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The San Diego Union-Tribune

  Letters to the editor

August 3, 2008

Immigration raids fuel debate

In the cacophony characterizing the immigration debate, the Union-Tribune has been a welcome, often the singular modulating voice. Even when disagreeing, I have found its positions to be fair. Why, then, did I find the editorial on the Postville raid so disquieting? (“The rule of law/Immigration enforcement requires raids,” July 29.)

Most committed to the rule of law know that strict enforcement does not always result in just resolution. (See coverage deportation of adoptee Jess Mustanich in “U.S. adoptee a stranger in his birthplace,” Our Region, July 20.) Nevertheless, when this happens, we appropriately become “uneasy” with the justice system. The federal raid into Postville (population 2,200), Iowa, leading to the arrest of hundreds of undocumented workers was excessive. The justice system came up very short on the equity side.

Until we engage in reasoned morally decision-making and reach consensus on an immigration policy founded on principle, the federal government needs to be more measured in enforcing the more punitive provisions of our immigration laws. Our legal system relies on prosecutorial discretion to save us from our vengeful selves. Those entrusted with enforcement need to pursue justice with compassion. Nothing wrong with being a kinder, gentler nation. No one wants Javert to triumph over Jean Valjean.

San Diego

Regarding “Let the immigration raids go on” (Opinion, July 30):

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While I appreciate columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr. advocating raids and deportation, I must object to his comment that “those who are apprehended often are herded like cattle.” The pejorative use of “herded like cattle” stokes the flame of illegal alien supporters and also ignores the fact that millions of American citizens willingly are herded like cattle every day.

Ever been to a supermarket? How about Costco? Better still, Disneyland? Ever experience the “chutes” and “switchbacks” that make it seem we are so close to our “adventure”? Are those not “herding”? Has he ever been to an airport? The Department of Motor Vehicles? A crowded bank? Has he ever tried, as a U.S. citizen, to re-enter the United States from Mexico? That is some serious “cattle herding.” Being forced to line up in a chute and await an action is not equivalent with de-humanizing others. It's called order. We do it every day. It is not a reason for anyone to lament the enforcement of immigration law.

San Diego

Ruben Navarrette Jr. points out that Americans don't want the meatpacking jobs because of 15-hour days and a pay rate of $7.25 an hour. Of course not. But look back about 10-15 years, and you will find those jobs were filled by American workers at a much higher rate. Union-busting tactics and a weak policy of immigration and open borders have allowed companies such as Armor to hire illegal immigrants en mass at a very low wage.

Navarrette states that we created our own hypocrisy by “turning up our noses at the same hard and dirty jobs our parents and grandparents did. Wrong. We are willing to work just as hard as generations before us; we just ask for the same protection of a living wage. I'm getting very tired of people who try to paint as demons Americans protecting their own and their children's welfare. I do have a problem with immigrants, only illegal ones. And yes, if you use someone's Social Security number as your own, it is identity theft. And anyone caught doing so should spend a minimum of five years in federal prison if convicted.

It's funny that some never seem to look at the real problem, the government of Mexico. Why does a country so rich in natural resources and hard-working people continue to exploit the poor and count on income from its citizens working across its border as part of its calculated income?


Columnist's 'fear' of Democrats assailed

Regarding “In fear of a Democratic government” (Opinion, July 29):

Am I the only one who gets annoyed when ideologues such as William Kristol spew their biased, lockstep positions? Kristol and his ilk, on the left as well as the right, have never met anyone on the opposite side of the isle whom they can attribute anything but vileness and dislike.

Kristol is completely faklempt at the prospect of a Democratic Congress and president. Oh the horror! Apparently, the idea of a Republican-controlled Congress with George W. Bush as president didn't bother him a wink. I don't recall him decrying this situation in W.' first term with Newt and Trent in charge of the House and Senate at the time. The world didn't end for Democrats. It wasn't what they particularly wanted, but the good ole USA didn't come apart at the seams, as Kristol feels would be the case if the Democrats were in charge. They won't like it, but somehow most of us survived the Republicans. Over 4,100 dead American servicemen and women in the war, and billions of dollars in debt, we're not perfect, but the republic rolls along.

It's just so typical of extreme pundits on both ends of the spectrum to tell us that the sky will fall if the other party is in control. Kristol wants to tell us that we'd all be better served by a divided government, but why didn't we hear him utter those words when his party was in control. Does the term “hypocrite” come to anyone else's mind?


