Posted on 04/06/2005 8:58:14 AM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
OUR OPINION: We'd better start paying attention Over in Tombstone, Arizona, something called the "Minuteman Project" is underway. It calls for armed civilian volunteers to watch for illegal border crossings and report them to federal officials, and word Monday was that more than 500 people from all over the country answered a call from project organizers to show up Friday and begin to help patrol the border.
While you can put any spin you want on illegal immigration — and that spin has touched every point of the America's political and moral compass — the bottom line is that it's a severe and growing crises. We don't think the Minuteman Project will have a direct effect — volunteers won't be able to do much about stemming the daily tide — but it will help focus the nation's attention on the problem. Now, only the residents of states most affected by the illegal immigration — California, Arizona and Texas — have any real awareness of what's going on.
At the core of the problem is the political and economic morass that has made living in Mexico hell for its underclass, whose members make up most of the country's population. It was thought by some that when Vincente Fox was elected Mexico's president, he would institute reforms that would make life there more bearable. It hasn't happened, and so more and more young Mexicans, mostly male, are seeking work in the United States by crossing the border illegally.
Instead of reform, Fox encouraged Mexicans to skip over the border to the U.S., to take up life as illegal aliens — and send dollars back to Mexico. Ten percent of Mexican voters now live in America legally or illegally, but they account for 50 percent of Mexico's purchasing power. And they send home enough billions in foreign exchange to make the government in Mexico very comfortable financially.
According to the Interamerican Development Bank, they sent home $16.6 billion in 2004, up from $10.5 billion in 2000, the year Fox was elected. Fox has called these people "heroes" — encouraging United States banks to accept Mexican identification cards to ease money transfers in 2002 and permitting his government to print out booklets advising Mexicans how to get over the border illegally but safely by 2005.
American writer A.M. Mora y Leon said in The American Thinker the other day that, "The poverty, the exploitation by the migrant rackets, the permanent underclass status, the ease with which aliens can lose everything they've worked to build if they are apprehended by law enforcement is heartbreaking. These people (illegal aliens) are helpless."
As we said, we don't think the Minutemen will have any direct, immediate effect on the problem. Neither do they. What they do think is that their efforts will finally drive home the point to the American public that our porous southern border is vulnerable to infiltration by illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and potentially terrorists.
That last all by itself is reason enough for someone, somewhere, to finally start paying attention. Mr. Bush, are you listening?
Steve Williams
"Ten percent of Mexican voters now live in America legally or illegally, but they account for 50 percent of Mexico's purchasing power."
Why not pay US illegals in the currency of their home country? THAT will discourage their efforts to come here, work and send $$ home.
I like it! What's a peso worth now, about $.0000001?
no, part of the solution is to NOT PAY illegals... (meaning not to hire them, not hire them then not pay them..)
I will have no problem with mexicans coming to the US just as soon as we annex Mexico as the 51st state.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it, El Presidente Fox.
Annexing Mexico would be a bit like annexing the Sahara - why would you want to?
Actually it is currently a little more than 11 Pesos to the U.S. Dollar.
Why don't the Mexicans rise up and demand better? If the US and especially Canada can do it, why can't they? I just do not understand why they put up with it?
I definitely do not want to take over Mexico, the US does not need anymore states. I say seal the borders, no matter what it takes.
The female homeowner mentioned is this story has allowed the Minuteman Project volunteers to set up right on her front lawn. I went there last night to help the volunteers out. This liberal Democrat woman had cooked the best-tasting lasagna for the Minuteman folks and had them sit down for dinner.
I talked to her a bit about her impressions of the Minuteman Project and she related that she supports it. She said that she's met so many great people from so many areas of the country and so many different walks of life. She was impressed to see that it wasn't just a bunch of militia-types, but real, down-to-earth, good people who have become concerned by the lack of border security. She utterly rejected the media portrayal that these people are racist, gun-toting vigilantes forming a militia to hunt the poor Mexican migrant. She's seen it with her own two eyes and she knows that the media has been lying about the Minuteman Project all along.
I'll bet her story has been repeated across Cochise County as the volunteers stand out there, day and night, guarding our border and calling national and international attention to the border problem. Jim Gilchrist reminded all of the volunteers on day one that they are ambassadors from their states and ambassadors from the Minuteman Project to the local community. These good people have certainly taken that advice to heart and are making fast friends all over the San Pedro River Valley - well, except they're not too fondly thought of by the border intruders, human traffickers, drug smugglers, and their leftist enablers.
The free market is the problem. Mexicans are a source of cheap, reliable labor (ever see a highway construction site?). As such, they will expend every effort to come here as long as their economy is quasi third world. All these efforts (pot bellied old men in cammies "patrolling" the border, drones in the sky etc) will, at best, slow it down but never stop it as long as the demand exists.
Further, Mexicans view the American occupation of California, Arizona etc as that - an occupation that began barely a century and a half ago; hence "la reconquista" which is being accomplished very handily by the womb.
Surely, this is a problem. But the solution sure aint gonna be found in stopping them.
Viva Los Minutos Hombres!
Not sure that makes sense. Stopping illegal immigration would in fact, stop it.
It's ILLEGAL to hire them.
From all of the available evidence, I feel qualified to answer on his behalf: No he's not.
You and I are fully aware of that. However, it the people who are supposed to guard the border and enforce immigration laws are asleep at the switch, do you honestly think that the people who are supposed to bird-dog the employment of aliens are doing THEIR job?
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 @ 09:5x
1 US Dollar = 11.24900 Mexican Peso
1 Mexican Peso (MXN) = 0.08890 US Dollar (USD)
Wednesday, April 6, 2005 @ 09:5x
1 US Dollar = 11.24900 Mexican Peso
1 Mexican Peso (MXN) = 0.08890 US Dollar (USD)
the problem with mexico is that it's a parasitic state dependent upon the united states.
if mexico were a normal, developing country, they'd be well...er...d-e-v-e-l-o-p-i-n-g.
by developing, we mean developing educational and infrastructure to compete within the world economy. take korea , for example. p*ss poor, but they worked themselves into a developed country. they now export cars.
does mexico export cars? only the ones the europeans and americans make there. do the mexicans know, after 30 years of making cars, HOW to make a car? nada.
why isn't mexico developing?
answer--a couple dozen billionaires and several thousands of manorial class white, europeans run the country. there's virtually no middle class.
this mexican elite is racist. they hate the mexican poor because they are either part indian or all indian.
it's this mexican white elite that yells "racism" at the united states while keeping their peasants down.
Surely you jest....go take a trip to Mexico and envision the US looking like that....your cut rate would immediately go up to our minimum wage and our citizen and legal workers would get financially hurt as their wages drop to minimum (or below)..our nmiddle class standard of living would drop while Mexico's poverty level standard of living would increase..equilibrium in the market due to supply, demand, and competition.....oh the next thing you know all those people living in countries with a lower standard of living such as Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala would be streaming across Mexico's border into the 51st state so we woudl still need Border Patrols, just more of them...heck why not let everyone in the world into the US then we can all make $1 a day like China...nobody wins....
I was just about to post the same thing. I live in New Mexico and we are used to getting lost...
We do have a border crisis of our own, hospitals near the border are overwhelmed- we have smugglers and car chases and shoot-outs and all the things that happen in TX,AZ & CA. I will admit that we don't have the numbers of illegals that Arizona has- so our problems are not as overwhelming. (Yet) We too have a crisis though, as anyone on the southern border has.
I have lived in Arizona on the border, and think the area between Nogales and Douglas is an absolute war zone. Something must be done to close the entire border.
"pay US illegals in the currency of their home country"
Hmmmm? That's a terrific idea - but if they're illegal .. why aren't they being arrested instead.
Perhaps its time to do a little "nation building" to the south.
The ads on the website you linked to, mostly refer to doing background checks and getting information about "illegal immigrants.
Probably just coincidence to also see an article written by someone anti-immigrant.
