When Idiots Attack
During a discussion recently, a friend asked me why I was supporting the left so fervently these days. I told him the reason as I see it; my values have remained constant while the culture has shifted significantly to the right, causing me to support those on the left who are now close to the historical center of US politics. He said that the left is never close to center, because the left has a lot of kooks. "You never see real kooks on the right," he said, without a trace of irony. I have sent him an e-mail, inviting him to read this letter and, if he's willing to be honest with himself, retract his statement.
This letter, penned by Martin, is longish and off-the-charts batshit, so I'm going to tackle it one piece at a time. The entire letter is reprinted here, however.
Okay, really, whoever is in charge of Martin's medication, it's time for a bump in the dose. Has it already been so long since 9/11/01 that Martin has forgotten what a terrorist attack looks like? Terrorists tend to do things like hijack planes, blow up buildings, and shoot people. You know, things that instill terror. I have yet to meet anyone who has an irrational phobia of someone picking their lettuce or cleaning their hotel room. Terrorism is an active, political stance. Migrant working is a reactive, economic condition. Immigration is not terrorism, and frankly, as much as it might tick us off, the immigrants are not breaking any Mexican laws, and it's not Mexico's responsibility to fix the problem. It might set a bad precedent for us to label another nation a 'terrorist state' for not doing our work for us, eh Martin?
Okay, but in order to do that, we would need to take control of Mexican land, most likely through military force. Just so you're aware, Martin, that is the very definition of an 'invasion.' Since you've already made clear that invasions are a bad thing, this might not be something we want to do. Besides the fact that it's absolutely batshit insane, it would also put us in about the same position Germany was in prior to World War II, when it was invading its neighbors for the causes of scapegoating and nationalism. We still get angry at Europe for not bitch-slapping them at the time... we call them, at best, appeasers, and at worst, pussies. You're basically calling for America to follow in those proud Nazi footsteps of nationalist imperialism to support fascist neo-liberal economics. Good idea, jackass.
Yeah, because God knows our military needs something to do. We just haven't been keeping them busy enough. It's about time they earned their keep. And yeah, we wouldn't want to put too much thought about where and why we put American military lives in danger. That's just overcomplicating things.
'Illegal' and 'illegal' are the same word, Martin. It follows that they might share a definition, no matter how one wants to look at it. There are, however, different degrees of illegality. If you get caught speeding, you don't serve the same sentence as Charles Manson, even though you both engaged in illegal activity. Oversimplification is a fun neocon tactic, but it's not really something we should use to justify the invasion of neighboring countries.
Just for the record, this paragraph structure is Martin's, not mine. I have no idea what he's referring to when he says that "...this only facilitates an assault..." or what it has to do with contribution to the greater welfare, or why the first statement about contribution to welfare was separated from the second in a different paragraph. I suppose he may mean that illegal immigration is an assault on our standard of living, but I can't figure out what he's comparing to trade reform. Regardless, he's completely incorrect in claiming that illegal immigrants working for low wages make no contribution to the economic welfare of the nation. To the shame of law-breaking employers across the country, Hispanic immigrants fill the economic asset niche of extremely-low-wage labor, something we used to handle through a lovely little tradition called slavery. It is in no way a new concept in this nation, and it is no more a threat to the American society than African slaves, Irish laborers, or Chinese railroad employees ever were. As long as employers are allowed to take advantage of a minority population for economic gain, you can bet there will be an underclass for them to take advantage of. There will also be ignorant assholes who want to scapegoat the underclass for everything, because it's easy and it feeds prideful nationalism. You're no different than the Know-Nothings of the early 1800s, Martin, and your opinions are no less backwards and dangerous.
