Just a few moments ago the US Senate voted to repeal Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the military policy that excludes openly gay and lesbian personnel in the military. Its been a very long road for this repeal, with President Barack Obama opening the discussion to end the unjust institution for over a year now. Yet one cannot deny that his slow patience was what made all this triumph of equal rights possible. Obama made sure that the joint chiefs of staff spoke to Congress beforehand and even gave in on a Conservative demand that a study be undertaken on the combat effects of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Guess what? There were no detrimental effects. 70% of military personnel interviewed believe that allowing gays to serve openly will have no affect on combat effectiveness, and many actually thought it would increase their fighting ability. At this point, only those completely driven by anti-homosexual prejudice can possibly stand for Don't Ask, Don't Tell now. By next week this will be signed into law and every American of any sexual preference can fight for their nation. Congratulations, lame duck Congress. I guess you can do something after all.
Obama may not be the most successful President ever, but at least he's accomplished this. However, I personally am going to wait and see him have some success in the War on Terror and solve the economy before I promise to vote for him in 2012. But he should know, victories like this will be very convincing in the ballot box.
Unfortunately on the other side of today's events, the D.R.E.A.M. (Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors*) Act was blocked by filibuster. This act would have given a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who came to this country while still minors and have either served in the military or gone to college for two years. Now what in the world is wrong with that? We'll just have to examine that in today's post.
Now I understand that quite a few Americans have a pathological hatred of illegal immigrants due to... well, I actually still don't know why illegal immigrants are hated. For not going through the needlessly difficult naturalization process? Anyway, illegal immigrants have indeed broken the - bad - laws of our nation, and so some punishment is in order I suppose (I think the most reasonable argument would be to allow them to stay if they wished but restrict them from gaining citizenship). Unfortunately the DREAM Act is specifically targeted at very young illegal immigrants: those under sixteen. You could argue that an adult immigrant who knowingly sneaked into our borders is in the wrong, but how can you argue that a child, perhaps newly born which was brought into this country with their parents somehow needs to punished as well?
I've heard it argued that by allowing children of illegal immigrants to stay or be given a path to citizenship, which will be aiding in their parents crime. The motive of their parents was the truly horrific plan of giving their children a better life in America. Basically this encourages further illegal immigration since we're giving an outlet for immigrants to sneak their children past the goal line. I've heard similar arguments last summer when some politicians were talking of repealing (not amending it, repealing) the Fourteenth Amendment because children born in the US of illegal immigrants were automatic citizens. Seems a tad excessive to me.
Let's take the case of Mario Perez, a twenty-two year old Mathematics major at Stephen F. Austen university. He is facing deportation right now because he is an illegal immigrant, having been brought to this country when he was five-years-old. Remember, he was five at the time, this is essentially the only country he has ever known. This young man is about to be kicked out of his home and life for a "crime" he committed when he was too young to attend grade school. Since the DREAM Act has not been passed, Perez will be deported and he will most likely never be able to go home again. Merry Christmas.
Perhaps more importantly on this issue is the fact that the DREAM Act will grant a path to citizenship to US soldiers who just so happen to be illegal immigrants. At the moment there have not been cases of any soldiers being deported, though they certainly could be according to our current laws. Imagine that: "thank you for your service to this country and defending our freedom - now get out". There have been cases of the parents and spouses of dead soldiers being kicked out to their native countries. That's how America works right now.
The DREAM Act is not amnesty for criminals: its giving justice and equality to real Americans who have lived here their entire lives. And the act does not go nearly far enough, I feel. If you're one day over thirty according to this bill, you can still be deported, even if you were brought to this country one hour after you were born without the proper legal documents. And some people are perfectly happy with that. They're so happy with it that they're wiling to vote against something that is good and fair for all the people of this country**.
By the way, when the Republicans take power, you can forget about any aid for illegal immigrants until at least 2012, or beyond. This is immigration reform that's been blocked for perhaps as long as a decade. Think about that.
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* AKA: Get Rid Of Slimy GirlS. We know that's redundant but otherwise it doesn't spell anything.
