See Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) in his Academy Award nominated role in the 2008 film, “The Visitor,” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 21 in the Verizon Auditorium of George Mason University’s Prince William Campus, 10900 University Boulevard, Manassas. Admission is free.
Jenkins stars as Walter, a lonely widower whose life undergoes a transformation when he finds two illegal immigrants occupying his New York apartment. The film is sponsored by Unity in the Community and George Mason University. Viewers are invited to participate in a facilitated discussion after the film.
This is the second in a series of films that will include “Maria Full of Grace” on March 21, “Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary” on April 18 and “Frozen River” on May 16. “Frozen River” also received two Academy Award nominations: best actress for Melissa Leo and best original screenplay for Courtney Hunt. Free admission for all films.
What… no 9500 Liberty viewing? Opportunist Eric and must feel left out.
* * Off topic * * I was just wondering why this site still refuses to report on any crime committed by illegal immigrants? I was trying to think of a thread dedicated to the negative aspects of illegal immigration (like the spat of illegal immigrants raping women and children in PWC for example)… I can’t think of a single one. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Hello, we don’t refuse to report on crime committed by illegal immigrants any more than we refuse to report of crime committed by any other ethnicity.
If you notice, we didn’t report on Ms. Glover, that thug who murdered the Smiths, or the murder for hire case here in the county. Additionally, we didn’t report on the supposed beating by a MPPD officer. Why? Why should we? We did report that Lexie Glover was missing and we reported community information on the Smiths.
Finally, Greg is doing a splendid job of reporting on the misconduct of any illegal immigrant. Why duplicate. We are sure he more than covers this situation and then some.
Hi Moon, okay, I can see your point about crime… then let me ask you this, why no threads dedicated to the negative aspects of illegal immigration, only topics of negative aspects of enforcing immigration laws?
Okay, I’ll play.
Why aren’t there any threads on the other blog that explain the benefits of comprehensive immigration reform? There are many, but that site doesn’t cite any of them. This is the Anti blog. How is that hard to comprehend?
The lives of some individuals revolve on only one subject, illegal immigration. I wonder if these people ever have any other activity. They seem to spend long hours of their lives trying to find fault; looking for news all over the country to make the illegal immigrants the news of the day. Their fixation on this subject requires some medical attention. They need a nice long vacation at Belleview Hospital, looking east to the Harlem River. No wonder these people can’t compete with the progress the Latinos are making. While they are glued to their sickening addicted bigotry, the Latinos will prosper and continue their lives the best way they can around the cloud of hate.
The Know-Nothings Black Velvet group will continue their agenda of exclusion, fear, and deception. Their purpose is well known and can be traced to other similar groups in American history. They will be the infamous members written in our history books for generations to come. The books will describe them as one of few anti-immigrant cells that were not successful into dividing our nation. While their obsession invades their brain and hearts, the country is crossing into one of the most difficult political and economic moments since President Jimmy Carter. I question if these individuals have time to realize that their behavior and actions are the direct contributors of the socialization of this nation.
That’s a great point TWINAD… however, I was under the impression that this site was different. I thought that it was a place for constructive argument on the topic, not just a one-sided point of view.
hello, you might need a vacation. (Their fixation on this subject requires some medical attention.)
you may be right about needing a vacation Conservado but that doesn’t change my question which nobody has yet answered. Why not a single topic on the negative aspects of illegal immigration?
Is it because the admin’s of this site don’t think there are ANY negative aspects of illegal immigration?
hello, take the vacation at Belleview and while you are there go to Hispanic Harlem and the South Bronx. Then we can discuss your fixation on the subject.
In my view, the difference here is that the “blog runners” do not prevent an open dialogue from occurring. They post what they want to post and we are all free to respond. Apparently, that is not (or at least was not) the case over “there” and that’s why the blog was born. I can’t speak for the blogmeisters, but it’s my opinion that they seem to post topics in accordance with their interests, which is not the flogging of “illegals”. They leave that to Mr. (term used loosely) L.
Good one Conservador, way to answer an honest question with an insult. If you knew the area of rt.1 where I live I’m not so sure you would suggest going to such places, I’m already there.
Well put TWINAD and I can understand that but I’m not talking about flogging illegals. I’m just talking about one topic on any negative aspect.
