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My Illegal Immigration Rant

Up to this point, I have not commented on the current “immigration reform bill” that is being pushed in Congress. I am quite disappointed that our President is pushing this - I would much rather see him attacking Social Security with the vigor with which he has now seemed to find. One of the problems I've had with the Republican leadership, and this President in particular, is that they are not using the resources at their disposal to educate the electorate. They assume that the nation is “split down the middle,” and they respond to the chest-pounding from the left with chest-pounding on the right, without explaining facts or educating the American people.

There are big problems with the current bill, that legitimizes illegals and basically allows them to “jump the line” on immigrating to this country. There are a lot of side effects that come with this invasion that most people don't even know about. In Nashville, the police have discovered a Hispanic prostitution ring going on in residential areas. In cities across the country, illegal alien drunk drivers are killing Americans quite frequently. Some say that driving after drinking is part of the Mexican culture. They are also much more lax in their attitudes on the age of sexual consent.

I can't imagine any Americans wanting this to become a part of our culture. However, none of the current legislation does anything to discuss assimilation. Rather than encourage learning English, we are actually translating government documents into all kinds of languages! How much money are we wasting on that? Gov. Schwarzenegger (R-CA) took some heat for suggesting that Mexican immigrants turn off Spanish-language television stations and watch English-language stations instead. (Of course, he isn't an immigrant who decided to learn English… Oh wait - he is!)

But something I saw today just takes the cake. It's a report by the Center for New Community entitled “Indecent Proposals: Top 10 Most Offensive Quotes.” (I only link to it so you know I'm not making this up; also, it has footnotes where the source of each quote is found. I don't want to reproduce those here.) The entire mindset of this article is wrong - most of the people they quote do not hold “anti-immigrant” views, just “anti-illegal immigrant” views. It would be like saying that a British entertainer who talks about “lighting up a fag” is anti-gay. (In Britain, “fag” is a slang term for a cigarette.) But I digress… Suffice it to say, I'm not going to address the “anti-immigrant” label every time they apply it.

This is like shooting fish in a barrel…

“This nation desperately needs informed, reasoned debate on this issue,” said Rev. David Ostendorf, executive director of the Center for New Community. "The anti-immigrant groups and their supporters are clearly not interested in helping our nation move forward - all anyone has to do is turn on the radio to hear that these groups' values do not represent the values shared by the vast majority of Americans."

Turn on the radio? Isn't it talk radio that is completely responsible for the death of the first incarnation of the immigration reform bill? These folks are not the brightest bulbs in the pack, that's for certain.

WARNING: Graphic, offensive and otherwise inappropriate language follows:

Strangely enough, regular readers will know that I don't post graphic or inappropriate language, but I will be able to quote these in their entirety. It may be offensive to liberals, but in my exhaustive search through the Constitution, I haven't been able to find a right against being offended. On we go…

1. “We need the National Guard to clean out all our cities and round them up… They have no problem slitting your throat and taking your money or selling drugs to your kids or raping your daughters, and they are evil people.”

- Chris Simcox, co-founder of the Minuteman Project and president of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. As quoted in the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report magazine, Summer 2005.

It may be difficult to hear, and even more difficult to accept, but the links above address these very issues. Not all illegal immigrants do these things - but, deporting all illegal aliens would eliminate these as well, and then, maybe the law-abiding would-be immigrants could, you know, obey the law and emigrate legally.

2. “Mexican men have a reputation for leering and worse at little girls, which shouldn't surprise us, since sex with children is socially acceptable in Mexico.”

- Brenda Walker, California anti-immigrant leader and publisher. From VDARE.com article titled “Top Ten Reasons Why the US Should Not Marry Mexico,” January 1, 2007.

Again, addressed above, by someone who grew up there.

3. “My message to them is, not in two weeks, not in two months, not in two years, never! We must be clear that we will not surrender America and we will not turn the United States over to the invaders from south of the border.”

- Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA), at the March for America, Washington, DC, June 18, 2007.

I'm guessing the “offensive” part of this is the “invaders” term. What else would you call a large-scale illegal incursion into a foreign country? La Raza is an organization dedicated to reclaiming the land “stolen” from Mexico (land gained through the Spanish-American War). Nothing offensive here - just the facts.

4. “I don't care if Mexicans pile up against that fence… just run a couple of taco trucks up and down the line…”

- Neal Boortz, anti-immigrant talk radio host on WSB-AM in Atlanta on June 18, 2007.

How is this offensive? Is this any different from the people who set up water stations in the desert so the illegal aliens don't die on the journey? And, tacos! Food that Mexicans are used to! I'm so offended - not.

5. “Terrorists are also walking in unopposed; our southwestern border is littered with Arabic papers and Islamic prayer rugs.”

- Jim Gilchrist, founder of Minutemen Project. From a press release announcing the forthcoming publication of a new book co-authored with Jerome R. Corsi, February 2006.

I don't know why this is offensive to these folks - terrorist bombs don't discriminate between legal and illegal status. In fact, this is one of the facts that motivates those who want the border closed. In this day and age, having an open door into this country, with sympathetic liberals aiding those coming across the border, and the Mexican government publishing comic books detailing how to sneak into this country - terrorists see an easy way into the country. They can just be part of the invasion!

