"I wonder if the Emperor Honorius watching the Visigoths coming over the seventh hill truly realized that the Roman Empire was about to fall. This is just another page in history, isn't it? Will this be the end of our civilization? Turn the page." - Jean Luc Picard
May 27, 2016, 6:58am; Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA
My first post of the day was on Facebook. I typed, "Good morning!" and uploaded a fresh picture of the Kissing Sailor statue. Knowing that today was going to get ugly in my beautiful hometown, I wanted to start the day off by highlighting some of the city's beauty.
My first post of the day was on Facebook. I typed, "Good morning!" and uploaded a fresh picture of the Kissing Sailor statue. Knowing that today was going to get ugly in my beautiful hometown, I wanted to start the day off by highlighting some of the city's beauty.
I woke up at around 5am, got ready, and parked my car at the E Street trolley station. I then took the trolley to Park and Market via the Blue line. From there, I got off, bought a Monster Energy Drink at a nearby AMPM and began walking west though downtown into Harbor Drive, slowly making my way to the Convention Center. I decided to take my time, thinking that the Trump line wouldn't begin to grow until around 9 or so.
What I didn't know was that the Trump line was already growing, here is where I introduce Jacob Rascon, a journalist for NBC, and his Twitter account, one of four other points of views these following blog entries will cover.
Trump supporters waiting for his San Diego rally welcome local police with applause. pic.twitter.com/iRvqpxmI56
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
Trump supporter attacked by protesters at Costa Mesa rally in April is one of the first in line for San Diego event. pic.twitter.com/d11aRLuflz
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
7:00am
The first time I noticed that anything was out of place today was as I walked by Seaport Village, I noticed a line of maybe 5-6 police vehicles driving towards the Convention Center. Exiting Seaport Village, I walked by Eddie V's Prime Seafood and noticed a number of law enforcement officers having breakfast. Nearing the end of the street, I see this landmark and am reminded that this area was once a Spanish cemetery called "Punta de los Muertos".
I began wondering if the people I was about to join knew about San Diego's diverse Native, Spanish and Mexican history. I wondered how many times they visited San Diego's Old Town and enjoyed the Mexican cuisines. I wonder if they knew that the United States captured San Diego and the rest of the southwest from Mexico in a war that began as a skirmish started by U.S. troops trying to occupy the Rio Grande. Mexico and their "department" of Tejas, later Texas, were having a land dispute. After ten years of independence, Texas joined the United States, but then claimed their territory ended at the Rio Grande, when in fact, it ended at the Nueces River. The land between the Nueces and Rio Grande was actually a second Mexican department named "Coahuila", but this made no difference to President James K Polk who gave the orders. When U.S. troops crossed the Nueces to occupy the Rio Grande, Mexican troops held their ground, capturing or killing U.S. troops. President Polk, stubbornly claiming that U.S. blood was spilled on U.S. soil, declared war.
While I was thinking of that, KUSI was at the Convention Center, talking to people in line to see Trump.
As I neared the Convention Center, I began to see lines of police cars parked next to it and got my first glimpse of the rally line. It was only about 7:15 and the line was already getting long. After a quick trip to the restroom at the Hard Rock Hotel, I went to join them.
7:48am
On Facebook, I wrote in a private post, "Crossed street to join Trump rally line. Passed through secret service and TSA as I did."
On Facebook, I wrote in a private post, "Crossed street to join Trump rally line. Passed through secret service and TSA as I did."
