Update to Josh Wolf story
The guy in jail for refusing to turn over videotapes he made at the G8? Still in jail. He just set the record for the longest jail term by an American journalist in an American jail for refusing to divulge his source or materials. The feds say the tapes are evidence of a crime, despite the fact that no one has been charged with a crime related to the events shown on the tape.
May we suggest waterboarding?
Not cuz I heard Led Zep "Immigrant Song" yesterday :P
Cuz I read Molly Ivins and she and I agree on this. First, I love Molly Ivins, but she's a progressive and that's pretty far to the left of even my left of center Libertarian views. Not that Libertarians are left of center, but because this Two Party World only has 2 dimensions Libertarians are all over the line. Molly defends the left end, and quite well.
Immigrant rights, remember that phrase.
So on this one point Molly and I agree: we have to bust the employers. Note: this is a pragmatic point of agreement as I really think that anybody who can fill a job in America should get their butt over here, but if we're gonna have a policy of limits then lets enforce them. Right now employers can get around enforcement due to the great variety of documents that pass for "well damn, maybe he IS legal". As Molly points out, even if we did build The Great Wall of America, we'd give Halliburton a no-bid contract and they'd just hire illegals anyway.
As a Libertarian I think the way to keep (by one Border Patrol estimate) a thousand people a month from dying in our border deserts is to tell them to Go Greyhound. Just get on a bus to North Carolina or Wisconsin and get a job. If you think I'm authorizing a bazillion dollar wealth transfer to Mexico, then think this through with me.
Immigrant rights.
Rights should be about fairness, and right now our broke-ass system is unfair, and not to the millions of Mexicans and Central Americans already here, although that is the group sounding off about immigrant rights. Our system is unfair to those in the Caribbean and India and Ireland, those who are on waiting lists for the few available slots given to citizens of their countries. They are playing by the rules; those in our country illegally are not. Some of the illegals here are from the Caribbean and India and Ireland, many by overstaying the expiration of their student visas. When we open the borders it won't just be the low end jobs that will be competitive, but across the board. Some damn fine doctors think our screwed up health care system beats the hell outta the one they're in. And the flyers constantly left on my front door would be left by Dominicans and Bahamians, not just Salvadorans and Guatemalans. (BTW: I've heard one can stop this flow of flyers, but apparently it involves mowing the front lawn, so that's out.)
Yeah, this Libertarian dream would cause some temporary social and economic upheaval, but in the end we'd attract the best and brightest, and not just the most desperate. And we'd stop the deaths in the desert. Flat. Immigrant rights for all, and no bitching about "illegals".
But the dream ain't gonna happen, and since Bush's plan for earned citizenship ain't gonna happen either look for Karl Rove to guide the White House to the right again. And watch this debate get meaner than ever.
Or, as Molly sez: " I don't see why we should stop blaming newcomers for our troubles just because they're not in charge of anything."
