Illegal Immigration

The Clash Of The Future Now: Arizona As Ground Zero

Ronald 1 Comment

The state of Arizona is a perfect example of a right wing state clashing with the future, and it is now Ground Zero.

This is the state of Governor Jan Brewer, just about the most despicable woman politician, not an easy thing to say when one thinks of Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, but she fits the bill with her words and actions, including her disrespect shown to the President Barack Obama by pointing her finger at him, and lying about it and many other things.

This is the state of Senator Jon Kyl, thankfully retiring at the end of this year, with his former respectable image destroyed by evidence of bias, prejudice, and loads of stupid statements in the past few years.

This is the state of Senator John McCain, once respectable and moderate, but now old and grouchy and ready to take America into another Middle Eastern war anytime.

This is the state of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, being investigated on charges of violating the rights of prisoners and mistreatment of Hispanics, whether legal or illegal, and not caring about image or violations and abuses, as he promotes a “tough guy” image embarrassing to his state.

This was the state of Russell Pearce, who thankfully was recalled by the voters of his state senate district, but was infamous for anti immigrant and pro gun legislation seen as very extreme.

This is the state of Paul Babeu, Pinal County Sheriff, another “tough guy” and hardline against illegal immigration, who is now shown to have had a sexual relationship with an Hispanic male, which has now become a scandal and will hamper his attempt to serve as a Republican in the next Congress.

This is the state which has a state senate which has banned ethnic studies courses for Hispanics as undermining their “Americanism”, and a state legislature which passed the infamous SB 1070 immigration bill now being challenged by the US government in court.

This is the state which has been judged by NATIONAL JOURNAL to have the second most conservative House of Representatives delegation, only behind, regrettably, my resident state of Florida. Notice that I say “resident”, as this author and blogger still identifies as a New Yorker, the state he lived in, went to school in, and worked in, until moving to Florida in 1989. The fact that New York’s House delegation is rated seventh most liberal, behind only Hawaii and five New England states makes this author proud!

Getting back to Arizona, the state, despite these disgraceful “public servants” and legislative record of discrimination and prejudice, is rapidly changing demographically, and can best be described as having two groups migrating to the state over time—older white retirees, and young Hispanics and Latinos, which guarantees continued clashes, but with young Hispanics and Latinos having the advantage for the future.

Thirty percent of Arizona is now Hispanic, compared to 58 percent white, and over the next decade, it is possible that whites will become less than the majority of Arizonans, and this will affect its politics dramatically.

Some think Arizona could go to Barack Obama, in the Presidential Election of 2012, although that still seems unlikely. But by 2020 and after, the Democrats will have a great advantage, as will be the case in Texas as well.

So the white population is facing a future in which it will NOT control the agenda, the state legislature, or the House delegation or the Senate seats. This is the clash of the future, already displaying itself now, as Arizona is becoming Ground Zero in the recognition of the transformation of America that will be national in the next generation!

The Advancement Of Gay Marriage Rights In California And Washington State

Ronald Leave a comment

Events of this week are very promising regarding the expansion of gay marriage rights.

California’s Ninth Circuit Court has declared Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in 2008 as unconstitutional, upholding a district court ruling, and this makes it likely that gay marriage will be on the Supreme Court docket very soon, possibly even this year, already full of turning point cases on the Obama Health Care plan, voting rights, and illegal immigration restrictions in Arizona and Alabama.

Additionally, the state of Washington is about to become the seventh state to allow gay marriage, after passage by the state legislature and a soon to be signing by the governor of the state.

So Washington joins Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and Iowa as states that allow gay marriage, along with Washington DC, and hopefully, it will return to California where it was legal for a period of time before being overturned.

Twenty to thirty years from now, when gay marriage is a normal thing, many will wonder what was the fuss back in the early part of the century, much like when one looks back to before 1967, one wonders why the big deal over racial intermarriage, which was not legal until a Supreme Court decision in 1967.

Marriage cannot be forced on any religious group, but there is no legal reason why gay marriage cannot be done outside of religious institutions that reject change. It is a question of basic human rights, and equal treatment under the Constitution!

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer: The Most Despicable Woman In Public Life!

Ronald Leave a comment

Controversy has surrounded other woman politicians, including Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann, but neither, or any other woman, quite matches the level of despicable behavior of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer.

Brewer, who never would have been Governor without the move of Janet Napolitano to become Barack Obama’s Secretary of Homeland Security, has proved to be the most outrageous in her behavior and policy making.

Brewer re-emerged in the news this week when she confronted President Obama on the tarmac at the Phoenix Airport and pointed her finger at him in an accusatory manner, a terrible moment of disrespect, worse than anything any Republican officeholder has done before. It is an escalation of the total lack of dignity and respect on the part of Republicans toward our President, never matched in American history! If such a lack of respect had been shown toward George W. Bush by a Democratic officeholder, we would never had heard the end of it, but conservatives applauded her rudeness!

