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Far Right Lane to the Wrong Offramp

Far Right Lane to the Wrong Offramp

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by: Mike Devlin Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 20, '14 6:45pm  
From SCVTalk:https://www.santaclarita.com/blog/view.php?blog_entry_id=31207 Call it a spidey sense, but something seemed really off about this article from The Signal on Friday."Opponents of the recent influx of migrant children across the nation’s southern border have scheduled a two-day national protest, and the Santa Clarita Valley will be one of the sites where they plan to demonstrate...On Saturday organizers plan a demonstration in Valencia on the Valencia Boulevard overpass over Interstate 5. The demonstration is expected to run from 9 a.m. to noon."The byline said "Signal Staff" which in the past has meant anything from senior editors, to interns, simply press releases copied verbatim. No word on who was organizing the event. No names, no quotes. This newsroom discussion video from Friday offered little more.For a town where protests are rare, I was surprised to learn a protest involving a polarized issue (just as it's peaking in the news cycle) on one of our busiest overpasses was just a day away. It was news to me, and it appeared that it was news to everyone else, too.The only mention I could find was this post on the Save Our State (SoS) message board. SoS, as you might recall, is the radical anti-illegal immigration group with white nationalist roots that organized the two rallies in 2010 made infamous by Bob Kellar's "proud racist" remark. Here's their founder, Joe Turner, in 2005: "I can make the argument that just because one believes in white separatism that that does not make them a racist... I can make the argument that someone who proclaims to be a white nationalist isn't necessarily a white supremacist. I don't think that standing up for your 'kind' or 'your race' makes you a bad person."SoS isn't a large organization, so their members from different areas will converge on a single city for a show of force (if you watch videos of their rallies, you see the same faces over and over again).Thanks to the Signal's article, some locals took notice. The SCV Republican Women Federated, whose Facebook page already "likes" another hate group with white nationalist ties (Federation for American Immigration Reform), promoted the event on Facebook. They followed that up by linking to a video that made the case against legal (yes, legal) immigration and opened by calling 1925 to 1965 our "golden era" of immigration – which happens to be the exact period between the Immigration Act of 1924 and its full repeal in 1965. The infamous 1924 law is one of the most racist and anti-Semitic federal laws of the 20th century. Driven by bigotry towards Jews, Italians, and Asians (among others) it drastically cut immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe, establishing quotas based on the existing ethnic makeup of the US, and banned Asian immigration outright (no, I'm not making this up). A keep in mind, this isn't some group on the outskirts. On Saturday morning, they were hosting no less than Steve Knight, Tony Strickland, and Scott Wilk for breakfast. A few people had the good sense to organize a counter-protest, giving us the final ingredient for a mini-spectacle. I drove over to see what all the fuss was about. Here's a look at the counter-protesters:Each camp took their place on opposite sides of the overpass. I counted 21 protesters (and five mullets) and 16 counter-protesters. I was heartened to see such a strong last-minute turnout for the counter-protest, especially when the gun flag was hoisted.Soon after I arrived, a the protesters unveiled their pièce de résistance: a large white flag with a picture of an AR-15 that said COME AND TAKE IT. Because naturally, in a protest about the fate of thousands of refugee children, the important thing is your guns. What do guns have to do with it? (Or should I even ask?) It was at once chilling, heartbreaking, puzzling, and laughable. Flying that flag front and center, higher that any other flag, made a self-mockery of their demonstration. It's easy to laugh, but then you realize that they actually mean it.. The gun flag flies proudly, while the American flag drags on the ground, literally (this guy did this twice, once while walking in traffic to taunt the counter-protesters). There was also a "Three Percenter," or "Oathkeeper" flag, which represents a militia-type movement  that encourages preparation for a violent confrontation with the government, should they ever come for their guns (and other crazy things).I'm quick to acknowledge that reasonable people can arrive at some very different conclusions on this issue, especially with the added complication of the current refugee crisis. If the motivation and the message of the protest was narrow and reasoned, it wouldn't bother me so much. Instead, we see the marriage of rabid jingoism and defiant milita-like behavior. What could possibly go wrong?I only recognized one or two people from across the street, and by the way most of the protesters carried themselves, you get the idea that they came to town for this purpose (aliens, if you will). Thank you to the counter-protesters who demonstrated that this is still a decent community of decent people. Well done. And thanks for the laugh. I love a semi-ironic protest sign like nothing else.
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DConstance Active Indicator LED Icon  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 20, '14 7:22pm  
Thanks for doing the additional research, Mike. When I learned about the protest and counter-protest on Friday night, I looked at the Southern Poverty Law Center listing of hate groups. Save Our State was identified as a hate group in 2005, but I didn't see the group on the most recent lists. I stood with the counter-protest group for about an hour before I had to leave, as did others. At one point, our group outnumbered the protesters. It's hard to say if the response from drivers passing by was equal, but I'm glad that Malcolm and David organized our group. This kind of activity shouldn't go unchallenged.
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HenryJennings Active Indicator LED Icon  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 1:24pm  
Milita?
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 1:56pm  
Berta, I couldn't speak to the peak of either group, but it's impossible that you counted 11 at the peak of the protest. I made a point to count, and I'm certain I counted correctly when I did. I just went through my photos and I have a partial crowd shot of the counter protesters that accounts for at least 14 people, and a series of crowd shots of the main demonstration that show 21 at one time and 24 another time. When did you count more than 40? I spoke with two people, both who were there for a short time, and both prior to 9:30, and at that time, the protesters were outnumbered. I was there from about 10:50 to 11:50, FWIW. (and I hope you aw that I waved back). Also, there's a least one person from Fillmore who was there, so I'm not sure that you had a full census of the protesters. And trust me, even for the time I was there, they got several of hostile yells and obscene gestures.
 
