How does everyone feel about illegal immigration? It's a big fucking deal here in the SW, and I never here it talked about. Why? Especialy on rocksquawk with all of you political debaters.

hmm. I have a complicated position on this issue, but with the vitriol around here lately I think I'll hold off. I'm sure someone on here feels strongly and knows nothing about this issue and can give us all an eyefull!

Here, this will get people started: during my short time as a manager in the food-service industry I greatly preferred immigrants of any kind over spoiled American teenagers. Now tell me I'm wrong!

Anybody else watch southpark last night?

And Levi, your not wrong, it's just too bad that those spoiled teenagers dont work as hard.

quote:

How does everyone feel about illegal immigration?

Unless you are Native American you are an immigrant to this country. I think they should find an easier way for them to do it legally so they don't have to break the law. They should at least issue temporary work visas to our migrant workers from the south so they can come legally and not have to sneak through the desert to do it. If someone wants to do harm to us they can always come through Canada which brings up another point... I think the border fence is a really, really retarded idea. In this day and age with all of our technology there are definitely other ways to monitor the border without building a 15 foot concrete wall.

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I think they should find an easier way for them to do it legally so they don't have to break the law.

Ding ding ding ding! give this man a prize I think you just nailed it!

ther derkin' er jerbs!

de' dook 'r' jerbs!

quote:

Originally posted by WebMonkey:
I think they should find an easier way for them to do it legally so they don't have to break the law. They should at least issue temporary work visas to our migrant workers from the south so they can come legally and not have to sneak through the desert to do it.

agreed!

i work with farmers. without the help of illegals, our farm economy would come to a screaming halt.

mexican farm labor has been crossing the border ever since the border was established. in the early 1940s, the bracero /guest worker program was established to do it legally. it was rife with corruption and ripoff, mostly at the expense of the workers. in response cesar chavez formed the united farm workers to unionize migrant labor. the powers-that-be won in the end and even though the u.s. gov't acknolwedges the farm economy needs migrant labor, there's been little to no progress to do it right.
the only thing i will ever say in bush's favor is that he's for some kind of regulated "temporary worker program". making it equitable and socially just however is a pretty damn big hurdle.

farmers need help 'cause not many u.s. citizens are willing to pick 100,000 tons of chile or hoe 1000s of acres of peanuts by hand each year. and that's just new mexcio. and it doesn't count our other largest crops like onions, lettuce and pecans. legal or not, the workers are coming and the farmer is paying.

Immigration is the only reason why this country isn't a colonial holding for some other inbred, European, elitist clusterfuck deluded with ideas of moral and intellectual supremacy, racial purity, and religious intolerance. What does it say on the Statue of Liberty? Never did see the words,"Regreso Mujado!"
Native American? Like Charlize Theron is African American? The labels are pejorative, a useless anachronism from a much less educated time and culture.
Take a breath before reaching for the dysfunctional cliche. Read CA's post. This is what America is doing to Americans.Them is us.

Well, plus a good amount of Corporations that hire illegals will do so and not report them because they can pay them whatever, treat them however and threaten to deport them to keep 'em in line. And there's no real enforcement of the laws, either. I mean our border situation is pretty crappy, but they wouldn't keep coming if someone wasn't hiring them.

Oh and MYWHOLEOTHERLIFE, there is no spoon. Don't ever let 'em tell you any different!

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Originally posted by My Whole Other Life:

Native American? Like Charlize Theron is African American?

That's retarded. There are almost 3 million Native Americans living in this country.

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The labels are pejorative, a useless anachronism from a much less educated time and culture.

I may be mistaken, but I don't think that many Native Americans find the "label" disparaging (pejorative).

Do you live in NM? Do you realize that there are 19 Pueblos in this state and that the largest reservation in this country is just 200 miles west of here?
Comparing an Indian living on the Navajo Reservation to Charlize Theron?? Please.....

quote:

Originally posted by MLX John:
Do you live in NM? Do you realize that there are 19 Pueblos in this state and that the largest reservation in this country is just 200 miles west of here?

agreed. i've been hanging around 'em for over 20 years.

to be exact, there's 19 pueblo reservations, 2 apache reservations, 4 navajo reservations (including a portion of the big rez that's mostly in AZ) and a corner of the ute reservation in new mexico.

and there's the piros/mansos/tiwas at tortugas (near las cruces) who have been told by "experts" that they're extinct.

plus just about every spanish-speaking new mexican i've ever met has an indian uncle, cousin, godfather or great-great-grandma. too, many are descended from genizaros: native servants, slaves and abductees who were "recruited" to settle "buffer" villages (abiquiu, belen, carnuel...) between spanish towns and indian territories.

there are more indians in other states like california or oklahoma but only alaska has a higher per capita population of natives than new mexico.

yeah, i'd say its a good idea to have some idea about where one lives.

hmmm. i guess i'm as big an ind'in groupie as i am a rock n'roll groupie. the music's just as good and the food's better.

quote:

Originally posted by WebMonkey:

quote:

How does everyone feel about illegal immigration?

Unless you are Native American you are an immigrant to this country.

Fortunately for me, I was born in America, and therefore I am a native American (with European ancestors).

quote:

Originally posted by Sloppy:
I am a native American (with European ancestors).

ok, got it!

"native American" vs "Native American"

just like they said in school, capitalization and spelling counts...

i think it would be more appropriate to call us american-born honkies "United Staters" but that's kinda unwieldy and clumsy (like most of us are).

I'm part Oto (Native American), and I've been trying to get my European parts (especially that filty Dutch left arm of mine) to leave the country for a while. No luck so far.