Even the goons call him a thug
It is Wednesday afternoon and I am already exhausted. I spent much of Monday working in Saint Cloud and then it was back to Wisconsin on Tuesday night. I have found myself spending a lot of time in Wisconsin recently. At least next week, I get to go to one of Wisconsin’s bright spots. I will be in La Crosse next week. I love Madison and going to Milwaukee for business can occasionally be fun too. But, La Crosse is next on my list. Unlike most of the state, Wisconsin is a very hilly city with beautiful river views and majestic, towering bluffs. The actual city reminds me of a slightly smaller Iowa City. I’ll be there for two days, and one night, and I am actually kind of excited. Unlike the week after where I will spend five days in North Dakota!!
1. I am embarrassed to be a Minnesota Wild fan. The only move they made before the NHL trade deadline was to acquire a man who gives the word, goon, a bad name. He is a thug’s thug. Chris Simon, just coming off a NHL record, 30 game suspension for taking his skate and driving it into the Achilles heel of an opponents leg, is the newest member of the Minnesota Wild. Simon has been suspended eight times before. Some of his highlights are getting suspended last year for 25 games for taking his stick and swinging it like a baseball bat at an opponent, calling one of the few black, NHL players the N word, cross checking an opponent in the neck, and many more saint-like behavior.
2. This brings me to my next point. I overheard a conversation with a friend of mine saying University of Wisconsin will never win the NCAA basketball championship because it is has too many white guys on the team. This reverse racism is completely irrelevant. There is absolutely no statistical proof that blacks are better athletes. The reality is that blacks just choose different sports. I can count on one hand how many blacks are NHL hockey players. Does that mean that blacks can’t skate? There are very few blacks who are dominant tennis players, golfers, skiers, figure skaters, la crosse players, baseball players, volleyball players, et cetera. It just happens that the two most watched sports in America are basketball and football and those are two sports in which blacks choose to participate in. I’m sure if you take the top athletes and put them in other sports, they would do well. If Michael Jordan decided to play a “white” sport like volleyball, I am going to guess he would be pretty good. If Wayne Gretsky were to play a “black” sport like basketball, I bet his superior vision, footwork, and speed would make him a really good point guard. It is absolutely ridiculous that because the hue of your skin is a shade or two darker then others that you are inherently better at certain sports.
3. I have recently become more and more frustrated with pro-illegal immigration protestors. Let’s say America is your house. First, I will break in your house and you discover I am living in your basement and you ask me to leave. But I say, I like it here better, and (besides illegally breaking into your house) I like it here and I will wash your dishes and mow your lawn. But you still tell me to leave and all of sudden I get a bunch of friends together and start protesting outside your house. The protesters say not only should I be able to live in your house, you should feed me, provide me with adequate education, give me a driver’s license, let me vote, and if I get sick, I should be able to get appropriate health care. Because after all, I am honest and hardworking (except for the fact that I illegally broke into your house.) I tell you it is only fair since your house is nicer and bigger then my house. I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of cold, uncaring, selfish, prejudiced, and bigoted behavior. Also, I don’t understand your language so would you mind learning my language and putting signs up in my language to make it easier on me? As a Christian, I am all for helping out the neediest among us, but I think what America really needs to do is figure out how to help Mexico’s economic issues so their poor stop breaking into our house.
posted by cyclonejohn @ 2:17 PM
12 Comments:
Thank you for your comments Mr. Hannity. Now put yourself in the illegal immigrants position. You're coming from a country that essentially has no realistic economic infrastructure for the vast majority of it's population, including no access to legitimate education or decent paying jobs. I think the real question with illegal immigration breaks down to not so much what illegal immigrants are doing to infringe upon real American citizen's lives, but more so what gives the vast majority of Americans (just because they were physically born on this side of the fence) a right to everything America IS. My problem is with people who ascribe a certain value to their existence above and beyond other human beings simply because of their random circumstantial existence to the extent that they happen to be born here. Instead, we should focus on what America was founded on, the idea that anyone who is willing and able to make a life for themselves and their family should beyond the constraints of their current situation, should be welcomed to this 'land of opportunity'. The only reason America exists is because IT has always represented hope, something better, a unique oasis of freedom and sunny ideology among a sea of intolerance and hopelessness. Instead, 300 years later it has become everything it was attempting to get away from. This country has become a polarized landscape of greedy, intolerent, uneducated, and in many cases unmotivated ungrateful citizens that preach an entitlement to power that is in no way theirs. We should welcome anyone and everyone into this country that believes in what this country was founded on and is willing to work for a better future. It's not about the guy in the basement of your house who wants to stay, it's the fact that your house was handed to you and if you're the average American who doesn't care about anything but themselves and their perfect ignorant country, you don't deserve to be in the house in the first place.
I'm fine with people coming to America, as long as they preserve what America IS! John isn't saying that immigrants shouldn't be allowed. He is saying that they need to add value to society like everyone else in America is expected to. It's not about the house, it's about society and how it functions. If nothing else, they need to make a neutral affect on society. They should pay taxes and shouldn't steal people's identities to collect government benefits. Our taxes shouldn't go up because they are taking out but they aren't paying in. Same with health insurance.
Anyway, John wouldn't be allowed to live in my basement either. I hear he poops in your peanut butter when you leave the house.
Hi Nimit,
I figured this post would create some controversy and I am glad you replied. Although, I wholeheartedly disagree with your response. I am not opposed to legal immigration. In fact, if there is work that Americans are not doing, then by all means, let's legally let more people in. My problem is with illegal immigrants. Plus, I think you ignored my final point. The immigration issue won't go away until Mexico takes care of themselves. You don't often hear about illegal Candian immigrants? If I were the next American president, I would make it a top five priority to fix Mexico's broken economic structure. Maybe, America could even be a good neighbor and loan the Mexican government money? Maybe we could help set up a new "Great Deal" which essentially eliminated America's great depression. But, I will not support a viewpoint that says, "come one, come all, because your country sucks." Yes, our country was founded upon a land of opportunity and was built upon the immigrants of the Polish, Irish, et cetera but these people, for the most part, came over legally. They paid their taxes, they served in the military, and they earned their citizenship. Why should my taxes have to be raised for illegal immigrants' health care, for illegal immigrants' education, et cetera when there are millions of Americans without health coverage and millions of Ameircans who cannot afford to attend college. Even the most ardent liberals among us, most admit that their are problems that need to be addressed.
I bet millions of those illegal immigrants are not legal yet because of our horrible system of legalization. I did a research project on it and found out it involves tens of thousands of dollars and years of waiting, with the outcome of PR nor citizenship not a guarantee. And if there is one thing wrong in the paperwork. An ENTIRE new application needs to be submmitted with all the fees that come along with that. How does that help those families who break their backs just to save enough money for the first application?
No i'm not saying that should be a blanket excuse for everyone, but there are millions that have been trying for years, but the system puts them at a handicap. I don't think they want to gain PR/citizenship to be unproductive members of society. what causes them to start in such "low end" jobs is the lack of PR papers.
I am pro immigration. But i dont condone illegal immigration. I believe the new president needs to be hard on the issue from now on but for the illegal immigrants currently in the country might we suggest a Reagan-esque blanket amnesty that allows them for easier citizenship (after fines are charged to those families)?
Josh I would tend to agree with you about the blanket amnesty. And immigration is just one of many issues that the red tape and bueracracy of our federal government has screwed up. I agree with McCain's views of taking a hard stance on future illegal immigration but also providing amnesty for those already here.
Dear John,
Something you might look into is the Republican Party. It sounds just right for you.
Most illegal immigrants don't pay taxes because they're paid in cash. They're paid less than the minimum wage which, as everyone knows, is less than a living wage already. They're working way more hours than most Americans, living in the worst homes, and to suggest that they have healthcare is utterly fantastic. Under Bush, any illegal immigrant caught in this country is immediately deported, no matter what, no matter how long they've been here (even if they were brought here as children by their parents and did go one to contribute to society - see the Wisconsin cop who was brought here at age 9 by his parents and, years later, after serving his community as a police officer, sent back to Mexico, where he knew no one, to speak Spanish with an American accent). To be sent to a hospital could mean the end of one's entire life. Yet still they come here and do the worst jobs, because still that opportunity is better for them than any opportunities they have at home. And they're not just from Mexico. That's a stereotype, and it shows your ignorance.
You suggest that the "right" kind of immigrants "earned their citizenship." So tell me, what did you do to earn yours?
This is exactly what I thought would happen. If I dare take a stance that is not radically liberal, I am called ignorant, a Republican, and worse, Sean Hannity. There is a reason that the heavy majority of Americans want tougher enforcement of illegal immigrants and surely not all of them are ignorant. In fact, the staunchest supporters of tougher enforcement of illegal immigration are LEGAL immigrants. Regarding health care, I am a proponent of universal health coversage but that is a different debate. Regarding how I became a "right" citizen... My family became citizens the right way. They filled out the proper forms, came over through Ellis Island, and much of my family worked in the iron mines in Northern Minnesota. They learned the language, paid taxes, volunteered for sevice in the world wars, and were productive American citizens. Again, I am not against immigration. Our country was founded on the hard working labor of legal immigrants. And we are still not seeing my main point which is, we don't solve crime by building more jails or hiring more police officers? In the same way that we don't solve illegal immigration by building fences, or hiring more national guard troops. We solve the problem by working with the Mexican government to fix their economic problems. Of course I realize that their are illegal immigrants from all over but I don't hear a lot about rogue French-Canadians sneaking into Vermont. To just say that we should have an open door policy as you and Nimit are suggesting will further weaken our economy to maybe the point of a depression.
