With less than six months to go before the midterm elections, the Decider decided to address the immigration issue. Duke at Migra Matters wrote:
With less than six month to go before the midterm elections, and Republicans fearing catastrophic losses, President Bush tonight took to the airwaves to try to throw some water on the rapidly growing brushfire of immigration reform that threatens to destroy his party. With poll numbers below 30%, a near mutiny brewing from House Republicans, and a loss of support amongst his conservative base, Bush attempted a political high wire act that would have tested even the most skilled political acrobat. For the feeble footed Boy King, it was nothing more than an exercise in futility.
Sad but true, the whole purpose of the Preznit’s address was in order to save his endangered species – the Republican voters. Catnip points out that Glenn Greenwald posted on his site about the rumblings of mutiny (impeachment) within right-wing blogosphere due to Dudya’s failure to protect the US/Mexico border.
Several prominent conservative bloggers argued vehemently in favor of Bush’s impeachment. Leading the charge was LaShawn Barber, who actually drafted articles of impeachment and supported them with this argument:
I believe George Bush’s failure to enforce immigration law and stop the foreign invasion, which he has the power and authority to do, warrants impeachment. Because of Bush, illegal invaders are emboldened, demanding that which they have no legal right to obtain.
While the invasion has caused incalculable physical and economic harm to legal citizens, the president proposes to offer amnesty and allow the harm to continue. To the detriment of those he swore to protect, Bush chooses instead to protect those he has no duty to protect. His actions are in violation of the Constitution.
The anger on the Right over Bush’s limp and fearful approach to the immigration problem is so severe that they are even comparing President Bush to Bill Clinton and referring to the Commander-in-Chief with a highly mocking tone…
With all the political scandals occurring in their party, this is the issue that broke the zombies back? Silly wingnuts.
Beside coming out in public to pay homage to the peoples like a wounded animal hunted down by vengeful hyenas, did Dudya say anything new? Nope, not a damn thing and continuing to hold true to form, fabricating facts.
(Complete transcript of Bush speech)
Lie number #1: Expanding the Border Patrol
Since I became president, we have increased funding for border security by 66 percent, and expanded the Border Patrol from about 9,000 to 12,000 agents. The men and women of our Border Patrol are doing a fine job in difficult circumstances, and over the past five years, we have apprehended and sent home about 6 million people entering America illegally.
Fact: The Arizona Daily Star ran a story about the accuracy of the 6 million that supposedly be apprehended and sent home. According to Princeton professor Douglas Massey, the numbers Dudya quoted are misleading because under the agency’s guidelines, a person can be counted as multiple apprehensions because the agency counts the event of each apprehension, not the number of people apprehended. Another problem about the accuracy of those numbers is when border-wide apprehension numbers bulge in one sector they usually drop in nearby sectors or vice versa, according to David Spener, a sociologist at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX.
As Tucson Sector apprehensions declined by 10 percent in fiscal year 2005, apprehensions increased by 41 percent in the Yuma Sector to the west and by 18 percent in the El Paso Sector to the East. That trend continues so far this year as well.
Borderwide apprehensions for 2005 were only 5 percent higher than they were in 1984. In between, though, apprehensions peaked as high as 1.6 million in 1986 and in 2000 and below 1 million in 1988-1989 and again in 2002-2003.
Border Patrol officials recognize the funneling or bulging theory.
“If it makes it harder for them to cross, we are going to see a decrease because they are going to cross somewhere else,” said Stevens, about increased resources in the Tucson Sector.
Lie #2: Temporary worker program would reduce the appeal of human smugglers
A temporary worker program would meet the needs of our economy, and it would give honest immigrants a way to provide for their families while respecting the law. A temporary worker program would reduce the appeal of human smugglers and make it less likely that people would risk their lives to cross the border.
Since the a temporary worker program does not go far enough to protect the temporary worker, therefore, it will not provide any incentives for the undocumented worker to come forward. Second, what immigrant would rather return home and face hunger, poverty, and unemployment. It is easier for them to continue to stay within the black market. And third, a temporary worker program had already been used here in the US, it was called the “Bracero program.” This temporary agricultural worker program that began during WWII and ended in 1964 was plagued with abuses and exploitation, and it did not provide full labor protections, labor mobility, the right to organize, and a path to permanent residence. So who is going to protect them, they will still be considered as non-citizens without any rights.
Lie #3: Undocumented immigrants do pay taxes
It would ease the financial burden on state and local governments, by replacing illegal workers with lawful taxpayers. And above all, a temporary worker program would add to our security by making certain we know who is in our country and why they are here.
