FAIR Tries to Flee Sinking Anti-Immigrant Ship

June 17, 2009 by Eric Ward
Filed under: Immigration, News 
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The racist inspired pre-planned murder of the Flores family in Arizona on May 30, 2009 by anti-immigrant activists continues to stun the nation. Meanwhile the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), one of the nation’s most influential and controversial anti-immigrant organizations, is busy trying to spin itself out of the bigoted hole it has dug for itself over thirty year existence.

Over the last several days, writers across the blogosphere have been reporting that Shawna Forde, one of the murderers of nine year-old Brisenia Flores, was named as a representative of FAIR in 2006. Today FAIR finally released its own response to the charges. Instead of taking organizational responsibility for its role in creating the political climate that feeds anti-Latino hysteria, FAIR, in an Orwellian manner, uses its press release as an opportunity to attack the well respected civil rights organization the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

At no point does FAIR take the public opportunity to rebuke the bigotry and racist conspiracies of “Reconquista” that drove Forde and her two cohorts to engage in their politically motivated murder. FAIR seems almost surprised that anyone should think that Forde might actually have represented the organization. Take a look at some of their other present and former representatives.

Was FAIR Field Representative Rosanna Pulido suppose to be speaking on its behalf when she made the following anti-Catholic statements recorded on Chicago Public Radio (Starts at 43 minutes in)? I wonder how Western Regional Coordinator Rick Oltman made a good representative for the organization even though he was removed from his Marin County Republican Committee post for publicly agreeing with the beating of undocumented immigrants in Southern California.

FAIR didn’t seem to think that Oltman was a bad representative when the hate group the Council of Conservative Citizens named Oltman as a member of its organization. FAIR also didn’t seem too upset when they hired notorious anti-immigrant activist Joe Turner, who had tolerated neo-Nazis at previous anti-immigrant events he organized.

FAIR also doesn’t seem very upset about its current board member and founder. John Tanton, who has associations with white supremacists, has made several revealing statements over the years such as:

1. “Hitler’s reign in Nazi Germany did little to advance the discussion of eugenics among sensitive persons.” – The Case for Passive Eugenics

2. “These have generally been pushed by Jewish interests who are offended by those who have challenged the received version of the Holocaust.” – March 14, 1995

3. “It seems that the main market is in the orient – very interesting, considering that in general, male Orientals are less well equipped than those of some other groups.” – January 30, 1995

With this is mind it’s not surprising at all that we as the public might find it believable that Forde was a representative of FAIR. It makes perfect sense. It’s not the fault of the public; that’s the fault of FAIR.

Instead of spending its time attacking respected organizations like the Southern Poverty Law Center, FAIR should take responsibility for the bigotry that they’ve helped to sow in the media and in our communities.

It’s time for FAIR to clean up its own mess.

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