Riots in France

Here's an email from a friend commenting on the riots in France

When those riots began in France some month ago, and the majority of participants were the teenage children of Mulism immigrants, the "nativist" bigot brigrade of the West, blamed this on the innate evil of immigrants from Muslim countries. They snarled that it was these Muslim immigrants that were imposing their own violent culture on the innocent, passive, over-accomdating native-born French.

Now we see similar riots by equally-spoiled native-born French youths, and it is not even over inflammatory allegations of police brutality, but over something even stupider -- these spoiled French youths take to violence because the French government is now considering some recognition of a business owner's right to sever his business relationship with anyone younger than 26 for any reason.

The anti-immigrationists would have you believe that the Muslim immigrant children are a bad influence on today's native-born French mores. But could it be, in some part, that it is the native-born French mores that has been a bad influence on those Muslim immigrant children?

The Immigration Hysteria

This past weekend, in LA, Phoenix and other US cities, people were protesting the anti-immigration laws being proposed in the US Congress.

Now, the warriors of conservative correctness are again, putting out their lame arguments. I'll break them down here

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Lame Argument #1 - Illegal aliens broke a law, so they deserve to be punished

Reality: Some laws deserve to be broken. The civil rights supporters in the 1950's broke the law when they protested segregation. The folks at Tianeman Sqaure in 1989 were breaking the law before they got smashed by tanks. Jesus Christ was breaking the law. That's why he got executed by the Romans. Yet, we all now consider those lawbreakers heroes.

My point is, some laws dont deserve to exist. Laws telling people where they can live don't deserve to exist.

Stop trying to over-manage people's lives!

By the way, did all those European conquerors have to fill out forms before invading Native American lands? NO! Yet, the descendants of the same Europeans are demanding that the new outsiders fill out stupid papers to come into a land that their ancestors stole from the Native Americans

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Lame Argument #2 - Immigrants dont deserve to be here, since they dont act like native-born Americans

Reality: Ever observed how their kids act. I do. I work with those kids.

Those kids are into the same pop-culture trends as native-born American kids. Take a kid who arrived in the US when he/she was 5. Then deport that same kid when he/she is 16. That kid would NOT fit in with the peer culture of the country he/she was born.

I hear immigrants from Micronesia, Philippines and Samoa rapping along to the SAME EXACT SONGS that are topping the US charts! So dont give me this crap about immigrants not adjusting to American culture

Even if they don't follow American pop culture, SO WHAT? It's their choice! Mind your business!

My dad is from Mexico, and I cant even speak Spanish.

And I have cousins living in the LA metro area. Last time I visited them, they were living in a mostly Latino neighborhood. And I could easily talk to them in English. (Anti-immigration fascist didn't want you to know that)

And if the anti-immigration bunch were so correct in stating that Latinos don't want to learn English - then why do Jennifer Lopez, Fat Joe, Angelina, Pitbull, Lil Rob, Nino Brown, Frankie J, NB Ridaz , ALL rap or sing in English? Remember, these are all Latinos from US cities filled with Latinos. So dont give me this crap that Latinos dont want to learn English.

Yeah, I know, the reggaeton craze is coming to the US, and they all rap/sing in Spanish, but most of it's stars are from Puerto Rico, not the mainland US. If Daddy Yankee grew up in New York instead of Puerto Rico, he would be singing/rapping in English instead of Spanish.

And even if immigrants dont want to speak English, SO WHAT? Mind your own business!

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Lame Argument #3 - Letting illegal aliens stay here is like letting a burglar stay in your house

Reality: That is such a stupid anology!

Americans are supposed to believe in private property. So if I want to hire illegal aliens to work or live on my property, it's none of your  business! You dont own my property, so dont bother to vote on what I can or cannot do with it! Mind your own  business!

Some also complain about illegal aliens committing violent crimes. He/she ought to be arrested for commiting that violent crime, not for choosing to live in America.

After all, Timothy McVeigh was NOT from Oklahoma! He's from Buffallo, New York. So, should we force New Yorkers to have certain documents in order to even visit Oklahoma?

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Lame Arguement #4 - Immigrants take jobs from Americans.

Reality: If I opened a restaurant, and most of the people applying to work there are immigrants, dam friggin right most of the people I'd be hiring are going to be immigrants! Or should I have those stupid quotas (which conservatives used to complain about) saying what % of my workers ought to be native- born Americans.

Life is rough, getting a job isn't always so easy. Trust me, I know. There was a time in which I was unemployed for 5 months, and it can have an effect on finances and emotional well-being. But I was also (gasp) mature enough to not blame others (ie. The White Man, illegal aliens, etc) if I didn't get a job I applied for!

What next, do we stop importing foregin music to protect the $$$ of American musicians?

That would've meant banning the Beatles, Bob Marley, Shakira, AC/DC, Bryan Adams, Sean Paul, Sting, Rolling Stones, and all those other foreigners from selling their music in the US.

More on the Dubai ports

Thomas Friedman had a great editorial on the Dubai ports controversy. He tells the truth about the United Arab Emirates, and it's main city Abu Dubai

http://www.iht.com/bin/challenge.php?URI=http://iht.nytimes.com/protected/articles/2006/03/15/opinion/edfried.php

Dubai is not a democracy, and it is not without warts. But it is a bridge of decency that leads away from the failing civilization described by Dr. Sultan to a much more optimistic, open and self-confident society. Dubaians are building a future based on butter not guns, private property not caprice, services more than oil, and globally competitive companies, not terror networks. Dubai is about nurturing Arab dignity through success not suicide. As a result, its people want to embrace the future, not blow it up.

What's ironic is that if Democrats who hate the Bush war in Iraq actually had a peaceful alternative policy for promoting transformation in the Arab-Muslim world, it would be called "the Dubai policy": supporting internally driven Arab engines of change.

That's why Arab progressives are stunned by our behavior. As an Arab businessman friend said to me of the Dubai saga: "This deal has left a real bad taste in many mouths. I mean this was Dubai, for God's sake! You could not have a better friend and more of a symbol of globalization and openness. If they are a security danger to the U.S., then who is not?"

So whatever happens with the Iraq experiment — but especially if it fails — we need Dubai to succeed. Dubai is where we should want the Arab world to go. Unfortunately, we just told Dubai to go to hell.

Who Runs the Seaports and other Middle Eastern news

1)UAE seaport controversy

There has been all this controversy over a company from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) taking over the management of the seaports in New York/New Jersey, Baltimore, Miami and New Orleans.

Because UAE is an Arab country, people got hysterical about it! Too many people in the US assume that all Arab countries are run by anti-American Islamic fanatics.

However, the UAE is run by pro-American leaders have been helpful in the War on Terror!

If Iran, Sudan, Lybia or Syria wanted to take over US ports, I'd be against it.But the UAE, like Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan are run by pro-American Muslims. While those countries might have some anti-American Muslims, there is also a more pro-business, moderate Muslims who would love to invest in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the federal government screwed up by not informing Congress and the governors and mayors of the affected states/cities ahead of time. Which is what probably added to the hysteria!

Because of all this controversy, a lot of rich Arabs are thinking about investing their $$$ elsewhere. Our economy could miss out on an opportunity. The US and the Middle East could miss out an opportunity for some cultural exchanges as well.

Also, by investing in each other, there is a powerful economic incentive in avoiding the next war.

2) Lebanon

The nation of Lebanon, which was once a land of civil war in the 1980s and was occupied by Syrian fascists in the 1990s and early 2000's, is now a thriving nation which is liberal by Middle East standards.

It's capital, Beirut, now has the same type of nightclubs you can find in Europe and the U.S. In fact, many Europeans vacation there to get a taste of the Islamic Middle East without stepping into a nation run by theocratic Islamic Fascists. Beirut and Tel Aviv (in Israel) are the party cities of the Middle East!

Unfortunately, the Islamic terrorists still want to ruin the fun.

Immigrants and Extended Families

Some folks on the mainland are whining that their immigrant neighbors have a lot of people living in the same house.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/26/magazine/26wwln_lead.html

I would tell them "Big F----in Deal!"

Ideally, the less people in the home, the better. That is because you'd get more privacy.

However, if your family is poor, you'd got to make some sacrifices. That might mean having many of your relatives under a roof!

I dont hear anyone in Hawaii whining about this, except for imported white conservatives who moved from the mainland.

In Hawaii, we have a lot of Asians and Pacific Islanders whose culture stress the importance of extended family and family gatherings.

So it's not unusual to have a lot of people living under a roof. Though the richer families tend to have less people in a bigger home.

