How to Solve Illegal Immigration

Image by roberthuffstutter via Flickr

I found this Youtube video on illegal immigration proposing to solve the "crisis" in a novel way. Watch the video below for their proposed "solution". If you're too lazy to watch the 10 minute video, look below for a synopsis.




To lazy,eh? Well, I for one won't judge you (although God will). Basically, the solution proposed by the creators of the video was for the illegal immigrants to 1) Write a new constitution 2) Declare a new nation in the middle of the old one (i.e. the United States) and 3) Steamroll over anyone who objects. After all, isn't this pretty much what the Americans did?

I guess that the main point that I like from this video is the fact that they highlighted how the "illegal immigration crisis" is really nothing more than an effort by the rich and powerful to scapegoat certain groups to take away emphasis from their own activities. As far as I can tell, illegal immigration has a negligible effect on the U.S. and world economy, either for good or bad, compared to other things that are going on right now -- such as the war in Iraq, the 700 billion dollar bailout of Wall Street, etc. I personally see the huge emphasis that gets placed on illegal immigration as a kind of "smoke screen" to hide much deeper problems that currently exist in the world's economy and social structure.

What are some of your thoughts on the illegal immigration debate? I know that the gentleman blogger from www.whatburnsmybacon.com will say I'm crazy :)

Also, since some of you have observed that I seem to have an unhealthy obsession with putting pictures of young and often scantily clad girls at the end of my posts, I have decided to put some more pictures of animals at the end of the website. While I am sure that they'll get much less traffic from Google Image Search than the pictures of girls do, it's a better way to go.


Cute kitten bathing:

 Cute kittens in a basket:

 Cute kitten love:

Don't the pictures of cute kittens just make you all warm and gooey on the inside? I have to keep repeating "cute kittens" and terms that include "cute kittens" for the search engines.

Cute kittens :)

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• A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants (npr.org)
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• Will Curbing Illegal Immigration Harm the Economy? (dailyfinance.com)
• Sarah Palin: 'Cojones' Was Appropriate 'In The Context' Of Illegal Immigrants (mediaite.com)

Endgame in Afghanistan - Real Life Look at Troops in War

In his piece "Endgame in Afghanistan", British reporter Sean Smith provides a rare glimpse of the raw reality of the war in Afghanistan for American troops.

I initially supported the idea of a surge in troops for Afghanistan because it was sold as part of a comprehensive strategy to make sure that the U.S. would get out or reduce its presence in a reasonable amount of time. But as I have read more, and observed the situation...it is becoming clear that this is not the case. So, for me, the pendulum is swinging the other way. I actually had doubts about Afghanistan as far back as 2005, when it became clear that it was becoming a misguided quagmire. Without a comprehensive approach and not enough troops, the situation was allowed to get out of control under the Bush Administration. Without addressing the economic situation, the dire poverty of the people, education, the poppy farming (a huge problem), failing to win the support of the people, and not having enough troops to hold ground... it was bound to turn into an ugly stalemate. But I also understood from the beginning - a belief that is now reaffirmed- that trying to build a nation out of a part of the world where the ingredients for such a task simply don't exist in any practical sense. In Afghanistan there is generally no sense of nationalism, a fractious & heterogeneous population with verious different tribal and ethnic groups, life being driven at the local level, and thus no sense of collective national pride to motivate men to want to stand up an Army and fight for their own Country. In other words, the whole mission is built on a false premise.

It is clear that corruption is strangling efforts there. Furthermore, it is clear that the Afghans are not taking responsibility for their own security... at least the enthusiasm just doesn't seem to be there. So if they aren't willing to fight... we certainly shouldn't have our soldiers fighting and dying there. In order to gain control of Afghanistan, it would require at least 500,000 American/NATO troops. I (and others) have said that for years. There is no way that the U.S. or its NATO allies will ever send that many troops into this war. Hell, the U.S., with its military stretched so thin...and with its hunger to maintain some sort of empire with troops all over the world, doesn't have the troops to send. So what are we doing? Furthermore, we have to consider the fact that the nation is broke. We can't afford it. With no clear definition of what success is...what winning is.... and no clear, achievable goals... this war (with an initial attack that I believed was warranted back in 2002, although dubious) has changed over the last 9 years into something that no longer makes sense. So my view of this war has changed quite a bit, especially over the last 18 months.

But it is clear that the Obama Administration has no plans to get out of Afghanistan anytime soon. Americans were sold fools gold with the promise of a troop drawdown...as I suspected. President Obama can't leave & is planning to have our troops there for a number of years down the road (I will go into that a little more in a separate commentary). Although I think the crap about terrorists attacking us from Afghanistan...and it will be doomsday if we leave... we must stay there so they don't hit us at home...is all a bunch of BS.

