The Radio Equalizer: Brian Maloney

27 April 2007

Lou Dobbs, CNN, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Gavin Newsom

LOU'S TURN

CNN Host Runs Afoul Of Illegal Immigration Activists






*** See Main Page For Other Updates ***

Move over, Don Imus, the next termination target has officially been identified!

For the high crime of offending San Francisco politicians and illegal immigration supporters, a group of left- wing activists are calling on CNN to fire Dobbs.

After Dobbs apparently compared city officials and illegal immigration advocates to Nazi rulers, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society demanded the network immediately sack the populist host.

From JTA:


The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society called on CNN to fire Lou Dobbs after the broadcaster likened immigrant advocates to Nazi propagandists.

Dobbs, an outspoken critic of illegal immigration who hosts an opinionated evening news hour, criticized San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on Monday, saying he and immigrant protection advocates "might as well work for Hermann Goering. I mean, they're running so much propaganda, trying to confuse the debate, the national dialogue, by talking about immigrants rather than illegal aliens and legal immigrants. It's mindless beyond belief."

Newsom had said he kept local law enforcement from participating in illegal immigrant raids in part because he believes legal immigrants fear raids as well.

Dobbs apparently was referring to Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda chief. Goering headed the Nazi air force.

"Comparisons to Nazis, especially in this day and age, are abhorrent," HIAS President Gideon Aronoff said Wednesday. "Mr. Dobbs has crossed the line between responsible television commentary and hate speech propaganda of his own. Keeping him on the air is essentially sanctioning by CNN, which is why we're asking CNN to remove Dobbs from his very public platform."

CNN did not respond to JTA's requests for comment.


Creepy Mayor Newsom was quick to offer his own view, according to the San Francisco Sentinel:


The vitriol expressed by CNN broadcaster Lou Dobbs toward San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom today led Newsom to conclude Dobbs and other critics were not hugged enough as children.

And he will pray for them, Newsom intoned.

Newsom made the remarks this morning in response to Dobbs likening Newsom to nazi propagandist Hermann Goering.

The comment came following a 10:20 a.m. press conference announcing San Francisco is the only American city through which the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay will pass.

In addition to Dobbs, “Michael Savage said the federal government needs to come in and take over the City,” Newsom recalled.

“Bill O’Reilly has ‘countdown for arrest.’


While it's not clear whether an effort led by a weirdo like Newsom has a chance in hell of succeeding, what this story does underscore is just how emboldened fringe activists are feeling in this post- Imus media era.

How far will this go?


ELSEWHERE: Isn't It Rich ponders phony carbon offset schemes, while Kim at Musing Minds had a crazy week.


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published by Brian Maloney at 18:04

23 Comments:

  • Someone might want to point out to Insty that the minor, manufactured flap is about Dobbs' comments on supporters of massive legal and/or illegal immigration, not about comments Dobbs made on "immigrants" themselves. Those supporters seem unable to open their mouths without making false or misleading statements.

    Since I've got hundreds of entries with examples of the MSM trying to confuse the debate or otherwise lying or trying to mislead, I don't think anyone's going to have any success trying to claim that the MSM's coverage of immigration matters is anything other than from a propagandistic standpoint.

    I look forward to Insty finally discussing immigration matters in an honest fashion, especially considering its one of the weakest spots of both the MSM and politicians.

    By Blogger LonewackoDotCom, at 27 April, 2007 20:03  

  • Whats with liberals trying get rid of other liberals?

