Serfs up

This comment demands comment:

The Republican whip, Trent Lott of Mississippi, who supports the bill, said: “Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with that problem.”

At some point, Mr. Lott said, Senate Republican leaders may try to rein in “younger guys who are huffing and puffing against the bill.”

What would he recommend, breaking out the thumbscrews? My comment--what a colossal jerk turd. Even if this was taken out of context (it was in the New York Times) it still represents the stink off the pile--one of those truthy moments that sometimes winds up in the public discourse, something apparently Lott doesn't believe in anymore. Hearts and minds, Senator.

His slip makes it painfully obvious why politicians have avoided the immigration issue all these years. Fewer are more divisive. My objection all along has been the flagrant disregard for the rule of law--we need order--but we also need the workers. They need to be collated into the ones who want citizenship and ones who just want to send some green back. The new law seems to address those requirements in some respects but falls flat on convincing anyone there will be an effective enforcement of its complicated provisions.

Bush even fantastically suggests we can use the proceeds of the fines to fund extra border enforcement. Surely he doesn't really think people will buy this magic pill. It's really more of a "here's your sign" moment because if law-breaking illegals believe their fines will lead to more chance of arrest why pay them? They already know there is safety in numbers.

It makes the most sense to kick this issue into the 2008 presidential debate. The politicos would rather eat dog poop, which is even more reason. In the meantime let them show us what a whole year of border enforcement looks like, just a crackdown on illegals who've committed crimes in this country would do fine (the term criminal illegal alien is an oxymoron). The funds could come from an emergency supplemental similar to the war funding since after all, this is an invasion.

Americans are not grotesquely stupid. We know this is a representative government. And we know that issues aren't always decided via majority rule. But this issue really is a no-brainer. If Congress wants our support on comprehensive reform they need to earn it.












All aboard!



MORE 6/15/07

GOP Chair Mel Martinez:

''If we get the same type of Hispanic support in the next election cycle that we did in the last, there is no way we could elect a Republican president,'' Martinez said.

And that's what comprehensive immigration reform is all about, Charlie Brown.