See, I guess I feel they have done their fair share of bringing the “negative” aspects to light. Such as discussions regarding “illegals” who were brought here as babies and now are not able to fully assimilate (read “go to college”) because of their parent’s immigration status. This is a negative aspect of “illegals” that could be remedied by changes in laws.
I just don’t feel that “negatives” such as too many commercial vehicles or covered trailers parked in older residential neighborhoods is something to get hysterical about and now police resources are being used to “target” these “violators” probably presumed to be “illegals”. We have had cops in our neighborhood at least 3 or 4 times a week for the last 3 or 4 weeks towing trailers if people aren’t home, leaving tickets, and spreading the word that covered trailers, commercial vehicles and RV’s are no longer allowed to park on County streets. Tell me, is that really the best use of our police force in these hard budget times? Really? This new “law” was instituted last summer apparently, most likely in response to the horror of Hispanics moving into the area. Most of the vehicles have been owned by regular Joe Schmo’s, not Jose Schmo, at least from what we can tell by the resident’s of the homes and owners of the vehicles.
touche TWINAD, good point and I appreciate an honest answer instead of an insult. I don’t agree with the commercial vehicle towing either. Most of my friends are in construction, one of which lived with me. He had his work truck towed from the condo lot before and it sucks. Not only did he miss a day of work but had to pay towing fees to get it back. He then had to park about a mile away and had to walk back and forth in the morning and evening.
Hello, why the fixation on the negative aspects of illegal immigration? You have enough of that on your vdare, alipac, numbers, fair, etc, but I’m certain you don’t ask those ppl the inverse of your question. No one site needs to, nor purports to offer every view point or issue topic for illegal immigration, nor should the onus be on antibvbl. If you see it necessary for that aspect of the discussion to be raised here, I suggest you pose the same question to the admins of the sites I listed and insist on a balanced discussion. I’d imagine chicken will grow teeth before that happens
…now back to the topic.
I agree. Well if he was parked in a Condo lot and got towed and then started parking on a County street, well, now that isn’t acceptable either! Where the heck is he supposed to park it?
it’s not a fixation shai, it’s just a question (which I suppose Ill have to wait for the admin(s) to answer) and your probably right about the other sites. TWINAD, yeah, construction vehicles get a bad rap. My buddy ended up having to park in a lot way down the street, needless to say his truck got broken into almost every weekend and they stole everything… generators, tools, everything he used to make a living. It was horrible.
Hello, don’t be such a cry baby; Route 1 is nothing compared to the places that I just mentioned. Dangerous places are all over and in any of these places you find that the dangerous people are Americans and not illegal immigrants. Hello I know you are a nice person and a concerned parent. I’m suggesting as a conservative, that you should make something better of your self than being addicted by the illegal immigration status of people. Take care of your family and direct all your energy to improve yourself. This addiction is not good for you. The Black Velvet blog is not driven by policy or politics. The blog focuses on personal attacks and insults that are oriented to the Latino community and the bloggers don’t care how much hatred they inflict to them. I am not insulting you. I am putting a thought for people that don’t want to see that we have bigger problems than the one you only want to talk about.
Ugh, Conservador, I’m not being a cry baby and I’m not addicted by people’s immigration status. I’m just asking an honest question. I guess Ill just ask you directly then, do you think there are any negative aspects of illegal immigration, if so I would be interested in hearing them. I like this site and I’m curious as to what the admin(s) may think are negative aspects as well. Is it that taboo to talk about here?
I’ll bite as an admin. Pretty much same answer as before. Greg more than covers the aspect of illegal immigration and everything that could possibly be negative, real or imagined. The administrators of this blog have made no secret of the fact that we all call for comprehensive immigration reform.
I cant think of a single person who I know who would say illegal immigration is a good thing. It causes people to live in the shadows, it seperates families, it is horribly risky, it sets up illegal immigrants to be victims of crimes….I could go on and on.
Generally people fall into one of 2 camps. They either want to deport all illegal aliens or they want immigration reform. Almost no one accepts the status quo. Obviously the former is not possible.
Now, lets ask ourselves why people immigrate illegally. Poverty, crime and war are the biggest reasons. If a person could immigrate legally, don’t you think they would?
