Reply from Congressman Emanuel Cleaver concerning Orphan WorksActof 2008

[Chuck]

Leo Mauler wrote:

 >> Of course its a valid comparison.  Illegal immigrants don't want to 
have to obey the law like everyone else.  They want *what they want*, 
*when they want it* and don't want to have to *obey the law* like 
everyone else.

I don't understand why people keep making this about people breaking the 
law. What does it matter to you, or anybody else who is do damned worked 
up about "illegal immigration"? Why don't people get worked up about 
something that really affects their lives, like bad drivers, 
exploitative employers, illiteracy, the attack on the environment, or 
whatever?

Look, these so-called "illegal immigrants" are people like you and me. 
They should be seen as human beings with complicated lives, not as a 
category that lends itself to racist demonization. The people we are 
talking about are in this country for a variety of reasons. Most of them 
want to be with family who are already here. Most of them are looking 
for employment that pays them better than what they got paid back in 
Mexico and Central America.

This demonization of "illegal immigrants" reflect a truism about 
Americans: they are generally very ignorant about how the world around 
them really works. If you are really that concerned about "illegal 
immigration", why not look at the root causes? Why are so many people 
coming to the U.S.? Obviously for economic reasons? What are the root 
causes of these economic problems? Mostly globalization and free trade, 
policies that were implemented by both U.S. parties. Remember NAFTA? 
Another root cause is the political policies perpetrated by the 
Reagan/Bush regime in Central America. It would take several Chomsky 
books to explain this, but U.S. policies in Central America were 
essentially a terrorist program against the poor and working classes in 
those countries. The U.S. is reaping what it sowed in the 1980s and over 
the previous decades in that region.

 >> In many ways illegal immigrants are poor versions of Paris Hilton: 
they're *snooty people* who think *the law shouldn't have to apply to 
them* just because they're *poor* and want to live somewhere else.

This is just a bizarre argument. Illegal immigrants are snooty? Wtf?

Chuck