[Owen]

There are entirely too many DU mantras floating around these immigration threads. No question many feel strongly about the issue and fancy themselves conservatives (and conveniently ignore the fact they want government to solve this problem for them -- real conservative, that), but this issue is being perceived by DU as a way to create a Ralph Nader on the right and they are getting involved.

People had better recalibrate themselves and recognize that this issue was not even on the radar screen two weeks ago. I have yet to see anyone produce numbers on how many illegals were stopped at the border since Bush took office versus before he took office. That is the ONLY data that would indicate he takes fewer steps to stop illegal immigration than previous presidents.

[Owen]

Also, people, note that there is nothing new under the sun. Germany has had difficulty absorbing East Germany and the EU in general faces a mass immigration problem from the poor countries of eastern Europe. The individual EU countries also have the occasional internal cries of "destruction of culture" and things of that sort.

How does what is happening differ from the enormous influx of Italians and Irish in the late 1800's and early 1900's? The proportion was about the same for the population as a whole then. Perhaps one might claim the difference was that by boat, they arrived legally vs Mexicans arriving illegally. I think the numbers are what, 8 million illegals and 60% are Mexican? Legality is a matter of passing a law so that can be waved away. What really matters is the mathematics. The proportion to today's 300 million would seem very similar to Irish/Italian influx to the US population of that time.

The point being, "the country" survived just fine.

[NoGrayZone]

Actually, that's not true. Long Island created it's Sachem Quality Of Life organization years ago to stop the illegal hiring halls. They were founded in Farmingville, where they wanted to build one of those hiring halls. Because the people banned together (although the media referred to them as racists) this hiring hall was not built.

[Dane]

There are entirely too many DU mantras floating around these immigration threads

You can tell by how over the top they are.

[k2blader]

Your post is a load of BS.

To equate conservatives' rightful disgust to "DU mantras" is completely idiotic.