Racism runs through anti-immigration rhetoric :
NCT COMMENTARY

Racism runs through anti-immigration rhetoric

By: ERIC PARISH - Commentary:

John Lynn ("Supporting rule of law isn't bigoted," Community Forum, Nov. 20) claims to be "deeply offended" that he has been called a bigot because of his stand against illegal immigration. Now Dan Noval (Dec. 3) writes that Minutemen are patriots, not racists.

Methinks they protest too much. I have been reading the letters to the editor in this paper. I read the hateful venom disguised as comments on the NCT Web page. I have visited the anti-immigrant Web sites. I have been to Minuteman demonstrations. I have talked to Tina Jillings, who ran for the Vista council and has had her car vandalized. I have listened closely to the Roger Hedgcocks and the Jim Gilchrists. No doubt about it, we are seeing subtle (or not-so-subtle) racism.

I have seen anti-Mexican bias all my life. In fact, Escondido was rather famous way back when for its "hate the Mexicans" mentality. I have never seen it as bad as now, however. It seems that some people really don't like the whole "melting pot" idea once it becomes a reality. Or is it just demagoguery gone wild by our gutless politicians (take a bow Wyland and Bilbray)? They understand (like Hitler did) that nothing is more popular than laying the blame for everything that goes wrong on the weakest and least powerful, who are usually the last people actually responsible for the problems.


Everyone seems to forget that illegal immigrants arrive here to work. They do not arrive to immediately pop out babies and get on welfare. They don't camp out in the Tri-City emergency room to get their hangnails treated. They don't come here to drive around drunk and look for kids to run over or cops to shoot. In fact, they are mostly hardworking men and boys. They cut up our pigs, chickens and other dead animals. They pick those strawberries that we are famous for. They pour concrete and frame our homes. They live in cardboard hovels in canyons next to million-dollar houses.

But they don't have green cards. And there is no way we can ever deport the millions here without papers -- unless we set up the biggest mass arrest system the world has ever seen. So all this hateful talk is just that -- talk. It is being used by some of our "leaders" to get people to forget our real problems and start frothing at the mouth about these new dangerous enemies to our

sovereignty -- the illegal alien. And can someone explain to me what an "anchor baby" is? Oh, you mean a United States citizen?

So I am not calling John Lynn or Dan Noval racists. But people know you by the people you associate with. And North County has suddenly become full of hateful bigots. This hate is arrogantly spiteful and petty. Rousting migrants from their canyon shacks? What bravery. And those who look Hispanic are receiving very negative signals from those of us without the guts to denounce this hate for what it is -- bigotry.

-- Eric Parish lives in Vista.

COMMENTS ON THIS STORY :

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12 ... ogcomments

Eric you are so wrong. wrote on December 05, 2006 10:32 PM:"I was born and raised in Escondido and counted many people of Mexican descent among my friends. I went to school with them, spent the night at their homes and race wasn't something that ever crossed my mind. Those people are NOT the same as ILLEGAL immigrants. They spoke English, they didn't try to shove their culture militantly down anyones throat. They were first and foremost AMERICANS. They assimulated into American culture, yet remembered their roots. There were no gangs in Escondido then, we didn't even have to lock our doors. Believe me 56 years later this is a different element. A criminal element that cannot be allowed to fester in our society. It is not racism, for many of Mexican descent share our feelings and values."

Pirate wrote on December 06, 2006 12:11 AM:"You are right. Just read the hateful blogs that followed the original commentary. The blog above proves the point. Don't blame the gangs on people from Mexico. There are Armenian gangs, Russian gangs, skinheads (white gangs), as well as latino and black gangs. I also note that the minute man have not run for the Canadian border, where the extra 9/11 terrorist entered the United States."