On Friday, TV comedian Stephen Colbert will be testifying before Congress and supporting a plan that runs down American workers and supports worker abuse. Please read the following and then contact him using the means below, asking him to support American workers and oppose worker abuse.

The plan Colbert will be promoting is "TakeOurJobs.com", at which the United Farmworkers of America pretend to seek Americans to take farmworker jobs.

* Colbert's plan is anti-American:
The Colbert/UFW plan is anti-American: it falsely implies that Americans are unwilling and unable to take farmworker jobs. The UFW and Colbert are in effect calling the American worker soft, falsely pretending that only immigrants - specifically, illegal aliens from Mexico and Latin America - are willing to do farm work. In fact, somewhere between one-fourth and one-half of U.S. farmworkers are either citizens or legal workers. America sent a man to the moon and won World War II, but according to Stephen Colbert, we're too soft to get some dirt under our fingernails.

Further, millions of Americans are out of work, and Colbert is supporting illegal aliens taking jobs that Americans could and should be doing. Illegal labor depresses wages and reduces workplace conditions; with less illegal labor in the marketplace, more Americans would do farm work.

* Colbert's plan is pro-abuse:
The Colbert/UFW plan also supports worker abuse. Colbert will be testifying with UFW president Arturo Rodriguez who acknowledged that farmworkers "work in often unbearable situations." Why would Stephen Colbert support people working in "unbearable situations"? The reason why growers are able to get away with abusing their workers is due in large part to the fact that they're illegal aliens. If we reduced the number of illegal aliens working in the fields, both wages and working conditions would improve. Legalization isn't the answer because that will just encourage more illegal immigration and growers - addicted to cheap, malleable illegal labor - will push politicians to allow illegal immigration just as they now do.

For longer arguments against the Colbert/UFW plan, see this and this. If you aren't convinced that Stephen Colbert's plan is anti-American and pro-abuse, read those links or leave a comment below and I'll try to change your mind.

* What to do:
Here are some of the things you can do:
1. Send a tweet to @StephenAtHome and let him know you support American workers and oppose worker abuse.
2. Do a search at Twitter for those promoting Colbert's plan, unwittingly or not. Send them a link to this post and suggest they support American workers.
3. Post about this at Facebook.
4. Post about this at forums that are generally supportive of Colbert.
5. Leave a comment on this post I just created at his forum.
6. Sign the Twitter petition here.
7. Tell your friends about this post and encourage them to get involved.

9/23/10 UPDATE: The UFW promotes his appearance (action.ufw.org/page/speakout/Colbert910):

Remember when UFW President Arturo Rodriguez was on the Colbert Show on July 7? Stephen Colbert committed to come work in the fields and take a farm worker’s job. Well he did! And his "Take Our Jobs" episodes will be airing this week... The first episode, where he will interview Congresswoman (Zoe Lofgren, Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Immigration) on the need to reform our nation’s broken immigration system is scheduled to air on Wednesday... Then the next day, Thursday, Sept 23, you can see Stephen Colbert as he works in the fields... On Friday... Lofgren... will be holding a Congressional hearing which UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, Stephen Colbert, Phil Glaize, an apple grower from Winchester, VA, will be testifying at entitled "Protecting America’s Harvest."

9/24/10 UPDATE: Here's why Colbert's testimony is wrong.