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Time Magazine poll: Large Majority Favors "Guest Workers"
If a new Time Magazine poll is to believed, around 72 percent of Americans favor a "guest" worker scheme of some kind.
Of course, the "is to believed" part is our taking-off-point to mention that the poll question only gave two choices:
1. Allow Illegal Immigrants To Get Temporary Work Visas
2. Make Illegal Immigration a Crime And Not Allow Anyone Who Entered The Country Illegaly to Work or Stay In the U.S.
Obviously, there are other choices, aren't there?
And, in a similar fashion to a previous Field Poll that also - miraculously! - came to the same false conclusion as the Time poll, the question about "temporary" workers is basically a lie.
First, under all of the current amnesty/"guest" worker plans, they'd be here for from between 3 (or is it 2?) and 6 years.
Since when is six years "temporary"? It's not permanent, but it's sure a long time.
And, as pointed out many times before, those "guests" would have U.S. citizen children. In other words, they aren't going home.
So, anyone - and that includes Time Magazine and their polling firm Schulman, Ronca, & Bucuvalas - who claims that our "guest" workers would be here temporarily is simply lying to you.
Posted to Immigration at 09:58 PM | Comments (5)
Yet more pro-illegal immigration propaganda from the Washington Post
The WaPo has a profile of Rep. Tom Tancredo in "Tuning In to Anger on Immigration".
Reading between the lines, one might think that the WaPo is trying to portray those who oppose illegal immigration as emotionally-driven and fact-challenged:
For many frustrated, scared and angry suburbanites and small-town residents, Tancredo is a hero, one of the very few Washington politicians who take their fears seriously. They believe undocumented, mostly Hispanic workers are taking jobs that ought to go to citizens, flooding schools and boosting the crime rate, and that the country's open borders pose a security threat.
Apparently, the WaPo believes differently, as their long line of propaganda supporting illegal immigration shows. See also "The immigration debate, Washington Post-style".
Posted to Immigration at 09:36 AM | Comments (4)
Please call Dennis Hastert
From this:
House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Wednesday suggested the House would be open to a temporary worker program when the House and the Senate later work out their differences. Specter said it was a hopeful sign that lawmakers would accept a comprehensive approach.
Could you please call his office and let him know what you think? And, please encourage everyone you know to do the same.
His D.C. office is:
Phone: 202-225-2976
Fax: 202-225-0697
Local offices are listed here.
Posted to Immigration at 05:34 AM | Comments (3)
Bush assures Fox they'll get "guest" worker scheme despite what voters want
As if we needed more reminding, "Bush reassures Fox on immigration bill" reminds us that Bush doesn't work for or represent the vast majority of American citizens:
CANCUN, Mexico (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush reassured Mexican President Vicente Fox on Thursday he was committed to getting the U.S. Congress to approve broad immigration reforms, including a guest worker program.Another charming image courtesy of Lou Dobbs:
Speaking after talks with Fox in the Mexican resort of Cancun, Bush told reporters: "I'm confident we can get a bill done." He made no prediction on the timing of such legislation, which the U.S. Senate started debating on Wednesday.
Bush also praised Fox for pledging to do more to police the U.S.-Mexican border, the crossing point for most illegal immigrants entering the United States.
"I'm committed to having a comprehensive immigration bill on my desk, and by comprehensive I mean not only border security, a bill that has border security, a bill that has security enforcement in it, but a bill that has a worker permit program in it," Bush said...
President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Harper will discuss border security in terms of the perimeter of our three nations -- regional security perimeter, if you will. Such a concept, in my opinion, has no merit whatsoever while the United States cannot defend its own borders...
...For that matter, in the United States, this president and Congress seem hell bent on defying the popular will. The American people, in poll after poll and survey after survey, are revealed to be opposed to the direction of the war in Iraq, illegal immigration, amnesty, a guest-worker program, the outsourcing of jobs and certainly the outsourcing of our security. It has become increasingly clear over the last several years that the least represented constituency in either Congress or the White House is the middle class, working men and women who are the foundation of our country.
And while these three leaders are meeting in Cancun, the Senate is debating whether there should be a guest-worker program and whether there should be amnesty for those already here. Guest worker programs never work anywhere in the world. I firmly believe that we cannot significantly reform our immigration policies unless we can control immigration. And the control if immigration is impossible if our borders remain porous and vulnerable.
One of the things that frustrates many of us who care about our country and the truth is the rampant barrage of misinformation, disseminated by such vociferous special interests, whether they are ethnocentric social activists, labor unions, the Catholic Church or Corporate America. The truth is advocates of amnesty, guest-worker programs and open borders are unconcerned about the 280 million American citizens, the men and women of this country who work for a living and their families...
Posted to Immigration at 10:28 PM | Comments (5)
The 'Immigration Backlash'
From this:...The Los Angeles Times duly reported, "Some Republicans fear that pushing too hard against illegal immigrants could backfire nationally, as with Proposition 187 (the 1994 ballot measure that sought to deny benefits for illegal immigrants that) helped spur record numbers of California Latinos to become U.S. citizens and register to vote. Those voters subsequently helped Democrats regain political control in the state."
Call that the Backlash Myth. In fact, Prop. 187 passed with 59 percent of the vote, and GOP Gov. Pete Wilson, who championed the measure, was re-elected in 1994. In 2003, when Democratic Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to get driver's licenses, he so enraged voters that he sealed his political demise. After Davis was recalled from office, the heavily Democratic California Legislature repealed the bill.
That's your backlash...
Posted to Immigration at 06:27 AM | Comments (5)
Who organized the illegal immigration marches?
There's a long article here listing some of the groups involved: unions, Catholic clergy, far-left groups, and even teachers unions.
He notes also that the Georgia immigration march was organized by former Mexican General Consul Teodoro Maus. However, he fails to mention that it was apparently your blogger who brought that to wider attention; I just linked to Allan Wall's earlier article about that consul.
In any case, if you want to know who else is on the other side it's got lots of names.
Posted to Immigration at 03:22 AM | Comments (9)
Rob Reiner leaves California preschool commission
Blaming "personal attacks", money-losing movie director Rob "Meathead" Reiner has stepped down from California's preschool commission:
Just two weeks ago, Reiner dismissed suggestions that he should step down from the California First 5 Commission, which has collected nearly $4 billion in tobacco taxes to fund early childhood programs. "Everything I've done is completely legal," he said at the time.
Previously:
First 5 California: bring back integrity!
Rob Reiner denies wrongdoing
Rob Reiner-supporting commercials paid for by tax money
"[Rob] Reiner initiative bad for preschoolers"
UC study: by Third Grade, Preschool benefits disappear
"Preschool for All Act", Rob Reiner, and the government targeting 4-year-olds
"First 5 California": Yet another illegal immigration magnet
Posted to California at 11:02 PM | Comments (1)
"Mexican illegals vs. American voters"
Not to get your hopes up, but Tony Blankley offers this:...according to a National Journal survey of Congress, 73 percent of Republican and 77 percent of Democratic congressmen and senators say they would support guest-worker legislation.
I commend to all those presumptuous senators and congressmen the sardonic and wise words of Edmund Burke in his 1792 letter to Sir Hercules Langrishe: "No man will assert seriously, that when people are of a turbulent spirit, the best way to keep them in order is to furnish them with something substantial to complain of." The senators should remember that they are American senators, not Roman proconsuls. Nor is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee some latter-day Praetor Maximus.
But if they would be dictators, it would be nice if they could at least be wise (until such time as the people can electorally forcefully project with a violent pedal thrust their regrettable backsides out of town)...
...The public demand to protect our borders will triumph sooner or later. And, the more brazen the opposing politicians, the sooner will come the triumph.
So legislate on, you proud and foolish senators — and hasten your political demise.
Posted to Immigration at 11:34 AM | Comments (10)
"Is it time for a constitutional convention called by the people re: illegal immigration?"
Interesting idea here. If our leaders won't do their jobs and listen to the American people, perhaps it would be possible to get some of the states to take the lead on the issue.
Posted to Immigration at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)
Breast implants might explode on space tourist flights
Breaking news:LONDON, March 29 (UPI) -- Of the 157 people who have paid Virgin Galactic $200,000 for a brief space flight in 2008, those with breast implants may find themselves flat out of luck.
Company spokesman Will Whitehorn told The Sun safety concerns have come to light for those who want to be launched in groups of eight to an altitude of more than 60 miles for 7 minutes of weightlessness.
"We've discovered there may well be issues with breast augmentation," he said. "We're not sure whether they could stand the trip -- they could well explode."
Posted to WackyHumor at 10:53 AM | Comments (2)
Whatever will we do without child labor?
In October, Mark Krikorian of CIS testified before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary about "Comprehensive Immigration Reform II". As their recent actions show, they weren't paying attention:Lobbyists for business will disagree of course, but their claims of doom and gloom are nothing new. Forty years ago, for instance, California tomato farmers said that their industry would cease to exist if the foreign-labor program of the time – the Bracero Program – were ended. Instead, farmers invested in harvest machinery, causing output to quadruple and the real price of tomato products to fall.There's a whole series of propaganda articles that bring yesterday's child labor into a modern context starting in "The Guardian: American crops rotting in the fields".
