Brochure from Audra Strickland is called 'hate mail'

Why is hate mail from Audra Strickland being mailed to me and all voters in the 37th Assembly District at California taxpayers' expense?

This week I received a mailer from Assemblymember Strickland that I find extremely offensive.

On the front of the mailer is the headline "Illegal immigrant prisoners are costing you money." Underneath the caption is a large picture of two hands in handcuffs behind a man's back. One of the hands is dark colored, the other is darker. On the back of the mailer is another photo of two hands reaching through jail cell bars. Again both hands are brown or black in the black-and-white photos.

It seems that Audra Strickland is trying to appeal to what she perceives to be the racist/bigot element in her Republican rightwing base that assumes that all illegal immigrants are people of color. In fact there are illegal immigrants from many different countries in all parts of the world, and, as shocking as it may be, some are even blond and blue-eyed.

Perhaps she also believes that things were much better in our country back in the good old days when "people knew their place."

We shouldn't allow ourselves to be influenced by those who seek to splinter our country into hostile opposing groups because of differing ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs or gender.

This looks to me like a cheap trick to exploit people's fears for political gain. Meanwhile, while we're distracted, the real criminals who have destroyed our economy go unpunished.

When I was young, we were taught that ours was a country that welcomed all and offered the hope of freedom and democracy envied throughout the world. Perhaps I was just a naive child, but I still believe this dream.

The fear-mongers who authored such a screed as the one I received from Audra Strickland never did.

Laurie Hickerson Thousand Oaks