[daviddennis]

Much of the political correctness problem here is due to the attitude of the opponents of illegal immigrants.

Many people seem to feel that illegal immigrants are vile scum who break our immigration laws expressly to rape our women, kill our men, and tax our welfare and health care systems. After hearing Michelle Malkin speak, I was struck by her obviously hysterical portrait of illegals, which is completely false for the overwhelming majority of them.

I like illegal immigrants. That's right, I do. They have the guts to flee the disasterous problems in their own country and seek new frontiers in the US. They take enormous risks to come here, walking through deserts, piling into flimsy vehicles, and going for long periods of time without food or water. All so they can work here and send their earnings down to their long-suffering families back in Mexico.

Yes, they are lawbreakers. So are most of us; do you not go 55 miles an hour in a 45 zone much of the time? Do you not arrange your tax return to pay as little tax as possible? Of course you do.

Furthermore, they are defying a faceless, incompetent bureaucracy. Is it any wonder that illegals pour into this country when legal entry is so difficult? Michelle Malkin, in her speech, commented that it was not fair for her to have to go through these bureaucratic hoops, while illegals can just hop on a bus and come back here. When farmers defy unfair laws, you criticise the laws, not the farmers. Could the same not be true here?

I am not saying illegals are perfect, but they do the jobs most of us don't want to do, and they work hard and do them well. From what I have seen, most of our native entry-level workers are apathetic, spoiled and rebellious; Mexicans come to do our work, and don't complain.

Now, Michelle Malkin has some valid points. Should we reform our visa system to control entry by terrorists more carefully? Sure we should. Should we amend our "catch and release" policy so people who've committed serious crimes are not dumped across the border, soon to return? Of course.

But should we write a book implying that illegals are evil criminals who should be ejected out of this country as soon as humanly possible? And we should spend billions and billions of dollars on efforts to close our borders? I think not.

Why not?

Because it looks a lot like a war against hispanics, even those who are in the country legally. Those here in California will not vote for a Republican for as long as this issue is prominent. What you're going to do is split the Republican party over this issue, and ensure the Democrats a permanent lock on the Statehouse.

More to the point, all of this hateful talk about illegals strikes me as UnAmerican, contrary to the principles we hold dear. Illegals are trying to better themselves, to find a better, fuller, more satisfying life.

Remember the sign on the Statue of Liberty:

Bring us
your tired,
your poor,
your huddled masses
Yearning to break free ...

The hatred I hear in your voices for illegals will force everyone who is an immigrant, is the child of an immigrant, or is friends with an immigrant to vote against you. If fully expressed, as you folks seem to want, it will create 90-10 margins for the Democrats among Hispanic voters, and our party will be finished. Frankly, it appalls me that people I generally like and respect are listening seriously to this kind of talk.

Before I close this up, I should respond to Michelle Malkin's point about Al Queda and immigration law. Is it true the Al Queda members could flood into this country from Mexico if our borders are not closed?

Yes, it is true.

But I feel we have better ways of catching them. Hit their money trail, for example. Or check anyone who has contact with suspected Al Queda cells and form a pattern. This investigation method has the massive advantage of only affecting the civil rights of potential Al Queda members, not all tourists. It will spot Al Queda members already here - and we have reason to believe most of their network is already in place. And it also has the advantage of being much, much cheaper. So don't consider the Al Queda connection a reason to majorly inconvenience everyone who ever enters this country from another nation.

I love Free Republic, because it symbolizes, well, a free republic. If we want to close our borders, we are going to make this more into a police state ... and in the end, this is not in the interests of anyone on this thread.

D

PS I am pinging some of my friends on Free Republic to respond to this message. Note that this does not indicate whether I believe they would support or oppose me on this topic, which I know is explosive around here.

[lakey]

Thanks for your effort. This immigration thing has gotten out of hand. But we have a pro-immigration president, who doesn't like criticism of his policies.

