Ellis Island 2010

"Justice for the oppressed and poor!" shout the "advocates" for "undocumented workers." "Restore the rule of law and deport the hardened criminals" scream the proponents of "secure borders." Meanwhile thousands who have the cash and corporate connections are hired by high-tech firms and millions who are looking for work can not find any. Prisons are overrun with illegal immigrants, while many more wait years for their paperwork to navigate the system.

The entire immigration system is broken. Only creative, compassionate and principled transformation will solve the problems created by the competing political and social agendas.

The Left wants immediate amnesty, easy transit for all people and a permanent "working" class looking to the federal government for help to ensure their hold on power.

The Right revels in cheap labor and open borders to prop up global capitalism, with little regard for labor conditions or the enslavement of millions.

Corrupt government agencies on both sides of our border with Mexico permit drug lords to control vast stretches of territory and keep the populace in fear. Meanwhile, honest border guards are subjected to kangaroo trials and landowners in California and Arizona are prosecuted for protecting their property!

The Left wants to atone for 1848 (not understanding the historical context) and "redress" the oppressions of Manifest Destiny. Guilty social engineers want to redefine what it means to be American. Some even want to carve out a new "bronze nation" in the Southwest (as they fail to see the reverse racism in their proposals).

The Right wants secure borders, a defined pathway to citizenship and better screening. But because this screening involves non-Whites, they are branded as racists.

Compassionate clergy and charity leaders have the tasks of loving and serving families in the middle - people here illegally wanting a better life.

The Mexican government cynically cackles at our struggles because money sent home by their citizens is the second highest source of revenue, after the petrodollars. They can no longer claim "colonialism" or "Yankee oppression" - their own corruption is so endemic that their resources never find their way to the barrios.

How do we end the impasse? How do we be the welcoming land of freedom symbolized by the Ellis Island Center of the late 19th and early 20th century? How do we secure our borders without lapsing back to 1920s xenophobia? Can we be compassionate, pragmatic and principled? Can we be a good neighbor with Mexico without yielding sovereignty and being corrupted by their regime?

There are four foundations to a new immigration policy. If any of these is missing, we lose the exceptional nature of our invitation to the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free."

One: Erect "Welcome Centers" for all who wish to be part of our nation. Screening for disease, criminal records and political affiliations is not oppression - it is protection for our millions who deserve to feel safe.

Two: Secure borders are essential to freedom and safety. People attempting to sneak in must be immediately arrested, entered into a tracking system and sent back to their home country, unless they can prove they are real political dissidents or have a compelling human rights case.

Three: Create two tracks for those who wish to live and work in the USA: A citizenship track (including classes on government, history and English) and temporary resident/worker track that allows one to legally register for work, while the file is updated annually. Temporary residents should be encouraged to become citizens - but citizenship carries with it responsibility as well as privilege.

Four: Work tirelessly for justice on both sides of our border, confronting the corrupt factories of Juarez that enslave the vulnerable and the drug lords who feed the habit of too many Americans.

Great ideals, Charlie, but what about the current overpopulation in our prisons and the overrunning of social services by those here illegally?

The answers are simple and stunning: Deportation for all "undocumented" violent felons, immediately and without apology. For the people here working without legal status, register all of them for one of the two tracks in the next twelve months. This is not a blanket amnesty nor an unconscionable "get in line" strategy. Apart from a criminal record or direct ties to terrorism, no person will be deported if they register and start the normal process of citizenship and/or residential work status.

We know that millions are here illegally. If we find few registering, the key is not selective arrests of the poor, but prosecution of the companies and agencies that use (and abuse) these hard-working folks. We do not need people paying fines or leaving the country. We need to redeem a poor policy history and establish good boundaries for the future.

By the way, recent polls reveal that there are many unemployed American citizens who would take jobs currently held by illegals. It is a myth to suggest otherwise. What is not a myth is the hypocrisy of so many who employ illegals under the table. Note to friends who hire "day labor" in front of Home Depot or Lowes: you are part of the problem if you yell for secure borders but fail to live it out in your lives. the solution is not arresting the workers - let's help them get on track to normalization and make them part of the normal labor pool.

