Ed,

I'm listening to your show right now via the Internet on your San Antonio affiliate, KRPT. I live near Houston. (When are you going to get an affiliate in Houston to carry you live?)

Your guest is a Ms. Stebbins, representing the Minute Men. I believe she is from Arizona. You should know that in the Houston area, the MinuteMen are NOT WELCOME. Ms. Stebbins claims that the Minute Men have wide support in Houston, Dallas, and other cities in the state. But let me tell you, this Arizona woman in no way represents the feelings of people in Texas. The Minute Men are nothing more than a right-wing vigilante group, and I'm surprised you gave them exclusive air time on your show. You should have at least balanced them with someone opposing their views and tactics.

Many Texans will agree there is an immigration problem, but having right-wing, beer-gut bubbas in pickup trucks chasing down the immigrants is not a progressive answer.

[quote=bubbatex,Aug 18 2005, 05:02 PM]
Ed,

I'm listening to your show right now via the Internet on your San Antonio affiliate, KRPT. I live near Houston. (When are you going to get an affiliate in Houston to carry you live?)

Your guest is a Ms. Stebbins, representing the Minute Men. I believe she is from Arizona. You should know that in the Houston area, the MinuteMen are NOT WELCOME. Ms. Stebbins claims that the Minute Men have wide support in Houston, Dallas, and other cities in the state. But let me tell you, this Arizona woman in no way represents the feelings of people in Texas. The Minute Men are nothing more than a right-wing vigilante group, and I'm surprised you gave them exclusive air time on your show. You should have at least balanced them with someone opposing their views and tactics.

Many Texans will agree there is an immigration problem, but having right-wing, beer-gut bubbas in pickup trucks chasing down the immigrants is not a progressive answer.


What the heck IS the answer, Bubbatex? I'm in favor of a fence topped with razor-wire, towers, and armed guards. Legal entry through manned gates.
Just because somebody knocks on your door doesn't mean you HAVE to open it. It could be dangerous (especially here in San Antonio, where home invasions are rampant). It's even more dangerous to just leave your door wide open and go to sleep. That's what's been happening along our southern border. We've left the door wide open and gone to sleep.
Let's wake up, shut the door, lock it, and keep an eye on the peephole...

CqSallie,

You wrote, "Let's ... shut the door." That is so against what our country stands for. We've welcomed immigrants throughout our history. They bring new ideas, new food, new business, and they are one of the things that makes our country great.

What's the answer? I feel we should make it easier for people who want to come here and work and contribute positively to society -- those who are here for legitimate reasons. They are here already, and they'll continue to come no matter how high you make that wall. It's like they said in Jurrasic Park -- life will find a way. People are going to find ways to feed their families.

Why not make it easier to get green cards and work within the system, paying taxes, etc? The economy currently has unemployment of around 5%, so it seems to be able to absorb the foreign work force. Also, making it easier for immigrants with legitimate reasons for being here will make it easier to catch those who don't belong, such as the drug dealers.

Another answer is to work with the governments of the source countries to encourage them to mandate companies to pay living wages. This eliminates the need to come here and work in the first place. Of course, that goes against the have/have-more philosophy of the Bush administration, so that policy will not be advanced. It's not even advanced here.

Also, are you saying illegals are disproportionately responsible for crime? I bet the statistics don't back that up.

Guys:
I think the minutemen are heroes. I know their views are of the conservative rightwing school of thinking. Our government doesn't want to do anything about protecting our borders. What gets me mad here is a lot of these people on the right encourgage illegal immigration with the corporations. They want these people to come here because our wages will kept down while everything goes up. Lets face it Bush will do anything to get into office even if it means selling out our country to the highest bidder. Congress requested 2000 border agents and bush only funded just 250 more. This is sick.

We forget one thing here. Even the people on the right are fed up with Bush. Here in Vegas we have two conservatives on KDWN am 720 who are disgusted with our commander in chief. See, our president is getting it from both sides of the spectrum.
Dave M in Vegas

I'm going to reply to both Bubbatex and you, Dave.
First of all, we HAVE TO close the door. It's a figure of speech. You keep your door closed and you open it to someone with a legitimate reason for seeking entry. It doesn't mean that nobody comes in; it means that you have the right - no, not just the right, but the duty - to screen people who come knocking.
To bring it back to the analogy of the door to your own home: Somebody's knocking. You look out the peephole and see a hulking figure, wearing a ski mask and waving a .38. Do you let this person in? Perhaps you look out and see a well-dressed person with a vacuum cleaner in tow. Do you let this person in? Or maybe, you see two clean-cut young men in white shirts and black ties clutching the Book of Mormon. Do you them in? It's your choice. If you refuse to open the door, do they have a right to climb in a window? If they start climbing in your windows, do you just let them come ahead, or do you call for help or hit them on the heads with a golf club?
Whatever their motives for knocking on your door, you have a right to screen them before admitting them. The man in the ski mask may only want to rob you so he can buy food for his family. Do you feel badly that you kept your door locked? The vacuum-cleaner salesperson may only want to make some money to feed the family. Do you feel guilty that you didn't purchase a $2000 vacuum to help him out? The young people may only want to offer you the opportunity to explore their faith. Do you kick yourself for not opening the door?
You fail to open the door to people every day; you either don't answer the phone, or hang up on telemarketers all the time. This is your right.
Why then, is it not your right to screen people knocking on the door to the United States - your home? Why then, is it not your right to become defensive if they try to climb in the windows?
Don't tell me what a Liberal is. I know what a Liberal is, and I know what a Liberal isn't - and that's a total patsy. See? That's where these neo-cons have us pegged wrong. Sallie

Poll after poll has shown that the majority of Democrats and the vast majority of Americans want to see an end to illegal immigration. Given that we are a democratic nation, then the open borders crowd should find other ways to help the less fortunate of the world. I feel deep empathy for the 5 billion people in this world that would like to escape poverty and come to the US but it is unrealistic to think we can take in everyone that wants to come.

Uncontrolled immigration disporportionately affects the most vulnerable in our society: the poor and working class. It also depresses wages for many middle class blue-collar workers. There are many reasons progressives should be supporting immigration reform. Our country has nearly 50 million people without health insurance, schools are underfunded, there are tens of thousands of illegal aliens engaging in violent gang activity (estimated 10,000 in just the M13 alone), pollution and sprawl are causing health problems for many, and I could go on. All of these problems are exacerbated by the enormous number of illegal aliens in this country.

Why do think Bush and the NeoCons love open borders and cheap labor so much?
It is the same reason the robber barons at the turn of the last century were so eager to bring in more workers - so that workers were in so much competition with each other that they would take any wages and any working conditions. If the people who fought for workers rights decades ago did nothing then you would be working in hazardous working conditions, 14 hr days, and with no benefits. (Read "Nickel and Dimed - on not getting by in America by Barbara Erlich to see what lies ahead for America's expanding working class).

Uncontrolled immigration has consequences that you have no understanding of. Educating yourself on this issue might allow you to see the bigger picture. You have good intentions, but right now you can't see the forest for the trees.

I just heard that McCain and Kennedy have sponsered a bill to create a job service for them so they may be placed in jobs faster. A-holes