At the border, the deployment of 6,000 National Guard troops who aren't going to arrest anybody isn't going to change anything. It's important we all understand that. Even if the rate of illegals coming across the border dropped by 50% that would still mean that 1.5 million people would be crossing every year.
The reason this immigration debate strikes a chord with me is because anti-immigration advocates are pretty much saying that they would rather have a country without people like me in it. And I'm a pretty nice guy. Anti-Mexican forces are also against low prices and the revival of metro neighborhoods like KC's Northeast and downtown KCK which have seen an influx of small businesses catering to this town's mojado community where once these places were pretty much the buttholes of their respective communities.
More than 80 years ago, my Grandma crossed the Rio Grande before there was a single border agent posted there . . . Much like white people coming from Europe, the Southern border was almost completely unchecked. White people, it's always white people, need to understand that immigration policy in this country has always been racist since the days when Black people were forced to "immigrate" (read: enslaved and brought) to this country. The U.S. has little moral authority when it speaks of lawful immigration. As for my Dad's side, they were "crossed by the border" (Americans hate it when you bring that up) and this country came to them . . . Not the other way around.
And that's cool.
I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist and when the best efforts of the top Republicans can only yield a limp gesture like this, then you know that (as usual) nothing is really going to change. Again, that's cool. True conservatives know that things (markets) always have a way of working themselves out and the worst thing in any situation is massive government intervention. Only two generations after my grandma came to this country most of my cousins are gung-ho Republicans who can't speak Spanish and I sound like Charo if she were to get into a car accident when I attempt to use my family's native tongue. My grandma is 4 foot nothing, she's paid taxes all her life, raised a family, never been accused of a crime, never been in a gang, never smuggled drugs and she nearly single handedly supported the American Soap Opera industry and all the products advertised during the shows that are her only vice . . . I don't see how she or anybody like her could ever be a threat to this nation's safety. Still, if you pay attention to Lou "Dumbass" Dobbs you'd think that she's harboring Al-Qaeda up her skirt. Again, true conservatives know that the market has a way of sorting itself out, free trade = free movement of labor and "these people" will eventually stop coming as soon as there is no demand for their cheap labor in the strip malls, home construction/domestic worker market of Johnson County . . . Which should be some time in the next few hundred years. Are they driving down wages? No, the people who are paying them are driving down wages but those people can vote and have rights in this country so nobody is really going to sanction them. The only thing the fierce anti-Mexican rhetoric is doing is creating unity among all Hispanics and ensuring that Latino voters like me will never support the short sighted politicos who spew that kind of stuff . . . I'm convinced that Krazy Kris Kobach couldn't win an election against Hitler.
So, in the end, this glorious half measure doesn't really do much but drive another nail into the coffin of George W. Bush's presidency. Anti-immigration advocates who pray for a wall are confused and don't realize that the War against Terror shouldn't be waged on the Mexicans . . . It's against the people of Iraq, soon Iran and the liberals in this country . . . Leave all the shitty jobs and lonely (overweight) white women for the mojados. In the end, you don't need to understand macro-economics, free trade policy or geopolitics in order to comprehend that droves of Mexicans willing to work crappy jobs aren't here to hurt you.
Nicely done! Nicely done indeed!
ReplyDeleteTony says, "The reason this immigration debate strikes a chord with me is because anti-immigration advocates are pretty much saying that they would rather have a country without people like me in it."
ReplyDeleteI don't think that's true at all, Tony. I think the debates primarily concern the southern US border because that is where most illegal immigrants enter this country. If the illegal immigration was occuring in such numbers on the Canadian border, that would get the most publicity.
Tony says, "Even if the rate of illegals coming across the border dropped by 50% that would still mean that 1.5 million people would be crossing every year."
That's OK, Tony. That will replace the number of unborn children killed each year through abortion.
Tony goes on to say, "Only two generations after my grandma came to this country most of my cousins are gung-ho Republicans who can't speak Spanish and I sound like Charo if she were to get into a car accident when I attempt to use my family's native tongue."
That's okay, Tony. This is an english speaking country. And if you sound like Charo, it's a put-on.
