The Special Week Between Christmas and New Year is a Time of Reflection

by on December 31, 2011 · 4 comments

in Homelessness, Life Events, Ocean Beach

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Sacred Heart Kitchen: A Time and Place for Miracles

The week between Christmas and New Years is, and has, always been one of my favorite times of year. The madness of Christmas day preparations, regardless of how much you keep to the spirit, can be in a word, “draining.” This special week between the culmination of the year and the leap into the next is my time of reflection… and not merely to read the media’s take on the highs and lows and celebrity events of the past year. It is my time and no one expects anything commercially productive out of me.

I am afforded the time to remember friends who are no longer with us, one very dear friend who passed away on Christmas Day, those people who came into my life and became friends, and some who touched my life without even a proper introduction. There is the annual reaffirmation of in that-which- does-not-kill-us-makes-us- stronger, although Nietzsche failed to mention just how painful it can be at the time and oft times the limitless wounds one can carry. And then of course there was the plethora of miracles I witnessed simply because I am finally learning to experience with my heart, and not merely the other five senses.

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The GOP’s 10 Most Extreme Attacks on Women in 2011

by on December 30, 2011 · 0 comments

in Civil Rights, Women's Rights

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2011 marked a banner year in the Republican war on women’s health.

By Tanya Somanader / ThinkProgress / December 27, 2011

2011 marked a banner year in the Republican war on woman’s health. Close to 1,000 anti-abortion bills sped through state legislatures as the GOP-led House led a “comprehensive and radical assault” on a federal level. But in surveying their arsenal this year, 10 bills stood out as particularly perturbing and far-reaching efforts to stymie women’s access to abortion services, birth control, and vital health services like breast cancer screenings. Here are ThinkProgress’s nominations for the most extreme attacks on a woman’s right to choose:

  • Redefining Rape: Last May, every House Republican and 16 anti-choice Democrats passed H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding For Abortion Act. Anti-choice activists Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) tried to narrow the definition of rape to “forcible rape,” which meant that women who say no but do not physically fight off the assault; women who are drugged or verbally threatened and raped;

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Occupy Wallstreet Fights Back Against Police Surveillance by Launching “Occucopter” Citizen Drone

by on December 30, 2011 · 4 comments

in American Empire, Civil Rights, Economy, Media, Organizing

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In response to constant police surveillance, violence, and arrests, Occupy Wall Street protesters and legal observers have been turning their cameras back on the police.

By Noel Sharkey and Sarah Knuckey / AlterNet / December 22, 2011

The police may soon be watching you in your garden picking your vegetables or your bottom. As police plans for increasing unmanned aerial surveillance take shape, there is a new twist. Private citizens can now buy their own surveillance drones to watch the police.

This week in New York, Occupy Wall Street protesters have a new toy to help them expose potentially dubious actions of the New York police department. In response to constant police surveillance, police violence and thousands of arrests, Occupy Wall Street protesters and legal observers have been turning their cameras back on the police. But police have sometimes made filming difficult through physical obstruction and “frozen zones”. This occurred most notably during the eviction of protesters from Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, where police prevented even credentialed journalists from entering.

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Senator Bernie Sanders: It’s 2012 – So, Where Do We Go From Here?

by on December 30, 2011 · 3 comments

in American Empire, Economy, Environment

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By Bernie Sanders / RSN - Green Mountain Daily / December 30, 2011

The year 2011 has been a tough one for Vermont and our country. The recession caused by the greed, recklessness and illegal behavior of Wall Street continues. While Vermont is doing better economically than much of the country, too many of our friends and neighbors are unemployed or underemployed or are earning less than they need to adequately support their families.

Further, in Vermont we have had to deal with the devastation of Hurricane Irene, which caused so much hardship for individuals and businesses. We should all be grateful for the efforts of state and local officials, first responders, the many hundreds of volunteers, and members of the National Guard who all did such an extraordinary job in the cleanup and recovery effort.

