Sure I'd Like To Stick A Fork in It. But ...

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside” – U.S Constitution 14th Amendment

“Yet, if God wills that it continue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." – Abraham Lincoln – Second Inaugural Address, 1865


“The best way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discrimination on the basis of race.” – Chief Justice Roberts, Parents Involved –v- City of Seattle, somewhat less than 250 years later.

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We have been listening to these debates about the Bush/ Kennedy immigration proposals for years now.

To my knowledge, it has never been pointed out that the Constitution contains its own amnesty program – the 14th Amendment. The 14th Amendment does not make any mention of where your parents come from. If you are born here, you are a citizen here.

If a serious immigration bill is ever discussed, people are going to have to explain to me why they feel that it is so important to deport the parents of United States citizens.

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The 14th Amendment exists to amend the original Constitution, which in its "Intent of the Framers" version did not use the everyday definition of “person.” There were “persons subject to Migration or Importation”, there were 3/5 persons, and there were “persons held to service or labor.” None of these persons were citizens, and none of their children were citizens, whether they were born in the United States or not.

If a serious immigration bill is ever discussed, someone, preferably a direct descendant of a “person held to service or labor,” is going to have to explain to me why they support a bill that seems to reintroduce a concept that we spent 4 long and bloody years fighting a Civil War over, and the subsequent 140 plus years fighting over the results.

Incidentally, I have no opinion on the immigration bill as a whole. I hardly know what is in it, except for the guest worker program.

However, a guest worker program, a road back to slavery, is so hateful to me, that I cannot see past it, and I cannot understand how anyone else can see past it either.

I am so happy that this Immigration Bill is dead –for now.

It is worth noting, as the Chief Justice’s statement, just yesterday, indicates, that people are tired of talking about race in this country, and would like to see a day where we move past it.

That day is far away. Slavery is the original sin of this country. Some people benefited greatly from the suffering of others. They long for those moonlight and magnolia days.

Some people believe that they should not be burdened by the sins of those who died years and years before any of their own ancestors ever set foot in this country. Here is where Pat Buchanan and I agree. Certain people should have immigrated somewhere else. Everyone wants to be an American? Well, the effects of racism and discrimination is one of the fundamental things about what it means to be an American. If you want another, lesser sort of experience, there are a whole lot of other countries to go to.

We need to go to extra lengths to be sure that we do not find ourselves on, or anywhere near, the road to slavery.