Minutemen, Immigration, & Protecting Borders

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has been working, off and on, for a matter of weeks on a long post about the Minutemen movement, Immigration, and our nation's borders. He had lots of links, pithy observations, and nearly 3000 word written when he turned off his PC friday morning.

Then he turned on the PC yesterday morning and deleted the whole post.

Yup. The whole post. And it wasn't a particularly poorly written or reasoned post either. It certainly was better than many posts he's written in this space and posted without thinking to hard or long about it.

You see, your Maximum Leader had a little moment this morning. He woke up fully intending to finish that post, edit it a little, and publish it. But upon reading it he realized that all of his blather about the whole Minutemen movement, Presidential Guest Worker plans, Congressional inaction, and the need to evaluate differing methods of securing our border was missing the big point.

The big point is that we as a nation haven't made securing the border a priority. Until the border is secured, or a positive decision to not secure the border is made, discussion of "how to solve the problem of illegal immigration" is as pointless as it is impossible.

That was the point your Maximum Leader had been talking around in his now deleted post.

Your Maximum Leader is all for a serious discussion of what should be done. But he doesn't expect Congress to take any steps to have a discussion. And the President's plan for a "Guest Worker" Program should be killed in Congress. Not because the plan is without merit. (Your Maximum Leader believes it has plenty going for it. Although it is far from perfect.) But rather because the plan is unworkable with a porous border. Going after businesses that hire undocumented workers (i.e.: illegal aliens) is all fine and good, but it really doesn't do anything until the flow of illegals is cut off.

Your Maximum Leader has had some private discussions with friends about immigration. He is a big believer in legal immigration. Indeed, he believes that our current legal immigrant quota is low and should be raised. But what our quota is or isn't is a pointless discussion to have because we can't enforce a quota because anyone from any nation can go to Mexico or Canada and cross over our border at just about any point.

Your Maximum Leader is amused by all the Washington Punditry talking about how no one is talking about immigration. It is one huge non-issue. But one that has such wide reaching issues surrounding it. Immigration policy, particularly the problem of illegals coming from Mexico (and Canada), is one that effects our security, our economy, health care, agriculture, social services, and future elections. It is too important an issue to leave unaddressed.

But unaddressed it is. All Americans should be outraged by the lack of attention being paid to this issue by our elected representatives (all of them in our two elected branches of government). We need to have a serious discussion of what our policy will be. If the outcome of the debate is just to do nothing, your Maximum Leader will be put out. But he can live with that outcome. If the outcome is to close the border to illegal immigration, but increase immigration quotas (and maybe institute a guest worker program) your Maximum Leader would be pleased as punch. If the outcome is to close the borders completely to legal and illegal immigration your Maximum Leader would think the decision is shortsighted and contrary to our national ethos. But he could live with that outcome.

We need debate. But probably will not get any.

Carry on.