Turn Left, Cornell's Premier Liberal Voice, speaks to the Congressional demonization of immigrants and, thus, to the righteousness of The Great American Boycott of 2006, or El Gran Paro Americano 2006. [via Night Bird's Fountain]
Proposed Immigration Bill forces the Right to Choose between Racism and Greed
The debate, which to this point, has involved both branches of Congress, as well as President Bush, has centered around HR 4437, a bill proposed by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) that classifies all undocumented immigrants as aggravated felons, denies such immigrants social services, permits the indefinite detention of foreigners, and criminalizes a broad list of activities aimed at helping out or working with undocumented immigrants. The bill, which also includes provisions for constructing more walls to cover one-third of the US-Mexico border, has been passed by the House of Representatives and is now being debated in the US Senate. . .
The questionable claim by conservative zealots such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) that the US-Mexico border is a uniquely dangerous terrorist threat (whether or not this argument is thinly-veiled anti-Mexican sentiment) is entirely silent on the issue of human rights of Mexican citizens. Unfortunately, President Bush’s economic opposition to the current anti-immigrant sentiment is equally silent; it speaks more from greed than from a concern for human rights. On both sides of the debate on HR 4437, the Right has specific interests in perpetuating this silence. It is time that the rest of us break it.
Read the whole thing
Meanwhile, here in Tennessee, thousands of immigrants are staying home today, while local shock jock Phil Valentine holds angry white male pep rallies and threatens to publish a list of immigrant-sympathetic businesses on his raging male hormones website.
Bush Frist Immigration Demonstrations Immigrant Rights Boycott Progressive Era Great American Boycott El Gran Paro Americano Bush Tennessee
