EMAIL SIGN UP!
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
Border Fence Challenge Rebuffed by Supreme Court
The justices decline to hear a petition from environmentalists, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to continue construction.
WASHINGTON -- The government's plan to build a 670-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border took another step forward Monday when the Supreme Court turned away a legal challenge from environmentalists.
The court's action clears the way for U.S. officials to press ahead with the project with little worry that judges will be able to stop it.
Three years ago, Congress gave Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff an unusual power to "waive all legal requirements" that could stand in the way of building the fence.
These requirements included the nation's environmental protection laws. The same congressional action took away the authority of judges to review Chertoff's decisions.
Last year, after Chertoff waived at least 20 laws and regulations to complete a section of the fence in Arizona, two environmental groups sued. They said it was unconstitutional to give a Cabinet secretary such sweeping power.
But a federal judge rejected that claim. And on Monday the Supreme Court without comment declined to hear a petition submitted by Defenders of Wildlife and the Sierra Club.
The high court's refusal is not a ruling, and it doesn't mean the justices won't reconsider the issue. But for now, Chertoff and his department have the go-ahead to proceed with the fence. Nearly half the barrier has been built.
Oliver Bernstein, a spokesman for the Sierra Club in Austin, Texas, called the court's action "unfortunate."
"This decision leaves one man -- the secretary of the Homeland Security -- with the extraordinary power to ignore any and all of the laws designed to protect the American people, our lands and our natural resources," Bernstein said. "Today's decision will allow the DHS to continue to waive key health, environmental and safety laws that have protected communities, wildlife, archaeological, historic and cultural resources."
Fourteen House Democrats and a group of law professors had urged the Supreme Court to take the case. They agreed with the environmentalists that it was unprecedented to give a Cabinet member so much power while also stripping judges of the authority to review the legality of his actions.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), a proponent of the law, called the court's action "a victory for the American people" and a milestone toward finishing the barrier.
"According to recent estimates, nearly half a million illegal immigrants cross the border annually," Smith said. "The court's refusal to hear the case . . . ensures that the DHS can carry out Congress' mandate to build a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border without legal restrictions or interference from environmentalists."
The project still faces legal challenges from landowners and tribal groups.
It is unclear whether judges have the authority to act on such claims.
© 2008 The Los Angeles Times
Comments
Note: Disqus 2012 is best viewed on an up to date browser. Click here for information. Instructions for how to sign up to comment can be viewed here. Our Comment Policy can be viewed here. Please follow the guidelines. Note to Readers: Spam Filter May Capture Legitimate Comments...
54 Comments so far
Show AllThis country is SO FUCKED!...WHEN..will you people wake up and stop giving them the money to do this insane evil bullshit??? WHEN?...WHEN YOU GONNA WAKE UP?
They do not have my money...please..JOIN the union of taxpayers...a NEW ONE..and help to impose ECONOMIC SANCTIONS against a ROGUE GOVERNMENT! This is the ONLY "Power" we have left..the ONLY ONE! The power of the PURSE..
And..for those of you who still think MARCHING makes any difference at all to "THEM"..TAX PROTEST is: NON-VIOLENT...and an AMERICAN TRADITION...SO..please..please..please...TAKE T FURTHER THAN JUST TALK..TAKE ACTION!
Most people in this world..have to pick up a rifle to reign in an out of control government...all YOU have to do..is NOT DECLARE...sure..there is "risk" involved...are you unwilling to take ANY risk in order to SAVE THIS COUNTRY, TO SAVE THE CONSTITUTION AND THE BILL OF RIGHTS?
YOU are paying for the TORTURE...the MURDER...the BOMBS..the "RENDITIONS"...the WHOLE thing..is being financed by..Y-O-U!
I am continually shocked and ...awed..by your ability to RATIONALIZE AWAY this actual POWER that we have..that YOU have..to REALLY FORCE OUR GOVERNMENT TO CHANGE...COLLECTIVE BARGAINING folks! it WORKS!
