In the fair State of Texas there is a sight so rare that it rivals the sighting of whooping cranes in migration. What sight is this you ask? It is an open weigh station on an interstate highway. I have traveled the Texas highways and in 35 years have only seen one instance of a weigh station actually stopping trucks checking their weight.

 

A few years back I got into it with the head of the Texas department of public safety via email concerning the death of one of my son’s friends. He was killed when a piece of metal falling off of a truck traveling beside him in Hurst Texas tore a hole in his neck. This young man had the presence of mind to exit to the side of the freeway so as not to endanger others where he bled to death before help could arrive. My frustrations shared with the DPS representative is that there is no enforcement of safety rules associated with the trucking industry on Texas Highways. He begged to differ and then I told him of the many years I’ve traveled IH45 between Dallas and Houston that I’ve never seen the weigh station open and I’ve never traveled that highway where it wasn’t under construction… then I said, “do you think the two are related.”

 

Anyone that has traveled on IH 10 between Houston and San Antonio knows of the window breaking menaces that are aggregate haulers. I believe this bunch was the inspiration for the movie Deliverance. I can picture a toothless wonder picking a banjo sitting in the cab of a gravel hauler with no tarps and the sign on the dump gate, “ Stay back 200 ft. , not responsible for broken windows.” One time I was traveling back from Wichita Falls when I was passed by a gravel hauler and had my windshield destroyed by falling gravel from an open dump gate.  I caught up with the gravel hauler and took a picture of the driver, the truck and the license plate. The driver definitely didn’t want to be photographed and I believe he was illegal. A short distance further a DPS trooper had stopped a motorist and I back tracked to report the damage to my vehicle. After the trooper finished with his first customer he came back to me, looked at the pictures on my digital and then told me to give it to my insurance company and have them pursue it…they will have better luck. I then ripped back if you were sitting on a motorcycle patrolling this highway instead of riding in an air conditioned cruiser you would have a different attitude when following behind gravel haulers. We both scowled at each other and went our separate ways.

 

Now that it is not bad enough the highways resemble the Ho-Chi Min trail, you have to dodge the rubber flying off overloaded truck tires and sit in traffic watching an individual support his chin with the handle of a shovel for entertainment; you have the new threat of Mexican truck drivers given carte blanch to drive anywhere in the good ole US with who knows what being carried in their trailers. This supposedly is the result of the NAFTA treaty. This treaty dreamed up by the corporate elites stands for Not A Freaking Tariff Assessed. Ross Perot hit the nail on the head when he said we would hear a giant sucking sound if this treaty was ratified. You can hear Bush sucking up to Mexico in everything he does. Watch how this will become a politically correct issue when one of these trucks kills a bunch of people or is caught smuggling something dangerous across the border. I feel the reassurances given by this administration that the trucks will be inspected and the drivers certified are as likely as seeing another weigh station open on a Texas Highway checking the trucks. My only hope is the Teamsters will return to the good old days and do a little persuasive job preservation.

During the recent attempts at amnesty by the senate I could be heard describing the proponents of said legislation as those that engage in same sex oral copulation only in much stronger and vulgar terms. Lo and behold here for one of them it’s true and he confesses his guilt! So much for family values and the Republican Party!

 

In what was described fairly graphically about Larry Craig’s attempted lewd conduct in a Minneapolis airport rest room it was said that he tapped his foot as some kind of deviant invitation to signal his willingness to play. The only thing missing was the tune, “let’s get it on,” over the public address system. Craig then moved his foot under the stall to touch the undercover officer’s foot as a further invitation. He explained this action as he often needs a wide stance when using the facilities and he inadvertently may have touched his neighbor’s foot. Are we talking the stance of a Sumo wrestler? If that were the case then the neighbor would need a similar stance to facilitate the inadvertent touch. My mind’s eye can comically picture this happening top knots and all. This will probably end up on Saturday night live as a skit this weekend.

 

As far as I’m concerned this RINO and those like them should suffer a similar fate. They blatantly defy the will of their constituents and now cry foul when their crimes and demons are made public. Many as Lindsey Grahamnesty have recanted they’re previous positions as if struck by an epiphany fearing the loss of their senate seat by the votes of the angry voters they called racists and bigots just months before.

 

Well Mr. Craig I believe you’re toast. Your confession is a matter of record and things will only get worse from here. You can look forward to an ethics review by your peers and maybe some enterprising investigative reporter will find out the reason for the passionate defense of the illegal aliens contrary to the wishes of your constituents. Maybe that will lead to the other RINOs having their dirty laundry out to dry in the public view and suffer your ultimate fate of disgrace and contempt by your constituents.

I heard a conversation on a movie the other day where one character questions another whether this was going to be a nostalgic speech on how far he used to walk to school barefoot in the snow, rain and sleet with some hidden moral revealed. This made me reflect on my past and what has changed from my youth.  I as the character pontificating to the youth actually did walk to school as many others unlike the children of today’s soccer moms that I’ve derided driving the SUV to drop the kids off at school. I asked myself is this just today’s lazy ways or is there something more sinister lurking that prompts this action?

 

With the murder of the Newark youths by illegal aliens it makes one sit up and take notice what the ill effects accompany a sanctuary policy adopted by a local government. One of the suspects was out on bail for the rape of a 5 year old. With this wisdom of the sanctuary city proponents I’d drive the kids also to protect them from the creeps the city allows to roam the streets. This innocence is lost on our youth when they can no longer rely on going to their neighbors if trouble arises. They can’t go to the play ground because they fear illegal alien rapists lurk in the shadows with full sanction of the city and their politically correct policies. They’re wary of the apartment projects that illegally house these creeps 15 to a flat or the neighborhood houses that have 10 cars and 30 people residing in them with the garbage and un-mown grass in the front yard.

The mayor of Newark makes a brilliant statement the other day. He exclaims, "the perpetrators didn't go there that night, I think, seeking out to do ill will." Mayor Booker speculated the suspects may have gone to the schoolyard to drink, saying it's known as a hangout and he dismissed speculation that the killings were gang-related or some sort of gang initiation. I bet the SUV sales in Newark are sky rocketing after a parent analyzes these statements for a bit.

1.      known hangout – they know there are illegal aliens drinking and hanging out in school yards and refuse to call authorities or enforce ordinances designed to protect the citizens. Would you feel warm and toasty letting your child walk to school in an environment created by this moron’s sanctuary city policies?

