It’s been over a week, yet I still get a bit upset when I think about one women’s “oral communication” at the January 24^th City Council Meeting. She spoke of her daughter who was half American Indian “on her father’s side” and looked Hispanic. Her daughter, she claimed, had been bullied by illegal immigrants who had accused her daughter of being a disgrace to her race, and acting white. She then said two sons of her mother’s gardener who did well in school had been bullied by gang recruiters. All these bullies, she insisted were now “dreamers”. And Paul McNamara, who was “running for Mayor against Sam” as a member of the Governing Board of Palomar College had declared the college a sanctuary. Of the three million dreamers only 900 were in the military, only 44% had graduated from high school, and they were eligible for Medical, using taxpayer dollars. She encouraged people to vote Republican, and not for the “traitor” McNamara.

This was upsetting because she gives voice to an attitude shared by so many supporters of Mayor Sam Abed and his male colleagues. Her daughter was bullied by “Mexicans”, how does she know they were not born in this country? Does she have any idea of how brown people are routinely looked down upon and demeaned by Anglos? Talk about bullying! Perhaps she should ask her daughter.

Only 900 in the military? Does she not understand that immigrants aren’t usually allowed to join the military, only those who have enrolled in DACA were granted special permission, in 2014, to enlist. While it is true that there are over three million immigrants eligible for DACA only 800,000 signed up for the program.

Only 44% have graduated from high school? Yes, well 31% of those eligible for DACA are still in high school. Twenty percent are now enrolled in college, those who have graduated from high school but are not enrolled in college make up 33%; 11% have completed some college, and 5% have completed a bachelor’s degree. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/…/DACA-Occupational-2017-FINAL.pdf

I’m sure Paul McNamara would be surprised to learn that he alone of the six member of the Governing Board of Palomar College acted to declare the college a sanctuary for dreamers.

To call Paul McNamara a traitor is beyond the pale. He served for over 27 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, retiring at the rank of colonel. He served in Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War, and in Operation Desert Storm, risking his life for the nation.

Throughout his years as a Councilman and Mayor, Abed has played to anti-immigrant people like this woman. He voted for the ordinance (later overturned by the courts,) that basically would have made Escondido landlords ICE agents. He enthusiastically supports the cooperation given by the Escondido Police Department to ICE, which has given Escondido the nickname of Little Arizona. He voted to shut down the East Valley Branch of the Escondido Library, which served so many Latino students. His overall goal seems to be to make life more difficult for poor people in Escondido hoping they will move away, so the average income in Escondido will rise.

Abed is a bully, but his bullying is appreciated by people like this women who spoke so vehemently against McNamara.