CLICK PHOTO ABOVE TO VIEW NBC-17 COVERAGE & INTERVIEW WITH CONGRESSMAN WALTER JONES
The FIRE Coalition assembled experts from across the country on Presidents' Day, Monday February 18, 2008. Federal, state, and local officials gathered at the North Carolina Department of the American Legion State Headquarters in downtown Raleigh, N.C. to discuss a variety of national security issues. Watch the videos of the speeches and presentations below. Transcripts will be available in the coming days. The FIRE Coalition is working with Members of Congress, state and local officials, and partner organizations across the country to inform and educate our elected officials and the public about the serious threats to our sovereignty and Constitution the illegal alien invasion and other issues pose. FIRE Coalition leadership will be following up with those in attendance to develop workable solutions to these problems with a focus on the best interest of the American people.
WATCH VIDEOS OF SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS BELOW: Honorable Robert "Bob" Edmunds (VIDEO PART 1, PART 2) Associate Justice, North Carolina Supreme Court
Congressman Walter Jones3rd District, N.C.(VIDEO PART 1, PART 2)
Judge Rebecca W. Blackmore5th District, New Hanover County, N.C. (VIDEO PART 1, PART 2, PART 3)
Commander Richard W. NevilleAmerican Legion, North Carolina Department (VIDEO PART 1, PART 2)
Mike Mears Director of State Legislative Relations, Concerned Women for America(VIDEO PART 1, PART 2) Legislative Action Committee
Phyllis NemethCalifornia Director, Concerned Women for America (VIEW VIDEO) Political Director, FIRE Coalition
Peter WagnerDirector, Victims of Illegal Alien Crime Archive (VOIAC) (VIDEO PART 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Author, “The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration”
James JohnsonState Director, North Carolina FIRE Coalition (Included in Justice Edmunds segment)
Jeffrey LewisNational Director, FIRE Coalition (Included comments and introductions throughout conference videos)
REP. JONES PLEDGES TO SUPPORT BORDER FENCE URGES CONGRESS TO FOLLOW SUIT
Washington, NC January 04, 2008 - By DAN PARSONS STAFF WRITER
Washington Daily News
U.S. Rep. Walter Jones became the first member of Congress to sign a pledge to fund construction of a barrier between the U.S. and Mexico.
In signing the pledge this week, Jones, who represents the state’s 3rd Congressional District, vows “to vote for, fully fund, and speedily expedite the construction of a secure double fence across the entire U.S.-Mexico border within six months after the convening of the next Congress.”
Founded in 2007, Fence By Date Certain is a non-partisan, non-profit group dedicated to persuade the federal government to build a secure fence the length of the U.S.-Mexico border. Jones said Thursday he supports securing the nation’s borders as a “key part of the war on terror.”
“We’re at war with terrorism and we’ve got to secure our own borders. Building the fence is not the only thing that has to be done to increase our security, but it’s a good start,” Jones told the Daily News. “We, as a Congress, have passed legislation that said this nation should build a fence and it hasn’t been built yet. I expect this pledge to be signed by a number of members of Congress ... of both parties.”
Jones said the goal of having the fence fully funded within six months is a realistic benchmark because “the American people and the people of the 3rd District have already spoken and they want this security.”
While Jones is addressing the illegal immigration issue on Capitol Hill, Beaufort County Commissioners have taken steps to target illegal immigrants at the local level.
At a special meeting scheduled for Jan. 17, commissioners will meet with Michael Hethmon, general counsel for the Immigration Reform Law Institute. They are to discuss what authority they have to prevent illegals from becoming a drag on the local economy. The board has already weighed denying health department services to clients that cannot prove U.S. citizenship.
“I support his position 100 percent,” Commissioner Hood Richardson said Thursday off Jones’ pledge. “It’s high time someone did something about this.”
Jones is scheduled to speak to Beaufort County Republicans at a meeting at Hog Heaven restaurant Thursday. Richardson said he and fellow republicans expect Jones to support their local efforts to combat illegal immigration.
“It’s certainly an issue we will push him on and it sounds like we’ll have his support since he’s signed on to this,” Richardson said. “I think we are all in agreement that we need to secure the borders of the United States.”
Jones said city, town and state governments across the nation are beginning to take on the issue of illegal immigration because “they have lost confidence in Congress to do anything.”
“I definitely will support local officials that feel they need to do something about this issue at the local level,” Jones said. “It’s a huge issue. How can we be over in Iraq securing the Iraqi borders when we can’t secure our own?”
Last year U.S. Customs and Border Protection exceeded a goal of having at least 145 miles of federally policed fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Web site. That will add to the nearly 300 miles of pedestrian and vehicular fencing already in place and is the first step to building 670 more miles of fence, according to the Web site.
James P. Pinkerton, acting chairman of Fence By Date Certain, received Jones’ pledge and lauded his decision to join the effort to build the border fence.
“Walter Jones is a courageous man,” he said. “As a longstanding opponent of any form of amnesty, and of any and all attempts to diminish America’s hard-won sovereignty, the Congressman continues to demonstrate that there is nothing ‘virtual’ about his rock-solid commitment to safeguarding America.”
JONES TESTIFIES AT HEARING ON TAX RELIEF FOR MILITARY FAMILIES
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) appeared before a joint hearing of two House Ways and Means Subcommittees to testify in support of H.R. 418, a bill he introduced to permit military death gratuities to be contributed to certain tax-favored accounts. The House Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support and the Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures received testimony from Jones and other members who have introduced bills that will be inserted into pending tax legislation called the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act of 2007, which is designed to help members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families.
Congressman Jones’ testimony follows below:
Mr. Chairmen, Ranking Members, our men and women in uniform serve this nation with great honor and distinction. Many give their lives for this country. It is for this reason that I introduced this legislation over two years ago. H.R. 418 permits military families who receive the death gratuity to invest the full amount into certain tax-favored accounts.
As you may know, a death gratuity is a $100,000 payment paid to survivors of service members whose death resulted from combat-related circumstances. Current tax law limits the amount that recipients of the death gratuity can place in tax-preferred accounts such as a Roth IRA or Coverdell Education Savings Account. This legislation would change that to allow recipients to contribute up to the full amount of the gratuity payment to any one of those accounts.
As the families of our fallen heroes try to put their lives back together, they need all the help they can get. They should not have to worry about saving the death gratuity to pay for retirement, college, or other expenses – and then have the government come in and tax the interest on that savings. This bill would help ensure that does not happen.
The need for this legislation was brought to my attention by Captain Michael Ceres, a constituent stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River. Captain Ceres, who had just returned from serving in Iraq, contacted my office and suggested that Congress institute this change to ease the burden on grieving military families.
The Joint Committee on Taxation has scored this legislation at no cost, meaning that the actual cost of the proposal is less than $500,000 over 9 years. We owe it to our fallen military heroes to expand the options of families who receive the death gratuity, families who have paid the ultimate cost with the loss of their loved one.
H.R. 418 has also received the endorsement of The Military Coalition, a group of prominent national military and veterans’ organizations that represents more than 5.5 million members plus their families.
Today, I call upon my colleagues to support H.R. 418 to expand the options of military families whose loved ones have given their lives in the name of freedom and in defense of our nation.
Congressman Jones speaks about H.R. 418 on October 22, 2007 on the floor of the House of Representatives.
LISTEN TO AUDIO HERE. ------- ---> (H.R.418)
For additional information or to request an interview with Congressman Walter Jones, please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.
Feds and North Carolina Sheriffs Work Together to Capture Criminal Aliens
October 20, 2007 06:56 AM EST
by Jim Kouri, CPP - US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) representatives today presented a proposed statewide partnership plan to the sheriffs in attendance at the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association's (NCSA) fall meeting. This is the first in many conversations between federal and local officers aimed at affording every area of North Carolina increased use of the unique authorities of ICE.
Many sheriffs' departments in North Carolina have shown significant interest in partnering with ICE primarily to help identify and remove criminal illegal aliens. To date nearly 20 agencies have requested a partnership with ICE under the 287(g) program -- which trains and certifies officers to enforce immigration law.
"North Carolina sheriff's offices have demonstrated an unprecedented interest in partnering with ICE," noted Julie L. Myers, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for ICE. "By working together in a coordinated manner, we plan to develop a statewide alliance that is both effective and sustainable and will enhance public safety in the state."
Driven by a steering committee comprised of local and federal officers, partnering agencies will develop appropriate timelines and agree on how to best leverage the tools ICE has available under the ICE ACCESS (Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security) program. Depending on the specific needs, North Carolina sheriffs' departments would participate in ICE ACCESS programs and services including: the Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) which helps identify criminal aliens; ICE's Criminal Alien Program (CAP) which locates criminal aliens processed through jails and prisons; Operation Community Shield which targets and arrests gang members; joint document and benefit fraud task forces to impede identity theft; and the delegation of 287(g) authority.v
Mecklenburg, Alamance, Gaston and Cabarrus county sheriff's offices have already partnered with ICE by entering into 287(g) Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs).
ICE received more 287(g) requests from agencies in North Carolina than any other state. Recognizing this intense interest, Senator Elizabeth Dole brought together the impacted state and federal agencies to discuss ways to best prioritize needs on a statewide basis.
"When it comes to tackling the complex issue of immigration, Washington is often accused of not listening. I want to commend ICE for not only listening, but also delivering for North Carolina. Through this unique partnership with federal officials, North Carolina sheriffs can utilize the available tools to enforce our laws and help ensure that North Carolinians feel safe in their homes and communities."
"We are pleased ICE has recognized the statewide interest to help remove criminal illegal aliens and we look forward to working with the agency to craft a feasible plan benefiting all of our communities," said North Carolina Sheriffs' Association President Sheriff Steve Bizzell.
Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at jimkouri.us
I opposed the Senate immigration bill because it rushed to legalize millions of illegal aliens, which is not the urgent matter at hand. We must first focus on securing our border and enforcing our laws. We are a nation of laws – it’s time we act like it! - Senator Elizabeth Dole, N.C.
DOLE ANNOUNCES THAT N.C. SHERIFFS TO PARTNER WITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION OFFICIALS TO IDENTIFY, APPREHEND AND REMOVE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS First state in the nation to have statewide plan
October 16th, 2007 - Carolina Beach, N.C. - U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole today announced that North Carolina has been designated as the first state in the nation to have a statewide plan for sheriffs to partner with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to effectively handle illegal aliens who have committed crimes. Under the plan, ICE will provide programs and services that will support the specific needs of sheriffs throughout North Carolina.
Dole, who met with more than 40 sheriffs in August and attended the plan’s unveiling at the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association fall meeting today, has facilitated discussions between ICE officials and North Carolina sheriffs in recent months to help local law enforcement access the resources they need.
“Through this unique partnership with federal officials, North Carolina sheriffs can utilize the available tools to enforce our laws and help ensure that North Carolinians feel safe in their homes and communities,” said Dole. “I firmly believe that North Carolina can become a model for the nation on how to identify, apprehend and remove undocumented aliens who have self-identified themselves by committing crimes. Today is a significant step in that direction.”
“As the President of the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Association, I am thrilled that North Carolina will serve as a model for the United States by implementing a plan to remove undocumented aliens who are committing crimes in this country," said Johnston County Sheriff Steve Bizzell.
According to ICE, a steering committee comprised of local and federal officers will work with partnering agencies to develop appropriate timelines and decide how to best leverage tools under the ICE ACCESS (Agreements of Cooperation in Communities to Enhance Safety and Security) program. Services and resources include: the Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC), which helps identify criminal aliens; ICE’s Criminal Alien Program (CAP), which locates criminal aliens processed through jails and prisons; Operation Community Shield, which targets and arrests gang members; joint document and benefit fraud task forces to impede identity theft; and the delegation of 287g authority.
In an example of North Carolina law enforcement agencies’ significant interest in such a partnership, ICE received more North Carolina requests for 287g, which allows local law enforcement to receive training and authority from ICE to help process criminal illegal aliens, than from any other state. Mecklenburg, Alamance, Gaston and Cabarrus Counties have already entered into 287g Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) with ICE.
Heritage Foundation holds briefing on Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) Oct. 16, 2007 The video will be available soon at Heritage.org. The complete audio is here on PWD. The Heritage Foundation assembled a panel of experts that clearly and concisely alliterated why the U.N. Law of the Sea Treaty is the biggest threat to our nation's sovereignty so far this year. This treaty needed to be scrutinized in great detail to fully understand the many masks of deception with which it is being sold to Congress and the American people. Fortunately, the Heritage Foundation has done just that. The U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court will both play second fiddle to U.N.-created institutions, and it comes with a bill and a new international tax. Trusting the U.N. with money and America's best interest is like trusting President Bush and Speaker Pelosi to uphold Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution... not a good bet. My advice would be to err on the side of the American people and the preservation of the Constitution and the United States as a sovereign nation, deciding it's own fate. Tell your Senator to GET LOST briefing PDF here, and vote NO!!
