ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION…NOT ONLY A POLITICAL ISSUE – PART 3

In Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, I covered how identity theft can be traced back to the illegal immigration movement, where stolen identities are used by workers to obtain jobs. Because the Social Security Administration does not check on the use of valid SS#s in multiple workplaces—in fact it is illegal for SS to even let the victim know this—the stolen ID can be used for months before the fraud is detected. This will either happen when the business finally confirms the SS#, or there is a raid like the one on the Swift & Co. meatpacking plants in 2006. If the worker also decides to open credit accounts using the same SS#, and then doesn’t make payments, the victim’s credit is damaged as with any ID theft. Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security Secretary, and Julie Myers, Asst. Secretary, both agree that illegal immigration is helping to amplify identity theft, even accounting for the increased activity we have seen lately. So why haven’t Congressional leaders seen this as an opportunity to try and solve both of these issues at a time when each is nearing a state of calamity? Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona, said it best: “Immigration is a federal responsibility, but I signed HB 2779 because it is now abundantly clear that Congress finds itself incapable of coping with the comprehensive immigration reforms our country needs. I signed it, too, out of the realization that the flow of illegal immigration into our state is due to the constant demand of some employers for cheap, undocumented labor.” Congressional incompetence has been evident in the identity theft issue by their failing to pass legislation that would give American citizens control over their names and personal data. The bill Napolitano refers to, HB 2779, is Arizona’s new tough law that imposes penalties on employers who hire illegal immigrants; the most stringent passed in the U.S. The New York Times did an editorial on the issue, which warns that by purging illegal immigrants in the Southwest, you threaten Arizona’s economic future by cutting off the supply of workers in a state with unemployment of 3.3 percent. But this is a political matter, and we are concerned in this blog with how illegal immigration impacts ID theft. Identity Theft 911, a Scottsdale, Arizona firm, has just released a new report with some chilling results. More than 293,000 Arizona residents were victims of identity theft in 2007, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. That’s 4.6 percent of the population, compared to the national rate of 2.7 percent. Over one third of stolen IDs in Arizona are used for fraudulent employment. The report indicates one of the possible reasons for this outsized identity theft problem being the state’s high rate of illegal immigration. There are 891,000 legal and illegal immigrants in the state, 29 percent of its population. I am using Arizona as an example because I live here, and can confirm this problem from a local level. But regardless of what triggers the bad guys to steal our identity, they will find loopholes through security measures like they have been for the last three years. The American citizen’s identity has become a commodity that has surpassed many of those traded over the major stock exchanges. And the crooks will continue to traffic in its spoils until that ability is severed by granting consumers control over their names and personal data.

Colin Powell is anti…anti-immigration, supports DREAM Act

Former Secretary of State and moderate Republican Colin Powell appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” recently and exclaims that Republicans should take another look at their stance on immigration. Powell, himself the son of Jamaican immigrants, said: “We can’t be anti-immigration, for example. Because immigrants are fueling this country.”

His statement lends considerable authority to the continuing opposition to Arizona’s anti immigration law, SB1070.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is hoping Democratic support of the DREAM Act, along with bipartisan backing, will help him and his party in November. That is still questionable since Hispanics currently feel the Democrats have let them down on immigration reform. But realistically, Latinos have nowhere else to turn since most conservatives want to send illegals back to their country of origin, strenuously opposing amnesty.

The DREAM Act provides a natural channel to citizenship for young illegal immigrants who will attend college for two years or enlist in the military.

Arian Campo-Flores says in his Newsweek article that “Though immigration typically ranks pretty far down the list of issues that Hispanics care most about, the level of vitriol this year has sent it back near the top.” Undoubtedly, one of the reasons President Obama decided to tackle health care reform before immigration reform. This ethnic apathy could also explain low voter turnout by Hispanics in the past.

The Dunning Letter has spoken with some Latinos who are middle class and they are 50-50 in their concern for illegals. Any non-Hispanic looks at this with the viewpoint—much similar to the past when some middle class Blacks did not support their own people—why should we care if they don’t. It is a legitimate concern and a failing only the Latino population can correct.

