Thread: Debate heats up at council meeting

Debate heats up at council meeting

Allison Brophy Champion
Staff Writer
Thursday, August 16, 2007

Emotions ran high Tuesday night in Culpeper as a dozen citizens addressed Town Council on the hot topic of illegal immigration during the opening public comment session.

And just before the meeting ended, more than two hours later, Mayor Pranas Rimeikis and Councilman Steve Jenkins got into it with each other expressing polar opposite opinions on the matter.

Both sides represented
The debate over illegal immigration is far from over in Culpeper, a community known through history for its political activism.

One side says, “Don’t Tread on Meâ€

There are a lot of people who support this illegal invasion because they say they are immigrants or their parents were immigrants. They tell how much they appreciate the US and what it offers. They sometimes speak of the safety, the lifestyle, etc.

Do they not realize it took laws and enforcement of laws to make this country happen?

Do they not realize it has taken eternal vigilance, and law abiding citizens to make this happen?

Do they think just because we inhabit this magical place called the US - that all this just appeared?

Do they not know it can go away - and very quickly without laws and law abiding citizens.


I fear that some of our immigrants and some of our other citizens have not been educated on the sacrifices it took to maintain and sustain this country. A safe, lawful society is just like anything else - it takes maintance or it will disappear?

Rimeikis, who will serve on the Virginia Commission on Immigration, compared the targeting and attempted dispersal of Culpeper’s day laborers to Nazi Germany, Rwanda and Kosovo.

After 21.5 years in the military and seeing places like Bosnia and Kosovo I can truely say the immigrants are the ones acting like the citizens in Bosnia and Kosovo... not the Americans... we are trying to uphold the law and 25 - 30 Americans die DAILY from the hands of an Illegal Alien.

I have seen the lawlessness and what it does... maybe you should go yourself to get a first hand look

What gives you that right to make that comparison

How dare you sir ... Maybe you should drag your goat smelling backside from which you came

“We are all immigrants,â€

I am fighting against illegal immigration because my parents came here (LEGALLY) from Germany and it would be a slap in the face to ALL immigrants to let the Illegals stay....

My parents waited for their turn...they were proud to be here...they learned English and never in a million years would they have accepted Welfare...

These people do not even want to learn English...they do NOT want to assimilate...totally different mindset

nntrixie I agree with you...it seems some people who immigrated here are emotionally scared and wrongly compare their experience with the Illegals who are here now.

I think they should be asked,in a nice way, to step down from their public service positions because they cannot serve the US citizens if they support those who break our immigration laws which is no different then any other law breaker be it robbers,forgerers,bad check writers etc.

We do not get to pick and choose which laws we uphold and those we allow to be broken.If we do then we no longer have a Democratic type govrnment and will slip into anarchy.

Culpeper Town Council:

http://www.culpeper.to/officials/council/index.htm

I grew up in Culpeper. It does not remotely resemble the place where I grew up. What the mayor said is just another example of elected officials saying "to h#&& with what you unenlightened citizens think" we will do what we want. I always wondered why every time a measure came up to tackle the problem he did his best to shoot it down. Now we know. Political agenda!!!
How can you teach and expect your children to obey and respect the laws of the land when the ones responsible don't.

I can only hope the LEGAL citizens will turn out the town council(except for Steve Jenkins) and the mayor in the next election!!!!

If anyone ever asks me if I am a native American to try to shut me up.
I will tell them:
A: My family came here in 1620
B: They didn't come here and have Social Security etc etc.
Heck they didn't have security period.

They didn't come here for a quick buck. They came here to build a country.

Bottom line for everyone who likes to be safe in this country and likes the freedoms in this country, need to be told in very plain language - it takes work.

It can descend into the same kind of horror they came to escape.

No one waved a magic wand and made America - but it can go away and it is on a greased slide right now.