Posted on 05/08/2002 2:18:56 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
The Republican Party needs to hire Andrew Smith to help shape its message on immigration. At 18, this senior at Novato High School in Marin County, Calif., has more common sense and cojones than the hapless panderers in the GOP who have thrown their principles to the wind.
Smith made headlines last week after blowing the whistle on school officials who attacked an article he wrote about illegal immigration for his student newspaper late last year. His message was simple: Illegal immigrants are law-breakers who should be sent back to their native countries, where they should wait in line like everyone else.
"Our country is extremely generous and possesses some of the greatest opportunities in the world," Smith wrote. "For these reasons people from all over the globe have come here in order to better themselves through the freedoms that only America provides. To insure that our generosity and opportunities aren't wasted by those that seek refuge inside our borders, certain laws must be enforced. These laws are there to protect and benefit the citizens of our country."
He continued: "In order for a person to become a citizen they have to comply with a few very reasonable requirements. The first and most obvious is that you have to speak, write, and understand simple English. Second, you cannot have any felony convictions. You must also show that you are not an immoral person. . . . You must pass a test on American history and culture, and you must be patriotic. . . . There should be no tolerance for anyone to be an illegal immigrant. If you can't comply with our requirements, then stay out of our country."
The day after the article was published, the principal and district superintendent sent a letter to Novato High parents and students stating that Smith's opinion piece "negatively presented immigrants in general and Hispanics in particular." (Notice the omission of the word "illegal." Welcome to the smear tactics of ethnic mau-mauers, Andrew.) Student letters called Smith "ignorant" and "racist." He was publicly reprimanded at two school forums.
"I am not a racist," Smith responded calmly. "I am a journalism student who wanted to stimulate thought and discussion among the student body." Smith took the school to court last week for chilling his free-speech rights. He refuses to back down from his opinions in the face of ethnic interest group pressure.
Republican leaders, on the other hand, continue to bend over backward to appease the pro-illegal alien crowd:
-- Last month, chief White House strategist and Hispanic vote groveler Karl Rove lambasted immigration reform advocate Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., for criticizing the administration's open-door Mexican border policies.
-- Last week, New York Gov. George Pataki announced his support for legislation to permit illegal immigrants to pay lower in-state tuition rates at the state's public universities.
-- This week, Republican National Committee Chairman Marc Racicot announced a $1 million television campaign in Spanish designed to woo Hispanic voters. The 30-minute newsmagazine will air on the nation's two largest Spanish-language TV networks in Fresno, Calif., Miami, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando, Fla., and Albuquerque, N.M. In addition, nearly 1,400 GOP "team leaders" have been assigned as chief Hispanic panderers, and many more are undergoing Spanish language training through Berlitz courses.
-- And over the weekend in his weekly radio address, President Bush again pushed Congress to pass Section 245(i), a mini-amnesty that rewards tens of thousands of aliens who illegally crossed the border or overstayed their visas -- while millions of law-abiding people around the world wait patiently for green cards to become available.
Are Republican leaders so afraid of being labeled "racists," and so desperate for votes, that they'll continue to sell out their commitment to the rule of law -- and our national security with it? If an 18-year-old boy can stand up and communicate a sensible and unapologetic message to foreign residents -- speak English, respect our laws, love our country, or stay out -- why can't the GOP?
Since when is doing what people pay you to do a bad thing?
The Constitution is written in English. That pretty much sums it up for me.
BTW, when my grandparents came to America (legally) they were REQUIRED to learn and understand at least basic English, or they would be sent back home. Somewhere along the way politicians of both parties forgot what the concept of a nation and a culture is all about. Their policies are fracturing us into a thousand pieces. Of course this can all be stopped if Congress would do what the American people are demanding and legislate a time-out on immigration so we can absorb all these newcomers. Unless they're here illegally, then they will have to go home and enter the right way.
That said, I'm totally against the massive illegal immigration we're dealing with as it really does undermine the social fabric to have tens of thousand of undocumented aliens in our country who have no affiliation with America other than as a haven from poverty, entering the country at an alarming rate. It's simply not good, and when Republicans like Governor George Pataki make financial concessions for illegal aliens, it's flat out wrong, an insult to those who came here the hard way - legally - and to those N.Y. taxpayers who are being forced to subsidize illegal immigrants, should such a bill become law.
It's this kind of foolishness that gets folks upset with 'immigrants' that come her illegally and receive benefits some native-born Americans can't get, like tuition breaks on state colleges. That's not fair and yes, it's pandering of the worst kind and I oppose it. President Bush's ideas about Mexican immigration differ from mine and I believe he's wrong when he wishes for 'open borders' with Mexico. I don't understand his motivations in this position but we part company on it and the 'racist' label doesn't faze me a bit. If that's how a fellow Republican wants to defend a pro-illegal-immigrant position that way, it says a lot more about him/her than me.
