OB Rag

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has been turned into a nuclear waste dump for the foreseeable future.

By Sarah Mosko / Times of San Diego / September 4, 2021

If you live in Orange or San Diego County, hopefully you’re aware that San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station has been turned into a nuclear waste dump for the foreseeable future. If you live on planet earth, you’re wise to be tracking domestic and foreign moves to increase reliance on nuclear energy.

Increases in population density must also consider infrastructure, such as sewer limitations, traffic conditions and water supply.

By Annalisa Berta / San Diego Union-Tribune OpEd / Aug. 31, 2021

Single-family zoning — made popular more than 100 years ago — is challenging, and few would dispute that a thriving city must address the housing needs of all of its residents. Yet cities differ demographically and in how they approach building homes. Like many cities in California, San Diego has a housing shortage that has contributed to skyrocketing rents and home prices. But its response is making matters worse.

At issue is San Diego’s adoption of its accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance

Public Service Report

By Matt Hoffman / KPBS / Tuesday, September 7, 2021

One of the region’s largest health care providers is reporting a single-day COVID-19 death record, nearly all among people who were unvaccinated.

“From last Thursday until (Tuesday) morning we’ve had 21 deaths — the highest was on Saturday with 6 deaths,” said Scripps Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ghazala Sharieff. “That is just, I can’t even describe what that feels like knowing that these are all preventable deaths. 92% of our patients are unvaccinated and we didn’t have to be here again.”

From Aug. 1 to Sept 7, there were 70 COVID-19 deaths at Scripps and 67 were those unvaccinated.

As of Tuesday, the hospital system is seeing 162 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, with 51 in the intensive care unit (ICU), Sharieff said.

By Mat Wahlstrom

Labor Day is the only holiday on our calendar dedicated to celebrate the worker; yet it is those on the lower wage end that most likely had to work yesterday. For these people, it was turned into just another Monday, likely without extra pay to compensate, with maybe a “thank you for your service” at the checkout.

While this disconnect between official recognition versus actually getting a paid day off is still clear, it’s important to examine how the imperatives of capital similarly warp our understanding where the idea of something is proposed as a substitute for the thing itself. When in place of public benefits, we are asked to use our imagination and accept empty gestures instead.

by Ernie McCray

As the dental surgeon prepared me for a procedure, a mellow rendition of “What a Wonderful World” played in the background.

On a violin. What a nice sound.

When I awoke the music kept playing in my mind. Evoking memories of Louie, the great Mr. Armstrong, Satchmo, singing this song, capturing so much beauty with lines about “trees of green” and “red roses” and “skies of blue and clouds of white” and “bright blessed days” and “dark sacred nights” and “the colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky.”

As Maria drove us home, I basked in the mood Louie had me in with his images of loveliness.

And I remembered, too, lyrics in the song that spoke to the beauty inherent in human beings, “friends shaking hands saying, ‘How do you do?’”

By Colleen O’Connor

It could happen. It might happen. Odds are increasing that it will happen.

What began as a Republican “double down” big bet is looking like a “big wave” wipeout.

The Republicans’ strategy of recalling Governor Newsom (amid COVID, fires, homelessness, drought, and MAGA-Trumpian grievances among voters), seemed clever. Even at a cost of taxpayers of $276 million.

The reasoning was sound. It was a gamble with a back-up plan. Even if the recall campaign failed to oust Newsom, the attack ads would be ugly enough to weaken him for a possible defeat in his 2022 re-election fight.

Restaurant Review

Vessels Restaurant at
Kona Kai Resort
1551 Shelter Island Drive
Point Loma, CA 92106
619-819-8195

Every now and then a special occasion occurs and you want to make it so special that those involved never forget it. That occasion happened the other day when I wanted to take Ibrahim Al Nashashibi (“Al”) out to celebrate two things: His birthday, and the completion of his second novel. As a restaurant owner, (Fairouz) he doesn’t get out much, and since this was a breakfast I wanted it to be someplace special. Vessels immediately came to mind because of the spectacular view, the good food, and the wonderful service.

Over the past week or so, members of the Ocean Beach Town Council elected five new directors to its board. And they are:

• Tracy Dezenzo
• Mara Cunningham
• Deanna Polk
• Anna Firicano
• Gregory Winter

By Geoff Page

I credit the Bush, Jr. era for institutionalizing the politics of fear in this country. Since then, it has become interwoven into the fabric of society in more ways than most people realize. Bush and his criminal cohorts elevated concern about “safety” to colossal heights, even to justify a war. Since then, all kinds of crap has been foisted on an obedient and willing American public. Security systems and guns to name the top two.

But, it’s insidious and ubiquitous use in our day-to-day life now has become acceptable. This is sad because fear for our safety is now used as a cloak for a whole bunch of things. How could anyone be against measures to keep us – and our children of course – safe?

Here are three cases where the fear card being is being dishonestly played to obtain a desired end. The most egregious is a cycling subject. There is a crosswalk. And there is the Humane Society.

In her blistering dissent, the Supreme Court justice calls out her conservative colleagues’ breathtaking disregard of precedent and the Constitution.

By Justice Sonia Sotomayor / The Nation / September 3, 2021

The Court’s order is stunning. Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny, a majority of Justices have opted to bury their heads in the sand.

All events are online and free unless stated otherwise.

Many groups are very concerned about the September 14th election and are dedicating time to work on the Stop the Recall vote. If we elect a new governor now it would mean drastic changes to social justice and climate change policy issues.

Every Saturday 10:15 am. Climate Mobilization Coalition Zoom Meeting. September 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th.
September 8th Wednesday 6 pm Tesla Supercharging Plugs Into San Marcos
September 9th Thursday 5:30 pm Racially Charged Misdemeanors

September 9th Thursday 6 am. – 8 am Nuclear Weapons & Climate Change
September 8th Wednesday 5:30 pm 6 pm Social time 6 pm – 7 pm Book discussion
September 9th Thursday 5:30 pm Planet Rehab
September 9th Thursday 5 pm “Invest In Yourself: Building A Better Transportation Future”

Nuclear Shutdown News August 2021

By Michael Steinberg / Black Rain Press

Nuclear Shutdown News chronicles the decline and fall of the nuclear industry, and highlights the efforts of those working to create a nuclear free world.

On August 29, 2021, 16 years to the day when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and environs, Hurricane Ida made landfall twice as a Category 4 storm. Its 150 mph winds raced through the Crescent City, and up cancer alley, by Baton Rouge, an area replete with petrochemical facilities whose surrounding African American populations have high rates of serious health care problems in the best of times.