December 08, 2004

House Bill Fails Intelligence Test: Borders Still Unguarded

[Recently by Donald A. Collins: Republican Patriots Rebel Against King George’s Intelligence/ Immigration Bill]

Hooray, say the illegal alien lobbyists and their happy hiring corporate buddies, as the Congress again ignored our security and the Rule of Law with the National Intelligence Reform Act (NIRA), which passed the House yesterday and will be soon signed by President Bush.

Democrats were certainly delighted to see the key security issues pressed by Congressmen Tom Tancredo and James Sensenbrenner go, in the end, unaddressed.

Just two things to remember, fellow citizens:

This legislative abortion gives none of the real protections required and furthermore creates a potential condition for a loss of freedom which will take us ever closer to Orwell’s “1984".

But it sure costs a bundle of new money—namely yours!

While TV morning shows such as NBC’s “Today” put two attractive 911 survivor widows front and center talking about how great our system worked, the hoodwinking of America continues.

What did we get in the way of security against terror? Basically nothing. The 4000 illegal aliens who cross our borders daily via Arizona and New Mexico will be joining others, now more than 12 million here now with 3 million more coming yearly, in getting driver’s licenses and Matricula Consular cards, making identification for proper purposes such as government benefits much more possible, while opening opportunities for the terrorists among them to plot further heinous acts.

Who enthusiastically endorsed this legislation? Why, among many who sold out, the same fella who broke the House’s rules and then saw those rules changed so he could stay in office, Majority Leader, Tom Delay (R-Texas).

The few brave dissenting voices were simply drowned out in the stampede. One of their leaders, House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., R-Wis., issued the following sensible statement:

"I am pleased that the chain-of-command issues Chairman Duncan Hunter has raised have been resolved so that our war-fighters will not be put at risk. Unfortunately, even with these improvements, the current bill is woefully incomplete and one I cannot support.

"Americans deserve a complete bill so that we can prevent another 9/11 from occurring. Border security and immigration reform are vital components of our homeland security efforts, so why are they not included in this legislation? The time to address these issues is now, not next month, not next year. Hollow promises of future consideration are just that - hollow promises.

"Terrorists have exploited vulnerabilities in our asylum system and in the issuance of driver's licenses. This bill fails to include the strong provisions in the House bill because my Senate colleagues found them 'too controversial.' That's unfortunate, because their refusal to consider these security provisions on their merits will keep Americans unnecessarily at risk.

"I said two weeks ago that the Senate was hell- bent on ensuring that illegal aliens can receive driver's licenses, regardless of the security concerns. This Sept. 10th mentality in a post- Sept. 11th world is unwise and among those I intend to rectify next year."

I would just add: the chances of “rectification” next year are unpromising—unless Americans finally wake up and demand that this bill be fixed.

Or unless (…until) there’s another terrorist attack.

Another vital concern about this legislation: its diminishing freedoms further under the guise of improved security against terrorism.

Instead we likely have gotten a further bureaucracy headed by a superperson (something the world hasn’t invented yet). As the December 8, 2004 Washington Post report quotes one observer,

"’Have they created a stronger, central, senior person in charge? It is not clear to me that they have,’ said Winston P. Wiley, a former senior CIA official and terrorism expert. ‘It's not that budgets and personnel are not important, but what's really important is directing, controlling and having access to the people who do the work. They created a person who doesn't have that.’” Director's Control Is a Concern, By Dana Priest and Walter Pincus, December8, 2004

So even the place for this superperson isn’t functional.

Bottom line: Another chance to fix a broken system is gone. Until we gain control of our borders by stopping the employment of illegal aliens by our own businesses, we simply won’t have fixed anything but our own sure descent to 3^rd-class nationhood and the increased chance of massive terrorist attack.

The good news: President Bush paid a high price for this bill. In its wake, even CNN’s Judy Woodruff was reporting that Bush now appears unlikely to get a majority of House Republicans to support his amnesty and guest worker proposals.

Donald A. Collins [email him], is a freelance writer living in Washington DC and a board member of FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform. His views are his own.