Fifty years before that, the textile industry predicted disaster if child labor were ended: in fact, at a Senate hearing in 1916, one mill owner said that limiting child labor would "stop my machines"; another said "investors would never receive another dividend"; while a third said that ending child labor would "paralyze the country."
America's economy has done just fine without child labor, and it'll do just fine without more foreign labor...
...It's time to try something new: Attrition through enforcement.
Posted to Immigration at 06:45 AM | Comments (3)
John Whitesides, Reuters, pro-illegal immigration propaganda
John Whitesides of Reuters offers a heaping load of pro-illegal immigration propaganda in "Republicans risk Hispanic support in border debate".
It's basically an attempt to corrupt the Republican Party: support massive illegal immigration or you won't get votes. That concept is completely false, as poll after poll shows.
The piece relies on quotes from, among others, the Southwest Voter Registration Education Project and Daniel Griswold.
The latter is from the Cato Institute, which is falsely identified as "conservative":
The risk of alienating Hispanics is much greater than the risk of turning off conservatives, Griswold said. He noted Republicans who supported guest worker programs like Reps. Jeff Flake and Jim Kolbe in Arizona and Chris Cannon in Utah have survived primary challenges from anti-immigration opponents.
Obviously, that's not telling the whole story. Cannon's brother is the head of the Utah GOP and he had much more money than his opponent. And, he was forced to spend almost all of it in order to win. And, is an aide suggesting ways that illegal aliens could donate to your campaign really that "conservative"?
The article also puts a false spin on California's Proposition 187.
Posted to Immigration at 03:29 AM | Comments (2)
Mexican flag raised over American high school
Whittier area students from Pioneer, California and Whittier high schools walked out of classes to protest the proposed federal immigration bill March 27, 2006. The protestors put up the Mexican flag over the American flag flying upsidedown at Montebello High.
More pictures here. The pictures are from this paper, but none of their links worked in my browsers.
Posted to Immigration at 10:19 PM | Comments (13)
Dear Chris Nolan
She writes:
I am no immigration policy expert. I read Marc Cooper and think he's right.
Marc Cooper is right when he writes simple declarative sentences about ice being cold, the desert being hot in the summer, and the like. However, he's usually wrong when he discusses immigration. See my various comments at his site(s).
It's the faith in the document, not the paper, that binds us as a society and when people peacefully exercise their right to free assembly, they've clearly gotten the memo.
And, when foreign citizens who have no right to be in your country march in your streets demanding rights to which they aren't entitled, serious people who are concerned about this country realize they have a major problem on their hands.
I'm going to pass on characterizing the rest of her comments, because she and her comments are a waste of time.
Posted to Immigration at 07:57 PM | Comments (3)
Who's responsible for illegal immigration?
By sending us millions of their citizens, Mexico has managed to obtain political power inside our country.
As shown by the recent marches, that political power can be mobilized - whether in fact by Mexico or just by partisans - into a show of physical force.
The U.S. is faced with a difficult choice: do we give in, or do we decide to enforce our laws and face the consequences.
If we choose the former, we will only embolden the government of Mexico and others who've supported massive illegal immigration, giving them more power inside our country.
If we choose the latter, will those who marched last week decide to riot instead?
With those thoughts in mind, it's going to be helpful going forward to take a look at the groups responsible for getting us into this situation. Some of them include:
* Businesses. Includes manufacturers, growers, banks, and their advocacy groups.
* The Democratic Party. The Democratic leadership apparently sees illegal immigrants as a massive future voting bloc, and in addition that party is built on playing racial politics. Individual Democratic supporters may base their support on psychological factors, such as a fear of being called names or guilt. Democratic leaders and others play on those fears. Others may do so out of petty corrupt grounds, such as those who employ illegal domestic labor.
* The Republican Party. While the GOP leadership will say that they support "immigration" in order to get the "Hispanic vote", the bottom line appears to be... the bottom line. Companies that profit off illegal labor donate to Republican politicians, and those politicians tend to do what is in the best interests of those companies.
* The media. Almost all newspapers and their reporters support illegal immigration. They do that through editorials and frequently by publishing false or biased news reports. The reasons appear to be based in part on leftwing ideology and in part due to business reasons. For instance, in some small towns the local newspaper may support illegal immigration because the town bosses profit off the practice. Larger newspapers may do something similar. Many bloggers also support illegal immigration.
* Racial and leftwing groups. Includes groups such as the National Council of La Raza ("The Race"), MALDEF, the National Immigration Forum, and countless others. Many of those are funded by leftwing foundations and are not grassroots groups. For instance, the Ford Foundation has given MALDEF over $25 million since the latter's founding.
* Ideologues. Very few people support massive immigration out of mostly ideological reasons. However, some libertarians fall into this camp. This group could be ignored except for the fact that they are much more influential than just their numbers would indicate.
* Extremists. There are various people and groups who support and oppose massive immigration largely on racial grounds. All white supremacist groups oppose immigration or illegal immigration because of the race of those immigrating. On the other hand, various Hispanic or Chicano groups support massive illegal for the same reason.
* Churches. They want new parishioners, and they also seem unable to figure out that illegal immigration leads directly to worker abuse.
* The not-yet-informed. Unfortunately, a large number of Americans aren't as familiar with this subject as they could be. They're easily swayed by false arguments, such as those who claim that "guest" workers would in fact be "guests".
-----
On a general note, please contact all your representatives and urge them to oppose any sort of amnesty or "guest" worker scheme. The main Senate Switchboard is (202) 224-3121 or (888) 355-3588. You can also send free FAXes here.
Posted to Immigration at 11:26 AM | Comments (3)
Pictures from Los Angeles illegal immigration march
There are several photos from the March 25 rally here. Especially note this one.
Posted to Immigration at 10:41 AM | Comments (4)
Paul Krugman on illegal immigration
Paul Krugman writes:
In other words, I'm instinctively, emotionally pro-immigration. But a review of serious, nonpartisan research reveals some uncomfortable facts about the economics of modern immigration, and immigration from Mexico in particular. If people like me are going to respond effectively to anti-immigrant demagogues, we have to acknowledge those facts...
Aside from the name-calling and his misreading of HR4437, he's... mostly correct.
Posted to Immigration at 03:21 AM | Comments (3)
Oliver Willis to blog from Siberia
ODub comes out against illegal immigration, although he can't help but get his digs in at those evil conservatives.
Posted to Bloggage at 10:23 PM | Comments (0)
Instapundit ends up supporting Bush on illegal immigration
This was highly predictable. Yesterday, Insty posted the following:
I'VE GENERALLY FAVORED OPEN IMMIGRATION, but I find myself feeling less and less that way in the face of mass rallies by illegal immigrants like this one...
Now, he's got an update with an email putting the bestest spin possible on illegal aliens marching in our streets, claiming that "these people are positive about our country, and are interested in being Americans." Insty calls that a "good point".
Didn't you just know that Insty would come around to Bush's position within a very short period of time?
(On a completely OT note, the emailer appears to have some connection to the Sheldon Drobny case.)
Posted to Bloggage at 01:04 PM | Comments (1)
"Borderline Insanity: The Democrats Commit Suicide Over Immigration"
For a change, here's a Democrat who isn't wrong about illegal immigration.
Posted to Immigration at 01:02 PM | Comments (1)
Modern Propaganda Techniques
There's a pretty good list of some techniques the MSM uses here. See also my new site about immigration reform. It provides additional canards the MSM uses to lie about the topic.
Posted to Miscellania at 05:23 AM | Comments (0)
Georgia illegal aliens protest organized by former Mexican consul
[See the first update for more]Tim Molloy of the AP offers a roundup of the recent protest by illegal aliens who are demanding rights to which they aren't entitled in the falsely-titled "Immigration Rallies Draw Thousands Nationwide". It contains the following:
Teodoro Maus, an organizer of the Georgia protest, estimated as many as 80,000 Hispanics did not show up for work.Molloy or his editors are apparently too shy to tell us that Maus isn't just a member of the "Coordinating Committee of Community Leaders". He's also a former Mexican consul. As with other professions, whether anyone is truly ever a "former" consul is unclear.
Here's an earlier AP article that doesn't disclose his former job. And, here's more on some recent statements he made here.
However, for much more on Maus, see this:
In 1996, Maus joined with local Hispanic activists and turned his guns on Norman Bingham, Cobb County Board of Education Chairman. Bingham, you see, had the temerity to exercise his First Amendment free speech rights in Maus' fiefdom, by stating that Latino construction workers were "uneducated" and "probably illegal aliens". After demanding Bingham's ouster, Maus allowed the chairman to retain his position, after of course recanting and issuing a two-page apology. That same year Maus attacked a Smyrna, Georgia law requiring all commercial signs be in English.Will anyone in the Bush administration object to a foreign government possibly agitating their citizens who are in our country illegally? Or, will Bush congratulate Fox when they meet next week?
In 1999, Maus agitated for the issuance of drivers' licenses to illegal aliens, but in this case the Georgia legislature failed to carry out the consul's edict. That same year, on a Spanish-language radio station, Consul Maus ordered local Hispanics to punish Georgia companies which, in Maus' view, "mistreat or ignore Hispanic customers".
After stepping down as Consul General, Maus stayed in the U.S. as a private consultant and then president of the Mexican-American Business Chamber. Now [2002] Maus is slated to move to Washington as the Mexican government's liaison on environmental affairs...
