Wouldn't Spanish be a BETTER choice?

american nic   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:11 GMT
I've been to the Southwest. You make it sound as if it's special or something. It's a beautiful area, with great diversity of climates, people, flora and fauna...and other than a few racists, the place seems to be doing just fine.
sw yank   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:14 GMT
It is special, and yes, other than the racists (tourists from east coast and illegal immigrants (not only Caucasians are racist as you probably assume)) who come here and compare it to wherever they come from, it is doing well.
american nic   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:14 GMT
Ok, then let's open up the borders and all this complaining will stop...easy solution.
american nic   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:15 GMT
Out of curiosity...do you agree with the Minuteman Project or whatever they call themselves in Arizona?
sw yank   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:16 GMT
It's not an easy solution.
Travis   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:16 GMT
Yeah, if the Southwest has any real problem today, it's probably quite a bit of reactionary and generally racist views coming out of the woodwork, in reaction to the idea of actually having Spanish-speaking, non-European people who formerly lived south of the border actually living in the same area as oneself.
sw yank   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:18 GMT
"Out of curiosity...do you agree with the Minuteman Project or whatever they call themselves in Arizona? "

No. Opening the borders and using regular routes would prevent both the robbing and other crimes associated with crossing illegals and the slaughter by the ranchers.
sw yank   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:24 GMT
If you want to hear my views, frankly, I don't think the SW should be a part of the US or Mexico. We are a unique culture with many hard to understand nuances and too much outside 'caring' or 'intreference' in our affairs. We can govern ourselves. By the way- many of our representatives in government are Hispanic, so don't start on that 'racist' nonsense.
Travis   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:28 GMT
First thing you must remember is that it's not merely a matter of race/ethnicity or whatever, but it's also a matter of social class and integration in American society and like, which is why native-born middle or upper class Americans who happen to be Hispanic are likely to not be viewed in the same fashion as, say, Mexican peasants who happen to speak little English who are simply trying to get out of the economic conditions they are in at home. That's why I also said "reactionary", rather than *just* "racist" per se, in my previous post, as such things are definitely reactionary, as a whole, but may or may not be racist per se, depending on the particular individual in question.
american nic   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:31 GMT
Yeah, I think that Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, and Wisconsin should all become its own country because we have our own unique history and culture. I mean, it's a very German/Scandinavian area, and we have all the corn, soybeans, wheat, cows, and pigs we could ever need. Plus we wouldn't have people from, say, Florida, or New York, or California telling us what to do... /sarcasm
Travis   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:35 GMT
Well, I actually wouldn't mind seceding from the US myself, simply because I really don't want to have too much to do with the rest of the US, outside of the Upper Midwest, myself, especially politically, as the politics of the US in general, especially on a federal level have gotten rather lousy, to say the least, and don't seem like they're likely to improve any time soon. And, well, if we can't secede from the US and be independent, we could just invite Canada to annex us instead.

/me laughs
american nic   Monday, April 04, 2005, 00:56 GMT
Ok, you're right. I wasn't totally being sarcastic. The Upper Midwest is culturally and ideologically much more similar to Canada, but I was just saying it to say how odd Southwestern secession sounds...
Travis   Monday, April 04, 2005, 01:16 GMT
And of course, all suggestions of the Upper Midwest, in part or in whole, seceding from the US, or being annexed by Canada, are rather silly as a whole, one way or another. They're just fun to ponder, though, even if they're in no fashion realistic at all.
sw yank   Monday, April 04, 2005, 01:19 GMT
Yeah, very unrealistic, unfortunately.
american nic   Monday, April 04, 2005, 01:19 GMT
That wouldn't be good...not only would we lose, but it would screw up International relations plus make everyone hate us...let's rethink this idea... :)