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The Anti-Protest List

Funny the Tucson morning paper the Arizona Daily Star (we call it the Tucson RED Star) had a slightly different take on the story. Unlike the NYT it did not seek out an aging COMMIE to quote.

By Joseph Barrios
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Cheers and applause greeted roughly 100 "freedom riders" on Wednesday as they rolled through Tucson on their way to Washington, D.C., to rally for immigrants' rights.

Members of the Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride stepped off the bus in front of St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave., about 9:30 a.m.

Applause and chants of "Si, se puede!" - "Yes we can!" - erupted from the crowd waiting for them. Mariachis played inside the church hall.

The ride, inspired by the 1961 freedom rides for civil rights, is described by organizers as a "national mobilization" to focus public attention on immigrant rights and problems with immigration policies.

Beginning this week, buses carrying immigrants will leave from Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, Chicago and Boston, all to converge in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to meet with members of Congress and then travel to New York City for a rally on Oct. 4. About 800 immigrants are taking part in the trip.

The ride is sponsored by organizations including the AFL-CIO, civil-rights groups and religious institutions.

Jesse Bhangoo, who works in computer science, was one of the Tucson residents who got on the bus Wednesday to make the trip to Washington. He said he would like to change attitudes about immigrant workers. "It's always presented as a problem and that about the only thing we could do is close the border," Bhangoo said.

Organizers have specific messages they want to convey to elected officials about immigration policy. Organizers said they want to create a "road to citizenship" for all immigrant workers, the right of immigrant workers to reunite their families, protect the rights of immigrants in the workplace and protect the civil rights and liberties of all.

Participants in the Mass and rally shared in the message.

Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of the Catholic Diocese of Tucson, said some people equate immigrants with "criminals and terrorists."

"But look around and see ordinary people. Look and see ordinary people intent to take care of their families See ordinary people determined to live their lives with some semblance of dignity," Kicanas said.

The Rev. Miguel Ceja, a graduate of Stanford University who entered the United States illegally from Mexico...

...who got free health care, free grade school education, etc., courtesy of citizen taxpayers, and who took a slot at a prestigious university from a citizen.

"I work for minimum wage to put food on your table. But you don't know if I have food on mine."

No, they would rather take the money from our pockets while our political leaders look the other way. 146 took a dirt nap, that's probably around .001% coming across the border. That would be pretty good odds in vegas!