UPDATE: Here's much more on Teodoro Maus. And, here are additional links between the organizers of other immigration marches and foreign forces, including the Mexican government, Mexico's PRD Party (the one to which AMLO belongs), and the Irish government. In fact, all three major Mexican political parties were involved in various of the Chicago illegal immigration marches. The ACLU, MALDEF, SPLC, and AFSC have indirect links to the Mexican government. And, here are more links between the Democratic Party and the Mexican government. OLDER UPDATE: [This update was topical, but feel free to continue calling those below.]
Here's the contact information for those on the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) - 202-224-4254
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) - 202-224-5251
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) - 202-224-3744
Sen. Jon L. Kyl (R-AZ) - 202-224-4521
Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) - 202-224-2315
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) - 202-224-4124
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) - 202-224-5972
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) - 202-224-2934
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) - 202-224-6521
Sen. Thomas A. Coburn (R-OK) - 202-224-5754
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) - 202-224-4242
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) - 202-224-4543
Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) - 202-224-5042
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl (D-WI) - 202-224-5653
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - 202-224-3841
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) - 202-224-5323
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) - 202-224-6542
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) - 202-224-2152
The main Senate Switchboard is (202) 224-3121 or (888) 355-3588. You can also send free FAXes here.
Please note that the current line from Feinstein and others is that they oppose a "blanket amnesty". Please tell them that you oppose any kind of amnesty or "guest" worker scheme, no matter what it's called or no matter how they try to hide it behind semantics.
Posted to Immigration at 09:50 PM | Comments (7)
Bush plans to enforce borders after gets "guest" worker program
Here's a recent comment from president Bush:
"Our government must enforce our borders; we've got plans in place to do so... But part of enforcing our borders is to have a guest worker program that encourages people to register their presence and says to them, 'If you're doing a job an American won't do, you're welcome here for a period of time to do that job.'"
He's had over five years to "enforce our borders", and he's clearly failed to do so. Now, we're informed that there are "plans" to finally do it, five years later.
And, the implicit threat is that the only way he'll "enforce our borders" is if he gets his "guest worker program".
Hasn't Bush admitted that he's not doing the job he swore he would do and that he won't do it unless he gets legislation he wants?
As pointed out many times before, the "period of time" Bush refers to is more commonly called "forever". Those that Bush refers to as "guests" will have U.S. citizen children and those same groups that now tell us that we have to legalize our current illegal aliens will tell us we need to legalize those "guests" who refuse to leave.
Posted to Immigration at 02:24 PM | Comments (7)
Costa Mesa businesses hurt when city enforces law
Costa Mesa in Orange County CA will be checking the immigration status of those arrested for violent felonies.
Now, at first glance you might think most residents of that city would support that idea, rather than, for instance, telling lies about the proposal or complaining that it hurts their businesses (more here).
Previously:
Los Angeles Times supports illegal immigration, again and again
Costa Mesa passes local immigration enforcement law; "liberals" protest
Posted to California at 12:36 PM | Comments (0)
Rich Lowry on Cardinal Roger Mahoney
From this:When it comes to illegal immigration, suddenly liberal Democrats have only one guide to public policy: "What Would Jesus Do?" The target of their Bible-based ire is a border-enforcement bill that recently passed the House and is allegedly the greatest challenge Christianity has faced since the lions in the Colosseum...
...Stoking all the Bible-thumping is Roger Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, who alleges that the legislation would outlaw acts of charity for illegal immigrants. In making this charge, Cardinal Mahony apparently has no compunction about deceiving his flock...
...In the debate over the House bill, these employers are in a de facto alliance with Cardinal Mahony to try to preserve their access to cheap, low-skill labor without the full rights of U.S. citizens. Selfish capitalists surely have never been so grateful for the political activism of a socially conscious (and ill-informed) Catholic bishop.
Posted to Immigration at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
Hidden surprises in Senator Frist's "enforcement-only" bill
Unfortunately, it looks like Senator Frist's "enforcement-only" immigration bill has a few hidden surprises that would make it almost as bad as the other bills the Senate will consider. Here's the number of legal immigrants allowed under each bill over the next ten years:
20 million under Sen. Frist's bill (S. 2454)
25 million under the McCain/Kennedy bill (S. 1033)
30 million under the Specter proposal (no number)
A little more on this here.
Posted to Immigration at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)
Knight Ridder gets serious about effects of illegal immigration
This is a bit of a shocker. From "Migration of working-age people has devastated many Mexican villages" by Jay Root:Decades ago, before massive waves of young men fled north, Pedro Avila Salamanca helped his father harvest corn and fatten pigs. He learned to write his name in a one-room schoolhouse. Sometimes he rode to town on a donkey.See also:
It's all a distant memory now. Everywhere abandoned houses are crumbling. The towns are shrinking. And Avila, 89, who wears donated clothes and lives on the meager checks his daughters send from the United States, can't remember the last time he ate meat. "What would I buy it with?" he asked.
Avila is a part of the immigration debate that neither Mexican political leaders nor cheap-labor advocates in the United States like to talk about: Heavy migration has all but emptied much of the Mexican countryside.
Money sent back to Mexico from those working in the United States reached a record high last year, $20 billion, making remittances from migrants Mexico's second largest source of income, surpassed only by oil exports.
But the export of human labor has been devastating here. It's left the land dotted with near-ghost towns inhabited by the very old and the very young, their lives dependent on whatever money their relatives send home...
Irony on the Border, Part 2
Irony on the Border
Posted to Immigration at 07:45 AM | Comments (0)
Harry Reid's border visit, annotated
From this:[Harry] Reid called [HR4437] "punitive, unfair and un-American," and said he believed a bill introduced last year by Senators John McCain, R.-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., provided a better place to start...
Reid traveled to San Diego yesterday after meeting with labor and hotel industry representatives in Las Vegas, where the service industry relies heavily on immigrant workers...
After a tour of the San Ysidro port of entry and a visit to a recently discovered cross-border drug tunnel, they planned to meet with local labor, church and agricultural industry representatives last night.
Posted to Immigration at 04:42 AM | Comments (1)
Charlie Sheen demands 9/11 investigation
Actor Charlie Sheen has joined a growing army of other highly credible public figures in questioning the official story of 9/11 and calling for a new independent investigation of the attack and the circumstances surrounding it... Speaking to The Alex Jones Show on the GCN Radio Network, the star of current hit comedy show Two and a Half Men and dozens of movies including Platoon and Young Guns, Sheen elaborated on why he had problems believing the government's version of events...(I'm just trying to help prevent things like this)
Posted to ThePeaceMovement at 01:17 AM | Comments (2)
Americans: Bush is going to try to sell you on amnesty, but call it something else
Will president Bush be able to sell Americans on his or someone else's "guest" worker scheme? That appears to be the one-two punch they plan: the Senate will come up with something, then Bush will try to sell it to the American public.Of course, there are a few minor details still to be worked out. For instance, even diehard BushBots are starting to abandon ship. And, almost everyone else doesn't find Bush too very credible. And, there's the little matter that most Americans don't want massive immigration.
And, there's also the matter that anytime someone refers to something as a "guest" worker program they're lying: under any of the current "guest" worker programs our "guests" will end up staying here. They'll buy property, start businesses, and have U.S. citizen children, and they'll never go home.
Likewise with the non-amnesty amnesties: they're all amnesties, even if through semantic gymnastics some claim they won't do what they will do.
Yesterday, Bush held a meeting featuring 15 "business, religious and community leaders who advocate a guest worker program", including our old friend Tamar Jacoby:
...The Senate, which launches a two-week immigration debate on Tuesday, appears far friendlier to the idea of a temporary worker program for foreigners hoping to come here in the future. While the Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a separate plan that would put illegal immigrants already here on a path to citizenship, it's far from certain whether the Senate will endorse it.Since all the "guest" worker schemes are basically amnesties, won't he just be lying?
An initial burst of GOP support in committee last week for an "earned" legalization plan championed by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., may be dwindling as congressional aides race this week to hammer out details, some say.
"It turns out some of those devilish details are giving people trouble now. And what looked like such a promising thing last week ... is turning out to be tough work," said Tamar Jacoby, an immigration expert at the conservative Manhattan Institute who has closely watched the talks...
...The 15 officials invited to the White House to meet with Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, deputy chief of staff Karl Rove and others said they were told the strategy is a deliberate one.
"They are watching very carefully what's going on in Congress and I think they are prepared to encourage the right kind of program ... as it comes out of Congress," Jacoby said as she left the meeting. "He understands he's going to have a big role to play in persuading the public that whatever the answer is, it isn't an amnesty."
Posted to Immigration at 12:01 AM | Comments (1)
Today is "Be Civil When Debating President Bush's Immigration Plans Day"
Earlier today, President Bush called for civility regarding debating the immigration issue: "When we conduct this debate, it must be done in a civil way".
For the rest of the day, this site will honor his wish.
Posted to Immigration at 11:59 PM | Comments (2)
"Cardinal Errors" (National Review on Roger Mahoney)
From this:
The American Catholic bishops are waging an intense, sophisticated campaign to promote their version of immigration reform, which happens also to be big business's version of immigration reform. The campaign comes complete with brochures, a well-designed website, prayer cards, bracelets, and phony arguments...
Much more at the link.
Posted to Immigration at 02:53 PM | Comments (0)
Illegal aliens march: Los Angeles, Sat. March 25
On Saturday, illegal aliens will be marching in Los Angeles for rights to which they aren't entitled.
IOW, foreign citizens who've entered the U.S. illegally or who've remained here illegally are now agitating - and being agitated - inside the U.S.
Have we indeed reached a critical mass of foreign citizens here?
Do we have no choice but to give them what they want?
If we give them what they want, won't millions more come and make the same or even greater demands?
Will our elected representatives capitulate to these foreign citizens' demands?
Please contact all your representatives and urge them not to give in.
Posted to Immigration at 10:45 AM | Comments (4)
Is Harry Reid qualified to be an American Senator?
If an American Senator continually supports citizens of other countries over what Americans want and deserve, has that Senator disqualified himself from his office?
Harry Reid is threatening to filibuster Bill Frist's "enforcement-only" immigration bill. He wants a "guest" worker scheme, and he refers to Kennedy-McCain as a "good place to start."
Not only that, but back in September, he turned his back on American hurricane victims: Harry Reid wants amnesty for illegal aliens who are taking jobs that could go to Katrina victims.
Is Harry Reid completely corrupt and willing to sell out this country and its citizens for the possibility of new votes for him and his party? Is he really qualified to be a United States Senator?
Posted to Politics at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)
Let's discredit Cardinal Roger Mahoney! (Part 2)
If Cardinal Roger Mahoney turns out to be intentionally misreading the provisions of HR4437 relating to providing aid to illegal aliens, doesn't a major part of his argument collapse together with whatever credibility he might still have?
Ramesh Ponnuru discussed Mahoney's claims here, and provides one sample provision from HR4437:
"Whoever assists, encourages, directs, or induces a person to reside in or remain in the United States, or to attempt to reside in or remain in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such person is an alien who lacks lawful authority to reside in or remain in the United States, shall be punished as provided [elsewhere in the bill]."
He also provides this snippet from current law:
Any person who, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection, or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such alien in any place, including any building or any means of transportation, shall be punished as provided...
Clearly, there's little difference between current and proposed law, and Mahoney is reading more into the bill than it says.
If we do as Ponnuru suggests and add a provision exempting social services, have no doubt that Mahoney and other supporters of illegal immigration will stretch it to the limit. But, perhaps some sort of a compromise can be developed that will take the wind out of the Cardinal's sails while at the same time not opening up the new law to abuses by so-called "humanitarian" groups.
Posted to Immigration at 06:54 AM | Comments (0)
Border Patrol: recent incursion wasn't Mexican military
From this:Border Patrol agents now know who was really involved in a confrontation between Texas Law Enforcement and alleged drug smugglers in Sierra Blanca.Is Aguilar correct? Is he telling the truth? Will we ever really know?
"All the evidence they have gathered from the investigation points to the individuals and the equipment that was involved was in fact not government of Mexico or military equipment," said National Chief Patrol Agent David Aguilar.
On January 22nd, Hudspeth County deputies say they were pursuing drug smugglers who crossed back into Mexico and were allegedly helped by men dressed as Mexican soldiers who deputies say crossed illegally into the U.S...
UPDATE: From this:
Two border sheriffs told KFOX they still believe the Mexican military is involved in a Hudspeth County incursion.Previously:
The sheriffs in El Paso and Hudspeth counties said they disagree with a recent finding by the Border Patrol.
Instead, they believe Mexican soldiers were indeed involved in the Jan. 22 Hudspeth County incursion...
Another border incursion; Hudspeth County Sheriff's deputies receive threats
Border incursion details; Mexico claims they were U.S. soldiers
Border incursions: CBP wants investigation; Mexico issues border ban
Armed standoff near El Paso. Mexican Army?
Mexican military incursions: Chertoff downplays, excuses
Posted to Immigration at 03:46 AM | Comments (3)
Illegal aliens protest, Phoenix, 3/21/06
Since there's so many protests by foreign citizens who have entered our country illegally and are now demanding rights to which they aren't entitled, let's try this compact format:
report: "Hispanic groups showing support for McCain bill"
reporter: Yvonne Wingett
where: Phoenix, Arizona
# in group: around 60
signs: They waved signs in Spanish that translate to, "We want legalization for everyone."
interesting features: they caravaned to the office of John McCain (RINO-AZ,MX). Before the caravan, they gathered in front of the Mexican consulate.
Posted to Immigration at 03:14 PM | Comments (1)
Rob Allyn behind Mexico's ads in LAT, NYT, WaPo
The ads that the government of Mexico placed in the NYT, LAT, and WaPo were created by Rob Allyn, whose PR firm is being paid $720,000 to spread Mexican propaganda in the U.S.
AFAIK, no reporter has yet asked Allyn whether he is or will register as a Registered Foreign Agent.
Earlier: New York Times' Simon Romero does Rob Allyn's work for him
Posted to Immigration at 11:20 AM | Comments (1)
AFP is misleading you, Bush hasn't "ruled out amnesty for undocumented workers"
Drudge is linking to the Agence-France Press article "Bush rules out amnesty for undocumented workers":President George W. Bush said he was opposed to amnesty or automatic citizenship for the some 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States.The AFP doesn't point out that they're basically the same thing. Those "guests" will stay, and Bush is lying to the American public when he calls them guests. And, those who offer similar "guest" worker plans are lying as well. By failing to point out what's really involved, the AFP is also lying.
Amid an intense debate over the issue among US lawmakers, Bush on Tuesday ruled out amnesty for illegal immigrants but said he favored a "guest worker" program that would provide legal status for workers for a limited time period...
Oddly enough, this is not the first time something like this has happened.
Back in October, Drudge linked to an AFP article also located at breitbart.com that falsely implied that DHS head Michael Chertoff wanted to expel all illegal aliens.
Posted to Immigration at 09:40 AM | Comments (3)
More pro-illegal immigration propaganda from the Washington Post
Darryl Fears of the WaPo offers "Immigration Debate Heats Up":
Pro-immigrant activists are planning an April 10 protest in 10 cities that could pull tens of thousands of immigrant workers from their jobs. A coalition of groups including the AFL-CIO, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Catholic bishops, the Day Without an Immigrant coalition in Philadelphia and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will meet today on Capitol Hill to announce their plans.
Given the news that millions of citizens of other countries have entered our country illegally and are now marching to be given rights to which they aren't entitled, some might hope that some reporter somewhere would look into that side of things.
Of course, since this is from the Washington Post, they don't do that. Instead, the article is mostly pro-illegal immigration propaganda. It draws a contrast between the "unsympathetic" Minuteman and a large number of sympathetic, poor, frightened illegal aliens.
The side of things the WaPo won't discuss was offered in "Mexicans demand rights in U.S. What happens if we refuse?"
Please contact your representatives and urge them not to capitulate to those demands.
Posted to Immigration at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)
President Bush's latest immigration remarks
Our Leader has discussed immigration twice recently: here and here.
Maybe it's just me, but whenever I hear Bush talking about immigration I'm reminded of that scene from the Woody Allen movie Bananas that goes like this:
San Marcos realizes it's in need of a new leader, since their current leader has gone crazy and has used a recent public speaking event to announce that from now on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish, and that every one will have to change their underwear every half an hour. Of course, they will also be forced to wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes, so the government will be able to check.
Posted to Immigration at 06:50 AM | Comments (0)
"Illegal Aliens Captured Working at Naval Undersea Warfare Center"
From this:Federal agents arrested three Guatemalan nationals and one Colombian national who were all working illegally for AID Maintenance, a Rhode Island-based company that provides contract cleaning services to both the the Naval Undersea Warfare Center and the Naval Station in Newport R.I.
In Monday's operation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents apprehended the individuals as they reported for work at the base. The workers, who had access badges authorizing them to enter the Naval Station, were identified after agents audited the hiring records of more than 250 AID Maintenance workers. The audit found deficiencies in more than 50% of the records of the employees on the company's payroll...
Posted to Immigration_terror at 03:41 AM | Comments (2)
Should the feds take over Maywood California?
Maywood is a tiny (1.14 square miles) city in southeast L.A. County with at least 30,000 residents, many of them illegal aliens. I've refered to it as "Aztlan City" because they recently came out against HR4437, they've declared themselves a sanctuary for illegal aliens, and the other actions they've taken that support illegal immigration.Now, the L.A. Times has yet another article on their efforts: "Welcome to Maywood, Where Roads Open Up for Immigrants".
Oddly enough, they give some time to the dissenters:
Even within the city, the stance is controversial. Longtime residents believe the City Council has gone too far and is embracing lawlessness. They also question whether Maywood can handle more illegal immigrants.Now, there's talk of Maywood's stance spreading to other cities with - naturally - Hispanic leaders and large illegal aliens populations.
"I'm afraid we're testing the limits of the law, and that's dangerous," said longtime resident J. Luis Ceballos, 52. "I think there is a danger of people thinking that they can do whatever they want."
If this is allowed to spread, won't it set a very dangerous precedent? Wouldn't we be allowing mini-Quebecs to sprout inside Los Angeles County? What if neighboring cities with similar viewpoints banded together? Where would it stop?
It's long past time for the feds or the state to begin investigating whether these cities' officials have violated one law or another.
While they might be afraid to step in because of the feared political backlash from Mexican-"Americans" like those in the California legislature, isn't that indicative of an even greater problem? Isn't it better to step in now before it's too late to do anything?
Posted to California at 10:28 PM | Comments (9)
Mexicans: Americans are lazy, racist exploiters
You're probably not likely to read about the latest Zogby poll in the usual sources since it tends to cast a great deal of doubt on those who support massive illegal immigration from Mexico. Namely, is it wise to import millions of people who have a low opinion of Americans? Why not import people who have a high opinion of America and support our people and our system? Why ask for trouble when it's not really necessary?Twin polls were conducted of both Americans in the U.S. and Mexicans in Mexico:
Seventy percent of Americans said the U.S. is wealthier because there is plenty of opportunity and work available in the United States, but 62 percent of Mexicans said the U.S. is wealthier because it exploits others, the Zogby poll said.Similar percentages blame either corruption or government policies for their countries' problems. Only half of Mexicans want to have a "strong relationship" with the U.S.; Americans favor that by 62 percent.
...a majority of Americans want U.S. lawmakers to crack down on illegal immigration. Sixty-two percent of Americans said they favor "more restrictive" immigration policies, the Zogby poll said.
...84 percent of Americans said they held a positive view of the Mexican people, but only 36 percent of Mexicans had a positive view of Americans.
-- 78 percent of Americans consider Mexicans hard-working, but only 26 percent of Mexicans consider Americans hard-working.
-- 18 percent of Americans consider Mexicans racist, while 73 percent of Mexicans see American as racist.
-- 42 percent of Americans see Mexicans as honest, while only 16 percent of Mexicans see Americans as honest.
Related: 58% of Mexicans AGREED with this question: "the territory of the United States' Southwest rightfully belongs to Mexico."
I know that "liberals" are real daredevils, but aren't we playing with fire here? Shouldn't we only allow people to settle here who respect our laws and our society? Shouldn't we have even the barest of standards other than just having a low-wage job?
If you support illegal immigration or massive immigration from Mexico, do you really think you're doing what's in the best interests of this country? UPDATE: In the intro to this post I forgot that those on the other side are quite adept. Reuters spins the poll in the bestest way they can find: "Americans, Mexicans oppose border fence: poll". Oddly enough, they don't mention the "more restrictive immigration policies" that most Americans support. Nor do they mention almost all of the other data points that point to the absolute foolishness of unrestricted immigration from Mexico. I should have known, I really should have known.
Posted to Immigration at 08:02 PM | Comments (4)
Have Oklahoma banks admitted to aiding and abetting illegal immigration?
Judy Gibbs Robinson of The Oklahoman offers a mostly standard article on banks giving home loans to illegal aliens: "Illegal immigrants use their taxpayer IDs to apply for mortgages".I'm going to let someone else weigh in on this, but it looks to me like it's possible that two sources might have admitted to giving home loans to known illegal aliens. Would that be a crime? Would it be possible to find a non-corrupt, pro-American prosecutor to pursue that?
The sidebar contains this:
Qualifying for a loan using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers is not easy, said Platinum Direct Funding of Milwaukee President Bob Ross. Those who qualify typically have been in the United States 10 to 20 years.So, they know these are illegal aliens.
Applicants must have filed taxes for two years and must have bank accounts, adequate income and a credit history -- although the latter can be a year's worth of utility bills.
"They have to be perfect -- 12 months and no late," said Alma Hancock, a loan officer with Oklahoma City's Gateway Mortgage who is processing her first ITIN loan application.
Those who qualify face higher interest rates: The 9.25 percent Hector and Yolanda received is about 3 points above the rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate loan. Lenders said the risk justifies the rates.
"They know that perhaps these people could be deported," Hancock said.
And, this:
The process reached Oklahoma City in November, when Jesse Hernandez returned from an out-of-state meeting of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals.If you live in Oklahoma, could you please contact your representatives and encourage them to look into whether these companies are committing crimes?
"I'd always heard (undocumented) people could buy houses, but I couldn't figure out how," said Hernandez, a south Oklahoma City real estate agent. Within a week of the meeting, willing lenders were calling him, Hernandez said. He has sold five homes with taxpayer number loans. The one for Yolanda and Hector will be his sixth.
"The way I see it, everybody has the right to have a house," said Hernandez, a U.S. citizen born in Mexico.
Posted to Immigration at 01:11 PM | Comments (0)
Mexicans demand rights in U.S. What happens if we refuse?
Could you please send the article "Saturday's Immigrant Rights March: Who kicked the sleeping giant?" to all of your representatives and urge them to read it?
It concerns the recent illegal alien rally in Chicago and it's written by Joshua Hoyt of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, a group closely linked to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.
The bottom line of the article is that millions of Mexicans have come here illegally and settled. And, if we follow our laws and do what's in the best interests of this country, they'll protest. Foreign citizens have settled here and are now demanding that we do what they want.
While many Democrats are corrupt and anti-American enough to allow that to happen, many Republicans and some Democrats will realize that no country can allow anything like that. If we give them what they want now, we'll just have to keep doing it.
Posted to Immigration at 10:34 AM | Comments (5)
Brian Feagans of AJC reports on re-eduction of American worker
Brian Feagans of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution offers "Illegals change the homebuilding industry". It covers the story of a house framing contractor who was driven out of work by low bids from his competitors who use illegal labor, something he refuses to do.
It can most charitibly be described as a Soviet-style report covering his re-education and possible future rehabilitation.
The contractor loses work, has to sell his house, takes anti-depressants, stops taking the anti-depressants, until he eventually loses his business and has to find a job with someone else.
He also sends emails to elected representatives and other officials, all of whom pass the buck and refuse to enforce our immigration laws.
Twenty or thirty years ago, this would be a story of a great scandal: cheap, illegal labor flooding a market and driving Americans out of business. And, papers would look into the corrupt elected officials who support that. Shouldn't newspapers uncover corruption rather than end up supporting it? Why, they've even made movies - with a 2004 sequel - about those who fight against corruption.
Should the AJC decide to become a real newspaper rather than a propaganda rag, they could start with something that's contained in the article:
Dennis McConnell, who sits on the board of the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association, said immigrant workers, both legal and illegal, are instrumental to construction in the region. "There's only so many Bubbas coming off the farm," said McConnell, who also sits on the board of the National Association of Home Builders. "The traditional sources for cheap labor just aren't there." ...McConnell, who builds in intown neighborhoods such as Virginia-Highland, said he has no doubt that there are illegal immigrants on his work sites. "That's why we hire subcontractors," he said. "It's their liability, not ours."
Shouldn't that have been not just a red flag but a red cape to a real reporter working for a real newspaper? Instead of treating it like the corrupt, anti-American scandal that it is, the AJC treats it like something you'd read in Soviet propaganda where the Uzbek peasant finally sees the light and decides to become a true kommunisticheskii worker.
I suggest the contractor keeps doing what he's doing now. But, as for the rest of us, I suggest helping him out by fighting against those who support massive illegal immigration. See also the commentary on this article here (nofollowpolicy).
Please send a note to their ombudsman with your thoughts: insideajc *at* ajc.com
Posted to Immigration at 06:37 AM | Comments (0)
Illinois voters: please choose Jim Oberweis
If you live in Illinois, please vote for Jim Oberweis in today's gubanatorial primary. The reason is simple: look at who his opponents are and what they represent and and what they support and what they're willing to do.
A vote for Oberweis is a vote against the corrupt, illegal immigration supporting political infrastructure in Illinois.
And, if you have friends there, please contact them and encourage them to vote for him as well.
Posted to Politics at 03:05 AM | Comments (0)
The immigration debate, Washington Post-style
The Washington Post featured a chat about immigration with one of their reporters earlier today, and it shows the only type of "debate" that paper is willing to have about immigration.
The chat featured Michael Leahy, author of a recent article about the Minuteman Project in Virginia ("Crossing the Line", 3/19/06). And, it was quite a "show chat": almost all of the questions were complimentary and from opponents of the MMP, in some cases including smears.
Only three of the questions that Leahy or the WaPo screener chose to print were from those who oppose illegal immigration, and only one of those had any actual meat. Even that was from someone who's not a fan of the MMP:
The Minutemen sound like unpleasant, confrontational zealots. However, I tend to think they're on the right side of this issue. Illegal immigration unambiguously hurts the United States by driving down wages and workplace protections for low-income workers. It hurts Latin America by siphoning away able, intelligent workers. Illegal immigration to the US also saps political energy for reform in Latin America, allowing corrupt or ineffective regimes to stay in power longer, prolonging and deepening poverty. Most Americans don't care about these bad consequences because they want cheap laborers to keep their azaleas looking good, but this hardly constitutes the moral high ground.
Notably, the three questions I wasted my time typing in were not answered by Leahy (see the link above). Two of those directly contradicted statements he made in the chat, and all three presented a side of the story not to be found from Leahy or the Washington Post.
Specifically, Leahy gave the impression that most "Latinos" support illegal immigration, when the truth is that not all do. And, some of those who do have links to the Mexican government.
He also stated the "Border Patrol has made it clear that it does not believe the Minutemen's presence at their April rally last year was of any real help to its operations." He should have made it clear that many front-line BP agents support or do not oppose the MMP. And, if he were serious about getting to the truth of this issue, he would have asked why the Washington BP officials think differently. And, no one else in the chat discussed one of the most pernicious affects of illegal immigration: political corruption. Needless to say, Leahy did not bring that up.
