La Shawn Barber repeats the lie that the Senate bill (and the President's call for a comprehensive bill) is an amnesty. It is amazing that Ed Morrissey seems to miss that point.
A simple look at the dictionary shows that the term "amnesty" is grossly misleading at best. There is punishment for breaking the law - it just isn't the punishment La Shawn Barber wants. And so, the lie continues.
In a way, it has to. The failure to purge Chris Cannon has left the hard-liners in a bad position. They had their immigration referendum in a closed primary in one of the most conservative congressional districts in the country - and despite spending several times more money than Cannon's 2004 challenger did, they managed to narrow Cannon's margin from 58-42 to 56-44.
So, now, they will hide behind a shield of lies and spin, deciding that if they cannot get their "enforcement first" bill (with conveniently movable goalposts), they will sabotage the chance for any bill at all. Chris Cannon has promoted a comprehensive solution. For a look at what he is proposing, click here for a 31-page Word document. I don't agree with all of it. I think self-deportation is a delusion, particularly in cases where the people in question have been here for a long time (especially for cases like that of Dan-el Padilla Peralta). I also think that someone who has participated in the guest worker program and has a track record of good behavior should be given a leg up for permanent residency as a reward for their good behavior (imagine that!), which Cannon's plan doesn't do.
The present law has not been working, and that has been the case since 1965, with the situation getting worse and worse since then. Trying to enforce an unworkable law in the name of "rule of law" is not the answer. The problem will continue to get worse, and the laws will get stricter and stricter, the fences and walls will be built higher and wider (with the only folks coming out ahead being the folks who sell the supplies to build the wall). It is only going to create a vicious cycle. Not only that, the law - and the effort to enforce it - would eventually become an injustice in and of itself (see some of the entries at Big Lizards on immigration and ask yourself if that hasn't already happened), and that only invites further disrespect and defiance of the law.
The longer the right continues this lie, the worse the problem will get. Conservatives are either part of the solution, or they are part of the problem.
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2 comments:
Rush Limbaugh
Sean Hannity
Laura Ingraham
LaShawn Barber
Captain Ed
Powerline
vs.
you
You keep expressing amazement that all these "normally bright" people don't get it on immigration. Maybe it's because you're wrong, not that they're all RINO's, fair-weather conservatives, liars, or idiots. They want something done about illegal immigration. Maybe it's not the something you want (shades of your continual punishment strawman) but it is something.
Has there been heated, slanted, and even disgusting rhetoric on both sides? Sure. But acting like all the "liars" are on one side of the issue while everyone who agrees with you is on the side of goodness and light doesn't promote a solution to the problem.
OK, Robert, you now owe me $2,500, and another $2,500 to Harold.
CHA-CHING!
No, I was not joking about this.
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