Farmers Branch touts itself as a homey community of parkland and wide, landscaped medians -- you know, a "charming" paradise. Only, as you no doubt well know, the suburb has seen some pretty charmless chapters over the past year or so. And as this Saturday's municipal election approaches -- including the caged death match between anti-illegal immigrant Tim O'Hare versus the kinder, gentler, balder Gene Bledsoe! -- the atmosphere is becoming downright nasty.
Today, there was this story about the mayoral candidates' mudslinging over campaign contributions. And, earlier this week, KERA-FM (90.1) ran this piece in which FB resident Maria Reyes says she's "afraid of the climate in her town." Notes the story: "A long-time American citizen born in Mexico, she says O'Hare supporters have called her illegal because of her skin color and insisted she be deported." Charming. --Megan Feldman
FB resident Maria Reyes says she's "afraid of the climate in her town." Notes the story: "A long-time American citizen born in Mexico, she says O'Hare supporters have called her illegal because of her skin color and insisted she be deported."
Well then, that unsubstantiated anecdote proves that all O'Hare supporters must be racist idiots who have no valid motives at all. But usually these illegal-sympathetic stories make sure to use the expression climate of fear, which is highly effective at conveying a scenario of stormtroopers at midnight, concentration camps, etc. Did anyone from KERA point out to Ms. Reyes that someone "insisting that she be deported" can't cause anything to actually happen to her, not even in evil racist FB? But hey, why do that when you can continue to blur the distinction between legal and illegal immigrants, and try to keep the whole thing going as an alleged "racism" issue, ideally dragging out a few actual racists (or reports of them) and using them to discredit the entire anti-illegal side.
Posted at: May 8, 2008 6:02 PM