We're also talking about human beings who have chosen to violate our democratically enacted laws every day that they are in this country. We are also talking about many illegal aliens who are currently filling up our prisons who are not "decent" human beings but are violent criminals who murder, rape and victimize American citizens as well as conduct terroristic rampages like the Washington DC sniper. But most of all, Mr. President, what we are talking about here is whether the 200 plus year old American project in self-government is respected or is distained and considered irrelevant by the highest elected official in the land.
Presenting mass deportation as the alternative demonstrates President Bush's refusal to deal honestly with the American people, and honest dealing is absolutely required of elected officials in a self-governing system in order for citizens to perform their role of holding their government accountable. We all know that strict border control plus enforcemnt of employer sanctions and withdrawal of welfare assistance will accomplish the voluntary return of most people who are here illegally.
Also, the canard that we are a nation of immigrants is a frivolous and meaningless comment and needs to be retired from this debate. From a historical perspective, every nation on earth is a "nation of immigrants" except perhaps portions of Africa. The real question is who gets to have their way on this issue right now, the lawful citizens of this country or the illegal aliens and the political, media and corporate elites who profit from thier presence.
Presidet Bush has demonstrated in every possible way in word and deed that he has absolutely no respect for our democratically enacted laws which reflect the legislative authority of the people through their elected representatives. He has also shown that he feels no obligation to us to observe the oath of office he took to enforce our laws. President Bush feels himself entitled to personally overturn our republican system of government and substitute a system of arbitrary rule based on his personal whim. Our founders called this the very definition of tyranny.
I have come to the conclusion that allegiance to our republican form of self-government and the desire to preserve and protect it for our posterity figures not one whit in President Bush's thinking. I am beginning to believe that he could not express even a rudimentary knowledge of the principles of our founding and what his obligations are to the American people. His repeated denigration of the work ethic of ordinary Americans shows he does not believe we deserve or are capable of self-government.
Benjamin Franklin warned us when the constitution was being debated that it would be up to the people to preserve a "republican" form of government. The founders understood that the right of the people to govern themselves would always be under attack from those who wanted to promote their own private and commercial interests over the common good. The question is whether "we the people" value our liberty and right to self-government enough to demand that our President act in ways consistent with our democratically enacted laws and "republican" principles.
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