NASSAU COUNTY CIVIC ASSOCIATION, INC. "The government is us, we are the government, you and I." Teddy Roosevelt

Arizona Rising

Taking a stand for America

Without thinking, most Americans know the refrain "its a federal issue" relating to the enforcement of the nation's immigration laws, yet the federal government has done little to protect the nation's borders or enforce federal law. When anarchy reigns and our elected leaders do nothing, the very core of our nation is at risk. As a nation of laws, the willful failure to uphold the law calls into doubt the American system of jurisprudence and the foundation of our Republic. Thus in the absence of federal action, the state of Arizona stepped into the breach and took a stand for America. Its that simple; anarchy or justice. 

The President and the amnesty crowd in Congress do "get it", they just don't give a damn. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan agreed to give amnesty to more then 3.5 million illegal aliens in exchange for tough enforcement legislation. Now twenty four years later once again amnesty raises its ugly head. What has changed? Only the number of illegal aliens who reside inside our borders, upwards of 12-20 million. While the Obama Administration believes that government is the answer for all of our ills, the administration has rejected the number one mission of the federal government; keeping America safe. The 911 Commission made it clear that the government's failure to enforce our immigration laws contributed to the success of the 911 attacks, yet our nation's borders remain porous. Appearing this week before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano was unable to certify that the borders were secure. Oddly she claimed the question was unfair. She did say with confidence that she is concerned with the Arizona law. 

What is in the legislation that was passed by the Arizona  legislature and signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer? Its actually a restatement of current federal law. This is why 70% of Arizona residents and 60% of Americans support the bill according to a poll by Rasmussen. The legislation contains the following provisions: makes it illegal to be in the U.S. illegally resulting in jail time and fines, allows the Police to ask for proof of residency if they have reasonable cause to believe that an individual is in the U.S. illegally, bans sanctuary policies by local government entities, allows a private right of action against local governments that have policies that hinder the enforcement of immigration laws, and prohibits individuals from stopping their vehicles to offer employment or individuals from entering stopped vehicles for employment when it impedes traffic. Upon signing the bill, the Governor also issued an executive order requiring Police agencies to provide training  to ensure the law is implemented in accordance with current prohibitions against racial profiling.  

What is the Administration's response to the concurrent state law?  The President directed Attorney General Eric Holder to review the Arizona law to determine if it violates civil rights. This is the same Eric Holder who dismissed a case of voter intimidation by the Black Panthers. The  President called the law "misguided" and then went on the engage in race baiting; "This law that just passed in Arizona, which I think is a poorly conceived law, you can imagine if you are a Hispanic-American in Arizona, your great grandparents may have been there before Arizona was even a state.  But now suddenly if you don't have your papers and you took your kid out to get ice cream, you're going to be harassed, that's something that could potentially happen, I -- that's not the right way to go." No surprise considering his recent effort to single out only black, Hispanic and women voters for the 2010 elections. So what is his solution? Amnesty or the political correct term, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, "I will bring the majority of Democrats to the table in getting this done."

Lets contrast this to the President's response to the murder last month of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz by an illegal alien. The President said nothing. What about his allies? No surprise, nothing but they had a lot to say about the Arizona law. Jesse Jackson who has a history of engaging in racial invective stated, "This Arizona 'law' attacks the very character of America. All Americans should be protected from stereotyping, WWB or DWB ('Walking While Brown' or 'Driving While Brown'). He then went on to link the bill to terrorism. Another uniter, Al Sharpton while acknowledging that many in the black community disagree with his support of open borders made the same race play, "We cannot sit by and allow people to be arbitrarily and unilaterally picked off as suspects because of the color of their skin". Hispanic Federation President Lillian Rodríguez López went even further, "When I heard about it, it reminded me of Nazi Germany....It reminded me of South African apartheid."

Getting back to sanity and common sense, other elected leaders acknowledged the obvious. Mr. Krentz's Congressional Representative Gabrielle Giffords, (D-Arizona) issued the following statement; "The cold-blooded killing of an Arizona rancher is a sad and sobering reminder of the threats to public safety that exist in our border communities....All options should be on the table, including sending more Border Patrol agents to the area and deploying the National Guard." Senator John McCain long a proponent of amnesty called for increased border security in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, a former Arizona Governor. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) agreed that the federal government has failed to secure the border, "I think they’re right...The Feds haven't done their job."

The cost of illegal immigration has been discussed and debated for decades. The cost of doing nothing has led to the loss of life, property and our sovereignty. The financial cost has been in the billions. What other country in the world would allow this to continue unabated? America needs to send one unified message; to those who seek a better life and come to our shores legally, welcome to America. To those that are here illegally, its time to leave.

*On Friday, April 30th, Governor Jan Brewer signed several changes to the law. Specifically the law's language was changed to ensure race cannot be used as a factor when making a stop. The word "lawful contact" was changed to "lawful stop, detention or arrest". In addition, the Police would be authorized to question a party about their immigration status when they are investigating civil violations of law.