Sometimes, it’s not hard to come up with topics to write about and this is an easy case. Irvine City Commissioner Allan Bartlett has moved from McCarthyism to anti-Veteranism in two weeks time with this tweet after last night’s city council meeting.
So the vets coming to demand a cemetery at the #GreatPark have been training at Loretta Sanchez’s office to be in your face. Sad. #Irvine
Not to be outdone, failed city council candidate Pat Rodgers chimes in with this comment on the Voice of OC story.
“I came away with a different perspective of the Veterans participation in the Council meeting than did some others. Many of the Veterans were borderline rude and demanding of something that they believe is owed to them by the Irvine City Council. While a Veterans Cemetary is definitely needed in Orange County, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about achieving it. A little investigative effort put into the topic might reveal many of the vocal individuals who spoke at the meeting have been meeting and were being coached by high ranking Democratic Party leaders in Orange County. They were told not to ask for, but demand action by the Irvine City Council. Sounds like a political agenda to me? Add to that Larry Agran making insinuations of giving 100 acres (Value of 400 million dollars) to the project, suggests why he was not put on the committee.”
We called Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s office. A spokesperson there, in disbelief at the question, simply denied Bartlett’s charge. We called the DPOC and they said no training of Vets was conducted for the meeting and there were no meetings with Veterans and any “high ranking Democratic Party leaders in Orange County.” Apparently, the Veterans seeking a Veteran’s Cemetery and Memorial in Orange County at the Great Park can think for themselves. Bartlett and Rodgers are making it up. They pulled this rumor completely out of their collective asses.
“To insinuate Veterans are pawns or are easily manipulated is an insult to their service, sacrifice and passion for building a Veteran’s Cemetery in Orange County,” said Nick Anas, executive director of the DPOC. “(Allan Bartlett) owes an apology to those who served and sacrificed for this country. What he said is an absolute insult.”
Bartlett is the vice chair of the Irvine City Finance Commission. Their next scheduled meeting is Monday, May 5 at 5:30 PM. There is a possibility for public comments and, gosh, I wonder if any Vets can find the time to address Mr. Bartlett’s Tweet to his face in three minutes of each speaker gets. Perhaps Lt. Rodgers can show up and Vets can explain why their behavior wasn’t rude.
But since Bartlett and Rodgers like to throw charges up without proof, let’s play the same game. A common denominator here is Council member Christina Shea, who offered a substitute motion a month ago to delay city action on a cemetery, citing Five Points, and when that motion was defeated, was the lone vote against the motion by Larry Agran to call for a Veteran’s Cemetery at the Great Park. She says she supports the idea, but voted against it and tried to delay it. Bartlett is a city commissioner appointed by Shea. Rodgers is her biggest defender. Are they echoing Shea’s position on Veterans? Or are they just speaking for themselves.
Why do these Irvine Republicans hate Veterans so much?
Thank god the GOP majority isn’t letting Larry anywhere near trying to build something at the Great Park. All he’s proven he can do out there is waste millions of dollars.
You might want to capitalize the word “God” Allan unless you want your Christian Conservative friends to lose their minds over the disrespect. But disrespect is all you’re getting a reputation for. First, Red-baiting and now lying about Veterans because they can smell Republican BS from a mile away. You’re a city commissioner and a damn disgrace. Resign
When I grow up I hope Dan and Nick demand apologies from me. This is just silly. Did you guys get tired of beating up on Cecilla Iglesias for taking a picture with some boy scouts?
Daniel,
It’s not our fault that Ceci doesn’t seem to think that any rules apply to her.
There is a great need for this cemetery here in Orange County. From the Census data from 2002, there were about 240,000 veterans here in OC; and currently there are about 133,000 remaining veterans since we have lost many of our WWII and Korea and Vietnam veterans. Many of the veterans succumbed to early deaths because of their war injuries or poisonings as a result of Agent Orange, or Gulf War Syndrome. The closest veterans cemeteries are in Riverside or San Diego, but many of the veterans or the families of veterans have mobility issues, in addition to the distance of the cemeteries is not reasonable.
Up until this past Tuesday’s 4/22 Irvine City Council meeting, the support for a state veterans cemetery here in Orange County, and the progress being made was with strong BI-PARTISAN support.
As veterans we were speaking about Honor, Duty, Leadership, Legacy, Sacrifice and how best to honor the memory and the sacrifice of Our Fallen Heroes and of our veterans and their families to move this forward; however, this past Tuesday, these values appeared to take a subordinate role to Profits and Partisan politics, and it is unfortunate.
And subsequently, a tactic being used to advance this Profits and Partisanship vs Burial needs of Veterans is to accuse veterans of being rude and of using disrespectful behavior and of being “trained” by one party to “demand” the cemetery.
UMAVA (the United Mexican-American Veterans Association), a 501 c(19) a special type of veterans not-for-profit, supports the veterans cemetery and did so with a Resolution with 100% support of our membership back in October 2012 (more than 18 months ago).
Our support started from the initial meetings at Los Amigos of Orange County about 2 years ago, but as the Commander of UMAVA, championing this, I have never met at US Rep Loretta Sánchez’s office, nor have I ever met with the Democratic Party of Orange County to move this forward as is being alleged of veterans who support the State Veterans Cemetery.
Irvine’s Great Park will be a great park with a State Veterans Cemetery, and there is great value both financial and moral in having a Memorial Veterans Cemetery here in Orange County, in particular at the old El Toro US Marines base. By way of example, think of the millions who visit DC to visit the National Cemetery and the memorials to our Fallen Heroes.
In the words of Abraham Lincoln:
” . . . let us strive on to finish the work we are in,
to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the
battle and for his widow, and his orphan . . . ”
visit us on Facebook at:
https://www.facebook.com/mexicanamericanveterans
SEMPER FI!!!
Francisco J. Barragán
Commander, UMAVA
http://umava.org
Served US Marines (1987-1994)
Served CA Army National Guard (1994-1997)
Dan, you stated, “We called Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s office. A spokesperson there, in disbelief at the question, simply denied Bartlett’s charge. We called the DPOC and they said no training of Vets was conducted for the meeting and there were no meetings with Veterans and any “high ranking Democratic Party leaders in Orange County.” Apparently, the Veterans seeking a Veteran’s Cemetery and Memorial in Orange County at the Great Park can think for themselves. Bartlett and Rodgers are making it up. They pulled this rumor completely out of their collective asses.”
I suppose Greg Diamonds comments regarding the issue of the Wednesday afternoon meetings at Sanchez’s office and confirming his participation might suggest you were incorrect on your accusations about Alan Bartlett and my collective asses. Instead, you end up with egg on your collective face. That’s ok Dan, it happens to the best of us sometimes.
I will admit that in rechecking I discovered an error in my original comments. It is aparently 120 acres Agran wants to give to the Veterans. Of course he hasn’t told them the land is over a former solid waste dump and needs about 40 million dollars of clean up before it could be used as a cemetery. Where do you suppose the Veterans are going to get that 40 million dollars, plus the cost of developing and maintaining the cemetary? This is clearly something that the Cemetery Committee needs to address, discuss with the veterans and make decisions on how to proceed.
Anyway you slice the bread Dan, the Cemetary and the Friendship City issues are nothing more than political manipulations by Larry Agran and Beth Krom to cause distractions to the Council majority in getting the Great Park construction moving. At the same time, Larry knows he is in big trouble with Irvine voters and needs any and all campaign support and votes he can muster for the upcoming election.