FIRE Coalition Holds Constitution Week Press
Conference with Lawmakers Sept. 19, 2007
The Federal Immigration Reform & Enforcement (FIRE) Coalition held a press
conference on September 19, 2007 in support of the U.S. Constitution and House
Concurrent Resolution 40 in cooperation with Congressman Virgil Goode, 5th District,
Virginia, the resolution's sponsor.
HCR-40 “Express[es] the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in
the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway
System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada, in support of the Constitution, including specifically Article 1, Section 8, Article IV, Section 4, and in support of the FIRE Coalition Project "Operation FIRE & ICE", which promotes the ICE 287(g) Delegation of Immigration Authority Program.
LEFT PHOTO: (from left:) Congressmen Davis, Paul, Jones, Hunter, and Goode, Dr. Jim Edwards, NumbersUSA, and FIRE Coalition Deputy Director Jeff Lewis
RIGHT PHOTO: That's me, the PatriotWatchdog, speaking on behalf of the FIRE Coalition at yesterday's Constitution Week Press Conference.
Congressman Virgil Goode, 5th District, Virginia HCR-40 sponsor
Congressman David Davis, 1st District , Tennessee
Congressman Duncan Hunter, 52nd District, California * 2008 Presidential Candidate
Congressman Walter Jones, 3rd District, North Carolina
Congressman Steve King, 5th District, Iowa
Congressman Ron Paul, 14th District, Texas *2008 Presidential Candidate
Other speakers:
James R. Edwards, Jr., PhD., NumbersUSA
Jeff Lewis, Deputy Director, FIRE Coalition
Audio and video will be made available as soon as possible. CNN's Lou Dobbs' Tonight covered the press conference, and had Congressman Goode on that night. The press conference was held September 19th, 2007 on the Cannon Terrace, at the
Cannon House Office Building.
The FIRE Coalition is a nationwide coalition of individuals and groups dedicated to ending
the invasion of illegal aliens by advocating the enforcement of our immigration laws in
accordance with the U.S. Constitution. For more information write Solutions@FIRECoalition.com
The 287(g) Delegation of Authority Program Saves Lives !! Check out the FIRE Coalition's Operation FIRE & ICE project below.
IF YOU HONESTLY WANT TO KNOW WHY OUR GOVERNMENT WON'T SECURE THE BORDERS,
Myrick Denounces Mexican President for Criticizing American Laws
(Washington, D.C.) — Today, Rep. Sue Myrick (NC-9) denounced Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s State of the Union speech. President Calderón delivered the speech on September 2, 2007. In the speech he stated "Mexico does not end at the border. Wherever there is a Mexican, Mexico will be there". He also said he categorically rejected the “construction of a wall on our common border”.
“The President of Mexico’s speech was just brought to my attention. I am shocked and appalled at his comments. It amounts to him declaring that Mexicans in the US do not have to live by our laws! Further he denounces America for trying to secure its own borders. That’s pretty hypocritical when Mexico has secured its southern border with its military! President Calderón should focus on the countless problems he has in his own country rather than make comments about how we handle our immigration problems. And I can tell you, no matter what he says, I’m going to continue to push for tighter border security and more immigration enforcement!” – Rep. Sue Myrick
Below is the section of President Calderón’s speech that deals with American immigration policies:
“Finally, I have said that Mexico does not end at the border, that wherever there is a Mexican Mexico is there; this is why the actions of the Government in favor of our migrating countrymen is guided by principles, by the defense and protection of their rights, by prevention for detecting measures that may affect our people and by the professionalism we must offer our co-nationals.
For this reason, we are already using all the resources of our consular network for the benefit of Mexicans abroad.
On behalf of the Mexican Government, I again strongly protest the unilateral measures taken by the United States Congress and Government, measures that are making the persecution and humiliating treatment of undocumented Mexican workers worse.
The insensitivity shown toward those who contribute a great deal to the economy and to society in the United States has been incentive to redouble our battle to gain recognition of their enormous contribution to the economies of both nations and to defend their rights.
Therefore, the Government of Mexico will continue to firmly insist to both countries’ societies and Governments on the necessity of comprehensive immigration reform and of categorically rejecting construction of a wall on our common border.
U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick
Representing North Carolina’s Ninth District
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 11, 2007
Contact: Andy Polk
(202) 225-1976
Myrick Denounces Mexican President for Criticizing American Laws
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Rep. Sue Myrick (NC-9) denounced Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s State of the Union speech. President Calderón delivered the speech on September 2, 2007. In the speech he stated "Mexico does not end at the border. Wherever there is a Mexican, Mexico will be there". He also said he categorically rejected the “construction of a wall on our common border”.
“The President of Mexico’s speech was just brought to my attention. I am shocked and appalled at his comments. It amounts to him declaring that Mexicans in the US do not have to live by our laws! Further he denounces America for trying to secure its own borders. That’s pretty hypocritical when Mexico has secured its southern border with its military! President Calderón should focus on the countless problems he has in his own country rather than make comments about how we handle our immigration problems. And I can tell you, no matter what he says, I’m going to continue to push for tighter border security and more immigration enforcement!” – Rep. Sue Myrick
Below is the section of President Calderón’s speech that deals with American immigration policies:
“Finally, I have said that Mexico does not end at the border, that wherever there is a Mexican Mexico is there; this is why the actions of the Government in favor of our migrating countrymen is guided by principles, by the defense and protection of their rights, by prevention for detecting measures that may affect our people and by the professionalism we must offer our co-nationals.
For this reason, we are already using all the resources of our consular network for the benefit of Mexicans abroad.
On behalf of the Mexican Government, I again strongly protest the unilateral measures taken by the United States Congress and Government, measures that are making the persecution and humiliating treatment of undocumented Mexican workers worse.
The insensitivity shown toward those who contribute a great deal to the economy and to society in the United States has been incentive to redouble our battle to gain recognition of their enormous contribution to the economies of both nations and to defend their rights.
Therefore, the Government of Mexico will continue to firmly insist to both countries’ societies and Governments on the necessity of comprehensive immigration reform and of categorically rejecting construction of a wall on our common border.
JONES DENOUNCES START OF PROGRAM TO EXPAND MEXICAN TRUCKING IN U.S.
Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) expressed strong opposition to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s reported plans to begin a year-long pilot program to give thousands of Mexican commercial trucks unlimited access to U.S. highways. Recent media reports suggest the “Cross-Border Demonstration Program” will begin over the Labor Day weekend.
“This program not only poses a serious threat to our national security and the safety of American drivers, it also endangers American jobs and our economy,” Congressman Jones said. “Before the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), our nation ran a trade surplus with Mexico. Now, the U.S. runs a $64 billion annual trade deficit with Mexico. This program will only expand that deficit.”
