Posted on 04/21/2005 11:17:56 AM PDT by madfly
PHOENIX, AZ (April 20, 2005) - Apparently the U.S. Border Patrol believes that national TV and radio stars don't have to play by the same rules as others.
Mr. Sean Hannity, a well-paid commentator for Fox News, climbed over a barbed wire fence separating the United States from Mexico yesterday at about 3:15 p.m. A few minutes later he climbed back over the fence, breaking federal law by reentering the U.S. illegally.
Mr. Hannity's border violations were videotaped by ACLU Legal Observers. The Border Patrol was contacted, but they chose not to arrest or cite Mr. Hannity for his willful violation of federal law. Likewise, Minutemen in the vicinity of the incident did not take the opportunity to turn Mr. Hannity over to federal officials, as they have allegedly done with all other illegal immigrants apprehended on the border this month.
Federal law, specifically 19 U.S.C. Section 1459(a), requires all "individuals arriving in the United States other than by vessel, vehicle, or aircraft [to] enter the United States only at a border crossing point designated by the Secretary; and immediately report the arrivals and present themselves, and all articles accompanying them for inspection; to the customs officer at the customs facility designated for that crossing point."
According to 19 U.S.C. Section 1459(e), anyone who intentionally enters the United States at a place other than a designated border crossing can be imprisoned for up to one year and fined up to $5,000. Mr. Hannity faces neither of these penalties. Individuals apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol do.
This is the very same crime that Minutemen have traveled across the country to Arizona to stop. While some may argue that Mr. Hannity's actions were not significant, he committed the same crime that all individuals who enter the country illegally commit. In fact, ACLU observers were warned that they would be arrested if they accidentally or deliberately crossed the border and tried to reenter the U.S.
Why is U.S. Border Patrol demonstrating such an obvious double standard? If the Minutemen came to Arizona to watch the border for signs of illegal immigration, why did they fail to report Mr. Hannity?
There is only possible conclusion. The Minutemen and the Border Patrol have one set of rules for television celebrities, and another for hard-working people who cross the border in search of work.
I saw it too. And he did not climb "over a barbed wire fence" he stepped through a huge gapping hole.
So Mexican immigrants are cable show hosts originating in the US???
Precisely! And if the information presented on this thread is correct, he even made that point on the air as an integral part of his story. (In the biz, I think they used to call this a "visual".)
The 'Rat operative that sent out this press release knowingly, deliberately, and carefully misrepresented the facts, counting on people to miss the story , and concentrate on the spin. It would seem that their confidence in the gullibility of a fraction of the American public was well placed.
Well, someone lied, but in this case it was not Sean Hannity.
The author of the press release that is at the head of this thread did, however, claim that Hannity did something which he did not do, which he did not claim to do, and which he went to some pains to point out he was not doing -- all in the report that they cite as the basis for their little missive.
In other words, Kyrsten Sinema lied.
I can't beleive that I'm defending Sean Hannity.
LOL...those were kinda my thoughts on the subject. I listen to Hannity, and appreciate the work that he does, but I find him just a little pompous (sp?).
OTOH, the stuff he does works. I see Hannity becoming the next Rush. Guess we'll just have to wait and see. And Rush made it despite his ego, or maybe it was BECAUSE of his ego...
Oops, caught in a media nightmare.
Seriously, the Minuteman Project volunteers are the ones deserving our highest praise and support. Having taken their own personal time and money to spend countless hours alternately baking and freezing, harassed by brain-damaged dopes on dope and never knowing if the Maria Saratchuva(sp) gang is going to make good on their threat to take their lives. Add in the factor of all those irritating pests buzzing around and getting underfoot...and that's just the mainstream press.
Which brings us back to Sean Hannity and his fellow media creatures. Some here have been awful harsh on him but tend to forget that it's his job to not only report and comment but to create visual illustrations designed to draw attention to their stories. He didn't have a visual showing dozens of illegals swarming in - the MinuteMen's effectiveness ruled that out!
It's easy to verbally snipe these guys from our armchairs but much harder to put ourselves in their place. I, for one, don't envy the pressures of deadlines, copy changes, unpredictable guests and, in Hannity's case, a walking argument for abortion as a co-host.
I don't even like their show! They've both become too much like O'Reilly, rudely cutting their guests off when the poor schmo's are only halfway through their responses (as several Free Republic members can attest). I'll take the thoughtful inquiries and respectful treatment Lou Dobbs extends to his guests (no matter how repulsive they might be) over the bombastic style of "journalism" we're seeing from the Fox network's talking heads.
Despite all that any member of the media establishment who's not out to create a hit-piece should be welcomed and treated civilly. The volunteers have done just that while proving to the rest of the country that common citizens are not powerless to perform an enforcement task our federal government is too lilly-livered to do. Kudos to these real modern-day heroes!
Nope, they don't. The tinfoil hat is blocking their ears.
I would have hopped the fence to report the story. Or maybe I would have just kind of put my toe on the other side like you do when you are checking the temperature of a swimming pool before diving in. :)
Only fair, seeing how many illegal-owned pickup trucks sport a decal of comic page bad boy Calvin sprinkling on the phrase "La Migra".
Respectfully disagree. If Sean exposes the RATS while self-promoting, so be it. If we don't promote ourselves, who is going to do it for us? He is a business. His business has done damage to the other side.
This young attorney was a big mouth obnoxious leftist. She could not admit that she had the facts wrong and would not answer questions. She dominated the conversation and kept interrupting. What a *itch.
Email: ksinema@azleg.state.az.us
Web site: Click here for the legislator's website
I doubt that she would want you to "do her".
Her self esteem seems to be well in place. It is her politics that are crazy.
Any media person is by definition self-promoting. They, as well as politicians, have enormous egos.
But let's give credit where it's due. Sean has given a lot of positive publicity to the efforts of the Minutemen as well as the enormous immigration problem.
He has also done a LOT for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.
The charge is absurd.
If one of the ACLU punks crossed over things may have been different as a full cavity search would have been in order.
I have a call in to the nitwit. I want to know if it has been verified whether Hannity left U.S. territory, thus violating the law. Hmmmmm, is she going to return my call? I was nice.
"While some may argue that Mr. Hannity's actions were not significant, he committed the same crime that all individuals who enter the country illegally commit."
Wadda Maroon!
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