Loads of Letters
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=650 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=t1letterblock vAlign=top align=left>Everyone,
--Following is the published letters report for two-week period ended Aug. 16
--As always, this memo is intended for participants in this program,plus a few friends, and not for wide distribution. Editors tend not to publish letters they suspect are part of an organized letter-writing campaign. So, please refrain from cc:ing us on your letters-to-the-editor and from talking about the program in public forums.
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--Thanks so much for your hard work and persistence.
Index:
Billings (Mont.) Gazette – 8/3
(1) Paul Nachman
Hickory (N.C.) Daily Record – 8/3
(2) Tom Shuford
The News Journal (Del.) – 8/5
(3) Suzanne Cuncic
News-Leader (Mo.) – 8/5
(4) Anthony E. Bulver
Dallas Morning News – 8/7
(5) Mary Anne Potter
Hutchinson (Kan.) News – 8/12
(6) Sheila Young
The Arizona Republic - 8/13
(7) Judy Eades
Washington (D.C.) Examiner – 8/15
(8) Al Eisner
LETTERS WE’VE JUST RECEIVED
The New York Times - 7/20
(9) Henry C. Clifford III
(1)
Billings (Mont.) Gazette – 8/3
Letter: Base immigration policy on facts, not emotions
Cokie and Steven Roberts witnessed a naturalization ceremony at Ellis Island and wrote a sentimental op-ed ("Visit to Ellis Island recalls Americans' immigrant heritage," July 11) about the event. They concluded that opposition to immigration is "mean-spirited" and evidences a "take-up-the-drawbridge mentality."
But sentiment is not a sound basis for public policy. Instead, we should recall that the purpose of the U.S. - including its immigration laws - is to benefit American citizens, as it says in the Constitution's preamble: " ... to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity." And today's mass immigration doesn't benefit us. In fact, it is a great detriment, as I witnessed in detail before I escaped Southern California:
The flood of immigrants drives wages and living conditions in our central cities toward those of the Third World.
The influx imposes both sprawl and gridlock on our metropolitan areas.
Immigrant families needing services overwhelm our schools, taxpayer-funded health care facilities and other public agencies.
Those requiring services don't assimilate and, instead, expect to be served in their native languages.
American civic culture frays as each ethnic group establishes its own grievance lobby and pushes for preferences.
Illegal aliens bring us fearsome diseases such as tuberculosis (new, drug-resistant strains) and Chagas.
Shortages of water and other resources loom.
The Robertses have it exactly backwards: It's time to end mass immigration. To better understand what's at stake, check out
www.MontanaMILE.org.
Paul Nachman
Bozeman, Mont.
(2)
Hickory (N.C.) Daily Record – 8/3
Check Obama stance on illegal immigration
The New Yorker cover "is not to be taken as representative of Obama's beliefs," says Kristy Wooten (Your Voice, July 27). Fair enough. How about his words?
For example, immigration involves profoundly important policy choices. What are Obama's choices?
"Nobody in the Senate, other than maybe Ted Kennedy, has been more consistent in saying we need to have a pathway to citizenship for those who are undocumented, already here . . ." (Obama in an interview with Univision, the Spanish-language television network, May 30, 2008).
"The (immigration) system isn't working when . . . communities are terrorized by ICE immigration raids — when nursing mothers are torn from their babies . . ." (Obama addressing the National Council of La Raza [The Race>, July 14, 2008).
CNN's Wolf Blitzer, moderator of the CNN Democratic Debate, Nov. 15, 2007: "I take it, Senator Obama, you support giving drivers license to illegal immigrants. Is that right?"
Obama evades. Blitzer rephrases. Obama ducks.
Blitzer: "This is the kind of question that is . . available for a yes or no answer. Either you support it or you oppose it. Yes or no?"
Obama: "Yes. But. I am going to be fighting for comprehensive immigration reform . . ."
Citizenship and drivers licenses for illegal aliens, reduced enforcement. Change he can believe in.
Tom Shuford
Lenoir, N.C.
