Posted on 12/29/2002 6:18:23 PM PST by grania
The incoming majority leader of the Senate said that he now supports sending troops to protect U.S. borders, an indication the Republican Party may harden its stance on immigration after last week's sweep in midterm elections. Speaking last week on the "O'Reilly Factor," a conservative talk show on the Fox News Network, Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said the troops could not only shut down traffic of illegal immigrants but also help stop drug trafficking and cross-border crime.
"Most politicians run around worried about civil libertarians and being sued by the ACLU," Lott said on the Thursday night broadcast, according to a transcript of the interview posted on the Fox News website. "This is not only a porous border in terms of illegal aliens, it's also a porous border with regard to crime and drugs."
A hot-button issue in the national immigration debate, militarizing the border would reverse a long-standing commitment to civilian enforcement, opponents say. Supporters - including U.S. Rep Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., an outspoken opponent of current immigration policy - say it's the only effective way to stem a tide of terrorists and illegal immigrants.
Tancredo, who until now has found little support on the issue among top Republicans, seemed as surprised as anyone at the change of attitude of the Senate's most powerful Republican.
"I hope this strong stance by the Senate majority leader will garner a shift in the administration's approach to securing our borders," Tancredo, who chairs the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, said in a statement.
Lott's office said he hasn't drafted legislation to authorize the deployment of troops.
Tancredo hasn't sponsored such a bill either, but he repeatedly has called on Bush to deploy troops by executive order.
Angela Kelly, assistant director of the National Immigration Forum in Washington, said placing troops on the border is unlikely to stop the flow of illegal immigrants, but it could increase violations of human rights.
"What the military is trained to do and what the border patrol is trained to do are very different missions," Kelly said. "You risk some terrible mistakes if you don't have people properly trained to enforce our immigration laws."
Incredible isn't it?
And then Congress and the President watched as our own gigantic airliners rocket right into two of our nations tallest sky scrapers, causing them to collapse killing thousands. Yet our borders and immigration policies continue to be an absolute "free for all" with foreign governments now issuing their own ID to their own people to be used in our country!
Absolute insanity!
Senator Lott held the Conservatives off because he saw the potential to get a Senate majority for the Republicans. As soon as the election was over, he started talking about the conservative agenda. And he gets slam-dunked because of some hyperbole at a birthday party for a 100 year old man?
What this tells me is that GWB is not interested in the conservative agenda. He's been twisting that vote since South Carolina, in the primaries, when he assured everyone McCain is not strong enough on abortion.
Think about it. Did Bush campaign on any of the things that have occurred in his presidency, except for that tax cut, which doesn't help people who've lost their jobs to foreign labor or the recession he's healing. (sarcasm)
GWB has one agenda and one agenda only: re-election (retaining the reigns of power). If he knew his only chance for re-election were to institute a positively liberal agenda, he would do so in a heartbeat (as would most so-called "conservative" politicians). The number of current conservative politicians who hold principle and honor above political expediency can be counted on the fingers of one hand. ....and one of them, Bob Smith of New Hampshire, is now gone.
I couldn't agree more, Joe. But I'm trying to get a handle on the "whys" of the insanity. The questions I asked (in post #26 still stand): 1) Is it about securing cheap labor for companies that donate heavily to the GOP? ...2) Is it about attempting to buy votes? ....3) Is it about political correctness? 4)....Is it about instituing some one-world gov't? ...5) Is it something else entirely? ....or a combination of some or all of the above?
"Votes they will never get" is absolutely right. Pandering to (illegal) immigrants won't keep them from being Donkeys.
We do have people "properly" trained to enforce immigration laws. They are not enforcing immigration laws. This issue needs to get to the courts. The people of any nation, no matter what form of government it has, have always had the right to protect their borders. 
http://www.westgov.org/wga/policy/02/mexgovs_15.pdf
Policy Resolution 02-15
WGA Relations with Mexico and the Border Governors' Conference
Annual Meeting
June 25, 2002
Phoenix, Arizona
SPONSORS: Governors Hull, Davis and Perry
2. The tragic events of September 11, 2001 have brought a new focus to the international boundaries of the U.S. and to the need to ensure that security issues are of paramount concern.
