Crossposted at DemocraticDiva.com Quoth Bob Robb: In the debate over what to do about juvenile illegal immigrants from Central America, both sides are behaving badly. I agree with some of the policy points in Bob Robb’s column on the Honduran refugee children situation but he’s talking about policy and not behavior. Now, I’m the last … Read more
UN Report on refugee children fleeing Central America
The least productive Congress ever was perfectly content to allow immigration reform to languish until next year, while they focused on getting their sorry asses re-elected. But then reality hit.
Mass migration of unaccompanied children from Central America brought the issue front and center. A little-known. bipartisan bill passed in the waning hours of the Bush Administration to protect children from sex trafficking is standing in the way of speedy deportation of 1000s of children, according to theNew York Times.
Tea-Publicans demanded that President Obama do a symbolic photo-op at the Texas border that even they acknowledged would have no practical impact. The courtesan Beltway media villagers who take their cues from the conservative media entertainment complex obliged by playing along, e.g., the Washington Post’s The Fix, In defense of “photo ops“, and Arizona’s own media villagers, E.J. Montini, President Obama should — he must — go to the border, and Laurie Roberts, Obama should visit border then visit Congress.
This is why we should never allow media villagers to determine public policy. They are too easily distracted by bright shiny objects, and focus on the trivial and the mundane. They would spend a week writing about and talking about this photo-op to fill column space and air time, and at the end of the day what will the courtesan media villagers have accomplished? Not a goddamn thing.
Do you know what the media villagers should be spending their time on with a laser-like focus? There is a comprehensive immigration reform bill passed by the U.S. Senate more than a year ago sitting on the desk of the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner. He could schedule that bill for a vote today in the House, and it would likely pass on the strength of Democratic votes and the few remaining GOP House members who do not take their marching orders from the conservative media entertainment complex and Sen. Ted Cruz.
The comprehensive immigration reform bill contains provisions to address the current child refugee crisis on the border. Congress could always add an amendment to strengthen those provisions, and if they were actually interested in solving this humanitarian crisis, Congress could pass a conformed bill by the end of next week.
Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) and allies have been working to overturn Citizens United, the dubious Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to let special interest money dominate and corrupt our elections.
Senate Joint Resolution 19 (SJ Res 19) seeks to overturn Citizens United by initiating the Constitutional Amendment process. The proposed amendment would restore the ability to regulate money in our elections.
Thursday, July 10, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on whether or not to send SJ Res 19 onward for a vote before the full Senate. This promises to be an historic breakthrough!
There are four things you can do starting today to help this national coalition effort succeed.
1. Call both of your Senators today at 866-937-7983 and ask them to cosponsor SJ Res 19, if they haven’t already (full details below).
Screen capture from a video by Phoenix videographer Dennis Gilman. Full video below.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness… — US Declaration of Independence
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
— Emma Lazarus’ poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty
… One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.
— US Pledge of Allegiance
It sucks when our national public relations story doesn’t match our actions.
On Monday– just a few days after the US celebrated the signing of the Declaration of Independence– our government released a statement saying that thousands of the unaccompanied child refugees who crossed the US-Mexico border fleeing violence and seeking safety and family members will likely be deported.
This is unconscionable. If we send these children back home to die, we must scratch Emma Lazarus’ poem off the Statue of Liberty and take “God” out of our political speech.
