The Conservative Shame on Immigration

The Conservative Shame on Immigration
by Jacob G. Hornberger, May 2000

The moral decline of the conservative movement was recently reflected in a syndicated column entitled "Goofy may be a Libertarian" by Don Feder, one of the conservative movement's leading lights. Feder's critique, which in part took the Libertarian Party to task for its position favoring open immigration, displayed not only the hypocrisy of conservatives but poor analysis as well.

Unlike the Republican Party platform, the Libertarian Party platform has always taken a consistent and uncompromising approach to the principles of individual freedom, private property, free markets, and limited government. Here's what the Libertarian Party's platform says in part about immigration (www.lp.org):

"We welcome all refugees to our country and condemn the efforts of U.S. officials to create a new 'Berlin Wall' which would keep them captive. We condemn the U.S. government's policy of barring those refugees from our country and preventing Americans from assisting their passage to help them escape tyranny or improve their economic prospects…. We therefore call for the elimination of all restrictions on immigration, the abolition of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Border Patrol, and a declaration of full amnesty for all people who have entered the country illegally. We oppose government welfare and resettlement payments to non-citizens just as we oppose government welfare payments to all other persons."

Here's what Feder said in his article: "If 50 million Mexicans chose to move to California and Texas, resulting in chaos and the obliteration of national identity, why should that concern Libertarians?

Feder's analysis is typically conservative and Republicanesque: faulty, fallacious, and hypocritical.

Let us first never forget how the power to control immigration has been abused. Recall the infamous "voyage of the damned," when on the eve of World War II the Franklin Roosevelt administration prohibited Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany on the St. Louis from disembarking at Miami Harbor. The justification: immigration controls. In fact, Feder, who has noted the "deafening silence that greeted the Holocaust," surely has reflected on why millions of Jews didn't try to escape their Nazi fate. Why try to escape when there's no country that will accept you - because of immigration controls?

Today, the moral degeneracy and hypocrisy of the conservative movement is evidenced by the forcible repatriation of Cuban refugees into communist tyranny. Calling themselves "compassionate conservatives," who love Hispanics during every election cycle, Republicans have for several years supported the repatriation of Cuban refugees into Cuban communist tyranny. And this after sending 60,000 American men to their deaths in Southeast Asia supposedly to fight communism.

For decades, conservatives have jailed Mexicans and other Latin Americans who have crossed our Southern border in search of work, trying to sustain or improve their lives and the lives of their families through labor. At the same time, conservatives have continued trying to get the Bible - perhaps even "Love thy neighbor as thyself" - into public schools.

Historically, Mexican immigrants have had the qualities that conservatives claim to hold dear: family values, work ethic, and religion. They have enriched both our culture and our economy with their labor, music, and literature. While maintaining natural cultural and family ties with friends and relatives in Mexico, Mexican-Americans have historically reflected a deep reverence for their adopted country. Perhaps Feder is unaware that 300,000 Mexican-Americans served our country during World War II and that more of them served in combat divisions than any other ethnic group. Or that 17 of them earned the Medal of Honor, 5 posthumously.

Feder's fear of "chaos" and the obliteration of "national identity" is, well, goofy. Was there chaos or loss of "national identity" when the United States acquired the northern half of Mexico in 1848? Or when there were no immigration barriers between Mexico and the United States for the succeeding 75 years, meaning that Mexicans could freely travel to the United States, live here, own businesses, and never become American citizens?

And to which "national identity" is Feder referring? New York City? Charleston? New Orleans? San Antonio? San Francisco? Salt Lake City? The fact is that the United States has never had a "national identity." Ours has always been a culture of liberty, which has been one of our nation's greatest strengths.

Feder also declared, "If these new Americans (then constituting a majority in the states where they settle) wanted to secede and unite the territory with Mexico, presumably Libertarians would not stand in their way." Of course Libertarians would not stand in their way because, unlike conservatives, libertarians don't force people to associate with those with whom they don't wish to associate.

For decades, conservatives such as Don Feder pleaded for the dismantling of the Berlin Wall. Yet, today, that's exactly what conservatives want to build along our Southern border. The American people should reject the morally bankrupt conservative paradigm of government walls and instead embrace libertarian efforts to re-ignite the beacon in the Statue of Liberty.

Mr. Hornberger is president of The Future of Freedom Foundation (www.fff.org.) and co-editor of The Case for Free Trade and Open Immigration.

http://www.fff.org/comment/ed0500i.asp

The Negative Effects of Social Segregation to Create New Markets

by Bill Cosby

They're standing on the corner and they can't speak English.
I can't even talk the way these people talk:
Why you ain't,Where you is,
What he drive, Where he stay,
Where he work, Who you be...
And I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk.
And then I heard the father talk
Everybody knows it's important to speak English...
except these knuckleheads.
Mushmouth is what they speak!
You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth?!
In fact you will never get any kind of job making a decent living.
People marched and were hit in the face with rocks to get an education,
and now we've got these knuckleheads throwing that all away?
The lower economic people are not holding up their end in this deal.
These people are not parenting.
They are buying things for kids. $500 sneakers for what?
And they won't spend $200 for Hooked on Phonics.
I am talking about these people who cry
when their son is standing there in an orange suit.
Where were you when he was 2?
Where were you when he was 12?
Where were you when he was 18?
And, how come you didn't know that he had a pistol?
And where is the father?
Or who is his father?
People putting their clothes on backward:
Isn't that a sign of something gone wrong?
People with their hats on backward,
pants down around the crack,
isn't that a sign of something?
They're walking around with their nasty underwear showing, and
holding onto their pants to keep them from falling to the ground!
Or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up?
Isn't it a sign of something
when she has her dress all the way up to her panty line,
and got all types of needle piercings
going through her body?
What part of Africa did this come from?
We are not Africans.!
Those people are not Africans;
they don't know a thing about Africa.
With names like Shaniqua, Taliqua and Mohammed and all of that crap, and all of them are in jail.
Brown or black versus the Board of Education
is no longer the white person's problem.
We have got to take the neighborhood back.
People used to be ashamed.
Today a woman has eight children
with eight different 'husbands' --
or men or whatever you call them now.
We have millionaire football players
who cannot read.
We have million-dollar basketball players
who can't write two paragraphs.
We as black folks have to do a better job.
Someone working at Wal-Mart
with seven kids saying...
you are hurting us.
We have to start holding each other
to a higher standard.
We cannot blame the white people any longer.
It is not for media or anyone of this time
anymore to say whether I'm right or wrong.
It is time, ladies and gentlemen,
to look at the numbers.
Fifty percent of our children are dropping out
of high school.
Sixty percent of the incarcerated males
happen to be illiterate. There's a correlation.
Tell the media to stop asking me what I think about people who don't believe what I'm saying or feel that I'm too harsh or feel that I'm just running my mouth because I'm old.
Seventy percent of the teenagers pregnant happen to be African American girls.
Don't ask me to soften my message.

Bill Cosby

I Want to Be an Illegal Too!

(An actual letter from an Iowa resident and sent to his senator)

The Honorable Tom Harkin
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Phone (202) 224 3254
Washington DC , 20510

Dear Senator Harkin,

As a native Iowan and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stems from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and
income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year.

Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,

Donald Ruppert
Burlington , IA

Get your Forms (NOW)!! Call your Internal Revenue Service
1-800-289-1040.

Please pass this onto your friends so they can save

Advocates Debate Rise in Fees for US Residency, Citizenship

Advocates Debate Rise in Fees for US Residency, Citizenship
By Michael Bowman Washington 30 May 2007

Bowman report (mp3) - Download 834k
Listen to Bowman report (mp3)

President Bush says a primary goal of immigration reform is to bring millions of illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and provide a path to legal residency and eventual U.S. citizenship. But while the president champions such reform, the United States is set to implement the largest-ever boost in fees charged to those applying for residency and citizenship. VOA's Michael Bowman reports from Washington, advocates for immigrants say the administration is sending mixed messages to an often fearful and vulnerable community.

