Three Republican congressman (including South Bend’s rep, Count Chocula) discussed immigration with five panelists in South Bend yesterday, at a “forum” that did not allow for audience questions or comments.
The Tribune reports:
Asked if he would consider screening emergency care patients to determine their eligibility or legal status, [Dr. Randy Thompson, medical director of emergency medicine at St. Anthony Memorial Hospital in Michigan City] replied, “My job as a physician is that I’m here to take care of a patient. I don’t care what color they are, or if they’re legal or illegal.”
His statement drew applause from some audience members and seemed to put the three congressmen on the defensive.
The Tribune reports that there was a meeting at a local Catholic church in response to the forum, but doesn’t say much about it:
A group of some 25 people, led by the Rev. Christopher Cox of St. Adalbert Catholic Church, met Tuesday evening at St. Adalbert School during an impromptu news conference to respond to the immigration forum.
“I was very disappointed that the group of people there were not diverse,” said South Bend resident Nancy Flores, 40, of the panelists invited to the forum.
Several also said they were disappointed that no one in the audience was given a chance to comment or ask a question during the forum.
Oddly enough, Christopher Cox shares his name with the current chairman of the SEC, who, as a Congressman from Orange County, California, voted to report illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment.