Wednesday, March 02, 2011

LB 48: Stop Illegal Immigration in Nebraska

I have attended many hearings at the Unicameral Legislature over the years, but never have I witnessed such a disgusting spectacle as the one I sat through today. Conservative Sen. Charlie Janssen meticulously explained his bill, LB 48, to stem the tide of illegal immigration in Nebraska. Sen. Janssen painstakingly researched the content of his bill and studiously avoided anything that might conflict with federal law or previous federal court decisions. Nonetheless, several liberals on the Judiciary Committee engaged in a feeding frenzy shark attack to make his legislation seem like a sinister network of human rights violations. These senators consumed most of the hearing time, leaving only 3 min. apiece for only a few supporters and opponents to testify on LB 48. Sen. Council played the race card, naturally, and henpecked Sen. Janssen about hypothetical situations that probably would never arise. Freshman Sen. Burke Harr, a former prosecutor, launched a legal assault that concentrated mostly on supposedly vague grammar. Sen. Amanda McGill, the siren of the Left in the Unicameral, tried to paint Sen. Janssen as a right-wing flamethrower. Not to be outdone, newly-re-elected Sen. Steve Lathrop peppered Janssen about police procedures and regulations about which Janssen would have no knowledge, not being a law officer. Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, who supposedly is a conservative, did not show up for the hearing to defend Sen. Janssen. The Judiciary Committee majority undoubtedly will stick their daggers into the heart of LB 48. Therefore, it will be a challenge for conservatives to muster 30 state senator votes to drag this bill out of committee onto the floor of the Legislature, where all senators can debate its merits. Start lobbying now! Polls show that 75%+ of Nebraskans support legislation like LB 48.