6. "The brown toxic cloud strangling Los Angeles never lifts and grows thicker with every immigrant added. One can't help appreciate the streets of Paris will soon become the streets of LA. However, Paris' streets erupted while LA's shall sink into a Third World quagmire much like Bombay or Calcutta, India. When you import that much crime, illiteracy, multiple languages and disease - Americans pick up stakes and move away."

- Frosty Wooldridge, anti-immigrant author and activist. Summarizing an address by a KABC-AM talk radio host to the Federation for American Immigration Reform director's meeting, Fall 2005.

How is this any different than what happened with the inner cities back in the 60's and 70's? Undesirable element in, everyone who can gets out. Rather than an offensive ant-immigrant statement, this looks to me like insightful analysis.

7. “What we'll do is randomly pick one night every week where we will kill whoever crosses the border...step over there and you die. You get to decide whether it's your lucky night or not. I think that would be more fun.”

- Brian James, anti-immigrant talk radio host with KFYI-AM in Phoenix. Suggesting a solution to the immigration problem in Arizona while filling in for the regular host, March 2006.

The death penalty is a little harsh - but this is an understandable reaction, borne of frustration over our governments lack of ability or desire to control the border itself.

8. “Shoot him.”

- Phil Valentine, anti-immigration talk radio host, WWTN in Nashville. Advising Border Patrol agents to shoot undocumented immigrants during an anti-immigrant rally in Franklin, Tennessee, April 27, 2006.

Brevity is the soul of wit. But, we know from history that if Border Patrol agents shoot someone, even if that person shot at them first, they get thrown in the slammer.

9. “;We've got to make it in this country so (immigrants) can't exist here...We've got to rattle their teeth and put their feet to the fire!”

- Terry Anderson, anti-immigrant talk radio host with KRLA in Los Angeles. Speaking at a “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” anti-immigrant rally organized by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, April 22, 2007.

This one is just poor. Notice the “(immigrants)” in the quote - that means they substituted that word for what was actually said (more than likely “they”). Again, we're not against immigrants - just do it right. Don't try to jump line. If you love this country, why would you make your first act here violating our laws? Or is it just appealing since we don't actually enforce our laws?

10. “Our enemies are bloodied and beaten. We cannot relent. Our boot is on their throat and we must have the willingness to crush their ‘throat’ so that we can put our enemy down for good. The sovereignty of our nation and the future of our culture and civilization is at stake. The United States is a beacon of salvation unto the rest of the world. Our freedoms, our culture is mans salvation. If we perish, man perishes.”

- Joseph Turner, Save Our State (S.O.S), now a staff member with the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Message sent to Save Our State supporters on October 7, 2006.

Well, they may have actually found one that's “out there.” However, the “sovereignty of our nation and the future of our culture and civilization is at stake” part is tough to argue. The illegal immigrants, as a whole, are interested in nothing here but our money, and how far it goes in their home country. They care nothing for our culture, our laws, our traditions, or our history.

Unless I've missed something, these “Indecent Proposals” would actually make pretty good legislation.

New Features

There are a few new features here for you to have fun with. The first is the addition of the box at the bottom of each post that says “Share This”. This allows you to add a link to the article you've just read to several online bookmarking and social networking sites, such as Digg, del.ico.us, and StumbleUpon. Additionally, it provides the ability to send an e-mail to someone with a link to the article - if you're logged in, it even pre-fills your name and e-mail address.

The other two changes work together with each other, to enhance the comments. Check out the “Let Are Kids Walk” article, near the bottom where the comments start. The first icon is the flag of the nation from which the commenter posted (yes, I know where you live!). The next icons show the browser and operating system they were using. For links from other websites (which you'll see a link from this post to that one), you'll see the country where the blog resides, and the blogging software used at that site.

For those who want the details on these plug-ins, here are their names, linked to their home pages.

  • Share This by Alex King provides the “Share This” box at the bottom of each post.
  • IP 2 Nation by Ozh (based on the ip2nation project by Per Gustafsson) provides the flags.
  • Browser Sniff by Priyadi Iman Nurcahyo provides the browser, OS, and blogging software icons.

Enjoy!

Doofus Dad?

Happy Father's Day out there to all you dads. I must say that this year's Father's Day, when I'm at home and not deployed, certainly beats last year's.

One troubling trend that I've noticed over the past several years is that nearly every portrayal of fatherhood in movies and television could be played by the same guy, called the “Doofus Dad.” He's wrong-headed and strong-headed - he may not be right, but he's never in doubt. Sometimes, the plots will center around him mending his ways - in others, he's the catalyst for negative behavior in others.

I was going to write about this on Father's Day, but Morgan Freeberg over at the House of Eratosthenes has done a much more thorough job than I could have - check out his Doofus Dad List. You can also do a Google search on “doofus dad” to see some other commentary on the phenomenon. There are organizations dedicated to helping fathers reach their full potential. The National Center for Fathering is one I've had the privilege of working with and being associated with for several years.

