Kris Kobach is the legal arm of Arizona’s SB1070 and he is affiliated with the Heritage Foundation

I believe in giving credit where credit is due.

As a Mexican-American, I am glad the Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio is denouncing the Heritage Immigration Study.  We are glad to see this because Kris Kobach was the legal architect of Arizona’s SB1070, and also a non staff member at The Heritage Foundation.

Florida’s Sen Rubio stated:

“Their argument is based on a single premise, which I think is flawed,” Rubio told reporters. “That is these people are disproportionately poor because they have no education and they will be poor for the rest of their lives in the U.S. Quite frankly that’s not the immigration experience in the U.S. That’s certainly not my family’s experience in the U.S. The folks described in that report are my family. My mother and dad didn’t graduate high school and I would not say they were a burden on the United States…My parents were a lot better off 25 years after they emigrated here than they were when they first got here. And their children certainly have been. I still think we’re that country. And I still think we can be that country and even more in the future, so I guess I just have a lot more belief in the future of the country than some of the folks that helped prepare [the report].”

Rubio is from Florida showing leadership while we are seeing the Texas Cuban-American Senator Ted Cruz still missing in action

The tail has been wagging the dog, but it will be time for the dog to wag the tail. Cruz had better do better than to offer Mexicans and undocumented Latinos table scraps.

with regard to the Gang of 8 comprehensive immigration reform that will fix the clearly broken immigration system.  Did you know that Texas shares 64% of the southern border with Mexico yet there is no leadership from Cruz?

Why isn’t Cuban-American Ted Cruz showing CIR leadership in his own State that is home to millions and millions of Mexican-Americans?!

Almost half of the Texas population is of Mexican descent, yet the Cuban – American Senator Ted Cruz doesn’t seem to care to support the Gang of 8 legal immigration fix.

Sen. Ted Cruz who is the son of a Cuban immigrant has family in the United States that have migrated to our Country and have benefited from privileged Cuban amnesty via the Cuban Adjustment Act.

You will hear Cruz try to play your heart strings when he tells a (pretend sob story) on how his daddy came to the States with $100 bucks sown into his underwear.

According to FOX NEWS:

Cruz’s father Rafael is a pastor outside Dallas. He fought with Fidel Castro’s rebels in Cuba before Castro took power and eventually embraced communism, and the elder Cruz fled to the U.S. with nothing but $100 sowed into his underwear.

But according to the inflation calculator, $100.00 back then is equivalent to $826.21 today.  That is a whole helluva lot more money than the dying immigrant crossing the desert comes here with.  Many immigrants crossing the desert die of dehydration.

I love this New York Senator Schumer with regard to some of the progress I see on legal comprehensive immigration reform discussions.

Senator John McCain and Senator Chuck Schumer part of the Gang of 8

As we all know, far right wingers have taken advantage of  home grown terrorist activities during the Oklahoma City Bombing and they also used the national tragedies of 9-11 to advance their anti-immigrant agenda in an unhealthy way that has kept millions in the shadows of society.  We need to know who is here.

As a proud veteran of the United States Armed Forces, I want to underscore that the 2013 Legal immigration reform bill is a major step forward in securing our Nation because only after everyone is registered and documented will we know who is in our Nation and where we can find them. We know that once we fix the broken immigration system, and once we document all immigrants — then they can feel safe to help law enforcement agencies to target criminal activity without the fear of deportation when they report suspicious activity to the law enforcement authorities. Therefore, bringing the immigrants out of the shadows will only strengthen our Nation’s security.

Schumer is on the right track from a National Security standpoint!

From USATODAY:

Several Republican members of Congress have tried to slow down the bill. And Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Boston Marathon bombings should prompt lawmakers to more closely scrutinize the national security implications of the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill.

Schumer dismissed such talk, saying their bill “might’ve made a difference” in the Boston case. Part of the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to implement a system to better track every time someone enters and exits the United States, and that could have avoided one of the possible missteps in the Boston case.

Enough is enough.  A slap on the hand or an apology simply will not do anymore because bigotry simply does not belong in our United States Congress when we have laws on the books that discourage discrimination.

