View Full Version : House opens hearings on immigration
House committee opens hearings on immigration; GOP chairman cites 'desperate need' for change
02-05-2013 12:31 PM CST |By ERICA WERNER, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (Associated Press) --
The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Tuesday the nation's immigration system is "in desperate need of repair" as he opened Congress' first hearing this year on immigration. Whether Congress will be able to agree on how to fix it remained unclear.
The session came as President Barack Obama pushes for swift action to pass immigration legislation and as bipartisan Senate negotiators work to craft a bill. But in a sign of the difficulties to come, the Judiciary chairman, Republican Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, cautioned against a "rush to judgment" and said each piece of the issue must be examined in detail.
Goodlatte said there are lots of questions about how any large-scale legalization program would work, how much it would cost and how it would prevent illegal immigration in future.
Obama supports a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants already in the country, something many Republicans oppose.
Goodlatte questioned whether another approach might be possible: "Are there options we should consider between the extremes of mass deportation and a pathway to citizenship for those not lawfully present in the United States?" he asked.
Goodlatte's question underscored the discomfort of many majority House Republicans with granting eventual citizenship to illegal immigrants, something conservatives often decry as amnesty. Yet Tuesday's hearing, which focused on fixing the legal immigration system and on enforcement, was notable for the generally measured tone from some Republicans known for strong anti-immigration positions.
Several questioned whether there's a way short of citizenship to deal with illegal immigrants, and others on the panel agreed on the need to allow more high-skilled workers to enter the country, a priority for technology companies.
"Let's not let the more contentious issues and the idea of comprehensive reform prevent us from passing something," said Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala.
It was part of a larger shift by Republicans who have begun to embrace action on immigration reform in the wake of the November elections in which large proportions of Hispanic voters supported Obama, helping him win re-election. Some GOP leaders have concluded that softening their views on immigration is becoming a political necessity.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., delivered a speech Tuesday embracing "an opportunity for legal residence and citizenship for those who were brought to this country as children and who know no other home." It appeared to be a change for Cantor, who voted against DREAM Act legislation to allow a path to citizenship for certain immigrants brought here as youths.
Watch the house pubs puss out and join the dem doormats.
Urging GOP to focus beyond debt, Eric Cantor embraces citizenship for young immigrants
02-05-2013 12:22 PM CST |By CHARLES BABINGTON, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (Associated Press) --
A top Republican lawmaker is urging his party to place more emphasis on education, health care and other kitchen-table issues as the GOP tries to recover from its November setbacks.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Republicans must show they have better solutions for families who struggle to pay their bills and who worry about their children's education and future.
Cantor proposed few new initiatives in a Washington speech Tuesday. But he endorsed a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants who came to the United States as children.
He said federal aid should be available for those moving to charter or private schools to escape poorly performing public schools.
Cantor said the government should continue funding medical research.
He said the debt remains an important, but not exclusive, GOP concern.
*****!!! What a doormat.
FaninAma
2/5/2013, 02:50 PM
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3851
While we cavort around the world in an interventionist frenzy with our military the country is being hollowed out like the oak tree in the first chapter of Atlas Shrugged.
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/3851
While we cavort around the world in an interventionist frenzy with our military the country is being hollowed out like the oak tree in the first chapter of Atlas Shrugged.
Those damn Goths....always starting trouble.
SoonerorLater
2/5/2013, 04:13 PM
These guys won't be happy until they turn this country into a third world ****hole.
FaninAma
2/5/2013, 04:19 PM
These guys won't be happy until they turn this country into a third world ****hole.
I would propose it a different way. Which South/Central American country or Mexico would we prefer our country to emulate?
TAFBSooner
2/5/2013, 05:41 PM
I would propose it a different way. Which South/Central American country or Mexico would we our country to emulate?
How does this make sense? Hispanic immigrants come here because they want the opportunity to make it in the US of A. I'm sure THEY don't want us to emulate the places they just left.
Or are you being Swiftian, and figure if we make it enough like home, they might as well go back there, since they know more hombres and all.
Gutiérrez: No Middle Ground Between Path To Citizenship And Deportation
SAHIL KAPUR 4:39 PM EST, TUESDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2013
Rep. Luiz Gutiérrez (D-IL) signaled Tuesday that he does not see a middle ground sought by House Republican lawmakers between a pathway to citizenship and mass deportation for the roughly 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally.
"We've come to the conclusion that we need to figure out a way to integrate them," he told reporters. "Now let me just say this: I think it would be wrong for us to create a permanent underclass of people who live in this country who never can reach American citizenship. I want them to have all the responsibilities and obligations that come along with American citizenship... Because I think that's what integrates them into America."
Gutiérrez, an outspoken advocate for immigration reform, said he's continuing conversations with Republicans on how to resolve the issue and signaled that he's pleased with the direction they're moving in.
"We cannot give up on each other and on trying to find a solution to the problem."
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/guti-rrez-no-middle-ground-between-path-to
What a guy.
How does this make sense? Hispanic immigrants come here because they want the opportunity to make it in the US of A. I'm sure THEY don't want us to emulate the places they just left.
Or are you being Swiftian, and figure if we make it enough like home, they might as well go back there, since they know more hombres and all.
The illegals are quite capable of creating their own ****hole here....look at the places they've left.
TAFBSooner
2/5/2013, 06:16 PM
The illegals are quite capable of creating their own ****hole here....look at the places they've left.
That's my point: They LEFT those places. They wanted to get away from a bad situation, just as you would. They give US more props than some of our own people. All of our ancestors left the places they came from because they were the most highly motivated to make better lives for themselves.
Or they were three steps ahead of the posse, er, the law . . .
That's my point: They LEFT those places. They wanted to get away from a bad situation, just as you would. They give US more props than some of our own people. All of our ancestors left the places they came from because they were the most highly motivated to make better lives for themselves.
Or they were three steps ahead of the posse, er, the law . . .
What props are they giving the US? They are poorly educated, over breeders, most don't speak English, most will be at the poverty level, will be a drain on the nations and communities infrastructures, and, of course, they don't respect our laws or they wouldn't be here.
SanJoaquinSooner
2/5/2013, 08:58 PM
okie, your German is showing.
okie, your German is showing.
juan...Ann Coulter is calling.
TAFBSooner
2/5/2013, 09:58 PM
What props are they giving the US? They are poorly educated, over breeders, most don't speak English, most will be at the poverty level, will be a drain on the nations and communities infrastructures, and, of course, they don't respect our laws or they wouldn't be here.
Gotta make this past tense because illegal immigration is way down since 2009:
They risked their lives to come here for the chance at a better life. That's props in my book.
I'm not necessarily arguing one way or another on how we handle the existing illegal immigrants. I'm just saying it's wrong as all-orange unis to say they are trying to destroy our way of life - they are here to get a chance at it for themselves.
SicEmBaylor
2/5/2013, 10:02 PM
I'm opposed.
SoonerorLater
2/5/2013, 10:16 PM
Population growth doesn't pay for itself. The drain on resources from immigrants of third world countries should be evident. This is why Canada will in the end be a much better country in which to live than the USA. Despite their quassi socialist mindset the advantage of having vast natural resources and a sparse population will be a model for prosperity. Australia much the same way.
FaninAma
2/5/2013, 11:28 PM
How does this make sense? Hispanic immigrants come here because they want the opportunity to make it in the US of A. I'm sure THEY don't want us to emulate the places they just left.
Or are you being Swiftian, and figure if we make it enough like home, they might as well go back there, since they know more hombres and all.
Which Latin American culture should we be more like? Just answer the damned question. It is beyond stupid to think that illegal immigrants are going to come to this country and suddenly change their entire social value system to match ours. So, if illegal immigrants are no big deal and we should encourage more of them I just want opinions on which of their former countries/cultures we should be more like.
bTW, illegal immigration rates had declined during the height of the recession but they are on the rise again.
sappstuf
2/6/2013, 12:50 AM
juan...Ann Coulter is calling.
lol
SanJoaquinSooner
2/6/2013, 01:36 AM
Which Latin American culture should we be more like? Just answer the damned question. It is beyond stupid to think that illegal immigrants are going to come to this country and suddenly change their entire social value system to match ours. So, if illegal immigrants are no big deal and we should encourage more of them I just want opinions on which of their former countries/cultures we should be more like.
bTW, illegal immigration rates had declined during the height of the recession but they are on the rise again.
Is the correct answer Communist Cuba? Must be, since they get instant amnesty and GOP membership the second they hit shore.
cleller
2/6/2013, 08:40 AM
The illegals are quite capable of creating their own ****hole here....look at the places they've left.
That's my point: They LEFT those places. They wanted to get away from a bad situation, just as you would. They give US more props than some of our own people. All of our ancestors left the places they came from because they were the most highly motivated to make better lives for themselves.
Or they were three steps ahead of the posse, er, the law . . .
OK, then look at some of the things they've created here.
TAFBSooner
2/6/2013, 10:01 AM
OK, then look at some of the things they've created here.
Well, I probably live in one. And they've picked a lot of the food I eat.
Are there Mexican crooks and gangs? Sure, just like there are white people and black people in gangs.
TAFBSooner
2/6/2013, 10:22 AM
Which Latin American culture should we be more like? Just answer the damned question. It is beyond stupid to think that illegal immigrants are going to come to this country and suddenly change their entire social value system to match ours.
I reject the damnably stupid premise of the question. No, like all other immigrants, they are not "suddenly" going to take on our values. They are going to contribute some of their own and take on most of our own. Just like the immigrant groups which preceded them. Over time, they will be much more like us than we will be like them.
So, if illegal immigrants are no big deal and we should encourage more of them I just want opinions on which of their former countries/cultures we should be more like.
There is no logical connection between the "if" and the "then" in this question.
bTW, illegal immigration rates had declined during the height of the recession but they are on the rise again.
I stand corrected.
BTW, if we're becoming a banana republic, it's because of the people running the banana companies, not the banana growers.
Gotta make this past tense because illegal immigration is way down since 2009:
They risked their lives to come here for the chance at a better life. That's props in my book.
I'm not necessarily arguing one way or another on how we handle the existing illegal immigrants. I'm just saying it's wrong as all-orange unis to say they are trying to destroy our way of life - they are here to get a chance at it for themselves.
How did they risk their lives?
I reject the damnably stupid premise of the question. No, like all other immigrants, they are not "suddenly" going to take on our values. They are going to contribute some of their own and take on most of our own. Just like the immigrant groups which preceded them. Over time, they will be much more like us than we will be like them.
There is no logical connection between the "if" and the "then" in this question.
I stand corrected.
BTW, if we're becoming a banana republic, it's because of the people running the banana companies, not the banana growers.
Banana pickers rather than growers.
And plenty of American Businesses have sold out the American public by hiring illegals. And our current president tried to protect their right to do it.
How did they risk their lives?
you think they just follow the yellow brick road to 'Merica? a lot of them aren't even from Mexico. that means they have to traverse that entire ****hole just to get here.
i heard a good point about them picking produce. since Americans won't do those jobs, it's basically either import workers or import food. which makes more sense?
Turd_Ferguson
2/6/2013, 10:47 AM
i heard a good point about them picking produce. since Americans won't do those jobs, it's basically either import workers or import food. which makes more sense?
Who said Americans won't do those jobs?
you think they just follow the yellow brick road to 'Merica? a lot of them aren't even from Mexico. that means they have to traverse that entire ****hole just to get here.
i heard a good point about them picking produce. since Americans won't do those jobs, it's basically either import workers or import food. which makes more sense?
