FYI - Immigration stuff drops in the Senate this week. The House calendar is available online at www.house.gov Also, as far as seeing bills, here's a good resource : www.thomas.loc.gov (as in Mr. Jefferson and the Library of Congress). It's a search engine for every bill, amendment, or resolution before this 109th Congress. Shows you the full text, motions, status, sponsors, votes (if by roll-call in the Senate, I think always in the House), etc.
As most of us (who saw that coming) are in some way associated or at least interested in Villanova basketball, a shout out to the team that lost tonight. Seemed like it was a fun season, at least, for those of you there. What a Final Four. Jeeze. One week to go now and we can all start to focus on what's important: Spring Football at Notre Dame.
And, Paul and JD, saw your comments on the Man in Black. Do you guys want to be able to just post? Rather than comment? Let me or Dan know and we will hook you up. I agree that he was a glass-half-full guy, but I think we need those, especially in the arts. I think it keeps the rest of us honest. Nice shameless plug, Dan, good luck on the show.
Lastly, check the numbers on this , but as excrutiatingly uncomfortable the President looks in press conferences, he's actually done a few. There's a nice article floating around about how the White House press corps. and press conferences changed during the Clinton administration. I'll try to hunt it down. But it those conferences are an interesting event....does anyone out there think it matters how the personalities of the WH communications staff (the President included) and the press corps. members mesh matters? I'm no journalist, so I can't understand that whole phenomenon. It seems to me like the same questions are always asked and the same answers are always given, or at very least, the answers that more than half of us could figure out anyway are given. And yet, Wolf Blitzer and Shep Smith always have something to talk about....go figure.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Legalize the Irish!
Hey All,
I realize that most of the people who bother to read this blog are currently on their spring breaks (Dan and Paul qualifying as "most"), but I thought I would post since a few things have popped into my mind.
As I mentioned in some of the first posts, I work in Washington, DC and living here provides you with unique opportunities to see what people across the country are worried about, thinking, and doing all in the name of making their lives, or sometimes the whole world, a little bit better. That darn first amendment right, "to petition the government for the redress of grievances," probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess we might as well learn from the exercise of it and use for fodder here.
So, there was a seemingly major rally yesterday, though you probably didn't read about it any newspapers. It was about immigration. A lot, I mean A LOT of Latinos were outside the Capitol hoping, I gathered, to defeat some introduced legislation that would restrict immigration. Today, though, was the kicker for me. I ran into some guys with t-shirts that read :"Legalize The Irish . Org." The plug worked (as I'm sure it just did on you or at least should by now) and I honestly learned things I didn't know.
I think we can all agree that, Irish immigrants or immigrants from a Central American country, they should be treated the same. Here's the question: How should they be treated? Who is the face of immigration to you? Hard-working people who have been here and should be given some sort of credit for joining, in some ways, fueling the economy and are just trying to give their kids what we all got without trying? Or people, whether Irish or Latino, dodging customs officials and basically, breaking sensical and important laws? Remember we are living in the post 9-11 world here and immigration is no longer a cultural and economical issue.
I have to admit, I honestly don't know. So, read this as an APB. I'm busy at the moment with another area of interest I'm trying bone up on (by the way, everyone should read The Assassin's Gate by George Packer. A very good piece of journalism in my opinion). Here are my immigration-related questions: First, is there a difference between "illegal" and "undocumented" immigrants or is undocumented just a preferred term? Have immigration laws changed much in the last 100 years? I assume they have. You can't just pull up a barge full of Cognatos at the Statue of Liberty and say, "Hey! Everybody offa da boat! We a-going to a Norristown-a!" But I think it's important to look at the facts that differentiate the current generation of immigrants versus our (and I think that's basically all of our) parents, grandparents, and so on. I've heard that all the "legalize the Irish" Irish people came over in the 80's and 90's, so, if someone could explain this it would be helpful.
Like I said, I don't have a position yet. There's a lot of things to think about...We are all immigrants, but it's different country today, but do we want it to be, but do we treat Latino immigrants differently than others, but, well, we could go on I think.
Anyway, that's all I have for today. Two random things though: I was watching a PBS special yesterday about Johnny Cash and, with the movie that came out, I think it's really great those of us who didn't know much about the man get a chance too. What a great lyricist. Here's a link to what I think is his best song, all around: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/johnnycashlyrics/maninblacklyrics.html
Lastly, also on music, I want anyone reading this to take a minute to also reflect on this one lyric from a Rolling Stones song that just came on the radio: (from Honky Tonk Woman)
"I laid a divorcee in New York City/ I had to put up some kind of a fight/ The lady then she covered me with roses/ She blew my nose and then she blew my mind "
I realize that most of the people who bother to read this blog are currently on their spring breaks (Dan and Paul qualifying as "most"), but I thought I would post since a few things have popped into my mind.
As I mentioned in some of the first posts, I work in Washington, DC and living here provides you with unique opportunities to see what people across the country are worried about, thinking, and doing all in the name of making their lives, or sometimes the whole world, a little bit better. That darn first amendment right, "to petition the government for the redress of grievances," probably isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I guess we might as well learn from the exercise of it and use for fodder here.
So, there was a seemingly major rally yesterday, though you probably didn't read about it any newspapers. It was about immigration. A lot, I mean A LOT of Latinos were outside the Capitol hoping, I gathered, to defeat some introduced legislation that would restrict immigration. Today, though, was the kicker for me. I ran into some guys with t-shirts that read :"Legalize The Irish . Org." The plug worked (as I'm sure it just did on you or at least should by now) and I honestly learned things I didn't know.
I think we can all agree that, Irish immigrants or immigrants from a Central American country, they should be treated the same. Here's the question: How should they be treated? Who is the face of immigration to you? Hard-working people who have been here and should be given some sort of credit for joining, in some ways, fueling the economy and are just trying to give their kids what we all got without trying? Or people, whether Irish or Latino, dodging customs officials and basically, breaking sensical and important laws? Remember we are living in the post 9-11 world here and immigration is no longer a cultural and economical issue.
I have to admit, I honestly don't know. So, read this as an APB. I'm busy at the moment with another area of interest I'm trying bone up on (by the way, everyone should read The Assassin's Gate by George Packer. A very good piece of journalism in my opinion). Here are my immigration-related questions: First, is there a difference between "illegal" and "undocumented" immigrants or is undocumented just a preferred term? Have immigration laws changed much in the last 100 years? I assume they have. You can't just pull up a barge full of Cognatos at the Statue of Liberty and say, "Hey! Everybody offa da boat! We a-going to a Norristown-a!" But I think it's important to look at the facts that differentiate the current generation of immigrants versus our (and I think that's basically all of our) parents, grandparents, and so on. I've heard that all the "legalize the Irish" Irish people came over in the 80's and 90's, so, if someone could explain this it would be helpful.
Like I said, I don't have a position yet. There's a lot of things to think about...We are all immigrants, but it's different country today, but do we want it to be, but do we treat Latino immigrants differently than others, but, well, we could go on I think.
Anyway, that's all I have for today. Two random things though: I was watching a PBS special yesterday about Johnny Cash and, with the movie that came out, I think it's really great those of us who didn't know much about the man get a chance too. What a great lyricist. Here's a link to what I think is his best song, all around: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/j/johnnycashlyrics/maninblacklyrics.html
Lastly, also on music, I want anyone reading this to take a minute to also reflect on this one lyric from a Rolling Stones song that just came on the radio: (from Honky Tonk Woman)
"I laid a divorcee in New York City/ I had to put up some kind of a fight/ The lady then she covered me with roses/ She blew my nose and then she blew my mind "
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