A Stone's Throw From Internment Camps

South Carolina Republican Congressman J. Gresham Barrett wants to deport a couple million people from the US on a rather permanent basis and them keep them out.  Apparently the J stands for Complete Asshole.

The Stop Terrorists Entry Program Act (STEP) was first introduced by Rep. J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC) in 2003 [PDF link]. The updated version, he explained in a media advisory, would bar citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Syria from entry into the United States. It would further require citizens of those nations who are legally visiting or residing in the United States to be deported within 60 days.

And he's doing this as a response to an American who killed 12 other soldiers at Fort Hood, and a Nigerian who allegedly attempted to blow up an airplane on Christmas Day.

If the apparent problems with such a proposal are not not abundantly clear, the Iranian-American blog niacINsight puts it another way: "The American Army major and Nigerian alleged to have committed those attacks would not have been affected by the STEP Act."

"Twice in the past two months, radical Islamic terrorists have attacked our nation and the Administration has failed to adapt its national security and immigration policies to counter the renewed resolve of those who seek to harm our citizens," Barrett opined.

So, this bright spark wants to stigmatize a million Iranians as The Enemy and deport thousands legally residing here...and I'm betting there's at least that many Americans of Cuban descent if not more.  I wonder how Marco Rubio down in Florida, as well as Florida's three GOP Cuban-American Reps. and New Jersey Democrat Albio Sires feel about this bill...all Cuban-Americans.  I know a guy originally from the Sudan who's a co-worker of mine, has two kids, and is a great person.  He wouldn't be able to see his family again.  Nice.

And the best part is this bill wouldn't even have stopped the Fort Hood shooter or Crotch Bomber.  But that's Republican logic for you.  Clearly we need more Republicans in Congress because the Democrats are worse than Bush, right?