    By Blogger Capitalist Infidel, at 27 April, 2007 22:02  

  • thank you for reminding us, cap

    we shall refocus our vitriol on you, since you asked nicely

    brian (sigh)

    from what vaunted hall of knowledge have you gathered the notion that the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society is a
    "left-wing activist" organization?

    now, dobbs is hardly a liberal
    but i like him anyway

    he's willing to tackle the illegals problem in a way no neocon has seen fit to do

    and that's SUPPOSED to be your big thing, no?

    newsflash...it never was and never will be...the bush crime family and their faithful (few) are committed globalists

    and newsom would appear to simply be governing according to the wishes of his constituency

    i don't particularly like his position, but he's stood up for other prickly issues before, and appears at least to have some principles

    acknowledging these simple facts and THEN moving forward would go a long way towards you, brian, establishing yourself as a meaningful commentator, pundit, and even worthy catalyst for positive change on the illegals issue

    knowing your benefactors, though, we won't hold our breath

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 27 April, 2007 23:18  

  • Lou Dobbs appears to be the only major news media figure even stupider than Bill O'Reilly. The question shouldn't be "should Dobbs be fired" but rather "why has CNN given this moron a platform for so long?"

    By Blogger Brian Carnell, at 28 April, 2007 01:47  

  • You know, the ugly little secret is that the immigration, as it it currently occurring, is pretty much working out well for everyone.

    They get jobs. We get cheap labor with no legal protections.

    One can squawk on an on about how horrible the whole situation is, but it's not.

    One could argue that it's bad for lower-income U.S. citizens who have to compete with cheaper immigrant labor. But who in this country cares about the poor other than the poor themselves?

    Oh, that's right. Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards do.

    In any case, I applaud Gavin Newsom for at least having a nodding acquaintance with the reality of the situation, unlike many pundits like Dobbs, and dealing with it ina a reasonable way. And I don't think he's creepy. I, like most who know him, think he's dreamy. He's straight (imagine that in SF!), good-looking, and rich.

    As for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Socciety, I'm sure they're in league with arch-rootless cosmopolitan Soros. Clearly that sinister cabal's plans of world domination are coming to fruition.

    By Blogger John, at 28 April, 2007 10:50  

  • You know, the ugly little secret is that the immigration, as it it currently occurring, is pretty much working out well for everyone.

    But, it could be even better. We could import child laborers from Thailand and Indonesia. That way they'll work even cheaper and complain even less. Plus, unlike current IllegalAliens, they won't give even more PoliticalPower inside the U.S. to the MexicanGovernment. Plus, they won't demand the vote for a few years, and someone else can deal with that later on. In the meantime: profit!

    By Blogger LonewackoDotCom, at 28 April, 2007 17:27  

  • "In the meantime: profit!"

    sadly, lonewhacko is correct

    metrodorus
    illegal immigration
    works out for no one

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 28 April, 2007 20:51  

  • I speak fluent Spanish and have spent much time in jobs surrounded by undocumented workers.
    And I can tell the immigrants are benefited by their stays here. They earn a lot more money and they can send it home. Otherwise they wouldn't come. I benefit in many ways from the cheap labor they supply--often without even knowing it. I'm sure you do too, unless you're living in a hollow tree or something.

    Do note that I didn't say I was in favor of illegal immigration. I was just pointing out that it continues and will continue because it's convenient for the workers and for citizens of the U.S. who benefit from the workers' labor.

    There is no clear group with power that finds the situation sufficiently bad to do anything about it. Sure, occasional xenophobes do get worked up. But as soon as they learn that the crops won't get picked without this labor, they'll calm down.

    Virtually every time you have a meal in a restaurant, much if not most of the labor comes from undocumented workers. Much of construction is now being done by undocumented workers as is landscaping. Our economy would be wounded without undocumented workers.

    We can get all pious about it if we like, but we're really just hypocrites then. Because we are all benefiting from it.

    I don't see policies ever being put in place that would alleviate the situation, because they are all not viable politically. Racism, xenophobia, and corporate greed stand in the way.

    Certainly I would prefer situation where immigrants rights are better protected. That ain't gonna happen because many people in the U.S. have irrational fears of Latinos. Moreover, our corporate overlords really need the cheap labor.

    There is much debate about the effect of this cheaper labor on the poor people born in the U.S. I don't claim to know how that works out. Common sense would dictate that it drives down their wages. Now that's one group that suffers. Of course, they also don't have any political clout.

    By Blogger John, at 28 April, 2007 21:35  

  • "There is no clear group with power that finds the situation sufficiently bad to do anything about it..."

