Raise the Hammer

I would like to thank all of you for reading my entries and for taking the time out to comment on my post.

I recognize that many (or most) conservative political types would think that my views were "bat guano crazy". I accept that; just don't hurt me.

I understand many of the arguments that conservative commentators make about immigration. I would be convince about the arguments if hadn't heard them before made about prior immigrant groups. Millard Filmore made many of these arguments in the 1850's about Germans. Just like Millard Filmore was wrong then conservative talk about immigration is wrong now.

Foreign Affairs did an article on immigration reform in either their February or March issue. Pretty much debunked all of the myths of illegal aliens; they don't depress wages, they don't use more government resources than they pay taxes, and crime is not more prevalent in the immigrant community than it is in the non-immigrant community. I recommend it highly.

I will start making the distinction between illegal immigrants and legal immigrants when the anti-immigrant crowd starts believing in the distinction.

Think of the the woman I met from Framingham; she talked with utter contempt of the brazilian immigrants in Framingham. Considering that you have to fly or take a commercial boat to get from Brazil to the United states, I am willing to bet that most of the Brazilian immigrants in Farmingham were legal immigrants.

Think also of the conspiracy theories around the reconquista. Is the fear here really about the 12 million illegal immigrants. Or is the fear the 40 million landed immigrants and U.S. Citizens of Hispanic origin. I am willing to bet the latter.

Finally I would like to extend a special thanks to El Cid for his response. It is not every day that a blogger gets a response from a 964 year old guy. Hey Rodrigo what is your secret.

Cheers Andrew C. Bome