[Vision2020] State GOP Crosses Bordersd of Decency

[Tom Hansen]

>From today's (June 2, 2006) "7" magazine of the Spokesman Review with a
special thanks to Frank Sennett.

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State GOP crosses borders of decency 
By Frank Sennett  .  Correspondent  .  JUNE 2, 2006

If the Washington State Republican Party had its way, U.S. Attorney General
Alberto Gonzales probably wouldn't be an American citizen.

That's according to a state GOP platform adopted last weekend that calls for
denying automatic citizenship to the U.S.-born children of illegal
immigrants. 

So much for the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states, "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."

So much for Republican hopes of winning over increasing numbers of Hispanic
voters in Washington.

So much for the GOP's attempt to paint itself as a "big-tent" party
attractive to social moderates.

And so much for Citizen Gonzales.

You see, three of the AG's grandparents were Mexican immigrants, and he said
last month on CNN "it's unclear" if they were documented. "Gonzales: Not
sure if grandparents came legally" read the identifier as he spoke. 

If not, his U.S.-born parents shouldn't have been citizens - and neither
should Gonzales. At least not according to the Washington GOP standard. 

State Republican honcho Diane Tebelius - who's such an important political
force the Associated Press recently identified her as Diane Tubeless -
defended the platform plank demanding that newborn babies walk the plank.
She claimed punishing innocent infants somehow reflects mainstream
immigration concerns. 

But with a recent poll indicating two-thirds of Washington voters support a
path to citizenship for undocumented workers, where's the broad constituency
for tossing out their U.S.-born children along with a key chunk of the
Constitution?

Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna clearly doesn't see the wisdom in
ranging far to the right of President Bush. He dismissed the proposal faster
than the NSA can tap your phone.

Wonder why? Just look at the GOP's rationale for denying citizenship to an
entire class of people born in this country: Some of them are poor and may
need social services. Forget that illegal-immigrant workers pay the same
payroll taxes as the rest of us without getting a chance to file for
refunds. Never mind that their children often grow up to make outstanding
contributions to our society. 

If those first-generation Americans are born poor, the Republicans cry, kick
'em out.

Well then, why don't we start means testing citizenship for all newborns?
After all, you'd have to be racist to see any substantive difference between
a poor newborn citizen whose parents hail from Mexico and one whose folks
were born in Spokane.

So let's urge the Republican Party to advocate stripping all newborns of
citizenship if their moms and dads don't own a home, an SUV and a
diversified stock portfolio. 

Maybe there'd be a place for guys like Alberto Gonzales in that America. Oh,
wait. He also told CNN, "Both of my parents were born in Texas, extremely
poor."

Sorry, Al. Don't let the fence hit you on the way out.

And don't get mad at me. Blame your beloved Republicans.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

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"In America, anybody can become president.  
That's one of the risks you take . . ."

- Adlai Stevenson

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