Tamperproof biometric id cards??

I'm guessing these things can be found with the WMDs in Iraq... or would that be on Bush's moonbase?

So, anyway... basically, Bush just said that we have to stop the brown people from coming in over southern border (it's apparently ok if they come in from Canada), and that those who are already here have to submit to these mythical ID cards... now, will those of us with citizenship not have to have these cards? Really? How long do you think THAT's going to last? And what's up with the English requirement? Will that one apply to Bush, too?

Bottom line: things are not going well for the president, Laura won't let him can't pick on gay people anymore and he had to come up with some way to wag the dog. So, we're going after Mexicans (nevermind that the Canadian border is probably far more dangerous when it comes to terrorism, or that our ports are still not secured). Yippee. This smacks of another opportunity for Georgie to do a heck of a job.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

(words are by Emma Lazarus and can be found here; the image is from John Reinhard Weguelin)

Republicans and Latinos

The proverbial poop hit the legendary fan this weekend -- in LA especially, but also in other parts of the country as well (this photo -- which is reminiscent of Kanye West's comments after Katrina -- is via AmericaBlog).

By now, most of you have probably seen the breathtaking picture of 500,000 people protesting in Los Angeles, perhaps the largest demonstration in the city's history. What's it all about? Well, that will probably be the topic of discussion for much of the coming week. Has the republican party wrung as much energy they can get from gay bashing and woman-hating? Is it time to pick on another group people? Well, they've riden the non-white, non-blue-eyed hobby horse before, but in the post-9/11 world, will republicans ever get enough of picking on brown people? Apparently not.

This is not your father's republican party, folks...

David Brooks

There is a chance that in the next few weeks, the G.O.P. will walk off a cliff on the subject of immigration. In the desperate effort to win back their base, Republican senators may follow Bill Frist and embrace a draconian enforcement-only immigration bill (which will lose them Florida and the Southwest for a generation).
[...]
Whether in Iraq or the barrio, history is not a prison. Culture shapes people, but cultures are changeable. Fortunately, there is a great Republican leader who understood the balance between culture and creed: Abraham Lincoln. In this spring of Republican discontent, his approach and governing method will make a good subject for a future column.

Read the whole thing here.