Posted on 03/23/2006 12:28:28 PM PST by Crackingham
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton invoked the Bible yesterday to criticize a stringent border security measure that, among other things, would make it a federal crime to offer aid to illegal immigrants.
"It is hard to believe that a Republican leadership that is constantly talking about values and about faith would put forth such a mean-spirited piece of legislation," she said of the measure, which was passed by the House of Representatives in December and mirrored a companion Senate bill introduced last week by Senator Bill Frist, a Tennessee Republican and the majority leader.
"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scripture because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself," she said. "We need to sound the alarm about what is being done in the Congress."
Mrs. Clinton, who is running for re-election this year and is leading in polls for the Democratic presidential nomination, spoke at a news conference in Manhattan with more than 30 immigrant leaders after meeting with them privately.
The meeting took place in an atmosphere of mounting urgency, as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops called on its flock to oppose the measure, and tens of thousands of immigrants around the country stepped up a series of protest rallies in anticipation of a Senate vote on competing immigration bills next week.
Mr. Frist's bill, like the House measure, would make it a crime to be in the United States without proper papers and would add guards and fencing along the Mexican border, and speed deportation.
Some versions, including one proposed by Senator Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, would expand the definition of alien smuggling to include help to illegal immigrants already here.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Illegal immigrants from Mexico were the foundations of the Bloods and the Crypts...two mafia-like organizations with ties to drug runners in Columbia.
I think Hillary is probably afraid of losing her connection.
Do you think the Church helping someone regardless of their immigration status should be criminalized?
Do you think the Church helping someone regardless of their immigration status should be criminalized?
How is that, Hitlery? Where exactly in the Scriptures does it say, "Thou shalt not prohibit illegal immigration into the United States"?
Do you think the Church helping someone regardless of their immigration status should be criminalized?
She's an expert on FBI files too.
Do you think the Church helping someone regardless of their immigration status should be criminalized?
Odd thing, though, Jesus speaks of obeying the civil law, such as rendering taxes to Ceasar. What part of the Gospel are you relying on to indicate that either wouldn't have directed the illegals to immigrate according to the civil law?
The simple fact is that HR 4437 would not criminalize any charity, only actons which seek to aid and abet a criminal.
A free piece of advice.
Taking 2 extreme stands on a single issue does NOT net to being a "moderate."
Lam Ch. 5:1-2
Remember, O LORD, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach.
Our inheritance is turned to strangers, our houses to aliens.
Of course Jesus would have told them immigrate legally, just as he told the woman to sin no more. Doesn't mean that the Church helping someone regardless of their immigration status should be criminalized. If you keep reading Romans 13 (after the "Christians should obey the government and pay taxes" part), we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
I think that people working for any church should obey the law just as the rest of us are required to do.
What if the law directly conflicts with Romans 13:8-10?
Correct!
Doesn't mean that the Church helping someone regardless of their immigration status should be criminalized.
Why should any church act in manner contrary to what you yourself acknowledge Jesus would do? They can certainly help see to their needs while they assist the illegals in returning to their country of origin and can certainly assist them with immigrating in a legal manner.
If you keep reading Romans 13 (after the "Christians should obey the government and pay taxes" part), we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.
I would immigrate legally and would expect my neighbor to do so as well.
The Good Samaritan was the one who did the "helping" -- he wasn't the one who was being helped. So the parable would only have any relevance to HR 4437 if the proposed legislation prohibited wealthy Mexicans from embarking on charitable ventures here in the U.S.
You, and everyone else, can read HR 4437 here:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-4437
Please guarantee that the following will NOT be used against a Christian shelter offering food and a roof over your head, regardless of immigration status:
". . . assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to reside in or remain in the United States, or to attempt to reside in or remain in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to reside in or remain in the United States"
I heard that, too. I also turned down the volume on the second replay. Too much crap for me.
Unless someone's rewritten Romans to include "Hide the illegal immigrant even though you know they are doing wrong" then the law as written does not.
So, protest abortion clinics much? There the law certainly contradicts the teachings of Jesus Christ.
I don't "misunderstand" the Parable at all. Please guarantee that the following will NOT be used against some modern-day Good Samaritan offering food, medical care, and a roof over the head of an illegal alien:
". . . assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to reside in or remain in the United States, or to attempt to reside in or remain in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to reside in or remain in the United States"
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