NCLR: Condemn the Attacks on Latinos and Sotomayor, Now!

The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court was an historic and proud moment for Latinos and the country as a whole. But her ethnicity has proven too much of a temptation for the voices of hate and extremism, who instead of looking at her judicial record have launched a vocal rampage that has reached new heights of absurdity. Take action to put a stop to it. Rush Limbaugh, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and others are claiming that Sotomayor is a "reverse racist" because she believes that more judges with diverse backgrounds and experiences would be a good thing for the judicial system. Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies (the "think tank" of Tanton's web of anti-immigrant extremist groups) and his pals at the National Review online are just beside themselves that Judge Sotomayor had the temerity to pronounce her own name correctly. They basically said that if she was a real American, she would butcher it. In an article that appeared in The Hill newspaper, Republican insiders are quoted as being "concerned" that Sotomayor's avowed love of arroz con gandules and other Puerto Rican delicacies will cloud her judicial decision-making. This one, however, takes the cake: Former Congressman, failed presidential candidate, and anti-immigrant extremist Tom Tancredo, unable to provide a shred of evidence for his assertion that Judge Sotomayor is a "racist," went off the deep end on CNN, saying Sotomayor belongs to "the Latino KKK without the hoods and nooses." That's what Tancredo called NCLR-a 40-year-old, national Latino civil rights organization that works with community organizations all over the country to help Latino families achieve the American Dream. NCLR has been recognized by members of Congress and the media, has hosted presidents of both political parties, and works hand in hand with other national civil rights organizations in a bipartisan way to improve the lives of all Americans. Act now to stop this nonsense. Raising questions and concerns about Judge Sotomayor's 17-year record on the bench is legitimate. Resorting to outdated stereotypes, defamation of character, and outright falsehoods is not. Please join us and send a message to Chairman Michael Steele of the RNC, House Minority Leader John Boehner, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asking them to denounce these statements and restore the nomination process for Judge Sotomayor to a more appropriate and civil discourse. Sincerely,

Latest from 'We Can Stop the Hate'

The Latest from www.WeCanStopTheHate.org "The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group in the country, launched the Wave of Hope campaign in January 2008 to take the hate out of the national debate on immigration.  This robust effort includes the website WeCanStopTheHate.org, which educates around hate speech and its consequences.  The campaign also engages media networks and political candidates to separate themselves from hate groups and hate speech.  NCLR argues that media celebrities and the growth of talk radio have contributed significantly to the unprecedented use of hate speech on the airwaves.  The group maintains that unchecked hate speech has a dangerous effect on the daily lives of communities of color, on immigration policy, and on the fairness of the current immigration debate." Shock Jocks:  Hate Speech and Talk Radio by Rory O'Connor with Aaron Culter Check out excerpts from the latest posts below. Sign up to receive the latest by RSS feed. Subscribe to the We Can Stop The Hate action list to receive updates about the campaign.  NCLR Supports Long Island Community's Vigil Against Hate November 14th, 2008Washington, DC-"On the heels of a historic election that symbolizes America's ideals as a diverse nation, we have been brutally reminded about the consequences of… More. After Brutal Stabbing, Another Long Island Resident Reports Gang Attack November 14th, 2008On November 8, 2008, Marcello Lucero was brutally stabbed to death by a group of teenagers because they thought he was Mexican.  In response to… More. Threats of Violence Persist Against Civil Rights Leaders November 12th, 2008Even as the country was celebrating its extraordinary milestone of electing the first African American President, The Washington Post published a sobering reminder that there… More.  NCLR Condems Brutal Hate Crime on Long Island November 11th, 2008Calling it "an outrageous and horrifying crime," Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil… More. Vote Against ALIPAC Video on YouTube November 7th, 2008Last week, the extremist anti-immigrant group, Americans for Legal Immigration Political Action Committee (ALIPAC), launched a political ad which, incredibly, smears a United States senator for accepting an… More. Minutemen Planned to Wreak Havoc on Election Day November 7th, 2008Our friends at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) shared with us a disturbing email from Minutemen Civil Defense Corps (MCDC) leader, Chris Simcox... More "Immigrant, Latino-Bashing Greatest Hits" Gets Major Play in NC Governor's Race October 30th, 2008Pat McCrory, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, sent out a fundraising letter last week that sounds a lot like a compilation of greatest hits from the world of immigrant and Latino bashing... More Hate Speech, Vandalism, and Death Threats Have No Place in Immigration Debate or the Election October 28th, 2008NCLR launched http://www.WeCanStoptheHate.org to address the surge of hate and violence infecting the immigration debate, but this is not the only place where hate is showing up these days... More Join the call for the resignation of a bigoted Sherriff in North Carolina October 27th, 2008In a recent article in Raleigh's The News & Observer, Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell was quoted accusing Latinos of "breeding like rabbits," calling Mexicans "trashy," and stating, "When people think about illegal Mexicans, you know the first thing they think of?  Driving drunk and shooting." More Sheriff Joe Strikes Again October 22nd, 2008Joe Arpaio, Sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona and self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff in America," is at it again.  This is a man who has made a career of humiliating prisoners, harassing Latinos of every variety, wasting taxpayer dollars with dubious results, and having less than stellar respect for civil rights and due process... More NCLR Challenges Distortions Made About Minority Communities October 16th, 2008Janet Murguía, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States, expressed grave concern about the atmosphere of attacks and distortions on cable television and other media that have focused negative attention on low-income and minority communities... More Death Threats Made to Staff and Board of CASA of Maryland October 16th, 2008This summer, several death threats were made to the staff and board of CASA of Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group and Affiliate of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)... More What Part of "Hate Group" Don't You Understand? October 16th, 2008The folks at FAIR have been in high dudgeon ever since the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) designated them a hate group earlier this year.  A significant part of SPLC's case against FAIR rests on the bigoted beliefs and writings of FAIR founder and current board member John Tanton... More Malkin, Krikorian Fail Economics 101 October 6th, 2008Thanks to our friends at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund's (MALDEF) Truth in Immigration website, we learned that blogger/ranter (or is that ranter/blogger?) Michelle Malkin and Center for Immigration Studies "expert" Mark Krikorian are making people on their own side of the issues roll their eyes in embarrassment for trying to blame the financial crisis on Latinos... More NCLR Death Threat Punished in Court of Law October 16th, 2008Christopher Michael Szaz was sentenced today in North Carolina for emailing a death threat to the staff of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR)... More