Meanwhile, while he was President of the VA ACLU, he lobbied for open access to the Internet and used the education of CHILDREN as the base for his argument. What he REALLY meant to say was he was for open access to the Internet to educate his CHILD PORN HABIT!
Notice how you have not heard about this on CNN or FOX News or any other large news outlet. Doesn’t that clue you in to the agenda by our Mainstream Media?
CRIMENETDAILY Child porn hearing set for former ACLU exec finger Facing possible prison time for acting on group's agenda Posted: May 26, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern
A former youth league sports coach and executive of the American Civil Liberties Union, who has argued against any limits on Internet access in public libraries, is facing a hearing – and the possibility of prison – for having hard-core child pornography.
Charles Rust-Tierney, 51, as WND reported earlier, was arrested in February and was indicted earlier this month on allegations of having what a U.S. magistrate described as "the most perverted and nauseating and sickening type of child pornography" she ever had seen.
Rust-Tierney, who was president of the Virginia chapter of the ACLU until 2005 and served on the group's board until the day he was arrested, now is scheduled to appear in a court hearing on June 1 at which local reports say he is expected to plead guilty to various charges.
Authorities have alleged he used his own credit card and his own e-mail address to access and purchase an estimated $1,000 in graphic and violent child pornography during 2005 and 2006, according to Virginia's North Country Gazette.
(Story continues below)
Magistrate Theresa Buchanan said the material included an extended video featuring the sexual torture of children, accompanied by a song by the band called Nine Inch Nails.
He's been indicted on a count of receiving child pornography and another count of possessing child pornography, and authorities say he could face a prison sentence of 11 to 14 years on each charge.
While serving the ACLU, he argued against any restrictions on Internet access in public libraries, claiming "individuals will continue to behave responsibly and appropriately while in the library" so those facilities should provide "maximum, unrestricted access to the valuable resources of the Internet."
Court records indicate Rust-Tierney had subscribed to several websites featuring child pornography over a period of years, covering the same time he was serving as a youth sports league coach and arguing for an open Internet.
Twice during pretrial hearings judges had denied him bond, describing the material as some of the most sickening they'd ever seen. Authorities allege he used a computer located in his 10-year-old son's bedroom for the transactions.
Rust-Tierney was a coach in Arlington's Little League and had children who participated in Arlington's flag football league, according to Arlington County Parks & Recreation spokesperson Susan Kalish. She said all the group's coaches must go through annual background checks, and Rust-Tierney had passed all previous background checks.
Some of the children he coached had written letters of support. Several dozen people appeared at a hearing for him, urging the judge to release him from jail.
He and his lawyers have declined to respond to media requests for comment.
The federal indictment alleged he "knowingly received multiple computer files that contained photo and video depictions of minor teenage and prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit conduct."
An anonymous chat room participant on the cannablog was distressed by the low profile in the national media over the case. When his arrested first was announced, authorities didn't even mention either his ACLU or youth league coaching connections.
"This man was the PRESIDENT of the Virginia ACLU and while he was president, he lobbied to keep the Internet available to child pornographers via any port available, and WHILE he was president he was engaged in purchasing and subscribing to child (infant and toddler torture) pornography for his personal and sexual gratification. The ACLU. Pouring money into a machine that victimizes children. For years. And that the media is keeping this out of sight is okay with you? Wow," he said.
Fox News' Bill O'Reilly called it a "horrifying" case. And he noted that the two "biggest left-wing outfits in the country – the New York Times and NBC News – ignored the story entirely." CBS News, CNN and most of the big city liberal newspapers also failed to cover the Rust-Tierney arrest, Fox said.
Several area broadcast stations and newspapers actually have begun to cover the case as it appears to be heading towards a conclusion.
"That Mr. Rust-Tierney, a leading proponent of unrestricted access to the Internet, has now been arrested for receiving and possessing graphic child pornography should serve as testimony to the injudicious and baleful outgrowth of the legal challenges launched by the ACLU questioning the constitutionality of important legislation that protects children from Internet exploitation and content harmful to minors," said a statement released by spokeswoman Cris Clapp of Enough is Enough, an organization dedicated to protecting children from the dangers on the Internet.
"When Mr. Rust-Tierney argued before the Loudoun County Library Board that unrestricted access to the resources of the Internet was essential for our children's ability to learn and communicate, and when groups like the ACLU contend that acceptable use policies alone are capable of protecting children online, they fail to acknowledge the tragic and devastating effects to children and families of both intentional and unintentional access to online pornography," the statement said.
The investigation that resulted in Rust-Tierney's arrest was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, as well as Arlington County police as part of the Northern Virginia and District of Columbia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This piece of “literature” was sent from a Reconquista to a patriot via his youtube account. THIS is what La Raza and MeCHA and MalDEF are supporting and funding… and promoting.. this attitude that we have stolen land from Mexico and they have some right to it and are going to eradicate US from OUR land. This is what we are up against and you will not see this on CNN. The elites are keeping it quiet because they also are behind this invasion. If you live in California you are on the front lines and you see what is happening. Other parts of the country can remain asleep because they don’t yet see it.. but by the time they see it and wake up - it may be too late.
From: Xalixco
You think you pilgrims can come to our land, NORTHERN MEXICO, which you invaded and stole from, and think you have a legitimate right to fight for land that is not yours? lol
Wake up homie, I AM IN MY TRUE HOMELAND! YOU SHOULD RETURN TO YOUR HOMELAND, GO BACK TO EUROPE, THAT’S YOUR HOMELAND PILGRIM!
You are calling us arrogant? lol! NOBODY LIKES AMERICANS ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD BECAUSE OF THEIR ARROGANCE.
Dude, you got your ass kicked by Guerilla warfare in Vietnam, a country you invaded. You are getting your ass kicked right now by Guerilla warfare in Irak, a country you invaded. You will get your ass kicked by Guerilla warfare in Anahuac also, a country you invaded. We are NOT the minority, WE ARE THE MAJORITY, AND WE ARE HERE TO STAY, as we have been doing for 5,000 years.
You couldnt kill us off in 1492, we are STILL HERE!
YOU WANT TO FIGHT? MESHICA WILL FIGHT FOR THE HOMELAND, ANAHUAC!
If you had a war with MEXICANS, not Mexico…you would get your ass kicked WORSE than in Vietnam, worse than you are getting your ass kicked in the desert of Irak. There are over 13 Million undocumented indigenous people in this Colony, 13 million living in the shadows, 13 million SHADOW WARRIORS. you on the other hand will be easy targets. I see you right now, you are in our land, GET OUT.
Tony Dolz just called me from DC where he and Carmen Mercer from MCDC are all week and he said he is happy to report that Senator Ensign tells him he only supported cloture on this amnesty bill so that he could vote it down because he definitely believes it is amnesty and that the bill is garbage.
So there is one Yea on the list who is really on our side.
Call Senator Ensign and thank him and let him know you got the news and hope he sticks to his word
119 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-2805 Phone: (202) 224-6244 Fax: (202) 228-2193
Main District Office: 333 S. Las Vegas Blvd., Ste. 8203 Las Vegas, NV 89101 Phone: (702) 388-6605 Fax: (702) 388-6501
As "The World's Greatest Deliberative Body" considers how best to reward our criminal invaders, I think you know what you need to do! NumbersUSA!
This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you'd like to join go to the Blogs For Borders Website and send us an email with "sign me up" in the subject line.
Last year I railed on the Senate for their absolute hatred of the American people. This year seems to be no different as they are putting the wants of a group of foreign peoples, most from Mexico, ahead of the wants of the American citizen. They have once again done so with an immigration "compromise bill" - of which the text isn't even written yet - which has been said to be "a great victory" for solving our illegal immigration problem in America.
They are so convinced that this is the solution to the problem that they are going to write the text, deliver it to Senators and get them to vote on it as quick as possible - even though they won't have the chance to read it. Instead of reading it the ones who put this "solution" together will just tell you about it. No need to actually read the fine print.
Now if that doesn't raise red flags to anyone who has ever signed a contract for a loan, let alone a bill that could become the law of a country of more than 300 million people, I don't know what will.
The fact is that this bill (and I'm just guessing here, because the text isn't available) is just more of the same of what we have done in the past regarding immigration reform. It includes amnesty, yet claims to put in place enforcement laws. The reality is that just like 1986, which also included enforcement laws, they will not be enforced.
How many more US citizens have to die at the hands of illegal aliens before this government will take action? And action is NOT "comprehensive immigration reform". American citizens DEMAND that our government SECURE the borders, deport illegal aliens and punish employers who hire them!
Deputy Murder Suspect has Long Criminal History TMJ4 Milwaukee May 17, 2007
KENOSHA - The man now charged with killing Kenosha County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Fabiano is an illegal immigrant with a long criminal record.
Despite a criminal record going back six years, Ezeiquiel Lopez was never deported. Only after he was charged with killing Fabiano did anyone try to have him kicked out of the country. Lopez, 44, is accused of murdering the 17-year sheriff’s department veteran while high on cocaine. Lopez’s history with the law dates back to 2001, when he was arrested in Utah for lewd and lascivious conduct.
In 2003, he was arrested in Texas on a gun charge.
In 2003, Lopez was picked-up in Missouri for OWI.
In 2004, Kenosha Police arrested him on charges of domestic battery, disorderly conduct, bail jumping.
Still, this is the first time immigration enforcement had heard of him. “We can find no record of having had contact with this individual before or having had him referred to us by another law enforcement agency,” said Tim Counts of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In court on Friday, Lopez said nothing. But a fellow inmate at the jail says Lopez had plenty to say Thursday night. “He was saying I’ll kill another one of you guys, give me a chance and I’ll kill another one of you guys.” The inmate wanted to remain anonymous.
Lopez has a wife and three kids. A criminal complaint says he was angry with his wife, the night of the murder. He admits to drinking tequila, doing cocaine and driving his van. But says he doesn’t remember shooting anyone.
A judge set Lopez’s bond at $1 million Friday. A hearing to determine whether the case should go to trial is scheduled for May 29.
Calling all former IIP members! Several of us are already there.. we are hoping to find everyone and pick up where we left off when we were suddenly cut off at the knees by one of our own, at a critical time in this illegal immigration fight.
Click the forum link on the main page to get to the discussions.. feels almost like the old IIP!
Before we get too excited about the upcoming Senate actions.. consider what people in Washington are saying. No author attributed to this posting but I have already heard this from others. Let's face it - they have never passed ANYTHING without months of arguing and fighting .. however we should NOT stop letting them know that we will not allow amnesty for illegal aliens EVER. Do you hear us yet in DC? If you keep this up we will all come there in person and tell you...
A look at the next steps for an immigration overhaul plan worked out by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House:
SENATE CONSIDERATION
The Senate plans to open debate Monday on the bill and consider amendments throughout next week. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has set a Memorial Day deadline for completing the measure, but it's unlikely the complex plan can be finished that quickly.
HOUSE ACTION
Democratic leaders are waiting for the Senate to pass a bill before they consider one in the more-polarized House. They plan to act on immigration in July, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has told President Bush she won't bring up a bill unless he can promise at least 70 Republicans will support it.
CONFERENCE
If the House passes a version, House and Senate negotiators would have to blend the two bills into one. The House and Senate then would each have to pass that product. It would then go to Bush for his signature.
ENACTMENT:
Bush has said he's eager to sign the measure into law by August, when Congress adjourns for four weeks, returning Sept. 4.
No Mr Graham.. you have it all wrong. Americans are NOT BIGOTS because they want to enforce our immigration laws. Good people don't sneak into a country in the backs of vans. We can't freaking solve the problem by rewarding their sneaking in. It's very simple. Lindsay Graham is peddling slave labor for big business... You may think we are bigots Senator Graham but we aren't stupid enough to fall for your big business cartel propaganda. Keep up the Hispandering Lindsay Graham... you are a complete idiot and a shameful congressman.
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, who gained national prominence by targeting illegal immigrants living in his small northeastern Pennsylvania city, cruised to the Republican nomination for a third term on Tuesday — and unexpectedly won the Democratic nomination, too.
Barletta trounced GOP challenger Dee Deakos with nearly 94 percent of the vote. And he beat former Mayor Michael Marsicano for the Democratic nomination by staging a last-minute write-in campaign, all but guaranteeing himself another term, unofficial returns showed.
“I think the message is clear,” Barletta said. “The people of Hazleton want me to keep fighting for them.”
The Republican mayor said Democrats kept telling him they wished they could vote for him in the primary. So, about a week ago, he mailed instructions to Democratic voters on how to write in his name.
Marsicano, a retired airline pilot who was Hazleton’s mayor from 1996 to 1999, had appeared alone on the Democratic ballot.
Barletta, a businessman who took office in 2000, proposed the Illegal Immigration Relief Act last year after four illegal immigrants were charged with shooting and killing a man.
The measure, on hold due to a legal challenge by Hispanic groups and individuals, was approved last summer and emulated by towns and cities around the nation. It would penalize landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that hire them.
Barletta has been mentioned as a potential candidate for higher office, but for now he said his focus is on seeing the ordinance through.
He said he was gratified by the overwhelming hometown support, particularly given that Democrats hold a 2-1 registration edge over Republicans in the city of more than 30,000.
“I know I made history here as a write-in, especially in a city of this size. It’s not an easy thing to do,” he said. “I’m so humbled by the amount of support.”
Also Tuesday, two Hispanic candidates lost their primary bids for two open seats on Hazleton City Council. One of the candidates, Rudy Espinal, is a plaintiff in the illegal immigrant lawsuit. (HAHAHAHAHA!)
This S.B. 1348 Amnesty Bill in the Senate right now will be voted on this coming Monday. It goes by various names of Flake/Gutierrez; McCain/Kennedy; Spector/Martinez. We MUST stop it. If it passes, we face adding 100 million people into the USA by 2040. Over 70 million will be immigrants from third world countries. It will give amnesty to over 20 million illegals and their kids. It could be over 25 million. It will give a guest/worker to millions more low wage immigrants that will stream over our borders and take jobs from Americans on a bigger scale than today. Call your own senators. I implore you to call all these other key senators and tell them you demand NO amnesty, NO guest worker, NO pathway to citizenship, NO more anchor babies, NO more chain migration. You want HR 4437 passed in the Senate and you want a 10 year moratorium on all immigration. You want our borders secured by troops and employers of illegal aliens prosecuted and jailed. Every phone call counts. Be sure to join www.numbersusa.com and fax all those pre written letters in with your name. Send this message to all your lists.
Call: 1- 202- 224- 3121 and ask for senator by name. You may get through on a toll free at 1 866 340 9281.
The Senators listed below are key to stopping Reid and Amnesty legislation. They voted in 2006 to bring the illegal alien amnesty bill to a floor vote so they could play "moderate" on the record with a "yes" vote for "inclusion". Then they covered themselves with the Republican base and tried to recover their "anti-amnesty" image by voting NO on passage of the bill, well aware that the legislation would fail and that their NO vote was just political tail-covering.
Lamar Alexander (R-TN), up for 2008 re-election Thad Cochran (R-MS), up for 2008 re-election John Cornyn (R-TX), up for 2008 re-election Orrin Hatch (R-UT), was up for 2006 re-election Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX), was up for 2006 re-election Jon Kyl (R-AZ), was up for 2006 re-election Trent Lott (R-MS) was up for 2006 re-election Ben Nelson (D-NE) was up for 2006 re-election Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), was up for 2006 re-election Craig Thomas (R-WY), was up for 2006 re-election
Ken Salazar (D-CO)
Senator Murkowski
Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)
Senator McConnell
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) Hammer him to get a clue on adding 100 million people
Ted Kennedy (D-MA) call him to give him a piece of your mind
Arlen Spector (R-PA) mostly out of touch with reality, but call anyway
Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) He thinks Americans are bigots
Senator Mel Martinez (FL)
House Rep Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Give her a piece of your mind on amnesty
Start making more phone calls into their offices as well as all Senators, expressing our disdain and ABSOLUTE REJECTION of amnesty and special citizenship provisions for illegal aliens, and to emphasize the need for greater border security. Call the US Capitol toll-free at 1-866-340-9281 Ask for your Senators' offices. It is
time to rally the troops from coast to coast. We have held up the "Amnesty-Bill" so far, but only with our continued
combined efforts we will be able to hold this line against the special interests of the open border groups. We MUST
demand that Congress secure the border NOW and say NO to any amnesty program for illegal aliens - before it's too late! DO NOT BE SILENCED - MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! For further info: Frank Livingston: flivingston3@nc.rr.com
We, as a nation, stand in the cross hairs of national suicide if this bill passes. It's up to you to stop it. Send this message to
everyone person you know and all your lists. Every call and email and fax you make COUNTS!
The Government wants stricter business rules to curb illegal immigration
All job applicants will have to produce a passport or birth certificate from next year to prove that they are not illegal immigrants.
Even native-born Britons will have to comply with the new Home Office rules, to avoid claims of race discrimination if foreigners are singled out for checks.
Ministers claim the move will "flush out" hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants working in the black economy.
Firms will face penalties of up £10,000 for every illegal foreign worker they employ, even if they tip off the immigration authorities themselves.
Last night, business leaders accused ministers of penalising employers for the failure of Government immigration policy while adding to the mountain of red tape.
The new rules follow repeated and largely unsuccessful efforts by the Home Office to tackle the massive issue of illegal foreign workers.
Estimates of the number in the UK range from 570,000 to 870,000.
Employers are already obliged to check foreign workers' documents but the laws have proved difficult to enforce, with just 23 successful prosecutions in 2005.
The Home Office plans to boost the number of enforcement staff from 700 to 1,200 by next year, as well as launching a telephone documentchecking service to help employers determine whether passports and other papers are genuine.
Immigration minister Liam Byrne said: "What we are proposing here will, I think, flush illegal migrants out.
"We are trying to create a much more hostile environment if you are here illegally." [ Imagine that! ]
Matthew Knowles, of the Federation of Small Businesses, urged ministers to think again, saying: "It is surely unfair to ask businesses to act as immigration officials. [ ruh roh here we go again ]
"Not only will these recommendations to check passports place an extra burden on small firms, who have no specialist human resources department to help or advise them, but it will also financially penalise businesses for the failure of the Government's immigration policy." [ did we export some of our idiots to Britain? ]
Victory! The first step to seeing some common sense come back to our government!
POSTED: 7:29 p.m. EDT, May 15, 2007
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to delay a Bush administration plan to allow Mexican trucks full access to U.S. highways.
The trucks would have to be declared safe first, the lawmakers said, and Mexico would have to give U.S. truckers the same access south of the border.
The House voted 411-3 to approve a three-year Department of Transportation pilot program that would restrict opening the border to 100 carriers based in Mexico. They would be allowed to use a maximum of 1,000 vehicles under the pilot program.
The Bush administration wanted to start a pilot program this year that would run for a year before fully opening the border to Mexican trucks.
The House bill, however, specifies criteria for the pilot program before it can start, including setting up an independent panel to evaluate the test program and getting certification from the inspector general that safety and inspection requirements have been met.
The Department of Transportation says it could be as late as 2008 before Congress' criteria are met, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Lawmakers said their major concern is whether Mexican trucks, often older than U.S. cargo vehicles, and Mexican drivers will be able to meet rigorous U.S. safety standards.
"We do not need 90,000-pound unguided missiles on our highways," said Rep. Robin Hayes, R-North Carolina.
American trucking companies have spent years getting their vehicles up to Transportation Department standards, lawmakers said. Letting Mexican trucks across the border without making them meet those standards is wrong, they said.
"We're going to have a major accident somewhere, and people are going to say, 'How did this happen?" said Rep. Bob Filner, D-California.
Added Rep. Candice Miller, R-Michigan: "We need to ensure that this program only takes places after the Mexican companies meet the same conditions that American companies do."
Economic arguments made too
Lawmakers also complained that allowing Mexican trucks greater access will cost American truckers their jobs.
"You can get a Mexican truck driver to work for a heck of a lot less than a Teamster in the United States, and you can get a Mexican dock worker to work for a heck of a lot less than a longshoreman in the United States, and that's what this is ultimately designed to do," said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon.
The Teamsters, the Sierra Club, Public Citizen and the Environmental Law Foundation sued in federal court in April to block the pilot program, citing safety and environmental concerns.
"We don't know how safety laws such as hours of service and drug testing would be enforced," Teamsters President Jim Hoffa said. "This vote by the House repudiates those questionable attempts to open our borders without adequate safeguards."
The Bush administration had planned to run a yearlong pilot program that would allow Mexican trucks beyond the current 20-mile limit from the border but the launch was halted after complaints from Congress.
Since 1982, trucks have had to stop within the buffer zone and transfer their loads to U.S. truckers to take them into the country. The legislation would allow Mexican drivers to take their loads from Mexico to any point within the country.
Supporters of the plan say letting more Mexican trucks on U.S. highways will save American consumers hundreds of millions of dollars. They include many in the trucking industry, the Bush administration and lawmakers who favor the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.
Access to all U.S. highways was promised by 2000 under the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, as was access through Mexico for U.S. carriers. That aspect has been stalled by lawsuits and disagreements between the two countries, though Canadian and U.S. trucks travel freely across the northern border.
Very sad to report this but Kimberly has decided to DELETE the IIP forum for "security" reasons. Two or more years of active discussions and information shared just GONE. If you are a former member of IIP we can meet again in some of the other forums such as Save Our State, which is a very good forum. I wanted to buy the domain but with the forum deleted, it is worth nothing. I offered less than the asking price for the domain because I thought I could restore the forum from backups for $150 from their hosting company, but Kimberly refuses to budge on the $399 price. So it would take close to $600 to restore the forum to how it was.
If former members are out there and want to contribute to this cause use the tip jar on my blog here and if specify it is for IIP and perhaps we can collect enough $$ to do it. The host keeps backups for 30 days but of course, there is no guarantee that the forum can be restored from backups - but there is a good chance.
Cities with MEANEST drivers also cities with highest illegal alien populations
What a coincidence... the cities with exploding illegal immigration populations also are rated as the cities with the "meanest" drivers.
America's Meanest Drivers
1. Miami 2. New York 3. Boston 4. Los Angeles 5. Washington, D.C. 6. Phoenix 7. Chicago 8. Sacramento 9. Philadelphia 10. San Francisco 11. Houston 12. Atlanta 13. Detroit 14. Minneapolis-St. Paul 15. Baltimore Source: AutoVantage
Blogs for Borders Video Blogburst for May 15th 2007
Are criminals in a certain Southwestern state "Arizona white?"
Illegal aliens continue to kill and rape Americans.
Illegal aliens gassed by border patrol, but in what country?
All this and much, much more in this week's Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst.
Amnesty debates get into gear again this week. You know what to do!
A good resource on holding congresscritters accountable!
Note: We welcome video submissions. If there is an illegal immigration story you'd like to share with our viewers please contact us here or here.
This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you'd like to join go to the Blogs For Borders Website and send us an email with "sign me up" in the subject line.
A group of city residents is preparing a challenge to the longtime LAPD policy that prohibits officers from inquiring about suspects' status.
By Patrick McGreevy and Richard Winton, Times Staff Writers April 11, 2007
The Los Angeles Police Department's landmark Special Order 40, which prohibits officers from inquiring about the immigration status of suspects, has come under an aggressive assault by anti-illegal immigrant activists who argue that it ties the hands of police.
FOR THE RECORD: Police and immigrants: An article in the April 11 California section about a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department stated that the department's landmark Special Order 40 "prohibits officers from inquiring about the immigration status of suspects." The 1979 order states that "officers shall not initiate police action with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person." Although officers have long interpreted the order as a prohibition, LAPD officials said they don't consider Special Order 40 a blanket ban on inquiring about immigration status. — The nearly 30-year-old policy has long been controversial, but the current national debate about illegal immigration has prompted lawsuits that are aimed at overturning Special Order 40 and similar rules across the country.
Los Angeles was the first major city to enact the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on illegal immigration, though most other police agencies have followed suit. So the outcome of the legal challenges could have a widespread effect.
The latest challenge would come this week, with a lawsuit that would ask a judge to require that the LAPD inform federal immigration officials when illegal immigrants are arrested on drug charges.
The suit, which is endorsed by the Federal Immigration Reform Enforcement Coalition and is scheduled to be filed as early as today, cites an obscure state code that appears to require local police to report to federal authorities the names of any illegal immigrant arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking or possession.
The city is already gearing up for a trial over a Special Order 40 challenge that has been filed by another anti-illegal immigration group, the Washington, D.C.-based Judicial Watch. That group argues that the order is unconstitutional.
In both cases, plaintiffs said, they are supported by rank-and-file police officers who don't like the policy but are afraid to speak out publicly because Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton are vocal proponents of it.
Some officers are calling on the Los Angeles police union board of directors to consider, for the first time, taking a formal position on Special Order 40. The board plans to discuss the issue soon.
"We have heard there is concern among the members," said Bob Baker, president of the Police Protective League, on Tuesday.
Some legal experts said Tuesday that they were intrigued by the anti-illegal immigrant forces' use of a section of the state's Health and Safety Code to attack Special Order 40.
The section, which was written in 1972, states that in drug possession and trafficking cases involving a noncitizen, "the arresting agency shall notify the appropriate agency of the United States having charge of deportation."
"This is going to be an interesting issue," said Gerald F. Uelman, a law professor at Santa Clara University.
Uelman said that although the challenge was novel, Los Angeles officials could argue that questioning the immigration status only of drug offenders violates the Constitution's Equal Protection Clause.
"What is the rational basis for choosing drug offenses over violent crimes?" Uelmen said.
Politically, Special Order 40 remains very popular at L.A. City Hall — with supporters saying that it ensures that the members of the city's many immigrant communities will cooperate with police without fear of deportation.
Villaraigosa repeated his strong support for the policy Tuesday.
"I agree with Chief Bratton and every police chief before him that requiring our police officers to double as immigration agents will result in fewer arrests, prosecutions and convictions," he said.
But the policy — and similar ones elsewhere in the United States — have become the focus of debates in the blogosphere and on cable news shows and talk radio. Last week, television and radio commentator Bill O'Reilly criticized Bratton for refusing to enforce the law against illegal immigrants.
The debate comes as cities debate how to deal with illegal immigrants. Some cities, such as Maywood, which is southeast of downtown Los Angeles, have dubbed themselves "sanctuary cities" that attempt to treat illegal immigrants like citizens.
But elsewhere — including in Orange County — some law enforcement officials have forged stronger ties with federal immigration officials. Orange County sheriff's deputies and Costa Mesa police officers receive training from immigration officials.
In Arizona, voters decided to deny bail to illegal immigrants who had been arrested on charges involving serious felonies. And Maricopa County deputies, some Phoenix police officers and state public safety police have been trained to enforce immigration laws.
Southern California immigrant-rights activists bristle at the thought that many Special Order 40 opponents, though living outside Los Angeles, seek to dictate how the city treats its immigrants. They are concerned that other cities are moving away from similar protective orders.
"It's a very slippery slope," said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigration Rights of Los Angeles. "We have always known with the LAPD there is disagreement on the issue. The leadership supports Special Order [40] but a minority of officers, a very vocal minority, want to enforce immigration laws and they want to expand their ability to do that."
Some LAPD officers privately support the latest lawsuit, said Dave Klehm, the Santa Ana attorney who drafted the litigation pro bono on behalf of a group of Los Angeles residents.
"One of the reasons I'm doing this is to help out police officers so they don't have to put their lives on the line repeatedly re-arresting drug offenders who should have been deported the first time," Klehm said Tuesday.
One veteran LAPD officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of punishment, said Tuesday that he had talked to Klehm and other backers of the lawsuit and thought that the suit was a good idea.
"We are having a revolving door out there in terms of people we arrest for drug offenses who are in this country illegally," the officer said.
A second LAPD officer, who is part of the command staff, also voiced support for the litigation, saying that the department for decades has not reported the thousands of illegal immigrants arrested on drug charges to federal authorities.
The command officer said that many officers who don't like the current policy would support a change. Under the rules, the immigration status of most arrestees is checked by federal agents and county jail workers only after they have been convicted of a crime and are in jail.
The lawsuit cites a study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2005. The GAO study, which involved 55,322 illegal immigrants incarcerated in federal, state and local facilities during 2003, found that they had been arrested an average of eight times each, and that 49% previously had been convicted of a felony, while 20% had been arrested for a drug offense. Many also had been convicted of violent crimes.
As a result, the lawsuit argues that if the LAPD complied with state law, "petitioners would have a much lower chance of being victims of a violent crime committed by an illegal alien who was previously arrested for any one of the 14 listed drug offenses."
One of the plaintiffs, 50-year-old machinist Rudy Moreno of El Sereno, said the repeal of Special Order 40 would help his neighborhood and the officers who work in it. "The police seem to have to keep re-arresting the same criminals over and over again," he said.
A survey of the Los Angeles County jail system earlier this year estimated that about 20% of the inmates were illegal immigrants.
The potential lawsuit comes less than a year after Judicial Watch sued the LAPD.
That suit alleges that Special Order 40 violates state and federal law by prohibiting the maximum amount of cooperation between the Police Department and immigration authorities in enforcing immigration laws.
"It handcuffs police officers' ability to ensure law and order in the city," said Sterling "Ernie" Norris, an attorney for Judicial Watch. "It is a model for sanctuary cities. It is the original. Los Angeles is where it all began."
Norris said the problem was illustrated by last week's auto accident in which an illegal immigrant, who had been arrested before, was allegedly driving drunk when his truck struck a car, killing film director Bob Clark and Clark's son Ariel.
"If he wasn't here, he couldn't have committed the crime," Norris said. "If law enforcement had been able to do their duty, it would have saved those lives."
But ACLU staff attorney Belinda Helzer said Special Order 40 allows people in the United States illegally to feel comfortable in approaching the police to report crimes.
Repealing it, she said, "would exacerbate the fear of victims" of crime "who are undocumented and are already living in the shadows."
I KEEP hearing the inane argument when it comes to local ordinaces, state legislation etc regarding illegal immigration, that immigration is the job of the Federal government and these states and cities have no right to enforce immigration law. WELL HOGWASH.
Read this article written by Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch:
By Tom Fitton - While illegal aliens continue to flood across the border, bringing with them all manner of social problems, including violent crime, some local law enforcement agencies have chosen to aggravate the situation by instituting so-called “sanctuary policies.” These unlawful policies prevent local police officers from inquiring about an individual’s immigration status or even cooperating with federal immigration officials.
Proponents of sanctuary policies claim illegal immigration is a federal problem, and that local law enforcement agencies do not have the authority or resources to enforce immigration laws. However, as Judicial Watch recently learned from newly released government documents, both of these claims are patently false.
According to records obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the 1996 Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) “authorized the Secretary of Homeland Security to enter into a written agreement to delegate the authority of enforcing federal immigration laws to a state or political sub-division of a state.” (Emphasis added.) Moreover, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), local law enforcement officers can receive immigration enforcement training – called 287(g) cross designation training. The cost for the five-week program is a very reasonable $520 per officer.
Now for the important question: Does the program work?
As of June 2006, 136 officers received 287(g) training from four states, including, Alabama, Arizona, California and Florida. (If your state isn’t one of these four, you may want to ask your local elected and police officials about it.) These officers have accounted for 820 immigration-related arrests since the program began in 2002. And while many of the arrests relate to fraudulent documents, others involve rape, drug possession, firearm possession, driving under the influence, and burglary.
There is no question the federal government has a responsibility to secure our nation’s borders. And there is no question the federal government must do a better job of it. But when the system breaks down, local law enforcement cannot abandon their sworn duty to “protect and serve” the American people. As these documents show, local communities that sincerely want to enforce immigration laws can do so legally and cost effectively.
Judicial Watch Opposes the LAPD’s Special Order 40 in New Court Filing
Speaking of sanctuary policies, Judicial Watch continues to fight its legal battle on behalf of taxpayers against the LAPD’s version, “Special Order 40.” On July 14, Judicial Watch filed a legal memorandum with the California Superior Court. A court hearing is scheduled for July 27.
JW’s memorandum was filed in response to the defendants’ “demurrer,” which would effectively dismiss the lawsuit. It makes three key arguments against the LAPD’s sanctuary policy for illegal immigrants:
1. Special Order 40 Violates Federal Law: In 1996, Congress enacted legislation which states, “…a Federal, State, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Immigration and Customs Enforcement) information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.”
The LAPD has adopted what is in effect a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy with respect to immigration status. Special Order 40 restricts the free flow of information between police officers and immigration officials and is, therefore, a violation of federal immigration law.
2. Special Order 40 is Preempted by Federal Law: The U.S. Supreme Court has declared that “the power to regulate immigration is unquestionably exclusively a federal power.” According to the Court, “…the states can neither add to nor take from the conditions lawfully imposed by Congress upon admission, naturalization, and residence of aliens in the United States…” In other words, in cases where federal law and state law conflict, federal law takes precedence.
3. Special Order 40 Violates California Law: California law mandates that Los Angeles police officers enforce immigration laws and work with federal immigration officials. "Every law enforcement agency in California shall fully cooperate with the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (now Immigration and Customs Enforcement) regarding any person who is arrested if he or she is suspected of being present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws." Obviously, Special Order 40 expressly prohibits police officers from fully cooperating with immigration officials and is therefore in violation of state law.
Next week I hope to be able to give you an update from the hearing. Stay tuned…
Tom Fitton is the President of Judicial Watch, Inc., a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation, which promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics and the law.
Also - see this link to see what Judicial Watch is doing to fight these unlawful sanctuary policies. I am trying to get an update on their suit against LA for Special Order 40...
It's nice to see religious leaders ready, willing and able to speak out AGAINST the illegal alien harboring "sanctuary movement". Just another case of a group of traitors trying to put a nice name on harboring fugitives from justice - sort of like putting lipstick on a pig.
By Pastor Chuck Baldwin
May 15, 2007
NewsWithViews.com
For the past several days, news reports have been circulating throughout the mainstream media regarding the decision by several churches to provide "sanctuary" to illegal aliens. For example, a Fox News report dated May 9, 2007 said, "Two churches intend to give sanctuary to illegal immigrants to protect them from deportation and pressure lawmakers to provide a chance at U.S. citizenship.
"Beginning Wednesday afternoon, a Catholic church in downtown Los Angeles and a Lutheran church in North Hollywood each intend to shelter one person as part of the 'New Sanctuary Movement.'
"A handful of churches in other U.S. cities plan similar efforts in the months ahead to spotlight the plight of illegal immigrants."
The report continued by saying, "In New York, religious leaders gathered at the Roman Catholic Church of St. Paul the Apostle and said their promise of sanctuary could include financial assistance, legal help and physical protection, if necessary.
"'For us, sanctuary is an act of radical hospitality, the welcoming of the stranger who is like ourselves, the stranger in our midst, our neighbors, our friends,' said Rabbi Michael Feinberg of the Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition."
However, as a veteran pastor with more than thirty years of experience who oversees a vibrant and growing congregation of faithful and dedicated believers, I can state unequivocally that our church will definitely not be participating in the "New Sanctuary Movement."
Furthermore, it is more than troubling to learn that some of my Christian brethren seem to be so undiscerning as to be willing to facilitate lawlessness and even potential terrorism by assisting those who have no respect for our nation's laws or national borders.
Make no mistake about it: illegal aliens are no more our "neighbors" and "friends" than are other criminals. They knowingly and deliberately violate our nation's immigration laws and then have the audacity to demand that we accept and even protect them? I don't think so.
And lest someone accuse me of being uncompassionate, think again. You should know that my church congregation is composed of several immigrants from many nationalities and ethnicities. And they all have one thing in common: they were willing to immigrate to America lawfully. They played by the rules. They stood in line. And they have found nothing but love and friendship from those of us privileged to be born in this great country.
Critics should also know that my Chief of Staff, my right-hand man, is an immigrant from Zimbabwe, Africa. So, I don't want to hear how uncaring and bigoted I am because I believe that people should play by the rules and be honest with their fellow man.
Besides, our Lord has already settled the question of how to define illegal aliens. In John 10:1, Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."
Yes, I realize that Jesus was referring to the fact that He alone is the door to heaven; however, the analogy is well taken. There is a right way and a wrong way to enter into anything, whether it is a sheepfold, a house, or a country. And anyone who attempts to circumvent the door and break through another way is a crook, plain and simple.
Should Christians share the Gospel with everyone they can, including illegal aliens? Of course, we should. However, we should also insist that people obey the law and do what is right. Remember, God is not only a God of love, He is also a God of law. And, historically, the United States of America has always been first and foremost a nation of laws, not men.
Furthermore, since when is accommodating and facilitating acts of criminality a mark of compassion? It's not.
During more than three decades of ministry, I have had occasion to counsel those who have broken the law and then experienced repentance and forgiveness in Christ. Does my compassion mean that I would not encourage them to do the honest thing and surrender to authorities and face their crimes? Of course not. That is exactly what I encouraged, and sometimes even helped, them to do.
Beyond that, I've always found that a person who is truly repentant and honest is more than willing to make things right with the law and to take his punishment like a man. Honest people don't demand or expect shortcuts and exemptions.
Of course, not only is our national character and culture at risk, so is our security and survival. The current invasion of illegal aliens threatens not only our way of life, but also our very safety.
As has already been reported, illegal aliens murder an average of twelve Americans every day. This translates to more Americans being killed by illegal aliens each year than have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan to date.
Yet, the threat of terrorism is even more problematic than individual acts of violence. With millions of illegal aliens pouring over our borders from scores of nations that are hostile to the United States, we risk the threat of major acts of terrorism.
I'm afraid that the policies of President George W. Bush and Senators Ted Kennedy, John McCain, et al., and now those of misguided churchmen, only serve to fuel the evil machinations of those who seek our harm.
Instead of encouraging criminal activity (illegal immigration), Christians and churches should be promoting truth and adherence to law.
Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. In 1985 the church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence.
Dr. Baldwin is the host of a lively, hard-hitting syndicated radio talk show on the Genesis Communications Network called, "Chuck Baldwin Live" This is a daily, one hour long call-in show in which Dr. Baldwin addresses current event topics from a conservative Christian point of view. Pastor Baldwin writes weekly articles on the internet http://www.ChuckBaldwinLive.com and newspapers.
To learn more about his radio talk show please visit his web site at: www.chuckbaldwinlive.com. When responding, please include your name, city and state.
Is he gone yet? Why is there still ANY discussion about how horribly skewed this prosecution of the two Border Agents was? It is CLEAR that he wanted them in prison AT ANY COST. He IS the devil incarnate and he is the worst thing to have ever happened to the US Justice Department since Alberto Gonzales. He DOES fit well with our traitorous President. ALL THREE OF THESE BOZOS NEED TO GO! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johnny Sutton prosecuted a pair of agents who shot a fleeing Mexican smuggler. Conservatives are up in arms.
By Richard A. Serrano, Times Staff Writer May 14, 2007
WASHINGTON — Internet cartoons show him with horns and the word "TRAITOR" branded on his forehead. Conservative talk radio derides him as "Johnny Satan." At least two Republican congressmen, normally staunch defenders of the Bush administration, have castigated him on the House floor.
If the White House and Justice Department had added Johnny Sutton to the list of federal prosecutors to be fired, his ouster probably would not have raised an eyebrow among Democrats, and it would have pleased much of the president's conservative base.
Sutton is the U.S. attorney in west Texas. Based in San Antonio, his border district reaches to El Paso. For five years he has been the top federal lawman in one of the nation's busiest regions, a job he long dreamed of having. It also is one he secured with deep ties to President Bush and Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, going back to their time in state government in Austin.
The uproar is over his prosecution of two U.S. Border Patrol agents for the February 2005 shooting of a fleeing Mexican drug smuggler near El Paso, a shooting the agents tried to cover up. Last year, Sutton's office won convictions against Agents Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean.
Each was a line officer in what many people consider a hopeless chore: trying to hold back a deluge of illegal immigrants from Mexico. Each is a father of three. And each was sentenced to more than a decade in prison: Ramos to 11 years, Compean to 12.
"This was a serious, serious crime," Sutton said Thursday on a conservative radio program in Houston, trying again to calm the anger on the political right. "It is a serious crime when law enforcement officers shoot at somebody, shoot him in the back as he's running away, and then cover up the crime."
The agents were sentenced in October, just as the White House and Justice Department were preparing plans to fire eight other federal prosecutors, and the parallel events have left normally strong Bush supporters disappointed that Sutton was not terminated too.
"Johnny Sutton has lied to the American people," Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntingon Beach) proclaimed in a House floor speech in March. "Sutton prosecuted the good guys and gave immunity to the bad guys."
T.J. Bonner, head of the union that represents most of the Border Patrol agents, was more forceful in a recent interview. "Johnny Sutton acts like he's America's best friend," Bonner said. "He should be America's Most Wanted."
Sutton, who did not return phone calls for this article, runs a huge district of 93,000 square miles, including 660 miles of the border with Mexico. His staff of 260 employees, including 118 assistant prosecutors, handles federal cases in 68 Texas counties and three of the state's largest cities, San Antonio, El Paso and Austin.
Sutton heads the Attorney General's Advisory Committee, which helps set policies and goals devised by Washington and the 93 U.S. attorneys' offices nationwide, and he often was notified by Washington about the planned firings.
For instance, D. Kyle Sampson, who was chief of staff to Gonzales, worried that the dismissed prosecutors might appeal to Sutton for help in keeping their jobs. So in November, Sampson sent Sutton a list of specific responses he should give them on why they had to go. If they called and asked, "Why me?," he was to tell them it was to "give someone else the chance to serve in your district." (It is unclear whether any did appeal to him.)
Two days before the Dec. 7 firings, Sampson advised that Sutton should be immediately notified so he was "not caught unawares." Deputy Atty. Gen. Paul McNulty agreed to "talk to Johnny."
A week after the firings, Sampson sent e-mails to top Justice officials, including Sutton, advising that some fired prosecutors were complaining. McNulty responded that Sutton and others should try to ease the bruised feelings. "Some hand-holding may calm things down," McNulty told Sutton.
Sutton is used to adversity. Friends recalled that despite his small stature, he played left field for the University of Texas baseball squad, though he always feared he would get cut. "He's just very, very tenacious, and every year he would win the position again," said Houston defense lawyer Rusty Hardin, a former state prosecutor in Houston who gave Sutton his first shot at government service.
After Sutton earned a law degree in 1987, he went to work for Hardin. Sutton likes to recall, as he did during the Houston radio interview, that he tried 17 murder cases "and I put three people on death row."
His career took a turn in 1995, when then-Gov. George W. Bush appointed him his law enforcement policy advisor, moving him to Austin and putting him close to both Bush and Gonzales, then the governor's general counsel. For five years Sutton coordinated various state police agencies, and he oversaw an attempt to change the juvenile justice code, though the program failed to pass in the Legislature.
All three men — Bush, Gonzales and Sutton — seemed a nice fit, recalled former Bush advisor Cathy Cochran, now a judge on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. "They thought a lot alike," she said. "There was a great mutual trust and admiration for each other."
After the 2000 presidential election, Sutton moved to Washington and worked on Bush's transition team as a Justice Department policy coordinator. For Bush's first year in the White House, Sutton served as an associate deputy attorney general, and then in late 2001, with Bush's blessing, he took the reins as U.S. attorney in west Texas.
There he was regarded as reliable and tough on crime, helping police one of the most difficult sections of the southwest border corridor.
Then came the Ramos-Compean shooting in February 2005.
The agents stopped a van they suspected was involved in smuggling Mexicans just east of El Paso. It turned out the van was carrying 743 pounds of marijuana. The driver, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, fled on foot — because, he says, one of them tried to beat him — and they shot at him about 15 times, hitting him once, in his buttocks.
The agents would later say they feared Aldrete-Davila was armed. He says he was not.
The agents were found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, violating AldreteDavila's civil rights and defacing a crime scene. They tossed their shotgun casings into the Rio Grande to hide the evidence, prosecutors said.
Aldrete-Davila has sued the federal government for $5 million over his injuries.
The idea of federal police going to jail while an alleged criminal sues for a large sum has enraged the right against Sutton.
"Our federal government needs to get on the right side of the border conflict, and that is the American side," Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) said in a House floor speech in March.
Poe, Rohrabacher and several dozen other Congress members have written Bush urging him to commute the sentences, calling them "a travesty of justice."
Border watchdog groups said they had faxed tens of thousands of citizen signatures to Washington urging a pardon. Sutton, they said, should be behind bars.
"He ought to be impeached and thrown into the same jail cells as Ramos and Compean," said Andy Ramirez, head of the California-based Friends of the Border Patrol.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow was asked in March whether Bush would jettison Sutton; he declined to respond because of "ongoing legal deliberations in the case."
McNulty was asked during a congressional hearing whether Sutton was ever considered for termination with the others. McNulty answered with an emphatic "no."
Sutton himself has not sat idly by.
A month before the two sentences were handed down, he issued a rare, three-page written response to public "inaccuracies" regarding the prosecution of the two agents.
"It is a violation of any person's constitutional right to shoot at them after they have attempted to surrender, knowing they are unarmed and pose no danger to the officers or anyone else," he said.
His defenders, such as Hardin and Cochran, find it ironic that the same conservative base that supported the Bush administration would turn on Sutton. "I get so offended by that," Hardin said, angered that his friend was being compared to the devil.
On the Houston radio show, Sutton challenged the host: "You see me now, and I'm not Satan," he said. "I've got no horns. But you've been calling me Johnny Satan."
Well, said host Edd Hendee on KSEV radio, "the jury's out on that."
Sutton fired back, "Are you kidding? Calling me Satan is not personal?"
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — Voters in this Dallas suburb became the first in the nation Saturday to prohibit landlords from renting to most illegal immigrants.
The ban was approved by a vote of 68 percent to 32 percent in final, unofficial returns.
The balloting marked the first public vote on a local government measure to crack down on illegal immigration.
"It says especially to Congress that we're tired of the out-of-control illegal immigration problem. That if Congress doesn't do something about it, cities will," said Tim O'Hare, a City Council member who was the ordinance's lead proponent.
The ordinance requires apartment managers to verify that renters are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants before leasing to them, with some exceptions.
Property managers or owners who break the rule face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $500.
Council members approved the ordinance in November, then revised it in January to include exemptions for minors, seniors and some families with a mix of legal residents and illegal immigrants.
Farmers Branch has become the site of protests and angry confrontations, and opponents of the regulation gathered enough signatures to force the city to put the measure on the municipal election ballot.
With Saturday's approval of the ban, opponents plan to fight it in court, and will seek a restraining order to stop the city from enforcing it.
The city was already facing four lawsuits brought by civil rights groups, residents, property owners and businesses who contend the ordinance discriminates and that it places landlords in the precarious position of acting as federal immigration officers. Their attorneys say the ordinance attempts to regulate immigration, a duty that is exclusively the federal government's. One lawsuit also alleges the council violated the state open meetings act when deciding on the ordinance.
O'Hare contends the city's economy and quality of life will improve if illegal immigrants are kept out.
Around the country, more than 90 local governments have proposed, passed or rejected laws prohibiting landlords from leasing to illegal immigrants, penalizing businesses that employ them or training police to enforce immigration laws.
Local proposals aimed at regulating illegal immigration often fail to pass constitutional muster, said Muzaffar Chishti, director of the Migration Policy Institute office at New York University School of Law.
"There is significant frustration, so that's what's driving it," Chishti said. "But the simple fact is they cannot do too much other than impress uponthe Congress the need for immigration reform."
Let's sue the Federal Government if they pass any kind of amnesty
Just like all of OUR laws are being blocked by judges and getting challenged... in Hazleton, in Farmer's Branch, in Escondido and NOW Oklahoma.. we can do the same damn thing if the Senate passes any kind of "comprehensive immigration reform" that includes ANY amnesty. We can sue for pain and suffering of the American people which illegal immigration has wrought and which amnesty will only worsen. We have rights too dammit and it's time we start to flex them!
Calling all lawyers. Calling the ACRU. Let's get ready to fight it if any kind of amnesty passes.
NO AMNESTY for illegal aliens even if they have to jump over a high fence. Wait that is already what they are doing. We CANNOT reward illegal aliens for coming here illegally EVER. I don't care HOW difficult you make it. We need to make it IMPOSSIBLE to become a citizen IF you have come here illegally. GO OUT THE BACK DOOR AND COME IN THE FRONT DOOR AND WAIT IN LINE. Personally I think if someone has ever entered the country illegally, it should disqualify them from EVER becoming a citizen and if they are caught here ever again, they get to sit in a detention center for 6 months. Sending them back is TOO EASY because they just turn around in Mexico and come back again!
Reid Plans to Push Through Immigration Bill, but Cedes 1 Day in Talks
Friday, May 11, 2007
WASHINGTON — Agreeing to give a fitful set of bipartisan talks more time to yield an immigration deal, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Friday he would delay a vote on the issue until next Wednesday.
The move postponed — at least for a day — what was shaping up as a partisan clash over immigration after weeks of negotiations between the White House and senators in both parties designed to strike a broad compromise.
With that agreement still elusive, Reid is planning to force debate next week on an immigration measure that passed the Senate last year with wide Democratic backing but opposition by a majority of Republicans. GOP senators have promised to block that move, saying they will only accept a new bipartisan compromise.
"Some of the senators feel that there's a breakthrough that could take place" in talks over the weekend and early next week, said Reid, D-Nev., adding that he would "reluctantly" postpone the test-vote, which he had set for Tuesday. He has now set the vote for next Wednesday.
Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said the move would "give us the maximum opportunity to piece back together the bipartisan agreement that we thought we almost had a week or so ago."
Talks are continuing on the possible deal, which would first secure the U.S.-Mexico border and implement an elaborate high-tech identification system for immigrant workers, and only then give millions of illegal immigrants a chance at legal status — after waits as long as 13 more years.
Many Democrats and Republicans are wary of such an agreement, which also would limit immigrants' ability to bring their families to the U.S. Democrats fear it will be rejected as too punitive by their liberal base, while Republicans are concerned about alienating conservatives by appearing to treat illegal immigrants too leniently.
President Bush plans to use his Saturday weekly radio address to urge Congress to reshape immigration laws.
Thank GOD for small miracles. I feel like the breaking of this story and the disruption of this plot could not have come at a better time to really illustrate the DANGERS of giving a path to citizenship of people who we don't have any background on and cannot do a proper screening or check during any path to citizenship because frankly, we don't really know who they are!
CALL your Republican representatives today anyway and URGE them to hold out on this pushing through any kind of amnesty just to get it "out of the way" of the 2008 elections. To rush something through would be disastrous for this country.
1-866-340-9281 Capitol Hill switchboard
These are key senators to call: Lamar Alexander, Thad Cochran, John Cornyn, Orrin Hatch, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Jon Kyl, Trent Lott, Ben Nelson, Debbie Stabenow and Craig Thomas
Senate Urged to Rethink Immigration Bill After NJ Arrests By Susan Jones CNSNews.com Senior Editor May 09, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - The arrest of six foreign-born Muslims accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix, N.J., should stop the Senate from producing an immigration bill that includes a "pathway to citizenship" or any other let-them-stay-here program, said a group that strongly opposes "amnesty" for illegal aliens.
