I have spent most of the weekend reading up on the "new" immigration laws that have come up in Az. recently....and I have discovered that the new law is basically the same as the existing federal laws that no one has been enforcing  
I also read up on both sides of the issue and it seems that we have handicapped the police and border patrol in such a way that even if they know someone is here illegally and commiting crimes they have little or no ability to deport them or to keep them off the streets...The staggering numbers of crimes commited by illegal aliens and the violence involved is incredible.
Apparently the current administration is preparing some rediculous "amnesty" program...making tens of thousands of these illegals naturalized citizens....and of course they would be elligible for federal aid money etc. This is totally jacked up and these jerks have got to go.
Unfortunately the last election gave us some of the most piss poor alternatives I have ever seen....The GOP ran Krusty the Klown and Psycho Barbie....and the Dems gave us Obama and Biden.
yeah now there are some really inviting choices...I am listening to the news in the background now and hearing the apocalyptic scope of the Gulf Coast Oil Spill....thank you BP and Haliburton (yes they were there, I am sure they still are hiding under some damn Oil covered rocks). Obama has his thumb up his ass and can't seem to decide if the govt or bp should clean it up...
If my kids did something stupid like this they would both have been cleaning like crazy to make sure I didn't find out and kick their butts....and I think we should kick all of their sorry butts over this one.
BP needs to be deported as an undesirable....Obama and co can help them with their bags....and just freaking stay there with them.
And for heavens sake take his welfare collecting illegal alien aunt with him.
I knew I was mad at this merry band of incompetents but this one is a long rant even for me....

Feel better?

Eeyoresgirl, will you please stop sugar-coating everything and just tell us how you really feel?  But seriously, if you've paid attention to what this administration is really doing, he's doing a bit of damage control. The democrats got stung during this last primary and he (Obama) is trying to tell all people what he thinks they want to hear. The conservatives want the illegals out of the country. And I totally agree with this by the way. Yet, he doesn't want to loose the hispanic vote (hense the amnesty period to become a naturalized "tax paying" citizen).  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to someone immigrating to this country to make a better life for themselves or their family. Just do it the right way. One thing that sets me off is while American business owners are made to pay taxes to the government, foreign business owners are exempt (unless that's changed, I'm not 100% sure) from paying taxes for (I think) 5 or 7 years. During this time, they get to keep ALL of there income, they receive the same police protection that Americans pay for through our tax dollars, as well as any other service WE AMERICANS pay for. And when their tax free period is up, the business gets signed over to a relative to begin a new tax free period for the family.  Its these stories that annoy the hell out of me. An even bigger issue is foreign owned banks. There is enough foreign money here in the U.S. that other countries could cripple our already weakened economy. But that's another issue all together. Lastly, I seem to recall reading in a history book that this is supposed to be a government "OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE, AND BY THE PEOPLE". My interpretation of "PEOPLE" is AMERICANS. I can't recall anywhere in the U.S. Constitution that guarantee illegal aliens the right to utilize much needed tax dollars or tax dollar supported services (other than a one way courtesy ride back to their country) The most effective political movement we can put into motion is to get people out to vote and get someone elected that will listen to the voice of the American people and do what we elected them to do. (I also believe the Electoral College is way out dated and should be abolished- I find the concept that someone else casting a vote that "actually counts" insulting). Just my humble opinion  

Blessings,

Draco

AFter reading your posts, I feel that Canada has a lot tougher immigrantion laws.  I've talked to or read about some immigrants who have entered our country and have a hard time getting in, and then they have to wait to get any government benefits, for example: medicare which we here take for granted.  
My brother's wife was not allowed into Canada, even on a visitor's visa.  (This was to see his father before he passed away, and to see his new grandson).  
And then, I looked to see what the tally of illegal immigrants compared to Canada.  Hundreds of thousands compared to millions in the states.  Ok, then I looked at the population difference between the 2 countries.  The ratio of illegal immigrants is the same so maybe my head is in the sand or we don't seem to be talking much about it.

Marigold, my issue is not with legal immigrants but illegal ones and I doubt if Canada comes close to the US on that one....but we cannot truly discuss numbers since the stats are so screwed up here. Police Schools and most institutions are handcuffed...we don't allow them to verify status. Consequently along with those who come for reasons most of us are sympathetic to there are hordes of criminals,drug dealers, grifters and more than a smattering of Mexican Nationals who are anti-america, those who are borderline terrorists. I only say borderline because they lack the funding and knowledge to create the kinds of threat the Al Queda can muster. If you look at the current leadership in South America you realize the chaos that has become the status quo there. Police regularly take bribes to look the other way while serious crimes are committed, at one point only a few weeks ago some of the border towns near Texas had bodies lying in the streets for days...shoot outs between rival drug cartels....no one would even go out to pick up the bodies, US companies were not allowing any of their employees here to travel there on business it was just too dangerous and there was no "law".
Who and what do you suppose was running across the border at that time? Certainly not the ordinary Mexican citizens...they were hiding in their homes afraid to even come out. We have illegals here that we have deported dozens of times...criminal records would make it impossible for them to immigrate legally.And again the stats are simply not being kept, the government seems to be moving the "don't ask don't tell" policy to this area of Americas  crime rates. Our border patrol officers have the most dangerous job in the country....and funding is a joke.
And the whole thing with Obama's aunt is nauseating...doesn't work doesn't seem to give a rip about anything except getting a free ride.
The BP oil spill...which was far from being a lone gunman scenario...there is a veritable herd of "sub-contactors" crawling under the rocks again...most notably Haliburton and they will surely walk away scott free. Too many lobyists and it doesn't hurt to have former VP Dick Cheney in your backpocket.
Its been a month now, and what has come to light about the safety procedures not followed here would fill a book....this need never have happened.
I know little about Canada's policies personally but they simply cannot be as absurdly inadequate as ours.

