Will Uncle Omar be granted asylum like Aunt Zeituni?

Lo and behold, the President has what Don Surber aptly calls a "Crimmigrant" in the family.  From Gateway Pundit:

Barack Obama’s illegal alien Uncle Onyango Obama was arrested in Massachusetts this past week after he hit a cop car. He wanted to call the White House.

Kerry Picket at The Washington Times reported:

A number of media outlets have already reported that an illegal immigrant from Kenya by the name of Onyango Obama, 67, was arrested last week on Wednesday after he rammed his SUV into a police car in Framingham, Massachusetts.

He was later charged with DUI among other violations. I spoke to Framingham Public Information Officer Lieutenant Delaney who told me that when Onyango Obama was asked at booking if he wanted to make a telephone call to arrange for bail, the Kenyan immigrant replied: “I think I will call the White House.”

Being illegal must pay pretty well if Uncle Omar can afford to drive around in an SUV.  On the other hand, maybe he is the famous "Omar the Tent maker" we've heard so much about.  That certainly would explain this:

Alligators would be good but boiling acid would be better

I'm about nine/tenths kidding, of course.  In case you missed it, Barack Obama did some speechifying on the subject of illegal immigration and while on a roll decided to point out what a bunch of ingrates those of us who believe in protecting our borders are:

Maybe they’ll say we need a moat. Or alligators in the moat.
They’ll never be satisfied. And I understand that. That’s politics.

That Barry is quite the joker, isn't he?  I'm sure those in attendance laughed and laughed.  And why shouldn't they?  Its not as if we have terrorists streaming across the Mexico border or anything.  Barry went on to claim that the border fence is "almost complete".  He's absolutely right if five percent constitutes "almost". 

Oh well.  I say, "illegal immigrant" and Barry says, "constituents".  It is all a matter of perception.

The day Jeb Bush lost me

I have been a Jeb Bush supporter since 1994 when he ran unsuccessfully for governor of Florida. I voted for him in that election and in his successful campaigns in 1998 and 2002. Whenever someone says “NO MORE BUSHES!” my first reaction has always been “forget the last name-what in Jeb’s record do you have an issue with?” I guess it is my turn to have an issue.


Jeb has an op-ed in the Miami Herald titled Conservative movement must commit to a long-term outreach strategy in which he used the term “center-right” fourteen times.  I take his use of the term to mean those Republicans who are not crazy assed conservatives like myself.  Talk about a let down.

I've always known that Jeb and I differ on our approach to immigration.  For me it comes down to "what part of illegal don't you get" while Jeb is all about the amnesty.  Okay.  I have always assumed, believed, that Jeb could put his personal beliefs aside in the face of overwhelming evidence that that the majority of Americans oppose amnesty for those who have broken our laws.  After reading Jeb's piece in the Herald I have lost faith that Jeb would honor "the will of the people."

My son-in-law is Hispanic.  He is a bronze star recipient and a kick ass Marine.  I am grateful that my daughter has a man of his caliber in her life and that my grandchildren are being raised by such an incredible, honorable man.  My position on border control isn't based on bigotry.  It is based on the belief that our national security depends on controlling who enters our country.  I also believe that during tough economic times available jobs should be filled by our citizens.  That being said I welcome those come to our country legally regardless of their country of origin. 

We all have deeply held beliefs that we cannot compromise on.  If immigration is Jeb's line in the sand, so be it.  I thank him for his service to my state but with great saddness I can no longer support him.

Gen. Powell comes out in support of cheap labor

So Gen. Powell: Illegal Immigrants Fix My House

How nice for him. Illegal immigrants raped my neighbors. Oh, I’m sorry, was it bigoted of me to mention that?

Gen. Powell:

Powell, a moderate Republican, urged his party Sunday to support immigration generally because it is "what's keeping this country's lifeblood moving forward."

In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," he said a path to legal status should be offered to illegal immigrants because they "are doing things we need done in this country."

