Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Italian-American Catholic Values

Check out this great article from the NY Times about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

In addition to pointing out Ms. Pelosi's public speaking deficiencies, the article (inadvertently) highlights the unmitigated hypocrisy in her political beliefs. Said Pelosi recently on Meet the Press: "I am an Italian-American Catholic grandmother," she said, "very traditional in terms of values." Pelosi went on to repeat this phrase 3 times, as if repetition breeds the truth.

In what comes as little surprise, Pelosi's version of "traditional values" is widely divergent from the values of my mother-in-law, who also happens to be an Italian-American Catholic grandmother. Furthermore, her politic ideology bears little resemblance to the dozens of other Italian-American Catholic grandmothers in our extended family.

Let's examine "traditional values" of Italian-American Catholic grandmothers. The Catholic church explicitly states that abortion is wrong. Most practicing Catholics are in agreement with the teaching of the Church. Pelosi, on the other hand, is rabidly pro choice (against partial birth abortion ban, against parental notification, etc.) and has spent a good part of her life working to ensure mothers have the right to destroy their unborn children. Clearly she's deviating from traditional Italian-American Catholic grandmother values on this front.

Pelosi also favors homosexual marriage. The Church and the majority of Catholics oppose homosexual marriage. I suspect that even Catholics of the "Italian-American grandmother" variety oppose homosexual marriage. Again, Pelosi is out of step with her Italian-American Catholic grandmother peers.

During her time in the US House of Representatives, Pelosi has voted against every single tax cut initiative that's ever been put to a vote. Obviously I have no idea where the majority of Italian-American Catholic grandmothers stand on the issue of tax reform, but I think it's safe to say that most could find at least one tax cut proposal to their liking. Pelosi, on the other hand, wants our money in government coffers for the purposes of redistribution.

Somehow, I don't think there are too many Italian-American Catholic grandmothers who think their money is better served if it's handed out for the liberal causes of Nancy Pelosi. More importantly, I'm sure most Italian-American Catholic grandmothers would prefer that Nancy Pelosi refrain from labeling her extreme liberal values as "traditional" within her peer group.

Friday, May 19, 2006

Is Entering a Nation Illegally a "Human Right"?

Yes, according to Mexico's president, Vicente Fox. Said Fox, in response to the US Senate's proposed 370 mile border fence:

"Building walls, constructing barriers on the border does not offer an efficient solution in a relationship of friends, neighbors and partners. We will go on defending the rights of our countrymen without rest or respite. With passion we will demand the full respect of their human rights."

Hey Vicente, how about demanding the full respect of the laws of the United States of America? And while you're at it, tell me when it became a "human right" to ignore a nation's sovereignty? And if you're really after "efficient solutions" to our immigration problem (let's be clear, this is America's problem, and Mexico's welfare solution), how about doing something in your own nation so that it's not such a miserable place to live for millions of Mexican people?

Seriously, think how out-of-touch Vicente Fox must be to stand there and criticize United States immigration policy, when it's his government's incompetence and corruption that are causing his citizens to evacuate Mexico by the millions.

Story here.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

Catch Us Breaking Your Laws and We'll Sue!

So says the Mexican government.

In a radio interview today, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez told a radio station "If we see the National Guard starting to directly participate in detaining people ... we would immediately start filing lawsuits through our consulates."

Wow. So Mexico will file lawsuits against the United States if Mexicans entering our nation illegally are apprehended by the National Guard? And I thought I had lousy neighbors! (just kidding Chris)

Here's the full story.

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks the government in Mexico is as incompetent as they are corrupt. The liberal Mexican presidential candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, spoke out today about Mexico's role in the current crisis. Said Obrador about the Vicente Fox administration: "They are the ones mostly responsible for what is going on because there is no employment, there are no jobs in Mexico so people need to emigrate." At last, somebody south of the border gets it. Story from Reuters here.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Proponents of US Immigration Laws Branded "Racists"

Today the Minutemen demonstrated in Washington DC. Unfortunately, the Minutemen, unlike recent Hispanic demonstrators, were greeted with slanderous counterprotestors playing the same old race card. Let's be clear: The Minutemen are not singling out Hispanics in this debate, they're just asking that immigrants obey the laws of the United States.

