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JUst in case some pc nut changes my title to be more politically correct here is the title of the thread just in case it is changed.
"The day without illegals rally on May 1st backfires."
Apprently when the illegals and their supporters thought that by mocking the hell out of the hell out of The Montgomery Bus Boycott(for those who don't know,google it) that happened in 1955-1956,their schemed back fired.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/05/10/cstillwell.DTL
With last month's barrage of anti-immigration-enforcement protests, Americans had their fill of the issue. The sea of Mexican and Latin American flags, the scuffles in schools and other public buildings over the raising of Mexican flags, all the "reconquista" and "stolen land" rhetoric and the sight of thousands of illegal immigrants demanding citizenship had done little to gain supporters.
So when organizers insisted on continuing the offensive with a nationwide boycott aimed at crippling the nation's economy on May 1, it was a political disaster waiting to happen. Immigrants (legal or otherwise) were urged to boycott work, school and commerce and go out and demonstrate instead.
This time around, organizers had obviously spoken to participants about the Mexican flags, because American flags were now the order of the day. Never mind that organizers could be seen in television footage quietly replacing Mexican flags with American ones. All of a sudden we were to believe that patriotism was back in style. Needless to say, the subterfuge did not succeed.
As for the boycott itself, the much-ballyhooed "Day Without Immigrants" came and went, and the country is still standing.
Ironically, the boycott may have done more damage to industries and businesses that employ illegal immigrants than to others. Agriculture, construction, meat production, restaurants and other small businesses, many of them Hispanic-owned, took the brunt of the boycott.
The one thing the boycott did achieve was to expose the lie that the country cannot function without the labor of illegal immigrants. While some may have been inconvenienced by the experience, the economy hardly came to a grinding halt. It seems there are still some jobs Americans are willing to do.
Part of the problem was that not all Hispanic groups were united in favor of the boycott. Several departed from the pack early on, showing up on TV talk shows to condemn the boycotts. Some, such as "You Don't Speak for Me," an organization comprised of American Hispanics, wanted to dissociate themselves from the stigma of illegal behavior. Others saw the boycott as a bad political move and rightly predicted that it would engender further hostility to their cause.
snip....
Coming Backlash at the Polls?
With all the bad public relations associated with the May 1 boycott, one has to wonder what motivated its seemingly politically tone-deaf organizers. They may have simply taken a gamble that a show of toughness would intimidate the country into surrender. But the American people don't respond well to blackmail, and polls continue to show a majority in favor of border enforcement, including building a barrier.
Some have speculated that organizers knew the boycott would create animosity and planned it for that very reason. That way, they could garner more recruits from the Hispanic population, legal or otherwise, using the "racist backlash" bogeyman.
Well, it turns out the boycott did create a backlash -- but it was a political one. The very next day, the mayor and two town council members in Herndon, Va., became the first casualties. All three had approved a taxpayer-funded "day-labor center" (meaning a place to provide cheap illegal labor for unscrupulous employers) last year, and their constituents were less than thrilled about it. The voters finally had their revenge and ousted the responsible politicians. In their place, they elected only politicians who oppose the continuation of the day-labor center.
While this was the first such incident, a voter revolt could very well spread across the country and make its way onto the national stage in 2008. Meanwhile, representatives of the open-borders lobby are talking about registering more Hispanic voters, with no reference as to whether they will be legal or not. A battle at the ballot box could be brewing.
One thing is for sure: Tomorrow's politicians will inherit a new political landscape. For with the protests last month and the May Day boycott, the issue of immigration enforcement is finally receiving the attention it deserves.
So bring on the boycotts!
"The day without illegals rally on May 1st backfires."
Apprently when the illegals and their supporters thought that by mocking the hell out of the hell out of The Montgomery Bus Boycott(for those who don't know,google it) that happened in 1955-1956,their schemed back fired.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2006/05/10/cstillwell.DTL
With last month's barrage of anti-immigration-enforcement protests, Americans had their fill of the issue. The sea of Mexican and Latin American flags, the scuffles in schools and other public buildings over the raising of Mexican flags, all the "reconquista" and "stolen land" rhetoric and the sight of thousands of illegal immigrants demanding citizenship had done little to gain supporters.
So when organizers insisted on continuing the offensive with a nationwide boycott aimed at crippling the nation's economy on May 1, it was a political disaster waiting to happen. Immigrants (legal or otherwise) were urged to boycott work, school and commerce and go out and demonstrate instead.
This time around, organizers had obviously spoken to participants about the Mexican flags, because American flags were now the order of the day. Never mind that organizers could be seen in television footage quietly replacing Mexican flags with American ones. All of a sudden we were to believe that patriotism was back in style. Needless to say, the subterfuge did not succeed.
As for the boycott itself, the much-ballyhooed "Day Without Immigrants" came and went, and the country is still standing.
Ironically, the boycott may have done more damage to industries and businesses that employ illegal immigrants than to others. Agriculture, construction, meat production, restaurants and other small businesses, many of them Hispanic-owned, took the brunt of the boycott.
The one thing the boycott did achieve was to expose the lie that the country cannot function without the labor of illegal immigrants. While some may have been inconvenienced by the experience, the economy hardly came to a grinding halt. It seems there are still some jobs Americans are willing to do.
Part of the problem was that not all Hispanic groups were united in favor of the boycott. Several departed from the pack early on, showing up on TV talk shows to condemn the boycotts. Some, such as "You Don't Speak for Me," an organization comprised of American Hispanics, wanted to dissociate themselves from the stigma of illegal behavior. Others saw the boycott as a bad political move and rightly predicted that it would engender further hostility to their cause.
snip....
Coming Backlash at the Polls?
With all the bad public relations associated with the May 1 boycott, one has to wonder what motivated its seemingly politically tone-deaf organizers. They may have simply taken a gamble that a show of toughness would intimidate the country into surrender. But the American people don't respond well to blackmail, and polls continue to show a majority in favor of border enforcement, including building a barrier.
Some have speculated that organizers knew the boycott would create animosity and planned it for that very reason. That way, they could garner more recruits from the Hispanic population, legal or otherwise, using the "racist backlash" bogeyman.
Well, it turns out the boycott did create a backlash -- but it was a political one. The very next day, the mayor and two town council members in Herndon, Va., became the first casualties. All three had approved a taxpayer-funded "day-labor center" (meaning a place to provide cheap illegal labor for unscrupulous employers) last year, and their constituents were less than thrilled about it. The voters finally had their revenge and ousted the responsible politicians. In their place, they elected only politicians who oppose the continuation of the day-labor center.
While this was the first such incident, a voter revolt could very well spread across the country and make its way onto the national stage in 2008. Meanwhile, representatives of the open-borders lobby are talking about registering more Hispanic voters, with no reference as to whether they will be legal or not. A battle at the ballot box could be brewing.
One thing is for sure: Tomorrow's politicians will inherit a new political landscape. For with the protests last month and the May Day boycott, the issue of immigration enforcement is finally receiving the attention it deserves.
So bring on the boycotts!
Moved to appropriate forum