He added: "They're all over my house, doing things whenever I call for repairs, and I'm sure you've seen them at your house. We've got to find a way to bring these people out of the darkness and give them some kind of status."

Powell did not say whether he's hired illegal immigrants directly or they showed up with contractors.

At the risk of being picky, or bigoted, aren’t our citizens the lifeblood that keeps this country moving forward? Just a thought. The general doesn’t mention how he feels about hiring illegals while his fellow citizens are losing everything they own due to unemployment but from his tone he doesn’t appear to be overly concerned.

I thank Gen. Powell for his service. Now he could be of further service if he would recognize the plight of his fellow Americans who are suffering because of this administration’s refusal to protect its taxpaying citizens from what are essentially foreign invaders.

Note: On May 18, 2010, Jose Walle was sentenced to fifteen life sentences without possibility of parole for his part in the above mentioned kidnapping and rape of two women from my area. Walle earlier received a twenty-seven year sentence for a different rape of a third woman assualted while he and two cohorts were on their crime spree. Also in May of 2010 the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that teenagers cannot be sentenced to life without parole for crimes that do not include homicide. Walle is a teenager and will be resentenced next month. The women he brutally and repeatedly raped are not so lucky. They will serve a life sentence that no court can commute. There is no justice for the victims.

Do You Know What Really Scares Mexico?

They are afraid that they will get their own people back.  From Don Surber:

Odd that Mexico doen’t want our illegal aliens — many of them Mexicans — in their country.

From the article: “The Mexican government has also made changes to its own immigration laws after some rights groups, such as Amnesty International, claimed it was mistreating illegal immigrants in its country. This month, Mexico increased the punishment for migrant smugglers from a maximum of 12 years in prison to 16 years. And the Mexican Interior Ministry said it will step up efforts to protect migrants here in response to a report by the United Nations that accused Mexico police of robbing migrants and extorting bribes from them. However, Mexico retains Article 67, a law that requires local Mexican authorities to check the immigration papers of all foreigners who come to them for help.”

H Y P O C R I T E S.

Each year Mexicans in the US, legally and illegally, send tens of billions of dollars back to Mexico.  The government of Mexico doesn't want to see anything happen to that cash cow.  On the other hand, Mexico has no problem enforcing laws that it objects to in the United States.  So, yes, Surber is right, they are hypocrites.  But more importantly, they are hypocrites being aided and abetted by Barack Obama and the most corrupt DOJ this country has ever seen.

Here Illegally? Get Out Jail Free!

Alternate title:  Law Abiding, Tax Paying Citizen?  Sucks for You!

Beyond belief:

WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. - Admitted thieves are going free, while an elderly Wheat Ridge man is facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life behind bars, all, he says, for trying to defend his property and his life.

82-year-old Robert Wallace said in February that he looked out his window and saw two men hooking his flatbed trailer up to their pickup. He yelled at them to stop, but they sped away, stealing his trailer. He told police he fired two shots at the pickup.

Minutes later, police say 32-year-old Damacio Torres dropped 28-year-old Alvaro Cardona off at a hospital emergency room with a gunshot wound to the face.

Torres did not stay to talk with police, but they caught up with him later. According to court documents, he admitted he and Cardona stole the trailer.

Wallace did not want to talk on camera, but when we asked him if the two men threatened him he said, "They almost ran me over."

The Jefferson County DA's office said that neither Torres nor Cardona have been charged with anything at this point, even though Torres confessed to the crime. However, the homeowner, Wallace is facing twelve felony counts, including four counts of attempted first degree murder. If convicted, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

Sources say Torres and Cardona are believed to be in the country illegally and both have an arrest record. Cardona's record includes public fighting and numerous traffic offenses like driving without a license or insurance. Torres's record includes agricultural trespassing as well as a 2005 arrest for aggravated motor vehicle theft for which he was given a plea bargain to a lesser crime. Sources say Torres is also under investigation for being part of a major auto theft ring.

So much for justice.  So much for self-reliance.  How can people be expected to respect the law when the end result of being a law abiding citizen is being spat upon by the legal system?  \

The Daley Gator has video.

Can This Administration Get Any More Corrupt-UPDATED

Sadly, I'm sure the answer is "yes".

While millions of Americans are out of work this administration is hard at work ensuring that illegal immigrants are being treated fairly in the workplace:



So the Obama administration is aiding and abetting in the breaking of our laws.  Is it just my imagination or did Barack Obama place his hand on the Bible and take an oath to uphold the laws the of the United States of America?  Obama has violated his oath and he has broken our laws.  That makes Obama just as big a criminal as the people who breach our borders.

UPDATE:  The rant continues

It is fairly obvious that Obama believes that our immigration laws are unjust.  I think our drug laws in general, and our marijuana laws in particular, are unjust laws.  I think that far more people have been harmed by the enforcement of our drugs laws than society has benefited.  What I think doesn't matter.  Over the course of our history we have had bad and unjust laws.  We no longer have those laws not because people simply broke the laws that they didn't like but because like any civil society we have a process for changing laws as society's view of those laws has changed.  If Obama is unhappy with our immigration laws then let him undertake the legal processes to change them.  He doesn't want to do that because at this time the political winds are blowing in the opposite direction.  So he just ignores them.

Instead of upholding our laws, as he took an oath to do, Obama is sending the message to illegals that he wants their vote so he is willing to ignore the laws on the books.  He will look the other way while they stream across the borders, and in turn, they will support his re-election and the election of Democrats across the board.  Illegals get jobs and driver's licenses and bank accounts-does anyone believe that they don't get voter registration cards?  Or that they don't use them?  Or that they don't use them to elect the party that made it all possible?

With citizenship comes responsibility.  Does it also come with privileges?  Shouldn't citizens be first in line for any jobs available in this country?  Shouldn't citizens expect that the country's leadership play by the same rules and abide by the same laws  as the citizenry?  How can we ask our servicemen and women to risk their lives for us when their Commander in Chief is in violation of his oath of office?  What right does a person who refuses to enforce our laws have to command our troops? 

I know it is a terrible thing to say, and I don't like saying it, but Barack Obama is not fit for command.

Always Happy to Help Our Neighbors

Gleefully swiped from Sir Paco:

Get the Hell Off of OUR Land

That was the message being driven home at the pro-illegal immigration/anti SB 1070 march held in Phoenix complete with Nazi and KKK imagery mixed with the usual "this land is their land" claptrap.  From American Power:

So, we, and judging from the above sign, the Canadians, are a bunch of imperialistic encroachers who have squatted on Mexican lands for long enough.  They want the continent, the whole continent back because, well, they've done such a bang up job with their current little piece of it. 

Donald did a great job covering the march.  Read his post.

Update:  Smitty writes:  Border security, like energy security, is a hard problem. The country is going to have to insist on candidates with platforms, not platitudes, to address these issues.

I couldn't agree more Smitty, but sadly, the "tell it like it is" politicians are outnumbered by the platitude spewers.  We need to close our borders while we still have borders to close. 

What's That Smell?

Something smell's like a wet chihuahua that has been rolling in fresh manure.  Fausta is wondering about a bait and switch and Michelle is calling Kabuki.  Regardless of labeling, Obama's decision to send 1,200 troops to the Mexico/Arizona border stinks to high Heaven.  According to an update to Michelle's post, Sen. Sessions seems to think something smells a little funky too:

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement today regarding reports that President Obama plans to request funding for 1,200 National Guard troops to be sent to the U.S.–Mexico border:

“The only thing that matters is whether the president—the Chief Executive and the top law enforcement officer of the country—is personally committed to ending illegality at the border. Announcing and taking specific steps can be helpful, but only if it’s part of a determined and consistent effort to fix the problem. The president’s decision to send up to 1,200 troops to the border, while helpful, will not fix the problem. Indeed, it is less than a third of the troops ordered to the border by President Bush.

