According to the L.A. Times, Arizona Lawyer –  Clint Bolick co-wrote the “Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution” book with Jeb Bush, but why does it appear the book is not in support of an earned pathway to legal citizenship?  Is this the legacy Clint Bolick wants to be part of here in Arizona?  Really, dude?  Did Bolick just go there?  The man who claims to be a Goldwater believer and who serves as director of the Goldwater Institute’s Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation in Phoenix is now on record for not being in support of a pathway to citizenship.  I shouldn’t be surprised … after all I live in the anti-immigrant arm pit of hell when SB 1070 was launched from our Wild Wild Western State of Arizona.  Whatever happened to “…Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice … that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue….”?

Why is Jeb Bush not in support of an earned pathway to citizenship reminiscent of taxation without representation policies?

More importantly, why can’t Jeb support a type of Mexican Adjustment Act that resembles the Cuban Adjustment Act?  Doesn’t Bush and Bolick know that Cuban immigrants are flowing into the United States via Mexico?

Aren’t all men created equal?

Did you know that once an immigrant from Cuba touches foot on our land — they receive tax payer monies for at LEAST one year? That’s right. Cuban Immigrants receive tax payer funded government benefits. Some Cuban immigrants receive tax payer funded government benefits for years.  I am a fan of the Cuban Adjustment Act, but I am ALSO a fan of legal immigration that will help all other immigrants, too, in the same manner. From the Irish undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts and New York,  to the Mexicans in the southwestern part of the United states … we need to fix the broken immigration system in a way that is fair and just.

Creating a class where my people pay into the federal tax revenue system — yet, not allowing them to vote is simply wrong.

At its core, the Boston Tea Party was a conflict over taxation, and you may recall to your memory and be familiar with the phrase “taxation without representation,” which developed in this era. So why would Bush support people contributing to federal taxes without the ability to have voting rights?  Unlike their British brethren, the people living in the 13 colonies did not have direct representatives in the British parliament. Because of that, the colonists had no way to vote for how they would be taxed or who would represent them. And because of this lack of representation, the British government was free to tax the colonists in any way — and for any amount — that it saw fit. With no way to fight taxation and no way to claim their rights, many colonists feared that their property could be taken away through debilitating taxes.

Here is some disturbing news from the L.A. Times:

Half a year later, the proposal, fleshed out in a newly released book, has landed in the midst of a radically changed political environment. Bush’s proposal – that illegal immigrants could become permanent legal residents, but not citizens – would have been toward the left end of Republican debate last summer. Now it is more conservative than the stance taken by several Republican senators, including Bush’s friend and Florida protege, Marco Rubio.

And Bush, who had hoped his book, “Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution,” would help set the agenda for his party, has instead spent the last two days struggling to find his footing and fending off accusations that he was undermining Senate negotiations and siding with hard-liners in the House.

“The idea of immediately giving illegal immigrants a pathway to become citizens was seen as a wildly liberal idea. A year later it strikes some as wildly conservative,” said Clint Bolick, the conservative Arizona lawyer who wrote the book with Bush. “It just shows how quickly the political terrain is shifting.” FULL STORY >>>

Have you ever wondered why Senator Marco Rubio (out of the blue)  is now wanting to be a type of immigration savior all of a sudden?  The Republican Party got spanked by women and Mexican-American voters when they overwhelmingly lost during the November 6, 2012, elections.

Keep in mind that Senator Marco Rubio stated his support for Arizona’s SB 1070 law and now wants to be some sort of immigration champion after he kicked the Mexicans when they were down and out before Nov. 6th.  Rubio supported SB 1070 and also did not support the DREAM Act.  The undocumented sure could have used his help in December 2010 when the DREAM Act was under a vote, but Rubio repeatedly stated he did not support the DREAM.

What could this mean?

In my opinion, it could mean that Jeb Bush wants to run for President of the United States in 2016 and is looking to secure Florida.  You see …. Obama won Florida in 2012, too.

There is one problem though: The Republican National Committee has not changed it’s anti-immigration stance with regard to their platform and how it supports Arizona-like laws regarding immigrants.  The RNC should have reversed it’s platform yesterday and there is going to be an ugly division within the GOP soon.

