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"Unite the Right" Rally in Charlottesville

Ex-Marine And Sheriff’s Deputy Plotted Neo-Nazi Terror Spree

Reprinted with permission from Alternet

Involvement in white supremacist and white nationalist terrorist groups is especially dangerous when someone has been enlisted in the U.S. military, as that person has been trained in the use of weapons. An article by reporter Chris Joyner, published in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on June 26, takes a look at a former U.S. Marine and sheriff's deputy from Wilkinson County, Georgia who was, according to the FBI, plotting racist terrorist attacks.

"When FBI agents in San Diego seized the cell phone of a suspected white supremacist last year," Joyner reports, "they discovered text messages with a Georgia sheriff's deputy boasting of racial violence and preparations for a civil war. The text message chain, called 'Shadow Moses, between San Diego plumber Grey Zamudio, 33, and 28-year-old Cody Griggers, a former Marine and sheriff's deputy in Wilkinson County, revealed plans to steal explosives, dry runs with illegal silencers and boasts of racial violence. In one text, Griggers said he hoped law enforcement and the military would join their side in the coming conflict."

Griggers and Zamudio, Joyner notes, have both pled guilty to federal weapons charges. Both of them are due to be sentenced this summer — first Zamudio in July, then Griggers in August.

Joyner reports, "Griggers, who was a military policeman stationed in San Diego until his honorable discharge in 2017, said he wished he could 'go ahead and fast-forward so I can enjoy the suffering of the abortion that is the American population.'"

Joyner notes that "rooting out extremism within the military" is a high priority for Gen. Lloyd Austin, secretary of defense in the Biden Administration — and Joyner points out out that "Griggers' involvement shines a light on the growing concern inside the intelligence community about the far-right radicalization of service members and law enforcement officers." And Joyner also observes that according to a recent study by the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, 12% of the more than 450 people arrested in connection with the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol Building were current or former members of the United States' armed services.

The Griggers/Zamudio alliance underscores the type of threat that violent white supremacists and white nationalists pose in the United States in 2021. Griggers bragged that he could obtain weapons such as flashbang grenades, and Zamudio told his ally, "I'm ready to terrorize L.A."

Joyner explains, "In one exchange, Griggers wrote about getting police equipment and explosives in preparation for what he expected would be the racial and political violence to come. Other law enforcement officers could be brought to his side or attacked for 'siding with the enemy'…. The FBI said Griggers spoke approvingly of the Holocaust, and when they raided Zamudio's home, they found an anti-Semitic and racist novel well known among the radical right for its depiction of an apocalyptic race war. Griggers indulged in such fantasies where the assassination of 'famous liberals'' could be blamed on Muslims."

Griggers told Zamudio, "I'm either positioned to maximize damage by attacking from the inside or coordinate efforts to safely identify ourselves as patriots in order to maximize weapons pointed towards the enemy and minimize friendly fire."

According to Joyner, "In his texts, Griggers boasted of using his law enforcement position to carry out attacks. In one exchange in August 2019, he described an alleged beating of a Black suspect as 'sweet stress relief' and claimed he planned to charge other Black people with felonies to keep them from voting."

Ex-San Diego Mayor Bob Filner Faces Another Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Ex-San Diego Mayor Bob Filner Faces Another Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times

SAN DIEGO — A former staffer for ex-San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has filed a lawsuit alleging that he subjected her to “severe and pervasive sexual harassment.”

Benelia Santos-Hunter, 50, who was an executive assistant to Filner, said the former mayor repeatedly asked her for kisses and attempted to grab her breasts and buttocks.

“Filner’s behavior was repugnant and revolting,” according to a lawsuit filed against Filner and the city in San Diego County Superior Court.

Filner resigned on Aug. 30, 2013, after numerous women accused him of sexual harassment. He later pleaded guilty to one count of felony false imprisonment and two counts of misdemeanor battery. Filner served three months of home confinement.

