Jobs Americans Won't Do

One of the constant refrains we keep hearing from the pro-illegal immigration crowd is that it's an economic necessity to have them here because they fill "jobs Americans won't do." My initial reaction to that was to scoff at it, but after some reflection, perhaps we could get some illegal aliens in the following positions, since the people who hold them certainly aren't doing the job.

1) Immigration Enforcement. If there truly are 12,000,000 illegals here in the United States that's a clear sign that a bunch of Americans aren't doing their jobs. They're winking and turning a blind eye to a problem they're supposed to fix. But in fairness, most of the blame for that rests with...

2) Congressional Leadership. Our Congresscritters have repeatedly put pressure on the enforcemen agencies to back off, because of pressure they are receiving from their donors in the business world. Rather than lead the safety and defense of our nation as they are sworn to do, they're more worried about lining their pockets with campaign contributions than in doing their job. But in fairness, much of the blame for that rests with...

3) Presidential Leadership. It's no secret that in most cases I'm a big fan and supporter of President Bush. But on this issue, he is not just wrong, but dangerously wrong. Whether his motivations are political (trying to sway the growing Hispanic vote) or economic (trying to assuage the concerns...or line the pockets...of the buisness community) his desire to protect and promote illegal immigrants is a disheartening failure to uphold his oath of office. But the worst offenders are...

4) Business Owners. A person who knowingly hires an illegal alien to save money on wages or benefits or because he "just can't find Americans" to do the job is a dishonest, disloyal cheat who is contributing to the decline of our country. If you truly cannot stay in business legally (which I don't believe for a second) then you should get out of business. Integrity used to mean something, but apparently not so much anymore.

So I say we should try out some illegals in a few of these jobs and see what happens. The results could hardly be worse than what we're seeing now.

I want to close with this observation from the brilliant Victor Davis Hanson on the protests going on across the country: "Why march in protest waving the flag of a country to which you do not wish to return while screaming insults at the people with whom you wish to live?"

Reagan Shot Twenty Five Years Ago Today

One of the happiest moments of my life was turning 18 in time to vote for Ronald Reagan against the incompetent Jimmy Carter. He was my hero then, and he remains a hero today--the President against whom all others are judged, and to whom few measure up.

I vividly remember walking down the stairs toward the college bookstore "Liberty Square" when someone dashed by and said that the President had been shot. As quickly as I could, I tuned my radio to WBBM in Chicago and listened to the running CBS news reports (there weren't any blogs back then!) where it quickly became apparent that they didn't know much more than we did...which is always a bad sign.

Confusing rumors swirled, but the true seriousness of Reagan's condition wouldn't be revealed until years later. If he had died, would the Berlin Wall have come down? Would the military have the equipment and spirit to fight a war? Would freedom and democracy have turned back the then rising tide of Communism? I'm going to stop today and say a prayer of gratitude that Reagan lived...the lives of everyone in America, and arguably in the entire world, are better for it.

And for what it's worth, it was a horrible travesty for Hinckley to get off on insanity, and he should never get out.

It Ain't Rocket Surgery

I'm getting sick and tired of hearing about how since there are 12,000,000 (!) illegal immigrants here in the United States that means there are too many of them to do anything about. "We can't possibly round them all up," the constant refrain goes. In the first place, if our government immigration officials had any guts and/or brains, they'd simply go to these huge rallies, and check ID on every person there. Have planes standing by on the runway to haul off the "undocumented" (how I hate that weaselly politically correct term).

But seriously, one simple step would get about 10,000,000 of them out of the country--on their own dime! Issue fraud proof Social Security cards (if the technology exists for money...) and require every employer to reverify their employees. If the jobs went away, so would most of the problem. Will this happen? Given the clout of the small business community, I doubt it. Should it? Starting before sundown wouldn't be too soon.

Shifting The Immigration Debate

There appears to be a concerted effort being made by the pro-illegal immigration crowd in recent days to shift the debate over border security to a US vs. Mexico argument. Attempts are being made to frame opponents of illegal immigration as racist and nativist. And attempts are being made to stir up Mexican nationalism among both legal and illegal immigrants.

Hundreds of high school students marched here in Tucson today. Although many were no doubt just excited by a chance to skip school, others were quite vocal, and someone furnished them with a number of Mexican flags. (And if you haven't yet seen the pictures from California of the Mexican flag flying over an upside down American flag outside of Montibello High School, you can see it here. WARNING: There is much stronger language than I would usually link to in some of the downthread comments. But the flag picture is a must-see.)