“Just days ago, members of President Obama’s administration gave Mexican President Felipe Calderón a standing ovation as Calderón proceeded to slander the state of Arizona for its efforts to protect its citizens. President Obama’s chief immigration officer, John Morton, announced that he might not enforce immigration crimes reported by Arizona officials. And, both the Attorney General and the Homeland Security Secretary have attacked the Arizona law, though they later admitted to having never actually read it.

“It is critical that President Obama make border security a true priority and send a clear signal that his administration is dedicated to consistently enforcing the rule of law. Sending National Guard troops to the border can be an important step in the right direction, but it should be followed with a commitment to vigorous worksite enforcement, full cooperation with state and local law enforcement officials, strong support for completion of the border fence, and all other necessary border measures. If these policies are resolutely done, the massive current illegality will be dramatically improved.”

It didn't take long for Mexico's President Calderón to react to the news.  Apparently he thinks can order around our troops.  Professor Jacobson:

Literally. Mexico told Obama what to do with the national guard troops Obama just ordered to the border.

Not kidding. Mexico told Obama what to do with the national guard troops Obama just ordered to the border.

You may not understand. Mexico did not make a profane suggestion, as in, put those troops up your ....

No. Mexico issued a statement telling Obama that the troops should stop gun traffic and organized crime, and should not be used in connection with stopping illegal immigration (h/t Michelle Malkin), via The Embassy of Mexico (emphasis mine):

Regarding the Administration’s decision to send 1,200 National Guard servicemen to the US Southern border, the Government of Mexico trusts that this decision will help to channel additional US resources to enhance efforts to prevent the illegal flows of weapons and bulk cash into Mexico, which provide organized crime with its firepower and its ability to corrupt.

Additionally, the Government of Mexico expects that National Guard personnel will strengthen US operations in the fight against transnational organized crime that operates on both sides of our common border and that it will not, in accordance to its legal obligations, conduct activities directly linked to the enforcement of immigration laws.

So, does this mean that Obama is Calderón's bitch poodle chihuahua?

It Seems Two Can Play This Game

Don Surber says PUOSU — Put Up Or Shut Up.  I couldn't agree more. 

Los Angeles, standing on "principal", has called for a boycott of Arizona.  Gary Pierce, a commissioner on the Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates public utilities, has responded by kindly inviting LA to get the power it receives from Arizona elsewhere.  His letter to LA Mayor Villaraigosa, via Hot Air:

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,


I was dismayed to learn that the Los Angeles City Council voted to boycott Arizona and Arizona-based companies — a vote you strongly supported — to show opposition to SB 1070 (Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act).

You explained your support of the boycott as follows: “While we recognize that as neighbors, we share resources and ties with the State of Arizona that may be difficult to sever, our goal is not to hurt the local economy of Los Angeles, but to impact the economy of Arizona. Our intent is to use our dollars — or the withholding of our dollars — to send a message.”
I received your message; please receive mine. As a state-wide elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission overseeing Arizona’s electric and water utilities, I too am keenly aware of the “resources and ties” we share with the City of Los Angeles. In fact, approximately twenty-five percent of the electricity consumed in Los Angeles is generated by power plants in Arizona.

If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy.

People of goodwill can disagree over the merits of SB 1070. A state-wide economic boycott of Arizona is not a message sent in goodwill.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Gary Pierce


My comment over at Surber's was, how much of its water does California get from Arizona? Nothing makes a body thirsty like being hot. A boycott is a boycott.  I am also wondering how many of the illegals from Arizona will move to California, increasing the state's need for electricity and further straining California's already overburdened welfare system.

I'm not sure that LA is in the position to get in to a pissing match with Arizona.  In any case, I am glad to see Arizona standing up against those would try to bully them.  It has always been my experience the bullies fold pretty quickly when confronted.

