SENDING IMMIGRANTS BACK WITH A "BULLET IN THEIR HEAD"

Engaging in the health care debate seems to be all the rage these days. Everyone is a part of it -- from the heavily pedantic policy wonk to the overly misinformed town hall participant. The participation of the latter, however, is becoming increasingly worrisome insofar as it fuels anti-immigrant sentiment.

At town hall meetings across the country, citizens are outraged by the supposed inclusion of undocumented immigrants in the purview of the new health care bill. (In fact, there is no singular bill but rather proposals). Even when they are told that there are no provisions for the coverage of undocumented immigrants, they angrily retort that there are. They still believe that rumor even as reliable fact checkers have concluded that THERE IS NO HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BEING PROPOSED.
Nevertheless, fueled by sensationalist emails, they come in droves to town hall meetings to "hold their representatives accountable" for this "miscarriage of justice."

I don't have a problem with people being concerned about health care; in fact, I encourage everyone to be informed about the issue and participate in the debate. What I do have a problem with is when misinformation turns into hateful rhetoric. Outside a recent town hall meeting in New Hampshire, an angry protester exclaimed that immigrants should be sent back with a "bullet in their head [sic]."

During a town-hall event in Portsmouth, N.H., last week, an unidentified protester outside the event questioned why the government should spend money on providing services to illegal immigrants — and went so far as to call for undocumented aliens to be killed. “Why are we bankrupting this country for 21 million illegals who should be sent on the first bus one way back from wherever they came from. We don’t need illegals. Send them home once. Send them home with a bullet in their head the second time,” the man said, according to video of the demonstration.

I've become generally immune to hate speech (and let's face it, that's what that was) about undocumented immigrants. As one myself, I've tried to look past the ignorance because I understand that the subject of immigration is inherently contentious. There's also something to be said about repetition bringing about numbness. But yet, I can't help but be utterly disgusted by that quote. It's sickening. Such language has no place in the debate, regardless of the ways in which health care evokes heightened emotions. It's simply inexcusable.

The tone of this debate better change or it's going to get uglier.