Great, just great

I’ve got the weirdest run of luck at times

On immigration, probably the issue that’s splitting the GOP the hardest, I refuse to play along with bashing an already socially despised group

Those without documents, coming up through the southern border with Mexico-just to score points against a President I loathe

Here’s a perfect example of how at least one anti-immigrant group, FAIR determined the cost to Calif taxpayers when it comes to social services, especially education, used by undocumented immigrants-there’s one VERY important fact to point out after the example

Martin's study looks specifically at the costs of educating illegal immigrants' children, providing medical care to illegal immigrants and jailing those convicted of committing crimes. The report estimates the total cost at $10.5 billion each year, but that is offset by about $1.7 billion in taxes that illegal immigrants pay.

The study assumes that there are about 1 million children of illegal immigrant parents in California, or about 15 percent of the state's K-12 school enrolled population. The estimate is based on a 1994 study by the Urban Institute that concluded there were 307,000 illegal immigrant children enrolled in the state's public schools.

Martin also added an estimate of 597,000 U.S.-born children whose parents are illegal immigrants arriving at a total of 1,022,000 children. Multiplying the number of children by the estimated $7,577 the state spends on average per pupil, the study arrived at the $7.7 billion figure.

All that number figerrin’ yet it’s all undone by pointing out one tiny little trifling fact

Namely, children born on US soil ARE US citizens, eligible for the same benefits everyone else is

The study's author defended the report, saying that the children were born in the United States as a result of their parents' illegal entry into the country.

"In no way does the report identify them as different kinds of citizens, because they would not have been born in the U.S. had their parents not come into the country illegally," Martin said.

Hey, dumbfuck, that’s an overblown & spurious argument, as the kid is STILL a US citizen, and legally, that’s ALL that matters

And here’s another good read that furthers facts over hysteria

And now comes the “politics makes VERY strange bedfellows” part of this post

First, the kc Kudos go out to an individual and organization I’ve heretofore only bashed, and bashed justifiably hard

And that would be Cardinal Roger Mahony & The Catholic church

Let’s get this out of the way-I absolutely DESPISE the Church’s actions regarding pedophile priests and the actions of their superiors in shipping them off to new dioceses to ward off potential problems-of course, all this did was let the number of victims grow enormously every time a pedophile priest was reassigned

The Church has handled this problem in a worse than abysmal fashion, and deserves every bit of withering scorn and vitriol poured it’s way

The same vituperative attitude is also deserved for the Church’s equally abominable attitudes about, and treatment of, gays & bisexuals, it’s NOT a Christian attitude, not in any sense of the New Testament version of Christ, and the Church has centuries of hatred to atone for here.

And let’s not even get started about the absolute willful ignorance of being against both Abortion, and the option that makes abortion less of an outcome, artificial birth control

In short, there’s plenty of ways the Catholic Church preaches an Anti-Christian agenda

Having said all that however, when it comes to the issues like caring for the poor, agitating for those at the bottom of the economic ladder, and especially how to treat undocumented immigrants, I think the Church is DEFINITELY doing the work of True Angels

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Immigrants Gain the Pulpit

And I LOVE the subheadline

Cardinal Mahony says he will ask priests to provide aid without proof of documentation even if proposed restrictions become law.

Wading back into the growing debate over illegal immigration, Cardinal Roger M. Mahony on Tuesday denounced what he called "hysterical" anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping California and the nation.

In an interview on the eve of Ash Wednesday, Mahony said he planned to use the first day of the Lenten season to call on all 288 parishes in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, the nation's largest, to fast, pray and press for humane immigration reform. U.S. Roman Catholic bishops support proposals for a guest-worker program, legalization of undocumented immigrants and more visas for migrants' families.

Mahony also criticized efforts by the Minuteman Project and other immigration control groups to police the border, saying that such efforts were a misguided reaction to national security concerns.

Oh yeah, the Minutemen DO get their BitchSlapping in just a bit

Mahony points out the obvious with his sermon here, namely, irrationality about undocumented immigrants does NOTHING to strengthen National Security

"The war on terror isn't going to be won through immigration restrictions," he said, adding that Al Qaeda operatives would not trek through miles of deadly desert to infiltrate the nation.

And Mahony has a hell of a platform to preach from in this case, and these numbers alone should get Mahony some much-vitally needed media time to smack at this seemingly overwhelming public scorn of a powerless group, the undocumented here in the US

As spiritual leader of the 5 million-member archdiocese, Mahony adds a powerful voice to what has become an acrimonious debate over illegal immigration, coming as the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee takes up a series of proposed immigration controls this week.

