Conservative Pundit Kondracke Predicts Comprehensive Immigration Reform May Pass in 2009!

Conservative Pundit Mort Kondracke (Fox News-Beltway Boys) says there is a strong possibility Comprehensive Immigration Reform may pass in 2009. The PRO Immigration Reformers have found their Sea Legs with their strong Latino Democratic showing in this year's election and are pushing their agenda with President Obama. Meanwhile, President Bush said one of his biggest failures was not pushing CIR strongly enough and he pandered to the Republican base with his workplace raids, mass deportation efforts and rigorous employment verification.
Kondracke said the ANTI Immigration Reformers will continue to push their so called "ANTI Amnesty" (Mass Deportation) platform, but to no avail. He believes if CIR is not passed this year, at least key Immigration issues, including Ag-Jobs plus, Reduction of the Immigration Backlog and passage of the Dream Act, may be passed in 2009. I agree with this list. In addition, I would add: an end to the 287(g) programs (e.g. Arpaio racial profiling) and the reduction of workplace raids/Detention Centers. For these two, there is no need for Federal legislation.
We will see if my predictions come true in 2009.
Reform Is Coming On Immigration, But Problems Remain
By Mort Kondracke
Given last year's election results, major immigration reform ought to pass in 2009 - but first, the incoming Obama administration has to decide what to do about some draconian policies put into place by the Bush administration. After failing to pass its own reform bill in 2007, Bush & Co. launched a policy of high-visibility workplace raids, mass deportation and rigorous employment verification designed to show that they were tough on illegal immigration. President-elect Barack Obama denounced the raids during the campaign, but canceling George W. Bush's policies could open the new administraton to charges that it's "soft" on enforcement - especially at a time of high unemployment among American workers...
The best solution - as even Bush officials acknowledge - is to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would control the U.S. borders; allow in a regular flow of immigrant workers, especially for agricultural jobs; and identify and legalize the status of otherwise law-abiding illegal residents and give them a chance to become citizens.
Bush acknowledged in an interview published Tuesday that, in retrospect, he erred in not pushing for immigration reform after his re-election and in trying for Social Security reform instead. His Social Security initiative failed and, by the time Congress got around to considering immigration reform, anti-immigrant groups and right-wing radio talk-show hosts had whipped the Republican base - and GOP Members of Congress - into a frenzy of opposition to "amnesty" and insecure borders, killing that initiative, too...
"But given that Congress has not passed it (Immigration Reform), the most important thing we can do is enforce the law the way it has been written, and therefore we've arrested record numbers of illegal aliens ... and we've deported almost 350,000 in the past year. That is a record." Chertoff also reported that he'd doubled the size of the Border Patrol, built nearly 500 miles of fencing along the Mexican border and increased "worksite enforcement actions" by 27 percent - all to reduce illegal immigration and restore lost credibility for the federal government.
Longtime immigration reform advocate Frank Sharry, now director of America's Voice, said that "Chertoff worked admirably" for reform, "but after it failed, what he did was disgraceful. He let the enforcement cowboys loose on residential neighborhoods, conducted those employment raids that mainly targeted helpless workers, not the employers, and terrorized the immigrant community," Sharry charged. He said, "the administration was heavily responsible" for the fact that Latino turnout jumped 40 percent in 2008 over 2004, and went from 56 percent Democratic to 66 percent. In 22 Congressional races where an "enforcement hawk" was running against an advocate of comprehensive reform, the reformer won in 20, according to America's Voice.
The election results have encouraged reform advocates to expect that Obama will push for comprehensive reform this fall. He's declared it a "top priority" of his administration and it was the focus of one of his transition task forces. Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and various immigration groups are holding events this week to press the cause.
Precisely what a reform package should contain, however, is uncertain. Hispanic Members of Congress and most pro-immigration groups definitely want it to include a certain path to citizenship for illegal residents who have clean records and pay a fine. Others, like Rick Swartz, founder of the National Immigration Forum, thinks that - in spite of Democratic domination of the government and the party's promises - "amnesty" for up to 12 million illegal immigrants could still derail reform in Congress. He advocates an incremental policy of "Ag Jobs-Plus" - passage of a widely supported bill, sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), to admit agricultural workers seasonally and let them earn green cards over a period of years, plus measures to reduce the years-long backlog of people waiting to join family members in the United States. Swartz's agenda also would include passing the DREAM Act, allowing 1 million students brought into the U.S. illegally as children to become citizens, and giving green cards to 600,000 or so holders of high-skill H-1B visas.
Because of massive job losses by American workers and opposition from the AFL-CIO, most reformers this year are willing to drop a provision in previous legislation allowing non-agricultural workers to enter the United States and eventually become legal residents.
The Obama transition team reportedly has recommended creation of a commission to recommend solutions to any issues not included in legislation the administration backs in the fall. Matters covered in legislation and left to the commission might depend on how strong 2010 election prospects are for Democrats from conservative states and districts.
Even though they were trounced in 2008, anti-immigration forces are still ready to agitate for expulsion (mass deportation) - not legalization - of illegal immigrants. And they have high U.S. unemployment operating in their favor. So, in spite of his promises and the vote in November, it will still take courage and political skill for Obama to figure out how to do the right thing, and do it.

