Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Immigration I Guess It's Only 'Human Trafficking' When the Bad Guys Do It
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Tue, May 12, 2009 at 8:04 PM
But it doesn't matter. The 287(g) program, designed as it is to remove illegal immigrants from our fair city, is racist. And it has to be in order for Nashvillians to know that it's working. People in town feel anxious because there are all these new folks here, who don't look like "us" and who don't sound like "us" and who we suspect sneaked into the country. The person we imagine when we imagine an illegal immigrant is some Hispanic dude. So, in order for us to feel like Hall is doing his job, there needs to be fewer Hispanic dudes. Which means singling out Hispanic dudes because of their race and then subjecting them to different rules than everyone else.
That's pretty much the textbook definition of racism--singling someone out because of his race and treating him differently than you treat everyone else.
So, obviously, that would be bad enough. But wait! It gets worse. Then Hall turns around and
Just how immoral can you get? Selling the people of your own city, your neighbors? "Oh, come on, B.," folks say, "It costs the Sheriff's Department about $62 dollars a day to house inmates and all that's happening is that they're getting reimbursed by the Feds for that cost. It's not like they're making money in the deal." To which I reply, "Costs that would not have been incurred if these folks had been let go if they could post bond, like everyone else" and "If you owe $12,000 on your car and you sell it for $12,000, it doesn't matter that you didn't make money; it's still sold." I can't help it if Hall is bad at selling people; I'm just pointing out that he's selling people.
Which begs the question, can just anyone buy an undocumented Nashvillian? I mean, if I scraped together, say, $65 for each day a dude was held in jail, could I buy him off Hall when the Davidson County justice system is done with him? Or is that a special deal just for the Feds?
Comments (23)
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Well I'm glad my comment inspired a little more research. I don't think your car analogy is accurate though. I think it's more along the lines of you pay $12,000 for your car you use for work. So the company you work for pays you back that $12,000. So you don't go in the hole for doing something that benefits your company.
Thanks for providing the name and photo of one of the people affected. Thanks, as well, for recognizing him as a Nashvillian.
You're welcome, John, though it was easy enough because the Sheriff's Department brags about handing him over to the Feds in their report on 287(g), which is available at their website, which they try to discourage people from going to by giving you no way to turn off the sound that will start playing the moment it pops up.
You will be happy to know that, aside from being a sneak, Ventura had some drug paraphernalia. So, at least we're safe from that, now.
Coolness. When do you get your own snazzy sketch portrait?
And, did you actually call the Scene "Mainstream Media"?
I am working on a post that is sure to tick every blogger I know off, about how this sort of thing is so "Un-Nashville". Meaning that this behavior is NOT the sort of thing someone who was born here and understands the Culture of Courtesy that has always been part of Nashville.
Regardless of court orders, black/white relations in town did not start to improve until Dick Fulton convinced enough people that having a "Whites Only" sign in your front window was rude.
Rather, we old timers have foolishly let the next generation, many of them transplants from the last 10-15 years - who do not honor the Culture of Courtesy - to speak for us.
Liberal conversation in Nashville is crass and vulgar, and conservative conversation mirrors the very impolite and anti-hospitality realm of talk radio. NONE of this mirrors the Nashville I remember growing up in.
I can't speak to the liberals because they wouldn't listen to me anyway, but Nashville conservatives should be ashamed of themselves. We Nashvillians are, or were, famous for welcoming newcomers, no matter how they got here; we're known for being friendly and polite. In NO WAY would we ever condone people publicly calling other people "vermin" or "invaders".
(The racists, of course, will use terms like that in private, there's nothing that can be done about that. But it used to be that all Nashvillians, even the racists, accepted the authority of the Culture of Courtesy above all.)
There's no way around it: 287g, English Only, the tone of Phil Valentine's show toward immigrants, these are all just plain rude. Again, no matter what we think of federal immigration policy, Nashvillians are supposed to treat visitors and newcomers kindly - NO EXCEPTIONS.
I think it's time we older, lifelong Nashvillians send the immature ones back to the kiddie table till they learn how to act in public.
