From the AP as printed in the Washington Post (link):
Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action... TB rates were highest among residents from lower Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. Most drug-resistant TB cases also were from foreign-born residents, the study noted...
The study is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), so it's pretty solid.
And, on June 25 the Los Angeles Times discussed another study from Dr. Peter Hotez, "chairman of George Washington University's department of microbiology, immunology and tropical disease" and "published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases":
Despite plummeting mortality rates for most infectious diseases over the last century, a group of largely overlooked bacterial, viral and parasitic infections is still plaguing the nation's poor... ...Many of the diseases are typically associated with tropical developing countries [and] have become significant public health problems in the United States. In the Los Angeles area, a pork tapeworm infection called cysticercosis which spreads in crowded, unsanitary conditions, accounts for 10% of seizures resulting in emergency room visits... The diseases are largely concentrated in poverty-stricken regions, including Appalachia, inner cities, the Mississippi Delta and the border with Mexico...
It's important to note that the second study seems to indicate that some of the conditions may not be related to immigration, however it would be incredibly surprising if the pork bit isn't directly related to immigration.
Note also that supporters of illegal activity like the ADL seem to think it's "hate" to point out that some immigrants are indeed bringing some diseases into the U.S., so feel free to turn those responsible for the reports above and for reporting on them into your local hate speech monitoring center.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 43 illegal aliens from Mexico at an apartment complex in Waipahu, Oahu, Hawaii last weekend (link). They're apparently agricultural workers, and it should be interesting to find out how they got there. Another interesting thing to consider is the contortions the Mexican government would have to go through to claim Hawaii as part of the Mexican Nation.
Dick Morris recently suggested that John McCain highlight his contention that Barack Obama's healthcare proposal covers illegal aliens. Lester Feder at the Huffington Post asked the BHO campaign about this:
David Cutler, senior health care adviser to the Obama campaign, says Morris's argument flies in the face of the plain language of the Obama plan. He notes that it reads, "My plan begins by covering every American." Cutler added in an email, "That should have been enough for" Morris.
It's not enough because many Democrats have used "Americans" to mean various things, from U.S. citizens to U.S. citizens plus immigrants to U.S. citizens plus immigrants and illegal aliens to everyone in North and South America. In the mind of many Democratic Party leaders, the word "American" is a bit fluid.
Further, the numbers don't add up: The 45 to 47 million people that BHO touts as covered by his plan include millions of people who aren't U.S. citizens.
For instance, BHO's page (barackobama.com/issues/healthcare) includes this quote from his May 29, 2007 Iowa City, IA speech:
If you are one of the 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance, you will have it after this plan becomes law.
In the text of the page, it says this:
47 million Americans — including nearly 9 million children — lack health insurance with no signs of this trend slowing down.
Now, let's turn to the Census Bureau chart in this PDF file (link). On Page 21, the number of those without health insurance in 2006 is indeed 47 million (rounded). However, only 35.7 million of those are native born or naturalized.
10.2 million of the 47 million are listed as "not a citizen". The Census Bureau doesn't say what status those 10.2 million have, but some will be visitors, some will be those working towards citizenship, and some will be illegal aliens. Most likely a good percentage or a majority will in fact be illegal aliens.
Now, of course, there is a sneaky way that Obama might not be lying but simply being very misleading, as has been seen before. He could be thinking forward to his other plan, the one to give a massive amnesty to illegal aliens. If that's enacted, all those millions of illegal aliens would be magically transformed overnight into legal residents on the "path to citizenship" and they'd eventually become U.S. citizens, i.e., "Americans". Under that BHO plan, almost all of those 47 million would be U.S. citizens eventually, so, a few years after his plan was enacted, BHO will not have lied.
There are a lot of possibilities here:
1. The BHO campaign is lying/being very misleading about who would be covered by their healthcare plan.
2. The BHO campaign has a flexible definition of "Americans".
3. The BHO campaign has a circuitous, trans-Clintonian "out" involving the massive amnesty they'd grant.
4. Other explanations even beyond anything Bill Clinton could ever come up with.
I'll try contacting Cutler to see which it is.
7/23 UPDATE: No reply has so far been received from Cutler. And, Morris does the math for the BHO campaign again:
The senator is either misrepresenting when he says he'll cover 47 million or when he denies that he'll cover illegal immigrants. We choose, given his liberal pedigree, to believe that his denial is inaccurate and his original statement, repeated again and again, is controlling.
Word out of Hollywood is that Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat") will be producing and probably starring in a movie called "Accidentes":
The protag will be a lawyer of Latin descent who transforms from contingency attorney [personal injury] to hero of the working class when he helps an immigrant win a judgment against his wealthy employer after a landscaping mishap. He also becomes the enemy of L.A.'s power elite.
While I'm sure the movie won't come out for immigration enforcement, just how bad it will be remains to be seen.
Discussing the National Latino Congreso, Teresa Watanabe of the Los Angeles Times says:
John Trasvina, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund [MALDEF], said he wanted to see the next president end immigration raids, put a moratorium on the use of local police in immigration enforcement, and appoint a Homeland Security chief who would suspend immigration raids during the 2010 Census to ensure a more accurate count, among other things.
I'm going to guess that his first demand was actually more like stopping immigration raids until "reform" is enacted, although he might have said exactly what she's written above.
From this:
The man charged with killing a father and two sons on a San Francisco street last month was one of the youths who benefited from the city's long-standing practice of shielding illegal immigrant juveniles who committed felonies from possible deportation, The Chronicle has learned...
Related:
Feds probing San Francisco's sanctuary city policy; city-paid flights for drug dealers
San Francisco's IDs for illegal aliens plan may spread to East Bay
San Francisco: ID cards for illegal aliens (Tom Ammiano, Gavin Newsom, banks)
Trying to get answers out of the John McCain campaign about their Hispanic outreach director Juan Hernandez - a former cabinet-level official with the Mexican government - is even harder than hunting snipes. Many have tried, all have failed. The latest are Jessica Ramirez and Holly Bailey from Newsweek (link). They tried to interview him at the NALEO convention where he'd been scheduled, but someone else replaced him at the last moment. Their calls regarding him have gone unanswered. While their article contains several of the expected problems, at least they tried. Let's just hope they haven't given up completely.
But, if anyone wants to do a public service in the meantime, go to a McCain event and ask him about this on videotape, and then upload his response to video sharing sites.
Julia Preston of the New York Times offers "Immigrant, Pregnant, Is Jailed Under Pact" (link), an attempt by the NYT to advocate against the 287g program under which localities contact ICE regarding jail inmates. A pregnant illegal alien was stopped without a driver's license, taken to jail, and gave birth after being shackled to a bed. The article, as most ones from NYT do, contains the seed of its own destruction:
"Whether this lady was documented or undocumented should not affect how she was treated in her late pregnant condition and as she was going through labor and bonding with her new baby," [her lawyer Elliott Ozment] said.
Indeed. The issue here is how that jail treats pregnant inmates. Julia Preston, the New York Times and others want to jump from there into blocking the 287g program. The more the New York Times advocates for illegal activity, the more I have to wonder whether they've got a sideline or something.
Take Nationally-Coordinated Action To Show Solidarity And Fight ICE on July 21st!Needless to say, I don't take this seriously, and for all I know it might have been planted by ICE or some other federal agency. A quick search for the vandalized van didn't result in anything. And, I think any anarchists who try to breach an ICE facility are going to get a lot more than they bargained for.
We have begun the attack by spraypainting an ICE van with many anti-Migra(ICE) slogans. May our spark spread into a wildfire...
...Let us continue, and expand our solidarity with hyper-expolited and terrorized immigrant communities by taking action on July 21st.
