Don’t you dare ridicule Arizona. Was their immigration law (or whatever the hell that was) short sighted and maybe illegal? Yes. Is it their fault? No. True to their recent form, our “leaders” in Washington are fiddling while the country burns. On the bright side, we have a health “reform” plan that nobody understands and seems destined to increase costs to the point where we have no choice but to go single-payer.
I’m a local government guy so the parent/child metaphor that I’m about to use irritates me but it is accurate here: when the parents fail in their job, the children will act out and possibly seek their own solution. The epic failure of the Federal government on the immigration problem is forcing State and local governments to find their own solutions: trying their hand at immigration law. Manassas tried this and was hauled into court. Herndon is still trying to put itself together. Prince William County had a fair circus when they tried to do something about it. The reason that all of these localities are doing this is because Washington has abdicated their responsibility on the issue and done nothing. Indeed, at this late date, groups as diverse as Help Save Manassas, Unity in the Community and ERC should be descending upon Washington to demand action. I would like to believe that all of those groups have as a central theme that they want to preserve our Country for future generations and I’m here to tell you that this is rapidly moving onto shaky ground. If the feds don’t act, something really ugly is going to happen and we can’t allow it! For crying out loud, there are Mexican drug gangs killing American citizens !! How can there be any debate but that this has gone on long enough – at least 6 years.
If you need more evidence, look at the 287(g) program. Ideally, I would like to have never heard those words. I would like to have had a discussion about it and voted against it because we didn’t need it. I would rather spend the money on schools. That wasn’t the reality of the situation though. It still isn’t. Manassas and surrounding jurisdictions have had no choice but to spend precious local dollars getting rid of foreign nationals who are in our country illegally and who commit violent crimes. I felt as though I couldn’t vote against 287(g) then and the history of the program since bears that out. We have put immigration detainers on hundreds and hundreds of criminals from foreign lands. That should never have happened.
My friends, this is not a failure of leadership at the local and state level. Trust me, I’ve been in the closed meetings with $500/hour lawyers discussing how best to extricate ourselves from a federal lawsuit that had as it’s genisys the failure of Uncle Sam to do anything about the situation. The locals can forstall action on these kinds of things but for so long before the citizens achieve action on the issue by electing candidates who promise action! This is a failure of those in their marble palaces in Washington and it cuts accross both parties: Bush did nothing to help the situation and Obama is following in his footsteps.
At this point, we need to control our souther border. NOW. After that, grant a blanket immunity, throw everyone out, I don’t care but sitting around in the Millionaire’s club on Capitol Hill bellyaching about the other party just isn’t an option anymore. You guys are there for a reason, put on your big boy pants and take a swing at it. You might now win reelection but you might preserve your Country as you remember her.
April 27, 2010 at 7:20 pm
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/27/new-google-maps-opti.html
April 27, 2010 at 7:47 pm
It is my impression that in Arizona the issue is about enforcement of existing laws. I seriously doubt if the police have nothing better to do than randomly pick up people there. Our borders need secured.
The media and the amnesty crowd (including the present administration)are sensationalizing this to further their agenda just like they did here.
I’m sure some lawyers will make some big cash in attempts to get the state to cave in rather than spend large sums defending the idea of enforcing existing laws. And as usual nothing will be resolved.
This crap is really getting old.
You and I obey the laws of the land, so the question really,
Is it unreasonable to ask others to do the same ?
April 28, 2010 at 5:55 am
Andy, your points are strong – even with the touch of emotion in them. When anyone ever asks me where I stand on the issue, I relay a couple of points:
1. Ever visit Mexico? Why is it you have to have valid passport and full papers on your car (if you drive in) and if you have something out of whack – welcome to the calaboose? And yet, that Government complains about what occurs in this Nation.
2. Ever spend time in Texas near the border? Spent time on a project at beautiful, downtown Fort Bliss TX and the project involved us driving up from there north into Texas to another location. About 50 miles in, we were stopped at a US Border Patrol checkpoint – and these checkpoints are all along the TX border where once up from the crossing, you may be checked again. So even our own US Citizens who live along it must prove they are legal each time they head north.
3. My over two decades of US Army life took me three quarter the way around the world. Every for foreign nation I was in recognized my Military ID and status as a US Soldier. BUT – as a soldier in that land, I also was briefed on the “Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA)” which controlled my conduct both on the military installation and off it reminding me of what that Government’s laws were.
