Brain Fertilizer

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

Isn't the weight inbuilt in particles the proper, incessant, and spontaneous change of matter? Heirs to the brilliant revolutionary deception, they never consider he is built by a previous whose supports our team are powerless to reshape.

posted by kitchenaid 7 cup food processor on May 13, 2012 02:39 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

It is like PARAMORE had announced himself as an amateur pickpocket. Flossy Pierson's sprained her ankle. She is in the Comedie Moderne.

posted by www.airpurifiers-review.com/honeywell-air-purifier-18155/ on May 16, 2012 04:08 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

270 ELIEZER'S MISSION The killing of Sarah dealt Abraham a blow from which he didn't recover. CHAPTER IX SLEEP AS A MEANS OF DECLINING HUMAN EFFECTIVENESS Be not as a result anxious for the Morrow A SURVEY of the lives of smart individuals is both exciting and profitable.

posted by reebok treadmills on February 6, 2012 03:29 PM

---

A website keep updating with handpicked tranny cam sites. We do our greatest to collect the most high quality sites that features transsexual cam intercourse, live shemale chat, free of charge shemale chat rooms and more. Make it a person of the best location to find the ideal tgirl cam sites!

posted by shemale cam free on February 2, 2013 11:20 PM

---

You are a very bright individual!

posted by wyszukiwarka kodów pocztowych łódź on April 11, 2013 02:33 AM

---

Hey, you used to write wonderful, but the last few posts have been kinda boring… I miss your tremendous writings. Past several posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!

posted by www.blog-assurance.info on May 22, 2013 01:11 AM

---

I am so thrilled I found your site. I really found you by mistake, while I was browsing on Yahoo for something else. Anyways I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a great post and an all round enjoyable blog. (I also like the theme/design), I don't have time to read through it all at the minute, but I have added your website to my favorites, so when I have time I will be back to read more. Please do keep up the awesome job!

posted by Freddy Reazer on July 20, 2013 02:10 PM

---

I genuinely treasure your piece of work, Great post.

posted by Adrian Curd on January 19, 2014 10:09 AM

---

perfect article, always enjoy reading top writing.

posted by Pricilla Drizin on January 20, 2014 09:58 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

insinuating Moloch; isn't it enough that you were one kids before without a ray of gal, and that your own special mom went by way of precisely what she DID go by, on accident that you may almost all of you have a little sibling, but can you so behave yourself as to make my very own point float?

posted by how to use a kitchenaid food processor on May 13, 2012 11:48 PM

---

My sis instructed me about your internet website and the way great it is. She''s right, I am really impressed with the writing and slick design. It seems to me you''re simply scratching the floor in terms of that which you might accomplish, however you''re off to a perfect begin!

posted by Oakley¥µ¥ó¥°¥é¥¹Ravishing on January 30, 2013 11:59 PM

---

Furthermore, i believe that mesothelioma is a exceptional form of most cancers that is generally found in these previously familiar with asbestos. Cancerous tissues form within the mesothelium, which is a defensive lining that covers a lot of the body's body organs. These cells ordinarily form while in the lining on the lungs, stomach, or the sac which actually encircles the heart. Thanks for expressing your ideas.

posted by wyszukiwarka kodów pocztowych poznań on April 2, 2013 05:31 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

yeah, and recently they got evan heaver:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/235732/largest_oilfield_in_4_decades_discovered.html

posted by NolaGirl on May 25, 2007 11:07 AM

---

i just ordered it ,cant wait to find it

posted by Debbi Decraene on April 13, 2012 10:46 AM

---

« Hide Comments

Yeah, okay, this is hardly original, either, just being an expansion of the original point. Just don't forget, I have a pen and I'm not afraid to use it.

« Hide "Pithy, but Trite"

---

« Hide Comments

Okay, sure, maybe someone else has said something similar. It does seem a pretty obvious construction. But I've never heard anyone else say it, so until I'm corrected, I'm going to take credit for it.

« Hide "Hierarchy of Power?"

---

« Hide Comments

---

Yes!

This is a point that I simply cannot get through to some people. I'd go further to say that even though it may be hypocrisy, someone that's doing something they tell others not to do (smoking is brought to mind), is not a bad thing so long as they apply the same standard to themselves (such a desire not to be a smoker anymore or to start eating right). Failure to achieve that goal should not prevent someone from recognizing a societal good.

posted by R. Alex on May 26, 2005 08:44 AM

---

« Hide Comments

"I do."

« Hide "Cynicism"

---

Oh. Now, that's not happy.

posted by zombyboy on May 6, 2005 11:10 AM

---

Hmm. I thought it was "where's dinner?".

posted by Jo on May 6, 2005 12:16 PM

---

Ouch.

posted by GradualDazzle on May 6, 2005 10:36 PM

---

The amazing thing is how soon the 10,10,10 rule goes into effect after the "I do" part. Snap! That quick.

posted by Biz on May 8, 2005 08:26 PM

---

Wow. That's harsh. But as a single guy in his 40s, you at least made me feel better.

Of course you'll change your mind ...

posted by IB Bill on May 10, 2005 07:07 AM

---

« Hide Comments

*yes, pun intended. You should know that about me by now.

« Hide "A Thought"

---

They still don't care...

posted by Biz on May 8, 2005 08:41 PM

---

« Hide Comments

*unfortunately, that's an increasingly apt description of moderates, too.

« Hide "One Definition of Insanity"

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

and some of us are just plain people!

posted by moos on March 3, 2005 08:12 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

Well, I sold a bass this weekend for $15 in a garage sale. So ex-girlfriends and or marriage... same thing when it comes to musical equipment.

posted by Sharp as a Marble on February 28, 2005 09:30 AM

---

"Largemouth", "Sea", or "Hybrid"?

posted by Nathan on February 28, 2005 09:36 AM

---

While I doubt you would appreciate the movie, there is an outtake on the High Fidelity DVD that takes this meme to a hilarious conclusion.

posted by R. Alex on February 28, 2005 01:23 PM

---

...actually, I enjoyed the movie quite a bit.

I'll have to rent the DVD to see the outtake, now.

posted by Nathan on February 28, 2005 01:26 PM

---

Oh my goodness, R. Alex- that was the perfect example of a woman scorned seeking her revenge. High Fidelity is one of my Top 10 favorites movies of all time. Wink, wink :D

posted by Rae on February 28, 2005 01:39 PM

---

Nathan,

I didn't realize until I hit post how snooty that sounded. The movie was a mixed bag for me so it sounds like you liked it more than I did! My bad :).

posted by R. Alex on February 28, 2005 03:29 PM

---

You didn't strike me as snooty...I just was trying to figure out what I might have said that would lead someone to believe I wouldn't like a movie revolving around classic rock music...

posted by Nathan on February 28, 2005 03:45 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

You get that too? I was thinking I need to somehow incorporate the WOD into at least one post each day and see how long it takes people to 'out' me for it!

posted by Sharp as a Marble on February 24, 2005 07:23 AM

---

It probably would have taken me a while to catch on, because I only find about 1 in 5 of those unfamiliar and unique enough to read the whole entry...

Luckily, I don't get many readers, so your secret is safe with us! Go for it.

posted by Nathan on February 24, 2005 07:25 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

*sniff*
Eeyore was my favorite Pooh character.

posted by Jeremy on February 22, 2005 04:15 PM

---

And you took that Title in a negative sense, so I guess it fits that Eeyore was your favorite...[grin]

...I originally had "Cassandra-ish", but her predictions come true (because) nobody believes them. Marvin the Depressed Android-ish was too long. I couldn't think of another classic negative person.

posted by Nathan on February 22, 2005 04:17 PM

---

To play the devil's advocate for a moment, one reason might be that those that aren't insulated simply aren't in a position to be heard.

posted by R. Alex on February 22, 2005 10:50 PM

---

Hey, these are Quotes You Can Steal, not Quotes You Can Use Logic to Critique and Improve!!! [grin]

posted by Nathan on February 22, 2005 11:23 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

*I think the bulk of Republicans and conservatives would welcome more Justice Clarence Thomases or more Dr. Condoleeza Rices.

« Hide "Minorities Out Standing in Their Field"

---

Yep.

posted by McGehee on February 7, 2005 07:17 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

LOL! I've been loving that thread. I've never seen so many people argue so nimbly past each other without ever addressing the original question. Heh.

posted by Deb on December 17, 2004 03:18 PM

---

Yeah, I tried to say something at first, but now I'm just enjoying the show:
"My belief system is true because it's true. Lots of people say so. By the way, you are a drooling idiot. Ipso facto."

posted by Nathan on December 17, 2004 03:20 PM

---

Not gonna get into that again. A blog is a good tool for disseminating information (true or false), but a terrible forum for discussion. My brain thinks faster than I can type and I get frustrated that I cannot get my points across in a 3x4 text box.

I understand the whole irreducible complexity argument and I've read dozens of attempts at deconstructing it, but they all fail in the logic sector.

All I know is one day, I will die. Either I simply cease to exist (not a bad thing in and of itself) or I shall meet the designer. I'll play it safe, thank you.

posted by Sharp as a Marble on December 17, 2004 03:49 PM

---

I'll play it safe, thank you.

Sounds like you subscribe to Pascal's wager.

http://www.abarnett.demon.co.uk/atheism/wager.html

posted by Bil from INDC on December 17, 2004 06:02 PM

---

...I was going to say the same thing. Only, I was going to try and do it in an insulting way.

Oh, well, maybe I can be more clever next time.

posted by Nathan on December 17, 2004 06:40 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

I used to be indecisive, but now.....oh hell, I don't know, maybe, maybe not.

posted by Sharp as a Marble on December 10, 2004 11:05 AM

---

I used to have suicidal tendacies. I could just kill myself for thinking that way.

I used to think I was sick all the time, turned out to be hypochondria. See there? I KNEW there had to be SOMETHING!

posted by spacemonkey on December 10, 2004 11:34 AM

---

I once thought I had Attention Deficiency Dis...HEY! Is that a platypus?

posted by Sharp as a Marble on December 10, 2004 11:52 AM

---

I once thought I was getting forgetful, but I wasn't.

posted by Sharp as a Marble on December 10, 2004 11:53 AM

---

I once thought I was getting forgetful, but I wasn't

posted by Sharp as a Marble on December 10, 2004 11:54 AM

---

I once thought I had delusions of grandeur, but then I thought, "ME!? Have delusions of grandeur? How absurd!"

posted by McGehee on December 12, 2004 05:34 AM

---

(Minor variation of the last one):
I used to be afraid I came across as too self-absorbed. What do you think, do I seem that way to you?

posted by Nathan on December 12, 2004 06:54 AM

---

I used to procrastinate, but I never got around to doing anything about it.

posted by JAB on December 12, 2004 06:08 PM

---

"Are you always right?"

"Well, I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken."

posted by Chrees on December 13, 2004 11:31 AM

---

I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV

posted by Jeremy on December 14, 2004 09:39 AM

---

I never use to be able to finish things, but now I

posted by HailToTheKing on June 15, 2005 06:46 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

When I was 14, I sure tried with Camelia Houck but with no luck.

posted by Walter E. Wallis on December 2, 2004 10:57 PM

---

... at least she didn't wish him a Merry Christmas.

posted by Jane on December 3, 2004 11:27 PM

---

Ooh! Nice point, Jane. I can't believe I missed that one.

I just hope no one is questioning her patriotism in this.

posted by Nathan on December 4, 2004 08:52 AM

---

Looks like the victim is a girl. Reports in the news are that Miklosovic actually "married" the girl in a pagan "witchcraft" ceremony.

posted by Dennis on December 4, 2004 04:47 PM

---

I hadn't heard that yet.
Now this is just getting weird.
Got a link?

posted by Nathan on December 4, 2004 05:19 PM

---

Here's link. Two separate cases, and let's not go for a third, teachers.

posted by Jane on December 4, 2004 09:49 PM

---

ok, HERE'S the link http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41762

posted by Jane on December 4, 2004 09:51 PM

---

« Hide Comments

*Stolen and slightly modified from its original form in a Steven Brust novel, who probably stole and slightly modified it from Sun Tzu or Clausewitz or somebody.

« Hide "Negotiate?"

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

Oh, and there's a good chance (say, nearly .001%) that she was talking about my blog when she said, and I quote:

Yes, but if I tell you they'll be over-run and I'll never be able to go there again

« Hide "Quote of the Day"

---

« Hide Comments

---

Compared to the Chauchaot LMG our troops were issued during WW1 the M-16 is a masterpiece. The round isn't powerful enough for knockdown kills, and it requires more maintenance than say an AK, but the shosho didn't even work.

posted by triticale on October 18, 2004 12:32 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

I've always said I wasn't photogenic. I'm going with YOUR explanation from now on.

Of course, the fact that all my recent pictures suck has NOTHING to do with Time marching across my freakin' body. Newp.

::: sobs quietly :::

posted by Margi on September 29, 2004 01:49 AM

---

I have a theory about this (those who know me know I have a theory about pretty much everything!):
The photogenic people have nice bones/skin/whatever that when everything is composed right and at the right angle and so forth, they look very beautiful. But the people who are attractive in motion are attractive because of the sparkle in their eye, the ironic quirk of an eyebrow, the warmth of a genuine smile, the graceful posture, the obvious zest for life, the infectious laugh, etc. These are things that cannot be captured in a photograph. Of course, there are people who are attractive both ways, and people who are not attractive in pictures or in life...
Margi, as one who has been in your living room, you are much more alive and engaging in person than in a photograph. Mitch would agree, I'm sure.

posted by Nathan on September 29, 2004 10:09 AM

---

Your theory makes perfect sense to me. This is why some celebrities look -- um, not so good in person.

And as for the second paragraph -- That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. What a sweetheart. Now I'm blushing and digging my toe in the dirt, so I'll just say "Thank you!" and punch you in the arm and run away. ;)

posted by Margi on September 29, 2004 11:30 AM

---

Ouch! Hey! I'm telling Mom!

posted by Nathan on September 29, 2004 11:32 AM

---

I don't know, Nathan. I think that I am very photogenic, but still have charisma; a sparkle in a my eyes and a bit of mischieviousness in there, too; a genuine smile, zest for life; infectious laugh, etc. It could be that I am vain and do have little tricks that my photographer friend taught me when someone is snapping a photo.

I have absolutely no doubt that Margi is drop dead gorgeous, but I do think that what we know of one's soul finds beauty in our eyes.

posted by Rae on September 29, 2004 04:40 PM

---

Well, I did say this in my first comment:
Of course, there are people who are attractive both ways,

posted by Nathan on September 29, 2004 07:14 PM

---

Why yes you did, Nathan. Sorry I missed that somehow...

posted by Rae on September 30, 2004 06:12 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

and I thought I was bad!

posted by Jo on September 22, 2004 08:40 AM

---

Jo- need you to expound on "bad" please....

posted by Rae on September 22, 2004 08:45 AM

---

Oh, and thank you for the highlight, Nathan :)

posted by Rae on September 22, 2004 08:46 AM

---

It's the 'quiet' ones you really have to watch, Jo.

posted by Nathan on September 22, 2004 08:47 AM

---

°snicker*

That's beautiful.

posted by zombyboy on September 22, 2004 09:10 AM

---

My favorite part was "easily manipulated". Would that "boobies" were such. [sigh]

posted by Nathan on September 22, 2004 09:14 AM

---

Scratch "bad", please replace with "naughty. veeeery naughty."

posted by Jo on September 22, 2004 10:17 AM

---

Yes, Jo, naughty in the correct circumstances is very nice :)

Nathan, I think you may be thinking of something else that would it be more "easily manipulated" would make for far less work and confusion for the male mind (among other things)...

[How was that, Jo?]

posted by Rae on September 22, 2004 11:22 AM

---

This is getting pretty entertaining!

Somewhere in Eastern Washington, somebody's blushing up a storm.

posted by Jo on September 22, 2004 11:33 AM

---

Now, why would I blush about footrubs?

posted by Nathan on September 22, 2004 12:15 PM

---

*jaw drops*

This puts a whole new spin/swerve/meaning to the quote:
"78.6% of the people who quote statistics are wrong"

(Think about it)

posted by Jeremy on September 23, 2004 11:43 AM

---

As usual, Jeremy, you crack me up!

posted by Rae on September 23, 2004 06:19 PM

---

Are you talking about a foot massage, Nathan, because we all know that a foot massage means more (even though we don't say it, we all know it).....

posted by Rae on September 27, 2004 09:13 PM

---

Sorry- you have seen Pulp Fiction; have you not?

posted by Kris on September 28, 2004 08:38 AM

---

But of course.

posted by Nathan on September 28, 2004 08:40 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

and I had farts that were lasting longer than the time period you are using for thinking about your postings...

posted by Gray on August 30, 2004 11:30 AM

---

If you were trying to offend me, it didn't work; that's the biggest laugh I've had all day.

