I want to shed some "lyte" on scapegoating today. Scapegoating is punishing someone, usually weaker than you, for sins that you have committed. It comes from the biblical tradition of designating a goat to be sacrificed for a community's sins. In the midst of this swine flu scare, Republicans are blaming illegal immigrants.
Just when I think the Republicans and the rabid right can't get any crazier, they one up me. People are suggesting that immigrants are being infected and sent into our country from Mexico to spread the disease.
The truth is that more than likely this disease came into America with a bunch of students who were in Mexico for spring break. I doubt an illegal immigrant, suffering from the flu, could hike across the desert in a desperate attempt to infect Americans.
Again the Republicans and the rabid right are casting about for something, anything to get angry about. Let's not do anything to solve the problem. Let's strip funding for pandemics out of the stimulus bill, by labeling it (pun so totally intended) "pork". Let's filibuster the nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. And now let's blame illegal immigration for a virus.
I don't want to give them any ideas, but next they'll be targeting another favorite scapegoat, homosexuals. They'll be saying that the virus was God's judgement on Mexico. Did they legalize gay marriage? Oh no! Watch out Iowa and Vermont!
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