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    BrightEyesRachel Vorona Cote
    5/16/16 11:04pm

    So every Republican legislature is a Native American then? I didn’t think so.

    The Pilgrims were the ultimate illegal aliens.

    Fuck the GOP.

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      foolyooBrightEyes
      5/17/16 1:01am

      If you triggered some asshat to point out that “There is no such thing as a true Native American, Native Americans are immigrants from Siberia,” I’m going to flip my shit! This is preemptive shit flipping here! I have been hearing and seeing too much dumb shit lately! George is getting upset!

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      Valeria InézBrightEyes
      5/17/16 6:53am

      Pesky fact, that!

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    MEtheBarbarianRachel Vorona Cote
    5/17/16 7:46am

    I’m more annoyed by the shortened term “illegals” than anything else. It’s dehumanizing and dangerous. I see why you’d make a move toward saying non-citizens with people like Trump stirring up shit.

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      Flying SquidMEtheBarbarian
      5/17/16 8:16am

      I’ve been saying that for a while now. It is a fascist dehumanization technique.

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      Rachel Vorona CoteMEtheBarbarian
      5/17/16 8:45am

      Oof, that’s a TERRIBLE one, I agree.

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    PrettyPrettyBunniPrincessRachel Vorona Cote
    5/16/16 11:09pm

    As someone very familiar with this topic and deal with it daily I my job, I agree with this change if for no other reason than ‘illegal alien’ really doesn’t have any precise meaning. Politics aside, ‘illegal alien’ shouldn’t be used in anything formal because it makes no sense and is an entirely unhelpful description

    People in the US without immigration status....we say they have ‘no status’ and generally are more specific in saying people are EWIs (entry without inspection) or overstays (overstayed a visa).

    More importantly, someone doesn’t have to be an ‘illegal alien’ to be deportable from the US. (Though technically most people are ‘removable’ under the legal procedure that’s been in place since 1997.). You can be in the US legally and get deported for committing crimes.

    But the banning of the word alien? That is just dumb. Alien means noncitizen. Permanent residents are aliens. It’s not a negative descriptor at all.

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      The Noble RenardPrettyPrettyBunniPrincess
      5/16/16 11:25pm

      Oh hey! Hi there fellow immigration law person.

      Have to disagree with you on “alien” though. It’s a centuries-old term that just kind of feels dated and weird now that alien and extraterrestrial are inextricably linked. The pop usage of the phrase has overtaken it.

      Replace “alien” with “noncitizen” and there’s a whole lot of INA provisions that don’t sound as weird to read out anymore.

      /edit: also, let’s commiserate about we can understand the very simple concept of someone being “lawfully present” for the purposes of DAPA and yet not be lawful residents, something Alito seemed to not be able to grasp in his little immigrant-hating mind.

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      KatmanduThe Noble Renard
      5/16/16 11:57pm

      It’s a centuries-old term that just kind of feels dated and weird now that alien and extraterrestrial are inextricably linked.

      Now these are illegal aliens.

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    SideEye3Rachel Vorona Cote
    5/16/16 11:12pm

    .... Of course the GOP is fighting this.

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      JeffersonMurderSideEye3
      5/16/16 11:31pm

      Well duh, calling people from other countries “aliens” makes it so much easier to pretend they aren’t human.

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      finnyd420SideEye3
      5/16/16 11:50pm

      I was thinking same thing other day while reading an “article” on Breitbart. Fourteen usages of the term “illegal” alien or entry in a 300 word post. Time to go back to my Cabernet

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    AWKPRachel Vorona Cote
    5/17/16 10:42am

    “Fussed”, really? Bless *you*. I’m sure you meant to use the word “objected”. Nothing new about a movement, political and special interest focused for the most part, lobbying to remove any and all stigma, including pejorative labeling, attached to the unlawful or (brace yourself for a psychological trigger… “illegal”) entry to the United States that *willfully bypasses* long established US legal immigration channels.

    Proposals, by Castro and others, that less “damning” terms for “undocumented immigrants” like “foreign nationals” or “undocumented foreign nationals” are ongoing attempts to absolve the “undocumented” of responsibility for any negative public perception resulting from their decision to enter the country by other than lawful means. These consequences include what they and their advocates consider pejorative language, like “illegal” that differentiates the “undocumented” from those who’ve entered the country through legal immigration channels.

    After all, and excusing minor children from any responsibility for their parent’s decision to break the law, it can’t be disputed that it was the “undocumented” individual’s purposeful decision to disregard US immigration law that set them apart from those “foreign nationals” who gained legal entry to the US and to whom no negative labels or stigma are attached.

