Right Wing Extremists Visit School Board in Temecula

All-Star Group of Outside Agitators Promotes Hate

Extremists traveled from all over the region to attend a Temecula Valley Unified School District  meeting on Tuesday, June 13. They were supposedly there to stage a counter-protest aimed at teachers upset about the earlier rejection of a social studies book proposed for use in educating students in grades one thru five.

Board president Joseph Komrosky, who opposed the book, used the occasion of its banning to call out slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk as a pedophile. This statement created a few headlines around the state, prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to respond.

• "An offensive statement from an ignorant person," tweeted Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 3. "This isn't Texas or Florida. In the Golden State, our kids have the freedom to learn. Congrats Mr. Komrosky you have our attention. Stay tuned."

There are a couple of ironies at play here, starting with the fact that Milk is mentioned nowhere in the text of Social Studies Alive; the book's supplemental reading list includes a biography of Milk. And, the Temecula School Board hardly needed any support for its decision, having been taken over by members promoted by a local “Christian” conservative PAC.

The group of extremists descending on Temecula have played prominent roles in other controversial school board meetings around the state, sometimes posing as concerned parents. Most recently they disrupted a session at Glendale, which ended with Proud Boys beating up supporters of LGBTQ+ rights. 

In March, the Temecula school board hosted a five hour meeting before banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) from being taught in schools. It didn’t matter that CRT wasn’t part of the curriculum, the gist was it was being used as a catch-all term for any K-12 curriculum addressing slavery and race.

That particular meeting gained notoriety after a Black man was removed by security after speaking against the ban, followed by a white woman in the crowd telling him to ‘get out of the country.’

Two of the righty board members gained a spot on Fox and Friends following that meeting; district high school  students organized two walkouts in protest. 

Among the extremists in attendance for this latest meeting was Louis Uridel, known in San Diego for his affiliation with a far-right Christian Nationalist Awaken Church and the Three Percenter tattoo on his hand.. He’s a regular on KUSI News, serving as a quotable figure when not-quite-threatening commentary on social issues is needed.

Also appearing was “Forgiato Blow,” the Proud Boy affiliated rapper known for his anti-LGBTQ+ Boycott Target lyrics, and being a close associate of Roger Stone. His repertoire includes lyrics about killing his girlfriend and dumping her body. 

Bryce Henson, who runs an Instagram called Southern California Parent Advocates and was highly visible at the protests in Glendale told all his followers he’d be there.

Proud Boy Louie Flores Jr was photographed in the crowd along with Lexit event coordinator Sylvia Araujo. Several unnamed defendants from the January 6 Capitol riot were also photographed in Temecula.

The Right wing goon-types needn't have worried. The book in question remains banned from the curriculum, leaving the district potentially in violation of California law unless a replacement can be found. 

The Temecula Board made sure no more choices they didn’t like would be made, since their agenda included a non-public session for a performance review of Dr. Jodi McClay, an award-winning superintendent. The next agenda item was “interim superintendent.” And, staying true to their agenda, McClay was fired.

Actual parents of students attending schools in the district say this is just the beginning. They believe there is a list of teachers to be fired after the school year.

Temecula, California, located midway between San Diego and Los Angeles, has long been a springboard for those spreading hate. 

Its legacy of racism can be traced back to the eviction of Native Americans in 1875 by white ranchers. The government of Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians notes that settlers stripped Temecula Indians of their homes, livelihoods and many of their possessions.

In more recent times, the city was in the news as the location for disgusting displays aimed at turning away migrants from a border patrol processing station. 

A few other headlines seen during a google search included:

Racial Slurs Were Hurled at Cheer Squad During a Football Game in Temecula; a school employee fired for racist comments in TikTok, and Temecula Valley High Racist Graffiti Targets Black Student.

These extremists, in all their variations, are not about protecting children. They’re about mob rule, ending democracy, and installing an ideology of hate in this country.

All it takes to stop them are good people standing up and saying no more.

A Few More Thoughts

Fox News was wall-to-wall with ferocious support of the ex-president — and equally ferocious attacks on JOE BIDEN. 

Below is  an actual screen shot from Faux…

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Serious Fox News reporter Hillary Vaughn to Katie Porter: "[Biden] had to take off work for a root canal. Do you think he has the stamina for a second term?" Porter: "Have you ever had a root canal?"

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Southern Baptists Move to Purge Churches With Female Pastors Via the New York Times.

(They had a secret list of 700 known sex offenders in their ranks and this is their priority.)

There is a movement in the Southern Baptist Convention, a denomination that is often a bellwether for evangelical America, to purge women from its leadership.

The right wing of the Southern Baptists, the largest Protestant denomination in America, is now — like conservatives more broadly — cracking down on what it sees as dangerous liberal drift. Most people in the denomination have long believed that the office of head pastor should be reserved for men. But an ultraconservative faction with a loud online presence is going further, pressing for ideological purity and arguing that female pastors are a precursor to acceptance of homosexuality and sexual immorality.

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