2.      Weren’t gang related or gang initiation – use the same logic as above and ask if the kid’s deaths are any less tragic or less likely to happen because of the city’s sanctuary policy.

3.      the perpetrators didn’t go there that night, I think, seeking out to do ill will – saving the best for last would this idiot compare being shot in the back of the head execution style as an act of predetermined kindness so the scum’s victims didn’t suffer? This is the pro-immigration bunch at their best trying to justify or ameliorate the criminal deeds this illegal alien scum perpetrates. The next thing to do is to pull the race card that they are oppressed victims and are lashing out against the injustices, real or imagined, committed against them and we should give them special dispensation because of this.

What screams of injustice is the accomplishments of these young people were snuffed out needlessly and it could have been prevented. In a hell hole like Newark  New Jersey graduating school with collegiate aspirations is no minor accomplishment by judging the scholastic achievements of the Jersey public schools. From Wikpedia it states…”The Newark city's public schools are among the lowest-performing in the state, even after the state government took over management of the city's schools in 1995, which was done under the presumption that improvement would follow. The school district continues to struggle with low high school graduation rates and low standardized test scores.”

What also screams of impropriety and a private agenda is the Governor’s and this moronic mayor’s pro-illegal immigrant stance fearing the citizens disdain and condemnation of the illegal immigrant community. They treat these kid’s deaths as collateral damage or just the part of having an illegal immigrant community. Apathy is easy to swallow until it strikes your home, your family or your community. Does the Governor or mayor’s kids walk these streets, go to these student’s schools or live in their neighborhoods; I think not! They probably ride to someplace else in a SUV never knowing what it was like to be committed to an education despite rain, sleet and snow or being able to walk the streets without fear.

I feel these public servants are complicit in the murders of these youths and should be prosecuted because of their actions and policies mandating sanctuary selective enforcement of the laws of this country. It all boils down to the bucks and if a forensic accountant did a little digging I bet the trail back to these individuals would shed some light on why they favor sanctuary status.

Buried are three symbols of determination to escape their community and make something of themselves. Buried are their future contributions to society while those elected to protect and serve that community cater to leaches and felons that contribute to the demise of the same community. The adage of you reap what you sow is apparent here.

The citizens of Newark should memorialize these 3 youths on Election Day and vote the mayor and Governor out of office. It may be a small remembrance for these kids but it would go along way to preventing a reoccurrence of what happened to them.

 

 

This weekend sitting in a friend's home in the state of my birth I watched a re-broadcast of the townhall meeting held by Arlen Specter and his constituents in Greensburg Pennsylvania. To my surprise immigration and the war in Iraq was at the top of everyone's mind. This was not the crowd that Arlen expected...they were hostile and very impassioned; especially on the subject of illegal immigration.

I personally have a very bad opinion of Arlen Specter and it seems that many of his constituents share my opinion. There was one that chastised him for putting a lunch appointment above the concerns of his constituents. There were a few blasting him for the state of veteran affairs in the Pittsburgh area extolling the dismal bureaucracy and incompetence of the veterans administration to which I can attest from personal experience. There were many blasting his support of the Bush/Kennedy grand bargain.

As many politicians do when public opinion is contrary to those of the elected official running for re-election they have an epiphany seeing the light. Specter said that the Grand Bargain was defeated by the response of the American people and he now believes that the path to citizenship is no longer an issue that can be defended. He now proposes that the illegal aliens be allowed to stay in this country by removing or readjusting their status to where they will not be deported and have to live in fear. I ask what is the difference from this proposal and the term amnesty. Did Arlen hear only what he wanted to hear at this meeting.

The citizens of Pennsylvania ought to look at who is bank rolling Specter's re-election campaign. Here is the best government that money can buy. His position alone should provoke outrage and condemnation reminding him what he will face in his bid for re-election. Seeing that the milk-sop Democrats are no better and in fact even worse maybe this protest and public condemnation will bring forth a legitimate candidate to represent the citizens of Pennsylvania instead of one bought and paid for by big business exporting your jobs and industries overseas.

I laud those that attended the Townhall meeting and especially those of the younger generation who's hair shows no signs of gray. It is these people that will inherit the mistakes of those in office today and have to try and rectify the damage that was done. Maybe they too will demand the roaches like Elvira Arellano be captured and deported back to place that spawned them!

No Illegal Aliens: Part 2

A while back I wrote about posting a sign in my front yard stating, “NO ILLEGAL ALIENS…VOTE AGAINST.” To this sign were the names of the candidates that refused to answer some innocuous questions about illegal aliens. Now this is the final week associated with the signs because the runoff election between Mike Lease and Traci Wilkinson is set for Saturday. 

In the time since I placed the large sign I’ve placed what resembles the old Burma Shave signs. On these signs I’ve made rhymes using illegal immigration as the subject and the candidate’s refusal to state his position on the subject. This has been largely ignored until recently.

Two code enforcement individuals, affectionately named Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb, showed up in front of the house and one was in my yard taking pictures. I noticed this while sitting at my laptop and went outside to see what his problem was. My lab, Nixon, came bounding out the door to greet him. This guy jumps out in the middle of the street and says, “ I can’t believe you sicked your dog on me…Call the police, Call animal control!” “You can’t have a dog out here!”, where I replied why not it’s my yard. To make a long story short animal control and the police show up, determine that the worst that Tweedle Dee would have received would have been a vicious lick commenting that this is probably the nicest dog in the neighborhood. Expecting the subsequent registered letter from the City my neighbor researched the ordinances and found I was in compliance. 

A few days later the police blocked the intersection in front of my house where I was accused of brandishing a weapon. I replied that I was showing an antique to friend and if I wanted to start a firefight or intimidate I had a lot more exotic things than a 100 year old rifle that I would be afraid to shoot on a good day. They left advising me of the statutes and my neighbor advised them of the definition of brandishing.

Last night I was interviewed by a student journalist writing a piece to get into journalism school at Texas Tech. I gave her the background on the reason for the sign and informative session of how illegal immigration affects her today. I was accompanied by me neighbors that gave her a civics lesson on government and why it is so important to research your candidate prior to your vote. I shared that Teddy Kennedy and John Kerry had to start somewhere and if you voted for the right candidates you wouldn’t be concerned with a Chappaquiddick dive instructor who’s students never surface or the like of a Vietnam vet that associates and cohorts with the likes of Hanoi Jane Fonda. She left with a new appreciation of the signs in my yard and promised to share her essay with me. 

