Regarding those immigration "facts" from the L.A. Times

Tim Cavanaugh | May 4, 2006

If you're one of the 148 blogs and counting who got hoodwinked by the "10 facts from the LA Times Newspaper" spam, Matt Welch and the boys of 1st Street have some news for you on their excellent new immigration blog:

1. You've been punk'd.

2. The "facts" are a load of crap.

Once again, that excellent new immigration blog is here.

Comments

|5.4.06 @ 7:56PM|#

I'm always amazed at how desperately the xenophobes go grasping at straws.

Any responsible commentator would do a little bit of scratching before citing something like this.

If nothing else, try passing it through a smell-o-meter: how likely is the LA Times (a typical left-leaning rag) to publish a series of "facts" that would bolster a largely right-wing position?

|5.4.06 @ 8:04PM|#

Dont' you see, Clean Hands? ...that's what makes it all so believable. Even the LA Times said this, and it's a left-leaning rag--so it must be true!

|5.4.06 @ 8:23PM|#

Anti-immigrant xenophobia is nothing new:

"The know-nothings gained considerable influence before the Civil War, these early nativists advocated a program that makes today's nativists seem lamblike. Their New York affiliate demanded, among other things, the elimination of the foreign-born from political office, a 21-year residency requirement for naturalization, the deportation of foreign paupers, mandatory Bible reading in schools and a ban on the use of foreign languages in schools or public documents."

|5.4.06 @ 9:20PM|#

I'm okay with the ban on the use of foreign languages in schools or public documents. Especially in French class.

|5.4.06 @ 9:57PM|#

...the elimination of the foreign-born from political office...

This one would be good, if we could include the native born as well.

|5.5.06 @ 12:17AM|#

I'm always amazed at how desperately the xenophobes go grasping at straws.
I'm no longer amazed at how liberals use silly insults when pretending to discuss serious issues.

The first 'correction' (? It's so poorly formatted, it's hard to tell) at the Technocrati site was nonsense, and I went no further:
Heidi botches the facts May 4, 2006 Facts are a funny thing ... . Of the 14 million people in California, 5.6 million primarily speak other than English.
There's about 34 million people in California, so yeah, facts are "a funny thing[sic]" alright.

|5.5.06 @ 1:31AM|#

I'm generally pro-immigrant but that list of "corrections" was really lame... they pretty much convinced me that most of the "Facts" were essentially true.

|5.5.06 @ 4:56AM|#

I'm generally pro-immigrant but that list of "corrections" was really lame... they pretty much convinced me that most of the "Facts" were essentially true.

That is what I got from the corrections too.

|5.5.06 @ 4:57AM|#

Except for the fact that they weren't from the LA times.

|5.5.06 @ 5:01AM|#

I routinely get emails from people who forward me stupid shit, about "check out what Robin Williams said". Robin William, or the guy from '60 minutes' or some other dude. And they all say the same thing, which is an isolationist message.

I wonder who starts those things, and why.

|5.5.06 @ 2:07PM|#

MFLM, I'm not sure what point you were trying to make w/the LA most wanted list... unless, it's that since there are so many His-"panic" names included, they must all be illegal immigrants...

But surely you weren't trying to use logic that specious, right? Or did you perform a thorough background check on each one in order to confirm that they were, in fact, illegals? Or maybe you just have a problem with foreign sounding surnames in general? Curious minds want to know...

|5.5.06 @ 3:56PM|#

MFLM, I'm not sure what point you were trying to make w/the LA most wanted list... unless, it's that since there are so many His-"panic" names included, they must all be illegal immigrants...
Of course not. But perhaps you could tell us what the percentages are? Take your time.

But surely you weren't trying to use logic that specious, right?
I'll leave that up to you, on the off chance that you can make the big step from shallow innuendoes to specious logic.

Or did you perform a thorough background check on each one in order to confirm that they were, in fact, illegals?
The "Hispanic" crime rate in the US is about 3.5X the white crime rate, and Mexico has a very high crime rate. As pointed out in the so-called "corrections" article/blog, the various agencies make a point of not collecting information which might reflect badly on illegal aliens from Mexico. "Ignorance is bliss."

Or maybe you just have a problem with foreign sounding surnames in general?
Maybe I happen to have one of them funny furrin-sounding surnames, one which people have a hard time pronouncing. Maybe my Mom was a fairly recent immigrant. Maybe my two best friends are from Mexico. Maybe I've socialized and hung out with, and done business with, more illegal immigrants than you'll ever meet.

