Democrats in California are finished dealing with the Duke and demanded to replace John Wayne's name from the country's airport.
In a Playboy interview dated 1971, Wayne's self-acknowledged support for the white supremacy, where he embraced belittling views of Native Americans, Black Americans, and movies including gay characters, has been cited by the pols.x
In February 2019, the article has gone viral but amidst the call to take down praises to Confederate soldiers and people who supported hateful views, it has risen up and served as the Orange County Democrats' basis for the resolution that was passed on Friday, CNN reported.
The final decision is on the hands of the Board of Supervisors of Orange County. While local Democrats are demanding to rename it Orange County Airport.
Ada Briceño, chairwoman of the county party, said while some people outside Orange County know nothing of the beliefs held by John Wayne regarding white supremacy, residents of Orange County have been wanting to remove his name for years. She added they are presently seeing renewed calls about the removal of John Wayne's name in the country's airport saying it is time for a change.
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Wayne's son claims his father's remarks were misunderstood.
In last year's interview, Ethan Wayne, son of the actor John Wayne, uttered that what his father said during the Playboy Q&A were misunderstood and claiming that John Wayne took everyone at face value.
According to Newsweek, Ethan Wayne articulated it would be unjust to look on someone based on an interview that has been reported incorrectly. He added that people are trying to refute hoy John Wayne has lived his life and how he lived his life speaks of who he was as a person. Ethan claimed that any discussion involving removing his father's name from the airport should consider the full picture of John Wayne's life and not only base on a half-century-old interview.
Tom Umberg, a state senator who is also a Democrat, published an op-ed in The Orange County Democrat that was released on Saturday expounding his thought on erecting statues and naming buildings after someone's name should be reserved for those who embody the virtues of the county. He added that in the present situation, that is not the case for a child who searches for the actor's name whose career lasted for five decades.
The senator wrote that people will discover that John Wayne was an actor who died 41 years ago and was famous for having roles in Westerns and war movies, although he was never a man who served in uniform nor a cowboy in real life.
Sen. Umberg stated the most disturbing fact that someone will know is John Wayne is a self-proclaimed white supremacist.
The lawmaker suggested other luminaries of the Orange County whom the country's airport could be named after them, including Medal of Honor recipients Walter Ehlers, Tibor Rubin, and Mike Monsoor. Ehlers is known for storming the beach on D-Day, Rubin endured the Holocaust and was a prisoner of war for more than two years during the Korean War, and Monsoor offered his life protecting his fellow Navy SEALS from a grenade blast.
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