Howard Dean and Chicago's May 1st Amnesty Now rally
I don't think you'll see many Howard Dean posters at ANSWER's May 1st Amnesty Now rally for immigrant's rights with this kind of talk coming from him.
From Todays Wash Times,
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean yesterday called border security his party's top immigration priority for November.Someone tell Duckworth, Bean, and whomever in the 17th, the Democratic Line here.
"The first thing we want is tough border control," he said. "We have to do a much better job on our borders than George Bush has done. And then we can go to the policy disagreements about how to get it done."
Republicans reacted with surprise to Mr. Dean's announcement, which puts the DNC chief's views at odds with those of many Democrats in Congress.
"If Dean means what he says about border enforcement, that would put the Democrats somewhere to the right of President Bush on immigration," said Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican.
The Unitarian Universalist Associations Rev. Sinkford issued a statement in support of immigrant rights suggesting those who want to get tough on the illegal side of illegal immigration are racist.
"We are also called to acknowledge that racism has blinded most Americans to what takes place in our own kitchens, workshops, and fields. For our nation to be whole, we must acknowledge that our lives of privilege are supported in thousands of ways by people whose labor is invisible and whose suffering is hidden."And it brings me to another tough statement from Dean,
"The religious community has to decide whether they want to be tax exempt or involved in politics."Racist kind of strong word for Rev. Sinkford to use when you consider there is a human cost to illegal immigration that might be avoided if we stopped or reduced it. I think there is a place for Faith in Politics. Faith can help shape individual's deicisions and choices. But Clerics can sure come out with a mouth full when they get directly involved.
HT Powerline and Betsy's Page here and here.
14 comments:
We should have open migration and complete free trade and capital movement across the entire hemisphere, just like among the EU.
Not all those who want to get tough on illegal immigrants are racists, but the racists are the ones talking loudest and unfortunately poisoning the debate.
Did you actually read the "human cost" piece?
If so, you would know that the ILLEGAL nature of the crossing causes that damage, i.e. if you would simply make the crossing legal, you could wipe out that cost.
smart man... I agree with you. I don't know how, or if we even can immplement it... but it would my goal.
But the Illegal part is a hard thing to get around.
Dean is to the right of me too here.
I'd be a little gentler with the Church there... they're often muddled but I won't be so hard as Dean.
I know Skeeter.
But if the Democrat's position is open borders, you have a few lose ends to tidy up with implementation.
You best lay those out for us.
And write Howard Dean who seems to be taking the Party in an entirely opposite direction.
Dr. Dean has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease as far as the bulk of the Democratic Party is concerned!
Is he calling for border security to stop illegal immigrants or as an important component of keeping America safe from terrorists?
I think both biracial.
I'm off three or four minds by the way on immigration. Depending on the day you ask me. I'm frankly up in the air on it.
So I'm sympathetic to Dean's inconsistancy with his party.
I do recent getting the racist label tossed at me on an issue where sensible and well meaning people can honestly have views all over the place.
That's a cheap shot.
Wow, people sure are gullible. First off, the Washington Times is not a credible news source, unless you're a Moonie, perhaps. And Howard Dean's stance is absolutely NOT out of the mainstream of his party whatsoever, unless you consider Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid to also be outside of the majority:
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
Immigration Reform Floor Statement
April 3, 2006
Last summer, the governors of Arizona and New Mexico declared states of emergency at their southern borders. I don’t think anybody in this chamber would disagree that there is a crisis at our borders, and that we have to do something about it. We all agree that we need to gain control over the chaos and restore order.
Like many members of this body, I believe the approach endorsed by a bipartisan majority of the Judiciary Committee represents the best way to address our border crisis.
It combines tough, effective enforcement with smart reforms to the immigration laws. It would strengthen our borders, crack down on employers who hire illegally, and bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. It would also require them to learn English and pay taxes.
http://reid.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=253455
Also, there is a huge difference between churches acting politically on issues and acting politically on behalf of parties or candidates. If you actually believe in what Jesus had to say about poverty (and believing in Jesus is usually a prerequisite for being a Christian), you cannot keep silent about the minimum wage or cuts to food stamps.
You agree with Dean on revoking the tax exempt status then?
I don't really...at least not to the extent Dean seems willing to go here...
I haven't seen Dean retract any of this...
I think Dean would find agreement with Krauthammer's solution,
If the government can demonstrate that it can control future immigration, there will be infinitely less resistance to dealing generously with the residual population of past immigration. And, as Mickey Kaus and others have suggested, that may require that the two provisions be sequenced. First, radical border control by physical means. Then, shortly thereafter, radical legalization of those already here. To achieve national consensus on legalization, we will need a short lag time between the two provisions, perhaps a year or two, to demonstrate to the skeptics that the current wave of illegals is indeed the last.
This is no time for mushy compromise. A solution requires two acts of national will: the ugly act of putting up a fence and the supremely generous act of absorbing as ultimately full citizens those who broke our laws to come to America.
This is not a compromise meant to appease both sides without achieving anything. It is not some piece of hybrid legislation that arbitrarily divides illegals into those with five-year-old "roots" in America and those without, or some such mischief-making nonsense.
This is full amnesty (earned with back taxes and learning English and the like) with full border control. If we do it right, not only will we solve the problem, we will get it done as one nation.
Why would anyone read the bizzaro kooky conservative Washington Slimes (let alone believe what they read there)?
Dean is right on with the rest of the Dems -- Harry "The Boxer" Reid said the same thing ON THE SENATE FLOOR the other day. Don't you read legit news Bill Baar? There's no inconsistency -- Dems have been calling for stronger border security for years (from better port security to better border systems).
We liberals can't help it if the radical righties are ignorant and deaf.
Hello?!! We do need better border security but instead of focusing on that we get racist BS from the GOP-controlled Congress.
Why that Republican guy from Iowa doesn't get that I don't know -- maybe he's had too much spiked KoolAid like the other Racist Radical Republicans. (And what part of Iowa borders Mexico anyway?)
Howard Dean's a helluvalot smarter and more moderate than anyone who doesn't really listen to him thinks. Just need to pay attention to what he actually says is all, instead of listening to the media's distortions.
I hope your out there at the demo telling them that True Blue...while your at it, write the good Rev Sinkford and tell him you're not a racist for thinking that way.
Follow the link to Dean's policy on Iraq which sounds a lot like the Administration's too.
We should erase all borders, and let anyone go where they want to. Nationhood is only a construct, not based in reality. We communists seek to end the tyranny of the traditional family, and free women from the oppression of the white male-dominated society. Nations must be abolished because they are just artificial large extended families. Freedom to the people!
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