Don's Tuesday Column

THE WAY I SEE IT   by Don Polson Red Bluff Daily News   12/09/2014

Twisted web of Obama’s orders, memos, proclamations

The Tea Party Patriots may have newly-elected Supervisor Candy Carlson present tonight; the operating phrase in the announcement was “if available.” There will be an update on the efforts to promote the State of Jefferson in Lake County. Also on the agenda is a DVD made by the Tea Party about the IRS. All are encouraged to come tonight as well as for next Tuesday’s dessert potluck—always well worth the indulgence.

Included with the meeting agenda announcement was a sample letter that was meant to be signed and sent to Congressman Doug LaMalfa, urging him to defund President Obama’s executive amnesty of illegal immigrants. It is a necessary and commendable sentiment considering the outrageous manner of high-handed implementation by our now-admitted “Emperor” Obama, as I pointed out last week. Practically speaking, it will take a Senate under Republican control to bring full legislative weight to bear on such tactics. The letter rightly points out that it is only through our elected representatives that such a process has legitimacy. Two landslide Congressional mid-term elections punishing Obama’s Democrat party should be emphatic in denouncing Obama’s course of action.

There are major aspects of the issue that have seen little examination by our supposedly unbiased news media—which collectively function as little more than cheerleaders for and defenders of the Democrat/Obama agenda. Here’s an example of the right kind of examination: In a World Net Daily article titled “Amnesty Shocker! The Secret Behind Obama’s ‘Order’; President accused of ‘sleight of hand’ to protect self from impeachment,” Jerome R. Corsi outlined how Obama used a “Machiavellian” method to effectuate his amnesty policy.

Both WND and Mr. Corsi can err on the side of conspiratorial but this information is from an interview with Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch, a highly reliable source. Moreover, anyone doubting the information can access links to government sources; I posted the article on Sunday at DonPolson.blogspot.com. “The inquiry begins with the question: Where are the executive orders Obama supposedly signed to permit up to 5 million parents of young illegal aliens to remain in the United States for three years?”

Remember that the original order establishing “deferred action for childhood arrivals,” or DACA, was itself an executive creation by Obama when Congress (after Republicans were elected to a House majority) refused to pass the so-called “DREAM” act without significant enforcement provisions. Obamacrats have never wanted increased enforcement either at the border or by aggressive deportation from the interior. Neither through elections, polling nor common sense can Obama point to how America’s workers and citizens are to benefit from amnesty without ironclad enforcement to assure us that future waves of border-hoppers will be stopped and/or deported.

Fitton: “The entire implementing authority involves a memorandum published by DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson that changes the immigration law, directing federal money to be spent that has not been appropriated by Congress…(which) neither authorized nor appropriated funds to accomplish.” The White House website says that on Nov. 21 Obama signed a presidential proclamation titled “Creating Welcoming Communities Fully Integrating Immigrants and Refugees” and a presidential memorandum titled “Modernizing and Streamlining the U.S. Immigration Visa System for the 21^st Century.” So, a “proclamation” and “memo,” not “executive orders”; both were filed Nov. 26 in the Federal Registry under “Presidential Documents” (links in article). If you are thinking they sound “Orwellian,” you’re right.

The first (“Creating…) established a White House Task Force on New Americans to “engage with community, business, and faith leaders, as well as State and local elected officials” to ensure that “programs and policies are serving diverse communities that include new Americans.” Wow! Obama is declaring them “new Americans,” not just no-longer-illegal-and-deportable. Maybe with a wink and nod they’ll be registered as new Democrat voters.

The second (“Modernizing…the Visa System”) “empowered the secretaries of State and Homeland Security, in consultation with” a whole list of federal agencies, directors and secretaries “to reduce government costs, improve services for applicants, reduce burdens on employers and combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the system” of issuing immigrant and non-immigrant visas. Remember that, unlike Presidents Reagan and Bush, who had actual 1986 legislation to inform their actions relative to certain groups of immigrants, Obama has no supporting legislation.

The only Obama administration document that accommodates the “legislative” changes pronounced on Nov. 21 in Las Vegas is “a DHS memorandum signed by DHS Secretary Johnson titled ‘Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion…’” So, Johnson, without any legal authority, is tasked with doing things that, according to the “Guide to the Federal Rulemaking Process” Obama himself has no authority to delegate. It’s Machiavellian, indeed, for Obama to put Johnson in that position and insulate himself from actual political prosecution, i.e. impeachment. It is utterly cynical for Obama, knowing that the Democrat/media complex will make sure Americans hold Republicans to blame for any disruption of government, pushes the authoritarian limits.