In only a few weeks, a new centrist blog called AntiBVBL.net is taking Prince William County by storm. This, combined with the "Main Street" economic downturn caused by the anti-immigrant movement, may present the best chance yet of turning things around here. The discussions are frank and factually based (something that had been sorely missing in PWC), and features new voices as well as old ones who have left (or been banned from) the old PWC blog. On AntiBVBL.net, sanity is NOT censored -- imagine that!
Below is an exchange from a recent thread discussing the PWC Police Chief and the immigration resolution, seen as an effort to "rid the county of an undesirable population."
# SecondAlamo said on 29 Mar 2008 at 2:28 pm:
Please define the word 'undesirable', why does it exist if not to be applied to things that one doesn't want. How does one make something 'undesirable' into something 'desirable'? Two choices, either change your opinion or change the thing in question. Too much factual negative information exists for many to change their opinions, but only reenforces them. Not our fault, just facts!
# WhyHereWhyNow said on 29 Mar 2008 at 4:41 pm:
A "fact" is merely an assumption that supports your belief system.
Last summer, just prior to the announcement of the immigration resolution, only 3 percent of Prince William County citizens named illegal immigration as a top concern.
http://www.pwcgov.org/docLibra...
At that time, some residents (more than 3 percent) were feeling that foreign-looking people who didn't speak much English were - maybe not "undesirable" but "less desirable." But they also knew it was unlawful and un-Constitutional to target them in any institutional way. They probably didn't bring up their anxiety in mixed company or in the public square, for fear of sounding prejudiced. So, as recently as last July, these people were making room for their "less desirable" new neighbors. And the new neighbors were learning to be "more desirable," slowly fitting in. I'll bet many people were coming to enjoy the advantages of living in a diverse community (a variety of restaurants or what have you).
But then, someone at the Farmers' Market handed them a flier and invited them to a meeting. There, they were offered a new way of thinking - a slick-worded "deal" that would allow them to relieve their anxiety by expressing it without shame, and perhaps even turn it into political action. All they had to do was make a few simple assumptions that supported their new belief system:
1) Assume that any Hispanic-looking person you see is necessarily an illegal alien who has forfeited his/her rights by crossing a border or overstaying a visa.
2) Assume the majority of them are dangerous criminals or at least criminals of some kind.
3) Assume that they will never assimilate because they are "different" from all immigrants who came before them.
4) And, assume that all your problems can be blamed on these people, and thus can be solved by their rapid departure.
If you will buy into these assumptions (even though we haven't done any research and can't provide any substantiation), we can morally justify a new law that will drive most of these people out of your neighborhood. This can happen if you think like we think, say what we say, and vote for Stewart, Stirrup, Royce, Miller, and FitzSimmons.
"Less desirable" + "scapegoat" = "undesirable"
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This is from the Chief Deane Forewarned Us thread. Really sums up what has been happening in PWC:
# Moon-howler said on 29 Mar 2008 at 7:14 pm:
The perfect storm was gathering. I agree Poor Richard.
I don't think HSM wants to take too much credit here, less that credit become extreme finger pointing, each time our taxes go up. I remember the very people who said they were more than willing to pay more taxes in order to get rid of all the ILLEGALS.
As I look around, my house assessment has dropped almost 100k in the past 2 years. My taxes have gone up, and I still see lots of hispanics. I don't know if they are illegal or not.
I sure wouldn't want to take public credit for the above scene, were I HSM.
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And this is from the anonymous administrator of AntiBVBL, on a thread that features Jeb Bush defending Hispanic immigrants:
Admin: Politicians that use this as a wedge issue, it's a loser. And if you believe in conservative principles and you want Conservatives to win to implement those principles, to totally dis on a group, that is the only group that is growing in our Country, and is as American in their pursuit of the traditional dreams that people pursue here, as any other group, I think we do it at our peril.
It's wrong and it's stupid, and the combination of being incorrect and stupid is just very dangerous in politics.