Impeachment Fever: America Rejected Sarah Palin, Now She Rejects America

The “Quitta From Wasilla” is making headlines again by displaying symptoms of acute Obama Derangement Syndrome. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP nominee for Vice-President, who was soundly rejected by American voters, is now calling for the impeachment of President Obama (again), who was elected twice with significant majorities.

Sarah Palin

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Palin’s panicky challenge to the Psycho Chicken Littles she commands from the parapets of her Facebook page cites the standard menu of wingnut atrocities that Tea Party dimwits cling to so fiercely (i.e. fundamental transformation, American exceptionalism, etc.). What her unhinged freak-out failed to provide were any actual legal justifications for impeachment. You know…high crimes, misdemeanors, jaywalking, anything remotely deserving of removal from office. With a completely empty basket of goodies, Palin launched her tirade saying that …

“Enough is enough of the years of abuse from this president. His unsecured border crisis is the last straw that makes the battered wife say, ‘no mas.'”

That’s a nice touch. In that one opening sentence Palin likened President Obama to a wife beater with America as his victim; she pandered to the Latino immigrants she so often disparages by demonstrating her trifling command of the Spanish language, which she and her disciples insist must never be spoken within U.S. borders; and she lied about the President’s record on immigration, which has reduced unlawful entries and increased deportations.

From there Palin portrays the perilous journey of immigrants as a leisure trip wherein the brown hordes will “kick off their shoes and come on in.” It’s just like a big pool party in her view. But even worse, she completely fails to grasp the needs and desires of the American people by misrepresenting their priorities and the consequent duties of the President.

“There is no end in sight as our president prioritizes parties over doing the job he was hired by voters to do. Securing our borders is obviously fundamental here […] communities become unrecognizable and bankrupted due to Obama’s flood of illegal immigration.”

There is a bountiful cache of supid in that paragraph. First of all, what she calls “Obama’s flood of illegal immigration” was put in motion by George W. Bush’s signature on an anti-child trafficking bill in 2008, that requires the government to provide minor immigrants with legal representation and safe and secure housing while awaiting resolution of their status. And Palin did not, and can not, cite an example of a community that is unrecognizable, save for the one she can see from her house in Alaska.

More to the point, Palin’s assertion that immigration is job one for the President ignores the fact that most polls on the priorities of the American people actually put jobs as job one (20%). Immigration, while a serious matter that needs to be addressed, is not particularly high on the list of things Americans want their government to work on. In fact it is often near the bottom of that list (3%).

It is pathetic that people like Palin are making monsters out of children who find themselves in an untenable position. They are alone and frightened by the prospect of being returned to countries where they live in danger and poverty. And now they are further terrorized by insensitive Americans who scream at them and threaten them and put up barricades to prevent them from reaching safe harbor. It’s atrocious behavior that is embarrassing to the majority of Americans who reject such hatefulness.

Immigrant Kids

Palin concludes her rant with a generalized lashing out that offers no substance or reason – just hostility and spittle-inflected animus toward the man that America elected twice and summarily threw her in the political gutter.

“It’s time to impeach; and on behalf of American workers and legal immigrants of all backgrounds, we should vehemently oppose any politician on the left or right who would hesitate in voting for articles of impeachment. The many impeachable offenses of Barack Obama can no longer be ignored. If after all this he’s not impeachable, then no one is.”

Palin, like many of her comrades on the irrational right, have no idea what impeachment means or how it is invoked. She failed to provide even a single example of a valid impeachable offense, even though she says that there are many of them. And her hysterical overreach is in harmony with the conservative pseudo-patriots who are salivating at the prospect of winning a majority in the Senate this November so they can pursue their anti-democratic agenda and oust the man that they pledged, from the moment he was inaugurated, to destroy.

For this reason it is imperative that Democrats break out of their traditional mid-term complacency and actually get out and vote this year. If they don’t, they can expect with near certainty that Republicans will try to impeachment Obama. And with that will come all the attendant political soap operas and antagonisms that the nation really doesn’t need as there are numerous other issues to address without having to poison the atmosphere with a politically driven show trial. If after all this Democrats don’t vote in record numbers, they will wake up the day after the election with two year long migraine.

Cliven Bundy 2.0: Fox News Makes Heroes Of American Border Jihadists

The border wars continue on Fox News as the network repeatedly portrays the immigration issue in partisan terms and likens the influx of immigrants to an “invasion” or a conspiracy by President Obama to mint new Democratic voters.

