This miserable putrescence of legislation passed the House today, in spite of the concerns of governors, civil rights groups, gun enthusiasts, libertarians, and a host of other folks.
Unfortunately, House Resolution 418 received very little coverage in the mainstream media and very little coverage by progressive blogs. This may have contributed to the speed with which this legislation barreled through, without adequate review by the House.
This bill is an outrage and should have been stopped for many reasons, including:
-- increasing burdens on immigrants for documentation that will deter their seeking licenses, forcing them out of sight by the system and actually increasing security risks;
-- absurd requirements that demand asylum-seekers provide written documentation from their country of persecution in order to get a license;
-- Homeland Security would be able to suspend ALL LAWS it felt impeded its job, WITHOUT JUDICIAL REVIEW.
Read about the breadth of concern here:
Washington Post
RawStory
The scuttlebutt is that this bill will be attached to the Iraq spending bill. We need to do everything possible to stop this measure from going any further or doing any more damage.
Does this modus operandi sound familiar? This is what happened to John Kerry; he didn't want to vote for a flawed military spending bill that probably contained objectionable tack-ons like this, preferring a better bill.
If we don't act now, we'll have to defend another Democratic candidate who objects to this piece of military spending because of HR 418.
Help is needed NOW, fellow progressives.
-- Write to your Senators and urge their action against this bill. You can find your Senator and even drop them an email through this site:
http://www.congress.org
but calling and faxing are recommended.
-- Write to your local papers' editor; you can find your local media through this link:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/
If you've already submitted your allotment of LTE inside the last 30 days, find a person who will submit a letter.
-- Note the guilty parties in RawStory.com's article;
Use the links above to drop them a note and tell them exactly where to get off.
Don't blow this off; this is every bit as big a story as the PropaGannon case.
Every time I think I'm being paranoid, the right proves me wrong. Who'd have thought the White House would use a plant in the press gaggle for propaganda?
This time my gut tells me I'm not being paranoid enough.
Imagine Chertoff, an advocate of torture, with the ability to suspend laws at will; imagine the same person, helping an Attorney General like Gonzales by suspending laws Gonzales feels impedes his role.
12:39:46 AM 
