Georgia Peaches Rotting on the Vine

From the department of Be Careful What You Wish For:

After enactment of House Bill 87, a law designed to drive illegal immigrants out of Georgia, state officials appear shocked to discover that HB 87 is, well, driving a lot of illegal immigrants out of Georgia.

It might almost be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

The resulting manpower shortage has forced state farmers to leave millions of dollars’ worth of blueberries, onions and other crops unharvested and rotting in the fields. It has also put state officials into something of a panic at the damage they’ve done to Georgia’s largest industry.

Atlanta Journal Constitution

To point out the obvious, racism has played a heavy role in the crackdown as the demographics of the South shift to a more mestizo hue. Just ask U.S. citizen Marie Justeen Mancha.

 

Billboard Terrorism

Anyone know who paid for this gem? It’s currently on display in Oracle, Arizona.

[UPDATE] The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office says they are not responsible for it and don’t know who commissioned it. Still looking into it…

 

Russell Pearce’s New Email Problem

He’s not backing down from these remarks…yet:

If we are going to have an effect on the anchor baby racket, we need to target the mother. Call it sexist, but that’s the way nature made it. Men don’t drop anchor babies, illegal alien mothers do.

KPHO.com

If he’s still forwarding emails like that, it looks like he failed to learn the lesson of spreading the special brand of hate offered by the white supremacist group National Alliance a couple of years ago.

Shocking.

 

Arizona Bans Ethnic Studies

The Arizona Republican Party continues its campaign of ethnic-cleansing in the state:

Adding insult to injury, the Arizona legislature passed a bill yesterday outlawing ethnic studies programs:

HB 2281 would make it illegal for a school district to have any courses or classes that promote the overthrow of the U.S. government, are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group or advocate ethnic solidarity “instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”

It also would ban classes that “promote resentment toward a race or class of people.”

Taking the long-view, which is painfully difficult when one’s cultura is directly targeted and oppressed in the present, these misguided legislators will go the way of the dinosaurs as every young Latino citizen becomes a voter:

Hispanics make up roughly a third of Arizona’s 6.6 million people, according to the Census Bureau.

But while half of the state’s older Hispanics are immigrants that came to the U.S. either legally or illegally, about 90% of those under 18 were born in the U.S., according to analysis of Census data by Kenneth Johnson, senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire’s Carsey Institute.

“If immigration ended tomorrow, Hispanic births would continue to fuel rapid growth because the population is young and has higher fertility than other groups,” says Mr. Johnson.

Wall Street Journal

The young people will vote, too. Russell Pearce, Jan Brewer, John Huppenthal and the rest of the AZGOP extremists have radicalized the young generation to demand equality and justice for our people.

 

SB1070: Racial Politics and the Boycott

If anything is clear, it’s that the language of Arizona’s SB1070 was written so vague that it’s possible for anyone who is capable of thought to have an opinion on how it could be implemented.

Then there’s Sarah Palin.

She is pretending like racial profiling never happens and the brown menace is simply working ourselves into a frenzy in order to race-bait the white folk and score cheap political points through the lamestream media so that Barack Obama can keep palling around with Kenyan terrorists. Or something:

In an interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity — who introduced the segment by accusing “pro-illegal immigration” protesters of not actually reading the legislation — Sarah Palin said “there is no ability or opportunity in there for the racial profiling” in the law.

Critics have argued that the broader powers of law enforcement officials to stop and question suspected illegals who would, with this legislation, be considered to be “breaking the law” if they are in the state, will inevitably lead to racial profiling.

Palin, however, denied these claims.

Huffington Post

Closer to Arizona, however, the adjective racist is being used quite commonly to describe Arizona’s Shame: SB1070

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called on President Barack Obama to fight a new law signed Friday in Arizona that gives police power to request ID from suspected illegal immigrants.

Grijalva, speaking at a rally Sunday at the Arizona state Capitol, asked Obama to not cooperate with the law, according to the Associated Press.

