50,000 Watts of Hate: Rant of the Day

One could argue that the misinformation, invective and spin dished up on daily basis on right-wing talk radio in Colorado is nothing more than a ploy to drive up ratings which brings in advertising dollars.

Misery and controversy love company after all.

In this installment of the most profane, intellectually-stunted, and ludicrous statement made on Colorado talk radio today, it was a veritable trifecta of stupidity when fellow 630 KHOW-AM talk show host Peter Boyles joined Dan Caplis and Craig Silverman on their December 12 broadcast to discuss immigration.

CAPLIS: — and, and I know that you’re a leader on this issue, you know, particularly, I think, among those who are opposed to something like a guest worker program or something like that — and if I’m misunderstanding your position, let me know. But, but what do you think the, the quote-unquote typical — and I don’t mean that in an inhumane way, but quite the opposite — what do you think the profile is of the “typical” illegal immigrant who is here working?

BOYLES: Young male; no, if any, education; illiterate in his own language; willing to undercut a U.S. citizen. But the key to all of it is some U.S. citizen who will hire them to undercut one of his fellow countrymen.

If that wasn’t absurd enough get a load of this one:

BOYLES: But guys, fellows, fellows — there is not a larger domestic policy issue in this country today. There’s not an issue in domestic policy — from criminal justice, education, to welfare, to health care, to medical care, to insurance benefits — you go down a list of things, there is not one issue in this country that has not been touched, smashed, crushed, or partially destroyed by illegal immigration. Now, whether or not a guy or a woman comes here illegally — but that’s the operative word — and when they do these raids today, and you’ll find out — and this is a pretty well-educated guess — that every one of those guys that they round up — men or women — have a family, and almost everyone of them have a family here. And almost every one of their family members will be in some way, on the dole — either in education, breakfast programs, but when you go down a list of things — guys, it has to end. I mean, it, it just can’t go on.

Back in the reality-based world, we like to employ this novel concept called scientific research. Studies in agricultural sector economics and labor demonstrate that communities with high ratios of Latino migrant workers tend to have lower rates of poverty. This correlates to lower uses of government-backed safety net programs.

What Boyles is proposing, whether he will admit it or not, is a new doctrine of “separate but equal” based on parental heritage. Children born in this country are entitled to access support services just like any other American. Advocating that certain children go hungry or have fewer educational opportunities because of their surname is repugnant.

Later in the show, Silverman can’t help but get into the act by teeing up this softball knowing full well where Boyles would go with it:

SILVERMAN: Right, and we’re going to read a lot of sad stories in the paper; the predictable follow-ups is some guy’s going to be deported who has six children at home who are American citizens; they were born in this country, now they may never see dad or mom again.

BOYLES: …some people call them jackpot babies, some people call them anchor babies — they’re 14th Amendment babies. If a woman and a man — and up there, right now, if there’s a baby involved, the court’s not going to deport the mom. And they’re — they keep families together. In fact, now the movement is to reunite families from south of the border; in other words, bring grandma here.

Despite repeated corrections to this ignorant statement by the media, watchdogs, and even callers to his own show, Boyles clings to this outright falsehood like static to a cheap suit.

Once again, with feeling, children born in the United States of parents who have entered the country without valid visas, do NOT serve as an “anchor” to prevent deportation. Incredibly, Boyles contradicts himself on this very issue when he ranted recently about a Mexican woman who sought sanctuary in a Chicago church to avoid deportation while she sought medical treatment for her seven-year-old American-born son.

h/t Colorado Media Matters

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