OFIR, The Constitution Party and the 14th Amendment: Some Brief Notes

In my last entry, I wrote: “The links of organizations such as Oregonians for Immigration Reform (OFIR) to racists within the 'Patriot Movement' is a topic that requires further analysis.” While several other links exist, one obvious connection between OFIR and the militia movement is through the Constitution Party. The Constitution Party (formerly known as the US Taxpayers Party) is generally seen as militia-friendly. The party aims to “restore American jurisprudence to its Biblical foundations [i.e. to institute Old Testament law] and to limit the federal government to its Constitutional boundaries.” [1] The party’s national platform does not refer positively to any Constitutional Amendments beyond the first ten (The Bill of Rights) and explicitly calls for the repeal of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Amendments. While the Constitution Party does not plainly demand repeal of the Fourteenth Amendment in its national platform, the party’s founder and three-time presidential candidate Howard Phillips has written that the Fourteenth Amendment “was not properly ratified, and […] has improperly been treated as part of the Constitution”. [2] Furthermore, the Party makes an implicit attack on this amendment in its national platform by rejecting “the practice of bestowing U.S. citizenship on children born to illegal alien parents while in this country.” [3]

The Constitution Party’s 2008 presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin, [4] uses rhetoric of the racist militia style, attacking multiculturalism [5] and the “New World Order”. [6] Baldwin is OFIR’s candidate of choice for US president. [7]

OFIR's choice for President

Baldwin’s recent appearance at a Tigard, Oregon library to rally support for his presidential campaign was a scary experience. [8] In front of an audience of over 200 people, Baldwin proclaimed that “the most violent people you can imagine” were entering the United States through its “porous” borders, and vowed to place National Guard and even US Army troops along the southern border if necessary. OFIR and John Birch Society members, greatly buffered in numbers by the remnants of the Ron Paul campaign, applauded loudly to Baldwin’s denunciations of immigration, the United Nations, and the Federal Reserve. All of these, Baldwin insinuated, were elements of a nebulous conspiracy against God-fearing Americans. [9]

OFIR’s connection to the Constitution Party is long-running. OFIR’s president, Jim Ludwick, was a star speaker at the Constitution Party’s 2003 convention, where he delivered a speech promoting the “Reconquista” conspiracy theory that the Mexican government is invading America. Constitution Party of Oregon propaganda is made available at OFIR gatherings while the party’s candidate for Senate, Dave Brownlow, links to OFIR from his campaign site. [10] (Brownlow was amongst those who talked before Baldwin at the Tigard rally.) Brownlow, incidentally, is one of the founders of the hardline anti-choice group “Life Support” [11] alongside Lon Mabon, an ex-Constitution Party candidate in Oregon who is best known for activism against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered individuals throughout the state. Other Constitution Party of Oregon members are likewise involved with “Life Support”.

NOTES:
[1] http://www. constitutionparty. com/party_platform.php
[2] http://www. constitutionparty. com/news.php?aid=543
[3] http://www. constitutionparty. com/party_platform.php#Immigration
[4] Baldwin has also been endorsed for President by Ron Paul of the Libertarian Party, see: http://www. campaignforliberty. com/blog.php?view=547#
[5] http://www. chuckbaldwinlive. com/c2006/cbarchive_20060413.html
[6] http://www. newswithviews. com/baldwin/baldwin457.htm
[7] http://www. oregonir. org/presidential_race.htm
[8] The Portland appearance took place on October 21st, and was part of a brief Oregon tour.
[9] For video footage of this speech, see: http://www. constitutionpartyoregon. net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=191&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
[10] http://www. davebrownlow. com/Links.html
[11] http://www. lifesupportoregon. org/

Columbia County Anti-Immigrant Ballot Measures ask us to report our undocumented neighbors.

A Citizens’ Initiative on the ballot in Columbia County, Oregon would mandate that all construction sites post 4'x8' signs that say “LEGAL WORKERS ONLY,” provide the Homeland Security telephone number and ask us to report people we think might be undocumented. (5-190 & 5-191 )

The obvious premise behind reporting undocumented people is that you can spot them. How does one spot an undocumented person? Do they look a certain way, or sound a certain way? That is assuming criminality about someone based on their color or race.

Wayne Mayo, the man who put these measures on the ballot, insists that his motivations are raising wages and enforcing laws. But in reality, he is pedaling fear and discrimination as economic and worker justice.

Mayo is asking us to tattle to the government on people who we think might not have papers. Let’s remember that Homeland Security (DHS) is currently marching into peoples’ homes, arresting them in front of their families, breaking families apart and deporting hard working people. These measures would not only increase the ability of DHS to enter our lives based on what others think an immigrant looks like, they also encourage a culture of fear as we are put on high alert of the ‘others’ by screaming billboard-sized signs.

