June 26, 2007  (8:30 A.M., PDT)-- It's the return of the border beast in the Senate.  Apparently, rumors of the bill's death were premature.  To set the scene, this Congress has the lowest poll ratings in living memory -- perhaps of all time -- and the liberals to whom the American people gave both houses in the last election are completely in agreement with their friends in the mainstream media.

It's Bush's fault.

This is involuted reasoning of the caliber of a long gone British minister who had a long chat with Adolf Hitler, then returned to announce (a short while before German troops began to invade their neighbors) that the talks had generated "peace in our time." 

Here's the truth.

The Congress of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, and their company of supporting Demos, said they were going to create an atmosphere of ethics in both houses. By their support of the process known as earmarks (pork added to leglislation), they did exactly the opposite.  Next, they voted for the war in the Middle East, then they voted against it.  So much for consistency. Next, along with some strange companions from the Republican side, they said they would fix the energy crisis, and just the other day, with gasoline prices at the three dollar per gallon level, they passed an energy bill which contains a new five dollar a barrel tax on oil. Can anybody be found in America who thinks that raising the cost of oil to the refineries is going to lower the price of the gasoline they make?  Is there anybody that stupid in this country?

Next, they said they would deal with the immigration problem -- which has in large part evolved from previous congressional legislation that during the Eighties gave amnesty to millions of illegal residents in this country. The immigration fix they came up with in response?  Amnesty for the new millions of illegal residents who have come here since the last bill "solved" the problem.

Except for Bush's support of this last item, the president had little, if any part in creating the other boondoggles described above.  Since his poll ratings are two or three times higher than that of this Congress, a working brain would come to the conclusion that while the American people have their problems with Mr. Bush, he is a cultural hero compared to the legions of the Left which presently control the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.

The Left's attempt to shed all blame for their actions by laying every problem that comes up at Bush's feet reminds one of children caught behaving badly.  One of them points at the other and says, "He made me do it!"

Conservatives are suprised and saddened by Mr. Bush's support of this terribly flawed immigration bill (both the first one and this revived corpse), but their displeasure with him is nothing when compared to their displeasure with those who now run both houses of Congress -- and who with their latest idea, "Fair Practices" in radio, seem no different than Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in their determination to make sure that the press which survives is the press which never criticizes the government they work to create. (Kings, socialist dictators and liberals believe they should remain in power for life.)

Mr. Bush, for all his misguided conscious-based gentility, is himself largely a  victim in all this.  He probably thinks he is leading the way to a "nicer" America.  But a nicer America is not what is on the minds of the liberals America elected to run the houses of Congress, these days.  Like all socialists, American liberals are liars.  Like all socialists, American liberals work to centralize all wealth and power -- to place it in their hands.  The only difference between a classic monarchy (where the king can point at a man and say, "That man does not agree with me.  Kill him.") and the results of what these liberals call "progressive politics" is as follows. 

In the liberal's ultimate 'progressive" government you get some degree of socialism/communism like the old Soviet Union or modern day North Korea and Cuba.  First private ownership of guns ends, then private property comes under their control (defacto government ownership of all of it) and soon business labors under ever-increasing government regulations, which in the end turns an economy from capitalism to a  state-controlled process.

Finally, instead of a king, you have a "General Secretary" who can, like Stalin or Fidel Castro, point at a man and say, "That man does not agree with me.  Kill him." 

Right now, as I am writing this, the Senate is voting on  a Union Organizing bill.  Next on the shedule is the Return of the Immigration Bill.  What is called a "cloture vote" will be taken.  Cloture ends debate.  In this case, debate on proposed amendments to the immigration bill.. If it passes,  some time next week, perhaps without any amendments, the Senate will debate the main bill.  If they can get another cloture, then, the deal is done in this area of Congress and the bill will head for the U.S. House of Representatives. (Not a done deal there, according to several sources.)  If cloture fails during this discussion of the bill, however, it will be the death of this monster -- perhaps for good.  It will never even get to the House.  I can't recall another time that a major bill came back for a third try. Certainly not a fourth.  Not that it couldn't, but the odds against it are astronomical. 

Just after 9:00 A.M., PDT -- The cloture vote has begun. Sixty "yeas" (yes votes) will pass it.  I'll watch the proceedings for those of you who don't have cable or a dish, and report it here. I hope you have already told your senators you do not want them to vote for cloture.  Lord above, I hope you have.

       Oregon Elected Officials

9:35 A.M.  It passed.  64 yes votes.  Debate on today's amendments to the bill is closed.  Next week is the key. Unless the cloture yeas are fewer, then,  the debate will reach the House of Representatives. If the same thing happens there (the opposition numbers are too low), then the 75  to 80 percent of  Americans who do not like this bill will have it shoved down their throats.

If you are one of those people who thinks this second amnesty for illegal immigrants is a bad idea, you had better do something about it.  All the contact information you need to reach your federal senators, and your representative in the U.S. House, may be found in the link, above.

Final note:  June 28, 2007 -- they never got to the "new" main bill.  All your cards and letters touched them in their heart of hearts -- the part of their brains which deal with being re-elected.  It was, as I predicted, one of the cloture votes in the process.  It just wasn't the one I predicted.  

One last word to those of you who just won one for the Gipper. For all your actions on behalf of this defeat of this stupid bill, I send my admiration and my appreciation. It's people like you who give me hope for America's future.

(LL)

© 2007 Oregon Magazine