Under the law
Obedience to American law was my family's step toward citizenship. I became a citizen at 16 years old, seven years after my arrival to this land of liberty. It does matter what you do first in regard to one's new country. If breaking the law is the first deed; it won't be the last time.
My Filipino parents respect American law and abided by it then and now. Respect for law is a principle that I am teaching my students and children. So it is good that illegal immigrants were not rewarded with a helping hand towards the path to a very valued asset, United States citizenship.
U.S. citizenship is a prize
American citizenship should be treasured by Americans, especially by American leaders; much of the world are striving, even dying, to get this status. Leaders, including Pres. Bush, U.S. senators John Kerry, D-Mass, Ted Kennedy, D-Mass, John McCain, R-AZ, Lindsey Graham, R-SC should never be permitted to give away the right to citizenship like food stamps for mere votes (for future Hispanic votes, the leading minority voting bloc). Even with good intentions, which I believe some on the pro-illegal immigration side have, the move to make illegals legal will only invite civil disobedience, cultural division and constitutional devolution.
Political fallout
In this transcending issue, the winners:
law, reason and principle over appeasement, emotion and compromise;
conservatives over liberals;
Southerners and social conservatives over northerners and establishment politicians;
U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, R-Al over U.S. senators Ted Kennedy & John Kerry, D-Mass;
U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, R-SC over U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC;
U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-TX over U.S. Senator John Kyl- R-AZ;
Grassroots conservatism over pragmatic and patrician Republicanism (Pres. Bush, Sen. McCain)
The law and order presidency on this issue gave in to compromise and emotion, while the Graham/McCain duo lost to DeMint and Sessions (as a South Carolinian, perhaps, DeMint will become the movement senator in our state). Senator Kyl, the leading conservative in the senate who formely led the fight on this issue may now take a back seat to Sen. Cornyn, R-TX.
This issue has proved that grassroot and cultural conservatism along with Talk Radio can still stand against liberal, Beltway politicians, the elite media, and the President--that shows political and cultural depth and strength.
Illegal immigration is an issue that is legal, cultural, moral and constitutional, and should be resolved by upholding current law first followed by, if necessary, an amendment process. The issue of abortion was decided by men in black (the U.S. Supreme Court) and still remains a deeply divisive issue. Illegal immigration should, if necessary, be finally resolved through the amendment process in order to allow U.S. constitutional law, human reason and national unity to again be our standard.
These are my initial thoughts. What are yours?
For an in-depth discussion of this topic, please go back to my website at http://www.drecarma.com/ and read my published writings on the right side of the home page. Please click my illegal immigration article.
