Posted on 10/29/2004 12:41:29 PM PDT by Prospero
Three weeks ago, seven men were charged with gang raping a woman in Huntersville. Most people probably don't associate Governor Mike Easley and the Division of Motor Vehicles with the crime, but there is a connection.
All seven men charged in the rape have two critical things in common. All are illegal aliens. And all seven have driver's licenses issued by the state of North Carolina, Huntersville Police Detective A. Dempski confirmed for Creative Loafing last week.
Perhaps these men would have come here anyway and committed this crime if they couldn't get a license so effortlessly from the DMV. But the DMV sure is making it easy for them -- easy for them to drive, easy for them to earn a living, easy for them to break immigration law.
There have been a lot of whoppers told this election season, but this was probably the biggest. It's the same one Easley's administration has been telling for over a year now even though he knows better.
The truth is that you need a Social Security number to get a license in this state if you have one. If you don't because you're here illegally, well, that's no problem. You can just use something called an individual tax identification number (ITIN) instead.
An ITIN is a tax processing number the IRS gave out, in the words of Congressman Tom Tancredo, "like candy" to people who work here but aren't eligible to get a Social Security number. The IRS has issued six million since 1996. Only two million have ever been used to file tax forms. The status of the rest is unknown. Last year, federal agents testified that they're pretty easy to buy on the black market.
ITIN cards provide no proof that those who possess them are here legally, much less that they actually are who they claim to be. The situation so concerned IRS officials from a terrorism perspective that they sent a letter last fall to the nation's governors, including Easley, asking them to stop accepting ITINs. The Easley administration ignored them. At the time, the Washington Times reported, North Carolina was one of six states still accepting ITINs. What has confused most people on this issue is that the DMV stopped accepting other questionable forms of ID earlier this year. But it never stopped taking the ITINs.
The problem here is that those licenses the state's been issuing on Easley's watch aren't just used by illegal alien rapists who need to get around town. They're also used by passengers as identification when they board planes.
A statement you have to hunt for on the DMV's site reads, "If you do not have a valid Social Security Number and if you are ineligible to obtain one, you may present an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)."
In front of me right now is a copy of the official "Requirements for Identification" used by the DMV since February 2. It mandates that the DMV accept ITINs in lieu of Social Security numbers.
Still don't believe me? Pick a random DMV, call them up, tell them you don't have a Social Security number and ask if you can use an ITIN to get a license.
I called seven DMVs across the state this week without identifying myself as a reporter and asked that question. At all seven I was told I could get a license if I had an ITIN. I have every one of those conversations on tape.
And if you can't prove that you live here? No problem. All you've got to do is sign an affidavit claiming you do. It costs $2.
Easley's record on this is a long one. Back in 1997, when he was the state's attorney general, his office creatively interpreted a state law barring the DMV from issuing a license to someone who fails to provide a Social Security number. The law, they said, applies only to people who actually have Social Security numbers. Everyone else could use alternate forms of identification.
Thanks to Easley, between 1997 and 2001 the state issued 400,000 licenses to people who didn't have Social Security numbers. Weeks after Sept. 11, Wake County legislator Russell Capps pushed legislation to revoke those licenses unless the holders proved they are state residents. But the Easley administration didn't want to play ball.
"If overnight you take all those licenses, it certainly paralyzes some folks' businesses that depend on those workers," H. Nolo Martinez, director of Hispanic/Latino affairs for Gov. Mike Easley, told the Associated Press in 2001.
Then Easley went a step further. Less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, he signed legislation reaffirming the right of applicants to use ITINs, Mexican matricula cards and a bunch of other unverifiable junk to get a driver's license. Now he wants you to believe that none of it happened. Try telling that to the Huntersville rape victim. I'm sure she'll understand.
It's time for North Carolina's state government to get tough on illegal immigration, and get with the post 911 universe.
They're just committing the crimes that Americans don't want to commit. Stop being such a racist!
/SARCASM
NYC had a recent case where a woman was gang raped by a group of illegal Mexicans who were living in a park near my old apartment.
A Big Tarheel Ping!!!
But think of all the American gang rapists out of opportunities because illegal aliens do it cheaper
(/sarcasm)
The liberal left want legitimate firearms manufacturers held liable for crimes committed when their products are used to commit crimes, but when a corrupt civil employee hands out driver's licenses like Halloween candy we hear nary a word from them.
"Illegal aliens seem to be the leading perpetrators of gang rape in the US."
