OB Rag

Candidates Differ on treating Occupy protesters and whether they’d retain Police Chief Lansdowne.

Editor: Last Friday the 13th of January, the four major candidates for San Diego mayor held a debate. It was the very first time that all four major candidates appeared on the stage together as Bonnie Dumanis and DeMaio had been avoiding earlier debate opportunities (they both declined to attend the debate held by the San Diego Labor Council in November of 2011). But it was a debate – held at the Grant Hotel – that was a ‘pay for play’ debate, as it charged an entry fee. This meant, of course, that ordinary San Diego citizens and voters weren’t there.

So, to remedy that, here are two versions of the debate to consider, the first from the Daily Transcript and the other from the U-T:

Four mayoral candidates spar over plans and policies

By Claire Trageser / The Daily Transcript / January 14, 2012

All four major San Diego mayoral candidates squared off in a debate for the first time Friday, answering pointed questions from members of the local media about their plans and policies.

Editor: Along with the following article by U-T reporter Mike Lee about the erosion in Sunset Cliffs Park, was a photo purporting to show drastic erosion at the Park. But the photo (see above) is misleading as it shows a hillside full of ruts and erosion runways – yet a hillside I know well. The hillside is just beyond the intersection of Sunset Cliffs Blvd and Ladera Street. I know it well because I lived in the immediate neighborhood as a teenager and played on that very hill and others in the area. I can attest that that same hillside has looked that way since I was 13 (now I’m sixty-something).

Yes, there is erosion at the Cliffs and there always has been. The Cliffs are made of sandstone and that’s what sandstone does with time. Look at what happened to the famous “Needle’s Eye” that once rose above the ocean near the famous surfing spot “No Surf”. Should we have built walls around it or support braces to save it? Of course not.

But the debate over what to do and how to “control” the erosion at Sunset Cliffs goes on, but that discussion is not helped with misleading photos.

By Mike Lee / U-T San Diego / Originally published Jan. 7, 2012

Across Sunset Cliffs Natural Park, fast-flowing water has carved chasms in the iconic seaside spot so that one prominent website recently named it one of the nation’s top five “disappearing places.”

By Nadin Abbott / East County Magazine / Jan. 15, 2012

On Thursday January 11th, 2012 Mr. Derek Casady of La Jolla brought a proposal for the June Ballot allowing for voluntary public financing of elections in the City of San Diego. We are just starting to see the toxic effects of the Citizens United Supreme Court Decision on our democracy. In that decision, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations could pour virtually unlimited amounts into funding campaigns for candidates and political initiatives, opening wide the floodgates for corruption and undue influence on public officials.

The (mis-) adventures of our pals traveling to Occupy Congress demonstrations that begin tomorrow, Jan. 17th, was picked up the Rachel Maddow Blog (see above). This drove hundreds of viewers to our site – thanks Rachel – we watch you nearly every night. By 9:00 a.m. this morning (1/16/12) the post had over 1700 hits.

Occupy San Diego Road to Congress – Update Day 2

From Las Crusas to the Amarillo 13

By Eugene Davidovich/Special to the OB Rag / January 15, 2011

With no breaks from the road all night, and after traveling hundreds of miles through California and Arizona, the group of activists from Opccupy San Diego finally got a chance to stretch their legs in Las Cruces, New Mexico in the early hours of Saturday, January 14th.

When the bus pulled into the Las Cruses station at 7:30am, everyone’s hopes for a working restroom were shattered as the sign on the door read, “Restroom Not Operational.”

To add to the difficulties, weather outdoors was a crisp 30 degrees Fahrenheit, a sharp change form the relatively blazing 70 degrees most protesters are used to in San Diego.

At the Las Cruses Greyhound station the group was met by Jeff and Stella Miller from Occupy Las Cruces who brought loafs of freshly baked hot bread and coffee for the travelers. After everyone got their fill and had an opportunity to stretch, the group quickly organized a small rally with protest signs and chants outside the bus station.

It appears our brothers and sisters from Occupy San Diego who are on their way to Washington DC to “Occupy Congress” were rudely thrown off the Greyhound bus by an unsympathetic bus driver. This was in Amarillo, Texas in the middle of the night, Saturday, Jan 14th.