...umm, if that was your intention, it worked. Thanks.

posted by Nathan on August 30, 2004 11:33 AM

---

Welcome :D

posted by Gray on August 30, 2004 12:41 PM

---

"I have more time in the latrine than Kerry had in Vietnam."

Of course, no one ever shot at me in the latrine, but still....

posted by Russ on August 30, 2004 03:58 PM

---

The stuff you were passing while there certainly stinks less than...never mind, I'll stop there.

posted by Nathan on August 30, 2004 04:01 PM

---

« Hide Comments

How come nobody ever steals these quotes?

« Hide "Individual Liberties"

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

Wow and Amen. You put it so eloquently. Thank you. I do believe I shall steal that sometime in the near future.

posted by satr on July 15, 2004 07:53 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

LMAO. That's so bad.

posted by Jen on June 28, 2004 01:07 AM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments

---

(calls dad)

(y'all are still driving the farm trucks, right? No Beemers? He validates, "we don't buy German cars, what are ya, nuts?")

(looks at checkbook. $67 of last week's paycheck remains, $200 of "minumum payments" on doctor bills due today)

If the left is how you describe, maybe I need to defect to their specific enclave. 'cuz right now, I think I am feeling a decidedly less paletteable version of poverty.

posted by Jo on June 15, 2004 07:58 AM

---

Aside from snark:
Go live in the poorer sections of China, French Guyana, Myanmar, Mexico. Then we can talk poverty.
Remember what the Jews went through in WWII, go tour the mass graves and children's prisons of Iraq, listen to first-hand stories of Mao's China. Then we can talk tyranny.

It just ain't happening in the US. No amount of distortion to win votes can make it true.

posted by nathan on June 15, 2004 08:31 AM

---

I've never said I feel tyranny happens in the US. That said, I would like to think most liberals AND conservatives are globally aware enough to realize what tyranny is. As for poverty, I think there is true poverty in the US, though not widespread. You don't have to go very far south, IMO, to encounter it...Oaxaca comes to mind. Not sure why we have such chummy relations with Mexico when the government turns a blind eye to the destitution, poverty, and deplorable environment.

posted by Jo on June 15, 2004 09:31 AM

---

Yeah, Nathan, I'm not exactly sure where you're going with this, either. Conservatives may have the good sense to give the Indigo Girls a wide berth, but are they more likely to have first-hand experience with life among the poor in French Guyana? I think you could make the point that leftists are more likely than others to affect *solidarity* with the poor and downtrodden, and that that tendency is especially galling in people with trust funds. In my experience, though, leftists are not any more likely to come from rich families.

posted by Sean Kinsell on June 15, 2004 10:35 AM

---

Do I have to be going anywhere with it?

It seemed Jo was saying she is a liberal and never experienced that sort of wealth. She seemed to be splitting hairs on specifics. So aside from my snark and hers, I'm proposing a new direction for America: using our wealth and freedom and clout to help bring about economic and political freedom across the globe. Just handing out money never works, but we'll have to spend large sums to help create circumstances that allow people to enjoy freedom and create wealth, just like we are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. It may be a few years before we can help the next region, but I think we should be considering it now.
But the first argument against that is that we should take care of Americans first. My belief is that Americans already have all we need, and the government entitlements championed by the left are unnecessary and counterproductive. The relative "poverty" in the US still represents more wealth than 100s of millions will ever experience. And no one in the US is far from wealth, with reasonable choice and reasonable effort. That's not true of many places, where there is virtually no chance to improve your lot in life.

But Rule #1 is: you don't have to agree. You don't even have to think I have an interesting point.

posted by nathan on June 15, 2004 01:45 PM

---

I'm the last person opposed to spreading the wealth amongst needy nations, but I am most definitely (and to the chagrin of friends in BOTH parties sometimes) an "America First-er".

