'Amnesty' El Parte Dos

So if the forum on The Politico would work, this is what I was going to write in response to the many who called me out earlier:

Allow me to defend myself ...though I'm sure I will not change hearts or minds:

Bruce
Frykman: May. 30, 2007 - 10:33 AM EST

JPBarnett: May. 30, 2007 - 9:28 AM EST
If they speak the Spanish, they must be illegals! Let's send 'em back to Spain." Idiots.

What? All of Latin America, with the exception of Brazil speak Spanish, most of the Carribean, Spain, the Philipines etc all speak Spanish...its a lovely language and a fine culture but then so is Chinese, so should we let the Chinese flood across our borders by the tens of millions as well?

Sorry about this one. This was sarcasm. I realize it doesn't always play well in written text. I was merely referencing a suggestion by a previous poster who said that Mexicans were created by
Spaniard who raped their native tribes, so we should send them all back to Spain. It was a throwaway point anyway...

What we've got here is a complex situation. 12-25 million people are in this country illegally, most from Central and South America. Roughly, 98% of these people look and sound different from white-bread Americans. I will continue to assert that if these people spoke English and had lily-white skin, this wouldn't be a tenth of the problem people make it out to be now. I know I'm not going to win that argument, but I will assert that as truth for the record. With that out of the way...

Many of you have thrown out portions of truth. Without question, there are people here reaping benefits they are not paying for. It is a problem. Part of the proposed immigration reform act will deal with this. Another poster summarized better than I can:

Equalizer: May. 30, 2007 - 6:42 PM EST
Just keep the good ones and return the rest. Anyway the change of status program it is only a temporary 6 months to 1 year, if they do not qualify for more, they wont be citizens at all; I do not think all who qualify for Zamnesty visa will want to pay $5,000 + $1,500 fees to become citizens, can you imagine to wait 13 years to
be Zegal (Legal),

That's the sum of it. Everyone who is here will "touchback" home. Those that can afford the costs and want to brave what is a very difficult system will have every opportunity to earn citizenship, the same way that any other non US-citizen may.

Many of you talked about fining employers. I agree. Let's hold corporations, and even Mom and Pop-type stores accountable, if need be, for hiring people without proper identification. Also, let's crack down on people that are making forgeries
of documents like SSN's and Green Cards and what not. While it does not excuse the illegality of lying to an employer, it would be much harder to do so if someone else was not complicit in forging these kinds of documents.

Many people also talked about how this bill is a pathetic attempt at reform. And you know what? Maybe you're right. The bill is certainly far from perfect. But think about the way legislating works. In the Senate, 100 people get together and have to agree on a way to approach a given situation. Each member of that body has a different idea of what is right wrong. Hell, most people on this forum have different ideas about what is right and wrong. Now also keep in mind that there is another legislative body to deal with, and a President that you must also get to agree before anything can be done at all (a simplification, true). Therefore, neither
this bill, nor any other will be everything for everybody! Good legislation is all about the careful art of compromise. Certain barriers exist on both sides of the issue. In the end, you end up with a bill that has enough support to pass, even if it is not the 'perfect' bill that some may have imagined.

I hate to sound like a civics teacher, but that's the way it is! When was the last time the US Government ever passed an act with unanimous approval, not just of those legislating and executing the laws, but also of the laiety? I can tell you; it never happened!

To me, what this comes down to is an honest attempt by leaders on both sides of the issue coming together in a way Washington hasn't seen in years to accomplish something. I will never tell you that you can't disagree with their final product, but let's give credit where it is due. Sens. Kennedy, Kyl, Graham, Feinstein, Lott, as well as Secretary Chertoff and WH Chief of Staff Josh Bolten deserve credit for coming together on a difficult compromise. They have also tried their damndest to convince members of their respective caucuses (to varying levels of success) that it is a workable compromise. You may disagree, but what they have done was not an easy task.

One last note (for now):

Anti Rep/Dem American: May. 30, 2007 - 3:10 PM EST

I know that is a hard concept for you America haters to understand but there are still some people that care about this country.

Don't you EVER try to tell me how I feel about my country! You and I may disagree about how things should be run here, and that's fine. I am happy to debate about any of it. You may not change my mind, and may not ever change yours, but we can debate civilly all day long. At the end of the day, you and I will both be countrymen. I love this country with all my heart, and I hope that with that love in mind and soul, I will be able to do, think, and say what I think is best. That's the greatest part of this country. Don't you ever ever ever forget it!

'Amnesty'

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0507/4224.html

I will reiterate what I wrote on the comment board for this story found on Politico.com:

I am so tired of hearing the political fear mongering of the word 'amnesty.' First of all, the immigration reform bill in its current form offers no such thing. There is a path to citizenship, but to call that a 'blanket amnesty' is not even mistaken, but merely ignorant. Second, what opponents of 'amnesty' forget is that we have depending on what sources you listen to between 12-25 MILLION illegal immigrants in this country. If we do not do something to allow them to earn their way towards citizenship, as this bill provides for, the only other option is deportation. Would one of you geniuses on the right like to explain to me how you plan on rounding up 12-25 MILLION people!?

What this all boils down to is xenophobia at best, and out and out racism at worst. You people that get so worked up about Hispanics (because they're not all Mexicans. They come from Guatemala, Honduras, Cost Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, etc.)do so because you get unduly irritated because you can't understand them! I will grant to you that a certain working knowledge of English is essential to assimilation into the United States, but assimilation does not happen overnight. Second and third generation immigrants by and large speak both languages, something the ignorant right will never even attempt. Hell, most of you cannot even figure out the difference between an illegal immigrant and one that came here legally! "If they speak the Spanish, they must be illegals! Let's send 'em back to Spain." Idiots.

