My peons are so stupid, they'll believe anything."
Posted on 11/21/2005 7:27:43 AM PST by sheana
WASHINGTON - California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein stood outside her office on a recent afternoon explaining her plan for granting legal status to some illegal farmworkers. She turned to leave, then beckoned back a departing reporter. "Please don't use the word ‘amnesty,' ” Feinstein said. "It's not an ‘amnesty.' It's an ‘earned transition.' ”
Across the Capitol that day, during a testy immigration hearing, Massachusetts Democrat Sen. Edward Kennedy asked Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff how "mass deportations" of illegal immigrants would impact the country.
"The bills don't call for ‘mass deportations,' ” grumbled Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz.
While every political fight has its public buzzwords, few have had a lexicon so brimming with anger and pathos as the debate about illegal immigration.
And as a protracted battle looms in Washington over how to address the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants – with proposals ranging from beefed-up border security to guest-worker programs – those looking for a solution say they fear the loaded language is obscuring the real issues and making it hard to find any middle ground.
"The language is a big impediment to any solution," said Feinstein, whose plan involves allowing longtime illegal farmworkers who agree to stay in the agricultural sector three additional years to seek legal status and eventually apply for green cards.
Experts say the language in this debate is becoming increasingly angst-filled because it veils a deep national divide in beliefs about who deserves to be here, and, ultimately, who we are as Americans.
"It's this sense that people are losing control over their own lives," said Ira Mehlman, Los Angeles-based spokesman for the
Federation for Immigration Reform.
"People wake up and discover half the kids in their children's class don't speak English and most of the resources are going to address that problem," Mehlman said. "People start to feel like strangers in their own country."
Those enraged by the problem say illegal immigrants are "invading our country," and "taking jobs away from Americans." Those on the other side say illegal immigrants are "living in the shadows" and "doing jobs Americans won't do."
Immigration advocates accuse opponents of wanting to "round up," illegal immigrants for "mass deportations." They say they want those here illegally to pay a penalty, but eventually be allowed some legal status.
That, say opponents - in the most provoking buzzword of all - amounts to "amnesty."
George Lakoff, a Democratic political consultant and linguist at UC Berkeley, said anti-immigration groups so far appear to be winning the language war, and the word "amnesty" is their most powerful rhetorical weapon.
"Amnesty assumes that there's been a serious crime. I mean, you don't have amnesty for shoplifters," Lakoff said. "It's seen as an attack on the country."
Steven Camarota, research director of the Center for Immigration Studies, agreed that the word "amnesty" stings. But he said that's because it's accurate.
"Those who would like to legalize people here don't want to remind folks that, in effect, we're not going to enforce the law, that we're going to seemingly reward lawbreaking," Camarota said.
"Why don't the advocates of illegal immigration use ‘amnesty?' Because the polls tell them people hate it."
But supporters of "earned legalization," "earned transition" and "earned adjustment" counter that they don't use the term "amnesty" because it isn't precise.
"We're not really talking about an amnesty. We're talking about providing some legitimacy," Feinstein said.
Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, whose own plan for illegal agricultural workers involves making them pay penalties and then allowing them to gain legal status, said, "What people are now saying is anything, no matter what its provisions are, they want to attack it as an amnesty.
"It's to their short-term advantage, but the cost of them doing that is getting any meaningful and comprehensive solution," Berman said.
Meanwhile, advocates for illegal immigrants stand behind their own charged buzzwords, like saying opponents want to "round up" undocumented workers for "mass deportations."
"If you say you want to get rid of anybody that came here illegally, how do you do it besides mass deportations?" Berman said.
But Camarota called it "very harsh imagery of little children being dragged out of school."
"I don't know anyone who is advocating mass deportations," added Mehlman. "It's a very clear public-relations strategy that they're employing."
Frank Sharry, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, called the illegal immigration fight "a debate that has become increasingly dominated by hotheads."
Still, he said he is confident that amped-up rhetoric will ultimately give way to a middle-ground.
"At the end of the day, people are going to be less interested in the words and more interested in whether we're going to have a solution for the 11 million people who are here illegally," Sharry said. "At the end of the day, people won't care what it's called."
" "Please don't use the word ‘amnesty,' ” Feinstein said. "It's not an ‘amnesty.' It's an ‘earned transition.' ”"
Please Lord, I don't want a heart attack!
So breaking U.S. laws by coming here illegally is part of an "earned transition"?
Granting legal status is not amnesty??
That's the only word you need to know. That's the joint program of anarchists like Feinstein and a motley coalition of Anti-christ cults to thwart the will of the people by local nullification of immigration laws. And there's probably nothing we can do about it because the teacher unions, ACLU, and the media have conspired and largely succeeded in villifying, demonizing and distorting our national identity to the point that the only behavior considered reprehensible left is to take Pride in America. Hey, Diane *** Bless America!!!
Earned transition?
So, they're going to be allowed to "earn" legal status?
So, if I rob a bank of $50,000 but I invest the money wisely and make a good return and then pay a fee or even a fine of around $1,500, I should be able to keep the what I stole and what I earned from it? There would be an "earned transition" of the legal status of the money to my permanent possession. And that would be perfectly fine with Rep. Jim Kolbe, Sen. John 'McQueeg' McCain, Sen. Ted 'The Swimmer' Kennedy, and Sen. Dianne 'She's a man, baby' Feinstein?
"So, if I rob a bank of $50,000 but I invest the money wisely and make a good return and then pay a fee or even a fine of around $1,500, I should be able to keep the what I stole and what I earned from it? There would be an "earned transition" of the legal status of the money to my permanent possession."
No you are an American whose ancestors got maimed and died for our freedom. You are now a serf. Only criminals get benefits......you pay for them. Civil war, anyone?
My peons are so stupid, they'll believe anything."
ping
Illegal aliens already have a legal status - they're illegal, they are lawbreakers.
Same elitist lies, different day.
"Why don't the advocates of illegal immigration use ‘amnesty?' Because the polls tell them people hate it."
But supporters of "earned legalization," "earned transition" and "earned adjustment" counter that they don't use the term "amnesty" because it isn't precise.
"We're not really talking about an amnesty. We're talking about providing some legitimacy," Feinstein said.
Law abiding, hard working people will always be welcome in this country regardless of color or national origin so long as they obey the law, and are prepared to care for their own.
Right. We should be no more concerned by millions and millions of people in the country illegally then we are with shoplifters. /s
www.wadejacoby.com/pedro
LIBERAL / COMMUNIST DOUBLESPEAK! We have GOT to stop listening to these overgrown children!
Take over Mexico, NOW! Just threaten to conquer it if they continue their ethnic cleansing. I wish I could live to see the day we have a president who had the guts to do that.
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Support our Minutemen Patriots!
Be Ever Vigilant ~ Bump!
It's coming.
What choice have we got if our own government sell us out to the highest bidder? I'm 50, and I never EVER thought I would witness our own government turn against it's citizens!
Remove all criminal invaders ~ BTTT
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