Full Text, Bush Speech.

Instapundit ^ | May 15, 2006 | GWB

[GarySpFc]

The president's Christianity is showing:

I would like to suggest you study your Bible a little more, because obeying in part is not true Christianity. The Hebrews were never illegal aliens in Egypt. Furthermore, the word for alien is sojourner, which in Hebrew is Ger.

THE GER. This word with its kindred verb is applied with slightly varying meanings to anyone who resides in a country or a town of which he is not a full native land-owning citizen; e.g., the word is used of the patriarchs in Palestine, the Israelites in Egypt, the Levites dwelling among the Israelites (Dt 18:6; Jdg 17:7, etc.), the Ephraimite in Gibeah (Jdg 19:16). It is also particularly used of free aliens residing among the Israelites, and it is with the position of such that this article deals. This position is absolutely unparalleled in early legal systems (A. H. Post, Grundriss der ethnologischen Jurisprudenz, I, 448, note 3), which are usually far from favorable to strangers. 1. LEGAL PROVISIONS:
1. Principles.
The dominant principles of the legislation are most succinctly given in two passages: He “loveth the ger in giving him food and raiment” (Dt 10:18); “And if a ger sojourn with thee (variant “you”) in your land, ye shall not do him wrong. The ger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were gerim in the land of Egypt” (Lev 19:33 f). This treatment of the stranger is based partly on historic recollection, partly on the duty of the Israelite to his God. Because the ger would be at a natural disadvantage through his alienage, he becomes one of the favorites of a legislation that gives special protection to the weak and helpless.
2. Rules.
In nationality the freeman followed his father, so that the son of a ger and an Israelitess was himself a ger (Lev 24:10-22). Special care was to be taken to do him no judicial wrong (Dt 1:16; 24:17; 27:19). In what may roughly be called criminal law it was enacted that the same rules should apply to gerim as to natives (Lev 18:26, which is due to the conception that certain abominations defile a land; 20:2, where the motive is also religious; 24:10-22; see SBL, 84 ff; Nu 35:15). A free Israelite who became his slave was subject to redemption by a relative at any time on payment of the fair price (Lev 25:47 ff). This passage and Dt 28:43 contemplate the possibility of a stranger’s becoming wealthy, but by far the greater number of the legal provisions regard him as probably poor. Thus provision is made for him to participate in tithes (Dt 14:29; 26:12), gleanings of various sorts and forgotten sheaves (Lev 19:10; 23:22; Dt 24:19, 20, 21), and poor hired servants were not to be oppressed (Dt 24:14).

[Publius6961]

Somehow we ended up with 60 million Irish when there were only about 3 to 5 million in all of Ireland. Thank God that they were willing to become true Americans.

You're wasting your time...
People ignorant of history and clueless about human nature stumble through life sounding good with their own peculiar brand of fuzzy math...

[newguy357]

Thanks for posting the speech.

I was one of the people who thought Bush was doing a terrible job on this issue. This speech was right on.

You who are still shouting tha the pres. is failing on this issue should at least read the speech instead of knee-jerking.

[TigersEye]

Well, first off, the Posse Comitatus Act is to prevent US troops from engaging in civilian matters against American citizens. Securing our borders from foreign invaders is by Constitutional definition, IS the function of our military.

This is exactly right. My unfortunate Republican Senator Wayne Allard was on the radio today spouting this canard about Posse Comitatus preventing military deployment on the border. What part of foreign nation and foreign nationals is domestic? English is a tough language even for Senators I guess.

[passeryby]

Much of this sounds good...not perfect, but good. We need to keep the heat on G.W. and the Republican congress-critters but give them their due when its appropriate. Regardless what the hardcore border people feel, it is certain that the Republicans are *much* better on this issue than the Democrats as the Dems activist base really believes the U.S. should open the borders and shoulder the burden of the world's poor as penance for the evil we (i.e. white capitalists) have visited upon the world.

[newguy357]

O.K. So on the one hand, President Bush touts the fact that under his administration, it was possible to round up and deport 6 million illegal aliens. Then he says that it's not realistic to do what he just bragged had been done.

Read the text again. He said they've apprehended and turned back six million people "entering America illegally," not rounded up six million people who've already been here. BIG difference.

[GarySpFc]

Hon, if it's good enough for the biggest border hysteric of them all, Lou Dobbs, it's good enough for me.

So Lou Dobbs is your standard for morality? Truth, justice and the American way obviously mean little to you.

[Publius6961]

...to secure the border we must create a guest worker program."

What??? Somebody explain this one to me, please. I don't get it.

That's called "Hillary-speak" like this:

Reminds me of a fascinating quote from a Chinese Com government during the "International Woman's Conference" held in China during the Clinton administration. The government official said that they studied Hillary's speechmaking method to understand her power and success. They concluded: her trick was never actually to make any arguments -- just state conclusions that were all already accepted as self-evident by her audience. (They found that interesting and perhaps admirable, and to be emulated).

[shield]

Two words.........TONY SNOW....

[londonboy]

That's what Rush and Hannity do as well. What's wrong with that? They know who their audience is.

[trisham]

We are a Nation of laws, and we must enforce our laws.

***************

Did you read this speech before you gave it, Mr. Bush?

[Washi]

Read the text again. He said they've apprehended and turned back six million people "entering America illegally," not rounded up six million people who've already been here. BIG difference.

You're right. It's much harder to find people living in a fixed location, going to the same job every day, than it is to find people on their guard trying to sneak across miles of open border.

[Publius6961]

but I don't get all the hostility towards him by folks here. I mean, if he's serious and does what he says, how is it a bad thing??? Am I missing something?

Obviously, you are. Perhaps your memory blocked this out from our president in 2004...

Some temporary workers will make the decision to pursue American citizenship. Those who make this choice will be allowed to apply in the normal way. They will not be given unfair advantage over people who have followed legal procedures from the start. I oppose amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the automatic path to citizenship. Granting amnesty encourages the violation of our laws, and perpetuates illegal immigration. America is a welcoming country, but citizenship must not be the automatic reward for violating the laws of America.

Not exactly what I heard tonight. He couldn't even bring himself to define the problem. He wasted lots of words defining the value of legal immigrants. Unfortunately that's not the problem that is dividing us.

[TexasPatriot8]

"Dang, those pesky facts always prevent me from being invited to the Bush-Bashing party. ;)"

Hehehehehe. Yeah. I have yet to see a single post by someone having kittens about this speach that can't be totally deconstructed by quoting lines from the actual speach. The opposition to this speach is shrill and shallow and without a basis in fact. It's that simple.

[Peach]

Tancredo must be a RINO now. He likes the plan and the speech.

[ntnychik]

I mean, if he's serious and does what he says, how is it a bad thing??? Am I missing something?

If he were serious, border control would have been job one after 9/11/01, if not before. By definition he can't be serious about illegal immigration, if in the 6th year of his presidency he only made this speech to quiet his conservative critics. I know what he said. It was just words. The national guardsmen, who should be resuming their jobs and normal lives, might spend some token time freeing up immigration agents, but Pres. Bush's heart is where it has been these 5 1/2 years that he's been setting the agenda. The results will be no different than if he hadn't made the speech.

[steel_resolve]

amnesty. period. I don't give a damn what you do or don't call me. They have lost my vote. Period.

[restornu]

Who you voting for the communist or don't vote and let them get in anyways!

[philman_36]

As Prepared for Delivery
From http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/immigration/ (it varies slightly)
This is a basic responsibility of a sovereign Nation.
And then it's a country...
...To Enter Our Country...
...who is in our country ...
...The Success Of Our Country...
We cannot build a unified country...
Sorry, a pet peeve of mine.

The House And Senate Must Pass A Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill
And so we wait some more...
Tonight, I will make it clear where I stand, and where I want to lead our country on this vital issue.
Thanks for the comments Mr. President.

Mexico is our neighbor and friend.
Political niceties in action. I understand the need.
A man shows up in your front yard one day. You recognize him as one of your neighbor's relatives, who is standing at the fence between your yards watching you. The man promptly starts setting up camp in your front yard. You tell him to leave and he stares at you, while your neighbor roars with laughter, and continues with what he was doing. You call the police and they say they'll pass by when they get the chance.
Days pass and you hear nothing from the police. The man has started robbing your house and is even giving his relative the power tools out of your garage. He mowed the lawn down the street, the one your son had been told he could cut, and then gave the mower to his relative as well.
Need I go on?
I don't know how your friends and neighbors treat you, but I wouldn't want that type of person as a friend or neighbor until they changed their ways.
And with the temporary worker program...the horse don't want the water. He's been standing in the middle of the river and won't bend his neck to drink. You can lead a horse to water...

An aside...A key part of that system should be a new identification card for every legal foreign worker. This card should use biometric technology, such as digital fingerprints, to make it tamper-proof. A tamper-proof card would help us enforce the law – and leave employers with no excuse for violating it.
Wouldn't somebody just have to lie about whether or not they were a legal foreign worker to begin with and show forged identification thus eliminating the need for such a card? Isn't that basically what is happening now? Almost all have seen the "Are you a US Citizen" box before.
I can also envision employers demanding the cards from Citizens in order to be "fair" or in compliance to some law.
Lots of potential for unintended consequences in that.

[GarySpFc]

Tancredo must be a RINO now. He likes the plan and the speech.

Wrong! He liked parts of the speech, and was especially critical of illegals being given amnesty and being allowed to wait in the States while those trying to immigrate here legally have to wait overseas. Under the Bush plan illegals do not have to go to the back of the line.