In white mainland US culture, the parents take care of the kids, and the kids better leave the house by age 25 or else they'll be considered a "looser".

In many Asian and Pacific Island cultures, the parents take care of the kids, be very strict with the kids, and when the kids become adults, they stay home to take care of the parents. A 26 year old person who stays with his/her parents isn't considered a "looser", he/she is considered "devoted to taking care of the extended family". In fact, those who ditch their families are the ones considered "loosers".

And those who migrate from Asia or the Pacific Islands to the US tend to give whatever money they earn to their relatives back home, or help their relative access the opportunities in the US.

However, the anti-immigration fascists hate it when immigrants bring their relatives to the US. I would tell those anti-immigration fascists to "mind your own fuckin business!"

In Memory of Harry Browne

Harry Browne, the Libertarian Party Presidential candidate in 1996 & 2000 elections, has died on March 1, 2006.

http://www.lp.org/media/article_294.shtml

I have learned about Browne through some politically minded friends in the summer of 2000. At the time, I was struggling between voting for Al Gore or George W. Bush. I knew what their political tendencies were, I just don't always agree with either of them.

Anyways, I read Harry Browne's political advertisement and his book "Why Government Doesn't Work" and I found his writings very convincing, especially on controversial viewpoints on ending the War on Drugs, privatizing all health care, selling national parks to those committed to preserving them, privatizing education, etc. His writings on those topics were so convincing that it changed the way I viewed those issues.

Though after 9/11, I became more of a foreign policy, and was disillusioned with Browne's anti-war politics. I thought that Browne spent too much blaming America, and not enough time on denouncing the Islamic Fascists.

I also think that while Browne's views on privatizing government services are very convincing, I think that having an immediate privatization of all those services (which he advocates) would cause mass confusion among the people who might be unprepared to deal with it. Which is why I prefer a more gradual approach to privatizing most government services.

I dont agree with the Libertarian Party on everything, but I do think they have valuable things to say about very important political issues, so please check out www.lp.org to learn more about it. Even if you don't agree with it, you would learn something from it.

And you can still check out www.harrybrowne.org

Body Hair

This is from an advice column from one week ago.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2006/Feb/17/il/FP602170319.html

THE ADVICE DIVA
Don't bring up a hairy situation
By Tara Solomon

DEAR ADVICE DIVA:
A friend of mine is absolutely adorable, with one exception — she has an abnormal amount of noticeable body hair on her arms, the small of her back, and even along the side of her face, like sideburns.

I know that guys find her attractive, but I also know that behind her back they make fun of all her body hair.

I want to talk to her about it but it doesn't even seem to bother her. How can I bring this up to my friend without hurting her feelings? Should I?
—Stuck in a Hairy Situation

DEAR HAIRY SITUATION:
Ouch. This is a toughie. But you know what — in this case we would urge you to say nothing. Body hair is a cultural standard and even if she looks like Chewbacca it doesn't mean that she needs to de-hair herself just because some immature guys make fun of her. Why give her ammunition for self-hate? If she asks you, give her the name of a good waxing salon, but keep the anecdotes to yourself.

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And here's what I wrote to the Advice Diva

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This is in response to your column a few weeks back.

Someone wrote about a friend with a lot of body hair, and wanted to say something to her about it!

As a person with a lot of body hair, I get VERY IRRITATED when someone says "you're hairy". I want to yell at them "I KNOW THAT ALREADY!" Or usually, I tell them sarcastically "wow, I didn't know that!"

Do those people think I never looked in the mirror before? Or that I can't see what's on myself 24/7!

Some said I should shave! As if I had time to do all that, as well as wake up, go to work, go home, eat, communicate with friends and family, keep up with current events, sleep, etc. Once in a while, I'd shave my body hair but it's too time consuming. I know about those lazer treatments, but if I could pay for it, I would've done A LONG TIME AGO!

When someone keeps pointing out that I have a lot of body hair, all it does is make me too self-conscious and too insecure to take my shirt off in public, to go to the beach or the swimming pool, or go anywhere that has a locker room.

I'm not asking for advice here! I just want to tell that letter-writter that you don't have to tell someone that he/she got a lot of body hair. That person already knows that, and is probably been insecure about it for years, so shut up and leave that person alone.

Tired of Hair,
Honolulu, HI

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I usually avoid the body hair topic when talking to people, but someone's gotta say something, and it aint gonna be someone else, so I'll say it now!