Immigration Dead

They are reporting that immigration reform is dead until after the '08 election. Do you really want to wait until 2009 to begin the next attempt to resolve this issue? What's especially psychotic is the breakdown of the votes. The Senate is essentially equally divided if not tilted slightly in favor of the GOP when you count Sen. Bernie Sanders (Socialist from Vermont) among the Democrats and toss Joe "the Schmo" Lieberman in with the Republicans. With Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) sidelined since December with a brain hemorrhage, he does not vote and so the GOP benefits from a 50-49 advantage.

The immigration bill needed three fifths of the Senate (60 votes) to proceed. It didn't even get a simple majority (43 yea, 56 nay). This is being reported as a defeat for Bush, who supported gittin'er done with the immigration bill. He was joined by a majority of the Democrats however, including such stars as Clinton, Kennedy, Kerry, Obama and Oregon's own Ron Wyden. A majority of the Senate Republicans (including Gordon Smith, R-OR) however opposed the bill and they were joined by several significant Dems including the "Dean" of the Senate, Bob Byrd and rising star freshmen Jon Tester (D-MT) and Jim Webb (D-VA), not to mention the Socialist, Sanders. (Lieberman voted not surprisingly with Bush).

Is your head spinning yet?

Reasons for supporting or rejecting the legislation are as varied and contradictory as the Senators casting their votes. Many championed the "comprehensive" nature of the bill, filled with everything for money for border fences and a crackdown on illegal employers. Though no senator would admit it, some oppose a wall because it would dry up the cheap labor enjoyed by their corporate donors. It is also possible that some equate border security with xenophobia. Certainly there are doughy eyed "give me your huddled masses" Dems in the rank and file (or is it forest and meadow) who oppose any restrictions on immigration and anything resembling a wall.

The bill also set forth a pathway to citizenship for millions of presently undocumented workers as well as a program for "guest workers." These were poison pills for many on both sides of the isle. Most Republicans consider it "amnesty" to grant citizenship to any illegal immigrant, despite the fees/fines imposed and English language requirements. Many liberals consider a guest worker program a formula for eternal second class citizenship. (In fact, it makes no provision for citizenship at all) and therefore believe that the bill wouldn't end the current exploitation of the estimated 12 million undocumented workers in the US.

Coultergeist

Several years ago, i coined the following nickname for Ann Coulter, right wing spokesmodel:

"that cynical hairy chested cunt"

Mostly, i just wanted to insult her. I still do.

Some background... It's long been Ann "the man" Coulter's stock and trade to make her money by vilifying all left of center politicians and all who support them. In the '04 presidential campaign Ms. Ann O. Rexia accused John Edwards of using his son's death to score political points, writing in her column that Edwards had bumper stickers with the message: "Ask me about my son's death in a horrific car accident." In recent months, she called Edwards a "faggot". Now that her newest diatribe has gone into paperback, she's doing the talk show circuit. This week, she tried to make light of her hyperbolic bile on Good Morning America:

"I've learned my lesson. If I have anything to say about John Edwards in the future, I'll just wish that he had been killed in a terrorist attack."

There's a saying in journalism, if it bleeds - it leads... so it's no wonder this walking vaginal discharge is being pandered to by the media. Chris Matthews had the Coultergeist yesterday on Hardball as his invited guest for the entire hour. What nobody expected was the live phone call from Elizabeth Edwards, wife of the presidential candidate and mother to Wade Edwards who died in a car accident. Watch the video!

Gay Marriage

Edwards Supports Gay Marriage

... but it's the wrong Edwards [more...]

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"it's something that I struggle with. Do I believe they should have the right to marry? I'm not there yet. [...] I think it's from my own personal culture and faith belief. [...] I struggle myself with imposing my faiths [...] it's just part of who I am." [John Edwards, Feb. '07]

Sounds like a case of 'good cop, bad cop' to me. Members of the GLBTXQ# community can support Edwards for President with a clear conscience since his wife is so preciously progressive.

I suppose we can look to Obama's wife for the same kind of backdoor support.

"I'm a Christian, and so although I try not to have my religious beliefs dominate or determine my political views on this issue, I do believe that tradition and my religious beliefs say that marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman." [Barack Obama, Sep. '04]

And so sadly, i get no warm fuzzies when i ponder any of the first tier presidential candidates. Either they're being honest, in which case i really question their ability to govern a secular society, given their "struggle" to keep their church out of our bedrooms) or they've chosen their fucus [sic] group tested response, and they're sticking to it.

My ideal candidate would say something to this effect: "You know, i've got no problem with gays getting married. In fact, i think marriage strengthens families... all families. But as President, i will not push for gay marriage. As the people's representatives however progress on this issue, it would be my pleasure one day to sign equal marriage rights into law."

Blum's Doom XX

Week 20

Not Amused

Girl's feet severed on ride at Six Flags in Kentucky

(CNN) Louisville, Kentucky-- A girl's feet were cut off Thursday when a free-fall thrill ride malfunctioned at the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom Amusement Park, police said. [more ...]

Again, the real tragedy has to do with the English language and its veritable amputation as it is given voice by the world's largest English speaking medium.

"I seen the car go up. Then, like, the cable broke, I heard 'pwchh' and I heard a lot of people screaming," Chris Stinnett, who was at a ride next to the Superman Tower of Power, told WDRB/WMYO.

"The cable went under the car -- and I seen it pull up and hit a lot of people -- and I seen them bring their legs up," Stinnett said.

'nuff said.

Disturbing Discovery

Renters Find Human Jaw, Miscarried Baby In Back Yard

TOWN OF OCONOMOWOC, Wis. -- A disturbing discovery was made Tuesday night in the town of Oconomowoc. [more here...]
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To me, what was even more disturbing was the interview given by the two cousins who made the discovery:

"We found a baggie. We were like, 'Whatever,' but when we seen the teeth we were like, 'Whoa,' cause they're not kids' teeth, they were adult teeth. So that's when we're like, 'Whoa what is that?' That's what made us call police right away, is because of the teeth." Kevin Brennan

"I didn't know what to think until I dug it up. Then we were just joking around, throwing stuff around, and when we dug the bag up. It looked like a zipper bag. So I squeezed it and it was really soft. Really, like I wanna say it was like blood, but it was just brown. I called my wife and said, 'You better get home, find out what's going on,' and she called the cops." Lenny Warren

Note too how the second clown contradicts the first.

Mystery Solved

There's a discussion over at BlueOregon regarding our Gordon Smith's penchant for fancy wheels. Seems when this Mister Smith went to Washington, he went in style. I snapped this pic of a Jaguar with Oregon plates parked in front of the Capitol back in '97.

The Wall

I consider myself to be a dyed in the hemp liberal. So it rather concerns me that conservative bloggers are picking up on "my" idea that any rational immigration policy must start with border security.

Most conservative bloggers see border enforcement as the priority, an issue they say the president can enforce on his own without having to push a bill through Congress.

According to several top conservative bloggers, Bush simply has a credibility problem when it comes to border security.

CNN: June 15, 2007 [more...]

My Immigration Plan

The immigration issue hit home today when federal agents raided a local business. I am just an ordinary American, but take seriously the proposition that walling up America's borders is not only the most progressive answer to America's immigration crisis, but is in the end the only way forward on this divisive issue. Any resolution seems to be mired in the fact that the natural political groupings (Democratic, Republican) are split as to legalization or deportation. Opinion as to whether or not the estimated 10 million undocumented laborers ought to be allowed to work here openly may be broadly broken down as follows:

1. Legalize the immigrants' status (or at least let them stay for a while):
– Businesses both big and small which rely on these low wage undocumented / under the table workers.
– Well-meaning left leaning types who oppose their exploitation.

2. Send the immigrants back:
– Socio-ethnocentric citizens with jingoistic tendencies.
– Union Democrats who want to better control the size of the labor pool.

To form a coalition large enough to move legislation through the Senate, I propose the following:

Secure our borders. A wall would make for a nice public works project (assuming it's not outsourced to Halliburton). I've traveled back and forth across the "Iron Curtain" in the days of dogs and guns. Imagine what could be done with modern technologies. The opposition from those in group 1 above could be overcome by presenting this as a homeland security issue. Blast corporate America for putting profits over national security.

With the flow of cheap labor reduced to a trickle, Big Money will finally be motivated to negotiate. They'll support an amnesty/citizenship plan and sell it to the American people. (Advertising works!) This would placate the liberals from group 1 and with reasoned constraints on the number of immigrants to be legalized, the labor Democrats from group 2 should also come on board. The only constituency who would remain vocally dissatisfied should all these steps be taken would be the bigots from group 2.

The concept of "illegal alien" is in some sense artificial, yet also a reality of our own making. My grandparents and great-grandparents came from Europe in the late 19th century. Their labor was needed and they didn't need to sneak into the country. A hundred years later, we still have a labor deficit, but we force non-native born workers underground. This is immoral and a national disgrace.

Lou Dobbs has similar views... "Give it a rest, Mr. President"