VASS political blogPolitics, commentary and moreHomeAbout Michael VassAdvertiseAlchemy at VASSCitationsContactDesigner ClothesDisclaimerFor 239 years, Semper FiWhat was missing from 2015 State of the Union?By Michael Vass | January 22, 2015There is a lot of talk about the State of the Union Address and the Republican response for 2015. What is not in the discussions is what was not in the speech by President Obama. Immigration.The State of the Union is one of the most carefully crafted documents made each year by our Government. It is read (unlike many Bills and laws) and reviewed and corrected multiple times before the final draft. There is no paragraph or sentence that is not approved beforehand.Thus, the final speech is significant in what it does and does not include. If any subject important to the nation is omitted, it is a serious declaration by the President. As an example, the terrorist murder of French nationals in Paris was addressed – speaking to the international policy of America and our relations with allies. Therefore it must be asked why the President made no mention about immigration, or the actions he unilaterally took at the end of 2014, beyond the following paragraph,“Yes, passions still fly on immigration, but surely we can all see something of ourselves in the striving young student, and agree that no one benefits when a hardworking mom is taken from her child, and that it’s possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.”President Obama has had his peaks and valleys with immigration. During the 2008 election campaign he was at a peak, as he promised reform of immigration laws in his first year in office if elected. From 2009 to 2011 he was in a valley. He peaked again in 2012 with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), coincidentally matching another election. Then came another valley until 2014, once again matching an election year (though this time for his Party and not himself – which may explain his taking action after the election rather than before it).By the blatant and obvious omission of immigration, President Obama signaled that 2015 would be a year of a valley. A very significant one, as he did not even mention Ana Zamora. Ms. Zamora has benefited from the DACA passed by President Obama. This has caused her to go out and champion the program, getting other illegal immigrants to sign up for it. So impressive were her actions that she was invited to the State of the Union by First Lady Michelle Obama. But there was no mention of her, or the issues that caused her to be a guest.It should be noted that Ana Zamora is not a citizen. She has family members (siblings) that are citizens, but she is apparently not interested in taking an oath to this nation. Yet she is more than happy to work and get an education, with the blessing of the President. That may be a reason for the snub to her, but the issue of immigration is another matt