YCT Immigrant Hunt

An email is going around that describes an 'Illegal Immigrant Hunt' to be held at the University of North Texas by a group called the Young Conservatives of Texas:

"Well, the YCT (Young Conservatives of Texas) are at it again. This time they've organized a so-called "Immigrant Hunt" for this Wednesday, March 2nd on the West Mall on campus-- they have reserved the space from 11:00am-1:00pm. They recently organized a similar event at the University of North Texas and appear to be emboldened by the post-9-11 anti-immigrant climate. They plan to wear color-coded anti-immigrant shirts and "hunt for immigrants" who will be YCT-ers dressed in brown for Latina/os, yellow for Asians, etc. and offer rewards."

This email appears to be a mixture of fact and fiction. From what I can piece together, the YCT did hold a controversial rally about a month ago which
"featured Young Conservatives members wearing bright orange shirts that read "Illegal Immigrant" on the front and "Catch me if U can" on the back. Passersby were encouraged to track down the mock "illegal aliens" around campus to win a prize." So the original rally seems bad enough. However, they don't seem to be hosting a follow-up event in which they'll actually play the 'immigrant hunt' game. An email, supposedly from the Chairman of the YCT, denying involvement in this event is now going around:

Here's an update on the reported illegal immigrant hunt: The information you received is false. Somebody made this shit up, and I'm extremely pissed off. We're having a friggin' Texas Independence Day Celebration tomorrow....AND THAT'S IT!!! Cakes and Cookies and Lemonade!!! I got a hold of the original email that I'm guessing you received, and it was all lies. Email whoever sent you your information, and ask them to  research their information before they sent it ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES!!!
Lauren E.Conner
Chairman
Young Conservatives of Texas - UT Austin

Hate Crimes/Terror Politics

Posted on Wed Mar 02, 2005



Comments

What color were they going to wear for Canadians? Canadians are the second largest group (after Mexicans) of illegal immigrants in the United States.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  02:12 PM
I knew William Shatner was an alien.
Posted by artemys  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  02:47 PM
The above disclaimer, even if it is real, means nothing, because it purports to be from the Chairman of YCT at UT-Austin (the University of Texas at Austin). The report/rumor of the "Immigrant Hunt" dealt with the YCT chapter at the University of North Texas, in Denton. These are completely different universities, although they are both state-sponsored.
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  02:58 PM
Here in Southern California there's also a huge amount of British and Irish illegal immigrants. I know because my wife is British.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  03:03 PM
Your wife is illegal?
Why don't you petition for an "immediate relative" visa for her?
Posted by Big Gary C  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  03:34 PM
I had no idea young conservatives in Texas were so fond of exclamation points!!!!
Posted by Gee...  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  04:16 PM
This whole bit sounds to me like it was a hoax to smear YCT. It's sad that political discourse is sunk to this sort of bullshit.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  05:04 PM
Dear Lauren:

Live by the lie, die by the lie. Old Eastern European curse: "May your shit come to life and kiss you on the lips."

Now go. Don't you have someone more unfortunate than yourself to heap abuse on?

Yours truly,
Cranky Media Guy
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  07:23 PM
Holy crap! I go to UNT! (Honest to God I do!) This is truly fake. I'm sure if this were true, every undergrad on the damn campus would have been talking about it. Plus, there is no "West Mall" at UNT.
Posted by Sarah  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  08:54 PM
Great, now what am I going to do tonight!?!!!!!
Posted by Chadds Ford Prefect  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  09:04 PM
Well, there is a West HALL (could be a typo)...but if that is what they meant, West Hall is a dorm, so why (and how) would they "reserve space"? This dorm has limited access entry doors (you can only get in with a swipe card), so how would all these participants get in anyway? Definitely fake.
Posted by Sarah  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  09:07 PM
Gary, my wife is British, but not illegal. She has a green card. But I know that there are many, many Brits living illegally in So. Cal.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Wed Mar 02, 2005  at  09:33 PM
Nobody has mentioned the fact that they already held what sounds like one outlandishly stupid rally not long ago. I hope they get all the lambasting they can handle for there Texas hook em horn BS. Nothing against Texas, just it's neocon populace.
Posted by Cali Smiles  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  12:45 AM
It's easy to hunt illegal immigrants in FL...just follow the produce trucks. 😉
Posted by Maegan  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  04:57 AM
Well, Miss Lauren, Chairman of conservatives. How incredibly proper and conservative you have presented yourself in such a disclaimer. You should be wary of the words you use. When chosen poorly, even the truth can be taken as a lie. Considering your complete lack of professionalism in your reply, I'm almost willing to doubt your validity as a "Chairman" of any sort, much less the conservatives. I certainly hope you're taking english courses at that highly esteemed academic facility.
Posted by Tony Pax  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  07:32 AM
Alex said -But I know that there are many, many Brits living illegally in So. Cal.

Damn fogbacks takin' our jobs.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  07:35 AM
I was originally an illegal immigrant (from Canada - see Gary?) but did get my green card finally. This is the first year I'm eligible to go for citizenship.

When I was first here a friend of mine from Cuba used to call me wetback - drove me craazzzzy!
Posted by Winona  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  10:17 AM
Dear Lauren,
I live in New York City on the Lower East Side. I would love to have you stand in the middle of my block with a neon orange t-shirt that said 'YOUNG CONSERVATIVES OF TEXAS' on the front. (And
'CHAIRMAN' on the back for good measure.) Let's see what happens to YOU then!!! I am so happy that I live in downtown New York City and not anywhere near the likes of YOU and YOUR KIND!!! God bless the LES!!!
Love,
Electra
Young Liberal Hippie Artists of America
New York Chapter
Posted by Electra  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  10:52 AM
Going off on a tangent... don't you think it's wierd that Canadians CAN be illegal immigrants here? In Europe a French or Greek can work in Germany without a visa and vice versa, and they were at war only 50 years ago!

What do you think is more efficient? Trying to defend the 3000+ mile border between Canada and the US, or, what about collaborating with the Canadians on a common immigration/visa policy and spending all that money and effort securing our sea ports and airports instead of at the border which is easily crossed anyway? Seems obvious to me... Is that thinking outside the box TOO much?
Posted by brian  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  11:00 AM
Canadian chicks rule!! 😊 I say let as many in as want to...
Posted by Mark-N-Isa  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  11:42 AM
Hey Brian
As a Canadian I totally agree with you. The funny thing is there are an awful lot of Americans immigrating into Canada these days, many disillusioned at the course the U.S.has taken in recent years. A friend of mine who lives on one of the gulf islands here says he hasn't seen such an influx since Vietnam.
Personally I have family all over the U.S. I can't say I agree much with your president, then again I have a hard time agreeing with our government too...
Bloody politicians.
Posted by padego  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  04:54 PM
Electra; replace YCT with Muslim and see what your threat of violence really is. Any time someone starts talking about YOUR KIND the humanity of the speaker is diminished. Political discourse should not be replete with threats, that belongs to the KKK and the SA, not here.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Thu Mar 03, 2005  at  07:08 PM
As a Texan, I can assure you that Texas Republicans are more or less all douchebags, and deserve any kind of lambasting they get.

As long as the likes of Ann Coulter get to take money for going on allegedly reputable news channels like CNN and spewing their fascist hate-speech, the guerilla humor attacks will continue.

I heard a rumor that Lauren E. Conner can only have an orgasm if she kills a dog. E-mail everyone you know, the story has to be told.
Posted by Barghest  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  12:48 AM
Hey Chistopher Cole, it's Electra here. Um, I was just kidding in that 'Dear Lauren' letter. Let me explain the joke. I am using the words 'YOU and YOUR KIND' when refering to the YCT becuse I just figured that's the way THEY would talk about immigrants during their 'immigrant round up event.'
I'm pretty much right. On their website's message board, everyone says the most ignorant things and it is full of bragging about their 'illegal alien round up' & their anti-immigration ideas. There are only 2 women on their entire message board and posters call each other 'dude' & 'y'all.' It was like stepping into a neo-con sausage party at the frat house.
I was really disgusted and offended by the nature of their event. I indentify myself as a liberal hippie artist, see?
Maybe you're not too familiar with the Lower East Side of Manhattan? It's a neighborhood filled with all kinds of immigrants from myriad cultures. NYC was built by immigrants - legal or not. There are still so many illegal immigrants here and like it or not they keep this city running. (Every see the movie 'A Day Without A Mexican.' It's kinda like that.)
SO, in conclusion I just thought it would be fun to funny to hypothetically drop the YCT kids in the middle of my block & have all the immigrants (-Illegal and otherwise, because let's face it, I read a lot of anti-immigration retoric, PERIOD-) play their game of Texas Round Up in reverse. Yee Haw!
Um, so once again as an ultra liberal hippie NYC artist people like the YCT really get under my skin. So please don't equate my 'threats' with the KKK or the SA (I don't even know what the SA is!)
The letter was a parody of Lauren's letter. It's called humor.
-Electra
P.S. Barghest, I know a handful of cool Texans who say the same thing, and I certainly don't want to equate YOUR KIND (COOL Texans) with THEIR KIND (fascist neo-cons! But hearing stories like this does make me grateful I live in my beloved NYC.
Posted by Electra (I had this name before that stupid movie  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  12:44 PM
Also Mr. Cole,
I believe this medium (MOH) belongs to / is moderated by Alex so it's more likely up to him what does and does not belong here. If hers, or anyone's, comments are out of line then he would take the appropriate action. Plus, with this forum being located in the good ole USA we have this thing here called free speech. Just because you don't like the way somebody says something doesn't mean that they don't still have the right to say it. (Left or Right, Pro or Con, Smart or Stupid, it all has the right to be spoken) Which is why STUPID groups such as KKK are legal and we'll just have to put up with the trash they spew. It's a side-effect of free speech... everyone has the right to say anything they want... even if it's a joke that you, or someone else doesn't quite get... 😉
Posted by Mark-N-Isa  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  01:42 PM
I was objecting to the fact that political discourse has become the intellectual equivalent of a bunch of 2-year-olds throwing temper tantrums in the yard. If you wish to disagree with the YCT, fine, just remember that it is counter-productive to demean the discourse. There are plenty of liberal groups that could stand just as sound a drubbing. And for those that do not know, what an indictment on the education system that is, the SA were the Brown Shirts of Nazi Germany - the SA being the initials of Storm Trooper in German. Free speech does not protect libel or slander, and it never has. Attacks like this from people who, as good liberals, proclaim tolerance and respect for others reduces the credibility of their arguments. I've lost too many relatives to hate to like hearing this junk form anyone. All it takes for evil to suceed is for good people to do nothing.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  02:47 PM
No one said free speech protects slander or libel, but it does guarantee your right to throw a temper tantrum like a 2-year old if you so wish. Unless you are someone's (this persons') parent you have no right to tell them how to act. No one said that, in essence, you aren't correct about it being demeaning or not contributing to the effort. Just that it's not up to you whether or not someone else acts juvenile. What are you the world parent police? It's not even your business if they are guilty of slander or libel unless it's directed at you or your estate. You cannot sue someone for libel commited on a third party that's not connected to you... and your not her boss. You didn't get her irony or joke or whatever... PS - If you live in America you will have to hear plenty more of this junk and much worse because that's another side effect of free speech. Even those who are WRONG can still speak their piece. You need to make peace with that and quit worrying about how strangers present themselves. You may not like the way other (mainly me) come off to the world, but what about the way you come off to the world Mr. Bossy?
😊
Posted by Mark-N-Isa  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  03:48 PM
Ann Coulter is a Texan?

Oh, great, as if I didn't feel bad enough already.
Posted by Gary in Dallas  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  05:46 PM
"Free speech" protects you from the government, not from a retort to your tantrums. And it works both ways. I am SO tired of people spewing hate and then, when politely confronted or corrected, whining about how their right to free speech has been infringed upon.

And, as to the 'world parent police' comment -- this world would be a much better place if more people would stand up and tell overly-indulgent parents to control their children.
Posted by Tl  on  Fri Mar 04, 2005  at  06:59 PM
Yeah, you know...It's so wrong to actually investigate, arrest & deport people who are illegally in this country. Shame on you! Shame! It doesn't matter that they cause an undue burden on our health care system, our education system, our transportation system, our law enforcement agencies & a number of other areas.

Sheesh...if illegal aliens are now called "Undocumented workers," what are illegal drugs? "Undocumented pharmaceuticals"?
Posted by Anonymous  on  Sat Mar 05, 2005  at  11:18 AM
Anyone else familiar with the technical term "Black Propaganda" here? For those who are not familiar with the term, it has been around for at least 60 years and the concept much longer, it refers to propaganda which is presented by group A pretending to be from group B and is used to discredit group B. "White Propaganda" in contrast is honest propaganda from group A presenting an argument in favor of group A. Liberals say they are in favor of tolerance, accepting of divergent points of view, refusing to lump people into groups, etc. Given the comments by Electra and so forth, wich comes closest to describing those comments? If they are indeed liberals, why are they being so counter-productive and acting so contrary to their stated beliefs? If they was to use the free speech argument, which they seem to want to deny me, then I suggest they stop acting like spoiled 2-year-olds and start acting in a way to advance the liberal cause.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Sat Mar 05, 2005  at  11:54 AM
Chrisotopher Cole, you are really blowing this crazily out of proportion. I don't want to turn Museum of Hoaxes into a place for this but you have posted about this 3 X now. Let it go. And if you can't let it go, leave my name out of it. I will hopefully explain myself to you once again. According to you, I have misused 'Liberal'. I will officially retract it if it makes you shut up about 'Black Proganda' and the like, because it's getting really hard to follow your line of reasoning.
I'm not going to argue about the exact definition of liberal. I am an artist, activist, rabid recycler, devout vegetarian, advocate for the elderly and disadvantaged. All I know is that some people call people like me & my friends liberals and I am not offended by that terminology. That's it. If you go to sights like liberalhearts.com they 'unite animal lovers, environmentalists, Greens, Dems, etc.' So I retract 'liberal' from that post. Who cares? That word doesn't change who I am either way.
I wasn't lambasting YCT out of the blue, I was LAMBASTING BACK. They stand for rascist intolerance - something I can't stand. (See, they are even classified in Museum of Hoaxes under 'hate crimes.') I would never replace 'YCT' with 'Muslim' in my parody letter because that wouldn't make any sense! I was specifically lambasting the YCT for their hatred and intolerence. I actually really am sorry that you lost many relatives to hate. That is terrible. But stop personalizing this towards me. I 'demean the discourse' of groups like the YCT, because that is my opinion. Just like hatred is their's. According to you it's counter-productive to demean the discourse but me & my immigrant family & immigrant neghborhood find it really offensive so I shot back at them. That's all.
Posted by Electra  on  Sat Mar 05, 2005  at  06:32 PM
Christopher Cole was in the military, based on what he's said on other threads. Which means he can't think for himself--he's been brainwashed to support the fascist Republicans no matter how wrong they are.

