Posted on 01/13/2004 5:54:13 AM PST by JustPiper
Conservative talk-radio star, author says amnesty is betrayal of country
In the latest indication President Bush is having problems with his conservative core political constituency, Michael Savage, one of talk radio's biggest stars, tonight called for the impeachment of President Bush over his plans to legalize millions of illegal aliens.
"This is the worst betrayal of our country in my lifetime," said Savage, whose program is heard on more than 350 stations with an audience reaching some 6 million. His book, "The Savage Nation," last year was No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller's list for five weeks. His follow-up, "The Enemy Within," out just one week, is already No. 8 on the list. Both were published by WND Books.
President Bush
Tonight Savage called Bush a liberal and described him as part of the "enemy within" that is destroying the nation.
Savage created the phrase "compassionate conservative" in 1994, a term picked up by Bush during his presidential campaign – a campaign supported by Savage.
"This is much more serious than dropping your pants for an intern," said Savage. "This is a policy that represents a danger to national security."
Savage is hardly alone in his strong feelings of opposition to Bush's proposal to offer legal status to illegal immigrants. A new ABC News poll finds 52 percent of the nation opposes an amnesty program for illegal immigrants from Mexico, while 57 percent oppose one for illegal immigrants from other countries. Both results are roughly the same as when the administration floated the idea two-and-a-half years ago.
But today in Monterrey, Mexico, Bush reaffirmed his support of the proposal, despite its unpopularity at home. He said it could help illegal immigrants "leave the shadows and have an identity."
At a joint press conference with Mexican President Vicente Fox, Bush warned that his government will not allow the existence in the United States of an underclass of illegal immigrants, but claimed again his proposal is not an amnesty. Amnesty, he said, would only promote the violation of the law and perpetuate illegal immigration.
Bush said his immigration proposal would benefit both the United States and Mexico as it recognizes the contribution of thousands of honest Mexicans who work in the United States.
For his part, Fox embraced Bush's proposal.
"What else can we wish?" Fox said at the news conference with the president.
In the U.S., the latest poll on the controversy shows at least twice as many Americans "strongly" oppose the proposal as strongly support it.
Opposition peaks in Bush's own party: Fifty-eight percent of Republicans oppose his immigration proposal for Mexicans, compared with 50 percent of Democrats. For illegal immigrants other than Mexicans, 63 percent of Republicans are opposed.
Bush reportedly will disclose more details of the plan in his State of the Union address Jan. 20.
Meanwhile, the National Border Patrol Council, which represents all 9,000 of the Border Patrol's non-supervisory agents, has told its members to challenge President Bush´s proposed guest-worker program, calling it a "slap in the face to anyone who has ever tried to enforce the immigration laws of the United States," the Washington Times reported today.
The agents were told in a letter from Vice President John Frecker that the proposal offered last week during a White House press conference "implies that the country really wasn't serious about" immigration enforcement in the first place.
"Hey, you know all those illegal aliens you risked 'life and limb' to apprehend? FAH-GED-ABOWD-IT," said Frecker, a veteran Border Patrol agent. "President Bush has solved the problem. Don't be confused and call this an 'amnesty,' even though those who are here illegally will suddenly become legal and will be allowed to stay here. The president assures us that it's not an amnesty," he said.
Last week Bush proposed the sweeping immigration changes that would allow the 8 million to 12 million illegal aliens thought to be in the United States to remain in the country if they have a job and apply for a guest-worker card. The immigrants could stay for renewable three-year periods, after which they could apply for permanent legal residence.
Savage cited a new report published in the City Journal by the Manhattan Institute suggesting there is a major crime wave in the U.S. caused by illegal immigration.
"Some of the most violent criminals at large today are illegal aliens," the report charges. "Yet in cities where the crime these aliens commit is highest, the police cannot use the most obvious tool to apprehend them: their immigration status. In Los Angeles, for example, dozens of members of a ruthless Salvadoran prison gang have sneaked back into town after having been deported for such crimes as murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and drug trafficking. Police officers know who they are and know that their mere presence in the country is a felony. Yet should a cop arrest an illegal gang-banger for felonious reentry, it is he who will be treated as a criminal, for violating the LAPD’s rule against enforcing immigration law."
The situation is similar, the report says in New York, Chicago, San Diego, Austin and Houston. These "sanctuary policies" generally prohibit city employees, including the cops, from reporting immigration violations to federal authorities, says the report.
"These people are destroying America," said Savage. "That's all I have to say on the subject. But you can talk about it. Talk about it while you can – while America is still a free country, because it's not going to last."
