July 18, 2007
Morning Roundup: Sleepy Senators Edition
Good morning, D.C. Did any of you stay up watching the filibuster, or pre-filibuster, or anti-filibuster, or whatever the heck we're calling it? Yeah, us neither. We did manage to catch a moment of it while en route to the Daily Show, and were greeted with a slightly disheveled-looking legislator gesticulating wildly at a chart of a Humvee. Unfortunately, we have no idea whether the sleepless showdown is likely to produce anything other than entertaining television.
Loudoun Follows Prince William's Example: Last week Prince William County's board of supervisors voted to begin denying some county services to illegal immigrants (exactly which services will be affected is still being worked out). Whatever you think of that initiative, it's not much of a surprise to see neighboring counties jump on the bandwagon, lest targeted immigrants simply move a few miles over to resume collecting the services they've been denied. As WJLA reports, that's exactly what Loudoun has done. The affected services haven't yet been determined in this case yet, either. And unlike Prince William's measure, this one won't require citizenship checks for individuals taken into police custody.
Hummer Eco-Vandalized In Northwest: The Post relates the story of 32 year-old Gareth Groves, proud new owner of a pimped-out Hummer. But shortly after he made his purchase, tragedy struck the Northwest neighborhood where Gareth lives with his mom: environmentally-minded vandals slashed his tires, bashed his windows and scratched "FOR THE ENVIRON" into the paint. Although the pointlessness of the crime and the silliness of the vehicle makes the incident seem slightly goofy, this does bring to mind the case of Billy Cottrell and the serious consequences that his similarly-motivated actions produced.
Briefly Noted: Area blood supply critically low (click here to find a blood drive)... Michael Vick indicted on federal dogfighting charges... Two homes under construction destroyed by arson in Frederick...
This Day In DCist: One year ago we said goodbye to Nation and learned where Adams Morgan got its name.
Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user philliefan_99
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As far as I can tell, whatever benefits illegals would get from moving to DC would be offset by the higher cost of living and the rental vacancy rate hovering around 1%. Can't see a major migration downtown any time soon.
Montgomery County on the other hand is pretty immigrant-friendly.
va is turning to shite.. as the son of immigrants who came here "illegally", i am terribly disappointed in all this targeting of people just like my parents - people who just simply wanted a better life and had to cross the border without government approval to do so.
i also despise those who are making illegal immigrants their scapegoats...blaming them for the "decay" of our society. Alienating them through these laws will only make them more destined to NOT incorporate into our society, something that people don't want in the first place.
"32 year-old Gareth Groves, proud new owner of a pimped-out Hummer. But shortly after he made his purchase, tragedy struck the Northwest neighborhood where Gareth lives with his mom"
You'd think the envirovandals would appreciate the fact that, at 32, Gareth still lives with his mom. Both for the obvious energy savings and out of empathy for their own situation.
Immigration is the new gay marriage. Just the latest transparent wedge issue to get all the assholes to vote for the same people.
Immigration is a little more than a wedge issue, it has much more teeth and impact than two dudes (or ladies) putting rings on each others finger. Uncheck immigration does have a direct and deep influence on the economy, national security and foreign relations. Also, it isn’t necessary the same people. You have the liberal unions siding up with the social conservatives for stricter reform, and business siding up with social liberals for open boarders.
go to the Post article... he looks like the kind of douche who would own a hummer with "bigger tires and a lift kit."
this type of xenophobia (yep, that's what it is) crops up with any immigration wave. see U.S. history for more details.
and funny how all these immigration "reform" efforts are all being done just a few months before elections. what a silly coincidence! NOT.
Umm... the liberal unions are the biggest force for immigrants rights. http://www.seiu.org/issues/immigration/notebook.cfm
Not only does 32-year-old Hummer guy live with his mom, but he spends his money on expensive cars rather than saving up for rent or mortgage. Also not impressed with the general eco-saviness of other AU Park residents. It is, after all, a neighborhood of relatively large single-family homes that's not very transit accessible. Glad to hear most of them drive more fuel-efficient cars, but they *must* drive out there and their homes and gardens are hardly efficient!
-33 year old advocate for urban density with a mortgage and her own family who's offended on principle
Somebody should tell the Post that the 3400 block of Brandywine Street is not in AU Park.
