Booman Tribune ~ A Progressive Community

Essentially, Lieberman heard that Dean and Weiner and a lot of the blogosphere were happy about a Medicare Buy-In proposal, which was something he himself has supported, and that was enough for him to spike the idea.

Booman's referring to reports put out by The New York Times and which Steven Bennen discussed at WEINER SCARED LIEBERMAN AWAY?

I cannot repeat enough how going forward, this "Joe Lieberman" moment has to be remembered for eons to come. Because it doesn't matter if you extricate Joe Lieberman from the senate, or as I suspect will happen, it will not matter a bit the day he walks away on his own accord by "retiring" from politics. You will always have another asshole who will point to a bill or a cause and say, "if that's what those radicals want, am voting against it".
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Earlier today I had a knee-jerk reaction to this tweet from America's Voice:

americasvoice: Napolitano doesn't answer directly question about Sheriff Joe Arpaio, says "secure communities" programs should be available nationwide (about 2 hours ago from web)

Napolitano was speaking at a Center For American Progress conference on Immigration and was answering a question by the audience. I couldn't believe what I was reading and so twittered back:

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There's an interesting debate going on in the backchannels of the POC blogosphere as to what to do in the wake of yet another Bush-like policy being embraced by the Obama administration. In U.S. to Expand Immigration Checks to All Local Jails, the Washington Post reports the following :

The Obama administration is expanding a program initiated by President George W. Bush aimed at checking the immigration status of virtually every person booked into local jails. In four years, the measure could result in a tenfold increase in illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes and identified for deportation, current and former U.S. officials said.

By matching inmates' fingerprints to federal immigration databases, authorities hope to pinpoint deportable illegal immigrants before they are released from custody. Inmates in federal and state prisons already are screened. But authorities generally lack the time and staff to do the same at local jails, which house up to twice as many illegal immigrants at any time and where inmates come and go more quickly.

The effort is likely to significantly reshape immigration enforcement, current and former executive branch officials said. It comes as the Obama administration and Democratic leaders in Congress vow to crack down on illegal immigrants who commit crimes, rather than those who otherwise abide by the law.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has made it "very clear" that her top priority is deporting illegal immigrants who have committed crimes, said David J. Venturella, program director at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A lot of the discussion is centered on how to counter people's immediate reaction is to say, "well, if they're criminals, it makes sense to do this". I totally agree with many who have said that giving Obama a pass on this is yet another example of how the US government is looking for ways to thro away due process.

My point in the debate is that we need to lay yet again another anti-immigrant policy at the feet of the American people. Why? It signals the Obama Administration's eagerness to invest time and money in developing the kinds of surveillance systems government spooks want in order to use any and all technological innovations that would allow them to track and even strip-search every single person in the US without need of a warrant and regardless of that person's citizenship status.
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Over at Daily Gotham I have been covering the shootings at an immigration center in Binghamton, New York. Here you can find a collection of what pro-migrant organizations are saying about this tragedy.

From America's Voice Laments Tragic Loss of Life at Binghamton Immigrant Advocacy Non-profit :: America's Voice:

It seems that many of the victims of today's horrific shooting were on their way toward becoming full citizens of our nation. In honor of their memory and their families' grief, as well as the men and women who work every day to make sure that our values as a nation of immigrants are upheld, we hope that the discussion around this unspeakable tragedy centers on the tragic loss of life and how best to serve the families and communities who have been brutalized by it.

We should focus on the tragic and shocking deaths of the immigrant men and women who were reportedly taking their citizenship tests (or studying for these) inside the center-a poignant moment for those who have sacrificed and toiled to become full participants in our great nation. We hope that the grief and suffering of families who lost loved ones today is not amplified by callous statements and actions of extreme groups whose primary purpose is to stir up bitterness and resentment toward the most vulnerable members of our society.

From NIJC - Statement of Condolence Regarding Shooting at the American Civic Association, Binghamton, NY:

Staff at Heartland Alliance's National Immigrant Justice Center are following the news about what is happening in Binghamton, New York. We understand from news reports that the American Civic Association provides important services to immigrants and refugees seeking to become citizens and reunite with their families. The National Immigrant Justice Center engages in similar work to protect the rights of immigrants, and for that reason this story hits especially close to home. Our thoughts are with the people, families, and communities who have been affected by this horrible tragedy.
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