Somalis, coalition want federal review of Lewiston

Portland (Maine) Press Herald ^ | 10 October, 2002 | Meredith Goad

[NewHampshireDuo]

Connie Durette, 55, said she thinks the mayor's letter wasn't strong enough. Angry and trembling, Durette said she feels she is being "taxed to death."

"They take and they don't give," she said of the local Somali community. "I've never been prejudiced before, but this has nothing to do with color. It has to do with the mindset they have that everything is free - free food, free housing, free medical. Nothing has ever been given to me free."

[germanicus]

Just wait until these people decide they want to own the luxuries the hard working, taxpaying people own. The children of these immigrants have learned that their subsistence is free. Rampant crime (armed robbery/murder) will be right around the corner. I think I'd be finding somewhere else to raise my family, and quick.

[ikka]

The taxpayers need to understand that the Somalis know how to engage in Third World street protests, and that they are not afraid to get in your face.

If the taxpayers want to succeed, they have to get in the Somalis' face by holding a street protest or something similar of their own.

[Deb]

I seriously doubt that hard-working, average Americans from Maine are capable of getting into anybody's face.

Like most small town people they'll quietly keep paying taxes and refuse to complain.

But maybe the next time a real conservative runs for the Senate Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe will get flushed. One hopes.

[drjoe]

why don't we give them everything and then commit mass suicide so they don't have to be offended by the sight of us.

[2rightsleftcoast]

Good one. Why don't we send them back!!!
I know we can't, so no more. Period.
Those 13,ooo waiting to come here, on another
thread, sorry!

[Black Agnes]

The last Somali 'street protest' *I* saw involved dragging a US Ranger's naked body through the streets of Mogadishu. Why are we importing Ranger Killers? How do we know some of these very people in Lewiston didn't fire on our guys while they were there?

[Black Agnes]

See, opposing immigration and all the freebies the immigrants is now a hate crime if you do it in writing. Any opposition to ever increasing tax loads to pay for all the freebies the never ending stream of immigrants demand is racist and the federales *will* investigate you!

[ozone1]

Where is it written that if I don't want to pay for them "It's a hate crime or it's violence". The only violence so far has been a few blacks vs somali.
I can't afford them.
What don't they get.

[Black Agnes]

It's the new PC demagogueing that goes along with the immigration question. Here's the logic...Since most of the 1965 onward immigration has been non-white people...if you oppose the immigration you're racist...QED. Fun, huh? Now, for those that argue the problem is the welfare state...I agree in part. BUT, notice how stopping social services payments or, in this case, merely slowing the rate of growth, is met with howls of racism. Just like prop 187 in CA. If you oppose the flooding of this country with 3rd worlders that soak up social services and health care and fill the schools with kids they pay no property taxes to support (no property taxes in government or section 8 housing...) then you're a racist. Simple really. There are even some freepers that support the dims in this argument. Just look at the immigration threads & you'll see...

[Morrigan]

You are absolutely right. As long as we Mainers shut up and took it, there was no problem. Eighteen months later, when the Somalis STILL hadn't gotten jobs, people started to say they didn't want to pay for them anymore. In a childish fit of anger, the Somalis threw a temper tantrum and screamed "RACISTS!" When THAT didn't get them anywhere, they decided to throw our own gov't against us to "examine" city funds. They want to make sure they get every single dollar coming to them, dontcha know! Trust me, we know they are violent, three of them ganged up on a Lewiston man about a week ago. They stabbed him three times and almost cut his throat. They were charged with aggravated assault. Now it is even okay that they kill us. I guess if we complain about it, we are racist. Don't worry, America. Mainers won't give in, no matter how many of us are stabbed!!!

[Black Agnes]

Have a special election in Lewiston and vote to end all welfare payments and handouts. Families in Lewiston with members on these payments can handle their own. The Somalis will have to get pushed out of the comfy nest and either fly, or flee. One or the other...Starvation is the alternative. If Lewiston could suck it up for 18 months with no social services the Somalis that were left would be the ones you really wanted :).

[The_Media_never_lie]

The debate over the Somali immigrants has even found its way onto the Internet sites of hate groups. Steve Hochstadt, a history professor at Bates College and board member of the Holocaust Human Rights Center of Maine, said it's not surprising that hate groups have latched onto the issue, but such groups don't have much support in the state.

Wonder if Mr. Hochstadt would classify Free Republic as a hate site? I think he probably would, since they disagree with him. He would probably call us racist, too. Typical liberal name caller.

[glc1173@aol.com]

"Racist" because it "singles out a particular ethnic group?"

How many non-Somali residents does Lewiston have that have less job prospects than the average American 16-year-old - due to not understanding English, nearly no schooling, etc.?

Native-born Americans who can't speak English probably can't even find work at McDonald's. They are minimally employable at the best of times. Why shouldn't a mayor represent his citizens by saying that his town cannot afford more such people - of any race?

DeportEmAllLetAllahSortItOut!

Get the sticker!

[oyez]

We should take up a collection to fuel up a couple of C-5's, So Our Air Force can fly them back. Maybe the fly boys can practice using that rapid unloading device.

[Black Agnes]

I seriously want to know if there's the possiblity that any of these are ones who fired on our guys in the Mog. See BlackHawk Down. Then see it again. Repeat. Now, tell me why we're importing Somalis? They can't run their own country, why on earth do we think they'd be an asset here???!

[oyez]

You might ask Bill Clinton.

[Black Agnes]

Or the current guys. It seems we're still importing them at a pretty impressive pace.

[knighthawk]

The last Somali 'street protest' *I* saw involved dragging a US Ranger's naked body through the streets of Mogadishu. Why are we importing Ranger Killers?P> They are only going to cause trouble, like they do here in the Netherlands. They are the number two source of islamic fundamentalism here.

[sarcasm]

Any opposition to ever increasing tax loads to pay for all the freebies the never ending stream of immigrants demand is racist and the federales *will* investigate you!

It's just going to get worse if we don't get a handle on this very quickly.