I don't blame the Kurds at all for wanting to be out of the mess that is Iraq. From what I understand they have figured out away for many diverse groups to live together. I only hope that the fanatics in that region will leave them alone in peace.

I'd feel exactly the same way - if the store had a policy against religious greetings to customers, and the employee refused to follow it, I'd take no issue with their being fired after several warnings. How would YOU feel, Freebird, if you were greeted every day  by a Muslim behind the counter who said to you Salaam Aleichem?

The thing is, "Have a blessed day" could be neo-pagan as easily as Christian. I have no objection at all to such a greeting - or to the Muslim one, for that matter. My philosophy is that if someone says "I'm gonna pray for you", even if they mean it in a mean spirited and judgmental way, the proper response is always "Thank you". Here's the thing with this story, though - she doesn't own or run the bank. She's an employee there. And if they have rules prohibiting employees from expressing religions greetings to customers, then she should respect that. If she was warned several times, and continued to do it, I have no problem with the bank manager firing her.

Yea if what ever I do, I get rewarded for it -- guess what happens? Now that was kinda funny.

And I keep asking where were the ambitions of blacks .Did they read their contracts before signing on? If all victims of crooks just silently acquiesce don't you think that enables the crooks? But if you fight back, that sends another message doesn't it?

So the Chinese governments holds Trillions of US treasury securities and the Chinese people hold Billions of dollars of US real estate. Guess I will be enrolling in Mandarin class in local community college soon.

"Philosophy" means in the original Latin, "the love of knowledge". It was the first science. It still is. It may not be empirical, abiding by the methods of science we use today... but it is still the pursuit of truth. Science, philosophy, religion... they all seek to discover and uncover the truth to our world through their own methods.

Mostly AA ones like you must have so many of this color. Hardly MLK's dream of color blindness. What benefits Zolace?

Huh?
This is where there is a disconnect.The Jews who came here found a way to make furniture and survived without Govt programs.Why weren't(aren't) blacks capable of producing something somebody else wants? Anything? There is no racism involved with a project like this. The people who sell wood only wanna make a sale. They don't care if you are from the moon.

And by revenge you mean expecting the government to treat blacks like they treated whites?The multitudes of Govt programs to enable blacks to fail.

Tony Perkins?  Really? For the record:  There is absolutely NOTHING controversial, or even questionable,  in that OP. Sure did set your hair on fire though, didn't it.  

So "happy" you think the article is "nice"....hope you will have a good night sleep tonight.......love your sarcasm!

Southern Poverty Law Center, also funded by Daddy Soros:

    Southern Poverty Law Center: This organization monitors the activities of what it calls “hate groups” in the United States. It exaggerates the prevalence of white racism directed against American minorities.

http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/viewSubCategory.asp?id=1237

This is an excellent discussion, published in a Southern Poverty Law Center blog, "teachingtolerance.org".     Not just the original post, but the entire discussion that follows is for the most part sane and rational... from those agreeing with the author, to those taking exception to certain statements.   So refreshing; outside of this particular asylum for nutballs (FSA) there really are people who give this issue some sane consideration.  I think we tend to lose sight of that when we get so caught up in swatting mosquitos here. 

   For those of you who do, I recommend reading the two pages of commentary.
10 Myths About Immigration

    Blogs and Articles:
     
    Immigration


Number 39: Spring 2011

Myths about immigration and immigrants are common. Here are a few of the most frequently heard misconceptions along with information to help you and your students separate fact from fear.

When students make statements that are mistaken or inaccurate, one response is to simply ask, “How do you know that’s true?” Whatever the answer—even if it’s “That’s what my parents say”—probe a little more to get at the source. Ask, “Where do you think they got that information?” or “That sounds like it might be an opinion and not a fact.” Guide students to find a reliable source and help them figure out how to check the facts.

Most immigrants are here illegally.
With so much controversy around the issue of undocumented immigrants, it’s easy to overlook the fact that most of the foreign-born living in the United States have followed the rules and have permission to be here.  Of the more than 31 million foreign-born people living in the United States in 2009, about 20 million were either citizens or legal residents. Of those who did not have authorization to be here, about 45 percent entered the country legally and then let their papers expire.

It's just as easy to enter the country legally today as it was when my ancestors arrived.
Ask students when their ancestors immigrated and if they know what the entry requirements were at the time. For about the first 100 years, the United States had an “open immigration system that allowed any able-bodied immigrant in,” explains immigration historian David Reimers. The biggest obstacle would-be immigrants faced was getting here. Today there are many rules about who may enter the country and stay legally. Under current policy, many students’ immigrant ancestors who arrived between 1790 and 1924 would not be allowed in today.

