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Comments

1. #1
   On July 18th, 2008 at 7:55 am, Goldwater Knight said:

   You make a good case here dubs. Seems there’s more of a throwback mentality to the anti-war Vietnam era. There’s over 33 million google results for “anti-war” and one million results for “modern slave trade”.

2. #2
   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:01 am, tre said:

   One day Rickey Thompson will stand before God. Then he’ll need to explain to Him why he did that.

3. #3
   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:16 am, Fineous Reese said:

   any chance of getting Rickey Thompson to that meeting w/God sooner rather than later? World Court opinions notwithstanding of course.

4. #4
   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:22 am, sonofdy said:

   You should hear what happens to the illegals when they hire the wrong people to get them over the sourthern border. It starts with beatings, robbery and gang rape and gets worse from there.

5. #5
   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:30 am, GaMidnightRider said:

   The global human trafficking industry is nothing short of a modern slave trade, but it is instead romanticized by today’s creative class, when they deign to pay it any attention at all. They’re far too busy gluing together collages and dioramas of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay to care.

   The media does not want to make this point. They want open borders and do not want to respect the law. It is a liberal mind set they have. If someone would make as much noise about this as Al Bore does about global warming things might be different. I said MIGHT be different.

6. #6
   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:22 am, sonofdy said:
   You should hear what happens to the illegals when they hire the wrong people to get them over the sou[r]thern border. It starts with beatings, robbery and gang rape and gets worse from there.

   But Barack wants to set up water bottle stations for illegals on their way over. It doesn’t get anymore compassionate than that.

   See-Dubya, great post!

7. #7
   On July 18th, 2008 at 8:59 am, sonofdy said:

   #6, well all of that gang raping does make the trafficers thristy… /sarcasm off.

   Seriously, I am amazed at Washington DC’s ability to not get anything right.

8. #8
   On July 18th, 2008 at 9:01 am, Die Hippie, Die said:

   Rickey Thompson had a boat, and he smuggled illegal immigrants (and illegal drugs) from around the caribbean to America’s shores.

   Rickey’s livin’ la vida coca!

9. #9
   On July 18th, 2008 at 9:05 am, Christian Soldier said:

   The work is an inspiration.
   As an artist-viewing such a piece is an encouragement to continue creating works with a message.
   Thank you.

10. #10
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:06 am, sausage said:

    I must say, what a fantastic post… really interesting (and obviously very sad also)

    Well done you.

11. #11
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:10 am, Rogue Cheddar said:

    It is stuff like the global human trafficking industry that will convince the Q Continuum that the human species is not worthy to explore the universe for all that is “wonderous and gross”.

12. #12
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:10 am, Barry F. said:

    On July 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    He’d better consider some litter receptables too, given illegal border crosser’s propensity to cast their refuse and paraphernalia on the ground wherever they see fit.

13. #13
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:11 am, MikeOK said:

    Well, I think that a reasonable amount of the responsibility for ignoring this aspect of illegal immigration probably falls on conservatives, because telling the stories of aliens who were abused during their passage into this country would change their status from “criminals” into “victims,” and — as far as many conservatives are concerned — only bleeding-heart liberals want to turn people into “victims.”

    Think about that.

14. #14
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:22 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:10 am, Barry F. said:
    On July 18th, 2008 at 8:41 am, 30 pcs of silver said:
    He’d better consider some litter receptables too, given illegal border crosser’s propensity to cast their refuse and paraphernalia on the ground wherever they see fit.

    You very well know he doesn’t have the foresight to even consider that.

    I purchased Border but haven’t had the opportunity to watch it yet.

15. #15
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am, Barry F. said:

    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:22 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    Yeah. I know. Just as I know he doesn’t have the foresight to see what the cost of his platitudes will cost the American taxpayers.

16. #16
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:44 am, sonofdy said:

    only bleeding-heart liberals want to turn people into “victims.”

    No these are real victims of a slave-like trade, not the pretend victims the uber-liberal class like to dredge up.

17. #17
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:49 am, 30 pcs of silver said:

    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:42 am, Barry F. said:

    Indeed.

18. #18
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:51 am, flmom said:

    Great post See-Dub.
    Mikeok
    The connection between the slave trade of old and todays human trafficking has been made very eloquently by a conservative, namely See-Dub. I think his point is that this connection has not been made by the MSM and other left-wing organizations because they are too busy demonizing anything that is remotely connected to the Bush administration. The problem being that blaming Bush for the brutal human trafficking that is happening, is a stretch, even for the most ardent BDSers.
    Think about that.