If we really want to talk about a people that hate the members of the host nation, how about we talk about our American forefathers who massacred millions of Native Americans in their conquest of this nation. I am not seriously suggesting that we do not belong here, but if the hypocrites on the right are going to characterize Hispanic immigrants this way, it is about time they look in the mirror.

Stop wasting your time bitching about the "illegals who stole your job," and go find a new one. Racists.

'In God We Trust'

***So, I work in the Indiana House of Representatives. For the record, my views are my own, and while they may be shaped by those I work for and around, they reflect only the thoughts of this lonely mind and are in no way representative of any Representative or staffer thereof.***


I'm sorry, I don't really like to single people out, but sometimes I am simple incapable of letting people spread misinformation in a way that is hurtful.


Perhaps you have heard about the controversy surrounding the new-ish Indiana license plates (picture left). They are very patriotic-looking and display the motto "In God We Trust.' Of course anytime there is a connection between the words 'God" and a government, be it local, state, or federal, there is a backlash from the secular elements of society followed by a counter-backlash by social conservatives.


What has happened here is slightly different. The ACLU, on behalf of an Indiana man, has sued. The grounds, however, are not religious. The suit charges, correctly, that drivers wishing to purchase this plate may do so as any they do the standard Indiana plate. Unlike other 'vanity' license plates, such as ones available for the Colts, the Environment, Riley Hospital, or Breast Cancer, the 'God' plate has no administration fees. Therefore, people are being allowed to express their advocacy for this more or less on the State's dime. Other groups must pay a $15 fee to do the same.


The argument here is not about God. The argument is about having to pay for what should be free speech. If one group is allowed to express itself freely, all groups should be permitted to do likewise. The alternative is that all groups should have to pay. It is not fair for one group to be given an opportunity to express itself in a manner that is clearly unavailable to other groups.


http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070423/LOCAL/704230439


http://evansville.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2407370802&ref=nf

Not Red & Blue, but Red, White & Blue - and GREEN

I found this article in the New York Times Magazine. It is by The World Is Flat author Thomas Freidman. Here's the link (it's also in the title):

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/15/magazine/15green.t.html

Global Climate Change is real. No one will convince me otherwise. Even if you disagree, the article is worth reading. It examines how the US can overcome a slip in our perceived international standing by embracing things Green. We can lead the way, and Freidman argues, even coerce China, India, and Brazil - the leaders in the post-developing world - to do likewise.

All in all, a well reasoned argument with a proposed solution. I'm sure it's not perfect, but it is better than anything that anyone else is trying right now.

Update

***So I work in the Indiana House of Representatives। For the record, my views are my own, and while they may be shaped by those I work for and around, they reflect only the thoughts of this lonely mind and are in no way representative of any Representative or staffer thereof.***


I thought you all should know that the Amendment was defeated! Five brave legislators took a stand against codifying hate into the Indiana Constitution. At the risk of exposing these brave lawmakers, I want to single each of them out for congratulations:

• Rep. Scott Pelath
  
• Rep. Terri Austin
• Rep. Earl Harris
• Rep. Russ Stillwell
• Rep. Bob Kuzman

Maybe think about sending them an e-mail or a letter to let them know that you support the stand they took last night in the House Rules and Legislative Procedures committee. I know I have thanked them as I've seen them.

Hate Politics

***So I work in the Indiana House of Representatives. For the record, my views are my own, and while they may be shaped by those I work for and around, they reflect only the thoughts of this lonely mind and are in no way representative of any Representative or staffer thereof.***

With that out of the way...

I get to see some pretty cool things on a day-to-day basis. The legislative process can be boring or exciting, heated or dispassionate. Sometimes a group comes in and makes some noise, sometimes the only people there are the Legislative Assistants and the Interns. I am the latter.

Today, Advance America came to the Statehouse. Their agenda was two-fold: abolishing property taxes and supporting Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 7, the proposed amendment to the Indiana Constitution that would effectively ban gay marriage.

I will come out and say that I am against this amendment, completely and wholeheartedly. That said, I appreciate reasoned debate and the right to express your opinion. What I have no tolerance for is ignorance and hatred. Today's rally exhibited both.

This is how marriage should work: the Church (Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Satanist, whatever) can ordain people to get married as they see fit. Marriage is a religious and social construct that ought not be regulated and licensed by the government, be it federal, state or local. If government wants to continue to recognize 'marriage,' they should allow equal-opportunity civil-unions to any group of people that seek it out.

The insistence that "God said being gay is a sin" is a religious statement, not a political one. Church and state are rightly separated in this nation. If you believe being gay is wrong, don't do it. Feel free to share your opinion. But do not force that opinion on others because of your religious dogma(s).

My main problem with those that oppose SJR 7 is that they do so blind of their bigotry. I respect religious people. They are mostly good people. However, their pious attitude smacks of hypocrisy. Christians forget that Christ himself hung around with prostitutes and other outcasts of society. He did not hate them; he accepted them. If you can't draw the parallel there, I can't help you.

But the thing that really pisses me off is watching these supporters of hate legislation bring in their 2-5 kids along with them. Children deserve to be able to grow up without adults shoving their prejudices down the kids' throats. It is a sick thing to see. It hurts me inside to know that those kids will end up hating people later in life because they really don't know any better. It's not fair. It really is akin to child abuse. That's what they say when children are exposed to many other destructive behaviors; this one should be no different.