Political correctness can kill

[CANDANeh]

This made our New Brunswick news a couple weeks ago...Two small children, lap dog and parents that went up the wrong road. Seems all the best border guards are stationed north

Everyone in the vehicle was taken to the border patrol's new facility at Fort Fairfield, Me. Over the next four hours, border police fingerprinted the parents and checked for any criminal history. A special sniffing dog inspected the family's truck.

"For a family that was on a Sunday drive, and went up the wrong road - they didn't want to hear that we were sorry, that we made a mistake," Wendi said.

"It was just, 'No, this is what's happening now, and you're coming with us.' There was just no common sense. They just weren't human."

While they were being questioned about their illegal entry into the U.S., the parents had to explain to the girls what was going on, Wendi said.

"The kids were sitting there watching it," she said. "The kids had never been fingerprinted before. And [Sarah] said 'Why are they doing that?' And I said, 'Well Sarah, we went down a road that we weren't suppose to go down, and that's why they're doing it.' And she said, 'So we're not going to go down that road again, right?' And I said, 'Nope.'"

New office opened in 2009

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol station in Fort Fairfield opened in 2008. Harmon said increased enforcement in the area has brought down the number of illegal entries.

The confusing road has long been a problem for local people. In March 2008, even the late Nikolaj Pedersen ran into problems when he tried to get to his farm.

Border Services says it can't simply block the road. It is a legal point of entry into Canada in the summer, primarily to accommodate Aroostook Valley Country Club golfers, who play the game in Canada but must park in the United States.

I know the area, easy to make a mistake.
Tighten up the south border first boys...were just fetchin our golf balls up here

[IJ]

I'm glad you're "waiting" for amazing results in Afghanistan. I am too. It's not an east fix and I remain unclear on what your clear and effective policy would be. enlighten me?

As for the Nobel, my point is, relax and forget about it. Or complain to the Nobel committee. It's irrelevant here and only shows how worked up you are about this stuff on an emotional level rather than a policy one.

Vocal support for resistance in Iran... hmm, I would have to research this issue, but my understanding is that we spoke out against their crackdown. And yeah, it could possibly hurt him; maybe Iran's leaders hate him 100%, but if it's just to have a rhetorical battle and he's being practical and not looking for silly word battles...

"JFK and Ronald Reagan implored the Soviets to tear down the Berlin Wall. And you know what? It happened."

Yes, it did. Right after the president spoke. Well, the second one, I guess the first one saying that must not have worked for, you know, decades. Oh, and there is that whole thing about the economic victory, and the common culture recently divided, rather than us dealing with one of the wackiest state of fanatics on earth.

"Instead, he got involved in analysis paralysis, and ended up with less than what was needed to get the job done safely."

That explains all your vitriolic criticism of GWB for his Afghnistan policy and the monumental distraction in Iraq

"Instead of doing all that community activist work, he'd have been a much better Commander in Chief had he read Sun Tzu."

The second half makes some sense coming from the Uechi forum, although I'm sure there are acceptable and more modern alternatives. The first half just sounds like an ad hominem attack and you're about to question his birth country. Remember that stupid Nobel!?! Grr!! Moving on...

"Really? Well apparently you're in the minority. Because the latest WSJ/NBC poll of likely voters has Democrats losing very badly in the upcoming elections."

I'm referring to the issues at hand, Bill. People ferociously hate the guy for a variety of reasons, such as a huge bailout (a situation he inherited, and a bailout Bush was working on but not catching flack for), nonsense about the healthcare bill (eg death panels) which was fabricated by wingnuts who are either complete friggin morons or deliberately dishonest end of digestive tracks whipping their constituents up like Muslims in a tizzy over cartoons (only one of several Nazi comparisons made; socialist jackboots crushing the entirety of healthcare, beyond just expanding insurance; bogus lawsuits over mandatory insurance), REAL issues with healthcare (namely, the finances and access), and so on. HERE, you've stated he's basically continued being Bush w.r.t foreign policy, and suddenly you have vitriol where you had none before. If Bush were doing this you'd be issuing pardons for gaffes and explaining that rewinning Iraq isn't easy and suggesting his style is "speak softly and carry a big stick." Did you ever worry if GWB read Sun Tzu? Did we see as many angry emoticons when it took Bush year and years to surge? Are there reasons why committing huge amounts of blood and treasure to war isn't completely straightforward?

