Activists pack Carlsbad town-hall meeting

North County Times ^ | 8/11/05 | William Finn Bennett

[Ladycalif]

CARLSBAD ---- Thursday night's town-hall meeting on illegal immigration at Carlsbad High School was a decidedly lopsided affair.

Those who showed up after about 4 p.m. for the 7 p.m. meeting didn't get one of the coveted tickets to attend the forum, titled "The Illegal Immigration Crisis."

One anti-illegal immigration advocate inside the school's 400-seat capacity Community Cultural Arts Center said he believed the reason that so few immigration-rights advocates made it inside was because radio talk-show host Roger Hedgecock, who emceed the meeting, gave his listeners a heads-up on his Wednesday radio show.

"Roger told his listeners that we should arrive early, so we could fill up the auditorium," said Orange County resident Shain Sternod, 43. "There was no opposition, and he did not take any questions; so, it turned out not to be a town-hall meeting, just a series of speeches."

[ElkGroveDan]

San Diego is one of the few conservative counties in California

Um...excuse me. It is silly misconceptions like this that drive me up the wall. California has 58 counties. 50 of them are conservative.

Outside of central LA county and the Bay area, California is a broadly conservative place. You can drive for 12 hours and never see a "blue" county.

[gubamyster]

ping w/ pictures

[4.1O dana super trac pak]

Great job Ladycalif.

Which side are you on Freepers?

[AZ_Cowboy]

Tabbed for future reference. I like the contrast between the two sides from the pictures. It's sort of how things go on here with this topic...some of us want to address a problem, while others apparently prefer to call anyone who dares even speak of the issue a racist or worse.

BTW, welcome to FR.

[kstewskis]

California has 58 counties. 50 of them are conservative.

Curious, why aren't those 50 conservative counties better represented in the State Legislature?

Is it a numbers issue against the other eight counties?

[Brilliant]

Mostly because it's gerrymandered.

[RnMomof7]

You know we have scenes like this and people coming here to use AMERICAN resources and social services, we have drug dealers walking across the border, we have a new round of 3rd world diseases like TB and Leprosy being brought in her , (9000 cases of leprosy in this 1st world nation last year??). We have downward pressure on American wages and all of this while Nero fiddles in Washington.

The interest of the deep pocket donators is of more import to Congress and the Senate than the people they are SUPPOSE to represent. Meanwhile the president actively peruses his Fathers dream of the new world order.

Will there need be a citizen revolt at the ballot box to take back this nation?

[mathluv]

'Carlsbad (NM or CA)?'

My first thought was NM.

[mathluv]

I am sure it is just a coincidence that the 'protestors' appear hispanic/muslim.

[Steve0113]

The anti-immigration contingent, dressed in golf shirts and creased slacks, seemed to be having a good time cracking wise and smiling as they shouted "Go home illegals." People on the other side ---- the pro-immigration protesters ---- looked decidedly more serious...

No bias in this article. None at all.

[ElkGroveDan]

Curious, why aren't those 50 conservative counties better represented in the State Legislature? Is it a numbers issue against the other eight counties?

The legislative districts (80 Assembly and 40 Senate) are drawn based on population, so LA and the Bay Area get a whole bunch of seats. Gerrymandering gives them an even larger edge. Republicans controlled the Assembly as recently as 1994 (and remained close in 96 and 98).

[Grampa Dave]

Looks like the same old renta mob with the addition of the Jihadists and La Raza thugs.

[Grampa Dave]

The old Hate Amerika Hippy with the pony tail looks like the profession renta mobbers we have in N California.

They are on the streets protesting all the time. Never get down wind of them.

[Bob J]

Thanks for the ping!

[blackie]

Great pix!

Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!

Be Ever Vigilant!

Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!

[Travis McGee]

Now that the rally is over, I've thought of a great chant for future rallies.

"!Los inmigrantes ilegales, son bandidos criminales!

It has a nice sing-songy cadence in Espanol. Hit the capital letters with the beat, and you'll hear it:

!los inmiGrantes ileGales son banDidos crimiNales!

Next time, I'll grab the bullhorn for that one.

As an alternative, you can chant "Los extranjeros ilegales son ladrones criminales." (The illegal aliens are criminal thieves.)

Mix and match to suit your preferences.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

"They (immigrants) are coming for a variety of legitimate reasons ---- economic, security, food," he said, clearly relishing the scene. "I think there's a tension here that neither party sees or knows what to do with."

The are coming for a variety of reasons ---- economic, security, food, welfare, free health care, anchor babies, terrorism, drugs...

[lonewacko_dot_com]

I appreciate the pictures, but I and anyone else not on a T1 line would probably appreciate thumbnails much much more.

There are free picture posting sites like flickr.com or pbase.com.

[newzjunkey]

Thanks for clearing that sign's message up. ;)

[fifedom]

"accused one another of ruining America, and then disbursed" The reporter is not only biased, but he is illiterate. Maybe he means--dispersed. "disbursed" means to give as in money.