HELP*** someone please explain too me....

[Blatant]

how in the world can a bunch of self proclaimed illegal immigrants can get together and not be arrested....that should be an immigration cash cow...they should cash in on it and unload everyone...how it is that people are standing around saying....i'm illegal, here i am...and nothing happens. There is a fundamental issue here!

go ahead...let me have it.

[Art Shirk]

how in the world can a bunch of self proclaimed illegal immigrants can get together and not be arrested....that should be an immigration cash cow...they should cash in on it and unload everyone...how it is that people are standing around saying....i'm illegal, here i am...and nothing happens. There is a fundamental issue here!

go ahead...let me have it.

I was wondering the same thing.

[CUBUCK]

Think about what would happen if the LAPD started locking people up randomly in a mob of half a million. The crowd would quickly turn angry and violent and would end up burning down the entire city.

[Out_to_lunch]

How did they organize this thing though? Was it just word of mouth? Because thats alot of people to just tell and spread the word.

[Knight]

Think about what would happen if the LAPD started locking people up randomly in a mob of half a million. The crowd would quickly turn angry and violent and would end up burning down the entire city.

LA in ruins? Sounds like a dream come true.

[spindrift]

a) Because a crowd of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands could do a whole bunch of damage if provoked in such a manner.

b) The government has not had time to bring enough "transportation engineers" from Germany, with experience in loading millions of people onto cattle cars, out of retirement.

c) KRB is busy elswehere and was therefore not available to build clean, comfortable, modern "camps" in time for today's events.

d) Like KRB, the army is sort of busy elsewhere and is currently not available for rounding up and interning millions of people within our borders.

e) Federal, state, and local governments are kinda stupid, but not so stupid as to want to blow up their economies by destroying large numbers of businesses.

f) Due to a combination of the above & lots of other serious reasons, it would be stupid, impractical, and immoral.

I take it this was some sort of a rhetorical question?

[The Dad]

And lest we forget, illegal immigration isn't a felony. In fact, one of the primary catalysts for this series of protests was the House's December passage of a bill that would have made it such.

[Viva]

Think about what would happen if the LAPD started locking people up randomly in a mob of half a million. The crowd would quickly turn angry and violent and would end up burning down the entire city.

If they burn down the Westside, they'll all lose their jobs.

[Cono Este]

how in the world can a bunch of self proclaimed illegal immigrants can get together and not be arrested....that should be an immigration cash cow...they should cash in on it and unload everyone...how it is that people are standing around saying....i'm illegal, here i am...and nothing happens. There is a fundamental issue here!

go ahead...let me have it.

Because they dont give a shit.

[Blatant]

had we been on top of it this illegal issue there wouldn't be such a headache. As absurd as this sounds they should've chartered a bunch of helicopters with a sleeping agent, flew over everyone, corralled everyone and then collected them. Then they could subsequently deport them and the next day america could figure out how to help lazy ass whitey and the lot figure out how to get the country back in order and figure out what it is that the US truly wants.

Man i love making policy while drinking vodka.

[bklyn]

My man - you are so programmed. Unplug your brain and start thinking on your own! The "great immigration debate" is just a distraction. Things will go back to status quo soon, without a clear resolution.

Check out spindrift's post. They weren't arrested, because it isn't in the best interest of the govt. All the law and order talk is just to placate you.

[Blurred]

why don't the cops go arrest everyone at a dead/phish/other drug infested concert? why don't cops arrest everybody? inquiring minds want to know.

[nutcase]

And lest we forget, illegal immigration isn't a felony. In fact, one of the primary catalysts for this series of protests was the House's December passage of a bill that would have made it such.

Hey- you know what you are talking about. You have no place in this discussion.

[Tippster]

God - you people actually think this was organized for ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS to take part in? You are fools. Most of the participants in today's gatherings were US Citizens and LEGAL Aliens. Get off your too-high horses, you sound scared.

[smmokan]

Hey, there was less traffic on my way to work this morning. I was positively impacted by this protest.


However, I did notice a significant lack of construction workers in my neighborhood.

[P_McPoser]

I mean, we have DUI checkpoints on St. Patricks Day...I'm irish and that doesn't offend me. Cant we have citizenship checkpoints when we have these rallys?

[Peewee]

I didn't notice any difference. Man Wyoming is nice!

[watersnowdirt]

I'm trying so hard to bite my tongue. But of course, I can't resist the rising bile as I read this this thread.

Yet again another thread proving how painfully white, privileged, and closeminded we can be on this board.

Sure - just close the door behind your parents and grandparents who immigrated here.

Make it a felony (wtf????) to be "illegal.". And let's talk about how heinous that term is: "illegal."

Go ahead - flame away. Will be fun to watch the response.

Meanwhile, I cheered when I saw the protests in my teeny tiny town of 11,000 (actually, that's the big town next to my small town of 3,000). A good portion of my town consists of migrant workers and immigrants. And it makes us a much better place to live as a result.

[yogachik]

We're all immigrants. My grandparents came here from Russia. They were welcomed at Ellis Island, and documented.

I don't know why the attitude has changed. What happened to "bring us your tired, your hungry..."?

Oh - and to whoever asked how this was organized? The original demonstration, a couple months ago in downtown LA, was organized by a d.j. A very popular, very successful, d.j. on the radio in LA - a spanish station with the highest ratings in the country.

[Peewee]

Sure - just close the door behind your parents and grandparents who immigrated here.

Make it a felony (wtf????) to be "illegal.". And let's talk about how heinous that term is: "illegal."

Go ahead - flame away. Will be fun to watch the response.

Meanwhile, I cheered when I saw the protests in my teeny tiny town of 11,000 (actually, that's the big town next to my small town of 3,000). A good portion of my town consists of migrant workers and immigrants. And it makes us a much better place to live as a result.

