Wednesday 23 March 2011
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Week 7..... How Garcia Girls...... choice of chapters?........
Thank you to those who have selected their chapters from Alvarez's book, but, to those who have not declared their choices, please hurry up!
I need to know by Wednesday at the latest.
John
Sunday 20 March 2011
Presentation
Jill
Thursday 17 March 2011
Latino Immigration
The first website that I have chosen is anti-Latino immigration. The article talks about how the Tea Party is seen to be very anti Latino as they have made many anti-Latino statements, the focus of this article is on a political advert that one of the members of the Tea Party members Sharron Angle has released. The advert contains very racist stereotypes of Mexicans, featuring Mexican men made to look like threatening gang members. The advert also makes out as though Mexicans are the “bad guys” and that they are taking all the opportunities that should supposedly be given to white Americans. This advert gives off the impression that the Republic party is a very racist party against immigration of other ethnic group, and with adverts like this particularly aimed at the Latino population, it is as though they are mainly against Latino immigration.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIkNAA2y4I4
The second website that I have chosen is pro-Latino immigration. This is the ADL website, ADL stands for Anti-Defamation League, this non-governmental organisation is mainly set up for the protection of Jewish people. However on their website they have a Latin American Affairs section, where there is support for the immigration of Latino people. The website states that the ADL has taken a lead role in exposing the anti-Latino feelings that have arisen about immigration.
McCain and Brewer on Latino immigration.
The first website I have chosen is the Boston Globe website which provides a pro- Latino immigration perspective. The webpage shows a 2008 election campaign video from John McCain, Senior United States senator and Republican nominee for President from Arizona. The video specifically focuses on the issue of Latino immigration into the United States and is accompanied by an article which analyses McCain’s position on the issue and the way in which he presents this.
The video content and McCain’s argument appear clearly pro-immigration. He emphasises the benefits of Latino immigration, giving examples of the great things that Hispanics have done for America, such as fighting in the Vietnam and Iraq wars. He follows this by stating “So let's from time to time remember that these are God's children. They must come into the country legally, but they have enriched our culture and our nation as every generation of immigrants before them". This emphasizes the constitutional values – such as equality and freedom – which Latino American’s should be entitled in a country founded upon immigration.
Although the video is very pro- Latino immigration, we have to remember that it is a campaign video, clearly aimed at the Latino-American population of voters, taking a more Democratic stance. The article picks up on this, stating that “It doesn't include the "secure our borders first" line that has become a crucial part of McCain's latest formulation on immigration reform: he would seek a version of his previous bill -- which included a temporary-worker program and a legalization process - but recognizes that establishing a secure border would be necessary to gather the political will to do so.” From this we can see that McCain’s position on Latino immigration is more complex. However, the campaign video does praise Latino-American’s and promotes equality, giving a pro-immigration perspective.
For a website dealing with anti- Latino immigration I have chosen a video clip from Fox News posted on YouTube which shows Jan Brewer, current Governor of Arizona and member of the Republican Party, signing the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act, or SB 1070 Bill – a Bill which has been described as the ‘strictest anti-illegal immigration measure in decades’ and requires ‘aliens’ to have and carry in their possession at all times their registration documentation.
Brewer states before signing the Bill that it is “another step forward in protecting the state of Arizona” and that it is “a tool for our state to use as we work to solve a crisis that we did not create and the Federal Government has refused to fix. The crisis caused by illegal immigration.” She also states that the Bill “strengthens the laws of our state. It protects all of us… and it does so while ensuring that the Constitutional rights of all in Arizona remain solid, stable and steadfast.”
Here Brewer clearly perceives illegal Latino immigration as a major threat to the USA, and in particular to the state of Arizona, calling it a ‘crisis’. She also suggests that the Bill ensures the ‘Constitutional rights of all’ – but does that include legal Latino immigrants? Although the clip, along with the Bill, focus specifically on illegal immigration into Arizona, the signing of this Bill sparked a debate not only in the video clip, but major debates and controversy in the USA and the rest of the world concerning the impact it would have on Latino-Americans and legal Latino immigration, with some critics arguing that it is ‘racist’. The clip therefore provides an interesting anti-illegal immigration perspective which resulted in many debates about Latino immigration into the United States.
It is interesting to compare these videos in relation to political party. While both McCain and Brewer are Republican Party members they take very different positions when it comes to the topic of Latino immigration – both legal and illegal. While McCain takes a more positive stance on legal Latino immigration and a less radical stance on illegal Latino immigration, Brewer is the opposite.
Latino America: Immigration Support or Immigration Deport
The American Immigration Control Foundation is an organistation with strong anti-immigration ideals. The group have been active since 1983, boasting over a quarter of a million members "of all races, creeds and colours." The home page of the website has a very clear outline of the organisation's fundamental aims and beliefs, stating that the AIC is all about "stopping the millions of illegal aliens who sneak across our border from Mexico every year." This shows how they are specifically trying to nullify the number of illegal immigrants from Mexico in particular and those that break through the South West border.
The AIC is a very controversial group due to its associations with other organisations and individuals with ties to racist and white supremacist beliefs.
http://mediamatters.org/mobile/research/201005180046
AIC has been headed by John Vinson since 1990. Vinson, who is also editor of the anti-immigration publication Border Watch, often speaks at CCC meetings and is a founding member of the white supremacist League of the South.
Sam Francis, AIC chairman in the mid-90's, was reportedly fired by The Washington Times in 1995 after stating at an American Renaissance conference, "The civilization that we as whites created in Europe and America could not have developed apart from the genetic endowments of the creating people." The Washington Times also pointed to Francis's writings "in which he advocated the possible deportation of legal immigrants and forced birth control for welfare mothers," according to The Washington Post. Today, Francis is editor of the notoriously racist Council of Conservative Citizens' (CCC) monthly tabloid, Citizens Informer.
They even acknowledge their alleged racism with this cartoon located on their history page, trying to riducule the notion that their aims are in any way prejudiced, despite evidence to the contrary.
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Hispanic-Immigrants-in-New-York-Protest-US-Deportation-Policy-105463653.html
I found it difficult to find a website with any substantial information in support of immigration as many I read chose to focus on the anti-immigration aspect of the debate rather than pro. Therefore, I have chosen this brief article and video depicting a pro-immigration rally and the debate that surrounds deportation and the ethics of breaking up families that contain both legal and illegal immigrants.
This article focusses on a protest taking part in New York against deportation of Hispanic immigrants who are arrested but still subsequently found innocent. The article talks of families torn apart by these occurences and how forcing someone out of a country that they have grown up in and back to their country of origin, which is essentially foreign to them, can be a basis for pro-immigrant views.