A sad day...

Updated May 10:

The victim has improved, but is still in intensive care. Possibly soon to have the company of his attackers. See story.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3855476.html

Edited on May 2:

The victim is still very critical, but has made some improvement. My hopes go out to him and his family.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3833490.html
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/3824402.html

I read a post on Democratic Underground that said the victim has died of his injuries, but haven't yet been able to find a more direct source.

Update: as of 9:00 p.m. on Friday April 28, the victim is still listed as 'extremely critical'.

In Texas, what the attackers did warrants the death penalty (assuming the victim doesn't recover), but I don't expect it to happen During a call from my sister in CO, I mentioned this incident, and in speculation on what will happen next, I observed that 'they don't execute white people in Texas.' She countered with "except for the retarded ones." I followed up with "except for the retarded ones that they send to Washington."

Is there a genetic link for cynicism in families?? Or is it just enviromental?

My condolences go out to the family of the victim and hope that the family is able to find justice, if not solace, in the days and months ahead.

Kudos, serious kudos, in fact

to Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon (http://wyden.senate.gov/) for his filibuster to get his amendment to an emergency appropriations bill that would force the hyper-profitable oil industry to pay royalties on oil that they take from federal lands. He needs the filibuster to even force a vote on his amendment - the Repubs don't want to vote for this, and hurt some of their biggest supporters, but they damn sure don't want to be on the record, during an election year, of voting against it (and in favor of subsidizing the wealthiest group of people on Earth), either.

Why don't our esteemed senators show some spine like this?

Maybe it's because one is an utter tool, and the other is a MINO*.

MINO = Maverick In Name Only.

Sen. Wyden's campaign site: http://www.wydenteam.com/cgi-bin/display.cgi?page=meetron

Edited for grammar and an update:

Boo! to Sen. Harry Reid (Senate Minority Leader) of Nevada for talking Wyden into giving it up after just over 4 1/2 hours.

What is it with the Hayworth campaign?

Let me apologize now for the awkward linking...still learning blogging the hard way....

All sorts of stuff going on over there...first, as noted on Tedski's http://rumromanismrebellion.blogspot.com/, a legislative assistant from the Hayworth office is spotted at Harry Mitchell's campaign kickoff in Tempe (see pic), and then the Republic's "Plugged In" has a story (http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/index.php?blog=85&title=hayworth_aide_plugged_innuendo_is_more_l&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1#comments)about how JD's Chief of Staff (and presumably, the good Congressman himself) is upset over the coverage of JD's connections to the Abramoff scandal (receipt of $60K - $250K, depending on your source and the criteria used). So upset, that he sent a harsh response to "Plugged In" suggesting that it's name get changed to "Plugged Innuendo".

Wonder if they are feeling the pressure of having to mount a real campaign, when they expected something resembling a walkover?

Note: while I would love to post over the weekend, and will try to do so in the future, my work schedule of Sat - Mon, 12 hours each day, sort of makes that tough.

Good night!

Time for a first post....

Hi everyone! My first real post (i.e. – a post other than “test”) is inspired by something I found while doing research for a class that I am taking this semester. While what I found wasn’t useful for class, I still found it very illuminating.

I found a letter, at http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/americavotes/know-nothing.html, that proves, at least in relation to anti-immigrant fervor, that not much has changed in the last 150+ years. The letter sets out the presidential campaign platform of the Know-Nothing Party, circa 1856. Here’s what it says (with the blank line at one word that I couldn’t make out):

1. Repeal of all naturalization laws
2. None but native Americans for office.
3. A pure American common school system.
4. War to the hilt, on political Romanism.
5. Opposition to the formation of military companies composed of foreigners.
6. The advocacy of a sound, healthy and safe nationality.
7. Hostility to all Papal influences, when brought to bear against the Republic.
8. American Institutions and American Sentiments.
9. More stringent and effective immigration laws.
10. The amplest protections to Protestant interests.
11. The doctrines of the revered Washington.
12. The sending back of all foreign _____.
13. Formation of societies to protect American interests.
14. Eternal enmity to all who attempt to carry out the principles of a foreign church on state.
15. Our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country.
16. Finally, American Laws, and American…..

Other than the blatantly anti-Catholic parts (haven’t heard any serious rants about ‘Papists’ since JFK was running for President), this could have been written today, with very little need to edit for modern language and concerns.

From the Minuteman Project’s website (http://www.minutemanproject.com/):

“We have seen defiance of the rule of law by foreign nationals. We have seen protests across America with disdain for American sovereignty. Defiance of the law supported by protest is outrageous to those who are lawful and proud of America.”

“It is now time to stop complaining and start reclaiming America!”

Found at http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?sid=174:

“The Mexican culture is based on deceit. Chicanos and Mexicanos lie as a means of survival. Fabricating false IDs is just another extension of that culture ... [which] condones everything from the most lowly misdemeanor to murder in the highest levels of government."
- VOICES OF CITIZENS TOGETHER
(I couldn’t find a link for a group by that name, though a Google search for that group did bring up a site for something called "Glenn Spencer’s American Patrol Report" that was full of writings in the same vein. I didn’t search the entire site for a direct quote. That stuff’ll stunt your growth, LOL.)

The parallels between the anti-Mexican rhetoric today and the anti-Irish (and, to a lesser extent, anti-German) rhetoric of the 1840s and 1850s are striking. The Mexican immigrant tends to take jobs that most Americans don’t want, particularly menial labor; the Irish immigrant did the same 150 years ago. Mexicans usually live in the same neighborhoods; so did the Irish. Both groups are/were proud of their history, and still have/had strong family ties to the “old country”. And so on… All of which is used by the anti-immigrant crowd to whip up sentiments against ‘them durn furriners’.

On the one hand, it’s scary that a country founded on immigration could harbor such hypocritically virulent bigotry toward immigrants (hey, it’s hypocritical because ALL of us have immigrants somewhere in our family tree), even today. (BTW – I’m the grandson and great-grandson of immigrants. Port of Boston, late 1800s, and the 1910s)

On the other hand, the Know-Nothings, while they had a bit of electoral success in the late 1850s, particularly at the state level, were pretty much a complete non-factor politically by the mid-1860s. Gives me a little hope that the hysteria will die down soon.
Personally, I think that it will die down on November 8th, with a strong likelihood of resurrection as a polarizing/motivating issue if the Republicans feel that they will have their asses handed to them in the 2008 elections. Not that I’m a cynic or anything.