Tancredo: Irrational Fear More Important Than Healthcare, Education or Anything
By Bill W. Wednesday Nov 14, 2007 8:38am
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Tancredo: If you are going to ask people to actually vote for you for President of the United States of America, you'd better tell them what you are going to do about this problem, because I'm telling you it supercedes all other ... It's more important than healthcare. It's more important than education policy. It's more important than trade. It's more important than anything, because what does all of that matter if you do not do what is necessary to protect this country?
Really? More important than healthcare? More important than anything?
Pardon me for even entertaining the specious link he makes between illegal immigration and terrorism, but let's walk down that crooked path just a little, ok? Not to say the threat of terrorism isn't real or that we shouldn't do anything about it, because of course we should, but we should have a rational, sensible policy based on the real threat, not an over-hyped perception of one. The fact is that even "if terrorists were able to pull off one attack per year on the scale of the 9/11 atrocity, ... your risk of dying in a plausible terrorist attack is much lower than your risk of dying in a car accident, by walking across the street, by drowning, in a fire, by falling, or by being murdered." Terrorists would have to pull off six 9/11s every year to equal the roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year coming from the more than 40 million uninsured (pdf) in this country, and if there is a terrorist with the will and the capability to pull that off, there will never be a border fence that will stop them, and nothing could be more dangerous to this country than a paranoid politician whose brain is so ate up with Lou Dobb's Disease that he's willing to sell every other issue down the river in search of a cure.
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I have been saying this for years, since 9-11 the insurance/heathcare industry has killed 18,000peopleX6years=108,000 people.
divide 108,000 by 3,500 (approx 911 victims not counting 9-11 rescue worker killed by insurance/heath care industry)=30X more people killed by insurance & for profit HMOs & hospitals.
terror is the very least of my concern.
try googling "the samson doctrine" if you want real terror
Where did the Tancredo clan come from?
OT, and sorry to send you to FOX (its the only place I can find the story) but this is just too friggin' much
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,311771,00.html
People should be required to take a sanity test before they are allowed to run for public office.
what in the hell are these people so goddamn scared of? They should worry more about the govt and their false flag operations.... hell, i'll take the $1.15 gas and take my chances with the "territs".
Tancredo has the same crazy eyes that Huckabee has....maybe some kind of inbreeding going on here.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with Tancredo's brain (beyond the terminal solipsism that afflicts all neocons). he knows full well this is a crock.
It's an electoral strategy. It worked just fine in 04, so they're going to the well again. It's the only trick they know, really. Too bad it keeps working.
Change the subject.
9/11! Boogah boogah!
The terrorism fear aside, illegal immigration is threatening our already fragile healthcare.
I am a frequent consumer of health care, I know people who work in health care, and I know undocumented workers.
Liberals, whose health care costs are about to explode in January, are rapidly succumbing to "Lou Dobb's disease".
Sorry, but that quoted statement has a point. Both parties are pandering to corporations and the Hispanic community at the expense of the will of the people and the law.
Having a boogie man to hate is crucial for many people in the U.S. to maintain their sense of superiority. It also helps them feel like they belong to a collective that shares their concerns and fears. That, in itself, helps distract millions from their personal and social problems and even inadequacies. Terrorism and immigration serve this purpose.
Tancredo is a modern day Don Quixote. Just maybe its the terroists' plan is have us spend all of our money chasing neocon windmills so more of us die from lack of access to healthcare, fall from a crumpling bridge or drown in a hurricane. And since there is no money to upgrade our eduction system we will be too stupid to fight back.
Oh well, so much for the Home of the Brave
and Land of the Free
I'm sick of the stormfronters getting airtime on cable news. These guys get "security dad" cover for their whites only drinking fountainism
Going by his logic, we should all lock our doors and stay in the house forever. Forget food, forget health, forget every damned thing but stay safe inside. If he were just some man on the street saying this stuff he would of course be deemed totally fu*king bat-shit insane.
hadenuf @ 8:
Really? Do you know what's threatening our (non-existent) health care? Corporations and politicians and idiots like you who'd rather see millions denied medical claims than one illegal immigrant get free health care. The numbers speak for themselves so don't go pretending like illegal immigration is eating away at this country.
What exactly is he suggesting? Is he suggesting we should close the border? Didn't the 9/11 commission suggest that? Which party was in charge in the years since 9/11? Why didn't they close the border? How is it this the democrats fault?
So many questions the "liberal" media doesn't ask him. Too bad so many still buy into this shit. I noticed he didn't tell us how "he" would save us, just suggested what would happen if he is not elected.
I think Tancredo should take advantage of HIS socialized medical coverage and talk to a shrink ASAP!
If voters in your country vote replublican because of this idiot and the s*** that comes out of his mouth, well I hate to say it , but you deserve what you vote for.
republican* ,sorry folks
The right wing it is against everyone having health care so of course Tancredo takes that view. The only way health care will become an issue for republicans is if they lose theirs.
Mike the Canuck, if my country votes republican in the next election, I may be looking for a home in your neighborhood. I don't think I could mentally stand four more years of republican insanity.
You forgot to include the "financial cost" of damage done by all those terrorist attacks.
