Saturday, June 30, 2007

Don't Give Up

This past week, the Senate, under overwhelming pressure from their rightful constituents, failed to gather enough votes for cloture on their most recent comprehensive immigration reform bill.

The people of this country finally got mad enough to turn off their televisions and pick up their phones and call their elected officials. They did so in numbers so great that the senate's phone system crashed.

Unfortunately, many Americans will feel that we have won, that we have achieved victory. Many Americans will go back to their daily lives, their television shows, and forget that we have not won the battle. We have won a minor skirmish that is all.

There is an emotional letdown after so much time and effort was expended in support of a cause. When you achieve your goal there is a moment of euphoria, which is followed by a hollow emptiness. You feel like you have nothing left to give and want to rest, recuperate. I know, I felt it myself. However, folks we cannot let that happen. The fight goes on as long as we still have open borders, so long as we still have 12-20 million illegal aliens living in our country.

Our government may have failed to pass this particular bill, the proponents of open borders and amnesty may have failed in their attempts to gain legalization for those here illegally. However, they are not giving up they will not rest. This issue will not go away until one side or the other achieves total victory.

Before the recent immigration bill was revived for its second chance at passage, the President, at a Hispanic Prayer Breakfast, urged the nations Hispanics to make themselves heard in the debate on immigration. Bush said that senators have been bombarded with 'opponents' of the bill and need to hear from those who support 'his' immigration plan.
Presidents Speech

There you have it folks. We, those of us lawful citizens, legal constituents, of our elected officials are considered opponents of the president’s plan. It matters not that we are only asking for our president to uphold the constitution and current law in regards to immigration. It only matters that we opposed his plan.

The president even went further by saying those in favor of 'his' plan make their voices heard. Who might those be, those who support the presidents plan? Could it be the 12-20 million illegal aliens who want legal status? It apparently does not matter to our president, or our senate for that matter, that they have no legal right to participate in our political process. As long as they support 'his' plan, the president wants to hear from them.

After this most recent attempt at amnesty failed, Senator Luis Gutierrez appeared on the Lou Dobbs show. Senator Gutierrez made the comment that, "For those 10 million permanent residents who feel offended by the rejection of this legislation, who feel betrayed, who feel humiliated, who feel beaten down, the appropriate thing at this moment is to arm yourselves with the right to vote by naturalizing yourself and becoming citizens."

An article on the Aztlan Communications Networks webpage, entitled, Immigrant Rights Movement's Next Phase Is Non-Cooperation and Civil Disobedience, by Ernesto Cienfuegos, made the following comments, "The Immigrant Rights Movement must enter a new phase. Along with strengthening the Immigrant Sanctuary effort, the movement must start embracing the tactics of non-cooperation and civil disobedience. These tactics have already proven effective in other parts of the world. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi utilized non-cooperation and civil disobedience to liberate India from the British occupation. La Raza de Aztlan must study and become experts in implementing the political theories of the great Mahatma Gandhi. We do not have to re-invent the wheel."

As I stated earlier, we have not won anything but a minor skirmish. Our borders are still open, the enemy is still among us and their numbers are growing. We cannot get lethargic now. We must remember that there are traitors in senators clothing who are still in office. We must continue to push for enforcement of existing law, even if it means replacing every single U.S. senator and congressman with someone who will listen to our voices.

As Thomas Jefferson once said, "The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government..." If our government will not listen to our voices, we have no alternative but to remove and replace those who choose to ignore our wishes and desires.

The battle is far from over, and it will take a steadfast commitment from all of us to fight the good fight for our nation’s survival. If you choose to disengage now, the real battle will be over before it even begins. The choice is yours...

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

What I Want For My Birthday

I was born on June 28, 1958, tomorrow is my 49th birthday. For my present I would like two things. First off, I would like to see 41 United States Senators pull their heads out of their asses and begin representing the lawful citizens of this country. They can start by voting against cloture on Senate Bill 1639. I would like more Senators to participate in granting me my wish, but 41 will do.

Secondly, I would like for the people of this country to remember what the United States Senate attempted to do with their immigration reform bill. I want people to remember that they bypassed the normal process for crafting a bill. I want them to remember that 12 Senators along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Catholic Church, and the National Council of La Raza were involved in the creation of this bill but the wishes and the desires of the lawful citizens of this country were ignored. I want the American people to remember that for the next decade. I want the American people to remember that when they vote in the next 3 elections, for that is how long it will take to get rid of every rotten, treasonous bastard who supported this bill.

That is what I want for my birthday. Now I will tell you why. Our government has lied to us, it has misrepresented facts, and it has flip flopped on the issue of immigration and border security so many times that it would make a pancake envious.

Our esteemed leader, El Presidente Jorge Bush has repeatedly said that we cannot have border security without a guest worker program. Mr. Bush is lying to you when he says that. Consider the following.

We currently allow over half a million guest workers into this country every year through various guest worker programs. There are 8 categories of visas issued to guest workers who wish to come work in the United States.

We have the H visa program for high and low skilled workers. Last year we issued 312,246 H visas. We have the E visa program which grants visas for foreign workers, as required by our numerous Free Trade Agreements. Last year we issued over 40,000 E visas. We issued 15,514 I visas for foreign journalists to work in the United States. 134,000 L visas were given to workers in foreign countries who come to work for their company here in the United States. Note that for these workers there is no wage requirement, their American counterparts can be replaced by these I visa workers, and there are no caps established to limit the number of I visas issued. We also have the O visa. O visas are given to workers of extraordinary ability, which includes actors and academic leaders. Last year over 12,000 O visas were issued. We have the P visa for athletes and entertainers, of which 34,000 were issued last year. There are the R visas, 11,450 of which were issued for religious workers. Finally, we granted a meager 5,571 work visas according to the terms of NAFTA.

The President says we cannot have border security without a guest worker program. We already have 8 of them, where is our border security? The president says this bill is not amnesty, but just the other day President Bush is quoted as saying, "Amnesty means that you've got to pay a price for having been here illegally, and this bill does that".

A few side notes. According to Congressman Pete Sessions, "The Department of Homeland Security estimated the number of visa overstays in the U.S., as of January 2000, to be 2.3 million." Other sources estimate that almost half the illegal aliens in this country are here because they overstayed the terms of their visa.
http://sessions.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=14125

"The INS has always been so overwhelmed that visa overstayers never received much attention," says Nestor Rodriguez, an immigration expert at the University of Houston. "Now, post-Sept. 11, there are new and present issues of national security. The game has changed."

"Over the past 30 years, the practice of visa overstaying has grown into the method of choice for millions of migrants from all over the world. And the US Congress and Immigration and Naturalization Service have actually made it fairly easy to do so: Once a foreigner is in this country, the INS has no effective way to track where they are or whether they leave when they are supposed to."
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0205/p01s03-usju.html

Also, the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security issued a report entitled Review of Vulnerabilities and Abuses of the L-1 Visa Program.

http://www.dhs.gov/xoig/assets/katovrsght/OIG_06-22_Jan06.pdf

It identifies abuses of the L visa program, some of which include, the program allows for the transfer of managers and executives but it is difficult to verify the worker will be used in the position intended. The term specialized worker is so broadly defined that almost everyone is approved. The program allows for firms who are merely establishing a U.S. office to transfer themselves here to work.

So, we have a president who says we cannot have border security without a guest worker program. We already have a guest worker program and a good portion of the illegal aliens in this country are here because they violated the terms of their visas. These programs are flawed and subject to abuse. Yet the president says we need more? He is LYING people, and the sooner you realize it the better off you will be.

Unfortunately, the president is not alone in this treachery to force feed amnesty to the American people.

Our esteemed senators have worked behind closed doors to create this bill. They have ignored the will of the people, when phone calls are rumored to be 7 to 1 against it. They have lied, and switched positions, and worst of all they have insulted the American people for standing up for the enforcement of our current immigration laws.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called us bigots because we oppose this bill. We have been told we don’t want what’s best for America.

I want you to take a look at some quotes, by those esteemed senators who are pushing so hard to ram this bill through the senate.

I will start with the Senator from Massachusetts, Senator Edward Kennedy. First off, Senator Kennedy stated something along the lines that the senate needs to work on passing this bill and then making it better in the House of Representatives. What the hell is that? Why in the world would the United States Senate try to pass a bill that they already know is flawed and needs to be improved? Why is it that the Senate Majority Leader refuses to hear arguments on amendments to the bill when those amendments could do just that, make the bill better? I have a suggestion, why not write a good bill to start off with? Why not open it up to discussion and allow for the Senate to do its job and debate the bill to improve it?

Senator Kennedy also said the following, “We did the right thing today because we know the American people sent us here to act on our most urgent problems. We know they will not stand for small political factions getting in the way. We did the right thing because we know the price of inaction. Raids and other enforcement will escalate, terrorizing our communities and businesses. The 12 million undocumented immigrants will soon be millions more. “

I don’t know where to start with that so I will only comment on a portion of it. The senator said that raids and other enforcement will escalate, terrorizing (?) our communities and businesses. Is the senator so confused that he thinks enforcing the law is the same as terrorism? I don’t suppose he feels the same way about all the BATF raids on citizens and gun shops across the country, but that is a different subject altogether.

In 1965 Senator Kennedy made the following statement, "Out of deference to the critics, I want to comment on … what the bill will not do. First, our cities will not be flooded with a million immigrants annually. Under the proposed bill, the present level of immigration remains substantially the same … Secondly, the ethnic mix of this country will not be upset … Contrary to the charges in some quarters, S.500 will not inundate America with immigrants from any one country or area, or the most populated and economically deprived nations of Africa and Asia. In the final analysis, the ethnic pattern of immigration under the proposed measure is not expected to change as sharply as the critics seem to think. Thirdly, the bill will not permit the entry of subversive persons, criminals, illiterates, or those with contagious diseases or serious mental illness. As I noted a moment ago, no immigrant visa will be issued to a person who is likely to become a public charge … the charges I have mentioned are highly emotional, irrational, and with little foundation in fact. They are out of line with the obligations of responsible citizenship. They breed hate of our heritage."

He lied then, and again in 1996 when he said, "We should strengthen our immigration laws to prevent the importation of foreign wages and working conditions. We should make it illegal for employers to lay off Americans and then fill their jobs by bringing in workers from overseas. Any U.S. employer who wishes to hire from abroad--even for temporary jobs--should have to recruit U.S. workers first. And we should end the unskilled immigration that competes with young Americans just entering the job market."

"Legal immigrants play by the rules and come in under the law. They work, raise their families, pay taxes, and serve in the Armed Forces. ... Legal immigrants do not seek to cross the border, or overstay their visas. They come here the right way. ... And, by and large, they are here as the result of reunifying families..."

Senator Kennedy is not to be trusted. Every time he opens his mouth something foul and putrid comes out. I would hope the American people remember that when he comes up for reelection in 2012.

Next on my list of esteemed senators is Dianne Feinstein. She is the wicked witch of the west in that her state, my state, is being hit especially hard by illegal aliens, yet she chooses to take their side instead of representing her lawful constituents.

Senator Feinstein once said, "Gentlemen, as sure as I'm sitting here now, the result of continuation of a non-system, the ostrich-like head-in-the-sand attitude, the constant rejection of any efforts to solve this problem, will produce an Armageddon in the American population in those states where there is a big problem."

What exactly is the ‘continuation of a non-system‘? Maybe she is under referring to the myth that our immigration system is broken, to which I reply, how would she know, she has never tried using it. She speaks of an ostrich-like head-in-the-sand attitude. The only one who has their head somewhere is her, and I won’t mention where she is keeping it, but it is dark and it stinks.

Senator Feinstein also said the following, It's a myth that the border can't be enforced. It can be enforced." Well excuse me madam senator, if it can be enforce, WHY THE HELL HAVEN’T YOU DONE IT? You will have to excuse me, this woman gets my blood boiling sometimes.

Next on my list of senatorial nincompoops is the esteemed Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid. Senator Reid has been trying to steamroll this current incarnation of immigration reform through the senate without opportunity to ‘improve upon it’ by way of amendments. Let’s see what he has to say about immigration.

First off, Senator Reid made the following comment, "Let's face it.., our current [immigration control] system is like a busy intersection without a traffic cop: sure there are laws on the books, but absent enforcement, there are too many accidents." I wonder Senator, whose fault might that be?

In 1994 the Senator made the following comment, "Labor force needs and economic conditions are disregarded in our policies. Many aspects of our current policies and procedures are patently wrong. For example, legal immigration has almost no link to U.S. employment needs or economic conditions."

"Sixty percent of our immigrants are admitted merely because they have relatives here. Many of these people are not immediate relative, but are part of extended families. The nepotistic U.S. policy lets in relatives then lets in the relatives' relatives, and so on, creating an endless and ever growing chain of new immigrants."

"In 1992, the federal Government actually issued more work authorizations to immigrants and temporary foreign workers than the net number of new jobs created by our economy. Something is fundamentally wrong when we have millions of American citizens and legal residents begging for jobs, and yet we are admitting thousands and thousands of immigrants a year with virtually no consideration to our employment needs or their employment skills."

What did he say? He almost sounds like a Republican, what happened? Why the flip flop? That is why the American people need to develop a memory. They need to remember how easily their elected officials switch positions on the issues. It is why they cannot be trusted.

Finally, the Majority Leader was almost pleading for support for his troubled amnesty bill when he said, “It's a good bill, and I would hope that everyone understands that we can't leave the system as it is now...gee whiz, the present system is not working...”

At least he didn’t say the present system was broken, because it isn’t. It isn’t working because no one is trying to make it work. The illegal aliens are being made out as the scapegoats when the real criminals are the politicians who give social services to people who are not entitled to them, and the corporations who hire the illegal aliens as low paid workers. If you took away those two magnets, the illegal aliens would not cross our borders, they would have no reason to.

I have shown you some quotes by those who hold seats of power in our country today. Now, in closing, I would like to leave you some quotes from leaders past. Our country desperately needs leaders like these to walk the halls of power again.

"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. ...The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities."
Theodore Roosevelt

“The laws should be rigidly enforced which prohibit the immigration of a servile class to compete with American labor, with no intention of acquiring citizenship, and bringing with them and retaining habits and customs repugnant to our civilization.”
Grover Cleveland

"A man who thinks of himself as belonging to a particular national group in America has not yet become an American, and the man who goes among you to trade upon your nationality is not a worthy son to live under the Stars and Stripes."
Woodrow Wilson

"The ongoing migration of persons to the United States in violation of our laws is a serious national problem detrimental to the interests of the United States."
Ronald Reagan

Even Jimmy Carter had some sense, "Our laws were not designed to accommodate three or four thousand refugees coming here per day. Our laws were designed for people to be screened in a foreign country, carefully catalogued, and brought here a few at a time.

People, I hope that you will start paying closer attention to those whom you have elected to represent you. Think about what they say, and then compare it to what they do. When they say they are going to do something that sounds all mighty and grand, take some time and research whether or not a law for that already exists.

We do not need comprehensive immigration reform or a guest worker program. We already have enough immigration laws, contained in Title 8 of the U.S. Code, to solve all our immigration problems if they would only be enforced. We already have 8 guest worker programs. If we get any more it might be your job that a guest worker takes next.

The only reason this bill is being pushed upon us is because the powers that be, and I am not only referring to our elected officials, I mean the puppet masters who pull the strings, want this bill to pass. The only reason it has not passed is because there still are enough of us out here who do care, who do take the time to think beyond the rhetoric and the propaganda to learn the truth. Come join us, it is a truly liberating experience.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007




Nuff said...



This cartoon may seem funny, but if you think about the reasons people vote for a candidate, it isn't too far from the truth. How many folks are going to vote for Hillary just because she is a woman? How many are going to vote for Obama because he is African American?

People, wake the hell up and use your heads! Vote for a candidate because of his/her position on the issues and whether or not the Constitution grants them the authority to keep their promises.

Monday, June 25, 2007

What Does July 4 Mean?

July 4th is just around the corner. I am curious, what does this day mean to people? If you turn on your television anytime during the end of June you would think that July 4th is a day to find great savings on everything from clothes to furniture, to automobiles. Independence Day Clearances and July 4 sales abound. I wonder what our founding fathers would have to say about this? Do Independence Day sales sound anything like what John Quincy Adams meant when he stated, "Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." I don’t think he had saving 25% on a new sofa, or no interest for six months on a new SUV was what he had in mind.

For those of us who understand the Constitution and follow the actions of our government, the 4th of July is a day of great sadness. We see how far our government has strayed from the intent of the founding fathers. We see how our government is no longer representative of the people. Independence Day needs to be a time in which people ponder the abuses of power by our government and speak out, as did Patrick Henry in his speech made famous by the phrase, ‘Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.’

“Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offense, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the Majesty of Heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings.
Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”

In the name of our presidents war on terror we have had legislation passed and executive orders signed which infringe upon many of the freedoms guaranteed us in the Bill of Rights. James Madison warned of this danger over two hundred years ago,
“It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.”

We are taxed far beyond what is necessary to run our government according to its constitutional mandate. Thomas Jefferson stated it simply, “Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”

Government funded social service programs also go against the thinking of Jefferson, “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.” Remember also, as Jefferson once said, “A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”

Our nation has been invaded by millions of illegal aliens from all across the globe. Yet our government refuses to hear the voice of the people, who say they want our current immigration laws enforced with no rewards of amnesty for those who violate these laws.

With all the abuses of power and burdens place upon the people of this country, I am reminded of the words of George Washington, “The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments.”

For the people of this country, Independence Day is just another holiday. A day for barbecues, trips to the lake, or a chance to find a great sale at some retail center. We have forgotten the great gift of freedom and liberty that our founding fathers bestowed upon us. We have forgotten that for us to hold on to those liberties we must remain vigilante and pay close attention to the actions of our government. James Madison once said, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

We have become ignorant, complacent and apathetic in regards to the affairs of our government. The future of our country demands that we shake off this lethargy and begin to remember the words of Patrick Henry, “For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it.”

Remember, that we are celebrating the birth of our nation which commenced with the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which states, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Our government has forgotten that it is we the people who hold the power. They have forgotten that they are our ‘public servants’. They need to be reminded. So, this coming Independence Day, I ask that each of us search deep within ourselves and try to recapture the true meaning of the day. If we continue to remain ignorant, I can only offer you a warning by Thomas Jefferson, “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

Thursday, June 21, 2007

My Thoughts On Being A Patriot

Two Hundred and thirty one years ago, Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence. In doing so, Jefferson, as well as the other signatories of that document, placed their lives in danger. They were traitors to the crown of England, and the first American Patriots. These men were willing to give up their lives for the beliefs that are so eloquently stated in the opening of that Declaration,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

A true patriot is not afraid to speak out against injustice and governmental abuses of power. They do not fear the isolation that their calling places upon them. They are much like John the Baptist, as the voice of one crying out in the wilderness. As Mark Twain once said, “In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” Patriots understand, and accept, the sacrifice that comes with their love of country. As Nathan Hale said before being hanged by the British, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country."

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who openly admits to being unpatriotic. It is a banner, especially in post 911 time, that no one wishes to wear openly. However, saying a thing does not make it so. How goes the old saying, 'put your money where your mouth is'.

Congressman Ron Paul of Texas made the following comments what it means to be a patriot.

"The original American Patriots were those individuals brave enough to resist with force the oppressive power of King George. I accept the definition of patriotism as that effort to resist oppressive state power."

"The true patriot is motivated by a sense of responsibility and out of self interest for himself, his family, and the future of his country to resist government abuse of power. He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state."

Let me repeat that last sentence, 'He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state.' To be a true patriot one must not be fearful of condemnation, imprisonment, or even death for the principles which he holds dear. How many self proclaimed patriots would be willing to fight for their beliefs?

Our nation has come a long, long way, from being subservient to the English to becoming a beacon of freedom, liberty and unlimited opportunity. Thomas Jefferson proclaimed, “My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!”

That quote is just as applicable today as it was when Jefferson first said it. Americans take for granted the blessings and liberties they have. Unfortunately those blessings are slowly being taken from us by a government that has ceased to govern according to its constitutional mandate.

Alexander Tyler once described the course all democracies take. He said they go “From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependency; from dependency back again to bondage.”

Today we are in the very last stages of that cycle. We have become apathetic when it comes to the political process. When most of the people do not take the time to follow the laws being passed, to write a letter or place a call to their elected officials, we are apathetic.

We are also seriously dependent upon our government for far too many things that are outside the bounds of their constitutional duties and powers. Government subsidies exist for almost every conceivable circumstance, all paid for by our tax dollars.

Three quotes by Thomas Jefferson clearly show that this dependency is not only unconstitutional, it is tyrannical.

“To lay taxes to provide for the general welfare of the United States, that is to say, 'to lay taxes for the purpose of providing for the general welfare.' For the laying of taxes is the power, and the general welfare the purpose for which the power is to be exercised. They are not to lay taxes ad libitum for any purpose they please; but only to pay the debts or provide for the welfare of the Union.”

“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated.”

“To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.“

With all these government subsidies that are paid for by tax dollars, we now find ourselves voting for the candidate who promises us the most in benefits. Self reliance and personal integrity are quickly becoming things of the past. We no longer seek a candidate for office who has the courage to say that it is not the governments job to hold our hand and support us with tax funded subsidies. Our founding fathers must be rolling in their graves at what we have allowed to happen to this country.

John Quincy Adams once said, "Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it."

Our constitution sets clearly defined limits upon what powers the government has, and what restrictions are place upon it. No longer does either political party adhere to governing according to the constitution.

We rely upon government for far too much. With that dependence, comes a price. Our country is on a perilous course. We have lost our understanding of what it means to be an American, and to be a patriot. Under the guise of a war on terror, legislation has been passed and executive orders have been signed that give our president unlimited power that goes well beyond his constitutional authority. Our system of government no longer represents ‘we the people’. Our voices are no longer heard or listened to by our representatives.

General Douglas MacArthur once said that “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.” The American people have not been vigilant. Our lives are filled with the trivial pursuit of enjoyment. We seek to acquire toys to play with during our spare time or we sit in front of an endless stream of mind numbing television shows. It is no longer of any importance to us to closely watch our government, to make sure they are not violating our personal liberties by their actions. They have forgotten the words of Ulysses S. Grant, “Our great modern Republic. May those who seek the blessings of its institutions and the protection of its flag remember the obligations they impose.”

Thomas Jefferson stated that ‘The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.’ Jefferson was not talking about blood spilt on foreign soil in the ‘so called’ defense of our country. He was speaking of people who were willing to give up their lives for the defense of the principles he spoke of in the Declaration of Independence when he said, “That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”

The Declaration of Independence goes on to say, “Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

Many people in this country believe that our government has gone too far in its usurpation of power. They believe it is time, as Abraham Lincoln said, “This country, with its institutions, belongs to the people who inhabit it. Whenever they shall grow weary of the existing government, they can exercise their constitutional right of amending it, or their revolutionary right to dismember it or overthrow it.” We are close to that straw that breaks the camels back. The patience of the people in this country who truly understand what powers our constitution grants this government, and who are fed up with said government overstepping their authority, is wearing thin.

So my question to you, people of the United States, are there any patriots left in this country? Are there enough of us left who love this country and what it stands for, who are willing to go against the current politically correct attitudes and speak out for government ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’?

Are there any Americans left who would have the courage to stand in the streets and proclaim, as Patrick Henry once did, “Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!”

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Screw John McCain

Arizona Senator John McCain wants to be president. He wants to hold the highest office in this land. The duties of the president are to execute the laws of this land. The laws of this land are created by the legislative branch of our government, the Senate and the House of Representatives. These two branches are supposed to represent the people of this country.

With that being said, why did Senator McCain make the following statement on This Week on ABC?

"I think the Senate works in a way where relatively small numbers can block legislation, but I also think the more conservative, anti-immigration, anti-legislation group were very well backed up by a very vocal group of people who were supporting them."

Senator McCain, does not appear to understand that our founding fathers established the system of government we now currently have for a reason? I do not see how he can say that small numbers blocked his immigration reform legislation when the bill failed to make cloture by a vote of 45 to 50. The Senators who voted against cloture heard the voices of their constituents and listened, unlike Senator McCain.

The American people do not want immigration reform, we want enforcement of current law. It is by our governments failure to do so that we now find ourselves in the predicament we do with 20 million illegal aliens. Senator McCain along with the likes of Edward Kennedy and Diane Feinstein are disgraces to their office. They have placed the wishes and desires of criminal invaders of our country above the wishes and desires of their constituents. Yet he has the unmitigated gall to seek the office of president!

A fellow patriot Mike Vanderboegh wrote the following, and I agree 100%.


"Folks, if you're waiting for reinforcements before acting, they ain't coming. We're all that stands between what was and what will be, no matter how dark and bloody a future that is. The Amnesty Conspiracy has made a cold political calculation that you will let them get away with the biggest power grab in American history. A power grab so complete that it will end the Founders' government of checks and balances and the rule of law. A power grab that will finish the Old Republic for good. It's time, my fellow Americans, if you wish to remain Americans, to come out of the cellar and grab some rocks. It is time to be Sons and Daughters of Liberty once more."

We who oppose amnesty for these illegal aliens and enforcement of existing law are all that stand between the continued existence of the United States as we now know it and the continued spiral of our country into third world status. If you care at all about the future of this country, whether it be for yourself or the future of your children, now is the time to make a stand. Tomorrow will be too late. You elected officials seem not to have heard the rising tide of anger at their continued push for immigration reform. We must shake the halls of Congress with our voices and let them know we will not tolerate them ignoring our wishes and desires.

As long as I see the biased news reporting that Senator John McCain has more than 1% support for his bid for president, I will know that we are not working hard enough to make our voices heard.

Senator McCain will go down in the history books as a traitor, it is up to you to make sure that he does not go down as one of the few who brought about the downfall of this once great nation.

Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' and/or representative's office.

It's Not The Immigration System That's Broken

I keep hearing the same tired old excuses about why we should accept the current proposal for immigration reform. We are told our immigration system is broken and we need to fix it. We hear that America needs a guest worker program to bring in workers to do the jobs that Americans won't. You know what, I am absolutely sick of it!

How can you tell if a system is broken if you have never tried to use it? To the people that would fall for the blatant propaganda and outright lies, I would urge you to do some research on your own before accepting for truth what your elected officials are telling you. Go to your local library or go online and look up Title 8 of the United States Code, it has all our laws regarding every aspect of immigration.

Just to show you that our immigration system is not broken I will present a few examples of our current immigration law.

Section 1181, Admission of immigrants into the United States says:

Except as provided in subsection (b) and subsection (c) of this
section no immigrant shall be admitted into the United States
unless at the time of application for admission he (1) has a valid
unexpired immigrant visa or was born subsequent to the issuance of
such visa of the accompanying parent, and (2) presents a valid
unexpired passport or other suitable travel document or document of
identity and nationality, if such document is required under the
regulations issued by the Attorney General.

Also, Section 1227 lists the various classes of deportable aliens.

Any alien who is present in the United States in violation of
this chapter or any other law of the United States, or whose
nonimmigrant visa (or other documentation authorizing admission
into the United States as a nonimmigrant) has been revoked
under section 1201(i) of this title, is deportable.

That proves that they have entered our country illegally and are eligible to be deported. Two violations of the law already.

For someone to enter this country on a visa they have to have a sponsor. That sponsor must fill out numerous forms and include an affidavit of support as per Section 1183a of Title 8. Section (a) states:

(1) Terms of affidavit
No affidavit of support may be accepted by the Attorney General
or by any consular officer to establish that an alien is not
excludable as a public charge under section 1182(a)(4) of this
title unless such affidavit is executed by a sponsor of the alien
as a contract -
(A) in which the sponsor agrees to provide support to
maintain the sponsored alien at an annual income that is not
less than 125 percent of the Federal poverty line during the
period in which the affidavit is enforceable

That means that it is the sponsors obligation to be financially responsible for the immigrant, not the taxpayers by virtue of tax funded social service programs.

Finally each and every alien who is here now is to be registered and fingerprinted as per Section 1302 of Title 8.

(a) It shall be the duty of every alien now or hereafter in the
United States, who (1) is fourteen years of age or older, (2) has
not been registered and fingerprinted under section 1201(b) of this
title or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration Act, 1940, and
(3) remains in the United States for thirty days or longer, to
apply for registration and to be fingerprinted before the
expiration of such thirty days.
(b) It shall be the duty of every parent or legal guardian of any
alien now or hereafter in the United States, who (1) is less than
fourteen years of age, (2) has not been registered under section
1201(b) of this title or section 30 or 31 of the Alien Registration
Act, 1940, and (3) remains in the United States for thirty days or
longer, to apply for the registration of such alien before the
expiration of such thirty days. Whenever any alien attains his
fourteenth birthday in the United States he shall, within thirty
days thereafter, apply in person for registration and to be
fingerprinted.

So right there we have three clear cut violations of U.S. law that have not been enforced since 1986 when we granted the last amnesty. I could list many more but I think you get the picture.

The other thing that really makes my blood boil is when I hear that we need more guest workers to do the jobs that Americans won't. For one thing there is no job an American won't do if the pay is right. If there were no illegal aliens in this country to pick the crops, the farmers would have to raise the salary until it was enough for an American to accept that type work. Supply and demand 101.

But to hear George Bush speak we need a guest worker program to bring in more workers to this country. By golly Mr. President, I don't think we need comprehensive immigration reform for that. Just crack open Title 8 of the U.S. Code to sections 1160 and 1188. Section 1188 outlines just what you are looking for, a program designed to bring in guest workers. It states:

Sec. 1188. Admission of temporary H-2A workers

(a) Conditions for approval of H-2A petitions
(1) A petition to import an alien as an H-2A worker (as defined
in subsection (i)(2) of this section) may not be approved by the
Attorney General unless the petitioner has applied to the Secretary
of Labor for a certification that -
(A) there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, and
qualified, and who will be available at the time and place
needed, to perform the labor or services involved in the
petition, and
(B) the employment of the alien in such labor or services will
not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers
in the United States similarly employed.
(2) The Secretary of Labor may require by regulation, as a
condition of issuing the certification, the payment of a fee to
recover the reasonable costs of processing applications for
certification.
(b) Conditions for denial of labor certification
The Secretary of Labor may not issue a certification under
subsection (a) of this section with respect to an employer if the
conditions described in that subsection are not met or if any of
the following conditions are met:
(1) There is a strike or lockout in the course of a labor
dispute which, under the regulations, precludes such
certification.
(2)(A) The employer during the previous two-year period
employed H-2A workers and the Secretary of Labor has determined,
after notice and opportunity for a hearing, that the employer at
any time during that period substantially violated a material
term or condition of the labor certification with respect to the
employment of domestic or nonimmigrant workers.
(B) No employer may be denied certification under subparagraph
(A) for more than three years for any violation described in such
subparagraph.
(3) The employer has not provided the Secretary with
satisfactory assurances that if the employment for which the
certification is sought is not covered by State workers'
compensation law, the employer will provide, at no cost to the
worker, insurance covering injury and disease arising out of and
in the course of the worker's employment which will provide
benefits at least equal to those provided under the State
workers' compensation law for comparable employment.
(4) The Secretary determines that the employer has not made
positive recruitment efforts within a multi-state region of
traditional or expected labor supply where the Secretary finds
that there are a significant number of qualified United States
workers who, if recruited, would be willing to make themselves
available for work at the time and place needed.

So Mr. President, it appears we already have immigration laws in place. They are just sitting there waiting to be enforced. I guess we don't need your comprehensive immigration reform, all we need is a fence and a government with enough balls to enforce existing law.

One last thing, if we are to use the presidents standards of measuring whether or not something is broken or not, I guess we would have to assume that our government is broken as well, because it just doesn't work anymore. Maybe it is time for a little comprehensive government reform. What do you say about that people?

Neal is fed up with a fat, dumb, apathetic America and is dedicated to saving America from itself and a corrupted version of our Constitutional government. Please contact Neal at bonsai@syix.com for permission to reprint his articles.

Neal's writings can be found at:

http://www.neals-soapbox.blogspot.com

http://www.arizonafreepress.com/articles/Ross/NR2007/neal_ross_2007_archives.htm

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Folks, It's up to you

On May 29, 2007, President Bush visited the Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. During his visit, he said, "And it gives me great confidence when I meet you to tell the American people there's a lot of decent souls doing everything they can to provide security for the American people."

The President was right, there are a lot of decent people out there providing security for this country, unfortunately the President isn’t one of them.

For 21 years, after we granted amnesty to 3 million illegal aliens, our immigration laws have gone un-enforced. The American people were lied to once about stricter enforcement of immigration laws. Due to our governments unwillingness to enforce these laws, we now are confronted with the issue of what to do with an estimated 20 million illegal aliens.

The American people do not want another amnesty, and this new legislation is just that no matter what George W. Bush says. The President is promising $4.4 billion for more border security as a sign that he is serious about sealing our borders. In October of 2006 President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act, which would build 700 miles of fencing along our southern border. To date eleven miles of fencing have been built. Is the President serious about border security? I think not.

Our Border Patrol Agents work tirelessly to stop the human tide of the poor and the criminal element that wants to cross our borders. Yet the U.S. Justice Dept has aggressively persecuted those same border agents for doing their jobs. Just ask Ingacio Ramos and Jose Compean if you don't believe me.

