Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez
Republicans, who continue to be rejected by the U.S. electorate at the polls, have decided that the party of Lincoln needs an extreme makeover. Yet Republicans seem to think that the GOP simply needs to change its image, as opposed to fundamentally changing the party itself.

Some Republicans believe that the GOP must broaden its tent, and change its mantra of “Guns, Gays and God.” Others seem to think the party should strengthen its conservative base, and that the new message should include: “Go home!”

Enter the National Council for a New America (NCNA), a series of town hall meetings launched on May 2 in a suburb of Washington, D.C. Its primary objective seems to be to determine what direction the party should take — and to question those in the party who would like to see it become a European-style anti-immigrant party. Leading the effort of this council are Jeb Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney and Eric Cantor.

This council appears to be cognizant that a shift in that ultra-nationalistic direction has the potential to change not simply the GOP’s narrative, but the national narrative itself.

They are up against the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Lou Dobbs, Dick Cheney and other extreme right-wing forces who fear that the nation — not simply the GOP — is in danger of losing its national narrative, the myths and legends that have been part of the national psyche and character since its founding.

Arguably, the more conservative wing of the American political spectrum is correct: the old America they cling to no longer exists. And yet, the narrative that the more moderate council longs for — one that views America as the beacon of the world, as the land of truth, freedom and liberty and justice for all — is also a myth.

That narrative has always downplayed genocide, land theft and removal, slavery, segregation and legalized discrimination. Nowadays, it downplays border walls, racial profiling and an ever-expanding racialized prison system. The narrative has also downplayed the notion of empire and militarism, instead converting these imperial projects with the notion of a God-given right to “civilize” or dominate the world. This is the idea of Manifest Destiny. It is what drove our recent president, George W. Bush in his war against the Arab and Islamic world; he was on a mission from God. This is why U.S. and international laws were easily ignored or discarded; he was answering to a higher authority.

In this sense, both wings of the Republican Party are similar; both want to promote great American mythologies. Ingrained into the national psyche is that this is a “nation of immigrants.” With the browning of America, some within the GOP rightly fear that a Dobbs-immigration obsessed nation — which clamors for 2,000 miles of militarized walls along the U.S.-Mexico border — will drive moderates away from the Republican Party. This is where the struggle over image takes place, though it is difficult to discern a difference. The Dobbs wing is brazenly anti-immigrant, though it is always insistent that they are only anti-illegal immigrant — not anti-immigrant.

Yet Romney’s views are very similar to Dobbs. Even McCain, always touted as a moderate on immigration, buckled under extreme right-wing pressure during his 2008 presidential bid.

Whether they are conservative or moderate, Republicans seem to agree that the United States has the inherent right to wage war on the world. The only difference is that some believe that this right comes directly from God, whereas the others believe it is simply a cultural or even genetic right — due to American exceptionalism.

The real question is whether Democrats present different views on this topic. Some observers are quick to note that on the issue of the national narrative, there is little or no difference between the parties. These same observers are quick to note that President Barack Obama is but the latest steward for the military-imperial interests that control the nation.

While it is true that change does not occur overnight, there is little doubt that whoever is at the helm does make a difference. Yet, we know that positive change generally comes from the bottom. Whether one president can change the national narrative is another matter.

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Recommended Reading: Republicans on Immigration: The War Within – The claim of some Republican apologists that the party is “against illegal immigration, but for legal immigration” does not accurately represent the whole party. There are at least four identifiable factions within the GOP. They are, in the order of permissiveness to immigration — [ READ MORE ]
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   Confederate (Republican) “Lynching” Murderers — Brandon Piekarsky (left) & Derrick Donchak

POTTSVILLE, Pennsylvania – Last week Friday, an ALL-WHITE jury acquitted two Pennsylvania teenagers of ALL serious charges against them stemming from the fatal beating of an “illegal” Mexican immigrant last summer.