“And what do we have to blame for this? – NAFTA. Everyone should know that the reason we’re here today is because in 2001 Mexico sued the U.S. in a World Trade Organization tribunal created by NAFTA. That tribunal ruled in Mexico’s favor saying that under NAFTA, the United States could not prevent Mexican trucks from entering America. That’s why I’ve opposed NAFTA, CAFTA and other poorly-negotiated trade agreements,” Jones said. “These agreements strip away American sovereignty, preventing states like North Carolina from determining whether or not they will allow potentially unsafe Mexican trucks to travel their roads.”
“Given America’s concerns with the entry of illegal drugs, terrorists and illegal immigrants across our weekly defended borders, it’s incomprehensible that our nation would allow Mexican trucks to have unfettered access to our country,” Jones said. “For the sake of our national security and the safety of our citizens, I strongly urge the Administration to find a way to put a stop to this program.”
Congressman Jones first voiced his opposition to the program when the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced details of the project in February 2007. The Administration announced a delay in the program in April 2007 after many voiced concerns that Mexican trucks do not meet U.S. standards. Congress voiced its opposition to the program in a provision of the Iraq War Supplemental, enacted May 25, 2007, which mandates that any pilot program to give Mexican trucks access beyond the border region cannot begin until U.S. trucks have similar access to Mexico. It also mandates that the DOT’s Inspector General must prepare a report to Congress to verify that the DOT has established mechanisms to ensure that Mexican trucks comply with U.S. federal motor carrier safety laws.
For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.
For Immediate Release
Monday, August 20, 2007
Contact: Kathleen M. Joyce
202-225-3415
JONES VOICES CONCERN OVER “PARTNERSHIP” WITH CANADA AND MEXICO, OPPOSES NORTH AMERICAN UNION
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC) today expressed concern over the implications of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) on border security, American jobs and our nation’s sovereignty as President Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Mexican President Felipe Calderon convene this week’s North American Leaders’ Summit in Montebello, Canada.
“My Eastern North Carolina constituents are troubled by our weakly defended borders, our exploding trade deficit and the erosion of our national sovereignty,” Congressman Jones said. “As a result, many of them have expressed their concerns about our nation’s leadership role in the SPP.”
The SPP is a trilateral partnership between the U.S., Mexico and Canada established in March 2005. According to a White House document posted on the SPP’s website (www.spp.gov), the Bush administration and that of former Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Harper formed the SPP to, among other things, “facilitate further the movement of … persons within North America” and to “maximize trade … across our borders by striving to ensure compatibility of regulations and standards and eliminating redundant testing and certification requirements.” The document also announces that a series of trilateral working groups are convening to harmonize many of America’s regulations with those of Mexico and Canada.
“My constituents and I are extremely concerned about this ‘partnership’ for many reasons,” Jones continued. “Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution explicitly states that Congress – not the executive branch – has the power to ‘regulate commerce with foreign nations.’ Also, many SPP working group meetings are held in secret, and the public, the press and members of Congress have no opportunity to participate or conduct oversight.”
“Since NAFTA was approved, the United States has lost 3.1 million manufacturing jobs. More than 10 thousand illegal aliens now stream across our southern border every week. The U.S. does not need its government equalizing standards and regulations that will result in more American jobs going to Mexico and more illegal aliens coming to America,” Jones said. “The SPP also appears to cast aside America’s sovereignty and takes another step towards combining the United States, Mexico and Canada into a single EU-style North American super state.”
“While the American people and Congress understand the importance of promoting good relations with our neighbors, these concerns will only intensify if pursuit of the SPP continues out of public view and without congressional oversight or approval,” Jones concluded.
Congressman Jones is an original cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 40, a resolution which states that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada.
For additional information or to schedule an interview with Congressman Walter B. Jones please contact Kathleen Joyce at (202) 225-3415.
NC Voice,
a local group, held rallies against illegal immigration
earlier this year in Graham, N.C. Although the Times News did not send anyone to cover the event, they did run the following interview with local FIRE Coalition leadership which they conducted over a month earlier. The FIRE Coalition & PatriotWatchdog recognize the hard work of NC Voice, and chronicle the events that brought about this rally and the scenario that is unfolding in Alamance County in the educational "FIREWOOD" videos. Times News Burlington, N.C.
Ricky Lee waited for the government to step in against illegal immigration.
Then he waited, and he waited some more.
After the electrical company he worked for began openly hiring those in this country illegally, threatening his livelihood, he took matters into his own hands.
“It got me thinking,” Lee said. “An individual might be deported and then rehired under a different name. If an individual can be arrested and deported and then back at work in two weeks, what’s to stop a terrorist from walking across our border with a backpack nuke?”
That’s when he joined the Federal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Coalition, a loosely knit national organization opposing illegal immigration and calling for strict enforcement of immigration laws. Lee is now listed as Burlington’s local contact on the organization’s
Web site. More action on the local level will bring change, he and other coalition members hope.
“Any individual who is not actively working to stop illegal immigration is working to keep it coming,” he says.
Lee’s stance on illegal immigration is stronger than most — even in Alamance County, one of only three counties in the state whose sheriff’s deputies are authorized to act as
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and where local protest group NC Voice has demonstrated against illegal immigration several times this summer in Graham.
In a time when the issue of illegal immigration is inescapable — filling front pages, playing as the night’s top story and galvanizing figures in local politics — many politicians are in disagreement on how to approach it. Is it a federal issue, a state problem, or should localities take it upon themselves to deal with it?
Alamance County Commissioner Tim Sutton says enforcing immigration law has become the county’s responsibility by default.
“I think I’ve made the analysis that (the federal government) had their chance and didn’t do anything,” Sutton said, referencing Congress’ failed immigration reform earlier this summer. “I think if people are saying, ‘OK feds, we’re going to do something,’ I think the feds are going to try to do something. But I don’t think we’re out of line.”
In recent years, Sutton has been one of the most vocal opponents of illegal immigration. He says he came to the conclusion that Alamance County needed to act in the late 1990s, when he noticed numbers and statistics changing in the schools and health department.
“I didn’t do it for political reasons. I did it to uphold the oath (I took as commissioner),” Sutton said. “There are laws being broken; there are procedures to remedy it. There are people I’m sure that don’t like what I do here, but I can’t help that.”
The issue isn’t so cut and dry for locally elected state officials. Most feel saddled with the unmanageable task of hearing complaints from all sides with no clear solution in sight.
State Sen. Tony Foriest, a Democrat who represents Alamance and Caswell counties in the General Assembly, hasn’t attended an event in the last year where the topic of immigration wasn’t at least mentioned briefly.
