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Democrats offer "A New Direction for Latino Families"

The Democrats have various plans for different races: "A New Direction for __African-American____ Families", "A New Direction for ____Asian-Pacific Islander-American__ Families", "A New Direction for ___European-American__ Families", er, scratch the last one.

Their latest race-based plan is called "Compromiso Democrata con el Pueblo Latino: A New Direction for Latino Families". It's available in this PDF file and a press release from Nancy Pelosi was released last week.

However, through the magic of CSPAN3, I've been able to obtain a transcript of the ceremony where Nancy described the plan:

--- BEGIN TRANSCRIPT ---

"Hola! Yo Soy El Nancy Pelosi, Congresswoman de Estados Unidos! Hola! Bienvenidos! Yo tengo un plan! Un plan para Usted! Yo developed estoy plan apres talking to my trabajandoers at my vineyards. They say it's 'muy bueno'!

Now, I want to leo from esto plan. I have pregunted the persona who's doing the transcripto to put the quotes from the plan in italics. Now, yo leo de esta plan:

First, we want to "Promote Economic Empowerment". And: "According to Census data, in 2005 the poverty rate amongst Hispanics was at 21.8% and the typical Latino family income dropped by $1,631 since President Bush took office." The Democratic solution is simple: work with El Presidente Bush to flood the U.S. with cheap labor by declaring a massive amnesty, which will further drive down wages. But, that's a good thing! See, there will be more Latinos in the U.S., meaning your race will have more race-based political power. Plus, you'll be much worse off, and that means the Democratic Party will try to help you even more. It's a win-win!

"Democrats will also continue to fight for an increase in the minimum wage, which disproportionately affects the economic well-being of many Latinos." Of course, because our immigration laws aren't enforced and we certainly won't make sure they're enforced, that will provide an even greater opportunity for illegal aliens to undercut American wages. But, see the point in the last paragraph: that's a good thing.

"Democrats are committed to Latino economic empowerment through our support of linguistically – and culturally – appropriate programs that provide educational, financial, and technical training for Latinos." That means, don't worry: you can continue to linguistically and culturally separate yourself from the rest of the U.S. That is, according to us, the American way.

"Democrats want the DREAM Act to become a reality". That's because we don't find it morally objectionable and anti-American to take something from a U.S. citizen in order to give it to a foreign citizen who's here illegally.

"In addition, Republicans have used anti-immigrant measures to push for health policies that hurt Latino citizens and particularly impact Latino children." See what we mean? To us, "illegal aliens" is just another word for "citizens".

Now, I'd like to read from the part you've heard over and over: "Democrats support bipartisan and workable comprehensive immigration reform that provides a path to legalization for hard-working immigrants". How many times do I need to say this? To us, there's no difference between "illegal aliens", "immigrants", and "citizens".

"...a temporary worker program that protects the rights of all workers, reunites families, strengthens our economy, and honors the values of the United States of America as a nation of immigrants." Now, you're probably thinking, wouldn't that "reunites families" bit be "temporary", since we're talking about "temporary workers"? Of course not: our "temporary workers" would be here permanently. We Democrats are masters of language! And, bear in mind that a "temporary worker program" does indeed honor our history as a nation of immigrants, specifically the parts relating to indentured servitude and the Bracero program.

"We should be focusing our resources on our national security and capturing terrorists and criminals." Now, some of you might be saying, "isn't that the same language that BushBots use?" And, you're right! But, you can easily tell us apart: we're the ones dressed in earth tones.

--- END TRANSCRIPT ---

Posted to Immigration at 11:11 AM | Comments (1)

Orlando Florida: Meet the amnesty all-stars on October 9

If you're in the Orlando Florida area, you might want to visit the University of Central Florida on October 9 for a "symposium" on illegal immigration. While a few of those speaking might be opposed to amnesty, most are cheap labor cheerleaders. It's free, but it's not known whether there will be a Q&A session; if there is, I strongly urge you to think up a series of very damning questions and ask at least one of them. Publicly discrediting even just one cheap labor pimp will send a strong message to the others.

Those scheduled to appear include:

- U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez, (R-FL)
- Undersecretary Geronimo Gutierrez of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- columnists Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel
- former U.S. Rep. Romano L. Mazzoli (D-KY)
- Bishop Thomas Wenski of the Catholic Diocese of Orlando
- David Harris, "a former intelligence official with the Canadian government who now directs Insignis Strategic Research in Ottawa."
- U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney, (R-FL)
- U.S. Rep. Ric Keller, (R-FL)
- Chester Glover, ("an aide to U.S. Rep. Corinne Brown, D-Jacksonville.")
- Noah Pickus, "associate director of Duke University’s Kenan Institute of Ethics"
- Dennis Clare, "an immigration attorney from Lexington, Ky."

Posted to Immigration at 07:07 AM | Comments (0)

"Torture Bill" or "Detainee Trial Bill"? Who do I distrust the least?

Pursuing my monomaniacal obsession with domestic corruption as I am wont to do, sometimes complicated, important matters slip past me. And, so it is with Thursday's "Detainee Trial Bill", or, as it's called by many, the "Torture Bill", or, as it's called in the bill itself, the "Military Commissions Act of 2006".

Some of the clues that this is a very bad bill are that both Insty and CaptainsQuarters support it.

Some of the clues that this is not as bad as it's made out to be are that the NYT opposes it. Not only that, but at the end of the page is a list of "Related Blogs", all of which (oddly enough) agree with the NYT, and all or almost all of which are leftwing sites. Another leftwing site calls it "The Power to Disappear" and that post almost entirely consists of part of a Salon article from Carl Levin.

Yale's Bruce Ackerman offers "The White House Warden", but I suspect he may be on the left side of things. Antiwar.com, strangely enough, doesn't offer wall-to-wall coverage, but does have "Groups Unanimously Assail New Detention Law"; one of the groups opposed is the far-far-left "Center for Constitutional Rights".

Dave Winer finally gives me a reference point:

What's next? How far is "economic terrorism" from Islamofascists? Not really very far at all. When McCain runs for President the immigration issue will be front and center. Use your imagination if you want to understand what the final solution will be. And you should worry. I don't believe U.S. citizenship is any kind of protection.

Does he expect anyone to take this seriously when he thinks the author of the McCain-Kennedy amnesty would result in any kind of a "final solution"? Does anyone who even uses such phrases without strong evidence expect to take him seriously? In the extraordinarily slim change that there were such a plan, the last people McCain would exact it on would be those who make money for those who contribute to him.

On the other hand, another Yalie, Prof. Jack Balkin, says that:

(1) Yes, a few parts of the MCA do apply to citizens; and

(2) the MCA is probably unconstitutional in many of its applications to citizens; and

(3) some constitutional applications of the MCA to citizens are deeply troubling.

And, the always-excitable, way-far-out-there, but at least slightly straight-shooting Alex Jones offers "Torture Bill States Non-Allegiance To Bush Is Terrorism":

...In section 950j. the bill criminalizes any challenge to the legislation's legality by the Supreme Court or any United States court. Alberto Gonzales has already threatened federal judges to shut up and not question Bush's authority on the torture of detainees.

"No court, justice, or judge shall have jurisdiction to hear or consider any claim or cause of action whatsoever, including any action pending on or filed after the date of the enactment of the Military Commissions Act of 2006, relating to the prosecution, trial, or judgment of a military commission under this chapter, including challenges to the lawfulness of procedures of military commissions under this chapter."

What I'd really like to see is a short debate (with links and cites) from those who are trustworthy, experts, and who are definitely on opposite sides. Unfortunately, something like that seems difficult to find.

Posted to Politics at 11:35 PM | Comments (1)

Fence bill passes, Mexico threatens U.S. (again), will lobby (again)

The Senate has passed the border fence bill and it now goes to Bush for his possible signing. The bill includes an initial round of funding in the amount of $1.2 billion. While most Senators voted for it, worthies such as Dick Durbin (D-IL/MX) were opposed.

In related news, the government of Mexico threatened the U.S. yesterday:

...The [Mexico] Foreign Relations Department said it was "deeply worried" about the proposal, which is working its way through the Senate, adding it will "increase tension in border communities."

"These measures will harm the bilateral relationship. They are against the spirit of co-operation that is needed to guarantee security on the common border," the department said in a statement...

So, if we pass a fence bill, they can't guarantee there will be security on the border? Will they let terrorists or even more illegal aliens come through?

And, they also say they'll be conducting a lobbying effort inside the U.S.:

Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said if the legislation is approved, Mexico will send a letter strongly condemning the measure. Asked by a reporter if that meant the government would try to "dissuade" Bush from signing the bill into law, he replied, "Without a doubt."

...Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said that only comprehensive immigration reform would stop millions of Mexicans from sneaking across the border into the U.S...

Just because Teddy Kennedy probably said something similar in his rejection of the bill doesn't mean they're working together, only that they're both on the wrong side.

UPDATE: Oddly enough, RCP has linked to this post, despite me not even bothering to check whether or not Teddy Kennedy voted against it.

Frankly, this site doesn't oppose the fence, but it hasn't been a cheerleader for it because we realize that one of the root causes of illegal immigration (but not the only one) is political corruption and, if that were addressed, then enforcing our workplace and other laws wouldn't be that much of a problem. There's also the probability that the "cheap labor at any price" wing of the GOP - led in the blogosphere by persons such as "Captain Ed" and Insty - will hide behind the fence to push through "comprehensive" "reform". And, there's also the very strong probability that the fence will turn into a massive boondoggle for connected contractors. Overall, we feel that discrediting supporters of massive illegal or legal immigration will have a far more effective impact and we also feel that's a necessary pre-condition to avoid the situation becoming worse, with or without a fence. Discrediting them is easy; the only problem comes from finding a large enough megaphone.

New visitors might want to read my brief Intro to Illegal Immigration. For recent Democratic Party smears, try this or this. Democrats can read about Mike Huckabee or a George Bush-Chris Cannon two-fer. For the economics, try this, this, or this.

Posted to Immigration at 10:14 PM | Comments (3)

Will victims of lax immigration enforcement sue the U.S. government?

As I've pointed out in the past, one of the best ways to make sure immigration laws are enforced is to start bringing civil suits against corrupt corporations that hire illegal aliens. Another tack is being taken in a suit filed against the U.S. government by a relative of someone who was murdered in Altoona, Pennsylvania by an illegal alien. And, she might even have some degree of support from Rep. Bill Shuster, who discussed the case in Congress. See this via this.

In other news from that city:

The council voted 6-1, with member Matt Garber dissenting, to adopt the "Undocumented Alien Control Ordinance" proposal, which is similar to a measure passed in Hazleton earlier this year.

Posted to Immigration at 01:48 PM | Comments (2)

Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes driver's licenses for illegal aliens (again)

This was expected, but never fear as California state senator Gil Cedillo will continue to try to give U.S. benefits to Mexican citizens who are here illegally.

Posted to Immigration_dls at 12:56 PM | Comments (2)

Arizona Democratic Party, Russell Pearce, and "Operation Wetback"

The sleazy Arizona Democratic Party is up to its old tricks again, this time trying to smear Rep. Russell Pearce (R-AZ) over his reference to Eisenhower's "Operation Wetback" on a radio program. From their press release titled Pearce Resurrects "Operation Wetback" and subtitled Russell Pearce Longs for Pre-Civil Rights Era Immigration Program:

In an interview on KJZZ Wednesday, Republican legislator Russell Pearce called for the reinstatement of Eisenhower's 1953 immigration plan, "Operation Wetback." The program, which was abolished a year later, sought to round up and deport all undocumented workers.

That paragraph probably contains a lie. Establishing a new program that's similar to an old program is not the same as "reinstating" the old program: things can be similar without being the same in every respect. And, only a fool would believe that Pearce would want to name the new program "Operation Wetback." So, it's almost certain that Pearce does not want to "reinstate" OW, and it's almost certain that - once again - the AZ Dems are trying to mislead.

Here's the only quote of his that they provide:

"We know what we need to do. In 1953, Dwight D. Eisenhower, put together a task force called 'Operation Wetback.' He removed, in less than a year, 1.3 million illegal aliens. They must be deported."

Further, we're informed that "Hispanic leaders in Phoenix are outraged", which is only followed by one example from "former legislator and activist Alfredo Gutierrez". He's a member of the "Somos America" group that organized at least one Phoenix illegal immigration march.

Needless to say, the press has taken the Dem smear and run with it.

Sarah N. Lynch of the East Valley Tribune offers "Pearce calls on 'Operation Wetback' for illegals", informing us that he's "angered the Hispanic community this week when he called for the reinstatement of a pre-civil rights era program that called for the mass deportation of illegal immigrants", language that's highly similar to that used by the AZDems.

The Arizona Daily Star offers a rewrite of an AP report in the falsely-titled story "Phoenix legislator supports deportations through 'Operation Wetback'".

The apparently original AP report is in "Rep. Pearce calls for mass deportations":

A state lawmaker has drawn a firestorm of criticism from the Hispanic community this week by calling for the renewal of a 1950s-era federal deportation program known as "Operation Wetback." Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, a fiery proponent of new border security laws and a crackdown on illegal immigration, talked about the possibility of mass deportations in a radio interview.

The word "renewal" may be somewhat more accurate than the word "reinstatement" used in the AZDem press release. The only evidence of a "firestorm" the AP presents is the press release and quotes from Roberto Reveles, the president of Somos America.

Posted to Immigration at 12:18 PM | Comments (4)

Trans Texas Corrider master plan released

From this:

State transportation officials say that, with the expected approval today of a master plan on the Trans-Texas Corridor's Interstate 35 twin, they can now release previously confidential documents that have sparked a lawsuit and played a prominent role in the governor's race.

The release of the documents, assuming they contain nothing explosive, will probably muffle charges from Gov. Rick Perry's gubernatorial opponents that he and his administration had a secret contract for the big toll road project...

...In addition, the agency and its development partner on the corridor alternative to I-35, the Spanish-American partnership Cintra-Zachry, will drop a lawsuit contesting an order to release the documents...

They're in PDF files at keeptexasmoving.com/projects/ttc35/master_development_plan.aspx

Posted to NAU at 02:03 AM | Comments (4)

"485 Contacts between Abramoff Team and White House Officials"

Drudge has a preview of a Roll Call article:

ROLL CALL's John Bresnahann and Paul Kane detail: The 95-page report, which White House officials reviewed Wednesday evening but has yet to be formally approved by the panel, singled out two of President Bush's top lieutenants, Karl Rove and Ken Mehlman, as having been offered expensive meals and exclusive tickets to premier sporting events and concerts by Abramoff and his associates.

In total, the committee was able to document 485 contacts between White House officials and Abramoff and his lobbying team at the firm Greenberg Traurig from January 2001 to March 2004, with 82 of those contacts occuring in Rove's office, including 10 with Rove personally.

Note also that Abramoff has links to Harry Reid, an American Senator who acts more like a Mexican Senator. Via the Marianas, JA has links to a guest worker program. JA may also have links to Sen. John Cornyn and Ralph Reed. And, there's not only a David Safavian, Grover Norquist, Chris Cannon connection, but a Chris Cannon, Grover Norquist, WSJ, and Fox News connection.

You don't need a scorecard because of the numbers of names, just because of all the different combinations they appear in.

Posted to Politics at 09:32 PM | Comments (3)

"Court asked to revive suit over tuition for illegal immigrants"

From this:

An attorney [Kris Kobach] for a group of students at Kansas colleges asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to revive their lawsuit challenging a 2004 state law granting in-state tuition to some illegal immigrants.

A trial judge in Kansas had dismissed the lawsuit, saying the students did not face a "concrete and imminent" injury. The students appealed to a three-judge panel of the Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The plaintiffs are U.S. citizens from outside Kansas paying out-of-state tuition to attend schools there. Their suit claims the state is violating federal law by offering some illegal immigrants a benefit that some U.S. citizens cannot get...

The article also mentions Peter Roos, an attorney on the other side.

Posted to Immigration at 02:46 PM | Comments (1)

Not-so-FreeRepublic.com, Part 2

These Free Republic threads have at least two things in common:

freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1709042/posts
freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1709051/posts
freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1709076/posts
freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1709036/posts

The first commonality is that they're all in FR's "f-chat" section, which, as it sounds, is for "chatty" things rather than the supposedly hard news section at "f-news". And, all of them appear to have been moved into the "chat" side of things by one or more moderators. (The first thread was posted by yours truly, and I posted it to the "f-news" side of things.)

The second commonality is that they're all about the recent FOIA request that released 1000 pages of documents on the North American Union.

Not only that, someone who appears to be a moderator (1rudeboy) has posted several comments on those threads disputing the claims, claiming that the SPP's actions are all covered by previous laws, claiming it's all an attempt by Jerome Corsi to sell books, etc. etc. And, oddly enough, others join in with similar interesting statements.

The simple explanation is that these are just kneejerk BushBots who defend everything the current administration does. More complex explanations could be that, as some have speculated, JimRob (FR founder) is receiving money from the RNC, or that - hold on to your tinfoil hats - operatives who are involved in the administration or with politicians have accounts at the site. They could be dismissing these claims either directly for the benefit of the NAU attempt, or simply out of partisanship.

On a related note, this detailed post about the SPLC, MALDEF, and ACLU having indirect links to the Mexican government - despite uncovering information the MSM articles featured on the "f-news" side cover up - was moved to the "cheap seats", aka "Bloggers and Personal": freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1707968/posts

That's not the first time that's happened to one of my "more news than the news reports" posts.

See also this post about a FreeRepublic purge. Yes, they aren't just for Commies.

And, what's happened at FR is vaguely reminiscent of what's happened at RedState.

UPDATE: I added yet another related thread to the end of the list.

Posted to Bloggage at 05:22 AM | Comments (1)

Gil Cedillo, "immigrants" to stage "civil disobedience" at LAX

Later today, "American" politician Gil Cedillo (CA state senate) and CA Assemblywoman Judy Chu are going to risk arrest by leading "immigrants" in a civil disobedience "action" near LAX.

Those involved include the union "UNITE HERE" and the We Are America Alliance. An article discussing the event also includes this:

"They have elevated the issue to beyond just a group of workers in this single hotel to a broader issue of immigrant workers and the challenges facing immigrant low wages," said Kent Wong, director of UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education.

The link has more about him, and what those involved want is described at this page: anrsolutions.com/0928/aboutus.html (that's where the 'About' link at september28th.org leads; apparently configuration isn't their strong suit).

Note, of course, the huge background graphic of the raised fist which I'm pretty sure is only used as a sign of socialism. And, note the phrase "we believe in legalization and a path to citizenship for hard working immigrants in America", strongly implying that when they say "immigrants" they're most likely refering to "illegal aliens".

UPDATE: The LAT has two pages detailing exactly how coordinated the "disobedience" will be. The union has various agreements with the police and the DA to make sure that it's little more than "political theater". We're informed that one of those to be arrested is active in MEChA at USC; while no further information on that group is provided, at least reporter Joe Mathews - or more likely his editor - have apparently dropped their previous characterization of that group. Considering all the time and space he had to fill, one would think that Mathews would get the chance to inquire what percentage of the hotel workers were illegal aliens.

Posted to Immigration at 02:46 AM | Comments (3)

tooextremeforaz.org (Randy Graf: Too Extreme for Southern Arizona)

The latest in a long line of Democratic Party smears is an anti-Randy Graf site at tooextremeforaz.org (that page is actually a frame coming from www.azdem.org/tooextremeforaz). At the bottom, it says it's paid for by the Arizona Democratic Party, but considering the pro-illegal immigration contents it could have been paid for by the GOP. Part of it appears to have been repurposed from a recent DNC smear; other parts are even more extreme bits and pieces from the SPLC and other groups.

Their first section is called "Randy Graf has clear connections with white supremacists", and it leads off with the David Duke smear already discussed here and answered by Graf here. The last page also answers their cross burning smear.

Then, consider these three simple declarative sentences:

Prop. 200 was brought to the ballot by an organization called Protect Arizona Now (PAN). Graf was a senior advisor to PAN. The chair of PAN's advisory board was Dr. Virginia Abernethy, a retired Vanderbilt University professor [and admitted "white separatist"].

The only problem with this smear is that Graf had ceased to be a senior advisor to PAN before Abernethy was asked by Kathy McKee to head the board. Following the same logic as the Democratic Party, we would hold Hubert Humphrey responsible for Howard Dean. And, based on comments others have made, FAIR's attempt to remove her from any leadership position, and an email of mine that she responded to, McKee could have been either a "trojan horse" or could have been intentionally intending to wreck the initiative.

Here's the sequence of events which, while the source is Wikipedia, not only fits my recollection but is verified by the next article (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protect_Arizona_Now):

During the signature gathering campaign, Kathy McKee accused Rusty Childress, a Phoenix-area car dealer and PAN's treasurer, of withholding funds and petitions from PAN, and fired Childress. Childress sued McKee over custody of PAN's signatures and funds, but the court ruled in favor of McKee. Childress and the two most prominent supporters of the initiative within the Arizona state legislature, Russell Pearce and Randy Graf, then formed a separate organization, Yes On 200. When FAIR began an independent signature gathering campaign to collect the remaining signatures needed to put the initiative on the ballot, McKee accused FAIR of attempting a hostile takeover of PAN. McKee named Virginia Abernethy the chair of PAN's national advisory board. FAIR responded by issuing a press release calling for both McKee and Abernethy to resign from PAN, calling Abernethy's views "repulsive separatist views." Abernethy drew heated criticism for her close relationship with the Council of Conservative Citizens, a direct descendent of the White Citizens' Councils of the 1950s.

Note that that naming occurred after Graf had left to form "Yes on 200".

That sequence of events is verified by the September 16, 2004 article "Welcome to PANdemonium":

...But FAIR's help wasn't greeted warmly by Kathy McKee, the chair of Protect Arizona Now, who objected and distanced herself from everyone else who was helping with the effort, recalls Graf.

"We were all fired on numerous occasions from that committee, and the last contact I had with Kathy McKee was in April," Graf says.

After some cajoling, McKee and the FAIR collaborators ultimately merged their petitions, giving the PAN initiative more than enough of a cushion to make the ballot.

Since then, several new political committees have sprung up on behalf of the initiative. McKee, meanwhile, has remained chair of the Protect Arizona Now committee and found new friends to help with the effort, including Virginia Abernethy, a professor emeritus at Vanderbilt University and a self-described "white separatist."

Now that you know how misleading those three sentences were, can you trust the rest? If you aren't convinced, let's consider one more warmed-over SPLC smear, this time about the Federation for American Immigration Reform:

Between 1982 and 1994, FAIR received more than $1.2 million from the Pioneer Fund, a little-known foundation created in 1937 which openly supported Adolph Hitler.

And, the Ford Foundation was started using money from Henry Ford. And, here's a list of some Pioneer Fund grants. In the same decade they gave money to FAIR, they also gave money to: Tel Aviv University, Stanford, New York Hospital - Cornell Medical Center, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, and the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of Greater New York.

So, can you trust what the Democratic Party is telling you?

Posted to Immigration at 10:02 PM | Comments (1)

Consul: we both want a "legal, orderly and humane flow of people"

It was a canard fest at Ohlone College in Fremont (Bay Area, CA) on Tuesday as Mexican Consul General Alfonso de Maria y Campos spoke about illegal immigration. All of his statements have been heard many times before from both Mexicans and Americans. And, Angela Woodall of The Argus (part of the ANG Newspapers group) served only as a transcription service. If - and it doesn't seem likely - she asked him any questions, they aren't included in her report. They probably provide more hard-hitting coverage of local city council meetings:

"It is only by sharing responsibility that we can (achieve) what we both want: a legal, orderly and humane flow of people," he said.

As revealed later, he (of course) isn't just refering to visitors but to low-wage labor.

Mexico doesn't promote illegal immigration — the country wants people to stay in Mexico and contribute to the economy, Campos said.

No, they just print up comic books, herd potential crossers into areas without patrols, profit from billions of dollars of remittances sent from the citizens they've sent here, and the like.

He compared attempts to prevent illegal immigration to Prohibition; needless to say, Woodall didn't call him on that.

Then, he promoted a "guest" worker program:

"Migration needs to be circular" by allowing temporary workers to return home, he added.

Of course, what would happen is that they would send us "guests" and then take actions - probably including working with the NGOs with which they have links - to keep those "guests" in the U.S. so they can keep sending money home and also so they can provide a political power base for Mexico.

Then, it was time for a couple old chestnuts:

Mexican workers fill jobs that others will not take and keep the economy competitive by lowering overhead costs, Campos said.

Note the same adapted talking point that Bush now uses: instead of "jobs Americans won't do", now it's "jobs Americans will not take". And, the "illegal-worker discount" is very small. Then again, the target of that remark is probably the corrupt employers and not the consumer.

After warning that our hugely-important wine industry might collapse without cheap labor:

"We must have security while allowing trade," he said, noting that there has never been a terrorist incident that originated south of the border. "Mexico is a partner."

Actually, one of the 9/11 hijackers used a "feature" designed for use by illegal aliens to obtain a CA DL.

Two other 9/11 hijackers obtained VA DLs with the help of an illegal alien and the illegal immigration infrastructure that corrupt politicians have allowed to develop.

And, the 9/11 Commission Staff Report has extensive information on terrorists being familiar with and taking advantage of weaknesses in our immigration system. And, those who then say that most of that was of the legal immigration system are "fighting yesterday's war."

Bear in mind that all of the points above could have been made by Angela Woodall, but weren't.

Related: Mexican diplomats meddling in our internal politics
If 1000 Americans were made familiar with all the things Mexico does regarding illegal immigration, 900+ of them would not consider Mexico a "friendly" country. Start your education with this.

Posted to Immigration_consul at 03:23 PM | Comments (2)

Border Patrol agent talks to Congressman, gets suspended

From Sara Carter:

Congressional members interviewed by the newspaper said they were unaware until recently that Border Patrol agents were required to file Significant Incident Reports - normally used for shootings and other serious border incidents - when congressional members made unannounced visits in the summer along the U.S.-Mexico border.

A second document obtained by the paper reveals that one agent was suspended for 10 days without pay for speaking with Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who made an unannounced visit to the border in May.

"Preventing Congress from speaking freely to federal employees violates at least two federal statutes, and agents are fearful of telling the truth," said King, who recounted several visits to the Mexican border when Border Patrol agents would not speak with him for fear of reprisal.

"Filing these reports is a form of intimidation. If anyone is going to be punished, then they should be punished for not speaking to a member of Congress, rather than for telling the truth."

...In a May 10 memo, "SIR for Visiting Congressmen," Clint Stoddard, special operations supervisor and a Tucson (Ariz.) Sector commander with Customs and Border Protection, notified all supervisors to set new standards for reporting Border Patrol agents who have any encounters with visiting congressmen. The policy is in effect nationwide.

"Recently, Iowa Congressman King visited the border area," the memo states. "An IIR (local report) was done on one of two contacts with our agents. A request was made by HQOBP (Headquarters of Office of Border Patrol) to elevate these types of contacts to an SIR (Significant Incident Report). Sensitivities are such that this type of information is critical in the D.C. area. Much is going on in the way of legislation proposals and such.

Posted to Immigration at 12:45 PM | Comments (3)

North American Union uncovered (1000 pages of documents)

Jerome Corsi and others have obtained around 1000 pages of documents after a FOIA request to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (spp.gov):

Government documents released by a Freedom of Information Act request reveal the Bush administration is running a "shadow government" with Mexico and Canada in which the U.S. is crafting a broad range of policy in conjunction with its neighbors to the north and south, asserts WND columnist and author Jerome R. Corsi...

..."The documents clearly reveal that SPP, working within the U.S. Department of Commerce, is far advanced in putting together a new regional infrastructure, creating a 'shadow' trilateral bureaucracy with Mexico and Canada that is aggressively rewriting a wide range of U.S. administrative law, all without congressional oversight or public disclosure," Corsi said...

You can download some of the documents here, and see also 'Shadow' agency to issue N. American border passes. More documents will be released later.

Bear in mind that all of this is unfolding without the involvement of the MSM or even the self-styled alternatives. I'm not aware of this story being investigated by any MSM sources or by any major bloggers that don't already oppose illegal immigration. (It has, however, been covered in diaries at DK and DU.) In fact, the Houston Chronicle appears to be involved in the scheme.

Will the MSM and those bloggers be able to ignore this subject now?

Posted to NAU at 04:07 AM | Comments (1)

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supports Senate amnesty (Part #44849)

From this:

Religious leaders Tuesday scolded lawmakers who oppose a broad immigration policy overhaul and urged them at a Capitol Hill news conference to put people over politics.

As pointed out here many times, their policies will make the situation far worse. A much better suggestion is that they think things through and put what's in the best interests of all concerned ahead of their own parochial interests, such as pushing a far-left ideology or simply filling their pews.

...[Bishop Jaime Soto of the Diocese of Orange] flew into Washington for the news conference organized by Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass...

...In an interview before the news conference Soto, who was representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, defended the involvement of the church in a political issue.

"I think that the church is a very important part of what makes America strong," Soto said. "We're just lending our voice as part of American society to this ongoing dialog as to how we shape an immigration policy."

Of course, Cardinal Roger Mahony and other religious leaders are also misleading people and encouraging foreign citizens to march in our streets demanding rights to which they aren't entitled. And, they're probably misrepresenting the Bible as well:

Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, said that the Bible says 36 times to "treat the stranger as ourselves." He asked how politicians - all of whom are descended from immigrants - can say "now that we are here. . . the door must be closed."

Obviously, the reporter (Dena Bunis of the OC Register) should have called him on his idiotic statements and brought up, for instance, some of the points raised here. Even if she doesn't have enough knowledge of religion to argue that side of things, at least she could have pointed out that no one wants to shut "the door". And, since as he points out everyone on Earth is descended from immigrants, if his statement has any validity it would lead to no nation being allowed to have borders. Whether he's an "erase the borders" fool, an anti-American socialist who would only apply his "rule" to the U.S., or just an idiot is not known.

Posted to Immigration at 12:16 AM | Comments (1)

Dick Armey, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Mike Pence, and Helen Krieble do lunch

From their press release:

FreedomWorks Foundation sponsored a luncheon for Capitol Hill staffers to discuss immigration reform that will balance both security and economic concerns. In particular, the forum will examine options for strengthening our borders while establishing procedures that provide law-abiding workers a legitimate path to the American workplace.

FreedomWorks chairman and former House Majority Leader Dick Armey was joined by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN, 6), and Helen Krieble, President of the Vernon K. Krieble Foundation.

It was her brilliant idea - perhaps as a way to get cheap labor for her horse ranch - that led to the Pence massive amnesty scheme, you know, the one that would allow unlimited immigrants.

Pausing briefly to wipe the "cheap" vegetables off his chin, Dick offers the usual false choice as well as a scare tactic:

"The Pence and Hutchison plans are on the right track. These serious legislative proposals first secure the border and address the need to supply necessary labor to critical sectors of the economy. Forcibly removing 15 million people is impractical and unrealistic, actions like this would be more characteristic of police state and not a free society."

His group supposedly has 800,000 members, but he is/was also one of the leaders of "Americans for Border and Economic Security", a group created by George Bush to push his guest worker scheme.

UPDATE: There are some comments Armey made after the lunch in "Armey blasts Republicans over opposition to guest-worker plan" by Dave Montgomery of McClatchy Newspapers. He refers to those Republicans - whether just leaders or constituents - who oppose Bush's "guest" worker program as "jerks". Of course, Montgomery concentrates on the name-calling and doesn't ask Armey whether or not he's simply a paid cheap labor shill.

Posted to at 09:45 PM | Comments (0)

Propaganda Watch: It's bad all over, don't be a racist, accept your fate

A rather obscure form of pro-illegal immigration propaganda involves the claim that it's bad all over and encourages those complaining about the effects of massive legal and/or illegal immigration to stop being racist scapegoaters of immigrants and just accept their fate.

In keeping with that obscurity, here it is from two obscure sources.

England's "Cambs Times" offers a "satire" from reader Peter Harvey in the article "Immigration given an intergalactic explanation". It attempts to show how far-left, massive immigration-supporting Martians would attempt to push their agenda on Wisbech, which is apparently a town in Cambridgeshire, home of Cambridge:

...Oh yes. Jobs. This really confuses us Martians. Apparently the influx of eastern Europeans has meant there are no jobs for local students in the holidays. Now for one thing, all through your local history, seasonal jobs have been filled by immigrant labour. Not from eastern Europe perhaps but from outside Wisbech. A bit like Londoners going fruit picking in Kent. Second, how do those people get the jobs if local employers don't offer them? Doesn't this have two sides?

And I've heard of employers who insist on eastern European labour because of reliability. And if it's a question of cheapness then maybe it's also a question of exploitation. Or at least your TUC [Trades Union Congress] thinks so.

Are you racist? We Martians have been discussing that and we're undecided. The OFSTED [Office for Standards in Education] inspection of The Queen's School identified evidence of racism amongst pupils there but where would the children learn it from? Presumably not the teachers?...

Then, we turn to Christin Ditchfield (the host of the syndicated radio program Take It to Heart, and the author of A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia) who offers a response to a reader's question in "Immigration Frustration":

...It's important to remember that not every immigrant is an illegal immigrant. And in fact, at some point or another, everyone living on the North American continent originally came from somewhere else. The United States is a nation of immigrants, built by hardworking men and women searching for religious and political freedom and the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families. Don't let the strong emotion of the immigration debate harden your heart toward an entire race or ethnic group. It's not an excuse for prejudice. Many of the problems you describe afflict communities where immigration isn't an issue. The widespread degeneration of our culture cannot be blamed on "foreigners." The sin nature is alive and well in people from all walks of life, every socioeconomic background, race, religion, or creed.

Of course, there's no racism evidenced in the original question. The original question doesn't even use the word "foreign*", that comes from Ditchfield. She continues with the effort to recast the question as derived from racism:

You have the privilege to vote for legislation you believe will protect and provide for the needs of the community—and to hold elected officials accountable to enforce those laws. But let me also encourage you to make a concerted effort to get to know some of the people of other races and cultures who share your community. Visit a church whose congregation is diverse. With the love of Christ, reach out to the poor and needy—whether they seem "deserving" or not. It will help you see them for who they really are: people who—like you—are precious in God's sight.

After people like this finish with their prattling, be sure and make sure you've still got your wallet.

Posted to Immigration_piipps at 04:12 PM | Comments (1)

Blurb battle in Boston (Healey, Patrick, Massachusetts debate)

On Monday the contenders for governor of Massachusetts "debated" in Boston, and the immigration-related parts of the transcript start here and go on for four more screens. It features the two leading candidates (Republican Kerry Healey and Democrat Deval Patrick) and two with little chance of winning ("Green-Rainbow" Grace Ross and independent Christy Mihos).

If that's indicative of the rest of the debate, it was only of use to promote their positions and not to engage their opponents on the issues. All of their positions could probably be gleaned from their websites or previous statements. The only slight challenge came from Mihos, who's apparently disgruntled. He called Healey on the number of companies prosecuted for employing illegal aliens; she responded by blaming it on Mass AG Thomas F. Reilly. Healey wants to exclude him from future debates.

On the issues of driver's licenses and discounted college educations for illegal aliens, Healey opposes, Patrick supports. He says:

I understand that immigration is a serious problem, it requires a serious response. It requires some candor.

Needless to say, he doesn't follow through, offering the standard Democratic line of "yes, but" and failing to realize all of the pull factors that encourage illegal immigration:

[page 8:] People are not coming here for in-state tuition, they're coming here for jobs... [page 9:] Lets be clear, people are not coming to Massachusetts to get a drivers license, they're coming to get jobs...

Let's be clear: if I were allowed to "cross-examine" Patrick I have little doubt that I could turn his support for illegal immigration into a massive defeat. Hopefully in future debates there will actually be a debate and the questions won't be so general and lightweight.

Posted to Immigration at 11:33 AM | Comments (1)

Disappointed NYT seeks immigration leader

It's "they can't be serious" time as the New York Times offers the editorial "Immigration Reform, in Pieces".

They're disappointed in Bush's failure to push through the "comprehensive" immigration "reform" he proposed, and they express their hope that a real leader on the subject will step forward. There's too much to respond to, but let's just consider this:

Among the most poisonous provisions is one that would give state and local police agencies authority to enforce federal immigration laws. Police departments big and small have bristled at the idea, saying they lack the expertise and the resources to enforce immigration law. They say it would cripple crime fighting by severing hard-won relationships with potential victims and witnesses: immigrants who will end up fearing and avoiding them.

Note, of course, that those agencies wouldn't be required to enforce those laws, it would just be an option. More on that bill (the "Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006") - together with the same scare tactic talking points - here: immigrationforum.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=843. Wouldn't enforcing our immigration laws lead to fewer illegal aliens, and wouldn't that lead to fewer illegal aliens who won't report crimes out of fear of being deported? Won't continuing to fail to enforce our immigration laws lead to the current situation getting even worse?

Then, the NYT says other stuff that's wrong, and just before saying more stuff that's wrong says this:

Anti-immigrant fervor is a flame that spreads easily. But leadership can help people look beyond resentment and fear.

Surely the NYT must realize by now that enforcing our immigration laws isn't "anti-immigrant", nor are the bills they discuss. Let's be fair and call that a typo.

And, as long as there's even just one person whose support for the bills or immigration enforcement is not motivated by "resentment and fear", the NYT's argument is ad hominem: it applies to those who are so motivated, and not to the issue of the bills or enforcement. Let's be fair again and assume that their use of "resentment and fear" is simply another mistake and wasn't done because they've run out of argument and in order to cloud the issue and portray their opponents in a bad light.

Posted to Immigration at 05:32 AM | Comments (3)

David Horton cracks; on to Arianna!

My fellow trolls:

David Horton - one of Arianna's nobody contributors at the HuffPost - has finally cracked under our pressure:

...So the Right have gone back to the tactic of employing Thought Police. Not on the streets now, don't need them there, but on the progressive blogs. We call them trolls on HuffPo, but they are as much like thought police as the Stasi of the former East Germany, and as much like Religious Police as the ones the Taliban employed. Their presence has long puzzled posters and bloggers alike. What on earth are they doing here? Why not stick to the right wing blogs where they would be welcomed with open arms? But this is to misunderstand their nature. Watch them on topics like global warming, religion, conservation, the rights of gays, minimum wages, gender equity, Hollywood, guns, socialism, abortion, the United Nations. Recognise the tone and the fury. Recognise the purity of belief, Recognise the absolute refusal to allow any deviation from their beliefs to be discussed. Feel the white hot rage that they express as their rigid beliefs are challenged. They are not here to learn, and they may not even be here to be paid. They don't have black uniforms and long sticks, but they do have the mad staring eyes of the fanatic, and they do have keyboards...

Needless to say, he continues.

OPCEN AUTH 17 BEGIN
372: X-RFX-83
863: AA-X787 OP-ARIANNA
34: 99X-U93
END

Posted to Bloggage at 08:38 PM | Comments (2)

"'Border baby' boom strains S. Texas"

James Pinkerton of the Houston Chronicle offers a suprisingly even-handed article:

First it was a trickle, now it's a flood.

Rising numbers of undocumented immigrants from Mexico and Central America are streaming into Texas to give birth, straining hospitals and costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, health officials say.

Doctors and health officials say they are overwhelmed by both the new arrivals and those immigrant mothers who already are in the state. Even Houston's feeling the pinch. An estimated 70 percent to 80 percent of the 10,587 births at Ben Taub General Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital last year were to undocumented immigrants, administrators say...

They also quote a Starr County obstetrician: "The word is out: Come to Starr County and get delivered for free. Why pay $1,000 in Mexico when you can get it for free?" However, it also has this:

Birthright citizenship, as it is known, has been in force since the approval of the Constitution's 14th Amendment in 1868. But several bills under consideration in Congress would abolish the longstanding federal policy. Sponsors include U.S. Reps. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, and Nathan Deal, R-Ga.

Not exactly true. The 14th amendment has only been interpreted (for many decades) as granting birthright citizenship, but that was not the original intent of that clause.

As for the costs:

Starr County Memorial Hospital had $3.6 million in uncollected medical bills in 2005, up from $1.5 million in 2002. The total when fiscal 2006 ends on Sept. 30 is expected to hit $3.9 million, chief financial officer Rafael Olivarez said. Unpaid bills for the past five years will reach nearly $13 million, he said.

To make up for the shortfall, Starr County's hospital district is proposing a 25 percent tax hike.

Already, the U.S. government is pitching in, setting aside $1 billion in Medicaid funds to pay for emergency care received by undocumented migrants over the next four years.

But Olivarez said getting the reimbursements isn't easy. Federal officials "told us at a meeting they would pay us about 20 cents on the dollar," he said. "But it's better than nothing."

...[A spokeswoman for Harris County says:] "Using anecdotal information provided us by our staff, statistics from other public hospital systems and our patient demographics, we believe that approximately 70 to 80 percent of our obstetrics patients are undocumented."

...In all, 57,072 patients visited the district's hospitals, clinics and health centers last year, and nearly a fifth were undocumented, Rasp said. The cost of their treatment was $97.3 million, up from $55 million in 2002.

Posted to Immigration at 05:26 AM | Comments (2)

Training future North Americans

Just keep repeating to yourself, "it's just a dialogue". From N. American students trained for 'merger':

In another example of the way the three nations of North America are being drawn into a federation, or "merger," students from 10 universities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada are participating annually in a simulated "model Parliament."

Under the sponsorship of the Canadian based North American Forum on Integration, students met in the Mexican Senate for five days in May in an event dubbed "Triumvirate," with organizers declaring "A North American Parliament is born."

A similar event took place in the Canadian Senate in 2005...

[The president of the Triumvirate is Raymond Chretien, the former Canadian ambassador to both Mexico and the U.S.]

...The 10 universities taking part include Harvard, American University, Carlton University, Simon Fraser, Universite de Montreal, Ecole nationale d'administration publique, Monterrey TEC, CIDE, Monterrey University and Instituto Mexicano de la Juventud.

Officials taking part have included James Williams, the former U.S. ambassador to Canada. The North American Forum on Integration says the annual event enjoys the support of the U.S. Embassy in Canada, the Canadian Embassy in Mexico and the North American Development Bank. It also has been supported by at least one U.S. news organization – the Houston Chronicle...

Click the link for more on that anti-American paper. If all that weren't enough:

The board of directors of NAFI include Robert A. Pastor, professor and director of the Center for North American Studies at American University and vice chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on North America. He has testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the idea of merging the United States, Mexico and Canada in a North American union stretching from Prudhoe Bay to Guatemala.

In June 2005, Pastor testified before Congress and said the following:

North American governments can learn from the EU's efforts to establish EU Educational and Research Centers in the United States. Centers for North American Studies in the United States, Canada, and Mexico would help people in all three countries to understand the problems and the potential of an integrated North America--and to think of themselves as North Americans. Scholarships should encourage North American students to study in each other's country. Until a new consciousness of North America's promise takes root, many of these proposals will remain impractical...

Posted to NAU at 02:12 AM | Comments (2)

Western Union funds to be held in "detention account"

More bad news for the wire transfer company that makes part of their money off illegal aliens sending illegally-obtained money back to their home countries. From "Western Union transfers to Mexico being seized":

Western Union Co. said the state of Arizona, trying to track down smugglers of drugs and illegal immigrants, plans to seize most money transfers of $500 or more sent from 29 states, including Colorado, to Sonora, Mexico.

A warrant obtained by Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard blocks the money- transfer company from sending funds directly to 26 locations in the Mexican state, Western Union said in a filing Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Instead, it must put the funds in a "detention account," even if the senders were outside Arizona...

...Western Union-branded money transfers from the U.S. to Mexico grew at a 23 percent rate in the first quarter. That dropped to 10 percent in the second quarter. In the third quarter through Sept. 14, the growth plummeted to 3 percent...

There are several links about this company in the recent Western Union income growth down. While the many other companies that send remittances, including major banks, might welcome this move, hopefully they'll be next.

10/4/06 UPDATE: They've received a stay and the detention account matter will go back to court on October 1.

Posted to Immigration at 10:43 PM | Comments (2)

NAU: "dialogue" or coup d'etat?

SPP.gov - home of the "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America" - has somewhat responded to the increasing attention they've been getting by posting a "Myths & Facts" section: spp.gov/myths_vs_facts.asp

After glancing at that page, take a look at the long response in "Bush Administration Advances on Path of Creating North American Union". In addition to facts about the "dialogue", it includes the following:

...What appears to be going on within SPP.gov is not simply a dialogue, but a massive and on-going re-writing of U.S. administrative law to "integrate" or "harmonize" our administrative law with the corresponding administrative law of Mexico and Canada. A wide range of public policy areas are involved in the SPP re-write of U.S. administrative law, ranging from e-commerce, through air travel, steel policy, textile policy, energy policy, environmental issues, trusted trader programs, trusted traveler programs and biometric cards issued to citizens of the three countries. The resulting "trilateral agreements" are being achieved by SPP all without specific disclosure to the U.S. public or direct oversight examination by Congress.

Charges of this magnitude demand we consider the possibility that an executive branch coup d'etat is underway to create a new regional government below the radar of media, public, or congressional understanding or scrutiny...

Posted to NAU at 08:07 AM | Comments (1)

Secret NAU meeting in Canada, Part 2

Jerome Corsi has more here:

"What is sinister about this meeting is that it involved high level government officials and some of the top and most powerful business leaders of the three countries and the North American Forum in organizing the meeting intentionally did not inform the press in any of the three countries," [Mel Hurtig, a noted Canadian author and publisher who was the elected leader of the National Party of Canada] said. "It was clear that the intention was to keep this important meeting about integrating the three countries out of the public eye."

...The motive for U.S. participation, according to Hurtig, was "to gain access and control Canada's extensive natural resources, including oil and water."

As for Canada, he said, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives "wants to make sure that the 150 Canadian top companies who are their members who gain access to the American market and to American capital."

...Attending the Banff meeting was Robert Pastor, the director of the Center for North American Studies at American University. Pastor is widely known for his extensive writings arguing for the creation of a North American Union, a new super-regional North American government based on the model of the European Union, with the intent of subrogating the sovereignty of the United States.

Pastor was co-chair of the Council of Foreign Relations task force that in May 2005 released a report entitled "Building a North American Community."

About one-third of the listed members of CFR task force attended the Banff conference. One prominent participant in both was Carla A. Hills, who served as U.S. trade representative from 1989 to 1993 and was the primary U.S. negotiator for NAFTA...

There's more at the link. A list of the meeting's agenda is here and an attendees list is here. In addition to the usual suspects and others, one panelist was Geronimo Gutierrez, Mexico's Undersecretary for North America, Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In July of last year he met with Utah governor Jon Huntsman.

Part 1 on the meeting is here.

Posted to NAU at 07:38 AM | Comments (2)

Carolyn Lochhead/S.F. Chronicle omits details of NYT poll

Carolyn Lochhead, of the San Francisco Chronicle's Washington Bureau, offers "Political tide turning on illegal immigration". (As shown in the screengrab, their main news page gave it a just slightly longer title.)

At least for now, House Republican leaders have succeeded in their take-no-prisoners approach to immigration despite nationwide protests by Latinos last spring and White House warnings that they are endangering their party's future.

"Take-no-prisoners" is apparently the new version of "hard-liners". And, if Lochhead wanted to do some real analysis, she'd look into the real motivation behind those "warnings". And, she'd also discuss those protests in a bit more depth, perhaps letting her readers know that not only were around 98% of them "Latinos", but a large portion of the marchers were illegal aliens.

Then, we come to a favorite talking point of both corrupt Dems and corrupt Republicans:

Critics conceded a setback but argued that it would be temporary. They said enforcement alone won't stop illegal immigration but will alienate Latino voters, the nation's fastest-growing voter bloc. They said it will turn Republicans into a minority party, much as when former Gov. Pete Wilson won re-election in 1994 on an anti-immigrant platform that ultimately helped make California a Democratic-majority state.

"They" are so very wrong.

"There are very serious political implications to what they are doing today," said Cecilia Munoz, chief lobbyist for the National Council of La Raza. "If 40 percent of my community supported Bush in the 2004 elections, it's very hard to imagine in this environment that proportion of Latinos voting for candidates from a party which continues to insult them."

This is an example of Pete Wilsonism in action. The MSM is giving her a platform from which to race-bait and claim that enforcing our immigration laws is an "insult", and only part of the Republican party disagrees with her. The other part agrees with her and supports her efforts. Then, those same corrupt forces will use the MSM to replay back her remarks and claim that we're forced to choose between opening the borders and "insulting" "Hispanics". And, of course, the idea that the far-left, extremist-linked NCLR can claim all "Hispanics" as part of their "community" is laughably false as well as being an example of ethnic nationalism.

Shortly before quoting Frank Sharry and refering to the National Immigration Forum as "a pro-immigrant group", we finally come to the titular topic:

Still, national polls released this week found immigration far down on voters' concerns behind the war in Iraq, terrorism and the economy. Asked by New York Times/Bloomberg News pollsters to select their most pressing issue in the upcoming midterm elections, only 4 percent of registered voters chose immigration.

There's a link to the poll results here. She is correct about the 4 percent, but she avoids discussing three other questions they asked.

They ask whether Iraq, terrorism, and immigration are their most important or among their top three issues:

Iraq: most: 11% among top three: 75%
terrorism: most: 19% among top three: 70%
immigration: most: 9% among top three: 55%

I guess she didn't read that far into the poll. Or something.

Posted to Immigration at 06:15 PM | Comments (2)

David Norquist (brother of Grover) is CFO of DHS

How do you know the Bush administration isn't even trying to hide how corrupt and incompetent they are? Perhaps this is a bit of clue. Back in January David L. Norquist - brother of Grover Norquist - was selected to be the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, and he was approved in May. From the 1/17/06 WH press release (tinyurl.com/k779c):

Mr. Norquist currently serves as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Budget and Appropriations Affairs). Prior to this, he served as Acting Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), as well as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Financial Management).

From May, see also "DHS Nominee for CFO Grilled About Role in Hiding Alleged Overcharges by Halliburton".

And, as CFO, he'll be overseeing the new "virtual fence".

Posted to Politics at 12:57 PM | Comments (1)

NYT's Rachel Swarns spews Dem talking points at BYU

On Thursday, Rachel Swarns of the New York Times spoke about immigration in a lecture at Brigham Young University. Here's one of her quotes:

"Almost everyone agrees that the current system isn't working, but whether or not we as a nation are going to come to some solution with how to fix that still remains unanswered."

I discussed this talking point usually used by supporters of "comprehensive" reform here; see also John McCain and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. And, here's Tamar Jacoby: "we must fix our broken immigration system". Finding worthies such as George Bush, David Brooks, et al saying almost the same thing is left as an exercise

Swarns goes on:

"Now everyone knows that we're a nation of immigrants, and when you think of mass migration to the United States, we often think about the early 1900s and the ships pulling into New York City."

In her quest to "peel away the layers", she might consider disclosing the whole truth about those she quotes as well as looking a bit deeper into the story, such as who encourages illegal immigration and why.

Posted to Immigration at 09:28 AM | Comments (2)

Charlie Norwood might apologize to National Council of The Race. If...

On Wednesday, Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) released a press release with the following:

The ability of state and local police to fight criminal illegal aliens will be undermined by legal intimidation if a mass lobbying campaign by the radical National Council of La Raza (NCLR) succeeds in blocking passage of a critical House immigration reform bill this week, according to U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA), the leading proponent of supporting local officers in the fight against criminal aliens...

...NCLR, a pro-illegal immigration lobbying organization that supports racist groups calling for the secession of the western United States as a Hispanic-only homeland, has mounted an all-out campaign to prevent state and local police from voluntarily aiding critically undermanned federal authorities...

I not only agree with his characterization, I've gone a little further (but without invoking Godwin's law). Copies of the above release and the one below are here; note the attempt to not answer the questions by claiming that they might violate House rules.

Needless to say, the National Council of The Race has been flown into a press release-releasing furor. From the NCLR-slanted AP report "Ga. Lawmaker May Apologize to Latinos" by Ben Evans:

"His accusations in his press release were patently false," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president of NCLR. "We've attempted to clarify the record multiple times and we've offered to meet with him, and he continues to insist on a bizarre interpretation of our work."

Now, Norwood says he'll apologize. But he has a list of demands before he'll issue the apology. All seven of them are quite good, but here are just three things NCLR would have to do:

Denounce and sever all ties with MEChA and any other organizations with which they are now or have ever been associated or funded which held to the racist doctrines published by MEChA.

And:

Repudiate all claims that any current American territory rightfully belongs to Mexico.

And:

Acknowledge the internationally recognized borders of the United States, the right of the citizens of the United States to determine immigration policy through the democratic process, and the right of the United States to undertake any and all necessary steps including military action to effectively enforce immigration law and defend its borders against unauthorized entry.

Do not - I repeat - do not hold your breath.

Posted to Immigration at 05:39 AM | Comments (1)

Arkansas Family Coalition deleted comment (pro-Asa Hutchinson site)

Arkansas Family Coalition is a blog that supports the candidacy of Asa Hutchinson for governor of Arkansas. They deleted a comment I left there on the 9/19/06 thread "Beebe and illegal immigration" that was critical of that former DHS undersecretary:

Oddly enough, these links I tried placing in Asa's Wikipedia entry about his immigration record at the DHS kept getting deleted. Hopefully that won't happen here:

washingtontimes.com/national/20040909-115715-9178r.htm
nctimes.com/articles/2004/08/14/news/top_stories/20_41_308_13_04.txt
wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=39418

Also see these: google.com/search?q=site%3Ajohnandkenshow.com+hutchinson

I don't know about Beebe, but whenever I hear Asa all I can think about is those Temecula sweeps.

Note: the site is also available at arkfam.com

Posted to Bloggage at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)

Katie Couric's PIIPP promotes anti-American DREAM Act

It looks like Katie Couric is spreading pro-illegal immigration propaganda. Last night, CBS Evening News' "freeSpeech" segment featured an illegal alien whose identity was concealed. This was the video version of one of the other PIIPPs ("pro-illegal immigration puff pieces") discussed in this category, and like many of the others it promoted the anti-American DREAM Act. In fact, from their page on the segment:

His future and the future of thousands of other students who have grown up in the U.S. depends on the Development Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) now pending in Congress. For more information visit the website, www.dontjustdreamact.com.

For future reference: the first link also describes another "freeSpeech" segment featuring Los Angeles Times reporter Sonia Nazario promoting illegal immigration.

Posted to Immigration_piipps at 04:23 PM | Comments (2)

Four years of the Lonewacko Blog?

Today, this site notes its fourth anniversary: four years of providing some information and analysis not available elsewhere. A true blogging innovator, Lonewacko is, unlike 98% or so of other political bloggers, not a partisan hack. Nor does he - or the entire Lonewacko team - curry the favor of the MSM or politicians. You will not find us engaging in conference calls with politicos and if we attended a convention we wouldn't do it from "blogger's row".

Last night was our big celebration to mark this milestone and I'm sorry you weren't invited. However, rest assured that there was plenty of food:

folks:

and fun:

Posted to Bloggage at 12:09 PM | Comments (1)

Kansas bishops for the Episcopal, United Methodist and Evangelical Lutheran churches have no argument

The AP article "Barnett, Sebelius spar over immigration; bishops weigh in" seamlessly blends a discussion of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius' seeming Janet Napolitano-style disinterest in sending National Guard troops to the Mexican border with an attempt by religious leaders to silence and smear opponents of illegal immigration.

Jim Barnett is Sebelius' Republican challenger, and he's running radio ads accusing her of flip-flopping on the NG issue and arranging a photo op at the border to make her look tough.

But, let's take a look at the issue of yet more presumably far-left religious leaders supporting illegal immigration:

Meanwhile, Kansas bishops for the Episcopal, United Methodist and Evangelical Lutheran churches expressed concern about the tone of the debate over immigration. While not blaming candidates, Methodist Bishop Scott Jameson Jones said he sees "an undercurrent of racism in Kansas."

...Meanwhile, the three Protestant bishops - Jones, Lutheran Gerald Mansholt and Episcopalian Dean Wolfe - said they're concerned that fear of economic dislocation or cultural differences is driving the debate.

"I am missing leadership from state officials to name the sin of racism," Jones said. "I don't find racist politicians, but I find people who are expressing racist views that then get played out in other ways, so that I'm deeply concerned with an undercurrent racism in the state of Kansas that I did not expect to find."

This should be read in true Father James McQuarter voice:

"We come from a Christian tradition that finds our Lord the child of a dislocated family," Wolfe said. "There's a sense of, I think, in the Christian community, of a deep commitment to the one who comes from afar, hospitality to the stranger."

Posted to Immigration at 11:48 AM | Comments (0)

More Democratic Party sleaze noted

First, from George Allen comes "Webb’s Dirty Tricksters: push-blogging". That has a roundup of all the smears the Webb campaign and those related to it have used against him. See also this.

Then, we come to a smear against Randy Graf: David Duke placed a link to Graf and an endorsement on his website. Those who pursue this should look up "Guilt by Association". Side note: a couple years ago I got a link from David Icke, despite not being a lizard person (honest!) or (for the most part) not believing in the lizard person thesis.

Then, we come to Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman Phil Johnston, who tried to racialize GOP gubanatorial candidate Kerry Healey's opposition to illegal immigration:

"I think the language that she's using is - borders on race-baiting and I think that it's fear-mongering of the worst sort and I think she ought to stop it... She should not run a campaign that plays to the worst instincts in people."

The Democratic Party and "liberals" realize they have no real argument for the illegal immigration that they support, so they say things like that in a last ditch attempt to smear and silence those who support our laws. The latest example here.

However:

Johnston last night issued a statement admitting that he "may have gone too far."

And, the Democratic nominee, Deval Patrick, is supposedly distancing himself from Johnston:

Healey's campaign demanded that Patrick seek the resignation of Democratic Party chairman Philip Johnston over the remarks. Patrick refused, but said, "Phil Johnston speaks for himself."

Posted to Politics at 11:41 AM | Comments (1)

George Borjas: "Immigration and African-American Employment Opportunities"

George Borjas of Harvard and others have a new paper discussing the titular subject. From the abstract:

The employment rate of black men, and particularly of low-skill black men, fell precipitously from 1960 to 2000. At the same time, the incarceration rate of black men rose markedly. This paper examines the relation between immigration and these trends in black employment and incarceration. Using data drawn from the 1960-2000 U.S. Censuses, we find a strong correlation between immigration, black wages, black employment rates, and black incarceration rates. As immigrants disproportionately increased the supply of workers in a particular skill group, the wage of black workers in that group fell, the employment rate declined, and the incarceration rate rose. Our analysis suggests that a 10-percent immigrant-induced increase in the supply of a particular skill group reduced the black wage by 3.6 percent, lowered the employment rate of black men by 2.4 percentage points, and increased the incarceration rate of blacks by almost a full percentage point.

Posted to Immigration at 11:34 AM | Comments (2)

AVWatch: Villaraigosa, Arnold Schwarzenegger cut backroom deal?

Have Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cut a backroom deal? According to comments heard on a segment from KFI's John Ziegler (filling in for John & Ken), under this scheme in exchange for Arnold supporting Tony's effort to gain control over the Los Angeles Unified School District, Alcalde Villaraigosa will offer only limited support for Phil Angelides.

Arnold will term out in 2010, and then it's time for Tony to try to become the first former MEChA leader to become governor.

Arnold signed the bill giving Villaraigosa a large degree of control over the LAUSD earlier this week. And, consider this earlier report:

After months of hesitation, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday [September 5] endorsed fellow Democrat Phil Angelides for governor, saying the state treasurer would best promote school improvements in California.

...Villaraigosa's public embrace of Angelides on education comes late in the campaign, after he won approval in the state Legislature for a bill giving him unprecedented control of the nation's second-largest school district, a plan Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has said he supports.

The mayor was widely believed to be withholding his endorsement of Angelides as he sought greater control of the troubled Los Angeles Unified School District. That plan won narrow legislative approval last week and Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has said he will sign the bill.

Neither Villaraigosa nor Angelides specifically mentioned the LAUSD bill Tuesday as they appeared together before more than 100 supporters at a BART station. Villaraigosa also avoided direct attacks on Schwarzenegger, confining his remarks to education.

From last month, see the article subtitled "Developers make big plans for Westside, write big checks for Antonio". His "Committee for Government Excellence and Accountability" raised over $1 million for his LAUSD efforts:

Although Villaraigosa is one of the Democratic Party's rising stars, more than half of his committee's funds came from many of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's biggest contributors. Univision executive Jerry Perenchio, who gave Villaraigosa’s school committee $500,000, has spent nearly $6.4 million in the last 18 months on Schwarzenegger, the California Republican Party and the governor's various ballot initiatives.

For background on the LAUSD from one perspective, see this.

I don't know if this backroom deal was actually made, but considering Arnold's other moves I consider it somewhat plausible. Hopefully someone who's more familiar with local politics will weigh in, but based on everything else that's happened I think a protest vote for either Phil Angelides or Art Olivier is the best option.

Posted to California at 11:31 PM | Comments (2)

"Study: Immigrant Influx Harms Young Workers; Employment Declines as Immigrants Arrive"

From this press release:

A new study, authored by economists at Northeastern University and published by the Center for Immigration Studies, finds that young native-born workers are being displaced in the labor market by immigrants. Although one recent report by a Washington think tank found no relationship between immigration and native employment, that study did not focus on young workers who are often in direct competition with immigrants and are the ones most adversely affected.

The report, titled "The Impact of New Immigrants on Young Native-Born Workers, 2000-2005," is available on line at www.cis.org/articles/2006/back806.html.

Among the findings:

-- Between 2000 and 2005, 4.1 million immigrant workers arrived from abroad, accounting for 86 percent of the net increase in the total number of employed persons (16 and older), the highest share ever recorded in the United States.

-- Of the 4.1 million new immigrant workers, between 1.4 and 2.7 million are estimated to be illegal immigrants.

-- Between 2000 and 2005, the number of young (16 to 34) native-born men who were employed declined by 1.7 million; at the same time, the number of new male immigrant workers increased by 1.9 million...

Posted to Immigration at 01:14 PM | Comments (4)

Mexico detained lawyers, alleged victim of priest sex abuse (Cardinal Roger Mahony)

Cardinal Roger Mahony is not just a cheap labor pimp who either doesn't care about the massive downsides of illegal immigration or can't figure things out. He's also deeply involved in the Catholic Church's sex abuse scandal. From "Mexican officials detain lawyers, activist tied to sex abuse case":

[Mexican] immigration authorities yesterday briefly detained representatives of a man who says he was sexually abused by a Mexican Roman Catholic priest. The three men were detained shortly after they alleged that the fugitive cleric was still celebrating Mass in Mexico.

The alleged victim, 25-year-old Joaquin Aguilar Mendez, also told a news conference he has feared for his life and that of his family since he first went public with his claims late last year.

Aguilar Mendez, along with several U.S. lawyers and members of the Chicago-based Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, called the news conference to reveal details of a civil lawsuit he filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, alleging that Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera and Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony conspired to protect Catholic Priest Nicolas Aguilar.

Shortly after the news conference, immigration officials detained and questioned for an hour two of Aguilar Mendez's U.S. lawyers - Jeff Anderson and Michael Finnegan - as well as Survivors Network national director David Clohessy, the group said...

Posted to Miscellania at 11:00 AM | Comments (0)

"Seeking Biblical Principles to Inform Immigration Policy"

Via this comes this article subtitled "Scripture provides more than easy slogans and soft platitudes about welcoming foreigners." It ends with this:

Every Maria [subject of a PIIPP in a Christianity Today editorial] who gains a "better life" hurts our Patricias [low-wage U.S. citizen from an L.A. Times Magazine article], who have no where else to turn but to the civil government under whom God's providential hand has placed Patricia for protection. Rationalizing immigration policies based on a warm, soft, anecdotal, "feel-good" approach to legislating fails to do justice to fellow Americans. We deserve policies based on the factual, reasoned approach to legislating that places law and order right under biblical principles.

If you get a chance, send it to people like Cardinal Roger Mahony.

Posted to Immigration at 05:30 AM | Comments (0)

"US Task Force Urges Sweeping Immigration Reform"

Curious:

The Independent Task Force on Immigration argues that America's immigration system is dysfunctional to the growing detriment of the nation. Task force co-chairman Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic U.S. congressman from Indiana ["who also served as vice chairman of the U.S. 9/11 Commission"], says the United States cannot afford to throw away the many benefits provided by immigration.

"It is vital in an economic sense, to sustain our growth, to give us the skills we need at both the lower end and the higher end of the labor market," said Lee Hamilton. "It is needed because immigrants have been such a driving force in our country over a period of many years. It is needed because the openness of America is one of the great traditions of our country. The benefits of immigration far, far outweigh the disadvantages of it."

The Director of the Task Force is former head of the INS Doris Meissner, who was part of an interesting meeting in Canada recently.

UPDATE: Holy moley! From today's "Gullible or Just a Propagandist" file comes "Think tank lays out plan for immigration overhaul" by Christina Sanchez:

Here's what immigration could look like in the years to come: Social Security cards are replaced with national ID cards that use fingerprints or eyeball scans to identify the cardholder; job applicants are run through a national database that spits out their immigration status; only three types of immigrants are allowed into the country -- temporary, provisional and permanent.

Those and a host of other changes are needed to overhaul an outdated and inefficient immigration system if the country is going to get a handle on its immigration problems, a respected Washington, D.C., think tank said in a report released Wednesday.

The report by the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future, an arm of the Migration Policy Institute...

...The nonpartisan task force, made up of a cross-section of elected officials, businessmen and immigration experts, released 16 recommendations to stave the tide of illegal immigration...

...Other suggestions include establishing a governing body in the executive branch to monitor and recommend changes to legal immigration levels to meet labor market needs; integrating the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants already in the United States; and setting up a "smart border" that combines technology, equipment and personnel to keep illegal immigrants from crossing...

We really need to get illegal immigration under control through other means so such anti-American, authoritarian measures do not get any traction.

Posted to Immigration at 03:36 AM | Comments (1)

Source: Patt Morrison's hat still too tight

The L.A. Times lifestyle columnist and infamous hat-wearer offers "Border Fence Is Borderline Insanity". In brief, she thinks it's just a stunt and won't be built anyway because it won't be funded. Despite that, she warns of an environmental tragedy:

...the Secure Fence Act will bulldoze through nearly 40 years of laudable laws: the National Environmental Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act, California coastal regulations, the Federal Water Pollution Act, the Clean Air Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It's like they never existed... This fence can run through hell, high water and west Texas and no law on the books can stop it, even if it somehow ends up poisoning wells in 10 states, flattening every historic Indian village between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and wiping out what turns out to be the last family of ivory-billed woodpeckers on the planet, deep in the heart of Texas...

Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for Patt to do some soul-searching. If her paper were a strong opponent of illegal immigration - rather than strongly supporting it - proposals like the fence wouldn't gain that much traction.

Just imagine if the Los Angeles Times did frequent exposes on crooked companies that employ illegal aliens, or on Mexican government schemes that enable illegal immigration, or uncovered rather than covered up Communist groups, or uncovered rather than covered for racial demagogues. Instead, their support for illegal immigration to a small extent leads to more of what they support, and that leads to proposals like the fence.

Of course, that would require them to determine which is more important to them, and I think we know the answer to that.

Related:
A secret message from Patt Morrison?

Posted to Immigration at 01:18 AM | Comments (3)

DNA tests for politicians to determine race and religion?

Here's the text of the Democrat-sponsored H.R. 7438:

AN ACT

To determine ethnic, religious, racial, sexual, and related background of political candidates.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the 'Political DNA (Truth In Labeling) Act of 2006.

SEC. 2. DETERMINING CHARACTERISTICS OF CANDIDATES.

(a) In General- Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State of each state shall require all candidates to obtain a notarized, full DNA screening for all ethnic, religious, racial, sexual and other characteristics so that voters can determine which group(s) a candidate belongs to and vote accordingly.

(b) The DNA screening must be full and provide an inventory of all group(s) to which the candidate belongs, unto the .001 percent quotient.

Anything's possible with the Democrats, but I'm just kidding. However, this site has been feverishly covering the question of James Webb's attacks on George Allen, as well as the interesting fact that some of the Raising Kaine bloggers are in fact paid to blog.

Posted to Politics at 11:00 PM | Comments (0)

Secret NAU meeting in Canada

From this:

...from Sept. 12 to 14, in Banff Springs, [Canadian] Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day and [Canadian] Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor met with U.S. and Mexican government officials and business leaders to discuss North American integration at the second North American Forum.

According to leaked documents, the guest list included such prominent figures as U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Mexican Secretary of Public Security Eduardo Medina Mora and Canadian Forces chief General Rick Hillier, although we have no final confirmation of attendees.

The event was chaired by former U.S. secretary of state George Schultz, former Alberta premier, Peter Lougheed and former Mexican finance minister Pedro Aspe.

Despite the involvement of senior North American politicians, organizers did not alert the media about the event. To make it worse, our government will not be issuing a public statement and refuses to release any information about the content of the discussions or the actors involved...

...The event was organized by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives - the elite club of Canada's richest CEOs - and the Canada West Foundation, an Alberta think-tank that promotes, among other things, closer economic integration with the United States.

The focus of the event was on North American security and prosperity. Not surprisingly, this included topics such as "A North American Energy Strategy," "Demographic and Social Dimensions of North American Integration" and "Opportunities for Security Co-operation" — all topics where the public interest is at odds with that of big business elites...

Much more at the link.

UPDATE: In addition to those above, WND has more participants:

former Central Intelligence Agency Director R. James Woolsey, former Immigration and Naturalization Services Director Doris Meissner, North American Union guru Robert Pastor, former Defense Secretary William Perry, former Energy Secretary and Defense Secretary James Schlesinger ... The only media member scheduled to appear at the event, according to documents obtained by WND, was the Wall Street Journal's Mary Anastasia O'Grady.

And:

...In June, the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America made one of its most visible and public moves since it was first announced last year. In Washington, June 15, U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Mexican Economy Minister Sergio Garcia de Alba and Canadian Minister of Industry Maxime Bernier joined North American business leaders to launch the North American Competitiveness Council. It was a major development that showed the March 2005 meeting was no fluke – and that the plans announced by the three national leaders then were continuing to take shape. The NACC was first announced by Bush, Harper and Fox.

The U.S. executives involved in the NACC include: United Parcel Service Inc. Chairman Michael Eskew; Frederick Smith, chairman of FedEx Corp.; Lou Schorsh, chief executive of Mittal Steel USA; Joseph Gilmour, president of New York Life Insurance Co.; William Clay Ford, chairman of Ford Motor Co.; Rick Wagoner, chairman of General Motors Corp.; Raymond Gilmartin, CEO of Merck & Co. Inc.; David O'Reilly, chief executive of Chevron Corp.; Jeffrey Immelt, chairman of General Electric Co.; Lee Scott, president of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.; Robert Stevens, chairman of Lockheed Martin Corp.; Michael Haverty, chairman of Kansas City Southern; Douglas Conant, president of Campbell's Soup Co. and James Kilt, vice-chairman of Gillette Inc...

Posted to NAU at 04:17 PM | Comments (1)

Pima County (Tucson) still funding border water stations

The Board of Supervisors in Pima County, Arizona (home of Tucson) yesterday voted to continue providing water stations in the desert designed for use by illegal aliens:

...The Board of Supervisors voted 4 to 1 Tuesday to give $25,000 from the contingency fund to Humane Borders, which maintains 80 water stations in Southern Arizona and northern Mexico. This is the sixth year Pima County has funded the stations... Several members of Humane Borders, wearing their trademark blue-and-white T-shirts featuring the Big Dipper constellation full of water, were in the audience, but they did not speak. The group submitted a paper done in conjunction with the University of Arizona that outlined its use of mapping software to track migrant deaths and come up with ways to prevent more deaths.

If they really wanted to do that, they'd work to discourage attempts to cross the border in the first place. They could do that by, for instance, highlighting companies that employ illegal aliens, discussing Mexico's agenda, and the like.

HB has done the opposite. The water stations encourage people to attempt to cross the desert. But, they wanted to go even further and, as the last link discusses, pass out maps showing the best places to cross.

Their efforts make it more likely that someone will try to cross. Either they're unable to figure that out, or they figure that increasing illegal immigration is more important than what they claim to oppose.

Posted to Immigration at 01:04 PM | Comments (0)

"Illegal-worker discount" is very, very small

Via this comes the Seattle Times article "Low-paid illegal work force has little impact on prices":

More than 7 million illegal immigrants work in the United States. They build houses, pick crops, slaughter cattle, stitch clothes, mow lawns, clean hotel rooms, cook restaurant meals and wash the dishes that come back.

You might assume that the plentiful supply of low-wage illegal workers would translate into significantly lower prices for the goods and services they produce. In fact, their impact on consumer prices — call it the "illegal-worker discount" — is surprisingly small...

Facts and figures follow.

Posted to Immigration at 11:48 AM | Comments (2)

More Center for American Progress piffle on immigration

The Clinton-linked Center for American Progress has issued a desperate cry for help: "Don't Abandon Comprehensive Immigration Reform".

Initially, you might be confused. Did the GOP write this? Or, did they write it for use by the GOP? Or, are the GOP and Democrat positions on immigration so similar that it's difficult to tell the difference?

I stopped reading it when they violated Godwin's law with this:

...there are certain crucial facts that tend to get lost in the shuffle when the discussion shifts to an enforcement uber alles approach

One shouldn't discount what they say just because of that, consider this instead:

Mass deportation of the undocumented population, advocated by Buchanan and others, even assuming 20 percent would leave voluntarily if such a policy was enacted, would cost at least $206 billion over a five-year period. [Goyle & Jaeger, "Deporting the Undocumented: A Cost Assessment," Center for American Progress, July 2005]

As discussed at the link, the CAP study is little more than a joke. Buchanan may hold that view, or they may be misrepresenting what he said.

But, most importantly, what of the 80%? Does CAP assume that all of those would be put on trains and sent back to Mexico and other countries? What if some of them resisted deportation? What percentage of the total number of illegal aliens would - perhaps heeding calls from Communist groups like ANSWER - decide to reclaim their supposed ancestral lands? Aren't there enough illegal aliens in enough metropolitan centers - and haven't Americans been cowed enough - that some of them would be able to hold parts of our cities? Would, for instance, Maywood, CA offer itself as a refuge for would-be deportees?

How exactly could the U.S. defend its own territory in such a case? All our military forces are far outnumbered by the foreign citizens who are here. If a large number of illegal aliens resisted deportation it would inevitably result in martial law and (literally) tanks in the streets.

CAP's response - if they were ever serious enough to provide one that addressed the actual issue - would probably be that such a scenario must be avoided at all costs. They would, in other words, have admitted that due to policies they've supported we've been invaded and we have no choice but to surrender.

Posted to Immigration at 11:33 AM | Comments (0)

Rocky Mountain News' dishonest poll coverage

Consider the article "Mass deportations get thumbs down":

Rep. Tom Tancredo is not terribly impressed by a new Rocky Mountain News/ CBS 4 poll, conducted Sept. 10-12, that seems to show most Colorado voters disagreeing with his hardline immigration prescription.

More than four times as many voters polled said they'd rather have Congress grant illegal immigrants a path to citizenship than deport them; 61 percent would make naturalization an option for those illegals who paid back taxes and learned English.

A mere 15 percent of those polled want them all sent home.

Wait just one minute, Tancredo protested in a meeting with News editorial writers this week. Those polled should have been given more options, he maintained, since he doesn't advocate mass deportations, either...

[...attrition through enforcement...]

...We're not fully persuaded. Many illegals would surely prefer to take their chances here than in their homelands, even if surviving in the underground economy became far more difficult. An enforcement-only policy would push many of them further into a shadow society. Which is one of numerous reasons we'd rather Congress offer a long-term path to citizenship when it finally cracks down along the border.

Is there any reason to suspect that the poll questions - which I can't find - were any less biased than the RMN's coverage of their poll? Clearly, the poll's results were right in line with what they favor, leading me to suspect that the questions were asked in just the "right way".

Posted to Immigration at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)

Boeing to build "virtual" fence; Tohono O'odham Indians might oppose real fence

Boeing has apparently been selected as the contractor for a small, initial part of the proposed "virtual" fence on the southern border. This is not to be confused with the plan currently being voted on in Congress.

Boeing will get $80 million for the first phase of the "Secure Border Initiative", but might get as much as (and probably more than) $2 billion over six years. The "virtual" version, as conceived by Boeing, will consist of towers, sensors and the like. Proposals from other companies would have used unmanned drones or balloons that could fly for many hours and patrol long stretches of the border. Boeing will only use small drones that stay up for ninety minutes (and probably less) and are for surveillance of specific incidents, not for general patrols.

Meanwhile, regarding the real fence, the Tohono O'odham Indians - located on a reservation from Tucson running southwest to the border - might oppose the plan:

...Tribal leaders have cooperated with Border Patrol enforcement, but they promised to fight the building of a fence out of environmental and cultural concerns...

...With tribal police, health and other services overwhelmed by illegal immigration, the Indians welcomed National Guard members this summer to assist the Border Patrol here. The tribe, after negotiations with the Department of Homeland Security, also agreed to a plan for concrete vehicle barriers at the fence and the grading of the dirt road parallel to it for speedier Border Patrol and tribal police access. The Indians also donated a parcel this year for a small Border Patrol substation and holding pen.

Tribal members, however, fearing the symbolism of a solid wall and concern about the free range of deer, wild horses, coyotes, jackrabbits and other animals they regard as kin, said they would fight the kind of steel-plated fencing that Congress had in mind and that has slackened the crossing flow in previous hot spots like San Diego...

It probably wouldn't cost all that much to have a few additional guarded openings in the fence; perhaps that might be enough to get their support. Especially considering how much they'd save on not having their reservation covered in trash and their hospital overwhelmed.

Posted to Immigration at 06:05 AM | Comments (0)

"U.S. collars 'Dog' to make Mexico happy"

Bob Barr discusses Duane "Dog" Chapman, and provides us with a useful framing of the issue:

Still, at a time when the president is facing immense criticism for failing to deal with the immigration crisis on our southern border, slapping a phenomenally popular TV star in jail because Mexico told him to has ( not surprisingly) generated far more criticism than kudos, at least on our side of the border.

"Bush did it because Mexico told him to." Let's run with it.

Posted to Politics at 02:02 AM | Comments (0)

Thomas F. Reilly loses Massachusetts governor Democratic primary

From this:

Deval L. Patrick, who rose from poverty on the south side of Chicago to corporate boardrooms and a top post in the Clinton administration, won the Democratic Party primary for governor tonight, becoming the first African-American to win a major party's nomination for the top job in the state.

Patrick far outpaced his two better known rivals, businessman Christopher F. Gabrieli and Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly, with strong showings in blue-collar urban enclaves, in liberal and conservative suburban towns, and in Western Massachusetts. He also swept Cape Cod. Early returns showed Gabrieli running second and Reilly a distant third.

While Patrick appears to be a supporter of illegal immigration and is apparently not as good on the issue as Gabrieli, Reilly was horrible, as the last link demonstrates.

He'll face off against the Lt. Governor of the state, and for a preview of how one of the local rags will approach it see this: Boston Globe does hit piece on Kerry Healey.

Posted to Immigration at 12:55 AM | Comments (0)

Tony Blair's secret meeting with massive immigration tycoon

From "The PR tycoon, a private dinner and PM's meeting with Euro lobby group":

Prime Minister Tony Blair held a secret meeting in the Kensington home of a City tycoon where he met a group of business people lobbying for unlimited immigration from Romania and Bulgaria.

The Observer has learnt that Blair attended a private dinner at the luxury Kensington townhouse of Roland Rudd, the high-flying financial public relations guru who is a close friend of European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.

Earlier this year Blair's eldest son Euan spent a fortnight at Rudd's company Finsbury on a work experience placement. Although it is not unusual for the Prime Minister to meet senior figures in business, it is unusual for him to go to a private house where such discussions would not be minuted...

Posted to Immigration_euro at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)

Lonewacko honored, humbled by Reason Magazine link

As can be seen in the image below, a page at this site was recently linked to by Reason Magazine. That's a link to this page at the word "gripe" (hopefully he meant definition #3, "to be ardent"). In any case, I am deeply honored and humbled to have caught the attention of Brian Doherty for his article "Chickening Out On Immigration", which you can read here: reason.com/links/links091906.shtml

While I am still stunned, shocked, honored, and humbled by being so linked, I feel it is nevertheless my duty to direct the reader to my coverage of the issues mentioned in that piece, suggesting thereby that the reader compare, contrast, and make up his or her mind on which source they shall henceforth trust:

Russ Bynum/AP promotes illegal immigration (Stillmore, Georgia)

Molly Hennessy-Fiske/LAT promotes corruption in Arkansas; Huckabee

Posted to Bloggage at 09:06 PM | Comments (1)

Pittsburgh: talk to the Holy See about illegal immigration

If you're in the Pittsburgh area, the Vatican's representative to the U.N. will be speaking at Duquesne University on Thursday Sep. 21. You need to register, details here.

If you get to ask a question, ask him to indicate whether the Holy See supports illegal immigration to the U.S. and/or ask them to provide the biblical basis for that support.

If things go well, ask him to renounce Cardinal Roger Mahony's support for massive illegal immigration. Or, at least ask him whether what he supports is really "humanitarian", or whether he's just making a bad situation far worse.

You could ask him whether encouraging illegal immigration leads to border deaths, pointing out that the only way to reduce such tragedies is to either completely open the borders, or discourage illegal immigration. Since we're never going to do the first, aren't Mahoney and the other U.S. Bishops encouraging people to cross?

Make your customized talking points starting with these entries:

"Illegal Immigration, the Catholic Bishops, and the Misuse of Scripture"
Bishops urge: show false, idiotic compassion to illegal aliens
Sensenbrenner to Catholic Bishops: please stop lying
The Catholic Church's anti-HR4437 smokescreen (no soup kitchens here)
"Cardinal Errors" (National Review on Roger Mahoney)
Don't blame the Vatican for the socialistic views of the U.S. Catholic Bishops

If all those fail, try this:

Should Cardinal Roger Mahony cost the Catholic Church tax-exempt status?

Posted to Immigration at 04:33 PM | Comments (0)

Mike Huckabee disses Americans, Mexicans, promotes illegal immigration

America's second-most anti-American governor, Mike Huckabee, recently spoke before a meeting of the Lexington County [South Carolina] GOP:

...When people say illegal immigrants take jobs from Americans, Huckabee said he asks them to name someone "who cannot get a job because a Mexican illegally here has taken the job they want."

"If that's the case, if you can get me their name and phone number by five this afternoon, I can have them making a bed, plucking a chicken, tarring a roof or picking a tomato by the morning at 8 o' clock," he said.

No one has been able to give him a name, he said. Illegal immigrants have jobs Americans don't want, he said...

He really hit them all:

1. Appeal to ignorance.
2. Support for illegal immigration.
3. A McCain-style disconnect.
4. Dissing Mexicans, as if they're genetically predisposed to being our maids and gardeners.
5. Dissing all the American citizens who are maids, gardeners, and the like in states and areas without a large illegal alien population.

America has a right to know who's here and why, he said. But federal immigration laws "are so antiquated and the process so cumbersome, it would take some people 10 to 20 years to go through the legal process."

Our rights aren't just limited to knowing who's here, they include deciding who's able to come here in the first place. George Bush, the GOP, and the Democrats have taken that right away and Huckabee would just continue that de facto policy.

Then comes the usual false choice between an amnesty and mass deportations:

Creating a system to process people properly and thoroughly would cost money, but certainly less than it would cost to "round up 13 million people and deport them," Huckabee said.

He continues with the Bushian/Feinsteinian redefinition of amnesty:

He said he doesn't believe in "blanket amnesty," but illegal immigrants here should be given a way to pay a fine and apply for legal status. They should be required to speak English and pay taxes, he said.

Then, the Rovian/Schwarzeneggerian call to just relax:

He said the debate has gotten too emotional.

And, for good measure, some sanctimony combined with more support for illegal immigration:

"Tonight, when you get home, get on your knees and thank God you live in a country people are trying to break into rather than a country people are trying to break out of," Huckabee said. "If we start there, we might have a possibility of getting a solution."

Previous coverage starts in Mike Huckabee: opposition to "comprehensive" immigration reform isn't racist

Posted to Immigration at 11:16 AM | Comments (5)

AP highlights Maus affiliation

As previously noted, the AP has at least twice mentioned Georgia illegal immigration advocate Teodoro Maus without disclosing that he's a former Mexican consul general. However, the recent report "Advocates plan rally to call for immigration reform" - which has as its byline "by The Associated Press", has this:

ATLANTA - Leaders in the Latino community and immigration advocates plan a rally next week to call for immigration reform.

The former Mexican consul general in Atlanta -- Teodoro Maus -- says organizers hope to march Saturday Sept. 30 from CNN center to the state Capitol that day. Organizers -- led by the Coordinating Council of Community Leaders -- do not yet have a permit for the march...

Whether that was added by Access North Georgia, whether it was written by an AP staff writer, or whether it's content from a local source that's being published under the AP name is unclear. At post time this appears to be the only instance of that report.

In any case, it will indeed be even more suspicious if the AP fails to note the affiliation in future reports.

Posted to Immigration at 11:06 AM | Comments (0)

Dorie Turner/AP ignores Teodoro Maus affiliation (Georgia, Perdue)

Last week, Georgia governor Sonny Perdue said the following:

"It is simply unacceptable for people to sneak into this country illegally on Thursday, obtain a government-issued ID on Friday, head for the welfare office on Monday and cast a vote on Tuesday."

You're probably thinking that few could raise objections with such comments, and you'd be right. But, the few, loud and proud supporters of illegal immigration are outraged ("Groups demand Perdue retract immigration statements" by Dorie Turner of the AP):

...The Coordinating Council of Community Leaders, who organized the rally at the Capitol, delivered to the governor's office Monday a letter blasting Perdue's comments.

"We are distraught that ... statements made last week will only increase the climate of suspicion around Latino immigrants and increase racial profiling," says the letter, signed by council members Teodoro Maus and Adelina Nicholls.

Dorie Turner fails to note the highly material fact that Maus is a former Mexican consul general. The AP has done this at least once before: Tim Molloy's story at the previous link. And, they've failed to note Peter Schey's Mexico links at least three times. What else aren't they telling us?

Thankfully, Perdue (so far) won't give in to the far-lefties: "I won't apologize for criminal activity."

Note also that Rev. Joseph Lowery, the former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was at the rally and he's definitely on the wrong side of things. From this:

"Many of these brothers and sisters are better citizens than some of those who are engaging in ridicule and demeaning," said Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery of the Coalition for the People's Agenda.

On the more favorable side of things, both Vicky Eckenrode of the Morris News Service and Toraine Norris of the Birmingham News noted Maus' previous affiliation, the last in regard to a different protest in Birmingham Alabama. In a related story in the AJC - the same paper that ran the AP article at the first link - Mary Lou Pickel noted the affiliation.

I guess those sources ignored the part of the "AP Style Guide" that tells reporters not to tell the whole truth. Write feedback *at* ap.org with your thoughts. Better yet, choose some of the papers that ran the AP report and suggest they review AP articles before running them to make sure they aren't missing material facts.

UPDATE: AP has mentioned the affiliation in another report.

Posted to Immigration at 05:42 AM | Comments (2)

Western Union income growth down

Horribly sad news as we learn that Western Union - which has stopped sending telegrams in order to concentrate on money transfers, a large part of which is of money earned illegally - says that it will only have single-digit income growth for 2006 and 2007. Analysts had predicted double-digit growth. The company is owned by First Data, but they're being spun-off.

The company had said in July that second-quarter results for the money transfer business were hurt by the immigration debate, as both legal and illegal immigrants feared that wiring money back to their home countries would attract government attention.

A few links about this company:

Arizona fines Western Union/First Data over illegal immigration

Arizona Republic almost does expose on Western Union

remesamex.gob.mx features Bank of "America", Wells Fargo, and Western Union

More on Raul Hinojosa of UCLA

The Denver Post's sloppy journalism

"The Fastest Way To [profit from illegal immigration]"

Posted to Immigration at 10:09 PM | Comments (1)

Raul Grijalva pics most boring video ever

On August 19, 2006, former MEChA member and U.S. Representative Raul Grijalva spoke to a meeting of the Progressive Democrats of America and discussed immigration "reform" and the "progressive" movement. It appears to have been shot not just in a bar in West Phoenix, but next to the restrooms. And, there's a clear shot of the Jack Daniels logo through out. The video is here.

Around the four minute mark, I decided that even if he ended up pledging his complete loyalty to establishing Aztlan in the Southwest U.S. it wasn't worth watching the remaining four minutes. I don't think he said anything "interesting", because the crowd appears to be all or mostly "Anglos".

Of more "interest": Democrat Raul Grijalva + Mexican government-linked Derechos Humanos at forum. How very progressive.

Posted to Politics at 09:41 PM | Comments (0)

WSJ, Los Angeles Times promote "guest" worker programs

What a coincidence. Yesterday the Wall Street Journal offered "As U.S. Debates Guest Workers, They Are Here Now". It's subscriber-only and the blurb provided has little beyond telling us that "Companies Featured in This Article: VeraSun Energy, Xcel Energy".

Today, the Los Angeles Times offers "Immigration Reform Efforts Reinvigorate Support for Guest Worker Program" from Lee Romney. Oddly enough, the title is a bit misleading since there's no new "support" mentioned in the article, only that from growers that have been singing the same song for decades:

As border enforcement shrinks the labor force of undocumented field hands and immigration reform looms in Congress, growers have focused with renewed vigor on the need for a simplified federal guest worker program.

The featured grower is Luawanna Hallstrom of Oceanside's Singh & Sons.

It also contains this charming bit:

This year, the company was abruptly notified there would be a five-week delay because the Department of Homeland Security, which vets company applications, had moved its processing center. Hallstrom, a Schwarzenegger appointee to the state board of Food and Agriculture and a national immigration reform advocate, enlisted help from the White House, and her applications were quickly processed. But, she asks, "how many people can do that?"

Indeed. It would be nice if the American public could have the same access to politicians as she does.

Posted to Immigration at 01:46 PM | Comments (1)

Armando Navarro profile

Sharon McNarry of the Press-Enterprise offers "Professor is man of many battles", a profile of UC Riverside's Armando Navarro. Among other gems, it contains this:

Navarro wants every person of Mexican descent in the United States, whether native-born, a legal immigrant or undocumented -- to demand equal rights, and to be granted the legal right to live on land that was once Mexican territory.

Navarro concedes the United States has the right to control its own borders, but claims it fails to accommodate what he says are the historical rights of Mexican people to be here.

"This land used to be Mexico," he said. "No other immigrant group can claim that the Southwest was once their land. The Hungarians, the Irish, cannot make that claim."

Navarro sees people of Mexican descent as a colonized, oppressed, stateless people similar to the Palestinians, but without a single charismatic leader like the late Yasser Arafat.

If they cannot achieve economic and social equality under the current system, then they should seize political control by winning elections, he wrote in his latest book. If that fails, they should carve out a separate nation called Aztlan.

Earlier this month, in a true Duranty-esque move, Rachel Swarns and Randal Archibold of the New York Times gave him three paragraphs without providing any of the information above. (Write public *at* nytimes.com with your thoughts.)

In February, he organized an anti-HR4437 meeting. One who spoke was a Mexican Senator. Another who spoke (via video) is an alleged U.S. politician, California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez. Nunez is, of course, a Democrat. (According to the program, it was held in "Riverside California, Aztlan"). Related: Think Progress, Ezra Klein, AP downplay organizers of illegal immigration marches. There was also a meeting in January organized by Navarro, which featured U.S. Rep. Joe Baca Sr., another Democrat. Audio clips at this page (no permalink, do a find for his name).

In 2005, Mary Sanchez of Knight-Ridder tried to portray him as a moderate.

In 2004, he was part of a group that threatened to sue to stop arrests by the Border Patrol.

Armando Navarro, CHIRLA, CARECEN, NLG, Proposition 187 article from 1995 (187flashback)

"Latino Leaders Rallying Troops" (1995 187flashback)

1996: "Building Aztlan: Chicano Movement Springs Back to Life" (187flashback) More information here and see also a video featuring him and others (WMV file). See also these videos: 1, 2.

Posted to Immigration at 11:11 AM | Comments (4)

Historic immigration quotes

There are some quotes dealing with immigration here, such as these:

According to their writings, America's founding fathers were skeptical of massive immigration. Thomas Jefferson was concerned that, "they will bring with them the principles of government they leave." Alexander Hamilton speculated that, "The safety of the Republic depends essentially on the energy of a common national sentiment:...The influx of foreigners must, therefore, tend to...corrupt the national spirit....." Those of us concerned about America's slide toward socialism and "big brother" government can identify with Thomas Jefferson's prophetic quote.

It also includes this Washington Post quote:

...The record is crowded with instances in which groups of immigrants have stoutly resisted Americanism, have resented the suggestion that they learn the language of the land, and have maintained their foreignisms...at the present time, in certain areas, immigrants constitute a substantial percentage of the population, and drifting together and holding aloof from Americanization, hold themselves as foreigners in America.

That's - obviously - not from the current version of the rag, but from 1924.

Posted to Immigration at 08:28 AM | Comments (1)

Special Order 40 hearing this week

From this:

A court hearing is scheduled this coming week for arguments in what could be one of the biggest decisions ever in the United States' battle over the integrity of its borders.

...The legal action seeks "to force the Los Angeles Police Department to drop its politically-correct 'sanctuary' policy [Special Order 40] and resume enforcing our nation's laws against illegal immigration," Judicial Watch said...

Their July press release on the ruling that allowed them to proceed with the case is here.

Previously:
Special Order 40 video
Legal details on local police being involved in immigration laws
Special Order 40: "Jack Dunphy", Daryl Gates, Mike Carona, Police Commission
Special Order 40 allows felony arrests

9/21 UPDATE: According to this, Superior Court judge Rolf Treu allowed four "immigrant-rights groups" to join the suit as defendants: Break the Cycle, Los Jornaleros, El Comite de Jornaleros, and El Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California.

This is despite this:

The ACLU is representing Break the Cycle, Los Jornaleros, El Comite de Jornaleros, and El Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California. These organizations have admitted, according to Judicial Watch's court filing, "that they provide some form of assistance to undocumented aliens and that their members include undocumented aliens who fear discovery of their illegal immigration status." As such, Judicial Watch argues, the ACLU clients "possess neither a statutory right to intervene nor the type of interest...at issue in this lawsuit that would satisfy the requirements of mandatory intervention under" California law.

From the other side: www.aclu-sc.org/News/Releases/2006/102015/

From the Green Party of Sonoma County's May 1 calendar:

The Coalition for Immigrant Rights of Sonoma County invites you and your family to join us in this Economic Action! Legalization for all Respect and Dignity for Immigrants Power of the Immigrant as an Economic Force. In Solidarity, the Coalition: United Farmworkers (UFW), Instituto Sanchez-Mendoza, MEChA, and el Comité de Jornaleros. We Fight for Comprehensive Immigration Reform: For more information please call: (707) 528-3039 and/or (707) 318-2818 El Gran Paro Americano 2006 NO HR4437 El Gran Paro Americano 2006. Endorsed by the GPSC.

More on them here: tinyurl.com/hzkq6

Posted to Immigration at 05:40 AM | Comments (1)

Local government agencies not checking immigration status?

Debra J. Saunders reports on the attempts by Carl Olson of State Department Watch to try to get local Los Angeles-area agencies (mostly Westside/Malibu/Ventura) to use ICE's Basic Pilot Program to check whether someone can be legally employed. It might seem simple enough: these are legally-created entities, they should follow the law. Apparently he's come up empty. And, a state bill that he was involved with to require agencies to perform the check only got one vote in committee.

Perhaps it's time to start filing FOIA requests or similar or consider taking this to court.

Those he's contacted include: Ventura County Board of Education, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, City of Port Hueneme, Pleasant Valley School District, City of Malibu, Las Virgenes Unified School District, West Covina Unified School District, Santa Monica Community College District, Los Angeles Community College District, and Ventura County Transportation Commission.

Posted to Los_Angeles at 10:16 PM | Comments (1)

"Overstating Border Reform's Price" doesn't tell whole story

Robert Greenstein and James Horney of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities offer "Overstating Border Reform's Price". It's strikingly similar to the Palm Beach Post editorial "Real immigration reform also comes at good price" of a couple weeks ago. (Usually you'd expect the PBP to follow the lead of such think tanks rather than the other way around, but sometimes the provincials take the lead.) Both of the editorials slice and dice the CBO estimate of the cost of an illegal alien amnesty, and both come to the conclusion that would be translated by Homer Simpson as "we'd be stupid not to do it."

Neither of them are intellectually honest in that they ignore all the costs of yet another amnesty. For instance, an amnest would lead to increased illegal immigration, which would lead to increased political corruption and increased political power inside the U.S. for the government of Mexico. Both of those have costs - financial even - yet they're ignored, as if the only thing that matters is the bottom line derived from first-level impacts.

Note also that the CBPP is a "liberal" group, yet they aren't identified as such in the current WaPo link. I know they're "liberal" because they're identified as such by FactCheck.org, in an earlier WaPo piece, and even by Tom Oliphant on their own page.

Posted to Immigration at 10:47 PM | Comments (2)

Haya El Nasser/USA Today puts smiley face on illegal immigration in Utah

Haya El Nasser of USA Today offers "Immigrants turn Utah into mini-melting pot":

...Immigration is changing the complexion of communities across the USA. As it sweeps through Utah, traditionally one of the least diverse and most conservative states in the nation, its impact is particularly dramatic. About 98% white until 1970, Utah is becoming a mini-melting pot...

Let's leave aside issues of diversifying for the sake of diversity or issues of forced, manufactured, or involuntary diversification and concentrate instead on whether the article is telling the whole truth. Despite having hundreds of words and many facts and figures, it's a very superficial article that doesn't look at what might really be going on.

For instance:

[U.S. Rep. Chris Cannon] is far from liberal on [the issue of illegal immigration]. He voted for a bill that would make helping illegal immigrants a crime and illegal residency a felony. But he supports President Bush's proposed guest-worker program. Cannon and Jacob are Mormon.

That "fine American" has been featured in many posts here, and if you want to find out whether Haya El Nasser is credible or not, compare just some of those posts to what's offered in the article. Information on Cannon abounds on other sites, it's a bit curious that El Nasser couldn't find any of it. Google lessons perhaps? If that doesn't work, try this:

"The LDS faith believes you can be conservative and yet be compassionate," says Marco Diaz, past chairman of the Utah Republican Hispanic Assembly, which tries to attract more Hispanics to the party. "Help thy neighbor and love thy neighbor and still try to be fiscal conservatives."

As detailed at the link, back in 2004, Diaz said this while sitting next to Cannon and being interviewed on a Spanish-language radio show:

"If you are undocumented you must find, we welcome this money, but you have to find someone who is legal in order to donate money [to the Cannon campaign]."

Also, despite having all that space, he devotes none of it to Utah's governor Jon Huntsman and his interesting affiliations. The "Rest of the Story" indeed.

Posted to Immigration at 02:12 PM | Comments (0)

The National Hispanic Media Coalition

Los Angeles' Democratic mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently "declared war" on KFI's John & Ken at a gala held by the National Hispanic Media Coalition. Here's some background on that group.

The NHMC - together with MALDEF and many other far-left groups - is a member of the Los Angeles County Human Relations Commission's Media Image Coalition (lahumanrelations.org/programs/mic/members.htm), and this is their blurb about them (lahumanrelations.org/programs/mic/MediaImageMembersDetail.htm):

The [NHMC]'s goals are 1) to improve the image of Hispanic-Americans as portrayed by the media and 2) to increase the number of Hispanic-Americans employed in all facets of the media industry. To accomplish these goals, the NHMC leadership meets with general managers of local radio and television stations, Network presidents and Chief Executive Officers involved in newspaper and film. To date, the NHMC has filed more than 100 petitions with the Federal Communications Commission to deny the licenses of radio and television stations nationwide. It has also led demonstrations against entities that insist on depicting the Hispanic community through negative and offensive stereotypes.

A more ground-level view of that is offered by their president, Alex Nogales (nhmc.org/nota04.htm):

...[Univision] didn't [put on the children's programming they wanted] for about three months after the day that we had talked about, and it cost them in excess of $250,000. We couldn't take that money, so we gave it to MALDEF [Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund], and we gave it to these scholarship organizations. This is what you can do with the power of the courts in this nation...

The group was apparently formed out of a loose coalition who met at MALDEF's office sometime in the 80s (nhmc.org/President'sMessage06.htm).

Posted to Immigration at 11:19 AM | Comments (3)

AVWatch: Villaraigosa "declares war" on KFI's John & Ken

Los Angeles' Democratic mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in a true statesmanly move, has sharply criticized KFI hosts John & Ken for their opposition to illegal immigration. He made the remarks at yesterday's National Hispanic Media Coalition "Impact Awards" luncheon. KTLA showed the tape of his tantrum to John & Ken, and the latter compared it to a "declaration of war" on them. From the TV news report (tinyurl.com/m5v67) here are just some of the Mayor's comments:

Let me just take a moment, with the cameras rolling... John and Ken... two people who get on the radio every day... who share a committment to dividing America... who demonize our immigrants... let us say to them, shame on you. Shame on you for dividing America.

But, make no mistake, like the people that we honor here today, we will stand up, we will speak out, we will do it the right way. Speaking out on behalf of an America that's bigger and better than the rhetoric that you put on your radio waves every single day.

His full remarks were played on KFI and included a shoutout to Tony Valdez, KTTV's "Reconquista Reporter".

It hardly needs to be mentioned that Tony Villar's use of the word "immigrants" is misleading: what J&K discuss is massive illegal immigration. Perhaps he's still upset about the toilet brushes they encouraged their listeners to send him.

It's also ironic that he accuses J&K of "dividing America" while speaking at a Hispanic awards show to an audience of largely or almost exclusively Hispanics. Note also the use of the word "our" when speaking about largely Hispanic illegal aliens. While one of the hosts was black (DJ Big Boy), one wonders exactly how many non-Hispanics have received those awards. Unfortunately, those who are so deeply steeped in far-left ideology as our mayor would be unable to see just how ironic it is.

One wonders also what he means by "the right way", and what he has in mind as "the wrong way". Perhaps he was thinking back to his college radical days.

Note that one of the awards went to "The top Los Angeles Spanish language DJ's who encouraged the peaceful immigration marches", presumably refering to those that took place on March 25. (nhmc.org/4thImpactAwardsLuncheon.htm)

Not only is Antonio Villaraigosa a rising star in the Democratic Party, but he's obviously a strong supporter of illegal immigration. Whether he even admits that there's a distinction between the legal and illegal varieties of immigration is unclear; while he's half-heartedly renounced his involvement, he's a former president of the UCLA chapter of MEChA (the group that wants to "liberate Aztlan").

After being elected, he told a Mexican paper that Mexico would play an important role in his policies, and he indicated that he would not try to prevent illegal immigration in any way. And, in case you aren't in Los Angeles, he's got a warning for you: "take a snapshot of Los Angeles and in 25 or 30 years so will go Topeka, Kansas and Des Moines, Iowa."

I would suggest using Villaraigosa to our advantage. Not only is he useful to discredit his supporters (such as Richard Riordan and the Los Angeles Times as well as lesser lights) every time he says something we should point out that he's a Democrat. The Democratic Party considers him a rising star, and that fact should be shouted from the rooftops.

Posted to Immigration at 06:04 AM | Comments (1)

Russ Bynum/AP promotes illegal immigration (Stillmore, Georgia)

Russ Bynum of the Associated Press offers "Immigration raid cripples Ga. town". It describes immigration raids that took place in Stillmore, Georgia and it does so in such a highly biased and emotional fashion that it should be considered little more than pro-illegal immigration proganda:

Trailer parks lie abandoned. The poultry plant is scrambling to replace more than half its workforce. Business has dried up at stores where Mexican laborers once lined up to buy food, beer and cigarettes just weeks ago.

This Georgia community of about 1,000 people has become little more than a ghost town since Sept. 1, when federal agents began rounding up illegal immigrants.

The sweep has had the unintended effect of underscoring just how vital the illegal immigrants were to the local economy...

We're informed that the "vast majority" of employees at the Crider Inc. poultry plant were "Mexican immigrants"; if the effects are to be believed than the vast majority of those were illegal aliens. In fact, out of 900 employees at the plant, around 600 couldn't or decided not to prove they were working legally.

Rather than reporting on such massive law-breaking and such a massive subsidy from Georgia's residents to a chicken processor, Russ Bynum of the AP writes propaganda designed to support further law-breaking. A question for the "liberals": who ultimately profits from such propaganda?

As if that wasn't bad enough, there's even this quote from Mayor Marilyn Slater:

"This reminds me of what I read about Nazi Germany, the Gestapo coming in and yanking people up."

Don't worry, that's not the first time similar things have been said about those simply trying to enforce our immigration laws. There are similar example from South Jersey nurseryman Chris Ruske, a Florida immigration lawyer, a UFW representative, UCLA professor Steven Bainbridge (in a strawman), and Anna Arias, a member of Ed Rendell's State Advisory Commission for Latino Affairs.

On the wider issue, this AP article is very similar to another "ghost town" story from a couple months back: Molly Hennessy-Fiske/LAT promotes corruption in Arkansas; Huckabee.

The usual question: if "reform" passes, won't the AP and the LAT simply output similar propaganda if some small town mayor or chicken processor is affected?

UPDATE: The email addresses for Russ and his editor are given here. However, I'm pretty sure he's spelling his name wrong, so make it RBynum@ap.org instead.

Also, I stopped reading the article around about the time ol' Russ violated Godwin's law, so I missed this bit near the end ("liberals" should especially spend some time thinking about this part):

The poultry plant has limped along with half its normal workforce. Crider increased its starting wages by $1 an hour to help recruit new workers.

Posted to Immigration at 09:57 PM | Comments (4)

California Rural Legal Assistance violated federal law?

The inspector general of the federal Legal Services Corporation has issued a report highly critical of California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA), which is funded by LSC. He:

found "substantial evidence the CRLA has violated federal law" by soliciting clients, working a fee-generating case, requesting attorney fees and associating with political activities... [they] apparently flouted congressional reforms blocking actions like lobbying and advocacy, getting involved in class-action litigation and representing illegal immigrants.

...Jose Padilla, CRLA's executive director, issued a statement Thursday night saying his organization was "doing exactly the job Congress and the Legal Services Corporation funded it to do."

...The report said that despite a federal prohibition against political activities, CRLA's executive director endorsed something called "The World Can't Wait: Drive Out the Bush Regime." Another company official co-hosted a fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Both officials cited their CRLA affiliations in connection with the events...

As previously discussed, WCW freely admits that they were "initiated" by members of the Revolutionary Communist Party.

The report from the LSC IG was initiated by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), and the reason appears to be because of their advocacy for environmental causes that would appear to impact his farmer constituents.

Note the the CRLA's Foundation has also endorsed the AgJobs amnesty.

Posted to Immigration at 12:11 PM | Comments (1)

Simpson/Mazzoli: there's still time for another failed illegal alien amnesty

The authors of the failed 1986 illegal alien amnesty, former Rep. Romano L. Mazzoli (D-KY) and former Senator Alan K. Simpson (R-WY), offer "Enacting Immigration Reform, Again". Their article is little more than a bad and pathetic joke:

Since illegal immigration continues nearly unabated today, legitimate questions can be raised about the effectiveness of [1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act - IRCA, or the Simpson-Mazzoli bill]. Although we do have pride of authorship, we also believe that the shortcomings of the act are not due to design failure but rather to the failure of both Democratic and Republican administrations since 1986 to execute the law properly.

Why haven't they done that?

One answer is that there are never enough federal budget resources. Another is that administrations of both stripes are loathe to disrupt economic activities - i.e. labor supply in factories, farms and businesses.

There are, of course, other possibilities that they don't mention. For instance, political corruption: lots of companies make lots of money off "economic activities" generated by illegal aliens, and those companies then donate to politicians who simply do what those companies want. And, there are more sinister possibilities, such as replacing Americans with more pliable immigrants to the move to create the North American Union.

Then, perhaps because they vainly think they would be vindicated or perhaps for other reasons, they say:

We believe that our three-legged-stool approach is still relevant and workable if carried out vigorously.... We earnestly hope that before this Congress adjourns, the House and Senate will compromise, wring out the raw partisanship, and find a way to send President Bush - who has staked so much on enactment of solid immigration reform - a measure structured along the lines of our original bill. There is still time.

There's always that "if", isn't there? Unfortunately, nowhere in their piece do they even discuss whether the new amnesty would be enforced any more than their amnesty was. They provide no assurances that it would be enforced; they provide no proposals to make sure it would be enforced.

What would actually happen is that those same corrupt forces that prevent enforcement now would prevent it later. Passing "reform" isn't going to make corrupt corporations, corrupt foreign governments, and racial power groups go away. In fact, "reform" would be a capitulation to their demands and would make them even stronger than they are now.

I don't know why these two are promoting "reform", but if they wanted to make partial amends for what they were involved in before they would spell out all the possible reasons why their "reforms" weren't enforced and offer real solutions.

Posted to Immigration at 05:46 AM | Comments (1)

Chris Taylor pimps illegal immigration at Business 2.0

Chris Taylor is a senior editor at Business 2.0 Magazine, and he offers a paean to corruption and transnational greed in "Cashing in on immigration". Think of it as the breezier, even more masturbatory version of Business Week's "Embracing Illegals" or The Economist's "More Mexicans, Please" (link):

Faced with far more retirees than workers, we have two options: up the retirement age to keep workers slogging away until their 80th birthdays; or, let the world's youth do the work while paying our Social Security along the way. In return, we get to spend our golden years drinking Pina Coladas in Palm Beach. Which do you think we'll pick?

As an alternative, instead of inviting the world to come here, we could sit on our verandas drinking mint julips at our plantations in India and Africa watching the natives toiling in the fields and send the riches home. What you say, that's been tried?

...Don't think the ongoing row over immigration will keep the migrant masses at bay. We'll limit the number of visas for overseas workers. We'll build walls along the border. But no matter what we do, we can't stem the tide of economics. Just ask the residents of Berlin, separated for decades by a wall that couldn't contain capitalism...

...Another factor worth considering: Immigration isn't such a big deal for today's youth. Field Poll after Field Poll shows that 18-39 year-olds are consistently and significantly less concerned about illegal immigration than their elders. Their ambivalence makes sense, since they're growing up in an increasingly cosmopolitan world...

...What does this unstoppable migration mean for budding entrepreneurs? Plenty. There's tons of money to be made helping people to move from South to North - and the transfer of wages from North to South. "Remittances," a catchall term for the cash that immigrants send back to their poorer relatives back home - are already playing a major role in the global economy...

Of course, profiting from remittances sent by illegal aliens means profiting from illegal activity. And, then some of those profits are given to politicians who enable even more illegal activity.

So, I guess the bottom line is that we need to make sure that those 18-39 year-olds understand what corruption is and make the right choices instead of embracing illegal activity in order to make a buck.

If you subscribe to that magazine, I urge you to cancel your subscription and write a nice letter letting them know the reason why.

Posted to Immigration at 01:09 AM | Comments (2)

NoCal religious leaders oppose immigration arrests; will they stop after "reform"?

Our old friend Tyche Hendricks offers "Church leaders speak out against immigration sweeps/Arrests, deportations in Santa Cruz area part of national drive":

The religious leaders who spoke out Wednesday acknowledged that the government has a right to enforce immigration law. But they said enforcement can tear apart families in which some members are illegal and others are U.S. citizens.

One can easily imagine these same far-left leaders saying the same things after the "comprehensive reform" they favor has passed. If they wanted to be honest, they'd just come right out and say what they really support: either open borders or very porous borders.

Needless to say, Hendricks doesn't question them on that bit, she just transcribes their comments.

The press conference was held at the Resurrection Catholic Community Church in Aptos and those appearing included Roman Catholic Bishop Sylvester Ryan and an immigration attorney from San Francisco, Stacy Tolchin.

The last objected to the "malicious" procedures involved, but I have a feeling that's not her only objection: she's not only an AILA member, she's a "board member of the National Lawyers Guild for the San Francisco Bay Area" (link). She's also on the board of the International Institute of San Francisco, where she used to work as their "Citizenship Project Coordinator" (link). Oddly enough: the first link is to a previous Tyche Hendricks article which quoted Anita Sinha of the International Institute of the East Bay.

And, as discussed in the article, there are several hundreds of thousands of fugitive aliens and just 45 teams of agents assigned to pick them up, with just three of those in northern California. The far-lefties should be grateful.

The article does, however, include this:

Michael Cutler, a former immigration agent in New York now associated with the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank in Florida that supports tighter restrictions on immigration, said a better name for the current effort would be "Operation Backrub."

"The administration has administered warm milk and a backrub to the American people to inspire a false sense of confidence," he said. "The president has an agenda, which appears to be open up the border between the U.S. and Mexico and the U.S. and Canada. ... He's been doing this to be able to sell his package."

Posted to Immigration at 09:35 PM | Comments (1)

Libertarians: "The Fallacy of Open Immigration"

As a special treat for my libertarian reader, I present: "The Fallacy of Open Immigration".

Posted to Immigration at 09:53 AM | Comments (0)

Kolbe won't endorse Graf: there are "profound differences"

Yesterday Randy Graf beat Steve Huffman in Arizona's 8th district. Retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe refuses to give Graf his endorsement. Says he:

"I congratulate Mr. Graf on his victory in the Republican primary. However, there are such profound and fundamental differences between his views and mine on several key issues that I would not be true to my own principles were I to endorse him now for the general election in November."

One of those "differences" is no doubt that Kolbe has supported illegal immigration, while Graf has opposed it. As some of the comments here seem to indicate, the other side will attempt to portray Graf as an extremist. This is exactly what Kolbe did in the past and the GOP did in the just finished race. As I said at the first link, the GOP should consider just supporting the Democrat since they know she'll keep the cheap labor flowing.

Posted to Immigration at 06:24 AM | Comments (1)

Americans relax: "Immigration no threat to English use in U.S."

Reuters tells the Americans they can relax:

U.S. citizens concerned that Latino immigrants will have them singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in Spanish can rest easy, according to an academic study published on Wednesday.

A report in the Population and Development Review found that far from threatening the dominance of English, most Latin American immigrants to the United States lose their ability to speak Spanish over the course of a few generations...

First of all, one of the co-authors of the "academic study" is Douglas Massey:

CATO author Douglas Massey's report also contends Americans should abandon traditional national sovereignty as a sacrifice to libertarian principles of "free trade", including trafficking in cheap labor. Massey says the United States should "abandon its illusions" and "accept the reality, the necessity, of North American integration."

So, it appears he has an agenda. Oddly enough, excerpts here say that he's given money to "Independent" (i.e., socialist) Bernie Sanders of Vermont. His co-author Ruben Rumbaut has apprently given to John Kerry, and the other co-author, Frank Bean, has given to the DNC.

In any case, whether the study is accurate or not, it only reports on what supposedly happened in the past (and of necessity in a limited sample size). So, even if Hispanic immigrants have lost their native language in the past, that doesn't mean that they'll do it in the future.

Especially since various corrupt forces are working to entrench bilingualism through things such as ballots, "ethno-grifters", city workers, media, news agencies, and so on.

The future probably isn't going to be like the limited-sample-size past, especially when that past is described by someone who opposes the national sovereignty of the U.S.

Posted to Immigration at 02:55 AM | Comments (4)

House Democrats agenda excludes immigration "reform"

The House Democrats have created a 25-page agenda document called "A New Direction for America" that represents a consensus of their thinking. However, it excludes any mention of immigration or the "reform" thereof. Presumably that's because they're afraid to come right out and admit that almost every Democratic leader fully supports illegal immigration.

Needless to say, this has the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in an uproar.

Those angered include Rep. Luis Gutierrez. As discussed at that link, he has connections with an offical from a Mexican political party.

And, Rep. Loretta Sanchez: "I think immigration is a big issue... It's a big issue to the Hispanic community. They deserve some sort of answer on where the Democrats are on immigration... [Rep. Jose] Serrano believes the book reflects a plan for the Democrats of the future... [he] wanted a plan about immigration in there, [or] maybe just a note that immigrants are important to the country..."

Then, we get the "racial solidarity with illegal aliens" part:

Serrano said that while many of the immigrants who would benefit from reform cannot vote, Hispanic citizens who do vote perceive attacks on immigrants as attacks on their heritage. Serrano said it is important that Democrats show they care about immigrants.

"We have to let people like me who are citizens know that we're not ignoring the others," he said, adding that any token of recognition would be important.

As with blacks, do the Democrats really have much to lose from giving extremist Hispanics such as Gutierrez the cold shoulder? It's not like the GOP is going to pick up too many far-left votes. Those would instead go to the Greens or the Peace & Freedom parties. They might lose some GOTV workers, but that's about it. And, they'd pick up votes from mainstream, patriotic Americans who don't support illegal immigration or appreciate ethnic nationalism.

On the other hand, perhaps the Democrats should be strongly encouraged to "reach out" to the "immigrant" community. Time for Biff to do his magic.

Sidenote: the 2004 GOP platform mentioned Bush's plan over American objections.

Posted to Immigration at 08:46 PM | Comments (0)

House offers border security bill; Dick Morris, liberals

From this:

House Republicans said Tuesday that they're preparing a package of tough border security initiatives that they hope will satisfy constituent demands for a crackdown on illegal immigration before they face voters in the Nov. 7 midterm elections.

The initiatives, which are expected to include more Border Patrol agents and unmanned aerial vehicles and possibly hundreds of miles of fencing along the U.S-Mexico border, will be unveiled this week amid fading prospects for more comprehensive legislation embracing President Bush's call for an immigrant guest-worker program...

House leaders' latest strategy appears to be aimed at recycling relatively non-controversial border security elements from its bill that would likely be acceptable to senators, thus enabling lawmakers to claim at least some achievement on what thousands of constituents believe is the country's most pressing issue...

In other news, "GOP calls 'elite' out of touch on immigration". That's the upshot of the hearings they held throughout the country.

And, idiotic political hack Dick Morris offers "Doing Nothing on Immigration":

The decision by the Republican leadership not even to try to pass immigration reform before the election smacks of punting when they should have gone for a touchdown. America is begging for tough immigration reform and looking to the Republican Party to exercise its traditional role of leadership in law and order issues. But even without a real threat of a Democratic filibuster, the Republican Party has tripped over its own feet and given up its attempt to meet the needs of the country and of its constituents...

A compromise was practically begging to be reached. Republican voters supported the Senate bill's earned path to citizenship and did not see it as amnesty. They know it is not feasible to return ten million people to their countries of origin, and they get it that a democracy cannot have a permanent lawless class living in its midst...

Republican voters did no such thing. Does he really believe biased polls, or is he just pretending he believes them? And, does he really believe that most people still buy the false choice between a massive amnesty and mass deportations?

Posted to Immigration at 05:17 AM | Comments (0)

Texas Rep. Timoteo "Timo" Garza on North American integration

From a November 18, 2003 press release from Texas State Representative Timoteo "Timo" Garza (Eagle Pass) (link):

[Garza] offered to help U.S. Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson find solutions to the problems created by the proposed implementation of the U.S. VISIT (Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology) Program...

..."Implementation of the U.S. VISIT program will have a devastating impact on the economy of Texas, specifically the border area," stated Representative Garza. South West Texas public officials, merchants, chambers of commerce and bank representatives met this week in an informative session on the U.S. VISIT program. The group listened to a presentation, by IBC Bank officials, detailing the U.S. VISIT Program and it's impact, on Border economies...

..."Our European allies reap the benefits of a European Union which offers its citizens globally competitive educations, health care, multi-lingual/multi-cultural domestic policies and solid unified trade practices," added the Representative. "We need to take a page from their success, and we must begin to solidify our North American Partnership into a streamlined-global economic force, free of migratory barriers, free of cultural divisiveness, and uniquely positioned to attract jobs and industry. The current U.S. VISIT Program moves the US away from such a vision," stated Representative Garza.

Representative Garza praised Texas Senator John Cornyn, for his editorial comments in an excellent article titled, "Guests Who Pose No Threat," in the Washington Post, November 17, 2003. In it Senator Cornyn states, "I am convinced that we must finally recognize the truth about our border with Mexico. Everyday families, businesses and workers cross the border. They own property... They marry... They raise families and fill jobs that in many cases go unfilled in the United States. We can no longer deny both the sheer number of undocumented immigrants in our country and the extent to which their labor makes a positive contribution to our economy."

...Representative Garza thanked Mayor Joaquin Rodriguez and Judge Jose "Pepe" Aranda for their active participation in Monday night's meeting. He also thanked Hector Cerna, IBC Bank President and Marga Lopez, MCDC Executive Director for sponsoring the presentation. He complimented the Border Trade Alliance and the Texas Border Infrastructure Coalition for their efforts in raising public awareness of this issue.

