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Groups decry local GOP member's quotes as racist
A Columbia County Republican Party resolution against "illegal aliens" has immigrant rights groups furious, Democrats eager to score political points and the new state GOP chairman trying to set the record straight that his party is the party of all people.

The "groups" decrying the local GOP member consist of:

A) The Oregon Democrats

B) PCUN, the union for illegal alien farmworkers

C) Vance Day, the Republican party chairman

D) Colleen DeShazer, the Columbia County Republican treasurer

Bob Tosh's offending comments:
"We see more and more crime articles in the paper with Gomez, Martinez, Ramirez and whatever Hispanic name you might see."

For a little perspective, this is from the PCUN website:
HB 2313
Allows longer sentence upon conviction of crime if defendant is a street gang member
PCUN position: OPPOSE

It's laughable that PCUN opposes longer sentences for gang members (Hispanic) then cries "racisim" when someone points out that a disproportionate number of news stories with arrests have people with Hispanic surnames. (I'm sure that the Fishwrappers have all received the memo at this point to not report on any arrests of Hispanics now.)

What's more laughable is that the Republican leadership will stab a party member in the back as soon as some Democrat or left wing group makes the "racist" charge. Especially when I believe that a good majority of all Oregonians, let alone Republican Oregonians, agree with what Tosh stated.

But Vance Day and Colleen DeShazer got their mention in the paper and all they had to do for it was sell their souls.

This is a letter I sent to Day, I will post his response if/when he sends one.
Dear Mr. Day,

I was very disappointed, but not surprised, to see your denunciation of Bob Tosh's remarks concerning illegal aliens. Disappointed because what he said was absolutely accurate, important for the context of the illegal alien resolution passed, and not racist in any way. Not surprised because it is standard fair that a Republican says something, the democrats or some left wing group screams "racist" and then the media waits for the Republicans to line up to denounce him/her and get some press time.

Who exactly are you trying to impress by telling the Oregonian that what Mr. Tosh said "was absolutely wrong."? If you want to admonish party members then please do it privately. We don't need to pander to the likes of PCUN and we certainly don't need to respond to the Dems who will continue to use this name-calling tactic because Republicans continue to allow it to be effective.

And if I lived in Columbia County I would make it my mission in life to see that Colleen "the resolution goes too far" DeShazer would not have her post as treasurer. It's bad enough that we can't get any Republican officials to stand up for a fellow party member when they get the "racist" charge thrown at them, but people like DeShazer offer great sound bites for election time commercials run by the opposition.

Please do us Oregon Republicans a favor and explain to me exactly what was factually incorrect or inappropriate about Mr. Tosh's comments. I would suggest for some comparison that you turn to the Fishwrapper's editorial page and look at the cartoon by Jim Borgman with the "white male perspective" comment and the "Could I be any Whiter" writing.

I also would like to see the Columbia County resolution on illegal aliens become the Republican's statewide position on the issue.

Daniel

Email: vddpc@aol.com