Tonight, President Bush will seize hold of our national airwaves to tell a series of lies about immigration in America.
Why do we know they will be lies?
After six years of President Bush, everyone knows that his vision for America has nothing to do with immigration--nothing to do with protecting our country, human rights or a fair economy---but consists entirely of two, reckless and illegal invasions:
1. The invasion of Iraq
2. The invasion of our privacy
`Improving America' for the self-declared `War President' has always meant launching a `pre-emptive' war and lawyering up against the United States Constitution. And we all know President Bush never changes his mind on those two issues--because he tells us as much, with the mindless repetition of a mechanical doll, every single day.
So, given that we all know the truth about President Bush's vision for America, what lies will he tells us tonight and what can we say back?
Lie #1: President Bush Cares About `Enforcing The Border'
President Bush does not give a fig about enforcing, patrolling, guarding, closing, monitoring or otherwise thinking about American borders. The only reason he will talk about controlling the borders is to appease the racist wing of his party. Drunk with Neo-Con ideology, President Bush does not care about our borders because he does not believe that America faces any danger from our borders. Instead, he believes that America faces danger only if we are not aggressively using our military to dominate the world. What President Bush knows is that there really is no `War on Terror' that threatens our borders, but that the `War on Terror' is an political ruse designed by his advisors to win re-election and justify the ruthless his arrogant policies. But still, he will tell us, tonight, that he will dispatch the National Guard--what little there is left of it that has not been exhausted in Iraq--to `the border.'
Response: "We don't need another Great Wall of China--We need a great leader!"
We do not live in ancient China where we must protect our nation from Mongol hordes by building a giant wall. This is the 21st Century! People enter America through airports, train stations, commercial truck lines, inflatable boats, and shipping containers. While President Bush's summer suntan grows darker and darker, the gates into America continue to be unguarded. Guarding our borders while we leave our ports wide open is like installing a security fence, then leaving the gate unlocked. It is useless. We don't need another great wall of China! We need a great leader.
Lie #2: There Are `Jobs Americans Will Not Do'
Corporate donors to the Republican party want nothing more than for President Bush to convince the country that we need illegal immigrant workers for the `jobs Americans will not do.' This is a huge lie. There are no jobs Americans will not do. There are only fair wages that U.S. employers will not pay, living benefits that U.S. employers are desperate to avoid, obscene profits that U.S. employers insist on pocketing, and working class Americans that U.S. employers look up on with contempt. U.S. employers do not just hire illegal immigrant labor--they recruit it!! They seek out that illegal labor force because it is the only way they can break the Fair Labor Standards laws that govern the minimum wage and benefits for workers in this country.
Response: "Jobs Americans Do Not Want?? Prove it or Go To Prison!"
When unemployed Americans show up to collect their benefits, they must first prove they have been looking for work. The same standard should be applied to U.S. employers who recruit illegal workers. Want to hire immigrant employees? Great! But first prove that you sought out and were turned down by a legal work force. Prove it or go to prison.
Lie #3: Bush will `Hold To Account' Corporations
President Bush is going to puff out his chest tonight and say he will `hold to account' businesses that violate labor laws by hiring illegal workers. Yeah right. This is a joke. President Bush has still not `held to account' his cabinet members who left Americans stranded to die in a city flooded by a hurricane. President Bush has still not `held to account' his cabinet members who have trapped us in a useless war that now leaves us with only losing options. President Bush has still not `held to account' those members of his own advisory staff who have been indicted for criminal charges. President Bush will never hold corporations to account because he believes that a strong America requires--yes `requires'--that all wealth be accumulated in the hands of a few corporate moguls.
Response: "Start by holding your own staff to account for breaking the law!"
Americans no longer believe that President Bush cares at all about enforcing the law. They see, as a result of his behavior, that he breaks the law then finds lawyers and loyal party members to excuse him. If he wants to participate in--let alone be a leader of--a national discussion about enforcing labor laws, he first has to earn his way back into the public trust.
Or...
So there you have. 3 Lies the Bush will tell tonight, and three possible responses.
Of course, if these responses are too difficult to remember, not to worry. Just walk over to the nearest open window and scream, "ENOUGH!!"
"ENOUGH!!" is always a good response to anything President Bush says.
© 2006 Jeffrey Feldman
Posted by Jeffrey Feldman on May 15, 2006 at 09:54 AM Permalink
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