What could Leahy or the WaPo be afraid of? Why are they unable to discuss this issue other than in the most simplistic, emotionalistic terms? Since the Washington Post wholeheartedly supports illegal immigration, shouldn't they at least give a passing nod to the downsides of what they support?
Note also the introduction to the chat by Emily Messner, which I responded to here.
Does the Washington Post think it enhances its reputation by featuring such ignorant commentary or those who refuse to discuss subjects in anything other than the "show chat" format?
Posted to Immigration at 08:30 PM | Comments (1)
LAT, NYT, WaPo print Mexican propaganda ad
A full page ad from the government of Mexico appeared in the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Washington Post on Monday. While they do have a right to take ads even from foreign governments, the choice was particularly apt considering that all three papers support illegal immigration. And, it's a bit ironic considering an ad that the Los Angeles Times refused to run.
There are probably even readers who thought they were reading an article and not an ad. From the advertisement's text:
Acknowledging the sovereign right of each country to regulate the entrance of foreigners, it is indispensable to find a solution for the undocumented population that lives in the United States and contributes to the development of the country, so that people can be fully incorporated into their actual communities, with the same rights and duties.
It would be better if you could see it performed live. In that case, someone would be in the background making quote marks with his hands while Joe Isuzu read the text.
Mexican demands include not just "a far-reaching guest workers scheme" but they claim that "in order for a guest workers program to be viable, Mexico should participate in its design, management, supervision and evaluation."
In case you aren't laughing/crying hard enough, the ad goes on:
Mexico does not promote undocumented migration... [Mexico] is committed to fighting all forms of human smuggling and related criminal activities.
Thank you, Joe Isuzu and quote-marks guy.
Posted to Immigration at 01:53 PM | Comments (1)
Michael Leahy of Washington Post answers tough immigration questions!
Michael Leahy of the Washington Post is currently engaged in a chat about illegal immigration here. So far, he's answered three puffball/smear questions but hasn't yet answered mine:
--
Regarding "Latino activists", isn't it true that Hispanics from different countries of origin have different political viewpoints, and that even from the same country of origin not all think the same way?
Isn't it true that a good percentage of Hispanics actually support our immigration laws?
And, isn't it true that some "Latino activists" who support illegal immigration have links to the Mexican government?
--
And:
--
What role does political corruption play in illegal immigration?
As you no doubt know, remittances is a multi-billion dollar industry, and many U.S. corporations profit off sending money from illegal aliens in the U.S. to Mexico.
They then donate a portion of that money to politicians.
Likewise with manufacturing companies, growers, etc. who profit off illegal activity.
All of those companies that profit off illegal activity donate a lot of money, and politicians tend to do what they want: look the other way on our immigration laws.
Hasn't our political system been corrupted by illegal immigration?
Should papers like the WaPo really support illegal immigration, or should they fight against it?
--
And:
--
Isn't your claim about the BP vs. the MMP not entirely accurate? Isn't it true that Washington officials of the BP oppose the MMP, but the front-line agents of the BP generally support them?
Perhaps you should look a bit deeper into that side of things, eh?
--
Please submit your own questions that might be a little tougher than those he's already received. I guess it ends around 2pm EST.
Posted to Immigration at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)
The Catholic Church's anti-HR4437 smokescreen (no soup kitchens here)
The article "Whether to aid migrants may be question of faith", although generally portraying the San Antonio diocese of the Catholic Church in the best light, does have a little contrary information, like this:Opponents' "criticism of [HR 4437] is a smokescreen for their attitude that they don't really want to reduce illegal immigration," [Rep. Lamar Smith] said "Nobody is going to jail if they're innocently trying to provide food and water."Cardinal Roger Mahoney and others have complained about the possibility that HR 4437 would interfere with soup kitchens and other emergency or necessary services for illegal aliens.
But, is that all that the Catholic Church provides to illegal aliens, or does it go a bit further than that? What if members of that church in San Antonio are providing non-emergency services to known illegal aliens?
In a tiny house on the West Side, two nuns provide a daily break for Mexican immigrant mothers struggling to raise families in a foreign culture.Computer classes? Sewing lessons? What happened to the emergency food and water that we've been told this was all about?
The nuns teach English, computer skills and arts and crafts. They celebrate birthdays and invite residents to the local Catholic church for Masses. If requested, they give advice on applying for citizenship....
It's free. No questions asked. Not about religion. Not about legal status.
But the work of the 7-month-old Presentation Ministry Center and similar organizations could be in jeopardy, according to opponents of a bill approved by the U.S. House in December...
For nearly three hours a day weekdays, [Sister Quijano] and Sister Dina Potter give sewing lessons at a fold-up table in a former living room. On the walls are hand-made Christmas wreaths and a wooden cross engraved with racially diverse images.
One room serves as a computer lab with four stations. Another room has a marker board and chairs around a table used for English classes.
The house is rented from a family whose grandmother was gunned down by mistake during a drive-by shooting two years ago. Community renewal is the ministry's ultimate goal, Quijano said. The sisters work in a zip code where only 3 percent of its residents have college degrees and more than one-third live below the poverty line.
On a recent morning, Alicia swung open the screen door entrance along with her youngest child, Jasmine, who is 19 months old. Alicia is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, who declined to give her last name, and stays at home to care for four children...
I was unable to find out exactly who runs that House, but they're definitely part of the Catholic Church. Considering what they're doing, isn't it clear that they're actively encouraging known illegal immigrants to stay here?
Would that House - just as an example - try to encourage an illegal alien to return to Mexico and seek help at their church counterparts in that country? Wouldn't that be best for all concerned? Rather than bringing poor people into a rich economy and an unknown country, why not encourage them to stay home and build up their own country, or at least emigrate legally rather than illegally?
Is the Catholic Church simply trying to set immigration policy and hiding behind a "compassionate" smokescreen to do so?
Posted to Immigration at 03:09 AM | Comments (3)
Harry Reid's patriot act
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has developed a plan to conduct events across the U.S. next week, and a copy was given to the Washington Times. His "Real Security" events will be conducted at various public facilities associated with homeland and national security such as military bases. The document contains this tip:
"Ensure that you have the proper U.S. and state flags at the event, and consider finding someone to sing the national anthem and lead the group in the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the event".
It certainly sounds like it would look very patriotic. But, in the case of Reid, he'd probably be faking it.
Two weeks after Katrina drove hundreds of thousands of Americans out of work, Senator Harry Reid threw his support behind the illegal aliens who were doing the rebuilding jobs that Americans should have been doing.
Rather than supporting those American hurricane victims and making sure that they got jobs doing rebuilding, Harry Reid supported the illegal aliens who were taking those jobs.
Harry Reid can wrap himself in the flag, but his actions show that he needs a refresher on this whole America thing.
Posted to Politics at 06:08 PM | Comments (1)
Arizona Republic almost does expose on Western Union
Chris Hawley of the AZ Republic offers the somewhat surprising article "Wire firm a force in debate over immigration".It's surprising because in a rare move for the AZ Republic it comes close to reporting the actual truth. They come close to implying that Western Union and their parent company First Data are profiting off illegal immigration, are encouraging illegal immigration, and are corrupting our political system.
...In recent years, Denver-based First Data has openly campaigned for immigration reform, which could legalize millions of undocumented workers, and has created a $10 million "Empowerment Fund" for the same purpose.In brief: First Data not only profits off illegal immigration, they encourage massive immigration. I'll leave it to the reader to determine whether what they do qualifies as encouraging illegal immigration. However, note that Proposition 200 was designed to fight illegal immigration, and First Data opposed it.
It has held seminars on migration law, published how-to guides for migrants, sponsored English classes, given money to a charity that helps Mexican women whose husbands are in the United States, and showered immigrant-sending communities with aid.
First Data has stepped up its political donations in recent years. It also "directly, actively" fought against Arizona's Proposition 200, a First Data official told the Mexican Senate in 2004.
...Those migrants send a torrent of money to their families. Mexicans in the United States alone sent home some $20 billion in 2005, up from $6.6 billion just five years ago.
The increase has been a windfall for wire-transfer companies. Western Union, which also owns the Vigo and Orlandi Valuta chains, saw its revenue nearly double from $2.3 billion in 2000 to $4.2 billion in 2005. It made $1.3 billion in profit last year.
"Their real key to success is the immigration from Third World to Second World and First World countries. That is the ultimate secret sauce," said Kartik Mehta, an analyst with FTN Midwest Securities.
...The company also sponsored the printing of 300,000 guides telling Salvadorans how to apply for the U.S. Temporary Protected Status program. The program gave legal residency to 248,000 migrants following two earthquakes in El Salvador in 2001.
In 2000 the company formed the First Data Western Union Foundation, which is funded by First Data, its employees and its agents in other countries.
The foundation has given out more than $16 million, funding everything from seminars on home buying for migrants in Broward County, Fla. to English classes at the Chicago and San Antonio campuses of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
It gives money to a legal aid groups and organizations like the Massachusetts-based Immigrant Learning Center, which along with running English classes, produces studies "promoting immigrants as assets to America," according to one of its reports.
