Redhead Infidel

2006-10-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

Behind The Lines

I know we've got a lot of vet readers here at ER, and I thought you guys might be interested in hearing about the latest military project we've become invested in!

Behind the Lines: The Journal of U.S. Military Special Operations

In 1992, two brothers who had served in Vietnam, Mike & Gary Linderer, had a vision to produce a publication solely for the Special Operations community and those who served in support of it. Mike had served in military intelligence during Vietnam and Gary was a LRRP Ranger in the 101st Airborne Division. Gary is the successful published author of numerous Vietnam War books such as the Phantom Warrior series, Eyes Behind the Lines, Eyes of the Eagle, and Six Silent Men - all books recounting the missions of the LRRPs in Vietnam.

The Linderers' vision for Behind the Lines was a published journal of declassified covert operations and special missions written or recounted by the men who were there. They started as a newsprint-style publication and along the way, they established a strong staff of writers, their subscriber base swelled with very loyal readers, Gary took over as sole publisher, and the format evolved into an 80-page magazine with color.

Unfortunately, at the peak of its success in 1998, with big plans in the works for a digital edition magazine and website, BTL went dark. And to this day, there has been no other publication that filled the void - none that catered to the written and oral accounts of the Special Ops community and the unique impact they've had on modern warfare.

Until now.

This year, Gary's vision for an online digital edition of Behind the Lines magazine has been realized. The all-new BTL is spiffed up for the digital age but with many of the original authors and some new ones, and all new content. The first new issue was launched on 9/11-a date that is an ever-present reminder that there is still a mission to accomplish, and a war to be won. Thus, the focus of Behind the Lines remains the same, a tool whereby the warriors of the past can pass along their wisdom, insight, humor, and lessons learned to their peers as well as the younger generation of warriors.

If you would like to subscribe for the low '98 rates, please click here. Better yet, if you would like to contribute, either a Letter to the Editor or your own SpecOps story, please contact BTL at publish@btlmagazine.net. New content is always welcome!

For more info: info@btlmagazine.net.

2006-05-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

By Heidi at Euphoric Reality

Today is the much ballyhooed Day Without Latinos......otherwise known as Nothing Gringo Day...officially (yes, as in politically-official) known as the Great American Boycott of 2006: No Shopping, No School, No Work.

Amboy Times has some helpful advice for the title of these strikes/boycotts/stick-it-in your-eye rallies: "I recommend a less confrontational title, perhaps 'Bite The Hand That Feeds You Day' or how about boycotting all the free medical care, schools, and other government services? They could call it 'No Payroll Taxation Means No Government benefits Day' - hmm...a bit wordy, that one...”

Whatever the name, illegal aliens (presumably of Latino descent only, since this is all about THEM, nevermind the hundreds of thousands of illegals from Ireland, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, etc.) intend to show us that THEY are the engine that drives the American economy. They hope to wreak havoc on our economy to prove that we can never live a day without them because "THEY are America."

Pro-immigration activists say a nationwide boycott and marches planned for May 1 will flood Americas's streets with millions of Latinos to demand amnesty for illegal immigrants and shake the ground under Congress as it tackles reform.
[...]
"There will be 2 to 3 million people hitting the streets in Los Angeles alone. We're going to close down Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Tucson, Phoenix, Fresno," said Jorge Rodriguez, a union official who helped organize earlier rallies credited with rattling Congress as it debates the issue.

Organizers of the May Day marches, which have strong support from big labor and the Roman Catholic church, vow that America's major cities will grind to a halt and its economy will stagger as Latinos walk off their jobs and skip school.

Various city leaders, contrary to their appointed duties, are having the opposite kind of reaction you'd expect. In the spirit of truly compassionate sycophants, they plan to aid and abet the lawbreakers:

Teachers' unions in major cities have said children should not be punished for walking out of class. A spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Unified School District said school principals had been told that they should not try to keep students in class but instead should walk with the children to help keep order.

In Chicago, Catholic priests have helped organize protests, sending information to all 375 parishes in the archdiocese.

Personally, while I don't like it, I have to thank them for spitting in America's face over and over. That bitter froth is starting to wake up the apathetic to just how wrong everything is. As Right As Usual points out: "The more the Aliens gain 'strength', the more natives get their backs up. Take a hint, Pedro - you DON'T have the right to petition the government - it isn't YOUR government. That's a right granted to CITIZENS of the USA."

BobGriggs.com voices the sentiment of an ever-growing contingent of appalled Americans:

"I have finally reached the boiling point on illegal immigration. We are a nation of laws, including those that control how visitors can enter this country, how long they can stay and how they can become permanent citizens. I expect those visitors to obey the same laws that citizens are expected to follow; and I expect my government to enforce the law when those visitors choose to ignore it.

It’s bad enough when the invaders (and that’s what they are) sneak across the border by night, then hide in the undocumented crevices of society. It is quite another thing to then demand, by the light of day, that their lawlessness be excused. Such have been the marches staged across the nation and in my Capitol– thousands of lawbreakers protesting my representatives’ efforts to control our borders and stop the lawlessness.

It angers me when the interlopers so brazenly demand the protection of the same law that they flaunted with their very first steps on American soil. My blood boiled as I watched student illegals skip the classes that you and I paid for to protest that you and I aren’t doing enough. I fumed as I watched illegals, waving the Mexican flag, insist that I 'treat them like Americans'.”

Kit at Euphoric Reality reports that Tulsa is planning a HUGE rally for immigrants where cooperation with the masses and the enabling of lawbreakers is the order of the day. Event organizers, having learned from previous rallies that defiant Mexican flag-waving is counter-productive to their claims that "We are Americans, too", has urged participants to only carry U.S. flags and "wear white as a symbol of hope". They are also referring to their movement as A Day Without Immigrants. Yes, yet another rally nickname, but this one apparently aims to be more generically "inclusive".

...CSA (American Dream Coalition, or Coalicion del Sueño Americano) President, Rev. Victor Orta II, said that arrangements had been made with Tulsa Public Schools, Broken Arrow Schools, and Union School District for high school students to be allowed to leave at 1:30 p.m. in order to give parents the opportunity to take their children to the rally if they wish.
....
Orta also wished to dispel rumors in Tulsa's Latino community that the Tulsa Police Department (TPD) is planning on using the event as a way to corral undocumented individuals, or that federal immigration officers would be undercover at the rally.

"I spoke personally with [acting Police Chief] Bill Wells," Orta said, "and he assured me that a policy was established several years ago that 'no officer of ours is allowed to ask anyone for immigration papers, and that policy has not changed'."

Orta described his discussions as being "very positive," adding that [Police Chief] Wells will be a podium guest and possibly a speaker at the rally, and the only police presence at the May 1 event is to be for security reasons. Orta is scheduled to meet with Sheriff Stanley Glanz this week to work out similar arrangements with county officers.

Tulsa Community College (TCC) has volunteered the free use of its downtown parking lots for rally attendees in another sign of the cooperative spirit many organizations in the community are showing in what is seen as perhaps the most critical time in the history of Latino immigration.

