Chico and the Monkey - A peak into the immigration issue
9/17/2009 09:20:00 PM
Out with Mrs. Mars at one of our favorite restaurants, B-Line, the Tucson Weekly catchs my eye with a story about Chico and the Monkey. Now I normally will completely ignore the normally extremely liberal slanted paper. But the story has my cat like curiosity going so I grab the copy and bring it home. The story is a factual accounting of the crimes of smugglers and criminals coming thru the Chiricahua corridor thru the eyes of the area residents. You can use the link above to familiarize yourself with the story, but the facts point directly toward what is wrong with this nation's view of immigration and border security.
Congress has seen fit to try to appease critics about border security by funding border fence projects in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. I have personally been professionally involved with these projects (from an environmental aspect) and can tell you the designs are simply a joke. The projects were simply “vehicle” barriers and anyone can simply walk across the border; and we were within walking distance of El Paso and other small towns in Southern New Mexico. To state these barriers are there to control access into this country is an insult to anyone with any common sense.
How can we expect to control illegal activities and access to this country without effective NON-ACCESSABLE borders? It is truly a sad statement when we have to build “Great Walls of the U.S.” to control access to this country because we don’t enforce current laws which would deter illegal immigration to begin with. If building impenetrable barriers is the intent of border fencing then design and build them that way. To spend my tax dollars on an “open fence” line along the border is appalling to say the least. Build the fence right so NOTHING can cross and don't cry about "it cost too much"! Sell some of those famous $500 hammers!
All sides of the immigration issue have demanded more laws, rules and regulations to help control illegal immigration. There are enough laws already on the books to adequately stop illegal immigration. The problem lies in the judicial system with the extremely liberal judges and lawyers. We have over the years skewed the intent and purpose of our laws, so anyone with a third world law degree can argue the meaning of the word “is”. COME ON! Where did we get derailed off the “American Dream”? Why is it every person's (legal and illegal) right to hire an attorney to twist the law to meet their needs? Again common sense must prevail here.
Vigorous enforcement of our current laws, including taking down businesses that break these laws, is another easy way to get a handle on the issue. Read the story that started this post … it tells you exactly how the system is broken. I understand the overcrowding and other issues with law enforcement. But again, those issues reflect directly from a liberal acceptance that everyone gets multiple chances to help themselves or worst yet, get help from the public trough because they are either too stupid to change or are not required to change. At one time in our nation’s history, we simply threw a rope around the nearest tree and took care of the offender in one swift move. Now that’s true deterrence and a prime motivator that if you get a second chance you don’t blow it! I’m tired of hearing why I have to give them third, fourth … etc. chances or my favorite, “it’s not their fault, they have a disease, mental defect, or their mother didn’t love them in the right way”.
It's really simple;
Congress has seen fit to try to appease critics about border security by funding border fence projects in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. I have personally been professionally involved with these projects (from an environmental aspect) and can tell you the designs are simply a joke. The projects were simply “vehicle” barriers and anyone can simply walk across the border; and we were within walking distance of El Paso and other small towns in Southern New Mexico. To state these barriers are there to control access into this country is an insult to anyone with any common sense.
How can we expect to control illegal activities and access to this country without effective NON-ACCESSABLE borders? It is truly a sad statement when we have to build “Great Walls of the U.S.” to control access to this country because we don’t enforce current laws which would deter illegal immigration to begin with. If building impenetrable barriers is the intent of border fencing then design and build them that way. To spend my tax dollars on an “open fence” line along the border is appalling to say the least. Build the fence right so NOTHING can cross and don't cry about "it cost too much"! Sell some of those famous $500 hammers!
All sides of the immigration issue have demanded more laws, rules and regulations to help control illegal immigration. There are enough laws already on the books to adequately stop illegal immigration. The problem lies in the judicial system with the extremely liberal judges and lawyers. We have over the years skewed the intent and purpose of our laws, so anyone with a third world law degree can argue the meaning of the word “is”. COME ON! Where did we get derailed off the “American Dream”? Why is it every person's (legal and illegal) right to hire an attorney to twist the law to meet their needs? Again common sense must prevail here.
Vigorous enforcement of our current laws, including taking down businesses that break these laws, is another easy way to get a handle on the issue. Read the story that started this post … it tells you exactly how the system is broken. I understand the overcrowding and other issues with law enforcement. But again, those issues reflect directly from a liberal acceptance that everyone gets multiple chances to help themselves or worst yet, get help from the public trough because they are either too stupid to change or are not required to change. At one time in our nation’s history, we simply threw a rope around the nearest tree and took care of the offender in one swift move. Now that’s true deterrence and a prime motivator that if you get a second chance you don’t blow it! I’m tired of hearing why I have to give them third, fourth … etc. chances or my favorite, “it’s not their fault, they have a disease, mental defect, or their mother didn’t love them in the right way”.
