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Obama On Immigration: Being An American Is Not About 'Blood Or Birth' -- It's About 'Faith'


President Barack Obama lays out his vision for immigration reform at American University.

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President Obama spoke today about the need for comprehensive immigration reform, arguing that "immigrants have always helped to build and defend this country" and that "being an American is not a matter of blood or birth. It's a matter of faith."

Speaking from Washington, D.C., Obama sounded many familiar points, and said that though "some have rallied behind" Arizona's controversial immigration policy, it is "ill-conceived."

He continued that "we've always defined ourselves as a nation of immigrants," adding that America has also been a "magnet for the best and brightest."

"The politics" of who is allowed in the country "has always been contentious," Obama said, but it is possible to find a "practical commonsense approach that reflects our heritage and our values" and "demands accountability from everybody."

He also criticized those who say Congress should not move on reform until our borders are secure, because "our borders are just too vast" and resources are too limited to secure them properly at this point.

Obama added that Congress needs the "courage and the political will to pass a bill," and it "cannot pass without Republican votes."

"The natural impulse among those who run for office is to turn away and defer this question for another day," he said. But we cannot allow a system that "offends our most basic American values" to remain in place.

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July 1, 2010 12:25 PM   

A classic Obama cut and paste speech.

Being An American .... It's About 'Faith'
No Mr. President - it's about JOBS!

This guy is so full of shit.

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July 1, 2010 12:29 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

It's an immigration speech, genius.

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July 1, 2010 1:46 PM    in reply to Viva!America!

Well, I didn't expect you to see the big picture, being on your hands and knees licking the Bosses' boots.

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July 1, 2010 3:26 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

That is you isn't it Darcy. Couldn't stay away could you.

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July 1, 2010 10:44 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

you can get on all fours and kiss my ass.

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July 1, 2010 3:24 PM    in reply to Viva!America!

I think Darcy Dancer is back under Clarence Vine

The President was stellar. Only jealous folks would call him full of shit. People like Clarence couldn't fill one of Obama's shoes.

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July 1, 2010 4:47 PM    in reply to chameleon

WTF? You not a favorite so I do my best to stay away. Now I'm someone else? I think the President is full of shit because he should be on JOBS 24/7 and not attempting to separate the masses with a race speech. I expect more from him. That's what I'm also upset about.

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July 1, 2010 4:55 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

That's you. It's always about jobs for you isn't it. So transparent

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July 1, 2010 6:25 PM    in reply to chameleon

You are delusional - "....doing more than any politician in history has ever done to create jobs...? I follow jobs because it's my job. Wait till tomorrow morning - non-farm payroll about 75,000 (maybe). Last month about 16,000, after stripping off the census workers. You don't understand. We're on our way to a double-dip recession/depression. Without jobs nothing else matters especially since the G-20 countries pledged last week to cut their deficits in HALF by 2011. This means, if they can accomplish even a 25% reduction, our economy is again headed south. Won't get a dime in new stimulus monies, which is what he desperately needs, and will be at the mercy of world economics. Not all his fault. Never said that but he took the wrong advice too many times and speeches do not matter when it comes to money and reality. He hired the wrong team from the beginning and had his strong moments but it's out of his hands now. Too late. Big wave coming.

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July 1, 2010 6:42 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

You are the one who is delusional. Show me where I said ...."doing more than any politician in history has ever done to create jobs...? I never said that ever. But having said that, what do you expect him to do. Hold a gun to people's heads and make them hire or make banks lend money? Everyone has said jobs are the last to recover after a recession. You act like he can wave a magic wand. You are the delusional one to think he was going to solve all the problems he was saddled with overnight. If you had unrealistic expectations, then you are the delusional one.

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July 1, 2010 7:53 PM    in reply to chameleon

My apologies. I was quoting converse, right under your previous post. I do not expect Obama to wave a magic wand and did not say it was all his fault. I understand what he inherited but in bailing out the banks at 100% on the dollar he got nothing in return. They now sit on the sidelines and borrow government money at 0% and use it to buy government bonds, or replace real wealth growth with the imaginary risk investment game. They're nothing more than hustlers and have no regard for Obama and are abusing his good nature. They will take him down and reinstall the Party of No, and once again return to the Status Quo Party. His demise will be because he turned matters over to those same hustlers that caused this disaster.

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July 2, 2010 2:29 PM    in reply to chameleon

Yes, good news (I remember when we used to make everything for the rest of the world) but a slowdown in output from the 25,000 jobs per month in manufacturing since this past January.
Manufacturing growth has been key to the recovery as high unemployment has curbed consumer spending, the top economic driver. Now if the banks would lend so manufacturing could continue to grow, the jobs would be created in the U.S. for Americans. Mr. Obama is not going to get anymore stimulus money so he has to get the banks (that he/we bailed out)to lend. This is one of the "headwinds" he's referring to.

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July 1, 2010 1:23 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

You wanna complain about jobs? To Obama? Who is doing more than any politician in history has ever done to create jobs and bring this country back from the brink of depression?

Go talk with your republic friends who continue to block efforts to further stimulate the economy.

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July 1, 2010 2:41 PM    in reply to converse

Yes, extending unemployment benfits is one of the few ways to pump money into the economy for people to buy American goods and services, and the party of no ideas says "NO".

On the other hand, with almost 10% unemployment, we sure don't need more unskilled immigrant labor. Time to really tighten up proof of legal status to be employed in the U.S.

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July 1, 2010 1:38 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

Being an American is about jobs?

Really? So, under your own BS version of reality, the unemployed are no longer Americans, eh?

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July 1, 2010 1:59 PM    in reply to jsdc007

No, being American is not about jobs. You and Mike and converse, and of course Viva don't get the big picture. It's about JOBS first, with immigration and all the other "issues" way down the list. W/O JOBS the rest is nothing more than pushing the air around - blah, blah, blah! Sure the Republicans are taking all the cheap shots but Democrats are getting their licks in to. Americans are getting mugged by both parties. No matter what color I am, if I can't provide for my family, I don't want to hear anymore fucking speeches.

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July 1, 2010 1:38 PM    in reply to Clarance Vine

WTF are you talking about idiot?

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July 1, 2010 3:28 PM    in reply to MikeJ

This is a former poster named DarcyDancer aka SisterKevin. He's an Obama basher. Watch, he will respond by calling me names like Obamabot and idol worshipper and other lovely names. He's a pathetic excuse for a human

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DF

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July 1, 2010 12:30 PM   

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers.

So much for that? I'm guessing that he might be invoking some kind of loose use of the word "faith" here, but otherwise I find this definition of being American to be pretty lame.

What's the deal here? Poor choice of words? Pandering?

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July 1, 2010 12:48 PM    in reply to DF

What's the deal here? Poor choice of words? Pandering?

Yes, but now after 18 months in office we have to add credibility. This is the hardest criticism to deal with.

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July 1, 2010 1:28 PM    in reply to DF

What's the deal here? Somebody who can't be bothered to read the whole speech and figure out what it means?

DF: Obama gave a speech on immigration and I read just a couple of excerpts and I didn't like one word he used, so I decided to write a comment and accuse him of pandering. Ain't I brilliant?

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July 1, 2010 3:24 PM    in reply to converse

Actually, I listened to the whole speech this morning. For what it was worth on substance, I thought he hit the right notes on immigration - namely, that militarizing the border is a pipe dream and that we have to deal with the underlying economic issues, a major piece of which means bringing the force of law to bear on those who break the law in hiring illegal immigrants so as to address the demand side of the labor equation. That's the elephant in the room and he addressed it, straight up.

As a non-believer (and someone who supported, campaigned for and voted for Obama), I very much appreciated the historic nod to non-believers in his inaugural address that I quoted in my original comment - particularly after eight fucking years of right-wing Christian "faith-based" dominant power. It's for this very reason that I bristled a bit when I heard him use this turn of phrase earlier. "Faith" is a word that generally has a religious connotation, especially in contemporary American political discourse. Furthermore, this speech appeared to be aimed directly at the opposition party, for whom the word "faith" has not only a religious context, but a very specific one.

When you consider that approximately one sixth of the country are non-believers and that it's entirely possible to talk about shared values and ideals without bringing religion into the discussion, it does make me wonder whether this was more than just a slightly impolitic choice of words, which is unusual for Obama. Given the context, it makes me wonder whether he's casting our "Americanness" as a matter of all being people of faith because that kind of rhetoric appeals to his opposition.

Am I flatly accusing him of pandering? No. Would it be pandering if he's doing for the reasons I just described? I would say so. Would it be the worst pander in the history of the world? No. Should I have expected that some reactionary toolkit would flame me for daring to say something just tangent to critical of the President, doing so without it giving it much more thought than I was suspected of giving the President's speech in the first place? Yeah, probably.

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July 1, 2010 3:30 PM    in reply to DF

I watched the whole thing too and I thought it was stellar and hit all the right notes but then I am an Obamabot and an Obama worshipper so what do I know. Of course, Clarence Vine aka Darcy Dancer/sisterkevin takes one word he doesn't like and uses it to blast the president. You talk about a loser, Clarence Vine is the ultimate loser. Pay attention to his posts from now on and he will reveal himself.

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DF

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July 1, 2010 3:40 PM    in reply to chameleon

I completely agree on the policy substance. And I hardly think that I "blasted" the President to question this particular choice of words. Mezcalero's comment below is savvy on the politics at play IMHO.

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July 1, 2010 3:46 PM    in reply to DF

It wasn't you I was referring to. It was the comment made by Clarence Vine. I agreed with your assessment of his speech.

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July 1, 2010 3:37 PM    in reply to DF

I watched the whole thing too and I thought it was stellar and hit all the right notes but then I am an Obamabot and an Obama worshipper so what do I know. Of course, Clarence Vine aka Darcy Dancer/sisterkevin takes one word he doesn't like and uses it to blast the president. You talk about a loser, Clarence Vine is the ultimate loser. Pay attention to his posts from now on and he will reveal himself.

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July 1, 2010 2:48 PM    in reply to DF

He's talking about the old America, where immigrants wanted to learn English and become fully assimilated American citizens, not the new America where immigrants use their language as a tool to displace the English-speaking native born. For a long time, Spanish has been the language of the construction site; and in my area you can't work at McDonalds without speaking Spanish ... you can barely order at McDonalds if you don't speak Spanish.

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July 1, 2010 4:26 PM    in reply to condew

Tsk Tsk Tsk... keep believing your myths about the old time good immigrants vs. the new damn illegals.

I seem to recall the following:

- The persecutions of Irish as being non-white apes.

- The original Italian immigrants as being called WOPs (that is, 'without papers'). Italians were the original "Illegals."

- German-Americans marching in New York City in 1939 in support of the Nazi regime. Very Patriotic.


One of the most corrosive things about talking about immigration is the comparison of today's persecuted migrants vs. the myth of the patriotic European immigrant who wrapped himself in the American flag after coming through Ellis Island.

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July 2, 2010 8:25 AM    in reply to mezcalero

And it should be recalled that:



  • Racial and ethnic prejudice drove immigration policy. Yellow or brown skin bad, white skin good.

  • Excluded classes such as Irish or Chinese landed in Canada and crossed the border into the United States. Today, millions of Americans (who are not Hispanic) have ancestors who came into the country illegally.


This whole discussion of illegal immigrants is a keg of small beer. People come to this country to provide a better life for their families. When the majority of Mexicans, and Latin Americans, can do that at home, the migration pipeline will empty out.

Thanks.

mp

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July 1, 2010 3:37 PM    in reply to DF

Pandering.

And by using an amorphous term people can imbue it with the meaning of their choice. In reality, it's a pretty stupid characterization. Something one would expect of a high schooler's essay about American identity.

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July 1, 2010 12:31 PM   

"being an American is not a matter of blood or birth. It's a matter of faith."

I'm almost starting to believe this guy is a dumb as the right says he is. Seriously, what does that even mean?
If I sneak into the US and believe in Tinker Bell hard enuff, I'm am American citizen?

So I can go to Germany and have fucking faith and I'm a German?


I'm sorry dude, but it Is exactly a matter of blood and birth.

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July 1, 2010 1:20 PM    in reply to _agave_

You're an idiot and don't understand U.S. history or immigration law if you think being an American is about "blood and birth". Seriously, read something besides blogs occasionally, okay?

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July 1, 2010 1:22 PM    in reply to _agave_

It sounded to me like he meant "faith" in terms of an ideal, "Land of opportunity" and such, not a religious doctrine.

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July 1, 2010 1:26 PM    in reply to _agave_

HUH????....it is not about blood or birth genius!!!.....my grandparents where not born here, and became American citizens....people from countries all over the world come here and become citizens, what in the hell does that have to do with "blood or birth"......to be a citizen you need to immigrate here legally, and have a belief (faith) in the American form of government that you swear "FAITH" and allegiance to!!!!!

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July 1, 2010 2:03 PM    in reply to bwdoherty

First, tone down the exclamation points before you pop a blood vessel.

Obama's point gets to the heart of the matter about nationalism and tribalism.

Just because you are a legal American citizen, or a legal resident alien, doesn't necessarily mean you're very loyal. Just ask Jane Fonda in the 60's or the Rosenbergs in the 50's.

Just because you're here illegally doesn't necessarily mean you mean harm, or for that matter, don't have a tribal and nationalistic loyalty to America. For example, talk to the illegal immigrants who have sacrificed their children in Iraq and Afghanistan wars. There are plenty of dead Anchor babies who have spilled their blood for your freedom.

The idea that someone goes from point A to B for for freedom from persecution, or like most immigrants, freedom from economic want, is as old as human history itself.

I agree that any sovereign nation has the right to determine who goes in or out, and that the people willing to cross those borders must obey the law. But because I believe this, I also believe that this is the reason the whole system needs reform.

It's a problem that we focus on economic migrants more than drug lords. It's a problem that college students cannot get federal financial aid, just because of the choices their parents made. It's a problem that people do not grasp the security situation at the border. Trust me, you'll be safer in Nogales Az than in Washington DC. It's a problem that smart successful foreign students have such a hard time coming to study to America, just because of our assbackwards immigration system. Ask Google about that.

Guys like you simply don't understand the circumstances of immigrants, regardless of their status. There is so much grey area. And the fact is, no matter how much you holler about the experiences of you grandparents, you'll simply refuse to understand.

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July 1, 2010 12:56 PM   

Faith? Faith in what, exactly? Is there more to that quote that isn't published here?

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July 1, 2010 1:29 PM    in reply to Lono65

again...what in the world do you not understand about the quote....you swear faith and allegiance to the united states of america above all other countries when you become a citizen!!

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July 1, 2010 1:52 PM    in reply to bwdoherty

What I don't understand is the specific use of the heavily-loaded word "faith" in this context.

"Allegiance" is a different matter, but that's not what he said, is it?

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July 1, 2010 2:13 PM    in reply to Lono65

I think this was a dogwhistle to the Evangelical wing of the Republican Party. The fact is, he needs considerable Republican support for any reform legislation. He'll have the business wing. He'll give up on the white populist wing (e.g. Rush Limbaugh wing), so he's appealing to the Evangelicals.

Also, faith could be an abstract concept, in the mold of Reinhold Niebuhr. Faith in good works of society at large, for the good of the Nation.

Immigration is simply one of those issues that doesn't appeal to reason when people refuse to understand. I include immigrant rights supporters on the left and Teabaggers on the right in that criticism.

