The following comes from a February 5 story on The Hill.
More than a dozen House lawmakers reintroduced legislation that would let immigrants in same-sex marriages sponsor their partners for legal residency.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) reintroduced the bill, the Uniting American Families Act, on Tuesday. The legislation is co-sponsored by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Reps. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.), Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), John Conyers (D-Mich.), Jared Polis (D-Colo.), David Cicilline (D-R.I.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), Mike Honda (D-Calif.), and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
Currently, only immigrants in heterosexual marriages can sponsor their spouses for legal residency. The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) would include the term “permanent partner” in the Immigration and Naturalization Act in order to include immigrants in same-sex relationships. The same benefits and penalties applied to heterosexual marriages would apply to same-sex marriages under the legislation.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, plans to introduce a companion bill in his chamber.
“Today, thousands of committed same-sex couples are needlessly suffering because of unequal treatment under our immigration laws, and this is an outrage,” Nadler said in a statement.
Legislators are also working to pass a larger immigration reform bill. A secretive bipartisan group of House members, which includes Lofgren and Gutierrez, plans on introducing an immigration reform bill soon. In late January, a bipartisan group of four Democrats and four Republicans in the Senate introduced a framework for reform.
“As we work toward comprehensive immigration reform, we must ensure that the value of all families is valued, respected and recognized in the eyes of the law,” Pelosi said in a statement.
Conyers said under the current immigration reform system, couples in same-sex marriages “don’t count.”
“Our immigration system has always recognized the value of keeping families together,” Conyers said in the statement announcing the bill. “But when it comes to legally married same-sex couples and domestic partners our immigration law says those families don’t count. I am pleased to join my colleagues today to stand against this discrimination and to protect the unity of all families.”
Conspicuously, a number of members of the House’s LGBT Equality Caucus have not signed onto the bill, including Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.). Becerra, Gutierrez, and Lofgren are members of the House immigration reform group.
Same-sex marriage provisions in a new immigration reform bill will likely be a sticking point as Congress moves a forward with immigration reform. President Obama recently signaled that he would include measures for same-sex couples in pushing immigration reform. Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the eight senators who produced the framework, called it a mistake for Obama to include provisions for same-sex couples.
“Why don’t we just put legalized abortion in there and round it all out,” Graham said, according to the Huffington Post.
To read entire story, click here.
Of course it is a mistake to include provisions for same sex couples. I never thought I would agree with Lindsey Graham!
This is great news! I am pleased to see that soon all citizens in the USA and their spouses in CIVIL LAW, NOT CANON LAW, will be EQUAL under the law!! The church must NOT be allowed to force it’s will on the State! The church is on the wrong side of history with regard to the civil marriage debate!!! The far right wing needs to understand that if you are being “run out of town you should get in front of the crowd and make it look like a parade”!!
Frankly, I think these political wackos and those that agree with them are certifiable, and I mean that in utmost sincerity. It’s insane. It’s without intelligence, commonsense or merit (to put it mildly). That the asylum has been taken over by the inmates is grossly apparent. That the inmates will bring us all to ruin is inevitable. There really isn’t anything more to be said. Using reason and common understanding to dialogue about an issue that has no basis in reality is futile. Poor us. Let’s hope the White Rabbit helps us find a way out of this strange place. (In this I AM kidding, for we all know our only hope is in the Lord)
…but I am not speaking of anyone here, but just those who are political activists. Everyone here is certainly entitled to speak their thoughts freely and so, Mr Miles, and any others, may God bless and keep you and I’ll keep praying for you, as I hope you will for me. But I think Ms. Pelosi has either had too much botox or too many martinis and it’s unfathomable how she keeps being re-elected. Maybe it’s the mercury runoff from the gold rush days poisoning the water out there? It was lead that did the Romans in.
Dana,
No it is the criminally insane way that District Boundaries are determined. Have you ever seen the outline of what constitutes Pelosi’s bought and paid for (with the blood of the Innocents) District looks like?
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Re: Miles
Any Catholic participating in a such a “parade” into hell will suffer forever the loss of his soul.
Not quite “good news” or anything to be “pleased” about.
More than the Bishops, more than political parties, more than civil jurisdictions, we are each called to witness to the Truth, not fall in line lock step with those who have no faith in Christ our Savior.
Civil law that dictates such abomination will also dictate when and how those of faith can live out their public lives. Be very careful in celebrating such law.
I look forward to Jesus pruning the dead branches from his vine. We need true Catholics who do not dilute the faith.
Amen, Candice. Let the pruning begin.
No the church is not on the wrong side of history, any more than It was when the pagan Roman Empire ruled. Some of these politicians are putting through legislation that is so unbelievably evil that it is mindboggling — just to line their filthy pockets. Some would sell their own mothers for a vote.
My last post was in answer to TEM, also.
TEM, how is the endorsement of sin great news? And to say that the Church is on the wrong side of history. What are you talking about?????!!! I can accept the fact that you disagree with the Church’s teaching, but at least be intellectually honest and admit that it is those who endorse the notion that two people of the same sex can be united in marriage who are on the wrong side of history.
Where in the entire history of the world, save for very recently, can you find any country or kingdom or tribe, Catholic, Protestant, or neither of the above allow people of the same sex to be considered married?
By the way, if the “far right wing” are run out of town, where will the “far left wing” be sitting?
TEM, obviously you don’t view the “far right wing” as being EQUAL under the law. Kind of throws your “equality” myth out the window.
Thomas Edward Miles
The Church never forces its will on anyone. Her role is to tell you the truth. Its your obligation to answer to the Grace you have received.
Grace is always readily sufficient, if you say YES to God.
Mchica, it would be nice if that were true. But it’s not. The Church has forced its will on others many times in history. Have you ever heard about the Spanish Inquisition; in which the Church tried and executed heretics, tortured suspected heretics in order to obtain confessions, seized the property of accused heretics, and, strangely, focused accusations of heresy on the wealthy?
Do you think, that Galileo voluntarily spent the rest of his life under house arrest after his heresy trial? Today, the Church often tries to influence legislation to make others conform to its religious doctrines (for example, the gay marriage debate). While your view of whether such acts or good or bad will depend on your view of the Church’s rules, you can’t deny that the church wishes to use state force to compel obedience to church doctrines.
In the Philippines, the Church used their political lobbying clout to stop legislation with respect to birth control education, where public polling indicated majority support. The church, however, put political pressure on key legislators to defeat the bill. Whether you consider this act moral or immoral is moot, what is obviously true is the church is attempting to use state force to compel others to conform to its view.
The church is on the wrong side of history with regard to the civil marriage debate!!! ..Lies are still lies even if they are in fashion….GKC…
Regarding the Catholic heretics and schismatics who publicly support, or advocate, and remain obstinate in grave sin –publicly excommunicate ab homine.
Bishops must stop the additional mortal sins of SCANDAL within our Church.
Slow relativism, heresy, schism, and the loss of Souls throuogh scandal.
Sacrilege against the Body and Blood of our Lord.
By taking no action, Bishops appear to condone their evil actions.
A good Father will do what is required to teach and discipline his children; Bishops must teach everyone the gravity of these sins that will damn the unrepentant to Hell.
Per 1983 Code of Canon Law —
“Can. 915 Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion.”
and
“Can. 1399 In addition to the cases established here or in other laws, the external violation of a divine or canonical law can be punished by a just penalty only when the special gravity of the violation demands punishment and there is an urgent need to prevent or repair scandals. ”
Saint Paul’s clear instruction — 1 Cor 5:11-13: “Drive out the wicked person from among you.” (Speaking about those within the Church.)
The modernists have been pushing this sacrilegious agenda for years… This is another outgrowth of liberalism, modernism… and undoubtedly it’s demonic! The devil is very cunning… a toehold becomes a foothold…t hen a foothold becomes a stronghold… Pope Paul the VI stated, “the smoke of satan, has entered the church.” Imagine, we have members of the church who are dissidents, and some openly profess heresy, which could be grounds for ipso facto excommunication.
CCC: “2286 Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion.
Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice, or to social conditions that, intentionally or not, make Christian conduct and obedience to the Commandments difficult and practically impossible.
This is also true of business leaders who make rules encouraging fraud, teachers who provoke their children to anger, or manipulators of public opinion who turn it away from moral values.”
By NOT adhering to the Church’s teaching of SUBSIDIARITY (CCC: 1883, 1885, 1894, 2209), and their politically and continually running to the Federal Government to solve society’s ills in areas where Bishops have no true expertise — the USCCB and several of their Committees (including several CA Bishops) must stop pushing liberal political agendas that have nothing to do with SAVING SOULS but merely with the temporal (earthly).
Due to the lack of proper catechesis and ignoring grave sin and public scandal over the last 40 YEARS, many US Bishops have contributed to today’s relativism.
When are they going to start actively encouraging their Priests, Nuns and Laity within their own Diocese to read and study the CCC? When are they going to start publicly excommunicating those “Catholics” responsible for actively promoting grave sin?
Regarding supporting an immigration bill that encourages homosexual acts — CCC: “1759 An evil action cannot be justified by reference to a good intention (cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Dec. praec. 6). The end does not justify the means.”
Pray for all our Bishops. Help to educate them using the contents of the Bible, the CCC, the Code of Canon Law, and the General Instruction of the Roman Missal when they stray.
THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL — Can “212 §3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful,
without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals,
with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.”
I wonder…in a court of law, an insanity plea is often the only recourse. Do you really think this should be taken seriously? Our Lord is merciful, and when people have lost their reason, I would imagine that there has to be some leeway in judging them.
Clown: A pestilence on him for a mad rogue! ‘a pour’d a flagon
of Rhenish on my head once. This same skull, sir, was, sir,
Yorick’s skull, the King’s jester.
Hamlet:
This? [Takes the skull]
Clown:
E’en that.
Hamlet:
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite
jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a
thousand times, and now how abhorr’d in my imagination it is!
My gorge rises at it.
Have any of you taken a look at the list of speakers for the upcoming Religious Dis-Education Congress, Feb 21 thru Feb 24? That list is jammed with pro-sodomite speakers!
Their list can be found at: RECongress.org.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Mr. Fisher, still on your “sodomite” kick? I feel sorry for you that you feel such a need to have a group of people to denigrate and hate. It seems that you consider people that believe that gay people should be treated with respect and compassion and that they are our brothers and sisters to be “pro-sodomite.” From what I read the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has the RECongress to assist teachers of the Catholic faith and offers an opportunity for the educators to worship Christ together as a group. These people are following Christ. To me calling people names and stirring up animosity against them is not following Christ.
People who partake in homosexual acts are sodomites.
People who merely have same sex attraction yet try to avoid sin and avoid near occasions of sin are like the rest of us – since we all have temptations of one kind or another.
Same sex people who live together as “married couples” or “domestic partners” are sodomites.
Mark from PA – just what do you think “married couples” do?
Andy do you really believe that gay people wait to get married to “do”? Do you really think that people who are married “do” more than those who are not married?
PA promoting is more anti-Christ than “name calling”…
Dear Kenneth –
I don’t think I know too many of these speakers, but I did look to see whether there are any pro-sodomite sessions at the conference. A search of the text on the page did not return any results for “sodomy” or “sodomite”. A search for gay showed that there is one session on gay and lesbian ministry and here is the description provided. Sounds to me like they are going to toe the Church line on the issue:
“3-21 Spiritual Concerns and Pastoral Practice in the Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics
This workshop will review Church documents with special attention given to the spiritual concerns and pastoral practice in the Ministry with Lesbian and Gay Catholics. Discussion will explore the consistent life ethic and social justice teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other church documents. Focus will be on the lives of Catholics who identify themselves as gay or lesbian, or having homosexual orientation, as well as parents and families of these Catholics that are in our pews, schools or community. Participants will be invited to share their stories in person and reflect on the common question: What would Jesus say and do?”
” 15. We encourage the Bishops, then, to provide pastoral care in full accord with the teaching of the Church for homosexual persons of their dioceses.
No authentic pastoral programme will include organizations in which homosexual persons associate with each other without clearly stating that homosexual activity is immoral.
A truly pastoral approach will appreciate the need for homosexual persons to avoid the near occasions of sin. ”
from LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS
___________
CCC: Chastity and homosexuality: 2357, 2358, 2359.
___________
Gen 19:1-29; Rom 1 24-27; 1 Cor 6:9-10; 1 Tim1:10
right. what is your point?
Our immigration policy is one big hoax fostered on the American people to keep the despots in power.
This whole thing is a farce. In the 1st place there is no such thing as a “permanent’ relationship w/same sex partners as stats prove.
Sam, it is quite evident that there are some serious problems and sins going on in the lives of these politicians of which they do not want to repent, or they would not be giving their approval to such destructive lifestyles and behaviors. It seems those who are in serious sin most often “feed” off of one another til they are all destroyed in the end. Notice how so many of the murders of politicians are done by those involved in all this, then they try to incorrectly blame the “right”, which most of the time is just what used to be the center right.
ED…you are the MAN!…God Bless you!
Pray for his soul. There is life after death, and a Judge. Yes, Yes, I know its the 21st century and no one believes this stuff.
But for your own sake, please take heed.
There are wayward priest’s in latin america…still teaching and advocating liberation theology…this has been “condemned” by the Pope as “heresy”…if you teach and promulgate this heresy…you could incur “ipso facto” excommunication!
Cheeseburger,
Ipso facto doesn’t get the job done, how about actually excommunicating them!
One wonders how many bishops are told by God at their Judgment that they failed Him by not protecting Him from sacriligeous reception of His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinty, and then they are permitted to go where they know they should be for such offenses!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
How about just a simple fact that the Defense of Marriage Act is still The Federal Law of the Land?!
I won’t even touch on the morality bit, that should speak for itself.
One last thing, how is anyone going to prove these couples are truly a couple and not either some buddies helping out another pal to obtain a green card or at worse part of a human trafficking exchange of some sort? Seriously these legislators are always in such a state of urgency to get something done they never ever look at the consequences!
Lisa,
Most of these so called legislators know very well the consequences, and they want those consequences!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Aside from our Catholic belief that marriage is between one man and one woman, isn’t there a law on the books called The defense of marriage act?
Wouldn’t Congress have to strike down that law before they try to shove this one down our throats?
Yes, there is a bill – DOMA – Defense of Marriage Act.
Yes, Obama refuses to adhere to the law or uphold the Law.
Yes, Obama has no regard for any law that does not support his own ideological belief and goals.
Yes, Obama hates the US Constitution except to use those things that support him.
Yes, Obama breaks the law frequently. And his Democratic Senate merely allows Obama to re-write the laws under the guise of his Executive Orders.
Unless it suits Obama and his czars, under his leadership we have become a lawless nation.
If President Bush had carried out even a tiny fraction of the criminal acts of this current cmdr. in chief, he would have been impeached long ago. I don’t understand how he is getting away with all this traitorous, evil, underhanded, criminal, illegal, amoral (well, you get my drift) activity! Do you?
He is getting away with his corrupt goals by paying out money to key parts of society that want it to continue.
President Obama has said that he would not defend “The Defense of Marriage Act,” an act I believe that even President Clinton backed. All I can think when I see the evil legislation that some are trying to be put through is the verse from Isaiah, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, Sun of the Morning.” Even the Pagan Roman Empire was not so evil that it legislated marriages between people of the same-sex, although some of their evil tyrants, such as Nero, did practice such evils, including “marrying” his horse. My God above how far this nation and others have fallen — down to the pits of hell.
Anne, the president is not defending DOMA in court, but he is still enforcing it every day. The reason why Edith Windsor sued him is because he enforced it: when her wife died, she got a tax bill from the estate. Had the President not enforced DOMA, she would have gotten the inheritance tax free, as any other married couple does.
YFC, the other woman was NOT her wife. That is an oxymoron no matter how one looks at it. The Constitution refers to Nature and Nature’s God. Two women’s body parts are not complimentary for the sex act. Such behavior is unnatural and against what Nature intended marriage to be. No one is going to enter their homes to stop them from behaving in an unnatural manner, but giving ones approval to it is both immoral and absurd.
Anne T., Apparently the Commonwealth of Massachusettes didn’t find it necessary to ask your approval when they issued these two people, who had been together for decades, a marriage license. No straight couple needs your permission or your approval, and no one asks for it. Same for these two. You’re opinion cannot change the fact that these women were married in the eyes of the state.
They were married in Toronto, Canada. New York did not permit same gender marriages, then.
You are right k, I was not. Thanks for the correction.
Anne T.
The sex maniac Clinton only signed that Bill because the Republicans with the very few Democrats who were still Americans gave him no other choice!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
I know, but at least Clinton could compromise, and this president does not most of the time. He just keeps pulling the country further and further to the left til it will go over the cliff and the Marxists or Muslim radicals will take over. Quite frankly, I think the latter is his intention, but he might be in for a big surprise.
The surprise is not Obama’s political leaning, but the racism he’s had to confront as President.
When the liberals were castigating Juan Williams, who is of mixed race, for saying he profiled Muslims on planes and was more afraid of them because they might do something violent, everyone non-Muslim and not a flaky liberal, knew he was only saying exactly what they were thinking and would do themselves, including some of the liberals if they were really honest about it.
Obama is not a Muslim and I think there is only one Muslim in Congress. They make up a percentage or two of the population at large, and only a small fraction of them could be called radical. So how, pray tell, are they going to “take over”?
Racism? Really YFC? Any legitimate criticism of this “community organizer” and you and the rest of the left ALWAYS pull out your primary weapon — the charge of “RACISM.” The fact is he is incompetent and a hard core leftist… he is destroying the country by design.
Your Fellow Catholic, maybe it isn’t such a surprise. Some people still can’t get over the fact that an African American was elected President.
That has nothing to do with it Mark PA, and you know it.
YFC, that is your opinion.
PA get this through you liberal head, we don’t like Obama not because he is black but because of his beliefs and policies.
Correction: Lucifer, “son” of the morning, not “sun”.
What I am saying, YFC, the only reason you defend President Obama is that you hope to get him to put in such radical legislation as “same-sex” marriage, otherwise you would be criticizing him too.
The editor left out one of my posts that told how some people ignor the “r” word (racist) much of the time because it has been so over used. The editor probably felt it was just too long, and I certainly have no problem with that.. Nevertheless, it does make what I said about Juan Williams a little out of place, and I just wanted everyone to know that.
Anne, how can you possibly know who I voted for or why I voted for them? Are you a mind reader?
Who said you voted for him YFC? I said the only reason you defended President Obama and pulled the race card was for your own selfish and immoral reasons, Also, who cares whether the state of Massachusetts says they are “married”. It is an unnatural and unjust law. No bakery should have to bake a wedding cake with two men or two women on top if they consider it immoral, and no photographer should have to go to a “same-sex” wedding and take pictures.. What’s next — an “incestuous marriage” with Uncle Joe “marrying his niece Susie? And comparing the situation with people of color people is highly offensive. No matter how many say a donkey is a giraffe or yellow is purple or the moon is made of green cheese, it is not so. Probably the people of that state did not even vote for it either, but some flaky politicians just overrode their vote, just as they have done in California.
There is a lightning rod in the cross atop the Vatican. Recently it drew the electricity from a lightning strike or strikes through the cross down to the ground, which of course protected the building. To me it is an omen that through the cross God conquers Satan, and through the cross our souls are saved and protected.