Refuting Gutierrez (Part One): Family Values

I attended the Immigrant Justice Convention in Chicago a couple of weeks back. See below for links to my other posts on the subject.

Now it's time to focus on my own representative in the House of Representatives, Luis Gutierrez, who spoke at the event. I have so much to say that I'm going to have to break it into segments. Today I'm going to look at this Gutierrez quote from the convention:

"Unlike my Republican colleagues who speak about family values, you are family values."

Let's get the partisan political rhetoric out of the way first. Was inferring that his Republicn colleagues are all talk and no action when it comes to "family values" a great shock? No. Was it a cheap, self-serving, inaccurate generalization? Oh, ya -- you betcha.

Gutierrez was addressing an audience that consisted largely of immigrants -- both legal and illegal. The other side of his broad generalization suggested that those audience members were the very embodiment of "family values." As if, no matter how many laws are broken, it's A-OK if it's in the name of "family values."

I'm not even going to get into the definition of family values. In my book, it's a moot point. Gutierrez wants to hand out blanket amnesty/legalization for those who have broken our laws to come here, blanket legalization for those who break our laws to work here, blanket legalization for those who break our laws to stay here. If that's the underlying foundation of the family, isn't a little ridiculous to start tossing around the "family values" phrase?

Does having family values just mean keeping the family together? Because I was raised to understand that honesty, respect, and honor were of great value to a family...and to a nation.

So when I hear the guy who represents me in the House lauding the legal and illegal in the audience equally for their family values, I'm more than a little confused. And more than a little upset.

I think it's a disgrace that our government thinks so little of its citizens that our border control and illegal immigration problems have been allowed to become humongous. Some honesty, respect and honor toward those who have entrusted you with power would be terrific right about now.

How about being the first to take the plunge, Rep. Gutierrez?

Previous posts on the convention:
Immigrant Justice Convention Held in Chicago
Justice for Immigrants vs. Justice for Citizens
Making Heroes of Rosa and Jorge
The Misplaced Blame of Illegal Students
Does Jim Oberweis Have Horns?
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Illegal Immigration
Luis Gutierrez
Amnesty
Family Values

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