Monday, September 20, 2010

DREAM Act reappears--CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY!

For several years we've been working to promote passage of the Develop-ment, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM. Act) which would grant legal status to children of undocumented immigrants who entered the U. S. with their parents as minors. 

A new twist in the proposed bill's current status involved the U. S. Department of Defense.  Pentagon leaders have included the DREAM Act in their latest strategic plan for military operations.  To see the plan go here, paying particular attention to section 2.1.1. 

Senate Majority Leader Reid will bring up the DREAM Act as an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill this week. The amendment needs the support from Texas Senators, since 12 percent of individuals who will benefit from the DREAM Act live in Texas. Senator Hutchison's vote is crucial to make the DREAM Act a reality. Possibly now that the U. S. Military has documented its support for the bill, even Senator Cornyn might be convinced. 

Julieta Garibay, who holds a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas added, "Senator Hutchison knows the right thing to do. She voted with us in 2007, and we ask her to vote with us again on Tuesday."

If you live in Texas, call Senator Hutchison (202-224-5922) and Senator Cornyn (202-224-2934) to express your support.  If you live outside Texas, call your two senators today as well.  You'll  find their phone numbers here.

For a helpful summary of the DREAM Act and its importance in American life check out this editorial in the Silicon Valley Mercury News published on September 16, 2010.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

By all means call your senators but call them to OPPOSE this legislation. Obama, Reid and Pelosi know that there is a good chance for them to lose in Nov. so they want to ram this piece of social agenda through.

If the Dream Act is voted down it will not jeopardize the national defense because it is not a spending bill.

The Defense bill has nothing to do with abortion or homosexuality, two other items on this "wish list" of the Democrats, in addition to amnesty.

The Dream Act is not all it's cracked up to be. Consider:

1. The Dems would have you believe it is made up of teens who never knew their home country, came to this country as a baby and are all good students, ready to use their many talents to serve our country. Nothing could be further from the truth. Some are not even good students. Most are not even teens, they can be up to 35 years old in the Senate bill and the House has no upper limits.

2.They can be up to 15 years old when they came. Some parents bring their children under 15, then overstay until the child turns 16 so they can claim in-state tuition at the college level.

3.The Dream Act is wide open to fraud because they don't have to "prove" anything, just have to "claim" to meet criteria.

4. The Dream Act leaves in place the behavior that put the teens in this situation in the first place. It does nothing to stop the jobs magnet.

5.The Dream Act leaves intact chain migration. This allows 2.1 million illegals to send for millions more relatives.

This is merely a political ploy of Harry Reid and friends and is detestable.

chaart said...

The DREAM Act would be a blanket amnesty, because it would rely on the honesty of petitioning illegal immigrants who have been breaking our laws for decades (identity theft, tax evasion, welfare fraud...) that they meet the requirements of this Act, who would then petition for their relatives to become citizens. Times have changed and America needs to stop paying for foreigners who don’t respect our laws (sending billions to their own country each year) and think of their own children. This has nothing to do with the Christian value of welcoming strangers. I went to a McDonald’s last weekend down the street from the courthouse, and no one there, workers or customers, spoke English. I felt like a stranger. In Biblical times, when natural resources (a well) could no longer sustain so many people, by necessity, brothers separated. Please call your elected representatives, because our President is going to try to push this through this week.

chaart said...

The DREAM Act would be a blanket amnesty, because it would rely on the honesty of petitioning illegal immigrants who have been breaking our laws for decades (identity theft, tax evasion, welfare fraud...) that they meet the requirements of this Act, who would then petition for their relatives to become citizens. Times have changed and America needs to stop paying for foreigners who don’t respect our laws (sending billions to their own country each year) and think of their own children. This has nothing to do with the Christian value of welcoming strangers. I went to a McDonald’s last weekend down the street from the courthouse, and no one there, workers or customers, spoke English. I felt like a stranger. In Biblical times, when natural resources (a well) could no longer sustain so many people, by necessity, brothers separated. Please call your elected representatives, because our President is going to try to push this through this week.

Larry James said...