Tony says, "My grandma is 4 foot nothing, she's paid taxes all her life, raised a family, never been accused of a crime, never been in a gang, never smuggled drugs and she nearly single handedly supported the American Soap Opera industry and all the products advertised during the shows that are her only vice . . . "
....and your momma is 4-11 and beautiful.
Me, I'm a short, fat Kraut, whose family came across the pond in 1717 as indentured servants. And Tony ... I AM THE REALIST.
SleepyBob said...
ReplyDeleteI AM THE REALIST.
Sleepybob, easy with that statement son. In order to be the realist you need to Come With The Real™ son.
Bmoose 2008
Lou Dobbs for President 2008.....
ReplyDeleteI'm right here in every sense of the word. Nullus. I'll just post a few quick thoughts on what I believe because I don't really make it a habit of attacking my guests and I welcome any and all comments and I very rarely edit anything in the comments (not once yet):
ReplyDeleteMexicans don't drive down wages, people who pay them do.
All the anti-immigration support will dry up the second that it attacks business owners in this country. Already that language has been ousted from legislation.
Anti-immigration forces basically hate Mexicans and all the brown people coming here. I'd rather they were just honest ala Pat Buchanan who directly claims that "they" aren't assimilating and that poses a threat. That's a real argument but instead people hide behind "I'm not racist but . . ."
Offering every Mexican without a criminal record a permanent worker visa of some sort makes more sense than attempting to keep them all out in the name of the war against terror of which Mexicans have no part. Cooperation to secure the border is much wiser than turning our neighbor and the decedents of our neighbor into enemies.
In the end, you'd have better luck yelling at the birds to keep out of your lawn. Walls don't work. The Berlin Wall and The Great Wall of China are two examples of the futility of fencing people in or out.
Making illegal immigration a felony is part of the same dumbass logic that keeps the drug war going and a bunch of brown people in jail . . . Funny to think that making something a crime would put an end to it . . . This hasn't won the drug war yet and didn't do much for prohibition . . . Instead the rest of the world (Mexico recently) moves to decriminalizing drugs and offering treatment . . . This same strategy could be adopted toward immigrant communities where there are plenty of resources to inoculate against diseases and form partnerships for policing those communities where stern crackdowns only serve to create a shadow community and facilitate organized crime . . . After all it was the mafia that served as the only form of justice for Italians who were either ignored or persecuted by the state in both their native Italy and as immigrants to this nation.
Concerning "legal" immigration . . . The white people of Europe were always given preferential treatment and it was only (mainly) the Italians and Irish who faced a backlash (acknowledging that the Germans did face some discrimination before, during and after WWI). As far as the Asians and people coming here from across the planet . . . They'll have to fight their own battles but I'll note that most of them are either the beneficiaries of upper class privilege or government amnesty like all of those Vietnamese boat people Jimmy Carter welcomed or the many Iranians who fled after the fall of the Shaw and were offered a path toward citizenship in this country. If he U.S. took that same attitude with Mexico as Cuba i.e. the "one foot rule" or better yet a guest worker program akin to the Bracero program during WWII then that would not only offer a more workable solution but also might bring more voters to both parties seeing as so many Cubans are Republican; which is why I believe the fear of the socialist streak in Mexican culture is one of the unspoken reasons why this Republican led wedge issue is being pushed forward.
I won't really speak to all the other "illegal" immigrant issues regarding other ethnicities which represent the 40% of illegal immigration not coming from Mexico that people have forgotten. However, I will say that this nation has faced unwelcome influxes of people from all over the planet and if anything it has only served to make this country stronger. Doesn't it stand to reason that the opposite would be true?
Certified H8er said...
ReplyDeleteOh, and you might as well turn your comments off. I will be here breaking down every piece of bullshit you post on this topic and exposing you for the spin doctoring racist you are.
that sounds like some shit i would do.......
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know when the world is ending? I need yo finalize plans......
ReplyDeleteThe USA did a fine job of bolstering Canada and it's economy. All we did in Mexico is let Bush and pack steal the oil.
