Xenophobic bigot Tom Tancredo has come under fire for suggesting at a hearing yesterday in Brownsville, TX, that the proposed border fence ought to be built on the northern side of the town. Since the beginning of the immigration/border debate, Brownsville has become the "epicenter" of opposition to the fence.

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Valley Morning Star:

Boos and hisses emanated from the audience for a congressional field hearing when Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado dismissed residents' concerns that the effort to build 670 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border by year's end would damage the environment and destroy a centuries-old bond between residents on both sides of the Rio Grande. Late in the five-hour hearing, Tancredo returned to a comment made earlier by panelist Betty Perez, a rancher and local activist. Perez said, ``It really isn't a border to most of us who live down here.'' Tancredo dismissed Perez's remarks as a ``multiculturalist attitude toward borders.'' As jeers rose, Tancredo added, ``I suggest that you build this fence around the northern part of your city.''

So what side of the border does Tancredo want to see Brownsville sitting? It's nice to see Tancredo get the reaction he deserves. Perhaps the "I hate everything foreign" card won him some points in the GOP primary, but it does nothing but alienate most sensible and thoughtful Americans.