I guess when you earn your college money by killing babies with an assault rifle, you believe whatever you need to believe to let yourself sleep at night.
Posted by Barghest  on  Mon Mar 07, 2005  at  08:08 PM
Barghest, do you have any data to sup0port your lie that all the military support Republicans? While on active duty I knew about as many Democrats as Republicans with a fair smattering of other parties/apolitical. Since I deduce you have never been on active duty your supposition is based upon sheer bigotry. I have been discriminated against, shot at, spat at and I habve had death threats both day and night, I have had people pull their children away from me while I was walking down the street; co-workers and fellow students were killed, as well as all of the above and more. It never made any difference what their politics were, they were the targets of hate-mongers like you. And, I still put my body between you and the enimies of this country, and will continue to do so until I am dead. I was a liberal probably long before you were born, I started my political life supporting LBJ. But I doubt you would give a used tinker's dam about anything or anyone that doesn't march in goose-step with you.

Christopher Cole, TSgt USAF, Ret
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  04:21 PM
And also, Barghest, review the legal concept of fighting words. You will discover why your little rant probably would not qualify as free speech.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  04:38 PM
Hey Chris, more power to ya, but... people don't have to serve in the military to be able to express themselves. It's a God-given right, and our thanks for protecting that.
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  04:59 PM
Plus, the whole "Them's fightin' words" mentality is what this is all about: Outrage at a hoax that may reflect Miltant Supremacist Texan midsets (present company excepted)
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  05:02 PM
Is this the same guy with the sister "Allegra?"

😊
Posted by Mark-N-Isa  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  05:23 PM
Allegra? No... my sister's name is Hairiet.
Posted by Hairy Houdini  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  05:55 PM
Go back and take another look at that thread, I said it was a bad joke.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  06:09 PM
Harry Houdini, you are welcome. The concept of fighting words goes back to a Supreme Court decision, to quote THE OXFORD GUIDE TO UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT DECISIONS it is "Chaplinsky v New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942), argued 5 Feb. 1942, decided 9 Mar. 1942 by vote of 9 to 0; Murpht for the court." This decision is the foundation for all Hate Crime legislation.

On a side note, while hunting this down, I ran across something that should make Barghest very happy if Barghest is a male over the age of 17 with certain other qualifiers. He is in hte military as defined by 10 USC Chapter 13, paragraphs 311 and 312. Not on active duty, but the militia.
Posted by Christopher Cole  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  08:49 PM
Barghest, I'm not quite sure what's provoked you so much, but you need to stay civil. That means if you disagree with Christopher do so without becoming abusive or threatening. I deleted your last post because it crossed way over the line.
Posted by The Curator  in  San Diego  on  Tue Mar 08, 2005  at  10:18 PM
why do progressives lie?

i was hoping that this category would be more complete with he accountings of hate crime hoaxes. instead there's only a couple. probably better than nine in ten reported hate crimes are hoaxes.

here, there is no mention of alicia hardin who faked racist letters and posted them on the dorm doors of interracial couples in order to scare her parents into pulling her out of school. when the smoke cleared, jesse jackson, who had encamped himself at the university, said something like, "its terrible that there is so much racism that this would've seemed like a genuine incident!"

fake but accurate. progressives lie, but no one calls them liars. they slander campus conservatives, but when the slander is exposed, the slander sticks and the perpetrators remain lionized victims of "political repression." you see, by the formulation of "fake but accurate," any attempt to correct a lie told by a progressive is slapped down as an attack against the speaking of "larger truths." but how can a "larger truth" be composed of component lies?

wtf?
Posted by jummy  on  Fri Mar 17, 2006  at  12:18 PM
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