ReplyDeleteRead B. Traven he floated ashore in Mexico --a German with no passport who managed after years of wandering --including coming up and border jumping into the US--early biographers thought his orgin was in St. Louis. Anyhow he lays out the whole economic deal back in the early 1900's. After reading his stuff it is strange that the US didn't heed his passive warnings and do something to bolster the Mexican economy and thus a lot of Hispanics would now be staying home making money like the Canadians do.
My greatgrandfather jumped ship and made it through one of the first amnesties. My fathers side helped smuggle in Jews under assumed names. They all came from "white" european Sweden. They came because they believed that they could do better here than where they came from.
The only incorrect thing about borderjumping is not learning the language in the new country. If the US wasn't 100% in favor of Hispanics they would have kept the old language requirements. The only reason to try to have dual languages in the US is to encourage more Spanish speaking.
Wait until I become President!
ReplyDeleteBusch Light is too expensive....Nat Light is how Redneck rolls.....
ReplyDeleteSucks being on the other side doesn't it, "boot lip" (said by T.R.)?
ReplyDeleteI <3 angry rednecks
who the fuck said bootlip? i knock a muthafucka out!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
ReplyDeletewho the fuck said bootlip? i knock a muthafucka out!
True redneck
http://gettothecenter.blogspot.com/2006/05/rare-confederate-flag-found-in-kansas.html
Your Irish ancestors are spinning in their graves for you giving immigrants such a hard time. A guy at the end of a dock with a clipboard is a far cry from SUVs, helicopters with night vision and armed border agents. Also, did a good portion of this country once belong to Ireland? I thought they had to climb in a boat and sail across the ocean not just walk to San Diego. And nobody was demanding anything but that you acknowledge the humanity of people that you rant against. Humans > Laws that most Americans ignore.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love comments and figuring that you're turning red from embarrassment . . . Or do Irish people turn orange? Kidding, thanks for the comments.
Re: to Tony
ReplyDeleteI'm not giving immigrants a hard time, just people that are here ILLEGALLY. As far as "ownership", I'm mostly Irish with a sprinkle of Sioux from my Dad's side. Does that count for anything? Seriously though, Mexico couldn't defend it's land. 160 years later, is that my problem/fault to where I shouldn't defend it now? Also if you want to argue semantics, we could say that the Asians that came from the Bering Straight were here before Latinos then, right?
So, you're saying nobody was demanding amnesty? You're sure about that? Anyway, I acknowledge their humanity. I'm not like those two racist kids that did that shit to that 17 year old boy a couple of weeks ago. As I've said many times, I'm all for LEGAL immigrants coming here. If it's refuge that these people from Mexico seek, why aren't they keeping their money here instead of funding Mexico's economy? If these illegals claim to want to be a part of the U.S. why aren't you and others helping by going through the proper channels instead of pointing fingers and having useless demanding marches? The more the merrier, just don't expect the U.S. to assimilate to the Spanish language, give you(Illegals, not you) hand outs, and expect to fly under the health and taxation radar because you don't want to go through the proper channels and show conflicting actions of wanting to become part of the U.S. in doing so(read waiving the Mexican flag at the rally downtown).
I'm always red homie, be it my eyes from the peach bleezey (Law that most Americans ignore) or just because that's what my pale ass skin does.
You're a racist hypocritical bastard, but that's what makes this place so much fun to visit.
Let me roll up a peach for the Chamilitary Hat.....
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the fact that the war on drugs, war on immigration as well as the war on terror can never be won and I also believe that sending 6,000 guardsmen won't change a thing. But why do you say that anti-immigration people hate Mexicans? Perhaps they are anti ILLEGAL immigration people. You seem to forget that there is a difference between legal and illegal. Don't be so quick to herd every white person into the same group of anti-everything and everyone that isn't white. That's racist.
ReplyDeleteP.S. The KC Outlaws graffiti on the Eastside sucks. If we are gonna have Latino gangs in Kansas City, they should at least learn to tag and not just shake a Krylon can around to impress the chicas! J/K
I'd rather have 100,000 "illegal immigrants" from ANY country willing to work their asses off to wash my cum covered motel sheets and pick my lettuce than 10 meth makin', mullet wearing, rebel flag flying, pit bull raising, ignorant, redneck, bigoted, unemployment-claiming, trailer dwellers running around giving white folk a bad name.
ReplyDelete