ANTI Leader Mark Krikorian Says to the GOP it is time to STOP THE HATE!

Hmmm... The ANTI Leader Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center of Immigration Studies and author of the ANTI's "Rule of Law" argument said to the RNC, if they ever hope to gain leadership again, they must change their approach towards Immigration. He says the Current Approach (Hate Talk/Animosity) "is both incomplete and counterproductive."
While I agree the Hate Talk must end (meaning ANTIs MUST STOP using the terms: Anchor Babies, Mexifornia, 3rd World Country, Illeegal Aliens, etc.) and some softening on the judges' ability to allow Legal Immigrants with deportation orders to stay, I do not see changes from the current argument, including no change to Mass Deportation through attrition/enforcement which results in Racial Profiling and Hate Crimes.
The only changes I see he is making is using more politically correct language and significantly reducing overall (legal and illegal) immigration in the future. In addition, the changes he is recommending will be adamently opposed by the many extremist and angry ANTIs who I think will continue with their angry rhetoric.
Readers, what do you think of the changes Kirkorian is recommending?
Excerpts from Mark Kirkorian's article in the National Review: (click on link for complete article)
With Republicans shut out of power, now is the time to take a new look at their approach to immigration, to develop a new and distinctive alternative to the majority party on immigration, what is needed is not so much a reversal in specifics but a different framework within which to fit the specifics.
For too long the Republican story line has been “Too Much Lawbreaking,” when instead the real problem is “Too Much Immigration” — only one part of which involves lawbreaking. This exclusive focus on illegal immigration — opposing amnesty and pushing for more enforcement — is both incomplete and counterproductive.
1. Incomplete because the effects of illegal immigration aren’t that different from those of legal immigration — an illiterate Central American farmer with a green card is just as unsuited for a 21st-century economy as an illiterate Central American farmer without a green card.
2. Counterproductive because the focus on criminality can seem punitive and serve to polarize the debate, potentially alienating not just immigrant voters, who really aren’t that numerous, but the native-born, who want less immigration but don’t want to feel bad about themselves for holding such a view.
A new approach would retain the widely popular, and morally compelling, support for more consistent application of immigration laws and opposition to legalization — but make them part of a broader push for a more moderate level of future immigration overall.
If the debate focuses solely on legality, ultimately there’s no real argument against amnesty and open borders. You just legalize the whole thing and the issue goes away — no illegals, no problem. In the appropriately larger context, amnesty is bad not only because it rewards lawbreaking (which it does), but also for the same reason that the Visa lottery is bad: it leads to excessive immigration. A new GOP approach to immigration would also recognize that there are two components to the debate — immigration policy and immigrant policy, the first governing who and how many we take, the second how we treat people once they’re here...
The ..option .. most Americans (of whatever party) intuitively support — a pro-immigrant policy of low immigration, one that seeks a smaller number of future admissions but extends a warmer welcome to those admitted. Ironically, such reductions in immigration could actually drain away some of the venom from the immigration debate by allowing a more relaxed approach to those immigrants we do let in. For instance, something called “cancellation of removal” can be used by a judge to allow a legal immigrant to stay despite a deportation order, because of hardship to his family. Because of mass immigration, causing the system to be a sieve, Congress raised the bar in 1996, from “extreme hardship” to “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship.” A lower level of immigration, allowing us to reestablish control, would permit Congress to trim back a couple of adjectives, because the problem wouldn’t be as acute. The same could apply to other areas, such as welfare eligibility, where tough standards are required in the face of massive numbers, but more flexibility is possible when the tide ebbs. Thus a pro-immigrant policy of low immigration can serve two purposes — it puts the illegal immigration question into a larger context, providing more than simply a gut-level opposition to amnesty. And it can allow a more flexible and less punitive approach to management of immigrants already here, making a policy that will necessarily involve a certain degree of sternness be somewhat less severe.

