I read this morning, with anguish, the Associated Press piece, Gunman kills 3 Amish schoolgirls and himself.
This is the third school shooting in a week. The incident was similarly fashioned after the one at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado.
Our schools are becoming targeted battlegrounds. I would urge anyone involved in a school to examine your security policies – including how people get into your building.
The House of Representatives has approved three measures to “control” the illegal immigrnat issue.
One of those measures includes building a 700 mile border fence.
All three of Utah’s representatives voted in approval of the Illegal Immigrant Deterrence and Public Safety Act and the Effective Immigration Enforcement and Community Protection Act.
Some of the bills’ provisions are: allowing local and state authorities to enforce immigration law; creating criminal penalties for building tunnels across the border; and making it easier to deport alien gang members.
Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, voted for the measures. Cannon has been targeted by activists against illegal immigration, and faced a primary election challenge, because of his role as President Bush’s point man on comprehensive immigration reform.
“These three bills can make an immediate impact in securing our borders and strengthening our nation. They are a step in the right direction, but more still needs to be done,” Cannon said in a statement. “Congress needs to actually fix our broken immigration system, by solving the entire problem.”
The measures all still need Senate approval.
Having seen “the fence” in El Paso and visited Tuscon where I heard personal accounts about immigrants crossed the desert in an effort to seek out a better life, I would urge our elected officials to stop doing what they continually do in an effort to “fix” problems – that is providing “band-aid solutions” that end up costing taxpayers a lot of money and don’t really solve problems.
I mean after all, we are dealing with human beings here. Human beings who need help and come to America, the land of opportunity, to seek a better life. That’s the story for most of those folks who illegally or otherwise cross the border into our land.
We are being fenced in while others are being fenced out. That is not a solution and it doesn’t make me feel more “secure”.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged government, human needs, human rights, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
As I see the increasing incidences of flag displays and fireworks sales as Independence Day approaches, I cannot help but wonder of people acutally really know what the significance of July 4 is.
Ruben Navarrette has had a piece published in today’s Salt Lake Tribune from SignOn San Diego, entitled Being an American by a technicality.
Navarrette is a hispanic american. He lists the reasons why he is an American.
Here is his list – go to the article (linked above) to read his explanations:
Navarrette’s ending intrigued me the most:
an immigration restrictionist – recently took issue with something I’d written and informed me that the fact I was an American citizen was just a “technicality.”
If that’s the case, it’s a technicality for which I’m immensely grateful.
My comment: We are all, by default, then, American citizens by technicality because America was founded by immigrants to a land already inhabited.
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Tagged government, human needs, human rights, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
Today’s Salt Lake Tribune has published an article on a local Ogden family whose father was deported and is not permitted to return for 20 years.
Humberto “Bert” Fernandez-Vargas came to the U.S. in 1969, ultimately started a trucking business, married and raised a son, and paid his taxes. He was deported in 2004 due to a the retroactive (April 1, 1997) Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, a provision which “drastically reduced the possibility for undocumented immigrants to stop their deportation if they had re-entered the country illegally after having been previously deported.”
Fernandez-Vargas applied to become a permanent legal resident and got authorization to work while the application was pending. Then came his arrest at the immigration interview.
Fernandez-Vargas can apply for a waiver from the U.S. government, but that could take years.
No regard has been considered of Fernandez-Vargas’ longstanding residence in the U.S., his community and family commitments, and the responsibilities he displayed as a business-owner and tax-payer.
This is another example of dividing and conquering on the part of the U.S. which continues to build walls and barriers along the cultural and community divides.
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Tagged government, human needs, human rights, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
The Pastors for Peace Caravan to Cuba will be in Salt Lake this Saturday. The Desert Greens Green Party Candidates have endorsed the event. I have a quote in the press release that was issued today. The Green Party of the United States published our press release on its home page under “local news”.
Yesterday I was interviewed by the Deseret News as participant with People for Peace and Justice of Utah. There will be an article in Saturday’s religion section of the D-News about Saturday’s event. HOpefully the press will come to the press conference at 5pm on Saturday to interview the caravanistas.
I am a strong advocate of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I do not believe that our government, or any government for that matter, has the right to forbid its citizens from contributing aid to those in need in other countries, let alone forbid its citizens from free travel across borders.
Pastors for Peace and hundreds of volunteers from the US and 7 other countries are slated to cross the US border into Mexico on July 2nd challenging US restrictions on travel and aid to Cuba. This is the 17th annual Caravan. The Caravan will be stopping in Salt Lake City on Saturday, July 24th. People for Peace and Justice of Utah has organized a free public event at Free Speech Zone (2144 South Highland Drive) beginning at 5pm for the Press and 7pm for the public.
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Tagged government, human needs, human rights, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
Today’s Salt Lake Tribune has an article and photo gallery called Life on the Divide.
One employee in a store on the border stated that folks are calling the border fence as the new “Berlin Wall” and that many see the scenario now as more dangerous than pre-border fence days.
Daniel Beltran, a 30-year-old Mexican truck driver who lives in San Luis Río Colorado, crosses the border legally for work each week. He said he can’t believe the U.S. government is spending millions of dollars on the border when it can use the
“They should be helping the people,” Beltran said in Spanish. “The wall doesn’t help anyone.”
My point exactly.
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Tagged government, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
There is an article in today’s Deseret News on Utahns building the border wall along the U.S./Mexican border in Arizona. The article pretty much glorifies the whole project and soldiers are quoted as “following Bush’s orders”.
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Tagged government, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
The U.S. Senatehas approved the building of a 370 mile border fence.
Utah Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett both voted in favor of the plan to build the fence. But they also voted in favor of an amendment that would have removed the provision giving illegal immigrants an eventual chance at citizenship. The amendment was defeated on a 66-33 Senate vote. In all, 41 Democrats joined with 24 Republicans and one independent to turn back the proposal.
The amnesty proposal would grant illegal immigrants legal status as long as they have worked in the U.S. for five years, learn english and pay back fines and taxes.
The Deseret Morning News published this table in today’s news:
Utah Rep Chris Cannon has released this report. My comments in bold.
Cannon Immigration Advisory Committee Releases Final Report
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC— Congressman Chris Cannon (R-UT) today announced that his Immigration Advisory Committee has released the Committee’s final report and recommendations. The Committee is comprised of nineteen members, who represent multiple view points of the immigration debate.
A copy of the full report can be obtained by calling Congressman Cannon’s office at 202-225-7751 or by clicking here.
“With the immigration debate being so divisive and difficult, the Immigration Advisory Committee hopes Congress will adopt comprehensive immigration reform that does not provide amnesty, but does address the root causes of immigration and changes the current incentive structure. A well-thought-out guest worker program accomplishes such a task,” the report reads.
How about a root cause being that capital can freely move but not people? Where is the equity in that?
“Those who are currently living in the United States illegally will have the necessary incentives to come out of the shadows and begin the process towards legality…Such a guest worker program will help solve many of our immigration quandaries,
What “incentives”?
but to have a full solution, we must also fully secure our borders, provide visa reform and vigorously enforce our laws internally.”
Does this mean that the parents and grandparents with children that were born here will only be able to work here for several years and then have to return to their country?”
The report also concluded that illegal immigration will continue to be a problem until Mexico and Latin America are economically empowered to care for their own citizens.
How will that be done? If you read between the lines, does that mean U.S. “intervention” of these countries to “bring them a better economy” (like the U.S. did for Iraq)?
“This is an extremely important report which reflects a consensus view of some of the best minds in Utah on an immensely difficult issue. This report has the weight of well-reasoned stances, and will be invaluable to have on hand as Congress tackles the ongoing immigration debate,” Cannon said.
Best minds? What best minds? I’d like to see the list of best minds.
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged government, immigrant issues, immigration laws, politics, Utah
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 