You, Go, Girl!

Please watch Inger Eberhart, Dustin Inman Society board member and lobbyist, on FOX Five Atlanta, debating jobs, illegals, livable wages, and e-verify with an unpersuasive open-borders opponent.



Update: Inger's op ed in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Hey from Oklahoma City

Bummer about 1070, eh?

Probably won't be blogging until the weekend, but want to share that I had long visit with one of the primary winners of yesterday's election in Oklahoma. That'd be Mark Costello who is running for the statewide office of labor commissioner. Mr. Costello won with 57% of the vote and made immigration a pivotal campaign issue. Needless to say, he's very, very excited about his victory and the opportunity to press on.

My talk to the 100 or so folks affiliated with the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee went well. Thank you, OCPAC, for the lively exchange during the Q&A about the Southern Poverty Law Center, Bill Ayers, Glenn Beck, Plyer v. Doe, and education. It was also a blast to visit with old friends, who faithfully go to the OCPAC luncheons, like Stephanie West, mother of the new Miss Oklahoma, Emoly West.

I got invited to be on the "Senior World" radio show to discuss 'This is not your father's immigration.' The show airs on Newsradio 1000 KTOK. If you care to listen, or learn more, here's the website.

Update: My thanks to the show's hosts - Glen Howard (in the photo) and Jim Orebaugh - who are engaged conversationalists. We chatted about illegal immigration, George Soros, Andrew Breitbart, and God. Is this a great country or what?



Interesting OK congressional race sidebar: Conservative Christian James Lankford, a political unknown who didn't try to play the Teaparty card (although he could have capitalized on that), managed to steal the show via an unusually effective grassroots campaign. Read about it in Politico.

Blogging??

Ladies and Gents, I am traveling this week. Currently in Cuba, Missouri. Tomorrow I'll be in Oklahoma - primary day! I will be speaking at the weekly luncheon of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee on Wednesday. Time: Noon. Place: Italiano’s restaurant, 4801 North Lincoln in OKC.

All that to say that blogging may be sparse. Then, again, road trips always make for excellent blogging fodder, so we'll see.

Weather: Hot and muggy.

P.S. My Montana newspaper column about Terry Anderson is here.

The Resistance: Patriots in Marxachusetts

Thanks to Bill S., of Chicopee, Mass., for sending this photo.

Miami's Pandora's Box

HT to Brenda W. for recalling an immigration drama that occurred in my former hometown when over 130,000 Cuban refugees, many of them criminals, came to Miami in a span of 6 months. This powerful video features a couple of cameos by the always interesting Edna Buchanan, the well-regarded police beat reporter.

Sun. Inspiration: From The Big Rig to the Big Ivy

File under: Road Scholar

Meet Kerry Anderson. Homeschooled by mom, Linda.

Oh, yes. Mom is an over-the-road-trucker.

Homeschooled in a Big Rig.

Linda's unorthodox methods netted Kerry a scholarship to college.

Oh, yes. That'd be Harvard.

NPR has the broadcast.

More here.

In Minneapolis: Accomodating Islam

No separation of mosque and state; take a look and a listen. A disturbing report.

Not Hating 'Whitey'

Bold words, about race and immigrants and native-born Americans, from Sen. James Webb (D-Virginia): "Those who came to this country in recent decades from Asia, Latin America and Africa did not suffer discrimination from our government, and in fact have frequently been the beneficiaries of special government programs. The same cannot be said of many hard-working white Americans, including those whose roots in America go back more than 200 years."

Read the rest here.

Cutler Sighting/Fremont Complaint

From Mike C.: "I was contacted by the producers of Fox & Friends and invited to appear this coming Saturday morning, July 24th at approximately 7:15 AM EST to discuss the new immigration law due to take effect on Thursday, July 29th.

I will also be discussing the lawsuit being brought against Fremont, Nebraska for its efforts to address illegal immigration in that small town."

More about the Fremont lawsuit here and here.

Contrasts: Candidates Costello, Reese, Coates, and Clem on Illegal Immigration

This column originally appeared in the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper.


July 2010 - The geographic contrasts between Arizona and Oklahoma are sharp, yet the public concerns about immigration are eerily similar.

On the one hand, Arizona shares a long border with Mexico, and hordes of illegal aliens - looking for work, handouts, or mischief - cross the state’s vast desert with regularity, often with an assist from heavily-armed drug cartels. Thus, SB 1070, one possible solution to the crisis, and the emergence of Jan Brewer as one of the country’s toughest governors.

On the other hand, the wind-swept plains of Oklahoma don’t abut a foreign country, but its location hasn’t discouraged undocumented workers from migrating to the state, applying for and landing jobs, receiving public assistance, and becoming active in gangs. Indeed, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, based in Washington, D.C., estimates that in 2008 the illegal alien population in Oklahoma was 85,000. The organization also projects that by 2020 illegal immigration would cost Oklahoma tax payers over $600 million per year for education, emergency medical care, and incarceration. That is, if nothing is done. Thus, HB 1804, Republican Rep. Randy Terrill’s response to the calamitous issue, and the lawmaker’s emergence as the architect of one of the nation’s toughest immigration laws.

On the one hand, Oklahoma Labor Commissioner candidate Mark Costello, a 54-year-old Edmond businessman and a Republican, believes Oklahomans need to take pro-active measures to prevent further abuses by those illegally residing in their state.

Costello says, “I supported HB 3119 and HB 1804 [which require proof of citizenship for, among other things, employment and state benefits] because people should have to prove their citizenship in order to receive government benefits and work in our state.” He adds, “We should protect our sovereignty and enforce the laws on our books.”

On the other hand, Jason Reese, a 31-year-old Oklahoma City lawyer and Costello’s opponent in the GOP primary, is loathe to restrict access to jobs, schools, and tax dollars for illegal aliens. Reese, in a column he wrote for the Oklahoma Gazette (an alternative newspaper) in 2006, derided supporters of HB 3119 as “vulgar populists” and “nativists.” Reese also favors “some kind of earned legalization,” code words for amnesty.

On the one hand, State Senator Harry Coates (R-Seminole, District 28) is arguably the most bombastic Republican to voice opposition to Randy Terrill. For Terrill’s efforts in attempting to contain unfettered immigration, Coates told the Tulsa World that the representative was a “mad scientist” and labeled his politics “racist.” Coates, a construction industry consultant, who scored a 44 out of a 100 on the 2009 Oklahoma Constitution Conservative Index, has also claimed, “There are not enough Americans who are willing to work construction.” The legislator, described as Harry “TURN” Coates by right-of-center detractors, is the only Republican to cast a vote against HB 1804.

On the other hand, Tim Clem, an Arcadia businessman, who is Coates’ Republican primary challenger, disagrees with his opponent’s anti-law-and-order stance. According to his campaign website, Clem “will not stand for benefits for illegal immigrants or companies that hire illegals and steal tax revenue from the state and jobs from our citizens.”

In an email, Clem wrote, “Yes I would have supported 1804. Because our federal government is not doing their job of protecting our borders, Oklahoma must create state laws such as this. Oklahoma should draft legislation similar to the Arizona law. The majority of Arizona's citizens are for this law because they know firsthand, as a border state, how illegal immigration has affected their security and economy.”

So, on the one hand, Oklahoma Republicans can vote for weaker immigration enforcement by selecting Jason Reese and re-electing Harry Coates. On the other hand, they can cast their ballots for Mark Costello and Tim Clem, who are committed to protecting Sooner State jobs and reserving benefits for legal residents.

The contrasts between these candidates - to resolving Oklahoma’s Arizona-style illegal immigration problems - couldn’t be starker. It will be interesting to see what voters elect to do on July 27th.

photo one: Mark Costello with Joe the Plumber
photo two: Harry Coates

Remembering Robert Rosas

Michelle has the details about tomorrow's tribute to the slain Border Patrol agent. He was killed, last year, in the line of duty.

Guest Blog: An Illegal Immigration Fish Parable

Let Me Tell You About My Backyard

by Bob K.

