What a California lawmaker intended as a benign resolution honoring a late, world-renowned movie icon exploded into a politically correct hissy fit Thursday.
Their target: the iconic and all-American John Wayne.
Republican State Assemblyman Matthew Harper of Huntington Beach sought to declare May 26 John Wayne Day to mark the day the actor was born.
The state Assembly defeated the official ode to Wayne after several Democrats protested, objecting over statements Wayne made decades ago.
Known as “Duke,” a nickname he picked up as a boy in Glendale, California, Wayne grew into the star of movies including “The Alamo,” ”The Green Beret,” and “True Grit,” for which he won an Academy Award, while portraying the gruff, rugged cowboys and brave soldiers who were his stock in trade.
“He had disturbing views,” objected Assemblyman Luis Alejo, D-Watsonville, leading off a 20-minute debate.
Assemblyman Mike Gipson, D-Carson, agreed and said he found some of Wayne’s comments from decades ago to be personally offensive.
Wayne is the latest deceased white icon to recently come under attack. Former President Andrew Jackson, a slave owner and Indian fighter, is being removed from the face of the $20 bill. Princeton University recently announced that former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s name will remain on its public policy school despite calls to remove it because he was a segregationist.
Harper’s resolution fell on a 35-20 vote to what Harper called “the orthodoxy of political correctness.”
“Opposing the John Wayne Day resolution is like opposing apple pie, fireworks, baseball, the Free Enterprise system and the Fourth of July!” he said later in a written statement.
Harper said he sought the resolution, ACR137, to keep up with a Texas resolution commemorating Wayne’s birthday a year ago.
He represents the legislative district that includes John Wayne Airport in Orange County. The airport, among the largest in California, was renamed after Wayne’s death in 1979 and hosts a nine-foot-tall statue of the actor.
“I think the assemblyman would know if there was a cross word about having the airport named after him,” said Harper’s spokeswoman, Madeleine Cooper.
Several lawmakers supported the resolution, recalling Wayne as an American hero whose family created a namesake cancer foundation after his death.
“He stood for those big American values that we know and we love,” said Assemblyman Travis Allen, R-Huntington Beach.
Lawmakers have honored others despite controversies that eventually clouded their legacies, said Assemblyman Donald Wagner, R-Irvine. Wagner cited President Franklin Roosevelt, who has been honored despite his internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
“Every one of us is imperfect,” Wagner said.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
I read this story in the Boston papers this morning. I found it interesting that the ones in the California Assembly criticizing Wayne’s like Luis Alejo are concerned about Wayne’s attitude towards Native American people. No word from Mr. Alejo about his ethnicity virtually wiping out Native American cultures 500 years ago. How about Alejo changing the names of highways and towns that are of White Spanish Colonial origins? Wayne was an actor not a conquistador.
Wayne was also married to a Hispanic woman! They can’t accuse him of being a racist!!!
John Wayne Was John Wayne and thr is nothing they can do to ever change that, He was our HERO and you ___holes can go __K yourselves
Amen John !!!!!
REAL NAME MARION MORRESSEY
Marion Mitchell Morrison
American!!! REAL MERIUCAN =JOHN WAYNE
John, I agree with you 100%. John Wayne was more then a hero for his stand in the movies. He was so patriotic that he promoted the US everywhere he went and made a record promoting his love for our country. He died of cancer from the exposer he had during WW2. Yes he was a vet and deserve the honor
.
John Wayne was not a Vet. He had injured his back, when he was a very man. This is why he walked the way he did, and was 4-F.
You must be a vile racist jackass too then
You are either very stupid and ignorant or just posting for the attention a response such as your ( Kai ) will earn you , like my reply for instance .
And you Kai must be one of Obama & crews littler minion thugs……..
JOHN WAYNE MY FAVORITE COWBOY I HOPE HE COMES BACK & SHOOTS SOME EARS OF THOSE ASSEMBLYMEN..HAAAAAAAAAAA
And Wayne would probably walk up to the guy…shake his head a time or two…and haul off and deck him.
A true moron heard from.
Pretty soon, to make sure we abide by what THEY think, the liberals will start acting more and more like terrorists.
already thought they were terrorists pjt
California is run by left wing communist pigs, liberal trash, that hate America, and hate anyone who stand for America. Governor Brown and Lt Governor are both scumbags who hate anyone who might represent a good decent American. Liberalism is a disease of the worst kind. Screw the commies and those who deface our flag with a picture of that pig Obama on it.
Wow…who peed in your wheeties?
Every “progressive” nut case who supports denying John Wayne his due tribute, goofy uncertain men in the girls’ bathroom, Nancy Pelosi deniers of mental illness, lunatic “Republican” narcissists who want to “Make America Great” by only offering more “hope and Change”, and idiots who slam Carly Fiorina for acting like a woman and singing to children, while refusing to acknowledge that barking like a dog might not be what we need in a President.
Oh please. Idiots is what describes these fools in California. THEY OFFEND me. Now shut them up. I have a right not to be embarrassed by a bunch of mental patients in California.
California is full of communist trash, Brown and his cronies are just that, trash, they hate anyone who loves America, or anyone that stands for America.
How about the 600 mile Camino Real highway in California being re-named Native People Highway? If Assemblyman Alejo wants to remove and dishonor the memory of those who were not politically correct, then how about removing monuments to Spanish Conquest? It must be cool for a mostly Caucasian linguistic group who’s ancestors so harmed Native people to call itself a minority and be able to check off the right box at hiring time,
How about his constituents not voting for his re-election! I will donate to any opponent to take him down.
Yeah, Everyone seems to forget the frigin conquistadors came raping and pillaging the Natives of this country, in search of gold no less, then took natives as slaves, until the Indians banned together and kicked their asses out when they had enough, what the hell is wrong with the stupid asinine liberals, havn’t they done enough to this country yet. Anyone want to live anywhere near Skid marks Brown or his cronies ?, Am I the only one that remembers Skidmarks ran just before we could kick his ass out of office years ago, this guy is a danger to California and the country !!!.
Screw this political correctness shit if people don’t like John Wayne , then move back to Mexico or where ever they come from. This is just pure BS killing America.
Jimmy I agree with you totally to hell with political correctness…it’s a purely Progressive, Communist, Socialist bunk & has no place in our society. We the People believe in the USA Constitution & Bill of Rights & no where in there is there any Political Correctness. Take their political correctness & shove it where the sun don’t shine.
Political Correctness is just another word for censorship. When people cannot express beliefs that run counter to the libtards view without being called every name in the book then free speech is no more. Read Orewell’s 1984 and what he referred to as (if I remember correctly) new speak and compare it to what the PC crowd is doing to our language. They are banning words that they do not like. Can you say welcome to the USSA.
Today’s “political correctness” is nothing more than Double Speak (1984). Good is bad, black is white, right is wrong. Obama turns tens-of-thousands of CRIMINAL ILLEGALS loose on our streets to rape and murder again.
I hope Trump wins and puts an end to all this liberal, left-wing whining bullshit.
Jimmy, you are a true moron. John wayne was a coward and a draft dodger. The Marines literally booed him off of Guadalcanal when he visited. Chest Puller had to have a emergency plane fly him away. The Marines understood that this cowardly draft dodger could not represent them.
He is a stain on the memory of American and certainly NOT an American hero.
And their honor Milk who was a pedophile.
Milk was gay, not a pedophile. When did you stop beating your wife?
MLK was gay? What about his wife & kids?
Did they know? Wow, you are really brilliant!
You’re an idiot, He was not a pedophile. Post your real name and address so you can be sued out of existence for your slander.
He can’t be sued for slander, which is a spoken false defamation. He could be sued for libel, which is a written false defamation, except that among gays, pedophilia is not a defamation.
The great thing about America are our imperfections and our ability to overcome and adapt to them including people whatever their heritage. Wayne’s characters were often rude crude and indecent; but, remember he was an “actor”, which is a culmination of people. Can I say our desire for PC, is one of our imperfections? Isn’t this a great country. If you seek a perfect world, look about you!
If you attack the “Duke” you’re un-American and should reside somewhere other than the US – I am so sick and tired of this PC crap and those who expose it.
