What’s Racist in Montana?

Written by: PogieApril 5th, 2006
Comments:12 Comments
Category:Blogs, MT Politics, Social Issues, US Politics
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Last week, I took Senator Burns to task for what I perceived to be racist overtones in his comments about immigration reform. As it turns out, Burns’ comments were relatively nuanced when compared to the racist spew offered up by Eric over at What’s Right Wing in Montana. The post certainly makes clear that some would rather rely on tired, nativist claims than engage in a debate about the facts. After reading Eric’s post, I’ve begun to wonder if the Republicans don’t have a candidate ready to replace Shawn Stuart.
Eric offers this insight:

Today, we have a flood of illegal immigrants, who aren’t coming here to become Americans, but simply to get jobs, and send the money back to Mexico. They don’t want to pay taxes, or have auto insurance, they are simply parasites on our economy. They don’t even want to learn English, they want bi-lingual schools in California! And the liberals are eager to please them.

Now, usually, when someone feels the need to compare someone to Hitler, debate suffers just a bit. However, in this case, when the Goebbels fits, I suppose Eric has to wear it. Hitler, speaking about the Jewish problem:

But now… when the nation is no longer willing to be sucked dry by these parasites, on every side one hears nothing but laments. But lamentations have not led these democratic countries to substitute helpful activity at last for their hypocritical questions; on the contrary, these countries with icy coldness assured us that obviously there was no place for the Jews in their territory. …

Maybe it’s unfair to compare Eric’s rhetoric with that of Hitler, but certainly no less fair than

denigrating 10-12 million people as parasites
making unfounded accusations about the motives and actions of those same people
making specious claims about what is the ‘right way’ to be an immigrant

Let’s just take one claim and evaluate its veracity. Eric claims that these terrible immigrants don’t even want to learn English, the savages! Of course, a little research might have shown Eric this:

Enrollment surveys at the turn of the 20th century reported that at least 600,000 primary school students (public and parochial) were receiving part or all of their instruction in the German language — about 4% of all American children in the elementary grades. That’s larger than the percentage of students enrolled in Spanish-English programs today.

Or this:

When children arrive in school with little or no English-speaking ability, “sink or swim” instruction is a violation of their civil rights, according to the U.S. Supreme Court in this 1974 decision.Lau remains the major precedent regarding the educational rights of language minorities, although it is grounded in statute… Imposition of a requirement that, before a child can effectively participate in the educational program, he must already have acquired those basic skills is to make a mockery of public education. We know that those who do not understand English are certain to find their classroom experiences wholly incomprehensible and in no way meaningful.

Thirty year old Supreme Court precedents? One hundred year old history? Who needs those when we can demonize immigrants?

There is certainly a place for a meaningful national debate on immigration policy. That debate can’t happen when opponents of immigration make fools of themselves and a mockery of civilized discourse. And while comparisons to the Nazis are rarely compelling, silence in the face of dehumanizing, totalizing rhetoric of racism cannot be ignored.

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This post was written by:

Pogie - who has written 1059 posts on Intelligent Discontent.

I am an English and debate teacher from Helena, MT.

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10 Comments For This Post

Eric Coobs Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 12:26 pm

I didn’t know I was deserving of so much attention, but thanks for the blurb.

I made no racial comments, I simply make the argument, correctly, that we need to enforce our immigration policies.

Ryan G Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 1:53 pm

Your comments misrepresent and devalue millions of immigrants, legal and illegal, many of whom came to America for a fresh start - they’re chasing the American dream, not the Mexican dream.

That they are proud of their heritage and not natural-born Americans does not make them “parasites.” Your comments are racially biased. Just try not to call deporting 12 million people and electrifying the border your “final solution.”

NickC Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 3:30 pm

Good call, Eric. Let’s keep the dirty Mexicans out so we can destroy our own economy, all by ourselves, dammit!

Pogie Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 3:32 pm

Explain to me how it is something other than racist to refer to a group of people as parasites or to make false disparaging claims about people because of their race.

You might not be comfortable being called on it, but your rhetoric certainly is racist.

Eric Coobs Says:
April 7th, 2006 at 4:20 pm

Please give me a better definition then, for a group of people who literally sneak into our country, illegally, for the sole purpose of economic gain?

