From: Glenn Spencer: (e-mail him)
Re: Joe Guzzardi's Column: McCain, Obama—Who Cares? The Real Question: Who Replaces Chertoff?
I agree with Guzzardi about Chertoff.
Within the past four months Chertoff has taken border security seriously. He terminated the ill-conceived virtual fence effort and moved $400 million into the real fence.
Not only that but based of our American Border Patrol aerial surveys, the Department of Homeland Security is finally building real fences that stop people at the border. Most of the stuff they had been building was designed to make it easy to climb.
Chertoff, at the last minute, is trying to create a positive legacy for himself.
As I said when his effort started, the Secure Border Initiative [SBI] was designed to fail. The deceit was coming from Open Border bureaucrats but Chertoff either didn't have the management skills to understand what was going on or he didn't want to know, or both.
Chertoff didn't like the idea of a fence in the first place and, like George W. Bush, wanted to believe in the virtual fence.
As he faced the abject failures of SBI and other problems as reported by the Governmental Accountability Office— using, I am convinced, data from our aerial surveys, Chertoff decided to try to rescue his reputation.
Here's an update for your readers about our latest efforts.
Beginning on Nov. 10, I will fly the border from Brownsville to San Diego to document fence and vehicle barrier progress. I will have a reporter from a major newspaper along.
Our survey of Sept 29 - Oct 2 spotted lots of fence material stockpiled from El Paso to San Diego so I expect to see major progress.
Within about a week, I will release a video report that links increased border security to drug-war-related deaths in Mexico. Our historic video shows that at least 200 miles of what were formerly heavy smuggling corridors are now blocked to vehicular traffic.
The cartels are feeling the pinch and they see the handwriting on the wall – or should I say the writing on the border fence.
Glenn Spencer is every immigration reform patriot's hero because of his tireless efforts on America's behalf. He founded American Border Patrol, an invaluable website that documents illegal alien activities and crossings.
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From: Tim Aaronson (e-mail him)
At the Federation for American Immigration Reform's recent annual gathering in Washington D.C. the (now resigned) Assistant Department of Homeland Security Julie Myers spoke.
Myers was dynamite. And her comments gave every indication of why Chertoff and ICE have been doing such a great job.
I asked her, "Given the administration's abysmal record of enforcing our immigration laws, how have you been allowed to do your job?"
She responded, "When I interviewed with Chertoff I was promised that I would be able to enforce the laws."
Myers strongly praised the effectiveness of the E-Verify program that the Senate balked at extending.
Asked how to support enforcement efforts In the face of criticism of the ICE raids by open borders advocates, Myers suggested writing letters of support to regional ICE officials and Congressional representatives.
So, yes, I agree that Chertoff has been fantastic, completely opposite our expectations based upon his illegal alien-worship at the outset.
And I offer my kudos to Myers, too, for carrying through. Immigration reform patriots were hard on her when she began. Myers will be missed
The unanswered question: why President George W. Bush has allowed enforcement since he could so easily cut it off?
Is it because there would be such an outcry that the Open Borders agitators would demand "comprehensive immigration reform" and could point to various sob stories as examples of what happens when ICE upholds the law?
Aaronson is the author of "On Teachable Moments (about billboards)", an exchange with a Hispanic teacher about ProjectUSA's brilliant billboard campaign (The Social Contract, Spring 2000). His previous letters are here.[PermaLink] [Top] [Letters Home]
From: Andrew (e-mail him)
Guzzardi is quite right that Chertoff has been doing a very good job recently, speaking firmly and sensibly in defense of immigration law enforcement.
However, I am fearful of what President-elect Barack Obama will do to stop the progress that we've seen in the last several months.
From the letters and columns I have read on VDARE.COM, I know many career ICE agents want to enforce the law.
But until Chertoff, they've been hamstrung and prevented from doing so during most of George W. Bush's administration.
Joe Guzzardi comments: Earlier letters that we posted in our October 18 Saturday Forum reflected reader suspicion about Chertoff's motives. Read them here, here and here. This week, we continue to receive correspondence from nervous readers wondering who will take Chertoff's job. Let's hope for the best.
Remember, though, that as Tim Aaronson pointed out above we were originally skeptical—to say the least—about Chertoff and Julie Myers. Both turned out to be pleasant surprises.
So regardless of whom Obama chooses, let's not jump to conclusions.
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From: Dubuque Observer (e-mail him)
Re: Paul Nachman's Blog: Immigration Enforcement Is Acceptable Every February 29—Maybe
As Nachman noted, the Agriprocessors plant in Postville is bankrupt and in a legal tailspin.
Now comes the corker.
Rigoberta Menchu— a fraud and a liar who won the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize based on her completely fabricated life story claiming to be an oppressed Guatemalan peasant revolutionary— will be in Postville on Saturday November 8 to express her solidarity with the 400 illegal alien Guatemalans who have been in custody since the May raid.
A long list of the church groups joining Menchu is here, as well as a list of other awards she has won, also on false pretenses.
Nowhere in the news coverage does it mention, however, that Menchu is a con artist.
The Dubuque Observer's previous letter telling Postville's American residents' side of the Agriprocessors story is here.
Joe Guzzardi comments: Having lived in Guatemala and knowing the educational level of the indigenous people in that country, I'm certain very few of the jailed aliens have ever heard of Rigoberta Menchu before she was promoted to them as their "hero".
And, as long as I'm thinking about it—who, I wonder paid Menchu's trip to Postville?
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From: "Little Otter" (e-mail her)
Re: James Fulford's Blog: Tyranny of Nice: Canada's Hate Speech Laws Exposed
Things in Canada are going downhill fast.
This is just a wee thing but on a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio program today, November 1st, it broadcast a show about ghosts and the like. Go to the three-minute mark to hear it.
Well, as long as I've been around, November 1st was always referred to as "All Saints Day".
According to the above mentioned radio show, though, it's now "Day of the Dead". What is wrong with "day after Hallowe'en" or "All Saints Day"? But if you are on the liberal CBC, anything goes.
I could understand if I was in California and the reference was to El Día de los Muertos.
But I live in Canada!
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