http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sectio ... ryid=51304
Fear schmear

Publish Date: 08/10/06


By


Candidates for various local offices are falling all over themselves to lead the big crack-down on illegal immigration in Frederick. According to a recent letter to the editor, sheriff candidate Detective Chuck Jenkins is super-tough on illegal immigration, and always has been. Another would-be sheriff, Harold Domer, does his own letter writing. He has eloquently clarified the role of the Frederick sheriff's department in enforcing immigration laws (which is to say, none at all), but wants to assure voters that he will do everything in his power to deport illegal aliens.

At a recent political event I overheard Charles Jenkins (the other one, who's running for county commissioner) chatting up a local resident about his experience "knocking on doors" in Frederick. Seemingly unbidden (and unrelated to the topic at hand), Mr. Jenkins started stumping on the need for a local occupancy ordinance to restrict the number of people who can reside in a private home.

OK, hold it right there. This is just nuts. There is no immigration crisis, people.

I called to Mr. Jenkins' attention the fundamental foolishness and discriminatory nature of such ordinances, as well as their past lack of success. They don't actually address the illegal part of the immigration issue, but function solely to hassle people who are different from ourselves. Surely this is not our goal. Besides, it's just wrong-headed to dictate other people's habitation habits or definition of "family."

Let's face facts -- what we're really talking about here is a sudden, irrational fear of Spanish-speaking people. What's up with that, for crying out loud? Here is a group of people who share virtually all of our values and beliefs, and actually like America and American people. Where is the "fear factor" in the influx of hardworking, church-going, family-focused, immigrant workers from Mexico and Central America, here to do honest jobs for honest wages, pay taxes ... and maybe buy a home someday and get their kids an education?

Ooh, scary. Better close the border! But wait! Didn't we used to call this ... the American Dream?! Aren't people fighting and dying overseas to preserve this concept of liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Recently I read that an immigration policy is this year's Protection of Marriage Act. It's the new hot topic, the crisis du jour, threatening to "rip apart the fabric of American life." But I don't buy it. I think it's a diversionary tactic, deliberately planted in the media and in our war-weary minds to distract us from real threats and problems, in an election year ... Like paying $3.30 for a gallon of gas while oil company profits soar. Like the war in Iraq, like widespread corruption in our government, a national deficit that is engulfing our children's future ...

But also, we've seen this phenomenon before-of America's unreasonable xenophobia -- check your history books. Often when we're feeling out of control for economic or other reasons, we tend to take our frustrations out on innocent immigrants.

So now our local candidates are leaping onto the bandwagon, and counting on us to believe in the big Immigration Fear Schmear of 2006. They're assuming this strategy will help get them into office. I say we prove them wrong.



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