Problems and Solutions

 

So, there is a “Situation” or a “Problem” at the southern border,

which it is depends on who you are listening to.

Record high numbers of unaccompanied minors are crossing the 

border. Most of these children are not from Mexico; they are from 

Guatemala, Honduras, or other Central American countries. The 

distance from Mexico's southern border to the US border is 

approximately 1,125 miles. 

The Republicans are blaming the high number of unaccompanied 

minors now crossing the border on President Biden’s so-called 

rollback of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. They 

are calling on the President to send the children back to Mexico and 

let Mexico deal with them. 

President Biden has stated, and I concur, that it would be immoral 

and un-American to refuse the children, and send them back over to 

border into Mexico, where they could fall victim to human 

trafficking, or worse. So, they are being kept in Border Patrol 

facilities that were not designed for children, nor were they designed 

for such high levels of occupation. 

The Republican Party likes to portray itself as "Christian" and 

claims the high moral ground on such subjects as abortion. Frankly, I

find their stance on the unaccompanied minor issue on our southern 

border to be highly unChristian and totally lacking in morals of any 

recognizable form. 

If you are a parent or grandparent, can you imagine the stress and 

anguish of having to send your children, without adult supervision, 

to walk to another country because there is no way to support them 

at home, or because the fear of violence is so great you fear more for 

their lives if they stay with you? How desperate would you have to 

be to tell your child to walk 1,125 miles, unaccompanied, hoping 

they would make it to and be welcome in the United States? 

There is nothing moral, ethical, or Christian about turning these 

minors away. So instead of blaming President Biden for the 

"problem", why don't you moral Christian Republicans work on a 

solution? Maybe hire some construction companies to go down to 

the border, let's build some dormitories, schools and admin offices 

and work on getting these CHLDREN taken care of? (Construction 

work-good American jobs, I'm told.)

Jesus said, "Let us love one another," and "Do unto others as you 

would have them do unto you."

Think about it. Then tell your Congressman what you think.

Thank you for reading, as always, your comments are welcome and 

appreciated. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

It's Been A While

Since I felt like writing about our county’s condition; and I can’t say that I am happy about where we are today or that I am comfortable about where we appear to be headed. It seems America is riding in a small lifeboat, lurching badly on an angry ocean of upheaval, lies, distrust, discord, and angst.

Candidate Trump promised to shake up Washington, and to drain the swamp. I’m sorry to say, but he has succeeded beyond even his wildest dreams of shaking things up in Washington; and as for draining the swamp, he appears instead to have aroused every alligator within several thousand miles. I believe there is a lack of common courtesy or even decency in Washington, including in the White House; and I fail to comprehend how our country has managed to become so childish. On both national and international levels, our country’s reputation and honor are being trashed daily, even hourly; and there seems no clear reason for this outlandish style of governing. Although President Trump likes to blame any bad news on the “Fake News,” I don’t think that is accurate; honest reporters tell the news as it is happening, that is, they report the facts and the words said; that honest reporting may not be what the president wants to see or hear, but facts are not to be trifled with, downplayed or excused away. Facts are exactly that, facts; they cannot be changed to fit the President’s wishes.

We are approaching the end of year three of the Trump presidency, and I don’t see America as being better off than we were before Mr. Trump was elected President. The current occupant of the White House has caused great harm to our standing in the world, both by his actions and his words. He has succeeded in distressing our Allies, and in bringing out the worst in the behavior of common Americans.

America has been a world leader for democracy since the end of the Second World War. Our State Department has worked to build and strengthen our relationships with our allies, not only for support in case of war, but also in matters of trade, in dealing with humanitarian crises, and in actions relating to rogue states or stateless terrorist organizations. The Trump administration has been in isolationist overdrive, pulling out of treaties on pressing environmental issues, Iranian nuclearization, and trade with our Pacific Rim allies and our North American neighbors. Most recently, and perhaps most damaging to our standing in the world, President Trump reneged on the working agreement with the Kurdish forces that helped the United States in the war with ISIS.

