When Crying Racism is Like “Crying Wolf”

I have been looking on in bewilderment at the negative reactions to the recently signed Arizona illegal immigration bill. I hear so many cries of racism from Democrats and others of the liberal persuasion, which is incredibly frustrating because as someone who is black and has experienced racism all too often, I don’t think these people even know what racism is. I don’t think it is a stretch to say that white liberals, who seem to do most of the whining, have never been the victims of racism, and do protest a bit too loudly. All I have to say to them is thanks, but no thanks, to your incessant and misguided pandering, this time towards people that broke the law to enter the United States when legal immigration was fully available to them.

What I take particular exception to is when this “racism” towards illegal immigrants is compared to the civil rights era in America. In my view, this is wholly offensive to blacks in America, and it surprises me that any rational black person (or any rational person, for that matter) would allow this sorely lacking comparison to be made after almost 400 years of struggle to achieve our God-given rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. Okay, there are a few notable exceptions, such as Al Sharpton and James Clyburn, who are a couple of race-baiting hucksters that long ago lost their relevance and their pride (and I would argue they’ve lost their minds too), but I digress.

Now the last time I checked, no illegal immigrants were brought here on ships from their country of origin packed like sardines, being denied adequate room, food, or breathing space. They were not thrown overboard in chains for being too weak to survive the long journey. They were not bred like cattle and sold like they were common animals, breaking whole families apart, for the better part of three centuries. They have not had to endure racial epithets, have never been lynched for looking a white woman in the eye, have never been turned away from a restaurant, and have not had dogs or fire hoses turned on them for simply wanting to get an education.

Illegal immigrants come here of their own free will, in search of a better life than they would be able to achieve in their own country. So while I understand why they come, I draw the line when they and their liberal “friends” cry racism because Arizona (or any other state) is simply trying to protect it’s border. This is not about race, but about the law. Making this about race is nothing more than a smokescreen for skirting the law of this land at best, and at its worst a political tool employed for the sole purpose of Democrats gaining cheap votes through amnesty. I am not fooled. We are a proud nation of legal immigrants, and as a sovereign country, we have a duty and a right to determine who comes into our country and who doesn’t. When you think of it, why on earth would anyone come to this country illegally, lobby for amnesty, and then expect this to continue to be a place worth coming to? If illegal immigrants don’t respect our laws then why should anyone?

To me these cries of racism are like “crying wolf.” These cries cheapen legitimate claims of racism, and have overloaded the word to the point that it has become virtually meaningless. A word that means all things means nothing. And what’s worse is that many blacks have joined in the chorus. Well I won’t be joining you. I will not give away freedom that was earned through centuries of humiliation, bloodshed, and death endured by my ancestors to those who seek to break our laws. We have fought too hard to realize Dr. Martin Luther’s King’s dream, and I won’t surrender that to illegal immigrants and opportunistic politicians. But I am more than willing to share it, and embrace those who wait their turn to legally immigrate into this country.