Big Girl Pants: Film

earlier this year jerry rivers, aka geraldo rivera, says that "...illegal aliens commit crimes at a lower rate than u.s. citizens..." however, shouldn't someone remind geraldo that if they came here without permission, then 100% of them have committed a crime? i'm sure all of you have seen the video, but here it is just in case.

i bring this up because i saw this on the back of a pickup truck on i-35 today: "don't worry, the king of england didn't like the minute man project either" and it got me to thinking about all this again. He also had "Support the 2nd Amendment; its the original homeland security act" but that's a whole other post...

recently due, at least in part, to public outcry dick durbin and harry reid's latest version of the "dream act" was defeated. i doubt seriously that it will finally die here. these people apparently don't understand that the good people of the united states simply DO NOT support their efforts to give amnesty to the illegal aliens in this country.

they will not admit that the amnesty push is simply a ploy to get more voters into the fold. and it seems that each the democrats and the bush "republicans" think that "they" will be the ones to garner the voters.

the proponents of "undocumented citizens" will tell you that at one point all of us entered the country illegally. whatever. if they really believe this, then why do they not oppose the immigration laws of mexico or canada or - well you get the picture. they don't believe this, it's just a convenient sound bite to justify support for breaking the laws of our country.

the people who are coming to our country illegally, are NOT coming here to become a part of our communities and our country. they demand that we change our culture to accommodate them. they demand that we speak their language. the fly the flag of the country they abandoned to come here. they demand the rights of citizens when they are NOT citizens.

but do they support the same type of treatment for immigrants to their countries? of course not. well, at least vincente fox doesn't. he believes that the u.s. borders should be open but that mexico has the right to keeps its borders closed.

but the worst is not the trash they are bringing to our country. it is not the increase in the cost of educational services, medical services, welfare services, crime and punishment or infrastructure. no, the worst is that these illegal immigrants take so much and contribute so little.

i had a conversation with some people i know who put forth the argument that these people who are working "without documentation" or with "borrowed documentation" are actually good for the country. see, the rationale is that they are paying all this money into the tax system and taking so little because they can't because they are "considered" illegal.

usillegalaliens blog had a great post (well one of many) where they analyze the impact of illegal aliens on our country. the article is long and has many references, but it is well worth the read; the information contained in it is simply amazing. the article also brings out a point i had not heard before:

Finally, another negative aspect of illegal immigration, that few realize, is the impact it is having on Congressional reapportionment. Remember, the Census Bureau counts all people for determining representative apportionment, not just citizens. As a result, there is a shift of political power going on from the states with lower illegal alien populations to states with higher illegal alien populations as noted in a Center for Immigration Studies article, Remaking the Political Landscape - The Impact of Illegal and Legal Immigration on Congressional Apportionment, as detailed in the chart to the right.

Note the 18 seat swing from mostly rust belt to sun belt? You can expect more of this after the 2010 census, if we continue counting foreign nationals for congressional representation - something I'm sure the founders did not intend when they put the enumeration requirement in the Constitution.

All this is massive collateral damage from a "victimless crime" so we can save ten cents on a head of lettuce.

additionally, as this article by daniel gonzalez of the arizona republic points out, the illegals spend as little as possible so that they can send as much as possible home. this allows the family members left behind to live a bit better than they otherwise would and it props up the mexican economy to boot.

i know, i know. not ALL immigrants who are here illegally are from mexico, but the vast majority of them are. i understand that there are others who are slipping in side door and it includes drug dealers and perhaps even terrorists. all the more reason we need to close the borders.

recently chris burgard released a new movie, border, paints a horrible but true picture of what the illegal immigration is doing along our border with mexico. according the film's website:

"Border takes you on a journey from state to state and exposes a failed system and a failed policy. Burgard's courageous journey includes powerful footage in the border crossing regions of America where dead bodies, armed Mexican military incursions, 'rape trees,' and drug traffickers are commonplace."

in an interview with frontpage magazine, chris burgard discusses the film and how/why he got started in making it. i think the most telling thing he said in the interview (and none of it was fluff) was:

Well I know that the problem will continue only as long as the Federal Government wants it too. After seeing a US Stryker unit completely close down one of the biggest drug corridors in New Mexico for a month, and after spending a great deal of time working with the rank and file US Border Patrol agents. I am convinced that we have more than enough tools in the shed to secure the border whenever we want to. It is a matter of choosing not to. If enough people pay attention and participate, keep up the same kind of pressure that shut down the phone system of the US Senate, only then when the politicians in Washington are afraid of losing their jobs and their power will you see real change.