[Serenissima Venezia]

...celebrating the progress we have made...

What progress? You must live in a state that hasn't yet been infiltrated by illegals, and I think your Freeper name fits in this case. You are being ignorantly optimistic and foolish on this issue. I've lived in border states all my life (TX and CA) and things have gone from bad to worse over the past few decades. The only 'progress' that has been made has been by the Minutemen by bringing the issue to the public's attention and by the House, in passing the illegal immigration bill.

And as far a 'cooler heads' goes, what do you want people to do? Sit back and wait and wait for the politicians to do something while our cities in the south are turning into a 3rd world? It's so bad here in S. Cal., that we are looking into moving to another state where English is spoken! I think a grass-roots effort like what is happening now - and a huge shift away from the left-leaning Republican party - is the only hope for the fate of this country.

[pollyannaish]

You are being ignorantly optimistic and foolish on this issue.

Perhaps. But while I do not live in the Southwest, we have plenty of illegals in our neck of the woods.

I have also spent a lot of time studying this issue, especially in relationship to historical immigration and how it affected our culture. So while I am no expert, I am not completely naive or ignorant or even foolish as you suggest.

That said, my celebrating the progress we've made has NOTHING to do with immigration. That was said in relationship to the conservative movement as a whole, not necessarily this one issue. My issue with Immigration on this thread is the kind of tactics being suggested relating to Crawford. That was certainly not clear in that original post of mine, but is in a very long post later on.

Finally, what do I want people to do? Well, first and foremost, I want local people to take responsibility. I think President Bush was wrong and misinformed when he jumped on the Minute Men.

But I also think that many people are wrong in pushing this issue too far, too hard, too fast. It stands the risk of alienating so many people there is a backlash. Take the issue of gay marriage for instance. They have actually lost ground, significant ground, by pushing too hard. We don't have the time, or the luxury of risking that same type of push back.

At the end of the day, slow and steady is better. And will, indeed, win the race. In an issue like this, incrementalism often does work.