Kansas Republican State Rep. Virgil Peck called for the shooting of immigrants from helicopters.

[L. Coyote]

Here's a direct quote from Kansas State Representative Virgil Peck, from a recent legislative budget hearing:

“It looks like to me if shooting these immigrating feral hogs works maybe we have found a to our illegal immigration problem.”

Not only are his words offensive, they're dangerous and completely unacceptable.

This is exactly the kind of rhetoric that has emboldened people like Shawna Forde, the Minutemen leader recently convicted of the brutal murder of 9-year old Brisenia Flores in Arizona. People who say such things have no place in government and certainly can not be trusted to represent the interests of all people -- in any state.

Peck needs to resign now, and those in his party who do not agree with his views should call for his resignation now.

Please join us in calling on Virgil Peck to resign from the Kansas State Legislature and for the state and national Republican Party to call for his resignation immediately. Click below to sign, and after you do please ask your friends and family to do the same:

http://act.presente.org/go/254

Since 2003, we’ve seen a 40% increase in hate crimes against Latinos, and the Southern Poverty Law Center just released a new study that counted 1,002 active hate groups in the United States in 2010—a 40% increase from 2009. It's in this environment that the shocking murder of Brisenia Flores took place.

This continued dehumanization and scapegoating of Latinos and immigrants has great consequences, and it’s critical for elected officials to actively protect all Americans—not to make them targets.

When questioned about his remarks, Peck tried to play them off as a joke. He then claimed that he was just was just “speaking like a southeast Kansas person.” It’s an insult to Kansas that he would justify his racist remarks by indicating that they are just part of the course in his state. It was only under pressure from grassroots groups, Governor Sam Brownback and the Republican leadership of the Kansas House of Representatives that Rep. Peck issued a two-sentence apology, saying that his “statements were regrettable,” and to “please accept my apology.”

That's not enough. It’s time to hold politicians like Rep. Peck accountable for their hateful rhetoric.

Please sign our petition, calling on Rep. Peck to resign immediately. You will help send a message to all politicians that we will not tolerate any more hateful rhetoric from our elected officials.

http://act.presente.org/go/254

Thanks y Adelante!

Joaquin, Laurie, Favianna, and the rest of the Presente.org team.

References:

1. "LULAC Denounces Kansas Rep’s Outrageous Anti-Immigrant Remark," LULAC press release, March 15, 2011,
http://act.presente.org/go/255

2. "Anti-Latino Hate Crime Up for Fourth Year," Southern Poverty Law Center, Intelligence Report, Winter 2008, Issue Number: 132
http://act.presente.org/go/256

3. "Active U.S. Hate Groups," Southern Poverty Law Center, February 23, 2011,
http://act.presente.org/go/257

[Old and In the Way]

1. I wonder what his posting name is at FreeRepublic? nt

[L. Coyote]

2. Sign our petition to the Department of Justice and FBI “We call on the US DoJ and FBI

America's Voice:
Sign our petition to the Department of Justice and FBI
http://americasvoiceonline.org/page/s/DontHuntHumans

This from their "DontHuntHumans" page:

“We call on the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to launch an immediate investigation into whether Kansas state Representative Virgil Peck’s solicitation of the murder of people because of their race or national origin violates civil rights laws and whether his call for mass murder on United States soil violates Federal law prohibiting the incitement of genocide and domestic terrorism.”