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The Civil and Human "Right" to American Citizenship
Townhall.com ^ | April 27, 2013 | Carol Platt Liebau

Posted on 04/27/2013 9:30:41 AM PDT by Kaslin

In Eric Holder's America, there's no Constitutional right to gun ownership, no right to life for the unborn, no right of conscience for Catholics (or other people of faith) who disagree with elements of ObamaCare . . . but there is a "right to citizenship" as a matter of "civil and human rights" for illegal aliens.

Witness Holder's newest utterance, offered in a major-league suck up speech to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund:

Holder calls amnesty a "civil right"

"Creating a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in this country is essential. The way we treat our friends and neighbors who are undocumented – by creating a mechanism for them to earn citizenship and move out of the shadows – transcends the issue of immigration status. This is a matter of civil and human rights. It is about who we are as a nation. And it goes to the core of our treasured American principle of equal opportunity." (emphasis added)

His invocation of "civil and human rights" as a justification for legislation offeriing a path to citizenship is entirely incoherent.  Here's why:

What are "civil rights"? They are defined as "the rights of individuals to receive equal treatment (and to be free from unfair treatment or 'discrimination') in a number of settings -- including education, employment, housing, and more -- and based on certain legally-protected characteristics."

So what confers a "civil right"? Well, the Constitution can.  But nowhere does it require the government to extend citizenship to anyone who wants it, based only on their presence in the country and/or their wish to get it.  Read it and see.  Obviously, if it had, that would mean every law restricting any immigration at all that we've had since our founding was unconstitutional and hence invalid.

So where else can we go to find a legal source for a "civil right"? "Most laws guaranteeing and regulating civil rights originate at the federal level, either through federal legislation, or through federal court decisions (such as those handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court)."  If a path to citizenship were already a "civil right" -- i.e. secured by federal legislation -- there'd be no need for legislation to establish it.  Likewise, if the Supreme Court had "found" a new "right" to citizenship for all, federal legislation wouldn't be necessary.  Holder argues, in essence, that we need legislation to secure a right that's already been secured. Anyone else detect a whiff of circularity to his argument here?

What about "human rights"? Well, the august office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nation defines "human rights" as "rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status." Under this definition, there might be a "human right" to citizenship in some country.  But there isn't a "human right" to citizenship in any country where one wishes to have it, or else every law regulating immigration all over the world is invalid.  Clearly, there's no entitlement to citizenship in the USA . . . especially when one's method of entering it -- or continued residence in it --demonstrates a clear contempt for its laws.

"Human rights" are generally understood to encompass freedom from harassment or other mistreatment based on one's (non-dangerous) beliefs or immutable characteristics.  By that definition, it would seem that illegal immigrants in the US are doing rather well -- especially given that the Obama USDA is actively advising people they needn't be citizens of this country in order to enjoy its government (i.e. taxpayer-funded) benefits. 

Eric Holder has long been an embarassment and a disgrace as this nation's attorney general. Obviously, he invoked the specter of "civil and human rights" in an effort to imbue his message with a moral force that it otherwise lacks.  But you can't make things up just because they sound good to you, especially in high government office. It's always painful to wonder whether the nation's highest law enforcement officer simply doesn't understand what he's saying -- or simply doesn't care whether it's true. 


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: amnesty; constitution; ericholder; illegalaliens

1 posted on 04/27/2013 9:30:41 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Obama, Biden, Holder, Napolitano & Co. specializing in treason for hire.


2 posted on 04/27/2013 9:36:48 AM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Kaslin

Devaluing the American Dollar to devaluing the American Citizenship.


3 posted on 04/27/2013 9:38:57 AM PDT by OneWingedShark (Q: Why am I here? A: To do Justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God.)
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To: Kaslin

Holder must be smoking some bad ****. There is not “human right” to American citizenship. I wish the boy could show me in writing where he thinks that there is.


4 posted on 04/27/2013 9:40:53 AM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (I got expelled from the "fundamental transformation" indoctrination center.)
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To: Kaslin
For the Marxists in Washington (and around the world) there is no such thing as constitutional rights...only government allowed rights. Obama's administration is glaring proof of their intentions.

