By: Roberto Dr. Cintli Rodriguez
John McCain said there was ‘substantial evidence‘ linking wildfires in Arizona to illegal immigrants. The Arizona senator accuses Mexican immigrants of starting wildfires, but he is fanning the flames himself – of prejudice.

Does it surprise anyone that Arizona Senator John McCain has blamed undocumented immigrants for the wildfires in his state?

Hard economic times drives desperate people to do desperate things. Throw in the subject of immigration and a little bit of xenophobia … and shazzam! You have the recipe for a political ideology: blame the Mexicans! Send that recipe into Arizona and you have the perfect storm:

•   Uneducated and unable to find a [high-paying] job? Blame the Mexicans.

•   Social security and Medicare going broke? Yup, it’s the Mexicans.

•   Terrorism in the Middle East has you up at night? Blame the Mexicans for your insomnia, send troops and wall the US-Mexico border.

•   Crime, drug usage and communicable diseases on the rise? You know the answer.

Blaming Mexicans, or “illegal aliens”, is a tradition here; and in Georgia and Alabama, too … the whole country, really. Last year, McCain claimed that “illegal aliens” were intentionally causing accidents on freeways.

McCain’s charges read like comedy but here in Arizona, immigration is serious business – and so is scapegoating. It is [Sheriff Joe] Arpaio country, where racial profiling is American as apple pie. It is this state that gave us SB 1070 – based in large part on the unproven allegation that Arizona rancher Robert Krentz was killed by “illegal aliens”. Amazingly, another whopper was conjured up one week after SB 1070 was signed – that a Pinal County sheriff’s deputy had been shot by Mexican drug smugglers (the incident was self-inflicted). And two weeks before SB 1070 was set to go into effect, Governor Jan Brewer began to warn people about finding headless bodies in the Arizona desert. But the fantastical tales don’t end there: in this state, it’s not even that Mexican migrants are falsely blamed for real problems; they are also blamed for invented problems. Dana Milbank from the Washington Post writes about this:

“Border violence on the rise? Phoenix becoming the world’s No 2 kidnapping capital? Illegal immigrants responsible for most police killings? The majority of those crossing the border are drug mules? All wrong.”

Per the FBI, we know that the border region is safer than it was a decade ago, and that many of the safest US cities are along the US-Mexico border. But when it comes to fueling xenophobia in this country, facts never get in the way.

For example, Tucson’s highly successful Mexican American Studies programme is on the verge of being eliminated because our current attorney general, Tom Horne, has long maintained that the classes foment revolution (“Viva Che!”). A recent independent audit found all the charges against the programme to be false.

“Illegal aliens” causing Arizona wildfires? While the US Forest Service has made no such claim, McCain and his ideological supporters would have us accept his speculation as fact. What’s next? Blaming Mexicans for increased sun spot activity?

Reckless ‘Psycho Talk‘: 2008 Loser John McCain Blames Immigrants For Arizona Wildfires

Playlist: ‘Apartheid’ States in The U.S.

Playlist: American Anti-Immigrant Xenophobia

Playlist: American Anti-Immigrant Xenophobia — Immigrants For Sale

Aliens vs. Senator: Puppet John McCain blames illegal immigrants for starting the wildfires in Arizona, hiding his remote and taking his reading glasses.

“Sen. John McCain said today that he’s ‘not sure what all this controversy is about’ surrounding his unsubstantiated claim that illegal immigrants caused some of the wildfires raging across eastern Arizona.

Cochise Co. ‘Sheriff Larry Dever will tell you that the Monument Fire was started when the park, the forest was closed. So anyone who was in there is illegal,’ McCain said in an interview on ‘Good Morning America.’” — ABC.News

Racists have blamed undocumented workers for increasing crime rates, drug trafficking and crowded schools, but this is the first time anyone, let alone a respected politician, has blamed immigrants for wildfires.

McCain attempted to glibly dismiss the controversy by saying “The fire was started when the forest was closed. So anyone who was in there is illegal.” McCain is being disingenuous, he knows that he was referring to undocumented workers, and not to citizens who were camping illegally.

Pardon the pun, but McCain’s words are inflammatory and reprehensible. As a political leader McCain should be focusing his energy on helping the victims of the fire, instead of scapegoating hardworking and law-abiding undocumented workers.

I have my opinion, but I will leave it to my readers to decide if McCain is senile or a racist.

Follow Robert Paul Reyes on Twitter: http://twitter.com/robertpaulreyes

Reckless ‘Psycho Talk‘: 2008 Loser John McCain Blames Immigrants For Arizona Wildfires

Playlist: ‘Apartheid’ States in The U.S.

Playlist: American Anti-Immigrant Xenophobia

Playlist: American Anti-Immigrant Xenophobia — Immigrants For Sale

Washington Monthly: REBRANDING…. It seems several leading Republicans have effectively given up hope that the GOP is the “party of ideas,” and want to start over.

