Thursday, August 12, 2010
As a growing number of GOP lawmakers up for reelection in November say they favor the repeal of the 14th Amendment which enshrines birthright citizenship, a new CNN poll shows a whopping 49% of Americans favor support doing so.
The CNN Research poll taken August 6-10 asked:
“Would you favor or oppose a Constitutional amendment to prevent children born here from becoming U.S. citizens unless their parents are also U.S. citizens?”
Favor 49%
Oppose 51%
No opinion 1%
Based on these findings, it would appear the U.S. has become a nation of xenophobes.
The concept of birthright citizenship was enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1868 after the Civil War. It was in large part to ensure that slaves and their children attained U.S. citizenship.
Republicans running for reelection can’t run on the economy and or their ideas so repealing the 14th Amendment feeds into the anti-immigration fervor sweeping parts of the country.
It didn’t start with Arizona and SB 1070. A few years ago, the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch passed a law allowing landlords to not rent to immigrants.
During poor economies, Americans become crazier than they typically are.
Very true, Big Hank. Hitler’s rise, in my opinion, only happened because Germany had just experienced a Great Depression. Historic unemployment and rising poverty helped create conditions that made Hitler’s anti-Semitic and xenophobic views seem reasonable.
I’m not buying it. This is a CNN poll, and I have a feeling it’s skewed.
Actually, it started with Hazelton, PA. They were the first ones who made it illegal to rent housing to illegal immigrants. Then Escondido, CA tried to do the same thing until sane people got it struck down.
To be honest, I think it never stopped. The Southwest had their own version of Jim Crow laws against both Blacks and Latinos until the Sixties and lynchings against both were still being carried out until around 1968.
And don’t forget about Prop 187 in California in ’94 as well as Police Chief Darryl Gates’ undeclared war against Blacks in Los Angeles in the 80’s.
But of course, what else would you expect of a Christian nation. Being Christ Like?
Give mean old fashioned atheist any day.
Using the Amendment process to take rights away versus expend them, is is new direction for the USA and I don’t like it.
I said from the beginning, President Obama needed to concentrate on jobs, jobs, and jobs. National health care, while important, could wait until after the 2010 midterm elections.
I’m not surprised.
49% of Americans also believe Bush legitimately won the 2000 election, Christ rose from the dead and walked out of that cave, eating McDonald’s 7 days a week won’t harm your health, and global warming is a liberal conspiracy.
Americans aren’t always the brightest bulbs in the box.
Then what exactly would determine citizenship? If everyone traced his/her family tree back as far as it goes, aren’t we all the descendants of immigrants? Other than the Native Americans, would we all need to be deported to the countries of our ancestors who arrived back in the 1700s/1800s?
What is happening to my state?
What is happening to my country? (holding head in hands)
Could it be that we are on the verge of a civil war? Or at least the largest civil uprising since the Civil War?
Yea…. all those illegal immigrants are taking all the hard physical labor jobs away from Americans… they are all lined up to do back breaking harvesting & labor work.
Right! United Farm Workers union announced they are hiring, not many takers.
It is time for all the bleeding hearts to take a good hard look as to why the 14th amendment was written 142-years ago. The intent difinately was not to insure that anyone sneaking in our country through the back door, just to have a baby, would be assured of being granted citizenship of the U.S. to that child. It all had to do with slaves, not illegals coming across the porrus southern border. It is time to repeal the 14th amendment, now, not next year. It’s time for all you Obama worshipers, to wake the hell up and see where you are allowing this country to go.
It is time for all the bleeding hearts to take a good hard look as to why the 14th amendment was written 142-years ago. The intent definitely was not to insure that anyone sneaking in our country through the back door, just to have a baby, would be assured of being granted citizenship of the U.S. to that child. It all had to do with slaves, not illegals coming across the porous southern border. It is time to repeal the 14th amendment, now, not next year. It’s time for all you Obama worshipers, to wake the hell up and see where you are allowing this country to go.
Big Hank wrote:
“Republicans running for reelection can’t run on the economy and or their ideas so repealing the 14th Amendment feeds into the anti-immigration fervor sweeping parts of the country.”
I’m an immigrant and I feel absolutely zero anti-immigration sentiment. Given that I couldn’t marry my partner, I walked with her through years of immigration red tape and during all that time she (from a non-white predominantly Muslim country) has never experienced anti-immigration sentiment.
What you are talking about is anti-illegal immigration sentiment. And confounding the two frankly pisses off immigrants who spent years fulfilling the requirements to immigrate. No, I don’t blame them for trying to get ahead – in their position I might try the same. But there is a vital distinction here you are intentionally trying to hide.
“It didn’t start with Arizona and SB 1070. A few years ago, the Dallas suburb of Farmers Branch passed a law allowing landlords to not rent to immigrants.”
Again, I am an immigrant. I’m pretty sure I can rent anywhere in the country (at least as far as my immigration status goes). Please try to use more accurate terminology rather than blur terms to a political end.