If UNIONs..and STRIKES did not work...then we would already be where were headed now..a totalitarian regime..LABOR MOVEMENTS ARE A STAKE IN THE HEART OF THE GLOBAL CONGLOM. You are ALL..LABORERS..in effect...absolutely! YOUR money..aka the sweat of your brow..those who have one..is the GREASE FOR THE WHEELS OF DEATH...
Ypou are getting exactly what yo are paying for..and they take your dutiful payments..made out of fear..as APPROVAL OF THEIR ACTIONS..YOU PAY THE SALLERIES OF THE MEN AND WOMEN..MAKING THE DECISIONS..YOU!
When are you going to WAKE UP! this is all we have left folks...telecom immunity should tell you..if nothing else has yet..THAT THEY DO NOT CARE WHAT YOU THINK..WHAT YOU WANT..WHAT IS RIGHT! THEY ONLY CARE ABOUT MONEY...M-O-N-E-Y...AND MONEY ALONE...NOTHING ELSE IS AS CRITICAL TO THEIR ACTIONS..PLANS..SCHEMES.......CRIMES!
So..please...join in..a TAX PROTEST MOVEMENT..would bring our own "representatives" back in line..and back to representational and constitutional government..SO FAST..that it would in fact be a scary process...for they are DESPERATE for the money...after all...it is also their JOB on the line...being paid by the public tit an all...
I have made another concesion to get this point accross..personal..but hey..everything counts...I AM NOT CATERING TO THE PETTY CENSORS ON THIS BOARD..NOPE! ALL CAPS IS MY WAY OF LETTING GO OF DAILY ANGER AND FRUSTRATION AT WHAT I SEE COMING TO PASS..AND I FUCKING ...NEED...TO SHOUT...TO LET LOOSE MY MIGHTY YAWP!...AND I WILL NEVER ALLOW THE CENSORS TO EFFECT MY PERSONAL LIFE IN ANY WAY..AND THEIR EFFORT S TO DO SO...ARE SO AMAZING TO ME...I DON'T TELL THEM WHAT TO SAY...I EVEN READ THEIR POSTS..I WANT TO KNOW ALL POINTS OF VIEW..THAT IS WHAT I AM FIGHTING FOR....I AM A CONSTITUTIONAL PROGRESSIVE...AND I DO NOT "PICK AND CHOOSE" WHAT FREEDOMS A PERSON HAS...EITHER IT'S THE WHOLE BILL O GOODS..OR NONE...FREE SPEECH...GUNS..IT'S ALL THERE FOLKS...RIGHT ON PAPER..IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT....HUP! THERE'S ALWAY'S THE REPUBLICAN PARTY...THEY NEED SHEEP...SO..."FONT CENSORS" ..TAKE A RUNNING FUCK AT A ROLLING DOUGHNUT...
LIVE FREE OR DIE..
You leftyscum!
This has NOTHING to do with the environment, and everything to do with protecting illegal immigration! The border fence is a necessary tool to fight this invasion of our country, and its long past time for you lefties to put your money where your mouth is, and support efforts to fight illegal immigration!
There's no better tool of the elite to keep the middle class down then unrestrained immigration. Wake up, idiots.
jcrump, stop scrolling all-caps rants. What did any of that have to do with the article anyway, you fool...
Ariel Sharon,
Then wtf aren't you in Israel? you are an uninvited immigrant as well, unless you are a Native American.
And if lefties bother you so much, don't come to this website.
Oh and the Mexicans are invading this country? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHA
You think that because that's what your two countries love to do: illegally and violently invade other people's lands and occupy them. At least "illegal aliens" are peaceful and therefore more decent than you.
Besides, I hope they finish the wall soon, so morons like you cannot be loose around the world.
I don't know what crumb is ranting about. He sounds nuts.
The border fence is a small part of the answer to a huge problem. Trafficers still bring in their neo-slaves by tunnel, air and sea.
The biggest part of the answer is enforcing the (1986) law, and fining and prosecuting the illegal employers. Take away the job magnet, and the flood of migrants will stop. Fence or no fence.
I also advocate an additional penalty for illegal employers in the form of a $5000 severance bonus paid to each of their illegal employees (or "contractors").
jcrump - All caps makes you look like a child. They turned off all the HTML foofoo that people here used to post like they were on some lefty version of mySpace (hey! look at the kitty try to catch the fish!)
