Do Not Vacation in Mexico

Anybody else read Molly Ivins' column today? It fits here.


The Fence: Build It, They Still Will Come

AUSTIN, Texas......Immigration 101 for beginners and non-Texans.

In 1983, I was a judge at the Terlingua Chili Cookoff, and my memory of the events may not be perfect -- for example, for years I've been claiming Jimmy Carter was president at the time, but that's the kind of detail one often loses track of in Terlingua.

Anyway, it was '83 or some year right around there when we held The Fence climbing contest. See, people talked about building The Fence back then, too. The Fence along the Mexican border. To keep Them out.

At the time, the proposal was quite specific -- a 17-foot cyclone fence with barbwire at the top. So a test fence was built at Terlingua, and the First-Ever Terlingua Memorial Over, Under or Through Mexican Fence Climbing Contest took place. Prize: a case of Lone Star beer. Winning time: 30 seconds.

I tell this story to make a point about the border and immigration we know to be true: The Fence will not work. No fence will work. They will come anyway. Over, under or through.

Some of you think a fence will work because Israel has one. Israel is a very small country.

Numero Two-o, should you actually want to stop Mexicans and OTMs (other than Mexicans) from coming to the United States, here is how to do it: Find an illegal worker at a large corporation. This is not difficult -- brooms and mops are big tip-offs. Then put the CEO of that corporation in prison for two or more years for violating the law against hiring illegal workers.

Got it? You can also imprison the corporate official who actually hired the illegal and, just to make sure, put some Betty Sue Billups -- housewife, preferably one with blonde hair in a flip -- in the joint for a two-year stretch for hiring a Mexican gardener. Thus Americans are reminded that the law says it is illegal to hire illegal workers and that anyone who hires one is responsible for verifying whether or not his or her papers are in order. When there are no jobs for illegal workers, they do not come. Got it?

Of course, this has been proposed before. As the current issue of Texas Monthly reminds us, the old bracero program dating from World War II was actually amended in 1952 to pass the "Texas proviso," shielding employers of illegal workers from criminal penalties. They got the exemption because Texas growers flat refused to pay the required bracero wage of 30 cents an hour. Instead of punishing Texas growers for breaking the law, Congress rewarded them.

In 1986, the Reagan administration took a shot at immigration reform and reinstated penalties on employers. They weren't enforced, of course. In 2004, only three American companies were threatened with fines for hiring illegal workers. Doesn't work if you don't enforce it.

This brings us to the great Republican divide on the issue. Conservatives, in general, are anti-immigrant for the same reasons they have always been anti-immigrant -- a proud tradition going back to the days of the Founders, when Ben Franklin thought we were going to be overrun by Germans. But business likes illegal workers. The Chamber of Commerce lobbies for them.

Old-fashioned anti-immigrant prejudice always brings out some old-fashioned racists. This time around, they have started claiming that Mexicans can't assimilate. A sillier idea I've never heard. Why don't they come to Texas and meet up with Lars Gonzales, Erin Rodriguez and Bubba at the bowling alley. They can drink some Lone Star, listen to some conjunto and chill.

Racists seem obsessed by the idea that illegal workers -- the hardest-working, poorest people in America -- are somehow getting away with something, sneaking goodies that should be for Americans. You can always avoid this problem by having no social services. This is the refreshing Texas model, and it works.

Aren't y'all grateful that we're down here doing exactly nothing for the people of our state, legal or illegal? Think what a terrible message it would send if you swapped Texas with Vermont, and they all got health care. In Texas, we never worry about illegals taking advantage of social benefits provided by our taxpayers. Incredibly clever, no?

One nice thing about the benefit of long experience with la frontera is that we in Texas don't have to run around getting all hysterical about immigrants. The border is porous. When you want cheap labor, you open it up; when you don't, you shut it down. It works to our benefit -- it always has.

--Molly Ivins, Creators Syndicate

This interesting polling result on what mainstream Americans think about illegal immigrants.

Americais a nation, not a race.

I dont believe there SHOULD be 'illegal' immigration.
If it were not for english/spanish people trying to get out from under a controlling government , america would not be here in the form or fashion it is.

Every single 'american' is originally from another country. If not because of thier grandparents, its thier great grandparents. Plain and simple.

O-K so one photo of possibly 3 Mexicans is supposed to represent an entire country. Makes sense to me.

I have a Mexican family that lives across the street from me - they are so sweet. His younger sister came and did an exchange program here - I gave her several rides to the train station - the poor girl wasn't used to our winters - that was the only negative thing she ever said about the US.

I have traveled in Mexico several times and have had probably the best vacations ever there. I have no issues with that picture - I might not agree, but what exactly does that have to do with vacationing in Mexico?

I am (or was) a protest promoter. There are always photographers there that ignore everything positive and are waiting for that one idiot to destroy all our work.

Idiots come in all shapes, religions, races, ideologies, left, right.

They will take one incident or photograph and exploit it to the fullest. One time these guys decided to come to a protest completely naked (and I mean everything). There were kids there. not to mention young women and older people. All that hard work lost to carelessness, Very selfish

Anyone been to Oaxaca?

No, would like to go there. We did have a Oaxacan restaurant in Santa Monica for a while.

Let me add in that I liked Guadalajara too, spent a week there in the late sixties. May've changed.

The best lunch I ever ate was the day Mr B and I were driving along the east coast of Mexico toward Xel-Ha. A sign reading 'playa' pointed toward a side road. At the end of the road was a lovely beach with a grass hut and some picnic lounges (picnic tables with attached straw lounge chairs). They sold cervezas and a lunch special. We asked about the special and were told they had caught a grouper that morning.

Ay yi yi, cold beer and freshly caught grouper at a picnic lounge on a empty beach. The most unforgettable meal of my life.

You always can rent it out to cj and his family
I'll actually cross the border on Sunday to visit the Casa de los Pobres.

You've been to Xel Ha, J_B? It's one of our favorite places! Easiest and best snorkeling we've ever found. Plus, one of the hammocks on the way out has our name on it. We've been twice and plan to go again.

Do you visit the Casa de los Pobres frequently?

No, Joe - we usually have a truck from the Casa come and to pick up the
goods we buy for them, but for Christmas and Easter we'll
go there and have a party with the children. This time, an
Easter egghunt and lunch (provided by us).

CJ you'll need to take us there on our next trip.

Great think you are doing there CJ, props to you. Don't know anyone who personally goes there to interact the people there.

I would - where is it from the I-5 border crossing?
I usually take Route 1 south.

I only know of one, might be more though.

Directions to the one I know:

- take the "Centro" or "Calle 3ra" exit when coming from the border, the first exit left.
- when you reach 'Calle Revolución' take a left.
- go 6 blocks until you reach 'Calle 9na' and take a right (you should see a Waldo's Mart on the corner)
- go straight and after a while you should see it on the left... if my memory doesn't fail it's accross a Mamamia's Pizza, I think it's green at the moment and it clearly says "La Casa de los Pobres".

A month ago I attended a rock concert in LA. According to the law, I needed to request a permit in the US Customs dpt. The person that "assisted me" on the procedure requested a mandatory address even when I was planning on returning the same night. Giggling, I asked him for a hotel suggestion... which in return didnt make him laugh.

Of course, he got offended. Curiously, this person that supposedly protects the US border has a latin name, philippine (sorry about the spelling) face, and apparent deficiencies in both the english and spanish languages. His co-workers where either black, latin, or asian.

... made me think.

BTW, I'm glad to know that not all people share cjhsa POV's.

Yep, we enjoyed it also. The briny water was interesting. It was kind of crowded, but the snorkeling was great.