...Furthermore, some of the foundation's programs almost seem to reward migration, say some border-control advocates.
In the Mexican state of Oaxaca, the foundation gave $250,000 "to provide assistance to women living alone because their husbands are working in the United States," according to a foundation news release...
It also has pledged $1.25 million to the Mexican government's 4x1 Program in Zacatecas state. The program provides matching funds for each peso that migrants invest in small businesses in their hometowns...
Another foundation-funded program helps Mexican migrants go to U.S. universities "because they don't have the documents necessary to go to a college and pay tuition as international students," First Data's public relations director Mario Hernandez said during a forum in the Mexican Senate on Nov. 10, 2004.
The foundation made headlines by funding a 56-page booklet for migrants called "A Survival Guide for Newcomers to Colorado."
..."They're promoting whatever is going to enhance their bottom line, and if that means encouraging mass immigration, that's what they're going to do," said Mike McGarry, acting director of the Colorado Alliance for Immigration Reform, which has opposed First Data's advocacy efforts in its home state.
...During a panel discussion organized by the company at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., First Data's then-chief executive, Charlie Fote, announced the creation of a $10 million "Empowerment Fund" to push for an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, though he gave few details of how the money would be used.
...Since then, First Data has held panel discussions around the country to campaign for immigration reform. The company also said it used its money to fight Arizona's Proposition 200, a measure passed in 2004 that bars illegal immigrants from receiving some state services.
"Our company directly, actively and with financial support, supported the business, political and community groups that opposed this proposition," Hernandez, the public relations director, told lawmakers during the 2004 forum at the Mexican Senate.
First Data also has stepped up its campaign donations. The company has spent $247,000 on federal elections since 2001, compared to $145,000 in the five years before that, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
A political action committee, First Data Employees for Responsible Government, has donated $128,000 since it was formed in 2000. And that's not counting hefty donations by individual executives. Fote and his wife, for example, gave $46,800 to 32 federal candidates between the beginning of 2000 and Fote's retirement in November.
Most of First Data's beneficiaries are members of the Senate and House committees on banking and financial services. Much of the money also has gone directly to the Republican and Democratic parties in the form of "soft money" donations.
Left out of the largesse: Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, one of the most vocal immigration-control activists, who also happens to be First Data's hometown congressman. First Data, its PAC and many of its executives gave money to Joanna Conti, his Democratic opponent, in the 2004 election.
It is unclear if the $10 million Empowerment Fund has gone into campaign donations. First Data would not give The Republic details on how that money is being spent...
And, they then donate part of the money they've obtained from those engaging in illegal activity to politicians, including Democrats like Conti.
Posted to Immigration at 12:27 PM | Comments (3)
Robert Kuttner lies about immigration
The editor of The American Prospect offers "Bad times for immigrants". It's so chock full of lies and misleading statements that it's difficult to know where to start.
First, of course, the title. Those he's discussing are illegal aliens, not "immigrants". Then, this:
[HR 4437's] sponsors have the fantastical hope of literally rounding up all 12 million and sending them back.
Obviously, that's a lie.
He also describes Kennedy-McCain as "sensible" and offering a "grand bargain".
The article contains the seeds of its downfall. He reports that our immigration laws aren't being enforced, but then he somehow thinks that changing our laws would result in those being enforced.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way: the underlying reason why our immigration laws aren't being enforced has to be addressed. One of those reasons is because supporters of illegal immigration - such as Kuttner, Kennedy, and McCain - still have some remaining credibility.
Hopefully we can work on that.
Posted to Immigration at 07:57 PM | Comments (4)
Is Ramesh Ponnuru wrong about illegal immigration?
I don't know because the full text of his latest article is not online: "Illegal Detour: Thinking reasonably about immigration".
It starts with this:
Illegal immigration is not a big problem in America. Okay, let me amend that before pots and pans and worse things come flying at me. America has some serious immigration problems, but they are not distinctively problems of illegal immigration. If we focus narrowly on illegal immigration, we are likely to come up with counterproductive solutions.
I believe his point is that both legal and illegal immigration have similar effects and both need to be discussed. Fair enough, however illegal immigration is per se devastating to this country in its own unique ways.
For instance, as pointed out many times in the past, illegal immigration leads to political corruption: companies that profit off illegal immigration donate to politicians who look the other way. And, that leads to undermining our political system.
Posted to Immigration at 02:51 PM | Comments (4)
Lake Havasu City, the American city
After reading hundreds of newspaper articles about illegal immigration in small towns, I don't think I've read about a town that hasn't yet experienced the "wonders" of "liberalism". In almost all of those stories there are some "liberals"/corrupt local officials/profiteers around who support illegal immigration and the agenda of a hostile foreign government.Not so in this case:
Lake Havasu City recently denied a request by the Mexican government to set up an office in the Aquatic Center to process Mexican Consulate identity cards.This article is so shocking I have trouble believing it, yet there it is.
City Manager Richard Kaffenberger stated in his report before the Lake Havasu City Council Tuesday that the country of Mexico had contacted the city about opening an office here to process matricula consular ID cards. That request was turned down.
..."If you are a resident alien you have a green card," said Kaffenberger. "You obviously have ID."
Kaffenberger received support for denying the request from council members Margaret Nyberg, Bruce Hinman and Bob Crabtree.
Kaffenberger said he did not believe the city was the proper place for this sort of office.
"If there was a need for that kind of thing, I would have thought they would have gone to the church or some place like that," he said. "I just don't think a municipal government facility, paid for by the taxpayers or Lake Havasu City, is the appropriate venue for this kind of thing."
State Sen. Ron Gould (R-District 3) said he was also in support of the city's denial of the office.
"If we start doing this kind of stuff, all we're doing is encouraging people to aid and abet illegal aliens," he said.
"If President Fox wants to help his folks out, maybe he should get rid of corruption in his own government so they quit coming across the border, rather than providing resources for them in the United States," Gould added.
Posted to Immigration at 12:39 PM | Comments (2)
More foreign propaganda supporting illegal immigration
As pointed out before, the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform is funded by the government of Ireland and they're lobbying for a massive amnesty for illegal aliens.
And, they've not only got quite a propaganda push going, but they've found media sources willing to carry their water.
Yesterday we discussed this: Tyche Hendricks, S.F. Chronicle, offers timely pro-illegal immigration propaganda. That reporter didn't mention that the Lobby is funded by the Irish government, making that article quite clearly pro-illegal immigration propaganda.
Also providing coverage is Allen Martin of CBS 5 in 'Frisco: "'Illegal Irish' Campaign For Immigration Reform".
In his text, he doesn't mention the connection. There's a video report, the picture of which at the site features t-shirts with 'legalize the irish.org'. That's the site for the Lobby. I didn't watch the video, but if the connection wasn't mentioned in the text it's probably not there in the video.
Since Martin's email isn't provide, let's try Akilah Monifa, their Director of Communications: amonifa@kpix.cbs.com Ask him or her whether Martin informed their viewers that they were watching foreign propaganda.
And, WNYC's Brian Lehrer show featured a segment on the Lobby. Let's ask him whether they disclosed the connection: brianlehrershow@wnyc.org
Posted to Immigration at 08:27 AM | Comments (1)
Luis Gutierrez, racist and racial demagogue
Luis Gutierrez is a Democratic representative from Illinois. He's also a racist and a racial demagogue. Despite being Puerto Rican - and thus born a U.S. citizen - he's a strong supporter of illegal immigration from Mexico, as his appearance at the recent march in support of illegal immigration shows. This is what he told a group of illegal aliens:"This is our country, and this is where we will stay."Clearly, Gutierrez is willing to put his race before his country and he has no rights to represent the U.S. if he isn't willing to either support our laws or work to change them.
And, on Wednesday, he and Rep. Tom Tancredo got into a spat, only part of which is recounted by the RMN here.
At one point, Gutierrez reportedly asked Tancredo if he had ever eaten in a restaurant.But, there's more. What the RMN fails to report is something else this fine "American" said:
"How could you eat from the plates touched by those nasty illegal immigrants?" Gutierrez said.
He then asked Tancredo, "Have you ever eaten an orange? A grape?" - an apparent reference to illegal farm workers.
He then repeated the phrase several times as Tancredo tried to answer: "An orange, a grape, an orange, a grape, an orange, a grape."
Gutierrez, who has a cast on a foot, reportedly walked toward an elevator, but Tancredo tried to stop him by putting his hand on his shoulder. Gutierrez reportedly demanded: "Get your hand off me!"
Adams said Tancredo had done little more than tap him on the shoulder.
Gutierrez said to Tancredo: "You racist! You bigot!"
Tancredo told Gutierrez: "You look in the mirror if you want to see a racist."
After the lunchtime show in the Cannon Rotunda ended, Gutierrez made a joke about how the "immigrant" (him, though he was born in Chicago) showed up on time while the "Gringo" (Tancredo) was late. Gutierrez told Tancredo that he had a "really ugly policy."I know some people say otherwise (or pretend otherwise), but I consider "gringo" a racial slur.
In addition to having little qualifications besides his race, Gutierrez is a racist and a racial demagogue. And, I question his loyalty to this country.
I'd imagine there's little chance of having him recalled, but at least he'll help show everyone else what the Democratic Party truly stands for. Please do your part to help the Democratic Party take pride in true Democrats such as Gutierrez and the fine members of the California legislature.