Mike finally queried another neighbor of mine asking, “what is up with that neighbor of yours?” Reuben replied that you need to call him. Mike sent me a reply to my original email asking that I contact him at my convenience. I replied that I would be available that evening after 8:00 PM. I received no call. 5 days later I sent mike this:

It is Sunday and I have yet to get a call from you or an email setting up a time for discussion. This leads me to believe that you are disingenuous in actually discussing the questions I sent you. As a matter of fact a phone call is not necessary... all you had to do is respond to those questions that are listed below via email. I also must state that at this late time in the runoff I would find your response suspect; especially when one of your campaign workers soliciting support for your campaign promised one of my neighbors, who are also neighbors and friends of Reuben, that you would call them back and respond to her concerns. To date they haven't received your call. 

If you don't get the big picture Mike let me spell it out for you. Dodging and ignoring constituent questions tells me just what kind of councilman you would be. We have enough of those kind of politically correct politicians in government and I'm not willing to support the candidacy of another whose special interests come before their constituents. If someone was interested enough to ask questions then someone should have the common courtesy to respond. You and your fellow cronies are surprised at my response and signs asking Reuben, "What is up with that neighbor of yours?" But you haven't sat here and seen the people driving by expressing their support or their curiosity on what prompted my political signs. I tell them the facts and I try to get them involved in asking questions instead of judging a candidate on the color and size of their signs or the tripe you put in to the news papers as your platform. I'll see you at the runoff election.

I revised my Burma Shave signs with the following: 

A tough questioned asked
Deserves a reply
Traci responded
Mike sits silent and shy? 

A lack of testosterone
Is something I dislike
But when it comes to balls
Traci’s are bigger than Mike’s

This past weekend I made bed placards for my pickup that read, “VOTE AGAINST MIKE LEASE.” 

It is not that I’m overly thrilled with the other candidate. Her response barely addressed one of the questions I asked. That is the reason I’ve taken the position of vote against instead of endorsing the other candidate.

So when you see John Kerry or Hillary railing against common sense with their hands stuck in your pockets think back to those local elections that paved the way to where they are today. If it strikes then how important these local elections are then get involved and ask the tough questions to get their response. If you’re like me then No Quote gets No Vote.

Yesterday I went to a town hall meeting with John Cornyn, US Senator for the great state of Texas. I wanted to voice my opinions about the current tripe that has hit the senate floor in addition to find out why Cornyn and Hutchison voted against the Vitter amendment which would have in effect killed this bill.

 I was greeted by Andy Rittler, North Texas Regional Director, working for Mr. Cornyn. I take it that he has remembered my name from my many letters and faxes because he said he personally printed a name tag for me when he questioned a hand written badge adorning my shirt pocket. I replied you might call security because some one must be impersonating me. I told Andy my main purpose for being there was to find out why Mr. Cornyn voted against the Vitter amendment? Andy replied that Senator Cornyn was going to address that but in a nut shell it was because he felt that would have limited any efforts to improve the bill should it pass. I also gave Andy my current translation for the GOP acronym…Gutless Obsequious Panderers which left Andy speechless. He recovered stating that that was not the case in Mr. Cornyn’s office and Staff.

 I didn’t debate this statement because Mr. Cornyn came up to shake my hand. I was impressed by Andy’s and Mr. Cornyn’s handshake which gave me a glimmer of hope. My experience in the past is those that offer a limp fish when pressing the flesh are of dubious character. I shared a conversation that I just had with the gentleman next to me about the $35 lawn service. That person who has subscribed to this service thinks it is a bargain but I added if the penalty was $10,000 for every illegal alien caught working on his property he wouldn’t think it was such a bargain if he was caught.

 I don’t believe that Mr. Cornyn was prepared for the level of vitriol and passion that this amnesty legislation has brought out of his constituents. The overwhelming sentiment is this bill needs to be killed at all costs because no legislation is better than this legislation. Signs adorned the room stating, “No Amnesty, No Anchor Babies!”

 At one point Mr. Cornyn stated he would support one type of guest worker program which brought instant jeers. An obvious economics student stood up and gave a very eloquent argument against this stance citing the indicators for the US workforce have been stagnant for several years indicating and there is no need for temporary workers. This is just propaganda spouted by the corporate barons fearing losing their supply of cheap labor. This brought a deafening round of cheers and applause that Mr. Cornyn chose not to debate.

 In conclusion I felt that he couldn’t misinterpret the sentiments of his constituents regarding the amnesty legislation being debated and the consequences associated with supporting this bill. It would be akin to voting for you own early retirement and may very well be the exit of Kyl, Graham, Isakson and McCain from the Senate.

With the debates by the so called bi-partisan about to take place in the senate it has been stated that the, “grand Bargain,” is on the table that will trigger immigration reform, temporary work force and the path to citizenship. This, “Bargain,” is the measured progress that our borders are secure before the amnesty provisions are put into place.

 I would remind the murderer from Massachusetts of the incident at Ft. Dix this past week where 3 more illegal aliens were involved in planning and trying to execute terrorist activities. It wasn’t the effort of DHS, CIA or the FBI that initially brought this to light it was the efforts of a video clerk reporting suspicious activity. What is truly amazing is that he wasn’t blown off and ignored as DHS and ICE do when you report Illegal Aliens. This could have been one more of those incidents where we won’t dispatch because of a citizen complaint.

 30+ people died because a mentally ill maniac monkey eater decided vent his frustration using legally purchased firearms. I remember back in 1975 I asked a neighbor, a legal alien from Wales, if he would like to go to the range and perforate some paper. He replied that he was prohibited from owning and using firearms in this country. When did this requirement change? I’ll bet it is one more politically correct decision by some moron fearing to offend some influential alien. And that is most definitely what is happening with this push to revamp our immigration laws.

 The biggest proponent of this is the business community and the ones that need the amnesty provision the most because of their breaking the laws all of these years by hiring illegal aliens and feigning ignorance. They need to be fined and imprisoned; not border agents trying to do their duties. When have you seen any zealous prosecutions of blatant violators that was given the same attention as Ramos and Compean? You haven’t and that is a big problem. Drag the CEO of Swift and Cargill off to jail and see how fast companies become concerned with verifying an employee’s credentials that authorize him to work in this country.

 Our zeal not to offend has compromised our security, our health and our standard of living. Tell me that your not concerned that the bowl of Wheaties your eating isn’t full of melamine destroying your kidneys or that salad isn’t spiked with salmonella? Ask anyone that has been outsourced how great the job market is and why is he selling his house to move to something more affordable.

 If your one of the lemmings jumping off a cliff because the church want a new bunch of brown skinned victims to molest and tells you God commands that Amnesty is his will I wish you would stop and notice the amount of people supporting the state’s efforts to act against illegal immigration. There is more and more every day. They are fed up with no insurance and no habla inglese. If you’re one of those people take the time to call your Senator and tell him so. Do it toll free @ 1-866-340-9281 and ask for your senator.

The previous entry I contemplated making something akin to the old Burma Shave signs that kept that kept your interest while traveling to accompany the billboard of shame in my front yard. They have been received as well as the billboard with those that object to them wait until dark to steal and deface them.  They go:

It starts with your gardener,

and then with your maid,

cash under the table,

the illegal is paid.

 

They’re drawn to the jobs

To export the bucks,

While outsourced citizens,

Are just out of luck.

 

They spawn anchor babies,

At our expense,

Use our laws against us

It doesn’t make sense.

 

They steal an identity,

Buy Forged documents for fees,

Get jobs from employers

Feigning ignorance with ease.

 

The police do not ticket,

arrest or refer

For fear of the lawsuits

the city will incur.

 

Repeat offenders

Are free to get drunk and go drive,

While friends and our loved ones

Get hurt, maimed or die.

 

So May 12 remember,

if this doesn’t make sense.

Try voting, not for;

But try voting against!

No Illegal Aliens!

 In the little metropolis of Grapevine, noted for the birth place of Spanky Mc Farland and where Bonnie and Clyde killed 2 police officers on a rural road, we have an upcoming election of 2 city council seats. The date for this election  is on May 12. On April 30 I witnessed the main stream media’s coverage of the anticipated illegal immigrant demonstrations and CNN’s day of immigration issues. Because most of the people work for a living that oppose the pro-immigration stance it is hard to organize a counter demonstration so I went to my work shop and created my own response to the illegal immigrant protests…a bill board of shame.

 Cutting up the remnants of the, “Vote Anti-incumbent” placards I had on my truck during the mid-term elections I cut out the letters to spell, “No Illegal Aliens, vote against.” I painted them fluorescent orange with the exception of the word, “against,” which was painted black. I placed them on a white painted 4X8 sheet of 3/8 CDX and strapped this to my flag pole the evening of the 30^th.

 The previous day I composed a letter asking 3 questions and sent them to the candidates that had a web site for their campaign. The Text of the letter is:

 Dear candidate,

 I have some questions:

What is your position on illegal immigrants renting in our community?

I recently had a conversation with one of Grapevine's finest where he told me that illegal aliens are given a free pass when it comes to traffic violations and proof of insurance. This was mandated by the Chief of Police! What are you going to do to prohibit this stance by the Grapevine police Department?

Are you in favor of sending Police officers to the 287 G training sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security?

Your response will be greatly appreciated so I may make an informed decision.

To no great surprise one of the candidates refused to answer my queries and the other that did answer did so in vague and ambiguous terms by referring he supported subtle means of dealing with the illegal immigration issue. To this person’s credit he did set up a meeting with the police chief to get his side of the issue and personally called me to discuss his findings. For those that are curious the old sage adage of, “Deny, Deny, Deny,” was the essence of the police chief’s response. I imagine there was a hell of a squad meeting the next morning.

One of the candidates that had no web site or advertised way of contacting them to get their views on constituent issues called my neighbor to solicit her support. She then asked the same questions I wrote to the other candidates and this person refused to answer her questions. She repeated them and refused to answer her a second time. This was the first person added to the billboard of shame. After 5 days and no response from the candidate I wrote I added his name to the billboard and sent him a picture of it.

I received another response from one of the candidates that my neighbor determined her business email address. Her response was:

To answer your questions, our system provides legal methods and laws so

that immigrants can participate in our system, legally, such as

providing information on an I-9 and a form of identification (i.e. green

card) based on the federal and state laws put in place. As a small

business owner, I don't condone illegal activity in my business and

expect the same out of every department in our city.  I'm not familiar

with the 287 G training.  However, I'm in favor of training that makes

our men and women in uniform better prepared to protect our citizens and

our national security.  When I am elected to the City Council, I look

forward to serving the citizens of Grapevine. 

 

The only thing she came close to addressing the questions I asked was the Police policy issue and even that is vague and ambiguous.

What I’ve learned from this exercise is the surprising support I received from those that have driven by and acknowledged the sign. I’ve had one complaint compared to the generally positive response. I learned that the candidates are blown and moved around by the politically correct winds afraid to answer any question that may commit them to public record on an issue. Their perception of gray leaves little room for the issues that demand a black or a white decision. The illegal alien traffic had given this area a wide berth and decreased tremendously.

Who gets my vote? The person that went to see the chief of police. He was the only one that took the initiative to get an answer.

I’m considering resurrecting the old Burma Shave Sign concept for my front yard that is less conspicuous and obtrusive but has the same effect in getting people to think!

After another hard day of retirement my neighbor Bob and I were enjoying evening libations sitting in lawn chairs in my front yard. This is a fair weather ritual that draws envy from some neighbors that wish they lived close so they could join and participate or disdain from others because their bible belt temperate principals precludes them from participating in what they deem as a vulgar display of consuming evil spirits. With my lab Nixon standing sentry challenging the intentions of anyone that crosses the boundary of the curb outlining my property with a romp ending at their feet and the gentle grasp of their hand in his muzzle we talked, drank and waved back acknowledging those driving by that shared their greetings.

After a little while we were visited by one of Grapevine’s finest querying whether we had seen anyone trying to sell magazines door to door. Having not had the displeasure of the suspect door to door marketing scheme we informed this to the officer. Striking up an informational conversation on the happenings in the hood I asked the officer if anyone had or is slated to take the 287G training from the government to assist the feds in illegal immigration enforcement. The officer laughed and then shared the directive from the police chief of Grapevine.

The chief has left instructions that illegal aliens would not be arrested or ticketed for traffic violations. This includes driving without a license, no proof of insurance and may even include the operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence. I asked this officer if these directives are in writing to which he replied no. But the officer further elaborated the chief’s reasoning that if the illegal was involved in an accident in another location and they found a copy of the citation in the car then the city or the officer that issued the citation could be sued for letting the individual go. It boils down to no evidence, no paper trail; no problem!

Bob and I looked at each other and knew we hadn’t drank enough to confuse what we heard so we repeated what the officer said while he nodded his head in acknowledgement. We shared an invitation to the officer to join us on or off duty and let him go on his way. Bob and I freshened our drinks to wash down this information and contemplate its meaning.

I’ve thought since on the discussion we had and questioned if this is a political stance or have we just surrendered to the illegal immigrant invasion? Is the solution just to ignore the crimes that the illegal alien commits and prosecute the citizens instead? This dual standard in the application of the law is an affront to us all. I believe the next city council meeting is going to be very interesting because my neighbors and I want some answers to these questions. Stay tuned this could get real interesting.

Those that remember their Saturday morning cartoons might remember the character Speedy Gonzalez. The character in that cartoon and our attorney general has something very much in common; they’re both Hispanic and they’re both rats!

I’ve wondered for a long time about the bizarre circumstances surrounding the prosecution of the border patrol agents and the wanton and blatant disregard for the immigration laws of this nation. I have felt that this could only come as an agenda from the highest levels of the government and now I’m seeing my prediction of the guilty parties being exposed and brought to justice. Alberto Gonzalez is now doing the Potomac two step in response to the firing of US attorneys that have fallen out of favor with the Bush administration. He made the initial disclosure that the firings were performance based but now we learn that they were politically motivated.

That brings the $50, 000 question to what else is politically motivated in this administration with sinister consequences. Our system of government is based on law and when that law is ignored or selectively enforced then we are on the verge of anarchy. It is very apparent that we have laws on the books that if enforced, we would seriously curtail the immigration problem we have today but federal law enforcement and this administration chooses to ignore these laws and exacerbate the immigration problem.

But that is not all…one of the attorneys fired was the one that brought the case against “Duke” Cunninghan, the legislator caught up in the Abrahamof scandal selling his office to the highest bidder. Then we have the “hammer” Delay still walking around in public when he ought to be wearing a ball and chain doing road work. We still have the illegal alien crying sanctuary in a Chicago church that hasn’t been deported and 2 border patrol agents suffering from prosecutorial misconduct in prison that was overseen by this attorney general. It has been written that more are killed on our nation’s highways by drunk illegal aliens than there have been casualties in Iraq. If this were classified as an infectious disease then the CDC would be all over it and something productive would be done. Justice is supposed to be blind and not have the scales tipped to a predetermined conclusion by an administration promoting the private agenda of his corporate masters.

The citizens of this nation are fed up with NAFTA, CAFTA and the thought of the North American Union. They are tired of seeing their job exported or usurped by foreign labor legal or otherwise. When did we become so concerned with the other nations well being over our own citizens. This is your tax dollars going to subsidize the Mexican government when a family member or friend loses his job to outsourcing. Contemplate the national debt and the trade imbalance to China and then ask who cares about that recently unemployed person. REMEMBER those legislators that think this is just being humane and just while they try to justify amnesty for their corporate masters at YOUR expense.

Citizens of this nation need to get mad, real mad and let Washington know they are fed up with the antics of this administration and their private agenda to destroy the sovereignty of this nation. Steal a phrase from the movie Network and yell out the window that, “I’M MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE.”

Find an activist group and get involved. If you’re having trouble finding one then check out www.cfirdallas.com . We have remote members as well as local ones and would be glad to have you in our ranks.

 

 

With a name like O’Hare it isn’t hard to imagine that during this time of year you might wonder if Tim O’Hare is of Irish ancestry.  Well for the sake of argument and to be part of the season’s celebration we’ll say that he is. Just like the famed saint that the Irish holiday celebrates he is also a victim of mythical fabrications. These myths come at the hands of the media and the special interest groups seeking to defame his character and paint him something that he isn’t.

Last night I attended my second meeting of the Citizens for Immigration Reform and Mr. O’Hare was the guest speaker. You might say that the crowd was very appreciative of the efforts of Tim and the ordinances that the city is trying to enact. Tim gave us a little history of his efforts.

Tim’s main motivation in striving to enact these ordinances was to stop the decline of his community. He cited the facts that the drop in property values, the decline in the accreditation of the public schools and the loss of commerce in his community were the factors that prompted him to take action.

He said the schools were classified as third tier. He further clarified this as the possibility of being one of three classifications: Exemplary, Recognized and Acceptable. He feels the community deserves better than an acceptable rating.

He challenged the audience to recognize that a single family dwelling with 15+ people living in it with trash piled outside, multiple vehicles and the home in a state of disrepair does nothing to enhance the property values for the neighbors. The homes are many people’s investment that will provide the funds for health care and retirement when that time comes. It is disheartening to see that investment trashed by a blatant example of block busting and the resultant “blight flight” of the residents selling early and short to stop the bleeding of their investment funds.

Tim’s plan was in four parts.

• Declare English as the official language of Farmers Branch
• Require all official documents and signage to printed in English
• Send a law enforcement officer to be trained in the 287G program
• Fine apartment landlords for renting to illegal aliens.

He stated that just the debate of the proposed ordinances has created a positive effect. He said the publicized call for the boycott of the non-Hispanic owned businesses has actually back fired on the proponents and increased their business with the increase to the city of sales tax revenue. He also stated that these same Hispanic businesses that supported this boycott are crying from the loss of business and filing suits. Tim surmises that the surrounding communities are showing their support by the increased patronization of Farmers Branch’s business community.

Tim also noted that there have been Spanish signs soliciting the illegal immigrant community to move to their apartments because of the fear of the ordinances.

Recent polls have shown a high of 91%, a median of 84% with a low of 79% in favor of the ordinances by the residents of Framers Branch and surrounding communities. The median figure was from a poll conducted by Fox News.

