Photoshop: David Lunde *** Wire stories coming in: AP calls the cloture vote failure a “stunning setback.” Reuters: “A major legislative setback.” A few of my quick post-debate thoughts: As annoying as Reid’s refrain was, he is right: This……

I’m thinking the “Three America’s” is looking good right now. “First America = John Edward’s type wealth,” “Second America = Average Workers, $30K-$180K per year,” and “Third America = unskilled labor force, temporary work visa, no citizenship, you leave after 5 years and don’t come back for 5 years.” I think this is how Japan and Korea do it.

Having to post without a preview window is a real bummer, isn’t it? I can’t get used to the new fangled formatting buttons, so now and then when I have a longish post with multiple tags, I actually trundle off to another site to use the preview function there, before coming back to hit “Submit” over here. If I’m the only one who does that, then I’m pretty damn impressed with everybody else. At any rate, the tricky part for me is remembering to expunge my trial runs elsewhere….

I’ve voted for Bush twice; I support the war in Iraq, but am vehemently opposed to the current immigration package. I think it’s a serious mistake not to insist on border integrity first, but it’s not like Bush’s stance came as a surprise. He’s been quite consistent, and it’s absolutely typical pro-business, “compassionate conservative” (vs real conservative) stuff, and he’s “selling” it the same way he’s sells everything else he tries to do, more’s the pity in the case of Iraq & the GWOT, IMO.

Bush may not get the “reforms” he wants, but he didn’t suddenly turn into an idiot — he’s going for whatever votes, he thinks he might get, and he knows they’re not coming from Hot Air regulars. I’m not quite sure why conservatives think Bush owes them for their past support when I can’t think of any other group who have so regularly threatened to jump ship over one issue after another. Does “not one dime” ring any bells?

Welcome to my world. Bush has gone off the reservation.

If you legalize rape and murder there will be less need to protect people from rape and murder. It only makes sense.

Good-bye GOP. Even if I would vote for you again, you’re signing your own death warrant.

THIS is the root of the problem right there. 25 yrs of waiting. That is ridiculous.

Rightwingsparkle on May 31, 2007 at 5:17 PM

Very ridiculous.

Alas, cheap labor seems to be the most important thing on his mind.

darwin on May 31, 2007 at 6:12 PM

Or something even worse.

Military…would we do this.

tomas

Any President who truly had the best interest of his country and the people in it would have put the military on the border long ago while a fence was built. Alas, cheap labor seems to be the most important thing on his mind.

What happened to good people can disagree, a statement Bush has used a number of times when addressing disagreements with democrats? Yet about the immigration debate, something I thought as voters we were allowed to participate in, he has the…

Wow, I got a spanking from Gregor for working 3 jobs and not having time to protest.

But I’m self employed and don’t have the $ or a day off to jump in my car and drive 10 hours to walk around with a stupid sign in my hand. Chill brother!

soulsirkus on May 31, 2007 at 4:43 PM

Nice. There was no spanking for working three jobs. Trust me, I didn’t mean to attack your work ethic. The spanking was for using that as an excuse. I admire you for the letters, faxes, and phone calls. I’ve been doing the same thing for a year now. But this is not going to make a d@mn bit of difference, unless you think our Senators are somehow unaware that we’re pissed off. Bush, and the rest of our leaders are well aware of our feelings on this issue. They simply choose to ignore it. Your faxes are not going to be what stops this bill. It’s going to be an uprising of the people that does it, if that ever happens. The situation will not change until they fear that we will take to the streets in mass.

As for your phone calls, faxes, and emails … do you really think they’re listening? What gives you that indication?

Two hours of your time. Hell! ONE hour will do!

You don’t need to drive ten hours. Unless you’re living in the center of a desert somewhere, I guarantee you there’s protesters somewhere within 50 miles of your doorstep every weekend. If you would like, I can hook you up with them quite easily.

THIS is the root of the problem right there. 25 yrs of waiting. That is ridiculous.

“We have never controlled our borders. You are telling me you didn’t know Bush’s Feelings on Illegal Aliens when you voted for him (if you did).”

tomas on May 31, 2007 at 4:07 PM

Never say never, tomas ’cause one example is all that is needed to refute you. We’ve been very strict on immigration at times, successfully so, though I note its debatable whether that success was not also a detriment to our economy.

And who’s telling you they didn’t know his feelings on Illegal Aliens and what’s your point? As for the fence, I don’t base my estimation of whether fences stop people on Penn and Teller skits. I judge them on the Berlin Wall, the Israeili security fence, the Indian Security fence, the Pakistani Security fence, the Maginot Line, the Great Wall and the wide and varied assortment of fences surrounding yards and property across not just America (um, like the White House and the Capitol) but in nations across the world.

Sure, they are not perfect and yes, they some people will try to get around over or under them, and no kidding that a fence alone won’t work. But to just assert fences don’t work is the laziest and the most eaily disproven argument on this side of the universe, unless, of course, it’s written into in the script.

Find a way!

It’s really not that hard if you feel it’s important.

Gregor on May 31, 2007 at 1:42 PM

Wow, I got a spanking from Gregor for working 3 jobs and not having time to protest. Um Gregor, I do protest. I make phone calls, I send emails, I vote, I aggravate the hell out of most of my friends who could give a shit to hear about anything but American Idol. But I’m self employed and don’t have the $ or a day off to jump in my car and drive 10 hours to walk around with a stupid sign in my hand. Chill brother!

Easy on the name calling people, and lets just simply debate the facts! (unless of course you want to turn this into a conservative DailyKos).

Anyways, my two cents is this.

- We need to secure the border militarily. We have too many enemies around the world not to, and its by God’s grace that we haven’t been hit yet.

I propose using the national guard to guard our national borders. Anyone else for this option?

- We need to build a wall (yes, you heard me) 20 ft high and 10 ft deep (and one foot thick). Once an area is secured with a wall, redeploy the national guard elsewhere.

I’ll let the pundits argue whether or not we should give full citizenship to illegal aliens. But before we decide one way or the other, WE MUST SECURE OUR BORDERS!!!!!!!

Do you think a fence is going to stop people. Did you see Penn & Teller. It took these guys 4 minutes to get over and under this thing. You can waste the money building something that isn’t going to work or you can go after the source…those hiring.

I’m sorry joe smoe…you’re breaking the law…get a new business. Any Illegal caught not having gone through guest worker processing, BEFORE entering should lose that right for 10 years. Caught again…for life. You should not be allowed to enter without finishing naturalization program. You must speak english enough to fill out an application without help etc.

From my perspective ANYthing we do no other than Militarization of the border isn’t going to work. This has to be solved by breaking down the network here at home that has allowed these potential voters to feel as if they are already part of our country…this is the bad part. Those Mexicans were booing Miss america because they already think they are citizens of our country.

My way is a harsh way…but internal discourse will only add to the power of the illegal. It makes those harsh measures harder and harder to carry out.

There is no respect for our culture.