An old couple I know real well, who are my handy barometer of the lower regions of rightwing sentiment, have been apoplectic since they started seeing those hordes of brown refugee kids flooding across their teevee screen. ALL their fears and loathing rushed back in full force, as they once again felt that horrid vertigo of the world they once knew melting away beneath their armchairs!
And here I’d been thinking that the Republican Party was pulling itself out of its immigrant hate, its Latino hate, since the low-water mark of 2010. Scott Baugh’s OCGOP had been trying awkwardly to do “outreach” to the Latino community (whispering to them in Spanish that Barack is the Great Deporter, as though Latinos don’t know who’s stopping immigration reform.) And even the sometime Minuteman leader Tim Donnelly kept quiet about the issue during his gubernatorial campaign, communicating his steadfast xenophobia only in furtive winks and nods.
But this month it came back like … SOME grotesque pathological metaphor, I’m not sure what. Something that lurks under the surface of the skin, even when it looks like it’s gone, but meanwhile just gets more and more painful and poisonous, until just the right little trauma makes it explode more spectacularly than ever, hurling pus, blood and bits of scab onto distant walls and ceilings.
We’re in a world without facts or logic here. This old couple is sure – and by extension millions of American Republicans are sure – that these Central American refugee kids have been intentionally summoned to America by Barack Obama in order to swell the Democratic voter rolls so there can never again be a Republican President. PLUS these “kids” are fully aware of this plot too, they’re part of the conspiracy. Never mind that many of them will probably be sent back, never mind how young they are or that most will probably never be U.S. citizens who can vote, at least within any decade in sight. I figure this must be what this couple is hearing on FOX and hate radio … and sure enough, I’ve tracked some of these memes down to newly bespectacled Governor Perry and the slimy fop Tucker Carlson (both of whom start, “I don’t want to sound conspiratorial, BUT…”)
There was a crooked man, who walked a crooked mile…
Smelling opportunity in all this, and jumping into it with both feet, is trainwreck-of-a-congressman Darrell Issa, who since the 2011 redistricting whence he inherited San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, and Dana Point, is now this blog’s problem. At least as disastrous of a political force as our Dana Rohrabacher, but less obviously comical, he’s begun to hit the end of his credibility with his own Republican colleagues, with his nonstop bluster and his endless, pointless “investigations” which never lead to anything substantive but the occasional national-security-damaging blunder.
So last week, sensing how the wind blew, Darrell sent out a letter ordering President Obama to deport all the young people who would be covered by the DREAM Act – i.e., cease the President’s “DACA” executive action whereby he “defers” deporting kids who were brought here illegally by their parents but who have meanwhile been living a model life in school or military, no brushes with the law.
As you see, this has NOTHING at all to do with the humanitarian refugee crisis going on right now, except for the young thing and the brown thing. (Although it MAY resonate with the “SJC Americans” and other South County Minutemen/skinhead groups Darrell now represents.)
What do you think, this Issa fellow sure has some Arabic chutzpah, wouldn’t you say? Grandson of Lebanese immigrants himself, who misspent his own youth stealing cars with his brother, bullying strangers, weaseling out of debts, burning down his own buildings for insurance money and otherwise flouting the law, he now dares to scapegoat immigrant kids who BY DEFINITION are the cream of the crop, kids with spotless records, who are studying law or medicine or serving in the military. He should be licking their boots I say.
Issa’s Democratic opponent this year, Dave Peiser, might express himself a bit more temperately; let’s check in with him:
With Darrell Issa’s July 2nd letter to the President demanding that he immediately deport undocumented children who have lived here all their lives, he conflates the situation of these children with a crisis at our southern border, where many very young people have traveled from Central America to escape persecution and possible death.
These are two separate and unrelated issues, yet Issa is using this humanitarian tragedy purely for publicity. Rather than work to find real solutions, Issa has chosen to be part of the problem. We should instead be working toward a much needed comprehensive immigration bill in the House of Representatives.
For a full statement, please go here: http://www.peiserforcongress.com/darrell_issa_out_of_touch_on_immigration_reform_and_dream_act
Should the States People defend themselves from an invasion of foreign nationals? Do the States People have a right to self-defense?
