Underhanded Civil Rights Politics Will Ruin the Nation We Love

Posted by Tina

Eric Holder made the following statement in remarks before the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund:

Creating a pathway to earned citizenship for the 11 million unauthorized immigrants in this country is essential. The way we treat our friends and neighbors who are undocumented – by creating a mechanism for them to earn citizenship and move out of the shadows – transcends the issue of immigration status. This is a matter of civil and human rights. It is about who we are as a nation. And it goes to the core of our treasured American principle of equal opportunity.

Sounds nice doesn’t it? Sounds fair. Who could argue with him! And yet, this guy is just being a ratty old dog, playing mud politics and misusing the language to divide the country for votes! Disgusting!

Peter Wehner, Commentary Magazine, calls Holder’s statement “reckless” and “pernicious” charging that Holder is attempting to frame immigration policy in terms of human rights:

As someone who believes in earned citizenship if it’s done in the context of other steps related to border security and encouraging more high-skilled workers coming to America, perhaps I have a bit of standing to say that what Holder said is nonsense. Offering earned citizenship to illegal aliens falls under the category of prudential arguments about immigration reform. There are serious policy arguments on both sides.

But Attorney General Holder’s claim is more than simply silly; it is also pernicious. It attempts to frame this debate not on the merits of granting a pathway to citizenship for those who have violated our laws; it’s an effort to frame it as a conflict between those who support (good people) and those who oppose (bad people) basic human rights. This is an effort, in other words, to demonize those with whom one disagrees, and therefore creates yet more polarization and anger and self-righteousness in a debate that probably needs less of it.

What Holder said also reveals a fairly common mindset of those on the left, which is to characterize whatever position they embrace not simply as correct but as a basic civil right. In other words, as something fundamental and teleological, as a right that is ours based on our nature as human beings.

This is another example of the PC/rights box I have been writing about on Post Scripts for some time. It has created unnecessary discord (divide and concuer) and it is destroying any chance for our representatives and congressmen to work honestly toward legislation that might work for the security and economic needs of our entire nation.

In comments today I posted an article about an FBI informant who claims there are Taliban living in America, waiting and preparing to strike cities and venues where the most damage will be felt. It is time to do something about securing our border and that will never happen as long as radicals in the Democrat Party leadership are allowed to frame every issue in a manner that discredits the opposition and along with them whatever ideas they bring to discussions on immigration reform and border control.

A political strategy that divides and creates disorder will never create a strong or healthy nation. But this ugliness will only end when the people wise up and put an end to it. Awareness of how our language is used for political power is a good first step. Let us strive together to reclaim the language, demand straight talk, and put an end to the civil/human rights manipulation that’s dividing and destroying our nation.