“We’re going to overturn this unjust and racist law, and then we’re going to overturn the power structure that created this unjust, racist law,” Grijalva said.

The Hill

Watching the debate unfold across this country, the reaction I’ve had most commonly is: “Wow. How very white of you.”

Here’s a perfect example from a usual suspect as he reacts to my brown Congressman of Mexican descent:

REP. STEVE KING: Well, it looks like the case is that, that he’s trying to scare the businesses out of Arizona, or he’s trying to get the businesses to change their position and press the legislature to reverse the law that was just signed by the governor the other day. I’m wondering if we look at the map of Congressman Grijalva’s congressional district if we haven’t already ceded that component of Arizona to Mexico judging by the voice that comes out of him, he’s advocating for Mexico rather than the United States and against the rule of law, which is one of the central pillars of American exceptionalism.

Media Matters video & transcript

You know what that sounds like? The same hate speech that comes from white supremacist vigilante groups that terrorize the border region. It’s that same tone of dismissal that people of color hear everyday. “Oh, there he goes again, advocating for his own kind.”

Poof. Dismissed.

Well, here’s a white guy that agrees with Congressman Grijalva:

Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik tells KGUN9 News that SB 1070, Arizona’s crackdown on illegal immigration, is a “racist law,” and says he has no intention of complying with it. In doing so, Dupnik becomes the first major local law enforcement official to officially rebel against the bill since Governor Jan Brewer signed it into law on Friday.

Dupnik told KGUN9’s Steve Nunez that the law is “disgusting” and “unnecessary.” Dupnik said his deputies plan to keep on doing what they’ve always done. He said when illegal immigrants wind up in his custody, his deputies will detain them for federal agents, but will not take them to the county jail.

Dupnik said he realizes that, under the terms of SB 1070, he could get sued for failing to comply with the law. But he indicated that’s a risk he’s willing to take. Dupnik insisted that federal law supersedes state law.

(via VivirLatino)

Sheriff Dupnik and Congressman Grijalva share a wide swath of the same jurisdiction in Southern Arizona. We are a region that respects our indigenous roots and culture. In fact, we pride ourselves in celebrating all of the representative traditions among our people at every opportunity. It drives conquistadors like Steve King and Russell Pearce nuts.

Let’s stop pretending that SB1070 will be enforced the same for a white snowbird in Scottsdale who decided not to the leave the state during the summer versus a Xicano family that’s celebrating a child’s birthday at Peter Piper Pizza. The whole concept of “attrition through enforcement” is nothing more than a fancy term for ethnic cleansing.

When outsiders get up on their platforms and sneer down their noses at the living mestizaje found here, especially those who insist on passing laws to disrupt our way of life, you can bet a truckload of apple pie that there will be resistance; because we have been targeted for a long time by federal immigration enforcement on land that has been home to our ancestors for centuries. Our skin color, our accents, our language are all suspect to an oppressive federal system that SB1070 expands unjustly.

For several years I’ve been told that I should keep my mouth shut and accept that I’ll be profiled since so many brown people migrate to the U.S. to steal jobs provide for their families. “Sacrifice for the greater good”, I’m told. Well, I have come to a place where I can agree to do that.

I stand with Congressman Grijalva on a boycott of Arizona.

It will be painful for our economy that is barely starting to recover from the Bush Recession, but in order to force the conservatives in power to take racial justice and equality serious, we’ll need to translate the message into their mother tongue: money.

So be it. It’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

 

Quote of the Day

“Would you support deportation of natural-born American citizens that are the children of illegal aliens,” Hunter was asked. “I would have to, yes,” Hunter said. “… We simply cannot afford what we’re doing right now,” he said. “… It takes more than just walking across the border to become an American citizen. It’s what’s in our souls. …”

–Rep. Duncan Hunter, Republican from California

At least he’s honest.