Having spent my childhood and youth on the shores of Lake Erie, then as an adult taking up residence in various parts of the state of Michigan to be in occasional contact with Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior, I am more than concerned about the fate of this precious treasure. These waters have been under siege before from sewage drains, industrial waste and freighter ballast. It takes eternal vigilance to keep these waters safe and pure.

Now it is Asian Carp. Imported by catfish farmers some 40 years ago to clean up their ponds, the carp have made their way out of flooded ponds into the Mississippi in the last twenty years. Now they have been found in the Illinois River which connects the Mississippi to Lake Michigan through the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.

Asian Carp are a significant threat to the Great Lakes because they are large, extremely prolific, and consume vast amounts of food. They can weigh up to 100 pounds, and can grow to a length of more than four feet. Aquatic researchers are alarmed about the fate of the Great Lakes ecosystem, the impact on the fishing industry and tourism.

To prevent the carp from entering the Great Lakes, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, working with other national and Illinois state agencies, have installed a permanent electric barrier between the fish and Lake Michigan. But DNA tests show that the carp have already breached that barrier. Five states touching the Great Lakes have cooperated to petition for the closing of the locks on the canal. The Corps neglected to testify to that breach in the recent refusal of the Supreme Court to order the closing of the locks.

In the wake of my concerns about the future of our precious lakes, I have new respect for my fellow citizens who live in Southern California and Arizona. They have been trying to tell the rest of us about their problems with the porousness of a border with Mexico. Obligated to provide education, social and medical services to expanding populations of immigrants, they have asked the federal authorities for help. They are thwarted by inaction and the lobbying power of special interests.

Arizonans have taken matters into their own hands. I have new appreciation for what’s going on in their state and can readily understand their frustration with inaction and dismissal. Fortunately the rest of the nation is starting to take notice of their problem. We can appreciate the need of Mexicans to escape unemployment and poverty. We can empathize with immigrants here illegally who established roots and have raised families. But we can also understand the need for states and communities impacted by immigrant numbers to re-establish the rules and come to terms with what is happening to radically change their way of life.

I am among those listening as the citizens of Arizona and Southern California and the Gulf Coast and other regions say to me, 'Let me tell you about my backyard.' And as a fellow American, I should listen.

Criminal Havens

Attorney Kris Kobach writes about sanctuary cities.

Grand Canyon State Patriots

Fox News reports about an ethnic group eager to officially support SB 1070 - the Arizona Latino Republican Association. They are adding their name as "defendants" in the Dept. of Justice lawsuit against Gov. Jan Brewer, et. al.

The FN story also mentions a Hispanic representative - young guy - who is an outspoken proponent of the Arizona law. That'd be Rep. Steve Montenegro (pictured).

Here's what Steve has to say: "America is a not a race. The United States of America is not the color of your skin, it is the way you think, the way you see life."

And " ... being an American is a responsibility, not just an entitlement."

Rep. Montenegro is also an evangelical. He understands that citizenship is a privilege, unlike these Christian leaders who want to see the undeserving blessed and rule of law diminished. These evanjellos have, unintentionally perhaps, allied themselves with these characters.

Academics and Entrepreneurship

File Under: Because we need solid educational alternatives

What appears to be a neat school for boys in their middle and high school years - Northbridge Christian Academy in Howell, Michigan.

Go to Jail, Loser, and Pay

ICE reports about the sentencing of a Togolesian who had been operating hair braiding salons in New Jersey with slave labor.

This conspiracy was as sophisticated as it was debased.

The facts: "At his plea hearing, Hounakey admitted that from October 2002 through September 2007he engaged in a conspiracy to obtain the forced labor of a number of women and girls whom his mother, Akouavi Kpade Afolabi, had brought over from Togo with fraudulent visas. Once the victims entered the United States, Hounakey and his co-defendants required them to work at hair braiding salons for up to 14 hours per day, six or seven days a week. The victims were also required to turn over all of their earnings, including their tips, to the defendants. The defendants did not allow the young women to keep their passports or identification, to speak with their families outside of the defendants' presence, or to make any outside friends.

