The Democrats want it because it expands their pool of voters--which is why they continually oppose any kind of voter ID law--and because they get lots of money from big business which wants labor to remain artificially cheap.
The GOP wants it because they get lots of money from big business, which wants labor to remain artificially cheap; but the GOP also thinks that if they're just nice to hispanics, they'll start voting Republican.
Hint: George W. Bush was supposed to appeal to hispanics, and he didn't. Every GOP move intended to get hispanics to vote for them fails even when they hispander.
Opposing the amnesty bill would be the best thing the GOP could do, because it doesn't solve any problems and in fact makes the illegal alien problem worse, rather than better. Yes the Democrats and the press will call the GOP meany-mean-heads if they oppose it, but they'll do that anyway.
I realize that the GOP is afraid of being called "mean" by their enemies, but if they're so damned craven they can't oppose their opposition why do they even bother pretending?
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"We understand that you black folks can't understand math and science, so we're going to make it easier for you to pass." That's what this is, and that's all it is.
Beginning this fall, Alabama public schools will be under a new state-created academic accountability system that sets different goals for students in math and reading based on their race, economic status, ability to speak English and disabilities. [Alabama’s Plan 2020] sets a different standard for students in each of several subgroups — American Indian, Asian/Pacific islander, black, English language learners, Hispanic, multirace, poverty, special education and white.I'm in one of those moods where I can't make myself care about this. Ordinarily I find this kind of thing to be outrageous, but from what I've seen no one cares.
You are racist if you think black kids should be held to the same standards as white kids. You are racist if you think black kids are just as smart and capable as white kids. You are racist if you think black kids can perform academically at the same level as white kids, even absent any accommodation for cultural differences. (In fact, you are racist for refusing to accommodate those cultural differences.) You are racist if you expect black kids to be able to read and write with a proficiency equal to that of white kids. And so on. Basically, you're racist.
...and I'm sick of it.
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Well, I think the simple answer is, if you're gay, don't go to Russia. Is that so difficult?
The dirty little secret of the USSR was that they prohibited gayness. We were told by the American left that life in the USSR was a utopian delight where you didn't have to worry about where you'd live, or what you'd wear, or what you'd eat, or anything, because the government took care of you. The communists cared about the proles, and took care of them, and made sure they were healthy and happy.
But the leftists didn't tell us that getting caught butthumping another guy was a sure ticket to the gulag, where you'd be worked to death. They kind of glossed over that part. I think it made them uncomfortable: why were they being so reactionary when gays are fellow travelers? We're all brothers under socialism, right?*
Then the entire works fell apart, because socialism is inherently unsustainable, and Russia liberalized their morality laws...until now. Now it's illegal to be gay in Russia again, and I think the smartest thing you can do if you are gay is simply stay the hell out of Russia. You can be as outraged as you like by their new law, and you can be disappointed that you won't get to go see any of it in person, but going there and flouting their law is merely going to be a waste of your time and money.
But, what the hell--it is your time and money to waste.
*Simple answer: you don't smoke your brother's pipe, know what I'm sayin'?
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It reminds me that totalitarian governments all end up criminalizing deviant behavior because deviant behavior is a sign of individuality and they cannot have that. Individuality leads to thoughts of independence, and independence is anathema to totalitarians. That's why the legalization of homosexuality in China is a sign that the communist regime is failing; when the totalitarians have to start legalizing things, it's a sign they are losing their grip. (Notice that Perestroika did not happen under Stalin.)
* * *
Last night Mrs. Fungus and I played WoW for a little while, and both Tokyomilk and Changesforms hit 41st level as we finished Scholomance with a pickup group. We finished the instance about 4 AM and hit the hay immediately thereafter, because 4 AM is past Mrs. Fugus' bedtime on work nights. (Not as far past as you'd think; she works second shift. She doesn't have to be at work until 2 PM.)
She still can't believe how quickly Tokyomilk is gaining levels. She's played WoW since January of 2012, and still hasn't gotten a toon to 90. It's basically been eighteen months of lackadaisical progress accompanied by Sailor V's usual fapping around ("I need to do my dailies!" and "I want to get this battle pet!" and "It's [world event] and I want to get [whatever]!" and "Wait in Stormwind while I log onto all my toons and bring them there so you can give them this chocolate cake so they can get this worthless achievement!").
I think the exemplar of this style of play comes from the time Sailor V was giving Mrs. Fungus (then "Lemonzen") and I a run through Gnomeregan. His toon was somewhere near level 80 (mid to high 70s as I recall) and we were level-appropriate for Gnomeregan, which at the time was (IIRC) 25-30. Lemonzen and I got killed and had to do a corpse run back to the instance. While we did that, Sailor V's toon went to the dormitory to clean grimy objects.
After about ten minutes of waiting at the instance portal for Sailor V to come and get us, I reminded him that we can't run through the dungeon because we'll get killed (again) and he told me that he needed to clean grimy objects because he could sell the resulting loot at the Auction House.
Thing is, at level 70--even before the instances were all revamped--you could walk through Gnomeregan without fearing for your life. Sailor V could go into that instance any time he pleased; he could have held onto the grimy objects and cleaned them after the run was complete, but Lemonzen and I were at the mercy of whatever mobs we came across in the thing; all we could do was stand at the entrance and wait.
*sigh*
* * *
As for me, I have errands to run today. Whee!