Namaste, Bitches

Normally, I don't care about our local politics here in Nevada. I don't know who stands for what, or why. I didn't even know our current governor has been our governor for some time, now. I don't know what part of government governors serve in - House of Representatives or Senate or are those the same thing? I don't vote for people, I vote for bills. Raise room tax to 12%? Yeah, I voted on that. The last gubernatorial election? Sorry, missed it. Same goes for our Senators. I'm the average uninformed American voter.

This election year has been a little different. Rob & I haven't had a t.v. in the house for months, so at work in the break room I'm hit by a barrage of electoral advertising. Apparently it's our Senatorial election, and it's eclipsed our gubernatorial election. Namely, it's Harry Reid & Sharon Angle up there on the t.v., slinging mud. Every single Reid ad points fingers at Angle for being extremist and every single Angle ad points fingers at Reid for being, I dunno, too liberal or something?

I have had the news updates because of the internet, and I have seen a lot of Sharron Angle cutting her own throat. She stated that: "And these programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that’s really what’s happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government."

I had to read it a couple times because I couldn't figure out why government assistance was in violation of the First Amendment & then my brain finally processed 'Commandment'. Ouch. Well, whatever else she stands for fell by the wayside for me. The minute anyone starts waving their religion in my face, they lose my vote. Every time I see one of her ads, I'm not paying attention to what she's saying about Reid - I just hear a voice-over of that blurb about the Commandment. Some people might think that if someone waved Paganism around in their political ads, I'd vote for them, but honestly I don't think I would. America should have a thick, rigid wall between church and state, and it doesn't matter what church is being waved around - the Catholic Church, Judaism, Islam/Muslim, Wicca, whatever. Don't stick your religion into your political agenda. Your platform may be related to your religious tenets, and sometimes that's a good thing, but I don't want to know about it when I'm deciding who I'm going to vote for on election day.

What I would like to see are ads that actually state what each candidate's platform is. Reid's website (Sen. Harry Reid) is, of course, more official than Angle's right now. It's got that '.gov' designation & looks like most other State of Nevada official websites. You go to 'Issues' & it shows support of healthcare reform & trying to keep Yucca Mountain free of nuclear waste, that kind of thing. It's neutral, which means it doesn't give a strong impression of how much he supports anything, and there's a lot of 'party line' on it - like a generic statements like: "While I am strongly opposed to illegal immigration and believe that our immigration laws should be strictly enforced, there is near-universal agreement that our system is broken and in need of reform". Of course, I haven't heard a damn thing about any of it with the t.v. ads.

Angle's site (Sharron Angle for US Senate) looks soooo amateur by comparison. The first thing you see at her site is an unflattering picture of Reid and when you click past it, it's full of Reid-bashing. Just lovely. Tells me so much about Angle. It looks like a mySpace page. Those 'friends of Sharron Angle' aren't doing her any favors. Clicking on 'Issues', the first thing I see is Repeal and replace Obamacare. Obamacare? Honestly? You used that on your webpage? I think that allowing people to purchase out-of-state insurance is cool, but I haven't heard a single ad on t.v. mention it. Of course, I also haven't heard that Angle supports coal & oil-based energy. Coal's time is over. I like being able to bear arms, but I think gays should be able to marry, so that's another point for and against - neither of which I've gotten from t.v.

Based on the websites alone, I'd have to go for Reid. But if I was gauging my vote off the t.v. ads, I think I'd probably try to find the candidate whose name I didn't recognize & vote for them instead.

So I started cooking dinner, which is steak, green beans & peas. I put the steaks on the stove & came back out to my computer - and Chelsie started barking at me. While spoken in Doglish, the meaning was quite clear. "Bitch, get back in the kitchen!!!" I tried to ignore her demands, but the sad truth is that I did have to go in there & flip the steaks at some point. Since I could not imply that I was following orders, I went in the kitchen, flipped the steaks & barked at her, "Go lay down!"

My bark is bigger.

In other news, Obama is restarting the WPA:

Obama's Economic Recovery Plan

For those who are too young or unaware of American history, the WPA (Works Project Administration was a New Deal project started during the Depression by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It basically created jobs - beautifying overpasses with murals, planting trees, building dams (like Nevada's Hoover Dam) to provide power to poor parts of the nation, improving roads, you name it.

It's not that bad of an idea, but Obama should give credit where credit is due. The idea is not exactly new.

So now I have an official license to bitch about politics for the next 8 years.

In other news, the office is now going with a '70s Disco Theme'. Great.

Oh well, I now have 2 foam eggcrate mattress pads for my bed.

Can't remember wtf it was though. I doubt it being important or even spectacularly noteworthy.

