Immigration, Doing One's Job, and a Sweet Slam

Since I'm back in SJ now, I have easy access to a TV. Thus, instead of reading all the news I get (which isn't as much as I should get), I watched CNN tonight. Lou Dobb's Situation Room focused on the pending "sweeping immigration reform." Most Republicans are fighting it tooth and nail, afraid of the A-word. No, not that one. Amnesty. So...let's not allow people to contribute to the economy as legal residents. Let's just punish them and deny them more rights (especially the big 'life' right) just because we're a vindictive country. Makes a lot of sense. As if we haven't already shown poor people who's boss.

All correspondents on the show also remarked that very few legislators have likely read last year's immigration bill. That's major legislation. One year later. And they haven't read it? If passing legislation is congressmen's job and knowing the legislation necessarily precludes passing it, then doesn't that mean these people failed to do their job here? No wonder the executive branch is taking over the borders.

In more uplifting news, the religion-politics question remerged following Rev. Jerry Falwell's death. May he rest in peace of course. But CNN did an interesting piece on Archbishop Mahoney of Los Angelos and his outspoken support for immigrants' rights. He directly supports specific political action to grant amnesty and humanity to "illegal" aliens. Coming immediately after Pope Benedict's sharp warning in Brazil against religion getting mingled in with Marxist and capitalist sentiments, I found the Mahoney report very interesting and encouraging. Some in the Church hierarchy do actively work for earthly justice, albeit with a spiritual motive. Always back to Matthew 25: whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me (Christ).

An AP article, which of course I don't trust as Gospel truth (excuse the pun), described the Pope's message as an exhortation to "address spiritual hunger as a means of easing poverty." I think when people are hungry--such as the 850 million suffering from severe hunger right now--they need food. Real food. Spiritual food is great and all. But if working for justice through a political mechanism brings bread to the hungry, or amnesty and life to aliens, then by all means--let's work for justice for all God's children.