Guymon Daily Herald Reports Newspaper Racks Vandalized by Racists

As a followup to my recent post, Nativist Hatred in Goodwell, I thought I’d share with my readers an article that recently appeared in the Guymon Daily Herald, by staff writer Miranda Gilbert:

GDH newspaper racks vandalized

Photo caption: Here’s an example of the propaganda that can be seen on our own Guymon Daily Herald racks. Photo credit: Heather Avey

A group against illegal immigrants are now protesting – illegally.

Paper signs boasting racial slurs next to God’s name were found glued to newspaper racks this week, including the Guymon Daily Herald’s dispensers at Wal-Mart and Dizzy B’s.

The signs appear to be an advertisement, with the fine print reading “Paid for by the Citizen’s for Public Awareness” but no contract was signed for the $50 a week advertisement block.

“They have not paid us for that spot,” said GDH Circulation Manager Peggy Martinez, who has discovered the signs sporadically through the week. “It is a paid advertising spot, but no one from this group has contacted us.”

Law enforcement was notified of the vandalism and an investigation is under way at the Guymon Police Department.

“They’re worried about immigrants breaking the law, ‘illegals,’ but what they’re doing is illegal,” Martinez said.

The signs say, “Support ‘Operation Wetback’ Thou shall enter a country legally. Thou shall leave a country lawfully — God. Support removal of illegals Call Congress.”

Another sign listed the US code and section which states that harboring, abetting and employing illegal aliens is a crime and listed the phone number for Immigration Custom Enforcement (ICE).

Anyone with information may call CRIMESTOPPERS at 1-800-766-0146 or 338-1899. Callers can remain anonymous.

Whoever put these signs up were cowards, and yes, criminals. And since I am somewhat of a night owl, if I happen to see anyone trying to do this in the future, I’ll be immediately making a few phone calls.

Cross-posted from The Mahatma X Files

 

Nativist Hatred in Goodwell

As I was fixing to leave Goodwell this afternoon to run some errands in a neighboring town, I noticed the following two racist signs on adjacent dumpsters at College Corner, a local convenience store. Of course I didn’t have my camera handy at the time, so I waited until this evening to get a couple shots of the offending signs. The only identifying information I could find was on one that claimed it was paid for by some entity called “Citizens for Public Awareness.” A quick drive around town suggests that College Corner was the only location where these signs were posted. Given that store’s location – right across the street from the university campus – I’m guessing the perps were shooting for maximum visibility.

Similar signs have been found in Arizona, as witnessed by my friend Manny, and an ASU student who shot the following video:

I recall that Manny was hoping to research the group behind the signs, so perhaps he’ll chime in and offer some insight. From what I’ve been able to gather, this Citizens for Public Awareness organization doesn’t exactly have much presence on the internet. That said, what little info I’ve been able to dredge up suggests that its founder and president, Nancy Schaefer, has been known to make nativist statements in the past. So, assuming this is the same group, the signs are definitely in character.

I’ll likely be making a few phone calls Monday to see who has jurisdiction over dumpsters, and see what it’ll take to get the signs removed.

All that aside, there is something fittingly symbolic of racist garbage like the above signs glued to dumpsters.

For those requiring some context, here’s a little something on nativism.

Cross-posted from The Mahatma X Files.

 

The Civil Rights Initiative That Wasn’t

I thought I’d follow up on a previous post that has touched a nerve with one our state’s “progressive” bloggers who seems to be in support something called the Oklahoma Civil Rights Initiative. A taste of some of the official propaganda for the initiative can be found here. A quick Google search will turn up more propaganda as well as plenty of right-wing bloggers and pundits who are just giddy about the prospect of ending affirmative action in Oklahoma (three other states are being targeted during the upcoming election cycle: Arizona, Colorado, and Missouri). Of course the same search will also turn up the other side of the story, for those willing to keep a sufficiently open mind to read (for the initiative’s die-hard proponents, that won’t happen of course).

