Immigration

Let me start out by noting the "new content" at The Third Estate Sunday Review:

A Note to Our Readers
Editorial: Could it be true? Rove indicted?
TV Review: When it's time to go -- That 70s Show
Who exactly are the outlaws?
2 Books, many minutes
About that 'fan mail'
Professional Slime Mike McCurry stabs Milano in the back
Laura Flanders spoke with Cindy Sheehan on Saturday's Radio Nation With Laura Flanders
Mark Danner discusses impeachment with Larry Bensky today on KPFA's Sunday Salon

It was a rough weekend because most of us had plans for Mother's Day. We're trying to get on the phone in about a half hour (little less than that, so I need to hurry) to get some ideas for this week so that we're not pulling such a long shift this weekend. (And I bailed as did everyone but Ty, Ava, Jess, Dona, Jim and C.I. They told us to because we'd added input in the stuff that hadn't been written yet. We grabbed that logic because we wanted some sleep and also because most of us had plans for Mother's Day. If you wonder why I keep saying "most," it's because Elaine's mother passed away when she was very young. I'll say "most" at Father's Day because Wally and I both lost our father's when we were kids. And Elaine lost her mother and father both, at the same time. Those are the breaks. Doesn't make it easy, just makes it the way it is.)

Okay, I wanted to talk about the sermon we heard Sunday in my church. Our pastor talked about Heaven and what our religion believes is needed for you to get there: accepting God as your savior. If you're not religious or your religion is something other than Christianity, stay with me a moment because I'm not trying to change your mind here.

His point was that all God requires is belief and acceptance. So, here's the point, if this administration and our Congress is so full of people willing to toss around the name of the Lord, why do they want to put up all these hurdles for people in this country?

He was talking about immigrants who don't have documentation. They're here now. Who cares how? (I'm sure many have stories of bravery and courage. I'm not dismissing that.) They are here now because they believed that coming here could mean something better. So why are we trying to punish them?

Why is the best we can do, "Apply through a new process and after five years of being a 'guest worker,' we'll let you jump through the hoops required to be a citizen"? They obviously wanted to be here very badly. They still want to be here. Shouldn't that matter?

Shouldn't a belief like that count for something?

Instead of making it count for something, we want to put up some new hurdles and station troops on the border. What is that about?

Give us you poor, your huddled masses . . .

Did they never hear that? The people trying to say, "Sure, stay here, take the jobs no one wants and pray your employer doesn't screw you over for five years and then, THEN, you can try to be a citizen."

That's nonsense.

They've already leapt through hurdles to get here and to work here. They are contributing. If the people tossing around the Lord's name know anything about Christian charity, they should be doing their best to help immigrants, not punish them.

We don't need to create new hurdles, we need to find a way to honor the accomplishments of those who really want to be in this country.

Okay, the timer just went off. It's not time to get on the phone, but I was cooking some dinner in the microwave (don't tell Trina!) and I need to eat it now so I'm not smacking in everyone's ear when we're on the phone. Read Wally's "THIS JUST IN! NEDRA PICKLER SEES INSIDE PEOPLE!" and Elaine's "We hold the Iraqi government and the occupiers responsible for this brutal atrocity" is pretty amazing too. There's a lot of stuff worth reading but I'll just note those two things since I'm rushing.