Jurors acquitted 17-year-old Brandon Piekarsky of third-degree murder and ethnic intimidation. The jury cleared 19-year-old Derrick Donchak of aggravated assault and ethnic intimidation. Both were convicted of simple assault.

   Does This Look Like Simple Assault?

Prosecutors cast Ramirez as the victim of a gang of drunken white teens motivated by their dislike of their small coal town’s burgeoning Hispanic population. Defense attorneys called Ramirez the aggressor and bitterly accused the district attorney’s office of twisting the facts out of a desperate need to cast blame. [ READ MORE ]

A month before the killing of Ramirez, two incidents in Long Island and Brooklyn, New York, BARBARIC WHITE REPUBLICAN HOODLUMS attacked and LYNCHED Hispanic immigrants.

Latino immigrants are prime targets for White Racists emboldened by the now four year old Republican campaign of HATE and XENOPHOBIA.

Immigrants have become MUTE PREY for criminals — due to the constant harping of fat-mouth bigots like Lou Dobbs of CNN, and the diseased Neo-NAZI criminals at Fox News and right-wing Talk-Radio — like the despicable one-legged baboon — Michael Savage — who work tirelessly to pour fuel into the hateful minds of the most intolerant imbeciles in America. Their contention — is that an “illegal alien” is the POISON responsible for all that is evil in America, and that immigrants are responsible for the current economic mess and more recently — the SWINE VIRUS.

Fear & Loathing in Prime Time: Immigration Myths and Cable News

Swine FLU: The Republican HATE Machine Incites Racism

To the hate-mongers on radio and TV, and their listeners, being an undocumented immigrant is a “stain that can never be erased,” with no path to atonement. To them (Republicans), immigrants are INHUMAN and HAVE NO RIGHTS! They are VERMIN that MUST BE CRUSHED!

This is unacceptable — and Obama better do something about it. Confiscate the confederate guns, legislate more stringent hate-crime laws, and last but most powerful — pass a comprehensive immigration bill, allowing millions to flock to the Democratic Party, pushing the criminal Republican party further into the fringes of the south. They can then all be herded into Texas and allowed to secede if they want to. Treasonous Governor Rick Perry, would welcome them with open arms!

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Notes: Some satisfied, others outraged with verdict for immigrant’s death

CNN: Friends and relatives of two teens accused in the beating death of a Mexican immigrant struggled to contain their relief as not-guilty verdicts were announced on the most serious charges against the former high school football stars Friday.

Gasps filled the courtroom and some had to be restrained by sheriff’s deputies as they tried to rush the defense table after Derrick Donchak, 19, and Brandon Piekarsky, 17, were acquitted of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and ethnic intimidation for the death of Luis Ramirez.

Piekarsky was also found not guilty of third-degree murder for the death of Ramirez, who died of blunt force injuries after an encounter with the teens last summer. Read full article

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Anti-Immigrant and RACIST Xenophobe, Chris Simcox, who founded the border-patrolling Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, plans to challenge former Republican presidential nominee and current Arizona senator John McCain in the Republican primary in 2010.

On his website, the filthy BIGOT notes: Immigrants new to this country need to learn what freedom is and how you go about keeping it. They need to learn to speak our language to be a productive part of our work force. For American citizenship to have real, lasting meaning, we must reject the amnesty that causes even more to come here illegally, we must secure our borders and create a legal immigration system built on a rubric of national security and economics with the welfare and job security of the American citizen first and foremost in the design.

Everywhere This BIGOT Goes — He Is Met With Protests

Chris Simcox is a thief. He stole millions of dollars in donations that was to be used to build a barrier along the border with Mexico. He built and completed 10 miles of 5 strand barbed wire cow-fence and called it a success, then refused to show the public where the money went!

McCain, long known as a moderate on immigration, gave up on his immigration reform legislation during the Republican primary campaign.

Reference: The two faces of the anti-immigrant bigots in the Republican Party — NICOLE COLSON looks at the ties between anti-immigrant groups, the far right and the Republican Party.