There’s a way to enter the country legally for anyone who wants to get in line.
Ask students if they know the rules to enter the country legally and stay here to work. The simple answer is that there is no “line” for most very poor people with few skills to stand in and gain permanent U.S. residency. Generally, gaining permission to live and work in the United States is limited to people who are (1) highly trained in a skill that is in short supply here, (2) escaping political persecution, or (3) joining close family already here.

My ancestors learned English, but today’s immigrants refuse.
Ask students to find out how long it took for their ancestors to stop using their first language. “Earlier immigrant groups held onto their cultures fiercely,” notes Reimers. “When the United States entered the First World War [in 1917], there were over 700 German-language newspapers. Yet, German immigration had peaked in the 1870s.”

While today’s immigrants may speak their first language at home, two-thirds of those older than 5 speak English “well” or “very well” according to research by the independent, nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. And the demand for adult ESL instruction in the United States far outstrips available classes.

Today’s immigrants don’t want to blend in and become “Americanized.”
Ask students what it means to blend in to American society. In 2010, about 500,000 immigrants became naturalized citizens. They had to overcome obstacles like getting here, finding a job, overcoming language barriers, paying naturalization fees, dealing with a famously lethargic immigration bureaucracy and taking a written citizenship test. This is not the behavior of people who take becoming  American lightly.

The reality is that the typical pattern of assimilation in the United States has remained steady, says Reimers. “The first generation struggled with English and didn’t learn it. The second was bilingual. And the third can’t talk to their grandparents.” If anything, the speed of assimilation is faster today than at any time in our past, mainly because of public education and mass media.

Immigrants take good jobs from Americans.
Ask students what kinds of jobs they think immigrants are taking. According to the Immigration Policy Center, a nonpartisan group, research indicates there is little connection between immigrant labor and unemployment rates of native-born workers. Here in the United States, two trends—better education and an aging population—have resulted in a decrease in the number of Americans willing or available to take low-paying jobs. Between 2000 and 2005, the supply of low-skilled American-born workers slipped by 1.8 million.

To fill the void, employers often hire immigrant workers. One of the consequences, unfortunately, is that it is easier for unscrupulous employers to exploit this labor source and pay immigrants less, not provide benefits and ignore worker-safety laws. On an economic level, Americans benefit from relatively low prices on food and other goods produced by undocumented immigrant labor.

Undocumented immigrants bring crime.
Ask students where they heard this. Nationally, since 1994, the violent crime rate has declined 34 percent and the property crime rate has fallen 26 percent, even as the number of undocumented immigrants has doubled. According to the conservative Americas Majority Foundation, crime rates during the period 1999–2006 were lowest in states with the highest immigration growth rates. During that period the total crime rate fell 14 percent in the 19 top immigration states, compared to only 7 percent in the other 31. Truth is, foreign-born people in America—whether they are naturalized citizens, permanent residents or undocumented—are incarcerated at a much lower rate than native-born Americans, according to the National Institute of Corrections.

Undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes but still get benefits.
Ask students what are some ways Americans pay taxes, as in income tax and sales tax. Undocumented immigrants pay taxes every time they buy gas, clothes or new appliances. They also contribute to property taxes—a main source of school funding—when they buy or rent a house, or rent an apartment. The Social Security Administration estimates that half to three-quarters of undocumented immigrants pay federal, state and local taxes, including $6 billion to $7 billion in Social Security taxes for benefits they will never get. They can receive schooling and emergency medical care, but not welfare or food stamps.

The United States is being overrun by immigrants like never before.
Ask students why they think this. As a percentage of the U.S. population, the historic high actually came in 1900, when the foreign-born constituted nearly 20 percent of the population. Today, about 12 percent of the population is foreign-born. Since the start of the recession in 2008, the number of undocumented immigrants coming into the country has actually dropped.

Many people also accuse immigrants of having “anchor babies”—children who allow the whole family to stay. According to the U.S. Constitution, a child born on U.S. soil is automatically an American citizen. That is true. But immigration judges will not keep immigrant parents in the United States just because their children are U.S. citizens. Between 1998 and 2007, the federal government deported about 108,000 foreign-born parents whose children had been born here. These children must wait until they are 21 before they can petition to allow their parents to join them in the United States. That process is long and difficult. In reality, there is no such thing as an “anchor baby.”