“As far as my office, I hear complaining but I don’t hear solutions,” Foriest said. “It’s foremost on people’s minds. They can see the changes. They go to the grocery store and see it; they drive down the highways and see it. I hear people are disenchanted with what’s going on, but my sense is, when they think rationally about the issues, the more they understand, the more they recognize: it’s not an easy solution.”
State Rep. Cary Allred, R-Alamance, feels pulled in opposite directions when introducing legislation that will affect people statewide. Though he’s supported and introduced legislation to allow local and state law enforcement to crack down on illegal immigration, he sees the need for more folks in the workforce.
“I believe the majority of people in Alamance County would say that if the immigrants are here illegally, then they should be deported and come in properly,” Allred said. “But I know a lot of hard work would not be done in the construction business; in the agriculture business (without immigrants). People don’t want to do that kind of work anymore. There’s a demand for them to be here legally. We need a program to allow employers to be sponsors so they can come here legally.”
THE STATE’S REPUBLICAN and Democratic parties also see an impasse in approaching the immigration issue.
“Based on what I’m seeing from the North Carolina Republican Party is what I’ve seen from people all over the state,” said Linda Daves, N.C. Republican Party chairwoman. “There’s an overall sense of wanting the laws to be enforced. I also have gotten through the grapevine that the Democrats kind of have their phone lines busy with this issue, too.”
Jerry Meek, chairman of the N.C. Democratic Party, was more specific.
“It appears to me that there really is a divide in both political parties,” Meek said. “The
Republicans and Democrats are both split with competing factions. In the Republican Party, there are cultural conservatives and the business community. Generally speaking, the business community has an interest in a freer flow on immigration for workers. Cultural conservatives have concerns about the cultural impact of illegal immigration.
“The Democrats have a Hispanic base versus labor unions. Within our own party, some union leaders are concerned with the impact on wages and the tendency of immigration to depress wages. At the same time, Hispanics are more likely to vote Democratic than the general population.”
State Rep. Alice Bordsen, D-Alamance, continues to struggle with opposing concerns. “I’m hearing two strands. One strand, I think, is fear-driven … that (illegal aliens) are damaging society and the economy,” Bordsen said. “The other is centered in the business community that would be damaged if this animus drives our immigrant population out.”
The ultimate answer can’t come from local action or state legislation, she says.
“This is a federal problem that threatens to harm our economy,” Bordsen says. “We need to push on our federal elected officials. We must have a rational policy that is easy to understand and easy to implement. Every person in Alamance County needs to be writing letters to their senators and congressmen, and to the president, to tell them why this is so important.”
The Pitt Resolves - July 1, 1775 The Palmetto Resolves - July 1, 2007
THE PITT RESOLVES July 1, 1775 (As transcribed from the huge plaque honoring the Pitt Association, and commemorating the adoption of the Pitt Resolves, which hangs in the Pitt County Courthouse in Greenville, N.C.)
We the free holders and inhabitants of the County of Pitt and Town of Martinborough being deeply affected with the present alarming state of the province and all America, do resolve that we will pay all due allegiance to His Majesty King George the Third and endeavor to continue the succession of his crown in the illustrious house of Hanover as by law established against the present or any future wicked ministry or arbitrary set of men whatsoever at the same time we are determined to assert our rights as men and sensible that by the late acts of Parliament the most valuable liberties and privileges of America are invaded and endeavor to be violated and destroyed and that under God the preservation of them depends on a firm union of the inhabitants and a sturdy spirited observation of the resolutions of the General Congress being shocked at the cruel scenes now acting in the Massachusett Bay and determined never to become slaves to any power upon Earth we do hereby agree and associate under all types of religion, honour, and regard for posterity that we will adopt and endeavor to execute the measures which the General Congress now sitting at Philadelphia conclude on for preserving our Constitution and opposing the execution of the several arbitrary illegal acts of the British Parliament and that we will readily observe the directions of our General Committee for the purpose aforesaid the preservation of peace and good order and security of individuals and private property.
Martinborough, Pitt County, North Carolina, 1 July, 1775
PITT ASSOCIATION RESOLVES, THEN AND NOW
The Pitt Association was comprised of free-thinking colonists in North Carolina, east of Rocky Mount, about a days ride from the then-state capital, New Bern. The Pitt Resolves, dated July 1, 1775 came nearly a year before North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress met in Halifax and unanimously adopted the Halifax Resolves, which was the first document by a whole colony to address grievances.
The Pitt Resolves, a year earlier was a warning to King George, and a promise to their families and compatriots they would be keeping a closer eye on the government. The signers were announcing both their grievances and their plans to ensure their rights were preserved. Patriots, forced to become watchdogs of their government, resolved to address the problem head on. These true sons of liberty inculcate what the American spirit is all about.
Today marks the 231st Anniversary of the Pitt Resolves. Much like in 1775, our government elites have aligned themselves with special and foreign interests, neglecting the rights and the will of the American people. The debt we owe our posterity is equaled only by the debt we owe our own fathers and forefathers for the fruits of the liberty tree they planted, watered, and protected on our behalf. It has been said that if we fail to learn the lessons history offers, that we are doomed to repeat its mistakes. I suggest that there are parts of America’s history that warrant repeating. When nearly half of the U.S. Senate, despite the overwhelming outcry of the American people, still votes to undermine the Constitution, our sovereignty, and our prosperity as evidenced by the votes for Senate Bills 1348 and 1639, and when the President ignores the will of the people, referring to patriotic Americans as vigilantes, the time is nigh for a renewed pledge. I offer The Palmetto Resolves.
The Palmetto Resolves July 1, 2007
(As read on the steps of the Pitt County Courthouse in commemoration of the 232nd Anniversary of the Pitt Resolves by Jeff Lewis, a direct descendent of two of the signatories of the original document adopted July 1, 1775)
We the descendants and posterity of the free men and women of the Pitt Association, residing in Pitt and neighboring Craven Counties, being deeply alarmed with the present condition of the state of North Carolina and all America, do resolve that we will pay all due allegiance to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the United States of America, and will endeavor to continue the succession of that great document and the sovereignty of this great country against all enemies, foreign or domestic.
At the same time we are determined to assert our rights as men and women, sensible that by the late actions of the President and 110th Congress the most valuable liberties and privileges of America are invaded and endeavor to be violated and destroyed by the proponents of the North American Union, and that under God the preservation of them depends on a firm non-partisan union of the citizens of North Carolina and the United States.