I will bet you a donut that Martin doesn't have a passport, because this level of ethnocentrism tends to be the result of cultural ignorance. When Martin is willing to ride hundreds of miles on the roof of a train car, where bandits steal everything he owns and rape women and young boys he has with him, evading corrupt Mexican police who will try to get whatever the bandits didn't, then travel by foot through miles of searing desert where boiling heat, dehydration, or a redneck with a rifle could all cause him to be a vulture buffet, then, assuming he makes it that far, work for a pittance in the most degrading and menial work available, at that point Martin can pass judgment on people 'taking advantage' of a situation.
Let's identify what this country is about, Martin. This country is about immigration. Unless you are full-blooded Native American, your ancestors immigrated here, probably with very little money. Today, people like you want to keep people from the opportunities that your forefathers employed to let you live as comfortably as you do. There are no longer quick trips through Ellis Island for citizenship. Citizenship is a long, expensive process, unattainable for the tired, poor, hungry, huddled masses yearning for freedom. The way you encourage legal immigration is by making it a better option than illegal immigration, not by flying jets over Mexico, you ignorant fuck. It most certainly is a complicated issue, but one could start by easing the financial restrictions on legal immigration while actually enforcing American businesses -- made up of actual American citizens accountable to American laws, unlike, say, the president of Mexico -- to follow the laws regarding the hiring of illegal immigrants. Nobody will be willing to sneak over miles and miles of desert if there's no job waiting for them on the other side, Martin. You don't even need jets for that. You just need an administration that doesn't sleep in the crotch of corporate America's jockstrap. My guess is, though, that you'll keep on helping those corporations out, because, well, you're a moron. That's unfortunate, because as Thomas Jefferson said, the success of a democracy is dependant on a well-informed citizenry. What our country requires of each of its citizens is a refusal to bow to willful ignorance, Martin. What our country requires is a reduction in numbers of people like you, who would rather be ignorant than contribute.
This letter, penned by Martin, is longish and off-the-charts batshit, so I'm going to tackle it one piece at a time. The entire letter is reprinted here, however.
To the Editor:
Enough is enough. Mexico should be labeled a "terrorist state" and its president identified as a threat to the security of the United States. What is happening between Mexico and the United States is tantamount to an invasion!
Okay, really, whoever is in charge of Martin's medication, it's time for a bump in the dose. Has it already been so long since 9/11/01 that Martin has forgotten what a terrorist attack looks like? Terrorists tend to do things like hijack planes, blow up buildings, and shoot people. You know, things that instill terror. I have yet to meet anyone who has an irrational phobia of someone picking their lettuce or cleaning their hotel room. Terrorism is an active, political stance. Migrant working is a reactive, economic condition. Immigration is not terrorism, and frankly, as much as it might tick us off, the immigrants are not breaking any Mexican laws, and it's not Mexico's responsibility to fix the problem. It might set a bad precedent for us to label another nation a 'terrorist state' for not doing our work for us, eh Martin?
What we need is a 20-mile-wide "no man's land" on the Mexican side of the border, much like Israel maintained in Lebanon to protect itself from attack from terrorists in that country, where no one is allowed to wander, under threat of death.
Okay, but in order to do that, we would need to take control of Mexican land, most likely through military force. Just so you're aware, Martin, that is the very definition of an 'invasion.' Since you've already made clear that invasions are a bad thing, this might not be something we want to do. Besides the fact that it's absolutely batshit insane, it would also put us in about the same position Germany was in prior to World War II, when it was invading its neighbors for the causes of scapegoating and nationalism. We still get angry at Europe for not bitch-slapping them at the time... we call them, at best, appeasers, and at worst, pussies. You're basically calling for America to follow in those proud Nazi footsteps of nationalist imperialism to support fascist neo-liberal economics. Good idea, jackass.
Put our military to use flying patrols through this region, like they did in Iraq in the "no fly zone" following Desert Storm. This is certainly not a "complicated issue."
Yeah, because God knows our military needs something to do. We just haven't been keeping them busy enough. It's about time they earned their keep. And yeah, we wouldn't want to put too much thought about where and why we put American military lives in danger. That's just overcomplicating things.