Russian immigrant Sveta Nikitina poses with her immigration papers at her home in Mill Valley, California (February 2007 photo)

For newcomers, both legal and undocumented, the cost of pursuing the American dream is about to go up. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service is doubling, and in some cases tripling, its fees. Beginning July 30, the charge for adults seeking residency will exceed $1,000; the fee for citizenship will be nearly $600.

Some say the higher fees undermine President Bush's stated goals on immigration.

"To come up with $1,000 per family member to obtain permanent residence - it is going to keep a lot of people in the shadows for a very long time," says Crystal Williams, a deputy director at the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

Williams says the new fees constitute an enormous financial hurdle that will force countless poorer immigrants to delay applications - and may lead some to give up entirely.

But officials at the Citizenship and Immigration Service point out that the agency receives no federal funds to process applications. Costs are covered entirely by fees charged. They say unless those fees reflect actual costs, services would have to be cut back and waiting times for applicants would increase.

"We realize that anytime we increase the fees that there is a burden there," says USCIS spokesman Chris Bentley. "There is pain that is caused along the way. However, to be able to remain a world class service provider, to be able to get the services and benefits in a timely manner to the people who deserve them, we simply need the resources to be able to make that happen."

Bentley adds that refugees and asylum-seekers will remain exempt from charge, and some fees can be reduced for residency and citizenship applicants facing dire economic hardship.

But if USCIS is constrained by its dependence on fees for operating costs, then it is time to change the system, according to Donald Kerwin of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network.

"Citizenship is a national good. It is important for our country. And so we think that to fix the system, to reduce backlogs and improve technology, there needs to be appropriated monies [federal funds] for this. It needs to go beyond the fee-based system," he said.

Some in Congress counter that it would be wrong to shift the financial burden to U.S. taxpayers. Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa says the new fees are still far lower than what illegal immigrants typically pay smugglers to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

"We are seeing coyote [smuggler] fees go up to $1,500 to $2,500 per person," he said. "I do not see any fees levied by USCIS that were that high. So if it is cheaper to have access to becoming a citizen than it is to be transported [illegally] to the United States, then, no, I do not think those fees are too high by comparison."

Immigration officials also defend the fee system, saying it provides spending flexibility, since revenues go up in proportion to any rise in applications. They say previous fee hikes have not resulted in drastic reductions in applications for residency or citizenship.

Immigrant advocates counter that the current fee hike is far greater than any previous increase. They also note studies showing the percentage of eligible immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship dropping in recent decades. Opinions vary as to the cause, but immigrant advocates say making it more expensive for immigrants to pursue legal status or citizenship can only serve as a further deterrent.

$50.00 Auto Paint Job

$50 Paint Job

There is/was a widely read thread on the moparts forum about the "50 dollar paint job" .
I figured since the Corvair is not in line to be professionally painted, I'd give it a try.

Three quarts of gloss white. I thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits. The can says to use acetone, but the folks on the moparts forum had problems with the paint flashing too fast using it as a thinning medium. Mineral spirits seemed to work just fine for me and, when thinned, the paint self-leveled to completely smooth after a few minutes.

Thin is the key. Thin. Not thick. Like milk. If your bubbles don't pop, it's too thick. Un-thinned Rustoleum will take several months of hot dry weather to dry. You won't be able to sand it until it's dry. A 50/50 mix dries completely in 5-6 hours of warm weather.

A bunch of high density foam rollers.

Some touch up brushes.

I tested a few (2) coats on the hood, and it looks like it will work well. 4-5 more coats to go, and lots of sanding.

Polishing test with just two coats. Everything says go for it. I rolled some white primer on first to fill scratches and stuff, but I didn't take any pictures. I sanded 90% of it off to get things smooth. The white primer saved me a few coats, too, as I had full coverage after 5 coats.

Four coats. It was warm the week I painted, so I was able to lay down two coats a day. I'd get up in the morning and wet sand the car absolutely smooth, wash and dry it off completely, and then roll on a coat. The coat would be dry by late afternoon and then another coat would be rolled on. The first coat didn't cover much, and looked like hell, four coats was starting to look good.

Four coats still has some spots that aren't completely covered.

I painted the car in the driveway, it would have been better to paint it in the garage, out of the wind and away from blowing dust and bugs. The garage is full of stuff though, a couch being recovered, eight or ten engines, half a dozen transmissions...
So there are some bug bits entombed in the paint. At first I was concerned about getting the bugs out, but it turns out they pretty much vanish during wet sanding.

After six coats, wet sanded. I used 600 grit up to this point, taking out any residual orange peel bumps. 1500 grit on the last (7th) coat.

Six coats was very complete coverage, with plenty of paint thickness to wet sand out any orange peel. Shot of the hood, sanded smooth. Other have reported applying 7, 8, sometimes 10 coats before complete coverage.

I painted the cove the same color as the yet to be painted stripe.

Yenko stripes went on after the seventh coat. If anyone is wondering, Yenko Stinger stripes are 1" inch stripe, 1" inch space, 6" stripe, 1" space, and 1" stripe. The front can either taper down to a narrower main stripe or stay a constant width down the front of the car. I picked the taper. The stripes were rattlecanned, no way the thinned rolled on paint wouldn't have bled under the masking tape.

To the right you can see some fresh bird poop.

Stripes from the front.

I let it sit for a week so all the paint could harden up, and then buffed the gloss back. It buffed right up to a very glossy shine. My cheapo polisher burned out about two minutes into the buff-out. So, I started to buff by hand, but, after an hour or so, I came to my senses and went down and bought a real buffer/polisher. It cost more than the entire paint project budget, but I can always use another tool. When using a spin polisher, I find it best to use masking tape on all the ridges of the body to avoid burning through the paint.

Very glossy.

The polisher throws polishing compound all over the place.

I started putting the car back together after the polishing was done.

After everything, I can say I'm -very- sold on the method of application. No booth, no paint gun/equipment, very little masking, no overspray. I do have unresolved questions about the paint. Rustoleum is a fine household enamel, but I wonder at it's long term durability. Several folks have reported eventual fading using Rustoleum colors. We'll see what happens with the white. Next time I paint a car with this method, I'm going to investigate a few higher quality paint options.
Corvair Corsa, mostly done, parked back on the street where it belongs. Rims rattle-canned to match the stripes, stock Corsa wheel covers. I still need to install the wheel well trim and "corsa" emblem that goes under the fuel door.
I can say, with confidence, the stripe is worth at least 5-7 rwhp.

Four months later...

Back to Top Level

Humans have a bit of shark in them

Humans have a bit of shark in them

Jennifer Viegas Discovery News

Wednesday, 30 May 2007

Sharks and humans share certain physiological processes, like the way they have sex and how they protect their bodies from disease. Now scientists say they share common genes (Image: iStockphoto)

Some 450 million years ago, sharks and humans shared a common ancestor, making sharks our distant cousins.

And according to recent research, this kinship is evident in our DNA, as at least one shark species possesses several genes that are nearly identical to those in humans.

The elephant shark's genome is so similar to ours that we wind up having more in common with it, genetically speaking, than with other species, such as teleost (bony skeleton) fishes, which are nearer to us on the evolutionary tree.

"This was a surprising finding, since teleost fish and humans are more closely related than the elephant shark is to humans," says lead author Associate Professor Byrappa Venkatesh.

Venkatesh, principal investigator at the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore, and his team determined that sets of genes on chromosomes, as well as actual genetic sequences, are "highly similar in the elephant shark and human genomes".

The researchers not only analysed the elephant shark genome, but also the genes for other animals including puffer fish, chickens, mice and dogs.

Their findings were recently published in the journal PLoS Biology.

The researchers identified 154 genes in humans that have comparable matches in mice, dogs and elephant sharks.

The similarities between people, mice and dogs were expected, given that they are all mammals.

But sharks are cartilaginous fish that seem to bear little physical resemblance to mammals.


Upon closer examination, sharks and humans do share certain physiological and biochemical processes.

One is sex.

"A common feature between the elephant sharks, other sharks and humans is that in all, the fertilisation occurs internally, whereas in teleost fishes, fertilisation occurs externally," Venkatesh says.

