Cross posted from Red Hot Cuppa Politics
This is a bit much...keep up the polls Zog.
It's not enough to spread disinformation about illegal immigration in our own mainstream media.
James Zogby's written a commentary on immigration that's sure to reach Arab-speaking US residents, and folks around the world that hate us. Note: Al Jazeera Info is not the Al Jazeera network based in the Middle East. A-J Info is out of the USA, and it's published in both Arabic and English.
So, here's what Zogby writes, to enlighten the Arab community here and overseas. Comments in black are mine:
Watching the hundreds of thousands of Hispanics who marched for immigrant rights this past week prompts reflection on both the successes and failings of America's immigrant history.
Why don't we seal the danged borders, deport felons, and rationalize the INS? Or better yet -- how about just allowing local law enforcement to do its job.
Hm. Sounds good so far ... but then ya get to this:
To begin with, of course, there are the "original sins" of America: the "ethnic cleansing" and/or genocide committed against our indigenous tribal population; the massive exploitation of millions of African slaves who produced considerable surplus wealth for their white owners and the conquest and forced acquisition of the Spanish-speaking Southwest that made America a continental giant.
To all of this we must add the periodic waves of nativist intolerance and repression that, at times, created additional burdens for various immigrant groups. My own community's and family's history is filled with examples.
After World War I, the US found itself in the throes of a nativist rage, with Southern European and Asians specifically targeted. It was during this period that a series of anti-Asian laws were passed, some of which excluded and/or severely restricted immigrants from Asian countries, while others placed penalties on those who married Asian non-citizens. (I think this was actually not so much just after WW1, but closer to and during WW2. During WW2, my own German speaking Texas Hill country farmer ancestors proved their loyalty by fighting in the pacific; and allowing German POW's to be held near their town; the former POW's come back once in a while for a re-union)
Since Greater Syria was in Asia, Lebanese and Syrian immigrants were victims of this repressive legislation. My father, thus excluded, came to the US as an illegal immigrant to be with the rest of his family. For years he worked with his brothers, but lived with the fear of deportation. Decades later, he received amnesty and became a citizen. My aunt, a naturalized US citizen, lost her citizenship when she married my uncle, a legal, but not yet naturalized immigrant from Lebanon
(Too bad Mr. Zogby's dad didn't live today, he could have just hopped over the border like everybody else)
Then, Zogby concludes: To some extent, the flood of "illegals" is a function of our economic needs for more workers and our own troubled and exploitative history with nations south of our border. In a real sense, the problem can in part be seen as "our chickens coming home to roost." (Gosh, guess it couldn't be a combination of crappy foreign governments who oppress their people, and our own Congressional pandering)
Then, Zogby goes on to list three options being discussed by lawmakers:
On the one side, there are those who call for criminalizing not only the undocumented, but also those who hire them or provide for their social needs. This new nativism is both cruel and unworkable. Not only would it create untold human suffering and economic chaos, but it would cost over $260 billion to implement. The mind reels, I might add, at nightmare scenes of roundups, arrests, and forced deportation of millions of men, women, and children. (of course, the nightmarish scenario of American border ranchers, huddled in their house while streams of illegals herded by coyotes destroy their property -- and threaten their families doesn't come to mind, does it?)
There is a proposal by those who are considered "moderates" in this debate to create a "guest worker" program, that would legalize the status of the undocumented, without ever giving them the hope of becoming Americans. This would only bring to the US the same failed system that is now haunting Europe, creating a new class of exploited "guests," without defined rights. (True).
Finally, there are those who recognize that while the current situation is unsustainable, reality must be acknowledged and rationalized into a new framework that both protects the rights of American citizenship while, at the same time, applies the lessons of American history. Borders must be protected and our understaffed and under funded immigration system is broken and must be fixed. But the millions who are here, working and providing for their families, can not be made to pay the price for this problem. To rationalize this process, the pathway to citizenship must be opened. It is the only way to end their exploitation and normalize their situation. At the same time, it is imperative to recognize that this current flood of illegals across our borders is a manifestation of a hemispheric economic problem that requires not a wall but greater investment, economic growth, and the expansion of rights in countries to our south. (sure, let's gift a few more billion dollars to corrupt governments with no accountability)...
I don't consider James Zogby to be all that radical, though to be sure he expresses ideas I certainly don't agree with. He also manages to conduct a fair poll. But -- the above article is a great example of how well-meaning thinkers, in love with their own logic, manage to feed not destructive movements like Atzlan, but terrorists as well. There are Al Quada specialists in public relations; dollars to donuts, they've picked up Zogby's statements, just as they have Mother Sheehan's.
Al Jazeera Info was founded by Dr. Hassan El-Najjar, a sociology professor at Dalton State University, and a globalist thinker. The masthead on A-J Info thoughtfully says: This is how much the Empire wars are costing the United States.
Riiiht. (Supress the urge to bang your head against the keyboard.)
For the latest news, click to the CoalitionBlog. While you're there, make sure and note Brian's article about how the MinuteMen are planning to build their own wall across the border, using private land with the agreement of like-minded property owners! Also, there's an interesting article on RightTruth about how some Latino wives are working to bring their men home to Mexico.
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let Brian know at what level you would like to participate.**
tag: Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII)
DeMediacrat
Iran
Islamofascism
War On Terror
