The Immigration Conundrum

Comprehensive immigration reform.

This term is used by most Democrats and other liberals as shorthand for some kind of amnesty for the millions of illegal immigrants, excuse me, I mean undocumented workers, without securing the border. This is preposterous and will only worsen things in the future. Amnesty to illegal immigrants was previously granted under President Reagan in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. The major provisions of this act legalized certain illegal aliens who had been continuously unlawfully present since 1982. It also enacted sanctions for employers who knowingly hired undocumented workers, and was supposed to increase enforcement of U.S. border security. It did not solve the problem of illegal immigration and will not solve it if passed in another form. What it did was convince some immigrants who were here legally to claim that they were illegal, so they could expedite their citizenship applications and save money in the process. Amnesty for illegal immigrants would simply be rewarding these lawbreakers for breaking the law. How fair is that to law abiding US citizens and legal immigrants.

Today, we have at least 11 million illegal immigrants in this country who drain the coffers of our state and federal governments because of increased health, education and other costs. The financial burden of illegal immigration has contributed significantly to the fiscal problems that currently hound the state of California, other states and the federal government.

In response to lack of action on the part of the federal government and the worsening of the situation in the border state of Arizona, Governor Jan Brewer signed Arizona Senate Bill 1070 into law, on April 23, 2010.
http://www.azleg.gov/legtext/49leg/2r/bills/sb1070h.pdf. Much has been said by this law, by both its’ proponents and opponents. It seems that many opponents of this 19 page law, including our President and his Attorney General, Eric Holder, are spreading falsehoods about the law and have not even read this very short law.

B. FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OF A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE, WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON, EXCEPT IF THE DETERMINATION MAY HINDER OR OBSTRUCT AN INVESTIGATION. ANY PERSON WHO IS ARRESTED SHALL HAVE THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS DETERMINED BEFORE THE PERSON IS RELEASED. THE PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c). A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS STATE MAY NOT SOLELY CONSIDER RACE, COLOR OR NATIONAL ORIGIN IN IMPLEMENTING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THIS SUBSECTION EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE UNITED STATES OR
ARIZONA CONSTITUTION. A PERSON IS PRESUMED TO NOT BE AN ALIEN WHO IS
UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES IF THE PERSON PROVIDES TO THE LAW. ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OR AGENCY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:

1. A VALID ARIZONA DRIVER LICENSE.
2. A VALID ARIZONA NONOPERATING IDENTIFICATION LICENSE.
3. A VALID TRIBAL ENROLLMENT CARD OR OTHER FORM OF TRIBAL
IDENTIFICATION.
4. IF THE ENTITY REQUIRES PROOF OF LEGAL PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES BEFORE ISSUANCE, ANY VALID UNITED STATES FEDERAL, STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUED IDENTIFICATION.

The law is very clear, despite claims to the contrary by our President and other opponents, that a person cannot be stopped for nothing while just going out to get ice cream for his kid. There must exist some kind of lawful contact; which means that the police officer must have a law enforcement related reason to detain a person other than suspecting that the person is an illegal alien. These could include a traffic violation, shop lifting or the suspected violation of another law BESIDES SB1070.

It is also very clear that the law prohibits racial profiling by arresting officers in enforcing this law. Factors other than race, national origin and color MUST be used to arrive at a reasonable suspicion that the person detained is in the country illegally. To prevent racial profiling, the state of Arizona has provided a video that imparts the correct and proper enforcement of this law to the various law enforcement agencies in Arizona that are charged with enforcing this law. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/07/01/2010-07-01_arizonas_antiillegal_immigration_law_sb_1070_comes_with_howto_enforcement_video_.html.

Similarly, contrary to incorrect assertions, a valid driver’s license or other valid form of government issued identification is sufficient proof of legal presence in the U.S. if the issuing agency must first evaluate the applicant’s proof of legal residence in the U.S. No other papers are necessary to prove one’s legal presence in this country.

Now, when I go somewhere, and am required for whatever reason to provide identification, I provide my driver’s license. Imagine that! Me, a natural born citizen of this great country, of non-Hispanic origin with green eyes, fair skin and blond (ahem!) hair having to provide proof of my identification. Wow! Some racial profiling there! Everyone over the age of 18 must provide proof of identification in certain circumstances, not just people suspected of being in this country illegally. If you want to board an airplane, you have to show ID. If you want to open a bank account, you have to show ID. If you want to use your credit card you have to show ID in most places. What is wrong with having to prove that you are who you say you are when you are stopped by law enforcement for breaking some kind of law? Is that any less important than proving who you are when you use your credit card? I see absolutely nothing wrong or prejudicial about that.

