Flames overtake the intersection of Temescal Canyon and Pacific Coast Freeway Fireplace on the Palisades Fireplace in Pacific Palisades California on January 7, 2025. | Supply: ROBYN BECK / Getty
When the information broke of wildfires ravaging a lot of Southern California, we knew or ought to have recognized that it was solely a matter of time earlier than right-wing media and racist white conservatives throughout social media determined to stretch themselves right into a noose knot to make it a narrative about DEI, “woke tradition” and Los Angeles’ Black girl mayor.
And the MAGA minions got here proper on cue.
MORE: California Burning: Views Of The Los Angeles Wildfires In 10 Devastating Photographs
When the wildfires first started to erupt, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was in Ghana for the nation’s presidential inauguration. Bass has since returned to the States, however not quickly sufficient for the essential thought-deficient proper, who thought that they had the proper “gotcha” second that they may liken to the outrage over Sen. Ted Cruz flying to Cancún, Mexico, together with his household in 2021, which he did after it turned obvious that his state of Texas was in disaster mode because of the extreme results of a devastating winter storm and an influence grid failure that left residents freezing of their properties, lots of whom died because of this. However that narrative has considerably fallen flat since individuals who make good use of their brains and customary sense famous that Cruz left throughout his state’s tragedy, whereas Bass left for Ghana properly earlier than the fires began and was not in possession of a crystal ball that will have warned her about spontaneous wildfires spreading via her metropolis throughout the lifeless of Winter.
However conservatives weren’t going to let the absurdity of their gripes over Bass’ Ghana journey cease them from persevering with to name the mayor an incompetent “DET rent” (white folks’s new N-word), so that they moved on to blasting her for chopping the Los Angeles Fireplace Division’s price range by $17.6 million — and which may have been a fantastic level to make if not for the truth that the $17.6 million was solely a fraction of the greater than $837 million price range it was minimize from.
Supply: X screenshot
From Newsweek:
Bass proposed a $12.8 billion price range for the 2024-2025 fiscal 12 months in April final 12 months.
The proposal included $814,281,952 for the fireplace division—with $77,957,494 for salaries and $41,324,458 for bills.
This amounted to a lower of $22,909,285 for the reason that division’s funding for the 2023-2024 fiscal 12 months was $837,191,237. The estimated expenditures for that 12 months have been greater than $903 million, in accordance to the doc.
The adopted price range for the 2024-2025 fiscal 12 months elevated the quantity for the fireplace division to $819,637,423, in keeping with a abstract on town administrative officer’s web site. That meant the division’s funding noticed a lower of $17,553,814, moderately than virtually $23 million.
And since no white nationalist whirlwind of MAGA nonsense can be full and not using a random and reachy anti-DEI rant, right here’s Megyn Kelly reporting with out proof that some fireplace hydrants within the L.A. space have been empty as a result of Bass and L.A. Fireplace Division Chief Kristin Crowley have been too preoccupied with variety efforts.
Kelly’s factless rant is typical of the “I’m not a bigot I simply say racist sh*t rather a lot” world of white conservative media speaking heads and the politicians they echo.
In 2023, amid an environmental catastrophe brought on by a prepare derailment in Ohio, Georgia Rep. Mike Collins acknowledged with out proof that the Biden administration’s variety efforts have been one way or the other accountable.
“This administration’s deal with DEI is forcing non-public firms to rethink their targets, and one has to marvel, was Norfolk Southern’s DEI insurance policies directing assets away from essential issues like greasing wheel bearings?” Collins mentioned. “This madness should cease!”
Right here’s what I wrote about that:
Bruh—what?
Is Collins actually out right here implying that industrial transport firm Norfolk Southern is so distracted by extending employment alternatives to Black and brown those who they simply plum forgot to dedicate assets for fundamental prepare upkeep and security—and that’s why the prepare derailed?
Thoughts you, Collins didn’t point out the extensively made argument that Donald Trump spent his presidency rolling again Obama-era environmental security and regulation insurance policies which may have prevented the catastrophe. On the very least, that argument hyperlinks two issues which can be truly associated, not like Collins, who may as properly be arguing that Black folks die in automobile accidents as a result of folks hate cops. (Wait, sorry, that was additionally an argument made by Tucker Carlson.)
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass tour the downtown enterprise district of Pacific Palisades because the Palisades Fireplace continues to burn on January 8, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. | Supply: Eric Thayer / Getty
And who may overlook when a serious bridge in Baltimore collapsed final 12 months and Republicans instantly tied the tragedy to DEI just because Maryland’s port commissioner is a Black girl and Baltimore’s mayor is a Black man? (The workplace of mayor is an elected place and Brandon Scott gained 70% of the vote in a metropolis that’s greater than 60% Black, however, once more, white conservatives aren’t going to let details and logic get in the way in which of a racist narrative aimed toward hyping up the perpetually aggrieved Caucasian populace.)
However look, we are able to sit round debunking white conservative nonsense all day — in spite of everything, it’s not like these media retailers and right-wing speaking heads have supplied proof that the response to the nationwide catastrophe in California has been lackluster or incompetent — however the fact is that is merely their newest excuse to assault outstanding Black girls in politics. Individuals are shedding their properties, lives and security, and whereas everybody else sends the victims their love, ideas, prayers, well-wishes and no matter they must donate, MAGA America determined it’s the proper alternative to pivot to nonsensical racism, misogynoir and partisan politics.
These individuals are pathetic.
SEE ALSO:
