Walkout

I'm not anti-walkout. I'm not pro-walkout. I think it'll be interesting to see how far this goes. It'll give insight into where these illegals are. I think the government should take note where these walkouts hit the hardest and file it for future use. This at least gives us an idea where the illegals are concentrated.

I definitely do not support California's legalized walkouts though. They are basically making it OK for the students to attend the demonstrations but not the teachers. Personally I do not think that it is OK to legislate attendance for either group.

I think certain states will be hit hard by this little blitz while others will barely notice that anything is happening at all. The news agencies are promoting it hard. They are trying to make a story I think. If they had ignored it or made it a page two event I do not think you'd have any issues what-so-ever in most of the country. In any case, it'll be bigger because they are pushing it. It'd be poetic justice if nothing happened at all though (For the news media that is.) They seem to delight in these events. It reminds me of that eighties song "Dirty Laundry"; "Kick em when their up, kick em when their down..." Remember when the Media reported the news and didn't try to make it?

Illegal Immigration

OK, I've been listening to people go back and forth for several months about this issue, I'm putting my two cents forth now. Many people are trying to make the issue a racial one. To some I'm sure it is. To most, however I do not think that is the case. It seems to me to be an issue of legality. We have laws. If these illegals want to embrace the country like they say they do, then they need to embrace the laws also.

I think we need some reforms to our immigration laws. I think the idea of a temporary work visa is good. That doesn't change my views on the issue of people who come into this country illegally. Border control is not a racial issue, its a security issue. Knowing who is coming into our country is important. Knowing why they are here is also very important. 9-11 proved the need for that.

The positive side of people being here legally is that people will have the rights that these demonstrators say that they want. It would mean higher wages, access to health care and the ability to get a legal US driver's license. So what is the downside? They have to register, they might have to go back to the border?

One of the downsides to that is that these immigrants might have to do what millions of others in the past had to do, learn English, integrate into the American culture, become Americans. That doesn't mean losing your culture or history. It means learning ours. Many do, many more do not.

I have many family members that immigrated to this country legally so I am not removed from the issue. My uncle came from Portugal when he was a teenager. He embraced the nation and became a citizen. My sister in law is from Canada. She hasn't become a citizen but she has embraced this nation. My great grandmother came from Ireland. I didn't know her but that's not the issue. I embrace my Irish heritage and like the Irish culture but I am not Irish. I am an American! I am a citizen of the United States of America! That's what is missing from this current movement. These people aren't here because they want to be Americans. They want our jobs and money but not our culture. People coming here waving a foreign flag and demanding rights from our government is insulting and infuriating. The public relations types have tried to change their image by getting to wave US flags but that doesn't change the underlying motives.

I'm not sure if I have adequately expressed my opinion on this or not. I've tried, you can agree or not.

Hoax

Do you realize how hard this would be to do? Tag the presidents plane. This guy in the video claimed he had done just that and then posted video footage. Later it was revealed as a hoax; a very elaborate one.

As seen on Wimp.com

Changing the World

Are blogs changing the planet? Are they giving voices to people who never had them in the past? It would seem so. It seems like every day you hear about a blogger in this country or that getting in on the action. A dentist in Iraq is the latest one about whom I've read. His writings seems to mirror our own country's schism on Iraq and the war; both filled with dread and laced with hope. The other day I've heard about how blogs in China are given rise to voices that a decade ago would not have been allowed to speak out about anything unless it was government sanctioned. It makes feel somewhat hopeful to hear about something other than porn on the Internet. Don't get me wrong, the porn's nice too :) But every once in a while you should give it a break and try something new...

Happy Easter

Strange how eggs like the one pictured above are the recognized symbol for this Holiday. We boil them and paint them and then hide them and send our children out to find them. It doesn't at all seem to have any Christian meaning. On Wikipedia I read that the eggs are considered a symbol of life and fertility. I guess that would make them a good symbol for the resurrected Christ. In Greece they are said to paint the eggs crimson to remind them of the blood of Christ, again this is a good reminder of the reason for celebrating the day.

Much about the Holiday is borrowed from secular sources. Take the name of the Holiday, Easter. It was actually a pagan holiday celebrated by the Saxons. They held a holiday to celebrate spring and new life. The actual name of the day in the Bible translates to the word Passover. This makes more sense for a holiday name since that is when Christ was crucified.

In my view, it is not bad to borrow names from other areas as long as you remember what is behind them. I believe the early church probably borrowed alot from the local customs. By changing pagan holidays into Christian ones they were more likely appeal to the local populations. The dangers lie in many people actually forgetting why the day is celebrated. When the focus becomes the traditions rather than the meaning behind them the Holiday loses its meaning and become just another reason to shop , and over indulge.