Mexican Legislators Complain About Immigration Laws

...at a press conference in freaking Arizona:

A delegation of nine state legislators from Sonora was in Tucson on Tuesday to
say Arizona's new employer sanctions law will have a devastating effect on the
Mexican state.

I am so blown away by this I can scarcely form the fucking words. Although I find the illegal aliens' sense of entitlement here in the U.S. galling as hell, for members of the Mexican government to openly display the same mindset is just appalling.

Here's my favorite quote:

"Mexico is not prepared for this, for the tremendous problems" it will face as more and more Mexicans working in Arizona and sending money to their families return to hometowns in Sonora without jobs, [Representative Leticia Amparano Gomez] said.

Boo hoo, Ms. Gomez.

Boo hoo.

The Amnesty Bill Lives On

Here we go again.

Key senators tentatively agreed on a plan to revive a stalled immigration bill on Thursday, aided by President Bush's support for a quick $4.4 billion aimed at "securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site."

Most opponents of the bill view this latest move as a last ditch attempt to prove their enforcement chops. But Senator Jim DeMint points out the elephant in the room (and it sure ain't a Republican!):

"I appreciate the effort to fund border security, but there's simply no reason why we should be forced to tie amnesty to it. If the administration was serious about fulfilling the border security promises, then this funding should have been supported all along, not offered at the last minute to attract votes to a bad bill."

It's hard to argue with that. Besides, it seems we've been down this road before.

Well Said, Senator Sessions!

Maybe I should move to Alabama?

"No one has a right to come to America. We get to decide...we allow on our terms and conditions... our immigration system is set up to serve the national interest...No one has a constitutional legal right to demand entry into America. It amazes me the lack of comprehension shown...We set the standards. Se have the most generous set of laws in the world. Se're not going to end immigration or act irrationally. To set reasonable standards, as [Senator] Cornyn is attempting to do, only makes common sense."

From Michelle Malkin, who's live blogging the debate in the Senate on S. 1348.

Harry Reid: Illegals Are Americans

I just saw this on Michelle Malkin's site. She hits the nail on the head with her opening sentence, "The concept of American citiznship is dead."

Sen. Harry Reid drove the final nail in the coffin with his floor statement yesterday, in which he referred to the 12 million illegal aliens currently in the U.S. as "12 million undocumented Americans." I've heard a lot of stupid euphemisms for illegal aliens, but that one takes the cake.

Michelle provides links to a video clip and a transcript on the Senate Democrats' website.

It would really be nice if this were a misspeak on Reid's part. Unfortunately, I don't think it is. I truly believe he and all those who support this travesty of an amnesty bill see those 12 million illegals as "unofficial" Americans, and the amnesty is just the thing to make things official.

I mean, hey they live here, right? They want to be here, they want to stay here. What more do you want?

You unbelievable bastards.

When I was younger mean, ignorant people used to tease me. They called me a foreigner and would tell me to "go back home". It was hurtful, but I always reminded myself that, no matter what they said, this was my home. I was an American citizen; more than that, I was an American. Although my family had moved here (legally), I had been born here. My heart had neither love for or allegiance to any other country save this one. I never questioned the idea that, as an American, I was part of something grander, bigger, and more special than anything else on this Earth.

Until now.

Citizenship is now a bargaining chip, to be cashed in for the sake of votes. Being an "American" will soon mean nothing more that simply being in the country for a specified period of time. And instead of getting better, things will only get worse.

I hate to imagine what things will be like then.

20 Loopholes In The Senate Immigration Bill

I saw this earlier on Michelle Malkin's site. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has posted 20 loopholes in the Amnesty Bill currently being debated in the Senate. All I can say is, what the hell are these people thinking?

Amnesty benefits do not wait for the “enforcement trigger.” After filing an application and waiting 24 hours, illegal aliens will receive full “probationary benefits,” complete with the ability to legally live and work in the U.S., travel outside of the U.S. and return, and their own social security card. Astonishingly, if the trigger is never met and amnesty applications are therefore never “approved,” the probationary benefits granted to the illegal alien population never expire, and the new social security cards issued to the illegal alien population are not revoked.

Legal status must be granted to illegal aliens 24 hours after they file an application, even if the aliens have not yet “passed all appropriate background checks.”

Instead of ensuring that members of violent gangs such as MS 13 are deported after coming out of the shadows to apply for amnesty, the bill will allow violent gang members to get amnesty as long as they “renounce” their gang membership on their application.

Read the entire list. Unbelievable!

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

A great post by James Lewis at The American Thinker perfectly captures the flaw in the administration's thinking on the Amnesty Bill:

So President Bush and Karl Rove have opted for a desperate gamble. They are betting that immigrants can be assimilated, and that the GOP will get its share of their votes. But with the attitude of "Su casa es mi casa," impoverished people from Mexico and elsewhere, indoctrinated in an entitlement mentality, are not likely to become self-sustaining American citizens in large numbers. Why should they, when the welfare state beckons with goodies as long as they vote Democrat?

Read the whole thing - it's spot on.

Divisive

So, there was another Democratic debate tonight. No big surprises, mainly just more handwringing over Iraq. There was one particular question which interested me:

To a question on whether English should be the official language in the United States, only former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel raised his hand in the affirmative.

