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Whatever happened to just wanting the immigrants to come here legally?
You’ve heard that, too, right? Whenever someone on the right is questioned about their unreasonable dislike of immigrants (not the white ones), the knee-jerk response is almost always to explain that they really like most immigrants but simply want them to come here legally, through the proper channels.
Now, this, of course, fails to recognize that most immigrants do, in fact, come here legally by way of the asylum process. But such intricate and nuanced details are usually lost upon those whose political ideals fit neatly within the confines of a bumper sticker or a colorful Facebook post.
It also raises one other question: So why are you hating the Haitians?
If your concern is truly that the immigrants aren’t following the laws of the country when they enter, there should be nothing troubling you about the Haitian workers in Albertville, Athens or Sylacauga – or anywhere else.
It has been explained repeatedly now that these folks are here on work visas, transported in to do jobs that local Alabama companies couldn’t fill. Mostly, that is processing the chicken that you’re sitting in line to order at Chick-fil-A or Chipotle or one of the other fast-food restaurants.
All should be well, right?
They’re here legally. They’re here to do a job we need done. They’re not causing any trouble. They simply want to achieve that American Dream they’ve heard so much about, and build a better life for themselves and their families.
What’s not to love about that story? It’s the one we put on campaign posters and talk breathlessly about during political events.
But it’s utter BS, isn’t it?
These Haitian immigrants have done us all a tremendous service – exposing the outright lies of the racists among us.
Because there’s no reason at all to dislike the Haitian people, except that those Haitian people speak a different language, live a little differently and have skin that’s a little darker.
But instead of loving them, of embracing the stranger from a foreign land (even one that has followed every law in coming here), they have been met with vile, disgusting, racist attacks.
Allegations that they’re stealing and eating household pets. Allegations that they smell funny. Allegations that they’re carrying diseases. Allegations that they’re putting a strain on local schools and endangering young kids. Allegations that their mere presence is driving down home prices and driving up crime stats.
I hate, hate, hate Nazi comparisons, but, um, all of that above is pretty much straight out of the Nazi playbook. And it’s on the cover of the KKK playbook.
What the hell is wrong with y’all?
I thought we lived in this “Christian” state, where southern hospitality and “Christian” ideals dictated that we treat others with kindness and dignity. That we show those with less than us compassion and offer a helping hand. That we never judge others and instead offer only to give of ourselves and our possessions.
Isn’t that in a book somewhere? Or did we ban that one too?
The question I keep asking is this: Who raised so many of y’all to be absolute cowards – so easily led to be scared of anyone who looks or acts differently?
What a miserable life that must be.
The truly sad part is the lack of originality, because this sure isn’t the first time that immigrants have been used as boogeymen in this country. The Irish, Italians, Hispanics, Asians – all of them have taken their turns as punching bags for the comfortable and as political pawns for lazy politicians doing the bidding of the elite.
To that end, it’s always confounded me the ease with which a working-class American could be made to believe that an immigrant worker was the threat, and not the rich guys jacking up his health care costs, stifling his pay and moving his job to another country.
And that’s exactly what’s happening here: A bunch of lazy, do-nothing politicians, who haven’t the basic intelligence or the drop of initiative required to create policies that might help the majority of the people they serve, have settled on besmirching a group of innocent, hard working, decent humans simply because they’re a tad bit mysterious to the common Alabamian, and thus, ripe targets for the brain dead bullies.
It’s disgusting. And vile. And the stench of it should stick to them forever.
The only possible positive from any of it is that at least now it is perfectly clear that all the hand-wringing and over-inflated BS about “the border” had nothing at all to do with concerns about the law or a desire to see asylum seekers follow the proper channels. The uproar over Haitians has put it all in proper perspective.
Once again, it was just racists being racist.
