Article commentary by Bruce DeCell, 9/11 Families for a Secure America
As usual the mainstream media writes information that is essentially incorrect forming a foundation for the rest of their article which is filled with half truths and when repeated often enough is taken for the truth. For example, in the first paragraph of the article it states, ”For the past four years, this nation has waged a sporadic, passionate, hyperbolic debate over how to respond to the presence of millions of people living and working here illegally. That debate has scrambled partisanship – President Bush was among the foremost advocates of comprehensive immigration reform, joined by Wall Street conservatives and Democratic liberals and opposed by populist conservatives and organized labor.”
I don't know who the populist conservatives are or what the author defines as a popular conservative, I do know that the vast majority of legal immigrants and U.S. Citizens are against comprehensive immigration reform, which is the code word for amnesty. Also organized labor is on the same side as former president Bush, the Wall Street conservatives and Democratic liberals and against the average American citizen.
Organized labor is a big financial supporter of amnesty because they see future dues paying members who will accept poor working conditions, low salaries, and would not hold the union leaders to account, they will just be happy to have a job and be in the United States and pay their union dues to the union leadership.
Another half truth the author commits which I have seen written before is that we must “balance” enforcement of immigration law for only the most violent of the illegal aliens. “Ordinary workers” or any illegal alien committing minor offenses should not have the draconian measure of deportation used against them. Why not just let everyone born on earth be a U.S. citizen once they manage to illegally enter our nation, no questions asked?
Authors of articles like this one have a skill of camouflaging their message which is giving cover to the risks they always fail to mention when they write about our immigration laws and the “poor victims illegal aliens” how we must have clean jails and safe jails and give them access to their families and lawyers. And now I have recently learned that Homeland Security is going to use hotels and nursing homes rather than jails to house illegal aliens. Wouldn't it be nice if for once authors of opinion articles on this topic would attempt to write from the prospective of an American citizen that faces the dangers posed by millions of people who have for whatever reasons entered our nation against our laws and tell the stories of people who have been killed and injured and not afforded the protection that they should be entitled to from their government?
Please understand that the damage authors like this do by camouflaging the facts - which are that the true identities, nationalities, and intentions of “innocent illegal aliens” are unknown and unknowable. That their criminal background, health, and mental status is likewise unknown and unknowable, and that is the very reasons we have immigration laws that should be enforced. Unfortunately too many people in positions of power and influence profit by not enforcing these very important laws putting us all at risk of being a crime victim, terrorist victim, or just someone who gets a communicable disease.
Please, when you read the article leave your comments at the end so that the author can see that Americans are not as dumb as he thinks. Also tell your friends and neighbors to do the same, let your elected officials hear from you too, and don't forget to donate on our website - without your financial support we can not continue to be effective voice to make our nation more secure. Thanks. Bruce.
The article: A balanced voice on immigration and law enforcement in L.A. County
For the past four years, this nation has waged a sporadic, passionate, hyperbolic debate over how to respond to the presence of millions of people living and working here illegally. That debate has scrambled partisanship -- President Bush was among the foremost advocates of comprehensive immigration reform, joined by Wall Street conservatives and Democratic liberals and opposed by populist conservatives and organized labor. It has featured much rhetoric and anger but precious little of what is most needed: balance.
The need for moderation on this issue -- which for the moment is waiting in line behind healthcare reform and global warming on the ambitious agenda of the Obama administration -- is underscored by a predicament facing Los Angeles County. On one hand, the county's law enforcement agencies need the cooperation of illegal immigrants to identify and prosecute crimes; no one benefits if people who are in the country illegally are so afraid of the police that they refuse to turn in criminals or resist testifying. At the same time, some of those who enter or stay in the country illegally commit other, more serious, offenses while here, and they deserve aggressive investigation, prosecution and, if convicted, expulsion.
For the debate to progress, those who are angered by the presence of illegal immigrants must acknowledge that draconian enforcement of immigration laws can harm the rest of society, while those who sympathize with immigrants must acknowledge that some deserve to be deported and that every nation has the right to protect its border.
These tensions are highlighted in the latest report on the county jail system by Merrick Bobb, a special counsel who monitors the Sheriff's Department for the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. It documents the struggles of sheriff's officials to equitably distinguish between serious offenders and those whose only crime is illegal entry. It recognizes the value of deporting dangerous criminals, while cautioning that the county should not take on the job of enforcing federal laws. It credits the department with managing a clean, well-run detention center in Mira Loma, while warning against turning a facility that houses many asylum seekers into a jail, where those inside lack contact with families and limited access to judges.
Bobb's report makes a number of recommendations for preserving and extending the protection of those who fall within the country's custody. These recommendations deserve attention and action by the Board of Supervisors. But in a debate too often characterized by cries of racism, by shouted accusations on the floor of Congress and shrill opprobrium from both sides, the report's most valuable contribution may be to stand for balance.
-- Jim Newton
