Racists are taking advantage of immigration anxiety

Seem to be right in the same camp with them.
I've been seeing DU'ers actually posting crap from rightwing sources amplifying the hate mongering going on.

I am just repulsed by the hatred and (yes!) RACISM coming from some DUers on this issue.

We call them on it and they get angry! Hey guess what? If you spout racist rhetoric and cite racist sources, you sound like a xenophobic racist!! Such a no-brainer shouldn't be up for debate.

I don't feel at home at this site so much anymore because of it. If i wanted to post on a site full of xenophobes, scapegoaters and lou dobbs supporters I would hang at some right wing discussion board. making this racist shit into some sort of "looking out for workers" issue is really beyond pathetic. :shrug:

I never thought I would say that. Maybe I just need a vacation. But I am so sick of the crap. I thought we were progressives here. And aren't progressives human rights activists??

Believe me blacks and Mexican's are to,I have run into plenty of them.

Which thread?

A light of disillusionment.

... falling for it. It's also sad to see racist sources cited... and the hatred... sad, so very sad.

Is this how it started then? I was just a kid but my dad finally told me I couldn't watch the news anymore because it always made me cry. Too many stories of kids - my age - being hurt and killed just because of the color of their skin. It still gets to me.

So am I now watching a new racist hate campaign start? I am an adult now. My dad can't tell me to stop watching the news or reading the internetS. And I want to STOP the hate. Wish I knew what to do.

I was never blocked from the news by my parents and was free to make up my own mind as I grew up. I believe that much of the racial violence is spawned by poorly enforced immigration laws due to cooperate cons being so willing to hire labore at slave wages.

Racial hatred is not something that is born into people but must be taught and it is taught in America by cons that laugh all the way to the bank with their dirty profits.

My parents were also very progressive. We marched for civil rights when I was a child. We did all the boycotts too - even the local amusement park that didn't let Blacks in, even though we kids weren't too happy about that boycott.

I absolutely cannot relate to this hatred. And I guess that's a good thing.

Welcome to DU :hi:

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

:hi: :hi: :hi:

... he committed against the native people... people of color. Racism lives. Let's hope that justice overcomes it someday.

every night as a young child. It's been a valuable lesson about the nature of man ever since. Then when I started reading the Bible, I read about that same nature. I realized that the nature of man has never changed. There will always be a group that wants to be above and better than another group. It's been that way throughout time. And it will always be that way.

I did read the paper. And every news magazine that came in the mail. And we took them all.

I think he did the right thing. Think of all the DUers who don't even have TV. You really can keep up with what is happening in the world without watching TV news.

Forgive them for they know not what they do.

That is my only way to handle the racism from Democrats.

What makes me smile a little is thinking that to the RepubliCONS, all DEMOCRATS are ILLEGALS.

We don't count! They don't even count our VOTES!

I agree that our government needs to get compassionate and workable guidelines and programs designed to fix this problem.

However, as long as GW is at the helm, it will be HATE FILLED and EVIL solution, just like they want it to be.

You call everyone who does not want the massive influx of illegal immigration to continue a racist, a bigot, or a xenophobe. Very little of what they are saying is right wing rhetoric and is actually rooted in the Democratic party. In reality, all this name calling and judgmentalism is more bigoted than are the people you attack.

... and putting words into proud2Blib' mouth. She has not said what you claim that she has said.

Did you even read the articles in the OP? It's about racists & bigots taking advantage of other people's anxieties & fears. Manipulation of the masses. Remember the 'terror alerts'? Remember the furor over gay marriage? Well, here we are again.

is call names. I am for the working poor of this country and there are millions of them. Illegals are coming here at a rate of 10,000 per day and the open border crowd thinks it's a good thing.

I think it would be a good thing if the open border crowd left the doors open to their house just in case someone needed a place to stay or food. And maybe they could give their belongings to the Illegals also because they are only here looking for a better way of life for their family's.

And don't stop there give them a share of your income after all our economy is doing great as per bush and it seems the open border crowd agrees.