What is the difference from the States people taking innocent people from human traffickers from Africa or from Latin America?
If you believe that Latin America is such a bad place, then why not demand an invasion of those countries and set their people free?
Did talk radio just start using the phrase “the States People”? Do we have to get used to this now?
Obama is just following the law here. The law says that when an unaccompanied minor comes into the U.S. from a non-adjacent country — in other words, tough luch, Mexico — that minor gets to remain in the U.S. while his or her application for emergency humanitarian residency is processed.
This law was passed to combat human trafficking of children. It was pushed by the same Prop 35 conservatives who want to use the specter of human trafficking of children to end all prostitution of any kind, now and forever. Well, passing laws like this has unexpected consequences — and this is one of them.
Propping up right-wing dictatorships in Central America is what led to this refugee problem in the first place, cook. You think we’re going to invade Honduras and topple its government now? Fine — we’ll send in you and Issa.
GD, thanks for clearing up a question on a law that applies to these foreign kids.
As to “the States People” I pick that up watching an interview with CCN(?) and a citizen of Lebanon during its civil war in the 80’s. The States People is more descriptive than Americans. (Everyone in this western hemisphere are Americans)
The question is cleared up in a separate post. You should be able to find it.
too much illegal immigration is the problem. the “kids” may be pawns but Obama is out to transform America and this is one of his methods. this is not spontaneous, but scripted. It backfired. Now La Raza and Mexican flags are out like in 1994, statements defying us to deport them like “we are here and we are not leaving”. What’s next, the brown berets telling us to wake up and smell the beans?not smart. we see what citizenship to them would bring, cannot allow it to happen. the backlash has begun. another Prop 187 will emerge , it won by a huge margin last time will win again with a larger margin. We don’t need la raza rants and Mexican flags marching down our streets. This and Obamacare are great tragedies for the nation but great gifts to the Republicans who will win elections and fix these things.
Do you know what law allows unaccompanied minors to do this, deadster? If not, you’re speaking in almost complete ignorance. I imagine that it is blissful, though.
Obama didn’t push for the law in question. That was religious anti-prostitution conservatives. And that is what backfired.
Thanks for focusing on the festering pustule of a representative I have here in my town. We must keep at his heels and vote him out!
THAT’S how stuff gets done. Get facts, ignore bluster, and follow the law. Hate the guy but vote.
I support fixing the law so we can treat illegal immigrants from anywhere – including Central America – the same as we treat illegal immigrants from Mexico or Canada – send ’em back posthaste.
So, that law would read … how? We will give asylum to those foreigners fleeing from violence and forced prostitution, unless… unless they are foreigners? I am all ears.
There is no violence or forced prostitution occurring in Mexico???
Have all of those countries clean up their own messes – or stew in it. Save those traveling through Mexico from the violence there. Save those dying from heat/thirst that you don’t even know or care about by encouraging and demanding that they stay in their own countries.
Then – ok, I guess you’re AGAINST that bill that religious conservatives passed protecting kids from prostitution and signed by Bush in 2008, which Greg wrote about this morning. Good to know, although this discussion really should be over on that thread:
http://www.orangejuiceblog.com/2014/07/the-law-behind-the-unaccompanied-minors-immigration-crisis-supported-by-conservatives/
Hey wait, over on that thread, aren’t you the person who cracked, “you say that like being against child prostitution slavery is a BAD thing”? Are you pretending to be two different people on two different threads? Maybe you should take one of your old pseudonyms back out of mothballs, if you want to pretend to be someone who cares about child prostitution and also someone who growls, “Let these kids fix their own problems.” Just a thought?
These minors are not from Mexico. Please read the linked stories.
And, by the way, we have made much of the mess in Central America that is still harming people today. You may not want to admit it — it doesn’t seem to be in your nature — but it’s true nevertheless.
Vern Nelson –
“So, that law would read … how?”