Pogie Says:
April 7th, 2006 at 4:21 pm

Parents. Husbands. Wives. Human Beings.

Those work for me.

donald iarussi mfa Says:
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:57 pm

October 02, 2007 06:48PM EDT [general.addtranslation] Download Article (PDF) [ insert language bar ]

Sexual Harassment and Bigotry is alive and well on the left, center, etc, most

Bigotry of all types is alive and working in the workplace

By Donald Iarussi

I have traveled across the USA and have worked for many companies and organizations both left, right and in the middle and I assure you that Bigotry, Racism, Anti Gay, Anti Female, anti Black, Anti Minority behavior is alive and well in the USA.

From the offices of NY Life in NYC, Brooklyn College, Pearson Testing, The RR Express Baseball team, University of Texas Sports, Wyndham Franchises, Mitt Romneys Olymoc Office, A NY Congressman named Jerry Nadler, Various If not most High Schools, Bozeman Montana, West Yellowstone Montana, Xantarra Resorts to name a few placed where I saw blatent bigotry.

Most wanna pretend it does not exist.

Keywords: Bronx, Culture, Civil Rights,

What they get is long hours, run down, sometimes bug, mouse infested housing. That most employees pay their employees rent. The Governors of Montana, Wyoming as well as newspapers like the Billings, bozeman and west Yellowstone media suppress any stories of racism, bigotry or exploitation of employees
The names are mostly ethnic, the employees come from all over the USA and all over the world to work in and around Yellowstone National Park. Wages are sometimes as low as minimum wage, usually around $8 an hour.

In the park Xanterra Runs most of the hotels and concessions and its mostly all white management staff ignores racism, anti semitism, older white male employees drinking and trying to seduce 18 year old female workers. In a Dorm called Pelican at lake hotel, drugs were being traded, porn films were being made, underage drinking was at epidemic proportions.

Xanterra has successfully covered up its corruption and its exploitation of its workers. Outside the park in West Yellowstone, I lived in housing on hwy 20 that actually had swastika on the wall and other sick symbols. The white owned Christian managers and owners actually denied the symbols and threatened me with physical violene.

In my next housing situation, I was promised $9.25 an hour but actually for the most part made $8.25. I was placed in housing that was filhy, delopodated with dozens of nails in the walls. The stove top was full of grease and the oven filthy. Yet, i was charged $150 cleaning depositit. In the area outside, I cleaned up over 100 beer cans and bottles and hundreds of cigarette butts. I also paid $300 rent that is taken out of my check

Conditions are afr worse for many others who live in this substandard housing. There is no low cost medical in town, The restaurants and supermarket owners charge ridiculasly high prices for food and necessities.

If employees are fired or quit thier job, even for medical reasons, they must leave their housing or the police will remove them. The Governors of Wyoming and Montana have actually sided with these slave driving, business lords and have refused to prosecute landlords or enforce OSHA regulations. ALso local congress and senate members are in the pockets of the rich business owners.

Why the national media and our elected officials continue to ignore the attrocities in West Yellowstone Montana leads me to believe that corruption and wealth have bought out politicians and the media.

By Donald Iarussi nytex@lycos.com 5016467769

Donald Iarussi MFA Says:
November 11th, 2007 at 2:21 pm

Nothing has changed in Montana, as a matter of fact one can add many other companies to the list of Companies who lie, cheat, employees, have employees work in unsafe environments.

How about Wyndham Hotels who have two motel franchises in Montana. One the Days Inn in West Yellowstone. Where the Hotel owner Manager refers to muslims as Towelheads.
Where Chinese guests are discriminated against and the property manager tells employees to watch out for those Chinese guests. they stuff a dozen in the room and cook in the rooms to save money, they are all the same says gayle archer the property
manager of Days inn at West Yellowstones. The Super 8 motel in West Yellowstone had similar comments made against Chinese by a manager and staff members .WHile another staff member told me that it is too bad for gays. Because they will all get aids.

Donald Iarussi MFA Says:
November 11th, 2007 at 2:25 pm

i said someone read like goebbels?

