Now at an actual computer, ah, so much easier to meara.

Shari, Britain and France are both dealing with the consequences of once being colonizers. The chickens are coming home to roost, so to speak.

So that makes rioting okay? Shall we just give back Texas and California back then? Would that make something better? How does any country move on from its past evil deeds?

That said -

I think some people might choose to phrase that as "poor treatment of immigrants."

YES, this, although our definitions of what constituted that poor treatment may differ.

They want their children to do better than they, and their children's children even better. One of the problems is that we seem to have little enough decent paying low education work to satisfy the naturalized citizens in that bracket, and little enough work even if people were educated. So the problem, perhaps, is fixing the economy so that there is actual work here.

Sophia, yes to this. And don't get me wrong; I'm all for immigration, but the way we're doing it is has problems. Of course, conservatives/Republicans are pretty divided on what would work better.

For the record, my dad's family came here in 1913 and joined the Russian Jewish lower class in NYC. My mother's family has been here since the 1700s (no, really). Immigrations is wonderful and part of the American ideal.

Also, economics and culture are linked in painful ways.

why is illegal immigration a problem? 1) it's illegal.

That's a tautology.

Yeah, and true. And from it come instances of the "undocumented", or people who exploit them, doing things that are, well, illegal. Two wrongs just make more wrong-ness.

A country does have the right to manage its immigration.

Billytea, yes - and to do that you have to have enforced/enforceable laws/policies.

Did he come here "illegally"? Yes. Has he committed crimes? Yes. Does he deserve to be separated from his wife, daughter and step-daughter for life because of it? I don't think so.

So what should we do with him? Nothing?

As for language, I love the way language evolves. It's why a meshugana like me can have the chutzpa to come here and post about my zeide and bubbe's laundry, kvetch a little, kibbitz for a while, shmooze about politics until a liberal plotzes, and all the goyim on the board understand!

AND... it's bedtime. G'night guys.

Here's Thessaly/Lea's COMM from 2002: Betsy HP "Coffee On My Monitor" Dec 5, 2002 11:41:21 pm PST

of course, now I'm searching for really funny COMM's from back in the day.

and as such, has its own charm.

Not a word I would use to describe the Port Authority. However, I can totally see how passionate reunions would trump all the grimy New Yorkness of it.

charm coming out of its bottom!

oh man! I'm feeling impressed that I remembered that it was Lea!

charm coming out of its bottom!

quite literally.

or perhaps, "oh. that's what that smell is... charm."

I made strawberry rhubarb pie once in college. It was ugly. But tasty!

I just cleaned out (halfway) the fabric softener cup on my washer. Man, gross. I'm going to have to go another round with that. Clearly not well designed to avoid buildup. Now I know. cue stupid chimes

or perhaps, "oh. that's what that smell is... charm."

Also? poo.

and to do that you have to have enforced/enforceable laws/policies and So what should we do with him? Nothing?

Yes, there are many, many problems in regards to immigration. I think that the approach AZ is taking is, as you said, adding more wrongs to the wrongness. I think it will cause more problems than it solves.

I'm not sure what the right answer is, but I feel certain that the law, as written, is not it.

However, I can totally see how passionate reunions would trump all the grimy New Yorkness of it.

Grime can have it own unique appeal!

hey, poo can be charming. I have a long detailed poo story from potty training but I will spare you most of it. Noah spent an hour last night siting on the potty because he wanted to poo so badly.