Lawmaker Goes Ballistic at Immigration Hearing

It appears the immigrant bashing strategy being employed by Republican candidates this year is beginning to blow back upon them. To all those demagogues claiming this isn't a racial issue I have one question: if these were Norwegians coming across the Canadian border would this be an issue? Wrap this anyway you please but it's core issue IS racism. Please stop insulting my intelligence by denying it.

The House Republican Policy Committee has latched onto the issue in an attempt to get voters focused on anything except the pay raise. They're using this as a smoke screen to cloud those other issues. These folks held a public forum yesterday in the Lehigh Valley and State Representative Mario Civera wound up exploding like a volcano when the 800 pound elephant (no pun intended. Really, I didn't mean ANY connection to the GOP here) in the room made its presence known.

Hispanic witnesses spent their allotted time condemning the candidates for fanning the flames of bigotry and racism to win re-election. The result? Civera went ballistic on them. Gee, what did he expect? I like this line:

''If I had seen [these remarks] beforehand, like hell you would have testified,'' the Delaware County Republican shouted, accusing Nix of offering insults instead of solutions to the fact-finding committee that is traveling the state, gathering testimony on immigration during the Legislature's summer recess.

In other words Civera wouldn't have allowed a member of the public to testify at a public hearing on an issue important to that individual. What did he think this was, a Bush event?

No terrorist has been discovered entering this country through Mexico. Some have been caught coming from Canada however. So far no terrorist cells have been found operating in Mexico. There have been in Canada though. Those trying to frame this debate in national security terms are only concealing their own agendas. That dog doesn't hunt though and people see through the rhetoric. That was clear yesterday.

Immigration is a federal issue. Communities like Hazleton aren't doing anything but invite massive litigation expenses to their taxpayers. The first time a resident from Puerto Rico is denied work, housing or services their next stop is going to be a local attorney's office. All these ordinances do is fuel the hysteria created by some people to mask their racist agendas. Other politicians fan these flames in a cruel hoax to fire up their racist voters. I know a few who fall into that category. I asked one last year if he realized that his comments actually have real consequences for real people. His answer: I don't care.