Here in the United States, decades of hard work, and the sacrifice of many lives, have gone into the process of improving the relations of Americans of different races. It is work that is not complete now, not by a long shot, but progress has been made in the acceptance of our neighbors, regardless of the color of their skin. That is, until the Trump presidency. Even during his campaign for President, and since his election, Mr. Trump consistently fans the flames of racial and ethnical division. He has used the bully pulpit to deride and disparage any peoples he can; people of color, women, academics, political opponents, and immigrants of any nationality; but most consistently, the people of Mexico and South America.  This race-baiting and xenophobic behavior has empowered those who, like the KKK, are afraid of “others,” and who see a conspiracy behind every tree or news report. President Trump apparently does not understand that he is the President of all American citizens, not just the ones he likes.

One thing our current President does understand well is the power of the spoken word. Don Miguel Ruiz, who writes about the philosophy of the ancient Toltec Indians, describes The First Agreement thusly:

“Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”

Mr. President, please speak with integrity. Be impeccable with your word.  

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments are welcome.

R. M. “Bob” Hartman

A Land of Law and Order

Yes, we are a land of law and order. To prove this point, ICE raided seven food processing plants in and around Jackson, Mississippi on August 7, 2019.

Immigrants-680 individuals-were arrested during the raids. According to the U.S. Attorney General for Southern Mississippi, these raids were conducted to execute federal criminal search warrants and a number of search warrants for people in the country illegally. Brian Cox, spokesperson for ICE said approximately 300 of those arrested were released by Thursday, after being scheduled for hearings before federal immigration courts. There is no word yet on the other 380 people. One might reasonably conclude the ones not yet released were the targets of the federal criminal search warrants.

Arguably, one might agree those that have committed a crime serious enough to have federal criminal search warrants issued for them should be arrested, tried, and if found guilty, punished. That is the way a land of law and order should work, indeed, that is part of what our taxes pay for.

There is something I find disturbing about these raids, however, and it is also based on law and order. Mississippi requires all employers to use E-Verify, the federal system of proving a potential employee is legally able to work in this country.

All of the plants raided are privately owned. Four of the companies affected (Koch Foods, Peco Foods, PH Foods, and Pearl River Foods) all issued statements saying in part, they comply with the E-Verify system. MP Food, the fifth company targeted by the raids, has not yet issued a statement.

Which brings me to my concern: is the E-Verify system so easy to circumnavigate that 680 people were able to avoid detection, or are the companies lying about using E-Verify? Given that both Koch and Peco have been cited and/or fined by the US Department of Agriculture, EEOC and OSHA, I think the greater possibility is that management of these companies has failed to actually use E-Verify correctly.

There is no real bite in E-Verify, at least for the employer. There may be fines assessed, but no one goes to jail for hiring illegal workers. Pay the fine, move on. But if the owner of Koch Foods, Joseph Grendys (net worth $3.3 Billion, according to Forbes) were to go to jail as well as being fined a substantial amount of money, I think his company would be much more diligent in the hiring process. (Please bear in mind, I am only using him as an example. I do not know for a fact that he is aware of any improper hiring practices in his company.)

It has been my long-held belief that most of the "illegal immigrants" in this country came here to work, make money, and raise their families. If there are no jobs for them, they will not come illegally, at least in my opinion. If the penalties for hiring illegal workers were stiff enough, and enforced, then illegal immigrants would not be able to find work, and therefore would have much less incentive to come here.

Now imagine if this were applied across the entire American economy. Perhaps we would be one step closer to being a land of law and order for all.

I hope I've given you something to think about, and thanks for reading.

You comments, as always, are welcome.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman 

The Donald

I’ve been quite for far too long, but now I feel the need to speak out. Donald Trump, the obvious, or oblivious, leader of the Republican candidates, has now said that all Muslims in America should be put in a data-base, and forced to carry an ID card that identifies them as a Muslim. Why? Because Muslims, in the main, are members of the Islamic religion, and Islamic terrorists are causing mayhem and havoc around the world.

So “The Donald” wants to stigmatize an entire population because of the crimes of a few.  Would he be in favor of making all Catholics register in a data base and carry ID cards as a result of a few priests being pedophiles? The Catholic Church does not teach people to become pedophiles, and Islam does not teach people to become terrorists. Yes, I know, there are a few leaders in the Islamic religion who preach hate against infidels, but does that make every member of the faith a terrorist? The Wellsboro Baptist church teaches hate against “gays”, does that make every Baptist a gay-hater?

