Posted on 07/24/2005 1:33:43 PM PDT by 4.1O dana super trac pak
Congressman Howard P. "Buck" McKeon wants his constituents who oppose illegal immigration to know: He hears you, and he agrees. "I've heard loud and clear that message when I come home," said McKeon, the Santa Clarita Republican whose district includes much of the Antelope Valley.
Sounding alternately frustrated and exasperated, McKeon questioned why babies are examined by airport screeners while thousands of non-Mexican aliens caught by the U.S. Border Patrol are released with nothing more than a "notice to appear" in court.
The concern regarding the "other than Mexican" aliens is that some hail from countries suspected of harboring terrorists.
"Yeah, if you survive flying into the building," McKeon said, "come back and visit us (in court)."
"We're at war, but at the same time, we're not at war," said McKeon, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee.
"I go through an airport and I see a baby lifted up and checked out, and somebody that I would, just by looking at them … I think they should be checked, and they walk right through. And in many cases, they're the ones doing the checking."
Racial profiling, in some instances, wouldn't ruffle his feathers. "Profiling - I'd go along with it," McKeon said.
On the same day McKeon sat down with Valley Press editors, Houston airport screener Bassam Khalaf, who raps under the name "the Arabic Assassin," was fired by the Transportation Security Administration. Khalaf's songs included praise of the 9-11 attacks and warnings of his own plans to commit criminal acts, though he said he meant to cause controversy to attract attention.
In recent months, between civilian activist groups volunteering at the U.S.-Mexican border and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger drawing attention for stating - and then retracting - a call to close the border, immigration has been front and center in the news.
On Friday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Leroy Baca said he would support an Israeli-style fence to defend the United States, since he distrusts the federal government's commitment to controlling the border.
In Congress, numerous competing bills have been introduced to tighten the border, tighten the security of Social Security cards, tighten sanctions against employers who hire illegal workers and create "guest worker" programs for migrants.
On Friday, a McKeon spokesman said the congressman wants to see the borders secured, and he is eager to consider the bills when they reach the floor of the House. First, the legislation must pass through the judiciary committees; McKeon does not serve on the House Judiciary Committee.
"I brought it up at our (leadership) meeting (recently), illegal immigration, and I tell you, that one really stirs them up," McKeon said. "They are mad."
McKeon said he spent a night on California's southern border with U.S. Border Patrol agents and saw firsthand the rugged terrain, the searchlights, the soon-to-be-completed fence and the houses with three corners in one country and one corner in the other.
"They'd round them up, put them on a bus, put them in the detention facility, fingerprint them and put them on a bus and take them back across the border," he said.
"It was a cross-section of all kinds of people - old people, young people, babies, pregnant women. Some of them would get caught again that night coming back across."
When questioned about why so few employers are punished for hiring illegal workers, McKeon said, "There are so many things that we could say, why don't we do that?
"Even more basic is, what if you have guys standing in Santa Clarita along San Fernando Road, waiting for someone to pick them up and hire them? The sheriff drives by and they can't even ask for their ID to see if they're here legally or not."
"We really need to wake up on this," McKeon said. "They say if the people will lead, the leaders will follow, and I think the people are really leading hard on this issue, and we need to wake up and get with them, now."
When asked about the stance of President George W. Bush, whose call for a guest-worker program has drawn fire from conservatives, McKeon said: "I don't think that same message has reached, with the same vehemence, the White House."
-ping-
Great article, and pretty fair also.
I've said it before, but the first Presidential candidate who is willing to get rid of ILLEGALS will win 2008. I hope it's a Republican.
ping
In Congress, numerous competing bills have been introduced to: - tighten the border YES! - tighten the security of Social Security cards YES! - tighten sanctions against employers who hire illegal workers YES! - create "guest worker" programs for migrants. ABSOLUTELY NOT!The last thing the Criminal Aliens need is encouragement.
No kidding!!
Protect our borders and coastlines from all foreign invaders!
Be Ever Vigilant!
Minutemen Patriots ~ Bump!
'...tick,tick,tick.....'
Time for a third party?
Time for a third party?
Constitution Party.
Interesting cross reference about being at war, but not being at war in nearby article:
All Quiet on the Home Front, and Some Soldiers Are Asking Why
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1449601/posts
"Nobody in America is asked to sacrifice, except us," said one officer just back from a yearlong tour in Iraq, voicing a frustration now drawing the attention of academic specialists in military sociology.
I do like the Constitution party, although I'd have to consider candidates one by one.
I believe the GOP Big Tent RINO/Liberal/Moderate party is beyond salvaging. Now in the hands of wealthy country club/silk sock elitists, they are very quickly purging the conservatives to return the GOP to its Bob Michael go-along-to-get-along pure pablum days as a never-win-on-any-issue loser party. It's happened already here in Orange County where a well heeled gaggle of liberals has managed to hijack the party from the conservatives who were formerly in charge. They have completely lost the conservatives who want nothing to do with them. At the state level we have the Arnold enthusiasts, otherwise known as the CRP--another useless gaggle of RINOs and liberals.
So, a third party of hard right rudder conservatives with no room for the GOP Big Tent losers? I'm ready.
OMG! Break out the CA-Bashers ping list, one of us finally got it right.
Iron Matron mentions the Constitution Party. They seem to be "purists," which may not always work in politics. But I admire the strength of their convictions, even if I don't always agree with them.
Something tells me that with a large influx of Republicans, pro-life Zell Miller Democrats, and right wing (non-anarchist) Libertarians, they would be able to fine tune their political message to reach a wider group of Americans.
And therein lies both a challenge and a danger. How to fine tune in such a way as to encourage the conservatives without at the same time taking on another herd of liberals and moderates. The former being dangerous while the latter is basically useless because you can never, not ever, count on a middle-of-the-roader.
Wait until California passes their border patrol initiative, I predict you'll see illegals streaming out of the state into neighboring ones by the thousands.
I do like the Constitution party, although I'd have to consider candidates one by one.<<
Me too. I have just learned about the Party myself..they sent me some very good information, but I still don't know the folks who make up the Party.
Worth checking into though..
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