To The Obama Administration, EVERYTHING Is A "Civil Rights Issue Of Our Generation"

First, it was broadband connections.

From the FCC website:

"Closing the digital divide isn’t just an economic issue, it’s one of the great civil rights challenges of our time. Broadband can be the great equalizer."

NAACP even said,

 

"The thought of civil rights often brings to mind images of historic marches and boycotts. A generation ago, such undertakings brought attention to unequal treatment, encouraging action among those who could work to promote equality.

 

In the age of information, inequality doesn’t look the same as it did in the 20th century. Today’s civil rights challenges include digital inequality."

Then we heard from Arne Duncan that EDUCATION was the great "civil rights issue of our generation."

"Improving education is not just a moral obligation of society, it is not just an economic imperative. It's the

CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF OUR GENERATION ."

 

 

Today, it's amnesty    immigration reform.

 

Eric Holder spoke last week to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) and said,

 

“Creating a pathway to earned citizenship is a critical element of any comprehensive immigration reform plan....Establishing legal status for the nation’s estimated 11 million illegal immigrants is a matter of civil and human rights."

Randy Parraz Goes To D.C.

He's BACK.......

 

Sitting on a panel in Washington D.C. at the end of January. 

Flanked by leftists

John "What Good Is Reading A Bill If It's A Thousand Pages" Conyers

and Jim "The Constitution Is Wrong" McGovern.

 

 

 

Parraz's comments about his role in the Republican Primary election in August 2012:

 

"We went into the field, several weeks going door-to-door, got 540 Democrats to re-register as Independents.  We increased Independent turnout by 300% and come election night, in a Republican primary, Russell Pearce lost by double digits."

 

"If you compare what happened in this last legislative session in Arizona, there weren't any 'racial bills.'  Wonder how that happened, right?  It was toned down severely because the person that we got elected named Jerry Lewis...  He put in the new President of the Senate, by one vote, and that new President said, a Republican, 'All of these bills are going in my drawer.'  And they stayed in his drawer."

 

 

Enlightening on so many levels.

Immigration Reform. Here We Go....

Bipartisan group proposes Arizona immigration plan

Take a wild guess who is part of this "bipartisan" group and which Arizona delegation members approve.

We know that the Arizona Farm Bureau is one of the partners in the coalition.  We discovered the connection while researching Paul Brierley, candidate for the upcoming Maricopa County Republican Committee election on Lisa Gray's slate.  Brierley is a Director at the Farm Bureau.

 
Yes, Jeff Flake has signed on to the amnesty proposal.

Here is a link to Flake's comments at the Immigration Reform Now breakfast in 2007.  We weren't fooled over Flake's sudden change of heart on Comprehensive Immigration Reform last year.

 

 

Todd Landfried from the Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform posted recently on Facebook:

 

Todd Landfried shared a link via Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform.

December 6

When Kyl, Flake and Ed Pastor agree, you have something. If you haven't read it (like our legislative leaders apparently haven't), go to azeir.org and get a copy.

 

 

Landfried and his ilk are pimping their "SANE" plan to groups like Flake's former employer, the Cato Institute.  He posted the Cato article on Facebook and made the following comments:

 

 

Todd Landfried Did you see the AZ Republic article from today? Sen. Kyl, Senator-elect Flake and Rep. Pastor are supportive of the approach and the platform. This is pretty significant, don't you think?

 

Todd Landfried I didn't draft the plan, although I had a big hand in it. About 60 business, faith, legal, Latino, community and others helped draft it. We began in 2/12 and finished it 12/12.

 

Todd Landfried To my knowledge, all members of the delegation have been briefed. The ones I have spoken to have been very receptive and I'll point to the comments in Thursday's paper from Kyl, Flake and Pastor as the proof. Friday's AZ Republic editorial is also indicative of the response we're getting. Arizona is finally leading, in a good way.

 

 

The AZ Central article linked above states:

 



 

As Congress gears up to once again tackle the long-simmering issue of comprehensive immigration reform next year, a bipartisan Arizona group of prominent community leaders is hoping to lead the way with a four-point blueprint for fixing the nation’s broken borders and rehabilitating the state’s battered national image.

The coalition of elected officials, business leaders and civic activists wants to end Arizona’s reputation as a leader of enforcement-only measures such as the controversial Senate Bill 1070 by offering a broader solution that acknowledges the contributions of illegal immigrants and the role immigrants play in the economy.

The immigration-reform framework, unveiled Wednesday, already has been received favorably by several members of Arizona’s Capitol Hill delegation, including Republican U.S. Sen.-elect Jeff Flake, a six-term congressman poised to become a player in the coming debate, and the retiring GOP U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl....

 

 

Supporters of the plan say the state’s enforcement-only approach has created the impression outside the state that Arizona is hostile toward immigrants and Latinos and, as a result, has hurt the state’s economy by driving away tourists, conventions and business development.

“What we hope to do through leadership organizations, through individuals throughout the state and through our own elected leaders is to mitigate the damage that has been done to our state,” said Denise Resnik, co-founder of the Real Arizona Coalition, which is made up of 40 businesses groups, religious organizations, and minority- and immigrant-advocacy groups.

 

 

Flake applauded the work of the coalition, which he described as broader-based than groups that offered proposals in the past. He said he appreciated the inclusion of language calling for operational control of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I looked at that a while ago, and it looks very good, frankly,” Flake told The Arizona Republic on Wednesday. “I think we have recognition everywhere that we need to have operational control at the border. Those that I’ve been talking to here in Washington, on all sides, recognize that needs to take place. That’s a change — that hasn’t been the case in years prior.”

He looked at it "a while ago?"  Why didn't Flake ever bring up his approval of the plan before...I don't know...the ELECTION?  


We've discussed THE REAL ARIZONA COALITION before. The coalition consists of groups like:

• Anti-Defamation League
• Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform  (Spokesman is Todd Landfried.  See photo of Flake speaking at one of their events above)
• Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Arizona Latino Research Enterprise
• Board of Rabbis of Greater Phoenix
• Catholic Healthcare West
• Cesar Chavez Institute
• Chicanos Por La Causa
• eLatina Voices
• Exito, Inc.
• Friendly House 
• Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau
• Greater Phoenix Economic Council
• Greater Phoenix Leadership
• Greater Phoenix Urban League
• Native American Connections
• One Arizona Interfaith Leaders  (Affiliate of Alinsky's IAF)
• Schaller Anderson, an AETNA Company (Medicaid Health Management)
• Southern Arizona Leadership Council
• St. Luke’s Health Initiatives
• Sundt Corp, Inc.
• Tucson Chamber of Commerce
• Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Tucson Regional Economical Opportunities 
• Valle del Sol

Since May 2011 TRAC has sponsored Arizona Immigration Solutions Conferences held around the state along with the group Arizona Employers For Immigration Reform (Todd Landfried).  Topics of discussion include:

• The economic impacts of the Legal Arizona Workers Act, S.B. 1070 and other immigration policies on Arizona
• Find out about the Utah Compact
• Discover how other states have learned from Arizona's actions
• Discuss other solutions to the immigration problem
• Meet national leaders concerned about fixing the immigration problem

It is an attempt to "change the tone of the immigration debate."  According to the co-founder, James E Garcia,

“We can’t create an environment that (portrays) immigrants as the enemy or somehow a net drain on our economy.  We should understand them for what they overwhelmingly are: people, families and individuals who come to this country with the intent of helping build up this country. And if you look at the facts, that has ultimately been borne out...We certainly offer a moderate voice to the debate, but it is a voice that is motivated by the idea that immigrants should be treated with respect and they are a necessary part of our economy and society.”

 On December 7th, the LA Times reported:

 

"As soon as the confrontation over fiscal policy winds down, the  Obama administration will begin an all-out drive for comprehensive immigration reform, including seeking a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants, according to officials briefed on the plans....

 

Senior White House advisors plan to launch a social media blitz in January, and expect to tap the same organizations and unions that helped get a record number of Latino voters to reelect the president.
Cabinet secretaries are preparing to make the case for how changes in immigration laws could benefit businesses, education, healthcare and public safety...

