July 02, 2003

Are L.A. Times reporters incompetent?

Here's a letter to the L.A. Times:

VIA EMAIL AND BLOG

To: John.Carroll@latimes.com
Jim.Newton@latimes.com
David.Lauter@latimes.com
Jamie.Gold@latimes.com

Subject: Illegal aliens can't serve in the U.S. military

In two recent pro-illegal-immigration articles, two different elected representatives have erroneously stated or implied that illegal aliens can serve in the U.S. military. That is completely false.
While non-citizens do serve in the military, only legal residents are allowed to serve, not illegal aliens.

Since I know this, and your reporters or at least editors should know this, and since a fair proportion of your readership should know this, I wonder why you would fail to point it out that these politicians are in error.

Of course, it's never too late to print a correction, right? Please let me know when you plan to do that.

1. From "Senate Backs 'Freedom Ride' Planned to Improve Immigrant Workers' Status"
"State Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar) said it is time to recognize immigrants' contributions to this country, particularly after the military sent more than 30,000 noncitizens to Iraq." (Considering the article is about illegal aliens, some will naturally assume that when he says "non-citizens" he means "illegal aliens.")

2. From "Panel OKs Driver's License Bill"
"Cedillo said he also found it to be the height of irony that illegal immigrants who served in the U.S. armed forces could legally operate military fighting vehicles in the war with Iraq, "but they can't drive a car in California."

I'll have more to say on SB60, the bill to give driver's licenses to illegal aliens, later.

For now, please consider contacting the CA Assembly Appropriations Committee members, as described here. Even if you don't live in CA, do it.

I'll provide an update if the LAT replies or prints a correction. Of course, since the false or misleading statements came not from the LAT, they can't really print a correction. However, they should have called them on their statements, and hopefully these reporters and editors will pay attention next time. That's assuming that these were just honest mistakes on the LAT's part.

The 'via email and blog' wasn't in the original, I just added that as a take-off on the lines seen at the top of lawyer's letters, like 'via FAX and regular U.S. mail.'

Posted to Immigration2003 at July 2, 2003 04:27 PM

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