I Leave and All The Excitement Starts…(Edited)

Speaking of Quagmires...

Yesterday 500K people took to the streets of Los Angeles to protest new immigration legislation that would make it a Federal Crime to be an illegal immigrant in this country.

First of all, let me say that I think this legislation is WAAAY out of line. Most of the people who are here illegally are simply trying to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Cutting corners to obtain that goal does NOT put them in the same boat as murderers and such. Period. If Enron execs can steal billions of taxpayer dollars and not serve heard time, neither should these folks.

However, immigration is an issue I am very torn and confused on. I will be the first to admit I am probably not as informed on this issue as I should be. I do think there needs to be some sort of control over the process, controls that are not currently working. I do feel for those families in need of medical care who are here illegally, but understand how peeved people who have gone through the system to obtain their citizenship are at giving assistance who have not jumped through all the hoops that they have to be in this country legally.

Does that make sense?

Let’s put it this way: Waaay back in the 1994, everyone in CA was deep in debate about Proposition 187 . I didn’t think it was right to deny medical care to anyone who needed it. But a co-worker of mine who had emigrated from Trinidad said. “I have filled out the paperwork, taken the classes, jumped through all the hoops to get the benefits of being an American citizen. Why should they get them just for entering the country illegally? It’s not fair.” And I can see her point. We are not exactly encouraging anyone to come into the country legally right now. But should we deny help to those that need it? Anyway…

Add to that problem the number of business that will specifically hire illegal immigrant just because they don’t have to pay them living wages or provide benefits. Let be real people, China isn’t the only one with sweatshops. This attitude/idea doesn’t help matter any:

“The president repeated his call for a guest-worker program that would "create a legal way to match willing foreign workers with willing American employers to fill jobs that Americans will not do.”

Sorry Mr. President, I call "Bullshit". You encourage companies to ship all the manufacturing jobs overseas leaving us a service industry oriented economy, and don’t insist that companies pay a prevailing wage and provide benefits so that people living here can actually live on their paycheck and then say “Oh, Americans won’t work those jobs”? Americans won't work these jobs for the pittance your campaign contributors want to pay them.

Americans can’t live on those jobs. Like that one single mom you met last year with three jobs? That’s what is happening to everyone in this country’s middle to lower class, citizen, immigrant or illegal immigrant. And you seem to think thats cool? When did your Mom work three jobs Mr. President? Or any of your relatives for that matter?

No, serving on three Board of Directors doesn't count.

(I always find it amusing that neoconservatives want so desperately to bring us back into the hazy golden years of the 1950’s, but so readily give tax breaks to companies that ship the manufacturing overseas that provided the middle class the ability to raise a family on a single income in the 1950’s.)

“Guest Worker Programs” make me nervous because it creates a group of second class citizens that can be abused. If you are going to work in this country, you deserve the same treatment and rights as everyone else that works in this country. We already know that “separate but equal” doesn’t work.

Now, America is a country of immigrants. Period. To deny that is deny our entire history. Immigration is one of the factors that have made this country as great as it is. But the way things are working in this country currently, we are debilitating our economy. Maybe that is a step in globalization, I don’t know, but it sure as heck doesn’t look very good. Not to mention border security is something we obviously need to address.

What is the solution? I don’t know, but it seems that all the current legislation under question attacks the people when it is the system that needs to be fixed.

I’m going to open up the comments section on this one because I know I have some friends with some more informed perspectives on this and want to hear their side of it.

In More Scary News

Tracking Cars to “Tax Miles”. For some reason they can’t seem to be able to do this through the odometer reading? They have to use a GPS? WTF?

Apparently this is nothing new among the car rental industry. Enterprise does this as well from what I hear.

Now, this is a huge invasion of privacy. Tracking people’s locations? This is ridiculous! Why isn’t this a bigger story?

Oh...

I Have to Bring This One Up:

Whiny Babies grow up to be Conservatives. Or don’t, depending on your point of view.

Now, obviously this sample is too small to be truly representative. But it does raise some eyebrows and answer some nagging questions. *chuckle*

Actually, I really do think that the categories of Conservative and Liberal need to be dropped in daily conversation because they all too often get thrown around and misused so much they no longer have any meaning. Supporting Bush administration does not make one a Conservative just as it is not the deciding factor in being a Republican either. People who do not support the Bush administration are not necessarily Liberal, nor do they need to be Democrats. The Democrats having become near clones of the GOP has also canceled out the meaning of the major political parties as well.

However...it's is a pretty funny statistic.

Yet Another Missing Link..

H. Erectus to H. Sapiens Transitional Skull Found in Ethiopia.

It will be interesting to see where exactly this falls into the fossil record.

Speaking of Which….

Archbishop of Canterbury Disagrees with Creationism as a Scientific Doctrine

He has some very interesting commentary in this article, very interesting viewpoint.

"Whatever the biblical account of creation is, it's not a theory alongside theories. It's not as if the writer of Genesis or whatever sat down and said: 'Well, how am I going to explain all this... I know: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth'.”

“So if creationism is presented as a stark alternative theory alongside other theories I think there's just been a jarring of categories. It's not what it's about."

Asked if it should be taught, he said: "I don't think it should, actually. No, no. And that's different from saying - different from discussing, teaching what creation means.”

Good Gawd, common sense. What will these crazy Brits think of next.

I told you all, societies who have been though massive religious upheaval know better than to take these things as seriously as we do.

Speaking of which...again....

EDIT: NEWSFLASH!

The Gospel of FSM hits the stores tomorrow!

Ramen my Pastafarian brethern, Ramen.

Prayers…

Going out to the Danas and all of Paul's friends and associates.

And Congrats…

To Mark Martin on his 6th place, Dale on his 11th place and Elliott on his 13th place finishes. Not that anyone should be thinking standings this early in the game and Lawd knows I don’t want to jinx it, but all three of my guys are hanging tough at 11th and above.

Itty-bitty *Yea!* with furtive glances to make sure Racing Gods didn't hear her...

Heard about the shove on Pit Road. I understand hot how thing get during a race, but Kenseth was right in admitting to being in the wrong and Jeffie-Pop owes him an apology.

On Final Note...



I'd like to thank Dad for sending me the X-Ray of Mom's angioplasty...

But I somehow think Chris was supposed to get it. :D