If we didn't fight terrorism, then all the damage they'd do might cost almost as much as 15 minutes in Iraq. Didja ever think of THAT, Mr. Smarty-pants? :)
The camps will not hold us all, death by whatever reason is top priority for rethugs.
It's so sad that someone as backward as Tancredo is even a presidential option.
1 in 3 men and 1 in 4 women have a lifetime probability of developing cancer. Just about everyone knows someone personally who has been affected by cancer and hardly anyone knows someone who was killed or injured by a terrorist. Reich-wingers are always on the wrong side of every issue.
Mike the Canuck @ 19:
No you were right the first time. That's how the goobers in our country pronounce it: Replublican. They also rarely visit the Plublic Libary.
I though banning gay marriage is more important than anything?
Tancredo is a little bitch. He has zero chance to become President. Ignore him.
Continue to hammer away at Judy Ruliani and Mittens.
Tancredo is a revolting human being riding a wave of support from ignorant rednecks and religious wack-a-loons. Alan "Step and Fetch It" Colmes is every bit as revolting, having made a career out of being Hannity's bitch.
Another special place for Tommy on the chartered 747 ready to go directly to the Hague....
The folks in CO don't want him.. the folks in the US SURE don't want him...Maybe he should also become a Fixed News commentator on his way???
What a loser....
There are probably some sane Republicans out there who could run for president, but I think they are laying low this time because they feel this will be a Democrat's time. Meanwhile all these republicans who are running now are just the bottom of the barrel, in my opinion. They are like a bunch of sideshow attractions. One weird guy after another.
Thanks for putting the terrorism numbers in perspective, something the MSM would never do. Americans are afraid of what the media tells them to be afraid of - hence why we are more afraid of crashing on a plane than crashing in the car on the way to the airport. Barry Glassner's "Culture of Fear" should be required reading for all Americans.
Right-wing extremism and the associated policies, both domestic and foreign, have killed many times more people than who died on 9-11. Let's keep a focus on the real enemy of the American people and stop the GOP from holding any public office in this country.
Just what we need, another nut case.
- JJ
McDuff @ 15:
Do you have to be insulting?
I have Medicare, and I think everyone should be so fortunate [although of course that's being cut back].
Health care providers don't care who their patients are, but they certainly see who receives it and who don't.
I sat for three hours, just last week waiting to see an eye specialist. There was a black man, self employed, going BLIND, because he didn't have health insurance. He had a tumor pressing on his optic nerves.
The room was half filled with Hispanics. Do you really think that they have health insurance or are honest about their income?
Perhaps "threatening" is too strong a word, but undocumented workers, the obese, and smokers definitely are clogging up the system. And everyone pays.
hadenuf @ 8:
So the argument should be that if we fight illegal immigration, healthcare in this country should improve. Right? All those nasty border-crossing illegals are taking benefits away from us real Americans.
But we don't hear anything about that. We only hear the 'taking away' part, and the booga-booga stuff about 'illegals,' because the sad truth is that even if we magically solved the illegal immigration problem, we probably wouldn't see a significant reduction in unemployment, or a drop in healthcare costs.
Tancredo is simply unstable as they come, a card-carrying member of the Shari'a-in-Your-Backyard scare patrol.
the fringe candidate has a few new ideas. he seems to enjoy his role as grand inquisitor. Maybe they will let him join the catholic church and torture rodents in the basement. it would keep it off the streets, and he would be dealing with immigrants in a way he seems uniquely capable
My point is that his fear mongering will have legs.
Bush said....." the terrorists seek to change our way of life"
Who are the terrorists????
hadenuf @ 35:
And what cause do you have to believe they don't, or are being dishonest?
This is like saying we should just arrest black teenagers, 'cause you don't really think they're gonna amount to anything - they're just taking up space in our school system and end up overcrowding our jails.
When was 'he's Hispanic' become a factor in determining who gets healthcare?
4 pissed off patricia Says: People should be required to take a sanity test before they are allowed to run for public office.
That would have eliminated bush though, and where would we be today? ;)
If you don't believe there are a lot of misguided people out there just listen to C-span's Washington Journal a few mornings. A man called it this morning who was a raving lunatic talking about terrorist wanting to kill everyone of us every minute of every day of every week. He was ranting about doing whatever we have to, to keep our country safe. This guy will no doubt vote for Tancredo or someone of his ilk.
Twelve 9/11 scale terror attacks a year would result in fewer deaths than we suffer annually on American highways.
We invaded Afganasthan with fewer troops than New York City has police officers.
How many countries does al Qaeda control now? How big is their army?
Let's face it, they can bloody a country when they're lucky, but they can't even take over and hold a reasonable sized city, let alone threaten our democracy.
Unless, of course, we let them scare us enough to turn the country over to paranoid lunatics . . . yet again, I mean.
Several days ago, this was buried in a thread; it didn't get any attention:
NSPD-51 and the Potential for a Coup d'Etat by National Emergency
http://www.nota.org/NSPD-51/NSPD-51.htm
Pertinent to this thread is the part about Operation Falcon, which rounded up 10,000 people in one week. They're up to Falcon IV now. Practice makes perfect.
Tancredo is just playing his role.
loulou @ 39:
Using that criteria, the answer would be....bush and cheney.
Bill W (41) that would have been the greatest result of all. :)
We would be sad to see the wonderful eight years of president Gore coming to an end. We might know that Lieberman was not interested in running for president and we would be wondering how could anyone make the next eight years any better than the last had been.
