Flood the amnesty hotline!

If you are having trouble getting through the Capitol switchboard to express your opinion about the Bush-Kennedy shamnesty, there's a special hotline number you might like to try.

Freepers picked up on it this morning. Bryan Preston dialed it earlier today and captured audio of the hotline. He reports:

The hotline is paid for by something called the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and it’s being blasted to pro-open borders groups all over the country. The hotline gives its callers access to their senators that average Joes don’t have.

Here's what the "Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform" is directing its pro-illegal alien activists to do:

Call between 9:00am and 5:00pm Eastern time to have a better chance of connecting with the Senate offices.

1) The system will scan your phone number (or ask you to enter it) to verify your Senators.

3) Before connecting, you will hear a brief message about immigration reform to deliver.

5) After you are done, be sure to call again and connect to your other Senator's office.

Who is the "Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform?" An umbrella group for every major pro-open borders outfit--many of which receive generous taxpayer subsidies. From a March 2007 press release:

A coalition of local immigrant advocates, national policy groups, labor unions, faith-based groups, and ethnic organizations have come together under the umbrella of the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR) to mount an unprecedented nationwide campaign to support passage of workable comprehensive immigration reform legislation in Congress this year.

"This campaign is unprecedented in the pro-immigration community," said Cecilia Munoz, Senior Vice President of the National Council of La Raza. "Never before have we brought together under one banner such a formidable political coalition to fight for passage of comprehensive immigration reform. We now have the money, the people and the political will to punch this vital issue over the goal line in Congress and make America a better place to live and work."

The campaign already has approximately $4 million on hand, and is expanding its war chest for what many believe will be a defining legislative debate in Congress this year. The campaign is anchored in the work of leading local and national groups committed to comprehensive immigration reform that will work and that will pass. It will feature a strong central staff headquartered in Washington, DC supported by a bi-partisan team of lobbyists, communications specialists and a field operation in 30 key states.

CCIR launched its effort over the weekend in Washington by bringing together field organizers from 29 states to hammer out strategy and refine legislative targets. In addition, the campaign�s Strategy Council met to consider legislative strategy and policy priorities. The members of the Strategy Council are:

ACORN, Asian American Justice Center, Center for American Progress, Center for Community Change, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Denver Area Labor Federation, El Centro, Inc., El Pueblo, Hate Free Zone, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, LA County Federation of Labor, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, LULAC, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, MALDEF, NAACP, NAKASEC, NALACC, National Capital Immigrant Coalition, National Council of La Raza, National Immigration Forum, National Immigration Law Center, Nebraska Appleseed, New York Immigration Coalition, PCUN/CAUSA, SEIU, SEIU 32BJ, SEIU Florida Healthcare Union, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, UNITE HERE, UNITE HERE Local 226 Las Vegas, UNITE HERE New Jersey State Council, United Farm Workers, United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society.

The CCIR Board is comprised of Munoz, (Chair); Frank Sharry, National Immigration Forum; Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change; Chung Wha Hong, New York Immigration Coalition; Eliseo Medina, SEIU; and Tom Snyder, UNITE HERE.

Where did that $4 million come from? From something called "The Atlantic Philanthropies:"

Atlantic has made three grants to date in support of this effort: a planning grant in the amount of $100,000, and two core support grants, one in 2004 which was renewed in 2005, totaling $7m.The initial planning grant enabled these twelve advocate groups – from labor, community development, ethnic identified groups, national immigration advocacy, and regional immigration coalitions – to come together at a common table and set a coordinated agenda and strategy.The two core support grants enacted this strategy – through advocacy, lobbying, communications, message and media development, grassroots mobilization and education efforts. To widen the reach and coordination of this “inside/outside” strategy, a sister 501(c)(3) coalition, The New American Opportunity Campaign, was created by the CCIR. Grant Data

* Project: Immigrant Rights * Programme: Reconciliation & Human Rights * Region Served: United States * Grantee: Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform * Amount Awarded: $4,000,000 * Year Awarded: 2005 * Duration: 24 Months (31 Aug 2005 to 29 Aug 2007)

And yes, this philanthropic group has ties to open-borders billionaire George Soros:

Gara LaMarche is President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. He joined Atlantic in April 2007 to lead the organisation through its final chapter as the foundation disburses its remaining $4 billion endowment and completes active grantmaking by 2016.

Before joining Atlantic, LaMarche served as Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs for the Open Society Institute (OSI), a foundation established by philanthropist George Soros. LaMarche joined OSI in 1996 to launch its U.S. Programs, which focuses on challenges to social justice and democracy.

For the discussion on WGKA this afternoon!

This LIVE link goes directly to the Senators FOR WHATEVER AREA CODE you are calling from.

I tried it from Louisville using the local 502 area code number = got to a LIVE staff rep at Kentucky’s Senator’s (McConnell) office one the FIRST RING.

I tried it from Louisville using my 770 area code cell phone number = got to a LIVE staff rep at GA’s Senator’s Isakson office on the FIRST RING pushing 1, then 2 at the Spanish recording. No recording, no wait, no dial tone, no recorder or voice mail.

I tried it from Louisville using my 770 area code cell phone number = got to a LIVE staff rep at GA’s Senator’s Chambliss office on the FIRST RING (that’s when you push 1, then 1.) Same thing: No recording, no wait, no dial tone, no recorder or voice mail. A LIVE OPERATOR ANSWERS THE MEXICANS ON A TOLL-FREE LINE.

An overloaded voice mail box answers the Americans using (trying to use!) the taxpayer’s (for-pay) commercial number.

MEXICO'S SLIM FAMILY MOVES ON UNIVISION
(Mexican billionaire invades US business world)
By ZACHERY KOUWE, NY POST
April 20, 2006 -- The powerful family of Carlos Slim - the world's third richest man, with a $30 billion fortune - bought a huge stake in Spanish-language television giant Univision last month now worth close to $293 million. The move was revealed in a regulatory filing yesterday. It signals that the Slim family, which owns several Latin American companies, could be planning to participate in a buyout of Univision or is trying to block a takeover by another suitor.

"It looks like Slim plans to roll over his equity as part of the buyout, but wants to get in at the pre-sale price," said one analyst. Slim purchased 8.5 million Univision shares between March 9 and March 20 for an average price of $33.83 a share, according to a regulatory filing yesterday. The family now controls about 2.8 percent of Univision's outstanding shares through its real estate company, Inmobiliaria Carso.

Carlos Slim's son sits on the board of Mexican company Grupo Televisa SA, which owns nearly 11 percent of Univision and has a lucrative broadcasting agreement with Univision. Grupo Televisa said in a filing yesterday that it is evaluating "alternatives" with respect to Univision and specifically said that it is not acting in partnership with the Slim family.

Several private equity firms and other investment groups are trying to structure a deal that allows Televisa to acquire Univision without regulatory problems, sources said. Foreign companies can own only 25 percent of U.S.-based broadcasters, and Televisa together with the Cisneros family, which controls Venezuela's biggest broadcaster, Venevision, own nearly that much of Univision.

SOURCE http://www.nypost.com/business/64722.htm

SLIM'S PICKIN' GIANT BIG BET ON UNIVISION By ZACHERY KOUWE
NY POST April, 29, 2006 http://www.nypost.com/photos/bizlead04292006.jpg

Carlos Slim Helu, world's third richest man, and father of Mexican telecom honcho Carlos Slim Jr. Photo: AP April 29, 2006 -- Mexican telecom honcho Carlos Slim Jr. - son of the world's third richest man - has made a bet on Hispanic broadcasting giant Univision that could quickly turn into a $60 million windfall. Investors and others have been scratching their heads since Slim, 38, disclosed about a week ago that he had scooped up 8.5 million shares of Univision for about $33.83 a share, or $288 million.

On Thursday, the pension fund of Mexican phone giant and Slim family company Telefonos de Mexico SA, or Telmex, disclosed that it purchased 3 million shares of Univision for about $33.88 a share, or $102 million. The Slim family, whose fortune is estimated to be $30 billion, is jumping into a dynamic situation with Univision, as American media giants look for a foothold in the fast-growing Spanish-language broadcasting business. Univision stock closed yesterday at $35.71 - giving Slim's investments a $21 million paper profit already. "Slim either believes there will be a bidding war for Univision that will push up the stock price or he wants to own part of the company for the long term and wants to get in on the cheap," said one analyst.

Univision's board is hoping to get as much as $41 a share for the company, which would value it at roughly $14 billion including debt, according to sources close to the process. If it goes for that much, Slim would pocket about $60 million in profit and Telmex's pension fund would bank another $21 million or so. Big wagers are nothing new to the Slim family. Slim's father, Carlos Slim Helu, made nearly $1 billion buying the debt of bankrupt WorldCom, which was bought by Verizon after a prolonged bidding war with rival Qwest Communications last year. Slim's bet on Univision has infuriated Mexican broadcaster Grupo Televisa SA, according to sources.

Slim is a member of Televisa's board of directors, which decided last week to pursue a takeover of Univision along with several private equity firms. Televisa yesterday said that Slim has removed himself from any discussions involving a takeover of Univision. "He did not participate because of that conflict of interest in any further discussions or decisions," Televisa's Executive Vice-President Alfonso de Angoitia said in a conference call. Televisa has been in discussions with a group of private equity firms including Bain Capital, Providence Equity Partners, and Madison Dearborn Partners about potentially acquiring Univision in a deal that would give Televisa just under 25 percent of the Hispanic television giant. zachery.kouwe@nypost.com

SOURCE http://www.nypost.com/business/67733.htm

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