Someone is already angry at me for using the term "illegal." Sorry, friend, but it is an accurate term, just like Islamofacist (invested by Algerian Muslims angry at the terrorists) or labeling William Ayers as a terrorist.

The millions in the middle - hard-working families here without documentation - deserve something better than resentment from citizens and oppression by employers. They deserve a clear, principled process that welcomes them to the American Dream.

Will we find the courage to change or continue our shouting?

Pro-Life 2010

In his book, Moral Choices, Boston College philosopher Peter Kreeft (author of the hilarious and insightful, Between Heaven and Hell and Jesus Meets Socrates) has a chapter about twelve boxes that Jesus will not squeeze into. Kreeft makes the salient point that Jesus is not Left or Right, and he is not a friend of extreme individualism or communism.

I think an authentic pro-life perspective is far more profound than emotional reactions to 1960s feminism or lock-step repetitions of environmentalist mantras. Conservatives conveniently forget that it has only been a generation since African- Americans and women have had a semblance of equal opportunity. Liberals have amnesia concerning the real stability of the traditional family across the economic and racial spectrum before the welfare state. The Right excoriates government regulation, but environmental improvements since the 1970s would be impossible without government oversight. The Left has a visceral hatred of real business - the kind that actually produces products and has to keep improving processes. Of course, the "business" of entertainment or education is exempt from critique. If you make millions from semi-pornographic movies or songs, that is OK as long as you vote the right way and have a Prius parked outside your mansion.

A pro-life worldview begins with wonder. Regardless of one's religion or opinion on the age of the universe, that fact that there is something and not nothing is amazing. Our planet is "rare" - all scientists admit that the probability of aligning and integrating all the factors for life is very small. If we can begin with wonder at the macro and microcosmic worlds, we have a starting point all humankind can share.

A pro-life perspective is grounded in the uniqueness of humankind among all the living creatures. Please notice I am not saying that such superiority means savage subjugation of animals and the environment. One does not need to be religious to see the qualitative difference between humankind and even the highest primates. Why does this matter? Pro-life means that a man is more important than a mink. A baby in the womb is more important than an obscure bug in the jungle. The notions that animals and other earthly life deserve the same legal and moral status as humans will ultimately dehumanize us and return us to self-destructive paganism.

Wonder and the value of human life must be joined with a deep respect for the interconnectedness of all creation and the special human vocation to care for the world. We may be more valuable that a toad, but we are part of a delicate and delightful ecology that calls our for care as well as creativity. Economic growth and environmental balance are NOT incompatible. Caring for the earth is not an ideology or religion - it is good stewardship of the gift of life.

Pro-life means that humans are endowed with natural rights and that governments exist to protect these rights, not bestow or restrict them. All people deserve love and respect regardless of gender, race or worldview.

These 4 pillars: wonder, human uniqueness, environmental stewardship and natural rights, are the foundations for the policies and principles that follow.

To be fully pro-life is to enhance and protect life at all stages and in some cases, confront the evils that undermine life. Here are eight affirmations that round out a pro-life ethic.

One: Life begins in the womb. Denial that the growing baby is a person requires such self-deception that it needs to be curtailed. The maturing baby is not a blob of fetal tissue or an appendage. There are times when the mother's life is in danger that therapeutic abortion may be called for. There are times that the consequences of incest or rape need to be confronted. Abortion as birth control dehumanizes everyone and keeps men from responsibility for their actions. Voluntary sexual intimacy between adults may result in pregnancy! Biology works. Underage moms and dads need to be responsible to give up a child for adoption or raise the child with the help of family and community.

Now we get to the heart of matter - what about all the exploited, poor women who are pregnant, having conceived in a relationship that is just shy of rape? The answer is economic, social, psychological and spiritual support, not the termination of life in utero. As a nation we must see all children as gifts and not snuff out life before or during her first breath.

