According to the USCCB immigration reform must not include gay familiesCatholic bishops strongly oppose 'marriage-like' immigration benefits prop
The U.S. Senate’s introduction of a proposed framework on immigration reform is “an important first step” towards a comprehensive measure, the U.S. bishops have said. They urged bipartisan legislation which “affirms the rule of law and basic human rights,” but also said they “strongly oppose” the idea of extending “marriage-like” immigration benefits to same-sex relationships. (In my mind, these guys are so bought and so compromised.)
The framework, developed by Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York), has been endorsed by the Senate leadership, a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reports.
Bishop of Salt Lake City John C. Wester, chair of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, spoke on behalf of the bishops with a Thursday statement endorsing the effort. (This choice of speaker has to be a message to the Mormon bros.)
He explained that the bishops support the “general direction” of the framework, including a legalization of the undocumented and improvements to the United States’ employment and family-based immigration systems.
However, he said the bishops “strongly oppose” the proposal to extend “marriage-like” immigration benefits to same-sex relationships. The proposal threatens to undermine the chance to create a “common solution” to immigration reform. (The price for the common solution is gay bashing. Hopefully Hispanics can see they are the new 'gay' for political gain in 2010 and not be diverted by the 'ostensible' support of the USCCB.)
The bishop also voiced concerns about the increases in law enforcement resources. He claimed that the U.S. has poured “billions of dollars” into immigration enforcement over recent years, arguing that this has not solved the problem but has led to the abuse of immigrants in some cases. (It's also led to the abuses of American citizens.)
Bishop Wester pledged support for the inclusion of provisions that address the factors that compel migrants to come to the United States, such as a lack of economic development. This would help prospective migrants “remain in their countries and support their families in dignity.” (Why don't you advocate for white Catholics and Mormons to pick tomatoes as an efficacious penitential practice which would serve the common good?)
“We call for a robust but civil debate. This issue can no longer wait and should not be politicized or held hostage to ideology. Our immigration system is badly broken and is in need of immediate repair,” his statement concluded. (I guess it's OK when the USCCB does it, it's not OK for anyone else.)
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I'll give the USCCB this much credit, they are so totally predictable. It's hard for me imagine Hispanic Catholics would work against their own dignity in order to stop the 'potential' for gays to bring their partners into the US. I certainly think Hispanics are astute enough to see that this is strictly a political move to shore up the Republican (cultural conservatives) party at their expense. This is exactly the same strategy the USCCB used in it's attempt to block universal health care because of the 'potential' for federal tax support of abortion.
It's amazing how those two cultural issues of gay marriage and abortion can be stretched to block important Democratic legislative initiatives. Where was all this USCCB advocacy when Bush was in office signing executive legislation to use embryonic stem cells or extolling the virtues of torture or committing US troops to a war of aggression? A war which prompted the military to ask Congress for a bill that would grant citizenship to illegals if they joined the Army--as long as they weren't gay I guess. Perhaps joining the military and fighting in US wars is the preferred strategy for becoming citizens. The article in the link states that recruitment of illegals could fill all yearly military recruitment needs. Of course those 'potential' numbers would be severely impacted if illegals were given other ways of becoming US citizens.
Yesterday I wrote about the control of thinking as being the fundamental issue for the Roman Catholic hierarchy. The USCCB is betting that their control of Hispanic thinking will propel Hispanics into voting against their own interests, their own families, to defend those defenseless families from gay immigrants. Somehow I don't think Hispanics are that thought controlled.
