Alarming News: I like Morgan Freeberg. A lot.
American Digest: And I like this from "The Blog That Nobody Reads", because it is -- mostly -- about me. What can I say? I'm on an ego trip today. It won't last.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: We were following a trackback and thinking "hmmm... this is a bloody excellent post!", and then we realized that it was just part III of, well, three...Damn. I wish I'd written those.
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: ...I just remembered that I found a new blog a short while ago, House of Eratosthenes, that I really like. I like his common sense approach and his curiosity when it comes to why people believe what they believe rather than just what they believe.
Brutally Honest: Morgan Freeberg is brilliant.
Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Morgan Freeberg at House of Eratosthenes (pftthats a mouthful) honors big boned women in skimpy clothing. The picture there is priceless--keep scrolling down.
Exile in Portales: Via Gerard: Morgan Freeberg, a guy with a lot to say. And he speaks The Truth...and it's fascinating stuff. Worth a read, or three. Or six.
Just Muttering: Two nice pieces at House of Eratosthenes, one about a perhaps unintended effect of the Enron mess, and one on the Gore-y environ-movie.
Mein Blogovault: Make "the Blog that No One Reads" one of your daily reads.
The Virginian: I know this post will offend some people, but the author makes some good points.
Poetic Justice: Cletus! Ah gots a laiv one fer yew...
This Is Good XV
Jack Kemp tells the Republicans how to win in November, or at least, how not to lose. I agree with him, but I see something worth bolting on to the end of what he said, so I will join him in telling Republicans how not to lose.
In many respects, the way Republicans position themselves on immigration will determine whether the party retains the mantle of majority leadership. Will we remain a party that governs – that offers practical solutions to the problems facing the country? Or will we revert to the harsh rhetoric of criminalizing illegals and even those who provide services, albeit unwittingly? Immigration – including the robust annual flow required to keep our economy growing and the 12 million illegal immigrants already in the country — is a fact of life in the United States today. And the only practical way to deal with these stubborn realities is with a comprehensive solution, one that includes border security, interior enforcement, a guest-worker program and status for the illegal immigrants already here.
Some counsel that Congress should start with tougher enforcement and border security but wait to create a guest-worker program or address the illegal population. Only in that way, it is said, can we avoid the mistakes of the failed 1986 immigration reform.
In fact, the lesson of 1986 is that only a comprehensive solution will fix our broken immigration system. The 1986 legislation combined amnesty for 3 million illegal immigrants with a promise of tougher enforcement, particularly in the workplace. But the law did not recognize the need for future immigration to meet the demands of a growing economy, and the new enforcement never materialized. Twenty years later, illegal immigration is unabated. While immigrants continue to be drawn to the jobs created by our economy, they have no legal way to enter the country.
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Of course…we must stand strong in favor of assimilation. New immigrants need to learn English, U.S. history and the historic principles that have made this country great.President Reagan, who was in favor of strong borders, once remarked that “a nation without borders is not really a nation,” but he constantly reminded us that America must remain a “beacon” and a “shining city on a hill” for immigrants who continually renew our great country with their energy and add to the nation’s economic growth and prosperity. [emphasis mine]
The reason I think Kemp’s words have particularly urgent weight right now, is we’re being deluged with political leaders, political candidates, and bodies of thought that dare to question, or altogether repudiate, the notion that there are good things about this country.
I’m a big fan of freedom of speech, including unpopular speech. I think American people should be able to say, within reason, just about anything. And in debating “within reason” I’ll expand that scope to include more of the detritus at the carpet’s edge, than just about anyone you can find, on the left or on the right.
But that’s what I think American people ought to be able to say. People. Once those people want to run for office and actually start deciding things, I’m in favor of a litmus test. The notion that America is great and stands for good things, shouldn’t be as controversial among our politicians as it is. You simply shouldn’t be in line to be Captain, if you aren’t that fond of the ship.
Whether Americans should feel good about themselves for being Americans, or not, is such a phony issue. A whole host of much more worthwhile decisions waits for us, after we get that one settled, and it would be to everybody’s advantage to get it settled this year, for good. Enough with the phony liberal-white-guy’s guilt complex.
Kemp says we must stand strong on assimilation. Reagan said a nation without borders isn’t really a nation. These are controversial positions…and, may I ask, why is that? Why the controversy? We need to debate whether America is entitled to culture, and borders, when these are sovereign rights just taken-for-granted by just about every other country? We are the country most deserving of these sovereign rights that other countries have. Why should there even be any discussion about whether our country should have them?
Bumper sticker for Republicans. Free to download. I think this just about sums it up.
Update 7/19/06: There’s a great example of what I’m talking about, over at The Cigar Intelligence Agency. Blogger’s response is worthy of more prominence than I have time to give it at the moment. It is extraordinarily well-said. To say it is kind of well-said, is like saying Howard Dean is kind of crazy, gas is a little on the pricey side right now, or that Erica Chevillar looks “all right” in a bikini. This is superlatively well-said. Go read it.
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As a conservative anthropologist/archeologist (meaning I�m an anomaly), the concept of culture has been pounded into my head. It�s a difficult concept to define, but there is overwhelming agreement that it is something all humans have. But there came a day when we were discussing culture in a classroom discussion and the professor asked, �Do Americans have culture?� There was one student in the class (a recent emigrant from the place where two of our helicopters were shot down) who assured us Americans have no culture. There she was proud of the new house she had just bought saying we Americans have no culture! There was nothing from the professor to contest this erroneous assertion, only a little smirk. I feel like the professor passed up a great chance to further illuminate the concept of culture. What I�ve noticed is that so many academics believe other cultures are more valid than ours. There�s something wrong with us. We�re too aggressive, too hardworking, and somehow we don�t deserve the kind of lives we live. You talk about assimilation? It seems their idea of assimilation is about us assimilating to other people. To me that kind of assimilation might be an effective policy for border control. It would dilute all we have fought for over the last two hundred plus years, the very ideals that have proven to be so attractive to emigrants in the first place.
- Lockjaw45 | 07/18/2006 @ 09:58Lockjaw