A sturdy, spirited observation of the resolutions of the United States Congress and the President, being shocked at the cruel scenes now acting out along our southwest border with Mexico, and in backroom dealings with racist groups that do not represent the interests or best interest of the legal citizenry, and determined to preserve the Union, never to be enslaved or impoverished by any power on Earth, do hereby agree and associate under all types of religion, honour, and regard for posterity and the preservation of the sovereignty of the United States that we will adhere and endeavor to execute the measures which the Congress, now sitting in Washington, D.C. conclude on for preserving our Constitution and opposing the execution of the several arbitrary illegal acts of the President and certain factions in Congress, and that we will readily observe the directions of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the just laws enacted from them for the purpose aforesaid, the preservation and good order and security of individuals and private property.
When Japan attacked the United States at Pearl Harbor, America was asleep, but awoke and arose on the backs of the “greatest generation” to protect and defend our liberties, our nation, and the world. On September 11, 2001, America was once again attacked, and in a single day lost twice as many Americans to a terrorist attack than we did at Pearl Harbor. Since that time, over the course of nearly six years, America has been the host of the largest invasion in the history of the world. At the same time, each year we are losing more Americans at the hands of illegal alien insurgents on American soil than in every conflict this great nation has weathered since the end of the Vietnam War COMBINED! The President says, “Give us a chance to secure the border.” He’s already had more time than it took Roosevelt and Truman to win World War II. Opponents of America’s sovereignty and border security suggest our system is broken. What is broken is the will of the President and Congress to enforce our Constitution and the laws written from it. In an act of blackmail, hijacking and subverting both the Constitution and the will of the people, a bi-partisan band of traitors in the Senate, in backroom dealings with special interest groups, denied the people’s voice to be heard, denied committee hearings, costs estimates from the Congressional Budget Office, and dangled $4 billion dollars for border security as 30 pieces of silver, a bribe, to entice a majority of the Senate to betray their oaths and duties of office.
Our President and 46 members of the U.S. Senate, despite the will of over 80% of the American people, despite an outcry that shut down the phone system on Capitol Hill, despite the alarming findings of their own Congressional reports, namely the “A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at our Southwest Border” report released last fall by the House Subcommittee on Investigations for Homeland Security, despite their sworn oaths of office to uphold and defend Article IV, Section 4, which reads, “The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican form of government, and shall protect each of them against invasion...,” and lacking the guttural passion and integrity of the American spirit, did willingly, and knowingly attempt to railroad our Constitution, and surrender to the invading forces and special interests, an act that is tantamount to treason by anyone’s definition, or professional and constitutional incompetence, or both.
Be it resolved, that the Constitution will be adhered to, and that “we the people” will no longer sit idly by while less than honorable men and women betray the American people. The logic of good fences making good neighbors notwithstanding, the Constitution and the rule of law demands that our borders be secured. When Senators and the President attempt to hold the Constitution and the execution of their sworn duties hostage, demanding a ransom of over $2 TRILLION dollars from the American taxpayer and the reward of amnesty for millions of foreign citizens that broke our laws and invaded our country, there are truly unscrupulous and devious agendas in play.
In 1876, North Carolina’s favorite son, Governor and later U.S. Senator Zebulon Baird Vance said, “When you find you have scoundrels and scalawags in office, you need to turn them out, and you need to keep turning them out until you send honorable men to Washington.”
Benjamin Franklin warned us, “A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
President George (Bush) should learn from the mistakes of King George, and from the wisdoms of the first President George, the father of our nation, George Washington. He said,
“Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence (I conjure you to believe me, fellow-citizens) the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most baneful foes of republican government.” President George Washington – 1796
On this 232nd Anniversary of the Pitt Resolves, be it also resolved, that from the swamps of Palmetto, in the County of Craven, east of Rocky Mount, and westward towards, and from the steps of the Pitt County Courthouse, where the Pitt Resolves plaque still hangs, and beyond, that modern-day patriots, the sons and daughters of patriots-turned-watchdogs solemnly swear to endeavor with the dedication and fervor of our founding fathers to restore the hope, faith, and integrity of the governing bodies of this great republic, and to uphold and defend the Constitution at every turn, and to protect America against those enemies foreign and domestic that would undo her, so help us God.
Greenville, Pitt County, N.C. - July 1, 2007
For the Sons & Daughters of the Pitt & Palmetto Resolves,
Let Freedom Ring America's "March For America" rally in Washington, D.C. and the FIRE Coalition's Operation Body Count events were a huge success, with countless speakers. Grassroots organizations from across the nation came to D.C. to support the three day event. Some will say the numbers in attendance were small, but that is misleading. Many of those in attendance were leaders of various grassroots groups from across the country. PatriotWatchdog is a proud partner of the FIRE Coalition and Let Freedom Ring America. Visit the LFRA site and Operation Body Count site for more details.
NEW PHOTOS FROM APRIL 22 DUSTIN INMAN SOCIETY RALLY IN WASHINGTON, D.C.(CLICK HERE)
Mrs. Ashley Hernandez, wife of one of our POW's, Deputy Sheriff Hernandez, attended the rally across from the White House. Visit FreeGilmer.com to learn more. (CLICK HERE)
Melanie Kortlang's daughter Amy was killed by an illegal alien last year. She did not die for amnesty. Visit Operation Body Count to learn more. (CLICK HERE)
LATINO AMERICANS FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM PRESIDENT LUPE MORENO'S SPEECH (VIDEO HERE)
VETERANS FOR SECURE BORDERS PRESIDENT BOB PARK'S SPEECH (VIDEO HERE)
NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL PRESIDENT T.J. BONNER & TERRY ANDERSON SPEECHES (VIDEO HERE) Audio from speeches by D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society, and Lupe Moreno, President of Latino Americans for Immigration Reform (LAIR) included in the April 26th "Outside the Box" program below.
Congressman Walter B. Jones, 3rd District, R-N.C. steps "Outside the Box"
with PatriotWatchdog
to discuss our POW's Ramos, Compean, and Hernandez, Mexican Trucking in U.S. and more. FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2007
In an interview this morning with PatriotWatchdog founder Jeff Lewis, Congressman Walter B. Jones made a re-newed call for a pardon of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos, Jose Compean, and Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez, all of whom are serving stiff prison sentences for doing their jobs as America's defenders. Congressman Jones, who back in December called for an investigation of Durham District Attorney Nifong by the Justice Department renewed that request now that all charges have been dismissed against the Duke LaCrosse players. Download and listen to the complete 30 minute interview here.
FIRE COALITION LAUNCHES OPERATION BANKRUPT!! .Bank of America has decided it is good business to offer bank accounts and credit cards to illegal alien foreign nationals using easily forged documents as identification, accepting the Mexican Matricula Card and ITIN in lieu of Social Security numbers. If a person doesn't have an SSAN number, they are probably not supposed to be in this country. Bank of America knows this, but has decided to look the other way. Aiding and abeting an illegal alien is a felony under Federal law. Please vote with your dollar and close your accounts with companies that are acting out of greed, in violation of Federal law, and with no regard for America's security or sovereignty. Join us in protesting Bank of America's grab for "30 Pieces of Silver." If we the people do not stop this treasonous action by the big banks, you can bet in short order the small banks will follow suit. The fact that our Justice Department and President are not enforcing the law does not relinquish the American citizen's responibility to demand this activity STOP! Bring posters, signs, and placards denouncing Bank of America's actions. Flyers and cards will be available for distribution with details, contact information, and links to sites where you can stay informed with the truth the mainstream media is refusing to cover.
PRESS-ENTERPRISE COVERS FIRE COALITION'S Operations Body Count, Bankrupt, and more. CLICK HERE.
FEBRUARY 23, 2007 Tancredo Calls on Treasury Department to Withdraw Metricula Consular Cards as Valid I.D. READ MORE...
America's Most Wanted has joined the outcry in support of Border Patrol Agents Ramos & Compean, and Deputy Sheriff Gilmer Hernandez. Visit the AMW site and let John Walsh and Producer Jon Lieberman know you appreciate their coverage of this travesty of justice. Click on the America's Most Wanted banner to the left to learn more.
Campbell Law Review Presents a Symposium: IMMIGRATION LAW:A Practical Guide For North Carolina Practitioners Friday, February 16, 2007
Jeff Lewis attended the symposium on behalf of PatriotWatchdog and the FIRE Coalition. Audio of various speakers and panelists can downloaded below in MP3 format. Also, Campbell Law Review will have a DVD available soon of the entire Immigration Law Symposium. It was quite an informative and interesting dialogue.
North Carolina Policy Panel: The Future of Immigration Law and Related Issues in the N.C. General Assembly.
Representative Rick Glazier, D-Cumberland, Representative Dale Folwell, R-Forsyth
Senator Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, Senator Ellie Kinnaird, D-Orange. DOWNLOAD AUDIO HERE.
Mr. Mark Krikorian, Center for Immigration Studies squares off opposite Ms. Jeanne Butterfield, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), (CIS), DOWNLOAD AUDIO HERE.
MEMBERS OF CONGRESS UPHOLD AND DEFEND U.S. CONSTITUTION,
KEEPING THEIR OATH, SAYING NO TO NAU!
THANK THE CO-SPONSORS OF THIS BILL TO PROTECT AMERICA'S SOVEREIGNTY, AND ENCOURAGE YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TO SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT LEGISLATION!!
Quoted from THOMAS at the Library of Congress:
H.CON.RES.40 Title: Expressing the sense of Congress that the United States should not engage in the construction of a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Superhighway System or enter into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada. Sponsor: Rep Goode, Virgil H., Jr. [VA-5] (introduced 1/22/2007) Cosponsors (7) Latest Major Action: 1/22/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Listen to why Deputy Gilmer Hernandez's fate might be your own. Download the 30 minute interview with Mr. Roy Cottle of Rock Springs, Texas. Click on the FreeGilmer.com banner to go to the site. There you can read the words of Congressman Poe, one of a growing number of Americans outraged by this injustice. Deputy Gilmer faced sentencing on March 12, 2007 for wounding an illegal alien in a vehicle that attempted to run down Deputy Hernandez. The entire story is outrageous. Read it for yourself and call your Congressman about this.
QUOTES FROM THE PATRIOT POST:
"If the federal government should overpass the just bounds of its authority and make a tyrannical use of its powers, the people, whose creature it is, must appeal to the standard they have
formed, and take such measures to redress the injury done to the
Constitution as the exigency may suggest and prudence justify."-- Alexander Hamilton, 1788
“Some people believe, and I am among them, that the power of the media today constitutes the most significant exercise of unaccountable power in our society. It is unaccountable to anyone, except for those who exercise the power. I believe that the domain of culture is as important as the domain of government or the economy.” -Jeane Kirkpatrick
"To restore... harmony,... to render us again one people acting
as one nation should be the object of every man really a patriot."
-Thomas Jefferson, 1801
"The greatest good we can do our country is to heal its party divisions and make them one people." -Thomas Jefferson, 1801
"Foreign influence is truly the Grecian horse to a republic. We cannot be too careful to exclude its influence." -Alexander Hamilton, 1793
"The right of freely examining public characters and measures, and
of free communication among the people thereon... has ever been
justly deemed the only effectual guardian of every other right."- James Madison (1798) Subscribe to the Patriot Post Founders' Quote Daily
PatriotWatchdog guest host of "The Right Source" talk-radio show with Kevin Shannon on the Genesis Communications Network on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2007. Download and listen here.
"Outside the Box" with PatriotWatchdog IS ON THE AIR! Guest-hosting Patricia Saye's "Have Your Say" time
Thursday nights at 8:00pm PST / 11:00pm EST
at Republic Radio, streaming talk radio. (Click banner above for link)
DOWNLOAD April 26, 2007 "Outside the Box" with PatriotWatchdog
features interviews with Congressman Walter B. Jones, 3rd-N.C., National Director of the FIRE Coalition Jason Mrochek, along with the audio from speeches given by D.A. King of the Dustin Inman Society, and by T. J. Bonner, President of the National Border Patrol Council that were delivered Sunday, April 22, 2007 in Lafayette Park across from the White House.
DOWNLOAD Feb. 15, 2007 "Outside the Box" with PatriotWatchdog
features interviews with Joe Loya about his son-in-law Agent Nacho Ramos being beaten in prison; an interview with Roy Cottle of Rocksprings, Texas about the plight of Edwards County Sheriff's Deputy Gilmer Hernandez. Download the Loya & Cottle interviews NOW at OperationBodyCount.com
DOWNLOAD Feb 01,2007(1 hour, 8min. 27.8 Meg) Guests:Mr. Bob Baker of WFIR, Washintonians for Immigration Reform returns to follow-up on OBC, and to discuss initiatives WFIR is launching in Washington State.
DOWNLOAD Jan 25,2007(2hours, 2 minutes, 48.7 Meg) Guests: Danny Smith, Co-founder of American Freedom Riders returns after the Ramos & Compean rallies to talk about what's next. Also, there's a complete reading of the FIRE Coalition's response to the 2007 State of the Union Address, titled: "BACKFIRE, A SOUR OUTLOOK." (SOUR being "State of the Union Response")
There's also a BONUS 40 minutes "Inside the Box" with PatriotWatchdog at the end of the regular program.
Use NumbersUSA to fight the U.S. overpopulation threat to: environment, farmland, community quality of life, schools, wage fairness, and freedom.