 

Russell Pearce’s Next Target: Migrant Youth

Russell Pearce, the Arizona State Senator who authored SB1070, is no-where-near finished with his attempts to “take back his country state by state” from the “invaders“. He has another bill pending in the state legislature that would go even further to cause fear and panic in Latino and migrant communities – by pitting schools against the families they serve.

Senate Bill 1097 would create the following mandates on the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and school districts:

1. Requires ADE to collect data on students enrolled in Arizona school districts who cannot demonstrate proof of legal U.S. residence.

2. Requires ADE to annually submit a report to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate and a furnish a copy to the Secretary of State which includes:

a) summary of the collected data on a district by district basis;

b) research on the adverse impact of the enrollment of students unable to show proof of legal residence;

c) total estimated total cost to Arizona taxpayers for their education; and

d) the total estimated cost to Arizona taxpayers for the education of students who are not U.S. citizens.

3. Authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to withhold a school district’s state aid apportionment for non-compliance with the requirements related to data collection for students who cannot demonstrate proof of legal U.S. residence.

AZleg.gov

Got that? This is the next step in Operation Wetback 2010. Pearce’s goal is to make the environment in Arizona so toxic for migrant families that they flee. He has stated this outright:

“My personal background in law enforcement has given me a unique and in-touch perspective with the needs and hazards experienced by rank-and-file police officers and the threats to our citizens. Closing our borders is a must; however it must be coupled with interior enforcement. Attrition by enforcement. I cannot stand by and be a spectator to the death, maiming or damage to another police officer, citizen or taxpayer by an illegal alien because we refuse to enforce our laws and fail to put America and Americans First.”

Phoenix Business Journal (emphasis mine)

As I wrote in a previous post, don’t let these conservative pharisees fool you: they love to complain about overcrowded schools and blame “illegals” but they won’t do anything constructive to make sure our school systems are fully funded in the first place. They don’t believe in government, period.

While the outrage being poured out nationally in response to SB1070 is a good (and much-needed) thing, it’s also defense. We have to be proactive and fight these un-American initiatives before they are signed into law by nativist Governors. Please speak out against SB 1097 – our schools should remain safe institutions of learning, not another venue that provides opportunity for an ICE raid.

• Contact your state legislators
• Contact Governor Brewer and ask for her veto if it passes the leg
• Alert the media as to why this is a harmful step for Arizona
• Educate your family & friends on Russell Pearce’s Operation Wetback 2010
• Vote against any candidates listed as members of the Arizona Republican Party

 

Quotes from a White Supremacist

The Arizona Daily Star has an article published today outlining the latest efforts by Russell “National Alliance” Pearce to force local law enforcement and officials to enact Operation Wetback throughout the state in the form of SB1070.

In the article, a white supremacist posing as a credible source is given the opportunity to spread his bigotry:

Glenn Spencer, president and founder of American Border Patrol, a nonprofit group that aerially monitors the border, favors stricter illegal-immigration policies.

He said he generally was in favor of Pearce’s bill, provided it includes sufficient limits on interagency information-sharing.

“It’s time we have to stretch the envelope” (on immigration enforcement), he said. “It’s time we have to take some firm action.” Loose immigration policies, he said, would be tantamount to “importing poverty” and would “destroy Arizona.”

Here’s a refresher, courtesy of the Southern Poverty Law Center on some of Mr. Spencer’s previous rants:

“Americans, especially white Americans, should get out of California — now, before it is too late to salvage the equity they have in their homes and the value of their businesses.”
— Glenn Spencer, “White Fight or Flight,” American Patrol website, 2003

And the Anti-Defamation League has this to say about him:

Spencer’s rhetoric departed sharply from that of legitimate immigration reform groups; Spencer did not target immigration so much as he targeted Hispanics, particularly those of Mexican origin, regardless of whether they were immigrants or not. Many of his writings and comments were simply thinly veiled diatribes against “Mexicans” (like many anti-Hispanic activists, Spencer rarely differentiated between Mexicans and Americans of Mexican descent). In a 1996 letter to the Los Angles Times, for example, Spencer said that “the Mexican culture is based on deceit.” Spencer denied the letter was racist. “It has nothing to do with race,” he said. “It has to do with culture…there’s no way to pass enough laws to protect yourself from a deceitful culture.”

linkage – .pdf warning

The Star should teach its apprentices the importance of researching who they’re using as quotable sources before allowing them free reign on its pages to escalate the already dangerous situation for Latinos in Arizona.

