The Harland Highway - Podcast 110

Episode Date: May 12, 2010

Lack of sleep, illegal immigration discussion, languages. Tender strips of tender tiny beef! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What a wonderful show we have for you today, darlings. Today's show, a little interesting. Starts off silly and funny, as always. Then kind of hits a serious topic that's been on my mind. We're going to start off talking about being sleepless and having trouble getting to sleep, not finding enough hours in the night to snooze. And then I'm going to be hitting a hot top.

The legal immigration issue that's brewing in this country, especially in the state of Arizona, I'm going to be talking about, express my thoughts on the pros, the cons, the rights, the wrongs, things like that. Hope you enjoy it. And then we're going to get into talking about different cultures, different languages. Do you speak any different languages? I'm even going to have some Chinese, some Chinese talking later on in the show. Gee, I better stick around for that, Harland. I want some Chinese talk.

Well, you're going to get it, okay? Right here, towards the end of the show, on the all-cultural Harland Highway. made a wrong turn. Would you kindly shut your mouth? On to the Harlan Highway. Oh, it's lovely. It's just lovely. The Harlan Highway.

Hi, Harlan! I'm Teddy Romp-spin, and I'm your friend. Riding down the Harlan Highway. I'm not your daddy. Oh, man, I'm just so tired. Huh? You ever have one of those weeks where you can't sleep? So by like Thursday night, you're like, okay, that's it.

I got to be up at 6 a.m. So I'm going to bed tonight by like 9.30, 10 o'clock at the latest, okay? So you make plans and around 8.30 rolls around and you're like, oh my God, I forgot to send those emails. I got to write that report real quick. Okay, I'll write the report real quick and then I'll just do those emails. That should take me about 21 minutes. so I'll be done by like 9.30. So you do that.

You did it. You got it done. You're like, okay, I'm on schedule. I'm going to bed early because I've got to be up at 6 in the morning again. I'm catching up on my sleep, people. So you go to your bedroom and you're like, well, I'm going to do my chores, brush my teeth. Well, I'm doing that. I think I'll just flick on the TV, have some background noise, you know,

and you come out of the bathroom, your teeth are brushed, you get into bed, you reach for the remote, and you're just, about to click it off good night world but oh wait a minute my mom always said life was like a box of chocolates what's this on tv is this is this forest gum do you want a chocolate oh my god i love this movie you never know what you're going to get oh you know what i love this scene i'm just gonna watch like i'll watch this scene i'll click it off i'll be asleep by 10 o'clock Okay, cut to midnight, and the movie's just ending. You watch the whole thing.

So now I'm only going to get, like, six hours sleep, but, oh, my God, I'm feeling hungry. You know, I think I'll just run downstairs, make a quick little sandwich, get a brownie or something, and then I'll just jump into bed. I'll be asleep by 1215. And then you go eat that brownie. Now you're cranked up on sugar, and you can't sleep. So then you notice that book beside your bed And you're like, you know, I've kind of been neglecting that book

Maybe I'll just read three or four pages, maybe half a chapter Cut to you at two in the morning, you've read three chapters Oh my God, my nights are right off You end up getting like three hours sleep Just like the night before, on the night before that On the night before that Yeah, it's a vicious cycle, people You just got to tune the world out

Tune everything out Just shut it all off Except for You know what I'm about to say The Harland Highway And speaking of sleepless Here's a topic that's been Making me a little sleepless lately

Well not really But it's been You know Taxing my brain It has to do with the illegal immigration problem in the United States. Recently in the news, Arizona enacted some new legislation that gave police officers the right to question people in the state of Arizona and ask them for ID to make sure that they are legal aliens. legal residences, legal citizens, whatever you want to call it, due to the fact that there is an overabundance,

there's something like almost a million illegal aliens in that state, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. I don't have the exact number, but it's exceedingly high, okay? And people are all up in arms all over the country and the media, in the legislature, and the government, in the church halls, in the community centers, and some of the people are like, okay, this is a great thing, and other people are saying this is a violation of human rights

and civil liberties, and it goes against the Constitution, and it's racial, and it's profiling, and it's blah, blah, blah, all this stuff. Okay? So it's a hot potato. It's like a political hot potato. It's a huge social issue. And, you know, there's a lot of money and banter and ill will and bad feelings and suspicion,

all this stuff flying around. And in my mind, okay, I try to simplify problems. You know, I feel like if you simplify them and work out from there, it helps you find a solution. So I reel everything back, and I go, what is the problem here? And it sounds like it's illegal aliens. So let's start right there with the word illegal. Okay, let's define the word illegal. And I'm not going to go into the dictionary,

but I want to see what your perception of illegal is. If you go into a 7-Eleven and you steal a carton of milk and a box of chocolate bars, I think we all agree that's illegal. If you go in and rob a bank, that's illegal. If you steal a car, it's illegal. Okay, so I think we all understand what the term illegal means, that it's wrong, it's unlawful, it can't happen. Okay?