Hmm...I wonder how we could look that up. I did a quick search on "gang rape" and found gang rapes both by citizens and illegals. About the same numbers, it looked like to me.
Does anyone keep stats on this?
Mr. President,
Illegal alien, Perez Sanchez said: "A country is like a house. If you let bad people get into your house, you're going to corrupt your own people. I understand that."
Sanchez -convictions for first-degree rape, felony assault and two instances of DUI. -and three previous deportations -
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1261472/posts
If he can understand that, why can't you?
By allowing employers to violate this law you are encouraging them to violate other laws. Can you understand that premise? Sanchez does.
I am sincerely losing respect for you and your immigration policies! You should be thanking God that your opponent is such a slimeball.
Kerry: "He outsourced Tora Bora, just like he's outsourced gang rape!"
(Now, a happy day will be when we see the words "gang rape" and "Bin Laden" in the same sentence.)
"Then Easley went a step further. Less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, he signed legislation reaffirming the right of applicants to use ITINs, Mexican matricula cards and a bunch of other unverifiable junk to get a driver's license. Now he wants you to believe that none of it happened. Try telling that to the Huntersville rape victim. I'm sure she'll understand."
Hot buckets of tar, and feathers a plenty...
Maybe she should sue 1. DMV, 2. Governor, 3. Each individual DMV worker who issued said license., 4. Dept of Homeland Security.
Billion bucks. If I was a juror, she'd win. If we could only find a few lawyers with the balls to hold govt as responsible as much as they hold doctors.
Govenor Easley is planning on changing the name of North Carolina to North Mexico to better reflect the political realities.
I wonder if all were registered to vote. Motor Voter...Illegal Voter.
Since you brought it up, I can only recall 5 incidents and three involved illegal aliens. The other two were 14 Blacks raping a 7 year old French girl and a bunch of Middle Eastern Moslems raping an Austrailan girl. In every incident btw the girl victim was White.
Since the two which did not involve illegal aliens took place outside the U.S., the percentage involving illegals is 100%. Of course not a large statistical sampling but interesting anyway.
Seems like folks need to call their local media outlets, maybe their national media and ask them to give Easley a chance to clarify his remarks...
Friends of rapists say crime doesn't fit (barf)
'Huntington Green Six' were 'good hardworking men.'
by Tucker Mitchell
Friends and family of the six men accused of gang raping a Huntersville woman for more that six hours earlier this month say they're appalled by the alleged crime and mystified as to how the men in custody could have committed it.
"These are good, hardworking men, who always got good references from the people they worked for" says Jose Julian Castillo Castillo, the brother of Eladio Castillo Castillo, a member of the Huntington Green Six. "What I know about my brother, what other people, including the women, say about him, does not match up. They were never disrespectful to women."
Jose Castillo Castillo and other friends and family members gathered for a meeting last week at La Mexicano store.... About thirty people were present for the meeting, which was lead by Maudia Melendez of the Latino Connection, an advocacy and information group for the Charlotte Hispanic community. A Huntersville police officer also attended.
(Snip)
New details of, and questions about, the alleged incident, surfaced at last weeks meeting... Bond for all six was set at $100,000 per offense, or $300,000 each, and Judge Phil Howerton didn't even seem remotely interested in reducing the amount as the parade of defendants and the attorneys made their appearance Monday. In fact, the proceedings basically began with his pronouncement (sic) to that effect.
Prosecutors revealed that Lucillo was the boyfriend of the victim, had a consensual relationship with her, and brought her to the [scene of the crime] that night.
The defense attorney for Saurez told the court that his client did not have sex with [that woman], consensual or otherwise, and was looking forward to the results of the DNA test. [Saurez claims his own girlfriend scratched him up the night before.]
Both defense attorneys and friends of the accused pointed to several issues that they believed called the police theory of the crime into question. Both pointed to the lack of criminal histories of the accused, and their solid work records. [The scene of the crime is well known to Huntersville police officers, mostly because of noise complaints. As a matter of fact they had been their earlier that night on a noise complaint.]
At last week's meeting at La Mexicana, the main issues raised were the concern over the kidnapping charges and the perceived character of the men. Melendez, who stressed her role is to act as a communicator between the Hispanic community and the authorities, says the suspects' friends thought the kidnapping made it sound like the men singled out the victim, grabbed her off the street, and took her back to [the scene of the crime]. The kidnapping charges were added, police say, because the victim was held against her will before she was released....
The case goes to Grand Jury for formal indictment next week.
Can you put up a link to that story? and an excerpt?
Let's collect this stuff in one place.
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