Anyone who enters the country illegally is a criminal.
Ask students whether someone who jaywalks or who doesn’t feed a parking meter is a criminal. Explain that only very serious misbehavior is generally considered “criminal” in our legal system. Violations of less serious laws are usually “civil” matters and are tried in civil courts. People accused of crimes are tried in criminal courts and can be imprisoned. Federal immigration law says that unlawful presence in the country is a civil offense and is, therefore, not a crime. The punishment is deportation. However, some states—like Arizona—are trying to criminalize an immigrant’s mere presence.


http://www.tolerance.org/immigration-myths

This video made me sad.  So much hatred and racism on display.  I think the largest error in thinking is that immigration is a zero sum game, in that either Americans or immigrants benefit, but not both.  There are already millions of undocumented workers in the country, and America is a better place for it.  They are Americans, as every bit as my European grandparents, just trying to make a better life for themselves.  If you were in their shoes you'd come here too.  And I wouldn't blame you. 

oh, hell, I'd love to repeal the two term limit and shove him back in their faces a third fourth and fifth time just to see their heads explode. I've hated the sicker rightwingers--and we know who they are, no names need be mentioned--that drag this forum down with their vitriol and sick spittle, op after op which assumes, imputes and desires the WORST possible motives all the time, claims every outcome the WORST ever, it's just gotten so tiring. But I'd happily shove him right back down their throats and put up with all their bullshit still just knowing how much they hate, on a daily basis, the fact that the President is black.

I think I were honest I would say that Obama is less a disappointment to me as is than he would be if I felt he were truly dedicated to my values. Because I said on this forum that he needed to go to Reid with all his popular support and tell Reid to change the cloture vote to 56. That would have prevented the type of obstructionism that Republicans started immediately. It was a chance lost. I'd almost feel better if he purposefully passed it up in obedience to 1%er orders, rather than that he truly desired the same things you and I do and missed the chance through bad judgment. Because he had a real chance to accomplish that fundamental transformation he spoke of. Bitterness or cynicism are my choices: I think I am opting for the latter.

it is said of Giovanni d'Medici, when elected Pope Leo X, that he quipped: "God has given us the papacy: let us enjoy it."

I felt like Bill Clinton enjoyed the Presidency. I felt like George HW took it as a duty, and enjoyed it because he enjoyed duty. I felt like George W enjoyed it because it gave him a shred of self esteem (even if he knows it was stolen) he was deprived of lifelong. I felt like Ronald Reagan, at least while still conscious, enjoyed it. I felt like Gerald Ford didn't, and don't blame him, I felt like Nixon enjoyed it thoroughly because it allowed him to use the ideas in his fertile brain.

But I don't feel like Obama enjoys being President. I don't feel like he's got any real passion in his soul, and maybe it takes a bit of passion to be a good president.


The worst thing I ever felt about Obama was when I heard about that sentence in his memoirs, "I chose my friends very carefully..." Even at a young age, due to his background, he was lived a life of self-repression, where he had to behave in certain ways to keep in good with the eyes of others...carefully choosing his friends to make sure that his persona didn't suffer in the eyes of those who mattered.


It takes huge self-discipline to construct a persona like I think he's constructed: one composed almost entirely of being the guy people want to get ahead. And I think it takes a lot out of a human being, he is the closes approximation to a Vulcan.

And much as I like the Vulcans, I also have a great fondness for the Minbari: a good question would be which would make a better President: a Vulcan or a Minbari of the warrior caste!

lol, well, I'm gonna have to part ways with you there.

I waver between saying, of Obama, "he did as much, or more, as could be expected given the opposition and the state of the country when he took over"

and

"it would be nice if he had a set of balls. Since he hasn't shown any in his Presidency, then he has no one to blame for the Republicans being so hostile and obstructionist but himself."


hmmm...and I should note, in my darkest moods, I think that the man and the entire Obama Presidency have been a red herring thrown at us by the 1%ers to distract us from the real issue facing the country: the 1%ers.

My first problem, for the record, with Obama came with his flipflop on campaign funding, and I said even then I thought it showed a certain expedience that spoke to a lack of character. My second problem came with Rezko, because I think that incident showed that as soon as he got into a position to profit from the perks of power, he jumped at it. And my third problem came with the vacant look in his eyes as he stood there in Grant Park accepting the presidency as he destroyed McCain: I said then and still believe "there is no there, there."

I grant that Obama has faced probably the worst, most disgusting, vilest, evillest, opposition--and they're almost all on this board!--that any President since Lincoln has faced. But Lincoln faced greater crises, and triumped: Obama is, to quote the hackneyed phrase, "no Lincoln", hence can never be the greatest president this nation has ever had.

My response is far more directed at the tone and tenor of the sick southern rightwingers on this board,zolace. But the fact is that George W couldn't get immigration reform past Republicans in Congress--honest to god how do you expect Obama to do so?

FIRST the border? That's bullshit. It's just a tactic to stall serious addressing of the internal issues of immigration, first and foremost of which is your beloved corporate profits being so dependent on those immigrants.

Trying to blame the ills of immigration on Obama when even the Smirking Chimp couldn't make the GOP see reason is really falling short of the mark.