Message from a Time Traveller

Via LGF I found a link to an article written by Dan Simmons. "Powerful" does not do it justice and I recommend reading it and then the works mentioned within. I've been a student of Sun Tsu for a number of years and his admonition to know your enemy has never been truer than it is today. Simmons underscores that point.

Senate Republicans unveil their immigration bill

I note that the Republicans in the Senate are putting out their own immigration reform bill. This one creates classes of illegals based on how long ago they decided to flip our immigration laws the bird and evade our border patrols.

Republican officials said the GOP plan would divide illegal immigrants into three categories:

— Those who had been in the country the longest, more than five years, would not be required to return to their home country before gaining legal status. They would be subject to several tests, including the payment of fines and back taxes, and be required to submit to a background check, according to these officials.

— Illegal immigrants in the United States less than five years but more than two would be required to go to a border point of entry, briefly leave and then be readmitted to the United States. As with the longer-term illegal immigrants, other steps would be required for re-entry, after which they could begin seeking citizenship, these officials said.

— Illegal immigrants in the United States less than two years would be required to leave the country and join any other foreign residents seeking legal entry.

So, what are we saying, here? That illegals who made the decision to bust our borders in 1998 are somehow less illegal than someone who did it last month? And how do we justify this decision to our legal immigrants slogging through our processes to allow someone who broke our immigration laws in 2002 to just hop in line alongside of them?

However, I am willing to work toward a compromise on the matter of immigration. I've written about this before, but there are a few additional things I must see in any reform package before I'll offer any support for the proposals listed above.

Grand Jury apparently forming regarding McKinney assault

There are reports this morning that a Dem staffer to California Rep. Sam Farr has been subpoenaed to appear in front of a grand jury as a witness to the incident with Rep. Cynthia McKinney. Looks like they're getting serious about actually arresting and charging this woman. That's good. The Capitol Police are absolutely deserving of respect from members of Congress. It's their sorry butts those officers are defending. It's also necessary to remind everyone that no one is above the law, even the lawmakers, and that assaulting someone will land you in trouble.

McKinney's response, of course, has been that all of the response arising from her own illegal behavior is just that everyone's a racist pig out to get her. That's weak, obviously, and it's indicative of her attitudes in general. I certainly hope the Capitol Police and the US Attorney's Office pursue this matter fully. She is clearly trying to deflect attention and evade her responsiblity in this matter. She needs to be arrested and, if she won't plead guilty, tried and convicted if she's proven to have done what is alleged.