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Can I add anything to the OC Weekly and Register coverage of the horrors of last Saturday’s Bolsa Chica Trump March, in my old hometown of Huntington Beach? Well, maybe a little…
First of all, I guess those days are over, the last couple decades of me sticking up for HB when my friends called it “teeming with racists and skinheads.” I was always the one who said, “No, that was the 80’s and 90’s. They’ve pretty much crawled under a rock since then.” Maybe I was wrong even then, not seeing things others saw, such as when I’d get all defensive with Monica “Huntington Beach – it’s all sunsets and white supremacy” Brasov-Curca. Well, after Saturday’s march and the subsequent internet diarrhea I can’t keep up that pretense any more – Monica was (mostly) right.
I have a LOT of friends in Huntington Beach who are against Trump and everything he’s been doing, but none of us went to protest, there didn’t seem much point. Instead some out-of-town “anarchists” and socialists planned a little “counter-rally,” proposing to form a “human wall” and try to prevent the march from proceeding. “Hmmm… that does not sound like it will turn out well,” clucked many of us to each other and ourselves.
Sterling. Pepper spray is unpleasant for sure.
As it generally turns out when a hundred people tell Facebook they’ll show up, a couple of dozen protesters actually did, some of them indulging in the “anarchist” affectation of ski masks, and some of those equipped with pepper spray in case things turned ugly which they quickly did.
The version of events that quickly got broadcast – the lie that got “halfway around the world while the truth was still getting its boots on” – was that march organizer Jennifer Sterling (right) was maliciously and unprovokedly sprayed in the face by counter-protesters, which gave the green light to the pro-Trump majority to beat the shit out of them and chase them off the beach, at which point a few protesters (and no pro-Trump folks) got arrested by otherwise passive law enforcement. In fact Sterling, disappointingly, has been making the new-rightwing-celebrity media tour telling this story which she ought to know isn’t true.
Protesters had pepper spray, a defensive weapon. Trump supporters wore brass knuckles, not so much a defensive weapon.
OC Weekly staff (two journalists and two photographers) were right there in the middle of it though – in fact they were some of the first people getting punched by Trumpies! – and all the videos and photos we see now confirm their account: the pepper spray was done in self-defense by a guy who was being ganged up on; and Sterling (who to her credit was trying to break up the fighting) was hit by accident.
Enough of all that though, that’s not so interesting really. What blew the world’s mind in these videos and photos was all the neo-nazi, fascist, racist and anti-Semitic imagery and chanting coming from much of the pro-Trump crowd, and how little the rest of the Trump crowd seemed to notice or mind. As a commenter on this blog has already pointed out:
“…Many people are saying that these Trump supporters can spot a Mexican flag at 1000 paces, I mean no one can point out a non American flag in America like a Donald Trump supporter can! Believe me. That I can tell you! They can spot a non American flag like nothing you’ve ever seen. Tremendous. Believe me. They are terrific non American flag in America spotters. Just terrific. … Yet not one peep about a giant old German flag co opted by the neo nazi party waving away. No one saw it. No one questioned it. No one has denounced it. I guess it’s just Mexican flags that are in the ‘no fly’ category…”
That’s just the beginning of it too. Some jerkoff made himself ubiquitous with a big “Da Goyim Know” – a contemporary anti-semitic slogan translating (from ebonics/Yiddish/English), “We gentiles are wising up to you Jews’ big conspiracy against us all, so you better watch your backs!” Members of the local white supremacist gang the Hammerskin Nation were out in force. “Faggot,” “pussy,” “bitch,” “homo,” and “commie” were the handy terms thrown at any dissenters. Most sickening though was the talk of “helicopter rides,” which took me a minute to figure out.
“You can’t run, you can’t hide, you get a helicopter ride!” the chant went, and drooling malevolent doofuses would just blurt out the words “Helicopter rides, huh-huh-huh.” That’s right – in the 1970’s, both the war criminal Pinochet in Chile (below) and the war criminal generals in Argentina’s Dirty War (both backed secretly and shamefully by Kissinger-era America) used to round up anyone critical of their governments, anybody pushing for positive change (all of which were telltale signs of a “Communist”), load them in a helicopter, and dump them in the ocean, thus leading to tens of thousands of “desaparecidos” – disappeared people.
So this is what these “Trumpenkriegers” would love to see, what they fantasize President Trump should and maybe someday will do – round up all of us “Communists” who disagree with his Muslim travel ban, his deportations and wall, his war on the environment and robbery of the poor, etc., and drop us off a helicopter to drown in the Pacific or Atlantic. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember ever wishing something like that on them.
Or jonesing for Stalin or Mao the way they jones for Pinochet.