Hounakey stated that his mother recruited individuals to pose as the relatives of the girls and women and that another defendant, Geoffry Kouevi, helped them study facts about their fake husbands and fathers in order to fraudulently obtain visas. Hounakey also admitted to having sex with several of the victims, one of whom was a minor, and to hitting a girl for making a telephone call without permission, during the course of the conspiracy."

The perp, Derek Hounakey, is not only going to prison for 55 months, he has to pay restitution to his victims ($3,949,140.80). Good riddance, and good.

This blog deals exclusively with human trafficking news.

Burqa Ban Alert & A Dissent

Now Spain joins the growing number of sovereign states, in the European Union, that want to ban burqas.

To date, the United Kingdom, which has a sizeable Muslim population, isn't joining this scrum.

"Telling people what they can and can't wear, if they're just walking down the street, is a rather un-British thing to do," says Damian Green, the UK's conservative immigration minister.

In the photo: Modeling the large Spanish mantilla. A feminine, tasteful, and modest garment unlike the you-know-what.

Miss California: Just Say "No" to Amnesty

File under: Another well-spoken beauty queen,

Or, under: Easy on the eyes and ears.

The new Miss California, Arianna Afsar, whose father is an Asian immigrant, says she is opposed to amnesty. "It ended up taking him [her dad] 10 years, but he did it legally. I don't think that if you are close to the border that you have the right to be given the rights of a United States citizen.”

Plucky gal. She now heads to the Miss America pageant which will be held in January in Las Vegas.

Hat tip: Dave Gibson who has more immigration-related tidbits about the UCLA undergrad.

Now here's Arianna, as a high school student, auditioning for American Idol.

Sunday Inspiration: "Can I Live?"

Thanks for the reminder: The Muskogee Politico posted a video which is a favorite of mine. It stars singer Mariah Carey's young, charismatic husband.

May you be inspired, as well.

A Word About Those Mama Grizzlies

My Montana column is up. It's titled "Miss GOP" by the newspaper's trusty editor, Andy Malby. I muse about some of the female Republican candidates, with small cubs, who are chasing high-profile political offices. Hmm.

Remembering Terry Anderson, Take 3

My Big Journalism piece about the "prisoner of South Central" is live. Please stop by, and comment!

Europe's Pregnant Pause

Dr. Samuel Gregg (pictured), of the Acton Institute, gives the entire continent of Europe advice about their declining fertility rates: 'Populate or Perish.'

Intriguing warning.

Gregg writes,"However one examines the statistics, the demographic picture for Europe—including Eastern Europe and Russia—is bleak. Statistically-speaking, the numbers of births per woman required merely to maintain a population’s size is 2.1 children. Not a single European country meets that figure today. Germany’s birth-rate, for instance, is 1.38. Italy’s is 1.41. Spain’s is 1.39. France and Britain are doing comparatively well at 2.0 and 1.94 respectively, but—you guessed it—Greece is the lowest in the EU."

In a nutshell ... Europeans aren't as fertile as they once were, because they are not as religious as they once were, nor are they as economically stable as they once were. A pity.

Dude Doesn't Shut Up

Youth for Western Civ is doing the dirty work that few Americans want to do: YfWC attended a George Soros-funded event called "Campus Progress."

Held in D.C., at the Omni Shoreham, several of Obama's best buddies were the speakers: Van Jones, Samantha Powers, and so on.

But one speaker at the event - David Cho - seems to have stolen the show. Cho, a Korean illegal alien and a college student, not only was given an award, he ungraciously used his moment in the spotlight to complain about Arizona.

Here's a portion of YfWC's report about Cho's remarks and their editorial comments: "We now have SB 1070 brewing in Arizona, a state that’s sweltering under the heat of oppression, and we now live in a society which restricts young children and students solely on the basis of their status," Cho proclaimed.

Although he was proud to announce that he was 'undocumented,' and list the jobs he and his family illegally work (many of which are the type in which one is commonly paid under the table), no federal agents showed up to arrest him ... Rather than living 'in the shadows,' criminals like Cho can flaunt their illegal status confidently because they know they have the American Establishment on their side."

More here.

In this video, Cho, who attends UCLA, really plays the victim card. Wonder what deserving American didn't get accepted into the fabled California school, because poor little David took his or her spot. He was also featured on CNN.

