Harvey Milk

Just over 4 decades ago-- May 1979-- a conservative court decided to let ex-policeman, ex-County Supervisor Dan White off the hook (the Twinkie defense) after he assassinated Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. The ensuing violent riot wasn't about Moscone. The organizers intended to lead a peaceful protest march of a couple of hundred people up Market Street to City Hill. That didn't last and when the infuriated crowd reached City Hall, there were over 5,000 people-- mostly gay not absolutely not entirely so-- under no one's control and united more in anger than in grief...

Monday, I responded to a tweet about some random guy primarying Jan Schakowsky (D-IL): "Jan Schakowsky is one of the best members of Congress & is one of the few who has NOT failed us." Notice what I didn't say: Jan Schawkowsky is one of the best female members of Congress" or even "Jan Schawkowsky is one of the best Jewish members of Congress"-- although she is both.

Divestment festivals, World Cup conscription and the feuding Rothschildren + this day in history w/the final Floyd and our song of the day by Smashing Pumpkins on your Morning Monarchy for July 2, 2018.

Invasive security, precision munitions and sensitive data + this day in history w/the murder of Harvey Milk and our song of the day by Alex Lahey on your Morning Monarchy for November 27, 2017.

A few months ago, conservative L.A. Democrat Adam Schiff, my congressman, was looking for operatives to help run his Senate campaign. He was telling people that Dianne Feinstein had told him she would retire after her current term expires in 2019, when she will be approaching her 86th birthday (as long as her new cardiac pacemaker holds out). She wants another conservative Democrat like herself to occupy the seat.

Just before Harvey Milk was assassinated by a right-wing freak at the end of November, 1978 I had been spending a lot of time with him at his camera store, next door to my business partner's record store, Aquarius, on Castro Street. Harvey didn't have enough foul stuff to say about a fellow Supervisor Dianne Feinstein who was, along with the murderer, Dan White, the persona who represented the Republican interests on the Board. Harvey told me many times why he could never trust her. And she was the greatest beneficiary of the assassinations that November.

Elites rarely think other elites need to face the same kind of justice non-elites have to face when they break the law. Whether banksters on Wall Street or legislators on Capitol Hill, the worst criminals in our society-- those given the greatest amount of public trust-- are rarely held to account for their transgressions. And the lack of accountability is systemic and has become almost a tenet of our entire society.

I have credits on a lot of films and albums but none thrill me as much as when the end credits on the 1984 documentary, The Times of Harvey Milk roll and I see my name. I wasn't in the movie and I was shocked to see my name in the credits. It was there because the filmmaker had used some stills I had taken of Harvey over the years.

On April 29, 2009, the House passed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, 249-175, 18 Republican abandoning their hate-filled and bigoted leaders, crossing the aisle and voting with the Democrats. Boehner, Cantor, Ryan and McCarthy were against the bill and they had support from 17 of the most racist and conservative Democrats in the House: