illegal immigration

guys, come on. illegal immigration isn't about people stealing jobs from "hard-working" americans.

it's not about people "breaking the law--" law enforcement's perennial policy is to get enough
arrests (against criminals of any sort) to stay out of the hot seat.

why am i against illegal immigration? it's inhumane.

my friend eugenio worked at the china one buffet in corvallis, OR. the employers would pay them minimum wage and then demand that the employees return half of their wages in tax.

farm workers in oregon routinely work 14 hour days during the harvest (a period of several weeks with not days off) without seeing a dime of the (already employer-beneficial) state-mandated overtime.

illegal immigration is simply an excuse for business to abuse labor- practice a form of slavery, really- that we should have passed about 100 years ago.

but this wouldn't be a popular political argument, so no one will ever take the most common sense or humane approach.

an 'official' endorsement

Perhaps you heard about Pat Robertson—Conservative Evangelical endorses potential President of 9/11.

Perhaps you heard that Ron Paul had the largest single-day fundraiser EVER. Or maybe you only heard about Rudy.

Well, Modern Machiavelli’s handlers may be pulling the media pretty hard, and the media may not be fighting them, but here’s hoping that the only honest candidate in the primary races manages- through some odd chance of fate and Providence- to garner the nomination in ’08.

note: I take back what I said about Paul as the only honest candidate. I forgot about Kucinich, who despite his lunacy is at least very genuine about it.

at the altar of the olympians

What say you, oh Homer?
Is the Orator speaking from his well-worn grave?

For once there was an age
when the deeds of man spanned the heavens
and the works of women won them immortality
when a strong man would crush an empire
and a pure love would shatter that strength.

But this time has long since passed
centuries have left us with a dormant strain
stories—written in languages long dead.
The oldest of men remember them but vaguely as dreams.

What, then, am I to do when
in this, the dusk of Man
I am suddenly met by a society of legend?
These days have brought me near
the offspring of the gods;

The venerable Son of Apollo
Who brings truth, healing, and plague.

The twin daughters of the goddess Athena
whose wisdom and prophecy guide man, nation, legend.

The humorous son of Hermes
who tells stories with the truth of a double-edged sword.

The purest daughter of Aphrodite
winged sprite whose youth and light heart rejuvenate the weary.

A Legion of the Sky—those whose subtle burning will not fade.
a Legion in strength and stature, though not in number.

The sum of this Beauty overwhelms me.

But where does that leave me?

Am I Icarus, venturing too close to the sun?
Or Prometheus, seizing a spark of life
only to be cast into judgment?

Oh, Author of Eternal Legend
I thank you for the grace of beauty you have given me,
but too much good leads me to worry

Let not this harmony decay
nor allow me to descend into irony.
I am not yet worthy of these blessings.
But as I stand in my sodden state I beg
Take these not away from me
teach me to be a man of legend
worthy to share the ground with those
that you have placed surrounding me.