Posted to NAU at 03:05 AM | Comments (1)

National Guardsmen shooting spree; not welcome in south Texas

From the AP:

Three members of the Texas National Guard were being held Tuesday in the Maverick County Jail [Eagle Pass, TX] after being accused of firing shots in a residential area while drinking alcohol, a sheriff's official said.

It sounds like they might be yahoos, but then again, such incidents aren't exactly unheard of.

Note that while Eagle Pass is right on the Mexican border, it's still a part of the United States, which makes the following comments a bit interesting in a way that - in a weak moment - even a "liberal" might be forced to admit are just slightly "parochial":

Maverick County Judge Pepe Aranda said the incident is an example of how things can go wrong when armed strangers come to the border. He opposed bringing Guardsmen to the county.

"They are not familiar with our region. They don't know our customs or our culture," Aranda said. "They think they are back home, or they take everything for granted, and we have a situation like this."

While Aranda has to a certain extent spoken out against OTMs being released into "his" city ("If Homeland Security is important, then this should stop immediately"), somehow that reminds me at least of this or this.

Posted to Immigration at 01:45 AM | Comments (2)

"I-69: Yet Another NAFTA Super-Highway"

More from Jerome Corsi:

Another NAFTA Super-Highway is moving state-by-state from the planning stage to the funding and construction process. As listed on the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration's website [link], the "I-69 Corridor" is planned to connect Mexico and Canada through Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Michigan.

Still, skeptics -- even congressmen and senators in the nine states where the I-69 corridor will be built -- continue to charge that any idea that NAFTA Super-Highways are being built are nothing more than "internet conspiracy theories..."

Posted to NAU at 10:35 PM | Comments (1)

Arnold Schwarzenegger/Phil Angelides file download issue

Today's "hot" issue is not Arnold Schwarzenegger's blather about immigration. Rather, it's the audio file that Phil Angelides staffers downloaded from the California government web site in which he called Bonnie Garcia "hot".

It's good to see the Angelides campaign being shown to be as sleazy as their candidate himself. However, it would be nice to discuss much more important matters.

Nevertheless, the staffers apparently claim that they did not "hack" his site and they didn't try to guess passwords in order to gain access to the file. They claim they backed up on the file name, which is given here as speeches.gov.ca.gov/dir/08-29-2006_avail.htm.

Apparently they transformed that into speeches.gov.ca.gov/dir and were thus able to access other files and directories. Nothing that experienced internet users have not done in the past and, as a matter of fact, the W3C suggest naming URLs so that they can be guessed.

It appears that that whole server has been 404ed, but you can see some of the pages that google cached here. The fact that they were able to cache them indicates that at least those pages were not password protected. Some of the subdirectories of the 'dir' directory might have been password protected, and, while I haven't verified it, if there were symlinks outside those directories leading to files inside those directories I think Apache would have prevented access. Unless they were given a name and password, guessing a name/password would probably be considered "hacking".

From the previous search, here's cache of a sample press release, showing the links to some audio files. Here's a sample of someone linking to one of those press releases.

Here's Yahoo's entries.

Archive.org shows nothing.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ................

Posted to California at 08:49 PM | Comments (1)

Viral email on illegal immigration

Send the one here to your friends:

Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration. Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely. Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests...

Posted to Immigration at 03:26 PM | Comments (0)

Who wrote Arnold Schwarzenegger's immigration opinion piece?

California's Bush- and Kennedy-controlled governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, offers "Keep the Immigration Debate Civil". My summary: "A protest vote for Phil Angelides might wake me, Maria, and my Bush handlers up to the realization that I'm on the wrong path."

1. The title will be read by most as a challenge to those opposed to illegal immigration. It applies more strongly to those on the other side, but he doesn't make that clear. He's probably too afraid to do that. By doing that, he plays right into enemy hands.

2. He chides Congress for not "finishing comprehensive immigration reform this year". That's a code phrase for a massive amnesty scheme.

3. The part that might draw race-baiting is where he appears to encourage immigrants to assimilate. In fact, he's not doing that. He's only suggesting that "immigrant rights activists" make their message more saleable to the mainstream: "So my message to you is: Carry your home country in your heart, but carry the American flag in our streets." Should an elected politician really be encouraging foreign citizens to march in our streets? Of all people, Arnold should be able to draw parallels.

4. Then, comes the Bush "redefine amnesty" dance, combined with the "mass deportations" strawman:

Now that they are here, what do we do? Amnesty is not the answer. Congress granted amnesty in 1986 and promised it would end the problem. It didn't. Amnesty only made it worse. You don't reward people for breaking the law. And you don't grant someone the rights of citizenship simply by virtue of how long they have been in this country illegally - that makes a mockery of the law and penalizes those who waited years and followed the rules.

But it is not realistic either to round up 12 million people and send them home. Many have families here now, children and grandchildren who are citizens. Splitting them up would be inhumane. Some say it would cost as much as $250 billion to even try. Who would pay for that? It is simply not realistic.

Of course, like so many others, Arnold fails to note that if we started enforcing our laws we'd reduce the numbers here now and the numbers of those coming. And, if he's worried about mixed-status families now, just wait until we "reform" the system and the problem gets even worse. As for the $250 million figure, that's from an extremely poorly done study from the Clinton-affiliated Center for America Progress.

5. Then comes Arnold's/Teddy Kennedy's/Bush's solution:

The answer, as I have repeatedly said, is, first, to secure the border to stop the problem from getting worse. Second, we must create a temporary-worker program so people can come here legally to work. We should also lift the cap on work visas for industries such as technology, engineering and agriculture so immigrants can be hired when there are not enough U.S. workers. And we must create a path to legal status for those living in the shadows illegally. They must pay a fine for breaking our laws. They must learn English and become part of our culture. They must pay back taxes and pay for healthcare and education rather than expect American taxpayers to pay extra when some cannot even afford healthcare or college for their own children.

The problems with "guest" worker programs have been enumerated here in great depth. The completely anti-American and un-American features of the original Bush "guest" worker program have not received wide attention; one can easily imagine the Arnold/Bush/Kennedy/Fox "guest" worker program having similar features for "when there are not enough U.S. workers". And, of course, Arnold fails to note that those payments he discusses redound not just to the benefit of illegal aliens, but also serve as a subsidy to their corrupt employers. Those employers would continue to receive a huge subsidy due to the welfare state, politicians such as Gil Cedillo, far-left groups such as the ACLU, and even worse groups.

6. Note also that these remarks are similar to what he said in July 25 2006 to the SDUT ("Last best hope"):

Schwarzenegger wants three things accomplished, in the following order: (1) secure the border; (2) allow U.S. companies to bring in guest workers because "it's a global economy"; and (3) then – and only then – confront what the governor admits is the toughest issue of them all, what to do with 12 million illegal immigrants who are already here. Schwarzenegger stresses that our response has to be "humane" and that it's "ridiculous" to suggest we can deport 12 million people... Schwarzenegger leaves open the possibility of allowing most of these people to remain in the country legally, provided they make some sort of restitution for the infraction of entering the country without permission. "I think the American people like to see redemption, they like to see that you have done things (to atone) for the mistake you made. Because we all make mistakes,"

Posted to California at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

FBI probes Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich; hiring kickback?

From this:

The FBI is investigating allegations by the wife of Gov. Rod Blagojevich's former campaign treasurer that her state job may have come in return for a $1,500 personal check her husband wrote to one of Blagojevich's children.

The inquiry is the first public indication that Blagojevich and his personal finances are under federal scrutiny as part of a sweeping criminal probe of political hiring in his administration...

...Beverly Ascaridis, who has already been identified in an internal state probe as receiving special treatment to get her job, confirmed federal agents interviewed her and her husband in recent weeks about the check. It was dated within two weeks after she began her $45,000-a-year job as a state parks administrator in August 2003, according to Ascaridis and sources familiar with the investigation...

Blago's office denies all of the "ludicrous" charges.

In previous Blago news:
Illegal aliens march in Chicago, get support from Blago, Gutierrez, local media (one of the organizers of that march is a PRD official)
Blagojevich-linked group agitating illegal aliens, calls for general strike
Blagojevich stand behind NOI member on Illinois hate crimes commission
Blagojevich gives illegal aliens better deal than veterans
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich gets a $720,000 heated driveway

Posted to Politics at 09:48 AM | Comments (0)

Crops rotting in the fields... enforcing immigration laws to blame?

This site has highlighted a long series of articles revolving around the topic of "crops rotting in the fields unless we get more cheap labor." Most of those articles - even one appearing in al Guardian - are simply propaganda, with the "reporters" simply transcribing the hyperbolic remarks of farmers and growers.

Now, however, Jim Downing of the SacBee offers "Farmers scurry to recruit workers/Growers blame immigration-law impasse and tight border controls, but other factors may play role". While it doesn't address the issue of whether those other reports are propaganda, it at least tries to determine whether those growers are telling the truth:

All year, California farm groups have complained that congressional inaction on overhauling immigration laws, coupled with tightening border controls, would lead to a critical shortage of labor.

With harvest time having arrived, state agricultural leaders are preparing to join their counterparts from around the country this week for a major lobbying push in Washington, D.C. They have been gathering anecdotes describing what they say is a damaging labor crisis in the state...

...So far, however, state surveys show no discernible drop in total farm employment for May, June and July, though an uptick in farm wages suggests a tighter labor supply...

Some of the other factors include weather shifting harvest times and growers keeping more people on year round.

The article quotes Philip L. Martin of UC Davis, and contains this bit of deja vu:

Hand-picking of grapes is declining statewide because of the widespread adoption of grape-harvesting machines. Even taking into account the capital cost of $250,000, a mechanized harvester can pick grapes for about $270 an acre, just over half the price of manual laborers, [Supervisor Matt Manna of Manna Ranch in Acampo] said.

In the Lodi area, about 80 percent of wine grapes are now harvested by machine. Raisin growers in the San Joaquin Valley are following a similar trend. As a result, the number of grape-harvesting jobs in the state has been dropping steadily -- from 56,700 workers in 1995 to 41,700 last year, even as the harvest tonnage has remained relatively stable.

Compare that with this quote from Martin's "The Mirage of Mexican Guest Workers":

Reality, however, never confirmed these dire predictions. In 1960 some 45,000 farm workers (mostly braceros) had harvested 2.2 million tons of processing tomatoes. By 1999, it took only 5,000 workers to operate machinery that harvested some 12 million tons. Thanks to these efficiency gains from mechanization, the real price of processing tomatoes declined 54 percent while per capita consumption rose 23 percent...

The article also says that some growers are threatening to move to Mexico. Of course, if they did that they'd probably start trying to import labor from Guatemala.

Posted to Immigration at 05:58 AM | Comments (1)

"[Nancy] Pelosi and [Barney] Frank: Voices of Reason"

That is the actual title of a post at a blog run by a famous person.

Your goal - during a brief pause in your laughter - is to figure out whose blog it is.

Could it be Alec Baldwin at the HuffPost?

How about Sheldon Drobny at the same site?

Could it be John Conyers?

What about the Daily Kos himself?

Maybe Cindy Sheehan guest-posting for AmericaBlog guest-posting for Crooks and Liars at Raw Story?

Give up?

Posted to WackyHumor at 02:55 AM | Comments (0)

Greg Palast charged with "unauthorized filming" in Louisiana

Way-far-out-there but not-as-far-as-Alex-Jones American-turned-British-"investigative"-journalist Greg Palast claims to have been charged with "unauthorized filming" of "critical infrastructure" after shooting the outside of an Exxon plant a hundred miles from New Orleans, Louisiana. This was apparently part of a documentary about Katrina refugees.

It would be nice to read a straight news report or a press release about the incident, because between the "jokes" and the unclear writing in both his report and that from "Scoop NZ" it's a bit difficult to tell what really happened (so to speak).

Posted to Bloggage at 09:33 PM | Comments (0)

Eric Alterman: bye-bye MSNBC, hello Soros-funded Media Matters

Eric Alterman has been fired by MSNBC. But, don't cheer just yet: he's been hired by Media Matters for America, a group that admits to having received money from George Soros. He will be joining "Hatrios", aka Duncan B. Black, as a Senior Fellow at the organization.

Posted to Bloggage at 07:53 PM | Comments (1)

Larry Craig to lead "Secure Our Borders and Our Economy" rally

Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) and friends will be holding a "rally" on Capitol Hill on Wednesday and demanding "comprehensive" immigration "reform". From their press release:

A group of lawmakers, business leaders and agriculture producers will gather on Capitol Hill to demand Border Security be paired with Immigration Reform. Border security without immigration reform will leave agriculture without access to a legal, stable workforce and raise the costs of American agricultural products.

Those joining the good Senator at the "rally" include:

* Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.)

* Thomas E. Stenzel, President and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association

* R. Bruce Josten, executive vice president, Government Affairs, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (also here)

* Michael S. Kaufman, treasurer of the Board of Directors, National Restaurant Association

* Maureen Torrey, Torrey Farms (Elba, N.Y.), and co-chairman of United Fresh Produce Association

In related news, Craig recently tried to insert his AgJobs amnesty scheme into an Iraq funding bill.

The release has a contact email at the PR firm Qorvis, which is a bit of a red flag. They not only have spread PR for the Saudis (related: see the links in the update here), they also reportedly teach people how to filibuster on cable TV shows. And, they allegedly spent some time at an anti-sugar blog.

Posted to Immigration at 04:14 PM | Comments (0)

Bill Richardson profile

Beverly Keel of a magazine called "American Profile" offers a profile of New Mexico governor Bill Richardson entitled "Talking It Through". I'm not familiar with that site, but it looks like they offer "nice" news and don't do investigative journalism. Even taking that into account, the article is extremely flattering. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he tries to use it as his official bio. A sample:

With a resume that includes seven terms in Congress and stints as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and the U.S. Secretary of Energy, the four-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee often was the nation's go-to guy when delicate negotiations with Iraq, Cuba, Sudan and North Korea required face-to-face encounters.

Then:

But he stresses that he is an American first, albeit one who cherishes his Hispanic heritage. "I don't want to be known as a professional Hispanic, that everything I do is because I'm Hispanic or I only serve Hispanics," says Richardson, who says he dreams in English but reverts to dreaming in Spanish after periodic vacations in Mexico. "I serve a broad constituency: Native Americans, Anglos, Hispanics, progressives, Republicans. I don't compromise my values, but I never liked to highlight my Hispanic-ness."

Now, let's take a look at this older Bill Richardson quote:

"These are changing political times where our basic and programs are being attacked. Illegal and legal immigration unfairly attacked. We have to band together and that means Latinos in Florida, Cuban-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, South Americans - we have to network better - we have to be more politically minded - we have to put aside party and think of ourselves as Latinos, as Hispanics, more than we have in the past."

Posted to Politics at 02:39 PM | Comments (1)

The "Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities"

Or: When your country isn't divided enough, double down.

From this:

The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, along with the Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages, today launched the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities. The five year plan seeks to increase immigration of French-speaking people to Francophone communities, and to help them to settle in their new surroundings.

"Immigration is a key factor in the growth and vitality of Francophone communities outside of Quebec," said Minister Solberg."Our government plans to attract more French-speaking immigrants to these communities and to work with our partners to help newcomers succeed."

"By participating in the implementation of the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, our new Government contributes directly to Canada's linguistic duality and to the vitality of our country's Francophone communities," said Minister Verner...

I've only been to Canada twice, and both times it was like visiting a foreign country. So, I'm no expert. But, it seems to me like they're encouraging "internal" migration from Quebec to other parts of Canada and not migration from, say, France to Canada. One wonders, besides trying to provide yet more evidence that multiculturalism is a failed ideology, what they're trying to do. Is it a desire for cheap laborers? Are they trying to disperse language police throughout the country instead of just having them in certain parts? Perhaps a Canadian expert can tell us what's really involved here.

Posted to MultiCultiCult at 01:53 PM | Comments (1)

Beachhead: Houston Chronicle fully supports Mexican agenda, illegal immigration

The Houston Chronicle unsigned editorial "Beachhead" is so shocking in its outright support for illegal immigration and Mexico's agenda it's almost unbelievable:

FOUR years ago, Mexico closed its New Orleans consulate — essentially, for lack of interest. The Mexican government was pinching pennies, and closing the mission signaled a new focus on U.S. cities with significant numbers of Mexican nationals.

New Orleans now counts as one of those cities. That's why Carlos Gonzalez Magallon, Mexico's consul general in Houston, has launched plans to reopen a Crescent City mission — he hopes by Dec. 1. Gonzalez is right to act quickly.

A Louisiana-based consulate would help the Mexicans flowing into New Orleans to work and help the city inch toward normalcy. The re-opening even would revive a bit of history.

A new study by Tulane University and the University of California shows that nearly half of the city's new construction workers are Latino, and about a quarter of that new work force is undocumented. Mexicans make up 47 percent of the undocumented workers...

They go on to criticize Ray Nagin's comments about "Mexican workers" driving American hurricane victims out of work. He "changed that sentiment" apparently because the corrupt national Democrats put pressure on him to do the un-American thing and support foreign citizens who are here illegally taking rebuilding jobs from Americans. And, the Houston Chronicle is, of course, on the wrong side.

Then, they promote the Mexican government handing out Matricula Consular cards, highlighting using them to "open bank accounts, cash payroll checks, even obtain medical care". So, they're in effect promoting U.S. companies profiting from illegal activity since many of those opening bank accounts will have been employed illegally. Not only that, they promote anchor babies: "a consulate can register children born to nationals in the United States".

This editorial goes beyond simply un-American. From now on I suggest we consider the Houston Chronicle a Mexican newspaper that's simply based in a U.S. city.

Send your emails to: viewpoints@chron.com. ("Include name, address, and day and evening phone numbers for verification purposes only. Letters subject to editing.")

Posted to Immigration at 12:06 PM | Comments (1)

"The Worst Cases Of Tax Fraud In US History" (lawyers and homebuilding)

An organization with which I'm not familiar has issued this press release:

Americas Watchdog, an advocacy organization focused on corporate responsibility and fair play has just released the results of a two year investigation into national and or regional US homebuilders hiring undocumented construction workers and or not paying federal or state taxes on the individuals, and the results are grim. According to Thomas Martin the founder of Americas Watchdog, "these will be the largest tax fraud cases and or Fair Standard Labor Act lawsuits in U.S. History. In fact it goes well beyond massive tax fraud/FSLA issues, its plain and simple exploitation of individuals who would do anything to feed their families back in Mexico or Central America, and the companies just made more money". According to Martin, " the homebuilders use subcontractors, who were little more than labor brokers. These "subcontractors" in many cases classify the workers as "1099 sub-contractors". The problem; according to Martin; "these were not citizens,these workers were never sub-contractors, they were supervised or managed by the actual builder, or the job site foreman and workers and the taxpayers were royaly taken advantage of...

...Americas Watchdog thinks its time for the nation to deal with the immigration issue and time to right the wrongs of the present and the past. Law firms in every state with FSLA experience in every state, or Law firms with experience in securities fraud are encouraged to contact Americas Watchdog for more information. Americas Watchdog would also like to hear from State Treasures and the IRS to get the ball moving on collecting back taxes and or prosecuting corporate officials involved in this massive wrong doing. While not limited to the residential construction industry, according to Martin, "its the perfect place to start because its so obvious as far as what has happened". Local, State and National News Reporters are encouraged to go out to larger residential construction sites to see for yourself...

While they do support "comprehensive" "reform", the second paragraph sounds like a worthy endeavor.

Posted to Immigration at 10:51 AM | Comments (1)

NYT: Requiem for the "immigrant" rights movement

Rachel Swarns and Randal Archibold of the New York Times offer "Immigration Movement Struggles to Regain Momentum Built in Spring Marches". Let's compare some of the things that they say with the truth:

Swarns/Archibold	The truth
"Immigration Movement Struggles to Regain Momentum Built in Spring Marches"	'Dear "immigrant" rights movement: Your demonstrations have been wonderful, and we appreciate your hard work. However...'
For a moment, it sounded like one of the spirited crowds from this past spring. There, at the foot of the Capitol, flag-waving immigrants chanted and cheered and warned lawmakers in Congress to take notice.	Foreign citizens who are here illegally - those who are called "illegal aliens" in the U.S. Code - were marching on our Capital, making a show of force and demanding rights to which they are not entitled. And, of course, the NYT doesn't indicate whether those were U.S. flags or Mexican flags that they were waving.
..."immigrant demonstrations"... "immigrant protests"... "political analysts, policy makers and immigrants alike are questioning the staying power of the fledgling immigrant rights movement"... "immigrant rights organizations"... "immigrant communities"... "immigrant marchers"... "immigrant groups"... "[s]ome 2,700 immigrant workers were caught up in those [raids]"...	They can't match Teddy Kennedy: in his speech he used "immigr*" 13 times when what he was really refering to was the illegal variety. Now, certainly, not all of those marching were illegal aliens. But, despite attempts to say otherwise, a majority of them probably were. Many of them were probably U.S. citizen relatives of illegal aliens. But, I'd imagine that only a fairly small number of them were legal immigrants, not least because supporting illegal immigration makes a mockery of the process that they followed. Unless the NYT is intentionally trying to mislead their readers, they should make that distinction clear.
"National Council of La Raza [is] an immigrant advocacy group"...	...and so much more.
[gives three paragraphs to UC Riverside ethnic studies professor Armando Navarro]	A hint to the NYT: unlike the Walter Duranty years, it's so much easier to do basic research nowadays. Isn't anyone who simply plugs his name into their favorite search engine going to doubt anything else you say? Another hint to the NYT: Navarro is probably too mainstream; next time, consider quoting the folks from aztlan.net.
But the political outlook has changed enormously since then [presumably refering to just a few months ago, June and July]. President Bush, who championed legislation that would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, has found his stature weakened. And conservatives in Congress, who once seemed on the defensive, have rallied.	Yes, but in our universe, Bush's approval rating hit a low of 31% in early May 2006, and it's slightly moved up since then, reaching 42% in mid-August (source: this USA Today Flash page; other polls are probably slightly different). There's the possibility that they're refering to something other than approval ratings, but most of those leaders who've been opposed to Bush because of his open borders policies have held that opinion for a long time. And, if "conservatives" have rallied, perhaps it's because even sources like the NYT have had to deal with the reality that their support for illegal immigration is wildly unpopular with most U.S. citizens.
Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican who favors legalization of illegal immigrants, said the protests were ultimately counterproductive because they galvanized conservatives who criticize legalization as amnesty for lawbreakers. "Looking back, the massive protests with immigrants waving Mexican flags was detrimental to those of us who wanted comprehensive reform," Mr. Flake said. "It just polarized us."	It's good to see an elected U.S. representative realizes that there's a problem with foreign citizens marching in our streets, making a show of force and waving the flags of the foreign countries to which they owe an allegiance. It's unfortunate that his only issue with it is that it helped reduce the possibility of "reform".

If you get a chance, please write public *at* nytimes.com with your thoughts on their article.

Posted to Immigration at 10:34 PM | Comments (1)

NCLR Michelle Waslin on assimilation and patriotism

The April 4, 2006 editorial "An image problem" discusses an NCLR email that shows what they really think about that whole "assimilation" and "patriotism" issue:

Today in the letters section, the National Council of La Raza, which declares itself the "largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States," takes issue with our March 30 editorial, "'Room but for one flag'." Responding to our suggestion that Latino community leaders should condemn the radical reconquista movement, La Raza says that is like asking them to "prove [their] loyalty to this country."

...Leave aside for a moment how asking a Latino civil-rights organization to condemn an anti-American message being promulgated by "radicals" -- as we clearly identified them in the editorial -- "dishonors every Hispanic who has served" in the U.S. military...

...[An amendment to the Senate's amnesty from by Senator Lamar Alexander], wrote Michele Waslin, La Raza's director of Immigration Policy Research, is "very problematic." Of the three "big problems," she notes, is that "while it doesn't overtly mention assimilation, it is very strong on the patriotism and traditional american [sic] values language in a way which is potentially dangerous to our communities."

...Once the e-mail leaked, La Raza claimed its position on the Alexander amendment was "unclearly communicated," as reported by CNN...

Related:
Video from National Council of the Race convention
Karl Rove's pro-illegal immigration extended network
Is the National Council of La Raza a mainstream group?

