The View from Abroad

Mexican president Felipe Calderon used his state visit to the United States this week to lambaste Arizona’s new self-defense, anti-illegal immigration legislation and the 2^nd Amendment to our Constitution.  Speaking before a joint session of Congress, no less, the Mexican leader criticized the new Arizona law because it “criminalized migration and could encourage discrimination” against Mexican “citizens”.  He also blamed U.S. gun laws for the increase in violence in his country.  For his remarks Calderon was given a standing ovation by more than half the members of Congress.  By allowing Calderon to use such a privileged forum as a joint session of Congress to lambaste our laws and to applaud him so loudly, Congress has once again shown how demagogic it is and how far out of touch from the American people it has become.

In the first place, the Arizona law is a good one.  It allows law enforcement to stop suspected illegal aliens only if they are suspected of breaking some other law.  This happens every day in America.  Police stop a motorist for speeding or because a headlight is out, they check the tag number and the next thing you know a different crime has been detected.  The state of Arizona is also providing further safeguards against violations of civil rights by ordering the state’s law enforcement licensing agency to mandate a training course on how to implement the law without violating civil rights.  Lastly, according to Jack Cafferty of CNN, parts of the Arizona law are word for word the same as the federal immigration statutes on the books.  Thus, in his criticism of the law, Calderon was way off base and members of Congress who rose to their feet to applaud his remarks were also showing their ignorance.  But, what can we expect from a legislative body that doesn’t read its own bills let alone those of other bodies?

Secondly, Calderon is nothing more than a welfare-pimping hypocrite.  He supports all types of migration to the U.S by his people because more than $17 billion is sent back to Mexico each year.  This amount that migrant workers, some of them illegal aliens, send back to their families in Mexico is more than the total amount of direct foreign investment in the country.  Calderon appreciates having this side welfare program sponsored by American business to prop up his economy.  Of course, Mexico also enjoys welfare courtesy of our state and federal government.   Billions are spent each year in the U.S. that doesn’t have to be spent in Mexico to educate, medicate, and incarcerate illegal aliens.  It is no wonder Calderon went all out in criticizing the Arizona law since its enforcement may cost his regime a bundle in the long run.

But, that is not all.  Calderon is also a hypocrite.  Amnesty International has reported that illegal immigrants on their way through Mexico to the U.S. from Central America regularly face beatings, rape, and even murder at the hands of the Mexican people.  What’s worse is that evidence has been uncovered linking government officials at various levels to these crimes.  Perhaps Calderon should tend to the problems in his own country before criticizing ours.

And boy does he have problems in Mexico.  Thing is, he made them himself.  Since his intensified war on drugs was instituted in December of 2006 close to 23,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug related crimes.  The victims include judges, police, politicians, and a U.S. Embassy family.  The really bad part is that Calderon’s war is spilling over our southern border with Mexico and is already responsible for numerous kidnappings and the murder of at least one American.  Thus, there can be no question that Arizona is justified on the grounds of self-defense to enforce the new anti-illegal immigration law.  Recent polls indicate that more than a majority of Americans agree.  Again, Felipe Calderon should clean up the mess that he caused in his own country before he comes to America and criticizes ours.

Getting back to America, Article 4 Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution guarantees each state that the federal government … “shall protect each of them against invasion.”  Arizona and other states of the southwest are under attack from illegal aliens from Mexico and other parts of Latin America.  This is yet another provision of the Constitution that Washington has ignored for too long.  Members of Congress can use demagoguery to defame Arizona’s law all they want.  Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) can claim the statute is “akin to apartheid” and Rep. Jared Polis can proclaim the law was like Nazi Germany.  The bottom line is that Americans are in danger in Arizona and Washington doesn’t seem to care.  Arizona acted justly in its own self-defense.  Outrageous remarks and especially inviting the welfare pimping hypocritical president of Mexico to lecture Americans on the errors of our ways is just another indication of how far from reality this Congress has become.       

Article first published as Hold DN: Calderon Is a Welfare-Pimping Hypocrite and Congress Out of Touch  on Blogcritics.