Three of the Islamic radicals arrested in New Jersey were illegal aliens; two had green cards; and one was a U.S. citizen. Four of the suspects were born in the former Yugoslavia, one was born in Jordan and one came from Turkey, authorities said. The suspects apparently had no connection to al Qaeda.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform called the arrests "strong proof that lax enforcement of our immigration laws does pose a severe threat to the security of the nation, and that the government's screening process for granting green cards and other immigration benefits is perilously flawed."
News of the arrests came as a bipartisan group of Senators is trying to write an immigration reform bill acceptable to both sides -- a task that's proving difficult to accomplish.
Many conservatives insist that such a bill must concentrate on enforcement of current immigration law as well as border security. -- keeping foreigners out of the country unless they go through proper immigration channels.
Others, including President Bush and Senate Democrats, want the bill to include a guest worker program and a "pathway to citizenship" for the millions of people who have sneaked into the country illegally -- and can't easily be shipped out, they say.
"Given [Tuesday's] events, the American public has a right to demand, not ask, that Congress and the Bush administration drop all talk of amnesty and guest worker programs and get to work on the single most important priority: controlling our borders and fixing an immigration system that allows terrorists and just about anyone else to enter and hide out in this country," said FAIR President Dan Stein.
"Luck was on our side this time, but luck is not a substitute for due diligence and an immigration enforcement policy that protects the nation and its people," he said.
FAIR said the arrests in New Jersey prove that terrorists can and will take advantage of "unenforced immigration policies that have flooded this country with illegal immigrants."
The arrests also show that terrorists understand the nation's vulnerabilities, FAIR said.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) says the Senate will begin floor debate on an immigration bill on May 14, and if the new bill is not ready, he'll substitute the bill passed by the Senate last year. Reid insists his fellow senators have had plenty of time to produce a bill.
Slow down, Republicans say. Press reports on Wednesday quoted Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) as saying that the bipartisan working group is "close" to agreement.
"We've been close for several days," wire reports quoted him as saying. "There is not full bipartisan agreement on all of the major issues. Until we have that agreement we should not move forward."
This outrageous piece of racist horsecrap is what is being circulated by supposedly "religious" organizations. Don't let the truth get in the way Mr De La Torre. I am offended at the suggestion that the police action had anything to do with race. What it did have everything to do with, is violent agitators wearing bandanas on their faces - otherwise known in California as "gang bangers". MacArthur Park is an MS-13 gang territory and "stronghold" and about 50 of these gang bangers began to challenge and assault the police. But don't let the facts get in the way of your propagandizing Mr De La Torre.
LA Police Attack on Hispanics Provides Civics Lesson From the Margins
Miguel De La Torre 05-07-07
Imagine you are part of a group of concerned citizens frustrated with Congress placing timetables on the military spending bill. [ except, umm, you're not citizens, you're mostly illegal aliens ] Your group of mainly white, middle- and upper-class residents decides to hold a rally, partly to protest Congress' recent actions but also to support the president's handling of the war.
You contact the police and local government officials to make the necessary arrangements, even working out agreed-upon procedures in the unlikely event of a disturbance. [ except they planned to be based in a park dominated by MS-13 so really now - how unlikely was a disturbance?]
You decide to bring your two small children to provide them with a visual lesson on how democracy works. You may disagree with the actions taken by your government, but you have a constitutional right to protest those actions. [ but you do NOT have the right to throw objects at the police! and illegal aliens do NOT have the right to protest in our streets! ]
Grandpa and Grandma join you, turning this civic lesson into a family outing and celebrating the family values of your culture.
To your surprise, the police show up in riot gear, swinging their batons and firing their weapons into the crowd. You scoop up a child under each arm and run for safety.
Grandma can't run fast enough and is struck by one of the baton-wielding police officers. When Grandpa turns around to help her, he is struck by a rubber bullet. [ show me the video ]
As you run, praying for the safety of the children you are carrying, you notice that white female news reporters capturing the mayhem are being beaten by the police, while crying out that these actions are illegal. [ the press were ignoring orders to clear the park - no they are not special]
In your haste to protect your children, you become separated from your wife. Hours go by after the melee, and you still cannot find her. You jump into the SUV and start looking at the local hospitals and even the morgue. Eventually you find her at a hospital with a concussion. [ nice fabricated BS ]
Outrage is too mild a term for what you feel. You live in America, where such atrocities against human rights and dignity cannot happen. That is unless you happen to be a Latino or Latina. [ illegal alien rock throwing anarchist ]
For this is exactly what occurred in Los Angeles on May 1, when the Hispanic [illegal alien ] community held a rally to protest the Congress' failure to pass comprehensive immigration legislation. [ and you helped our cause in fighting amnesty greatly! mucho gracias! ]
Hispanics gathered for a peaceful [except for the rock throwers ] gathering in MacArthur Park, west of downtown. Then, unexpectedly, the police, in full riot gear, showed up, attacking the Latino/a families, including women and children. [ wrong - they were not attacking - they were doing their job of clearing the park which was announced clearly ]
When the press covering the story protested about the abuse, Christina Gonzalez from a Fox News affiliate, her camerawoman Patti Ballaz, and NPR reporter Patricia Nazario were among the hurt civilians.
If this peace march were conducted by whites in suburbia, none of this would have occurred. And do you think the police would have been wearing riot gear? [ it would not have occurred because WE don't throw crap at the police!!!! ]
But wait, didn't the demonstrators start the riot by allegedly throwing rocks and bottles at the police? The police are reporting that a band of youth, NOT affiliated with the peace march, taunted them over a block away from the park. [ LIAR]
If the park was full of whites instead of Latinos, the police would have first jumped to erect a barrier between the troublemakers and attendees before taking action to subdue and arrest the hoodlums. [ BS alert - you don't know crap about police procedures bozo ]
But because we are talking about Hispanics, the police herded these troublemakers into the park where Hispanic families gathered, so that they could indiscriminately swing and shoot at them. [ like the LAPD is going to do something blatant like that in this litigous society?? I don't THINK SO]
Fortunately the "liberal" media were present to demand inquires and post pictures of the ethnic abuse on their front pages.
Oh, I forgot. These were Latinos. The New York Times buried the story deep in the paper and has said nothing else about the incidents since the May Day rally. [ your story is not being told because even the leftist media realizes it is propaganda! ]
Police Chief William J. Bratton admitted that this was the "worst incident of this type [he has] ever encountered in 37 years." Considering the Los Angeles Police Department's history of protecting the rights of people of color, Bratton's statement is quite an indictment. [ I can't wait to hear the truth from the actual law enforcement officers who were there - oh that's right we already HEARD the police radio which proves they followed proper procedure ]
According to Victor Narro, an attorney with the National Lawyers Guild, one videotape he saw showed the police fire a rubber round at what appeared to be a 10-year-old boy, and then "toss him aside like a piece of meat." [ prove it - I saw nothing like that of all the video ]
Still, the LAPD accomplished its purpose--teaching Latino/as--citizens or otherwise--that they, unlike their white counterparts, do not have a right to protest. For if they do, what they can expect is violence. [illegal aliens do not have the right to protest - yes that is correctimundo ]
Miguel A. De La Torre is director of the Justice & Peace [what irony! ]Institute and associate professor of social ethics at Iliff School of Theology in Denver.
Bloggers can make a difference and some people and some institutions don't really appreciate allowing the truth or personal glimpses of the truth to be heard.
Military Bloggers Eye Army Crackdown on Web Reporting
Thursday, May 10, 2007
By Griff Jenkins
WASHINGTON —
The military blogging community is abuzz over the perceived crackdown on bloggers, who Army officials readily admit are providing firsthand accounts that the media generally miss in daily reporting from the war zone.
The bloggers are now awaiting word on whether the Army will make permanent changes to regulations issued last month that attempt to limit the details offered by soldiers writing from the frontlines.
"The regulation was either poorly written or intended to crack down on bloggers," said Matthew Currier Burden, a former defense intelligence officer who runs Blackfive.net, one of the most widely read military blogging sites.
"I've been threatened on numerous occasions — two threats in the last two months alone — to be booted out of Iraq," said Michael Yon, a former Green Beret now in Iraq who frequently reports for FOXNews.com. "Bloggers who express independent views are seen as a threat, while (pro-military bloggers) seem to be viewed as tools. The military is simply trying to keep the tools and mitigate the threats but in doing so caused quite a stir."
But a visit to another of the most popular independent military Web sites, millblogging.com, suggests that many soldiers and their supporters are not deterred from their blogging mission. And blogger Army Lawyer, who identifies himself only as a JAG attorney, wrote in his blog that he doesn't think the Army is trying to censor soldiers' Web sites.
"No, the Army didn’t try to ban blogs. No, the Army didn’t backtrack. No, the Army wasn’t going to be some Communist-like organization where only approved information is uttered. And all the histrionic commentary to the contrary ... looks rather silly and borderline insulting," he wrote.
Still, the April 17 regulation issued by the U.S. Army had military bloggers atwitter at last weekend's 2007 Milblog Conference in Northern Virginia when the language sent a “shock and awe” wave of concern through the milblog community.
“Regulation 530-1” updated policy regarding operational security by requiring all active duty soldiers to “consult with their immediate supervisor and their OPSEC officer for an OPSEC review prior to publishing or posting information in a public forum.”
A "fact sheet" issued two days before the conference attempted to clarify the Army's position.
"In no way will every blog post/update a soldier makes on his or her blog need to be monitored or first approved by an immediate supervisor and operations security (OPSEC) officer. After receiving guidance and awareness training from the appointed OPSEC officer, that soldier blogger is entrusted to practice OPSEC when posting in a public forum," reads the sheet distributed by Andi Hurley, a blogger, spouse of a career solder and organizer of the 2007 Milblog Conference.
Major Ray Ceralde, Army operational security program manager, noted that the new regulations apply to Army civilians as well as contractors and family members.
“Not every blog entry needs to be cleared for content. But to establish a blog, the soldier needs approval,” Ceralde told FOX News. “We want to protect First Amendment rights but we also want to protect operational security,” he said.
Added White House spokesman Tony Snow: “Some of the stories about muzzling the milblogs were overblown.”
Milblogs typically consist of three types of blogs: active-duty troops “in theater,” former military citizens and spouses or family members back home. Burden said the purpose of the blogs is to "stay in touch with family and friends, document the history of their deployment, or provide a place to vent. ... Others are just really great writers that want to express themselves."
He added that bloggers perform a service that the military is getting in short supply — positive news from the war front.
"I worry that we're losing the information war and am trying to find ways to make some victories for our military, which does amazing things every day," Burden said. "When was the last time you read a story about the combat effectiveness of a unit in Afghanistan or Iraq? They are kicking ass against terrorists, working with the Iraqi public and training their soldiers and police, and no one is reporting it."
Efforts to block bloggers have gained some attention on Capitol Hill. Sens. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Jim DeMint, R-S.C., sent a letter last week to Defense Secretary Robert Gates in support of military bloggers.
“We are concerned the regulations may also inadvertently weaken what has proven a significant asset in our media age: the firsthand accounts of American military men and women on the ground,” the letter reads.
That concern is especially significant to bloggers who say that the Pentagon has been its own worst enemy both in fighting the propaganda war and in protecting operational security.
"The worst OPSEC violator in the senior staffs is the Pentagon. I get more advance notice from a Pentagon Press Brief of U.S. movements from Kuwait into Iraq than I get from all other sources combined. The Pentagon acts as if it is not at war, and the leaks emanating from Arlington are enormous," blogger D.J. Elliot, a retired Navy intelligence analyst, wrote on The Fourth Rail.
Badger 6, who identifies himself as an Army officer in Iraq commanding an engineering company, writes on his Web log that operational security is tantamount to success in the war in Iraq, although even he has wondered if the decision to update the regulations may have had a political component to it.
"Some of my comments and the comments at other Milblogs have indicated they think that this is driven by politicians who are skeptical about the mission and call for our return home. On the anti-war side of the blogosphere, I see comments indicating this is a plan by the Bush Administration to keep criticism by Soldiers in the field from leaking out and proving Iraq is a catastrophe. Both strike me as wrong headed," he wrote.
"The Army has a legitimate and important interest in maintaining Operational Security. It is a large Government organization that still does not know how to deal with this technology and capability. I see nothing political in this, it is a bureaucratic issue," Badger 6 continued.
The mere fact that the 2007 Milblog Conference opened up with a videotaped salutation from President Bush demonstrated to many in attendance that bloggers are getting noticed and their role is growing in importance. Burden said that as they become more influential, he would like “to see the military give bloggers the same rules as embed reporters” and see deployments adopt “unit blogging” — one soldier responsible for telling the history and activities of the unit.
"The future of milblogging is heavily dependent on toughminded milbloggers hanging in there," Yon said. "Keep in mind that most of the so-called milblogs ... are mostly written from home in the states. To my knowledge, I am the last remaining full-time blogger in the war who is not on active duty. Yes, the influence seems to be growing, but when my time is up here, probably nobody will be left to cover our troops full time."
Burden also offered words to the wise if soldiers want to stay out of trouble. Paraphrasing blogger “Lt. Smash,” the supposed granddaddy of military blogging, Burden said, “When you publish a post, write it like, one, your mother will read it, two, Usama Bin Laden will read it and three, your commander will read it.”
Tipped by Immigration Watchdog This hits home because for the Hold Their Feet to the Fire event, I stayed just outside of College Park, MD. Who knew the area just outside our nation's capital might have a killer drunk driving illegal alien lurking? Have we had enough of our American citizens die at the hands of drunk illegal aliens yet? Of course, illegal alien defenders will say - it didn't matter that they are here illegally.. it was just an accident. Keep saying that you idiots, as the number of American lives which get destroyed by repeat offending illegal aliens continues to climb. What will you say when it happens to someone YOU love?
Driver in U.S. illegally, records say
Mexican accused of drunken driving in UM student's death
By Melissa Harris
sun reporter
Originally published May 9, 2007
A man accused of drunken driving in a crash that killed a University of Maryland sophomore was in the country illegally and carrying a fake Social Security card and a green card purchased in Texas, according to court records filed yesterday.
Never L. Navarro-Montoya was driving an acquaintance's blue Ford Ranger without a driver's license when he hit an oncoming Jeep Cherokee that was making a left turn from University Boulevard to Metzerott Road in College Park about 3:30 a.m. Saturday, killing 20-year-old Matthew Watson of Ellicott City, according to police.
It was unclear from police reports which driver had the right of way at the intersection.
Prince George's County police charged Narravo-Montoya, 24, of Greenbelt, with driving under the influence of alcohol, fleeing the scene of an accident and possession of false government identification, according to court records. Navarro-Montoya told police he was from Mexico.
Watson, who attended the College Park campus, was a front-seat passenger in the Jeep. He graduated in 2005 from Centennial High School, where he was a lineman on the football team and played saxophone in the band.
This was the second time in less than six months that an undocumented immigrant has been charged in a fatal accident involving a Howard County resident.
In November, Eduardo Raul Morales-Soriano, a Laurel landscaper from Mexico, was charged with vehicular homicide and drunken driving in a Thanksgiving night crash at Routes 175 and 108 that killed a Columbia Marine home on leave and his date from Montgomery County.
Morales-Soriano is awaiting trial in Howard County Circuit Court, after having registered a 0.32 blood-alcohol level on a Breathalyzer - four times the legal limit, court records say.
In the most recent crash, the charging documents state that a witness watched Navarro-Montoya jump out of the Ranger after the crash and flee on foot. About four hours later, passers-by found Navarro-Montoya lying on the grass off of University Boulevard about one-third of a mile from the scene and called police.
Cpl. S. Ainsworth of the Prince George's County police detected a strong odor of alcohol on Navarro-Montoya's breath and arrested him. Investigators were awaiting the results of a blood test taken at Washington Adventist Hospital, where Navarro-Montoya was treated for cuts to the left side of his head.
"He didn't have a driver's license from Maryland or any other state," said Cpl. Diane Richardson, a spokeswoman for the Prince George's County Police Department.
Police said two other occupants of the Jeep, which rolled over, were treated at a hospital for injuries not considered life-threatening. Police declined to release the Jeep driver's identity.
According to charging documents, Navarro-Montoya said of the Social Security and the permanent resident cards in his possession, "I bought them in Texas, I'm from Mexico." [grrrrrrrr - Hello America are you mad yet??? If not why not? ]
Navarro-Montoya lived in an apartment on Springhill Lane. A man who answered the phone at Navarro-Montoya's address and identified himself as a relative declined to provide details about the man. It was unknown yesterday how long Navarro-Montoya has lived in the United States. He was being held at the Prince George's County Correctional Center on $750,000 bond, according to court records.
Friends and family said Watson was known for his one-liners and quick wit.
He would purposely park his car in the middle of the parking lot reserved for marching band practice. "That's so mischievous," his mother, Barbara Watson, said as one of her younger sons retold the story. "Of course, I'm sure they knew whose car it was because he was in the band. He loved to play in the jazz band. He loved music."
His friend, Alex Blatter, now a sophomore at Pennsylvania State University, said that in addition to stalling marching band practice, Watson once arrived at school wearing six or seven polo shirts - one on top another - as a parody of some of the preppier students at Centennial.
"A lot of kids would come wearing [two polo shirts] at our school," said Blatter, who knew Watson since fourth grade. "It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen."
His football coach, Jamie Wagner, said that he had heard that Watson had a smart sense of humor, but added that he never saw that side of him. He said Watson took football "very seriously," describing him as a model student-athlete and teammate.
"He kind of fit into every social group in the school," Wagner said. "He wasn't in one particular [clique]. He just fit in with everybody. As a football coach, it's important to have a person with that kind of character on your team because he can build bridges between different groups."
The nation’s television screens many days recently have been filled with scenes of huge crowds carrying the colorful green and red flag of Mexico viewers could well have thought it was a national holiday in Mexico City.
It was instead, downtown Los Angeles, Calif., although the scene was recreated in numerous other cities around the country with substantial Mexican populations. Hordes of Mexican expatriates, many here illegally, were protesting the very U.S. immigration laws they were violating with impunity. They found it offensive and a violation of their rights that the U.S. dared to have immigration laws to begin with.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa mounted the podium, but any hopes that he would quiet the crowds and defend the law were soon dashed. Villaraigosa, himself, has spent a lifetime opposing U.S. immigration law.
For law-abiding Americans without knowledge of the dark side of our current illegal immigration crisis, all this is unfathomable. For those who know the truth about the “La Raza” movement, these demonstrations were a prophecy fulfilled.
It is past time for all Americans to know what is at the root of this outrageous behavior, and the extent to which the nation is at risk because of “La Raza” — The Race.
There are many immigrant groups joined in the overall “La Raza” movement. The most prominent and mainstream organization is the National Council de La Raza — the Council of “The Race”.
To most of the mainstream media, most members of Congress, and even many of their own members, the National Council of La Raza is no more than a Hispanic Rotary Club.
But the National Council of La Raza succeeded in raking in over $15.2 million in federal grants last year alone, of which $7.9 million was in U.S. Department of Education grants for Charter Schools, and undisclosed amounts were for get-out-the-vote efforts supporting La Raza political positions.
The Council of La Raza succeeded in having itself added to congressional hearings by Republican House and Senate leaders. And an anonymous senator even gave the Council of La Raza an extra $4 million in earmarked taxpayer money, supposedly for “housing reform,” while La Raza continues to lobby the Senate for virtual open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens.
//
MEChA isn’t at all shy about their goals, or their views of other races. Their founding principles are contained in these words in “El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan” (The Spiritual Plan for Aztlan):
“In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal gringo invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of Aztlan from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of their birth and consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declare that the call of our blood is our power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny. … Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans. … We are a bronze people with a bronze culture. Before the world, before all of North America, before all our brothers in the bronze continent, we are a nation, we are a union of free pueblos, we are Aztlan. For La Raza todo. Fuera de La Raza nada.”
That closing two-sentence motto is chilling to everyone who values equal rights for all. It says: “For The Race everything. Outside The Race, nothing.”…..
We need people to start demanding that their representatives find out about the North American Union or soon it won't matter who is representing the American people because we will have lost our sovereignty forever.
The EU and North American Union Posted: May 10, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern
Did you notice the European Union celebrated its 50th anniversary this month?
I don't know about you, but I distinctly recall the launch of the EU in 1993 – 14 years ago. How is it that a 14-year-old government is celebrating its 50th anniversary?
It's an important story – especially for Americans who don't believe there is a real threat of or planning for a future North American Community confederating the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Today, the Europeans proud of their regional government achievement see the real birth of the EU dating back to the 1957 Treaty of Rome, involving only six countries for the purpose of pooling their steel and coal resources.
(Column continues below)
The idea was to make it impossible for another internecine European war to take place because no one nation could dominate the industries of these strategic commodities. They also believed it would spur economic development.
It was, in modern parlance, a primitive free trade agreement – much less sweeping in scope than the North American Free Trade Agreement adopted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico just over a decade ago.
But the Euro-elite understand it was this baby step in the direction of integration that set the continent on the road to merger.
And that's why the 50th anniversary celebrations are taking place all year long in Europe.
Today, those with similar plans for North America talk about them in muted terms. They will tell you it's not really a European Union-style confederation they are seeking. It's a simpler, more palatable North American Community.
Keep in mind, before the European Union emerged, it was called the European Community. Before that, it was the European Economic Community.
These things are accomplished in stages.
It should now be obvious to any thinking, rational person who can add two plus two that the North American Free Trade Agreement – NAFTA – was the first stage in a long-range plan for a European Union-style confederation in North America between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
"President Bush signed an agreement creating a 'permanent body' that commits the U.S. to 'deeper transatlantic economic integration,' without ratification by the Senate as a treaty or passage by Congress as a law," reported WND.
"The 'Transatlantic Economic Integration' between the U.S. and the European Union was signed April 30 at the White House by Bush, German Chancellor Angela Merkel – the current president of the European Council – and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso.
This was not buried news that took WND investigative efforts to uncover. This was not some secret memo WND unearthed. This was not some Internet rumor. This announcement by Bush was posted on the White House website.
Yet, not a single news agency other than WND seized on the significance of this unilateral move by the Bush administration.
It's called "not seeing the forest for the trees."
The forest is globalization.
What is globalization?
It's not just free trade. It's not just economic cooperation. It's not just a series of strategic agreements between nations. It's shorthand for moving toward one-world government.
No one would have believed 50 years ago Europe could actually be governed as one large confederation. Today it is a reality.
This was not the result of the people of Europe clamoring for a centralized bureaucracy in Belgium. It was the result of careful, quiet planning by the European elite. And, ultimately, it was achieved not through the will of the people, but in spite of it.
Thanks to Roy Beck of Numbers USA for all his hard work helping us focus our efforts on the right places to stop this Flake-Gutierrez Amnesty Bill. We will not allow a half-assed effort at fixing this problem just to get it out of the way before the run-up to 2008. Better to fix it RIGHT than to make it worse to appease some group of people who don't even have a voice in our government!
We're kind of winning ... Extra pressure today to keep amnesty from Senate floor
FRIENDS, WE ARE ON THE EDGE OF BOTH DISASTER AND A GREAT DEFENSIVE VICTORY!
The news story below is like many last night and this morning that show that the open-borders forces are on the verge of collapsing in disputes.
Believe me, your constituency pressure on the 100 U.S. Senators is the only reason this is happening.
You can scan those stories for all the parts I have highlighted in red. Those are the things that are happening because of YOUR pressure -- this month and over the past year. All kinds of Republicans who callously voted for last year's amnesty have backed off and said they can no longer vote for that radical of a bill again. Even though most of them still want a radical bill, their shift has forced Democrats to decide whether they will remain as radical. YOU, YOU, YOU. You're the reason for the shifts that are absolutely tying t he open borders folks in knots.
But we cannot let up for a moment.
During the day, you will receive specific Alerts with links to new faxes and new phone action notes for your state's two Senators. I urge you to act immediately when you get them. (As you read this, you may want to go on to your personally customized Action Buffet right now to see what actions already are posted for you.)
It is at the moment of almost inevitable collapse in negotiations that disagreeing parties often compromise in a last-ditch effort to have some kind of conclusion.
Your job is to convince the 95% of Democrats who are open-borders champions that even if they accept the White House compromise, voters like you will consider them a sell-out of American workers. Strangely at this moment, we do not want Democrats to agree to the much toughe r enforcement measures the White House insists on (because of conservative Republican Senator pressure). The reason? Because the White House plan also includes a gigantic increase in foreign workers and their dependents. If the Dems are going to get your condemnation regardless of whether they compromise with the Republicans, they may be more likely to stick to their hard-line no-compromise position to please their open-borders supporters.
Your job is also to convince the approximately 50% of Republican Senators who want an amnesty (but who feel they have to water it down to avoid total public condemnation) that they can't take one more step toward Sen. Kennedy without risking incredible voter wrath.
What we are trying to do is further contribute to the log-jam in negotiations. The last thing we want right now is bi-partisan compromise and action. The Senate is filled with so many people who are totally callous to the needs of the American workers and the communitie s in which they live, that we need NOTHING to happen there (while local and state governments continue to make it more difficult for illegal workers and outlaw employers to continue their crimes).
See my closing comments below the news stories.
Reid Forces New Senate Debate on Immigration He Would Revisit 2006, But GOP Is Warier Now
By Jonathan Weisman Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, May 10, 2007; A04
With bipartisan talks on immigration near a standstill, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) moved yesterday to bring last year's broad overhaul of immigration laws back to the floor of the Senate next week, appealing to President Bush to save what could be his last hope for a major second-term domestic achievement.