Posted to Immigration at 04:10 AM | Comments (4)
Tyche Hendricks, S.F. Chronicle, offers timely pro-illegal immigration propaganda
Tyche Hendricks of the S.F. Chronicle offers "Irish join battle over illegal immigration. St. Patrick's Day vehicle for activists seeking reform."
The article describes the group Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, but doesn't mention that that group is funded by the Irish government.
Is there any way to describe this "news" article as anything more than simply pure pro-illegal immigration propaganda? Should you trust anything you read from that reporter or that paper?
Posted to Immigration at 12:09 PM | Comments (1)
Important: Tell the Senate no "guest" worker schemes
The possibility of a new "guest" worker/amnesty scheme got much closer yesterday as the Senate Judiciary Committee reached a compromise with the help of Arlen Specter. Specter, Cornyn, Kyl, Kennedy, McCain and others are apparently having their staffs iron out the details, and apparently 12 of the 18 members of the Committee would vote for it. Details here, here, and here.
Could you please take a few minutes and contact these Senators and stress your adamant opposition to any kind of a "guest" worker plan or anything similar, no matter what it's called? Please inform the kind person who answers the phone that you oppose any kind of amnesty, and that you know that these plans are amnesties no matter how strongly the Senators say they aren't?
If this passes, it will be just like the 1986 amnesty, only perhaps even worse: untold millions more illegal aliens will come here to take advantage of that and future amnesties.
The one shining ray of hope in all this is the opposition offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo and 70 other pro-American House members. They say they will work to block any kind of "guest" worker schemes.
So, please also take a few minutes and contact your other representatives and encourage them to join that group.
Here's the contact information for those on the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) - 202-224-4254
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) - 202-224-5251
Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-IA) - 202-224-3744
Sen. Jon L. Kyl (R-AZ) - 202-224-4521
Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH) - 202-224-2315
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) - 202-224-4124
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-SC) - 202-224-5972
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) - 202-224-2934
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) - 202-224-6521
Sen. Thomas A. Coburn (R-OK) - 202-224-5754
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT) - 202-224-4242
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) - 202-224-4543
Sen. Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) - 202-224-5042
Sen. Herbert H. Kohl (D-WI) - 202-224-5653
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - 202-224-3841
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) - 202-224-5323
Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) - 202-224-6542
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) - 202-224-2152
The main Senate Switchboard is (202) 224-3121 or (888) 355-3588. You can also send free FAXes here.
If you call and the person who answers tells you something of interest, please leave a comment.
And, please contact everyone you know and ask them to call too.
UPDATE: Apparently Frist has introduced his own plan: "Frist Pushes For Quick Vote On Immigration" that doesn't include a "temporary" worker scheme. Whether that makes the compromise mentioned above moot or not is unknown. However, note this:
According to Congress Daily, Sen. Frist told reporters he wouldn't rule out attaching a guest worker proposal to his bill. "Frist told reporters he was committed to clearing a bill with guestworker and other immigration changes through the Senate. 'Just addressing tightening the borders doesn't address the problem,' he said."
So, please keep calling or FAXing as many reps as you can.
Posted to Immigration at 05:39 AM | Comments (1)
GAO report shows how "guest" worker schemes would fail miserably
Last week the WashTimes got ahold of a draft of a GAO report that says that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is barely able to deal with fraud and won't have a fraud-management system in place for four years: "Immigration agency falters in handling fraud cases".The USCIS would be the agency in charge of administering any of the "guest" worker schemes. They have a tremendous backlog and they're unable to deal with fraud, and the Bush administration, the Senate, and House Democrats would let them determine whether millions of people can stay or go.
In other words, the supposed new legal way to bring millions of low-wage serf laborers here would be rife with fraud and would result in untold numbers of people getting amnesty who weren't entitled to it. And, some of those might even be terrorists (See Chapter 3 of the 9/11 Commission Staff Report for a past case).
Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican and one of those who requested the report, wouldn't talk about specifics until it is released, but he told a Judiciary Committee meeting last week that senators would "be shocked if you learned about the internal fraud and abuse at the Citizenship and Immigration Service."Related: "Immigration fraud exposed", "Guestworker Plan Discredited By New GAO Report", "Case Closed: Immigration Agency Would Be Incapable of Managing a New Guest Worker/Amnesty Program, Finds GAO", and "View on guest workers changes". In the last the head of USCIS disputes the GAO report and says that everything would work out OK. Just five months ago he said everything wouldn't work out OK, but apparently something magical - perhaps involving elves or fairy sprites - has happened in the meantime to change his mind.
Mr. Grassley said from what he's seen, it's "unrealistic" to expect USCIS to administer a guest-worker program properly.
"Officials are being bribed. Visas are being given away. Green cards are being sold," he said.
Angelica Alfonso, a spokeswoman for the agency, said the report "does not fully portray how the Department of Homeland Security has been addressing anti-fraud since its inception."
...The report also says neither USCIS nor Immigration and Customs Enforcement, one of the law-enforcement arms of the immigration services, regularly penalize those who file fraudulent applications. Thus, there is no risk to filing fraudulently and aliens or businesses seeking to employ them can keep trying until they succeed...
The GAO said USCIS doesn't have a handle on the size and scope of fraud, and [USCIS director Emilio Gonzalez] said he doesn't know how extensive the problem is nor could he say how many times the USCIS has pursued administrative or criminal penalties for fraud. But he said fraud is not overwhelming the agency.I tend to believe the GAO and I tend to strongly disbelieve those working for the Bush administration.
"That there's fraud out there -- I assume there is. Is this something that's rampant and we don't have a handle on? I think that's probably going a bit too far," he said.
Posted to Immigration at 02:03 AM | Comments (0)
Let's discredit Marc Cooper!
Marc Cooper is a writer for the L.A. Weekly and The Nation who's also "Senior Fellow for Border Justice at USC Annenberg's Institute for Justice and Journalism." He's written about immigration several times in the past, including a Minuteman Project hit piece.
He's stepped up the production of pro-illegal immigration articles lately and... he needs your help!
He gets everything wrong, and he needs people to go to sites where he contributes and point out his various errors.
Could you the reader please help both him and his readers? When he posts something about immigration, please go there and leave a comment pointing out exactly how he's wrong.
He's got his own his site, but more popular fora where he posts include the The Nation, the HuffPost, and at some site co-founded by Robert Sheer called 'truthdig'.
He's like a one-man pro-illegal immigration propaganda machine!
And, note that the blogosphere's most beloved Bushbot, Instapundit, is a big fan of Cooper's work. In fact, three times recently that I've read Cooper's articls on this subject, I was directed there by Insty. He linked twice to Cooper's blog, and just recently to the truthdig site.
Insty doesn't even link three times in quick succession to Lileks, Steyn, or other Insty faves, so he must really agree with Cooper. While unfortunately Insty doesn't allow comments, perhaps he'll catch some of the splashback.
So, please take a few minutes every now and again and see if Cooper has posted a new article at one of those sites. Then, leave comments and links in order to help his readers understand what's really going on.
Posted to Immigration at 09:09 PM | Comments (1)
Rats flee Joe Baca's political machine
Rep. Joe Baca Sr. runs the Building Our Leadership Diversity PAC, part of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Now, several members of the latter group are disassociating themselves with the former group because of what they consider questionable contributions to Baca's sons and others connected to him.
This was probably a difficult choice for them, since Joe Baca is closely associated with fine Americans such as Armando Navarro.
Posted to Immigration at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)
Will Bill Frist monkeywrench Arlen Specter's disastrous amnesty scheme?
Bill Frist might introduce an "enforcement-only" bill in the Senate, which might then overshadow Arlen Specter's - dare I say it - un-American massive amnesty scheme:Judiciary members on both sides, however, cautioned Mr. Frist not to bypass them."Unique expertise" indeed. While I personally doubt Frist's understanding and commitment to this issue, if he can come up with a plan that doesn't have too many downsides and doesn't include "guest" workers he will have done a great service.
"The majority leader is wrong," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat. "It's impossible to build a political consensus in that time. We need time. We need time to talk."
In a letter to Mr. Frist yesterday, Mrs. Feinstein and two other Judiciary Democrats pleaded for the majority leader to remain on the sidelines.
"The Judiciary Committee has unique expertise on immigration law and, under the leadership of Chairman Specter, is working diligently to mark up a comprehensive immigration reform bill," wrote Mrs. Feinstein and Sens. Patrick J. Leahy of Vermont and Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts. "The Senate would be well-served by the benefit of a complete committee markup, even if a brief extension of time is required to produce one."
Posted to Immigration at 09:53 AM | Comments (1)
Arianna Huffington has nothing to apologize for about George Clooney incident
Arianna Huffington stands accused of posting a post that claimed to be from George Clooney but was actually cobbled together from bits and pieces of overheard conversations, blogospheric duck tape, random statements from Clooney's publicist, and swear words allegedly provided to the HuffPost by Gov. Dr. Howard Dean M.D. RCVS.
What's lost here is that the HuffPost has dozens upon dozens of airhead celebrity bloggers, none of whom have hitherto claimed that Arianna wrote one of their "blogs". In other words, Clooney's complaint is statistically meaningless and can be safely ignored.
Arianna: we in the blogosphere have got your back on thi