Some Ideas For Possible Actions:
-Banner Hangs of Solidarity
-Protests at ICE Facilities (Detention Center List: http://www.bordc.org/threats/detention.php)
-Protests at Federal Buildings
-Protests at Employers Known To Under-Pay or Exploit Illegal Workers
-Street Theater to Show What Happens When A Family is Torn Apart by an ICE Raid
-ICE Copwatch (Use a phonebook to find ICE locally)
-Murals Dedicated to Illegal Immigrants
-Stencils saying "No ICE Zone" or "Anti-ICE Safe Space" in your neighborhood and in front of your house. (In Spanish: "Zona No ICE" or "Espacio Seguro: No Migra Aqui")
-Vandalism of ICE and DHS Property
-Breaching a Detention Center to Free Imprisoned Immigrants (In Australia and Europe this has been done!)
-Get creative and participate!
A small number of people from the group No More Invasion protested in front of the National Latino Congreso/National Latino Congress yesterday, and one of their elderly female members was allegedly assaulted during the protest. There are pictures here. The LAPD arrested someone for the assault, and based on the picture and the text he appears to be from a group of anarchists/far-lefties who apparently work as independent bike messengers. No video is provided.
As I suspected, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain showed for the event, despite claims from unnamed organizers who said they'd be there.
Unfortunately, protests like this are part of a long line of largely ineffective events stretching back years. The MSM refuses to portray those being protested in a negative light, meaning that they're basically just preaching to the choir. And, as with past events, they apparently failed to bring back video. Those who go to such events should always have at least two people videotaping what's going on.
Unfortunately, groups like this don't seem to understand what massive odds they're up against and are unable to figure out how to strike where their opponents are weakest and in an effective way. Asking a locally or nationally known politician a question that reveals their lies or inability to promote good public policy would have a far greater impact than street-level protests like this. If, for instance, they went to L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's public events and tried to ask him questions (not just rants) that showed he wasn't qualified for higher office, that would send a loud and clear message to the others. Or, if they were able to produce a video showing how the MSM lied about something, or tried to ask MSM reporters similar questions, that would help send a message to the rest of the MSM.
Decades of hard work have finally paid off for Massachusetts Senator Teddy Kennedy, as the government of Mexico announces that they'll be giving him their "Aguila Azteca" award for his work on immigration "reform" and, per the AP, denounc[ing] injustices against migrants. He'll be presented with a sash in Washington DC at some unknown future date.
Related:
Rick Noriega proud of taking college educations from U.S. citizens and receiving award from Mexican government because of it
Arlington's Walter Tejada gets Mexican government award at NALEO convention
Jared Polis, Colorado Springs awarded by Mexican government (Ohtli award)
Douglas Mayor Ray Borane sells illegal immigration to L.A. Times
Mexican partisan Louis E.V. Nevaer of New America Media offers "Mexican Middle Class Fuels Ascendance of 'Greater Mexico'" (peekURL.com/zdrldr1) about a report from the Mexican government's Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) finding that such an entity is growing as Mexico's European upper classes establish companies and lives on both sides of the border:
...[Someone says the border doesn't matter since they can jump between countries at will] That reality – and attitude – has caught Mexican officials by surprise. IME Director Carlos Gonzalez y Gutierrez calls these white middle class Mexicans in the United States "Mexico’s transforming agents," adding that, "although they send many things that benefit us, they also send other things that harm us. But we are tied to each other."...
As part of an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio takes part in enforcing immigration laws; ICE has given his efforts a clean bill of health. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and their Arizona chapter, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP have sued Arpaio, his Sheriffs Office (MCSO), and the county itself claiming racial profiling. Also involved is the local group Somos America.
The details on the case are here: aclu.org/immigrants/gen/36011prs20080716.html. That also promotes Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon's complaints about Arpaio; Gordon's opponents may have enough signatures to force a vote on his recall.
Meanwhile, the ACLU of AZ and MALDEF are part of a group headed by Peter Schey, someone with a series of links to the Mexican government. Their San Diego branch is directly collaborating with that government. Perhaps they should just cut out the middleman and sue him directly.
The lawyers involved:
ACLU of Arizona: Legal Director Dan Pochoda
ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project: Robin Goldfaden and Monica Ramirez
MALDEF: Kristina Campbell and Nancy Ramirez
Steptoe & Johnson: David J. Bodney, Peter Kozinets, Karen Hartman-Tellez and Isaac Hernandez
UPDATE: Per this, the sweeps might have decreased the MCSO's ability to respond to calls, but there might be other factors involved.
The Nevada-based McDonald's franchisee Mack Associates Inc. has been fined $1 million after pleading guilty to employing illegal aliens. Two executives of the company - but not apparently Luther Mack himself - have pleaded guilty and may face fines and jail time.
The backstory on this is here, with a panoply of Reno-area Hispanic groups opposing the original September 2007 raid and in effect supporting identity theft purely out of race-based reasons. IIRC, several news reports from that time portrayed Mack as a victim if not a hero; if anyone would care to research that leave a link in comments.
Bob Barr has released a slightly more detailed immigration plan: bobbarr2008.com/issues/border-security-immigration, which I'll henceforth refer to as the Farcical Boob Bait For Bubba Plan That Has No Chance Of Ever Happening ("FBBFBPTHNCOEH").
Under the FBBFBPTHNCOEH, Barr would push through at least two Constitutional amendments: one to block illegal aliens from receiving K-12 education, and the other to end birthright citizenship. More generally, he wants to end non-emergency benefits to illegal aliens. He wants to end foreign language ballots and make English "the national language for government and official public business". He also wants to "secure the borders to the extent possible".
The biggest problems with the FBBFBPTHNCOEH is that few of his proposals have any chance of coming to pass. Moreoever, in those eight paragraphs he doesn't even hint what he intends to do about current illegal aliens. Based on his previous talking point - the same employed by Barack Obama, George W. Bush, John McCain and others - we have to choose between mass deportations and a massive amnesty. In other words, until he says otherwise, Bob Barr supports a massive amnesty for current illegal aliens. By giving that amnesty, Barr would give even more power inside the U.S. to those groups - including the far-left, business groups, and the Mexican government - who would vigorously (to say the least) oppose his other proposals.
Barr is just a dishonest hack, and his supporters would be wise to understand that now rather than before investing any time or money on his campaign.
UPDATE: On a WashTimes live chat, Barr sounded once again exactly like John McCain. Asked how his position differs from McCain, he says:
Immigration is certainly an important topic during this campaign season. To be certain, I do not support amnesty. Our immediate duty is to secure the borders quickly and efficiently. To enter our nation, you must identify yourself, prove you're not a criminal, prove you're not infectious and when you are in our country legally, you cannot receive any of the benefits from our system unless you're paying into them. Let me emphasize that we must end government benefits to those who enter our country illegally. Obviously, there is much more to address on this topic.
John McCain doesn't support amnesty either. No one does (unless they slip up). What they support is "earned legalization". Or, they "require undocumented workers to come out of the shadows". Or, some other euphemism for amnesty. A better question is going to need to be asked to show that, as he's said before, Barr wants to legalize current illegal aliens. And, when he refers to "those who enter our country illegally", he's referring to those who would enter *after* his amnesty.
"Incredibly, McCain did not even address the issues of the war in Iraq or his policy on health care. On immigration it was more of the same: secure the borders and no stop to the raids," said Angela Sambrano, an NCLR board member and director of the National Alliance of Latin-American and Caribbean Communities.Whoa, score one for McCain! This one time he was able to differentiate between U.S. citizens and the rest of the world.
...Irene Godinez, 26, of Raleigh, N.C., who leads statewide public policy advocacy for the organization El Pueblo, said she thought "McCain was diplomatic and stressed his priorities like border security, cushioning it by saying the immigrants were 'God's children.'"
But a significant language difference gained Godinez's attention. "I noticed McCain spoke of serving American children while Obama stressed everyone," she said. "This is important for me because our Legislature just passed a law excluding undocumented students from community colleges."
Health care advocate Teresa Quezada, vice president of Mujeres Latinas of Modesto, Calif., took a more critical tone... "McCain said he opposed immigrant bashing, but he stressed 'criminals and drugs' coming across the borders time after time. That's really bashing to me."Obviously, having large numbers of people who think that it's "bashing" to worry about those who don't "just want to work" coming across our borders is not in the U.S.'s best interests.
