Tom Toles for August 08, 2010

No Sunday rant…

I can’t remember characters in a Toles cartoon ever looking so angry. That’s more than rant enough.

Exaggeration is the truest form of analysis. Some simply say; “What’s the worst that could happen?” If the results of this analysis are undesirable then the process must be redesigned. Consider the following: Hugo Chàvez travels to the States under diplomatic papers and brings a wife or mistress some 9 months pregnant. This woman then leaves her quarters and takes no identification as she checks into a local hospital. After giving birth and obtaining citizenship for her child she and the child return to Venezuela using her diplomatic papers. The child is then raised in one of the most American hating households on the planet and at 18 returns to the States and under careful guidance is provided with the finest advanced education that America has, probably a law degree. At the age of 35 or 36 and backed by billions of dollars from Venezuela and a burgeoning population of voting Hispanics young Chàvez Jr. is elected your next President. While this may be unlikely the fact that it is possible should give you some pause about revisiting the 14th.

Oh, yeah, that is not all far fetched. Boy, this cartoon is even closer to the truth than I thought originally.

Wait, could mrdoody be cynical?

Mrdoody, I think Chavez is pushing it. However if you replaced that with “Richard Herbert Cheney”- then I would say “Nailed it”

Remember righties, if you screw with the 14th Amendment, they’re ALL fair game…and that includes the 2nd Amendment.

^ Ya, one could say it lets unintended people get a hold of guns. Oh teh noes… looks like we need to repeal that one, too!

OMG…I guess there is no underestimating the ignorance or capacity for bigotry and prejudice of the American public…citizens indeed!

SimonJester, Great point! I’ve been wondering if anyone else saw the conservative attack on th e14th Amendment as an opportunity to correct all the other Amendments. But, why stop there? I wouldn’t mind canning the entire Constitution and starting over. Except, of course, that I don’t trust any elected officials today to do a better job than a bunch of 18th Century criminals. Think how well we’ve done at nation building in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, to say nothing of Panama, Guatemala, Chile, The Philippines, Granada, Iran (pre-Islamic revolution), etc.

To play Devil’s Advocate (I’m against a repeal), what if the “natural-born” clause were tweaked such that, if your parents had legal resident status (as opposed to a temporary visa), your birth in the U.S. would make YOU a citizen even if your parents never apply for citizenship themselves?

In Germany, I think they have “guest workers” from other countries who’ve been in Germany for generations but who are not considered German citizens, and that’s just wrong…

I suggest that our Border Patrol concentrate in turning back the pregnant illegals. Let the healthy men looking to pick our crops and healthy women to work as household maids all for less than minimum wage and without taxes paid come ahead.

Texas & Californiia declared independence from Mexico because of discrimination against immigrants. You couldn’t own land, or even marry, unless you were a Spanish speaking Catholic. Let’s not play it again. You have a right to citizenship in the place you entered this world. We shouldn’t punish people for the crimes of their parents.

The 14th was about citizenship for former slaves, and allowing southerners their citizenship back. Considering the “slave labor” status of many “illegal immigrants”- maybe they HAVE earned citizenship, if they STAY HERE as productive citizens.

“under their jurisdiction” could also imply these “citizens” must be subject to the laws of the states = “legal”.

But the fact remains that too many on the far right, and in the Tea Party come not to praise the Constitution, but to burn it.

Marc Antony might have recognized them?

trout – you are on a roll today. great posts.

^ I thought we were all about “family values?” Gotta protect those children, remember?

^^I don’t believe I read any comments to that effect, church.

If you want to take citizenship away from anyone already born, repealing the 14th won’t work. The prohibition of ex post facto (after the fact) laws, in the body of the constitution, protects their current status. Ammending that would also allow nullification of gay marriages in California performed before prop 8 passed, & let them pass a law to arrest you for what you did legally last week, if they decide they don’t like you for any reason..

Howdy, Doody!