Sox Shuffle Continues
Friday Afternoon Diversion
Jay-Z Announces 2010 Tour Dates. Chicago Not On List.
Around Town
I Fight Dragon$
As you read this, thousands of people are preparing to march from Union Park to Grant Park, past the Federal Center in the Loop, hoping that they can impress upon the rest of the nation the importance not only of their struggle, but the impact and significance that their lives have had upon our nation. Around the US today, immigration rights activists, immigrants, and yes, natural born Americans, will be carrying American flags in marches to signify the struggle for justice, fairness, and the promise of liberty and equality that America was built on.
One year ago today, nearly half a million people shut down vast portions of the Chicago economy in a day of protest, aimed at drawing attention to the plight of people that have come here from all parts of the world, all walks of life, for a chance at a better life. Often derided as criminals who sap the lifeblood out of our economy, or marginalized as lower-class workers who take jobs that most Americans "don't want", the reality is that many of these people have come here to live simply as the rest of us do - lives of quiet fulfillment, stability, and the chance to see their children grow up into a future of good choices and better opportunities than they had.
As the floundering Bush Administration grasps for a domestic victory to hang what's left of it's legacy on, and the newly emboldened Democratic-controlled Congress grapples with it's conservative elements and the more moderate side of the Republican Party, and entire segment of the American workforce waits in the wings, hoping for the chance to be legitimized, and the freedom to come out from under the shadows and live a life meaning and purpose, without fear of tomorrow. It is only fitting that one year ago today, one of the biggest marches for immigration justice took place in a city built on the labor, lives, and passion of people from all over the world. Although today's march will be, without doubt, overwhelmingly Latino, it is important to remember that this struggle isn't only about the Mexican that washes dishes anonymously in a hot kitchen, or the Romanian that built your condo. Today's march means equalizing the economy for the Moroccan architect, the Polish psychiatrist, and the Bulgarian steelworker. In many ways, this march is about all of us here in the City by the Lake, and our collective future here in a nation of many people, living as one.
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How many times is Chicagoist going to wander to the fringes? Shouldn't this be in the comedy section? Either that or Chicagoist should officially change its name to "Leftcagoist."
Geez Kevin, can't you just wank in private like everyone else?
Living as one???
Is it "Self Parody Tuesday?"
Remember to go out and support the illegal immigrants that want to have better legal rights. I demand the right to go to any country and have them give me the full rights of that country citizens.
Except we're the only country with a freaking "Welcome" mat out for everyone (re: Statue of Liberty) to come on in and make themselves at home.
Unless you're a brown person.
Which is what this whole thing is REALLY about, right Lou Dobbs? And you too, rich?
That said, I agree with you in spirit, Kevin, but this article did feel a bit on the preachy side...
Remember to go out and support the illegal immigrants that want to have better legal rights. I demand the right to go to any country and have them give me the full rights of that country citizens.
I'm all for you leaving Rich. I hear they need people in Iraq.
Well I guarantee that they will leave downtown a mess just like last year. Garbage and signs discarded everywhere. I do think immigration laws need to change. I do think we need a better path to citizenship. BUT, we should not tell everyone in the world that you can ignore our laws at your own convenience. Our laws is the only thing protecting our rights. Having someone slip into our country and expecting us to change is wrong. We do not tell Mexico to change.
Hey Mr. "Unless you're a brown person"
perhaps you might wanna check your immigration stats as its mostly brown people from one country that are streaming in,inturn locking other brown people from Africa,Haiti, China etc, out? What about balance?
Yea it’s all about living as one, which is why the leaders of the march spent so much time building bridges between other cultures. Maybe I will go out again and try to look for the all those Romanians, Moroccans, Polish, Bulgarians, etc. Maybe I didn't see them because the sun was in my eyes? I did see that cool dude wearing
that niffty over sized white, green and red Sombrero( at least three feet high and free feet wide)with all those gang tattoos on his arm, including one that said “RIP Spider ”, and I'm glade he brought six of his "associates" along him, nice!
Opps and I'm sorry about breaking the economic boycott some of the oragnizers were calling for to show thier "muscle"
and hey Mike M, there is a big difference between left and liberal, liberals are praising and promoting this march, the left is trying to impeach your gangster vice President.
@spook:
Last I checked with my non-native friends at work, there hasn't been a problem for them to come in. It's just when it's one particular country, everyone (including you apparently) gets all pissy.
