Toe Jam or Toe Cheese?

Is there a difference?
Discuss.

On Alien Amnesty

Interesting how things are heating up about this. I really can't believe this whole wall across Texas and New Mex and AZ. Where have we seen this before? That is so 1989.

Alien amnesty will happen for the simple reason that the forces of capitalism favor it, and I don't see special interest legislation overriding it. The free flow of goods in our global economy requires the free flow of its most important commodity: labor power. This is the key commodity and often only power we as workers have to offer in this exchange game. As the engines of capital continue to turn, the need for labor persists, even and especially with the rise of a service economy which provides the backbone for the much-touted information economy. The corollary to free trade is the free crossing of borders, one won't work long without the other. Our economies have always been global, so fears of "outsourcing" and the "loss" of jobs overseas are equally silly.*

It's interesting, though, the bipartisan ideological contradiction. Many conservatives advocate free trade (think NAFTA), seeing, often rightly, the possibility of continued US economic growth and dominance, the chance to exploit untapped markets, the change to keep developing nations in a chokehold of dependence. These same folk oppose alien amnesty, sometimes under economic guise ("they're taking our jobs") and often for racial and nationalistic reasons ("they're taking our jobs"). They thereby limit the free flow of our key commodity.

Liberals talk more of "fair trade" and the role of government regulation to ensure empowerment of developing nations. Sometimes this involves tariffs or subsidies (conservatives certainly use these means too when it serves their interests--but here I'm addressing their rhetoric), thereby lessening the freedom of the flow of goods. Yet such progressives often advocate for amnesty and--also along culturalist lines--the social and political inclusion of such migrant workers. Here they help grease the wheels of economy through the free flow of labor power.

It seems a bit ironic that both sides straddle and therefore gridlock the process. Perhaps one side needs to go whole hog and advocate an economically consistent position.




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On a somewhat related note, it is funny to me what constitutes legality and illegality in this case. To be legal, one has to have submitted oneself to our bureaucracy. Their "crime" is failing to stand in line, fill out paperwork, and deal with government personnel who are guaranteed to be in the best of moods. Think of your last trip to the DMV-- fun stuff; it seems our quest for legality for our across the border brethren is making sure they too have experienced this joy of joys.

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On a somewhat somewhat related note. There was some senator or congressman who proposed legislation to make it a capital offense --punishable by fines and jail time-- for anyone to offer aid to illegals. Anyone who aided and abetted them, like thru shelter or material goods or jobs or whatever, would be a major criminal. I kind of hope such legislation will get passed so I can have a clear guideline for what it means to be a Christian. As soon as that law goes into effect I'm hitting the street to find the first illegal immigrant and I'm going to help the hell out of them. It would only be a dim, dim echo of Le Chambon, but it would still give a nice signal for a clear cut way to live the gospel in a mad, mad world.

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* Let's not forget that the U.S. economy would be fundamentally different, indeed irretrievably irrecognizable, without the "outsourcing" of labor from Africa during its inception. We've always been global, baby.

Have a nice day??

I freely admit that, when in elementary school, I was totally into Bon Jovi. I can remember as a fifth or sixth grader rockin' out to "Shot through the heart" or "Living on a prayer". Even a bit later, "Blaze of Glory" and "Cowboy" still got me groovin'.

(On a side note, I do wonder what it means that grown men and women get all worked up over the same music that invigorated an eight-year old. I guess all it means is that I'm elitist. In fairness, I suppose those songs would still get me excited today. But they are forever grounded in my pre-teen existence.)

At any rate, I cannot make heads or tails of this new hit. Granted, Bon Jovi has come a long way down hill, with lame ass anthems like "Raise your hand" etc. But, "Have a nice day"? Pardon? The funniest thing about this song is the self-assured hardness and toughness of it. Jonny boy croons, "When the world gets in my face...I say, Have a nice dayayayayaya!" Wow, yeah man. That's what I was missing. That's what I frickin' needed. I'm gonna stick it to the man, to that whole bunch of lame asses gettin' me down. "Have a nice day...turkies..."

I dunno, maybe he got funding from Reading Rainbow or some other constructive public service announcement organization that encouraged him to write a non-confrontational, anger management song. "Mr. Bon Jovi, we're tired of those gangster rappers with their songs about AKs and doing their, um, ho's, and smoking their, um, blunts. Would you please write a song that will show kids these days that one can draw boundaries between oneself and those of ill-will in a more productive way? We will be sure to fund it so that it gets air time on all the stations, because on its own, we know it would flop." Well, if that's the case, then my hats off to Jonny. If people are out there rockin' out to this, visualizing in their head their bosses, their ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, that jerk who cut them off in traffic, etc, and if they are seeing themselves drawing a line in the sand and saying with pride "Have a nice day", and if they are seeing this instead of seeing themselves sockin' them in the eye, well, then, maybe Mr. Bon Jovi has done us a great service.

But in terms of music, this song is simply perfect...for me to poop on.

Rumors...demise...exaggerated

Shawshank:
Thank you for your conscription offers and for the stylish jumpsuits. I will try to re-enter society for a bit before exiting again.

Heart:
Those figure skater couples this last Olympics were badass. The russians who had to deal with that accident where he straight dropped that girl on the ice, concussing her head big time and concussing his confidence even bigger. The one china team with the cat with the torn achilles, back on the ice and skating just a few months after, and how he did fine and how his partner, enmeshed in the bonds of solidarity and empathy fell in his stead, so concerned for his landings rather than hers. And that other china team, where she fell slamming her knees and spread eagling all awkward across the ice to slam into the side, then to weep rightly for a bit, and then to come back, skate flawlessly, and take silver. Sheeet maaan. Badasses, all of em.

Blather:
What's the deal with Crash? Did no one see Higher Learning with Ice Cube, years ago, an equally simplistic, shallow caricature, with characters as ciphers wearing sandwich boards for their "positions"? Higher Learning sucked as well, but it has dibs because it got there first--not first really, lots of films have addressed these issues--but first in topic, form and presentation. It was just Crash with college kids. or rather, Crash was just Higher Learning with working folk.
I thought this review captured some of the problems. I don't like to "issue-ize" flicks, but since there is so much hype, just thought I'd toss in my minus two cents.

BREATHE!

Steady.... steady....