Tim said the one thing he underestimated and was naïve about was the news media. He recited his experience with a reporter with the Dallas Morning News’s Spanish news paper. The reporter queried and pressed for the count of Hispanic clients his law firm has represented. Tim said he didn’t know a figure because that wasn’t something he tracked but after being pressed repeatedly he estimated a count. The next day in the news paper here is the author of the anti-immigrant ordinances while he was quoted that illegal immigrants represented 15% of his business. Later this same figure was used in the Dallas Business Journal and ‘D’ magazine without seeking comment or verifying the fact from Tim. Tim later met this same reported and asked how he came up with the figures published when he stated nothing to that effect. The reporter replied that his notes were translated wrong. Even after promising there has been no retraction by the newspaper.

He also recalled an incident at his church prior to the service where the congregation was greeted by an activist with a Bull Horn chiding Tim to come out and debate his view in the street. Unbeknownst to the activist and his followers two other councilmen that straddled the fence on the issue were also members of the same church. Tim surmises that the concussive blasts from their Bull Horn knocked them off that fence into Tim’s yard supporting his views. No news coverage of this incident was reported but the actions of this individual the same day, with the same Bull Horn, spouting the same vitriol in front of a catholic church was covered by channel 11 news that evening. This same activist went on to embellish the measures for the camera by claiming the church would be prohibited from holding Mass in Spanish if enacted.

Tim stated that in hind site he should have demanded the news and magazines publish retractions for their misstatements. He stated he had no idea that this would happen.

Tim’s concern now is the upcoming election with the 2 vacancies to be filled on the city council. He stated that for issues and ordinances to be enacted that it takes a minimum of 5 councilmen to vote in favor of the ordinance. If the wrong people are elected then he said you are going to see an about face in terms of a response by the city government with a plethora of apologies for past actions and perceived indifference. Tim said that their community is the litmus test for other communities to get on the band wagon. He said they are fighting the money machine provided by the ACLU, MALDEFF and other special interest organizations including the special interests control of the media.

He recommends 2 candidates that support the 2903 apartment ordinance that is being watched by the nation. They are David Koch and Tim Scott. They would welcome your support. To mail a contribution the address is:

Support Farmers Branch PAC
P.O Box 810885
Farmers Branch, TX 75381

Please note that a contribution over $50.00 requires that the PAC has your job occupation, job title and employer on record. Please provide this information so they may be compliant with the Texas Ethics Commission otherwise your check may be returned and the much needed donation will be missed. If you would like to donate online then please go to this link. http://www.supportfarmersbranch.com/ . Please check out http://www.cfirdallas.com/ . We could use your support and membership to help support Tim and efforts of the community of Farmers Branch.

The 5^th century Saint St. Patrick is credited by legend of ridding Ireland of its snakes although science declares that post glacial Ireland never had snakes. Maybe Tim O’Hare is another legend in the making? Maybe sometime in the future we could send him to Washington to get rid of the snakes that are there? St. O’hare  or Senator O’Hare…it doesn’t have a bad ring to it does it?

 

Those that have the picture of the American farmer dressed in bib overalls riding a ’48 model Ford 8N while their kids run barefoot and the bed sheets hang on clotheslines next to the farm house are a bit behind the times. They are equipped today with more processing power than a Wall Street Broker and have consolidated their ranks. In 1950 the US census bureau counted 5.5 million farmers and those ranks have shrunk to 1.9 million in 1992.  

In all of this the government has increased its influence over farming by using their production as a mean of balancing foreign trade. They supposedly use this nation’s production to offset the trade imbalance by the American consumer’s appetite for foreign imports. Try to work your way through the maze of farm subsidies on what a farmer can grow and can’t grow and you’ll spend as much time as a student trying to get a degree.  The frightening thing is that this nation is losing on this front also in the name of globalization. We are importing as much or more from foreign sources as we produce in this nation.

What the government doesn’t tell the public is the imbalance of how other nations subsidize their farmers. Trade agreements are ignored or blatantly disregarded and their crops are subsidized to eliminate or dominate the market. If the government would stop ignoring these unfairly subsidized imports and let this nation use the production of our American farmers for feeding our nation and telling these nations to stick their imports then this decline of the family farmer would cease and they could compete on equal terms. With every subsidy check our farmer’s cash they make another payment on their demise.

This has led to the trend to gamble on perishable crops that can’t be easily exported and stored for lengthy periods of time. These crops are less likely to be subsidized because of the cost of transportation and the risk of spoilage and have an equal financial risk to weigh against prospect of increased profit and freedom of government subsidies. The farmers say they are forced into this gamble because the subsidies they are paid when combined with the market price received don’t cover the cost of growing the crop let alone break even so they have a net loss at the end.

Utilizing any means necessary to increase profits they rely on immigrant labor to harvest these crops. With this interest the government has the H-2A visa program. Here is where researching facts for this article became interesting. The one thing I’m a stickler for is the Facts. I took this position from Jack Web on Dragnet…Just the facts Mam.

I first tried to find out from the department of labor website the forms, fees and any statistical data concerning the H-2A visa program. In looking for the statistical data to see how many H-2A visas were issued I found a DHS immigration statistics page where it listed:

2003 – 14094 H-2A visas were authorized,

2004 – 22141 H-2A visas were authorized,

2005 -   7011 H-2A visas were authorized.

The figures for 2005 didn’t make sense so I tried to investigate further. When I tried my queries I got many references to the newly released figures by the DOL concerning the PERM program that went into effect March of 2005 and a reference to the document ETA-750, application for temporary non-immigrant workers, was no longer valid and replaced by ETA-9089. But when I went to the document ETA-9089 it states this is an application for permanent employment certification…so much for that immigration lawyer’s web page.

I went to research PERM and here is what the DOLETA web site says:

The Permanent Online System has been developed by the Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration, Office of Workforce Security, and Division of Foreign Labor Certification to allow U.S. employers who intend to hire foreign workers to work permanently in the United States the ability to file and submit applications for Permanent Employment Certification - Form ETA 9089 with DOL via the Web.