Also, check out their "ACTION BUFFET."
JONES CALLS ON SPEAKER TO HONOR FALLEN HEROES IN CAPITOL EXHIBIT
Washington, D.C. - In a letter this week to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Third District Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) requested that the Speaker take the necessary steps to establish an exhibit in the U.S. Capitol to honor those Americans who have lost their lives while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Congressman Jones and Congressman Rahm Emanuel previously asked Speaker Hastert to establish a temporary exhibit in the Capitol to honor the members of the United States Armed Forces who have lost their lives in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Jones and Emanuel subsequently cosponsored H.Con.Res 506 in the waning days of the 108th Congress which would have directed the Architect of the Capitol to establish such an exhibit.
"While Speaker Hastert ultimately did have a modest memorial placed in the foyer of the Rayburn House Office Building, I continue to believe that a tribute more commensurate with the sacrifice made by those who have paid the ultimate price for this nation is in order," Jones wrote to Speaker Pelosi.
"The collective debt that we owe those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan is at least as great as the debt owed to many of the Americans currently honored in the Capitol Rotunda," Jones continued. "They have earned the right to be honored in our Capitol - not in the lobby of an office building."
"I look forward to working with you, Congressman Emanuel, and others to ensure that those who have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom are properly honored," Jones concluded.
"A LINE IN THE SAND: CONFRONTING THE THREAT AT THE SOUTHWEST BORDER"
The photos above and the words below are direct quotes from "A Line in the Sand: Confronting the Threat at the Southwest Border," the House Committee on Homeland Security report. Congress knows. The President KNOWS. Read the entire report and then decide what you think the biggest threat to America's future is.
DIRECT QUOTES:
"Ambassador Garza also stated “the violence of late along our border highlights the need
for increased enforcement efforts by the United States and serves to bolster the arguments
of those who seek the creation of physical barriers along our border. It also makes recent
assertions that the United States is somehow exaggerating the problems along our border
all the more untenable, and highlights the inability of the Mexican government to police
its own communities south of the border.”
As recently as September 14, 2006, Ambassador Garza issued an advisory to Americans
traveling to Mexico describing the increased violence and asking them to exercise
caution. “Violence in the U.S.-Mexico border region continues to threaten our very way
of life, and as friends and neighbors, Mexicans and Americans must be honest about the
near-lawlessness of some parts of our border region….Drug cartels, aided by corrupt
officials, reign unchecked in many towns along our common border.”
The number of aliens other than Mexican (“OTMs”) illegally crossing the border has
grown at an alarming rate over the past several years. Based on U.S. Border Patrol
statistics there were 30,147 OTMs apprehended in FY2003, 44,614 in FY2004, 165,178
in FY2005, and 108,025 in FY2006. Most of them were apprehended along the U.S.
Southwest border.100
If smugglers can bring in tons of
marijuana and cocaine at one time and can smuggle 20 to 30 persons at one time, one can
just imagine how easy it would be to bring in 2 to 3 terrorists or their weapons of mass
destruction across the river and not be detected. Chances of apprehension are very
slim.
On September 29, 2006, Congress passed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. This Act
provides 700 miles of two-layered reinforced fencing along the Southwest border with
prioritized placement at critical, highly populated areas."
FROM PATRIOTWATCHDOG:
Obviously, 700 miles of fence for a 2,000 mile problem is a band-aid on a sucking chest wound. As of Veteran's Day 2006, they still haven't dug the first post hole. There is absolutely no sense of urgency amongst the leaders of this nation to protect our borders. NONE. Federal and State leaders need to start actually protecting our borders. NOTHING they have done so far has even slowed down the invasion. In fact, the numbers keep going up, year after year after year. How many more empty promises from either major political party will you listen to? Keep ignoring this problem and the United States will cease to exist. When legislators talk about a guest worker program, or amnesty, instead of what the Constitution demands they do, who do they think they are fooling? This is all part of the SPP and NAU crowd's master plan to line their own pockets at the expense of America's Sovereignty.
"A nation that cannot control its borders is not a nation."
- President Ronald Reagan
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HOUSE COLLEAGUES JOIN CONGRESSMAN WALTER JONES
TO DECRY SENTENCING
OF U.S. BORDER PATROL AGENTS,
REQUEST PRESIDENTIAL PARDON (October 25, 2006)
Washington, D.C. - In a letter yesterday to President George W. Bush, eleven House colleagues joined Third District Representative Walter B. Jones (R-NC) to express their deep disappointment over the sentencing of U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean, and to request both an investigation and a Presidential Pardon to prevent the agents from unjustly going to prison for protecting our nation's borders from an illegal drug smuggler. The letter's signatories include Reps. Pete Sessions (R-TX), Ted Poe (R-TX), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Dan Burton (R-IN), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Gary Miller (R-CA), Sue Myrick (R-NC), Ed Royce (R-CA), Steve King (R-IA), Virgil Goode (R-VA) and Tom Tancredo (R-CO), Chairman of the House Immigration Reform Caucus.
On October 19th, United States Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean were convicted and sentenced to 11 and 12 years in federal prison respectively. Both Ramos and Compean will appeal these sentences through their counsel.
"Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean attempted to apprehend a Mexican drug smuggler who brought 743 pounds of marijuana across the U.S. border last year," the letter states. "The two agents were prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the smuggler was granted full immunity to testify against the agents. Both men were convicted by a Texas jury for firing shots at the fleeing smuggler, who they believed carried a gun."
"During this case there have been numerous questions raised about the accuracy of the charges against the agents, the conduct of the prosecutor, and whether the drug smuggler was armed and dangerous at the border," the letter continues.
"We ask that a full investigation of this case be ordered immediately. We are confident that during such an investigation you will find that these border patrol agents were acting within the scope of their duty and were unjustly prosecuted," the letter states. "Also, we ask that you use your power of Presidential Pardon, as granted by the United Stated Constitution in Article II, Section 2, to pardon these two border patrol agents. We understand these requests usually are for those that have already completed their sentences; however we feel in this case it would be a miscarriage of justice to send these two border patrol agents to prison for protecting our nation's borders from an illegal drug smuggler."
Congress passed HR-6061. Some are waffling on actually building the fence.
They say how will we pay for it? Let's do the math, fellas. 15,000 illegal aliens cross the border every week while you sit on your hands, ignoring Article IV, section 4 of the U.S. Constitution. (That's the part of the Constitution where my state is guaranteed protection against invasion)
While you spin the truth, sitting on your hands, avoiding doing your job, another 360,000 illegals will enter the U.S. in just 6 months time!!
At an estimated net loss to the American t
