StopLouBarletta.com

According to the FEC’s Campaign Finance website, Lou Barletta has accepted multiple donations and thousands of dollars from the Eagle Forum PAC.  For those that don’t know, the Eagle Forum is one of the most extremist political action groups in the nation.  The belief system that they champion is widely considered to be one of the most dangerous in US politics.  It’s interesting, then, that Mayor Lou Barletta is so cozy with this group of crazies.

The Eagle Forum is a political action committee that was established in 1967 by Phyllis Schlafly, a life-long opponent to the equal rights movement.  I mentioned that the Eagle Forum is one of the most extremist groups in American politics, and I wasn’t exaggerating.  Among other things, the group believes that it should not be illegal for a man to rape his wife, opposes sex education in public schools, believe women should be relegated to “full time homemakers,” as opposed to pursuing careers, and is strongly opposed to vaccinations for infants.  The Eagle Forum has been a long time supporter of Mayor Barletta, donating thousands of dollars to his various political campaigns.

Since December 17th, the Eagle Forum has donated $2,000 to Lou Barletta’s campaign for Congress.  Considering what this group of scary people believe in, I find it troubling that Lou Barletta has not only accepted money from them, but has also accepted multiple donations from the group.  Groups like the Eagle Forum don’t donate money to candidates at random.  They donate money to individuals who they believe will further their cause in the halls of government.  And by continuing to accept their money, Lou Barletta is sending the message that, “Yes, I will support your beliefs in Congress.  You can count on me, guys!”

On his website, Lou Barletta has just released a video claiming that he “stand with you.”  Unless you oppose equal rights for women and feel that infants have no right receiving life-saving vaccinations, I would cast serious doubt on that statement.  The Eagle Forum, one of Barletta’s strongest backers, is working very hard to get Lou Barletta elected to Congress.  Considering the horrific, Taliban-like beliefs that the Eagle Forum endorses, I would be strongly opposed to any candidate that this group thinks is a good idea.  The fact that the Eagle Forum supports Lou Barletta is reason enough for sane people everywhere not to.  Clearly, Lou Barletta does not belong in the United States Congress.

See also: Barletta Palling Around with White Supremacists and Racists

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

Recently, on his Facebook page, Lou Barletta released a statement blasting Temple University.  Apparently, the school is offering a class that is titled The War in Hazleton.  The class examines the negative impact on race and community relations that Lou Barletta has had on the city of Hazleton while serving as its mayor.  Naturally, Mayor Barletta flew of the handle upon hearing that anyone would dare criticize him and his perfect little kingdom of Hazleton.  HOW DARE A UNIVERSITY QUESTION THE POLCIES AND DECISIONS OF A POLITICIAN!?!?

Barletta quotes part of the War in Hazleton syllabus in his statement, which reads…

“In the view of Mayor Barletta and his supporters, this leaves the town of Hazleton, not one community but two, speaking different languages, with different customs and with a fierce mutual distrust. Many observers believe that this state of Balkanization will be the national destiny of the US in the next generation.”

Barletta’s response to this is as follows…

“Two of my daughters attended Temple University. My wife, MaryGrace and I are proud to say our children attended Temple. I am deeply disappointed that they would allow such a biased and untrue characterization of myself and the City of Hazleton. Hazleton is great a city with good people and wonderful neighborhoods. Like any city we have faced our share of challenges and we have dealt with them accordingly. We don’t profess that we live in a utopia, but the idea that we have been Balkanized or live as if we are two communities is just not true.”

So the issue appears to be this: Is Mayor Barletta inspiring an environment of fear, mistrust, or even hate?  Many of Lou Barletta’s actions, most notably his “Illegal Immigration Relief Act” have led some people to label the mayor as being a racist and a bigot.  Barletta, not surprisingly, has rejected these claims.  It doesn’t help Barletta that he has been endorsed for Congress by David Duke, a former leader of the Ku Klux Klan and author of several racist books.  It also doesn’t help that some of Barletta’s most vocal supporters are hate-spewing, redneck racists.  Take this recent comment, posted on this website over the weekend by Bill Coogan (billplanet9@hotmail.com) who is a self-professed Lou Barletta supporter (what makes the following comment even creepier is that is was left in response to my Happy New Year post)…

“All these ’stop Lou Barletta’ communists, who don’t live in Hazelton and themselves no nothing about ‘fiscal responsibility” advocate open borders along our southern region….just let them all come in…..we’ll just print more money for them, put them on welfare, let their kids wind up in jail for drugs, killing, rapes, etc…our prisons are already bursting with illegal immigrant criminals.. further bankrupt the country and ferment revolution and killing in the street. You’re a great bunch of commies. You and the ‘big money’ behind you (you know who they are) want nothing more than the ruin of our Christian European heritage and culture, so that the rich commies at the top (all Jews) can control you idiots and make slaves of you. Thank God for people like Lou Barletta and 75% of the American public who support him. We are ‘on’ to you!”

