Posted on 04/20/2006 6:26:41 AM PDT by Joe Brower
May Day, mayday!
Illegal immigrants are seeking to impose their will by sheer force of numbers.
Joe Brower
April 15, 2006
I was at the Home Depot in South Venice the other day to buy some “Eucalyptus double-shredded” mulch; however, to my annoyance, there was none to be found. The reason? The company’s production had been down for three days, a result of its largely “undocumented immigrant” workforce having walked off the job to instead fill the streets of Ft. Myers to the tune of 75,000 strong, demanding their self-invented “rights” as a reward for being here illegally. As of this writing, after a couple of lame attempts at a legislative fix, it looks like our esteemed leaders are leaning toward the easy route: bow to the protestors’ will (and the large business interests lobbying on their behalf), in whole or in part.
Wow. We American citizens have to try that sometime. How about we hit the streets by the thousands and protest having to pay income taxes next year? I’m sure the same rules will apply – we don’t like the law, so we’ll just break it, consider it our God-given right, and then get disruptive when we’re not catered to. Surely the government will understand. Or maybe not. After all, somebody has to pay the bills around here.
Immigrant workers, mostly Hispanic, are no longer an uncommon sight here in Sarasota County. You see them every day, putting down stone pavers for someone’s front patio, mowing lawns in Bay Indies, toiling away on many of the local road expansion projects. I went through the Wendy’s drive-through on the bypass a week ago, and the two workers there were chatting back and forth in Spanish. One thing is certain: This isn’t your father’s Venice any more.
All the major papers, perhaps longing to recreate their “glory days” of the ‘60s Civil Rights Movement and based on the pictures they print and their page-one editorializing, fully support these protests. On April 12 the headlines read, “Latinos: Rising Numbers, Rising Voices.” Hmmm… Problem is, those voices can’t speak English. The day before that it was “Immigrants Rally for Recognition”. Oh, we recognize them all right, and the reaction of most people is “If Mexico’s so great, why are these people here?” and “Good lord, we’ve been invaded”. Because that’s what we have here, folks -- a slow-motion invasion, by numbers without historical precedent, who have no desire to integrate into mainstream American society. This is all expertly described in a powerful essay in Foreign Policy, written two years ago by political scientist and author Samuel Huntington, “The Hispanic Challenge”. The main danger, Huntington points out, is the one attribute that differentiates Hispanic immigrants from all others who have come to our shores, legally or no: The majority refuse to assimilate. Instead, they “Balkanize”. And when they chant, "!Aqui estamos, y no nos vamos!" ("We're here now, and we're not leaving!”), they mean it.
Now these illegal workers are planning to strike and conduct La Gran Marcha on May 1st, “May Day,” a longstanding focus for demonstrations by various “worker” (i.e.: socialist) groups, although most of the participants probably don’t know or care much about that. What these immigrants do know is that a variety of American businesses are going to suffer a bit, and the average American consumer is going to be suddenly running short on all kinds of things, like mulch, for example. And what is available will be more expensive. The idea is that the general discomfort level will be sufficient to make Americans acquiesce to their demands.
But how about this idea instead: Get used to it. Are we not Americans and, as such, undaunted by hardship? If we are truly a “nation of laws,” and we resolve as a people to preserve our distinct culture and way of life, there will be pain for all involved, because fixing this long-festering problem will be neither quick nor easy. Like a person who’s been addicted to heroin for thirty years, it’s high time for the U.S. to finally go cold turkey, break our unhealthy habit and get off the dope once and for all. It’s that or “Aprenda el español hoy, evite la prisa mañana.”
No more illegal immigrants means no more cut-rate labor. So what? I’ll take the preservation of my country’s laws and national identity over cheap lettuce and other such self-serving, short-term conveniences. And I’ll mow the lawn myself, thank you.
sw
When I mow my lawn and do my own yardwork, the Latinos drive or walk by and frown .............
Estoy en ningún peligro..........
"Should've picked our own damn lettuce."
There's an alternative to picking our own lettuce; just pay $10 a head for it. We do already through our taxes to support the HTLI's (Hard-working, Tax-paying, Law-abiding, Illegals).
The alternative is importing lettuce from other countries.
Or developing machinery to harvest lettuce without the massive need for human labor.
OK, that's about all the Spanish I know... !
Bump for a great article!
How about we all stay home on Cinco De Mayo? We don't buy Tequila, or patronize restaurants at least. For some it may be impossible to stay home from work, so let's do what we can.
For those who can manage it, how about growing our own "Victory Gardens"? I don't know if it would have any impact on this issue, but it's healthy.
Ag-bots.
Wik. Encyclopedia says-"May Day has long been a focal point for demonstrations by various socialist, communist, and anarchist groups. In the 20th century, the holiday received the official endorsement of the Soviet Union; celebrations in communist countries during the Cold War era often consisted of large military parades and shows of common people in support of the government."
I'm going to display THE AMERICAN FLAG on May 1st...
Thank you, Spotted Owl.
Will print out and read in a while.
I love to garden, just don't have the place to do so at this time.
I was eyeing some tomato starts at Whole Foods the other day.... Arkansas Traveler and Hillbilly Tomato!
I may be able to work something out with pots...
Nice essay, Joe.
I am pinging a few more over here.
It is much more rewarding to do one's own gardening, anyway.
Excellent idea!!Thanks for bringing us back to our roots :)(excuse the pun)
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