Part of me cringes to post some of the comments that come up here from time to time, esp when I speak of my immigrant neighbors who work very hard at very low wages to serve me and the like of those who comment so hatefully here. But, I put them up to illustrate the level of hatred and disdain that resides in our community, not from all or, I trust, even most or many. I know the children who would benefit from this act and who would benefit America in the process. I don't have time to reply to the statements, just know that I believe them to be in grave error ss I place them alongside my faith's understanding of how the world should work.

Anonymous said...

Amen, Larry!

The only true thing spoken in theses two comments: "This has nothing to do with the Christian value of welcoming strangers." I would agree neither comment has anything to do with this value.

Anonymous said...

Hatred. It could only be hatred, Larry? I admit to hating a few things. Ignorance - hate it. Lying - hate it. Laziness - hate it. Stealing - hate it. Violence - hate it. Greed - hate it. Democrat amnesty legislation opens to door to these things I hate. There is a way to invite immigrants into our country in such a way as to avoid all these things I hate. I'll support a bill that meets my conditions. Call me a hater. I can take it.

Anonymous said...

Larry, why can't you be as concerned about military hospitals becoming abortion mills and homosexuals in the military as you are about people breaking the laws of our country? These social issues should be addressed but they have no place in the defense bill.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous you could't be farther from the truth. Before you post on an issue do your research the DREAM act would be specific to those who go to college or go to the military for at least two years. I've met many of these young activists and they are extremely talented and intellignt. Why not let them give back to the country thay have grown up in and already received an education in? Not allowing them to do this would only further foster an underground economy and not be to the best interest of our country. DREAM Act now.

Anonymous said...

The Dream act is worded in such a way that one doesn't have to PROVE anything,only CLAIM. There is so much room for fraud a mack truck could drive through.

Steve said...

Larry, for the sake of those of us who regularly read this blog, please turn off anonymous comments. The ignorance exhibited therein by folks who are too cowardly to attach their names to their opinions (or are they FOX News' opinions, perhaps?) is simply sickening.

I don't object to someone having these opinions, only to the ease with which they can troll people's blogs anonymously spewing whatever trash they heard last night on Beck.

I know you want this to be an open conversation, Larry, but it still would be if you'd at least require a name and e-mail address. Opinions not attached to actual people with names don't deserve to be in print.

Larry James said...

Steve, as much as I hate to restrict and to give up this approach, I believe that you are correct. I give up. The comments are so hateful and unworthy of response too often. So, I will no longer accept anon comments.

rcorum said...

I hate to say it, but I think your decision will not turn out well, and I am not sure why it matters so much, but I am glad to post my name. I hope others will do the same. I think one thing is clear. We have a very divided nation and many, if not most conservatives are sick and tired as what they view as a takeover of the country. I have followed your blog for several years now, and I remember the time when most posters agreed with what you had to say. I don't see that anymore, and I can't begin to tell you why.

rcorum said...

One more thing, and this is directed at Steve. When I clicked on your name I was told that your profile was not available. I could easily be missing something, but doesn't that in reality make you an anonymous poster? All I know is that your name is Steve. There are millions of people named Steve in the world. Am I missing something and that is not sarcastic because I know I could be. Help me out.

Anonymous said...

Hi Richard ... Steve Holt Jr. here. Yeah, I realized the irony of my comment after I posted it. I use wordpress, so I don't have a Blogger profile. I used my Google login to sign in. But I'll figure out a way to be transparent in the future.

Thanks for letting me know!

Steve

Anonymous said...

Hi Richard,
Steve Holt Jr. here. I realized the irony after I posted my comment ... I used my Google login instead of my Wordpress login. I'll do better next time.

Thanks for letting me know.

And Larry, I think you're making the right call. Most blogs don't allow anonymous comments for just the reasons we've been discussing. If someone has a strong enough opinion, they can attach their name to it. It's the right thing to do.

Steve

rcorum said...

I want to add this. The one place where anonymous posts seem to still be the norm are newspapers, and the posts are beyond crude and repulsive, and the comments are worse for sports than politics. I really do hope that people will post their name. I have probably posted too often and I have been rude at times, but Larry has never once failed to post a comment. I have tried to learn to be more thoughtful in my comments. There needs to be more room for vigorous debate that is also civil.

rcorum said...

Steve, thanks for the clarification. I suspected that you had a reasonable explanation. Have a good evening.