I was actually nervous at first because I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't want to tell people that I was a liberal - that wouldn't have ended well. I came up with a cover that I was an SDSU History major who had to write a major paper this fall on a first hand historical account of something, and this event was what I chose to work on. I also brought earbuds to pretend I was listening to something else, in case I needed to pretend to ignore people. If anyone engaged in political talk with me, I was going to play ignorance, ask what they thought about it, and hear what they had to say. Yet after a few minutes in line, things got a little easier:
8:12am
"Joined line. Nice lady and her niece behind me. Offered to share sandwiches. Obviously Trump supporters."- Facebook
"Joined line. Nice lady and her niece behind me. Offered to share sandwiches. Obviously Trump supporters."- Facebook
They were Trump supporters, but they also were atheists. The niece wore a Spiderman hoodie, liked Greenday and I got to tell her about some of the concerts I've seen. The aunt and I shared a love of Star Trek and South Park. We mostly stuck to those subjects in our conversations, and when they did speak about politics, it was more about how much they liked Trump and hated Hillary than it was about particular policies, and they seemed to parrot the same arguments he was making for immigration. Regardless of their views though they really made me feel better about where I was at and made the time go by much faster. I began to relax. With more people and news cameras arriving, I decided to do some live tweeting:
8:49am
"In line for Trump rally. Crowd friendly: applause when police pass by. Police just put up caution tape. #TrumpRally"
"Lively crowd. Like a mini Comic-Con. #TrumpRally"
"Bernie Van passes by occasionally and honks at the line #TrumpRally"
I began to notice that many of the people in line were Hispanic or/and women. At one point, four women in military uniform walked by the line and posed for pictures. Then I saw this:
-"Shirt says 'Chinese Americans <3 Trump'. They're chanting 'Build that wall!' #TrumpRally"
As they began to chant, the line responded by joining in the "Build that wall" chant. I think the wall would be a huge waste of taxpayer money and would only serve as a symbol of division and prejudice - Yet these people think it's a wonderful idea and I don't know what to think of it! It kinda irked me, but had I professed my true beliefs at that time, I'm pretty sure I would have been ostracized from my new buddies, and from the line. Looking though the "#TrumpRally" page on twitter, I'm reminded of the potential dangers of today and retweeted this:
You Retweeted
Phillip Molnar @PhillipMolnar May 27 San Diego, CA
The #TrumpRally in San Diego could get pretty intense.
Phillip Molnar @PhillipMolnar May 27 San Diego, CA
The #TrumpRally in San Diego could get pretty intense.
Meanwhile, Jacob Rascon tweets:
Thousands at Trump's SD rally so far, including guys with "gays for Trump" and "Arab Christians for Trump" signs. pic.twitter.com/iW4GB90OMg
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
A little past 11am, the line began to move and we made our way inside through Hall E, only to reach an spartan hall. To the left of where we entered, you can see that they opened Hall F up, but lined the division between the halls with metal detectors and TSA security. No, that's not a typo: Transportation Security Administration... like I'm supposed to be going on a plane or something. They first gathered us far from the metal detectors, and as Hall E filled up and as time passed, the officers would take a step back or two and the crowd would fill the space. It was weird, but safe. I think it was around noon when they finally let us through the metal detectors. At this point, the security officers are unhelpful. When I received my ticket, this is what it tells you, you can't bring:
General Information: No posters, banners, or signs may be brought into the event. There is no dress code. No professional cameras with a detachable lens are permitted. No tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, or GoPros. ID is not required for entry. For further questions please email [email protected]
However, I saw at least one person in the crowd, not media, who had a camera with a detachable lens. There was a sign that also made it inside that said "Latinos for Trump". While we were in line outside, Staff-pro had told those people that they couldn't bring those things inside, but TSA inside seemed to make up the rules as they went. Once inside, I happened to have had a small vape pen that they were at first confused about and then wouldn't allow me to bring inside. They wouldn't let me detach the cartridge, or hold it for me and I had no car to put it back into, since I took the trolley. If I left it with them, they would throw it in the trash (this is my prescription medicine, by the way). When a person from our group had to put their key-chain in their car, I thought he might be able to take my pen with him too, but they wouldn't let him take my vape pen with him. They were assholes.
I'm not going to accept the "you should have..." argument either, as I can see people already making assumptions. It was literally the size of a normal pen (not those large ones that blow out huge clouds of smoke), and I had no problem bringing it to see Bill Clinton. I didn't use it inside the Clinton rally and I had no intention of using it inside here, I just had it on me because I was out since 6am and was planning to be out afterwards. Had they said on their ticket "no vaporizers", I wouldn't have brought it. The fact that they pretty much didn't follow their own general rules and let certain signs and cameras slide in while making my tiny vape a big deal was the first time today that I felt heated. Yet if I brought a pack of Marlboro Reds and a Bic lighter with me, they probably would have let it pass, that type of stuff gives me a WTF moment. Those people were terrible and unhelpful all the way.
Anyways, once we got into Hall F, people were waiting with various Donald Trump rally signs to pass out for free. The two I remember is the general white in color "Make America Great Again" rally sign, and a similar looking one that said "Veterans for Trump".
I'll let you in on a little secret. Realizing the historical significance of Trump's presidency, I bought a rally sign from his website months ago that is hidden in my closet. I'm kind of ashamed of it because I don't like the idea of him becoming the 45th President, I'm just assuming that it's going to be worth something someday. Needless to say, I didn't bring it with me.
