Tuesday, May 30, 2006

My Ideas On A Comprehensive Immigration Bill

Remarks by President Bush in the East room on January 7, 2004.


"I propose a new temporary worker program that will match willing foreign workers with willing American employers, when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. This program will offer legal status, as temporary workers, to the millions of undocumented men and women now employed in the United States, and to those in foreign countries who seek to participate in the program and have been offered employment here. This new system should be clear and efficient, so employers are able to find workers quickly and simply.

All who participate in the temporary worker program must have a job, or, if not living in the United States, a job offer. The legal status granted by this program will last three years and will be renewable -- but it will have an end. Participants who do not remain employed, who do not follow the rules of the program, or who break the law will not be eligible for continued participation and will be required to return to their home."


When did this vision mutate into a path to citizenship?

I must admit to being confused as to how such a simple proposal morphed into the amnesty bill passed by the Senate. In re-reading President Bush's remarks once again, it appears to make sense. The first prioity of strengthening our borders must be achieved.Then the documentation of the illegal workers currently present within our borders can be accomplished not as an automatic path to citizenship but as temporary workers. After three years, those who have abided by our laws, paid their taxes and have been investigated and found not to have used fraudulent documents, stolen identity or been convicted of other felonies may apply for an extension of guest worker status. They would be free at any time to return to their home country and begin the application process followed by everyone else to begin the path to citizenship. They would be able to re-enter the USA with their current biometric card. If this were enacted, we would learn who is here within our borders. Any illegal alien who does not come forward and register within a predetermined timeframe will be ineligible to work or receive any public benefits with the exception of emergency care for life threatening illness. Any alien who does not apply for guest worker status will be deported upon discovery of their illegal presence. The needs of small and big business will be met. Laws requiring prevailing wages and workers insurance will be mandated for all employers. ICE will only have to repond when local law enforcement finds undocumented people. Catch and release will cease.

Biometric cards will replace current legal documents such as green cards and student, non worker visas These cards will be required for employment and for enrolling dependent children (along with the child's birth certificate to authenicate parentage) in our schools. The biometric card will be required by landlords to verify legality. Temporary lodging such as hotels and motels shall have the right to request the biometric card without threat of lawsuit. Babies born to any alien who is not currently on a citizenship path will not be granted citizenship. Driver's licenses can be granted for any documented worker once they have passed the written and road test and have the state mandated insurance. Driver's licenses can be granted for any documented worker once they have passed the written and road test and have the state mandated insurance. Such driver's license would indicate guest status so it cannot be used for voting ID.


This would be humane in that the current illegal aliens would have an opportunity to apply for citizenship through the regular channels and at the back of the line. This is fair to those who are currently waiting and following our laws and procedures. A valid guest worker biometric card would allow persons to return home in the event of faamily emergency, on vacation etc. and allow them to re-enter and return to their jobs. It would also allow our nation to maintain control of the number of immigrants who eventually become citizens. It would discourage aliens from entering without documents or remaining with outdated documents since they will not be able to find work and will be deported upon discovery with minimal legal procedures. Illegal presence mandating deportation will invalidate any request for guest worker status or application for citizenship. The biometrics of such illegals who are deported will be on file and cross checked for all aliens applying for entry visa, work permit or path to citizenship. Once enacted and the potential illegal immigrants are informed, I believe fewer persons will be tempted to enter illegally or overstay with outdated documents.

Persons applying for citizenship, along with dependent family members, will be counted against the legal number of immigrants on the citizenship path. Dependent children of persons on the citizenship path will be required to file application for citizenship.Those with jobs or in school fulltime who meet all requirements will be placed on a path to citizenship if they have clean records. Only under age children and dependent parents will be allowed. All other family will need to apply for themselves without preference.

Monday, May 29, 2006

In Remembrance

Taps always makes me recall the sacrifice made by our military over the years. I remember my uncle telling of the loss of so many in WW I. WW II is in my memory as I saw the newsreels and listened to the conversation about the war. I remember the day the sirens announced the end of that war and the tears streaming down the face of a man working construction near my home. I asked why the sirens and tears and he said "it means the soldiers will come home."

I remember the sacrifice of so many of the troops. I think of the lives interrupted, separation from family and friends, potential futures gone as they gave their lives that we might remain safe and free at home. May these brave souls rest with God.