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California Supreme Court Ends Redevelopment Agencies – Ruling Could Undercut Chargers’ Downtown Stadium and Affordable Housing

by on December 29, 2011 · 1 comment

in California, Economy, Environment, San Diego

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Editor: With this California Supreme Court ruling, San Diego’s ruling elites find that they now have to come up with a different revenue source to fund any downtown stadium for the Chargers other than public redevelopment monies. Check out long-time San Diego architectural expert and observer Roger Showley’s latest piece (Showley: Point Loma High Class of 1966).

By Roger Showley / SignOnSanDiego / December 29, 2011

The California Supreme Court ruled Thursday against redevelopment agencies, including San Diego’s, and said they cannot remain in business by paying the state a portion of their property tax receipts.

The ruling, affecting some 400 redevelopment agencies statewide, throws into doubt many projects, including the proposed Chargers Stadium downtown and the Padres’ minor league baseball stadium in Escondido.

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The GOP War on Democracy: How Conservatives Shamelessly Disenfranchise People Who Vote Democrat

by Source December 29, 2011
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Across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth.

By Amy Goodman / AlterNet / December 28, 2011

All eyes are on Iowa this week, as the hodgepodge field of Republican contenders gallivants across that farm state seeking a win, or at least “momentum,” in the campaign for the party’s presidential nomination. But behind the scenes, a battle is being waged by Republicans—not against each other, but against American voters. Across the country, state legislatures and governors are pushing laws that seek to restrict access to the voting booth, laws that will disproportionately harm people of color, low-income people, and young and elderly voters.

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Mayoral Candidate Bob Filner Joins Medical Cannabis Rally in Ocean Beach

by Source December 29, 2011

By Gail Powell / Special to the OB Rag

The ASA Medical Cannabis Rally and March came to life on the beautifully sunny Ocean Beach afternoon of Monday, December 26th. Like just about everything else in our berg, the event was spontaneous, mellow, yet very productive. Despite the hovering presence of “The Man” hanging out across Abbott Street in front of the Ocean Beach Hotel, people were at ease and yet vocal about what they perceive as the wrongs being committed against medicinal marijuana patients and the dispensaries by the feds and various city officials.

As the ASA Facebook event page states:

“the federal government has begun a crackdown on legitimate medical marijuana patients, caregivers, and providers. In San Diego alone as a result of Federal threats, hundreds of safe access locations have been shut down causing legitimate patients to go without their doctor recommended medicine.”

The bold actions of the Ocean Beach social activists got the word out to the community and first up with a Bob Filner for Mayor collared shirt and a confident way with a bullhorn was Democratic congressman and 2012 Mayoral candidate Bob Filner.

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NewSchool of Architecture and Design Students Develop Solutions for Addressing Water Runoff Issues in Ocean Beach

by Source December 29, 2011
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NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) students developed proposals outlining how Low Impact Development (LID) practices can reduce polluted storm water runoff within San Diego’s Ocean Beach community. The proposals were developed in NSAD’s Design Clinic, an elective course that allows students to undertake community challenges, and formally presented during a public forum in December.

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The End of the World as We Know It: My View of 2012 and Beyond

by Doug Porter December 29, 2011
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The coming year will provide a series of lessons to be learned about the future role of government on the national level. Driven by popular discontent with the effects of our crumbling economy, people are seeking solutions in a political arena so corrupted by big money and so disconnected with everyday reality that it is bound to fail. No longer are political parties functioning as mass organizations, where popular discontent could, at the least, wrench minimal concessions that would provide the illusion that somebody cared about the average citizen.

One needs to look no further than the establishmentarian “airbrushing” of the Ron Paul candidacy on the GOP side of the equation. The upside of this is that it’s allowed Paul to present himself to audiences on his own terms and helped him become something of a sympathetic figure. Candidate Paul was able to take advantage of the many nontraditional means of communicating with voters that now exist; he’s built an grass roots organization that may drive enough voters (the process in Iowa involves a mere 4% of the population) to grab a few headlines.

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Saving Ethnic Studies With My Tucson Homeys

by Ernie McCray December 29, 2011
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Saving Ethnic Studies is my latest enterprise because my home state, Arizona, just can’t shed itself of Jim Crow kind of thinking, going back to long before I was born and all through my growing up in Tucson in the 40′s and 50′s. Then the 60′s came along and the state had to sing a different song. But Jim Crowness doesn’t go away easily.

