Without subjecting you all to the extended family dynamic that is my relationship with my father, I wonder what, if anything, I can do to decontaminate my father of his Fox-inspired delusions.
I am an elected official in a small town in the Northeast. We have, as do many towns around the country, a growing Hispanic community. Many long-term residents (read: white) are uncomfortable with this and believe the immigrants to be undocumented. Recently, some of our town's citizens have demanded that the council do something, but there is very little we can do, as no one is loitering or overtly breaking the law.
My father, an intelligent person who has worked hard and succeeded in many things, listens to Fox News all the time. He's got Rush, Bob Grant, and Billo on the radio during the day, then he hits the nightly lineup on Fox. And somewhere along the way, he bought into the idea that liberals aren't loyal Americans. I'm a liberal Democrat and always have been one. I ran on a progressive platform. On the day I was sworn in, many remarked that my dad had such a proud look on his face.
Tonight, he brought up the immigrant situation. I told him that we had no legal authority to do anything. Checking to see if people are here legally is a federal matter. Our very small local hands are tied. After a heated exchange and then a cooler period where we agreed that people should go through the proper process to enter and work in this country, I asked him what he thought I should do in my elected capacity.
He started his statement this way: "If you had any allegience to this country...." I stopped him there and told him that I was a loyal American and that he needed to walk that statement back. He kept repeating it over my increasing objectons. I then told him that I could not stand there and have my patriotism impugned, and I left.
He most assuredly gets this twisted notion from Rush and Billo. But how do I disabuse him of it?
He is a very stubborn person. He is always right and everyone else is always wrong. You should be aware of that. Your comments are welcome, but I think I wrote this to vent.