Taps


Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lake, from the hills, from the sky;
All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

Fading light, dims the sight,
And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.
From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

Thanks and praise, for our days,
'Neath the sun, 'neath the stars, neath the sky;
As we go, this we know, God is nigh.

Sun has set, shadows come,
Time has fled, Scouts must go to their beds
Always true to the promise that they made.

While the light fades from sight,
And the stars gleaming rays softly send,
To thy hands we our souls, Lord, commend.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Media Twists

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has asked that a ban on CNN journalists in Iran be lifted and that the network be allowed to continue working in the country, according to a report by the official Iranian news agency IRNA early Tuesday."LINK


Lost in translation?

Does the CNN have problems with translation from Arabic to English or is it a case of deliberate twisting of facts?

Yesterday Iraq's and Iran's foreign ministers had a joint press conference in Baghdad after which the CNN ran a headline that reads 'Iraqi minister defends Iranian nuclear program' and wrote:


Iran has a right to develop nuclear technology and the international community should drop its demands that Tehran prove it's not trying to build a nuclear weapon, Iraq's foreign minister said Friday.

[�]

'Iran doesn't claim that they want to obtain a nuclear weapon or a nuclear bomb, so there is no need that we ask them for any guarantee now,' Hoshyar Zebari said after meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Manouchehr Mottaki.


I wasn't there at the press conference but I was able to find an audio clip of the same part of minister Zibari's statement through Radio Sawa, and what he said here is so much different from what the CNN claimed he did (my translation):


We respect Iran's and every other nation's right to pursue nuclear technology for research purposes and peaceful use given they accept [giving] the internationally required guarantees that this will not lead to an armament race in the region�

Audio clip available here (Arabic)

Listening to the 2nd version of the story (in Zibari's own voice) it is clear that Iraq recognizes Iran's right to use nuclear power for peaceful purposes exclusively and is moreover asking Iran for guarantees, not the other way around CNN!"
IRAQ THE MODEL: "Saturday, May 27, 2006

Watch, Listen and Laugh

Cat Massages Dog
Watch it now on StupidVideos!

Friday, May 26, 2006

Will We Remain A Sovereign Nation?

The US Senate passed a bill to weaken our national sovereignty by allowing aliens to demand and get citizenship despite breaking our laws either through illegal entry or overstaying the permit to be here. Our system of laws seems to apply only to our citizens while non citizens are granted the benefits of amnesty for illegal entry, falsification of documents and identity theft. This battle is not over and I pray the House of Representatives will remain firm regarding securing our borders and then finding and penalizing those who break our established laws by employing persons here illegally. Forgiving aliens for falsifying documents and identity theft is not acceptable to me.

Yesterday I got an Email alert regarding the UN scheduling a meeting on July 4, 2006 regarding the drive to ban civilian firearm ownership worldwide.

Today,Sally McNamara writes in her column at Townhall that the "U.N., is leading the gambit for perhaps its biggest power-grab yet - independent tax-raising powers or globo-taxation. "

LINK

Thursday, May 25, 2006

The Vote For Cloture Amnesty

According to NUMBERSUSA

Akaka (D-HI)
Alexander (R-TN)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Stevens (R-AK)
Thomas (R-WY)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)

Bordering on fraud, part III by Thomas Sowell

"Some people are worried that amnesty will give illegal aliens the same rights that American citizens have. In reality, it will give the illegals more rights than the average American citizen." This is the thesis of today's article by Thomas Sowell.

Again Mr. Sowell points out provisions of the Senate bill and the ultimate outcome of these provisions. I encourage you to read his article and then read all of the comments written in response to his column. In the comments are more links to plans to become one entity without borders by combining the US with it's north and south neighbors. The new external borders will be controlled and guess who will be paying to secure the Mexican southern border.

LINK

Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Thomas Sowell

I always enjoy reading the opinions of Thomas Sowell. He conveys a lot of sense in relatively short opinion pieces. If you do not read his columns, let me recommend today's article.