Someone came up with the idea of honoring Martin Luther King and His Dream with a holiday and Arizonans screamed “No way!” Yet it happened and I thought that signaled that my beloved state had begun to see the way.

But along came SB1070, a law that basically gives cops of every stripe and kind the authority to profile Latinos. And before I could go “What?” Ethnic Studies, via HB2281, were banned in the Grand Canyon State.

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National Lawyers Guild Condemns NDAA on Indefinite Detention

by Source December 28, 2011

After over a decade of the so-called “War on Terror,” President Barack Obama is about to sign the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law. The NDAA permits the indefinite detention of anyone, including citizens of the United States, who “was part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces, under the law of war until the end of hostilities” – an extremely problematic and vague definition. In addition, it permits the transfer of any detained individuals to any foreign country and trial of such persons before a military tribunal.

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The New Laws of 2012 – Check ‘em out.

by Frank Gormlie December 28, 2011
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By Miriam Raftery / East County Magazine / December 27, 2011

Starting January 1, new California laws take effect. Some give new protections to the public. Buying a used car? You now have a right to know its history. The government can’t snoop into your online reading habits. Your employer can’t peek at your credit report, in most cases. New laws also benefit pregnant employees, organ donors, renters, domestic partners, and bullied gay students.

Other laws impose restrictions. Want to buy popular cough syrups? You’ll need a prescription. If you order items online, you’ll be charged state sales tax. Shark fin soup and beer spiked with caffeine are banned. Employers have new requirements for notifying employees about pay and more. Kids must ride in a booster seat until age 8. Openly carrying a handgun is illegal, even if it isn’t loaded.

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In Memory Of Homeless Advocate Larry Dean Milligan

by Christine Schanes December 28, 2011
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Editor: Larry Dean Milligan was a champion of homeless people in San Diego. Through his efforts and the efforts of his partner, Johanna Argoud, the lawsuit, Spencer v. San Diego was filed in 2004 and settled in 2007. (and then modified 11/10) The settlement in Spencer protected homeless people from fines and arrests relating to sleeping in public – a very important settlement for thousands of homeless people in San Diego. Below is a conversation between Christine Schanes and Johanna Argoud.

Christine: On July 14, 2011, your partner, Larry Dean Milligan, champion of homeless people, passed. You seem content despite your loss.

Johanna: Yes, you could say that. I feel that his life is such a gift to me. And despite the physical separation from Lar, I don’t have the feeling of being without him, unless I choose to. I can always have that joy of being with Lar, a feeling of being even closer than in our physical life together, if I so choose.

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The Widder Curry’s Projections for 2012

by Judi Curry December 28, 2011
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JANUARY: The repair work on Sunset Cliffs will finally be finished. The only problem was that during the installation of the new pipes, the cliffs eroded so much that there can no longer be any auto or pedestrian traffic on the street.

FEBRUARY: The post office, in their infinite wisdom has closed the processing center on Midway drive, thus opening the way for Lindbergh Field to take it over for the new runway.

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Ten Good Things About a (Not So) Bad Year

by Source December 27, 2011
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by Medea Benjamin / Common Dreams / December 27, 2011

I had the privilege of starting out the year witnessing, firsthand, the unfolding of the Egyptian revolution in Tahrir Square. I saw people who had been muzzled their entire lives, especially women, suddenly discovering their collective voice. Singing, chanting, demanding, creating. And that became the hallmark of the entire year–people the world over becoming empowered and emboldened simply by watching each other. Courage, we learned in 2011, is contagious!

1. The Arab Spring protests were so astounding that even Time magazine recognized “The Protester” as Person of the Year. Sparked by Tunisian vendor Mohamed Bouazizi’sself-immolation to cry out against police corruption in December 2010, the protests swept across the Middle East and North Africa—including Egypt,Libya, Bahrain, Syria, Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, and Jordan.

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How the Feds Fueled the Militarization of Police

by Source December 27, 2011
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Billions in post-9/11 taxpayer dollars have paid for combat-style gear on display in the Occupy crackdowns.

