From a right wing blogger who went to the march on the Mall yesterday
There s really no other way to say it: Being here is weird. to be surrounded by a crowd of thousands of people, all of whom look alike, none of whom look like me, many of whom are decorated with our flag, none of whom are speaking our language, on our National Mall & it s a surreal experience. Despite my better judgment and best intentions, I feel the inklings of xenophobia bubbling up inside.
Compare this with Ezra Klein’s report from the scene:
As it is, I just got back from the DC rally. I haven’t the skills to do estimates, but there were more human bodies there than I’ve ever seen in my life. The Mall was packed, one side to the other. And if I’m pretty sure it was the largest crowd I’ve ever witnessed, I’m dead positive it boasted more American flags than I’ve ever seen. The chants of “U-S-A” were thunderous, and when they rang out, and the American flags waved en masse, you couldn’t have found a NASCAR audience in the world that was more patriotic.
Related
Is It OK Now To Just Hate Hispanics?
Ah, Conservative Racism, How Dependable Art Thou
Tancredo’s Plot
I find it really pathetic that Oliver only sees fit to report on the bad conservative pundits, like the guy who called for shooting all illegal immigrants, or the one who called them human parasites. Why won’t Oliver talk about all the progress that’s being made by good conservative pundits, like the ones who are merely frightened of hispanics because of their skin color or their desire to take back Aztlan!?!
[...] that s not what this debate is about. It s about Bill Frist and wingnuts being scared of brown people.
By: dillonan | 04/11/06 | racism [...]
“you couldn t have found a NASCAR audience in the world that was more patriotic.”
The problem with this analogy is that NASCAR audiences aren’t cajoled into waving American flags.
The conservative blogger’s post is really revealing. He’s clearly uncomfortable being in a setting where he feels like an outsider, where he doesn’t understand the language and he can’t easily recognize who is friendly and who is hostile.
Seems like there’s a lesson there somewhere.
Or Confederate flags! If the South woulda won we’d a had it made, y’all!!
Or how about these:
We must see that each is given a square deal, because he is entitled to no more and should receive no less.”"The welfare of each of us is dependent fundamentally upon the welfare of all of us.”
New York State Fair, Syracuse, September 7, 1903
“A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. More than that no man is entitled, and less than that no man shall have.”
Speech to veterans, Springfield, IL, July 4, 1903
“We demand that big business give the people a square deal; in return we must insist that when anyone engaged in big business honestly endeavors to do right he shall himself be given a square deal.”
Letter to Sir Edward Gray, November 15, 1913
I admire some things about TR (trustbusting, for instance), but crack open a history book and look at 1907 and think about how anyone who wasn’t a white male was treated in 1907 America and understand why that quote from TR is kind of useless.
No Oliver, we don’t hate Hispanics…
We love America, all Americans and legal immigrants…
And that’s all we expect…
And while were quoting TR:
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public. Nothing but the truth should be spoken about him or any one else. But it is even more important to tell the truth, pleasant or unpleasant, about him than about any one else.”
“Roosevelt in the Kansas City Star”, 149
May 7, 1918
http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/life/Quotes.htm
So if someone said “I am an American as well as a Citizen of the World” or “I am an American as well as a Bhudist, Catholic, Athiest etc” or “I have dual citizenship because I was born in Germany while my father was stationed there” are all unacceptable?
I hardly think that this is ALL that you expect…
Or how about these:
“Optimism is a good characteristic, but if carried to an excess, it becomes foolishness. We are prone to speak of the resources of this country as inexhaustible; this is not so.”
Seventh Annual Message to Congress, December 3, 1907
“Defenders of the short-sighted men who in their greed and selfishness will, if permitted, rob our country of half its charm by their reckless extermination of all useful and beautiful wild things sometimes seek to champion them by saying the ‘the game belongs to the people.’ So it does; and not merely to the people now alive, but to the unborn people. The ‘greatest good for the greatest number’ applies to the number within the womb of time, compared to which those now alive form but an insignificant fraction. Our duty to the whole, including the unborn generations, bids us restrain an unprincipled present-day minority from wasting the heritage of these unborn generations. The movement for the conservation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method.”
A Book-Lover’s Holidays in the Open, 1916
You just hate conservatives, Oliver, admit it…
Yet another American Republican that welcomes the demonstrations:
http://www.tcsdaily.com/article.aspx?id=041106F
You might actually get the idea that there are people out there who are opposed to uncontrolled immigration that don’t “hate Hispanics” (or fear them, frameone), but somehow it serves some purpose of Oliver’s (and, of course, many of the commenters on this thread)
Here’s a thought experiment for those of you that fall into that category:
If it were true that most opponents of uncontrolled immigration, and open borders were not “haters of Hispanics”, how would that affect you?
More importantly, what effect would that have on your worldview?
A personal question to frameone: Would that frighten you?
Kinda reminds me of why so many of you are so desperate to squash Intelligent Design…
The first time I see a rich white elitist muckety-muck Democrat volunteer to live 30 days by himself within the Spanish-speaking immigrant Mexican community in any large US city — and I’m talking about total immersion — then I’ll believe that the Democrats actually care about the welfare of illegals. It’s that whole “walk a mile in another man’s moccasins” thing, you know.
Hillary? Teddy? John Kerry? John Edwards? Howard Dean? Jay Rockefeller? Al Gore? C’mon guys, show us the love.
Mike, what do you define as elitist?
