Is the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control falling apart

Boo hoo.

I guess the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control founder Paul Steiz has finally shown his racist colors and some of his members aren't drinking his brand of kool-aid any longer.

Hopefully this is the beginning of the end for this stupid organization. We can only pray and hope.

From the Hartford Courant

Internal disputes in the state's most vocal organization seeking tougher immigration laws have pushed it to the brink of disintegration.

Two of the group's founders have quit, saying its third founder, Paul Streitz, has led it in a racially charged, divisive direction.

Mary Long and Peter Gadiel, who started Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control with Streitz earlier this year, denounced a study that he released last week over their objections. Streitz said the study, based on observing but not interviewing workers at McDonald's restaurants in the state, showed Hispanics and undocumented workers were probably displacing whites and African Americans in McDonald's restaurants.

"This McDonald's thing he did is just nonsense," said Gadiel, whose focus has been border security since his 23-year-old son died in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks.

Streitz said he felt he needed to "show the loss of jobs to American citizens and particularly African Americans" despite warnings from Gadiel, Long and others in the group that mere observation could not reliably reveal a person's ethnicity or legal status.

In an e-mail to members in August, Streitz solicited volunteers to "check some MexDonalds and observe how many workers are their [sic] and their ethnic origin."

Elise Marciano, president of the group's Danbury chapter, said, "We categorically turned it down and he went ahead and did it."

Hmmm, that's strange. I think I missed that memo Elise where you said you resigned. Funny how your website still has you and Long in your same position. Also, I don't recall you publically reject the McDonald's study and since you had all the time in the world to denounce Streitz pubically, why didn't you simply write a letter to the editor denouncing the survey amd Steitz?

Long and Gadiel said they quietly resigned from their leadership roles months ago, but continued to attend some events and remained on an e-mail list that sufficed as the group's informal membership roster.

Both said they asked to be removed from the membership list within the last two weeks after learning Streitz intended to release the results of his McDonald's work. He held a press conference under the auspices of CTCIC Thursday at the West Hartford Public Library. No other members of the group attended the event, which was interrupted when a young man threw a cream pie at Streitz.

Despite the fact that Long and Gadiel resigned their leadership posts early in the summer, both were identified as co-directors in the group's August online newsletter. When Long and Gadiel became aware of the newsletter, they asked that their names be removed.

Streitz said a member who has since moved out of state compiled the newsletter.

But in a Sept. 17 e-mail by Streitz outlining the background of the organization, he identified Long and Gadiel as co-founders, not mentioning they had both left their leadership roles.

[...]

Gadiel said the Sept. 17 e-mail was technically correct in identifying him as a co-founder, but left an impression that was "thoroughly dishonest."

When it comes to Streitz, Gadiel is not interested in inclusiveness.

"I have nothing to do with the man," said Gadiel, who also is a director of 9/11 Families for a Secure America. "I will have nothing to do with the man. I live on the same planet with the man, and that's enough."

Long said Streitz "sort of took over the group" and controlled the e-mails issued in its name. She said she no longer has any association with him and described the McDonald's study as "misguided, flawed, distracting and damaging."

"I guess I view Paul Streitz as sort of over the top, radical, not credible," said Long.

Streitz has continued to identify himself as a co-director in some announcements of events, including a meeting Wednesday night in West Haven and one Tuesday in Stamford. He said Tuesday he would now probably identify himself as director.

At an American Legion hall in West Haven Wednesday night, the CTCIC meeting followed a well-established pattern. More than 150 immigration activists protested outside as Streitz spoke to about 25 people in the hall, including journalists, plainclothes police officers and students from a West Haven High School government class, who had been assigned to attend. At the end of the meeting, four people signed up for the e-mail list.

As I've been saying for months, the CTCIC are nothing more than a hate group, it's plain and simple. They have no agenda and only purpose is to attract attention to themselves. Paul Streitz is nothing more than a jerk (believe me, I'm really holding back when I say that) and shouldn't recieve any type of media attention (shame on you Lou Dobbs).