Farrakhan: Mexican President Was Right

[Freddie Stubbs]

The Associated Press
Monday, August 15, 2005; 10:37 AM



MILWAUKEE -- Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan said Mexican President Vicente Fox was right to say that Mexican immigrants take jobs "that not even blacks want."

Although Fox was sharply criticized for his remarks by some black leaders, Farrakhan said Sunday that blacks do not want to go to farms and pick fruit because they already "picked enough cotton."

"Why are you so foolishly sensitive when somebody is telling you the truth?" he asked the crowd at Mercy Memorial Baptist Church. He said blacks and Latinos should form an alliance to correct differences and animosity between the two communities.

Civil rights leaders including Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton have called on Fox to apologize for the remark. Fox has said he was commenting on the contributions that Mexicans make to the United States, and did not mean any offense.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/15/AR2005081500412_pf.html

[Zorra]

1. I doubt that blacks could get a job picking fruit anyway.

The jobs are already taken by undocumented workers who work for peanuts and have no leverage to complain about mistreatment, poor working conditions, lack of regulation, or working in toxic pesticides.

These companies don't want outsiders coming in - to them, outsiders are workers that have the rights and protections of an American citizen.

[saigon68]

2. So True

Corporations could care less if the corn picker takes off Juan's foot

[alarcojon]

3. Well, at least I agree with Farrakhan on one thing

That "blacks and Latinos should form an alliance to correct differences and animosity between the two communities." Together we form a quarter of the population!

[Delphinus]

9. I agree.

I think Farrakhan is a bit extreme for even my taste, but this is key. What we all need to remember is that old adage: united we stand, divided we fall.

[donheld]

15. The Honorable Minister Farrakhan is right about many things.

IMHO if he could just get passed his homophobia he might get much more of my attention.

[alarcojon]

16. and his anti-Semitism

That's the one which bugs me the most.

[Tyranny_R_US]

4. I thought they have machines to pick cotton now and....

as for picking fruit there is alot of young people who will be more than happy to work on farms for the summer or until they can do better in life. The fact is if you are an "american" and try to work on these farms they are not going to hire you I'm sure alot of people wouldnt mind working for a short amount of time instead of being for example homeless or in prison. My brother (Who is african american like myself) works in a kitchen washing dishes among other things in Washington DC and there is no shame in what he does.

I will admit I used to have a little repect for Eugene Walcott (Louis Farrakhan) because I thought he was the very few well known african american leaders who stood for something and actually cared about the state of his people but after reading this I've lost all respect for him.

[K-W]

5. Not to mention that if we actually had a free market,

these jobs would command pay and benefits to compensate for the undesirability of the work.

[alarcojon]

6. Great point! eom

[Vasmosn]

7. I don't know....

...I live in the rural south and teach high school. I know a lot of kids that have ample opportunity to work on a farm but won't. They would prefer to work inside in McDonald's or Burger King than outside, especially for about the same pay or less. And I'm sure that most farmers would actually rather have people who speak fluent english working for them if all other things were equal. However, the inequality comes in with the pay. The Mexican immigrants and migrant workers are willing to work for much less pay. I know kids who wouldn't work in the fields for minimum wage and the illegals are often taking far less than that.




DAW

[Ernesto]

8. Same here in rural Culleeforneeya

Welcome aboard Vasmosn!

[Tyranny_R_US]

10. *grumble*

[Ernesto]

13. Welcome T_R_US

But ????

[alfredo]

11. In many cases you can make a lot of money doing jobs nobody wants

to do, but farm work is not one of them. There are some realities of farm work one should consider. First it does not pay even minimum wage. It is one of the most dangerous occupations. Among the dangers is working in a chemical stew. There are laws about exposing workers to herbicides and pesticides but farm owners ignore them all the time.
If you want year round work, you have to move from place to place.

There are acceptable risks, and there are unacceptable risks. I would not look down on a person that passes on farm work.

The farms around here rarely hire locals, black or white. they hire documented and undocumented workers. They have little fear of immigration checking on our Kentucky farms. The only illegals bust I can remember around here was at a Chinese restaurant.

My buddy owns a 650 acre farm north of here. It is accepted practice to have a don't ask, don't tell attitude.

BTW, I was raised on a chicken farm and worked tobacco for several years. If I had a choice between farm work and washing dishes, I would take the dish washing job.

fuck the old plantation.

[MzShellG]

14. It just seems Farrakhan is saying...

Black people (African-Americans) have been there done that and ain't going back. A general sense that our community has payed it's dues for this country and deserve better, is the way I interpret his comment. America was built on the backs of slaves imported from Africa. The forefathers of slavery paved the way for blacks to have equal priviledges to whites, after all we have been through. That just seems to be where he's coming from. Im sure everyone wont agree, unfortuately, but it is what it is.

[Spinzonner]

12. SOmewhat related, there was an article in the LA Times

just the other day that Farm Worker labor contractors were having trouble getting enough workers because of less illegal immigration and because a lot of the people they would normally hire are working in home construction.