Posted on 05/31/2006 9:23:45 AM PDT by snowrip
Following is a working draft of a letter I wrote this weekend, which will be faxed tomorrow to every member of the US House and Senate, and to President Bush. I have relied on FR for news, information and intelligent discussion (and sometimes, laughs!) for around six years now... naturally, I thought that this would be the best place to get feedback and ideas.
amnesty
am-nes-ty -n 1. a general pardon for offenses against a government
Never before in the history of the United States has the House, Senate and the President been so out of touch with the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Americans. Never before have our elected leaders been so willing to utterly ignore their duties to the electorate, the rights of American citizens, the Constitution, and the very principle of America herself.
The bill passed recently by the Senate ignores all of those things, and more. The Democrats and Republicans who voted in favor of this bill have granted amnesty, as it is defined by the law, the dictionary, and by common sense. They granted those who have knowingly and willingly broken a myriad of laws since the day they entered this country, more rights and more benefits than those who are lawful citizens. Those senators voted to actually increase the number of those criminals that may come here, and then voted to grant them citizenship with barely any penalties whatsoever. Make no mistake about it: The Senate voted to increase the problem exponentially, and voted to marginalize the American citizen. The Senate voted to make our country a weaker, more dangerous place. The Senate voted to take from those who obey the laws, and to give a reward to those who break them.
Every member of the House and Senate, as well as the President, have publicly and repeatedly sworn to do whatever it takes to defend this country, and the interests of the American citizenry. It is unbelievable to me that those who back this bill, including the President himself, could in good conscience champion something that so utterly, miserably fails Americans and the defense of America.
We are not stupid! Believe it or not, we comprehend the financial implications and the fine print of utter garbage like Hagel-Martinez. We completely disagree with the ridiculous, sophomoric straw-dog argument that 15 million illegal aliens could never all be deported... and we understand that deporting them all will not take place overnight. We know that the border is 2,000 miles long... not 370. We are aware of the absurdity inherent in the “Illegals hold jobs no Americans want to do” contention. We grasp the national security ramifications of many thousands of undocumented people crossing into the US every single day, and we have not forgotten what happened on September 11, 2001. We understand the damage to our educational and healthcare systems and to Social Security. We recognize that we pay $68,000,000,000.00 per year to take care of those who spit on our laws and, sometimes, even on our flag... and we see that the Senate “reforms” will cost us an additional $500,000,000,000.00 over the next ten to twenty years. We are reading the text of this bill, and we understand how thoroughly gutless it is. Furthermore, we see that it has been carefully crafted to give an appearance of resolute change... And we see that in reality it does absolutely nothing, and that the craftsmanship of trickery is both premeditated and deliberate.
We are sick of hearing that this is an “immigration issue”, when we know for a fact it is an illegal alien problem! However, we wonder if you know any of these things. For example, did you know that in food preparation, agriculture, cleaning, and construction, the great majority of the work is still being done by people who are not illegal aliens? The highest concentration is in agriculture, where they are roughly 22 percent of the employees. Did you know that, according to the calculations of two separate studies, under the Senate bill there will be in excess of one hundred million aliens that will be granted citizenship in the United States in the next twenty years?
The American people are tired of the deliberate obfuscation, spin, and outright lies regarding this problem, which stream forth from so many on Capitol Hill and indeed from the Oval Office itself. Do we need to remind those in elected office of their Constitutional mandate? Of their oaths of office? Of their duty to the electorate? As working, voting, law-abiding, thinking Americans, we can only come to one conclusion: Those who support the Senate bill have chosen to intentionally ignore the facts, and have put their own political ambitions ahead of what is good for this country. This agenda is utterly and completely UNACCEPTABLE. Moreover, it constitutes a direct threat to the future of this republic, because it indicates that there are members of the body politic who no longer answer to the will of the people or the Constitution, or even to rational thought itself.
The solution to these problems is eminently simple. The people of the United States want a fortified, secure border, not a virtual fence. We want English declared as the legal, national language of this country, not just as a common, unifying manner of speech. We want serious consequences for those who hire illegal aliens. We want to absolutely and forever end the giveaway of Social Security, welfare, and free medical benefits to illegal aliens and their families, and want an end to the “anchor baby” policy. We want to remove as many illegal aliens as is humanly possible, and we have the patience to see such a measure through. Once deported, we want them to be kept out for good, or allowed in under a well-documented, strictly-controlled guest-worker program.