Brewer is so concerned about illegal immigration in her state, without any concern for the loss of life of many refugees who die in the Mexican and Arizona desert. She claims that the Obama Administration has done nothing on illegal immigration, when Obama has increased the number of National Guard troops on the Arizona-Mexico border dramatically.

But even worse than her lack of respect for Obama, and her demagoguery on illegal immigration, is Brewer’s lack of concern about the loss of human life of Arizona residents who need life saving transplants, and are being denied those procedures under the Medicaid program, because the governor cannot find funds to cover it, despite the realization that she has the ability to find ways to raise the money if she really cared.

This is a woman who talks the anti abortion viewpoint, but has no concern about the loss of life of people who have life threatening conditions, and should be given what they need no matter what the cost, including if necessary, god forbid, a tax increase on the very wealthy, who would not miss the small amount of extra taxes, but would be able to feel good that they had helped others to survive and prosper after a transplant.

Instead, these wealthy people are only too willing to spend money, as Sheldon Adelson of Nevada is doing, to support their favorite candidate, in this case Newt Gingrich, to promote their own selfish agendas! In fact, if Sheldon Adelson can give Gingrich $10 million for his campaign, why can’t he personally pay for the transplants of these Arizona victims?

What kind of human being could sleep at night, knowing that by her refusal to do what needs to be done for sick people, most of them young or middle age, that she is condemning them to death, as has happened in a couple of cases of a group of what is now 96 survivors who, apparently do not matter, but if they were fetuses, they would matter!

Jan Brewer is a total disgrace in more ways than one, and an embarrassment who should be repudiated by all decent people! And Sheldon Adelson should “cough” up the money for these 96 Arizonans, in what would amount to a “drop of water” in the “ocean” of his wealth! And he could also take a tax deduction for charity if he did so!

Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, And “Their” Concept Of The DREAM Act: Discriminatory Citizenship

Ronald 1 Comment

The DREAM Act has been promoted for a few years now in Congress, allowing the children of undocumented immigrants, or illegal aliens, who came here with their parents, grew up, personally obeyed the laws of the nation, and now as adults want the ability to become citizens, to be allowed that status if they attend and graduate college OR serve in the American military.

The Republican Party has prevented such an opportunity for young adults with illegal immigrant parents up to now, with Mitt Romney coming out totally against any such arrangement until last night.

Newt Gingrich last night gave a qualified approval of a proposed DREAM Act, but with modifications, quickly agreed to by Romney, showing again his constant inconsistency on just about every issue imaginable.

Gingrich said ONLY military service should be used to give such young adults, children of illegal immigrants, the ability to become citizens, and that attending and graduating college should NOT be accepted as a reason for citizenship. Romney modified his hard line views to agree with Gingrich, aware of the large number of illegal immigrants and their children in Florida and many other states with large Hispanic populations.

While it is certainly better to modify DREAM ACT opposition to allow military service as a qualifier for citizenship, it still is wrong, in that it sets up a discriminatory basis of citizenship.

So if someone is born in America, they do NOT need to serve in the military, the last time required being 1973. Why should someone having no control over where he or she was born be informed that he or she must, effectively, serve as a mercenary, “prove” his or her loyalty by taking the risks of military service, and then that person would be entitled to what everyone else is entitled to at birth?

Why is not education that can benefit not only the individual, but the nation as well in the long run, be acceptable without military service being a mandate? This is setting up a discriminatory citizenship, not stated in the Constitution!

With Ron Paul Having His “Surge” In Iowa, The Investigation Of His Record Begins!

Ronald Leave a comment

Texas Congressman Ron Paul has been very appealing to libertarians, and was in fact the Presidential candidate of the Libertarian Party in 1988.

Having run as a Republican for President in 2008, the only repeat candidate along with Mitt Romney, Paul is presently first in some Iowa public opinion polls as the Iowa Caucuses of January 3 get closer.

So Paul is having a “surge”, as earlier Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich have had. Only Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman have not had a “surge’ as the search for the non Romney candidate continues.

So now that Ron Paul is being paid more attention, let us look at the facts about a man who has been around a long time, and has taken positions on all kinds of issues, meaning at least some will be seen in a positive light, depending on the person looking at Paul’s record. But there is plenty to be disturbed about!

But face the facts: There is no way that Ron Paul can be the GOP Presidential nominee, and if he looked as if he was going to be, there would be such a ganging up on him by the Republican Party, which despite its claims, is NOT a libertarian, isolationist party as Ron Paul basically is.