Former [NCLR president Raul Yzaguirre] echoed the sentiment. "The issue of the media has to be a big issue for us like education, health care and housing," he said. "We have to confront Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly and right-wing radio."Even Frank Sharry admits that the print media is in their corner, aside from Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck most of those on television are some degree of massive/illegal immigration supporters, and the two highest-rated talk radio hosts (Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity) aren't exactly strong amnesty opponents. Apparently that's not enough for the NCLR.
He added that electing a Congress to return the public airwaves to serve all the people and not just the huge monopolies is a critical fight. "We have to find the ways to tell our story."
Carla Marinucci of the San Francisco Chronicle offers '"La Raza" defined', a supposed attempt to define the term "la raza". She misleadingly states (sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=28138):
Literally, yes''la raza'' is ''the race.'' But what it means: ''my people, my community,'' as in ''my peeps,'' or the Italian ''paisanos.'' As a Spanish-speaker myself, I can attest: this is one of those phrases (think outside the box) where the literal translation isn't accurate... ''La Raza" as it is used by organizations, disc jockeys, musicians, and in common conversation doesn't translate into -- as many of the critics in my mailbox suggest -- an Arayan Nation-style racial supremacy reference.
Whatever its origins (which may include supremacism along the way), the word "raza" signifies that someone is a member of a certain group and that group is almost always differentiated from others by racial means. What Marinucci fails to address is Obama's attempt to declare himself "raza", when no one who's generally considered to be "raza" would agree. The word doesn't just mean "people in general", or "my peeps", or "my friends". It means people who share some characteristics, and those characteristics are at heart defined by race.
For instance, few of those who are considered "raza" would consider an Argentinian of German descent to likewise be "raza". A similar example comes from the the meanings of the German word "Volk"; while it may mean "people in general", it also means the set of Germans and those of German descent.
To pretend that "raza" is something other than racially exclusionary is completely false, and Marinucci is just a hack who's lying in order to support the National Council of La Raza.
Q: "I am ashamed of these raids that are separating children from parents. As president will you stop these inhumane raids?"So, after McCain passes immigration "reform", there will be no more immigration raids? That doesn't square with one of the selling points hacks like McCain have used, that "reform" would include stepped-up enforcement against future illegal immigration. And, since those future illegal aliens would bring children with them or have children once they were here, family separations would continue as they do now.
A: "We will. With all due respect, you're talking about a symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself."
[UPDATE: Did McCain pledge to stop immigration raids?]
Yesterday, Barack Obama spoke at the National Council of La Raza convention. Today, it's John McCain's turn to pander to that far-left, extremist-funding, racist-awarding group, and his prepared remarks are here.
"La Raza runs one of the largest housing counseling programs in the country that has helped tens of thousands of Latinos become homeowners with secure mortgages."
Yes, indeed. And, they've made it quite clear that that or a similar program is racially-specific.
He then says that he's an "unapologetic supporter of NAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement" and once again promotes a "hemispheric free trade agreement".
Then this bit of "conservative" thinking:
I'm a strong believer in charter schools. La Raza has helped establish 100 charter schools and the results they are producing are very encouraging.
One of the charter schools funded by La Raza is has a "reconquista" nature, the Academia Semillas del Pueblo. See this for more on some others. Does McCain know the nature of those schools? Does he care?
He then reiterates that he supports amnesty:
I don't want to fail again to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. We must prove we have the resources to secure our borders and use them, while respecting the dignity and rights of citizens and legal residents of the United States. When we have achieved border security goal, we must enact and implement the other parts of practical, fair and necessary immigration policy. We have economic and humanitarian responsibilities as well, and they require no less dedication from us in meeting them.
Then, McCain reads an excerpt from the Arizona Republic's article "205 Migrants Die Hard, Lonely Deaths", the same excerpt he read into the Congressional Record on July 12, 2005 in support of McCain-Kennedy (PDF link):
Several years ago, the leading newspaper in my state published an article putting faces on the tragic human costs of illegal immigration, and I would like to briefly quote from it: 'Maria Hernandez Perez was No. 93. She was almost 2. She had thick brown hair and eyes the color of chocolate... [two other cases deleted]... We can't let immigrants break our laws with impunity. We can't leave our borders undefended. But these people are God's children, who wanted simply to be Americans, and we cannot forget the humanity God commands of us as we seek a remedy to this problem.
Needless to say, he's being extremely sleazy. If our laws were enforced - something that both McCain and the NCLR have opposed - many of those deaths would not have occurred. It's those who support illegal immigration - including McCain and the NCLR - who are partially responsible for those deaths, not those who want our laws to be enforced.
Then, as if the above wasn't enough, he confirmed his support for amnesty yet one more time:
"I spoke recently at both the NALEO and LULAC conferences, as did Senator Obama. I did not use those occasions to criticize Senator Obama. I would prefer not to do so today. But he suggested in his speeches there and here, that I turned my back on comprehensive reform out of political necessity. I feel I must, as they say, correct the record. At a moment of great difficulty in my campaign, when my critics said it would be political suicide for me to do so, I helped author with Senator Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform, and fought for its passage. I cast a lot of hard votes, as did the other Republicans and Democrats who joined our bipartisan effort. So did Senator Kennedy. I took my lumps for it without complaint. My campaign was written off as a lost cause. I did so not just because I believed it was the right thing to do for Hispanic Americans. It was the right thing to do for all Americans. Senator Obama declined to cast some of those tough votes. He voted for and even sponsored amendments that were intended to kill the legislation, amendments that Senator Kennedy and I voted against. I never ask for any special privileges from anyone just for having done the right thing. Doing my duty to my country is its own reward. But I do ask for your trust that when I say, I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it. I think I have earned that trust.
Then, even more Hispandering:
"Let me close by expressing my respect and gratitude for the contributions of Hispanic-Americans to the culture, economy and security of the country I have served all my adult life. I represent Arizona where Spanish was spoken before English was, and where the character and prosperity of our state owes a great deal to the many Arizonans of Hispanic descent who live there. And I know this country, which I love more than almost anything, would be the poorer were we deprived of the patriotism, industry and decency of those millions of Americans whose families came here from other countries in our hemisphere. Latinos are among the hardest working most productive people in our country. The strength of your religious faith and the strength and closeness of your families are a great force for social stability and individual happiness. In my recent visit to Mexico, I visited the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and was greatly moved by the experience, and came to appreciate all the more your deep devotion to the God who created us and loves us all equally. I will honor your contributions to America for as long as I live. We would not be the special country we are without you.
Then, he smears those who support our laws:
I know many of you are Democrats, and many of you would usually vote for the presidential candidate of that party. I know I must work hard to win your votes, but you have always given me a respectful hearing, and I appreciate it. I know many of you were disappointed and hurt by those who used the debate on immigration last year, not to respectfully debate the issue, as most did, but to denigrate the contributions of Hispanics to our great country. I denounced those insults then, and I denounce them today.
The Politico is running a series called "Dear 44: Ideas for the next president" (politico.com/dear44) featuring two people on "different" sides debating various issues and offering advice for the next president. The Politico's John Harris offers an introduction to the series at politico.com/news/stories/0608/11113.html and has background on the two "sides" in the running debate.
The topic this week is immigration.
On one "side" is Randel Johnson of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
On the other "side" is Daniel Restrepo of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
On the American side, well, there's no one around to present the views of the great majority of Americans and to present a case that's in the U.S.'s best interests, because The Politico is running a sham debate with both "sides" supporting the same basic thing: "comprehensive immigration reform", aka amnesty. [1]
This is a stock trick employed by those who want to profit from illegal and/or massive immigration: conduct sham "debates" with just one side. For past examples, see the Politico presidential debate as well as the PBS Newshour's treatment of this issue.
