Anti-Illegal Immigrant Rhetoric Becoming More Virulent

With the 2010 Census fast approaching, Utah state officials are concerned that every resident of the state be counted. However, with anti-illegal-immigrant legislation (SB81) poised to go into effect on July 1st, these same officials are concerned that some in the Hispanic community will be afraid to respond to the census, thus creating a significant under count.

Although this in itself is noteworthy, what is even more significant are the comments posted to stories run in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News regarding this issue. The bitter, vitriolic, virulent nature of the comments shocked TMB reviewers despite years of dealing with this issue.

Commenter Santiago wrote:

The "message should be: GO HOME! We are SICK of your freeloading!

Commenter Bajarat wrote:

These illegal alien savages should only be counted as they get on a CBP bus headed to the airport or the border so we know how many green baloney sandwiches need to be ordered . . . . Illegal aliens are criminals and parasites, one and all . . . . They need to be ferreted out, rounded up like cattle, punished for their numerous crimes, then booted back to whence they snuck in from with such extreme prejudice that they will never, ever think of violating our sovereignty again.

Commenter Chaunte wrote:

. . . I loathe illegal immigrants . . . .

Commenter EscapedfromZion wrote:

I agree, the only reason they need to be counted is to figure out how many bologna sandwiches they will need to provide for the bus ride back to their precious May-hee-co.

Commenter Listen up wrote:

What is it going to take to finally have enough and boot these leeches out of the country.

Perhaps commenter Bajarat was unfamiliar with the reference, but the term "extreme prejudice" means to kill, to assasinate. With the recent shooting at the National Holocaust museum in recent memory, a shooting that was the result of racist hatred, to have that term appear in one of these postings is troubling indeed.

To read the Salt Lake Tribune story, click here.
To read the Deseret News story, click here.

Sonia Sotomayor nominated to serve on the Supreme Court

Judge Sonia Sotomayor has been nominated to fill the vacancy being created by Justice David Souter's retirement.

Sotomayor is currently serving on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. She was nominated to that position by President Clinton after having served in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She was nominated to her District Court position by President George H.W. Bush.

Although generally considered a judicial centrist, she is on record making comments about the policy making role of the court. Her confirmation to the Court of Appeals was delayed for over a year, an anonymous senator having placed a "secret hold" on her nomination.

Being of Puerto Rican ancestry, if confirmed to the Supreme Court, Sotomayor would become the Court's first Hispanic Justice.

The examination of the arguments made in favor or in opposition to her confirmation, not merely for their content but for the level of divisiveness they may or may not engender, will be as important as examining her judicial background.

Illegal immigrants score Supreme Court victory

A United States Supreme Court decision handed down on Monday, May 4th, states that prosecutors cannot charge an undocumented worker with aggravated ID theft, unless they can prove the worker intended to commit fraud.

The decision came with a 9-0 vote.

The details of the decision likely turn on some very specific aspects of the law.

More important than the decision, however, is the reaction from those with anti-immigrant leanings. A reading of the comments posted to the story show

1. strong anti-immigrant rhetoric, and
   
2. strong anti-government rhetoric.

The anti-government postings are concerning, especially given the recent Department of Homeland Security report on the danger of domestic terrorism sponsored by the right-wing radical fringe.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=6388426

Department of Homeland Security Report

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5410658/DHS-Report-on-Right-Wing-Extremism