What is objectionable about Ron Paul, in no special order?

1. Ron Paul has in the past, in a newsletter he now disavows, but was under his name, stated racist, anti Semitic, and anti gay statements. While he is not the only Republican to make racist or anti gay statements, the fact that he said them in a newsletter many years ago makes him even more objectionable, since it is harder to refute.

2. Paul is for taking America out of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and all free trade agreements. He is perceived as an isolationist.

3. He is highly critical of Israel, the only Republican candidate to be so, and yet does not see Iran as a threat for the future with the development of nuclear weapons.

4. Paul is for wiping out most government agencies and their bureaucracies, including Education, Commerce, Homeland Security, Energy, Health and Human Services, and Energy. He also would love to eliminate the Federal Reserve Board. None of this is going to happen, no matter what criticisms there might be of these agencies.

5. Paul promotes letting states decide most matters dealt with by the national government, and thinks climate change is a hoax, and advocates stopping interference with religion’s influence in government, including the teaching of intelligent design over evolution.

6. He is a strong believer in pro-life without exceptions; against any government intervention in the environment; any regulation of guns; and any aspect of affirmative action.

7. Paul opposes any kind of amnesty for illegal aliens, any support of any kind for them, and birthright citizenship for their children born in the United States.

8. Paul believes only in excise or sales taxes, and the wiping out of the income tax, and refuses to support any spending programs that create new debts.

Also, a study by a political science journal, The American Journal of Political Science, came to the conclusion that, overall, Paul has the most conservative voting record of all 3,320 members of Congress from 1937 to 2002!

So the attacks on Ron Paul as outside the mainstream, even of the GOP, is rapidly growing!

The Supreme Court’s Political Impact On The 2012 Presidential And Congressional Elections

Ronald Leave a comment

The Supreme Court has decided to intervene and settle three controversial issues that are key factors in the 2012 Presidential and Congressional Elections.

They have taken on the case of the Obama Health Care law; the Arizona Immigration legislation; and the Texas Congressional Redistricting case, all of which have a much greater impact than just the specific details of the cases on their own.

If the Health Care legislation is declared unconstitutional , it will create chaos in the health care field, as parts of the law are already in effect.

If the decision on the Arizona law regarding illegal immigration favors that state, it will create the danger of further spreading of such actions all over, and create new civil liberties issues for the foreign born in this country, and weaken the power of the federal government over immigration, which has always been a national responsibility.

If the decision is to back Texas redistricting, which is seen as unfair gerrymandering, and an attempt to weaken Hispanic and Latino influence in Texas, as well as unfair advantage for the Republican Party over the Democratic Party in that state, then it will reverberate elsewhere.

These three cases are crucial for the future of our political, social and economic system, and will be among the most significant cases of recent times in Supreme Court history.

The reality that the Court could go too far to the right is a long term troubling matter, and also brings to the forefront the importance of who is President in 2013 and after, as the likelihood of Supreme Court replacements grows in the next term, with one to three replacements possible, and determining the long term future direction of the Supreme Court.

The cases also highlight the importance, again, of Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, considered the “swing” vote on a Court equally divided between Left and Right!

So to say that the Supreme Court does not get involved in politics is, very clearly, a misunderstanding of our system of government!

Barack Obama Invokes Teddy Roosevelt And The “New Nationalism” Of The Progressive Party Of 1912

Ronald Leave a comment

President Obama invoked Teddy Roosevelt and the “New Nationalism” program of the Progressive Party of 1912 in a speech today at Osawatomie, Kansas, the site of a speech by the former President in 1910, setting the standard for his later third party run for President in 1912.

Called a socialist, a radical, and even a Communist by many conservatives a century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt promoted a very advanced series of ideas out of office, more than when he was in, including the end of child labor, equal pay for women, a minimum wage, a social insurance program including social security and health care, a progressive federal income tax, and reforming the political system.

His program, known as the “New Nationalism” became the forerunner of much of the “New Freedom” of Woodrow Wilson, the “New Deal” of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the “Fair Deal” of Harry Truman, the “New Frontier” of John F. Kennedy, and the “Great Society” of Lyndon B. Johnson.

Obama talked of the need for a strong middle class and a raised standard of living, and the need to regulate corporations and to raise taxes as other Presidents have done, in order to promote a “fair shake” for everyone, giving everyone “equal opportunity” to succeed.

Obama emphasized that major tax cuts for the rich had led to greater inequality, lower creation of jobs, growing deficits, and the collapse of the American economy in the past ten years. He declared that “trickle down economics” had never worked in the past successfully, and that assertive actions by government were necessary to promote a bright future for all Americans.