19. #19
    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:53 am, GladzKravtz said:

    Thought about it MikeOK,
    There’s a big difference between aliens (criminals) being taken advantage of (victims) while trying to find a new home/life in this country and for example, Americans (victims?) with cell phones, iPods, flat screen TVs walking away from their homes.
    Aren’t there statistics proving that conservatives donate more to charity than liberals?
    Aww, you were just trying to ‘stir the pot’ this mornin, weren’t ya..?

20. #20
    On July 18th, 2008 at 10:11 am, fourstringfuror said:

    Think about that.

    I tried. It’s kinda hard though, seeing as there is no logic in what you’re saying.

    Conservatives are to blame only insofar as they are largely powerless to get anything significant done in Congress.

21. #21
    On July 18th, 2008 at 10:18 am, abstractmind said:

    On July 18th, 2008 at 9:11 am, MikeOK said:

    I want to post something, but someone who makes less sense than lgm doesnt deserve much of a response, and wouldnt understand it even if i tried. I would point out if we had a more secure border, and discouraged illegal immigration, they wouldnt try to come here as much to begin with…which would, in this case and under this example, save lives. But thats about as much as i want to give you, because i dont think you could discuss this rationally.

    Think about your own point for a minute.

    And if liberals are so bleeding heart and better at this whole bit than us..why aren’t you pointing that out, hmm?? I would think this would be the perfect time to show us your concern and consideration for these people, rather than assign blame. This is a tragedy that people are having this done to them, and that someone is profiting off of the trade of other humans in this day and time. Glad you took time to mention something like that…err, wait….nevermind.

    Thank about THAT for a minute.

22. #22
    On July 18th, 2008 at 10:35 am, Misscheryl said:

    There is a big difference between the slave trade of yesteryear and the trafficing in illegals today and forgive me if this has been mentioned already. I haven’t read every post.

    Slaves became slaves not of their own choosing – illegals are illegal because that is what they chose. Now, that being said – do I feel the abuse they are taking is justified – no, but I don’t think you can equate the two. Abuse is abuse and only in that are these situations similar. That’s where the similarity ends.

23. #23
    On July 18th, 2008 at 10:57 am, swmbo said:

    Well said Misscheryl, we are all responsible for the choices we make. If we choose to break the law we shouldn’t be surprised if there is a punishment for it. I don’t like being made to feel guilty for their bad choices. Also feel I should not be expected to pay for their bad choices.

24. #24
    On July 18th, 2008 at 11:03 am, Yiddish Steel said:

    Great analogy, See-Dub. More ammo to debate the open-borders fascists.

25. #25
    On July 18th, 2008 at 11:20 am, Flashman said:

    Turner’s empathy with the plight of the slaves was undoubtedly driven by his close friendship with the Whig abolitionist Walter Fawkes. I can thoroughly recommend Simon Schama’s ‘Power of Art’ series which, in disc 2, covers Turner extremely well.

    PS: As a son of Yorkshire myself I take no small pride in my county’s part in ending the pernicious evil of slavery. Although I am mindful we must always be vigilant against it’s return, as we must be against all evil.

26. #26
    On July 18th, 2008 at 12:30 pm, MostlyRight said:

    Great post, thanks.

27. #27
    On July 18th, 2008 at 12:36 pm, wighttrasch said:

    by today’s creative class, when they deign to pay it any attention at all.

    From what I can tell, there is no creative class today. Certainly not in the league of Turner, Constable, Sargent, Whistler, etc…

    They’re far too busy gluing together collages and dioramas of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay to care.

    Awesome. Dioramas!! Yippee! Well, that and a video diary of one’s abortions.

28. #28
    On July 18th, 2008 at 2:06 pm, nbarry said:

    The way the left treats human trafficking is more complex than see-dubya makes it out to be thanks to the feminist portion of the base, with Misscheryl being closer to the mark. Liberals distinguish between human traffickers who use force and fraud to kidnap the unwilling (evil) and human smugglers who simply transport those who want to be smuggled (not so evil). Then they distinguish between those who traffick in women and girls (evil) and those who traffick in men and boys (not so evil). Then they distinguish between smuggling for the sex trade (evil) and smuggling vegetable pickers, meat packers, nannies, dishwashers, construction crews, etc. (not so evil). Then they distinguish between smuggling minors for all the above reasons (evil) and smuggling minors to meet an adoption demand (well, they will get loving homes, maybe, even if the adoption middlemen are crooks).

