It appears now that Jared Lee Loughner, the deranged 22 year old shooter in Tucson who killed six people on Saturday, was a Democrat. But what drove him was not partisan politics, but rather anti-government rhetoric. That sure sounds familiar here in Santa Ana, a city dominated by Democrats.
The last election happened in November, but Alfredo Amezcua, the failed Santa Ana Mayoral candidate, has not been able to accept his loss gracefully. He has continued to openly attack Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido and the Santa Ana City Council. And many of his supporters continue to insist that Pulido somehow stole the election. That is just plain nuts!
Amezcua held a poorly attended “Vigil of Discontent” when the victorious Santa Ana City Council members were sworn in. And, as we wrote about on this blog, Amezcua joined forces with the Los Amigos of Anaheim this week in a bizarre press conference that was loaded with unfounded innuendo and slanderous, hateful statements against Pulido, the City Council and SAPD Chief Paul Walters. The anger was palpable. Looking around that room I saw more than a few unhinged characters who, in hindsight, could very well end up doing something regrettable.
The Democrats will try to pin the Arizona shooting on the GOP – and in truth some Republicans, such as Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck, not to mention Rush Limbaugh, have blood on their hands. They spend every hour ripping the government and attacking the Democrats. But if the Tucson shooter was indeed a Democrat, well then that party has to take ownership of this disaster too.
I could definitely see this same thing happening here in Santa Ana, where we have Latinos attacking Latinos and Democrats attacking Democrats. Amezcua and his followers have fed the fires and all they are doing is creating an angry mob – they are not solving anything with this ridiculous insurrection of theirs.
Media reports indicate that Loughner’s favorite books included Mein Kampf and the Communist Manifest. Many of Amezcua’s backers often post comments that allude to communist ideology.
And Amezcua’s backers also include a lot of right-wing residents of Santa Ana. Loughner often cited Republican spin, such as focusing on the Constitution, property rights and “treasonous laws.” The same anger Amezcua continues to fan on the left has been simmering on the local right too, for a long time.
I hope the Democratic Party of Orange County, and the O.C. labor leaders, will step in and have a talk with Amezcua before this deranged and bitter movement of his results in bloodshed. The fact is, he lost in November. It is past time for him to move on. If he wants to run again he may do so in 2012. Until then it is highly irresponsible for him to continue to rant and rave. I would much rather see him offering positive solutions, but that is something he didn’t do during his campaign. I cannot imagine he might actually have any good ideas now.
Don’t forget by the way that Amezcua’s clients over the years have been the very worst gang bangers and drug dealers in Santa Ana. Loughner, born September 10, 1988, had a court case involving possession of drug paraphernalia in 2007, according to an online news report. Imagine if one of Amezcua’s clients decides to pay back a favor to him by doing something awful to one of our local elected officials? God forbid…
