the USA isnt the only terrorist target. the whole west-world is a terrorist target, even africa and asia, but the US goverment proftis from this situation. the Bush-Administration is spreading fear and panic to have an official reason for destroying the privatphere and personal freedom of the cities. they make you paranoid. they can do and they do everything to make george orwells 1984 come true, if somebody says something against it the goverment says its to "protect" and everybody is happy. many cities are some kind of degenerated from your very bad media. the mainstream US media is bad joke. this "war against terrorism" is bad joke. its just deflection. I will stop now, cause my english is too bad.
I am actually considering leaving the US and trying to immigrate to Canada. I think the electorate in the US has the government they deserve. To be honest, I think a major decline of US economic, military and political influence is probably a good thing for the rest of the world. We are not using our power and wealth very wisely.
Regarding the original article, the idea that Mexico would start suing us for mistreatment of people detained at the border is silly, but there is a basis for their fear. They're probably expecting us to treat them like the prisoners at Abu Ghraib. The government can blame itself for that perception. Expanding the border patrol and reinforcing them with the National Guard is a step in the right direction, although we can't just focus on the Southern border, we need to pay attention to the North and especially our ports, where people are smuggled in all the time. This guest worker program, though, is a mistake. Essentially what it's doing is creating a whole new type of underclass - they will pay taxes, but not be able to gain citizenship or vote. That's not good enough. We do need some sort of amnesty program that gives the people who are here already a path to citizenship. At the same time, we have to fully enforce the law those who refuse to comply, and stop the influx of immigrants. Otherwise, the rules mean nothing. And definitely stop "catch-and-release," that's not doing anyone any good. I understand the plight of the people who want to come here, but there's only so much the system will bear. Eventually the jobs that they do are all going to be taken, and I think it's going to be sooner rather than later. I also understand the fears of some Americans. I live in a medium-sized suburb of NYC which used to be known for a relatively low crime rate. Within the last five years, though, there were two very high-profile incidents: the rape and murder of a 10-year old child and the rape of a 20-year old woman. All three perpetrators were illegal immigrants from Honduras and Ecuador. I realize that American citizens commit crimes like these in every city in the USA every day, and so do many others here, but there are many others who don't see it that way. They commute to work every day, locked safely in their cars while they drive by the hundred or so day laborers lined up outside the train station, looking for work, and they just see potential criminals. It doesn't help the situation at all. Like I said, though, it's fear. There's nothing rational about it. Wait until the first case of bird flu pops up in South America. Then this issue is going to explode.
Can you tell us what sold you on Canada? What makes it better than the US? Or is it strictly based on a dislike of the US' policies? (BTW, it's "emigrate to Canada," but I'm sure you knew that. ;p)
I think there should be universal health care in the U.S., but like Roger said, more than one issue can be addressed at a time. I disagree. If terrorists can't enter the U.S. legally, they will do so illegally. It's common sense. It would be naive to think that terrorists have given up on plans to attack the U.S. simply because legal entry has become more difficult. A side note...as Parka pointed out, some terrorists are home-grown. You obviously can't stop them from entering because they're already here.
The key here is "more difficult". It's not impossible, and they know that. If Richard Reid hadn't tried to light his shoes on fire he'd be here right now. I'm not saying that terrorists can't or won't try to enter the US by illegally crossing the Mexican or Canadian border. I'm just saying that there's no precedent for it, and to present that as a significant reason for strengthening the borders doesn't do much for the argument. I agree. I remember a very sobering documentary about Al Qaeda that said based on captured documents, there could be operatives here now who will never attempt any terrorist acts on their own, but have been instructed instead to have children here and train them as terrorists. These people will be full citizens from the day they're born, with no paper trail linking them to any other country. Scary idea, whether it's true or not. Who knows, maybe Richard Reid and Jose Padilla would have been part of this program.
I have worked for Vancouver companies for years and have been asked many times to move to Canada. I was never willing to move because if you keep your US citizenship you end up paying taxes in both countries and until recently I never considered giving up my us citizenship. In the past few years I think the benefits of being a US citizen have been diminished greatly. In my opinion he USA is clearly in decline and will not remain the world power it is today during our lifetime. As citizens we are morally responsible for the actions of our government, that includes the death of everyone that has lost their life in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do not feel represented by either political party in the US and do not want to carry the quilt of their actions. However, I do think the government is representative of the views of a majority of its citizenry so it is probably best for me to leave. If I had an opportunity to move to China or Japan I would take it without hesitation but I might not be so quick to give up my citizenship in that case. Basically, I want to leave the US and Canada is my best opportunity. Vancouver is one of the most amazing cities in the world. In the past 10 years a huge influx of immigrants from all over Asia has found their way to Vancouver and I think their influence will be incredibly beneficial over the next 30 years (Canada needed some cultural diversity). This city is what I imagine SF must have been like 50 years ago. I haven’t made up my mind, but I am in the process of trying to understand what it will mean to leave.
Wow. Thats a big decision. Although I don't agree 100% with my government, or the opposing parties, I could never imagine leaving this sodding island. Good luck with whatever you do Glenn.