Posted to Immigration at 10:05 PM | Comments (2)

Democrats: Discuss Tuesday's "Path to 9/11" showing here

As a service to my Democratic, liberal, and Communist readers, on Tuesday I'll be live-blogging ABC's "Path to 9/11". So, be sure and mark Tuesday on your calendar and on that day visit this page and leave your thoughts live as they broadcast their docudrama and as we watch it together.

Posted to WackyHumor at 04:57 PM | Comments (1)

Peter Prengaman/AP ignores Peter Schey Mexican government links

Peter Schey is the head of Los Angeles' Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law, a group that's collaborating with the Mexican government on a website. Schey is also representing some illegal aliens who were arrested under a new Arizona law, and there is some kind of involvement of the Mexican consul in the case. And, an "opposition research" paper he wrote appears on a Mexican government website.

So, when quoting him about immigration matters, wouldn't you expect a news organization to mention something about his other activities?

Not, of course, if that organization is the Associated Press. From the AP-hosted version of Peter Prengaman's "Low Turnout at L.A. Immigration Rally" (link):

...The rally culminated this week's National Latino Congreso, billed as one of the largest gatherings of Hispanic leaders in decades.

Sessions included speeches and workshops on registering Hispanic voters, running Hispanic political candidates, wage gaps between Hispanics and whites, environmental issues and a lack of access to health care in immigrant communities.

But the week's central issue was creating new strategies to urge lawmakers to offer a path to citizenship to illegal immigrants.

"We need to frame this as a national security issue," said Peter Schey, president of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Los Angeles. "It's ridiculous to have immigrants at airports giving their fingerprints when there are 12 million people in the country illegally."

This is the third time that the AP has failed to inform their readers of such a material fact. The last time was when discussing the Border Human Rights Working Group.

Write feedback *at* ap.org with your thoughts. Better yet, choose a few instances of this report at random, and send emails to their wire services editor or managing editor suggesting that they review AP reports for completeness and accuracy.

Posted to Immigration at 04:36 PM | Comments (0)

Video: Gil Cedillo compares immigration reform to ending slavery and more

Those of you with strong constitutions can watch this six minute video (AVI file) of California state senator Gil Cedillo discussing Gloria Romero's resolution in support of foreign citizens making a show of force and marching in our streets.

The video was shot on an unknown date, presumably in late April. The resolution was in support of the "Great American Boycott" of May 1.

Cedillo doesn't say anything extremely damning (as in, there are no shouts of "Aztlan Now!" or anything), but in his own sleep-inducing way he extols illegal aliens "keeping us competitive" and, while he doesn't say it, doing the jobs Americans supposedly won't do.

Then, he compares giving amnesty to illegal aliens to:

* Ending U.S. slavery
* Giving women the right to vote
* Ending Japanese internment

And, he complains about illegal aliens being allowed to work because the laws aren't enforced, but, obviously, he, his cohorts, and the illegal immigration-supporting infrastructure of which he's a part are a major part of the problem. On the rare occasions when the laws were actually enforced he and his compadres are among the first to complain.

He also brings up the illegal immigration marchers and their "American flags". Of course, most of the flags were originally Mexican until they realized that was bad PR. Likewise with Cedillo, who some years ago said we should give driver's licenses to illegal aliens because "they were here first". Nowadays he says it's for "public safety". Some have even been more transparent. Sorry, no one's buying it.

Posted to California at 03:17 PM | Comments (2)

Roberto Maldonado: Cook County should be an illegal alien sanctuary

Via this we learn that Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado wants to make the county a sanctuary for illegal aliens ("County measure would shield illegal immigrants"). Chicago, Illinois is located there and it's already a sanctuary city.

[Maldonado], the measure's sponsor, said he wants to prevent the county from joining a growing group of local jurisdictions that are cooperating with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce immigration laws.

If the measure passes, Maldonado said, sheriff's deputies could not ask for immigration papers during traffic stops and county employees could not report suspected illegal immigrants to federal authorities.

Maldonado said he has no evidence that county officials are currently doing that...

That same Commissioner was featured here in July: "Chicago Democrat wants Cook County to commit crimes". Believe or don't, he wants the county to hire illegal alien healthcare workers.

The blog post says this:

Maldanado is exactly the kind of anti-American that people who want to gin up hatred against Mexicans point to as "proof" that they are "all like that", that they will "all break the law". Maldonado should be removed from his position on the Cook County board over this inciting of illegal activity.

I agree with the second sentence, but not entirely with the first. While many Hispanics not involved with politics probably disagree with his attempts, there are very few Hispanic political leaders who are not like him. I'm not aware of any elected Hispanic Democrats who are not tireless ethnic boosters who fully support illegal immigration and who consistently put what's good for their race (and them) ahead of what's good for the country. With white Republican politicians, being a former member of a racial separatist group is a strong disqualifier; with Hispanic Democratic politicians it's a requirement in order to be echt.

And, since the Democratic Party does not censure or take any other action against people like Maldonado, we can safely assume that they fully support everything he stands for.

Posted to Immigration at 09:58 AM | Comments (2)

Wacky California legislature makes self-mocking resolution about Pluto

Let's check in with the wacky fun California legislature and see what capers, fancies, and jolly japes they're up to. Why, look, it's HR 36, "Relative to Pluto's planetary status":

WHEREAS, Recent astronomical discoveries, including Pluto's oblong orbit and the sighting of a slightly larger Kuiper Belt object, have led astronomers to question the planetary status of Pluto; and WHEREAS, The mean-spirited International Astronomical Union decided on August 24, 2006, to disrespect Pluto by stripping Pluto of its planetary status and reclassifying it as a lowly dwarf planet;and [...much fun deleted...] Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the Assembly hereby condemns the International Astronomical Union's decision to strip Pluto of its planetary status for its tremendous impact on the people of California and the state's long term fiscal health...

Why am I not laughing?

Well, perhaps it has something to do with real legislation their cohorts have been involved in:

* Gil Cedillo's seventh attempt to give legal California driver's licenses to illegal aliens.

* Gil Cedillo's attempt to give illegal aliens a better deal on student aid than some U.S. citizens.

* Gloria Romero's support for foreign citizens making a show of force and demanding that we give them rights to which they aren't entitled.

Perhaps if the Democratic Party decided to be an American party and started censuring their many extremist leaders I might be less "saturnine" about their "Pluto" joke.

Posted to California at 03:42 AM | Comments (1)

James Webb staffers to hold "Monkey Fest" at GOP "Ethnic Rally"

The Virginia GOP is holding an "Ethnic Rally" (the real name of the event) on Saturday, September 9 in Alexandria; George Allen will be making an appearance.

Now, just for this post, let's avoid discussing why the GOP would celebrate ethnicities rather than, say, trying to be different from the Gramscians Democrats and emphasizing, say, commonalities.

Instead, let's take a look at what the Democrats in the James Webb campaign are planning to conduct at the GOP's rally: a "Monkey Fest":

So the Webb staffers have decided to set up a counter-event to a Republican ethnic rally, after accusing them of racism .... and the geniuses involved decide to dress up like monkeys in protest? At an event that will draw people celebrating varying ethnic backgrounds, including people of color?

This sounds like a cute joke gone very bad...

Of course, they can get away with it since they have moral authority. Plus, doctor/clown Patch Adams will be there.

Posted to Politics at 10:19 PM | Comments (0)

Evan Lehmann of Lowell Sun: which Washington DC march did you attend?

Evan Lehmann of the Lowell Sun offers "Mass. immigrants join 200,000 in massive march to White House":

Hundreds of Massachusetts immigrants undertook an all-night bus trip to Washington to participate in a massive rally yesterday with a united message to Congress and the president: Hurry up!

About 350 Bay State immigrants joined nearly 200,000 people in a march to the White House designed to urge President Bush to break an impasse in Congress that's threatening to derail a major plan to overhaul the nation's immigration policy...

...Millions of immigrants across the country this summer have voiced support for a proposal by Senators Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz., that would legalize most of the undocumented immigrants in the United States, while also giving them a chance to earn citizenship.

It's estimated that up to 200,000 people in Massachusetts are undocumented.

About 100 Massachusetts residents chanted Kennedy's name when he met them on the steps of his Senate office building yesterday. Flashing two thumbs up, he strode into the surging crowd for pictures...

I'm vaguely reminded of this. The WaPo says there were less than 5000 at the rally; the WashTimes says "about 10,000"; a PIIPP from Audrey Dutton of Newsday says "about 10,000"; the organizers say 100,000 but a cop says there would have only been 30,000 if the Mall had been packed and it wasn't. It's probably just an honest mistake!

Posted to Immigration at 04:06 PM | Comments (1)

"Immigration activists try different approach"

News 8 Austin reports on a new tack taken by illegal immigration activists; this tack is as much based in logic as the current tack:

More than 200 immigrant rights activists gathered at the Texas Capitol Thursday for a different kind of rally. Instead of protesting immigration laws, they honored people they say are victims of immigration laws...

"We wanted to bring it back to the actual people, to being human, to say that no human is illegal. We all have a right to be here. We're supporting all immigrants," said activist Silky Shah...

..."There were three people crossing the border in Arizona, and because of Arizona and the situation there and the heat, two of the people died and one of the people had blisters all over his feet," Shah said...

That's certainly a tragic incident, but shouldn't we hold Mexicans to the same standards of personal responsibility as we'd hold Silky and other Americans? Would Silky try to cross the desert in summer?

There are only two ways to prevent people from trying to illegally cross into the U.S.: either completely open the border, or make people realize that crossing won't work because they won't be able to find jobs or social services here. And, unless Silky is completely delusional, she must realize that we're never going to have a completely open border.

In fact, those who try to "help" illegal aliens by making it easier for them to get jobs and social services are actually encouraging people to cross the border. Perhaps Silky should think about this issue in a bit more depth.

Posted to Immigration at 02:31 PM | Comments (0)

"Do the Reid-Kennedy Bill's Amnesty Provisions Repeat the Mistakes of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986?"

Former senior special agent of the INS Michael Cutler testified before Congress recently regarding the titular question:

...If, for argument sake, we figure on a number of 15 million illegal aliens, or ten times the number that had been estimated prior to the amnesty of 1986, and if the same sort of under counting occurs and if a comparable percentage of aliens succeed in racing into the United States and making a false claims that they had been here for the necessary period of time to be eligible to participate in the amnesty program that the Reid-Kennedy provisions would reward illegal aliens with, then we might expect some 35 million illegal aliens will ultimately participate in this insane program. Once they become citizens they would then be eligible to file applications to bring their family members to the United States, flooding our nation with tens of millions of additional new lawful immigrations while our nation’s porous borders, visa waiver program and extreme lack of resources to enforce the immigration laws from within the interior of the United States would allow many millions of illegal aliens to continue to enter the United States in violation of law...

Previous testimony from him was featured in The Senate amnesty: an "Administrative and National Security Nightmare"

Posted to Immigration at 12:20 PM | Comments (1)

Have the Democrats turned their backs on the "Immigrant" Rights Movement?

Or: the curious incident of the pimps in the daytime.

The usual pimps (1,2,3,4,5) are strangely silent on the latest push by illegal aliens to make a show of force and march in our streets demanding rights to which they aren't entitled. Sure, Fatboy was at the Washington DC march, and just last month Luis Gutierrez attended the convention organized by an official with Mexico's PRD party, but it just doesn't have the same vibe as it does before.

The magic has disappeared.

Even the MSM pimps (1,2) have noted how the rallies have fizzled.

Now - and I'm not saying there is, but let's imagine - if there were some kind of a super-secret mailing list or something that the Democratic Party put out telling partisan hacks what to say, can't we imagine what they would be telling them to concentrate on? Once again, I'm not saying there's such a beast, but if there were, it probably wouldn't have anything right now about pimping the "immigrant" rights movement.

Posted to Immigration at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

Felipe Calderon is Vicente Fox 2

Mexico's newly-elected president Felipe Calderon spoke to foreign reporters and one report is here. If you look back, you'll probably find that what he said is very similar or identical to past statements made by Vicente Fox:

[Calderon] said Thursday that Mexico must stem illegal emigration through aggressive anti-poverty programs and job creation, adding that a migration pact with the U.S. will remain a key goal for his country.

In his first interview with foreign correspondents as president-elect, Mr. Calderon said he would work hard to reach a migration accord before President Bush leaves office. But he warned that until policies to create high-quality jobs in Mexico take root, U.S. lawmakers will have to look at illegal immigration as a continuing reality.

"We can't ignore it. We can't make it disappear by decree," he said. "We have to find mechanisms between the two countries to solve the problem jointly."

Mr. Calderon noted that leaving Mexico remains a likely option for young people, who enter the job market at a rate of 1.2 million annually and cannot find opportunities to make ends meet. He added that building trust among Americans would greatly help get action on immigration and other complex U.S.-Mexico issues.

Fire Rob Allyn and hire me, because I've got a wonderful trust-building plan: encourage the illegal aliens that your country has sent us to come home. Then, after a decade or two of your country stopping its parasitic behavior, we'll talk.

Note also, of course, that reporter Alfredo Corchado, as with probably all the rest the New Vicente spoke to, acted merely as a transcriptionist and not a journalist. Couldn't the DMN have saved money by simply hiring a local person with a tape recorder to cover the meeting?

Posted to Immigration at 08:32 AM | Comments (0)

Sleazy Phil Angelides pimps daughter's ethnicity at Latino event

Phil Angelides has three daughters, all of them "hot". However, while you wouldn't know it by looking at them, one of them (Megan) is more special than the others. Not only is she really a step-daughter, she's a prop.

Speaking before the "National Latino Congreso" on Thursday ("Angelides campaigns at key Latino gathering" by Edwin Garcia/Media News), Angelides reached so low in the barrel he was under the stand on which the barrel was located:

And Angelides did something he rarely, if ever, has done in public: He introduced his daughter, Megan, by the last name of her biological father, Garcia.

Exactly how American is such a bald attempt at ethnic pandering? Isn't that more akin to what's done in the Balkans or certain African nations?

If a certain ethnicity requires that one be of their blood, should we encourage that? Should we be alarmed at the segment of the Hispanic community - including most of their self-appointed leaders - who put their race ahead of more important things such as their country?

Did the Democratic Party ever really support looking at the content of someone's character over the color of their skin? Will other Democrats frantically search through their family trees - conducting DNA tests as necessary - in order to show that they would faithfully and racially represent their voters' interests?

Posted to California at 06:37 AM | Comments (1)

North American Union scheme proceeding on schedule

From the Canadian government's Industry Canada site comes the September 7 progress report "Ministers Report to Leaders on Security and Prosperity Partnership Initiatives" (tinyurl.com/gavv3):

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, and the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, together with their counterparts from the United States and Mexico, today released the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Report to the three North American leaders. The report outlines progress of collaborative initiatives between Canada, the United States and Mexico in such vital areas as security, the economy, transportation, the environment, and public health.

"This report to Prime Minister Harper, President Bush, and President Fox marks the significant progress that our three countries have made under the SPP to build on our important North American partnership," said Minister MacKay. "It's a tribute to the positive, collaborative relationships that our government has developed with Mexico and the United States, and to our common commitment to work together to build a safer, more secure and economically dynamic North America."

"Thanks to our crucial work Canadians and North Americans will be protected from security threats by smart and secure borders that promote the movement of low-risk trade and travellers within North America," said Minister Day. "For example, under the Security and Prosperity Partnership, officials are developing security standards for travel documents which will be used for cross-border travel under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI)."

It goes on, including this bit of familiar language:

To provide a uniform agreement between local offices of the Governments of the United States and Mexico, officials from both countries signed on June 27 an agreement to implement a pilot program in El Paso and Chicago, for the safe, humane, and orderly repatriation of Mexican nationals.

UPDATE: The White House, via Condi Rice, Michael Chertoff, and Carlos Gutierrez (Commerce) has received notice of the progress being made: whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060907-9.html

Posted to NAU at 06:25 AM | Comments (0)

Washington DC illegal immigration march: <5000 show up; Ted Kennedy

Senator Edward M. Kennedy ("Teddy", "Ted") was one of the featured speakers at yesterday's illegal immigration rally in Washington D.C. It was supposed to be a big deal, with up to 500,000 people expected.

Instead, according to the WaPo, less than 5,000 people showed up.

The Senator's remarks, as prepared for delivery, are here. Nowhere in those remarks does he explicitly admit that what he's refering to as "immigration" is in fact the illegal variety thereof. In fact, there are 13 instances of "immigr*" in his remarks, but not even one instance of "illegal" or even "undocumented". Based on that and his other statements, I'm going to put his comments in the "intentionally designed to mislead" category. As if that weren't enough, he also quotes Cardinal Roger Mahony.

So, we've got a United States Senator supporting massive illegal activity by speaking to several thousand illegal aliens and others who support illegal immigration, and lying to the rest of us.

It gets better/worse: the sign in the picture belongs to the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform; their board of directors includes several interesting groups, such as:

* Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (allegedly has collaborated with the Mexican government)

* Illinois Coalition for Immigration and Refugee Rights (in addition to what's at that and previous links, in March or April 2006, the president of that organization delivered a speech a Los Pinos, the Mexican White House)

* National Council of La Raza

* National Immigration Forum

* The National Immigration Law Center

* New York Immigration Coalition.

Posted to Immigration at 03:46 AM | Comments (3)

CSM: Backlash over not passing immigration "reform"?

The Christian Science Monitor article "As Congress stalls on immigration, a backlash brews" by Amanda Paulson might have been read as complete propaganda in favor of "comprehensive" reform if it didn't contain a very slight hint that the actual backlash would come if Congress passes any sort of amnesty scheme. Most of their conclusions do not, so to speak, seem to comport with my observed reality:

How big the backlash grows may not be known until the day after the election, but it's surfacing in blogs, letters to the editor, and record-low approval ratings for Capitol Hill.

I scan several blogs daily and I can't recall seeing actuall grassroots demand for a compromise of some sort. I've seen several such calls from those who I consider simply partisan hacks, and several such calls that are simply retransmittals from far-left or racial pressure groups, but I don't think those really count as a grassroots groundswell for "comprehensive reform" or some sort of "compromise".

Then, a mellifluous voice cries out from inside the Beltway:

"When you have both Bob Novak and David Broder writing the same column about Congress's failure to act on immigration, you know something is wrong," says Tamar Jacoby, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute in New York, referring to two well-known columnists who typically have very different views. "People on both the right and left will see it as a huge failure" if Congress ends its term without a bill.

She's probably refering to the left and the right elites; both groups are aligned in wanting reform. Only in the ninth paragraph do we get a hint of reality:

But Republicans have presumably done the math and are calculating that voters who want a crackdown on illegal immigration would rather have no bill than a bill that offers any version of amnesty.

It's soon back to the surreality:

...But critics say [enforcement-only] is shortsighted and ignores the growing numbers of Latino voters.

We aren't out of WackyWorld quite yet, since a quote from Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, immediately follows.

Hint to Amanda Paulson: please, try again.

*** Special Tamar Jacoby Bonus Coverage ***

Enjoy also this Tamar Jacoby quote from 9/6's "Frist Says U.S. Immigration Overhaul "Impossible":

"There are some very powerful players who still want ['comprehensive' 'reform'] to happen."

Posted to Immigration at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)

U.S. documents on Mexican government incursions

Judicial Watch's FOIA request has uncovered 226 border incursions by Mexico's miltary between 1996 and 2005. For instance:

MEXICAN MILITARY ENCOUNTER (ARMED/THREATENING) RIO GRANDE VALLEY/BROWNSVILLE - "As the boat proceeded to go down river towards the scene, the [Border Patrol] Agent on board advised via radio that several Mexican soldiers were pointing their rifles in his direction. The Agent decided for his safety and the safety of the crew to turn back, but advised that the soldiers were still aiming at them." (2005)

Others are in the PDF files at the link.

Posted to Immigration at 02:47 PM | Comments (2)

Will Arnold take student aid from U.S. citizens?

It's time to call Arnold Schwarzenegger yet again: 916-445-2841. This time it's about Gil Cedillo's attempt to take student aid from U.S. citizens and give it to citizens of Mexico who are here illegally. From Jessie Mangaliman's article "Student aid bill at final hurdle":

A controversial bill that would allow illegal immigrants to get state financial aid while attending California's public colleges and universities is now in the hands of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has until the end of this month to sign or veto.

The bill's author, state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, called on the governor Wednesday to "invest in California's future" by signing SB 160, also called the California DREAM Act, into law. Opponents say the state should not give money to lawbreakers.

While Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the bill, he has previously shown some inclination to extend state support to the children of illegal immigrants.

The governor has supported an existing state law, passed in 2002, which now allows undocumented students in California to pay in-state tuition rates in public colleges and universities. Tuition for non-California residents is about 10 times higher...

Those "non-California residents" are U.S. citizens. In other words, as with the current law, we'd be giving illegal aliens - largely citizens of Mexico - a better deal than U.S. citizens. And, since there is only so many resources, this would in effect be a taking from U.S. citizens. And, along the way, that would devalue U.S. citizenship.

Call Arnold at 916-445-2841 and urge him not to give in to anti-American forces.

Posted to California at 12:37 PM | Comments (5)

"How Expensive is Cheap Labor?"

From this:

...a front-page article in the Dallas Morning News has provided some real numbers for at least one of the nation’s top five metropolitan areas. The story, based on U.S. Census Bureau data from 1999 to 2005 shows the median household income in the Dallas-Fort Worth region fell 10 percent when adjusted for inflation...

...The percentage of people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area living in poverty is up from 10.8 percent in 2000 to 13 percent in 2005. The experts say that's because of who's coming across the border. "The type of people we're drawing are less educated," said Pia Orrenius of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. "Job growth is strong, but many expanding sectors are hiring for low-skill positions."

Posted to Immigration at 04:07 PM | Comments (2)

"Outrage as Australian Leaders Tell Muslims to Fit In"

From this:

Australian Muslim representatives are voicing outrage at comments by the country's two top politicians, who urged immigrants from Islamic societies to fit in, learn English, treat women with respect, and shun extremism.

An Islamic leader warned that the remarks could antagonize Muslims and lead to a repeat of incidents such as the rioting in a Sydney beachside suburb last December, when groups of youngsters -- described as having a Middle Eastern background -- fought with whites.

Prime Minister John Howard late last week said migrants should integrate into the way of life in their new country but that a minority of Muslims was opposed to accepting Australia's values...

Similar report in "Muslims warned to integrate if they want to settle in Australia". More on the reaction in "Muslim anger erupts at Costello call to renounce terrorism".

Posted to Immigration_euro at 11:34 AM | Comments (3)

Los Angeles Times gives in to union thuggery (SOS Wilmington Labor Day protest)

Joe Mathews of the Los Angeles Times has extended the report that was originally called "Labor Day Events Bring Calls for Action". The new version is called "Labor Movement Flexes Its Muscles". As shall become clear, that new title might even be a Patt Morrison-style secret message sent from somewhere deep within the L.A. Times complex. The new version has this tacked on at the end:

From the Mass, some union members raced to Wilmington, where they ate hot dogs served up by firefighters and listened to speeches.

Sounds festive! Unfortunately, that's followed by this:

Members of the International Longshore and Warehouseman's Union Local 13 confronted about a dozen protesters belonging to the anti-illegal immigration group Save Our State. The protesters said they objected to labor's pro-immigrant stance.

"We're angry about the unions trying to get illegal aliens to join," said Heather Evans, 26, a laboratory chemist and biologist from San Pedro.

The longshoremen, wearing light blue shirts that identified them as "security," surrounded the Save Our State protesters and attempted to block camera views of their signs. The protesters claimed they were jostled by the union members.

Los Angeles police separated the protesters and labor members at first. After about 20 minutes, the police escorted the protesters out of Banning Park and across the street as union members gave chase and chanted, "Racists go home!"

Police said no arrests were made.

For a slight contrast, here's the Socialist Worker's take:

When a group of approximately 20 Minutemen tried to disrupt the rally, marchers surrounded them, chanting "Union! Union! Union!" and "Racists go home" in both English and Spanish--until police were forced to escort the racists out of the park.

Now, for the other side, see the pictures and video linked to from here, here, and here.

This video reportedly contains an "assault", but I haven't been able to watch it since youtube's local server is down or something.

Posted to Immigration at 10:42 AM | Comments (3)

"Nashville wants enforcement duties for immigration laws"

Let's see if we can spot their first mistake:

Local authorities are asking the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to make Nashville one of only a handful of local governments allowed to identify and detain illegal immigrants who are arrested for alleged criminal activity.

