A couple of weeks ago I asked where the Joplin Globe and Joplin Daily were when Rep. Ed Emery held immigration hearings at Missouri Southern State University. They certainly weren't at the hearing, even though the topic is a critical one for this area and for the country.
The television stations were there, but there is only so much that you can shoehorn into a minute and a half.
The Ozarks Angel blog features an examination of Rep. Ed Emery's conduct of the hearing, which according to the blog, featured extensive commentary from Emery, a Lamar Republican, who was ostensibly there to listen to testimony that could help the General Assembly shape legislation to deal with the problem.
One example cited by the blog:
"You know, our immigration laws are in place to protect Americans, not Mexicans," Emery chided one speaker. "Mexico has their own immigration laws to protect their people."
And then, without provocation, an inexplicably emotional Emery spoke with quivering voice about the depth of his own patriotism, implying that immigrants were a underlying threat to America.
"I feel so strongly about maintaining our own American freedom, our love of liberty, that I would even be willing to sacrifice my own children in the defense of those ideals."
And then this example, taken from the author's conversation with Emery following the hearing:
And you know, this whole immigration problem would not even be an issue if it weren't for Roe vs. Wade."
"Excuse me?"
"Twenty million potential workers have been needlessly killed. We would not need any immigrant workers at all if those twenty million aborted fetuses were contributing to the economy."
I have always been pro-life, but if that is the kind of thinking that is coming out of these immigration hearings, then holding them has been a giant taxpayer ripoff.
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Back to the media coverage: Even if the print media had covered the event, I doubt they would have provided us with anything approaching a true picture of what went on. This kind of hearing is not one that the Globe has handled well in the past, and it is too soon to see how well the Daily will fare. That being said, the best way to find out is for this kind of hearing to be covered.
Ed is, and always has been, over the edge on his views. He's NOT a Republican; he's more like a Tax-Payers Rights guy or maybe a fascist!
ReplyDeleteThe district WON'T wake up to this: they'll keep electing him.
Look at this committee assignments and the bills he has sponsored. NOTHING he does is very useful, and the leadership of his own party doesn't think he's important at all. That's why he got this committee -- Jetton knows that immigration isn't a state issue and Ed can't do much harm (or at least that's what they must have thought!).
Strange - a friend of mine attended this meeting and couldn't say enough good about Mr. Emery. She is an advocate of Hispanics in the area. She did not speak, but merely sat and observed.
ReplyDeleteSorry, Randy, but bloggers put their pants on one leg at a time and they are in the business of stirring things up and picking and choosing what they want to put on their blogs....
I know you don't like Republicans but I question your motive for publishing what the blogger says....
I just wish bloggers were held to higher standards...we need to take them all with great caution - even experts like Randy Turner. They have their agendas as well.