Dear America,

Dream a Little Dream of Mine

happy thursday and may you be forewarned -- this is LONG.  It is the full transcript from the entire speech, complete with interruptions by the audience -- and now, by G.  Take it over a few days, or not at all, it doesn't matter...but please, if nothing else, read and pay attention to the words chosen by the president, our president.  they are easy to see, for they are in blue...carry on...

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
ON COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM
Chamizal National Memorial
El Paso, Texas
1:21 P.M. MDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, El Paso!  (Applause.)  Well, it is wonderful — wonderful to be back with all of you in the Lone Star State.  (Applause.)  Everything is bigger in Texas.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back!  (Applause.)  Even the welcomes are bigger.  (Applause.)  So, in appreciation, I wanted to give a big policy speech outside on a really hot day.  (Laughter.)  Those of you who are still wearing your jackets, feel free to take them off.  I hope everybody is wearing sunscreen.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We live here.

THE PRESIDENT:  You say you live here?  You don’t need it, huh?  (Laughter.)  Well, it is a great honor to be here.  And I want to express my appreciation to all of you for taking the time to come out today.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  I appreciate it.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

You know, about a week ago, I delivered a commencement address at Miami Dade Community College, which is one of the most diverse schools in the nation.  The graduates were proud that their class could claim heritage from 181 countries around the world — 181 countries.  (Applause.)

Many of the students were immigrants themselves, coming to America with little more than the dream of their parents and the clothes on their back.  A handful had discovered only in adolescence or adulthood that they were undocumented.

G:  oh details...

THE PRESIDENT: But they worked hard and they gave it their all, and so they earned those diplomas.

And at the ceremony, 181 flags — one for every nation that was represented — was marched across the stage.  And each one was applauded by the graduates and the relatives with ties to those countries.  So when the Haitian flag went by, all the Haitian kids — Haitian American kids shouted out.  And when the Guatemalan flag went by, all the kids of Guatemalan heritage shouted out.  And when the Ukrainian flag went by, I think one kid shouted out.  (Laughter.)  This was down in Miami.  (Laughter.)  If it had been in Chicago, there would have been more.

But then, the last flag, the American flag, came into view.  And everyone in the room erupted in applause.  Everybody cheered.  (Applause.)

G:  But if the American Flag were to be raised in Tucson...no telling what might happen...(if you are following the issues of the school board and curriculum condoning the complete overthrow of government...)

THE PRESIDENT:  So, yes, their parents and grandparents — some of the graduates themselves — had come from every corner of the globe.  But it was here that they had found opportunity.  It was here that they had a chance to contribute to the nation that is their home.

And it was a reminder of a simple idea, as old as America itself:  E pluribus unum.  Out of many, one.

G:  right...one...one nation under GOD, INDIVISIBLE!  We all speak the same language, salute the same flag, and respect the same CONSTITUTION under the same principles and values for all.

THE PRESIDENT:  We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants — a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace America’s ideals and America’s precepts.  That’s why millions of people, ancestors to most of us, braved hardship and great risk to come here — so they could be free to work and worship and start a business and live their lives in peace and prosperity.  The Asian immigrants who made their way to California’s Angel Island.  The German and Scandinavians who settled across the Midwest.  The waves of Irish, and Italian, and Polish, and Russian, and Jewish immigrants who leaned against the railing to catch their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.

This flow of immigrants has helped make this country stronger and more prosperous.  (Applause.)  We can point to the genius of Einstein, the designs of I. M. Pei, the stories of Isaac Asimov, the entire industries that were forged by Andrew Carnegie.

And then when I think about immigration I think about the naturalization ceremonies that we’ve held at the White House for members of our military.  Nothing could be more inspiring.  Even though they were not yet citizens when they joined our military, these men and women signed up to serve.

We did one event at the White House and a young man named Granger Michael from Papua New Guinea, a Marine who had been deployed to Iraq three times, was there.  And you know what he said about becoming an American citizen?  He said, “I might as well.  I love this country already.”  That’s all he said.  Marines aren’t big on speeches.  (Laughter.)

Another was a woman named Perla Ramos who was born and raised in Mexico and came to the United States shortly after 9/11, and joined the Navy.  And she said, “I take pride in our flag and the history we write day by day.”

That’s the promise of this country — that anyone can write the next chapter in our story.  It doesn’t matter where you come from — (applause) — it doesn’t matter where you come from; it doesn’t matter what you look like; it doesn’t matter what faith you worship.