Within a day or two, white supremacist websites (that we’ve only just discovered) were raving and exulting about the great victory young white men had had in Huntington Beach against “niggers,” “spicks,” Jews, “mystery meat homos,” and “Antifas” – that latter being what today’s tough anti-fascist fighters call themselves, although it doesn’t look like any Antifas were actually there. In a Daily Stormer piece called “Trumpenkriegers Physically Remove Antifa Homos in Huntington Beach” (which right now has over 500 enthusiastic comments) the “author” gloats:
The Trumpenkrieg moves at a faster clip every day. The days of White Men of Good Character sitting at home knocking off a six pack or two and watching Sportsball™ while the world burns down around them are rapidly coming to a close.
How long have I been telling these people that if they keep kicking a sleeping dog, it will eventually arise and bite a hunk out of their collective ass? Well, honestly I don’t know how long either, but it’s been a long damned time…
That’s right fam. These events are drawing lots of our old people and families with children, so it is our responsibility as upstanding Stormers to protect them and their right to speak, unmolested by Jews, college commies, fags, blacks, beaners, muzzrats, and the other assorted failures of evolution that want to silence them.
This is our country, not theirs. They needed a dose of reality…
You commies had better learn to stay home. These are our streets now.
Meanwhile a downtown bartender scoffs at the naivete of any of us who think this is anything new. “They swarm out like cockroaches around 2am every night.”
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Well, that was all just summary; now I have a few questions and thoughts…
1. Why do Nazis and Racists Love Donald Trump so much?
(and please don’t just reply “duh…”)
Sorry if all of this makes the average Trump voter – the ones who just thought Hillary was THAT bad, and believed The Donald’s promise of new jobs etc. – uncomfortable. And pay attention now – none of us are saying all Republicans or Trump voters are racists and fascists. I mean Jesus Christ, grow a nuance bone!
This scum is all of our problem, but they’re especially YOURS because they’re your allies behind Trump. Do you know what they call you? They proudly embrace for themselves the trendy term “alt-right,” and they call YOU GUYS “alt-lite,” because they assume that you agree with them on everything including racial things, but are too chicken to admit it. You and Trump himself need to figure out a way to disown these fucks, and let them know you don’t stand with them.
Trump himself has passive-aggressively let these people think he’s their guy, requiring endless prodding to QUIETLY disown KKK endorsements during the election; of course they think he’s secretly on their side. If he has half a conscience – BIG if – he needs a “Sister Soulja moment“ with his racist base. (That refers to when Bill Clinton, to many of our irritation, chewed out rap star activist Sister Soulja during his first election for allegedly (she denied doing it) urging black violence against whites.) This is how Clinton drew the line, over what was too extreme for him. It’s hard to picture Trump ever doing that with his racist base, but that sure would be good for the country. Till then, all his talk of Mexican rapists and Muslim terrorists makes them think he has the same genocidal dreams they do.
Our goofy-ass self-infatuated Congressman-for-life, Dana Rohrabacher, too chicken to hold a town hall with constituents who disagree with him and hiding all day behind a locked office door, needs a Sister Souljah moment himself. As he rambled on and on in the sand that day, didn’t he wonder what the hell Nazi flags were doing there, and what “Da Goyim Know” might mean?
(Some of you will say, kneejerk, that the Democrats have their own extremists who are just as bad. A self-reflective guy, I consider that. But can you name them? I can’t. The far left of our party is MoveOn, the Bernie Sanders people, and then the Greens. And the most violent thing they dream of isn’t killing anyone, but a more equitable distribution of resources. So, NO.)
“Not Just a River in Egypt”
The overriding theme on the HB forums in recent months has been DENIAL. Denial that racism exists in our town, insistence that the REAL racists are folks like the Oak View ComUNIDAD for daring to point out instances of racism – in other words “reverse racism,” or as they maddeningly call it, “race-baiting.” And the biggest outlets for this denial of HB racism is the granddaddy of HB forums, the Huntington Beach Community Forum (HBCF) as well as Chris Epting whom they have just welcomed back after a year of exile – a most disquieting development. And at the same time the HBCF banned yours truly, while their founder Michael Daly who used to be my friend has unfriended me, after I mildly criticized him on this blog.
We can now identify three eras of HBCF:
- 2014-15. Most stridently in opposition to Joe Shaw, Connie Boardman, and environmentalism in general; dominated by Epting; tolerant of Vern until Epting demanded his expulsion.
- 2015-16. In opposition to high-density development and government corruption; Epting banned and Vern welcomed back.
- 2016-present. In denial of racism in HB and opposition to those such as Oak View ComUNIDAD who point it out; Vern banned again; and once again dominated by Epting.