I don’t think so. And if I am making you uncomfortable with these comparisons, so be it. If you are uncomfortable with this, you need to press re-set and think again.

Wake up, America! There is not, should not, and cannot be a litmus test of religion to be in America. Yes, we are, like the rest of the world, trying to handle the refugee crisis from the Syrian civil war. These refugees are, in the main, women and children whose husbands and fathers have been killed in the name of religion. Is this the time we turn our back on them? Is this what America is known for?

Yes, this situation makes us all uncomfortable. How do we know which child or mother is in fact a terrorist? I don’t have the answer, and I won’t pretend to.   

“

As all of you know, I am not a fan of Representative Jason Chaffetz, (R-Utah) but he put it well:

“As an American, that’s nuts,” said Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and who is so far neutral in the GOP presidential race. “The whole foundation of our nation was to allow for religious liberties and I have no interest in shutting down churches. That’s ridiculous. . . if there are individuals engaged in nefarious activities, then go arrest them. I don’t care of (sic) they’re Mormons, Muslims or Jews. But places of worship should be encouraged.” (Salt Lake Tribune, 11/20/2015)

He is correct; go arrest the individual, but don’t use a broad brush and paint an entire group as evil. This is Karl Rove at his worst, this is divide and conquer politics at it’s worst.

Mr. Trump, your comments are not helping America. Go back to your reality show, go back to your casinos. Get out of politics, and stop trying to destroy America.  

Your thoughts and comments are welcome, as always. 

RMH

Immigration

Well, the President has done it again. He managed to get several Republican members of Congress mad at him, at least for the sound bites. But why are they mad?

President Obama had made it clear, in his various State of the Union Addresses, that he wanted immigration reform. The Senate passed a bill (in June of 2013), with bi-partisan agreement, that would have pushed some immigration reform forward. House Speaker Boehner has refused to allow the bill to come up for vote in the House of Representatives (the “People’s House”, as he likes to remind us). The bill is still languishing on Speaker Boehner’s desk. . . in November of 2014. The American people want immigration reform; Speaker Boehner, why won’t you do it?

I will grant you that no bill ever before Congress is perfect. It takes months, sometimes years of wrangling before all the kinks are worked out and everything goes as planned. But, and this is a large but, if you don’t do something, nothing changes. Nothing changes.

Speaker Boehner said, when this bill passed the Senate in June of 2013, that he intended for the House to pursue its own immigration reform approach, rather than taking up the Senate bill.
But is has been what? 18 months since the bill passed, and there has been no action –zero- on the part of the House of Representatives to submit a bill or to take the existing Senate bill to committee to work out the differences. Why? Because Speaker Boehner wanted to make President Obama a “one and done”? To tarnish the President’s legacy? That hasn’t work out so well, Speaker Boehner. President Obama beat Mitt “on his white horse” Romney fair and square.

So the President of The United States of America took matters into his own hands, and he issued an Executive Order to impact immigration laws. He did not make a new law; rather he directed ICE and other enforcement agencies on how to enforce the existing laws. That is his right, as President of The United States of America. A right that has been exercised by American presidents for a long time. . . at least back to Eisenhower, and the uprooting of Japanese-American citizens. The President said, focus on the felons, and those who have been here less than 5 years. Why did Speaker Boehner and the Republicans object to that? It makes good sense to this taxpayer, this citizen.

The House of Representatives had an opportunity in the summer of 2013, when they rejected the Senate immigration bill via speaker Boehner, to work with the Senate to resolve differences and create a bill that would address and solve some of the immigration conflicts. But, they chose instead to do nothing. To Do NOTHING.

Why not do something the American people want? In my (certainly anecdotal) discussions with people, American citizens, they want action on immigration, on illegal immigration, on jobs. But the HOR does nothing. So nothing changes, and the American people feel Washington is disconnected with main street, with their homes. Surprised? Sadly, I’m not surprised at all.

So what can be done? I’m no “constitutional scholar” but I have some thoughts to share with you. First, make E-verify the law of the land. E-verify should be strengthened, to make it mandatory that all employers verify the legal status of anyone applying for work. Yes, it takes a few minutes, per employee, to run the check. No, it is not perfect; it is designed to find out if social security numbers submitted are valid. If the SS number comes up in a cross-check, the employee is given time to verify if it is him/her or someone who has stolen a SS number. In doing so, it will weed out those who have stolen SS numbers to gain employment. If you haven’t stolen a SS number, what do you have to fear? Loosing some time, to protect your SS benefits? (Disclaimer: I have been a victim of ID theft; yes it takes some time to straighten it out.) If an employer is found to be in violation of E-verify, fine the living daylights, and profits, out of him, and his corporation. After all, corporations are people too. Put the owner/CEO in prison. We confiscate the property of drug users, and drug dealers, how about confiscating the property of those who hire undocumented workers? Make it public knowledge, first page of the papers. And, yes, jail the person who stole the ID. If he/she is an illegal immigrant, deport them. No questions asked. No Excuse. Fingerprint, DNA Swab, deport and done.

A few years ago, the most expensive, luxurious ski resort in Utah (Deer Valley) was raided by ICE, 40+ undocumented immigrants were taken into custody, and the resort was fined the equivalent of one day’s revenue. One day’s revenue? A drop in the bucket, and it’s a large bucket at that. That accomplishes nothing. Book some more rooms, and we are good.

A meat processing plant in Kansas was raided; same result. Until we hit the “job creators” HARD in the pocketbook, they will continue the practice of hiring undocumented, or illegally documented, workers.

It’s past time to make E-verify the law of the land, and to enforce it with heavy fines and penalties. Don’t fine the head of HR, fine the owner, and put him/her in prison. Not just for overnight, make it 12 months minimum. After all, we have federally-directed minimum sentences for drug users, why not for employers who hire undocumented workers?

That’s the first step.
Second, close the border. Stop dilly-dallying around, Congress. Stop building a fence, because anyone can build a taller ladder. Intercept, jail, and deport. Put enough National Guard, Border Patrol and DEA troops, as well as drones, on the border 24/7 to stop the flow. Don’t haggle about the costs, we had two unfunded wars for no reason. Congress didn’t worry about those costs. Use the money from the fines of those who hire undocumented workers to fund the border control efforts. Stop the flow of people, and stop the flow of drugs. Blow up the tunnels. Don’t worry about prison space, CCA and MTA will build and man the prisons faster than you can arrest the criminals. Those corporations love full prisons. And they make huge campaign donations.

Yes, if the “job creators” have to hire documented workers, pay taxes, etc., the costs of finished products will probably rise. McDonalds will have to call it the $2 menu. But Americans will be working, at least for minimum wages, and life will go on. As competition for labor increases, wages will go up, and unemployment will go down. People will be able to purchase goods. The economy will improve.

I know, readers, that this is a step back for a liberal (as I am described) to take. But it’s time, no, it’s past time for Congress to do something for the American people, for the American worker. I know the “job creators” will raise bloody hell if Congress does this, they will threaten to cut off the large campaign donations. But corporations and campaign donations don’t vote, the American people do. And the American people are frustrated and angry.

We elected you, Congress. Do what is right this time. Do it for America.

As always, your comments are more than welcome.