Glad to hear that. Honestly. Are you a very happy person? If so, then you might show it at some point. GWB is a great Christian brother of yours (you said he wasn't) and has said Jesus Christ, as Son of God, is his personal Lord and Savior. George Washington never once publicly said that that I've ever seen (a lot of talk about "the Almighty", etc., but nothing about Christ being his personal Lord and Savior). I'd love to be proven wrong though. Don't think I ever will be on this though.
Again, you said that Washington said he wasn't a Christian. Provide the proof or retract your assertion. The evidence is quite overwhelming for Washington that he was a genuine Christian as I pointed out. He did not need to explicitly state Jesus was God. He was not a preacher. He simply lived the life, walked the walk, and talked the talk, and all who knew him closely said he was a Christian. That is alot of evidence, and there is no basis for you to doubt his Christianity whatsoever.
Provide evidence for your assertion or retract it. This is my last request.
By admission, I simply mean he never once claimed Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior. On the other hand, he actually used ambiguous terms in describing God (i.e. "the Almighty") and praised the good morals of the Christian religion but nothing more. There's no evidence to support that George Washington claimed that Jesus Christ was his personal Lord and Savior as you have claimed.
Anyone can SAY they are a Christian. That doesn't making one a Christian any more than going to McDonald's makes one a hamburger. Some of Bush's actions and words are not consistent with his professed faith in Christ. He praised a gay church (oops), and he said that Muslims and Christians worship the same God (oops!). Any excuses for that?
I am very unhappy with the governance of this nation, and the moral freefall into total depravity on every social and government level. I make no bones about it.
Like I say, we have radically differing interpretations of what a Christian is.
I'll say, since I am not willing to spend the time to find better quotes, George Washington did not explicitly say (that I can find at this time) that he did not believe Jesus Christ was God, his Lord and Savior. His never having made this claim publicly, I don't see why I would believe that he believed it to be the case though. Piety is nice. It's not Christianity though. Oh, and others who claim certain people are "Christians" often have very loose definitions of this term as well. This is nothing new.
More dancing and squirming. An admission is the act of admitting or stating something. So to say that Washington was "not a Christian by his own admission" is to say that Washington explicitly said he was not a Christian.
Yes, but most Christians then went on to talk about Jesus Christ as their personal Savior well. Washington didn't.
That's true. I'll retract that. No reason to believe Washington was a Christian though. He never stated he was and never stated he wasn't.
Would you describe yourself as a very joyful, contented person in general?
We do? What is your interpretation of what a Christian is?
Point out just one thing in Washington's life or words that is INCONSISTENT with true Christian faith. You won't find one thing pal. He was a paragon of Christian virtue - more than any other American who ever lived in IMHO.
It's quite obvious that Bush isn't able to live by the virtuous standards that Washington did! I've already pointed out some egregious anti-christian statements by GWB. What say you?
Proclaiming Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. GW didn't. GWB does.
Do you believe GWB has been saved by Jesus Christ? That's what a Christian is, fwiw.
A human being who has been eternally saved by Jesus Christ.
You have received all of the personal information you are going to get. Just stick to my questions and comments please. I want to hear your excuses for Bush's statements. I want you to provide a quote or anything from the life of Washington that would provide evidence he was not a Christian.
And how does that differ from mine? You are making contradictory statements.
My evidence is that he never once said he was one. I have never known someone who believes Jesus Christ is their personal Savior who, no matter how shy, was not pretty open about this ultimately. Washington never even hinted that he believed Christ was his personal Savior, and for the quotes of his family saying that he was "a Christian" (I've heard this said numerous times about non-Christians), there are several from his contemporaries saying he wasn't.
I see, so you can't produce anything from Washington that is inconsistent with the Christian faith? I did produce some things from Bush. You have said nothing about those. I want to hear your excuses for Bush equating Allah with Jesus Christ. Well?
Again, read James - "saying" you have faith proves nothing since we can't tell if Bush's faith is genuine or not - only God can. We can only see if he walks the walk (faith without works is dead). Washington walked the walk - no question about it.
There are many things Bush has done that make me wonder. his support for affirmative action (Univ. of MI), his sucking up to China at the expense of Taiwan and the people there who want FREEDOM. I thought Bush was a champion of Freedom? You have some 'splainin' to do about your hero.
That's fine. You don't have to answer here, ex. You clearly do not seem to be too happy though. I'm sorry. I don't know why any person eternally saved by Christ would not be extremely happy, ultimately.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.