Democrats versus Republicans

[sailaway21]

It's going to be worse in Europe than here, Dan, and there's only so much that immigration can do to quell it. The majority of immigrants, on both continents, are not highly skilled so there will still be a very high premium on skilled and professional labor. It takes little imagination to envision how those individuals are going to feel about having their competetive advantage taxed into oblivion to support their elders. I can hear it now, "it's one thing I work 60 hours a week and now you're going to take 70% of it?".

[danjarch]

That's where the problem lies, sway. We could find it impossible to meet the demand for engineers and book keepers. Mean while plumbers, carpenters, and acountants won't take a check and all of us small timers keep two sets of books. Big business could grind to a halt as the supply of people willing to work on the books dwindles to a crawl.

Politicly, certain areas, namely the interior of the country will find itself increasing at odds with the areas that have large elderly populations. These areas will have a big incentive to break with the union and free themselves from the burden.

Of course it could be pay back time for Mexico and other south of the border countries. They could be flooded with imigrants seeking good pay with low taxes. Who don't happen to speak the language.

[chucklesR]

Wouldn't that be a stitch, a flood of American's crossing the border into Mexico looking for jobs cutting grass, raking leaves, standing around a Juan Carlo's Night and Day convience store looking for rich locals to pick us up for day labor jobs
Wonder if they have enough computers to form a network down there yet, maybe they need a DBA, I'll work for sunshine,tequilla and fish taco's.

[Joel73]

Originally Posted by chucklesR

.................. I'll work for sunshine,tequilla and fish taco's...........

I vote yes to that!

[PBzeer]

Here's one man's look ahead. Interesting, and ...... chilling, if accurate.
AL QAEDA'S PLAN B - New York Post

[killarney_sailor]

Originally Posted by PBzeer

Here's one man's look ahead. Interesting, and ...... chilling, if accurate.
AL QAEDA'S PLAN B - New York Post

This article is interesting to read, both for what it contains and what it assumes. I think the identification of different groups within the Islamic community makes a great deal of sense and, is too often overlooked in the West. If we were to make use of this construct we would be better able to approach the problems with Hamas, for example, in a more focussed way. Far too often we tend to lump all Islamic communities in the general rubric of "Islamic fundamentalists' or even "Islamofascists" when there are many different groups (often mutually antagonistic) with different histories and motivations. McCain's confusion of al Qaeda as having any links with Iran is a good example.

Once we accept the idea that there are different groups with very different motivations to use terrorist methods the question becomes how many people are in the group(s) inclined to use suicide bombings, kidnappings, etc on a global stage. My sense is that this group is relatively small and that the best way to contain them is by use of police methods (informerants, for example) as has been done in places like Britain and Canada with some success.

I think the willingness of the West, and in particular the US, to resort to military methods is a case of 'we got this (massive and massively costly) hammer, the problem must be a nail'.

[PBzeer]

So you disagree with the basic premise of the article? The establishment of a new Caliphate?

You feel we would be better served by a more passive, reactive approach, wherein we allow them to do what they want, then prosecute afterwards? That they act, in a criminal manner, rather than in a warlike one?

[sck5]

Some guy in a cave wants to establish a new caliphate. I am supposed to be afraid? There is a guy downtown where I live who is convinced he is Jesus Christ and wants everyone to worship him. I myself know that I deserve to have every last one of you send me $1,000.

What I fail to understand is why this level of fear over a bunch of stone age crazies? You might try to remember that these guys are running around the garden spot of northwestern Pakistan living in caves. They have delusions of grandeur and you are taking them seriously. Sure, they have guns and some bombs and we need to watch out for that but to imagine these guys are actually going to take over the world is a joke.

[sck5]

and killarney makes the same point I have before. There are different groups within Islam and the arabs who have different goals and different characteristics. Being aware of that can be very useful as, for example, when the US helped keep the Iraqis and Iranians at each others throats for years. Much better than now, when Bush's policies seem to be pushing them closer. Not a good thing for us.

[sailaway21]

The problem is a nail. Here's how law enforcement works on these matters and how it fails. The Anthrax Fiasco - WSJ.com

We're not in a crime wave, we're at war with people who mean to exterminate us. Apprehending our enemies might be nice, it's hardly essential.

The war metaphor means not so much that we will always use the military but it means that we are not going to observe the niceties of diplomacy and the law. War is diplomacy advanced by different means. Our goal is not to put the Islamists on trial it is to defeat their movement to a degree where no one even thinks of becoming as Islamist. Overt and covert military actions will be more applicable to this war than anything law enforcement brings to the table.