…
I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law to pay their taxes to learn English and to work in a job for a number of years.
Fact: Undocumented immigrants pay taxes, in fact, they pay for Medicare, Social Security and personal income taxes. Yet, nativists like Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO), have popularized the notion that “illegal aliens” are a colossal drain on the nation’s hospitals, schools and welfare programs — consuming services that they don’t pay for. After the 1996 welfare reform bill passed, it disqualified Undocumented immigrants from being able to use all Federal government programs including food stamps, housing assistance, Medicaid and Medicare-funded hospitalization.
The only services that undocumented are allowed to receive are emergency medical care and K-12 education. Another fact is that state revenues are collected directly by households and these include gross income tax, sales and use tax, motor vehicle fees, motor vehicle taxes, alcoholic beverage tax, cigarette tax, inheritance/estate transfer tax, business personal property tax, and the realty transfer tax and 25% come from the corporate sector. When ever an undocumented enters a store and purchase groceries, taxes have been paid.
In regards to education, state expenditures on public elementary and secondary education equal the sum of the state’s contribution to per pupil expenditures in a school district plus the average per pupil share of state costs on general education administration and support services. The state share to an area’s school district budget varies according to the resources available to the district. n general, the fraction of per pupil expenditure paid by the state varies inversely with the property tax collected by the school district. Average per pupil expenditure for each student is found by taking a weighted average of the per pupil expenditure of each school district by the average daily enrollment (ADE) figures reported by school districts to compute a district-wide average share of public schooling costs. The average per pupil expenditure and the average fraction for which the state is responsible yields a dollar figure for the state’s elementary and secondary costs per pupil. This dollar figure is then allocated to every child, between 6 to 17 years old, who lives in the district and those who are enrolled which indicates “in public school.” The state incurs additional costs for general education administration and management that are not part of a school district’s per pupil expenditures. Additional education costs are incurred by limited English proficient (LEP) students who are eligible for special education services such as remedial skills and bilingual education programs. There is no satisfactory way to break out bilingual education costs without making gross assumptions about relative school district participation in these state programs. Per pupil expenditures are higher in school districts located in urban areas than in the surrounding school districts, partly reflecting the higher cost of education for LEP pupils. And remember that includes every student. It is hard to tell how many Spanish speaking students a school will have before funds are allocated.
Lie #4: Electronic employer verification system will make it hard to find work
Yet businesses often cannot verify the legal status of their employees, because of the widespread problem of document fraud. Therefore, comprehensive immigration reform must include a better system for verifying documents and work eligibility. A key part of that system should be a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. This card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to make it tamper-proof. A tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law and leave employers with no excuse for violating it. And by making it harder for illegal immigrants to find work in our country, we would discourage people from crossing the border illegally in the first place.
Fact: The system would require verification from two federal agencies; the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) according to the three proposed bills – EEVS (Electronic Employer Verification System) in the Senate bill, the BEVP (Basic Employer Verification Program) House version, and NEECS (New Employment Eligibility Confirmation System) that was proposed in the failed McCain/Kennedy Bill. Considering Dudya asked for, one of those measures will be included in the final bill and it will affect everybody.
In August 2005, the Government Accountability Office reviewed that program and found:
Even with a strengthened employment verification process, a credible worksite enforcement program is needed because no verification process is foolproof and not all employers may want to comply with the law. … [E]mployers, particularly those not located at or near critical infrastructure sites, who attempt to circumvent IRCA face less of a likelihood that ICE will investigate them for failing to comply with the current employment verification process or knowingly hiring unauthorized
workers. … In addition, given ICE’s limited resources and competing priorities for those resources, additional output goals and measures are needed to help ICE track the progress of its worksite enforcement efforts, effectively determine the resources needed to meet worksite enforcement program goals, and ensure that program resources are used efficiently and effectively.
Kerry Howley for Reason wrote a great summary regarding the consequences this system will have throughout the country.
Lie #5 The whole English BS
Americans are bound together by our shared ideals, an appreciation of our history, respect for the flag we fly, and an ability to speak and write the English language. English is also the key to unlocking the opportunity of America.
Here is the deal, the whole English only thing is bullshit and I will tell you why. While everybody is yappying people forget there are more than 50 states, we do have territories.
