AT LENGTH--The Veterans for a Strong America fundraiser aboard the USS Iowa was promoted as Republican candidate Donald Trump’s first speech detailing his national security policy. It lasted all of 13 minutes.
Donning a red baseball cap emblazoned with the campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” Trump’s bombastic rhetoric only added gasoline to the enflamed passions of those who called his stump speeches on illegal immigration racist “hate speech.” This, while the leader of the USS Iowa Battleship Center non-profit, Jonathan Williams, feigned political neutrality.
A few hundred anti-Trump demonstrators comprised of community activists, union members and Latino leaders protested outside the Pacific Battleship Center’s fence on Harbor Boulevard. They listened to State Sen. Isadore Hall (D-35 District) speak on his divest-from-Donald Trump campaign, which passed the State Senate on Sept. 11.
Known as California Senate Resolution 39, Hall explained that his resolution condemns racist hate speech by all presidential candidates and calls on the State of California to divest from Donald Trump and all of his enterprises. The crowd cheered for the speakers and booed every mention of Trump’s name.
“Collectively we send a message that we won’t stand for hate speech…he is here in San Pedro to mislead America,” Hall said as an effigy of Trump bobbed up and down behind, silhouetted by the outline of the famous World War II battleship.
“Whatever empty promises he makes today he is disqualified to be commander in chief,” Hall announced.
Hall then concluded his comments with, “I only have one thing to say to you, Donald Trump—You’re fired!”
Hall’s final comment seemed to encapsulate the protesters’ sentiments precisely. Then something strange happened.
As Hall’s press conference closed, the Port Police loosened access to the parking lot and the protesters poured in to within 100 feet of the USS Iowa, where Trump had just arrived. It was a moment made for TV news, as the lines were clearly drawn between Trump supporters on the fantail of the ship underneath the big guns and the crowd yelling at the fundraiser attendees to “Dump Trump”—possibly into the harbor.
Most of this drama never made it onto the nightly news, even though seven or more media companies were covering the event.
Clearly, the Veterans for Strong America, which promoted and benefited from this event, is a political astroturf organization using its connections to the state of Iowa and the Republican leadership of the Pacific Battleship Center board of directors to use the ship as a symbolic backdrop for what otherwise was just a crass use of patriotism for political benefit.
Although VSA had basically no money in their coffers until today, they have been busy trying to swiftboat Hillary Clinton by suing the federal government for Clinton’s emails over an issue that’s largely been resolved by numerous congressional committees over the past three years.
Veterans for a Strong America founder Joel Arends introduced Trump at the rally Tuesday night and gave him their endorsement.{module [1177]}
The whole situation calls into question Pacific Battleship Center CEO Jonathan Williams’ “apolitical” position on the event and puts the center at odds with the museum’s landlord, the Harbor Area’s labor unions, the rather strong Democratic leadership of both the City of Los Angeles and the majority of Harbor Area voters.
The 18th century essayist Samuel Johnson once said, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” Besides the misuse of this historic battleship, Donald Trump is clearly the modern definition of the term.
Trump says he is going to “Make America Great Again” by increasing the size of the military by pouring more money into it. He said that with him as commander and chief, Americans are going to win so much that they are going to get bored with winning. He doesn’t explain which wars he’s planning on fighting (or winning). Hall noted that with all the money that is being spent on nuclear submarines, the greatest threat the United States has ever known, ISIS, doesn’t even have a rowboat as far as he knows.
Yet Trump’s call for even greater spending on the military comes at a time when the infrastructure needs of this country are greater than they have ever been and our ability to compete in the world economy hinges on the ability to train the workforce in generations to come.
Lastly, all I can say is that in business when I’m confronted by an egotistical blowhard who says, “Trust me,” I hold onto my wallet and run the other way. And that’s my advice for anyone who is even mildly considering voting for Trump.
(James Preston Allen is the Publisher of Random Lengths News, the Los Angeles Harbor Area's only independent newspaper. He is also a guest columnist for the California Courts Monitor and is the author of "Silence Is Not Democracy- Don't listen to that man with the white cap--he might say something that you agree with!" He was elected to the presidency of the Central San Pedro Neighborhood Council in 2014 and has been engaged in the civic affairs of CD 15 for more than 35 years. More of Allen … and other views and news at: randomlengthsnews.com ) Edited for CityWatch by Linda Abrams.
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 76
Pub: Sep 18, 2015