We are looking at 3-5 more years of this madness (at a minimum). Hard to understand...and getting harder everyday. I will write more on that in a future post.

From The Guardian:

As the war in Afghanistan enters its final chapter, Sean Smith's brutal, uncompromising film from the Helmand frontline shows the horrific chaos of a stalemate that is taking its toll in blood. Warning: contains distressing scenes and strong language

Obama Administration Easing Rules For Soldiers With PTSD

From the NYTimes:

V.A. Is Easing Rules to Cover Stress Disorder
By JAMES DAO
Published: July 7, 2010

The government is preparing to issue new rules that will make it substantially easier for veterans who have been found to have post-traumatic stress disorder to receive disability benefits, a change that could affect hundreds of thousands of veterans from the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Vietnam.

The regulations from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which will take effect as early as Monday and cost as much as $5 billion over several years according to Congressional analysts, will essentially eliminate a requirement that veterans document specific events like bomb blasts, firefights or mortar attacks that might have caused P.T.S.D., an illness characterized by emotional numbness, irritability and flashbacks.

For decades, veterans have complained that finding such records was extremely time consuming and sometimes impossible. And in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, veterans groups assert that the current rules discriminate against tens of thousands of service members — many of them women — who did not serve in combat roles but nevertheless suffered traumatic experiences.

Under the new rule, which applies to veterans of all wars, the department will grant compensation to those with P.T.S.D. if they can simply show that they served in a war zone and in a job consistent with the events that they say caused their conditions. They would not have to prove, for instance, that they came under fire, served in a front-line unit or saw a friend killed.

The new rule would also allow compensation for service members who had good reason to fear traumatic events, known as stressors, even if they did not actually experience them.

When someone volunteers to join the Armed Services of this country...to put their lives on the line for this country..

the least, and I do mean the least we can do in return, is make sure that they are taken care of if they return to this country damaged - IN ANY WAY.

This has not been the case, especially during the Bush years, where they fought increasing services to the common soldier, and did what they could to rig the system so that the soldiers that needed help, couldn't get help.

This sea change from the Obama Administration is wonderful, and should be praised.

Pakistan Unknown Heroes Work to Defend Country Against Taliban

From Denny: When you can't get your own government to do the job thank these men for the job they are willing to do to protect - Small group of little known paramilitary fighters working to secure Pakistan:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

U.S. bombs poppy crop to cut Taliban drug ties

From Denny: Well, it took long enough! Finally, we are starting to bomb the daylights out of the drug crops in Afghanistan. These farmers have repeatedly been offered free seeds and other resources to raise other crops that will bring income. As usual for weak human beings, they go for the easy and fast cash offered by the new drug dealers in town: the Taliban.

Here's an excerpt from a CNN article. It's also linked on my link companion page: Dennys Global Politics Fav Links under the North America section.

"KABUL, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The U.S. military bombed about 300 tons of poppy seeds in a dusty field in southern Afghanistan Tuesday in a dramatic show of force designed to break up the Taliban's connection to heroin.

The U.S. military bombed about 300 tons of poppy seeds in a dusty field in southern Afghanistan Tuesday.

The air strike occurred mid-day in Helmand province.

The military dropped a series of 1,000-pound bombs from planes on the mounds of poppy seeds and then followed with strikes from helicopters.

Tony Wayne, with the U.S. State Department, said the strikes on poppy seeds, that can be used to make opium and heroin, is part of a strategy shift for the military to stop the Taliban and other insurgents from profiting from drugs.

In a bid to encourage Afghan farmers to swap out their poppy plants for wheat crops the U.S. Agency for International Development has been offering them seeds, fertilizers and improved irrigation.

Many of Afghanistan's northern and eastern provinces have already benefited from USAID alternative farming programs, which have doled out more than $22 million to nearly 210,000 Afghans to build or repair 435 miles (700 kilometers) of roads and some 2,050 miles (3,300 kilometers) of irrigation and drainage canals.

Giving Afghan farmers improved access to markets and improved irrigation is successfully weaning them away from poppy production, according to officials at USAID.

Over the years, opium and heroin -- both derivatives of the poppy -- have served as a major source of revenue for the insurgency, most notably the Taliban movement that once ruled Afghanistan.

"If you can just help the people of Afghanistan in this way, the fighting will go away," said Abdul Qadir, a farmer in Lashkar Gah. "The Taliban and other enemies of the country will also disappear."

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Photo by Department of Defense

Afghanistan, Taliban, United States, heroin, poppy seeds, war, farmers, bombings, Kabul, USAID, farm aid