Total frustration!

I don't know why I do this to myself... try to communicate with those of the "Progressive" persuasion! Must be a bit of the masochist in me... or the overwhelming desire to break thru their insane thinking and get them to see things in a clear, logical light. Whatever! It doesn't work, and I need to just let go of the illusion that there is common ground we can work from!
Case in point: I am a member of a google group that consists of several members of my high school graduating class... I didn't know too many fellow students in H.S., and years have passed since we graduated. Last year some time, I was contacted about joining a group, and this one spun off of the main group. It's main function was to give us a forum to 'vent' our feelings about various issues, and avoid bringing too much controversy to the main group. Ordinarily, I would avoid 'venting' forums, because I am a peaceful person by nature. But after hearing from the group moderator that there wasn't much discussion going on there since it began, I was sucked into starting a thread about illegal immigration. I know better, but I thought... gee... maybe we could have an intelligent discussion about the subject... WRONG! Here are some samples of comments that ensued:
"...the fact that we've had a border we don't enforce for decades, is also the reason I favor amnesty for illegal immigrants already here. The truth is, we've been winking and nodding for years, telling Mexican immigrants they're illegal but doing virtually nothing to dissuade them from coming here. So naturally they came and created lives and families and homes -- and now suddenly we're going to get all self-righteous and indignant on them? Because we screwed up, said "come on in, we'll look the other way," and they did? Now we're going to break up families and tell them to kiss their kids goodbye and go spend years at the back of the line? It's our own damn fault, and amnesty is the punishment we deserve, if you want to look at it that way. It's also the right thing to do."
"...I can't help but wonder why the public hates these people? Do they want to take their jobs at McDonals or picking lettuce in Yuma? Are people afraid they are going to marry their daughters? Do you resent paying for public schools to educate them?"
I'm not going to fill this post with quotes... just these samples to demonstrate the mindset I'm dealing with. Oh, and then there was the discussion on whether illegals are getting benefits they aren't paying for... the person who was holding forth the most was saying how they pay income tax, social security tax, etc. And of course, they are doing this (when employers actually deduct for these things) using illegally obtained social security numbers and cards!!1 But that's okay, right? And how can we possibly object to their children attending public schools? And we're really beasts if we object to them seeking medical treatment paid for by the taxpayer when they go to the emergency room. I just don't get it. Am I totally out to lunch? Or just surrounded by people with a totally whacked mindset? Sigh...