Many of the comparable genes between elephant sharks and humans are involved in the production of sperm. Both species produce sperm that appears to have receptors on the tip that allow fusion with a female egg.

Bony fish do not have such receptors. Their sperm instead enters eggs through a pore called a micropyle, which sharks and humans lack.

Immunune system genes

The researchers also found that shark and human immune systems are very similar, since sharks have all four types white blood cells found in mammals.

Sean Van Sommeran, executive director of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation in California, says that he was not entirely surprised to learn about the shark-human links.

"The field of genetics is a Pandora's box," Van Sommeran says.

"Sharks copulate like mammals and females give birth to live young, so sharks do have features in common with mammals. It makes sense that these would show up in the genome."

Venkatesh says future studies on the elephant shark genome, which is relatively small and easy to study, could reveal information about human genes, such as how the immune system develops.

Since sharks are the oldest living jawed creatures with a backbone, studies on them may even uncover how humans and other mammals evolved.

Related Stories

Shark has virgin birth, News in Science 24 May 2007

First marsupial genome sequenced, News in Science 10 May 2007

World's largest fish is shrinking, News in Science 13 May 2005

More News

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Taxpayers on the hook for $59 trillion

Taxpayers on the hook for $59 trillion

Updated 1d 6h ago | Comments 421 | Recommend 106

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Enlarge By Alex Wong, Getty Images Sens. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Pete Domenici, R-N.M., have introduced a bill to create a permanent commission to make recommendations on maintaining long-term financial stability for the Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs. The government recorded a $1.3 trillion loss last year, a USA TODAY analysis shows. BALANCE DUE The cost per U.S. household of unfunded promises made by federal, state and local government: Medicare $255,280 Social Security $144,251 Federal debt $43,380 Military benefits $25,863 State and local debt $17,537 Federal civil- servant benefits $14,374 State and local retiree benefits $13,114 Other federal obligations $2,548 Total $516,348 Source: USA TODAY research; numbers rounded

By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY

The federal government recorded a $1.3 trillion loss last year — far more than the official $248 billion deficit — when corporate-style accounting standards are used, a USA TODAY analysis shows.

The loss reflects a continued deterioration in the finances of Social Security and government retirement programs for civil servants and military personnel. The loss — equal to $11,434 per household — is more than Americans paid in income taxes in 2006.

"We're on an unsustainable path and doing a great disservice to future generations," says Chris Chocola, a former Republican member of Congress from Indiana and corporate chief executive who is pushing for more accurate federal accounting.

Modern accounting requires that corporations, state governments and local governments count expenses immediately when a transaction occurs, even if the payment will be made later.

The federal government does not follow the rule, so promises for Social Security and Medicare don't show up when the government reports its financial condition.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Social Security | Medicare | Getty | Taxpayers | Pete Domenici | Alex Wong

Bottom line: Taxpayers are now on the hook for a record $59.1 trillion in liabilities, a 2.3% increase from 2006. That amount is equal to $516,348 for every U.S. household. By comparison, U.S. households owe an average of $112,043 for mortgages, car loans, credit cards and all other debt combined.

Unfunded promises made for Medicare, Social Security and federal retirement programs account for 85% of taxpayer liabilities. State and local government retirement plans account for much of the rest.

This hidden debt is the amount taxpayers would have to pay immediately to cover government's financial obligations. Like a mortgage, it will cost more to repay the debt over time. Every U.S. household would have to pay about $31,000 a year to do so in 75 years.

The Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Board, which sets federal accounting standards, is considering requiring the government to adopt accounting rules similar to those for corporations. The change would move Social Security and Medicare onto the government's income statement and balance sheet, instead of keeping them separate.

The White House and the Congressional Budget Office oppose the change, arguing that the programs are not true liabilities because government can cancel or cut them.

Chad Stone, chief economist at the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, says it can be misleading to focus on the government's unfunded liabilities because Medicare's financial problems overwhelm the analysis.

"There is a shortfall in Medicare and Medicaid that is potentially explosive, but that is related to overall trends in health care spending," he says.

Spectacular Mammatus Clouds over Hastings, Nebraska