I don't normally just throw up press releases on the blog, but as the following one from the Arizona Anti-Defamation League deals with neo-Nazi J.T. Ready's ongoing "illegal alien" patrols in the desert, I think it's worth repeating here verbatim.
The ADL release, dated yesterday, condemns "law enforcement by neo-Nazis," and criticizes the lack of community outrage over the matter. It also praises Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu's response to the patrols. He was not exactly welcoming to the neo-Nazis, you see.
As you know, the story broke yesterday that Babeu gave an interview to a white supremacist radio program. Babeu's flack Tim Gaffney took the blame for booking Babeu on the show.
Arizona ADL regional director Bill Straus told me his press statement went out before word of Babeu's gaffe had hit the Internet. He thinks Babeu should do a little more research before granting interviews to such outlets as The Political Cesspool.
"He does seem to be embarrassed," Straus said of Babeu. "And apologetic. And I think that's warranted."
I received an e-mail from Gaffney late Tuesday with a statement from Babeu himself. This is what the sheriff had to say:
"I regret ever calling into this Tennessee radio show. I had no idea about the nature of this group. Personally and professionally I reject bigotry or hate in any form. I stand by my strong record supporting the rule of law."
Seems Babeu is beginning to realize just what kind of "cesspool" he stepped into...
The content of Gaffney's e-mail is given below the ADL release.
ADL's statement on J.T. Ready:
Phoenix, AZ, July 20, 2010.....The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today condemned the recent activities of neo-Nazi J.T. Ready and his "citizen patrols" of the border, and lamented the lack of community outrage over those patrols. Ready has long held ties with neo-Nazi groups, most recently the National Socialist Movement (NSM), a group ADL calls one of the largest of its kind in America. The NSM clings to an ideology that only non-Jewish, white heterosexuals should be American citizens and that everyone who isn't white should leave the country "peacefully or by force."
Bill Straus, the ADL Arizona Regional Director, and Miriam Weisman, Regional Board Chair, issued the following statement:
"ADL is always concerned when insufficiently trained or untrained groups take it upon themselves to enforce our laws. But when those groups are directed by J.T. Ready, or anyone who for that matter adheres to such a hateful ideology, that concern is heightened, and the potential for violence escalates, appreciably. ADL is also profoundly disappointed at the lack of community outrage over this despicable situation.Regardless of where one stands on the issue of illegal immigration, our hope would be that the community can at least come together in condemning law enforcement by neo-Nazis."
At the same time it condemned Ready and the patrols, the ADL commended Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu for his weekend comments discouraging Ready and "those who espouse hatred or bigotry such as his" from continuing the patrols.
See ADL's website for information on the National Socialist Movement: NSM.
E-mail from Tim Gaffney, Sheriff Babeu's PIO:
Good evening. Below is a quote from Sheriff Babeu regarding the WLRM Radio Interview that I sent the press release out on last night. Let me know if you have any questions. Tim
"I regret ever calling into this Tennessee radio show. I had no idea about the nature of this group. Personally and professionally I reject bigotry or hate in any form. I stand by my strong record supporting the rule of law."
Sheriff Babeu has publicly condemned an Arizona white nationalist group led by J.T. Reedy, when they announced their armed desert patrols in Pinal County, which is known for uncontrolled drug and human smuggling.
Pinal County Sheriff warns Vigilante groups to stop patrols
http://www.sheriffpaul.com/news/2010/Jul17pc_sheriff_warns_vigilante_groups_stop_patrols.aspx
Countless times, our Pinal County Deputies have risked their lives to save illegal immigrants, we never ask their citizenship or color of their skin. We are not only enforcers of the law and protectors, we are also rescuers and emergency responders.
Search and Rescue save nine individuals abandoned in the desert by smugglers
http://www.sheriffpaul.com/news/2010/Jul17pc_sheriff_warns_vigilante_groups_stop_patrols.aspx
