Politics Of Diversion

If there were ever a question that this country is made up of the moron masses, just look at the immigration debate. When you wonder to yourself how people could actually believe things like Bush is a good president or that Republicans care about the middle and lower classes, just remember what stupid nonsense they'll buy into about illegal immigration, mostly thanks to the propaganda from the Republicans and Lou Dobbs. I got an email the other day from someone I went to high school with in Suburban Atlanta, who also went to my college in Illinois. She has since moved back to Georgia. Anyway, it was one of those pointless internet petitions she was forwarding to everyone in her email address book. This is what it said (I have not edited any of the following email transcripts, except for spelling and to not include the names on the petition, not to protect anyone, there are just too damn many):

It is already impossible to live on Social Security alone. If they give benefits to "illegal" aliens who have never contributed, where does that leave us that have paid into Social Security all our working lives?

As stated below, the Senate voted this week to allow "illegal" aliens access to Social Security benefits. Attached is an opportunity to sign a petition that requires citizenship for eligibility to that social service.

You can Agree or Delete. Instructions are below.

PETITION FOR: President Bush

Mr. President: The petition below is a protest against what the senate voted on recently which was to allow illegals to access our social security! We demand that you and all congressional representatives require citizenship for anyone to be eligible for social services in the United States.

We further demand that there not be any amnesty given to illegals, and NO free services or funding, or payments to or for illegal immigrants.

We are fed up with the lack of action about this matter and are tired of paying for services to illegals! Tell Senor Fox to pay for his own people!

Agree or Delete: Instructions to sign are at the bottom.

This was followed by a list of 323 names and their home towns with my "friend's" being the last one. Then continued:

If you don't forward the petition and just stop it, we will lose all these names. If you do not want to sign it, please just forward it to everyone you know. Thank you!!! To add your name, click on "forward".You will be able to add your name at the bottom of the list and then forward it to your friends.

THE 2,000TH PERSON SEND IT ON TO THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESS: President@WhiteHouse.gov

You've all seen these before. I'm not sure what I think is funnier, that people think these things work, or that the person who wrote this one actually wrote that if you don't want to sign it at least send it to everyone you know. Yes, because I'm all about forwarding spam to all my friends with political agendas I don't agree with. The other thing that is always stupid about these things is the claim that if you don't forward it on all the names will be lost. If anyone actually took a second to think about that they would realize how stupid that is. Even if I don't pass it on, it's likely that someone on the list will, so the names won't be lost. In fact, what is more likely with these dumb things is that so many copies get flying around that most of the people who've "signed" it are on many, maybe hundreds or thousands, of them. This is why email petitions are stupid. Not only are there many of the same names getting sent to the target of the petition, but you can't even confirm that all the people on it are real. I could easily make up 2,000 names and places and send it out. Also, how do they decide on 2,000 as the number to then send it to the prez? My guess would be it was just pulled out of someone's ass.

So anyway, I sent an email back to Deb, and even though I was thinking about really going off on her, I just wrote this quick note to point out one correction to the claim that illegal aliens don't "contribute" to Social Security:

That's actually not true. Most working illegal aliens contribute to Social Security but don't get to take benefits later on. If they put in, they should be allowed to get the benefits of it.

You should learn the facts Deb, before you send out propaganda.

Now this is a little thing I like to point out to people. Most illegal workers actually get taxed because they use a SS# to get a job, but they don't actually draw on it when they get old, because they would get caught. So she emailed me back, and the true colors of the anti-immigrant agenda came flying out:

I have learned the facts and this isn't propaganda. Illegal aliens work by using forged or stolen document which is a felony in this country in which individuals usually go to jail, except if you're Hispanic. Let's not speak about that one social security number is used by several individuals at one time, so you think the government should figure out who worked where and pay the person appropriately. The fact is the government won't do that, instead the same amount would be paid out to all using the number, in which the funds for it would come out of another hard working American Citizen's account. And of course you're not putting a lot into social security right now, so it doesn't matter that someone else will get your money.

Let's not speak about all the other federal assistance the illegal aliens get that they don't contribute to, or really shouldn't get since their not American Citizens. OR the fact they are a driving force for why hard working American Citizens aren't able to get the minimum wage raised. The minimum wage needs to go up! The truth is American Citizens would work the jobs the Hispanic community does, but American Citizens aren't able to take care of their families by working those jobs. American Citizens choose not to break laws by living 10 to 20 individuals in a two bedroom apartment, or six families in a single dwelling home. And as long as industries know they could go get a day laborer off the street for nothing, their lobbyist will continue to grease palms to keep the minimum wage were it is now.

