Muslim groups, supporters denounce racist governor’s attacks
By
Bryan G. Pfeifer
Boston
Published Sep 23, 2005 9:51 PM
Massachusetts Gov. Mitt
Romney, speaking at the right-wing Heritage Foundation’s national office
in Washington D.C. declared on Sept. 14, “How many individuals are coming
to our state and going to those institutions who have come from
terrorist-sponsored states?” He was referring to international students
who attend the 120 colleges and universities in Massachusetts. “Do we know
where they are? Are we tracking them?”
He added, “How about
people who are in settings, mosques for instance, that may be teaching doctrines
of hate and terror. Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping? Are we following
what’s going on?” He also called for the
“monitoring” and “tracking” of immigrants.
(www.boston.com)
Romney called for even more wholesale repression than
current provisions in the Patriot Act, which already allows for the monitoring
of international students and the violation of scores of civil liberties.
Furious over Romney’s racist, chauvinist and terrorist attacks, the
Muslim Amer ican Society immediately issued a press release denouncing Romney
and called for a press conference at the governor’s office Sept. 16. The
Boston chapter of the Mus lim American Society Freedom Founda tion sponsored the
action with the Islamic Society of Boston, the American Arab Anti-Discrimination
Committee, the Mas sachusetts Immigration Refugee Advo cacy Coalition, the
American Civil Liberties Union and the American Friends Service
Committee.(www.masnet.org)
A Romney spokesperson accepted a letter of
protest from the delegation but told them the governor refuses to retract his
comments. Romney himself repeated this throughout the Sept. 16 weekend at
various press conferences and other events. He even appeared on Fox’s
“The O’Reilly Factor” Sept. 16.
This most recent
declaration of war by Romney follows on the heels of scores of attacks against
progressive and revolutionary individuals and organizations during his term and
before.
Romney supports the death penalty, mandatory and so-called
“three strikes” sentencing, school vouchers, welfare
‘reform,’ and deregulation. He is anti-abortion and viciously
anti-union.
Romney, in his zeal to abolish same-sex marriage in
Massachusetts—the only state to legalize this legal and human
right—works closely with organizations such as “Focus on the
Family” and the “Family Research Council”.
He has
worked closely with the Depart ment of Homeland Security and other repres sive
agencies to build a “fusion center,” in Framingham, Mass. where a
high percentage of Afro-Brazilians reside. This “center” is a
clearinghouse where all forms of local, state and national repressive agencies
work in tandem to terrorize the working class and oppressed through eaves
dropping, wiretapping, video monitoring and the like. A similar command center
was built before the 2004 Demo cratic National Conven tion in downtown Boston at
the Massa chusetts Bay Trans portation Authority with the full complicity of the
Democratic Party.
Countering racist reaction with a
people’s movement!
It is no coincidence that Romney and other
Heritage Foundation protégés like Edwin Meese III are now
increasingly whipping up racist and chauvinist hysteria at a time of increasing
unity between the working class and nationally oppres sed in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina and the building of a movement against the U.S. wars abroad
and at home.
Heritage is the most well-funded right-wing think tank
receiving most of its capital from the pro-John Birch Society, Mil wau
kee-based Bradley Foundation and is the most politically connected to the White
House and Congress. The Foun dation’s blueprint for the “reconstruc
tion” of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area reads like a capitalist
vulture’s wildest dreams. (www.mediatransparency.org) (www.heritage.org)
They are the real terrorists.
In order for these parasites to profit off
the misery, death and destruction of millions of working class and oppressed
people in this country and internationally they must sell fear, sow division and
fracture any unity and solidarity that exists for an independent multinational
class-wide people’s movement to arise and consistently move forward.
Romney, as well as scores of Repub licans and Democrats alike, despite
their various orientations, are fast scrambling to forestall this type of
movement especially after the hurricane nakedly exposed before the whole world
the utter failure of the capitalist system.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
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