ebrown_p wrote:Finn,
You are full of it.
1) Your anti-immigrant rhetoric is exactly the same as anti-immigrant rhetoric has been since the beginning of anti-immigrant feeling.
The Chinese Exclusion laws were passed more than 100 years ago because Chinese were said to be unable to assimilate. The racist groups opposing Irish and Italian immigrants were upset that as Catholics they would never be good Americans. My grandmother told stories of persecution of the recent German immigrants who were her grandparents at the turn of the century.
2) Immigrants today are the same as Immigrants have always been.
Look at how effective the 1986 IRCA amnesty was at creating Americans. Most of the people who became Americans in 1986 are now living productive lives. Most of them are fluent in English and nearly all of their kids are fluent.
You will correctly say that the 1986 law did little to stop people from coming. But, without question , it showed that the people who came are willing and able to become Americans in any sense of the word.
The marches that will take place next week have the slogen "Today we March, Tomorrow we Vote". This is not a message for the immigrants (who being immigrants are unable to vote).
The Latino community is showing that, as American citizens, are able to use their considerable political power to stop a policy that they feel is at it's core racist.
The Irish were able to assimilate after the 2nd generation. The Italians were forced into little Italy's and in Boston there is an area where Italian is still spoken on the street to conduct business. However the Italians, by the 2nd or 3rd generation are now as American as any of us.
3) White Christian "chauvanism" has always been a part of the immigrantion debate-- and it clearly still is. The Irish and Italians felt it because they weren't protestants. The Chinese and Latinos feel it because they aren't white.
I knew the love fest couldn't endure. I had hope that you were not a typical knee-jerk Liberal, but they have been dashed.
Your point #1 is the sort of trite Liberal drivel to which, I was hoping, you might not be addicted. Alas I was wrong.
It is simply, at best, nonsense, and at worst, vile calumny, to contend that I am anti-immigrant.
How many ways can I say that I believe immigration to be a unique and significant strength of America? I guess you
are one of those Looney Lefties who find it to be anti-immigration to expect those who come to America, to embrace being American.
Where, pray tell, have I argued that Mexicans are capable of assimilation? It is irrefutable that they are indeed capable of assimilation, just as it is irrefutable that:
a) Very many have chosen not to attempt assimilation
b) There are idiots who will vociferously argue that they should not be expected to.
As for your point #2, this too is nonsense, and of no value to your argument. Mexicans are the only immigrants in our history who have come by foot and in defiance of or laws, across our borders.
However, their reasons for immigration to the US are not really different from all the other waves. What is different is that there are folks like you who argue that they should not be expected to assimilate.
The most significant difference in the immigration of today versus the immigration of the past is the prevalence of American citizens who feel the need to assist the immigrants in preserving a cultural identity that is distinct (even if it is at odds with) from the rough profile of an American.
Part of this detrimental passion flows from a perverse self-loathing. If the sweet baby featured in your icon is your own babe, it's pretty clear that you have White Europeans somewhere in your personal heritage. I would be the last person to argue that this heritage should trump the influence of all others, but I will also be the last to argue that it should be regarded as some sort of evil stain requiring the hearty containment efforts of Liberals.
This is the essence of why I have no use, at all, for the typical American Lefties: They think that by denigrating their heritage they not only score points with the oppressed in the world, but evidence their moral superiority.
Instead, they are simply pathetic chumps.
There is no evidence, whatsoever, that those who hate America have a soft spot in their hearts for American Liberals. My bet is that they laugh at you, and it requires no speculation that when they want to kill us they could care less about our politics.
And yet you consistently advance self-destructive notions. This would be OK except that the destruction that you either court or of which you remain ignorant will not discriminate between you and me.
As far as I am concerned, Latinos are as welcome to become Americans as I would have welcomed Italians, Irish, Germans, Polish etc. However, they are only welcome (by me) if they wish to truly become Americans, and this means sublimating the interests of their native lands to those of America, and "fitting in."
There is no shortage of powerful people in favor of deporting 12 million illegal (not undocumented!) Mexican immigrants, and erecting a wall to hold the rest out.
Lump us all together as is always your wont.
You lose, and so do the immigrants.