The same – identical – as the law we have concerning illegal Mexican immigrants. Seems to be working well – I haven’t heard any complaints from bleeding heart libs such as yourself concerning how we turn back Mexican illegals. Or are you a completely open borders type?
No, we deport undocumented immigrants who commit crimes. Crimes OTHER than just being here and working.
We immediately deport illegal Mexicans caught at or near the border – we need to do the same with OTMs.
I dont think anyone really sees the real problem here. Half of you are wasting time and energy arguing about immigrants right to be in the US if they havent committed a crime and are working. The real concern should be that these illegals, if not sent directly back to wherever it is they came from.. (the middle of the desert for all i care) will eat up every dollar we dont have as a nation. Obama is already calling to give 3.7 billion dollars in funding to these immigrants. That is money that could be going to our deficit, our schools, our roadways, instead it is funding the largest humanitarian “terrorist” attack this nation has ever seen. Now dont get me wrong, i understand these are just kids, and we are all technically immigrants too, but i mean come on! Our hearts and our souls belong to the United States of America, and to its constitution. These children who are flooding our boarders now, already taking almost 4$ billion of OUR tax payed dollars, will soon have our jobs, be allowed to drive on our roadways, and eventually be able to vote. And do you think their heart is with the US for saving them ? Hell no! Its still Guatemala or Mexico or wherever they have their families. Remember when the irish and the italians immigrated a few decades ago? They worked hard on becoming American.They struggled to learn the language. Most you hear started with only a dollar or two and now own sandwich shops and delis. My point is, they wanted to become Americans, not because we will support them for free their whole lives, but because they believed in this country much like we do. And i can respect that. These “new age” immigrants, are only coming here, because they know we will feed them, clothe them, put a roof over their head, let them drive, let them vote, give them free schooling, let them keep their foreign language(while we embrace it nationally, as if we arent a country of Americans who speak English) and then we offer to give them jobs. Well I wont stand for that none-sense! I couldnt even afford college nor did i ever qualify for any government assistance, and I am born and raised in southern california. Now what happens when one of us tries to immigrate to another country? You think anyone in the world would be as self destructive as we are when it comes to immigration? Didnt think so. Now at a time like this, where most of the world hates the US and hates westernized civilization, taking in immigrants whose alliance may not be of our own, can only cause further destruction to our Republic. Now I am in no way apposed to immigration, but all this talk about reform is a joke! The last thing we need is to make it easier for people who are not from this country to gain temporary citizenship while they wait on the real thing. We need to lock our doors, close the gates, not let anyone in. I know its harsh but its so very true. If we dont put a lid on this now, the whole world will be at our door wanting to come in and wanting all the royalties that come with it. Obama knows that, and he uses that to his advantage. Obama wants to cripple us from within. I mean, he said it himself… he wants to “fundamentally change the United States of America” And change it has…
*Way off sir…..way off. it is important to take logic and ethics in college. Not many take these courses but everyone should. Realities are important. If two people want to rent your propety….the price is one thing. If 20 want to rent it…..this is now called supply and demand. Illegals, legals, HI-B’s, College Students from foreign countries and even folks from other states….raise the demand and therefore raise the prices we pay for everything. These people crowd our freeways, work the underground economy and spread that cash all over the place including restaurants, supermarkets, Wal-mart, Costco, Target and even Carl’s Jr. We haven’t been to a Carl’s Jr. since 2002. They sell shoe leather and everyone knows it. The illegals eat there and work there and keep the place going. At any rate, unless you have an illegal alien living in your house or apartment…..you probably should just dummy up. There are approximately 11 to 22 million illegals and if the current 200,000 unaccompanied kids keep coming in every year……you can bet that our schools and hospitals are going to be duely impacted. You better get used to it…..because we can’t see any of this changing for the next 15 years.
“Statistical Analysis Shows that Violence, Not Deferred Action, Is Behind the Surge of Unaccompanied Children Crossing the Border”.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/news/2014/07/08/93370/statistical-analysis-shows-that-violence-not-deferred-action-is-behind-the-surge-of-unaccompanied-children-crossing-the-border/
*As as old Darrell Issa fan……we can say that “disappointment” is the more moderate word we have for a prior service Army guy, who pulled himself up by the bootstraps and through the very dirty world of auto security devices…managed to break through and make a cool billion dollars. Most Jews hate Darrell Issa because of his Lebanese roots and the fact that he is richer than most in Orange and San Diego counties.
