The View From 1776

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The following article appeared in the Intellectual Conservative website and was also published on the Free Republic website.

MUCHOS DEL NERVIO: AN ABUNDANCE OF MEXICAN NERVE

By Carol Turoff

Mexican nationals jam American streets, waving Mexican flags and chanting demands. illegal immigrants are long on audacity and short on judgment.
The defiance was unrestrained: Emanating from hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens marching in cities across the United States; dangerously clogging roadways while boldly demanding “rights” from the citizens and elected representatives of this country. Exactly what rights do those in this country illegally possess?

Such unbridled temerity while waving the Mexican flag and chanting, “Today we march, tomorrow we vote!” in Spanish, should serve as a wake-up call to those who value the sovereignty of this great country and take the rule of law seriously.

We have watched eastern European nations suffer balkanization. Just months after the mostly Muslim slums of Paris became seething hotbeds of weeks-long rioting, destruction and arson, areas inhabited by illegals are referred to as “no-go” zones, where police refuse to enter. The magical City of Light now cowers under threat of more violence by marauding gangs.

Make no mistake. America’s marchers did not rise up spontaneously. They were incited by Spanish language media and clergy. The raw nerve exhibited by these lawbreakers as they issue threats is appalling. Meanwhile, the US Senate reacted by passing a sweeping immigration reform bill, which in effect, acquiesces to the outrageous antics of those who blatantly disregard our nation’s laws.

Few Americans are anti-immigrant. The operative word, given short shrift by the liberal media, is illegal. And, the Big Lie, repeated often enough to give it an aura of veracity, is that illegal entrants are merely taking jobs Americans won’t take. The construction industry is a prime example of the propagation of this deception. Not so many years ago, tradesmen supported middle class American families. Visit any construction site today, and one rarely finds an English speaker. These are not jobs Americans refuse to take. They are jobs Americans cannot afford to take at the substandard wages uneducated illegal workers are willing to accept. Multiple families, in violation of city housing codes, often reside in single family homes, exacerbating neighborhood decline.

Driving the problem is Mexico’s failed economy and corrupt government. President Vincente Fox is unique among national leaders in that he is eager to allow his country’s vigorous youth to desert their own land. His government provides brochures detailing the safest routes, locations of desert water stations, and how best to avoid border patrol agents. The reason is clear: Mexico’s economy is propped up by the $20.035 billion yearly in remittances sent home by its citizens residing in the United States. Reuters reports this figure is an increase of 20 percent compared to 2004. Remittances from an estimated 11 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. have become the third largest source of income for Mexico after oil exports and tourism.
President George W. Bush has been a major disappointment in addressing border security. Intent on placating the business community, ever desirous of cheap labor, he waffles on reform measures and meaningful efforts to secure our porous borders. Democrats, anticipating another minority voting bloc to tuck in their pocket, fare no better with their lack of will to address this crisis. Neither party is prepared to risk alienating the growing Hispanic sector.

Sen John McCain (R - AZ), garbed in unconcealed presidential aspirations, addressed passage of the abysmal senate bill. Saying the marchers “galvanized congressional support for the bill,” he proved threats work. McCain denies this bill offers amnesty. It contains a provision for those who fulfill certain conditions, such as agreeing to pay fines, learn English, and satisfy requirements for a background check. It also allows illegal immigrants with a high school diploma to enroll in college, paying in-state tuition. McCain calls this, “Earned Citizenship.” He has yet to address imposition of penalties if those given this amnesty refuse to accept the provisions. His bill decriminalizes being here without permission, so what is the incentive? When penalties don’t apply, the proper term is amnesty.

Another issue never addressed is that of children born to the so-called “guest” workers, President Bush enthusiastically promotes. Their children, born in the United States to non-citizen parents, are granted automatic citizenship. The Fourteenth Amendment, instituted to address the status of children born to newly freed slaves immediately after the Civil War, has outlived its intent and begs for reconsideration.
The cost of illegal immigration is high. Burdens placed upon public education, health care facilities, the criminal justice system and social welfare agencies escalate with each wave of desert crossers. Most importantly, a post 9-11 America demands that secured borders must be a priority.

Profile: Carol Turoff is a former two-term member of the Commission on Appellate Court Appointments. During her eight years on the commission, she participated in the selection of four of the five current Arizona Supreme Court Justices as well as 17 judges on both Division I and II of the Arizona Court of Appeals. Appointed by two governors, Turoff served with three chairing Supreme Court Justices.

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