If you were living in the 1960’s, you’d probably be listening to the Monkees because the Beatles, (by most standards a more successful band, or more elite in their profession) would be in your opinion elitist.
Heck, even the Monkees would be too counter culture for you. You’re probably a Pat Boone fan.
Oliver, why is the TR quote useless…?
That’s it…? Just go read a book…?
What part of the expectations listed by the quote are not appropos today…? To this argument…?
It is what is expected to be here in America legally…
We ask no more and certainly no less…
And Zappa, ‘Citizen of the World’, ‘Budhist[sic], Catholic, Athiest[sic]‘ are all strawmen to this argument… Certainly ‘no stinking matches’ such as these should be allowed anywhere near this discussion…
The question about dual-citizenship would matter nothing to me until or unless there were hostilities between America and this hyphenated-citizen from that hostile nation… Then this “-citizen” might be asked to sign and swear to a loyalty oath… Otherwise, live and let live…
Here is another TR quote to mull over:
“Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”
Now if this person has the ‘character’ to start their life here illegally…
Well, what does that say about their character…?
Or even the nation that allows such ‘character’ within their country…?
spoken like a true leftist zap.
I “feel”, “a broken process, not broken people”
what self-satisfied twaddle….
Who is feeding all these people that arrive when you throw open the doors? Who cares for them when they show up at your er with no money, no insurance?
You want to sponsor them with your hard earned dollars, fine. Don’t saddle the rest of us with the burden of unlimited immigration.
You want more people, fine, change the law, let more in legally. In the meantime, stop the ILLEGAL ones, cause it makes the process a mockery for those who do it right.
I just find that you are coming at this with broad generalities; I feel that is a dangerous way to look at the world or a problem.
I would not know about anyones character without first knowing them – it seems to me that there is a broken process – not broken people. There is a problem here, and it is not the people that strive to come to this great country.
I do like the Character quote, I find that we are living in a country who is being led by people of dubious character and that we should take action to remedy this.
Yes, yes, OW… we get your message (once again). Any and all conservatives and Republicans, as well as anyone else that is against unchecked ILLEGAL immigration for any reason whatsoever, are just bad, racist people for not emulating the progressive Democrats and throwing their arms wide to welcome all those soon to be liberal voters.. er, I mean citizens.
OW, did you actually read the entire post? If so, you must have missed his experience at the Metro station that day:
I fought my way through the crowd until I saw them. Twenty young men, maybe twenty-five, all wearing the requisite jeans and white shirts, standing in a tight row in front of the escalators that led down into the station. They were holding yellow cardboard signs that read Mexicanos Sin Fronteras. And they weren t letting anybody through.
One of them made eye contacted with me. He grinned, yelled something. I stared back blankly. He laughed. You can t leave, buddy, he yelled over the crowd. Go back.
Gee, do you think that might have in any way affected his perception of the rally? After all, he did write his post after having that experience.
By the way, OW… it’s refreshing to see the Texas Democrats so upfront about why they care so deeply for this issue:
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=126025429&size=o
Remember to apply for citizenship and register to vote (Democrat, of course) all at the same time!
Of course, in fairness I have to say I firmly believe that most Republicans who are supporting the Amnesty type bills are doing so in order to 1) also court latino voters or 2) keep their business supporters stocked up with an ever growing pool of low-wage workers.
Rubbish.
Would one say something like, “The first time I see a rich, healthy doctor infect himself with tuberculosis, then I’ll believe that doctors actually care about the sick.”
Or how about this: “The first time I see a Baptist minister offer his soul to Satan, I’ll believe that Baptists actually care about saving people from sin.”
Maybe this: “The first time I see a vice-president shotgun a man in the face, I’ll believe he actually cares about gun safety.” Uh…check that…
Sorry DP – I look at it more like a problem to solve then a right or left issue. When you are solving problems you are usually served best when you seperate people from the problem and look at it rationaly. But if it makes you feel better to push someone in a easily identifiable corner then fine – we are here to make you feel better.
There are solutions to all the problems you raise there…will you be courageous enough to openly look and discuss them or will you fling mud?
What do you think should be done with the borders? Especially the really open one…the Canadian one? What should we do about these borders that let in Terrorists…oh…wait…they came in with passports…legaly…uh…
I look at it more like a problem to solve then a right or left issue.
OK, then explain the “conservatives hate Hispanics” rhetoric {which is not to say you believe it, too}.
I never said it.
If you want me to explain why I think OW would say it then fine:
OW has a political blog – he has strong convictions. One of those convictions is that the neo cons or cons or republicans are ruining this great country of ours. He bases this conviction off facts, stories and anectdotes that he finds; sometimes when he finds a conservative or republican or neo con saying is something he will use it to ‘frame’ the ‘debate’ – this is called a tactic. It is a tactic that has been used by both the right and the left in order to frame a debate. Some people call it dirty politics some people call it affective. I hope that I understand this correctly and was able to explain it for you. I am only a citizen and a guy with a job, house and family. I am not a poli scientist or a Dr, or a blog owner.
Zappa: Not bad, but it doesn’t entirely answer my question.
Do the people who say that conservatives hate Hispanics, believe that conservatives hate Hispanics, or is throwing down that gauntlet a “tactic”?
[...] ta. A few days ago, Oliver Willis posted an immigration-related item on his blog entitled They Just Hate Hispanics, Admit It. Oliver put the entry under the cat [...]
Isnt it just great to be in America–anyone can come across our borders(ILLEGALLY)…break our law, and our polititians try their hardest to give them amnesty!
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