Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Library of Congress continues work on scrubbing “illegal alien” from the records
Hot Air.com ^ | July 23, 2016 | JAZZ SHAW

Posted on 07/23/2016 12:08:29 PM PDT by Kaslin

Back in March we talked about the decision by the Library of Congress to stop using “offensive terms” like illegal alien to refer to, er… illegal aliens. Shortly thereafter, Republicans in Congress moved to attach language to the pending appropriations bill which would require the Library of Congress to stick to terminology as it exists in current federal law. But since it hasn’t passed yet, the Library is moving forward with the changes and keeping up the debate in the media. (New York Times)

“There is no other way to put this: the library has bowed to the political pressure of the moment,” Republicans wrote in a May 10 letter to David S. Mao, the acting librarian of Congress. The letter was written by Representatives Lamar Smith and John Culberson, both of Texas, and Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Republicans who have long advocated stricter enforcement of immigration laws.

The House added a provision on June 10 to the legislative branch appropriations bill that would require the library to retain terminology used in federal law, including “alien.” Congress will move forward with the appropriations process when it reconvenes in September. In the meantime, the library is set to stop using “illegal alien,” although library officials are aware they may have to reverse their changes if the provision becomes law.

So first of all, they are moving forward with a bunch of administrative work in their records system knowing full well that as soon as Congress reconvenes in a couple of months they may have to turn around and undo all the changes they’re putting in place now. I know what you’re thinking… these are government workers. That’s really a non-story. Okay… fair enough. But while wasting money on redundant tasks which they know may be obsolete before they are finished is probably all in a day’s work in Washington, it’s generally the result of incompetence or sloppiness rather than outright defiance in the name of political correctness.

I also wanted to highlight the excuse given by one of the language reform champions at the heart of this battle. She argues that these changes are no big deal because nobody complained when they altered descriptive terms in the past. (Emphasis added)

Gayle Osterberg, the communications director of the Library of Congress, said this was the first time Congress has intervened with the routine relabeling, which the library does every year to keep thousands of catalogs current. Ms. Osterberg noted that there was no legislative opposition, for example, when “Negro” and “retard” were removed from subject headings.

Seriously? You’re going to try to draw a direct line between “illegal alien” and either “Negro” or “retard?” I’m not sure of the exact date when “negro” went out of vogue, but it was replaced in the English language for both casual use and legal assignment by less offensive and more accurate terminology. There may have been a time when “retard” was considered scientifically accurate, but it was always a pejorative at the same time. The fact is that “alien” is not an insult. It’s a legal term for someone who is not a native of or legal, naturalized citizen of any country. If you sneak into Brazil to watch the Olympics without the proper documentation, you too will be an “alien.” The world illegal should stand on its own with no defense required.

Assuming they get their way at the Library of Congress, this sort of Alinsky oriented language control will be a good fit with the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts. You’ll recall that the Justice Department decided this year that they don’t want to refer to people who spent time in prison as “felons” or “convicts.” That’s an admirable addition to the efforts of the White House to replace the use of the word “criminal” with Justice Involved Individual. No word yet on whether or not murders will soon be referred to a funeral industry stimulus agents.



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: 1984; aliens; english; illegalalien; illegalimmigrants; illegals; illegalsinvasion; language; libraryofcongress; loc; orwell; scrubbed; undocumented
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

1 posted on 07/23/2016 12:08:29 PM PDT by Kaslin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

He who runs the history controls the future.


2 posted on 07/23/2016 12:11:54 PM PDT by ColdOne (poochie... Tasha 2000~3/14/11~GOPe=Vichy Republican swine/Lock Her Up!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

So what’s their plan for referring to illegal aliens? Calling them immigrants? My ancestors were immigrants, they were not illegal aliens. The two are not the same thing. The jackasses as the Library of Congress are liars.


3 posted on 07/23/2016 12:12:21 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Let's Make Our Founding Documents Great Again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Government waste


4 posted on 07/23/2016 12:12:21 PM PDT by TYVets
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

and Senators Ted Cruz of Texas
= = =

???


5 posted on 07/23/2016 12:14:37 PM PDT by Scrambler Bob (As always, /s is implicitly assumed. Unless explicitly labled /not s. Saves keystrokes.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FlingWingFlyer

The new term is “basically citizens” but soon will just read “citizens”.


6 posted on 07/23/2016 12:16:56 PM PDT by bgill (From the CDC site, "We don't know how people are infected with Ebola")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: bgill

Eventually the word “Citizen” will go away and be replaced with “inhabitant”.


7 posted on 07/23/2016 12:18:42 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: bgill

“Citizens in Progress” by libtard commie standards.


8 posted on 07/23/2016 12:19:08 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Can the library scrub the illegal alien out of our WH , too?


9 posted on 07/23/2016 12:24:28 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians are not born. They're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

Leftism has always been about control of the language.


10 posted on 07/23/2016 12:26:02 PM PDT by headstamp 2 (Fear is the mind killer.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

The people bringing these in and iporting in “refugees” are modern day King Georges who brought in Hessian German soldiers to fight against the colonists.

They bring them in and tell them to be sure to vote democrat, we are the ones who brought you in and are giving you stuff. If you want to stay and keep getting free stuff, you better vote democrat.

They aim to destroy the country by using outside foreigners.


11 posted on 07/23/2016 12:30:30 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

12 posted on 07/23/2016 12:31:54 PM PDT by orchestra ((And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bgill

I’m afraid that you’re right. What a mess our country has become. The “mess” Bush supposedly left was a cakewalk compared to the mess Obama is leaving us.


13 posted on 07/23/2016 12:37:11 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (Let's Make Our Founding Documents Great Again!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: orchestra

14 posted on 07/23/2016 12:37:20 PM PDT by orchestra ((And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

It’s no fun

Being an illegal alien

Genesis 1983

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_61hzuGGJX0

Non PC
Enjoy


15 posted on 07/23/2016 12:39:04 PM PDT by FlyingEagle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

This purge of records is a classic Minitrue 1984 effort


16 posted on 07/23/2016 12:40:44 PM PDT by FlyingEagle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
The letter was written by Representatives Lamar Smith and John Culberson, both of Texas, and Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Republicans who have long advocated stricter enforcement of immigration laws. The House added a provision on June 10 to the legislative branch appropriations bill that would require the library to retain terminology used in federal law, including “alien.” Congress will move forward with the appropriations process when it reconvenes in September.

I'm glad some are pushing back. But I'm skeptical they will get the legislation passed and signed into law.

17 posted on 07/23/2016 12:41:42 PM PDT by plain talk
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
This "purging" of the records is not a recent invention by the "progressive" regressives who have been effectively ridding the nation's libraries of the works of leaders and historians of its first 100 years. They removed references to such works from the textbooks, as they already had done from the classrooms.

Anyone who tried to do research on original works in local, and even state, libraries in the 70's and 80's began to find those works either relegated to dusty stacks in remote floors and areas.

The "progressive" mind controllers already were at work.

Perhaps Divine Providence, aware of their mischief, soon remedied that, however. Now, there is the Internet, where freedom lovers made the wisdom literature of the centuries and America's own marvelous literature containing the ideas of liberty available for anyone with a computer and mind bent toward freedom.

The "miners" and "sappers" are still at work, however. Their work, like the termites, erodes, consumes, and weakens the underpinnings of the American Constitutional government.

Our task is at hand!

18 posted on 07/23/2016 12:54:48 PM PDT by loveliberty2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin

‘Illegal alien’ is a legal term. The FedMob continues its war on the rule of law.


19 posted on 07/23/2016 12:59:17 PM PDT by TigersEye (This is the age of the death of reason and rule of law. Prepare!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
First of all, the illegal aliens are aliens, and those that are here illegally are illegal. This the description of them as illegal aliens is accurate.

Where are the likes of Cruz and Ryan on this?

20 posted on 07/23/2016 1:17:22 PM PDT by Cobra64 (Common sense isn't common any more.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-31 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson