Stop Immigration Raids!

So today I was supposed to go to an immigrat rights protest downtown. Somehow it either didn't happen or I missed it completely, though I was there at the appropriate time. But I've been meaning to write this note and it's a very important one. Obama hasn't been much change in policy as far as immigrants are concerned. And the most frightening thing is he's continued with the ruthless policy of immigration raids.

Back in July he promised(http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69612) to end it. Like a good politician, speaking in front of a raving latino crowd, he gave them what they wanted to hear: hope. But that isn't what has happened so far. Immigrant rights activists have been furious after raids have continued.

What is an immigration raid? In my state of Florida we have many random blitzes from the police, purposely near immigrant (mostly Brazilian in my region) businesses and neighborhoods. I didn't know this could even occur at the time and I was surprised how fast the news would carry through the community. My mom would always be like "oh so and so called me, told me she had to turn another way cause she saw a police blitz over on so so street". My mom doesn't need to care about them, she's legal now, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have a heart. And everyone should have a heart in this case.

An illegal immigrant, driving just to feed his family, in a moment is now torn away from all that he built up. From his family, car, house, his whole life turned upside down. The police turns into the enemy, not the helping hand for immigrants. Immigration raids at workplaces and on the streets are purely unethical. Why deport someone who isn't breaking the law (outside from entering illegally). If they're producing members of a society, they shouldn't be uprooted so cruelly. Like i've said, immigrants don't come here to drive, they come to work and try to build on the American dream. The policy of the U.S. government however, only encourages criminal activity. Without supervision, in their state in the shadows, what incentive do they have to be lawful, to pay their taxes, etc? The aim is to assimilate illegals, not alienate them.

The author of this article (http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_12074704?nclick_check=1) is correct in many ways. Obama has sent mixed signals, purposely or otherwise on his intentions with immigrant rights. And he is correct that Mexico is being pathetic in complaining to the U.S. government. Mexico needs to become a state capable to function on its own. Ironically, it's so close to the most powerful nation in the world and yet it is so weak economically. Many of its south american neighbors put it to shame in that aspect. But we must help them in some way, while also giving them the responsibility for their citizens. I'm all for legalizing the immigrants here now, but we cannot have another 12 million illegals here 10 years from now because of Mexico or any other nation's excuses.

Stop Using Twitter!

First we had livejournal, which some people used often, providing you with a constant stream of your friends' stream of consciousness. Personally I enjoyed livejournal and I thought it was a great way of communicating your thoughts, while keeping a very personal connection with people you knew. No pictures, no video, just pure rambling, sometimes long and boring factoids about your life.

Well, unsurprisingly the advent of Myspace took this model and "enhanced" it, or- I believe -ruined it. No more was it a purely text-based thing but now you had layouts and the famous 'myspace mirror picture' ( little known fact: an angel loses his wings every time you take those), bulletins, stupid interactive games, video, child molesters, pesky ads, and a whole plethora of other things to deal with. But the major problem was it eliminated a lot of what made livejournal personal and made having myspace friends you possibly don't know a greater possibility.

Facebook is a bit different but runs on the same concept right? I just like it because it's neat and organized, and from the beginning functioned on these network things that kept you at least in theory in your area code. Plus facebook brought bumper stickers and graffiti! Who doesn't love those? The status update was also a good invention, keeping you interested in your friends' mundane happenings. Also, I think notes are used more often in Facebook than in myspace, but of course they serve a different function than a diary like livejournal was. Right now I think facebook is the most "virtuous" option, even though I hate this "new" facebook. The makers of facebook are like unsatisfied women who always have to move furniture around every month at the expense of their husbands.

BUT TWITTER? (I had to go bold on you guys) Are serious? I know I said status updates are cool and all, but you can't run a service just on status updates! 140 characters?! What kind of brain-dead, ADD, simple people would sign up for this ? OH America. But this is not a chastisement of all of America, but of American media and politicians more precisely. What other institution (if it were an institution) better embodies American idiocy? It's a shame on the world stage to be caught up in such a gimmick.

Every major news network has a twitter, Fox and CNN (I don't know about MSNBC) both have shows in which they twitter WHILE doing it. It's a sad excuse for what they call being 'interactive'. " Well it's time for our twitter board ' babymama242 says: OBAMA shud pympp slap AIG' , " . You've certainly seen the type of misconstrued sentences, criminal typos and purely ignorant things that come up on these type of forums like Youtube, facebook discussion boards, and twitter. So they never should be used in any form as a journalistic element.

The media's job is to give news, not to interact. Stop twittering and go cover important stories on genocide, injustice, the president, whatever. I can name 100 things right off the top of my head right now that could be a better use of the media's time than devoting time to even mentioning twitter. So please. Stop it, you're not cool! Twitter isn't even cool!

Now for the politicians. All those congressmen/women twittering during the president's speech. And all of them have it too, it's ridiculous. Do you think that keeps you closer to your constituents? That they now know what disrespectful asshole you are going online to make your status update while the president talks? Thanks a lot, you're really caring about my interests. I just hate politicians, almost all of them. And this type of shit, though so stupid and small on the list of shit they do, really pisses me off. They're acting like celebrities, like Ashton Kutcher twittering a picture of his wife's ass. What's the difference? Very minimal in my book.

So just stop twittering. Stop it.

Cuba, G-20 and Republican Uselessness.

I just wanted to talk a little bit about recent events and their implications in the future:

Cuba:

While Obama's move was applauded by most democrats and wildly criticized by blind republicans, it didn't do much. The fact still remains that America maintains a stubborn embargo that would have had even more disastrous consequences if Cuba hadn't been so pragmatic in dealing with the Soviets and now Europe. Now Cuban-Americans can visit Cuba and send money. But a lot of Cubans here, at least many fiery ones in Miami wouldn't go back anyway. They'd much rather put on a huge party in Dolphins Stadium when Fidel Castro dies (true story) . The money might help a bit, but if we take the examples of Mexico and Mexican-Americans what they need is fair trade, not visitation and remittances. The stupid embargo makes Cuba spend many times over 3x more on important imports such as medicine. Still, it remains a fighting a country that makes Latin America (and the U.S. ) jealous in educational and health standards. It is obvious blockades and embargos do not work, while only making the "enemy" more stubborn and resistant. The example of Cuba and Palestine is out there for all to see.

G-20:

With that said, Obama made great progress at the recent G-20 summit. It's amazing how the world deposits trust and confidence in him. He was able to mediate a conflict with France and China and he was clearly the leader among leaders, instead of a creepy old man that gives back massages to Angela Merkel and makes world leaders cringe. He gave a great speech in France calling out the Europeans for a knee-jerk anti-americacnism that had developed in recent years while also being humble and saying America should also learn to appreciate Europe. Overall it was a very successful trip.

Republican uselessness:

I've come to the conclusion that the republican party is the most shameful image of America in this world. It is not an opposition party, but a mud-slinging bunch of imbiciles who know nothing of what they're talking about. There was a time when being a republican meant something concrete, an understandable and rational opposition. But the developments since and a bit before Nixon drew all that was bad from it to the top.

I'm very opposed to a two-party state and I'm by no means a democrat but the Republican party has just deteriorated to a point of no return. It must either die completely and arise anew like a phoenix or a new party (hopefully parties) will take its place. If you ask me the future will be the latter. Instead of reevaluating itself, the republicans have only shifted more to the right. Instead of seeing the huge mistake of Sarah Palin, they support her more than ever. Instead of reaching out to minorities, the educated classes, etc. they are more and more concentrated within the rich capitalist/uneducated whites, an ironic combination but that makes sense given the history of this country.

The misdirected anger is ridiculous. Propagated networks such as Fox News, the public turns its righteous anger of the situation on a government that is barely 3 months old, instead of the failed companies and policies of wall street. Just like while most southerners did not own slaves, the vast majority of confederate troops fought for a system they never did and never would benefit from. That is what these "tea parties" are. Misdirected anger. They are a huge tea bagging on the american public. Funded by the rich, the people holding "Obama is a Facist!" don't know what facism is, and even less that they are in fact benefitting from Obama's tax plans.

It's scary when you think that this country is so evenly divided between left and right. It makes no sense how a failed platform such as Mccain's (which I love as an individual, not as a president) would still gather 46% of the popular vote in the election.

Even scarier is the power of the pundits over these people. When Glenn Beck incites not only anger towards the administration but also implies violence(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNp9GSbFQhQ&feature=related), when the Texan governor implies secession from the union, when pundits warn to buy guns while you can, all these things scare me because we have 46% of the population who voted for these guys. And lets say 46% do not necessarily agree with these outcries but I'm confident in saying that at least half of those 46% do. When Glenn Beck does his crazy antics in San Antonio and calls for secession in Texas and the huge mob applauds that is some scary shit (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3W-gmwnWLs).

It seems to me like Obama has been in power for years in the way Republicans are attacking him. But he hasn't. In only 3 months Newt Gringwitch is already calling Obama " the biggest power grabber in U.S. history" . In only 3 months Republicans have fired every sort of inane criticism (none of them really useful or constructive) of Obama. Like bowing to the Saudi King? Who cares? But apparently to republicans that is unacceptable. It was ok when Bush kissed and held hands with the Saudi King though, that's all good , no homo you know? It took far longer for the Democrats to start fighting back during Bush's 8 year reign and even when they did it was utterly weak.

So who is leading this ridiculous party? It's certainly not Michael Steele, the first black chairman but also an idiot who wants to bring republicans to the "urban-suburban" scene through using words such as "bling" and other ghetto sayings. No one in congress seems to lead them either. The real leaders of the republican party are brain-dead farts like Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly and that stupid "principle" 14-year old they had speak at their conference.

That's why I say the republicans are contributing nothing to the discussion. They are useless, an opposition without opposition. And the only way to escape this circle of ignorance is through education.