Obama, immigration and media bias

Dear America,

Sen. Obama’s words regarding a portion of America being “bitter” are accurate.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reports that hate groups have grown by 48 percent between the years 2000 to 2007. This is a sign of increased bitterness in our nation. There are 26 recognized hate groups in New York State alone. Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols are tips of the iceberg regarding this bitterness that continues to grow as people lose faith in their government.

There are vigilante actions by many on our borders with Mexico with guns in hand against workers trying to find work in America. These actions are being taken by citizens who have lost faith in their government’s ability to “secure” the border. This is the anti-immigrant attitude that Sen. Obama describes. The various local municipal ordinances being passed against undocumented workers are occurring mostly in small American communities—not in the big cities.

The borders were secure until President William Jefferson Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement and subsequently Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) with China. These trade bills destroyed good union jobs with health benefits and pensions here in America. The NAFTA destroyed Mexican jobs and forced this mass migration north.

The New York Times reported that during the Kerry-Bush election of 2004, working-class people were knowingly voting against their economic interests because of their religious beliefs. The “Hot Button” item at that time was gay marriage.

The media has given a pass to Sen. Clinton regarding her lying about her arrival in Bosnia. You do not forget being shot at and certainly not when you are being shot at with an AK-47 with your only child in tow. This is not a little white lie or the result of sleep deprivation. Her statement is a bold and clear lie. Like her husband before her, she is against trade bills until elected. Your key strategist is working to get a trade bill passed while you are opposed to said bill. Why is the journalist community giving her a pass while continuing to attack Barack Obama for what other people have said or done?

It is important to note that after the [1995] Million Man March, crime has gone down significantly. Minister Louis Farrakhan was seated at the White House with Ronald Reagan and recognized for using his influence in the Muslim world to secure the release of Lt. Robert O. Goodman on Jan., 4, 1984. He was invited to Philadelphia by then Mayor Ed Rendell to speak and help heal the racial divide: holding hands, singing and lavishing praise on April 15, 1997. On May 5, 2005, former President Bill Clinton praised Minister Farrakhan and the Millions More Movement, describing it as a positive idea.

The media have become bottom feeders and have not helped to elevate the dialogue between the candidates. The American people’s issues: jobs, healthcare, social security, education and the war are more important than the mistakes made by all after speaking.

Chris Silvera
Secretary-Treasurer,
International Brotherhood
of Teamsters, Local 808
E-mail: [email protected]