Whoops - there it is again - Latinos only, I guess. It is all about THEM, after all. Fortunately, contradicting Reverend Orta's assurances, an eyewitness trucker one hour south of Tulsa reported seeing 30 ICE vehicles and approximately 10 white government buses heading north toward the city tonight. Are the government vehicles carrying refreshments for the rallying masses or dare we hope that our government has plans to do the right thing?

Similarly, Right on the Right wonders if something is brewing in LA. Another eyewitness spotted something hopeful - go here to find out what he saw - and approached an officer:

"I asked one of the deputies what the deal was, and he said 'The deal with what? I don't see anything.'

This boycott tomorrow in L.A. is going to get very interesting. Did anyone else notice that the cops are being really nice in helping to block off streets and herd people into certain areas? The planned route down Wilshire from MacArthur park to La Brea is easily an area that could be cordoned off with the right amount of troops and some strategic planning.

Viva La Revolucion my ass!!!!"

One has to wonder if anyone has remembered to tell the California legislators that they're coddling a huge mass of people who are lawbreakers to a man! They seem to have forgotten that laws are meant to be followed, and instead they are busy issuing obsequious statements of support.

Pamibe reports that "California’s state senators on Thursday endorsed Monday’s boycott of schools, jobs and stores by illegal immigrants and their allies as supporters equated the protest with great social movements in American history:

By a 24-13 vote that split along party lines, the California Senate approved a resolution that calls the one-day protest the Great American Boycott 2006 and describes it as an attempt to educate Americans “about the tremendous contribution immigrants make on a daily basis to our society and economy.”

So I have to ask the obvious: with civic leaders, law enforcement officers, and lawmakers like that, who needs laws??? Apparently, not America.

Make no mistake, the immigration reform being debated endlessly in the Senate is NOT what the illegals really want. It's too complicated, too much work, and will cost a fine – so forget that! Besides, if they cared so much about citizenship, they'd have at least started paperwork somewhere. Remember the illegals I interviewed during the last pro-illegal rally? None of them in 5, 10, or 15 years had ever bothered to apply for citizenship. Too hard, too much work. And why bother - when they get what they want without it?! American citizenship is NOT what really matters to illegal aliens. What is sacred and meaningful to true Americans is nothing more, to them, than convenient access to the world's largest labor market. That's it.

But nevermind, because "earned citizenship", as President Bush cozily calls it, will not cut it anyways. Illegal aliens and their advocates don't have any intention of settling for having to earn their way, no matter how easy the Senate reform may make it for them. They want ever-so-much MORE than that!

"We want full amnesty, full legalization for anybody who is here (illegally)," Rodriguez said. "That is the message that is going to be played out across the country on May 1."

Ace In The Hole acknowledges the blatant slap in the face:

"And so it goes... Want in one hand and SPIT in the other...

If our politicians and lawmakers want to keep their jobs, they'd better remember THIS: there's a hell of a lot more than 12 million AMERICANS that ARE here legally, and we VOTE...

Short of taking to the street and engaging in ARMED confrontation, the voting booth is our ONLY option, but something else the politicians had better consider, there are MANY Americans, right now, that are armed and ready, this nation is on the verge of open hostilities, armed conflict committed by our CITIZENS against ILLEGAL INVADERS, and I can't say that this is at all an unimaginable option to be honest about it...

IF the PRESIDENT of the USA would do his job, instead of kissing every Mexican ass he can find, this could ALL be avoided...

Close the border, deport the ILLEGAL INVADERS and restore order to this nation... Wake up President Bush, YOU are personally destroying the southwestern United States with YOUR inaction and incompetent administration of this nation...

Mr. Bush had better decide which side of this fight he's on, because at the moment, it appears he's damn sure on the side of the Mexicans and IF the voters of the USA have ANY sense at all, we will vote OUT any politician that supports Mr. Bush on this amnesty debacle, no matter WHICH party they belong to..."

Frustration with our do-nothing government abounds. Publius Rendezvous states: "The debates within our Senate pertaining to illegal immigration do nothing but illustrate what many have ascertained for quite some time - our Senators know how we feel on this issue, but have blatantly ignored our concerns. What has been glossed over by our 'thorough' MSM is that Congress' approval ratings are worse than President Bush's. And, I assert that their utter disregard for our sentiments directly correlates with such."

AmboyTimes asks: "So what can a poor gringo do? How about 'Nothing Mexican Day'? ...Our leaders in government may be spineless, but we still have control over our own spending, and we can send a message to illegals and the Mexican government that we're not going to take this lying down. There is no reason why this won't work, and we can do it (si ,se puede) without protesting, breaking laws, race-baiting or even calling names."
BobGriggs.com has taken that concept even further and suggests 'Nothing Mexican on Cinco de Mayo'. As seen on Fox and Friends: "This year, Cinco de Mayo will be a celebration of my hope that America will repulse the current invasion of illegal aliens. I will not patronize my favorite Mexican restaurant nor any other Hispanic-owned or “Mexican-themed” business on May 5 or the week thereafter. Neither will I employ the services of any company that I know to employ illegal aliens. If you feel as frustrated and as voiceless as I do, please join me in my mini-protest and support America’s sovereignty with your dollars on Friday, May 5."

The Independent Conservative respectfully disgarees:

"I must say that while I feel his anger, given we live in the same county that is loaded with illegals. I think his response should be a little more measured than an all out boycott of all that has Mexican heritage. The protesters that favor illegal immigration are not representative of all Mexicans. While far too many are on their side, we should be careful not to respond to their anti-American/anti-White actions by treating all Mexicans as if they are in agreement with the activity of the Mexican protesters.

So how does one separate those who are in league with condoning illegal activity, from those who do not? Simple, you ask. Just as I’ve shown via my own actions, I think all Americans should strive to do the same every day. I know it may not be doable for all purchases, but try as best you can to always only support businesses that do not employ illegals and do not take part in these protests.

I think instead of boycotting a Mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo, that it would have a far greater impact if Americans walked into a Mexican restaurant, asked to speak to the owner and asked 'were you open on May 1?' If they say no, then leave. Also ask 'do you employ illegals?' If they say yes, then leave. That will show them you are serious about taking your money elsewhere. And alternatively, you might find a business owned by people who have Mexican heritage, but wish to be 100% American and respect our laws."

Kender's Musings has yet another perspective, one I call the "Stay Home and Stay Stupid" strategy:

"I agree with this boycott...because [it] is going to backfire on these people, and the disruption they cause to millions of LEGAL CITIZENS who, in the course of living their legal lives of doing their duty to make this country great are going to have to endure millions of whiny criminals and their supporters blocking the streets and taking up airtime on our TV's, making their day that much harder.

Anyone that takes the day off to protest should be fired. But that may only happen in a handful of cases. On the other hand, this protest is going to hurt the educations of the kids that are out in the middle of this, and that is fine by me.

Outlined below is my support for this boycott. As far as I am concerned these people can boycott for the rest of their lives. They are much cheaper to hire when they are legal citizens without a decent education.

I Agree with the Boycott

That's right, I agree with the boycott.

Especially for the kids.

Everybody listen up, on May 1st stay home from school.