In another new escalation of their radical rhetoric, Fox News is now heralding the participation of right-wing militia organizations who say that they will take it upon themselves to patrol the southern borders (funny that they are never concerned with any other border), an activity for which they have no legal authority.

The Fox Nation website is currently featuring an article that promotes a positive impression of violent and racist extra-legal militias that they describe as “defenders” of the U.S. border saying that…

“We have independent units from the Bolinas Border Patrol and the Central Valley Citizens militia joining forces with independent citizens militia units of Texas to defend our southern border in Texas, to protest Obama’s lawless open borders policies and to rally support for Governor Perry to officially call out Guard units and Texas militia units at his disposal to defend the border!! Lawsuits will not cut it. The invasion is happening now. Action must be taken NOW!!”

Fox Nation

These border jihadists have no official authorization to conduct the activities that they have announced. Any harm that might come to themselves or others would constitute criminal misbehavior for which they could be prosecuted and punished. Their hollow exclamations of lawlessness on the part of the federal government are completely without merit and they offer no argument to support their claims. Contrary to the charge of “open borders,” the Obama administration has significantly improved border security and has actually intercepted and deported more immigrants than their predecessors in the Bush administration.

None of that gets in the way of promulgating false and hysterical allegations that are designed to incite racial disharmony among the Fox News Chicken Littles who see this administration as a sign of the Apocalypse. It is a call to battle in the Texas territories that the righteous must heed, just as they did up in Nevada where deadbeat rancher Cliven Bundy amassed militia groups to stare down federal law enforcement agents. That incident ended in a moment of candor with Bundy revealing his racist tendencies and a couple of his former associates murdering two police officers in Las Vegas.

Just to make sure that the message sent to the militia brigades is not misunderstood, the photograph that Fox Nation used to illustrate their border defense jihad was actually taken during the Bundy ranch standoff. It is telling that Fox would use this photo to represent events at the border when it wasn’t taken there. And it is journalistically unethical to do so without proper disclosure. This is a not-so-subtle attempt to interweave the Bundy affair with this new group of lawless missionaries. So even though Bundy was discredited and abandoned after flaming out in the Nevada desert, Fox News is still peddling the agenda of insurrectionists who believe that they can take the law into their own hands.

The ignorance required to link immigration to an invasion is substantial. Invaders are overtly hostile enemy assailants who seek to overthrow the target of their attack. However, no one disputes that immigrants are drawn here by their reverence for American values and opportunities. They are not enemies advancing to conquer. They were invited by the words engraved in brass at the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

With regard to the alleged voter creation conspiracy theory nonsense, even the most liberal interpretation of the immigration policies currently being discussed would require new residents to have been in the U.S. since childhood and to have completed high school or be serving in the military. Additionally, they would would have to pay all taxes and penalties and go to the end of the line to qualify for citizenship. All told it is estimated that it would take about thirteen years to become a citizen with voting privileges.

Unfortunately, the themes being hyped by Fox News are being echoed throughout the conservative media circus. The extremists and wackos who inhabit that realm are eagerly latching on to this new cause for panic. And the possibility of it producing another tragedy similar to the one that cost two Las Vegas police officers their lives is ever more likely.

Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, but with accomplices like Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh treating violent criminals like heroes, we may not have seen the worst of this yet.

Happy Birthday News Corpse – And America. Plus: See How Fox News Dishonors This Holiday

Today is the ninth anniversary of the launch of News Corpse. It has brought great satisfaction exposing the deceit and inbred hatred of the right-wing media for these past nine years. On the other hand, it has brought great frustration that such unethical miscreants continue to distort the truth in pursuit of their extremist, uber-conservative agenda. On the other hand (that’s three hands so far if you’re counting), the wingnut press is a bottomless pit of material for satire and mockery.

News Corpse Birthday

For any of you who wish to give News Corpse a birthday present, you can buy our book, Fox Nation vs. Reality: The Fox News Community’s Assault On Truth, on Amazon. Or you could dump your Tea Party, KeystoneXL, GOP funding, mobile phone providers (i.e. AT&T and Verizon) and switch to the progressive cell phone service, CREDOMobile Be sure to use the special offer code “newscorpse”, for which we will receive a modest commission. Both presents will be a gift for you as well.


In other news…

Fox News is engaging in a peculiar manner of celebration this Independence Day. Their Fox Nation website decided to display their patriotism by posting an editorial by impeachment advocate, and Fox senior legal analyst, Andrew Napolitano, that declared that America has “Gone From An Inherited Tyrant To An Elected One.” Hooray for the USA!


Over on the Fox News website they featured an article by Dan Gainor, the VP of the ultra-rightist propaganda factory, the Media Research Center. Gainor’s column was headlined “July Fourth: Be especially proud to be an American in 2014.” It was long discourse that covered many subjects, but left out just one: Any reason to be especially proud. Gainor just ranted about the evils of liberals and President Obama. For example, note these excerpts:

  • [Liberals are] largely in charge of educating our children, running our government and manipulating the media we consume.
  • Government is both pro-left and pro-union.
  • No wonder America is in trouble. The Us in USA have a $17.5 trillion national debt, an unchecked parade of illegal immigration and off-the-charts moral decay (including epic out-of-wedlock births).
  • Look who they learn love of country from – the president.
  • Patriotism and love of country are under attack, just like faith.
  • The flag and those who care for it are under attack across the nation.
  • Don’t let liberals talk down the Founders unopposed. Don’t let local tyrants force you to take down the American flag.
  • The next time someone asks you if you are proud to be an American, you can answer: “Damn right I am.”

Yippie-Ki-Yay, America.


Richard Mellon Scaife died. Scaife was the media baron who spent a lifetime attacking Democrats, and particularly the Clinton family who he accused of everything from drug-running to murder. He was an early and aggressive advocate of Clinton’s impeachment. He was 82.


Disgusting, hate-filled, Tea Party, racist, protesters continue to camp out at the site of a Murrieta, California, facility where immigration officials are hoping to temporarily house women and children while being processed. These pseudo-patriots are actually impeding the authorities from completing deportation proceedings, and at the same time they are subjecting the children to terrifying experiences and forcing them into unsafe, overcrowded facilities. What a wonderful way to spend the Fourth of July and honor these words:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”


Finally, let’s all wish this beautiful young woman the very happiest Sweet Sixteen ever. That’s right, Malia Obama is a real Yankee Doodle Dandy who was born on the Fourth of July.

Malia Obama

Fox News Champions Right-Wing Bigots Protesting Against Immigrant Children

The American conservative, as represented by the Republican/Tea Party, is so consumed with hatred that they are now forming blockades to prevent busloads of children from being transported to safe and secure facilities while waiting to be processed by immigration authorities.

Fox News Children Bus Protest

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After weeks of media reports showing severely overpopulated facilities in Texas, where young children and even infants are housed in prison-like conditions, sleeping on concrete, lacking air-conditioning, federal officials are attempting to provide some relief by dispersing the thousands of child immigrants to various locations so that they can be processed faster and under more humane conditions. And this act of compassion and responsibility is being met with opposition by right-wing, bigoted protesters who favor mistreatment of kids simply because of their immigrant status.

The protesters literally blocked the roads preventing the buses from arriving at their destination in Murrieta, California. The kids had already been traveling for hours, and now were forced to remain in the buses for an additional two hour trek to a different facility. They chanted “USA,” “Impeach Obama,” and “Deport,” with a hostility that could only have exacerbated the kids anxiety and fear.

This unconscionable behavior was reported on Fox News in glowing terms, elevating the protesters to heroes and patriots who had simply “had enough.” It was reminiscent of the Fox News glorification of the criminally deadbeat rancher Cliven Bundy and his militia thugs. On Fox & Friends Steve Doocy introduced the segment saying…

“Now some people in one city in California have had it. There was a plane full of people flown from Texas to California and they were then put on a bus and they were taken up to Murrieta, California where they were gonna be processed. That was the plan. It did not go as planned.”

Notice that his intro left out entirely the age of the people on the buses. He and his co-hosts later acknowledged that these were children, but disparaged them as disease-ridden carriers of scabies, lice, Ebola, dengue virus, and Tuberculosis. To the extent that any of that were true it would be further justification for more humane treatment, not less. The Fox & Friends Krew seems to think that sick kids should be thrown back across the border to die.

Fox News continues to use repulsive language like their on-screen graphic that likened the kids in this relief effort to garbage by calling it a “Federal Dumping Grounds.” They also use the insulting term “illegals” even though almost every other media enterprise has banned its use. Note that wingnuts justify using the term because laws were broken. But drivers who speed are not called illegals. Patients who take medicine not prescribed to them are not called illegals. Bank presidents and oil companies executives who break financial and environmental laws are not called illegals. Apparently it’s term reserved to dehumanize immigrants alone.

It takes a special kind of bitter soullessness to protest children who are being brought to safety. These cretins apparently prefer that the kids remain corralled in hazardous conditions where they will suffer and be vulnerable to greater harm. And, ironically, the effort to transport the kids to other facilities is not only meant to ease their suffering, it is also necessary to expedite their processing. That would result in many of them being reunited with their families in their native countries, something the protesters ostensibly favor. But their actions, born of hate and ignorance, actually delay that. What a sad picture of American goodwill these vile protesters paint for the rest of the world to see and judge us by.

