Yeah, we have a fairly large Russian population. The only problems I've heard of is with the Russian gangs stealing cars, but that's about it.

There are a couple large Russians communities in Seattle (or at least there were a decade ago. I assume they're still there. And down in the Portland/Vancouver area their numbers swelled following the fall of the Soviet Union. By the end of the '90s my mom's employees were all almost entirely Russian immigrants.

In San Francisco about 200 out of the 1,500 people in my division at Wells Fargo were Russian immigrants (almost all worked in QA, there is a QA school in San Francisco that caters to Russians).

My experience is that most are legal, though, as the quota restrictions on Russians were pretty lax following the end of the cold war. I don't know if they've been tightened since.

Where do the smaller Russians live?
:D




I apologize, I'm in a silly mood. Aren't you glad you don't work in my office with me?

There are no small Russians in the United States. Tha бабушки all get left at home.

For the record, I never said that opposing illegal immigration was racist. I said that implying all (or most) Hispanics are criminals is racist. Different issue.

JW, I completely understand what you were saying. I'm irritated by people who think that opposition to illegal immigration is de facto racism.

And I'm all for putting an end to illegal immigration. What angers me is those who seek to demonize, not only the illegals themselves, but legal immigrants and Hispanics in general. These are human beings who want a better life for themselves and their families, not monsters out to destroy our country.

To an extent, I agree. However, there is a portion (how large I do not know) that believes that the Southwestern US actually belongs to Mexico.

As far as demonizing legal immigrants, the only place I see a blurring of the lines is by these protesters themselves. Most refuse to talk about the problem for what it is, being illegal immigration. Most always refer to it as an immigration protest, leaving the word illegal out of it.

This is not a debate about legal immigration. Protesters are trying to equate what is legal and what is not.

Yes, it is this intentional blurring of the issue that drives me crazy. I always hear "Hey, we are all immigrants", and this is true for the most part. We are not all illegal immigrants though. We didn't all break the law to get here. My great-granparents waited in line at Ellis Island and followed the proper channels.

And that is the problem that I have. Becoming a legal immigrant is not an easy process. It is a slap in the face to the millions of people, including Mexicans, Canadians, Russians, etc. who had enough respect for our laws to go through the proper process to become citizens. I would not be happy at all if I waited literally years to become a citizen, only to find that that those who just walk over the border are not punished or deported. How is that fair?

I'd give mojo if I could, MBC, so a loud and proud "AMEN, BROTHA!" is coming your way and will have to suffice.