Of course if I lived in your reality, and had someone taking care of me, than I might believe your way that everyone should be taken care of at any cost. Man it be so great to have your blinders on, and not see how this country is being rapped by all the illegal aliens; as they negatively impact the health care, education, governmental and industrial systems.

As long as the individual is an illegal alien, that person does not have the rights that apply to American Citizens. They have the right to be treated in a humane manor, but not the right to break the laws of this country.

Well, now the gloves came off. Besides the fact that this was a racist-tinged rant against "Hispanics," she decided to claim that I feel the way I do about the issue because I'm lazy. I also assume she meant our country is being raped by Hispanics, not "rapped."

So I wrote her back:

Ahh, nice racist rant against Hispanics. The fact is, like I said, that undocumented workers put money into Social Security that they never get to take out. That completely goes against your claim that they have "never contributed." That's what I mean by false propaganda, which is what is being used to drive the racist-inspired anger against Hispanics.

It is the politics of diversion by our government, blaming the working poor for the country's problems instead of where the real problem lies, like in the boardroom of Wal-Mart and in the US Congress. It is your anti-immigration Republican buddies that are against raising the minimum wage, and illegal immigrants have nothing to with that, nor do they have any affect on it. They would prefer to cut the estate tax for lazy cunts like Paris Hilton rather than help the working class in this country.

And your claim as to American Citizens don't break the law by living too many people in a house is complete bullshit, I've seen that tons of times. Poor people, illegal or not, end up having to do that all the time. I've seen it a lot. You must never visit the trailer parks in your area.

It's obvious that your real problem is with Hispanics and how they live, regardless of their legal status. This is how the government and the big corporations keep us down, divide the poor masses against each other and stoke the flames of racism.

If you were really interested in doing something for workers rights you would involve yourself in protests against Wal-Mart and their union-busting, low-paying, no health-care business practices. But I'm willing to bet you give Wal-Mart your money all the time. Am I right? Feed the machine that keeps the people down, and blame the brown people for your problems. You could be out there helping to organize a union for Wal-Mart workers, instead you forward pointless petitions against Hispanics.

As for your dig and me and my wife, my so-called "Not putting a lot into social security," or that I have "someone taking care of me," well now, you don't really know dick about my life do you? You aren't the first, and you probably won't be the last, of my old friends who haven't seen me in like forever who make some assumptions about my life because I married someone with an MD behind their name. Well, sorry to disappoint you, but they're not true. I work both in the medical education field (for over five years now) and still have a fledgling theatre career for which I continue to get paid work. As someone who gets most of his money as an independent contractor/self-employed person I actually pay a higher rate to both federal taxes and Social Security since I don't have an employer contributing half like most people do. I'm willing to bet that I've lived in the blue-collar, working class, low-wage world a hell of a lot more than you ever have, especially during the entire 90s when I was in my twenties. So if one of us is likely to have your so-called "blinders" on it isn't me.

Calling someone lazy because they have a different opinion about the illegal immigrant situation than you is just a tired old tactic by you racist hate-mongers form the right. I'm used to it, people call me lazy all the time because I happen to be somewhat poor. It's completely untrue, but I decided a long time ago I didn't care what stupid hicks thought of me.

But you basically called my wife a sucker and accused her of being an enabler of some lazy bum, and that is something I will take offense to. You don't know my wife one bit (if you did, you would know that supporting a lazy do-nothing husband is not something she would ever put up with) and know nothing about our life together, or how much money she makes (which is a lot less than some people want to think), so I'll thank you to leave her out of any argument you might have with me.

It's sad and pathetic the way you feel the need to blame the Mexicans for the world's problems. The old white men in the boardrooms who control this country and its economy count on ignorant fools like you, with your easily exploited racist leanings, to keep their control and keep the working class from getting ahead.

I had originally written that if she insulted my wife again I would catch the next bus to Georgia and beat the snot out of her, but I thought better of that comment and deleted it. But I certainly felt that way, insulting someone's spouse is so low. And like most people, I won't stand for that shit.

I figure that's enough to digest for today. I'll have more comments about this "dialogue" tomorrow. Maybe I'll hear from her again in the meantime. Won't that be fun?