I hated NAFTA from the start, & go out of my way to speak out about it wherever I am - grocery & department stores, etc. On two occasions recently, I ordered some items from catalogs - one very expensive, knowing full well that I would probably send them back. Sure, I have to pay the postage & handling, but it feels good to write a comment on why I'm returning the merchandise.

Maybe they'll get the idea one of these days...Americans can do it better!

[ctnoell]

I agree 100% that this illegal immigration problem is out of control. It has had a major impact on the North Carolina state budget. Only 4 years ago, the state budget ran a surplus in the millions of dollars. But with the influx of illegal immigration (and legal immigration of Mexican migrants), our state ran a $1 billion deficit in 2002 and is expected to run deficits in excess of $2 billion next year. We citizens are being affected by having to pay higher taxes and many services have been cut as a result. Not to mention the higher crime rate, higher incidents of drunk driving, the strains this is putting on our public schools, etc. The time for action is now, I agree. But what can we do? The politicians (both Democrats and Republicans) seem unwilling to solve this problem, even after the tragic events of 9-11-01 and the recent DC sniper incidents. Is the militia movement going to have to take matters into its own hands? If so, I volunteer my services and my arsenal to protect our freedom and our way of life.

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[judgeandjury]

As far as Mexican illegal aliens go, we should give them an incentive to return to Mexico. As each Mexican illegal alien crosses back over the border into Mexico, we could give him $5,000 and a brand new rifle with plenty of ammo and tell him that the time has come for him, and thousands of other Mexicans like him, to change the Mexican government and the corrupt system in his home country.

[gunnedah]

In a lot of cases the difference in political parties are only in the spelling. They are all in bed together and just fight to see who has more control and who pays the most for their loyalty.
If you think I am wrong follow their votes on the things that apply to them directly and you will see they for the most part follow in lockstep and shaft the rest of us.

[2timothy3.16]

Are you the guy who used to publish Article Ten from maine and New Mexico?

[demosthenes the elder]

oh, well...
Option One:
militarily annex Mexico.
rebuild their industrial base.
make english the standard language.
completely erase their culture and replace it with our own.
start them on a 25-year plan towards self-determination.
after 25 years, allow them to elect to become a set of States within the USA or go their own way.

Option Two:
Seed the border with AP landmines
Make English the sole official language of the US, making public display or official use of any other language in signs or documents punishable by stiff fines and community service.
Immediately cease all government-fostered shipments of medical technology, innoculations, and foodstuffs to Mexico. Ban American charities from operating in Mexico as well.
Let the malthusian principles run their course.

Option Three:
Stop-gap efforts designed to regulate the flow of migrants.
Make America English Only. see above.
Register all immigrants. Fingerprint them. Foot-print them. Mugshot them. Make dental records of them. DNA sample them. Lojack-chip them if need be.
Sternly enforce American laws upon immigrants, and severely restrict their rights until and unless they naturalize, pass muster, and swear the Oath.
Enforce and encourage cultural assimilation to American norms.
Support economic and industrial progress in Mexico, so that that country becomes more functional and the desire to flee form it becomes less urgent and prevalent.
Do whatever is possible to get their birth-rate down to something within reason.
Cross fingers and pray.

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

If anyone would like to post a link to this thread on another thread and doesn't know how, just add a < at the BEGINNING of this URL and then post it. No spaces, just snuggle it right up to the 'a'

a href="http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/798313/posts">Can you help America?

The link will appear as "Can you Help America?" in the thread you are on.

I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

(citizens!)

---

The flag is the symbol of our national unity, our national endeavor, our national aspiration.

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[B4Ranch]

We Need YOUR HELP!

[Issaquahking]

We have been called upon...

[Gooseberry]

I know what I'll do to help America. Next time I cast my lot for President, I won't cast it for some clown who preaches that we open our southern border and sell-out to Mexico.

[bjs1779]

Nothing short of a smuggled A-bomb or two will cure it.