    "Our economy would be wounded without undocumented workers..."

    "Because we are all benefiting from it..."

    "I don't see policies ever being put in place that would alleviate the situation, because they are all not viable politically..."

    "That ain't gonna happen because many people in the U.S. have irrational fears of Latinos..."

    "...our corporate overlords really need the cheap labor..."

    metro, these excuses are fine and good if they are coming from just some guy on the street

    unfortunately, they are coming from the very people our tax dollars PAY to address these very issues...

    this is unacceptable

    we understand bush is a globalist, we understand clinton is one as well

    we realize fully that the dems will do no better than the rethugs at performing their job duties and responsibilities

    so we will use the issue as a catalyst for change, while simultaneously working to resolve the issue itself

    i am an american citizen and feel absolutely no need for my elected american officials to hold the needs of a foreign nation over the needs of my own (whether it be mexico, saudi arabia, israel, or wherever)

    a key hallmark to the onset of fascism has been, and will continue to be, conscious acquiescence to injustice

    i assure you that, if this situation is not addressed
    and conditions continue to deteriorate, the american people
    will NOT forget who caused it, and who stood by and watched

    this i promise

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 28 April, 2007 23:27  

  • "The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened."

    - Norman Thomas, Socialist Party Presidential Candidate and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).



    "i assure you that, if this situation is not addressed
    and conditions continue to deteriorate, the american people
    will NOT forget who caused it, and who stood by and watched

    this i promise"

    By Blogger pf1, at 29 April, 2007 06:51  

  • "The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened."

    - Norman Thomas, Socialist Party Presidential Candidate and co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).


    Guess that's all you need to know about the most vile organization on earth--which should be taken into court under federal RICO laws!

    By Blogger The Real Bob Anthony, at 29 April, 2007 08:26  

  • Hashfanatic, you seem to imply that the situation is horrible, nearly intolerable. I don't know about you, but my life is pretty good. I do have some problems, but illegal immigration hardly figures in them. And I must say, it's nice that every town in the U.S. now has at least one Mexican restaurant with edible food is great!

    How are undocumented workers hurting you?

    I think you have to admit that the situation is not sparking enough anger to cause any effective measures.

    And there is little payoff for any politician to do anything about it. So they won't do anything.

    That's reality.

    By the way, effective measures would mean aggressively hunting down and severely punishing those who hire undocumented workers. I just don't see that happening. I mean, every rich woman in Malibu or Manhattan is probably relying on undocumented maids. Probably almost anyone who has ever hired a landscaping service is also guilty.
    Let's not talk about farmers and restauranteurs...

    No wall, no punitive measures against the workers will stop them from coming. The pay-off is too good.

    By Blogger John, at 29 April, 2007 10:00  

  • Oh, and I did forget the other possible solution:

    Open the borders. Let labor flow as freely as capital. That, in my view, is probably the most moral solution. Forget all this border-control crap. You know, it's only a few hundred years old. People used to just stroll across borders.

    I'm a U.S. citizen (though I'll admit that my great-grandfather and grand-mother just traipsed across the Canadian border from the impoverished French-Canadian town they lived in in order to get better wages--St. Lawrence Seaway wetbacks [¿mojados? mouillés?] I guess). And I just don't see the threat from illegal immigration.

    I'm not very patriotic, though, either. I tend to follow the internationalist tenets of the Noam Chomsky school of glumness.

    Oh, and I just don't understand how anyone could dislike the ACLU. It's not a partisan organization. It's only job is to protect the rights in the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Who could object to that? Who wants to be subject to arbitrary arrests, kangaroo court proceedings, torture, invasions of privacy, and other such stuff. Not I. And they're true to their word. They often protect right-wingers (Nazis in Skokie, IL; Sean Hannity [yes, Sean Hannity] in Santa Barbara, CA).

    I guess Bob Anthony doesn't like his rights.

