Obama's 'evolution' on same-sex marriage mobilizes Latino supporters
President Barack Obama's announcement that he supported same-sex marriage has mobilized Latino voters. A largely Roman Catholic group, Latino Americans actually support same-sex marriage in slightly higher numbers than the average American.
When President Barack Obama came out in favor of same-sex marriage last week, attention turned to how that would impact the political calculus of the upcoming election.
Unsurprisingly, it bolstered his support among members of the LGBT community, but it also appears to have galvanized members of the Latino community. Contrary to what might be expected, Latino Ameircans support same-sex rights at a greater rate than the general American population.
Obama spoke recently at a Democratic fundraiser that was jointly organized by gay rights groups and Latino groups.
“I want everybody treated fairly in this country. We have never gone wrong when we expanded rights and responsibilities to everybody," Obama said.
Latinos, who are predominately Roman Catholic, agree with him in large numbers. In a survey conducted last year by the Pew Research Center, 59 percent of Latinos said homosexuality should be accepted by society, compared to 58 percent of the general population.
Shirl Mora James, lead co-president of the non-partisan National Tequila Party Movement, said that support for the gay community is not a recent development in the Latino population.
“My grandfather came from the old country in the 1900s, and I was probably about 15 or 16 when I came out to him, and he was fully accepting. Matter of fact, I think I was even loved more because of the discrimination they knew I would be experiencing in the white dominant culture," she said. “Latinos, Latinas, Hispanics, in general, we are family-orientated. So we are not going to be turning our children away regardless of who they love."
Sister Molly Maria Luisa Munoz, a Roman Catholic nun who works with migrant farm workers, people living with HIV/AIDS and the gay and lesbian community, said it is important to learn to "love our neighbor as ourselves.”
Her views on same-sex marriage recently got her into trouble with the Pope.
"I know what is right and in the Hispanic community, they’re religious people and we don’t judge people because of their orientation," she said. "I think we have great respect for humanity as a Hispanic community. We love our neighbor, and we are continually taught to love our neighbor no matter what orientation a person is. ...We have to teach our Anglo brothers and sisters that it's OK to love each other and to love gay people," she said.
James said gay rights and immigration rights are really motivating Latino voters.
“The reason why I believe that immigration reform and rights for DREAMers and rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people are intertwined is that we have those very same people in our Hispanic community, and some that are undocumented. For a straight undocumented individual, they can fall in love and marry a U.S. citizen and be adjusted," she said. "It is really a tragedy for the individual that is a homosexual to fall in love with the person, their soulmate, but unfortunately, cannot marry or adjust here in the United States."
The new crop of Hispanic voters may help change that. James said that many young Hispanic voters are being raised in strong Hispanic families who value gay rights.
“In the DREAMER movement, there is a great acceptance of all people, and in our movement, The Tequila Party Movement, my co-president is a straight woman and I’m a lesbian woman,” James said. “We’re talking about a basic human right for any individual, regardless of sexual orientation or whether or not they have legal status.’”
-----------------------------------------------
"The Takeaway" is a national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what's ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH Radio Boston.
JOIN PRI COMMUNITIES:
As the former governor of a southern border state, I know fences and walls do not keep out illegal immigrants. Real border security means knowing who is coming here and why.
With workable employer verification systems, smarter border enforcement, and common sense, a national problem can be turned into a national benefit." -Governor Gary Johnson (Libertarian Nominee for President)
http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/issues/immigration
The mandated E-Verify law is being exposed to the public eye once again, with increased resistance from GOP House speaker, John Boehner of Ohio and Dave Camp of Michigan, who is Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Americans must insist these lawmakers stop blocking the 50-state H.R.2885 - Chairman Smith's 'Legal Workforce Act’. The E-Verify bill, should concern every jobless citizens and legal residents, as if implemented on a national scale would reject illegal foreign workers.
On the topic of E-Verify, Sen. Sessions recalled something that a Border Patrol agent told GOP Presidential Hopeful Mitt Romney: “The administration has also been resistant to the popular E-Verify program, never once including it in any of its jobs or economic plans. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, has effectively ended worksite enforcement operations, meaning employers can continue to hire illegal workers rather than out-of-work Americans. . . .”
They [Border Patrol agents] said “when employers are willing to hire people who are here illegally, that's a magnet, and it draws them in. And sanctuary cities, giving tuition breaks to the kids of illegal aliens..... Those things also have to be stopped. If we want to secure the border, we have to make sure we have a fence, determining where people are, enough agents to oversee it, and turn off that magnet. We can't talk about amnesty; we cannot give amnesty to those who have come here illegally”.