Fox Nation Follies: The “Stupid People Are Ruining America” Edition

We at News Corpse will risk life and limb to ride the rapids of the ridiculousness that emanates from Fox News, but there are times when the flow is difficult to keep up with. At times like these it may be necessary to compile some of the most significant stories into one article. But rest assured, we will always persevere in order to bring you, our readers, the critical information that you need to get through your busy day. You’re welcome.

First out of the gates is a ripe bit of nonsense from pizza magnate, and former GOP presidential front-runner, Herman Cain. Cain spoke at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference last week. This is an affair produced by Christian Coalition founder, and Jack Abramoff accomplice, Ralph Reed. The competition for “Most Ludicrous Comment” is stiff at this conference that hosted rightist luminaries like Michelle Bachmann, Ted Cruz, and Rick Santorum. It’s the classy sort of gala where one can find Obama figurines in urinals. But it was Cain who came away with the zinger of the week:

“I have even heard people say, ‘Well I don’t vote because I don’t know what’s going on.’ And I say good. Stupid people are ruining American and I’m glad some of them stay home. The solution is real simple folks. Those of us who are informed have got to out-vote the stupid people.”

Exactly! What this nation needs is more people like Herman Cain deciding America’s fate at the polls. After all this is the man whose encyclopedic knowledge of the world gave birth to the state of Uzbeckibekistanstan. And the coverage of Cain’s comedy routine at the conference provided additional examples of the not-stupid by the geniuses at Fox Nation:

Fox Nation Herman Cain

The Fox Nationalists also reached out to their ideological allies at Infowars, Alex Jones’ ultra-fringe conspiracy theory website, to find an article that alleged that border agents were resigning en masse over their objections to foreign-born gang members being allowed to freely invade our peaceful, white, Christian neighborhoods. These alleged gangsters were reputed to be coming from the ranks of the immigrant children being housed at federal facilities while awaiting deportation or unification with their families.

Fox Nation Infowars

The problem with this story is that the local newscast from which it was derived interviewed a border patrol union official who said only that some of his agents were suffering from low morale and were looking for other jobs, but that none had quit. He was also asked how many gang members he estimated were crossing the border. His answer was “A few, not too many,” thereby dispensing with the whole false premise of the article. And the photo in the Fox Nation posting is of gang members in Central America who have nothing to do with the current crisis of minor children immigrating unaccompanied into the U.S.

But what’s really troubling is that the Fox Nationalists saw fit to cite Infowars as the source for their disinformation. And this isn’t the first time. They have previously sourced articles to Infowars with similarly absurd reports. For instance:

  • Homeland Security to Purchase 141,000 Rounds of Sniper Ammo
  • Ex-TSA Screener: Officers ‘Laughing’ At Passengers’ Nude Images
  • DHS Video Characterizes Terrorists as White Americans
  • TSA Deploys Weiner Watchers at Super Bowl
  • Anarchists Plan War on Tea Parties April 15th

For more examples of Fox Nation’s lying ways…
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Finally, Fox News has shamelessly exploited the terrorist attack in Benghazi for their craven political objectives. In the process, they have tried to cast Hillary Clinton as responsible for the tragedy and uncaring about the consequences. However, it is Fox, and their right-wing cronies, who have sullied the memory of those killed in the service of their country. Fox, and their GOP pals, has even used the deaths as a means of raising money for Republican organizations.

Now another example of that callousness is on display on Fox Nation. Jason Mattera, a blitheringly idiotic wingnut who has carved a reputation out of embarrassing himself by attempting to embarrass others in foolishly contrived ambush videos, makes an appearance in a new video where he approaches Hillary Clinton at a book signing. When Clinton asks for his name, Mattera asks that she make it out to Christopher Stevens, the murdered ambassador who was also a friend of Clinton’s. Clinton refused his crass request and politely dismissed him saying “I think it would be great if you read.” the book. Mattera then made a couple of snarky remarks about Clinton’s security, who quickly ushered him away. However, he did successfully demonstrate how to disparage the memory of fallen patriots in pursuit of self-serving publicity.

And that’s today’s episode of the Fox Nation Follies. We hope you enjoyed the parade of repugnant imbeciles that populate the Fox newsroom. And with any luck, Herman Cain’s vision for America will come to pass and the sort of dimwits who make up the Fox News/Tea Party audience will stay home in November and stop wrecking the country for the rest of us.

Sarah Palin Proves: It Takes A Village Idiot To Exploit The Suffering Of Children

There are far too many political charlatans, deceivers, and opportunists in contemporary public life. But there is only one Mistress of the Grifters who could publish a thoroughly revolting screed that pretends at times to be concerned about the welfare of suffering children, but repeatedly turns that feigned concern into a vitriolic, self-serving tirade aimed at her eternal enemy, President Barack Obama.

Sarah Palin

Shameless self-promotion…
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Never mind that the American people rejected Sarah Palin and her veep-daddy, John McCain, in a glorious rout, and that Obama repeated that electoral success four years later. Palin thinks she knows what’s best for the nation that hates her. And today she demonstrated how insensitive and unscrupulous she can be. Her latest Facebook harangue will long serve as a benchmark for deranged ranting. Here are some excerpts from Palin’s twisted take on the plight of immigrant children who are being warehoused in border states awaiting some way to resolve what is a dismal and daunting problem:

“Finally, they have won me over. I actually agree with the liberals’ war whoop. I, too, demand that this issue of young illegal aliens flooding across our border into horrendous conditions be taken care of. Now!”

Sadly, Palin’s solution begins with denouncing the President’s allocation of funds to improve conditions for the children. She apparently prefers to let them languish in 90+ degree heat and sleep on concrete floors. She does, however, offer own advice for allocating relief funds saying that

“The primary expenditure we need to supply in this humanitarian crisis is jet fuel to fly these children back home.”

This is what Palin regards as a serious response to a humanitarian crisis. Who does she think will greet these kids at the airport in whatever country they came from? And there are thousands of kids from many different countries, so we’d need a fleet of jets with different itineraries. Then, according to Palin’s plan, they would be shoved out of the plane onto the tarmac. Maybe we could save even more money by throwing them out midair with parachutes.

Palin continues in a mocking mode as a “bleeding heart compassionate woman and mother,” who sees some sort of plot here that involves both ObamaCare and the NSA spies. But most of all, it’s a socialist trick to redistribute the wealth from hard-working patriots to greedy urchins seeking handouts.

“Expect to see hundreds of thousands of another country’s children walk right through our welcoming open border, counting on America’s families to render all aid. We owe it to ourselves to be prepared – so, work even harder, working class, while our President uses his trustworthy discernment to redistribute your paycheck, because it IS for the children.”

Palin is profoundly moved by this crisis and says of those who ignore it that it “proves you are heartlessly oblivious to the plight” But wait until you read what she regards as the nature of the crisis:

“As a Christian I find it unforgivable to ignore this issue of overrunning border security into these conditions in southern states, and this one issue is just about driving me to renounce my Republican ties because, see, even leaders on the RIGHT side of the aisle haven’t exerted all Constitutional power to stop the madness.”

So it isn’t the suffering of children in dreadful conditions that offends her Christian values. It’s lax border security because, as we all read in the Bible, “Thou shalt build a wall to close the borders and leave the children to starve.” And she’s so disturbed that she is even contemplating a separation from her Republican comrades. She then beseeches both parties to take a stand on the issue. And again, she helpfully defines the issue for us:

“Hang on to your hat, because here’s the issue: Barack Obama has orchestrated this newest ‘crisis’ in order to overload the system with the intention of ‘fixing’ the problems his own policies create – by fiat, and that infamous phone and pen; screw the rule of law.”

Once again, the issue isn’t the children. And this time it isn’t even the border. It’s Obama! You know, the Stalinist oppressor who was elected twice and continues to fight for reforms that the American people broadly support (e.g. immigration reform, gun control, protecting the environment, raising the minimum wage, and equal rights for women, minorities, and gays). For this Palin labels Obama a tyrant:

“Congress and American voters, how long will you let Team Obama get away with this? The recent avalanche of devastating crises caused by a president believing he is above the law has set the most dangerous precedent a once-free people can imagine. To encourage and reward lawlessness by refusing to enforce the will of the people as proven by laws passed by our political representatives is the signature of a tyrant. In this case, Obama’s refusal to enforce immigration laws and his blatant suggestion that his chosen illegal activity will be rewarded are proof of his tyrannical tactics.”

Palin closes with an appeal to citizens – not to get relief for the children – but to vote out the “Team Obama” fiends who dare to search for workable solutions to vexing problems. But that’s really her second choice. What she really wants is…

“So, how much more will you take, Congress and We the People? I sense not enough guts in D.C. to file impeachment charges against Team Obama for their countless documented illegalities.”

Of course, that’s what Palin and her ilk have wanted since January 20, 2009. They have never accepted the legitimacy of Obama or the mandate that he has received twice. Her idea of “We the People” is a narrow swath of white, ultra-conservative, Christians, rather than the actual voters who have had their say. And now for her to position this heartbreaking situation with innocent kids in an unconscionable quandary, as just another opportunity to call Obama a tyrant, advocate for his impeachment, and beckon her disciples to the voting booth, is repulsive in the extreme. This goes way beyond her ordinary repulsiveness. But you have to give her credit for always managing to find a new low.

Tea Party Leader’s Support For Immigration Reform Is Ignored By Fox News

From its inception, the Tea Party has been adamantly opposed to comprehensive immigration reform proposals that they regard as amnesty, despite the fact that the actual bills on the table explicitly prohibit it. The reality is that the fringy Tea-publicans are more interested in battering President Obama and preventing Democrats from being able to claim credit for a legislative achievement that a majority of the American people support. Additionally, the conservative mission has never been friendly to people of color and they aren’t about to start welcoming Latinos into their constituent base now.

So it comes as some surprise that a prominent leader of the Tea Party is advocating for immigration reform in a very public way. Sal Russo, the founder of Tea Party express, authored an op-ed for Roll Call titled “Conservatives Need to Fix the Broken U.S. Immigration System.” In the article Russo makes a plea to his conservative comrades that reform represents an opportunity for growth that they must seize in order to “reaffirm who we are and what makes our country great.” He says that…

“…we face debilitating workforce challenges as well. Visa limits for seasonal workers, such as those needed by farmers, cannot keep up with demand. And those visas that are available are too cumbersome, complex and cost prohibitive for many employers to use. That means fewer fruits and vegetables per season, lost revenue and an increased reliance on imports, many of which are not subject to the same level of health regulations as our homegrown crops.”

It’s encouraging to hear the head of a leading Tea Party group speak out in support of reform. But Russo went farther than that in observing that imported products are not “subject to the same level of health regulations” as those produced here. He is making a case for the benefits of regulations, something that Tea Party conservatives have long demonized as the bane of Big Government.

For the record, Russo’s role in the Tea Party movement is not without controversy. He has been accused of exploiting it for personal gain. Research shows that large portions of the money raised by his Tea Party Express is funneled right back into his own pocket via payments to his consulting firm. Nevertheless, he is still respected within the movement and is a frequent spokesman for its cause.

In the past, Fox News has been an active participant in the Tea Party movement. They openly praised its objectives and candidates, and they even helped to rally support for their public events. The network directly asked its viewers to board the Tea Party Express, and assigned correspondent Griff Jenkins to ride along on their bus tours.

Tea Party Express

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Now, for some reason, Fox News has been conspicuously silent about this pro-immigration editorial by a group they once proudly supported. They haven’t asked Russo to appear on any of their programs to discuss his position. Nor have they interviewed any of the other conservatives with whom Russo is mounting this campaign. They include Grover Norquist, the American Conservative Union, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, whose president said that Republicans “shouldn’t bother to run a candidate in 2016” if they don’t pass immigration reform this year.

It isn’t really difficult to figure out the reason that Fox is ignoring this story. In fact, the reason is there in black and white in Russo’s op-ed:

“[W]e need to make the 11 million people who are here illegally obey the law, pay taxes and come out of the shadows. We have to get them right by the law in exchange for legal status, but not unbridled amnesty. This should include penalties, background checks to root out criminals, and the requirement that they learn English, understand the Constitution and be committed to our basic freedoms. We must ensure there is no special pathway to citizenship that puts them in front of people who waited in line.”

That is pretty much exactly the language used in the Democratic immigration reform bill that has already been passed in the Senate. But GOP House Speaker John Boehner has refused to bring that bill up for a vote in the House even though, by all accounts, it would receive enough bipartisan votes to easily pass. Boehner is afraid of the far-right members of his caucus and the possibility that they will abandon him during the next vote for Speaker.

As for Fox News, they are simply unwilling to reverse course to support reform when it is anathema to their corporate bosses including, especially, Fox CEO Roger Ailes. In the end, the only opinion that matters on Fox is that of Ailes. As with issues like climate change, marriage equality, and rigidly hawkish foreign policy, immigration reform is one of those subjects that is never even given the veneer of fairness and balance to which Fox pretends. So even though Russo is an important figure in the Tea Party movement, he is now persona non grata at Fox. Don’t hold your breath waiting to see him or his viewpoint on air.

Fox Nation vs. Reality: ObamaCare Is NOT Recruiting Undocumented Immigrants

Fox News has labored vigorously to establish its reputation as America’s whites-only cable news channel. Simultaneously they have distinguished themselves as the nation’s foremost purveyor dishonest and politically biased “reporting.” But every now and then they manage to score extra points by melding these two achievements into a single story. That goal was realized today by Fox’s community website, Fox Nation, with help from their disreputable pals at Breitbart News.

Fox Nation

Read Fox Nation vs. Reality for more documented lies from Fox World.

The headline declaring that “ObamaCare [is] Recruiting Illegal Immigrants” is absolutely, provably false. As is the content of the article that says in the opening paragraph that “Covered California–the flagship of state Obamacare exchanges–is recruiting illegal (“undocumented”) immigrants to sign up for the program, regardless of their eligibility.”

There is no truth whatsoever to that claim. But adhering to factual reporting has never been the mission of Fox News. It’s especially humorous that Joel Pollak, the BreitBrat author of the article, attempts to align his bogus assertions to Republican congressman Joe Wilson who, you may recall, shouted out “You lie,” during President Obama’s 2009 State of the Union speech when the President stated that the Affordable Care Act would not cover undocumented immigrants. Pollak believes that Wilson is due an apology based on his deeply misconstrued interpretation of a page on the Covered California website.

The shoddy news sleuthing by BreitBrat Pollak turned up a page that informed readers that they did not need to worry if they were “undocumented and want your family to enroll in health insurance. That was the spark that set fire to Pollak’s active imagination. Without wasting any effort on reading further or trying to understand the context, Pollak concluded that this was an attempt to enroll undocumented immigrants in ObamaCare, which the law explicitly prohibits. This is what the very first paragraph on the page actually said:

“According to the laws and implementing regulations, the information provided by individuals for coverage can not be used for purposes other than ensuring the efficient functioning of the insurance market (Covered California) or administration of the program, or to verify certain eligibility determinations including verification of the immigration status of these people.”

If Pollak had the comprehension skills to grasp this, he would have noticed two things: 1) The page is assuring applicants that the information they provide will not be shared with immigration agencies. And 2) That verification of immigration status will be a determinant condition of their eligibility.

The importance of the first item is to reassure people that an application will not result in an investigation or potential deportation. Many Latino families have mixed immigration statuses and they are sensitive to the possibility that their families could be separated. Consequently, they refrain from enrolling in benefits programs like ObamaCare. That means that many people who are actually citizens (i.e. children who were born here, or naturalized adults) would be deprived of services to which they are entitled because of their concern for other family members who may not be documented. This assurance allows them to apply without having to fear unrelated consequences.

The second item should be an assurance to bigots like Pollak that no undocumented immigrants would receive health care benefits under ObamaCare. It is an explicit declaration that citizenship is required for eligibility. And it is what makes Pollak’s assertion that illegal immigrants are being recruited regardless of their eligibility such a blatant lie.

It’s interesting to note that the Fox News Latino website does not have a story on this matter. Fox News Latino often takes positions that sharply contrast with those of the Fox News mothership. It is their way of trying to lure in the fastest growing demographic in the country without alienating them the way Fox News does. Although, there is a story that addresses the administration’s efforts to reach out to Latinos. And in that story they correctly point out the dilemma of mixed immigration status families who worry about separation, saying that “One big issue is that the law requires that those seeking coverage provide the immigration status of members of their household to determine eligibility.” That is what the page on Covered California is there for – to alleviate that concern.

It is remarkably dishonest and unethical to portray the information provided on Covered California as attempting to recruit undocumented immigrants to enroll in ObamaCare. Yet that is precisely what Breitbart and the Fox Nationalists did. And they did this despite the fact that the correct information was plainly in front of them on the same page. Therefore, it can only be assumed that they knew the truth and deliberately chose to ignore and/or distort it. But that’s the one thing that is not surprising about this. That is, in fact, standard operating procedure at Fox News.

More Anti-Latino Bias On Fox Nation

The Fox News community web site (and Fib Factory) Fox Nation, has a long record of insulting Latinos and lying about about issues that affect them. This was documented in my article last year: Fox News Flim-Flam: Conning Latinos For Politics And Profit. The marked difference between articles on Fox Nation, and articles on the same subjects by Fox News Latino demonstrate that Fox is deliberately trying to exploit Latinos, the fastest growing television market.

