Adios, Adios, Miss American Pie? Not Necessarily.

M2RB:  Don McLean

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

And while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

The GOPe (Rove, Jeb, etc) is saying that all they need to do is pass amnesty and Voila!, Republicans will have Hispanics in the bag!

Really?  If that were true, then they should take a good look at history:

In 1980, Carter received 56% of the Hispanic vote while Reagan only got 37% — a difference of 19%.

In 1984, Mondale received 66% of the Hispanic vote while Reagan only got 34.82% — a difference of 31.18%.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 a/k/a Simpson-Mazzilo into law, which granted amnesty to 3 million illegal immigrants, the vast majority of which were Hispanic.

In 1988, Michael Dukakis won 70.15% of the Hispanic vote while the Vice-President of the man who legalised millions of Hispanics, George H W Bush, received a mere 30.85% — a difference of 39.3%.

If Hispanics could be purchased with amnesty, then they would have overwhelmingly voted Republican in 1988.  They didn't so that should tell the "brains" in the GOP something. 

Continuing on...

In 1992, Bill Clinton won 61% of the Hispanic vote while President George H.W. Bush won 25% – a difference of 36%.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton won 72% of the Hispanic vote while Senator Bob Dole received a mere 21% – a difference of 51%.

In 2000, Vice-President Al Gore won 62% of the Hispanic vote while George W Bush won only 35% – a difference of 27%.

In 2004, Senator John Kerry won 58% of the Hispanic vote while President George W Bush won 40% – a difference of 18%.

In 2008, Senator Barack Obama, who voted AGAINST President Bush’s immigration reform, won 67% of the Hispanic vote while Senator John McAmnesty won a mere 31% – a difference of 36%.

In 2012, President Barack Obama won 71% of the Hispanic vote while Mitt Romney won only 27% – a difference of 44%. 

Amnesty is not the panacea that the establishment would like for you to believe. Education is.  As a naturalised American, I support immigration and know that people come to this country for a better life. We must show them that there is a better way than food stamps and welfare, which are no more than indentured servitude (you remain on the government plantation in perpetual poverty and vote for us, but we’ll make sure that you have “free” food and healthcare. Of course, you’ll never be able to really be a part of the American dream because you are just vote slaves). We must show them that their children and grandchildren will live a life of poverty that will rival that which they escaped because of the incredible debt run up by irresponsible politicians and unsustainable entitlement programmes.  

Along with education, we must begin to stand up and loudly denounce the racists, bigots, and xenophobes that do exist on our side.  They are not in the majority.  They aren't even a sizable minority, but the Democratic Media Complex will always colour everyone on the Right by the actions of one.  (You'll notice that they never do the same to people on the Left:  1) The actions of one Muslim terrorist doesn't represent all Muslims; and 2) The anti-Semitism of many in the Occupy Movement isn't representative of the entire group, etc).  Nevertheless and bias aside, we MUST denounce the use of terms like “wetb@ck.”  A civil people need not speak suchly.  Again, there are different standards for sure, but I would rather be part of the civilised world than the uncivilised one where defecating on police cars, screaming "Kill the pigs," "Eat the rich," and "Fuck capitalism," and going on rampages destroying businesses in urban areas that are oftentimes owned by minorities is de rigueur.  

If it isn't obvious by now that insulting entire groups of people will only result in their alienation, then there are truly too many people in this country, who are just obviously too stupid to breathe.  Libertarians and conservatives should remember how we are treated by the Left and insure that we do not treat others in the same way.  People on the Left, who claim to be the champions of immigrants, diversity and tolerance, routinely tell me that I am not a "real" American and that I should "go home."  Let them be the hypocritical, intolerant, uncouth, unAmerican people that they have always been.  We can and should be better.

We must demand that the borderS be secured.  Too often, we focus only on the Southern border.  Yes, it is the main problem, but it is also not the only one.  By constantly referring to "The Border," we are leaving ourselves open to charges of racism.  This is because of the implication -- and, to be sure, there are some that are overtly and purposefully against immigration because of race -- that our opposition is not against ILLEGAL immigration, but Hispanics, in general.   Yes, it is true that the burdens put on state budgets and taxpayers by illegal immigrants crossing the US-Mexican border are immense and unsustainable, but those costs would be the same regardless of skin colour.   Furthermore, social spending is only one reason to demand border security and enforcement of the nation's immigration laws.  The other is national security.  Let us remember that Ahmed Ressam, a/k/a the Millennium Bomber, who was affiliated with al Qaeda and planned to bomb LAX, crossed the Canadian bomber and was only thwarted because the "gut feeling" of U.S. Customs inspector Diana Dean triggered a secondary search of his car.  It was because of border control that a "man-made disaster" was averted.   Besides the Northern and Southern borders, we have thousands of miles of oceanfront and hundreds of ports.  Illegal aliens and terrorists can enter through any of these and they could be part of the Russian mafia, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, or the Left's newest R2P excuse to use military force, Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army (the Ugandan government believes Kony died years ago, but putting American boots on the ground to chase a ghost in the name of humanity is a feel-goody thing). 

We must demand that the Federal government strictly enforce and track visa holders.  Nearly half of illegal immigrants are people that came to the United States legally and overstayed their visas.  Again, skin colour is irrelevant.  National security, the budget, and the rule of law are all paramount and trump "but, but, but their lives in their homelands are so oppressive, dangerous, impoverished, etc."  There is a legal system to apply for asylum, extend visas, or become a permanent US resident.  It must be used.  Individually, it is without a doubt that many of the stories of illegal immigrants are heartbreaking.  Who wants to send someone back to a backwater country in the third world?  Very few.  BUT, if we made exceptions for everyone or nearly so, then there would be no sense in having an immigration system in the first place.   We have firsthand experience with what can happen when people, who overstay their visas, are forgotten about by the Federal government.  We lost 3,000 Americans in the WTC, Pentagon, and 4 airplanes, 4,488 troops in Iraq, and have lost 2,059 troops in the ongoing war in Afghanistan because of the actions of terrorists -- some of whom had overstayed their visas and were in the United States illegally.

We must thread lightly, but still have an open and honest conversation about the natural born citizen provision of the 14th amendment.  First, let me say that I believe that the use of the term "anchor baby," while perhaps an apt description or definition, is still offencive.  Having said that, however, does not mean that I fail to recognise the problem...and it is not a problem because of race.  Here in Manhattan, the Marmara Manhattan hotel has planted its flag, staked its claim in a whole new area of amenities and concierge services:  Birth Tourism!  For the very low price of $5,100, plus taxes,(and medical fees of around $20,000), the hotel will provide an exclusive package deal that includes "a one-bedroom suite accommodation for a month, with airport transfer, baby cradle and a gift set for the new mother...that wishes to give birth in the USA, with the additional bonus of the newborn child gaining American citizenship."  Now, why didn't I think of that?  Instead of waiting in line and spending a tonne of money, I could have just gotten pregnant and chequed into the Marmara Manhattan.  We know that the Federal government is loathe to deport the illegal mums of American-born tots!

Anyhoo, returning to the 14th Amendment and natural born citizenship clause... The very author of the citizenship clause expressly said: 

"Every person born within the limits of the United States, and subject to their jurisdiction, is by virtue of natural law and national law a citizen of the United States. This will not, of course, include persons born in the United States who are foreigners, aliens, who belong to the families of ambassadors or foreign ministers accredited to the Government of the United States, but will include every other class of persons. It settles the great question of citizenship and removes all doubt as to what persons are or are not citizens of the United States."

-  Senator Jacob Howard, (R-MI), The Congressional Record published as The Congressional Globe, 30 May 1866

His colleague from Pennsylvania confirmed the understanding that merely being born on American soil did NOT make one an American citizen when he stated on the floor of the United States Senate:

"The honourable Senator from Michigan has given this subject, I have no doubt, a good deal of his attention, and I am really desirous to have a legal definition of "citizenship of the United States."  What does it mean?  What is its length and breadth?  I would be glad if the honourable Senator in good earnest would favour us with some such definition.  Is the child of the Chinese immigrant in California a citizen?  Is the child of a Gypsy born in Pennsylvania a citizen?  If so, what rights have they?  Have they any more rights than a sojourner in the United States?  If a traveler comes here from Ethiopia, from Australia, or from Great Britain, he is entitled, to a certain extent, to the protection of the laws.  You cannot murder him with impunity.  It is murder to kill him, the same as it is to kill another man.  You cannot commit an assault and battery on him, I apprehend.  He has a right to the protection of the laws; but he is not a citizen in the ordinary acceptation of the word.  It is perfectly clear that the mere fact that a man is born in the country has not heretofore entitled him to the right to exercise political power."

- Senator Edward Cowan, (R-PA), The Congressional Record published as The Congressional Globe, 30 May 1866

 In Elk v Wilkins, 112 U.S. 94 (1884), the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th Amendment did not even confer citizenship on Indians -- because they were subject to tribal jurisdiction, not American jurisdiction.  For a century, that was how the 14th Amendment was read, interpreted and understood.   During that time, only one case adding the caveat that children born to LEGAL permanent residents of the US, gainfully employed, and who were not employed by a foreign government would also be deemed citizens under the 14th Amendment. United States v. Wong Kim Ark, 169 U.S. 649 (1898).  In Wong, the Court held:  "A child born in the United States, of parent[s] of Chinese descent, who, at the time of his birth, are subjects of the Emperor of China, but have a permanent domicil[e] and residence in the United States, and are there carrying on business, and are not employed in any diplomatic or official capacity under the Emperor of China, becomes at the time of his birth a citizen of the United States."

It wasn't until 1982, that children of illegals or legal immigrants were subject to the jurisdiction of another country even began to be considered Americans by birth.  In Phyler v Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982), a case where the Court held that there is no right to public education, but if a state offers it, it must be made available to all children whether citizen or alien, legal or illegal.  In a footnote to his 5-4 opinion, Justice Brennan asserted that:

"...no plausible distinction with respect to Fourteenth Amendment 'jurisdiction' can be drawn between resident aliens whose entry into the United States was lawful, and resident aliens whose entry was unlawful." (Other than the part about one being lawful and the other not.)

 

It was a FOOTNOTE in a Supreme Court decision in 1982 that established the so-called "anchor baby rule."  The law in the United States had never recognised children born here to illegal aliens as American citizens prior to Justice Brennan's insertion of a FOOTNOTE in a 1982 opinion and anyone, who claims otherwise, is either lying to you or ignorant of the law.  Citing the facts and the law is NOT racist, bigoted, xenophobic, or anti-immigrant.

We must also forcefully rebut allegations of racism and the Left's demagoguery.    In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court ruled in United States v Brignoni-Ponce, 422 U.S. 873 (1975), that immigration enforcement officers could use race as one factor, among others, in making immigration stops; provided, they could cite “specific articulable facts” that “reasonably warrant suspicion” that illegal aliens are present.  If you will recall when Arizona first passed SB-1070, President Obama and the Left screamed "racial profiling!"  In response, Arizona went back and, specifically, stated that race could NOT be used as a factor.  Further, SB-1070 never involved "immigration stops."  It concerned inquiries about immigration status of people already legally detained or in custody.  Yet, the Demagogue-in-Chief continued to make statements such as this:

"[Y]ou can try to make it really tough on people who look like they, quote, unquote look like illegal immigrants. One of the things that the law says is that local officials are allow to ask somebody who they have a suspicion might be an illegal immigrant  for their papers — but you can imagine if you are a Hispanic American in Arizona, your great, great grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state. But now suddenly if you don’t have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you’re going to be harassed, that’s something that could potentially happen. That’s not the right way to go."

- President Barack Obama, Ottumwa, Iowa, 27 April 2010

What makes this an extraordinary and hypocritical statement is that President Barack "No American Should Ever Live Under A Cloud Of Suspicion Just Because Of What They Look Like" Obama's (strawman argument or are illegal aliens "Americans"?) own administration and Eric "A Nation of Cowards When It Comes To Race" Holder's own Department of Justice have argued on at least 3 occasions that race should be allowed to be a factor justifying immigration stops!   That's right!  Obama and Holder have argued that Brioni-Ponce be upheld.  Here are a few of the statements made by Obama's US Attorneys:

“Although ethnicity of a vehicle’s occupants does not alone justify a reasonable belief that they are aliens, the Supreme Court has stated that it is a relevant factor.” 

-  John Murphy, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, United States v Aldo Antonio Hernandez-Moya, No. 08-51128,  15 May 2009

“Regardless, whether a person is of Hispanic origin is a relevant factor for officers to consider, among others, in determining whether to detain someone. See United States v. Brignoni-Ponce.”

- Matt Dummermuth, U.S. Attorney  for the Northern District of Iowa, United States v Juan Carlos Guerrero-Espinoza, 2 July 2009 

“Davidson accuses the government of suggesting an ‘unconscionable interference’ that [ICE] knew the subject IFCO workers were illegal aliens because they were Hispanic.   While a stop based on the Mexican ethnicity of the occupants of a vehicle alone cannot be justified, appearance and ethnicity can be ‘a relevant factor’ in satisfying a reasonable suspicion standard for Fourth Amendment purposes.”

