A kook and a bully introduce a bill to bring more Iraqis to the US
Posted by acorcoran on July 20, 2008
Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL) and John Dingell (D-MI) re-introduced a bill this past week to increase by a minimum of 20,000 the number of Iraqi refugees we will bring to the US each year. Now it’s not clear to me if this is 20,000 over the State Department’s 12,000 and over the additional 5000 Congress (Sen. Ted Kennedy) shoved down the Administration’s throat attached to the Defense Authorization bill earlier in the year.
Here is a portion of Hastings press release in which he thanks the groups who are supporting this effort. NGO’s would get increased funding to do this work if the bill passes.
(Washington, D.C.) Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, lauded prominent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and religious groups for their support of the Iraqi Refugee and Internally Displaced Persons Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement, and Security Act (H.R. 6496). The following organizations have endorsed this legislation: The Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict (CIVIC), Church World Service, Congregation of Divine Providence of San Antonio, Education for Peace in Iraq (EPIC), International Rescue Committee, the Leadership Conference on Women Religious, the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, Mercy Center, Mercy Corps, NETWORK, Open Society Policy Center, Pax Christi USA: National Catholic Peace Movement, the Presbyterian Church (USA), Refugees International, Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, Sisters of St. Joseph NW PA, and Save the Children.
Last night, Hastings and Dingell reintroduced H.R.6496, which addresses the impending humanitarian crisis and potential security break-down as a result of the mass influx of Iraqi refugees into neighboring countries, and the growing internally displaced population in Iraq, by increasing directed accountable assistance to these populations and their host countries as well as facilitating the resettlement of Iraqis at risk.
Read the bill (HR 6496) here (you will need to re-enter the bill number). I couldn’t find any mention of how we could help refugees already returning to an increasingly stable Iraq. I am such a cynic, but there is nothing in it for these groups if Iraqis go home.
And, as for the comment above that the internally displaced population is growing, where are they getting that information?
acorcoran said
After I wrote this post, and while I did my farm chores, I thought perhaps I should have clarified my thinking further on this issue. I don’t believe for a minute that Hastings and Dingell are concerned for Iraqi Christians as vulnerable minorities. This is likely just another way to open the doors to Palestinian Iraqis I wrote about yesterday.
Dingell represents Dearborn, MI with the largest Arab population in the US. This is all about making his constituents happy and not about what is best for the United States.
The truth is that Muslims are attempting to increase the Muslim population of the US in order to influence our government policies and then to change our government completely. We can dance around that all we want but it is the truth. Here is an article just yesterday about how Islamic groups in the US are going to count their population here to see if they can get more political clout. http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080719/LOCAL18/807190453/1111/LIVING09
Note in the link there is even a reference to counting the Muslim refugee population in places like Fort Wayne, IN.
I have no respect for Dingell. I had a run-in with him years ago over an issue in Congress, my boss and I met him face to face in his office. He was a bully and only interested in how his involvement in the issue was perceived. He had no concern about what might be good for the country, it was all about him.
Mark said
The whole Congress puts its district’s interests before the nation as a whole. That’s because Congress has re-structured all the rules so they can get away with this, even though it is a detriment to the nation as whole. They altered all the rules and restructured the whole congressional process to serve their INDIVIDUAL interests (not even their district’s interests) in wanting to be reelected. So now we have what is supposed to be an instrument of the people (the Congress) set up as a tool to serve the personal interests and careerism of these individuals.
acorcoran said
And, then I suppose they scratch their heads and wonder why their approval rating is way below even George Bush’s…
Mark said
I’ve dealt with a number of Congress people and in my experience we can accurately speak of them in general as an arrogant, self-centered, selfish, power-abusing set of individuals. This is more pronounced among the Senators. If one has any ability to do free-thinking and independent analysis one quickly becomes disillusioned due to this stark contrast with our American values. These individuals make a laughing stock out of our Constitution. For this reason the one bumper sticker I have on my car says, “Vote out ALL incumbents”. I have no doubt that even if that dream ever becomes reality that a whole new set of parasitic individuals would try to take their places, but at least it would slow down the malignant process we now see in full-bloom. I also blame the people though for sitting back and letting this happen without even a fight even.
acorcoran said
Thanks to reader Robert for sending this link to a story from Staten Island that makes the point I made in Comment 1 above. This is all about increasing the Muslim population in the US and dhimmi Dingell is leading the way. http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/new_wave_of_ethnic_voters_will.html
Debbie Schlussel on Iraqi refugees « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] a reminder that if Michigan Democratic Congressman (the bully) John Dingell gets his way, even more Iraqis will be coming our [...]
Sponsor of Iraqi refugee bill seems clueless « Refugee Resettlement Watch said
[...] reported on Hasting’s bill in the last Congress, HR 6496, which did not pass. This is the same bill, [...]