Immigration Follow-up

A recent news article stated that ICE had conducted raids in the Midwest and arrested 348 people who were (a) in the United States illegally and (b) had outstanding warrants or had been convicted of, and not yet picked up for, crimes committed in the United States. Note the double qualification..were in the US illegally, AND had committed crimes. GOOD! This is the type of law enforcement that needs to be taking place, and in my opinion, a proper use of the ICE officers. Now, I think they should take it one step, a major step, forward, and fine the daylights, and profits, out of those companies who had hired the undocumented workers. I believe if we make it highly unprofitable for employers to higher undocumented individuals who are here, we may in fact start to turn the tide, and allow those who are here legally to obtain a higher standard of living. The American Dream is still very worth pursuing, (even as I sit here underemployed, I still believe in it); as has been pointed out here by several before, any one of us who is not Native American has immigrant blood in them. Given that the immigration standards have changed many times over the years, and are likely to change again, still that is the law of the land at this time, and it should be followed. But this costs money, and our country is strapped financially; which I why I believe in very heavy fines on those employers who hire undocumented workers. I have heard that this will cause hikes in food prices; I agree, but feel these hikes will be only temporary, for this reason: Americans are a very inventive people, and if the cost of picking tomatoes, for example, goes high, then some bright individual will invent a better, mechanized method of harvesting that crop. It has happened before; look at cotton, potatoes, and corn; all were harvested by hand for years, until it became profitable to create machinery that does the same job, at lower cost. There is the “free market” and “American ingenuity” at work. It has worked in the past, and I believe it will work in this example.
Comments on my posts are greatly valued!

On the “Right to be in the United States Legally”

This commentary is based upon Federal and Utah State law; I can reasonably believe the respective laws do not differ substantially from state to state with in the United States.

Utah State Representative Carl Sandstrom, (R-Orem) is currently proposing legislation for the upcoming Utah legislative session in 2011 that would enable/require public safety officers to, upon reasonable suspicion, ask drivers and passengers in a vehicle during a traffic stop to verify they are in the country legally, and if no such proof can be provided, then to hold them for INS officers.

To me, this is very discomforting. Although I was born in the United States (Colorado, to be exact) I have not document that “proves” I am a citizen or am legally in the state of Utah. There is no federal document that “proves” U.S. citizenship.

A Utah driver’s license, the “usual” proof of identity, can be obtained with a variety of documents. The most common for the majority of us is a birth certificate, however, a driver’s license can be obtained using a wide variety of documents. These include:
A birth certificate from any state in the United States, or any country which the United States recognizes: an unexpired visa or non-immigrant visa, or a Mexican voter registration card; all accompanied by proof of residency in Utah. Proof of residency in Utah can be two of a wide variety of documents, including but not limited to: utility bills, mortgage or rent contract, court documents, or a bank statement or “major” credit card statement (both dated within 60 days of application), or other documents deemed valid by the Department of Public Safety.

A birth certificate issued in the United States is, in fact, not proof of citizenship. Any person can renounce their U.S. citizenship at any time, for any reason; and there is no public document that confirms or denies this event. In times of turmoil in our country, some citizens move abroad and renounce their U.S. citizenship, but as long as they still have a copy of their birth certificate, they can legally obtain a drivers license. The government can disenfranchise a citizen at any time for a variety of reasons, and again, there is no document issued, and a license can be obtained. Although these are not common occurrences, they are legal and valid, and given this information it is very possible that a person no longer a citizen of the United States can obtain a valid drivers license, while not legally entitled to be in this country.

Let’s look for a moment at the visa conditions. There are, currently, at least 79 different forms of visas, some considered permanent, others that are temporary in nature. For example, a foreign student with valid forms of proof of residency in Utah can obtain a Utah drivers license. While the student’s visa may expire, he or she can continue to renew the license in the standard manner without having to again prove the validity of the right to be in the United States. The same right to automatic renewal granted to citizens of Utah applies to most of the visa types currently accepted; the major exception being diplomatic visas. How, then, can we reasonably expect public safety officers to determine if the holder of a Utah drivers license is here legally? My conclusion, given my study of the facts, is that the officers will not be able make that determination.

A visa, issued by a country with which the United States has reciprocal agreements, is proof of the right to be in this country. But, and this is a very big “but”, there are 30 countries, part of United States treaty agreements, whose citizens can be in the United States indeterminately, without a visa. These countries include: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Is it probable that the attending officer will delay and embarrass visiting citizens from these countries, and ask for their proof of the right to be in the United States? I fear that this is not only a probability, but a possibility, particularly if the occupants of the vehicle are speaking Spanish or a derivative thereof. Is this the America, or the Utah, we want to present to visitors?

A passport, incidentally, is not proof of your right to be in this country. It is a form of identification and the right to travel from the country that issues it. It does NOT guarantee your right to be in this, or any, particular country.