The denial is so “strong in this one,” that they go to conspiratorial extremes to explain away any instances of racism in HB. For example, you probably heard ANOTHER HB news story a few weeks ago, when a waiter at a nice downtown restaurant demanded “proof of residency” from a group of Irvine Latinas. The HBCF reaction was, first, this was somehow “Fake News” – a phenomenon Trumpies have fallen in love with – even though the restaurant immediately apologized and fired the waiter.
To most sane people, it seemed the story was over, the restaurant had done the right thing, and we went back to patronizing them. But not to Epting and HBCF – something was fishy here – it was IMPOSSIBLE that some young HB man working at a restaurant in the age of Trump would take it upon himself to harass Latinos. Last I heard, Epting had vowed to track down the fired waiter to find out what REALLY happened – either he was lied about by these horrible women (who in many tellings actually did become “illegal” which they’re not), suffered a huge injustice getting fired and was hopefully “lawyering up,” or – only other reasonable possibility – he was a secret leftist plant paid by George Soros to make HB look bad!
The Almighty Soros – STILL behind everything bad!
Yes, there’s that too… Soros in their minds is all-powerful and the secret funder of any trouble or opposition to Trump – how 90’s is that!? Online HB intellectuals have even been theorizing recently that all the violent thugs and fascists on the beach Saturday were on the Soros payroll. (I responded at one point, “Yeah, you’re probably right, just the other day Soros paid some homeless drunk to puke on my driveway.”)
We wait with bated breath to hear Epting’s reaction to this Trump desmadre, but it appears he has retreated into a safe space of Hall & Oates fandom. 
We remember how strongly he criticized Planning Commissioner Michael Hoskinson for HIS Islamophobic and anti-Semitic rants – Hoskinson who just happened to also be a fervent and effective enemy of the Chamber and developers that Epting fraternizes with. All bitterness and sarcasm aside, Chris could be a constructive force in these times if he lets go of his hatred of Gina and Oak View and focuses on Huntington Beach’s real problem.
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“When the Saxon Began to Hate…”
But back to our Nazi friends on the beach – where does all this rage come from? Studying their websites, they have felt emasculated for way too many years, suffering under a gentle black liberal President, pressured to be “politically correct” and treat women and other races as equals. The election of Donald Trump makes them feel that they can finally fight back and be real men again, and that most real Americans agree with them. One of them posted this Rudyard Kipling poem which immediately won extravagant praise and appreciation from the faithful. It “spoke to them”…
“It was not part of their blood,
It came to them very late,
With long arrears to make good,
When the Saxon began to hate.
They were not easily moved,
They were icy — willing to wait
Till every count should be proved,
Ere the Saxon began to hate.
Their voices were even and low.
Their eyes were level and straight.
There was neither sign nor show
When the Saxon began to hate.
It was not preached to the crowd.
It was not taught by the state.
No man spoke it aloud
When the Saxon began to hate.
It was not suddenly bred.
It will not swiftly abate.
Through the chilled years ahead,
When Time shall count from the date
That the Saxon began to hate.”
—Rudyard Kipling
I’d love to see Kathrine Daigle’s reaction to this post.
My daughter and I were there next to the media vans and police cars. I have a disability, so I was unable to get very close to the entrance – my daughter walked up to the person wearing a mask and took pictures of the women and men in Trump MAGA clothing and we posted them upon my Facebook page. Minutes later the police officers asked me to leave because I was blocking traffic so I, my daughter and the hounds left.
I am sad to hear that these groups infiltrated this march, and I am very sorry to hear that people were hurt.
I cannot explain the actions of such thoughtless irrational people or criticize them for their irresponsible beliefs. Really, if supporters demonstrate intolerance they deserve scorn.
Our America has not been taken over by a faction of far right wing nationalists, however we are deeply divided, but it’s not divided between the far right and Democrats. It’s more accurate to say that America is divided between the elites and everybody else, and the election was a rejection of the elites.
The crowds of demonstrators targeting his rallies and marches share something in common with our political and media elites: no one understands how President Trump got elected, and more importantly why so many millions of Americans continue to support him.
The Huntington Beach march was not one of the finest moments and if it continues I will no longer participate, and that makes me very sad. I want to celebrate and share the good things that are yet to come, like jobs, a better economy and a boost in education, a safer Country.
Thank you Vern for the opportunity to opine on the march.
“and the election was a rejection of the elites.”
WHAT?!?!?!?!??!? what part of “more unqualified millionaires on the presidential cabinet than any president in history” did you miss? In an effort to “reject the elite”, the people of this country handed it to the most elitist liar to ever walk the planet, and he in turn is handing it to his just as elitist buddies he owes favors to…
You’re confusing the motivation of Trump voters with the reality of Trump himself.
I had to google muzzrat.
I figured it out. Wouldn’t Muslims be strangely absent from a list of minorities Trumpenkriegers would hate?
I am not down with these ignorant goys.