    And through it all stands the social services industry salivating over another batch of “victims” with which to mulct the treasury of large sums of grant money.

    One thing more: various bills in Congress would appropriate money for fighting foreign trafficking that does not affect us. Given the state of our economy, becoming the world’s vice squad is a luxury the taxpayers can’t afford.

29. #29
    On July 18th, 2008 at 2:36 pm, see-dubya said:

    A lot of people are making the point that illegal immigrants, unlike slaves, put themselves in this position.

    But the same can be said of prostitution. I abhor the choice prostitutes make to sell themselves (and break the law), but I’m still capable of sympathizing with their plight when they are abused or murdered by the disgusting denizens of their underworld.

30. #30
    On July 18th, 2008 at 2:48 pm, Misscheryl said:

    C-dub – imho – abuse is abuse…pain is pain and I certainly have sympathy for anyone being abused. With that said being sold into slavery and paying someone to take you across the boarder is waaaay different. Criminals in prison abuse each other too, but that doesn’t make them slaves. Am I missing something here?

31. #31
    On July 18th, 2008 at 3:31 pm, MNUSMCDavid said:

    I wish more would also take this information and continue to research the founding of the slave trade and it’s largest user and distributor of the trade even to this day….one might be surprised. Or perhaps not….. can we hint at…. Islam?

32. #32
    On July 18th, 2008 at 3:49 pm, uhangtight said:

    mischeryl, your point is right on. they have colluded in criminal activity to come illegally to this country. then their partner in crime abuses them, which happens with most criminal operations.

    although, i do feel that it is terrible what this man did to those in his boat. but, if they hadn’t colluded with him to break the law and wait to come here legally they would still be alive.

33. #33
    On July 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm, zeestephen said:

    Some historical and common sense perspective is needed on this article.

    When Turner finished his painting in 1840, the Atlantic slave trade had been over for 30 years.

    The U.S. ended slave importation in 1808, and would have ended it sooner, but Constitutional agreements set that year as the first possible.

    By 1810 the British Navy had all but ended the slave trade to South America and the Carribean.

    It is also important to note that at least 80% of illegal immigrants arrive in the USA legally, then they just don’t leave.

    Why would you pay $3000 to a smuggler when you can get a temporary U.S. visa and a round trip plane ticket for half that price?

    The answers should be obvious:

    You were previously deported from the U.S., or you have a criminal record and can’t get a passport, or you are wanted for a previous crime in the U.S., or you are on some kind of watch list, or you have symptoms of a dangerous disease.

    After reading See-Dubya’s 09 July post on illegal workers, I get the clear sense that he is very squishy on the immigration issue.

    This post – comparing slave traders to modern immigrant smugglers – strikes me as completely bizarre.

34. #34
    On July 18th, 2008 at 6:37 pm, Goldwater Knight said:

    This post – comparing slave traders to modern immigrant smugglers – strikes me as completely bizarre.

    I think the point of the post was what a society chooses to rally behind as their vehicle of social reform. Everyone’s banging the drum for the Iraq war when there could be a greater cause out there.

    Keeping the illegals out of this country would do ‘us’ citizens a favor and it may do the illegals a favor as well. Man, some illegals actually think the streets are paved with gold in this country when they get off the boat.

    Let’s face it this nutroot anti-war mentality has its roots in the hippie-batik, Vietnam era. “Anti-war” doesn’t really cradle any type of passionate movement unique to this generation it’s just worn-out, baby boomer hippies reaching back to the glory days for that last tab of LSD.

35. #35
    On July 18th, 2008 at 11:54 pm, see-dubya said:

    I guess if you define “very squishy on the border” as not wanting illegal immigrants to be abused or murdered, and wishing permanent ill to scum like Rickey Thompson who exploit their poverty, then just call me Juan Hernandez.

36. #36
    On July 19th, 2008 at 1:21 am, love2rumba said:

    See-Dubya said:
    

    I abhor the choice prostitutes make to sell themselves (and break the law), but I’m still capable of sympathizing with their plight when they are abused or murdered by the disgusting denizens of their underworld.