#8
Try again.
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/civilrights/immigration/
SEIU-Public sector employees unions have atotally different agenda that the non-public sector unions.
Yeah, I can't choose sides in that Hummer story. That dude does look like a tool. And I object to the hummer more on aesthetic grounds than anything else. But smug self-satisfied bobos, who live in large houses, and drive everywhere they need to go, are equally (if not more) annoying and counterproductive than that tool.
And really, the objection to Hummers is as much a question of economic and social snobbery as anything else. Hummers reek of new money flash. The objection can be sustained by an environmental argument, but I firmly believe the initial objection to Hummers is more about class and class identifiers than about the environment.
I'd be willing to bet this was done by AU students.
Illegal immigration may be a legitimate concern, but the reform cause is harmed by the large numbers of people who seem to oppose illegal immigration for xenophobic reasons. That is: they hate the tiendas on Route 1 in Woodbridge, and they're sick of all the Latino-looking guys hanging out in front of the 7-11 in Manassas. They bristle when the ATM asks them if they prefer English or Spanish.
Maybe the illegal immigrants haven't heard that Alexandria wants to create a tourist-friendly "El Salvador town" on Mount Vernon Avenue. Come one, come all.
Immigration is the new gay marriage. Just the latest transparent wedge issue to get all the assholes to vote for the same people.
More like the other way around. Immigration has been a wedge issue for far far longer.
i knew that guy growing up, and he was a good guy-- but the lift kit on the hummer i can't figure out.
This will all implode the first time an official demands proof of citizenship from a U.S. citizen merely on the basis of appearance.
Meanwhile, will these counties round up the builders who develop subdivisions with undocumented labor in their business plans? Will they give local police additional resources to do the work of the Federal government?
Street cops hate this kind of thing. Undocumented but peaceful neighbors are now unwilling to tell police about the few bad actors in their midst, immigrant communities become vulnerable to extortion by criminal gangs, and some of this crime is bound to spread through the county. These posturing politicians have succeeded in drastically reducing community safety.
I feel sorry for the guy, and the people who did this definitely committed a crime and I hope they're caught, but:
He works in marketing and was apparently aware (at least in part) of the image surrounding a Hummer. Can he really be all that surprised that for some people that image is mostly negative?
No, Hummers aren't the best cars for city driving or for the environment. But nothing gives anyone the right to deface someone else's property, either. There are too many self-important people who think their way is the right way in this city, it's ridiculous.
Anyone who has ever spent any amount of time in Prince William or Loudoun Counties can easily see that this anti-immigration garbage is founded in racism.
The only way I see the hummer as a smart move on this guy's part is if it was intended to market a business with a masculine image. Like what Results The Gym did. Like it or not, that was probably effective. But as a PR person, he probably should have just paid for garage parking somewhere and rode his bike to and from it.
Guest #2, why do you put the word illegal in quotes? The law is the law.
That's like, "My parents got busted for shooting heroin, which is 'illegal.'"
Good for Loudoun County and Prince Wm. County. This law-breaking sh*t has to stop. Illegal means illegal.
Did Sen. David "Diaperman" Vitter's aide make sure he had plenty of Depends on hand for the sleepover? Wouldn't want any accidents.
With regard to the union issue, the AFL-CIO's stance is pro-immigrant. They opposed the legislation because it would split up families. The AFL-CIO supports amnesty. That's a progressive stance.
Furthermore, RJ's assertion that the private sector unions don't support immigration rights is totally false. For example, the building trades are full of new immigrants to America. They opposed the president's bill because it wasn't progressive enough.
I waited to come to this country for 15 years, and despite many illegal immigrants being good, decent people, I'm happy that the two counties have implemented the new policies. It's not racism. All of the people who make it out to be racism and xenophobia have nothing to say when the law is brought up; they just ask that the law be disregarded b/c the people are just trying to get a better life and had to do what they had to do, well the law is the law and many of us chose to do it the hard and legal way.
#23
Your right I totally muffed the union immigration stance. I took the unions and social conservatives lust to destroy the Presidents bill out of context of the overall goals of immigration reform.
