From Newsbusters …. RACHEL MADDOW, HOST. ” The opening speech last night was given by failed presidential candidate, ex-congressman and professional anti-immigrant, Tom Tancredo who started the event off with a bang, a big loud racist bang.”
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From NewsBusters….Maddow was playing a little fast and loose with the facts here. After all, the federal government first used literacy tests as part of an immigration policy enacted in 1917.
It is of course correct that literacy tests were used in the south to prevent blacks from voting. However, as Tancredo’s hot-button issue is indeed immigration, it’s absurd to link his statement Thursday evening to racism.
After all, he referred to “people who could not even spell the word, ‘vote,’ or say it in English.” That’s an immigration issue.
If Maddow disagrees, maybe she should familiarize herself with a civics test that immigrants must take today to become American citizens. She needn’t go far, for some of the questions are posted at MSNBC.com:
Do you have what it takes to become a citizen?
When immigrants want to become Americans, they must take a civics test as part of their naturalization interview before a Citizenship and Immigration Services (INS) officer. The questions are usually selected from a list of 100 sample questions that prospective citizens can look at ahead of the interview (though the examiner is not limited to those questions). Some are easy, some are not. We have picked some of the more difficult ones.
Hey Rachel,
We need no Canadian lesbians criticizing our country or our politicians.
Go back to Canada and work in the forest.
Bob