"The real question is what we do with whatever illegal aliens we do find. Right now, there are various communities around the country where local officials have a policy of forbidding the police from reporting illegal immigrants to federal authorities.
Why are people who are so gung ho for punishing employers so utterly silent about needing to punish government officials who openly and deliberately violate federal laws? "

Townhall.com :: Columns :: Bordering on fraud by Thomas Sowell - May 23, 2006:

Throw Open The Prison Doors

In the senate bill employers will be given a pass for breaking the law by hiring illegal aliens and the aliens will be given a pass for illegal entry, use of false documents etc., I believe Congress should treat Citizens behind bars with the same compassion. Perhaps they will keep the truly violent criminals in prison. But those poor souls such as Duke Cunningham and ilk along with the petty thief and the alcoholic who chooses to drive under the influence should all be allowed to return home. The non violent felons can pay a fine and earn their freedom and regain all rights of citizenship. The alcoholic caught driving will enter the Mayo Clinic and all will be well. Honest, hard working citizen taxpayers will just absorb the losses of financial security, lack of hospital facilities (closed due to frequent use by the formerly illegal aliens) and continue to vote to retain the 'Statesmen' who are selling our sovereignty down the river. Sarcasm off!

Big business is surely flexing their muscles behind the scenes to get the politicians to forgive their law breaking. This will stimulate more hiring of illegal aliens who enter the USA illegally and wait for the next amnesty. This will be easy since our government will again forget the laws on the books and the promises to secure the border.

I am glad I am in my retirement years but I fear for our citizens who have over the years worked in the service and construction industries. Factories move overseas and the factory workers have sought employment in other areas.

The new citizens will also be looking for work as the new wave of illegal aliens undercut their salaries. We have had a balance over the years of people with few skills, those with moderate skills and the more highly skilled. Somehow they mangaged to find a job they were able to do and support themselves and their families. As more of our more highly skilled jobs are exported overseas we see a shift downward of jobs available.

Sunday, May 21, 2006

Social Security For Illegal Aliens

Many Senators want to grant illegal aliens Social Security benefits which is absurd. If they have been paying into Social Security at all it is with fraudulent documents or stolen identity of someone's SS number. I received an Email today which I have seen many times indicating the desire to "Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us."
The email urges us to make this an issue in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Years ago congress voted themselves a great retirement package allowing them to continue to receive their salaries upon retirement. They do not pay into the system because they figure the taxpayers are so thrilled by the great service they provide that we will reward them until death. We all know Social Security is not secure for future retirees so perhaps paying it out more quickly to those who enter our nation illegally will be a compassionate gesture to hasten a speedy death instead of a long drawn out misery caused by the uncertainty of younger workers wondering if they will have any chance of collecting some of the money they paid in and the ever increasing age for retirement.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

Chalk One Up For Senator Byrd

This morning Senator Byrd spoke on the Senate floor against amnesty. He reviewed history of previous amnesty and the results of increased illegal alien entry hoping for the same treatment. He will not reward persons who break our laws with a path to citizenship.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006

My Thoughts on Immigration

I watched and listened as President Bush addressed the nation about plans to control the immigration problems facing the nation. I then read the early reactions on the blogs. I believe President Bush is trying to find a solution to the problem. The current administration did not make this problem although the lack of enforcement of current laws allowed it to continue and intensify. Previous amnesty programs, previous as well as currant leadership in Congress have all contributed. Average American citizens who employ illegal aliens have contributed. Businesses who take advantage of illegal aliens who work for substandard wages have contributed. Mexico's encouragement of it's citizens to enter the US illegally have contributed. Myriad causes require a comprehensive approach. I believe President Bush was reaching out to all citizens to give this problem rational thought. As with any process in America not all of the people will agree. This is the time for citizens to think about the solutions and to let congress know what we want.

