The two faces of Alabama
by digby
Is actually the two faces of America ....
That video is part of a Center for American Progress event in DC called “Is This Alabama? Hollywood Turns the Camera on Alabama” featuring the filmmaker himself, Chris Weitz, Jose Antonio Vargas of Define American, and Tom Baxter, who is a journalist and the author of a CAP report called “Alabama’s Immigration Disaster: The Harshest Law in the Land Harms the State’s Economy and Society.”
Meanwhile, there's this:
At Valentine’s Day Rally to Repeal HB 56, Latino Protestors Refused Entry to Alabama State House
A spirited Valentine’s Day rally to repeal Alabama’s anti-immigrant law, HB 56, turned into a commentary on race and immigrant relations yesterday when hundreds of Alabamians showed up at the State House to protest, only to be largely turned away and prohibited from speaking to their legislators inside.
Alabamians from civil rights organizations, immigrant groups, faith communities, the labor movement, and other walks of life came out in force in Montgomery, carrying Valentine’s Day cards and signs professing messages of love for their home state. Their intention: to visit their legislators in the State House and ask them to reconsider a repeal of Alabama’s monstrous anti-immigrant law, HB 56.
In a disturbing turn of events, however, many of the protestors were never able to make it inside: some white protestors were allowed to enter the State House, while their Latino counterparts were turned away. In addition, access to legislators and even the galleries of the State House were severely restricted to the entire group due to new rules – agreed to just this morning – from officials designed to keep the people from their government.
"People don’t think this kind of thing happens anymore,” Joe Sudbay, a blogger who writes for AmericaBlog. But apparently it does.
Jose, shaken by their encounter, said afterward, “After hearing the very personal stories of suffering her expression hardened and she just said “illegal is illegal.” I may only be 15 years old, but I know that in the eyes of God I am her brother and deserve better than that.”
"Illegal is illegal." That sound like "Illegitimate is illegitimate", the earlier iteration of children paying for the sins of their parents.
How anyone could hear that story from that amazing boy and not have it penetrate is beyond me. There is something missing in these people.
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