Curious minds want to know...
I doubt it, but did you have some point other than you don't like people pointing out the fact that Hispanics are very overrepresented in the LAPD's "most wanted" list? Or are you just making sure that everyone can see that big, bleeding heart on your puffy sleeve?

|5.5.06 @ 3:59PM|#

MFLM, I'm not sure what point you were trying to make w/the LA most wanted list... unless, it's that since there are so many His-"panic" names included, they must all be illegal immigrants...
Of course not. But perhaps you could tell us what the percentages are? Take your time.

But surely you weren't trying to use logic that specious, right?
I'll leave that up to you, on the off chance that you can make the big step from shallow innuendoes to specious logic.

Or did you perform a thorough background check on each one in order to confirm that they were, in fact, illegals?
The "Hispanic" crime rate in the US is about 3.5X the white crime rate, and Mexico has a very high crime rate. As pointed out in the so-called "corrections" article/blog, the various agencies make a point of not collecting information which might reflect badly on illegal aliens from Mexico. "Ignorance is bliss."

Or maybe you just have a problem with foreign sounding surnames in general?
Maybe I happen to have one of them funny furrin-sounding surnames, one which people have a hard time pronouncing. Maybe my Mom was a fairly recent immigrant. Maybe my two best friends are from Mexico. Maybe I've socialized and hung out with, and done business with, more illegal immigrants than you'll ever meet.

Curious minds want to know...
I doubt it, but did you have some point other than you don't like people pointing out the fact that Hispanics are very overrepresented in the LAPD's "most wanted" list? Or are you just making sure that everyone can see that big, bleeding heart on your puffy sleeve?

|5.5.06 @ 4:03PM|#

MFLM, I'm not sure what point you were trying to make w/the LA most wanted list... unless, it's that since there are so many His-"panic" names included, they must all be illegal immigrants...
Of course not. But perhaps you could tell us what the percentages are? Take your time.

But surely you weren't trying to use logic that specious, right?
I'll leave that up to you, on the off chance that you can make the big step from shallow innuendoes to specious logic.

Or did you perform a thorough background check on each one in order to confirm that they were, in fact, illegals?
The "Hispanic" crime rate in the US is about 3.5X the white crime rate, and Mexico has a very high crime rate. As pointed out in the so-called "corrections" article/blog, the various agencies make a point of not collecting information which might reflect badly on illegal aliens from Mexico. "Ignorance is bliss."

Or maybe you just have a problem with foreign sounding surnames in general?
Maybe I happen to have one of them funny furrin-sounding surnames, one which people have a hard time pronouncing. Maybe my Mom was a fairly recent immigrant. Maybe my two best friends are from Mexico. Maybe I've socialized and hung out with, and done business with, more illegal immigrants than you'll ever meet.

Curious minds want to know...
I doubt it, but did you have some point other than you don't like people pointing out the fact that Hispanics are very overrepresented in the LAPD's "most wanted" list? Or are you just making sure that everyone can see that big, bleeding heart on your puffy sleeve?

|5.5.06 @ 4:07PM|#

MFLM, I'm not sure what point you were trying to make w/the LA most wanted list... unless, it's that since there are so many His-"panic" names included, they must all be illegal immigrants...
Of course not. But perhaps you could tell us what the percentages are? Take your time.

But surely you weren't trying to use logic that specious, right?
I'll leave that up to you, on the off chance that you can make the big step from shallow innuendoes to specious logic.

Or did you perform a thorough background check on each one in order to confirm that they were, in fact, illegals?
The "Hispanic" crime rate in the US is about 3.5X the white crime rate, and Mexico has a very high crime rate. As pointed out in the so-called "corrections" article/blog, the various agencies make a point of not collecting information which might reflect badly on illegal aliens from Mexico. "Ignorance is bliss."

Or maybe you just have a problem with foreign sounding surnames in general?
Maybe I happen to have one of them funny furrin-sounding surnames, one which people have a hard time pronouncing. Maybe my Mom was a fairly recent immigrant. Maybe my two best friends are from Mexico. Maybe I've socialized and hung out with, and done business with, more illegal immigrants than you'll ever meet.

Curious minds want to know...
I doubt it, but did you have some point other than you don't like people pointing out the fact that Hispanics are very overrepresented in the LAPD's "most wanted" list? Or are you just making sure that everyone can see that big, bleeding heart on your puffy sleeve?

|5.6.06 @ 2:27PM|#

Of course not. But perhaps you could tell us what the percentages are? Take your time.

I think that was the point.

No one sent an e-mail 'round claiming that whatever percentage of the most wanted weren't immigrants. ...someone did send a message around claiming that a certain portion of them were.

...but there doesn't seem to be any way they could have known that. ...so use that information for what it's worth--very little.