Most are from Mexico but for those that aren't they do "risk" instant deportation in Mexico, something that won't happen here in "Merica". For those "others" getting stuck in Mexico is better than the ****hole they left behind.
What risks are there to the illegals crossing the border? What is the mortality rate for the illegals in their noble quest to violate American Sovereignty?
Americans will pick produce for a decent wage. Outsourcing labor on American soil is better than outsourcing jobs overseas?
Who said Americans won't do those jobs?
Americans?
also, John McCain:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/08/22/572803/-McCain-Americans-won-t-pick-lettuce-for-50-an-hour-UPDATED
Most are from Mexico but for those that aren't they do "risk" instant deportation in Mexico, something that won't happen here in "Merica". For those "others" getting stuck in Mexico is better than the ****hole they left behind.
What risks are there to the illegals crossing the border? What is the mortality rate for the illegals in their noble quest to violate American Sovereignty?
Americans will pick produce for a decent wage. Outsourcing labor on American soil is better than outsourcing jobs overseas?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/17/border-crossing-deaths-illegal-immigration_n_1783912.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/17/border-crossing-deaths-illegal-immigration_n_1783912.html
0.11%? **** they are more likely to die just living in Juarez. Maybe we should give these warriors a purple heart or a bronze star for their heroic journey.
cleller
2/6/2013, 11:18 AM
Yeah, Mexico's a great country. Their citizens have a lot to offer. Let them head to any lawful port of entry, and we'll talk about it.
TAFBSooner
2/6/2013, 11:27 AM
How did they risk their lives?
Killed by coyotes (two-legged), or killed by the desert crossing. OK, "Some of them risked their lives . . ." Others paid all they had to coyotes to get here. It isn't an easy passage to make.
Killed by coyotes (two-legged), or killed by the desert crossing. OK, "Some of them risked their lives . . ." Others paid all they had to coyotes to get here. It isn't an easy passage to make.
The passage isn't hard enough or we wouldn't have 11,000,000 here in the US.
Didn't take long for the dems to ratchet up demands on immigration reform:
Patrick Leahy, Fellow Senators Call For Less 'Punitive' Immigration System
Posted: 02/05/2013 6:49 pm EST | Updated: 02/05/2013 6:57 pm EST
WASHINGTON -- Four Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee will call for fixing what they call "unnecessarily punitive" aspects of the immigration system, particularly the laws that mandate detention of undocumented immigrants and allow them to go without legal counsel.
Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), along with Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), will circulate a letter to colleagues on Wednesday, laying out the civil and human rights values they believe should be considered as Congress discusses immigration reform.
"Our laws mandate detention or deportation for many people, denying them access to a hearing before a judge, without guaranteeing legal counsel for those who cannot afford it," states the letter, which was provided early to HuffPost. "Immigration enforcement measures frequently target minority and immigrant communities through impermissible racial profiling that instills fear and distrust of law enforcement and makes communities less safe. Our system is not fair."
Deportation receives the most attention during discussions of immigration reform -- not without reason, given the record numbers -- but the senators point to a number of other problems with the system.
Undocumented immigrants have no right to be provided with a lawyer, and some never become aware they could obtain representation. Immigrants are often kept in detention centers that are prison-like, despite efforts to make the facilities less so. More recent laws have taken some discretion away from judges, who are required to send some people to detention when, given all the other facts of their cases, these individuals could have been released to await trial on their own recognizance or under lesser restrictions such as ankle bracelets.
Among the senators' principles for any reform legislation is that it "[p]rovides for the humane treatment of everyone detained by immigration authorities and ensures that no one is deprived of their liberty except as a last resort."
The letter calls for Congress to clarify that immigration enforcement is the responsibility of the federal government, not of the states. Disagreement on that question has led to laws such as Arizona's S.B. 1070, which the federal government sued to block on the ground that the law preempted its authority.