In an Aug. 15 letter to ICE Assistant Secretary Julie Myers, Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall asks to participate in a program that would enable sheriff's deputies to enforce federal immigration laws...

Despite the fact that local police can become involved in enforcing immigration laws, and despite the fact that DHS has an actual program to train police officers for that task that's only around $500 per cop for a five week's of training, expect this to be delayed as long as possible unless some political advantage can be obtained from not delaying it.

Related:
"Feds admit failure to stop illegal hiring"

Posted to Immigration at 06:37 AM | Comments (4)

Hazleton: Dr. Agapito Lopez implies God would approve of illegal immigration

On Sunday Latinos and others protested in Hazleton against that city's illegal immigration ordinance. In the past, various supporters of illegal immigration have played the Bible card, but a quote from local organizer Dr. Agapito Lopez takes today's cake:

"Any law that opposes the law of God is not a law that should be obeyed, even though it may lead to incarceration."

Since the Hazleton ordinance only tries to reduce illegal immigrants settling in their city and doesn't, for instance, suggest flogging them or anything, one has to assume that Lopez thinks that the Bible would approve of massive illegal immigration.

In fact:

A prayer vigil emphasizing the Bible's call to "welcome the stranger" followed, with readings and speeches by a local pastor, rabbi and priest and the Rev. Miguel Rivera, leader of the National Coalition of Latino Clergy and Christian Leaders.

"It's an honor and blessing to work with all the Latinos in Hazleton," said the Rev. John Ruth, a priest who ministers to Spanish speakers at St. Gabriel's Church. "We are all sons and daughters of God."

"When a stranger resides with you in your land, you should not oppress the stranger," said Rabbi Michael Michlin, quoting a passage from Leviticus. "You should love the stranger as yourself."

Demonstrators, at least half of whom came from Philadelphia and Allentown, carried signs that read, "Love thy Neighbor" and "We are Called to Welcome the Stranger."

If their argument holds any water, then no nation on Earth can morally enforce its immigration laws, right? Since there are five billion people on Earth poorer than Mexicans, shouldn't they be allowed to move anywhere they want, no matter the objections of the countries they move to? (Hey! Maybe all of Bangladesh could move to Mexico, since they're much poorer than Mexicans).

Now, obviously, their argument is quite silly, and in fact they're selectively quoting the Bible in order to support their far-left arguments.

Note that Philly reporter Gaiutra Bahadur, in addition to simply acting as a transcriptionist for the far-lefties, fails to describe the exact nature of the protesters. For an example, see this: phillyjwj.org/hazleton.html

Previously:
Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission seems a little biased

UPDATE: Here's more on the religious aspect. If some recognized religious scholar would point out exactly how Mahony et al are wrong with their selective reading of the Bible, that would go a long way towards discrediting those who support illegal immigration.

UPDATE 2: Here's an opinion piece on the quotes above.

Posted to Immigration at 02:02 AM | Comments (3)

Help Katie Couric write her signature sign-off line!

Perky little Katie Communist, aka Katie Couric, wants the input of all the little people on how she should sign off her show:

Walter Cronkite had the most famous nightly farewell, "And that's the way it is." Edward R. Murrow used, "Good night and good luck."

Well, it's a new era here at The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and Katie thinks maybe you folks on the other side of the screen might have some good ideas for what her own sign-off should be.

Continuing the informal, folksly, nauseating tone, they say "What should Katie Couric's sign-off be? Be a news writer and send us your bright ideas."

Not having anything particularly funny to say, I nevertheless typed these in:

* While I'm on "leave", Howard Dean will be filling in for me.

* I'm perky, and you aren't.

* I'm in charge now.

* I can't believe Walter Duranty was their first choice.

Some other ideas are presented here.

Posted to WackyHumor at 08:39 PM | Comments (1)

Senator Charles Schumer is not serious about homeland security

Sen. Chuck Schumer has released a 14-page report taking DHS to task for their failings. But, something seems to be missing from both the NYT report ("Domestic Security Since 9/11 Is Barely Better, Schumer Says") and the NY Daily News report ("Schumer faults Homeland Security chief for 'lack of focus'").

Oddly missing from both reports is any mention of border security. Now, that doesn't mean that it isn't in Schumer's report, but since I can't find that online I'm forced to assume it's either missing from his report, or the NYT/NYDN are carrying his water and downplaying that part of the report.

Recall that his Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee disappeared their video that briefly mentioned border security after receiving complaints from a couple Hispanic organizations.

Once again, I'm forced to conclude that for Schumer this entire issue is just politics. He and the rest of the Democrats are more worried about press releases from the NCLR than they are concerned about the security of the U.S.

Posted to Politics at 01:33 PM | Comments (1)

"Immigration Protests May Not Spur Votes"

From this:

Immigration protests that drew hundreds of thousands of flag-waving demonstrators to the nation's streets last spring promised a potent political legacy a surge of new Hispanic voters.

"Today We March, Tomorrow We Vote," they proclaimed.

But an Associated Press review of voter registration figures from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Atlanta and other major urban areas that had large rallies found no sign of a new voter boom that could sway elections. There was a rise in Los Angeles, where 500,000 protested in March, but it was more of a trickle than a torrent.

Protest organizers principally unions, Hispanic advocacy groups and the Catholic Church acknowledge that it has been hard to translate street activism into voting clout, though they insist they can reach their goal of 1 million new voters by 2008...

One explanation might be that the claim that most of those marching were citizens was false. Another might be that they were only there because DJs told them to be there.

The article also contains this interesting quote from Joshua Hoyt of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights:

"It's like a good old fashioned Chicago precinct operation... The only difference is that our candidate is comprehensive immigration reform."

And, of course, there's a Daley associated with that "operation".

Posted to Immigration at 10:36 AM | Comments (0)

Edward Glaeser's dark and stormy mind

The NY Sun prints a guest editorial entitled "City, Thank Your Immigrants" from Edward Glaeser ("the Glimp professor of economics at Harvard, director of the Taubman Center for State and Local Government, and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.")

Today the House of Representatives reconvenes after spending the summer holding public hearings discussing the alleged dangers of unchecked immigration. The House's Republican leaders will decide whether to follow the Senate towards moderate immigration reform or whether to follow Representative Tom Tancredo's hard anti-immigration line and an appeal to immigration's enemies. The Republican attraction to nativism isn't new. [...we've all seen those articles where they offer a wonderful history lesson on the Know-Nothings and similar groups, and Glaeser doesn't disappoint...]... I despise this heritage's dark doppelganger — the anti-immigrant legacy of the Know-Nothings.

Obvious to some of us who don't write like we're frothing at the mouth, being opposed to illegal immigration or even favoring reducing legal immigration or even declaring a moratorium on legal immigration are no the same as being "anti-immigrant" or "anti-immigration". And, the Senate's "moderate" approach is anything but: it's a radical plan that would increase immigration beyond anything we've ever witnessed before.

He continues on in the same vein, discussing an "attack on immigration", using "nativism" twice more, etc. etc. And:

Our 21st century strength depends on our total economic and military might — a more populous America will contribute to that strength.

Of course, if we lose California to Mexico - or have effective co-dominion over parts of the Southwest with that country - that might be a bit of a monkeywrench in the plan for "total economic and military might". Especially if, for instance, Mexico is on the other side of an issue as they've often been.

There would be a huge difference between dealing with, say, 10 million immigrants in one year and 100,000 immigrants in one year. It would be very difficult to assimilate the first group; they could form a political bloc and completely separate themselves from the rest of the U.S. if they wished. The second group would be much easier to deal with. Glaeser doesn't seem to understand that.

He proposes increased visa levels for our recent allies and favoring those with skills. And he says:

I do not have any greater right to American freedom and prosperity than anyone else does, and it pains me that we deny those blessings to the rest of the world.

I'll leave the philosophical question of whether he does indeed have a greater right to others, but since he does have the advantage of "American freedom and prosperity", perhaps he should also realize one of his duties is to help preserve that rather than taking actions that would reduce it. The only reason we have those blessings is because we haven't (yet) invited several billion people to join us.

As if the preceding wasn't enough to show that he has no business proposing any sort of policy, he finishes the screed with a snippet from Emma Lazarus' Statue of Liberty poem.

Posted to Immigration at 04:24 AM | Comments (5)

Tom Ridge hired by Albania

It's a match made in heaven as former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge has been hired by the country of Albania. No, this is not a joke.

He's been hired as a consultant to Sali Berisha, their Prime Minister. He will be advising them on "security, NATO and investments". Albania wants to become a member of NATO.

Now, here's the part where I offer a joke comment that we all wish were true:

=== Joke section begins ===
In other news, Michael Chertoff has agreed to advise Somalia on its return to the world stage. He will, unfortunately, need to renounce his U.S. citizenship to do so. And, president George Bush along with an investor group has agreed to buy the country of Honduras. He will be managing the day-to-day operations of the newly-renamed "Bushlandia" and, like Chertoff, he will need to renounce his current citizenship as well. American citizens breathed a sigh of relief.
=== Joke section ends ===

Previously:
Ninety former DHS officials cashing in
Were terror alerts faked to elect Bush?
"Watchdog [Clark Kent Erwin] details confrontations with Ridge"
Tom Ridge and... home improvement? (joined Home Depot board)

Posted to Politics at 11:01 PM | Comments (2)

Boycott Miller Beer website

Here's a new website called www.boycottmillerbeer.com. They promise that they'll shortly have a complaint form of some kind to send emails or similar to Miller; it's apparently from one Leslie Wetzel, who's a member of U.S. Border Watch and TX MM, among other groups.

UPDATE: Here's another: millerboycott.com. It's run by alipac.us and 100 other groups and appears a bit further along than the other site; I'd suggest concentrating on this one.

Posted to Immigration at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)

Should Cardinal Roger Mahony cost the Catholic Church tax-exempt status?

Joe Mathews of the LAT offers "Labor Day Events Bring Calls for Action", which ends with this:

...But the toughest language of a morning full of events -- the 27th annual Labor Day march and rally took place in Wilmington -- was offered by Los Angeles Cardinal Roger M. Mahony during his homily at a special Mass.

He criticized the region's grocery stores for a union contract that he said was creating "this whole new underclass" of workers.

"We cannot have this kind of representation, that kind of contract," Mahony said. He also criticized the owners of hotels near Los Angeles International Airport, who are resisting a massive union organization drive.

But Mahony reserved his toughest language for the U.S. Congress. He said Congress is running out of time to address immigration law problems, which he called "one of the most pressing moral issues of our time."

Mahony, whose comments were greeted with loud applause, warned members of Congress that they need to produce comprehensive immigration legislation in the next four weeks or face retribution at the polls.

Speaking as a citizen and not for the church, he told a nearly full cathedral, "on Nov. 7, I'm not voting for anybody for Congress who is not supporting the legislation that we need."

If Mahoney wants to speak as a citizen, perhaps he shouldn't do it during a mass and while making other politically-oriented statements. Despite any denials of speaking for the church that he uttered, he was clearly speaking as a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. John Ziegler of KFI thinks Mahony should be investigated by the IRS in the same way that Pasadena's All Saints Episcopal Church was investigated:

The IRS investigation of All Saints was triggered by a sermon preached by the church's former rector, the Rev. George Regas, two days before the 2004 presidential election. Although Regas stated up front that he wasn't telling anyone how to vote, he went on to deliver a blistering attack on the Bush administration's policies, especially the war in Iraq. "Jesus places on your heart this question," said Regas: "When you go to the polls this November, will you vote all your values?"

Under IRS regulations for tax-exempt religious organizations, clergy are free to preach about moral or political issues, but may not "participate in, or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate" for public office. Did Regas cross the line? The IRS says yes, the church says no.

Clearly, Mahony is advocating against specific candidates who can be determined simply by finding their position on the various immigration bills. For instance, the statement from Mahoney advocates against James Sensenbrenner; were he a local California politician Mahoney wouldn't vote for him.

Why don't we all send short, polite emails to the archdiocese letting them know just how wrong Mahony is: mediarelations@la-archdiocese.org. Or, give them a ring at 213 637 7215

Posted to Immigration at 04:02 PM | Comments (2)

Arizona fines Western Union/First Data over illegal immigration

From this:

Western Union has reached a $3 million settlement with Arizona financial regulators on charges the money transfer company failed to comply with state reporting laws intended to combat money laundering and illegal immigration.

In an agreement with the state Department of Financial Institutions, Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Western Union Financial Services Inc. agreed to end or suspend its relationship with a total of 14 outlets that failed to comply with state laws on reporting and documenting money transfers.

Western Union will pay a $1.6 million civil penalty, $1 million to a state task force on fraudulent identification and $400,000 to the state Department of Transportation...

Posted to Immigration at 04:26 AM | Comments (2)

Arnold Schwarzenegger distance self from Bush. Or does he?

The ABC News "exclusive" "Schwarzenegger Explains Why He Went Green" has Arnold chanelling Laurie David via Maria and contains this:

Schwarzenegger faces a re-election battle this fall, but said if Bush advisor Karl Rove were to call offering the president's help, he would decline the help because of the president's lack of popularity in California.

What's that smell? Let's turn to the 1/19/06 article "Schwarzenegger brings Bush strategist to 2006 campaign" for a clue:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, steeling for a tough 2006 campaign, has tapped another top White House veteran to join his re-election drive -- hiring Matthew Dowd, a lead architect of the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign to be his chief campaign strategist, sources said Wednesday.

The addition of Dowd, a confidant of top White House aide Karl Rove, Bush's former chief pollster and a former senior adviser to the Republican National Committee, is expected to be announced shortly. The GOP strategist heads ViaNovo, a management and communications firm in Austin, Texas.

Why, even the SDUT managed to (slightly) put two and two together:

So far as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his re-election campaign team are concerned, President Bush's middle initial might as well stand for "Who?"

...Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the Schwarzenegger re-election campaign, said he's mindful of the potential anti-Republican tide, but not overly worried about it.

Although Dowd was a top adviser to Bush's 2004 re-election campaign and still counts himself a Bush loyalist, he is more than willing to help Schwarzenegger distance himself from the president.

"When the opportunity presents itself to show he's an independent leader, we're fine with that," Dowd said. "In California, they respect that."

Yes, here in California we really respect someone who pretends not to be a Bush/Rove puppet but who in in effect is kept on a very short leash not only by his wife but by those with deep ties to the White House. Maybe a protest vote for Angelides would be the best way to show how much we respect Arnold and his team. Note also this bit from ABC:

In the past year, Schwarzenegger's approval rating jumped from 36 to 49 percent. After taking a beating for governing as an anti-union, right-leaning Republican, he's gained approval by cutting deals with the Democratic legislature on the minimum wage, prescription drugs and now global warming.

Obvious to most, there are other explanations for the rise, including Arnold's unbelievably pathetic campaign (or lack thereof) for his bills, as well as the smears emanating from the unions having somewhat abated. And, if he had shown the Dems in the legislature for what they are instead of surrendering, his approval might be even higher and, needless to say, he would have done what's in the best interests of the state and the nation. Instead, he wimped out.

Posted to California at 07:57 PM | Comments (2)

Why you should boycott Miller Beer products

Aside, of course, from it tasting bad that is.

It's not just that they, in what looks like a form letter that they're sending out to those who complain, admit to providing "support for a recent immigration convention in Chicago". That support was described here and Miller replied here.

What's important is that the convention they supported is the one where the National Alliance for Immigrant Rights was formed, and as previously indicated, one of the leaders of that convention is an official with a Mexican political party.

And, it's also this quote from the letter:

We support the free movement of people, labor, goods and services in the global economy with appropriate protections for the rights of individuals and families, the security of nations, and the diversity that contributes to a rich and productive society.

In other words, up yours with your borders if they interfere with our profits. They say that they were "founded 151 years ago by a German immigrant" (presumably to the U.S.), but they are now an "international company". In other words, their founder may have become an American, but they've since been bought by South African Breweries and they are not an American company now. They're a global company with no more loyalty to the U.S. than to Burma.

They can have the libertarian/far-left, pro-illegal immigration market. Others can choose a better brand.

Posted to Immigration at 12:44 PM | Comments (3)

Bill Richardson, Manny Aragon, Wackenhut, and anti-white discrimination

Manny Aragon is a former New Mexico state Senator (background) who a couple months ago was terminated from his position as president of New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas NM:

...[Board of Regents chairman Javier] Gonzales has said regents are concerned about several issues, including the American Association of University Professors' decision last month to censure Highlands on the grounds the school improperly denied tenure to two faculty members.

The board also has expressed concern about litigation against Highlands, including discrimination and breach-of-contract lawsuits filed by two Anglo former employees who lost their jobs during Aragon's tenure, Gonzales said.

The university paid $250,000 to settle one of the claims, while the other is pending in federal court...

Regarding the last:

A former assistant chemistry professor who was denied tenure at New Mexico Highlands University has sued the school, alleging the tenure denial was because he wasn't Hispanic.

David Wiedenfeld, who now teaches at Marshall University in Huntington, W.Va., alleges unlawful termination, discrimination on the basis of race and national origin and "perceived" religious discrimination. He said Highlands officials thought he was Jewish, although he isn't...

...Wiedenfeld, who had taught at Highlands since the fall of 2001, was one of four white professors who was denied tenure in February 2005. Aragon recommended the denial, and the regents approved it.

Wiedenfeld was replaced by a chemist who is Hispanic...

...The lawsuit also said Aragon, during a management meeting, referred to Highlands' Faculty Senate as "17th century white property owners controlling the vote."

(Compare this quote from California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres: "People say to me when I was on the senate floor when I was in the senate, why do you fight so hard for affirmative action programs. And I tell my white colleagues: because you're gonna need them.")

Aragon in the past has worked for Wackenhut Corporation, now known as the GEO Group. Another recipient of their money is NM governor Bill Richardson. There are probably other links between them. Aragon may still be working for the university. On a more humorous note, he's building a "castle" in Albuquerque.

Posted to Immigration at 12:03 PM | Comments (2)

Immigration march organizers have foreign links

Many of those who attended the recent immigration marches are foreign citizens who are here illegally. But, it doesn't stop there. For instance, one rally organizer is a former Mexican consul general and another is an official with a Mexican political party.

Not surprisingly, the MSM has barely mentioned such links. The reader is strongly encouraged to contact media sources and suggest that instead of simply reporting what goes on at future marches they do some journalism and look into any links between organizers and foreign governments or institutions.

If you see any MSM reports that fail to report such links, please contact the reporter and suggest that they tell the whole truth next time. And, if you have a blog, publicize that reporter's omission of such a key fact.

Here are some of the links, there are probably more:

1. One of the organizers of the March boycott/rally in Georgia [1] was Teodoro Maus, a former Mexican consul general.

2. Jorge Mujica is a spokesman for the March 10 Committee [2], which organized the Chicago rally on that date. He's also an official with Mexico's PRD Party ("Party for Democratic Revolution"). [3] [4]. He has some involvement either as a leader or a spokesman of the newly-formed umbrella group called the "National Alliance for Immigrant Rights". [5] [6] [7]

3. The group that organized the March 10 rally in Chicago first met on Feb. 15. The two who convened the meeting were an organizer in a Service Employees International Union local and Omar Lopez, who "serves on the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an advisory council to Mexican President Vicente Fox". [8] In April, Lopez spoke out about the ICE show raids of IFCO Systems. [9]

4. One of the sponsors [10] of one of the May 1 Los Angeles marches was CHIRLA ("Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles") [11], a group that has allegedly collaborated with the Mexican government. They're also a member of the We Are America alliance with several other groups. [12] [13] [14]. They are also in the National Capital Immigration Coalition with the ICIRR, also a member of the WAAA.

5. The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform (ILIR) is partly funded by the Irish government. It's unknown whether they've helped organize any of the larger immigration marches, but in addition to minor things such as taking part in St. Patrick's Day parades wearing t-shirts supporting legalization [15], and at least providing t-shirts to two participants in a March Los Angeles rally [16], they've organized trips to Washington which were greeted by major politicians. [17] Other activities are listed on their press page. [18]

Please contact news sources that might cover the upcoming marches and suggest that they do a little journalism instead of simply acting as transcription service for groups that might be linked to foreign governments or foreign political parties.

Footnotes:

[1] "Immigration rallies draw thousands nationwide" 3/14/06 AP

[2] "March organizers seek citizenship for all immigrants" by Oscar Avila, Chicago Tribune, 5/23/06. (excerpt)

[3] This cached page says: "[Mujica has] participated in several political and community based organizations, and is currently the Secretary General of the Mexican Party for Democratic Revolution, PRD, as well as a member of the Steering Committee of the March 10 Movement, organizer of the march and May Day immigrant marches in Chicago".

[4] Search for "jorge mujica" prd

[5] "Pro-immigration groups seek formal political power" by Oscar Avila and Antonio Olivo, 8/14/06 (link)

[6] tinyurl.com/nc4lf, describing the convention where NAIR was formed, says: "The most important thing is that we gave the movement a national structure that will allow us to coordinate our actions," Jorge Mujica, one of the key organizers of the convention told reporters shortly after the meeting concluded. (That page also links to this google video featuring Mujica: tinyurl.com/qz5mk)

[7] workers.org/2006/us/immigrant-rights-0824

[8] Chicago 'Giant' put rest of country on notice by Scott Fornek, April 2 2006 link

[9] link

[10] todayweact.org/en/May_1_Los_Angeles_March

[11] chirla.org

[12] cccaction.org/cccaction/waaa_about_us.html

[13] In addition to the groups listed in [12], the National Council of La Raza has joined their alliance: nclr.org/content/news/detail/39296/

[14] "Immigrant Supporters To Counter Bush Speech" May 15, 2006 link

[15] "Irish join battle over illegal immigration", S.F. Chronicle, 3/15/06 (reprinted at irishlobbyusa.org/press/sfgatemar15.php)

[16] "Irish On the March in LA" 3/29/06 (link)

[17] The 3/10/06 article "McCain and Hillary Rally Illegals" has more on their funding by the Irish government and includes the following: "More than 2,400 undocumented Irish immigrants and their supporters rallied in Washington yesterday in support of an immigration reform bill that would allow them to remain in the U.S. legally." This report further noted that "Senators Kennedy, John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer addressed the demonstrators, who wore white T-shirts with the slogan 'Legalize the Irish.'"

[18] irishlobbyusa.org/press.php

Posted to Immigration at 10:10 AM | Comments (2)

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All Posts(links to each post by title)

• Democrats offer "A New Direction for Latino Families"
• Orlando Florida: Meet the amnesty all-stars on October 9
• "Torture Bill" or "Detainee Trial Bill"? Who do I distrust the least?
• Fence bill passes, Mexico threatens U.S. (again), will lobby (again)
• Will victims of lax immigration enforcement sue the U.S. government?
• Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes driver's licenses for illegal aliens (again)
• Arizona Democratic Party, Russell Pearce, and "Operation Wetback"
• Trans Texas Corrider master plan released
• "485 Contacts between Abramoff Team and White House Officials"
• "Court asked to revive suit over tuition for illegal immigrants"
• Not-so-FreeRepublic.com, Part 2
• Gil Cedillo, "immigrants" to stage "civil disobedience" at LAX
• tooextremeforaz.org (Randy Graf: Too Extreme for Southern Arizona)
• Consul: we both want a "legal, orderly and humane flow of people"
• Border Patrol agent talks to Congressman, gets suspended
• North American Union uncovered (1000 pages of documents)
• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops supports Senate amnesty (Part #44849)
• Dick Armey, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Mike Pence, and Helen Krieble do lunch
• Propaganda Watch: It's bad all over, don't be a racist, accept your fate
• Blurb battle in Boston (Healey, Patrick, Massachusetts debate)

My trip to Alpine County What not to do, again (September 1-2, 2002)

Boston Market Cornbread Temperatures Please help contribute to this important study (August 28, 2002)

Did The Gap Put Celebrities at Risk? An Open Web Letter to The Gap (May 20, 2002)

Humphreys Peak Arizona's highest point (May 19, 2001)

Go Heavy, Go Slow, Get Lost Bay Area highpoints (December 14, 2000)

Hubris in New England The highpoints of RI, CT, and MA (October 8, 2000)

Let's go to Utah Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon (August 14, 2000)

Your host, climbing Monkey Face (5.14d)

Your host's arm (circled)

Your host's hopelessly outdated conditioning progress

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