[1] From the USCofC (politico.com/news/stories/0708/11690.html):
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports a comprehensive immigration reform plan with the following components: increased border security; an improved verification system that is fast, accurate, and reliable for determining whether an employee is truly authorized to work in the United States; a new temporary worker program that allows employers to recruit workers from abroad when they cannot find U.S. workers; and, under certain strict qualification criteria, a reasonable pathway to legal status for undocumented workers presently in the United States.
From CAP (politico.com/news/stories/0708/11683.html):
Any such proposal must require illegal immigrants to become legal. It is unacceptable to have 12 million or more people living in the shadows of society. And it is impractical to try to drive them out of the country through deportation. The president must work with Congress to establish mechanisms that require the undocumented to pay back taxes, learn English, pass criminal background checks and get to the back of the line for citizenship as keys to legal status.
Aside from minor details, those two positions are identical.
Obama, at the podium, had just thanked two top NCLR officials before his speech when he thanked Morones of Border Angels, a group that stocks desert water stations and lobbies intensely for immigrant rights, often with a theatrical flair and a blunt style that has drawn the ire of anti-illegal immigration activists.In 2003-2005, Morones was a member of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an advisory council to the Mexican government. They joined him on one of his marches. Other very questionable people were involved in that march, including the Mexican government-linked Peter Schey, Isabel Garcia, and a Mexican government official. The march was held on the day that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. And, in February 2007 he read an email threatening diners with tainted food at a restaurant where a Minuteman meeting was to be held; he recommended that "our community" not eat there that week. Also, of course, he's affiliated with the San Diego branch of the Democratic Party.
Morones said that prior to the speech he, several elected officials and others had attended a meeting with Obama and his campaign staff, and that he'd handed the candidate a t-shirt from his "Marcha Migrante III," the third in a series of cross-country trips he and other activists have made to lobby elected officials for immigrant-friendly law changes.
The New York Times editorial board continues to hit new lows, this time offering "The Shame of Postville, Iowa" (link) about the May immigration raid at Agriprocessors meat packing plant in that town.
Under the old way of doing things, the workers, nearly all Guatemalans, would have been simply and swiftly deported. But in a twist of Dickensian cruelty, more than 260 were charged as serious criminals for using false Social Security numbers or residency papers, and most were sentenced to five months in prison... No one is denying that the workers were on the wrong side of the law. But there is a profound difference between stealing people's identities to rob them of money and property, and using false papers to merely get a job. It is a distinction that the Bush administration, goaded by immigration extremists, has willfully ignored. Deporting unauthorized workers is one thing; sending desperate breadwinners to prison, and their families deeper into poverty, is another.
One wonders exactly what sort of sentence an American citizen would get for the same crime, and the NYT would probably support that citizen being prosecuted instead of making lame excuses. And, one wonders whether the NYT has any sympathy for those U.S. citizens and legal immigrants whose lives were affected by their identities being stolen. While the law occasionally makes distinctions, the New York Times thinks those who engage in identity theft should just be let free, just as long as they're foreign citizens.
The NYT also links to a PDF essay by Erik Camayd-Freixas, a professor of Spanish at Florida International University who's also a federal interpreter and worked in that capacity in Postville. I only scanned the first part, and nothing I saw in that part was anything but an extremely biased screed that, among other things, referred to the ad hoc detention center as a "concentration camp".
And, his and the NYT's prescription is horribly wrong: the U.S. can't serve as a safety valve for every failed country in the world. Those countries' people have to take charge of their own fates. The standard leftwing response is to lay all the blame on the U.S. and justify illegal immigration that way. In other words, the left's policy prescription is to make things worse for all concerned and not really solve the problem.
The Southern Poverty Law Center - a group indirectly linked to the Mexican government - is producing a "documentary" on Cesar Chavez which they'll be distributing free to schools across the U.S. starting in September (splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=318, via this). Since the SPLC is a strong supporter of illegal immigration, the fact that Chavez opposed illegal immigration is probably going to be left on the cutting room floor. Please watch out for their video and, if your local school district will be taking them up on their offer, review the video for balance and fill in any facts they "forgot" to mention. The fact that UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta is involved at least as an interviewee is not in the least a good sign.
On Thursday a protest against Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio was held in front of a Tucson Barnes and Noble where he was holding a book signing. Arpaio is working with Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) to enforce immigration laws in his area, and, needless to say, those who support illegal immigration don't like that one bit.
In front of the store, protesters savagely beat an effigy of Arpaio, severing it's head (video link). Then, Isabel Garcia of Derechos Humanos carried the severed head around (video link). Then, the protesters carried the body around (video link). See the writeup from Jon Justice of the radio station 104.1 FM The Truth here.
As of 2006, Derechos Humanos was collaborating with the Mexican government, and to make it even worse Garcia is on the payroll of Pima County (home of Tucson) as their Public Defender.
Needless to say, the Arizona Republic downplays the violent protest ("Arpaio's appearance at Tucson bookstore draws protesters" by Blake Morlock, link), saying only that the protesters "also pummeled a pinata meant to resemble Arpaio". Morlock also quotes far-leftie Reverend John Fife, an associate of Reverend Robin Hoover of No More Deaths, another person who is/was collaborting with the Mexican government.
And, also needless to say, the Arizona Daily Star offers a protester-friendly, race- and age-baiting report ("Fans and non-fans flock to Sheriff Joe event here" by Dan Sorenson, link). Per Sorenson, smashing the "pinata" was "mostly for their own amusement". Yes, they certainly look amused in the first video above.
Deanna Morgan of Fox 11 News doesn't mention the protest at all, but does note that they ran out of copies of Arpaio's book (link).
UPDATE: There's some more here, including letter they sent to Garcia's boss, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry.
No fewer than seven federal and state agencies are coordinating on investigations of Agriprocessors.One of the dodges some on the left use to support illegal immigration is to demand that those who employ illegal aliens should be arrested. They want the illegal aliens themselves to stay in the U.S. for various reasons. What they fail to understand (or state) is that by blocking enforcement against illegal aliens that keeps a pool of illegal labor in the U.S., and they'll just go to work for someone else. But, hopefully if Agriprocessors' management is actually prosecuted they'll stop trying that dodge at least temporarily.
The Iowa Division of Labor Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Equal Employment and Opportunities Commission (EEOC), the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Iowa Attorney General's Office are all either conducting or cooperating on investigations into the plant.
Doris Meissner, a former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute said, "From everything we hear about this, it sounds like the federal government is marshalling all of the authorities that it has in order to bring the broadest set of charges -- and that's what it should be doing. It's a positive sign that they seem to be working with the state attorney general...
...According to lawyers in the case and agency representatives, there are likely to be civil charges related to immigration, wage enforcement, safety and other labor issues which usually result in fines, however, criminal charges related to immigration, child labor and sexual harassment and assault are far more serious and potentially wide reaching. Anyone with "knowledge or intent" of child laborers for instance is subject to criminal prosecution -- in theory this could include management, human resources representatives and owners alike...
Frank Sharry of America's Voice has launched the site Immigration08.com, featuring "expert analysis" from Pete Brodnitz of Benenson Strategy Group, Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners, and Simon Rosenberg from the New Democratic Network. At post time it mostly consists of links to news articles and the candidates' (Obama and McCain) positions on their websites.
Now, as it happens, one of my neglected web properties is Immigration2008.com, so I guess I'll have to keep that more up-to-date in order to keep up with my new web neighbor.
Barack Obama's prepared remarks for his speech at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) convention include him taking pride in having marched in support of illegal immigration at the Chicago event on May 1, 2006. Unfortunately, no one has yet asked him why he'd be proud of marching at an event whose main organizers have links to the Mexican government. One of the main organizers is even an official with Mexico's PRD political party. Who'd be proud of being at the least a useful idiot for possible Mexican government proxies? Barack Obama, that's who:
I marched with you in the streets of Chicago to meet our immigration challenge. I fought with you in the Senate for comprehensive immigration reform. And I will make it a top priority in my first year as President – not only because we have an obligation to secure our borders and get control of who comes in and out of our country. And not only because we have to crack down on employers who are abusing undocumented immigrants instead of hiring citizens. But because we have to finally bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. Yes, they broke the law. And they should have to pay a fine, and learn English, and go to the back of the line. That's how we'll put them on a pathway to citizenship. That's how we'll finally fix our broken immigration system and avoid creating a servant class in our midst. It's time to reconcile our values and principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. That's what this election is all about.
