#85 Jan/Feb 2007
The Washington Free Press Washington's Independent Journal of News, Ideas & Culture
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TOP STORIES

Instant Runoff Voting OKed in Pierce County
The same ballot reform wins in every contest nationwide
by Steven Hill

Is it safe to buy a home in Washington?
Home inspectors are not required to report toxic mold
by T. McCormick

15 myths about global warming
by Doug Collins
cartoons by George Jartos

FIRST WORDS

READER MAIL
Bushco Propaganda, Mountain Time, Impeachment
cartoon by David Logan

Oops!
defects corrected from last issue

NORTHWEST & BEYOND
Mass die-offs of alpine trees; American businesses protest labor rights in China

FREE THOUGHTS

Should we save or spend?
Politicians tell us to spend, economists tell us to save
by Jim Sullivan

Viaduct Politics
Seattle needs a "Transit + Streets" option
opinion by Cary Moon and Julie Parrett

War abroad, crime at home
Just why do crime stats rise when the country is at war?
by Doug Collins
cartoon by Andrew Wahl

HEALTH

The contaminated cigarette cartel
The major health risk is not tobacco, but industrial substances in cigarettes
article and cartoons by John Jonik

Medical Marijuana Scores Major Win
Court upholds California measures
from the ACLU
cartoon by John Jonik

MILITARY

Watada hearing tackles free speech for soldiers, relevance of truth
article and photo by Jeff Paterson, Courage to Resist

NASA plans moon base to control pathway to space
from Global Network

Keeping America safe
Themes from the Federal Register
by David Ortman

ENVIRONMENT

Reducing Extravagance
There are many ways--some surprising--to address climate change
by Doug Collins

Glaciers: coming or going?
by Doug Collins

FILM REVIEW
An Inconvenient Truth
review by Demian

TRASH TALK
Wintertime savings
by Dave & Lillian Brummet

MEDIA

MEDIA BEAT
Is the USA the center of the world?
by Norman Solomon
cartoon by George Jartos

Chavez wins Time reader vote, but is shunned by editors
by John Jonik

POLITICS

Let's have public funding for public elections in WA
opinion by Robert Stern, Washington Public Campaigns

Immigration reform: finally?
by Domenico Maceri
cartoon by George Jartos

RIGHT BRAIN

BOOK REVIEW
Spanning Washington
Historic Highway Bridges of the Evergreen State
review by Robert Pavlik

Two poems by Bob Markey
The Old Man and the Tree; Waiting for Bush's Other Shoe to Drop

Poems for progressives
Empire of the Senseless; Stomach Ache

NOTABLE QUOTES
from Bill Maher, Dwight Eisenhower, etc.

TOON-O-PHOBIA
Assorted cartoons from Scott Breeze, John Jonik, George Jartos, John Ambrosavage, Andrew Wahl, and David Logan

What is the Washington Free Press?

This paper is an effort--by many individual writers, artists, and editors--to bring to you information that often goes unreported in the corporate media (to see examples, just read this issue!). In a sense, this paper is a sort of childhood dream-come-true of what journalism should be: news in the public interest and opinion from the heart. This paper is a volunteer operation in which no one is making a profit or bowing to commercial pressures. It is not distributed in newsstands, but is instead distributed by volunteers who want to get underreported news out to their neighborhoods. This paper is not aligned with any political party or other specific interest, and you'll probably find articles written by middle-of-the-road muckrakers, by Chomskyites as well as traditionalists, and by generally unclassifiable individuals, as long as they write accessibly and with a spirit of public and planetary betterment. This paper is almost entirely dependent on you--the appreciative reader--for its existence, as there are always bills to pay for printing, mailing, and supplies. We thank those who continue to help over the years, and we ask that others please also help us get the news out by subscribing and donating to the paper, in order to help spread commitment and best wishes for a better world and a better region.

Doug Collins, coordinating editor

Immigration Reform: Finally?

by Domenico Maceri

 

Now that Democrats have regained control of Congress, President George Bush will have to compromise in the last two years of his term. One area where compromise won't be necessary is immigration reform. The President's position was very close to the Democrats' before the midterm election and it looks like that reform will finally come about.

The bipartisan bill on immigration passed by the U.S. Senate in May of 2006 reflected Bush's broad outlines. Some efforts were made to reconcile it with the one passed by the House, but the two versions were so different that nothing came of it.

The Senate bill was much more moderate and "friendly" to immigrants than the House version. Under the Senate plan, undocumented workers who have been in the country five years or more would be granted a path to becoming citizens. They would have to pay significant fines and learn English. The House made no such provision.

The other positive aspect of the Senate bill is the creation of a guest workers program which would allow new people to come into the country legally if U.S. companies cannot find Americans to fill certain jobs.

This would be a significant benefit to agricultural interests, particularly in California, which lately have seen a reduction of available farm workers. If the trend continues, business will incur significant losses because of lack of workers.

Yet, the Senate version includes a number of features that resemble the House plan. Undocumented workers who have been in the U.S. between two and five years would have to leave the country and apply for re-entry. Those with fewer than two years of residency would have no recourse and would have to leave the country permanently.

For all practical purposes, only people who have been in the country at least five years might have a chance at permanent status.

Both the House and Senate bill would increase enforcement by building a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The component of the wall has already been generated through the Secure Fence Act which President Bush has already signed. Yet, the wall may never be built because the Democrats in Congress are unlikely to appropriate the necessary funds.

Now that the Democrats control the political legislative agenda, the draconian version of the House bill on immigration will probably die out. Illegal entry into the U.S. will not become a federal crime but will go back to being a misdemeanor and people helping undocumented workers will not be considered criminals.

Although the Republicans in Congress are now the minority, some will scream "amnesty" at the immigration reform that will emerge and will try to use it for political advantage in the next election.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, (R-Colorado), is one of the most vocal opponents of the guest worker program. He recently stated that a coalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats will block any attempt at legalizing unauthorized immigrants.


Cartoon by George Jartos

Tancredo will be proven wrong. The Latino vote which went to Democrats by significant margins is a signal that the GOP hard line and strident rhetoric against immigrants are being marginalized.

Bush knows it and that's why in the aftermath of the midterm election he stated that immigration is a top priority and it's an area in which he can find "common ground" with Democrats.

If Bush works with Democrats and signs an immigration reform law, it will be the beginning of a possible shift into moderation for other areas such as Iraq.

If there is a message to be drawn from the Democrats' victory in November, it is that voters rejected the extreme actions from Bush and the GOP, opting instead for moderation. Bush will thus end up in the political center which is where he claimed to be when he first became president.

 

Domenico Maceri (dmaceri@gmail.com), PhD, UC Santa Barbara, teaches foreign languages at Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, CA. His articles have appeared in many newspapers and some have won awards from the National Association of Hispanic Publications.


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