Do NOT go to school. Stay home and sleep, go protest and work on that car in your driveway while hanging clothes on the line tied between the apartment building and the dead tree, and I will tell you why:

Because when you stay home from school your school loses valuable money that is used to educate your stupid asses, and maybe if your education drops to a low enough level you will be forever stuck cleaning the toilets, washing the cars and mowing the lawns of the people that know what it means to be an American, and your lower economic status will be assured, hence your power in society will be limited to threatening to leave the rest of us with long grass and dirty dishes at the restaurant.

Jarhead's Firing Range agrees with the boycott too, but for different reasons:

"Illegal immigrants plan feeble attempt to strike back at the hand that feeds them. Border jumping criminals are rallying behind a plan to boycott all things American on May 1st. This will include not going to work, and not spending money at any American owned business establishments. It will also be carried out inside the cesspool known as Mexico.

These idiots fail to realize that American owned companies are the largest source of employment in Mexico. They whine that the wages paid there are not enough. -Then don't take the job?

As far as their boycott here in the states, I'm all for it. I hope that those that employ these criminals will actually be hurt by this. Perhaps they'll not hire criminals in the future. Hopefully, every illegal that doesn't go to work on May 1st will be fired. I won't hold my breath waiting for that to happen though."

Speaking of protests south of the border, Independent Conservative points out that if the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico keeps this up, they might end up causing the pro-illegal crowd to realize that their massive protests have been the best recruiting tool for all of us who wish to send illegals back over the border:

US Lobbyists Denounce Mexico’s ‘Nothing Gringo’ Boycott (WSJ.com registration required to view the entire article)
…
“This is like shooting oneself in the foot,” Rubin said. “U.S. companies have been the first to lobby, launching a huge lobbying effort for immigration reform. … Why hurt something that is helping you?”
…
South of the border, Mexicans are targeting American stores and chain restaurants - “That means no Dunkin’ Donuts, no McDonald’s (MCD), Burger King (BKG.XX), Starbucks (SBUX), Sears (SHLD), Krispy Kreme (KKD) or Wal-Mart (WMT),” reads one email making the rounds.

Wal-Mart/Walmex is the biggest private employer in Mexico. Huge shocker there, huh? Wal-Mart is like the slum lord of the planet.

Amber and Chaos offers sound advice for furious Americans watching the legislative branch of our government get hi-jacked: "If you are angry as I am about the demonstrations going on [today], then [today] is the time to express your outrage. Write your Senators and Congressperson...do something that could, potentially, put some backbone into our congresspeople on the issue of Immigration Reform. Tell them that if they do NOT vote for a strong secure-border plan, nothing else they do has any meaning for you, and you are going to vote against them, when you get a chance."

While you’re at it, remind them of our laws. Woman Honor Thyself has a quick synopsis of the laws our lawmakers are so willing to overlook [Title 8:Section 1325. Improper entry by alien]: "Know THE LAW, my dear friends. Knowledge is power. What part of LAW do the folks up in Washington and the lefty do-gooders fail to comprehend?"

Meanwhile, A Cool Change has his own plans for boosting the economy that will supposedly be staggering without the contributions of illegal aliens: "Illegal aliens and their supporters have been urged not to buy anything on May 1 to demonstrate just how important they are economically to the United States. (So they buy extra on April 30 or wait until May 2. Big deal.) I’m participating in my own way. I’ve been postponing a much needed trip to Sam’s Warehouse for about two weeks now, and boy do I have one heck of a shopping list."

Third World County scoffs at how seriously the illegal alien lobby takes itself: "... the boycott scheduled for tomorrow in support of Reconquista is B.S.... BTW, I’ve scheduled a shopping trip for tomorrow (May 1). I figure it’s time I bought some Mexican flags to burn on May 5."

On a related subject, Freedom Folks reacts with epithet-laced fury to a Hispanic Marine who has defiantly chosen to side with lawbreakers:

"If any American serviceperson finds their loyalties divided they are in the wrong goddamn job!
[...]
I reiterate, should you find your loyalties divided, here's a thought...Get the fuck out! Go back to the country you seem to feel an allegiance for. When you don that uniform you become an exemplar, what that means, and I'm gonna type this slow because clearly you're an idiot, is you cannot then wave your fucking uniform as a banner for LAW-BREAKING, you ignorant sack of shit!!

If you think I'm being too hard on this individual, I would retort -- I don't think I'm being hard enough. When you swear an oath it either means something or it doesn't, if it doesn't mean anything to you that tells me you are a faithless motherfucker not worth pissing on if you were on fire.

I truly cannot tell you how upset I am with this "Marine." This alleged "hero." Because to me when you start advocating for law-breaking you lose hero status pretty goddamn fast.

Is this the price of granting the children of illegals entrance into the proud tradition of the most fearsome fighting machine in the history of mankind? That we must grant them special --above the law -- privileges?

That price is too high for any nation to pay and remain a strong nation.

Quietly, but presciently, Bear Creek Ledger reminds us of some serious national security concerns and cautions us that amid all the hullaballoo, we are still perilously vulnerable: “As Senators and the Administration diddle over amnesty for illegal aliens (which will include members of Hezbollah and MS-13) they are leaving our US borders unprotected. There is no intent by these Senators to stop the flow of illegal aliens over the border thereby ignoring the National Security of our country. All the Republican Senators consider is supposedly "cheap" labor and the Democrats are trolling for votes. Guess with the first suicide bomber (if that truly is the first) all the same Senators will come out pointing the finger at anyone but themselves. I think as we will see in the coming weeks Rep. Hastert will also abandon any veneer of protecting the borders by the House of Representatives."

That is, unfortunately, a very probable prediction.

So...now you know what the Guard the Borders Bloggers think about this, and what some plan to do about it. What about you?

_________________________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our Blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-04-13T10:26:00.000-07:00

Due to the immigration rallies going on this week, Guard the Borders wanted to give you, our readers, some in-person coverage. This is a follow up to Monday's Blogburst and includes photos, audio files of on-the-spot interviews, and personal observations from Heidi at ER (Houston), Greg at DeMediacratic Nation (Phoenix), and Jake and MJ at Freedom Folks (Chicago).

by Heidi @ Euphoric Reality

On Monday, I attended the pro-illegal/amnesty rally in downtown Houston. I was pretty sick and really shouldn't have been out, but I wanted to see what was going on with the people, the politicians, the media, the reconquistas, and get a feel for the overall tone of the rally. I was by myself, and honestly pretty nervous. Kit was even more nervous for me, because she fretted that I would start something if I saw our flag being dishonored in any way. Since such actions were pretty common at the previous rallies, she was right to be worried! I would have.

But lessons have been learned. The backlash from the overt anti-American sentiment displayed at previous rallies resulted in significantly toned down rhetoric here in Houston. The event organizers had really gone out of their way to make sure that protesters were carrying American flags, and they even tried to start scattered chants of "U.S.A!", though with little enthusiastic success. Nevertheless, a conscious effort was expended to mask the anti-Americanism of the previous demonstrations. Privately, I think the efforts are too little, too late - but for the marzipan sensibilities of the hovering press, it was probably enough.

I was alone and a bit nervous about stepping into the crowd, so I stood on the sidelines keeping an eye open for unusual signs or anyone that looked like they knew what they were doing. Once I spotted someone, I stepped into the surging crowd and asked my first question, "Do you speak English?" Most did not, and none of the women I asked could speak English, or so they told me.

The following .mp3 audio files are conversations I had with people in the crowd. I didn't try and engage anyone in a debate, I just wanted them to tell me in their own words why they thought they were there or what they believed. Here's what they think, in their own words:

There was this one guy whose audio didn't turn out but I wanted to tell you about him since he was quite a character. He caught my eye because was walking around in a black and white prison costume, with his hands handcuffed together. The sign he was holding protested that he was not a criminal. He told me he didn’t want to be “oppressed” anymore. He has been in America for about 15 years, illegal the whole time. His two kids were born here and are American citizens. He said all he wanted was citizenship. I asked him when he filed his paperwork to apply for citizenship. He said he hadn't. I asked him how he could become a citizen without actually filing the paperwork, and why hadn't he if it meant so much to him? He said it was too hard, but with this new law, he'd just "get it". "Get what?" I asked. He said, "Get what I deserve - to be American". I asked him if he'd then file the paperwork and pay the fine to make himself eligible for the amnesty and he just looked at me blankly. I then understood that he thinks the politicians just wave their hands and grant citizenship. And you know what, if the Senate passes their amnesty bill, he's probably more right than me.

While the crowd chanted, "Si, se puede!", I saw a group of high school students. One of them, Moses, agreed to tell me what those words meant to him: Another variation on the theme of "Get It."

This next guy to the left is Carlos, and he advocates brotherly love and no borders anywhere. Needless to say, his ideas were stunningly stupid. You can tell when I was talking to him that at times I was at a loss as to how to continue the conversation. The long pauses you hear are because I was in speechless awe of someone's raw naiveté (stupidity?), and I was trying very hard to maintain a neutral poker face. See if you can follow his [il]logic. I just gave up at the end... The No Borders Anywhere Guy

My next conversation is with Steve, an American, proud socialist, and Fidel Castro fan. I wonder how people get so misinformed - they must really have to work hard at it. Like this guy, who's obviously worked harder than most: The Marxist..

I had a conversation with this guy (behind the Zapata sign), Perfecto, about why Mexicans won't expend their energies trying to improve Mexico. He's convinced it's impossible because of how corrupt the Mexican government is. He thinks it's much easier to change America than Mexico. Hmm. BTW, I had a Freudian slip in there when I asked about Vicente Fox being "arrested" - oops - I meant "elected". Zapata Sign - Perfecto.

I made my way down to the front of the crowd where the Democratic politicians were regaling the crowd with Big Promises. This one guy kept calling the Latinos his "brothers and sisters" in "the struggle". The audio is poor, but I'm including it so you can hear the Sunday-go-to-meetin' preachy tone of his voice. He promises that after amnesty, they'll get the wages they deserve, just like all working Americans - starting at $11/hour.. Now what have we already told you guys about the temporary anesthesia of the benefits of so-called "cheap labor"? It'll be history as soon as the Senate gives amnesty to millions of illegal laborers. Employers will be forced to pay illegals what they refuse to pay Americans right now. It's a lose/lose proposition.

I was on my way out of the rally when I was stopped by an older gentleman who was collecting signatures for a petition to enable Carole Keeton Strayhorn, "One Tough Grandma!" to run for governor of Texas. I had already signed a petition previously, but I asked him for her views on illegal immigration: Carole Keeton Strayhorn.mp3

Let's skip over to Phoenix, Arizona and check in with DeMediacratic Nation to see how the Day of Action played out there. All links are of photos of the rally in Phoenix:

Early on, he reported:

At the moment a walk-around is pretty laid back with people just lounging around and waiting. The air is filled with the sound of fiesta, with speakers blaring music from south of the border. Some school aged people at the capital are preparing to wander and get people to register to vote. It's pretty quiet, but I hear there's a couple people on the way.

City of Phoenix officials just said 130k on the way to the park.

Here they come and the public park quickly filled up.

Blandly Urbane sums up his final post of photos by remarking on the end result: "Overall it was just a mass of people walking. The lessons were learned and the Stars and Stripes were everywhere. You can protest/march all you want, but if the message is one of legalizing the illegal - it just defies logic to me."

Up in Chicago, the ever-interepid Jake and MJ covered the pro-illegal rally, up close and personal. MJ relates what kind of reaction her Tancredo/Sensenbrenner '08 t-shirt elicited from the rally attendees:

I did get a reaction though, judging by Gutierrez's comments, and some from those around me. The thoughtfully intelligent responses from the crowd around me included -- and I quote:

"Traitor!"
"Stinkin' t-shirt! That's a stinkin' t-shirt!"
"Wanna take a pee pee."
"Smell somethin' bad."
"Who's Tancredo?"
"He's that anti-immigrant *expletive*."
"Would like to take a pee pee."
"What's that smell?"

MJ also wrote about how illegal aliens are stealing a voice in our government. Then, as she listened to her elected representatives, or what she and Jake call RPWs (race-pandering whores), she realized that they are giving our country away:

My elected representatives are giving away the rights of the American people, the value and power of democracy, the very voice of the citizens of this country, to those who have broken our laws to come, stay, and work here. They are using these lawbreakers to try and drown out my voice -- the voice of a citizen -- a resident of Durbin's Illinois -- a resident of Gutierrez's 4th congressional district.

This concludes our in-the-mix coverage of the National Day of Action. We go wandering around in huge crowds so you don't have to! In the meantime, make sure you've faxed and/or called your senators. They need to have a huge stack of NO AMNESTY messages waiting for them when they get back to work!

__________________________________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-04-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 10, has been dubbed by pro-illegal activists as the National Day of Action for Immigrant Justice. After two weeks of both large-scale and ad hoc protests, they are trying to bring it all together before their big Walk Out on May 1st.

There are more protests scheduled around the nation - more than 100 have been registered at www.april10.org. Find out what’s going on in your town or city – you’d be surprised by some of the locales of the organized protests.

While the rest of America goes on with making a living and having a life, these rallies could very easily be fizzling out or, on the other hand, gaining momentum and proliferating. (Personally, I'm wondering just how many days of work and school these people can skip before it starts to hurt.) Either way, Americans want to know what is being said and done by these interlopers at the rallies. We must keep an eye on things, because our faint-of-heart senators won't. They are on an ill-deserved two week vacation, after all.

Several members of the Guard the Borders Blogburst are planning to observe the rallies in their areas and report back with photos, quotes, and/or more. So this edition of the Blogburst will be presented in two parts; today's notice and a follow-up on Tuesday with what we glean from various rallies across the nation. Stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, let's make sure that our senators have a stack of NO AMNESTY faxes and phone messages when they get back from vacation. They still have a lot of debating to do, and we need to be sure that they are absolutely clear on where we, as Americans, stand on the issue.

To send in a free FAX, go to NumbersUSA. Or click here for all the contact information for your congressional representatives.