Can Rubio be trusted on his immigration views after he supported SB 1070?

Will there be talks of Jeb Bush / Marco Rubio ticket in 2016?

What about a Hillary Clinton and Joaquin Castro ticket in 2016?

President of SOMOS INDEPENDENTS, Shirl Mora James (Civil Rights and Immigration lawyer) is already pulling for a Clinton / Castro ticket.

She writes:

Will Hillary Clinton run knowing full well that women and Mexican-Americans and Latinos overwhelmingly supported Obama in 2012?

Joe Biden will more than likely run, but he does not really seem to bring anything fresh or new to the table.

Heaven forbid another Clinton and Bush redux — but it is a possibility.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 16, 2013

SA@MoraJamesLaw.com

Mexican-American and Woman-Led Organization Responds to Sen. Marco Rubio’s Immigration Reform

Shirl Mora James, Civil Rights and Immigration Lawyer now President of SOMOS INDEPENDENTS — a Mexican-American and woman-led organization believes Senator Marco Rubio of Florida ought to rescind his support for Arizona’s SB 1070 law in order to be taken seriously.

She states:

In order for Senator Marco Rubio to be the GOP immigration champion, he needs to rescind and retract all previous statements where he showed his support for Arizona’s SB 1070 law and statements made against immigrants and their children.  He has to show strong support for U.S. children and their parents in order to be taken seriously by women and Mexican-Americans.

###

Per David Leopold — Immediate Past President of AILA:

I can confirm that Erika that Erika’s mother will be released from ICE custody shortly. She has been granted Prosecutorial Discretion! Great work everyone.

Our country is broken. 

We can play the blame game all day long, but what good will it do?  An old commonplace pattern seems to be repeating with regard to our policies like an old broken record that can’t seem to get out of stuck mode. Politicians in Congress seem to have too much time on their hands because they spend more of their time bickering instead of creating solutions.  We should be developing and creating solutions that will help Americans, our economy and our national security in a practical manner.

In addition to our country being broken, we see other parts of the world falling apart as revolutions spread.  We can never seem to predict what is going to happen from one day to the next in the Middle East – so maybe it’s time to have a stronger back-up plan as we push for a stronger western hemisphere.  After all, we ought to know the ins-and-outs of what is going on in our front and backyard.  In fact, I believe we are putting too much emphasis on the Middle East and we need to balance it out with a push for a stronger western hemisphere.

A notable individual who stands out to me is Carlos Slim.   Slim is a Mexican-born citizen who acquired much of his wealth via communications. He is the richest man in the world and his telecommunications empire involves over 100 million subscribers in the Latin America.  Indeed Slim is no stranger in trying to help our United States economy by providing more jobs when he bought a stake in CompUSA in 1999 for $800 million. Unfortunately, the sales of computers were slowing down at the time because they were more and more obsolete as new technology became available. Carlos tried everything to keep the chain alive but it eventually closed.

Although I know Carlos is a very busy business man, I took some time to see what his views were as it relates to international government policy affecting our continent.  I found his innovative ideas regarding immigration and tourism a path we ought to consider – particularly if it is a win-win for both economies.  He is absolutely right when he said we ought to have more action tanks instead of just think tanks.  I have not seen much recent news with regard to Slim and policy out there, but was impressed when he did say government ought to take care of public education.  I agree.  We ought to introduce into our high school curriculums an educational scope that will offer skill sets in preparation of taking care of our elderly.  Although Slim does not appear active in helping create new policies, I believe he is influential enough to bend his ear a bit regarding education that will solve future challenges.

The Problem:  Aging population is exhausting much of our federal tax revenues coupled with declining birth rates.

The Solution:  Offering a skill set or educational curriculum that will help take care of our elderly, and creating new tax payers instead of burdening the existing ones in an effort that will ensure the security and well-being of our parents and grandparents.

Many of us are at a point where we need to look ahead and think about our parents.  Are we going to stick them in nursing homes?  Or, are we going to hire aids that will help check in on our parents in their own homes?  If you’re a Mexican-American, you will find that many of us choose to have our parents move in with us so that we can have them in our own homes where we can all take care of each other.  Grandparent time is important to us because we do value the older generation passing customs and family traditions to our children.