“Eric Coobs is trying to tackle the immigration debate. Don says Eric reads like Goebbels. That may be harsh. On the other hand, Don seems far more familiar with Goebbels than me, so who knows?”

lol

there is a real problem amongst most white people in Montana who pretend they are not bigots. I had no idea when i came to Montana i would live in a residence with a swastika on the wall, with kkk flyers and arian nation flyers being distributed.

Most Democrat Liberal in Montana are clearly racist , especially in Bozeman , Montana where people have murdered the native Americans, destroyed the environment and have
made sure a homeless shelter will not be built and that hispanics would receive small wages and live in substandard housing.

Pogie Says:
November 11th, 2007 at 2:30 pm

Most Democrat Liberal (sic) are racist? Really? Come on. Where is your evidence?

Do you think liberals are planting KKK flyers? Does anyone really think those are more than a few isolated kooks?

You should read the Bozeman Daily Chronicle today about that homeless shelter, by the way.

2 Trackbacks For This Post

Left in the West » Blog Archive » A “Solution” to the Immigration Problem Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 8:58 am

[...] Well, Eric Coobs is trying to tackle the immigration debate. Don says Eric reads like Goebbels. That may be harsh. On the other hand, Don seems far more familiar with Goebbels than me, so who knows? [...]

4&20 blackbirds » Blog Archive » Immigration: put me on the stoop Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 12:20 pm

[...] Pogie tackled the inherent racism in Coobs’ post, comparing it to rhetoric written by Goebbles, and Matt Singer talked about the practical costs of doing it Coobs’ way. (Funny how conservatives are willing to tax and spend to criminalize people, but completely unwilling to spend a dime on, say, the poor. I must have missed a lesson in Sunday school.) [...]

Eric Coobs Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 12:26 pm
I didn’t know I was deserving of so much attention, but thanks for the blurb.

I made no racial comments, I simply make the argument, correctly, that we need to enforce our immigration policies.
Ryan G Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 1:53 pm
Your comments misrepresent and devalue millions of immigrants, legal and illegal, many of whom came to America for a fresh start - they’re chasing the American dream, not the Mexican dream.

That they are proud of their heritage and not natural-born Americans does not make them “parasites.” Your comments are racially biased. Just try not to call deporting 12 million people and electrifying the border your “final solution.”
NickC Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Good call, Eric. Let’s keep the dirty Mexicans out so we can destroy our own economy, all by ourselves, dammit!
Pogie Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 3:32 pm
Explain to me how it is something other than racist to refer to a group of people as parasites or to make false disparaging claims about people because of their race.

You might not be comfortable being called on it, but your rhetoric certainly is racist.
Eric Coobs Says:
April 7th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
Please give me a better definition then, for a group of people who literally sneak into our country, illegally, for the sole purpose of economic gain?
Pogie Says:
April 7th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
Parents. Husbands. Wives. Human Beings.

Those work for me.
donald iarussi mfa Says:
October 2nd, 2007 at 2:57 pm
October 02, 2007 06:48PM EDT [general.addtranslation] Download Article (PDF) [ insert language bar ]

Sexual Harassment and Bigotry is alive and well on the left, center, etc, most

Bigotry of all types is alive and working in the workplace

By Donald Iarussi

I have traveled across the USA and have worked for many companies and organizations both left, right and in the middle and I assure you that Bigotry, Racism, Anti Gay, Anti Female, anti Black, Anti Minority behavior is alive and well in the USA.

From the offices of NY Life in NYC, Brooklyn College, Pearson Testing, The RR Express Baseball team, University of Texas Sports, Wyndham Franchises, Mitt Romneys Olymoc Office, A NY Congressman named Jerry Nadler, Various If not most High Schools, Bozeman Montana, West Yellowstone Montana, Xantarra Resorts to name a few placed where I saw blatent bigotry.

Most wanna pretend it does not exist.

Keywords: Bronx, Culture, Civil Rights,

What they get is long hours, run down, sometimes bug, mouse infested housing. That most employees pay their employees rent. The Governors of Montana, Wyoming as well as newspapers like the Billings, bozeman and west Yellowstone media suppress any stories of racism, bigotry or exploitation of employees
The names are mostly ethnic, the employees come from all over the USA and all over the world to work in and around Yellowstone National Park. Wages are sometimes as low as minimum wage, usually around $8 an hour.