Using signage to ostracize immigrants or non-white communities as a long historical precedent. This plays on the same social distress as "Whites only," & "Irish need not apply;” classic immigrant bashing on a sign.

These measures are not about economic justice. They will drag down Columbia County’s already sputtering economy, but these measures will not bring it back to life. Mayo is implying that the burden of Columbia County’s failed economy lie on the backs of Latino immigrants, making these measures about race. These signs are intended to instill fear, drive out 'unwanted' people & reinforce a hierarchy based on race.

Working class people realize that shoving immigrants farther underground will only drive down wages and create a second-class of worker. We know that to build strong industries and family wage jobs all workers must have equal rights, be organized and empowered to stand together.

So if these measures are not about economic repair but instead drive a wedge into our community, then what leg does Mayo have to stand on to say that these are not race motivated measures? None. Mayo wants to make it clear that immigrants are not welcome, especially not those that we can identify with our eyes or ears.

Measure 58 Debates

Why are key players in Oregon´s anti-immigrant movement some of the only vocal supporters of Ballot Measure 58? I attended two Portland-area debates on the measure last week, and both featured Rick Hickey, vice president of Oregonians for Immigration Reform and Chair of the ¨English for the Children of Oregon¨ political action committee, as the only proponent of the measure. It is interesting that the Oregonian failed to mention his allegiances and instead portrayed him as ´a Salem parent´. After reading the text of the measure and hearing both sides of the argument, it is clear that the measure is primarily an effort to change educational policy.

If this is a question of education, and the education of English language learners, why would we trust the opinion of a leader of an overtly anti-immigrant group to know what is the best for immigrant children? What stake do OFIR and other anti-immigrant groups have in the number of years of first-language instruction available to English language learners?

The speaking of English in schools has long been a hot issue in conflicts surrounding ´national identity´ here in the United States, and it is certainly a key focus of the contemporary anti-immigrant and nativist movements. What does that tell us about OFIR's support for this Bill Sizemore ballot measure?

A note on the ´research´ supporting those who back Measure 58:

During both of the debates Hickey frequently cited the work of Dr. Rosalie Porter, who has been widely discredited as an academic. Specifically, he was referencing finding in one book she published in 1997 called Forked Tongue. In addition, many of his personal stories and anecdotes were said to come from former ESL teachers and state officials of school districts in California and Arizona where similar legislation has been passed. When asked for names and references to academic studies or official reports, he either refused or cited the experience of these individuals as something he would trust.

You can listen to last Friday´s City Club Debate here

OFIR, FAIR, and Family Values

I am confident that we have all been cautioned to mind the company we keep, because we will be judged by association. This is good advice. It is illuminating to take a closer look at grassroots organizations that present themselves as local defenders of family and nation. Oregonians For Immigration Reform (OFIR) adamantly denies that they are racist. Instead they claim to be mere patriots concerned with the toll “illegal immigrants” are exacting from “legal citizens.” It takes no more effort than following some of the links on their website to see the claims of ethnic neutrality rapidly dissolve. OFIR is not only linked directly to hate groups but also to organizations that make no effort to hide their aggression toward all Latino immigrants.

The primary anti-immigrant organization in the country is the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Not only does OFIR have a link to FAIR, but on the FAIR website OFIR shows up under the state by state list of like minded organizations to plug into in your area. FAIR has been, and continues to be, deeply involved in the growing anti-immigrant movement in the country. FAIR claims that it only opposes "illegal" immigration, but its website, allies, actions, and history demonstrate that it is truly focused on defining "legal" Americans as white. Taking a look at FAIR's family tree, their influence is evident. It details the deep ties that they have to the white supremacist movement, as well as the influence that they exert on groups like OFIR all around this country.

Furthermore, FAIR was founded by John Tanton who is an outspoken white nationalist organizer. Recently, Tanton's racism was the subject of an investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center. It detailed his decades of experience coordinating with other white supremacists, and his interest in eugenics--Tanton believes that cultures are successful or not based on biology and race. It is this perspective that leads him to express his hatred of the “Latino onslaught” and its supposed threat to European-America. FAIR's anti-immigrant propaganda has given ammunition to hate groups throughout the country. Those organizations that are a part of FAIR's family tree also share their family values. When I affirm that I am not a racist I back that claim by not only distancing myself from racists but actively opposing them. OFIR apparently thinks superficial lip service will suffice. Well, I see through their denial. Even if they distanced themselves from FAIR at this point, the relationship is clear, the link is active, and the influence of this racist group on OFIR is undeniable.