California Convention Dreamin'
by Late Nite LeRoy
August 11, 2000
"Welcome to LA where we beat you like a King."
Time will tell what lies in store for the next few days as the Los Angeles area hosts the Reformed Party convention in Long Beach August 10-13 and the Demoncratic Party August 14-17.
Long Beach offered a nice Hotel for the Reformed Party. Los Angeles crams the Democrats into a vertical sardine can known as Staples center. Big, if you're from South Pekin Illinois, but even Democratic planners say they had more room back in 1996. Luxury boxes are said to be going for a million dollars or more. The mayor of L.A. Richard Riordan reportedly bought one with his own money. Riordan was an independently wealthy venture capitalist before he ran for office. He campaigned as a conservative--compared to the clowns he ran against, I guess he was somewhat conservative. But as soon as he was elected, he marched in "gay" parades and started reciting the "sexual preference" mantra every time the camera was on him.
Local "RIM" (Reality Impaired Media) coverage of the Reformed party only shows a few sore losers shouting lies about Pat Buchanan and portrays the party as a bunch of malcontents, but they spend far greater air time pointing out the celebredom surrounding the Democratic convention as the "hottest tickets in town.
Although millions have been spent, the area surrounding Staples center is still some of the dumpiest in Los Angeles. Tight wad that I am, while attending a convention there once, I refused to pay the steep parking fees, so I parked a block away on the street. Walking back to the convention center, I glanced down an alley. There I saw the epitome of chutzpah: a Brinks bank truck, stripped and up on blocks. I think I was driving a 15 year old rusty Cadillac at the time, so I didn't fear losing it on the street.
Mail boxes have been removed from a 2 or more block radius of Staples center. I guess they don't want anyone to snap a Polaroid of the dumpy area and mail it back to aunt Ruth and say wish you were here.
So the party that:
is now expecting to be treated like the "prophet from out of town." The corrupt media will no doubt cater to their every desire.
Attention street evangelists: You won't find any hookers
to witness to on Sunset Boulevard for the next week. I think
they're all working overtime downtown.
But the decent Angelinos who only live here for the weather will
have to endure syrupy press coverage worse than the O.J. Simpson
fiasco. And you can be sure who will get blamed if any violence
breaks out. I lived near Chicago in 1968. It was a
Democratic mayor that oversaw police beating of who? Other
liberal Democrats. The party supposedly of the people surely
uses a lot of night sticks to show you how much they care.
Los Angeles had a chance to get a sincere Christian police chief back in 1989, Bob Vernon. But he was portrayed by the media as a "religious extremist." Why? Because he read the Bible. The media got what they wanted. The "Rampart" police scandal to report on 10 years later where lying, corrupt, and out-of-control police officers went undisciplined while filing fictitious reports to pad their own wallets and performance ratings. I had my own disagreements with Bob Vernon at the time, but his biblical morals were the only thing that could have saved the city. Los Angeles said no to Bob Vernon ONLY because of his Christian stance. He had experience and management skills far beyond anyone the city considered and ultimately chose.
I thought about going down to Staples Center myself and waving a placard. But I probably should stay many miles away so I don't risk turning into a pillar of salt.
The nitwit city council built a school building here on a toxic waste dump recently. Who knows what is underneath Staples Center. I guess it couldn't be much worse than some of the garbage being promoted inside.
--LateNiteLeroy
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