Don't even try to compare the illegals to our ancestors who migrated here. Our grandparents made conscious efforts to assimilate to American society, and they became law abiding, tax paying citizens. Border jumpers take advantage of the public systems that we fund as tax paying citizens. I don't know about you but the knowledge that they are freeloading off of us really upsets me.

Yes, I fully support making the act of illegally entering the U.S. a fellony. It is already illegal, the new law will just make it so that we can punish "illegals" more severly. And I firmly believe the term "illegals" is completely appropriate. What would you rather they be called, "permanent visitors"? Give me a break. You're probably one of the guys who wants the use of Indians as mascots to be made illegal because it could possibly offend an Indian.

I'm glad I don't live in your town, and I'm glad you don't live in my town.

[Blurred]

I'm trying so hard to bite my tongue. But of course, I can't resist the rising bile as I read this this thread.

Yet again another thread proving how painfully white, privileged, and closeminded we can be on this board.

Sure - just close the door behind your parents and grandparents who immigrated here.

Make it a felony (wtf????) to be "illegal.". And let's talk about how heinous that term is: "illegal."

Go ahead - flame away. Will be fun to watch the response.

Meanwhile, I cheered when I saw the protests in my teeny tiny town of 11,000 (actually, that's the big town next to my small town of 3,000). A good portion of my town consists of migrant workers and immigrants. And it makes us a much better place to live as a result.

who the hell brainwashed you into being ashamed of being white?

do you know the difference between an illegal alien and an immigrant?

you remind me of this lady we saw on tv today......'we don't believe someone can be illegal, we call them undocumented workers'...............give me a fucking break. this politically correct bullshit has gone wayyyyy to fucking far. what do you call rapists? Sexually frustrated victims of society? wouldnt want to hurt there feelings by calling them what they are.

nobody has a problem with immigrants who follow the law and do it legally. it's the ones who broke this governments laws to get here, and are now demanding rights from that government.

wsd-why don't you go to another country, and then demand them to make you a citizen? I mean you're white, I'm sure they'll meet your demands.

The politically correct brainwashed people on this board never seize to amaze me.

[Blatant]

Ya know after living in AZ for several years and seeing first hand how the situation truly is it still boggles my mind that the gov’t doesn’t make at least a concerted effort to set an immigration example. I could drive down several “main drags” in phoenix or the surrounding towns and see day workers lined up waiting for a passer by, contractor, etc to pick them up. Cops drive right by. It’s quite obvious what the situation is. A lot of us have been to mexico, in border towns and into the interior. Where beers are .30 if you drink them in the establishment and a bit more if you take their bottle. It almost made me feel bad that I was so well off and I considered myself poor to that point.

I do not fault any of those people(illegals) for trying to get a better life for their children, themselves etc. I have “Mexican” friends and call them white, coconut, assimilated or whatever but they too are against all this illegal bullshit. It gives them a bad name and seems to discount the trials and nonsense they had to go through “legally” to become an American citizen. Even Mexicans call illegals derogatory terms. All I’m saying is that an example needs to be made, things need to be done so it can be apparent of the ramifications of not doing it through legal channels. The illegals are in a tough spot and if I lived in mexico I too would most likely be going through the Sonoran desert at anytime of the year for the chance of the idea to have a better life.

I just have a hard time grasping the gov’t constantly condemning this and that and doing nothing about it. Shit or get off the pot. I heard an interview on NPR this am, only part of it but the ending went something like….”and that way so and so and such and such from (name of) high school in CA, they are illegal immigrants with no fear of being deported.” I’m assuming they were legit names used. Ya know maybe I just not seeing the big pic, huh?

[snowsprite]

I am a first-generation American...and I believe we should continue to give people the same opportunity my parents and others were given to come here and build a better life: legally.

Immigration should not be a free-for-all. Not only for the preservation of order here, but also for the safety and non-explotation of the immigrants themselves.

My parents had to wait their turn to get out of Cuba, despite my father's life being in danger. And when they left they were prepared to be sent back or just stay in Jamaica (if allowed) should their applications for asylum be denied. I can say with certainty that my parents would not have risked their lives or my sister's to come over here on a boat. They would have sucked it up and kept on trying to get here...legally. It took some of my relatives 12 years to finally get out. And none of them came over without permission.

Our immigration programs need serious overhauling considering the rapidly changing economic and political scenario of our country. But that doesn't mean we should become a borderless nation. It's not fair to us, and also it's not fair to those who want to build a better life but can't because "the guest bedroom wasn't ready" for them so to speak.

None of my family participated in yesterday's events. And it's not to say that we don't empathize with the people who are here and want a better life. But we believe that it can't continue this way, unregulated and uncontrolled.

Sprite

[Steven S. Dallas]

I am 100% Blackfoot. You should all get the fuck out.

[gonzo]

Blurred, you are missing the point of what WSD is saying and the point of the protests. At no point does she say she is ashamed of being white.

nobody has a problem with immigrants who follow the law and do it legally. it's the ones who broke this governments laws to get here, and are now demanding rights from that government.

The point of the protests is that they are "illegal" and have no rights, yet our government:

1) cannot come close to arresting them all or even most or half (500,000 arrests in one day in Chicago? 1M in LA? Miami? etc);

2) does not want to arrest them because they play a cruicial role in our economy; and

3) continues to craploads of money on the problem to make a show for anti-immigration folks that says "something is being done."


On the surface the arguments for and against remind me very much of the pot legalization debate...something that doesn't really cause a problem, lots of people use/enjoy/need, costs a ton of money to try to contain/control, and containment doesn't work. Sorry for dehumanizing it, but on a macro level there are lots of similarities.