Posted on 11/30/2006 9:48:41 PM PST by Mr. Silverback
Elvira Arellano’s new T-shirt has me wondering how many hospitals Jesus would close.
Arellano is the illegal alien and pro-law breaking activist (she wouldn’t call herself that, but a spade is a spade) who is holed up in a Chicago church, hoping to avoid deportation. She says she should get to stay here because her 7 year old son Saulito is an American citizen. Her new shirt, pictured in the Journal-Standard recently, reads “Who Would Jesus Deport?”
Strangely, I don’t recall hearing any teachings on immigration policy during my Sunday school days. But given the wild success of products asking “WWJD”—What Would Jesus Do—it’s inevitable it would pop up in the political discourse. Strikingly, almost all these political versions come from the Left. True, questions like “Who would Jesus Torture” are supposed to be rhetorical, but if the people asking them were really trying to promote truth, they wouldn’t stop asking questions so soon.
Take for example, “Who would Jesus bomb,” asked on protest signs and blogs, in editorials and even a protest song. Another popular variation was “Who would Jesus kill?” Yet they never ask how many hijacking schools, terrorist training camps, child prisons and torture chambers Jesus would leave open. In the face of great evil even a slogan inspired by history’s greatest moral light is trite and bereft of sense.
I wonder why the Left doesn’t apply the WWJD principle to other problems. How many of those asking “Who would Jesus kill” have ever asked, “Who would Jesus abort?” One might also ask, “How many condoms would Jesus pass out at school,” and “Would Jesus ban prayer in school?” Of course, one could also ask why a movement known for its strict view of separation of church and state would decide to search the scriptures of a single religion for policy directives.
So, how many hospitals would Jesus close? A 2005 study appearing in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons found that 60 hospitals had closed in California alone between 1993 and 2003 as a direct result of illegal immigration. Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act of 1985, hospitals must treat the uninsured without reimbursement. Though the law was intended to guarantee that no emergency room would turn away a patient in crisis, it’s led to illegals using ERs for their primary care. Those 60 hospitals had all reached a point where they were paid for less than half of the services they performed. The study also found 24 hospitals on the brink of bankruptcy.
Whose wages would Jesus decimate? In 1980, according to the Department of Labor, a meat packer could expect to make $19 an hour. Today the going wage is less than $10. Across the board, American wages are lowered by as much as $200 billion dollars by illegal aliens. The Left speaks a lot about the squeezed middle class, but these champions of the working man will line up to vote for amnesty in Congress in the new year.
How many false Social Security numbers would Jesus use? Arellano was going to be deported because she convicted of that exact crime. The immigration bill the Congress narrowly rejected this year even had provisions for paying out Social Security benefits to those who’ve stolen other people’s numbers. Of course that only applies if they came over the border illegally; legal immigrants and native born citizens get to go to jail when they steal someone’s identity.
A long line of Christian organizations, notably America’s Catholic bishops, backed amnesty this year. They made a lot of noise about how such reforms were a sign of loving one’s neighbor. When we reward lawbreaking on the part of illegals and the businesses that hire them we penalize businesses, workers and legal immigrants that follow the law. Aren’t they our neighbors too? Is shafting them the Christian thing to do? Is the cause of justice served by letting Mexico’s fatcats export their poor to the U.S. instead of enacting reforms at home?
Of course, despite my love of Christ, I’m not interested in governing by Bible verse. That’s theocracy, not democracy. Even if a principle is based in Christian teachings, one must win the public policy debate to implement it. That’s the real reason for Elvira’s shirt. If you can pretend the Almighty is your personal mascot, you don’t have to explain why rewarding lawbreaking is good for a society. You can just “win” the policy debate by saying “Thus saith the Lord.” When a conservative does that, he’s dismissed and rightly so.
We’re a nation of laws (not T-shirts), and our duty to enforce them in a just manner. Still, if Arellano and her allies want a verse to base immigration policy on, I suggest John 10:1.
Couldn't agree with you more. Please add me to your ping list.
There's a difference between guidance and theocracy. Heck, I'm the guy who runs the Breakpoint ping list, it's not as if I'm afraid of Chriistian input into government.
I once said, "War is not the answer to most questions. For example, 'War' is not the answer to "Why does Jell-O make such a lousy doorstop?'"
Or in post 12.
That's what I was thinking, too. Or is that "Speaking Truthiness to Power"?
Thank you, and you're added!
But yeah, I have to give Colbert one thing, the word "truthiness" really does describe a real phenomenon perfectly, it just happens to describe something his side of the aisle is guilty of virtually all the time.
You're added!
Great question....great post.
Man, that was like watching someone walk a salvo of artillery rounds across a target. Nice work!
Well then you're obviously very wise. :-) You're added!
Thanks!
...pro-law breaking activist...
Gibberish.
Whoa mama, did you miss the point of this column! Why don't you go back and read the stuff I wrote in the last few paragraphs about people using the Almighty to stifle debate, OK?
There is the case in the book of Philemon I believe... a slave who is a Christian runs away from his master. In this case Paul (who is the one who wrote the Epistle of Philemon) returns the slave to his master, but at the same time urges compassion and kindness. My take would be that the law needs to be followed, and the illegals returned to their country of origin, but without harsh treatment along the way.
***Gibberish.***
Arellano believes she should be able to do the following...
Enter our country illegally
Enter our country illegally a second time after being arrested and deported
Use a false SSN
Disobey a court order
...without penalty, and she runs an organization that promotes the idea that other illegal immigrants should be able to commit similar crimes without suffering the consequences.
So my question is, what part do you have a problem with, the idea that she broke the law or the idea that she supports breaking the law? Seems to me that she qualifies for both with flying colors.
Jesus promised his followers, "you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended" (Mat. 24:9-10).
Occupational hazzard. Tough... When Conservatives act like they don't care for Jesus... I will move my vote elsewhere.
Insert Wild, Unrestrained Applause Here!!!!!!
No offense (we agree on most stuff, it appears) but how did you get that I was saying conservative pols can't like Jesus? What I was describing is when someone says "I think this is what the Bible says about this, so there will be no further discussion." I am not describing people who say, "Here's this Bible teaching that our values as a Republic are based on" or other such pronouncements that seek to win over the public to a Biblical way of thinking.
Thank you, sir. Always an honor.
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