Elgin forum autopsy -report #1

This is going to take some time to dissect the victim of the NPR forum in Elgin on October 2nd. The victim’s name is Truth, so I think a full report is warranted.

Actually, a baggage handler from the airport might be more useful than a coroner. The introduction by Richard Steele set the tone for the evening and it is heavy-laden with baggage. This assumptive approach by Steele is quite common as he “frames the debate” in liberal terms.

Here’s his intro, with my comments in red:

Richard Steele: It sounds like the early immigrants to Elgin settled and eventually assimilated. In recent years many immigrant populations here have flourished, but in some areas recent newcomers (Newcomers! That’s an interesting word. It implies either that real immigrants – those with papers and a desire to embrace America – consider themselves discriminated against. Or, more likely, Steele is lumping the illegal aliens in with the general foreign-born population.) are finding existing communities less welcoming.

The northern lakefront suburb of Waukegan introduced a proposal to grant local police officers the power to deport (“Power to deport” paints an image that the Waukegan cops are judge and jury, and that illegal aliens will be picked up and immediately sent to the border. Absolutely false! Even ICE agents don’t have that power. All they can do is identify and detain illegal aliens. It is the beginning of a long process of appeals, letters, and deportation orders. As we know from Elvira’s experience, it was a four year process between her arrest at O'Hare in 2002 and her final deportation order. And she was allowed to roam free on appeal all that time.) undocumented, convicted (Actually, the detainer hold takes place BEFORE conviction, except under some state directives (not Illinois) where the detainer is not issued until after conviction for domestic abuse cases. The whole point is to keep them from making bail and heading south prior to trial and to earmark them for future removal.) felons.

And in recent months the national debate over immigration has hit this area acutely. In Carpenterville thousands gathered at village board meetings (That would be one meeting. And Richard, tell them that most of those protesters weren’t even C’ville residents; they were brought in from Chicago, Aurora, and Elgin on busses.) when officials discussed laws that many people considered anti-immigrant. (Let’s make the distinction here. These proposals were anti-illegal alien, not anti-immigrant. They were as harmless to immigrants as they were to citizens. The key word is ILLEGAL.) The village board passed a resolution declaring English the town’s official language. (Just the same as the state of Illinois.)

They considered an ordinance banning employers (Correction: Withholding a business license.) from hiring illegal immigrants. (Wrong term, Richard. You can’t be an illegal immigrant. The official term from immigration law is “illegal alien”, whether libs like it or not.) Some also wanted to keep landlords from renting to undocumented people. (Actually, prevent them from harboring “illegal aliens”.)

The debate has divided this rapidly changing community (He must mean all the nice new homes going up on the west side of C’ville.) which they can’t deny is in the midst of shifting demographics.
----end of transcription ----

As you can see, the world through brown-colored glasses is much different than the world I see. I haven’t even started on the comments by the panelists and I’m already tired. I’ll pick away at it as time permits.