December 29, 2005
Conservative Crap
I read conservative-based material. It’s good to see how things tick on the other side of the coin, even if I don’t agree with it or the views that I find make me throw up in my mouth. I might end up frustrated and ranting at the computer/magazine/newspaper, but I still work my way through it just to remind myself why I choose to think and vote the way that I do.
I found this on a Xanga site. I didn’t want to dignify it by responding to it directly, especially since the site hadn’t been visited or posted on since November, and even more so since the last time I responded to something posted on there with a perfectly reasonable retort, it was hidden/deleted. Plus I didn’t save it to my computer, so that sucked too. But after reading this, I felt like my head was going to explode. Aside from the thinly veiled racism and the dim-wittedly venomous anti-Democrat bias, this little tirade smacks of a complete lack of rational thinking, so I took it upon myself to defile it on my own turf, where my dissent can’t be squashed. Here’s the passage in question.
“Message to Senate and House Republicans
Quit acting like Liberals. You were elected in office to do a few things. Decrease spending in Govt., SECURE OUR BORDERS, and decrease the size of Govt. Things that are traditionally conservative ideas. Since you have been in office, your spending has been like that of little democrats, government has grown not shrank, and illegal immigration has skyrocketed and now a dallas police officer is dead because YOU have not cared at all about our borders. We need 1500 miles of 3 layers razor wire fences on the south border of the US. NOT only to stop illegal hispanics from crossing out border, but Terrorists from sneaking over. WE ARE AT RISK as long as you in congress sit on your elitest seat and refuse to look at the issue because of your relationship with Mr. Fox. I cannot support a government that teaches its people how to illegally cross the border and send money back. Illegal immigration accounts for 30% of Mexico's economy. DEPORT ILLEGALS NOW! Pass tougher illegal immigrant legistlation. For those who are legally in our country Welcome and we are glad you are here. To those who would not abide by our laws and respect our nation, GET OUT! The death of a police officer is now on your hands members of congress because you DO NOT CARE. “
Primarily, I’m assuming that the deceased police officer in question is one Brian Jackson, who was killed in the line of duty on Sunday, November 13th while pursuing a suspect of Mexican origin: one illegal immigrant by the name of Juan Lizcano, 28, of Nuevo Leon, MX. All the pieces fit: same time frame, similar circumstances, and so forth.
I highly doubt that there’s a roving band of illegal Mexican immigrants cavorting around the Dallas/Fort Worth area shooting up cops just because they feel entitled to. The writer of this passage seems to think that all illegal immigrants do just that. Furthermore, apparently the only way for illegal immigrants to enter our country is through the southern border of the U.S., and razor wire fences will supposedly fix that.
Aside from overestimating the effectiveness of fences, the author has completely discounted the fact that illegal immigrants can come into our country from the northern border, the east coast, and the west coast. The Gulf Coast accepts many ships from many different harbors in the world, and what’s to say that a group of immigrants couldn’t be shipped aboard one of those? Because they can. Battling the illegal immigrant problem is about as effective as the war on drugs or the war on terror. All the stopgap measures in the world can’t keep people from coming here, and that’s one of the most glaring logic holes in this passage.
Essentially, the author is blaming Congress for the death of a Dallas police officer, as if they hold some sort of responsibility for the actions of a single individual. Following that flawed line of logic, the author could go so far as to blame the Dallas Police Department for not having more officers on hand to chase the suspect down. They could blame the Border Patrol for not catching him when he crossed the border. The author could blame the guy’s parents for not having an abortion, because if Mr. and Mrs. Lizcano had taken the coat hanger to Juanito while he was still in the womb, well, he wouldn’t have grown up all big and strong and shot Brian Jackson. The author could blame the gun manufacturers for fabricating the gun that dealt the fatal bullet to Officer Jackson. And the pursuit any of these possibilities would be as sensible as the conclusion that is drawn in the paragraph: that somehow a group of men thousands of miles away from Dallas, Texas are responsible for the unfortunate death of a police officer.
Moreover, the author is overlooking one major conclusion: If the United States ever found a way to instantaneously purge all the illegal immigrants that have made their way to the United States in hopes of making a better life for their family and themselves, there would be a lot of empty jobs. All of the shitty, menial tasks that most people are too sanctimonious to do would be vacated. Washing dishes? Joe CEO isn’t going to want to do that. How about sanitation work? “No way”, says Charlie High Schooler. Take care of the kids and actually be there as a part of their lives? “The hell with that, I need a nanny”, quotes Debbie the Deadbeat Mom. Illegal immigrants fill a niche in our society, whether we like it or not.
Why? Because our society is generally lazy and complacent. Overall, immigrants are the only ones who are so eager to make money for their families or advance their lives that they’ll do anything from scrubbing diarrhea-splattered toilets at the local dive to cleaning up the aftermath of a coke binge/orgy at the Motel 6. They’re just looking for a means to an end. If it provides a better standard of living for them, that’s what matters most. They don’t come here looking for trouble. All they care about are their lives and their dreams…if they can get here and successfully work their way into society, that’s fantastic. I’ve known countless people who came to the United States illegally, worked for years, and got their citizenship later on. They’re not out shooting police officers and dealing drugs. They’re holding down honest jobs and raising their families. And we as a people have no right to take that from them just because of a select few racists and paranoiac xenophobes.
We all have our roots. Most of our families began as illegal immigrants. The Irish and Italians flocked to New York City in droves when America was still growing and getting its feet. Jewish families came by the dozen to escape the Holocaust. Blacks were shipped from Africa centuries ago to work under the whip and chain of the white Southerner, and when they finally had the opportunity to shrug off the burden of persecution and hatred, they felt liberated and glad to be free in America. America was founded by families who came to a new country to escape the judgmental and trappings of the Old World, and now people think they have the moral high ground to judge and punish others for doing the same thing?
If there was ever a benchmark for un-American behavior, it would be evident in the actions of people who want to deny others the right to be prosperous and free. It would be exemplified by those who want to blame others for the misdeeds of one man. And it would manifest in those who soil a police officer’s legacy by not blaming the one person who was directly responsible for his death.
The accountability ends there.
Posted by Jake at December 29, 2005 09:18 AM
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