Everything above is something he's said before, and the fix he offers will make things far worse and lead to the rebuilding of the "servant class" over time as those who currently support illegal immigration continue to support it, this time with even more power than they have now.
Related:
Barack Obama statement supports illegal immigration marches
Barack Obama proud of marching for illegal immigration at Mexican government-linked events (Ted Kennedy)
The most significant accomplishment of Rick's second session in 2001 was passage of House Bill 1403.This was an historic bill, making Texas the first state in the country to provide in-state tuition rates and financial assistance for certain immigrant children; today, thousands of them are attending college.As described here many times, bills like 1403 have the impact of taking college educations from U.S. citizens in order to give them to foreign citizens who are here illegally. Noriega is on their side, not ours. And, the Ohtli award is presented to U.S. officials who help that country push their agenda inside our country.
...For his courage in authoring HB 1403 and his leadership in shepherding the bill through the legislative process, Rick received numerous awards including one from the Texas Association of Bilingual Educators, Texas LULAC. He was also selected by the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) and Hispanic Journal as "2001 Legislator of the Year." The government of Mexico honored Rick with the Ohtli Award in 2002, presented to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent who have distinguished themselves in public service.
Walter Tejada is chairman of the Arlington County, Virginia Board [1]. He's also a former leader of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). And, back on June 26 at the convention of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) he was presented with the Ohtli Award, given by the country of Mexico to elected officials in the U.S. who, not to put too fine a point on it, advance that country's agenda [2]. More on the award here; more on Tejada here, here, and here.
Note that both Barack Obama and John McCain spoke at the same convention, and readers are urged to ask both of them whether they have any qualms about appearing at events where awards like that are given out.
[1] arlingtonva.us/Departments/CountyBoard/CountyBoardMain.aspx
[2] naleo.org/DC/program_thurs.html
ARLINGTON, Va., July 3 /Standard Newswire/ -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released a new English-language radio ad, called "Our Values." The ad features Frank Schmidt, John McCain's roommate at the U.S. Naval Academy, speaking about the values John McCain shares with the Anglo/a community and the leadership he has demonstrated on behalf of Anglos and all Americans. The radio ad will air in Nevada and New Mexico.
LISTEN TO THE AD HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV8D3ITyd2w
English Script For "Our Values" (Radio:60)
FRANK SCHMIDT: My name is Frank Schmidt, a proud Anglo who wants the best for America and for our community.
My roommate at the U.S. Naval Academy is running for President of the United States and he wants what is best for the Anglo community too.
His name is John McCain and he has stood for our community even in the most difficult of times.
This is because he shares our same conservative values and faith in God. He knows that family is the focal part of our lives and that we value hard work.
Being from Arizona, John knows this. He has earned the trust of Anglos and has a history of supporting us.
This election, it seems to me that the other candidate has just discovered the importance of the Anglo vote. So when it comes to our values and understanding Anglos this election, I know for John it's not political; it comes from the heart.
That's why I am voting for John McCain.
JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.
ANNCR: Paid for by John McCain 2008.
As discussed here for some months, various Democratic Party proxies have tried to claim that John McCain has "flip-flopped" on "comprehensive immigration reform", aka amnesty. They base that on his supposed insistence on "border security first", as discussed here.
McCain is simply trying to fool people. Those who try to claim he's "flip-flopped" are either confused or, more likely, are similarly trying to fool people.
McCain still supports amnesty, just as he has for several years.
The only issue for him is how to get it. Don't just take my word for it, here's a quote from McCain from the recent meeting of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (link):
[He told them that] fixing U.S. immigration policy would be a priority — even as he acknowledged it's not popular with some members of his own party. "It'll be my top priority yesterday, today and tomorrow," McCain said.
San Francisco juvenile probation officials - citing the city's immigrant sanctuary status - are protecting Honduran youths caught dealing crack cocaine from possible federal deportation and have given some offenders a city-paid flight home with carte blanche to return.
The city's practices recently prompted a federal criminal investigation into whether San Francisco has been systematically circumventing U.S. immigration law, according to officials with knowledge of the matter...
Joseph Russoniello, the U.S. attorney in charge of the San Francisco area, said he was "flabbergasted that the taxpayers' money was being spent for the purpose of ferrying detainees home. You have to have a perfect storm of dumb moves to have it happen."
Yes, I'm sure there are some ways that Martin Wisckol of the Orange County Register/OC Register could be even more of a talentless hack, but after reading this phone interview with John McCain I'm having a bit of difficulty imagining exactly how he could do it.
It features the stock trick of asking a politician the price of something. One might think that tricks like that are played out, but apparently the news hasn't reach Wiskol, who tries to trip up McCain on the price of gas. That's noted by ThinkProgress here: thinkprogress.org/2008/06/28/mccain-gas-prices-unaware/
On the immigration front, his questions were just as shopworn, first asking McCain how he's going to thread the needle between the GOP base (which largely supports our laws) and Hispanics (some of whom don't think our laws apply to those of their race/ethnicity). He then pretends that McCain isn't "supporting an amnesty of some sort". In case that was a trick designed to get him to say that he supports amnesty, even McCain is smarter than that. However, it was almost certainly not a trick and Martin Wiscol was simply confused over what he's read on other sites. His final question on the topic is - wait for it in all its Sovietski-style glory - this:
"It sounds as though you believe that there is a good, practical compromise strategy that can be reached."
What did he expect the answer to be, "no"?
Please send an email to mwisckol *at* ocregister.com and let him know that there are plenty of real questions that McCain should be asked about this topic, and that if he doesn't want to be considered simply a talentless hack he should consider trying to ask them.
UPDATE: I didn't bother parsing the gas prices-related portions of the "interview", but this site did:
McCain isn't saying he doesn't know the price of gas. He is saying that he doesn't remember the last time he pumped his own gas, and how much it cost then.
UPDATE 2: ThinkProgress continues to be a bad joke, this time by providing an update at the link given above:
Patterico claims that McCain's cluelessness was in reference to the last time he pumped gas, not the price of gas itself. If true, that means McCain did not answer the reporter's question about how much is the price of gas during the interview.
Obviously it's true, and obviously TP doesn't want to admit they were once again caught trying to mislead their readers. I wish I'd paid more attention to that part of the interview to begin with, but that part doesn't matter all that much. What we need to have happen is someone who's familiar with an issue and who isn't a corrupt hack press McCain on an issue, whether involving energy or involving immigration.
Look for U.S. useful idiots to rush to get involved with Mexico's plan to plant 400,000 trees on the other side of the Texas border in order to protest the border fence. It sounds like a joke but it isn't, but one wonders how their "green wall" will stay green in a relatively parched environment. Perhaps they don't mean trees so much as shrubbery.
Eagle Pass mayor Chad Foster was at the symbolic start of the effort in Piedras Negras, Mexico.
Via this comes the Sierra Club article "Life in Abundance/Ethiopia, the cradle of humanity, faces up to family planning" (sierraclub.org/sierra/200807/ethiopia.asp) which promotes Ethiopians having fewer children and contains this sidebar:
In the past decade, U.S. funding for international family-planning programs like those in Ethiopia has declined by almost 40 percent. During those years, 275 million more women in the developing world came of childbearing age... The Sierra Club's Global Population and the Environment program is working to get the United States to invest $1 billion in 2009 in international family planning.
And, right at the top of sierraclub.org/international is this:
What does population have to do with global warming? Plenty! Population growth, global warming and consumption patterns are inextricably linked in their collective global environmental impact. Did you know that during the 20th century, human population multiplied from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion people, and that heat trapping carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions grew twelve fold?
