Newspeak in Action

big-brother-1984-ingsocGov. Moonbeam just signed a bill to strike the word “alien” from California’s labor laws:

California Bans ‘Alien’ from Labor Code

How Orwellian of him:

This is not an effort to be more “sensitive.” It goes deeper. As Tim Paulson, executive director of the San Francisco Labor Council, told SF Gate:

There are two words we are opposed to: illegal and alien. There is no such thing as an illegal person, and there is no such thing as an illegal alien. All workers in this country, whether documented or undocumented, pay their taxes and do their fair share. We are a nation of immigrants, and anything that connotes a negative implication of being an immigrant is antithetical to the idea of the American dream.

This is a contemptible program. By refusing to draw any distinction between legal and illegal immigration, Paulson makes obvious that he is not trying merely trying to eliminate a disagreeable word, but to eliminate a concept — the concept of illegal immigration. And the quickest way to eliminate the offensive concept is to eliminate any language in which to express the idea.

Be on the lookout

Keep your head on a swivel for hajjis looking to do you harm:

“Middle Eastern males” approach troops’ family members

According to CBS News the FBI is warning law enforcement that “middle eastern men” have approached family of servicemembers in Colorado and Wyoming seeking to obtain personal information through intimidation:

In one case last May the wife of a military member was approached in front of her home by two Middle Eastern males. The men stated that she was the wife of a U.S. interrogator. When she denied their claims the men laughed. The two men left the area in a dark-colored, four-door sedan with two other Middle Eastern males in the vehicle.