Will the RNC finally conduct seminars that in essence educates their Republican officials with regard to discriminatory terms that ought to be prevented?  After all, we informed the GOP over two years ago how we considered these terms offensive and derogatory when the ousted and former Arizona Senator Russell Pearce believed it was okay to use these slurs, too.   Arizona’s Senator Russell Pearce (supporter of the draconian SB 1070 bill) has been using that slur since 2006 on Arizona radio.

WE SEE NO SIGNS OF PROGRESS FROM THE RNC.

They have not conducted any educational seminars informing their leaders and their officials on what is considered discriminatory in the new millennium.  It’s no wonder Republican officials are confused to what is acceptable today particularly when the RNC embraced an anti-immigrant platform in 2012.  Now we are seeing the consequences of that when the “language” of their immigration platform was co-authored by Kris Kobach of Kansas.

From the Center for American Progress:

“1. He [Kris Kobach] works for a racist hate group whose stated purpose is to reduce the number of people of color in the United States. Kris Kobach is counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute—the legal arm of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which the Southern Poverty Law Center labels a hate group. Kobach’s boss at the Immigration Reform Law Institute, Michael Hethmon, openly argues that the United States’ transition to a country where the majority of its citizens are people of color will lead to violence. And the founder of Federation for American Immigration Reform, John Tanton, wrote, “I‘ve come to the point of view that for European-American society and culture to persist requires a European-American majority and a clear one at that.”

…

This is the man behind Arizona’s S.B. 1070. He’s an opportunist earning millions of dollars while working for a racist hate group, which gives him a platform on hate TV and radio shows to peddle his reactionary vision for America. The next time similarly anti-immigrant legislation surfaces in state legislatures across our nation, see if Kris Kobach is behind the effort. Then you will know the real intent of the proposed law.”

What is it going to take for GOPers to stop using these defamatory terms?

Mere posturing with claims to re-brand ought to begin with the RNC leadership sending out a memo to Republican politicians on terms they ought to avoid.  They need to be educated.

If the GOP wants to “rebrand” their image, they should start by asking the Republican Don Young to resign from office while changing their anti-immigrant platform they adopted in 2012.  According to The Hill, “The Republican Party has officially endorsed its backing for Arizona-style state immigration laws, adding into its platform language that such laws should be “encouraged, not attacked” and calling for the federal government to drop its lawsuits against the laws. … That language and other provisions were widely approved by the party after being introduced by the co-author of the Arizona law, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R).”

The Republican National Committee will not successfully win over independent voters if they continue with their bigotry and making light of their restrictionist, protectionist anti-immigrant views.  Members of the Tequila Party Movement also known as SOMOS INDEPENDENTS have begun a letter writing campaign in an effort to inform and educate the Republican Don Young that we consider the term “wetback” as derogatory, offensive, and an antiquated term that predates the Civil Rights era.

The term “wetback” is a derogatory term used in the United States, for a non-American foreigner, commonly a Mexican citizen, especially one who is an illegal immigrant in the U.S. and the first known use was in 1929 according to Mirriam-Webster.  Generally used as an ethnic slur, the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande river, which is located at the Mexican border,presumably by swimming or wading across and getting wet in the process.

From The Hill, and all the more reason for the Latina FREEDOM RIDERS trip for immigrants as we protest Arpaio, Pete Wilson, and the GOP Convention.

[sarcasm] Congratulations, GOP:  You are now a tool for pro abortion activist John Tanton who is known for his anti-semitism.  You are officially hypocrites. [/sarcasm]

The Republican Party has officially endorsed its backing for Arizona-style state immigration laws, adding into its platform language that such laws should be “encouraged, not attacked” and calling for the federal government to drop its lawsuits against the laws.

That language and other provisions were widely approved by the party after being introduced by the co-author of the Arizona law, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R).  FULL STORY.

