December 2007

Continuing Saga of New Orleans Public Housing – Feds Turn Up Heat On HUD Sec’y Alphonso Jackson

December 27, 2007 by Michael Steinberg

A report today in the online publication Government Executive details mounting evidence from federal investigations linking HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson to scandals in New Orleans-including the demoliton contract for the St. Bernard public housing complex. New Orleans, December 26-Today’s Government Executive (GE), a business daily for federal managers and executives, features a report , “Probe […]

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More On the Future Direction of the Peace Movement

December 27, 2007 by Staff

by Peter Bohmer I have found the discussion on the future direction of the antiwar/ peace movement very worthwhile. I would like to add the following seven points to the very useful discussion: 1) There are a large number of people who believe the United States should never have gone to war in Iraq, that […]

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The World Is a Sadder Place Today – Benazir Bhutto Assassinated in Pakistan

December 27, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

I shed a tear this morning upon learning of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan today – half a world away. She was assassinated either by a shooter or by the bomb that the assassin blew himself and 20 others up with, at the end of a campaign rally in Rawalpindi. Her supporters have […]

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“Police State” Poll Results

December 26, 2007 by Patty Jones

Here are the results from our most recent poll, with the question asked: Do you think we already live in a police state? Yes, absolutely.– 29% of all votes Almost, give Bush another year. — 34% of all votes Depends on how you define “Police State”– 8% of all votes No, not on my watch! […]

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Save New Orleans Affordable Housing Fact Sheet

December 26, 2007 by Staff

 Say No to wasting Katrina millions on demolition by Bill Quigley 1. New Orleans is in the worst affordable housing crisis since the Civil War. HUD reports that the city is 100 percent rented as tens of thousands of homes remain wrecked. There was a waiting list of 18,000 people for public and Section 8 […]

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Back in New Orleans: Into the Pink

December 24, 2007 by Michael Steinberg

That December Saturday afternoon in New Orleans, we thought we’d go over to the Lower Ninth Ward. An unusual constellation of shooting stars, even in this place and time, had brought us to that point. One was the almost complete and utter continuation of the devastation. Since the flood wall shattered in the L9 and […]

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The Greatest Generation? Not Who You Think

December 23, 2007 by Staff

By Jim Smith They stopped a war, ended racial segregation, set off an explosion of creativity in arts and music, and changed the world. The World War II generation? Think again. It was the much maligned generation of the 60s that did all this,and more. While we respect the generation of our fathers and grandfathers, […]

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Impeach This Lawless President and Vice-President

December 21, 2007 by Richard Nadeau

In the spring of 2005, Wisconsin Democrats drafted a resolution calling for the impeachment of Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld for “high crimes and misdemeanors.” They were upset by the revelations in the “Downing Street memos” which indicated that the Bush administration “fixed” intelligence to justify the war with Iraq. The resolution charged the administration with […]

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New Orleans: Tasers, Pepper Gas Greet Protesters At City Hall

December 20, 2007 by Michael Steinberg

Police attacked housing rights activists locked out a City Council meeting to vote on the demolition of public housing. One woman, shot with a taser in her back, went into a seizure and had to be taken to the hospital. People inside were attacked too. At about 1 p.m. outside City Hall today, a sign […]

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NSPD-51 and the Potential for a Coup d’état by National Emergency

December 20, 2007 by Staff

By William H. White December 18, 2007 NOTE TO THE READER: This paper addresses the possibility of a coup d’état by national emergency before the end of Bush’s last year in office, citing recent institutional actions that can be reasonably interpreted as being consistent with and preparatory to such an undertaking. These actions, all occurring […]

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New Orleans Coalition To City Hall: No To Demolitions

December 19, 2007 by Michael Steinberg

The Coalition To Stop Demolition held a press conference at City Hall yesterday to implore the City Council and Mayor to say no to public housing demolition. At a press conference today on the steps of City Hall, The Coalition To Stop Demolition sent a clear message to the Mayor and the City Council: just […]

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Future Direction of the Peace Movement – the Continued Debate

December 18, 2007 by Gregg Robinson

Ed: With Gregg Robinson’s post, we continue the much needed debate on the future direction of the antiwar movement. Gregg originally wrote “Why no mass antiwar movement? The Case of San Diego,” which was followed by Rick Nadeau’s lengthy comment, and then Frank Gormlie’s “The Antiwar Movement Needs This Debate: Why Is there No Mass […]

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CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS MOUNTS (satire)

December 16, 2007 by Staff

Click on the image to see a format large enough that you may read it on your monitor, then depending on the browser you use, click on the image to expand or reduce its size on your screen. To read more use these links: Justice Department And CIA Bypass Constitution – Block Congress’ Oversight Duty […]

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Polls results! Our Democratic candidate is…

December 16, 2007 by Patty Jones

Dennis Kucinich, by slightly more than half! 61 votes. Wow! Thanks for participating. Results: Joe Biden 0% Hillary Clinton 2% Chris Dodd 0% John Edwards 25% Mike Gravel 0% Dennis Kucinich 51% Barack Obama 16% Bill Richardson 2% None of the Above 2% Not Voting 2%

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OB Rag Retrospective: Fall 1972 – the Rag & Other OB Alternatives Going Full Blast

December 15, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

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 […]

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Bill of Rights, CANCELED!