Strong enforcement of the border and our immigration laws is neither racist nor evil. That is common sense at any time, but especially in a time of war. The danger is that some are deliberately trying to shift the focus of the debate away from that to start a racial conflict. If the Senate plan allowing amnesty (although they refuse to admit the reality of their proposal) for those willing to pay a small fine to cut to the front of the line passes, this will please the pro-illegal crowd, but it will guarantee a further flood of illegal immigration--and greater danger to America.

Focus needs to be kept to the real issue at hand. Our laughable border security coupled with the deliberate blind eye turned toward employers who hire illegals are the reason there are an estimated 12 million of them here today. This debate has nothing to do with Mexicans not being welcome...if they follow the rules to get here. The Senate Judiciary proposal is an insult to everyone who has followed the rules, no matter what their race.

"One Man's Bold Step"

I am not sure we've heard the last of the capital case against Abdul Rahman for the "offense" of converting to Christianity. The Afghan government is trying to walk the tight rope between the Muslim extremists and the civilized world. But God works in the affairs of men as He wills, and the testimony of His children who are willing to die for their faith still carries a lot of weight...as evidenced by the interview with an Afghan Christian leader in this news story: (hat tip Instapundit)

And then there are emails coming from Afghans wanting to know more about Christianity, asking where they can get a Bible in the Dari or Pashto language, or sharing the news that they had become believers in Jesus Christ.

Among the most stirring messages are those from Afghan Muslims marveling about a faith for which a man was willing to die and wanting to study the Bible further."I strongly believe God is using this situation for His glory," Andaryas said. "One man's bold step has shaken the world."

The Second Coming of the Civil Rights War

The past few weeks have seen the opening volleys of what may well prove to be the second coming of the civil rights wars fought in the 50s and 60s. Only this time, rather than being waged by American citizens long-mistreated and denied their rights, the protestors are largely illegal immigrants, demanding not what is rightfully due them--arrest and deportation--but rather that they be given the same status as legal immigrants and citizens.

The appearance of half a million people on the streets of Los Angeles to agitate against enforcing our immigration laws, combined with other rallies being held across the country. are setting a tone of entitlement and expectation that is going to spark a backlash. In addition, violence by those supporting illegal immigration against those who oppose it has been reported from at least one such event in Indiana.

The political posturing has been eyecatching as well. Senator Hillary Clinton revealed either her lack of understanding of the Bible or else the law and the language saying that the House Bill would "literally" criminalize the Good Samaritan. Since it was a parable Jesus told rather than a historic report, there was no person, and even if there had been, criminalizing someone dead for nearly two thousand years seems unlikely. But leaving aside the ridiculous language, she's wrong on the facts too (as if that's a first). Those people who are here illegally have already broken the law, and those who help them are accessories at best.

The fact that Hispanics are now as large a portion of the US population as African-Americans has not yet reshaped the politics of minority rights, but it is about to. The voting patterns of those who are legal to vote (and the availability of a large pool of potential illegal voters) will be shaped, probably for generations to come, by how the issue of immigration reform is handled.

The first civil rights war was long, bloody, and left scars that endure a generation later. The second may well prove to be worse.

Memo to Billy Packer and other "Experts"

Guess George Mason belonged in the tourney field after all, huh?

A Profound Display of Ingratitude

I was delighted to turn on the news this morning and learn that three "peace activits" who had been held hostage by terrorists in Iraq since last year had been rescued. Apparently information gained from interrogating an arrested man earlier in the day led soldiers to where they were being held. This is really good news. One of my blogging buddies, Ben at http://hammerswing75.blogspot.com
has a personal connection to one of these men from his childhood church.

But I was disgusted with the statement released by their organization, the Christian Peace Team. Rather than expressing any gratitude for the courage of the men who risked their lives to rescue the captives, the group expressed gratitude for the outpouring of kindness they had received from Muslims around the world...and the hope that Christians would be more like them! Would it have killed them to say thanks?

Aslan Overcomes Harry

Last weekend, the Chronicles of Narnia passed the latest Harry Potter installment to become the number two grossing movie released in America during 2005. If you had surveyed 10,000 Hollywood types last October (prior to the release of both films) less than 4 people would have predicted this result. (I made that up, but you take the point.)

There is a vast market for conservative entertainment...that largely goes unserved. It is not surprising that Hollywood despises Christians. The moral swamp of the entertainment industry isn't going to want an absolute standard of right and wrong anywhere near them. But what is surprising is that, even hating the customer, they aren't interested in taking their (our) money.

Movies rooted in a conservative world view (such as Lord of the Rings) and movies with explicitly Christian themes (like Narnia) can not only succeed but be at the very top of the box office. I can't imagine any set of circumstances in which I would be a Hollywood insider, but as an outsider, I can tell you this: I would greatly prefer cold hard cash to cold gold-plated statues as a measure of success. Let somebody else make the edgy junk that bashes America and promotes immorality...I would laugh all the way to the bank.

"Now We Have Hope" -- The View from Iraq

Three years ago, American troops invaded Iraq and overthrew the brutal dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Certainly the aftermath of the quick military victory has been much longer and more difficult than many people expected. Polls show that support for the war continues to decline among the American public. And if you get your news from the mainstream media, whose idea of balance is to have a panel with equal numbers of people who think Bush is mistaken and people who think Bush is evil (yes, Katie, I'm talking about you on the Today Show this morning), it's hard to see much progress being made.

But among the Iraqi people (who know a little more about what is going on in their country than we do), there is hope and confidence for the future. In the most recent poll, 2/3 expect things to be better a year from now. One of the clearest voices from Iraq is the blogger Iraq the Model, who posted a brilliantly written piece today marking the anniversary, including this:

Before the liberation we were suffering and we had no hope, now we are also suffering but we have hope and I see this hope even in the words of those that are cynical about the outcome of the political process; who say they hope things will be better in four years or eight years…
When Saddam was here we didn't have any hope and we could expect nothing good from a dead regime that cared only about its absolute existence.

Things have changed and are continuing to do so, there is hope for the future, and yes, despite the terrible cost, I continue to believe that the Iraq War is worth it.

Changing the Rules...and NOT for the Better

The Senate is about to try to cram amnesty for illegal (can we please ditch the politically correct "undocumented"?) immigrants through yet again. It would be well worth a few minutes of your time to contact your Senators and tell them you oppose this attempt to grandfather in people who have broken the law to allow them to escape the consequences of their actions.

CALL TO ACTION!

On Thursday, March 16, the Senate Judiciary Committee told their staff to meet behind closed doors to construct an immigration bill that would include provisions from the Kennedy-McCain bill. Known as S. 1033, the McCain-Kennedy bill includes an amnesty for illegal aliens, a massive "guest" worker program that leads to citizenship, and an estimated one million additional permanent immigrants each year.

Millions of illegals to become citizens?
Kennedy-McCain immigration reform bill likely to pass Senate committee after recess

A bill that would give millions of illegal aliens in the United States the opportunity to earn citizenship is closer to becoming law today as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signaled likely passage of a proposal by Sens. Edward Kenney, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz.

Though a committee vote will not be held until after a week-long congressional recess, likely March 27, committee members appeared ready to back the Kennedy-McCain bill.

"The votes are there," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Congress is working to pass a reform bill that includes enforcement, a policy on dealing with illegals already in the country and a guest-worker program pushed by President Bush.

Under the legislation, illegal aliens in the United States would obtain six-year nonimmigrant visas under which they could work in the country and travel outside the country. The aliens would have to pay a $1,000 fine and undergo background checks.

After six years, the aliens would be able to meet certain requirements and then apply for a green card, or permanent residency.

Besides voting on the bill after the recess, committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said the panel also would vote on a bill by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., that would give illegal aliens up to five years to leave the U.S. After returning home, they could then apply to return, either as temporary workers or for permanent residency.

"Our intention is not to strand anyone outside the country," Kyl said, according to an AP report. But he asserted the McCain-Kennedy plan would give an illegal alien allowed to stay and work in the country a "huge advantage" over a person having to wait for years in his or her own country for a green card.

The McCain-Kennedy bill would start off with offering 400,000 of the new visas.

To compare the various bills please click here to view a .pdf chart created by NumbersUSA.org. You will be able to see for yourself that what the spin-meisters are telling us about the various bills clearly does NOT match the actual provisions of the bills themselves.

Although Sens. McCain and Kennedy adamantly deny that S. 1033 is an amnesty for illegal aliens, it clearly spells out a path to jobs and residency for illegal aliens. Among the significant immigration-increase provisions of the bill are: a new visa category (H-5A) for 400,000 low-skill foreign workers (this cap can be adjusted upwards); a new temporary 6-year visa category (H-5B) for illegal aliens (and their spouses and children) already in the country; an amnesty for illegal aliens who apply for an H-5B visa and pay a $2,000 fine; a provision for the H-5A temporary workers to apply for permanent resident status after four years; and an exemption of immediate relatives (spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens) from the annual level of 480,000 family-sponsored immigrant visas thereby providing additional visas to the family preference categories.


Supporters claim S. 1033 contains measures to increase border security, yet it contains virtually no such provisions. Aside from creating a Border Security Committee and requiring a few reports, the main "enforcement" provisions are aimed at helping Mexico control its borders!! S. 1033 does, however, require machine-readable immigration documents, and create a new electronic work authorization system that would eventually replace the current "I-9" system. S. 1033 would require the federal government to reimburse states for the cost of providing emergency health care to H-5A and H-5B workers.

Aside from the fact that any guest worker plan would be nothing more than a disastrous amnesty deal tied with a big red bow for lawbreakers, there is another reason to reject it: Our government can’t handle it!

Our government is not capable of handling roughly 13-20 million temporary worker applications when our illegal alien population suddenly becomes eligible through guest worker legislation - USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service) simply cannot handle the administration overload it already has. The only solution would be to massively increase the government. The link above outlines a report from the GAO that shows how the USCIS is already irrevocably buried under a backlog of immigration adjudication. It's a whole other perspective on the various administrative amnesties proposed by the Senate. Mundane? Perhaps. Crucial to the overall scope and size of our bloated and sprawling federal government? Absolutely.

This Guard the Borders Blogburst is a CALL TO ACTION!

1. If you care about the careless increases in immigration as proposed by our Senate, please send a fax - today. It's fast, it's easy - and it's free. NumbersUSA has an amazing way to help us stay involved, and helps us get our voices heard. Their basic faxes are pre-written, and will take less than one minute to send. But, even better, once you register, the faxes are fully customizable to say what you specifically find important to say, if you so choose. The site is an incredible free resource for immigration issues. You can also opt-in for timely updates on issues coming before Congress, and take action on every single on, if you desire.

2. Email the permalink from this article to others you know who care about the impact of illegal immigration. Together, we can all have a voice. The more Americans that respond - the bigger the impact.

Please take a moment, and send a fax today. The Senate Judiciary Committe is behind closed doors as we speak. The McCain-Kennedy bill will come to a vote by next Monday. They and their staffs are smugly confident that they have the votes - let's convince our Senators otherwise.

Take action! We can still be heard!

__________________________________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

The Definition of Mixed Emotions

Mixed emotions is what you have when you pick your team (Bama) to lose in the second round of the tourney to a team you have going all the way to the Final Four (UCLA) and then watch them come within a flicker of an eyelash of pulling the major upset. I promised myself this year I'd pick with my head instead of my heart...but my heart sure won while the game lasted. It was only after it ended that my head reasserted itself and at least one portion of my bracket remained intact.

Russ Feingold Is Still an Idiot

During the John Roberts confirmation hearings, I was moved to comment on the idiotic behavior of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold. That post is still drawing (lots of) hits in search engines, and Feingold's behavior this week has provided further ample evidence of his disconnect with sanity.

Feingold's solo effort to censure President Bush for trying to protect us from terrorists by listening in on calls from Al Qaeda operatives is certainly illustrative. There is certainly a clear political intent in his action. There is only room for one candidate to Hillary's left in the Democratic primary in 08. Kerry, Gore, Edwards, and Dean are all swimming in the water Feingold wants for his lane. He has to do something to distinguish himself from the pack. I think that is his goal, as he must surely know there is zero chance of a censure motion even being voted on (the Democrats will do everything in their power to keep a vote from happening.)

But on another level, this is a sad sign. If there were not a large pool of voters to be swayed by such a foolish action, Feingold would not be doing it. The reality is that there is a significant minority of moonbats who really believe President Bush is a threat to our liberty; that we are living on the verge of, if not already in, a police state; and that the mainstream media is right wing!!! It almost makes one wish for some test demonstrating at least a minimum grasp of reality prior to voting.

The Evil Child of Kelo

Last year's Supreme Court decision in the Kelo case was one of the greatest blows struck against individual liberty and property rights in our nation's history. Granting local governments the right to further line the pockets of their campaign contributors by seizing the homes of people for no other reason than to build a new shopping mall would horrify the Founding Fathers who gave a limited right to takings only for public purposes. A shopping mall is nice, I hope they build the one 5 miles down the road that they're talking about. But it is not a public purpose as meant by the Framers of the Constitution.

Now that decision is bearing evil children. One of the new targets in cities across the country is churches. This week the city of Long Beach, California voted to condemn and seize the property of the Filipino Baptist Fellowship Church for the "public purpose" of building new condos. While this meets the (absurd) test of Kelo in that it increases the tax base, is is a great and spreading evil. No church is safe, because they don't add to the tax base. Therefore any church--including the one you attend--can be seized anytime a developer wants to put up an apartment complex or a mall.

The Claremont Institute is working to defend this church. You can read the update on this story at their website for further details. We should all be praying for their success, because this will not stop at the city limits of Long Beach.

NBC News, Darfur, and the Dog That Didn't Bark

Tonight on the NBC Evening News, Ann Curry reported on the ongoing genocide in Darfur. Brian Williams introduced the segment noting that the media has been criticized for ignoring the story. It was a moving first-hand look at a human tragedy of immense proportions. But I couldn't help noticing what was left out of the report.

At one point in the story, Curry identified the killers as "Arab militias" but she ignored completely the religious component of the massacre. The truth is that almost all of the violence is a very one-sided battle. With the implicit, and sometimes open, support of the Sudanese government, Christians are being butchered by Muslims.

Hundreds of thousands have already been killed, and more than a million people have been displaced by the violence. This has been going on for years. No one who cares about the details is in the dark as to the source of the bloodshed. Yet in the name of political correctness, another glaring example of Islamic terrorism is being downplayed by the media. In fact, Williams concluded the segment by mentioning that on the Today Show tomorrow, Ann Curry would be looking at the impact of the violence on the women of Darfur. While it's true that the impact on women has been grave, it is not women who are primarily the targets, but Christians.

Sherlock Holmes solved a case (in Doyle's short story The Silver Blaze) by noting that a dog failed to bark because it knew the culprit. The American media has been almost uniformly silent on the Darfur tragedy. And now that they are beginning to notice, the media still refuses to identify the source of the problem. The same war being waged against America by terrorists is being carried on against believers in central Africa. There is a war going on--a war in which Islamic extremists will kill, maim, rape, torture and destroy those who do not share their "faith." We ignore this grim reality at our peril. If 9/11 taught us anything, it should be that ignoring our enemies will not make them go away. If we stand by in silence while terrorists hone their killing skills on others, we should not be surprised to find them putting those skills to use against us. Enough is enough. It's time to take clear and decisive action to end the Islamic jihad against Christians in Darfur. The lives we save may be our own.

Further Thoughts on Illegal Immigration

Immediately below this post is a report from the massive rally in support of "rights" for illegal immigrants held in Chicago last week from a blogger who attended the event. Here's my take.

1) I am not opposed to legal immigration. It's a very good thing. We should increase the number of people, especially from Mexico and other Latin American countries, who are allowed to enter the country legally each year. It is a straw man to say that those of us who are concerned about illegal immigration are somehow nativist or racist or anti-immigration. Nope. That's simply a tool to try to discredit those of us who are standing in the street screaming "Fire" as the smoke and flames billow unchecked into the night sky.

2) Our government--both political parties--is the chief enabler of this illegal immigration. The Democrats love it because they are getting a whole new group of voters (voters who may not be legal to vote, but hey, as long as it counts!) and the Republicans love it because their small business base is getting cheap labor. Both sides are committed to looking the other way while hundreds of thousands illegally pour over the border. The latest estimates I've seen are that some 12 million people are here illegally! That simply could not happen without the full cooperation of the government.

3) If the government cared at all about the issue, there would have been thousands of National Guard troops standing by in Chicago to round up everyone at this event, check their identification, and IMMEDIATELY deport every single person--man, woman and child--who was not a citizen or legal immigrant. Although most of our citizens (and apparently most of our politicians) have forgotten it, we are at war. And the simplest and easiest way for our enemies to strike at us is not through gaining ownership of operations at a few ports...it's simply walking across an undefended border.

4) The problem of illegal immigration would be 99% solved over night if the government would simply issue secure Social Security cards, using the same anti-counterfeiting technology we use for money...and then enforcing the penalties against businesses who hire illegal immigrants. If the job supply dried up, so would the flood. Of course this will not happen.

The problem I see is not primarily that a large group of immigrants for the first time is refusing to assimilate into our culture--although that is a problem. The problem is not that a group of people with a different skin color is rapidly growing--that is not a problem at all. The problem is that EVERY time we refuse to enforce our laws, we take another step down the road toward becoming a lawless society, and every time we fail to take defending our national security seriously, we take another step toward the next 9/11.

Illegal Immigrants Demand Their "Rights"

If you get your news from the Democratic Party's media outlets--CBS, CNN, NBC, ABC, The New York Times, etc--you may well not have heard about what happened in Chicago last week. Here's a report from someone who was there:


by The Freedom Folks

Illegal Aliens March On Chicago

"Si, se puede!" was the cry of the crowd in Chicago today -- "Yes, we can!" Thousands upon thousands of illegal aliens and their supporters gathered in Union Park, then marched down Jackson Street to The Loop. Jamming the plaza, as well as the surrounding streets and sidewalks, they rallied to cheer on those who had come to speak.

