Posted on 01/17/2004 10:01:59 AM PST by Sabertooth
Debate rages, and will through 2004, about President Bush’s “not an Amnesty” Amnesty proposal to legalize the 8 to 12 million Illegal Aliens his Administration has said are currently here in our country.
Amnesty proponents and enablers uniformly offer only three solutions to the Illegal Alien problem.
1. Coexistence: Just maintain the status quo through inaction.
2. Amnesty: This is appeasement, and surrender.
3. Xenophobia: Build a police state.
That’s a pretty thin list, and as we’ll see, not an accurate one. Its exclusive presentation amounts to a fallacy of False Dilemma.
It should be noted that Amnesty is a nearly inevitable consequence of Coexistence. Not surprisingly, therefore, Amnesty proponents commonly raise the specter of Xenophobia so that they can paint dark insinuations and distract attention from the symbiosis of their appeasement with the failed policy of Coexistence. Calling other people Nazis is a neat way of cloaking one’s own kinship with Neville Chamberlain.
If we had accepted the same false dilemma in the War on Terror, we'd never have fought it. We'd be the same as Democrats, who’ve made a willingness to appease a party litmus test.
The War on Terror didn’t begin on September 11th, 2001, it began with the first World Trade Center attack in 1993, and was conducted against us by Al Qaeda and our enemies all throughout the 1990s. President Clinton, however, opted not to take the fight to the enemy, and so the Clintonistas held throughout the 90s that terrorism was an intractable problem with which we'd just have to Coexist , and made their policies accordingly. Not surprisingly, when President Clinton had an opportunity to take Osama bin Laden into custody, he lacked the courage to do so. Clinton’s spine also failed him on three occasions where our Special Forces were in position to kill bin Laden. By the end of his Presidency, Clinton’s appeasement of terror was in full bloom; visits from uber-terrorist Yassir Arafat were a source of pride to him, and ultimately, he even granted pardons to Puerto Rican terrorists.
Pardons and clemencies, like Amnesties, absolve wrongdoers of further responsibility for past crimes. When a policy of Coexistence with wrongdoing is pursued long enough, absolution of wrongdoing will eventually become part of the negotiation to make the craven failure to confront it appear magnanimous.
On September 11th, 2001, the War on Terror changed. America didn't accept the false dilemma of Coexistence, Appeasement, or Xenophobia. Coexistence had failed, and with it went any thought of absolution for wrongdoing. Clintonian appeasement was over. Xenophobic notions of “kill ‘em all, let God sort ‘em out,” and “nuke Mecca” were also ruled out, because we’re Americans, and hold ourselves to higher standards of morality and ingenuity.
What then, of the fallacy presented in the false dilemma of the Coexistence / Amnesty / Xenophobia triad?
We rightfully threw it on the ash heap of History.
We took a fourth, Asymmetric approach to the Terrorists, and are now reaping the benefits. After wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, suddenly Libya is turning over their WMD programs without a shot being fired; Iran is on the bubble and contemplating the same thing; Syria and the PLA are increasingly isolated; and Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are finally getting the message that coddling Al Qaeda is a losing proposition. Early on in the WoT, it was understood that victory is a policy which reaps a sweet harvest. While the investment in the initial successes was relatively high, they generated a momentum that is making inexpensive windfalls of subsequent victories.
Yet none of this could have happened if we’d followed the appeasement tendencies of the Democrats. In ten years, we’d have been looking at a Middle East full of North Koreas, which was the crown jewel of President Clinton’s failed policy of Coexistence and appeasement.
Naturally, being innate appeasers, the Democrats and Clinton also have pursued Coexistence and Amnesty in dealing with the problem of the millions of Illegal Aliens currently living in our country. Three times in the 1990s, Clinton signed legislation enabling Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Naturalization Code, thereby granting Amnesties to more than a million Illegals Aliens (twice with at GOP House and Senate). Appeasement failed, of course, as it must, and by the end of Clinton’s eight years, there were millions more Illegals than when he started.
Now we have a Republican Administration, as well as a GOP House and Senate. The Clintonian policies of Coexistence with and Amnesties for Illegal Aliens have clearly failed. So, President Bush has taken the initiative and offered an “Immigration Reform” proposal that would legalize not just a million Illegals, as Clinton did, but millions of them. Rather than turning from the failed Clinton policies, President Bush is embracing an even more radical version of them.
So now, pro-Amnesty Republicans and their enablers are offering the same solutions on Illegals as the Democrats did: Amnesty (even though they split hairs and pretend otherwise. They are attempting to frame the debate with the same false dilemma that the Democrats did with the War on Terror: Coexistence, Amnesty/appeasement, and Xenophobia.
Where is the fourth option, Asymmetry? It has worked so well in the WoT; why are we not exploring Asymmetric solutions to the Illegal Alien problem?
We can effectively solve much of the Illegal Alien problem, without Amnesty, if we apply a similar, Asymmetric approach to that of the War on Terror. Obviously, it's not necessary or moral to conduct a war against Illegals, but by applying systematic pressure to all of the factors that encourage the Illegals to violate our laws and sovereignty, we can win early victories that generate and sustain a momentum whereby the problem starts to solve itself.
The key is to get the Illegals to leave our country on their own initiative.
There are plenty of steps we can take to do this.
Eighteen Illegal Alien solutions that are better than any Amnesty
Not only is encouragement of Illegal Alien self-deportation humane and cost effective, there has already been considerable success in this regard with Pakistani Illegals.
