The Wide Awakes » Securing America

6/29/2005

I agreed with President Bush last night when he stated that we must, and therefore we will “stay the course” in Iraq. I find that the number of Americans who are “tired of the war” typical of too many Americans, and problematic. While we remain a nation of warriors, too many Americans lack the patience to address long term problems and we have to remember, President Bush told us in 2001 that the war on terror would require a long term commitment to ultimate victory. He spoke truthfully then — were we not listening?

No one should revel in the fact that our country is engaged in a war for its own survival, but we should not be tuning out reality either. Sadly, America’s lethargy about the war on terror is not surprising, as we tend to shut out those things that cause us stress. Perhaps our citizens have too many things going on in their lives at the same time, with a finite number of hours in a day. Maybe it is a combination of many factors and there is no one reason for our lassitude. Whatever the reason, we need to shake it off because only a fool does not realize that we are living in a very dangerous time.

Yes, there is the problem with our war in Iraq. It will be a while before the Iraqis are fully capable of dealing with the insurgency of terrorists. These people are dedicated to Iraq’s failure, and because of our involvement, defeating America’s effort to democratize the region. But there are other problems, too — and this is where I have a fundamental disagreement with our President. Our borders are not secure, and our bureaucratic systems are lacking. Americans are in grave danger and no one seems to be doing anything about it. Not the administration, not the democrats in Congress, not state and local officials, and certainly not John Q. Citizen who is going about his daily business as if there is no danger. It makes me wonder if we are not “over medicated” in this country. Clearly, most people believe that our borders should be secure from illegal entry, but there is no national insistence that the work get done.

Of course, not everyone agrees that our borders should be protected at all, but those who argue for an open border represent organizations that have their own peculiar agenda. Of those who demand (although not too loudly) a secure border, there are essentially two camps: One group worries about our security in light of terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, and the other group voices concern over the economic implications of illegal immigration. I want to hold off on the economic implications for just a moment . . .

I have had a number of conversations with close friends on the subject of immigration gener¬ally, and on the issue of securing our nation from those who would do our people harm. Even those who support President Bush seem to disagree with his view that people coming here illegally, no matter the point of their origin, are simply looking for work. As evidenced by the amount of attention this issue is getting nationally, immigration problems are not restricted to border-states. People throughout the entire country seem genuinely angry that our government lacks the will, or the resources, to halt the influx of people who come here illegally. They should be angry, but in spite of that, our government is not doing enough.

The issue of illegal immigration generates emotional rather than thoughtful debates among the so-called talking heads of our national media. Screeching at one another on national television does not bring to the table thoughtful discussion or reasonable solutions to the problem—it only causes people to change the channel or turn off the television. In the first place, most people do not understand the implications of illegal immigration, including politicians whose job it is to frame laws, and provide funding for the enforcement of those laws, and the media who with few exceptions, seek to either sensationalize the problem, or ignore it completely.

The task of problem-resolution appears to fall into three stages: (1) Determine the true affect of illegal immigration, (2) Discover solutions that everyone can agree with, and (3) Implement programs that do not demean people of other ethnic groups or nationalities.

For now, let’s forget the half-baked idea that the United States should employ military forces along our borders; current statutes prohibit military units from engaging in civil law enforcement activities. Would an increase in the number of law enforcement officers improve efforts to control our border and protect the American people? Probably. But a more creative approach would be increase law enforcement personnel while at the same time forming volunteer coalitions of citizens to help. President Bush is opposed to these groups; he calls them “vigilantes.” They are not, and it is not correct to call them that. The Minutemen could work in cooperation with, and under the supervision of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies — and for free. What is wrong with that concept?

Americans are harmed by “illegals” who perpetrate crimes against persons and property in the United States and the distinction between criminals and terrorists is beginning to merge because “criminals” are now engaging in activities to smuggle in terrorists. One recent news report indicated that terrorists have a plan to kill Americans through our food supply — and we need to ask ourselves, is doing nothing to protect our borders worth the cost of our children’s safety? Would a poisoned food supply equate to a “weapon of mass destruction?” You betcha.

Turning briefly to the economic issue, there are good arguments that illegal immigrants pose a significant economic danger to the United States. A source of information and discussion on this topic can be found at the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). Among a wide range of issues, FAIR provides specific economic information relative to illegal immigration, breaking those costs down state-by-state. One might conclude, based on the data provided by FAIR that the costs of doing a poor job in protecting America’s borders far outweigh the costs of hiring more law enforcement, border patrol officers, or the purchase of high-tech equipment that could be used by volunteers.

Until citizens are fully informed about the ramifications of doing nothing, Americans cannot approach the three-step mentioned above to resolve this problem. It is time for all Americans to begin demanding real solutions to our border security problems — and common sense demands more, not less citizen involvement.