They demanded legalization for all immigrants. They patted each other on the back for working hard and having dreams. They lauded politicians who devote themselves to representing "the people," which evidently, in their minds, includes "the people" who have come here illegally and don't get to vote. They demanded justice. They jeered HR4437, the House bill passed last December that would make coming here illegally a criminal offense, rather than a civil one, that calls for a fence on the border, and that would penalize anyone who hires and/or helps someone to come or stay here illegally.

Mayor Daley even got up to add his support, which made no sense:

"Don't let anyone tell you you're an immigrant," he shouted. "We're all immigrants!"

???

"Si, se puede!" Yes we can WHAT, one wonders?

Yes we can...make demands of the government, even though we're here illegally? Yes we can...break your laws then demand to not only not be penalized, but to be rewarded for it? Yes we can...take taxpayer-funded services like education and healthcare, and in exchange we'll drive down wages and refuse to assimilate? Yes we can...shout loud enough about our civil rights that the politicians will forget that civil rights are, by definition, for citizens?

Watching these people flood the streets of Chicago today, shouting angrily for what is not theirs to ask, let alone demand, I listened. Amid the shouts of "Si, se puede!" and among the signs and banners calling for legalization and guest worker programs, I listened.

I listened for an answer from within myself and found that, walking along with these thousands of people cheering and yelling and demanding, my answer hadn't changed.

No, you can't.

Vignettes From The Reconquista

I noticed this lady was crying so I asked permission to snap a photo and then asked why she was crying. She informed me that she had been working with "these folks" for a number of years and she wanted them to feel at home here.

Let me start by saying this was a very nice lady, she truly was. I'm sure those who know her would say she has an enormous heart.

But she's an idiot and indicative of a phenomena I noticed along the marches path. Upper crust white women lined the path and had a look on their faces I can only describe as a mother watching her child. It was a species of pride that galled my soul.

It was almost unbelievably arrogant, but arrogance cloaked in compassion. And this type of empty headed compassion is killing this country. We can't allow every person on the planet to enter so where do we draw the line?

While attending the illegal immigrant reconquista march today I made a point of stopping every so often and chatting with observers.

Which leads us inexorably to our second vignette. I came upon a bank where most of employees had gathered on a raised brick planter to watch the march pass by. A gentleman in his mid-thirties stood nearest the end where I hopped up to join him.

I asked him his thoughts on the march. He replied that he thought it was great, that these people definitely deserved to hold a march like this. He was waxing quite eloquent when he uttered an oopsie. He went on to say that we should welcome everybody.

I queried, somewhat astonished, everyone on the planet? It was fascinating to me to watch his facial expressions cycle through surprise to astonishment. I honestly don't think he'd ever thought it through before, that we can't welcome every person on the planet no matter how much the president might want to. My interviewee had just bumped nose first into a hard reality. I noticed over and over how many people merely recited cant whenever you asked them questions about immigration, nation of immigrants, immigration has always been good, etc., etc., etc.

Yet if you followed up and began asking hard questions such as "well, should we just allow a couple of billion people to move here then?" Their eyes would get big and they'd stammer for a bit before saying no. I'd ask, so where do you draw the line? They never had a cogent answer.

I think that really sums up the public debate on immigration in America today. We want to be a nation of immigrants, yet realize this may no longer be possible as it was in the past.

A young black gentlemen provided a slightly different take. When I asked him his thoughts on the march he at first tried to avoid answering but I kept at it and finally he allowed that he thought it was a good thing. Again, that they should be allowed to march, then he uttered his own oopsie. He said he thought they should be allowed to march because they came from a poor country. When I pointed out that in terms of the whole world Mexico was actually a fairly rich country with a decent standard of living compared to many countries he was literally dumbstruck.

If today's march taught me anything it was just this. In terms of the average Jane and Joe American, the two biggest enemies proponents of sane immigration policies face are rank ignorance and romantic notions.


Immigration: An Ending And A Beginning

We've been posting about the march and rally supporting ILLEGAL immigration in Chicago today. I've really been thinking about a feeling I had as we were fighting our way out of the crowd of 100,000+. We spent about 40 minutes pushing through half a city block of the throng to make our way to public transportation.