Cross posted at Potluck

Quote of the Day

Larry O'Connor writing at Big Journalism:

How can the debate over the Arizona law be conducted by the holier-than-thou East Coast liberals who don’t deal with the consequences of their positions without at least hearing the facts from a man like Sheriff Babeu? While they focus on Steve Nash and his oh-so-valiant choice of jersey, they ignore men like this who literally put their lives on the line every day due to the open border policies our friends in the media promote.

The only contact those holier-than-thou East Coast liberals ever have with illegals is when they employ them to clean their bathrooms or pull their weeds.  Question-do they pay their domestics a "living wage" and provide them with health care and retirement benefits?  No, they use people of color to do the jobs they don't want to do themselves and don't want to pay decent money have done for them.  And then they have the balls to call themselves "compassionate."

The Problem With Having a Public Record

John McCain isn't an unknown.  He has a long public record on several issues, not the least of which is immigration.  As they say, this was then:

Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
Voted YES on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security. (May 2006)
Voted YES on giving Guest Workers a path to citizenship. (May 2006)
Voted YES on allowing more foreign workers into the US for farm work. (Jul 1998)
Voted YES on visas for skilled workers. (May 1998)
Voted YES on limit welfare for immigrants. (Jun 1997)
1988: Honored by La Raza for opposing official English. (Jan 2004)

And from Allahpundit at Hot Air, this is now:



To be fair, McCain has talked alot about securing the borders.  But what has he done?  He has spoken over and over again about providing people who are here illegally with a pathway to citizenship.  I say the path starts at the back of the line and the line doesn't even begin to form until politicians like McCain quit talking about securing the border and actually secure the border.

Our Comedian in Chief Doesn't Know Funny

Via Legal Insurrection I came across the following video at JammieWearingFool:



You know who else isn’t laughing, Linda Denno, a letter writer to SteynOnline:

Letter of the Week

DISPATCH FROM THE FRONT LINES

Mr Steyn, your recent article on Arizona's immigration law was, as all your articles, a cogent and a delightful read. I am one of those Arizonans who deals daily with the effects of illegal immigration. I live within fifteen miles of the Mexican border, and my back fence runs along a major corridor for illegal immigrants traveling through the desert. We are accustomed to helicopters circling overhead and Border Patrol vehicles constantly patrolling the dirt road behind our house. Our beloved German Shepherd has been poisoned and our property vandalized, although I would not say that we live in fear because we are well armed and take necessary precautions.

But what I really want to mention to you is something I really have not heard in the debate over the consequences of illegal immigration. I believe that any and all measures that truly discourage immigrants from entering this country illegally— as the new Arizona law is supposedly already doing— are salutary because discouraging illegal immigration is the genuinely compassionate approach.

A couple of anecdotes: Last week, Border Patrol agents discovered a large moving truck abandoned in the desert near Douglas, Arizona (the site of the recent rancher's murder). The truck was padlocked from the outside. When the agents cut off the lock and opened the trailer, they discovered dozens of illegal immigrants inside, abandoned by the coyotes who had obviously been "spooked" and left the people in the back of the truck to whatever fate befell them. It was a warm but not a hot day in the desert, so the illegal immigrants were still alive and in relatively good condition. The situation could have ended very differently, not to say tragically.

Secondly, my family and I were enjoying our breakfast al fresco one morning when two women came to our back fence asking for "agua." A Border Patrol raid the night before behind our house had picked up 70 or so illegal immigrants. These two young ladies had been abandoned by the coyotes during the raid and had been wandering in the hot desert (wearing all black) for hours. My teenage daughter speaks Spanish and was able to discover that both were from El Salvador, both were the mothers of several young children, and both believed they were almost to Los Angeles (550 miles away). We brought them into our garage, gave them water and food, and called the Border Patrol. My daughter was upset about their situation, and understandably so: They were only a few years older than she was. I explained to her that as long as our government refused to enforce laws against illegal immigration, desperate people from other countries would continue to take great risks for the opportunity to live the American dream. Those people would face incredible dangers, be vulnerable to the worst kinds of thugs, and endure unspeakable hardships— as long as the United States refused to make illegal immigration a crime for which all involved would be swiftly and severely punished.

I don't even pretend to speak to the myriad detrimental effects on our society, our economy, and our democratic form of government caused by illegal immigration; you and others have irrefutably made the case many times over. I just would like to add a perspective that should be thrown back in the face of the hypocrites who call us racist and mean-spirited. The anecdotes above are representative of incidents that happen in the Arizona desert constantly, as I know you are well aware.

The answer is not to set up "water stations" to prevent illegals from dying in the desert. The answer is to discourage them from entering illegally in the first place. That is the only truly humanitarian, compassionate approach to the plight of illegal aliens.

Linda Denno
Sierra Vista, Arizona

My daughter and grandchildren also live in Sierra Vista, Arizona. They are also well armed and take the proper precautions. And they also live with the results of our government’s lack of spine on a daily basis. Why should they have to? Why should my grandchildren be kept behind an eight foot high wall when they play?

I worry about my daughter and grandchildren on a daily basis. Nadia downplays the danger they live with, she knows how I am, but why should we, any of us, have to live in fear? Seeing the President joke about the danger that Americans face because the federal government is too invested in inaction to protect our own citizens pushes me beyond anger.

No doubt our Comedian in Chief has a heck of a career in stand-up when he leaves the White House. While he is still in the White House he needs to cut the jokes and cut the crap. The realities od illegal immigration aren’t funny.

Not Exactly Confidence Inspiring

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on our border security:

"It is as safe and secure as it's ever been,..."

and this gem:

...the Obama administration has shown an "absolute laserlike focus on that border."

Funny, I hadn't noticed.  Or as they would say in my little town, Janet Napolitano es muda como roca.

Napolitano goes on to put the cart before the horse by saying that we should be focusing on the illegals immigrants already here and then we can worry about securing the border.  Forgive me but it seems that anyone with an IQ higher than their pulse rate should know that reverting to the same old "amnesty for all" plan while leaving the borders essentially wide open ensures that a steady stream of illegals immigrants will continue to pour in unabated.  But maybe that is the Administration's plan.

Dan Riehl posts a YouTube titled Is Janet Napolitano a Liar?  I believe the answer is yes and incompetent to boot.

Everything I Know About Che I Learned from Reading Babalu UPDATED

Ah yes, what would an immigration rally be without the obligatory Che flags, posters and tee shirts?  I really didn't know very much about Che Guevara before I started reading Babalu.  Appropriate in the context of yesterday's rallies is this quote I came across at Babalu:

“Mexicans are a rabble of illiterate indians.” (Ernersto “Che” Guevara, June 1956.)

I strongly suspect that those who honored Che at yesterday's rallies (and elsewhere) are as ignorant of Che as I once was.  The difference is, I never lifted up Guevara as a hero.  If you are going to site someone as a shining example of freedom, you should, at the very least, learn the truth about what your hero represents.

Besides Babalu, Reason.tv is a excellent source.



Technically, May 1st is celebrated as "Workers Day" but in addition to celebrating Communism, Arizona's immigration law was the cause of the day.   With that in mind, read George Moneo's post, A Fable.

UPDATE:

More pictures, first from American Power:

And from Doug Ross:

And this:

Some how this doesn't look like a Tea Party rally yet, we're the dangerous ones who spout over-the-top anti-American rhetoric.   Right.  I don't guess that it would occur to any of these morons that they aren't exactly helping their cause by carrying signs that call for the deaths of "US Imperial-Fascists"  also known as "tax paying citizens." 

So Much for Taking an Oath to Defend the Law

Rep. Gutierrez arrested outside of White House in immigration protest

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) was arrested outside the White House on Saturday during a May Day protest for immigration reform.