G:  RIGHT. It doesn't matter...IT does matter, however, HOW you get here and what you do when you get here.  but again...just details to you, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  What matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded; that you believe that all of us are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights.  (Applause.)  All of us deserve our freedoms and our pursuit of happiness.  In embracing America, you can become American.  That is what makes this country great.  That enriches all of us.

And yet, at the same time, we’re here at the border today — (applause) — we’re here at the border because we also recognize that being a nation of laws goes hand in hand with being a nation of immigrants.  This, too, is our heritage.  This, too, is important.  And the truth is, we’ve often wrestled with the politics of who is and who isn’t allowed to come into this country.  This debate is not new.

G: BUT apparently our president has the debate entirely wrong.  "wrestled with the politics of who is and who isn't allowed to come into this country?"  really?  THIS DEBATE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS!  you just told us, "we also recognize that being a nation of laws goes hand in hand with being a nation of immigrants."  IT IS the breaking of the LAW that we have a problem with -- it is undermining of our immigration policy, and the blatant disrespect of "the law," that is the problem.

THE PRESIDENT:  At times, there has been fear and resentment directed towards newcomers, especially in hard economic times.  And because these issues touch deeply on what we believe, touch deeply on our convictions — about who we are as a people, about what it means to be an American — these debates often elicit strong emotions.

G: AGAIN -- stop polarizing the issue -- it is NOT "fear and resentment directed towards newcomers" just because they are newcomers, or even Mexican or Russian or Cantonese, it is just pure emotion based on millions of people seemingly getting away with breaking our law.

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s one reason it’s been so difficult to reform our broken immigration system.  When an issue is this complex, when it raises such strong feelings, it’s easier for politicians to defer until the problem the next election.  And there’s always a next election.

G:  OR, one could look at it from the perspective that even when you, Mr. President, held an overwhelming majority in both houses of Congress to write the new policy and legislation, you didn't take it (or didn't really have enough of your own people supporting it; it's easier for "we the people" to assume you can't be serious...or wonder, why you didn't you make it so...or question, someone's true commitment, or underlying motives, during the political process...just sayin'.

THE PRESIDENT:  So we’ve seen a lot of blame and a lot of politics and a lot of ugly rhetoric around immigration.  And we’ve seen good faith efforts from leaders of both parties — by the way, I just noticed, those of you who have chairs, if you want to sit down, feel free.  There’s no rule about having to stand when I’m –

G:  so is it "blame and rhetoric" or "good faith efforts"?

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  — we love you!  (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT:  But we’ve seen leaders of both parties who try to work on this issue, but then their efforts fell prey to the usual Washington games.  And all the while, we’ve seen the mounting consequences of decades of inaction.

Today, there are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants here in the United States.  Some crossed the border illegally.  Others avoid immigration laws by overstaying their visas.  Regardless of how they came, the overwhelming majority of these folks are just trying to earn a living and provide for their families.  (Applause.)

G:  "regardless of how they came?"  Now, your presidential stance counters directly with our actual, official, federal law?  and the "overwhelming majority...are just trying to earn a living..."  Unless, you take a look at our jails or take a good long walk through the barrio.

THE PRESIDENT:  But we have to acknowledge they’ve broken the rules.  They’ve cut in front of the line.  And what is also true is that the presence of so many illegal immigrants makes a mockery of all those who are trying to immigrate legally.

G: Finally.  Only what, twenty minutes in, we get to a fact undermining whatever good faith there was, is -- "they've broken the rules."  It is just not fair to those who do come to AMERICA following the law.

THE PRESIDENT:  Also, because undocumented immigrants live in the shadows, where they’re vulnerable to unscrupulous businesses that skirt taxes, and pay workers less than the minimum wage, or cut corners with health and safety laws, this puts companies who follow the rules, and Americans who rightly demand the minimum wage or overtime or just a safe place to work, it puts those businesses at a disadvantage.

G:  OMG.  Now Illegals Immigrants are the victims.

THE PRESIDENT:  Think about it.  Over the past decade, even before the recession hit, middle-class families were struggling to get by as the costs went up for everything, from health care, to college tuition, to groceries, to gas.  Their incomes didn’t go up with those prices.  We’re seeing it again right now with gas prices.

G: which by the way, first thing tomorrow, you should begin taking immediate steps to correct the "gas prices;" Mr. President, allow AMERICA to DRILL for OIL and Natural Gas!   This will increase our own line of supply, directly challenging the speculators in the Futures Marketplace, and positively impact the price almost within hours.

THE PRESIDENT:  So one way to strengthen the middle class in America is to reform the immigration system so that there is no longer a massive underground economy that exploits a cheap source of labor while depressing wages for everybody else.

G: ... stop condoning the bad behavior...enforce the law...actually provide a secure border..(and much like the way it works for the price of gas)  all of a sudden, illegally coming to America, via our soft, porous, open borders, will immediately cutoff the large supply of cheap labor and sharply curtail illicit, illegal business practices that "exploit" illegals in the first place (or is it in the second place?).

THE PRESIDENT:  I want incomes for middle-class families to rise again.  (Applause.)  I want prosperity in this country to be widely shared.  (Applause.)  I want everybody to be able to reach that American dream.  And that’s why immigration reform is an economic imperative.  It’s an economic imperative.  (Applause.)

And reform will also help to make America more competitive in the global economy.  Today, we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities.  (Applause.)

But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States.  Instead of training entrepreneurs to stay here, we train them to create jobs for our competition.  That makes no sense.  In a global marketplace, we need all the talent we can attract, all the talent we can get to stay here to start businesses — not just to benefit those individuals, but because their contribution will benefit all Americans.

G:  Mr. President, first off, you are muddling the real issue at hand -- which is ILLEGAL migration to this beautiful country.  And in then second, if you are so worried about corporations going elsewhere in the world, change the corporate tax laws, let go of the obsessive control of the federal government over business, make AMERICA more amenable to keeping all our talent here.

THE PRESIDENT:  Look at Intel, look at Google, look at Yahoo, look at eBay.  All those great American companies, all the jobs they’ve created, everything that has helped us take leadership in the high-tech industry, every one of those was founded by, guess who, an immigrant.  (Applause.)

G:  RIGHT. A LEGAL ONE.  AS a nation entirely of immigrants (unless you are part of the Native American culture)  this argument goes nowhere; of course, those born in America, to a pair of American citizens, and living today, are not really "an immigrant" any longer, now are we?   WE ARE SIMPLY AMERICANS.  THIS lineage and heritage has long stood on it's own two feet. The thing is,  I don't call myself a "Swedish-English-Danish-Moravian-German-AMERICAN" (or what we like to call in my family, a Heinz 57).  I am an AMERICAN girl through and through. And we get the notion that perhaps a long, long time ago, we were all immigrants -- but no longer is that the case when you look at the whole -- the entire picture -- and who we are today.  We have created our own culture, tweaked our own language, and created a society based upon a generational recipe built into the melting pot -- and fully reliant upon our own self-reliance, duty, and assimilation with the whole.

THE PRESIDENT:  So we don’t want the next Intel or the next Google to be created in China or India.  We want those companies and jobs to take root here.  (Applause.)

G: Sure.  We do.  But doesn't this idea also run kinda counter to your "One Nation", One World philosophy, aligned with your Global Economic Vision -- you know, the one that runs along undermining everything this nation called America stands for.  or maybe that's just me. but please, continue...

THE PRESIDENT:  Bill Gates gets this.  He knows a little something about the high-tech industry.  He said, “The United States will find it far more difficult to maintain its competitive edge if it excludes those who are able and willing to help us compete.”

G: it's not about the people...the loss of the competitive edge is rooted in mistakes and mishaps surrounding our economic policies; it is more about our failure to live within our means and the excessive, reckless printing of money on borrowed time.

THE PRESIDENT:  So immigration is not just the right thing to do.  It’s smart for our economy.  It’s smart for our economy.  (Applause.)  And it’s for this reason that businesses all across America are demanding that Washington finally meet its responsibilities to solve the immigration problem.  Everybody recognizes the system is broken.  The question is, will we finally summon the political will to do something about it?  And that’s why we’re here at the border today.

G:  your "political will" seems either misguided or suspiciously timed.  YOU HAD TWO YEARS with all the liberty in the world to create Immigration Reform to your party's liking...what happened to your will, Mr. President?

THE PRESIDENT:  And I want to say I am joined today by an outstanding Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, who’s been working tirelessly on this issue.  (Applause.)  Our commissioner who’s working diligently on border issues, Alan Bersin, is there, and we appreciate him — Bersin.  (Applause.)

So they’re doing outstanding work.  And in recent years, among one of the greatest impediments to reform were questions about border security.  And these were legitimate concerns.  What was true was a lack of manpower and a lack of resources at the border, combined with the pull of jobs and ill-considered enforcement once folks were in the country.

All this contributed to a growing number of undocumented people living in the United States.  And these concerns helped unravel a bipartisan coalition that we had forged back when I was in the United States Senate.  So in the years since, “borders first, borders first,” that’s become the common refrain, even among those who were previously supportive of comprehensive immigration reform.

But over the last two years, thanks to the outstanding work of Janet and Alan and everybody who’s down here working at the border, we’ve answered those concerns.  Under their leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible.   They wanted more agents at the border.  Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history.  (Applause.)

The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents — more than twice as many as there were in 2004.  It’s a build-up that began under President Bush and that we’ve continued, and I had a chance to meet some of these outstanding agents, and actually saw some of them on horseback who looked pretty tough.  (Laughter.)  So we put the agents here.

Then they wanted a fence.  Well, the fence is –

AUDIENCE:  Booo!

G:  you see, this is where, if I were president up on that stage, I would have stopped right there... and say something like, "now now...a secure border is a secure border.  that kind of outburst marks a clear disrespect to the law of our land...now if you should be so kind, please, allow me to continue."

THE PRESIDENT:  The fence is now basically complete.

G:  complete?

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Tear it down!

G:  what?   Again, if I were president, I would look over to the direction that voice came, and say, "wow.  we are not Berlin here.  we are the United States of America, and we have a duty to protect and defend our citizens and our country...please.   Now show America some respect and stand up and put your hand over your heart and give me ten Pledges of Allegiance."

THE PRESIDENT:  Then we’ve gone further.  We tripled the number of intelligence analysts working at the border.  I’ve deployed unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the skies from Texas to California.  We have forged a partnership with Mexico to fight the transnational criminal organizations that have affected both of our countries.  (Applause.)  And for the first time — for the first time we’re screening 100 percent of southbound rail shipments to seize guns and money going south even as we go after drugs that are coming north.  (Applause.)

G: and that's funny, considering you have recently been charged with selling automatic weapons to the drug lords and have been accused of a misguided gun tracking strategy, that, if you'll excuse the added pun, backfired.  but details right...

THE PRESIDENT:  So, here’s the point.  I want everybody to listen carefully to this.  We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement.  All the stuff they asked for, we’ve done.  But even though we’ve answered these concerns, I’ve got to say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time.

G:  and after just having encouraged everyone not to make this political -- wanting us to work together and find the common legal ground to walk on.    HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT with a straight face and a clear conscience?  And is it really just republicans wanting a secure border, a fence that works, and an enforcement of our law?  Is it?  really? seriously? NO other democrat or independent or libertarian wants that too?

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  They’re racist!

G:  I don't even know what to say -- but you, sir, should have immediately vilified the vitriol spewing from the sidelines.

THE PRESIDENT:  You know, they said we needed to triple the Border Patrol.  Or now they’re going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol.  Or they’ll want a higher fence.  Maybe they’ll need a moat.  (Laughter.)  Maybe they want alligators in the moat.  (Laughter.)  They’ll never be satisfied.  And I understand that.  That’s politics.

G:  No sir, YOU are politics.  Wasn't it just twenty minutes ago...you discouraged the politicizing of this issue?  and to demean a serious conversation with such untruths just to get a laugh.  that is beneath the office of a president who stands for America, for ALL Americans, especially considering we are half of your constituency under the highest office of the land.

THE PRESIDENT:  But the truth is the measures we’ve put in place are getting results.  Over the past two and a half years, we’ve seized 31 percent more drugs, 75 percent more currency, 64 percent more weapons than ever before.  (Applause.)  And even as we have stepped up patrols, apprehensions along the border have been cut by nearly 40 percent from two years ago.  That means far fewer people are attempting to cross the border illegally.

G:  ahhh duh...because there are no jobs; because business is not booming; even the illegals can't find a decent job.  why bother coming over the border now.

THE PRESIDENT:  And also, despite a lot of breathless reports that have tagged places like El Paso as dangerous, violent crime in southwest border counties has dropped by a third.  El Paso and other cities and towns along this border are consistently among the safest in the nation.  (Applause.)  Of course, we shouldn’t accept any violence or crime.  And we’ve always got more work to do.  But this progress is important and it’s not getting reported on.