** I am, however, not doing to let the Democrats off easy today. Notice that in the last week so much major legislation has been pushed out while they're in their lame duck session? They know that the American people have spoken out against their agenda, and let they only push harder with it. Of course, when your agenda includes the DREAM Act, repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell, and giving 9/11 workers health care aid, I can understand trying to fight as hard as you can. I'm still not happy with desperate politics like this. But still, everything the Democrats are doing is fully within the limits of the law of this country - they're playing by the rules.
I think that this whole situation can be summed up in two words: Bureaucracy sucks.
ReplyDeleteJesus, politics are a mess. I wish the States luck with these problems, and I hope Obama's Presidency doesn't end as a waste.
ReplyDeleteBlue, why can't the States simply pull out of Iraq/Afghanistan? It's something I never understood, I mean, pulling out and apologizing to Iraq for their war crimes while ending the war on terror in Afghanistan should cease hate between the nations. What's the problem here?
Because the US doesn't want to admit they were never right in any of their current militar efforts, YK.
ReplyDeleteOf they apologized for war crimes, they would incur financial penalties.
ReplyDeleteAnd, though most Americans are arguing the War on Terror be ended, every time there's a hint of anotger terrorist attack, they'll be calling for a return to war. EVERYONE supported the War on Terror after 9/11. Most people couldn't tell you who we're actually fighting, or exactly WHY we went to war, but they all THINKthey do.
Oh, and Americans only give upafter racking up a huge amount of casulties, and then they change the name of the war to a conflict (read: Vietnam Conflict). If we "lost" the War on Terror, in twenty years we'd be calling it The Terror Conflicts or A Conflict With Terror, or something idiotic like that. Not that War on Terror is much better, mind you.
But it's good that Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed. It creates a healthier atmosphere, and hopefully by the time the next generation of politicians rise to power, we can put this whole mass homophobic paranoia, both as a nation and as individuals, behind us.
The War on Terror is not over, not won, and not unjust. The Taliban was one of those things that the world is better without, a form of society that needs to be defeated. Terrorism is evil, Bush was right about that. Are we supposed to simply run off because the war has lasted too long? Should we just allow the Middle East to fall to the spectre of a racist, sexist, and thoroughly awful mode of thought? No, that's not what America does. There is still a war that needs to be won, and I am very disturbed by this talk.
ReplyDeleteI see your point, but there's many other things to consider, such as, what caused 9/11? Certainly not random hate for the country, there had to be something America did to anger the East. But ignoring Afghanistan, which may in-fact be a just battle, Iraq was pure bull-shit. America is the enemy in that battle, not Iraq, what Bush did by invading was pure evil and corrupt, the FBI themselves said that there was no evidence that Iraq had nuclear weapons.
ReplyDeleteIt seems stupid to me that Obama would let this continue on. He should have just pulled everyone out ASAP instead of wearing out the troops. That being said, America pretty much put down their own government there.
As a Polish man, I know communism and the like is evil, and that Democracy could be the best government in the last 2 century's. But it's still not "good" per-say, no government is good.
Abe Lincoln once said, "and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth", but to me it's looking more like everything is going towards the corporations and money. People are being screwed over their by there own government, and I find this to be complete BS.
That's my $0.02, I know it disagree's with your idea's but sometimes I find politics to be completely ruined.
1) Iraq was hardly an innocent country that we simply conquer. Saddam Hussein was a man who had no right to rule and was leading his country further and further into destruction. Regime change was required. I rather wish our country would attack more rogue states. North Korea especially needs to saved.
ReplyDelete2) America has never done anything in the whole of its history to the Middle East to ever deserve a reprisal on the scale of 9/11. And we've done bad shit in the past to a lot of people, but never to the Muslim world. In our own semi-enlightened self interest we've saved the region from being conquered by Saddam, saved Afghanistan from being conquered by the USSR and encouraged de-colonization. Unless what you're saying is some kind of slap against Israel, which is not in any way any better.
In response to your Current Thought: I feel your pain.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you may want to add that missing t to the end of thought.
I got everything you wrote there Blue until the "slap against Israel". Huh? Made me chuckle.
ReplyDeleteI understand the way you see this, and I'm fine with it.
But Blue, now the region will probably follow Iran, now that you have presented youselves as common external enemies.
ReplyDelete