LOL! Well .. I think the success of this program is showing the country that it can be done - and there are lots of seniors with time on their hands - who are former military or police officers - and would make good border watchers.
And .. now I hear somebody in New Mexico is interested in the program .. outstanding!
Because the Northern border into the US acts as a safety valve. It is less risky to cross into the US than to revolt against the entrenched kleptocrats. And the upside is much more certain.
I definitely do not want to take over Mexico, the US does not need anymore states. I say seal the borders, no matter what it takes.
The risk there is that by closing the valve, you may easily end up with a neo-marxist revolution. I suspect that is really what Bush and company are afraid of. Imagine a Hugo Chavez style Mexico , controlling (along with Venezuela) a large chunk of our oil supply.
"more should be done to make the choice of coming here less attractive"
I generally agree with your points.
And .. if we do more of this border control stuff and it continues to be successful and more states want to be included - it should force the pres of Mexico to DO MORE FOR HIS OWN PEOPLE - instead of expecting America to support them.
I understand the President's heart in this matter - he has a very soft heart for people who are suffering because they cannot even earn enough to take care of their families. But .. we cannot be the nursemaid for the whole world. We have to challenge and/or demand that Mexico to those things which will benefit their people .. more jobs, better working conditions, higher pay, etc.
President Bush has been very good at challenging most leaders - but I don't see him doing that to his "friend" from Mexico .. and I see that as part of the problem.
But .. while I understand the President's position - I don't think he understands ours .. we're afraid for America and her safety is of great concern to us. I'm hoping this Minuteman project will bring this issue to the table.
Speaking of class, which one was your favorite? Marxism 101? That upper class vs. middle class is so tired and out-of-date that even most of the 'Rats eschew mentioning it. Why do you bring that nonsense here? Do you actually think members of the middle class in this country would be killed if they dared to defy the upper class rules of us all? You're joking, right?
Yeah that is a great answer by Seajay...I think illegal immig. is very stoppable all that is needed is willpower and the knowledge of all the damges and the true cost of it.
Spiff,
I was hoping that you would continue with your daily report from the border. The first ones were great as we were getting nothing from the news channel. Even FOX just gave a glimpse of the issue on O'R and H&C. How about it?
That is a good question and I do not know the answer.
Do you? I am curious.
I'm not participating in the project every day. I live here and work full time. I did go out, however, to one of the observation spots and stayed about an hour and a half last night. Not much to report. I will report if I have something to report. Thanks for keeping up with what I put online. Maybe I'll find someone else to give me reports that I can publish here. I'll talk to some of the volunteers and see who is willing.
Remember Kent State, Ruby Ridge, Waco Texas. Tell me it can't happen. Our founding fathers weren't fools.
Yes, it is emotional.
I have an Hispanic daughter-in-law whom I love dearly. Her family are all here legally - and have been for years. They are upset that illegals get benefits - or special treatment - when they had to work so hard in their struggle to become citizens.
All their 5 children are married with families - working at good jobs - and one of them is a surgeon with the USMC.
So, for me .. I'm not against people like my in-laws who have worked hard and lived the American dream.
One major area where we have not done a good job is in Americanizing these people. The left has separated them at school by teaching them only in Spanish - so when they leave school they are not equipped to earn a living because they cannot read or speak English. The left tried to pass it off as bi-lingual, but Californians had finally had enough after almost a whole generation of "legels" from Mexico - could not speak English - and voters demanded an English-only curriculum for the schools.
Funny thing .. the Hispanic students started thriving ..!!
BTTT
Most people don't even know that by patronizing establishments that "hire" these illegals are actually contributing to the problem.
bump
Sure ... great idea ... let's 'annex' the equivalent of 25 Puerto Ricos ... 100+ million people, 90%+ of whom are illiterate in English, 10% of whom are illiterate in their own language, with a per capita income 1/4th that of the US and 40% of people below the poverty line, and a history of complete gun control and an inclination to socialism.
Wave goodbye to the US middle class when that happens. In fact, wave goodbye to the US, period.
ping
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