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Thread: Jeff Sessions Unswayed by Pope Francis on Immigration, Economy, Climate

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    Administrator Jean's Avatar
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    Jeff Sessions Unswayed by Pope Francis on Immigration, Economy, Climate

    By Steven Dennis Posted at 4:35 p.m. on Sept. 23, 2015

    Sen. Jeff Sessions won’t boycott the pope’s address to Congress Thursday, but the Alabama Republican doesn’t expect to be swayed by what he says on immigration, climate change or the economy.

    “He’s said things close to open borders, which I think is wrong, and his opinion is no more persuasive to me than the Wall Street Journal’s. I don’t agree with either one,” Sessions told CQ Roll Call in a hallway interview Tuesday.

    It’s always dangerous for church leaders to start opining on complex matters of which they haven’t had a chance to learn over the years. I mean, we’ve been wrestling with immigration for 30 years. That’s a lot of knowledge. So the pope is not invested in that,” Sessions said.

    He continued, “It’s all right for him to call on us to establish an immigration law that serves the national interest and assists people, but how that’s done, I think he probably is not sufficiently informed, and I would say that despite some of the biblical things, Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem and the Lord commanded him to build a wall.

    “So, [there are] many references in the Old Testament about the legitimacy of nations or countries or tribal areas, deciding who goes in and through and who does not. So that’s part of it.”

    Later in the conversation, Sessions suggested the pope go to his native Argentina instead.

    “I would suggest on immigration, maybe he would want to go to Argentina and ask them to take more people from the Middle East. They take almost none.”

    And Sessions isn’t a big fan of the pope’s criticism of capitalism either.

    “Has a socialist policy worked in Argentina or Brazil? Who do they call on when there is a refugee crisis? The West, who has a free market system that has created wealth. … Even our poor people are wealthier than middle-class people in most countries.”

    Sessions noted he’s a Methodist and doesn’t always agree with what leaders in his church say either.

    “Our bishops and church leaders say really foolish things periodically that I’m glad parishioners don’t know that they did. It would further hurt the church than it already has,” he said.

    Sessions added that the church should focus on spiritual issues.

    “Jesus focused on the bread of life, the spiritual realm,” he said. “You get that right, everything else kind of falls into place. I don’t think there’s anything in the scriptures that says nation states shouldn’t operate as nation states do. There was never any arguments that Rome’s basic secular infrastructure was fundamentally evil.”

    Sessions suggested it would be better to help countries understand that “a free market system will eliminate more poverty than a government passing a law.”

    But he said there’s a delicate balance, and there are times when church leadership has been very important in the public sphere.

    “I’ve always been uneasy about church leaders getting too deeply involved in political issues because it can undermine their core mission, undermine their ability to be effective on spiritual matters. However, there is no doubt that on occasion there are times that a call for obedience and an objection to wrong policies is demanded of church leaders. Where you draw that line, I don’t know.”

    There is one area where Sessions said he’s seen religious leaders be a positive force: the civil rights movement.

    “In the civil rights days, that was a powerful thing. And people had to choose in the South.”

    He remembers people asking pastors, “Can a black person worship in this church or not?”

    http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/jeff-...igration/?dcz=
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    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    He continued, “It’s all right for him to call on us to establish an immigration law that serves the national interest and assists people, but how that’s done, I think he probably is not sufficiently informed, and I would say that despite some of the biblical things, Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem and the Lord commanded him to build a wall.

    “So, [there are] many references in the Old Testament about the legitimacy of nations or countries or tribal areas, deciding who goes in and through and who does not. So that’s part of it.”

    Later in the conversation, Sessions suggested the pope go to his native Argentina instead.

    “I would suggest on immigration, maybe he would want to go to Argentina and ask them to take more people from the Middle East. They take almost none.”

    And Sessions isn’t a big fan of the pope’s criticism of capitalism either.
    Right O! Great response, and thank you so much, Senator Jeff Sessions.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
    Save America, Deport Congress! - Judy

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    Senior Member Captainron's Avatar
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    If you get a chance call to thank him. I hope he proves that nice guys can finish first:202-224-4124
    "Men of low degree are vanity, Men of high degree are a lie. " David
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  4. #4
    Senior Member Captainron's Avatar
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    Jeff Sessions should be head of Homeland Security.
    "Men of low degree are vanity, Men of high degree are a lie. " David
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    Thou shalt not steal would be a good spiritual message (that includes another's land and social services)

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    Senior Member Captainron's Avatar
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    Please call his office and express your thanks. I just called a minute ago. 202-224-4124
    "Men of low degree are vanity, Men of high degree are a lie. " David
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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    Super Moderator Newmexican's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Captainron View Post
    Please call his office and express your thanks. I just called a minute ago. 202-224-4124
    Done.

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    I am so opposed to Boehner's inviting his church's leader to speak to a Congress bound by Constitution to maintain separation of church and state. I will email him and my Congressman, who also is Catholic, to balance the scale that they have tipped, suggesting that immediately they invite an atheist leader to speak to them. I am not atheist, but am not Catholic, one extreme can only be balanced by another.

    America's politicians are so anti-American law that they would be hung by the founders! Maybe challenged to a duel.

  9. #9
    Senior Member Captainron's Avatar
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    And, I would also raise the issue that the Pope is, in fact, lobbying for "foreign principals" when he advocates for illegal aliens. And what's 'funny' former Sen. Obama had made a big issue of foreign interest lobbying with AIPAC, and the way that US Jews lobbied for state of Israel interests. Pope Whatever should by law be REGISTERED and DECLARE HIS OPERATIONS when he speaks to any US officials on behalf of foreign citizens:

    Mr. Glenn A. Fine
    United States Department of Justice
    950 Pennsylvania Avenue
    Washington, D.C. 20530

    Dear Mr. Fine,July 9, 2008

    It has come to our attention that there have been severe lapses in the enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). We would like to know more about the decision-making process behind FARA enforcement and whether or not enforcement has been uneven or lax over time.

    As you are well aware, FARA was passed in 1938 and requires disclosure of all lobbying contacts made on behalf of foreign governments, individuals, political parties, and corporations. Disclosure is important in order for the American public to know who is influencing U.S. policy from abroad. Recently, we introduced the Closing the Foreign Lobbying Loophole Act (S. 3123) in order to close two loopholes in the law that allow certain foreign agents to operate without the sunlight of disclosure.

    We believe that the requirements under FARA are clear and should be enforced in all circumstances. Violations of the disclosure law that go unpunished can undermine U.S. policy and pose national security risks to the American people. Furthermore, any specter of uneven or lax enforcement can render a very important statute toothless.

    We know that you share our commitment to maintaining the public’s trust in government. We believe that allowing individuals to break the law and operate in the dark on behalf of foreign entities will erode this trust we hold so dear. Therefore, we request an examination of the Department’s enforcement record on FARA, including an analysis of all the considerations taken into account when the Department determines whether or how to enforce the law. We hope that you take appropriate steps within your Department to look into the causes of uneven or lax enforcement and provide the Attorney General or his appropriate subordinate with suggestions on how to fix any enforcement problems immediately. We also request that you transmit to us, and the appropriate congressional committees of jurisdiction, a report on your findings.

    We look forward to hearing from you on this matter.

    Charles E. Schumer
    United States Senator

    Claire McCaskill
    United States Senator

    Barack Obama
    United States Senator
    "Men of low degree are vanity, Men of high degree are a lie. " David
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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