In the photo: David Cho with a microphone. Natch.

Update: Give it up for Daaaaavid!

Laughing at Legal Plunder ... Really

Tim Hawkins is a comedian, singer, writer, and all-American family guy. One of Tim's more memorable parodies - A Homeschool Family - utilized the catchy - snap, snap - Addams Family show theme. In the video, he gently poked fun at religious traditionalists who teach their many overachieving kiddos at home.

In the YouTube below, set to the feel-good tune of the "The Candy Man," he mocks the Fedgov for trying to doing it all ... on someone else's dime. Tim has a knack for making his point with a smile not a shiv.

Sample lyrics: "The Government can 'cause
They mix it up with lies and
Make it all taste good! (Make it all taste good!)

The Government takes
Everything we make
To pay for all of their "solutions"
Healthcare, Climate Change, Pollution
(Throw away the Constitution)."

You'll want to share this one.



Hat Tip: The MacDonald swimmers who are really singers.

FBI Indirectly Promoting FBI Killers

This video (no spoken words) is a subtle, but effective, exposé of how the Federal Bureau of Investigation is endorsing the work of the $outhern Poverty Law Center. The $PLC can't seem to find any fault with Bill Ayers (the domestic terrorist who I wrote about here) and Leonard Peletier (who killed a pair of FBI agents and is a left-wing icon).



Journalist Jerry Woodruff has more about the FBI's crummy choice in 'recommended resources.'

Update: WND is running with this one, thanks to Phil Kent.

Not the Kiwanis or Rotary Club

A Chicago-area Marriott has given the boot to a gathering of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic group known for its incendiary religious rhetoric.

For instance: "Speakers at previous conferences have denounced democracy and condoned the death penalty for people who leave Islam, said the interest group's founder, Jeffrey Imm (Jihadist critic). He said he contacted the Marriott corporation last month when he saw the conference on the Oak Brook hotel's calendar."

Guess this Marriott didn't want the hassle of securing extra security and dealing with negative publicity. However, it appears a contract was breached and remedies are in order.

That is the Western Civ way, after all.

For now.

Gangs: Spreading like a Montana Wildfire

A piece of news from the Big Sky state: A posse of illegals were arrested in Gallatin Valley, Montana.

What's really shocking (given the remote location) is that these aren't run-of-the-mill construction workers or day laborers that were apprehended by local law enforcement/ICE. The perps are members of the vicious Sureños* gang which is 'afflilated' with the Mexican Mafia prison gangbangers. Los Angeles comes to Bozeman.

*translation: Southerners

A Red-headed Julia Who Speaks Her Mind

No, not the Actress Roberts. Rather, the IT girl of Aussie politics - Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She's refreshingly candid about Australia's peculiar problem with 'boat people.'

From the Prime Minister's coral lips: "For people to say they're anxious about border security doesn't make them intolerant, it certainly doesn't make them a racist, it means that they're expressing a genuine view that they're anxious about border security.

‘By the same token, people who express concern about children being in detention, that doesn't mean they're soft on border."

Back in April, the Australian government put a moratorium on refugee applications from Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. That suspension expired last week. What's next is anybody's guess.

Hat tip: Pastor Bob

Tees That Tease

Order here.

Paul v. Anderson: Down Memory Lane

The late Terry Anderson's exchange with Congressman Ron Paul. The pair discuss putting National Guard on the border, visas for foreign workers, the Constitution, and the weakened economy. (The latter is now on life support).

Getting Their Boston On

RE: Governors gathering in Beantown and other Bay State illegal immigration news.

At the meeting of the National Governors Association, some of the Democratic guvs aired their doubts (albeit self-serving ones) regarding the ObamaAdmin's gratutious lawsuit against Arizona. Maybe the White House will listen to their concerns about J-O-B-S.

Meanwhile, the NYT made this claim about Governor Jan: "Ms. Brewer, whose presence spurred a raucous protest around the downtown hotel where the governors gathered."

Raucous? Really? Magery Eagan, the Boston Herald's longtime bleeding-heart liberal columnist, described the anti-Brewer turnout as "measly."

