UC Santa Cruz College Republicans meeting disrupted by leftist protesters, three arrested

Protesters disrupted a College Republicans meeting at UC Santa Cruz.  (CampusReform)

Leftist protesters interrupted a College Republicans meeting Sunday night in the library at the University of California, Santa Cruz, calling members “fascists,” “racists” and “white supremacists” during a lengthy demonstration that ended in three arrests.

WARNING: VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

Though the College Republicans initially offered to speak to the protesters, those demonstrating refused to leave and demanded instead the Republicans end their meeting. One person in attendance, a Democrat, stood up, however, and defended his right-leaning fellow students.
“I immediately stood up and confronted them,” Phil Leonard told Fox News. “I was the only one to stand up and confront them.”
The school’s director of news and media relations, Scott Hernandez-Jason, expressed disappointment in the episode.
“It’s unfortunate and disappointing that a few students disrupted their meeting and refused repeated requests to leave,” Hernandez-Jason told Fox News in an email. “UC Santa Cruz vigorously supports our students’ rights to peacefully and lawfully assemble.”
The demonstration came about when a far left activist found out the College Republicans were meeting on the ground floor of the library – in a small rectangular room with one entrance and bad cell service – and posted the details to a UCSC Facebook group with nearly 20,000 members, Leonard said.
“They put out a dog whistle for any crazy or deranged person to stop white supremacy,” Leonard said.
A core group of three protesters, joined by a few others, showed up, shouting chants such as “No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA!”
Leonard said one protester looked at him and told him: “Your existence is a disturbance to every marginalized person in this country.”
“You don’t know who you’re talking to,” he said he responded. “First of all, I’m a registered Democrat. I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life, and I’m here speaking for ideas which is what you’re supposed to do at a college.”
Leonard, a fourth-year politics major, said he started going to College Republican meetings last May when he was working on a piece for his moderate campus publication, City on a Phil, and he started bringing Democrat friends along with him. Leonard said the behavior particularly affected him because he’s Jewish, and he immediately connected the actions of the protesters – seeking to shut down free speech -- with the actions of the Nazis.
“That’s literally how fascists think,” he said. “This kid is literally a fascist.”
Soon, students studying in the library began to complain. A librarian entered and, at one point, asked the College Republicans to leave in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. The group refused, however.
One protester bolted from the room and started running up and down the library stairs shouting about “Nazis” and “white supremacists.”
“I didn’t know who that nutty chick was, but her fliers were all over the school, so when I said her name, she flipped out,” Leonard said. “She flipped out even more when I told her I voted for her [for the Student Union Assembly election].”
When the librarian returned with her boss, the protesters accused her of being a white supremacist. The campus police were eventually called, but the demonstrators still refused to stop the disruption. A black officer showed up and the protesters responded by explaining racism and white supremacy to him, Leonard said.
“Almost all the people in the library, mostly liberal at this point, started getting upset with them, and laughing at them and telling them to leave,” Leonard said. “The whole school and the whole library turned against them.”
Despite attempts by the police to negotiate a peaceful conclusion, Leonard said the protesters insisted on being arrested.
They got their wish. The trio of students were arrested for disturbing the peace, failure to disperse, unlawful assembly and trespassing, Hernandez-Jason said.
Leonard posted video of the incident to the same UCSC Facebook page the protest organizer originally used to plan the demonstration. Other campus groups, many of them liberal, put out statements condemning the actions of the disrupters, Leonard said.
“If there was a social stigma against College Republicans, that stigma is gone now,” Leonard said. “Basically everything the protesters wanted, the exact opposite happened.”

What to know about Frederica Wilson, Florida Democrat who criticized Trump

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., sparked President Donald Trump’s public feud with a Gold Star family after she accused him of making an “insensitive” remark to the soldier’s widow.

Wilson said Trump told Army Sgt. La David Johnson’s pregnant widow that he “knew what he signed up for…but when it happens, it hurts anyway.” Johnson was killed earlier this month during an attack in Africa.

But Wilson has often voted against legislation that would help veterans and their families, according to a vote-tracking website.

What is the feud between Wilson and Trump?

Army Sgt. La David Johnson and three other service members died in an Oct. 4 attack in Niger. Islamic militants ambushed the soldiers.

