[arnoldfwilliams]

Of course, we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border, where infiltration by Islamists is not much of a hazard, and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

[cripplecreek]

We've also got some real geniuses here who choose to ignore captures of islamics crossing the southern border.

[Old_Mil]

Crossing the northern border far away from our cities is not an easy task due to the weather part of the year, the vast distances involved and the possibility of running into large animals.

Crossing the southern border, where an established network of smugglers exists, the population density is greater, and far more legal and illegal hispanics live (making blending in more likely) is the better strategy for Muslims.

...one that they do use on an ongoing basis, by the way.

[libbylu]

Call me worked up. The southern border is fair game, everyone in every cave knows it's easy to get in thru that border.
This is what kills me: the apparent premise of the article ----- IT'S NOT IMMIGRATION, IT IS THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION!

[DTogo]

we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border

Yeah, why get "all worked up about" a few tons of narcotics, a few hundred human slaves being smuggled, a few dozen rapes, a few dozen murders EACH WEEK!

[fr_freak]

Of course, we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border, where infiltration by Islamists is not much of a hazard, and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

For some reason, we seem to have a number of people around here who don't think that we can secure our borders AND deal with Islamic fascism at the same time, or that one effort will help the other.

[From One - Many]

The author Mary Eberstadt is either dumb as a rock or has an agenda. I'm willing to bet she has an agenda.

[GrandEagle]

EVEN IF there were not a single terrorist coming across our Southern Border (A BIG if); Stopping the willful, deliberate colonization of our country by a foreign power would be a primary function of our Government.

We are being invaded, while not a military invasion, it is an invasion non-the-less.
It is a violation of our Constitution for the Federal government NOT to stop it.

Article IV, Section 4
The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion;
and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.

[Hugin]

Why is it the same country club Pubs who tell us that we need illegals to fill jobs also tell us raising the minimum wage will make it impossible for entry level workers to find jobs? Maybe if there weren't 20 million or so illegals and their kids flooding the job market, we wouldn't need minimum wage increases, because in a real job market supply and demand would work to keep wages adequate.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

According to those theorists and this movement, the threat to our civilization and way of life — such are the terms in which the discussion has been framed — is plain. The foreigners we must focus on most, those who according to some are a dagger aimed at our civilization, those whom we must do everything in our power to keep out of our country because of the harm they intend us, are . . . no, not immigrants from the demographic and cultural risk pool associated worldwide with Islamism, but rather those from somewhere else: specifically those working-class, poor, Spanish-speaking, largely Christian migrants from Mexico and other points south who break U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border in search of work.

For those who do not get dirt under their fingernails, you should understand that immigration is the ax by which capitalists hack the wages of labor and the bludgeon by which the Marxists beat the taxes out of the ordinary man. The ordinary man asked for neither and has every moral right to rebel against the two.

[tumblindice]

"Begin in the United States with the literature lately generated on the paleoconservative and nativist wing of the right on the red-hot subject of illegal immigration — now not only a literature, but also a newly minted political movement that has gone on to enjoy populist and national success. Of course many Americans, including some nonconservatives, oppose the idea of uncontrolled immigration per se. But that is a political and practical fact, as opposed to a creedal statement. It is the creed of the theorists that is of interest here, for it's in that creed that today's anti-immigrant ideology appears most clearly.

According to those theorists and this movement, the threat to our civilization and way of life — such are the terms in which the discussion has been framed — is plain. The foreigners we must focus on most, those who according to some are a dagger aimed at our civilization, those whom we must do everything in our power to keep out of our country because of the harm they intend us, are . . . no, not immigrants from the demographic and cultural risk pool associated worldwide with Islamism, but rather those from somewhere else: specifically those working-class, poor, Spanish-speaking, largely Christian migrants from Mexico and other points south who break U.S. immigration laws by crossing the border in search of work."
Mary Eberstadt

Classic `straw-man' argument.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

Yeah, those Mounties juiced up on Molson are scary.

Build a wall on the Northern border now!!!

[oldbill]

You guys are gonna get Dane all riled up.

[ckilmer]

Consider this article Illegal aliens murder 12 Americans daily Death toll in 2006 far overshadows total U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq, Afghanistan

Below are some government stats to back up the article's assertioms

From the FBI crime statistics * An estimated 16,692 persons were murdered nationwide in 2005, an increase of 3.4 percent from the 2004 figure. * Murder comprised 1.2 percent of the overall estimated number of violent crimes in 2005. (Based on Table 1.) * There were an estimated 5.6 murders per 100,000 inhabitants.

Illegal Alien Crime Wave

On April 7, 2005, the US Justice Department issued a report on criminal aliens that were incarcerated in federal and state prisons and local jails. In the population study of 55,322 illegal aliens, researchers found that they were arrested at least a total of 459,614 times, averaging about 8 arrests per illegal alien. Nearly all had more than 1 arrest. Thirty-eight percent (about 21,000) had between 2 and 5 arrests, 32 percent (about 18,000) had between 6 and 10 arrests, and 26 percent (about 15,000) had 11 or more arrests. Most of the arrests occurred after 1990. They were arrested for a total of about 700,000 criminal offenses, averaging about 13 offenses per illegal alien. One arrest incident may include multiple offenses, a fact that explains why there are nearly one and half times more offenses than arrests. Almost all of these illegal aliens were arrested for more than 1 offense. Slightly more than half of the 55,322 illegal aliens had between 2 and 10 offenses.

CRIMINAL HISTORY

More than two-thirds of the defendants charged with an immigration offense were identified as having been previously arrested. Thirty-six percent had been arrested on at least 5 prior occasions; 22%, 2 to 4 times; and 12%,1 time. Sixty-one percent of those defendants had been convicted at least once; 18%, 5 or more times; 26%, 2 to 4 times; and 17%, 1 time. Of those charged, 49% had previously been convicted of a felony: 20% of a drug offense; 18%, a violent offense; and 11%, other felony offenses. Twelve percent had previously been convicted of a misdemeanor. Defendants charged with unlawful reentry had the most extensive criminal histories. Nine in ten had been previously arrested. Of those with a prior arrest, half had been arrested on at least 5 prior occasions. Fifty-six percent of those charged with a reentry offense had previously been convicted of a violent or drug-related felony. By contrast, under half of those charged with alien smuggling, a third of those charged with unlawful entry, and just over a quarter those charged with misuse of visas and other charges had previously been arrested. The criminal histories of these defendants were generally less extensive: more than 70% had been previously arrested fewer than 5 times. Sources: US Department of Homeland Security, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Security Institute, National Association of Chiefs of Police, US Department of Justice

[kabar]

Immigration by the numbers.

[Rurudyne]

I'm sorry, but the danger posed by illegal immigration is much more dire than mere terrorism.

Whatever their motivation, whatever their excuses: the simple fact is that illegal immigrants violate our laws because they don't feel they have to obey them.

That they paint this essential lawlessness up in terms of their needs or their motivations is really only a way to whitewash the issue, for such introduces the concept of social justice and applies it to those who are––by the very terms of their entrance––outside of our laws.

Naturally, folks sneaking and entering don't think things through this far: they feel justified to break our laws for innumerable reasons ... some simply because the Mexican government has taken the position that our laws don't matter.

But all that does is leave them breaking our laws because they feel they don't have to obey our laws (to attempt to legally immigrate).

The danger of this is of a piece with any systematic lawlessness of any demographic group; however, since ours is a nation defined by our common laws and not by our race, ethnicity, religion or even language the presence of such people sows seeds of even greater lawlessness in future generations: as people come to accept and be comfortable with the view that laws don't matter if you can justify disobeying them––especially if for the spurious claims of social justice.

[Lurker]

Mary conveniently ignores the fact that illegals have killed many more times the number of Americans than were lost on 9-11.

L

[varon]

Of course, we have the silly theorists here who get all worked up about the Mexican Border, where infiltration by Islamists is not much of a hazard, and forgetting about Canada, where it is.

And then we have posters here that don't understand the difference between LEGAL and ILLEGAL regardless of which country they're from and which border they cross. Jeeeez!!!

[VOA]

Immigration Is Not National Security: Lack of It Imperils the Nation

Mary Eberstadt...we take more immigrants per year LEGALLY than
just about the rest of the world combined.

Idiot!

[Silly]

And of course, we all know that only Latinos can penetrate our southern border.

[arnoldfwilliams]

And with that, I close correspondence. It's been interesting. I think the biggest problems I have are with those who confuse security angles with the whole immigration problem, and those who cannot differentiate between things that are bad in themselves and things that are bad because the legislature has said so.

Nonetheless, I've learned a few things I didn't know before, so it was worthwhile.

Probably the biggest surprise was the willingness of people to attribute malign wishes and devious plots in process, based on fantasied associations. Probably that was my problem with the association between Mexican illegal immigration and all illegal immigration (while about a third of illegal immigrants don't fit that profile).

Mortgage brokering is a boring profession, mainly concerned with getting the needs of small businessmen met, many of whom have cash flow squeezes as interest rates rise, and who need the relief: but under the gaze of those to whom no activity is innocent, it's a fountain of evil overspreading the land.

Honi soit qui mal y pense.