Times Writers Group: Firings scandal is petty compared with other issues
By Marti Oakley, Times Writers Group

April 5, 2007

If I were the Democrats and wanting to force the resignation or firing of U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, I believe I could find something with more merit than the firing of eight U.S. attorneys.

It may be that none of our elected officials have ever read the United States Code. It's possible; after all, they admit to never reading any legislation but still line up to vote on it.

Not doing duties

Title 8 U.S.C. 1103 (a)(5) states: "The Attorney General shall have the power and the duty to control and guard the boundaries and borders of States against the illegal entry of aliens."

This one section alone should be enough to have Gonzales removed from office.

Title 8 U.S.C. 1103 (a)(10) states: "In the event the Attorney General determines that an actual or imminent influx arriving off the coast of the United States, or near a land border presents urgent circumstances requiring immediate Federal response" ... and continues saying that he can with cooperation from local and state agencies use his power to defend that border.

So I'm thinking that 11 million to 20 million people have run the border, and it never occurred to Gonzales that there was an actual influx that might require a federal response?

Sadly, it isn't only the attorney general who has failed to perform the duties of his office.

Recently a bipartisan bill has appeared yet again — now called the "Security Through Regularized Immigration and a Vibrant Economy" Act.

This bill not only gives blanket amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants, it extends our line of defense to Mexico.

We're now going to defend the southern border, only it has been moved to the southern border of Mexico. We're already defending the coastal areas of both Mexico and Canada through NorthCom, a 2002 creation of Donald Rumsfeld.

The bill, by Reps. Luis Gutierrez and Jeff Flake, of Illinois and Arizona respectively, is just the latest in a long line of bills written in an attempt to subvert the laws of the United States in favor of open borders and against the legal citizens of the United States.

Whether a person is a Cabinet member or elected official, anyone in these positions who has failed to uphold their oath of office, to defend the sovereign United States, who attempts to subvert the Constitution and Bill of Rights via legislation or simple dereliction of duty should be immediately removed from office.

Other applications

There are several other sections of the United States Code that are applicable here. Under Title 18:

» U.S.C. 2 Principals (Aiding and Abetting) (a) and (b).

» U.S.C. 3 Accessory after the fact.

» U.S.C. 371 Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud the United States.

Anyone aiding and abetting the illegal entry by aliens, even if only by failing to enforce our laws, should not be in office. To then further that by attempting to pass legislation to legalize that illegal entry is to become an accessory.

In either case, offense occurs when the office holder knowingly acts contrary to the laws of the land and to the general consensus of the population. We are, after all, a republic.

The attorney general and Congress, in collusion with the president, have willfully and intentionally refused to act in accordance with the laws of the United States and have refused to defend our borders or enforce our laws.

As for Gonzales, the man should have been sent to Iraq when he deemed torture an acceptable activity or when he declared the Constitution and Bill of Rights to be "quaint" documents.

Of all the legitimate reasons Gonzales could be investigated, it seems pretty odd that Congress would pick such a lame issue. It also seems odd to me that Congress seems oblivious to the United States Code, where all the tools they need to rein in this administration and its members reside.

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