U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson was among four special forces soldiers killed in Niger, West Africa on Oct. 4, 2017.  (Reuters/U.S. Army Special Operations Command handout)

Wilson said she was riding with Myeshia Johnson, the soldier's widow, as they went to Miami International Airport to meet his body when Trump called. The president said Johnson “knew what he signed up for … but when it happens, it hurts anyway,” Wilson said.
The congresswoman called the remark “so insensitive” during an interview with WPLG-TV.
The fallen soldier’s mother, Cowanda Jones-Johnson, told the Associated Press Wednesday that the congresswoman’s account was correct.
Trump denied Wilson’s claims in a tweet Wednesday.
“Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!” he tweeted.
FAMILIES OF FALLEN HAVE MIXED EXPERIENCES WITH TRUMP, IF ANY
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders called Wilson’s criticism “appalling and disgusting” and accused her of “politicizing” the issue. She said the call wasn’t recorded but other White House officials, including chief of staff General John Kelly, were present during the call.
But Wilson hasn’t backed away from her claim and later said that Myeshia Johnson told her Trump “didn’t even remember his name.”
"I was stunned when I came to work, when I saw what a member of Congress was doing, listened in on a phone call from the president," Kelly said Wednesday.
"It stuns me that a member of Congress would have listened in on that conversation…I thought at least that was sacred," he said.
A spokeswoman says Wilson had no comment on Kelly's remarks about her Thursday.

What has Wilson’s voting record on veteran’s issues been?

VoteSmart.org, a site that tracks voting records, shows that Wilson hasn’t supported several measures that would have helped veterans and their families – including financially.
Specifically, she opposed a measure that would have given the families of four soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan in 2013 death and burial benefits.
TRUMP SAYS DEM REP 'FABRICATED' ACCOUNT OF CALL TO SOLDIER'S WIDOW, HAS 'PROOF'
She has also opposed measures to reform the embattled Department of Veterans Affairs.

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., greets then-President Barack Obama after he arrived in Miami in 2012.  (Reuters/Larry Downing)

And Wilson has voted against measures multiple times that would ensure veterans and their families would still receive benefits despite government shutdowns.

What else do we know about Wilson’s political career?

A former elementary school principal, Wilson was elected to Congress in 2010. She previously served in the Florida State Senate from 2002-2010 and the State House of Representatives from 1998-2002.
Her House of Representatives website lists several issues of concern, including education, gun violence, health care, immigration and jobs.
When it comes to Social Security, Wilson says that she "will vote against any measure to privatize the program, cut benefits, or increase the eligibility age."
This year, Wilson voted against the Republican health care bill.
In February 2015, she sponsored a bill that was introduced on what would have been Trayvon Martin's 20th birthday. The bill called for the House to press "any State legislature to reject or repeal Stand Your Ground legislation."

Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., has stood by her claim that President Donald Trump made insensitive remarks to Myeshia Johnson, the widow of a slain soldier.  (Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde)

What about her personal life?

Her husband, Paul Wilson, died in 1988 after their three children were born, according to a Miami Herald profile.
In addition to her three children, Wilson also has five grandchildren, her House bio says.
She’s also spoken several times about her attire, specifically her penchant for wearing unique hats.
"It all started with my grandmother, whose name was Frederica also. She wore hats and gloves. I just wanted to be like her, so I started wearing hats. I just like to dress up, I guess, and I got that from her," Wilson told Roll Call in 2012.
“I’ve never counted, but I've been wearing them almost 30 years,” Wilson told Politifact in 2010. "It's almost like a fetish. ... I have hundreds.”

Trump: Media 'going crazy' with Wilson's 'total lie' about phone call

In a tweet late Thursday, President Donald Trump accuses a Florida congresswoman of lying in her account of a phone call between Trump and the widow of a U.S. service member recently killed in Africa.

The same tweet also asserts that news organizations have been “going crazy” with U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson’s version of the story.

