Conservative talking heads on CNN, Fox and on the radio have done
considerable damage to progressive programs throughout the years with
their misleading remarks on everything from immigration reform (which
was championed by former president Bush, of all people), Pres. Obama's
legitimacy to hold office and more recently the much-needed health care
overhaul that is currently making its way through Congress.
Few,
however, have spewed as much hate as CNN talk-show host Lou Dobbs, who
has been extremely active in spreading xenophobia to the American
population by supporting hate groups like the Federation for American
Immigration Reform (FAIR), who have - in spite of their denial - often
been linked to white supremacist groups and other borderline racist
organizations.
In
response to this, a coalition of Latin and Hispanic-American
organizations – including Voto Latino, The
Hispanic Institute, the League of United Latin American Citizens,
National Hispanic Media Coalition, National Puerto Rican Coalition and
the National Council of La Raza have joined forces to convince CNN and
their corporate sponsors to drop Dobbs from the airwaves with
Dropdobbs.org, an online campaign that is collecting signatures for a
petition to be delivered to the network's executives and also to the
CEOs of the companies that advertise with the cable network.
While for some
this might be a Freedom of Speech issue, the fact remains that Dobbs has
used his platform in what is supposed to be a news program to spread all
sorts of lies against immigrants living and working in this country. His
support to an organization whose founder John Tanton has compared
immigrants to “bacteria” shows just how far he is willing to go. To
make matters worse, he has given a lot of space to the increasingly
ridiculous 'birther' movement (which claims that Pres. Obama was born in
Kenya, which would make him ineligible to hold the Presidency) even as
overwhelming evidence shows that their claims are false.
As a private
citizen, Lou Dobbs (who ironically is married to a Latina) has every
right to speak his mind about whatever he wants – just as I am doing at
this very moment. But as an 'activist journalist,' (his words) he has no
right to use a news program to spread false truths, fear and
hate-mongering.
I urge all of
you to visit dropdobbs.com, take a look at their content and finally
make the decision to sign the petition to have him removed from his
chair at CNN. Enough is enough.
