[Announce] A dark day for Oklahoma

[Robert Waldrop]

April 17, 2007

A Dark Day for Oklahoma

Yesterday the Oklahoma Senate passed HB 1804 - the "Oklahoma Citizens and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2007", which criminalizes the Works of Mercy in the State of Oklahoma when the recipient is an "illegal alien". The bill passed with "veto-proof" majorities in both houses and had strong support from both Democrats and Republicans, thus once again proving the old adage that there isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two major parties.

"A. It shall be unlawful for any person to transport, move, or attempt to transport within the United States any alien knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that the alien has come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law, in furtherance of the illegal presence of the alien in the United States. "

"B. It shall be unlawful for any person to conceal, harbor, or shelter from detection any alien in any place, including any building or means of transportation, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that the alien has come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law."

It's not unusual for me to get a request to give someone a ride - maybe to the hospital, maybe to a doctor's appointment, or to a store. When this law takes effect, that will become a crime if the person is someone the State would call an "illegal alien". 

The bill's author, known anti-Catholic bigot Representative Terrill, says it doesn't apply to this kind of "illicit" activity, but the bill doesn't say that. It says "in furtherance of the illegal presence of the alien in the United States" and "in reckless disregard of the fact that the alien has come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law" - these are loopholes big enough to drive a truckload of prosecutors through. 

We never ask for ID, and we never will ask for ID, and we will never ever under any circumstances cooperate in any way, shape, manner or form with this wicked, demonic, and evil law - we have said this publicly in the past and we will continue to say this publicly. . . . and that certainly could be construed as "recklessly" disregarding the person's immigration status, and taking someone to the hospital could certainly be construed as "furtherance" of their "illegal presence" in the US of A. 

Now that I think about it, I myself am an "illegal alien". I am a citizen of the United States of America, a constitutional republic which protects the rights of citizens to practice their religion. I am obviously not a citizen of whatever government would pass demonic legislation such as this. I guess I should be repatriated, but alas, it seems as though the US of A is no longer in existence, having been replaced by a vicious military empire that uses race to divide and conquer the electorate and thus secure its power and wealth.

I am a native, 4th generation Oklahoman. Oklahoma politics have always had a strong racist theme. Back in the 1920s, there was practically a civil war in this state as the Ku Klux Klan waged a terrorist campaign against Native Americans, African Americans, Catholics, and others it deemed "undesirable". They elected a governor and legislature. Oklahoma fought strongly against the Civil Rights movement. We were as slow as could be to integrate our schools. In revenge for the successes of the Civil Rights movement, Oklahoma City political and economic leaders waged a due process riot against African Americans, and destroyed the historic heart of that community, the Deep Deuce, using "eminent domain" and much bloated rhetoric about "urban renewal" to cover the essentially racist nature of their crusade.

In the 1980s and 1990s, it was no longer possible to be openly racist and get elected, so the targets of our racism were shifted. The demagogues ranted and raved about welfare mothers and trans-generational dependency. It was all dressed up in modern language, but it was the same vicious racism from the same vicious racists (or their kids) of twenty years previously.

Now we have a new scapegoat - "illegal immigrants" - and the white-sheet crowd is howling with joy at their success with criminalizing people by race. The essentially demonic nature of the crusade is self-evident. It makes the Works of Mercy, mandated by Christ in the 25th chapter of the book of Matthew, a crime if the Jesus we seek to help is a foreigner. We should recall his words to those who are condemned to hell - "I was a stranger" - that's XENOS in the original Greek, and it means foreigner - "and YOU DID NOT TAKE ME IN. Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels."

Jesus said it, I believe it, that settles it. But the Oklahoma Legislature obviously doesn't. Drunk with power, derelict in their duty, they ignore pressing and important problems and to cover up for their failures and incompetence, they pass laws like this and think they've done their job. They are blind guides leading the blind, and the only place they can lead us is to the ash heap of history.

God help the state of Oklahoma.

Bob Waldrop

Oscar Romero Catholic Worker House

www.justpeace.org/onpilgrimage.htm 


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