I would also like to see amnesty given to all bank robbers after all the bank doesn't need that money as bad as the robbers do they only came to rob the bank to give their family's a better way of life.

Protecting our Country and our Borders is Patriotic.
Calling an illegal immigrant an undocumented immigrant is like calling a burglar an uninvited house guest.

I have never called anyone names and most of the time back up what I say with facts and real life experiences.

it happen.

It is surely not the huge percentage of posters that I know that want a SOLUTION by our government not the MINUTEMEN.

GW could have hired more Border Patrol a looooooog time ago but he didn't.

Why not?

Because he wanted the free labor to come here to make his rich friends richer.

He doesn't give one iota about YOU or ME and how it will affect US.

His health care, education etc. will not be affected on little tiny bit.

So if you want to put down the "Open Border Crowd" send a letter to Congress and address another one to GW, see how much they care.

and reducing it to an absurd exercise in name-calling. You don't support open borders? Well then, you're a racist. Give them specific reasons why open borders would be disastrous for society, and they'll tell you that it's just a rationalization of your underlying racism.

There's no discussion here of actual problems and solutions, just race-baiting so they can play their trump card, the Race Card.

Every country on the planet has immigration laws. But if the U.S. has immigrations laws, it's racist? That is so ridiculous it is not even worth debating.

problem... I was accused of "inspiring hate crimes" because I dared to mention the massive influx of immigrants. IMHO, the intolerance, ignorance, and race-baiting by the extremist faction of the "open border crowd" has as much to do with the increasing tensions as the rhetoric of the extremists in the "round 'em up" crowd...

I work with them and they feel the hate. That hate is not rooted in the Democratic party. LOL

But I will play. Tell me, what is rooted in the Democratic party that says we should call human beings 'illegals' and tell them to go back to where they came from? What roots of the Democratic party condone employers paying slave wages, and when that results in American workers losing their jobs, the workers are blamed instead of the corporations? What roots in the Democratic party say it is okay to lie and blame undocumented Hispanic immigrants for everything from street crime to diseases? What roots of the party teach us that it is okay to lie and say undocumented workers are using social services our tax dollars pay for? I am very active in Democratic party politics and am a precinct chair in my community. I work with the Democratic party a lot and I have no idea what roots you are referring to.

Read the OP. Do some research. All this talk about "the massive influx of illegal immigrants" is inspiring hate crimes. Is that what you wish to accomplish? That's why I object to the hate speech here.

Though I don't work with them in the way that you do, I interact with them on a regular basis...

"The Democratic Party is committed to keeping our nation safe and expanding opportunity for every American. (*edited sentence) That commitment is reflected in an agenda that emphasizes the security of our nation, strong economic growth, affordable health care for all Americans, retirement security, honest government, and civil rights." www.democrats.org/agenda.html

And this, from the 2006 Democratic party platform:
Today's immigration laws do not reflect our values or serve our security, and we will work for real reform. The solution is not to establish a massive new status of second-class workers; that betrays our values and hurts all working people.

As I see it, the main concerns expressed here on DU, regarding immigration, are that
1) our national security is being compromised due to lack of border control and flaws in immigration procedures.
2) A massive new status of second-class workers IS being established, which
3) hurts all working people

You need to realize that anger and dissatisfaction with the current immigration situation does not necessarily translate to HATE of POOR people with BROWN SKIN. You consistently make this juxtaposition, which comes across as contentious and highly offensive, and does nothing to further productive communication.

Apparently you think that when people use the term "illegal immigrants", they are suggesting that the individuals referred to are inherently illegal, rather than that their actions are illegal. That is illogical and when you attack people for using that term, it again squelches intelligent dialogue. A) They are immigrants, and B) they are breaking the law by sneaking in. Don't assume that people who use the term "illegal immigrants" HATE the immigrants. And don't assume that they hate people with brown skin which again is a leap to judgement that is not reasonable in most cases where I have seen you do it.

Many of us here feel that our government is corrupt and does not have our best interests in mind. We believe we are losing control of our democracy, and that the country is falling apart at the seams. We have problems with MANY issues, but in regard to the immigration issue, we do not blame the immigrants for wanting better lives, and DO blame the corporations who are benefiting from exploitation of cheap labor sources here and abroad. But we want a measured flow of legal immigration and feel that we need to fix our own flawed and near-bankrupt systems first.

As an active Democratic party politico and a precinct chair in your community, you should know that the Democratic party has always primarily been an advocate for the working class. You should also know that it is a FACT that many illegal/undocumented aliens/workers and their children are recipients of tax-funded social services. I am amazed and disappointed that you continue to spew such inaccuracies...

Here you accused me of lying for saying that it is illegal to turn people away who are in need of medical care. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2645989&mesg_id=2651138 You have not responded to the posts where a California medical worker told you that YOU are the one posting inaccurate information, and that he has "given free medical care to many illegal aliens and it WAS paid for by U.S. Tax Dollars. None of these patients were in danger of dying." Why don't you respond to this?

I will continue to talk about the massive influx of illegal immigrants. Your thoughtless insults and race-baiting might be inspiring hate crimes as well. Did you ever think of that?

... illegal migrants (i.e. "undocumented workers"). There's a kind of total blindness to to how the racism charge is being used in the U.S. (and DU) to continue (1) the virtually unstemmed flow of illegal migrants across the borders, (2) the creation of yet another huge bolus of non-citizen, non-voting cheap labor, and (3) the continued corporate neo-colonialism in Mexico that is racist, denies people a decent education, and increasingly favors the Mexican "ruling class" to the exclusion of immigrants, indigenous people, and anything resembling justice.

There is absolutely nothing significant in any of the proposed legislation that (1) comes down on scofflaw U.S. employers or (2) brings a foot down on the horrible economic and political system in Mexico. These are the core problems - not race.

Fucking close-minded, knee-jerk idiots. :shrug:

:sarcasm:



As I said in post #29... Did you even read the articles in the OP? It's about racists & bigots taking advantage of other people's anxieties & fears. Manipulation of the masses. Remember the 'terror alerts'? Remember the furor over gay marriage? Well, here we are again.

... there's no question that racists climb aboard any convenient 'issue' and see it through the lens of their bigotries. Even though their stances are based in ignorance and animosity, it is just as invalid to agree with them because they're racists as it is to disagree with them because they're racists! People who cannot arrive at just and valid positions absent the considerations of race are just as intellectually crippled whether or not they're invariably aligned with racists or invariably opposed to racists. Letting the opinions of such people take over one's own independent ability to form one's own opinions is a mental/emotional incapacity, imho.

Cheap-labor corporatists have used the toxicity of racism to exploit and divide the working class for centuries! It seems they're again successful. That's appalling.


I would like to say that I don't care about a person's 'race,' but that's not really true. I find myself positively inclined to form relationships and join communities based on differences and variety of personal background. For me personally, diversity is not to be 'tolerated - it's to be enjoyed and celebrated. I'm more likely to be bored shitless in the company of my own demographic. I regard demographic diversity as stimulating, educational, and advantageous. So, I guess I'm prejudiced. Sue me.
:puke:

... that they are racists. After all, we've got to keep those "illegals" out, don't we? :sarcasm:

The racist agenda really seems to be gaining momentum... that's appalling.

Such intellectual dishonesty is the hallmark of today's GOP. :puke:

And exactly to which comments/posts are your referring?

The "racist agenda" indeed. :eyes: Is that kept in the same file as the "gay agenda"? What total crap! :puke:

Condescending innuendoes are unappealing, at best. :shrug:

I'll as again: Who is "Broad-brush smearing of people with whom one disagrees"? And exactly to which comments/posts are your referring?

Please, I need it spelled out... as you've implied earlier, I must be "intellectually crippled", or afflicted w/a "a mental/emotional incapacity", or perhaps just too stupid to comprehend what you are saying.