But Obama protested the question itself, calling it “the kind of question that was designed precisely to divide us.” He said such questions “do a disservice to the American people.”

Sure, because it's always so divisive to mention any attempt to promote even a semblance of national identity. For Obama, the question isn't whether immigrants will learn English - he takes it on faith that they will. For him, the question is about coming up with a "legal, sensible immigration policy".

For someone who's supposed to be so smart, Obama's clueless when it comes to this issue. First of all, we've made it too easy in this country to get by without a strong grasp of English. Press "1" for English, anyone?. Believe me, there's a difference between being able to get by in an English environment and knowing the language well enough to get ahead. Without strong incentives to gain real competence with the language, future immigrants will never be able to prosper in a society as competitive as ours. Unless, of course, the most we ever want for these people is to cut our lawns and paint our houses. If anything, a language competency requirement should be alogical part of a "sensible immigration policy".

I hate to say it, but at least Hillary had a reasonable argument against English as our official language - it would preclude accomodating non-English speakers by mandating translators in hospitals and government offices and printing voting ballots in multiple languages.

Yeah, I said it was reasonable, I didn't say I agreed with it. In order to vote, one has to be a citizen (at least for now). So, how does someone become a U.S. citizen without learning enough English to read a ballot? How the hell do they even understand the issues they're voting on if they don't speak the language?

Hell yeah, that's exactly the kind of "informed" electorate I want helping to shape the course of this country.

The Backlash Begins

Yesterday, I announced that, after 6 loooong years, George W. Bush is dead to me. The final straw - Bush's turning on Republicans over their criticism of the Amnesty Bill.

Seems like I'm not alone.

LaShawn Barber say's "It's Official - Bush is an idiot":

And I voted for him. Twice. I voted for Clinton twice, too, but I’m more ashamed of voting for Bush.

Ouch.

Peggy Noonan has a great piece at WSJ Online. She's telling the truth, and the truth sucks:

Leading Democrats often think their base is slightly mad but at least their heart is in the right place. This White House thinks its base is stupid and that its heart is in the wrong place.

Hot Air is encouraging people to express their opposition to the Amnesty bill through some very special "donations":

Enough is enough. You can help stop amnesty in its tracks. Send cero pesos to the RNC and DNC headquarters. Include a note protesting both parties’ pandering. Note that open borders create an unacceptable national security problem. Be civil, but firm. Tell them to pare amnistia ahora–stop amnesty now.

Speaking of donations, it seems the RNC is seeing a drop in small-donor donations.

Gee guys, if that's the case, why not hit up you new "base"? I'm sure they'll do the donating Americans don't want to do!

Immigration Reform: This Time, It's Personal

At least it is for George Bush, writes Julie Mason in the Houston Chronicle:

"I feel passionate about the issue. It's something I have felt strongly about ever since I was the governor of Texas," he said.

"Texas is a very diverse state, Houston is a very diverse city, and through that diversity, if you're open-minded, you get a great sense of how it invigorates the society," said Bush, a Houston resident in the 1960s and '70s.

Growing up in Texas, Bush said, "you recognize the decency and hard work and humanity of Hispanics. And the truth of the matter is a lot of this immigration debate is driven as a result of Latinos being in our country."

Or to be more specific, an unhappiness about Latinos being in the country. Bush, for the first time, is putting opponents on notice that he's going to call them out on their xenophobia if he needs to. In last year's failed effort at passing immigration reform, he never went that far.

Again with the name calling! George, can I make it any simpler for you? It's not immigration we're opposed to, it's illegal immigration! It's about hating the idea of rewarding lawbreakers with one of the greatest privileges of all - U.S. citizenship, and all that includes.

Speaking as someone who wouldn't even be in this country if not for immigration, I can assure you I am neither xenophobic or anti-immigrant. What I am is American, and I'm sicked at how easy it is for some to just...give that away.

"People shouldn't fear our capacity to uphold our motto, E Pluribus Unum," Bush said.

Screw you, George! You'll never convince me that all these "manys" will somehow assimilate into one cohesive "one".

Immigra-ting on My Nerves

I never thought I'd ever say this. I never thought it would come to this, but it has.

George W. Bush, you are dead to me.

I voted for you twice. I've supported you in the Iraq War, even after it became apparent you weren't doing what you needed to do to win. I held my tongue during Harriet Miers and Dubai Ports; I turned a blind eye to all of the shitty little missteps your administration for which your administration has become famous.

The immigration bill, however, is the last straw. Your reckless and ill-conceived support for what is nothing less than amnesty cannot be tolerated.

To make matters worse, you would dare to turn on those who disagree with you on this issue, after everything else we've gone through for you?

FYI George, it's not about "racism" or "bigotry" or "xenaphobia" or "fear". It's about having some regard for what makes this country unique, special...the kind of place that millions of people want to come to. It's about doing what we need to do to preserve our inherent "Americaness", and not see that destroyed by a bunch of people who don't give a shit about what this country is, but only for what they can get from it.

It's about protecting our way of life. You know, that way of life you're always going on about whenever the Islamos get twitchy. Some of us still care about that. It'd be nice if you still did.

No more. I'm done with you. I'm sorry to say your administration may result in our party having to wander the wilderness for a while. Hopefully, our exile will not be too long.