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-04-02T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Time Is Now

By Kit Jarrell at Euphoric Reality

For some Americans, the shock of 9/11 was enough to convince them that nothing is sacred anymore. Nothing is secure, needing no maintenance or defense. For others, 9/11 was an "I told you so" moment more than a wake-up call. But for all of us who thought 9/11 served as the epitome of "They did what?", the last few days have shown us that we can still be shocked; we can still be incensed. We--those of us who are here legally and love our country--can, believe it or not, still be united.

Many people would disagree with that. They think we're on the brink of a civil war, or even a race war, pitting, as some MSM outlets put it, "Latino against Anglo." I'll agree that the situation looks grim. Just look at the last few days. Out-of-control students hoisted a foreign flag over our own (upside-down) Stars and Stripes. A principal ran the Mexican flag up his school's flagpole. A school tried to ban the wearing of any flag, including the American flag. An ROTC cadet who stepped forward to stop the desecration of our beloved flag (and burned the Mexican colors) is now facing felony charges, while Mexican students and protestors burn U.S. flags with manic glee--and under the "protection" of the First Amendment. (I don't believe flag burning should be legal, thus the quotes.)

All these events combine and almost give you a feeling that you're coming up on the crest of a waterfall, right? You're about to pitch over the side, and you're grabbing for anything that will keep you from falling over into a tide of something you never thought you'd see in your own country. Maybe you saw the waterfall a long time ago and you've been trying to tell others. Maybe you were just floating along, enjoying the ride, and suddenly you heard the roar of it; faint, but insistent. Not here yet, but coming. Now, here it is.

I admit it--I am afraid. Afraid that the way of life I once helped protect, the precious, sweet freedoms that all of us enjoy, will be taken from us in the interests of "not offending anyone." I'm afraid that the beautiful countrysides and breathtaking scenery that my country boasts will be lost in a sprawling urban jungle, necessary to support the severe overpopulation that is coming from beyond our borders. I have seen that my family is not safe from the threat of Muslim hatred or the illegal immigrant's ideas of entitlement, and that frightens me.

Aside from the fear, however, is a deep, abiding sense of anger. And it's not just me. I see it in the comments readers leave here, I hear it in the voices of those who are dear to me. There are joking comments about the price of ammo at Cabela's, there are amusing photos of toilet paper stamped with the Mexican flag, but beneath it all, there is anger, and rightfully so. Courage is not being fearless. It is acting in spite of your fear; it is doing what needs to be done, regardless of the personal cost.

We are in the midst of a revolution--one to keep our own land safe and free. We stand as our fathers and grandfathers once stood against the fury of the Japanese. We stand as their fathers did, and their great-grandfathers. We stand against an entire religion that actively seeks our death. We stand against a force that surges from our borders, seeking to overrun, to conquer.

As an American, I stand to say, "You will not conquer me."

Every generation must pay its dues, and as Jefferson said, the tree of liberty must be watered from time to time with the blood of tyrants and patriots."

He never said that the watering will occur on foreign soil. Indeed, the Revolutionary War was fought on lawns, in towns, in our very homes.

He never promised that only the military will be forced to provide the patriot's blood. Everyone who believed in freedom had a part to play, and in our history, civilians have given their lives for the sake of our country.

He only said it was necessary to ensure liberty. Sooner or later, lives must be given in service to freedom.

That time is coming, when all of us will be asked to count the cost, and give what we believe we must, for the sake of our children. If we do our part, it does not exempt our children. Their own time will come to give. But if we do nothing, our children will not even have the sacred honor of knowing what it is to serve a higher purpose, for there will be nothing to live for.

I believe that the situation is critical, yes. But I also choose to believe that Americans can rise up and do what needs to be done. I don't mean the politicians. I don't mean the pro-immigrant, pro-terrorism, leftist forces that seek the destruction of our country and the erosion of our moral fiber. I'm talking about you and me. I'm talking about Americans who understand the incredible gift that was given to us by those who came before. I'm talking about those who, like the Minutemen of our history, decided to do more than talk, more than complain.

We could lay down and give up. We could easily look at the state of affairs and say, "Why bother? It'll never work." In doing so, we'd be like just about every other country facing similar problems with out-of-control immigration, riots, and Muslim violence.

But we're not every other country. And I don't give a damn if that's arrogant. I am a citizen of the greatest, most amazing country this world has to offer, and I'm proud of it.

The fight is here, in our neighborhoods and streets. It is not about rights, it's not about racism. It's about theft and laziness. It's about entitlement, and those who despise our country wanting only to suck it dry for themselves. It's about misguided history. It's about a complete ignorance of what makes this country what it has been for over two hundred years.

A student in the protests the other day said that he thought the rest of his family should be able to come over from Mexico and "get some freedom." That statement embodies so much of what is wrong here. Freedom is not a commodity. It is not something you can pick up in the Accessories department at JC Penney. It's not something you just "come over and get." For those of us who have grown up in the shadow of the great men of our history, those of us who understand the meaning of the phrase "live free or die," that student's words were a disgrace; they were perhaps as offensive as seeing the flag as it never should be, under the flag of another nation, used as a target of ridicule and scorn.

I refuse to lie down and let the waterfall carry me. I refuse to be silent as my country is overrun by those who care not a whit about what it truly costs to live here. "American" is not a geographical designation. It is not simply the country of my birth. It is how I grew up, who I am, and who I will choose to be for the rest of my life. I am free, and I don't care who you are--I will never let you disgrace the honor that it is to be a part of this nation.

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-03-27T08:34:00.000-08:00

Guard The Borders Blogburst

This past week there were numerous demonstrations across the country, as immigrants were organized to protest any federal legislation that would tighten immigration enforcement. The rallies were organized by unions, church groups, socialist activists, civil rights advocates, and immigrant organizations to demand free immigration rights as their due and protest the "unjust laws" of our nation.

Los Angeles had the nation's largest mobilization of immigrants ever, which the LA Times described as "boisterous" and "spirited" and "mostly peaceful": "The marchers included both longtime residents and the newly arrived, bound by a desire for a better life and a love for this county." ("Newly arrived" being a politically-correct euphemism for "illegal".) The estimated crowd of 500,000 proudly carried tens of thousands of Mexican flags, which belied the blissful claim that they are "bound by a love for this country".

"There has never been this kind of mobilization in the immigrant community ever," said Joshua Hoyt, executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. "They have kicked the sleeping giant. It's the beginning of a massive immigrant civil rights struggle."

A small rally in Temecula, CA, focused on border security and law enforcement. We also saw peaceably demonstrating American citizens attacked by an unruly crowd of pro-illegal immigration and socialist protesters in Indiana.

Photo by Freedom Folks

This week, our Senate continues the debate on illegal immigration, with an upcoming vote on the McCain-Kennedy Amnesty bill. And, pressing for his "guest worker" program, our President repeats the tired (and untrue) refrain that our country needs these workers to do what Americans won't:

"We must remember there are hardworking individuals, doing the jobs that Americans will not do, who are contributing the economic vitality of our country," the president said in his weekend radio address.

However, the Minuteman Party has responded:

No longer content to sit on the sidelines while politicians sell out our sovereignty and turn our citizenship into a yoke of slavery in the service of foreign interests, we are fighting that government "of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth".