Meanwhile, outside, Jacob Rascon reports:
Hispanic performer breaks out the accordion in front of Trump's San Diego event. pic.twitter.com/th1LlhS0qT
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
We walked through Hall F, a similarly spartan hall, and into Hall G, where the rally was to take place. The stage sat at the end of the Hall G. At first, we walked right up to the front, but then decided to move to the sides. Everyone always crowds around the middle of these rallies to get a full frontal of the speaker, and so if you're like me and my group who came pretty early but not early enough to get close to the front, you can still get a good spot on the sides.
#TrumpRally
Meanwhile, I see this on Twitter:
You Retweeted
Howard Lipin @hlipin May 27
Trump arrives in San Diego.
@realDonaldTrump #TrumpRally #SDTrumpRally MORE PHOTOS: http://sdut.us/trump_sd
Howard Lipin @hlipin May 27
Trump arrives in San Diego.
@realDonaldTrump #TrumpRally #SDTrumpRally MORE PHOTOS: http://sdut.us/trump_sd
How close we are #TrumpRally
The people who adopted me into their crew tried to hand me a Trump sign, but I told them that I'd be holding my camera. While we waited, we went through a few speakers. Mark Larson was the MC for the day, a San Diego local. Last year, the San Diego Air and Space Museum hosted this wonderful event that included Apollo astronauts, such as Charlie Duke and Eugene Cernan, both walked on the moon. Meeting those people was probably one of the most memorable moments in my lifetime. It too was MCed by Mark Larson.
The first guest that is announced is a priest that comes on stage and says "Let us pray". As an atheist, I sighed on the inside. From the outside, just behind my left, I heard someone say "Really?", I turned to see who it was and saw that it was a young African American, which I didn't see too many of. I gave him a quick smile and nod as everybody else prayed. He was clearly annoyed.
After him was Pat Smith, who was the mother of Sean Smith. He was one of the U.S. State department officials who were killed in the Benghazi attack in 2012. The same one they've been trying to tag the blame on Hillary for while pretty much giving a pass to the actual attackers. I feel for her. I don't blame her for wanting answers, I just think that the answers were in Benghazi that night, rather than in Hillary Clinton's emails and there has never been any evidence of any cover-up. The next guest was a blind man named Robert Smith who gave a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem.
The next speaker was a Vietnam war veteran. I wish I got his name, but they only said it once when I wasn't filming and so far I haven't been able to find out his name, please let me know if you find his name. After the war, he moved to Asia and stayed there for the next thirteen years. Here is a quote from him:
"I came home in 1982. Now I understand that Vietnam was an unpopular war, and I can live with that now, but what I can't live with is when I see people burning the American flag."
We finally moved up to elected officials. The first to speak was Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez, followed by U.S. Congressmen Duncan Hunter and Darrell Issa.
After that, came another crowd, that I will allow the Times of San Diego to explain:
"Amplifying on Trump’s demand to have Mexico build a wall to keep undocumented migrants from crossing into the United States, Maria Espinoza, national director of the Remembrance Project, introduced two mothers who told of their sons being killed in traffic accidents by undocumented immigrants."
While this was going on, the people I was with began to get distracted by a young guy who they had just spotted. They started calling to him, "Milo! Milo!" I asked who he was and they told me he was a Breitbart journalist.
As we were waiting for the next guests, a reporter came by and began interviewing the man in front of me. I remember hearing him say that he had kinda wavered on his support for Trump on two occasions.
12:19pm
"Sarah Palin and Muslim ban were the two things this guy wavered support on."
"Sarah Palin and Muslim ban were the two things this guy wavered support on."
Well, shit!
Back outside, Jacob Rascon is still meeting with protesters and supporters:
Brian Sanders, who was beat up at Trump's Tuscon rally, has joined protests in San Diego, wearing the same shirt. pic.twitter.com/6KAuDaHyf7
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
Now lets introduce Candace Smith, an ABC journalist, who is outside with Jacob Rascon:
SAN DIEGO, CA-- A little over an hr before @realDonaldTrump speaks across the st. Lots of protesters already outside pic.twitter.com/dLtpue2cWs
— Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) May 27, 2016
Few hundred more protesters show up outside Trump San Diego rally, members of "SEIU" union. pic.twitter.com/SeLosGvOzI
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
Spotted: Trump piñatas. #SanDiegoRally pic.twitter.com/W9q7olMnzd
— Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) May 27, 2016
Remember the guy who said he wavered over Sarah Palin? Back inside, this man comes out and introduces the next guest!
1:11pm
"Sarah Palin"
"Sarah Palin"
She basically came out and ranted for ten minutes. There was kind of a Memorial holiday ring to it, but she was honestly all over the place with it, and was really only using it to bash Obama. Here is some of what she had to say.