Leahy, Coons, Blumenthal and Hirono also argue that immigration reform should explicitly prohibit discrimination and racial profiling.
"From top to bottom, our immigration system fails to reflect our national priorities, needs and values," the letter reads. "The treatment of workers of all skill levels, a pathway to citizenship for law abiding immigrants already here, maintenance and restoration of family unity, asylum policy, and proper allocation of enforcement resources all deserve attention."
Read the full letter:
Dear Colleague:
As the 113th Congress begins, the need to enact comprehensive immigration reform has never been more pressing. From top to bottom, our immigration system fails to reflect our national priorities, needs and values. The treatment of workers of all skill levels, a pathway to citizenship for law abiding immigrants already here, maintenance and restoration of family unity, asylum policy, and proper allocation of enforcement resources all deserve attention.
As part of this discussion, we declare our commitment to the passage of a common-sense bill that serves our nation's interests and upholds our Constitution. America is a nation of values, founded on the idea that all people are created equal under God, no matter what they look like or where they came from. Our immigration laws should reflect our commitment to these values. They should be grounded in civil and human rights and ensure due process, equal treatment, and fairness.
When we examine our current immigration enforcement system through the lens of these values, substantial reforms are clearly needed. Current immigration enforcement practices tear families apart and hurt people who know only America as home. More than one in every five people deported are parents of U.S. citizens. Thousands of people, including those seeking asylum, are unnecessarily detained at great expense to taxpayers even though they pose no threat to public safety. Our laws mandate detention or deportation for many people, denying them access to a hearing before a judge, without guaranteeing legal counsel for those who cannot afford it. Immigration enforcement measures frequently target minority and immigrant communities through impermissible racial profiling that instills fear and distrust of law enforcement and makes communities less safe. Our system is not fair. It is unnecessarily punitive and disproportionate.
Our nation has committed substantial resources to immigration enforcement, now reaching $18 billion annually. The smart solutions to our broken immigration system do not require the blind commitment of additional precious resources. The answer lies with enacting immigration reform that is good for our communities, our economy, and our nation.
Today, America is at a crossroads. The question we face is not only how much enforcement we need, but how we will bring our enforcement in line with our nation's values. We renew our commitment to fight for principled immigration reform that does the following:
1. Provides an enforcement process that matches our values. To the greatest extent possible, we should strive for a process that includes a fair hearing before a judge, a bond hearing, federal court review, and access to counsel.
2. Provides for the humane treatment of everyone detained by immigration authorities and ensures that no one is deprived of their liberty except as a last resort.
3. Reduces the impact of enforcement on children and families.
4. Clarifies that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that it should be administered uniformly across the country.
5. Explicitly rejects discrimination and racial profiling.
6. Ensures that all agencies charged with enforcement operate with accountability and transparency.
In this immigration reform effort, we must not lose sight of the imperative to create an immigration system that is worthy of our nation's values and our Constitution.
Certainly can see the logic of this position since we don't deport any illegals that haven't broken the law and school illegal children for free....Oh, the humanity...
KantoSooner
2/6/2013, 05:27 PM
I'm not going to kick in any opinion on the immigration thingie today, but the whole Collapse of Rome comparison is way overdone. Rome collapsed firstly because it failed to develop an economy that could generate revenue to support necessary public functions (mostly a military, roads, ports and other pretty non-controversial things). The economy finally sucked because it was precious metal based (which prevents growth in the money supply) and slave based (which is highly inefficient) and tribute-based (hard to maintain once you clean up most of the locally available wealthy non-Roman neighbors.
And it collapsed secondly due to a failure to completely Romanize the Germans (visi-, ostro- and plain old goths along with the Huns and others). Rome had done a fantastic job with the Celts and had so absorbed such people as the Etruscans that they are scarcely remembered. They has much less luck with the Mid-East and basically gave up with the Germanic tribes. This was a massive mistake not only due to the numbers involved, but also because it left a salient of enemies dangerously close to the Italian peninsular heartland of the Empire. It's understandable why the Romans did this, but it was still fatal.
Our economy is not even vaguely as screwed up as the Romans were in the last 250 years of Empire or so. Nor are the Mexican illegals in any way reminescent of the Goths or Attila the Hun.
The comparison is overblown and not useful.
Here are some fine future citizens that are expressing their appreciation for the country not deporting them in our nation's capitol. They are evidently extremely afraid of deportation.
Today a group of young immigrants interrupted the first congressional hearing on immigration reform, chanting "undocumented and unafraid." They were there to protest many Republican member's opposition to the DREAM Act, and especially targeted Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), one of the 160 Republicans who voted against the measure in 2010.
jnBGKCzpMBg
FaninAma
2/6/2013, 11:14 PM
TAFB, I knew you wouldn't answer the question because you haven't the first clue about the social problems caused in areas where illegal hispanic immigrants have overwhelmed the social programs, school systems and emergency medical services. Like all liberals you consider yourself enlightened even though you personally have never had to deal with the consequences of the liberal policies you tout.
You may consider my opinion stupid but unlike yours mine is based on actual personal experience in a community that endured a mass influx of illegals.
Not all cultures and their values are equal and the fact that hispanics overwhelmingly suppot the party of huge social giveaways is indicative of the type of society the majority of them desire.....which is the same as 90% of blacks........big social programs ladened with handouts payed for by somebody else.
bTW, hispanics rank 2nd only to black Americans in numbers of their race in inpoverty, in prison and born to single mother families. Their culture, like the black culture is not headed in a positive direction.
Turd_Ferguson
2/6/2013, 11:20 PM
TAFB, I knew you wouldn't answer the question because you haven't the first clue about the social problems caused in areas where illegal hispanic immigrants have overwhelmed the social programs, school systems and emergency medical services. Like all liberals you consider yourself enlightened even though you personally have never had to deal with the consequrnces of the liberal policies you tout. You're a phoney and a fraud just like the rest of your ilk.
You may consider my opinion stupid but unlike yours mine is based on actual oersonal experience in a community that endured a mass influx of illegals.
Pwnt...
FaninAma
2/6/2013, 11:41 PM
Kanto, I think you are about to see the so-called benefits of a fiat currency system that allows economic growth based on accumulation of massive debt. And whereas the Roman empire lasted for centuries, the reserve banking system and fiat money system that is overseen by the Federal Reserve bank has brought this country and the rest of the west to the brink of bankruptcy in exactly 1 century.
KantoSooner
2/7/2013, 10:03 AM
Fanin, you can make that argument. I think you're wrong, but it's up to you. The fact remains that the Roman economy was effectively based on slavery and theft. When those two ran their course, the jig was up. It had nothing whatsoever to do with government overspending or immigration of non-Romanized peoples from outside the Empire.
So, the comparison is invalid.
That's all I was saying.
Carry on with the jeremiad.
Turd_Ferguson
2/7/2013, 10:11 AM
Fanin, you can make that argument. I think you're wrong, but it's up to you. The fact remains that the Roman economy was effectively based on slavery and theft. When those two ran their course, the jig was up. It had nothing whatsoever to do with government overspending or immigration of non-Romanized peoples from outside the Empire.
So, the comparison is invalid.
That's all I was saying.
Carry on with the jeremiad.
I got a fiver that say's this is the first time in your life you've ever used that word...
FaninAma
2/7/2013, 10:18 AM
I understand wanting to leave for better opportunity but do it legally. There is a reason we have immigration laws....so what is happening in places like California do not happen.
pphilfran
2/7/2013, 10:22 AM
I got a fiver that say's this is the first time in your life you've ever used that word...
And I got a fiver that says this will be the only time I use jeremiad in a sentence.
Great democrat moment in history.
Then Mexican president Calderon given standing ovation by congressional dems including Biden, Pelosi, Holder, Napolitano for blasting AZ law. (at about the 2 minute mark)
YobJc5cnk68
According to Calderon we are getting his best people...no wonder Mexico is such a ****hole.
KantoSooner
2/7/2013, 10:57 AM
And I got a fiver that says this will be the only time I use jeremiad in a sentence.
Yay! Brewskie on Youskie!
No, I fell deeply in love with 'jeremiad' a few years ago and used it until it grated on the ear. I haven't played with it in a while, but it seemed like the time was right.
It's up there with 'balderdash', 'ballyhoo', 'shunt', 'caroom', 'indigenous', 'supporating', 'candor' and several others that need to be gotten out of the closet, dusted off, smacked on the butt and sent back into the game.
Bourbon St Sooner
2/7/2013, 01:12 PM
jer·e·mi·ad/ˌdʒɛrəˈmaɪəd, -æd/ Show Spelled [jer-uh-mahy-uhd, -ad] Show IPA
noun
a prolonged lamentation or mournful complaint.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Origin:
1770–80; Jeremi(ah) + -ad, in reference to Jeremiah's Lamentations
I'm not ashamed to admit that this is a new word for me.
Mexican students...showing their love for the USA.
LyR6v-I8tG8
California is rapidly becoming a ****hole and they deserve it.
KantoSooner
2/7/2013, 01:46 PM
I'm not ashamed to admit that this is a new word for me.
And 'lamentation' should be included on that list of words we should all strive, hard, to use more during 2013. As in, "The lamentable Texaas Longhorns." Or, "We sat, stoic, yet satisfied, listening to the ridiculous lamentations of the Horn faithful as OU's margin swelled above 50." Or, "Mack's post-game press conference was not that so much as a jeremiad performed in front of the national press. All that was lacking was him rending his garments and smearing himself with ashes."
Can't be a patriot in California:
fl0_kvYO5Hk
The ****hole formerly known as California.
Republicans tone down immigration rhetoric, dash to the center
02-08-2013 12:15 PM CST |By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, Associated Press
LITTLETON, Colo. (Associated Press) --
It was little surprise when freshman Republican Rep. Mike Coffman in 2010 voted against a bill to grant citizenship to some young illegal immigrants. After all, the Marine Corps veteran had just won the seat in Congress formerly held by firebrand Rep. Tom Tancredo, who had pushed the GOP to take a harsher stance against illegal immigration.
The bill, known as the DREAM Act, died in the Senate.
Now Coffman has changed course. He has introduced legislation to let unauthorized immigrants brought into the country as children earn citizenship if they serve in the military. And he spoke hopefully about an immigration overhaul that a bipartisan group of senators outlined last week.
Since the November elections, many other Republicans nationwide have tempered their tone on immigration _ if not reversed course completely _ after years of tacking right to appeal to grass-roots activists who dominate GOP primaries.
On Tuesday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor became the latest high-profile Republican to shift gears. A leader of the conservative caucus and previous opponent of the DREAM Act, Cantor called for allowing illegal immigrants brought here as children to become citizens.
Coffman won re-election by only 2 points and is a top target for Democrats next year. But Coffman says his change of heart is personal: He met a constituent who served as a Marine and lost his legs in an IED explosion in Afghanistan. The man was a Canadian immigrant who became a citizen, and his brother joined the military and became a citizen, too. Coffman also recalls a former Spanish tutor telling him about the lack of opportunity for young illegal immigrants.
"For young people who grew up in this country, and don't know another country, to not be able to serve in the military..." Coffman said, trailing off. He said the broader overhaul "seems to be moving in the right direction."
All this suggests that the Republican Party seems to have gotten the message after its shellacking last fall, though it is still unclear whether softer stances will translate into broad enough support for an overhaul that includes a pathway to citizenship for the country's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney won only 27 percent support from Hispanics and even less from Asians. And an AP-GFK poll last month showed 62 percent of voters want to let otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants eventually become citizens, up 12 percentage points from 2010.