Will the Economic Crisis lead to a Military State in the U.S.?

Many of the ANTI and Fear Websites are carrying this article.

I am asking my readers, have you heard of this? Does this mean the possibility of a Military State? What do you make of this?
El Paso Times reports:
Unrest caused by bad economy may require military action, report says

By Diana Washington Valdez 12/29/2008
EL PASO -- A U.S. Army War College report warns an economic crisis in the United States could lead to massive civil unrest and the need to call on the military to restore order. Retired Army Lt. Col. Nathan Freir wrote the report "Known Unknowns: Unconventional Strategic Shocks in Defense Strategy Development," which the Army think tank in Carlisle, Pa., recently released.
"Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities ... to defend basic domestic order and human security," the report said, in case of "unforeseen economic collapse," "pervasive public health emergencies," and "catastrophic natural and human disasters," among other possible crises.

Phoenix Business Journal Reports:

College warns military must prep for unrest; IMF warns of economic riots

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A new report by the U.S. Army War College talks about the possibility of Pentagon resources and troops being used should the economic crisis lead to civil unrest, such as protests against businesses and government or runs on beleaguered banks.“Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” said the War College report.The study says economic collapse, terrorism and loss of legal order are among possible domestic shocks that might require military action within the U.S.

Presidents Obama and Calderon to Discuss Border Drug Violence and Immigration Initiatives Tomorrow

As I previously reported, President Obama is meeting with Mexico President Felipe Calderon tomorrow, Jan. 12, 2009. Their lead topic of discussion: War on Drugs in Border Cities.

With violence spilling over the Mexican border into the U.S., President Calderon should have little trouble securing support for his battle against drugs when he meets with President Obama.

The U.S. leads the World in illegal drug use and gangs/cartels across the globe are fighting to be the primary drug provider. In fact, last month, the U.S. Justice Department called Mexican cartels the biggest organized crime threat to the United States, saying they are increasingly pairing up with the Italian Mafia and other gangs to control distribution in American cities.

Calderon, who has been praised by U.S. officials for deploying troops to fight cartels and capturing top drug kingpins, already won a multimillion-dollar anti-drug aid package from Washington last year. Obama supports that plan, known as the Merida Initiative, and promises to take up another cause that Calderon champions: stopping the smuggling of guns from the U.S. to Mexico, which the Washington-based Brookings Institute says has reached a volume of 2,000 weapons a day. Obama has said that "southbound" strategy will complement the "northbound" crackdown on drug trafficking.

Calderon is also expected to discuss making immigration reform a top priority. While it is doubtful the Obama administration will view Comprehensive Immigration Reform as a top priority this year due to Economic and War priorities, Calderon said he will press for better conditions for Mexicans in the United States, based on respect for their rights and may express concerns over stepped-up migrant raids. In other words, the end to Hate Crimes Against Latinos and the end of ICE Raid/Detention Center Abuses.

I will monitor the outcome of these meetings and report the results later this week.

Reference: Obama-Calderon talks to focus on Mexican drug war

Movie Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

While I do not usually provide movie reviews here, Josh and I saw the Benjamin Button movie today. I thought I would provide my review of this movie because it touched me so strongly. It encouraged us all to live our lives to the fullest and it is never too late to make a change in your lives.
Throughout the movie I went through a range of emotions. It reminded me of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile or Forest Gump. All of these movies had a morale. They had a narrator. They provide a life story or at least a large portion of a life’s story as provided by the narrator. All of these stories left you thinking as you left the theater. All of these stories were very long. This movie was close to 3 hours.
There were plenty of special effects, especially when it came to making people look older or younger.
Plus, I love just watching Brad Pitt. He is a great actor, but beyond that, he has the most beautiful face and body. I know he hates being epitomized as an object. But I, for one, do not look at him as an object. He is entirely and wholely one wonderful work of God’s art. You can also feel he has a heart and a soul and a caring for human kind. Maybe this is part of why some people become actors. They wear their feelings, their emotions on their sleeves. You see and feel their portrayal on screen. He was destined to become an actor and that is why so many people relate to him. I am sure this is how Angelina Jolie felt about him when they filmed Mr. and Mrs. Smith together. She could not help herself but to fall in love with him. And, from a male perspective, I guess that is how many males feel about her, although I must confess. She is so beautiful, I love her beauty and her emotions as she portrays them on-screen.
Brad looks like my grandson. My grandson is 7 years old, but he is so beautiful and handsome and gorgeous to look at, he makes your heart and soul grow just looking at him. I feel the same about Brad Pitt. They make your heart grow and marvel at God’s greatness just by looking at them. But this is much more than handsome. It is the way they make you feel about yourself and the world.
There were some downsides to the movie. Towards the end, when he made a key decision in the movie, the movie almost became boring and foreboding. I did not want to see it end the way it did although I knew that was the way it had to end. It was like a slap in the face back to reality. All good things cannot last. This is what troubled me most about the movie. It took us to a crescendo! A Crescendo!!!! And then it slapped us in the face, back to reality. Back down to the human state of mind. I was almost insulted, betrayed, that it had to end as it did, although I understood why it had to end this way.
This is a movie many people will remember and talk about for years to come. We will see endless replays of it on cable TV. Someday, maybe we will view it in Virtual Reality, sort of like the end of Soylent Green.
Will I watch it again? Yes. But I probably won't see it in a movie theater again. Instead, I will probably wait for it to come out on cable. Just like Shawshank Redemption or Green Mile or Forest Gump. I won't see it in the movie theater again. I predict it will become a cable icon.

