Long Waits, Ingrates, and Ahmonajihad

My Frustrated Brain ^ | 04/10/06 | AnnaZ

[AnnaZ]

Long Waits, Ingrates, and Ahmonajihad
April 10th, 2006

For a long time I have been very sympathetic towards immigrants, even the illegal ones, here in America. As an immigrant myself, and as the daughter of immigrants, suffice it to say, "I understand". Or at least I did. Today, I still just have two words for them, but now those words are, "SHUT UP!"

I have paid my dues and I have paid my fees. I have stood in lines, been fingerprinted and background-checked, answered questions and opened up and said "Ahhhh." Had the lines been longer, I would have still waited in them, had the fees been higher, I would have still paid them. My sentiment was always "I understand", because although I was born in a country that many people in the world consider a promised land, Canada, I was still as desperate as anyone could be to be an American.

Which is why I am out of my mind over the teeming, screaming, demanding masses taking to the streets. You're here and you're not daily kissing the ground? You're here and you're not doing everything you can to repay the gift? You're here and you're not weeping to the strains of the Star Spangled Banner? Good grief, are you really still hoisting a buzzard over your head? (My favorite protest sign has been the "We're not criminals!" one. Uh, well, yes, frankly, you are. Shut up. Go back to the job you've been blessed to be given. Be happy you're not back in some unpronounceable province grinding corn.)

And now, frankly, the situation is getting out of hand, as every two-bit, shade-of-red organization is hijacking the march. That's just fabulous. We have Senators tripping over themselves to harvest the illusion of potential voters and meanwhile the 'world worker parties' are already signing them up. This is because they are completely aware of the real battle they're trying to get us to lose, and the rest of us, and especially those we have elected, have got to remember what's really at stake. It's what I wish these immigrants would get a grip on. We are at war.

           [I]n the free world, the competition of ideas and parties flourishes, and allegiances are often based on a single common principle or purpose that struggles against a competing point of view.
            Though generally healthy for a society, this competition can be quite dangerous if we lose sight of the fact that there is a far greater divide between the world of freedom and the world of fear than there is between the competing factions within a free society. If we fail to realize this, we lose moral clarity. The legitimate differences among us, the shades of gray in a free society, will be wrongly perceived as black and white. Then, the real black-and-white line that divides free societies from fear societies, the real line that divides good from evil, will no longer be distinguishable.
          A lack of moral clarity is why... people living in free societies cannot distinguish between religious fundamentalists in democratic states and religious terrorists in fundamentalist states. It is why people living in free societies can come to see their fellow citizens as their enemies, and foreign dictators as their friends.
                    Natan Sharansky, The Case For Democracy

Why does this conjure up visions of Belafonte and Castro, Sheehan and Chavez, Penn and Hussein? And whose side in this illegal-immigration battle do you believe they will, by default, fall upon?

Because, meanwhile, there's a new psycho in town, name's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which, for easy enunciation and moral clarity purposes, we'll pronounce as Ahmonajihad. He's a playful guy, as has been witnessed by his schoolyard wipe-out-the-little-guy taunts and the displaying of all his new toys, like rockets, missiles, and flying boats. This may make some of us giggle (even I've posted the picture of the two guys in the desert with the missile strapped to the donkey), but it shouldn't.

I'm not that interested in whether all these newly loud immigrants think that they should pay for their healthcare or if the government should. I'm not that interested in whether they believe they should have proper working papers or be given their walking papers. I only care that they remember what it is that made them leave their native lands for this one, and upon what philosophy this great Republic was built. Clichéd or not, are they with us or against us? Are they going to follow those who wish to destroy us? Because if we don't win, if we don't survive, ain't nobody going to be buying their tacos, not unless they whip up the halal version.

[DoughtyOne]

Hi AnnaZ. Nice to see you out this morning. I'll read this later today and respond. Thanks for the Peeps Ping.

D1

[Cold Heat]

I think most of the illegal and legal Hispanic population understands the need for border security. I think they also understand the need for regulated immigration. Here is my generalized take on the matter.

What they don't understand is the stance that anti-immigration advocates have taken, when it is the faulty immigration protocols that have led to much of the illegal presence here. We have totally screwed up what once was a migrant labor force that moved back and forth and transited the border when the work was done or there was a hiatus.

Now they are forced to stay for fear of never returning or giving up their jobs to someone else.

This is just one of the many mistakes we have made which has led to the present situation.

Comprehensive legislation is critical to address all the various concerns, and that will take most of the pressures off the border which could then be protected effectively, eliminating the dozens of criminal enterprises designed especially for the smuggling of workers, that is now being used by the drug cartels and others as well.