 

The Magic Words

Nearly three years ago at this blog, I recounted this incident at a Mexican food restaurant in Tempe, Arizona:

On Sunday I was eating breakfast with one of my closest amigas at a Mexican restaurant in downtown Tempe. As we were chatting, a raised voice gonged its way through the room from the front register area. It was an older Anglo gentleman with a camouflaged baseball hat adorned upon his salt and peppered hairy head.

He was berating the woman at the register because he claimed she was overcharging him for four pints of frijoles. Berate is one word for it, the other would be humiliate and denigrate. He cussed her out as if she had just spit on the grave of his mother.

The woman was visibly shaking, but in as forceful a tone as she could muster, told him that he needed to not be disrespectful to her nor the rest of the customers. He continued on his tirade, and at that point the entire dining room had stopped their conversations and tuned into the show.

My blood was at a rolling boil at that point. I wanted to intervene but the line hadn’t been crossed yet – she was handling it fine on her own.

Until.

First, he demeaned the way she spoke English. It was flawless, but apparently her accent was too much for him to handle. Second, he uttered the words that got me out of my booth and in his face, “Go back to where you came from!“

As I walked up and stared him down, he was standing at the exit and continued to yell offensive mierda. I told him that if he didn’t leave, I would be the one to call the cops. After telling me to go Cheney myself and that I wouldn’t dare do any of that, he ended his temper tantrum and left.

Those magic words: “Go back to where you came from!” are a perfect example of the garbage that is still prevalent in this so-called post-racial society. I’ve had that incantation of hate called down upon my head a few times over the years and can only respond with a hearty laugh as I recall the many times I’ve visited my great-great-great-great grandmother’s grave that is within a ten minute drive of my parents’ casa aquí en Arizona.

Even if I was from a family with a recent immigration story, the phrase says more about the person who sharted it out than the target. It reeks of ignorance, bigotry, and desperation as the world changes despite the failed efforts of teabagger thuggery. Not only failed, but unoriginal:

Looks like black and gay lawmakers aren’t the only ones being pelted with vicious slurs by folks who oppose the health reform proposal. Add a Hispanic lawmaker to the list. Trifecta!

Rep Ciro Rodriguez of Texas has confided to colleages that he was hammered by ethnic slurs by people opposed to reform passing, one of those colleagues tells me.

[snip]

Rodriguez’s spokesperson, Rebeca Chapa, gets in touch to say that he was slammed as a “wetback” by an anti-reform protestor at a town meeting this week.

And another opponent called Rodriguez’ home and told the family member who answered to “go back to Mexico.”

linkage

How does that Gandhi quote go? Ah yes:

“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.”

 

Lou Dobbs Resigning Immediately from CNN

Don’t let the puerta hit you on the nalgas on the way out, Lou!

Lou Dobbs, the longtime CNN anchor whose anti-immigration views have made him a TV lightning rod, plans to announce Wednesday that he is leaving the network, two network employees said. A CNN executive confirmed that Mr. Dobbs will announce his resignation plans on his 7 p.m. program. His resignation is effective immediately; tonight’s program will be his last on CNN. His contract was not set to expire until the end of 2011.

NYTimes’ Media Decoder Blog

Great work to all the activist bloggers and campaigns like BastaDobbs.com and DropDobbs.com for pointing out the violence that has been given shelter by media hacks like him.