Recently Republicans and Democrats got together and drafted a ‘Grand Compromise’ of Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The American people did not buy it. They flooded their senators with calls, faxes, e mails and letters opposing this bill. On the floor of the Senate if failed to get enough votes to pass cloture and was declared dead by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The American people thought they had won a major battle, but the President stepped in and began twisting arms of his fellow Republicans to bring the bill back to the senate floor for a vote. Whatever the President did or said, it worked, the bill is being re-introduced for further consideration. It appears that there has been another compromise that will allow a certain number of amendments to be discussed and voted upon with the agreement that the bill will this time have enough votes to make cloture.

America, we have been sold out by our senators, especially if your senators name is Feinstein, Kennedy, Kyl, McCain, Graham, Martinez, or Spector. Worst of all, our President has made it clear that he cares more for the people of Mexico than he does the citizens of the United States.

I was in a very heated argument the other day with a woman at work about the enforcement of immigration laws. She claimed that no matter what I say, what argument I make, I am only interested in getting rid of all the Mexican illegal aliens because I am for stricter control of our southern border. She did not want to hear about the drugs, or the gangs that come across that border. All she heard was RACIST, RACIST.

I am only concerned with enforcement of the law, equally applied to every illegal alien in this country. While I am only concerned with applying our immigration laws equally to all those who violate them, our President has made it clear that his goal is to aid and assist as many citizens of Mexico to come to the United States as he possibly can. Why else would he make the following comments in Mexico at a Cinco de Mayo celebration?

Comprehensive immigration reform is a vital goal for our nation, and it is a matter of deep conviction for me. I will continue to work closely with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to build a consensus for reform, so Congress can pass, and I can sign, a comprehensive immigration bill into law.

It is obvious that certain lawmakers care nothing for the wishes and desires of their constituents. It, therefore, is up to us to continue to tie up their phone lines with negative feedback on this bill. If that does not work, and our voices are ignored we must make a united stand to remove these traitors from the offices they have disgraced. It is imperative that we do so.

There was an article in my local paper today about the Ya es Hora, (Now is the time) movement by Univision. It is an attempt to get all eligible immigrants to become U.S. citizens so they can vote. The pro-immigration folks are highly organized and are making great strides in getting their message out and their voices heard. We must do the same. If this bill passes and the President signs it into law, there will be at least 20 million new eligible voters. With the apathy and low voter turnout of the American people, we may forever lose our chance to have our voices heard in regards to controlling the flow of illegal immigrants into this country.

That may suit George W. Bush just fine, but it doesn’t sit well with me. If you share my sentiments on this issue you must make a concerted effort to recruit friends and co-workers for the cause. You must send out e mails, make phone calls to your senator and you must be persistent. I have called Diane Feinstein’s office daily for three weeks now. I may not have been successful in getting through each time, but I have made the effort. If you want to stop this bill from passing, you must do the same. The future of our country depends upon it.

Friday, June 15, 2007

The Fat Lady is About to Sing

Ever hear the old saying, 'It ain't over till the fat lady sings'? Guess what folks, she is on the stage right now, and unless we silence her, it is over for the United States of America. Game, set and match, the United States is soon to join the ranks of other mighty nations that have come and gone. Well be relegated to the history books as a grand experiment in self government that failed miserably.

All the pieces have been strategically placed, and the players are ready to make the final move to checkmate the American people and turn this representative republic into a corporate financed dictatorship.

It used to be that we had a government, as Abraham Lincoln spoke of in his Gettysburg Address, "of the people, by the people, for the people". That government no longer exists. When a resounding percentage of the people want our President to end an unjust, unconstitutional, and uncalled for war in Iraq and he refuses to hear our voices we no longer have that government of the people and for the people. When our United States Senators are flooded with mail and phone calls opposing immigration reform, and still they proceed to move forward with the bill, we no longer have a government for the people.

Part of the problem lies firmly upon our shoulders, for We the People, have gotten lazy and apathetic concerning the actions of our government. We have forgotten the Constitutional authority granted this government and the limits it places upon them. A good percentage of the people in this country would rather spend their time glued to an endless stream of mind numbing television shows instead of researching legislation or how their elected officials are selling out their country for corporate profits.

These are the same people that cry the loudest when the price of gas goes up or when their tax refunds get smaller and smaller. How surprised would they be if they were to learn that there is no law saying they have to pay income taxes at all? They have been lied to so many times that the lie has become the truth. In May of 2005, George W. Bush said "See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." That is what has been done to us, the propaganda has been repeated over and over ad nauseum until we accept it as truth.

The propaganda about how the war in Iraq will make us safer from terrorists has been fed to us so long that if you oppose the war you are labeled either a traitor or soft on terror. We have been told that illegal aliens are only looking for a better life or that they do the jobs Americans won't for so long that if we are against amnesty or immigration reform we are racists and xenophobic.

The truth is that we have been deceived by our government. They have lied and sold us out for the almighty dollar, (soon to be replaced by the Amero). We no longer have a voice in the affairs of our government. We are now the same as the illegal aliens, pawns in a huge chess game being played by power elites to gain absolute control over the world.

As I said earlier the pieces have all been positioned, much as a chess master moves his players into position to commence the final attack leading to checkmate. James Madison once said, "I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations." Under the guise of George W. Bush's War on Terror, the stage has been set for the final play upon our rights as guaranteed in the Constitution.

Just over a month after the September 11 attacks, our Congress passed the Patriot Act, without having read the text of the legislation. The Patriot Act is far from what its title implies. Consider the following.

Under the Patriot Act, the government can;

-access your medical records, tax records, information about the books you buy. They can break into your house and conduct searches without ever telling you.

-The government is not required to disclose the identity of anyone, even a U.S. citizen, detained in connection with a terror investigation - until criminal charges are filed, no matter how long that takes.

-The definition of terrorism would be expanded to include individuals engaged in civil disobedience, i.e. protestors, and these people face the possibility of losing their citizenship.

-Americans can be extradited, searched and wiretapped at the behest of foreign nations.

-Lawful immigrants could be stripped of the right to a fair deportation hearing and federal courts would not be allowed to review immigration rulings.

The next piece to be place into position was the Military Commissions Act. This Act establishes a system of military tribunals to try enemy combatants. Remember now that under the Patriot Act you can be declared an enemy by performing acts of civil disobedience.

Under the Military Commissions Act,

-The use of evidence obtained by torture will be allowed.

-The defense will not have access to all evidence that is deemed 'secret'.

-People brought before a military tribunal will have lost the right of habeas corpus, which means that they cannot petition the court to determine if their is sufficient evidence to warrant their detention.

Finally, on May 9, 2007 President Bush signed the National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51, Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20. This gives the President all encompassing powers to run the government.
From the text of this directive:

Purpose

(1) This directive establishes a comprehensive national policy on the continuity of Federal Government structures and operations and a single National Continuity Coordinator responsible for coordinating the development and implementation of Federal continuity policies. This policy establishes "National Essential Functions," prescribes continuity requirements for all executive departments and agencies, and provides guidance for State, local, territorial, and tribal governments, and private sector organizations in order to ensure a comprehensive and integrated national continuity program that will enhance the credibility of our national security posture and enable a more rapid and effective response to and recovery from a national emergency.

(6) The President shall lead the activities of the Federal Government for ensuring constitutional government. In order to advise and assist the President in that function, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism (APHS/CT) is hereby designated as the National Continuity Coordinator.

So, now you see, the government, more specifically, the office of the President is now in the position to decide who is declared an enemy of the state. That person can be investigated without their knowledge, a violation of the 4th Amendment, held without a proper hearing, a violation of the 5th & 6th Amendments, and finally, if all hell breaks loose the President can declare himself supreme dictator and assume power over the entire federal government.

All this has taken place while people have been voting for the next American Idol. As I said, the fat lady has taken the stage. We still have time to change the outcome of this but it means that the American people are going to have to get their hands dirty. They are going to have to be willing to sacrifice some time, some effort, and if worse comes to worse, some blood, to change things. Thomas Jefferson once said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." There is certainly no shortage of tyrants. The question is, are there enough patriots?

All Rights Reserved
Neal is fed up with a fat, dumb, apathetic America and is dedicated to saving America from itself and a corrupted version of our Constitutional government.

Please contact Neal at bonsai@syix.com for permission to reprint his articles.

Neal's writings can be found at:
http://www.neals-soapbox.blogspot.com
http://www.arizonafreepress.com/articles/Ross/NR2007/neal_ross_2007_archives.htm

Monday, June 11, 2007

Letter to Diane Feinstein

Senator Feinstein,

My local news broadcast made mention of the fact that President Bush is going to meet with members of the Senate to try and revive S. 1348. It appears that the President is going to try and persuade, (bully) some Republican Senators into changing their votes to allow this bill to pass cloture and go on to a final vote.