Beforehand Sen. Sessions delivered a speech on the Senate floor calling for an end to the Child Tax Care loophole that allows illegal aliens to collect thousands of dollars in tax refunds by filing with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). This has been going on for years. This cannot continue. It must be stopped, and fixing it can't be delayed. The Treasury Department's own inspector general for Tax Administration, who analyzes problems within the agency and issues reports, reported that in 2010 the Internal Revenue Service paid illegal aliens a staggering $4.2 billion in child tax credits for dependents, a great deal of whom don't even live in the country. This has been going on for years. This cannot continue. It must be stopped, and fixing it can't be delayed.
According to a WTHR Indianapolis TV station there were four illegal alien workers living in the same Trailer park. Between the four of them, they claimed 20 children as dependents, but while investigating the story, only one child was seen living at the home. "We found, in many cases, they're getting these tax credits for nieces and nephews and children who aren't even in the United States," All these people have to do is possess a not from the school, which in itself is open to large areas of fraud. Claimed on a federal form 8812, this credit is for specific taxpayers who get lesser than full amount of the child tax credit. Prior to this outcry by Sen. Sessions, the bill to close the loophole has gone nowhere, but now H.R. 1956 has passed the house and need your voice to add to the anger and utter frustration. Call the Washington central switchboard at 202-224-3121 and inundate your U.S. Senators and demand this law passes, along with mandatory E-Verify and the Birthright Citizenship amendment.
The child tax reimbursement is not some kind of loophole for illegal alien workers to use to grow their refunds. The IRS rules for eligible children still apply and the law is very clear that the credit is limited to those children who are classified as “a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or a U.S. resident alien.” All others are committing fraud; as was previously discovered years back, when prison detainees were caught in the act. This is why we must seriously rethink the “Birthright Citizenship” law on the books now. This policy needs to be amended,--immediately so no foreign mother who slips past the U.S. border Patrol, or lies on their entry form prior to arriving on an international flight cannot use the U.S. taxpayers, as their own personal bank account?
This law is ridiculously out of date with global travel, as any pregnant female can arrive on U.S. soil and claim American citizenship for their new born baby. No change in the law is required, just an amendment, so babies born in the jurisdiction of the United States--at least one parent must be a citizen. Otherwise the annual estimated number of 400.000 newborns entering this country will add up in the billions. Once status is claimed, these mothers with babies are eligible for food, housing, medical and schooling until the age of 18 including their mother. Reported by the Center for Immigration Studies an average annual cost per child K-12 is $7,161.00 and exceeds $109 billion annually per cycle of ‘Foothold’ babies. That’s your taxes given out to the 400,000 mothers and their kids annually, gaining a nice little inheritance from Americans.
Is there so much money just lying around, as the Solar panel manufacturer “Solyndra’ with 535 million worth of loan guarantees or the General Service Administration (GSA) debacle in Las Vegas and whatever else is out there? How much more money are taxpayers supposed to conjure up, without accountability? Illegal Immigration unfortunately has adverse consequences on all our lives, but mainly the cost of supporting them. $113 billion dollars a year and climbing is a very unhealthy situation, when we cannot cater to our own poor.
As I see it and millions of Americans, no matter their race, color or faith should join up with the TEA PARTY? The outcome is to rid the Congress of those politicians’ that are obstacles in changing laws detrimental to the welfare, security and health of all citizens and residents. Gone already is Richard Lugar, who deliberation was no other politician could unseat him, when as a Republican he was siding with the Liberals to pass another Amnesty for illegal aliens. Who is next to clock out and which state is to be hounded by the Department of Justice for protecting their citizens? First it was Arizona, and then Alabama was intimidated? Yet these Liberal czars condoned by Obama, has done nothing to stop the emergence of Sanctuary States like California and Nevada?
But even so we must be on our guard against all future elections, even down to the municipal level, as non citizens in large numbers have been discovered in the voter rolls in Florida. Democrats no matter the future consequences of the citizen’s right to vote have shown indifferent to any new measure to stop any ineligible person voting. In fact they have shown no desire to strengthen election laws, by insisting that every person who appears to vote has an official picture ID? Just by this reluctance for a fair and respect for our voting laws, illustrates they don’t care who votes, especially by illegal aliens for the left? Read everything you wanted to know about illegal immigration, true statistics and more at NumbersUSA and American Patrol.
In addition the National Liberal media had reported nationwide, the dwindling of numbers of illegal aliens crossing the Southern border. The source was coming from the Pew Hispanic Research Center? But the Washington Examiner press negates this as a lie; the original data was coming from the Obama Administration. When conducting interviews with Border Patrol officials the numbers are not slowing down.
Saying, “Security is being compromised as the government seeks to keep a lid on the border as a campaign issue during the presidential election cycle. Department of Homeland Security’s Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are being told not to make arrests of noncriminal illegal immigrants and not to patrol areas of high traffic along the roughly 2,000-mile Southwest border”.
A Border Patrol official working along the Texas border said administration officials are deliberately failing to document what is actually happening on the border. “In many cases my supervisors make it clear that they don’t want increased apprehension numbers, which means no arrests,” he said.
Post your comment