Thread: N.H. lobby for immigrants pushes people’s guilt butto

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N.H. lobby for immigrants pushes people’s guilt button
A Telegraph Column By Joe Konopka
Published: Sunday, July 17, 2005

The “illegalism lobby� has taken another step in turning our society upside down.

I’m talking about the New Hampshire Immigrants’ Rights Task Force. It has a new strategy, which, if successful, will threaten our security.

The NHIRTF is clearly a front organization for illegal aliens. Its current agenda is to stop police from using the state criminal trespass statute to protect us from the terrorist threat posed by illegal immigrants.

This time it’s convinced 36 civic leaders and organizations to support that goal. Among them are the Arab-American Forum of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the New Hampshire Hospital Association, Vision Hispana, the Don Quixote Restaurant in Manchester, and incredibly, state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, D-Manchester.

They all endorsed a letter to Attorney General Kelly Ayotte. In effect, it petitioned her to pressure police not to bother illegals.

How the NHIRTF persuaded these organizations and individuals to disregard the interests of their state and country is anyone’s guess. It’s disappointing to see such support for lawlessness. It would behoove Americans not to forget who these people are.

After all, they gave the NHIRTF political muscle. That’s how it was able to lobby state officials. Can you imagine this happening a decade ago? I think not.

Neither would one have conceived of officials like Deputy Attorney General Michael Delaney and Assistant Attorney General Simon Brown even entertaining a don’t-stop-criminals petition. That scenario would have been laughable.

Not now, though. Illegalism, like a social cancer, is slowly eating away at our system with the acid of subtle deception. If you doubt that, then consider the basis upon which the NHIRTF is trying to influence these officials. Keep in mind that basis can’t be on legal grounds.

A few questions make that clear: Are the police engaging in unconstitutional activity? No. Are they enforcing existing law? Yes. Are they violating anyone’s rights? No.

Do majorities at state and local levels support them? Yes. Are they acting upon the advice of legal authorities? Yes. Are they protecting you and me from the threats posed by illegals? Yes.

Thus, the NHIRTF can only base its sales pitch on political correctness or emotional blackmail. Arnie Alpert, the NHIRTF spokesman, provides us with some examples.

The first is a doozey. In arguing why police should not use the criminal trespass law, Alpert says, “ . . . immigrants as a whole may become nervous and wary of police.�

Referring to “immigrants as a whole� is disingenuous. There’s no way Alpert can speak for that entire community. In addition, there’s certainly no evidence to show legal immigrants would react as he indicates.

They have nothing to fear, but criminals do. That suggests when Alpert uses the term “immigrants as a whole,� he’s really talking only about illegal aliens.

Presumably Alpert wants to see a politically correct legal system, fearful of hurting the feelings of overly sensitive illegal immigrants.

The second example is pure emotional blackmail. Alpert tries to exploit public safety concerns.

He asserts that because of law enforcement, illegals may have “ ... an increased distrust of local police,� and they “ ... will be afraid to report crime or an accident.�

In other words, illegal aliens wouldn’t help victims for fear of being caught. Yeah, right. When was the last time you heard of an illegal alien helping a victim?

I can’t think of one. Yet I have heard of numerous Americans being made victims by illegal aliens. Safety, it seems, would be better served by deporting illegals.

From looking at these examples, one can see Alpert’s strategy counts on gullibility and feelings of guilt.

He sets up imaginary, but remotely feasible consequences. These play on the fears and sympathies of people who take what he says as fact.

The desired result is that they feel responsible for situations over which they have no control (e.g., the feelings of illegal aliens).

This leaves them malleable enough to manipulate. I wonder how someone like Sen. D’Allesandro swallows this glob without choking on it.

Nevertheless, it seems to be driving an effective propaganda campaign. Only a handful of people consistently risk being called names to speak out against it.

State Rep. Dave Buhlman, R-Hudson, and several other politicians are among those courageous individuals.

Currently, they’re writing three or four anti-illegalism bills, but they need support to convince other politicians to back them. Not enough people e-mail their state representatives and senators requesting that support.

Don’t forget, Buhlman and his colleagues are dealing with long-time career activists who know how to push the right social buttons.

Such activists are skilled in manipulating others, using accusations and epithets as weapons (for example, if you’re against illegal immigration, you’re a racist).

Never mind that Title 8, Section 1325 of the United States Code defines improper entry by an alien as a federal crime. No. These days, that’s not politically correct.

Because of this, we’re becoming a land in which right is wrong and wrong is right. It’s just another aspect in which illegalism is indeed turning our society upside down.

Regrettably, you and I will one day pay the price.

Joe Konopka, a Hudson resident, is a technical writer and freelance columnist. E-mail stonewillow@yahoo.com.

"Politically Correct" is no longer an American Ideal.

It died when it was used to promote the death and destruction of American Citizens.

The next time I hear someone use the term, I'm throwing tomatoes.