(Yes, I'm dreaming)
What the hell ever happened to "give me liberty or give me death"?
Shadowgm @ 40:
Because I've worked with good hearted people who guided them towards being dishonest.
You all can paint me as being lacking in compassion; I don't give a shit.
hadenuf @ 44:
If this is the National Security directive that establishes the president (thus, Bush) as the sole functioning arm of the federal government in event of a national emergency, it's been discussed before. In light of revisions to posse comitatus, habeas corpus, and KBR building 'relocation centers' (also for the contingency of a 'national emergency') ... we're all just waiting for the Reichstag fire ...
When they say that 9-11 changed everything, they aren't kidding. Without that awful day they couldn't have changed things the way they have. Life has changed drastically for us, but how has it changed for the "terrorist"?
TT's mantra: "Help the Paranoids are after me."
Not to be a dick or anything but the economic disruption of 3000 people dying in car accidents is much less than that of a major terrorist attack.
That said, I agree with the thrust of this post: Tancredo and Dobbs are jackasses.
Why is politics in America inhabited by such UTTER JACKASSES!!!!!!!!!!! How did this man even get into office!!!!!!!!!
A concerned Canadian.
Hastert to resign today
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
While I completely disagree with Tancredo's hysterical comments, I don't think the argument put forth is valid. An attack the magnitude of 9/11 has far reaching social and economic impacts that go beyond a simple accounting of the number killed. And no, I am not discounting the human tragedy of the lives lost on 9/11, I'm only pointing out that the tragedy only starts there. If you can imagine 6 "9/11-type" attacks in a single year, do you really think the sole impact to our country would be the lives lost?
There are plenty of valid ways to tear down Tancredo's claim, lets leave the spurious arguments to Rush and Falafel Head.
hadenuf @ 48:
My late father-in-law ran a clinic where a large portion of his patient base were migrant farmworkers. These are people who are handling our food at the source, and who - regardless of legislating and pontificating - are part of larger communities.
Immigration reform needs to be coupled with healthcare reform - so that we can improve the latter for all Americans, and use it as an incentive for immigrants to seek citizenship.
Shadowgm @ 49:
Yes, but this article puts it all together and is very well written. I read every link.
Paraphrasing Rep. Olver [D, MA] who has a Ph.D from MIT--he opposes impeachment because he thinks this administration will then institute martial law. So those of us wondering if the democrats are cowardly, complicit, corrupt, etc.--they're probably being threatened. Maybe they are protecting the country.
pissed off patricia @ 21:
I think that Diebold will vote for Guilliani.
I believe that Naomi Wolfe has her finger on the pulse of our government. We're sleep walking into a police state.
In the D/FW metroplex, groups are forming to protest and picket businesses that hire Mexican workers. They get more press coverage than anti-war demonstrators. This issue is being hyped and expanded by the media and I wouldn't be surprised if Homeland security isn't helping them along.
The next step is home grown renditioning. In a couple of years we can expect these groups to start taking folks to undisclosed locations, torturing them a week or two and then letting them go to tell the tale. Radio pundits will laugh at the victims and say they had it coming.
These neighborhood watches will successfully reduce reported crimes, and will become adjuncts to the regular police. They'll expand their activities looking for anyone with a loud mouth, or just people who just 'don't look right...'
I spent Monday night at an open Mic in Fort Worth. Several veterans took the stage and sang anti-protest-protest songs. They gave little speeches about their hatred of people who don't love the war. They repeated the line that we have to have wars to protect our freedoms. Then made the argument that people need to shut up and do as they are told.
The next few stages of the slide into a police state are going to be met with continue roars of approval. By the time the populous wakes up and figures out that we are conspiracy nuts, it will be past time to fix things.
I live in Denver. Most of the folks where I work don't speak English, any English. They are Mexicans, and they snuck across the border. They didn't do so because they love our language, our culture, our history or our Constitution. They did so because they were hungry. We eat pretty well. Plain and simple. Racism and all the other isms aside, if *we* don't fix the problems in Mexico they will become our problems. They are already doing so. And overpopulation is the biggest one.
That bogus demagoguing by bozos like Tancredo, Dobbs, and Cafferty, etc. doesn't work on me. Immigrants aren't' the problem, xenophobia, prejudice, and selfishness are.
Weaseldog @ 58:
I think you meant 'aren't' conspiracy nuts ...
But that brings to mind a quote from Revenge of the Sith:
"So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause."
New slogan idea...tell me what you think; "Sociopaths for Republicans...only pussies have a conscience"
Bob R @ 60:
But it does work, and that's the scary part.
I was shocked to go back to my home town after a very long absence, and hear people complain about no prayer in school. That used to be something only the fundamentalists said decades ago. People really believe that god is being taken away from them.
pissed off patricia @ 50:
What they really mean is 9/11 allowed US to change everything.
Exactly, Dr. Acula.
a little levity:
Anti-rethug bumperstickers...
