Posted on 06/15/2008 2:52:13 PM PDT by decimon
NEW YORK MILLS — An Oregon man is the winner of this year's Great American Think-Off, a national philosophy competition that gives ordinary people the chance to debate some of life's perplexing questions.
This year's question: "Does immigration strengthen or threaten the United States?"
Craig Allen, of West Lynn, Ore., won a gold medal Saturday after a live audience in New York Mills decided he was most convincing when arguing that the system of immigration and immigration policy is broken. He says it encourages an influx of illegal immigrants and poses a threat to the country.
During the debate, the four Think-Off finalists touched on what it means to be an American and stressed that American identity is evolving.
The debate is held by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the cultural and creative opportunities of rural Americans. New York Mills is a farming town of some 1,200 people in central Minnesota, about 170 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
The silver medal winner was Deana Cavaliere from Richfield, Minn., who argued that immigrants of diverse cultures have created a mix of ideas that makes America an innovative and wealthy country.
The other two finalists received bronze medals. Tom Bailey of Nashville, Tenn., argued that immigration strengthens the U.S., and Nick Thayer of St. Cloud, Minn., argued that it threatens the country.
What’s truly shocking is that this audience was in Oregon, a solid blue state. I can’t believe this guy wasn’t jailed for a hate crime. Maybe it’s politically correct to criticize immigrants now, since our savior, the great Hussein Obama, is being dissed by Hispanics. Hmm, I’m gonna have to start watching for this.
Oregon? A gold medal to state the obvious?
Illegal immigration threatens this country.
Minnesota.
"The debate is held by the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the cultural and creative opportunities of rural Americans. New York Mills is a farming town of some 1,200 people in central Minnesota, about 170 miles northwest of Minneapolis."
I’d like to see how the silver medal winner tried to prove that illegal immigration makes us wealthy. I guess he was talking about the unscrupulous business owners who profit from cheap labor. I myself don’t have a single extra jumping bean to show for it though.
The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center is obviously a front for skinhead racists. Craig Allen’s white supremacist rant is a call for ethnic cleansing! This is GENOCIDE!!!!! THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!!!DIVERSITY IS A REQUIREMENT OF LIFE!!!! IF IMMIGRATION CEASES WE WILL ALL DIE OF CULTURAL STAGNATION!!!!
What gets to me is that none of them use the word ILLEGAL in front of the word “immigrants”.
While I agree that the diversity of immigrants over the years had helped to strengthen America - because they became Americanized .. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS DO NOT ASSIMILATE - THEY CONGREGATE WITH ONLY THEIR OWN - making them suspicious of others and others of them.
Immigrants are fine .. they just need to be here legally.
Apples/Apples
“I can’t believe this guy wasn’t jailed for a hate crime.”
Same here. Immigration broke down in the 60’s when the decision was made to let ANYBODY in regardless of qualification. The emphasis was being placed on quantity instead of quality of immigrant. What purpose did it serve to let people with a stone-age mentality in who have no desire or aptitude to become contributing American citizens but instead started to create their own ghettos.
Immigrants who came to this country in the early 1900’s later constituted the Greatest Generation. It is guaranteed that there won’t be a repeat of that accomplishment.
AND OF STARVATION SINCE NO ONE WILL PICK THE PRODUCE!
That’s my hometown. :)
Anyway, the little sheet that they handed out which included the contestants’ essays and their bios... obviously they wrote it because it made him look like a scatter-brained, flighty doof.
The essay was pretty good, but I’ve read better arguments. Didn’t help that the question was flawed in the first place.
New York Mills? How did you guys come to steal our mills? ;-)
Just FYI...AP gets it wrong, again. It's "West Linn."
Steel mills?
Someone should look it up and double-check, but it sounds like he was supporting a pro-amnesty position.
The “system” being “broken” is a stock talking point going back at least three years:
http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/003252.html
The solution offered by others is amnesty; whether that’s what the winning entry said isn’t known (since it was too long to read), but I wouldn’t be surprised.
If anyone wants to do something, confirm that online, then complain to the judges.
re the article, "...he was most convincing when arguing that the system of immigration and immigration policy is broken. He says it encourages an influx of illegal immigrants and poses a threat to the country.", I could have told them that, and I am no genius.
Our immigration laws threaten our country. American companies hiring undocumented workers are threatening our country. Human are not illegal, what is illegal is hiring undocumented worker in the USA.
STOP hiring undocumented workers. Stop Modern Slavery!!!!
Finlanders are veeeery sneaky. ;)
(However, the actual mill was just torn down. So, we really can’t call ourselves that. I guess we’re the NEW New York.)
Oh, they didn’t steal steel mills. OK.
*Smacks head* Do’h!
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