Oddly enough, the Sierra Club's goals are a bit different when it comes to domestic U.S. policy. Here in our country, they support massive immigration of any kind through various means, such as being involved in a smear campaign against those running for their board who wanted the Club to oppose massive immigration. And, through suing the U.S. over the border fence.
Now, the last thing I think is that it has anything to do with the funder who gave their Foundation $100 million and who told SC Executive Director Carl Pope that:
"if they ever came out anti-immigration, they would never get a dollar from me."
I'm absolutely positive that the SC's confused policies have absolutely nothing to do with the $100 million they got from the gentleman who said that.
Rep. David Price - Democrat from Chapel Hill, North Carolina - chairs the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and he's using his position to encourage the DHS to prioritize deporting illegal aliens who are in prisons and jails in the U.S., rather than simply releasing them into the community. Sounds good so far, except for his corresponding plan of basically neglecting worksite enforcement:
[His committee] voted to cut and remove funding [from the Homeland Security funding bill] for proven enforcement measures such as the 287(g) program, which enables local police and sheriffs to enforce immigration laws, and workplace enforcement activities. The measure will, among other things, require ICE to spend $800 million to identify and deport illegal aliens who have committed serious crimes. Since the bill provides ICE only $60 million over its $4.8 billion budget request, the money aimed at identifying and deporting serious criminals will have to be shifted from other priorities.
Price is simply trying to make sure that cheap labor employers - perhaps even those who've donated to his coffers - are able to continue to have access to a low-cost labor pool. From a speech he gave at the Center for American Progress Action Fund where he promoted "comprehensive immigration reform" [price.house.gov/apps/list/press/nc04_price/062308.shtml]:
I want to be clear on that point. The illegal presence of foreign nationals in the United States is a problem, and calls into question our commitment to the integrity of our immigration laws. But we need to put that problem into perspective on two counts: First, the integrity of our immigration laws is compromised primarily by the fact that those laws are grossly unrealistic in relation to our labor market demands. And second, there can be no credible argument that deporting illegal workers should take precedence over efforts to combat smuggling, prevent terrorism, and deport criminal aliens... while we have been using scarce resources to detain and deport laborers at meatpacking plants, we have allowed tens of thousands of dangerous criminal aliens to be released back into our communities after serving their sentences, with no awareness on our part of their immigration status... Our illegal immigration is more about demand than about supply, so as long as our immigration policies are not responsive to the realities of our labor market, illegal immigration will drain our resources and distract attention from the apprehension of criminal and terrorist aliens crossing our borders and living among us... The current Administration made some effort last year to promote comprehensive immigration reform, but it now seems to have turned 180 degrees toward an enforcement-only approach. This might be interpreted as an attempt to appeal to the most hard-line anti-immigrant segment of the population, but some have painted it as an effort to drive home the need for immigration reform by inflicting pain on businesses and communities who depend on these workers. If it really is some sort of perverse “tough medicine” policy, I find it doubly hard to understand, given the negative impacts on hardworking immigrants and their children, and because it has tradeoffs with other activities that could be helping to make our country safer...
Price is hiding behind rightful concern about criminals being released in order to support illegal immigration by supposed non-criminals. It's possible to balance spending on deporting criminals with workplace enforcement, and with more workplace enforcement there would be fewer potential illegal alien criminals.
As for our "labor market demands", if there were no crooked politicians and our laws were enforced, our industries would adapt either by automating, producing alternatives, moving low-wage work offshore, or simply going out of business. There's a reason why we don't have a buggywhip industry nowadays.
In addition to the cash infusion [$1 million], 4,000 State Farm agents who serve the Hispanic community across the country will provide U.S. citizenship applications and voter-registration materials to clients. More than eight million green-card holders, or legal permanent residents, currently are eligible to become U.S. citizens, and the majority are immigrants from Latin America.Some might suggest that State Farm just give the money they'll spend on this to the Democratic Party to cut out the middleman.
Strategically, the campaign seeks to expand the Latino electorate in key battleground states, solidify the strength of the Latino vote in traditional Latino states, and help lay the foundation for a Latino electorate in nontraditional states where the Latino population has significantly increased in recent years. The strategy will establish Latinos as an important national electorate.And, they even reference the 2006 illegal immigration marches, where foreign citizens marched through our streets demanding that we change our laws to suit them [5]:
"The dramatic success of this year's naturalization efforts demonstrates our community's desire to help shape the future of our country at the ballot box," said Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. "This unprecedented effort will give Latinos the key to victory in 2008," added Murguia. "The campaign will also build the capacities of local communities to engage in the electoral process for years to come," concluded Murguia.
The campaign was launched as the Latino community's action-oriented response to the mobilizations of 2006 and represents the largest and most comprehensive effort to incorporate Latinos as full participants in the American political process.[1] nclr.org/content/news/detail/47243/
The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights is linked to the Mexican government, and they have some involvement in a resolution introduced today by two Chicago aldermen (George Cardenas and Manny Flores) condemning "hate speech" (i.e, the facts) supposedly directed at "immigrants" (i.e., illegal aliens) [1]. The resolution also comes out in favor of legalizations of illegal aliens. And, Lou Dobbs and others are apparently the intended targets, with Cardenas saying:
"...the overall climate surrounding the immigration issue has turned more and more ugly, fed in particular by cable news. It's time that our city took a stand against the hateful rhetoric."
The ICIRR press release references the recent Media Matters report "Fear and Loathing in Prime Time: Immigration Myths and Cable News", with their Fred Tsao saying:
"The Media Matters report documents in great detail how Dobbs, O'Reilly, Beck, and others have used distortions and misrepresentations to portray immigrants in a negative light and push an anti-immigrant agenda... We applaud Aldermen Cardenas and Flores for standing with immigrants and against hate."
Those involved are simply trying to silence debate in order to make their grab for race-based power easier. And, this illustrates again the folly of those non-far-lefties who give in to the far-left's definition of hate.
[1] icirr.org/node/2886
Illegal immigration-supporting hack and Republican Congressman from Utah Chris Cannon will lose the primary election to Jason Chaffetz. With over 80% of the votes counted at post time, Chaffetz leads 60% to about 40%, so it's safe to call.
There are about forty posts at this site mentioning Cannon; use the search function to see them all. His higlight reel includes one of his aides soliciting campaign contributions from illegal aliens as he sat next to him, his links to David Safavian and Grover Norquist, the money he got from the cheap labor lobby, and more. See also this, this, and this. And, in 2002 - when accepting an award from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) - he said this:
"We love immigrants in Utah. And we don't make the distinction very often between legal and illegal. In fact, I think Utah was the first state in the country to legislate the ability to get a driver's license based on the matricula consular [the Mexican government's illegal-alien ID card] and of that I'm proud."
As for Chafetz, he says among other things:
I will not support or vote for amnesty in any way, shape or form. If you are here illegally, there is no pathway to citizenship except to apply from your country of origin.
Whether there are loopholes in that statement or not remains to be seen, but just about anyone would be better than Cannon.
In the past when Cannon has been challenged on his immigration stance and won, various sources have pointed to that as an example of public support for "comprehensive immigration reform" and/or an indication that those who support our laws have trouble at the ballot boxes. What those same sources will say in this case remains to be seen. Perhaps they won't say anything at all, or perhaps they'll try to pretend it was due to something other than immigration.
Melinda Zosh is an "intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia", and she offers "Today's Illegals 'Not Different, Just Newer'" about a talk that Jason Riley of the Wall Street Journal (author of "The Case for Open Borders") gave at the CATO Institute (link).
While she offers a fine and no doubt accurate transcription, like most MSM reporters she doesn't go beyond that and question anything she's told. She simply serves as Riley's stooge and fails to call him on his use of a logical fallacy:
...Riley said that Americans limit their perspectives and fear that new immigrants won't assimilate. But the Irish did and "if America can assimilate the Irish, we can [assimilate] anybody."