“The Fake News is going crazy with wacky Congresswoman Wilson(D), who was SECRETLY on a very personal call, and gave a total lie on content!”
The president’s tweet came hours after Chief of Staff John Kelly made an emotional speech at the White House, saying he was “stunned” to learn that Wilson had been listening in when the president spoke with Myeshia Johnson, widow of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson -- one of four American soldiers killed in Niger nearly two weeks ago.
Wilson, a Democrat, was with Johnson's family when Trump called to offer condolences. The congresswoman said Trump had told the widow that "you know that this could happen when you signed up for it ... but it still hurts."
Johnson's aunt said Trump showed "disrespect" to the soldier's loved ones.
Wilson on Thursday said Trump disrespected Johnson’s widow with his comments during the phone call.
In comments to the White House press corps, Kelly defended Trump and said he was "stunned" by the criticism of Trump's condolence call to the sergeant's family. Kelly accused Wilson of "selfish behavior."
Kelly also told reporters that the president had expressed his condolences "in the best way that he could."
Wilson gave a cryptic response when Miami television station WSVN-TV caught up with her Thursday, repeating a phrase she said her mother told her when she was a child. Wilson said: "The dog can bark at the moon all night long but it doesn't become an issue until the moon barks back."

Kaepernick Cry Baby Cartoons

AG Sessions Testifies On Comey, Russia Probe

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sworn in before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

OAN Newsroom

Attorney General Jeff Sessions testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying he stands by his recommendation to fire former FBI Director James Comey.
During Wednesday’s testimony, Sessions said he does not believe people fully understand the significance of the mistake Comey made during the bureau’s investigation into Hillary Clinton.
Sessions was also grilled about the on-going Russia investigation, confirming he has not been interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
He denied allegations that he met with Russian officials to discuss the president’s campaign.
Sessions also refused to answer questions regarding private conversations he has had with President Trump.
The attorney general said the DOJ will take appropriate actions to look into the Obama administration’s approval of a controversial 2010 uranium deal with a Russian firm.
This comes after reports the FBI knew as early as 2009 that a Russian nuclear firm was engaged in a racketeering scheme designed to expand Moscow’s atomic energy business on U.S. soil.
The Obama administration’s committee on foreign investments gave approval for the firm to buy Canadian mining company Uranium One, which controlled 20 percent of America’s uranium.
Members of that committee included Eric Holder and Hillary Clinton, whose husband collected millions of dollars from Russian officials interested in the deal.

Kaepernick fires back at Roger Goodell without opening his mouth

Former San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Colin Kaepernick reacted via Twitter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell saying he believes all players “should” stand for the national anthem after teams owners got together for their annual fall meeting.  (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Colin Kaepernick hasn’t said much publicly since he stopped being employed as an NFL quarterback.
The last tweet he wrote was on Oct. 10, and it was a shout-out to Eminem for name-dropping him in a long freestyle rap that was extremely critical of President Trump. He has remained active on Twitter though, specifically by re-tweeting several posts per day.
Many of the posts he shared on Wednesday were aimed at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who addressed the media at the league’s owners meetings in New York. Goodell spoke at length about the national anthem protests, a movement that Kaepernick started last season as a member of the 49ers, saying he wants — but is not mandating — all players to stand for the song, saying he aims to put the number of protesters “at zero.”
“Goodell and his avoidance of police killing unarmed black and brown people is an extension of the coopting/erasure of Kaepernick’s cause,” came a tweet from @LeftSentThis, endorsed by Kaepernick.
“White supremacy is thinking that ending black protest is a better goal than ending the murder of black lives,” wrote @samswey, in reply to Goodell’s goal of reducing the number of protesters, which Kaepernick also retweeted.

Media playing along as liberals weaponize Gold Star families in fight against GOP

As many Democrats weaponize Gold Star families against the GOP, mainstream media outlets now seem to be approaching the families of dead soldiers one by one in an attempt to find the next controversy surrounding President Trump.  

Earlier this week, Trump said former President Obama and past presidents didn’t always call the families of soldiers who died while serving the country during a Rose Garden press conference.

“The traditional way, if you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls, a lot of them didn’t make calls,” Trump said. “I like to call when it’s appropriate.”

Khizr and Ghazala Khan spoke out against President Trump at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.  (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

These comments by Trump lit a fire under Democrats, both in the media and in Washington.
Gold Star widows and parents were all over the place on Wednesday, from CNN to The New York Times, mostly to criticize Trump. The Washington Post successfully found a Gold Star father who alleged that Trump didn’t come through on a $25,000 promise, while The Associated Press even tweeted a glorified classified ad with the hope of locating more Gold Star families willing to chat.
“Are you a member of a Gold Star family who’s had contact with the White House? Confidentially share your story here,” the AP tweeted.
A former Reuters contributor commented that the AP’s tweet “seems outside the scope” of journalism.
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., took it to a new level by criticizing what she claimed Trump recently said on a call to a fallen soldier's widow. Trump fired back, tweeting that the congresswoman “totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!”
The situation has received so much attention that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was forced to address it during Wednesday’s press briefing.
“I think it's appalling what the congresswoman has done and the way she's politicized this issue and the way that she's trying to make this about something that it isn't,” she said.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan speaks to the press after being denied access to the ranch of U.S. President George W. Bush in Crawford, Texas, in 2006.  (REUTERS/Jason Reed, File)