There are obvious disadvantages to there being illegal aliens. These disadvantages vary from locality to locality. The disadvantages in our area have been adequately covered so I do not feel compelled to do so but if anyone wants to go for it…be my guest.
My pet peeve is the assumption that every Latino who is not waving around citizenship papers is an ‘illegal.’ My second pet peeve is people who refuse to put a human face on this issue. The people who hate ‘illegals’ the most probably have never spoken or talked with one. Any yes, it is very possible. I prefer talking to them about their country, their family, and why they came here. It is NOT to flaunt our laws in our face. It is to earn a living and find work.
You know, industriousness and hard work have always been traits that Americans have admired. I find it so strange that these fine attributes do a 180 degree turn when someone thinks an illegal immigrant might be involved.
MH,
Great summation. Many of us appreciate all the time you all take to present a reasonable dialogue.
Hi Moon, thanks for the response… see, you just mentioned a few topics, illegal immigrants being easy victims, crime and war. For example, guys getting mugged coming out of a checks cashing place, the drug war and/or kidnappings just south of our boarder (now being done at an alarming rate in Texas and New Mexico). All good topics of discussion. If the reason is because the other site already reports on negative aspects that’s fine, I would rather not have to go to the other site for such things but oh well.
For what it’s worth I think topics such as these would add some credibility to the site to some of the moderates (people who don’t support comprehensive immigration reform). But that’s just me.
Thank YOU, Twinad.
Hello, I am not sure what you are getting at. I almost feel as if we are being baited. There are those who would do that. I didn’t think you would. So I am giving you the benefit of the doubt and that you really want to know why we don’t cover topics like the child rapes.
Allow me to go on record: I hate all child rapists. I don’t care what their legal status is. If they weren’t doing it here, they would be doing it elsewhere. If it were left up to me, they would go to jail until they died. (sssshhhhh don’t tell. Secretly they would get the death penalty if I were boss for the day)
Well, M-H,
There is a legal and proper way to gain citizenship to a country, and to some of us, it’s a real slap in the face to those who have all the industriousness you mention, plus an ounce of respect for the law.
Also, there are more than a few American citizens out of work who would do the jobs illegals do. Laurel, MS is my case in point. Not arguing with you, just trying to explain another side like you tried to explain a few of your points.
Slow,
How many illegals do you know on a personal level? You know for sure they are illegal? They are not just Hispanic? Just askin.
Trust me Moon, I’m not trying to bait anyone here. It’s just that I know just about everyone here knows of at least one negative aspect weather it’s an explosion of MS-13 gang members (tags all around where I live) or even one positive aspect or two of enforcement. Maybe the fact that 287g could potentially catch someone who may commit a murder, rape or what have you. The only thing is it seems as if every topic bashes any type of enforcement and nothing negative about illegal immigration ever is a serious topic. This site just seems to not want to admit either even though I know people have some in mind.
Slow,
Also, I don’t think the unemployed loan officers are looking for work cleaning office buildings at night. Sorry, I don’t see them lining up for those jobs.
The unemployed are looking for jobs at the same level or capacity level as they held previously and they will continue to collect their unemployment benefits while applying for the one loan office opening that all the other unemployed loan officers are applying for. I highly doubt they are putting in applications with local cleaning contractors or landscapers unless that is the kind of job they were just laid off from.
Now all the “illegal” haters are moaning about all the poor American’s out of work, but when we had better than full employment, we all benefited from those workers. And now we’re expected to believe that former bankers are so desperate they are getting beat out for jobs by illegals?
TWINAD,
I am not aware of any illegals that I know on a personal level. I couldn’t know if they were really illegal or not. If I knew of one, I would notify ICE immediately, but probably not because of the reason most on this blog would think. I have, however, known quite a number of hispanics, but they all spoke English (and one was ridiculously gorgeous), so if they were illegal, I wouldn’t have known / suspected.
hello,
There are negative aspects to ALL human beings, we are ALL flawed, not based on any ethnic, religious, or cultural reason. Why don’t we post about serial killers who tend to be white, male, mid 20’s to late 30’s? Why don’t be post about the number of african amcerican men wasting away in jails? Why don’t we post about Bernie Madoff being Jewish and how that plays into a particular stereotype? Why don’t we post about most of the wall street players and bankers, integral to our current economic mess, being white ,priviledged, and rich ? Why? I’ll tell you why, because it serves NO meaningful purpose. I hope this helps answer your question.