One of the main reasons that I hold this view on immigration is because of my family's history. My father is a Holocaust survivor who was liberated from the concentration camps at the age of 17. He had no close family left except for a cousin who was a few years older. He waited two years for his paperwork to clear until he could immigrate to the United States. Two years while he further put his life on hold, waiting to start over in this great country. I am certain that none of these illegal immigrants were in as dire circumstances as my father. Most have come here for economic reasons and send most of the money that they make 'back home'. They pay no income taxes, because they do not have Social Security numbers, and they drain health care and other resources without paying into the system. By sending money that they have earned out of the United States they are causing more of an economic drain on the country.

This has got to change or this country is in serious trouble.

Palestinians in the Arab World: Why the Silence?

Palestinians in the Arab World: Why the Silence?

by Khaled Abu Toameh

When was the last time the United Nations Security Council met to condemn an Arab government for its mistreatment of Palestinians?

How come groups and individuals on university campuses in the US and Canada that call themselves "pro-Palestinian" remain silent when Jordan revokes the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians?

The plight of Palestinians living in Arab countries in general, and Lebanon in particular, is one that is often ignored by the mainstream media in West.

How come they turn a blind eye to the fact that Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and many more Arab countries continue to impose severe travel restrictions on Palestinians?

And where do these groups and individuals stand regarding the current debate in Lebanon about whether to grant Palestinians long-denied basic rights, including employment, social security and medical care?

Or have they not heard about this debate at all? Probably not, since the case has failed to draw the attention of most Middle East correspondents and commentators.

A news story on the Palestinians that does not include an anti-Israel angle rarely makes it to the front pages of Western newspapers.

The demolition of an Arab-owned illegal building in Jerusalem is, for most of these correspondents, much more important than the fact that hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Lebanon continue to suffer from a series of humiliating restrictions.

Not only are Palestinians living in Lebanon denied the right to own property, but they also do not qualify for health care, and are banned by law from working in a large number of jobs.

Can someone imagine what would be the reaction in the international community if Israel tomorrow passed a law that prohibits its Arab citizens from working as taxi drivers, journalists, physicians, cooks, waiters, engineers and lawyers? Or if the Israeli Ministry of Education issued a directive prohibiting Arab children from enrolling in universities and schools?

But who said that the Lebanese authorities have not done anything to "improve" the situation? In fact, the Palestinians living in that country should be grateful to the Lebanese government.

Until 2005, the law prohibited Palestinians from working in 72 professions. Now the list of jobs has been reduced to 50.

Still, Palestinians are not allowed to work as physicians, journalists, pharmacists or lawyers in Lebanon.

Ironically, it is much easier for a Palestinian to acquire American and Canadian citizenship than a passport of an Arab country. In the past, Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip were even entitled to Israeli citizenship if they married an Israeli citizen, or were reunited with their families inside the country.

Lebanese politicians are now debating new legislation that would grant "civil rights" to Palestinians for the first time in 62 years. The new bill includes the right to own property, social security payments and medical care.

Many Lebanese are said to be opposed to the legislation out of fear that it would pave the way for the integration of Palestinians into their society and would constitute a burden to the economy.

The heated debate has prompted parliament to postpone a vote on the bill until next month.

Nadim Khoury, director of Human Rights Watch in Beirut, said, "Lebanon has marginalized Palestinian refugees for too long and the parliament should seize this opportunity to turn the page and end discrimination against Palestinians."

Rami Khouri, a prominent Lebanese journalist, wrote in The Daily Star that "all Arab countries mistreat millions of Arab, Asian and African foreign guest workers, who often are treated little better than chattel or indentured laborers…The mistreatment, abysmal living conditions and limited work, social security and property rights of the Palestinians [in Lebanon] are a lingering moral black mark."

Foreign journalists often justify their failure to report on the suffering of Palestinians in the Arab world by citing "security concerns" and difficulty in obtaining an entry visa into an Arab country.

But these are weak and unacceptable excuses given the fact that most of them could still write about these issues from their safe offices and homes in New York, London and Paris. Isn't that what most of them are anyway doing when they are write about the situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip?

Mideast Dispatch Archive: A nice new shopping mall opened today in Gaza: Will the media report on it?

Mideast Dispatch Archive: A nice new shopping mall opened today in Gaza: Will the media report on it?

I Will Survive Dancing Auschwitz full version

Some people may find this video offensive. I am not one of them. As the daughter of a holocaust survivor who is now 82 years old and suffering from Alzheimer's disease, I find this video life affirming. My father never wanted to return to Poland after the war to reveal his family history to his children. Now that is lost forever. My father did have a wonderful and successful life despite having gone through the horror of the Holocaust and that in itself is life affirming. He married, raised three children and now has 7 grandchildren and started and ran a very successful business.

This past April, my son participated in the March of the Living. As part of this program, the participants recreate the path of the death marches and march from Auschwitz to Birkenau; many wrap themselves in the Israeli flag. This, in itself, is life affirming and has caused me to choke up from the range of emotions that were evoked in me. There are speakers and other demonstrations, including flyovers by the Israeli Air Force.

All of this says to the Nazis,"despite what you tried to do to the Jewish people, we are still here, still thriving and still successful." It also tells the millions of Jews who were murdered by the Nazis that those Jews who survived and those who follow them will never forget them and will continue to thrive and live full and successful lives. It tells those victims, that, although they have died, the Jewish people go on, and they have not died in vain.

It does not belittle the tragedy of the Holocaust. It demonstrates to the world at large, to those who were murdered and those who murdered them, that the Holocaust does not define us. It reveals that the victim mentality will not limit us. We are still here and will make our presence felt; through the characteristics that have always defined us; empathy, charity, a love of education and contributions to the well being of the world.

AM YISRAEL CHAI!

Only Israel - by Yedida Freilich

This is a wonderful and touchingly sad video of a song written by 2 Israelis and sung by their daughter. It seeks to explain why Israel is singled out from every country in the world, despite the amazing contributions that it has made to Western civilization. It examines why Israel is the only country in the world that has to justify its' actions when it clearly acts in self defense and even has to fight for the simple national right to self defense. It answers the question of why Israel is always subject to world condemnation when truly horrific events are going on around the world, and other countries are not condemned for these acts. Pass it on.

Fighting the Stealth Jihad-Update

In an article on the Fox News Web site, published on July 2, the author describes a curious situation in which people from different parts of the country, people who have different educational, ethnic and economic backgrounds and people who adhere to diverse religions who are united in their opposition to the construction of mosques or Islamic 'cultural' centers in their communities.

FOXNews.com - Controversy Surrounds Construction of Mosques Across U.S.

I have previously posted on the mosquetrosity that is being planned near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, in the shadow of where the Twin Towers once stood until they were brought down by Muslim extremists on September 11, 2001. Recent polls confirm that a majority of New Yorkers oppose the Cordoba House, with both 66% of Jews and white Catholics and 60% of Hispanics opposing this center. One main reason for this opposition is the revelation that the imam for this planned center has known terrorist ties.

I have also described the situation in a predominantly Catholic neighborhood in Staten island where an abandoned convent may be sold to a Muslim agency for further development into a mosque. In this situation, neighborhood residents discovered that the Muslim American Society was behind the planned purchase.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism has reported that the MAS is tied to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is an organization that has existed for over 100 years, and whose goal is to spread Islam and Shariah law throughout the West. According to the IPT, this goal is facilitated by the purchase of existing mosques or of land to construct new mosques in the West. The MAS then ensures that the 'right' imams are affiliated with the mosques so that they can disseminate the desired message to their congregations including the desire to spread Islam and Shariah law throughout the non-Muslim world.

Spokespeople for the MAS adamantly deny these allegations and deny any association with the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas or support of terrorism. Directors of this organization also deny that they have a goal of establishing worldwide Shariah and spreading Islam. They contend that their only goal is to establish mosques and provide for Muslims in their communities.

I propose that this statement is untrue. I contend that those who deny this aim of the MAS and any association with the Muslim Brotherhood or support of Islam are engaging in the practice of taqiyya, or deception, which may be practiced against non-believers in situations that include wartime. See here How Taqiyya Alters Islam's Rules of War. Extremist Muslims and their supporters do believe that they are fighting a war, a global Jihad. In that light, most would feel justified in deceiving non-Muslims. Who can forget the depictions of the 9-11 hijackers patronizing bars and strip clubs all the while planning horrific attacks against innocent civilians on our soil, all in the name of Islam? That is the only proof that is needed that this practice exists. Those who think that this opposition is racist in nature are ignorant of the underlying practices of Islam as it was intended to be practiced. It is not a religion of peace as many claim, but has as its' goal the re-establishment of a global Islamic Caliphate.

This nationwide 'opposition' is encouraging. We need to continue opposing the spread of Islam and Shariah law in the so-called name of political correctness. We need to continue fighting the takeover of our country, of our world, by a political system that has yet to move out of the 7th century, that subjugates non-believers, that abuses women and children and that will be the end of freedom as we know it.