I find it comical that there is such hysteria about "illegal" immigration. It is the people who self identify as "white" who are most hysterical about "illegal" immigration. This landmass was populated by native peoples for many thousands of years before it was "discovered" by the English and Spanish. Then came the hoards of others of mostly Eastern European descent. All these immigrants were, "illegal." We did not invite you, but we were not hostile to you until you started killing us, stealing our lands, and making and breaking treaties with us.
Let's be clear about a few things. You stole Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California from the Mexicans. You claimed it was your "Manifest Destiny" to move from the East Coast to the West Coast, gobbling our land and "giving" us the least habitable lands on this continent, the poorest of soil, and without much water. You "gave" us the lands where little would grow and our livestock could not graze. You tried to exterminate us. Well we are now sick of you and we want you to go home. The only immigrants among you we will keep are those you captured, transported here in ships, and sold into slavery. These people are our brothers and sisters. The rest of you should start packing. Your time has run out. If you cannot claim ancestry on this continent (which does, by the way, stretch from Canada to Argentina) prior to the early 1700's consider yourself served with an eviction notice.
33 comments:
I helped a friend sew a tipi once. Can I stay if I promise to do nothing but walk the paths and teach the little ones how to do beadwork?
You can even come live with me. I'm crazy about you.
Susan anyone with a Crow for an avatar has a bit of the native in her.
I agree with you madame, I'm so sick of hearing people piss and moan about illegal immigrants I could puke blood.
If a guy who doesn't speak a word of English can be resourceful enough to come over here and steal your job, you were probably doing a shitty job of it anyway.
I agree MOB. One of the things that pisses me off about the idiots like Lou Dobbs is the sense of righteous entitlement of one whose ancestors were more than likely latecomers yet wants to slam the door in the faces of those whose skin is a bit more brown than pasty white. In a few generations we will all be a bit browner. So I have faith that once our southern neighbors moving north will intermarry with the children of these hysterical asshats the argument will be dead at last.
Oh exactly. There's a Chris Rock routine about how anything you hate will turn up in your life.
"If you hate gays, you'll have a gay son. If you hate Mexicans, your daughter'll bring home Livin La Vida Loca!" and then he breaks into impromptu Ricky Martin.
Funny stuff.
MOB, you might not think I'm so damn funny when you get home.
It IS interesting thinking how much browner the average citizen of the USA will be in 50-100 years time (if present trends continue).
A great post, Utah.
My solution to the illegal immigration problem is to put those that hire illegals in jail and fine them enough to make is unprofitable for them. Nobody ever talks about the cause, just about building a fence or shipping them all back where they came from. The reason they are here is they want to make a better life and there is work for them to do so. It's all the cheap bastards that hire illegals that are the root cause of the problem!!
Hang on. I'm searching frantically for that piece of paper I got from my mom about the Cherokee ancestress.
Although, some days, going back to where my people came from doesn't sound half bad. They have high taxes, but universal health care and belong to the EU.
Stole Texas, NM and California? Your kidding, right? Mexico’s defeat in the Mexican-American War and their signing of the treaty of Guadalupe Hildago in 1848 where the U.S. paid them $15 million and absolved them of an additional $3.25 million debt Mexico owed us before the war, is conveniently ignored by the Mexican supremacists and bleeding heart Anglos. Remebmer, Mexico started the war and their damn lucky we didn’t practice a scorched earth policy as the North did against the South a scant 15 years later in our own country. In fact, the Mexican economy, already in shambles at the start of hostilities was rebuilt by the U.S. and was in much better shape at the end of the war. Don't forget, our brave soldiers fought their way deep into Mexico and occupied Mexico City. We handed them back their country and paid them millions to boot. We have nothing to apologize for. Instead, they should be thanking us.
This region the supremacist’s demand in the American southwest, called Atzlan is to be gained, according to them, by their campaign of Reconquista. Reconquista is Hate, pure and simple. It is the practice of perpetuating ignorance and racism. It encourages overthrow of our legitimate and existing government with total disdain for US Law. Mexico, and their 'invaders' are not our friend. Never have been, never will be.
Fuck that, I want my ancestral lands that those bloody Normans stole. Stupid frogs. Long live Harold Godwinson!
Once I had a case of atzlan, but some aloe vera cleared that up right quick.
After we get them all evicted will we be able to smoke in public again?
Not at all sure Zeezil and I would get along.
zeezil does not exist except as an empty page and the words "The correct term is Illegal Aliens." Could be where Lou Dobbs goes when his show's over.
Excellent rant Utah. And most of those who left comments brings up good points as well--all except the one asswipe of course. Yeah, it's legal and on paper and signed and shit. Fuck YOU!
Oops, I'm not supposed to say that word!
Liberality--so anyone that has a different opinion to yours is an asswipe, grow up. You make liberals (which I hate that labeling anyway) look bad by that type of behavior.
Brother, I thought the guy had a valid point, as does Lou Dobbs at times. For one, the whole arguement, we were first, doesn't hold much water. So Native Americans were born here or more than likely walked here first (migrated)? That gives them first dibs? They were first, so what? Most history seemes to be about divide and conquer, like it or not/right or wrong.
What does bother me is that the illegal alien come over here illegally from the beginning. If laws need to be changed to accomodate that so be it. But they are already breaking laws to do that, which does not sit well with me.
Lib you are free to use that word on my site any fucking time you wish.
Vox, so if I came to West Texas and occupied your land and killed you and your offspring, then it would be cool, because... Why? I don't see much difference in what your saying about the early illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe. My people migrated here over 12,000 years ago. Get over yourself. You are a newcomer to the Americas, unless you're descended from one of the native populations.
It also must be stated that President Polk waged the Mexican American War under false pretenses. He said that it was strictly to normalize the Texas-Mexican border - nothing about co-opting California, Arizona, and New Mexico. Having said that, though, it's obvious to me (and to most non-partisans, from what I can gather) that we need a far more logical and organized preocess on our southern border. These southern states are being overwhelmed and heading toward bankruptcy. Yes, the Native-Americans arrived here first. But so, too, did the Jews occupy the Holy Land before the Arabs. We can't be picking and choosing among the groups we like and dislike. Or at least I don't think we should (all the other variables being equal).
Will, all other variables are not equal. The immigrants, or settlers as you gringos like to call them, are newcomers to these lands. It is one continent from the far north to the far south and all of it was occupied by tribes who had been here forever by Europeans way of counting time. We had our own religions, languages, customs, and large fertile areas for hunting, fishing, and migration from summer to winter. And then you guys came and ruined it for everyone. You didn't respected our borders, why should we respect your very recently drawn borders?
The Native populations were treated abysmally. I don't think that that's the issue here. All I'm saying is that we're living in the present tense and that a lot of factors have to be taken into account - one of which is that 20th century countries must have the capacity to defend the integrity of their borders. All wars have displaced populations; Greece and Turkey after WW1, Finland and Russia after WW2. An infinite regress of grievences gets us nowhere and nobody really takes them seriously. Obama seems like he (a la Bush) wants to institute a comprehensive approach here and I think that that's the most plausible way forward.
my relatives did not come here "illegally" from eastern europe. they came here to escape the horror that was inherent in being poor in that part the world in the pre- and post- WWI era. they came here through ellis island. they were welcomed. and and made lives for themselves. they were welcomed. they were seeking refuge from tyranny, poverty, disease and servitude.
we all have different stories to tell about how and when we or our families arrived on these shores. to be so broad-brush is a little harsh and demeaning. not to mention a gross oversimplification of some of the facts.
Anita, you understood perfectly what I'm saying here. The hysteria about immigrants from latin america swarming across the border taking jobs from legitimate americans is about as stupid as my broad brushed declaration that anyone of European or any other other ancestry should get the hell out. Both extremes of this issue are insane in a way and completely without compassion or understanding. The history of this continent does not begin with the immigration of people not born of parents descended from a long line of native peoples. Populations shift for a million different reasons. But the Lou Dobbs rant is every bit as stupid as my own.
I am not Jonathan Swift, but this is obviously not a serious suggestion. I don't really wish you all to leave. I wish we could all show a bit more compassion to the native people coming north. I'm related to them. I'm also related some unknown person from Ireland, and some unknown person from Germany. I'm like all the rest--part of the great melding pot, as are the "illegal aliens--a term so repulsive to me I will never write it without the quotation marks.
sorry, utah, i read too fast, missed your point entirely and over-reacted.
again. sorry.
El Vox--I am a grownup. The point I made but you didn't want to hear about it is that the "rule of law" is in the ruling classes favor only. Has been that way since white folks came over here committing genocide and it is still that way. If the genocide is legal, then that's water under the bridge huh. Well I don't think so. And you don't care about that, right or wrong, yet you get pissed about illegal aliens not doing the process right?
Anita, I would have felt terrible if you had gone away pissed at me. I'm so fond of you. Thank you for coming back and letting me know you're okay.
Lib, exactly. Did you follow zeezil home? No home, just an empty page. When somebody talks trash I usually follow them home. I'm aggressive that way. El Vox is a blogger in Texas oil country--West Texas, panhandle. I'm not being dismissive, but I come from West Texas and all my family was so consumed by a subconscious self-loathing and shame about the near past on the reservation that in attempting to assimilate and pass, they became racist crackers, NRA fruitcakes, always afraid of the "Nigger doctor" moving into the neighborhood and bringing their property values down. Holy crap! He brought the property values up. But my short fat old auntie was just sure the handsome married young doctor was going to break into her house and rape her. Only in my aunties dreams.
we own nothing we didn't steal...guess i can be glad of my g.g. grandmother who was Indian..so says the census.
her name was Susan..great Indian name huh?...
Borders only exist in the minds of people looking for a fight.
Geez, I miss a few posts and look what happens! First a shit storm right in your house which sounds like one of my worst nightmares. Even I can't wait for the New Kids to move out. I hope most you get some New Good Neighbors which leads me to my next point. Why can't we all be good neighbors? When are we going to start getting along with people in the world of all races and relgions? When are we going to realize that we live in a finite place with finite resources and that we are all very tenuously connected? Why is everybody screaming, raging, stealing and generally fucking each other over for a huge piece of the pie?
In general I am appalled at human behavior. Sometimes it's so discourating. Other times I do have hope that perhaps someday life will be better for people living in poverty, struggling to survive. Maybe.
This is a post I wrote in Spring of '09. I was so sick of hearing Lou Dobbs rail against "illegal Immigration" I just couldn't take it another moment. And I wrote this rant. After yesterday's signing of Arizona's anti immigrant law I decided to bring it back. It is of course, tongue in cheek, but there is a grain of sincerity in this as well.
If only we "homo idiotus" would get *over* ourselves. *Every* marriage is mixed! As my grandmother used to say while she was baking, "A little of this ... a little of that ..."
The two children who most rock my world are products of a "mixed marriage." They are gorgeous little beings inside and out and so are their parents. So there ;-)
The more I see of humanity's "browning" (lovely word), the more I think of our hues in relation to chocolate. I revere excellent chocolate -- and recently we've all been inundated with the truly happy news that chocolate is *good* for us -- and the darker, the better!
I think of "race" and I remind myself of the Yin/Yang. Each, inevitably, contains the other ...
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