Two: Pro-life means being pro-education for all children. We can provide education in all locations in smarter, more efficient ways. The wonderful turnaround narratives we love to read about or see in the movies are not the preserve of Left or Right. Courage, humility, leadership and a willingness to take responsibility are values all people of conscience share. There is room in the USA for homeschooling, private and public education. We must do more than teach to a test. We must also not allow public educators to displace parents, community and religious traditions in the interests of their political agendas. We do need more money for education - in the hands of students and teachers, not overpaid administrators who hide behind "flaws in the system" while exploiting the system for their own gain.

Three: Pro-life means pro-family and that means responsible parents caring for their children. Poor or rich, children deserve to go to school with clean clothes, full bellies and the knowledge that they can come home to a safe place. Clean clothes and a bowl of oatmeal are not beyond the ability of most people. Conservatives and liberals can join together in promoting family education on hygiene, parenting and life skills. Deadbeat dads need to be prosecuted and abusive parents held accountable. This does not mean that children can sue their parents because they received a timeout they didn't like. Real discipline is hard work.

Four: Pro-life means more local government and public-private partnerships and less paternalism from Washington, DC. For eighty years we have seen the fruit of federal programs that only expand in their inefficiency. Charities and community groups, city hall and county governments all need to roll up their sleeves and create new solutions for sustainable life. Pro-life promotes economic opportunity, not handouts. Pro-life programs transform ghettos though new businesses and end redlining. Pro-life advocates invest in human dignity, not constructing inhuman housing projects that sequester the poor. Pro-life compels life-long learning and flexibility in work, not vocational training that creates cogs for global capitalist machines.

Five: Pro-life implies reasonable laws on gun ownership, avoiding the totalitarian goals of the anti-gun lobby while recognizing that limits on firepower and good licensing are not violations of the 2nd Amendment. Our Founders recognized that the state should not disarm its citizens. Like citizenship, there must be reasonable rules for firearm ownership.

Six: Pro-life means that we stand against all forms of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, from the brothels of Bombay to the factories of Juarez, from Internet porn to over-sexualized education for public school children. Celibacy outside and fidelity within marriage must be celebrated instead of castigated. The contempt of Hollywood for traditional values is palpable in its hypocrisy. The same folks who hate the "Leave It To Beaver" values of the 1950s are aghast when a partner takes up with someone else! Without prosecuting the private lives of consenting adults, we need to reaffirm that women and men are capable of sexual self-control. We must work tirelessly to free the millions of exploited from labor and sex slavery. This is not just an "other country/culture" problem - these evils are present right in the heartland of America.

Seven: Pro-life means that we bestow dignity on the aged, infirm and vulnerable and refuse to capitulate to the calls for active euthanasia. It is one thing to let nature have her course; it is quite another to help her out, especially when economic motives create the context for elimination. All human life has value.

Eight: Pro-life means we are reluctant to go to war, careful when we do and clear about our aims. No general with a conscience wants to put soldiers at unnecessary risk, yet politicians talk about the military in calculating terms that ignore the price these brave women and men pay for their country. We must help our allies, confront terrorism and protect our liberties. We can do this without being an occupying force in hostile regions and without wasteful spending. As a corollary to this, pro-life means that we must dialogue about the death penalty and listen to each other. There are real pro-life people on both sides of this debate.

Pro-life is a rich, non-ideological affirmation that each day is a gift and each person possesses infinite worth. It is compassionate and concerned for justice. It recognizes personal responsibility while affirming that no one makes it alone. It affirms some traditions while setting people free to create new ones.

From conception to coronation, human life is worth protecting and nurturing. This is what it means to be pro-life.

Finding a Real "Center"

The glee of Republicans and the scrambling of Democrats for cover after the Senate election in Massachusetts are predictable reactions but bad portents for the future. Scott Brown ran a good campaign and Martha Coackley was in the cross-hairs of an angry, independent electorate.

Our problems are so daunting that both parties need to wake up and stop their posturing. Serious public servants need to convene and start looking for ways to systemically change how the politicians operate. Even as a conservative I found Willie Brown's brazen comments on political pork rather refreshing. He bluntly affirmed that all bills have "deals" in them, whether sponsored by the Democrats or Republicans.

