WHY ADFM MOVED THE 2013 ANNUAL WINTER MEETING

The Association of Departments of Family Medicine (ADFM) has decided to move its 2013 Annual Winter Meeting from Mobile, Alabama to a different location.The decision was reportedly made because Alabama passed "the most extreme anti-immigrant law" (this could also be called an anti-lawbreaker law) in the nation. Even though this move will cost money, the ones making the decision can just pass the bill to those below them like all politicians do. Those evil people in Alabama want to find law breakers in their state and stop paying for tax payer supported education and medical care for the law breakers. Shame on the evil Alabama lawmakers who think their taxpayer dollars should go to support only legal residents who pay taxes! Shame on the Alabama lawmakers for trying to cut back on the number of illegal immigrants who use taxpayer supported services in Alabama. Hurray for the progressives at the Association of Departments of Family Medicine who think we should punish those who make an attempt to uphold the current laws of our land. Hooray for the Obama administration asking an appeals court to block the enforcement of Alabama's strict anti- lawbreaker law. Shame on the weak minded Federal Judge who upheld most of the sections of Alabama's anti-lawbreaker law.

The evil anti lawbreaker law was passed months after ADFM had selected Mobile as the site for the 2013 meeting. Ultimately, the big dogs at ADFM identified an overriding (important to the anointed few) organizational value: "the obligation to create a welcoming, safe environment for all our members" (some might be lawbreakers or illegal aliens), including the chance to celebrate the diversity of our membership (even if they are lawbreakers). In the Board's judgment, this value could not be upheld in a state that posed a threat to the sense of security of some of their members (i.e. I guess the lawbreakers). ADFM leaders say they did not ultimately decide to move the meeting location as a political statement. They do say they knew that their decision had political implications. They believed it was very important for progressives to protect lawbreakers,

Some evil people think our country could solve its illegal immigrant problem almost overnight if there was a nationwide enforcement of the existing laws, along with increased penalties for hiring illegals. This has not happened yet because progressives who work in government supported institutions want to protect lawbreakers so they will vote for them in the future. Maybe the country will be lucky enough to elect a new group of politicians who take the illegal immigrant problem seriously!

Jerry Goddard, M.D. ABFP Carbondale, IL

Competing interests:   None declared