I swear, sometimes I have to just sit back and shake my head at the blatant idiocy and fearmongering that goes on in today's Republican Party. In yet another brilliant news story from representatives of South Carolina, GOP Rep J. Gresham Barrett has introduced an updated legislation (originally submitted in 2003) in which all Iranians are deported from the United States. Legal, illegal, it doesn't matter. Gresham basically wants all Iranian citizens to get the hell out within six months of the passage of this legislation. However to be honest, this has not a snowball's chance in hell of passing.

First let's look at what the legislation calls for, and then my thoughts on it:

Via RawStory:

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.

Now, look. I understand that in times like these, in the aftermath of an attempted bombing like what happened on Christmas Day, people will be overwhelmed with emotions. We'll tend to overreact and say things that perhaps were said in anger or frustration.

However, let's look at this logically. What sense does this really make? SERIOUSLY? I mean just think about it. You're going to bar citizens of Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and Syria from entering the country, and if they are already here, then they have to leave within 2 months.

Does Barrett not see the obvious hole in this theory? Nadal Hassan, the Fort Hood Shooter, and Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab, the Christmas Day would-be bomber, who were the inspiration for this genius piece of legislation, WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THE LEGISLATION.

Do you see how crazy this is? You're going to introduce legislation in response to these two acts, and yet if this had been implemented BEFORE they did what they did, it wouldn't have mattered.

Nassan was an American, and Abdul Mutallab was a Nigerian.

In the words of the internet, "you're doing it wrong".