[Winona Online Democracy] I almost always regret posting here, but here we go.
To say that "race" is not an issue is ridiculous. To begin with, of course, there is no such thing as race...but it exists as a cultural construct. To say that the current anti-immigration sentiment is not focused on the chicano-latino and muslim cultural groups is preposterous. For completely different reasons for each group, I understand, but these are the poster children nonetheless. Lets start with latinos. They are just a political pawn in Washington. Republicans are influenced by business interests who believe a steady stream of immigrants keeps low wage jobs as cheap as possible. Democrats are influenced by the prospect of their citizenship and their votes. Minorities are pretty much expected to vote democratic...look at the brouhaha over Tom Heffelfinger's refusal to go along with former (thank God) Secretary of State Kiffmeyer's attempt to hold down native voting in the Twin Cities. Of course in essence even white trash like me is a minority :-) If we aren't there yet we soon will be in a country where there is no white majority...that also scares some people to death. Islam is a different kettle of fish, of course. All you have to do is walk Apache Mall on a weekday and compare the experience to the 1990's to realize we've pulled that welcome mat. It is religious fundamentalism we are fighting...not Islam. If people think terrorism is something exclusive to Islam they should remember the good Catholics who were taking out OBGYN's for doing abortions. Oh, and Tim McVey. I agree with Bishop Harrington who sees in this debate a replay of the anti-Polish fervor of Winona in the early 20th century. I'm not saying this isn't a complicated debate...I'm just saying there are still enough bigots out there to go around. Bob Sebo Winona _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