Considering that I'm not sure I'd be able to prove I was born here - after all, my birth certificate could be fake since it doesn't have a photo on it - it's a good thing I don't look Hispanic.
it's a good thing I don't look Hispanic.
Me too.
BTW, Ms. Phillips, I told you this would come one day for you, congrats.
Nashvillians are supposed to treat visitors and newcomers kindly - NO EXCEPTIONS.
The times they are a changing.
ps. I have little/no sympathy for illegal immigrants. They broke the law and should suffer the consequences of that action.
So, we're in agreement, then.
Oh, wait. You believe they should suffer DIFFERENT consequences for their actions. Are you un-American, sir?
Illegal immigrants are being deported for breaking federal law. The government can check to see if an arrested person has outstanding legal issues (like being an illegal immigrant) when they are arrested.
There is nothing unconstitutional about that.
Are you saying the government doesn't have the right to check for other violations/outstanding charges/warrants at the time of arrest?
Think of it this way, Tobin...
You buy something in Ky, or, for that matter, online. You fail to remit the difference in sales tax to the State of Tn, so they come and forcibly remove you from your home, and then check to see if anyone else living there is delinquent in paying taxes due.
Or, you speed. Instead of a ticket, your car is impounded, then sold to pay for the cost of a fast new police cruiser.
How sympathetic should i be toward your plight?
Nice hyperbole, Mack.
How about: You speed, get a ticket and fail to pay the ticket or come to court. They issue an arrest warrant.
Oh, wait...that IS what happens.
well i dont know how things work in nashville but im hispanic and i dont understand the problem with people trying to make a living for them slef. We should all stop and look at our slef and see waht we can to do to make this world a better place. There are many powers at work that want us all to keep hating each other and not work together because if we did that we would hold the power. yes im hipanic but im also canadian and i would die for this country because oppertunity is all around us its up to the indvedual to do something about there situation. Im not saying its prefect but im the futer of this country and i want to make it pround for me and my family
Slutibestifart sez, "Nashvillians are supposed to treat visitors and newcomers kindly - NO EXCEPTIONS."
Is it your turn to host the weekend cookout?
How about: You speed, get a ticket and fail to pay the ticket or come to court. They issue an arrest warrant.
wait, what? are you trying to imply that, if certain recent arrivals to your town would only pay some "ticket" when they get stopped for speeding, they wouldn't risk getting arrested and deported?
i mean, i don't even live anywhere near Tennessee, so i guess your sheriff's department might be that corrupt. i just can't tell from your comment.
If you paid attention in history class you would remember that people entering this country thru Ellis Island were examined before entering the US and faced a return trip to Europe if they were deemed unhealthy (TB, for example). Names were changed, families were separated, but all these immigrants obeyed the law. They were proud to obey the law.
Thousands of legal residents become American citizens after years of work and jumping thru hoops. They follow the law. Illegal immigrants do not obey the law.
All men are Created Equal. Are these illegal immigrants more equal that immigrants who obey the law. Or do you want special treatment BECAUSE of the color of their skin? What about illegal Asians?
Illegal Irish? Illegal Canadians?
Oh, and Nashville is the most compassionate, kind and friendly city I have ever experienced. Day to day courtesy is the norm, folks often go above and beyond courtesy because, well, just because. POLITICS has become the arena for hateful words - courtesy is long gone from politics.
I don't think MaryTN knows much about immigrants through Ellis Island. Or she'd know that people who came through there faked birth and health records, left their homelands without any legal identification, begged, bribed and did whatever was necessary to get their relatives allowed into the country, and were proud to do whatever it took to get here and stay here.
Nomen, rene is right, the Sheriff here has no powers of arrest. The example I gave was intending to show that, like a speeding ticket, crossing the border was, until recently, akin to any other civil infraction, not worthy of imprisonment. Having sympathy for those desperate enough to leave home and family is the LEAST we can do, and its a great place to start. (apologies for the run on sentence, in a bit of a hurry)
Mary, after reading your diatribe, I've decided to match my grasp of the history of immigrants in this country against yours any time. My parents actually lived it.
