Thread: Media on attack against Councilman fighting illegal immigrat

It looks like the media's on the attack against Morristown, TN City Councilman Mel Tucker. The Citizen Tribune would do well to attack the lawBREAKERS in Morristown; not the DEFENDERS of the law

Tuckered out


City Councilman Mel Tucker has heard the growing local clamor around the issue of illegal immigration. In response he has all but declared war on illegal immigrants and the companies that employ them.

Or at least one company.

It seems that Tucker – unsatisfied with inaction by the federal government – has decided that his position as a city councilman allows him to become Lord Protector of Morristown in the case of local employer Koch Foods.

To be sure Koch Foods has had a PR nightmare in the recent cases of its employees turning out to be illegal immigrants stealing the identities of U.S. citizens. However, no one outside of the company can know to what extent Koch Foods has been able to deal with the problem.

Federal laws are very specific about not treating one race different from another in the hiring process. If Koch Foods were to focus too harshly on prospective employees that are Hispanic, they could find themselves in hot water. The company is now using the E-Verify program, designed by the government to prevent just the kind of identity theft cases Morristown has suffered a rash of recently.

Tucker’s recent request to pursue civil litigation against the company may be legally viable, but it seems more like a former lawman’s vendetta. It appears as if the former FBI man and police chief has decided the company’s guilt and because of that guilt is now searching for the proper loophole through which he can bypass the federal government.

Maybe voices like Tucker’s are just the kind to put pressure on the federal government to act. But it seems to us that the problem is at the federal level. Companies that employ illegal aliens are either taking advantage of a broken system or are handcuffed by it. Either way, it seems to us that Tucker – like a hunter on safari – set his sights on bringing down an elephant, got a look at the beast and decided it would be better to hunt squirrels.

We would advise Tucker to tread more cautiously. Not only is he attacking a major employer in the area. He is attacking a company that assuredly employs many U.S. citizens and contributes to the city and county tax base.

It seems to us the problems facing city council – in fairness, some of those problems are aggravated by illegal immigration – should be more than enough to keep council members’ attention. Maybe Tucker should do as many have advised the federal government to do and fix the problems that city council is empowered to fix.

Finally, it seems Tucker is dragging any and all who don’t agree with him into the fray.

During Tuesday’s work session he laid blame at the doorstep of the Morristown Area Chamber of Commerce for whatever alleged transgressions Koch Foods may have committed.

The idea is absurd. What would Tucker have them do? As if the Chamber has an enforcement wing through which they can storm a member’s facility, pore through their records and fine them for any transgressions.

It certainly appears from the outside that Koch Foods has had problems with the hiring of illegal immigrants but to what extent is only known to those inside the company itself. The rest of us are just guessing.

Tucker would do well to remember that even big corporations in this country are innocent until proven guilty.
http://tinyurl.com/38rjyl

Councilman Tucker sounds well qualified to me:

Melvin L. Tucker was elected to the Morristown City Council from Ward 1 on May 3, 2005.

Mel retired as the Chief of Police for the City of Tallahassee, Florida in 1994 after serving as an FBI Agent and as a police chief for four cities in three states in departments ranging in size from forty-five to five-hundred officers.

Shortly after his retirement in 1994, Mel formed a law enforcement litigation-consulting firm. He has now served as a litigation consultant in over 350 law enforcement cases and testified in federal and state courts as a police procedures expert over 45 times.

Mel holds a BA from the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL and an MPA from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC.

Mel and his wife Ali (a Veterinary Pathologist) reside at 1505 Johnson Drive with their dog and three cats.
http://www.mymorristown.com/council_tucker.php

What is wrong asking everyone if they are legal thernno problem//