I've gotten enough smarmy replies. I think I made myself quite clear in my post entitled "Look..." above. All I got was crap in return.

Bye. :hi:

I hope so because it is difficult for me to believe that liberal Democrats would wish to stir up hate and prejudice.

That would be playing right into the playbook of ROVER and his CONS

Just look to the articles in the OP to see who's doing the playing.

but many of the DUers I have argued with on this issue, who worship Lou Dobbs and call human beings illegal, are longtime members here.

:cry:

and it got interesting, to say the least :)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2649837

I think it's curious that FAUX gets attacked for its bias, while Lou Dobbs is defended for his.

I figure it's only a matter of time before he is hired to work there.

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken

And, as usual, it's working.

This whole "crisis" is all about politics and demagogues like Dobbs counting on the suckers to react the way they did when Iraq was a "threat".

It's accurate. It covers the facts and makes no unproven assertions. Why logic is such an enigma to some posters, I guess, is a mystery.

People easily understand that T --> T (true implies true) is a true kind of reasoning. A valid reason for a valid conclusion is valid reasoning.

People easily understand that F --> F is a true kind of reasoning. A false reason for a false conclusion is true reasoning.

People easily understand that T --> F is a false kind of reasoning. A true reason yielding a false conclusion is obviously illogical.

But people scratch their heads when told that F --> T is true reasoning. You get the right result; the faulty nature of the premise doesn't deny the trueness of the conclusion; getting to 'true' is the name of the game.

For some history, some opinions, and some sanity. I couldn't tell the difference between left and right ideology on the issue in many places, although I will say strictly freeper type site were blatantly racist and evidently proud of it. Others covered racism with economics.
I looked up impact on wages, unions, cost of living, the impact of illegal immigration on legal immigration. I tried to get a variety of opinions. There is no general consensus. But what I did get a feel for is our current immigration policies aren't working and haven't been for a while, and part of the reason they aren't working is government approach law enforcement. I see I'm going to have to get a couple of books to get a better handle on this stuff.
http://www.uscis.gov/graphics/publicaffairs/factsheets/948.htm
Here is one of those sites that states it is bipartisan, and going through it, it seems to be. It's full of statistics and opinion pieces that are interesting, although I don't agree with all of them
http://www.cis.org/aboutcis.html
And this is a very interesting article that's basically saying the government is making too much money from illegal immigration to stop it
http://www.cis.org/aboutcis.html
But I agree, the ultimate goal, as always, is stirring that tired old fire, fear and hatred of of the "other." And if the "other" happens to have skin of a different shade, it makes it so much easier.

http://rightweb.irc-online.org/profile/1452

You are right though, it's a tough subject. I think both sides have advocates that are using the issue to their own advantage.

Nothing has changed in about the past 50 years, Mexicans have been coming over the border illegally for decades.

Given that's the case, the "problem" is only solved with a new approach toward immigration regulations regarding a neighboring country. (Mexico and Canada).

If we let them come and go by giving them a visa they would enter legally and exit in an orderly way.

1. We'd know who they are and that would be better for those allegedly concerned about security

2. They'd be legal so employers could not pay them less, so they wouldn't get jobs that could go to Americans, even if there is an overlap between what jobs they are doing and what unemployed Americans want to work at, unless they were patently better workers for the job at hand.

3. It would put the coyotes and organized crime related to getting Mexicans over the border out of business.

4. The government could concentrate on enforcement regarding more dangerous things (like the alleged hordes of terrorist from the mideast planning attacks on US soil).

5. It would work better for all than the hopeless attempt to "seal" such a long border.

It's not that they just have holy respect for the law (ask them how often they speed), it's that this particular law must be "enforced" because of the dark-skinned hordes. Our country for US.

... as publically "out" racist folks.

As long as they can say, with a straight face, that THEY THEMSELVES have no "ulterior racial motive", they have no problem whatsoever being on the same team as racist folks.