By Justin Elliott / Salon / December 26, 2011

The militarization of America’s metropolitan police forces was on full display in recent months as police from Los Angeles to New York cracked down on Occupy protests, decked out in full SWAT gear and occasionally using strange pieces of military hardware.

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Public Restrooms For Homeless in Downtown San Diego Stalls … Again.

by Source December 27, 2011

San Diego “Portland Loo” Project to be Delayed Longer than Expected -project suggested to City Council by Girls Think Tank over a year ago still has not seen the light of day

by Lara McCaffrey / Empower San Diego / Originally posted Dec 21, 2011

San Diego, CA. With the end of the fiscal year approaching fast in June, there is only so much time to change the budget conversation in San Diego. Like Empower San Diego, fellow non-profit Girls Think Tank (GTT) has taken steps to convince the City Council to use valuable tax-payer funds for projects that benefit the less fortunate. GTT has been working for nearly 2 years to get the City to install 24 hour access public restrooms as a part of their Basic Dignity Campaign for San Diego’s homeless.

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Medical Cannabis Rally and March in Ocean Beach – Monday, Dec. 26th

by Staff December 25, 2011
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WHAT: San Diego ASA Medical Cannabis Educational Rally and March

WHEN: 12/26/2011 – 2pm-5:30pm

WHERE: Corner of Newport Ave and Abbot Street in Ocean Beach, CA

The federal government has begun a crackdown on legitimate medical marijuana patients, caregivers, and providers. In San Diego alone as a result of Federal threats, hundreds of safe access locations have been shut down causing legitimate patients to go without their doctor recommended medicine as well as helping crime rise in our City.

The San Diego Chapter of Americans for Safe Access strongly opposes the Federal commandeering and intervention into state law and is organizing a medical cannabis educational rally!

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Occupy San Diego Rallies in Support of the American Flag and in Solidarity With Egypt

by Source December 24, 2011
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By Nadin Abbott / December 23, 2011

During the early morning hours of December 23rd the Occupy San Diego encampment was raided by San Diego Police, and three people were arrested, at least two of them seemingly without cause.

Later that day, the American flag that’s been guarded by Occupiers at Civic Center Plaza (dubbed “Freedom Plaza” by occupiers) was confiscated from a Marine Corp veteran of the Gulf War, John Canter. Carter stated “I was guarding the flag during the raid. They took anything not held.”

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‘Tis the season to be jolly’ … riots, pepper-spray, chaos, marijuana smoking … at Air Jordan shoe sales.

by Source December 23, 2011

msnbc / Dec. 23, 2011

SEATTLE — Across the country, the long-awaited release of Nike retro Air Jordan basketball shoes on Friday resulted in fights, arrests, and the use pepper spray as police tried to calm frenzied shoppers, many of whom had waited outside stores overnight.

In Richmond, Calif., a man was arrested after he fired a gun while waiting in line, KTVU TV reported.

In Seattle, Tukwila police officer Mike Murphy said more than 1,000 people lined up to buy shoes at 4 a.m. at four stores in the Westfield Southcenter mall. He said police used pepper spray on about 20 people who were fighting, while one man was arrested for assault after police say he pushed an officer.

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After Continued Bogus Arrests and Harassment of Occupiers, San Diegans Call for Resignation of Police Chief William Lansdowne and For a Protest March Today – Friday -at 4pm

by Frank Gormlie December 23, 2011
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The bogus arrests of Occupy San Diego activists continue. Within the last 24 to 36 hours, a man was arrested for burning sage in the Plaza, a man videotaping another’s arrest was grabbed by the neck, choked, and brought down by three officers, a veteran carrying an American flag had the flag taken from him, two others awake in sleeping bags were roughly arrested.

Freedom Plaza has now been “cleared” of those demonstrators. And we have Police Chief William Lansdowne to thank – as well as his boss, Mayor Jerry Sanders. Sanders is a lame duck and a burnt out politician.

Lansdowne takes his orders from Sanders, but Lansdown could object to the ridiculous and unconstitutional manner his troops are ordered to harass and arrest peaceful demonstrators trying to exercise their First Amendment rights.

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