One area I see a lot of poverty is within the subset of folks afflicted with untreated mental illness, who do not receive any help from their families. Some studies show that the number of homeless afflicted with mental illness is as high as 30%. Some of these people do not even know about housing/foodstamp options. What they really need is to be treated for their conditions so they might return to normal society.

I hear a lot about building Afghani and Iraqi schools, but as I have lamented to you in the past, Nathan, I volunteer at a school that is actually rejecting new students, the classrooms are so cramped. The nearest school next to it is many miles away and out of reach for most parents. SOME children should not be afforded an opportunity for education, ALL should. Especially if we're gonna get in the business of building schools in other countries.

Also, I invite you down any time to see how the migrant workers live here. What is our responsibility to them? frankly, I don't even know the answer. But 14 year olds and younger are out tending fields in May, well before school lets out. And legally, they can. What about school for these kids? What are the rights of the parent? Does the welfare of the child supercede the desires of the parent? If so, we've got problems on the homefront to deal with first.

posted by Jo on June 15, 2004 03:04 PM

---

"Do I have to be going anywhere with it?"

Well, not really. Since this is your property, you can talk about why vanilla ice cream tastes better with the little seeds in it if you like; but the beginning of your post said, "The mindset of the left is easier to understand if...." Maybe I'm overinterpreting, but that sounds to me like the intro to something you think important, and I just didn't get what you were driving at. (I certainly don't want to nettle you further, but given that you mentioned BMW and espresso instead of just the family car and coffee, it doesn't seem like a leap for Jo to take what you were saying as a caricature of all liberals as spoiled--I took it that way, too.)

posted by Sean Kinsell on June 15, 2004 05:46 PM

---

Jo,
The left should have been the ones pushing for the liberation of Iraq. That many cite Halliburton (an American company that employs Americans with high-paying jobs overseas, i.e., INsourcing) as a reason to leave a dictator in place, and then with the same breath criticize the Bush administration for not stopping OUTsourcing is just one example of Liberal hypocrisy. There are many others.

Sean,
Ah, yes. I am going somewhere with this. Sort of. A) I'm on the attack against the morally bankrupt hypocrisy of the Left. It's an ongoing thing. B) I am building up to some suggestions on changing the course of the nation, away from the "Winner Takes All" mentality of conservatives/Republicans, but also away from the power-hungry pandering and influence peddling entitlements of the liberals/Democrats. But rather than write a 300-page thesis like Bill Whittle, I'm going to share my vision one post at a time, only a few hundred words each post. Snark will be a part of it, and along the line, I will probably alienate and anger Liberals, libertarians, and Conservatives.

posted by Nathan on June 15, 2004 10:49 PM

---

The left isn't a big fan of vanity wars, Nathan.

;)

Actually, snark aside: the left wing I identify with doesn't think military action is the solution to the world's ills. "Liberate" is a wonderful sounding word, but it still causes WAR.

Anyway, before we got off onto that tangent...I would like you to answer the question I have posed previously.

I would like your honest answer on what our obligation to illegal immigrants is.

When there is no agricultural work in the winter, I have seen these people camped out in tents, rummaging through garbage for food (given, this is the worst case of it I have seen and doesn't happen with all of them).

Now, if we are going to talk "global poverty", what is our obligation to people who live here illegally?

posted by Jo on June 16, 2004 07:57 AM

---

The left isn't a big fan of vanity wars

Mm-hmm. Can you construct a sentence using the terms "President Clinton", "Bosnia", and "legacy"? I knew you could.

I didn't aware the illegal immigrant issue was a question for me.

Our responsibility is clear: enforce the law. Quit encouraging illegal immigration with a wink and a smile. Michelle Malkin has a sizable body of work on the issue, and I pretty much agree with her 99%, and can't remember what the remaining 1% of disagreement might be, just that I haven't read every single word she may have written on the subject...
We have an immigration policy. It's there for a reason. Most people have to play by the rules, so we shouldn't let some people slide in for free. Especially since being in an illegal status keeps them from being able to truly improve and/or enrich themselves, rather, it keeps them more or less enslaved. And I don't care if the price of tomatoes or whatever doubles, either.

posted by Nathan on June 16, 2004 09:35 AM

---

But my question is this: you say there's no true poverty in the US. I disagree, citing illegal immigrants. But do we as a country have an obligation to them, or the same obligation had they still lived across the border?