I am past anger at the arrogance of the President and those members of the United States Senate, who behind closed doors came up with this travesty of a bill that the Senate tried to force feed the American people, saying it would solve all our immigration problems.

If I recall correctly, we were fed the same lies back in 1986. How goes the old saying, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice...". I am not fooled by the Kyl/Kennedy bill. Since I have been unable to successfully contact your office by phone, I imagine that many of your constituents are not fooled as well.

We, the people of these United States are tired of our voices being ignored and disregarded by our elected representatives. By virtue of the fact that we voted for you, (although sometimes I wonder why), you are obliged to listen to us, or have your forgotten that fact? The majority of the legal citizens in this country do not want any new immigration laws passed. We are tired of laws being written, then not enforced.

Groups such as the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform have more say in the U.S. Senate than the American People and we are not going to sit back and remain silent any longer.

You took an oath of office which states, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter”.

Article VI of the Constitution, which you swore to uphold states, “This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof;...shall be the supreme law of the land.”

With that being said, allow me to make a suggestion. I would recommend that you forget about trying to revive S. 1348 and try a unique concept, enforce our existing immigration laws. We have all the laws and guest worker programs we need to solve our problem with illegal immigration, IF THEY WOULD JUST BE ENFORCED!

S. 1348 would grant a special Z visa to almost every single illegal alien in this country. Even gang members would only have to renounce their gang membership to obtain this visa. How ludicrous! Of course they would renounce it for legalization, but would they mean it?

According to Title 8 U.S. Code Section 1182, Inadmissible Aliens:

(a) Classes of aliens ineligible for visas or admission
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, aliens who are
inadmissible under the following paragraphs are ineligible to
receive visas and ineligible to be admitted to the United States:

(2) Criminal and related grounds
(A) Conviction of certain crimes
(i) In general
Except as provided in clause (ii), any alien convicted of,
or who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts
which constitute the essential elements of -
(I) a crime involving moral turpitude (other than a
purely political offense) or an attempt or conspiracy to
commit such a crime, or
(II) a violation of (or a conspiracy or attempt to violate) any
law or regulation of a State, the United States, or a foreign
country relating to a controlled
substance (as defined in section 802 of title 21), is
inadmissible.

According to that title of the U.S. Code, any illegal alien is inadmissible to the United States due to the fact that they have entered this country illegally, or overstayed their visa. They are not entitled to stay! You are sworn to uphold this law. Shall I continue?

I tried to read through the text of S. 1348 as best I could and I could not find any mention of physical screening of the estimated 12-20 million illegal aliens prior to their receiving this Z visa.

According to 8 U.S. Code Section 1222, Detention of aliens for physical and mental examination:

(a) Detention of aliens
For the purpose of determining whether aliens (including alien
crewmen) arriving at ports of the United States belong to any of
the classes inadmissible under this chapter, by reason of being
afflicted with any of the diseases or mental or physical defects or
disabilities set forth in section 1182(a) of this title, or
whenever the Attorney General has received information showing that
any aliens are coming from a country or have embarked at a place
where any of such diseases are prevalent or epidemic, such aliens
shall be detained by the Attorney General for a sufficient time to
enable the immigration officers and medical officers to subject
such aliens to observation and an examination sufficient to
determine whether or not they belong to inadmissible classes.

The aforementioned Section 1182(a) states:

(a) Classes of aliens ineligible for visas or admission
Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, aliens who are
inadmissible under the following paragraphs are ineligible to
receive visas and ineligible to be admitted to the United States:

(1) Health-related grounds
(A) In general
Any alien -
(i) who is determined (in accordance with regulations
prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to
have a communicable disease of public health significance,
which shall include infection with the etiologic agent for
acquired immune deficiency syndrome,
(ii) except as provided in subparagraph (C), who seeks
admission as an immigrant, or who seeks adjustment of status
to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent
residence, and who has failed to present documentation of
having received vaccination against vaccine-preventable
diseases, which shall include at least the following
diseases: mumps, measles, rubella, polio, tetanus and
diphtheria toxoids, pertussis, influenza type B and hepatitis
B, and any other vaccinations against vaccine-preventable
diseases recommended by the Advisory Committee for
Immunization Practices,
(iii) who is determined (in accordance with regulations
prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services in
consultation with the Attorney General) -
(I) to have a physical or mental disorder and behavior
associated with the disorder that may pose, or has posed, a
threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or
others, or
(II) to have had a physical or mental disorder and a
history of behavior associated with the disorder, which
behavior has posed a threat to the property, safety, or
welfare of the alien or others and which behavior is likely
to recur or to lead to other harmful behavior, or
(iv) who is determined (in accordance with regulations
prescribed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services) to
be a drug abuser or addict,
is inadmissible.

Next I would like to mention 8 U.S. Code, Section 1324 in regards to those who have provided sanctuary for illegal aliens, to include they mayors of every city who has passed ordinances stating that their cities are sanctuary cities, and the churches that provide sanctuary for known illegal aliens. They should be tried and convicted for violation of U.S. law.

Sec. 1324. Bringing in and harboring certain aliens

(a) Criminal penalties
(1)(A) Any person who -
(i) knowing that a person is an alien, brings to or attempts to
bring to the United States in any manner whatsoever such person
at a place other than a designated port of entry or place other
than as designated by the Commissioner, regardless of whether
such alien has received prior official authorization to come to,
enter, or reside in the United States and regardless of any
future official action which may be taken with respect to such
alien;
(ii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an alien
has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in
violation of law, transports, or moves or attempts to transport
or move such alien within the United States by means of
transportation or otherwise, in furtherance of such violation of
law;
(iii) knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that an
alien has come to, entered, or remains in the United States in
violation of law, conceals, harbors, or shields from detection,
or attempts to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection, such
alien in any place, including any building or any means of
transportation;
(iv) encourages or induces an alien to come to, enter, or
reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of
the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be
in violation of law; or
(v)(I) engages in any conspiracy to commit any of the preceding
acts, or
(II) aids or abets the commission of any of the preceding acts,
shall be punished as provided in subparagraph (B).
(B) A person who violates subparagraph (A) shall, for each alien
in respect to whom such a violation occurs -
(i) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i) or (v)(I)
or in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii), or
(iv) in which the offense was done for the purpose of commercial
advantage or private financial gain, be fined under title 18,
imprisoned not more than 10 years, or both;
(ii) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(ii), (iii),
(iv), or (v)(II), be fined under title 18, imprisoned not more
than 5 years, or both;
(iii) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i), (ii),
(iii), (iv), or (v) during and in relation to which the person
causes serious bodily injury (as defined in section 1365 of title
18) to, or places in jeopardy the life of, any person, be fined
under title 18, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both; and
(iv) in the case of a violation of subparagraph (A)(i), (ii),
(iii), (iv), or (v) resulting in the death of any person, be
punished by death or imprisoned for any term of years or for
life, fined under title 18, or both.

So, at the minimum, the members of the clergy who provide sanctuary for illegal aliens would be facing jail time of 5 years. The mayors of the cities who provide sanctuary for illegal aliens, including those gang members, who through their activities cause the death of another person, could be facing the death penalty according to section (B) (iv).

8 U.S. Code section 1252c, Authorizing State and local law enforcement officials to arrest and detain certain illegal aliens, states:

(a) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, to the extent
permitted by relevant State and local law, State and local law
enforcement officials are authorized to arrest and detain an
individual who -
(1) is an alien illegally present in the United States; and
(2) has previously been convicted of a felony in the United
States and deported or left the United States after such
conviction,
but only after the State or local law enforcement officials obtain
appropriate confirmation from the Immigration and Naturalization
Service of the status of such individual and only for such period
of time as may be required for the Service to take the individual
into Federal custody for purposes of deporting or removing the
alien from the United States.
(b) Cooperation
The Attorney General shall cooperate with the States to assure
that information in the control of the Attorney General, including
information in the National Crime Information Center, that would
assist State and local law enforcement officials in carrying out
duties under subsection (a) of this section is made available to
such officials.

These sanctuary policies are against these two sections of U.S. Code. My question is this, why haven’t you, and/or the Attorney General of the United States upheld these EXISTING laws?

I would also like to cover the misconception that we need a guest worker program. As previously stated, we already have an estimated 12-20 million illegal aliens inside the United States at this time. I would venture to say it is closer to 30-40 million as there is no effective means of counting them.

