So Cal Walkout Pics (Dubya's Future GOP)

Los Angeles Newspaper Group newspapers ^ | 3-28-06 | Myself

[StoneColdGOP]

Joseph Sanchez, Long Beach resident brought out his son, Joseph Sanchez Jr., 4, to protest the HR3447 bill. (Tracey Roman / for the Press-Telegram)

A protester holds up a sign that reads "Revolution is the solution" in spanish. (Tracey Roman / for the Press-Telegram)

School officials keep an eye on marching students as hundreds showed up to Montebello High School and urged those students to leave the school and protest against proposition HR 4437 on March 27, 2006, at the Montebello school. The Mexican flag was raised at the school by the protesting students, shown in the background. Students walked from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera to Pioneer High School in Whittier, then on to Whittier High School, to Montebello High School and then to downtown Los Angeles. (Raul Roa/Staff photo)

Students protesting wave the Mexican flag as the crowd gathers at Cesar Chavez Park in Long Beach. (Tracey Roman / for the Press-Telegram)

Whittier area students from Pioneer, California and Whittier high schools walked out of classes to protest the proposed federal immigration bill March 27, 2006. The protestors put up the Mexican flag over the American flag flying upsidedown at Montebello High. (Leo Jarzomb/Staff photo)

Students from Marshall High School, Blair High, and Pasadena High School and Muir High School walked to the Pasadena Unified School District Headquarters in protest to denounce a federal legislative proposal that would criminalize illegal immigration and require building a 700-mile wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Walt Mancini/Staff photo)

Students holding the flag of Mexico, after the flag of Mexico was put on the flagpole, replacing the American flag and California Republic flag. Pasadena police chief Bernard Melekian with Pasadena police officer Mike Korpal place the flag of California Republic and the American flag to the flagpole at its proper height at Pasadena Unified School District headquarters. (Walt Mancini/Staff photo)

Area high school students raise the Mexican flag at the Montebello High School flag pole as they marched to the school to urge those students to also walk and protest against proposition HR 4437 on March 27, 2006, at the Montebello school. Students walked from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera to Pioneer High School in Whittier, then on to Whittier High School, to Montebello High School and then to downtown Los Angeles. (Raul Roa/Staff photo)

http://lang.whittierdailynews.com/socal/gallery2/news/032806_SV_walk4/3.jpg

[Charles Martel]

Another thing I am and everyone in my family is an American citizen but we do not consider ourselves Just AMERICAN, We are MEXICAN AMERICANS.

Just plain ol' American not good enough, for some reason?

[narby]

Am I missing something or does this issue cross political lines?

Yeah. We got a big problem. Even Democrats can put aside politics for one instance and agree we've got to fix it.

Neither political party wants to anger the "Latino" vote because its an election year

Both parties recognize that the latino vote will soon be a huge plurality merely because of birthrates. And that's even if we send illegals home.

I have communicated with many Latinos that are native-born, as well as LEGAL immigrants, and they are against ILLEGAL immigration as anyone else.

Yeah. And when republicans got the blame in California for passing Prop 184 15 years ago, legal latinos that vote have locked Republicans out of power ever since. Just because latinos don't like illegal immigration doesn't mean they can't be successfully demagogued into counter attacking against the party they see as anti-latino.

So whose vote are the politicians afraid of losing ... the illegal immigrants that can't vote?

No. They're afraid of losing the votes of the American born children of these immigrants for the next 80 years. Just like the Black vote has been owned by the Democrats for 45 years merely from demagoguery alone, the Latino vote is now up for grabs for generations to come. If one party or the other can purchases this vote in total, they will be guaranteed power for decades, despite any other issue.

[planekT]

Welcome to Free Republic Old Gunny SGT.

Apparently many of our elected officials think they represent Mexico.

[Delta 21]

Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

[rzeznikj at stout]

No, you're not missing anything--at least from what I see in your post.

Interestingly enough, I'm studying this right now, and from what I can see, it appears that some politicians of both parties are choosing to heed the "scratch-your-back" strategy.

Simply put, "scratch-your-back" works like this: legislators in a system such as ours will trade favors to get their idea--be it legislation, pork, resolution, etc. expedited through Congress (or a state legislature). You vote for my bill, and I'll vote for yours.

This transcends most campaign promises (unless directly up for reelection), and often results in politicians breaking the lines, allegiances, philosophies, etc. of their party and going across the aisle.

While this action can help bolster the one party who's getting their package sent through--the gains are almost always short-term.

However, the end result from "scratch-your-back" is distrust in both parties and apathy at the polls--which in turn equates to a lowered number of voters. This difference can in turn be the "make or break" group in the election, which effectively can shift the power structure.

Putting this into the modern situation, the politicians (IIRC, of both parties) who "scratch-the-back" on this issue are going to meet sharp resistance and hesitancy among voters--something that more than a few cannot really afford.

It's a less-than-honorable and highly inefficient system of doing the government's business, but nonetheless it exists as a common practice among politicos.

Hope this helps!

[Delta 21]

FWIW: Another good quote from Teddy:

If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble,
you wouldn't sit for a month.

[Windsong]

Your post reminded me of a scene in Braveheart, where it was the King of England (I believe) that said:

"The trouble with Scotland..is that its full of Scots!".

Thank God in Heaven I don't live in CA and have to deal with all of this bull$hit.

[Windsong]

Such an icon reminds of the post-nuclear game "Fallout". Aztlan (or whatever they choose to call it) looks to be etched in stone as far as Ca's future goes. At least from an outsider looking in.

[Das Outsider]

Your post reminded me of a scene in Braveheart, where it was the King of England(I believe) that said:

It was the king of England: Edward I, nicknamed Longshanks.

[WhiteGuy]

No question, this is the bush legacy.

[bornAmerican]

When I first saw these pictures, the first word that came to mind was TREASON, but you have to be an American to be a traitor. If they want to raise the Mexican flag, SEND THEM BACK TO MEXICO.

[Corvette Dan]

This is a Declaration of War in my opinion. Thank GOD I live in Georgia! They woudn't DARE do that here because they know that Southerners don't play that crap!

[King Prout]

with the possible exception of Atlanta, yes.

[BNNopo]

I feel a little better now...