Stupid is thinking that it is OK on Memorial Day weekend for the Democrat "Leader" to take another U.S. apology lap. This time, dissing out vets? With claims that the greatest generation, perhaps perpetuating the evil of World War Two? No. Our Commander-in-Chief, suggesting, actually lying in suggestions, to the world that we were wrong to prove that we would eradicate evil in World War Two. That America was wrong to respond to unprovoked deadly attacks on Pearl Harbor that killed thousands of Americans?
No, our President, today overseas suggesting what? That we were to prolong the horrors that our troops, our P.O.W.s, our M.I.A.s, and their own civilian rapes and massacres and those death marches, that they were all just march ahead without us doing anything about it? To stop it? No. Stupid is supporting that warped view by supporting today's candidates who would shine the boots of a president, a party leader, who'd show up this week in Hiroshima instead of Pearl Harbor to memorialize the Americans who lost their lives in defense of freedom.
After careful expert analysis, I assume what she is trying to say is that Obama's visit to Hiroshima was a purposeful snub to our veterans and that he should have visited Pearl Harbor instead. So she's assuming he's never honored the victims of Pearl Harbor. Let's zoom out of the Convention Center, and San Diego real quick, and spin the globe backwards a few years.
On December 4th 2009, President Obama released the following proclamation, you can read the whole thing by clicking here:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 7, 1941, a "date which will live in infamy." With over 3,500 Americans killed or wounded, the surprise attack by the Imperial Japanese on Pearl Harbor was an attempt to break the American will and destroy our Pacific Fleet. They succeeded in doing neither... Now, Therefore, I, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, December 7, 2009, as National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day. I encourage all Americans to observe this solemn day of remembrance with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I urge all Federal agencies and interested organizations, groups, and individuals to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff this December 7 in honor of those American patriots who died as a result of their service at Pearl Harbor.
Also, in 2011, he did visit Pearl Harbor. Here's a picture of him laying a wreath.
Also, seeing as the President was born in Hawaii and spends the holidays there, I'm sure this isn't the first time he's been to Pearl Harbor. Her accusation has no merit. There are two more accusations I've heard. That the President went there and apologized for the atomic bomb, and that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe snubbed the U.S. by not visiting Pearl Harbor in reciprocation.
If there is anybody reading this who believes that Obama apologized for dropping the bomb or whatnot, I would like to know whether or not you have actually watched the speech.
While you do that, I'm going to leave this here and pull some excerpts.
"Seventy-one years ago, on a bright cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed. A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself. Why do we come to this place, to Hiroshima? We come to ponder a terrible force unleashed in a not-so-distant past. We come to mourn the dead, including over 100,000 Japanese men, women and children, thousands of Koreans, a dozen Americans held prisoner. Their souls speak to us. They ask us to look inward, to take stock of who we are and what we might become."
"In the span of a few years, some 60 million people would die. Men, women, children, no different than us. Shot, beaten, marched, bombed, jailed, starved, gassed to death. There are many sites around the world that chronicle this war, memorials that tell stories of courage and heroism, graves and empty camps that echo of unspeakable depravity. Yet in the image of a mushroom cloud that rose into these skies, we are most starkly reminded of humanity’s core contradiction. How the very spark that marks us as a species, our thoughts, our imagination, our language, our toolmaking, our ability to set ourselves apart from nature and bend it to our will — those very things also give us the capacity for unmatched destruction."
"Science allows us to communicate across the seas and fly above the clouds, to cure disease and understand the cosmos, but those same discoveries can be turned into ever more efficient killing machines. The wars of the modern age teach us this truth. Hiroshima teaches this truth. Technological progress without an equivalent progress in human institutions can doom us. The scientific revolution that led to the splitting of an atom requires a moral revolution as well. That is why we come to this place. We stand here in the middle of this city and force ourselves to imagine the moment the bomb fell. We force ourselves to feel the dread of children confused by what they see. We listen to a silent cry. We remember all the innocents killed across the arc of that terrible war and the wars that came before and the wars that would follow."
This sounds more like a call to cut nuclear stockpiles, not an apology tour. In fact, that is what he is calling for.
"Still, every act of aggression between nations, every act of terror and corruption and cruelty and oppression that we see around the world shows our work is never done. We may not be able to eliminate man’s capacity to do evil, so nations and the alliances that we form must possess the means to defend ourselves. But among those nations like my own that hold nuclear stockpiles, we must have the courage to escape the logic of fear and pursue a world without them. We may not realize this goal in my lifetime, but persistent effort can roll back the possibility of catastrophe. We can chart a course that leads to the destruction of these stockpiles. We can stop the spread to new nations and secure deadly materials from fanatics."
