Thread: Senate Standoff May Doom Border Funding

July 25, 2007


Senate Standoff May Doom Border Funding

By ANDREW TAYLOR
Associated Press Writer



WASHINGTON (AP) -- A standoff in the Senate on Wednesday seemed to doom $3 billion in widely backed funds aimed at gaining control over the porous U.S.-Mexico border.

It started with an end-run by Republicans to pass some of the most popular elements of President Bush's failed immigration bill, including a plan to increase security along the southern border.

Democrats liked the money but objected to such GOP proposals as allowing law enforcement officers to question people about their immigration status and cracking down on those who overstay their visas.

The move put political pressure on Senate Democrats. They killed Sen. Lindsey Graham's plan on a 52-44 procedural vote, but Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., immediately countered with a pared-down proposal containing only the border security funds. Then Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a Bush ally, killed that effort.

Dying with the proposals could be hopes for seizing "operational control" over the U.S.-Mexico border with additional Border Patrol agents, vehicle barriers, border fencing and observation towers.

The battle began when Graham, R-S.C., and other Republicans tried to resurrect the border security plan and combine it with the GOP policy provisions from last month's immigration debate.

Graham sought to add the GOP immigration plan - over White House opposition - to a pending bill to fund the budget for the Homeland Security Department.

The underlying bill had already drawn a veto threat for breaking Bush's budget. White House spokesman Scott Stanzel noted that Wednesday's plan would not have been financed by fines on illegal immigrants as were comparable provisions from the broader bill that died last month; it therefore would have added $3 billion to the deficit.

Stanzel declined to comment further, but Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., had earlier told reporters that the White House opposed the additional funds.

Reid's compromise plan seemed to be viewed favorably by many senators. Cornyn said he wanted some of the money used for going after immigrants who had entered the United States legally but had overstayed their visas.

Graham and GOP allies such as Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona had argued during last month's hotly contested immigration debate that a comprehensive approach to immigration reform was the only way to attract bipartisan support to such a polarizing issue.

In the wake of the failure to pass the comprehensive bill - decried as "amnesty" by conservative talk radio and opposing lawmakers - Graham and the others changed their minds and offered the border security plan, combined with the tough GOP policy provisions.

Graham and Kyl said the public won't accept more controversial elements, especially the plan to give million of illegal immigrants a way to earn U.S. citizenship, until the border with Mexico is made more secure.

"Border security is the gate that you must pass through to get to overall comprehensive reform," said Graham, who is up for re-election next year and facing political heat at home for backing Bush's unpopular immigration plan.

Democrats such as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts had supported designating $4.4 billion for border security as a way of drawing wider backing for the compromise bill. On Wednesday, though, Kennedy objected to Graham's move to unravel the broader immigration bill.

"We have tried enforcement-only approaches for 10 years now," said Kennedy. "And what have been the results? Twelve million people are in the United States illegally."

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Hmmm...interesting. Looks like Graham is starting to backpedal to try to save his sorry ***. He knows his career is OVER.

As for Kennedy, and his comments about enforcement only for 10 years...HA! They haven't enforced the laws. That's why we have so many illegals. He is such a traitor. If he isn't poster child for limiting Senate terms, I don't know who is!

They should ALL be thrown out! Scum and TRAITORS! They still think that American citizens are stupid and cannot connect dots! Well guess what you jerks, you are WRONG! We have more common sense then all of you put together and we know your game! You are SOOOOOOOOOO busted!

We do need to vote them out - all of them - except I'm still fond of Tancredo, since immigration is my main concern.

We are going to have to wake up and realize there isn't going to be a political solution to this problem.

The politicians have known how America feels for a very long. They certainly know after the 'immigration reform bill'.

How many employers are in the pokey? How many have even been charged? How many even questioned?

Out of 20 million illegals, how many have been rounded up and sent home

They are playing games with us - I fear they are stalling us for something - maybe the NAU - who knows.

This is just showboating. They know interior enforcement is the only way to fix the problem. So of course they ignore that and make a big show about border enforcement. Kick all these traitors out!

Look, They will pretty much get away with it . I hate it but Kennedy will be there for as long as he wants . We are too divided . Issues like abortion and taxing the rich and free this and free that , have us too divided to survive . they know democrats for the most part will vote democrat and the same for republicans . so they all want the illegal mexican vote and the sad truth is they will get it .

Gotta love that Kennedy "logic."

Originally Posted by longcut

Look, They will pretty much get away with it . I hate it but Kennedy will be there for as long as he wants . We are too divided . Issues like abortion and taxing the rich and free this and free that , have us too divided to survive . they know democrats for the most part will vote democrat and the same for republicans . so they all want the illegal mexican vote and the sad truth is they will get it .

