Well May 1 looks like it might be an interesting day if this comes to pass:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pro-immigration activists say a national boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood U.S. streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it debates reform.
Such a massive turnout could make for the largest protests since the civil rights era of the 1960s, though not all Latinos -- nor their leaders -- were comfortable with such militancy, fearing a backlash in Middle America.
Somehow I am not going to be surprised if there is some kind of backlash especially with groups like the Minutemen becoming popular in border states. Also illeglas are a major deal in states away from the border as even here locally ABXair/DHL was found guilty of hiring over 300 illegals for their sort center. They rolled over though so all they got was a slap on the wrist. But the Butler cty sheriff is goign out and rounding up any illegals he can find and turning them over to the feds to be removed from his county. And he has billed the feds for this service saying that since they wont do their jobs he'll do it for them. But as long as companies are willing to shelter and use illegals to get out of paying benefits and decent wages to citizens we will continue to have this problem. Maybe if the company owners did some time themselves it might motivate them to start obeying the laws. But anyhow this is becoming a bit of an interesting situation.
Ok a few things.
(Sorry about dumping the immigration thing here as I could not find a subject for it. Point me to one and I'll move it there. or you can if you wish.)
1: It appears that the immigrant/illegals protest/boycott did come off in a rather big way. Some of the reports I've seen have said that at least 75% of some companies employees where absent today as well as schools. Farming and landscaping had big drops today as well as construction as several companies had to close due to not having enough employees.
Now to see what the backlash if any is from this. Arizona is already a rather upset and heated population as its the home of the minutemen group. In Arizona:Republican legislators prepared to introduce potentially one of the toughest state anti-immigrant proposals, a $100 million package that would deploy National Guard troops to the desert border with Mexico and use radar to track anyone trying to sneak across the border.
Not to mention the recent flap among some about the spanish version of the national anthem.
Personally I am somewhat divided by the situation of the illegals. I would have not as much problem with people coming into the country as long as they play by the rules. But since there are already not enough jobs for people to go around having illegals come in that can work for quite a bit less under the table is somewhat irritating.
2: Bolivia has nationalized their natural gas fields. This is part of a growing trend among many South American nations who feel they are being used by the big foregin oil companies.
Ecuador has not yet nationalized their oil fields but they do have a major royalties and windfall profits tax in place. Somethign which Washington is in negotiations about.
3: In tennessee a school district had to close down for the second day in a row to cut costs.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The high price of diesel fuel for school buses meant children in one Tennessee school system got a holiday Monday — their second in a row.
Some 3,800 youngsters got Friday and Monday off because of the action taken by Dallas Smith, superintendent of Rhea County schools in east Tennessee, to ease transportation spending.
Considering how rural and spread out the county is I am not surprised. 34 miles from end to end is a large territory to cover. And its not like they can have the kids drive or walk or take too many alternatives. Something definately needs to be done to help get this situation under control. Help control the price of fuels while increaseing the amount of alternative fuels available. This will take government subsidies and assistence as well as control.
OK I wanna say thank you for creating this. As it is promising to be a major deal with politicians and the public. Also it is a major economic deal.
What bothers me about this is how the discussion and terminology have been hijacked, and how anyone who opposes illegal immigration is labelled "anti-immigrant".
My grandfather and Mrs. ScottN's father both immigrated. They came through Ellis Island.
I've got nothing against immigrants. If they want to come here, and they jump through the INS's hoops, more power to them. I have a problem with illegal aliens -- someone who sneaks across the border. They obviously know it's wrong, or they wouldn't try to sneak across at night when nobody's watching.
And as to amnesty, back when IRCA was enacted, back in 1986, an amnesty was given. And now we have 2Million (I think that's the number being thrown around) illegal aliens. So if we give amnesty now, first of all we reward those who broke our laws. Second, how many illegal aliens will we have in 20 more years?
Exactly. For the most part arn't we all immigrants. (cept for those lucky few who was here first.) And While I have no problem with people coming into the country. Thats part of being the land of opportunity and dreams is supposed to be about. (even if the opportunities are limited and the dreams are a lie) there are rules and regulations in place for reasons.
I mean the economic issues of illegals are rather complex and unpleasant.
Not only do you have companies using them to replace legal workers thereby putting legal people out of work, but you have illegals claiming and somehow managing to get welfare benefits, The County sheriffs have caught several illegals around here in rural Ohio who are driving and involved in accidents. Plus the whole smuggling humans across the border or taking advantage of them to get their money is just plain wrong. I mean 2 gallons of water to go over 50 miles in the desert where the daytime temps can get over 120 is if not murder at least enforced russian roulete. Plus Like ScottN pointed out you are rewarding someone for breaking national law. And speakign of national law a weak border does permit easier criminal activity including terrorism. So this is one of those situations that is ugly, unpleasant, complex and going to be a real pain to solve. Assuming it can be solved.
I think the number's actually 11-12 million. That's what I could find at cnn.com anyway.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/04/10/immigration/index.html
Yeah, really. Even Native Americans are immigrants (albeit the first ones). For the record (since some of us are chiming in with our own family histories), my parents are both immigrants--legal ones.
I just dislike how this is being set up as some sort of zero-sum decision: Either we deport 'em all and build a wall or we declare general amnesty and enjoy sunshine and lollipops.
Yeah I'll agree with you on that. This is another one of those situations in life where the issues are complex. Things are ugly and the answers are not going to be easy.
I'm not sure what we can or should do. I mean a good wall builds good neighbors is a country saying. But the kind of wall that would be required between america and mexico would be a bit excessive.
