John Wayne isn’t as iconic as he used to be — not in Sacramento, at least. On Thursday, the state Assembly rejected calling the actor’s birthday — May 26 — John Wayne Day.
“I’m surprised at the controversy, to be honest,” Harper said. “The orthodoxy of political correctness has prevailed.”
“Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, complained that in Wayne’s Western movies, ‘there was a lot of slaughtering of Native Americans,’ and that he personally sanctioned white occupation of Indian lands.
The Bee said Republicans noted Wayne had personally done much to help Vietnamese refugees settle in Orange County after the Vietnam War ended and was a benefactor of cancer research and the Orange County sheriff’s air unit.
“Everyone of us is imperfect,” Irvine Republican Don Wagner was quoted as saying, citing problems with Franklin Roosevelt and Earl Warren.
How Wayne’s fans, and others, reacted:
Today's California: Harvey Milk day? Hell yes! Caesar Chavez day? Absolutely! John Wayne day? Nope, because racist ? https://t.co/dtxgqTIGKn
— Rusty Shackelford (@rshackelford14) April 29, 2016
AP: Calif. State Assembly rejects #JohnWayne Day due to his "racist views." What the hell is this country coming to? pic.twitter.com/SH4sA8ZjWe
— PJ Campbell (@pegcamp78) April 29, 2016
. John Wayne had a few liberal friends — and he knew exactly where they stood on being open minded#RNR #TGDN pic.twitter.com/N7fPyzoz2b
— Less Gov. More Fun. (@LessGovMoreFun) April 29, 2016
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!
Follow us:
