Redondo Beach man tries to ‘atone’ with Memorial Day parade [ex-hippie convinces city to honor vets]

Daily Breeze ^ | May 6, 2003 | Eddie North-Hager

[RonDog]

.

 Branimir Kvartuc/ Daily Breeze
Collecting donations for the first Memorial Day parade.

Redondo Beach man tries to ‘atone’ with Memorial Day parade

By Eddie North-Hager
DAILY BREEZE

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Bhagavan Friend appears every bit the peace-loving hippie right out of the turbulent '60s.

His ponytail and bushy mustache are the first signs. Then the beaded wooden necklace with a peace symbol. The church he founded, God’s Eternal Universal Religion, is all about love and acceptance. Two 1971 Volkswagen buses are parked in front of his Redondo Beach house.

And there’s that name, Bhagavan, that this Iowa boy gave himself. It means “one who aspires to be at one with God” in Sanskrit, he said.

But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a conservative full of “all-American” faith and values.

So much so that he’s putting up $10,000 of his own money as a loan to make sure that Redondo Beach has its first Memorial Day parade.

“I have something to atone for,” said Friend, 60.

Friend, in the 60's, was “very left, though I never joined the Communist Party, who organized nearly all the events and rallies.” “I really am a peace person,” Friend said. “When I was young I believed in marching in the street to bring peace. I was dumb. Now I am older and realize there are people that will not allow peace like Hitler and Saddam Hussein.”

Protesting the war was the same as rallying in favor of Ho Chi Minh and the Khmer Rouge, he said.

“We were helping them,” Friend said. “We were duped.”

For nearly 20 years he talked of having a parade and this year he decided to follow through.

Surprisingly the council agreed to let him have his parade in spite of a staff report, which recommended denying the parade permit. The report stated Memorial Day is one of the busiest beach days of the year, which could cause parking problems, traffic congestion and road closures. And nearly 50 police officers, many of whom have already made vacation plans, would have to be called in for traffic control.

That would cost the city nearly $24,000, which cannot be waived for a religious institution.

But Friend’s offer of a $10,000 loan to underwrite the parade and the hiring of Conte Productions swayed the council.

“I have 20 years as a pro,” said Mark Conte, who runs the production company with his wife, B.J. “We can put this together in a few weeks, no problem.” Conte, who puts on the Redondo Beach Super Bowl Sunday 10K and Hermosa Beach’s St. Patrick’s Day parade, also promised that he would make sure the parade would go on as planned no matter how much money was raised.

Without Friend’s $10,000 loan, only $10,000 has been raised so far.

“The spirit is great,” Friend said. “But this is a very divisive issue, this war.”

If there is any money left over, which is unlikely, it will go to veterans groups, Friend said. Friend hopes that his initial loan can be repaid with money raised for next year’s parade.

Councilman Kurt Schmalz said he didn’t know much about the minister when the council voted unanimously to issue him a permit last month. While his religious beliefs are not an issue, his ability to put on a respectful parade is important, Schmalz said.

“I was not entirely comfortable approving the permit on such a short notice,” Schmalz said. “At the same time, I don’t want to be Mr. Negative and throw a wrench into this.”

Friend was hesitant to give details of his life or his religion. Not because it’s a secret, he said, but to keep the focus on what Memorial Day is all about.

“I am not doing this to promote my religion or myself,” Friend said. “I would like to be nonexistent in this.”

But his dress, his Web site (www.thefriendsway.com)that espouses his eccentric religious beliefs, and his passion for a Memorial Day parade have raised questions about who he is and what he believes.

In addition to heading his church in Redondo Beach for seven years, he also runs a legal secretarial service and computer repair business from his home.

The home-based church is small and its most devoted members, Soldiers of the Light, have taken the last name of Friend.

“Our church is based on the idea that every person has direct access to God and his wisdom,” Friend said.

God is like an ocean, Friend likes to say. There are lots of different oceans all over the world, but it’s all the same water.

Friend admits some mistakes have been made while organizing his parade.

A few businesses have complained that the parade’s fund-raisers were strong-arming them into donations, holding an anti-troop label over their heads.

“We have been aggressive in trying to raise funds,” Friend said. “In the early days perhaps we were more aggressive than we should have been.”

But he would never condone calling someone unpatriotic for choosing not to support a parade.

Friend also sent out 600 letters asking for money, emphasizing the parade already had the support of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce. But President Marna Smeltzer said her group decided not to participate in any aspect.

