Bolsavik.com

The “Special Committee to Oppose Communists” just folded. Oh, and then they formed the ”Committee Against Communists and Lackeys.” And they’ve just announced an impressive list of things they’ll do to all you communists and lackeys out there.

Who, you ask? Good question. For many, the answer is “Who cares?” For the few that do care, however, let’s take it from the beginning.

First, part (a):

Remember this group?

The first time we saw them, they were on the Bolsavik here.

That was when they called themselves the “Strike Force to Protect the Yellow Flag” (in Vietnamese: Lực Lượng Hành Động để Bảo Vệ Danh Dự Cờ Vàng)

And then they renamed themselves “Vietnamese People Against Communists,” but in fact, they want people to think they’re still a “force.” Their Vietnamese name was “Lực lượng chống cộng sản và tay sai,” a literal translation of which would be “Force Against Communists and Lackeys.”

That “force,” however, didn’t last long. After no more than a couple months of flexing whatever muscles they have, the group faded into the sunset. Remnants of the group are still hanging around outside Nguoi Viet’s office.

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Last weekend was a slow day in the office, so the Bolsavik went around and took some pictures of the weekly protests outside of Nguoi Viet.

Here’s an update on what’s happening now. Every day, the protestors, usually about 4 or 5 of them, still come to Nguoi Viet and open the truck with the photos of former South Vietnam’s generals who died defending the country in the last days of the war. That’s the truck in the foreground.

On week-ends, though, they would come out more in force, each person would carry a flag and they would march up and down Moran Avenue. They would stop for a while at Bolsa, the main thoroughfare of Bolsavikland, and then march right back.

These protestors apparently are very adamant that people know there’s still a protest going on.

A few weeks ago, the L.A. Times ran a story by My-Thuan Tran, here, about the thriving Little Saigon media market. It contains a line about “ending the 18-month demonstrations.”

That little throwaway line turned out to tick off the protestors big time.

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One of the top Viet singers was almost subject to a protest over a star that appears on a poster for an August concert at Bally’s in Atlantic City. This poster, the one pictured above.

See that star? Yep, that’s what community groups upon community groups were threatening a boycott over.

The hapless victim, singing sensation Don Ho, hurriedly sent out a massive email and a profuse apology and thereby averted any additional problems.

Now, if that reminds you of the “Macy’s star” belt buckle conundrum (read here and here), you would be absolutely correct. Even Don Ho made an allusion to it.

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To follow up on the Bolsavik’s previous entry here: the City of Westminster’s Traffic Commission last night voted to restrict parking to 40 minutes in the area near Nguoi Viet Daily News in an attempt to drive out Ky Ngo and other protestors who have been camping there.

The Reg’s Deepa Bharath has the story here, which includes a nice and convenient summary of the whole protest, for those of you new to the issue.

The vote was 4-1, with Councilman Andy Quach’s appointee Andrew Nguyen (the Westminster school board member) voting in favor of the restriction. The appointees of Tri Ta and Tyler Diep also voted for the restriction. The lone nay came from Gil Cruz, the appointee of Frank Fry who just didn’t think the parking restriction would be effective in stopping the protest.

At the hearing, Parking Enforcement gave their opinion that, sure, they can chalk the tires to enforce the parking restriction, but, no, they have better things to do than to hang out at the Moran Street cul-de-sac all day (unlike, ahem, certain people). Nonetheless, if the restriction is there, tickets will be handed out.

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Some readers asked the question: Who were the people who used the South Vietanemse flag to disrupt the Hung Vuong ceremony two weeks ago on April 5 in Westminster?

Asking the question on Bolsavik.com (see here and here) is just the right place, because OC Vietnamese-language media would not give you the answer. They would rather pretend none of it ever happened.

And why is that?

Because not too long ago they were singing high praises of the people doing the disruption.

The woman who was interfering with the ceremony and trying to plant the yellow South Vietnamese flag on the altar while people were carrying out the respect ritual, is Bùi Kim Thành, a land protestor from Vietnam who was allowed to immigrate to the U.S. after negotiations between the two countries. Read here.

Until recently, Bùi Kim Thành had been hailed as a hero, and Nguoi Viet was her head cheerleader, worshipping the grounds she walked on even after it had become obvious to everyone else reading her interviews on Nguoi Viet that she’s, well, not all there.

The disruption of the Hung Vuong ceremony arose because (more…)

Things have not been going well for Ky Ngo lately.

First, the permanent fixture outside the offices of Nguoi Viet Daily News was told by the Wesminster PD to move his stuff. The Bolsavik is not sure on what grounds the police did it, but it may have something to do with his truck not having moved from the spot on public land for several weeks. Or maybe it’s unsightly. Or whatever.

Anyway so Ky Ngo was forced to get his stuffs out of there a couple weeks ago. That made him and his group very unhappy, so in consolation someone made him a sign that says (pictured) “Someone is still helping the Vietnamese traitors.”

A day or so later, a little sign was added on top saying “Today.”

Thus, apparently, “Today someone is still helping the Vietnamese traitors.”

But who? Who is still helping which Vietnamese traitors??

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So now at least we know where the slogan came from.

The gentleman in the video is Neil Nguyen, an attorney. His Vietnamese name is Nguyễn Xuân Nghĩa (not to be confused with the isonymous but better known columnist for Nguoi Viet and Viet Bao daily newspapers).

Just a couple of weeks ago he and his non-profit organization were marching in the Tet Parade without carrying the yellow flag, and immediately afterwards were accused of being commies. (If you can read Vietnamese, click here.)

Maybe this is his way to redeem himself or something….

The Register has this story about the protest against the Brian Doan photo exhibit at Cypress College. It has a video too, which the Bolsavik has embedded at the end of this entry. Watch to through and check out the videographer’s first name. How apropos!

Excerpts from the Reg’s story by Michael Mello:

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Jiffy Lube-quick summary: A second protest against Cypress College has been called for tomorrow Wednesday.

Slightly longer version:

On Monday last week, Lac Tan Nuygen’s group came to see the college president to hand in his organization’s protest letter. The president was out of town. But Nuygen did get an appointment to speak to the Dean of the School of Arts, the Department Head of Photography, the Director of the gallery holding the exhibit, and Brian Doan.

So, on Tuesday, they met for a couple of hours. There’s an audio here posted by Do Thuan, one of the participants (the Bolsavik hasn’t been able to listen to it because he’s missing a plugin), and a report on Nguoi Viet here (in Vietnamese). The bottom line can be summarized by something Nuygen said, is: “We’re not interested in your arguments about freedom of expression because we’ve heard them several times already, we just want you to take down the photo.”

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The Bolsavik was looking at the Bolsa Tet Parade photos on EthanNgoPhotography.com and saw this picture. The Bolsavik doesn’t remember seeing the gentleman at the parade but then again it wasn’t as if the Bolsavik was paying full attention to everyone passing by either.

That’s Peter Katz. He is a Vietnam vet and owns a postal store on Garden Grove’s Historic Main Street. When protests against Viet Weekly began, he showed his support for free speech by carrying the magazine in his store.

He’s also a participant in the counter-protest in support of Viet Weekly.

Katz was extensively quoted in a 2007 story in the L.A. Times here:
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