Marxists can easily hold two opposing opinions in their head at the same time and believe in them both equally..for example Obama bemoaning the death of children in the Boston massacre and calling God's blessing on the abortion clinics. Holder is no exception, neither are Sebelius, Axelrod or Jarrett.

5 posted on 04/27/2013 9:47:58 AM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: Kaslin

If everyone has the right to American citizenship then there’s no such thing as the United States any more.

Try that kind of $hit with ANY other country.

The USA had damned well better figure out who the hell it is.


6 posted on 04/27/2013 9:48:28 AM PDT by I want the USA back (Pi$$ed off yet?)
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To: Jim Robinson

You said it.


7 posted on 04/27/2013 9:49:20 AM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kaslin
But you can't make things up just because they sound good to you, especially in high government office.

See now, this is where the author gets off the track. Gov't believe they CAN make things up if it supports their position. Things will be so much easier when we understand that individual rights are what the gov't says they are, not what's written on some dusty document by dead white people. There are no rights any more, only penumbras created by legal fiat, to be enforced or nullified as needed.

8 posted on 04/27/2013 10:00:21 AM PDT by ZOOKER (Until further notice the /s is implied...)
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To: Jim Robinson
Obama, Biden, Holder, Napolitano & Co. specializing in treason for hire.

And willing to say or do anything--however irrational on its face; however destructive of the hopes & aspirations of normal Americans (who stupidly trusted them)--which will advance their despicable objectives.

Obama only seems like an American Caligula. If he were merely a tyrant insanely drunk with power, he and his followers would not be so clearly focused on undermining our heritage.

William Flax

9 posted on 04/27/2013 10:04:20 AM PDT by Ohioan
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To: Kaslin

Holder is proof positive the GOP are useless and without backbone. They seem incapable of removing him even after all the stonewalling and deliberate protection of HIS people in voter fraud.

He should be on his knees in prison servicing “his” people instead of in the obomination administration servicing us like a bull services a cow.


10 posted on 04/27/2013 10:07:18 AM PDT by Wurlitzer (Nothing says "ignorance" like Islam!)
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To: Kaslin
The way we treat our friends (nope) and neighbors (no illegals, I checked) who are undocumentedmove out of the shadows (start voting democrat) – transcends (amnesties) the issue of immigration status (which is the COLLECTION of various laws the criminal illegal aliens have violated).

If Eric the Ho had a scintilla of residue that at some point in it's existence could have been laughingly referred to as “honesty” he could possibly utter the above statement with the proper corrections.

Squadrons of pigs will simultaneously become airborne too.

BTW, here is the damn “mechanism for them to earn citizenship.”

Yeah, it is harder than hopping a fence or swimming a river in the middle of the night, then sticking your hand out for welfare, food stamps and medical care paid for by REAL American Citizens.

There is a GOOD reason it is hard.

. The way we treat our

11 posted on 04/27/2013 10:49:18 AM PDT by TLI ( ITINERIS IMPENDEO VALHALLA)
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To: Kaslin

Same thing happened in the Roman Empire. After they were bankrupt the desire to garner taxes from more led them to grant citizenship to everyone thereby dissolving the status and benefits it conferred as many know from Paul’s accounts in the New Testament. By the end citizenship actually enslaved the individual through onerous regulations.


12 posted on 04/27/2013 12:02:03 PM PDT by Sheapdog (Chew the meat, spit out the bones)
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To: Jim Robinson
True, but sentiments not much different were regularly posted here when George W Bush was attempting something similar in 2006/07.
13 posted on 04/27/2013 12:15:00 PM PDT by robowombat
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To: robowombat

We resisted then and we will resist now! Never give in, never give up, never surrender!!


14 posted on 04/27/2013 12:16:55 PM PDT by Jim Robinson (Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God!!)
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To: Kaslin

Two words: Elián González.


15 posted on 04/27/2013 12:44:32 PM PDT by Arm_Bears (Refuse; Resist; Rebel; Revolt!)
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To: ZOOKER

“There are no rights any more, only penumbras created by legal fiat, to be enforced or nullified as needed.”

The perfect recipe for the establishment of “re-education” camps. (Could these people be as potentially obnoxious and murderous as the Khmer Rouge?)

Just asking.

IMHO


16 posted on 04/28/2013 4:42:49 AM PDT by ripley
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