The Weekend, Immigration and the Shuttle Bus to Hell

I went to bed last night (and woke up this morning) feeling bloated and unattractive. Not only did I fall of the diet wagon this weekend, it backed up and ran my love-handled butt over for good measure. Plus, I think my soul is in danger.

The diet-breaking started Friday afternoon when my boss extended a temporary peace offering by bringing in sandwiches for everyone. I got a "Capistrami", an unholy creation consisting of huge heaping amounts of pastrami, cole slaw and Russian dressing. If eating meat on Fridays during lent is a sin, then I am driving the shuttle bus to hell. Holy bad-for-me sandwich, Batman! As soon as I ate half of it, I knew it was mistake. But, in typical Vince B fashion I did not let that stop me! Ugh. Saturday was slightly better on the diet front. Was out at the Lancaster outlets with the missus, and I limited myself to only one meal - at Fuddrucker's. Had some finger snacks at night, but the weigh-in Sunday was positive. I hadn't damaged myself much. Then came Sunday. Weakness was compounded by even more weakness. The early part of the day wasn't too bad, some pizza and a salad at the mall. The evening, however, was a caloric nightmare. Big dinner at Rino's, with a completely unnecessary (and heavy) appetizer choice and then a well-why-not-we-already-screwed-up-this-much run to Maggie Moo's. The setback at this morning's weigh-in was significant. Oh well. Back on the wagon...

I have an issue on the homefront that will require a lot of attention on my part from here on out. It seems that our one cat - Macgillicutty (Big Mac) - has developed a taste for electrical wires. He has managed to chew through both the adapter wire for our video baby monitor - and the wire that powers the actual camera. I have caught him chewing on my computer speaker wires, and he has taken to chewing my XBox wires - even when I am sitting there playing. I thought it was bad when he and the other cat (Chachie) would tag-team to unroll the paper towels onto the floor every-other-day, but this latest development has already proven to be most expensive (video baby monitors are NOT cheap!). So, tonight I will be on the hunt for something called "bitter apple spray" that is supposed to deter this behavior. If the spray is unsuccessful, then my fat orange-and-white friend might be bordering on homelessness.

I have been pretty captivated by the current story du jour - the attempted legislation to tighten immigration laws and the protests that have followed. I am torn on the subject, but only slightly. You can say that I am very much on the side of the Latino protesters on this one. For me to be anything else would be akin to pure hypocrisy. You see, my father was (is?) an illegal alien. He came here from Italy when he was 18, and for better or worse, he has been here ever since. I guess this eliminates me from the "objective observer" category...

First of all, I am all-for the improvement of the security of our borders. However, the immigration bills that were proposed completely smack of racism. Why the push for a fortified border with Mexico when it would be just as easy for an Al Qaeda operative to slip into our country from Canada? Are we going to fortify that border as well? I am glad that the Latinos have taken to the streets en masse. God bless them. Why should they be singled-out and attacked by our government when all they seek is the same thing most of our forefathers (and mothers) came to this country for? How are we going to deny these people a chance at a better life? The promise of a chance at a better life for immigrants is what BUILT this country (after the early immigrants stole it from the Native Americans, of course). I keep seeing these yokels in the south crying about lost jobs and such, and it makes me sick.

The Mexican/Latino immigrants have taken their place in a long line of ethnic groups that have come here and worked hard at jobs that those in what have passed for the indigenous population have mostly refused to do. The Chinese, the Irish, the Italians (and you cannot discount the African slavery days in any way, shape or form) have all come here to work at making a better life for themselves - and all have had to undergo harsh treatment and scorn at the hands of those who were here before them. Another part of the immigration reform bill(s) calls for illegal immigration to be prosecuted as a felony. A felony! Let's skip past the ludicrousness of trying to lock people up for coming here and working - and go right to the idiocy related to the oversight in how we would fund the prosecution and imprisonment of this criminal element that is SUCH a threat to our national security! The prisons in this country are already overwhelmed in terms of inmate populations. There aren't enough prosecutors to handle what would undoubtedly become a tidal wave-sized caseload. Since most of the illegal immigrants that would be prosecuted do not make a lot of money, there would be a need for scads more public defenders. Those who are crying out about the "drain" on the economy caused by the illegals can rant and rave knowing that the costs involved with "fixing" the problem through prosecution will not only be more expensive than the status quo - but it will be significantly more so.

[Currently Listening: Leftover Crack - "Burn Them Prisons"]