What is this precious sovereignty that we need to safeguard? Why is it central to our existence as a free nation? And how does it relate to our national security? Considering the fact that pro-illegal immigration forces were able to mobilize hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens to demonstrate their demands for what Americans have and their rights to the privileges of our citizenship, it is imperative that we understand how much we have to lose. Because once lost, it can never be regained. These issues have been addressed in layman's terms in a series of excellent essays by LinknZona. The first in the series defines security and sovereignty and how the two are irrevocably linked (reproduced below with permission). Links to the follow-on essays provide a step-by-step examination of the true impact of unchecked immigration and permissive illegal immigration on our sovereignty as a nation.

Security and Sovereignty No. 1: What Are We Talking About?

This is the first post in a new series addressing the security and sovereignty of the United States. These words are related but quite different in meaning and nuance. Security is a noun meaning safety, the absence of danger or risk. In the national context, it means vigilance and actions taken by the government to prevent invasion, attack, and the sabotage, spying, and treason that accompany them; the totality of measures taken to keep the nation safe and free from danger. More realistically in today’s world, rather than free from danger; security means to minimize the risks or threats.

Sovereignty is a noun and means a government free from external control or the authority of one country to govern another. An important point is the source of sovereignty. The historical model of a kingdom was that the king ruled by divine right. In a totalitarian state power is gained and then held by force and coercion. In democratic countries, i.e. the US, power derives from the people. There are additional forms and various gradations between the definitions, but for the purposes herein, we will emphasize totalitarian and democratic countries.

One shudders at the thoughts of countries without a history of security: Poland, Israel, and the Low Countries – these have been invaded throughout history and repeatedly have lost their sovereignty. That they stand free today is a tribute to man’s strength and hope. Jordan kicked the Palestinians out of their country and chased them into Lebanon and for more than a quarter of a century Syria held de facto sovereignty over most of Lebanon. In contrast, the United Kingdom has remained a sovereign nation for centuries.

A country can lose its sovereignty in several ways. By conquest, by a division or a ceding as in a small country caught between two powerful neighbors, by appeasing an aggressive neighbor with territory or control, or by allowing migration, or infiltration of peoples from one country into another one until sufficient numbers and power are gained by the infiltrators to demand partitioning or complete control. Thus, we see the link between security and sovereignty. In the ever dangerous world in which we live, sovereignty cannot be maintained without security. Therefore, if sovereignty is the will of the people then they must devise and organize a national strategy for security. Sovereignty requires security from war and conquest, from domination by other countries and partitioning or territorial ceding, security from threats and intimidation, and security from infiltration.

Security and Sovereignty No. 2: Setting the Ground Rules
A summary of the sworn duty of the one person most responsible for our security and sovereignty: the President.

Security and Sovereignty No. 3: The President's Duties
In light of the President’s Constitutional duties to our national security and sovereignty, this essay assesses how he is meeting the obligations of his duty.

Security and Sovereignty No. 4: How Many Illegal Aliens are in America?
Frighteningly enough, no one really knows. The sheer volume of illegal border crossings makes any figure a guesstimate. How secure can our country be when millions of unknown foreigners are crowding our towns and cities?

Security and Sovereignty No. 5: A Tale of Two Small Businesses
What’s the overall economic impact of illegal aliens on American workers and taxpayers? The short answer is they cost America hundreds of billions of dollar a year.

Security and Sovereignty No. 6: A Threat to Our Two Party System and Some Steps We Can Take
This essay outlines the threat of illegal immigration to our sovereignty and what we might do to save America. The short answer is that we must eliminate illegal immigration, preserve our two party system, and restore respect for the rule of law in America.

These essays are offered to our readership because knowledge is power, and forewarned is forearmed. If the pro-illegal alien crowd is geared up towards positioning wide open borders as a "massive immigrant civil rights struggle" then we have to make sure that the "sleeping giant" they've kicked is not ignorant of the ultimate costs of his continued inaction. This giant doesn't have the luxury of sleep anymore - there is too much at stake.

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-03-22T06:08:00.001-08:00

Reminder: Help STOP the McCain-Kennedy Mass Immigration Bill

We posted about this in Monday's Guard the Borders Blogburst, which contains all the details about this bill. We utilized the Blogburst as a call to action and sincerely hope that our readers took us up on it. If you used the resource of NumbersUSA.org, then it probably took you less than 5 minutes to accomplish.

If you haven’t taken action yet - here’s your chance. You’ve only got three more days - the bill comes up for a vote on Monday!

Here’s an update from NumbersUSA:

SEND FREE FAX

Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA)

Senator John McCain (R-AZ)

It won’t surprise you that Ted Kennedy wants to BURDEN AMERICA with . . .

. . . 30 Million more Foreign Workers and dependents!!

But did you know that Sen. John McCain is working with him to pass the McCain-Kennedy Mass Immigration bill, S. 1033?

The Senate may take up the McCain-Kennedy bill as early as next week!

Our inside sources on Capitol Hill say if the McCain-Kennedy bill comes up for a vote, more than half of the Senators now plan to vote for it. Make sure your Senators are not among them!

Click the button below to send a Free Fax asking your Senators to stop S. 1033, a massive immigration increase which will add 30 million more foreign workers and their dependents over the next decade.

SEND FREE FAX

Join with hundreds of thousands of citizens who make their voices heard through NumbersUSA, a non-profit, non-partisan immigration-reduction organization.

NumbersUSA, 1601 N. Kent St., Arlington, VA 22209.Y

READERS: If you took action on this immigration bill by faxing your Senators, please post a comment to let us know. We’re curious!

2006-03-20T08:20:00.000-08:00

CALL TO ACTION!

On Thursday, March 16, the Senate Judiciary Committee told their staff to meet behind closed doors to construct an immigration bill that would include provisions from the Kennedy-McCain bill. Known as S. 1033, the McCain-Kennedy bill includes an amnesty for illegal aliens, a massive "guest" worker program that leads to citizenship, and an estimated one million additional permanent immigrants each year.

Millions of illegals to become citizens?
Kennedy-McCain immigration reform bill likely to pass Senate committee after recess

A bill that would give millions of illegal aliens in the United States the opportunity to earn citizenship is closer to becoming law today as members of the Senate Judiciary Committee signaled likely passage of a proposal by Sens. Edward Kenney, D-Mass., and John McCain, R-Ariz.

Though a committee vote will not be held until after a week-long congressional recess, likely March 27, committee members appeared ready to back the Kennedy-McCain bill.

"The votes are there," said Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Congress is working to pass a reform bill that includes enforcement, a policy on dealing with illegals already in the country and a guest-worker program pushed by President Bush.

Under the legislation, illegal aliens in the United States would obtain six-year nonimmigrant visas under which they could work in the country and travel outside the country. The aliens would have to pay a $1,000 fine and undergo background checks.

After six years, the aliens would be able to meet certain requirements and then apply for a green card, or permanent residency.

Besides voting on the bill after the recess, committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said the panel also would vote on a bill by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., that would give illegal aliens up to five years to leave the U.S. After returning home, they could then apply to return, either as temporary workers or for permanent residency.

"Our intention is not to strand anyone outside the country," Kyl said, according to an AP report. But he asserted the McCain-Kennedy plan would give an illegal alien allowed to stay and work in the country a "huge advantage" over a person having to wait for years in his or her own country for a green card.

The McCain-Kennedy bill would start off with offering 400,000 of the new visas.

To compare the various bills please click here to view a .pdf chart created by NumbersUSA.org. You will be able to see for yourself that what the spin-meisters are telling us about the various bills clearly does NOT match the actual provisions of the bills themselves.

Although Sens. McCain and Kennedy adamantly deny that S. 1033 is an amnesty for illegal aliens, it clearly spells out a path to jobs and residency for illegal aliens. Among the significant immigration-increase provisions of the bill are: a new visa category (H-5A) for 400,000 low-skill foreign workers (this cap can be adjusted upwards); a new temporary 6-year visa category (H-5B) for illegal aliens (and their spouses and children) already in the country; an amnesty for illegal aliens who apply for an H-5B visa and pay a $2,000 fine; a provision for the H-5A temporary workers to apply for permanent resident status after four years; and an exemption of immediate relatives (spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens) from the annual level of 480,000 family-sponsored immigrant visas thereby providing additional visas to the family preference categories.

Supporters claim S. 1033 contains measures to increase border security, yet it contains virtually no such provisions. Aside from creating a Border Security Committee and requiring a few reports, the main "enforcement" provisions are aimed at helping Mexico control its borders!! S. 1033 does, however, require machine-readable immigration documents, and create a new electronic work authorization system that would eventually replace the current "I-9" system. S. 1033 would require the federal government to reimburse states for the cost of providing emergency health care to H-5A and H-5B workers.

Aside from the fact that any guest worker plan would be nothing more than a disastrous amnesty deal tied with a big red bow for lawbreakers, there is another reason to reject it: Our government can’t handle it!

Our government is not capable of handling roughly 13-20 million temporary worker applications when our illegal alien population suddenly becomes eligible through guest worker legislation - USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service) simply cannot handle the administration overload it already has. The only solution would be to massively increase the government. The link above outlines a report from the GAO that shows how the USCIS is already irrevocably buried under a backlog of immigration adjudication. It's a whole other perspective on the various administrative amnesties proposed by the Senate. Mundane? Perhaps. Crucial to the overall scope and size of our bloated and sprawling federal government? Absolutely.

This Guard the Borders Blogburst is a CALL TO ACTION!

1. If you care about the careless increases in immigration as proposed by our Senate, please send a fax - today. It's fast, it's easy - and it's free. NumbersUSA has an amazing way to help us stay involved, and helps us get our voices heard. Their basic faxes are pre-written, and will take less than one minute to send. But, even better, once you register, the faxes are fully customizable to say what you specifically find important to say, if you so choose. The site is an incredible free resource for immigration issues. You can also opt-in for timely updates on issues coming before Congress, and take action on every single on, if you desire.

2. Email the permalink from this article to others you know who care about the impact of illegal immigration. Together, we can all have a voice. The more Americans that respond - the bigger the impact.

Please take a moment, and send a fax today. The Senate Judiciary Committe is behind closed doors as we speak. The McCain-Kennedy bill will come to a vote by next Monday. They and their staffs are smugly confident that they have the votes - let's convince our Senators otherwise.

Take action! We can still be heard!

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-03-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

by The Freedom Folks

Illegal Aliens March On Chicago

"Si, se puede!" was the cry of the crowd in Chicago today -- "Yes, we can!" Thousands upon thousands of illegal aliens and their supporters gathered in Union Park, then marched down Jackson Street to The Loop. Jamming the plaza, as well as the surrounding streets and sidewalks, they rallied to cheer on those who had come to speak.

They demanded legalization for all immigrants. They patted each other on the back for working hard and having dreams. They lauded politicians who devote themselves to representing "the people," which evidently, in their minds, includes "the people" who have come here illegally and don't get to vote. They demanded justice. They jeered HR4437, the House bill passed last December that would make coming here illegally a criminal offense, rather than a civil one, that calls for a fence on the border, and that would penalize anyone who hires and/or helps someone to come or stay here illegally.

Mayor Daley even got up to add his support, which made no sense:

"Don't let anyone tell you you're an immigrant," he shouted. "We're all immigrants!"

???

"Si, se puede!" Yes we can WHAT, one wonders?

Yes we can...make demands of the government, even though we're here illegally? Yes we can...break your laws then demand to not only not be penalized, but to be rewarded for it? Yes we can...take taxpayer-funded services like education and healthcare, and in exchange we'll drive down wages and refuse to assimilate? Yes we can...shout loud enough about our civil rights that the politicians will forget that civil rights are, by definition, for citizens?

Watching these people flood the streets of Chicago today, shouting angrily for what is not theirs to ask, let alone demand, I listened. Amid the shouts of "Si, se puede!" and among the signs and banners calling for legalization and guest worker programs, I listened.

I listened for an answer from within myself and found that, walking along with these thousands of people cheering and yelling and demanding, my answer hadn't changed.

No, you can't.

Vignettes From The Reconquista

I noticed this lady was crying so I asked permission to snap a photo and then asked why she was crying. She informed me that she had been working with "these folks" for a number of years and she wanted them to feel at home here.

Let me start by saying this was a very nice lady, she truly was. I'm sure those who know her would say she has an enormous heart.

But she's an idiot and indicative of a phenomena I noticed along the marches path. Upper crust white women lined the path and had a look on their faces I can only describe as a mother watching her child. It was a species of pride that galled my soul.

It was almost unbelievably arrogant, but arrogance cloaked in compassion. And this type of empty headed compassion is killing this country. We can't allow every person on the planet to enter so where do we draw the line?

While attending the illegal immigrant reconquista march today I made a point of stopping every so often and chatting with observers.

Which leads us inexorably to our second vignette. I came upon a bank where most of employees had gathered on a raised brick planter to watch the march pass by. A gentleman in his mid-thirties stood nearest the end where I hopped up to join him.

I asked him his thoughts on the march. He replied that he thought it was great, that these people definitely deserved to hold a march like this. He was waxing quite eloquent when he uttered an oopsie. He went on to say that we should welcome everybody.

I queried, somewhat astonished, everyone on the planet? It was fascinating to me to watch his facial expressions cycle through surprise to astonishment. I honestly don't think he'd ever thought it through before, that we can't welcome every person on the planet no matter how much the president might want to. My interviewee had just bumped nose first into a hard reality. I noticed over and over how many people merely recited cant whenever you asked them questions about immigration, nation of immigrants, immigration has always been good, etc., etc., etc.

Yet if you followed up and began asking hard questions such as "well, should we just allow a couple of billion people to move here then?" Their eyes would get big and they'd stammer for a bit before saying no. I'd ask, so where do you draw the line? They never had a cogent answer.

I think that really sums up the public debate on immigration in America today. We want to be a nation of immigrants, yet realize this may no longer be possible as it was in the past.