Riley said lots of things, all of which Zosh dutifully wrote down without questioning them. She failed to point out to him anything approaching what's discussed at the previous link: the current conditions are quite different from those a century ago. The conditions are so different that Riley is engaging in a logical fallacy. Zoll forgot to point out to him that today's immigrants are largely coming from a contiguous country or region. She forgot to point out to him that Mexico used to own part of our territory and that 58% of Mexicans think the U.S. southwest rightfully belongs to Mexico. There's so much she forgot to point out to him that her future in the MSM looks quite bright.
She also provides the following Michael Barone quote that makes me question his sanity:
"Our elites have been putting barriers in the way of immigration... Ultimately, the good sense of the people overwhelms the nonsense of the elites."
Any reporter worth her salt would have pointed out that it's the elites that have constantly pushed massive immigration, and that everyone else opposes them on that. Needless to say, Zosh did not do that.
According to a Mexican newspaper [1], both John McCain and Barack Obama may be appearing at this year's National Latino Congress/National Latino Congreso (latinocongreso.org), something I have a bit of trouble believing. See the translation here.
The main reason I have trouble believing that they'll be appearing there is that many of those showing up are extremists, and few of those groups are (unlike the NCLR where Obama and McCain will speak) considered mainstream.
For instance, last year's event featured Nativo Lopez and Gil Cedillo, groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and it included approved resolutions supporting the Cuban Five, the Fairness Doctrine, and much more. The only presidential candidate who showed was Dennis Kucinich (responsible for two of the resolutions), and aside from one report the MSM largely ignored the event.
The report says that the organizers have confirmed their participation, but they don't name which organizers confirmed that. Much is made here of the fact that the NLC has been endorsed by the Communist Party; the key isn't that they've endorsed them, but that the endorsement has been accepted.
But, if they do show up, it will show even more people that neither of them are qualified to be president, at least of this country.
[1] informador.com.mx/mexico/2008/20223/6/
asistiran-mccain-y-obama-a-congreso-nacional-latino-en-los-angeles.htm
The Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) - part of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) - is suing New Jersey's Connolly Properties under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), claiming that that company and others have a habit of renting to illegal aliens and are thus guilty of harboring illegal aliens as well as violating the Fair Housing Act. Connoly is based in New Jersey and has properties there and in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Press release here, biased AP report from Samantha Henry here.
Related:
"Mohawk Industries accused of witness tampering"
Swift and Company sued under RICO Act
Idaho county sues illegal alien employers under RICO
Are you a lawyer who likes money?
From this we learn that the California Department of Transportation ("Caltrans") is reviewing the guidelines used in their Adopt-A-Highway program, whereby groups can volunteer to clean up stretches of highways. In exchange, they get some publicity with their names on signs along the stretches. Those currently in the program aren't affected, only current and future applicants.
Through a wild coincidence, the San Diego Minutemen is engaged in a federal court battle with Caltrans due to the latter's interesting handling of their application for a stretch of the San Diego Freeway. They were denied their first choices and instead offered a less-traveled route. A Caltrans spokesman says there's it's all just a coinkydink. And, as another twist, the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties (ACLU) is taking the Minutemen's side, with their David Blair-Loy saying:
"It's hard to believe its merely a coincidence... It certainly seems to be in violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the First Amendment to close down a forum for speech... I welcome the review to the extent that it may lead to the correction of unconstitutional language in the guidelines...
Also:
California Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, D-San Diego, said last month that she wanted Caltrans to refine its application procedures to require a membership roster, a board of directors and bylaws.
Based on hearing about them, I'm not a big fan of the SD Minutemen, and while taking on Sacramento is a big point in their favor there are much better things they could be doing with their time and probably money. Namely, working to discredit those politicians who support illegal immigration by asking them tough questions.
6/28/08 UPDATE: A federal judge has told Caltrans to let the Minutemen clean up one of the original sections of the 5 freeway that they requested.
If you want examples of political corruption, illegal immigration is where you should look. The latest example is a resolution proposed by three west coast mayors at this year's Conference of Mayors meeting: they don't want ICE to conduct immigration raids of "responsible employers". Instead, they want them to only raid those companies that are abusing employees and the like. The mayors are: Antonio Villaraigosa (Los Angeles), Ron Dellums (Oakland), and Greg Nickels (Seattle).
In effect, those mayors only want one set of laws to be enforced: wage and safety laws, just not immigration laws. The reason is so that illegal aliens will continue to live in their cities and provide them with a political power base, and one presumptive reason is also because some of those "responsible employers" are politically connected in one way or other.
If they really wanted to reduce abuses, there's an easy way to do it: stop supporting illegal immigration. If there were very few illegal aliens in their cities, most of what they pretend to want would be solved: employers are much less likely to abuse legal workers, and those with valid Social Security numbers are much less likely to use someone else's number.
The resolution specifically mentions "well-established businesses that contribute significantly to the local economy". In olden times those would have been referred to as "protected". Nowadays, it's acceptable to profit from illegal activity - including the "dramatic increase in identity theft of the Social Security numbers of U.S. citizens" they mention - just as long as they treat their workers OK and contribute to the tax base (and perhaps to those mayors' campaign coffers). They don't want "responsible employers" to be raided until either "reform" or an "accurate verification system" is available.
The resolution is located along with dozens more in this PDF. For your entertainment purposes, the full resolution is in the extended entry; discussing all the other ways it's wrong would take too much time. Note that the cost is marked as "Unknown", as is another resolution also demanding "comprehensive immigration reform", as is another resolution from Villaraigosa and other mayors demanding more resources for food stamps, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs.
Related:
Fabian Nunez, Mexico-linked Peter Schey, American Apparel join to support illegal immigration
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa complains to Michael Chertoff about ICE raids
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa, Fabian Nunez at MacArthur Park candlelight vigil?
Resolution No. 52
U.S.IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS WORKSITE ENFORCEMENT
1. WHEREAS, the United States is a nation of immigrants, the
overwhelming majority of whom are making an important and
positive contribution to both our economy and our culture;
and
2. WHEREAS, immigration reform is one of the most pressing
issues facing The U.S. Conference of Mayors; and
3. WHEREAS, the federal government has not been able to pass
comprehensive immigration reform legislation; and
4. WHEREAS, as a consequence of such inaction has been a
dramatic increase in identity theft of the Social Security
numbers of U.S. citizens; and,
5. WHEREAS, due to a lack of a workable immigration policy,
our country is inhabited by more than 12 million
undocumented individuals; and
6. WHEREAS, many of these undocumented individuals are working
in well-established businesses that contribute
significantly to the local economy; and
7. WHEREAS, responsible employers often have to rely on
documentation that appears facially valid in order to
determine an individual’s status to accept employment; and
8. WHEREAS, the current federal E-Verify system has not been
reliable in ascertaining a prospective employee’s right to work; and,
9. WHEREAS, some employers will prey upon undocumented
workers, with substandard wages, long hours and unsafe
working conditions, knowing these workers will not complain
to authorities; and
10. WHEREAS, the U.S. Immigration & Custom Enforcement (ICE)
has increased worksite enforcement activities;
11. WHEREAS, ICE worksite enforcement activities are often the
result of “anonymous” tips from the competitors of
legitimate employers, thereby using ICE raids to disrupt
production; and,
12. WHEREAS, ICE enforcement activities targeting companies
that have had no record or suspicion of engagement in
exploitative practices will negatively impact local
economies and may drive employers to locate manufacturing
facilities overseas; and
13. WHEREAS, ICE has limited resources and time to conduct
worksite enforcement activities;
14. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of
Mayors calls upon U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement to
develop a national policy for its workforce enforcement
activities that focuses on employers with a demonstrated
history or reasonable suspicion of engaging in exploitative
practices, such as violation of wage, hour or occupational
safety laws and regulations; and
15. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that ICE not prioritize responsible
employers for worksite enforcement activities before
accurate verification systems are available or
comprehensive immigration reform regularizes the status of
workers on whom they rely; and
16. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that ICE should strive to keep in
close communication with the nation’s mayors when
conducting worksite enforcement activities in their cities.