So we're starting with a group of people with the beginning word when you refer to that group of people is illegal. Okay, so right away, They have done something wrong. And before everyone gets their panties in a twist, I want you to know I'm not singling out Mexican people or Latinos or South Americans. I'm talking about all the illegal people coming to Kenna, whether you're a white, pasty white Norwegian,

you're a Nigerian African person, you're a Canadian, a freckle-faced Canadian with a stack of French toast in your hand. I don't care where you're from. If you are not here properly, if you have not gone through due process to get here, you are here illegally. You are an illegal person committing an illegal act. Where is all the hoopla?

Why are we having the debate? We're having the debate because it's dealing with human lives and people, you know, trying to prosper and get to a better life? Great, I understand that. But there's a process to get there. Guess what, people? There is a legal way to get there.

Have you heard the term legal alien? Okay? You know, people talk about America being built on human rights, on the Constitution. Well, guess what? America has really been built. First and foremost, the reason the United States of America works, first and foremost, before any human rights, it's the rule of law. The society does not function. It does not work. There can be no human rights unless the rule of law is enforced.

That's what creates the society. That's the glue that bonds the society. Okay? So whether you're from Canada, Mexico, South America, the U, from Russia, if you're here illegally, you're violating the system. And before everyone, you know, politicizes what I'm saying, which I know people who have already made up their mind are going to do. let me tell you this, that I am an alien. I come from Canada. I was a guy that came through the process, and I came through the process legally. And I didn't come from a spoon-fed existence.

I came from an existence up in Canada where I was struggling. I lived in a one-bedroom apartment, or actually a two-bedroom apartment, but I had a roommate, so I was paying the cost of a one-bedroom. I was making okay money, but I had a dream. I had a dream to get to the United States and prosper and maybe have the chance to make more money one day and blah, blah, blah. But I know there was a process, and I followed that process. It took me seven years to get my green card.

Okay? But in that time, I was here legally on permits that I obtained by going through the legal system from obtaining a lawyer. And yeah, it cost me some money. But I did it. And you know what? I was proud to do it. I wouldn't want to come into a situation under shaky circumstances. I have too much pride to come over and do something illegally.

And you're probably saying, oh, well, these people are much more destitute. they're completely poor and they have nothing and I'm like, yes, they are. And I'm compassionate to that. There's people like that all over the world. There's people like that within our own borders, homeless people. But we don't allow a homeless person to walk into a 7-Eleven and walk out with a box of donuts without paying.

You know, even homeless people, destitute people, understand the rules. Okay? So doing something illegal, doesn't, doesn't, because you have nothing, doesn't give you a pass. And like I said, I took a chance. I came down here with every cent I had, and I gambled, and I thought, I'll go till I can't go anymore, and then I'll get out if I can't, if I can't succeed.

But I didn't come down here with much, and do you think I liked going through the legal process? Do you think I liked waiting seven years to get my grand? ring card and then it took me another huge chunk of time to get my citizenship, which by the way, now I am a dual citizen. I'm an American

and a Canadian. But, you know, and I don't want anyone out there going, well, you're ganging up. This is all about Mexicans, man. It ain't about Mexicans. I love Mexicans. I have friends that are Mexican. I think they're amazing, wonderful, kind. Some of the

kindest people I've ever met, Mexicans and Latinos have such a gentle, kind spirit to me. I love them. But let me tell you, I had a friend who, when back in the day when I first moved into the States, who was Canadian, he was one of my best friends. And I never told him this, and I never did anything about it, but I'm going to spill my guts right here. He came down around the same time I did.

But he didn't do it the way I did it. He did it completely the illegal way. He came into the States, telling the border guards he was going for a holiday, and he never went back. And he got an apartment in California, and I didn't like it. I was pissed at him, and I thought, well, maybe it's just like he's staying on an extended holiday. But then he wanted to go get work, and he started getting work. And I was like, okay, now I'm not feeling cool about this.

and then he did something that I just, I really hate it. He actually went and he got a phony, a phony Social Security card. And this was like almost 18, 19 years ago. He's no longer here. He's gone. He only ended up staying about a year and a half. But nonetheless, I was infuriated.