I am completely hooked on I Can Has Cheezburger?. I waste more time on that site reading stupid LoLcat captions than I really should, considering I'm halfway through the semester. It's kind of cool to me that I have found something in the Universe that will instantly cheer me up, no matter how bleak I am feeling. I submitted one myself - there's a picture of a ferret wrapped in a towel, so I borrowed something from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy & put "Doan't panik! I brawt ur towl." on it.

(Well, I just erased a few paragraphs, something on my mind but nevermind, it's not important after all)

So, who's for a North American Union? Watched some video that seemed tailor-made for all the conspiracy-theorist whack-jobs like myself, called Zeitgeist: The Movie. Rob was fully engrossed in it, but I found myself turning away from the television, partly in skeptical dismissiveness, and partially in fear, and also shame. I actually partially agree with the Bush Administration... I think we could very well form a North American Union, with looser borders between ourselves, Mexico & Canada. It would strengthen and stabilize our and Mexico's economy a great deal, reduce animosities, make travel a little more convenient... In return for strategic defense, Mexico would send us & Canada laborers and Canada would send us & Mexico timber & oil. I feel bad for Canada - seems like they'd be getting hosed, but with the Arctic icepack shrinking, all these countries are squabbling for that long-sought-after Northwest Passage. It kind of made sense, though - last week I caught a couple of news blips about states wanting to secede from the U.S. & I couldn't figure out why that had reared its head again. A sidebar article also showed up in the latest Utne Reader about it. Their sidebar said that the NAU would die of slow red-tape strangulation. It also droned on about the 'truth behind the Illuminati', who were supposedly a group of bankers from the turn of the century. As far as the RF chips being implanted in everyone, well, I don't see it happening before Bush is out of office. I don't see it happening in my lifetime.

I bristle every time I hear about the Illuminati now, mainly because I found out there was an actual group of 'enlightened' magicians called the Benandanti ('the good walkers', also starring in the fiction of Elizabeth Hand) and they sort of became the Illuminati, or were tied to the Illuminati - & they also spawned the Freemasons. Part of their goal was repressing the 'Malendanti', the shamans, the Goddess-worshippers, the animists and pantheists still roaming around at the dawn of the Renaissance. It's subconsciously carried over to my job. Anytime I check in someone whose last name is 'Benedetti' or 'Benandatti' or anything similar to 'Benandanti', I take an instant dislike to them. Even though I know that if I'd been a man alive in that time period, I would have chosen socio-political power over natural power. Sometimes being a king-maker is far more rewarding than being a king. If I'd been a woman, well, we didn't have much choice back then - the Moon or the rosary. Heh. I have a pomegranate in the fridge for tomorrow - guess we all know where my loyalties really lay.

ooh, ooh... last week I saw one of the Chicken Ranch ads on a mobile billboard truck!!!

This morning, I saw a colossal example of poor ad placement. On the back of a tour bus was the following: Very Special People Onboard! At least it was a full-size tour bus & not one of those half-buses.

Due to the protest last night, I was 15 minutes late for work. I'm not real pleased about that, considering I may get suspended because my lates/absences were at that point.

I admit - when it comes to the working world, I am a hardline conservative. I do not believe the world owes anyone a living. I am not the biggest patriot around, I think George W. Bush is an idiot, but whoever wrote what he said about the national anthem needing to be sung in English and the need for people who live and work in AMERICA to speak English echoed what I've been saying since rumors of this protest first started. Speak English, and if you want to come over to this country, do so legally. Follow the proper channels, do your job and be productive. The notion that 'illegal immigrants are important because they do jobs no one else will' is sheer bullshit. I know several decent, hardworking people - Americans - who love to work outdoors in gardens, mowing lawns, cleaning pools, people who went to a lot of trouble and expense to get small landscaping businesses started only to be put out of business because illegal aliens will work slightly cheaper. I know a lot of American men of various colors who have been put out of construction jobs for the same reason. And then, not only do these folk come into our country illegally, but they take away American jobs and expect to have all the benefits & rights that American citizens have without having to do the work to get them.