It is my conclusion, given my research into the subject, that this piece of legislation is perhaps well intended, but the implications have not been completely considered. Therefore, I will be active in working to prevent it from being enacted into law.
Will you join me?

Immigration

Here are my thoughts on some work to solve the immigration issues across the United States today. This is not a complete answer, nor do I really expect it ever to be complete.
Before we begin, some definitions.:
Deportation in this sense is to mean, transported to the consulate of the home country and that consulate shall arrange immediate transportation back to their native land, with given regard to those who are seeking political asylum within the United States as allowed by our current laws and treaties.
“American-born family” in this sense includes parents, sisters, brothers, children and grandchildren, in whole or part.
“United States” refers to all States, the District of Columbia, and all territories and possessions of the United States of America.
“Employer” refers to any company, entity, or person doing business within the united States, it’s possessions or territories.

First, there should be a continuous effort to stop illegal border crossings. Mobilize the National Guard to provide much needed resources to the Border Patrol. Allow Border Patrol and National Guard unfettered access into all areas around the borders, (northern, southern; and all islands and territories/possessions of the United States), working to minimize ecological damage without reducing enforcement; and maintaining at all times an adequate level of force to reduce the number of illegal crossings. In all states, territories, and possessions, use the National Guard to support INS in unannounced, random visits to those types of companies that rely on undocumented or illegally documented workers, such as hotel, agriculture, manufacturing, packing/processing rents, plants, fast-food, convenience store and construction industries.

This is not a problem confined to the American mainland. There are factories (sweatshops) operating outside of American law in our possessions and territories. Therefore, these “U.S. P. & T.” areas should also be working on the same immigration laws. (The needed discussion of the working conditions in these U.S. P & T will need to be discussed at another time.) Second, require all employers to use E-Verify beginning today; establishing fast-track Federal judicial hearings for employers found to not be using E-Verify. A set of penalties need to be established, such as removing any federal, state or local business contracts and dealings with those companies that cannot prove total compliance with E-Verify. These penalties should have levels of increasing financial hardship on those companies refusing to comply with e-verify, up to and including highest levels of management denial. These penalties should include the possibility of in-home detention of management that condones and allows illegal hiring, as well as fines based upon the number of illegal hires. While I understand the argument that E-Verify is not a perfect system, it is a good strong logical beginning; it can be improved as situations arise that show cause for improvement.

But what to do when illegal immigrants are caught? Initial, immediate steps should include fingerprinting, DNA testing/recording, and photographing those individuals. Those caught at initial illegal entry should be immediately deported after these identifying steps have been taken. Those guilty of transporting humans illegally into this country should be subjected to trials for human trafficking, with federal penalties established and enforced. Traffickers should not be deported until they have been tried and punished in accordance with American laws. Concurrent human, drug and firearm trafficking should be tried and punished simultaneously, with maximum penalties invoked. Anyone requiring medical or hospitalization should be treated then deported. Children born to pregnant women intercepted at entry should not be granted American citizenship.

For those individuals found to be in the Untied States illegally for less than 3 years, but not caught when initially crossing the borders, humane and reasonable considerations should be given. If found, through the initial fingerprinting, DNA testing and photographs to have been linked to crimes committed while in the United States illegally, they should be tried; if found guilty, the individuals should punished according to American justice; the same justice as would be applied to any American citizen. Adults found not linked to crimes committed here, and who have no American-born children, should be deported immediately; those with American-born children should be given an opportunity to choose between family deportation and the ability to become naturalized American citizens within a set time period, while being on probation until said citizenship in established.
Those caught who have been here more than 3 years should be given a probationary time to become naturalized American Citizens. Reasonable credit and allowance should be given to those who have been in the service of the Untied States while here

How do we pay for this mass mobilization of resources to cover the subject? The fines imposed and collected from businesses failing to obey the laws of our country should be allocated to this effort. The balance will have to be come from taxes; however, when you raise the level of income by not allowing sub-standard wages to be paid, (as a result of the wage-earner being undocumented) you will raise the level of taxes being legally collected. Initially, however, this effort will be very costly to the American public. But it is the American Public who is raising this hue and cry over undocumented peoples.
Fines imposed for being inside American territory illegally are a subject of further discussion.
Could this draconian type measure work? Probably not without some tweaking; however it is at least an outline of a manner to stop the flow if illegal immigration. It is not a cure-all; and it is my belief this issue will be with the United States as long as we continue to be a free country.