We learn from one source that since a similar initiative was passed in California, the proportion of women hired at UC Irvine has plummeted – I’m under the impression that similar phenomena can be found throughout California and Washington – the two states with the lengthiest histories of life after the passage of this initiative. The blog Freedom and Reason offers an expose of the folks behind the initiative: Ward Connerly, David Horowitz, the Richard Mellon Scaife Foundation, among others. The McCarville Report Online has Rep. Mike Shelton’s statement against the initiative. On a similar note, see this NewsOk.com story.

See also Oklahoma Women’s Network Blog. On a related note, check Arthur Silber’s Racist Nation, to better understand the Zeitgeist that would make such ballot initiatives (along with a host of other policies) acceptable to so many – including those who really should know better. Stay tuned…

Crossposted from The Mahatma X Files

 

So, HB 1804 was only the beginning

Looks like the individual who authored HB 1804 is at it again. For a little education on HB 1804, which went into effect on Nov. 1, go here. Jim Branum offered a summary of the legislation’s implications (along with a call to action that went largely unnoticed) that is also worth reading just to get up to speed.

Via Okie Funk:

Terrill, who authored House Bill 1804, which gave Oklahoma some of the strictest anti-illegal immigration laws in the nation, has started publicly calling his next initiative “son of 1804 bill” in a political stunt that can only be viewed as calculated and mean-spirited. People’s lives are at stake here. Maybe we should ditch the colorful nomenclature.

The new laws essentially make it illegal for anyone to help an undocumented person and cuts off state aid to anyone here illegally. Under Terrill’s new, proposed initiatives, English would become the state’s official language, law enforcement agencies could seize assets used to help undocumented workers and school districts would have to provide more extensive reporting on students here illegally.

Apparently the only criticism that the Daily Oklahoman can muster up is along the lines of, “Terrill is too excited” and should “slow down.” Yeah, that’s telling him. I’m willing to bet that he’ll have next to no opposition from either the GOP (like that even needed to be said) or the Democrats. Heck, Brad Henry had no issues with signing HB 1804 into law, and the apparent progressive (I use the term very loosely) “savior” in next year’s US Senatorial race, Andrew Rice, seemed to have no problem with voting in favor of the legislation last spring. These politicians and their supporters have made it crystal clear in words and in deeds that individuals and families fleeing starvation are merely üntermenschen, and shall be treated as such. Our corporate and political elites have historically had a “love” (as in love the cheap labor)/hate relationship with those immigrating to El Norte. These days, in Oklahoma, it is hate that comes to the forefront. As a Christian, I find that entirely unacceptable.

Note: crossposted from The Mahatma X Files

 

"Ooooooklahoma…

…where the wingnuts spread across the plain.

And the laws they pass will smell like ass;
While the brown folk are targeted for pain.”

Alright, I’ll spare you the rest of my pre-caffeinated lyrical desecration. Not that there isn’t good reason for it:

An Oklahoma State House of Representatives committee approved a strict immigration bill on Wednesday for a full vote in the Oklahoma House. The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act of 2007 [HB 1804 text, DOC] seeks to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining state identification, and would require all state and local agencies to verify citizenship status of applicants before authorizing benefits. The bill would also require public employers to enter job applicants into an electronic immigration database to verify legal status, and would repeal a 2003 law that permits illegal immigrants to attend state colleges at in-state tuition levels.

It looks like my former state of residence is going the way of Georgia. Let’s review the consequences.

• less people will have any form of identification.
• racial profiling will run rampant anytime a “suspected” undocumented immigrant seeks any type of assistance from the state or local government.
• more databases of identification information will be collected by the government, and we all know how secure that information remains.
• less educational opportunities will be offered to people already residing in the state.

Of course, these bullets (pun intended), hold true no matter where sweeping legislation like this is enacted. They are usually accompanied with some type of dog whistle bill that signals to all the white folk that the American™ culture is under assault. The Okies in the State Legislature, like good little TancredoBots, are following the plan to a T:

The Oklahoma legislature is also now considering the Oklahoma English Language Act [HB 1423 text, DOC], which would require all official business of the state to be conducted in English, with exceptions. AP has more.

Oh, the irony. I wonder if they’ll get rid of the peace pipe and non-assimilated feathers on the state flag too?

Brand new state!
Brand new state, gonna treat you great!

Not.

Crossposted at Booman Tribune