"A Polk County judge has ordered Iowa Secretary of State Michael Mauro to stop using languages other than English in the state's official voter registration forms. District Judge Douglas Staskal ruled in favor of U.S. Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican who sued state officials last year, contending they were violating the state's English-language law. He brought the suit against Gov. Chet Culver, who previously served as secretary of state, and Mauro, contending they had placed illegal voting forms on the secretary of state's Web site."
The ruling could be taken as a sign against Spanish-speakers' inclusion in every facet of government, said Jorge Espejel, the Mexican consul in Omaha.

****************

"It's going to be affecting everything," Espejel said. "I think it's not a good decision for us. As you know, for the people who have become a U.S. citizen, it's better to know what they're signing in their own language. ... They are going to be afraid. It's not going to be easy for them."

*****************


Craig Halverson of Griswold, state director of the Iowa Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, which opposes illegal immigration, said he was elated by the judge's decision.

"Our country has been English language all along. ... When I went to Greece, I learned how to speak Greek. But I am here, so I speak English. This shows that we still have some judges who will represent the American people," Halverson said.||

*******************

"It's better to know what they're signing in their own language.  They are going to be afraid?"

Give me a break!

And PLEASE don't vote if you can't understand English.

Read the article from the Des Moines Register

Judge Puts English Only On Voter Forms  É here

 

Government red tape at its finest.

I know we are bogged down since 9-11 with the passport issue and every other issue regarding paperwork when it comes to keeping our "homeland" safe.

But if you don't have enough government employees to process the paperwork of immigrants...

Then hire more, rather than give in and risk our safety.

How about skimming some of the floaters off of the top, in Administration, who aren't needed so we have some extra funding.



This, from Washington....


"In a major policy shift aimed at reducing a ballooning immigration backlog, Homeland Security is preparing to grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of applicants before the FBI completes a required background check.


Those eligible are immigrants whose fingerprints have cleared the FBI database of criminal convictions and arrests, but whose names have not yet cleared the FBI's criminal or intelligence files after six months of waiting.

The immigrants who are granted permanent status, more commonly known as getting their green cards, will be expected eventually to clear the FBI's name check. If they don't, their legal status will be revoked and they'll be deported."

Read the entire article from ajc.com

More Immigrants to Get Green Card Before Full Review   à here

I blogged in January about the issue I have with our non-English speaking citizens who refuse to learn to speak English, and the way certain companies, businesses and government entities enable them, therefore forcing me, and you  to "press one."  My blog was chosen for the "Best of the Blogs" that week, although it was edited in title, and content. 

A reader in Hales Corners had this to say about it in an article in HalesCornersNOW:

Let's Celebrate Our Diversity and Not Only in English

By Jan Gorzalski
HalesCornersNOW.com user

Posted: Jan. 26, 2008

Your "BEST OF THE BLOGS" article in the January 24th issue, "No, I won't press one for English", prompted me to do what I don't normally do, and that is to write a response. Author, Janet Evans, expressed frustration in being "forced" to accommodate non-English speaking residents by making various language selections (Press 1 to continue in English; press 2 to continue .....) in many of our pre-recorded telephone messages. While I can certainly share her frustration in connecting to a recorded telephone voice in lieu of a "live" voice, I cannot understand her reluctance to accommodate all people in our multi-lingual society.

As a decedent of immigrants myself, I know that "Lady Liberty" welcomed both our English as well as non-English speaking ancestors. America is a nation of immigrants and we "Americans" are blessed by its rich diversity. This multiplicity should be celebrated as a quality which makes our country unique.

In our busy lives, it often feels as though we cannot spare the extra minute or two it takes in order to accommodate people with diverse needs. That is precisely when we should pause for the moment, take a deep breath, and appreciate that America is home to all of its citizens-those that speak English and those that do not.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, Jan Gorzalski....

You don’t quite have my story correct. 

Yes, I was “forced” to press one.  In this instance I picked up the phone call from my insurance company, which is based in the United States of America, and a recorded message, in English, came on and said, “To listen to this message in English, press one.” 

I’m sorry if you don’t think that as an American citizen, that’s wrong.  Maybe that alternative should be given to Spanish speaking people instead of to those that speak the native language of this country.  My “frustration” that you speak of, in this instance, wasn’t that I couldn’t connect to a live person.  It was that I, an English speaking American, must make the choice of a language.

I also am a descendant of immigrants.  My grandfather came over on a ship, by himself, not speaking a word of English.  HE learned.  He did so to survive.  To make a living.  That is what Theodore Roosevelt preached back in those days.  He was staunchly against those immigrants who refused to learn English. 

Don’t give me this “accommodate people with diverse needs” business.  Why?  Should we print all of our road signs in Spanish in the name of diversity?  Every piece of literature?  Menus in restaurants?  Where does it end?

I say it’s all about the mighty dollar.  Those who are providing the option of “press one” or signage are those who are selling something, except for government institutions, who are enabling. 

The point of my blog was, if you want to be a citizen of this country it is your responsibility to learn English.  Period. 

In my view, in most cases it is laziness and the fact that it is easier to stick with your own language.  When your children are learning English in school and you are “forcing” them to speak another language at home because you refuse to learn English, you are lazy.  You are un-American. 

Period.

 

 

I've been tough on the illegal immigrant issue.

And I won't change my stance.

I want to make it clear that I certainly do not have any arguments against immigrants coming to our country the legal way.

Follow the rules; LEARN English.

I'm not much on preferential treatment.

And I certainly don't think those in the entertainment business deserve anything better than anyone else.

Many actors and actresses think they are extraordinary and deserve a political soapbox.

(and seem to forget most Americans just want to be entertained, and we didn't pay that money so we could have you preach your views to us...just be grateful you are where you are today because of people like US!).

Today I read something that I had never thought about before.

Did you know that foreign actors, actresses and athletes are most often given preferential treatment when it comes to Visas?

Did you have any idea that a "job" (therefore, a record company or other entity) can "sponsor" a foreigner in our country?

"He died thousands of miles from home, but like hundreds of other entertainers who came before him, Heath Ledger had left his native land to carve out a career in Hollywood. In doing so, the Australian-born actor, who died last week in New York City of still-undetermined causes, joined a long list of expatriate entertainers that includes Spain's Antonio Banderas, Canada's Mike Myers and even the man who paid tribute to Ledger at Sunday's Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Englishman Daniel Day-Lewis. With immigration as a hot-button issue in an election year, the internationalization of Hollywood—nine of the 20 acting or supporting Oscar nominations this year went to foreign-born movie stars—begs the question: Is it easier for an actor to get a U.S. work visa than, say, a dishwasher?"


Well, this is a real eye-opener.

Read the full story

From green card to SAG card: Expatriate's path to Hollywood star   Ã here

_________________________________

I’ve gotta tell you. 

I have less respect for foreign actors now than I ever did.

But, it really isn't their fault.

They're just taking advantage of OUR system.

So I have to question WHY we are letting foreign actors, entertainers and athletes get away with  moving to the head of the line?

There is that question, are they taking a job away from an American?

Well, I say a resounding yes!

Always.

How many wannabe actors and athletes are there in our country? 

More than we could count...that's for sure.

They may not be as talented as the "immigrants" who want to get these jobs...but they are Americans.

Something tells me the mighty buck has something to do with this....

So in the case of the immigrant dishwasher AND the American wannabe actor/athlete....


Go to the back of the line! 

I guess you need an agent . . . .

 

On January 3, 1919, just three days before his death, Theodore Roosevelt wrote in a letter to the American Defense Society:

"We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American.

If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all.

We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, and American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding house; and we have room for but one sole loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people."

"Americanization" was a favorite theme of Roosevelt's during his later years, when he railed repeatedly against "hyphenated Americans" and the prospect of a nation "brought to ruins" by a "tangle of squabbling nationalities."

He advocated the compulsory learning of English by every naturalized citizen. "Every immigrant who comes here should be required within five years to learn English or to leave the country," he said in a statement to the Kansas City Star in 1918. "English should be the only language taught or used in the public schools."