I see what your saying TWINAD but keep in mind that it’s not just loan officers and those in the banking sector out of work. You’ve got a ton of people who worked in hotels, restaurants, retail… who have lost their jobs. My buddy I told you about earlier in construction, he had to let go his two employees and close his business. Trust me, there are plenty of average Joe’s (I personally know of many) who would jump at the chance to get a job, any job, doesn’t matter if that is cleaning office an building or cleaning dons johns.
Many of my construction friends have mothers who clean houses, most of their clients have canceled their services. I would have to respectfully disagree with you 100% that Americans are moaning because they are ‘illegal haters’.
Hi Elena, I appreciate your response to my question. I understand your response about not posting about everything and I can respect that. However, this site is geared towards immigration issues for the most part, I think we can all agree on that. When talking about immigration issues you can’t just ignore any and all negative aspects of illegal immigration.
The reason why this site is pegged as an illegal alien apologist site is because these issues are not touched with a ten foot pole. It’s like it’s a known but unspoken subject and when it’s brought up it’s a taboo. By the way, I don’t particularly like that term or agree that this site is such.
Hello,
I am sorry for your friend’s situations. I, personally, don’t know anyone who has lost a job although obviously many people have. We are (somewhat) insulated here in N. VA…our jobless rate is still WELL below the national average.
It is kind of scary though, getting the Post on Sunday and it’s so thin! And the job section, that 5 years ago was three sections, is now about 5 pages in one section and encompasses health care and IT that used to have their own sections.
TWINAD, I’ve got one of my friends mothers cleaning my house twice a month (the one that had to shut down his company). I can’t afford it but I’ve cut out things to make ends meet like just switching to basic cable, got rid of my home phone line, etc (which has caused many arguments with my wife)… I just can’t get rid of her because they lost their house and had to move in with another family and cleaning houses is the only income the family has. The notion that ‘Americans’ won’t do some of these jobs is a myth. I know of plenty of people who will do any job at all even if it’s doesn’t pay much no matter what they were doing before.
And I think everyone had put down some very logical statements. I think we will see more and more people out of work. I also see that while immigrant families have not moved, it appears that many of the migrant young men (unattached) seemed to have moved on to where the work is.
Hello, let’s hone in on moderate…I see myself as a moderate and you see yourself as a moderate. Maybe ‘moderate’ has a bigger footprint than I thought. If you do not want immigration reform, how do you think the problem is going to get fixed? You know that deportation is never going to happen. I want it so deserving people are allowed to immigrate in less than 20 years. I dont think the average person (and I include myself in that description) really understand the immigration process and how it varies from country to country.
I know I do hear horror stories though and it isnt as easy or fast as people would have us believe.
I do think it is good that you asked the question. Perhaps it was some laundry that needed to be aired. I see many problems that are involved with illegal immigration, some for the immigrants, some for us, the receiving country. I think much of it could be fixed but air turning blue with hate isn’t going to be the way it gets solved. I think that is one reason we have not concentrated some of the crime. The other day there was a robbery around Georgetown South that involved a latino man, just being a good samanritan, giving a woman a lift. I thought about it….and then told myself no. Same reason I didn’t cover the rape. Just too specific or something.
What a great discussion on a thread I had ignored until the comments got so high. I appreciate hello asking the question, and I think Elena and M-H both gave great answers.
I would quibble with hello’s putting “moderate” in the same sentence as “don’t support comprehensive immigration reform.”
Having a practical, as opposed to an ideological, perspective on immigration reform is for me the defining line between moderates and extremists in the Republican party. Unfortunately, the division currently runs so deep that the party is unable to move in any direction. It’s as if the moderate leg and the extremist leg of the party are running in different directions. Let’s hope we don’t have to amputate one of those legs, because it’s hard to keep up when you’re hopping.
Some Americans are dreading another fight over CIR. I’m looking forward to it. This will be the trial by fire from which the new Republican party will emerge. Hopefully it will be a moderate party. And as I have said in the past, we should ALL hope for that, even liberal Democrats. If an extremist Republican party emerges from the next immigration debate, we will be looking at one party rule, which leads inevitably to corruption and incompetence because there are no consequences for failure or misdeeds.