The legislation -- which couples a border security crackdown with a guest-worker program and new avenues for undocumented immigrants to work legally in the country -- passed the Senate a year ago this month with the support of 62 members, 23 of them Republican, only to die in the House. With Democrats now in control of Congress and with the president eager for an accomplishment, immigrant rights groups believe the prospects for a final deal are far better this year.
But Senate Republicans, even those who helped craft last year's bill, say the political environment has shifted decisively against that measure and toward a tougher approach. Four Republican architects of the 2006 bill released a letter yesterday, pleading with Reid to hold off on the debate while bipartisan talks continue on new legislation.
"Last year's bill is not the solution for this year," said Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.), one of those archi tects who is now general chairman of the Republican Party.
But Reid decided to force the issue, devoting the Senate's next two weeks to hammering out a comprehensive bill. If negotiators reach a deal on a new proposal in the coming days, he promised to bring it to a vote. "There are all kinds of excuses people could offer," Reid said. "But how can we have anything that's more fair than taking a bill that overwhelmingly passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis, and using that as the instrument" to build a new version?
Immigration poses political peril for both parties. It has badly split GOP-leaning business groups eager for immigrant labor from party-base conservatives furious at what they see as an invasion of illegal immigrants. Democrats must bridge a chasm between old-line labor groups that fear that immigrant workers are driving down wages and burgeoning service-worker unions that see low-wage workers as the backbone of a new labor movement.
Both parties are battling for the allegiance of Latino voters. Indeed, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) offered immigrant groups virtual veto power over this year's bill.
"Unless the stakeholders are going to believe that it's worthy of their support, no matter what we do here in the United States Senate, it isn't going to work," he said.
And, this year, the issue is tangled in presidential politics. One White House hopeful, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), has all but renounced a career-long stance favorable to immigrant rights. And the co-author of last year's bill, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), has been largely absent from this year's negotiations, as he soft-pedals his pro-immigration stance.
McCain spokeswoman Eileen McMenamin said yesterday that the senator remains committed to a bill that would strengthen border controls, back guest workers and offer illegal immigrants a path to citizenship.
But Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said McCain's absence from the negotiations has been "a big factor" in the rising tide of Republican opposition. Another factor is a president whose authority on Capitol Hill is in steep decline. "The president's approval ratings do not exactly create a dynamic political force," Durbin said.
In that vacuum, Republican senators who opposed last year's bill have emerged as key players in this year's battle, and they have already succeeded in raising issues that were barely discussed in 2006. Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.), an ardent opponent of last year's bill, said the measure got only so many GOP votes because Republican senators expected the final bill to be far tougher after emerging from negotiations with House GOP hard-liners. With Democrats now in charge of the House, Senate Republicans are taking a tougher stand, he said.
Senators are nearing agreement on some of the most contentious issues. Once again, an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants would probably get new avenues to find legal work and earn citizenship once they have established a strong work record, cleared a criminal-background check, and paid penalties and back taxes. Beefed-up border security would be linked to tougher penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants and to new tools for businesses to screen job applicants.
But Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over the flow of new immigrants. Republicans, with the White House's backing, are proposing a three-year temporary-worker program that would allow 400,000 new workers to enter the country each year, provided they return to their home countries once their visas expire. A much smaller number, perhaps 20,000, would be able to apply for a work visa that could lead to legal permanent residency.
Even more controversial is a GOP effort to change current laws that allow legal U.S. residents to bring relatives in to the country. Republicans want to drop large categories from that family immigration system, blocking the inflow of adult children and siblings of U.S. residents and capping the number of parents allowed to migrate. That move would make room for more skilled workers and educated professionals.
Last year's bill would have allowed guest workers to remain in the country indefinitely and work toward citizenship.
With the divisions so deep, Republican Senate leadership aides privately said that the bill is "on life support." Democrats were no more optimistic. Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the fate of comprehensive immigration legislation rests with Bush.
"The president has got to be personally involved," Leahy said. "He cannot just send up Cabinet members and ask them to speak with a few members of the president's party and think that that's going to get you through."
Re id Set to Move Border Bill
May 10, 2007 By John Stanton and Erin P. Billings, Roll Call Staff
Senate Democratic and Republican leaders were digging in Wednesday for what could be an ugly political collapse of bipartisan efforts to pass comprehensive immigration reform, with both sides already blaming their potential failure to pass legislation on the other’s unwillingness to compromise.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced Wednesday afternoon that he would defy GOP filibuster threats and attempt to force last year’s Senate-passed immigration reform package to the floor next week.
Reid said that bill will act as a “framework” for the two-week debate and that he was still open to allowing the members of the bipartisan immigration negotiating group to offer any deal they reach as a substitute amendment for the underlying bill. “We all realize that bill is imperfect. But it’s the place we’re going to start,” Reid said .
But he rejected calls for more time to allow a bipartisan deal to emerge. “Some have said to me ... ‘do it another time, give us a little more time.’ We don’t have anymore time,” Reid said.
That prompted an angry response from Republicans, who accused Reid of attempting to marginalize a months-long bipartisan effort to draft compromise legislation.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) rejected the idea on the Senate floor and warned Reid that it would scuttle the bipartisan effort. McConnell said he was concerned Reid was “brush aside in favor of last year’s unsuccessful bill. ... I strongly urge my colleagues to reconsider this approach, if indeed it’s the one they plan to take ... any effort to move legislation on this issue that isn’t the result of the ongoing bipartisan discussions would be a clear signal from Democrats that they are not yet serious about immigration reform.”
Senate Republican Conference Chairman Jon Kyl (Ariz.), McConnell’s point man on immigration reform, also said he was concerned “by reports that Senate Democrats may attempt to pass last year’s immigration legislation rather than continue working toward a bipartisan solution.”
All 23 Republicans who voted for last year’s immigration bill sent a letter to Reid on Wednesday warning they would not vote for that measure again and calling on the Majority Leader to allow more time to work out a bipartisan deal.
The 2006 bill “is dead. We need a new bill,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who added that “we need a product coming off the Senate floor with 75 to 80 votes. And that product is within reach.”
With the procedural showdown threatening to derail movement of a bill, both sides acknowledged that the next 24 hours in the Senate will largely determine whether Congress can craft a bipartisan bill this year. But neither Democrats nor Republicans could predict how it ultimate ly will shake out, and the level of optimism continues to vary widely depending on whom you ask.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said lawmakers will have to see how each party’s leadership decides to proceed, and the outcome of the next round of bipartisan talks, which were set to begin again Wednesday afternoon.
“The bottom line is we need to move here,” Menendez said. “If we don’t take advantage of these two weeks, we will lose our opportunity. It will be hard to reschedule.”
Senators in both parties concede that the final two weeks of May could be the chamber’s only chance to reach a deal this Congress. Momentum is on their side heading into the Memorial Day recess, and too much legislation is competing for calendar space when Senators return to work next month.
Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) said early Wednesday that Senators are “at a critical moment” in the discussions, and while some may believe the negotiations are falling apart, he wasn’t ready to gi ve up.
“The next 24 hours or so will tell us where we are,” Martinez said. “We need to recommit to the process of a bipartisan solution.”
Sources indicated that McConnell was going to survey his Conference to see whether he could garner GOP unanimity in blocking Reid from moving forward with debate on the old bill next week.
GOP leaders want to wait until the bipartisan group of about 10 Senators produces a consensus bill before moving to a floor debate. Alternatively, they want Reid to use as a placeholder a “shell” bill that contains little more than immigration-related titles to kick off the Senate discussion.
Graham, who has credited Reid with forcing Senators to address the issue on a deadline, wasn’t ready to say the issue would be decided by the end of today, but he did acknowledge that time is running short. By next Monday, Graham said lawmakers would know whether a deal can be reached and if immigration can get done this year.
“We’ll know in the next couple of days,” Graham said. “I say it’s 50-50. How it ends, I don’t know.”
Graham added that if the bipartisan talks bear fruit, he believes their measure would be overwhelmingly popular, garnering 75 to 80 votes.
“This is the best chance there will be for immigration reform in years,” he said. “This is it.”
NumbersUSA friends, if you wonder whether you have the stamina to do another round of faxing and phoning, just consider that the next 24 hours may actually decide the fate of amnesty this year. You can see below that Sen. Graham (R-SC) says he is still hopeful that they can come up with a compromise that will garner 75-80 votes for a comprehensive amnesty.
In many ways, it was an appalling experience. I tried to focus Congress' attention on the recommendations of the bi-partisan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform, chaired by the late Barbara Jordan (D-TX). The Commission pushed for immigration policies that were best for American workers.
Most of the Republicans on the House immigration panel seemed to wholeheartedly support those worker protection, although Rep. Lundgren (R-CA) suggested that he saw now no solution other than some form of amnesty for the officially estimated 7 million illegal foreign workers and their 5 million illegal dependents.
But the Democrats on the panel unaminously indicated that they don't have the slightest interest in the Jordan Commission protections for American workers. To a man and woman, they indicated that they want an amnesty for illegals, plus a lot more future foreign workers and that they want taxpayers to provide a lot more money for government programs to compensate the American workers who will lose wages and their jobs as a result.
THANKS FOR ALL YOU CAN DO TODAY TO BE A VOICE FOR THE VOICELESS AMERICAN WORKERS IN CONGRESS TODAY, -- ROY
I think the Canadian and American citizens who object to this "Security Prosperity Partnership" crap need to get together to stop it. And the secretive nature of the meetings is evil and must be changed. What are they hiding? They think we are too dumb to understand that's why. The citizens of Canada and the United States DEMAND that the elites who are plotting for this North American Union involve the representatives of the people.. NOW!
THE NEW WORLD DISORDER 'Hands off our water,' Canadians say Washington think tank sets 'North American agenda' for resource
Two activist groups are launching a campaign to prevent what they fear will be a massive grab of Canadian fresh water, estimated to be one-fifth of the world's supply, engineered with the help of major U.S. think tanks supporting globalization.
The Council of Canadians, a public advocacy group opposed to the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, and the Coalition for Water Aid, a Montreal group fighting for transparency in globalist discussions of water policy, have expressed concern over an April 27 three-day closed-door conference held in Calgary by politicians, businessmen, and academics from the U.S. and Canada.
Among the discussion subjects was a private report prepared by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank, in conjunction with a Mexican university and a Canadian business trade group.
A search by WND of the CSIS website failed to find a copy of the report.
But the North American Future 2025 Project calls for a series of seven closed-door roundtables to be held by somewhere between 21 to 45 politicians, academics, and businessmen from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada (an equal number from each country) "to analyze, comprehend, and anticipate" North American integration trends between now and 2025.
The leaked report calls for a conclusion on the future of North American integration "to be presented in 2007 to the executive and legislative branches of the governments of North America."
The final report in September 2007 will be "produced in the three official languages – English, Spanish, and French – as part of an effective dissemination strategy aimed at maximizing the policy impact of the report."
North American continental water resources
The CSIS report notes that "fresh water is running out in many regions of the world."
In North America, the report stressed that "particularly the United States and Mexico will experience water scarcity as a result of arid climates coupled with growing populations and increased water consumption."
In the next paragraph, the CSIS report observed that, "Juxtaposed to the relative scarcity of water in the United States and Mexico, Canada possesses about 20 percent of the earth's fresh water."
"The United States and Mexico share at least 18 aquifers, and a significant portion of these countries' population is already experiencing problems with the availability and contamination of water," the report continued.
While the report called for North American fresh water to be the subject of Roundtable VII, "The Future of North American Border Infrastructure and Logistics," the conclusion was strongly suggested.
"The three nations will have to overcome the bureaucratic challenges posed by their different political systems and legal regimes," the report concluded, "particularly if the overriding future goal of North America is to achieve joint optimum utilization of the available water and to implement procedures that will help avoid or resolve differences over water in face of ever-increasing pressures over this priceless resource."
"Hands off our water!" Canadians object
The website of the Council of Canadians strongly objects to this North American agenda, contending that, "Because Canada manages the largest fresh water resources in the world, companies are lining up to pump, bottle and privatize our water for their profit."
"The Council of Canadians is calling on Canadians to 'Act now!' by joining in 'a national campaign to ensure water is a human right and to encourage Canadians to act locally to protect our waters,'" the group said.
The Council of Canadians has produced a brochure, "ACT for Canada's Water," calling for Canada to develop a national water policy aimed to "preserve and protect our water for future generations."
The Coalition for Water Aid has also declared opposition "to the continentalization of water for market purposes or continental geopolitical considerations."
Coalition president André Bouthiller responded to the CSIS report by protesting, "Since when does the Canadian government have a mandate to negotiate sovereignty over national resources with interest groups and lobbyists?"
The World Business Council for Sustainable Development republished a GLOBE-net.ca article noting that Canada's Environment Minister John Baird has declared that Canada has no intention to enter in any negotiations on bulk water exports or diversions.
"Canada has restrictions in place to prohibit removal of water, including diversion, backed by serious fines and/or imprisonment,” said Baird, as quoted by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.
Freshwater management – The globalist agenda
Maude Baird, the national chairwoman of the Council of Canadians, has expressed concern that the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America trilateral working group on the environment will follow the CSIS lead by turning their attention to the continental management of fresh water resources.
"The big business community and corporate lobby groups have been granted access to the integration process," Baird told the Canadian press. "No equivalent role has been granted to labor groups, civil society, or even Parliament in Canada."
According to Baird, GWEST (Global Water & Energy Strategy Team), a Washington-based private consulting group, suggested in October 2006 exporting water from northern Manitoba to Texas through a pipeline. Baird said nothing in Canada's existing laws would prevent this scheme from being implemented.
The World Water Council, a private group granted Special Consultative status by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, has an agenda to place fresh water management in the hands of international authorities, away from the "fragmented control" of hundreds of thousands of local, state, and national governmental entities.
The United Nations publishes every three years a World Water Development Report, and the second of these, "Water, a Shared Responsibility," was presented to the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City, Mexico, on March 22, 2006.
The umbrella U.N. program is the World Water Assessment Program, founded in 2002, and on its website, says there have been a number of major conferences including the Rio Earth Summit with its Agenda 21 document.
The U.N. goal is "comprehensive assessment of the world's fresh water as the basis for more integrated water management."
WAAP notes, "At the urging of the Commission on Sustainable Development and with the strong endorsement by the Ministerial Conference at The Hague in March 2000, UN Water has undertaken a collective UN system-wide continuing assessment process, the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)."
WND columnists Henry Lamb and JoanVeon have written extensively about sustainable development and Agenda 21.
I was able to track down the employer of Jorge Miguel Romero - KW International out of Carson, CA. The "spokesperson" for the company says that Jorge Miguel Romero is a "legal resident" but not a citizen, naturally. Does that make us feel any better? No! And one has to wonder if his identity has been faked. This is what we have to look forward to if Jorge Boosh allows Mexican trucking companies onto our roads.
Crash on I-5 in Mission Viejo takes family's three kids Big-rig that slammed into their minivan couldn't stop in time.
By KIMBERLY EDDS
The Orange County Register
MISSION VIEJO - Lori Coble beamed as she posed for the camera with her husband and their three small children. Katie was still a baby, perched on Lori's hip. Kyle and Emma – in matching white shirts, jeans and flip-flops – grinned as they crowded on their dad Chris' lap.
"Kyle, Katie and Emma – the crazy monkeys" as the Ladera Ranch family's Web site proclaimed. The kids grew up so fast.
The dream was abruptly shattered about 1:10 p.m. Friday when a big-rig slammed into the back of the family's 2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivan on the southbound Santa Ana (I-5) Freeway north of Oso Parkway.
The three Coble kids were in the back of the minivan, strapped into car seats and booster seats. Lori was driving. Grandmother Cynthia Maestri was in the front passenger seat.
Two-year-old Katie and 5-year-old Kyle were rushed to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. Katie died just before 2 p.m. Four-year-old Emma died minutes later at Saddleback Memorial Hospital in Laguna Hills, California Highway Patrol officer Katrina Lundgren said.
All lanes of the freeway were shut down while a LifeFlight helicopter landed on the freeway for about five minutes to pick up the critically injured Maestri. She was airlifted to Western Medical Center. Lori was rushed by paramedics to the same hospital with critical injuries. Both have since been taken to Mission Hospital and their conditions upgraded on Saturday to fair/stable, according to Paula Serios, vice president of marketing at the hospital.
At Mission, Kyle was rushed into surgery. Doctors did everything they could. He died at 8:52 p.m.
Friday afternoon traffic had slowed to a crawl near Oso Parkway. The silver Chrysler minivan was stopped in the slow lane as the cars headed south stacked up.
The black-and-white big-rig came up behind the Chrysler between 55 and 60 mph, according to what the driver later told California Highway Patrol investigators. Packed with electronics, the big-rig didn't stop and slammed into the back of the minivan, driving through the backseat of the Chrysler where the children were sitting.
The semi drove through the back of the minivan, crushing it and pushing it into a Chevy Tahoe that was stopped ahead, CHP officer Katrina Lundgren said.
Andy Tran, 32, who installs blinds for a living in Santa Ana, grabbed his tools and tried to get the children out of the car. Glass was everywhere. Kyle was bleeding. The car seats were mangled.
There was little Tran and others could do. He pulled out a blue blanket and laid it down – a touch of comfort for the victims.
"I've seen a lot of accidents, but this is the worst one I've ever seen," Tran said. "Just seeing the kids. I can't forget it."
A firefighter chaplain in full gear hugged bystanders and offered comfort. Firefighters were teary-eyed. The van's vanity license plates "MEMOMMY" crumpled under the wreckage.
The Cobles recorded their lives on their family Web site. A 2001 wedding. Trips to the Wild Animal Park. Birthday parties at Chuck E. Cheese's. Kyle's soccer pictures. Katie made her debut on the site even before she was born – with ultrasounds. Memories lovingly collected, archived and organized.
Neighbors and friends paused in front of the family's Ladera Ranch home Friday night. A woman and two young girls lit candles and prayed. A small stuffed tiger sat next to flowers. An American flag hung from the Cobles' two-story house.
The driver of the Tahoe, Jack H. Sweet, 48, of Mission Viejo, was taken to Mission with minor injuries.
In the nearly 3-mile stretch between Crown Valley Parkway and La Paz Road, there have been 2,281 accidents and five fatalities in the past 10 years, according to CHP records.
CHP investigators spent hours questioning the driver, Jorge Miguel Romero, 37, of Apple Valley, who said he saw the traffic backed up, applied the brakes but couldn't stop in time.
Fontana-based leasing company Aurora TRL, which owns the truck, did not return calls for comment.
____________________
I also found this information about Jorge Miguel Romero:
Jorge Miguel Romero, 37, of Apple Valley, had been hauling electronics in a truck owned by KW Express, a Carson-based freight company.
According to the CHP, Romero was going 55-60 mph and couldn't stop in time to avoid the Coble minivan.
Romero was cited in 2002 and 2006 for speeding in a tractor-trailer, the Orange County Register reported. He was ticketed for driving without his lights on 2005 and for driving with a suspended license in 1997.
The Register reported that KW has a driver safety score of 74, meaning that 74 percent of companies rank higher in driver safety. The score is not considered deficient, the newspaper reported.
This information is very troubling and I am sure you won't hear this in the main stream media Tipped by Gayle Kesselman, New Jersey Fire Team Leader of The Fire Coalition
RUSH: Let's go back even prior to June the 6th of 1999. Again, on CNN, June 6, 1999 story, "Fort Dix speeds up relocation of Kosovo refugees." Let's go back to May 18th of 1999, just a little short of a month prior. "First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Tuesday an additional $15 million in US relief to the displaced people of Kosovo. The money will help non-government and United Nations groups care for refugees in the border regions of Macedonia and Albania and will also help pay to resettle as many as 20,000 ethnic Albanians who may choose to live with friends and relatives in the United States." (Laughing.) Golly, folks, it's worse than I thought. The Clinton administration may have brought these people here! We don't know if five of the six were in part of this group, but oh, man! The first lady announced this?
"The first lady spoke at a briefing she held to describe her recent trip to a camp in Macedonia. She said the refugees, mostly women and children, described the slaughter of adult men as armed Serbs pushed Kosovars from their homes. 'These heartbreaking stories of families separated, of girls raped, of men executed, of homes destroyed, must be told and retold and never forgotten,' Mrs. Clinton said. The first lady said nothing makes the case more powerfully for why the United States and our NATO allies are pursuing their mission in Kosovo, why we cannot give up until the evils perpetrated by Milosevic and his regime have been stopped and the refugees return home in peace and safety." Mrs. Clinton also announced, May 18th, 1999, "Mrs. Clinton also announced the establishment of an Internet-based information resource..." folks, you will not believe this. "Mrs. Clinton also announced the establishment of an Internet-based information resource to help the Kosovo refugees find their loved ones. The computer system will be based at Fort Dix, New Jersey, the military base now serving as a processing center for Kosovars coming to the United States. The website will feature a people locator, as well as news and information in Albanian. It will include links with similar computer resources in Macedonia, Albania, and elsewhere in Europe."
*snip*
CALLER: Going back to the Fort Dix story, if we can, I remember an incident not too long ago where there was a shooting at a mall by a young man that I believe was of Albanian decent. I was wondering if anyone has tied the dots with --
RUSH: Where did that happen?
CALLER: I don't recall the mall, but I do recall part of the story, that he was a young man that had come to the US after the war in Yugoslavia. He had grown up here in the states, and --
RUSH: Oh, wait. Wait, wait. That was -- da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da, Salt Lake City.
CALLER: Yeah, that's correct.
RUSH: That's right, the Salt Lake City mall shooting spree.
CALLER: Right. I was just wondering if anyone has tied the dots with what happened in New Jersey as far as the Albanians, since he might be part of that same group that came over after the war.
RUSH: Well, it's interesting that you ask. I have a story here from a website that is called ADNKI.com. It's Adnkronos -- I guess how I'm pronouncing it here -- Adnkronos International. I'm not sure where this website is, what country it's in. But this story quotes a Balkan terrorism expert named Darko Trifunovic. I'm going to get to this after the break because you people have to hear this. It's dated today, and we'll link to this at RushLimbaugh.com as well. But it's interesting you should call about this, right as the story is made available to me, because not only does this story say there's a connection to the Salt Lake City thing and what happened at Fort Dix or what was planned for Fort Dix, but it's even more intertwined and complicated than that. So sit tight out there, David, and all the rest of you. You really need to hear what's coming next, right after this on the EIB Network.
*snip*
RUSH: All right, folks, now, a lot to discuss here because we're doing research and show prep at the time we are performing the show. It doesn't happen anywhere else in modern media. They go in with their scripted hour or two and then execute it, and then anything that happens while they're on the air doesn't make it. But here, you have to hear this. This is from the ADNKI.com website. I'm not sure where this is from, because I haven't had time to source it. It's international. But it's a story out of Belgrade, Yugoslavia. So I'm assuming it's there.
"The arrest of four ethnic Albanians, a Jordanian and a Turk in the United States on Tuesday on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack at the United States army base in Fort Dix, New Jersey, confirms the existence of a 'white Al-Qaeda', Balkan terrorism expert Darko Trifunovic told Adnkronos International (AKI) on Wednesday. Trifunovic said the arrests showed 'white Al-Qaeda at work.' He compared the Fort Dix plot to a February attack in Salt Lake City when a Bosnian Muslim youth, Sulejman Talovic went on a shopping mall shooting rampage. Six people including Talovic were killed another four were injured in the attack. Trifunovic, a professor at Belgrade University's Faculty of Security Studies, was the first to develop a theory of 'white Al-Qaeda', which he said was introduced to the Balkans during 1992-1995 civil war in Bosnia when thousands of 'mujahadeen' from Islamic countries came to fight on the side of local Muslims. Many mujahadeen have remained in the country, and are believed to been indoctrinating local youths with radical Islam and even operating terrorist training camps, Trifunovic said, quoting western and Balkans intelligence sources.
"Al-Qaeda has adopted a new tactics of using white European youths for terrorist attacks, 'because of their non-Arabic appearance,' Trifunovic told AKI. 'The strategy is to indoctrinate or poison the hearts and minds of youngsters to psyche them up for the future terror operations,' Trifunovic said. 'And that is exactly what is now happening in the United States,' he added. The US authorities arrested three ethnic Albanian brothers from Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province, Sain, Elvir and Dritan Duka, another ethnic Albanian, Agron Abdulahu, a Jordanian, Mohamad Ibrahim Shnewer, and Serdar Tatar, a Turk. Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Newark, New Jersey, said the suspects 'were planning an attack on Fort Dix in which they would kill as many soldiers as possible'. ... Several of the suspects said they were ready to kill and die ''in the name of Allah,'' according to court papers. The defendants, all men in their 20s, reportedly include a pizza deliveryman suspected of using his job to scout out Fort Dix, three builders and taxi-driver. They were arrested while trying to buy AK-47 assault weapons and M-16s from an informant, authorities said. Many Balkan terrorism experts have been warning for years that Al-Qaeda had active cells in Muslim-majority Kosovo and a training camp in the village of Ropotovo. Kosovo has been under United Nations control 1999, when NATO airstrikes drove Serbian forces out of the province. ... The US authorities said that Abdulahu was a sharp shooter in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) before fleeing to the US. Fort Dix is a training ground for American soldiers and reservists before they are sent to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan," as the caller mentioned earlier.