Verification of quotes:
1. 1) CNN TRANSCRIPT of Univision [Spanish language network> interview with Obama, May 30, 2008:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0805/30/ldt.01.html
2) VIDEO (1 minute) of July 14, 2002 address to La Raza:
http://www.breitbart.tv/?p=129983
3) VIDEO (2 minutes) of Blitzer-Obama exchange:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNvdOYl63q0
(3)
The News Journal (Del.) – 8/5
Candidates for governor pander to immigrants
I am writing concerning the July 31 article in which the gubernatorial candidates addressed Latino issues.
If these candidates are an example of those who desire to make decisions concerning our state, we are all in big trouble. Illegal aliens are a big problem. How many of the 56,000 Latinos in Delaware are illegal?
Democrat Jack Markell singled out Elsmere because it is the only town in Delaware that has the courage to speak up against spending precious funds to support people who should be living in their own country.
Get a clue, Markell, as to what the real problem is. If you want to be elected, work for American citizens in Delaware. Or take your Spanish-speaking self to Mexico and see what you can do for that country.
Suzanne Cuncic
Smyrna, Del.
(4)
News-Leader (Mo.) – 8/5
Illegal immigrants hurt environment
RE: To preserve identity, control the border
In this Cal Thomas opinion, it's interesting to note that environmental groups like the Sierra Club sycophants bemoan the fate of some mountain lions and bobcats that "won't be able to cross international borders in order to procreate," while they ignore some of the other ramifications.
Ramifications like the thousands of tons of litter, refuse, human excrement, trash and other "left-behinds" that drug smugglers, illegal alien smugglers and illegal aliens leave in their wake as they enter this country illegally. They also discount the incredible ecological damage done by these same smugglers as they "construct" roads across our pristine desert areas, leading to incalculable erosion damage to the ecosystem; not to mention the rarely found natural water sources used by wildlife that are polluted by illegal aliens.
In addition, one could point to the damages done to wells and water tanks maintained by landowners along the borders for their cattle and any wildlife that may need water. Add to that the number of cattle that are killed by illegal aliens to eat, or that die from ingesting some of the trash the illegal aliens leave behind.
Why aren't the Sierra Club and the National Wildlife Federation screaming about that? Maybe we should send a few thousand of those so-called "environmentalists" down to the border to clean up behind the smugglers. They might then understand that a fence is nowhere near as "destructive" to the environment as the folks the fence is designed to stop.
Anthony E. Bulver
Ava, Mo.
(5)
Dallas Morning News – 8/7
Enforcement Works
Re: "Illegal migrants flocking home--Enforcement, economy cited; report says 1.3 million have left in past year, but figure criticized," last Thursday news story.
I found this story very interesting. The writers state that the primary reasons for the exodus are fewer job opportunities and increased enforcement of existing immigration laws.
This story surely debunks the pro-amnesty group's primary premise that nothing can cause huge numbers of illegal aliens to go back home.
If the federal government and all states would consistently enforce existing immigration laws and would require all employers to hire only citizens and legal immigrants, the U.S. would have a much lower number of illegal immigrants in this country in just a few years.
This would significantly improve the ability of our state and county infrastructures to better serve poor, disabled and elderly citizens and would make jobs available for many citizens who are unemployed. Attrition through enforcement and fewer job opportunities works.
Mary Anne Potter
Dallas
(6)
Hutchinson (Kan.) News – 8/12
Not a matter of race
The audience at the recent National Council of La Raza's National Convention in San Diego cheered as presidential hopefuls Obama and McCain each promised passage of comprehensive immigration reform; applauded as Dr. Samuel Betances told them that the United States took what once was a large part of Mexico; listened intently as NCLR President Janet Murguia told them that the immigration debate was a civil rights issue for all Latinos and that hatred in the debate had caused a surge of violent hate crimes against all Latinos; that Latinos must unite in order to empower themselves politically and influence U.S. elections.