With those kinds of numbers, why do we need more workers? Aren’t there enough already? We already have a guest worker program with the H2A visas. I have friends who have told me that without migrant workers their fruit would not get picked. I can accept that fact and would allow for workers to come to our country and do that type work. However, when they take jobs that used to be held by American workers at meat packing facilities, construction, and landscaping jobs, that is where I draw the line. The employers of these workers are only concerned with increasing their profits, not the welfare of the American workers.

Our existing law already provides for a guest worker program. It is found in 8 U.S. Code, Section 1188.

Admission of temporary H-2A workers

(a) Conditions for approval of H-2A petitions
(1) A petition to import an alien as an H-2A worker (as defined
in subsection (i)(2) of this section) may not be approved by the
Attorney General unless the petitioner has applied to the Secretary
of Labor for a certification that -
(A) there are not sufficient workers who are able, willing, and
qualified, and who will be available at the time and place
needed, to perform the labor or services involved in the
petition, and
(B) the employment of the alien in such labor or services will
not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of workers
in the United States similarly employed.

The Secretary of Labor may not issue a certification under
subsection (a) of this section with respect to an employer if the
conditions described in that subsection are not met or if any of
the following conditions are met:

(3) The employer has not provided the Secretary with
satisfactory assurances that if the employment for which the
certification is sought is not covered by State workers'
compensation law, the employer will provide, at no cost to the
worker, insurance covering injury and disease arising out of and
in the course of the worker's employment which will provide
benefits at least equal to those provided under the State
workers' compensation law for comparable employment.

(4) The Secretary determines that the employer has not made
positive recruitment efforts within a multi-state region of
traditional or expected labor supply where the Secretary finds
that there are a significant number of qualified United States
workers who, if recruited, would be willing to make themselves
available for work at the time and place needed. Positive
recruitment under this paragraph is in addition to, and shall be
conducted within the same time period as, the circulation through
the interstate employment service system of the employer's job
offer. The obligation to engage in positive recruitment under
this paragraph shall terminate on the date the H-2A workers
depart for the employer's place of employment.

Finally, S. 1348 would put into place employer sanctions for the hiring of illegal aliens. 8 U.S. Code, Section 1324a covers this area in great detail, it states:

Unlawful employment of aliens

(a) Making employment of unauthorized aliens unlawful
(1) In general
It is unlawful for a person or other entity -
(A) to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment
in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an
unauthorized alien (as defined in subsection (h)(3) of this
section) with respect to such employment, or
(B)(i) to hire for employment in the United States an
individual without complying with the requirements of
subsection (b) of this section or (ii) if the person or entity
is an agricultural association, agricultural employer, or farm
labor contractor (as defined in section 1802 of title 29), to
hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the
United States an individual without complying with the
requirements of subsection (b) of this section.
(2) Continuing employment
It is unlawful for a person or other entity, after hiring an
alien for employment in accordance with paragraph (1), to
continue to employ the alien in the United States knowing the
alien is (or has become) an unauthorized alien with respect to
such employment.
(3) Defense
A person or entity that establishes that it has complied in
good faith with the requirements of subsection (b) of this
section with respect to the hiring, recruiting, or referral for
employment of an alien in the United States has established an
affirmative defense that the person or entity has not violated
paragraph (1)(A) with respect to such hiring, recruiting, or
referral.

It may be argued that S. 1348 had improved methods of ensuring that those working here were authorized to do so, but in 8 U.S. Code, Section 1324a subsection 6(C) (c) it states:

(c)No authorization of national identification cards
Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize, directly
or indirectly, the issuance or use of national identification cards
or the establishment of a national identification card.
(d) Evaluation and changes in employment verification system
(1) Presidential monitoring and improvements in system
(A) Monitoring
The President shall provide for the monitoring and evaluation
of the degree to which the employment verification system
established under subsection (b) of this section provides a
secure system to determine employment eligibility in the United
States and shall examine the suitability of existing Federal
and State identification systems for use for this purpose.
(B) Improvements to establish secure system
To the extent that the system established under subsection
(b) of this section is found not to be a secure system to
determine employment eligibility in the United States, the
President shall, subject to paragraph (3) and taking into
account the results of any demonstration projects conducted
under paragraph (4), implement such changes in (including
additions to) the requirements of subsection (b) of this
section as may be necessary to establish a secure system to
determine employment eligibility in the United States. Such
changes in the system may be implemented only if the changes
conform to the requirements of paragraph (2).
(2) Restrictions on changes in system
Any change the President proposes to implement under paragraph
(1) in the verification system must be designed in a manner so
the verification system, as so changed, meets the following
requirements:
(A) Reliable determination of identity
The system must be capable of reliably determining whether -
(i) a person with the identity claimed by an employee or
prospective employee is eligible to work, and
(ii) the employee or prospective employee is claiming the
identity of another individual.

The fines for violating this section of our law are as follows,
(f) Criminal penalties and injunctions for pattern or practice
violations

(1) Criminal penalty
Any person or entity which engages in a pattern or practice of
violations of subsection (a)(1)(A) or (a)(2) of this section
shall be fined not more than $3,000 for each unauthorized alien
with respect to whom such a violation occurs, imprisoned for not
more than six months for the entire pattern or practice, or both,
notwithstanding the provisions of any other Federal law relating
to fine levels.

So again, I ask you, as an elected representative of the lawful citizens of the United States, who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution, which states that all laws passed under it shall be the supreme law of the land, why haven’t you enforced these existing laws? Why must we, the American people be made to suffer the consequences of granting 12-20 million illegal aliens a pathway to that most precious gift, citizenship?

If you can explain to me why these laws were never enforced and convince me why we should trust you this time, I might reconsider my opposition to any new immigration reform. Until then I will fight this to my last breath.

Saturday, June 02, 2007

H1B visas, Outsourcing and S 1348

When the Senate returns from break next week they will renew their debate on S. 1348, the Kyl/Kennedy immigration bill. One of the proposals contained in this bill is an increase in the number of H1B visas.
Article Here

Currently we allow for about 65,000 H1B visas per year. Under the new Kyl/Kennedy immigration reform proposal that number would skyrocket up to 180,000 per year, almost tripling the number of H1B visas granted per year.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has already introduced an amendment that would increase the fees for H1B visas from $1500 to $8500. Senator Sanders cited evidence that certain U.S. companies admit to hiring foreign H1B workers over Americans because those workers are willing to work for less money than American workers.

As far back as 2003 many of our software companies were outsourcing jobs, mostly to India. A Washington Post article stated that more than half the Fortune 500 companies were outsourcing software development jobs.

Duke Universities Pratt School of Engineering sent out surveys to 100 companies who outsource for their employees. The results of their findings are located at
Article here, and you can see that on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being no advantage and 5 being a significant advantage, that the cost of salaries and personnel savings was the highest ranked reason for outsourcing for employees at 3.83 on their scale.

However, if you watch the news, you are still led to believe that our companies need these workers because there is a shortage of skilled laborers in this country. We are told that we need these highly skilled workers to fill the high tech jobs that American is creating to compete in the global marketplace.

First of all, according to the Dept. Of Education, our colleges graduate around 300,000 students a year with Bachelors, Masters, or PhD's in computer or information sciences and math and engineering studies.

The Dept. of Labor estimates that, annually, there are only 120,000 job openings per year for the jobs that require degrees in higher education like the ones our students are graduating from in the United States.

So, where is the shortage of workers? Many say that these college graduates would all be entry level employees who require years of training to become proficient on the job, therefore they need H1B workers from abroad to fill these positions.

Not so. The office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services awards H1B visas by random drawing. Fifty six percent of H1B visas are rewarded to entry level workers. On top of that, 84% of H1B visa workers earned wages that were below the median U.S. wage. In tech worker positions, the H1B counterparts earned $12,000 less per year.

Still, we are told that our children are not able to compete in the global marketplace because the education they are receiving is not up to par with the rest of the world. President Bush stated that "...we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future, and our country is more competitive by strengthening math and science skills."

In an article at Tech News World we were told that the President endorsed a proposal by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings to train 70,000 new math and science teachers...to improve basic education in these disciplines overall.
Article here.

There are many stories of people who have lost their jobs due to companies outsourcing to companies in India and China. Here are a few of them which ought to be sufficient to prove that American workers are being laid off solely for the benefit of the corporations, with little regard to the workers of this country.

In 1996, Natasha Humphreys received her college degree from Stanford University and went to work for Apple Computers. She took additional classes in technology so that she could move up the career ladder and was eventually rewarded by becoming a senior software testing engineer in the Palm Pilot program. In 2002 Palm Pilot decided to move all software testing to India and China were they could pay wages as low as $2 an hour. Natasha was sent to India to conduct training. She was assured that her job would not be affected. She spent two weeks in India training workers and then six months mentoring them from the United States. In 2003, Natasha was laid off, as well as 40% of her co-workers.