    By Blogger John, at 29 April, 2007 11:21  

  • metro

    i'm GLAD you're not living in a place where you are not overwhelmed by illegal immigrants

    in northern new jersey, we are

    and many of them are not real nice guys, to live next to

    and the ones that are, still live in unspeakable conditions, in vans, basements, and filthy hovels

    many are blackmailed, even by one another

    they seperate themselves from a true indigenous culture which is their birthright, come here and absorb the worst elements of ours

    drug abuse, alcoholism, prostitution are all rampant, and their right to a family life in mexico is forfeited, while being resented and hated here

    metrodorus, there is a whole underclass of these folks, the cops are ordered to stand down, and conditions ARE deteriorating

    the working class is manipulated into thinking conservatism is their friend, because they oppose this, when in reality, they do nothing and have no intention of doing anything

    perhaps an older quebecois relative can explain the feudalism of the seigneurs, and how the "little people" were held back until the quiet revolution, and you can draw a parallel of the tragedy of people uprooted from their ancestral homes because of discrimination and lack, and the situation of the mestizo in mexico today

    secure borders and the relinquishing of sovereignity are not vague philosophical concepts, they guarantee our progress and movement as a society, pure and simple

    it's not as pat as "oh, let's just have one happy, open, utopian world world, for (hint) who exactly shall GOVERN this unbridled, unrestricted pleasure dome of a planet

    population shifts and illegal immigration are a world issue, but america must stand up as a world leader for once and address it's OWN population and security issues first, before pretending to be able to bring "freedom" to other homelands, it's just common sense

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 29 April, 2007 17:07  

  • metro,

    "Oh, and I just don't understand how anyone could dislike the ACLU. It's not a partisan organization. It's only job is to protect the rights in the first ten amendments to the Constitution."

    they are programmed to dislike the aclu by christian right programming such as kevin mccullough's hate show, and this theme filters down through the ranks of the secular right

    they are taught that the aclu stands against everything that they stand for and believe in, because they are not well grounded in history and see no conflict between what they are told, and the sad realities of the past

    "I guess Bob Anthony doesn't like his rights...."

    i disagree

    he is young, and simply doesn't know any better

    today's collapsed family structure almost guarantees there is no older one of patience and wisdom, to share perspective and set him straight

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 29 April, 2007 17:14  

  • Hash, how do you no they are illegal aliens. According to the ACLU that would be racial profiling.

    “The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union yesterday filed a federal lawsuit against the state police, alleging racial profiling and violation of the constitutional rights of 14 Guatemalan nationals during a July traffic stop that led to their detention by immigration officials. “

    Keep supporting the ACLU and you want have any rights.

    By Blogger pf1, at 30 April, 2007 00:38  

  • pf1, i don't happen to be a police officer, or any other servant of the people

    i am a private citizen who may exercise my right to use whatever powers of discernment i possess, without legal restriction, to determine that an illegal alien is an illegal alien

    and, rest assured, pf1, these are illegal aliens, and the aclu's existence is to ensure that those that are indeed bound to a higher standard of law indeed adhere to those laws

    how valuable they are in accomplishing this (or whether or not you would even be concerned about whether such directives are followed) is a totally seperate debate

    as are ALL conservative arguments regarding illegal immigration, designed to divert the populace off the miserable job the bush crime family has done at enforcing existing immigration law, and the fact that, as globalists, they/you had absolutely no intention of enforcing in the first place

    nice try, though

    By Blogger hashfanatic, at 30 April, 2007 01:24  

  • Theordorus reminds me of Dane from FreeRepublic, although an even better salesman for illegal immigration.

    Of course, what he forgets to mention is all the other factors involved in the issue, such as illegal immigration being an indicator of MassivePoliticalCorruption, and the political power that the MexicanGovernment has inside the U.S.

    Theordorus might be saving money on his yard work, but meanwhile the fundamental political structure of the country is being undermined.

    Theordorus: do you have a fiddle?

    By Blogger LonewackoDotCom, at 30 April, 2007 01:43  

  • To be honest Bush’s job on illegal aliens sucks. Can you admit that the liberals have no intention on stopping the flow of illegal’s across the boarder? They control congress but have done nothen.