From the National Tequila Party Movement

25 June 2012

info@nationaltequilapartymovement.com

Shirl Mora James, Lead Co-President, Civil Rights and Immigration Lawyer

National Latino Group  Responds to SB 1070 Supreme Court Decision — Not A Good Day for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, Ousted Sen. Russell Pearce, and Kansas Secretary of State, Kris Kobach

Phoenix, AZ — The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution is alive and well today.  The US Supreme Court clearly reaffirmed that immigration is within the preview of federal jurisdiction only.  Arizona completely lost on the question of 1) undocumented immigrant registration; 2) undocumented immigrant employment; 3) law enforcement officers arresting without a warrant.  The 4^th provision regarding “papers please” was only narrowly upheld because the Court does not have the necessary facts to determine if the law is valid. The Court stated, “This opinion does not foreclose other preemption and constitutional challenges to the law as interpreted and applied after it goes into effect.”   In other words the Court did not have the necessary facts in front of them at this time, but the issue is being left with the door wide open.

Ultimately Arizona et al. vs. the United States reiterated, “…as a general rule it is not a crime for a removable person to remain present in the United States.”
The National Tequila Party Movement (Latina counter movement to the Tea Party movement) is pleased with this ruling.  The 4^th provision will be challenged as soon as it is implemented. We are confident the Supreme Court will uphold our Civil Rights.

###

Everyone in Arizona is aware of racist JT Ready and how close friends he was/is with Russell Pearce.  In fact, Russell Pearce baptized JT Ready via the Mormon Church.   Now we are hearing that he is a suspect in a killing/shooting spree.

Mormons like Russell Pearce, J.T. Ready and Mitt Romney give the Mormon church a bad name.  Mormons in the State of Arizona need to identify FAIR, Kris Kobach, John Tanton, and anti-immigrant groups as evil and vile right now!  This is a racist game costing lives including another toddler!  Isn’t it enough when we had to hear about the minutemen killing Brisenia Flores who was in fetal position begging for her life?

I believe the prophet of the Mormon Church should disseminate communications quickly and aggressively on how dangerous racism is via the hate laws being implemented against immigrants and Latinos — and who is behind them.  Why should the Mormon church step in again?  Come on, Thomas Monson … I’m talking to you, and I know you have the power to do this.  These hate laws are costing lives of my people and I take issue with Mitt Romney who was “proud to receive the endorsement and support” of Kris Kobach — a well known bigot.  Mitt is a Mormon, and he needs to be told how the Mormon missionaries are out in Latin America converting Latinos to Mormonism.  We are all supposed to be brothers and sisters under the sun.  Mitt Romney needs to be told that Kris Kobach is an evil and hateful bigot, and he needs to disassociate himself and reject Kobach’s endorsement right now.  We need to see Mormon leadership again because there are more lives at stake here and it will only get worse unless  the good people who claim to be religious step in.  Commit to memory how Mormons felt about the self deportation and extermination order of Missouri and how Mitt Romney stated he was in support of self-deportation laws.  The John Tanton network and Kris Kobach has been at the helm behind many of these hate laws.   This is an emergency.  Minutemen have already killed innocent people in the state of Arizona, and we are tired of hearing about killings against my people due to these hate and anti-immigrant laws.

We are watching this case closely.

From the Arizona Central:

A border militia leader on Wednesday shot and killed four people at a Gilbert home, including a toddler, before committing suicide, sources said.

Sources identified the shooter as Jason “J.T.” Ready, a reputed neo-Nazi who made headlines when he launched a militia movement to patrol the Arizona desert to hunt for illegal immigrants and drug smugglers.

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/community/gilbert/articles/2012/05/02/20120502gilbert-shooting-multiple-victims-abrk.html#ixzz1tkz6kFpX

From Stephen Lemons with the Phoenix New Times:

Rachel Maddow does an excellent job of compiling video of Mitt Romney’s anti-immigrant position as he tries to be teflon on positions he has held before.

Dear GOP,

Latinos have been turned off to FOX News for quite some time.  They were turned off with FOX News when FOX conservative pundits started to attack John McCain’s immigration views and were promoting Romney in 07 and 08.  Latinos tend to watch CNN, MSNBC or UNIVISION these days.  Univision ratings have skyrocketed and you think that Latinos are going to be bamboozled so easily after the years of hostility you allowed to seep in to your party with the likes of Kris Kobach?  Steve King?  Lamar Smith?  Russell Pearce?  Virgil Peck?  Jan Brewer?  Joe Arpaio? Tom Tancredo? etc….etc?

Good luck with that.

Watch the video below for video tape of Romney supporting self-deportation laws that emulate Arizona’s SB1070:

Racism revelation hits close to home for Romney campaign