1. Cheney/Satan '08
2. 1/20/09: End of an Error
3. That's OK; I Wasn't Using My Civil Liberties Anyway
4. Let's Fix Democracy in This Country First
5. If You Want a Nation Ruled By Religion, Move to Iran
6. Bush. Like a Rock. Only Dumber.
7. If You Can Read This, You're Not Our President
8. Of Course It Hurts: You're Getting Screwed by an Elephant
9. Bush Supporters: Embarrassed Yet?
10. George Bush: Creating Terrorists Our Grandkids Can Fight
11. America: One Nation, Under Surveillance
12. They Called Him "W" So He Can Spell It
13. Jail to the Chief
14. No, Seriously, Why Did We Invade Iraq?
15. Bush: God's way of Proving Intelligent Design is Bull
16. Bad President! No Banana.
17. We Need a President Who's Fluent In At Least One Language
18. Republicans: Making Enemies Faster than We Can Kill Them
19. Is It Vietnam Yet?
20. Where Are We Going? And why are we in a handbasket?
2 1. You Elected Him. You Deserve Him.
22. Impeach Cheney First
23. When Bush Took Office, Gas was $1.46
24. Pray For Impeachment
25. The Republican Party: Our Bridge to the 11th Century
26. What Part of "Bush Lied" Don't You Understand?
27. One Nation under Clod
28. Bush Never Exhaled
29. Nixon Resigned
30: 2004: Embarrassed
2005: Horrified
2006: Terrified
hadenuf @ 63:
The problem is that this mindset treats both school prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance as magic formulas that produce perfect little citizens. We forget that Kenneth Lay, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and other stellar examples of moral fiber grew up in an era where there was prayer and the Pledge.
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." JAMES 2:26.
2nd Day On Job: Mukasey Threatens Veto Over Dem Warrantless Spying Bill
Dems Set To Kill Feinstein Censure Resolution
I'm sick of this whole f-ing thing. We might as well dismantle the DOJ. Breaking the law and having no consequence is the new American way.
Janet @ 68:
Since when does the AG have veto power???
The thing that strikes me is that way way too few people are willing to point out that we would not even have a terrorism problem if we stopped our politicians from implementing horrifically brutal, immoral and illegal policies in the Middle East. Topping the list of horrible policies is support of Israel. And we need to stop the agendas which are pushing us to war with Iran. The calculations done about expected terrorism levels will need to be radically adjusted if we can't stop our politicians from attacking Iran.
Dr. Acula @ 69:
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/14/new-attorney-general-opp...
Sorry. He will recommend that bush veto it.
No, Tom @ 70 -- what brought about OBL's jihad against this country is its assine "foreign policy" of maintaining troops in Muslim countries and launching pre-emptive wars against same.
Stop with the easy (and wrong) assertion that it's "all Israel's fault".
Tancredo is a bitter pill that treats Open Border Disease.
21
pissed off patricia Says:
Mike the Canuck, if my country votes republican in the next election, I may be looking for a home in your neighborhood. I don’t think I could mentally stand four more years of republican insanity.
Just make sure you speak English (or French) when you get to the airport:
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/national/
071114/n1114115A.html
(Sorry, may have to cut and paste link to CBC news)
Dr. Acula @ 66:
2007: Mortified
Shadowgm @ 61:
Yeah that's what I meant.
I've enjoyed baiting people on the 9/11 conspiracy theory line, asking people if they believe nay of the 9/11 conspiracy theories. When they say they don't, I ask why they think the government is lying? (Blank look). You know, their theory that Arab and Egyptian hijackers conspired to fly aircraft into buildings. Why don't you believe in the government's conspiracy theory?....
Dr. Acula @ 72:
you have a point, but I don't think he blamed it all on Israel. He said it tops the list. He's also right about the danger of attacking Iran, which can't be refuted. You two might be on the same side. I'd like to see that expanded list of foreign policy problems.
Actually, I do think the problem of irrational fear should be dealt with.
Finally, an written argument that (somewhat) uses actuary death statistics to compares the number of deaths from 9/11 and terrorism to other causes of death. Whyisn't it done more, it is so powerful and so telling, as in out country has turned into a bunch of chickens over terrorism, why don't we outlaw automobiles when 50,000 people a year are killed by cars. Have you seen that add that shows a lone line of teenagers in cars and shows how 6,000 a year of teenagers are killed in cars. And, I am not advocating we outlaw cars, just demonstrating how stupid we are to be so overly concerned about terrorism. "Thats life, thats what all ..."
I am SO damned tired of these Loony Toons. This is the fault of the American people for even tolerating this stupidity enough to get this fool elected to anything more serious than regulating bubble pipes.
pmse57 @ 79:
The other posters have a point though, the repercussions of a terrorist attack are worse than for a car accident. Because we over react and it makes great breaking news footage.
It is a bit like my backyard, when my dogs decide to make a run at the chickens. They never never hurt the chickens. The chickens are more likely to be taken out by a hawk or raccoon. But in their irrational chicken fear, they could harm themselves in their panic.
As an aside a couple of catty older birds just stand their ground, because they figured out the dogs only follow the birds that run away.