  
- Andrew Baxter, United States v. Charles Davidson et al, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, 22 December 2009

Has Univision ever covered any of these cases?  Do Hispanics know that the Obama administration has taken a position on the use of race as a factor in immigration stops that is much more severe than anything passed by the State of Arizona?  Does the Left realise that the Obama administration doesn't condemn all racial profiling and even argues that race is a "relevant factor"?  One would think that the Obama administration would have argued that Brignoni-Ponce is an antiquated relic that must be overturned since we are "progressing" as a country.  Hmmm....

Finally, we must actively encourage immigration from former Soviet Bloc countries. There are highly-educated people, who love the free market and have an aversion to socialism and centralised government. The US severely limits the numbers of visas issued to these people. We need brains, not drains. Sorry, but we just cannot afford it.

As Milton Friedman famously said, “you can have open borders/lax immigration enforcement or a welfare state, but you cannot have both.”

PS:  As a note to immigrants, do you know of the old maxim "When in Rome, do as the Romans"?   Do you know the reason that Americans are called "The Ugly Americans" in Europe?  It is because they, historically, have been seen as refusing "to do in Rome as the Romans."  When you come to the United States, act as an American.  If you want to become an American, your flag is no longer the flag of Mexico, Great Britain or South Korea.  Your independence day is the 4th of July.   Your national anthem is the Star-Spangled Banner.  You may not demand that the United States adjust to your customs and traditions.  I came from the UK.  I did not demand that Americans drive on the other side of the road.  

PPS:  Sorry, mis amigos, Cinco de Mayo does not mark some glorious day in the history of Mexico.  It was an advertising gimmick created by a marketing company to sell beer.  We're not going to make it a national holiday....well, not until we have National Festivus Day and enshrine the Ten Commandments of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster into law because Pastafarians have rights, too.

"Because they vote.  And they will continue to vote against you, especially if you kick their grandmother out."

connertown on November 13, 2012 at 2:40 PM

So, you want to reward illegal behaviour or be held hostage to lawbreakers?

I swear, if I had known you guys were so easy, I'd never had obeyed the laws. I'd have just overstayed my visa and let Democrats and ERs throw rose petals at my feet while jockeying for my future vote. (sarc)

How is it that the United States has become a country that rewards and beatifies lawbreakers while considering those that obey the law as "mean, greedy, selfish, racist, and hateful"?

I actually know people who are patiently and legally waiting to come to the US and/or become American citizens.  Too many Democrats and Republicans would rather reward the lawbreakers than those who are playing by the rules.  Obama is always whining that everyone deserves a "fair shot, a fair share and should play by the same rules"...except when they shouldn't, in his estimation evidently.

What's next?  The children of the middle class telling the GOP that they will never vote Republican unless they get free college educations, jobs for life with a minimum starting salary of $100,000 per year, free housing, free healthcare, free European vacations, free pot, free yachts, free beach houses, etc, etc, etc?

The GOP will never be able to out-pander and out-Santa Claus the Democrats.


Related Reading:

Immigration Reform:  If the Past Is Prologue...

Yes, Immigration Can Bring Huge Benefits, But On This Scale And At This Speed, It's Too Much To Cope With

Adios, Adios, Miss American Pie?  Not Necessarily.

Immigration & The Town That Stopped Mincing Words

A Fair Warning To Those Promoting Open Borders, Amnesty, & Free Immigration

Civil Rights Commission:  "Granting Illegal Immigrants Effective Amnesty Would 'Harm Lower-Skilled, African-American"

Will Aging Childless Voters Enslave My Future Grandchildren?

The 1965 Immigration Reform and The New York Times: Context, Coverage and Long-Term Consequences

Economic Micawberism: The Left Expects Businesses To Place Progressive Ideals Above Economic Survival

The Surrealistic States of America

No, Rand Paul Is Not An Amnesty Shill Nor Are We Ever, Ever, Ever Going To Deport 12-20 Million Illegal Aliens

The Rise of Islamist Violence in the UK

After Arizona:  The Field, Still Unoccupied

 "American Pie" - Don McLean

[Intro]
A long, long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while

But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step

I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

[Chorus]
So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 1]
Did you write the book of love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so?
Now do you believe in rock and roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues

I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died

[Chorus]
I started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 2]
Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the king and queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me

Oh, and while the king was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned

And while Lenin read a book on Marx
A quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died

[Chorus]
We were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 3]
Helter skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast

Now the halftime air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance

'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

[Chorus]
We started singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Verse 4]
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the devil's only friend

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan's spell

And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Outro]
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play

And in the streets, the children screamed
The lovers cried and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken

And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died

And they were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin' "This'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die"

[Chorus]
They were singin' bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
And singin' "This'll be the day that I die"