He also insisted, on more than one occasion, that America has no room for what he called "fifty-fifty allegiance." In a speech made in 1917 he said, "It is our boast that we admit the immigrant to full fellowship and equality with the native-born. In return we demand that he shall share our undivided allegiance to the one flag which floats over all of us."




______________________________________


Today I picked up the phone and there was that silence...you know, when it is a telemarketer or a recorded call...and you do that "hello, hello, and you know what's coming next...so that's when I normally just hang up. 

Something told me to stay on the line this time. 

It was a recorded message from my mail-in prescription company. 

But I did not find that out right away. 

You see, FIRST I was informed that ....

IF YOU WANT THIS MESSAGE IN ENGLISH, PRESS ONE....

Alright......

Very, very, very UNGLUED here.....

I know I have said it in the past. 

I do not want to press one for English.

Why should I have to press one for English?

This is my country.

This is America.

I am an American.

If this wasn't my RX company....
and this company was selling me a product....
I would not be purchasing that product right now. 

I would not have pressed one.  

I refuse to PRESS ONE unless I am forced. 

By that I mean, if it is something for my health, or something the government is forcing me to do...let's say regarding taxes, etc.  These are things I feel I don't have much choice in, but let me say, after I "press one," someone on the other end, up in management, gets an earful from me.  And believe me, I do not like being forced to press one about as much as I like getting the runaround on the phone for ten minutes to try to talk to an actual human being.

Our businesses and our government need to stop catering to the indolence of our immigrants just so they can make another buck.

The non-English speaking parents of children who are learning English in school need to be responsible and get off their asses and learn English too.  They need to stop speaking their native language at home with their children until everyone in the family is proficient in English.  They are hurting their children's progress at school.

    To quote Teddy Roosevelt….

“The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on.  Sometimes people get their ends reversed. When this happens they need a kick in the seat of the pants.”

LEARN ENGLISH!

Statement of Michael Kirkpatrick, Attorney, Public Citizen

In a decision released Thursday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston has given air carriers a license to discriminate against passengers based upon their race or ethnicity.

In writing that safety takes precedence over civil rights, the court put its stamp of approval on racial profiling. We believe this decision opens the door for airlines to arbitrarily violate the rights of passengers.

The case, Cerqueira v. American Airlines, was brought by a passenger who was removed from an American Airlines flight, detained and questioned by the police, and refused service even after the police cleared him for travel.

In January 2007, a jury found that the airline had discriminated against John D. Cerqueira because of his “Middle Eastern” appearance and awarded him $400,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. The appellate court set aside the jury’s verdict, holding that a federal statute granting airlines the discretion to refuse passengers for safety reasons immunizes airlines from liability under the nation’s civil rights laws, even if the airline’s safety concerns are the product of racial profiling.

As Cerqueira’s counsel, we argued that there is no conflict between safety and civil rights because decisions based on racial profiling are irrational and cannot provide a legitimate basis for concluding that a passenger might be a security threat.   The court of appeals disagreed, holding that “[r]ace or ethnic origin of a passenger may, depending on the context, be relevant information in the total mix of information raising concerns that transport of a passenger ‘might be’ inimical to safety.”

During the trial, a jury was asked to determine the motivation for the airline’s decision. The airline argued that had it acted out of a legitimate concern for safety; Cerqueira, a South Florida resident of Portuguese descent, argued that none of this would have happened had he not looked Middle Eastern. The jury sided with Cerqueira. We believe the court of appeals, in setting aside the jury verdict, essentially legalizes racial profiling in commercial air travel.

About Public Citizen:

"We fight for openness and democratic accountability in government, for the right of consumers to seek redress in the courts; for clean, safe and sustainable energy sources; for social and economic justice in trade policies; for strong health, safety and environmental protections; and for safe, effective and affordable prescription drugs and health care."

---------------------------------------------------

Read the Opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston    ! here

From the Opinion:

Congress mandated air carriers to refuse to transport passengers and property where a passenger does not consent to a search of his person or property for dangerous weapons, explosives, or destructive substances. In addition to mandating that some passengers be refused transport, Congress also authorized, at subsection (b), air carriers to engage in "permissive refusal": Subject to regulations of the Under Secretary, an air carrier, intrastate air carrier, or foreign air carrier may refuse to transport a passenger or property the carrier decides is, or might be, inimical to safety.