A young black gentlemen provided a slightly different take. When I asked him his thoughts on the march he at first tried to avoid answering but I kept at it and finally he allowed that he thought it was a good thing. Again, that they should be allowed to march, then he uttered his own oopsie. He said he thought they should be allowed to march because they came from a poor country. When I pointed out that in terms of the whole world Mexico was actually a fairly rich country with a decent standard of living compared to many countries he was literally dumbstruck.

If today's march taught me anything it was just this. In terms of the average Jane and Joe American, the two biggest enemies proponents of sane immigration policies face are rank ignorance and romantic notions.

Immigration: An Ending And A Beginning

We've been posting about the march and rally supporting ILLEGAL immigration in Chicago today. I've really been thinking about a feeling I had as we were fighting our way out of the crowd of 100,000+. We spent about 40 minutes pushing through half a city block of the throng to make our way to public transportation.

As we finally made it through the shouting, chanting horde, we turned the corner to walk past Berghoff, which sadly shut its doors at the end of last month. For those not familiar with Chicago, Berghoff was a traditional, family-run German restaurant, an institution famous for holding the first liquor license issued by the city after Prohibition ended.

Gazing into the darkened windows of the restaurant, I felt a real sense of something ending and something beginning. Many who disagree with me on the need to fight ILLEGAL immigration often bring up our country's history of immigration and diversity, as if I am somehow maligning them by speaking out against ILLEGAL immigration.

One of the things I love most about Chicago, my favorite city and current home, is the great diversity of its residents and neighborhoods. Berghoff embodied how immigration is supposed to work in my mind. It honored the traditions of its owners' cultural history while celebrating the opportunities and freedoms of America.

That is what I did not see much of in the crowd today, and certainly did not hear from the speakers who egged them on to demand legalization and denounce HR4437. As I listened to Gutierrez and Daley and Blagojevich, I did not hear an enticement to become Americans in any real sense.

What I heard was a call to demand rights and opportunities that have to be earned. These are precious gifts bestowed upon those who are born here, and those who come here legally. They are most certainly not something to be unrightfully demanded or stolen by those who would disrespect this country and its citizens by those who choose to come, stay, and work here ILLEGALLY.

What I saw today was a defiant mission to impose a mass of people, their culture, and their language on another country. There were many claims of loving America, but talk is cheap. It is your actions that truly speak. If anyone loves this country, they will show it by their efforts to make it a better place. Since when do lawlessness, a constant breech of national security, and economic and cultural destruction make this a better place?

I love this country. I embrace and appreciate our melting pot of cultures and traditions. But our country only works when our country and its citizens come first. I would never ask another nation to put the interests of America before their own -- it's ridiculous!

It makes me angry and sad when people come here ILLEGALLY and demand that of America.

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we're going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

2006-02-12T22:16:00.000-08:00

I blog full-time at Euphoric Reality.

This is just my Blogger ID home.

2006-01-23T09:22:00.000-08:00

Last week, those of us who keep an eye on border issues noticed that several mainstream media sources had featured articles about the regular Mexican military incursions over our borders and into our country. This is nothing new, as the Border Patrol has documented hundreds of such illegal incursions by an armed Mexican military over the past decade, and our government has done nothing to curb these incursions. In fact, it seems our government has looked the other way. While I'm relieved that this information is getting out into the mainstream, I have little confidence that our governement will actually do its job and secure our borders.

Some confrontations between the Mexican military troops and our own Border Patrol agents have become violent as Mexican soldiers have fired their weapons at the Border Patrol. It's a mystery why our government refuses to acknowledge these hostile invasions. They surely know about it, and the Mexican Embassy in Washington D.C. has gone so far as to publicly deny that the Mexican soldiers are hostile, but rather there to "patrol for illegal border jumpers". Contrary to that public statement, however, most of the Mexican military troops on the border are moonlighting as security escorts for drug smuggling gangs the coyotes who are running large groups of illegals across the border.

T.J. Bonner, a 27-year Border Patrol veteran who heads the National Border Patrol Council [said], "Intrusions by the Mexican military to protect drug loads happen all the time and represent a significant threat to the agents. "Why else would they be in the area, firing at federal agents in the United States? There is no other explanation," said Mr. Bonner, whose organization represents all 10,000 of the nonsupervisory Border Patrol agents.

He also challenged reports that Mexican military units had crossed mistakenly into the United States, saying, "Every country's military has a [global positioning system] nowadays, including the Mexicans. "If the border is so poorly marked, why don't the thousands of Border Patrol agents working 24/7 along it ever seem to get lost, and none of us have been issued a GPS," he said.
[...]
Attacks on Border Patrol agents in the past few years have been attributed to current or former Mexican military personnel. U.S. law-enforcement officials have long thought that current and former Mexican soldiers are being paid to protect drug shipments bound for the United States.

Several agents said the attacks have escalated in the past two years as U.S. security efforts on the border have increased -- including the July shooting of two agents in an ambush near Nogales, Ariz., by assailants in black commando-type clothing, who fired more than 50 rounds. Authorities said the gunmen used military-style cover-and-concealment tactics to escape back into Mexico. No one has been arrested.

Without any federal commitment to secure our borders, the Minutemen, a volunteer citizen's group, has performed an invaluable civic service in patrolling our borders to document and verify the location of illegal border crossers. They, too, have encountered Mexican soldiers on the WRONG side of the border. The video clip below comes directly from the Arizona Minutemen who told the Mexican soldiers, when confronted, they were there as "media" to document the border situation. It is incredibly important to note that there is no reason why American citizens should EVER be required to justify their lawful activities on American soil to a FOREIGN military presence. That is anathema to our rights as American citizens!

(SCOTTSDALE, AZ) January 20, 2006 – The Minuteman Civil Defense Corps ("MCDC") announced the release today of video footage of an incursion by a unit of the Mexican army across the U.S. border in Arizona.

Chris Simcox and a group of Civil Defense Corps volunteers encountered a squad of approximately eight armed Mexican soldiers about 500 yards inside American territory. The Mexican soldiers started running back through the brush to Mexico when they realized they had been spotted.

The video shows a uniformed Mexican soldier climbing through a barbed wire fence on American soil to return to the Mexican side of the border as he races to catch up with the other Mexican soldiers who had also climbed back through the fence as they retreated back into their country.

A group of armed Mexican soldiers then returned to the barbed wire fence (on American soil) and confronted Simcox and the volunteers. A discussion in Spanish ensued, with the agitated soldier 'in charge' saying the Americans had no business being there.

Simcox and the volunteers did not budge. The Mexican soldiers left and drove off. Judging from earlier activity observed at the ranch that morning, Simcox is of the belief that a trafficking operation had been disrupted by the volunteers.

The footage, filmed in 2004, was sent to then Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge. His office did not respond. The video has remained in the Minuteman video archive and is being released in response to recent news reports that over 200 cross-border incursions by the Mexican army have been documented since 1996.

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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we're going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

Blogs already on board:

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Mover Mike

2005-12-17T15:15:00.000-08:00

Full time writer specializing in military and political issues.

Published online daily at Euphoric Reality.

2005-12-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

Redhead Infidel