jamesrage said:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Some Democratic state lawmakers are planning to walk off the job in California on Monday -- just as millions of others around the country are expected to -- in support of immigrants' rights.
The California Senate, controlled by Democrats, approved a resolution on a party-line vote supporting the May 1 "Great American Boycott 2006," which supporters say will serve as a warning to Congress to avoid punitive immigration changes
alex said:
There is no such thing as "illegall immigrants." Land does not belong to anyone.
That's great! I don't need any documentation or permission to enter the States and I can just set up anywhere? Awesome! Where do you live by the way? Maybe you have a big back yard I could build a house on hmm? :roll:
Kandahar said:
How exactly is it extortion for them to not work those jobs? That would be exactly the same result if you had your way and they were deported, so I should think that you'd be happy that they are no longer taking these prized jobs. Americans will jump at the opportunity to work them, right?
Kelzie said:
Why of course. I'm sure that hordes of the poor, unemployed Americans will be waiting in droves to snap up those jobs.
They wouldn't be given the chance to, the system won't sack state lawmakers for taking an unapproved holiday on taxpayers expense.
Still if you could get some airtime in the media it'd worth going down to demand the chance. Use the Michael Moore confrontational style of raising awareness, the state legislators are walking out, you're there with a camera, just desperate to do the job they won't
jamesrage said:
They are doing this as a attempt to cripple the economy with hopes that they can make us think we need these law breakers.
Kandahar said:
Well if this shortage of illegal labor cripples the economy, maybe we DO need them. Did that ever occur to you?
Actually no, because it's unlikely that anyone is going to be sacked for attending the protest, certainly not state officials. If an illegal is sacked he will very likely be replaced by another illegal due to the capitalist market force in effect on any small business. Unless an unemployed American is waiting outside to ask for the job when the illegal walks out then nothing will change. Of course if that did happen then you'd probably see the business getting attacked for taking on that American worker, almost certainly if it was in a largely Hispanic area.
You guys over the pond have a real problem with this, much worse than Europe's illegal problem. Over here they're rightly held in the same contempt, but they don't have anywhere near the ability to trip up day to day life with protests about rights. They know they're status is illegal and keep their heads down to stay out of trouble (not that we deport them anyway, even if they rape and murder our citizens, but that's another story...). also over there your one nation with one constitution seems to be making it easier for them to try and assert the rights to which only citizens are allowed with big media spectacles such as this. In Europe illegals have to be dealt with by the individual nation, (though the human rights act is a perennial pain in the a**)with varying degrees of success. We've not seen a concerted, organised, demand for acceptance from Africans and Arabs across the continent, likely due to the legislative and language differences between nations and the continuing sovereignty of the states to handle their own internal affairs.
I'm quite concerned that like with so many things, what America gets today, Europe gets tomorrow, and I'm sure the EU parliament would roll over and give up anything they we're asked for in the face of a protest like those seen in the US recently. The British government would struggle to do so due to British attitudes to illegal immigrants, but if the issue was dealt with at European level we'd be steamrollered, it would be another example of the EU choosing it's own agenda rather than acknowledging it's (legitimate) citizens' wishes.
The crucial thing now is for those Americans who are opposed to the acceptance of illegal immigrants to make their own voices heard by protesting at least as loudly as the illegals and the liberals. They must take control of their argument, otherwise the only voice of opposition will be the extreme-right groups who can be safely ignored by both government and the media. Both the Republicans and the Democrats must be shown that there are large numbers of middle-class tax-paying voters opposed to the movement, that is the only thing that will motivate them to continue pressuring the illegal elements, if reasonable people don't make their voices heard then every Mexican may as well start packing up his donkey.
In the UK nobody in any of the three main parties will say a negative word about illegal immigration and thus the issue has become firmly affiliated with the BNP. Ordinary citizens have no way to vote against illegal immigration except to support this neo-fascist race hate party, because the political mainstream doesn't have the conviction to stand up to the issue.
I have a question to finish with: Can the US states make their own decisions as to whether to acknowledge illegals as constitutional citizens? The way some are choosing to challenge abortion on their own. Or will it be decided at Federal level?
