Villaraigosa's pro-California propaganda

Antonio Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, writes about yesterday's decision to overturn Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage.

Prop 8 Wasn't Just Unconstitutional, it was Un-CalifornianOur State has always been mythologized as a place where dreams come true. From the earliest settlers who braved months of travel across mountains and deserts, to the Forty-Niners who came here to make their fortunes, from the Dust Bowl refugees who forged west to rebuild their lives, to those who continue to come here today--from all over the world--in pursuit of a dream.

California has always represented the best of what our country has to offer: opportunity, diversity, tolerance, and above all else, the uniquely American notion that with a little sweat and a little luck, even the most far-fetched dream can become a reality.

I've always said that, here in California, it doesn't matter where your family came from. It doesn't matter who your father was. It doesn't matter if, like me, you never really had a father. And it certainly doesn't matter if you've got two of them!

Because here in California, we value each and every individual for what he or she contributes to our society. Here in California, like the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed over half a century ago, we judge a person "by the content of his character," by the courage of his convictions, integrity, truthfulness, and sincerity.Comment:  If you substitute "America" for "California," this is similar to most speeches about our country. No mention of the Indians already living here. Or the oppression they faced from missions, rancheros, '49ers, et al. Or the conflicts between whites and blacks, Latinos, Asians, and other minorities. It's pure propaganda that bears little or not relationship to reality.

Here are a few historical events Villaraigosa may have forgotten:

List of riots1850--Squatters' Riots, California
1871--Anti-Chinese Riot, Los Angeles, California
1943--Zoot Suit Riots, Los Angeles, California
1965--Watts Riot, Los Angeles, California
1966--Hunter's Point Riot San Francisco, California
1966--Compton's Cafeteria Riot, San Francisco, California
1966--Sunset Strip curfew riots, Los Angeles, California
1971--San Quentin Prison riot, San Quentin, California
1979--White Night gay riots, San Francisco, California
1987--Pioneer Days Riot, Chico, California
1992--Rodney King riot, Los Angeles, California
2009--Oscar Grant riot, Oakland, CaliforniaAlso note that Harvey Milk, probably the most famous gay activist, was assassinated in California. That says more about our tolerance for gays than the Prop. 8 ruling does.

Among the more publicized issues in California are limits on affirmative action and social services for immigrants, strikes and boycotts by migrant workers, crackdowns on the homeless, police shootings, and the OJ Simpson trial. Meanwhile, California's Indians battle with non-Indians over gaming, land use, law enforcement, and a host of other issues. These conflicts happen weekly if not daily.

In short, California is no land of milk and honey in terms of race, creed, or sexual orientation. Like most places, it's a muddled multicultural mess.

For similar whitewashing efforts, see:

Religious freedom for everyone, except Indians
National Day of the American Cowboy
The Story of Us whitewashes history
Textbooks still whitewash Columbus
Obama refuses to use g-word
Settling the West in the Inaugural Address

For more on the subject in general, see Ethnic History Corrects American History and Mainstream History = Pro-White Propaganda.

Below:  Police teach Rodney King about tolerance, California-style.