CCFIILE counter-productive

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Citizens for Limited Taxation

CCFIILE counter-productive Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Steve Orr, Framingham Metrowest Daily News

As the person who runs the Framingham Neighbors mailing list, I learned long ago to censor all messages from the central CCFIILE characters. I have tried my best to explain to them that they need to address the problem of illegal immigration and that that problem is not going to be addressed at the municipal level. If they really want to do something, they need to talk to our State and Federal officials. Instead, they insist on wasting the time of the Board of Selectmen at every opportunity and to attack individuals. The Board of Selectmen had an opportunity to do The Right Thing by making a simple statement of policy that all legal immigrants are welcome. Instead, they reacted negatively to CCFIILE's uncouth presentation tactics and ignored their only point of value being made.
On the other hand, I salute the sentiments expressed by new Town Meeting member, Frank Kananaugh (Dec. 27). He talks about CCFIILE as inciting and misogynistic. He is right, and despite all the discussion that goes on in the background, he is the first to correctly articulate just what is wrong about CCFIILE. CCFIILE does attack individuals, and their attacks are conducted against women more often than they are against men. It would be so much easier for all of us if all illegal immigrants were just simply bad people. Then we would have a simple target. The fact is that the Brazilians in our community are, by and large, honest and nice people with a strong work ethic. The point is that it does no good to attack individuals when the real target is improper management of our borders.
CCFIILE makes reference to the gang problem that is developing here in Framingham, but there is no evidence that the gang problem is related to Brazilians, illegal or legal.
There are problems that need to be addressed. They need to be addressed at local, state and federal levels. But what CCFIILE is doing is both counter-productive and inexorably crossing the line into becoming a dangerous hate group. People need to discuss these issues despite CCFIILE, not because of them.

CCFIILE counter-productive	Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Steve Orr, Framingham	Metrowest Daily News
As the person who runs the Framingham Neighbors mailing list, I learned long ago to censor all messages from the central CCFIILE characters. I have tried my best to explain to them that they need to address the problem of illegal immigration and that that problem is not going to be addressed at the municipal level. If they really want to do something, they need to talk to our State and Federal officials. Instead, they insist on wasting the time of the Board of Selectmen at every opportunity and to attack individuals. The Board of Selectmen had an opportunity to do The Right Thing by making a simple statement of policy that all legal immigrants are welcome. Instead, they reacted negatively to CCFIILE's uncouth presentation tactics and ignored their only point of value being made. On the other hand, I salute the sentiments expressed by new Town Meeting member, Frank Kananaugh (Dec. 27). He talks about CCFIILE as inciting and misogynistic. He is right, and despite all the discussion that goes on in the background, he is the first to correctly articulate just what is wrong about CCFIILE. CCFIILE does attack individuals, and their attacks are conducted against women more often than they are against men. It would be so much easier for all of us if all illegal immigrants were just simply bad people. Then we would have a simple target. The fact is that the Brazilians in our community are, by and large, honest and nice people with a strong work ethic. The point is that it does no good to attack individuals when the real target is improper management of our borders. CCFIILE makes reference to the gang problem that is developing here in Framingham, but there is no evidence that the gang problem is related to Brazilians, illegal or legal. There are problems that need to be addressed. They need to be addressed at local, state and federal levels. But what CCFIILE is doing is both counter-productive and inexorably crossing the line into becoming a dangerous hate group. People need to discuss these issues despite CCFIILE, not because of them.

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