Above all, WE DO NOT WANT AN AMNESTY PROGRAM IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! This means no “path to citizenship”, no “undocumented migrants”, and no plan yet supported by President Bush. We tried it once before, and the results have been nothing short of disastrous.
We do not need another huge bureaucracy created to handle the problem. We don’t need tax increases to pay for it, and we don’t need sniveling or crying or political infighting. We want a rational, steadfast and immediate approach to handling a problem which has gotten way out of hand, and we will vote for those who support such a measure. We would remind those who so willfully abandon the values and ethics of American ideals in exchange for campaign contributions: It does not matter if corporate donors line reelection coffers with one trillion dollars... it will not buy one single vote on this issue.
Do you understand? To underestimate the will of the people on this issue is to do so at your peril. If you vote for weak borders... if you vote for amnesty in ANY form... if you vote for continued balkanization... if you vote for greater benefits for illegals.... if you vote to not severely punish employers... if you vote the imagined rights of illegal aliens over those of law-abiding American citizens... In short, if you vote anti-American, we will not send you one dime in campaign support, and we will remove you from office as soon as we can get to the ballot box.
This is not the time for maintaining the political status quo, nor is it the time to support your party for the party’s sake. I wish to be perfectly clear upon this point: This is not an opportunity for gaining political power. It is not an occasion to expand a potential voter base, nor is it a time for partisan idiocy. It is not an opportunity to sponsor the safest political bet. This is the moment to support and protect the future of America and Americans.
There are those who argue that supporting what is right for this country is xenophobic or racist. Those arguments are foolish, wholly illogical, and irrational to the point of absurdity. They fail entirely in the arena of reality. America is a land of immigrants... legal immigrants who came here to assimilate into American society, to give up allegiance to their country and become Americans. Ours is a history and a spirit of sacrifice, of self-determination, of independence. It is a chronicle of self-reliance, of hard work, of courage and of responsibility. America is a civilization of principles, a legacy of freedom and of law. THIS IS OUR CULTURE. To become an American means to stand up in unwavering support and in reverence of these essential things, and to accept our culture as your own. It means not a surrender of your heritage, but an integration of your way of life into that which is American.
The time has come for you, the representatives that we the people put in office, to stand and take decisive action. Do not fail us. It is time for each of you to act not as a politician, but as a leader who will sacrifice political convenience to do what is right.
Not in the interests of your party, or your donors, or your political ambitions.
In the rational interests of the United States of America.
Sincerely, (my name) Maine
Also, my apologies in advance... I did not intend for this to get posted in the News/Current Events section.
My bad!
Many think that our politicians do not read the bills themselves. If that is the case, and I think it is, they will not read this long letter either. That being said, I am for whatever it takes to get them to listen. Personally, I think we need to take to the streets the same as the illegals.
Should be short, punchy, so someone scanning the letter--the staffers will be the ones reading it--will get the point and add a mark to the "against" column.
Sorry, but that's all they really want to know--for it or against.
The point I always like to make is:
We are a SOVERIGN NATION in a TIME OF WAR. We have every right and responsibility to secure our borders and regulate who enters and who stays in our country.
"SOVEREIGN"
Fumble fingers.
Carolyn
Huh?
First of all, Thank you for being so eloquent. You have pretty much condensed into one document the way that I feel about the illegal criminal problem that we have in the United States. Write my name at the bottom, I AM WITH YOU ON THIS ONE.
I agree, I will personally coordinate Tidewater, VA Freepers to march on the mall to be heard.
Nicely done. Put my name on it from VA
The Dream, the impossible dream...
As others have pointed out, it is a bit long; I would consider the suggestions below.
- Change straw-dog to strawman argument. I don't believe the term straw-dog is correct.
- Eliminate all emphasis on words, such as bolding, underlining and overuse of capital letters
- Eliminate the paragraphs that start with the following phrases (as I believe they are redundant): We are sick of...The American people are tired of...Above all...We do not need...Do you understand
Good luck! I've thought about writing a similar letter.
