Thread: Geraldo vs. Joey Vento....Illegal alien debate

http://thebigtalker1210.com/pages/1959880.php?




Talk of illegal immigration causes controversy, fear and charges of intolerance on both sides of the issue. There is disagreement on everything from cultural identity to assimilation into American society.

The Big Talker 1210 AM and the Philadelphia Daily News present a live, one-of-a-kind debate between journalist and author Geraldo Rivera and Joey Vento, owner of Geno’s Steaks, known for his “ORDER IN ENGLISH SIGN.â€

This should be interesting! Will there be referees and cages?

GO JOEY VENTO!!!!!!

i hope joey slaps geraldo with a philly steak . just for being geraldo

I personally don't understand why anyone would argue with jerkraldo the moron. A TOTAL waste of time!

I'd love to hear this! I've put it on my reminders so if we can listen on the web I'll remember to link up!

I saw him and Mayor Lou on glenn beck Last night and it was great! I think glenn is going to do his border crisis segment tonight.

Also c-span is doing a special on illegal immigration on sat. from Hazelton PA. Should be good!

Thanks for the heads up legalatina.

Made note of and will do my best to hear this.

But first, primary voters in my home state of Pennsylvania will finally go to the polls next week. The candidates have been all over, but there are two places where none will travel -- Geno`s Steaks in Philadelphia and the city of Hazleton. And why not?

Well, because of their respective roles in the battle over illegal immigration. Geno`s used to be a must-stop for presidential candidates making the rounds. But that has stopped ever since proprietor Joe Vento put a sign in his window requesting the patrons, "Please speak and order only in English." Vento was recently the subject of discrimination charges by the city`s Human Relations Commission, charges denied and beat.

Hazleton has seen its stock plummet in the same way despite its location in the hotly contested coal region of the northeastern part of Pennsylvania. Mayor Lou Barletta had the audacity to punish employers who hire illegals and the landlords who rent them. The mayor has even gone so far as to invite the presidential contenders to tour Hazleton to see the problems he`s dealing with and to discuss the illegal immigration issue.

None have accepted. Not one candidate can find the time for a business owner in South Philly or the mayor of Hazleton. Hopefully, it`s not a sign of how they`ll handle this issue from the White House.

The owner of Geno`s Steaks, you know him by now, Joe Vento, and Hazleton mayor, Lou Barletto, joining me as well.

Hey, Joey, who was the last of the presidential candidates to come to Geno`s?

JOE VENTO, OWNER, GENO`S STEAKS: Bill Clinton.

SMERCONISH: And that was in what cycle, do you remember? It was not his reelection.

VENTO: No, no. It`s `92.

SMERCONISH: Wasn`t -- but hasn`t been back?

VENTO: No. Hasn`t been back.

SMERCONISH: Nobody`s been back?

VENTO: No, the only one that came next was Kerry and he went to my competitor across the street. And you know, he didn`t know how to order a cheesesteak anyway.

SMERCONISH: Yes, he ordered with what? Swiss?

VENTO: Swiss. Yes.

SMERCONISH: I think it caused him the election, Joe.

VENTO: Yes, it probably did.

SMERCONISH: But you know what? It`s no laughing matter because, listen, I`ve been around awhile. You`ve been around for awhile. It used to be that no one would run for president without coming to Philadelphia and going to 9th and Passyunk to your place. And if they`re afraid to come there and eat a cheesesteak, doesn`t it say something about how they regard illegal immigration?

VENTO: Well, that`s the thing. They are afraid to address the issue. And I don`t know why. I mean if they`re afraid to come down and challenge a guy like Joey Vento on the speak English, on illegal immigration, I don`t think either one is capable of running the White House. What are they going to do when a real crisis comes up? You know (INAUDIBLE)

SMERCONISH: Well, let me ask you something. Did McCain come and eat there?

VENTO: No, he didn`t come either.

SMERCONISH: So it`s all three of them.

VENTO: It`s all three of them. None has the guys to -- nobody has the guts to talk about immigration except me and Lou Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton. And guess what? What they don`t understand with a town like Hazleton, that`s all through the United States.

SMERCONISH: Hey, Mayor Barletta, I want to ask you, have any of the three -- first of all, have you invited them? And secondly, what has been the response?

MAYOR LOU BARLETTA, HAZLETON, PA.: I have, Michael. I`ve invited all three presidential candidates. They`ve been here five weeks, driving by has Hazleton. I invited them to come here, talk to our police department, talk to our doctors, our teachers, and just learn a little bit of how illegal immigration is affecting communities like ours. Nobody will come to Hazleton. They`re afraid to come to Hazleton.

And I have the same feeling, Michael, if they`re afraid to come to Hazleton, Pennsylvania and talk with Lou Barletta about illegal immigration, how in the world are they going to deal with countries like Iran and Venezuela?