Meanwhile, as most reasonable people know, the issue in Arizona is not whether illegal immigration is wise but that the law requires police officers to demand papers from anyone they suspect might be illegal, which we all know means that American citizens are going to get harassed by police and have to expect to carry around documentation all the time (I do, dunno what the norm is). We also all know these citizens are only going to be the Mexican lookin' ones. Good work! I wonder if this wasn't a deliberately inappropriate effort to push for a more reasonable middle ground.

I'm not going to go into the whole list of benefits for illegals. Too much of it is obviously nonsense--like the Arizona law. And there's really no need for us to feel bad about being a better behaved state than, oh, Cuba, China, or DPRK. Sheesh. I won't argue with the emotion driving either of the two documents though, or the need to improve the situation somehow.

[Bill Glasheen]

Tighten up the south border first boys...were just fetchin our golf balls up here

Send those boys down to Arizona, Leo. They need them there.

But no, wait...

Meanwhile, as most reasonable people know, the issue in Arizona is not whether illegal immigration is wise but that the law requires police officers to demand papers from anyone they suspect might be illegal, which we all know means that American citizens are going to get harassed by police and have to expect to carry around documentation all the time (I do, dunno what the norm is). We also all know these citizens are only going to be the Mexican lookin' ones

Well there you go, Leo. That explains it. It was racial profiling!!! We all know that you Canadians all look alike! Must be from all that sun up there in the Great White North.

It's irrelevant here and only shows how worked up you are about this stuff on an emotional level rather than a policy one.

Well that explains it even more, Ian. It's all clear to me now.

Or just maybe...


..............................I see stupid people!





- Bill

[IJ]

"12 - BILLIONS OF TAX DOLLARS SPENT ON PUBLIC DOCUMENTS PRINTED IN YOUR LANGUAGE"

One thing to point out here: these documents have nothing to do with citizenship. We've got tons of nonenglish speaking people in the USA, many of them citizens, many here legally. This isn't about illegal immigration; this is about xenophobia.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/ ... ak-English

Here's another good example. This guy wants Alabama to give driver's license exams only in English. The only reasons are "if you want to live here, learn it," and, "we'll save money." What he doesn't say is that he CANNOT follow through without losing the federal dollars AL gets for transportation, i.e., the state will LOSE money not save it (how much of it, anyway?).

Meanwhile, while Republicans are appealing to discomfort about the growing Latino presence in Arizona, they're here to stay. And when attacked, like they were in California with a proposition voted for but then blocked by the courts, they respond by voting for nonrepublicans.

[IJ]

If you can't perceive how requiring authorities to request papers from people who look like they could be illegal might cause problems in Arizona, Bill, just follow the news for the next 6 months or so. We'll see.

How'd you get such a cool pic of your nightly headbanging worry fit about a Peace Prize handed out months ago by 5 (FIVE!) random yokels appointed by the Norwegian parliament that the rest of us forgot about the day after it happened? It's nifty.

[Bill Glasheen]

Wow!!! An article from Dailykos. Just like the Huffington Post...

IT MUST BE TRUE!!!!!!!

This guy wants Alabama to give driver's license exams only in English. The only reasons are "if you want to live here, learn it," and, "we'll save money." What he doesn't say is that he CANNOT follow through without losing the federal dollars AL gets for transportation, i.e., the state will LOSE money not save it (how much of it, anyway?).

Sure, Ian. Because we all know that the Federal Government is Santa Claus. They just print money and send it down. It comes from... nowhere!!!

Cost me something??? Of course not!

Must be xenophobia and those damned Republicans. Yea, that's the ticket!!!

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

And what's more...

Perhaps you should read up on what some Hispanic businessmen are saying about coddling to people who don't speak English in this country. Help them? Absolutely not. You enslave a population to a lower socioeconomic class by creating a barrier in-between them and the best economic opportunities in the country.

One more example of a libera... oh sorry... progressive idea and the inevitable law of unintended consequences.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

If Bush...

Bush isn't president. It's May 2010, Ian.

Barry doesn't get a pass.

- Bill

[IJ]

Thank you for reminding me that GWB is not president. That explains all of your inconsistent criticism of presidents.

As for the ad,

1) Dailykos hosted the video. The Republican made it. He doesn't say he's trying to help the immigrants by integrating them; he says "if you want to live here, learn [English]." If you don't think that's just an appeal to people who are freaked out by foreignness in AL, rather than goodwill towards ESL people, you've lost it.

2) As for the finances part, yes, yawn, yaw, I am perfectly aware that the Federal government doesn't magically make money. For the constituents in AL, however, the issue is what will happen to their finances. Again, the ad doesn't say, "I want to save the whole system money and that may cost us subsidies from federal sources but that is a message we need to send," but rather "we'll save money," which is obviously best interpreted to mean that AL pays the cost of the translated services, and there will be more money around for other things if AL stops offering them. But perhaps you are deliberately missing this point?

3) As for whether the federal funds are dependent on foreign language offerings, I found this:

http://www.leftinalabama.com/diary/6221 ... ma-nothing

Not a perfect source given the leftist communist slant.

http://www.theworldaroundyou.com/2010/0 ... n-alabama/

That seems a bit more reputable.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc ... ish/39501/

How about the Atlantic?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archiv ... 023524.php

Another.

http://www.decaturdaily.com/detail/59729.html?print=1

A paper.

You know what sounds as dumb as "IT MUST BE TRUE!!!!!!" How about "IT MUST NOT BE TRUE!!!!!!"

Next issue here is the amount of money to be saved. These exams ARE being provided. Whether on paper or on computer, the work is done. I cannot imagine how printing a document that already exists in Spanish or whatever is going to cost any more than infinitesimally more than printing the more common document in English since they're both all ready to go. If they're on computer, I really fail to see how eliminating options will change anything. Then, some people won't be able to drive, and as we know, public transportation in the USA is hard to come by. This will cost people their jobs, and possibly keep workers out of AL. Maybe welfare rolls will increase. Maybe people won't hold conventions because of the change. Maybe in ten years people will be more assimilated. But this simple assurance that he's a clever businessman and costs will go down is nonsense.

But hey, if you want to give him a pass on his stated aim and claim its about Hispanic businessmen wanting to help Mexicans assimilate, but in secret, be my guest.

I would be perfectly happy to discuss REAL agendas that encourage everyone to learn the commonest language in the USA and promote assimilation, but this isn't one. And no surprise, either, I just learned this guy's the son of the govenor who was more worried about the ten commandments than governing the state. I bet THAT was about saving money and not about appealing to the reactionary wishes of Alabamian majorities, too, right?

[Bill Glasheen]

Ian

Your arguments are like the "Racist!!!!" rants coming out of the usual places (salon.com, Dailykos, Huffington Post, etc.). It's the Plan B argument used by liberals now that we have a president who happens to be half Ethiopian.

red herring n.

1. A smoked herring having a reddish color.

2. Something that draws attention away from the central issue.

Government programs which perpetuate the language barrier with immigrants serve to enslave said groups to a life of poverty and dependence on government social programs. And that's immoral. In order for all CITIZENS to have equal access to jobs, they need equal opportunity to communicate with potential future employers.

Immersion works. Been there, done that. So have many of our fellow Uechika.

Worked for this guy too. Recognize him?



Last I checked, Lincoln freed the slaves in this country. Oh and as an aside, he was a Republican. Who'd a thunk it?

So is your governor, by the way. And why am I not surprised by that?

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

Just so you know I don't just make stuff up... This article is dated with tomorrow's date. You can read it Monday in theWSJ written edition.

I'm just ahead of my time, Ian...

MAY 17, 2010

Napolitano Under Fire Again

By KEITH JOHNSON

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and her agency are under fire again after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the attempted bombing in Manhattan's Times Square.

While no one is calling for Ms. Napolitano's resignation, as happened after the failed Christmas Day bombing, her performance and that of the Department of Homeland Security are a key part of the political battleground over how to fight terrorism.

***

Here is one of the online comments attached to the article.

Napolitano and Eric Holder have several things in common 1) incompetence 2) way in over their head on their job 3) both, like OMAMA, have a real problem acknowledging the Islamic Terrorist Threat by name or by it's relation to radical Islam.

***

Sound familiar?

- Bill

[IJ]

Bill, sometimes I can't tell if you're actually buying this stuff or if you're just playing with me. But, for fun...

Go ahead and dismiss every complaint about these moves with your "Racist" if you want. I've offered you a bunch of reasons why this is a bad move for Alabama and surely this guy knows them--he's making misleading statements either stupidly or deliberately and appealing to the dislike of the foreign element. He knows it won't save any appreciable funds under any circumstances and may cost AL lots of tax dollars, he knows he could make an ad about any number of more important fiscal issues. He knows he could make a REAL ad about assimilation in AL, but didn't.

I wonder how many people will buy for a moment your claim (well, you always imply, actually) that offering driver's licenses in Spanish is "immoral." As my last post clearly noted, there are many possible downstream effects of making the test English only, such as ESL people learning better English to take it, and ESL people not being able to commute or work, and spending more time with their community and less with the outside world; not being able to get to said ESL classes, not having funds to propel an upward trajectory. You choose not to consider or mention these possible effects or their moral implications. All that needs to be said to the right audience is, "This is Alabama. We speak English." Wink wink.

Something that might be more helpful is, "Here's your first exam in Spanish, etc. You will need to renew in 2 years in English." Or anything besides cutting them off.

To the larger issue, I wonder what SCOTUS would say about English only voting? What really is the difference?

PS: the President is half KENYAN. Half Luo to be exact; there's more than one kind of Kenyan.

PPS: Ever been to Quebec? It's like a freakin' economic holocaust up there with the extra document costs and the social discord from the different communities.

[Bill Glasheen]

PS: the President is half KENYAN.

Major brain fart. Of course you are right.

- Bill

[Bill Glasheen]

I wonder how many people will buy for a moment your claim (well, you always imply, actually) that offering driver's licenses in Spanish is "immoral."

Note I said immoral. And it IS immoral.

Lots of things in life are immoral, Ian. It doesn't mean I am going to judge someone else for doing it.

But I WILL say "No way" to you or anyone else asking me BY LAW to pay for having documents in languages other than the one most commonly spoken in this country. It's a slippery slope, Ian. Why not French? I'm sure our fellow Canadians might have a thing or two to say about that.

Why not Icelandic? Fair is fair!

At some point it gets to be ridiculous. Just pick a fuking language we can agree upon for official documents, and let's get on with it.

In my line of work, Ian, I am constantly in the minority as an individual who has English as a first language. This has been the case both for my peers and for certain types (e.g. statisticians) that I've hired. For whatever reason, Americans are suking in math in schools. The best and the brightest who do my kind of technical work are often from other countries. I just happen to be an oddball American who is self-motivated and marches to the beat of a different drummer.

Nowhere in my work are people expected to speak any language other than English. It's rapidly becoming the international language of business, math, and science. If you're going to be a world traveler, learning English is important.

Have I made an effort to speak Japanese when studying martial arts? Absolutely! I paid for formal training. I require some knowledge of it from my students. It makes sense the way it makes sense to speak some English if you play baseball.

- Bill

[IJ]

Hey, I really happen to think people should learn English here too. I think it'd help em out and I would never have the chutzpah to move to France and expect to vote in English.

But this ad isn't about assimilating. It's about appealing to disgust and distrust with a foreign element. It's NOT a helpful way to assimilate people, to just cut them off of transportation until they find an English class they can walk to. It's NOT a legitimate excuse to just say that's our custom (heck, in Alabama they speak English, and they're also christian, so...) or for someone to make deliberately misleading statements about cost. It's clearly NOT a primary issue for the race unless someone is appealing to an undercurrent of xenophobia. Exploiting that undercurrent is... guess what, a heck of a lot more immoral than giving an exam in Spanish. Seriously. Having an exam in Spanish does not mean that there couldn't be lots of encouragement or even services to pick up English.

What you're doing here is retrospectively trying to make sense of this nasty ad. There are reasons to push for assimilation, but there are a lot better ways to do it if that's your goal. It's not his goal. Does he sound for a split second like the betterment of immigrant well-being is his goal? I heard no mention of this, he didn't even try to pretend it, and the only things he appeals to are, again,

"you wanna live here, learn it" (frustration with the foreign folk) and
nonexistant savings.

Incidentally, the Economist reports that fully 82% of Americans expect the Arizona law to result in American Latinos getting pulled over for bogus pseudo-infractions and then getting harassed about their citizenship. But I bet all the local supporters don't foresee such problems, the local sheriff has no reputation for doing this already, and none of his LEOs will ever bug a brown person inappropriately over this law.