Lamnidae

Jay touched on an important topic today, when he pondered, “how much does the rightie anti-immigration rhetoric spur this kind of thing,” in reference to an alleged hate crime in Marion last weekend.

The Billings Gazette ran an editorial last week proclaiming “no tolerance for racism in Billings,” after a series of hate-speech filled acts of vandalism at ethnic restaurants in the city. The editorial states “We must speak out strongly to denounce racism, prejudice and damage to property,” but I have to wonder if whoever wrote the piece ever reads the comments sections of their own stories? This is particularly true when a story has anything to do with the neighboring reservations or Mexican migrants.

The fact of the matter is that the GOP and American traditional media have been turning a blind eye to racists in their ranks for a number of years now that other traditional wedge issues are running out of electoral steam. Ignoring homegrown bigots like former Sen. Conrad Burns and Rep. Denny Rehberg, the obvious example here is Rep. Tom Tancredo, who’s track record includes a bill that would end “birthright citizenship,” several high-profile speaking events before groups identified as hate organizations, and attempting to deport an undocumented immigrant high school student with a 3.9 GPA after he was profiled in the local paper. Not to be outdone, Tancredo and his ilk are consistently provided safe harbor by conservatives in traditional media. Here are a few examples:

“One, they’re terrorists; two, they’re escaping the law; or three, they’re hungry. They can’t make a living in their own dirtbag country.” — Glenn Beck, CNN

“Mexico is run by nothing but criminals.” — Glenn Beck, again…

“They participate in encouraging and proliferating hate.” — GOP darling and Minutemen founder Jim Gilchrist while referencing the Anti-Defamation League and Southern Poverty Law Center

“We’re getting refugees now who have never used a telephone, a toothbrush, or toilet paper… They never assimilate. And then their children become gang-bangers” — Conservative radio host Michael Savage

“He [Obama] wants you to be sure your child can speak fluent illegal alien.” — Conservative radio host G. Gordon Liddy

“In the next 50 years, the Third World will grow by the equivalent of 30 to 40 new Mexicos. If you go to the end of the century, the white and European population is down to about three percent. This is what I call the death of the West. I see the nations dying when the populations die. I see the civilization dying. It is under attack in our own countries, from our own people.” — Pat Buchanan

Clearly, I could go on and on, but it’s unnecessary. I didn’t even get around to Lou Dobbs, Bill O’Reilly, Michelle Malkin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc… What we’ve got right now is a lot of scared people. People who are worrying how they’ll pay their mortgage or rent. Wondering if they’ll have a job tomorrow… Or a retirement fund. When years of neglect, misinformation and politics of fear collide with this kind of speech, bad thing like this, and this, and even this happen. But hey, when Rep. Denny Rehberg makes a joke that denigrates entire groups, it’s all in good fun right?

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