Posted on 01/20/2003 11:20:17 AM PST by madfly
Laura's Weekly E-Blast!
http://www.LauraIngraham.com
Playing (and losing) Homeland Security Politics
Hoping for an edge against President George W. Bush, Democratic hopeful
Joe Lieberman told the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee last week: "I
must say that the administration's homeland security efforts thus far have
left much to be desired." The occasion was the confirmation hearing of
Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge, and Lieberman unloaded for the
cameras: "Almost every independent assessment that I have seen says that
in almost every way, America is as vulnerable today to terrorist attack as
we were on September 11th."
That may be a useful way to score political points among an uneasy public,
but there is little indication that Senator Lieberman, his party, or most
Republicans, for that matter, will take homeland security seriously enough
to reexamine our immigration policy. Today the INS reports that it is
still unable to find 300,000 illegals who are subject to deportation.
Our borders remain so porous that in places like Arizona, citizens are
taking enforcement upon themselves, patrolling lands on horseback and in
Jeeps. Meanwhile, the Bush Administration is still mulling ways to give
Mexico (and many U.S. businesses) what it wants - amnesty for millions who
entered the U.S. illegally.
Those who question the amnesty proposal are branded "anti-immigrant."
Those who suggest that we institute a temporary moratorium on immigration
from nations with terrorist ties are labeled "xenophobic."
Lieberman, appearing on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday, could cite nothing
positive that the Bush Administration has done to protect the homeland.
Yet given his deep concern about securing the homeland, Lieberman might
have voiced support to the new government practice of registering visitors
from 25 nations with links to terror. Congress passed this legislation,
long overdue, in an attempt to account for tens of thousands of visitors
in the U.S. who hail here from the world's most dangerous nations. The
practice has been in place throughout Europe for decades, but that has not
stopped "immigrant rights groups" and the mainstream media from
complaining.
For the past few weeks, The Washington Post "news department" has featured
tear-jerker stories about men from the Middle East and South Asia who are
subject to the post-September 11 requirement that male temporary visa
holders ages 16 and older from 25 designated countries register with the
INS by certain dates. (This was passed as part of the USA Patriot Act.)
Here's how a January 20th front-page story on the registration requirement
begins: "Mohammed's relatives filed somberly into his sister-in-law's
cramped living room.they had come to help the 38 -year-old limousine
driver make a grim choice: obey a government order requiring men from
countries deemed terrorist havens to register with the immigration
authorities-and risk being swiftly deported for overstaying his tourist
visa three years ago - or defy that command and potentially doom his
pending effort to secure a green card." (Mohammed, along with thousands
like him across the country, decided to continue to break the law and not
register.)
In December, a coalition of Arab American groups filed a federal
class-action lawsuit against Attorney General John Ashcroft, to prevent
the government from detaining those caught violating the terms of their
visas pursuant to the registration deadlines. How did we get to a place
where enforcing our immigration laws, policing our borders, has become
something to be ashamed of, or something to avoid altogether? If
Lieberman is serious about challenging the Bush Administration, he would
ask these questions, rather than repeating vague charges about lapses in
our homeland security. But of course asking such questions means
incurring the wrath of Muslim-American organizations or groups like La
Raza, the most powerful Hispanic lobby in the US.
Joe Lieberman knows that most Americans still prefer Republicans' handling
of foreign policy and national security, so he's cleverly trying to
position himself as the wise man on domestic security. Yet until the
Democrats muster the courage to buck their own special interest fringe on
issues like border policy and immigration enforcement, their criticism of
the Bush homeland security policy will ring hollow. (Memo to John
Edwards: Since you are the candidate for "the regular people," remember
that regular people favor tougher enforcement of our immigration laws.)
UN Idiocy Watch: A diplomat from Libya was overwhelmingly voted to
preside at the March 17-April 25 session of the U.N. Human Rights
Commission, against the strong protest of the US. The vote was 33-3, with
17 countries abstaining. The vote was secret, but our so-called friends
in France were thought to be among the abstainers. Libya has an atrocious
human rights record, remains under suspended U.N. sanctions stemming from
the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland, and is on the State
Department list of countries that support terrorism. Heck, why stop with
the Human Rights Commission? Gadafi for UN Secretary General!
WORD OF THE WEEK
Prosaic, adj. 1. of or relating to prose; 2. dull; uninteresting;
commonplace; unimaginative. As in--
So far, the Democrats running for president in '04 are a prosaic
bunch-except, perhaps for Al Sharpton.
That isn't being one issue. That's prioritizing. If nothing is done about the borders and stabilizing the US population, we lose everything...good paying jobs, security, our culture and laws, the environment, economic stability...it's all gone. We fight the other battles after the borders are secured and the nonsense with non-citizens ends.
As much as I like Representative Tancredo, I really think someone with Presidential ambitions is going to wake up and actually support the issues that affect average people. If it's a Democrat, so be it.
Nicely said grania. It's absolute lunacy to have our military running all around the world getting involved in conflict after conflict while our borders are left completely open and millions of 3rd world peoples, most of whom have absolutely nothing in common with our culture and heritage, are allowed to immigrate here. Yes, where are our priorities???
If this insanity does not stop soon, we will cease to be a country. Maybe this is what our elected officials want anyway.
TomTancredo
418 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
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