The United States, Canada and Mexico will soon be facing some serious challenges regarding our aging population particularly when the U.S.  and Mexico have rapidly plunging baby rates and a rapidly growing aging problem.  In 2011, the birth rate of the United States fell to its lowest level recorded in American history.

Eventually both the United States and Mexico will be competing for people to live in each of our own countries.

In addition to this, the AARP has made it extremely clear to Congress to not cut Social Security and Medicare in light of the fiscal cliff deal.  So let’s do the math, shall we?  Since 2010, Social Security has been paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes.  How in the hell can we fund Social Security and Medicare without burdening existing tax payers with more tax increases?  It’s simple — we bring out the good hardworking people who are living in the shadows of society and are already contributing to gasoline, sales, liquor, tire taxes and etc., and we create new official tax payers through them — the immigrants.  It would be in AARP’s best interest to welcome a solution that will sustain our elderly without burdening existing tax payers.

As our elderly rely on prescription medication, and since prescriptions are much cheaper in Mexico we ought to make it easier for them to get cheaper medication.  Indeed one of the biggest complaints by our elderly is the cost of medicine and we know that many of them in the Southwest make trips to Mexico to obtain cheaper medication.  This is where it might be a good idea to look into Carlos Slim’s immigration and tourism ideas when he said:

“[Customs and Immigrations at airports] should not [be] this environment where you feel like you’re coming to an insecure place,” Slim said, in an interview with Mexico Secretary of Tourism Gloria Guevara Manzo and WTTC President and CEO David Scowsill. “[It should be] a warm welcome, not only when you go to the airport, but at the hotel. Immigrations officers and customs [officials] must have this relationship with the ministry of tourism, and bring a friendly aspect [to travel].”

It’s time for the 113^th Congress to shit or get off the pot.  We need them to stop with their partisanship bickering and we need to see action now.  Our elderly are dependent upon solutions.  We must take care of our elderly and Homeland issues.  We ought to work on a stronger western hemisphere – especially as it relates to our continent.

A friend forwarded me a story today written by  David Nakamura of the Washington Post. The story is about advocates fearing gun control will divert Obama from immigration reform.

I believe gun control can take political capital away from fixing the broken immigration system, too, if Mexican-Americans do not have a strong grassroots political movement, and if Mexican-American politicians do not step up to the plate. 

Gone are the days for Latinos to hold up a victim card because IMMIGRATION IS A FEDERAL ISSUE.  Obama has the power to eliminate the “Arpaios” and the racial profiling goon squads in his 2nd term now.  This is exactly

Ranking by Population — Pew

why I voted for Obama in 2012 because I know he doesn’t have to worry about getting re-elected.  This is a hot button issue and again … the immigration issue is a federal one under the Supremacy Clause of our United States Constitution.  Be reminded that both Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush waited til they were re-elected into their 2nd term before addressing immigration.  Everyone knows that a 2nd term President no longer has to worry about being re-elected, therefore, the Obama administration has clout — particularly when the Democratic Party still holds the majority seats in the Senate.

More importantly, everyone knows how women and Mexican-American / Latinos helped Democrats maintain their power on November 6, 2012.  Women and Latinos made a resounding voting statement in 2012 and Democrats cannot afford to lose that momentum.

Remember when Congressman Luis Gutierrez threatened Latinos would stay home and not vote in 2012 because Obama didn’t pass immigration reform within his 1st term?  (I really like Gutierrez — I really do, but he is Puerto Rican and he needs to be careful with painting with a broad brush especially since Mexican-Americans have been working hard on getting out the vote.  Several did not think the “don’t vote” message was productive).  Mexicanos must get out the vote because that is the only way they can show Washington D.C. that we are paying attention and it is a way to flex our political muscle.

That said, it was interesting for me to see how Nakaruma quoted Cuban-Republican Sen. Marco Rubio.  Doesn’t he know Cubans only make up 3% of the entire Latino population?  More importantly, doesn’t Nakaruma know that Rubio supported the controversial SB 1070 and did not support the DREAM Act when we needed it the most?  The person to seek a quote from is Sen. Robert Menendez (also Cuban-American) who has taken the initiative to put an immigration reform bill on the floor.