Colin Powell, a former general in the army, also favors the military as a means for illegals to gain citizenship, which is also endorsed by the armed forces. It is a way to strengthen the military, which already has thousands of enlistees who are not yet U.S. citizens. The Hispanic average age is just under 26, and there are 2.6 million males and 2.2 million females now living in this country age 18 to 24.

As Powell says, illegal immigrants "are doing things we need done in this country."

Arizona cities want injunction against state’s new immigration law upheld

Two major Arizona cities, Tucson and Flagstaff, have filed legal briefs for the feds to uphold the injunction against the state’s new immigration law, SB1070. The law was the brainchild of State Senator Russell Pearce, an accused racist, and signed by Governor Jan Brewer, who recently displayed her aptitude in a debate with November opponent, Democrat Terry Goddard. Tucson and Flagstaff are joined by three smaller cities, San Luis, Tolleson and Somerton.

This all comes amid official government reports that the immigration problem has been improving for ten years, and an investigation into Brewer’s staff for financial connections with the private prison system that will house arrested illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, the rage over SB1070 has taken the country by storm, as if we have been overrun by aliens, forgetting the fact of their seasonal need to harvest many crops.

Read more here.

Read more on immigration from The Dunning Letter here.

You won…but what happens in November?

Arizona and Florida primary races were heavily focused on the immigration issue and the results were as expected, in favor of right-wing conservatives who are against The Arizona Immigration Law, SB1070. Since both of these states have large Hispanic populations, the question remains just how that will affect the November elections.

Miami should know something about this with its 65%+ Hispanic/Latino residents, and Andres Oppenheimer, writing for the Miami Herald says, “Pro-Arizona Immigration Law rhetoric will haunt Republicans.” This also holds true in Arizona where the Hispanic/Latino populace is 30.8 percent.

Oppenheimer wants to know how the GOP will court the Hispanic voters in November. On the other side, it is certain that the Democrats currently view this situation as one to exploit in off-setting the loss of some Independent voters in the last year. This would indicate to me that we might be on the verge of the worst negative advertising campaign that politics has ever experienced.

If the Latino population is bombarded with TV and radio ads that condemn Arizona Senator John McCain and Florida’s gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott, both of whom were hard-liners against the immigration issue in the primaries, Democrats in both of those races will probably garner even a higher percentage of the Hispanic vote than President Obama did in 2008. That was 67 percent.

Question is…will that be enough to win the election?

Report on Arizona’s new Immigration Law, SB1070, right from the trenches


I have been writing about this new law passed recently in Arizona in my Phoenix Examiner.com column. And…taking a lot of hits from comments that would take the varnish off your coffee table. People in Phoenix are passionate about the immigration issue, most non-Hispanics for, and most Hispanics against. I say “most” since some Hispanics are in favor of the bill, some non-Hispanics against.

Here’s a summary of the substance of SB 1070 according to the Arizona Senate:

Requires a reasonable attempt to be made to determine the immigration status of a person during any legitimate contact made by an official or agency of the state or a county, city, town or political subdivision (political subdivision) if reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the U.S.

The key word is “legitimate,” which is defined by a person committing a felony, misdemeanor, involved in a traffic accident, or other acts giving the police probable cause to suspect the person. That explanation, in itself, holds a litany of possibilities for officers to either mishandle a situation or, at the very least, be accused of it. And from what I have heard and read, there is considerable confusion over the interpretation of this law.

Its author, Russell Pierce, hangs around with the likes of J.T. Ready, known neo-fascist, also from Mesa, according to Phoenix New Times blog, Feathered Bastard. Pierce’s anti-Mexican attitude is a matter of record, so the burning question here is, was SB1070 born of this racist belief? Many think it was, but don’t seem to care as long as it gets rid of the illegals.

