The DREAM Act lives on (hat tip to Dinton)

Yes,we thought it was dead when Dingy Harry pulled it from a DoD authorization bill.
Last night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed to invoke cloture on a motion to use Senate Rule XIV to bring S. 2205, Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin’s (D-Ill.) new stand-alone DREAM Act amnesty bill, to the Senate floor without ever having been debated in committee. The cloture vote, for which 60 YES votes are necessary to prevent a filibuster on the measure, is set for Wednesday, October 24.

The DREAM Act grants instant amnesty to any alien who can demonstrate that he/she:

• has maintained continuous presence in the United States for five years and was not yet 16 years old upon initial entry, but is no older than 30 years of age;
• is of "good moral character" and is not inadmissible or deportable on certain criminal grounds or on the basis of being a risk to national security; and
• has been admitted to an institution of higher education, has attained a high school diploma, or has obtained a GED in the United States.

Wait,there is more under this bill, once an alien files an application for amnesty,

• the Federal government would be prohibited from deporting him.
• Federal officers would be prohibited from either using information from the application to deport the alien or sharing that information with another federal agency, under threat of up to $10,000 fine.
• Consequently, an alien's admission that he has violated Federal immigration law could not be used against him – even if he never had any chance of qualifying for the DREAM Act amnesty in the first place.
• The DREAM Act also would make illegal aliens eligible for Federal student loans and Federal work-study programs – another benefit that law-abiding foreign students cannot receive – all at taxpayer expense.

Please tell me how the government has any way of verifying that someone met the first requirement. DHS let a man with drug-resistant TB cross the border 76 times before taking 6 weeks to notify its own border security. What makes you think that DHS can verify whether or not someone had not reached the age of 16 before entering our country. What exactly is the definition of "good moral character"? What I consider good moral character is not illegally entering a country in the first place but Senators Reid and Durbin will let the government decide for us. Government is never the answer. Basically, all illegal aliens have to do to meet these requirements is walk into an office and signing a form saying they meet the requirements.

MICHELLE MALKIN brought up another ramification regarding fairness if this bill is signed into law.

"An illegal alien who applies for this nightmare of an amnesty would be
allowed to count his years under “conditional” green card status toward the five
years needed for citizenship. On top of that, the illegal alien could claim
“retroactive benefits” and start the clock running the day that the DREAM Act is enacted. In combination, these two provisions would put illegal aliens on a high-speed track to U.S. citizenship, moving from illegal alien to U.S. citizen in as little as five years. Lawfully-present aliens, meanwhile, would have to continue to follow a slower path to citizenship."

Alabama Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions are on the record opposing this bill

UPDATE: Send a FAX to your representative and ask them to oppose the DREAM Act Amnesty

Judging from the comments and emails I have gotten, I think most of the readers of this blog fall into the 59 percentile. h'tip to HOT AIR. Background on DREAM Act here.

A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey
found that only 22% of voters support the proposal introduced
by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). The Dream Act would have given legal status to
children of illegal aliens who complete two years of college or military
service. That low level of support is very similar to support for the
“comprehensive” reform measure that failed in June.

Fifty-nine percent (59%) of all
voters oppose the Dream Act concept. Republicans oppose it by a 5-to-1
margin and unaffiliateds are opposed by a 3-to-1 margin. Democrats are a bit
more evenly divided—49% opposed and 31% in favor—but Nancy Pelosi’s party
certainly doesn’t provide a base of support for the Dream Act.

Senator Jeff Sessions has launched his 2008 campaign website.

Senator Sessions stood out during the immigration/amnesty debate earlier this year and his POSITION ON IMMIGRATION occupies a lot of space on his website. Here's what has been going on with immigration lately.

Earlier today Harry Reid pulled the DREAM act amendment from the DoD bill. The DREAM act is the brainchild of Dick Durbin and Harry Reid and would provide a path to citizenship and benefits to illegal aliens. If passed illegal aliens would immediately qualify for in-state tuition, Stafford and Perkins loans, and other federal aid. Its' passage would immediately grant amnesty to over 1 million illegals and wave all limits on green cards and visas.