"Illegal" is illegal, no matter how you might want to look at it. Illegal immigrants take from this country without making any significant contribution back to its welfare.
'Illegal' and 'illegal' are the same word, Martin. It follows that they might share a definition, no matter how one wants to look at it. There are, however, different degrees of illegality. If you get caught speeding, you don't serve the same sentence as Charles Manson, even though you both engaged in illegal activity. Oversimplification is a fun neocon tactic, but it's not really something we should use to justify the invasion of neighboring countries.
Working hard for next-to-nothing is not making a significant contribution to the welfare of this country. Like trade reform, this only facilitates an assault on our standard of living, rather than actually solving some serious problems that we face here.
Just for the record, this paragraph structure is Martin's, not mine. I have no idea what he's referring to when he says that "...this only facilitates an assault..." or what it has to do with contribution to the greater welfare, or why the first statement about contribution to welfare was separated from the second in a different paragraph. I suppose he may mean that illegal immigration is an assault on our standard of living, but I can't figure out what he's comparing to trade reform. Regardless, he's completely incorrect in claiming that illegal immigrants working for low wages make no contribution to the economic welfare of the nation. To the shame of law-breaking employers across the country, Hispanic immigrants fill the economic asset niche of extremely-low-wage labor, something we used to handle through a lovely little tradition called slavery. It is in no way a new concept in this nation, and it is no more a threat to the American society than African slaves, Irish laborers, or Chinese railroad employees ever were. As long as employers are allowed to take advantage of a minority population for economic gain, you can bet there will be an underclass for them to take advantage of. There will also be ignorant assholes who want to scapegoat the underclass for everything, because it's easy and it feeds prideful nationalism. You're no different than the Know-Nothings of the early 1800s, Martin, and your opinions are no less backwards and dangerous.
Illegal immigrants take advantage of what this country offers them that their own countries do not. To reward them with anything but deportation is to reward them for breaking the law. It is time to identify what this country is about; what our "culture" is and what it requires of each of its citizens.
Martin
I will bet you a donut that Martin doesn't have a passport, because this level of ethnocentrism tends to be the result of cultural ignorance. When Martin is willing to ride hundreds of miles on the roof of a train car, where bandits steal everything he owns and rape women and young boys he has with him, evading corrupt Mexican police who will try to get whatever the bandits didn't, then travel by foot through miles of searing desert where boiling heat, dehydration, or a redneck with a rifle could all cause him to be a vulture buffet, then, assuming he makes it that far, work for a pittance in the most degrading and menial work available, at that point Martin can pass judgment on people 'taking advantage' of a situation.
Let's identify what this country is about, Martin. This country is about immigration. Unless you are full-blooded Native American, your ancestors immigrated here, probably with very little money. Today, people like you want to keep people from the opportunities that your forefathers employed to let you live as comfortably as you do. There are no longer quick trips through Ellis Island for citizenship. Citizenship is a long, expensive process, unattainable for the tired, poor, hungry, huddled masses yearning for freedom. The way you encourage legal immigration is by making it a better option than illegal immigration, not by flying jets over Mexico, you ignorant fuck. It most certainly is a complicated issue, but one could start by easing the financial restrictions on legal immigration while actually enforcing American businesses -- made up of actual American citizens accountable to American laws, unlike, say, the president of Mexico -- to follow the laws regarding the hiring of illegal immigrants. Nobody will be willing to sneak over miles and miles of desert if there's no job waiting for them on the other side, Martin. You don't even need jets for that. You just need an administration that doesn't sleep in the crotch of corporate America's jockstrap. My guess is, though, that you'll keep on helping those corporations out, because, well, you're a moron. That's unfortunate, because as Thomas Jefferson said, the success of a democracy is dependant on a well-informed citizenry. What our country requires of each of its citizens is a refusal to bow to willful ignorance, Martin. What our country requires is a reduction in numbers of people like you, who would rather be ignorant than contribute.
posted by Zafrod at 12:52 PM
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