Thread: Enough said by controversial Lou Dobbs

Enough said by controversial Lou Dobbs

By YVETTE CABRERA
November 18, 2009
ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

It's been about a week since Lou Dobbs stepped down as host of "Lou Dobbs Tonight" and resigned from CNN, but, so far, signs point to the probability that this isn't the last we've seen of him.

And that's unfortunate.

For years, groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, among others, have called (without success) for Dobbs to take responsibility for his irresponsible journalism.

Among the criticisms:

"He fudged facts, defended earlier falsehoods, and promoted racist conspiracy theories" – from Mark Potok's Hatewatch blog at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"In addition to supporting other anti-immigrant figures, Dobbs frequently spreads false propaganda about how immigrants are harming the United States" — from the Anti-Defamation League's 2008 report "Immigrants Targeted: Extremist Rhetoric Moves into the Mainstream."

But as these organizations found, Dobbs refused to acknowledge his mistakes – even when presented with documentation supporting the facts.

Just one example cited by the ADL was Dobbs' claim that unscreened illegal immigrants were partly to blame for an alleged 7,000 cases of leprosy in the United States from 2002-2005: "When confronted with the United States Department of Health and Human Services' finding of 7,029 cases over the past 30 years, not three years, Dobbs refused to recant his statement," wrote the ADL in its report. And, as Potok also pointed out, there was no evidence linking immigrants to leprosy cases.

Still, Dobbs' relaxed view on accuracy was just part of the problem.

The larger issue was that Dobbs gave extremist groups a platform on his show and, by doing so, legitimized those groups and their views. Potok cited the Minutemen – founded by Orange County's own Jim Gilchrist – as one of those groups. The Minutemen were guests on Dobbs' show, even as their Web site stated that Latino immigrants were "devouring and plundering our nation."

When anti-immigrant groups spew vitriol at and demonize other human beings, and when groups advocate the use of violence to stop the "hordes" from crossing our borders, we arrive at a point where we're no longer talking about immigration reform, we're fighting about immigration reform.

"What concerns me is when you have extremism entering the debate. That's not just a bias, it's a dangerous bias," says Roberto Lovato, a founding member of Presente.org, an organization that aims to strengthen the political voice of Latino communities.

"(Dobbs) put CNN and his show on the war path against immigrants, and... provided a rallying point for extreme fringe groups looking for a way to promote their views on a broader scale."

If Dobbs wouldn't take responsibility, Presente.org decided CNN should. In September, in partnership with more than three dozen local and national groups, Presente.org launched what it called the Basta Dobbs campaign and called on CNN to fire Dobbs, describing him as most dangerous man for Latinos in the United States.

Basta, which means "enough," is an indicator of just how fed up some Latinos were with Dobbs.

"They (CNN) call themselves "the most trusted name in news." But Lou Dobbs inspired no trust and one was challenged to find what was news. He spins it with his phrase advocacy journalism, but it's really hatred disguised as news," says Lovato, a former executive director of the Central American Resource Center in Los Angeles.

It's no coincidence that as the immigration debate has intensified the number of anti-Latino hate crimes has risen to record levels nationwide. Since 2003, such crimes are up almost 40 percent, according to the FBI.

It was that spate of horrifying crimes against Latino immigrants in recent years – including the fatal beating of an undocumented Mexican immigrant in Shenandoah, Pa. – that motivated Lovato to take a leave from writing for New America Media, and come out of retirement as an organizer.

"The primary motive was a deep concern that I know exists throughout the Latino United States," Lovato says. "We're all fed up with the killings."

Ultimately, groups like Lovato's sought an immigration debate that was civil, one that included all sides, not a news show where the host allowed guests to call immigrants bearers of diseases, parasites on the economy and enemies of the United States.

Presente.org and its coalition collected about 100,000 signatures on a petition to deliver to CNN and organized nationwide rallies and town halls. The group also had a representative of the coalition sit down with CNN President Jonathan Klein the Friday before Dobbs' resignation.