I am not suggesting that. I made no policy suggestions. I do genuinely believe that your ideals are more in line with those of the Republican party, and particularly I believe that the closed-minded and hateful language you use, as well as the ignorance with which you're content to speak about illegal immigrants, is more suited to someone who calls himself a Republican.
Just because someone isn't Mexican doesn't make him French-Canadian. Unless, while tottering under our truly stunning national debt, we're prepared to bolster the economies of most of the nations of Central America, many of South America and many of the Middle East, Africa and Asia, we're going to have to think of a better way than creating a New Deal for every country from which many illegal immigrants come.
One of the things you're saying that I find to be particularly bigoted is this assertion that illegal immigrants don't learn English. I live in what may very well be one of the most international cities in the country. The easy majority of people I come into contact with daily are not American. Most of the foreigners here are students on visas, and many more are ex-pats from other countries - nearly all are here legally. Some speak the language impeccably, and some, not at all. I know illegal immigrants, too, and some speak the language better than others. You are implying that illegal immigrants are lazy and unwilling to contribute to our society. I would argue that they are here because they want to work, and are willing to work, very hard doing sometimes very unpleasant jobs for very little pay. If they didn't want to work, they wouldn't be here. I imagine that if illegal immigrants were given the opportunity to come into this country legally, to be paid a higher wage and have (ridiculously expensive) health care, the majority would gladly accept that in exchange for paying taxes and being called up for jury duty. The reality is, unless you're wealthy in your home country, here to study (in which case you still have to provide evidence of financial support - in other words, that you have the money to pay for your education - before you will be granted a visa) or can prove that your life and your family's lives are in danger in your home country, it's very difficult to get into the US legally. I'm not proposing policy solutions, I'm just saying your hateful, bigoted and prejudiced attitude is based on incorrect stereotypes, unfounded assumptions, and the propaganda created by a xenophobic, greedy political right. It's possible to deal with the reality that we cannot simply open our borders to everyone who wants to come here without creating serious economic problems without resorting to insulting character smears on an entire group of individuals. Let's deal with the actual economic and humanitarian realities of the issue.
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Well, before we resort to name calling, it is possible to have moderate views on some issues and still not be a Republican. It is possible to disagree with some liberal's views on issues like affirmative action and immigration and not be racist, bigoted, xenophobic, greedy, ignorant, et cetera. I would ask then what you propose to do regarding illegal immigration. From what I can gather, we should freely open our borders to all of the world's poor. After re-reading what I wrote, I have found no character smears. I am not saying that illegal immigrants are lazy. I don't even blame illegal immigrants for wanting to come to this country. If I had young children and I was close to the border, why wouldn't I want to sneak across to America and put my children in better schools, and allow them more opportunities. I am not saying they work plush jobs for high pay. But what they are doing is illegal whether we agree with the law or not. If you recall from my above post, I agree with Josh's assertion that the current illegal immigrants in America SHOULD get amnesty. This is not a Republican view, but a quite moderate/liberal view. I have no doubt that many foreigners are trying very hard to learn English. Fine, trying hard is all I can ask for. My beef has never been with those who worked hard to immigrate here legally. I don't follow what "incorrect stereotypes, and unfounded assumptions" have led me to spew such vitriol in your opinion.
Upon reading everyone's comments on immigration and reflecting on my own experiences living and working in the borderlands of Arizona, I just want to add in my two cents and also highly recommend reading up on a few resources.
First off, AZ Gov. Napolitano's stance on immigration (both legal and illegal) is probably the most level-headed I've ever come across, largely because it BEGINS with the principle of prevention rather than simply jumping to easy-sounding answers about securing the border, rounding up undocumented migrants and deporting them back to their home countries.
Arizona alone has about 3000 people being smuggled over the border illegally each DAY, and around 1400 of those people are caught by Border Patrol and sent back, where they will most likely wait to save up enough money to try their luck at it again. We could spend an eternity playing this back-and-forth game of catching people and sending them back or imprisoning them, but it does absolutely nothing to address the ever-growing black market for 'coyotes' (human smugglers), stolen cars, fraudulent documents for IDs, and of course the underlying economic policies that cause people to leave their home country for a better job here. Meanwhile, a small circle of people are making a fortune from this humanitarian and security disaster by supplying the means for desperate workers in Central America to cross the U.S. border illegally.
The other resources I'd recommend checking out are Humane Borders and No Mas Muertes/No More Deaths. These are both non-profit, non-partisan groups dedicated to addressing the humanitarian aid needed in the remote desert areas where the majority of people are being funneled into (and one of those areas is called Ironwood Forest National Monument, where I work on protecting and restoring natural resources from the damage that results from illegal migration on public lands in the desert. I pick up a lot of trash left behind by undocumented migrants, it's pretty interesting sometimes what you find).
anyway, here are the links:
http://www.governor.state.az.us/
http://www.humaneborders.org/index.html
http://www.nomasmuertes.org/Index.html
I'm glad you guys are paying attention to the complexity of this stuff - it's a daunting but very important issue!
peace,
-annika
Great post.
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