P*ssing in the wind

[dalaigh lllama]

About a month ago I sent an e-mail to both my senators -- Bond and Talent -- about my views on immigration. Unfortunately, I've already deleted my original e-mail, but the gist of it was this: reinforce the laws that are already on the books, and start going after the employers of illegal aliens. I never hear back from Bond (of course, he has yet to reply to any of my letters) but Talent sent me this reply today:

Dear

Thank you for contacting my office to share your views on
immigration reform. I agree with you that the priority of any
legislation should be border control and that an amnesty would just
encourage more unlawful immigration. Attached please find a
copy of my speech from the Senate floor expressing my thoughts
in a detailed fashion on the subject.

Again, I thank you for being in touch. If you have any
further concerns with this or any other issue, please do not hesitate
to call or write.

If you would like to contact me via e-mail, please visit
http://talent.senate.gov/Contact/default.cfm

Sincerely,

Senator Jim Talent

(Emphasis is mine.) All I can say is, maybe Talent ought to spend a little more time reviewing the English language so he can hone his reading comprehension skills. It reminds me of that old Farside cartoon where the dog is listening to his master and all he hears is "blah, blah, blah."
:wtf:

[whathappened]

1. you are so right on this one

pissing in the wind is a great saying , these ass wipes in washington and the states are all running on the same wave link , like nothing is there , no body is home in there brains , so pissing in the wind is what you get when you try to contact these asshats

[dalaigh lllama]

5. When I was a young 'un

My mom used to send letters to our congressmen, and she always received a pertinent reply, even if they didn't agree with her opinion. Oy! These guys are totally in their ivory tower.
Make that their corporate tower. :grr:

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Sam Roberts thinks I am a man

So if noTalent got your sex right, count your blessings.

[dalaigh lllama]

6. Hmmm. Actually he did

But then, he had a 50% chance of not screwing that up, so I give him no credit for that.

[neoblues]

3. Woof Woof Rover Woof

Yeah, typical poly tician. Respond to any question or statement with whatever they want to say. Time was when they would have to find a clever way to segway into their own remarks, alas, with modern times they've done away with any such requirements for tediously respectful efforts and simply ignore what they were asked or what the other person said and go directly into their own propaganda.

[dalaigh lllama]

7. His little one-size-fits-all form letter

What really pissed me off was him claiming to agree with what I said. He could at least have a different form letter for folks who don't agree with him. What does he do, go into congress now and say, "I got hundreds of letters about immigration, and they all agree with my position." Arrgh!

[neoblues]

10. Yeah, I take your meaning.

What a jerk. Though you're onto something--it's a good suggestion for Congressmen to have at least a few different form letters to allow them to address their constitutents with a little greater discrimination. Even so, I don't think I'm in favor of helping them "pretend" to agree.

It seems to me it's about time 'we the people' had the benefit of some changes to our government based on simply recognizing the changes in technology over the two centuries since our government was designed. We should, in order to better govern ourselves--which is supposed to be (or at least ought to be) what our Democracy is about, be able to take state and national referendums which would allow us to overrule our representive's (Congressmen/President and potentially even the SCOTUS) decisions/choices/actions. It would take some infrastructure--an internet access for every citizen, a reasonably secure scheme for network voting, groups of experts to produce educational web portals to provide information/analysis on various levels of complexity for citizens to use when choosing to participate in a referendum, and other things. Lot of things to be thought out; does a Congressional district's votes merely override their representative's vote on some issues versus a national popular vote overriding final decisions by both houses or the President... The thing is, it's emminently doable--and not a part of our government because our founders would have been astonished at the prospect of a telephone. Our "representatives" are there to "represent"; yes, they are supposed to "think" too, but when they plainly don't--they forfeit their input in favor of allowing their partisan leaders to decide for them, or they make choices that are to their own benefit rather than to the benefit of the people, 'We' should be able to override them. It's past time for a change.

If that were the case, can you imagine a Congressman sending a form letter back to a puny little constituent that insults their intelligence? I'd suspect they'd be alot more solicitous and careful with their votes--ensuring their votes agree with their constituents.