According to author Margaret Orchowski ("Immigration and the American Dream"), comprehensive immigration reform is the legalization of all foreign nationals in America who are here illegally. Twice in 2007, the Bush administration tried to pass this legislation; Americans defeated both attempts. Orchowski explains that first-world nations in Europe and Asia with large job markets and good benefits do not have massive illegal immigration. These countries have national identity cards for everyone, active labor unions, well-enforced immigration and labor laws, and heavy sanctions on employers who would dare hire anyone not in the country legally. America is unique for having lax enforcement of these laws, employers who hire foreigners with impunity and resultant illegal immigration.
America has the most generous and fair immigration system in the world; 1.25 million people are accepted annually as citizens from around the world. Each nation has a numerical quota; when each nation's annual quota is reached, applications are dated and stamped for the next year. NCLR's claims that America's immigration system is broken are untrue. Illegal immigration is not a civil right but a serious criminal offense. When compounded with fraudulent documents, it is a felony.
NCLR's solution to mass illegal migration is comprehensive immigration reform, carefully avoiding the word "amnesty." But this is what it is, a reward of citizenship for millions who not only broke our laws but also jumped in line ahead of those in other nations waiting their turn to immigrate legally.
Americans who speak out against illegal immigration are neither anti-immigrant nor racist. America is comprised of all races, who consider themselves Americans first, who vote in U.S. elections as individuals, not racial blocs. America has no need for immigration debate or reform. America needs to follow the example of other nations who enforce their laws and secure their borders, halting future illegal migration and encouraging millions to self-deport.
Sheila Young
Hutchinson, Kan.
(7)
The Arizona Republic - 8/13
Verifying legal workers is vital to state
Individuals and companies who hire illegal aliens for less than half of what they would pay an American citizen and offer no health benefits are only looking out for themselves.
They are not only putting the burden of paying for health care and education on taxpaying citizens, they are exploiting the illegal aliens who come here looking to make a dollar.
These individuals and businesses, whether they realize it or not, are perpetuating and promoting a form of slavery. The coyotes are making money off the illegal alien, and businesses are profiting tenfold by hiring these low-wage earners. In the meantime, the citizen taxpayer may either be out of a job or struggling to make ends meet in order to support his own family.
That's why we need employer sanctions. Thanks to state Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, and others like him, with E-Verify, we are getting to the root of the problem and are ensuring jobs for our American taxpaying citizens.
Judy Eades
Litchfield Park, Ariz.
(8) Washington (D.C.) Examiner – 8/15
CASA should reject Chavez grant
CASA of Maryland recently accepted a $1.5 million contribution from the Venezuelan-owned oil giant Citgo. Here is a Third World dictator, Hugo Chavez, funneling funds to an organization that supports illegal immigration and illegal immigrants in Maryland.
This is really a disgrace for CASA of Maryland to accept these funds.
All this amounts to now is that a Third World dictator is trying to embarrass the United States in sending a message that the United States is not taking care of its poor people.
CASA of Maryland was wrong in accepting this donation. All this will do is increase and widen the problem of illegal immigrants and illegal immigration in the state of Maryland.
Al Eisner
Wheaton, Md.
LETTERS WE’VE JUST RECEIVED
(9)
The New York Times – 7/20
How we treat illegal immigrants
To the Editor:
It is indeed sad that many of the workers picked up in the Postville, Iowa, raids were jailed, but to characterize the arrest and jailing of illegal immigrants who violated our immigration laws and committed document fraud as “abusing and terrorizing” them does not reflect the realities of our legal system.
The law does not automatically bestow compassion and forgiveness on lawbreakers based on the underlying motives for their crime. There is no difference between stealing a Social Security number to commit identity theft or using it simply to obtain employment. Both actions are crimes, deserving of the same punishment.
Last, “under the old way” of immediately deporting the illegal immigrants, they would have been treated to a free, American taxpayer-assisted one-way ride to Guatemala, most likely followed by their eventual return here via the coyote express.
Henry C. Clifford III
Wainscott, N.Y.
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