“I made a mistake,” Friend said. “I was under the impression that the Chamber of Commerce was supporting us.”

Friend’s invitations for the National Rifle Association president and ultraconservative talk show hosts, as well as elected Democrats, to speak at the event also caused concern.

But he insists the parade is not about politics, religion or personality.

“This is a complex country with a right, left and middle,” Friend said. “The parade will reflect the way the country is put together. It is not about political agendas. It is about our fallen heroes.”How to help

The Redondo Beach Memorial Day parade will start at 10 a.m. May 26 at Knob Hill Community Center. It will head down Knob Hill Avenue and north on Catalina Avenue to Torrance Boulevard. The parade will last about an hour with a rally to follow at Veterans Park. The parade will cost more than $25,000. So far $17,000 has been raised. Call 310-540-6044 or visit www.patriotcities.us for more information.

Publish Date:May 6, 2003

[RonDog]

Call 310-540-6044 or visit www.patriotcities.us for more information...

From www.patriotcities.us:

THE FIRST REDONDO BEACH
MEMORIAL DAY PARADE AND TRIBUTE
TO AMERICA'S FALLEN HEROES

MONDAY MAY 26th

Parade 
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Catalina Avenue from Knob Hill to Torrance Blvd.

Tribute To America's Fallen Heroes
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
The Band Shell - Veteran's Park

This Site Has Been Visited By

[784, pre-FR]

Patriots

[RonDog]

But his dress, his Web site (www.thefriendsway.com) that espouses his eccentric religious beliefs, and his passion for a Memorial Day parade have raised questions about who he is and what he believes...

See also, from www.thefriendsway.com:

Welcome To

GOD'S ETERNAL UNIVERSAL RELIGION
G.E.U.R.

Adhyatma Bhagavan The Friend
Maitreya and Founder

"You would not have found me in this world 
if you had not already found me in your Heart."

 

CLICK HERE for more

[Katya]

This guy sounds like a Sikh gone wild.

[Valin]

It's a very sad commentary on our times when a Memorial Day parade is controversial.

[diotima]

In my back yard, none the less......

[CharacterCounts]

Surprisingly the council agreed to let him have his parade in spite of a staff report, which recommended denying the parade permit. The report stated Memorial Day is one of the busiest beach days of the year, which could cause parking problems, traffic congestion and road closures. And nearly 50 police officers, many of whom have already made vacation plans, would have to be called in for traffic control.

Let me see if I have this straight.

We establish a holiday to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Next, we give people the day off from work so they can participate in the memorial.

People decide that this is a great day to test their new bikinis at the beach.

Hence, the report recommends that we do away with the parade and honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice so as not to conflict with a bikini testing.

California logic astounds me.

[ikka]

Friend, in the 60's, was “very left, though I never joined the Communist Party, who organized nearly all the events and rallies.”

Well, some things never change - ANSWER is also Commie.

[Valin]

California logic astounds me.
And Al. Miss. Neb. Mi. Mn. Nj. Or. Az,....etc.

[RonDog]

It's a very sad commentary on our times when a Memorial Day parade is controversial.

This event WOULD HAVE BEEN aborted if not for the passionate intervention of a Korean War vet (USMC, of course) named John Simpson...

See also, from the Easy Reader (4/17/03):

Council approves Memorial Day parade, part 2

Finally, the council turned to city staff’s recommendation to deny the Reverend Bhagavad Friend’s proposal to organize a Memorial Day Parade and Tribute on May 26. Friend applied for a special event application on March 31 in hopes of staging a parade that would begin in Riviera Village at 10 a.m., continue along Catalina Ave., and end with a tribute at Veteran’s Park from Noon to 2 p.m.

The proposal faced an uphill fight for several reasons. Garcia said staff “reluctantly” recommended its denial, mainly because of logistical and staffing difficulties. A staff report detailed the problems: street closures necessitated by a parade would inhibit access to the beach and the park on one of the busiest days of the year; adequate public safety staffing was unavailable due to prior commitments and holiday schedules; the cost to the city is an estimated $23,680; the late date makes public notification troublesome; and the City Attorney opined that use of public property for an event that would raise funds for a religious organization (Friend’s “God’s Eternal Universal Religion, the non-profit through which the event was originally to be funded) would create a First Amendment conflict.

Additionally, Mike Morales, representing the Riviera business association, said the organization opposed staging the parade’s beginning in the neighborhood because its members feared it would create a parking crunch that would inhibit customers.