Question: What do race activists call any white person who cares about border security?
Answer: A racist

Question: What do race activists call any white person who thinks immigrants should obey our immigration laws?
Answer: A racist

Question: What do race activists call any white person who thinks illegal immigrants should not be granted citizenship?
Answer: A racist

Can't these race baiting activists ever, once in their lives, separate race from arguments and make an argument that goes farther than skin deep? Can't they at least demonstrate an iota of respect for the laws of this nation? It appears the answers are no. These guys would rather come to this nation illegally, consume our educational and health care resources for little or no cost, then label as racists any US citizen who expect our laws to be followed.

Do you think Guatemalans who enter Mexico illegally behave this same way? Doubtful.

Thursday, May 04, 2006

"The Border Crossed Us!" - Say What?

Perhaps you've seen the signs and/or heard the rhetoric from immigration activists looking to legalize 12,000,000 illegal aliens (which by the way, is NOT a racist term). One of their latest slogans has become "We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us". This little catch phrase is so absurd it's a wonder that immigration activists haven't seen holes in their logic.

Unless you were born before 1848, when the US acquired the 4 border states after the Mexican-American War, I can assure you the border has not moved. And if you were born after 1848, then the chance that you were born in the USA is actually greater, since the border moved south. People crying that the border moved don't seem to understand the fact that if you were born in Mexico, the acquisition of Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona is completely irrelevant. Yes, Mexico would have a larger land mass, but Mexican land mass is not the issue. The issue is US citizenship, and those born south of the current border would lack US citizenship regardless of the national affiliation of the border states.

Let's assume for a moment that the US never acquired the border states. Does anybody believe that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California would be as free and prosperous as it is today? Of course not - they'd have the standard of living equivalent to the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. Rather than crossing Rio Grande like they do today, Mexican immigrants would be crossing the Red River to get into Oklahoma.

In conclusion, the only people whose citizenship has been impacted by the 1848 land acquisition are US citizens who were born in a border states, and don't have the luxury of Mexican citizenship. Quite honestly, I suspect we could poll every resident of the 4 border states and use my right hand to count the people upset because they're US citizens rather than citizens of Mexico.

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

What We Learned Yesterday

Uno de Mayo has come and gone, and we're all a little wiser about the realities of the current US immigration crisis. Here is what we've learned:
  • Some businesses were impacted, and had to work with smaller staffs. A few businesses even shut down plants entirely for the day.
  • The economic impact of Latino's efforts to boycott all things Gringo seems to have been minimal.
  • The thousands of protestors still seem to love their mother country of Mexico.

    Michelle Malkin's Site has many pictures that you won't find in your local paper, so go take a look. You won't see any images of a people's desire to become Americans. But what you will see are Hispanics who would toss Old Glory in the garbage, Hispanics who follow the teachings of madman socialist Che Guevara, Hispanics who hate Bush (even though he supports their cause - so much for being informed), a dimwit who things "USA" means the United States of Mexico, and a host of other Mexicans who seem to have such a great love for their mother country (leaving one to wonder why the heck they're over here in the first place).

    In the midst of all this debate, let's not forget that of all the nations surveyed recently in an opinion poll about their opinions of other countries, Mexico had the least positive view of the United States out of all nations surveyed. Only 10% of Mexicans had a favorable opinion of the United States, vs. 55% who have a negative opinion. Basically, Mexicans hate the United States of America more than any other group of people on earth, moreso than the Iranians and the French. Don't believe me? Why are we listening to them? Why are debating granting amnesty to lawbreakers who hate our nation?

    Let's get sane about immigration, and let hard working Hispanics register to enter our country to work. Let's expand the number of work visas we grant to Hispanics to meet current labor market demands. But by all means, let's deport those who won't obey our laws and who don't respect the sovereignty of the USA.
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