Sunday, March 13, 2016

"European Sovereignty" is Code for "White Supremacy"

Recently, I got into a back-and-forth in the comments column of a YouTube video. A guy named Bill Still included all kinds of misinformation about "illegal immigrants" in his video/rant. Where I live (San Francisco), the phrase "illegal immigrant" is considered politically incorrect by many. When I've used it, people have corrected me by saying, "No human is illegal." Frankly, I think they miss the point because it is a legal issue. There is a problem with laws that make movement across the border by some people illegal, even though these people are vital to our economy. The right wing won't admit it, but any economist will tell you so. The right wing will argue that these immigrants are bleeding the economy dry. They have little understanding of how our economy works, or maybe that erroneous argument is just a way to veil their prejudice. One could argue, the right-wingers lack of education is the real problem and education in the U.S. needs to be improved. Sorry xenophobes on the right, but this means more government money to educate people like you who don't understand the law, history, demographics, and economics. Before this past weekend, I had only heard the term "European Sovereignty" as it relates to the current "Refugee Crisis" in Europe and while I found it offensive in that context, more recently I heard from Bill Still (and his followers on YouTube), who are presumably American, use it in relation to "illegal immigrants" in America. They speak of preserving our "European Sovereignty." I asked Mr. Still where in the Constitution it is written that those of European descent are any more entitled to anything here in this country than anyone else. I was completely astonished by his response which was, "The nation was meant specifically for the people that founded it. It's very simple." I decided not to respond to this or any more messages from this man who has a completely distorted view of what this country stands for. However, I did feel the need to "alert the media" as it were. I'm not sure how many people out there in cyberspace read this blog, but in case you are wondering why certain candidates running for president are so popular despite or because of their racist views, the answer may be that there are many like Mr. Bill Still out there and it's not just misinformation they are spreading. It's hate speech. I feel so fortunate to live here in San Francisco. Seattle, Boston and San Francisco are considered among the America's top three "Smartest Cities" (see LINK) BTW, Mr. Still and friends, the San Francisco Bay Area is one of the most diverse areas of the country. So, I'm also happy to know that it's doubtful you'll be visiting any time soon.