Something Arizona residents might ask themselves before pouring their support behind the law is: 1) who will clean your house? 2) Who will take care of your yard? 3) Who will cook your food in local restaurants? and 4) Who will work the agricultural fields, both in Arizona and nationwide, if this lunacy catches on? And even with a down economy, most unemployed whites won’t take those jobs, if past history is any indication.

What we need is for the White House and Congress to get off their duffs and pass meaningful immigration reforms. But this isn’t likely in an election year. Business as usual.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

FACT: Hispanic population on way to making its statement

In a recent poll by NBC/MSNBC/Telemundo, the general consensus is that there is a diversity of positions on the immigration issue, but this is clearly polarized when the white population is measured against Latinos. The poll reached the political conclusion that in the short term Republicans will see gains, but in the long run Hispanic demographics will prove a powerful force. And this will likely be anti-GOP.

As an example, 70 percent of whites favor Arizona’s recently passed immigration law SB 1070, versus only 31 percent of Hispanics. Further, 58 percent of Latinos strongly oppose it. Although this is a national representation, the key is just where is the Hispanic population highest, and able to turn their views into votes.

I did some research using Census data and came up with the following:

The top ten states with the highest Hispanic population are California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, New Mexico, Colorado and Washington, in that order. Total population in the ten states is 29,072,086, almost 10 percent of the U.S. population. Hispanics nationwide represent 12.5 percent compared to 69.1 for whites, 12.3 for Blacks and 3.8 Asians.

But the Hispanics also score impressive numbers when it comes to their income. Just over 63 percent have incomes of $25,000 or more, 30 percent over $50,000.

When you take a hibernating population composed of significant numbers that has been awakened out of its complacency—In many cases apathy—by a movement that represents their civil rights, and combine that with the education and financial means to stand up for their cause, the end result is usually change.

But the change won’t be automatic, and those who are in this country illegally must stand up now and get in line to achieve their right to be here legally. Whether it is amnesty, deportation, or other options, perhaps a combination of all, both President Obama and Congress must address this issue, not after the November election, but now.

Arizona’s ill-advised immigration law—set to go into effect this Thursday—started the ball rolling, and in many of the ten states, above, as well as across the U.S., registration drives have already begun to get the Hispanic population to the polls in November. With this kind of determination, I wouldn’t be so quick to assume even a short term gain by the GOP.

Census data compliments of EASI

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION…NOT ONLY A POLITICAL ISSUE – PART 2

Back to 2006 and the raids on companies that had hired illegal immigrants, and how this impacts on identity theft today. Called Operation Wagon Train, which could be interpreted as a bit derogatory, Homeland Security found 1,282 individuals, 65 of which were arrested on charges that included ID theft. In a USA Today article, Michael Chertoff said, "This is not only a case about illegal immigration, which is bad enough, It's a case about identity theft and violation of the privacy rights and the economic rights of innocent Americans." I wasn’t aware the Bush administration cared about the privacy rights of Americans. Earlier in the year, 1,187 illegal workers were arrested at IFCO Systems, a company that makes pallets. Chertoff used W’s favorite scare tactic on national security citing potential terrorist activity as a threat against our safety. But this time it is a valid point, because insurgents could use stolen identities to board airplanes. In my concept of granting individuals control over their personal data, a system of checks and balances could be incorporated to trigger a validation check when the ticket is purchased. When contacted, and if the real name-holder did not buy the ticket, the impostor could be arrested at the gate, if not before. In The Christian Science Monitor, Julie Myers, asst. sec. of Homeland Security—certainly not an identity theft expert—does say she thinks illegal immigration “may be a driving force behind this growth,” [in identity theft]. The article also mentions a couple of men living in Phoenix, who came into the country illegally, but gained legal status. However, the two of them are now in the business of helping newly arriving illegal immigrants to get fake documents. It works like this: A coyote calls looking for papers for workers he has smuggled in. One of the Phoenix guys contacts the false document person and has the goods within 45 minutes. It’s so blatant that sometime these people even have business cards. Well meaning perhaps, but at the same time it provides the opportunity for a terrorist to slip across the border and take advantage of these guys’ good will. And that is not acceptable. In May of 2005 in Mississippi, Cedric Carpenter and Lamont Ranson were caught trying to sell fake IDs to members of Abu Sayyaf, a Philippines-based Islamist terrorist group. To give you an idea of the vastness of this problem, the Castorena family organization of Mexico’s organized crime families ran a fraudulent documents ring that controlled cells in 33 U.S. states until a lieutenant, 50 members and the leader, Pedro Castorena-Ibarra, were caught. I doubt seriously if this bunch screened prospective customers to weed out terrorists. In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the bogus document business that supports the identity thieves by providing false identification. Like the ID crooks themselves, you will never stifle this business, but you can thwart their actions by giving the consumer control over their sensitive data, which makes illegitimate IDs worthless. Next post: More from Arizona on this issue.

