A BLIP, A one liner and an insult.

[Suki]

What do I think are the worst destroyers of society? After dealing with my son and the system that deals with kids and families in crisis and reading a lot on the subject, my conclusion is that ADDICTION and Drugs are the worst social ill in any society. HANDS DOWN. It creates the worst problems on Earth. A drug addict can't stick to a schedule that is disciplined and that is consistent. That is critical in keeping oneself employed. A drug addict or alcoholic that is a chronic alcoholic can't even take care of their own problems and needs supervision and support just like a totally small and dependent child needs. It 'nullifies' the adults ability to be productive, responsible and accountable and viable. Their judgement is severely impaired and their brains are altered (sometimes permanently), and they are incapable of sound or logical choice making. They can't make good choices at all. Their judgement centers in the brain are blown. In effect, they become "NULL" and "VOID" in society and they no longer are expected to be responding to anything of import. MILLIONS of adults in this state of being, creates the problems we see in the USA and around the world related to family crisis. It is also related to capitalism. Because capitalism pushes instant gratification and 'escapism' as alternatives to dealing with problems. Everything is about quick and easy this or that. Including taking pills and drugs to numb thoughts or feelings that are highly uncomfortable.

In general, people who never cope with their fears, their pain and their problems eventually leave the 'responsible' ones with more to cope with than what they should ever have to. I know this from personal experience and not just 'academic' reasoning only. I also notice that those with drug dependency problems are good at living in denial. Another serious problem. Puerto Ricans in terms of political status are living in denial. They are. That Puerto Rico has an abnormally elevated amount of alcoholics and drug addicts is also related to that as well. The only way to cope with this super difficult situation is to realize working our butts off, taking personal responsibility, knocking out the influences of the imperialists, and creating our own laws and economic and social programs, working with other international governments, and doing a general 'detox' in our own society. And the ones who don't want to work, don't want to sacrifice, want to live in denial and who can't seem to understand that no 'outside' culture is going to do what is necessary and what is in the best interests of Puerto Rico need to go to the USA and get 'reality checked'. Where the lumpen from Puerto Rico is going to have to go compete with every other lumpen under the sun and have to realize that the problems in the world don't go away because they live in "America".

Until people accept that this rotten system we live in is not going to change unless we change it and the only way we can change things is by not drinking, not smoking, not taking drugs, not being in debt, or in vice, or with gambling, or video game playing, or entertainment only, and being present and being responsible, exercising, saving money, working hard and living to serve each other and not to TAKE from each other. To give more than receive and to be struggling for improvement til our very last breaths on earth. That is the only way anything gets better. Fantasies and lies and images and cynicism and ignorance will never be the way out of the mess.

All the people I have ever admired deeply have at least three inalterable human qualities without exception. They have always had 1. A sense of responsibility and 2. A deep sense of dignity and 3. A deep sense of self-respect. That is something that one can't have living with colonialism. You just can't. The system of colonization doesn't allow it.

Who are the druggies in this society? People who have lost their sense of responsibility and dignity and self-respect. The only way to get it back is to acknowledge it has been lost and to actively seek to bring it back with different choices. Choices that work. Otherwise, the ghost nation is coming. That is the truth.

I just want to say to people out there who always want to exile me and other 'independentistas' because we are pro independence to think about what kind of society they would want. What kind of individuals they would want in their society. A healthy society. They want people who are working, who are responsible, who avoid drugs and alcohol, who help others, who have great development and skills to offer the society and who can not only take care of themselves but of others who need to be taken care of like older people and children. I am one of those people. And they aren't as many of us in this society as one may hope there is. So before you tell the 'independentistas' they need to go here or there, think---'is this person productive member of society? Regardless of politics? Are they givers more than takers?' if the answer is yes. Then try to think of ways to help them remain in the society they are in. I know this. I am welcome in more than one nation on this Earth. Why? Because I am a productive member of society with skills that are needed in many places. So, before passing judgement for stupid reasons that are not important, reconsider what kind of people you want to remain in your society. A drug addict that is a Republican conservative politically? Or a socialist that is not a drug addict and works hard and is obviously educated? Think about it folks. Politics are not that important when you take into account the habits people have that effect the entire society. Everyone wants good people. Productive people. GIVERS and not TAKERS. that is what it is all about.

[Sonambulo]

Hey Suki- although I agree in large part with a number of you points and I see certain aspects of the puzzle in the same way, to dismiss the problems caused by immigrants out of hand is naive and contrary to the facts. Most understand that "americans" dont want to take low paying jobs that immigrants wind up taking. However, we also know that this is also helping to maintain that low wage for all and driving wages down, in general.

