Saturday, November 30, 2002

Glenn's Uncle, Founder of The Sons Of The Pioneers, Sang About It California to turn into "Barren Waste" "Cool Water" - Sons of the Pioneers "All day I face the barren waste Without the taste of water, cool water. Old Dan and I with throats burned dry And souls that cry for water, cool, clear, water." L.A Times Editorial (Free Registration)   California Dries Up "State Sen. Jim Costa (D-Fresno), the retiring water guru in the Legislature, drew gasps from the water delegates at Anaheim when he said that more farm-to-city water transfers might reduce agriculture production by a million acres or more." L.A Times Editorial (Free Registration)   Los Angeles Sinks Down "An estimated 811,000 residents work off the books as day laborers or nannies, earning substandard wages and no benefits. Almost 2 million people -- more than in any other metropolitan area -- eke out an existence on less than $18,100 a year, the federally defined poverty level for a family of four." Letter to the Editor (Not Published) -- L.A Times (Free Registration)  Re: A Tragedy of Two Cities Had the Los Angeles Times told the truth about illegal immigration and not subverted every attempt to stop it, Los Angeles would be a great city, not one perched on the brink of collapse. You have a Tragedy of Two Cities because you have a Tragedy of One Newspaper. -- Glenn Spencer Past Features   ABP Updates  Poll on Militia

Denver Post Editorial Immigration's next battle We predict that a mini-dispute that developed at last weekend's meeting of the Republican Governors Association will quickly spread once the new session of Congress begins in January. -- The dispute has to do with the twin issues of amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants, mostly from Mexico, and a proposal for a guest worker program. -- Colorado Gov. Bill Owens, the newly elected chairman of the group, told reporters that President Bush has not proposed amnesty for undocumented immigrants....

Tucson Citizen Smuggler crashes through border The U.S. Border Patrol yesterday thwarted a drug smuggler who smashed a stolen sport utility vehicle through the border fence near Douglas. -- Border agents seized 781 pounds of marijuana from the SUV, but the driver escaped back into Mexico, said patrol spokesman Ryan Scudder. -- About 10 a.m. yesterday, the smuggler drove a stolen 2001 Mitsubishi Montero through the fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and into the desert, ramming through a ranch fence, Scudder said....

American Border Patrol board member to the Arizona Daily Star ...I was somewhat amused that your editorial stated that "militia groups are boiling over in Southern Arizona." I know of two (The American Border Patrol not even coming close to fitting the term "militia"), one of which is still in a formative stage. You call this "boiling over"? -- What is boiling over is the flood of tens of thousands of illegal aliens that is pouring across our border every month, with no serious effort being made by our law enforcement agencies to stop it.

Washington Post Illegal immigration torch run update ...Participants from Roanoke Rapids, N.C., are scheduled to arrive Thursday in Stafford, where they will pass the torch to other runners -- most in their teens and twenties but some in their sixties and seventies -- who will continue the run to Manassas on Friday, Washington on Saturday and Baltimore on Sunday. -- The event began Oct. 29 in Mexico City and will conclude in New York on Dec. 12, the virgin's feast day. -- Antorcha Guadalupana is a tradition that started more than a half-century ago in Mexico City, said Mario Najera, coordinator of the event and a leader of the Tepeyac Association of New York, an organization that represents undocumented workers and is sponsoring the run.

Grand Forks Herald Local Border Patrol sector gets new helicopter The Border Patrol has received a new anti-terrorism helicopter for the Grand Forks sector. -- The helicopter, an AS 350 B3 known by officers and pilots as the A Star, is one of the most technologically advanced law enforcement aircraft available, according to the Border Patrol. Purchased through funding from Congress for heightened security and counter-terrorism, the A Star will enable Grand Forks border patrol pilots to better enhance security along the U.S.-Canada border, according to the Border Patrol.

Express-News Immigration doesn't have easy answers More than a year after the terror attacks squelched hopes for a quick bilateral immigration policy, the United States and Mexico are showing renewed interest in immigration problems. -- The complex debate over immigration includes topics such as the economic impact of immigrants, their use of public assistance, their contribution to the federal tax rolls and whether they take jobs from native-born workers. -- According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington, nearly 2 million Americans a year lose their jobs to immigrants who accept less pay for the same work.

