Photo by John McCoy, Contra Costa Times.
A crowd of demonstrators shouted-out heated exchanges, pointing fingers and waving the American flag Tuesday, outside Santa Clarita City Hall in California.
They were incited by comments from Councilman Bob Kellar, who defined himself as a "proud racist," during an anti-illegal immigration rally two weeks ago.
WHAT RACISM? ME?
Kellar, pictured right, now insists his comments weren't intended to "express animosity towards non-whites."
In his heated speech at the rally, the Santa Clarita city councilman referred to a statement from President Theodore Roosevelt who said the United States only has room for one flag and one language, reported the Los Angeles Daily News.
You decide. Here's what he said:
"The only thing I heard back from a couple of people was 'Bob, you sound like a racist.' I said "That's good. If that's what you think I am because I happen to believe in America, then I'm a proud racist. You're darn right I am.' "
Kellar said his "proud racist" comment reflected his frustration with illegal immigration, adding: "It doesn't mean I'm going to saddle up the horses at midnight."
WHITES-ONLY DON'T MEAN NO RACISM
The councilman's denial ("I am not a racist. I abhor racism in any form, shape or fashion.") reminds me of Don "Moose" Lewis. In Ethic Soup's post on the formation of the whites-only All-American Basketball Alliance, the new league's Commissioner "Moose" said the only eligible players must be natural born U.S. citizens, with both parents of Caucasian race. And yes, he too denied any racism.
And both of these 'chihuahuas' remind me of Lou Dobbs, CNN's former prime-time host. (Oops, I apologize to the litte short-hairs with the protruding eyes and erect ears.)
Probably the country's most visible critic of illegal immigrants, "Dobbs sometimes overstated or misrepresented the facts as he sought to connect illegal immigrants to crime or other societal ills, a frequent theme," says National Public Radio.
LEPROSY? YOU LIE!
For example, Dobbs seemed to attribute a startling rise in leprosy cases to illegal immigrants from Latin America. However, there was no such startling rise -- and the few cases there were would have been more likely to have had originated in Asia.
"On the air, Dobbs consistently indulged the so-called birther movement -- those people who question whether President Obama was born on American soil and, therefore, whether he was constitutionally entitled to be president," says NPR.
Then there was the example of Dobbs' characterization of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Dobbs claimed this mainstream business group was "effectively an organization that is interested in Mexico's export of drugs and illegal aliens to the United States."
HIT THE ROAD, RACISTS
Finally, Lou Dobbs was recently forced to leave CNN. If we could just find ways to have Kellar and good ol' Moose hit-the-road too --like "The Three Amigos."
But, when guys like these nuts come up on the radar screens, they remind us that there are racists are out there working their hatred even though they may be doing so under-the-radar. Sadly, we are not in a post-racism era. We gotta keep our eyes on these folks.
As a new immigration-reform bill will be debated in Congress during the coming months, rallies are expected to increase in frequency -- with both those against illegal immigration and the folks on the other side wanting amnesty and immigration reform. Be prepared for more hateful rhetoric.
TO READ "WHITES-ONLY BASKETBALL LEAGUE: FOR IGNORANT, ARROGANT RACISTS-ONLY" CLICK HERE.
TO READ "NUCLEAR-RACISM:BLACK EMPLOYEES SUBJECTED TO EXCESSIVE-RADIATION EXPOSURE" CLICK HERE.
Pssssst -- If you are mildly depressed after reading about all of this racism, swallow a sugar bill and read "Placebo as Good as Drugs for Mild Depression," CLICK HERE.
by Sharon McEachern
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