Peter King - An Angry Paradise

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-king8oct08,1,616593.story?coll=la-news-comment-opinions

An Angry Paradise
When reality foils the California dream, resentment reigns
Peter H. King

October 8, 2003

It must seem strange to those who do not live in California. I imagine some luckless wheat farmer in South Dakota somewhere. Another hard winter is bearing down on him. His last crop didn't bring enough cash to cover even the harvest costs. The bank's yapping at his bootheels.

And then he flips on the cable news, and there's the latest report from the California recall campaign — images of sun-drenched men and women in short sleeves, roaring approval as a Hollywood icon recites a line from an old movie: "We're mad as hell, and we aren't going to take it anymore."

Mad about what? our weary farmer wonders.

-snip-

West wrote of a people who toiled all their lives so that they finally could come to California, "the land of sunshine and oranges. Once there, they discover that sunshine isn't enough. They get tired of oranges, even of avocado pears, and passion fruit. Nothing happens Their boredom becomes more and more terrible. They realize that they've been tricked and burn with resentment."

They sign recall petitions.

That S. Dakota farmer had the benefit of growing up in the US, probably speaks perfect English, and actually HAS a bank account.

I suppose Camejo or Bustamante could have told this pantywaist something about the conditions of immigrant farm laborers in his own back yard (heh, perhaps literally).... but they probably did and he wasn't listening.

Idiot.