November 2007

The End of America — The Police State Is Right Here, Right Now

November 30, 2007 by Staff

by Carolyn Baker – Sept 26, 2007 As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such a twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air—however slight—lest we become unwilling victims of the […]

Read the full article → 2 comments

A War of Conquest: Iraq’s Voiceless Refugees and Invisible Corpses

November 29, 2007 by Richard Nadeau

Most Americans have no idea what their powerful and expensive military and armed Blackwater thugs have been doing in Iraq since the invasion of 2003. How could they? They are embedded in a corporately controlled imperial culture that insures that the public remains blind, deaf, dumb, and numb to the suffering caused by the 17 […]

Read the full article → 1 comment

The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act

November 29, 2007 by Staff

[Editor: we do not usually post articles written for other publications, but decided that the two posts below need as wide a readership as possible.] By Philip Giraldi| There has been a long tradition of fear-mongering legislation in the United States directed against groups and individuals believed to threaten the established order. The first such […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

Here Come the Thought Police

November 29, 2007 by Staff

[Editor’s note: we don’t ordinarily post articles written for other publications, but because of the importance of the following, we decided to run with it.] Published on Monday, November 19, 2007 by The Baltimore Sun by Ralph E. Shaffer and R. William Robinson With overwhelming bipartisan support, Rep. Jane Harman’s “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

Venezuela’s D-Day – The December 2, 2007 Constituent Referendum: Democratic Socialism or Imperial Counter-Revolution

November 29, 2007 by Staff

James Petras November 27, 2007 On November 26, 2007 the Venezuelan government broadcast and circulated a confidential memo from the US embassy to the CIA which is devastatingly revealing of US clandestine operations and which will influence the referendum this Sunday (December 2, 2007). The memo sent by an embassy official, Michael Middleton Steere, was […]

Read the full article → 1 comment

More on “Operation Pliers” Uncovered in Venezuela

November 29, 2007 by Staff

  by Eva Golinger November 27 Last night CNN en Español aired the above image, which captions at the bottom “Who Killed him?” by “accident”. The image of President Chavez with the caption about killing him below, which some could say subliminally incites to assassination, was a “production error” mistakenly made in the CNN en […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

The Poseidon Adventure: De-Salination and Why Environmental Groups Are So Reactive

November 27, 2007 by Staff

by J.E.C. San Diego Coastkeeper opposes desalination, sort of. Surfrider says they support desalination, in theory. Just not the plants proposed by the Poseidon Resources Corporation for Huntington Beach and Carlsbad. Coastkeeper and Surfrider’s opposition is normal fare for environmental groups. It’s what they do, oppose. React to the initiatives of others. And that could […]

Read the full article → 6 comments

The Death of Progressive Talk Radio In San Diego Should Be Noted

November 25, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Somewhere between headlines about the crisis in Pakistan and lack of headlines about  demonstrators being beaten by border patrol agents in Calexico, progressive talk radio died in San Diego. KLSD – the Clear Channel station on AM radio, ended its 3 year reign as San Diego’s only progressive talk radio station on Monday, November 12th. KOGO, […]

Read the full article → 9 comments

New Writings Posted on First OB Rag & Early-1970s History of Ocean Beach

November 23, 2007 by Staff

We are continuoulsy posting new material on the 1st OB Rag and the early seventies history of activists in Ocean Beach. We have just posted new writings and photos on the “early politics” of the Rag, the 1970 Jetty Battle, the Collier Park Riot, the persecution of the hippies, as well as an accounting of […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

In the Hands of the Military – Progressive Democrats Appeal to Uniformed Americans

November 21, 2007 by Staff

By Chris Hedges The last, best hope for averting a war with Iran lies with the United States military. The Democratic Congress, cowed by the Israel lobby and terrified of appearing weak on defense before the presidential elections, will do nothing to halt an attack. The media, especially the electronic press, is working overtime to […]

Read the full article → 2 comments

Coup D’etat Rumblings in Venezuela

November 20, 2007 by Staff

Stephen Lendman, a prolific political writer out of Chicago, is one of mediaLeft’s contributing writers. This latest article is very important for people to read and be aware of the current situation as the U.S. Government continues its plans to destableize the Democratic Socialist Govenrment and bring back foreign oil company control to the Venezuelan […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

Gentrification Moves Ahead at Entrance to O.B.

