Pro-immigrant activist Dennis Gilman's video of the nativists' May Day clambake.
Dennis Gilman, the bad-boy of the local pro-immigrant community, recently posted the video above of Rusty Childress' 2008 May Day demonstration at the state capitol, one I blogged about, here. This gathering of some 50 persons was attended by members of hate groups like Riders Against Illegal Aliens and United for a Sovereign America. It was supposed to be a counterdemonstration to a pro-immigration march, though there was no such march scheduled. (Whoops.) The demo was also meant as a sort of kick-off wing-ding for the recall of Mayor Phil Gordon by the PHX's anti-immigrant moonhowlers.
Gilman crashed the event, lending some tension to the otherwise dull happening. In fact, Gilman got the knuckledraggers so riled that the capitol police had to pull him aside at one point, likely for fear that the nativist knaves were about to jump him.
In his video, Gilman rightly wonders why anyone with two licks of sense would sign a recall petition circulated by these aggro losers, especially considering the way they were carrying around a sign with Gilman's name, address and phone number on it. (What do you think they might do with your address, should you sign their petition?) The video's almost like an episode of The Beverly Hillbillies, minus the mansion. What kills me is the way these goons wrap themselves in Old Glory to help rationalize their xenophobia and hatred. The Confederate battle flag would be more appropriate for their cause.
The portly, hirsute guy in the red-white-and-blue do-rag who's pointing to the placard with Gilman's address on it is Buck Young, founder of the anti-immigrant bike group Riders Against Illegal Aliens. According to Childress' immigrationbuzz.com, Young was killed in a motorcycle accident just days after this video was shot, ironically on the evening of Cinco de Mayo. The immigrationbuzz.com item links to news reports about the collision, though these reports do not mention names. Apparently, Young was pinned under the car he crashed into, and died at the scene. Each news item mentions that neither Young nor the other driver were impaired in any way.
The guy was certainly a character, and I had relatively civil conversations with him on a couple of occasions. What he chose to stand for, however, was particularly pernicious. I mean, just look at the cartoon on his site, where a motorcyclist is chasing a brown guy with a bandanna on. Reminds me of that line from The Bard, "The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones."
Couple more points about Gilman's video: He uses images of J.T. Ready and Russell Pearce for effect. It's worth mentioning for the record, however, that the photo of them together and of J.T. at the Nazi rally, are not from this year's May Day event. Also, Gilman states that Elton Hall is mentioned in neo-Nazi publications. Actually, he's mentioned in scholarly works about the white supremacist movement. Hall was once an organizer for George Lincoln Rockwell's American Nazi Party. Because of that, he's lionized by young skinheads to this day. Finally, Gilman's video and his opinions are his own. I first saw the video after Gilman posted it to YouTube. It's worth watching for the footage of the May Day stuff alone, I think.
Lastly, in today's nativist watch, check out the exchange below between Keith "Loose Screw" Lefebvre, the so-called "State Media Liason [sic]" for American Citizens United, the group trying to recall Phil, and Republican activist Bob Haran. You'll remember that last week Haran denounced the recall as futile and separated himself from the group, which he helped found along with anti-Hispanic Hispanic Anna Gaines. Haran seems like a class act to me. Lefebvre, not so much. If this is the guy you choose to be your media spokesman, you're in some deep doo-doo. Lefebvre can't seem to communicate without threatening someone. Hardly a quality you want in a PR flack, even an amateur one.
In any case, Lefebvre himself is but one more reason why this recall is a joke, and doomed to failure. It should be noted that Haran served in combat during the Vietnam War as a U.S. Marine, making Lefebvre's e-mail that much more scurrilous.
From [email protected] 5/5/2008 9:11 AM Good morning Bob,
Just a quick note to point out that your letter posted in the New Times was nothing less than a cowardly traitorous act on your part, in my humble opinion.
You and people like you that have allowed their ego to overcome their patriotism are a disgrace to those that continue their efforts with a clear conscious.
It is no wonder that so many consider you a "has been" that never was.
Just one mans observation, I wish you many sleepless nights.
Bob Haran's reply:
No, I just did it because I didn't know some of these people claiming to represent American Citizens United. But now that I have some correspondence from you, after you made fools of yourself and the organization I named and wrote the mission statement for, I see I made a good decision because I sure the hell wouldn't want my good name connected with someone of your mentality.
The fact is genius, you never would have been able to recall the mayor of Phoenix, and you would have done the movement more harm then good by being soundly defeated by someone seen as representing the pro-immigration side of the issue, to say nothing of dividing the community further between Anglo and Hispanic. But you probable would enjoy that, maybe even spill a little blood on the streets of Phoenix.
The next time you steal an organization's name, please let the president of that organization knows you're going to do something stupid before you hold a press conference claiming to represent that organization.
If you want to know what's holding back the immigration control movement, look in the mirror.
And just for the fun of it, just because you sound like you're some sort of Nazi or white supremacist, and because I never herd of you before, I think I'll share you're stupid comments with the press, just incase something happens to me because you sound like you just got out of the penitentiary and that's the only way you know how to fight politically.
BOB HARAN, Phoenix
To you guys in the press, I don't know who this wacko is but I have seen his name in some news reports regarding the Gordon recall. Some real idiots have been trying to hitch-hike on the immigration issue to advance their racist agenda, that's why we formed American Citizens United, to get away from people like that. I don't know what the agenda of this nut case is, but if something nefarious should become me, you might have a scoop. I've had many political differences with people but I never got anything like this before.