Said Mustang @ 6:16 pm | Permalink

8 Comments »

Great Job Mustang. I concur whole-heartedly. I am so irritated by this Swiss cheese border we have too. Bush and the Republicans will not touch it because it could cost us politically. I just know that The Leftist Queen of the damned will come to the rescue in the primaries and beat the Republicans over the head with this. I believe that this Socialist Squamata could overtake the Republican Candidate(since we have a storied recent history of being soft on the borders, no Republican can claim he will seal our borders and be believed, especially if the Cerastes vipera Hillary beats us to the punch!
Any suggestions on how we stay alive and seal our boarders/ I know Crystal has an opinion on the matter, she has always covered it well ( she use to reside in the trenches.

Comment by Ken — 6/29/2005 @ 10:10 pm

There is no reason for the federal government NOT to enlist the support of Minuteman organizations. These people are retired military, retired law enforcement, retired business leaders who want to make a difference; they are not being allowed to participate. Imagine the benefit of providing them with high tech equipment and including them and coordinating their activities with those of regular law enforcement agencies. So for starters, I’d like to see that happen.

Comment by Mustang — 6/29/2005 @ 11:19 pm

My prediction: The immigration problem will not be effectively addressed until something really awful happens. Call me “pessimistic.”

I saw a similar pattern here in Virginia, where 9/11 illegal-immigrant hijackers obtained driver’s licenses.

It saddens me to say that closing the barn door after the horse is gone seems to be an American pattern.

Comment by Ada Evans — 6/30/2005 @ 5:16 am

An excellent quote that doesn’t necessarily fit this topic, but ought to be a post on its own - if I could, I would:

At the Virginia Convention, delegate James Innes said of the debate over ratification of the US Constitution:

I see in this house, divided in opinion, several of those brave officers whom I have seen so gallantly fighting and bleeding for their country… I thought it would be the last of human events, that I should be on a different side from them on so awful an occasion. However painful and distressing to me the recollection of this diversity of sentiment may be, I am consoled by this reflection — that difference of opinion has a happy consequence; it aids discussion, and is a friend to truth. We ought (and I hope we have the temper) to be regulated by candor and moderation — without which, in a deliberative body, every thing with respect to the public good evaporates into nothing…

I stole it from here.

Thats a quote that should go at the top of every blog.

Comment by KraftyOne — 6/30/2005 @ 1:10 pm

I also agree, having just completed the “Americans for Immigration Control” Survey. I’m still waiting for other shoe to drop. It hasn’t yet because the war is being waged in Iraq. But I just saw on Newsmax that two Iraqis were caught at the border. It’s only a matter of time.

Comment by OTTMAN — 6/30/2005 @ 1:20 pm

I agree with most of what you say. But many of the people who deal with the issue emotionaly by saying just deport them all forgrt, or are unaware of one major issue…the banking and mortgage issue. In many cities throughout the country there are large groups of illegals who own (second handed mostly-through legal family cosigners) homes. This is why the president’s plan seems to make sense. To deport all the illegals could deal a massive blow to the mortgage system and leave many areas of some cities in blight and decline. I am not pro-immigration by any means, but this issue must be faced in any serious plan to fight it.

Comment by Glen — 7/1/2005 @ 6:14 am

On the one hand, I would assume that “property owners” want a stake in America and that would not be a bad thing; on the other hand, allowing “property ownership” to form a loophole for legal immigration seems to be opening “Pandora’s box.” FAIR tells us that the economic impact of illegal immigration is staggering. Perhaps we should follow the law, let the chips fall where they may, and learn some important lessons about the importance of our laws, and of enforcing them. Selective prosecution is simply wrong. Of course, we do not know what is in men’s hearts, and there is little doubt but that some good people would get the shaft. My concern is that our porous borders are a disaster just waiting to happen. There has to be a reason why many terrorists from the Middle East are now being trained in Spanish; this is an ominous omen for the future.

For Krafty – the way I see “a divided house” is that is presents us with an opportunity for honest discussion. The problem with our modern society, however, is that people seem to have an agenda at the beginning of the discussion and they cannot be persuaded to “listen carefully” to other points of view, and think about them before offering a rebuttal. Therefore, I’m not sure that all “discussions” are entered into honestly, and results in that “shouting match” I mentioned earlier. We ought to be thinking that we are ONE nation and the survival of our country depends on finding common ground. Clearly, some people are more liberal minded—others more conservative. We are divided regionally, ethnically, and in some cases, spiritually. But when you stop to consider it carefully, there is NO REASON for us not to find solutions. We are living in a very dangerous period of time, and the stakes are too high for us to squabble ourselves into harm’s way.

Comment by Mustang — 7/1/2005 @ 12:42 pm

Mustang - I completely agree. And this is why it so often frustrates me that when I offer an alternative viewpoint that instead of considering what merit it might have, they just get all upset.

Comment by KraftyOne — 7/1/2005 @ 12:56 pm

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