Probably the biggest stumbling block was the issue of police staffing. Police Chief Robert Luman said that a total of 50 officers would be required—two for each of 20 closed intersections, 8 roving traffic officers, and two special operations officers—and that given the short notice, such scheduling would be troublesome. “Although we believe we could do it if council wills it, we would encounter significant problems,” Luman said.

Mark Conte, whose company Conte Productions would be responsible for the actual staging of the parade, tried to address many of the technical problems. He noted that the route was only 1.5 miles and would create a rolling series of what he estimated would be 40-minute street closures as it moved along—unlike the Super Bowl 10k, which closes 6 miles of street for an entire morning. He said the parade would likely consist of 40 to 60 “units,” compared to the 120 at Hermosa St. Patrick’s Parade (on a sunny day). “We’ll be opening streets as fast as we close them,” Conte said.

Friend admitted that he had been in error in overlooking the First Amendment conflict, but noted he had never intended to profit from the event, but instead meant to use his non-profit status to defray some of the costs encountered. He said a new non-profit committee was being established for the sole purpose of founding the event. He also said that the organization would not seek any waivers or city subsidies for the event, and would even provide its own clean up, and noted that his initial efforts at fundraising indicated that businesses were anxious to support the parade. “If you say we’ve got a parade, we’ll get the money,” he said.

In his initial appearance before the council last month, Friend passionately recalled his younger days as an anti-war protester during the Vietnam conflict, an endeavor he said he later realized had made him a “communist dupe” who had contributed to American deaths. He said had tried to atone for the mistake ever since. At this meeting, he noted that at the outset of the Iraq war, it “really hit” him that young men were going “to give their lives for what we believe in” and inspired him to organize this parade. Friend said that he already had commitments from elected officials Jane Harman, George Nakano, and Deborah Bowen, as well as Wayne Lapere, president of the National Rifle Association. He also noted invitations had been sent to President Bush, Vice President Cheney, other members of the administration, talk radio stars Sean Hannity, Charlton Heston and “a number of celebrities who are not anti-military.”

As the council tried to find some sort of compromise—such as alternative routes or a possible Veteran’s Day parade in November—John Simpson stormed to the podium in his wheel chair. Shaking with anger, he identified himself as a Korean War veteran. He said that the issue should not be about convenience or staffing. “None of the guys who died when I was over there said it was convenient to die at that time,” he shouted. “God knows if I had a vacation day I would have gone home.”

“All this bantering about is talking about how we can’t do it and I say, damn it, let’s talk about how we can do it,” Simpson said. Looking towards Chief Luman, he added, “Tell the cops to go over there and do it. That’s what they told the guys that went over there – they didn’t have the choice of whether it was convenient.”

His remarks seemed to turn the tide. “I want to recognize the concerns staff has, but I also want to say find a solution,” said Councilman John Parsons.

In the end, a staff was directed to do just that. Although no route was specified, a motion passed unanimously that a parade would take place somewhere in Redondo on May 26. After the action, some council members came down from the dais to exchange embraces and handshakes with the organizers, and as John Simpson wheeled out of city hall he triumphantly remarked, “We are going to have a wheel chair brigade.”

[SquirrelKing]

A few businesses have complained that the parade’s fund-raisers were strong-arming them into donations, holding an anti-troop label over their heads.

“We have been aggressive in trying to raise funds,” Friend said. “In the early days perhaps we were more aggressive than we should have been.”

Geez, whatever happened to all that hippie love?

"All you need is love, dammit!"

[RonDog]

This guy sounds like a Sikh gone wild.

Perhaps.

But he is on OUR SIDE when it comes to "supporting the troops" - and his CURRENT ACTIONS appear to be entirely honorable.

I trust him, as do MANY who have met with him.

See also, from www.patriotcities.us/Photos.htm:

Hoo-Rah!

Parade and Tribute originator and Chairman, Bhagavan Friend and Sergeant Rick Bielefeld present a $7,500 Parade deposit check from the Redondo Beach Memorial Day Parade and Tribute Committee to The City of Redondo Beach.

[Valin]

He said that the issue should not be about convenience or staffing. “None of the guys who died when I was over there said it was convenient to die at that time,” he shouted. “God knows if I had a vacation day I would have gone home.”
“All this bantering about is talking about how we can’t do it and I say, damn it, let’s talk about how we can do it,” Simpson said. Looking towards Chief Luman, he added, “Tell the cops to go over there and do it. That’s what they told the guys that went over there – they didn’t have the choice of whether it was convenient.”