John West @ 59:
While I don't doubt that some Mexican illegals do come here because the literaly cannot buy enough to eat in their own country, that's not even a reason worth mentioning. Mexico is not India. The overwhelming reason why they come here is because they cannot get ahead in their own country. Low wage jobs in Mexico ensure a lifetime of just scraping by. It's good though that you bring up the fact that the problems in Mexico are our problems. It's time to admit that and get to the root cause. Mexico got creamed by the most-favored nation status the U.S. gave to China. If you want to really want to fix immigration, slap tarrifs on Asia goods and keep the trade preferences with Mexico. Mexicans will stay in Mexico if they get the sense that their economic future (or that of their children) will improve down the road. This happens when the industrial base begins to expand. This is not happeneing now because we want to pay $199 for our Ipod instead of $229. Go across the spectrum of manufactured goods. At the end of the day, we want our low prices more than anything else. China is hoarding all the world's industrial capacity and most other developing countries are being left in the dust.
If you are going to ask people to actually vote for you for President of the United States of America, you’d better tell them what you are going to do about this problem, because I’m telling you it supercedes all other…It’s more important than healthcare. It’s more important than education policy. It’s more important than trade. It’s more important than anything, because what does all of that matter if you do not do what is necessary to protect this country?
*************************************
The huge problem with Tancredo's reasoning is that when you sacrifice virtually all else for the sake of defense -- education, healthcare, trade, levees (i.e., New Orleans), bridges (i.e., Minneapolis), civil liberties, the economy -- you run the risk of creating a nation which is so financially, intellectually, and psychologically impoverished that successfully defending it becomes at best a Pyrrhic victory. Anyone who has ever read George Orwell's "1984" knows only too well what sort of future we potentially face under that sort of reasoning, because that's exactly what Oceania and Eurasia and Eastasia are -- nations which basically continue to exist for no other purpose than to wage pointless and never-ending wars on each other at the expense of the people who live there. The reasoning is circular -- you defend yourself not in order to preserve a certain way of life (which Tancredo implies he's willing to sacrifice for the sake of defense) but merely in order to continue your existence as a nation so that you can continue to defend yourselves. To people like Tancredo, the nation as an abstract concept is more important than the people who live there -- and I remember only too well that this is almost exactly what all my social studies teachers used as the basic definition of fascism and/or totalitarianism. Our Founding Fathers never intended the existence of the United States as a nation to be more important than the people who live here -- because in their minds, the people WERE and ARE the nation!
Notice the underlying theme? Mexican, Islamofascism, illegal immigrants, terrorists, Islamofascism, Mexico, Islamofascism, terrrorism, hispanics, danger, terrorists, mexicans, Islamofascists...
Increasingly we should be hearing illegal aliens and terrorism used in the same sentences, as hispanics become the new national scapegoat. I guess it wouldn't be cool to go after the jews.
Dr. Matt @ 54:
not the first time he's done that, apparently. but he might just run for preznit and I believe he can beat all of them when his voting record is reviewed. He's as ACTIVE booshman, according to his voting record.
Is there a list of those emoticons anywhere?
Weaseldog @ 84:
Think further, it is a bit ironic that John Brunner painted catholics as scapegoats in one of his novels. I think it was "Stand on Zanzibar".
CoInterPRo @ 77 -- point taken.
The crazy talk by folks like Tancredo masks a genuine problem.
We need to manage growth to protect our natural resources, to maintain quality of life, to sustain a working infrastructure, and to provide authentic opportunities for immigrants.
Although it has become politically incorrect to say so, uncontrolled immigration runs contrary to these imperatives.
It's time to develop the political will to develop the programs necessary to bring immigration within the sphere of planned, managed growth.
This is the quintessential fascist rhetoric.
Uh-huh.... And where's this loser stand in the polls now?? The politics of fear mongering.. That's so last Bush strategy....So last year... Oh, well, I guess I now have a crystal clear picture on why this Tancredo charactors presidential aspirations amount to zilch..nada...nothing...Another 'winner' for the GOPers to choose from.. Boo! Tom... I think I saw a terrorist hiding under the same rock you crawled out from under dude... Somewhere in Colorado I like to think there are some sane people shaking their head in embarassment at this dunce and his screeds...
P.S. Not necessarily buying the Lou Dobbs desease thing, but I get why some people are down on him too... He can be over the top on the immigration issue... But he's no Tom Tancredo and he ain't running for president on a platform made of fear and paranoia......And we do have an illegal immigration problem which has nothing to do with sane legal immigration which I favor. JD
Tancredo is irrelevant, he's not even running for office when his time is up. Enough said.
I'm glad Tancredo is in there as a representative of the Repugs. Just his presence alone will move more Latino voters to the Dems.
Xenophobia and racism is still alive in america, which is absolutely sad. It saddens me that people can be so mean, cruel and hateful towards immigrants especially latin immigrants. We have a long way to go to overcome xenophobia and racism. We're all HUMANS for pete's sake. :(
greenjeans @ 89:
Because we've passed Peak Oil, growth is over. It is impossible to maintain infinite growth on a finite planet. We all know this, and we knew it would happen, but we all like to believe that this is something that will happen in the distant future. We've just passed the tipping point. The Pentagon acknowledges Peak Oil, and plans military strategy around it.
It is no coincidence that everything seems to be unraveling now. Democracy, freedom, the economy, the end of peace... These things all begin to fall apart when a nation is against the wall in resource limits. These things are easiest to maintain in a period of growth. In a period of prolong contraction, they are lost.
It is one thing to talk about 'Managed Growth'. That sounds like a reasonable thing. But what we need is a 'Managed Contraction'. And that is considered a nutcase notion.
