OB Rag

by Jim Miller and Jonathan McLeod / Special to the OB Rag

Last week the California Community College Board of Governors met here in San Diego to address the results of their task force on “student success.” While much ink has been spilled detailing the ongoing efforts to impose corporate style “reforms” on education at the K-12 level (see Diane Ravitch’s fine work , little attention has been paid to the reform efforts in higher education.

There is a kind of creeping academic Taylorism that comes with the movement toward “student learning outcomes” in higher education that can only be understood if one recognizes the long history of American corporate interests seeking to discipline and, in turn, profit from institutions of higher learning, whether it be plutocrats railing against “dangerous” ideas in the academy or business leaders seeking to transform American colleges into narrow job training factories that provide them with skilled workers without the accompanying bother of having to foot the bill for this service in the form of paying their fair share of taxes.

My dearest Debbie: this is so scary, your cardiac arrest. Seeing you on Thanksgiving Day connected to all those tubes and machines buzzing and beeping and ringing, with their blue and green and yellow lines zigzagging across a bank of screens, dancing and flashing “vital sign” statistics like storm troopers – I thought I would die, baby. That was so surreal, so not you.

I cry to the universe, stunned, with a simple question on my tongue, like a character in the old time movies: “What’s the big idea?” I mean, really, what genre of karma is this that has you in such a dark valley between life and death? And I can’t help but recall when you got here.

By Mike James / Special to the OB Rag

Gather round young and old as I tell the tale of long ago.

It all started in a quaint inn¹ on the shores of a mighty ocean in the Land of OB. Two brothers of a great clan of craftsman² gathered around a table of libations, sheltered from the winter cold.

They spoke of warm summer winds on the beaches of OB and recent triumphs therein. It had been a gathering of villagers from far and wide to view a spectacular spectacle of light and sound³. This had given great joy to the local trade and citizens of OB alike. It was the beginning of renewed spirit that had nearly been lost in this enchanted land.

Having proudly championed a role in this milestone, the brothers spoke of new campaigns to once again bring happiness to their fellow Obceians.

Not too long ago I stood in a line at a grocery store with two men who were old and tall like me.

I was captivated by the scene and found myself reacting out loud, in a spirit of goodwill and levity, with: “Wow, it looks like National Old Tall People’s Day.” One of the men smiled and the other, as though he had just chugged a gallon of lemon juice, managed to say: “Yeah, if you want to call yourself old.” And being one who is tickled pink (picture that in a man the color of coffee without cream) to be old I had nothing else to say.

Every now and then, we need to take stock of the Occupy Wall Street movement, not just here in San Diego, but matters of the movement across the United States. And right now seems very appropriate what with the recent crack-downs and break-up of the encampments by police on the occupations around the country.

Questions abound.

What has happened? Is the Occupy movement moving into Phase Two? Just where is it going? This question is on every pundit’s lips, across the political spectrum, from left to right. And observers, supporters, and opportunists everywhere are unhesitating ready to offer advice to the fledgling wave of activism whose abbreviations are OWS.

What is next for the movement that has transfixed the nation, changed our lexicon, that one-eightieth the political discussion in this country – all in less than three months?

Are we now entering the “Winter of Discontent” where the movement breaks up, or breaks down into smaller parts, all the while bubbling up for a protest here and a protest there, but over-all submerging itself until spring? Or will the Occupy movement remain visible, creating new ways and forms to remain constantly visible?

We have just heard that the local Federal Court has denied the application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) by Occupy San Diego against the City of San Diego and the Police Department. Judge William Hayes made the ruling.

The ruling took a while to come down. It was on November 22, 2011 – nearly a week and half – that the Occupy SD movement went to court seeking a TRO to prevent the City from enforcing San Diego Municipal Code section 54.0110. The Muni Code section has been used by the City and police to prohibit people from placing any object on City property.

Who doesn’t want a chance to be in the OB Holiday Parade! We contacted Patricia Hume, who was mentioned in the comments of the OB Holiday post we put up last night, and received an enthusiastic reply from her when we asked if we could help promote her idea of having an “Occupy the North Pole” contingent in the parade this year.

This opportunity is open to anyone, particularly Occupy people, just remember to stay in the theme of the Holiday Parade and in the realm of the North Pole.

By Josh Richman / Oakland Tribune / November 29, 2011

California voters are almost evenly split, largely along ideological lines, over whether they identify with the Occupy movement, according to a new Field Poll.

The poll found 46 percent of California’s voting public identifies a lot or some with the Occupy movement, while 49 percent declare not much identification with it. But while voters are closely divided in their identification with the movement, a 58 percent to 32 percent majority say they agree with the protests’ underlying reason while the remaining 10 percent expressed no opinion. The pollsters didn’t provide those it surveyed with a description of that reason.

The Lincoln Club of San Diego is displaying some real bad taste with their new Christmas event invite. The group – an organized and ideological collection of Republican business people have sent out a colorful invite for their Grant Hotel shindig for December 8th entitled “Occupy Christmas” in an obvious pimp off the Occupy Wall Street movement. The card includes four camping tents with three signs made to look like protest signs that say “save the date” – well, you can see it.

To top it off, the keynote speaker is Steve Breen, the editorial cartoonist for the San Diego U-T.

To top it off, the keynote speaker is Steve Breen, the editorial cartoonist for the San Diego U-T.

In their continuing harassment of Occupy San Diego demonstrators at the downtown Plaza area, San Diego Police have arrested a well-known OBcian, Curtis Williams. Williams has been very visible during the nearly two -month old movement, having led several General Assemblies over that time, plus he is deeply involved in several of the movement’s committees. Doubtlessly, police knew him. He was also highlighted in a recent article by Matt Hall about the occupiers in the San Diego U-T.

On Tuesday, November 29th, the San Diego Police Department used Ocean Beach as their test site for the brand new surveillance tower that when used, rises 25 feet out of its mother ship, a supped-up van. Apparently, if the tower works at the beach, it can be used everywhere.

“San Diego is a coastal community,” police Lt. Andra Brown told the media. “We have to know that if it’s a piece of equipment that can be utilized everywhere… that it can be used on the beach.”

Local Teach-In in Prep for National Action on December 6^th

By David Lagstein, San Diego ACCE

Note: ACCE is organizing a “Know Your Rights” teach-in on Saturday, December 3 at 11am at the San Diego Civic Center Plaza, which will include a discussion of our local participation in the national day of action.

Four years ago Wall Street bankers crashed our economy after reckless gambling with our homes and our livelihoods. Then they looted our Treasury for bailouts and bonuses while their 1% allies used the economic chaos as an excuse to rob us of the investments we’ve made in helping every Californian achieve the American Dream.