And this was one of my best buddies. And he might be listening and I've never told him. this but now I'm saying it and you know there was times inside I was like I just want to report this guy and the reason I was feeling that is because I think things should be done by the system there's a system in place that keeps the machine running and and so uh so the reason I feel like I'm allowed to talk about this this topic is because I have hands-on experience with not only being around it, but actually being a guy that came here through the process

that you're supposed to come through. And it makes me mad when I see people streaming over the walls that they put up. They know why the wall's there. They're not supposed to go over the wall. It's the same reason you put a fence around your house. People aren't supposed to hop over your fence and just use your pool and sun tan in your lawn chairs, right?

and I understand the the struggle for people to want to have a better life but it's not fair to the rest of the system that there are people that are being murdered and killed there are people that are losing their jobs there are there are there are people that are losing out because of illegal aliens coming into the country Hey everybody, who wants to have better sex? No, yes, yes. The answer is yes. You always want to have better sex. That's what you want it to be better, not worse. Trust me. And Adam and Eve is offering 50% off just about any item plus free shipping. And more than that, Adam and Eve wants to make your life easy. They offer discrete shipping as your privacy is a priority. Plus 100% free shipping

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and 100% free shipping code Harland. Have fun. Don't throw your back out. And it just seems to me you've got all this debate and all this fighting and people trying to justify it. the answer is right there in the word. It's the first word of the equation, illegal. I don't know how you argue that.

You know? I just don't. And again, it goes back to all people. You know, this country is just like, if you just let everything go harems, scare them, and you kind of look away from the, the laws you've put in place, what do you left with? You're left with a society that's here legally that becomes bitter and jaded because they have to stand there and watch this happen

and you just create a division between all types of people. You know, I heard a guy on the news say that, you know, we go all over the world. United States goes all over the world to enforce borders, to help people keep things organized. And, you know, we go into Kosovo and Iraq and Afghanistan and Haiti and Grenada and, you know, everywhere. And we help defend the rights of peoples, of countries. And yet it doesn't seem like the American government's doing a great job looking at. out for its own people. And, you know, finding a better way to, you know, uphold the law, keep the process legal.

And in the meantime, yeah, be compassionate, be feeling for these people that don't have enough. And think of a better way to assist them or help them or, you know, guide them to coming to America, or do something that shortens the process or makes it cheaper for them because they come from a country with, you know, obviously lower incomes. But just don't stand there and watch people fly over the wall and say, oh, they got over, let them assimilate. You know what, they're good. You know, let them pay taxes, let them go to the hospitals, give them some schooling.

so that's what i'm talking about it's i don't have the answer i'm not right but what i'm talking about isn't uh the law i'm i'm not saying i'm i'm right here i'm saying this is this is a look at it this is how i feel about it i wish that they would get some balls and work out a system where it can work for everybody instead of just doing nothing and watching all this crap happen and it just seems like everything's indecisive and everyone's throwing lawsuits and nobody the cops can't enforce the law because they'll get sued but then they're going to get sued from the other side if they do enforce the law and it's just it's just such a mess

I want to see the United States pull up its damn pants be a man enforce its laws and in the meantime, in a compassionate, thoughtful way try and find a process which with people that don't have the means to get here can get here and be a constructive part of society. Wow. Okay, every now and then I get a little heavy.

I get a little serious here on the podcast, but I like it. and don't be one of those people that I've had people do this. I used to like your podcast, but after you talked about that stuff, I'm not talking. Screw you. I've never listened to you again. I don't agree with you. No, no, no.

Don't be like that, please. A sign of maturity is to hear someone's opinion. Take it, decipher it, reject it, accept it, or debate it back. but don't just slam the door because you probably have opinions that maybe I don't agree with, but I would love to hear them. I would love to debate them. I would love to understand them. And who knows?

Maybe you change my mind. I don't know. Maybe you illuminate me. Maybe you make me alter what I have to say. That's the beauty of communication of points of view. So please, I ask you to embrace these thoughts. You don't have to agree with them. But maybe there's something in them you do agree with or you want to challenge them.

Go for it, man. You know my number. 323-215-14-8-6. And don't make it a racial thing because there's not a racist bone in my body. It's not about Latinos or Mexicans. I told you earlier it's about everyone coming here illegally. So don't even try to go down that street because it don't hold water. Okay?

If you make it a race issue, then you, in turn, are racist because you're taking the race card to use it to back your argument. Uh-uh. It's not what it's about. But that's what makes us such a heated hot potato, man. And if you want to share your thoughts, respectfully, as I respect you, you're welcome to do so. 323, 215, 1486. Good Lord. Let's get back to some comedy, okay?