December 14, 2007 by Patty Jones

Download this image to your computer and use it as your desktop or background image. To download when using Firefox, right click on the image with your mouse, select “Set as Desktop Image…” If you’re using IE (go get Firefox, you’ll be glad you did), right click on the image and select “Set As Background” […]

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The Anti-War Movement Needs This Debate: Why Is There Is No Mass in Our Mass Movement?

December 13, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

Indebted is how I feel towards activists like Gregg Robinson and Rick Nadeau and Tom Hayden, for they all have addressed the problems of the anti-war movement within the past week. Robinson wrote here “Why no mass anti-war movement: the case of San Diego”, Nadeau gave a lengthy reply to Robinson, and Hayden just wrote, […]

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History Always Has Surprises

December 13, 2007 by Richard Nadeau

December 12, 2007 The first meeting since Annapolis between Israel and Palestinian negotiators took place today. A report by the Jerusalem Post indicated that the parties had a “tense” meeting. The Palestinian Authority raised the issue of new settlements being built by Israel on Palestinian Territories. They made it clear that the new building and […]

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High Noon in New Orleans: Anti-Demolition Protesters Storm Federal Building

December 13, 2007 by Michael Steinberg

Today protesters fighting to save New Orleans public housing from demolition stormed the federal building. At high noon today, demonstrators protesting the federal government’s plans to demolish four major public housing complexes brought their message straight through the front doors of the federal building, local headquarters of the Departartment of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). […]

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Anti-Thomas Jefferson Political Spot (1800)

December 12, 2007 by Staff

  From the PBS Documentary Vote For Me: Politics in America and cnam2000

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Recall Vote in Potrero: “Good-bye Blackwater”

December 12, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

At long last, the Potrero Planning Committee had its recall vote finalized Tuesday, December 11th, and all members of the board who approved Blackwater’s facility and training camp for mercenaries were recalled. All five replacement members who opposed the facility were voted in. Blackwater supporters were overwhelmingly voted off the committee by two-thirds votes in […]

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A Retrospective: College Campus Activism 1968-1970

December 11, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

1968-1970: COLLEGE CAMPUSES SIMMER, THEN EXPLODE From 1968 through the Spring of 1970, college campuses simmered and then exploded across the nation – as well as worldwide – as young students were standing up to the American government’s involvement in Vietnam, and standing up to those perceived — and rightly so – as the government’s […]

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Let’s be real about “Toilet to Tap”

December 9, 2007 by Staff

Written by SS Toilet to tap, indirect potable reuse, reservoir augmentation, whatever you want to call it, our City Council finally took up the issue and showed some balls. The vote was five in favor, three with no vote or against. Of course our local councilman from Point Loma voted against the override. At least […]

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Why No Mass Anti-War Movement: The Case of San Diego

December 8, 2007 by Gregg Robinson

Introduction The contradiction between the mass opposition to the war in Iraq expressed in polls and the minimal opposition in the streets is a central concern of the antiwar movement. This quietism is all the more surprising given the history of the last major American war disaster: Viet Nam. By the late 1960s and early […]

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“Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, …”

December 8, 2007 by Staff

“Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want oceans without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one,or it may be […]

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Fire and Rain:Disaster From Coast To Coast

December 8, 2007 by Michael Steinberg

They learned to follow leaders Who lead us to disaster They listened when their teachers said It was just a passing matter – Zero Option, OB’s greatest punk/speedmetal band Ellen and I moved to OB from Baltimore in the winter of ’77. I’d first visited San Diego in ’73. Somehow, while still in Balmer, I […]

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POLOSI IST FREIGEGEBEN – SPRICHT GEGEN “MARTIAL RECHT IST AUS DER TABELLE”(Satire)

December 8, 2007 by Staff

Washington – In einem späten Entwicklung, Sprecher des Hauses, Nancy Polosi (D – CA) wurde von House Festnahme. Im Gespräch mit Reportern gesammelt außerhalb der verbarrikadierte Capitol Building, Polosi argumentiert, dass die Anfechtung Kriegsrecht “ist vom Tisch.” Sie erklärte, dass die Demokraten nicht wollen, scheint zu weichen gegen den Terrorismus, SEE Martial Law A24

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One Out of Every 31 Americans Is In The Criminal Justice System

December 7, 2007 by Frank Gormlie

A report just released on December 5th by the Department of Justice states that one out of about every 31 adults in the United States was either in prison, in jail or on supervised release (parole or probation) at the end of 2006. This means that 7.2 million men and women, an increase of 159,500 […]

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Immigration Backlash: Violence Engulfs Latinos

December 7, 2007 by Staff

by Brentin Mock Published by the Southern Poverty Law Center There’s no doubt that the tone of the raging national debate over immigration is growing uglier by the day. Once limited to hard-core white supremacists and a handful of border-state extremists, vicious public denunciations of undocumented brown-skinned immigrants are increasingly common among supposedly mainstream anti-immigration […]

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Blackwater in Potrero – Documentary

December 6, 2007 by Patty Jones

In late 2006, Blackwater USA, now known as Blackwater Worldwide, submitted a proposal to build a training facility called Blackwater West in the rural San Diego County town of Potrero. This documentary tells the story of what followed. Features interviews with Jeremy Scahill, the author of Blackwater: the Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary […]

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