So I made the assumption that ETA-750 is still a viable way to get H-2A visas for temporary non-immigrant workers. So what are the requirements for a H-2A visa? Here is a brief description condensed as best as I can:

Must advertise for US workers and prove that you did to justify the need,

Must continue to accept US workers until 50% of the contract is complete,

Must pay the prevailing wage or minimum wage whichever is the greater of the two,

Must provide the alien with a copy of the contract that includes:

• Beginning and end dates
• Conditions of employments…housing, meals, transportaion and etc.
• Hours per day and day per week
• Crop to be worked on
• Rate of pay for each job performed
• Tools
• Workman’s comp or equivalent insurance as a substitute if WC is not available

Must guarantee to workers that they’ll receive at least 75% of the worth of the contract,

Transportation cost reimbursement,

 Must keep employment records.

This is for every alien that you recruit and submitted on a separate form. All of this should be done 60 days before the work is anticipated but not more than 120 days.

Prior to all of this happening your must submit ETA-790 and get approved that certifies you as complying with all of the above.

Now while I laud the attempt to make sure that the citizens of this nation are protected I’m still amazed at the bureaucracy of the government. Planning 2 months ahead of a crop harvest there are a whole lot of things that can happen especially when it comes to the human side of it. Just keeping records of who shows up and who abandons their job could be a fulltime operation on some of these large farms.

Now you would think with all of the detailed criteria demanded on these forms there would be some empirical data on how many aliens are imported to work in agriculture but I can find no published statistical data from the government except what was stated above. How then can they scream for a temporary guest worker program when they have no statistical data to justify its existence? Furthermore how can we justify a blanket escalating quota when the data is non-existent?

I mentioned above that there was reference to the government releasing the statistics of the PERM program. If they released it then it was strictly to the immigration attorneys because they are the only ones referencing the existence of that report. What is even more peculiar is all of the links they had to that report are now removed and hidden behind a firewall only for the view of immigration attorneys and their membership.

Where are the request statistics for:

Hotel maids,

Construction workers,

Landscape employees,

Restaurant employees,

Laborers and etc…

Face it folks this is truly an agenda by the special interests groups and their attorneys. Even the government’s web sites are broken to the instructions and the requirements where you have to go the immigration attorney web sites to get the answers to their questions. Some of the forms imply that council is required as an agent to represent the application and the applicants therefore building an empire for the immigration attorneys at the citizen’s expense.

This battle is on the near horizon coming to congress. You and I need to demand answers on where are the statistics that support the premise for a guest worker program? Remind them that only 7011 H-2A visa were issued for 2005 so why are the farmers complaining they don’t have enough labor? Maybe then they’ll start releasing statistical information to  defeat another politically correct welfare program for the citizens of Mexico!

 

Sometime during the day Jean was contacted by a member of the organization IRCOT, Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas. This organization extends its membership to those organizations that promote border security and oppose illegal immigration. They also include the Austin Townhall Conservatives - Immigration Reform Committee (Austin) and CFIR (Dallas). IRCOT was contacted by FOX News out of Dallas Texas to get an interview concerning the proposed pay increase for people in public service that speak Spanish. As I understand it this would be an across the board pay incentive funded by the citizens to provide Spanish translation for services provided by local and state governments instead of the recipient paying for this service on an as needed basis or providing their own translator.

Jean said it was just by chance that we were in Austin when this request was given to IRCOT and they forwarded FOX to Jean. It was hard to find a spot that didn’t have the sun in your eyes with the capitol in the background. They finally settled under the shade of an Oak blocking the direct sunlight in Jean’s eyes while providing the back drop of the capitol dome. We moved far enough away so not to interrupt the interview with extra noise or shadows.

While we waited for Jean we discussed among ourselves the activities of the day with the representative from IRCOT. All thought our efforts were well received by the legislators we contacted. Jean finished her interview and the van to transport us back to Dallas arrived shortly after.

Conversation on the return was abuzz with the day’s accomplishments and those sharing personal items about themselves and their background. We fought the infamous traffic out of town and stopped for dinner somewhere around Waco. The table conversation was a mixture of politics, the war and also illegal immigration. One subject came up concerning another terrorist strike against this nation and it was the consensus that with the current level of security on our borders this was almost a forgone certainty that this will happen again to be the wake up call for true action on the issues.

After the meal the shadows grew longer and the horizon thinly glowed a golden silhouette transitioning to a dark blue above while we traveled home. Digesting the meal provided solitary thoughts on the day’s activities. I thought again of the movie, “Mr. Smith goes to Washington.” Here was a van full of Jeff Smith’s heading home. There was no dramatic scene where during a filibuster the hero falls to the floor in exhaustion and the romantic cry of concern echoes from the gallery. There was no legislator trying to end his shame from the overwhelming guilt of his corruption and the association with greedy business interests bankrolling his position. But there were many similarities in that movie that applied to us. Our motives are not born of ambitions of personal gain but to help and protect our children from those special interests only concerned with bottom line profits and a pool of cheap labor. It is not to bolster the minions of the Catholic Church and their coffers from the collection plate. It is not to register a new partisan pool of voters that perpetuates the control of the government for one political party. It is not to dilute the sovereignty of this nation by forming a North American Union under the guise a global economy will provide all a new found prosperity.

It is the attempt to do the right thing. Were not against immigration but we are against illegal immigration. We are not blind to effects this invasion has had on our communities, the crime, the quality of the education we provide our children and the drain on our services. We are truly concerned of the concerted effort to eliminate our borders and our sovereignty for the benefit of corporate interests at the expense of the citizens of this nation and the compromising of our national security as a direct  and dire result.

We have been labeled vigilantes, extremists, racists and xenophobes because we disagree with the element that defaces our flag, our property and protests in the street demanding entitlement while we abide by the law and attempt to affect change by using the means availed to us by our founding fathers to self govern ourselves for the benefit of all citizens.

We do this on a shoe string budget. We don’t have the resources to buy the news media and taint perceptions with propaganda. The day after our trip to Austin the local television network posts this on the internet.

http://www.kxan.com/Global/story.asp?S=6096808&nav=menu73_2_18

It is difficult at best to compete with the corporate resources and the professional propaganda but we do it. It is said that a letter is the opinion of a thousand people while a personal appearance is the opinion of a hundred thousand. If that is the case then 1.2 million opinions were represented in the capitol by our group.

Suddenly my day dream is shattered by the swerving to miss someone’s sofa laying on the highway masked from view by the vehicle in front of us. Leroy, our driver, expertly missed the sofa with little to spare but saved us from at least inconvenience if not tragedy.

