Does anybody read these?

OK, it's late and I'm pissed...

Normally a good rant would have links, but I can't even go back and read all the bullshit again and besides the links on Yahoo news die and/or change way too much.

I really dislike our president. Everything about him gives me the creepy crawlies. Not only does he make America a really shitty place to live, but he gives this appearance of being some type of leader and people listen to him. That's what makes America such a nightmarish hell-hole of a nation.

And luckily I'm pretty white, because it would absolutely suck to look like you were of any other ethnicity in this country right now. I'm not saying it's better to be white, because I don't believe this. I do believe America was supposed to be a melting pot. You know, back when cool people like Thomas Jefferson ran the show...

My brother lives in South Florida. And, of course, he asked Senorita Benitez to marry him. They are planning what they affectionately call "The Hicks and Spics Wedding." At least they have a sense of humor about it. I think that putting rednecks and Mexicans in the same room could be a very tense evening.

I don't know if you've noticed, boys and girls, but it's not a good time to be Hispanic in this country. I'm torn on the whole immigration situation. Part of me thinks if you want to be in a country, then follow the proper channels. But that's not as easy as it sounds. You see, Senorita Benitez is now a resident alien with a work permit in our fine nation. But when my brother met her, she was on the verge of being deported because she was an illegal. The problem was that her family moved here when she was young and she didn't know she was an illegal until some very official-looking men arrived at her work and publicly humiliated her and tried to send her back to a country that she had not been in since she was a toddler. She had no family there and was barely an adult and they didn't care. Luckily it's all figured out, but not everyone in La Familia Benitez has been so lucky. One of her cousins is in the process of getting deported right now. Did I mention this boy's in his teens and has NO family in Mexico? Oh well. Sorry about your luck.

I guess some would make the argument that illegals are in this country filling up our schools and using our resources without contributing their fair share. That's absolute horseshit. You know why? Because lots of illegals pay taxes into the system, and how many of them do you think file a return to get that money back? Did you guess zero? Good job.

Regardless of how someone got here or whether or not they have papers that say they can stay, it's two-thousand-freaking-six boys and girls. There are so many people working in deplorable situations. They are not safe. They are not making a decent wage. But here they are in America, the great land of opportunity, doing shitty jobs that no American would ever want. And folks don't want to give them worker status because the price of a head of lettuce would go up. It's all ridiculous and it makes me very sad.

I don't know where you live folks, but I get reports of what is going on in Florida from my brother and I read about what is happening in California. This country is on the verge of a race war.

Enter our freaking jack-ass president. His comments on Friday on this national anthem project the hispanic entertainers are working on pissed me off to no end. This is what he said:

"I think the national anthem ought to be sung in English," President Bush told reporters Friday, "and I think people who want to be a citizen of this country ought to learn English, and they ought to learn to sing the national anthem in English."

There's a reason the United States doesn't have a national language, although I'm sure Bush and his cronies (except maybe his brother's Mexican family) would like one. English, of course. America is a melting pot. It always has been, and I hope it always will be. If people don't want to learn English that's ok, even though it'll be harder on them. I see the value in keeping your own heritage and culture. You don't have to speak English to live here. It's neat to sit on a crowded subway train and hear the different languages. Just last week in Nashville, I heard conversations in at least three languages at the grocery store. I thought about how great it is that America is a place where everyone is accepted.

And then our President basically tells folks they aren't welcome if they don't speak English. Well, thank God they couldn't understand him. How about if you are from Texas and went to Yale and still can't speak proper English you have to go? How do you like that strategory, Mr. President?

I'm just pissed about the whole thing. Maybe I'm more pissed because I now have Hispanic family members. But probably not really. It's a civil rights issue. It's a social justice issue. Hell, it's just good manners.

I worry about our nation. We are going down a bad path. I just worry that the president's comments will contribute to the anti-Hispanic sentiment in the country these days. And he's always alleged to be a "uniter, not a divider," and that's sure as hell not something a uniter would say.

And besides, have you ever been to an NHL hockey game? They sing "Oh Canada" in both English and French. I'm not saying that we always sing the national anthem in Spanish. I'm just saying it's not that crazy to want to do it. Hell, if I wanted to sing it in Czech you couldn't really stop me.

My mom probably made the best comment about this whole thing. She said: "Until we all learn Sioux, Navajo and Cherokee, we probably shouldn't go around telling Hispanics to learn English."

Score one for mom.

Sorry about the rant. Back to roses and posies after I get some sleep.

posted by Laura at 2:02 AM