Category: Politics

McKinney is wrong, wrong, wrong

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Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) is painfully, conspicuously off base in her story of her “assault” by a Capitol guard. Immediately playing the race card in what is clearly a security issue, not a racial issue, is irresponsible. She makes a mockery of her position as a Congresswoman and is (one presumes) an embarrassment to the good people of Georgia who elected her.

By all accounts, she is the one guilty of assault, striking the guard who attempted to detain her when she walked around the security checkpoint without properly identifying herself and without stopping when the guard told her to, several times. Only after she ignored his verbal order to stop did he reach to physically restrain her. She left him no choice.

It is his job to stop anyone he does not know and/or who does not show proper identification. He and the other guards are there to ensure the safety of everyone in the Capitol, and McKinney should have been cooperative and appreciative.

But then, it is an election year, isn’t it?

Worth repeating: Roosevelt on immigration

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Posted today by Lou Dobbs/CNN:

The following is one of my favorite thoughts on the issue of immigration. It’s from President Theodore Roosevelt in a letter to the American Defense Society in 1919, 10 years after his presidency. —Lou Dobbs

In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American…

There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.

—Theodore Roosevelt, 1919

Immigration demonstrations alarming

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In recent weeks there have been a number of large demonstrations against HB 4437, about to be taken up by the U.S. Senate. The bill would strengthen laws against illegal immigrants and those who aid or hire them, and build fences along parts of the U.S.-Mexico border.

These peaceful, public demonstrations have brought out as “few” as 50,000 marchers (Denver) to as many as half a million in Los Angeles. I find those numbers, driven home by pictures from the media, deeply disturbing and somewhat alarming. Are there really that many among us willing to publicly support illegal immigration and the continued flouting of U.S. law?

How many of those marchers are themselves illegal immigrants? How many of them know or support an illegal? Illegal means in violation of the law, a criminal. If you claim to be a law-abiding member of our society, how can you justify, support, and defend these lawbreakers among us?

I really wish some of these demonstrators could explain to me why they are demonstrating.

Is it because you think the new law will criminalize you or someone you know? If you or they are here illegally, you are already criminals under current law. If you think you have good reason to be here, why didn’t you come here legally, through the proper channels, and with the proper documentation?

Some of you say America is a land of immigrants, built by immigrants, and imply that you are just like those immigrants. You are not. They did not come here illegally; they obtained the proper papers or their citizenship. And of course many came before we even had any immigration laws.

Some of you say the proposed law is racist and discriminatory. How so? It applies to anyone who enters this country illegally. It is true that huge numbers of illegal immigrants happen to be Hispanic/Latino, but the law applies to anyone who enters the country illegally, whether across our southern border with Mexico, our northern border with Canada, or via a boat to our east, west, or gulf coast. You, the demonstrator waving the Mexican flag, are the one emphasizing your heritage.

Some of you say you are doing jobs Americans won’t do, and that you are essential to America’s economy. That may or may not be true, but either way, it doesn’t change the fact that if you are here illegally, you are breaking our law.

If you are here legally, I have no quarrel with you. If you are here illegally, or you know someone who is, I honestly would like to know why you think that’s okay.

Beyond the question of obeying the law is the issue of security. If you love this country and value what it has to offer, as apparently you do since you are here, can you not see why, in the wake of 9/11, we feel a heightened need to secure our borders?

Officially unaffiliated

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It’s official; I’m no longer a registered Democrat. Nor did I have any desire to return to the Republican fold where I spent most of my life (until GWB was nominated). As it turned out, I couldn’t register “Independent” in Colorado, so I am now officially “Unaffiliated” — UNA on my voter’s card. True, I’ve disenfranchised myself as far as party caucuses are concerned, but somehow, for now, I feel cleaner.