According to the lawsuit, Filner subjected Santos-Hunter to such comments as “Let’s spend a passionate time together,” “Let’s go in the back and make love right now,” and “Let’s have sex on the conference table.”

Santos-Hunter complained about Filner’s behavior to the assistant chief operating officer but was rebuffed, according to the lawsuit.

The city has rejected a claim by Santos-Hunter seeking $1.5 million in damages. The rejection was a prelude to the filing of the lawsuit.

Joshua Gruenberg, Santos-Hunter’s lawyer, said that while some of Filner’s actions toward his client are similar to those he made toward other women, there is a significant difference.

“Filner acted creepy toward a lot of women who came to him at City Hall for help but they could just walk away,” he said. “But Benelia felt trapped, she had to put up with Filner to keep her job.”

The city has already settled a lawsuit filed by another former Filner staff member. A damage suit filed by Filner’s former director of communications, Irene McCormack Jackson, was settled for $250,000 and an apology.

Filner, 71, was the city’s first Democratic mayor in two decades. He lives in a downtown high-rise and has declined all interview requests since his resignation.

He was deposed this week by an attorney for a city parks and recreation employee, Stacy McKenzie, who has also sued him for harassment.

Photo via WikiCommons

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San Diego City Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto Of Minimum Wage Hike

San Diego City Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto Of Minimum Wage Hike

By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council voted Monday to override the mayor’s veto of a minimum wage increase — setting the stage for another high-profile political fight between the Democrat-controlled council versus the Republican mayor and the business establishment.

All six Democrats on the council voted to override the veto by Mayor Kevin Faulconer; the two votes against the override were Republicans. A third Republican on the council was absent.

Within minutes of the vote, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce announced that, “together with the business community,” it will launch a petition campaign to put the wage boost before the voters in the hope that they will reject the measure.

“We are all sympathetic to people who are struggling to make ends meet … but this is the wrong decision,” said the chamber’s chief executive, Jerry Sanders, a Republican and former mayor.

Council President Gloria Todd, a Democrat and sponsor of the minimum wage increase, had advice for people who will be asked to sign a petition: “Don’t sign it.”

The Chamber of Commerce contends the increase will hurt small businesses and possibly force businesses to lay off workers or leave San Diego. Gloria and other proponents say the increase will help an estimated 172,000 residents struggling to live in an expensive city.

Twice in recent months, the majority on the council has lost economic fights with Faulconer, Sanders, and business leaders: Once over a tax measure for low-income housing, another over a zoning plan for the blue-collar Barrio Logan neighborhood. The latter was defeated by voters, the former was rescinded by the council.

Under the council action, the minimum wage will increase in stages to $11.50 an hour on Jan. 1, 2017. Statewide, the minimum wage rose to $9 an hour on July 1.

Opponents have 30 days to gather 34,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the next municipal election ballot in June 2016. The increases set for Jan. 1, 2015 (to $9.75) and Jan. 1, 2016 (to $10.50) would be delayed.

The measure also includes a provision allowing for five paid sick days.

The override vote came on a special meeting called during the council’s August recess. Six votes were needed to override Faulconer’s veto, his first since being elected mayor in February.

Councilwoman Myrtle Cole, a Democrat, was in Duluth, Ga., assisting a family member but was allowed to vote by phone.

Councilman Mark Kersey, a Republican, who was in Ohio with his family, also participated by phone. Councilman Scott Sherman, a Republican, rushed back from a fishing trip and apologized for wearing a T-shirt to the meeting.

AFP Photo/Justin Sullivan

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Amid ‘Blackfish’ Backlash, SeaWorld To Expand Orca Environments

Amid ‘Blackfish’ Backlash, SeaWorld To Expand Orca Environments

By Tony Perry, Los Angeles Times

Battered by controversy over its treatment of killer whales, SeaWorld San Diego announced Friday that it plans to double the size of its orca environment, contribute an additional $10 million to research on the species, and establish an independent advisory committee of scientists to oversee its orca program.

Called the Blue World Project, the new orca environment will be nearly double the size of the current facility, covering 1.5 acres at 50 feet deep and 350 feet in length.