We want to read what you have to say just don't be an arse typing it.
I agree on the wall. We need to finish it and finish it fast. Illegal Immigration is an issue, one of many, but one that has to be solved and a wall is just the ticket. It is going to make coming to this country a lot harder and that is a first step.
Illegal immigrants are the new slaves in America. We need to protect our them from becoming a permanent underclass in the US. Expanded legal immigration is what we need and what the people of Mexico need.
It also means that all us gringos can't sneak into Mexico which is also a good thing. Can't have us invading anyone else.
How about we promote a better economy in Mexico by revoking NAFTA and helping Mexicans stay on their side of the border?
Free market proponents have made Mexico take away subsidies for farmers and forced them to leave their traditional jobs and move to bigger cities within Mexico, a burden the city can't shoulder which in turn results in a mass exodus to cities up north. The Mexican government is also being pressurized into privatizing government run services which result is lesser money for the government in revenues and more in the pockets of the elite. The government in turn has to cut down on social expenses leaving the average poor Mexican exposed the forces of the "Free" market and maybe luck.
So fuck you all who think building a border will solve the problem. You assholes create the problems and then find solutions which create more problems all in the name of patriotism. Fucking, brainless twats like Rep Lamar Smith are the root cause of this problem; products of a ridiculous education system who rely on the stupidity and gullibility of ignorant Americans to further the cause of their financiers. BTW, Democrats are only another shade of such imbecile policies!
>>Spartanladkenny <<
I agree with you totally on creating a Mexican economy that can support its people. Mexico is a huge vibrant country rich in culture and resources. That they are not more successful is the fault of the oligarchy there and its supporters here. That has to end. Mexico needs to be free to grow and become successful and we have to do what we can here to make that happen. No one wants to leave their home and country to go somewhere else to simply earn a living wage.
I disagree with you on the wall though. The other half of making Mexico successful is keeping Mexicans in Mexico. The wall is only one part of the solution and we need it as much as we need to help Mexico get rid of their oligarchs (and get rid of our own oligarchs)
I don't know all yall. I think its a great idea to make a border wall. It gives the mexicans a good chance at training to take over the world. I mean if Penn and Teller can get a few illegal mexicans to make a short section of wall in one day and then get them to break through it in four different ways all under 5 minutes, its a great example of how stupid americans in office are! We need more examples of it, as many as we can get! Like a paper thin wall is going to keep people out! How many miles of wall are we going to keep watch over? Not many! You want a Budweiser? If all you ranters really want to complain about something, how bout how no whitey can get a good job pickin tomatoes in florida with out knowing some "foreign" language? Or how hard it is to find someone to talk to in english while picking apples in Washington state? I think its a wonderfull thing to try to keep the mexicans out of the US, We stole it from their ancestors years ago with the threat of death and religion! Its ours now to beat as we chose! They, the mexicans, really wish they could get more whiteys on the roofing crews in arizona so someone could order take out right? Its a blue collar world out there and all the white collar folks are in the dark. heeheeheehee!
Sorry, I chose to leave the conditions of Mexico and its americanized policies out of my humor for the simple reason, there must be a reason. Its not because they messed it up but because we messed them up. When slavery was abolished it left America without a way to support itself its unsustainable grandeur. Something had to be done to ensure we could get a stable workforce to work here for at least indentured servants wages. YES all that needs to change just like women salaries. Home of the free my ass.
No matter what physical barriers you build, the fact that Mexicans can make ten times more money in the US than they can in Mexico and they don't like bureaucracy any more than you do, will result in the flow of illegals never ceasing.
Just as US business is addicted to cheap oil, it is addicted to cheap immigrant labor. With the price of oil and food rising, US businesses are less likely than ever to give up their cheap labor.
Think of it this way: if wages in Canada were ten times what they were in the US (the Republicans may eventually devalue the US dollar to the point this is a reality) the Canadians could not build a big enough fence to keep me and you and most other Americans from finding a way to get into Canada to make the big bucks.