I don't have a manual-labor job anymore, but when I first started working, the only thing I knew how to do well legally was clean. So I started out in maid work. None of my coworkers would talk to me because 1) I only spoke English and 2) I was white. They were all Latinas who only bothered to speak Spanish. And they thought it was really funny to snicker behind my back & call me names & shit because they thought I didn't understand the profanity as much as I didn't understand the rest of their conversation. None of them made any overtures of even civility towards me, but the minute a new Latina maid would start, she was welcomed w/hugs & kind greetings. Now, I don't work as physically hard for a living, but I'm tired when I get out in the mornings. I put in long hours, and my job (unlike most Teamsters) doesn't end just because I go home - I am technical support for the computer illiterate of the front desk, even though we have a tech support department. I am also tech support and moral support for the relief people I've trained. I bust my ass & put up with some of the most inane problems for my money. If it wasn't for the Teamsters and my job, I wouldn't have health insurance of any kind. I wouldn't have anything for retirement coming my way. As it is, I still live paycheck-to-paycheck. I'm wondering how we're going to pay the copay for surgery if Rob needs it. But these motherfuckers expect health care from the U.S. government. They say that hospitals in this country turn them away - has anyone taken a peek at the ER at UMC? They don't turn a single freaking person away. Believe me, I've spent enough hours there over the past 18 years to know. It's bad enough that we've got generations of welfare-recipients sucking up tax dollars, but at least they are Americans. Now we're expected to give handouts to any loser who can climb a fence?

That's another thing - America is expected to welcome all these people in, but when we go to other countries, we're spit on & reviled as the 'white devil'. Go to Mexico City & get in legal trouble there. See how their police force and jailers treat an American vs. how our cops are legally obligated to treat arrestees. Granted, if you get pulled over in L.A. & you are a different color than the cop pulling you over, and no one's watching, you may just get a beat down, but it'll only be one beat-down - they won't hold your passport for ransom and you won't have to bribe every person you talk to from the cops to the judge.

When Rob's dad came to the US back in the middle of WWII, he was a teenager & couldn't speak English. He worked for restaurants, picking silverware out of their garbage. He made a few cents a week, basically worked three jobs & struggled to learn English the entire time so he could become a citizen. Sheung-Yee had to pay about $5000 worth of legal fees just to get a work visa so she could come to the states legally - in Hong Kong, they kick people out of school in 10th grade & top jobs are extremely competitive there - especially for women. Jimit has been going to school & working to keep his student & work visas current. My grandparents on my dad's side had to give up their belongings & their last name, had to 'Americanize' it just to be allowed into the country in the first place - it was the end of the Kaiser's rule, and the customs agents advised them to let go of their martial Prussian heritage for their own safety. Abdul married Kelly so he could get his green card, and if that's not an argument for self-sacrifice in the name of a brighter future I don't know what is - if I'd had to marry Kelly to become an American, I would have stayed home.

To get an 'immigrant permit' for becoming a national of Mexico, this is what their country requires:

Retirees
If you are over 50 years of age, and want to engage in "non remunerative activities" and you are receiving funds from abroad (from a pension or other investments or fixed income) at least to the value of 400 times the daily minimum daily wage per month and a further 200 times daily minimum wage per month for each dependent (e.g. spouse, children) then you can apply for a Retiree Immigration Permit. Read more about retirement in Mexico on Mexperience.

Investors
You can receive an immigration permit if you are willing to invest your capital in Mexico. You investment can be directed at industry or services, and must equal a minimum of 40,000 times the minimum daily wage in Mexico City.

Professionals
If you are a qualified professional, you can have your certificates validated by the Mexican Consulate and apply for an immigration permit to live in Mexico. You must be sponsored by a company who must satisfy the authorities that you are essential to their operative requirements.

Scientists & Technicians
If you are involved in science, or are a qualified technician, whether commercially or for education, you can apply for an immigration permit in Mexico. You may need to be invited by one of the established scientific or technical organizations in Mexico.

Artists and Sportspeople
These people can apply for an immigration permit. Each case is considered individually and entry is at the Interior Ministry's discretion.

To become a naturalized citizen of the U.S.:

The current cost is $390.00 for the application, & it includes $70.00 for fingerprinting.
Residency

An applicant must have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence. Lawfully admitted for permanent residence means having been legally accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws. Individuals who have been lawfully admitted as permanent residents will be asked to produce an I-551, Alien Registration Receipt Card, as proof of their status.

Residence and Physical Presence

An applicant is eligible to file if, immediately preceding the filing of the application, he or she:

has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (see preceding section); has resided continuously as a lawful permanent resident in the U.S. for at least 5 years prior to filing with no single absence from the United States of more than one year; has been physically present in the United States for at least 30 months out of the previous five years (absences of more than six months but less than one year shall disrupt the applicant's continuity of residence unless the applicant can establish that he or she did not abandon his or her residence during such period) has resided within a state or district for at least three months