Strengthening the borders is the absolute top priority to prevent all persons from entering. We need to be able to eliminate criminal activates and know who is in our nation. For long term security, a physical boundary should be built. Until such time, increasing the numbers of personnel tasked with border control must be increased. I do not know the number it will take. Use of the National Guard is a start. The continuation of the Minutemen will help. I question why the National Guard will not be armed since there have been incursions of armed Mexican Military crossing into the US and there are many incidents of illegal aliens assaulting the border patrol. I am not advocating random shooting of illegal aliens attempting to enter, but it seems incredulous that those patrolling would lack the means of self defense. A National Guard website lists the Top Three Priorities of the National Guard:

1. The National Guard's number one priority is the security and defense of our homeland, at home and abroad.

2. The National Guard's second priority is to support the Global War on Terrorism here and abroad.

3. America insists on a relevant, reliable and ready National Guard that is transformed for the 21st Century.



Enforcing current law is the next priority.Catch and release is senseless. Streamlining the deportation process along with requiring nations, whose citizens enter our country illegally, to facilitate the return of their citizens in order to allow any of their citizens to apply for entry to the US can be accomplished. Changes in our laws aimed to discourage illegal aliens from entering or remaining after documentation for temporary entrance has expired can help.


When the illegal aliens entered our country, they were aware that they were breaking our law. For those who were well informed they knew they were subject to having their entry treated as a misdemeanor and possibly being deported. This seemed a risk worth taking if they were to have a chance at the American dream. Who among us would not take that risk if we were living in a corrupt country without any hope of bettering our lives. How many American citizens have erred in obeying our laws and have been adjudicated as committing misdemeanors? When this is a basically good person, temporarily gone astray, we impose fines, community service and hope this teaches them a lesson. This calling to account has served to "straighten out" many. The impastation of fines, paying back taxes and moving to the end of the line in applying for citizenship seems a fair and reasonable proposal. This would not grant blanket amnesty to all illegal aliens. The process of checking for criminal records, health status and working history in the US would determine the outcome of the application process. Criminal elements would be identified and deported. Now is the time to change the law, although not retroactively, and make it a felony with no possible route to citizenship for illegal aliens sneaking into the US.

Many children have been born in the US to illegal aliens. Now is the time to pass a law that citizenship will only be given to the babies who have at least one parent who is a legal citizen. We may not strip citizenship already given but we can stop future grants of citizenship to babies born to non citizens.

Just because some of the illegal aliens will become documented and eventually become citizens should not mean that entire families are included. The families of American citizens do not all live together. Plans to allow families to get together for visits, family reunions etc. can be developed. If illegal aliens do not meet the criteria to become documented, they are free to take their families back to their nation of origin even if children were born here. Simply having a dependent child that is a citizen should not qualify the parents for documentation if they fail to meet the other criteria.

We all face choices as to we remain close to our families or move great distances away because of work opportunities or our personal desire to live in a different area. When aliens, legal or illegal, come to the US they make a choice. It should not be automatic that other family members are allowed to accompany or join them.

Penalties against businesses who knowingly hire illegals should be stiff. Those who profit from illegal entry, the coyotes, should be imprisoned. Charitable groups who provide TEMPORARY humane assistance and spiritual care should not be penalized since this is one of the very best attributes of Americans. This willingness to assist others should be applauded and nurtured so long as it does not condone and support long term violation of our laws.

A temporary worker program may be needed in the future. Plans for this need to be developed as to how the guest workers would have their backgrounds checked (criminal, health, skills etc.), how they would be tracked and the procedure for deporting them when their guest status expires. This is not an immediate need and time to discuss and establish necessary procedures need not be rushed.

Assimilation of new immigrants must remain the goal for any who apply for citizenship. We need to teach English to those who are not literate or fluent with our language. We need to stop accommodating those who refuse to learn English. Support English language classes and stop the nonsense of bilingual education, ballots and legal documents. If we permit one foreign language to be used, we must in fairness accommodate every language known to man. If a person wishes to live and work here it is their responsibility to learn to understand us, not the other way around. Citizenship must require knowledge of our history and laws. Allegiance to the US rather than their country of origin is basic.

Monday, May 15, 2006

Politicians Can't Be Trusted on Immigration

Tony Phyrillas has an interesting point of view.

"Let's put immigration -- including key issues such as deporting illegal aliens and protecting our national borders -- to a national vote. A binding referendum. Take the decision away from pandering politicians and give it to the people."

LINK:

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Vincente Fox Phones President Bush

Another attempt to tell President Bush how to run our country!

My advice to him is to clean up his own mess in Mexico and keep his suggestions about how to run the USA to our elected officials.

Happy Mother's Day

My Son Cares About Me, The Media Does Not

My son called me early this morning to wish me a Happy Mother's Day and we will have dinner together this evening.
Mother's Day is a day for phone calls. That means the government might be able to link your number to your mothers. Horrors!


