Paracultural Calendar for June 3

[Mark Thibodeau]

On this day in 1943, U.S. Navy sailors and Marines clash with Latino
youths In Los Angeles, California, in a confrontation that the news
media of the day would soon christen the Zoot Suit Riots. See the
photo above for an example of "Zoot suit chic".

***

After being arrested on suspicion of having broken into a Florida
poolroom, Charles Gideon was put on trial and immediately found
guilty, thanks mostly to the fact that he couldn't afford a lawyer. In
Florida at the time, that meant he had to defend himself. It also
pretty much guaranteed that he was jail-bound. Afterwards, while in
jail, Gideon made multiple appeals on the grounds that he had a
constitutional right to be represented in court by a professional
lawyer. Eventually, his case made its way to the Supreme Court, which
declared: "a fair trial cannot be realized if the poor man charged
with the crime has to face his accusers without a lawyer to assist
him." And that's how, on this day in 1960, the ceaseless whining of
one petty criminal permanently changed the way the USA’s legal system
works... for the better! A rare thing, indeed.

***

On this day in 1968, a notoriously unstable radical feminist by the
name of Valerie Solanas tries to assassinate leading New York “scene”
artist Andy Warhol, shooting him three times at near point-blank
range. Warhol survived the attack, but sales of Solanas’ SCUM
Manifesto went through the roof. “SCUM” is an acronym for “Society for
Cutting Up Men”, and most editions feature an image of a box-cutter on
the cover. Nice.

***

On this day in 1989, armed troops kill hundreds of pro-democracy
student demonstrators in the streets of Beijing. Within months,
President George Herbert Walker “Poppy” Bush grants China
"most-favored nation" trading status. Understanding the Bush Crime
Family’s long-standing entanglements in the region helps explain why
he did so.

***

Also on this day in 1989, Iran's Ayatollah Ruhullah Khomeini -- the
intellectual father and popular/populist spearhead of Iran's
fascinatingly paradoxical Islamic Revolution in 1979 -- dies of
internal bleeding at the age of 86.

***

On this day in 2011, after spending over 8 years behind bars for
helping a terminally ill man end his life on camera for an episode of
60 Minutes, doctor, author and death-with-dignity activist Jack
Kevorkian passes away due to kidney failure at the age of 83.
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