Now, Barletta has already announced plans to travel to Temple University to debate with the professor who is teaching this War in Hazleton class.  His goal, I assume, is to convince people that his policies really aren’t inspiring hate and mistrust.  Based on the above comment, posted by someone who obviously supports Mayor Barletta and his policies, I can only wonder what kind of argument that Barletta will make.  “I’m not a racist, I’m just really, really popular with people who are.”  Or maybe, “Yes, David Duke, one of the nation’s leading voices of hate and racism, has supported me for Congress, but really, I have no idea why.”

I understand that most of Lou Barletta’s supporters are probably not racists.  I also understand that the above comment, left by Mr. Coogan, can not in any way be associated with Mayor Barletta.  I get that.  However, my point is this: If your policies are popular with David Duke and people like Bill Coogan, maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your policies and see what they’re really accomplishing.  Because when major universities begin offering classes discussing how much harm you’re doing to race relations in America, maybe there’s something to it.  Mayor Barletta has spent an awful lot of time arguing with people who are opposed to him.  Maybe it’s time he spends some time taking issue with some of the people who agree with him.

As far as I can see, it’s impossible to say that Mayor Barletta’s polices have, in no way, contributed to a sense of hate and/or mistrust in Hazleton.  Simply put, just look at who’s on Barletta’s side in this debate: A former member of the KKK leadership and hate mongers like Bill Coogan.  Barletta might not be a racist, but he can not deny that his polices go over very well with those that are.  That alone, in my opinion, is reason enough to question the type of message that electing Mayor Barletta to Congress would send to the rest of the country.  Clearly, Lou Barletta should not be elected to the United States Congress.

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

Mayor Lou Barletta, the popular mayor of Hazleton, PA, has built up quite a fan base over the past few years. Due in large part to his “Illegal Immigration Relief Act”, which was one of the harshest and most extreme pieces of immigration legislation ever proposed in this country, Barletta became, for a time, the poster boy for tough immigration enforcement. However, once his beloved little ordinance was ruled unconstitutional by a Federal Judge, and once people got a better look at who Barletta really was, his star lost a lot of its brilliance. However, Barletta’s popularity with one group of people has been steadily on the rise.

Simply put, hate groups and extremists love Mayor Barletta. David Duke, an admitted racist, white supremacist, and former leader of the KKK, endorsed Lou Barletta for Congress in 2008. The Eagle Forum, an extremist right-wing group who is in favor of legislation making it legal for a man to rape his wife and to remove all forms of sexual education from public schools, came out in strong support for Lou Barletta when he ran for Congress. Maybe it’s just me, but if people like those folks are pushing hard for Barletta to become a United States Congressman (presumably because they believe Barletta will advance their beliefs into the halls of government), why in name of all that is decent would any sane person vote for Barletta?

Time and again, Barletta has said that he is not a racist and is only opposed to illegal immigration, not legal immigration. However, just recently, Mayor Barletta served as a guest speaker at an event hosted by Pat Buchanan. The event was put on by a group who is opposed to all forms of immigration and who believe that the influx of non-whites into this country is ruining our nation. One of the other guest speakers, Peter Brimelow, is an admitted white supremacist, author of several racist books, and spoke at the event of the Republican Party needing to get back to its roots, “white Americans.” These are the types of people that Mayor Barletta is associating himself with, all the while claiming that he isn’t a racist.

The Republican Party catches a lot of heat in the media, and in the minds of many Americans, as being a club for old, rich, white guys. It would seem that Mayor Lou Barletta, if he has his way, would like to make that perception a reality. This is just one more reason, and a very important reason, as to why Lou Barletta should not represent the Republican Party or the American people in the United States Congreess. Lou Barletta should not be elected to any higher office and it’s disgusting that a man like this is even allowed to serve as a mayor in this country.

-Dan Cheek
www.StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

So, what’s Mayor Lou Barletta up to these days? Apparently, he’s making new friends. Barletta recently attended and spoke at an anti-immigrant gathering hosted by Pat Buchanan. In addition to Barletta, Peter Brimelow was also a featured guest speaker. For those that don’t know, Brimelow is a self-professed “white nationalist” who also serves as the editor of Vdare.com, a radically right-wing, racist website. At the event, Brimelow gave his usual stump speech about the GOP needing to appeal to it’s real base, white Americans.

So after spending an entire election cycle swearing up and down that he is NOT a racist and NOT opposed to legal immigration, Barletta then goes as serves as a guest speaker at an event that promotes racist views and opposes all forms of immigration. To be fair, Barletta did say that he doesn’t share the beliefs of all of the speakers at the convention, but was there to speak about a topic he feels strongly about. The old saying of, “Don’t judge a man by his words, judge him by his actions,” comes to mind, here. It seems to me that if you are not a racist, you don’t agree to speak at a convention hosted and attended by a bunch of racists. Call me crazy.

The fact that Lou Barletta is still holding public office is why this website remains up and running. It’s clear to me that Barletta has not abandoned his aspirations of obtaining higher political office and, now desperate, is apparently willing to ally himself with racists and right-wing lunatics. As I’ve stated many times on this website, Lou Barletta is NOT someone who deserves to represent constituents at any level. Especially now that he’s associating with admitted racists.

-Dan Cheek
StopLouBarletta.com
StopLouBarletta@gmail.com

PS
Special thanks to Gort for passing along the info about Barletta and his new pals. For more info on this event, and the morons who hosted it, check out the post on his blog.