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PAGE 4, JULY 7, 2008, THE ISLANDER
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Fence wins a round against the wildcats
By Cal Thomas
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2008
On Monday, June 23, the Supreme
Court refused to take up the appeal
lodged by environmental groups that
focused on a two-mile stretch of bor
der fence in the San Pedro Ripar
ian National Conservation Area near
Naco, Ariz. The fence, which has been
built since the petition was filed, is
a vital part of the Bush adminis
tration's drive to secure the border
between the United States and Mex
ico. The Supreme Court's decision is
a welcome and needed victory in the
war against illegal immigration and
efforts to preserve the unique charac
ter that is America.
The environmentalists based part
of their challenge on claims the fence
would harm the mating habits of two
types of wildcats. To them, it is more
important to allow wildcats to procre
ate than to control our borders and
demand that everyone who comes
here obey our laws. We must obey
their laws. Google "Driving in Mexi
co" and see all of the paperwork that
is required to enter that country. An
illegal stopped in America often goes
free because too many in law enforce
ment either can't or won't enforce
federal law.
Time magazine's June 30 cover
story is titled "The Great Wall of
America: A billion-dollar barrier
between the U.S. and Mexico. It's
reducing illegal immigration - but
does America really need to wall
itself off?"
This isn't about walling ourselves
off. This isn't a Berlin Wall erected to
keep people in. It is a fence designed
to keep illegals out. Anyone who
doesn't understand the difference will
not be persuaded by facts.
This fence and other inhibitors
to illegal immigration should have
been built long ago. But politicians
- Republicans and Democrats - have
been reluctant to offend Hispanic vot
ers, so they have dragged their feet.
Democrats, especially, wish to import
votes, and so they welcome illegals
and seek to help them become citi
zens. Their message: vote for Demo
crats, or your relatives won't be able
to come and mean Republicans will
try to throw you out. It's a twist on
their demagoguery about Social Secu
rity, which has worked for them over
many election cycles.
In a book to be published July
7 titled "The New Case Against
Immigration: Both Legal and Ille
gal," Mark Krikorian argues that the
real problem with all immigrants
is not them, but us. Unlike immi
grants who have come before and
were expected to assimilate, learn
English and embrace American his
tory and culture, today's immigrants
come to an America characterized by
identity politics, political correctness
and Great Society programs.
As a result, he writes, too many
are encouraged - through the Inter
net and cheap international phone
service - to lead "transnational lives,"
thus foiling the best efforts to make
them part of us, rather than half and
hyphenated Americans who remain
strongly tied to their countries of
origin.
Krikorian wants a lengthy pause
in all immigration, legal and ille
gal, in order to focus on making
Americans out of those already here.
"As the politicians debate various
kinds of amnesty for illegal aliens,"
he writes, "they are missing the big
ger picture: the harmful impact of
large-scale settlement of all kinds
of immigrants, whether legal or ille
gal, skilled or unskilled, European
or Latin or Asian or African. Modern
America has simply outgrown immi
gration and we must end it before it
cripples us."
Krikorian is a grandson of Arme
nian immigrants and he says Amer
ica is not the country it was when
his grandfather arrived. If we don't
change, he says, it won't be a country
worth handing over to future genera
tions.
No nation can preserve itself, its
identity and nature, if it refuses to con
trol its borders. The recent Supreme
Court decision is a good first step, but
it should not be the last. Few politi
cians have the courage to say what
needs to be said and do what needs to
be done. President Bush waited until
his last year in office to begin to get
serious about stopping illegals, and
Republicans generally seek to avoid
controversy so it doesn't appear the
GOP will be much help.
As for Democrats, why should they
stop importing their best hope for
future electoral victories? The pub
lic is going to have to rise up and
demand that more be done.
E-mail nationally syndicated col
umnist Cal Thomas at calthomasdS
tribune.com. □
Common Sense
By Paul Jacob
Fore! The Children,
Of Course
We could use a few million-dollar
ideas to help fight juvenile crime.
How about a half-million-dollar
idea?
The Justice Department gave
$500,000 to the World Golf Foundation.
The foundation’s beneficiary program
is called “First Tee.” It’s designed to
get youngsters interested in that most
civilized of sporting passions, golf.
Employees in the Justice Depart
ment had rated the program way down
on their list. But the administrator
of the Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, J. Robert
Flores, awarded the money anyway,
ignoring programs that employees had
ranked as much more effective.
‘We need something really attrac
tive to engage the gangs and the street
kids, golf is the hook,” said the ques
tionable administrator in question.
Yeah, right. Remember the mid
night basketball leagues, supported as
a brainy idea by Bill Clinton? Well,
at least lots of inner city kids like
basketball. Golf seems something of a
stretch.
ABC News interviewed a former
Justice Department employee for
Nightline. Obviously disgruntled, the
ex-employee called the program a
“waste.”
It turns out that President Bush is
the honorary chairman of First Tee.
The clear implication? That’s why this
golf gig got money while many obvi
ously more practical programs were
left unfunded.
Chalk it up to pork envy. Congress
can’t have all the insider payola for
itself.
Did somebody just yell “Fore!”? Well,
it’s not “for(e) the children.” □
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