*snip*
"Insight on the News June 7, 1999 -- The [Clinton] White House ordered the quick evacuation of 20,000 Kosovar refugees that the United States pledged to take, shortcutting normal procedures and background checks. ... In the burgeoning refugee 'village' at Fort Dix, N.J. -- where as many as 3,000 of the 20,000 ethnic Albanians the United States will take in are being housed pending settlement -- there are many such tales, heartrending but unverifiable, to be sure." This is about separating from families and all of that. So this just confirms the early story that we had that Islamic refugees, Kosovar refugees were brought in by the Clinton administration and settled at Fort Dix. "Meanwhile, officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Public Health Service and U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service were busy conducting the medical screenings and criminal-background checks normally completed before a refugee can set foot on U.S. soil -- but which were deferred in this case because of what some government officials saw as emergency circumstances. The change in procedures was called 'completely atypical' by a government official and 'highly unusual' by the head of a major relief organization."
On the same day that the nation is shaken by a plot by illegal alien Muslim extremists to slaughter scores of U.S. soldiers and civilians at Fort Dix, New Jersey, open borders and illegal alien advocates and profiteers are planning a campaign to gain Amnesty for up to 20 million cheap and docile third-world workers living as an underclass among us. Have we learned nothing from the 9/11 Commission recommendations to protect our borders and track down the whereabouts of illegal aliens?
America’s borders are open and unprotected and for a good reason: MONEY. Criminal drug cartels with an influence and corruption footprint from Washington DC’s Capitol Hill to the Federal District of Mexico City earn a whopping $140 billion annually; while arms and human traffickers pry a more modest $10 to $15 billion trade. Income from criminal activity vastly overshadows Mexico’s biggest source of foreign revenues, oil, which brings in a paltry $11 billion.
Exerting a ponderous heavy hand, magnitudes greater, is global capital. Serious global capital has for centuries moved money and influence anywhere in the world with equal ease and never short of assists from accommodating politicians. In times past, production of goods and services and their consumption was both local. In the recent past, capital was blessed by dropping prices on transportation and telecommunications making the outsourcing of production to cheap labor markets practical and vastly profitable. In our own time we have seen massive numbers of illegal aliens (America’s guest worker program) streaming through the nation’s purposely left open borders. Global capital and domestic profiteers in America’s service sector hungered for these cheap hands and our elected representatives delivered dutifully. This was the last frontier for one-world global capital; to fill service jobs that are impossible to outsource and to drive down the wages of the remaining manufacturing jobs. We have robust employment figures in America, only that jobs in many cases pay less than we were taking home because we have so many people illegally in our country willing to do it for less, much less. Many labor unions are still on denial while millions of illegal aliens are working their way up the career ladder from under the table day laborers to underpaid or tax-cheating factory or construction worker.
There are millions of illegal aliens that cannot make ends meet and joining them are Black Americans and first generation legal immigrants whose jobs have vanished or whose wages have sunk below a living wage. The remedy for less than living wages is for example tax-paid social services, free education enriched with free breakfasts, lunch and remedial assistance for a massive number of non-English speaking students, free medical services from our Emergency hospitals (which by law cannot deny treatment of broken nails to maternity or brain surgery to illegal aliens.
School Districts, School Administrators and teachers unions have been particularly visible in their support of the non-enforcement of immigration laws and the support of open borders political elected representatives, Why? The federal and state government pays the school districts, colleges and universities on the number of occupied seats. It does not matter if the derriere is a legal or an illegal one. Education in America has a “don’t ask – don’t tell” policy on the tax paid education of illegal aliens. They grow and prosper by these shenanigans.
Churches do well from illegal aliens. The Catholic Church general budget is getting a pounding from defending against or paying out claims for raping little boys. On the other hand, Catholic Charities, led by Roger Mahoney, made famous for running interference on law enforcement investigating Mahoney’s pedophile protégés, gets 60% of its revenue from tax-payer funded grants to help the indigent, as in illegal aliens.
Another group moved by purely humanitarian concern and driven to their signature "no legal loophole untried" activism over the plight of illegal aliens is the immigration law attorneys. They rack in quite a good living one nickel and dime at a time from struggling illegal aliens and greater rewards from big time drug dealers facing deportation.
Sadly, we cannot expect our elected officials to devoutly ensure our security and protect the American worker from losing their job or seeing the wages erode to the level of third world workers. One case in point, for example, is Senator Dianne Feinstein, from my home state of California. We are about 37 million people in my state but our collective shouting about the millions of illegal aliens that have trespassed our country and state since we elected her carry much less weight than a handful of well heeled agricultural interests who are addicted to cheap illegal alien labor. When powerful agricultural interests whisper, she jumps on it. Feinstein like so many of our elected representatives is not above corruption, real or alleged. Self-proclaimed corruption watchdogs like Congressman Henry Waxman find it beneath themself to find fault with the fact that Senator Feinstein may have channeled over a billion dollars of military contracts to her husband. For more information about possible time in the slammer for Feinstein go to this link: http://thehill.com/david-keene/feinsteins-cardinal-shenanigans-2007-04-30.html.
There are many who profit from illegal immigration and there are few in the House, Senate and the current occupant of the Whitehouse who are willing to forgo the inducements to the contrary and abide by their oath of office including the securing of our borders and the enforcement of the immigration laws that are in the books right now. One notable exception is Colorado’s Congressman Tom Tancredo who is making a run for the Presidency. For information on Congressman Tancredo go to this link: http://www.teamtancredo.com/
A coalition of open borders, illegal aliens and illegal alien employers have hit upon a great public relations scheme to get America to sign on to Amnesty for up to 20 million illegal aliens. It is called the Sanctuary movement.
The plan envisions hammering the American public with emotional scenes of illegal aliens with anchor babies (the automatic citizen babies of illegal alien parents) who have been given a deportation order.
Various churches have signed up to this project and are willing to host the illegal aliens and force the federal government to come fetch the illegal aliens in front of empathetic cameras.
The organizers of the Sanctuary Movement want to give the impression that the enforcement of immigration law “separates” families which is the absolute weakest point of their scheme.
Here are the facts. Immigrants, most of them illegal aliens, send home to their countries of origin $60 billion dollars annually and of that $23 billion goes back to Mexico. Foreign remittances show that an overwhelming number among the 20 or so million of illegal aliens are leaving family behind in their home countries. Those numbers far surpass the number of anchor babies that the Sanctuary Movement wants to exploit as an emotional backdrop for the demand for Amnesty, their ultimate goal.
Deportation does not mean that illegal aliens have to leave their children behind in America. Aliens are like any other parents. They have legal custody of their children and they can and should take them with them wherever they go. Some parents make very bad choices like leading a life of crime. Convicted criminals serve time in jail and during that time they are not able to see their families. No one would suggest a two track system of justice for the same crime. One for those who have no family and one for those who have a family. If a parent is a criminal committing a third offense in California that parent will never see his or her family again. Deported aliens are fortunate in that they are allowed to return to their home countries and to take their families with them.
The Amnesty Movement is bogus and their sympathies are misplaced
Legal immigrants do not need amnesty or sanctuary because they are complying with the law. Only illegal aliens need “forgiveness” for crimes committed. The sanctuary movement cannot claim to be for immigrants; it is only for those avoiding legal responsibility for breaking the law.
8 U.S.C. 1324(a)of the Federal Code of Regulations makes it a FELONY to aid and abet illegal aliens. Violating our borders, committing identity and tax fraud and not complying with a “deportation order” are all FELONIES. The groups and churches that assist these Federal Law criminals are themselves violating Federal Law.
Churches and other groups that are TAX EXEMPT are PROHIBITED from getting involved in politics and are prohibited from getting involved in criminal activities (aiding and abetting is a Felony). These political and criminal activities invalidate the churches’ TAX EXEMPT status and they leave themselves vulnerable to pay huge amount of tax on the properties that they own (and pay not property taxes on) and on paying taxes on all contributions that they receive.
No church or private organization has the right to meddle in the immigration policy of the United States. The law and the policy are determined by our elected officials. Just because the churches DON’T LIKE the law, it does not mean that they have a SPECIAL PRIVILEGE to violate the law.
Historically churches have offered sanctuary to those who CAME TO THEM SEEKING SANCTUARY. In this Sanctuary Movement POLITICAL ORGANIZATIONS are going to the LAW BREAKERS with an OUT REACH PORGRAM and through the media like radio and newspaper ENCOURANGING LAW BREAKERS TO SEEK SANCTUARY that those organizations have secured for them. This is not a companionate Sanctuary Movement this is an OUTREACH ACTIVIST Sanctuary movement in violation of the law.
When churches get involved in “sanctuary movements” they are defying the law and the DEMOCRATIC RIGHT of citizens to be represented by elected representatives. How do you spell arrogance?
What can we do if we do not agree with the goals and methods of the Sanctuary Movement?
“All cases decided under 1324(a) involve defendants who simply kept silent about
the aliens' presence, rather than individuals who have reported the aliens' presence
to the INS but who have continued to shelter them. Accordingly, a congregation
that houses undocumented migrants will likely not be prosecuted unless they
are attempting to conceal such alien from Immigration and Custom Enforcement
detection...”
Taking a page from the Sanctuary Movement’s own legal advice to their followers - since the churches will want to avoid being on record as concealing illegal aliens, let’s ask the churches for information on the illegal aliens that they are providing assistance to and turn that information over Homeland Security.
Join America’s biggest neighborhood watch and patriotic grassroots organization, the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. The link is found here: www.minutemanhq.com
Other valuable information can be secured from these websites:
Tony Dolz is a National Security Analyst with the California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR) and author of papers and articles on border security and immigration reform. Mr. Dolz and his wife, a business woman, reside in Santa Monica with their 6 year old son and 2 year old daughter. Tony Dolz is a founding member of the Minutemen border security and immigration reform grass-roots organization ("America's Biggest Neighborhood Watch") and the State of California Legislative Liaison for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps (MCDC). Mr. Dolz is a candidate for the 30th Congressional District in the November 2008 presidential election, a position currently held by Congressman Henry Waxman. The 30th Congressional District covers the West Los Angeles coastal area from Santa Monica to Oxnard and from the Pacific Ocean to Beverly Hills, West Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley up to the southern edge of Ventura County. More information on Mr. Dolz can be found at website www.dolz.com or by writing to his email address tony@dolz.com
This is a very articulate perspective on what happened at MacArthur Park and also what happened AFTER which is probably more historically relevant.
Heads Roll in Los Angeles The first scapegoats in the May Day melee walk the plank.
By Jack Dunphy
On Friday, word circulated through the Los Angeles Police Department that a protest rally was being planned for the following day in MacArthur Park, the scene of last Tuesday’s May Day melee. A colleague asked me if I would be interested in adjusting my schedule and working crowd control at the rally. I declined.
The rally turned out to be a spectacular dud, as it happened, attracting far more cops and reporters than protesters, but staying clear of it was nonetheless the wiser course. In fact, for however many days, months, or years I have left in my police career, I plan on staying as far away as possible from MacArthur Park. There was no violence there on Saturday, but it’s a dead certainty that there will one day be another confrontation between cops and immigration protesters like the one that occurred on May Day, and when that day comes some unfortunate cop will have to have his head lopped off before the LAPD brass will allow us to even raise our voices about it.
On Monday, LAPD Chief William Bratton defied my prediction that only front-line officers would be disciplined for their roles in what happened at the park on May Day. Appearing at a press conference with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Bratton announced that the senior officer who oversaw police response to the protests was being demoted and removed from his command. Deputy Chief Cayler “Lee” Carter, a 33-year veteran of the department, has been chosen to wear the goat horns. He will be reduced in rank to commander and “assigned to home duties,” which is to say his career is over. Carter’s second-in-command, Commander Louis Gray, a 39-year veteran, has been reassigned to duties yet to be specified, but his career is essentially over as well. Call him the Assistant Goat.
Neither Carter nor Gray are particularly admired at my level of the department, but to a man the cops I’ve spoken with are in sympathy with them. As was demonstrated in the opening hours of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and in the violence that followed the Lakers’ NBA championship in 2000, LAPD commanders are a timid lot, tending toward indecision when the need for action is evident to all but them. So it came as a welcome surprise when, after repeated provocations by an unruly crowd, Carter gave the order to shut down what was left of the May Day rally at MacArthur Park.
A relatively small number of protesters, some with their faces concealed by bandanas, pelted officers with frozen water bottles and soda cans, bottles filled with urine, rocks, sticks, and any number of other projectiles that could be heaved toward the police lines. There were even instances of protesters using slingshots to shoot heavy metal bolts at officers. Through it all, the hundreds of cops gathered near Alvarado and Seventh Streets, at the southeast corner of the park, stood their ground and showed uncommon restraint even as the debris was coming down around them and indeed striking and injuring some. What, these cops were asking, is it going to take before we do something about this?
Contrary to some of the more hysterical claims, dispersal orders were broadcast from a circling helicopter, from police cars, and from hand-held bullhorns. The warnings from the helicopter can be clearly heard in an amateur video shot inside the park as the police moved in. “The helicopter has asked everybody to leave the park,” a man says to the camera, and indeed most people, including a number of reporters and cameramen, chose to do just that. On the same video, which runs for 27 minutes, you can see just how long it took the line of officers to traverse the length of the park after the warnings were broadcast. You can also see officers, some speaking in Spanish, very calmly directing people to safety. Yes, some people who chose to stay were shoved around, some were shot with rubber bullets, and some were struck with batons, but none of them can claim they hadn’t been warned. And, lest we forget, there were more police officers injured that day than protesters and reporters combined.
All that’s followed has been nothing but public theater of the most sordid kind. Those injured officers were not even mentioned at Monday’s press conference, at least not in those portions that were aired on the channel I watched. Mayor Villaraigosa praised Bratton for his “decisive action” in the public humiliation of Carter and Gray, and he bristled at the suggestion that Bratton may have acted to sacrifice the two senior commanders so as to preserve his own career. “This chief is doing his job,” Villaraigosa said. “He was hired, and he’ll be reappointed based on how well he does that job. And I can tell you he has my support . . .” In other words: “Bratton is doing exactly what I tell him to do, and if he wants to keep his job he’ll continue to do so.”
The city’s civilian police commission, whose members are appointed by the mayor, was set to vote this week on retaining Bratton for a second five-year term as chief. Until the May Day incident, Bratton was a shoo-in for reappointment, but the commission will now table the matter as the various fingers are moistened and held up in the political winds. Bratton won’t lose his job over this, but under the circumstances the commission has to give the appearance of being deliberative.
And now a question occurs: What will happen next time? Villaraigosa has made no secret of his sympathy and even his support for illegal aliens demanding amnesty, and Bratton has been little more than the mayor’s sock puppet on this issue. In the sacking of Deputy Chief Carter and Commander Gray they have sent a very clear message to the rest of the LAPD: Woe be unto anyone who lays a hand on our people, no matter how many bottles they’re throwing at you. The next confrontation may come next May Day, it may come sooner, but you can bet no career-minded senior cop is going to risk the stars on his collar by being aggressive when things get out of hand. Better to let them burn it all down than take the blame if one of them gets hurt.
Readers around the country may shake their heads in wonder at the craziness found here in Los Angeles, but remember: This circus is coming soon to a park near you. I hope you’re ready.
This comes to us by way of Bill Cameron from The Chapel Hill Blog via a comment posted by Stacy Malegni. We appreciate her sharing her tragic story and hope many people share in her sorrow and understand the damage being done EVERY DAY to this country.
We need to keep telling these sad stories over and over until somehow our politicians understand the cost of illegal immigration to Americans. We have lost more people to illegal aliens IN OUR OWN country than soldiers who have died in Iraq since 9/11. Why does the media ignore this? The elites running our country live their lives isolated from regular Americans and are oblivious to our suffering.
Many pro-illegal alien supporters argue that the fact that this 19 year old man was an illegal alien is irrelevant to the tragic accident. I say to them - it is VERY relevant because, as the Freedom Folks say every week, if this dirtbag had not been here, this family would still be around. It's 100% PREVENTABLE.
May You Walk In My Shoes, if Only for a Few Moments... In the Hopes that it Will Stick with You, for Years to Come
It has been one year, eight months, and fourteen days, since my heart has been broken. It is not a crack, but a hole so deep and so wide that I feel my soul wavering on the edge. No one else knows, but this is how I feel on the inside. The crying is done for a while, now it’s endless thoughts that will come forward and invade my wounded mind. If I were turned inside out, everyone would be able to see exactly how ugly death has made me. When will this misery I feel end? I fear never.
I recall the day Dominic entered my life. Every woman’s dream...a son to hold, nurture and protect. (Little did I know the protection part would be out of my control). He would of course grow into an extraordinary boy. The love within him was unlike anyone I have ever known, he did so with out for thought; so gentle, real and true. I felt it, and endeared him each valuable day we were given.
My thoughts are often of my family on that fateful day. My mother in law, Ann, is driving, and her precious cargo is in the rear. She is unaware of the careless driver following from behind. He is still absorbed with alcohol from his sleepless night before and talking to his friend beside him. His drunken eyes struggling to see the road in front, as he tries to make the turn to the left. Try as he might, he can not do it. Maintaining control of the car isn’t with in him.
The front tires are split while pieces of cement are thrown, as the car first impacts the median. He is now air born, and then sent into the side of Ann along with her precious cargo. The driver is three times over the legal limit for the consumption of alcohol. Perhaps you might wonder how he even made it into the car that day, or why his friend trusted him to do so.
I picture my son's blood, and broken bones, and his beautiful face left perfectly in tact. I feel, perhaps it was my chance to see his angelic face one last time before I said goodbye. At least I was given that. He is still trapped in his car seat. The very seat that held him safely, now defenseless against this dreadful car. His spider man shoes he loved so much are still on his feet, and is still clutching a store bag and toys. I want desperately to take his hand and tell him how much I love him, as his still, little body sits there.
But, it is another who runs to him and puts her kind hand on his forehead. Sadly, there is nothing she can do. The stranger kneels down and cries, because she’s realized the boy she wanted desperately to help is gone.
Perhaps there is hope. Maybe God took him, before the back of his head was laid open, with the weapon of the vehicles deadly side view mirror. I am forever tortured with the thoughts of Dominic’s lifeless body as he lies on the cold steel table. The white towel, soaked in his blood, covering the deadly wounds around the back of his sweet head.
With this, it is apparent why it was just our daughter, the policeman walked to our door that day. There will be no more Birthdays for him; he had just turned 5 and is now forever frozen in time.
As for my Mother in law, the crash was so violent, that her seat belt has cut into her delicate body. It will take three weeks and 5 surgeries, but to no avail. We are soon forced to turn off life support and watch in agony, as her misery finally comes to an end.
This story could have easily have been yours or someone close to you. But, luckily for you, it was not.
There is not a day that goes by that I don’t picture the violence of this accident. In fact, I suppose I torture myself, playing it over and over, again and again in my mind. I often wonder why I do this to myself. Do I think it will suddenly turn out differently? Is it because I was not there to bear witness? I must not have thought the worst could possibly happen to me, to us, and to our family. Because, no one ever does.
It is so easy, as I sit strapped in my own seat, day after day, to put myself in their position on that terrible afternoon. I ask you to do the same when you sit inside the safety of your own car.
It is easy, if you try, to see them; as they were, what became of them, and how it has affected my family’s life. A husband living each painful day without his only son, a daughter playing without her brother. And I looking on, at this family, in the face of tragedy. A family that has been, and forever will be changed.
I’d like for you to know, it is for my beautiful son that I am no longer afraid of dying, as often many people are. I secretly long for that day to come in order to see his beautiful face once more. For there is not one day that goes by, that I don’t fight the tears and the deafening agony of my heart, overflowing into my head.
I try extremely hard not to let it consume me, as it is a constant struggle for me to feel any happiness at all. What’s worse, is that this is how I am to live the rest of my life....without him...a life without my son.
Dominic Malegni died on a busy Atlanta road, at 2 O’clock in the afternoon on Sunday, November 7th, 2004. He was hit by a young man of just 19, Alejandro Moreno, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, ironically with the intentions of having a better life. He is now serving out his 20 year sentence in a federal penitentiary.
Not only is Alejandro in jail because of poor judgment and failed guidance . . . my son and mother in law died a horrible death that certainly could have been prevented.
Before you turn away from this story, think about being an ambassador for this innocent child. Tell others of him. Take with you his story into your heart and think of others by choosing not to drink and drive. Or, by convincing someone else to do the same.
I am putting the memory of my son, Dominic, in your hands. It is my hope, that with you, his name will continue to live on and perhaps even save a life.
Posted on ImmigrationWatchdog by MinuteWoman - I thought this was worthy of sharing:
Since May 5 in Baldwin Park, where we saw so much “Aztlan” stuff, plus the ubiquitous “chicken dancers,” I’ve been thinking about how the Aztec identification seems to be informing and directing the Mexica movement. I have been reading more about the Aztecs–know your enemy.
The Aztecs, according to a world history book published by Prentice-Hall and used in the Calif. school system, says the Aztecs were a small group in what is now N. Mexico (not what is now the U.S.) who felt led by their nature gods to go to the present site of what is now Mexico City (Tenochtitlan), which was already occupied by other indigenous groups. The Aztecs were not liked but were very violent and war-like, and so were used as mercenaries, and paid tribute and service to their host groups. But they insinuated themselves into the society gradually, and with much intermarriage with the powerful hosts, they got enough power and turned against the people who had taken them in, and set up a violent and tyrannical tribute-paying empire. That was about 100 years before the arrival of Cortez. The Aztecs burned all books written by their new victims (yes, there apparently had been some form of writing) and expunged their histories completely, then re-structured every single societal structure to support Aztec preeminence. Then they went about trying to conquer every other indigenous group in Central America, which they very nearly did. After a conquest, they would leave the local leaders in power, imposing their rule indirectly, and enslaving their people through impossibly heavy tributes of goods and labor. Worst of all, although human sacrifice and cannibalism was done by many Central American tribes, the Aztecs took it to incredible extremes, sacrificing many thousands of captives a year and eating their flesh. The level of fear and lothing felt by all who came into contact with the Aztecs must have been huge, because those neighboring tribes were instrumental in allowing Cortez, with an army of only 600 men, half of whom were sick from jungle diseases, to conquer the Aztecs easily. Aztec society was a theocratic, militaristic society that worshipped blood, death and war, and had only two classes: the very rich and everybody else, and the social structure was very class-conscious.
Does anybody see any similarities in the way the Aztecs originally defeated their host-victims like internal parasites with subterfuge and phoney servitude, and the way they are trying to defeat us now? Does anybody see any similarities in the values of violence, death, blood, revenge, and class-consciousness of the early Aztecs and those who now claim to be their descendants, and who are now deliberately teaching Aztec values to their children? Has anyone noticed their abandonment of Christianity in favor of nature-worship? Taken further, what would they impose upon any group, or country that they conquered? Would Americans become a tribute-paying host to these parasites, who would then sacrifice them to the pagan Aztec gods? Oh, wait a minute; that’s already happening!
As always, Lou hits the nail on the head. His commentary could not have come at a better time since Cardinal Mahoney (or is it Mahony?) was in Philadelphia last night for... not a debate between religious leaders but a debate on a very charged political issue - illegal immigration. What business does Cardinal Mahoney have being involved with political issues at all? I say stick to religion Cardinal and stay the hell out of politics. The tax shelter status of YOUR church should be revoked Cardinal because YOU have crossed the line that is clearly defined in the terms of your tax exempt status as a 501(c). It's time for the IRS to crack down on the blatant abuse of organizations that hide behind tax exempt status while they proselytize to their followers in very political terms. Enough is enough!
Editor's Note: Lou Dobbs' commentary appears weekly on CNN.com.
NEW YORK (CNN) -- The separation of church and state in this country is narrowing. And it is the church, not the state that is encroaching. Our Constitution protects religion from the intrusion or coercion of the state. But we have precious little protection against the political adventurism of all manner of churches and religious organizations.
The leadership of the Catholic Church and many Protestant churches, as well as Jewish and even Muslim religious organizations, are driving that political adventurism as those leaders conflate religion and politics. And while there is a narrowing of the separation between church and state, there is a widening schism between the leadership of churches and religious organizations and their followers and members.
Conservative evangelical leader James Dobson recently said actor and former Sen. Fred Thompson wasn't Christian enough to be president. He instead chose to commend Newt Gingrich, who has been married three times and recently admitted to an extramarital affair. Five evangelical Christian leaders signed the "Land Letter" to President Bush in 2002 affirming a Christian theological basis to invade Iraq.
This week the head of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, basically threatened his faithful with denial of heaven if they don't support amnesty for illegal aliens. The good Cardinal said: "Anything that tears down one group of people or one person, anything that is a negative in our community, disqualifies us from being part of the eternal city."
The nation's religious leaders seem hell-bent on ignoring the separation of church and state when it comes to the politically charged issue of illegal immigration. A new coalition called Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform Wednesday will begin lobbying lawmakers with a new advertising and direct mail campaign on behalf of amnesty for illegal aliens.
The Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners Magazine put it this way: "If given the choice on this issue between Jesus and Lou Dobbs, I choose my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ."
But before the faithful acquiesce in the false choice offered by the good Reverend, perhaps he and his followers should consult Romans 13, where it is written: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves."
There is a more obvious and immediate judgment offered by the followers and members of both the Protestant and Catholic Churches. A Zogby poll last year asked churchgoers if they supported the House bill that would make illegal aliens return home and reduce future illegal immigration by securing the border and performing checks on illegal employers. Seventy-five percent of Protestants responded that was a good or very good idea, 77 percent of born-again Christians also agreed, and 66 percent of Catholics also backed tougher enforcement measures.
This schism between our church leaders and church members is just as broad and deep as that between our elected officials and their constituents across the country. Neither the state nor the church is exhibiting wisdom or fidelity to our national values in permitting the widening of that divide.
Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), left, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. are part of a Senate coalition working on immigration laws.
Photo by AP
The senators in this room usually have little use for one another.