Keep your thoughts to yourselves and live your mindless little lives anonymously.
Ole lewie n mikie the DEMORAT IDIOTS can take their PC CRAP and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine !!!!
It amazes me john that someone can be as stupid as you are yet you remember to breath. You are so stupid that if rocks could talk, they would refuse to talk to you. Has a rock ever talked to you? I rest my case.
John Wayne was a certifiable coward and draft dodger. He is on record as saying, “I have worked hard to become a household name and I’m not joining the Army and ruining that.” He was 1A several times during the war and always bribed the right people to get out of it. He went with General Puller to Guadalcanal to entertain the troops and they booed him so badly that he was flown off the island for his own safety. Marines don’t put up with cowards.
Now you want to call me un-American. I am the 4th of 14 Marines in 4 generations. I spent 10 years in the Marines, I spent multiple tours in Vietnam and have been 100% combat disabled for 47 years. I rescued a squad of Marines that had been ambushed and earned a Silver Star for heroism.
You are nothing but a loud mouthed punk who has never done a damn thing in your life to amount to spit. So take your own advise punk, shut up and live anonymously. You are embarrassing yourself.
I know numerous men who served during Nam. They never brag about their time in service or what was awarded to them.
How about Cashes Clay he was a coward
One cannot be a draft dodger if one is not drafted. He just didn’t voluntarily enlist despite strong societal pressure to do so.
When you stated “He is on record as saying, “I have worked hard to become a household name and I’m not joining the Army and ruining that.”, it should be verifiable as true. However, there is NO record of this. Marine or not, you lied.
The question is whether is was deliberate or unintentional. You are probably just repeating what someone else told you so I won’t hold your mistake against you. But now that you know, you shouldn’t repeat it.
What a sad state of affairs when these liberal politicians obnubilate the memory of one of Americas most brilliant icons.
I cannot think of any more mendacious acts by a political body, claiming offense of a comment made before this person was ever conscious that it took place.
No wonder this country is falling apart, with minority leaders of this caliber making the decisions that affect the majority of the populace.
Diversity is an interesting word , didn’t a city in Italy called Rome experience the same problems with diversity , I think it was over run with these fools .
Bill-
Hell, i had NO idea what “obnubilate” meant, so had to look it up(to “becloud” or “attempt to obscure,” apparently). i didn’t even think it WAS a word! Somebody must have a “vocabulary word of the day” program…
To change and remove American History is AntiAmeican and making America a Bastarize Nation and the idiots that. Are pushing this agenda should be named and picture posted and remove their citizenship !!!
One of the major problems with America’s fantasy attitude toward themselves is the “John Wayne” syndrome. We all like to see ourselves as the John Wayne who fights for right, truth, justice and the American way. The problem is that there never was a John Wayne. John Wayne was not John Wayne. He was a drunk, draft dodging, wife beater named Morrison. The best all around description of this guy is the section devoted to him in the book, “Great American Hypocrites”.
For crying out loud, with all the things that you people in California have wrong in your state, and all the things that are wrong in our country and you are offended by John Wayne Day. People like you offend me.
Posting Wayne’s views, statements and opinions in contention would have made this article worth the time to read it.
Really John Wayne an American hero ? HE was a draft dodger during world war two. He put his acting carrier ahead of his love for this country. Take a look at Jimmy Stewart he joined the army air core and flew combat missions, then there is Eddie Elbert he was in the navy and drove a landing craft on D day. There are many more actors who went off and risked their life’s fighting for freedom in world war two , but then there is Mr.Hawk John Wayne he stayed home where it was safe and made movies ! I love John Wayne as a movie star but an American hero I think not.
This^^^
Wayne was exempted from service due to his age (34 at the time of Pearl Harbor) and family status, classified as 3-A (family deferment).
John Wayne was not a draft dodger. He was given 4F status because he had four children. He used his name status as an actor to star in movies and shorts to depict Americas determination and resolve to win the war. His movies during the war did more for the morale of this country than many, many others. John Wayne was a real American hero.