For instance, Fox News continues to refer to undocumented immigrants as “illegals” even when the person was brought into the country as a child and, thus, committed no crime. Many news outlets have abandoned the use of the term “illegal immigrant” because it is both inaccurate and insulting. Fox News Latino is among those who have officially banned its use. Fox News, on the other hand, uses it frequently. Fox is also a vigorous opponent of the Dream Act, that offers undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children, finish school or enlist in the military, and have no criminal records, the opportunity to become legal residents and eventually citizens.

Another example of Fox’s overt prejudice was displayed yesterday with an article on Fox Nation that announced that the “Amnesty Bill In House Collapses.” Of course, there is no amnesty bill in the House. There is an immigration reform bill that includes a pathway to citizenship after paying fines and meeting other rigorous conditions that may lead to eligibility for citizenship after some fifteen years. And since amnesty is a forgiveness of criminal behavior and a waiving of punishment, this bill is the opposite of amnesty. But this story isn’t about amnesty at all. It is about the breakdown of the legislative process. It was that angle that was addressed in the Fox News Latino article titled, “House Republicans Quit Bipartisan Immigration Group, Weakening Chance Of Legislation.”

Fox Nation
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Notice that the Fox News Latino article properly describes the substance of what took place without resorting to pejoratives, as opposed to Fox Nation’s version. The Fox Nationalists also didn’t bother to point out that the Republican exodus from the working group was based entirely on politics rather than on the best interests of the nation. Only in the Fox News Latino article was it pointed out that the GOP representatives who bailed on the reform effort said that “We want to be clear. The problem is politics.” They went on to admit that their objection is not to the substance of the law, but that it would be enacted under the administration of President Obama:

“If past actions are the best indicators of future behavior, we know that any measure depending on the president’s enforcement will not be faithfully executed. It would be gravely irresponsible to further empower this administration by granting them additional authority or discretion with a new immigration system. The bottom line is – the American people do not trust the president to enforce laws, and we don’t either.”

Contrary to the delusional claim by these Republicans, polls show that a significant majority of the American people back the President’s view on immigration reform. What’s more, it is idiotic to assert an opposition to a law due to who occupies the White House rather than the efficacy of the law.

But that’s just how the modern GOP works. Hating Obama takes precedence over everything else, including responsible governing, the economy, the welfare of Americans, even questions of military engagement. And you can always rely on Fox News to be right there advancing the obstructionist right-wing hatefest, because Fox doesn’t care anymore about the American people than the Tea-publican extremists in Congress.

Fox News’ Racist Editing Turns All ‘Non-Citizens’ Into ‘Illegal Immigrants’

The persistent bigotry of Fox News has once again burst into the open with their publication of an Associated Press article that they altered in a manner that totally changes the meaning in a most offensive way.

The article written by the AP’s Judy Lin was distributed with a headline that read “California Bill Would Let Non-Citizens Serve On Juries.” Lin wrote that…

“The California Assembly passed a bill on Thursday that would make the state the first in the nation to allow non-citizens who are in the country legally to serve on jury duty.

Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, said his bill, AB1401, would help California widen the pool of prospective jurors and help integrate immigrants into the community.

It does not change other criteria for being eligible to serve on a jury, such as being at least 18, living in the county that is making the summons, and being proficient in English.”

The AP article addresses the subject in a fair and balanced way. It notes the objections of Republican opponents who assert that there is no shortage of available jurors. It also reports the claims by Democratic supporters that jury selection is hampered by the reluctance of many to serve. In addition, Lin notes that current law does not require citizenship for either lawyers or judges.

Fox News, however, was not satisfied with the neutral tone of the article and re-wrote the headline to assert something that is utterly false: “California bill would let illegal immigrants serve on juries.” Not only is it untrue that anyone in the country illegally would be permitted by this legislation to sit on a jury, the first paragraph of the story as published by Fox refutes the lie in their headline.

Fox News

In their feverish rush to demonize even legal immigrants, Fox failed to notice the obvious discrepancy between their headline and the content of the article. They were so preoccupied with advancing their prejudices that they inserted the offensive phrase “illegal immigrant” (a phrase that the AP itself has officially abandoned) despite the fact that it misrepresents the legislation as drafted.

This perversion of journalistic ethics was so severe that even the lie-riddled Fox Nation did not resort to it. And on Fox News Latino (where the phrase “illegal immigrant” has also been nixed) the very same AP article was published in Spanish with the accurate headline from the original AP story.

It was only Fox News that re-wrote the headline to assert something that was both offensive and false. And they did so while attributing the story to the AP without disclosing the alterations they made. It’s bad enough that Fox routinely pursues a conservative GOP agenda, but for them to go this far out of their way to promote a racist lie violates every professional standard of journalism and exposes their hateful and rancid bias.