In the park Xanterra Runs most of the hotels and concessions and its mostly all white management staff ignores racism, anti semitism, older white male employees drinking and trying to seduce 18 year old female workers. In a Dorm called Pelican at lake hotel, drugs were being traded, porn films were being made, underage drinking was at epidemic proportions.

Xanterra has successfully covered up its corruption and its exploitation of its workers. Outside the park in West Yellowstone, I lived in housing on hwy 20 that actually had swastika on the wall and other sick symbols. The white owned Christian managers and owners actually denied the symbols and threatened me with physical violene.

In my next housing situation, I was promised $9.25 an hour but actually for the most part made $8.25. I was placed in housing that was filhy, delopodated with dozens of nails in the walls. The stove top was full of grease and the oven filthy. Yet, i was charged $150 cleaning depositit. In the area outside, I cleaned up over 100 beer cans and bottles and hundreds of cigarette butts. I also paid $300 rent that is taken out of my check

Conditions are afr worse for many others who live in this substandard housing. There is no low cost medical in town, The restaurants and supermarket owners charge ridiculasly high prices for food and necessities.

If employees are fired or quit thier job, even for medical reasons, they must leave their housing or the police will remove them. The Governors of Wyoming and Montana have actually sided with these slave driving, business lords and have refused to prosecute landlords or enforce OSHA regulations. ALso local congress and senate members are in the pockets of the rich business owners.

Why the national media and our elected officials continue to ignore the attrocities in West Yellowstone Montana leads me to believe that corruption and wealth have bought out politicians and the media.

By Donald Iarussi nytex@lycos.com 5016467769
Donald Iarussi MFA Says:
November 11th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Nothing has changed in Montana, as a matter of fact one can add many other companies to the list of Companies who lie, cheat, employees, have employees work in unsafe environments.

How about Wyndham Hotels who have two motel franchises in Montana. One the Days Inn in West Yellowstone. Where the Hotel owner Manager refers to muslims as Towelheads.
Where Chinese guests are discriminated against and the property manager tells employees to watch out for those Chinese guests. they stuff a dozen in the room and cook in the rooms to save money, they are all the same says gayle archer the property
manager of Days inn at West Yellowstones. The Super 8 motel in West Yellowstone had similar comments made against Chinese by a manager and staff members .WHile another staff member told me that it is too bad for gays. Because they will all get aids.
Donald Iarussi MFA Says:
November 11th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
i said someone read like goebbels?

“Eric Coobs is trying to tackle the immigration debate. Don says Eric reads like Goebbels. That may be harsh. On the other hand, Don seems far more familiar with Goebbels than me, so who knows?”

lol

there is a real problem amongst most white people in Montana who pretend they are not bigots. I had no idea when i came to Montana i would live in a residence with a swastika on the wall, with kkk flyers and arian nation flyers being distributed.

Most Democrat Liberal in Montana are clearly racist , especially in Bozeman , Montana where people have murdered the native Americans, destroyed the environment and have
made sure a homeless shelter will not be built and that hispanics would receive small wages and live in substandard housing.
Pogie Says:
November 11th, 2007 at 2:30 pm
Most Democrat Liberal (sic) are racist? Really? Come on. Where is your evidence?

Do you think liberals are planting KKK flyers? Does anyone really think those are more than a few isolated kooks?

You should read the Bozeman Daily Chronicle today about that homeless shelter, by the way.

Left in the West » Blog Archive » A “Solution” to the Immigration Problem Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 8:58 am
[...] Well, Eric Coobs is trying to tackle the immigration debate. Don says Eric reads like Goebbels. That may be harsh. On the other hand, Don seems far more familiar with Goebbels than me, so who knows? [...]
4&20 blackbirds » Blog Archive » Immigration: put me on the stoop Says:
April 5th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
[...] Pogie tackled the inherent racism in Coobs’ post, comparing it to rhetoric written by Goebbles, and Matt Singer talked about the practical costs of doing it Coobs’ way. (Funny how conservatives are willing to tax and spend to criminalize people, but completely unwilling to spend a dime on, say, the poor. I must have missed a lesson in Sunday school.) [...]

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