IMO, walls, fences and 24hour surveillance is certainly needed in many areas, but to think that it will not be circumvented by the tremendous pressures that are now being applied to our current resources is a foolish idea. We have many thousands of miles of coastline that would then need 24 hour Coast Guard protection, not to mention a zillion square miles of airspace. This fact makes the idea that securing the borders alone is nothing more than a fools fix, a pipe dream, and that we must address all of the problem, and not just the obvious.

If we are successful, the migrant flow will return, allowing the now legally documented to transit and the illegal to be deported on sight.

If we are successful, the need for unskilled and skilled labor will largely be met, and will vary with the economic realities. This will mitigate the border pressures which will slow drastically and eventually stop the illegal transiting by people who only come to work. Then we can use our resources to address the criminals and those who come for unknown or harmful reasons.

On the U.S. tax side and business side the tax money will now be collected for Federal, State and Local jurisdictions, and this alone will help our burgeoning problems in Social Security, Workman's Comp, unemployment and the like.

On the security side, we will know who is here, where they are and how many are here in individual numbers as well as extended family.

All this will greatly improve assimilation and this will help everything from education to every aspect of society.

The fact is, we have no real options. The idea that we can somehow ignore all the realities and gain control of this problem by shear force of will is nonsense. We need to use the momentums and energy of the immigration situation on our southern border to achieve control of it. If we ignore that momentum and energy, it will simply run over any barrier put in it's way and unassimilated illegal populations will cause social problems that could severely damage the entire country.

[68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub]

"For a long time I have been very sympathetic towards immigrants, even the illegal ones, here in America. As an immigrant myself, and as the daughter of immigrants, suffice it to say, "I understand". Or at least I did. Today, I still just have two words for them, but now those words are, "SHUT UP!"

I have paid my dues and I have paid my fees. I have stood in lines, been fingerprinted and background-checked, answered questions and opened up and said "Ahhhh." Had the lines been longer, I would have still waited in them, had the fees been higher, I would have still paid them. My sentiment was always "I understand", because although I was born in a country that many people in the world consider a promised land, Canada, I was still as desperate as anyone could be to be an American..."

AnnaZ

---

Great perspective on immigration from AnnaZ PING

[Travis McGee]

This is going to end with cities on fire.

I hope the illegal alien slave-traitors choke on their profits.

[Feiny]

Boortz has a great rant today too.

---

MEXICANS ON THE MARCH

There were 500,000 in Dallas yesterday, as well as New Mexico, Michigan, Alabama, Oregon and California. Today there will be marches for "immigrant rights" across the country. Those who oppose the rule of law will be marching in New York City, Atlanta, Southern California ... .you name it, they'll be out there protesting. Spanish language radio disc jockeys and the rest of the Spanish media will get them into the streets ... guaranteed.

I can hear the arguments now. "Those who oppose the rule of law? What are you talking about, Boortz? These people are just marching for their rights."

Rights? What rights? Tell me, please, just what rights these demonstrators are marching for today? The right to cross our borders illegally? The right to remain in this country illegally? The right to work here illegally? The right to stay here illegally? They have the right to none of these things, though you wouldn't know it from the chanting you'll hear today.

Let's address some of the language being used here. First of all, these aren't "immigrants." They're invaders. This is not immigration. This is an invasion. In Mexican magazines they talk about "re-conquering" cities like Dallas and New York. They are, as Michelle Malkin calls them, "reconquistadors." They write that "With all due respect, Los Angeles is ours." They carry Mexican flags in their protests, and shirts emblazoned with the word "Mexico." Many, if not most, of these people have no desire to really become Americans. They want to take advantage of living in America without assimilating into our society.

The marchers are protesting for legalization of the 11 to 12 million illegal aliens currently in this country and against some of the legislative proposals in Congress. One of the protesters was someone named Reverend Lawton Higgins. He actually said "We've got to get back in touch with the Statue of Liberty. We've got to get back in touch with the civil rights movement, because that's what this is about." Yeah, right. Let's remember that the Statue of Liberty actually welcomes legal immigrants into this country. What we're talking about is the 11 million illegal aliens that jumped the border down South. Just a small difference, don't you think? As for his comments about the civil rights movement...that's an insult. Just when is a criminal protesting the enforcement of the law considered a civil rights struggle? People in this country don't have a "civil right" to stay here.

