From The Pen Of Joshua Lawrence Breslin-“Mitt” on Immigration- A Short Note

Never let it be said that this writer is not an equal opportunity critic. I have spend most of my time over the years hammering the various Democratic presidential candidates for being weak-kneed and perfidious because from my perspective as an advocate of a workers party the kind of people who might be attracted to such a venture are today found, among other places, in the myopic (some say mythical but we will let that pass here) left-wing of the Democratic Party. Can anyone really argue that it is worthwhile to try to argue with Republicans into moving at least into the 18th century? That applies, as well, to this current decade’s crop of Republican candidates because for the most part they are beyond the pale. However this year’s presumptive (nice touch, right) Republican presidential candidate in particular, Mitt Romney has taken the lead on immigrant bashing and therefore are ‘worthy’ of comment.

The odd part (at least to the politically naïve) of the controversy is that when he was Governor of Massachusetts he held, at worst, rather benign positions on the question of illegal immigrants. Now Romney has taken to calling the current regime a virtual sieve for illegal immigration. And Obama has replied in kind about Mitt’s previous efforts in Massachusetts. My question is who are these gentlemen trying to woo by acting as this generation’s version of the yahoos of the anti-immigrant Know Nothing (American) Party. I know for certain that it is not me. Although my father’s forbears came to this country from England one jump ahead of the law in the early 1800’s and my mother’s forbears came over from Ireland on the “famine” ships in the 1840’s I still in many ways feel like an immigrant. And that is exactly the point-virtually everyone here came from somewhere else so we better be damn sure of our own ‘green card’ status before we worry about those who have come after us. I, therefore, at least know who I am not trying to woo. When the deal goes down I am sure we will find that the current Know Nothings probably have only been here a couple of generations themselves. Forget the illegals I want the names and numbers of those people for immediate action (and status report).

As stated above, and as I have mentioned in previous entries, I stand for the proposition that we need a workers party that fights for a workers government. As such I do not have an immigration plan as per Obama and Romney and others. That is this government’s problem and I will provide no advice. Today I would define the immigration question negatively, and urge others to think about it this way as well. That means the central thrust should be to fight for full citizenship rights for all who make it here. A big step in that direction is a real amnesty program. In a nation full of generation after generation of immigrants who came here under all kinds of conditions this is what we should be worrying about. Down with the Know Nothings!