It starts like this

[sabotabby]

Remember when you first saw this picture?



Were you shocked and horrified? Did you wonder how it could ever come to that? Did you, half a century later, wonder if the child in the photograph survived? Did you question what it would take for a man to pick up his gun and point it children, or wonder what went through his head?

I wonder about the case of Suzi Hazahza and her family, marched out of their home in their bedclothes at gunpoint. Did the Dallas Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who aimed their guns at 17-year-old Ahmad and 11-year-old Mohammad ever see the famous photograph of the little boy in the Warsaw Ghetto? Did they think, for a moment: This is a line I shouldn't cross, pointing a gun at a child. My orders shouldn't matter, my politics shouldn't matter, the child's citizenship and skin colour shouldn't matter. This is wrong?

Or have we passed the point of thinking?

These fuckers certainly have.

(Hat tips: sadie_sabot, Feministe.)

Comments

[elgordochico.livejournal.com]

I don't have a Facebook account, so can you make a screen grab or something?

[sabotabby]

The link is to NYU College Republicans' "Find the Illegal Immigrant" event. On the Feministe link, they copy-and-pasted from earlier today. Apparently the information there keeps changing, probably because they're trying to cover up their racism.

It currently says:

Name:
Find the Illegal Immigrant
Host:
NYU College Republicans
Type:
Causes - Rally
Time and Place
Date:
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Time:
11:00am - 2:00pm
Location:
South side of Silver

Description
There will be one individual with a nametag that reads 'illegal immigrant'. This person has volunteered to do so and is not actually an illegal immigrant. On Thursday people will be signing up to be 'INS' and the first person that signed up and finds the "illegal" will get a prize. At the table there will be information and handouts on the subject matter to inform others on the problems that ILLEGAL immigration causes.

There's also a really racist cartoon of Mexicans in sombreros getting free healthcare (?!) and lemonade as they cross into the U.S. through a hole in a fence.

[elgordochico.livejournal.com]

Ridiculous. They can't even get a drink of water during the crossing, let alone free healthcare. Scapegoating these people won't solve our healthcare problems. But this looks to me like just an act of desperation. Republicans know they lost the day. There is going to be a broad amnesty later this year, and they are powerless to stop it. They are feeling like they have nothing to lose by making racist demonstrations. They try to be as provocative as they can, but it's too late to turn back the clock. So... nyeh-nyeh. Sour grapes.

[sabotabby]

Of course it's ridiculous. But it works very well for building up fear in the populace, and for making sure that non-status immigrants don't make minimum wage and that the lower classes have someone to bully instead of demanding healthcare, etc. Whether this strategy will work is another story.

[ironed_orchid]

I just saw that. The US has free healthcare? This is news.

[sabotabby]

And free education.

And lemonade, apparently.

The mind boggles.

[apperception.livejournal.com]

These fuckers certainly have.

...What? That's completely fucking stupid.

[apperception.livejournal.com]

And in NY, too. I hope they get beaten up.

[sabotabby]

If I was in NY, I would be tempted to beat them up. I know that's not the proper way to resolve arguments, but it'd be really satisfying.

[apperception.livejournal.com]

I'm not sayin' I would do anything or that I'm encouraging anyone to do anything. All I'm sayin' is, if it happened ... you know ... I wouldn't be sad or nuthin'.

[northbard.livejournal.com]

I dunno...they're the fuckers that always support and endorse violence, and proper dialogue requires a common language no?

[sabotabby]

You do have a point! It would be doing them a favour by communicating more clearly!

[northbard.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

Insert image of me holding a bloodied whiffle-ball bat over the prone body of some neo-nazi wanna be.

"Are we communicating now Herr Schmuk?"

[terry-terrible.livejournal.com]

I know that's not the proper way to resolve arguments

With these kinds of people it might be. As an aside, I think it really speaks to thier bigotry thinking of how easy it's been for boneheads to penetrate thier movement, they seem to fit right in without raising any eyeborws unless they're out there brandishing swastickas.

Speaking of boneheads, I heard that Germany gave Zundel five years, did you?

[sabotabby]

I think they let boneheads in even when they are brandishing swastikas. Though they then deny it.

Speaking of boneheads, I heard that Germany gave Zundel five years, did you?

Yep. No one's planned a party to celebrate, though, which is odd.

[douglain.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty much against the notion that the State should imprison people based on what they've said.

[fragments.awedge.net (from livejournal.com)]

Heh: it might be for this sort of argument.

[sabotabby]

It might be, but I would never encourage illegal acts on my blog!

[fragments.awedge.net (from livejournal.com)]

Of course not: that would be like illegal and... erm... wrong...

[sadie-sabot.livejournal.com]

thanks for this, and fuck those racist fucking fucks. Ima link to this post if that's ok...

[sabotabby]

By all means! This idiocy must be roundly condemned in as many places as possible.

[sadie-sabot.livejournal.com]

ps, this is actually the first time I've seen that picture and it'smaking me cry. granted, my defenses are weakened right now, but, fuck.

[sabotabby]

Really? It was in all my history textbooks (including the infamous Modern Western History text that had a whole chapter on WWII and half a page on the Holocaust).

[saladbar.livejournal.com]

Effing losers.

[sabotabby]

*snerk*

[jhfurnish.livejournal.com]

Well, Amerikkka is doing what it does best. Label, harass, arrest, expunge, repeat. It's like rinse & lather.

[sabotabby]

I still except more people than just our lot to get upset. Call me an optimist.

[sabotabby]

Interesting analysis of the idea that the majority of Americans aren't actual genocidal loonies, but in the presence of a highly concentrated and politically savvy minority of genocidal loonies, don't entirely realize that they're not fringe.

I'm not sure that I agree, particularly when it comes to broader issues of racism and imperialism, but it's food for thought.

[smhwpf.livejournal.com]

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Agh. How? And the thing is, people always have excuses as to why it's different for them, and they have to do it.

Gah. Sorry, I am drunk and lack coherence.

[sabotabby]

Hey, no apologies. Doesn't make it less true.

[gillen.livejournal.com]

"Remember when you first saw this picture?"

Yes, it was just now. I remember it like it was yesterday.

[sabotabby]

Seriously?

I thought everyone had seen it.

[douglain.livejournal.com]

I can't follow the link on Face page because I'm not registered. What was that pointing to?