In 1987, the world population began growing faster than oil production. In 2005-2006, oil production peaked and began to decline. All industry runs on energy. As energy declines, so does industry. Just like your car engine slows if you let off the gas.
So if industry is slowing, then the industry pie is shrinking. Per capita it is shrinking faster, as more people enter the world. If anyone gains, then more must lose. As capitalism currently requires growth to function, our industrial world will increasingly consolidate as industries attempt to merge to cut costs, and lay off workers.
In finance, the money supply continues to grow as the number of things to spend the money on, decreases. To cover interest, industry must grow. Since in aggregate, it can't grow. Almost all industry is a losing investment. So finance invests in finance. Real estate is one option that is considered a safe store of money, when you can't figure out how to invest in people. So with the flood of new money, we get a real estate and housing boom...
And still the money supply grows as the Gov finds ways to re-inject money into the banks to cover bad loans and bad policy... But it doesn't matter, the industrial contraction continues. Pouring money into the pit, only makes it bigger.
The History Channel just recently aired, "When the Oil Runs Out", but they don't list it on their web site. It might still be showing.
In Tancredo's own words, " I think ".
What he has been thinking has him very low in the polls.
His insinuation tht the boarders superceeds health care, economy, Iraq occupation, etc etc, is such a lame platform.
Tancreco " thinks " our government can only do one thing at a time.
Isn't that what he says?
Tancredo must be positioning to get Blackwater contracts to defend our boarders for the United States and at a very expensive contractor cost. Let alone our Constitution.
For me our first priority is defending the Constitution that he apparently cares nothing about.
When our Constitution has been demeaned and is in need of Restoration Acts. This is definately a priority. Tancredo seems to miss that.................
Hey look, it's that guy who's running for president or something.
isn't this ad a terrorizing act?
The stats about 6 9/11s a year are all right and well, but you haven't thought about who dies in those 9/11s. It's not your poor, unemployed family of cheap labour, a-dime-a-dozen blue collar workers, or even "social benefit leeching war vets". They're white collar, international conglomerate, monied voters/fund raisers!
That's why those are so important...
WR @ 98:
Using the tools of fear and terror in furthering a political cause?
More important than health care? this guy is nuts...... We need reform, let the guy say what he will, he is just a fear monger just like the ass of a president we have now. He has a snow ball chance in hell of winning anyone over with his nonsensical talk.
Dave @ 101:
As the saying goes, nobody ever went broke underestimating the stupidity of the American public. (Mencken's quote originally said, 'taste'.)
The Democrats can and will screw things up if given the chance - even taking the majority, they can't effectively defend against the Republican caucus, or our idiot president.
Bush and Cheney not only need to be removed from office, I'd go so far as to stuff holy wafers in their mouths, lop off their heads, and drive a stake through their hearts. Burn the parts, scatter the ashes, etc.
IdahoMoe @ 2:
The same place the rest of us came from...somewhere else. His grandmother
never even learned to speak English when she came here, but that's okay
because his family are white Europeans from Italy, not some dirty brown Indians
from south of the boarder who were really here first to begin with. Ya know,
those same people that he hired cheaply to do some remodeling work on his home.
Dr. Acula @ 72:
It's a bit more complicated than that. Read: "The Looming Tower" Lawrence Wright. It should be required reading for every person on the planet. The threat is real, and it's not going to go away simply by removing troops from the ME. They will simply find another reason, and yes, Israel is right in there too. Since the beginning of the muslim brotherhood,which started post WWII in of all places - Colorado - (Qtub) the momentum has been building for this. Bushco's invasion of Iraq accelerated the process. The threat is real, we just have the most incompetent fools in elected positions ever to meet this threat. They've done everything wrong and in the process have betrayed the constitution and us. BTW - none of this has to do with immigration. It's a distraction, and another way to get votes by tapping into racism.
Dana @ 103:
Thanks for proving my point that xenophobia and racism is still alive in america. I have zero respect for people like you. You disgust me!
Truthbtold @ 104:
They've got a huge list of reasons/grievances already. We've killed over one million Iraqis over the last few years.
Any nation that goes around starting wars and slaughtering human beings by the millions, for profit, is going to make enemies.
If we hit Iran and try to take their oil, the feces is going to hit the ventilation system big time. We'll find ourselves in WWIII. The rest of the world will be forced to stop us.
Tancredo is insane. He is a miscreant.
Funny how the insane miscreants from his district love to be identified with this guy isn't it?
Would you vacation in a district with the likes of these crazy people all over?
I would vote for tancredo, if I could vote in the repug primaries. He definitely is the funniest one of the bunch. What a gang of joksters these idiots are.
Weaseldog @ 106:
And that is the grim reality. Both the USSR and the PRC have a vested interest in Iran's oil reserves, and are the only 'superpowers' with the clout to bring the American juggernaut to heel.
I'm also concerned that we will pay, in spades, for our neglect of Pakistan. When King George XLIII was jonesing over Saddam, I kept thinking, 'What about Pakistan? They have tested, deployable nuclear weapons!'
No, a guy who had no program, no stockpiles, and hid in a basement the moment American boots hit the ground was far more important. al-Qaeda was the on-again/off-again threat, a boogeyman used to scare the populace into accepting idiotic laws and blatant affronts to their Constitutional rights..
