News-Record.com

Well, might be a good day for the gringos to shop. The aisles at Wal-Mart should be pretty clear.

Sure thing we most certainly can name it "Hire an American Day" and then watch the Americans run right down and accept jobs as trash collectors, chicken plant workers, ditch diggers, septic systems clearners, farm workers, fruit and veg pickers and all the 'lowly' jobs available and primarily filled by immigrants who are willing to do an honest days work rather than sit on their cans and collect welfare or live off of someone else who is working. Jobs are out there waiting to be filled but "real Americans" won't take these jobs because they are too hard or too nasty or just require a bit of effort.

Doug, I too was upset to see the marchers waving Mexican flags but then again what flag can they claim as theirs? Surely not the Ameircan flag when they are the invisible workers with no rights. I was not upset at all to see them finally speak up. These people have been timidly going about doing the work we Americans don't want to do for a century now. Slavery was abolished and the immigrants, illegal or otherwise, took over in the Blacks place. They are finally finding their voice and strength. We have to listen up this time and do this thing the right way by giving the immigrants now in the country some legal status and some hope of improving their lot. Then we have to put up very strong fences to insure against any more coming in illegally. But, don't blame or punish these people for trying to survive by sneaking into a country where they can get an honest job, or now that they are here for finally speaking up and demanding the respect they are due.

Thanks, Brenda. I was being flippant in my post, and you've offered serious and sensible thoughts.

As I've written before, I'm not anti-immigrant, and I think Hispanic immigrants in particular work hard, generally share our cultural values and will become good Americans.

At the same time, I'm suspicious of this National Immigrant Solidarity Network, which has all kinds of leftist political agendas, judging from its Web site. It seems to be advocating for the position that the moment someone crosses our border, he's due all the rights and privileges of citizenship. Can we function like that?

No they have no rights. Their rights were set aside when, unlike millions of other immigrants who've entered our land legally, they intentionally came across our borders illegally.

They take jobs nobody wants? In 1999 my wife and I general contracted our house. Put bids out on drywall & painting. In both situations the naturalized sub contractor was under bid by as much as 25-40% by subs who I could not confirm were legal. I went with both of the American contractors because their rates were reasonable and I was suspicious of the others. I later fup with the two contractors for add'l work and they were out of business as a result of constantly being underbid by contractors who hired (or were) illegal workers.

Interesting article on the Drudge Report about Sen. Harry Reid's prior take on illegal immigrants abuse of our welfare system.

If our government would/had enforce(d) the laws already on the books regarding the disposition of illegal immigrants, we wouldn't have this controversy.

As long as we provide the possibility of amnesty for illegals from our neighbors to the South, ain't no fence gonna be high enough to stem the flow. This will be an issue that my children and their children will encounter unless a line in the sand is drawn now.

Here's the message needing to be sent to potential immigrants: Respect our laws and our values and there will be ample opportunity for you at our table. Do otherwise and we'll ship your b__t home.