Immigration myth debunked

As we approach the mid-term elections, after which the President and Congress might consider doing something about immigration reform, here is a major concern about the issue that has been recently deflated. Immigrants are not taking jobs away from American citizens. If they do even apply for the harvesting jobs, they usually don’t stay. Many farmers say most Americans just aren’t up to this kind of work.

Sort of flies in the face of Arizona’s Immigration Law SB1070.

Read more here.

Would you buy a used car from Arizona Governor Jan Brewer?

No? Then, would you vote for a candidate who performed as poorly as she did in Wednesday night’s gubernatorial debate on Channel 8 Public TV in Phoenix? You live in another state and you don’t care? Well, you should. Her unqualified support of the state’s new immigration bill, SB1070, is what put her ahead in the polls, both locally and nationally; otherwise, she is completely unqualified for the job. The debate proved that again.

At one point it looked as if she would break out laughing, probably thinking at the time, “What the hell am I doing here. I’m completely unequipped for this.”  You can see for yourself below:

She is unequipped, and her Democratic opponent Terry Goddard proceeded to decimate the current sitting governor who is there only because former governor Janet Napolitano left to take over as Secretary of Homeland Security for the Obama administration.

What’s your stake in this if you don’t live in Arizona? Brewer’s popularity has soared since she signed SB1070, and there was even brief mention of her running for President. At least 17 more states are considering similar immigration laws, even though Federal Judge Susan Bolton cut the meat out of SB1070, and the legislation is racially motivated to begin with.

Brewer has made several false statements about the immigration status of Arizona, one of which was that law enforcement had been finding beheaded bodies in the desert. Those law enforcement officials Brewer referred to said this was a complete untruth. Goddard asked her in the debate if she was willing to recant that statement, which she did not answer. Later, reporters asked the same thing of her and she just walked away.

If this is what conservatives want, God help us!

You can read more here and here.

Should Arizona Governor Jan Brewer be recalled?

Barry Broome, head of the Greater Phoenix, Arizona Economic Council, who hasn’t spoken with Governor Jan Brewer since her signing of SB1070, calls the law “one of the nation’s most draconian illegal-immigration bills.” The term draconian is derived from the Latin word Draco, which means dragon. Draco, the man, was a 7th-century Athenian, and the first lawgiver of Athens, Greece. He was known for prescribing death for almost every offense. Broome goes on to cite Brewer’s fight with the feds destined to cost the state dollars and prestige.

Photo compliments AP

This kind of classification indicates that someone doesn’t think that there is room for consideration from the Governor’s office other than to follow the path of destruction many think she is leading the state down. No doubt her accomplice, State Senator Russell Pearce, author of the bill, agrees, and will remain SB1070’s biggest supporter.

Sounds like grounds for a recall to me, especially when you consider that many political experts say Brewer did it just to raise her image and increase popularity for the upcoming election in November. It worked. How this could have swayed the minds of so many Arizonans is both perplexing and troubling. First, she doesn’t have one-tenth the credentials as Terry Goddard, the Democrat running against her who is behind in the polls. Second, she has spewed so much misinformation about Arizona’s immigration problems and border security that even the dimmest of wits should be able to see through it.

Read more on this Newsweek story here.