I recall having given my phone number to the government for the Do Not Call listing. I have also given my phone number to my Senators and Representative. Verizon has records of all my calls be it on land line or cell phone. Often when I order something on line, my phone number is requested. It is in the local phone book. Occasionally someone misdials and ends up calling me.

In view of the above, I have never believed that my phone number was protected information. If the government computers screen the numerous connections made to my phone, it is of no consequence since I do not have contact with terrorists and could care less if someone knows which numbers I call or which numbers call me. Many phones have caller ID which gives them my phone number. If for some reason the government actually listened to my conversations, they would be very bored.


The IRS, on the other hand really gets nosey. They want to know how much income I have, the source of the income and how it is spent. My credit card company gets a copy of where I spend my money. My grocery store keeps track of every item I buy and I am identified by the stores discount card. My internet service can trace all of the sites I visit and the addresses of those people I Email. My postman, FedEx and UPS know where and when I purchase something. The United States Postal Service asks for a detailed account of what is in packages I mail to our troops. My bank knows a lot of detail about how I spend my money. I was fingerprinted as part of an employment procedure. My hospital and physician have information about my health history. My neighbors know when I leave my house and what time I return. My satellite company tracks my TV viewing habits. Spammers search for my internet address so Nigerians can solicit my help in dealing with their millions of dollars.

My thoughts are about the only thing that I can keep free of others knowing and even they are revealed through my speech, my blog and my body language.

The thing that really upsets me about the NSA surveillance procedures is that the Media seem unable to refrain from advertising, hyping and criticizing my government's attempts to protect me and other citizens from future attacks on our nation. The unrelenting attempt to find some error of judgment or action by the administration that is tasked with protecting us actually informs our enemies more than it serves the citizens. My safety is far more imperiled by the media than it is by NSA.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Our Government: Stuck on Stupid!

Doug Hagin makes some valid points about the failure of Congress to accomplish anything that really has an effect. Congress talks and talks about the cost of gas but does not allow drilling of our own national reserves. In the past, laws pertaining to illegal entry into the US have been passed but promptly ignored and remain unenforced. It is time to demand Congress act in the interest of our country by actually solving some problems instead of more rhetoric.

Our Government: Stuck on Stupid! by Doug Hagin - The New Media Journal.us: "It does not take too many brain cells to figure out that increased enforcement will help secure our border more effectively. Build a wall, hire more border patrol agents, stop the insane practice of catch and release, tell Mexico�s corrupt government to do their part and work to make their country better instead of encouraging their people to come here illegally, and enforce the laws on the books! Meanwhile, if we can improve our laws fine, but laws without enforcement have never and will never work!"

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Illegal Aliens Bring Undiagnosed Health Problems

The ramifications of illegal aliens with undetermined illness continue to overburden our health care facilities.
Those with contagious diseases put us all at risk by spreading their disease.
The costs of care bankrupt our hospital facilities and public health services while increasing the charges to paying clients in order to make up for the shortfall

A neurosurgeon writes of his experience with an illegal alien. The alien had TB meningitis, required long hospitalization. The surgeon ended up admiring the illegal since he hoped to work again when many American citizens would have wanted to apply for disability. This determination on the part of the illegal alien is admirable however I encourage you to read the article and note:

A large community hospital, which served Port Chester, Rye and Mamaroneck NY, has been closed due to too many patients unable to pay for their care.
The alien was working in the community while contagious with sputum positive for a very drug resistant form of TB.
The relatives of this man were also positive for TB and were working in local restaurants and potentially exposing whoever visited the restaurant.
The hospital bill of $200,000 was unpaid.
Extra time is involved when caring for a patient in isolation with a communicable disease so the time allowed to care for other patients diminishes or the staffing level must be increased. (As a retired nurse, I can tell you this is rarely done. The staff is just forced to do the best they can without additional help.)
If strict isolation techniques are not followed, health care personnel and other patients are at risk.
The surgeon's fees and those of many other medical specialists were unpaid.
A pathologist refused to contaminate his equipment. The operating room and all of it's equipment had to be decontaminated to assure safety for future patients.
Health department personnel, funded by taxpayers, had to be involved in tracking his contacts, testing them for TB and providing medication to those who tested positive.

OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "Several months ago, I had an unusual encounter with an illegal immigrant. He was only 25, from Guatemala, and had been in the U.S. for only three months. He'd been doing landscaping work until he was admitted to Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, with an excruciating headache. The medical team discovered that he had active tuberculosis, so fulminant that it had even invaded his spinal fluid. "

"He ended up in Greenwich Hospital because the one in the town where he'd settled, the neighboring and much less well-to-do Port Chester, had shut down after going bankrupt."

"Why should our hospitals have to eat the cost of disease brought in by undocumented workers? I found out that his bill totaled $200,000. This excludes professional fees, meaning everything that would have been billed separately by the many physicians treating him over 10 weeks (including what I'd have charged for surgery). We all worked for him free."

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

An Assimilated American from Cambodia

Sgt. Sar stood at attention as he received the Silver Star, the nation's fourth-highest award for valor in combat. He was a reluctant recipient. He felt that what he had done that day in Afghanistan was "just my duty as a soldier, protecting my guys like they protect me."

OpinionJournal - Federation: "'it's a small price to pay for this country that I love more than my birthplace, this country that has given me so much.'"

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Help Requested

Multiple attempts to PING to update blogroll since last post results in:

Warning: fsockopen(): php_network_getaddresses: getaddrinfo failed: No address associated with hostname in /home/dcochran/webdocs/includes_live/xmlrpc.php on line 378Warning: fsockopen(): unable to connect to rpc.blogrolling.com:80 in /home/dcochran/webdocs/includes_live/xmlrpc.php on line 378Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/dcochran/webdocs/includes_live/xmlrpc.php:378) in /home/dcochran/webdocs/live.blogrolling.com/ping.php on line 102

Any suggestions to overcome this will be appreciated.

Monday, May 08, 2006

View Of A LEGAL Immigrant

This is from a Hispanic who lives in Texas. He's had a column in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and as you can see, expresses himself very well.

ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL
I can almost assure you that everyone who is a true American was sickened when you saw multitudes of protesters carrying Mexican flags protesting the new Immigration Reform Bill in the Senate. This display of Mexican flags should give you a heads up on where these protesters allegiance lies. Their hearts are in Mexico and their bellies are in the United States. As an American of Mexican Heritage I want to set the record straight, American Hispanics are not all thrilled with illegal immigration. I, for more than 20 years, tried desperately to bring this national debacle to the attention of the American people. I had the privilege of writing for several newspapers, appeared on national and local TV and radio programs, and was asked by many political groups to address this serious problem affecting my former community (north Fort Worth), city, state, and our country. Many will question how I can speak on this subject with some authority. My simpleanswer is: I lived with the problem! Trust me, it was no picnic. Never in my life (I'm 68) had I witnessed the lawlessness, the deterioration of my community, and the black market criminal underground activities attributed to the influx of illegal immigrants. To add injury to insult, politicians soon caved in to the many demands of illegal immigrants. Notably: bilingual education, bilingual ballots, welfare aid, free medical care, etc. Through all this national disgrace allowed by our politicians, have you all noticed that no one ever blames the useless, corrupt, and disgraceful government of Mexico? In contrast, they lambaste and criticize our country. How does that grab you? When I addressed the dangers of our porous border between Mexico and the United States, and the lax security of our nation, no one paid attention. As I observed the situation, the problem was perceived to be between American Hispanic communities and illegal immigrants. White Americans it seemed, assumed that the problem was not theirs to deal with. In other words they were, asleep at the wheel. However, 9-11 soon woke them up. Lets be honest with each other here, white Americans vote in far larger numbers than Hispanics do. And most politicians (Democrats and Republicans) in our city, state, and federal governments are white. Thus, who is more suited to fix this national disaster? I'm sure most of you know what the answer is. In summation, I'm pleading with white American voters to join me in sending our politicians (Democrats and Republicans) a strong message that we will not tolerate illegal immigrants telling us how to make government policy that will make it easier for them to break our laws. Hope you will join me in this endeavor in our upcoming elections. James H. Reza 4204 Grand Lake Lake Worth, Texas 76135

Email From A Relative in Texas