Unsurprisingly, our parasitic southern neighbors are miffed that the Senate bill failed and therefore borders will not be opened still wider for their convenience.

MEXICO CITY, June 29 — Latin America reacted with sharp disappointment Friday to the U.S. Senate’s defeat of an immigration bill, a decision that Mexican President Felipe Calderon called “a grave error” and Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca said was “a pity.” [...]

In an editorial published Friday, the Mexico City newspaper El Universal said it is “highly hypocritical that the United States admits migrants as peasants, but does not accept them as citizens. A state that sends troops to the Middle East to try to implant democracy and respect for human rights does not practice such supreme values in its own territory.”
[Sharp Reaction to Immigration Bill's Defeat, Washington Post 6/30/07]

As usual, the professional Mexican whiners are full of it. The United States has the most generous system of legal immigration on earth, and much of it is based on family ties, so millions of “peasants” have in fact become citizens.

Latin politicians care only about the remittances sent by their nation’s escapees that keep their corrupt states afloat. El Salvador received $3.3 billion in remittances in 2006, nearly all from Salvadorans living in the U.S. PBS has said that remittance money there “dwarfs every other industry.”

Mexico is the biggest remittance junky, however, with $23 billion received in 2006. Millions of Mexican families depend on money sent from relatives in the United States, a situation that does not foster pressure on Mexico’s government for economic reform. It’s so much easier for Mexican pundits and pols to complain about America than look into the mirror!

George Borjas has a long post on the defeat of the immigration bill, and in the middle of it there’s this worrisome thought:

Does this end the debate over immigration? No.

Why? Because our immigration system is truly broken.

Regardless of what happened at the Senate today, there are still 12 million illegal immigrants living in the country, and that number is increasing at the rate of about half-a-million a year. And there’s no longer any need for the Bush administration to keep playing the charade of “more enforcement” that received wide media attention in the past few months.

Two possible answers to Federal corruption and willing lack of enforcement are efforts by local police to enforce the immigration law, and the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps.

But both of them may find that they’re being harassed by the same Federal Government that won’t do its job on the border.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that! From the Democratic President’s debate last night at Howard U. in DC in front of a mostly black audience:

NPR’s Michel Martin: “[W]hat is the plan to stop and to protect these young people from this scourge [AIDS]?” …

Sen. Joe Biden: “I got tested for AIDS. I know Barack got tested for AIDS. There’s no shame in being tested for AIDS. It’s an important thing.” …

OBAMA: Tavis, Tavis, Tavis, I just got to make clear — I got tested with Michelle. (Laughter, applause.)

SMILEY: Ah.

OBAMA: In — when we were in Kenya in Africa. So I don’t want any confusion here about what’s going on. (Applause continues.)

SMILEY: All right. …

OBAMA: I was tested with my wife.

SMILEY: And I’m sure Michelle appreciates you clarifying it.

OBAMA: In public. (Laughter.)

You hopefully know Untethered Dennis Dale for his Repo Man meets Nabokov memoirs of growing up in LA’s suburban wasteland. Having seen the global projection of American military might up close, he’s also a political thinker of some power:

One reason why a democracy cannot survive empire, and why empires are increasingly short-lived things, is that citizens of conquered and occupied nations, and cultures, half a world away, thereby become people to whom the leadership of the imperial power is answerable, in one way or another:

“The Americans know everything, they can do everything, they can repair the space shuttle without touching it, why do they let these things happen here in Iraq?” said Abu Muhammad, 55, one of the custodians of the bombed Khalani Mosque.

Good question, and one for which the man has the right to an answer. Mr., or Mrs., (future) President, meet one of your constituents. He has a few problems he’d like to bring to your attention.

He expands upon the philosophy of invade the world, invite the world here at greater length.