November 19, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Two Craftsmen-Style Turn-of-Century Homes to be Demolished & Replaced With 3 Story, Seven Units Ocean Beach has never been safe from over-development and gentrification. It wasn’t in the past, and it’s still not safe now. The fight to “save Ocean Beach” has been on-going since at least 1970. Now, the latest skirmish is occurring right […]

Read the full article → 5 comments

Thoughts out of Season

November 17, 2007 by Richard Nadeau

Published in the forthcoming November/December issue of “Because People Matter (BPM)” “Yet, the identity between the state and the people is itself a myth.” Are All Critics of Israel’s Policies Anti-Semitic? It’s difficult in the US today to write or say anything critical of Israel without being accused of being “anti- Semitic” or a “Jew […]

Read the full article → 13 comments

Manufactured Shortages in Venezuela

November 17, 2007 by Staff

by Gary Ghirardi In the latest of private sector pressure on the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela another “essential?” commodity has been added to the list of shortages; toilet paper. With each proceeding month of a popular democracy moving forward, to amend their new constitution to increase the popular power base, the multinationals and industrialists continue […]

Read the full article → 6 comments

National Security or Human Rights?

November 16, 2007 by Richard Nadeau

Thursday night’s highly orchestrated CNN televised debate among Democratic candidates was a good example of how genuine anti-war candidates are treated by the corporate media establishment. They are invariably marginalized, seldom allowed to speak, and rarely quoted. The notion implicitly articulated by Wolf Blitzer that everyone would get equal time did not hold true. As […]

Read the full article → 2 comments

Reposted: 10 Days That Shook Olympia

November 15, 2007 by Staff

Olympia Port Militarization Resistance, Olympia Movement for Justice and Peace Originally posted at ZNet by Peter Bohmer; November 15, 2007 “There’s a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part, you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your […]

Read the full article → 4 comments

More Untold Stories From the Fires: MEXICO SAVED OUR ASS!!

November 15, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

There’s another big story out there from the fires that hasn’t really been told: excuse the vernacular, BUT MEXICO SAVED OUR ASS! It’s a story that has been under-reported. At least Union Tribune writer Craig D. Rose acknowledged the tip of it in his November 13th major front-page piece, “Power Links In Peril?”, with a […]

Read the full article → 5 comments

UPDATE FROM CALEXICO BORDER PATROL ‘RIOT’: Charges dropped on two, but third charged with felonies

November 14, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Here is an update from the Calexico “No Border” folks — this is in regards to the arrests and injuries that resulted from Border Patrol agents charging into a crowd of demonstrators protesting the border in Calexico on Sunday, November 11th. Charges have been dropped against Erik Wackernage and Steve Murphy. However, the third person […]

Read the full article → 12 comments

Protest At Calexico Gets Ugly As Border Patrol Charges Peaceful Demonstrators — Batons Swing & Rubber Bullets Fired

November 13, 2007 by Staff

We don’t have to go to Pakistan to see citizens beaten by law enforcement authorities. You just had to be in Calexico last Sunday. On Sunday, November 11th, a small crowd of demonstrators converged on a section of the US – Mexico border fence in downtown Calexico. There was approximately 30 chanting marchers, some dancing, […]

Read the full article → 2 comments

Let Me File This….