Ms. Eagan (in the photo), exhibiting Tom Tancredo-like spunk, also crafted this pair of paragraphs about the Massachusetts immigration vibe: "On one side are Cambridge holier-than-thous - untouched, as usual, by the real-world consequences of their lofty ideals. Ironically, they’ve been weeping for weeks over Gulf fishermen losing their jobs to Big Oil’s big spill. Yet they’re unsympathetic to the local carpenters, painters, roofers, etc., who’ve been losing jobs for years to 'undocumented workers,' the Cantabrigian’s preferred term.

Their favorite argument: Illegals do jobs Americans won’t. You have to wonder about that one, too, considering what happened after a raid by federal agents three years ago on the Michael Bianco Inc. factory, a military contractor in New Bedford. After the feds arrested 360 illegals at their supposedly unwanted jobs, Americans rushed in to fill them. And that was before this near-depression."

Muy bueno, Margery.

Nuisance Indeed. In contrast, Nick Grabbe (full disclosure: I know Nick), of the Amherst Bulletin, wrote a one-sided article (with the obligatory swipe at "anti-immigration vigilantes" and white folk) about a Bay State twenty-year-old (Remy Fernandez-O'Brien) who traveled to the southern border and enthusiastically volutuneered for an outfit called, "No More Deaths."

This is Remy's idea of humanitarian assistance to illegal interlopers: "At every hilltop, the group would shout, 'Don't be afraid, we're not border patrol. We are volunteers and we have water and food.' "

American Patrol snarkily describes this type of activism as Reconquista Nuisances. "No More Deaths" bears a similarity to the Human Shield Movement (which had a brief shelf life).

When he's not saving trespassers or trashing American sovereignty, Remy, a privileged Ivy League student, is an enterprenuer. Get your Snoop on!

HUGE Fiscal Costs of Illegal Immigration

The release date was actually July 6: "A new study released today by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) estimates that illegal immigration now costs federal and local taxpayers $113 billion a year. The report, The Fiscal Burden of Illegal Immigration on U.S. Taxpayers, is the most comprehensive analysis of how much the estimated 13 million illegal aliens and their U.S.- born children cost federal, state and local governments."

The study was authored by the impressive Jack Martin and by Eric Ruark.

Here's the video where the duo explain their findings and also speculate about the cost of a mass amnesty.

Now click on the map to learn how much i.i. has cost your state.

Audio: Ugly Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson

I'm so glad I never saw the Passion of the Christ, and I hope thoughtful conservatives who are Braveheart aficionados will reconsider their attachment to the gory film given the source of the inspiration. Yuck. Gibson is an artistic headcase. Just like Christian Bale. At least, Bale made no pretense of being a man of faith.

Here Comes Da Judge?

Brian Sandoval is running for governor of the Silver State. He's been a federal judge, attorney general, and chair of the the Nevada gaming commission. Ambitious fella.

Here's how he's pitching his immigration position:

"I oppose amnesty. As a Federal Judge, I saw both sides of the immigration issue. It was my duty to sentence undocumented immigrants for their crimes, but it was also my honor to swear in new Americans and to see the smiles and pride on their faces as they completed the process of becoming a citizen."

That's a good way to have it both ways.

Judge Sandoval just won his Republican primary, and, according to this news report, his support for SB 1070 (How many times have you read about that bill on this blog?) is alienating liberal Latino voters. Meanwhile, Chuck Muth, the conservative writer, thinks he's is a RINO because the man won't sign a Taxpayer Protection Pledge.

If Brian Sandoval wins in November - and he has a commanding lead over his Democratic opponent Rory Reid (Dingy Harry's son) - he'd become Nevada's first Hispanic governor.

Depending on what side of the aisle you're on, he'd also be the first ultra-conservative Latino to win the office, or the first liberal Republican Latino to run the state.

On the issue of clothing there's no gray area: the Judge is a snazzier dresser than Rory.

Child Rapist: The Illegal Alien Next Door

A story from Springfield, MA that makes one want to sob. What a sicko - even by sicko standards - is this human barfbag.

And our government officials, who bear a responsibility when these horrifying crimes occur, conveniently have immunity.

