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Here’s another idiotic idea from Republicans.

Congressman Gresham Barrett (R-SC) has announced his intention to reintroduce legislation that would prohibit “the admission of aliens from countries designated as State Sponsors of Terrorism as well as Yemen to the United States.”  The Stop Terrorist Entry Program (STEP) Act, first introduced in 2003, also would have required all persons from these countries on student visas, temporary work visas, exchange and tourist visas to leave the United States within 60 days, despite their legal status in the country.  Residents and nationals of Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen would be affected.

Congressman Barrett said his bill came in response to the Fort Hood shooting and the Christmas-day attempt to blow up an airplane over Detroit. “While President Obama may have declared an end to the War on Terror, it is clear our enemies did not get the message. 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.”

This knee-jerk, simplistic response to the Fort Hood shootings and the undie-bomber would do nothing more than anger and alienate moderate Muslims. And it would do nothing to make the country safer. There have been no terrorist attacks on U.S. soil from either Iranians or Cubans.

What we’re looking at here is Republicans looking to appease the Muslim-hating xenophobes in their party. The teabaggers and rednecks would love it.  I could imagine them cheering as roaming gangs of repubs scour the countryside rounding up Iranians and others with funny sounding names and throw them in the back of cattle cars in preparation for deportation.

Will they ever learn?

Yes, we need to fix our intelligence. Yes, we absolutely must live up to our own ideals, as President Obama is trying to do in banning torture and closing Guantánamo Bay. We can’t let this “war on terrorism” consume us. We can’t let our country become just The United States of Fighting Terrorism and nothing more. We are the people of July 4th — not Sept. 11th.

-Thomas Friedman

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