Mayor George Darden, of Spring Valley, New York, is a Democrat who has been caught hiring illegal immigrants to work for his suburban village but you wouldn't know he is a Democrat by the coverage his story is getting. In fact, of the several stories thus far, not one even mentions his Party. But, an even bigger mystery is why this story isn't getting wider notice?
On the 17th this story of a Mayor of a New York city personally approaching illegal immigrants on street corners and hiring them to work for the village was first reported in local papers. It seems awfully shocking that an elected official would personally violate so many US immigration and work laws all at one time, yet no mention of the man's Party has surfaced nor have we heard much from this story on a national level. How much hype would this story get from the AP, do you imagine, if this Mayor had been a Republican? And why has several days gone by with so few MSM outlets picking this story up? Perhaps that this Mayor isn't a Republican the national media finds it less than compelling?
In any case, here is the meat of the thing:
Darden spoke after The Journal News reported that Felix Sandoval, an undocumented day laborer from Guatemala, identified Darden as the man who hired him and several friends for demolition work.
"He came on Sunday in his suit," Sandoval said. "He came and he said to me, 'Do you work?' ... He gave me a paper with how much he was going to pay us" _ $10 an hour.
Asked if he was sure it was Darden, Sandoval said yes and produced one of the mayor's business cards from his wallet, the report said. The Journal News had first reported on Tuesday that illegal immigrants had been hired by the village for the project.
Seriously, imagine if this was a Republican Mayor?
But he is not. He is a Democrat, not that this fact seems to make it into any of the stories.
The AP starts their coverage with no mention of the Mayor's Party, nor any mention throughout.
SPRING VALLEY, N.Y. -- The mayor of a suburban village refused Thursday to address a report that he had personally recruited illegal immigrants for a public works project. He denied, however, that any such immigrants had been hired "intentionally and knowingly."
The AP's short report doesn't mention Darden is a Democrat, either.
The New York Journal News has a few stories and none of them mention the Mayor's Party affiliation, granted they are a local paper and people would presumably already know this Mayor's Party.
Spring Valley hires undocumented workers for project
Dept. of Labor will look into Spring Valley's hiring of illegal immigrants
But, I have yet to see this story on a wider release. This one seems a naturally topical story about immigration, their illegal working, taxes... any number of topics relevant to one of today's hot button issues. But, so far, little to nothing is seen on a larger scale release.
Don't you wonder why that is?
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
While his party
July 20, 2007 - 07:00 ET by BeowulfWhile his party affiliation is of interest, the main issue here is an elected official, one of the people whose mandate is to UPHOLD the law, has apparently been caught BREAKING it. I don't care what party he's in, he should be immediately investigated and, if this story is true, he should not only be relieved of his position, he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Special priveledge goes both ways. He is supposed to be both more knowledgeable of the law, and he is expected to be more responsible to the people of his community than average citizens. My perspective applies equally to ALL elected officials, the same as for law enforcement officers. They know better, there are higher expectations for them, and when they betray the trust placed in them, they should be dealt with harshly.
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
Warner & Masthead, may I
July 20, 2007 - 07:00 ET by sarcasmoWarner & Masthead, may I suggest this kind of bias be given its own NB category? I'd want you to name it "Journalism 101," but you guys will probably name it something like "bias in lack of party identification." Regardless, it's been happening a LOT, and whatever we've been doing isn't slowing it down, much less stopping it. More times than I can recall since I've been here. As we've seen, I can holler-out from here, without result, taunting Journalism School professors about how pervasive this problem is in the supposedly-unbiased media, or how this form of bias is especially anti-Libertarian/anti-Green, because everyone knows the media would instantly name a minor party, every time. And I'm sure if the MRC did a real study of this form of bias, we'd find just what we've been seeing here over & over, which is that it's also anti-Republican, but the point to make ISN'T to stop naming Republican crooks, it's to START doing the basic journalism of political party identification without regard to the party in question, for a change.
JMR
Aiding and Abetting
July 20, 2007 - 07:27 ET by StokeyBobThese are the same people that find the deportation of one
impossible.
We never had a problem getting honest people to come in and
work when we really needed them. Sacrificing the nation so some snobs can have
their illegal labor is out of the question!
We may have to kiss the keisters of the illegal invaders, it
is still a felony to aid and abet them.
If some honest men and women, in law enforcement, would go
after the lowlifes in the government, business and the general population that
have been aiding and abetting them, by the time they had enough of a handle on
it to raise their heads from the job and look around I don’t think many illegal
aliens would still be left.
We don’t need any new laws to do this either. Just some
honest men and women that take their oaths of office seriously!
Meanwhile, in New Haven, CT illegals will be issued official IDs
July 20, 2007 - 07:44 ET by Prester JohnNew Haven To Test New Way Of Dealing With Illegal Immigration Aimed At Integration
New Haven, CT - A program approved last month by the Board of Aldermen for the city of New Haven, Connecticut, will officially go into effect July 25, when thousands of local undocumented immigrants are issued legitimate U.S. identification cards. The program, approved by a 25-1 vote, runs contrary to a growing national trend in which localities are attempting to curb illegal immigration through punitive measures, such as arrest, deportation and exclusion from public services.
The program is believed to be the first of it's kind in the nation.
The ID cards will be issued in an attempt to curb local crime by making undocumented immigrants more likely to report crimes or cooperate with local authorities. They will also allow them the opportunity to establish bank accounts, access local libraries and enjoy other public services that officials hope will help them integrate into the community and avoid becoming the target of robberies and other crimes.
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7007942682
So, when they come to sign
July 20, 2007 - 08:06 ET by Warner Todd HustonSo, when they come to sign up can we have an INS officer there to say, "Thanks for stopping by, now could you step into that cell over there for being an illegal alien?"