Is Farmers Branch Racist?

Dallas Morning News | Mark Davis:

“Riding a wave of voter support, the Farmers Branch council passed a law creating penalties for renting to illegal immigrants. The city also declared English its official language. This had two effects. Among those who are passionate about strong laws and effective borders, Mr. O'Hare became an instant hero. To those opposed, he became a gringo devil, a ripe target for some of the most reckless slander in recent North Texas political history.”

Mark Davis nominates as his Texan of the Year Farmers Branch city council member Tim O'Hare. Dividing neighbor against neighbor, driving a wedge deep into the heart of a community, are achievements that Mr Davis believes are deserving of honor. In Mr Davis' estimation, prejudice is heroic.

Mr Davis defends discrimination against Hispanics by claiming he is only defending the law. Now, English-only is the new law in Farmers Branch. Discrimination is now patriotic, by definition. This is the latest example where the law has been used to support prejudice and discrimination. Mr Davis argues that because the laws don't explicitly specify race, they can't possibly be racist. The history of the civil rights movement offers numerous counter-examples, for example voting laws whose intent was to discriminate against African-Americans, but whose wording never mentioned race. The racists of that day also claimed they were only doing their patriotic duty, defending the law. The laws passed in Farmers Branch do not sink to the depths of the Jim Crow laws, but they are still discriminatory and unjustified.

Two hundred years ago, Samuel Johnson said "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." It was still true a hundred years ago when Jim Crow was the law of the land. And Mr O'Hare and Mr Davis are showing that it's still true today in Farmers Branch, Texas.