Heroes on the immigration issue

In the midst of this divisive debate over illegal immigration, some true heroes have emerged. This list is not comprehensive. However, it details a handful of folks who are not sold out to law-breaking corporations and who still care about the majority of hard-working, law-abiding Americans in this country. These folks are not perfect. Neither are you and neither am I. However, they stand up against a tidal wave of hypocrisy and hatred and represent the (I can't believe I'm saying this, but...) underrepresented majority of Americans who still think that the US should have the right to control its borders and enforce its laws like any other sovereign nation.

My list of heroes:

• Congressman Tom Tancredo - He has always been out in front on this issue and has never wavered, despite the volumes of vitriol being hurled at him. He is a Godsend.
• Congressman Jack Kingston - He is an active blogger who is tackling immigration and a wealth of other populist issues head-on. A politician who actually cares what his constituents think. So sad that he is a rare breed these days.
• Senator Jeff Sessions - One of the most outspoken members on this issue in the Senate. He seems to "get it".
• Lou Dobbs - The pro-amnesty, pro-illegals crowd hates this man. He relentlessly talks about what is wrong with America and he offers solutions to fix our problems. He is a voice of reason in a cesspool of liberal, hate-America MSM sellouts.
• Michelle Malkin - Always on the case. This woman has been and continues to be vociferously attacked by the "tolerant" left for her views on immigration and other issues. Still, she fights on.

These people give me hope that we can win this battle. Nothing less than the future of our country is at stake and these folks are fighting against waves of special interests and corporate interests unlike anything we have ever witnessed. I'm thankful for their efforts and prayerful for their continued perseverance.

Highlights of Bush's speech on immigration

[crickets chirping]

Author's Note: What is the going rate for selling a country down the river? Is that one of the key indicators on Wall Street? If not, it should be. If our country is going to be sold out by our president, we should at least know what "30 pieces of silver" translates to in 2006 lobbying dollars. Well, at least we know where we, the voters, reside on the totem pole. We're the part that is buried underground. And the number and weight of those above us on the pole just continues to grow.

Is John Smoltz a Hall of Fame pitcher?

Should John Smoltz get elected to the MLB Hall of Fame after he's finished playing? I think he is close to getting what he needs to sway any doubters.

In last night's win against the Nationals, he moved into 21st place on the all-time strikeouts list after fanning seven batters. He now has 2611 strikeouts. If he could stay around and have another two or three good years, he could definitely wind up with 3000 strikeouts. And he now has 180 wins, so two or three years should definitely get him over the 200 mark. Then, you have to take a look at his remarkable stretch as a closer from 2001-2004. He compiled over 150 saves and still owns (shares, actually) the National League saves record for a season with 55 saves in 2002. He has all this and a career ERA of 3.26. Smoltz looks even more impressive when you factor in his success in the postseason (he's the winningest pitcher in postseason history).

To add to these remarkable stats is the fact that he is one of baseball's good guys. He regularly works to raise money for the Atlanta Community Food Bank and was also one of the driving forces behind a Christian high school in the Atlanta area. And after baseball's problem with steroid abuse, it wouldn't hurt for the Hall of Fame to give acts of charity and character issues a little more weight in future decisions.

So I think the case is pretty strong for Smoltz's election to the Hall of Fame. And if he can stay around a little longer and keep performing, it would be difficult for even the toughest cynic to deny him a spot in Cooperstown.

Georgia SB529 working?

Wow! This is encouraging.

This:

Day laborer Orlando Rojas, standing in the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot near Norcross, stared down as the Gwinnett Police officer lectured him about loitering.

"You come back here again," said Cpl. Scott Pihera, tapping the hood of his squad car, "you go with me."

Rojas, 41, stuffed a written warning into his pocket as if it were the last straw. "I'm leaving," said Rojas, a native of Peru. "To the north, maybe to Montana."

And this:

It's the employers who have changed. Crew chiefs have grown increasingly skittish about hiring illegal immigrants, they said, prompting more workers to try places like Florida and New Orleans instead.

