"How did it come to pass that an opposition's measure of a president's foreign policy was all or nothing, success or "failure"? The answer is that the political absolutism now normal in Washington arrived at the moment--Nov. 7, 2000--that our politics subordinated even a war against terror to seizing the office of the presidency." - Daniel Henninger - WSJ 11/18/05
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"the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts." - George Orwell
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006

Southern Poverty Law Center ties HATE crimes to border debate

USA Today has an interesting article regarding "hate" crimes. I will avoid going into any detail on my feelings about "hate" crimes, as it is too general a term and "illegal" border crossing into our country is "legal." Although, I can't resist asking: if you murder a homosexual lacking pigment (pc), isn't murder already illegal? Is it not as bad a crime if you murder someone for their Nikes and not for hate? Isn't murder kind of hateful to begin with?

My apologies for the digression. From USATODAY:

Tension over illegal immigration is contributing to a rise in hate groups and hate crimes across the nation, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. It says that racist groups are using the immigration debate as a rallying cry.
Not to belittle the accusation, but victims are blamed daily for what happened to them; would it be unfair to suggest perhaps demanding rights that are not really yours has increased "hate" crimes. However, under the banner of the "immigration" issue any argument fits. But the theme of the article is one of "bad guys" taking the law into their own hands defending the border.

USATODAY reports that:
Mark Potok says the center has seen increasing signs that groups that have encouraged a particularly aggressive response to illegal immigration are working with neo-Nazi organizations to try to intimidate illegal immigrants.
One of the groups cited in the USATODAY article is:
Arizona-based Border Guardians, whose members burned a Mexican flag last month in front of that nation's consulate in Tucson.
When someone burns the U.S. flag is it considered a "hate" crime? No, it's consider free speech. Should we really be that concerned with people that "hate" Mexican flags? Is this action what lead the Center to it's categorizing Border Guardians as a "hate" group? If so, the increase in the number of "hate" crimes is questionable. I do not defend Border Guardians as I know very little about the group, but we are talking about a flag.

Another group according to USATODAY:
American Border Patrol. Its efforts have included rounding up illegal immigrants and turning them over to law enforcement. The Southern Poverty Law Center has accused ABP of abusing and illegally detaining immigrants, and the center lists ABP as a hate group.

ABP director, Glenn Spencer says his group has done nothing wrong.
Again with the standard, "rounding up and turning them over to law enforcement" isn't a good fit in the definition of "hate," yet it sounds like that is where it is headed.

Nazis or NeoNazis, these are "hate" groups. Let's not lump too many into a category, lest anyone that says or does anything that the Center and other centers like it deems hateful would be a "hate" group; you know like the Coalition Against Illegal Immigration....

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.**





Posted by a.k.a. Blandly Urbane at 7:14:00 AM  

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