Guiterrez had been speaking to a crowd of hundreds at Lafayette Square when he announced that he was going to go to the White House fence with other protesters, sit down, and not move until he was arrested or until comprehensive immigration reform was signed.

I assume Guiterrez wasn't speaking to the crowd about the Pinal County deputy who was gunned down in Arizona yesterday afternoon by an illegal immigrant with an AK-47?  No, Guiterrez doesn't concern himself with our citizens or the brave members of law enforcement who risk their lives to protect Guiterrez's "subjects." 

Nothing in The Hill's post indicates that Guiterrez was actually thrown in a jail cell.  After all, that is for the little people.  I doubt that Guiterrez will pay at all for his "brave" act of disobedience.  But for those in Arizona and other states with high concentrations of illegals they pay every day for Washington's inaction.  Too often, they pay with their lives.

Quick Thoughts

I've had some kind of weird stomach virus for two weeks now and it has really put me behind the eight ball.  I overslept this morning and had to scramble to catch up when I finally made it to the office.  Now that I've settled in I was looking at Memeorandum and a few things caught my eye:

Three-year-old boy arrested as suspected terrorist in France

Aren't they all little terrorists at that age?  The stories that I could tell about my son, Jason, when he was young and don't even get me started on my granddaughter Olivia.  Turns out, it was the three year old's father who was the suspected terrorist, but that wouldn't have been a catchy headline.

Mack (R) compares Ariz. law to Nazi Germany

I think that people making the "Nazi" comparison need to read the law and when they are finished, read a little history.  This is total foolishness and only serves to belittle the dumbasses making the comparison.  While we are at it, why is Marco Rubio's position continually being misrepresented on this?  He said he had some concerns about certain provisions but supported the bill as a whole.  My favorite line from his reaction:

Throughout American history and throughout this administration we have seen that when government is given an inch it takes a mile

It is hard to argue with that.

I'm sure I'll have more on the turncoat, Charlie Crist, later but for now, Jimmie Bise put it best:

And so the World’s Tallest Oompa-Loompa has decided that he doesn’t want to actually run in a competetive primary where Florida Republicans, who he has been wooing with all the fervor of a drugged sloth, could bruise his fragile ego with a resounding defeat. He’s going maverick and will take his beating as an independent (via memeorandum). Of course, he won’t be giving back all the millions of dollars Republican donors gave him when Crist was the darling of the NRSC because, though he may hold Republican voters in contempt, he loves their money.

Jimmie, I am so stealing the World’s Tallest Oompa-Loompa tag!
Enough for now.  Looking at the computer screen causes very unpleasant side effects. 
.

Can We Dial it Down a Bit?

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo) in Politico:

“It is absolutely reminiscent of second class status of Jews in Germany prior to World War II when they had to have their papers with them at all times and were subject to routine inspections at the suspicion of being Jewish,” Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo), who is Jewish, told POLITICO...

...“I think it’s a very fair comparison and I hope that we’re not headed on the same trajectory that Nazi Germany was,” Polis said. “But this was a very recent experience for Jewish Americans and Jews worldwide and it’s something that when we see similarities we start ringing alarm bells.”

There certainly should be alarm bells ringing for American Jews and Jews worldwide but not because of the new immigration law in Arizona but rather because of the absolutely disgraceful way Israel has been treated by the current Administration.  Polis would benefit from reading Prof. Jacobson's thoughtful discussion of the Arizona law in Legal Insurrection:

Again, the law does not authorize unlawful stops, but only permits verification of immigration status once a lawful stop has been made (emphasis mine):

11-1051 B. For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of this state of a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person, except if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation....

Which raises a question:  when an officer lawfully stops an individual and the officer suspects that the individual may be in the country illegally what exactly do opponents of the Arizona law believe that the officer should do?  If it is perfectly okay for an officer to ask a driver to show their driver's license, to prove that the driver is driving legally, why is a violation of civil rights to ask that same person to show their green card to prove that they are in the country legally? 