In the City of Newark where I work the good paying labor jobs are largely going to Portugese, Brazilian, Ecuadorean and Peruvians. [The Portugese have become so powerful and have set up construction companies that mostly hire their own and shut others out]; you see this in government where these same groups are replacing Puerto Rican and Black workers, who are barely maintaining their numbers in the ranks. You see this in the retail sector. In the medical sector, Phillipino nurses are increasing exponentially.

Now I want to be clear and say that I have nothing against some legal migration and recognize that the country needs it. I also believe that those illegals who can prove they have been here more that two years should be given asylum and place in the track towards citizenship. Most of these people are decent and hard working. None the less they are creating significant competition of jobs between the traditional minorities Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and blacks, and the "new" minorities, which include the aforementioned groups. [Largely thanks to the US employers who have look the other way when it comes to the question of hiring legal aliens]. Perhaps in your personal sphere you are not seeing this, but, I definitely see a problem.

Now I also understand that their are other dimensions to this problem; minorities who dont do enough for themselves; companies that conspire to import large numbers of legal and illegal immigrants, the governments failure to slow down legal immigration and stop illegal immigration, among other dimensions. This is a complex problem that produces not so complex consequences.

This is not a very pleasant or politically correct topic and it stirs a whole bunch of emotions in many people, but I am certain there are people on this board who have seen some of what I am talking about.

A future topic: " 'MODERN' WHITE WOMEN" THE EMERGING FACE IN THE NEW MILLENIUM- [this one will really be politically incorrect].

[Suki]

Sonambulo, any socialist will tell you that pitting different working class groups for a limited amount of jobs favors the owners of the companies and corporations, in other words the 'powerful' and the ruling classes. That is classic. If there is an influx of immigrants driving down fair wages for all, then put the blame where it belongs. Who wins when wages are low and people are desperate for jobs? You know the answer to that one.

I am reading an interesting book on the history of Labor Unions in the United States. One of the leaders of labor organizers in the USA was Saul Alinsky. It is interesting that supposedly the 'modern white woman' you speak about such as Hillary Clinton wrote in college her 'thesis' or something on Alinsky and now they are 'prohibiting' anyone from reading it. That is the rumour. Were her opinions and analysis on Alinsky too 'radical' for a first lady or maybe a future president to hold? I think it just means politicians are a bunch of opportunists in many ways who change strategies and principles just to win. That is the reality. If you want to know the difference Sonambulo between liberals and 'radicals' and radicals vs. conservatives read this small piece on Alinsky:

Saul Alinsky, The American Radical

If the immigrants did not exist then wages would be higher, etc. etc. The reality is that the people in charge of keeping wages low are not the immigrants or the born and bred USA minorities at each others throats looking for handouts. It will always be the establishment that are the owners of the means of production. They are the rule makers. And Alinsky identifies who they are very specifically and how many strategies one can employ to try to 'twist' their arm and get the wages upped. If you read his book "Radicals" you will be quite enlightened Sonambulo. It is fascinating reading. I am sure Hillary did. And she aint no radical. As far as I am concerned Hillary is more or less a moderate Republican which is what most of the supposed Democrats are in today's ultra conservative USA.

Suki

[Independencia_PR]

Hmmm. No, Its not really because we have mestizaje although it plays a role, in which why we cant push fowards. But en contraire, a lot of Puerto Rican nowadays are businessmen, esquires, doctors, and mechanics. Another factor is porque a lot of cough...cough..islanders..cough still believe, and I quote "oh..we have citizenship, and welfare, cellphones, plasma TV..err...myspace and all those social wonders, which by all means should be a seven wonder and so on, should we be set, which us in the mainland are paying by the way.. it is not free, get of your arses islanders.

As for the Nuyoricans..ef them, they dont matter, there... I said it!

[Sonambulo]

I suspect that Alinsky would have agreed and further defined a true radical as one with balls the size of elephants, skin as thick as sharks, eyes as fearsome as a war veterans, having an AK 47 in one's closet to use when the merda really hits the fan, and finally the oratory of a firebrand preacher. He sounds like he was a man of real conviction. That being said, I am not sure what he would make of the problem of immigration, particularly when presented with the dimension that the poor of one country are causing competition for the native. I suppose he would not have focused on this issue and would have attempted to address other aspects of the problem, potentially violating his own rule of going outside one's experience.

Hasta otra ocasion