Arizona #1
State Rep. Adam Kwasman (R)
Arizona State Representative Adam Kwasman (R) is running for the U.S. Congress. On Wednesday, he decided to show his unhappiness with the influx of illegal immigrant children into the United States by participating in a demonstration as one of the border patrol buses loaded with immigrant children passed on its way to a Tucson shelter.
He snapped pictures of the bus and tweeted to his followers: "Bus coming in. This is not compassion. This is the abrogation of the rule of the law." As local reporters recorded the event, Mr. Kwasman called for the White House to abide by the law and enforce our border.
Later, Mr. Kwasman told one reporter he could "see some of the children" and noted "the fear on their faces."
You see, that bus was filled, not with immigrant children, but with local kids on their way to a YMCA summer camp. At first, the protesters tried to make this out to be an elaborate trick to help get the bus past the demonstrators; but, no, these were really just local Arizona adolescents on their way to the Triangle Y Camp.
In an on camera interview, Mr. Pitts asked the candidate, "Do you know that was a bus with YMCA kids?" Mr. Kwasman did a quick about face. "They were sad, too. Okay, I apologize. I didn't know. I was leaving when I saw them."
Arizona #2
Paul Babeu, sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona decided to assist local anti-immigrant demonstrators by publishing the exact location where some of the children who had recently crossed our border illegally were to be housed. He posted the information on social media sites, issued a press release and gave the information to an anti-immigrant activist.
When CNN's Anderson Cooper asked if this wasn't counter-productive to the sheriff's job of keeping the peace in Pinal County, Sheriff Babeu said he was acting over concerns that some of the children might have gang connections or be carrying diseases that could threaten the health of local residents. "My question to Homeland Security was, give us a sense of the profile of these individuals."
Mr. Babeu's actions resulted in the children being rerouted to other locations.
It should be noted that, while the sheriff's enterprise was successful, it was also ripe with the scent of hypocrisy.
In 2012, while he was a candidate for Congress, it was revealed that Sheriff Babeu, who is gay, was having an intimate relationship with a man who was an undocumented, illegal resident of the U.S. At that time, the Phoenix New Times reported that a "Mexican man identified only as Jose alleged that Babeu and his attorney, Chris DeRose, threatened that he could be deported if he didn't sign an agreement not to disclose his romantic affair with Babeu, who has a national reputation as a border-security hawk."
Later, Mr. Kwasman told one reporter he could "see some of the children" and noted "the fear on their faces."
As boasts go, this one seems oddly discordant to me. Or is the ability to frighten children something GOP voters actually look for in a candidate?As he continued to hold court, undoubtedly looking forward to a couple of good sound bytes on the local news, 12News reporter Will Pitts noted that, what he saw as the bus passed were children laughing and taking pictures of the demonstrators--which is when the demonstration and Adam Kwasman's "fear on their faces" vaunt fell apart.
You see, that bus was filled, not with immigrant children, but with local kids on their way to a YMCA summer camp. At first, the protesters tried to make this out to be an elaborate trick to help get the bus past the demonstrators; but, no, these were really just local Arizona adolescents on their way to the Triangle Y Camp.
In an on camera interview, Mr. Pitts asked the candidate, "Do you know that was a bus with YMCA kids?" Mr. Kwasman did a quick about face. "They were sad, too. Okay, I apologize. I didn't know. I was leaving when I saw them."
Huh? Leaving what? Where? And how, if the reporter saw kids laughing, did Mr. Kwasman see "fear"...or maybe it was sadness. (Backtracking on camera can be so embarrassing.)"People are not happy down the line. That was an error by me. Those were not migrant children. That's fine. It was a mistake. That was a mistake. That was not correct and that's a mistake."
In the end, it was Mr. Kwasman's supporters who were "sad" that such a stellar opportunity to bully immigrant children ended up being mocked by the media and it was Mr. Kwasman who was left to "fear" for his credibility.
Arizona #2
Sheriff Paul Babeu
Paul Babeu, sheriff of Pinal County, Arizona decided to assist local anti-immigrant demonstrators by publishing the exact location where some of the children who had recently crossed our border illegally were to be housed. He posted the information on social media sites, issued a press release and gave the information to an anti-immigrant activist.
When CNN's Anderson Cooper asked if this wasn't counter-productive to the sheriff's job of keeping the peace in Pinal County, Sheriff Babeu said he was acting over concerns that some of the children might have gang connections or be carrying diseases that could threaten the health of local residents. "My question to Homeland Security was, give us a sense of the profile of these individuals."
Mr. Babeu's actions resulted in the children being rerouted to other locations.
It should be noted that, while the sheriff's enterprise was successful, it was also ripe with the scent of hypocrisy.
In 2012, while he was a candidate for Congress, it was revealed that Sheriff Babeu, who is gay, was having an intimate relationship with a man who was an undocumented, illegal resident of the U.S. At that time, the Phoenix New Times reported that a "Mexican man identified only as Jose alleged that Babeu and his attorney, Chris DeRose, threatened that he could be deported if he didn't sign an agreement not to disclose his romantic affair with Babeu, who has a national reputation as a border-security hawk."
Don't you just love the way anti-immigrant GOP-ers have one set of rules for "them" and a totally different set of standards for "us?" Or maybe I'm wrong and Sheriff Babeu asked Homeland Security to vet Jose's gang affiliation and medical records before welcoming him into his bedroom.
now I see why these particular Repubs are so opposed to abortion. They fear for their own lives. It's like the whole new (Post Reagan) party are a bunch of inbred morons.
ReplyDeleteI am so totally embarrassed that I voted repub in my youth. I really did and I really am.