Interesting article. Guess it's another thing to put in my monthly letter to my congressman...haha

>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19453488/
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>What's interesting in the whole thing is that Home Depot brought this on themselves. Home Depot violated federal laws prohibiting the aiding and abetting of illegal immigrants by sponsoring and supporting the establishment of day labor hiring centers throughout the United States in front of their facilities. Now that many of their sites are overrun by illegal immigrants, California has forced Home Depot to provide shelter and bathroom facilities for them.
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>Home Depot flagrantly lobbies local governments, donates land, provides supplies and materials for the building of the centers, provides funding for staff positions and even allows non-profit organizations to build centers in their parking lots. As a result of Home Depot’s actions, cities all across America are initiating plans to establish their own day labor centers, despite the fact that these facilities are in direct violation of the law.
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>>You think that the issue of color is what makes a racist? I'm not calling you a racist, but I'm saying that your "obviously illegal" language is. There's probably a fine line between the two, but there is some distinction. I've read enough of your posts to feel that you are not, but your language in that sentence is, at best, stereotyping and biased. If you want to argue the finer points of racist versus bigot versus pigheaded versus prejudiced versus whatver other label you pick, then I'm probably not your guy, but I know that using "obviously illegal" the way you did belongs somewhere on the other side of that fine line.
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>>>>>>>>>Well there is this crowd of obviously illegal aliens all hanging out near the entrance trying to get work -
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>>>>>>>>Oh, so now you can tell who's an illegal alien just by what they look like and how they act? Just because some down-on-their-luck people are looking for work (who happen to be Hispanic) ... that means they're illegal!?!?!
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>>>>>>>>That sure smacks of racism if you ask me.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>~~Bonnie
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>>>>>>>It wasn't a racist remark Bonnie - I didn't even mention race or religion or anything like that.
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>>>>>>I think it was the "...obviously illegal..." part that got her attention.
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>>>>>Just because I point out the obvious doesn't make it a racist remark though.
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>>>>Yeah, Victor, it does. How can you think making the assumption that those people waiting to get work are obviously illegal is not racist?
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>>>Because it doesn't matter of their black, hispanic, green or whatever - fact is that if yer in a nice part of town at a Home Depot where the nearest homeless person is probably 20 miles away and there are 50 guys standing in front of the place not speaking english and trying to get work - guess what! I'd say it's safe to assume that these are illegals. Are you suggesting that most of them were not? You think a bunch of homeless guys rode a public bus for about 3 hours to get to the suburb for the hell of it? There are zillions of those day-labor places - I'd say the odds of getting some work there is better than hanging out at a Home Depot - assuming you have proper ID that is. Look - fact is fact. At some point an assumption can actually be correct.
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>>>>If you saw a group of blacks at a picnic, would you asssume that they were all having fried chicken and watermelon?
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>>>No.
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>>>>Would you assume that a young girl waiting at a bus stop wearing a short dress is a hooker?
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>>>No - but if she was waving down cars and smoking some crack I'd think so.
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>>>>It's all the same. It's just the degree that may be different.
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>>>No it is NOT the same. One is being racist - the other is just not being an idiot and seeing the obvious.