More on this Monday.

You can see more on the Arizona immigration issue here and here.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

Hispanics could decide the 2010 midterm elections

In 2008 the Democrats had the black and Hispanic voters along with some white votes. Obama had considerable strength in young, white voters age 18 to 29. That was then, but now is, well…different. White voters are deserting the President, as indicated by the latest polls, according to Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post. The House midterm elections could be “devastating” for Democrats as one top Democratic operative put it.

And there is more. A Washington Post/ABC poll has Obama’s rating with white voters dropping to 40 percent from 60 percent. An NBC/Wall Street Journal survey says Obama’s standing among white voters is very similar to those of George W. Bush in 2008, 28 percent.

Enter Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB1070, authored by State Senator, Russell Pierce, a Republican, and Governor Jan Brewer, also a Republican.

White voters made up 79 percent of 2006 midterm voters. This changed to 74 percent in 2008. Is that a potential trend? The Democratic National Committee will be spending tens of millions of dollars hoping to recreate the success of their 2008 election model. This included the pursuit of young people, African Americans and Hispanic voters to produce a higher-than-normal turnout.

What is interesting is the Nevada senatorial race between Democrat Harry Reid, Senate Majority Leader, and Tea Party backed Republican, Sharron Angle. Tea Party backing could be one strike against Angle. Her support of Arizona’s law could be two assuming a large Latino vote. And if Harry Reid can mobilize the Hispanic vote in Nevada, currently 12 percent of the electorate, that could deliver strike three.

Reid will have to work hard to get Hispanics to register to vote, and then vote in his favor, due to the Senator’s inability to pass comprehensive immigration reforms. However, some think, because of the efforts Reid has made, Hispanics will come to the rescue.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

Where is THE liberal voice in talk radio?

There’s Beck, Limbaugh and Hannity, the obnoxious three of conservative talk radio. Unfortunately, there are more, probably hundreds, who spew the same regimented far-right prattle that can turn the stomach of even a moderate. You can tell. I am not a conservative, and have very little use for those who think that everything should be done according to their philosophy. If I wanted that, I would join the NRA.

And then there is liberal, or progressive as some prefer, talk radio. You have Rachel Maddow, Thom Hartmann, Bill Press, Ed Schultz, Stephanie Miller and Mike Malloy, a spectacular lineup. But not one of the able spokespeople in this avant-garde group has established the national notoriety as a Limbaugh or Beck. And I think it is due to their listening audience. If you are a part of that crowd, well, then…you aren’t listening.

And if you are, you aren’t walking around and sharing your thoughts on things relating to the new-wave left. On the other hand, your conservative friends are spreading the word daily, even hourly, of how we must isolate ourselves in a world that shuns outsiders who don’t belong, and concentrate on ourselves, especially the upper class. A good example is Arizona’s new anti-immigration law, SB 1070.

Another suggestion is for the talk show hosts to get more verbal, more outspoken, more provocative, and create a monstrous ring of enthusiasm around specific issues like immigration reform. I wouldn’t want to see the typical Limbaugh approach of mouthing off spurious criticisms of President Obama or other prominent Democrats, or general tirades against anything slightly to the left from right. But it could be honest attacks against deserving republicans and conservative issues.

We need to challenge and put in their place Republicans like Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative John Boehner. Both have constantly dragged down the Obama administration with never-ending fault-finding designed only to set up the President for failure. We have yet to see one piece of legislation come from them or their party recently that truly works for all the American people, not just the upper class.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

Should Arizona Governor Jan Brewer be recalled? Part 2

In last Friday’s post, we covered the statement by the Greater Phoenix Arizona Economic Council head, Barry Broome, that SB1070 is “one of the nation’s most draconian illegal-immigration bills.” Followed by the draconian definition that indicates the law might be overreaction to the issue. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon says the result is a projected loss of $92 million in business for the state. He comments in Newsweek, “Anyone who says our image has not been hurt is living in a bubble.”