Karl Rove does a fine job. he's not a policy-maker but a political operative, doing what he should do. I don't look for Rove to be a conservative conscience for the President. That's not his place or his job. Ripping on Rove is just another way of criticizing Bush without mentioning him. Tacky.
The Marin County high school student, Andrew Smith, who spoke the truth, plainly, in his school newspaper article is a hero to me. Illegal immigrants are just that, illegal. Lawbreakers that shouldn't be pampered and catered too. That's absurd but it's what a lot of Republicans are doing - and it's wrong. The boy had it right.
A clear case of announcing that the Emperor isn't wearing any clothes, in my opinion.
The fact that young Mr. Smith was harrassed and otherwise given a hard time by other students and his article disowned by school officials prompted his lawsuit, which is probably an overreaction. Then again, Smith is a teenager that sees the illegal immigration issue clearly and for that, I'll forgive his sensitivity to criticism and hope he soon joins us at Free Republic. We could use him.
Immigrant workers who wish to come here LEGALLY should not have their way made difficult by an INS that is bogged down in red tape. Part of the illegal problem is attributable to that problem. Part of it is also due to American employers who don't wish to pay the going wage, and will use illegals until they are caught. This is wrong, and I am hoping to see the Tyson prosecution the first of many in this regard.
It would not hurt the country to allow documented, legal workers to move back and forth easily between Mexico and the US. It DOES hurt the nation when we have so many illegals draining resources and bringing crime with them. I believe this is a complicated problem which is going to take much effort to solve. I do believe we will see it solved, though.
It is very important to have a good relationship with both Mexico and Canada. We cannot possibly patrol every inch of both of those borders, and nevermind the coastline. We must have a good relationship so that THEY stop dangerous people before they sneak into our country. I think this is part of what's being worked on.
My son works with quite a few Hispanics (all legal) and they have added much to our city's culture. They are reviving neighborhoods and churches that had been run down. I do not wish to make these people's lives more difficult simply to placate the anti-Hispanic crowd.
I would like to see a program implemented where the employers say how many legal immigrants they could use (assuming the job is not one that could be filled by US citizens) and totals from those reports used as a benchmark for allowing people in. In the landscape industry there would be quite a few, in nuclear mediciine, maybe none. I think this was the way it was done a long time ago, and seems to me to be the most fair.
Look, this is not a problem that is going to be solved overnight, much as we wish it could be. I recognize it is a problem, and a danger. However, there are also other things going on in the world besides our border problem.
I don't think Pataki's initiative, IF it is as presented here, is anything BUT pandering. On the other hand, I think asking for votes in Spanish is NOT pandering.
When people lump all these things together, it seems to me that they are taking an anti-Hisipanic position. That is counter-productive, as well as being just plain wrong.
I am tired of hearing about how I don't understand the problem because I don't live in a border state. My dad grew up in Texas. I have lived in Texas myself. The problem of illegal immigrants is not confined to a few border states; we have had numerous problems and arrests here in Indiana. In fact, my sister was injured in a car accident with an illegal immigrant who, of course, had no insurance.
So drop this garbage about pontificating. I am trying to figure out what the best thing is for a SOLUTION< rather than ranting about Hispanics. If you think that is pontificating, well fine. I thought we were supposed to be discussing solutions, rather than ranting.
Yes, they're throwing our nation down a third-world toilet.
Worthless, self-serving bastards!
I live in Georgia, and I can see southwesterners points. Hey, we have a huge problem ourselves. Indiana is a nice state, yet I sometimes wonder about most of the midwest. They seem so out of touch from reality.
LOL! Well, this native Buckeye needed that bit of humour.
Indiana has had a HUGE influx in Hispanics. Do you realize that my son works with almost ALL Hispanics? That he has had to learn SPANISH? That my sister was injured in a car wreck with an illegal alien?? DOES NO ONE READ WHAT I POST?
What I am TRYING to say is that rather than making UNREALISTIC COMMENTS like "ship them all back" or "seal the borders", neither of which is DOABLE, we should try to find out what a SOLUTION is.
Now, don't talk to me like I don't understand about the Southwest. My dad was from Texas and I have lived there. I understand there are huge problems. I also understand that the governor of California is doing NOTHING except encouraging it. So get off your high horse with me, if you please.
Wrong. Quite wrong.
The only places in the U.S. that are truly out of touch with reality are the Northeastern seaboard and the entire West coast. The Midwest is considered fly-over country. Only the larger urban areas in the Midwest emulate the Northeast and West coast.
If you remove Hispanics from this section of the workforce, there would not be enough people to do the work here in Indiana. Period.
We did not have many landscape companies here until there was a work force available. My son could explain more about this. He posts here as The Coopster, but he won't be here until later this evening or tomorrow. He is working.
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