Could someone with the knowledge talk a little about the "new" national govt of Canada? Seems to be of a more conservative bent... Knewnan---yeah, Vancouver is great. One of my best friends grew up there, and I've had the opportunity a couple times for him to show me around...Great city, much more of an "international" flavor there than most U.S. cities...
The immigration issue is a very sticky one, and if I had a good answer.. hell, I would be a politician. I personally support the guest worker program... so that businesses can exploit cheap labor legally (hm, maybe I should change the wording of that sentence). You wouldn't believe how much california businesses have to cut corners in order to be competitive because of our high tax rate, cost of living, and bullshit regulations compared to other states. There are alot of people that come here to work and do not desire citizenship at all. I am aware of illegal and legal immigrants who's desires are to work here a few years (while sending money back home) and eventually move back down south where the cost of living is waaaay lower.
BTW, i've visited vancouver before and I must say... I can't blame you for moving there. I like the fact that you can get that metropolitan city feel and just up the road is some nice green wilderness.
I think most would agree that the war in Afghanistan was justified. Afghanistan was controlled by the Taliban, which was intimately involved with Al Qaeda. And Al Qaeda murdered thousands of U.S. civilians during the 9/11 attacks. The Iraq war, on the other hand...
I think you are incorrect in saying Canada needs cultural diversity. Canada is not a melting pot compared to the US and does celebrate its multiculturalism. Diversity is taught in schools and recognized by our government. You can't go anywhere without seeing people of many ethnicities interacting. You can go to the most generic of box-grocery markets and find a huge variety of ethnic food. In cities like montreal, you can go into five stores on a block and there will be five different languages spoken. It's been like this my whole life, and it's only gotten better and more diverse. I'm not gonna blow sunshine up your ass and say everyone loves diversity here and that even if you go into parts of rural manitoba and see this. I won't say it isn't broken either, but it far from lacking in diversity.
See that is the reason I love the UK. We have a massive Asian population that bring along all of there qualities. Plus in Liverpool its the biggest Chinese community in Europe, which again is amazing. Then theres the Irish involvement (barring Southport marches) which is also very cool.
I did not mean to offend, nor was I trying to imply that Canada is not diverse or xenophobic. I have been coming to Vancouver for over 20 years and before the influx of people from Hong Kong it was a homogenous city compared by comparison. I don’t think that means people here didn’t embrace diversity but there were a lot of white people everywhere you went.
Not offended... now that you've explained, i understand what you mean. Where you were talking about faces on a street, i was talking about what the country has tried to do for people immigrating to canada in an effort to preserve their culture. These are two different things. Canada was built by immigrants. Around the turn of the last century, there were government incentives to invite immigrants to come and farm the land. Admittedly, the idea of multiculturalism as national identity came from this immigration of largely europeans, and the french and english speaking populations but this does not diminish the fact this laid the foundations to allow the celebration of all cultures. We're lucky for this. Things have changed across canada a lot in the last 30 years... With the tumultuous wars and messed up things happening in the world, Canada has often opened its arms to refugees, etc. The time leading up to Hong Kong going back under China's rule brought a lot of very nervous people to western canada, especially vancouver. All of this has made Canada a great place to live, and in a lot of ways, has been very instrumental in the formation of national and foreign policy. No offense taken... but i have called canada immigration and asked them to blacklist anyone named 'Knewnan.'
I also considered moving to Vancouver - it really is a great city from the couple of times I've been there. It reminds me of a cross between a US and a Euro City - and in my limited experience there, seemed to combine the best of both worlds. I also liked the fect I could get up to the mountains with minimal effort, get to the USA only a few miles away, and that the gig schedule there looked really good too - its an important thing for me to be able to see the bands I read about. When I moved to the US from England it was a big wrench, London is different to other places in the UK, the same way that NY is different to other cities in the US. One of the biggest differences I found here, is that the word "friend" is often misused here - in England when I said friend I meant someone I could rely in, and who could rely on me come fair weather or foul. Here, it seems to mean "aquaintance" - but this could be an LA thing? Overall, I defintely have a better std of living in the US, but if I was poor, or lost my job, I would prefer to be in the UK - there seems to be more of a safety net there....and less stigma associated with being "on the dole" - in fact, being on the dole was considered pretty cool as is one reason why the UK produces so many great bands. Most people I knew thought it was pretty uncool to flash your wealth and possessions, and would be horrified if they knew what we pay for these toys. In fact someone on a UK-centric toy board told me a few years ago not to post my collection as people would think I was a "wanker" for doing that. I've been gone for 8 years, but I kind of hope its the same. Looking at bands like BabyShambles, the Rakes and the Editors it looks like cheap and cheerful is still OK with the kids - and I like that.
The US not a world power in the future? Come on, were the most powerful country on earth. We have the best military in the world. The biggest problem I see is everything is Politicly Correct. Reverse discrimination is so abundant in this country. I am white and i'm proud of it. Now many may see that as rascist but it's true. If I was any other color I would be proud of that. Don't even get me started on crime stats. It's a scary time to live.
China has people, not the weapons we produce. Hell Japan knocked them around back in the 40's. Quanity is not always power.