How do we curb spending, stimulate the economy and deliver compassionate and competent education and health care?

How do we bolster national security and help Haiti without being an occupying power?

We need to strengthen personal responsibility and national pride by looking deeply at the root issues of egregious behavior and avoid the creation a national civilian police force?

How do we find a real, dynamic center that is not just a mushy middle?

A friend of mine and exemplary spiritual leader once told me, "Under-promise and over-deliver." We need to radically alter our expectations of government and ourselves. We need to reaffirm some of our Founders' principles while anticipating the global changes that make continual transformation a necessity.

We need less from the federal government and more from City Hall. We need less government ownership and better government oversight. We can provide education and health care effectively and fairly if we universalize ethics and standards and decentralize delivery. We need less money going to Washington. Our local and state governments must supply services more efficiently.

We need to bring as many of our troops home as quickly as we can - not only from Afghanistan and Iraq, but from the EU as well. We need to deliver powerful, well-targeted military blows against terrorist dens without being a permanent presence among hostile cultures. Terrorists are not criminals and deserve to be tried as enemy combatants.

So many major issues are interconnected. If we can regulate immigration fairly and make sure that the criminal unproductive folks are screened, we save billions every year - dollars that can be redirected for compassionate services. I am not speaking of real refugees, but the thousands who are here illegally. Without a blanket amnesty, all must be given the opportunity to be normalized as residents-on-the-way-to-citizenship or temporary workers. Democrats need to stop panting after votes and Republican businesses need to hire legal Americans for their labor forces. By the way, recent polls indicate that many legal citizens would gladly have the jobs occupied by illegals - assuming proper standards and wages, of course.

Health care is a frustrating issue. One minute we hear the tragedies of good folks falling - not through the cracks - but into the abyss of debt and insolvency due to necessary medical care. The next minute we hear about prisoners getting sex-change operations and folks in socialized lands waiting months or years for care. Current proposals are "magic thinking" with great claims of lower costs, better service, fewer denials, etc. The problem is that the money has to come from somewhere and that somewhere is from the productive populace. Republicans have yet to offer a viable alternative - just talking about the free market is not good enough.

Education is best delivered locally, with counties, states and the federal government ensuring excellent standards but not exercising too much direct control. Charter schools everywhere are bringing better results at lower costs. The current superintendent in Washington, D.C. is ruffling feathers as she promotes efficiency and excellence and - gasp - actually fires poor administrators and teachers. She is walking through warehouses full of uncatalogued and undistributed materials. She is confronted by union forces unwilling to hold their members accountable to minimal standards.

All of our public creativity and innovation is in vain unless We the People recover our personal responsibility for ourselves and our neighbors. Jane and John deserve parents who stay together and pay attention to them. Parents deserve school teachers who respect their moral guidelines instead of usurping them. Citizens need public servants to serve and not reign as petty bureaucratic tyrants.

The best policies will fail without a moral and spiritual renewal. The Boomer legacy is a pathological synergy of narcissism and victimhood. These must be displaced with an ethic of personal and social responsibility that will unite ecological care and economic development. Let's go from "amusing ourselves to death" (Neal Postman) to amazing the world with love, service and creativity. Will we choose faith over fear and responsibility over resentment? Will we abandon the cliches and create common ground?

Our children's children await our answer.

Haiti Speaks to All of Us

The cries of Haitians are heard around the world and generous private and public aid is making its difficult way to the people.

Apart from the foolish diatribes of Hugo Chavez and some stupid words from the religious and secular Right, all people of conscience, regardless of faith or politics, are moved by the plight of the nation.

Haiti speaks to all of us. She is the poorest nation in the hemisphere and neither the totalitarian regimes of the Duvaliers nor the populism of Aristide nor the present government have been able to to change the factors that make Haiti's plight perennial and not just occasional.