Looking to rebrand a struggling Republican Party, a group of party heavyweights including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) are launching a new group that will hold town halls around the country and look to produce GOP ideas on issues like education and health care.

Republicans will announce today the creation of the “National Council for a New America,” a group led by congressional party leaders that includes Bush, McCain, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as its “national panel of experts.”

I see. The “rebranding” effort will be led in part by conservative Republicans with the last names Bush and McCain. What could possibly go wrong?

Or, as Josh Marshall put it, “You know things are really humming along when your “rebranding” effort is led by your recently crushed presidential nominee and your discredited party leader’s brother.” — [ READ MORE ] [ MORE ON REBRANDING ] [ GOP's Big Names Try to Forge New Agenda ]

GOP’s new target: Hispanics?

Uncle Steele Is Rollin’ — Left Out in The COLD!

Shrinking G.O.P

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For months Sen. John McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has been harping on Sen. Barack Obama’s alleged youth and inexperience.

If McCain places such a high premium on experience why did he pass over Mitt Romney, and select a virtual unknown as his vice-presidential running mate.

John McCain’s most significant action as a presidential candidate displays his hypocrisy and poor judgement. How can McCain, with a straight face, allege that Obama is too inexperience to serve as president?

Who is Sarah Palin? That’s what even pundits and political junkies are exclaiming today. Who is this woman who will be one heartbeat away from the presidency if John McCain wins the general election?

Usually the electorate doesn’t pay much attention to the VP selection, but John McCain is 72-years-old with a body ravaged by torture and cancer. There’s an excellent chance that McCain will not survive his term in office.

It’s incumbent upon voters, the press and pundits to go over this woman’s record (such as it is) with a fine-tooth comb.

John Fournier of the Associated Press points out that Palin is a risky choice:

“John McCain’s risky choice of Gov. Sarah Palin gives him a running mate who doubles down on his maverick image, may appeal to ‘hockey moms’ and other women, and counters Barack Obama’s aura of new-generation change. But he may have undercut his best attack on the Democrat.

If Obama is an empty suit, as McCain has suggested, is Palin suited for the Oval Office herself?

She is younger and less experienced than the first-term Illinois senator, and brings an ethical shadow to the ticket.” — AP

McCain’s pick is blatant pandering to disappointed Hillary voters. The choice will backfire because Hillary’s legion of angry voters won’t be thrilled with the selection of an anti-abortion vice-presidential candidate with extreme conservative social values.

McCain has perpetuated the Republican culture of corruption by choosing a Veep who is ethically-challenged.

“She (Palin) has an ethical issue as well. Alaska lawmakers are investigating whether Palin abused her power in firing a public safety commissioner. Lawmakers say they want to know whether Palin was mad at the commissioner for not firing an Alaska state trooper who went through a messy divorce and ongoing child custody battles with Palin’s sister.” — AP

As a responsible editorialist, in the coming days and weeks, I will do my best to fill in the blanks of this empty suit. But I already know enough to declare that Palin is a horrible choice, and Hillary voters will not be hoodwinked into voting for a woman who is an inconsequential as an Alaskan snowflake.

The typical guest on a late-night comedy show is a jaded celebrity who oozes irony or an average person who makes the news for some wacky reason.

Sen. John McCain, 71, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is from a generation that eschews irony. McCain is like a fish out of water trying to exchange quips with Jay Leno or Conan O’Brien.

In high school sometimes the jocks would let a nerd eat lunch with them, not out of pity or compassion, but so that they could poke fun at him while they gobbled their fish sticks and fries. McCain reminds me of the hapless geek sitting with the jocks when I see his pitiful performances on the late-night comedy circuit.

McCain can’t discuss pop culture with Jay or David — that leaves only one subject to gab about: McCain’s age.

Here’s an example from McCain’s latest appearance with Conan O’Brien:

“John McCain and talk show host Conan O’Brien joke around about the Republican presidential candidate’s age and running mate pick.

O’Brien opened his show by saying, ‘Normally on Fridays we would tape our show at 4:30, but to accommodate Senator John McCain we agreed to tape the show at 5:30. Senator McCain wasn’t available at 4:30 because that’s when he eats dinner,’ according to a transcripta released by NBC. ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’ airs from 12:35 a.m. to 1:35am on NBC.

The 71-year-old McCain quipped, ‘Well, I had dinner and a nap.’” .. Quotation from Boston.Com/Foon Rhee

McCain is like that nerd who is so eager to please the jocks that he allows himself to be the butt of the jokes.

Unless a Republican scientist can resurrect Mike Douglas or Merv Griffin, McCain should avoid late-night comedy shows like the plague.

REFERENCES:

McCain at ‘LateNight with Conan O’Brien’

….and here is John McCain actually sleeping on the job!

…and more McCain Jokes