Open Letter to United States Senator Lindsey Graham
By Adam Graham (06/21/07)
Senator, I'm not one of your constituents, but I've followed your career for years. Let's be honest, I've disagreed with you quite a few times, but I've never disrespected you. Certain folks have shown themselves people of good will and I can respect that no matter how misguided they might be, they truly mean the best.
While I disagreed with your vote against impeaching Clinton for perjury in a civil suit, I understood why you did it. You eloquently and ably represented the case of the House Impeachment managers on the articles that were sent to the House. Then, I read Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-Ok.) book, “Breach of Trust” where he described how you faced down Newt Gingrich and the Republican leadership over spending in 1997, as they prepared to bust the budget caps.
Yes, there have been some poor decisions and some votes I strongly disagreed with. Your support for McCain-Feingold and your membership in the gang of fourteen come immediately to mind, but there have been others, but I have never questioned your good intentions. Until now.
You’ve been going across the country identifying opponents of the illegal immigration bill as “bigots” and comparing concerns about illegal immigration to negative attitudes towards Blacks and Jews. Many questions run through my mind.
First, do you actually believe what you’re saying? Do you think that your fellow South Carolinian, Jim DeMint, is a bigot? Do you think your old comrade-in-arms in the House, Senator Coburn, is? While you can undoubtedly find anti-Hispanic bigots, they don’t represent the mainstream of this movement.
When I talk to people about the border, I find many have no problem with immigration provided that it’s done in accordance with the law. The great thing about America is that it is a land that takes people from all over the world and through the process of assimilation turns them into Americans.
There are many concerns with this bill. Senator Graham, why are those who oppose tearing down the rule of law through amnesty bigots? Our prosperity and safety rests on the respect for law in our country. When we tear that down through amnesty, we begin to chip away at the very foundation of what makes this nation worth emigrating to.
Senator Graham, why is it that people are bigots if they oppose the creation of a permanent underclass (i.e. guest workers) that will feed the corrupt Mexican government? Having once ended a system in this country that thrived on an underclass that did “the jobs Americans won’t do,” why are we now set to re-create it? Is this a bigoted question to ask? Were those folks against the African Slave trade really just anti-African bigots who didn’t want Blacks in their country?
Senator Graham, is it bigoted to expect that those who’ve waited in line and faced the insufferable US immigration bureaucracy be given first opportunity to come to our country rather than those who’ve broken the rules to come into our border? Is it racist to oppose punishing those who try to follow the law while rewarding those who break it? Am I a bigot because I think there is no way you can dump 12-20 million (or 30-40 million, who knows?) new applications for Visas from illegals and get anything other than a massive backlog that leads to permanent amnesty without punishment or accountability?
These are legitimate concerns, but it seems to me you’re so dedicated to passing this amnesty that you’ll declare all legitimate concerns to be nothing more than bigotry. In the process, you’re destroying the Republican Party. Do you want to be in the same party as “the bigots”? Do those who oppose amnesty want to be in a party with those who will demagogue and demonize us in order to make their point? Senator, to me it appears you’re acting like a child, throwing a tantrum with a hammer, not even understanding the damage you’re doing.
If you can actually listen to us long enough to stop demonizing us, maybe at last you’ll understand why we oppose this bill, and address our concerns in a serious and substantive way, rather than with name calling and personal attacks.
Sincerely Yours,
Adam Graham
(no relation)
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