I have read this letter in The Lexington Clipper Herald, The Kearney Hub and The Tri City Tribune and just found it online at the Lincoln Journal Star. I am almost positive that this letter was sent to every newspaper in NE.


Bill based on hate

The Mexican American Commission deplores that the possibility of introducing in Nebraska a legislative bill similar to Arizona's SB1071 has been made public.

We consider this legislation ill-advised. If introduced and passed, it will bring considerable expense and aggravation to Nebraska in a time of budgetary constraints.

Residents of Nebraska should focus on how we can rebuild and recover. Let's not be fooled; there is no way such a law can be implemented without racial profiling.

An elected official's primary goal should be the benefit of the constituents, not populist trends of opinion inflamed by extremist groups. This legislation ostracizes and alienates the second-largest ethnic group in Nebraska.

The concern is not about undocumented immigrants; the issue is aimed at the Latino community. And the message is clear: Latinos are unwanted and unwelcome and will always be second- class citizens in this state.

It has the potential to create a gap between the two largest ethnic groups in Nebraska, and we don't know if that gap can be bridged in the future. Is this in the best interests of Nebraska's constituents?

Even worse, our children are being exposed to the anger, frustration, fear and hate generated by this discussion.

We are raising a generation based on racial hate, and it's hard to fathom what will happen 20 to 25 years from now. Will our children be alienated or will they live the lives Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once dreamed of? What kind of future can we foresee as the best for our state?

Lazaro Arturo Spindola,

executive director,

Mexican American Commission

http://journalstar.com/news/opinion/mai ... 002e0.html