Just saw the scariest yard sign:

[Aristus]

I was driving past a home in Sumner, when I saw a sign with a map of the U.S.-Mexican border lined in red against a blue America (yeah, right).

The slogan was: "Stop the INVASION! Secure our borders!

Fuck me, man. INVASION??????? They make it sound like half a million jack-booted Nazis were storming ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. The people coming across the border from Mexico are, by and large, hungry, tired, frightened, and just wanting to feed their families. They're counting for their safety and security on the hospitality and welcome of the nation that brought you slavery, Jim Crow, The Spanish-American War, the Bridge at No-Gun-Ri and the My Lai massacre. GOD! What the fuck has happened to this country?!?!?!?!?

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Copy your post, print it out, get the house address and mail it to them

anonymously :evilgrin:

[Deep13]

7. Anything worth writing is worth signing.

The owners of that sign are not anonymous.

[Brigid]

2. In their defense . . .

You have to keep in mind that those living near our southern border bear the brunt of the headaches caused by illegals. On CNN a few weeks ago, I saw a segment about a rancher in New Mexico. He owns a spread that runs 18 miles along the border. He estimates that every day he has about 500 illegals tramping over his property. They cut fences, disrupt water supplies that his livestock depend on, leave trash all over the place, and have even pulled guns on him and his ranch hands once or twice. They cause about $40,000 damage to his property each year. Illegals slipping over the border are not as benign as you may think. The good folks in the border states probably do feel like they're being invaded.

[ceile]

4. You're assuming a lot based one interview.

I live in a border state and DO NOT feel like "we're" being invaded. That sign is blatantly racist.

[SeattleGirl]

6. But the town this sign was in is not in a border state.

I get your point, and I can see how some folks in the border states would have a different POV, but Washington is a bit far from the Mexican border. In this case, I think it was probably done in knee-jerk ignorance.

[Aristus]

14. Washington is a border state...with Canada.

Still, we have a lot, and I mean a LOT of Mexican migrant workers here; to pick the apples, rhubarb and other crops the Evergreen State is famous for. I work in a medical clinic that has probably a 60% Hispanic patient roster. A patient's encounter form for a visit includes Social Security Number. I see many that have only 999-99-9999, and I assume they are undocumented aliens. Is my first reaction to throw them out of the clinic? Call the police and report illegal aliens? Hell no! Those are human beings who need my attention and the medical care of the doctors I work for. Making sure they are well taken care of is my Christian duty.

It all boils down to racism and bigotry. If the people coming over the border were white-skinned Protestants instead of brown-skinned Catholics, we wouldn't be having this discussion. The Repukes would give 'em all a free pass. Hell, they're doing that already, because the undocumented workers are boosting profits for the Repukes' campaign contributors. They're just making a lot of dumb-show and noise to get their "Deliverance"-cast-member followers riled up for the 2006 mid-terms.

[ceile]

3. Where do you live?

Border state?

[Brigid]

9. Nope.

I live in Indiana. We have quite a few Hispanics around here, and they're good people. I'm sure at least some of them are illegals, but I don't know. But I don't have too much trouble imagining what those in the border states are going through, because this isn't the first time I'd heard of these things going on.

I guess I just sort of assumed this sign was seen in a border state, and I shouldn't have.

[Aiptasia]

5. This issue really has me split 50/50%

Honestly, I think it's high time that we do have an end to an open border policy here in the United States. I think BOTH the Canadian and Mexican borders should be patrolled and somewhat secured from illegal entry for a few reasons (terrorism, cost in human lives, illegal drug trade, Celine Dion, etc.). I don't think that's such a crazy idea, to have secure borders. Secure shipping ports would be nice, too.

I don't think that illegals from any nation should be coddled for breaking existing laws already on the books. In fact, there are a lot of hispanic illegals that aren't really from Mexico. There are plenty of people fleeing poverty from El Salvador, Brazil, etc.. If you've travelled here illegally, you're breaking the law. If you're committing identity fraud by using legitimate American's Social Security numbers when here, you're breaking the law. Sorry, you deserve to face justice IMHO if and when you get caught. I don't care if your Vietnamese, Chinese, Laotian or whatever.

That being said, I sympathize with the plight of the poor immigrant. I've lived in Los Angeles, and gone to public schools where over 90% of the student population were hispanic/asian. Most of my friends growing up were of one ethnicity or another, and quite frankly most of their parents and relatives were very nice, hard working individuals that would do anything for their families that really stressed education with their kids, so their children could have a better life.

I really think the only thing we can do is a nation is to go ahead and secure the borders (and I do mean BOTH borders to be fair) and assimilate the illegal aliens that are already here provided they haven't broken any further laws other than illegal entry. However, if they have committed crimes while in our country, they should face justice in the courts.

That's the only compromise I can see that'll work: Secured borders AND naturalization for those already here.

[Brigid]

13. I think that there must be a way . . .

to come to some sort of a compromise on this issue. There must be a way to show compassion to those who are just trying to make their lives better, without rewarding lawbreakers and leaving our borders unsecured.

[Deep13]

8. "..make it sound like half a million jack-booted Nazis were storming..."

It's more like 11 million and the "invasion" has been far more successful than that because of its sublty and because of collaberators in the fed. govt and in business.

Why don't we just erase the border and let our population grow until we don't have enough room to stand, much less maintain open spaces.

[Oeditpus Rex]

10. Terra, terra, terra!

[LSK]

11. people are so easily brainwashed.

Sheesh.

[Bridget Burke]

12. Anyone wanting to see the results of an Invasion....

Should go to Iraq.

(Here in Texas, I don't see any invasion.)

[Deja Q]

15. Yowzers. That guy must be smokin' some 100% pure...

And it ain't Colombian, whatever it is...

:yoiks:

[Rabrrrrrr]

16. If we spent 10% of our military money on getting Mexico out of the shitter

for a decade or two, and make Mexico a place that people actually want to live in, that would solve most of the problems.

We don't need to waste money on a fence and increased border patrol and all that other expensive and mostly useless bullshit - use that money to raise up our neighbor into a non-corrupt country in which people actually have a chance for good life, decent healthcare, clean water, clean air, and opportunity.

[laheina]

17. Yes, because as it stands now, there are many places that

don't have access to clean water in Mexico.

Hell, any part of the country that is outside of a main city can't even get their mail most of the time.

[Deja Q]

18. Precisely.

Just so long as their opportunity doesn't mean our demise. I typically don't go about helping others by sawing off my own arms and legs...

[NMMNG]

19. "Invaders"

They're bad when they have brown skin and come to America, work for minimum wage or less at crappy jobs and help sustain the American economy.

They're good when they're American soldiers who invade and occupy foreign nations, and torture and kill brown people.