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   Columnist – John Sammon
Right Wing talk show hosts, those to the right of Genghis Kahn, should have their own awards ceremony in a military-like setting, because though they love wars, they never served in the military.

Not one of ‘em.

They’re consistent.

Why is it that guys who yell the loudest about the need to bomb the savages back to the Stone Age never served?

Oh well, I still think they should have an awards ceremony to slap themselves on the back, like the Academy Awards does.

They can act like they’re in the military, and accept military-like awards. What the hell. Ever since we were kids we liked playing soldier.

To Sean Hannity, resplendent in his black SS-style tunic, goes the I-Hate-Immigrants Award, a diamond-studded Iron Cross First Class, given for promulgating through the use of hot air, numerous indiscretions and falsehoods, for saying for example on the air that English is the only language for success in America, when his own ancestor immigrants spoke an unintelligible form of Gaelic and were considered sub-human pete-bog hauling drunkard lowlifes by the English WASPS of their day.

Applause! Applause!

To Rush, who looks exactly like the late Herman Goering, appearing at the awards ceremony stunning in his solid white Marshall of the Extreme Right Field Marshall’s uniform, goes the order of the Pour-Le-Hot-Bull-No-Merit Award, the Blue No Facts Max (cross). The country’s highest medal for bullshit.

They all wanted to serve in a war. But they were too busy promoting war and counting money from broadcasting.

To Bill O’Reilly, dressed in a John Wayne cowboy hat and a red robe of the Jesuit Order of the Spanish Inquisition, who loves to scream at his camera crew and act physically threatening like an eighth grade bully to those few he has managed to scare, goes the John Wayne Super-Patriot Award, shaped like a cowboy hat in gold with a photo of The Duke embossed on it. The award is given to that performer who, like the Duke, never saw a war he didn’t like, who encourages others to fight wars, but who himself never fought in one because he was too busy counting money and being a media big shot.

O’Reilly and Hannity? What is it with these mean Irish guys?

Why didn’t these guys ever serve? They’re always questioning the patriotism of others.

WHY DIDN’T THEY SERVE AS A BUCK PRIVATE IN THE MILITARY, AN HONOR FOR ANY PATRIOT? Think of the Revolutionary War Minutemen. Did they have microphones?

Hell no!

What about Cheney? Newt? He never served either. Or P. Buchanan? Heck, he can fight. His father took him down to the basement and put boxing gloves on him as a child and taught him how to fight.

Why no service? Living the good life on the college campus while others do the fighting, huh?

Where were they in 1968? Vietnam. Or the 1990s and beyond, Desert Storm 1 & 2, even the dog kennel assault on the Island of Granada? There have been plenty of great wars to get into.

It’s not hard to do. You just go down to a recruiting office and sign your name.

Sean, Bill, Rush, why if no talk the talk, then walk the walk?

To little Dick Morris goes the Joseph Goebbels From a Small Guy to You Award, a golden microphone with innuendo statements embossed on it and a figure of a top Fox News executive with a Christian halo around his head, the award presented for misstatements by a person of very short physical stature, like Goebbels was.

The climax of the ceremony is the wheeling into the room of a statue of the late Ronald Reagan, the only true military veteran in the room (Reagan served during World War 2 in Santa Monica making army training films).

The attendees including Fox owner Rupert Murdoch come to a stiff arm salute. The awardees are told they can keep their uniforms and fake medals.

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‘Fascist-Nativist O’Reilly’ was responding to this New York Times Editorial:

“Fringe right-wingers are still clinging to anti-immigration absolutism. Americans want immigration solved, and they realize that mass deportations will not do that. When you add the unprecedented engagement of growing numbers of Latino voters in 2008, it becomes clear that the nativist path is the path to permanent political irrelevance. Unless you can find a way to get rid of all the Latinos.” — New York Times

| Read The Editorial Here |

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