    Well said…It is wrong to have no sympathy for those that are abused or murdered in their unlawful attempt to get in the US illegally, and it is also wrong for those who open borders to claim that enforcing US border security and an orderly immigration process best suited for the economic and security needs of the lawful citizens of the US is racist and heinous while the Mexican government itself practices the same (with our tax money).

37. #37
    On July 19th, 2008 at 1:22 am, love2rumba said:

    who champion open borders-oops

38. #38
    On July 19th, 2008 at 1:23 am, love2rumba said:

    Well said…It is wrong to have no sympathy for those that are abused or murdered in their unlawful attempt to get in the US illegally, and it is also wrong for those who champion ‘open borders ‘to claim that enforcing US border security and an orderly immigration process best suited for the economic and security needs of the lawful citizens of the US is racist and heinous while the Mexican government itself practices the same (with our tax money).

39. #39
    On July 19th, 2008 at 2:52 am, zeestephen said:

    see-dubya,

    You badly misquote me and misrepresent what I was saying.

    I wrote:

    “After reading See-Dubya’s 09 July post on illegal workers, I get the clear sense that he is very squishy on the immigration issue.”

    I specifically cited your 09 July post about illegal workers, not your 18 July post about slave murders two centuries ago.

    Many of the regular readers here were stunned to read your sympathetic 09 July response to the moderately pro-immigration MSN article you posted.

    Among other things, MSN claimed that, “…..13% [of Americans] favored deportation and 78% favored offering citizenship.”

    At least two national polls show almost the exact opposite.

    Since all Blue Dog Democrats are running to the right of Republicans on immigration, I think we know which polls are accurate.

    In your 09 July post you also wrote this: “…..we’ll need to increase our importation of legal labor…..to offset the economic difficulties that an absence of dirt-cheap, illegal labor will create.”

    Actually, we won’t need to do anything.

    Business owners will raise wages, recruit aggressively, improve benefits and working conditions, invest in labor saving machines and software, improve their management, create new products, change their product mix, and possibly import things they can’t produce here at a reasonable cost.

    Business owners who can’t compete will go into new businesses or go bankrupt.

    Back to your 18 July post.

    I simply do not understand what you are saying.

    The Bahamas to S.E. Florida smuggling route has existed for more than 30 years.

    In the 1970′s and 1980′s close to 200 Haitians drowned.

    Some drowned because smugglers made them jump into the water.

    Most drowned because they had been willingly packed into rickety boats a mile off the coast, which gave them legal cover for refugee status.

    All these people, then and now, alive and dead, knew the risks, and all of them PAID large amounts of money to be smuggled into the USA.

    How in the world do you find a connection between this and the slave trade?

    Finally, you skated right by my central argument.

    A Haitian with $3000 could get a USA travel visa and a round trip plane ticket for half that amount, and then just stay here and not leave.

    The only reason they are being smuggled is because there is some reason – almost always a bad reason – why they cannot get a USA visa.

40. #40
    On July 20th, 2008 at 10:46 pm, crashemt said:

    I have been saying for a long time…

    If you take any of the pre-Civil War pro-slave Democrat speeches, substitute “illegal Immigrant” for “Slave”, you will see that the Democrat position has not changed in 150 years.

    Pro-slave Democrats v Anti-slave Republicans

    I’ll give you one further…

    Do the above with Federalist papers of those who supported slavery, and who founded the Democrat party. Thomas Jefferson, for example, who wouldn’t even free his slaves upon his death. Who, against his better judgment, removed harsh rhetoric in the Constitution promoting slavery because of the need to gain larger support.

    These are the facts of history. The “slaves” come today because:
    1) Their corrupt nations give them no choices. It is far easier to ship the illegals off, with full support and documentation from that corrupt leadership, than to create a prosperous industry in their own nation
    2) It is far easier for the illegal immigrants to abuse the corrupt system set up by their awful governments, than to stand up like the Revolutionaries in America did, and demand the freedoms that used to be guaranteed by our Constitution
    3) Our corrupt Government would rather have the illegal votes to keep them in power, and the People under their crushing thumb. It is far easier to usurp the 10th Amendment when it appears that this is the majorities will, regardless of the propriety or veracity of that perceived will.

    We have met our enemy, and he is us!
    -Walt Kelly