Haiti speaks to all of us. Haiti demonstrates the long-term consequences of the trifecta of structural poverty, governmental oppression and ignorance that yield bitter fruit for the people.

Haiti speaks to all of us. The twin legacies of colonialism and militarism haunt the land. The lack of any sustained history of economic opportunity and political freedom cripple her future.

Haiti speaks to all of us. What can be done, once people are fed and rebuilding begins? Massive educational efforts must unite with real empowering economic opportunities if Haiti is to have a future different from her past. Freedom of conscience, press and religion must become pillars of the future.

Right now Haiti needs emergency help of all kinds, from water to medical care to counselors. The earthquake is a natural disaster and a national tragedy. Helping people rebuild includes helping them see a future that is different. That future includes freedom - freedom from anything that keeps justice and opportunity away. The future does not need one more dictator or neocolonial control by the USA. The future must not include the failed experiments of Cuba and Venezuela.

Haitians need the tools - both ideas and material goods - to build a unique Haitian future. But she cannot do this alone. Perhaps for a moment, the world can unite and care for the plight of millions left bereft. Perhaps for a moment ideology can give way to compassion. Perhaps for a moment some fresh water can revive the bodies and spirits of the beautiful people of Haiti.

Haiti speaks to all of us. Will we hear the cries and help? Will we hear the cries and learn?

Two Mistakes, Two Opportunities

As we look at the year ahead, The political rhetoric will heat up as we move toward the November midterm elections. Democrats will continue to blame the previous administration and try to force their way forward in Congress. Republicans will proclaim themselves the alternative to big, inefficient government and call on the voters to oust the "Beltway insiders" in Washington, D.C.

The script is so predictable and it solves nothing. If the economy is improving, The Democrats may keep their majority, though it will be reduced. If there are serious economic or foreign crises, the Republicans may roar back into some power, just like 1994. Neither of these scenarios bode well for the American people.

There are two mistakes all politicians are making. These mistakes also present two opportunities for leaders to rise above the partisanship that everyone decries but no one can seem to avoid.

Mistake Number One: Politicians forget that the money they spend is not "theirs" or "the government's". It comes from real people producing products and services and paying taxes. Democrats want to deliver resources to the poor and working class. That is noble, but endless deficit spending and inflationary policies will dry up those resources and bankrupt the future. Republicans talk a good game about balancing the budget, but no Republican administration in the last 40 years has succeeded in curbing spending and increasing efficiency.

Opportunity Number One: 2010 leaders need to speak about private-public partnerships, local, regional and state solutions to many challenges instead of one more program form Washington D.C. Health care is a moral obligation - let's deliver it creatively and personally instead of through a massive set of regulations that our lawmakers have not read. I would be more sanguine about current bills if the Senators themselves will live under their regulations!

Mistake Number Two: Conservatives complain about the incipient socialism of the current administration. I share the same concerns; however, protesting bad policy is not the same as proposing workable solutions to real problems. Conservatives forget that there are millions who need work and in the meantime need help. We can reduce our military expenditures and invest at home without sacrificing our security. A few less troops in EU countries will not inflame Muslim militants. We must rebuild public infrastructure and fund education more intelligently. We need to graduate women and men from college without debt instead of artificially propping up over-bloated administrations with loan money.

Opportunity Number Two: 2010 leaders need to communicate the outcomes, strategies and costs of what they propose. We can solve our problems with the money we have and we can start reversing the deficits and arrest the control of hostile forces over our economy. This means NO earmarks, NO unnecessary pork from Washington, D.C. to the local district. This also means no fat for the military contractors and fewer grants for marginal research. It means that some artists will have to fund their own work and that more money stay in local and state coffers.

Life is not a zero-sum game with one pizza for seven billion people to share. We have the ingenuity and resources to create prosperous and sustainable conditions for all, if we will unleash creativity instead of giving in to fear. We need to help people create wealth instead of taxing it to death. Conversely, we need to accept our ethical obligation to help the poor and improve our public life. We need statesmanship and strategic vision, not governmental ownership.

The opportunities are present. I hope we find the courage to chart a different course.