Now we have turmoil in Pakistan, al-Qaeda could very well end up taking possession of a very dangerous ball ...
... but Bush and Cheney are busy spanking the weasel over Ahmadinejad and his alleged nuclear program and theoretical mushroom clouds.
I think we should re-enact the scene from Dr. Strangelove, strap Bush to a warhead and drop him off the wing of a B-52 ...
Healthcare is not as important as terrorism...
Adverse drug events (ADEs) result in more than 770,000 injuries and deaths each year. National hospital expenses to treat patients who suffer ADEs during hospitalization are estimated at between $1.56 and $5.6 billion annually. Would seem to me that we need to address the "terrorists" lurking in our hospitals.
"Tancredo - another Republican looking to take away the freedoms the evil-doers hate us for"
He doesn't really believe this. Republicans only have one card in their deck and they're desperate to keep playing it. Nobody's playing along anymore but they've got nothing else, so you get this kind of garbage coming out of their mouths. "C'mon, people, be afraid! Be very afraid! ...please?"
This is why the terrorists haven't attacked us again. They don't have to. Republicans have picked up that ball and are running with it at full speed. The terrorists are sitting back in the comfort and safety of their caves and cheering as the Republicans do their dirty work.
Recent polls show that both Democrats and Republicans consider illegal immigration the number one issue in the 2008 election.
It doesn't seem too far-fetched that the next president of the United States should be expected to uphold the law.
McDuff @ 15:
This blog demonstrates the scary stupidity of many liberals. Yes, corporations and politicians are threatening our whole democracy and one of the key components of their strategy is cheap, illegal, foreign labor. It's too bad that desperate hispanics are the pawns of the corporations, but if they keep coming in and staying here, everyone in this country, except the billionaires, will also be desperate and destitute and disenfranchised. The billionaires will go to one of their 18 homes in Dubais and Switzerland and leave all of us to grovel in the U. S. after they've turned it into another third-world country. We need leaders and informed citizenry to fight for the law and our Constitutional system in this country.
How and WHY is this man even allowed to be on national TV? Are the Repubs that desperate? You'd think they'd shove everyone but Romney and 9-11 man out of the way in an attempt to actually look credible.
...Wait.
More people are killed each year by the Police Force than from terrorism. Why don't we declare a war against the Police?
Why not devote billions of dollars a year to protection from the Police Force?
Why not go bed every night afraid that a policeman might be under your bed?
I think he's right on the money. Keeping people afraid of a boogey man (remember the commies? They were so convenient to have around) means they don't have time to think about how their Government doesn't care about representing them any more, or doing what's in the best interest of the country. A magician would call it 'Distraction'. You and I call it Bulls**t.
Terrorism is real. but its small. Its a bunch of people in caves for god's sakes! America being scared of terrorists is like an elephant being scare of a mouse.
kaT @ 114:
So there's your answer. You won't cut off the supply of illegals until you cut off the demand. Start making the corporate agro-businesses, and whoever employees such people, legally responsible. It won't eliminate the problem but it sure will do a lot more to reduce it than running around after border jumpers and/or trying to track down the millions who are already here. But in order to do that you first have to eliminate the influence of lobbyists and corporate campaign donors on politics. Laws don't mean a thing when you've got a government that is bought and sold by big-money interests and whose purpose is not to protect Americans but to protect corporate profits. Most of our problems in this country are directly tied to that one problem.
So there's your answer. You won't cut off the supply of illegals until you cut off the demand. Start making the corporate agro-businesses, and whoever employees such people, legally responsible. It won't eliminate the problem but it sure will do a lot more to reduce it than running around after border jumpers and/or trying to track down the millions who are already here. But in order to do that you first have to eliminate the influence of lobbyists and corporate campaign donors on politics. Laws don't mean a thing when you've got a government that is bought and sold by big-money interests and whose purpose is not to protect Americans but to protect corporate profits. Most of our problems in this country are directly tied to that one problem.
Stop the supply of illegals from the south and you'll be paying $10 for a head of lettuce. Fruit is already rotting on trees due to the crackdown.
This is the reality
IdahoMoe @ 2:
tancredo came out of cheney's butt with tancredo licking all the way out.
Truthbtold @ 118:
What crackdown? What did I miss? Give me a link.
Am I misremembering something?
If I recall correctly, none of the 9/11 folks entered the country illegally. I think that some of them may have been in violation of immigration law in terms of overstaying tourist or student visas, but I think that they all gained admission to the country legally. Since I haven't heard that anyone wants us to outlaw foreign tourism or foreign students in this country, I'm at a loss as to why we should concede that there's any trade-off whatsoever to be made between openness of our borders and security. Even Tancredo's most extreme proposal wouldn't have kept the 9/11 plotters out had it been the law on 9/11. Why should closing a mode of entry that terrorists have never used, be thought even marginally relevant to anti-terrorism?
kaT @ 114:
Glenn Beck, is that you?
Ever seen the Great Lakes? Know how easy it is to enter by boat? Just pull up on shore. Think of the rest of your borders-- ALL WATER.
Weaseldog: Thanks for some interesting reading today. More stuff to think about. I like the story about the chickens, especially the older chickens (too). I guess the moral there is: Don't be a young foolish chicken. I'm not, but I do like those kinds of stories.