Who are the ones mostly getting deported?  It’s isn’t the Cubans — it is the Mexicans who were deported in record numbers, therefore, it makes sense to talk to more Mexican-American leaders who are feeling the pain the most because they are the ones who have witnessed their extended families forced apart and deported.

Where are the quotes of Mexican-American Representatives as it relates to where most of the population is at in the southwestern part of the United States?  Raul Grijalva, Ed Pastor, Toney Anaya, Xavier Becerra, Loretta Sanchez, Linda Sánchez, and so forth? Had the Democratic Mexican-American woman and candidate via Amanda Aguirre been elected this past year, we would have seen her take the bull by the horns on this issue.

Make no mistake, we are now living in the Information Age where keeping track of the Mexican-American politician(s) is easier with regard to their voting records and the initiatives they have taken at the Hill.  I am a mere writer who has no political power — and the ones who have the power are those elected officials who have been elected to push policies that will fix broken things at the Hill. Again, Arpaio’s racial profile regime can end when Congress fixes the clearly broken system.

It is critical for the Mexican-American voters to keep track of their Mexican-American representatives (particularly in the southwestern part of the United States where Mexicans dominate in population growth).  Where is the strong Mexican-American congressional politician at  to take the lead on immigration since the  immigration issue is a federal issue under the Supremacy Clause?  We all know the Supreme Court reinforced the Supremacy Clause issue during the summer of 2012 when most of SB1070 was shredded and gutted. Chicanos must work harder and be more assertive.  It is a good idea for the DREAM Act students to assert themselves because the political game is all about the ante up while raising the call.  While the DREAMers ante up via protests, Mexican-American and/or Latinos who agree with reasonable immigration ought to find what both sides can agree on and build from there.  Note:  Mexican-Americans and Chicanos will more than likely not be for building a class of people who are paying into the federal tax reserve system without proper representation.

Can we address both gun control on automatic / assault-type of weapons and fixing the broken immigration system?

I believe we can do both.

Nonetheless, I am curious what readers think and believe this poll is necessary to ascertain intelligence.

Inauguration Day is coming up, and we should take a proactive position on policies instead of a reactionary one.

In the meantime … do pray for the safety of our United States President.  These are two tough issues, and I’m concerned about the volatility of both the gun and immigration issue under the Obama administration.    Do you know how many racists in Arizona love their automatic and assault rifle weaponry?  Two examples from Arizona I have are J.T. Ready and Shawna Forde that will point to my concern with regard to how wacko racists with guns can be.

In the meantime, please take the poll below.  I voted “no” because I think we can address both issues in a productive and reasonable manner.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio and Russell Pearce Piñatas are becoming a favorite at Arizona Latino Christmas Posada

Left Piñata of Russell Pearce, the Right Piñata is of Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Parties this year. See video below.

The moral of the piñata is that all are justified through blind faith, and that is what Arizona Mexican-Americans are going to count on as we fill dictator-types (such as Arpaio and Pearce) with candy and helping kids overcome their fears from Arizona hate laws, and the lawmakers who implemented them. We are turning a negative situation into a positive one because the history of the piñata goes way back to Catholic religious views and Catechism.

Now before people get their panties in a bunch, you can learn more on the history of the piñata from Mex-Connect:

At the beginning of the 16th century the Spanish missionaries to North America used the piñata to attract converts to their ceremonies. However indigenous peoples already had a similar tradition. To celebrate the birthday of the Aztec god of war, Huitzilopochtli, priests placed a clay pot on a pole in the temple at year’s end. Colorful feathers adorned the richly decorated pot, filled with tiny treasures.. When broken with a stick or club, the treasures fell to the feet of the god’s image as an offering. The Mayans, great lovers of sport played a game where the player’s eyes were covered while hitting a clay pot suspended by string. The missionaries ingeniously transformed these games for religious instruction. They covered the traditional pot with colored paper, giving it an extraordinary, perhaps fearful appearance.  …

Thus, the piñata reflected three theological virtues in the catequismo. (religious instruction or catechism)

The blindfolded participant represents the leading force in defying evil, ‘Fe’, faith, which must be blind. People gathered near the player and spun him around to confuse his sense of space. Sometimes the turns numbered thirty three in memory of the life of Christ. The voices of others cry out guidance:

¡Más arriba! More upwards!
¡Abajo! Lower!
¡Enfrente! In front!