Robert Lang of Brookings Mountain West, a Las Vegas think tank, said Phoenix “risks becoming the next Birmingham, [Alabama].” He refers to an attack on the 16th Street Baptist Church there on September 15, 1963, by members of the Ku Klux Klan. I was there soon after and it was not a pretty sight. Birmingham suffered for years and probably has never fully recovered from this incident. Lang thinks Arizona could turn into a “bastion of Intolerance,” and Arizonans have Jan Brewer to thank for that.

And the coup de grace is blowhard Rush Limbaugh praises her while some conservatives are thinking of running her for President in 2012. Arizona should drop the ax on Governor Brewer now so she can vie for the job with Sarah Palin in the primary. It would certainly be the most laughable presidential election in history.  And I am not a chauvinist.

Read more on immigration here and here.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

GOP will regret alienating the illegal aliens

Robt. Creamer, columnist for the Huffington Post, says that Republicans will regret turning against undocumented immigrants, thus, alienating some Hispanic American citizens. Why? Because the latter are registering to vote in sharply increasing numbers, and it is likely most of them will vote Democratic. Creamer also says the GOP move was to keep from offending the Tea Party group.

As an example, Texas Republican Governor, Rick Perry, also supported by the Tea Party, has lost an early lead to Democrat, Bill White, according to Public Policy Polling (PPP). The PPP says it has all been due to Hispanicvoters.

Passage of the Arizona anti-immigration law, SB1070, forced Republicans to make a choice, and when it favored Tea Party racism strategy, a huge realignment started to take place in Latino voters across the U.S. Creamer says Hispanic voters see the GOP as anti-immigration zealots, and will punish them for it in the fall.

If the Hispanic community continues to grow at the fast pace it is on now—currently the fastest growing segment in America—it might be the chance liberals have been looking for. Put the conservatives where they belong; in at least second place…permanently.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

Is Michael Moore planning a movie about Arizona’s immigration law SB1070?

Nothing is definite, and as a matter of fact this is only conjecture on my part. But just about every time Michael Moore has become riled, the result has been a caustic documentary that attacks the issue. He is upset with Arizona’s immigration law SB1070, and said so emphatically on the “Larry King Live Show.” You can see the video here.

Presiding in Phoenix on Wednesday, July 28, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton disemboweled the malicious bill just one day before it became law, cutting the two main parts most objectionable to those who respect human rights. Moore said the law is “absolutely disgusting.” He added that something must be done but…”not the bigoted solution Arizona came up with.”

You might remember some of Michael Moore’s documentaries starting with “Roger & Me,” which was about General Motors and its former CEO, Roger Smith. His recent “Bowling for Columbine,” “Fahrenheit 9/11,”Sicko” and “Capitalism: A Love Story” are four of the top nine highest-grossing documentaries of all time.

Judge Bolton put on hold 2 main provisions of SB1070 including stopping local police officers from checking an immigrant’s status when enforcing other laws. Second, she ruled that immigrants do not have to carry their “papers” with them at all times. State Senator Russell Pierce, author of the bill, and Arizona Governor Jan Brewer who signed the bill, have been served their comeuppance. Moore could make that visual.

The question is what kind of wacky moves will they make next, other than the obvious appeal?

Moore went so far as to say to Larry King that he is asking his studio to boycott Arizona with all his films. He also thinks the 2011 All-Star Baseball Game should be yanked from Arizona.

Want to speculate on a title for Michael Moore’s film on Arizona’s debacle? How about ‘Arizona Secedes From Reality?’ And who would play Russell Pierce and Jan Brewer? I see Mel Gibson as Pierce and an aged Lindsay Lohan as Brewer.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

Democrats and progressives…a call to arms

If you are a Democrat or progressive, President Obama requests your attendance at the midterm elections on November 2, 2010. RSVP. You can respond by emailing the White House here. This could be the party of parties, and while your participation will be a brief one—voting only takes a matter of minutes—there is a desperate need for your presence.

