I don’t actually think it was a joke; the suggestions are pretty standard of “wacky” suggestions you get during bullshit semi-corporate crap like brainstorming that the foreign office go for.
The only harm was in it being leaked. Regarding that, I wonder: cui bono?
Sorry
You make a good point. After all, it’s not like people throughout this debate have been calling folks who are American citizens: trash, criminals, “illegals”, baby machines, and welfare abusers-- all because of the color of their skin. Heaven forbid someone make a similar comparison to white folks in the same situation.
And don’t try to say that the above hasn’t happened. All of these lovely, racist anecdotes throughout this thread have one common theme: the story teller has no LEGITIMATE way of knowing the citizenship status of the folks they are speaking about. Instead, they are making the brash assumption that brown = illegal. Post after post after post.
You have no idea whatsoever just how many Canadians, Brits, Irish, Aussies, Poles, etc. are working in the US after overstaying their tourist visas. Hell yes, they get a pass, and it isn’t hard to figure out why.
Dispute the comparison all you like. Just do it without the comments about ‘serious issues’ and ‘you’re the complete opposite of your board name.’
I blame UPS. Fuckers have screwed me over several times.
A bit o’ Googling: There are an estimated
50,000 illegal immigrants in the US from Ireland
and
70,000 from Canada-
A Top Ten listing.
Mexico does predominate, of course.
And of course that isn’t taking into account the many Asian immigrants-- in that article I posted previously about Houston, they talk about the fact that the majority of the non Hispanic immigrants in their area (so, about 30% of the total illegal population) is Vietnamese.
Edit: And upon reading your link, there is the data on other nationalities in there. Excellent 
I was responding directly to Magiver’s incredulity that *white *illegals get a pass, or even exist.
True, we don’t see or hear about many crackdowns on non-Hispanic ones, except for the occasional one on Chinese illegals, though.
Thanks for saying in a clear way one thing I was trying to say (and apparently failing) in my posts.
You weren’t failing at all- your posts were wonderfully insightful in this thread and reminded me I wasn’t on crazy pills (because everyone seemed to be in agreement that it was ok to profile, basically) 
Yeah, of COURSE anyone who responds honestly with first-hand observations of how illegal immigration has (negatively) affected them personally MUST be a racist. :rolleyes:
Look folks, as I stated, unlike racists in Texas I know who consider ANYONE with brown skin a “Mexican”, regardless of national origin or citizenship status, I don’t make assumptions and instead use the term literally, as in “a citizen OF Mexico”. Same way I would call someone a Canadian or British.
Nor do I judge people based on their race/color/ethnic background but on their BEHAVIOR.
I am TOO THROUGH with the “racist” crap…that is the classic cop-op employed by groups like “La Raza” (“the race” :dubious:) to attack those who suggest the U.S. might have a right and an interest in regulating the flow of immigration across our borders.
Or by other self-appointed representatives of the Latino/a community who agitated to rename a major street here in Portland after Cesar Chavez recently…they attacked residents and business owners who objected based on the cost of changing all their signage and literature, loss of the street name to be replaced, and other perfectly reasonable rationales as RACISTS. Needless to say, the tone of the discussion took a nosedive after that. Go figure. :rolleyes:
I admire Chavez and his legacy a great deal, even participated in the grape and other boycotts he led (and he finally does have a street named after him here) but their attitude was one of personal attacks and refusal to negotiate.
First they wanted one street, then, when a majority of residents in that area objected (an area which happens to be mostly Latino/a, BTW) they demanded the street where City Hall is located. The problem there was 1. the cost of replacing all city literature/stationary/etc… AND that the same street passes through Chinatown, and many residents there objected on both economic and cultural grounds. When some suggested we could name the big new year-round farmer’s market after him (very fitting, imo) they poo-pooed it.
It was a power-play, nothing more. There was no rational discourse possible with those who responded to any and every objection with charges of racism. (this, in the so-called “People’s Republic of Portland” yet :p)
The women at the food stamp office I referred to WERE Mexicans, in that they were FROM Mexico. Note I did not say that EVERY Latino/a person there was “Mexican”…just that the times I went, I witnessed illegal immigrants from Mexico applying for benefits for their children.
I know this because I know quite a bit of Spanish and heard the exchanges between them and the staff (they explaining that all the adults in their home were non-citizens/illegal immigrants but most or all of the children were citizens and the staff assuring them that this was not a problem…they would not share that information with anyone and no-one would be at risk of deportation…as it says on the forms).
Regarding the percentages of population in Pasadena Texas (you know, the setting for Urban Cowboy? Also known as “Gasadena”, the petrochemical refining capital of the world, Just SE of Houston), I was quoting a city funded survey I read in a local paper (and cannot find a citation…shit, they COULD have just made it up:confused:) but it meshed pretty closely with what I witnessed.
Thing is, they included the children of illegal immigrants, which might have skewed the rates significantly (since such children born in the U.S. are citizens and usually not counted in such assessments). The majority of the Latino/a population there, as in most areas, are children. I DO know that when my son attended middle school there, he was one of only a handful of Anglo kids in a large school…virtually everyone was Latino/a.
But feel free to disregard my mention of this alleged study, since I cannot locate a citation. Consider instead only my anecdotal report.
And WOW, I was not the one using a racist slur (“White Trash”). You may refer to me as a “European American member of the working class” if you wish, but please refrain from throwing around such racial/ethnic slurs. :mad:
Yeah, I WAS at the food stamp office. I make no apologies. I have worked and paid taxes most of my life and after my husband lost his job to an illegal immigrant from Mexico, we availed ourselves of some of the temporary assistance available to us. So what? I actually do not object to the children of illegal immigrants receiving benefits; I was simply pointing out that it occurs frequently and the costs are a factor worth acknowledging.
As I also stated, I had/have quite a few latino/a friends and clients (when I ran my business). One of them, the mother of a child I enrolled, was a legal Mexican immigrant, along with her husband, and it really pissed her off that her husband’s place of work was hiring illegal immigrants from Mexico (AND points south) and that their source of income was at risk due to the practice…she reported them. Guess she was a racist, too. :rolleyes:
Another friend, a co-worker, was a 1st generation U.S. citizen born to illegal immigrant parents from Mexico. She spent a lot of time in Mexico visiting extended family. One day, as we car-pooled home together on Houston freeways, she said, in her charming, mixed accent, “OMG, everybody’s driving like Mexicans!” I said, “Um, it’s because most of them ARE Mexicans.” She laughed and nodded and went on to complain about the hazards of driving in Mexico and pointing out the same behaviors in those around us. What a racist she was! :mad:
Virtually all legal immigrants I knew/know feel very strongly that illegal immigration should be stopped. They want people to work within the system like they did, not bypass the law. Some of them put it roughly like this: “I LEFT Mexico because of the economic crisis/low pay, terrible working conditions, political corruption, violence/crime, and/or social problems…if the U.S doesn’t regulate who and how many come in, it will become the same as Mexico.”
And most feel as strongly as I do about the need for reform in their native country. Many prefer to live there but refuse to/can’t given the environment. A lot of them expressed a desire to return some day, for retirement perhaps.
I realize that my perspective on this issue places me at odds with most “liberals”, and many are surprised when I venture to express my opinions, since I am one of the most “liberal” individuals you’re likely to find in any representative sample. (A registered Independent who usually votes Democrat but has also voted Green and Socialist).
Whatever. :rolleyes:
My views are based on my own experience and a lot of thought, not some party line or knee-jerk reaction. They are based on what I honestly think is in the best interests of everyone involved, including those immigrating illegally and being exploited.
As I ALSO stated clearly, I think the Arizona law is Unconstitutional and should/will be overturned for that reason. I do not support it. I do not agree with harassing illegal immigrants or anyone else…go after the damn businesses that HIRE them and the government(s) that create(s) a climate in which so many are forced to violate the law to survive.
I resent the HELL out of being called a racist because I don’t happen to agree with a certain viewpoint. :mad:
And you think these people get a pass? Got a cite for that?