Plus making another law to make it illegal to be in the country illegally is idiotic since there already laws about that. Enforcing the laws that are already on the books might not be a bad idea first. Unfortuantely that would require changing a lot of the way thigns are done.
Well this is interesting. The minutemen group in Arizona has declared that they are goign to be helping some border ranchers in the busiest patch of illegal crossing zones to build some fences between mexico and the US. Unless the US govt deploys troops to that area by the 25th of May. The fences will be along the same designs as an Isreali design between israel and palestine.
(AP - On the south side facing Mexico, a 6-foot deep trench will keep vehicles from crashing through the fencing. Behind that, coiled and razor-edged barbed wire will be placed in front of a 15-foot steel mesh fence angled outward at the top to make climbing more difficult. The second fence will be built on the other side of the road.)
This isnt the only fencing project the minutemen have begun recently.
Associated Press - About 200 Minuteman volunteers began building a 6-foot barbed wire fence last month along a quarter-mile of rugged terrain about 50 miles east of San Diego. It connected to an existing 12-foot high government-built fence.
Now while individual initiative and whatever someone wants to do on their property is all fine and dandy. Giving ultimatums to the government is a bit presumptious of them don't ya think? What exactly are they wanting to do have the government post soldiers all along the border and do what? Open fire? Arrest and send them back turn them away? This is not a problem that large amounts of explosives will solve (well not solve in a manner agreeable to most people) nor military force. This is a problem of perception, ability and capability.
What needs to be done is several things. Get the standard of living in mexico up to a high enough level that people will not be as willing to leave. Punish companies who hire illegals to such a painful degree that it will not be worthwhile for them to do so. Help those illegals who are already here get sorted out into ones who are a threat (ie criminals or terrorists etc. Not sure how many but probably a few) Those who are in need of a better life (ie those willing and able to work and capable of learning or already have trades and skills. Just need english language skills) and those who are here due solely to family or health reasons (ie here because they have a major disease or condition that can only be treated here instead of at home, grandparents or wives or children of those already here.) And once sorted deal with them appropriately. Of course this means that the united states will also have to improve its job and economy and ability to support people as well. Otherwise we will wind up draggin ourselves down by sheer weight of people.
An intresting news item appeared in a British Military Vehicle magazine...
Apparently, the Arizona State Police has bought a 1950's vintage Saracen 6X6 Wheeled APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) for evaluation purposes...
(The Reason given, was that "People Smugglers" are now so heavily armed, that their existing vehicles, being unarmoured, can't be used to pursue them...).
The border fence is now law. I don't really know what to think of this. On one hand, I don't think it's necessary, but on another I'm not really sure my opinion should matter that much since I have yet to choose my future career.
Apparently, the Arizona State Police has bought a 1950's vintage Saracen 6X6 Wheeled APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) for evaluation purposes...
(The Reason given, was that "People Smugglers" are now so heavily armed, that their existing vehicles, being unarmoured, can't be used to pursue them...).
And an armored vehcile is going to be able to pursue them? In what way a chase that makes the Oj SImpson snail crawl look fast.
Oh well anything to keep the undesireables out according to the king dubya crowd.
Hiliary Clinton said that there's a serious border problem between the USA & Mexico. There's been a lot of violence there and a lot of drug trafficking.
I've known that for years and you're just discovering this NOW, Mrs. Clinton?
And then the corporate bigwigs want to do away with the border between the USA, Mexico & Canada....RIGHT!
Most illegal immigrants don't come through the American-Mexican border. They travel to the States through the use of visas, and then just overstay after their visa expires. The 9/11 hijackers, for example, did not come through that border. Those that come through that border comprise only a tiny minority of them.
The truth is that violence in the drug wars will keep happening so long as Americans demand drugs. As long as our people demand drugs someone will supply them, there's just too much money in it. And America does demand drugs, the economy is tanking and people are still finding enough money to see the weed man or the coke man. Wish I could have my broker put my money in drug smuggling.
Yeah, the drug war is really a silly conceit when you break it down because you keep going after middlemen, pushers, and users without addressing the real needs that create the demand for drugs.
President Obama to tackle Immigration problem. Overall, it sounds like more of the same. But I definitely agree that we need to remove the incentives for illegal immigrants to enter our country. But I'm not sure what exactly could be done, other than becoming a Third World country ourselves.
It's all well and good to say that you're against illegal immigration but as a nation we haven't had a problem with Wal-Mart could staff a store with them for $7.00 per hour, your local contractor gave you the lowest bid on that new home because most of his crew was illegal or you bought the discount strawberries because they had illegals picking them.
Now of course it was the bosses who union-busted and knowingly hired illegals and dumped any injuries or health problems onto tax funded county hospitals. Those cheap strawberries and cheap labor isn't that cheap.
Awesome video on immigration.
Wow. Good one. As soon as I heard the beginning of Neil Diamond's "America", I knew it was going to be a good montage video, since it's such an inspiring song. To use it in service to arguing why immigration is so important is a perfect fit.
I'm not sure why Morena Baccarin was included, since it seems the rest were chosen because they or their accomplishments were widely known. Don't get me wrong, she's a hottie, and I'm a big Firefly fan, but her inclusion doesn't seem to mesh with the others. Aren't there were more widely actor immigrants working today? For that matter, why did they use a pic of Chaplin outside of his Little Tramp makeup?
As for Ann Coulter, I think we should build a wall around her.
And get illegal aliens to do it.