    What would happen if they could stop them? Prices would go up wages for Americans would go up. That would be OK with me.

    I think we probably agree on this topic. Both sides suck on closing the boarders.

    My personal opinion is:

    1. Close the boarder with whatever works build bigger fence more boarder agents whatever.

    2. Fine and or jail persons hiring illegals.

    3. Stop providing government funds for illegal aliens.

    4. Then round up all illegal aliens and ship them back.

    The ACLU would not allow any of those except number 2.

    By Blogger pf1, at 30 April, 2007 07:06  

  • 1. Close the boarder with whatever works build bigger fence more boarder agents whatever.

    2. Fine and or jail persons hiring illegals.

    3. Stop providing government funds for illegal aliens.

    4. Then round up all illegal aliens and ship them back.

    A minor point first: Walls never work. Forget that one. That's a massive waste of money.

    Now the major point: Do you realize the savagery that would be involved implementing these steps? Implementing measures like this would be more worthy of Stalin, or Hitler, or Mao, than the United States. You're talking about rounding up MILLIONS OF PEOPLE and detaining them and jailing them.

    The first thing to note is that that stuff is not easy. The second thing is that, if it could be done, the suffering would be on an unimaginable scale--it would mean the destruction of many people's businesses and lives.

    We can barely process the people for deportation that we have in custody now? How do you imagine doing if for the many millions of undocumented workers. There's no way they would get due process, and, I'm sorry to tell you this, the Constitution guarantees us all due process.

    What would keep a neighbor who doesn't like you from turning you in? (That's how lots of people wound up in Guantánamo.)

    Surely this sort of behaviour would violate international agreements we have on human rights, not to mention the very notion of human rights.

    These are really bad ideas.

    By Blogger John, at 30 April, 2007 15:28  

  • Met

    Why have laws if you are not going to enforce them.

    After jailing and fining people who hire illegals and cutting off benefits from the government most illegals will not have a choice about returning to where they came from.

    Is it cruel to enforce the laws of our country they are illegal aliens. That means they are criminals. We do not need more criminals in our country we have enough.

    If you want more immigrants in our country change the immigration laws.

    By Blogger pf1, at 01 May, 2007 00:37  

  • Pf1

    I didn't say I wanted more immigrants. I'm neutral on that point. Moreover, if fewer undocumented workers would make for better wages for the working poor, I guess I'm in favor of fewer undocumented workers.

    And, while I suppose I would like to change the laws to make them more consistent with reality, I have above explained why it is not possible to change them. I did not say that I like the laws as they are. I merely pointed out that the requisite political will to change them is not there.

    With regard to the four draconian measures you advocated, I merely pointed out that they would lead to a humanitarian catastrophe of horrible proportions and could only be supported by a totalitarian government of the most intrusive kind. You couldn't do what you're talking about without suspending the protections afforded individulas by the Constitution. And, frankly, the Constitution, while it's creaky at times, is better than nothing.

    I don't want to live in a country where snitches denounce their neighbors as either immigrants or as employers of such--where innocent people get snatched up into huge roundups never to be seen again.

    Measures like those you advocate could probably only be enforced by the most brutal mental and physical means. Families would be ripped up. People would die unnecessarily in custody.

    I also am appalled by the vision of deporting all these millions of people. How does that work? You march them under the lash across the bridge at Laredo into Mexico in huge masses? Women and chidren too? With no food and shelter? Where will the concentration camps be located?

    What I will say is the number one reason laws are not enforced in this country is that not enough money is allocated to enforce them. (That's a favorite trick of the Bush administration--make policies to save New Orleans, for instance, and then deny funding.) I doubt we could pay enough taxes to support the horrific regime that could implement your plans.

    So, if you want to completely destroy the U.S. as we have it, I can't think of a better way than to have a crackdown on undocumented workers as you have advocated.

    By Blogger John, at 01 May, 2007 09:06  

  • Hey Lou, do you really believe those people who call in and say they changed their political affiliation to Independent? How naive.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 04 December, 2007 19:48  

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