I Know Condoms Are a Barrier Method, But This Is Ridiculous

Well, it is a very big border.

Condoms. What can't they do? In addition to helping prevent unwanted pregnancies and STD's, one House Republican thinks they can stop illegal immigration! I shit you not. I can't make up things like this.

A congressman is pushing a not-so-quick fix in the debate over illegal immigrants from Mexico: free contraceptives.

"A slower rate of growth of Mexico's population would improve the economy of Mexico. It would also reduce the environmental pressure on Mexico's ecosystem. But a slower rate of growth would also reduce the long-term illegal immigration pressure on America's borders," reasoned Rep. Mark Kirk, who also supports stronger border security in the short-term.

In reality, fertility rates have plunged in Mexico since 1980, when an average couple would have five or more children. Now, the country's fertility rate has dropped to 2.5 children, compared to 2.1 for the United States, according to United Nations data.

Kirk, an Illinois Republican, made the argument on Thursday during a heated debate in the House of Representatives over whether the U.S. government should be allowed to donate condoms and other contraceptives to family planning agencies abroad that also engage in abortion.

The proposal was narrowly approved by the House, over the protests of anti-abortion lawmakers who prefer sex abstinence education. The measure faces a veto threat from the White House.

Kirk, who attended college in Mexico and holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics, may have offered an idea that might appeal to some fiscal conservatives.

Shipping condoms to the poor in Mexico could be cheaper than the multibillion-dollar fence being constructed along the U.S.-Mexico border.

It's funny to watch the crazy Republicans--is their hatred of sexuality going to win out over their good old-fashioned racism and xenophobia? Stay tuned next week to find out!

Really, though, there's so much here that's funny and tragic. To begin with, the oh-so-hilarious phrase "anti-abortion lawmakers who prefer sex abstinence education." How the fuck did abortion get mixed up in this? These fools just don't wany anyone fucking, anywhere. On to Rep. Kirk's assumption that carpet-bombing Mexico with Durex (I guess that would be the new GBU-69 Anti-potential Personnel Device in military terms) will magically reduce fertility rates, which will in turn end illegal immigration. Uh, Mr. Kirk? I have a couple of friends I would like you to meet. They're called "Cause" and "Effect." Finally, what kind of imperialistic bullshit is this, anyway? It's not enough that these "small-government conservatives" have to be up to their eyeballs in our personal lives--now they're looking to go international? (And, yes, I know about all the bullshit with respect to AIDS prevention programs in Africa and condoms.)

We paid Mr. Kirk over $165,000 last year so he could come up with brainstorms like this. God Bless America.

Bill O'Reilly: Master of Subtlety

Oh no! Them Mexkins is destroying my power structure!

Wow. Kind of like the Westboro Baptist nutzoids, O'Reilly isn't shy about tipping his hand. Watch this video. The good part is near the end, about 4:45 into the clip. Sorry the sound quality is so crappy, but there's nothing I can do about it.



Here's a transcript of O'Reilly, Exemplar Of Tolerance:

Bill O'Reilly: But do you understand what the New York Times wants, and the far-left want? They want to break down the white, Christian, male power structure, which you're a part, and so am I, and they want to bring in millions of foreign nationals to basically break down the structure that we have. In that regard, Pat Buchanan is right. So I say you've got to cap with a number.

Emphasis mine.

A couple of other thoughts:

One, I didn't know that citizenship was a "prize" we handed out to people.

Alsi, O'Reilly, interestingly enough, refers to "big business" as a "special interest" in this clip. That's something you almost never hear anyone say. You know, "What's good for General Motors is good for the country" and all. I don't have cable, and wouldn't regularly watch Fox "News" even if I did, so I don't know if this is part of Goddam Bill O'Reilly's regular schtick.

Sound Business Decisions

It's brilliant, I tell you. And the Bailey Building and Loan is next on my list.

Here's the story.

The US government has been in the process of building fences along the US-Mexican border.

To keep out illegal immigrants.

So they contract the work out to private companies.

Some of whom hire illegal immigrants to do the work.

I promise you, I am not making this up.

News from Wisconsin

The New York Times has a profile article on US Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Klan).

He's the fat racist prick from Wisconsin who hates him some brown people. Which is pretty odd, when you think of it. I mean, if you check your atlas, you'll see that Wisconsin does not border Mexico. So why is Sensenbrenner so up in arms about immigration?

'Cause he's a fat racist prick.

Okay, his being fat probably doesn't have anything to do with it.

Immigration

I give you the best article so far on the current immigration issue.