New Haven, Connecticut offers a city-only identification card (the "Elm City ID card") for those who - ahem - have ID problems. While any resident can get one of the cards, they're only of real use to illegal aliens. The plan was pushed through by a city employee who used to head an organization that was working with the Mexican government to pass out that country's Matricula Consular card.
Now, New Haven is considering a special incentive to encourage people to get the Elm City card: a three-hour special of gas at $1.99 at a station in their town (link). No doubt some legal residents and citizens will take advantage of the discount, but to illegal aliens in other cities who might be considering a move this will send a loud and clear message that New Haven welcomes everyone, "regardless of their immigration status" as they say. In our terms, New Haven is a crooked town, run by a corrupt mayor (John DeStefano) who has no qualms about not just supporting but encouraging illegal activity in order to obtain political power. There was an allegation that DeStefano might have a financial interest, but that hasn't been confirmed.
The solution for those in the area is to have an impact on DeStefano's political career: go to his public appearances, ask him tough questions (not rants), get it on video, and then upload his response to video sharing sites. He previously ran for governor, but if enough people embarrass him on tape future runs won't be possible.
Apparently a U.S. citizen was arrested for disorderly conduct while protesting a city-sponsored illegal alien hiring center in Portland, Oregon. The circumstances aren't clear, but apparently he was sitting either on the curb or in the driveway with a sign saying, "No". It's unknown whether the arrest was justified or not. Some details here; and from this:
A police car did lazy laps near the center Monday morning, in case protesters showed up and trouble started. Just one -- a man with a sign that read "No" -- plopped down in the center driveway.
And:
Mayor Tom Potter first talked of a day labor center during his 2004 campaign. At his urging, the City Council is spending $200,000 on the center over the next two years. The Portland Development Commission is renting out the parking lot at the corner of MLK and Northeast Everett Street to VOZ for $1 a year. City Council members expect the center to support itself after the first two years.
Obviously, the center - which might be breaking federal law - is supported by the local power structure including the Mayor, the City Council, and the Oregonian newspaper. So, protests like that will usually end in failure.
The better way to protest things like this is to go to public appearances by city leaders and ask them questions (not rants) designed to make them look bad. Then, publicize that via Youtube and similar sites. Let me also suggest that those in the area learn how to better document cases like this so it's clear what actually happened.
Bazan, 40, has become a prominent advocate since moving to North Carolina nearly 20 years ago. In 1995, still in her late 20s, she helped found El Pueblo, North Carolina's largest Hispanic advocacy group. She later became its first executive director and led a controversial push to allow illegal immigrants to attend North Carolina universities at in-state tuition rates.
She has served on a number of influential boards, including the UNC Tomorrow Commission and the Governor's Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs.
Though she left El Pueblo in 2005 to head the philanthropic group, Triangle Community Foundation, she has remained a strong voice for Hispanics, including those in the country illegally.
This afternoon, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) took to the floor of the Senate to deliver a major speech on immigration raids and detentions. He cited the numerous incidences of American citizens and legal permanent residents of Hispanic or other minority descent getting swept up in raids and the fear this has engendered in minority communities. Senator Menendez, who is the Senate sponsor of legislation to ensure basic medical care for detainees, also announced that he will be introducing legislation to prevent the unlawful detention of American citizens and permanent residents.Consider this anecdote from his speech:
"The legitimate desire to get control over our borders has too often turned into a witch-hunt against Hispanic Americans and other people of color," said Senator Menendez. American citizens "are targeted because of their race, targeted because of their color--denied every fundamental right guaranteed by the United States Constitution. Common sense repeatedly loses out to hysteria, and agents of intolerance repeatedly jump over the legal protections to which every single American is entitled."
Another U.S. citizen named Gladis was at her home one day when eighteen vehicles drove into her front yard, and twenty agents jumped out.What Menendez forgot to state is that that incident occurred during the raid in Stillmore, Georgia. In addition to raiding the chicken processing plant in that town, ICE also arrested illegal aliens in residential areas, and they claim that they visited specific locations in those residential areas based on information they obtained during the main raid. She and others are part of a lawsuit [2] brought by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a group indirectly linked to the Mexican government. See this for a description of the raid, with an ICE statement at the end. See the attempted class action complaint at [3]. Some abuses may have occurred, or the plaintiffs could be telling tall tales; in any case the situation is mitigated by the facts that Menendez didn't reveal. And, it's worth noting that after the raid the plant was forced to raise wages in order to hire legal workers; whose side is Menendez on?
Agents banged on the door and threatened to throw gas inside the house if they didn't let them in. While the children in the house ran and hid in the bedroom, the agents broke down the door.
One of the agents grabbed Gladis and attempted to handcuff her.
Gladis said she could prove her citizenship, and gave them her social security card. After interrogating Gladis and her family for twenty more minutes, the agents left as fast as they came - they had no warrant, no probable cause, no reason for their actions besides suspicion about someone's name, their accent, and the color of their skin.
Once inside, the agents asked Argueta about her immigration status, and when Argueta presented her Temporary Protection Status documents, they tossed them aside without looking at them, the suit alleges.Once again, while I'm sure that ICE abuses do occur, I tend to doubt her version of events.
According to the lawsuit, Argueta was taken to a detention center in Elizabeth, where agents mocked her with a popular Latino song "Maria Has Gone," and was later transferred to a Newark facility, where she was held for nearly 36 hours. Argueta was held without food or water for the first 24 hours after her arrest, the lawsuit claims.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) must commit to helping illegal immigrants achieve citizenship or else risk losing the vital Latino vote in the general election, Hispanic Democratic lawmakers are warning.If anyone has a blog at Obama's site, please use it to help Obama see the light on this issue. Just don't let it be known that I suggested it, the BHO campaign might think I was trying to hurt their chances or something.
If he does not promise so-called comprehensive immigration reform, the lawmakers say, the only other way to win over Hispanic supporters of his erstwhile rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), may be to pick her as his running mate...
...[CHC Chairman Rep. Joe Baca (D-Calif.)]... said that the CHC will be looking — but not necessarily asking — for Obama to make as strong of a pledge as Clinton did to putting comprehensive immigration reform on his "first 100 days" agenda...
Obama’s campaign coordinator for Spanish-language media, Vince Casillas, said that while Obama has promised to take up immigration reform in his first year in office, he has not yet laid out his detailed plan for comprehensive reform...
"But Latinos are brand-loyal, and after the Clinton brand, the McCain brand is the second-strongest among Latinos because of his military service and his immigration record," [Cecilia Munoz, the senior vice president of research, advocacy and legislation with the National Council of La Raza] said.
Anyone can get a blog at Barack Obama's site, and you the reader might even want to get one (or more). Just don't do anything over the top and spoil it for the rest of us.
And, since I've got a three-line phone and nothing better to do with my time, I just started by own blog there:
my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/nomoreblatherdotcom
I posted the following question, let's see how long it stays there:
On March 11, 2008, Barack Obama falsely stated that Lou Dobbs supports mass deportations:
When I hear Rush Limbaugh or you know Lou Dobbs or some of these people talking about how we need to send [illegal aliens] all back. We're not going to send them all back.
Dobbs doesn't support mass deportations, and he discussed Obama's false claim on his show of that day. To my knowledge, no one in the MSM besides Dobbs has called Obama on his false statement. Lying about someone's positions isn't too presidential, so hopefully someone can go to an Obama appearance, ask him to retract his false statement, and then upload his response to Youtube.
Investigative journalist John Bowe is the author of a new book called "Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy", and he recently spoke about it at a book store in Iowa City, Iowa. An interesting Q&A with him is here. He actually makes a fair amount of sense. While I haven't read the book and it might just be a function of the questioner, he seems to stumble a bit on how to solve the issues he complains about:
We need to address labor rights and laws. We n