The wall isn't going to save you... paranoid nation. The enemy is NOT in Mexico, or Canada, or anywhere else for that matter. The enemy is YOUR OWN GOVERNMENT. All those that have fallen for the fabricated boogie-man of 'illegal immigrants' is a fool. It's a distraction to keep you voting "Tough on Security" folks into power.
As well, here's a thought... fences not only keep people out, they keep people in. So when the government flips from covert fascist to overt fascist, you're not gonna be able to run south.
Ariel_Sharon: You have to be one of the most ignorant, unintelligible people I've ever seen post on here. Ugly ugly American you are. Especially choosing as a handle the name of one of the more notorious war criminals of the 20th century. You make me sick. In fact, I've come to realize that for you, it's just a game... red vs blue, right vs left... like sports teams. Bloody ignorant. What about HUMANITY?
Check points at the airports, train and bus stations and ferry docks. No knock searches. Warrentless wiretaps. Neo-Con judges. I have a very uneasy feeling that the Bush/Cheney Apartheid wall is not to keep 'them' out but to keep 'us' in.
elmysterio,
The problem is not government. It's private business profiteers enriching themselves with wage slavery, and the FAILURE of government to stop them by enforcing current law. As usual what we need is better government, not less government.
Spartanladkenny,
You no doubt make money, directly or indirectly, through enslaving others. Your hate-speech gives you away. Try getting an honest job sometime.
andersdl June 24th, 2008 3:10 pm :
"No matter what physical barriers you build, the fact that Mexicans can make ten times more money in the US than they can in Mexico and they don't like bureaucracy any more than you do, will result in the flow of illegals never ceasing."
I think you have nailed it.
From the article:
"Three years ago, Congress gave Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff an unusual power to "waive all legal requirements" that could stand in the way of building the fence."
Waiving all legal requirements, granting retroactive immunity, suspending habeas corpus, it seems to be habit forming.
Bob, yes, and with the wall I would of course support serious penalties against those who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. I would come down like the wrath of God on the smugglers as well. I'm not filled with righteous indignation towards the illegals, I just recognize them as a threat to the United States.
Spartan, I am all for getting rid of Nafta! Why do you lefties think conservatives support free trade agreements? Read Pat Buchanan on Nafta, he's by far the best informed on the issue. A wall is an essential part of the fix, though, as much as you might deny it.
Jungle, it should be english-only in the workplace, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Elm, so you arn't american? That's no surprise, and its of course no surprise that you support illegal immigration to this country. People that hate america tend to promote policies that will harm america. Which makes perfect sense.
Thsi isn't about "teams". I consider my country and my way of life to be things worth preserving, because I feel they have value. You are probably from a country where you have either already given up your culture (europe), or where there's really not much culture there to stand up for in the first place (canada). That's not the way I feel about my country. Most americans, on this issue, are on my side. So, feel free simply not to move here.
"I would come down like the wrath of God"
"its of course no surprise that you support illegal immigration to this country"
"People that hate america tend to promote policies that will harm america"
"really not much culture there to stand up for in the first place"
"free simply not to move here"
ariel, are you the understudy for Lou Dobbs? I think cable tv may have a rising star on it's hands! :)
Am I the only one who finds ariel a wee bit TOO stupid? Perhaps one of Commondreams' aficionados is trying to spice up the debate with a little devil's advocacy.
jlocke, I LOVE Lou Dobbs and if you were any kind of progressive so would you.
You lefties are way out of whack on this issue, when normally you get economic things right. This is another tool of the elite, don't forget it!
Does anyone dream of a world without borders anymore?
What the hell, let's just add a fucking DOME and have done with it!
What nobler creation than a cocoon to protect and hermetically seal our parasite-ravaged nation while it purges itself and heals?
Oh, we will eventually emerge-- on our OWN terms, in our rightful role as the Greatest Nation in the World.
And this time, it's PERSONAL.
Ariel_Sharon: I see TV has got you turned up side down! You are supposed poop out of there, not talk! Remember the golden rule? Are you scared? You sound like a small dicked suv driving mid life crisis! You poor thing! Did you get fired from your job because they found someone to do it thats better than you who is MEXICAN? I'd have fired you too! Mexicans still have family values, unlike you, cracker! I'll bet you hate the high gas prices. Selfish snob.