[dalaigh lllama]

12. Interesting premise

but the whole idea rests on having an educated populace. Right now we can't even elect a representative without many people being swayed by piles of horse hockey, and most folks wouldn't want to take the time involved to study an issue up for consideration.

At this point I'd settle for fair representation -- no more electoral college, no more gerrymandering, paper ballots, response to constituents rather than lobbyists. Sigh...My needs are simple. :eyes:

[neoblues]

13. Sigh...

With a population that is, I agree, poorly educated--especially on what's really important to their lives/futures (including politics/government/history and much more), but is also so profoundly manipulated... From having to struggle to survive, work either long hours or beyond reasonable stress while not being taught why politics is important to being taught to seek entertainment (TV, sports, videogames, partying, etc., etc., etc) as the way to escape/rest/recover (to make life worthwhile and as the way to recover in preparation of going back to work tomorrow, and besides, it's what everybody else does or they don't know what else they could be doing) and being mesmerized by the media--misled from all directions--it's no surprise that the public appears even more ignorant than it probably is. Heck, even smart, well-educated people can by hypnotized or the victims of bad habits (in this case the one to cause the other). Recognize that they've also been led to internalize the belief that there's nothing they can do--they're just one among hundreds of millions, ignorant, poor and powerless. Such hopelessness breeds inactivity and avoidance. It's just no wonder that so many don't take the time to become informed. For that matter, even we scarcely know what or how to do anything about anything--we're just aware and distressed about them.

My subject line echoes your "sigh", just as my own emotions echo the feeling of fatigue, wishfulness/longing behind it. Fair representation, an honest electoral system with no electoral college, no gerrymandering, no electronic voting systmes (replaced by the effective, inexpensive alternative: paper ballots), as well as actually having a government/representatives that are responsive to their citizens/constituents rather than to moneyed interests... to take the media back and ensure true fairness and honesty in all public/mass communications. All are right and good and should be the way it is. They're the solutions to so many problems while simultaneously being signs of a healthy Democracy. All part of how our Democratic Constitutional Republic should work or the means by which to make it do so. Sigh... if only they were implemented. It does sound simple--and it really is that simple; we just have to reach everyone with the message at a time when they're ready to hear it.

Somehow, in the years to come, we will make it happen. Some of us will need to gather our second wind as we already feel we've struggled to the point of fatigue, but we're not exhausted. We've just begun. As we reach more people with the truth, and as conditions get worse, more people will be listening, we'll have fresh new recruits. Whether we face crisis or decline, the end result will be the same--only the time period will differ. Just as corruption is a part of human nature, so too is the desire for good times and quality of life and resistance to oppression. The struggle between good and bad is always with us and which is winning depends only on when and where you look. Good times are just around the corner (though the corner is some ways yet).

Seems I'm in an odd, long-winded, pontificating/preachy as well as imaginarily prophetic mood. Take my expository with a grain of salt.

[lonestarnot]

4. OMG is he full of nutfuckery or what?

[dalaigh lllama]

8. I sincerely hope he goes down in November to McCaskill

We could sure use some brains representing Missouri.

[lonestarnot]

9. I will second that for you!

[Rodger Dodger]

11. Put another way those who support amnesty -

Are p*ssing in your pocket and telling you its raining.

The Republican Party and its "Conservative base mantra of "small government," is the problem. There is a insufficient number of government workers to enforce the law already on the books;it's intenended to be that way.

What is the law? The statute on the book or the statutes that are enforced. The aristocracy does not want an efficient government. It hinders their power.

And what about the US becoming a service society. MORE LIKE SELF SERVICE. People pump their own Gas. Must take a number at the post office when only a 3rd of the service windows are maned. And the list goes on and on.automated phones telling what number to select for a particular service.

Time to put a stop to it, come November 2006 - and 2008.

I urge everyone to check the voting record of your legislator and Senator. The place to hit them the hardest is in the primary elections. Cross over and vote the incumbents opponent.