FANATICS SHOULD BACK UP THEIR RETORIC.Byline: Mariel Garza HERE'S a thought for all the anti-illegal immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. fanatics out there: Instead of carping carp·ing adj. Naggingly critical or complaining. carp  ing·ly adv.Noun 1. endlessly to anyone within earshot ear·shot n. The range within which sound can be heard by the unaided ear; hearing distance: listened until the parade was out of earshot. of how illegal immigrants are ruining California, do something about it. That's right. Turn those tired arguments ("what part of illegal' don't you understand?") into some real action. I'm not suggesting the kind of vigilantism Taking the law into one's own hands and attempting to effect justice according to one's own understanding of right and wrong; action taken by a voluntary association of persons who organize themselves for the purpose of protecting a common interest, such as liberty, property, or undertaken by Jim Gilchrist This article is about the American activist. For other similarly-named people, see James Gilchrist. James "Jim" Gilchrist is the founder of the Minuteman Project, a group whose aim is to prevent illegal immigration across the U.S.'s southern border. and his Minuteman followers who caused a media stir by taking their rifles, lawn chairs and self-righteous conviction down to patrol the U.S. Border. Misguided though I think they are, the Minutemen and -women deserve some credit. They at least have the cojones Cojones IPA: [ko'xones] is a vulgar Spanish word for testicles, corresponding to "balls" or "bollocks". Usage in English to act on their personal principles. Most of us don't. What I'm suggesting is that those who don't want "illegals" and by that they mean those brown, Spanish-speaking types (those 600,000 illegal Canadians and Europeans just don't seem to be a problem) living up in here, put their money where their mouth is. Literally. Boycott. This would be a perfect time to adopt this old-school protest relic employed with great success by the very people now the subject of the anti- immigration movement. This week the Senate is set to debate immigration reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of . The House already passed an immigration reform bill so punitive it harkens back to the Depression-era time when Mexican Americans This is a list of notable Mexican-Americans. Athletes Baseball players
Among other things, the House bill would criminalizes the 12 million people living here without permission, as well as those individuals and organizations who might happen to "assist" whatever that means an illegal immigrant. While both the president and some Senators are hoping for reform that would include a guest-worker program, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., is pushing a proposal similar to the House bill. Hello, immigration round-ups. Whatever the good senators come up with, it's sure to be an ugly debate that dredges up the specter of racism and nativism nativism, in anthropology, social movement that proclaims the return to power of the natives of a colonized area and the resurgence of native culture, along with the decline of the colonizers. that has plagued this country almost since its birth. If polls can be trusted, then a majority of legal Americans don't want their roughly 12 million undocumented neighbors here, even though they continue to enjoy the many economic benefits made possible by the exploitation of undocumented workers. Fine, it's an easy fix. To borrow the slogan from the failed war on drugs, just say no. Don't want dirt-poor Mexicans and Salvadorans sneaking across the border to work California's fields? Fine, just say no to $1 avocados and $10 car washes. Go without or find a local family farm or business that hires only bona-fide residents and pays them the minium minium: see red lead. wage. Better yet, grow an avocado tree in your own backyard. Want to discourage those 12 million illegal workers from trekking hundreds of miles? There's really only one way to do it remove the demand for their services. That's the fundamental basis of capitalism: if there's a demand, there will be a supply. There's only one humane and honest way to stop desperately poor workers from coming north to seek their fortune, and it's not by building a 692- mile wall or increasing the penalties for illegal border-crossers or rounding up all the the brown folk for immigration checks. But evidently few people are willing to suffer the inconvenience. Who wants to pay $5 for an avocado? CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) A farmworker harvests lettuce in a farm field near the border town of Calif, Calif. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion