First Things First on Immigration (Open Letter by Prominent Conservatives to Bush & GOP Leaders)

Center for American Common Culture ^ | June 20, 2006

[RWR8189]

An Open Letter to President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Frist, and Speaker of the House, Hastert.

Recently, columnist Thomas Sowell wrote: "It will take time to see how various new border control methods work out in practice and there is no reason to rush ahead to deal with people already illegally in this country before the facts are in on how well the borders have been secured."

We the undersigned agree with this statement. In 1986, Congress passed "comprehensive" immigration reform that included amnesty for around 3 million illegal immigrants, border enforcement, and interior enforcement (employer sanctions). Amnesty came, but enforcement was never seriously implemented either at the border or in the interior.

Let us not make this mistake again. We favor what Newt Gingrich has described as "sequencing." First border and interior enforcement must be funded, operational, implemented, and proven successful¾and only then can we debate the status of current illegal immigrants, or the need for new guest worker programs. We are in the middle of a global war on terror. 2006 is not 1986. Today, we need proof that enforcement (both at the border and in the interior) is successful before anything else happens. As Ronald Reagan used to say "trust, but verify."

The majority of Republicans in the Senate opposed the recently passed Hagel-Martinez bill. Senator Vitter (R-LA) said that because border enforcement will not be in place, "this [bill] will in fact make the illegal immigration problem much bigger." The No. 3 Republican in the Senate, Senator Rick Santorum (PA) said, "We need a border-security bill first." Senator Vitter, Senator Santorum, the majority of Senate Republicans, and the majority of House Republicans are right¾we need proven enforcement before we do anything else. Adopting cosmetic legislation to appear to be "doing something" about enforcement, but which actually makes the situation worse, is not statesmanship, it is demagogy.

We thank the majority of the Senate Republicans (33 in all) and the seven Democrats who supported the Isakson amendment, which insists upon verifiable benchmarks for border security before considering other issues. Moreover, we say "Thank You" to Jim Sensenbrenner, Peter King, and the bi-partisan House majority including 36 Democrats, that passed HR 4437. We may quibble with a clause here and there, but you in the House and the majority of Senate Republicans are right to emphasize that the Congress and the President must deal with enforcement first and other issues later. Stand fast; the American people are overwhelmingly with you.

Signed,

William B. Allen, Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University

William J. Bennett, former Secretary of Education under President Reagan, former Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy under former President George H.W. Bush

Thomas L. Bock, National Commander of the American Legion

Robert H. Bork, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, former Solicitor General, acting Attorney General, Supreme Court nominee, U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge

William F. Buckley, Jr., founder and Editor-at-Large of National Review

Peter Collier, founding Publisher of Encounter Books, cofounder of Center for the Study of Popular Culture

Ward Connerly, former Regent at the University of California, founder and Chairman of the American Civil Rights Institute (ACRI), winner of the 2005 Bradley Prize for Outstanding Intellectual Achievement

T. Kenneth Cribb, former domestic policy advisor for President Ronald Reagan

Glynn Custred, Professor of Anthropology at California State University, Hayward, and coauthor of the California Civil Rights Initiative, Proposition 209

John C. Eastman, Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law, Director of the Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence

John Fonte, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center of American Common Culture at the Hudson Institute

David Frum, former speechwriter for George W. Bush, Resident Fellow at American Enterprise Institute

Frank J. Gaffney, Jr., founder and President of the Center for Security Policy

Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chairman of the Gingrich Group, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute

Jonah Goldberg, Editor-at-Large of the National Review Online, national syndicated columnist

Victor Davis Hanson, Martin and Illie Anderson Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, recipient of the 1991 American Philological Association Excellence in Teaching Award

David Horowitz, cofounder of the Center for the Study of Popular Culture, Editor of FrontPageMag.com

Fred C. Iklé, former Undersecretary of Defense under Reagan, former Director of U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency

David Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union

Brian Kennedy, President of the Claremont Institute, Publisher of the Claremont Review of Books

Roger Kimball, Managing Editor of The New Criterion

Alan Charles Kors, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania

Mark Krikorian, Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies

Bevery LaHaye, Founder and Chairman of the Concerned Women for America

Michael A. Ledeen, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute

Seth Leibsohn, Fellow at the Claremont Institute

John Leo, columnist and Contributing Editor to U.S. News and World Report

Herbert London, President of the Hudson Institute

Kathryn Jean Lopez, Editor of National Review Online

Rich Lowry, Editor of National Review

Heather Mac Donald, John M. Olin Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, winner of the 2005 Bradley Prize for Outstanding Intellectual Achievement

John O'Sullivan, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, Editor-at-Large of National Review

Juliana Pilon, Research Professor at the Institute for World Politics

Daniel Pipes, founder and Director of the Middle East Forum and Campus Watch, former member of the board of the U.S. Institute of Peace

Andrew "Andy" Ramirez, Chairman of the Friends of Border Patrol

Phyllis Schlafly, founder and President of Eagle Forum

Thomas Sowell, Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution, winner of the 2003 Bradley Prize for Outstanding Intellectual Achievement

Shelby Steele, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, winner of the 2006 Bradley Prize for Outstanding Intellectual Achievement

Stephen Steinlight, Fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, former National Affairs Director of the American Jewish Committee, and Vice President of the National Conference of Christians and Jews

Thomas G. West, Director and Senior Fellow of the Claremont Institute, Professor of Politics at the University of Dallas

Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America

[glorgau]

That's a list of heavy hitters.

[ClaireSolt]

I can hear it now. The neocons II. PJNAC

[steve8714]

hate mongering bigot vigillantes...

[sageb1]

"That's a list of heavy hitters."

It sure is. These are the people I trust. The true patriots who care about America.

[sageb1]

"I can hear it now. The neocons II. PJNAC"

Who cares? I certainly wouldn't want my name on any other list.

[Kakaze]

" As Ronald Reagan used to say "trust, but verify."

Its a great letter. It will be interesting to see the normal "Cast of Characters", around here, attempt to discredit it.

[1234]

BIG TX

RIGHT ON

[rightazrain]

I really had to laugh watching Fred Barnes and the rest of the panel on Brit's show yesterday regarding this letter. They had the funniest, most baffled looks on their faces.

It was really amazing! Fred, I think, finally gets it. As do Mara et al. They declared the bill dead-dead-dead.

We "yahoos" knew all along that it would be a political disaster to pass anything resembling the Senate version, but the pundit classes kept insisting there would be a bill, that it would be a huge failure for the Republicans if a bill didn't pass, that the base must be saved from itself, yada, yada, yada.

But, golly gee, these fine intellectual conservatives who signed this letter feel just the way we "yahoos" do.

Shazaaaam!!!!!

[wolfcreek]

We need to keep ringing to doorbell in hopes someone will answer. IMO, the music is too load for anyone inside to hear.

[ImpBill]

It will be difficult but the "BB's" will somehow dis each and everyone of these folks.

Imagine actually securing the border before dealing with the criminals here. Oh, my bad. "Criminals"? Shame on me. I forgot it all depends on what the definition of "criminal" ... is.

At any rate great find. Unfortunately, even statements from a group, such as these distinguished folks, don't really seem to sway our "elected" officials these days.

Only one way in my minds eye to secure the border and secure this Republic.

The first step is to clean out the congress, assembled, over the next three general elections. Then set an rigidly maintain strict term limits.

We must end "ruler-ship" by the "elected".

Then we will have a much better chance of restoring security and constitutional conservatism to this once towering Republic.

In the process, it wouldn't hurt to "build up The Wall".

Is there anybody out there?

[Tolik]

Nailed It!

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for the perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author all 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of the good stuff that is worthy of attention. You can see the list of articles I pinged to lately  on  my page.
You are welcome in or out, just freepmail me (and note which PING list you are talking about). Besides this one, I keep 2 separate PING lists for my favorite authors Victor Davis Hanson and Orson Scott Card.  

[GarySpFc]

Thank God there are decent men and women who hear our cries for help from this invasion.

[Carry_Okie]

That's a list of heavy hitters.

William B. Allen, at Michigan State is one serious constitutional scholar (and my former professor :-). It's nice to see him taking a swing.

[flaglady47]

"It was really amazing! Fred, I think, finally gets it."

No he doesn't. He and Mort just can't understand how we, the peons, can't be as smart as their elitist selves. Fred thinks this is all being instigated and fomented by talk radio, and that we don't have the brains to figure illegal immigration issues out ourselves; it's the talk radio hosts that are implanting such rebellion in our minds. Fred and Mort are tone deaf and clueless about this issue.

[rovenstinez]

Things are really getting out of hand. Rivers more polluted, more toxic waster everywhere. Violence, corruption, relationships in homes, at school, and courts that go to work to apply technicalities, and no real JUSTICE. Some better needs to start eating APPLE PIE and Coffee, and talking to their Mom's and Dad's, and Grandpa and Grandma about VALUES...not Decimal Dewey or Margarent Mead, but Wise Solomon of Isreal. Here in Mexico it's quite a known fact we do have many who skip court appearances and are now starting over again in the USA. That MAY BE a good thing, but people in America might like to know the FACTS about the people who are coming in to take the jobs, and what there REAL name is.

[rightazrain]

Yes, you're right about that part. I heard him mention talk radio last night.

What I meant about Fred getting it, is that the bill will NOT pass, and he had kept insisting in recent weeks that it should, and would!

[OldFriend]

BB checking in.

The American people are not overwhelmingly supporting these elites.

There are but two or three people on that list that are not pushing an agenda of their own.

And how did they manage to keep PJB off the list of signatories.

[cinives]

wht is PJNAC ?