IN DEFENSE OF CECILIA VELAZQUEZ
She's paid for her mistakes: Obviously, a typical American can only see the fact that Cecilia Velazquez was in this country illegally and had been deported before ["Señora en Roja," Nicholas Phillips]. I am not going to defend her on that, because she was wrong. However, everybody makes mistakes, and she has already paid for hers. Her contribution to our community is unparalleled. Not too many people can do what she does, and you can rest assured that it is unlikely that she is taking a job from any American citizen. She has given back more than what she has taken from this country. What destroys this country more are those freeloaders who are draining our welfare system by making babies and who stop going to work because they have to take care of the babies. I would deport those people first, even if they are legal.
Punisher, via the Internet
DAILY RFT, MAY 4, 2010
BACKING BECK
What a bunch of narrow-minded idiots ["St. Louis-Based Nestlé Purina Latest Company to Pull Ads From Glenn Beck," Chad Garrison]! They would have pulled their advertisements from Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech in the House of Burgesses, if given the opportunity. Have they never heard of freedom of speech? Their problem is that they fear Beck is correct.
Alex Ray, via the Internet
DAILY RFT, MAY 3, 2010
THE BEAUTIFUL KIND TREATED UGLY
This will not stand: This was just wrong ["St. Louis Blogger 'The Beautiful Kind' Fired for Writing About Sex," Tom Finkel]! We live in the United States of America for many reasons, and freedom of speech is one of them — and a big one! We have to put an end to this kind of discrimination now. I hope that there is someone out who that will step forward and help the Beautiful Kind fight this and maybe someone else who will offer her a place to work where her talents can be realized and appreciated!
ImOnEdge, via the Internet
Wanted: An understanding boss: A worker who, after work hours, chooses to skydive or juggle swords or wrangle tarantulas might bring up supremely uncomfortable feelings in a boss, but unless that employee brought the parachutes to work, recruited clients for juggling partners or let loose the spiders during a board meeting, those hobbies are not the boss' business.
A better boss would have taken the time to wrap her mind around this fact and then counseled her employee calmly about dealing with any inadvertent crossover between hobby and work.
My hope is that someone who has read TBK's blog, or the publicity over her firing, will realize what her former boss did not, and that's that TBK is the kind of smart, loyal worker any company would be lucky to employ.
Aag, via the Internet
VILLAGE VOICE MEDIA SERIES ON IMMIGRATION, APRIL 28, 2010
ILLEGALS HAVEN'T PAID THEIR DUES
Play by the rules: The plight of Mexican citizens leaving the poverty of their homeland to seek a living wage is certainly understandable ["A report from Juarez, Mexico," Susana Hayward]. As a third-generation descendant of Italian immigrants, I understand and empathize. However, there is a critical difference between the Mexican citizens illegally entering this country and the legal immigrants who passed through Ellis Island. That difference is found in the word "legal." The immigrants of the early- and mid-1900s played by the rules. They worked for their citizenship. They actively sought to assimilate. These people served in our military, they paid taxes, and they competed equally for employment. Today's Mexican immigrant does not. We should understand the tremendous burden these illegal immigrants place on our society. From the heinous costs associated with free health care in our emergency rooms to the elimination of taxes from our government's revenue. In an era of 10 percent unemployment, hardworking Americans will take whatever jobs they can get. Enforcing our immigration laws, allowing legal immigration, deporting illegals and securing our borders will help our economy, reduce crime and improve the overall quality of life in this great country.
SJ LaMartina, via the Internet
No room at the inn: When did "illegal immigrant" become racist? We can't take everyone who wants to come here. So, are we to say that if enough people break a law, then that law no longer is valid? That's insane. Has anyone ever thought that Mexicans aren't the only ones coming across the border? If I were a terrorist, I would come across the Southern border. That way I could bring whatever I wanted, and no one would know.
Dan, via the Internet
Where's the outrage? This article is a blatant misrepresentation of facts. Read the bill; people won't be "pulled over" because of the color of their skin, and if they are pulled over or commit an offense, they can be asked for their ID. You write that we have a "so-called" immigration problem. Check with the hospitals that are overrun and out of money and ask them if their budget and staffing concerns are "so-called." Check with the schools that are overcrowded and ask them if their education issues are "so-called." Ask the relatives of the murdered rancher if their grief is "so-called." And where is the outrage at Mexico's immigration policy? The Mexican government condemns Arizona, but, according to their own immigration laws, anyone found to be in the country illegally can be imprisoned for two years. Their army secures their Southern border with Central America, and it is rampant with rape and abuse against those trying to cross into Mexico. What happened to our Constitution protecting the rights of U.S. citizens?
Fed up, via the Internet
