Pat Bertroche, a physician and GOP candidate for Iowa’s Third District primary, has called for a program in which illegal aliens are forced to be micro-chipped to keep track of them. He asked an audience recently, “I actually support micro-chipping them. I can micro-chip my dog so I can find it. Why can’t I micro-chip an illegal?”
Bertoche added “That’s not a popular thing to say, but it’s a lot cheaper than building a fence they can tunnel under.” There are of course many things cheaper than building a fence, but that is hardly a justification for any means that you choose.
After a national outcry, Bertoche insisted that his comments were taken out of context and were not serious, here. He stated “I don’t support microchipping anybody and it also didn’t occur to me I was comparing dogs to illegal immigrants.” Hmmm, here is the original line: “I can micro-chip my dog so I can find it. Why can’t I micro-chip an illegal?”
Bertoche appears to prefer to be thought of as an anti-Communist. He states on this campaign site that “Pres. Obama promised us change. Changing to Communism isn’t what I had in mind.”
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Microchipping a dog doesn’t help you find it, it helps you identify it. But it is understandable that his dog would want to run away.
Note to Bertoche: you’re an illegal immigrant
chiphead
LOL, Nal.
Say one thing to the Tea Baggers and then something else to the normal voters.
But when you think about … micro-chipping elected officials with a GPS chip might be a good idea.
Blouise,
Unfortunately dog whistle politics has become the norm among those playing to the teabaggers.
What really bugs me about this statement is not the lack of ethics or probable unconstitutionality of it, but the sheer stupidity of the comment – exactly how are we supposed to ‘chip’ illegal aliens if Bertoche has his way? Ask all of the illegal aliens to come to the police department to have a tracking device implanted in them? Or should the police just stop people on the street and put a chip in them if they can’t produce proof of citizenship? What a bigoted idiot.
While we’re at it, why not bury an invisible fence along the border and implant shock collars in anyone arrested and deported? Much cheaper and easier than a real fence and it won’t ruin the view.
Slartibartfast–
“What a bigoted idiot.”
That should be ideeeeeot!
Where do you suppose this physician received his training??? The Dr. Mengele School of Medicine?
Elaine,
Probably. And topped it off with a masters from the Macheivelli school of ethics, I’d guess…
Maybe gaff master Biden is prescient.
Elaine,
Everyone, especially Republicans, are quick to point out that Vice-President Biden has a chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease, but mostly they fail to mention that he’s extremely intelligent and insightful. President Obama picked a running mate who is eminently capable of running the country – even if we would be cringing whenever he gave a speech…
Given that the wingnuts have passed an anti-chipping law in AL & are trying to do the same in at least 5 other states how can the wingnuts support chipping people? Even by their demented, pea-wit level of, what we shall call reasoning for lack of a better term, this should be a dilemma.
If its the anti-Christ that wants us chipped as witnesses in AL testimony said than wouldn’t it still be the Anti-Christ wanting it or are aliens not human?
frankdawg,
STOP RIGHT NOW! Okay, now back away slowly from the precipice and don’t try to apply logic to wingnut positions again – you risk serious brain injury by doing so…
Slartibartfast,
I agree. It always bugs me when people act like the Vice President is stupid. I know it’s part of the expected narrative (Dan Quayle etc.) but it still bugs me.
Jan Crawford Greenburg pointed out another one of those wrong accepted wisdoms and it now jumps out for me whenever anyone uses it: that Justice Thomas simply parrots Justice Scalia.
James,
I’ll have to keep an eye out for the Justice Thomas thing…
Can any of the lawyers here tell me if it’s true that Justice Thomas writes fewer opinions than his colleagues?
Slartibartfast
Blouise,
Unfortunately dog whistle politics has become the norm among those playing to the teabaggers.
What really bugs me about this statement is not the lack of ethics or probable unconstitutionality of it, but the sheer stupidity of the comment – exactly how are we supposed to ‘chip’ illegal aliens if Bertoche has his way? Ask all of the illegal aliens to come to the police department to have a tracking device implanted in them? Or should the police just stop people on the street and put a chip in them if they can’t produce proof of citizenship? What a bigoted idiot.
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Yeah, but you’re normal so he’d never say anything about implanting chips to you … you’d challenge him with something logical like, “Would you ‘Ask all of the illegal aliens to come to the police department to have a tracking device implanted in them?’”
His comments are directed to Tea Baggers whose politics are pure emotion without reason or logic … they respond very well to dog whistles … but they’re kinda slow at fetching.
I suppose it’s only a matter of time before the argument is made that illegal aliens are really enemy combatants in the War on Drugs and may be held without charges for the duration of that war. Dr. Menge…Bertoche may then propose legislation permitting medical experimentation on those who have been properly chipped and categorized.
The Children can stay but the “illegal” parents have to go. We can put the kids in foster care because they are in compliance with the 14th amendment. There should be no path to citizenship otherwise we would be condoning illegal behavior. Secondly, all places of employment that knowingly hire ileegal immigrants should be heavily fined. The first mistake many make in regards to sending the parents back is acting as if America did something wrong. We didn’t! Secondly, If a dad or a single mom lose their job, the kids will suffer as well. All of us are effected by the behavior of our parents and therefore I am not willing to give an illegal immigrant one inch.
Nal, that was funny. I am just ashamed that he breathes the same air that the rest of of do.
Is this the kind of thought process we can expect of this wingnut should he be elected by his peers? It seems to me the whole bunch of Palin followers are like this guy. No thought for what they say and if they are even speaking the TRUTH, could care less. Just think of these people making life and death decisions. You know what, I like Obama better than I would have thought. I have watched the illegal problem grow out of control the last 12 years with nothing being done. They seem to have more Rights than I do. Something has to be done. Stop being nice to them they are after all thieves who stole their way into our Country.