Am I the only one who feels stuck in a nightmarish Time Warp — from 1986? That almost no one in the MSM or Beltway has learned the slightest thing in the 20 years since the Reagan Amnesty about the pervasive and destructive effects of unrestricted immigration?

We who actually live in America see the increased crime, failing schools, encroaching sprawl and the remarkable arrogance of the invader. But elites continue to regard illegal aliens as potential cheap gardeners.

One major irritant is the endless message loop that rewarding illegal aliens Is Not Amnesty.

Instead of engaging in an eye-glazing Is-Is Not debate, we should ask who will be better off under the proposed legislation — the would-be legal immigrant patiently waiting his turn at home or the lawbreaker allowed to remain in this country and earn American wages.

We all know the answer, right?

No responsible teacher would allow a child who had cut in line to keep his advantage, yet the Senate intends to send the message that cheating works.

Teddy Kennedy doesn’t like the Frist bill because “It treats immigrants as criminals…it says all undocumented immigrants are criminals.”

This seems to be a fairly common misconception so let me clarify the matter.

The Frist bill does not say that undocumented immigrants are criminals, the U.S. Code says that undocumented immigrants are breaking the law.

Follow me on this because it gets a bit confusing:

Illegal entry into the United States is a crime but illegal presence is not…it’s an immigration offense. For example, overstaying a visa as opposed to sneaking across the border. With a visa, one legally enters the country but is unlawfully present once that visa expires. See our Juan Mann here.

Then Kennedy’s mentions the “Cardinal Mahony Provision” which is the objection to punishing those who aid and abet illegal immigration.

A quasi-Catholic, Kennedy says that Cardinal Mahony has called this legislation “the most vicious piece of legislation he has ever seen.”

Furthermore, as far as Mahony is concerned, “his challenge is to help the poor, not to check their immigration status.”

Personally, I don’t care what the Catholic Church thinks about this issue or any other for that matter. This is an entity which turns a blind eye while their Priests molest little boys--of course they’re going to protect illegal aliens…they tithe.

Laws are for lesser mortals, not Cardinals.

According to Kennedy, our job is national security “not chasing gardeners around the desert which is what they’re doing now.”

Senator Kennedy (D-Massachsetts) said the Judiciary Committee looked at “hundreds of different amendments over seven days of debate” and “we have the opportunity to take some action on this” so basically, there really shouldn’t be any more debate.

I smell a filibuster…

Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) has the floor right now and listening to his words I swear, he has to be on the payroll of the Mexican government…or he’s the Antichrist, it could go either way.

In any event, there is an amendment coming up for a vote today which was introduced yesterday by Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia).

(I love his name…Saxby…it’s sexy, old South.)

According to Senator Saxby,

“The Judiciary Committee bill would not require illegal immigrants working in agriculture to wait in line behind everyone outside the country trying to legally enter the United States in order to get their permanent resident status. Not only is this unfair, but it is a repeat of the 1986 approach, which is widely recognized as seriously flawed.”

Whew…a little logic at last.

Chambliss is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture so he has a bit of experience in these matters. For example, he speaks to the nature of ag workers:

“We know from past experience that agricultural workers do not stay in their jobs for long, especially when they gain a legal status and have the option to work in less back-breaking occupations.”

Loosely translated, the immigrant worker will commit to an ag job just to get a Visa then they will split for another job…and then farmers will demand more workers.

The Chambliss amendment would allow workers to apply for a Blue Visa which is only good for two years after which the worker would have to return home and enter the U.S. through legal channels…just like everybody else.

Now then, we all know that they will not leave after two years…and that is assuming they get a Blue Visa at all.

But if the Chambliss amendment passes, they will at least be denied amnesty. Cross your fingers…

Mickey Kaus has been on a roll for the past week or so on the immigration issue. Go here and scroll down. See this, for example

Immigration CW BS, Item One:

“You can’t build a 2,000 mile wall … You can’t do the full 2,000 mile border. You just can’t.”–Joe Klein, Chris Matthews Show, 4/1/06

Huh? We build 2,000 mile roads. Why can’t we build a 2,000 mile wall? Or a fence? It’s easier and cheaper to build a wall than a four lane interstate highway! It might be a bad idea. It might have an adverse political or environmental impact. It might be only partly effective. Other methods of reducing immigration might be preferable. But the idea that it “can’t” be built is silly. … P.S.: When did Joe Klein turn into Johnny Apple? 1:03 A.M.

See Ed Rubenstein’s cost estimate on the Great Wall project: How Come We Can Have 40,000 miles Of Interstate, But Not 2,000 Miles Of Border Fence?

Beliefnet has a post by Kathy Shaidle on what she calls “That “Jesus was a refugee” junk ” showing that once again, Ms. Shaidle gets it about mass immigration. (She must get it; a commmenter said “I can hardly express my awed astonishment and disgust at the extent of Kathy Shaidle’s hateful diatribe. “)

However, this is the point at which I would like to point out that VDARE.com may be “nativist,” but we are not an anti-Catholic organization, despite what some people think.

Much(not all, I admit) of our “anti-Catholic” propaganda is written by actual devout Catholics, who are upset with their Bishops. They dissent from the Bishops Conferences, not the Universal Church, and their dissent is not on “faith and morals,” but on social policy, about which Bishops know no more than the next fellow.

Here are some examples of their writings on the Church and immigration:

The Brogue Wears Off: Why The Catholic Church Is Addicted To Immigration, by J.P. Zmirak

An Open Letter to Edward Cardinal Egan, Archbishop of New York

VDARE.com: Today’s Letter: A Texas Catholic Reader Shares Her Experiences

12/23/02 - Christmas Meditation 2002: Christ, The “Other”, And Counterfeit Citizens