Samski: Yeah! We all still bleed the same.
lill' bro, your funny! I like it! Have you read "WE" by Zamatian?
jlocke123 "Am I the only one who finds ariel a wee bit TOO stupid? Perhaps one of Commondreams' aficionados is trying to spice up the debate with a little devil's advocacy."
I've never thought of that! O.K...
....Thanks, Ariel Sharon, for acting like the devils advocate. We will be a lot smarter and not act like you are acting! I would be so ashamed to act like that its not funny, I have learned. Thanks again!
A few years ago the neocons were all excited about the Berlin wall coming down. Now they want to build one along the US border with Mexico. These are true hypocrites. Of course, Chertoff prefers to circumvent our laws and due process. What dictatorship wouldn't. this wall is a disgrace to everything that the US was meant to be and isn't. Yes, if the employer's didn't break the laws there would be less illegal immigration. They are the problem but I see mexicans and other latinos as no different than myself. We are all struggling to get by. The anger these crazies poke at latinos would be better aimed at the US Federal Govt which by the way didn't do a very good job protecting the US on 9/11. If we weren't wasting all of our money in Iraq, we could be building new infrastructure, new schools, libraries railroads and there would be plenty of good jobs for everyone. Like Rodney King said, "Can't we all just get along?"
You all miss the point. The wall is not to keep the Mexicans out, it's to keep the gringos in.
>>A few years ago the neocons were all excited about the Berlin wall coming down. Now they want to build one along the US border with Mexico. These are true hypocrites.<<
On the contrary. The Berlin wall was to keep people in. The border fence is to keep people out. Big difference and certainly no hypocracy.
Notice how those who defend corporate trafficing in wage slaves always want to change the subject to race?
It's the neo-slavers' favorite rhetorical gambit. Stand up against neo-slavery, and you'll be painted as a racist.
Don't you feel shame, neo-slavers, taking money -- be it corporate or corporate foundation -- to spew neo-slavery propaganda? Are your swimming pools and BMWs really that important to you? So important that you will take basic food and shelter from working-poor Americans and their families?
Hear hear Bob K.
~ SU.PRESSENCE of CAPITALIZATION ~
Jcrumb june 24th, 2008 1:22 pm
This country is so fucked!…when..will you people wake up and stop giving them the money to do this insane evil bullshit??? When?…when you gonna wake up?
they do not have my money…please..join the union of taxpayers…a new one..and help to impose economic sanctions against a rogue government! This is the only "power" we have left..the only one! The power of the purse..
And..for those of you who still think marching makes any difference at all to "them"..tax protest is: non-violent…and an american tradition…so..please..please..please…take t further than just talk..take action!
Most people in this world..have to pick up a rifle to reign in an out of control government…all you have to do..is not declare…sure..there is "risk" involved…are you unwilling to take any risk in order to save this country, to save the constitution and the bill of rights?
You are paying for the torture…the murder…the bombs..the "renditions"…the whole thing..is being financed by..y-o-u!
I am continually shocked and …awed..by your ability to rationalize away this actual power that we have..that you have..to really force our government to change…collective bargaining folks! It works!
If unions..and strikes did not work…then we would already be where were headed now..a totalitarian regime..labor movements are a stake in the heart of the global conglom. You are all..laborers..in effect…absolutely! Your money..aka the sweat of your brow..those who have one..is the grease for the wheels of death…
Ypou are getting exactly what yo are paying for..and they take your dutiful payments..made out of fear..as approval of their actions..you pay the salleries of the men and women..making the decisions..you!
When are you going to wake up! This is all we have left folks…telecom immunity should tell you..if nothing else has yet..that they do not care what you think..what you want..what is right! They only care about money…m-o-n-e-y…and money alone…nothing else is as critical to their actions..plans..schemes…….crimes!