But day after day, in some corner of Capitol Hill, the Senate's most conservative and liberal members sit around wooden tables or among fireside couches and grope for a consensus on overhauling the nation's immigration laws.
There are enforcement-first senators from border states, a famously liberal senator, a Hispanic senator from Colorado who calms illegal immigrants at Sunday Mass and a middle-of-the road Republican who tries to keep them all talking. At times, their only common denominator is the deadline next Monday to start debate on an immigration bill.
"It is a head-scratcher of a group," said Angela Kelley, deputy director of the National Immigration Forum, an umbrella organization of pro-immigrant groups. "Last year, there was this little core group of reformers and they met every morning at 8 a.m. It made total sense."
But this year, the unusual cross-section of players and the secretive nature of the process have left activists and other senators wondering what exactly is being agreed upon and whether one side will ultimately yield too much ground to the other.
Bills aren't typically written this way. [no they are not!] Not with senators and Cabinet secretaries personally negotiating for weeks on end. Not with the finished product slated to move straight from the bargaining table to the Senate floor, bypassing committee review, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is expected to do.
A sense of mutual political necessity is keeping everybody at the table -- for now.
President Bush needs a domestic policy achievement, and Republicans and Democrats in Congress must show that they can solve problems.
"This process is either going to work or we won't have a bill," said Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.).
[Get the phones and faxes ringing off the hook folks so we can defeat this!!]
A dynamic as intricate as the issue itself has formed inside the negotiating room.
The skeptics are border-state Republican Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, who faces reelection next year. They emerged as lead opponents of the bill that passed the Senate last year, arguing that it lacked a workable enforcement system that would stop the flow of illegal immigrants. This time around, they are key players trying to act as counterweights to the Democrats but not yet convinced they will sign onto a compromise.
"There are a number of folks in our caucus and from the House side that are worried that we will repeat the mistakes we made in the past," Cornyn said. "That is one of the reasons why we have been meeting. Sen. Kennedy recognizes that unless people like Sen. Kyl and I are involved, he is never going to get a critical mass of Republicans." [Looks like we need to get the calls going to Kyl and Cornyn from now till we defeat the bill ]
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) is the pro-immigrant point man who co-authored the bill derided last year by Kyl, Cornyn and others as essentially an amnesty grant for 12 million undocumented workers. Whenever Congress wades into immigration, Kennedy said, he "rereads my brother's book for inspiration," referring to the late President John F. Kennedy's "A Nation of Immigrants."
"We face a critical choice -- between a future as a nation of immigrants or a future measured by higher walls and longer fences," Kennedy said last week. "We need to do all we can to create strong bipartisan support for this approach." [ cough.. you forgot to mention the LEGAL word here Kennedy ]
The bridge between the two sides is Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter [grrrrr.. what a RINO! ], one of the Senate's most liberal Republicans and the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, who shepherded the bill last year as chairman. With Kennedy's blessing, Reid has asked Specter to act as the de facto chairman.
"I have tried to move the process along," Specter said. Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) isn't participating in the negotiations, "so in a sense, the gavel has fallen to me."
[Specter will be in Wayne, PA on May 18th and we plan to protest the crap out of this event ]
The supporting cast is rounded out by senators like Martinez, [La Raza traitor! ] the Republican National Committee chairman who has the ear of the president; Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), [Mr "shut the bigots up" ] a proxy of sorts for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), an architect of last year's bill who has been consumed by his presidential bid; and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), who proposed a two-step approach that requires border-security provisions be in place before anything else can happen. Republicans like the idea, and the bipartisan group tentatively agreed to put it in the bill.
Then there's Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), a Hispanic whose family founded Santa Fe, N.M., in 1598. He said that he wants to be involved in major policy discussions and that immigration affects Colorado "in a major way." He hears from farmers and ranchers and the corporate business community, but also from undocumented workers.
"They come to me at church and they tug at my sleeve and wonder whether we are going to be able to help them out," Salazar said. "Some of them live in constant fear. Families and fathers and mothers wonder whether they will be around the next day." [ where or where is my violin??? ]
He said the perspective gives him a deeper understanding of any bill's impact, "probably more so because of the place I come from, the people I know." [ so you hang out with illegal aliens? Good to know ]
The mix of negotiators with opposite views has bred skepticism -- and squabbles. They differ over the grounds for citizenship for the 12 million undocumented workers, the terms of a guest-worker program and the merits of "chain migration," which allows legal residents to sponsor relatives to come to the country. [ chain migration = suicide for the US ]
It got so tense two weeks ago that a meeting among staff members ended with a Republican walkout. The senators decided they needed to be in the room from that point forward, and they returned a few days later to negotiate.
Electoral politics, however unspoken inside the negotiating room, also weigh heavily. Neither side wants to be tagged as granting amnesty to the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. [ that's right because you will put a big political bull's eye on you if you do! ] But at the same time, Democrats are reluctant to alienate Hispanics, a reliable constituency [who are mostly illegal??? ], and some Republicans believe the party's treatment of immigration reform could broaden its appeal to minorities. [ how about taking care of CITIZEN minorities ??? ]
If talks break down, Reid will bring up an immigration bill of some kind by Memorial Day, just not the compromise that Republicans and Democrats had hoped for. Fifteen GOP senators signed a letter to Reid, urging him to allow a week to review a bill before voting, but that request went unanswered.
So for the next week, at least, Specter will try to keep the immigration group talking. [and we need to be calling his office every day!]
At meeting time, senators and their aides file into a conference room at the Capitol or a Senate office building, grim-faced and toting dog-eared law books and accordion folders.
They move through subject areas one by one. No votes are taken, just frequent temperature-taking to figure out whether they have consensus.
"You sort of sense it," Specter said. "When I sense we pretty much have an agreement, I say, 'Let's move on.'"
NO AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS EVER - DO YOU HEAR US????
Report from Debate involving Cardinal Mahony in Philadelphia
One of our patriots, Marge, was able to get into the debate held at the Constitution Center May 8th at this event
During the question and answer period at the above forum, the moderator asked Cardinal Mahony a question submitted by a member of the audience.
The question: Since the 7th Commandment says "Thou Shalt Not Steal", doesn't smuggling, identity theft, breaking and entering and fraud come under this commandment. Doesn't this apply to illegal aliens?
The moderator then gave Cardinal Mahony a chance to think about his answer. He smiled and answered, "No", to some laughter from the 99% pro-illegal alien audience. Cardinal Mahony said that the commandments are about "Thou Shalt Not" and went on to explain his approach.
Edwin Meese was great! I went up after the forum and congratulated him and said I was probably the only one in the audience that agreed with him. I gave him one of our flyers and our C4ICE card.
I also went over to Cardinal Mahony and handed him our flyer and card and told him I was his opposition and that he answered the 7th Commandment question very badly.
On my way out, I told some of the nuns and priests that they didn't have to worry about the 7th Commandment any more. It was no longer relevant.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Gov. Brad Henry signed a sweeping immigration reform bill Tuesday, describing it as a stopgap measure to deal with an illegal immigration problem that is actually the responsibility of the federal government.
The legislation, described as the nation's most meaningful attempt to deny jobs and public benefits to illegal immigrants, passed the House and Senate by overwhelming margins and was one of the key issues in last fall's round of state legislative and congressional elections.
"Illegal immigration is a very serious national security issue that must be addressed at the federal level," Henry said. "States can take some actions on their own, but until the U.S. Congress enacts a comprehensive, national immigration policy, citizens will see little progress on this issue."
State lawmakers praised Henry's action. Supporters had urged Henry to sign the measure into law since it received final passage in a bipartisan 84-14 vote by the state House last week. The bill was approved 41-6 by the Senate last month.
"This important new immigration reform ensures we're upholding the rule of law in Oklahoma. Our citizens deserve nothing less," said House Speaker Lance Cargill, R-Harrah.
The measure's author, Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore, credited public outcry at the federal government's inability to address illegal immigration for his measure's success.
"I'm glad the governor received the message," Terrill said. "It puts Oklahoma effectively at the forefront in the state-level immigration reform movement."
More than 100,000 illegal immigrants are estimated to live in Oklahoma. The Federation of American Immigration Reform has said they cost state taxpayers up to $200 million a year in public benefits, law enforcement costs and other resources.
"There are many Oklahomans who work hard and play by the rules every day, but they still struggle to make ends meet. Those are the people we should be looking out for," Cargill said.
Immigrant groups said the measure is was a vain attempt to stop illegal immigration and urged Henry to veto it.
Ray Madrid, state director of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said the legislation may burden Latinos with new discriminatory barriers in housing and jobs.
"It's going to take us back," Madrid said. "I'm sure there's going to be neighbors turning neighbors in."
LULAC and other agencies that serve Latino communities are considering challenging the new law's constitutionality because immigration policy is the responsibility of the federal government, not the state, Madrid said.
Pat Fennell, executive director of the Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma City, said Henry was forced to sign the bill because the overwhelming support it received in the Legislature made an override likely.
"This is a bad bill. But we live in a political world," Fennell said. "This bill is not going to solve one thing on immigration."
The legislation builds on measures passed by other states but focuses on deterring unauthorized employment. Among other things, it contains employment, labor law and civil rights provisions to protect citizens and legal immigrants who lose their jobs at companies that employ illegal immigrants to perform the same or similar work.
The measure targets employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens in order to gain a competitive advantage. Key elements of the bill focus on determining worker eligibility, including technology called the Basic Pilot program, which screens Social Security numbers to make sure they are real and that they match up with the job applicant's name.
Created by the federal government to verify the eligibility of government employees, use of the program is mandated in Georgia, authorities said. It is free to employers who voluntarily sign up.
Public agencies will be required to use the program beginning Nov. 1 and private companies by July 1, 2008.
The measure would also limit state driver's licenses and identity cards to citizens and legal immigrants and would require state and local agencies to verify the citizenship and immigration status of applicants for state or local benefits.
It also retains an in-state tuition program for children of illegal immigrants attending state colleges and universities. The measure now allows students to continue paying in-state tuition but new applicants must apply for citizenship within one year.
The measure would not affect emergency medical and humanitarian services, such as visits to hospital emergency rooms and enrollment in public schools, that are required by federal law.
Henry urged lawmakers to closely monitor the impact of the bill to make sure it does not have unintended consequences.
"While some will undoubtedly claim this state legislation is a landmark step forward, the truth of the matter is we will not effectively address immigration reform until the federal government acts," Henry said.
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Also see this link for TV coverage from Oklahoma featuring Dan Howard from OutragedPatriots.com
BREAKING NEWS !!!!!!!!! OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR BRAD HENRY SIGNS HOUSE BILL 1804 INTO LAW MOMENTS AGO !!!! OKLAHOMA PASSES THE TOUGHEST ANTI-ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION IN THE UNITES STATES !!!!!!!
This is absolutely sickening to see that our vets in the Philadelphia area have had their Federal money cut back. Meanwhile we are allowing millions of Federal dollars to be sent to Mexico through remittances to illegal aliens. We are allowing millions of Federal dollars going to illegal aliens in the form of FREE EDUCATION, SCHOOL LUNCHES, AND SOCIAL SERVICES for the children of illegal aliens - some of whom are US citizens due to the distortion of the 14th amendment and SOME of whom are illegal aliens who were dragged across the border by their irresponsible parents.
Please visit philavets.org to donate to American veterans who apparently are being ignored by our Federal government. Shame on them!
I'm sick of hearing about "needy immigrants" when we have our very own vets having to BEG for donations from citizens when they should be getting anything they need from our government!
What a bunch of horse shit. These people are aiding and abetting illegal aliens. This is ILLEGAL I don't care how much they pray and fast and act like nice people. They are encouraging the human tsunami to sweep over our nation and ruin it forever.
I'm sick of these people coming here illegally and then claiming special victim status. Guess what? Americans are the victims here and we demand our rights to be protected dammit!
Oh and guess who the biggest ally is? Cardinal Roger Mahony - Catholic traitor to America
http://www.newsanctuarymovement.org/movement.html
Here is the list of "allies" who support the invasion of illegal aliens:
California: Los Angeles Fr. Richard Estrada, estradacmf@aol.com Rev. Julie Wakelee-Lynch, juliewl@stlukeslb.org
San Diego Rabbi Laurie Coskey, lcoskey@onlinecpi.org
San Francisco Bay Area Rev. Phil Lawson, phillawson2@comcast.net Betty Canton-Self, icir2010@yahoo.com
San Jose* Rev. Carol Been, carolbeen@aol.com Rev. Reginald Swilley, swilley@swilleygraphics.org
Ventura Ms. Alice Linsmeier, clue@coastalalliance.com Rev. Lupita Alonso, alonsore@hotmail.com
Colorado Denver Mr. Julien Ross, julienross@yahoo.com
Illinois Chicago Mr. Jose Olivo, joliva@iwj.org Rev. Slim Coleman*, wrevcoleman@aol.com Ms. Martha Pierce, mpierce@sanctuary.org
Kansas / Missouri Kansas City Rev Rick Behrens, rudyflash@aol.com Ms. Angela Ferguson, angela@austinferguson.com
New York New York Ms. Belinda Passafaro, Bpassafaro@aol.com Mr. Angad Bhalla, Angad.bhalla@gmail.com
Oregon Portland Mr. Marco Mejia, mejiayep@yahoo.com Ms. Beth Poteet, wfpnw@witnessforpeace.org
Texas Houston Ms. Maria Jimenez, dignidad@hotmail.org
Washington Seattle Mr. Jorge Quiroga, jhquiroga@comcast.net
Washington DC Rev. Jarvis Johnson*, jjohnson@walmartwatch.org
Wisconsin Madison
Milwaukee Mr. Bill and Mrs. JoAnn Lange, wjlange@sbcglobal.net Mr. German Diaz, gealdice@hotmail.com
A group which is involved with this "New Sanctuary Movement" is Interfaith Worker's Justice
Here is a posting on their web site regarding ICE raids in North Carolina - GO ICE!
Join Interfaith Worker Justice To Protest Last Week's Sting Operation In Goldsboro, NC
Last week immigrant workers gathered to attend mandatory safety training they thought was being held by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). It turned out to be a sting operation by the Homeland Security's Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
After serving coffee and doughnuts, an official announced that he had bad news -- the immigration office had called the meeting, not OSHA, and immigration agents filled the room. [HA HA HA - good one! ]
Forty-eight workers, hired by subcontractors at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina, were arrested on charges that they were illegal immigrants. At least one person was later released upon proof of citizenship. [ ICE is enforcing IMMIGRATION LAW BOZO ]
OSHA had no knowledge of the Immigration Bureau's plans. It has protested the Bureau's misuse of its name and reputation.
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement claimed it was protecting us from terrorism and that "ruses" are part of its standard way of operating.
Interfaith Worker Justice is outraged! It has requested a meeting with ICE, is mobilizing its affiliate groups to contact local ICE officials and is organizing outreach to national media outlets.
At a time when workplace safety is a critical issue for millions of low-wage workers, this action:
Undermines OSHA's ability to do its job to protect workers
Undercuts religious and community efforts to encourage immigrant workers to file complaints about workplace problems with appropriate government agencies
Destroys partnerships between the Department of Labor and faith-based and community organizations around the country
Violates the spirit of the nation's labor laws, which protect the rights of all workers - regardless of immigration status-- by guaranteeing freedom of association, collective negotiation, fair wages for work performed, safe working conditions and adequate compensation
The brave folks at Save Our State descend into a Third World hell, on American soil!
A Colorado teen is confronted by her deported rapist, on American soil!
Can our government be trusted to implement the current amnesty? We take a look at how they're fulfilling their current obligations...
If you somehow missed it our May 1st coverage is here and here.
ALIPAC follows up on the Macarthur Park mini riot...here. (Full disclosure: I helped edit the video)
See all the SOS coverage of Baldwin Park...here. (Just keep scrolling, there's lots to see)
This has been the Blogs For Borders Video Blogburst. The Blogs For Borders Blogroll is dedicated to American sovereignty, border security and a sane immigration policy. If you'd like to join go to the Blogs For Borders Website and send us an email with "sign me up" in the subject line.
Protest Cardinal Mahoney from LA while he is in Philadelphia today (May 8th)
We learned of this event on Monday, May 7th from someone who saw it in a Spanish language newspaper. Apparently they don't want citizens and English speaking people to attend this event.
Cardinal Mahoney, the LA Cardinal that has betrayed the American people, gotten involved in our political system and ignored the separation of church and state by calling for amnesty for illegal aliens during church services, will be appearing in Philadelphia today.
From what I've been told reservations are already full for attending the event inside, but there will be a rally and protest outside the event, here is the information.
Location: Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, Kirby Auditorium
Address:
National Constitution Center Independence Mall 525 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA
The protest is set to assemble 6-6:30 outside the building. Bring signs stating your opposition to Cardinal Mahony, amnesty and illegal immigration.
The lead lecture will be delivered by Cardinal Roger Mahony, an outspoken advocate for what he calls “just immigration reform.” Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony was appointed the fourth Archbishop of Los Angeles by Pope John Paul II on July 16, 1985 and installed on September 5, 1985. Pope John Paul II created him a cardinal on June 28, 1991.
A Maryland-based immigrant-advocacy group is distributing guidebooks instructing those targeted by federal immigration agents during job-site raids not to cooperate with authorities if they are arrested or detained. The eight-page, two-color illustrated book lists what rights "people who are not United States citizens" have if detained by immigration agents, details what to do if served with a warrant or charged with a crime, and urges them to remain silent if they are arrested. The book also says they should refuse to provide authorities with any information about their immigration status. Included in the book is a "Know Your Rights " card to be cut out and presented to arresting agents, showing that those detained choose to exercise their "right to remain silent, the right to refuse to answer your questions" and to "refuse to sign anything until I consult with my attorney." The book, which features cartoon like drawings of armed black and white police officers escorting Hispanic men in handcuffs and shows babies crying because their fathers are behind bars, is the product of CASA of Maryland Inc., working with other organizations. Gustavo Torres, CASA's executive director, has not been available for comment. Locally, the organization has been involved in the establishment of day-laborer sites for illegal aliens, and helped mobilize more than 500,000 demonstrators at the Washington Monument last year for what it called a "historic immigrant rights march." Kim Propeack, the group's director of community organizing and political action, said CASA has "become aware that some segments of our community" are frightened about the prospect of immigration raids and may avoid interacting with government institutions even if they have nothing to do with immigration. "We consider providing people with accurate information about their rights fundamentally important to the people we serve, the local community concerned about public safety, and to the national community, which has adopted a bill of rights," she said. CASA, originally known as the Central American Solidarity and Assistance of Maryland, is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt , charitable organization established in 1985. According to its latest IRS public-disclosure report filed on April 24, 2006, it received $1.14 million in private donations and $1.64 million in government fees and contracts -- $2.78 million in revenue in the year ending June 30, 2005. Its government funds came from the cities of Baltimore and Takoma Park, Montgomery and Prince George's counties, the state of Maryland, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in an effort to gain operational control of the border, has targeted for arrest illegal aliens and the employers who hire them, describing the strategy as key in the fight against illegal immigration and protecting the homeland.
The agency removed nearly 200,000 illegals from the country in fiscal 2006, a 10 percent increase over fiscal 2005. There were more than seven times as many job-site enforcement cases last year than in 2002. Between 12 million and 20 million illegal aliens are thought to be in the United States. "No one is above the law, and we will continue to aggressively and professionally protect public safety and national security by enforcing the nation's immigration and customs laws," ICE spokesman Marc Raimonde said. Rep. Dana Rohrbacher of California, ranking Republican on the House investigations and oversight subcommittee, said distributing materials that teach illegal aliens "how to circumvent the law" suggests that CASA is "aiding and abetting criminal activity." Mr. Rohrbacher called the CASA book program "harmful to America." Demos Chrissos, who co-founded Citizens Above Party in Maryland to investigate suspected links between illegal immigration and widespread voter fraud, said the book's distribution warranted an investigation to determine whether taxpayer funds were being used to advance CASA's agenda. "Is CASA using the people's money to fund their own agenda and is that not worthy of an investigation?" Mr. Chrissos said. "I'd like to see how they justify putting out a publication on how to skirt U.S. immigration law." The CASA book advises those facing arrest not to lie to immigration agents, warns against using false documents and urges them not to carry papers from another country because they could be used in a deportation proceeding. The book says that during a job-site raid, immigration agents need to have a warrant signed by a judge and urges those at the site: "Stay calm. Do not run. This may be viewed as an admission that you have something to hide." It says immigration agents and police cannot make arrests unless they have a warrant or evidence of nonresidency, adding: "Do not tell immigration your immigration status or where you were born." If confronted with a search warrant, the book advises: "Do not open the door. Ask the officer to slip the warrant underneath the door" to avoid giving agents the impression that they have "consent" to enter. The book says those arrested should demand their right to a telephone call, contact their foreign consulate, and be aware that formal charges have to be brought within 48 hours or they have to be released. It also says government agents may try to "intimidate" those detained into signing documents and warns: "Don't let yourself be tricked. You may be signing away your right to a hearing before an immigration judge."
New Video from MacArthur Park Exonerates LAPD while Chief Bratton & Mayor Villaraigosa crucify officers!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 7, 2007
Contact: ALIPAC, www.alipac.us WilliamG@alipac.us
While Mayor Villaraigosa and LAPD Chief William Bratton work to ruin the careers of over 60 police officers before the official investigation truly begins, a new video has emerged that exonerates the overall actions of LAPD riot teams.
This video was shot by an illegal alien supporting blogger that refused to disperse from MacArthur Park on May 1. While his intentions were to support the illegal aliens, his video captures a wide range of hostile and anti-American sentiments present in MacArthur Park on May 1, 2007.
This video has been deconstructed, with commentary from ALIPAC, to illustrate several important points that speak to the need for riot team action in MacArthur Park.
This video shows illegal alien supporters that are clearly anarchists, communists, and gang members. After all, MacArthur park is notorious paramilitary gang territory and the birthplace of MS-13, which has led Mayor Villaraigosa to ask for Federal aid and a 'Marshall Plan" for LA.
The illegal alien supporters have failed to show America the footage of what was done to the officers. At least eight LAPD officers were injured by the assaulting crowd.
This video contains evidence of the following actions by illegal alien supporters in MacArthur Park.
-- Illegal alien supporters advancing on police lines. -- Playing native American war drum patterns. -- Refusing to disperse. -- Clearly understanding police directives to disperse. -- Holding weapons and challenging police. -- Shielding themselves with babies near advancing police lines. -- Displaying anti-American art comparing the US to sinking ships Titanic and Poseidon. -- Covering their faces like bandits and Zapatista rebels. -- Walking slowly with backs turned to the advancing police line to setup a victim scene. -- Lying about injuries to women and children -- Making comments about assaulting police -- Smiling about the mayhem. -- Displaying communist and anarchist flags. -- Blocking streets with trash cans -- Much more!
American media is encouraged to watch this video and tell America the truth! American citizens are encouraged to share this video and release with others and contact lawmakers to defend the brave actions of the LAPD.
Please comment on this video after watching it at..
Apparently SPLC thinks two white haired ladies in PA C4ICE constitute a hate group but they ignore groups like Mexica Movement and MeCHA and AnswerLA - groups that provide violent masked protesters to counter Americans and who profess to want to wipe the gringo off THEIR continent. SPLC sees only anti-illegal groups as hate groups and not the blatantly racist and hateful Hispanic groups.
This is what I have to say to you, Southern Poverty Law Center - you are the worst of the worst supporting the invasion into our country of millions of illegal aliens. I say all the groups on your list of "hate" groups should band together and kick your asses and that my friends is indeed HATE of your group and hate of all groups that are anti-American and support illegal aliens. Take that HATE and smoke it scumbags!
We are quickly reaching a point of no return where Americans have had enough of what this government is doing to them and there is no turning back now.
This is exactly what the socialist insurgents wanted when they provoked the LAPD to ending their rally with the riot police force. I am outraged that Police Chief Bratton would turn his back on his own force and I certainly hope they band together and toss him and his little dog Villain-gerosa out on their asses. It is time for a revolution when shit like this happens. I am glad I don't live in LA - what a cesspool it is becoming and now the LAPD is ham-strunged by the leader of the insurgents Villain-gerosa and his minions.
Well now Save Our State will have 60 new members!
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Police Chief William Bratton said Sunday that up to 60 members of an elite squad that swarmed into a park and fired rubber bullets during a May Day immigration rally are no longer on the street.
Bratton said he spent the weekend viewing video of the MacArthur Park incident and he said LAPD failures were widespread with officers from the top on down culpable.
"I'm not going to defend the indefensible," Bratton told journalists during a meeting at a television studio in Hollywood.
"Things were done that shouldn't have been done." [ Like illegal aliens protesting in our streets? Like illegal aliens tossing bottles and rocks at police? Like Villain-gerosa being in El Salvador conveniently for May 1st? ]
Journalists were among those roughed up as Metropolitan Division's B Platoon moved through MacArthur and fired 148 rubber bullets to break up what had been a peaceful and lawful immigration rally.
Police said they moved in after rocks and bottles were thrown at them by 30 to 40 agitators, he said.
The Metropolitan Division is the city's premier police squad, made up of experienced officers who have extensive training in crowd control.
Bratton said up to 60 members of the Metro's B Platoon are no longer in the field. Additionally, he said, some officers will "in all likelihood" not return to the Metropolitan Division.
"Some of this will be career-impacting," Bratton said, adding that imposition of permanent discipline will await completion of the Police Department investigation.
