Vox populi

Immigration debates are causing an outbreak of foot-in-mouth disease across the South:

"I know brothers -- and I'm talking about black guys -- they are not going to do the dirty work at Boeing, to do that hauling and all that building, that dirty work... A brother is going to find ways to take a break."

-- South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford (D), quoted by the Charleston Post & Courier, arguing against a new immigration law because "brothers" don't work as hard as "Mexicans."

Ford is himself a "black guy," though inquiries as to whether he is also a "brother" were not returned by press time.

... Meanwhile, an Alabama Republican declared an end to the post-Tucson truce on calling for the murder of political undesirables:

Alabama state Sen. Scott Beason (R) said that Alabama lawmakers "are behind in enacting tough immigration laws -- but that more Republican control throughout the state will allow immigration legislation to take precedent," the Cullman Times reports.

He ended his speech advising Republicans to "empty the clip, and do what has to be done."

After being flooded with angry phone calls over his remarks, Beason told the Birmingham News that his comment "was completely taken out of context" and in "no way was I urging anyone to do harm to Hispanics or illegal immigrants. I would never do that."

Okay, sure. Because what more common, innocuous metaphor is there than "empty the clip, and do what has to be done"? I'm sure it sounded even more innocent in the original German.

Both items from Political Wire.