Xenophobic Border Watch Groups are Domestic Terrorists from SOJOURNERS 16FEB11 & Racist murders and the right wing from SOCIALISTWORKER.ORG 17FEB11

HERE'S another for the nra's anti-gun control campaign, and for the home grown terrorist organizations like minuteman american defense (mad) and aryan nation who are able to carry out their crimes thanks to the nra restricting reasonable gun control. It is also interesting to note there was no national outrage at the killing of Brisenia Flores, a 9 year old American girl last year and her father, also an American, unlike the outpouring of grief for the loss of Christina Greene, also a 9 year old American shot to death with 5 others in Tucson, AZ in January this year. It is hard not to feel if they had been white and middle class and their murderers Hispanic and not the other way around the nation would have heard about this horrible crime. At least they are receiving justice for the crimes against them, we can hope and pray this is some consolation for their families. This from Sojourners and the Socialist Worker.....

On May 30, 2009, a terrorist attack in Arizona ended the lives of two U.S. citizens — a Latino man and his 9-year-old daughter. The attackers were Shawna Forde and Jason Eugene Bush, who founded a group called the Minuteman American Defense (MAD) — a small anti-immigrant border watch group. On May 30, MAD raided the home of Raul Flores, killing him and his daughter. This week, Forde was found guilty by an Arizona jury of two counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of burglary, armed robbery, and aggravated robbery. Her two accomplices, Jason Eugene Bush and Albert Gaxiola, will face trail later this year.

Forde and Bush founded MAD after Forde was dismissed from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps for exhibiting “unstable” behavior. Forde had an extensive criminal record before she murdered Raul and Brisenia Flores. She even fabricated an account of how she was raped and shot by “Spanish-speaking” men. Clearly, the justice system failed Forde by not ordering her to undergo extensive mental evaluations and therapy.

Eugene Bush, who is linked with the Aryan Nation, is MAD’s National Director of Operations. Another career criminal, Bush was charged in 2009 with the 1997 murder of a Latino man in Wenatchee, Washington. Bush was also jailed in 1997 for car theft. Detectives are now following other leads that could bring more murder charges against Bush. Again, why has he slipped through the cracks of our justice system? Is it perhaps because his victims were considered unimportant?

It’s always a sad day in the United States when xenophobic individuals and groups act on their irrational ideologies. We’ve always been a nation of immigrants. To claim that any group — with the exception of Native Americans — is native to the United States is simply absurd. Rather than organizing to “secure” the border from individuals with different cultures, religions, values, skin color, and hair, these individuals would do well to read the history of our great nation. They would then learn the stories of struggle of the Irish, French, Polish, German, and Italian immigrants from which they descend.

But their hatred emanates from a powerful fear: rapidly changing U.S. demographics. The latest statistics show that Latinos/as will comprise nearly one-third of the U.S. population in 2050. This rapid U.S. Latino growth, coupled with the often exaggerated accounts of the violence-ridden border, has galvanized hate groups from all over the United States to act on their xenophobic sentiments. FBI statistics reveal that anti-Latino hate crimes have increased by nearly 35 percent since 2003. So rather than sending more troops to the border, shouldn’t politicians address the violence and human rights violations endured daily by many Latinos? Shouldn’t fixing our broken immigration system be a priority?

In my view, politicians who spew vitriolic anti-Latino rhetoric, support abhorrent anti-Latino legislation, or ignore the plight of the Hispanic community are also responsible. They’re contributing to the repressive anti-Hispanic ethos prevailing in many states throughout our nation. We should hold our politicians accountable for their words or inaction. Enough is enough.

Now is the time for our nation — its politicians, educators, voters — to demonstrate the principles of justice and liberty for all — the very principles on which our nation was founded. We must prevent domestic terrorist attacks. No longer can Latinos/as (of whatever status) feel unsafe in their homes, on the street, at school, or at their jobs. We Latinos face an uphill battle, but I know we can prevail by uniting in our common struggle against hatred and fear.

No memorials stand to remember the tragic deaths of Raul and Brisenia Flores and the many others who have perished or are permanently traumatized from hate crimes. But hopefully justice will prevail in this our land — a land of immigrants and justice for all.

César J. Baldelomar a graduate student at Harvard Divinity School, where he focuses on liberation theologies and ethics from the margins. You can visit César at his website www.cesarb.com

Racist murders and the right wing

http://socialistworker.org/2011/02/17/racist-murders-and-the-right 

February 17, 2011

ON FEBRUARY 14, an Arizona jury found Shawna Forde guilty of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and several other charges for the brutal slayings of Raul Flores and his 9-year old daughter Brisenia.
In May 2009, Forde and two accomplices, Jason Bush and Albert Gaxiola, raided the Flores home in Arivaca, Ariz. Their intent was to steal drugs and cash, because they believed the Floreses were drug dealers. Shawna and her accomplices wanted to use the drugs and money to fund the vigilante anti-immigrant group, the Minutemen American Defense (MAD). When no drugs were found at the home, the three went on a rampage, attempting to kill the Flores family.
Not only does Shawna Forde have a history of violent crime, but she also has a long history of involvement with anti-immigrant groups. Before becoming the founder and executive of the MAD, Forde was a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and a spokesperson for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR).
Forde's partner in crime, Jason Bush, is MAD's national director of operations and has ties to white supremacist groups including the Aryan Nation. In addition to the murders in Arizona, Bush currently has several other murder charges filed against him. Recently, he was charged with the stabbing death of Hector Lopez Partida, a homeless man, as he slept on the street at night.
It should be no surprise that these senseless deaths occurred in Arizona, a state that has become synonymous with anti-immigrant hatred. From the passage of hate-filled SB 1070 (requiring documentation for all immigrants), HB 2281 (banning ethnic studies programs), politicians in Arizona have made immigrants the target. Eighteen other states are now considering laws similar to SB 1070.
Politicians in Arizona and across the country have whipped up racist anti-immigrant hysteria, claiming that all Americans should be against immigration. They resort to racist stereotypes like Muslim immigrants "want to take over America," and Mexican immigrants are "violent drug-dealing gangsters."
It's only natural that those on the extreme right, like the MAD, see this as the opportune time to unleash violence on immigrants. Unfortunately, if nothing is done, the attacks on immigrants, their communities and their places of worship will continue to escalate.
That is why we need to stand up and fight against the racist anti-immigrant climate. From demanding justice for immigrant victims of hate crimes, to defending the right to build mosques, we must fight racism wherever it rears its ugly head.
Gimena Gordillo, New Orleans