For Theresa and Peter.

Bill O'Reilly

The man has lost his fucking mind. Doesn't he know that the Irish were once viewed as an unstoppable sub-human tide, beholden to a foreign master (i.e., the Pope)?

Want a little taste of his sweet, sweet insanity? No problem:

From the May 16 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Now in 1986, President Reagan thought he could solve the [immigration] problem by granting about 3 million illegal aliens amnesty. The New York Times was in heaven, editorializing back then, quote, "The new law won't work miracles but it will induce most employers to pay attention, to turn off the magnets, to slow the tide." Of course, just the opposite happened. But the Times hasn't learned a thing. That's because the newspaper and many far-left thinkers believe the white power structure that controls America is bad, so a drastic change is needed.

According to the lefty zealots, the white Christians who hold power must be swept out by a new multicultural tide, a rainbow coalition, if you will. This can only happen if demographics change in America.

Is it just that okay to be an open racist these days? It seems that, ever since Hurricane Katrina fucked up NOLA and the Mississippi coast, it's been alright to be overt with your racism. Why the sudden change?

High Holy Sweet Jesus

May the Lord and saints preserve us.

Every once in a while, occasionally at the prompting of Errol, I go for a quick swim in the right-wing sewer. Today's putrid dip happened in the cesspool of WorldNetDaily, a site that is often approvingly linked to as "news" by the usual right-wing suspects (Malkin, RedState, and so on).

I'm not gonna link to these jagoffs, 'cause I don't want to direct a single hit their way. This particular "editorial" (if by "editorial," you mean "the half-mad rantings of another monkey enamored of white supremacy who actually provides excellent counterevidence disproving that notion") is by a skinhead-wannabe who is unhappy with our Preznit because of his stance on immigration. Anyway, here's what's doing in the sewer (in which I swim so you don't have to):

Dear Jorge plans to address the nation tonight, a speech wherein he will almost surely attempt to deceive citizens into believing that he does not wish the mass migration from Mexico to continue unabated. He will likely offer some negligible resources for law enforcement and border security – resources which will never materialize – in return for an amnesty program that will grant American citizenship to the Mexican nationals who have helped lower America's wage rates by 16 percent over the last 32 years.

And he will be lying, again, just as he lied when he said: "Massive deportation of the people here is unrealistic – it's just not going to work."

Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of 6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated into German society, it couldn't possibly take more than eight years to deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English and are not integrated into American society.

Ah, yes. Reasoned debate from the right wing.

However, this is a big part of the Republican base (generally believed to be made up of these xenophobes, the Christianists, and the mucho-money men). And they're pissed. Pissed. There's a lot more at the site, and the idiot asshole who wrote it goes by the handle of Vox Day, if you're interested in reading more. Why you would be, I can't imagine.

Here's his bio blurb from the end of the article:

Vox Day is a novelist and Christian libertarian. He is a member of the SFWA, Mensa and the Southern Baptist church, and has been down with Madden since 1992.

Novelist, huh? Well, watch your back, Tim O'Brien. This guy is on his way! Also, it's been my experience that bragging about Mensa membership is a lot like buying a sports car or owning a pit bull--public overcompensation for certain inadequacies.

I don't think that the Preznit's little speech tonight is going to help him at all. Not with assholes like Vox Day, and not with anyone else, either. Especially seeing as how it will delay the start of Deal or No Deal and Prison Break. At least CBS and ABC were wise enough not to change their primetime lineups. Of course, since it's an Oprah special on ABC, I'm sure they were terrified at the thought of crossing her. Lake Michigan is teeming with people who've made that fatal mistake. You don't screw over the Cheesecake Mafia and live to tell about it.

Update: Glenn Greenwald has much better analysis of the phenomenon that's causing the outpouring of crap from buffoons like Vox Day. Check it out, you won't be sorry.

Un día sin un inmigrante

So, how's it going where you are? I'm working on writing tests and, as such, I'm lucky enough to be able to stay home today. (Which is especially nice, since walking to work today wouldn't be very nice. Stupid rain on the first of May.) Anyway, I won't be out and about, so I won't be able to see how much impact the "Day Without an Immigrant" efforts will have here.

Feel free to make comments.

Si Se Puede

I went to the rally in Madison today. Peter B was there, too.

It was spectacular.

Oh, and James Sensenbrenner (R-Klan) is an asshole.

Somos todos los americanos; somos todos los seres humanos.

That is all. Carry on.

UPDATE: If you want to see some wonderful pictures of the event, check out First Draft. What a beautiful day, for so many reasons.