Posted on 02/11/2005 10:55:36 AM PST by Jim Robinson
The shot heard around the Internet has been fired on FreeRepublic.com The owner Jim Robinson and his moderators have launched a sniper style purge against members that disagree with the President’s ‘guest worker’ amnesty or support more control of illegal immigration. Free Republic is an amazing tool for those looking for a good debate and news from around the country.
The problem for the administration of the site is that their creation is allowing the participants to learn that the Bush immigration record and plans are shockingly out of line with the views of most conservatives. The management’s answer to this conflict between the majority of conservatives and the influence of the White House on their Web site has become electronic executions and censorship.
Members and readers of Free Republic would be surprised to know that many members of their community have fallen silent on the discussions about illegal immigration lately because free speech is an illusion on FR.com. They are silent because they have been banned from the Web site without warning, cause, or explanation in most cases. For weeks the moderators have been suspending and banning new members that chimed in quickly on the immigration debates.
Now this trend has broadened as the first groups of long-term users were suspended or banned this past week. Although Robinson and his staff removed many members of the Free Republic community in the first few days of the purge, those that religiously support President Bush’s immigration plan, open borders and approve of public benefits for illegal aliens remain on the forum. Those that were banned were the members that wanted more done to control illegal immigration and a strict observance to the President’s Oath of Office.
Well it is a good thing that Free Republic takes a zero tolerance stance on racism and racists.
What's to explain?
Documentary proof of legal residence has existed for decades: birth certificates, naturalization papers, visas, etc. And it is not only already a crime to forge these official documents, it is already a commonplace practice among many employers to request such information as a condition of employement (along with school transcripts, personal references, etc. etc. etc.) Claims that this existing system of verification is excessively "burdensome" or somehow "inadequate" is nonsense.
So was mine.
mark
I have a question, can someone please tell me who this William Gheen and this ALIPAC thing are? I mean who are they and who do they think they are?
LOL!!!
That's from the bunch that decides that if we disagree with you we are an FROBL???
How incredibly hypocritical is that?
Australia is a perfect illustration of how reasonable immigration restrictions spur both economic growth and technological innovation.
The town of Guadalupe? Don't their roots go way back to before the Reagan amnesty? Or am I wrong?
On the flip side, my uncle moved out of downtown Chandler (right behind the high school) because of a gang-related murder at the end of his street. And my parents are getting ready to move away from Maryvale (59th Ave. and Thomas Rd.) because of the gang-related crime and nightly shootings.
Many parts of the Valley are no longer safe to live in, and it is the unchecked illegal immigration that is to blame.
Many of the FROBLs try to convince us that we need the labor pool that illegal immigration provides. The problem is, their paradigm is wrong. Illegal immigration does not provide a stable, safe, tax-paying labor pool. It provides gangs and crime and welfare cheats and the whole host of problems Spiff delineated in his post.
Guys, this is going to get worse before it gets any better...
And that's another thing. I live in Mountain View, Arizona - why did someone call it "Sierra Vista" - a Spanish name. I'll bet there is NO "Mountain View" in Mexico. Half the streets here are "Camino de" this and "Avenida de la" that and "Paseo de" some other thing. I'll be there are no "Smith Drives" or "Washington Streets" in Mexico. Now, why is that? Why do we have to have all this Spanish-speaking crap here, how much English stuff is in Mexico!? Why is it such a one-way street?
No, this area was NOT settled by the Spanish or Mexico. Parts were settled by Mormons sent down here from Utah by Brigham Young. Parts were settled by miners and such. Sierra Vista was settled by those supporting Fort Huachuca. Sierra Vista came about in 1953 and there were hadly any streets here - Fry and a few numbered streets. Yet, all the new streets now get Mexican names (see Canyon de Florez, etc.) What's up with that?!
My father is originally from El Salvadore and my mother's side of the family is French. I have no tolerance for these people that talk about illegal immigration but it is just a thin mask for their racism.
Mr. Gheen formed a political action committee called ALIPAC and posted here under that name.
His posting privileges were revoked...several times.
Then why do you support an unworkable idea such as "closing" the borders?
"Our agricultural economy-such as it is-would have progressed exponentially, were it not of the endless supply of cheap labor streaming over our Southern border"
I wouldn't argue against that position. However, that has not been the case, and the current system is firmly entrenched. As long as there is a ready supply of cheap labor, the cost-saving technology will not be deployed.
Again, the problem lies largely in the laps of those who do the hiring, IMO. Until there is agreement in those groups, whether in agriculture, the restaurant business, the building industry, or the cleaning and janitorial industry, a solution will not be forthcoming.
We already have the laws in place, but do not enforce them.
Quite frankly, I do not blame those who come here illegally. The attraction is just too great for people who have families to feed. The blame is more properly directed elsewhere.
Once again, I am in favor of ending illegal immigration. I simply don't know how to do that.
You're thinking of Ranch Rescue - now defunct after the FedGov targetted them and shot one of them for no reason. Go to www.minutemanproject.com for info about that border "FReep".
You can point that out a million times and still so-called conservative politicians like Larry Craig and Chris Cannon want to keep an endless supply of cheap labor pouring over the border to pick the lettuce. Strange effect those campaign donations can have on people's judgment...
Ahhhh...Arizona used to BE Mexico.
"Ahhhh...Arizona used to BE Mexico."
As did California and Texas. Spanish language place names are common in all of them, plus New Mexico, which was also once part of Mexico.
It's silly to rail against Spanish place names.
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