Posted on 03/25/2002 8:06:48 PM PST by abigail2
Mr. President, With All Due Respect, What Part of “Illegal” Don’t You Understand? (An Open Letter to President George W. Bush)
Exclusive Commentary by Patrick Rooney
Director of Special Projects
BOND
A nation without borders is not a nation. -- Ronald Reagan
President George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President,
I have always had the utmost respect for you as a person, and I believe that you have carried yourself in office with dignity and courage. I am a proud conservative, and have defended your name on many occasions, against those who have at times assailed your motives or character. I know you to be a man of good judgment. I understand that I will not always agree with your policies, and I understand that oftimes those policies are formulated whilst taking into account various political “realities”. There is a balancing point sometimes, between the perfect and the practical.
Mature people understand that it’s sometimes okay to compromise, so long as you don’t compromise your principles, as Ronald Reagan used to say. There is most certainly a line, and we cross it at our peril.
I know that you were the governor of Texas, the state with the largest area of common border with Mexico. I am sure you developed friendships and alliances. I know that as governor, there was a “real world” need for you to appeal to Hispanics to win your races. I’m sure you have other reasons that have made you sympathetic to Hispanic issues. I know, for instance, that you have Hispanic members in your family. I know that you have smart advisors too, who are good at calculations, particularly addition.
I remember, just prior to the September 11th tragedy, that you had been having talks with Mexican President Vicente Fox, that you’d received him at your Crawford, Texas ranch, and that you had plans to give “amnesty” to 3 million illegal Mexican “guest workers”. One “silver lining”, if I can be so crass as to call it that, to the September 11th tragedy, is that you have had to retract, at least temporarily, those plans.
The heightened national security realities in place after 9-1-1 gave you every reason in the world to stop sanctioning illegal immigration. Certainly it now gave you political “cover” to freeze this process, as national security was certainly of much greater import than legitimizing millions of foreign nationals who had illegally entered our country.
Not many would have been able to argue against your sound reasoning for upholding national security, particularly in our time of crisis. But funny, just six months after September 11th, you are attempting to push through another amnesty proposal.
According to a recent John Zogby poll, 83% of Americans believe immigration laws are too lax. Even more interesting, opinion polls also show that Hispanics differ only slightly from other Americans on immigration. A clear majority favor either current or lower levels of immigration.
I am aware, Mr. President, that there is a game being played with the security of the American people, over this Hispanic voting block. I am aware that it is being played by politicians on “both sides of the aisle.” This game continues to escalate, as apparently no one wants to be the “bad gringo” who shuts the barn door.
Meanwhile, your counterparts, the Democrats, continue to win this game. Hispanics vote primarily for them, and there is no reason for that trend to reverse, no matter how many illegal aliens you “legitimize”. You see, Mr. President, your counterparts can always offer this voting block more than you can. There are plenty of free enticements, such as welfare, education, medical care and the like, and you will simply not be able to compete in the giveaway game.
This past Saturday, I attended the “In Defense of America” rally in Westwood, California. It was headed up by Glenn Spencer of AmericanPatrol.com, and Barbara Coe, President of California Coalition for Immigration Reform. When I arrived, an elderly woman said to me, “George W. Bush is the most dangerous man around.” I scoffed at this suggestion and defended you. But I stayed to hear the speakers.
Mr. Spencer led off the rally by commenting on your “Weekly Radio Address”, which you’d presented that morning. In the address, you called the border a “region”, which Mr. Spencer thought a curious choice of words, as he said we all know the border is a fixed line. The Democratic address in response to yours was delivered by ex-Los Angeles mayoral candidate and current Speaker of the California State Assembly, Antonio Villaraigosa. Mr. Spencer called this man a “rabid Mexican nationalist”, and a little research serves to bear this out.
Sadly, even the radical Villaraigosa was able to make statements about you, Mr. President, that had the ring of truth. He spoke of your trip this weekend to Latin America as “part of an orchestrated strategy to curry favor with Latino voters in the United States”, and “our community knows the difference between… pandering and producing”.
Ezola Foster, ex-Vice Presidential candidate, was the next speaker. She urged you to “bring our men home to patrol our borders”. Barbara Coe of California Coalition for Immigration Reform quoted Cicero, “A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within.” This is a strong charge, and frankly I’d be much more comfortable throwing this word around in relation to the previous occupant of the White House, but nevertheless, this quote received a very warm response from the gathered crowd of Americans.
Lupe Moreno, a brave Hispanic activist, stepped up to the microphone next. This lady has guts as she appears to be taking on an entire culture. She spoke of the time she was run off the road for having a bumper sticker on her car which read, “God Bless America”, and another one saying, “Yes, I speak English!”. She said that it is sad, that “Mexico is going for the money, and not taking care of its people; they want us to take care of their people.”
Terry Anderson, a black American who is also an activist and Los Angeles radio talk show host, spoke next. “I want to talk about our leadership or lack of it”, said Mr. Anderson. He then said some things about you, sir, that good taste prevents me from repeating here. I don’t agree with him about you. But I understand his anger. He is being sold out. Our country is being sold out. Under the circumstances, does it really matter that I believe you are a decent man?
Mr. Anderson brought up your recent statements regarding a bill you are backing – 245 (i) – which would allow illegal aliens to stay in the United States while applying for green cards. You said, “I want to show our friends, the Mexicans, that we are compassionate about people who live here on a legal basis, that we don’t disrupt the families for people who are here legally.” Mr. Anderson said that he too is interested in family unification, only he wants the unification to take place in Mexico! Mr. President, I admit I whooped and clapped with the rest of the crowd.
