May Day And Where We Play
The May Day City Council meeting this evening was pretty darn routine. Those items on the agenda that may have promised some conflict were either continued or went smoothly.However, during the debate of the distribution of the Community Development Block Grant funds to social service agencies - which the council voted unanimously to approve as recommended by the 3R Committee and the city staff - there was one predictable, unpleasant event. The Grinch showed up in the tired, old black shirt of Your Neighbor, The-Brain-Who-Ate-Costa-Mesa, and pushed the council to not fund any of the charities that "don't resemble Costa Mesa". To their credit, after this clown prattled on and on, they simply ignored his rhetoric. I found myself smiling!
You may recall that he "resigned" from the 3R Committee under fire last year. His presence was alluded to by one of the applicants for funds as he spoke about the experience last year. The speaker could have been more specific, but those of us paying attention knew exactly who he meant.
Next stop for this rabble rouser will undoubtedly be the public meeting to be held tomorrow, Wednesday, at the Mulitpurpose Room at Paularino School at 7:00 p.m. This is a result of Your Neighbor's constant drumbeat about the dangerous, rogue soccer players at "his" Paularino Park. Of course, we all know which demographic group he means - Latino men, trying to burn off some energy. The Paularino Park issue is simply a red herring - a smoke screen being used to create more discomfort among the Latinos in our city.
On the positive side about this guy, one of the web sites on which he's published his racist rants, National Vanguard, has gone belly-up! Yep, it's gone,finito . Seems the main man in charge has had recent personal problems of a legal nature so his tent was just folded up. Now Your Neighbor will just have to find another income source. BooHoo!
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One of the items discussed tonight was the proposed "Neighbors to Neighbors" clean up of the Mission/Mendoza "slum". With that in mind, here's a quote from The Book Of Useless Information for you to contemplate: In Calcutta 79% of the population lives in one-room houses.
Labels: Grinch, Your Neighbor
posted by The Pot Stirrer at 5/01/2007 10:52:00 PM
7 Comments:
How about the CMPD celebrating May Day by setting up a DUI/ID checkpoint at Victoria/Harbor - from 9:30 a.m. to noon? I didn't realize there were so many early morning drinkers that needed to be taken off the streets, or is that really more of an immigration sweep?
I am glad we had a less acrimonious council meeting. I am hoping that the majority starts to understand that they do have a responsibility to ALL Costa Mesa residents, not just the margin that elected them and certainly not the Millard Militia of One.
On that note, I have stopped reading Millard’s rant page. After his attack on Bruce Garlic I decided that I had enough of his poison for now.
Mike, that checkpoint was, at best, curious. As you may know, it was abruptly canceled. I don't know the particulars of this event, but it sure does seem strange to set up a checkpoint in the morning on a work day.
dvs, I understand your problem with the CM Press. If you had been reading his body of work all along you would likely feel even more negatively about it. His attacks on Bruce Garlich have been constant and consistent. That's what happens to anyone who speaks with a voice of moderation in our city. He's so far to the right that if any official, including those he's facilitated into office, appear to turn ever so slightly toward the center on an issue he blasts that person and threatens him with "un-election", ala Chris Steel. I understand if you choose not to read his stuff, but it's important to know what he's saying. He has a following in this city which, apparently, is in lock-step with his racist philosophy. I'll continue to read his stuff and report when I think it's appropriate. He's a very dangerous man, which is the reason national organizations who are in the business of fighting racism track his activities.
Mike and Geoff,
I have to tell you that the rush to assign motives to the CMPD DUI/ID checkpoint at Victoria/Harbor is troubling at best and disgusting at worst. Victoria/Harbor isn't Wilson/Pomona or Shalimar/Wallace, and everyone here living in Costa Mesa should know that and drop the rush to racism.
Victoria is an arterial street leading to Fountain Valley/Huntington Beach. Harbor is our main street. Labeling a checkpoint there "curious" or implying that the police are being deceitful, disingenuous, or even racist is completely out of line, in my opinion. You may take issue with Mansoor and Co's motives, but our police department has kept admirably above the fray.
How is it any less troublesome to have repeated checkpoints at Flower/Newport? Only white people drive on Newport? Silly statement, I know, but that is exactly what you are implying by labeling a checkpoint on Victoria as curious or racially motivated.
Remember - it was also an ID checkpoint, and just as many people are on the roads in CM during the day as at night. Perfectly appropriate to do it at 9:30 am.
Sad state of affairs that this drew protest. If it had been at Harbor/Gisler or Newport/Flower no one would have uttered a peep. Talk about racism!
rob dickson - Whoa, there, podner. No one here is assigning motives! No one here said anything about it being racist - only you. Mike brought the subject up and I affirmed that I thought it was curious - I still do. It's even more curious that it was promptly canceled. No, I've not attempted to get an explanation from the CMPD or any other city official. It seems to me that you are the one rushing to assign a motive for this checkpoint. There may be any number of valid reasons for deciding to do a DUI/ID checkpoint in the heart of the Westside at 9:30 in the morning. Obviously, there must have been a good reason for canceling it, too. Take a deep breath, my friend - no one here was implying any of the things you stated. It seems to me that you might have one foot stuck in the CM Press quicksand... I hope you can drag it out.
Geoff,
You're right - you just labeled it curious, but Mike did bring up the immigration sweep. "Immigration sweep" is a phrase that was hurled at many repeatedly, right along with "racist" when Mansoor first sprang his immigration program on the city. It is a bona fide incendiary phrase in the context of Costa Mesa politics.
On the Pilot blog, the reaction was more direct, and my reply was more appropriate there.
I do apologize for implying that you or Mike might have racist motives. Not appropriate at all. I was trying to make a point, and upon re-reading my post, I see that I missed a bit.
The fact is - we are at a point where race is becoming a factor in the daily life of Costa Mesa. I find that tremendously disappointing. The very first post here had the phrase "immigration sweep" after all. When the CMPD brass has practically gone hoarse attempting to reassure Costa Mesans that would never happen, it is troubling to see a routine traffic enforcement measure characterized - even hypothetically - as an "immigration sweep."
My poorly executed point was better articulated in my comments on the Pilot blog:
"The point here is the complete and outright laughably racist nature of the posters here who oppose it! So, only Latinos drive on Victoria? Only Latinos drink and drive before noon? Only Latinos drive without a license?"
That post was in reply to posts that stated that the checkpoint was racially motivated - not my words.
Thanks for the check, Geoff. I do admit that I am a bit touchy about the issue - as you well know!
Geoff,
I understand, but I have a hard time reading Millard's C&@p. I'll rethink it after a bit of a cleansing.
The checkpoint issue is a bit weird. Not sure what the logic was on tearing it down if the CMPD thought it was a good idea. I guess maybe we will find out.
Mr. Dickson does have a point in questioning what you (and frankly I) see as an odd circumstance surrounding the checkpoint. A bit harshly, but I understand his point; and I have been harsh pushing the other way, so I will take it in the context of the conversation.
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