For Lovato, Dobbs' departure was a bittersweet victory. As he puts it, "the damage is done." Now, he says, it's up to groups like his to remain vigilant of what he calls the "verbal and visual violence" on our airwaves.

And ultimately, it's up to all of us to take that responsibility if we want to achieve true immigration reform.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/dobbs-22 ... rants.html

Poor Lovata. He doesn't get the fact that he just lost the only program where he had a voice. Poetic Justice.

Hey Lovata! No one wants "true immigration reform". We want ZERO illegal immigration and REDUCED legal immigration. You do the math. That means no job for you blathering on the airwaves about a country you obviously know little about and will never understand or appreciate.

"The Latino United States is fed up with the killings."

Really? 1. The United States is not the "Latino United States". 2. The United States is fed up with the killings of US citizens by illegal aliens.

Read our lips: GO HOME

"And, as Potok also pointed out, there was no evidence linking immigrants to leprosy cases. "
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Like the 30 years of no link to cancer from smoking?

We have had an emergence of MANY diseases that we had already eraticated, DUE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, SO GET OVER IT!

Oh and Lou is biased and racist? He just HAPPENS to have a wife that's a MEXICAN ..............LEGALLY!

"What concerns me is when you have extremism entering the debate. That's not just a bias, it's a dangerous bias," says Roberto Lovato, a founding member of Presente.org, an organization that aims to strengthen the political voice of Latino communities.

The most "extremism" is, was not coming from Lou or the guests he had on his show. They, including many of our elected politicians, mayors, and categorical professionals, were only giving a voice to what the majority of citizens thought and felt about the complete lack of enforcement of our immigration laws as their communities were overtaken by the flood of illegals from one exclusive ethnicity.

Talk about "bias"! "Extremism" is coming from Latino groups who DEMAND, DEMAND, and THREATEN to takeover our political system and society.

SPLC and ADL are the most castigating anarchist organizations in this country,imo. It appears they believe the only races and ethnicies who have a right to speak are non-whites.

Lou's "Broken Borders" program element was a very fair and real exposure to the federal and regional conditions caused by 20 million illegals entering the United States unlawfully. That there were so many examples of adversity was not Lou's fault. This situation is the result of Extreme Permissiveness undermining a nation of laws.

It's no coincidence that as the immigration debate has intensified the number of anti-Latino hate crimes has risen to record levels nationwide. Since 2003, such crimes are up almost 40 percent, according to the FBI.

uh huh up from 460 to 512. they conveniently leave out those low numbers

Originally Posted by jamesw62

It's no coincidence that as the immigration debate has intensified the number of anti-Latino hate crimes has risen to record levels nationwide. Since 2003, such crimes are up almost 40 percent, according to the FBI.

uh huh up from 460 to 512. they conveniently leave out those low numbers

Yes James but there is twice as many illegals to be targeted by people.
It might be the same percentage. Just saying .......

If I had three cats and one died I lost 33% and if I had nine cats and 3 died, STILL 33% died.
BUT these idiots will say in 2003 1 died and in 2008 3 died and that's three times more, when it's NOT! To me anyway.

Originally Posted by WorriedAmerican

Originally Posted by jamesw62

It's no coincidence that as the immigration debate has intensified the number of anti-Latino hate crimes has risen to record levels nationwide. Since 2003, such crimes are up almost 40 percent, according to the FBI.

uh huh up from 460 to 512. they conveniently leave out those low numbers

Yes James but there is twice as many illegals to be targeted by people.
It might be the same percentage. Just saying .......

If I had three cats and one died I lost 33% and if I had nine cats and 3 died, STILL 33% died.
BUT these idiots will say in 2003 1 died and in 2008 3 died and that's three times more, when it's NOT! To me anyway.

Or they would really magnify it by saying there has been a 300% increase in the number of deaths. When you're right, it isn't materially a 300% increase, it's just 2 more and statistically insignificant.

Moving from Other Topics to News.