May 7, 2006

IMMIGRATION REFORM


SHOULD NOT REWARD CRIMINALS

Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants and being an American:

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American . . . There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile . . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language . . . and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

— Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Before you get your knickers in a twist, let's clear something up right away. Look up the word "criminal" in your dictionary. My dictionary says, "criminal n - somebody who has committed a crime." While you're at it, look up the word "abet." My dictionary says, "abet vt -to assist somebody to do something, especially something illegal." Now that we all understand two simple definitions we can proceed.

Why has the media characterized the recent protests as "immigration demonstrations"? They are, in fact, demonstrations in favor of illegal immigration and a reward of amnesty for those who have successfully managed to break our laws and sneak into our country. Those among the demonstrators who are in this country illegally are by definition, criminals, from any dictionary you care to use. Only in America could a criminal demonstrate for a reward of their criminal act and receive such sympathy from the news media, leftist Democrats such as Howard Dean and Ted Kennedy, and Cardinal Mahoney, all of whom see future voters and parishioners.

You've no doubt heard it said there are somewhere around 12 million illegal immigrants, i.e., criminals, roaming around our country. It is said that since we can't deport all of them we have no choice but to reward them for their criminal behavior. Nothing could be further from the truth. There is a simpler solution to this problem.

Remember our second definition; abet? Why are these people in the country in the first place? It's because of jobs. It has nothing to do with the principles enunciated by President Theodore Roosevelt at the beginning of this article. It is money, pure and simple. It is the abettors, in this case, the people who hire them with whom we must deal. These employers want you to believe they have no choice but to abet criminal behavior in order to keep the cost of their goods and services down. How do these employers keep their costs down by hiring illegal immigrants? By not paying the employer's part of their social security and workman's compensation and by breaking the law in not paying the federally mandated minimum wage. And you already know that these illegals are not lining up at H & R Block to beat the deadline for filing their income taxes. So, yes, your lettuce may be a nickel cheaper because of these employers and their illegal activity, but you are paying far more in the long run. Estimates are that L.A. County alone spends three-quarters of a billion dollars a year on aid to illegal immigrants. You do the math: add the rest of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and on and on and you'll soon see that nickel you saved on lettuce long ago disappeared. Remember, the illegals and their employers are siphoning off your taxes to support these illegals.

So what is the solution? Actually, it's very simple.

• A $10,000 dollar fine and/or 1 year in jail for each offense of hiring an illegal alien. No work equals no incentive to be here illegally.


• Children born in the US would have the same citizenship as their parents. (Note: A child born in the United States to a foreign diplomat is not a United States citizen. Since the foreign diplomat is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, the diplomat's child, who inherits his parent's status, is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Because the child is not subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, he is not granted United States citizenship upon birth.)


• Establish a guest worker program with a specified number of people who would be allowed into the US for one year at a time. They would have to report regularly on their employment status. No job equals no guest work status and continued presence in the US would be a criminal act.


• Institute and enforce real border security, with National Guard troops, if necessary.


• Enact strict criminal penalties, and enforce them, for anyone caught in this country illegally.

See, it's not so difficult to solve the problem if you use common sense instead of politics and liberal bias. The New York Times said these criminals, ". . . deserve to become Americans." The New York Times needs a dose of reality; nobody born on foreign soil deserves to become an American. There are millions of people who might like to come here, but nobody "deserves" to come here. Politicians, the far-left, and news media need a dose of reality and some common sense.

So what are folks in opposition to common sense saying? Here are a few selective comments:

• The leftist candidate in Mexico's presidential election, Lopez Obrador, has vowed to put immigration reform at the top of his agenda with Washington if elected. "Only a deal legalizing the status of those workers already in the United States and economic policies that create more jobs in Mexico will stop hundreds of thousands of people from crossing the border illegally every year," he said. If elected, he also said Mexico's 45 consulates in the United States would be more active in defending Mexicans "against [U.S.] mistreatment, discrimination and the violation of their human rights."


• Jose Pescador Osuna, Mexican Consul General, "We are practicing 'La Reconquista' in California."


• Excelsior, the national newspaper of Mexico, "The American Southwest seems to be slowly returning to the jurisdiction of Mexico without firing a single shot."


• Female Protest Marcher: "I should have the right to come to this country and work and take that money home to my family in Mexico. I should be able to cross the US border any time I want without having to worry about Bush's goons trying to catch me."


• Male Protest Marcher: "This is awakening us to the [U.S.] government and hopefully send some sort of a signal and maybe scare them a little."


• Female Protest Marcher: "We want to be legal now."


• A new version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was released April 28. It is sung in Spanish, and the lyrics are a bit different: "The day is breaking, do you see it? In the light of the dawn? What we so acclaimed at nightfall? Its stars, its stripes, flew yesterday."


• Richard Alatorre, Los Angeles City Council. "They're afraid we're going to take over the governmental institutions and other institutions. They're right. We will take them over . . . We are here to stay."


• Professor Jose Angel Gutierrez, University of Texas; "We have an aging white America. They are not making babies. They are dying. The explosion is in our population . . . I love it. They are shitting in their pants with fear. I love it."


• Art Torres, Chairman of the California Democratic Party, " Remember 187 — proposition to deny taxpayer funds for services to non-citizens — was the last gasp of white America in California."


• Mario Obledo, California Coalition of Hispanic Organizations and former California State Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under Governor Jerry Brown, also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton, "California is going to be a Hispanic state. Anyone who doesn't like it should leave."


• Professor Fernando Guerra, Loyola Marymount University (Los Angeles, CA); "We need to avoid a white backlash by using codes understood by Latinos . . . "

Guess what, professor? We understand your "codes." If you think some weak-kneed politicians and employers are afraid of offending these criminals, wait 'til you see how afraid they are of offending the voters who put them in office and just as surely will vote them out. To find out if your elected representatives are representing YOU on immigration issues, click here on Americans For Better Immigration. A complete card for each senator and represenative is available. See how they vote and you will know how to vote. How's that for a "code" everyone can understand, professor?