In that sense, the word "Faith" could just be a cry of exasperation. He realizes how hopeless reform is in the forseeable future, and hates the fact that the issue is being used as a bludgeon.

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DF

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July 1, 2010 3:35 PM    in reply to mezcalero

This is the way I'm inclined to interpret it. He knows that he'll need some support somewhere from the right to get any movement on this and that he's unlikely to see it from the xenophobes. FWIW, I think this Krugman post is informative here.

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July 1, 2010 12:58 PM   

Maybe a more complete quote would make his point clearer:

"Immigrants have always helped to build and defend this country," Obama said. "Being an American is not a matter of blood or birth. Its a matter of faith, of shared fidelity to the ideas and values that we hold so dear."

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July 1, 2010 2:00 PM    in reply to indybend

There you go, expecting the teabagger trolls to read all the way through a sentence with a dependent clause. How elitist! :)

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July 1, 2010 2:09 PM    in reply to Matt Jones

Who are you calling a teabagger troll? I would have read the next sentence...if TPM had bothered to provide it. Is it really too much to expect TPM to publish that second sentence?

I expect shitty journalism from other sources, but I hold TPM to a higher standard. Sure, I was able to GO SOMEWHERE ELSE to find out what Obama actually said...but if I was gonna do that, what do I need TPM for?

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July 1, 2010 2:05 PM    in reply to indybend

See, now was that so hard?

It was sloppy journalism on the part of TPM to publish that partial quote.

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July 1, 2010 1:40 PM   

A matter of faith? Please explain/teach more Mr. President.

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July 1, 2010 2:25 PM    in reply to MikeJ

I replied to the wrong person... see below. My bad.

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July 1, 2010 1:46 PM   

Obama On Immigration: Being An American Is Not About 'Blood Or Birth' -- It's About 'Faith'

What??????!!!!!!!!

FAITH!!!! The enactment of the Death penalty is not in complaince with any Democracy, Law and Religion//FAITH!!!!

Jus Soli (by blood) Jus Sanguini (by presense) where//are part of the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act, 1996 and including the sunseted 12/15/1999 Section 245i.

Axel V. Sabersky
Documented DOJ//INS Whistleblower as of 12/16/1999

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July 1, 2010 2:22 PM    in reply to tpmreader

Faith in the sense that there are alot things we do in life, for which we do not know the implications.

When you put your faith and allegiance in America, you do it with the recognition that you share the ideals that America stands for, believing that your tribal loyalty is going to pay dividens with the rest of the nation. In that sense, being an American is an act of Faith, from which all other things come forth. (loyalty, tribalism, nationalism, citizenship).

When you make the decision to leave your homeland for a new land, without expecting the unforseen, that is an act of faith. It is expecially and act of faith if you have to reconcile your belief in the rule of law to come here, because you don't have to means to do so otherwise. This is what we mean that America is an Immigrant nation. Immigration itself is an act of faith.

Faith in this case doesn't imply "Christian Faith." Faith in this is a deep understanding of hope. America is the prime ideal of that hope.

"Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith."
- Reinhold Niebuhr

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July 1, 2010 2:32 PM    in reply to mezcalero

As always Immigration reforms would be best applied sonner than later and preferably along with all of our other broken.......

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July 1, 2010 3:01 PM   

With jobless numbers growing every month, how can a prudent person, such as the commander in Chief expect to get a reasonable response on both legal and illegal immigration? No administration will until that Southern border is sealed shut, with serious ramifications for employers who knowingly hire foreign labor.
After watching President Obama's dialogue to the American people on Cable, about immigration reform. The consensus is that he doesn't know what his political Czars are exploiting behind his back? Starting with the border fence and overall enforcement, that Sen. Harry Reid, Pelosi, Napolitano have silently expurgated funding to the US Border patrol and interior enforcement. Sen. Reid of Nevada cut expenditures to the real (TWO) two parallel fences, now we have only one that remains uncompleted.


Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-TX, and co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX) utterly unheeded the people's will, in that they wanted immediately the border sealed. The 2006 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations bill eviscerated the 2006 Secure Fence Act and that would have built the first true 854 miles of the U.S-Mexico border as a serious deterrent. It would have been foreseeable that two fences along the border would have held back the hordes that keep coming? The reality is two fences separated by a 1000 yards of no-mans-land, would be a great deterrent. As for any kind of disguised terminology, known by everybody as AMNESTY--it will not happen! If such a bill passed--millions more would just—KEEP ARRIVING--believing that sometime in the future another Amnesty would appear. Liberals hidden inside the Democratic administration has shown only limited immigration enforcement, in fact Sen. Reid almost eliminated E-Verify in the Senate.

The computer program that has now been modified, to identify illegal workers in the workplace was in serious jeopardy at one time. Even 287 (g) county-municipal police verification and detainment system has been faded--out HS Secretary Janet Napolitano. IF THE PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ADMINISTRATION WAS SERIOUS ABOUT ENFORCING IMMIGRATION LAWS, SEN. HARRY REID WOULD HAVE BEEN ADVISED TO LEAVE THESE SIGNIFICANT IMMIGRATION LAWS ALONE? This not an exhaustive war between just the State of Arizona, but this pandemic has spread to the smallest community in America, which can least afford to support the illegal alien invasion that is running rampant.

To show good faith the government should have hammered down Sen. Harry Reid for his determination to table E-Verify in the Senate. It is the same with cutting back ICE from raids within America or severing federal funding on the 287 (g) programs. Reid was unable to crush E-Verify, but he did manage to make the Databased conceived program none mandatory? Both the majority party and Republicans are highlighted now and specially Sen. Harry Reid, because of his power over the Senate. All incumbents must be removed from office in November, including anybody partnering with this Nevada Senator. It is my belief that any politician with the heavy influence from the open border coalition with large margins of ethnic groups legal and illegal, are insistent for a path to citizenship. Be astounded by costs, statistics and—REAL—numbers of illegal nationals in this nation at ImmigrationCounters. Learn what you can do by joining NumbersUSA.

However I do agree with working visas for legal professional workers, in the highest demand such as Engineers, Scientists and highly skilled labor. It is unlikely that these exceptionally educated will ever become a public charge in the welfare office. The exception is none or low skilled labors that are illegally entering this sovereign nation through borders or staying after their visas have expired. Those who work on farms and in Agriculture, should not be allowed to stray away from the job that was allocated. Immediate deportation after registry should be the outcome as with anybody who breaks the law.

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July 1, 2010 4:21 PM    in reply to Brittanicus

Your argument is self refuting.

You say if we pass an amnesty, millions more will come.

Yet at the same time, you argue that border needs to be shut.

For the sake or argument, lets suppose your first argument to be true. If the border ever really was secured, wouldn't it make sense that we wouldn't let all those illegals in ever again, thus making an amnesty workable?

You're gonna say, "well, they'll never seal the border anyway... bla bla bla, damn liberals; thus, no amnesty!!!!!"

If that's the case, then you're going to stay angry for a very long time.

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July 1, 2010 3:29 PM   

So, is he saying we will get the immigration "reform" Republicans want or nothing? Has Obama turned Republican?

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July 1, 2010 3:32 PM   

Obama again demonstrates his very poor understanding of history.

For at least the first century (if not a bit longer) being an American was most certainly about both blood and birth for a huge portion and perhaps a majority of Americans. Only with the massive waves of immigration in the late 19th and first 3rd of the 20th century did that view really begin to evolve into the currently popular concept of America "always" being a nation of immigrants.

The Puritans and pioneers did not see themselves as immigrants at all, at least in the sense we understand that term today. Yes, they had emigrated many of them, but by the time of the revolution, most Americans were born in America and the european settlement of the continent was nearly two centuries old. It is only in recent decades that the idea that "we are all immigrants" has come into vogue. It is a rhetorical twist that works with many whose heritage stems from the great 19th Century waves of immigration and after but falls on deaf ears to others, many of whom compose the base of the right wing in this country and who reject Obama's "faith" argument entirely.