Having said that, we fall prey to what we call – The Christopher Cox Syndrome! We love Christopher Cox and Rebecca more than anyone. Chris always understood “Constituent Services” and went way beyond the call of duty – to help his constituents out. His staff was really special and as they say: “It all starts at the top!”. Back in the day, we thought that Chris could have been a great Vice Presidential Candidate or more. He was sidelined, by being appointed to the defunct, disingenuous SEC. He luckily had a three-two split on the Board Members – but we restricted from doing anything when it came to Hedge Funds. The fix was in too deep and Chris was caught between a rock and a hard place. He didn’t want to walk away – so people could say he couldn’t take the heat. So he stayed and was rewarded by the Republican Hierarchy “let him twist in the wind”! We will always be Chris Cox supporters, no matter where he goes or what he does.
Darrell Issa was another person that was not litigious, not mean, not hurtful but very direct. He liked getting things done. His career in politics was going along just fine, with the chance….had nothing gone wrong that he too could have been tabbed to be a great Vice Presidential Candidate. Then it happened: The Republican Heirarchy needed an attack dog. Someone that had no further political desires. Someone who had all the background necessary to take the mean spirited, unkind attack approach – Cujo!
For whatever purpose Darrell has sold his soul to the devil. He is certainly not the great guy we met when he was running down in south county for the first time – or the guy we interviewed at the National Association of Broadcasters that spent extra time on camera with us. He is not the same guy we interviewed just a few years ago at the Jim Lacy Conservative Conference in Newport Beach. Something has happened to him and we believe it is not the presidency of Barack Obama. We believe that after 2016 Darrell Issa will retire and try to do something different – much as Chris Cox has had to do. The sad thing is: we loved them both very much and they certainly could do wonderful things had they taken a different tack. But hey, that’s just politics…isn’t it?
Nice, self-reflective comment, Winships. (Although I had to add paragraph breaks to make it legible.) I think we have observed you suffering from “Christopher Cox Syndrome” in relation to several politicians.
I want to take exception, since nobody else has, to your statement “Most Jews hate Darrell Issa because of his Lebanese roots and the fact that he is rich…” I don’t think most Jews are bigots. I don’t think most Jews are (your friend and my acquaintance) Eddie Rose. If most Jews do hate Issa, it’s probably for better reasons than him being Arab-American and richer than them.
But you’re right, I seem to remember Issa being a different sorta guy about a decade ago, when he engineered the Gray Davis Recall and appeared regularly on Bill Maher – a laid-back, good-humored conservative. He was on again just recently and he wasn’t fun at all; he was an arrogant, disingenuous, propagandizing scold, and I’ll be surprised if Bill has him back. His position in Washington does seem to have changed him.
*Good comments Chairman Vern, truly…no one can see inside of the mind of any bigot….no matter what ethnic or racial reasons they may have garnered either through heredity or association. When we lived and worked in Biloxi,Gulfport, Pass Christian, Picayune, Mississippi during the mid 60’s……the rules were straight forward, steadfast and clear. No association of whites with blacks…EVER! Break those rules and you would have wound up with 100 lbs of chain rapped around your ankles in the Indian River. Our country hasn’t seemed to have grown much in 55 years……but
then…..what did they say: “They learn this stuff in the schools!”. And at home of course!
But they are children.. The idiot Rick Perry is demanding that President Obama send the National Guard to the border.. they are turning themselves in.. what does he want the National Guard to do? Beat them or shoot them or what?
Haha — the Governor, not the President, controls the state’s National Guard.
*Correcto Mundo Dr. D.! Guess they don’t teach Civics in Texas! Oh yeah, Texas is a Republic……not a State….OK….now we get it….Tricky Ricky Perry Boy!
You are an idiot sir.
Sick traitorous idiot.