We still have not heard a peep from Prophet Thomas Monson of the Utah Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) in support of legal immigration reform this year despite their Mormon Temple that exists within the heart of the southwest. . However, yesterday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Archbishop Timothy Dolan openly told House Republicans to “get your act together” in passing comprehensive immigration reform. See video here.
We are very glad Cardinal Dolan understands that the House GOP Representatives like Speaker Boehner is preventing legal comprehensive immigration reform from taking place this year. Rep. Nancy Pelosi told Rep. John Boehner we have enough bipartisan Republican votes to pass immigration reform. The Democratic-controlled Senate passed a bipartisan immigration reform plan months ago, and the one man preventing this from being voted on this year is Speaker Boehner.
Though Dolan raises good points on immigration, he appears equally upset with Democrats on the pro life issue, however, I believe the breakdown in the pro life message has been within the pro life leadership. It does not help when we see some of the oldest pro life organizations affiliating themselves with American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Pro life leaders and organizations lose credibility when their fingerprints are found on organizations like ALEC who appear to embrace a culture of death, and their pro life efforts targeting Hispanic and women voters in key races will have little merit until they do away with those fingerprints.
If one is going to call themselves pro life, perhaps they ought to essentially support it from a womb to the tomb standpoint. Billions of our American tax payer dollars are being spent on detaining immigrants who get caught for working in agricultural fields, car washes, fast food restaurants and etc. We are well aware the private prison industry would take a huge hit if immigration reform passes – private prison systems who receive government subsidies where millions of our tax payer money is wasted. Millions of our taxpayer dollars are wasted because of lawsuits, and I believe we ought to reconsider private prison systems because the incentive to make more profit dollars seem to outweigh basic and humane treatment of human beings.
But these disturbing stories do not only affect immigrants – they affect American women, too. I am especially disturbed in hearing stories about women in private prisons owned by Corrections Corporation of American refusing Autumn Miller’s cries for medical attention. She says the guards gave her a menstrual pad and locked her in a cell. As a result, Miller says in a lawsuit filed in Dallas federal court, on June 14, 2012, “She looked down and watched, in horror, as she delivered baby Gracie into the toilet.” The infant lived for four days and died in her mother’s arms.
According the the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Speaker Boehner is an alumnus. The Nation’s Hidden History of ALEC and Prison Labor reveal their role in expanding prison systems. According to their report,prison labor for the private sector was legally barred for years, to avoid unfair competition with private companies. But this has changed thanks to the ALEC, its Prison Industries Act, and a little-known federal program known as PIE (thePrison Industries Enhancement Certification Program). An In These Times investigation revealed that ALEC arranged secret meetings between Arizona’s state legislators and CCA to draft what became SB 1070, Arizona’s notorious immigration law, to keep CCA prisons flush with immigrant detainees. ALEC has proven expertly capable of devising endless ways to help private corporations benefit from the country’s massive prison population.
Lack of leadership within pro life organizations may have fueled the culture of death, and I know this because few stepped up to the plate when our 14th amendment rights were being attacked by the Republicans they endorsed via Birthright Citizenship.