We only list the main ones, insular areas
Puerto Rico – The official languages of the island are Spanish and English. Spanish is the primary language in government; English is taught as a foreign language in schools. In 1991, Governor Rafael Hernández Colón signed a law declaring Spanish as the sole official language of the island’s government. Upon signing this law into effect, English had lost its status as an official second language. in 1993, Governor Pedro Rosselló (PNP AKA Rethug) overturned the law and re-established English as an official language. This was seen by many as a move by the pro-statehood governor to move the island closer to statehood, something that never came about under his two consecutive four-year terms.
Northern Mariana Islands – Languages: English, Chamorro, Carolinian, Chinese, Tagalog note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
American Samoa – Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2% note: most people are bilingual (2000 census)
Guam – Languages: English 38.3%, Chamorro 22.2%, Philippine languages 22.2%, other Pacific island languages 6.8%, Asian languages 7%, other languages 3.5% (2000 census)
note: Although the English language and Japanese language are commonplace on both Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, people still use the Chamorro language. Chamorro is also used in mainland United States by immigrants and some of their descendants.
Are we suppose to force these places speak English, are are as American as those who live here in the Main land.
Besides twisting his facts, Dudya also did a lot of Orwellian doublespeak. Dudya talks about sending 6,000 National Guard troops to the border, yet, he says “The United States is not going to militarize the southern border.” He goes on to say “Mexico is our neighbor and friend,” yet, “the border should … shut to illegal immigrants, as well as criminals, drug dealers and terrorists.” And best one of all, “There is a rational middle ground between granting an automatic path to citizenship for every illegal immigrant, and a program of mass deportation.”
If there is something that needs be decoded in his speech, it was at the end of his speech.
During the liberation of Iraq, Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean was seriously injured. When asked if he had any requests, he made two a promotion for the corporal who helped rescue him and the chance to become an American citizen. And when this brave Marine raised his right hand, and swore an oath to become a citizen of the country he had defended for more than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.
…
We will always be proud to welcome people like Guadalupe Denogean as fellow Americans. Our new immigrants are just what they have always been people willing to risk everything for the dream of freedom.
Bush was not talking about the risks this immigrants face as they cross the border. Yes, immigrants are willing to risk everything, even if it means being a solider in BushCo’s war to have an opportunity to be an American citizen. Ever since Dudya signed an Executive Order 13269, there really was no need for a military draft, the executive order has a provided a fast track for every non-citizen to become citizens for severing in BushCo’s war, without worry of deportation.
The War on Terrorism has led to changes in the immigration laws and regulations that greatly benefit soldiers and their spouses. First, active duty soldiers who are not U.S. citizens are now immediately eligible to apply for naturalization. Second, conditional lawful permanent resident alien spouses of soldiers who are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom may request that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) extend their conditional status for one year, and in six-month increments thereafter, until their spouses return from abroad.
On 3 July 2002, President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13,269, (1) expediting the naturalization of aliens (2) and noncitizen nationals (3) serving in an active duty status (4) during the War on Terrorism. This executive order made all aliens and noncitizen nationals serving honorably on active duty between 11 September 2001 and a future date, to be determined by executive order, eligible for immediate naturalization under section 329 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act. (5) This authority does not require a period of residence or any specified period of physical presence in the United States before the soldier’s application for naturalization. (6) The soldier must show, however, that for at least one year before filing for naturalization, he or she has been, and continues to be: (1) of good moral character; (2) attached to the principles of the Constitution; and (3) favoring the good order and happiness of the United States.
Preferential access to citizenship for those who serve in the military is not unusual. However, it is how Dudya views the relationship between citizenship and military service that makes it more sinister. There is nothing wrong linking citizenship and responsibility for military service, but, Dudya’s idea that a civil-military relationship is defined by political partisanship, moral superiority, and constitutional resistance is what makes his rhetoric sinister. One cannot place degrees of citizenship (face deportation or serve in the military) on the basis of parameters that undermine the constitutional and professional ethic of the military’s political neutrality.
As of April 2003, there were 68,826 foreign-born, both naturalized citizens and non-citizens, individuals who are also risking everything to fight in BushCo’s war.
So once again, Dudya tries to pull a fast one, hoping his base is dumb enough to believe it until election day in November.
Read and Rec’d – thank you!!!
Thank you, indeed, XicanoPwr. This was an amazingly comprehensive, brilliantly conceived diary. Thank you for educating us so well.
Even if you don’t leave the borders of the fifty United States you find an amazing diversity of languages. Granted, English holds sway in business and government, but go out into the street and just listen.
Take Hawaii, for example, where there is a strong movement afoot to restore the Hawai’ian language. It is being taught in schools and to children who will grow up bilingual.
Alaska has a number of languages spoken by the First Nations people that still live much as their ancestors have done for generations.