If you haven’t followed the complete story then please use the links at the right hand side of your screen to read it from the beginning. You’ll realize that you are another potential Jeff Smith getting involved for a common cause for the benefit of the citizens of this nation. Please consider becoming a member of an activist organization and show your support to the bills in our legislature. We are Citizens for Immigration Reform. Our website is www.cfirdallas.com and we can be contacted at immigrationreform@sbcglobal.net or 972-282-8087. Visit us, give us a hand and get involved.

After our visit with Tan Parker’s representative we went to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat and meet with our counterparts to update and coordinate. There were 12 of us in total that day and all with different backgrounds and reasons for being active in this quest.

Ray was a former radio personality around the country and hailed his main career began and ended in New York City. If there was a Mark Twain look alike contest he would be the contestant to beat. He was in character most of the time but spoke and shared his concerns about the current Amnesty effort being pushed by the administration and especially the Democrats. Ray had little use for that party affiliation and the word rolled off his tongue as if one described an individual afflicted with a flesh eating virus was coming to shake your hand.

Dave was a retired school teacher and also retired from the military. Dave is very active in politics and shares a wealth of knowledge and personal experience with the children of illegal aliens in the classroom. He said their main reason for being here was to work. He also stated that it was difficult at best just trying to keep them awake let alone teach them their studies. He shared an occasion where a student told him why they were there…”We’re here because there is nothing better to do. We work at night and we send most of our paycheck back to Mexico except for enough to live on so there is nothing extra to use for entertainment. There is nothing for us to do during the day so we come here and we get fed for free, there are girls we can meet and socialize and it is a diversion from the isolation of being here.” Dave had a different attitude about the Democratic representatives and said they also can be persuaded to recognize our cause. Dave also shared his on going efforts in Tarrant County and his affiliation with the group TARG.

Bob was there from the perspective that his wife was a legal immigrant. He wanted to share their concern of those that circumvent the laws and procedures for legal immigration and how offensive it is to one that has abided by the laws to hear the demands of entitlement and pleas for Amnesty called by another name.

June is the little lady I described in my writings about attending my first meeting of CFIR. She is also a legal immigrant and has lived here for 28 years. June shared in that meeting a story about immigrants abusing our system while living abroad. I talked to her at lunch and she explained this situation further. She stated that a person 65 or older with legal immigrant status can receive a monetary allotment from the government. This monthly allotment is paid via direct deposit to a bank account. She said that these immigrants use to return to their country of origin and live returning once a year to collect these allotments in a lump sum from the bank and then return to their country. Now with greater scrutiny by the government they have a person here that removes the allotment from the bank account to initiate activity in the account in regular intervals masking the scam of them living abroad. With no one tracking the exit status of aliens from our country this fraud is perpetuated at the expense of the American citizen. She said she has escalated this to the authorities and they are aware of the scam but say there is nothing they can do because of a variety of reasons.

Lois was the leader of the group and we really didn’t have time to talk at length concerning her motives and history associated with CFIR. Lois in coordination with Jean made the decisions on dividing the contacts to meet with certain representatives. She also demonstrated her knowledge of the representatives, their responsibilities and their potential ability to become confederates in our cause.

Robin was another participant that I hadn’t the time to query her reasons for her activism but I did perceive that she also was active in the Farmers Branch efforts to enact ordinances preventing illegal aliens from renting in their city.

Again let me apologize for not getting everyone mentioned. It is not my intention to slight anyone’s contribution and efforts.

After lunch we went to see Mr. Wayne Christian, House representative for Dist. 9 of the State of Texas. I took the lead on this meeting to present the literature and our cause. We assembled is his waiting area when he personally came to greet us. I met his greeting and began my presentation where I felt he was testing my knowledge of his involvement in the illegal immigration bills. It didn’t take long to notice that I knew nothing of Mr. Christian’s efforts but this didn’t shorten our meeting. Mr. Christian graciously invited us to his office so we could be better informed. We were given the status of the efforts to direct the bills to certain committees that were friendlier to the cause instead of placement with chairmen that had a pro-immigration stance in their committee. He said that this was a victory in itself.  He also alluded that the passage of a bill is likened to pealing a grape; it is sometimes a painful thing to watch. Mr. Christian demonstrated an enthusiasm and a commitment to immigration reform efforts and made an analogy of his stance on the issue of presenting our views to the public. This analogy that included the term of compassion was presented well. I won’t attempt to repeat his analogy because my memory would butcher his eloquence and might not give the reader the same meaning as he intended. We discussed the Attorney General’s role in blessing the bills as legal so efforts are not wasted and the intent of the authors of the bill changed or diluted. Some of these bills were designed to challenge and produce debate on prior rulings of the Supreme Court. All in all Mr. Christian gave us the impression of his commitment and we left his office agreeing that he is one we can count on. I’d like to share again my personal thanks to Mr. Christian for showing his hospitality and taking the time to meet with us in length.

Our next appointment was at 2:30 with Charles Anderson, House Representative from district 56. Jean was keeping track of the time because sometime during the day she was invited to an interview in front of the Capitol by Fox News out of Dallas.

We entered Mr. Anderson’s office to be greeted by an impressive painting of an individual that represents Texas to the minds of most people. Here is a life size painting of a man wearing a Stetson holding two drawn pistols at his sides pointing ahead as if apprehending a group of bandits. Mr. Anderson was giving someone a history of the painting when we entered but again I couldn't hear well enough to repeat the conversation. This choice of décor for his office gave you the impression that this was the character of the man that resided here. Mr. Anderson offered us cookies and then let his associate handle the appointment on his behalf. Again the meeting was amiable and we felt that here is another representative interested in the immigration reform issue. Mr. Anderson joined us before leaving to share some comments and thank us for our visit.

It was 3:00PM as we exited his office and the noise of the hustle and bustle in the Capitol had disappeared. The quiet was quite noticeable in comparison to the day’s activities as if someone pulled the leaver on a steam whistle denoting the end of work for the day. We endeavored to visit one last office for a stop-in before Jean’s appointment with the media. This representative was under the weather and his assistant accepted our literature on his behalf.

Off to the front of the north entrance of the Capitol where we would meet another lady associated with a parent organization that extends us membership for being apart of CFIR. I’ll talk more of this tomorrow with the conclusion and wrap up of this adventure.