    This doesn’t imply a license to “treat” the “undocumented” in any way other than with compassion and respect and, certainly, as the law requires, but neither should the “undocumented” be exempt from experiencing any of the negative consequences or accountability for what was*their* decision to break immigration law and this would include accepting that the term “illegal” is aptly applied.

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      Rachel Vorona CoteAWKP
      5/18/16 7:16pm

      Nah, I meant “fussed.”

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    spektraVDGRachel Vorona Cote
    5/16/16 11:11pm
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      JustSome1spektraVDG
      5/17/16 12:35am

      Now I want a Alien King movie...

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    CalebRowanoakeRachel Vorona Cote
    5/17/16 12:17am

    The modern GOP is filled with such petty, immature windbags.

    When liberals try to modify language to better show respect and understanding, the GOP will declare it a PC act that shows weakness. But there’s no problem with conservatives coming up with new terms, and everything is fair game. Freedom fries? Those Frenchies had it coming for not more strongly assisting us in our Iraqi adventure. Hell, every one from the Speaker of the House to the Senate Majority Leader and Republican Presidential Candidates has referred to the “Democrat” Party.

    But I suppose that is the difference, isn’t it? Words *can* be weapons. The Democrats see that and in some cases choose to disarm them, where as the immature bullies in the modern GOP leadership and on down the chain have chosen, like generations of playground bullies before them, rely on the weaponization of words.

    Just another reason why I am so much happier in the Democratic Party.

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      Valeria InézCalebRowanoake
      5/17/16 6:57am

      I feel like the whole backlash against PC as the republicans describe it is rooted in laziness and arrogance: “ugh, why do you want me to think/work? I don’t think it’s offensive so other people shouldn’t either."

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      fortheloveofbeetsCalebRowanoake
      5/17/16 9:29am

      You may find this book interesting. :-)

      http://www.amazon.com/ALL-NEW-Dont-T...

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    CarlySparklesRachel Vorona Cote
    5/17/16 9:28am

    LoC : we’d like to not be shitty anymore when referring to people who aren’t legal citizens in America.

    Republicans : *foam at the mouth* WELL WHAT THE SHIT IS THIS BULLSHIT I THOUGHT THIS WAS AMERICA THE GREATEST COUNTRY ON EARTH THIS IS SOME BULLSHIT MY FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS ARE GETTING TRAMPLED ON BESIDES THEY’RE NOT REALLY PEOPLE IF THEY AREN’T AMERICAN ARGLE BARGLE

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      RabbleRabbleHeyCarlySparkles
      5/17/16 9:56am

      I’m just amazed that they have nothing better to do than worry about fucking subject headings. What a boring soap box for the GOP to stand on. I’m a librarian and I get worked up over subject headings and then have to talk myself down because it’s so boring and literally no one outside of libraries cares (but we care so much).

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      CarlySparklesRabbleRabbleHey
      5/17/16 11:34am

      off topic but i was going to write ‘rabble rabble’ instead of ‘argle bargle’ and now i regret not writing it lol

      subject headings may be boring, but they’re there for a reason - so you can’t be the only ones that care!

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    SadisticbeezRachel Vorona Cote
    5/17/16 3:04am

    Just last week they “sent legislation to President Obama that eliminates remaining use of words like ‘Oriental’ and ‘Negro’ in federal law.”

    Wait, “just last week”??

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      RabbleRabbleHeySadisticbeez
      5/17/16 7:15am

      These are probably old laws that have never been updated. Part of the argument the GOP is making for the Library of Congress keeping the subject heading “illegal alien” involves older laws using the term. They are afraid that changing the term will change how the laws are interpreted. I’m assuming updating these terms in federal law is a part of matching the laws to the LOC subject headings.

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      vegbrarianSadisticbeez
      5/17/16 10:05am

      You’ll still find the use of “American Indian” in the LoC headings too. It’s really irritating when you’re trying to use their subject headings for cataloguing in Canada - where the appropriate term is “indigenous”, but you have to tell students searching for material to use antiquated search terms.

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    krystollaRachel Vorona Cote
    5/18/16 9:45am

    As a legal alien myself, I have to say that the dehumanizing and antiquated language used would not even make the top ten list of things broken in the immigration system.

    I’m sure both sides of the aisle will use whatever politically charged language they like regardless of the official terminology. Arguing about wording sure takes the pressure off about fixing real problems though.

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