If you want any impact at all you need to cut it by half and keep it very SIMPLE.
Just a few minor issues:
"Never before in the history of the United States has the House, Senate and the President been so out of touch with the wishes of the overwhelming majority of Americans. Never before have our elected leaders been so willing to utterly ignore their duties to the electorate, the rights of American citizens, the Constitution, and the very principle of America herself."
You have forgotten the eight-year nightmare of the Clinton Administration, complete with the executions at Waco, and the Commando raid to retrieve a 7 year old and return him to Cuba.
"We are not stupid!"
Maybe WE aren't, but 50 million people still voted for John Kerry. I wouldn't be so quick to discount the phenomenon of a bullet-proof stupidity in the American population.
"We are sick of hearing that this is an “immigration issue”, when we know for a fact it is an illegal alien problem!"
Actually, it's more like an attempt by American business to do by underhanded means what it cannot do in the open" re-institute slavery ikn this country, or failing that, to come as close to it as possible. The evil here is the American agriculture, travel, hospitality, rstautrant, landscaping, construction and several other indusrtries who wish to remain profitable by not paying Americans to do the necessary work, because Americans. after all, have rights and access to lawyers. Illegal immigrants have neither and will accept near-slave wages.
"Above all, WE DO NOT WANT AN AMNESTY PROGRAM IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM! This means no “path to citizenship”, no “undocumented migrants”, and no plan yet supported by President Bush. We tried it once before, and the results have been nothing short of disastrous."
Personally, i'd opt for a "shoot on sight" policy at the border and the forced branding on the forehead for those who slip through but are found afterwards. This way, tere would be no excuse for hiring an illegal based on the "we didn't know and it's too troublesome and expensive to find out" defense.
"We do not need another huge bureaucracy created to handle the problem. We don’t need tax increases to pay for it, and we don’t need sniveling or crying or political infighting. We want a rational, steadfast and immediate approach to handling a problem which has gotten way out of hand, and we will vote for those who support such a measure. We would remind those who so willfully abandon the values and ethics of American ideals in exchange for campaign contributions: It does not matter if corporate donors line reelection coffers with one trillion dollars... it will not buy one single vote on this issue."
Au contraire. Any solution to the problem will, by nature of the beast in Washington, be relegated to an expensive, unresponsive bureaucracy. This is the only acceptgable solution to anyone involved in government; make it the responsibility of a huge, unresponsive, faceless commitee, or organization upon which no one can pin ultimate responsibility. Particularly not on a Congresscritter.
And guess again: the trillion dollars has already been spent, and it's already bought the votes. The money is well and truly safe in the re-election coffers already. It's too late to complain about "monied interests" in a day and age where "Campaign Finance reform" is little more than unaccountable tenure for elected officials.
I admire your pluck, tenacity and drive in composing and sending what is a very fine letter. It will find it's way to the circular filing cabinet next to every Congresscritter and Senator's desk, because there is no check enclosed with it. I admire your dedication to the cause. I'm truly sorry, hwoever, that without taking to the streets armed, your pleas (and the similar feelings of millions of others) will not amount to a hill of beans in the face of such arrogant, unassailable and irresponsible personalities (mostly non-entities) as sit weithin the US Congress.
What's even sadder is that we all voted for them, and that many will be re-elected anyway, no matter how many letters get written.
But I thank you for the attempt.
Carolyn
Nail hit squarely on head. And the vote whores know it.
The elites that rule in D.C. are as removed from reality as England was just before the American Revolution.
There is essentially no difference between the parties. The Demopublicans are the same. They will vote to keep U.S. borders open regardless of national security concerns and regardless of economic consequences. More border jumpers flood into the U.S. every week. They bring their own politics with them across the border: Most of them are Communists and support the Zapatista revolutionaries.
How could the national media (MSM) miss the significance of May Day Celebrations staged by Mexicans all across America?
I think it's a great letter.
""Personally, I think we need to take to the streets the same as the illegals.""
If we don't, we will lose. 3 million in front of the white house is a good start.
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