How about actually arguing some reasons for why we should allow the exploitation by greedy corporations, allow open borders, allow illegal immigrants into the country instead of crying racism or xenophobe and hoping it will scare people into shutting up? Then we could actually have a dialog instead throwing around the "racist" and "corporatist" firebombs.

... and hoping it will scare people into shutting up?"

Here are a few "racist" firebombs (& the SPLC is not throwing them; the racists are)...



I agree that we need to have a dialogue, but recognizing & rejecting racism needs to be part of that dialogue.

... is playing hard and loose with stats. Saying that hate groups have grown by 33% since 2000 isn't a big shock. But, trying to imply that all these new hate groups are linked to the recent focus on illegal immigration is intellectually dishonest. There have been some huge things that have happened in the last six years that would lead to the spread of hate groups that do not involve illegal immigration at all (9/11, the RW's focus on homosexuals).

As for the events that the article lists, that is what racist idiots do. Do you really think that the KKK, Neo-Nazis, and other bigots have just recently started hating Hispanics because of the media focus? The SPLC could have written almost the exact same article about anti-homosexual groups during the 2004 election, and anti-Muslim groups after 9/11. I think that it is dishonest to try to link these groups to people that have genuine concerns about illegal immigration as if they are the driving force behind them.

Throwing a racist or xenophobic charge around stifles debate and only pushes people further into the fringe. I think most DUers are smart enough to tell the difference between racism and concern for the working class.

As the article points out, racists are trying to exploit others' "genuine concerns about illegal immigration"... fanning the flames.

Whenever I try and explain this point, all I get is screaming about how I support illegal immigration. I think we need to be careful how we approach this issue, because the racists can take advantage. To some people, every Hispanic person they see, they call an illegal without even knowing them. I think if we are not careful, we could create a very dangerous environment of prejudice. I don't support illegal immigration, but I don't support prejudice either.

This thread was about racists taking advantage of immigration anxiety, not about open borders or support for illegal immigration. It was not about implying that everyone who is anti-immigration is racist, either; that is certainly not the case. Yet, you would think, from some of the replies, that I am pro-illegal immigration, pro-open borders, etc., and calling everyone who is anti-immigration a racist. People will assume what they want. The racist/prejudiced/bigoted environment exists; we're not creating it.

Give me a break, dude. I don't give a damn what someone's skin color is. I don't care where they are from. But I am completely against illegal immigration. I am completely against amnesty. It has nothing to do with skin color. It has to do with the law. The law states that you cannot enter this country without permission. Every nation on the planet has the same law. You can't just walk into any nation you damn well please.

You people that support open-borders are nothing but pro-corporation and anti-worker. Because allowing these people to stay, and to allow millions more to walk across our border, will do nothing but put strain on the middle and lower class. The unskilled labor pool will be flooded. And wages will be driven downward. This is what happens when poverty is imported. And this is exactly what the corporations and politicians want.

Maybe when you are layed off and your job is given to an immigrant willing to work twice as many hours for half the pay...maybe then you will wake up and figure out what is really going on.

No one has labeled you or anyone else a racist, you are being much to defensive here. What is being pointed out is the racist element to this debate. No one supports open borders, so that accusation is way off.

Give me a break, "dude".

You make a lot of assumptions w/your "you people" comments; have I stated whether or not I support open borders?

Do you think that closing the borders & deporting illegal immigrants will suddenly result in corporations raising wages? Do you think that they will miraculously raise their employees' wages if none of their employees are illegal immigrants?

News Flash: poverty is already here... you can visit Poverty, USA @ http://www.usccb.org/cchd/povertyusa/realwords.shtml

Someone would have to be very naive to not expect a rise in hate group activity as an outcome.
I argued that this was a "southern strategy" where the pols were actually trying to exploit racism for votes. It definitely looks that way in MO with southern legislators signing on and sponsoring state anti-immigration legislation.
One legislator said he didn't want to drive by and "see" an illegal immigrant working in the place of someone else.
How does a person drive by and "see" immigration status from a distance?