Here is a report from Michael All-In Ponsler:

“Don Ainsworthy, Greyhound’s most psychotic driver really screwed up tonight. This man was completely rude to all passengers waiting to board and when he saw our Occupy logos he made several negative comments.

Once we were on the bus this guy began shouting at people to sit down and shut up. This did not go over well with any of the passengers, but I made it clear that we will not be treated so disrespectfully.

by William Gagan/ San Diego Occupy Press / Originally published on January 10, 2012

The Protect IP Act (PIPA) is a U.S. Senate bill introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy. Along with its House counterpart Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the bills are designed to provide the government and copyright holders with powers to block access to “rogue websites dedicated to infringing or counterfeit goods,” especially those registered outside the United States. Since its introduction on May 11th, 2011, the proposed bill has been met by opposition from various digital rights activists and bloggers for its encroachment in online activities protected under the first amendment of free speech. Congressional hearings for both bills began on November 16th.

Background

If passed by Congress, Protect IP Act would allow the government to curb public access to websites that have “no significant use” other than infringing copyright, enabling or facilitating copyright infringement. It would also make unauthorized media streaming an act of felony and hold the web publishers and hosting services responsible for curbing their users from posting copyright-infringed content.

Here are some interesting local stories that you may have missed this past week or so, stories we found interesting enough to link to them via the following headlines:

SDSU Student Republicans Go After Teachers They Don’t Like – and Teachers Respond

• College Republicans Rate Professors as “Teachers or Preachers” – San Diego Reader by Dave Rice
• U-T San Diego version

• Professors Respond to Student GOP Attacks – Call Them Unfair – Channel 10News

Thief Struck in Ocean Beach – Would Watch Where Beachgoers Would Hide Car Keys

by Lori Weisberg / San Diego U-T / January 14, 2012

A man who San Diego police believe was connected to a string of mostly beach-area car burglaries last year was arrested on Friday at a La Mesa motel.

The thefts, which occurred in Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, downtown San Diego and La Mesa between August and December of last year, generally targeted beach-goers, police said.

Local News Website Denies Police Claims That Activists Were Warned Before Being Arrested

The most disturbing thing during Mayor Sanders’ “State of the City” address that he delivered last Wednesday night (Jan. 11th), was not the swam song of a lame duck politician, but that four Occupy San Diego activists who interrupted his speech were all charged with felonies.

Usually, disturbing a public assembly, like a City Council meeting, is a simple misdemeanor. But in a spiteful frenzy of vengeance, police have charged Alberto Ordonez, Christopher McKay, Tahra Ludwig – who is an OB Ragster, and Michael Garcia with felony conspiracy to commit crimes. The crime here, of course, was that these activists stood up during Sanders’ speech and called out the human megaphone “Mic check! Mic check!”

In a twist of the law, disturbing an official meeting or speech is a misdemeanor. But if one conspires to commit a misdemeanor with others, that’s a felony. It’s a stupid law, but one that has been on the books for a long time. So, if two people enter a store to stage a petty theft – misdemeanors – and they conspire to do it – it’s a felony.

Keegan Kyle, of the Voice of San Diego, called our well-known by now assistant police chief, Boyd Long, to ask why.

Preparations and Departure – Day 1 Update

Editor: Over a dozen activists from Occupy San Diego are going to Washington, DC, in response to a “call” to “Occupy DC” and Occupy Congress, which is to begin on January 17th, when Congress officially returns. About a dozen of these activists are traveling by Greyhound – and this is the first of many reports by our special OB Rag reporter for the trip, Eugene Davidovich – an OBcean. Other OSD folks are also heading to DC but later this month. Eugene will be sending us periodic reports on this historic 3000 mile journey and about what they find and do in the nation’s capital.

By Eugene Davidovich / Special to the OB Rag / January 14, 2012

On a sunny San Diego Friday afternoon, January 13 2012, a group of eleven dedicated and passionate activists from Occupy San Diego (OSD) embarked on a historic journey by bus, from the West Coast to Washington D.C.

The purpose; to stand in solidarity with a call from the D.C. Occupation for a mass convergence on Congress January 17th. A convergence of all occupations from across the nation to stand in solidarity and speak loudly for social and economic justice.