No racists here, really
I've been amazed at some of the hostile reactions I've received to my Tuesday post about extremists on both sides of the immigration debate. (The item also was adapted for and published in Wednesday's Daily News.) Below are some highlights from a long, rambling, and angry letter that denounces everything I said, while at the same time inadvertently confirming my observations:
You seem to equate the militant Mexican/Reconquistas/Brown berets to people (Americans) who believe that their nation should be able to, like every other country, enforce its soverignty and borders.
I never said that all restrictionists are like the reconquistas, only some. Why is that point so hard for some folks to understand?
You have no respect for Americans who are concerned with 1) People who break the law and demand the taxpayers to subsidize them by putting them on various welfare programs including paid-for section 8 housing, booting out the needy American citizens.
Um, no. I said, "most immigration restrictionists bring very practical, reasonable concerns -- not xenophobia or racism -- to the debate." But among their ranks there is also a fair amount of ignorance and hatred.
2) The destruction of our once-proud school system being flooded by illegal aliens and their anchor babies who are illiterate in any language ...6) 1 out of every 10 Mexicans now resides in the U.S. Many, if not most, remain loyal to their Mother Mexico, and detest and resent the Yankee culture. They merely want to remake our nation in their former home's image. They resent having to learn English, don't want their children to learn it, and demand that all government services be given in Spanish ...
See, here's the problem: Once you've made the blanket statement that members of an entire nationality are "illiterate in any language," it's hard to make the case that there's no bigotry in your ranks. And when you say that most Latino immigrants "detest and resent Yankee culture," you're indicating that you've never dealt with many personally, and/or you've allowed the wackos on the other side of the debate to shape your perspective of them.
This is precisely what I was writing about when I wrote: "For the nativists, the reconquistas justify their nativism -- see, the Mexicans hate us and want to take us over! ... Politically disinterested Anglos and Latinos alike -- who want nothing to do with this whole debate, and just want to raise their families well -- can be frightened by the extremist language into adopting more radical positions of their own. ('I've got nothing against them, but so many of them seem to have something against us!')"
Anyway, I don't understand the defensiveness. There is no cause so pure, so good, that it's incapable of attracting creeps. And in the immigration debate, the creeps are out in abundance.
PS -- I've posted the entire message after the jump. Despite the overheated rhetoric, the author raises some fair questions. Too bad he undermines his own case through his own vitriol.
Mr. Weinkopf,
I am compelled to respond to your curious article, "Extremists Poison Immigration Debate." You seem to equate the militant Mexican/Reconquistas/Brown berets to people (Americans) who believe that their nation should be able to, like every other country, enforce its soverignty and borders. A very strange focus, given the history of the so-called debate. Clearly you have a short memory or are a young person with little or no historical knowledge.
I expected you to make the phony argument that illegal aliens are just here to do the jobs that Americans won't do. Gone are the days when high school or college students could take part time jobs at fast food joints and retail stores. Now these positions are occupied by 30 or 40 ish illegal aliens.
You have no respect for Americans who are concerned with 1) People who break the law and demand the taxpayers to subsidize them by putting them on various welfare programs including paid-for section 8 housing, booting out the needy American citizens 2) The destruction of our once-proud school system being flooded by illegal aliens and their anchor babies who are illiterate in any language 3) The crumbiling of our hospital system which is used by uninsured illegal aliens as primary medical care 4) The prospect of our social security system being opened up to illegal aliens, many who, by virture of being old, will be taken in and given lifetime payments, and other illegals who work for a few short years will suddenly qualify for payments and SSI 5) Illegal aliens who engage in identity theft by using American citizens' social security numbers and other stolen identity. Any American would be prosecuted as a felon if they were to do this, and they are. 6) 1 out of every 10 Mexicans now resides in the U.S. Many, if not most, remain loyal to their Mother Mexico, and detest and resent the Yankee culture. They merely want to remake our nation in their former home's image. They resent having to learn English, don't want their children to learn it, and demand that all government services be given in Spanish 7) The resentment and hatred of the American nation is daily shown by Mexicans as demonstrated by the booing of Miss USA in the recent Donald Trump pagent, the booing and jeering by Mexicans (even here) when the Star Spangled Banner is played at any sporting event, and others too numerous to mention. I have met many good and decent Latin-born people who genuinely want their children to learn our language and assmilate, and the brave ones who enlist in our military to fight for our nation deserve honor. But the Mexicans and others wearing Che Guevara t-shirts, brown berets and display stickers on their car windows of a Mexican urinating on "La Migra," the bumper stickers with "I didn't cross the border-the border crossed me" are a common sight. I could go on, but I see NO comparable behaviour on "our side." Perhaps you are merely engaging in Panderismo for your paper by trying to appear "moderate" on the issue. For whatever reason, you are way out of line. Try talking to the few Americans brave enough to withstand the rocks and bottles and cans of frozen soda hurled at them, or are attacked and beaten when they dare to march for immigration enforcement, and our once great police department looks away, the American flags that are vandalized and stolen when displayed on our homes. It appears that the political elites and their big business cronies want to shed their employees' medical plans and benefits, hire illegal aliens at discount wages and dump them onto the taxpayer for medical care and retirement. By the looks of your article, none of this matters to you. Yet another example of the continued deterioration of the journalistic business.
Sincerely,
[name and address withheld]