“Best of OB Rag” – 2008 – Part 1

Here’s the first part for “Best of OB Rag” in 2008 – a story of the disappearance of the “Peace Sign” off of Bird Rock, and more on the Iraq war, the peace movement, the 2008 elections, torture, nuclear power, Aliens invading OB, San Diego foreclosures and health care reform :

OCEAN BEACH – Sadly community members are discovering that someone has taken the peace sign from “Peace Rock” off Sunset Cliffs. Some time over the last couple of days, the widely-known and loved art installation project disappeared.

Those responsible for placing the universally-recognized peace sign, made of stain glass, on top of the solidarity rock have today acknowledged via their web site that they do not know of the signs whereabouts. In a statement to the community, they urge whoever took it, return it via an alley behind an artists’ coop on Newport Avenue, Rock, Paper, Scissors. See more of what they said at Peace Rock here.

Go here for comments and more.

POINT LOMA / OCEAN BEACH – This is an update on the disappearance of the beautiful, stained-glass peace sign which was attached to the top of “Peace Rock” off Sunset Cliffs – go here.

John Kerry’s endorsement of Barack Obama for President must have shocked the Democratic Party establishment as much as it surprised me.

Obama won in Iowa, and then came in a very close second, after pre-election polls had him running first. I listened to both Obama’s post election speeches, and frankly was amazed by his charismatic presence and eloquent oratory. He is certainly capable of moving people, and I would argue he is certainly qualified and capable of being President. Go here for more.

On January 11th, 2002, twenty hooded and shackled men shuffled off a plane from Afghanistan, arriving at the U.S. prison at Guantanamo. In an attempt to sidestep the Geneva Convention protections for prisoners of war, the Bush administration created a new category of “enemy combatant” for these men captured in the “war on terror.”

Since that time, more than one thousand men and boys have been imprisoned at Guantanamo. Accounts of cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment have been condemned by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch and the people of this country!

Go here.

I just can’t believe the cheerful propaganda coming from the nuclear power industry and its boosters. They are telling us now that nuclear power is a “clean and safe solution” to the crisis of global warming. Nothing could be further from the truth. In my view, we are being offered a glowing picture of a cool plutonium paradise, a false bill of goods if there ever was one.Just recently, The Sacramento Bee published two essays promoting nuclear power as a solution to global warming.

One from a former Greenpeacer who now works for the nuclear industry, claimed that current anti-nuclear activists such as Greenpeace are “living in the 1970s.” Another essay from a jazz-critic-turned-nuclear-revivalist sang non-improvised hosannas of “nuclear power for the people.” Go here.

Recent surveys show that American voters have a critical view of how things are going in the country, and that they are confident that the next American President will have the power to change much of what is wrong. Voters begin this election year with a grim assessment of the status quo.

Roughly three-fourths say the country is on “the wrong track.” Some say the Democrats don’t have the spine to improve things. In my view, progressives have to push the Democrats to end the war, restore our civil liberties, particularly the right of “habeas corpus,” and to protect our environment. Go here.

Dear Members of the Academy, Friends, Supporters, Cast and Crew,

Well, it has literally been 34 years in the making, but we have finally completed our movie “Aliens Invade Ocean Beach” and have released the director’s cut to YouTube this very evening. (Click on the link below and turn up the sound!)

As I have been in hiding for most of those years and lost track, please forward this message to any of those involved in the movie, the Cape May Cooking Collective, or any other interested parties. Also, please add this film to your YouTube “Favorites” and be sure to give it a high rating – every little bit helps in trying to get that spot on Jay Leno. go here for more

The Union-Trib brought us news today (2/02) that the District Attorney’s Office has exonerated the San Diego police shooting of a homeless man last year. The shooting of 32 year old homeless man, Dominic Long, who was described by family members as suffering from schizophrenia, occurred near Mission Bay in July 2007.

DA Bonnie Dumanis sent a letter to San Diego Police Chief William Landsdown asserting that on the day of the shooting, Officer Travis Hamby feared for his life when Long advanced on him with a knife. for more.

THE RETURN OF TOM JOAD

“Nominal house prices in the aggregate have rarely fallen and certainly not by very much,” Alan Greenspan, 2005

Just as San Diego led the nation into the housing bubble, it is also leading our country into the foreclosure crisis. In communities like Chula Vista, Oceanside, Spring Valley, Barrio Logan and Golden Hills thousands of working class home owners are facing foreclosure and eviction from their homes. Roughly half the homes sold in our community in the last few months have been the result of foreclosure or some other form of financial distress. Unfortunately, this situation will only grow worse in the next year as tens of thousands of sub-prime loans adjust to market rates.

Many residents facing foreclosure are simply giving up. Convinced that there are no options open to them, they are abandoning their homes. Other vulnerable home owners are being scammed by rip-off artists posing as foreclosure counselors who cheat them out of their equity and their homes. Go here.

We, the collective we, the national we, the “we”‘ we call America, we have the health care system we want. Our health care industry is a product of our society. It is a reflection of us. If the industry were imposed on us by some dictator then we might have a defense.

But as a democracy we believe we have some influence over social outcomes. I’m not being sarcastic. Honestly, look at the situation. If we accept the premise that we are a democracy with the ability to control outcomes, it’s only logical – it is the way we want it.  go here.

Editor: I’ll be adding more treasures as the day goes on…..