Today these people will be marching to tell us "Your laws mean nothing to us. We have numbers. Our numbers trump your laws." We don't care about your rule of law. We care about working in your plants, your restaurants, your offices, your fields and on your construction projects so that we can send money back home to our families in Mexico. As soon as we can, we'll bring those families up here, regardless of what your laws say."

What is fueling these protests? One thing: A fear that the laws of this country might actually be enforced. A fear that people might actually be prevented from crossing our borders illegally, and a fear that those who break the law every single day of their lives by just being here might actually have to face the consequences for their illegal actions.

They say that they are not criminals. Sorry, if they're here illegally, they are criminals. They broke the law --- they're criminals. They say they just want to follow the American dream. Fine. There's a way to do that. First, obey the law. Apply for immigration status.

This morning CNN featured one particular story about the Sanchez family in New York City. They're all here illegally, but they've been here for many years. When CNN interviewed Sr. Sanchez he spoke in Spanish. Here for more than five years, and still can't handle the language. Why not? Because it's not about becoming an American. It's about bring Mexico TO America.



The Republicans will do nothing because of the power of the business interests who profit from the cheap(er) labor. The Democrats will do nothing because they see millions of Hispanic votes on the horizon. There's a movement in NYC right now to allow illegal aliens to vote in local elections.

This is an invasion, and it's serious. Mexicans talk about conquering American cities, Americans talk about "undocumented workers." In the meantime, we can't even get our government to control our borders. You can rest assured that the signal sent by our congress last week --- the signal that they're going to do nothing about illegal crossings of our border --- has resonated in Mexico. My guess is that the borders are in full flow right now ... popular crossings look like the entrance to Disney World.

Just keep ignoring this. Maybe you'll start paying attention when these illegal aliens start rioting for political and economic advantage.

By the way .... news today that Saudi Arabia is planning to build a 500+ mile fence along the entire Iraqi border. We could learn something from the Saudis

[Argh]

Well done, Miss Anna!

[Lady Jag]

They believe they are above our laws.

Get rid of them before they commit morecrime!

[AnnaZ]

I'm not normally a Boortz fan, but he does touch on some great points in that one. Thank you for posting it.

I don't believe that they're all reconquista types (although I'm not naive enough to believe that there aren't a bunch of those involved as well), I fear that they're just too easily co-opted.

And the "Mexican pride" thing is really irritating. If I loved Canada enough to stridently wave the ol' leaf around, GUESS WHERE I'D BE LIVING!

*steam*

Also, there's a two-way street here... people of Mexican heritage who are American need to be recognized as Americans, not dismissed as such due to slightly higher levels of melanin. I have seen and heard this enough times to know that it can be an issue. Such non-inclusiveness (as much as I hate the word and the whining it conjures) may cause one to, by rejection, reattach one's self to native roots.

The balaclava-clad are the exception, not the rule, and we need to keep it that way.

[RightWingAtheist]

Chicken sandwich?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT

[blogbat]

Nice, post, Anna. Well-said

Let's hope terrorists don't smuggle a WMD into town under protest cover ;-)

[Steve Van Doorn]

To this day I still think the best citizens are legal immigrant citizens. My wife is a legal immigrant which took her nearly 20 years to become a citizen. She didn't cut in line or brake any laws to get here. She became a naturalized Citizen before we where married.

You will not find a more patriotic American then her.

[LibertyGrrrl]

AMEN, SISTAH! I'm so proud of you and my Korean grandmother who became an American citizen a few years back at 83 years old. My family waited, studied, waited, paid fees, waited and they all eventually gained American citizenship AND they all own their own businesses now employing Americans.
xo Rose
ps.... It was great to hang with you the other day! You soooooOOooo incredibly rock!

[Soaring Feather]

Thanks Anna for your words.

[B4Ranch]

A BIG Bump!

[EveningStar]

Yeah. That is a good rant. :)

[ohioWfan]

This is GREAT! THANK you, AnnaZ!

(And thanks for the ping, Tonk)

[Feiny]

"The balaclava-clad are the exception"

BWHAHAHAHA...I read that as BAKLAVA & got hungry.

[Madame Dufarge]

Thanks for the ping, Anna - great synopsis of the current mess.

Let's hope the gutless wonders in Congress do the right thing for once.

Well, that was a nice vacation, but back to reality.

A thousand more laws won't make the petrified immigration bureaucracy any more effective than it is right now.

The Milquetoasts in Congress are bathed in sweat at the thought of offending "advocacy" groups.

The public educrats are churning out PC little automatons, their heads filled with anti-American propaganda.

In a couple of more generations, we'll be France.

[AnnaZ]

Thanks, y'all, for stopping by.