Fighting Racism In Costa Mesa

SPARING WITH MR. U. KNOW-WHO
Those who have been paying attention for the past few years know that the author of the CM Press and I have gone round and round - even before I started my blog and before he converted his "little newsletter" into one.

THE ODD COUPLE
Our views differ on most issues - so much so that the editors of the Daily Pilot used to get their jollies by publishing our contributions on the same page. It was great fun, particularly since I knew he - a self-proclaimed member of Mensa - considered me far from his equal as a writer and way below his level intellectually. How do I know this? Well, he's said it many times over the years.

JOUSTING WITH THE JERK
For a long time I considered our little jousts kind of playful jabs in the arm - kind of like junior high school. I'm quite sure he never considered our interactions "playful". In fact, I'm not sure that word is in his lexicon.



THE TONE HAS CHANGED
In recent years, particularly since the evolution of our respective blogs and that of the Daily Pilot, where comments may be posted by interested readers, our interaction has gone from playful to serious to down-right scary. The guy at the CM Press, has named himself Mr. U. Know-Who. I've used several names for him - Your Neighbor and The Mouth From Mesa North, for example. He, in turn, has named me Lonely Old Man and, most recently, two-legged maggot. Lately he seems to have gotten frustrated and a whole lot angrier and vicious. Perhaps it's because he can no longer unleash his tirades, fabrications and out-right lies with impunity. We here at the old cauldron watch and speak out when we see him attempt to obfuscate and manipulate.

PETULANT POUTING PREVAILS
Since the Daily Pilot editors decided to require registration for those of us who post comments Mr. U. Know-Who has gone into a sulk. He used to use several fictitious anonymous names to post comments on the same thread, making it look as though his ideas had wide acceptance. Once registration was required he just slithered back into his hole in Mesa North and pouted - poor baby.

"TRUTH" SHALL BE HEARD
Then, of course, there is the arrival of blogger CM Truth, a link to which can be found on this page. This person, who chooses to remain anonymous, has also taken on the CM Press and publishes real facts on the subjects of gangs and graffiti to refute the fabrications published with such gusto on the CM Press. This only adds to his frustration, which is evident in the things he writes. He's REALLY going to love the fact that CM Truth will soon also be published in Spanish!

NEW BLOG - MORE FUN
Now, most recently, there is another new blog in our area which is aimed directly at the blow hard at the CM Press. This new blog, CMunimPRESSed (love the play on the name) seems determined to poke the CM Press in the eye with a stick. And, of course, the Mr. U. Know-Who is livid. There's a link to CMunimPRESSed over on the right.

RETALIATION?
If recent events are any indication, I guess it might not be a good idea to provoke this guy. There is a person who signs his Daily Pilot blog comments as "BKrochman" and recently has aimed some of his comments directly at the author of the CM Press by name. That REALLY ticked him off - so much so that he's begun stalking BKrochman, trying to find out where he works, which organizations he's affiliated with and, apparently, where he lives.

FAMILIAR HARASSMENT
If this kind of intimidation sounds a little familiar to you, it should. Some will recall that almost a year ago I announced that I was backing off any interaction with or about Mr. U. Know-Who because of not very veiled threats he made against me and my family. Calls to the police department were made to document that situation.

A CHANGE OF HEART
Later, I reneged on my plan and began commenting on him again. That lasted a few months before, once again, there was a good reason to withdraw. It was my intention to never comment about him again. Things change...

ATTACKING NEW CANDIDATES
The current City Council campaign has provided him with a new "playground" in which he mercilessly attacks and belittles candidates that do not fit his idea of the perfect person to hold a seat on the dais. He supports three candidates who, I guess, he feels he can exercise influence over as he's done in the past beginning with the chronically inept Chris Steel and proceeding on to Allan Mansoor, Eric Bever and Wendy Leece.

INTIMIDATION CONTINUES
Too much is at stake to let recent late night telephone calls intimidate me into ignoring his malicious lies and half-truths. I cannot simply stand by without commenting while he maligns the Costa Mesa Police Department for what he apparently perceives their half-hearted efforts regarding illegal aliens.

EXPUNGING BROWN SKINS
Over the years I've chronicled what I believed was a systematic campaign to expunge Costa Mesa of every person of brown skin. I've mentioned many times the many events perpetrated by Mr. U. Know-Who toward that end. Almost everything he proposes has an element included to make the Latinos among us uneasy or flat-out frightened. About the only thing he has not yet successfully pulled off is the closure of the Orange Coast College Swap Meet - a venue for low-end commerce and social interaction by many of our Latino neighbors - but he came close. He and Mansoor tried to use the specter of the invading masses from Santa Ana and the impact on our streets to have it shuttered. What a crock! Fortunately, much wiser heads prevailed - for the time being.

FANNING THE FLAMES OF INTOLERANCE
Mr. U. Know-Who has managed to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment to a fever pitch in this town. The foundation of his hatred for anyone not white is obvious is your read his essays published widely on radical right-wing web sites such as the New Nation and others.


A MESSAGE FOR "THE MOUTH"
So, I guess the message this evening is directed squarely at that racist at the CM Press. Mr. U. Know-Who, if you don't like the notoriety you're getting, that's just too bad. You can't have it both ways. Even though you don't permit comments on your blog, you can't expect to stand before the council and pontificate and wave your three pathetic books around without receiving criticism.

BLOGGERS SHOULD PROTECT THEIR IDENTITIES
Mr. U. Know-Who, I suggest to my fellow bloggers mentioned above that they retain their anonymity, because it's clear that once you know the identity of your critics you go after them with a vengeance. I'm not necessarily suggesting that you would attempt to physically harm them or their families, but threats come in many forms. Why else would you be tracking down a resident like some hungry predator? I also suggest that they continue to point out your many faults and the falsehoods you attempt to foist off on the populace to give interested readers the truth - an alternative to your bigoted spin. As they say in junior high school, "See ya, wouldn't want to be ya!"