During the GOP presidential primaries, Romney wooed the party's right flank by echoing their rhetoric on immigration and advocating "self-deportation," or making life in the U.S. so miserable for illegal immigrants they would voluntarily return home. His campaign staff later said they regretted the sharp turn because it alienated minority voters.
Now Republicans are trying to get them back. "All of their campaign consultants are telling them that the end is near if they don't change," said Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, which advocates tighter immigration restrictions. He added that Republicans have long-favored a narrower version of the DREAM Act _ formally, the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act _ which would legalize the status of people brought here illegally as children who graduate from college or serve in the military.
The shift has been particularly dramatic in the West, where the most recent wave of illegal immigration began in the 1990s and the GOP's tough response helped drive Hispanic votes to newly ascendant Democrats.
In California, a handful of GOP state legislators joined Democratic colleagues at a news conference last week to back a pathway to citizenship in any immigration overhaul. In Nevada, where immigrant votes have given Democrats a lopsided edge in recent elections, the state Republican Party last week endorsed legalizing the status of unauthorized immigrants.
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain is now one of eight senators pushing for an overhaul, along with Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake. McCain had co-sponsored an immigration overhaul that died in 2005, but he disowned the plan while running for presidential in 2008, and he ran an ad in his 2010 Senate campaign calling for completion of the "danged fence" on the Mexican border.
Colorado, where Hispanics comprised 14 percent of the electorate in November, was solidly red at the beginning of the past decade, when Republicans pushed aggressive measures against illegal immigrants and some Democrats joined them. Since then, the state has twice helped elect President Barack Obama, and Democrats have controlled the state Legislature for three of the last four elections. Hispanics also helped defeat tea party favorite Ken Buck in his 2010 challenge of Sen. Michael Bennet.
Now Buck, well-known for aggressive enforcement of immigration laws as Weld County district attorney, has joined The Colorado Compact, a coalition of politicians, business and community groups that backs a "sensible path forward" for some illegal immigrants.
After years of blocking in-state tuition for illegal immigrants at state colleges and universities, some Republican state lawmakers have decided to support the measure. And congressmen like Coffman are taking a warmer stance toward the idea of a broader immigration overhaul _ though it remains uncertain whether they will ultimately vote for citizenship, the goal of immigration rights activists and Obama.
Colorado State Sen. Greg Brophy has kept quiet as he's voted against in-state tuition in recent years. He's been thinking of the high school students he meets in his rural district who are bright, ambitious and here without authorization. Now he supports it. "It tugs at your heart," Brophy said. "I'm positive I'm not alone in it, given the emails I've gotten."
Immigration advocates are heartened.
"There's a sea change that's happening in our politics," Bennet, who worked on the latest bipartisan immigration proposal, said last week in Denver. "Republicans and Democrats alike believe that big numbers of people in this country want to get this finished."
Even so, Colorado Rep. Cory Gardner, one of the state's few GOP stars, balks at the idea of citizenship, though he speaks forcefully about the need to appeal to minorities.
He said Congress must first secure the border before discussing citizenship. "If you address that first, we can have a conversation down the road."
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Pubs groveling almost as much as the dems. Not a vertebrae between 'em.
TheHumanAlphabet
2/8/2013, 04:15 PM
That's my point: They LEFT those places. They wanted to get away from a bad situation, just as you would. They give US more props than some of our own people. All of our ancestors left the places they came from because they were the most highly motivated to make better lives for themselves.
Or they were three steps ahead of the posse, er, the law . . .
TAFB, you are so wrong... just look at any large city inner city, Houston, LA, etc. The barrios look more 3rd world than anything else. They do not intergrate into society, they stand alone and apart and do not see themselves as US of Americans, they are all about the country they left. Look for their cars, they will be displaying the country flag as a mirror hanging...They will support the home country in foosball, not the US of A.
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