Who was the local organizer? Did you meet anyone named Greg? Who brought all the yellow signs that you see at every SoS rally?
 
In all honesty, I was only expecting to be there for a few minutes and I didn't even know which side I was approaching until well after the crosswalk. If I wasn't due to bring lunch home for the family, I would have crossed the street, if only to say hi to you.
 
I know you're doing what you think it right, but are you the least bit concerned about standing beside someone flying the flag with a rifle at a single-subject protest like this?
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 2:00pm  
I reported number from a single slice in time. You declared a maximum number over a period of several hours that is demonstrably false. Heck, there are 13 people in one of the pictures in this very post.
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 3:11pm  
Appears that "Greg" is the SoS organizer "Greg in LA"
www.saveourstate.inf o/showthread.php?t=9 081
 
Curious to note that his count of the counter-protesters matched mine Emoticon
 
What does any of this have to do with anyone's constitutional right to say anything? That's a given. I was asking for your honest feeling about weapons being made part of this specific cause.
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 3:30pm  
Bill, the "Blog Master" is retired. Inmates are fully running the asylum now.
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 4:05pm  
facinating
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 8:35pm  
So just who do your friends intend to shoot with their guns? The children, or just the cops?
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 21, '14 10:49pm  
OK, so you're in favor of murdering people for crossing the border. No wonder you felt so at home across the bridge.
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HenryJennings Active Indicator LED Icon  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 22, '14 1:48pm  
Wait Wally George was made up?
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 23, '14 6:41pm  
I love how Berta's account of the people in attendance was both contradicted by the organizers themselves and shown to be false with photographic evidence, and she's still sticking to her story. And still calling me a liar, to boot.
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DConstance Active Indicator LED Icon  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 23, '14 6:59pm  
Frank, I agree with much of what you've written here, but you're fighting an uphill battle because so many of the claims made by the anti-immigrant protestors are based on misinformation, if not outright lies. One person posted in this thread that these children are not leaving Central America due to violence, but because President Obama has welcomed them with open arms. We know that he has deported a record number of people who entered illegally. And today, I found out that statements refuting the violence in those countries were issued by Congress members who did their "fact-finding" from the security of their hotel rooms. They didn't want to step outside due to the violence.It's scary to me that so many people are willing to believe what they are told without question. Any time someone says or insinuates that he and he alone, is the only source of truth (thinking Glenn Beck, etc.), you're looking at a cult and people should run in the opposite direction. Even more frightening is the threat of vigilantism by some who claim to abide by the rule of law. Immigration without going through the proper channels is illegal, but so is undertaking law enforcement without legal authority.
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Mike Active Indicator LED Icon  OP  New Member
~ 9 years ago   Jul 23, '14 7:12pm  
Berta, for the 50th time. There are 13 people in the photo. You claimed a maximum of 11. And still you won't concede. Not even that point. What are you proving?
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