East County News Service

July 7, 2015 (San Diego’s East County) - Dave Patterson, a Ramona resident and member of Veterans for Peace, has brought a fascinating story to our attention. The San Diego Maritime Museum has refused to allow Veterans for Peace to dock its ship, the Golden Rule, at the museum of maritime history. The ban is due to political reasons and a claim that the ship is not historic—despite the vessel’s success in helping bring about a ban on nuclear testing and inspiring generations of activism among peace and environmental groups through the daring actions of the Golden Rule’s crew on the high seas.

May 30, 2014 (Ramona) – Activists from Veterans for Peace and the Ramona Forum found a creative way to get their message out at the Ramona Parade.  Dave Patterson narrates the groups’ video, providing details on a “drone pork drop” float created here in East County.    View the video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuPsjj_12j0

By Dave Patterson, Ramona

This is a wakeup call for everyone that assumes that our jobs and pensions are secure, and that we will be taken care of in our elder years.  The fact is that our leadership has bankrupted the nation and we are mostly to blame because of our apathy.

Starting in 1990 I was waving the red flag regarding the National Debt, then $2,000 per capita.  No one was worried because it was such a small percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), and besides Ronald Reagan had said, “Deficits don’t matter.”

The crooks and liars gave the green light to the banks and investment firms that proceeded to gamble our wealth and lose it.  Now the debt is almost as large as the debt accumulated after WWII, and we have a government that is so big no one wants to deal with it.  Our politicians have failed us and now they are saying that Social Security is on the chopping block.  Like our other pensions, they have spent it all into oblivion.

August 3, 2013 (San Diego) – KNSJ 89.1 FM , the Network for Social Justice, will present its first-ever People’s Microphone Awards at the new public radio station’s launch party on Saturday, August 3 from 6-9 p.m. at Mission Trails Regional Parks. Tickets are available at www.knsj.org.

The awards are presented to individuals and organizations who have demonstrated leadership and commitment to social justice causes on behalf of people in their communities or our environment. The winners, a majority of whom will be present to accept their honors, are: Bonnie La Chappa, Elizabeth Lou, Dave Patterson, Estela de los Rios, Lori Saldana, Lisa Kove, Martha Sullivan and Ray Lutz with Decommission San Onofre,Donna Tisdale with Protect Our Communities Foundation, Cleveland National Forest Foundation, San Diego Dream Team, and Save Mission Trails.

Unmaned predator drones are now used for surveillance here in the U.S. and abroad

By Dave Patterson

September 12, 2012 (Poway)--Every Thursday afternoon one can see a demonstration at the General Atomics plant in Poway, home of the Predator drone.  The demonstrators are from the San Diego Veterans For Peace and their supporters, with the goal of enlightening the public on the desperate need for oversight regarding drone technology.

The Predator drone is flying over 16 countries now, loosing weapons over Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan.  The kill statistics would be unacceptable in any conflict but are somehow overlooked because we are at war with terrorism.