Good Moral Character

Generally, an applicant must show that he or she has been a person of good moral character for the statutory period (typically five years or three years if married to a U.S. citizen or one year for Armed Forces expedite) prior to filing for naturalization. The Service is not limited to the statutory period in determining whether an applicant has established good moral character. An applicant is permanently barred from naturalization if he or she has ever been convicted of murder. An applicant is also permanently barred from naturalization if he or she has been convicted of an aggravated felony as defined in section 101(a)(43) of the Act on or after November 29, 1990. A person also cannot be found to be a person of good moral character if during the last five years he or she:

has committed and been convicted of one or more crimes involving moral turpitude
has committed and been convicted of 2 or more offenses for which the total sentence imposed was 5 years or more
has committed and been convicted of any controlled substance law, except for a single offense of simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana
has been confined to a penal institution during the statutory period, as a result of a conviction, for an aggregate period of 180 days or more
has committed and been convicted of two or more gambling offenses
is or has earned his or her principal income from illegal gambling
is or has been involved in prostitution or commercialized vice
is or has been involved in smuggling illegal aliens into the United States
is or has been a habitual drunkard
is practicing or has practiced polygamy
has willfully failed or refused to support dependents
has given false testimony, under oath, in order to receive a benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
An applicant must disclose all relevant facts to the Service, including his or her entire criminal history, regardless of whether the criminal history disqualifies the applicant under the enumerated provisions.

Attachment to the Constitution

An applicant must show that he or she is attached to the principles of the Constitution of the United States.

Language

Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who on the date of filing: have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 15 years or more and are over 55 years of age; have been residing in the United States subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for periods totaling 20 years or more and are over 50 years of age; or have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant’s ability to learn English.

United States Government and History Knowledge

An applicant for naturalization must demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of the history and of the principles and form of government of the United States. Applicants exempt from this requirement are those who, on the date of filing, have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, where the impairment affects the applicant’s ability to learn U.S. History and Government

Applicants who have been residing in the U.S. subsequent to a lawful admission for permanent residence for at least 20 years and are over the age of 65 will be afforded special condsideration in satisfying this requirement.

Oath of Allegiance

To become a citizen, one must take the oath of allegiance. By doing so, an applicant swears to:
support the Constitution and obey the laws of the U.S.; renounce any foreign allegiance and/or foreign title; and bear arms for the Armed Forces of the U.S. or perform services for the government of the U.S. when required. In certain instances, where the applicant establishes that he or she is opposed to any type of service in armed forces based on religious teaching or belief, INS will permit these applicants to take a modified oath.

'But what about the Green Card, that magical piece of paper that is so hard to get ahold of?'
Here is what the US wants:

Who is Eligible?
People who want to become immigrants are divided into categories based on a preference system. The immediate relatives of U.S. citizens, which includes parents, spouses and unmarried children under the age of 21, do not have to wait for an immigrant visa number to become available once the application filed for them is approved by the USCIS. An immigrant visa number will be immediately available for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. The relatives in the remaining categories must wait for a visa to become available according to the following preferences:

Relative Sponsorship
First Preference: Unmarried, adult sons and daughters of U.S. citizens. Adult means 21 years of age or older.

Second Preference: Spouses of lawful permanent residents, and the unmarried sons and daughters (regardless of age) of lawful permanent residents and their children.

Third Preference: Married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, their spouses and their minor children.

Fourth Preference: Brothers and sisters of adult U.S. citizens, their spouses and their minor children.

Work Visas
All people who want to become immigrants based on employment must wait for an immigrant visa number to become available according to the following preferences:

First Preference: Priority Workers including aliens with extraordinary abilities, outstanding professors and researchers, and certain multinational executives and managers. (Ok, so like Mexico & Canada, we'd appreciate it if you have mad kung-fu business skills)

Second Preference: Members of Professions Holding Advanced Degrees or Persons of Exceptional Ability. (Once again, whip out some mad kung-fu business skills)

Third Preference: Skilled Workers, professionals and other qualified workers. (Mad kung-fu business skills ftw)

Fourth: Certain special immigrants including those in religious vocations. (Why? Why solicit more damn missionaries to knock on my door at 7am?)

Fifth: Employment Creation Immigrants. (Ah, the US not only wants you to work, but it'd be spiffy if you could give someone else a job while you're at it!)


I think what pisses me off the most about this is that these people were able to organize these huge protests because they want to live & work in America without having to become citizens or having to be Americans. They want jobs, they want gov'ment cheese, and want to do nothing in return. Obviously, living conditions in their home countries are bad, otherwise they'd be sitting across the fence spitting on us like everyone else. So why don't they take all that anger and energy and motivation and organization and go home? Why don't they work that hard to change the governments where they live? Why come to this country & try to change laws that don't even technically govern them when they could march on their capital cities and overthrow their own governments and start making gov'ment cheese for themselves? Why come here and expect a free hand out? As Kelly said, though - if someone from Morocco tried to run the Spanish border, he'd get shot. But there were an awful lot of people out in front of the Excalibur & New York, New York hotels last night & the corrupt officials can't kill them all with one bullet.