Posted on 02/11/2005 10:55:36 AM PST by Jim Robinson
The shot heard around the Internet has been fired on FreeRepublic.com The owner Jim Robinson and his moderators have launched a sniper style purge against members that disagree with the Presidents guest worker amnesty or support more control of illegal immigration. Free Republic is an amazing tool for those looking for a good debate and news from around the country.
The problem for the administration of the site is that their creation is allowing the participants to learn that the Bush immigration record and plans are shockingly out of line with the views of most conservatives. The managements answer to this conflict between the majority of conservatives and the influence of the White House on their Web site has become electronic executions and censorship.
Members and readers of Free Republic would be surprised to know that many members of their community have fallen silent on the discussions about illegal immigration lately because free speech is an illusion on FR.com. They are silent because they have been banned from the Web site without warning, cause, or explanation in most cases. For weeks the moderators have been suspending and banning new members that chimed in quickly on the immigration debates.
Now this trend has broadened as the first groups of long-term users were suspended or banned this past week. Although Robinson and his staff removed many members of the Free Republic community in the first few days of the purge, those that religiously support President Bushs immigration plan, open borders and approve of public benefits for illegal aliens remain on the forum. Those that were banned were the members that wanted more done to control illegal immigration and a strict observance to the Presidents Oath of Office.
You should be careful
Admitting that is hazardous around here.
Looks like a AC-130U Spectre Gunship...fabulous firepower.
Go back and reread the article carefully. I've kept up with all of them. The only new info is what was released this week by the 9/11 Commission and that has not been made avbailable on their internet site as of yesterday.
At present. Close off the land route without ensuring that the maritime route is closed, and it will be more than 20 ships per year.
My nephew is a Coastie loadmaster/flight engineer flying interdiction missions on C-130's.
If he's telling you that the Coast Guard is successfully interdicting the existing over-the-beach entries, he's lying to you.
;^)
You think talking about immigration is bad --try tackling Islam.
The Canadian / US Border stretches over 5,000 miles.
We do not have 1,000 agents stationed up there, but its pretty close.
What some people on here fail to inform people about is the actual number of folks on duty during an 8-hour shift. Those 1,000 Agents dont work 24 and 7. In reality, it takes at least 5 Agents to cover one 8-hour shift.
So, only 1/5th of your force is on duty at any given time. Of that 1/5th, approximately 1/3rd are doing something other then patrolling the border. See, not all border patrol agents patrol the border. The agent in the field needs support, and an agents shift may be in a supporting roll on any given day.
So lets look at what is really guarding the border. 1/5th of one thousand is 200. Lets be generous and say 25 are in support rolls, that leaves approximately 175 Agents to guard the US / Canadian border during any given 8 hour shift. 5,000 divided by 175 equals 28.5.
So, in reality there is 1 Agent every 28.5 miles on the US/ Canadian border. How effective is that?
Now, lets look at the US / Mexican border. We have approximately 10,000 Agents down there. Well be generous and say there are 11,000 Agents stationed down there.
Using the same formula, that leaves us with 2,200 for each 8-hour shift. Well be generous again and say 200 of those are in supporting roles. Now we are down to 2,000 Agents along the 2,000-mile border.
So, in reality, there is approximately 1 Agent per mile along the US / Mexican border.
Thats far less then 7 Agents that some people claim to be guarding every mile.
Good lord son.
Carry your own water for chissakes.
And no, I don't think being pro-amnesty or pro-open borders or whatever you'd like to call it is conservative....not by my estimate.
It may be practical to some or it may be just desserts to others or settling old scores to others even but it ain't conservative and no Pubbies I know here in Nashville think it is.
Lets' do a poll like I asked earlier.
Who supports W's migra plan? I'll eat a tubful of crow if I'm a radical on this issue. Truth is right now, you social engineers are carrying the day here but most conservatives are not with you.
Not Rush....not Hannity...hardly anyone I've seen that is public and claims to be Conservative.
I worked very hard to get W elected and I am glad for that but I diverge with him on this....I do not have to agree with him all the time....we are not in election mode right now. ...no circling the laagers and all that.
Right! Unless you have them in a cache somewhere.
Of course.
When I was in Lukeville, our SRI successfully prosecuted 99.9% of his cases in the first year. Suddenly, the AUSA declined all his cases. He later found out that the DD told the USA to stop taking his cases. Why the USA even followed the DDs sugjestion is beyond me, but he ordered his AUSAs to cease and desist taking the SRIs cases.
Success is not what management wants.
Some may opine that your dismissal of the illegal immigrant population as harmless is tacit approval the act of immigrating illegally.
I miss the old Libertarian-Conservative battles.
I've always been more socially conservative than the forum...I realize that....I am Southern.
We have been moderated by 9-11 and Rathergate...a mixed blessing.
However many it's not enough.
I was asking who appointed you as the arbiter of who is and who is not conservative.
I don't think you will become too concerned about guarding the border regardless of what the truth is.
That is what I mean when I say the President should be up front. "Accept the reality. . . and deal with it as best possible."
Don't suggest that a shiny new law is needed -- what's needed for example is the curtailment of the immigrant "rights" industry and an attitude change from business about respect for laws.
It would help business if government would cooperate and enforce existing laws. That is the reality.
Here's one step that would help me cut some slack for the President, et al.,
The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, Article 41 says "1. Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons enjoying such privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State."
Go before the public and state clearly, "Stop meddling in our internal affair, Mr. Fox." Repeat often.
Your other points are good; e.g., "current immigration laws don't reflect the economic reality" and "Those who believe that we can seal the borders aren't living in the real world."
But require much debate. To wit, "economic reality" as in an artificially created glut of labor? We can at least try to enforce current laws (re: borders). They are not broken they are being broken and, except for a narrow focus, no one seems to be willing to fight the immigrant "rights" industry and the cheap-labor lobby.
More reality: the same thing will happen when we have shiny new laws.
Nobody....just my opinion and I stated why. That's what we do here....most of the time.
I could ask you who died and made you the arbiter of who is a racist or not?
What's the point. You made yourself that....I get it.
Unless you are a Mod....which I don't think you are.
I've forgotten who "they" all are except Dales.
What are you trying to tell me?
Can I be 3000?
I'm declaring victory and going to take a bath.
dang....story of my life....always coming up 1/3000th short.
life is not fair
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