Stopping the Hate: Whatsoever You Do...You Do Unto Me!

This winter has been particularly brutal in many northern states. Over the Christmas holidays, many areas suffered severe snowstorms. In Salt Lake City, Utah, the storms left many travelers stranded in a bus station for several days. One man, listening to the news stories about these stranded travelers, decided to do something about it.
In these times of news reports telling of Hate Crimes against Latinos and ANTI Latino rhetoric being spouted (e.g. Anchor Babies, Mexifornia, 3rd World Country, etc), here is one man, Floyd Mann, who decided to make a difference. He opened up his home to 11 Latino strangers in need!

This Mann proves YES WE CAN Stop the Hate through Acts of Kindness!! We should all learn from his example. This story reminds me of a Prayer I learned in Catholic School: “WHATSOEVER YOU DO”

. When I was hungry, you gave me to eat;
. When I was thirsty you gave me to drink.
. Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren,
. You do it to Me.

A Big Thank you to the Indigenous Xicano for his blog about this article.

Stranded bus riders find Utah has a big heart

Updated: 01/02/2009 06:35:48 PM MST

When Floyd Mann learned dozens of travelers were stranded at Salt Lake City's bus station, he decided to provide some help. Mann and his friend Ron Gilder went shopping and loaded up his car with water, soups, chips, snack bars and paper supplies. They dropped off everything at the bus station, where they then found many people had been stuck there for several days. So Mann asked if there was anyone who wanted to go to his home to freshen up. Several people accepted his offer.
That was the beginning of Mann's six-day adventure of inviting 11 Latino strangers into his cozy, modest home during Christmas week. Mann only speaks English and all but one of his guests only spoke Spanish.
Most of them, farm and construction workers, were on their way to visit family for the holidays and to find jobs in Oregon and Washington. But, they were in Salt Lake City waiting for the weather to clear and buses to head north. Some said they didn't even have money for food, never the less for a hotel.
Martin Sanchez, 38, and his son, Juan Manuel, 18, both Mexican immigrants, were heading to Yakima, Wash., and had been sleeping at the station in Salt Lake City for a week before Mann picked them up. He said he went with Mann hoping to get something to eat.
The group at the bus station Dec. 22 couldn't fit into Mann's car, so he paid for two cabs to ship the two women and nine men to his three-bedroom West Valley City home.
There, the strangers showered, washed their laundry and relaxed on Mann's two sofas and the floor, where they also slept. Mann put out a sandwich buffet with soups and desserts on his four-person, wooden kitchen table. Then, he went to buy groceries, including lots of salsa, and beer for the gang.
The women and a man left the first day, leaving eight men.
Mann, a 54-year-old retired business owner who is a self-described treasure hunter, joked he spent most of the time in the kitchen. Each morning, he made the works -- including eggs, meats, potatoes and toast -- for breakfast.
"They all ate very well," he said with a chuckle. "Every day we went to the grocery store, sometimes twice."
Cesar Sanchez, a 40-year-old Mexican construction worker who spoke English and Spanish, was on his way from Topeka, Kansas, to Seattle. He said he was moved by Mann's generosity, especially for helping them at a time when there's an anti-Latino immigrant sentiment nationwide. "Not everyone would do what he did for us," Sanchez said in a phone interview Friday. "They treated us like family."
Ron Gilder, Mann's friend who also stays with him, said it was a challenge to communicate with the guests but added it was an awesome experience. "It was fun to make a connection with someone who you would just pass by," Gilder said.
On Christmas, Mann treated the men to a feast at Charrito's Mexican restaurant. Then, the group came back to the house for "a lot of toasts and cheers ... and Feliz Navidad s," Mann said.
The men were "cordial, clean, honest and respectful," and "we never worried about anything missing," Mann said. One day he awoke up to find them shoveling snow in his front yard, and they continued to ask what chores they could do around the house.
Mann, who has three grown children and married his wife, Tara Lyman, eight years ago, moved to Utah in 2003. He often volunteers, takes in people in need and hires homeless people to work on his house. He's never had anyone "burn" him.
Still, by far, Mann said this "little project" was the most expensive but made for the best Christmas he's ever had. "This one, I won't ever forget," he said.

