http://mensnewsdaily.com/blog/malven/20 ... ation.html

Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Forget Katrina, Illegal Immigration Bush’s Albatross

I detest single issue voters. I have always believed that a conscientious voter should look at the broad spectrum of issues and make his decision based on which candidate best represents his world view. For me, as a conservative, this has invariably led me to vote Republican. I have not always been particularly enamored of every candidate for whom I have voted, but have on occasion been forced to hold my nose when voting for the “best fit� candidate. It is the notorious “choosing the better of two bad choices.� On occasion this has resulted in a vote based on the inherent “character� of the candidate. Can I trust him? Is he a man who will do what he says he will do? Is he a leader or a follower? Does he have vision for America or is he going to do the next expedient thing? I say all of this in preface to saying that for the sake of the survival of America, its government, its economy, it culture, and ultimately its people, I am becoming a single issue voter (well, okay I may still have some side issues, but I am becoming a predominantly single issue voter). That issue? Illegal immigration. I also state the above in preface to acknowledging that my original evaluation of President Bush may have been wrong.

Pat Buchanan recently caused quite a stir by calling for some Republican member of Congress to file a Bill of Impeachment against President Bush just to get his attention. It was a suggestion intended to get the President to refocus on American sovereignty and the complete lack of control at our borders. That sounds like a somewhat frivolous use of a very serious process, but I truly believe that the President is so disengaged from the needs of the nation, and so interested in being liked by the Hispanic voters, that he needs a serious shock to wake him up. In truth, I begin to doubt his sincerity and that of Congress, in dealing with the issue of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration has become the single greatest security threat to our nation (if a bail of marijuana can cross the border, then so can a WMD). It has also become the greatest economic threat to our nation. A country which has no control over its borders ceases to be a country. As great as America is, as strong as our system of government and as powerful as our economic model are, if we fail to regain control of our borders, our nation is headed for self-destruction. A guest worker program may work, but before getting to that, shouldn’t we find out exactly who these guests are?

Following 9-11 one of the most intelligent suggestions I heard was to revoke all visas expel the holders then have them re-apply for entry into the country. So many visa recipients have been lost, that even today we are not sure who is in our country and where they all are. The second suggestion is to carry our broad sweeps for illegal aliens. Attach Federal money for municipalities to tasking local police in arresting illegal aliens when they find them. Anyone who is not an American citizen should immediately be put on a bus and taken out of the country. In concert with this, would be the suspension of the posse comitatus act and the deployment of National Guard troops on the borders to augment our INS agents in preventing anyone from re-crossing after being expelled. Let Liberals and our neighbors to the north and south whine. Americans need to develop a Tin Ear and a thicker skin and quit worrying about what other nations are saying about us.

Once some semblance of security has been reestablished, then should we look to re admitting former visa holders conditional on passing security and identity checks. At the same time, we need a hard line defense of our borders. If it proves necessary, I believe that we need to construct an Israeli type of wall on our southern and northern borders. It is imperative that America knows exactly who is visiting this country, where they are, and how long they are going to be here. Once their visas expire, they must be forced to leave immediately. Federal charges should be made against anyone who harbors illegal aliens. Universities who refuse to monitor the visa status of their foreign students or cooperate with INS should lose their federal funding. This is not some extreme right-wing crazy’s ranting here, it’s simple logic. It does not take a genius to see the problems associated with uncontrolled immigration, only an open eye, a willingness to see the truth, both of which seem to be lacking in Congress and in the White House.

I have been one of the Presidents staunchest supporters and defenders. I have sneered at the attacks from the Left against the President and sly innuendos about his intellect secure in the knowledge that serious criticism is rarely done in words of four letters. The volume and nature of much of the criticism leveled at the President, the measure of hatred in that criticism have blinded me to much that is truly wrong with this Presidency. I have bridled at the implications by those on the Left that President Bush is just a figure head for a governmental cabal consisting of Rove, Card, Rumsfeld, and Rice. I have argued that his seeming lack of engagement was just his easy going style of management, and that he was giving events his attention appropriate to the circumstance. But on this issue, the President is seemingly AWOL. On this issue, Congress is conspicuous in its silence. Why don’t these men and women stand up and keep the Oath of Office the all took when they were sworn in. How can you be protecting and defending the Constitution when you don’t even know who is in the nation and what threat they may pose? If we had more aggressive enforcement of our immigration laws, we wouldn’t need some of the more draconian provisions of the Patriot Act.

For too long, Congress has simply ignored the immigrant problem, simply pasting one temporary bandage after another on the hemorrhage that is our national border. Illegal immigration places a strain on our medical facilities, our education facilities, and our police facilities. Illegal immigrants are the source of a disproportionate amount of violent crime and a disproportionate burden on our emergency care facilities. They drive, many of them unlicensed, and in uninsured vehicles placing a burden on citizens who must then pay for uninsured motorist insurance. They pay less in taxes, if any, and in social security, if any, yet they enjoy all of the services that tax payers enjoy. They tend to congregate in low-income federally supported housing projects which then become havens to criminal and gang-related violence, including drug-trafficking.

It is time for Congress and the President to stop playing “got you� politics and get serious about securing our borders. I honestly believe that should the unthinkable happen, and another serious attack occur on American soil, and that the perpetrators came across the border, then members of Congress and the President should be tried for treason and executed if found guilty.