As we finally made it through the shouting, chanting horde, we turned the corner to walk past Berghoff, which sadly shut its doors at the end of last month. For those not familiar with Chicago, Berghoff was a traditional, family-run German restaurant, an institution famous for holding the first liquor license issued by the city after Prohibition ended.

Gazing into the darkened windows of the restaurant, I felt a real sense of something ending and something beginning. Many who disagree with me on the need to fight ILLEGAL immigration often bring up our country's history of immigration and diversity, as if I am somehow maligning them by speaking out against ILLEGAL immigration.

One of the things I love most about Chicago, my favorite city and current home, is the great diversity of its residents and neighborhoods. Berghoff embodied how immigration is supposed to work in my mind. It honored the traditions of its owners' cultural history while celebrating the opportunities and freedoms of America.

That is what I did not see much of in the crowd today, and certainly did not hear from the speakers who egged them on to demand legalization and denounce HR4437. As I listened to Gutierrez and Daley and Blagojevich, I did not hear an enticement to become Americans in any real sense.

What I heard was a call to demand rights and opportunities that have to be earned. These are precious gifts bestowed upon those who are born here, and those who come here legally. They are most certainly not something to be unrightfully demanded or stolen by those who would disrespect this country and its citizens by those who choose to come, stay, and work here ILLEGALLY.

What I saw today was a defiant mission to impose a mass of people, their culture, and their language on another country. There were many claims of loving America, but talk is cheap. It is your actions that truly speak. If anyone loves this country, they will show it by their efforts to make it a better place. Since when do lawlessness, a constant breech of national security, and economic and cultural destruction make this a better place?

I love this country. I embrace and appreciate our melting pot of cultures and traditions. But our country only works when our country and its citizens come first. I would never ask another nation to put the interests of America before their own -- it's ridiculous!

It makes me angry and sad when people come here ILLEGALLY and demand that of America.

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we're going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

An American Hero Visits Walter Reed

Tim Lee is a true American hero. Severely wounded in Vietnam, he returned home, dedicated his life to serving God and preaching across the country as an evangelist. His personal testimony is incredibly moving, and has opened doors for him to minister. Today he sent out this email...


Thirty-five years ago yesterday, at 1:30 in the afternoon, I stepped on a land mine that ripped both of my legs from my body. I am convinced that God spared my life. If I would have stepped on the mine in just the right way it would have blown my body to thousands of pieces. The mine was large enough to have destroyed a Jeep.

So what does a person do to 'celebrate' such an anniversary? I went to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. to visit our soldiers and Marines who have been injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.Several months ago S/Sgt. Joe Bowser who had been hit in Iraq and had his right leg blown off called me and asked if I could come and visit him and others at Walter Reed. I was unable to change my schedule to go any earlier, however, since I was in a crusade this past week in Annandale, Virginia it worked out perfect for us to go yesterday.

Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Berbano is a member of Capital Baptist Church, where I was speaking. She and her husband are both Army Doctors. Her husband is in Iraq right now.She went to work and set it up for me to be able to visit and to spend some time with our soldiers and Marines who have given so much for this country.Marine Chief Warrant Officer Charles Andrews was our liaison person at the hospital and a tremendous help.

First, we went to visit the soldiers that were in physical therapy. There were approximately 15-20 who were in therapy and most of them, if not all, were amputees. Some were still in a lot of pain, but every single one of them had a great attitude.From there we went to Occupational therapy and there was a class going on with about 75-80 in attendance with the majorityof them being amputees also.

I was given the opportunity to address them and it was an awesome time. We took my testimony in CD format and our Deadline Vietnam tract and gave them out to all that we came in contact with. I was then taken to a few private rooms to visit some who were going through some rough times.The Commander of the hospital, Colonel V. T. Deal came to welcome us and spend a little time with us.

Well, I could write so much more, but this is getting pretty lengthy. It really was an awesome day for this Marine, who gave my legs 35 years ago, to visit and try to encourage so many young men and women who have given so much of themselves for you and I today. Please continue to pray for these heroes. I have said thousands of times that America is worth living for and she is worth fighting for and if needs be she is worth dying for.

Tim Lee

P.S. I hope to get some photos up on our web site in the next few days.

http://www.timlee.org

Hammer Down? Don't Bet On It

Tom Delay handily won his Republican primary election for another term in the House of Representatives over three challengers, pulling in over 60% of the vote. Democrats have targeted his seat as a possible pickup in their drive to retake control of the House that they lost in 1994.

Delay's well-publicized legal travails forced him to step down as the GOP's number two man in the House, and his connections to sleaze merchant Jack Abramoff don't help either. But it would be a mistake to misunderestimate the Hammer. The man knows how to run a campaign. He is tough, and he has money, and he is an incumbent...and House incumbents lose about as often as Ted Kennedy speaks coherently.