It's sad to watch the Republicans join the Democrats in this "race to the bottom" to win the Hispanic vote. The Republicans attempted to win the Hispanic vote by selling our their base with comprehensive immigration reform earlier this year and Democrats are now trying to tie amnesty and benefits to the DoD bill. It is a dangerous slope to blanket amnesty and with a Democrat in the WH and a Democratic legislature there won't be much left to stop them.

The Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility

Anytime I see universities teaching "ethics" or social responsibility it makes me think twice. It think about the Democrats running the "most ethical congress ever" and Lynne Stewart sitting on an ethics board at a symposium at Hofstra Law. Stewart defended Abdel Rahman or "the blind sheik" who was convicted of planning multiple terrorist attacks in New York City in 1996 . Stewart was disbarred and convicted of conspiring to defraud the United States government, conspiring to provide and conceal material support to terrorists, providing and concealing that support, and making false statements yet Hofstra had this former radical and conduit for terrorists as a lecturer at an ethics seminar.


So anyway I was gloating over my alma mater's victory over Tennessee this weekend when I noticed this announcement for the final round of the Moral Forum. The issue at hand is whether Congress should pass the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act. (which I blogged about here ) Their website states that the DREAM act would provide a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants who entered the country before they turned 16 and have lived in the United States for at least five years. The students would be granted a six-year provisional legal status during which they must attend college (for two years) or serve in the military for at least two years before being eligible for citizenship.

I become even more skeptical of my alma mater's when I read the purpose of Moral Forum :"Moral Forum seeks to help students distinguish between making reasoned judgments about the moral legitimacy of views as opposed to being intolerant and disrespectful toward individuals or cultural groups." So according to this statement if you are against the rewarding illegal aliens for wrong behavior then you are being intolerant or disrespectful towards individuals or cultural groups. I don't like this line of reasoning and I will be following up on it.

GOP Can Win on Illegal Immigration

Illegal Immigration is the only issue all Republican candidates can agree on. Even John McCain has backed away from his support for the failed "comprehensive immigration reform" package. At this moment the Republicans in the Senate are more willing than their Democratic counterparts to listen to the majority of Americans whom prefer enforcement first, even at the risk of offending portions of the Hispanic community. Look at the numbers on this CNN poll from 10/12-14 and even an idiot like me can see that this issue is a political goldmine.

• "Would you like to see the number of illegal immigrants currently in this country increased, decreased, or remain the same?" Increased= 7% _____Decreased=69%_____Same=22%
• "Do you think state governments should or should not issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants?"
  .Should=23% ___Should Not =76% ____Unsure = 1%
  

Never has the Democratic murky position on illegal immigration or giving licenses to illegals been more clear than in Hillary Clinton's muddled flip-flopping' answer to Tim Russert's question of whether or not she agreed with Gov. Spitzer's plan to give licenses to illegals. Those questions aren't going away and all candidates will have to state their position clearly. Don't expect other Democrats to lay off Hillary's non response. Contrast these two polls;

1. One asked voters to pick two from a list of seven problems that explained "why the country is going in the wrong direction." The survey found that among independent voters, 40 percent -- by far the largest group -- picked this option: "Our borders have been left unprotected and illegal immigration is growing."
2. A major USA Today/Gallup poll review of where things stand a year before the election included a basic question which asked Americans “Looking ahead to next year’s presidential election, what will be the most important issues that you will take into account when deciding whom to vote for?” Only 2% of Democrats say that immigration issues are among the most important issues they will take into account when deciding on whom to vote.

I will be quite content with Democrat's ignoring this issue. Michael Barone wrote in a recent column stating that October 2007 may be the month that immigration becomes a key issue and a permanent fixture in presidential politics.

"The last several Democratic nominees could have said that they're just taking the same position as their Republican opponent. The 2008 nominee won't be able to say the same of hers or his (unless McCain gets the nod)."

"Which leaves Democratic politicians and political candidates out on a pretty flimsy limb. Most of them reflexively back a comprehensive bill, and some of them (like Bush and a number of Republicans backing such a bill) have dismissed opponents as racists. Most Democrats have also been backing bills extending various benefits to illegal immigrants, like the Dream Act for college education for illegals brought over as children. There are appealing arguments for such bills. But most voters reject them. And most voters certainly reject driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. That was one of the issues that led to the recall of Gov. Gray Davis in California in 2003.

E.J. Dione touched on the issue in a column entitled "Dems Face Immigration Dilemna":

In the short run, Clinton's exquisite calibration of her positions was the issue. But her debate jitters reflect a deeper worry among Democrats that Republicans are ready to use impatience with illegal immigration to win back voters dissatisfied with the status quo.
The issue is especially problematic because efforts to appease voters upset about immigration -- including a share of the African-American community -- threaten to undercut the Democrats' large and growing advantage among Latino voters. For Republicans, the issue is both a way of changing the political subject from Iraq, the economy and the failures of the Bush presidency, and a means for sowing discord in the Democratic coalition.

Week in Review

• New docs provide further questions on the integrity of TNR "Shock Troops" author and article.
• S-CHIP Part II
• DREAM Act defeated.
• Judge Southwick is finally confirmed to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Fred Thompson sums up the judge's qualifications;

His opponents do not question Judge Southwick’s qualifications to sit on the federal appeals court. Indeed, they cannot. Judge Southwick served on the Mississippi Court of Appeals from that court’s very inception in January 1995 through December 2006. Prior to serving as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, from 1989 to 1993, he was in a general civil private practice for 12 years. He’s taught law as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law since 1998. He’s also served his country in Iraq, fulfilling his National Guard duty as Deputy Staff Judge Advocate from August 2004 to July 2005, and then as Staff Judge Advocate until January 2006. Even the American Bar Association, which often treats conservative judicial nominees unfairly, unanimously gave Judge Southwick the institution’s highest possible rating.

Cloture vote 62 yeas. Final vote 59 yeas. The Ds from red states who voted no (and also voted no on cloture):
Up in 2008:Landrieu (D-LA)Baucus (D-MT)Rockfeller (D-WV)
Not up in 08:Casey (D-PA)Nelson (D-FL)Reid (D-NV)Webb (D-VA)Tester (D-MT)Salazar (D-CO) (but voted yes on cloture).

• Rangel releases "the mother of all tax increases." Via Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Jim McCrery: This is the largest individual income tax increase in history. The bill will add a 4% surtax on Americans earning more than $150,000 a year ($200,000 for couples). That is on top of the scheduled expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. So, under Democrats’ plan, over the next few years, the individual income top tax rate in the United States will rise from 35% to 44%. See below for more commentary on the proposal:

1. Raisign taxes is an accomplishment?- Rep. Patrick McHenry
2. Larry Kudlow
3. WSJ Editorial

DREAM Act Defeated 52-44

3/5 vote required to invoke cloture.Hot Air has the roll. Pleased to say that Alabama Senators Sessions and Shelby voted Nay. Thanks to Michelle for the update and reader Greg for the photo shop.

Jindal wins

U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal easily defeated 11 opponents and became the state's first nonwhite governor since Reconstruction, decades after his parents moved to the state from India to pursue the American dream.
Jindal, a 36-year-old Republican, will be the nation's youngest governor. He had 53 percent with 625,036 votes with about 92 percent of the vote tallied. It was more than enough to win Saturday's election outright and avoid a Nov. 17 runoff.

Jindal, who takes office in January, pledged to fight corruption and rid the state of those "feeding at the public trough," revisiting a campaign theme. "They can either go quietly or they can go loudly, but either way, they will go," he said, adding that he would call the Legislature into special session to address ethics reform. Political analysts said Jindal built up support as a sort of "buyer's remorse" from people who voted for Blanco last time and had second thoughts about that decision. Blanco was widely criticized for the state's response to Hurricane Katrina and she announced months ago that she would not seek re-election.

GOP focuses sights on Sen. Mary Landrieu in2008--Currently, usage of the Internet is tax free. Last night, Republicans offered S. 2128, the Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act, on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The bill would permanently extend the current ban on taxingthe Internet.Mary Objects: After Republicans asked the Senate to consider the bill, Mary Landrieu stepped up to voice objection, the second time she has objected to a permanent ban.