Ahhhhhhhh, but I thought that DIVERSITY, which has been pushed on the American people by the federal government for a lot of years, was supposed to make us a stronger and better nation? Remember the slogans? Think outside the box … look inside the person. Diversity is our Strength. Honor Diversity. Unity in Diversity. You Only Learn From Diversity. You Don't Get Harmony When Everybody Sings the Same Note - Celebrate Diversity. The Sum of Us is Greater Than All Our Parts - Celebrate Diversity. Everyone Smiles in the Same Language - Celebrate Diversity. Each Person's Story is as Different as Fingerprints - Celebrate Diversity. Different Can Be Good - Celebrate Diversity. Sick and tired and feeling brainwashed yet? You should because DIVERSITY was one of the programs to condition us to deal with the massive invasion of the third world and all other world areas into our country that has occurred within the last 20 years.

DEFINITION DIVERSITY:
http://www.adversity.net/Terms_Definiti ... ersity.htm
Diversity used to be a perfectly good and descriptive word which meant "variety". In the 1990's the racial quota industry co-opted the term Diversity to have a distinctly political, pro-quota meaning.

What the racial special interests specifically mean when they refer to Diversity is actually Forced Diversity or Artificial Diversity, i.e., the hiring or admission of the government-defined correct numbers of certain protected classes, i.e., supposedly "disadvantaged" persons of color.

Thus, in context, Diversity (forced or artificial diversity) means "having the government-approved number of each race, gender, and ethnicity" in your work force or student body.

The racial special interests want you to believe that forced diversity (a.k.a. artificial diversity) is a high-minded, inclusive concept denoting one, big, happy, multi-ethnic, multi-racial, cooperative, tolerant family.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Look out when applying to an employer or a school that boasts "We value diversity!" This is code for "we have an aggressive, pro-quota policy in place to hire -- or admit -- the right number of each protected race, gender and ethnic group." A careful reading of their affirmative action policy (a government-required document which they are required to show you upon request) will reveal the truth behind their diversity slogan.

Diversity ("forced diversity" or "artificial diversity" vs. "voluntary, natural diversity") is defined strictly in terms of an official government list of protected races and ethnicities.

Diversity Training is a truly awful outgrowth of forced / artificial diversity. Such training is nothing more than dreary, guilt-ridden sensitivity training designed to properly politically educate you about the value of forced / artificial diversity.

The content and style of such trainings varies widely, but the central theme is to sell you on the dubious notion that forced / artificial diversity is in and of itself a desirable thing. Some trainers attempt to convince you that forcibly (artificially) diverse companies are happier more profitable places than voluntarily diverse companies. But what they don't tell you is that voluntarily diverse companies are harassed and fined by the government, and are subjected to economic boycotts and lawsuits by the NAACP and other members of the quota industry. (And by the way, there is little or no hard economic evidence that forcibly diverse companies are more profitable in any sense than voluntarily diverse companies.)

In general, Adversity.Net strongly recommends that you do whatever is necessary to avoid Diversity Training. Any excuse will do, such as breaking your leg or being in a body cast at the time of the training. This may also be a good time to schedule that major surgery you've been putting off.

Finally, in today's political climate, Diversity Training is almost exclusively a political re-education process which attempts to sell a particular political agenda which promotes forced diversity (i.e., racial quotas, i.e., artificial diversity). As such it is completely inappropriate for an employer to subject you to such propagandizing. However, if you want to keep you job you should use one of the former excuses to not attend (broken leg, major surgery, etc.).

The Value of Forced / Artificial Diversity: NONE! Forced / Artificial Diversity for its own sake is absolutely without value. Well, OK, you can avoid a lot of government harassment by being forcibly diverse, but that is hardly what we would call a positive motivation.

Conversely, there is a great deal of value to treating all employees fairly and without discrimination. This is not the same as forced diversity, however.

Forced Diversity vs. Non-Discrimination: The two terms are totally unrelated! Non-discrimination means treating everyone fairly without regard to race, gender or ethnicity. Conversely, Diversity (Forced Diversity or Artificial Diversity) means hiring or promoting based upon race, gender or ethnicity until your business has employed the "right" numbers of each protected group as defined by the government.

"If ever there was a term that makes me nauseous, "diversity" is such a term. But, believe me, this term is more than nauseating; it is dangerous. "Diversity" is the antithesis of merit.
The pursuit of "diversity" by the government is legally sanctioned discrimination to achieve a fuzzily defined quota that is known only to [educational] admissions officers and other bureaucrats who want to play God with our lives. "-----Ward Connerly

nntrixie wrote:

We do need to vote them out - all of them - except I'm still fond of Tancredo, since immigration is my main concern.

No we don't need to vote them all out. We have a lot of friends in the House and many in the Senate that have yet to let us down. Making blanket statements about all the folks in the U.S. Congress does not show much loyalty to those that have stood with us. Furthermore, you should also be very fond of Hunter too! He has done, and continues to do, a lot for our cause.

Diversity, has anyone looked around the schools in Calif. Texas etc. I guess it is time for them to start telling Hispanics about diversity, because most of the schools are Hispanic children, alot of the schools are 90% Hispanic. this is diversity?? I think not! When are they going to start brain washing them



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