Hey "thunder what ever"
If that comment wasn't so ridiculously false, it would be funny
I would recommend some mainstream reading for you on the issue, but hey you got it covered by checking with you're "none native" friends at work
Why do those who are in favor of illegal immigrants conveniently refuse to acknowledge the KEY issue. That is, the ILLEGAL part. Why do they fall pray to laughable emotional concepts like "people aren't illegal"?
I have yet to hear one non-emotional argument that explains why it's acceptable for a certain group to consciously violate specific laws. Where are the logical explanations that manage to justify identity theft?
The immigration system in the US is broken and desperately needs to be fixed. That's obvious. It's also obvious that immigration is generally overwhelmingly positive and that we could do with more legal immigrants, not less. However, those facts do not constitute sufficient pretext to justify ignoring whatever laws are inconvenient.
My wife and I went through the absurd and byzantine USCIS vetting system. Are we happy about all the bullshit we were subjected to? Of course not. Do I wish the system were more efficient, and user friendly? Absolutely. Yet, it was still necessary to submit to it, despite it being a headache. I might add that, as a US citizen who simply wanted to be able to make a life here with my wife, I think I have a bigger reason to complain about having been forced through the immigration grind than someone who's simply afraid of not being allowed to work here.
If people want to come here "for a better life", but the system that's been put in place by elected representatives of the citizenry doesn't allow it, then THEY ARE OUT OF LUCK. Period. You don't get to protest, you don't get a vote. On the other hand, if the voting public decides that the system needs to be fixed, that more LEGAL immigrants should be let in, then let the will of the people stand.
Finally, all the raging accusations of racism in the system are totally without basis in fact. Do any of you people have numbers that show that Europeans are favored when they try to immigrate? I know personally that my British, Indian, Australian and Brazilian friends all have pretty similar stories to tell. Yet it's one disingenuous emotional appeal after another, ignoring the facts at hand in the process. What I wonder is if you'd protest to the police if one of those insufferable Minutemen punched you in the mouth. After all, maybe they just don't feel like those pesky laws governing assault and battery apply to them.
@spook:
I would think sentence structure and spelling (much less ability to actually type) would be key to defining a coherent argument. But that doesn't seem to get in your way, does it now, you wittle wascal?
And fuck your "mainstream reading". Last time I checked Fox News and Tucker Carlson were considered "mainstream" as well. And they're as far removed from reality as it gets.
As a fellow LEGAL immigrant, I agree completely with Boto. I clicked through on this article to post exactly the same thing. Since he's already done it for me, I'll just add that while it's understandable that people from other countries with no legitimate claim to legal status in America will attempt to enter the country illegally in hopes for a better quality of life, they need to face the music and accept the consequences of their actions, because yes, they are breaking the law. Just because someone feels that they were unlucky to have been born somewhere else does not invalidate those laws, and it's entirely justified for the system to deal with them as the law dictates.
The possibility of facing that potentiality is a CHOICE that these people have made -- and not an undeserved form of persecution as some would claim! And precisely because it is a choice, I don't have much sympathy at all for the predicament illegal immigrants find themselves in in this country. They were ultimately the ones who put themselves in that situation. Then again, I don't blame them for doing it, since if the kind of life they live here wasn't better than what they had before, well, they'd obviously leave. For that, they should be thankful, rather than making demands!
I do agree as well that many of the policies and laws need to be changed desperately. But so many people seem to have this inflated sense of entitlement, and that's what I find unreasonable.
I think illegal immigrants protesting is idiotic. They can't vote, they have no legal rights and their LEGAL counterparts are not a sought after voting block. Why would any elected official pay attention to them, except for maybe hopeing that in 7 to ten years when they get citizenship they will vote with that party?
It is like when Kanye said that Bush didn't "care" about black people. OF COURSE HE DOESN'T. Blacks voted one in ten for Bush. Politicians should help the groups that help them from a strictly rational point of view.
Illegal immigrants protesting is like felons protesting. Except when that happens it is called a "riot"
very logical arguments-except of course for “Thunderpigion”
Immigration reform, mos def! But for legal immigrants/those that play by the rules. Save the protests and revolution for Mexico.
No disrespect for those in Mexico with the courage to fight the corrupt Fox regime, like those teachers in Oaxaca!
I just wonder the total cost of yesterdays "Protest" to underserved communities in Chicago that have to pay for the extra police overtime!
And Thundermouse, I guess
Boto and Candice are not your "non-native friends at work,"?
No my sources are not the right wing Fox News, but the NY Times, Wallstreet Journal, not to mention having researched the issue. Then there is just common logic, which means, from reading your previous comments, I can both "out think" and "out write" you.
I'm just shocked you can read.