Hello, I don’t know if I’m misinterpreting your use of the word “moderate.” But if you’d be kind enough to respond, perhaps I’ll learn.
But to finish up my thought about practical vs. ideological Republicans (moderates vs. extremists), this is how it applies to comprehensive immigration reform. It is ideological to an extreme to argue against CIR, because we just don’t have the resources to turn our nation into a police state. We need our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. We need our law enforcement officers to deal with crime. Who would we mobilize to administer this police state? And where would we get the kind of resources necessary to transform the business of our government into hunting down and incarcerating people without papers, and deporting 100% of the instead of the 19% we manage today?
Even if we did have the resources and the manpower to create a police state in America, there aren’t enough extremists in our government to VOTE for it … this was true even before the last two federal elections, and it’s even more true now. Comprehensive immigration reform is the only solution for anyone with a genuine care about the future of this country, or, I should say, any moderate with a genuine care about the future of this country.
WHWN, that 19% that are deported were also from a rather small group of individuals– some 7000-8000 who ended up before an immigration judge. Deporting millions is impossible. In addition to being impossible, it conjures up a vision of other countries last century where huge segments of populations were simply exiled.
I don’t want to live in a country where my government has similar practices to Joseph Stalin.
WHWN,
You’re in denial. The Republican Party is the single largest ethnocentric advocacy group in the nation. It serves white people. Particularly white Christians, with white christian males at the top.
This is at the core of it’s identity. Fiscal conservatism is an addendum that is discarded at convenience as we saw over the last 8 years. The immigration issue only highlighted what pervades every other policy position of the Republican party. The immigration issue is only an loud manifestation of a deeply embedded general trend.
But the demographics of the future carry the weight of inevitability. Michael Steele or no Michael Steele, the Republican party is finito.
If you disagree, just ask yourself percentage-wise how many Republicans will be able to support it should city after city in the Southwest declare Spanish the official language. The number you come up with are the practical ones.
Hi Hello,
The reality is that IF we really want to capture violent criminals, Greg et al, only proves my point even more. Comprehensive Reform frees up law enforcement to focus on dangerous criminals, thus protecting us all. There is a great front page article in Wash Post Magazine about a young man, honor student at Georgetown University, living under the threat of deportation. He was brought here when he was two, his parents escaping from Columbia during dangerous times. Now, seventeen years later, after being denied asylum, his parents and 84 yr old grandmother were deported. He and his brother have been granted a temporary “stay” of deportation. IF the Dream Act, introduced by Orrin Hatch (R), he would be pursuing his college career, and the American dream.
Mackie, wouldn’t a city declaring Spanish its “official language” be just as silly and mean-spirited as a city or state declaring English its “official language?”
Elena, I agree with you. Comprehensive Immigration Reform is the best way to know who is in our country, and know who is really a criminal. I had no idea Orrin Hatch introduced the Dream Act! You see Mackie, the Republican party is not finito yet.
M-H. I’m not good at numbers, but I like them. Can you explain what the 19% really means? Of all the people we round up at 7-11’s across the nation, only some of them end up before an immigration judge? What percent is that? Because if it’s 19% of that number, whatever it is, than the number WHWN is talking about must be much lower than 19% and therefore much farther away from the 100% we’ll need to hit if we go for the police state option. Not that I think we will. Can you imagine Barack Obama marshaling all branches of the military to round up people like that Georgetown grad student and his family?
Also, M-H. What is the 7000 to 8000? Not the total number of people we brought before an immigration judge?!?!? I’m sure we have more than that locked away in secret prisons where nobody knows where they are. Are you telling me not all of them will ever see a judge?
ShellyB,
Not really. You are confusing cause with effect.
When white people declare english the official language, they are saying ‘We are Boss on this land. You people are lucky we let you work for us.’
When a minority stands up for itself by rallying around an aspect of their culture (Spanish) that is under attack, they are saying ‘We exist. We belong. We demand respect without compromise. You may make us suffer, but we will not break.’
You need to look at the meaning behind the words.
Mackie,
Es respectable tu opinion pero no la comparto. “, the Republican party is finito”
I respect your opinion, but I do not agreed with you on that.
The Republican Party has being hijacked by some hateful individuals that do not represent me or other Republican Conservatives that I know. Greg and the group Help Save Manassas are an example of what I’m talking about.
We are suffering from an infection (disease) and I know that Hispanics are working hard to neutralize the hatred that this group is inflicting. Read: http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2009/02/hispanics_and_republicans_the.cfm
Latinos in general know what America is all about; unfortunately the message that makes the most noise is the intolerance, bigotry and exclusion that the HSM group represents. Most American Democrats and Republicans are not happy with the message that is directed by these groups at the Hispanic community. As for the GOP being a white group and the group of white males on top, that may be the case for now, but not because people of other ethnicity can’t be in the leadership. If the pool of the people in the party is not increased with people of any other ethnicity, there is no possibility to elect any other people than white members. In a previous post I mentioned that this is a tactic of intolerance from these groups to keep minorities away from the party. By insulting Latinos or Blacks they will succeed in excluding minorities from the GOP even if those minorities are in fact Conservative.
For the people that are interested in make a difference in the Republican Party, check the local Hispanic Coalition where Rafael Lopez, Tito Munoz, and many other friends are working to stop the hatred represented by these groups. Also they are helping community members without political distinction to become U.S. citizens. The power is in the vote and Latinos need to improve that power.
The future of America is not represented by, when or if the Republican Party is “finito” or not. America’s future is in the hands of people that will preserve the country with the political and economic model that has contributed to the best Republic in History.
English in my opinion should be the only official language of the U.S., but I should point out that my wife, my children and I know some Spanish. That should be based on necessity, desire and in my case it is always better to know a little more just in case.
Hello,
You said “the drug war and/or kidnappings just south of our border (now being done at an alarming rate in Texas and New Mexico).”
Natives and illegal- haters are using the gang violence and the drug trade problem as part of the undocumented immigration debate. There is a political strategy by the Tancrelites to use this information and shift the undocumented immigrants’ problem, while unfairly placing them as part of gangs, drugs and any other crime possible.
I don’t know how old many of the people that post comments here are. But the drug violence and the gang violence in America is the result of an awful drug campaign to reduce or eliminate the used of narcotics in the U.S. I have been in Colombia in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s and I have also visited Mexico extensively. The gang violence and the border drug trafficking was due to a shift in the way that many Colombian drug cartels changed operations.
By the 1990’s the war on drugs were full steam against the major drug cartels in Colombia and many of the major players were killed, jailed and extradited to the U.S. New emerging drug king pins took the place, replacing the formers bosses and they changed strategy to prevent direct contact with the U.S. law. Those new cartel enterprises made partnerships with already established Mexican cartels and allowed them to make the smugglings, distribution and territorial gains that where once controlled by the Colombian cartels.
Mexican cartels starting recruiting young gang member to distribute the drugs in the US, and these gang members introduced and expanded the already existing territories into the main country side. We can expel all undocumented immigrants and the problem of gang activity will continue, because it is related to drug and crime and it is not related to immigration. I have traveled to Colombia and Mexico and I have done research on the war on drugs. I wrote a research paper with a title “The M & M’s of the Twentieth Century” I can speak by knowledge in the subject and by traveling in the areas mentioned.
I hope that people in this blog will research and find information on the subject. The non believers will have to present arguments based on proof that the drug trade in America is not related to gang activity. If you don’t believe me, destroy my argument that the consumption of narcotics in the U.S. is not the main fuel (money exchange) that enables these criminal enterprises to continue. The American consumer of this horrible product (narcotic) is directly responsible for the violence in any American community. The consumer is as much to blame as many of the criminals that traffic, distribute and tolerate this product.
I could say that I despise any person that consumes or traffics any illegal drug. I have known friends killed, seen families destroyed, and I know that many democratic countries are suffering because of the continued consumption of these drugs.
Thank you, Conservador, for that last post. I get so angry about the drug use that fuels the drug trade, of which the poor buggers who sneak across the border to do our gardening, dishwashing and construction work have nothing to do with. Is it too simplistic to believe that if the demand for drugs ceased, than the drug dealers would kill each other off fighting for a diminishing market, and they would finally disappear? Do you see any hope that drug use can ever be curtailed?