Are you people all right? You're like, wow, Harlan, take it easy, man. It's fun. It's fun to talk about some of these things that really seem blatantly easy to fix. But the ineptness of the people in power just continually mystified. me and amazes me. But there you go. I'll leave it there.

Come on, let's lighten it up. Let's get back to something silly and fun, huh? Here we go on the Harlan Highway. So here's something to think about minority groups or immigrants that come to the United States of America. A lot of them don't speak English. And as common as the language is to us, I mean, you're listening to it right now and understanding it and fully comprehending it, but if you were to put an immigrant from China or from India or maybe even from Mexico, all they're hearing right now, and we take it for granted.

And we were born into English. know English, we speak English, we were taught English, our first words were English. So let me help you, if you are just learning English, let me introduce you to a new English word that at some point may help you in your journey. Okay, so here it is. Brand new English word, toe nail. Got it? the thing that covers your toe is a toenail let me use it in a sentence i have big fat greasy dirty toenails and there you go that's a free little english lesson if there's any words you want explained just call us at the harland highway leave me a message or email me and i'll i'll give you some learnings free learnings from your host harland williams here on the harland highway god i wish i knew

other languages man i wish i was fluent you ever go to europe spend time in europe and because uh all those countries are in such uh close proximity to each other most people know three or four languages like you go to germany and a german will know english and french and spanish and uh you know Italian. It's amazing. You come over here and most of us just know American or English. I have taken different lessons over the years. I do know a bit of French. I took a lot of French lessons when I was in high school and, you know, when I was up in Canada. And then I lived in Germany for a little while. So I picked up a little German. But It always made me jealous how good at languages the Europeans are.

And I always promise myself I'm going to learn more languages, especially I live down here in Southern California, huge Latino population. I'm always like, I've got to learn Spanish, man. I got to learn Spanish. Like, got walked up to me the other days, like, hey, what's up essay and i'm like hey what's up midterm exam you know that just that doesn't fly um so my grasp of uh of the spanish language is not uh is not good um how about you do you know uh do you know any other languages i don't know i think it'd be fun to learn chinese an asian language there's

something uh there's something just amazing about hearing chinese people talk man i uh i find the rhythm and the patter of the chinese uh language very soothing i don't know how to describe it but it just kind of it the way it rolls off the tongue the the flow of it it's it's like it's like a beautiful little creek in the forest and the water's trickling over the stones and i'm not kidding sometimes when I'm in my truck and I'm driving around and I need to have a quiet moment, I will literally scan through the radio dial and find like a Korean or Chinese or Japanese or any type of station that broadcasts in Asian and I will just let it play. I don't have a clue what they're saying, but I just find it soothing. Just the sounds, you know?

To take a listen and see if you find it any way, the soothingness that comes from the flow of the Chinese language being verbalized. The United States, the United States, to control of Panama's new government, in front of war, to attack, in this time, the American military in Panama South-Doo, Yan-Gia Ayahu,

so-buk, South-Gun-Guner-Nor-Liekard-Kard of the military. Our World War Wuzon World War I'm going to join-Mindian anti-sue and use the air-out,

okay, anything? Did that do anything for you, people? Did it soothe you? Did you just like, what the hell is he talking about? And I'm not making fun of the language. Trust me, this is for real. find it kind of relaxing.

And I don't know what was being said. All I can mimic is the noises, and it's just kind of like that. You know, and I'm not mocking the language. That's just, I don't know how to speak it, so I'm just mimicking the flow, the cadence of the language there. And even doing that was kind of. kind of soothing to me. It's just something the way it rolls out of the mouth. It feels like with us our words end kind of hard and definitive. And with most Asian languages that I hear, it feels like

they all kind of just flow together. Right? Like the flowing water in a babbling. Okay, am I just mental? Are you people like, you've lost. it, dude. All right, well, there you go. That's my little secret to you. I drive around in my truck listening to Asian radio station. So if my truck's ever rolled and I'm in a ditch upside down and you come onto the scene of the rescue

and all you hear is, don't know, dumbass, hit a speed bump too, fast and flipped his stupid truck and buy it on go yeah it's really me hanging upside down on the Harland Highway oh okay well that's

it for today an interesting show had a bit of a serious tone there for a while hopefully we brought you back into the fold of fun but that's why I do this show man just to keep you guessing to keep the tone

and the vibe in a place where you never know what you're going to get. Keep it interesting. And by doing that for you, it keeps it interesting for me. Any feedback? You know the number 323-215, 1486. And until next time, my friends, I don't know how to say it in Chinese,

but I will say it in English. Chicken chow mane, baby. That's right. I said chicken. My mom always said life was lack. box of chocolates chow do you want a chocolate bane you never know what you're going to get baby