And this:

Fear of deportation is at an all-time high, she said, as rumors of raids by immigration agents sweep through the community almost daily. "I think it's created a mental sickness, where people are depressed," she said. "Who wants to be thinking any minute you're going to be arrested?"

And this:

Efren Olivares, of Duluth, said the remodeling company where he's worked the past three years let him and 15 others go last month because they couldn't prove they were here legally. The Mexico native said the company feared a review of its employment records in light of the renewed focus on illegal immigration at the state and federal level.

"The new law has affected me," Olivares said Friday as he waited for work at the labor hall in Duluth.

And this:

The employer angst was evident Wednesday as a yellow moving van pulled into a Chevron parking lot where about three dozen day laborers were waiting near Norcross. At first the driver said he needed several workers. But, upon spotting a police car in the distance, he waved the laborers off and peeled out of the lot. "He's scared," said Ramon Cordova, who watched in disappointment as another potential job rolled down South Norcross Tucker Road.

And finally this:

Cordova, who has entered the United States illegally several times before, said he's never had such a hard time finding work. If something doesn't change soon, Cordova said, he's going back to Guanajuato.

This gives me hope. Our sell-out president keeps offering the paper tiger argument that "we can't round up and deport 11 million immigrants". Well, Dubya, let me dumb it down for you: You don't have to deport them. Suppress the demand and they'll just go home on their own dime. It'll be like a "truco mágico". One day they're here and the next day they're magically gone.

Even though the bill was watered down somewhat, it is still considered to be one of the toughest in the US. Chip Rogers (the bill's author), however, made a great point:

Rogers said the perception that police are on the lookout for illegal immigrants and the people who hire them is a bonus. "If we're making people who are violating the law fear law enforcement," Rogers said, "then I think we're doing our job."

Is it any wonder that the GOP in Georgia is on such solid ground? They have listened to their constituents and are being supported and rewarded for it. Perhaps the national GOP could learn a lesson or two from what is happening in Georgia.

The newest NSA surveillance allegation

We already know that the NSA has been listening in on US citizens' international calls that are made to/from possible terrorists. Today it was revealed that the NSA is also keeping a database on tens of millions of domestic calls made within the US (i.e., US to US). Allegedly, they are only recording the numbers being called and are NOT listening in on these domestic calls. Nevertheless, this has already caused an uproar on Capitol Hill and in the press.

Based on what we know about the program, it's not overly alarming to me on its face. I don't make or receive calls to/from any Al Qaeda affiliates. Nor do I have anything to hide in my domestic calls (although it's good that, according to Dubya, they will obtain warrants before mining into the domestic calls database). I know that the government needs some leeway in its efforts to protect us from terrorists whose entire lives are consumed with plotting and planning to kill Americans.

Still, I do have a problem with the program. And that problem is that George W. Bush is involved in and/or behind it. I no longer have faith in this man's ability to make good decisions. I'm not yet completely convinced that he also intends to do evil things, but I'm starting to wonder about that, too. He has disappointed me and other conservatives time and time again and I just do not think this man has the mental capacity or foresight to make decisions that are right for America.

With that being said, I don't think the program should be summarily eliminated. However, I do think that Congress should be fully involved in oversight from this point forward -- even though that would mean more face time from some very annoying Democrats. Wartime or not, though, the days of "Just trust us" are gone. Dubya's political capital has been long exhausted and I am no longer confident that Dubya has a clue what he's doing.

Possible emergence of populist politicians

The GOP's failure to embrace conservative values and insistence on thumbing its nose at issues that matter to the average American could spell big trouble this November at the polls. And this could very well open the door for folks like John Konop. Mr. Konop is challenging Tom Price, a Republican congressman in Georgia's 6th district.

Mr. Konop is taking Representative Price to task on issues such as oil dependence, illegal immigration, and CAFTA (all of which are hot-button issues for me).

I've pretty much decided that I'm going to be an anti-incumbent voter this fall. Why vote these people back to Washington when they have proven time and time again that they don't really care what their constituents think? As a result, I'm hoping that more people like John Konop (conservatives who run on what is essentially a populist platform) will run for office this year. It's time to get some people in Washington who will actually represent the people -- not big business and special interests.