And reality doesn't deter the idiotic true believers of the Bay State from protesting Gov. Jan Brewer's visit to Beantown.

HT: Rob Sanchez

Alleged Rapist Edlizar Mazariegos: On the run and operating his muscle car without a license

Goode Guy

Former congressman Virgil Goode (pictured) isn't shy about using the "m" word. That is, moratorium. Writing for Human Events, he notes that a time when the unemployment rate hovers at 15 million, immigration numbers haven't decreased. They've actually increased.

The brutal truth and the cold facts: "America issued 1,130,818 permanent green cards, 808,478 of which were given to immigrants of working age. This is an increase over 2008 and 2007. Excluding the extra green cards given after the 1986 amnesty, this was the second highest number of green cards issued since 1914. From 2000 though 2009, we issued 10,299,430 — the highest decade in American history.

In addition to the green cards, the government issued 881,840 temporary work visas and gave refugee or asylum status to 96,721 aliens. The total increase to the American workforce was 1.75 million foreign workers. According to the Census Bureau, 1 out of every 6 workers is foreign born."

Meanwhile, Iraqi refugees resettling in Michigan, are learning the hard way that the American dream is not only unattainable in a sluggish economy, the government's generosity has limits.

Which all goes to show how our leaders have lacked discretion and common sense in implementing immigration policies. The biased Obama Administration, now eager to do battle with Arizona and now declaring members of the New Black Panther Party above the law, means our national headache just reached migraine status.

AWOL: Lex, Rex

Terry Anderson, RIP

Very sad and very unexpected news: Beloved talk show host Terry Anderson died yesterday succumbing to pancreatic and liver cancer.

Overall-wearing Terry, "the prisoner of South Central," was one of the most passionate and articulate public speakers in the pro-immigration enforcement movement.

To say this auto mechanic's unique voice will be missed is an understatement. He was one in a million.

Condolence cards, to the Anderson family, can be sent to: 12400 Ventura Blvd - #643, Studio City, CA 91604.



Here he is speaking at last year's WW33.

Lisbeth Salander & Sweden's Immigration Referendum

The late Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy is a worldwide, slam-dunk bestseller. The first installment had a simple title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Two 'girl' books follow it.

The franchise (not recommended for minors or straight arrows) are a series of crime/political thrillers featuring a one-of-a-kind heroine named Lisbeth Salander, who is a world-class hacker and a world-class anarchist.

I bring up the books not to chat about pop culture zeitgeists or to do a Steve Sailer imitation, but rather to note that, in the reference section of the last book - The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - the author incorporates Swedish immigration history (specfically, the Swedish municipality of Sjöbo's referendum about refugees, led by a local politico named Sven-Olle Olsson).

Despite the negative spin, Olsson is noted "for standing up determinedly for his neighbors against the national government's determination to override and encroach upon a local people's prerogatives of being hostile to accepting refugees." The right to be hostile, eh?

Author Larsson, a native of Sweden and a radical socialist, was no fan of the referendum. And he, like the actor Alan Alda, was an ardent feminist.

Given that background, he would not have been sympathetic to the Tea Party populists and their particular concerns. Interestingly, Larsson's book is in a ratings battle with Glenn Beck's The Overton Window.

Update: This Lisbeth admirer reminds readers that one of her strong points is that she's not a vampire. Yeah, sure, but she still has issues. Lots of issues.

Tebow 10: Selling Like Hotcakes

Newsflash!

There's been a dearth of Tim Tebow entries on TCC.

To rectify that oversight, here's the latest buzz on this most all-American of all-American football players.

As usual, it's just too-good-to-be-true.

Update: No more eyeblack messages.

'Nother Update: In a North Carolina county, home education is the most the popular alternative to government schooling.

YouTubes

Below are three must-watch videos. Two sent to me by patriots who are passionate about their righteous causes: 1. Massachusetts high school student Sean Harrington sticks up for the 'Pledge'; 2. Maricopa County law enforcement officers standing tall and taking on critics who accuse them of racial profiling; 3. A day in the life (with music!) of Eddie Garcia as he appears in a press conference regarding the crucial public safety issue of drivers' license exams/English language.

