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.
...and bless your sweet little heart too.
Why absurd? When 80% of a population is kept in extreme poverty --- so extreme that their only answer is to leave their homeland --- why isn't change needed?
My point is that President Bush proposes separating those who come here for good reasons from those who come here for nefarious ones, and people of good will should be supportive of his efforts, even shills for Federal government employee unions.
And the whole reason the corrupt Mexican government is so involved in this --- Vicente Fox "We're going for more! We're going for more!" is because they wish to keep the corruption and inept form of government just as it it. Why should the most Mexican people be denied completely the vast wealth of their own country while the more European oligarchs continue raiding it for their Swiss bank accounts? Time for solutions where the source of the problem exists. But then again --- you won't have a $50 a week uninsured live-in nanny or yard boy if they could make $50 a week back home.
"whatever"
Fascinating.
Your response says "His characterization is fundamentally correct, and I'm either too ashamed to respond, or too deep in denial to be able to."
It is a reward if a.)they don't have to return to their home country to get it and apply like everyone else and b.)they somehow can gain an advantage for already having been here to find a job. Personally, I think that anyone who has ever been here illegally should permanently be denied a Visa as it is obvious that they are willing to break our immigration laws.
Some of them --- not CJ --- do see it --- but are afraid if Mexico were to start reforming they'd lose their cheap desperate workers. Or --- some fear that Mexicans would prefer to stay in their own country and the USA would be left with the culture we inherited from England --- we won't become a Latin American country.
But the government of that nation has stolen the very means of producing wealth, which is why they endorse their citizens coming here illegally so that they can steal the fruits of THAT labor as well.
Yes, we probably will need some sort of guest worker program. But having Mexicans come here to do it by the millions, legally or illegally, is in the long term contrary to their best interests. So, I don't know what the answers are. The Bush proposal is at least a start, but the problem with it is that it fails to address the root cause of the illegal immigration issue: The profound corruption of the Mexican government. There can be no permanent solution until the root cause is addressed.
One fifth of Mexicans have already left -- yet immigration is even more desperate than ever --- how can any change really be so bad? Instead of 1,500,000 despeately poor immigrants risking their life to make it over would it become 1,500,005?
A guestworker program won't do that. Immigration reform will and the president has only proposed a guestworker program.
Yes, a guestworker program is part of what is needed, but it can't work alone, which is what the president is trying to do.
It won't slow the flow across the border and it won't stop employer's from hiring illegal aliens.
BTW, I'll ignore you personal attack on me, just like I'm sure the mods will, but for the record, I am not a shrill for the Unions and I'm not a shrill for the Government either.
Give them a hundred or a thousand dollar fine if it makes you feel any better. My biggest concern is not that someone will get to naughtily jump in line, but that terrorists and criminals will arrive. Anyone who claims that line-jumping is their big reason to oppose President Bush's proposals for immigration reform need to reform their own values and priorities.
I agree.
Ha! That statement is absolutely ludicrous. If his intent was to stop terrorism, we who live on the border would have actually observed some sort of security enhancement along the border. Instead we've seen an increase of people crossing it from who knows what country and we've seen the Border Patrol unable to stem the flow.
The President's current policies on the border are based upon his irrational fear of angering potential Hispanic voters and some weird pandering to Vincente Fox. It is as if Fox has something he's holding over Bush, but I can't figure out what it is. Did Bush go to Mexico on a Spring Break bender decades ago and Fox got ahold of some incriminating photos or something? Heck I can't explain what would cause Bush to bow to Fox's wishes every time, that explanation is as good as anything else. But, it is certainly NOT evident that Bush's border policies are designed to stop terrorism.
Ya right.
Doubt the patriotism and integrity of President Bush all you want to. You are in good company with the DNC, Michael Moore, Ralph Nader, and the Stalinists of ANSWER.
I am very upset about the double-standard of unionized government employees who when directed to destroy contraband alcohol, only 9 shots out of 10 make it to the sink. ;-)
If you have any proof of government officials doing that, report it. I do.
You you want, feel free to forward the proof to me and I'll report it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.