25% of Pakistani Illegal Aliens Deported Themselves since 2001 -
Facts against the Bush Amnesty
If we project that modest 25% self-deportation rate of the Pakistani Illegals onto the the 8 to 12 million Illegals that DHS Secretary Tom Ridge concedes are here, we’re talking about 2 to 3 million fewer Illegals in a short period of time. However, the Pakistani Illegals self-deported in response to a set of incentives that was far from comprehensive. A much higher rate of self-deportation of Illegals is certainly feasible, if we simply roll up our sleeves and get on with it.
Historian Victor Davis Hanson recently said:
We never would have had this conversation [about Illegal Aliens] in 1950. There was no conversation about a wall or a fence. It was very simple: If you came across the border illegally, you were deported. The employer was not to hire people who were here illegally. It's very simple to do, but it just requires a degree of courage.
Paradise Lost? (Victor Davis Hanson comments on Bush's immigration proposal)
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (FR link) - January 10, 2004
Bill Steigerwald with Victor Davis Hanson
As with the War on Terror, so too with the Illegal Aliens; it’s now time to throw the false dilemma of Coexistence, Amnesty, or Xenophobia on the ash heap of History. Amnesty failed under Presidents Reagan and Clinton, and will fail under President Bush if it’s attempted.
Rewards for lawbreaking beget more lawbreaking.
Diligent enforcement of our immigration laws succeeded in the 1950s, and would again; but we would be better served by a more humane, Asymmetric approach today, whereby relatively few deportations would result in a great many self-deportations of Illegal Aliens.
The words "sneak and peek" do not appear in the Patriot Act. Likewise, a warrant is still required by Patriot Act searches.
But why bother posting to me? It's not like you are going to read my posts any more than the Patriot Act itself, something that you've obviously not read on your own. Just go on spouting your conspiracy theories as if you were trolling for fellow suckers who likewise don't have the mental discipline to go read first sources on their own.
Compare the present party platform to those of the recent past.
Indeed. I've missed it. I don't see why *other* illegals will go home on their own based simply on their peers being forceably deported. To me that looks like scoring an own goal. Besides, your initial point in your opening editorial for this thread was to convince illegals to go home voluntarily, something that I have a difficult time reconciling with forced deportations.
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New training for employees, especially for "unskilled" jobs, is a business killer? How much "training" does it take to show somebody how to remove dirty dishes from a table in a restaurant, or make a bed in a hotel, or pick a head of lettuce, or flip a hamburger at McDonald's? 5 minutes, perhaps?
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All these freebies SHOULD NOT be available to illegal aliens, and an anchor baby SHOULD NOT be an American citizen. America simply cannot afford it, something George Bush has not addressed.
You have quite a surreal imagination.
That was the problem with the 1986 amnesty, wasn't it? Perhaps this time, whatever we end up adopting, it will work somewhat better if the process is closely tied to employment. Certainly this is a problem that needs to be considered.
I don't totally disagree with those who say they should go back to their home country and apply. My fear, however, is that would be a dealbreaker for U.S. employers. IMO, it would be better to compromise on that part of it.
Our borders are also so vast and difficult to enforce, there is little that can be done.
It's easy for the "Armchair Quarterbacks" on this forum to spew all the criticisms and solutions but they all only measure up to hot air, for all the good it will do.
Any action, including the President's is worth a try. But any positive effort as well as idea, implemented in a joint effort is better than doing nothing.
Fences, military patrols, etc... have proven ineffective. The Berlin wall, a picket fence in comparison to what would be needed to stop the flow, was proven ineffective. Since it came down, Germany has prospered greatly. (just one small lesson from history)
I understand the logic of the 3 strikes laws, no problem, but I'm not really seeing how that logic extends to illegals...such that those illegals who haven't yet been caught suddenly go home anyway...just because they've seen some of their peers get deported by stepped up enforcement of our existing laws.
It's not impossible, it's just wrong.
Is it possible to combine President Bush's principles with some combination of future incentives or enforcement, or does legalizing so many doom any proposal like this to failure?
IMO, legalizing any illegal currently here is wrong and sends the wrong message.
It has been proven time and time again, that legalizing illegal aliens encourages more illegal immigration.
IMO, a guest worker program is feasible if properly implemented.
There are currently 10+ million illegal aliens here in the US. There are currently 20+ million aliens out there in the world that are currently waiting in line to come to live and work in the US. Those 20+ million have never broken our laws. Why not let them have these so called jobs that Americans will not do?
Why reward criminal aliens and punish law-abiding aliens?
Have a nice day!
No, I don't know all and see all, and I never stated that my opinion is all of that.
Let me ask you a question. How long have you been working in the field of immigration, specifically illegal immigration?
Another question, if I may. What has Bush done to curtail illegal immigration?
Operation Wetback, which was carried out in 1954, accomplished this very successfully. Once illegal aliens began to be rounded up by American authorities, large numbers of illegal aliens started to leave the U.S. voluntarily. In fact, of all the illegal aliens that were forced to return to Mexico in 1954, the majority of them went back voluntarily.
For employers like me, Bush gave us a much needed tool.
President Bush signed the workplace verification bill to prevent hiring of illegal Aliens
S. 1685, the Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003, was signed by President Bush on December 3, 2003.
It extends for five years the workplace employment eligibility authorization pilot programs created in 1996. It expands the pilot programs from the original five states to all 50 states.
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