In one country, if I gave a local national more than two cigarettes, I could be accused of blackmarketing. Korea was hilarious because it went so far as to even control American made toilet paper. The SOFAs varied from land-to-land and all had to be complied with because after the local governement got done with you, there was the military justice system waiting.
So my points always are if this is accepted by US Citizens when we are in other countries LEGALLY, why is it people scream over the indviduals who choose to break our laws?
4. You want an example of legal immigration working? Look over at Centreville Road and Birmingham Green – 25 languages are spoken on that campus! If I recall right, the gentleman who is the Activities Program Manager for the DIstrict Home is from Senegal. Lots of other examples there too of the process can work if you come in through the front door, and not through the back.
5. My Grandfather rode with Blackjack Pershing chasing Pancho Villa – a Mexican who rode into this Country illegally. Oh, some may say that is different as he was a bandit….hmm, guess that is the view that our laws have some to be enforced, others not.
6. Civil Rights Act of 1965 (with various amendments) applies if you have legal residency. This one is my favorite joke out of the Justice Department who says Arizona is violating it….LOL!
April 28, 2010 at 9:19 am
Andy, the actual root of the problem is yourself and fellow dipsticks like Jon (Good morning, all you Teabaggers out there) Way. You guys, as well-meaning, sincere, and as God-fearing as you are, are just too damned stupid. A twice disbarred lawyer from dogpatch would have known your attempt at defining what a “family” is was a non-starter. You trusted in your Party at the national level to do the right thing. Instead of trusting them, you should have took action as soon as it was apparent that we were being invaded. Those scumbags let you down because they did not want to alienate Hispanic voters. And they were too damned stupid to realize that no matter what they did, the Hispanics were going to vote for theSocialcrats. So here we are. Paying for your stupidity and inaction. The only solace you can take is you’ve got plenty of company across this state and nation.
April 28, 2010 at 9:57 am
Advocator:
In the future, I might suggest that you have some basic grasp of the facts before you start insulting people: I was not on the City Council when that was enacted. Niether was Jon Way. However, we acted to clean up the mess that was left behind. Perhaps you can find your twice-disbarred friend from the dogpatch to do some fact-checking for you.
I don’t single out any particular party in this failure. I don’t think it matters. They both failed.
April 28, 2010 at 5:54 pm
As I understand it this new law allows state police to check if an individual is in this country illegally instead of only Federal agents. It’s not that something that was legal is now illegal. To anyone that would disagree with the new law I would ask how they would feel if the same were true were it to be true that local/state police were unable to deal with individuals that were in your residence illegally? What if someone broke into your house and you called the local police but when they came told you sorry, but we’re unable to do anything as this falls under federal law.
It seems ludicrous to me that anyone would go against allowing local police to enforce such laws. Are they somehow incapable of checking if an individual is in this country illegally or not. Do federal agents go thorough some type of special training to have the ability to perform such tasks?
April 28, 2010 at 6:50 pm
http://www.fletc.gov/training/training-management/training-management-division/center-integrated-branch/immigration-customs-enforcement-detention-integrated-iced/
OK, so there is special training. Seriously though, I think you could train to determine if an individual were in this country legally. I don’t know for sure but I would imagine it would be as simple as checking if the individual has a valid SSN.
April 28, 2010 at 6:53 pm
*train anyone*
.. no editing option, really?
April 30, 2010 at 4:23 am
AZ is doing what they feel they have to wrt illegal immigration. Both federal political parties have sold US citizens down the creek.
Republicans want cheap labor.
Democrats want social welfare customers.
The unholy alliance of our generation.
Manassas City/PWC have done a commendable job with the issue the past couple of years.
April 30, 2010 at 1:09 pm
The Arizona law is responsible and well crafted. It specifically prohibits racial profiling, it requires that everyone who is NOT a citizen carry appropriate documentation of their legal residence, and it requires police officers to inquire of immigrant status of those stopped for some other apparently criminal action who do NOT carry such documentation above — takes out the subjective nature. Very much like a statewide version of 287(g). So ignore all the rhetoric out there that is blatantly false or misleading about this common sense law from a state whose citizens have been endangered by illegal aliens.