We the people of America must remove those from leadership who make our government appear to be a lawless [godless] bloated government of tyrants. So shall my word be!
We need to give California back to Mexico.
Lol we, California, are already part of Mexico, it just has not been stated publicly. The minimum wage was just raised here in CA because the majority of minimum wage jobs are held by illegals with fake SS cards. They need to make more money because they need to send more to Mexico to support their families. It’s hard to support a family in Mexico and here. Actually, all they have to do is deposit it in their Bank of America accounts and their family can use ATM to withdraw in Mexico.
One of our cities has hired illegal aliens to advise their city council on illegal alien concerns!!!!!! Supposedly they are not getting paid, but who believes that.
Now we have a ‘minority’ democrat objecting to John Wayne day??? If we stooped as low as the democrats, we would object to Cinco de Mayo. Instead, we enjoy the celebration although we are offended by people such as Luis Alejo.
California was Mexican 1821-47. before that- Spanish, from 1869. Discovered 1532 but no permanent settlement. before that- native American. Mexican Indians (Aztec et al didn’t get that far north. Give it back to Mexico? What are you, la raza?
Don are you sure your information is correct or do you just believe the author of the book was true.
John Wayne may not be his real name. It was what he did as an actor that was being talked about.
Go ahead and enjoy your story and I will still love (JOHN WAYNE).
Screw The Dumbocrats.
This is truly disappointing that now the minority rules for the silent majority. People who have seen and listened to Mr. Wayne as a true American icon will agree that he was a great man both on and out of the public eye. Pretty soon some of these naysayers will try to replace him with PeeWee Herman. Can you see it now the Pee Wee Herman Airport? I can’t and won’t. Wake up America and grow a set or you will get what you deserve.
I am so very SICK of political correctness. those liberal loonies are destroying this nation.
Just another reason we need Trump
If you don’t like someone that literally millions & millions of Americans hold in high esteem and children of that era wanted to grow up and be just like him. Then guess what , you can go and piss up a rope because you’re being politically incorrect towards all of the Americans that admired the man.
You self serving wanna be’s really need to do something constructive with your lives instead of crying about anything that doesn’t put YOU FIRST !! You’re ALL miserable LOSERS !!
John Wayne portrayed a true American spirit of freedom and justice as it was ment to be and as it should be today. The commieonazicrat party of today is a party that represents tyranny and slavery. They don’t want anything around that might resemble American freedom. It is just that simple. Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Saddam Hussein, and all other such tyrants follow the same path of preventing the people from seeing anything that they don’t want them to see. You will also see this type of mentality in North Korea, Iran, and many muslim countries. This is the normal outgrowth of socialism. It always happens.
Maybe now would be a good time to talk about the idiocy of all these special emphasis days and official state declarations. Consider the multitude of problems facing most state governments, do the legislators really need to spend their time debating what member of the rat family should be the official state rodent? I don’t know why states feel they need to designate days. Do we really want to have a Harry Reid day, Barack Obama day or Jimmy Carter day?
(I’m going to guess this one will get some memorable replies. I’ll try to check in and read them.)
John Wayne was an AMERICAN. If time travel was possible, and the real Californians from the gold rush era were returned, the present day turkeys would be dumped into the out house, where all crap belongs, and the lid would be sealed. Thus allowing California, once again, to become the Golden State. Since the 60s ‘flower children’, who are now destroying our Republic with their stupidity, California has become a breeding ground for whining fools.
I am sure John Wayne could give a shit,at this time. Screw calf .
Wayne USED to be as American as apple pie. Those days are gone due to Obama’s “transformation”. Take your pick here forward who meets the American as… mantle, American as chili con carne. Or, American as chitlins. Or, American as Halal nuts and seeds.
You have all these Mexican demonstrators with their Mexican flags are just cowards. Why not go back to Mexico and demonstrate over there? What, no guts? That’s how they got here in the first place fleeing their own country. Our government should do just what there government would do to protesters. BUST HEADS! They come to disrupt our country but are chicken shits’ when it comes to their own country’s atrocities. Go back home idiots. Especially the illegals. Your breaking the law. Two times.
