Blurring the line between patriotism and racism makes it hard for some to see the difference

…is the title of a very well written introspective essay on the blog Latina Lista

And it’s raro, deja vu, because what she wrote has basically been floating around in my head today as I followed the invasion of the hate advocate attempting to disrupt debate at change.org, thinking of a way to form a response.

She makes some excellent points in her essay and is right on point. She must be because the hate groups are already all over this already in their pathetic attempts to render her thoughts irrelevant.

I would like to add some thoughts to hers and use her words to make a point.

The battle over immigration reform that Congress has forced onto Main Street USA has spun off a variety of unforeseen consequences — a negative perception of Hispanics, a hunt by private citizens for undocumented immigrants and a sincere confusion between patriotism and racism.

Congress didn’t force the issue onto Main Street USA at all. This lies at the feet of a relatively unknown person by the name of John Tanton who had plans as far back as 1979 to bring this to the mainstream.

There are three memos detailing his plans and ideas, and if one will think, they’ll see that the hysteria against Hispanics, without regard to legal status, is following the plans he laid out.

• WITAN I - lays out Tanton’s plans to further insert FAIR into U.S. politics.
• WITAN II - this memo reviews FAIR’s history and urges FAIR to take on legal — not just illegal — immigrants. Conner’s vision for a ‘Border Security Project’ seems to presage today’s controversies involving Ranch Rescue and other groups.
• WITAN III -  this memo is the most explicit, discussing Latinos and others in derogatory terms. 

That’s right.  Federation for American Immigration Reform was funded and founded by this guy 30 years ago and is one of 13 loosely networked groups founded or funded by Tanton. Some have been designated “Hate Groups” by the SPLC and others, with good reason.

These are the ones putting this out on Main Street USA.

She goes on to explain what Patriotism was and still is to some of us. And it is not the “Patriotism” the haters claim.

Patriotism used to be something that most Americans didn’t wear on their sleeves, not even military personnel. It was just a silent pride understood that everyone who lived in this country was patriotic by virtue of them either choosing to live here or having been born here.

But now to the hater’s, those “patriots” with a myopic point of view, anyone who questions their motives, their ideas or solutions, is a traitor, or an agent of “Mexico”!

And the damage has been done as we see the attacks on Hispanic’s increase to levels never before seen. We can’t tell exactly how many because some, because of their status, are afraid to report them. But one, is one too many.

Yet, as the immigration battle wears on in towns across America, people, who think they are preserving the “American Way,” are damaging the essence of what this country has historically stood for with their constant attacks on Latino immigrants.

And when those of us who seek a common sense solution to the immigration problem, we are accused of being anti-American, and advocate of “Open Borders”, which none of us are. And when we acknowledge the worst of the haters for what they are, they are quick to attack.

And when they’re called out for these racist views, because discrimination against another group of people who are ethnically diverse is a form of racism, these so-called defenders of the American Way can’t stomach such a strong label, but they have no problem villifying a whole group of people.

Most people who are advocating harsh measures against undocumented Latino immigrants don’t see themselves as racists but defenders of the American Way.

They just can’t see that the American Way has always been idealized as being an inclusive society that judged people’s immigrant status in the courts — and not in the streets or hallways of high schools.

Her words, not my, but words that I am in total agreement with.

Related posts:

1. Crossing the Line – ALIPAC President William Gheen calls for “Extra Violent Political Activities”