G:  because the violence has moved...it's no longer just on the border...it has expanded, branched out.

THE PRESIDENT:  And we’re also going beyond the border.  Beyond the border, we’re going after employers who knowingly exploit people and break the law.  (Applause.)  And we are deporting those who are here illegally.  And that’s a tough issue.  It’s a source of controversy.

But I want to emphasize we’re not doing it haphazardly.  We’re focusing our limited resources...

G: if I may interrupt....regarding those "limited resources"  --- you just said that you have " tripled the number of intelligence analysts working at the border.  I’ve deployed unmanned aerial vehicles to patrol the skies from Texas to California.  We have forged a partnership with Mexico to fight the transnational criminal organizations that have affected both of our countries.  (Applause.)  And for the first time — for the first time we’re screening 100 percent of southbound rail shipments to seize guns and money going south even as we go after drugs that are coming north."  ...but go on...

THE PRESIDENT:  and people on violent offenders and people convicted of crimes — not just families, not just folks who are just looking to scrape together an income.  And as a result, we’ve increased the removal of criminals by 70 percent.  (Applause.)

G: unless you are in California....

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s not to ignore the real human toll of a broken immigration system.  Even as we recognize that enforcing the law is necessary, we don’t relish the pain that it causes in the lives of people who are just trying to get by and get caught up in the system.

G:  right, the system that THEY exploited.

THE PRESIDENT:  And as long as the current laws are on the books, it’s not just hardened felons who are subject to removal, but sometimes families who are just trying to earn a living, or bright, eager students, or decent people with the best of intentions.  (Applause.)

And sometimes when I talk to immigration advocates, they wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. 

G:  yeah yeah, why not...you have done it before....DOMA...rewriting EPA regulations...and yet, again, when the democrats had the full majority, you guys didn't get it done.  ?????

THE PRESIDENT:  But that’s not how a democracy works.  What we really need to do is to keep up the fight to pass genuine, comprehensive reform.  That is the ultimate solution to this problem.  That’s what I’m committed to doing.  (Applause.)

G: or just enforce the law already there.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  Yes, we can.  We can do it.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!  Yes, we can!

G:  si sempuede si sempuede

THE PRESIDENT:  The most significant step we can now take to secure the borders is to fix the system as a whole so that fewer people have the incentive to enter illegally in search of work in the first place.  This would allow agents to focus on the worst threats on both of our — both sides of our borders, from drug traffickers to those who would come here to commit acts of violence or terror.  That’s where our focus should be.

So, El Paso, the question is whether those in Congress who previously walked away in the name of enforcement are now ready to come back to the table and finish the work that we’ve started.  (Applause.)  We’ve got to put the politics aside. 

G:  ...just after sticking it to republicans and getting a good laugh out of it...

THE PRESIDENT:  And if we do, I’m confident we can find common ground.

Washington is lagging behind the country on this.  There is already a growing coalition of leaders across America who don’t always see eye-to-eye, but are coming together on this issue.  They see the harmful consequences of a broken immigration system for their businesses and for their communities, and they understand why we need to act.

There are Democrats and Republicans, people like former Republican Senator Mel Martinez; former Bush administration Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff; leaders like Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York; evangelical ministers like Leith Anderson and Bill Hybels; police chiefs from across the nation; educators; advocates; labor unions; chambers of commerce; small business owners; Fortune 500 CEOs.

I mean, one CEO had this to say about reform:  “American ingenuity is a product of the openness and diversity of this society.  Immigrants have made America great as the world leader in business, in science, higher education and innovation.” 

G: was that whispered in your ear from Jeffrey Immelt?  ...and our answer, coming right up...

THE PRESIDENT:  You know who that leader was?  Rupert Murdoch, who owns FOX News, and is an immigrant himself.  I don’t know if you’re familiar with Rupert Murdoch’s views, but let’s just say he doesn’t have an Obama sticker on his car.  (Laughter.) 

G:  haha ha ha ha

THE PRESIDENT:  But he agrees with me on this.  (Applause.)

So there is a consensus around fixing what’s broken. And now we need Congress to catch up.  Now we need to come together around reform that reflects our values as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants; reform that demands that everybody take responsibility. So what would comprehensive reform look like?

First, we know that government has a threshold responsibility to secure our borders and enforce the law.  And that’s what Janet and all her folks are doing.  That’s what they’re doing.  (Applause.)

Second, businesses have to be held accountable if they exploit undocumented workers.  (Applause.)

Third, those who are here illegally, they have a responsibility as well.  So they broke the law, and that means they’ve got to pay their taxes...

G:  based on an imaginary income they pull out of their @**?  Taxes based upon what? or is that just future taxes we're talking about?

THE PRESIDENT:  they’ve got to pay a fine...

G: something like the new gas tax you are proposing for every citizen and business, large and small, in America?  Like per every mile we drive kind of thing?  Or is this a one time flat tax/fine/penalty kind of fine -- will it get charged annually, like your health care penalty, or is it once and your done?

THE PRESIDENT:  they’ve got to learn English.

G:  and so, why, then, do we advocate businesses, road signs, election materials, school materials (only to name a few) be duplicated, at a huge cost,  in Spanish?

THE PRESIDENT:  And they’ve got to undergo background checks and a lengthy process before they get in line for legalization.  That’s not too much to ask.  (Applause.)

G: "before they get in line for legalization."  That sounds good, doesn't it.  Sounds fair. But considering our track record, and the mess we make within our bureaucracies far and wide,  it's not really realistic, is it?

THE PRESIDENT:  And fourth, stopping illegal immigration also depends on reforming our outdated system of legal immigration.  (Applause.)  We should make it easier for the best and the brightest to not only stay here, but also to start businesses and create jobs here.

G:  they are "the best and the brightest" -- thanks a lot, Mr. President -- that bodes well for the rest of us losers now, huh?

THE PRESIDENT:  In recent years, a full 25 percent of high-tech startups in the U.S. were founded by immigrants.  That led to 200,000 jobs here in America.  I’m glad those jobs are here.  I want to see more of them created in this country.  We need to provide them the chance.  (Applause.)

We need to provide our farms a legal way to hire workers that they rely on, and a path for those workers to earn legal status.  (Applause.)  And our laws should respect families following the rules — reuniting them more quickly instead of splitting them apart.  (Applause.)

Today, the immigration system not only tolerates those who break the rules, but it punishes folks who follow the rules.  While applications — while applicants wait for approval, for example, they’re often forbidden from visiting the United States.  Even husbands and wives may have to spend years apart.  Parents can’t see their children.

G: and yet, seems like just yesterday, an American from Yemen stormed the cockpit and had to be subdued while flying from Chicago to San Francisco.

THE PRESIDENT:  I don’t believe the United States of America should be in the business of separating families.That’s not right.  That’s not who we are.  We can do better than that.  (Applause.)And we should stop punishing innocent young people for the actions of their parents.  (Applause.)  We should stop denying them the chance to earn an education or serve in the military.  And that’s why we need to pass the DREAM Act.  (Applause.)

G: because they are all like that.  Come to Solana Beach, Mr.President.  Just about an hour from the border, a beautiful neighborhood, Eden Gardens, has a few issues from the "innocent children" who somehow, can't seem to honor their teacher, do their homework, care about showing up for school, and if they do, show up with a sincere desire to learn (English, or anything else). And, have you seen the real L.A.?

THE PRESIDENT:  Now, we passed the DREAM Act through the House last year when Democrats were in control.  But even though it received a majority of votes in the Senate, it was blocked when several Republicans who had previously supported the DREAM Act voted no.

G:  oopsy-daisy...do the math and tell the truth...you must not have had a few democratic votes either...oh what's this: "Five Democrats voted against the bill: Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Jon Tester (D-Mt.), Max Baucus (D-Mt.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who switched her vote to a "no" at the last minute. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) skipped Saturday's votes for a Christmas party."

THE PRESIDENT:  That was a tremendous disappointment to get so close and then see politics get in the way. 

G:  yes. that had to hurt, considering, in part, at the hands of people within your own party.

THE PRESIDENT:  And as I gave that commencement at Miami Dade, it broke my heart knowing that a number of those promising, bright students — young people who worked so hard and who speak about what’s best in America — are at risk of facing the agony of deportation.  These are kids who grew up in this country.  They love this country.  They know no other place to call home.  The idea that we’d punish them is cruel.  It makes no sense.  We’re a better nation than that.  (Applause.)