He called for more investment in education, research, technology, infrastructure, and manufacturing, rather than in banking and finance which leads to phony manipulation of financial figures and causes financial “bubbles”!

His speech, as usual, was well delivered, and was designed to inspire the American people to take on the struggle that was fought during the Progressive Era by Theodore Roosevelt to promote a bright future for America!

And remember that Theodore Roosevelt was a Republican who believed in the role of government to make a better society, something regrettably not the viewpoint of the transformed Republican Party of today, which speaks only for the wealthy and the corporations, and spends time dividing people and gaining support based on social conservatism issues, including gay rights, abortion rights, gun rights, illegal immigration and affirmative action. Meanwhile, the lives of the masses of Americans who vote on their emotions, rather than their reason, for the GOP, does not lead to better lives for those people!

Newt Gingrich: The Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde Of American Politics

Ronald Leave a comment

Newt Gingrich displayed intelligence, thought, and some good ideas in last night’s Republican National Security Debate on CNN, and over the years, he has been judged as being an “ideas” man who made some major contributions to our intellectual and political discourse. He showed real common sense and compassion about illegal immigrants who have been here for many years and contributed positively to America, a view which will anger many Tea Party conservatives, and probably kill his chances for the GOP Presidential nomination.

But just the few days before the debate, Gingrich displayed the mean, nasty, ugly, divisive side of his personality–suggesting child labor return, and telling Americans involved in the “Occupy Wall Street” Movement to take a bath and get a job, rather than protest the unfairness of our economic and political system.

Gingrich has also been particularly nasty and disrespectful toward President Obama, adopting the “Birther” ideas for a long time, and generally, saying wild, reckless things about many issues surrounding the President.

And of course, his ethics in government when Speaker of the House of Representatives, and his scandalous private life, with three marriages and two divorces, and multiple examples of adultery, also make him look positively evil to many observers.

What seems apparent is that Newt Gingrich has multiple sides to his personality, which makes it easy to compare him to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The question is IF somehow Gingrich became President, what kind of behavior and personality traits would show up on a daily basis. The fear is that he would be dangerous in office, because his behavior would be so unpredictable!

Jon Huntsman And Ron Paul Shine At CNN National Security Debate, And Newt Gingrich And Rick Santorum Have Some Sensible Thoughts!

Ronald 2 Comments

CNN held a National Security debate in Constitution Hall in Washington, DC this evening, and it is clear that two laggards in the public opinion polls, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, shone brightly in the Republican debate.

Both Huntsman and Paul came out against the Patriot Act as a denial of civil liberties, with both warning that losing liberty for security is a bad bargain!

Also, both came out for withdrawing from Afghanistan as soon as possible, and focusing on America’s needs, with Huntsman saying intelligence gathering, special forces, and the use of drones could resolve the problems in Afghanistan, and that having large numbers of troops in a foreign country in the modern world was counterproductive. Paul, of course, came out for American withdrawal from the world, an isolationist nation, which as great as it might sound to many, is totally impractical! Huntsman did not go that far in his comments.

Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum also had moments of good thoughts, with Gingrich arguing that we cannot deport illegal immigrants who have been here for a long time and been lawful, and that children of illegal immigrants who wish to serve in the military should be given the chance to become citizens, in effect supporting the DREAM Act. Meanwhile,Rick Santorum backed foreign aid as important to continue, while Ron Paul called for an end to all foreign aid, not a great position making any sense in the modern world, particularly when foreign aid is only less than one percent of the national budget.

By comparison, Mitt Romney did not do as well as he has in the past, coming across as very hawkish, and hardline on illegal immigration, both views probably part of his plan to attract more support from right wing Republicans and conservative talk show hosts.

Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Michele Bachmann continued their downward spiral, none of them making any impressive statements during the debate.

So, if all things are equal, we might see the rise of Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul in the public opinion polls, as they both stood out dramatically from the other six candidates!

Major Blow Against Nativism: Russell Pearce, Author Of Illegal Immigration Law In Arizona, Is Successfully Ousted In Recall Election!

Ronald Leave a comment

Yesterday was not only a great day for labor rights, women’s rights, and voter rights, but also for the fight against the bigotry and prejudice and nativism of those who have forced through state legislatures, including Arizona and Alabama, draconian laws on illegal immigration.

Russell Pearce, the author of the infamous Arizona law, was defeated by 53-45 percent in a recall election, in which his opponent, Jerry Lewis, a notice in politics, but also a Republican, ran against Pearce’s hateful, bigoted stand on immigration.

Lewis saw what Pearce and others are doing as wrong and politically damaging to the future of the Republican Party in Arizona and elsewhere, and thank goodness, common sense and common decency prevailed, and sent a warning to other bigots that their time of influence is fast coming to an end!