In 2005, Delphi, an auto parts giant which is a spin off of G.M. filed for bankruptcy. They claimed they were paying their workers between $26- $30 an hour and they wanted to cut costs by cutting wages, health care, and retirement. The CEO said he hoped to get wages down to the $8-$10 an hour range, and he also said he hoped to use the outsourcing of cheap laborers as well.

And finally, Fox News reported on a particularly tragic example of job displacement that took place in 2003: "Kevin Flanagan, a computer programmer with Bank of America, was fired from his job after being forced to train his replacement, an Indian worker who was taking over Flanagan’s job as part of Bank of America’s effort to replace its American workforce with foreign labor. Flanagan walked outside into his office parking lot and shot himself to death."
Article here

Yet if Bill Gates had his way, the caps on H1B visas would be done away with entirely, leaving all American workers susceptible to replacement by lower paid foreign workers.

To top off the insult of having our jobs sent overseas to be filled by workers who will work for significantly less than Americans will work for, there is this.

According to Senator Byron Dorgan, the U.S. tax code gives big business a tax break when they move their operations overseas. If a company moves it’s operations to China, India, or any other foreign country for that matter, they do not have to pay taxes on their earnings as long as that money stays overseas. Once the companies decide to bring their profits back to the U.S., they are charged only 5-1/4%, less than half of the tax rate for the lowest income families in the U.S.

Now tell me that if a company can get away with moving jobs overseas and hiring workers in China for $.30 an hour, then receive a tax break like that, whose side is our government on? It certainly isn’t the side of the American workers!

But alas, only a few voices in Congress are willing to speak out about the loss of jobs to Americans due to outsourcing, and insourcing of cheap foreign workers. The rest of them are beholden to their corporate masters, and as long as the American public continues to believe in their lies and deceptions, they will continue to hold office and sell the American people down the toilet for corporate profits.

Send these out to your elected officials

Friday, June 01, 2007

What are they thinking

Sometimes I wish I was a Vulcan. I would love to be able to do the Vulcan mind meld and see what is going on in the minds of our elected representatives. I would be particularly interested in seeing into the minds of the twelve Senators who, behind closed doors, came up with S. 1348, the Grand Compromise immigration legislation that is now being debated on the Senate floor.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made the following comment the other day, "...the American people are very wise on this, and their wisdom will be reflected in the actions of Congress." Obviously certain Senators, including Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, Mel Martinez, Ken Salazar, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Jon Kyl, Dianne Feinstein, and Arlen Specter among them, decided that they would hold closed door meetings to formulate what they considered was an immigration reform bill they felt was in the best interests of our country, or did they?

When an overwhelming 80% of the American people are against this proposed legislation it would appear that Speaker Pelosi's words don't quite ring true, the actions of the Senate do not reflect the will of the people.

If that is the case, just who are our senators representing with this immigration reform plan? How about Carlos Gutierrez, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for one. Secretary Gutierrez was born in Cuba and studied business administration in Mexico. He played a key role in pushing through CAFTA, which has done nothing to improve the economy or the job markets in the United States.

Then there is the Catholic Church, in particular the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Cardinal Roger Mahony. Cardinal Mahony is a strong proponent of amnesty for illegal aliens and has been very vocal about the church being a sanctuary for those who face deportation. The Cardinal, with his meddling in policy making, obviously does not understand the concept of the separation of church and state.

Then there is the National Council of La Raza. The National Council of La Raza, or "The Race," was condemned last year by Rep. Charles Norwood, R-Ga., as a radical "pro-illegal immigration lobbying organization that supports racist groups calling for the secession of the western United States as a Hispanic-only homeland." In a Washington Post article it was said that, "... La Raza, MALDEF, the League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, and the National Immigration Forum are part of a broad network of immigrant rights groups that have been speaking daily with top aides in the offices of Democratic Sens. Ted Kennedy and Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader."

So now we have big business pushing for an endless supply of cheap laborers, the church looking to feed and grant sanctuary of the world, and Hispanic rights groups who want their land back, being represented by our Senate. What about the people who elected these Senators in to office, where is our representation?

Cecilia Munoz, Vice President of the National Council of La Raza stated that, "It is important that we get a good bill over the finish line." Good for whom I ask, certainly not the citizens of the United States.

Senator Spector, one of the authors of this bill says it is not amnesty, it will restore the rule of law to this land. Restore the rule of law? Since 1952, when Congress passed the McCarran-Walter Act, we have had the laws in place to control illegal immigration. They can be found in Title 8 of the United States Code. The laws are there, the will to enforce them are not. To prove my point I refer to something said by Senator Kennedy. The esteemed Senator stated that his bill would "say no more worker abuse", and employers would have to ensure they only hired legal workers. Shortly thereafter the Senator complained about an immigration raid at a New Bedford, Massachusetts company that, “disrupted the lives of scores of families who had laid down roots...” How strong is the Senators will to enforce any immigration law when he won’t enforce the ones we already have?

The Senator also stated, at the press conference that was held when they announced a compromise had been reached, that this bill would bring these workers out of the shadows and into the sunshine of America. Were these illegal aliens in the shadows two years ago in May when they took to the streets and demanded rights they are not entitled to?

If you look at this legislation that was formulated by these masters of the universe, as Senator Jeff Sessions calls them, you will see that it is a disaster waiting to happen. Let's take a look at what kind of compromise our elected officials decided was in our best interests. You may want to sit down for this.

According to current immigration procedures, a prospective immigrant to this country must undergo a physical exam prior to being issued a visa. For the approximately 12-20 million illegal aliens in this country already, that requirement would be waived if this bill passes.
All background checks on those applying for amnesty must be completed within 24 hours, although there is no justification why and plenty of reason to suggest that complete background checks can't be done so quickly.

Gang members would be given amnesty if they renounce their gang membership. If an illegal alien is arrested in an enforcement raid and might be eligible for amnesty, the government must provide help in applying for the Z visa and release the illegal alien.

Illegal aliens would be required to pay a $5000 fine, Illegal aliens are already faced with a $5,000 fine (19 USC 1459 and 19 USC 1433), but this fine is not enforced.

"If passed, this bill will make taxpayers pay the legal bills for illegal aliens seeking amnesty...." - Ken Boehm, Chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), May 22, 2007.

Section 413 promises U.S. help in getting financial services to Mexico's poor and under-served populations, expanding effort to reduce the transaction costs of remittance flows, helping the Mexican government to strengthen education and job training, and increasing health care access for the poor in Mexico.

Over the next 13 years alone, it would increase the current number of legal foreign-born green card holders from about 25 million (who arrived over 75 years) to around 50 million.

"...The White House misleads with its claims that the amnesty recipients won't get welfare benefits. For the first decade or so they are in the United States, the adults can't get means-tested welfare benefits but their children could. And after that first decade, the adults get to partake of the welfare state as well. For the next 40 years, notes Mr. Rector, they are eligible "for every single type" of these welfare benefits." "So the bottom line is that each of these households receives about $30,000 in government benefits, pays about $10,000 in taxes, at a net cost of around $19,000 per year [after rounding]. That's the equivalent of buying each of these households an automobile and every year of their lives as long as they're in the United States." (The immigration time-bomb Washington Times editorial, May 23, 2007)

The bill would also call for a biometric, tamper proof, identification card that could be used to verify their identity and immigration status for employers. There already is such a system in place at U.S./Mexico border at San Diego. It is so time consuming that it is only used about 2% of the time. Plus, without a thorough background check, which cannot be done in 24 hours as stated in the bill, there is no way to verify exactly who is applying for this new Z visa. With all the false documents these illegal aliens have been using to live and work in the United States for all these years, who knows who we will be allowing to live and stay here legally?

Those are just a few of the provisions in this monstrous bill that is far worse than the amnesty granted in 1986. At least President Reagan had the decency to call and amnesty an amnesty. Under the leadership of these 12 Senators and our president we have been lied to and betrayed.
In closing, I want to remind you of something said by Senator Kennedy back in 1986, when we granted amnesty to approximately 3 million illegal aliens. The Senator said, “This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forth an amnesty bill like this.” He said it once and he lied. Now he, along with 11 other traitors, are offering up another amnesty. Are you going to sit idly by and allow this to become law? Even more important, are you going to sit back and allow these, so called, elected representatives remain in office?