3. Western states, and in particular the United States-Mexico border states of Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and California, are substantial participants in the Mexican market and have supported the full implementation of NAFTA throughout North America. Western states also have been supportive of U.S.- Mexican federal relations across the range of topics addressed by these two great nations.
• 4. There has been a substantial increase in passenger and commercial vehicle traffic at border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico accompanying the implementation of the NAFTA. The increase in vehicle traffic has often resulted in significant delays in traversing the border. These delays have impacts on both environmental quality and the cost of doing business. •
5. Along with the Western Governors’ Association (WGA), one of the groups that has worked to expand and strengthen bilateral relationships between U.S. and Mexican border states is the U.S.-Mexico Border Governors Conference (BGC). The BGC includes the four U.S. and six Mexican border Governors whose states comprise the nearly 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexico border. The BGC has held binational conferences since 1980 to address issues of trade, investment, economic development, public health, the environment, tourism, transportation, and agriculture. The border Governors have conveyed their positions through joint declarations and policy initiatives.
6. During the past eight years, the WGA has worked specifically to build binational relationships in the border region between states through its Border Environment Dialogue Program, including its series of Ten State Retreats hosted in conjunction with different U.S. and Mexican border states on an annual basis, and its coordination support of the Environment session of the BGC. The focus of this program has been on strategic alliances and partnering needed to improve environmental and health conditions in the border region. Ultimately, WGA in conjunction with the BGC, aims to establish a permanent coordination mechanism between the 10 states on environmental matters.
C. GOVERNORS' MANAGEMENT DIRECTIVE
1. WGA shall convey this resolution to the Mexican border Governors, President Fox, President Bush, the following Mexican officials: Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Foreign Affiars, Secretary of Environmental and Natural Resources, Secretary of Transportation and Communications, and the National Ecological Institute, and the following U.S. administration officials:
Secretary of State, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of Transportation, and the EPA Administrator.
WGA will also convey this resolution to Majority and Minority leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Full text .pdf at this link:
The secularly corrupt and downtrodden Republic of Mexico is a "great" nation...to be mentioned in the same sentence as America? What a Joke. These Open Border Sellouts have to resort to fiction in peddling their Welfare Programs for Mexico that masquerade as some sort of highly important trading relationship.
Yes, what a great deal America has going with Mexico. They send us their unskilled poverty stricken masses, Drugs, Crime and we in turn provide THIER people with illegal jobs, free medical care, free schooling, food stamps (the list goes on)...all courtesy of American Taxpayers. Yes, we must protect this Vitally Important trading relationship!
Absolute insanity!
Where ever you turn these days in government it is a case of the Inmates Running the Asylum. Absolute Insanity is right. It's everywhere in our government. And it's clear that the interests and security of the American People are nowhere in their agenda.
What this tells me is that GWB is not interested in the conservative agenda...I seem to remember Bush tearing into conservatives on some issue or another back during the primaries - afterward he was reported to have made the cynical crack: "first you hit the dog, then you pet it" - trouble is, after you hit the dog a few times, it's not likely to hang around for you to pet it any more.......
Maybe this is the way it is. For everyone in office, there's some way to "get" them if they stray?
What first bothered me is that this was a thought crime. It had nothing to do with what Lott actually said or his actions, it was about people interpreting it.
And now you have conservatives coming down on Senator Lott for appearing on BET and expressing a willingness to discuss issues with black leaders. Well, you know what? That could've actually increased support on border-immigration issues. I would think black employment and opportunity suffer greatly both with this influx and with jobs going overseas.
It is chilling if this is what's going to happen to dissenting opinions being expressed by those in a position to influence the decision making process.
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