HispanicVista Columnists

June 1, 2007

One of Milwaukee's most zany conservative media types seems to be experiencing a melt down.

In one fubar, Jessica McBride, who was recently canned by WTMJ Radio to make room for some "Miller Time" (their words not mine), posted a story on her WTMJ blog one can only surmise was ripped from the pages of the Onion News.

Before being let go, McBride thought it a good idea to do comic relief from the death of 4 year-old Jasmine Owens. Her poor judgment and bad taste was rightly ridiculed by the media and bloggers around the state.

In another misstep, McBride played Spin The Truth with a story in Santa Fe, New Mexico, ranting that the Santa Fe police want to hire illegal immigrants as police officers.

Actually, what the Associated Press reported was that Santa Fe police are looking into the idea of recruiting Mexican nationals, including some who would work from Mexico (who are here in the United States legally and able to work).

Of course, conservatives stirring up racial tensions aren't concerned with accurate reporting, especially when the idea behind the story is to try and stir people into a tizzy, as McBride clearly is trying to do with this juvenile news report.

What police in Santa Fe are doing is seeking innovative ways to fill the ranks of their department which is short by about 20 cops. The report states that this department, like many others in the United States, is having trouble meeting recruitment needs because, among other things, they are vying for the same 21-to-30 year-olds as the U.S. military, whose need for recruits has been well publicized.

So Santa Fe decided to look at Mexican nationals as a possible source for their needs. This is akin to big American corporations seeking out foreign nationals to work at their companies because of workforce shortages.

McBride believes that the Santa Fe effort is wrong and tries to imply that bringing in Mexican nationals to work at the Santa Fe police department would cause the department to emulate the same standard of operating procedures the Mexican police are stereotypically portrayed as in many American movies--drunk, dirty, aloof and incompetent.

What kind of psycho-babble nonsense is this?
McBride continues with her hair-raising runny-nosed blood-shot-eye delusional rage with the assertion that Mexican cops, if employed by the Santa Fe police, will turn and look the other way if they ran across illegal immigrants on the job.

Is it because McBride knows that white cops in America turn and look the other way every time white people break the law in this country? Yes, that is exactly how stupid McBride's words sound.

McBride failed to report the fact that Santa Fe police are keenly aware that they are unable to hire illegal immigrants. Like her counter-part Lou Dobbs, McBride seems to play folly with the facts. If given the chance, she might have had the Frito Bandito on her radio show talking about the matter.

I can see it now, pristine Jessica dressed in white southern-bell dress interviewing the Mexican national dressed like one of those spaghetti-western Mexican cowboys on television. Speaking in broken English the Mexican spits out, "Badges! We don't need no stinking badges! Vámanos muchachos."

How's that Jessica? Was that funny enough for your conservative audience? You can use that for your next stereotype presentation. Fortunately, it won't be on WTMJ Radio.