November 12, 2007 by Staff

What a Motion looks like in Pakistan. A Pakistani lawyer throws a teargas canister back towards police

Read the full article → 0 comments

U.S. Lawyers Condemn State Of Emergency In Pakistan

November 12, 2007 by Staff

SAN DIEGO LAWYERS CALL FOR ASSEMBLY —-TUESDAY NOVEMBER 13 AT 1:00 PM —-AT THE FEDERAL BUILDING Lawyers’ groups throughout the United States – including San Diego — have condemned the State of Emergency imposed on the people of Pakistan and the attacks on lawyers and the judiciary. A call has gone out for a demonstration […]

Read the full article → 3 comments

Seven Good Reasons to Vote for Dennis Kucinich

November 12, 2007 by Richard Nadeau

Dennis Kucinich is my choice among the democratic candidates based upon his courageous and non-conformist stand on the issues. You can find his stand on the issues at Dennis4President. He addresses the issues of war and peace, civil liberties, universal healthcare, neo-liberalism as manifested by NAFTA and the WTO, renewable NRG, and the need to […]

Read the full article → 4 comments

Lessons From Past Fires, part III: Who’s to blame for the fires? Immigrants? homeless? environmentalists? little boys? terrorists? arsonists? … nah, SDG&E Power Lines

November 11, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Continued from Part II Before the Wildfires of October 2007 were through burning, the blame game had begun. TV news crews speculated on the causes during those first few days when it seemed the whole world was on fire. Early on, immigrants were the cause, then definitely arsonists, then the homeless, then it was little […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

Video of Nov. 8th Civil Disobedience at Olympia, Washington

November 11, 2007 by Patty Jones

Video of civil disobedience and other actions by Olympia, Washington, protesters, on November 8, 2007. Dozens attempt blockade of roadway during transport of military vehicles. Police use force to remove protesters blocking Stryker convoys.     Originally uploaded to YouTube by televiseus.      

Read the full article → 1 comment

New Photos Added to History of First OB Rag

November 11, 2007 by Staff

We’ve added “new” photos and copies of Rag covers — scanned from the original Rags themselves — to our developing history of the 1st OB Rag that began in 1970, which also includes a partial modern history of Ocean Beach. Click HERE or use the link in the navigation bar above.

Read the full article →

Old Left, New Left, No Left left…

November 10, 2007 by Staff

Let me start by telling you I’m not a writer, or some academician so if my grammar is off, or I don’t get the syntax’s correct everywhere I’m not going to lose sleep over it, and neither should you. This isn’t a studious academic paper that hopes to inform or change anyone’s mind. This is […]

Read the full article → 8 comments

Lessons From Southern California Fires – part II – Surfers Surfed While Malibu Burned

November 10, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Continued from PART ONE The San Diego wildfires of 2007 have sparked many a discussion of many an issue. In attempting to grasp an understanding of how these fires fit into the matrix of our Southern California human and natural environment, we have been looking into “Ecology of Fear” by social historian Mike Davis. Can […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

One-Quarter of Homeless Are Vets — oh, by the way, happy Veterans Day

November 9, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Sunday, November 11th, is Veterans’ Day (although it’s observed on Monday the 12th). Happy Veterans Day and just remember, one-fourth of all homeless in this country are veterans. The National Alliance to End Homelessness has released a report, calculating that vets make up 26% of the homeless nationally on any given day, even though they […]

Read the full article → 0 comments

Surfers Surfed While San Diego Burned — Can We Learn Anything From the Wildfires of the Past?

November 6, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

I’m as much a fan of social historian Mike Davis as any other lefty who has attempted to figure out what’s been happening in Southern California – what with the fires – how our dichotomous social fabric has interacted with the particular ecology that we find ourselves in. When the wildfires hit our county in […]

Read the full article → 7 comments

Mike Davis: the un-told story of how immigrants were affected is “the central human tragedy of the recent fires”

November 2, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

By the time we arrived at Mike Davis’ talk at the City Heights Rec Center on Landis Street, it was standing room only. Up to 200 people crowded into the mid-sized room, designed to hold less than half that; people were on the floors, hugging the walls, hanging onto door frames. It was a friendly […]

Read the full article → 1 comment

← Older Articles