Morning Thread: President Obama Announces Plan to Take Executive Action on Immigration

Good morning, family. What do you think about the President's immigration plan?

#SOTU13, Highlights and Questions

Last night, the President gave his State of the Union address.
My top five favorite moments from the State of the Union address were when:

1. The President said that the Newtown victims, Hadiya Pendleton, Gabby Griffords and other victims of gun violence deserve a vote.

2. The President said that he is going to form a non-partisan commission to address voting problems such as voters waiting in line for hours to cast their ballots.

3. The President mentioned ways to address poverty, i.e. increasing the minimum wage and making sure that quality pre-school education is available to all children regardless of family income. Obama proposed creating high school programs that would enable students to graduate with associate degrees.

4. The President said that he would end the war in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

5. The President mentioned proposed legislation to eliminate the wage gap between men and women.

My top five questions for the President and Congress are:

1. Why is the U.S. waiting until the end of 2014 to leave Afghanistan? Al Qaeda is defeated in Afghanistan.

2. Will Congress pass any of the President's bold ideas? For example, President Obama has been talking about rebuilding American's infrastructure and closing tax loopholes for years. Yet, Congress has done nothing.

3. Is the Obama Administration going to continue to use drones to kill Americans without evidence or trial? The President conveniently glossed over that major issue with vague generalities and flowery pleasantries.

4. Does Obama plan to implement austerity measures such as cutting Medicaid and Medicare? The President talked about the need for compromise and about neither party getting everything that it wants. I just hope that he does not compromise too much.

5. Why did Obama deliberately avoid using the words "black" and "African American"? Obama directly addresses the needs of women, LGBTs and Latinos. However, when it comes to his most loyal supporters, African Americans, he has to communicate to us in code language. Why?

Any way, what did you think about the President's State of the Union address?

What Does Immigration Reform Mean for Black People?

Good morning family. Yesterday, President Obama urged Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. As reported in the Washington Post,

President Obama on Tuesday put the weight of his administration behind efforts to pass legislation allowing many of the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants to earn citizenship, seeking to build on a rapidly shifting political consensus around the issue.

Obama dedicated the first trip of his second term to calling for an overhaul of immigration laws, making clear that it is one of his top domestic priorities. The president — who has said that not passing an overhaul in his first term was his biggest failure — also suggested he has little patience for Congress and would demand that lawmakers vote on his more permissive plan if they do not swiftly pass their own.

I have a few questions for you. Will these immigration reforms impact the African American community, a community struggling with chronic high unemployment?  How?  Should we support immigration reform? Why? Why not?  The President has prioritized the concerns of Latinos, women and LGBTs.  When will he prioritize the black community's concerns?  Please share your thoughts.

Latinos Will Continue to Live Under a Cloud of Suspicion in Arizona

"I agree with the Court that individuals cannot be detained solely to verify their immigration status. No American should ever live under a cloud of suspicion just because of what they look like."
President Barack Obama



As reported in the New York Times,

The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a split decision on Arizona’s tough 2010 immigration law, upholding its most controversial provision but blocking the implementation of others.  

The court unanimously sustained the law’s centerpiece, the one critics have called its “show me your papers” provision. It requires state law enforcement officials to determine the immigration status of anyone they stop or arrest if there is reason to suspect that the individual might be an illegal immigrant...  

The three provisions blocked by the majority were: making it a crime under state law for immigrants to fail to register under a federal law, making it a crime for illegal immigrants to work or to try find work, and allowing the police to arrest people without warrants if they have probable cause to believe that they have done things that would make them deportable under federal law.

America is a beacon of hope and opportunity attracting immigrants from every corner of the earth.  This nation is a nation of immigrants.  The United States probably is the most diverse country in the world.  Every race, religion, color and ethnic group is represented in America.   Our beauty as a nation is in our diversity.  The vast majority of the people in America originate from other countries.  No one ethnic group or race has a greater right or entitlement to be in America.   

Certainly, illegal immigration is a real problem that must be addressed.  However, racism is the driving force behind most of these repressive anti-immigration laws.   The radical right fears the blacking and browning of America.   They fear the day when white Americans will be the minority. That fear is now a reality.   As noted in the Washington Post, most of the babies in the U.S. are members of minority groups.  Basically, Arizona's anti-immigration law and similar laws in other states are a desperate, last ditch effort to cling to white supremacy.

Although we should welcome the news that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down three fourths of the repressive Arizona immigration law, there is no reason to celebrate.   At least for now, the Court's ruling will essentially allow Arizona law enforcement officers to continue to racially profile Latinos and other minorities "suspected to be illegal immigrants."   Unfortunately, when many people visualize an illegal immigrant, they do not see Europeans, Asians or even Africans.   They see Latinos.  For that reason, Latinos will continue to live under a cloud of suspicion in Arizona.

Sadly, all Latinos in Arizona who are stopped or arrested will have to show the police their papers.   Although legally the police cannot stop or arrest individuals solely to verify their immigration status, the police can invent all kinds of pretexts to justify stopping or arresting Latinos and other minorities. Until the entire law is overturned, the police in Arizona will be free to harass and humiliate our Latino brothers and sisters.

This article is cross-posted on Jack and Jill Politics.

 

Seven Reasons Not to Vote for Herman Cain

Here are seven reasons why no one, especially African Americans, in their right mind should vote for Herman Cain.

1. He has NO political or foreign policy experience. He was a pizza man for crying out loud. His claim to fame is being the President of Godfather's Pizza. He has never held public office.

2. His 999 plan steals from the poor and working class masses and gives an unprecedented amount to the super rich.



3. He opposes the Occupy Wall Street Movement and supports the plutocrats.



4. He holds extreme anti-immigration views which border on racism. Listen to him talk about creating an electrified fence to keep illegal immigrants out of America.

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5. He holds bigoted views against Muslims. He is on record stating that he would not appoint any Muslims in his administration. If he said the same thing about any other religious group such as Catholics, Jews or Mormons, there would be much public outrage and discussion. View this video.



6. Mr. Cain will appointed judges like Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. As we all know, Justice Thomas has an abysmal civil rights record. Listen to Mr. Cain praise Justice Thomas.

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7. Mr. Cain basically rejects his African heritage and refuses to use the term African American. Equally as important, Mr. Cain has made disparaging generalizations about African Americans and fails to acknowledge the continuing impact of the institutionalized racism.





By the way, what did you think about his political ad?