Saturday, January 21, 2006
Angry Opponents Make Me Smile
Our young jailer/mayor's campaign to oust the Latinos from
our midst by using a variety of tactics has resulted in some
interesting differences of opinion around our town.
His most recent plan to certify Costa Mesa police officers to perform immigration screenings seems to have struck a chord, fanning the flames of the fire that Jim Gilchrist and his Minuteman Project cohorts started. Most Latinos are, justifiably, concerned about just how this plan will evolve. It appears that most fear that the mayor's pledge of no immigration sweeps will not be kept, and that people in this town with brown skins and Spanish surnames will be pulled over for minor infractions and deported.
Although 90% of the Costa Mesa residents who spoke at the recent council meeting were against the mayor's plan, it's hard to get a handle on how the Anglos in our community feel about the issue. Most of the supporters of the mayor's plan who show up to speak before the city council and be interviewed by the media are imported agitators from such exotic places as Compton and Los Angeles. It would be nice to know how our neighbors actually feel about the issue. I guess we'll find out in November.
An interesting sidebar, however, is the fact that one particularly vocal activist has managed to get angry with Mayor Mansoor and his buddy, Mayor Pro Tem Bever, even though he whole-heartedly supports the Latino expulsion. Seems they recently voted for a car wash/gas station in an area that this fellow thought was all wrong. So, he's used his blog to sternly warn the two of them that they'd better toe his line if they expect to be re-elected. There was nothing subtle about his message, either. He used the specter of the inept and ousted Chris Steel as an example of what happens to people he supports when they snuggle up to "the usual suck-up suits" and stray from his path once in office.
Of course, I've been chided in the past for portraying this particular fellow as a puppet master, pulling the strings of certain council members. I couldn't help but chuckle when I read his blog, because it proves my point emphatically. Did you ever notice how some "smart" people sometimes do some pretty dumb things? This is a perfect example. Does this man actually think threatening Bever and Mansoor will bring them back into line with his ideas? It will be interesting to see. We'll know soon enough if he's still calling the shots if they genuflect before him and follow his every word once again.
In the meantime, I'll just keep on watching, staying tuned-in to what's going on in this city, with my tuna-can antennae cocked at just the right angle so I don't miss anything, and continue to report my observations.
11:22 am pst
His most recent plan to certify Costa Mesa police officers to perform immigration screenings seems to have struck a chord, fanning the flames of the fire that Jim Gilchrist and his Minuteman Project cohorts started. Most Latinos are, justifiably, concerned about just how this plan will evolve. It appears that most fear that the mayor's pledge of no immigration sweeps will not be kept, and that people in this town with brown skins and Spanish surnames will be pulled over for minor infractions and deported.
Although 90% of the Costa Mesa residents who spoke at the recent council meeting were against the mayor's plan, it's hard to get a handle on how the Anglos in our community feel about the issue. Most of the supporters of the mayor's plan who show up to speak before the city council and be interviewed by the media are imported agitators from such exotic places as Compton and Los Angeles. It would be nice to know how our neighbors actually feel about the issue. I guess we'll find out in November.
An interesting sidebar, however, is the fact that one particularly vocal activist has managed to get angry with Mayor Mansoor and his buddy, Mayor Pro Tem Bever, even though he whole-heartedly supports the Latino expulsion. Seems they recently voted for a car wash/gas station in an area that this fellow thought was all wrong. So, he's used his blog to sternly warn the two of them that they'd better toe his line if they expect to be re-elected. There was nothing subtle about his message, either. He used the specter of the inept and ousted Chris Steel as an example of what happens to people he supports when they snuggle up to "the usual suck-up suits" and stray from his path once in office.
Of course, I've been chided in the past for portraying this particular fellow as a puppet master, pulling the strings of certain council members. I couldn't help but chuckle when I read his blog, because it proves my point emphatically. Did you ever notice how some "smart" people sometimes do some pretty dumb things? This is a perfect example. Does this man actually think threatening Bever and Mansoor will bring them back into line with his ideas? It will be interesting to see. We'll know soon enough if he's still calling the shots if they genuflect before him and follow his every word once again.
In the meantime, I'll just keep on watching, staying tuned-in to what's going on in this city, with my tuna-can antennae cocked at just the right angle so I don't miss anything, and continue to report my observations.
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