Washington Times INS shown lacking equipment, staff Border security, alien enforcement and removal, visa tracking systems and increased security for existing computer systems are the major challenges facing the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as it prepares to move into the new Department of Homeland Security. -- A management review this week by the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General said the INS' ability to screen people seeking to enter the United States remained a "key element of homeland security," but investigators from the office found...

Associated Press Cochise supervisors condemn militias The Cochise County Board of Supervisors doesn't like the way the militias or the federal government is handling illegal border crossings. -- The board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution Tuesday that opposes the "formation of civilian militias and vigilantism for the purpose of controlling illegal immigration along the U.S.-Mexico border and further petition the federal government to take responsibility for the problems associated with illegal immigration." [View resolution] [Also see letter from Co. Supervisor Patrick Call about American Border Patrol]

San Diego Union-Tribune  Agent is shot at in border escape Four drug smugglers shot at, but missed, a U.S. Border Patrol agent as they slipped into Mexico yesterday morning, authorities said. -- The group left behind an estimated 415 pounds of marijuana in large duffel bags as they escaped, Border Patrol spokesman Raul Villarreal said. -- The agent returned fire, but it was unclear whether any of the men were hit, Villarreal said. -- On Thursday, border agents came across 233 pounds of marijuana near the Jacumba Airport. Agents have seized 4,600 pounds of pot worth an estimated $3.2 million near the border since October, Villarreal said.

Joe Guzzardi

VDare.com "An Increasingly Bold, Daring And Demanding Illegal Alien Population" The ugly incident last week at Lodi's Lawrence Elementary School provides a telling insight into how things are in the wacky world of U.S. immigration. -- About 40 Mexican parents demonstrated in front of the school, demanding (in Spanish) more bilingual aides and a Spanish-speaking school counselor. -- The irate group followed up by submitting a petition (in Spanish) to L.U.S.D. Superintendent Bill Huyett claiming that the Lawrence staff violates the children's civil rights by telling them to speak English.

Arizona Daily Star Representation of Hispanics still lags Hispanics gained one seat in the new Legislature, failing to turn dramatic population gains into political clout. -- Census figures show Hispanics make up nearly one in four Arizona residents. But when the 46th Legislature goes into session, 13 of the 90 lawmakers will be Hispanic. -- That doesn't bode well for shining a light on an agenda that already gets little attention, especially considering conservative Republicans will run the show in the Legislature, said Lorraine Lee, vice president of Chicanos por la Causa in Tucson.

Valley Morning Star Mexican truckers face obstacles On Friday, trucking officials in Matamoros said truckers are reluctant to operate on U.S. roads despite President Bush's approval Wednesday of a new motor freight policy that allows them to travel beyond the 20-mile commercial border zone. -- Sergio "Tito" Lopez owns a trucking company and is president of the Mexican trucking association, Canacar, in Matamoros. He says the disadvantages - heavy competition and complying with U.S. safety regulations - far outweigh the benefits.

TheNewsMexico.com  New Arizona governor opposes illegal alien amnesty Arizona's Governor-elect Janet Napolitano on Thursday expressed her opposition to an amnesty for undocumented workers, but emphasized she would support the eventual implementation of a temporary program for Mexican guest workers. -- "I don't support amnesty because I think it would be unfair to other immigrants who are waiting their turn to legalize (their migrant status), and who have done it respecting U.S. laws," government news agency Notimex quoted Napolitano as saying. [Napolitano appears to be in favor of the dangerous practice of giving illegals driver's licenses.]

Glenn R. Jackson

Sierra Times Going Wobbly in the Terror War -- Putin Makes the Point ...President Bush has, more than any modern era President, allowed personal relationships and judgments to dictate his leading and his administration's setting of America's interest. One such is the long-standing relationship between President Bush and President Vicente Fox of Mexico. It is that relationship that drives the Bush administrations most persistent policy initiative, amnesty for illegal aliens. In the face of 70% of the American people urging tighter immigration control, the President rewards his friendship with President Fox with continued efforts to grant amnesty to lawbreakers.