Thank you for writing this piece. Not surprised to hear about removal from a “community forum” for having differing thoughts. There is a real intolerance for anyone who does not fall in line with the predominant point of view on those pages. Which reminds me! There was also a large sign at the march that read, “No Democrats allowed in OC” Or some such inclusive rhetoric. Really? What do they actually want? A one-party state? Why that doesn’t sound very American! That sounds like communism!
Witnessing people insist that there is absolutely no racism in HB has been as disturbing and damaging as the broadcast incidents of racism themselves. The aftermath of the Saint Marc debacle quickly reached darkly deranged depths. One extreme low was a very obviously fake profile that proclaimed to be a young man who was an eye witness to the event. Some of the MANY problems with his “real story” ? Timing. Inconsistency. Lack of logic. But people were more than willing to believe this incredulous line of BS. In spite of this “young man” using words like, “Hubba hubba” and “outlandish” out of the gate. And then “Elijah” making the truly cringe worthy claim of over hearing one of the Latina girls proclaim about the waiter, “I’ll show him!”
Such bad writing. Just terrible fictional dialogue. And a such an obvious fake profile. There’s a lot of both the bad writing and the fake profiles in HB. Eh? Often originating from one and same place. For future reference: No one says, “I’ll show him!” Ever. Not even on a lifetime movie.
But back to HB as a truly magical place where there exists NO RACISM EVER. “Proof” of this nirvana is often offered in an avalanche of first person and acquaintance based anecdotal evidence. Most of which can be boiled down to a well researched, in depth and hard scientific approach; “I have never seen it. Other people in my direct social orbit claim not to have seen it. Therefore it does not exist”
And that’s some solid analytical critical thinking and conclusion drawing at work. Don’t know anyone personally who has ever been attacked by a bear. Therefore bear attacks do not happen. Have never seen the aurora borealis so the northern lights do not exist. Also, not related to or friends with anyone who has ever contracted Ebola. So that is FAKE NEWS. And that disease most certainly does not exist. Unless…Wait! What if -Obama and Clinton created Ebola–!?
Which brings us to the conspiracy theories. And those are just too implausibly lame brained and fatigued to even engage in debunking.
Regrettably, there seems to be a serious problem in HB here with both elected and citizen leadership. Goosing a bunch of angry old republicans to act like angry old republicans with daily posts meant to inflame and incite them into predictable “liberal” bashing divisive comments and scare them further about the “threat” of “dangerous leftist” characters and scary scary Mexican immigrants lurking is not leadership. And when you spark, nurture, fuel and marshal those very negative energies in order to gain a sad little dim witted army of senior citizens, attention hounds, losers and criminals to fight your personal grudges, That is called something else. Manipulation. Using the basest part of other floundering humans to serve your own puerile needs does not make you a great leader. It makes you a great opportunist.
Yes, yes, yes.
Vern PLEASE stop obsessing over (and lying about) me. I don’t know anyone at the CofC – have never been there in my life – as for “hall and Oates fandom” I’m on a national book tour with John discussing our new best seller – i know it must be impossible to relate to any of this – but if you can – again – at least try and curb your obsession.
Pat Brenden. Dave Garofalo. Joe Carchio. Mike Posey. The folks you are closest to and most supportive of in HB politics are the ones backed by and obedient to – sometimes even members or in the case of Brendan former heads of – the Chamber.
And the politicians you attack most – Shaw, Boardman, Hardy, Peterson, Hoskinson – are the ones who most effectively oppose the Chamber,s goals of Poseidon and unfettered development.
Deny away, but it’s plain to see. And hey, I was trying to be nice to you in this piece. It was before you came out of the woodwork sliming Victor for no reason.
[Oates LOL]
OK, I did a Google Search of “best-seller list Oates -Joyce” (because otherwise everything I get is about Joyce Carol Oates) and it led me to one plausible story that might back up this claim, with the lede “John Oates, the dark-haired half of the million-selling singing duo Hall & Oates, has a book deal,” but it was from 2015.
So I went to the St Martin’s Press website: no sign of best-seller status. I searched {“change of seasons” “john oates” best-seller”} and the only “best-seller” references were to the recording group itself.
IS it a best-seller? If so, congratulations — but where, what list? Just curious. (But you know it don’t matter anyway.)
It is the ABSOLUTE best seller of books about John Oates written in the past year.
Certainly it is among books about John Oates BY John Oates.
It’s probably like a “best seller” for today in a tiny little corner sub genre on Amazon. For example; “Border Collies Eat Their Favorite Snacks.” Might just be the best selling Border Collie snack eating picture book for today. And then, “Border Collies Eat Their Favorite Snacks 2” comes out. And that’s the new “best seller”.
But consider the sheer joy those books bring to a few dozen people!