tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post114356026411941893..comments2024-03-25T06:39:42.081-04:00Comments on Bonfire of the Vanities: Justice for ImmigrantsFr Martin Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143835048024134882006-03-31T14:57:00.000-05:002006-03-31T14:57:00.000-05:00Herkco:I don't mind discussing with folks; this bl...Herkco:<BR/><BR/>I don't mind discussing with folks; this blog gives that opportunity. I went to some trouble to post a number of thoughts for everyone's consideration.<BR/><BR/>But your response is insulting and offensive. I'd remind you that you're a guest here, and no matter what your religion (or none), it's just bad form to show up and be insulting.<BR/><BR/>If you want to have a conversation without the attitude and condensension, I'm all for that. <BR/><BR/>Wanna try a "redo"?Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143787674160814472006-03-31T01:47:00.000-05:002006-03-31T01:47:00.000-05:00Having watched the amnesty program under Reagan wi...Having watched the amnesty program under Reagan with the promise to seal the borders, this is not a good sign to see the same thing 25 years later. <BR/><BR/>Here is what I would advise for what that is worth:<BR/>The problem is we have a very bad neighbor dumping on our lawn. We need to make this issue priority one with Mexico and make them clean up their act. I have no doubt Mexico could seal their border with us cheaper and faster than we can with the ACLU on our side of the border. We should impose economic sanctions and whatever else we can use to make them end this issue. <BR/><BR/>Second, we can attack the employers who are paying these folks nothing, often under the table. I suggest a 100,000 fine per incident giving 10,000 of this as a reward to anyone that reports them successfully.<BR/><BR/>Third, we put anyone committing a crime of any kind in jail in Arizona under that sheriff down there and rent them out for the cost of their upkeep for the next 25 years.<BR/><BR/>With those measures, we will not have to hunt down people to deport, they will be flowing back across the border the way they came. <BR/><BR/>The carrot now comes in that we work with Mexico who is now a good neighbor on a guest worker and immigration plan that works for everyone. <BR/><BR/>Problem solved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143696754167172252006-03-30T00:32:00.000-05:002006-03-30T00:32:00.000-05:00Fr Larry:You are absolutely right about the foreig...Fr Larry:<BR/><BR/>You are absolutely right about the foreign flags; we really don't know.<BR/><BR/>You make me nervous praising me for balance; I'm not used to that, when it comes to political issues!Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143694142147585802006-03-29T23:49:00.000-05:002006-03-29T23:49:00.000-05:00On the whole, I like the balanced picture you give...On the whole, I like the balanced picture you give to this issue. I have only one quibble. You say, "It did not help the cause of the illegal immigrants that the demonstrations featured foreign flags. I would have advised the folks to bring American flags; and I rather suspect many of the organizers were savvy enough to suggest that. And yet that advice was either not widely given, or not heeded." My question to you is, do you know for a fact that most of these demonstrations did not feature an American flag even more prominently than the Mexican one? Could we not be looking at skewing by the press?Fr. Larry Gearharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06187388268532224727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143588967513082832006-03-28T18:36:00.000-05:002006-03-28T18:36:00.000-05:00I lived in Southern California for about 10 years....I lived in Southern California for about 10 years. I know from experience that there is a drain on social services due to immigration, legal and illegal. <BR/><BR/>I don't have any answers, but wish that there was more push down in Mexico to develop good, safe jobs for its people there. I don't really call the maquilidore jobs all that safe. The Mexican health and safety rules are much weaker than US ones.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143585836599453242006-03-28T17:43:00.000-05:002006-03-28T17:43:00.000-05:00Rich:It may be politically incorrect, but I would ...Rich:<BR/><BR/>It may be politically incorrect, but I would favor a distinction between our approach to immigrants from this hemisphere, vs. those from anywhere else. <BR/><BR/>Because the reality is, there is an intense pressure on our border, with millions already here, and I do not believe we will eject the illegals here, and make a significant reduction in who is coming across the border -- whether we ought to or not, I think it won't happen.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1143577477857263242006-03-28T15:24:00.000-05:002006-03-28T15:24:00.000-05:00Whatever you want to say about the millions of His...<I>Whatever you want to say about the millions of Hispanics in our midst, very few are interested in blowing up cities; and I rather suspect we could make this implicit deal: "We'll welcome you here, either as citizens or legal, guest workers; in exchange, you police your ranks, and any trouble makers, turn over to the feds."</I><BR/><BR/>But the 1965 (or was it '64) immigration reform acts weren't intended to be welcome mats to Moslems either, but that's precisely what they became. In the early 1970s, before the full impact of those reforms, seventy percent of the trickle of Arabs entering this country were Christian. <BR/><BR/>Fast forward to today. The overall numbers of incoming Arabs have increased dramatically, and the proportions have reversed: seventy percent now are Moslems. <BR/><BR/>Should we build a "Fortress America"? No, but we should also appreciate the resilience of the law of unintended consequences.Rich Leonardihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01060538864273399240noreply@blogger.com