In turn, the Under Secretary has not promulgated regulations limiting the airline's discretion directly under 49 U.S.C. § 44902(b). However, one other regulation is directly pertinent, as it states that:

The pilot in command of an aircraft is directly responsible for, and is the final authority as to the operation of that aircraft.

____________________________


What do you think?

 

Undocumented immigrants can't get Michigan driver's licenses, Michigan Attorney General says.  "Attorney General Mike Cox's opinion is legally binding on state agencies and officers unless reversed by the courts. It was not immediately known how soon any changes would take place or what the opinion means for illegal immigrants with currently valid licenses." AP, Dec. 27, 2007.

Read the article from the Examiner.com Illegal Immigrants Can't Get Michigan Drivers Licenses  ◄ here


Permanent Residency Requirement for Driver's Licenses

"Only a resident of Michigan may be issued a Michigan driver's license. A person who is not a lawful resident of the United States cannot be a resident of this State for purposes of obtaining a driver's license under sections 51a and 303(1)(h) of the Michigan Vehicle Code, MCL 257.51a and MCL 257.303(1)(h)." Opinion No. 7210, Dec. 27, 2007.


Permanent Residency Requirement for Driver's Licenses  ◄ See the Opinion here

 

According to Eric Haas, of the Rockridge Institute, "On the issue of immigration, politicians and much of the mainstream media are playing with our minds. By repeating the phrase "illegal immigrants," they're creating a misleading stereotype. It's inaccurate. And, it's distracting us from the real issue -- economic exploitation of all low-wage workers in the United States."

He further goes on to say, "Branding people with the Scarlet "I" creates a fearful stigma. The vast majority of immigrants, whatever their legal status, are law-abiding members of society. Yet, the "illegal" description is so pervasive that it has us thinking about punishment and revenge, instead of solutions to the real problem -- the economic exploitation of people, both immigrant and native-born."

 And then, "And the American Immigration Law Foundation tells us the likely reason why:

The problem of crime in the United States is not 'caused' or even aggravated by immigrants, regardless of their legal status. This is hardly surprising since immigrants come to the United States to pursue economic and educational opportunities not available in their home countries and to build better lives for themselves and their families. As a result, they have little to gain and much to lose by breaking the law. Undocumented immigrants in particular have even more reason to not run afoul of the law given the risk of deportation that their lack of legal status entails.

"Sounds more like a good neighbor than a criminal."

Then Mr. Haas goes on to give one example of a good illegal immigrant, Jesus Manuel Cordova Soberanes, who rescued a 9-year old boy from a car wreck on Thanksgiving.

 See his full article, from Rights & Liberties, Losing Our Minds Over Immigration  ç here.
_____________

Oh, please, Mr. Haas! 

Not so fast....

"Sounds more like a good neighbor than a criminal."

Let's talk about some criminal activity of ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS. 

And yes, that's what they are. 

I will say it.


There are thousands of innocent Americans who have been raped, murdered, kidnapped, mobbed or otherwise criminally harmed by foreigners who have no right to be in our country.  The high incarceration rate of illegals shows that many do not come here to work, they come here to commit crimes. 

An article from 2006 in  World Net Daily    ç states that: 
 
 “While the military "quagmire" in Iraq was said to tip the scales of power in the U.S. midterm elections, most Americans have no idea more of their fellow citizens – men, women and children – were murdered this year by illegal aliens than the combined death toll of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan since those military campaigns began."    

"Illegal immigrants murder 12 Americans Daily."

 

 

In Search of a Better Life...

"While legal immigrants and illegal aliens come to America for an improved standard of living, those millions of foreigners are decidedly harming the quality of life for many in this nation — from those who have been displaced in their jobs by cheap immigrant workers to taxpayers paying for endless infrastructure and services, students getting a worse education in radically “diverse” classrooms and crime victims who have suffered at the hands of criminal aliens in this country. "

"The Immigrations Human Cost website is dedicated to telling the stories of forgotten citizens who still hope that their American dream will not be extinguished. We continue to hope for a better America for the next generation, too, although that tradition is just as endangered by irresponsible mass immigration as our natural resources and the individual freedoms that have been our birthright up to now."