So happy Father's Day, dads - may we never become the stereotype!

Keep on Praying

I have received an update on Charles and Judith's baby - our prayers are working! (The original request is here.)

The latest update on the baby is that we saw the doctor today and the baby still has a normal heartbeat, and there is no sign of any infection so far.

Thanks to all for your prayers, support, kind words or thoughts.

If you want to share any encouragement with them, just leave it in the comments, and I'll send it to them.

Hendrick Motorsports Is on a Roll

Rick Hendrick and his racing team, Hendrick Motorsports, have been having a phenomenal year. Jimmie Johnson, driving the #48 Lowe's car, won the championship last year. This year, out of 14 races, they have won 10, with all four drivers having at least one win. This season has been almost magical for them; Rick has said that it's not so much that they're doing things to make it happen, they're just not making mistakes, which puts them in the position to capitalize when others make mistakes. (Of course, that's part of it, but there is an awful lot that goes into "not making mistakes.")

But it seems that everyone in that organization is top-notch. Take Sunday's race at Pocono as an example. After a 3+-hour rain delay, the race gets going. Sixty-five or so laps into the race, a caution flag comes out. Was it Steve Letarte, the crew chief who started as a janitor at HMS, or an engineer who made the call? No - Jeff Gordon's spotter made a suggestion, followed by the team, that they not pit. Casey Mears, Gordon's teammate, also followed his strategy. By not pitting then, they needed to pit around the mid-80's for fuel.

In NASCAR, if a race goes over halfway (100 laps in Sunday's race), and has to be called for rain or darkness, the race is considered official. By pitting on lap 84, as they did, they had enough fuel to get them to lap 116. They were way back in the pack at that point. However, as the laps came up to 30 from the previous round of pit stops, cars started heading to pit road for fuel. When these cycled through, Gordon and Mears were running first and second. The rain came, and when the race was red-flagged at lap 106, Gordon was still first, though Mears had dropped to fourth. The race never started back, and Gordon got his fourth win of the season.

Then, today, who is going to join the team but Dale Earnhardt, Jr.! Rick Hendrick actually signed him to a contract on a napkin when he was 14 years old. Now, he had a real contract with NASCAR's most popular driver.

Hendrick Motorsports is having a run like the Yankees had a few years back. It's a good day to be a Hendrick fan. For the Hendrick haters, not so much.

You Mean Captial Punishment Works?

Those of us who are for capital punishment have always maintained that, even if it doesn't deter future crime, it punishes the offender. Now, a new study has found that is actually is a good deterrent!

“Science does really draw a conclusion. It did. There is no question about it,” said Naci Mocan, an economics professor at the University of Colorado at Denver. “The conclusion is there is a deterrent effect.”

They were even able to quantify the results…

Each execution deters an average of 18 murders, according to a 2003 nationwide study by professors at Emory University. (Other studies have estimated the deterred murders per execution at three, five and 14).

Speeding up executions would strengthen the deterrent effect. For every 2.75 years cut from time spent on death row, one murder would be prevented, according to a 2004 study by an Emory University professor.

A 2003 study he co-authored, and a 2006 study that re-examined the data, found that each execution results in five fewer homicides, and commuting a death sentence means five more homicides.

Surely, these folks must be some right-wing crime-and-punishment wackos, right?

“The results are robust, they don't really go away,” he said. “I oppose the death penalty. But my results show that the death penalty (deters) what am I going to do, hide them?”

Check out the entire article - it's very good. Once again, common sense has data to back it up.

Welcome to My New Home

You may or may not have noticed that you aren't on www.djs-consulting.com/personal anymore. My blog now resides at https://daniel.summershome.org. I've set up rules so that the links for the old address point to the new one, but if you have a bookmark, updating it to the new address will save you a little bit of time.

And now, back to your irregularly scheduled programming…

How NOT to Use PowerPoint

Anyone who has sat through PowerPoint presentations can identify with this guy. This should be required viewing for all people who create these presentations, especially security briefings… (I haven't laughed this hard in a long time!)

(Hat Tip - Morgan Freeberg of House of Eratosthenes)

This Guy Nails It

“This guy” is Signal94, a retired peace officer. His latest post (as of this writing) is entitled “One More Time” - here's a teaser…

Last night I watched a report on Headline Line News regarding the basement democrats trying to keep their presidential aspirations alive (they are in the basement as far as the front runners are concerned). The station played part of a Chris Dodd ad where he states that we are involved in an Iraqi civil war ... and I nearly threw my shoe through the TV set.

Senator Dodd, obviously you haven't been paying attention for the last twenty-seven years.

He also has an article posted on Friday entitled "Do You Know?", filled with interesting statistics…

Did you know that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq?

Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people?

Did you know that 3,100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq?

Signal94 is now listed under “Daily Reads” in the sidebar.

Is Their a Spel Chequer Inn the Village?

Looks like there may be an opening to work on a Presidential campaign. Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made a speech in Silicon Valley yesterday, and in the process, demonstrated the importance of this job opening…

Hillary Clinton standing behind a podium, with a banner behind her that says “Jobs for Tommorrow”

- AP