Jane Fonda to stump for Katie Porter Saturday

Photo courtesy of ABC News
Photo courtesy of ABC News

Actress and activist Jane Fonda will trek to Katie Porter’s election HQ in Huntington Beach this Saturday; festivities start around 11:30 at the corner of Warner Ave and Bolsa Chica and Fonda is expected to arrive around noon.

It’s hard to deny Fonda’s activism from an anti-Vietnam war stance earning her the nickname of “Hanoi Jane” and were outspokeness for reproductive rights, marriage equality, climate change, and a host of progressive positions.  She was arrested at 82 at a climate change protest along with a number of other celebrity activists.

With HB a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Little Saigon, there will undoubtable be protesters who will be there to scream at “Hanoi Jane.”

This begs the question do these people know what she actually did in Vietnam?  Her one mistake was posing for a photo on a Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun.  She did not pass notes from POWs to their North Vietnamese captors.  She protested vigorously against the US Government’s role in the war and fought for the rights of soldiers drafted into a war many did not want to fight.

But Fonda is exactly the sort of person who inspires activism that’s positive.

From Mashable in 2019:

Every Friday since Oct. 11, photos and videos of Fonda protesting on Capitol Hill, and in some cases being arrested, have dominated Twitter. She’s always wearing the same iconic outfit — a $500 bright red coat from Neiman Marcus, black pants and shoes, and, if the day calls for it, a statement hat like a black beret. And she’s never alone.

Each week Fonda is joined by a crowd of scientists, economists, and fired-up supporters, along with a few celebrity friends who show up to get arrested with her in the spirit of solidarity and saving the planet from climate change.

The weekly protests are part of Fire Drill Fridays, an initiative spearheaded by Fonda that seeks to inform people about the dire climate crisis our world is currently facing. In October, the actress announced that she was so inspired by young climate strikers like Greta Thunberg that she decided to move to Washington, D.C., for four months to help fight for a Green New Deal, protection of indigenous lands and sovereignty, and a more sustainable future.

In the time since, Fonda has become an unrelenting force on Capitol Hill. She’s been arrested four times (once while accepting an award), spent a night in jail, and continues to inspire people with powerful platforms in Hollywood to cause meaningful scenes in Washington.

So far, Fonda has been arrested with her Grace and Frankie co-star Sam Waterston, along with actors like Ted Danson, Rosanna Arquette, and Catherine Keener. One week Ben & Jerry’s co-founders Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield marched with her, and she was even joined for a sit-in by Abigail Disney, Robert Kennedy, Jr., and her daughters on Grace and Frankie, June Diane Raphael and Brooklyn Decker.

In the era of divisive generational burns like “OK Boomer,” and increased youth-led protests and organizations, Fire Drill Fridays has created a safe, cool common ground where generations can work together.

So when someone shouts an expletive to “Hanoi Jane” just tell them how poorly informed they are about Jane Fonda.

I certainly hope the HB Police Department is ready to deal with any protests and I’m sure Porter’s camp will have some private security detail as they should.