Arizona, with 460,000 illegal immigrants, is at the front line of what has become a battle with very real consequences.  They, and other states with high concentrations of illegals, were put in this position by a federal government that has not done its job.  This problem began long before the Obama Administration, but it is the Obama Administration, not wanting to let a crisis go to waste, that is wringing every drop of political advantage out of the situation.  Obama's position has nothing to do with upholding his duty to the American people and everything to do with the midterm elections.

There are solutions to this problem and as usual, not everyone is going to be happy.

First, enforce the border.  Build the fence, send the troops, allow the Minutemen to fill the gaps.  It is time for the Administration, and particularly Janet Napolitano, to show some backbone. 

Second, admit that our failed "War on Drugs" is partially responsible for the violence on the border.  Raise the white flag.  Take the profit out of drugs and the violence will go away.  A person who uses (fill in the drug of your choice) is going to use the drug whether it is legal or not.  Can anybody name any success story from the War on Drugs?  Any battle won? 

Third, go after the people who employ illegals and go after them hard.  Make the punishment for hiring an illegal severe enough and employers will suddenly figure out that it is cheaper to hire Americans.  The same goes for housing an illegal.  And opening bank accounts for illegals or selling them money orders or sending wires for them.  Go after Americans who profit from illegal immigrants.

Fourth, have a system that tracks people allowed in the country legally.  How many simply overstay their visas or don't attend school or meet whatever was set as their condition for entry?  Our government has no clue.  This long after 9/11 there is no excuse for the lack of followup in this country.

Fifth, do not reward people who are in this country illegally.  No amnesty, law breakers go to the back of the line.

We've heard about comprehensive immigration reform forever.  Enough.  The Administration needs to get serious about solving the illegal immigrant problem.  Not for politics, for the American people.

Arizona Puts the Brakes on Illegal Immigration

Donald Douglas at American Power has an article that outlines one state’s measures to deal with illegal immigration- arrest illegals for trespassing:

A bill empowering police to arrest illegal immigrants and charge them with trespassing for simply being in the state of Arizona, is likely just weeks away from becoming the toughest law of its kind anywhere in the country.

Already passed by the state's Senate and currently being reconciled with a similar version in the House, the bill would essentially criminalize the presence of the 460,000 illegal immigrants living in the state.

The measure allows police to detain people on the suspicion that they are illegal immigrants, outlaws citizens from employing day laborers, and makes it illegal for anyone to transport an illegal immigrant, even a family member, anywhere in the state.

The bill's supporters say a local crackdown has become a necessity because the federal government has failed to adequately seal the borders or actively enforce its laws. They blame Arizona's spiraling crime and unemployment rates on its large population of illegal immigrants.

A few weeks ago my daughter, who lives just outside of Sierra Vista, AZ, told me that one of her neighbors had gotten a knock on the door late at night. It was a group of illegals looking for a ride in to town. I would say that is a pretty good indication that A) there is a problem and B) the feds aren’t dealing with it.

Americans are pretty fair minded people. As Marco Rubio stated during his debate with Charlie Crist yesterday on Fox, we are “pro legal immigration.” We recognize the tremendous contributions that immigrants make to this country. However, many of us have a problem with immigrants who break the law by entering illegally or enter legally and then overstay their visas.

In either case, the federal government has done a poor job of dealing with the situation so maybe it is time to give the states a shot.

As with anything there are extremes in the immigration debate. There are those who would seal the borders and not let anyone in under any circumstances. We could do that but our country would be much poorer for it. Others would throw open the borders and let everyone in from everywhere for every reason. There are very practical arguments against that not the least of which might be that some foreign nationals would like to see us all dead. I prefer a more middling approach that would set up a lottery type system to allow immigrants in based on our needs. Yes, I do know that “needs” can be very subjective but we have to start somewhere and I have to believe that if we try really hard we are still capable of common sense.
 
Cross Posted at Potluck