Down here, when I ride the bus to work it’s a rare day when I don’t hear a few languages other than English. Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Spanish, and Thai are in the mix. I sat across from a woman today who was reading a novel printed in Russian. (At least the cover said “СПЕКТР” — “Spectre” — and while I suppose the novel could have been Bulgarian or Ukranian, Russian is my guess.) Local government flyers for social services and the like are printed in Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Korean, at least.
And that’s just in my part of the country. FSM only knows what it’s like in other places like New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago or San Francisco.
We are a polyglot nation. But then Himself chooses to ignore reality in pursuit of whatever it is the voices tell him to do. Why should this be any different?
Dude, like have you ever heard those people from the South? Like, really, what are they saying?? š
Some are saying we’re liberal progressive ya’ll. š
In fact, i should have used this arguement.
Learning English is not really the problem, I was an ESL teacher and believe me, they really do want to learn English. The true problem is the right wing nut house and their message. They make the undocumented look like they never want to learn English. Before I was laid off, the non-profit center I worked at had two locations for ESL, we ran it like a college quarter system and each time we would enroll, the lines would be long. At one of the locations, potential students would arrive in the middle of the night just to be able to get a seat.
But here is the problem, imagine you just came here, no money but you need to work to survive if not you might as well have stayed back in your home country. The ESL classes are nothing be water down classes that have students worried about verb tenses that we English speaking people have forgotten, unless your a English teacher. It will take about a maximum of 4 years (depending on your knowledge of English) to complete ESL. And another 4 years for Adult Education and maybe your GED. That is 8 yrs for two adults with children to learn English here. Can you – who just arrived – maintain a family with an income below poverty, work hours that change constantly and go to class. Some students have to drop because their employers don’t allow them to take off early or re-do their schedule to accommodate.
So why is it that big corporations send their employees to intensive immersion programs learn another language, yet, here we have to teach them our 12 years of schooling.
When I taught, there wasn’t any paper work to do. Now, the paper work ESL teachers have to do is compare to regular school teachers and they get very little pay.
So forcing them to go when their is no day care no guarantee of job security is not than answer. We need to give them a break on this English only. If people feel more secured by making English an official language, fine do it, but look at Puerto Rico, they still conduct business in Spanish and the border towns will do the same.
And here’s another kicker about English for non-English speakers: the general reduction of funding for public education has meant the cut-off of “unnecessary” adult education programs – like those for teaching English to non-English speakers.
Locally, for example, the English classes for adults have been canceled in the Hamtramck School District. No money. Yet Hamtramck, of great Polish fame, is actually a little U.N. – so many different nations represented.
In one of my own classes this past semester, I had by count at least 22 different first languages among the 300+ students in my introductory class. Some took my class by studying with a English-Their Own Language Dictionary in hand.
And these students definitely paid taxes! Virtually all worked at least part-time; many full-time. They were serious students, helping grow a local economy that is in the pits.
I look for Neil Bush’s company to set up software to teach English and the “correct” history and appreciation of American culture and government to those who want citizenship. . .
Thank you for bringing up the funding issue. The funding is getting smaller and smaller.
It is easy to just say English only and talk about how bad it is to be on the telephone and go through the menu, I too don’t like too, but I am willing to give and take, knowing how hard it is for them to get into some English class.
I’m an immigration lawyer and a bleeding-heart advocate of immigrants. I believe all human beings have a God-given right to travel and work. I’ve done my best to help immigrants to the United States for more than 20 years. I believe we should have open borders, except for criminals. The United States had TOTALLY open borders until the 1870s, and almost completely open borders until the 1920s. We should go back to that policy.
Of course, I have a LOT more to say on all of that.
I just want to comment respectfully that I sort of disagree with you on the English issue. I’ll stop there.
On which part of the English issue?
If you are talking about the phone comment, that is my fault I should have explained it a bit more, but it was late, at least for me. I really don’t have a problem with language issue, hell, my own grandparents did not speak English, they rather watch TV in Spanish and converse in Spanish. My Great Grandmother who passed away last year at the age of 103 and she didn’t even know a word of English. When I said that I didn’t like the wait, it is a hassle as it goes through the whole menu option or as it goes through the whole the same message over again in three different languages. But I am not going to force people to learn a language in an instant so the whole menu option can be made in English so I can shorten my wait time, that is pretty selfish, IMO.
This is give and take I am talking about. Is this the issue you disagreed with me? If not, could you let me know, so we continue the dialogue. Maybe I missed something that I further need to be enlightened.
