Monday, March 24, 2008

Say "Wetback" and you must be fired

We read:

"A Texas city council member is under pressure to resign from office after he published a racist comment in a public document, according to a report on MyFOXAustin.com. Mustang Ridge City Council member Charles Laws referred to a proposed immigrant detention center as a "holding pen for wetbacks" on the March 12 meeting agenda, MyFOXAustin.com reports.

When first asked for comment, Laws told the TV station, "I'm 74 years old, and that's what we called them when I was growing up. I don't care about political crap." Laws later softened his stance, saying, "I wasn't thinking when I put it in there. I didn't mean to offend anybody, I was just passing on the information."

Mike Martinez, a city council member from nearby Austin, is leading the movement to remove Laws. "When I asked him to explain himself, his explanation was 'That's what it is, and that's what they are,'" Martinez told MyFOXAustin.com.

Source