Thursday, May 31, 2007

Needed: a troop surge in Tucson

illegal

I lived in Tucson, Arizona, for three years. No compelling reason. It was by choice, even though I knew the employment opportunities there weren't great (and that turned out to be too right). I liked the landscape, the Spanish and Pueblo style architecture, and the general laid-back friendliness of the people.

Today, thanks to our criminally irresponsible president and politicians who collude with him, Tucson is about to become a war zone, according to one local observer.
Northern Mexico is in a state of war. Who is fighting? That’s hard to say. Officially, it is the drug- and people-traffickers against each other and the government. But in Mexico, you can’t tell the players even with a program. You cannot assume the police or the Army are loyal to their commands. Many are working on their own. …

It is not too much to say there is a war going on right across the border. It’s not a hot war with firefights all the time. It is not a cold war, either, with posturing and press releases. Let’s call it a warm war. Violence breaks out from time to time for reasons unknown to us, but completely unpredictable.

And here’s the part you don’t want to hear. Violence has spread across the border and has resulted in several deaths of Americans residents and visitors. Most such crimes are reported as isolated incidents. But the violence in northern Mexico is not stopping at the border. It’s headed this way and a lot of Tucsonans know it.

Are these the words of some militiaman crank? I wish. But in fact they were published in — are you ready for this? — Inside Tucson Business. That's right; a business newspaper. Not the sort of forum where you find wild-eyed fanatics spewing paranoia.

The writer, Lionel Waxman, wants his readers to face reality.

You can’t learn about it in most media, but the whispers around town are people saying they are thinking of getting out. It looks like war and it’s coming here. No government has acted to protect Americans living in Southern Arizona. Our federal government is in full collapse as far as the southern border is concerned. All we get from them is talk. The only action we see is toward integrating Mexico into the U.S. and Canada.

What will it mean when the border is actually abandoned and anybody is free to enter without inspection? It will mean that Southern Arizona, specifically Tucson, could become like Cananea [where five policemen and two residents were assassinated] and other parts of northern Mexico. Violence will overtake local police. State and federal authorities will look the other way. …

The federal government should put troops on the border to defend the United States and its citizens. The troops should be given orders to use as much force as necessary to accomplish that task. No soldiers should be detailed to do paperwork and forbidden to fire on violators. This is another war and if we don’t act like it, we will lose this one too.

This war isn’t on the other side of the world. This is for our homes, our homes, our homes.

If you don't happen to live near the Mexican border, you have no reason to be complacent.

Once George W. Bush and his devil-spawned collaborators get their precious immigration "reform" bill passed, there will be no border, and Mexico — in all its corruption, violence, and poverty — will overflow. A huge area of Los Angeles has already been lost to Mexican gang warfare. You might still keep the war from where you live, but only if you spike the plans of Bush, Kennedy, and the rest of the amnesty pushers. There isn't much time left.

Your move.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

There are a lot of people throwing the word AMNESTY around. I agree – I’m against amnesty. But I don’t think that’s what this Immigration Reform stuff is all about. I have been listening to the debates and checking out the statistics.

This is what I come up with: like it or not, there is a large group of our population who have been living & working here. To our dismay, our government has allowed this (not enough people or other resources for enforcement). I like the new bill because it takes a big step in addressing this issue. I would hate to see this bill not pass and then we have to wait until maybe next year for this to get taken care of.

So back to the people that are here – and shouldn’t be here… they are buying things (cars, homes, groceries) and working here. It’s crazy to say we would not suffer greatly if they were suddenly gone. They make up as much as 10% of the population in some states. Yes, they are also a drain to the system (healthcare, education, etc.) So, wouldn’t it be better to ID and track them so they can’t freely take advantage of these services anymore? I know there is something in the new bill that says they need to get their own healthcare if they want to stay.

From what I can tell, most people I’ve come across think the “amnesty” word is getting overused and is not really a good description for the plan. It seems to me that the plan is more about stopping these people from freeloading while allowing them to continue helping businesses.

Rick Darby said...

Janet D,

I thank you for your courtesty in expressing your disagreement.

When you allow lawbreakers to enjoy the fruits of their crime, that is amnesty. It doesn't matter if they have to pay a financial penalty or go to some inconvenience; this bill rewards them with the right to stay in America permanently (not necessarily with immediate citizenship, just an unexpiring visa) because they got across the border.

Given this Emperor's -- excuse me, president's -- record of seeing to it that laws he doesn't like go unenforced, many of us do not trust the so-called "enforcement" provisions. They are just sucker bait. The 1986 amnesty was supposed to be the end of any further immigration from Mexico. No need to comment on how that went.

I fail to see why we would "suffer greatly" if the migrants were gone, suddenly or gradually. Why does this country need a new uneducated, unskilled, non-English-speaking underclass of welfare fodder? I'd rather not have them here than "ID" and "track" them -- which, if I know anything about our broken immigration system, won't be done anyway.

If we were to get serious about coming down on employers who hire illegals, and ending the welfare free-for-all and the "anchor baby" racket, we wouldn't need to do anything else. Los illegals would "deport" themselves. Take away the punchbowl and the party guests start leaving.

I've never heard of any provision in the bill to the effect that los illegals will have to pay for their own healthcare. Of course, since Teddy Kennedy and the Emperor -- excuse me again, president -- are so keen to get this thing passed before anybody has time to even read the whole damn thing, who knows what lurks in it.

Thanks for commenting.

Anonymous said...

Rick, I saw the article by Waxman and I notice that some elsewhere are dismissing it as hyperbole, but I am inclined to credit it.
I know that the situation is that bad in other border areas, and I have heard that the Arizona border is the most 'invaded' part of our southern border.
As far as the amnesty, I am skeptical that the illegals would suddenly decide to start complying with the new rules when they have gotten away with flouting the old rules so far. In fact, the amnesty would reward them for their lawlessness. And we know that when a behavior is rewarded, we get more of it, not less.

Anonymous said...

I live in North Scottsdale, in a gated community, and am planning to sell my house as soon as the housing market firms up. Why? Illegals. In the five years we've been here, they've become brazen. Today, for example, they came up to my car window to see if I'll hire them for day workers while I was at a stop sign. I no longer get gas in Cave Creek, a neighboring town, because they hang around the gas stations and approach me while I'm pumping my gas. The public schools have been overrun, so I pulled my children out several years ago.

The government is not helping at any level: federal, state or local.

I just signed up for gun safety classes and will soon be learning how to defend myself.

So ... those who think the impact of illegals is hyperbole need to think again. We may be only one family, but we know others who are leaving because of illegal immigration.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Rick Darby said...

Anonymous,

You have my sympathy, and I am also very disappointed to learn that this invasion has even reached Scottsdale. It is one of a few places I had thought of eventually retiring to, even with Arizona's illegals problem. I figured classy Scottsdale would be relatively immune from it.

Where do these illegals live? Surely not Scottsdale. Are they ganging up 20 to a house in Mesa, Glendale, etc.?

Even so ... if housing prices in Scottsdale come significantly down and stay that way for a few years, I'd be tempted.

Thanks for commenting.