Protestor Watch: Oakland Immigrant Protests

Okay folks: reality check. You have open racists and you have subtle racists. I have much more respect for open racists than subtle racists. Open racists make no bones about the fact that they hate dark-skinned latinos (most of whom come from Mexico) and want to shut the borders and kick all illegal immigrants out. Subtle racists hate all dark-skinned latinos and illegal immigrants and want to kick them out and close the borders but refer to these immigrants only as illegal immigrants, not wetback or spic. In other words, subtle racists don't have the balls to admit that they hate dark-skinned latinos.

And then there is the contradiction factor: I am certain that these racists -- both open and subtle -- would have no problem with white, anglo illegal immigrants from coming from Canada. Clearly, they are fueled by immediecy and hatred rather then common sense. They are too ignorant to even be conscious of this fact.

What is this common sense? Well, immigrants -- both legal an illegal -- are the lifeblood of the U.S. -- both culturally and economically. They always have been and always will be.

If the U.S. were to follow the doctrines of the racist, xenophobic, border-closers, this country would peter out very quickly. Japan is the perfect example of this. Japan's economy has been sputtering over the past twenty years because, like with all industrialized nations, their native population is actually shrinking and they refuse to open their borders to immigrants.

And another thing: the whole failure of the immigrant law being debated in congress has nothing to do with all the protests by immigrants and their advocates. Sociopathic, opportunistic corporations such as Walmart, K-Mart, McDonald's, and your garden variety of Big Agro, depend on illegal immigrants to increase their profits and make the rich richer. Any curtailing of the wave of immigrants would force them to raise wages of the exploited. In other words, it is the lobbying of corporate power, not the lobbying of the people, who are affecting policy.

Further, these tax-paying, hard-working, economy-boosting immigrants are not coming to take advantage of the wealth of social programs (pfft, yeah right) that our liberal, progressive society provides. They come here out of necessity. They come here as a last resort. They are leaving their families, friends, and homes because they have no other choice. And they are in this abject position thanks mostly to barbaric U.S. policies and laws that have been created over the years (i.e. NAFTA, brutal dictatorships financed and upheld by the U.S. over the past two-hundred years).

However, the problem regarding illegal immigrants is difficult and complex. A line needs to be drawn in certain cases. Allowing all immigrants to enter the U.S. is not a solution. I think that the best solution would be to reverse corporate sponsored policies that keep impoverished Latin American and Asian countries in their abject positions. In addition, I think that reparations are in order. Otherwise, this whole pathetic situation will continue.