LOL Reality alert!!! Wonder if anyone asked Cpl. Mark Evnin (usmc) it it was convenient for him to die?

A Marine Comes Home:
Opinion Journal DOROTHY RABINOWITZ

The battle of Iraq may be over but the warriors for peace struggle on. Theirs is not an easy road, particularly, we hear, in the entertainment industry, which is packed with notables fresh from their vocal campaign against the war, the president, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney--objects of scorn in all the best circles, from Paris to California.

Now, it appears, some celebrities worry about damage to their careers. The Dixie Chicks have taken a hit. Sean Penn thinks his views have cost him jobs. Tina Brown, whose main concern about the war seems to be that it caused the postponement of her new TV show, announced last week that it would soon air and that she planned to decorate the set with an American flag bigger than anyone else's. She had to scrape up as many core American values as she could, declared Ms. Brown, "to have any hope of being allowed on TV at all in the current climate of punitive patriotism."

No fear. Americans aren't likely to concern themselves much with Ms. Brown's flag--in the event they actually encounter her program. Most of them have matters more pressing on their minds. For some, these days, those matters include funerals and mourning rites for people they have never met.

On April 14 in Vermont, for example, mourners gathered for the funeral of 21-year-old Marine Cpl. Mark Evnin, killed in action on the drive to Baghdad. A thousand people attended the rites at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in Burlington, at which the Marine's grandfather, a rabbi, presided. Reporters related how the Marine Corps League color guard and local firefighters flanked the walkway into the synagogue, where mourners included the Roman Catholic bishop and the governor.

Crowds lined the streets in salute--some with flags, some with signs--everywhere the funeral procession passed. But what struck the Burlington Free Press reporters most were all the strangers who had been impelled to come to the cemetery to honor the young Marine. One of them was a mother who had brought her two young children and stood holding two American flags. "Every single man and woman out there is my son and daughter," she told the journalists. "He could have done a lot with his life. But he gave it to the nation."

Two days later came the funeral mass for 25-year-old Marine First Lt. Brian McPhillips of Pembroke, Mass., killed not far from Baghdad. Three Marines died in the firefight at Tuwayhah described by Dallas Morning News embedded reporter Jim Landers. The 2nd Tank Battalion had run into an ambush by a band of Islamic Jihad volunteers--Syrians, Egyptians, Yemenis and others. Lt. McPhillips went down firing his machine gun.

The knock that brought the news home in the early hours of April 6 had caused the walls to reverberate, his mother recalled. His father, a Marine veteran of Vietnam, knew at once what the 5:00 a.m. visit meant. They never come because somebody's been wounded: "They want you to know as soon as possible."

Neither of the McPhillips was surprised at Brian's choice of a military career. His father had served, his great-uncle had fought at Guadalcanal; and Julie and David McPhillips had been the sort of parents who wanted to imbue their children with a consciousness of history--that of their country's not least. So they took them to places like Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg and other national shrines.

David McPhillips nevertheless used all his powers of persuasion to keep Brian from enlisting in the Marines right out of high school. Heeding his parents, Brian went off to Providence College, a Catholic institution, where he thrived, compiled an academic record most people considered enviable, his father included, and looked to the future. Shortly after graduation in 2000, it arrived, with the commissioning ceremony that made him an officer in the Marines. He would go to war, his father reported, carrying his rosary and his Bible.

At his funeral service at the Holy Family Church in Rockland, where Brian's mother attended daily Mass, David McPhillips recalled his son's generosity and enterprise. Mrs. McPhillips would deliver a eulogy of her own, afterward carried in the local papers, on the subject of her son's life and death. She saw herself, Julie McPhillips said, as one of the fellow Americans for whom he had given his life. It had been her great privilege to be his mother: "To you my dear and faithful son, from earth to heaven I salute you . . . ."

As at Cpl. Evnin's funeral, crowds lined the streets. Brian's uncle Paul Finegan pondered the problems getting to the cemetery in Concord--a 150-car cortege traveling 50 miles on the busiest highway in New England. He had, it turned out, nothing to fear: 50 state troopers, many of them coming in from days off, had closed most of the road for them, a stretch of 35 miles.

Then came another sight he could scarcely believe. At the side of the road, near their halted cars, stood streams of people, standing at attention--paying their respects.
"They stopped all these cars, and people got out to stand holding their hands over their hearts," he marveled.