Apart from his distorted historical interpretation this speech was just more empty platitudes from him. His speeches have grown more and more similar to Bush's as he has been in office: just one trite phrase or image after another strung together and topped off with "God Bless America".

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July 1, 2010 3:48 PM    in reply to oleeb

You have zero credibility. You are a know Obama hater and basher. Anyone who could make the statement that Obama's speeches have grown more and more similar to Bush's proves you have an agenda and it consists of Obama bashing. As FreeRider said, he could far peppermint out of his ass and you would still say it stinks.

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July 1, 2010 9:16 PM    in reply to oleeb

Who has the distorted historical interpretation? I'd say the one who thinks that the puritans and pioneers were "first century Americans," rather than immigrants who stole the land from its native people.

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July 1, 2010 10:52 PM   

WTF is wrong with some Liberals and the word "Faith"? There is some seriously ridiculous overreaction to this word, especially coming from Obama who doesn't have a habit of imposing his religion on others.

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July 2, 2010 3:24 AM   

(Hebrews 11:1) 11 Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.

The assured expectation because of the evident demonstration; THE GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE sold the peasant class into slavery.
The best government money could buy, allowed and even gave financial support to companies to move JOBS overseas, with the evident demonstration the AMERICAN worker got screwed in the deal.

The only thing the American blue-collar worker will be good for; CANNON FODDER, in the service of the expansion of parasitic Capitalism. A form of governance that cares little about WE the People, PROFIT OVER PEOPLE

Obama needs to get a clue, the American people were snookered the last time we had immigration reform.

The American people were compassionate and gave AMENSTY the last time, and we were told enforcement would be an integral part of the Amnesty. Since that time 20 to 30 million more immigrants have broken our laws, because: the Government knew full well it never intended to enforce the law. Our government supported the dismantling and destruction of the American labor movement, at the behest of corporate interests

If the American labor movement is to survive, WE THE PEOPLE need to recognize Obama's form of immigration reform is another amnesty program and enforcement will never happen.
Why should it, the American people are easily fooled.

IMPORTANT POINT: HIDDEN AGENDA

Obama knows the only way America will be able to compete in the global economy, is it needs to get wages lower. Allowing more immigrants accomplishes this HIDDEN GOAL.
Healthcare was an element of the goal.

Once the American workers wages and benefits are low enough to attract businesses to return from oversees, then and only then will America have jobs.
Maybe Obama likes to suck up to his Corporate masters; but Obama needs to leave us out of his sellout scheme and enforce our laws and get rid of these hurtful trade agreements.
So if we give amnesty this time again, what’s to say the next time we won’t be visiting this problem again?

Trust us, doesn’t work anymore.

We don’t have FAITH YOU HAVE OUR BEST INTEREST IN MIND while you serve another master who wishes to enslave us.

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July 7, 2010 9:24 PM   

Obama is so wr...ong and he would be so laughable if the issue of being American wasn't so polarizing, remember 'Immigration' is not even mention in the Constitution and for good reason. The Founders did not believe in 'open borders' and wanted immigrants of good character and standing to apply and begin the 'naturalization' process to become a US citizen, not just anybody that crossed the border illegally or jumped ship! Immigrating to the US is a honor, not a 'human right', sorry Barack!

The fact is 'We the People' don't need anymore immigrants, and the day of the immigrant is over...period. There are too many Americans out of work and there aren't enough jobs for everyone on the planet here in America. It's time to put moratoriums immigration levels for next 30 years..at least!

If do have more immigrants they must not include any from countries where Islamic Law is enforced. Muslims must reject Sharia Law before they are allowed to immigrant to the US. Also would be immigrants must rejected Marxism, Socialism or Communism as a qualification of immigrating to the US.

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