In today's pages: Independent Kosovo, illegal immigration
Oxford University professor Timothy Garton Ash warily eyes Kosovo's declaration of independence, and cartoonist Nick Anderson deems President Bush's Pakistan policy dead in the water in the wake of the country's parlimentary elections. Former White House science advisor staffer Bruce W. MacDonald and Council on Foreign Relations fellow Charles D. Ferguson take aim at the administration's decision to shoot down a malfunctioning spy satellite. Rosa Brooks points to the military elephant in the Bush administration's Africa policies, and Patt Morrison sprays graffiti all over Mayor Villaraigosa's plan to sell naming rights to public buildings:
Outraged by the thought of the Xbox Public Library? I was too, once. Better an Xbox Public Library than a closed public library. When I can't step into an elevator without being turned into a captive audience for commercials on a video monitor, that battle is over; America Inc. has won. Our leaders like us to be consumers, not citizens. Citizens have rights; consumers just have needs. With the Bush administration jonesing for privatizing, we're lucky to have dodged the Pfizer FDR Memorial ("We have nothing to fear but chronic pain itself.")
The editorial board washes its hands of the proposed Las Lomas housing project, and takes no excuses from Pomona police for overlooking the body of Eileen Nicole Ponce-Orta when they impounded her vehicle. The board also tries to tame anti-illegal immigration fervor before it gets out of hand:
That illegal immigrants living in the United States place an economic burden on schools, hospitals, prisons and other public services is undeniable, but it's also true that they contribute to our economy and our society in myriad ways. Bullying them into leaving is counterproductive and downright mean. It's also shortsighted. Many immigrant families are blended, made up of legal immigrants, illegal ones and U.S.-born citizens. Harsh laws and deportations may satisfy the popular hunger for instantaneous immigration reform, but the result will be a legacy of anguish and resentment among millions of people who aren't going anywhere.
Readers react to Fidel Castro's retirement. Arnold G. Regardie writes:
You could have saved all the ink you spilled over the resignation of dictator Fidel Castro and summed it all up in four words: Goodbye and good riddance.
With regard to illegal immigration, what? Isn't the purpose of all law enforcement action to "bully" people into doing the right thing? Indeed, the sole purpose of law enforcement is to establish penalties such that violating our laws is considerd to be "a bad choice". Virtually every industrialized nation, even China, has taken steps to end illegal immigration and to curtail legal immigration to only that which is prudent, demonstrably necessary, and above all other concerns, in the best interest of their native population. It's outrageous to suggest that America should do any less!
Posted by: Ed Weirdness | February 21, 2008 at 02:26 PM
Trying to meet halfway and since there are 12 million illegal aliens in the US. I am willing to give 6 million of them guest worker status with a path to citizenship if:
1. They can get the rest of the illegals to leave the US permanently
2. Speak only english in public
3. Agree to testify against their employers so that they can be fined.
4. agree to pay all back taxes and bills
Once that is accomplished then they may have citizenship on the 10th anniversary of the day that the last illegal alien entered the U.S.
Posted by: mcMorty | February 21, 2008 at 04:04 PM
• Ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. We must end the immensely attractive incentive for illegal immigration of awarding automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants in the United States. Many Americans mistakenly believe that automatic birthright citizenship is required by the U.S. Constitution, and that a constitutional amendment is therefore required to change it. Although a provision of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution is misinterpreted to justify birthright citizenship, it is not necessary to go through the rigorous constitutional amendment process to prohibit birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to illegal immigrants. Instead, a bill can be passed by Congress to clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth.* A bill to do just this, H.R. 1940, was introduced in Congress last year.
• Rejecting any form of amnesty for illegal immigrants. The American public has already served notice to Congress in 2007 that amnesty is not an acceptable solution to the illegal-immigration problem. However, this provision must be kept in mind when evaluating future immigration bills. Many powerful political leaders in league with numerous special interest groups are constantly promoting amnesty, usually concealed behind deceptive terminology, as an important aspect of solving the illegal-immigration problem.
Nonetheless, the amnesty provided to millions of illegal immigrants by congressional action in 1986 has taught us that amnesties lead to higher rates of illegal immigration based on the expectation of future amnesties. We must steadfastly reject all forms of amnesty in any future immigration bills.
• Placing a moratorium on temporary-worker and guest-worker legislation until illegal immigration has been brought under control. Although temporary (and guest) worker legislation is usually introduced as a deceptive way to solve our illegal-immigration problem by increasing dramatically the level of legal immigration without obtaining the informed consent of the American people, it could be argued that certain very limited numbers of temporary workers could be beneficial for the United States. However, to prevent the deceptive inclusion of temporary-worker provisions in bills designed to fix illegal immigration, Congress should approve legislation with a moratorium on temporary-worker legislation until illegal immigration has been brought under control.
• Defunding, dismantling, or repealing any government program or agreement (such as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, SPP, and the North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA) that would lead to the creation of an open-borders North American Union. This provision is a necessary part of any legislation to fix illegal immigration because our national leaders have put us on a path toward the merger of the United States, Mexico, and Canada into a North American Union (NAU) with no borders between these three currently independent nations.
Since this situation would nullify both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and mean the end of our personal freedoms and national independence, the American people must rise up and block the NAU and repeal NAFTA as essential measures in fixing illegal immigration.
Posted by: Mike K_R | February 22, 2008 at 07:24 AM