 'The president can't guarantee us the outcome but he can guarantee us the fight,' said Eliseo Medina, secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union...'We expect a strong fight.' "

 

 

Gird your loins. 

Yes, Harry Reid Went There

Harry Reid has officially pulled the Mormon card.  In a recent conference call with reporters, Reid spoke ahead of a Romney campaign stop in Utah, 

 

'He’s coming to a state where there are a lot of members of the LDS Church. They understand that he is not the face of Mormonism.'

Now, we distinctly remember Obama's surrogates stating that they wouldn't bring Romney's religion into the campaign.  Even when Mormon Senator Orrin Hatch said that the president's reelection team was "going to throw the Mormon church at [Romney] like you can't believe", the DNC Chairwoman, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said that it was "utter nonsense and preposterous" to even suggest such an idea.  She even went on to say in a round-about way,

 

"For them to suggest that religion will be injected [into the election] by President Obama and the Democratic Party, I mean, I think they need to take a look inward at the accusations that their party and their supporters have hurled before they take that step."

As recently as August 30th, Obama's campaign said it would not make an issue of Romney’s Mormonism during the lead up to the November election.  Obama strategist and right-hand man, David Axelrod said that both candidates' personal religious views were not "fair game." 

But who could Obama use to legitimately attack Romney's religion without coming across as looking like a slimy faith-baiter?

Harry Reid.

Fellow "thou shalt not bear false witness" Mormon, Harry Reid who has spent the last month doing Obama's bidding by distracting us from the murder of our Ambassador in Libya, the 8.3% unemployment rate and the 16 trillion dollar deficit by falsely accusing Romney of not paying a dime in taxes over the last 10 years.  Reid has to save face somehow after he was put to shame last week after Romney showed that he donated 4 million dollars (30% of his income) to charity just last year alone.

So Harry, where are YOUR taxes?


Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen those in the Mormon church using their status and influence to attack a fellow member of the church by implying that they are not true followers of the faith.  Friends of Senate candidate puppets Jerry Lewis and Bob Worsley constantly claimed that Russell Pearce didn't follow the "teachings of the LDS church."

Like, for example, newly appointed honorary Arizona Consul to Chile, Ken Smith (second from left) who said,

"To think that a so called "member" of the Church, i.e., Russell Pearce, would hunt these members and their families down like animals and deport them makes me sick to my stomach. In my humble opinion, Russell Pearce is not living his religion. The Savior taught that in the last days, even the very elect will be deceived. That prophesy has somewhat been fulfilled in that Russell Pearce has been elected and now he has been deceived."

 

 

Or another fellow Mormon, Daryl Williams, who said,

 

 

“Russell Pearce, the chief proponent of Arizona’s immigration laws is, like me, a Mormon. His views, however, do not reflect the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the official name of the Mormon church. Indeed, Mr. Pearce’s views are inconsistent with the official position of his church.”

 



And finally, a former Vice Chairman candidate for the Arizona Republican party who tweeted on September 23, 2011 about Russell Pearce,

"Members can have their own opinions and not be in

harmony w/LDS policy.

I stand w/the church."

Aside from both being members of the Mormon church, Russell Pearce and Mitt Romney have something else in common.  Both have been reluctant to discuss their faith in the political arena. Their LDS opponants, however, chose to play by different rules.  

To use Mr. Smith's words:

 

 "The Savior taught that in the last days, even the very elect will be deceived. That prophesy has somewhat been fulfilled in that (Harry Reid) has been elected and now he has been deceived."

An Election Recap: Lies, Lies and More Lies

It seemed a little apropos that an article called "Eight Words That Most Liars Use" was posted on Yahoo today.

Keep a few of these words in the back of your mind.

"Never" The big thing to look out for is when he says "never" when "no" will do. It's a sign he's overcompensating.

"That"  Like never, it depends on how he uses it. If he puts "that" in front of a noun, like "that woman" or "that money," it's a subconscious attempt for him to distance himself from the word. This is a common trick of manipulators.  (Bill Clinton used this when he said, "that woman...Monica Lewinsky")

"By the way…" Liars use phrases like this to try to minimize what they say next-but usually it's what's most important to the story. Pay extra attention to what he says afterward.

"But" Liars usually try to downplay what they say with this word, so pay attention when he says something like, "I know this is going to sound strange, but…" or "I know you think I'm lying, but…"



Remember when those who pushed for the recall of Russell Pearce admitted that they focused their efforts on Mormon Republicans?

'The strategy that we’re using is we believe that in order to have a fully effective recall Russell Pearce effort, the change is going to have to come from within,' Blasé said. 'And that’s from within the Mormon community in Mesa...Key to that is having Mormons convince other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.' 

Once the recall election was over, Jerry Lewis' campaign manager openly admitted their strategy.
 

As the final results of the Nov. 8 recall election became clear, Tyler Montague, an integral campaign insider for Lewis, revealed how vital early support was among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Yes. I can finally say it. From the beginning, we went to stake presidents and bishops to get their support,” Montague said of high-ranking Mormon members.
“I heard someone call it the ‘Mormon Fall,’ and I think that totally fits,” he said,

comparing the recall election to the mass protests in North Africa

and the Middle East known as the “Arab Spring.”

Their approach: Offer a simple choice to the most influential Mormons in Mesa.

We said, ‘Here’s what the Mormon Church says about immigration, and here’s what Russell Pearce says about it. Where do you come down?’” Montague said.

Fast forward to the primary election last week.  Bob Worsley's campaign manager, Ryan Anderson, admitted :

Anderson attributes part of the trend to the politically active, close-knit Mormon community in Mesa. Once a candidate has been chosen by community leaders, Anderson said, that decision ripples through the church and social networks.

Bob Worsley spoke at the Red Mountain TEA Party on the eve of the primary election.  One of the questions he was asked was whether he had ever met the leftist agitator, Randy Parraz.

Worsley, with rehearsed confidence, looked the moderator in the eyes and said,

"I have NEVER met Randy Parraz.....I don't associate with those radicals. 

I'm a Conservative."

 

The follow-up question should have been, "Has anyone from your CAMPAIGN ever met or spoken with Randy Parraz?" 


We know that the Lewis camp was involved with Parraz.

(Parraz seen with Mike Wright who donated $200 to Worsley's campaign and donated to Jerry Lewis.  He was also in strategy meetings with Parraz during the recall effort.)

Lewis:  "First, let me thank the Wright family for their generous support and for allowing us to host this event here."

(Anson Clarkson was Jerry Lewis' campaign manager. 

His mom can be seen in the video above at Parraz's headquarters)

Another question posed to Worsley at the TEA Party meeting was about his ad which painted Russell Pearce as a "One Note" candidate.  Worsley was asked that given Pearce's REAL record on a variety of issues, did he stand by the accusation.  Worsley responded,

 

I did not say Russell Pearce is a 'one note candidate'.  The commercial is literally a person playing the piano with an overabundance of focus on immigration....I know that Russell Pearce's campaign has said that I was insinuating that, but I do believe that we have spent too much time focusing at the state level on enforcement only when that is NOT a solution that will work.

It seemed odd that Worsley was so quick to focus on the words "one note" from the ad and deny that he ever implied that Pearce was a "one note candidate", especially when his own campaign site on Youtube shows the ad's title as  "One Note/ Bob Worsley: strong on all the issues."  He even Tweeted:

Bob Worsley‏@bob_worsley

New campaign commercial. Is Mesa ready to move on from "One Note" politics?http://tinyurl.com/cg74f38

We know who gave Worsley's campaign the idea for his ad.


Randy Parraz.

May 18, 2012

" 'It seems they haven't heard the political message', said Randy Parraz, an organizer of a recall effort that led to Pearce's ouster from the Legislature in November, adding that rank-and-file Arizonans are more concerned about jobs and education than illegal immigration.

'They are still playing that one note.' "

Worsley's ad was posted two months later in July.


We know that if anyone was a "one note candidate" it was actually Bob Worsley since immigration is the one issue that he seemed to have a problem with when it came to Russell Pearce.  Even on election night, Worsley still wanted to drive that point home.

....and frankly, it will be easier to solve immigration based on a lot of things he has done because we can now see that a state enforcement only law like SB1070, does NOT work. 

Randy Parraz's strategy was to shift his focus of attacking Pearce over SB1070 which still enjoys a 65% approval rating and instead, pretend that he cared about other issues like education and healthcare. 


At the TEA Party meeting, Worsley went through a list of things that Pearce did that was good for the state, but then admitted that his only reason for challenging him was because he felt that Russell Pearce had been in the legislature too long and we needed a "fresh voice".  (Where have we heard THAT phrase before?) 

Again, it was an attempt to deflect from the real reason why Worsley chose to run.  We know this because if Worsley truly had an issue with the 11 years that Pearce was in the legislature, why is it he didn't have a problem with Stan Turley's 22 years?  Or Jon Kyl's 25 years?  Or John McCain's 29 years and counting?  Or Jeff Flake's 12 years and who is on track to follow the same path as his predecessors should he be elected to the Senate?  After all, Worsley had no problem accepting their endorsements. 


The biggest lie of all?


One of Worsley's campaign mailers stated, "Arizona needs a Conservative."

- Bob Worsley, a deeply Conservative fellow Mormon

- Bob Worsley, a solid Conservative

- Bob Worsley is a solid Conservative (endorsement from Jon Kyl)



It wasn't until AFTER the election that we saw the truth from the media and Worsley's own campaign that he was no Conservative, but rather, a "centrist" or "moderate."

- Worlsey was recruited by more moderate Republicans...Worsley campaigned as a more moderate Republican

- Both Mr. Crandall and Mr. Worsley are seen as moderate conservatives

- Primary Puts Arizona Senate On A More Centrist Path

The Arizona Legislature appears to be continuing its shift away from the "tea party"

Senate that took office following the 2010 election

 

" America will never be destroyed from outside.

If we falter and lose our freedoms,

it will be because we destroyed ourselves."

Abraham Lincoln



Boost Employment. Deport An Illegal

If I were an unemployed LEGAL citizen in this country, I wouldn't be too happy with the recent developments from the Obama administration.  First, we had the Obama Executive Order which will hand out work permits to illegals under 30.  Next, we had the Supreme Court ruling this week that struck down the provision of SB1070 which made it unlawful for illegals to knowingly apply for, solicit, or do work in Arizona.  Then, within hours of the Supreme Court ruling, Arizona's own Janet Napolitano and the Obama administration gave the finger to Arizona when they announced that they would halt the 287(g) program completely .  This announcement essentially neuters Arizona from turning in those who are working illegally.


Remember how we heard the claims, ad nauseum, that illegals are simply doing the jobs that Americans either won't or refuse to do.

Unfortunately for them, we know it is just a ploy used to excuse illegal behavior.

Here's an example of how desperate LEGAL citizens are when it comes to finding a job at Pei Weis.  Right after Sheriff Arpaio raided the restaurant and arrested the illegals who were working there.


Well, now illegals can safely apply for those Pei Weis jobs again using fake or stolen IDs knowing the Obama administration will sit on their hands and do absolutely nothing. 

Why Rep. Jones "Struggled Mightily" About SB1070

Arizona Representative, Russ Jones, stood to explain his "yes" vote for SB1070.  He clearly was conflicted about voting in support of the bill.  Let's look at his explanation as to WHY he struggled mightily to do so.

"As you know, Mr. Speaker, I have struggled mightily with this bill.  The district I come from along the AZ-Mexico border...it's not broken.  That district along the border has the highest REDUCTION in illegal immigration along the entire US-Mexico border.  That's because our local law enforcement and ICE work well together, hand in hand, effectively...I still have problems with this bill...Frankly, my community is NOT a sanctuary city.  I can't think of one community in the State that is truly a sanctuary city.  It's unfortunate we are using that term...I don't see this as a problem and wonder what it is we're fixing."


Let's break it down:

"The district I come from along the AZ-Mexico border...

it's not broken"

Smugglers and immigrants link up in San Luis Rio Colorado
(2006)


Study: Illegal immigration costing border counties millions

Cost to Yuma may total $49.2 million since 1999

(March 2008)

Illegal immigrants: SB-1070 will not stop us
(May 2010)


Mexican Children crossing border in San Luis, AZ to attend US SCHOOLS
(2010)

Unfinished drug tunnel found in San Luis Rio Colorado   
(Feb 2011)

San Luis CBP Officers Seize Ammunition
(Feb 2012)

"our local law enforcement and ICE work well together, hand in hand, effectively"

The 287(g) program is an agreement between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) within the Department of Homeland Security and state and local law enforcement which allows local law enforcement to receive delegated authority for immigration enforcement within their jurisdictions. "The cross-designation between ICE and state and local patrol officers, detectives, investigators and correctional officers allows these local and state officers necessary resources and latitude to pursue investigations relating to violent crimes, human smuggling, gang/organized crime activity, sexual-related offenses, narcotics smuggling and money laundering."

While it may be true that the local law enforcement and ICE in Mr. Jones' district worked effectively together prior to SB1070 (although the above links paint a different picture than that of a district that wasn't "broken"), it is known that President Obama has since begun to shut the 287(g) program down. 

Even here in Arizona.

The fact of the matter is, the 287(g) program is only set up to crack down on those who are arrested after committing a secondary crime and does not do anything to curtail those who are committing the primary crime of entering our country illegally.  

"Frankly, my community is NOT a sanctuary city.  I can't think of one community in the State that is truly a sanctuary city.  It's unfortunate we are using that term..."

Sanctuary Cities
Arizona

• Chandler, AZ   (Added 5/30/07, Congressional Research Service Report, 2006 )
• Mesa, AZ  (Added 10-18-09, Sources: Judicial Watch; East Valley Tribune article,1-4-2008)

Mesa, Arizona has been added as a sanctuary city list because of its reported "don't ask don't tell policy" and criticism by the local sheriff that the city is not enforcing the law. The sheriff has arrested illegal aliens working in city buildings (as contract workers for a private cleaning company), reportedly after the city police department refused to investigate complaints of illegal hires by a whistleblower. 

• Phoenix, AZ
• Tucson, AZ   (Added 11-12-07, Source: 11-11-07 story by Brady McCombs, Arizona Daily Star.)

Tucson Arizona has been added to the sanctuary city list because the Tucson police have instituted a new policy which prevents their officers from calling Immigration and Customs Enforcement to schools and churches. 

" don't see this as a problem and wonder what it is we're fixing."

Illegal Immigration Costs U.S. $113 Billion a Year, Study Finds


Illegal Immigration Costs Arizona Taxpayers $1.3 Billion Annually
(Arizonans fork out nearly $1.3 billion annually to pay for all of the costs incurred from illegal immigration; around $810 million for education, $400 million for health care related expenses, $80 million in incarceration costs, and the remainder in welfare benefits.)

http://www.immigrationcounters.com/


I think we can see why Rep. Jones "struggled mightily" to vote for SB1070.

Here.

Here.

Here.

Arizona Border Security Committee

In 2010, with some tweaks to SB1070, House Bill 2162 established the formation of a Joint Border Security Advisory Committee designed to discuss the critical border issues for our state.  The committee is created from the appointments by the Speaker of the House, the Senate President and the Governor, and includes Sheriffs from border counties.


When reviewing the meeting minutes for the JBSAC, it was interesting to note that the Speaker Of the House, Kirk Adams, was listed as one of the members of the committee, yet he never actually attended any of the meetings prior to his resignation.  He chose, rather, to send someone to "represent" him instead.

It was also interesting to note that half of the bills which the committee discussed that were critical to border issues, were ones that Mr. Adams was not present to vote for as a member of the Rules Committee.  Mr. Adams was absent on March 8th to vote for SB1546 and again on March 14th for SB1495.  I think we can guess what he was busy focusing on those first couple of weeks in March.

A summary of the meeting minutes for 2011 can be viewed here.

We've discussed Rep. Russ Jones before.  Mr. Jones was one of Kirk Adams' appointments to the JBSAC just a few months before Adams resigned.  After reading the minutes as well as viewing video of the meetings, it was clear what Mr. Jones' main issue was with the border.  His biggest concern is the need to see a quicker response at the border for trucks and more funding for Customs and Border Protection Agents.  This isn't a big surprise since his own, personal company deals with the trucking and manufacturing industries in shipping goods across the US/Mexico border.  Reducing the "bottleneck" would allow his company to transfer more goods back and forth which obviously helps his bottom line.  Conflict of interest?

Mr. Jones is also a Treasurer for the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for a group called the Border Trade Alliance.  His company, RL Jones, is also a contributor to the BTA.  The BTA has been pushing for more Customs and Border Protection agents in order to facilitate trade.  While it is certainly understandable to want to have more personnel at the border in order to man the newly built lanes, one has to wonder if the "border protection" part of the Customs and Border Protection agents is really what the BTA, and Rep Jones, is concerned about.

Alan Bersin, is a former California Secretary of Education (who must have been so knowledgeable about border security that he had to be appointed while Congress was in recess in March 2010).  He is currently Obama's "Border Czar".  Mr. Bersin spoke at a BTA conference in the fall of 2010 and said:

I want to offer an alternative vision.  We have to start thinking about the border in a much more holistic and broad way than simply a line on the map between Mexico and the United States...Canada and the United States...We have to start thinking about the borders not only as juridical lines on a map, which they are, and ports of entry that we build, and the infrastructure...we have to think about the border and the flows of goods and people...and this notion of flows is much more consistent with where the WORLD is in thinking of borders as flows of goods and people, capitol and ideas.  Because, we limit ourselves if we think about juridical lines and physical ports of entry and we have to get more efficient at the physical lines, yes we do, no question about it.  And we need more resources at the physical line, but we actually have to think differently about what a border is and what an inspection is...

That sounds an awful lot like an "open borders" mentality.  Remember, he is Obama's border Czar!  Since when does our country have to prescribe to and be "consistent" with the same (faulty) notions of what a border is in the eyes of the world?  How is that notion working out for Arab countries?  North and South Korea?  In fact, try and tell Israel that they should have free flowing borders with their neighbors who want to wipe them off of the face of the earth.

Mr. Bersin's complete remarks can be seen here.

We don't begrudge Rep. Jones for wanting to speed up traffic at the border to help increase and grow his business.  We just question his motives and whether he can participate on a Border Security Advisory Council (as well as be appointed to attend the Legislative Border Conferences) with an open mind.



The wrap-up on Rep. Jones, border security and SB1070 will be in our next installment.

Pizza, Por Favor?

Pizza Patron

Dallas Pizza Chain Giving Free Pizza For Ordering In Spanish

A local pizza chain that made waves in 2007 for accepting Mexican Pesos for payment has come up with a new way to generate some buzz for itself, offering free pizza to anyone who orders in Spanish.  Dallas-based Pizza Patron will be offering free pizza on June 5 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. to anyone who places their order in Spanish.

The promotion was announced in a company press release as a way to honor the “positive force of change immigrants have made in communities throughout America.”

Ah, yes.  Jason LeVecke, owner of the Pizza Patron and Carl's Jr. franchises.  Friend of Steve Chucri and other open borders groups.  Donor to Jeff Flake, his brother in law, Kevin Gibbons, and Kirk Adams.

We've discussed LeVecke before.

Jason LeVecke is the grandson of Carl Karcher, founder of Carl's Jr. restaurants. You may have recognized his name from the previously discussed Arizona Marcha website. Along with Jeff Flake, (who LeVecke donated $4600 to his 2008 campaign) LeVecke was also a speaker at the Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform forum on May 30, 2007. You can listen to his arguments for supporting amnesty (aka- "comprehensive immigration reform") here. He encouraged those in attendance to call or email their federal state representatives and tell them "you want comprehensive immigration reform but not with employer sanctions". He also encouraged them to become supporters of AZEIR.

The current spokesman for AZEIR is Todd Landfried. 

LeVecke is another "Republican" who has testified and fought against E-Verify in 2007/2008. As the owner of over 150 fast food restaurants, one might guess that not being able to hire illegals at low wages probably affects his bottom line.

Not only did he fight against the employer sanctions law enacted in 2008 but he also actively campaigned against Russell Pearce.

In more ways than one.

1. LeVecke was behind the PAC Wake up Arizona! which was organized alongside Mac Magruder (owner of McDonalds franchises in Arizona) to fight the newly enacted employer sanctions laws. LeVecke's group MJKL alone donated $9500 along with Wake Up Arizona's over $38k contribution to a PAC called Stop Illegal Hiring which was set up to help pass the proposed "Stop Illegal Hiring Act" or prop 202 back in 2008. Its name is intended to confuse. It was actually a law which would lessen the already enacted employer sanctions laws and required Arizona to wait until the Federal Government took action first against an employer before the state would be allowed to do anything. Prop 202 failed at the ballot box. Because Wake up Arizona is a 501 (c)6, they are not required to file campaign finance reports.

Wake Up Arizona was also a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed against the State of Arizona (Napolitano, Goddard and Garriott) in an effort to stop the employer sanctions law. Other plaintiffs included:

Chicanos Por La Causa, Somos America, Arizona Employers for Immigration Reform (AZEIR), Chamber of Commerce of the US, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Arizona Farm Bureau Federation, Arizona Restaurant and Hospitality Association (Steve Chucri), Associated Minority Contractors of America, Arizona Roofing Contractors' Association, Arizona Landscape Contractors' Association and Arizona Contractors Association.


2. He also contributed to other PACs who would then fund Pearce's challenger, Kevin Gibbons (Jeff Flake's brother in law). Sound like a familiar strategy?

LeVecke donated to the Mesa Deserves Better PAC which exclusively donated for the purpose of "advocating defeat against Pearce".

Other political contributions which LeVecke made went to:
Kirk Adams
Rich Crandall
Kyrsten Sinema 
Phil Lopes (outspoken former progressive member of the state legislature)

In June 2009, LeVecke attended an ImmigrationWorks USA Conference in Washington DC to speak about immigration. In his speech he said,

They will tell you it is entirely appropriate for states and local government

to enforce national immigration laws. If it was intended that states enforce

national immigration laws then why is it states do not have the

right to issue visas, or allow more people in legally, or institute their own

guest worker programs? If we continue down this path of states and local governments passing immigration laws and getting involved in enforcement, we will have a patchwork of different laws across this country making it

impossible for multi state employers to manage.

That certainly sounds familiar. 

"President Obama says it would be chaotic for states to create their own immigration policies...."

Jerry Lewis:  "We cannot be the federal government's agents in doing the job that they have to do."

Chuck Schumer:  If the Supreme Court upholds the Arizona law, Schumer said, he will introduce legislation to bar Arizona and other states from enforcing immigration law without the direct consent and supervision of the federal government.

Jeff Flake:  "The federal government puts local officials, whether they are law enforcement, city council or the mayor's office, in a horrible position, having them choose between setting up a day labor center so you deal with local concerns about property values and whatever else, or trying to enforce federal immigration law when you don't have the training and resources, and in some cases, the authority to do so. It's really a difficult problem and I don't think it's going to be solved in a piecemeal fashion. That's why I advocated a comprehensive approach."

Lisa Navarrete, spokeswoman for the advocacy group National Council of La Raza, says "For people to get offended or upset at this seems a little bit silly. It doesn't preclude anybody. Anyone can say, 'por favor.'"

La Raza?  "The RACE".  Telling US not to be offended?

It's not the words 'por favor' that is offensive.  It's the deep-seeded intention behind it that is the problem.