Sanders criticized the media and the way the situation has been handled, and that was before The Associated Press started soliciting grief-stricken families.
“I think it frankly is a disgrace of the media to try to portray an act of kindness like that and that gesture and to try to make it into something that it isn't,” Sanders said.
Back in 2005, Cindy Sheehan protested the Iraq war outside of President George W. Bush’s Texas ranch after her son, Spc. Casey Sheehan, died while serving in Iraq. She picked up a ton of media attention in the process, and Democrats must have taken notice.
Over a decade later, a different Gold Star family, Khizr and Ghazala Khan, were given an opportunity to speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Their son, Capt. Humayun Khan, was killed in 2004 during the Iraq war. But the Pakistani-American Khans were there to trash then-candidate Trump as much as they were on hand to honor their son, according to some supporters of the president.
“Donald Trump, you're asking Americans to trust you with their future. Let me ask you, have you even read the United States Constitution? I will gladly lend you my copy,” Khizr Khan said as he waived a copy of the Constitution.
The Khans were back in the news on Tuesday, mocking Trump in a statement to The Hill.
Trump's “selfish and divisive actions have undermined the dignity of the high office of the presidency,” they said in a statement.
The families of fallen soldiers now are used as political ammunition and, sadly, there seems to be no end in sight in the current media landscape.

Florida Democrat Wilson no friend of veterans, vote record shows

The Florida Democrat who criticized President Donald Trump this week for being "insensitive" toward the widow of a U.S. soldier slain in Africa might be facing similar criticism herself.

It turns out that U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson has frequently voted against measures intended to help veterans and their families, according to VoteSmart.org, a vote-tracking site whose founding board members included former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

The measures that Wilson opposed included a bill that could have ensured that families of four soldiers slain in Afghanistan in 2013 received death and burial benefits.
In fact, Wilson’s voting record on veterans issues may call into question the sincerity of her recent defense of U.S. service members and their families.
Despite Wilson's claim to be “committed to honoring our service members, not only with words but with deeds,” she has voted against most bills ensuring continued funding for veteran benefits, including payments to widows of fallen soldiers, the vote-tracking site shows.
She has also opposed measures designed to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In March 2013, Wilson opposed the “Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act,” which prevented a government shutdown and provided funds for the U.S. military and the VA.
The bill, which passed with bipartisan support and was signed into law by the Obama administration, provided funding to the military and the VA until the next government shutdown showdown.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., stands by her statement that President Donald Trump was "insensitive" toward the widow of a U.S. service member who was slain in Africa. Wilson is seen in Miami Gardens, Fla., Oct. 18, 2017.  (Associated Press)

Later in the year, Wilson again voted against a resolution aimed at ensuring benefits paid to the veterans and their families would not be affected by the government shutdown in October that year.
The motion was particularly important in the wake of reports that the families of four soldiers slain in Afghanistan in 2013 had been deprived of benefits due to the shutdown in Washington.
The families of slain soldiers were denied burial benefits and up to $100,000 to each family, among other benefits, the New York Times reported. Wilson voted against the resolution ensuring that the benefits reached the families.
Defense Department spokesman Carl Woog said the department did not have “the authority to pay death gratuities and other key benefits for the survivors of service members killed in action” due to the government shutdown.
The congresswoman also opposed numerous bills aimed at improving VA services provided the veterans and their families.
Wilson's office has not responded to a Fox News request for a comment.
The former elementary school principal, who first came to Congress in 2011, has been portrayed this week as a staunch defender of the military and military families after accusing the president of being “insensitive” toward Myeshia Johnson, widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, one of four service members who were killed last week in the African nation of Niger.
According to Wilson, Trump told the grieving widow that her husband “knew what he signed up for ... but when it happens, it hurts anyway.” But Trump, in a response on Twitter, said Wilson had “totally fabricated what I said.”
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday that Wilson’s attack on the president using the soldier’s widow was “appalling and disgusting.”
The congresswoman has stood by her account of the call.