SMERCONISH: And you know, the northeastern part of the state, which is where Hazleton is located, the coal region with a proud tradition, is perceived as being very much in play. Hillary Clinton has spent a lot of time there, you know, vacationed as a child outside Scranton at Lake Winola. I know Barack Obama has been in the northeastern part of the state as well. So it`s not like there are no votes there to be had. They`re just scared to death. And I got to say this, guys, John McCain as well. They`re all three just scared to death of illegal immigration issue.

BARLETTA: There`s no explanation why they would not stop in Hazleton. We are a ground zero of this battle nationally. Hazleton is known all over the country. We don`t only represent Hazleton anymore, we represent cities all across the country, even if they differ -- their opinion differs with mine.

Michael, I believe the American people want to know how they will deal with it and at least show that they understand problems that we`re facing as well as others.

SMERCONISH: Well, and mayor, if not to come for illegal immigration, I mean, what about your constituents, the Obama girl?

BARLETTA: That`s right. I could see bypassing, you know, the mayor, but how you could bypass the Obama girl, I don`t know. But you know, I think they`re sending a very serious message to millions of Americans that want something done with illegal immigration. And you know, Michael, if the next president does not feel this is important, well, then, we`re going to have to fight this in Congress.

SMERCONISH: And Joe Vento, you were accused of discrimination because you asked the people, please speak English. You didn`t say, you know, no shoes, no shirt, no service.

VENTO: Yes.

SMERCONISH: No English, no service.

VENTO: That`s right.

SMERCONISH: You simply said, "Would you please speak English. I`m going to serve you anyway."

VENTO: And you know, the funny part, they said I was discriminating against non-speaking English people. If you don`t speak English, the sign means nothing. I put that down as a political statement. I made that. That was saying, "Joe Vento, he`s an American, he believes the language should be English." So anybody who does speak English, come in here to Geno`s Steak. That`s all we understand. That doesn`t mean you`re not going to get a product. That`s not (INAUDIBLE) window`s case. They could never find one person, in my 41 years of business, that was refused service for not speaking English. You just might not got what you thought you ordered.

SMERCONISH: We talked in the -- at the outset of the program, we talked about Senator Obama`s comments about Pennsylvanians clinging to their religion and guns when the going gets rough economically.

Mayor Barletta, you know that he also threw in to the mix anti- immigrant sentiments. And so -- I mean it just shows me how off message he is, in particular, but both of the Democrats and the Republicans on this issue. It`s not anti-immigrants, it`s anti-illegal immigrants.

VENTO: Illegal immigrant. You`re right. Nobody used that word, illegal.

BARLETTA: That`s right. And actually when Hazleton lost its case in federal court, Senator Obama put out a press release saying that Hazleton`s loss was a victory for America. And I took offense to that. You know many of the families that have become victims of t illegal aliens and crimes, I don`t think that was a victory. You know, I don`t see that as a victory for American. I think what Americans want is that the next president to understand how illegal immigration is affecting this country.

SMERCONISH: All right. Now, Joe Vento, if one of the three is watching THE GLENN BECK program tonight and they decide to come down your window and they`re ready to order, how do they avoid the John Kerry catastrophe? What`s the proper way to order down there at Geno`s?

VENTO: You got three chesses you got a choice with, Cheez Wiz, American, and provolone with onions or without. That`s how simple it is and that`s how much English you have to know at Geno`s Steaks.

SMERCONISH: Yes. Most of the people they walk up and they say, I`ll take a whiz-whip, right?

VENTO: That`s correct.

SMERCONISH: Yes, but the thing is, I`ve eaten there with you. You always get provolone.

VENTO: Well, because the true cheese is the provolone with onions or without.

SMERCONISH: And Mayor Barletta, if they`re coming to Hazleton, you`d take them down to Jimmy`s for a Coney Island dog.

BARLETTA: Either get a Jimmy`s hotdog or some Snap`s pizza but they`ve got to come to Hazleton. They`ve got to tell the American people that they`re serious. You know, Michael, the question I have is when that phone rings at 3:00 in the morning and it`s Lou Barletta on the phone, what`s the next president going to say, "Don`t answer it?"

SMERCONISH: Hey look, guys, if nothing else, we know how to feed them.
Mayor Barletta, Joey Vento, my friend, good to see you.

VENTO: Lou, remember something, they talk about winning. By me winning this case, I won one for you and all the American people across the country. We finally won one that matters.

BARLETTA: Thanks, Joe.
VENTO: Speaking English.
SMERCONISH: See you, guys.
BARLETTA: You`re a great American. Thank you.

VNTO: And so are you, Lou. Michael, thank you.