Besides people are still going to complain, the menu option is too long, it takes forever to speak to a live person. People are never satisfied.
Nor do I think we should force them to learn English. There are many enclaves in this country that continue speaking their native language and they are surving with no interference from the English only apologist and the funny thing, nor do the English only apologist know about them.
The only reason English only has been made an issue is because the racist pigs have made it an issue and they have framed the issue so well, that it has spilled over to the liberal side and now it has been made into a hugh issue. And some folks have actually bought into the argument.
But here is the deal, even if this country did force everybody to speak in English, we will always have this so-called language barrier, things will not change, companies still have to accomodate to the newly arrived immigrants. And with temporary worker program, they will have to go home, so a whole new batch of immigrants will come, what then? The only way English will be spoken here, is if the borders will be closed, nobody comes in. And this is what these racist pigs are hoping to achieve.
I would love to hear your argument for open borders. I only ask that because I believe in it too, but I don’t think truthiness makes a good argument. And you did sort of leave the door open, so I am asking if you could share your opinion on this issue, so I could also present it in future discussions.
Hi. My argument for open borders is simple. I really do believe that all people have God-given rights to work and travel, so I believe all border restrictions are illegitimate. It’s mainly a theological argument. Respect for foreigners is one of the major big themes of scripture (Jewish, Christian, Muslim and also other kinds of scripture such as Ba’hai).
Contrary to almost everybody, I don’t think open borders would have all that big an impact. Most people don’t go to the huge trouble it takes to immigrate. Those who do go to that trouble are usually valuable additions to the commonwealth.
As for the English issue, I think a country needs a common language in order for people to feel that they belong to the same society. Leaving aside the special situation of certain territories, in the 50 states I think governmental functions should be entirely in English, and I also think the government should offer all kinds of free English classes and free interpreters for important things like courts and administrative tribunals. I understand very well that this causes trouble for some people, but in the long run I think it’s best for everybody. I’ve thought this way for decades.
Whenever this issue comes up, I think of stories I’ve read about the California schools, where supposedly they try to hold classes in more than 100 languages. I think that approach tends toward madness, social disintegration, and impossibility.
On the other hand, whereas it’s clearly impossible, in my view, for government to operate in all possible languages, there may be special situations where it makes sense to add another language or two, such as Spanish in areas where the Spanish-speaking population is above a certain number, or such as the use of Japanese on airport light rail in Seattle.
I don’t have anything against Spanish or any other language, and I don’t feel terribly strongly about this issue.
Domain Name – army.mil (Military)
ISP – USAISC-CECOM
Visit Length – 21 minutes 17 seconds
Looks like CECOM are data mining again….Gitmo….here I a come.
Is there a lawyer in house?
Great diary as always and recommended..if I haven’t mentioned it, your diaries are always a save for me.
Nice deconstruction of many points of bush’s idiotic speech which said nothing new and was pretty much a waste of time(as usual)…not only to the left but to the right. He managed to appease no one, also not surprising given the incredible racism on the right and some from the left.
The discussion about the English language continues to be one of those hot button issues which detracts completely from the real issues of surrounding immigration.
As has been mentioned learning English takes time and when you add the fact that states have cut funding for English classes to be taught you’ve have recipe for disaster and more fear mongering. It also might be of interest to note that until around the 1980’s the other predominant language besides English spoken here was French-yes that’s right French. There are 4 states that have many French speaking Americans-not immigrants but Americans. Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. In fact in Maine there are at least 10 towns that up to 70% of the citizens there still speak French(how unAmerican right).
It was after the 1980’s with the influx of more immigrants coming in from Mexico, Latin American countries that Spanish took over as the most predominant second language being spoken here.
Thank you.
Damn French, thank God we changed the name of French Fries to Freedom Fries….lol
I even remember Japanese was the in thing to talk, hell, I even took a informal class. Don’t ask me to say thing, I didn’t do so well.
Besides Spanish is the second common language in the world, next to English. So why not learn both, oh yeah, we don’t want to give in to the invaders demands.
My feeling on speaking another language has always been that it would be a really great thing..and have wondered why that isn’t pushed more in our education system starting in grade school. Just seems like knowing another language is always a plus-stupid me I guess to even think that is some crazy whacko unpatriotic liberal commie idea eh.
I took several years of Spanish at the community college here and because the teacher was lousy I literally no almost no Spanish whatsoever.(even though the teacher’s first language was Spanish actually) I keep thinking I need to find a good program that I can do at home just because dammit. Good because it would be very helpful where I live(central CA. and because it’s a good mind exersize)