The beauty of homemade YouTubes are their brevity and the lack of commercials. Natch.

Patriotic Student's Heartfelt Plea

Little Bit of This, Little Bit of That

- The genial journalist Phil Kent has been on the front lines of the immigration reform and English-language movement for many years. Go here for his latest column about in-state college tuition rates for illegal aliens.

- Re, the above: Federal law (Title 8, Chapter 14, Sec. 1623) states: "an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State ... for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit (in no less an amount, duration, and scope) without regard to whether the citizen or national is such a resident."

- George Will wrote an upbeat column about Nevadan Sharron Angle (pictured). She's most eager to help Dingy Harry Reid retire. Mr. Will points out her homeschool mom bonafides. Mrs. Angle, always soundbite-friendly, thinks every state should have a Sheriff Arpaio. This writer notes that a majority of Nevada residents support SB 1070.

- How fitting! Calvin Coolidge is described as a "patron saint" for the Tea Party movement. Check out Amity Shlaes' book on this most spartan of American presidents. Coolidge made this statement in a 1923 State of the Union address: "Those who do not want to be partakers of the American spirit ought not to settle in America."

USA! USA! USA!

Happy Independence Day. TCC will return on 7/6 after the holiday.

One observation: Thanks to civic-minded volunteerism - an endearing and enduring trait of our national character - patriotic fests occur in even one of the most liberal towns in one of the most liberal states in the union. In other words, the bluest of the blue celebrates the red, white, and blue.



Another observation: Amnesty's advocates even use this holiday to stay on message, and the comments section is having none of it.

LOV

This is a neat Mexican group home (albeit humble quarters) for boys and girls - the Lily of the Valley Orphanage in Tijuana. (There's also one in Chihuahua.)

The backgrounds of these homeless children, who live at the orphanage, are unimaginable. For instance, little ones who resided in a prison with an incarcerated parent until LOV came to the rescue.

Gary and Linda Beggs - who minister at the orphanage - operate a blog about their work and feature lots of groovy photos of the kiddos.

The founders of this noble work are Marie and John Sorrentino of San Diego.

Here's the Facebook page.

Speaking of ... Sad story about the 7-year-old Russian orphan who was adopted by an American nurse and has now returned to being in the custody and care of the Russian government. Go here.

Tony LaRussa Supports AZ Law

Go Cardinals! Go A. Pujols!

Banal: Vampires' Fans and Foes

Just in time for the debut of Eclipse, I pick on Twilight's melodramatic critics. Although the nitpickers have a point given how wacky some of the Twihards truly are.

Like this lady senator questioning Elena Kagan, during her confirmation hearings, about the lead male characters. Trrrrrite. At least, no one asked Sonia Sotomayor which Harry Potter character was her favorite.



Update: Another record-breaking opening!

Forbes summarizes what Twilight's top players are making. (Hint: They're loaded!)

'Nother update: New twist on Twi-hards. The Big Hollywood editor thinks the series is a welcome respite from all things Lady Gaga. Given the 'porn lite' teen girls are now bombarded with, he's got a point.

States' Rights: A Tsunami of Legislation

Fascinating report from NPR about how more and more states aren't waiting for Fedgov to act to contain illegal aliens gone wild.

An impressively sobering numerical figure: "In the first few months of this year, 45 states introduced over 1,000 bills and resolutions relating to immigrants and refugees. Several towns have adopted measures that make it a crime to hire an illegal immigrant or rent one a room, and some cities have sanctuary laws that prohibit police from asking about immigration status."

File under: Desperate times = desperate measures. HT: Mrs. T.

The Joyful Messenger

Lizzie Velasquez, age 21 and a student at Texas State University, has to eat 60 (not a typo!) small meals a day to survive. Yet she only weighs 56 pounds.

Afflicted with a very rare genetic disorder, Lizzie is, otherwise, an inspiring dynamo who gives motivational speeches.

Her highly-anticipated book will be available in the fall.

In this video, Lizzie's dedicated parents - Lupe and Rita - explain how they had to dress her in doll clothes when she was a newborn, as regular baby clothes didn't fit their teeny girl.