The new pool will allow visitors to see the orcas from a vantage point below the water line, SeaWorld officials said in an announcement.

The new space, described as the first of its kind, is slated to be completed by 2018, officials said. SeaWorld parks at Orlando, Fla., and San Antonio, Texas, willl follow with similar projects, officials said.

“Through up-close and personal encounters, the new environment will transform how visitors experience killer whales,” said Jim Atchison, chief executive officer and president of SeaWorld Entertainment Inc.

SeaWorld San Diego has 10 orcas. The cost of the new habitat for them was not released.

“Our guests will be able to walk alongside the whales as if they were at the shore, watch them interact at the depths found in the ocean, or a birds-eye view from above,” Atchison added.

The advisory group, whose goal is to maximize the “health and well-being” of SeaWorld’s orcas, will include an emeritus professor at the UC Davis veterinary school, a researcher at UC Santa Cruz, a physiologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, and others.

The additional $10 million will support projects sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration into the hearing, reproduction, and nutrition of orcas in the wild.

The new plans did not impress a main critic of SeaWorld’s orca program, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has called for the orcas to be put in large-scale ocean sanctuaries.

“This is a desperate drop-in-the-bucket move to try to turn back the clock at a time when people understand the suffering of captive orcas, and it will not save the company,” said the group’s director of animal law, Jared Goodman. “A bigger prison is still a prison.”

The announcement was also clearly meant to influence both the public and Wall Street.

The announcement, complete with statements of support from local elected officials, comes during a week in which SeaWorld’s economic picture took a nosedive and doubts were raised on Wall Street that it can recover from the controversy sparked by the documentary “Blackfish,” which condemned the parks’ treatment of orcas.

On Wednesday, shares of SeaWorld Entertainment Inc., which has 11 theme parks, dropped 33 percent after the company’s earnings missed Wall Street expectations.

The Orlando, Fla.-based company also conceded for the first time that attendance at its theme parks has been hurt by negative publicity caused by a drumbeat from animal-activists about the alleged maltreatment of the orcas.

At SeaWorld San Diego, the orca show at Shamu Stadium has long been the marquee attraction.

The company reported 6.6 million visitors at its parks in the April-to-June period, nearly flat compared with the same period in 2013.

Net income was $37 million, or 43 cents a share. Analysts had expected 60 cents a share. Sales fell 1 percent to $405.2 million.

On Thursday, Standard & Poor’s lowered SeaWorld Entertainment’s credit rating to BB- from BB, pushing the rate further below investment grade, also known as junk bonds.

“The negative outlook reflects our belief that the company faces significant challenges regarding reputational risk and potential improvements in operating performance beyond 2014,” Standard & Poor’s said in a statement.

Standard & Poor’s cited “negative media reports that have specifically targeted the company’s use of orca whales for entertainment purposes” as contributing to lower attendance and spending at the parks.

A bill by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), now stalled in the state legislature, would ban the park from breeding its orcas or using them for “entertainment.”

The bill this spring was sent by an Assembly committee for “interim study,” an ill-defined process that could take a year or longer.

SeaWorld officials insist the breeding program helps researchers study the orcas’ estrous cycles and gestation, and also “enriches the lives of our animals by allowing them to experience, interact with, and help raise another member of their pod.”

Located on city property, SeaWorld San Diego attracts 4.4 million people a year and pays rent of more than $14 million a year to the city.

During the summer, the park employs 4,500 workers, putting it in league with Qualcomm, Northrop-Grumman, and the Navy as a major San Diego employer.

Despite the controversy, political support for SeaWorld remains strong in San Diego. Earlier this year, the City Council voted to proclaim March as SeaWorld Month to celebrate the park’s 50th anniversary.

In a statement included with Friday’s announcement, City Council President Todd Gloria said he is “grateful to SeaWorld for the investment in these new facilities. The changes they’re announcing today will enhance the experience for the animals, workers, and visitors of the park.”

Photo via WikiCommons

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