I ask not to be argumentative at all...I think this is an area we need to start discussing first when we talk about poverty.

posted by Jo on June 16, 2004 10:15 AM

---

You are getting distracted with shadows.

There will always be a problem you can say "if we just throw more money at it, it will be better." Uh-uh. Johnson's Great Society demonstrated the fallacy of that.

I may not have made it clear what I mean by "true" poverty.
The school programs and scholarships and libraries and GED programs and Community Colleges we have all across this great nation make it possible for any impoverished family to raise themselves up by their bootstraps within 1 generation. That most families don't doesn't mean the opportunity isn't there, but that they are being paid to not even try. Our welfare system offers little to no incentive to return to work. Welfare reform helped quite a bit, but states like New York are already working around the restrictions. In fact, we are paying people to not get married and have more out-of-wedlock births. Again, welfare reform has helped, but it will probably another 15 years before we start seeing the benefits of that reform.
Illegal immigrans are quite possibly the exception to that rule. Being illegal, they cannot take a low-paying job to build a resume and work up to a good job, like anyone else can. They are stuck on the fringes. Being stuck on the fringes, their children, even though citizens, are denied some of the advantages of the children of citizens and legal resident aliens. It can be overcome, but is much harder.
To that extent I agree.
However, the solution remains the same: stop making it easy for them to remain as illegals, which we do for the sake of cheap labor. I don't care if it's Republicans or Democrats who are using that excuse, I think it is wrong. It would make things more difficult for one generation, yes, but as I've said before (many times), I take the long view, and try to avoid the quick easy fixes. I want policies that provide natural incentives to obey the law and do the right thing, not ones that reward those who break the law.
From what I have read, this is exactly what Michelle Malkin says...I learned some of it from her, some of it I merely found that we were in agreement before I read her stuff.

posted by Nathan on June 16, 2004 10:29 AM

---

I can't take Malkin' opinions on immigration seriously, due to the fact she gets her panties in a wad to the point that she writes a column over the poor kid at McDonalds who had trouble understanding her order and obviously was a case of ESL.

Lord, I can't believe she gets paid to do that.

At any rate: here's some poverty right here in our country, what to do, what to do. They're already here, they're not gonna go back, their children are citizens. it's a quagmire of its own.

posted by Jo on June 16, 2004 10:55 AM

---

I absolutely disagree. I think you are missing the point, and the Democrat party has demonstrated its inability to deal rationally with the problem in the first place. Your party will wring its hands forever over the problem, when action needs to be taken now to prevent this from occurring in the future. Then we can deal with the ones who are already here: you stop the flood before you start mopping up the floor. The Democrat solution is to extend voting rights to non-citizens in a not-so-subtle attempt to increase their power in a nation that is increasingly skeptical of Democrat "solutions" (i.e. raise taxes to give more entitlements).
In this, I don't agree with President Bush who co-opted the originally Democrat idea of amnesty, because it only encourages more illegals to sneak in for the hopes of another amnesty. That betrays all the people who did follow the rules to get here.

Heck, I think we need to find more incentives to encourage legal resident aliens to pursue their citizenship, because I'm a little tired of people who get all the benefits of living here without committing to this nation by giving up their previous citizenship. With half the citizens not voting, voting rights doesn't seem to be incentive enough...

posted by Nathan on June 16, 2004 11:23 AM

---

Well, let's not get into "your party" here, because you know my feelings on immigration, and not only do I dislike the D's answer, but I dislike Bush's answer as well.

And I agree with urging people to strive for citizenship, of course. This may be one of few issues we come close to agreeing on.

posted by Jo on June 16, 2004 11:42 AM

---

Well, if you don't like what either party is proposing in regards to immigration, we are in agreement on that, too.

posted by Nathan on June 16, 2004 11:44 AM

---

There has to be a better way, re: immigration. This is the greatest country in the world, being a citizen here is very special. It should be a goal for illegal immigrants, to say the least.

Unfortunately, people who follow the proper channels to move here from other countries face much red tape and adversity, yet there are so many back-door residents who sneak across the border...

I could go on and on.

posted by Jo on June 16, 2004 12:06 PM

---

« Hide Comments

---

« Hide Comments