Some call out engaños (deceits, or false directions) to disorient the hitter.

Secondly the piñata served as a symbol of ‘Esperanza’, Hope.

With the piñata hanging above their heads, people watched towards los cielos (sky or heaven) yearning and waiting for the prize. The stick for breaking the piñata symbolized virtue, as only good can overcome evil. Once broken, the candies and fruits represented the just reward for keeping faith.

Finally the piñata symbolized ‘Caridad’, Charity. With its eventual breaking, everyone shared in the divine blessings and gifts.

The moral of the piñata: all are justified through faith.

Are the Anti-Immigration Restrictionists Ready to Support That Dreaded Amnesty?

By David Leopold

Has Hell frozen over?

Why else would the anti-immigration fringe be toying with the heretical notion of “considering” some form of “amnesty” in a future immigration reform package?

In a piece published recently in the National Review, Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies, a restrictionist group, wrote:

I’ve long thought that, once real enforcement measures are in place (and functioning, and funded, and survived the ACLU’s legal jihad against any and all enforcement tools), after a few years of shrinkage in the illegal population, considering amnesty for some of those remaining might well be prudent.

The gratuitous slap at the ACLU aside, is Krikorian conceding that some policy other than mass deportation and a virtual end to all immigration might be palatable to the restrictionist fringe?

Hardly.

His comments merely reflect a more nuanced restrictionist rhetoric. This, of course, is not surprising in light of the thrashing that Mitt Romney took in the general election after aligning himself with the anti-immigration extremists and championing their heartless and self-destructive idea of “self-deportation”–a Krikorian favorite.

By suggesting that some form of “amnesty” may be “prudent” for “those that remain here” after years of “real enforcement” Krikorian might just as well have proposed to first deport as many hardworking fathers, mothers, promising youth and children as possible. Then, and only after all the box cars have departed, is he willing to think about treating those few that remain more humanely.

Of course the price he exacts for his newfound benevolence is that America cut off virtually all future immigration, effectively nailing a “Closed For Business” sign on the forehead of Statue of Liberty. He writes:

But the trade-off would not be the conventional one imagined by “comprehensive immigration reform” (amnesty and even more immigration in exchange for insincere enforcement pledges) but rather amnesty in exchange for deep, permanent cuts in future legal immigration.

To concoct this “trade-off,” Krikorian conveniently ignores the facts — like the fact that deportations are at historically high levels and illegal border crossings have been reduced to numbers not seen since the 1970s.

It’s still the same old extremist tune — just more cleverly played.

Why the ruse? Since President Obama was reelected, the national immigration debate has turned sharply away from the positions espoused by Krikorian and his allies. Latino voters rejected Mitt Romney by an astounding 70-plus percent. If Republicans have any hope of attracting them in future elections, they will have to reach out to Latinos on issues that matter to their community. Comprehensive immigration reform is one of them. Like it or not, Republicans are going to have to talk seriously about immigration policy, not just parrot hateful, racially charged nativist talking points.

Krikorian is desperately seeking to be heard in an immigration debate to which he has nothing positive to contribute. His mean-spirited agenda is antithetical to a meaningful national dialogue on immigration. A discussion that will, hopefully, involve bipartisan consideration of serious immigration policy proposals, including visas for highly skilled foreign workers, a well-designated temporary worker program, restoration of due process, and a pathway to earned citizenship for the 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the shadows.

Krikorian’s new message shows that he sees the writing on the wall. His immigration agenda — mass deportation and a virtual halt to all immigration — is not only terrible politics, it’s terrible for America. So, it’s no surprise that as the nation turns to the hard work of fixing its badly broken immigration system, people like Mark Krikorian find themselves stuck in their dark corner groping to find a way to be taken seriously.

The restrictionists should buy winter coats. It’s cold where they’re headed.