliders and hang gliders flying among the birds. The food was decent, and made all the better by the scenery. We also met two of the birds from West Coast Falconry, who were hanging out cliffside with their trainers and would fly alongside them while they went paragliding.   [Read more…]

    A Visit to San Diego Amusement Scenes

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    The good and the bad of two of San Diego’s most popular family attractions.

    By Judi Curry

    For the first time in many years, I had the opportunity to baby-sit two of my grandchildren. Actually, these were two of my four great-grandchildren, and, after swimming all day the first day they stayed with me, I realized we would have to do something else or all of us would go nuts in the remaining five days. Thanks to a great friend, I was given complimentary passes for three to Sea World and, in spite of my broken shoulder, decided to drive the short distance instead of taking a bus or taxi. The tickets also included the $15 parking fee.

    We parked near the entrance – or what I thought was the entrance – only to find that there was a lot of construction going on and the entrance had been moved about an eighth of a mile from where we parked. (If you have ever had a broken shoulder you know that each step jiggles the two broken bones, and you keep feeling your shoulder to see if the bones are sticking out yet.)

    The letter I received told me to pick up my passes at the “Will Call” but….there was no “will call.” I asked the guide where we should go to pick them up and he looked at the huge line where “ordinary” people were picking up their tickets and said “at the end of this line.” I must have looked like I was in pain; a sling on my left arm; a brace on my right arm for my carpal tunnel, and dragging two kids – 6 and 10 – and he took pity on me. He said, “stand right there and I’ll ‘sneak’ you into a fast moving line.” Which he did. Bless him!   [Read more…]

    Mexican Journalist Marcela Turati: “Don’t Abandon Us”

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    In the past 10 years, at least 17 journalists have disappeared and 72 have been killed. None of them have been solved.

    By Marcela Turati /Global Investigative Journalism Network

    Journalist Marcela Turati has gained global attention for her compassionate and committed reporting on the victims of Mexico’s drug wars. An investigative reporter for the magazine Proceso, she is co-founder of Periodistas de a Pie (Journalists on Foot), a network that supports journalists covering issues such as poverty and human rights. The Nieman Fellows at Harvard University, in choosing her for the 2013 Louis M. Lyons Award for Conscience and Integrity in Journalism, called Turati “a standard-bearer for the journalists who have risked their lives to document the devastating wave of violence in Mexico,” and saluted her “courage… journalistic excellence and leadership.”  

    On June 25, Turati gave the keynote speech at the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) annual conference in San Antonio, Texas. During a lengthy talk, in sometimes halting English,  hundreds of journalists sat silent and fixed on her words. Turati’s message to her colleagues was straightforward: “Don’t abandon us.” 

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    KNSJ Goes on the Air with Filner, Frye Speaking Out

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    By Bob Dorn

    Several hours into its maiden voyage yesterday, July 04, radio station KNSJ-fm, broadcasting live from Balboa Park’s World Beat Center was pleasantly interrupted by his honor, the Mayor of San Diego, Bob Filner, looking lean and I’m not saying mean, because he was among friends there.  Real friends.

    Floyd Morrow, former San Diego city council member and Marine who had promised the station Filner would show up, grabbed Filner in a hug.  The mayor had no bodyguards hovering nearby nor tightsuits with clipboards and iPads in hand surrounding him, and he was relaxed.

    Spontaneous hoots of encouragement echoed through the giant old water tank that Worldbeat Africanized and made its home decades ago, and which, for this Independence Day, was the broadcast studio of KNSJ.   [Read more…]

    Pumping Up Filner’s Flaps for Fun and Profit

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    By Doug Porter

    City Councilman Kevin Faulconer joined the flail on Filner fray today with a UT-San Diego op-ed chock full of the sort of doom and gloom spin that would do Karl Rove proud.

    ‘The sky is falling!’ He says, ‘The streets are full of potholes!’ And…(my favorite)… ‘Bankruptcy looms!’

    Yes indeed, citizens, Faulconer tells us, the Mayor’s ‘Bullying’ is taking a harsh toll at City Hall.  You, the people, are ‘unheard victims’.

    Gosh, it sure is coincidental about how the word ‘bullying’ (used in the print edition headline) has been showing up on the GOP’s playlist lately.

    Is the Mayor feuding with smaller sized children? Has he actually threatened anybody with harm? Are the ‘victims’ of this maniacal madman weak and defenseless?   [Read more…]

    AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FRIGGING BASTARDS THAT ARE NOT CONTENT WITH THE FIREWORKS SHOWS

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    By Judi Curry

    The adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words” is shown here for those of you that insist on shooting off firecrackers all night long.  Not fireworks – firecrackers.  I only wish that I could shove one of the “crackers” where the sun don’t shine in defense of Buddy, who is absolutely scared to death.   [Read more…]

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