It's really simple;
- strictly enforce our current laws,
- increase penalties for alien drug smugglers and coyotes,
- vigorously prosecute illegal activities along the border, in effect creating an enforcement zone along both of our borders so criminals quickly realize they will be in jail for a long time or for extreme crimes face capital punishment
- immediately deport those caught crossing the border illegally (if they are simply crossing the border and are not involved with smuggling of any type or other activity),
- increase border security (including building barriers that work as intended),
- conduct business "interviews" and continue the e-verify system for checking citizenship (ACLU it's not a privacy issue, so shut your damn mouths!),
- create a temporary visa system for those who are here now and currently employed AND without ANY criminal fines, arrests or penalties (this includes traffic fines and misdemeanors offenses - they break the law they are immediately deported, no if's, and's, or but's about it),
- all aliens who meet these conditions must register and obtain proper identification paperwork (I have a passport and they need to have proper ID),
- provide a system that allows those with visa's to apply for citizenship and if they don't want citizenship the visa expires in 5 years after which they are deported or they can reapply,
- acceptance of visa's will be similar to the process in New Zealand (go ahead and try to move there and find out how much information you need to provide them!),
- use of our currently laws regarding birth in the U.S. and marriage to citizens remains in place; for those aliens who have U.S. citizen children, those kids retain their citizenship, but will be need to remain with their parents no matter if they choose to stay and apply for citizenship or get deported (we have enough on welfare and don't need more children from alien parents who leave their kids here),
- IT IS NOT A RIGHT TO BECOME A UNITED STATES CITIZEN! I don't care how much you were tourtured, prosecuted or impoverished in your country. It's a privilege to live in this nation and you must prove you will not be a burden on the hard working tax payers of this country. Otherwise we run the risk of turning this great nation into a third world country.
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I spent a good hour reading both your blog and the article last night. I was pretty pissed by the time I was done. Those two criminals are only a drop in the bucket. There must be hundreds just like them who continually break the law and get a slap on the wrist and a ride home. It makes me want to arm myself and sit on the border. But God forbid I would catch someone. If anyone was hurt, I’m sure I would be pegged as a radical racist and the smuggler would be portrayed as an innocent migrant following the well worn paths of his ancestors. I’m sure the liberal prosecutors would feel my case would warrant prosecution to the fullest extent of the law and then some. After all, there would be no where for them to deport me. I’m sure I could also look forward to American civil courts being used take away everything I’ve worked hard for so it could be given to the migrant or his surviving family. After all, I would be depriving him of his lively hood. AAAAHHHHHH
Sorry for the rant.
Illegal immigration is just that ... ILLEGAL!!! Okay, everybody knows that. Now what do we do about it? Given the WILL, we could enforce the laws and the problem would slowly change to an annoyance (never be completely gone). But you see therein is the crux of the problem ... the WILL! A poll of all people within 2-300 miles of the southern border, I'm confident, would result in an overwhelming WILL to do something about it. But you see, those people don't have the power to fix it. That power rests in a place far far away from the problem; and for those people, it's called the "illegal immigration ISSUE". It's not really a PROBLEM!
The "illegal immigration issue" does get some attention ... about every 4 years (Hmmm!!! What else happens at that cyclical rate???) And there is some hand-wringing, a little rhetoric, maybe even a debate question or two; but come January of the next year and it's never heard from again ... for 4 more years!
However, there are some bright spots shining in the distance. Example #1: Joe Arpaio doing what he can, and a damn good job of it. Example #2: The Minuteman Project. These give us a little hope that someone far far away will hear our tiny voices crying in the wilderness.
Something big ... huge ..., must happen before the WILL to actually do something manifests itself. Then and only then, the politicians may find the resources to begin enforcing the already adequate laws we have in place. Curtailing illegal immigration and the crimes associated with it is extremely simple with adequate resources. Enforcing hiring laws to diminish the incentives for the immigrant to take the risk; prosecution of all law breakers with maximum punishments; strict visa provisions; etc... all that needs to be done ... just takes money! But the spigot that controls the flow of money must be turned on by the WILL of the people. And, unfortunately,that takes a tectonic plate movement size national catastrophe. It's the old joke about the farmer with a mule to pull his wagon; when the farmer is ready to go he takes a 2X4 out of the wagon, walks around in front of the mule &, Babe Ruth style, smacks him right between the eyes. "Have to get his attention first!" This time the mule is our population!!!