“Republican presidential candidate Tom Tancredo on Monday unveiled a television ad depicting a hooded terrorist detonating a bomb inside a shopping mall, a message the Colorado congressman said he hoped would vault illegal immigration to its rightful place at the center of the campaign,” according to the L.A. Times.
Did I miss something? Were there any Mexican immigrants involved in 9/11? All of the previous mass terrorist attacks in this country were committed by white guys. The only Mexicans involved in 9/11 were the three hundred or so who perished in the World Trade Towers. They worked there.
But wait, there’s more. “The 30-second spot, which began airing on cable television in Iowa, casts Tancredo as the only candidate brave enough to buck political convention and discuss the true threat of immigration — terrorists crossing into the U.S. To view the ad, click here.”
If any terrorists have indeed entered the U.S. through our southern border, that is not the fault of the people of Mexico. The blame lies with our federal government.
Here are a few more excerpts from the L.A. Times article:
Dennis Goldford, a professor of politics at Drake University in Des Moines, called the Tancredo spot “an incredibly fear-based kind of advertisement that some might say is trying to terrorize people into supporting his view.”
The new ad says Tancredo would protect Americans from “jihadists who froth with hate.” An immigration activist says it’s Tancredo “frothing with hate.”
“I think this is political pandering at its worst,” said spokeswoman Clarissa Martinez of the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, which backed a congressional compromise that would have allowed some illegal immigrants to gain citizenship. “Unfortunately, we may see more ads like this in 2008.”
The Tancredo ad begins with the image of a gloved hand jamming a bomb into a backpack. Then it follows a hooded figure, whose face cannot be seen, strolling through a mall as a narrator decries “20 million aliens who have come to take our jobs” and “Islamic terrorists [who] now freely roam U.S. soil.”
In an accompanying radio spot, the congressman promises to “prosecute those who provide sanctuary to anyone who would harm us, deport all those who do not belong here, and put the military on the border if necessary.”
That last statement is amazing in its stupidity. Just look at the chart above, which denotes “Hispanics in the U.S. Civilian Labor Force and Military Services, 1997 to 2004.” If it were not for Latinos, the U.S. military would be grossly understaffed.
I do think that we will see more GOP candidates going the way of Tancredo as they fan the fires of hate in return for votes. Mitt Romney, in particular is going full speed in that direction. In fact, Romney recently “promised if elected to cut federal funding for cities and states that he considers tolerant of illegal immigration, according to the L.A. Times. Romney also “repeated statements he has made in recent days that he would deny funding to so-called sanctuary cities, states that issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants and states that allow the children of illegal immigrants to receive in-state tuition discounts at universities.”
Romney and Tancredo are significant threats to U.S. Latinos. The GOP is in danger of not only losing the White House, but also losing Latino voters, for generations to come. Even Orange County, where the GOP has ruled for years, will eventually see Latinos become the majority. Here in the O.C., Mike Schroeder has put himself and Assemblyman Van Tran’s legion of Mexican haters firmly behind Romney. That alone is reason for area Republicans to vote for anyone other than Romney – and his soulmate Tancredo.
Art Art Art,
Enough of this protecting illegal immigrants with ad hominem attacks. ONE HALF of ALL illegals come in practically through JFK. They get a visa, and they overstay. This, dare I say, bleeding heart liberal, defense of illegal actions by masking the motivations of those who would end them with some “ism” is IGNORANT, RANTING, and UNAMERICAN. HISPANICS CAN NO LONGER claim the sole mantel of VICTIM DEFENSE as ILLEGALS. THOSE OF US WHO ARE GOING TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION ARE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE OTHER 50% WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY FROM EVERYWHERE ELSE. QUIT DEFENDING THEM IN THE NAME OF LA RAZA. AND YES, YOU DO SOUND LIKE LA RAZA NOW ART.
YOU ENDANGER EVERYONE.
You display you have no ability to discourse on this issue with such blather.
No Tancredo fan here. Just interested in an honest conversation on immigration in this country. Obviously, I can no longer have one with you.
KC a home run with that one. art supports illegals and rights for illegas over U.S. CITIZENS . see in his other post how he is always trying to bash people who want to ENFORCE THE LAW . trying to push that stupid dream act . and drivers licenses for illegals . and of course if you are not with him on this . there is always the your a racist statement that follows .
Our group, Sensible Latinos Against Violating Entry Requirements Year-round has a unique solution to the immigration problem in the U.S.
We want to send back all the illegal immigrants to Mexico. When the U.S. finds there aren’t enough cheap workers, our system swings into action. Employers, through a especial program with the Mexican government, will be able to enter Mexico, select the workers they like and bring them back to the U.S. (Or we will allow Mexican Mexicans to provide the employees to corporations for a “transfer fee.” We are still working out the details.
At that point, the U.S. government will give the worker a “special visa” that allows the worker to remain in the United States in perpetuity, it would also apply to his/her spouse and children, as long as they are able-bodied and able to work.
The employers, in turn, would provide for the workers’ housing and pay.
The worker would not be able to leave the employer unless the employer agrees to “transfer the special visa” to the new employer, for a fixed fee to be determined by the two parties. The children and the spouse of the worker would have to negotiate their own “transfer.” (We are working on a program for selling visa “transfers” to the highest bidder with eBay.)
We believe this system would work as we have seen it work before in a variety of settings and countries throughout history.
We are in talks with various top-level, Orange County leaders, and congressional Republicans to bring our plan to fruition.
Aren’t our jails currently holding significant numbers of Mexican citizens? Yes, they are, and that confirms there are peopMexican Citizens who commit crimes here and get caught. Would we be better off if those jailed Mexican Citizns were not here in the first place? Seems like a no brainer to me.
I totally respect and agree with Tom Tancredo. Unfortunately for you Art, I USE to have total respect for you but now you have revealed your true colors. You are an open borders guy. All Tom is trying to do is protect this beloved AMERICAN country of ours before their is nothing left. The illegals from Mexico have no desire to be American. They just want the goodies and in doing so they have driven the wages of many jobs down to levels of 20 years ago. They are not interested in learning our common language or culture. Why don’t you move to Mexico since it is such a wonderful place with such wonderful law abiding citizens.
By the way 9/11 was not caused by white guys. I guess anyone lighter then you is white. How racist is that. You are the true racist Art not Tom. Tom is trying to send a message in a big way because most people don’t get it unless you shock them with the truth. You are running away from the truth. I know its hard Art but you do have to accept reality. 80% of the illegals in California come from Mexico. That is a proven fact. Get over it. By not protecting our country in the way Tom suggests we are opening ourselves up to another 9/11. Tom lives in the real world you don’t Art. You need to get out of Santa Ana. Take a cross country road trip across America as I did 4 years ago and although it is changing as more and more illegals take hostage American cities across the country and shove their way of life down our throats you will still see little snipits of what the true America is all about. By the time you wake up Art is will be too late.