Thread: IOWA: Radio show on immigration spurs dispute

December 20, 2007
Radio show on immigration spurs dispute
By JONATHAN ROOS
REGISTER STAFF WRITER

Twenty-two radio talk show hosts from across the United States are scheduled to take part in a broadcast marathon in Des Moines next week on the hot campaign topic of illegal immigration.

Critics would like to scuttle the event, which is booked for the Des Moines Marriott Hotel on Dec. 27 and 28. They claim the sponsoring organization, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, known as FAIR, is trying to create a climate of hatred in the nation.

"We don't agree with their views that are demonizing immigrants, and we don't appreciate their coming to Iowa telling us what we should think about immigrants," said Alicia Claypool, chairwoman of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.

Dan Stein, president of FAIR, said it is his group that is being demonized. "They're trying to discredit an entire side of the debate," Stein said.

The Marriott Hotel was contacted by critics of the radio event about the possibility of canceling the event, but that appears unlikely, said Connie Ryan Terrell, executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa and Action Fund. Marriott officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

The talk show hosts will be on the air between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., using 10 broadcast booths.

Stein said the talk show hosts "are free to talk about whatever they want."

A similar talk show radio event was staged last spring in Washington, D.C. Leaders of FAIR believe the broadcasts played a role in the U.S. Senate's defeat of a bill that would have created a path to citizenship for people in the country illegally if they met certain conditions.

An advertisement placed by the FAIR Congressional Task Force in Wednesday's edition of The Des Moines Register, promoting next week's broadcasts, took note of the defeated legislation. "Earlier this year, talk radio shook things up in Washington and helped stop an amnesty for illegal aliens," the ad says.

Immigrant rights advocates say FAIR has poisoned the atmosphere for debate by taking a hard anti-immigrant line.

They note that the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, last week added FAIR to its list of hate groups operating in the United States. The law center said in a news release that FAIR "has ties to known racists and a long track record of bigotry."

Stein, the president of FAIR, rejected the allegations and said the law center's report on his organization contains "serious fabrications. ... It's absolutely defamatory."

Stein accused critics of the planned broadcasts of trying to obstruct free speech "and people's right to be heard on public policy issues."

The Rev. David Ostendorf, executive director of the Center for New Community, a Chicago-based immigrant rights advocacy group, said hotels and other places "have no obligation to provide a platform for hate speech."

The Web site of FAIR says the group advocates for improved border security, an end to illegal immigration, and immigration levels "consistent with more traditional rates of about 300,000 a year."
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/p ... 1/SPORTS09

Immigration Enforcement, Not Amnesty, A Priority for Iowans, Finds New Poll by Zogby International

(Washington, D.C., Dec. 12, 2007) Support for enforcement of U.S. immigration laws is an issue that unites Iowans of all political persuasions, finds a new poll conducted by the Zogby International group. The poll, commissioned by the FAIR Congressional Task Force, was conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 of likely Democratic and Republican caucus participants.

The poll finds 84 percent of Iowa Republicans and 60 percent of Democrats support "tighten[ing] border security, while increasing enforcement actions against employers who hire illegal immigrants in an effort to convince illegal immigrants to return home." By contrast, only 12 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of Democrats think "we should legalize, or grant amnesty, to current illegal immigrants, while working toward improving immigration enforcement."

Similarly, 57 percent of Democrats and 80 percent of Republicans believe that "illegal immigration depresses wages for many American workers and imposes financial burdens on taxpayers," while only 26 percent of Democrats and 12 percent of Republicans believe that "illegal immigration is a net benefit to the economy and provides needed labor." The Zogby results reinforce a recent Des Moines Register poll which found that 67 percent of Democrats and 81 percent of Republicans rated immigration as "a key campaign issue."

"In Iowa, and all across America, people are demanding that our immigration laws be enforced, and reject the idea that in order to enforce our laws that we must first reward the people who have broken them," noted Dan Stein, president of the FAIR Congressional Task Force. "Ordinary Americans believe that our dysfunctional immigration policies are harming their own interests."

The release of the Iowa poll results coincides with a nationwide talk radio event planned by the FAIR Congressional Task Force on Dec. 27 and 28. Leading Iowa talk radio programs will be joined by nearly two dozen talk radio hosts from around the country who will be broadcasting from Des Moines and focusing on immigration policy. Earlier this year, the influence of talk radio played a central role in the defeat of congressional legislation that would have provided amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

"In Iowa, and around the country, there is overwhelming bipartisan support for sensible immigration reform that begins with meaningful enforcement," said Stein. "Americans have made up their minds; what has been lacking is political leadership on this issue."

FAIR Congressional Task Force: Radio talk hosts from across America and Iowa gathering in Des Moines to discuss immigration and America's future
12/10/2007

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10, /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In 2007, talk radio played a central role in the defeat of the unpopular Bush-Senate illegal alien amnesty bill by providing a voice for ordinary Americans whose interests were ignored by Washington politicians. In 2008, talk radio will again be a critical player as immigration continues to be high on the list of Americans’ concerns.