Finally, the Founder and President of BOND, the organization I am proud to be associated with, approached the podium. Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson is a stalwart on the issue of securing our borders, and has been for over a decade now, as have several of the other speakers in attendance. It has been a lonely, unpopular journey at times. But as others mentioned on this chilly Saturday afternoon, Rev. Peterson spoke of how, “one by one”, the American people are waking up. He said illegal aliens are now coming to America, not so much just for work as they did in the past, but to help destroy this great country, and to take it back, but that America must refuse to let it happen.
Rev. Peterson is not exaggerating when he says that illegals desire to “take back” America. You see, I’ve been in this battle a long time myself. I’ve known elderly Americans to be beaten up by sneering illegal goons; or a fellow BOND organization brother subjected to the impact of a frozen soda can, hurled against his face by an angry illegal immigration activist. I’ve seen police and sheriffs too many times stand idlely by while violence was done to American citizens by illegals. The “crime” committed by these citizens was the exercise of their free speech against the rampant illegal invasion of California and America. In fact, some of these terrorists apparently showed up again Saturday with black bandanas, sticks, shields, rocks, and bad attitudes. They reportedly ended up scuffling with law enforcement before being removed from the site.
I’ve seen and heard of entire communities being pushed out of their neighborhoods by illegals. I’ve seen the erosion of wages, of once good jobs, oftentimes held by black Americans. In the Los Angeles area, many of these blacks were once prominent in the trade unions. No longer. It is a fallacy that illegals perform only jobs others do not want.
Mr. President, many politicians have claimed that, like you, they are “compassionate conservatives”, or “compassionate liberals”. I have often wondered what these phrases mean. I have questioned where the compassion is for the rule of law; or for the American family who suffers through the scenario I’ve mentioned above; not to mention those families who’ve had loved ones murdered by illegal alien gangs; or families whose lives have been destroyed by illegal alien drug dealers. Where is the compassion for American families?
And how is it possible, Mr. President, for you to appoint a man, Mr. James Ziglar, to head your Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), who reportedly says he is a Libertarian and has struggled with the conflict between his beliefs and the INS mission? How can you give liberal Senator Robert Byrd the opening to appear the patriot, as he pontificates about the pro immigration bill you are backing, “[It is] an incentive, a lure, for illegal immigration by saying it is quicker and more convenient to enter the country illegally than to wait outside the United States to complete the visa application process.”?
Mr. President, we who desire to maintain the sovereignty of the United States are no longer a fringe, or even a minority. Since the tragedy of September 11th, Americans are well aware of what is at stake. I believe that you have seen the danger and responded appropriately to worldwide terrorism, but for reasons I can only speculate on are apparently blind to the massive security breach at home.
Your just-announced “Smart Border” twenty-two point agreement with Mexico appears to be smoothly constructed to keep the people mollified, and to keep NAFTA’s trucks greased and moving. In fact, it appears your plan is designed to do everything but ensure the security of the American people.
America is on the brink of losing her sovereignty, indeed you are participating in a dangerous game. You, as President of the United States and leader of the free world, have the power to stop this intolerable situation right now. Never has an American president, to my knowledge, held the kind of political capital that you now maintain (your father may have been the closest in the post Gulf War time).
Yes, taking the appropriate action has political risks. Doing the right thing is not necessarily the most popular thing. But it is our duty, particularly those of us who call ourselves Christians, to do the right thing. Remember, even Christ lost a popularity contest to Barrabas, the murderer. The Master Himself asked, “What profiteth a man that he gain the whole world, and yet lose his soul?”.
As an American citizen, Mr. President, you’ve certainly had my support, particularly in your war on terrorism. I’ve flown an American flag outside my home every day since September 11th as a reminder to myself and others to keep the faith with you, the victims of the tragedy, and our soldiers. I keep a picture of you and your lovely wife, Laura, in my office. Unfortunately, today I had to take the picture down, and I can’t in good conscience put it back up until you take real steps to secure our borders, and with it America’s and the free world’s future.
I still believe you are decent at heart and want to do right. But I can’t operate on my “beliefs” about people anymore. As Americans we can’t do that. We are a nation that respects action, for “faith without works is dead.” Secure our borders, Mr. President. Secure them now.
With sincere regard,
Patrick Rooney
Patrick Rooney is the Director of Special Projects at BOND, the Brotherhood Organization of A New Destiny, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “Rebuilding the Family By Rebuilding the Man.”
For more information, please visit www.bondinfo.org, call 1-800-411-BOND (2663), or write to patrick@bondinfo.org.
I feel like a man without a country.
I am sick of people using Reagan's quotes to bash Bush. Below is also a Reagan Quote that you may not want to see
Whereas, president Ronald Reagan on November 10, 1986 signed the immigration Reform and Control Act (P.L. 99-603) legalizing the status of immigrants by a grant of amnesty and,Whereas, President Reagan stated amnesty "will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and opend society," but as result of the law, "many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may be come Americans;"
Taking a page out of another freeper's book, today I returned my solicitation from Republican Presidential Task Force without any money or personal info. Instead, I told Rick Santorum that when Pres. Bush stops benefitting illegal aliens to the detriment of American citizens, I might consider supporting him again. I don't know how much good it will do, but it felt great!!! This is my mantra until I see some tangible evidence of lasting change.
I did the same thing. It's the will of the people and he'd better wake up to it.
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