Category: Politics

By Nadin Abbott / December 19th, 2011

Members of a coalition of Democrats, Occupy San Diego, Move-On and other liberal groups, took over Congresswoman Susan Davis’s (D) office today to protest of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. They first drove to the Clairemont Mesa Office of the Democratic Party, where they intended to stage a sit-in, but the office was locked and a sign on the door indicated they would be holding limited hours during the holidays. Before they left the Clairemont Mesa area several people spoke, while the protesters held signs that were received well by drivers. Among them was Mr. Dick Eiden, running as an Independent against Congressman Darrell Issa (R-49th District.) He invited protesters to get involved in his campaign, since his intention is to “Occupy Congress.”

By Scott Galindez / Reader Supported News / December 15, 2011

Occupiers from around the country held actions on Wednesday to protest provisions in the Defense Authorization Act, a bill that some civil liberties groups say could lead to the indefinite detention of American citizens by the military. Without a trial, no less.

Occupiers assembled in DC included retired Army Colonel Ann Wright, who resigned from the State Department in protest of the Iraq war. They went to Senator Carl Levin’s office where they met with his Chief of Staff, David S. Lyles. Wright, who served 27 years in the military, told Lyles that she was afraid that provisions in the bill gave too much power to the military and it was setting a dangerous precedent by allowing the military to participate in civilian law enforcement. Other Occupiers rallied at the White House, calling for the President to veto the legislation.

It’s official! We had a run-off vote including the top three names for an Ocean Beach resident. And “OBcean” is the winner!

“OBcean” comes from the ditty that says: Put the “OB” into “ocean” – it won 56% of the votes, with “OBecian” getting 31% of the votes with 22, and with “OBcian” trailing with 13%. 71 readers participated in this poll which ran a week.

Our poll was the second week in which we asked readers to decide the “final” version of how to spell it.

By Martha Sullivan/ Mon, Dec 12, 2011 at 9:28 PM

Greetings of a rainy Monday, all!

I have tendered my resignation as Vice Chair, North Area for the San Diego County Democratic Party. I will remain a member of the San Diego County Democratic Central Committee and a delegate therefrom to the California Democratic Party.

I have done this because I cannot stay neutral during the coming Primary races, which being an Area Vice Chair requires. Many of you know that I have been very active in the local Occupy Wall Street movement, Occupy San Diego, since its very first public planning meeting in September. My participation in the Occupy movement has been a logical extension of my progressive, grassroots political organizing since 2003, when I helped to coordinate the local Dean for America presidential campaign.

By Anne Geiger / Public Policy Blogger

Refreshing to read Kathleen Parker this morning as she eviscerates the “big” idea of ever-pompous Newt Gingrich to give poor kids the work ethic he believes they lack by firing their school custodians and pay the kids to—- clean the floors, desks, windows and cafeteria tables, scrub and sanitize bathroom sinks and toilets, sweep sidewalks, shovel snow, bag and dispose of trash and garbage, clear clogged pipes, etc. etc. This, mind you, while putting aside their real job of learning every day.

By rexymeteorite / Daily Kos / November 29th

There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the direction of the Occupy movement, its message, its leaderless nature, its outside-of-the-beltway tactics and the everyone-is-invited attitude of the Occupiers. There has been much consternation about Occupy foregoing the two party system debate and instead focusing on direct action, and other ways to influence our rusted out old political system without having to argue about democrats or republicans. While concerns about the movement should be addressed, and problems solved in a timely manner, these specific criticisms have gotten as stale as week old bread.

Last Tuesday citizens of the bellwether state of Ohio handed Republican John Kasich a crushing defeat as they voted overwhelmingly to repeal Senate Bill 5 that would have undermined collective bargaining rights for public sector workers. This and other Republican losses across the country last week has excited many Democrats who are hoping these elections are a signal that the Tea Party wave has crested and the gloomy horizon for President Obama and his party may be brightening.

Protestors want Centre City Coffee and Brooklyn Dogs to reopen and set new business records Occupy San Diego will not…

The City’s position is pretty damn clear- Occupy San Diego is a threat to business and business must be protected at all costs and above all other things such as protected freedom of speech and the right to assemble. While City Council President Tony Young has not responded to Occupy San Diego’s request for a resolution despite three weeks of an Occupy presence at council and myriad phone calls, the City has moved remarkably quickly to “help vendors displaced by Occupy San Diego.”

Recently, Clare Crawford of the Center on Policy Initiatives noted that, “Even three full-time minimum wage jobs don’t make enough to make ends meet in San Diego County.” Crawford was responding to the release of a report by the Insight Center for Community Economic Development that documented how it now costs a family of three nearly $63,000 to make ends meet in San Diego.

This is according to the 2011 California Family Self-Sufficiency Standard and the grim news is that more than one million San Diegans are living in households earning less than that threshold. That’s close to a third of all San Diegans, much higher than the fifteen percent of San Diegans who fall under the official poverty line.

Throughout Tuesday’s made for Reality TV GOP debate I kept muttering- “just answer the damn question” while trying to imagine Romney and the Not Romneys as president of the United States. Their responses to the foreclosure crisis, immigration and foreign policy were so far off the rails that my brain had to come up with a coping mechanism.

In a letter published at the Voice of San Diego yesterday, candidate Loch David Crane has announced that he has withdrawn from the San Diego mayoral race. He states that despite physical problems that made it difficult for him to campaign he gave it his best effort because no one else spoke out to defend legal medical marijuana patients. I applaud him for taking a stance and wish him the best with his endeavors and hope his physical condition improves.

However, in his letter to Voice of San Diego he misguidedly attacks the labor council…