The 2008 debate about immigration policy and America’s future kicks off in Iowa, as talk radio hosts from around the state and around the nation come to Des Moines for two days to focus on the issue that is number one on the minds of their listeners. The Iowa 2007 Talk Radio Row, organized by the FAIR Congressional Task Force, will originate from the Des Moines Marriott Hotel continuously from 7AM to 10PM on December 27 and 28, as 22 of America’s leading talk show hosts broadcast live from Iowa.

As the nation focuses on Iowa, these talk show hosts will focus on the burning issue of immigration reform with leading political figures, immigration experts, local officials and ordinary Iowans. “Immigration, and the urgent need to fix our broken policies and enforce our laws, will not go away and neither will the medium that has championed the interests of ordinary Americans in this debate,â€

Immigrant rights advocates say FAIR has poisoned the atmosphere for debate by taking a hard anti-immigrant line.

They don't want to debate. They want open borders and amnesty. Anything short of that makes you a racist and bigot. And therefore, you should not be able to express your views because it poisons the waters. Can you say hypocrite?

To me this is great news. I hope they have the ability to expose Huckalie for his "no illegal left behind" record.

[b]“In 2007, the American public made it clear that they will not be excluded from this important policy debate. Beginning in Iowa, the public and talk radio will put the political and media elite on notice that they must be reckoned with again in 2008,â€

We don't agree with their views that are demonizing immigrants, and we don't appreciate their coming to Iowa telling us what we should think about immigrants," said Alicia Claypool, chairwoman of the Iowa Civil Rights Commission.




And as a law abiding, tax paying citizen of the United States, I don't agree with efforts by groups like these attempting to infringe on a guaranteed right to free speech for all citzens.

I also do not agree with the hypocrisy coming from people like her who have been telling the rest of us, for how long now, just exactly what we should think of IAs and to think otherwise makes us nothing more than racist xenophobes.

Ms. Claypool will be getting an email from me. And just for the hell of it, I'll be sure to close by wishing her a very politically incorrect Merry Christmas.

These free speech stiflers are so blatant about it.

Of course, their rhetoric is steeped in touch feely, 'hate speech', 'civil rights' phrases. These buzz words didn't just happen in our national vocabulary. They were put there, repeated over and over and over again - so they would be there to use to just this way.

They wrap themselves in lofty sounding words to do very dirty things.

Organizers named the radio talk show hosts who will participate in broadcasts next week in Des Moines on illegal immigration:
- Jan Mickelson, WHO-AM, Des Moines. (9A-1130A Central www.whoradio.com)
- Michael McKoy, KWQW-FM, Des Moines. (130P-430P Central www.983wowfm.com)
- Randy Renshaw, KSCJ-AM, Sioux City. (8A-10A Central time www.kscj.com
- Roger Hedgecock, KOGO-AM, San Diego. (5P-8P Central time time www.Kogo.com)
- Jack Rice, WCCO-AM, Minneapolis. (12N-3P Central time www.wccoradio.com)
- Mark Reardon, KMOX-AM, St. Louis. (11P-2A Central Time www.kmox.com)
- Bill Manders, KKOH-AM, Reno, Nev. ( 5P-8P Central time www.kkoh.com)
- Dan Rivers, WKBN-AM, Youngstown, Ohio. (9A-11A Central time www.570wkbn.com)
- Steve Gill, WLAC-AM, Nashville, Tenn. (8A-11A Central Time www.wlac.com)
- Sandy Rios, WYLL-AM, Chicago. (3P-5P Central www.wyll.com)
- Martha Zoller, WDUN-AM, Gainesville/Atlanta, Ga. (8A-1045A Central www.wdun.com)
- Jim Cates, KMAJ-AM, Topeka, Kan. ( 8A-11A Central www.kmaj1440.com)
- Gary Sutton, WBSA-AM, York, Pa. (8A-11A Central www.wsba910.com)
- Michael Koolidge, WRHL-AM, Rochelle, Ill. (5P-7P Central www.wrhl.net)
- Jon Justice, KQTH-FM, Tucson, Ariz. (7A-10A Central www.1041thetruth.com)
- Inga Barks, KERN-AM and KMJ-AM, Bakersfield/Fresno, Calif. (12N-145P Central www.kernradio.com
- Fred Flanagan, WKRS-AM, Waukegan, Ill. (6P-8P Central time www.1220wkrs.com)
- Vicki McKenna, WIBA-AM and WISN-AM, Madison/Milwaukee, Wis. ( 10A-12N Central www.wiba.com)
- Ernie Brown and Jay McFarland, KRLD-AM, Dallas, Texas. (10A-2P Central time www.krld.com)

Iowa Civil Rights Commission
Grimes State Office Building
400 E. 14th Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-1004
515-281-4121, 1-800-457-4416
Fax 515-242-5840

I called and left comments and said its not about immigration, its about ILLEGAL immigration. i made sure the information on this post from the zogby poll was available too