So..please…join in..a tax protest movement..would bring our own "representatives" back in line..and back to representational and constitutional government..so fast..that it would in fact be a scary process…for they are desperate for the money…after all…it is also their job on the line…being paid by the public tit an all…
I have made another concesion to get this point accross..personal..but hey..everything counts…i am not catering to the petty censors on this board..nope! All caps is my way of letting go of daily anger and frustration at what i see coming to pass..and i fucking …need…to shout…to let loose my mighty yawp!…and i will never allow the censors to effect my personal life in any way..and their effort s to do so…are so amazing to me…i don't tell them what to say…i even read their posts..i want to know all points of view..that is what i am fighting for….i am a constitutional progressive…and i do not "pick and choose" what freedoms a person has…either it's the whole bill o goods..or none…free speech…guns..it's all there folks…right on paper..if you don't like it….hup! There's alway's the republican party…they need sheep…so…"font censors" ..take a running fuck at a rolling doughnut…
live free or die.. Namaste
I won't address the political side of this complicated issue other than to point out the it's the employers who need to be punished as well as those breaking the law by entering the USA illegally. And I would also like to see one of the biggest factors that created the illegal immigration problem addressed - which is NAFTA.
What I find the most worrisome is how the wildlife will be affected by this wall. The wall will not stop those who truly want to enter the country but it will stop the animals from being able to move about. They are the innocent victims in this whole affair.
I would like to think that whatever your position is politically, that we all share one thing in common, and that is a love and appreciation of Nature and the beauty, solitude, peaceful moments that it offers all of us. Some may think that it is only desert and not some place like Big Sur. But if you have ever spent some hours in the desert, you would see that it has its own beauty and enchantments.
This is a case of more collateral damage than a solution.
If the Berlin-er,I mean Mexican wall works I think it will be a hoot to see how fast the vegetable and fruit prices start to shoot up in the U.S., oh what bitching and moaning there will be. If the housing sector ever gets out of the tank there won't be a bevy of laborer on the street corners of SoCal to pound nails and do scab labor for zip, add that to your new home prices. But as much as I would like to see that happen I think it's more likely that the fence will be just one more minor obstacle for the coyotes to circumvent to bring worker across the border. All that money pissed down the drain but I guess I should be used to it now.
>>If the Berlin-er,I mean Mexican wall works I think it will be a hoot to see how fast the vegetable and fruit prices start to shoot up in the U.S., <<
Hopefully they will go up. Food is subsidized in America by slave labor of illegal aliens. We need to pay more so that farmers can pay more so that people will do the work OR if the farmers won't pay for people, then at least there will be money to buy new machinery to replace the lost illegal aliens. The food market is an example of how the free market has been utterly screwed over by free movement of labor. When labor becomes scarse, the wages rise.
Ariel_Sharon..is a genuine fake, no one can be that consistently ignorant without making a concerted effort, same goes for chicken_pluckin_pete or whatever silly handle that was.
Turn on your empathy lights. Stop thinking Mexicans and think human beings. At one time, most of the U.S. Southwest was Mexican territory. Before that, it was land walked by the native Americans, and it still is, in some parts.
President Polk (another extremely corrupt U.S. president) did everything he could to start the U.S. war against Mexico. The acquisition of the Southwest was theft, where might made right.
NAFTA, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, devasted Mexican farmers. Imported U.S. corn drove Mexican farmers out of business, and their government couldn't resist with trade barriers because national sovereignty was now subordinate to corporate interests and "free trade" (i.e., NAFTA).
Mexican people are warm and friendly. I don't know how they can do such hard work at subminimum wages and still survive. The crime is that they are cheated by U.S. employers. They aren't the crime or the criminals.
Those here carping about loss of U.S. jobs need to add "maquiladora" to their vocabularies. The maquiladoras are factories situated in Mexico that import finished products into the United States duty free. And that's a gift to the corporations facilitated by the U.S. and Mexican governments. For the Mexican workers there, it's low pay and slave-like conditions.
The wall is a symbol. It won't keep U.S. corporations from outsourcing jobs abroad, and that includes outsourcing jobs to Mexico and the maquiladoras.
Racism is one the oldest means of dividing the population. The wall fuels racism, plain and simple.
U.S. citizens are just a few economic jabs from sneaking across the Canadian border to get good paying menial work and healthcare coverage. The shoe will be on the other foot, soon.
