Lou Dobbs Invites BastaDobbs to His Show
9:06 am By Maegan la Mamita Mala · Controversia| Immigration| Media| TV| media justice
22 Oct 2009
After a successful day of events across the country yesterday that coincided with the airing of Latino in America, seems like CNN’s Lou Dobbs realizes that it’s gonna take more than calling Latinos who call him out “fleas” to get rid of us. The producers of Lou Dobbs’ show emailed Roberto Lovato of BastaDobbs to be on the show. Roberto, never one to shy away from a good opportunity, said claro pero on one condition…
Dear Mr. Dobbs,
Thank you for your invitation to appear tonight on the Lou Dobbs Show. I would be happy to accept under one condition: that alongside me appears CNN President Jon Klein as a participant in this important discussion.
I request Mr. Klein’s participation because, as much as the BastaDobbs.com campaign targets your long history of faulty, incendiary reporting and its effects on Latino communities, our issue is not with you so much as the network that provides you with a platform. Indeed, the more than 65,000 people who have joined us in calling on CNN to cut ties with you have given up hope that you will engage in honest dialogue or change your ways. Over the years, you have time and again perpetuated myths and stereotypes about immigrants and Latinos, promoted the most extreme voices of xenophobia and hate, and refused to acknowledge your pattern of inaccuracies. At this point, the only question remaining is whether Mr. Klein and the rest of CNN’s management want you to remain associated with their network.
Make no mistake, the decision is a weighty one. The additions to CNN of Latinos like Rick Sanchez, Thelma Gutierrez, and others, and the production of the Latino in America series, are clear evidence that Klein recognizes the importance of the Latino market. And he certainly understands the tension between such efforts and the deeply problematic content of your show. It is now up to him to decide what the face of CNN will be going forward: Lou Dobbs or Latino in America.
There are those who suggest that this is a false choice, that CNN’s programming should have a “variety of opinions.” We agree that variety is important, and nothing in our statements should be construed otherwise. We believe in a robust public dialogue and recognize that news and opinion programs do and should give light to multiple viewpoints. But there is a difference between promoting varied opinions and allowing faulty reporting, the promotion of conspiracy theories, and the regular dehumanization of millions of Americans to be passed off as “news.”
You and others have suggested that we are seeking to abridge your free speech. Such arguments exhibit a shallow understanding of what the first amendment protects. You are free to voice your opinions, just as we are free to encourage CNN to cancel your program. There is, quite simply, nothing in the constitution that guarantees you a national news platform from which to spread misinformation, and invoking its protections is only a distraction from the real conversation.
That conversation is about the future of CNN. The network hails itself as the “Most Trusted Name in News,” and there is no doubt that CNN has been a journalistic pioneer. But this is a high standard to live up to, and every time your show airs, CNN falls short. We’re not the only ones who have noticed. Employees at CNN have taken pains to carefully distance themselves from you in public, and they say even worse in private. It’s all they can do to maintain their dignity and self-respect. Indeed, even the founder of CNN, Ted Turner, has said he would have you either toe the line or send you packing.
I am quite sure Jon Klein is aware of all of this, and yet he has made no statement and taken no action. I and many others want to know why, and I would be grateful for the opportunity to ask him face to face. I sincerely hope you will communicate my interest in appearing with him on your show. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Roberto Lovato
BastaDobbs.com
Presente.org
- Tags: bastadobbs, cnn, Latino in America, lou dobbs
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9 Responses to Lou Dobbs Invites BastaDobbs to His Show
silvia
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:04 am
Those who support Lou Dobbs racist blather as just as ignorant and backassward as Lou Dobbs and the other supremacists who believe that only caucasians are American Citizens. Are you so dumb witted to not realize that soon people will get sick of this racist bullcrap and rise up? Are you so ill informed that you don’t have a clue as to the age demographics that make up the caucasians in this country. Are you so blind to not see that caucasians are an aging population who are not eager to procreate and therefore in a certain number of years will become a minority? Is your head so far up Lou’s backside that you could never imagine in your wildest dreams that there is a huge possibility that latinos and blacks will join forces against the oppression and those who look to marginalize us. Are you so smug in your race to not realize that there are many intellectual and learned blacks and hispanics in this country and that we are gaining a strong toe hold in politics. Newsflash people, we have a black president and we just got our first hispanic supreme court justice. This is only the beginning.
silvia
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Why? Because a Latino is a Latino is a Latino. We are all brothers in race whether we be foreign or US born. We do not choose to boost another race above our own for that would make us self loathers. I suggest you bark up your own family tree and find out how many of your family members were so called illegals before the amnesty of the 80’s made them documented.
Wise man say: Do not spit straight up because it will come down right on your own head.
miguel
October 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Dear John Doe:
I was born in The United States of Mexico and came to the US when I was 17 too. I spent 10 years working honestly and raising a beautiful family of 4, after 10 years as an Illegal Alien I went tru the Suspension of Deportation process and left the Inmigration Court with Legal Document (green Card) Why? Because in the wisdom and fairness that exists, even in the inmigration courts, The judge saw no reason for me to left the Country I love, in her opinion I am “whorthy of staying in us legally because never in my life I have been involved in any crime, misdeaminor or whatever, paid thousands of dollars in Taxes and my kids and wife are “outstandings citizens”. We all in the Latino Community Know that the inmigration laws does not apply the same for different ethnic latino groups, if you are Cubano you only need to put your wet feet in any US territory to be considered Legal Alien. I do not know what kind of treatment teceive your Dominican familia from ICE, (if you are a millionaire, it does not matter if you are from communist china or “evil” Iran, you will be welcome with open arms)
And in a most personal note, you said you are proud of your dominican heritage so why John Doe? John Doe is A punk rock guitar player from the Angeleno band X, so why not Manuel Ramirez instead?
the best for you and familia
Benito Juarez
Susan
October 23rd, 2009 at 4:44 pm
When I hear discussion of immigration, the main point that is always omitted is the effect of NAFTA. Many Mexicans and others in Latin America are being pushed off of their own land by US and mutlinational companies that are given free reign because of NAFTA.
These companies pollute the water and the soil making certain areas uninhabitable. Mexicans have been putting up with European economic exploitation for 500 years, and if they have to cross the border to survive they will.
Maegan La Mala
October 23rd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Mod tanga on: John Doe. Your comments have been deleted. Read our comment policy if you are unsure of why. Keep it up and you will be banned.
That said, what needs to be remembered is that when a Latino is attacked, like Marcelo Lucero, Luis Ramirez and others, they weren’t asked for their papers. They weren’t wearing their papers or lack thereof on them.
Mark
October 24th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Sure let’s drop 10 million Ukranians, Vietnamese or Haitians in Mexico and see how the native populace reacts, shall we? I’m sure they’d be greeted with open arms, especially if they are having kids at birth rate much higher than Mexicans. Are you kidding me? There would be riots in the streets! Can anyone say hypocrisy?
And if anyone, like Lou, raises any issue with it… racist!
Karen
October 24th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Re: “Sure let’s drop 10 million Ukranians, Vietnamese or Haitians in Mexico and see how the native populace reacts, shall we? ”
This shows your ignorance. There are people from all over the world living in Mexico, and if you knew anything about Mexican history, you would know that they came uninvited.
In recent decades though Mexico has had some of the most liberal immigration and asylum laws. They took in Jews who fled Europe during WWII, Cubans, Arabs, Guatemalans, etc Right now Mexico has a large Chinese population.
But after 911 the US made them tighten up their immigration/asylum laws and close their southern border.
As for Lou Dobbs, he does more than oppose illegal immigration. He spreads lies about Latinos, saying that they bring leprosy and are plotting to take over America. Unfortunately many people are stupid enough to believe what they hear on TV. He’s nuts and why CNN tries to pass off his lies as “news” just shows how racist they are. The owners of CNN would never tolerate lies and propaganda about their own ethnic group, but they spread lies about Latinos around the world.
Mark
October 25th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Ha! That is a load of bunk. The most populous immigrant community in Mexico are Americans, who number about a million–next is Argentines with a couple hundred thousand, MAYBE.
That is hardly equivalent to the 10 million + illegal aliens who have migrated here over the last few decades.
Karen
October 25th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
You don’t know that you’re taking about. As I said, there are people from all over the world in Mexico.
Immigrants are here because of NAFTA. American corporations are moving into Mexico and pushing them off of their own land by polluting the soil and ground water. (Look up Virginia based Smithfield Farms.) This massive immigration was the design of the corproations when they passed NAFTA. When the Mexicans tried to unionize and fight back, our government gave the Mexican government 1 billion dollars under Plan Mexico. Now Mexico is becoming a militarized police state, with thousands of people being killed.
If you want to halt immigration, then call your Congressman and Senators and tell them to repeal NAFTA, and tell them to repeal Plan Mexico/The Merida Plan.
Mexicans have been putting up with Europeans who have plundered their natural resources and tried to economically exploit them for 500 years.
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4359/an_inconvenient_woman/