""Pardon me for even entertaining the specious link he makes between illegal immigration and terrorism, ""
One thing I don't get is how little people understand the root cause of illegal immigration. The underlying narrative is very simple. Like with America and Europe a hundred years ago there is huge migration going on in Central and South American from the the rural areas to the cities. All that is happening vis illegal immigration is that a percentage of these people are coming here instead of heading to places like Mexico City. What that means long term is that eventually in another twenty or so years that migration will end and with it much of the illegal immigration to this country. Not really that ominous is it?
The people behind 911 are another story. That they are from Saudi Arabia is no duh. Because that place is perhaps the most corrupt place on earth because there is nothing there besides oil and shaking down people on the Hajj. And it has a ridged social and political structure that is corrupt and stifling. What that means is there are no opportunities for a young person from the upper class to move upwards. So it's no real buh that, that place produces people like Bin Laden. And those guys lash out at us mostly because they see our money as providing the main support for that system. Again not that ominous. Eventually the oil will be gone and the whole thing will collapse like a pumpkin a week after Halloween.
122 whatever101 Says: Glenn Beck, is that you?
Tee hee. That's about right. The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
Life, as you once knew it, has all changed because of the Bush junta. The two towers didn't do it. The hysteria of the terrified did. Religion and biogtry fed off that.
solid @ 26:
Ahem! It's pernunicated...Liberry...morans! ;)
Tancredo and Lou Dobbs are RIGHT on this issue.
Illegal immigration is bankrupting America (as is the failed war in Iraq). It is a major problem that must be dealt with. If people wish to come to America they MUST do it legally and speak our national language, English. And immigrants must assimilate.
Anything else leads to chaos. What is wrong with the left? Isn't anyone fed up with the problem with illegal immigration?
I'm fed up with this white guilt nonsense. It is a load of b.s. Illegal immigration must end now. We don't need anymore Americans killed by illegals like Adrienne Shelly.
Apparently though, the issue is not more important than being a wingnut ass-crack! Jihadists aren't the only ones frothing Tom, or should we call you jesus? I love the "they took our jobs" part too, what a fucking joke!
I'm still scratching my head, wondering why Alan is still working for the neocon talking-points-machine network.
” Terrorists would have to pull off six 9/11s every year to equal the roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year coming from the more than 40 million uninsured (pdf) in this country
And yet it only took them one attack, over 6 years ago to achieve what they wanted to accomplish. Just think what they will get next time there is an attack. Martial law. Lay down your freedom in the name of security, it is only a matter of time now.
Weaseldog: It is one thing to talk about 'Managed Growth'. That sounds like a reasonable thing. But what we need is a 'Managed Contraction'. And that is considered a nutcase notion.
Can't disagree. Still, uncontrolled population growth continues in the US of A.
We need to turn that around.
As long as people still thing universal healthcare ie: "socialized" medicine is a bad thing, nothing is more important than education in this country.
As long as Faux News continues to lead the ratings by more than 2 to 1 over the other networks, nothing is more important than education in this country.
er, 'think'
sheez
Tancredo is right on this one.
The left wants illegal immigration because they want to be sensitive, and help others less fortunate.
The right wants illegal immigration because corporations love cheap, non-unionized labor.
And the majority of Americans in the middle get screwed. Middle class Americans have their salaries lowered because they have to compete with cheap, illegal labor. Middle class Americans have to pay the taxes to provide education, health care, and law enforcement for illegals because the majority of illegals do not have social security numbers and do not pay taxes.
And what about national sovereignty? You would scream holy hell if someone told you that you had to make room in your house for someone you doesn't belong there to live. But when someone who has no legal right to live and work in the U.S. comes here, that's ok. Even though he is taking a job away from an American.
The bottom line is Illegal versus Legal. The Left never talks about the illegal immigration, but that's the topic - ILLEGAL immigration. The right could give a rat's ass. They want the cheap labor.
I applaud Tancredo for having the balls to stand up and speak to this issue.
I, personally, I, as an American, have decided to move back to Europe because I'm sick and tired of my country reducing every issue down to money. And this immigration issue is about money.
Thomas Stone@135;
I do not agree with Tancredos approach which seems to be more about fear mongering and instilling paranoia in some ham handed attempt to break out of a weak pack of GOP presidential hopefuls. I do, however agree with your perspective on it. It IS about illegals coming across the borders that create exactly the conditions you outlined. It is also about NAFTA as written, not free trade as an ideal. This setup from the Clinton administration in the 90's helped to establish the pre-condititions which has led to exactly what you wrote about. As regards immigration in general? Legal immigration is what built this nation, and what is going on today has nothing in common with that idea. I guess other than not seeing Tancredo with the same set of eyes, the only other point I would tend to differ with you on is the idea of moving back to Europe. I won't leave because George Bush and bunch of globalists want to wreck this nation. I also do not think Dobbs is the xenophobic boogie man either the right or the left like to portray him as for different reasons, even if he is a republican.. Good luck with this moving back to Europe idea. I do not think that will necessarily work out as well as you might hope given the way the Bush administration has trashed our reputation internationally as a people, but maybe it will work out for you. I hope so for yours and your loved ones sake Mr. Stone.... regards; JD
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