Wake and Bake – it’s Dead President’s Day

By OB Joe

All right, kids – time to face the new week. The weekend is over and … but wait – THIS JUST IN: It’s a national holiday today … for some – The Presidents’ Day. Okay, time to figure out if you still need to go somewhere or do something for this holiday to dead presidents. Unfortunately most working people – who have jobs – do not have this day off, and still went to that job this morning.  Post offices are closed, as are banks, some schools.  So, ya still have time to light up and ponder what you’ve missed.  Here, let us help … here is a light for you:

Stephen Colbert returns Monday night!  Looks like he was caring for his 91 year old mom. A fresh “The Colbert Report” will be shown on Comedy Central.   There was no official explanation on Wednesday, when production was abruptly halted. Repeats of “The Colbert Report” were shown Wednesday and Thursday; the show doesn’t tape on Fridays.   Plus, there was no formal statement but the network confirmed Colbert’s return.   People close to Mr. Colbert were quoted as saying that that he was caring for his 91-year-old mother, but that was not confirmed.  Colbert responded to fans’ well wishes on Twitter on Friday night:  “My family and I would like to thank everyone who has offered their thoughts and prayers,” Colbert wrote. “We are grateful and touched by your concern.”

The Deputy who shot the Marine in San Clemente is identified.  CampPendleton Patch identified the sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Marine Sgt. Manny Loggins during a predawn traffic stop last week as Darren Sandberg, according to multiple law-enforcement sources who asked not to be identified.  Approached by Patch at his home Friday evening, Sandberg declined to comment, saying, “You’ll have to take all that up with my department.”  Privately, other sources named Sandberg, who worked as a deputy in Mission Viejo before joining the Sheriff’s Academy in mid-2011 as an instructor. One source described Sandberg as “high-strung,” and said some sort of “problem” led to his recent departure from the academy.  But he has  received praise and commendations in other quarters.  On Feb. 9, two days after the shooting, Sandberg posted a comment on his Facebook page that said, “Thanks everyone for all your support. I am doing good. Love you.”   The post was removed from public view late Friday afternoon, shortly after Patch began trying to confirm Sandberg’s involvement in the shooting.

 County ordinance against gnats may force organic farms to close. On Feb. 29, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will look at a new ordinance aimed at controlling regional gnat populations, but many of the restrictions  in the ordinance would have negative impacts for local organic farms.  Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Pam Slater-Price are leading the charge for dealing with the eye gnat problem they see as caused and perpetuated by organic farms. The ordinance would effectively classify the eye gnat as a “vector” instead of its current status as a nuisance and thus place the issue under the Director of Vector Control. If passed, organic farms could be required to spray their crops with chemical pesticides, plant “barrier” crops that would reduce farmable acreage, or shut down for weeks during the peak summer months – the most profitable growing season.

Safe access for medicinal marijuana patients week sees San Diego rally. On Thursday February 16th  activists, patient advocates, and concerned citizens converged on federal courthouses in states and cities across the nation in a coordinated effort to voice their opposition to the continued federal and local assault against medical marijuana patients’ rights.  The protest, part of Medical Cannabis Week; a week of action called by Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the nation’s largest medical marijuana patients’ rights advocacy group, to draw attention to “Obama’s failure at keeping his promise not to ‘circumvent’ state medical marijuana laws and to highlight the unprecedented attack on patients and their providers across the country”.   The San Diego Rally for Safe Access was held at the San Diego Federal Courthouse on the corner of Front St. and Broadway. At noon, several dozen protesters converged on to the steps of the courthouse, told their stories, and chanted; “What do we want? Safe Access! When do we want it? Now!” along with “DEA Go Away, DEA Go Away”.

City Beat goes after Roger Hedgecock and his free rein at the “new” U-T San Diego. Kelly Davis takes aim at the daily fishwrap and their addition on the editorial page of the former mayor, turned felon, turned rightwing radio personality and racist.  She’s pissed off – and rightly so – that the “paper’s given Hedgecock free rein to write whatever he wants, fact-checking be damned,” as occurred with his most recent rant “Have You Had Enough Government Yet?”

Controversial “Kiss-In” at the statute at Tuna Park organized by OBcean photographer.  Gail Powell – an occasional blogger for the OB Rag – reports that “Ocean Beach photographer Michael Realpeople gathered an estimated 50 couples and onlookers at the Embarcadero on the morning of February 18 to reenact the kiss that inspired the 25-foot-tall ‘Unconditional Surrender’ statue.”  The event was controversial as, according to one commenter, the Port District at first told Realpeople that he needed a permit for a gathering of more than 20 people.  Yet when word got out about the event via  Facebook, Yelp, the Reader, and other news sources that the “Kiss-Off” was on, the Port acquiesced.

 The future appears! Driver-less cars legalized in Nevada. Finally – the cars we were promised in the fifties: driverless vehicles that cruise the freeways while the driver read a book or played cards or …. The car being developed by Google Inc. uses radar, sensors and computers that allow the vehicle to drive itself, though human drivers can override the autopilot function. Companies that want to conduct testing in Nevada will need a bond of $1 million to $3 million, depending on the number of cars they plan to test.

Our own Kevin Faulconer on national Fox News talkin’ pension RE-form.  Kevin represents Ocean Beach – one of the most liberal and progressive neighborhoods in San Diego. Kevin is a nice guy, but he is a Republican and has sided with Carl DeMaio and Mayor Sanders in their beeg campaign for RE-form in the right-wing’s efforts to destroy public employee pensions. San Diego Rostra has the link to the video.