tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post114571719527335837..comments2024-03-25T06:39:42.081-04:00Comments on Bonfire of the Vanities: Immigration: not enough handsFr Martin Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1146217871013637522006-04-28T05:51:00.000-04:002006-04-28T05:51:00.000-04:00Chucko:I did not say anything about anyone being r...Chucko:<BR/><BR/>I did not say anything about anyone being racist. What in joeh's comment made you think I thought he is racist?<BR/><BR/>I think that there's something else going on here. Partly to "blame" for the problem of illegal immigration is the demand for cheap labor. But it isn't just "greedy" employers who are responsible. It is consumers, all of us, you and me, who naturally seek out the least expensive products and services to buy. It's how we get what we want. The supply follows the demand. <BR/><BR/>So racism isn't what's causing some to malign illegal immigrants. It is our inability to look at ourselves. It's that we don't want to admit that things that we generally admire, (their) hard work and (our) frugality, is giving us something we don't like. It's easier to blame others, so we blame "illegals"--as illegals they do illegal things, so how can we expect them to "suddenly develop some respect for our other laws?" is how joeh put it.<BR/><BR/>There is potential for racism to come from all this, but I really don't think that's happened yet. <BR/><BR/>About MECHA. The only time I've ever encountered MECHA's nonsense was among a very small group of students in college. More instructive is the hysteria in the article you link to, which anti-illegal-immigrant activists are using to create the myth of "reconquista."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1146147478302771292006-04-27T10:17:00.000-04:002006-04-27T10:17:00.000-04:00Arturo, I respect your opinion and where you are c...Arturo, I respect your opinion and where you are coming from. You should understand, however, that those who oppose amnesty for illegal immigration are not necessarily all racists. Joeh appears to propose a "get tough on illegals" plan. I would argue that the companies hiring illegal aliens are fomenting slavery much more than his plan would. Also, calling them illegal, while not politically correct (as of about a month ago) is factually correct. "<A HREF="http://www.mayorno.com/WhoIsMecha.html" REL="nofollow">Reconquista</A>," while not being a serious threat at this time, is in fact not a myth. Serious problems occur not from moderated legal immigration, but from massive undocumented border crossing in such large groups that rather than be assimilated another seperate culture is born within a nation. This only causes conflict that cannot be avoided. If we were to legalize the existing illegal population, as we did in the 80s, it would only encourage more individuals to cross over (to the delight of Republicans and Democrats in Congress). This, in turn, would give them an easy alternative to fixing what is clearly wrong in their own nation.Chuckohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11641328391981775021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1146077458847833082006-04-26T14:50:00.000-04:002006-04-26T14:50:00.000-04:00I waited a day, and decided to delete Pewsitter's ...I waited a day, and decided to delete Pewsitter's post, above, for reasons explained, in a post made yesterday, also above.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145996563100038302006-04-25T16:22:00.000-04:002006-04-25T16:22:00.000-04:00"the U.S. prospers because it is a nation of laws ..."the U.S. prospers because it is a nation of laws and respects lawfull behavior. If that changes, and it might, we will be exactly like Mexico, corrupt to the core."<BR/><BR/>pewsitternh, the U.S. prospered under lawful slavery and going along with it was "corrupting to the core." We no longer have slavery, but joeh's proposition gets close ("...sentenced to long jail terms where they are used in cheap labor..."). <BR/><BR/>To create an unjust system we need two things, which your side already has done. First, to dehumanize human beings, which your side does by assigning the noun "illegals" to people. As joeh puts it "Do those who come here 'illegally' then suddenly develop some respect for our other laws?" <BR/><BR/>Second, it is necessary to create an imaginery threat, which the myth of "reconquista" is.<BR/><BR/>Illegal immigration is a complicated issue. A guest worker program like the Kennedy proposal is probably the best we can do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145993049889009872006-04-25T15:24:00.000-04:002006-04-25T15:24:00.000-04:00Pewsitter:I welcome you to my site, but calling Ca...Pewsitter:<BR/><BR/>I welcome you to my site, but calling Cardinal Mahoney a criminal goes too far.<BR/><BR/>Would you be willing to rephrase your comments, and delete the existing post? Of course, I could simply delete your post, but I'd rather give you the opportunity to revise your remarks.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145991084227715672006-04-25T14:51:00.000-04:002006-04-25T14:51:00.000-04:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145953011470017482006-04-25T04:16:00.000-04:002006-04-25T04:16:00.000-04:00joeh, give me a break. Those who come to this cou...joeh, give me a break. Those who come to this country illegally have no other way to do it. It is not disrespect for the law, as you say, that brings them here. They want a better life for their families, like my parents did when they brought me here--illegally. I thank them for that. <BR/><BR/>It is an awful thing you say, and I hear it all the time here in Southern California. This is a complicated issue. Maligning human beings doesn't help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145887722784342562006-04-24T10:08:00.000-04:002006-04-24T10:08:00.000-04:00JoeK:Simply as a matter of vocabulary, "Catholic" ...JoeK:<BR/><BR/>Simply as a matter of vocabulary, "Catholic" and "Christian" are not synonymous, any more than "Snickers" and "candy bar" are synonymous.<BR/><BR/>I was trying to emphasize values that are specifically Catholic, but which all Christians embrace. Had I merely said, "as a Catholic," the latter point would not have been made; had I said, "as a Christian," the former point would not have been made.<BR/><BR/>It would be like saying, "as an Ohioan and an American" -- while all Ohioans are Americans, not all Americans are Ohioans; likewise, while all Catholics are Christians, not all Christians are Catholics.Fr Martin Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01375628123126091747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145768240117418572006-04-23T00:57:00.000-04:002006-04-23T00:57:00.000-04:00as a Catholic and a Christian, there are aspects o...as a Catholic and a Christian, there are aspects of our culture I'd dread . . . <BR/><BR/>Father Martin, <BR/>I'm a little confused-- are you writing in first person as a catholic priest? Or, is the 'I' a figure of speech to represent all Christians including Catholic and non-catholic christians/protestants? My understanding is that calling myself 'as a Catholic and a Christian' is redundant and calls out a discrepency where none exists. <BR/>Am I missing something? Appreciate your clarification.<BR/>JoeKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14168956.post-1145757944372763772006-04-22T22:05:00.000-04:002006-04-22T22:05:00.000-04:00Whenver this topic comes up it causes me to come t...Whenver this topic comes up it causes me to come to the same point. Either we are a country of laws or we are not. Who decides what law is allowed to be broken? Do those who come here "illegally" then suddenly develop some respect for our other laws?<BR/>The solutions must be a combination of things:<BR/>First, we must make Mexico become a good neighbor. They can stop the issue more effectively on their side of the border. If they do not want to become a good neighbor and stop this, there will be no guest worker program and all money supporting mexico will be in jepordy.<BR/>Second, employers are taking advantage of cheap labor and avoiding paying taxes. They are now hurting many Americans who depended on jobs in construction of factories. What if you have a landscaping service you have built up after years of effort and now lose your contracts to cheap mexican labor? Go to any job site and you will find Mexicans that have cost Americans jobs they not only wanted, but had at pretty good wages. Find these employers and make them pay dearly the first time and second time send them to jail. <BR/>Third, when an illegal breaks any of our laws they are caught, and sentenced to long jail terms where they are used in cheap labor to pay the cost of their incaration.<BR/><BR/>The illegal immigrant problem would end over night and we could seal our borders with far fewer people. When we solve the problem, then congress should look at the true needs for labor and insure we are not hurting American families with these low cost immigrants taking valuable jobs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com