John Wayne was born in Iowa. I’m sure they’ll continue to value his memory. So if California doesn’t want him, so what?!! Real Americans will still appreciate John Wayne. I know he was an actor, but his films and his words will live for a long time.
I love this country. Let the demonstrators go back to their own country and demonstrate. Fat chance. We have what is called democracy.
Leave it to the left to distroy a great American like John Wayne. If the minorities living in our country don’t like our way of life leave and go back to where you come from we don’t need you.
John Wayne was a great person and if more people had his morals we would be so much better off.
I never cared for Marion Michael Morrison AKA John Wayne. He was in every branch of the military, but actually never served in the military service. I also thought he was a bad actor. Sorry if i offended anyone, actually no i am not. LOL
There are many reasons that Kalifornia is known as the land of fruits and nuts.
.
This is just one of them.
If you read it carefully it is NOT racist at all. In fact John Wayne brought the racism in them.
I understand and absolutely sympathize with the attempt to defend Wayne, but an article that is based on the consequences of what Wayne said but does not include what Wayne said is a poor, incomplete, and misleading article.
When Noah was instructed to build an arc, keep in mind it had NEVER rained before. The idiots who laughed and mocked him, didn’t’ get the last laugh. These liberal loonies are today’s non-believers.
If it is true and wholesome, the Liberals will attack it as not true and defiled. Do these people have lives, and, why do they pick on everything good? Better to point out something really bad and try to correct it. Just seems they have the cart before the horse all the time. Sadder part, is they get attention. Was once a time that these things would be just ignored. Why is America not great to these people that they have to take a great patriot and say he was not all of a sudden. Why are they afraid of America and those who represented us the best?????? Who would elect someone to office that would do this; maybe someone who lied about what they really stood for—-like a lot of politicians!!!!!!!!!!!
More of the political left’s ‘Rewrite History’ B.S.
A loony left politician from San Diego, Lorraine Gonzales, is pushing furiously to ‘remane’ a public school which was named in honor of a Civil War general, Robaert E. Lee.
That’s fine GONZO. In return, we SHOULD and MUST rename a public infrastructure which is named in honor FROM Ceasar Chavez TO the name of the young San Francisco woman who was killed by a felon illegal alien. OR
We can REMOVE the name of philanderer and aldulterer ‘MARTIN LUTHER KING from public infrastructures and replace that with the name of someone of high moral character and integrity.
Got it GONZO!!!!!! History is History and you can’t change it.
John Wayne was a decent AMERICAN……I am a PROUD AMERICAN of Native-American decent! I would be proud to call him FRIEND! Call these Trump “protesters” what they are…….UNAMERICAN!
LOOK THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS OPINIONS ARE LIKE ASSHOLES EVERYBODYS GOT ONE AND MOST OF THEM STINK !! NOW JOHN WAYNE IS JUST AN ACTOR ( A DAMN GOOD ONE IN MY EYES ) , BUT SO IS THE REST OF THE POPULATION YA SEE LIFES A STAGE & WERE ALL JUST PLAYING PARTS UNTIL WE DIE . BUT THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS THIS GUY PROBALLY DIDN’T GET THE EARMARK HE WANTED (SOMETHING YOU ASK 4 IN RETURN TO PASSING LAWS OR WHAT HAVE YA ) , SO HE DECLINED JOHN WAYNE DAY . BUT IF WE WERE TO LIVE BACK INTO THE 1800’S I HONESTLY THINK THESE PEOPLE WOULDN’T LIVE VERY LONG RIGHT NOW STUDITY ROCKS OUR NATION !!!! CAN’T LIVE BACK IN THE GOOD OL’ DAYS BUT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN HAS BEEN ALL SHIT SINCE BUSH JRS. PRESENDENTCY ON UP IN MY PERSONAL OPINION WE AINT HAD A GOOD PREZ SINCE REGAN , AGAIN THATS MY OWN OPINION . WE VOTED THESE CLOWNS IN WE SHOULD ALL GET TOGETHER & GET THEM THE HELL OUT .!!!
What else can one expect from the democrat terrorist thugs. Every one of them POS are anti-American socialists and every one of them should be removed from America.