Judging the indictment of Sen. Ted Stevens

Regarding “Stevens indicted on 7 felony counts” (A1, July 30):

Poor Ted Stevens! If only he were in the House of Representatives rather than the Senate, things would be looking really good for him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would be working overtime to get him into an important House position. Remember, not that long after William Jefferson (D-La.) was found to have $90,000 of bribe money in his freezer, Pelosi put him on the Homeland Security panel. She earlier worked hard to get John Murtha (D-Pa.), the unindicted co-conspirator of the Abscam felonies, to be House majority leader. And, of course, she pushed hard to get Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) to lead the House Intelligence Committee – the same Hastings who as a sitting federal judge had been impeached for apparently taking a huge bribe. Pelosi has also pushed to have some of her lesser-known, ethically challenged colleagues put into important positions. Too bad Stevens is in the Senate.

San Diego

Very different views of McCain, Obama

This 2008 election year started out as a campaign between two honorable men with differing opinions. Now it is one honorable man and a liar. I am astonished at the vileness of John McCain. He is a man I used to respect.

La Jolla

I'm not saying that one day Barack Obama couldn't be a good candidate for president. But not yet, not now. Electing Obama for our president is the equivalent of making a fourth-grader the principal of the school. Four years of “experience,” no matter how popular the kid is, does not make him ready to be in charge.

San Diego


GOP, Dems and offshore drilling

Regarding “Afghanistan and offshore drilling” (Opinion, July 31):

Columnist Thomas L. Friedman's otherwise timely and incisive review of the global stance on the future of energy and its relation to our current presidential campaign is flawed by his continuing attempts to justify or gloss over his colossal error in supporting the war on Iraq. His snide reference to Afghanistan as the “Democrats 'good war' as opposed to Iraq” ignores the fact that Iraq had nothing to do with the 2001 attack on America, that our military response to the Taliban in Afghanistan was a justifiable response to the perpetrators of that most heinous crime.

Friedman compounds his disingenuousness by describing an Arab-Muslim world that has been “failing on modernity” while surviving on $120-a-barrel oil. He says correctly that this region is dominated by “a religious establishment resisting reform and now a death cult that glorifies young people committing suicide, often against other Muslims.” But then he writes: “The humiliation this cocktail produces is the real source of terrorism. Saddam Hussein exploited it. Al-Qaeda exploits it. Pakistan's intelligence services exploit it. Hezbollah exploits it. The Taliban exploit it.” Including Saddam in this list is a blatant perversion of recent history. Iraq was the most secular of the Arab countries, and Saddam Hussein's Iraq produced no suicide bombers. Saddam and al-Qaeda were known publicly as sworn enemies. It's long past time for Friedman to face up to his error in supporting the Bush-Cheney war on Iraq; we need Friedman's otherwise cogent insight on world affairs.

La Jolla

Thomas L. Friedman sneers at political parties who “get wedded to slogans” that make no sense, giving one example each for Democrats and Republicans. He must have been hard-pressed to come up with one for Republicans because he made it up: “Republicans have become so obsessed with the notion that we can drill our way out of our current energy crisis that . . . offshore drilling has become their answer for every energy question.” That's a lie, as anyone who follows the debate well knows. Republicans say we must pursue all means – conservation, nuclear, wind, etc. – and drilling.

Friedman's example for Republicans is indeed a fallacious slogan; he just assigned it to the wrong party. It's used by Democrats to smear Republicans.


The Cherokee made decisions based on the effects for seven generations to come. We must be at least as forward-thinking. We cannot drill our way out of this energy crisis. Rather than being fed the false claim that drilling would lower gas prices, Americans need real choices, such as cars with better fuel efficiency, tax incentives for riding mass transit and telecommuting, and consumer rebates funded by repealing billions in tax breaks for Big Oil. Oklahoma oilman T. Boone Pickens even states on his Web site: “I've been an oilman all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of.”


Regarding “Drilling ban no help to planet” (Opinion, Aug. 1):

It's not surprising that a right-wing pundit such as Charles Krauthammer would be an advocate for more oil drilling. Like so many on the right, he is seemingly blind to the fact that finding new ways to feed our oil addiction is not a solution to our energy problems. We should be looking for new technologies and renewable energy sources, not granting more leases when oil companies aren't using the ones they already have.

San Diego

Regarding “Ten reasons high oil prices are good” (Opinion, Aug. 1):

While I commend the idealism of a naive 22-year-old student, the young lady needs a dose of reality to tender her 10 suggestions. Yes, developing renewable (why not nuclear?) energy resources are not only noble and necessary, but doable today, and I am on her side. Ditto for mass transit, car pooling and electric cars, etc. But whoever said that petroleum and “green” technologies are mutually exclusive? Please enlighten me.

We need more oil now before our economy goes in the tank (pardon the pun). Everything has a cost tied to evil fossil fuels. Think 5 bucks for gas is bad? How about 10 bucks for a loaf of bread? Does caribou milk provide your nourishment? Aside from that, without domestic oil, we continue to enrich a lot of folks who are not necessarily our friends, and that is a danger we must avoid.

San Diego

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