Please view this website.  Some of the murders committed by illegal immigrants are so shocking, it is unbelievable!  Just good neighbors ....

Immigrations Human Cost   website  ç Here

 

The Department of Homeland Security plans to replace the current two-fingerprint scanners with new 10‑fingerprint scanners at all U.S. ports of entry over the next year.

On November 29, 2007, Homeland Security began the initial transition at Washington Dulles International Airport. In early 2008, nine U.S. airports will also collect additional fingerprints from international visitors. They include:

• Boston Logan International Airport (Boston, Mass.)
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (Chicago, Ill.)
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (Detroit, Mich.)
• Hartsfield‑Jackson Atlanta International Airport (Atlanta, Ga.)
• George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport (Houston, Texas)
• Miami International Airport (Miami, Fla.)
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York, N.Y.)
• Orlando International Airport (Orlando, Fla.)
• San Francisco International Airport. (San Francisco, Calif.)

The Department of State currently uses 10‑fingerprint scanners at most of its visa‑issuing posts and will complete deployment worldwide by the end of 2007.

The transition from collecting two digital fingerprints to collecting 10 fingerprints from international visitors is one of the department’s top priorities because it furthers the department's ability to keep dangerous people out of the United States, while making legitimate travel more efficient.

______________________________


I think this is a great idea! 


I’m sure there will be much outrage about this from international travelers. 

But again, so what? 

U.S. travelers go through all types of hassles entering and leaving other countries. 

Let them be “unglued.”

Let’s hope the systems are tested and the officials manning them are proficient in how to use them. 

Is that too much to ask?

Your thoughts?

 

Does your Presidential candidate support citizenship for illegal immigrants?

Support the border fence?

Do you know how the candidates stand on the DREAM ACT?

The DREAM ACT:  The legislation would allow illegal immigrants who came here as children, have lived here at least five years and have graduated from high school to get on a path to citizenship if they enroll in college or the military for two years.

Look here to read Presidential Candidates Weigh in on Immigration

AND ....

Just a click away takes you to an amazing "slider" tool to find that candidate who fits your immigration stance.  

It's designed by the Houston Chronicle. Try it!


FIND YOUR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE ON IMMIGRATION ISSUES


Are you "unglued" about any immigration issues"

What do you think of the candidate slider?  Pretty cool, huh?

 

The ongoing debate of licenses for illegal immigrants:


Gov. Spitzer Surrenders on License Fight
"Lost in the posturing is the fact that eight other states - Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington - currently do not require drivers to prove legal status in order to obtain a license." AP, Nov. 14, 2007.

Obama Stands By Support For Spitzer Plan
"Sen. Barack Obama, D-Il, is standing by his support for granting driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants, even after Gov. Eliot Spitzer, D-NY, abandoned the proposal amidst rising political opposition." Sam Stein, Huffington Post, Nov. 14, 2007.   

 GOP split on Repeal of Real ID"Congressional Republicans are scrambling to defuse the political time bomb they created in 2005 when they allowed states to issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens — but a key Republican and author of the Real ID Act says their new bill is unconstitutional." Washington Times,
Nov. 14, 2007.

Oregon License Rules Tighten
"Gov. Ted Kulongoski plans to issue an executive order today that he says would "dramatically tighten" restrictions on Oregon driver's licenses and make it far more difficult for illegal immigrants to get one." Oregonian, Nov. 16, 2007.     


What do you think about Drivers Licenses for Illegal Immigrants?

 

"Unglued????"  All I'm going to say for now is ....  I'm not anti-immigrant .... I'm anti-illegal.  So for me it's a NO for the drivers licenses.  And I don't care if they can't buy insurance, learn the rules of the road, or are having transportation troubles.  I don't care if it would bring them into the mainstream and "lift them up."  

THEY ARE ILLEGAL!

I do care about the other power that drivers licenses may  give to illegal immigrants. 
The first possibly being ILLEGAL VOTING.
 

Oh, wait .... do our voting ballots come in Spanish?