The vehemently anti- illegal- immigration SaveOurState.org is planning a protest against companies that hire illegal immigrants - and the vehemently anti-racism A.N.S.W.E.R. L.A. is planning a counter-protest.

In the middle, you may find a few hardy day laborers who would otherwise be looking for an honest day's work but decided to stay and argue with the SaveOurState types instead of bailing to a less-uncomfortable hiring location where they can find a gig ...



Here's some of the rhetoric from each side:

Mark your calendars everyone! Saturday, April 22nd...8am until noon! Location: Burbank Home Depot, 1200 South Flower St.

Please bring American Flags, signs, cameras, and videorecorders. This is a national event - other locations throughout the country. Other groups participating and/or supporting include FAIR, CTCIC, OJJPAC, USA Border Alert, Wake Up America, IFIRE, MFIRE, The Fire Coalition, MAIA and Minutemen groups. More groups to be announced later.

Expect the opposition, however OP is contacting the Burbank police. But no American should be afraid of oppostion, since this is still America!

Corporations are being targeted, since businesses play a central role in our current illegal immigration problem. If they didn't want to hire them, then most likely this issue would be reduced. Let's send a message to American businesses that Americans make them their money!! We are still the major consumer and worker in this country!! Without us, their businesses would crumble!

What, and immigrants don't buy food, clothing, cars and other goods from American businesses?

But read on ...

This Saturday, join pro-immigrant organizations, including the

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition, at a counter demonstration against the racist, anti-immigrant groups "Save Our State" the "Minuteman Project" and others. They are neo-fascists with links to the KKK, Nazis and other white supremacist hate groups. The racists are coming to Burbank to target a Day Laborer Center

outside the Home Depot store. The Day Laborer Center helps immigrant workers find employment so they can live and feed their families.

All progressive people and groups are encouraged to attend. Protesting against these racist groups is an important part of the overall struggle for

immigrant rights that is now sweeping the country. "Save Our State" the "Minuteman Project" and their political and corporate media allies like Rep. James Sensenbrenner and CNN's Lou Dobbs are desperately trying to whip up racism and increase attacks against immigrants. They want to repress immigrants so their corporate allies can get more profits. Reactionary laws and terror campaigns allow them to exploit immigrants even more, driving down wages and working conditions for all workers.

Immigrants aren't the cause of unemployment, crime or any other social or economic problem - the rotten system that puts profit over people is really to

blame. Let's link the struggle for amnesty and full legalization for all immigrants with the fight against these reactionary forces who hope to keep us divided. We can unite to stop these racists in their tracks. The people united will never be defeated! El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!

While they have a point that the anti-illegal-immigration forces can get pretty racist, and shouldn't go unaddressed, they're not addressing the real issue, either.

The real issue is an immigration system so backlogged and inadequate that millions of people have decided to violate U.S. border laws in their desire to earn a living wage for their families.

Unless we're all yelling at Congress our state governments to enact practical, humane and just solutions for that, everybody's mostly wasting their breath.

But hey, nothing like seeing the ol' First Amendment in action to remind us what we're really fighting for.