Update: Check out a new-to-me blog, Beyond Borders Blog.
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New Mexico Governor and former Clinton crony Bill Richardson has declared a “border emergency” in New Mexico:
As Governor I have a responsibility to protect our citizens, property, and communities. Recent developments have convinced me this action is necessary — including violence directed at law enforcement, damage to property and livestock, increased evidence of drug smuggling, and an increase in the number of undocumented immigrants.
Blah, blah, blah.
Translation from PC-speak to English: I really don’t care about my constituents or illegal aliens, but the pesky people who put me in office are bombarding me with phone calls, e-mails, and letters, demanding that I do something about the menace at the border. So in a symbolic, tough-on-illegal-immigration stance, I’m pledging millions more of your dollars to “fight” a problem that should have been handled years ago. Hey, what can I tell you?
The translation is only my interpretation. Perhaps Richardson really does care that illegal aliens are wreaking havoc on his state.
A commenter in this thread wrote (profanity and name-calling deleted):
The immigration issue is one where he [Bush] shows his true corporate conservative colors. He could stop the illegals from coming quickly if he just pushed through policy that would fine employers $1000 per illegal they hire. Use the money to finance the extra immigration officers needed to enforce such an effort.
With no jobs to lure them here, immigrants would be alot less likely to come. Liberals couldn’t legitimately whine about such a policy, but Bush’s money people would complain that he was cutting into their profits by taking away their sweatshop workforce. That’s why it would never happen- not because he’s left of center like some of you [DELETED] are saying.
Bush has the worst of conservative traits and the worst of liberal traits. He is a corporatist jack*** who’s got two main goals: keep the richest Americans happy at the expense of the poorest Americans – and – Keep the [DELETED] fundamentalists voting against their own best interest by drawing attention to abortion and gay marriage.
I’m inclined to agree.
More from CNN. “Border Wars,” by Michelle Malkin.
(Photo by AFP)
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Sometimes I wonder if they’re throwing anti-illegal immigration republicans under the bus like they did with the logcabin republicans.
La Shawn, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Richardson never worried about defending citizens before. In fact he has encouraged Mexicans to enter New Mexico, legally and illegally. He has sided openly with pro-Mexican organizations. He appears to be more interested in non-citizens than he does in Americans.
BTW, why does a guy who is only half-hispanic, and with an English surname, claim to be hispanic?
I agree with the rest, but from the commenter’s excerpt:
With no jobs to lure them here, immigrants would be alot less likely to come.
I suspect this would be more fantasy than reality. There’s still welfare and the rest of the social safety net.
But at least it would dispute the claim that they all “come here to work.”
Quite valid. The question becomes whether or not politicians would face that fact.
So Richardson finally does *something* and he gets blasted. He does nothing (as in the past) and gets blasted. You wouldn’t agree that this is, at the very least, a step in the right direction? Ya just can’t win for losing, I guess.
#2. “BTW, why does a guy who is only half-hispanic, and with an English surname, claim to be hispanic?”
Shipwrecked: what’s your point?
‘Cause it’s too little, too late, uppity. His puny, closing-the-barn-door attempts to deal with this serious problem certainly don’t deserve a standing O, for crying out loud. – Admin
Republican Tom Tancredo, the next President of the United States is still the front man on this issue. The Dems are trying to pull a Hillary but no one is buying it.
I do however hope the effort is successful so we can stop the madness.
I’m not giving him a standing O, by any stretch. I’m just saying that at least he’s doing something NOW, however insignificant you find that to be. You say it’s too little, too late. So what, he should continue to do nothing? I’m simply not getting you on this one.
So you’re telling me that people we elect to office are above criticism? Next time you have something to say about Bush, I’ll remember this comment thread.
Richardson should be doing so much more than throwing money at the problem. That’s like putting a bandaid on an ulcer. He needs to get with the America-first program and begin loudly advocating for immigration reform and tough enforcement. And that’s only a start. All I hear are mealy-mouth platitudes about the “undocumented.”
Gag me.
Interesting that Richardson is deciding to ‘do something’ in the absence of federal action. Isn’t that what the Minutemen are doing?
And didn’t a judge in New Hampshire recently rule that a township couldn’t take action against illegal immigrants because the Congress has primacy in such matters?
(hat tip: NYgirl)
http://onecornerma.blogspot.com/2005/08/illegal-immigration.html
Don’t get me wrong: I support the governor of any State taking such action as he sees proper to protect his State and its citizens. That’s what he’s elected to do. It’s just funny that, after all the handwringing and crying about those nasty ol’ Minutemen, a DEMOCRAT governor is doing the same thing.
Tee-hee.
#8. Richardson is not doing anything “U-monkey.” He is saying and that is not how you get things done. He and that other lunatic lefty lady governor in Arizona are pigs wearing lipstick on this issue.
Republicans have left immigration open to Dems. Now they have grabbed on to it – with Richardson as their spokesman.
Gag you, La Shawn? Appealing, I’ll admit, but I have to admit that I would miss hearing from you. You’re highly entertaining.
“Next time you have something to say about Bush, I’ll remember this comment thread.”
When have I ever bashed Bush?!
Ha, ha!
– Admin
Frank, Do the names Minutemen and Tom Tancredo ring a bell? Either you don’t read much or yoru public school handlers censored the information regarding Tom and the Minutemen.
How about Mike Gallagher? Bill Oreilly? Maybe Lou Dobbs? Tony Snow? Brit Hume?
Who gave you permission to tell everyone the good “news” that a Democrat has finally signed onto GOP…er uh correction…AMERICAN position?
That Bill Richardson is just racist !
Doesn’t he realize this country was built on immigrants.
The people of New Mexico should rise up and ask this Democrat governor to resign because of his racism…
I’m curious about how much of the post you agree with, La Shawn. Does it include just the general tenor of the article, or the details such as Bush is a “corporatist jack***” also?
While I am becoming less enamored of this President as time goes on, his hands are more than a little tied on this issue. See, e.g., http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=iic_immigrationissuecentersff8e for details of the congressional legal quagmire surrounding the issue.
There are only so many battles that can be fought at one time, and there is a question of priorities.
However, lest anybody thinks I have lost my cynicism gene, I cannot but wonder: is the President “going easy” on the Hispanic immigration issue to curry favor with a major demographic (nationally, but notably in Texas and Florida)that is beginning to lean away from knee-jerk obeisance to the Democratic party
General tenor. – Admin
So “Raymond”, since you seem to have all the answers, and I am apparently just an unenlightened soul, what would you suggest the Governor of NM do? Specifically, please.
I suggest he step down. We shouldn’t have racists as governors even if they are Democrat.
Baklava:
Are you serious? How is Richardson a racist? Wanting people to enter the country *legally* (key word there) is racist? I’m confused.
If, in fact, you are joking and I’ve missed the joke, my apologies.
Years ago, we accepted crowded schools by getting upset about “overcrowded” schools.
Now we have little interest in “illegal” aliens. Soon, the pc crowd will start calling them “uninvited” alien guests.
Richardson is smart to get his 2008 middle America credentials solidified by being the first out of the chute on the border issue. Mark Twain called his position the same as “a Christian holding five aces.” If he meant what he has said, he would call out the National Guard. But he doesn’t mean it; so he is tossing a little spare change at it knowing it will all get tied up in ACLU bickering and he can sit back and fashion a bunch of helpful sound bites about running against Washington.
Florida, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California do not have the will to keep driver’s licenses from illegal aliens. They don’t have the will to come up with voter picture ID cards. They all have a serious, serious, serious problem with emergency rooms closing because of non-paying illegals and the governors and legislatures can not get off the dime.
We have had green card migrant workers for as long as I can remember. Why, just now, do we no longer care if they obey the law and stick to the migrant rules?
Both political parties have tin ears on this issue. I am more than ready for a sheriff, a DA, or a big city mayor to take a NIMBY (not in my back yard) stand and be a Teddy Roosevelt on this issue.
Maybe Mel Brooks should make an update of Blazing Saddles to demonstrate how fat and lazy our representatives have become on the Mexican border issues.
#17. What I would suggest and have suggested is light years beyond the testosterone levels of a so-called “conservative” Republican let alone a weeny, liberal, Democrat, pandering, glory-hound opportunist like Gubna Billy “Steal-An-Issue” Richardson.
I would suggest you all not get too excited on this illegal invasion issue. There are four guarantees in life. Death, Democrats will pick the next Supreme Court Justices, Mexico will reclaim the Southwestern United States and of course taxes.
On this issue, President Bush though I love him will fold up like a cotton baby blanket.
Heliotrope…Who is “we?” You mean them on the left who sentence their kids to government schools don’t you?
Parents who truly love their children and actually value real education don’t send their beloveds to government run social indoctrination day care units unless they absolutely have to.
I do agree that the national leaders of both parties are corrupt and inept on the illegal alien invasion issue but Conservatives have not been silent and inactive and if anyone speaks sincerely on the dangers it is more than likely a Republican.
Richardson has as about as much credibility as gay preacher talking about sin.
I’m afraid that neither party has the will or interest in doing anything about illegal immigration, except fight for who gets their votes.
Tancredo seems to be the only one who has the guts to take the issue on.
The translation is only my interpretation.
It’s dead-on LSB.
I think that if any politician were to ‘get tough’ on illegal aliens that they’d be signing their own political death warrants….sad, but true IMO.
My idea on this: dig a trench along the border and fill it with gasoline…
#24 Be careful Mad Mikey. You should have seen the uproar created when the Border Minefield solution was offered here.
Raymond wrote, “I would suggest you all not get too excited on this illegal invasion issue. There are four guarantees in life. Death, Democrats will pick the next Supreme Court Justices, Mexico will reclaim the Southwestern United States and of course taxes.”
Raymond I’m disappointed. Where is your fighting spirit? I’m still counting on the second American Revolution at which time we can put a stop to at least three of those problems. There is nothing to do about taxes I’m afraid.
You guys should have heard Richardson on Hannity today get exposed for the fence sitting fraud he is….
He declares a state of emergency and begs for federal help while at the same time giving illegals legal documents like drivers licenses with no differientation from legals and allowing illegals to win the lottery.
He danced all around the “giving them status” issue, never saying yes, but saying that we have to give them something (that sure isn’t no). How about a bus ticket across the border? Hannity was wearing him out.
Don’t forget Richardson is probably going to run for President in ‘08? I call this posturing, no matter how right he was in this case. He did it to himself.
#26. Let not your heart be troubled Indy. I never stop fighting. You know I say things sometimes tongue-in-cheek to get people talking and acting.
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