There are such things as journalistic integrity and ethics. They provide credibility to the rhetorical argument by establishing a sense of trust the reader can subscribe to and more importantly, in which the reader can connect. In the realm of politics where the subject matter becomes increasingly contentious, the rhetorical argument is frequently delivered with the over utilization of pathos in hopes that appealing to the emotive response of the reader in a manner that incites a strong visceral reaction will overcome the lack of the ethical appeal contained in balancing a rhetorical argument with ethos. The ethics of the argument IS the argument when it comes to political issues of high contention. This week we have directly witnessed the delivery of misinformation that will directly affect the residents of Arizona.
ICE embraces Obama Administration contempt of law
Multitudes of sources have reported that President Obama had signed an Executive Order granting amnesty to specific sub-demographics of illegal immigrants. This 100% inaccurate! President Obama has not signed an Executive Order granting amnesty to illegal immigrants. While the objective of these articles is subjective and thus subject to individual interpretation, they come with the consequence of lost credibility, as Leftist Progressives will undoubtedly disclose the fabrications to advance the agenda of amnesty while further and rightfully discrediting the Right.
On June 17, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a memorandum detailing prosecutorial discretion for its agents. The memorandum entitled, Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with the Civil Immigration Enforcement Priorities of the Agency for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Aliens, specifically lists conditions of “amnesty” attempted in the failed DREAM Act. Furthermore, the title directly expresses the formal desire of ICE to not enforce federal immigration law. Under this memorandum, ICE has formally aligned itself with the Obama Administration’s complicity on illegal immigration under the guise of inadequate staffing to handle the demand caused by those entering the nation through its porous borders and ports.
Confusion through contempt
So how did this story get started? In the later part of last week, stories were released that stated suspicions President Obama was due to release an Executive Order granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants. Once the memorandum from ICE surfaced, it was assumed that the memorandum was a by-product of an Obama Executive Order, even though an Executive Order was not referenced in the ICE memorandum. Media sources failed to verify the existence of such an Executive Order while going on the attack without verification of its truthfulness. The articles then swirled through the internet with few questioning their merit as generally credible sources were perpetuating the story.
One media source that supports legal immigration sent out an e-mail to it subscribers, “WARNING: Obama Issues Executive Order Amnesty for Illegal Aliens!!!” The article posted on the website's page was from the Dailycaller.com. The Daily Caller’s article, “White House Loosens Border Rules for 2012” opens with, “President Barack Obama’s administration is quietly offering a quasi-amnesty for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, while aiming to win reelection by mobilizing a wave of new Hispanic voters, say supporters of stronger immigration law enforcement.” It speaks directly to the ICE memorandum, pro and con positions to the ICE Memorandum, BUT AT NO TIME DOES IS STATE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER BY PRESIDENT OBAMA. In fact, the article does not fully address the issues of “prosecutorial discretion” that are purportedly a DREAM Act by-proxy.
DREAM Act expansion
The full text of the six page ICE memorandum is located (here).
When comparing these provisions of discretion to the failed DREAM Act, one will quickly discover that the ICE memorandum is far more reaching than the proposed elements of amnesty in the original legislation of the DREAM Act. The ICE Memorandum truly embraces an ideology that while the illegal immigrant is guilty of being in the U.S. unlawfully, the crime itself is forgiven until such a time that the illegal immigrant commits another crime (which is then subject to “discretion” based upon its severity and the demographics of the illegal immigrant in question). Many will argue that the illegal immigrant now has more judicative leniency than does the lawful citizenry.
While the notion of an Executive Order is of pure fallacy, an important comparative aspect of how the Obama Administration avoids legislation remains overlooked. A nation watched as Cap and Trade failed. In the wake of the failed legislation, the Obama Administration immediately sought to expand the role of the EPA to implement aspects of the legislation that the majority of the elected Congress refused to pass. This undermining of the congressional body is where this particular rhetorical argument lies; not in the fabrication of an Executive Order to only later be rationalized in an attempt to justify the lie itself.
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