I hate SUVs, but even more so, I hate Hummers. They are big, gas guzzling cars with lousy mpg's and (the one I got in) only had space for 4! I think they ought to be taxed with a special luxury tax, or gas tax and higher registration fees. Certainly not get a tax exemption (actually, I don't know if they get the tax break that I know some SUVs do). I don't know (or care) if that's leagal or not, just my wishes.
However, I don't condone the crime, I hate vandalism and I feel bad for the guy. I do hope the people who did it get caught.
Tax professionals often advise business owners to buy Hummers. The real offender here is our tax code which allows Businesses to write off $25K of purchase price on a few specific vehicles such as Hummers, Esclades and someother MegaSUV but doesn't give any incentive on economy or fuel efficient vehicles.
The funny part is, Hummers suck. They are very uncomfortable and don't really perform well on road or off.
I'm a big fan of immigration, as I firmly believe Americans simply won't do many of the crappy jobs our capitalist society requires.
But I do hate the ATMs and phone recordings asking me if I want Spanish. True, it's a tiny thing, but it's annoying mostly because it's highly inefficient.
We have one national language - English. For practical reasons, it needs to remain that way.
I took my 70 year old mom to Pepitos Mexican bakery for lunch the other day. We ate outside amid the streetvendors selling fresh fruit and listened to the ranchero music from the cd vendors. We didn't hear a word of English in the 20 minutes it took to finish our meals. She said it was like being in another country. The German side of her family had been in the US since the 1800s, and still spoke German through WWI and until WWII, when it was politically and socially dangerous to do so. She grew up speaking it till then. I never learned it.
Bethesdan, wasn't the tax break even bigger at one point, like $100,000? I seem to remember it ballooning a few years ago. May have rolled back by now.
"But I do hate the ATMs and phone recordings asking me if I want Spanish. True, it's a tiny thing, but it's annoying mostly because it's highly inefficient."
Yeah, pressing that button expends a whole 3 calories!
We have no national language.
guest [21],
i put the word illegal in quotes because everybody uses this word to justify these insane measures.
i simply love the "well, the law is the law" argument. i'm guessing you've broken the law at least once or twice in your life. ever gone a mile over the limit? you reckless lawbreaker, you!
hypocritical arguments are the best.
They're not eco-terrorists. Those AU park folks are jut "defending their neighborhood."
The law is the law, eh? Unlawful entry into the United States is a misdemeanor. Like, say, possession of marijuana (in Virginia.) Of course the vociferous opponents of illegal immigration--those red-faced flag-wavers--would have you believe, through the volume and tone of their rhetoric, that illegal immigration is an earth-shaking felony on par with grandmother homicide (nanacide.) Which shouldn't be surprising. They believe the same thing about drug use. If you can't lock em up, kick em out. Zero tolerance and all that garbage.
Very few people were talking about illegal immigration before about two years ago. That's why the current fuss over illegal immigration strikes so many people as fatuous. That's why they dismiss it a wedge issue. In this country, wedge issues are fairly easy to identify. They're highly divisive notions, often accompanied by flag-waving or bible-thumping, that seem to materialize out of nowhere when a certain segment of the population feels like it might get elbowed off the political stage.
Hopefully DC and Maryland counties will start taking similar actions. DC forcing Home Depot to put a day laborer site for illegal immigrants is not right. And yes, there is a HUGE difference between immigration and illegal immigration. Illegal immigration should be turned into a jailable crime and not a misdemeanor. Employeers who hire illegal aliens should also be arrested. The thing that is really irritating is when people speak up against people who break our laws, we're called racists. My other half is Salvadoran and my sister-in-law is South American. The government should increase immigration, but it should not be granted to people who take it upon themselves to ignore the process and law. And yes, this issue has been around a lot longer than two years.
Illegal immigration should be turned into a jailable crime and not a misdemeanor.
The last thing we need in this country is more jailable crimes. We incarcerate way too many of our own citizens as it is. And while the issue may have been around for longer than two years, it hasn't been on the public radar for longer than that. The reason is that a handful of very loud anti-illegal immigration types were around to grab the decay-of-civilization microphone just as the anti-gay marriage people were relinquishing it.
We incarcerate way too many of our own citizens as it is.
And yes, I understand that illegal immigrants aren't citizens. Clarification: our jails are big and bursting already, and we don't need to build any more, or build special camps just to lock up illegal immigrants.