Your absence will mean that a Republican, Tea Party member, or other conservative will take your place in line. The result could be a GOP Congress that bodes well for big business and the wealthy, but an abomination for the average Joe and Joan. Us.

The President told Rolling Stone that, “People need to shake off this lethargy.” He wonders if some of those who backed him in 2008, and who now seem reluctant to stick with his campaign for “change,” were really serious in the first place. Obama delivered on health care, got tougher on Wall Street and increased aid to college students. What’s missing is immigration reform, which has fallen victim to midterm elections.

There is no doubt in most minds that Republicans made the decision early-on in Barack Obama’s administration to resist anything the new President proposed. This, along with a Congress that has performed as poorly as any in history, and has unfavorable ratings to back that up, has turned off voters. The level of apathy has risen to new heights as we approach just a month before the election.

The base is still there to reelect a Democratic Congress that will give Obama the support necessary to pass important programs like education, environmental legislation and gay rights, as well as the looming issue of immigration reform that is currently tearing the country apart.

The economy is on the mend and the jobless situation is going to take time, but it won’t happen at all with a GOP-controlled Congress that wants to continue to send jobs out of the country, and which favors the labor practices of big business. A focus on job creation along with re-education can become a reality, but only if it comes from the right direction. And that is not the Right.

Hopefully all the liberal bloggers will join The Dunning Letter in helping to raise the level of awareness of what is at stake on November 2. Just imagine Mitch McConnell and John Boehner sitting in the driver’s seat. That should do it. And don’t forget to RSVP.

What’s wrong with Secure Communities concept?

As I understand it, the Secure Communities program was established to identify illegal immigrants who have a criminal background. It is being phased into communities nationwide based on illegal immigrant population estimates combined with that area’s crime statistics. They are probably building a predictive computer model that will target a certain profile.

As an example, the fingerprints of those booked into jail for any crime are run against FBI and Homeland Security records to identify those in the country illegally or with previous arrests. So far so good.

Projections are the program could deport more individuals than Arizona’s new immigration law, SB1070. And there lies the rub. Those opposed to Secure Communities fear that it will sweep up even legal immigrants, and that those illegal with minor infractions like a traffic ticket.

Those for the program cite statistics as proof. Out of 2.6 million screened since October of 2008, 35,000 were identified as illegal immigrants arrested or convicted for crimes like murder or rape. Another 205,000 were identified for less serious crimes.

ICE spokesman, Carl Rusnok, says Secure Communities was created to improve the method for catching and deporting illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds. San Francisco said no to the program because of the fear that it would cast too wide a net. It also goes against their sanctuary city policy that requires authorities to only report foreign-born suspects booked with felonies. California Attorney General Jerry Brown disagrees and thinks it does work.

ICE continues to maintain that the people reporting crimes need not worry; only those arrested will be screened for their illegal status. This could be either one answer to immigration reform, or another botched government program.

Please visit my writing at Examiner.com

Phoenix Suns owner, Robert Sarver gets “Year in Sanity” award

Salon.com has recognized Robert Sarver, a banker and entrepreneur in addition to owning the Phoenix Suns basketball team, for his “sanity” in condemning Arizona’s new Immigration Law, SB1070. Sarver commented that it interfered with “…basic principles of equal rights and protection under the law…” The “Year in Sanity” award came after the team donned jerseys saying “Los Suns” to honor the Latino community in game 2 of the recent playoffs.

Sarver affirms that federal immigration laws have failed, but you don’t replace one bad law with another bad law. He states that SB1070 is “flawed.” Most of the country knows this by now, since Federal Judge Bolton struck down the substance of the bill, and an appeal by Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer, was denied. Brewer has still been able to ride the momentum of SB1070 with out of touch Arizonans to November’s ballot.

Read more here.

Read more about Jan Brewer here.

Hispanics and a New Independent Party

All of a sudden both sides of the aisle are interested in the Hispanic vote. That’s because they have finally begun to make themselves heard. In the 2000 presidential election, they registered 7.5 million voters out of a possible 13.1 million citizens. This increased to 9.3 million in 2004, out of 16 million, respectively. I bet the recent demonstrations upped this substantially.