And lets be honest here-at it’s heart, the desire to punish those in this country without the documents needed is nothing more than bullying, plain & simple, a vulnerable group of people easy to sociatelly scapegoat for cheap political gain-And yes, Tom Tancredo IS getting the same bitchslap beatdown the Minutemen are about to receive

And that’s the ONLY way to deal with bullies, a good, swift crack to the mouth is often the only thing they understand

And in this case, Mahony drops the Rhetorical Thermonuclear Device to serve the powerless among us

In his most forceful comments to date, Mahony said he would instruct his priests to defy legislation — if approved by Congress — that would require churches and other social organizations to ask immigrants for legal documentation before providing assistance and penalize them if they refuse to do so. That provision was included in the immigration bill recently passed by the House of Representatives; a similar proposal is in the version that the Senate Judiciary Committee plans to begin debating this week.

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"The whole concept of punishing people who serve immigrants is un-American," Mahony said. "If you take this to its logical, ludicrous extreme, every single person who comes up to receive Holy Communion, you have to ask them to show papers. It becomes absurd and the church is not about to get into that. The church is here to serve people…. We're not about to become immigration agents. It just throws more gasoline on the discussion and inflames people."

And as we’ll see with Tom Tancredo’s immigrant-hating jerkoffery, Mahony’s rhetoric isn’t just heated, there’s some basis to it as well

And, no doubt, what will rile up the immigrant bashers about Mahony is that he’s railed against this type of behavior before, and, even worse, been successful in legally shooting down punitive-fueled voter initiatives

But lets give a second to the other side

Ira Mehlman, of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the cardinal was failing to address the costs of illegal immigration on low-wage American workers, local governments, public schools and the healthcare system. Instead, he said, Mahony was asking others to give up their jobs and resources for undocumented immigrants.

"Charity is an important tenet of the Judeo-Christian faith, but there are limits," Mehlman said.

Bullshit, I don’t remember Christ putting ANY limits on charity towards the downtrodden, comforting the afflicted & afflicting the comfortable

And it seems Mahony’s going to preach this cause as hard as he does against abortion, bringing some much needed firepower to the table for the immigrants

Mahony plans to speak on immigration policy at two Ash Wednesday services today. He said it would be the first time he has asked the entire archdiocese, which covers Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, to mobilize on a social issue. Mahony has led the archdiocese since 1985.

In addition to calling for a Lenten fast to reflect on the contributions of immigrants, he said, he has sent informational packets to all parishes on how to preach, teach and lobby on the issue.

"There is enormous ignorance out there," said Mahony, disputing as "myths" accusations that undocumented immigrants take jobs from Americans or don't pay taxes.

"This is a teachable moment to help people understand that all of us are immigrant people."

And one last blast for Mahony’s completely worthwhile cause/mission here

He said that both Hebrew and Christian Scriptures were consistent and clear about the moral imperative to care for strangers and aliens. The Jewish people were aliens in Egypt, he said, and Jesus was a refugee who was escaping from King Herod. God clearly instructed Moses to care for aliens, orphans and widows in his midst, Mahony said.

"This is part of our heritage of God's care and concern for all peoples," Mahony said. "At no point … is God asking us to build walls on borders."

Bravo Cardinal Mahony

Of course, there ARE idiots, bastards & scumbags who have a definite problem with people doing the “Christian” thing in caring for the downtrodden, which brings us to an obvious Christian hating political scumbag, Tom Tancredo-(R. Co)

And really, the irony of a Protestant-specifically, an Evangelical Presbyterian-lecturing Catholics about how to correctly interpret & practice their faith is rich indeed

Tancredo, a Littleton Republican, released a statement Tuesday blasting the U.S. Catholic Church, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society for lobbying against a border-enforcement bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year.

"The faith community must step forward and tell leftist activists that undermining border security is not a religious imperative," Tancredo said.

"I call on the conservative majority of churchgoers to contact the activists who are misrepresenting their beliefs."

Personally, I’d LOVE to see Tancredo point out where in the New Testament Jesus EVER sided with the Pharisees in further shunning an already socially scapegoated group

Apparently for Tancredo, Christianity actually means kicking the poor to the side and making life as miserable as possible for those already at the bottom of the economic & social ladder

Oh, and whatever you do, do NOT use your faith as a reason to do the Christian thing in this case, as it sets off Tancredo on a heck of a Hissy Fit

"As a person of faith, I was offended by these radical advocates invoking God when arguing for blanket amnesty," Tancredo said. "If we really want to be a compassionate faith community, we must enforce the law and end the border charade that lures hundreds of people through the deadly desert every year."

