In today's New York Times, Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles, the nation's largest Catholic diocese, defends his opposition and call for civil disobedience to HR 4437, the immigration bill passed by the House in December 2005.

Cardinal Mahony writes, "Some supporters of the bill have even accused the church of encouraging illegal immigration and meddling in politics. But I stand by my statement. Part of the mission of the Roman Catholic Church is to help people in need. It is our Gospel mandate, in which Christ instructs us to clothe the naked, feed the poor and welcome the stranger....

Providing humanitarian assistance to those in need should not be made a crime, as the House bill decrees. As written, the proposed law is so broad that it would criminalize even minor acts of mercy like offering a meal or administering first aid....

That does not mean that the Catholic Church encourages or supports illegal immigration. Every day in our parishes, social service programs, hospitals and schools, we witness the baleful consequences of illegal immigration. Families are separated, workers are exploited and migrants are left by smugglers to die in the desert. "

In December 2005, after the House passed HR 4437, Cardinal Mahony a wrote stinging letter to President Bush, decrying the new mandate. Wrote Mahony, "It is staggering for the federal government to stifle our spiritual and pastoral outreach to the poor...." He pledged that the priests in the Los Angeles diocese will not follow this law, if passed by the Senate and enacted by the President.

You can read the entire letter here at Cardinal Mahony Pledges to Defy New US Immigration Law. To better understand HR 4437, read the entire New York Times editorial by Cardinal Mahony here.
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Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI),who caused a great firestorm by proposing that the Senate officialy censure President Bush, will be on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show tonight.

Just thought you'd want to know......It should be a hoot to watch the two of them commiserate over the politically-calculated cowardice of the other 43 Senate Democrats.
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Many readers of this site have asked me which candidate I support for the Democratic nomination to remove Arnold from the California governor's seat in November.

One candidate is Phil Angelides, who is heartily endorsed by both of our state's Democratic senators, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senate Barbara Boxer. Angelides has been California state treasurer for the past 7 years.

The other is Steve Westly, who, judging by his constant TV ads, is an attractive Stanford grad who once worked for eBay and supports a clean environment. Westly, a member of the moderate Democratic Leadership Council, has been California state controller since 2002.

Per recent polls, Westly and Angelides each hold the support of about 30% of California Democrats, with 40% remaining undecided. Here's my preference: I don't know either, but lean toward Phil Angelides simply because of his endorsements.

I'll be attending and doing press coverage of the California Democratic Party 2006 Convention in late April, when both Westly and Angelides will make their cases. Plenty of national-level Democratic leaders should be there, as well.

You can catch my live blogging of the California Democratic Party 2006 Convention here at US Liberals at About.com. Until then, let's all keep open minds, and listen to both candidates. We need the most electable candidate to get clueless Arnold out off office!
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