The charges brought against Delay by partisan donkey prosecutor Ronnie Earle are widely regarded in non-Democratic legal circles as a joke, and the ones that haven't already been dismissed are unlikely to result in a conviction. That case is scheduled to be heard next month, meaning that in all probability, the issue will be long settled by the November election date.

Delay does have work to do. As part of the Texas redistricting, he took more Democratic voters into his district to protect other more vulnerable Republicans. He "only" received 55% of the vote in 2004 (although a ten point win is the official political definition of a landslide). He must convince the voters of his district that he can and will represent them effectively. But he has a machine in place and a lot of favors accumulated over the years.

So taking everything into account, those who want to bet against Delay had better do it with money they can afford to lose.

Kirby Puckett/Dana Reeves RIP

Two public figures died very young this week. Hall of Fame baseball player Kirby Puckett, hero of two World Series wins ("We'll see you tomorrow night") died of a stroke at 45. Dana Reeves, whose unfailing care and support of her paralyzed husband Christopher brought her well-deserved accolades, died of cancer at 44.

The Psalmist wrote, "Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." (Ps. 90:12) The reality that we in America spend so much time trying to avoid (does "life" insurance pay you if you live?) is that death is an absolute certainty. In fact, if we truly number our days, we get ONE. The only day you are sure of is the one you're living as you read these words. Use it wisely and well. Take that treasure and make something of value for the future and for eternity.

On his 90th birthday, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes addressed the nation via radio. He concluded his remarks by quoting a Latin poem. "Death plucks my ear and says, 'Live, I am coming'."

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

Tonight the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is holding their annual awards show, better known as the Oscars. I would like to thank the members of the Academy for highlighting their most liberal, social activist, anti-religious, anti-family, pro-homosexual, anti-American work over the past year. The money (and the audience) goes to films that are very different from the normal award winners...but at least they have little gold (plated) statues to keep them warm. They can feel good about patting each other on the back, and the rest of us can keep right on ignoring their lousy propaganda...and their lousy "entertainment."

A Brief History Lesson for Katie Couric

Last Friday morning on the Today Show, Katie interogated (she would probably say interviewed) Tom Monigan regarding the proposed construction of Ave Maria University and an accompanying town on 5000 acres of land he has purchased in Florida. After describing (and frequently mischaracterizing) the plans for a conservative town, Katie pressed in on the point that such a community somehow violated the American spirit.

Couric: "At the same time, you can understand how people would hear some of these things and be like, wow, this is really infringing on civil liberties and freedom of speech and right to privacy and all sorts of basic tenets this country was founded on? Right?"

Um, Katie...here's a small suggestion. Get one of your flunkies to print out an article on the history of Plymouth and the Pilgrims. You'll find that trying to set up a community where you can live according to the dictates of your conscience free from coercion and interference from the government goes back a little further than you apparently realize.

Katie has long been dedicated to promoting her personal agenda. From going on live with a camera scanning her colon to appearing later on Friday's show in pajamas for a sleep segment, she brings her own interests to the air. She has the power to make her view known. Unfortunately that view is hostile to everything conservative, and frequently politically but not historically correct.

The concept that religion is a foreign idea and a recent introduction to American public life is the product of a long process of intentional indoctrination in the school system. References to the faith of our Founding Fathers has been systematically removed from the history texts. Revisionist takes have become the accepted norm--but they're still wrong. Freedom of religion has been morphed into freedom from religious. The rights for which men and women went to prison, fought, and died for are quickly being lost to political correctness and the secularization of America.

And for what it's worth, those rights did not include the "right to privacy" as Katie Couric and those of her ilk define it.

The Taste that Beat Cinnabon

Yesterday the Culinary Arts Department of the local community college conducted a cinnamon roll taste test. They tested Cinnabon, a supermarket chain product, and Brenda's. By a margin of more than 3 to 1, Brenda's (most excellent, as I can testify to the horror of my bathroom scale) cinnamon rolls beat the Cinnabon version! If all goes well, and planning continues apace, we hope to put those on the market sometime this year.

Way to go, Babe!

Have Fun Storming the Castle

If you need help storming the castle, you might want to check with Bryant. For his latest Engineering Concepts and Design class assignment, his team had to construct a catapult. Design effectiveness was measured by distance times accuracy...and of the four teams, his finished in first place. This despite the fact that one of the other teams included a member who works as a machinist and used his professional tools to put their entry together!

Way to go Dude.