G: what these kids could use is a role model  Like perhaps a president, lifting the law to the highest order of business; one that, instead of talking smack against America, in places like Egypt, speaks highly of Her, with all due respect -- for she made a you into a President of the United States.  Indivisible.  What we could use is a president who unites us on our common ground  (and not like "Common" the rapper/poet/activist/rev.wright follower) and not divide us; what we need is less rhetoric, ridiculing by example, and running a continuous stream of making haphazard, senseless remarks discrediting people who simply disagree with you.  IF you stand as an example, showing kids how to respect America, I am most certain we will all get along and adjust just fine.

 

THE PRESIDENT:  So we’re going to keep fighting for the DREAM Act. We’re going to keep up the fight for reform.  (Applause.)  And that’s where you come in.  I’m going to do my part to lead a constructive and civil debate on these issues.  And we’ve already had a series of meetings about this at the White House in recent weeks.  We’ve got leaders here and around the country helping to move the debate forward.

But this change ultimately has to be driven by you, the American people.  You’ve got to help push for comprehensive reform, and you’ve got to identify what steps we can take right now — like the DREAM Act, like visa reform — areas where we can find common ground among Democrats and Republicans and begin to fix what’s broken.

So I’m asking you to add your voices to this debate. 

G: that goes for all of us, right? 

THE PRESIDENT:  You can sign up to help at whitehouse.gov.  We need Washington to know that there is a movement for reform that’s gathering strength from coast to coast.  That’s how we’ll get this done.  That’s how we can ensure that in the years ahead we are welcoming the talents of all who can contribute to this country and that we’re living up to the basic American idea that you can make it here if you try.  (Applause.)

That’s the idea that gave hope to José Hernández.  Is José here?  Where’s — José is right over there.  (Applause.)  I want you to hear — I want you to think about this story.  José’s parents were migrant farm workers.  And so, growing up, he was too.  He was born in California, though he could have just as easily been born on the other side of the border, if it had been a different time of year, because his family moved around with the seasons.  So two of his siblings were actually born in Mexico.

So they traveled a lot, and José joined his parents picking cucumbers and strawberries.  And he missed part of school when they returned to Mexico each winter.  José didn’t learn English until he was 12 years old.  But you know what, José was good at math and he liked math.  And the nice thing is that math was the same in every school, and it’s the same in Spanish as it is in English.

So José studied, and he studied hard.  And one day, he’s standing in the fields, collecting sugar beets, and he heard on a transistor radio that a man named Franklin Chang-Diaz — a man with a surname like his — was going to be an astronaut for NASA.  So José decided — right there in the field, he decided — well, I could be an astronaut, too.

So José kept on studying, and he graduated high school.  And he kept on studying, and he earned an engineering degree.  And he kept on studying, and he earned a graduate degree.  And he kept on working hard, and he ended up at a national laboratory, helping to develop a new kind of digital medical imaging system.

And a few years later, he found himself more than 100 miles above the surface of the Earth, staring out of the window of the shuttle Discovery, and he was remembering the boy in the California fields with that crazy dream that in America everything is possible.  (Applause.)

G: Jose sounds fabulous.  Would love to meet him and shake his hand.  And I believe, even Jose, would admit that he might just be a cut above the norm.  He may be an exception to the rule.  Even Jose might see that not all illegal immigrants follow through with such passion, determination, and sheer grit against all odds.  Not all immigrants really care for America.  Some come here to find seasonal work, as their own country is so corrupt they have lost all hope.  While some, come here for a short time, only to get a good education and take it back home -- because in their heart, America is not their home.  And then some, come here to kill us.  

Think about that, Mr. President.

THE PRESIDENT:  Think about that, El Paso.  That’s the American Dream right there.  (Applause.)  That’s what we’re fighting for.  We are fighting for every boy and every girl like José with a dream and potential that’s just waiting to be tapped.  We are fighting to unlock that promise, and all that holds not just for their futures, but for America’s future.

G:  we are also fighting for our lives and security and justice fair and square. 

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s why we’re going to get this done.  And that’s why I’m going to need your help.

Thank you.  God bless you.  And may God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END           1:56 P.M. MDT

G:  that was an uber-political, uber-polarizing, uber-liberal thing to do there in Texas.   The upcoming election must have you concerned -- considering the economic disaster on the horizon, the complete erosion of whatever respect America might have had around the world, while operating under the great illusion that you truly care. 

I have questioned your loyalties, your alignments, your associations, your message and your intentions for what seems like forever and a day.  I'm tired, Mr. President.  I want a new one.

Make it a Good Day, G

and you can blame the longwinded-ness on the president today. but with any luck, I might be silent tomorrow.