Columns/Blogs

Maskholes like Jim Desmond want us dead

I’ve reached the breaking point on the ideological crusade built around self-victimization over attempts to slow or stem the coronavirus. Yes, I’m a high risk individual, but that’s not the reason why I’m ranting today. I’m just one part of a much bigger picture, namely the portion of the population certain politicians think is expendable in the name of profit. The nation is in the…


Why can’t I get that damn stimulus payment?

Despite trying to receive my economic stimulus payment since March 12 and about 25+ hours of efforts including dozens of phone calls to your agency and other agencies and more numerous online attempts than I can count, I have not received anything. The distribution of this payment to myself and some others is completely broken and unresponsive. The “where is my stimulus” website simply said…


Doug Porter may be down, but he’s not out

As of December 10th, I’ll be taking a break from my daily musings. To make a long story short, I’m going to have surgery at UCSD La Jolla on December 11th. All the preoperative appointments are crowding my schedule making it difficult to write a daily column, so I’ve missed a day or two recently. This has been on the horizon for a while. A…


SD Dems facing ‘curse of the supermajority’

The Wisconsin of the West No More: San Diego is Now a Democratic Stronghold, What Will This Mean for Local Progressives and the Future of the City? With all the focus rightfully placed on the national picture, it’s worth noting how historic the election was here in San Diego. With Democratic victories in the County Board of Supervisors races, only one Republican left on the…


Donald Trump, Rebecca Jones deny COVID

Donald Trump says his use of social media, countering what he calls fake news, made him president. This morning, as I watched the DOW sink by more than 900 points (so much for his recovering economy), I came upon President Tweet’s latest rant: “Covid, Covid, Covid is the unified chant of the Fake News Lamestream Media. They will talk about nothing else until November 4th,…


San Onofre radioactive waste storage dust-up

The decommissioning of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) has been riddled with controversies since it was shuttered in 2013, undermining public confidence in Southern California Edison’s management of highly radioactive nuclear waste which will be stored on-site for the foreseeable future. In 2018 for example, a whistleblower exposed how a 54-ton canister loaded with radioactive waste nearly plummeted 18 feet because of a design flaw…


Issa’s Trump trade job burned to the ground

When it comes to carpetbagger Darrell Issa, the California 50th Congressional District race is not a prime example of sloppy seconds, but of sloppy thirds. First, Issa was such a coward in 2018 that when he realized he might lose his California 49th Congressional District seat due to demographic and voter registration shifts along with Dotard Trump backlash, not to mention revulsion over his piss…


Caregivers essential in COVID-19 crisis

Feeling restless and useless isolated at home wondering what I could do to help others during this virus crisis. Not being able to work at a food bank or deliver items to seniors, I thought my knowledge with caregivers could be valuable somehow. How San Diego County and the state of California can get access to more home care providers Caregivers are essential to get…


Ammar Campa-Najjar: Mobilize the military

Make no mistake: We are at war with the coronavirus. In the wake of this public health crisis, people are scared, unsure and know the worst is yet to come. Working parents are sheltering in place worrying about their child’s next meal and their own job security. Small businesses that have been forced to shut down are struggling to meet overhead costs and keep employees…


Considering microplastics in food, water & air

This is a followup to an article of mine published on 12/13/18, and was inspired by a recent measurement of the likely ingestion of microplastics by typical Americans through diet and inhalation.  The findings are of real concern, given the risky chemicals associated with plastics and new data showing that, once microplastics get into our tissues, they can translocate to other organs and are even showing…