As far as the border towns being held hostage by drug cartels, would contacting the media help?  I found from watching these reports, that people have trouble for years, but as soon as the media brings things to light, then the situation changes.  Maybe that would help?  I'm not talking about newspapers, I'm talking about a bigger media, like 60 minutes, CNN, etc.  Maybe they did cover it, I haven't watched either in a few years. .  
I wouldn't worry about Obama's aunt.  It wouldn't look good to other countries if his aunt were ejected from the US for any reason, so yes, she probably was shown favoritism.  It really doesn't matter, she is just one of many, many people.  
Oil spill?  At this point in time, it's not about who's fault it is, it's about getting it cleaned up asap.  Seriously...the damage this is causing the environment.  It makes me sick to my stomach.  After it's over, I'm stuck in the middle....spend millions trying to place blame on a certain party, (who should take responsibility for their actions), or learn from our mistake, put new laws in place, and move on.  We can't stop the powerful from protecting the powerful, and we may be beating ourselves to death trying to stop that.  
Canada??  I watched a comedy about Canadians being physically beaten by US and saying, 'I'm sorry...it's my fault. Don't worry about it.'  We're perceived as being a bunch of apathetic whimps.  Sometimes I agree that Canada should have more backbone, and sometimes I'm proud of Canada.  
LOL, I read my post.  I sound like one of those wishywashy Canadians, eh?  

Eeyoresgirl, after 24 years in law enforcement, I can tell you this: The drug cartels are definitely NOT underfunded. Furthermore, its not that they are not smart enough to engage in activities like Al Queda. The drug cartels have one motivating factor: MONEY. To them, money = power. And unfortunately, thanks to a corrupt government and police force, money IS power down there. My daughter once told me of a verse in the Bible that states: "Money is the root of all evil". I rather like Gene Simmons' view as he believes "Lack of money is the root of all evil" . And in a way, this is true. For those who lack money and desire it bad enough will do anything to aquire it regardless of any moral implications. Which leads me to my next point (regarding the oil spill in the Gulf). I agree with Marigold in that they need to not worry so much who is to blame for the mess at this point and just get the well capped so they can begin the massive clean up. This mess is going to take quite a bit of time to clean up and even longer for the eco systems affected to recover from this disaster. They can resume the finger pointing when the mess is gone. Regarding the enacting of new laws and the powerful protecting the powerful: that all sort of goes back that root of all evil thing and the sale of those law makers' morality. Just saying

Draco

http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-05-25/shocking-bp-memo-and-the-oil-spill-in-the-gulf/ a news story in which BP explains how they feel about human life....Or "The Three Little Piggies And How BP Blows"....
There really isnt any doubt who is at fault in the Gulf disaster, with a resume like BP has you couldn't get a job emptying waste baskets in the ghetto. But all for the love of money we are letting them destroy ours.
I hope the latest attempt to cap the damn thing works especially with storm season approaching the gulf now, they could end up with a sea of fire if this doesn't work.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/06/caught_in_the_oil.html

I don't think there is any way we can comprehend the cost of this insane bunch of money grubbers....My mother used to say its the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil, not necessarily whether you have a little or a lot.
Most of us are content as long as we can pay the rent buy food and decent medical care.....their are some for whom no amount of money is ever "enough". I have always thought personally that it is greed is motivated by the desire to make sure others will not have enough to survive. An act of violence but on a more subtle level than a street corner thug.
I doubt that the Cartel would want revolutionaries/terrorists, they like it the way it is.Illegal so they can charge huge amounts of money and rip off whomever they choose. The terrorists I was refering to is a group that believes that Mexico will regain the Texas/Arizona/California/Nevada areas, presumably so they can mismanage those resources and run them into the ground. Mexico has many many resources, good land....what it doesn't have and hasn't had in modern history anyway is a government that works for the good of the common person. Unfortunately ours hasn't had a stellar record of late either. The difference is that I can bitch about this one and not "disappear" because of it.I think that is not the case past our southern border,and I do feel compassion for those frustrated souls but the answer is not here for them. At some point the ordinary Mexican citizen will hopefully get tired of the crap and fight back, which is what it will take to make things change.
It is worth noting that many of the illegals using Mexico as a crossing point are not Mexicans, there are many countries in South America who travel thru there, and of late their has been indications that middle eastern terrorists are using the Southern Route to get in....Canada is no longer as easy as it once was.

It has to get better....lets just hope it's soon.