There is also this little detail of the Prime Minister visiting the United States last year. Really, does anybody ever really pay attention to these things before throwing this type of shade?
He was actually the first Japanese Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of Congress. It's fair to say that the trip to Hiroshima was actually a reciprocation of this one here.
The most unbelievable thing is that if your watch Obama's Hiroshima speech, he's not doing anything different than what Ronald Reagan did when he called for the same thing:
So why does Reagan get a pass on this, but Obama doesn't?
So while Obama talks about a future of peace, Palin goes on to talk about how much she hates war, but what she hates more is losing a war:
"And Obama overseas, now reporting back that there are these sketchy world leaders who are "rattled" by the next President of the United States, Donald Trump. Rattled, oh are they now? Well, maybe it's time that things get rattlin'. And it's like that Gadsden Flag that many of us proudly fly, those of us proudly clinging to our guns, our god, our Constitution; us tea-party guild! It's like that flag. On it, above those historical warnings from the American Revolution, those words, 'Don't Tread On Me". Guess what sits above that? A rat'ler! A rattle snake! Rattling things! Coiled! Prepared! Ready to strike, willing to strike. So yeah, rattling, it's a good thing. It makes Donald Trump's foreign policy very clear. It's just like Ronald Reagan's. That's we win, they lose. That is the Trump doctrine!"
Yet the people in the crowd cheered loudly for her and applauded at every little piece of misleading information she spouted. They loved her! They listened to that whole speech that I just tore down and said, "Yeah! You're totally right!" I wish I could have been more informative. I wish that they would have been opened to listen. In the mists of a crowd of ten thousand San Diego residents that were clearly uninformed, a crowd that was being played on their biases and most primal prejudices and fears, I quietly stood there, feeling helpless, and continued to film. For more, you can watch the video I took...
...or you can watch the whole rant.
While Palin was speaking, Candace Smith reported:
Trump backs out of debating Bernie, says he will wait to debate the nominee pic.twitter.com/MofYlf5LAY
— Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) May 27, 2016
There was another break after Palin before a man named Stephen Miller took the stage. Shortly before taking the stage here, he took the stage in Fresno, California with Donald Trump, so seeing him here now made the crowd go wild because they knew that Donald Trump was in the building.
One thing I have noticed that conservative and progressive sides seem to be unified in attacking Wallstreet. We know neither side is really going to do anything, Democrats may try something, but Republicans seem to like their rigged system just the way it is. It's also interesting how after defending the Iraq war all throughout the W. Bush years, Republicans seem to want to attack how Hillary voted for it. It's like they have a memory like Dory's from Finding Nemo.
At one point, he mentions building a wall and everybody begins chanting again, like a wall will keep out the type of social media that breed domestic terrorists, or the Visas that allow people to simply fly over, or the tunnels and waterways that people have been using since the U.S. clamped down on border security.
However, in reality, according to a Pew research paper, net migration has been down since 2005, and has been going down ever since.
He speaks for about 11 minutes and walks off stage, leaving us waiting.
Outside, protests are starting to grow:
Watch: Plenty of anger and shouting outside Trump rally, more than a thousand protesters here so far. pic.twitter.com/NR8fwU4EEG
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
On the right, where Trump is speaking. To the left, the mass of protesters already assembled. #SanDiegoRally pic.twitter.com/kOXR7iJ9Y3
— Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) May 27, 2016
Watch: Hundreds more protesters show up outside Trump rally waving Mexican flags, chanting "F**k Donald Trump." pic.twitter.com/iGxwOwuyFN
— Jacob Rascon (@Jacobnbc) May 27, 2016
The scene outside of @realDonaldTrump San Diego rally. pic.twitter.com/9w2cUA3rtX
— Candace Smith (@CandaceSmith_) May 27, 2016
Back inside, about 2:25PM, "Get ready for this" by 2Unlimited begins to play and Donald Trump appears. Everybody in this room has been waiting all day to see him and they hoot and holler and cheer and wave their signs. Ten thousand screaming voices echoed off the walls of Hall G, amplifying the accumulative roar as Trump took the stage and the microphone. I heard someone say "It's the 45th President!" Everything I've just described from waiting in line to Donald Trump's entrance is summarized in part one of this video.
Part two of this blog post will cover Trump's speech, the crowd's reaction, and the events that occurred on the streets of San Diego after the event. Come back June 15, 2016 for the rest of the story.
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