He should not have been surprised. Scenes like this are the reason all the celebrity protesters can stop worrying about public wrath and punishment. Americans have other things on their minds all right. September 11, for one. What they have on their minds, too, since the just-concluded remarkable war, is the consciousness of who they are and what this society is that it should have produced men and women of the kind who fought in that war and died in it.

People got a powerfully close look at their fellow Americans in uniform these last weeks. This is what impels them now to stand at roadsides in tribute, heedless of where else they had to go. And this is why strangers flock to funerals.

[VOA]

bump

[DLfromthedesert]

What can I say? I'm an ex-hippie VietNam War protester. My eyes were opened when the US pulled out of 'Nam and the slaughter began; when I met a few of the brave boat people who made it to our shores.

My transformation was complete in 1980 when I re-registered as a Republican. :-)

I hope this parade is a HUGE (or hugh) success!!!!!

[ppaul]

This guy a buddy of yours?

The best part is the "under construction" portion of his website. If he was the great Maitreya/God
he claims to be, he could snap his fingers and voila! the website would be up and running.

(I do think it's great that he's supporting a Memorial Day parade though.)

[RonDog]

This guy a buddy of yours?

I have met with Bhagavan, and talked with him extensively - and seen him in action.

I do NOT agree with him on EVERYTHING, but on the issue of "supporting the troops - and the VETERANS" - he appears to be "unimpeachable," as it were. :o)

And - in some ways - he reminds me of our OTHER "non-traditional" FRiend, Ted Hayes.

In MY humble opinion, the GOP can take back California ONLY IF we can continue to "think outside the box" - and suppport as many "non-traditional" conservatives as possible - within reason. :o)

[BossLady]

What an interesting person this man is!

Since this is a spiritual matter - I think this is a good lesson in how the human soul matures and grows. Even though it is through his own atonement he is making the parade happen, it will also touch others lives and help them with their own atonement. IMHO

[fatima]

Different.

[RonDog]

See also, the NEW thread:

How do we "FReep" a Memorial Day Parade? GIANT interactive "Purple Heart" (like the AIDS quilt?)
Redondo Beach man tries to ‘atone’ with Memorial Day parade [ex-hippie convinces city to honor vets] ^ | May 7, 2003 | RonDog
Posted on 05/08/2003 4:48 AM PDT by RonDog

O.K., the Los Angeles Chapter needs YOUR help.

How do we most effectively "FReep" a Memorial Day parade?

Living (and FReeping) behind enemy lines here in RAT-infested Kaliforistan, the "Hollywood Resistance Force" (aka the L.A. Chapter of the Free Republic Network) has traditionally acted a small (but mighty!) band of pro-American "guerilla fighters" - who are always on the ATTACK in this "target rich" environment of Left Coast wackos and Hollywood degenerates.

But for THIS event, we will be among FRiends...

I attended a VERY IMPRESSIVE planning meeting last night for the "First Annual Redondo Beach Memorial Day Parade and Tribute," and this will be an AMAZING event.

We expect 50 to 75 "units" in ths "All American" family-style event, such as:

- the Mayor will ride in a convertible Hummer
- Cub Scouts, Brownies, Boy Scouts, ROTC will "show the colors"
- marching bands, bag pipers, drill teams and drummers will perform
- veterans groups, local dignitaries - and even a "wheel chair brigade" - will ride and walk (and wave)
- and bringing up the rear will be a brand new hook-and-ladder truck from the local Fire Department.

Following the parade, there will be a Dedication/Tribute ceremony with local speakers, a 21-gun salute, etc. - in the Veterans Park bandshell near the beach.

The question is, how do WE fit in?

What can WE do to add to the effectiveness of this event?

To put it bluntly, what can WE do to get the BEST POSSIBLE positive media attention, and drive home the important message that "We Support Our Troops" - present and PAST?

How can we ENHANCE this already wonderful event, and insure that the greatest number of Americans will learn about what we are doing to support VETERANS on Memorial Day?

CLICK HERE for the rest of the thread

[Jessamine]

Please, everyone, do what you can to support this cause. I have met the organizer and seen with my own eyes that he is a good person willing to put great effort into good causes. I have also heard examples from others that he is the kind of person who will do a respectful, fun parade that will honor our veterans and make us all proud. I planned a trip to Montana months ago for the end of May so I will miss the parade but I am donating money.

Don't miss it!