Journalist organizations asked why officers ignored LAPD policies toward the news media worked out after reporters were assaulted during the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
A 2002 agreement called for designation of a safe spot for reporters covering news events. LAPD spokeswoman Mary Grady acknowledged reporters were not given "a designated safe spot" at MacArthur Park. [ and they KNEW it before they went there ]
"There appears to have been here a failure to communicate," Press Photographers Association local president John McCoy said. [ there is a failure to enforce our LAWS and Bratton and Villain-gerosa are CRIMINALS - where is the hanging tree??? ]
WHEELING — Ninety- eight illegal immigrants have been arrested by the Ohio County Sheriff’s Department since May 2005 — with many of those arrests in the past few months.
“We have arrested 98 of them, but we can only imagine how many of them have gone through without our detection,” said Sheriff Tom Burgoyne.
And Belmont County Sheriff Fred Thompson said his office is now averaging 15-20 illegal immigration arrests every month.
Burgoyne — a former FBI agent — is concerned about just how serious the problems with illegal immigration are becoming.
“The federal government simply has not addressed this problem the way they need to, and I am tired of hearing their excuses,” Burgoyne said.
Burgoyne said many of the illegals he has arrested are just passing through the area on the way to jobs on the East Coast, but an increasing number of them are being employed in West Virginia.
“This is not a problem we used to have in West Virginia, but because there are now an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country, it makes sense that more and more of them are coming our way,” Burgoyne said.
Thompson said his office arrested 14 illegals during an incident in April.
“On Sunday, April 22, we arrested 14 of them in the parking lot at Kroger’s in the Ohio Valley Plaza,” he said.
“We caught seven the week before that,” Thompson added. “Not one of these individuals had any identification or passports, while none of them spoke any English.”
Thompson agreed with Burgoyne that many illegals are just passing through, but said a few of them are trying to stay here.
“We caught several of them working on a construction team at the new school complex in Martins Ferry,” he said. “We arrested one illegal immigrant who was dealing heroin in the St. Clairsville area. He had previously been deported but had no trouble coming back here.”
Burgoyne and Thompson said they are required to release the illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after processing them.
“Once we turn them over to ICE, we no longer have any say in what happens to them,” Thompson said.
“ICE said we should just let them go, unless they have outstanding warrants,” Burgoyne said, noting prosecution of the illegals is not always effective.
“In July 2005, some of the illegals we had arrested were in federal court. The judge released them and told them to be back in court six months later in January 2006 to determine if they were illegal immigrants,” he said. “I don’t know if that judge really thought they would just come back to court six months later or not, but it seemed pretty ridiculous to me.”
Burgoyne and Thompson agree that illegal immigrants are taking jobs from Americans, which is one of the major issues.
“Employers know they don’t have to pay the illegals anywhere near what they have to pay Americans, so many of them take the risk of hiring them,” Burgoyne said.
West Virginia Delegate Orphy Klempa, D-Ohio, also sees illegal immigration as a problem for American workers.
“These illegal immigrants are coming in here and taking a lot of our construction jobs, which makes it more difficult for our workers to find jobs,” he said.
However, Russell Sobel, professor of economics at West Virginia University, said the economic impact of illegal immigration is not so clear cut.
“Anyone who is not directly competing for jobs with the immigrants will be better off economically because lower labor costs lead to lower prices for consumers,” he said. [umm .. no it does not! ]
Sobel also said the immigrants must be spending money here if they are living here, so they are supporting the economy. [ they are sending half of what they make BACK to Mexico idiot! ]
“There is little if any difference between the immigration we have now and what we had 100 years ago with Europeans coming here,” Sobel added. [ umm you are a complete idiot - there is a HUGE difference - what an ASSHOLE you are!!!!]
David Javersak, dean of the School of Liberal Arts at West Liberty State College, said the theme of Americans opposing immigration is far from new.
“Italian and Irish immigrants were once treated the way Hispanic immigrants are treated today,” he said. [ big difference - they were IMMIGRANTS not illegal ALIENS ]
“You should not blame the immigrants because they are just looking for better opportunities, so the blame should lie with the federal government for letting this continue,” Javersak added. [grrrrrrrr]
Gerry Griffith, communications director for U.S. Rep. Alan Mollohan, D-W.Va., said the congressman is very concerned with the issue.
“The increasing number of immigrants entering the United States illegally undermines job prospects for American citizens, places a burden on local schools and governments and poses a threat to our security,” Griffith said. “Congressman Mollohan supports efforts to increase border security and, as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, he has worked to increase funding for the Immigration and Naturalization Services border control functions.
“Congressman Mollohan does not support amnesty for illegal aliens.” [ clone this man!]
Jason Friedman, communications director for U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-Ohio, said Wilson also knows illegal immigration is a major problem.
“Congressman Wilson believes the system of immigration in this country is broken and that a comprehensive plan must be developed to fix it,” Friedman said. [ as in deport them and punish employers - that is as comprehensive as it needs to be! ]
“This plan must include strengthening border security, as well as punishing companies that hire illegal immigrants,” he said.
“Overall, the congressman believes illegal immigration is a major problem facing this country today and is definitely working to do something about it,” Friedman added.
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Shelly Moore Capito, R-W.Va., is also disturbed by illegal immigration.
“These illegal immigrants have committed a crime just by coming here without going through the proper channels, not to mention that they take jobs from Americans. They use our roads, schools and health care, which places a tremendous and unfair burden on American workers,” Capito said. [ oh my God I must be dreaming to have so many politicians GET IT or seem to GET IT ]
“West Virginians believe it is unfair for illegal immigrants to come in here and take advantage of us the way they are,” she added.
Capito said she believes the vast majority of the 12 million illegals should be sent home. [ WOO HOO! Buh bye]
“I strongly oppose any type of amnesty and believe employers should be punished for hiring illegals,” she said. “I am not pleased with the progress made in Congress regarding this issue, but I am definitely working on it.”
Burgoyne is waiting to see results from Congress.
“The federal government should do its job and keep these people out of here,” he said. “They need to enforce border security and make sure employers are charged with a crime for hiring illegals.”
“Citizenship in this country is a privilege, and 12 million people are abusing this privilege,” he added. [ WELL SAID!!! ]
Thompson said his deputies will do the best they can, with or without more federal support.
“We are going to make it as difficult on these illegals as we can to discourage them from continuing to do this,” he said. [ I LOVE it! You guys are my heroes! ]
As an immigrant who spent years trying to get her five children into the country legally, Yvonne Gwyn has little tolerance for those who enter the country illegally.
But her support of the proposed Farmers Branch ordinance is mostly about jobs. The 57-year-old Honduras-born woman ekes out a living with a mobile automotive detailing business and domestic cleaning.
But clients often go with cheaper illegal-immigrant labor, she said, leaving her struggling to pay the bills.
"Why can these people get all these jobs? I'm a citizen and pay taxes and can't find no jobs," she said. "I can't find no jobs because they work cheap."
Drug scandal victim
It's frustrating for a woman who is still trying to piece her life together after being caught up in the Dallas police fake drug scandal of 2001.
Together, the hardships of her life have left her with a strong attitude toward illegal immigrants.
Ms. Gwyn, now a U.S. citizen, came to the United States in 1974 after marrying a U.S. citizen she met in Guatemala.
She lived in North Carolina and Florida before settling in Dallas, then moved to Farmers Branch nine months ago. Along the way, she helped her five children secure the paperwork to come to the United States.
"Everybody works and pays taxes. That's what people have to do," she said.
While in Dallas, she owned a mechanic shop and carwash.
One day, a customer left a car at her shop. Based on an informant's tip, police found more than 64 pounds of fake cocaine and methamphetamine in the car, and they arrested her on charges of first-degree felony drug possession. She spent about three months in jail awaiting trial.
Ms. Gwyn was among more than two dozen arrested in the fake-drug scandal. Charges were dismissed, but the incident put her in a tailspin of depression. She was unable to work, lost her business, and relied on her attorney and the goodwill of a landlord for a place to live until a lawsuit with the city was settled.
After attorneys' fees, she ended up with just under $220,000.
She feels the amount should have been larger, and she blames that on a rush to settle the lawsuit by the illegal immigrants who were also arrested in the scandal.
"The illegals, they were scared," she said.
Unique perspective
David Koch, a Farmers Branch City Council candidate who is a staunch supporter of Ordinance 2903, said Ms. Gwyn is among a large number of legal immigrants who support the measure.
He met Ms. Gwyn when she hosted a gathering for neighbors to meet Mr. Koch and City Council member Tim Scott, who leads the political action committee campaigning in support of the ordinance.
He said Ms. Gwyn is a woman who believes in giving more to the system than she takes and is adamant that others who come to the United States should do so legally.
"She's a very hard worker, very dedicated and committed to America, to make it a better place, and adopting it as her home country," Mr. Koch said. "It's a tremendous perspective many of us won't ever have."
Before you jump up and down and say he should be deported - realize this - when illegal alien criminals ask to be deported - it means they will be free pending a deportation hearing for which they can never show up and it takes months before that hearing even occurs. In the mean time they are free. So the "deportation loophole" was closed by this judge who understands that it is a game illegal aliens play and this guy lost that game BIG time. Hooray for judges with common sense! We need more of them! Lock em up! On the other hand - it's costing taxpayers mucho bucks to house this scumbag who should not have even been here in the first place. I say we should start sending the bill for incarcerating and bringing them to justice to Jorge Boosh!
Marijuana peddler gets 18 months
Judge finds deportation isn't punishment enough
By JAMIE SATTERFIELD, satterfield@knews.com May 6, 2007
Isn't deportation punishment enough for a marijuana-peddling illegal immigrant?
Defense attorney Stephen Johnson posed that question at a hearing before U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan to decide the fate of 28-year-old Juan Lino-Gomez on Thursday.
Lino-Gomez has admitted conspiring to sell marijuana, peddling in just one transaction 100 pounds of the illegal plant. Although he had entered the country legally on a work visa, it had long expired when lead investigators Todd Lee of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Bruce Conkey of the Knoxville Police Department nabbed him last year.
Johnson argued that Varlan should just immediately free Lino-Gomez, who has spent 10 months in jail awaiting resolution of his case.
"Once he is out of custody there is an immigration hold on him, so he will go into immigration custody," Johnson said.
Johnson also contended that Lino-Gomez could spend several months, maybe even years, awaiting formal deportation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Winck balked at the notion that Lino-Gomez should get a break.
"He was able to make money in this country even though he was illegally here," Winck said. "He could have taken lawful steps to become legal."
Winck argued that it is hardly fair for the illegal immigrant to benefit from his status while his American co-conspirators pay the full price for their alleged crimes.
Varlan sided with Winck, ordering Lino-Gomez to serve an 18-month prison term.
This isn't the first time Lino-Gomez's status as an illegal immigrant has come into play in the case. Johnson spent months battling to free Lino-Gomez pending trial, arguing that his status as an illegal immigrant wasn't cause enough to keep him locked up. Johnson took that argument all the way to a federal appeals court, where he lost.
Lino-Gomez then pleaded guilty, striking a deal that offered him a penalty range far lower than what he could have faced.
Johnson told Varlan at Thursday's hearing that Lino-Gomez was a family man who encountered a rough financial situation, so he turned to pushing pot.
"Mr. Lino-Gomez and his family were under financial hardship, needing money for a hernia surgery for himself, needing money for an eye surgery for his youngest baby," Johnson said. "That's not an excuse for what he did. It does offer an explanation."
Winck found the tale a bit dubious.
"When Mr. Lino-Gomez was arrested, he had $5,497 on him, and he hadn't even been paid yet (for the drugs)," Winck said.
Lino-Gomez told Varlan that he made a mistake. "I'm paying the price for that mistake because I am living away from my family," he said.
When I view this video I am consumed with hatred for Brown Supremacists and Americans better wake the Hell up and see what is happening to California and our Southwest. You are LOSING IT BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF WHAT IS HAPPENING.
Mayor Manuel Lozano of Baldwin Park, CA, solidly stands against the patriotic American group SaveOurState.org and defends the actions and intentions of the MECHA/Aztlan alliance with Communist Revolutionaries.
Oh My God when you see this video you will see the BARBARIANS that plan to invade this country as they are doing with the consent of Mayor Lozano, Mayor Villagiarosa, and our Presidente Jorge Boosh
QUOTES FROM SAVE OUR STATE MEMBERS:
"It is so nice to have Charles Kirkby produce an accurate portrayal of events that occur during our demonstrations. UNLIKE the news media whose broadcasts make me sick to my stomach. Kirkby TV rocks! Thanks to this fellow patriot we can defend our name against the media scum." - Harleymom
"KIRKBY TV ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! Judy Baca is full of so much crap and so is Lozano. Do they see with whom they are aligning themselves? Since when is the sickle and hammer a glowing endorsement of America and American ideals?" - MadameButterfly
Mayor of Baldwin Park Sued for Hate Crimes and Violations of RICO Act! Date: Friday, July 01 @ 07:43:09 UTC Topic: Crimes Scenes illegal immigration laws
Claim Filed Against Mayor of Baldwin Park for Supporting Hate Crimes & RICO Violations Against Senior Citizen (illegal immigration, aliens, saveourstate.org, minuteman project, crimes, laws) Contact: Richard D. Ackerman, Esq., of Lively & Ackerman, 951-308-6454
BALDWIN PARK, Ca., June 30 /Christian Wire Service/ -- The law firm of Lively & Ackerman, of Temecula, CA, has filed a formal governmental claim against the City of Baldwin Park, its Mayor, and Police Department. The firm represents Murrieta senior citizen Laura "Dottie" Dalton. According to the claim, "This governmental claim relates to an incident that took place on May 14, 2005, near the Danza Indigenas monument at the Baldwin Park Metrolink Station.
The Claimant is a senior citizen who attended a peaceful protest against racism engaged in by the City of Baldwin Park through its support of a monument which denounces white and other non-Latinos. Specifically, there was a protest and counter-protest that took place on May 14, 2005. The issues that evoked the controversy specifically arise from the fact that the tax-supported monument has quotes that read "It was better before they came," and "This land was Mexican once, was Indian always and will be again." The Mayor of Baldwin Park was present in support of the monument and the protesters who support the continued display of these racist, separatist and discriminatory comments."
The claim goes on to state that, "Mayor Lozano appeared to support racist comments made by protesters against Claimant, and endorsed discriminatory comments made by his fellow protesters. Other City Council members were also present at the protest, which eventually turned into an anti-white mob. [...] Furthermore, many of the attendees at the event were known to be here in the United States illegally. Instead of enforcing the law against their illicit presence, and thereby reducing the risk of a large mob mentality, the members of the City Council present at the event actively discouraged any enforcement of the law and actually incited protesters to attack those who were near Claimant. After inciting the crowd, members of the crowd did actually start throwing heavy objects toward Claimant. Claimant LAURA "DOTTIE" DALTON was hit by a full bottle of water that was intentionally hurled at a high velocity at the Claimant at about 1:00 pm." The medical records of Ms. Dalton indicate that she suffered a brain hemorrhage as a result of the foreseeable violence escalated by the Mayor of Baldwin Park.
The claim seeks one million dollars in compensation for medical bills, future medical expenses, and punitive damages. The claim also requests that the City of Baldwin Park eliminate the racist comments set forth in the challenged monument. The City must respond to the claim in a manner prescribed by the California Government Code.
Dalton's attorney, Richard Ackerman says, "I do not want to believe that a filing such as this is necessary in a supposedly diverse society that supports the First Amendment rights of my client. Worse yet is the fact that I am forced to defend a 66-year-old US resident who was injured because of her fight against government-sponsored racism and hate speech. The Mayor ought to be protecting California's actual residents instead of protecting those who violate the law and those that apparently support the contention that America should be devoid of whites, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and many others."
Legal American Citizens must call for the resignation of Baldwin Park, CA. mayor Manuel Lozano !
The "Mayor" of Baldwin Park California made Racist comments which could very well result in a lawsuit against him and the city of Baldwin Park for Defamation of Character !
During the 4:00 p.m. Broadcast on ABC Channel 7 News, The Mayor of Baldwin Park Manuel Lozano - visibly standing along side, and supporting the PRO-illegal immigration side - made RACIST, disparaging remarks -
In regard to a Illegal Immigration protest staged by the multi-ethnic , multi racial Patriot group "Save Our State".
During the 4:00 p.m. broadcast on ABC Channel 7 news,
Mayor Manuel Lozano said :
"...it's unfortunate that "S.O.S." is here, I personally... I see them as a TERRORIST group and a RACIST group that does not represent mainstream America..."
Some "eyewitness reports" from the pro-illegal bunch. What comes to my mind is - it's about damn time the police crack down on illegal alien protesters who have the gall to protest in our streets for their "rights". I enjoyed this police action thoroughly and I support the LAPD officers who participated. I don't fear the police because I am a legal citizen. Anyone at this march was there to support an illegal alien invasion and in my opinion, they are lucky they were only hit with rubber bullets because ALL OF YOU are traitors to this country for supporting illegal aliens invading into our country and DEMANDING anything!
Thanks to Immigration Watchdog we have POLICE RADIO communications of the events that day and it is CLEAR that the anarchists in the crowd wished to provoke a police reaction. They would like a race riot in LA - clearly that is their goal. The fact that this DID NOT occur is solely due to the restrained action by the police to clear the park.
1. Police giving tickets to the young Latinos at MTA station
Saula: About 2:30 PM at the end of the 1st march at downtown L.A., when I went to the MTA Red line Civic Center Metro station, I saw several LAPD police officers were detaining and issuing tickets to several young Latinos at the station for reason I am not clearly sure why. [ it's called laws and perhaps they were doing something unlawful? ]
2. LAPD attack peaceful MacArthur Park gathering
Jubilee: LAPD riot cops unprovoked [ WRONG! ] attacked the permitted, peaceful gathering of families & activists around 6pm, with motorcycles & firing plastic bullets & swinging batons, with the apparent objective of clearing the entire park vicinity of everybody at all. The maneuvers were unrelenting & merciless, even credentialed media were caught in the onslaught [ because they were ignoring the order to clear the park ], many videos captured the assault & will soon be on the net. LAPD Chief Bratton is working hard to spin the p.r. version, but many witnesses will affirm that any reaction to lapd was well after their tightly organized storming of the park grounds, the controlled attack I saw began from Alvarado street moving west, I was on Alvarado & have several short phone videos. [ you are not informed of the truth missy - you only see part of the story ]
At the immediate beginning of the attack, police on motorcycles plowed south thru peaceful gathering near north end of Alvarado (near 6th), the situation came to a pause as the many people were too much for the police who retreated to 6th st/Alvarado intersection & st up line. The conflict was re-ignited at Wilshire/Alvarado intersection where riot battalions ran into park from wilshire side north, that was followed by 2 open bed trucks with 40 riot cops sped south on alvarado toward 1/2way between wilshire & 6th & began open assault, driving everyone west several blocks beyond the park.
The street was filled with people & police initiating attack [ keep up the bullshit Jubilee ], the anarchists I observed were not marching seperately as bratton says, they were mingling among many in alvarado st, it is a ruse that the anarchists provoked police & were apart from the march.[ oh yeah and how do you know that ? because you are one of them? ] The masses had taken the street with police consent at vermont & wilshire intersection, as there was construction on east side of vermont so the march was on sidewalk west side of Vermont initially. At Wilshire everyone had to cross east & it became too much to use crosswalks at intersections--the march spilled across vermont, the police consented, & so on wilshire EVERYONE was then in the street entirely, which then continued onto alvarado turning north. LAPD Chief Bratton says 'disrupters' moved from the park into alvarado & provoked police, but actually the entire march was in alvarado st with police consent & protection. There was clearly a designed police thrust from north end of alvarado south, then opposite from south end north, where plastic bullet attack began, then mass reinforcements from north coming south on alvarado, then full scale assault moving west thru park continuing several blocks west of park.
3. Eyewitness at 7th/Alvarado
Celia: I was at the May day march yesterday and I saw the intimidation tactics used by the police department an hour earlier before they decided to fire rubber bullets into the crowds. I was on the side walk on the corner of 7th and Alvarado right in front of the 99$ store. At this time and place a group of Aztec dancers were dancing in large a circle and people who had been participating in the peaceful march were watching and applauding to the beat of the music, where all of a sudden they were pushed out of the street by a caravan of police motorcycle and cars who charged against them. I saw them pushed people out of the way, including an officer who pushed a young girls face. The Aztec dancers proceeded to move into the grassy area of the park where they continued dancing, however the police refused to let people cross the street to come to the grass area. The police could have perfectly used words to let the crowd know that they needed to move out of the street into the sidewalk not intimidation and fear. I feel that the tactics used by the LAPD were to scare, confused and intimidate people.
4. May Day Violence-I was there
Lucy: I, my partner, and my 5-year old son were there at MacArthur Park on May Day. We marched with the queer contingency from Vermont and Washington. The police kept us very tight as we marched. When we arrived--probably around 3:30 or 4:00, there was already a huge police presence.
Around maybe 5:00 PM, there were many, many people, but all were peaceful. Some chanting, some singing, and some Aztec dancers. We were in the park on the grass near the corner where the police drove into the crowd. They drove straight in, and we could see nothing that could possibly have prompted that action. We were confused and a little scared, so we headed over to the other side of the park where the tents, speakers, and dancers/singers were. We stayed there for awhile before we noticed that the police had more than doubled their presence and now were standing with helmets down and nightsticks out. They lined up side-by-side all around two sides of the park. We stood on the sidewalk directly in front of them. Not once did we hear that the police had ordered us out. We did not receive any information from the police officers, who were completely unresponsive except to advance quickly on anyone who stepped off the sidewalk. We decided to leave when it became clear that they were preparing for something, and not something good. The helicopters were circling the whole time.
People were completely peaceful. No one even taunted the police, and we were standing directly at the corner where they entered the park.
The police started closing in on the park with NO ANNOUNCEMENT. It went from a stand-off type situation to them RUNNING into the crowd--which included many other children, old people, and vendors with heavy carts. We were across the street on Lake when we saw them run into the crowds, firing tear gas and rubber bullets. People were already leaving as they did so, although the remaining people were STILL PEACEFUL. We left then, but have heard many reports from friends about the violence that occurred after we left.
It was extremely frightening, even more so because it was so sudden and unprovoked. There is absolutely no excuse for the force they used on a peaceful crowd FULL of families.
5. MACARTHUR PARK DETAILS 5-1-07
Radio Reporter: I was there at the event yesterday with a colleague conducting audio interviews for a local radio station. What we witnessed was horrendous in the way the LAPD treated the peaceful demonstrators.
It began on one end of the park as people were peacefully marching. Without warning the police arrive in their riot gear with batons and rubber bullet guns, jump out and demand everyone get on the sidewalks. Those that did not move from the street (believing that they had a right to peaceful protest) were approached by motorcycle cops who began to rev their engines and drive forward into the crowd, acting like they would run the demonstrators over. This included families and children.
People who were on the sidewalks were commanded to get in the park, but refused, stating they would be watching to see if the cops try to attack anyone so they stayed to serve as witnesses. I was told later by kids that someone was ran over by the motorcycle, some were hit. Later in the day, I was told about and shown rubber bullet wounds from close range shooting on the video camera of observers.
Soon, on the other side of the park there began more police harassment and everyone ran over to see. Throughout the stand offs- you would hear rubber bullets popping. I saw a couple kids throw plastic bottles toward the mobs of police who were harassing the protesters. Soon I went to the center of the park where peaceful protesters were enjoying the rallying the entertainment of the live band, and skits. However, before long, masses of people began RUNNING frantically from the street into the park. Turns out they were sprayed with teargas and were being chased.
Once people were IN the park, the police began to methodically infiltrate the park, as if they were conducting a militaristic public ICE raid. A helicopter announced everyone must leave. The police then went on their rampage, which you saw on the news. Once the park was cleared, police continued into the streets, intimidating people to flee into the streets local neighborhood. I, and many others could not get to our cars due to the way the police were flushing us out. Later, there were announcements that anyone caught in the area of Alvarado would "be arrested." The whole park was surrounded, traffic was backed up and streets blockaded by police.
Was any of that necessary? What happened to our First Amendment Rights? "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances".
Ever wonder why you don't hear this on AMERICAN media television or read about it in the New York Times? Because the SPP, NAU and the replacement of the dollar are plans by the elites who control our media and our country that they don't think you need to know about it. Just keep watching American Idol and Oprah and don't bother with any of that future of your country stuff. Bush is only a pawn in their plot for a one world government. Think I'm crazy? Well you can wait around and find out for yourself who is crazy or you can take a chance that this could be true and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
This is what I call "unprovoked" police violence against an American citizen asserting his opinion to a MOB of illegal aliens and the police arrest HIM? What about the guys who were attacking HIM through his sun roof???? WTF?
An amazingly objective story from the LA Times regarding the May Day Melee...
Anarchists' presence dwindles in L.A.
Current and former members of the anti-government movement scoff at L.A. police claims that some of them helped touch off a melee during the May Day marches.
By Paul Pringle, Times Staff Writer May 5, 2007
L.A. anarchists can't seem to keep it together. Or can they?
Nearly seven years ago, dozens of the black-shirted radicals made a disruptive impression during protests outside the Democratic National Convention at Staples Center. A 2001 May Day rally in Long Beach brought another strong turnout and resulted in more than 90 arrests.
But current and former followers of the anti-government philosophy scoff at Los Angeles police claims that a well-organized group of anarchists helped ignite a melee during Tuesday's immigration rights marches.
Word that anarchists might have played an inciting role in the MacArthur Park confrontation — now the subject of a police excessive-force investigation — also surprised at least one officer who surveils violence-prone provocateurs.
"We haven't seen them in large numbers in L.A.," said the officer, who requested anonymity because he works in the Los Angeles Police Department's counter-terrorism bureau.
Fallen-away anarchists agreed, saying the movement has withered in the area since 2000, when its homegrown ranks were swelled by out-of-town sympathizers drawn to the convention.