And what, specifically was he in a snit about with the above whiney, petulant response?

Elenora Giddings Ivory, of the denomination's Stewardship of Public Life advocacy program, said the church's position on immigration is based on the scripture passage Matthew 25, verses 31-46, which talks about nations being judged, in part, by how they treat strangers.

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"Joseph and Mary had to flee persecution. Jesus was not born in his home community," Giddings Ivory said. "Jesus and his family perhaps would have been locked up with a strict border approach to immigration."

With Jerkoffs like Tancredo, there’s NO “perhaps” about it.

And speaking of willfully ignorant losers, here come the Minutemen

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Group Expands Protest of Anti-Illegal Immigration Amid Accusations of Intimidation

And really, isn’t it good to know that THIS group is on the job and keeping us safe from all those nefarious types who actually WANT to work?

After waging a high-profile fight in Northern Virginia against a center where employers can go to hire temporary workers, the anti-illegal immigration group has expanded into Maryland. In recent weeks, its members have patrolled centers funded by the Montgomery County government in Wheaton and Takoma Park that assist day laborers. They also have monitored a Gaithersburg parking lot as well as others in Montgomery and Prince George's County where men gather almost every morning, said Stephen Schreiman, director of the group's new chapter.

Nothing shows the My-newtmen being “Bad Ass & Eternally Vigilant” more than monitoring day-laborer centers & parking lots, and far be it from me to suggest the obvious stereotypical image about willfully ignorant, out-of-shape vigilantes

And really, when one has this keen a grasp of the facts as Schreiman does, can there be ANY doubt about the long term success of the My-newtmenen?

"The objective here is to send a clear message to the business community that it's illegal to hire undocumented workers and it's illegal not to pay appropriate taxes," said Schreiman, who couldn't specifically say how many people had joined the new chapter.

Don’t bother hiding your hatred behind the ostensible patriotism of paying a decent wage, just come right out and admit your bitter obsession with immigrants, you’ll feel SO much better when you unleash your inner white-hooded child

Hey, wait a minute, didn’t Schreiman say he didn’t know how many people joined his chapter of the My-newtmen?

The group said it has recruited dozens of volunteers who plan to photograph laborers and the people seeking to hire them at centers in Silver Spring and Baltimore. Typically, three to six people take pictures at each site on any morning, Schreiman said. Day-laborer centers provide jobs for illegal immigrants and should not be funded by a county government, the group says.

Dear Lord, if you do exist, please let these idiotically unteachable vigilantes get pictures taken of them on their property, just so they can gain a fuller appreciation of that kind of intimidation by being on the receiving end

More righteous bombast from an unrighteous group

Schreiman, a Gaithersburg resident, said his Minutemen members believe CASA of Maryland should either stop serving undocumented workers or give up public funding. "We're talking about people who shouldn't be here, and they're having a negative impact on the quality of life," he said.

This argument always cracks me up, as without the efforts of those who pick the crops, raise the kids, work in the slaughterhouses & clean the toilets, these same whining My-newtmen fat, lazy poltroons all, would be in a tizzy over actually having to do their OWN work

Well, hey, what do you know, looks like God DID hear my prayer

Gustavo Torres, executive director of CASA of Maryland, said his organization is training people to observe and take photos of the Minutemen's members. "If they keep harassing our community, we are going to demonstrate in front of their houses and in front of their workplaces to let the neighborhood know how anti-immigrant they are," he said. "It's going to be a shame for their family."

Something tells me the My-newtmen would be much more thin-skinned if they underwent their own strategy in this respect

But if the following is any example of the leadership offered by the My-newtmen, then we’re talking stupid AND whiney

Schreiman said he was attacked with a laser pointer earlier this month when he went to the parking lot next to Grace United Methodist by himself to photograph workers and employers. He said he filed a report with the police after experiencing a headache for 10 hours.

OH MY GOD!!!!

Attacked with a laser pointer, with a headache that lasted 10 hours

Excuse me here, but if this claim is true, then he probably wasn’t hit with a quick glance straight into a laser pointer, instead, it appears that Schreiman would have had to stare into it instead, an act that would make him just a live version of this guy

Good Christ, now THAT’S stupid

I sure am glad I’m NOT on the same side as these My-newtmen fuckwads