"I’m only giving this speech because my 'base' wants me to. Please don’t expect real results."
Sometimes, when attempting to analyze politics, it becomes necessary to decode the words of politicians. Below is my (humble) attempt to do so with various passages of President Bush’s recent Oval Office speech on illegal immigration.
THE PRESIDENT
…We must begin by recognizing the problems with our immigration system. For decades, the United States has not been in complete control of its borders. As a result, many who want to work in our economy have been able to sneak across our border, and millions have stayed.
TRANSLATION
Like me, my predecessors lacked the political will to fix the illegal immigration problem. As a result, the problem remains.
THE PRESIDENT
Once here, illegal immigrants live in the shadows of our society. Many use forged documents to get jobs, and that makes it difficult for employers to verify that the workers they hire are legal…. These are real problems. Yet we must remember that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are decent people who work hard, support their families, practice their faith, and lead responsible lives.
TRANSLATION
Once illegal immigrants come to the United States, they are often forced to live like criminals. True, law-abiding Americans then have to support them, but these people — illegal immigrants — often work hard, have families, and pray, which essentially erases any wrongdoing they may have committed. They break our laws but we do nothing.
THE PRESIDENT
The United States is not going to militarize the southern border. Mexico is our neighbor, and our friend. We will continue to work cooperatively to improve security on both sides of the border, to confront common problems like drug trafficking and crime, and to reduce illegal immigration.
TRANSLATION
Despite having spent several paragraphs discussing “progress” on immigration, we aren’t really going to do anything to solve the problem. I’ve determined that it’s best for me to pretend to adore Mexico, which is what I intend to do.
THE PRESIDENT
That middle ground recognizes there are differences between an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently, and someone who has worked here for many years, and has a home, a family, and an otherwise clean record.
TRANSLATION
Of course, when I say “middle ground,” what I mean is: I’m not going to do anything. Ever. (Author’s Challenge to Readers: Find me something that’s happened in the last ten years in which the “middle ground” did anything other than make John McCain happy.)
THE PRESIDENT
I believe that illegal immigrants who have roots in our country and want to stay should have to pay a meaningful penalty for breaking the law, to pay their taxes, to learn English, and to work in a job for a number of years.
TRANSLATION
But if they don’t do any of that — if they don’t develop roots in the United States, pay taxes, or learn English — nothing will happen to them. This is because my “proposals,” stated above, are little more than rhetoric. For Goodness’ sake, I’m only giving this speech because my “base” wants me to. Please don’t expect real results.
THE PRESIDENT
As President, I've had the opportunity to meet people of many backgrounds, and hear what America means to them. On a visit to Bethesda Naval Hospital, Laura and I met a wounded Marine named Guadalupe Denogean. Master Gunnery Sergeant Denogean came to the United States from Mexico when he was a boy. He spent his summers picking crops with his family, and then he volunteered for the United States Marine Corps as soon as he was able….And when this brave Marine raised his right hand, and swore an oath to become a citizen of the country he had defended for more than 26 years, I was honored to stand at his side.
TRANSLATION
Blah, blah, blah. Because the rest of my speech was weak, directionless, and utterly unsatisfying to anyone legitimately interested in ending illegal immigration, I thought I’d conclude with a heart-warming story totally unrelated to the rest of the speech. That way, my abhorrent lack of a coherent plan will be less shocking.
THE PRESIDENT
We honor the heritage of all who come here, no matter where they come from, because we trust in our country's genius for making us all Americans — one nation under God.
TRANSLATION
This is the speech’s last sentence. I haven’t the foggiest notion what it means. Like my speech — and my immigration policy — it is totally irrelevant.
isterrett@hotmail.com
Read more articles by Isaiah Z. Sterrett
Funny, but unfortunately, quite true. We know that the 'amnesty' part would begin immediately. The fence? Well, we'll start on it soon, but don't count on it being up any time soon.
Comment by Ron S. | May 19, 2006
Humiliating that a man so obsessed with bringing Iraq its freedom refuses to protect the sovereignty of the very country he has been elected to lead and protect.
President Bush, you have managed to have both sides of the political spectrum agree on one thing, you are a failure. I guess this is what you meant when you proclaimed, " I am an uniter, not a divider." We may never recover from the policies and spending habits of this administration. No matter what this country does, the United States will always be a little worse off domestically than it could have been due to George Bush.
I am a lifelong conservative who is searching for a party, any suggestions?
Comment by honker | May 19, 2006
Goodby Republicans,
You notice anything goes for national security but national security?
-won't protect the borders
-won't continue to develop our own resources, i.e. oil (it leaks out of the ground and ocean floor anyways so why not drill it and use it?)
-continue to harass our fighting men with ridiculously stupid LOAC procedures that have done absolutely nothing to enhance our troops safety or our national prestige as it were.
-stupid ungodly airport security, watched two old white ladies being frisked and stripped at Las Vegas airport while numerous middle eastern men went right on through, everyone who has flown has seen it as well.
Comment by Dean | May 19, 2006
It's not that I argue against strict enforcement of our immigration laws.
But who will do the yard work? Who will pick the crops? What becomes of the
sweat shops, the economic stability of our great Republic depends on our
undocumented labor force.
Comment by David Keller | May 19, 2006
David, I hope you're being sarcastic.
Comment by Ron S. | May 19, 2006
If the President and the Senate have there way, our great country I fear will change for the worst. So out of control that it will affect the majority of middle class conservatives. Most have already moved out and are moving out of the southwest states. Giving way to the Democrats to take control and increasing government dependency. Don't let your state become what it is in California, and Arizona.
Comment by John | May 21, 2006
Same question I asked another. If the illegals only do the work that Americans won't do; who did the work before these present illegals came here?
Comment by gene | May 21, 2006
it is a complicated issue: we want cheap concrete, framing, hotel maids, oil field roughenecks as biz owners but then we expect the rest of the US to pick up the slack when it comes to health care etc. We cannot expect these people to come here to a first world nation, survive on wage only. American workers are not lazy but very expensive, throw in mandatory health care for common colds and back aches, day care for every divorced mom, personal days off for feeling depressed and hungover then throw in 3$ gas and make it too expensive to drive to work 5 or 6 edays a week because Cronkite and a few rich republican and democrap servants won't drill offshore in view of their precious beach houses well…. who will make your bed at the Wrynn?
Remember this if anything: microsoft and billy gates cannot legally take your hard earned wages, but the lowest public servant who now lives like royalty can with the force of every dimwitted Judge, lawyer, FBI, IRS and police officer out there can. Little man billy cannot make you buy windows but teddy can make you pay for every black and brown lazy immigrant around.
Comment by Dean | May 22, 2006
An effective article that captures the weak stand on immigration taken by our President. Not fully securing the borders is tantamount to dereliction of duty. This dereliction cannot be allowed, and it must be addressed immediately. Amnesty or anything like it is a bad idea. The alternative is not mass "round up" or deportation. A measured, consistent apprehension of illegals, combined with strict border enforcement will turn this problen around. Throwing up our hands and saying that a pathway to citizenship is the only realistic solution amounts to a gross abandonment of our laws and our ability to enforce them. This I do not accept. It is an oft repeated axiom of helplessness.
Comment by Bill White | May 22, 2006
Please talk more about the so-called "North American Union by 2010" that Bush is pushing behind the scenes with the help of the CFR globalist crowd. This is the real reason why Bush is pushing for open borders between the US, Canada, and Mexico. So far, I've only found a couple of letters on Humanevents.com. We need to create a hornets nest of noise in the public to stop this plan dead in its tracks. Please do what you can.
Thanks
Comment by Max | May 26, 2006