We can all remember when the Democrats championed causes for minorities, but barely a peep has been heard from those party members either running for Congress in 2006, or the Presidency in 2008. Republicans do garner some support, but the individual usually comes from a wealthy background or has made it big in business. There is a tendency to forget the little guy, to whom we owe much of this country’s progress.

I won’t get into the legal aspects of the immigration movement since it is just that, a legal issue. However, I will say that federal legislation is desperately needed to determine the status of the 11 to 12 million Hispanics who are here illegally. And, it isn’t likely that Democrats or Republicans have the guts to do what is right. The opinion is based on both parties’ track record in recent privacy legislation, another concern dear to the average consumer.

Perhaps this potential voting block of over 16 million (citizens only) should consider an independent political party as the answer to their problems. It’s not too far-fetched to combine a civil rights movement with a privacy theme, especially since many of the privacy issues apply to minorities. And there are another 25 to 30 million sharing this status that would join the momentum.

Nearly 58 percent of Hispanics registered to vote in 2004, and 81.5 percent of that voted. However, of the 42 percent not registering, just under 38 percent gave the reason that they weren’t interested in the election or not involved in politics. This doesn’t differ much from the total population where 46.6 percent gave the same excuse. But you can take it to the bank that the recent demonstrations have changed at least the Hispanic thinking.

The next move is to integrate all this enthusiasm into one solid cause that stands for individual rights with no boundaries of race, or otherwise. Starting with the demand for personal privacy, every issue that impacts this mandate becomes part of the independent party platform. Immigration and human rights in general would top the list.

Timing is perfect. Every seat in the House of Representatives is up for grabs in November, along with 33 Senate seats. If you don’t have an independent you can vote for in your area, find a candidate who subscribes to the principles of individual rights and encourage them to run.

The latest LA Times/Bloomberg poll shows only 39 percent of Americans approve of Bush as President; 57 percent disapprove. And, these figures are confirmed in AP/Ipsos, and Washington Post/ABC surveys. Congress fares even worse with a 28 percent approval rating; 61 percent disapproval. You can read about this continued Republican slump in an MSNBC.com article, “Bush job-approval ratings remain low,” by Jeff Pruzan.

Many voters believe that it is impossible to elect an independent President or majority in Congress. Most of this rhetoric comes from the top echelons of the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as their elected officials. Well, Ross Perot’s almost 19 percent of the vote in 1992 established him as the most successful third-party candidate since Teddy Roosevelt’s 27.4 percent in 1912.

The TV show, Commander in Chief, on ABC, portrays Geena Davis, an Independent, as the President, ushered into office from the death of the former President. The question is…will she be re-elected? But I think we can all agree that in the best of Hollywood fashion, this has been predetermined. The show’s creator and Producer, Rod Lurie, had to have done extensive research into the possibility of the election of an Independent Party President, in order to maintain believability in characters and the storyline.

Does he know something we don’t? Stay tuned!

Iowa egg farm needs some serious investigation

The massive egg recall by the Iowa farm, Wright County Egg, has spurred several comments that question whether the Federal Drug Administration is doing its job. The FDA reported that it had “no inspectional history” with it or the other culprit, Hillandale Farms, also a part of the recall. Not only are the two involved in salmonella contamination, but Wright is also suspected of providing tainted feed to Hillandale.

The FDA, according to Deputy Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, is looking at the “overall” contamination of the facilities, not just the feed. The salmonella found at Wright County Farms matches the “fingerprint” that was found in many of the 1,470 illnesses caused.

Austin “Jack” DeCoster, Wright owner, has a record of violations in the last 20 years for health, safety, immigration and environment violations paying millions in fines. Apparently the FDA went clueless through all this, as well as the state of Iowa. DeCoster has not yet commented on the situation and doesn’t look particularly happy in the photograph. Hopefully, this chronic offender will be made considerably unhappier in the future.

Photo compliments Lewistoown, Maine Sun Journal


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