So stop all of this anti-immigrant crap, folks, and focus your anger on the entities outsourcing jobs - corporations facilitated by the U.S. government and its regressive trade policies.
The bulk of Latino immgrants into the US are refugees from capitalist assaults either directly or indirectly perpetrated upon societies south of the border by the agents of capital in Washington.
What border?
Is there a border between Mexico and the US?
Was there a border when American settlers began farming and ranching on Mexican territory in the 1820's?
Was there a border when the US Army rolled into Mexico City in 1848?
Was there a border when Congress wrote NAFTA, which then destroyed millions of Mexican jobs and drove that economy into the ditch?
The U.S. should abide by the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty, returning what is now Arizona and New Mexico as well as most of Texas and California to Mexico. They invaded and occupied and are now setting up a wall in someone else's country to protect themselves from the people in the other country? Sounds just like what the Zionists have done to the Palestinans.
Anyone who studies the history of immigration will realize that "illegal" immigrants from Mexico are a far smaller percentage of the population of the US than the immigrants who came from Europe in the past. Those people were not "illegal" because there was no such thing. The US did not have laws restricting who was "legal" and who was not. Calling human beings "illegal" is just a nasty bit of framing. They should more accurately called "undocumented" immigrants.
Throughout the history of the US, those who were already living here, even if their own ancestors came here as immigrants, have denigrated and suppressed the newcomers. Anyone remember "no Irish need apply"? Italians, Germans, Poles, and anyone else who seemed "different" was discriminated against. And all this time, the new immigrants began their lives here speaking their native language in communities (like little Italy), but they eventually mostly learned to speak English, and their children often spoke only English. My own grandfather was Italian, but not one of his kids speaks Italian.
As far as making English our official national language, that's a real joke! Read 90% of the posts on any blog and it will quickly become crystal clear that few Americans know how to write (or probably speak) English. They destroy the spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, substituting "I" when the word "me" should be used, making plurals into possessives ("Clinton's" is a possessive, not a plural, but I can't even count how many times I've seen it used incorrectly), and simply mangling proper English in the most atrocious ways. It's amazing how many people who say things like "thems good tomatoes" think it's an insult that some people in this country still speak Spanish.
The ugly racism apparent in posters like Arial_Sharon (a real piece of work and obviously not the brightest bulb in the marquee) is appalling. Would people be so up-in-arms if the immigrants were English speaking Canadians?
The whole idea of a wall between countries is absurd, and when it destroys the environment and invades people's property, building it becomes virtually an act of evil. I agree with all the posters who have mentioned that NAFTA and other US policies have created this "problem" such as it is. Hey! Whatever happened to "give us your poor..."?
Build the wall. Put guards on the border.
Whatever it takes to get this illegal immigration under control.
I am not against legal immigration, I am against illegal immigration. It concerns me greatly to see english become the secondary language in this country!
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
"tear down the wall, tear down the wall!"
-pink floyd-The Wall.
is this wall to keep people out? heres something to ponder for all you concerned citizens out there..or is it to keep us in? quite possibly both. either way that wall is an allegory for what the united states has/is becoming. A Nation of Walls. To Protect 'US' from all those evil brown and poor people. This wall is a scar upon mother earth, and it will be removed. Might take forty years, how long was the Berlin Wall before the people had had enough?
Another four to eight years of Republican leadership and the Mexican government will be guarding the wall to keep poor Americans from illegally entering their country to find better jobs.
FUCK THE WALL!
ARE THEY KEEPING PEOPLE OUT or ARE THEY KEEPING PEOPLE IN?
ARE THE ELITE MEMBERS OF THE UNITED STATES GOVORPORATION DIVERTING DOLLARS TO THEIR CRONIES?
Most of the taxpayers in the country need to discover that the fed'l & state governments are run by crooks. The crooks are in cahoots w/ the corporations, & the corporations are joined by the military establishment. The combination of those entities gives us the new entity:THE GOVORPORATION.
Those members of the govorporation will do anything to gain more political & economic power. They will trample everything and everybody. They will steal all of the money left in the taxpayers' coffer.
You, the taxpayer, need to discover ways to keep your money out of the GOVORPORATION'S pockets. You need to do the research and find the ways to avoid paying them any money per anum.
Here is an example of the Bully in the Playground Syndrome.
I don't support any bullies on the playground. But when the bully approaches, "Oh, here's my lunch money."
IF YOU DON'T GIVE THEM ANY MONEY, THEY CAN'T BUILD THE WALL. THE WALL IS A DIVERSION OF FUNDS, & IT'S A DIVERSION OF THE BASIC ISSUE. THE GOVORPORATION PAYS LOWER WAGES TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.
And so what you must do is enforce the laws on the books that address the issue of certain segments of the govorporation to hire illegal immigrants--construction industry & slaughter houses & textiles & restaurants, to name a few.
TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR PAYCHECK, MR. & MRS. U.S. NUMBSKULL; ARE YOU MISSING SOME MONEY?
MORE FUCKING LANGUAGE SNOBS.
English only ideology does not address any immigration or language issue adequately. A person entering the U.S. & speaking a foreign language needs about three years to speak English on a basic communication level. It takes five to seven years for an individual to speak the new language at an academic level. To raise the level of education for many students in the U.S. there should be more funds spent in the education system to support the acquisition of language. An English language only policy only inhibits the acquisition of language, & when there is a rift between languages & communication, there is ignorance. Those proponents of English only are simply ignorant of a broad spectrum of issues regarding learning, education, & understanding.
Try learning another language, Amerika.
No one has the "answers"-----simply because the "questions" are not settled, they move and change with the manipulations of those in power, from one generation to the other.
This is what "conservatism" creates. These current problems of our society here in the USA, and for much of the world, are the result of "conservatism's dominance" for several hundred years.
Mistakes can be as important as the opposite---successes. If the organism, whether animal, cultural etc, LEARNS from the mistakes, and prevents the repetition of those mistakes, then it will survive long enough to continue, and hopefully improve.
Conservatism, as defined by its present manifestation, i.e. to conserve, maintain the status quo, is a dismal failure. But it could be a wonderful negative example, to be avoided by the future.
Progressivism has had very little effect since it is very rarely practiced by humanity. Where it replaces religious dogma, and other conservative thought patterns, it is always a success for the MAJORITY............
Learning from the mistakes of the past is the duty of those who look to the future.
Someday the headlines may read
"New World Daily"
"The last known conservative died today in the--international zoo/museum-- where it was on display since it's discovery in an abandoned mansion twenty years ago, along with the mummy of the last practioner of a religion.
Many older readers will remember the last practitioner of a religion, after having been discovered in a cave where the mummy had starved to death waiting for God to rescue it. The last conservative a wealthy individual had purchased it at great cost and had kept it a secret stashed in the mansion. The mummy was so old the gender could not be determined . This mummy will be transfered to the international museum of humanity where it will continue to be displayed in the section devoted to the mistakes of humanity. The international zoo will now be closed forever with the death of the last conservative who will be not buried in an unmarked grave somewhere."
NONE of you who have been calling me racist and insulting me have an answer to the fact that you support, as I said before, one of the best tools of the elite to destroy the american middle class.
Who else is against this wall? Oh yea, the multinational corporations who benefit from open borders! You IDIOT who talk about race completely miss the point, as this has nothing to do with race at all.
Of course we also need to go after employers of illegal immigrants, and go after "free trade" proposals like NAFTA. However, america is not to blame for the situation of Mexico... Mexicans who refuse to do anything to change their country or its government are to blame, as well a a culture that help perpetuate the inequality and poverty we see in mexico.
Keep them out!!!!
I live in Texas and I am against the "wall/fence". However, the "border fence issue" goes all the way back to the time when Alexander Hamilton argued that the Federal Government could take land to build light houses along the coast. Madison thought that the Constitution forbade it but he was overruled. The US Supreme Court is not the place to argue the legality of the border "wall/fence". That place is the US Congress. The Supreme Court was wise to stay out of this contentious issue.
You're all crazy morons just google NAU to find out why and I'm not talking about Northern Arizona University, go 4-5 topics down.