Austin Delgadillo, who was part of the L.A. anarchist contingent back then, said he and others have since moved on to more-structured forms of advocacy. And many of the remaining L.A. anarchists have settled into laid-back tactics, Delgadillo said.
"A lot of them are pacifist anarchists," he added.
Police Chief William J. Bratton initially said that as many as 100 anarchists touched off Tuesday's clash by throwing rocks and bottles at officers. He later described them more generally as "the agitators or the anarchists as they are more commonly called."
Bratton said news video showed that they were "more organized than we are in some respects," as they approached the police in triangle formation, backed by a line of projectile tossers.
The chief said a conspiracy investigation would attempt to identify the people in the footage.
"We see them all the time," he said. "Who are they? Where are they coming from?"
Meanwhile, some organizers of the immigration march said they spotted fewer than 10 protesters wearing the anarchists' signature black T-shirts and masks.
Jonathan Santi of the Multi-ethnic Immigrant Workers Organizing Network said that he counted only eight anarchists taunting the police outside MacArthur Park and that he saw none of them throw anything. Santi said they shouted vulgarities at the advancing officers and refused commands to disperse.
The marchers tried to herd the anarchists away from the police, but the eight broke free, he said. "I told them to control themselves, that they shouldn't be doing this kind of thing," said Santi, who considers the anarchists partly responsible for the disturbance. The anarchists fled as the police moved into the park, striking demonstrators with batons and firing foam bullets into the crowd, according to Santi and others.
Dana Ward, a political psychology professor at Pitzer College and an anarchist, said Tuesday's turmoil does not sound like the work of those active in the Southern California movement.
"There would be no advantage to starting trouble at a march dealing with immigration," said Ward, who maintains an archive on the history and theory of anarchism. "It would just bring bad publicity."
He also said the police often use the anarchist label as a "propaganda tool."
Ward placed the L.A. anarchist census at a few hundred to a couple of thousand, the vast majority of them devoted to nonviolence.
Some belong to organizations such as Food Not Bombs and the Catholic Worker. L.A. anarchists of lore include writer Ricardo Flores Magon, an instigator of the 1910 Mexican Revolution.
A Pitzer conference held last year for anarchist academics and activists attracted 150, Ward said.
Anarchists boast bigger followings in San Francisco, the Pacific Northwest and New York, the professor added.
"We're just too spread out," he said of the L.A. region. "It's harder for people to get together out here. It takes more effort."
The Internet abounds with anarchy-themed sites that mention L.A. cadres. But attempts to contact people associated with the sites were unsuccessful, with several e-mails going unanswered or bouncing back as undeliverable.
Nevertheless, Deputy Chief Mike Downing, who heads the LAPD's counter-terrorism bureau, said the department is concerned that the destructive breed of anarchist in Los Angeles might be "growing in sentiment and numbers."
"We haven't seen that for a while, but we're beginning to see a little more of it," Downing said.
"Some of the images are very troubling," Birotte said.
Police union leaders urged Wednesday against a "rush to judgment."
"Our officers gave a legal dispersal order and were met with violence. In the coming days it will become clear what transpired," said Los Angeles Police Protective League President Bob Baker in a statement.
The move to clear the area came after a small group of protesters, described by Bratton as involving between 50 and 100 agitators, some with bandannas obscuring their faces, began throwing rocks and plastic bottles at police. Although some reporters at the scene heard an order to disperse from the advancing officers, others did not. The order appeared to come from an officer on foot with a megaphone just north of the intersection of Alvarado and 7th.
By 6:20 p.m., after the initial rock- and plastic bottle-throwing incident spurred the decision to close down a rally that was permitted to last until 9 p.m., two lines of officers began moving northwest through the park. Officers formed a wide V and swept protesters and members of the media before them.
In footage shot by Fox News and Telemundo reporters, police officers can be seen grabbing Fox reporter Christina Gonzalez and forcefully pushing her out of the way as she crouched to protect her camerawoman, who had fallen after being struck by a police baton. "I am helping her move, sir!" Gonzalez said, her voice agitated.
The officer is heard saying: "Move her back away from the skirmish line or you're under arrest."
And why is this happening you say? Because we have many politicians at the local level such as in Norristown who are only too happy to welcome illegal aliens to Norristown because they have the misguided impression it is "good" for Norristown since they bring their Mexican stores and restaurants that caters mostly to their own population. They have allowed the infiltration of a huge Mexican influx to a part of Norristown that greets visitors with a sign that says "Historic District" but it looks more like the Historic District of Guadalajara than anything Norristown used to be.
Check the local Norristown user forums and you will find discussions on a sudden increase in gang tagging around town. That means - pretty much a little too late to stop it now - and had the Norristown Council grown some kahunas a little sooner, perhaps we would not be heading in this downward spiral.
Bruce Castor is our hero and we thank GOD for him in our area because the rest of the local government is apparently in the pocket of the drug cartels or something along those lines.
Drug cartels growing here, Castor says
By Jeff Shields Inquirer Staff Writer
Increasingly sophisticated and aggressive Mexican drug cartels are expanding in Southeastern Pennsylvania, flooding the market with high-grade cocaine at low prices, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr. told state legislators yesterday.
Montgomery County's Narcotics Enforcement Team has seized 2,400 pounds of marijuana and 313 pounds of cocaine from Mexican-based drug organizations since 2004, said Castor, who showed legislators a cache of semiautomatic weapons, bags of cocaine and marijuana, and several talismans used by drug dealers for good luck when transporting drugs.
The cartels have "flooded the Norristown market with the highest-quality and lowest-priced cocaine ever found available in the area," Castor said.
He appeared before the Policy Committee of the House Republicans, an arm of the GOP caucus that develops policy proposals.
Castor did not say what proportion of the area's drug trade was controlled by the newcomers. The area drug trade has been dominated by area residents, according to Lt. Kevin McKeon, chief of investigations with the Norristown police.
In addition, 17 illegal Mexican nationals have been arrested since 2004 in connection with the drug trade, among a Mexican population that previously had been known only as victims of street crime.
A spokesman for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in Philadelphia said there has been no region-wide spike in the involvement of illegal immigrants in the drug trade.
Castor said he wanted all those who buy prepaid cell phones to provide a photo I.D., home address and Social Security number, so investigators could better trace calls. State Rep. Jay Moyer (R., Montgomery) said he was working on a such a bill, but expected "push-back" from the cell phone industry.
A spokesman for the national cell phone trade association said the industry was not convinced that such legislation would effectively deter criminals. "I wouldn't say we are outright opposed to it, but we do have questions about how it would work in practice," said Joseph Farren, public affairs director for CTIA - The Wireless Association in Washington, D.C.
Castor also wants the state legislature to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to be cross-trained by federal authorities and allowed to make immigration arrests.
So.. NOT unprovoked AnswerLA and all you other lying Commie sons of bitches. The truth is out there - you cannot make stuff up and get away with it.
Police Attack May Day Demonstration with Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets.
LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2007 – An otherwise peaceful day of demonstrations throughout the city ended violently when the LAPD attacked [the right word is dispersed] the May Day march and rally in MacArthur Park today. A large rally numbering in the tens of 1,000s was driven from the park and the streets around the park. Families with young children were forced to flee as the police fired hundreds of rounds of rubber bullets and tear gas into the crowd. There are reports of many injuries, including journalists with a TV news crew. Some who have been hospitalized from their injuries. Witnesses report beatings with batons and many injuries from rubber bullets.
The first incident of police violence occurred at Wilshire & Parkview when police drove a row of motorcycles head on into the march. A brief scuffle broke out but the situation was diffused. It was the incident at 7th and Alvarado that sparked the police attack, which resulted in the complete clearing of the park and scattered street fights with police in the neighboring area.
So it's ok for protesters to throw things at the police???? Maybe in Mexico... not here... I could see an investigation if someone was killed for crying out loud.. but in my opinion, the LAPD acted with RESTRAINT and in an APPROPRIATE manner as a response to violence initiated by the illegal alien protesters. But don't let the truth get in the way of the propaganda now.
Poor supervision and bad decisions by the Los Angeles Police Department may have helped facilitate the violence that broke out at an immigration rally on Tuesday. It turns out that the LAPD removed dozens of experienced officers from protest duty shortly before the confrontation that led to violence. The clash began when some protesters threw plastic bottles and rocks at the police, who responded with rubber bullets and batons. The FBI is investigating the matter, so we'll have to wait and see just how badly the LAPD screwed up.
I'd say they did a fine job of breaking up a bunch of illegal alien criminals who were getting out of hand. The only thing missing was a line of ICE buses to take them all home to Mexico.
Speech by Mayor Villagiarosa the day after the May Day debacle in McArthur Park. You will see clearly here this was not "unprovoked" as is being characterized by illegal alien supporters.
Yesterday, across the country, we witnessed a day of overwhelmingly peaceful speeches and assemblies in the best American tradition. Approximately 35,000 Angelenos took to the streets to exercise their First Amendment rights.
At approximately 5:30, near the conclusion of a day of peaceful marches and rallies in Los Angeles, it seems that a small number of individuals began throwing objects at police officers. This was a sad end to a very peaceful and positive day.
We believe that the individuals who instigated the conflict had no direct connection to the marches.
As police personnel worked to clear the street and the park, and as the march organizers asked the crowd to disperse, members of the media and the public appear to have been caught in the exchange between the LAPD and these instigators.
I have reviewed the extensive video of the incident, and like every Angeleno, I am obviously and deeply concerned.
Any time that our law enforcement officials employ force, the public has an absolute and unqualified right to expect and demand an aggressive review of the facts. This review is already underway.
I have asked Chief Bratton to oversee a complete and comprehensive review of this incident. While we won't make any rush to judgment, we can't be afraid to make tough judgments about this or any incident.
I am asking Police Commission President John Mack to ensure a comprehensive and thorough review of the actions taken by LAPD. He has assured my office that the Commission intends to review the incident aggressively.
In addition, I am in close and constant communication with Acting Mayor Eric Garcetti, and we will continue to work together to monitor the situation and the facts as they unfold.
Greens condemn 'brazen brutality' by police at Los Angeles immigration rights march, charge police targeting 'marginalized and disenfranchised'
LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Green Party of California today condemned the "brazen brutality" of the Los Angeles Police Department Tuesday at a peaceful immigration rights march here where dozens of demonstrators - and members of the news media - were clubbed and shot by so-called "non-lethal" projectiles.
At least three investigations - including one by the FBI - are now underway to determine the extent of the unnecessary violence used by police to disperse a peaceful crowd at a park, although the organizers of the May Day march had an approved permit. Police apparently fired at least 240 rounds at demonstrators and reporters, sending many to the hospital.
"The brazen police brutality of the LAPD is yet another example of the erosion of our civil liberties as we slide more and more into a police state, with the poor, immigrants, people of color, the marginalized and disenfranchised the targets of institutionalized violence and repression," said Los Angeles Green spokesperson Linda Piera-Avila.
"The LAPD's mission of 'to protect and serve' seems to only apply to those who are part of the corporate interests, while immigrants are being used as target practice. For justice to be served, NAFTA and similar disastrous foreign policy agreements must be ended abroad while here at home immigrants must be recognized and accorded human rights," she added.
Greens in Southern California are mobilizing to provide any assistance needed by those attacked by the LAPD on May Day.
"The LAPD action was outrageous," said Peter Thottam, a Los Angeles attorney and former Green Party candidate for Assembly in the 53rd District, who has offered his help to those involved in the attacks by police.
Sin Fronteras Portland is building a network of autonomous working groups in the Portland area with the goal of bringing the anticapitalist and antiauthoritarian struggles of Latin America to the USA. We see groups like the Zapatistas, the Magonistas in Oaxaca, and many others as examples of revolution in action.
We recognize that until we overcome white supremacy, capitalism, the state, and other forms of domination, there will not be real justice for migrants, for the poor and oppressed here and elsewhere. We live in the heart of a global empire of misery and it is our responsibility to destroy the imperialism that starves and devastates the world, for the benefit of its rulers and at the expense of everyone else.
We support the demands for just immigration reform brought forth by the Coalition for Immigrant Rights but it is obvious that we need much more than 'reform'; we need radical social change.
We support a diversity of tactics in the struggle for revolutionary change. That said, we sincerely doubt that wearing red, white, and blue; lobbying the political parties; and pandering to the bourgeois press will bring us any closer to obtaining justice for migrants and their families, or any of the demands advanced by the Coalition. These strategies emphasize assimilation to the "American Way;” we don't believe that assimilation to this racist and classist system is the basis for immigrants' right to live and work here. Migration and freedom of movement are human rights.
Virtually the same May Day march was organized last year, with the same tactics and on a larger scale, all over the country, yet since then we've only seen the border increasingly more militarized, ICE raids and deportations increase drastically, more and more families broken and people living in fear!
We say that there are NO 'ilegal' men, women, or children; there are illegitimate states, unjust laws, and national borders based in imperialist violence.
As a collective Sin Fronteras Portland recognizes that May Day means more than the history of the Haymarket martyrs, or the current struggle for immigrant rights in this country as framed by mainstream political organizations; it means solidarity among all workers, globalized resistance to all forms of oppression. This May Day we're bringing the message that in order for migrant rights to exist and be respected, and in order to have social justice, forget about 'reform' - this white supremacist social system can't be reformed: we need revolutionary strategy, tactics, and outcomes NOW.
Down with the border! Down with the racist state! Freedom for all! Organize the revolution!
Hey as long as people are demanding things of the DOJ here is my list:
I demand that the DOJ immediately investigate:
1. the unjust prosecution of Border Agents Ramos and Compean and Sheriff's Deputy Hernandez 2. the lack of enforcement of our immigration laws resulting in millions of people living here illegally 3. the lack of punishment for employers who hire illegal aliens 4. the development of the SPP without the sanction or knowledge of Congress or the American people
LULAC ASKS THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION to open a formal investigation into the lapd actions at may 1st march
LULAC urges quick action from department.
Washington, DC - The League of United Latin American Citizens hopes the Department of Justice will act promptly into opening a formal investigation regarding the alleged assaults committed to family members, children and members of the media on Thursday, May 3rd. A letter was submitted yesterday to Wan Kim Assistant Attorney-General for Civil Rights. LULAC has been informed that DOJ is reviewing the complaints carefully and will make a decision as to what steps they will take if any.
“We trust the Department of Justice pursues this horrific crime and prosecutes those responsible to the full extent of the law,” said LULAC National President Rosa Rosales.
LULAC asks the Department to review the LAPD police officer’s hasty decision to fire at and beat down peaceful demonstrators on more than one occasion. While LAPD Police Chief William Bratton said that “certain elements of the crowd” might have provoked this incident by throwing rocks and bottles at them, it still does not excuse the police’s hasty reaction committed against the majority of people that had behaved appropriately.
This march was meant to be a peaceful demonstration, but instead led to inexcusable disorder and acts of violence by the LAPD.
“Shelling rubber bullets on the stomachs and backs at a peaceful crowd should not be tolerated.The LAPD should have known better, and should have acted with diligence and order,” Rosales concluded.
LULAC will be monitoring what Police Chief William Bratton is promising as an aggressive investigation into the actions of officers at Tuesday's immigration rally. At least 10 people, including seven journalists, were hurt.
Organizations such as Union Del Barrio and the Frente Contra las Redadas (Front Against the Raids), a coalition of over 40 Latino, Asian, White and African-American community and student organizations also denounced the brutality against defenseless families, media and children and have joined with LULAC on this issue. LULAC will continue to monitor this matter closely.
California LULAC State Director Angel Luevano will be meeting with Department of Justice officials in San Francisco at 1 p.m. Pacific time to launch a formal complaint.
For a view of unedited video footage showing police officers pushing, kicking and trampling innocent [que pasa? innoncent my foot ]people as they tried to get away go to: http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/.
A former U.S. Customs agent who once snagged 8,000 pounds of marijuana and 34 pounds of cocaine being smuggled in a rail tanker car, an issue on which WND as reported before, says it is only the greed of the drug cartels that has prevented another major terrorist bombing in the United States.
Darlene Fitzgerald, the author of Bordergate, is preparing to testify before Congress on May 14 in support of H.R. 985, the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act, which already has been approved by the U.S. House.
It would put into the law various protections for whistleblowers such as drug or customs agents who see illegal activity, including the "protection" of drug routes, and report that activity.
(Story continues below)
In testimony prepared for presentation to Congress, a copy of which was provided to WND, Fitzgerald notes that her work tracking down smuggled drugs also exposed "the horrendous national security terrorist threat that these tanker cars pose to our nation."
"Timothy McVeigh blew up the Federal Murrah Building in Oklahoma City with about one ton of ammonium nitrate in an unsealed-cargo truck. This cowardly attack killed scores of people and resulted in over 11 damaged buildings being torn down," she said.
"Yet a terrorist can put 40 times this amount of ammonium nitrate in a railroad tanker car and pressurize it. This would create what is essentially the world's largest 'pipe bomb,'" she said.
"If I were a terrorist, this is what I would do. I could load hundreds of these [rail tanker cars] with ammonium nitrate," she said. They then would be routed around the country via Internet instructions and positioned next to government buildings, athletic stadiums and other locations – including nuclear power plants – before being detonated.
Experts have told WND previously about the access to rail cars that terrorists enjoy.
Fitzgerald said she is convinced that the only reason this hasn't already happened is that the major drug cartels that bring tons of drugs into the United States like the option of packing their products in a tanker car and hauling it across the border.
"The cartels are protecting their pipeline," she told WND. "It's not anything that the U.S. is doing to protect us. But for the cartels, this is their No. 1 pipeline."
The proposed law would for the first time give federal agents the right to have their claims heard in federal court, protect federal workers who expose fraud and corruption, and give help to federal contractors who expose fraud and corruption, according to the National Whistleblower Center.
"For the first time in 18 years, Congress is getting serious about protecting federal employee-whistleblowers," said Stephen Kohn, president of the group. "The House has taken the first step … it is now up to the Senate to get the job done."
"These tanker cars are the perfect instruments for a terrorist attack against the U.S. As our narcotics smuggling investigation has revealed, anyone with cash and phony identification can lease or sublease these cars using a front company…" Fitzgerald said. "Knowing the relationship that the terrorists have with the Narco-smuggling cartels, it is not a quantum leap to think that terrorists could easily copy the same modus operandi…"
In her remarks prepared for the May 14 hearing at which the whistleblower protections are to be discussed, she said the fact that she resigned and other agents have been drummed out of the federal agencies – allegedly because they've raised such issues – should be a concern, too.
She already had seized the 8,000 pounds of marijuana and 34 pounds of cocaine from a single car when five more cars were dispatched across the border into the U.S. from the same Mexican company, which her investigation showed was a shell.
"I had in my grasp five cars imported from Mexico that were improperly manifested as 'empty,' yet contained 25 to 40 tons of suspect contraband," she said.
But she was ordered off the case and "Assistant Special Agent in Charge … Gary Pinkava … admitted without elaboration that he would not allow me or my supervisor to pressure test, at no charge to the government, these highly suspect tanker cars," she said.
"It is important to note that there have been no other rail tanker car seizures since that done by my task force in 1998," she said. "Have the drug smugglers and terrorists simply quit trying to enter the U.S., or have they been operating freely with the assistance of corrupt managers…"
She said the treatment given border agents and others is just wrong, and the legislation can address that. But she said while the drugs are bad enough, the unchecked flow of tanker cars across the border with Mexico "places our country at risk."
"[A terrorist could] put 40 times [the Oklahoma City bomb] in one of these tanker cars. I can put it under pressure, and there are rail spurs right up to the Capitol," she told WND.
She said people should realize what could happen just by looking at the California overpass, where a burning truck recently knocked down entire sections of roadway.
"It could be a lot worse than a melted freeway," she said, pointing to nuclear power plants in California at Tennessee where rail lines are present, the rail lines in the shadows of large event stadiums and rail lines leading through the hearts of many major metropolitan areas.
Exclusive video footage by Lone Wolf from the middle of the LA May Day riot
This footage was taken by Lone Wolf while on a Los Angeles city bus right at the time the police were pushing the protesters back from the park. Just uploaded to youtube - if it does not work try again in 10 minutes.
This article appears on http://xicanopwr.com/contact/ with a title of "Striking Back" regarding the upcoming May Day rallies. My comments are in red to the author of this crap.
By XicanoPwr [with comments from WhitePwr]
Those within wingnuttia have completely failed to grasp the power WE hold. [except when you are up against the LAPD in riot gear ] The immigration debate has awakened the sleeping giant and WE are forcefully speaking out against the racist nativism that has divided this nation. This debate has also brought out the monster in some.
This type of nativism has slowly infected the US like a cancer. It has pitted Americans against one another [ no it has pitted citizens against non-citizens]. And why not, this is not new, this type of baiting has worked in the past, and therefore, is being used again.
America has a long history when it comes to mass deportation. In fact, American capitalism has used Mexican workers as a reserve army of labor since the conquest of the Southwest.
History has shown the Mexican labor pool is heavily utilized during times of economic boom and repatriation during economic downturns. To American capitalist the border does not exist when it comes to exploitation.
Latinos are not the only group. Yet, this nation continues its tradition to bury almost four centuries worth of historical truths. History continues to point out this country is full of contradictions that resonate in America - the tension between freedom and authority, between public purpose and private initiative. It also has shown there has always been hostility felt towards African Americans, Latinos, and practically all Asians - which included South Asia from Arabia to Indochina, including India, Burma, Siam, the Malay states, the East Indian islands, Asiatic Russia, the Polynesian islands, and parts of Arabia and Afghanistan. And until this day, we all have been persecuted by American nativist.
Make no mistake; the present anti-immigration group will proceed in their race-baiting tactics to divide the country. They will criminalize the undocumented by calling them illegal; they dehumanize them by calling them aliens [ UMMM That is what they ARE Stupido]. They play on the fears of white narcissistic Americans. Their violent diatribes fed off their greed, by providing an illusion that the “WE” have our hand in their pockets and stealing the food from their child’s mouth. Their racist and fascist attacks against the “Mexicans” demonstrate their bloodthirsty capitalist essence. They don’t care about the millions of impoverished masses while they can meet the bottom line, the big house, the latest gadget, the big car - all to keep up with the American “Jones.”
The problem is that society has no moral dimension. If a deer shit in the forest, no one looks at the pile of droppings and thinks bad deer. However if you come across a pile of beer bottles in the forest, you think asshole. [ HUH????] Our leaders already know NAFTA and neo-liberalism ideology do not work which is playing a role in fueling the mass exodus to the United States and yet keep on pushing it, in fact, Congress approved CAFTA. That makes every supporter, and our leaders, morally and politically culpable, as if we had passed a Constitutional Amendment allowing segregation based on race to exist. We have yet to learn how to live within our means because we are deeply devoted to the idea that we should do what we want to do. We have abandoned a sense of common purpose for a sense of hyperindividualism, which is caused and reinforced by two social evils in our country - capitalism and imperialism. [ oh the REAL agenda comes out now]
Could it possibly be that THEY can’t stand to see those who THEY strongly think THEY have “conquered” make a life for OURSELVES? Do THEY really expect US to be at THEIR beck and call? To cut THEIR grass, mop THEIR floors, cook THEIR tacos, take care of THEIR children, and just say “Si, senor” every time? Why do THEY get paranoid when THEY hear Spanish? Are THEY afraid that the “conquered” are plotting against their oppressors? Could it be in their delusional thinking, if they forced US to stop speaking Spanish, THEY will be able to hear exactly what the details of OUR revolutionary plans? [ The people who hire you are not the people who want you to leave. It is middle class and lower class America who is saying GET OUT]
May Day is our day to celebrate our history, our struggle and our power. [ take your struggle and power TO MEXICO] WE will reject our colonizer [Umm this is OUR COUNTRY not YOURS] ; their day has come when it is the colonized who is speaking up. [ YOU are the INVADERS] The Movement is too strong and now gringo nativist will stop at nothing to cause a DIVIDE between the African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans. [ The African Americans are not WITH you bozo ] Who are they trying to fool? They have, seem to have forgotten their past crimes against humanity - slavery, whippings, lynching, black-white water fountains, burning crosses and so on. They will try to poison the mind of the few to make this us vs them - native vs foreign. [ Stop trying to play the civil rights card - it is NOT YOURS to play]
Follow me, as I shine the light in our time of darkness. [ shine that light as you make your way back to Mexico] I am neither pontificator nor a soothsayer; I am just a person who is willing to bring a little fire in this cold world of ours. I understand the pain of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. I have seen behind the FACADE, the pretty flowers, the manicured lawns, and the massive wealth. My eyes are opened to the truth to the ills of this country - the corruption, the hatred, the violence, the racism, the ignorance, and the greed BEHIND this pretty facade. I am on to THEIR trick on how I should be GRATEFUL to live here, or how GOOD I should feel about licking the masters’ boots as the chalice of independence is being held before me, while at the same time it was just out of reach. I have seen THEM roll up into neighborhoods with their tricked-up Hummers forcing “Our” people to fight in THEIR murderous wars of exploitation and profit; killing people they don’t even know just to steal THEIR land and their resources! [ we don't want you to mow our lawns or pick our fruit or clean our toilets. The elites want that. We want you to get the hell out and stop bringing down our standard of living!!!!]
I refuse to give in to the propaganda and I will raise my fist and stand up for my roots con MUCHO CORAZON. [ And I will fight you to the very death you invaders into my country ]
On May Day, this Nation will once again witness the unstopable movement, [ unstoppable till you meet up with the LAPD in riot gear - hahaha] no matter how much they will try to strike fear to the voiceless. Like last year, I will live blog through out the day on the events that took