I am looking forward to all comments!

The Madness Continues

Now it appears that an employee of the Utah State Government is responsible in part for the "list" of 1300 "illegal" immigrants. An employee of the Department of Workforce Services has been implicated in the release of records, records that are supposed to be private. Some of these records, however, do not fall under Utah State Laws, but are part of the Federal information, such as Social Security and Medicade/Medicare records. Is this how "Big Brother" is watching over us? Would YOU be comfortable with having your Social Security number, date of birth, and the expected arrival date of your child to be made public information; if you happen to be on unemployment, or receiving Medicare/Medicade benefits, would you want your neighbors, friends and the checkout person at the grocery store to know this? To have it published to the media? I think not, I know I would be very uncomfortable with the release of this type of information without my knowledge and consent. If these charges, the release of confidential information, are found to be correct, the individual or individuals responsible must be held accountable to the highest level, and punished to the highest extent of the law. Our Governor has promised a through and complete investigation, it is the responsibility of the citizens to hold him and his administration fully accountable for the crime, and for a proper punishment of the wrong-doers.
This list has an entire community in an uproar, rightfully so; if the effort is to stamp out corruption and waste in our government provided "benefits", then the "Concerned Citizens of the United States" should also have "outed" all of the non-Latino population as well, and come forward with their own identities. If they choose not to do so, then this is nothing more than vigilante justice! (Which is a poor excuse for true justice.) This crime, incorrect receipt of benefits, is not an issue strictly to one group of peoples.
Agree or disagree, those are my thoughts, please comment as you wish.

Vigilante Justice

Vigilante justice has been a part of the American culture for centuries. Even in the days of the Puritan colonies, the righteous people “outed” those considered subversive of the culture, so-called witches, warlocks, and harlots; with death being the only sign the accused were in fact innocent. During the expansion into the west, the foreign workers for the railroad were subjected to countless purges and discrimination. The KKK, riding covered in white robes and hoods as symbols of their innocence, terrorized "undesirables" such as African-Americans, Jews, and Catholics, for the better part of a century. During the hysteria leading up to and into World War II, American Citizens of Japanese descent were "relocated" out of unfounded fear, fear that their loyality was to the Japanese Empire and not to the country they loved respected, and had raised their children in. Neo-Nazi groups continue to this day to protest groups they consider to be not pure Americans, not pure whites.
So it is today in Utah. A group hiding under the name, “Concerned Citizens of the United States” is attempting to out a select group they consider to be dangerous and subversive. Names on this list have already been found to be legally entitled to be here, to be naturalized citizens. (Peg McEntee, SL Tribune, July 15)
Unless you claim to be "Native American", you are in fact an immigrant, and for many years there was no control upon who could enter this country; many of our colonies were started by peoples who left their homelands seeking freedom..freedom of religion, of politics, freedom to associate with each other without social status, race, or religion being controlling factors. When we as a people cast a broad blanket of guilt upon an entire group, and entire peoples, we ourselves beome the vigilantes of the current day. As my learned Grandmother used to say, "there is good and bad in all sects in society. Reward the good with your respect, and let the law deal with the bad."
This current state of affairs is NOT the America, home of the free, that I want to leave to my children and grandchildren. If you are truly a concerned citizen, act within the accepted norms of justice and social interaction, hide not your name and action from public view. Respect those who have come here seeking a better life, and leave the justice for the bad to the proper authorities.

Immigration Disscussion

“Those who fail to learn from history are bound to repeat it”-unknown.
In the midst of a depression, a state concerned with the demands of immigrants upon the social services (hospitals and schools), and the competition for employment, began to ask for proof of citizenship of all immigrants, deporting those unable to provide such proof. This move was applauded by the vocal majority of natural-born residents. The state was Nazi Germany, the time period was 1930-1945. Americans are aware of the conclusion of this social experiment. Is this the road we want America to take today? I pray not.