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Not surprisingly the Orange County Register's resident bootlicker David Whiting (who supported Fullerton police over Kelly Thomas) weighed in this morning on Tuesday's melee in Anaheim. In his typically condescending tones, the star columnist of the Reg did his best to appear completely impartial about the event, which stemmed from last weekend's shooting of an unarmed resident, seemingly viewing the conflict from both sides. Fine for Whiting core geriatric readership, who read the Reg while taking their morning Metamusil, but a little scrutiny reveals an article heavy on platitudes about rebuilding bridges while dodging questions about the event's root causes–and trashing the residents affected by Anaheim police and laughing at those who are angry about it.
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The article, entitled “Protests Offer Chance to Build Bridges” finds Whiting–a longtime editor who for years has contributed nature articles to the Reg–emerging from the wilds of the Reg's office to stand at the front lines with protesters near City Hall Tuesday night (before the actual riot started.) Describing the group, which swelled to more than a thousand people, as a mix of looky-loos, Occupy supporters and members of Kelly's Army, Whiting was careful to mention he was using the word “demonstrators” loosely.
The article's strongest editorial stand came when Whiting mentioned the courage of the police chief, who had the balls to apologize for the K9 which mistakenly attacked a bystander and knocked a child over after Saturday's shooting. But no significant mention was made of Anaheim's deep civic problems which led to Tuesday night's unrest: the growing disparity between rich and poor, the communities which languished as public subsidies were handed out for the benefit of developers, the lack of Latino council representation in a city that's 52 percent Mexican.
Instead, Whiting makes a quick mention of the flatlands, where the “largely poor, and undereducated immigrant population lives,” then goes on to say “We can argue about who is to blame for the problems. Or we can move forward and seek solutions.”
And the simplistic solution suggested in Whiting's piece?
Complete and utter worship of the police, per his bootlicking ways.
“The officers grip batons in both hands in front of their chests,” he wrote. Wait, is this a family newspaper, or the script from When a Man Loves a Man?
No doubt some of Whiting's senile fans may feel we are being to hard the poor old reporter. To which we reply, we use the word “reporter” loosely.
Oh, and calling Guy Fawkes an anarchist? He was a Catholic, pendejo.
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