Papers, please

It isn't just Freepers who are resorting to physical intimidation when confronting their political opponents. Now it's elected Republican officials, according to the Washington Post:

A contentious General Assembly hearing on illegal immigration led to a scuffle and shouting match yesterday between two Republican lawmakers and advocates for immigrant rights.

Baltimore County Dels. Patrick L. McDonough and Richard K. Impallaria said they left the hearing to confront four advocates who they said had referred to them as "racists" during testimony on a bill to study the financial impact of illegal immigration.

Advocates from Casa de Maryland said Impallaria turned on one of their lobbyists in the hallway, questioning her immigration status.

"He called me an illegal and said, 'You are probably one of those who broke the law,' " said Natali Fani, 23, a Latina lobbyist for the Takoma Park-based advocacy group. "He was pointing his finger right in my face, and he was yelling. It was really ugly."

Jamie Kendrick, a union leader working with the group, said he intervened, only to have McDonough push him in the hallway of the Lowe House Office Building.

"He physically shoved me aside," said Kendrick, executive director of the Service Employees International Union Maryland-DC state council. "It was kind of surreal. I have been doing this for eight to 12 years and have never seen a delegate come out of a hearing loaded for bear like that, and certainly never saw a delegate physically accost a member of the public like that."

The intimidation tactics were accompanied by the usual Republican racial sensitivity, too:

Kendrick said McDonough also asked to see Fani's "papers." Impallaria denied that anyone asked to see Fani's papers but said he asked whether she was an illegal immigrant. "I wanted to see how this legislation would affect her," he said.

Pretty soon, that will be the standard response to anyone questioning the conservative agenda: "Show us your papers, please."