Thread: WA: Commission ejects Citizen for discussing illegal aliens

Illegal immigration opponent ejected from meeting
By Steven Friederich - Daily World Writer (Aberdeen, WA)

Thursday, March 22, 2007 3:26 PM PDT

MONTESANO — County Commission chairman Al Carter lost his cool with a longtime opponent of illegal immigration during Monday’s commission meeting, eventually calling on Sheriff’s deputies to escort Stan Blunt from the building.

Blunt, an Aberdeen resident who has done some work for the Minuteman Project and other anti-illegal-immigrant groups, is a regular fixture at county meetings, consistently calling on the commissioners to do more to make sure illegal immigrants aren’t working on county lands.

On Monday, commissioners re-assigned a contract granting a company the right to collect and sell salal on county-owned property. Salal is greenery collected in the woods and sold to florists who use it in arrangements. Over the last few months, Blunt has repeatedly called into question the immigration status of the salal workers.

Blunt alleged workers for the company that holds the salal contract weren’t legal and asked that commissioners make sure employees had an “I-9” employment eligibility verification form on file.

“I was thinking hallelujah, it’s happening,” Blunt said during the public comment period at the end of the meeting. “My county commissioners are jumping on board this. They’re going to require I-9 forms are in possession of the contractor.”

“Stan, we’ve answered that question 100 times for you,” Carter replied. “And the answer is the same. You keep asking the question because you don’t like the answer. We follow the appropriate guidelines.”

“But commissioner!”

“Sir,” Carter said as he slammed down his gavel. “Sit down!”




“Here’s Immigration’s phone number!” Blunt replied. “Give them a call, commissioner!”

“You’re done!” Carter yelled back, amid some crosstalk between the two.

“We just had a concealed weapon on First and F this morning by a gang member in my town,” Blunt said.

“Stan. You’re done. Sit down. Sit down or see the Sheriff.”

“I want you to see the sheriff,” Blunt yelled back. “You’re here with all your manpower and communications!”

“Donna, would you step out please and ask the Sheriff to step in?” Carter asked the County Commission’s clerk.

“This is going to go on and on, isn’t it?” Blunt yelled again.

“I’m not going to allow you to run this meeting,” Carter said. “You’re done. We’re just not gong to do what you want us to do and I’m tired of listening to you.”

“Eight years now, I’ve come here — ” Blunt said.

“And I’m tired of hearing you harp on the same question!” Carter said.

Soon after that, Blunt left the meeting voluntarily and was met a few minutes later on the sidewalk in front of the commission chambers by a couple of Sheriff’s deputies who only talked to him and asked him what had happened inside.

At the end of the meeting, Carter apologized for his “outburst.”

“But there are only so many days I can take so much from Mr. Blunt,” Carter said. “It’s hard enough to do our job and we shouldn’t be expected to do the federal government’s job, too.”

County Commissioner Mike Wilson said that as mayor of Aberdeen, he ejected Blunt once. And Carter recalled that a few years ago, then-county commissioner Dennis Morrisette once ejected Blunt from a meeting.

Blunt said he’s undeterred and plans to be back at the commission meeting next week.

“Somebody has to get to the bottom of all of this,” he said. “I’m going to keep going back and talking about it. You bet.”


http://thedailyworld.com/articles/20...ews/10news.txt

Anyone who would care to educate Mr. Carter and the other members of the Grays Harbor County Commission about the responsibility of all levels of government to enforce the rule of law, and the First Ammendment rights of Citizens, contact information as follows:

Grays Harbor County Board of Commissioners
100 W. Broadway Suite 100
Montesano, WA 98563

Phone: (360) 249-3731 Toll Free: 1-800-230-1638

Fax: (360) 249-3783

Commission Members:

Bob Beerbower Email: Commish@co.grays-harbor.wa.us

Mike Wilson Email: MWilson@co.grays-harbor.wa.us

Al Carter Email: ACarter@co.grays-harbor.wa.us

Mr. Blunt is my kinda guy!

Mr. Blunt goes to Washington??? Sounds good to me...he should go!

It seems obvious that the County Commissioner can't answer Mr. Blunt's question by confirming they are in compliance with the law. Otherwise Mr. Blunt wouldn't have to ask the question repeatedly. Good for Mr. Blunt, he's holding their feet to the fire!

Notice they didn't explain why they are not following Mr. Blunts advice. What's the harm in checking the I-9s? Noting against the law about that.

Dixie

Let's set this up in our FOCUS Campaign section to get some calls and e-mails in the air.

W

My letter to Al Carter...

Mr. Carter,

In reading of your exploits with a Mr. Blunt there, I was struck by the idea that the reason you're so frustrated by Mr. Blunt is that he refuses to let you continue to sweep this problem under the proverbial rug.

Have you bothered to look into the things Mr. Blunt has talked about? Have you done ANYTHING to reduce the number of illegal aliens in Gray's Harbor?

I think not, sir.

I think the reason Mr. Blunt frustrates you so is that you're embarrassed, embarrassed and ashamed of your failure to act in the best interests of your constituents. Every week this man confronts your board and asks only that you do your job, to look out for the interests of the legal citizens of Gray's Harbor. It seems that every week you tell him and the rest of Gray's Harbor that you don't care, that it's the Fed's responsibility, in effect, that you're IMPOTENT.

I'd be ashamed, too. Thankfully, I'm not you.

Mr. Carter, you're behaving like a child. Stand up FOR your fellow citizens, not TO them, and your shame will go away. Emulate Lou Barletta and your mother might even talk to you again.

In utter disgust,
XXXXXXXX

I have lots of relatives in that town!! I'll have to pass this on to them. My uncle retired from Weyerhouser (the big logging company and paper mill) there. He is an old-fashioned kind of guy and might even know this guy, I am going to ask. This way we can give this Mr. Blunt some moral support!

My letter, also emailed my aunt to see fi she has any knowledge of any of the mentioned people.

Mr. Carter, I am a member of American for Legal Immigration PAC (alipac.us) and have heard of the issue pertaining to potential illegal aliens working in your town/county.

I live in Gresham, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. Where I live, I have seen the ill effects of unchecked illegal aliens within our community, and know of the frustration that Mr. Stan Blunt is talking about. His concerns and frustrations are very real. I applaud his long time efforts in working to secure his community from those here illegally, and with that, there tends to be a sub-culture which makes it way in, thus bringing a host of problems which most of our beautiful small northwestern communities have never had to deal with before.

I would hope that you too wish to do more, take some initiative in this matter and have an open discussion with not only Mr. Blunt, but also other city and county citizens about what you all can do to start making the changes that will aid in combating this problem, a problem which we all readily know is a complete failure on the part of our federal government.

Many cities and counties have started taking on such initiatives, thus working towards more security and also a stabilization of their communities future.

As all Americans we realize that legal immigrants play an important role in this countries life, we welcome those wanting to come here and be aligned with us. However as you know, this is a legal process, one which the illegal aliens who may be out in our very communities have not taken, they have chosen to come here against those laws we feel so strongly about.

I encourage you to begin thinking about what can be done within the laws we have to secure Grays Harbor county and all of its citizens, thus giving little room for those here against our laws. Attrition through enforcement will work, and if we citizens at the local, county and state levels have to take the power we are allowed to do just that, then we should.

Sincerely,XXXXXXXXX, Gresham, Oregon http://alipac.us

Grays Harbor has chronic high un-employment rates, ongoing now for about 30 years after the collapse of the NW timber industry. The unemployment rate is about twice the statewide rate, which makes it hard to believe there are now legal resident available to work - at a fair wage. In recent years, illegals have proliferated in the local construction industry as well, and average wages have of course plumetted.

Al Carter is naturally a big shot in the Local Chamber of Commerce.

The unemployment rate over 2006-2007 has varied from 7.0 to 8.2 percent.