Josh & Dee Talk: Understanding the Border Drug Wars!

Readers: I am starting a new feature on my blog called "Josh & Dee Talk." These are actual talks my husband Josh and I have about Immigration or Political issues. On this Talk, we discuss the Border Drug Wars.

Despite tough anti-drug laws, a new survey shows the U.S. has the highest level of illegal drug use in the world. (AP)
Josh: I was reading Alipac today. They said Chertoff is planning on sending troops onto the Mexican Borders to seal off the borders if the Drug Cartel violence gets any worse.
Dee: Alipac has a bunch of looneys. First off, Chertoff didn't say that at all. He just instructed the 22 federal agencies that fall under Homeland Security to develop border-violence response PLANs because the drug war in Mexico appears to be escalating, not ending.
Josh: But they said we need to completely seal off the border.
Dee: They don't understand what is happening on the border. What you have to understand is, this is not about Immigration. It's about Drugs and Money. It's about supply and demand! Reports indicate the U.S. leads the world in illegal drug use. Our citizens demand drugs. The cartels are like the gangs of New York and they are fighting each other to be the leading provider. Without the DEMAND, there would be NO Supply, NO Gangs, NO Cartels.
Josh: So this is like the Godfather. The U.S. has a great deal of culpability because without the Demand, there would be no Supply.
Dee: Exactly. Its a very curious thing. There are countries that have no laws against drug use, yet their Drug Use pales in comparison to U.S. drug use.
Josh: So Mexico and countries like Columbia and China are falling all over themselves to be the suppliers of US Drugs and these drug cartels are in an all-out war to gain control of certain border towns.
Dee: Yes! There are a number of drug cartels that are in an all-out war with each other to gain control of certain border towns, particularly Laredo. Laredo is a gateway city, not only into Mexico but into the United States as well. The cartels use Interstate 35 to transport illegal narcotics. They set up bases of operation not only on the Mexican side but on the U.S. side.
Josh: So our citizens are the recipients, the drug lords, the distributors of the drugs within our country.
Dee: Yes!
Josh: And this is primarily happening in US Border towns, especially Laredo and El Paso in Texas, and not in inner Mexico.
Dee: That's right.
Josh: So we in the U.S. are just as much to blame or moreso for our drug problems because we demand so much drugs. And the people in Mexico want to stop this just as much or more than we in the U.S.?
Dee: Yes, especially since so many innocent people on their side are getting caught in the crossfire. In fact, Mexico's ambassador to the U.S. made a pitch in April, 2008 for the U.S. Congress to support a program of cross-border cooperation against drug trafficking between the United States and Mexico. The United States wants Mexico to stem the flow of drugs north, Mexico wants the U.S. to stop the return flow of weapons and the cash proceeds of the drug trade, estimated at $10 billion annually. So far, no agreement.
Josh: Without a plan, the flow is not going to stop.
Dee: Yes. And in the meantime the violence on both sides of the border towns escalates. On the Mexico side, the deaths are rising to the thousands! Poor innocent residents of these towns are the innocent victims. President Calderon has intiated some initiatives, but without stopping the receipt and use of drugs in the U.S, Mexico is powerles and the violence againt the innocents continues. We have to stop the receipt of drugs on our side. Mexico has to stop it on their side. There is corruptness and greed on both sides. We have not seen near the impact on our the US side, but the violence on the border towns is escalating.
Josh: So what do you think the solutions is?
Dee: I don't know all the answers,but one thing that has to happen is, our President should address these issues openly and communicate to all Americans our culpability. President Obama is meeting with President Calderon on January 12. Perhaps they will develop a joint plan. From my perspective, we need to ask each and every American to partner in our war on drugs. Stop the Demand and we stop the Supply. We stop the cartels in their tracks. We make a safer America, a safer Mexico and a safer world.