ProJo Offers Clarity on “Immigration”
Golf clap to the ProJo for providing some clarity on the terminology games being played with the word “immigration” (emphasis mine):
[F]ew Americans oppose immigration or immigrants per se. After all, every citizen is an immigrant or a descendent of one (Native Americans, by the way, came from Siberia) and is well aware of that fact. But those who favor illegal immigration like to drop the word “illegal” and say that those who want to enforce the laws on the books hate immigrants. This is very intellectually dishonest.
Just because someone favors an orderly, predictable and transparent immigration system instead of the present near-chaos and corruption doesn’t mean that that person is a xenophobe. There are, sad to say, plenty of bigots around. But most Americans who favor enforcement of the immigration laws on the books are not. They just realize that for a country to lose control over who comes into it is dangerous.
That’s why most countries, including Latin American ones, enforce their immigration laws far more zealously than does the United States its own.
The rest of the editorial offers sound observations, too.
Jerzyk blasted the same editorial.Small wonder.Matt tries to conflate anti-immigrant sentiment with opposition to illegal and criminal aliens(legal or not in that case).I have an idea-let’s stop using “undocumented immigrant”or “undocumetd worker”,and “illegal alien” and go with an accurate and descriptive term:alien
law violator”-can’t make it clearer than that.
Most opponents of uncountrolled immigration are less concerned about culture and more cognizant of the dangers posed by a lack of knowledge of who had gotten in and is remaining here.It is first and foremost a national security on three bases:terrorism,crime,and public health.
Terrorism is numerically the smallest component,but potentially the most damaging.alien criminals is the most prolific problem,and public health is the most amorphous-it is hard to know the danger level until there is an outbreak of something like measles or TB.
I haven’t the slightest fear of the country “turning Hispanic”or Chinese for that matter.Immigrants are culturally absorbed by this country in the first generation and for very young immigrants in their own generation.
Jrezyk’s insistence on name-calling just illustrates the paltry substance of his position.
Joe – Do you reject and denounce groups like FAIR and RIILE who use discriminatory, xenophobic and racist language to describe their opposition to immigration?
It is a “yes” or “no” question.
-Matt
PS. I believe that there are many people – including YOU Joe – who are anti-immigration but who are also NOT racist or xenophobic. But, I believe it is important for both sides of the debate to recognize hate when we see it.
Matt-I know next to nothing about FAIR except that they have been around for quite a while.I never belonged to that group.
RIILE is not a racist group-if it were I would never have attended meetings or spoken before them.It is a group composed mainly of people concerned with the problems I referred to above,which are not race related.There is no litmus test at RIILE.I don’t like the term “anchor baby”or the concept of two classes of citizens -I haven’t been ostracized for making that known,and I am not as concerned about language as some people because I think necessity will make immigrants learn English.I can no more tell you that there are no racists in RIILE than you can tell me there are none in DARE or Jobs with Justice-I can say that expression of racist attitudes is unwelcome in RIILE.
You obviously are free to believe me or not,but I have no motive to make things up.RIILE’s main source of discontent is the lack of governmental responsibility in addressing immigration issues.
This process has been ongoing literally since about the time you were born and isn’t getting better any time soon.
One more thing Matt-I am not anti-immigration at all-I think if immigration stopped we would stagnate-immigrants add to the country in many ways-I just want controlled immigration administered in a fair manner that doesn’t compromise our security.
If Terry Gorman is a racist,then I’m an astronaut-I think he is a sincere and decent man.
I think the same of Roberto Gonzalez,whom I have known for years-I thought his “Gestapo’comment sucked,but maybe he was having a bad day or he was too close to the case.
What I can’t tolerate is hearing ICE agents described as terrorists-they are officers sworn to do a job mandated by Federal law-terrorists bomb railway stations,kill children and generally try to destroy society.So I do go off when people make those remarks.
“Just because someone favors an orderly, predictable and transparent immigration system instead of the present near-chaos and corruption doesn’t mean that that person is a xenophobe.”
Thank you. And the throwing around of such shrill yet baseless words indicates a complete lack of anything substantive to say in opposition to reasonable, minimal measures to preserve our border and sovereignty.
[… what’s a “golf clap”?]
Monique-are you on the right thread?
Monique-sorry-I took a stupid pill this morning-I see where you got the quote.Golf clap?I didn’t know you could get that playing golf.that’s better than the toilet seat excuse.
(The following should be pronounced with four syllables.)
Joe!!!