The Latest on the Amnesty legislation

As most of you know by now, the initial vote to continue to debate this bill passed in the Senate 64-35, which means that the initial effort to kill this horror of a bill has failed.

A number of Senators who previously voted to kill this switched sides, including Kit Bond
( R-MO), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Here's the roll call:

Akaka (D-HI), Yea Alexander (R-TN), Nay Allard (R-CO), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Nay Bayh (D-IN), Nay Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Bond (R-MO), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Yea Bunning (R-KY), Nay Burr (R-NC), Yea Byrd (D-WV), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Clinton (D-NY), Yea Coburn (R-OK), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Nay Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Corker (R-TN), Nay Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Craig (R-ID), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Nay DeMint (R-SC), Nay Dodd (D-CT), Yea Dole (R-NC), Nay

Domenici (R-NM), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Yea Ensign (R-NV), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feingold (D-WI), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Nay Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagel (R-NE), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Nay Hutchison (R-TX), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johnson (D-SD), Not Voting Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Nay Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Lott (R-MS), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Nay

McConnell (R-KY), Yea Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea Obama (D-IL), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Nay Salazar (D-CO), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Nay Smith (R-OR), Nay Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Stevens (R-AK), Yea Sununu (R-NH), Nay Tester (D-MT), Nay Thune (R-SD), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Yea Warner (R-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Ye

Simply disgraceful.

A number of the flipfloppers had various reasons for jumping the fence, mostly geared around pet amendments they were promised if they allowed this to go to debate. A couple of these amendments have already bitten the dust today ; Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's (r-Tx) to require that illegal immigrants go home within two years in order to qualify for one of those renewable Z visas and Jim Webb's (d-VA), that would have allowed only those who had been in the country for at least four years to gain lawful status.

Once again, the amnesty proponents in the Senate are trying to rush through this flawed legislation. Votes on key amendments will continue today - but under a complex and controlled procedure designed to overcome objections by opponents of the bill. It will allow votes only on a limited list of 26 amendments before the next crucial vote on the bill tommorow, which needs 60 votes to cut off a filibuster.

President Bush is reportedly manning the phones non-stop, and Homeland Security Chief Nicholas Chertoff and Commerce Secretary Carlos Guttierez have reportedly virtually taken up residence on Capitol Hill, since they apparently have nothing better to do but lobby for this nonsense no matter what the majority of the American people think.

If you care about preserving our Republic, don't wait another minute. Call, fax and e-mail your senators and let them know that if they pass this abomination, not only will you not vote for them, but you will work for and give money to their opponents.

This transcends Liberal vs. Conservative and Democrat vs. Republican - DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!!