Thursday, April 20, 2006

New Terrorist Cell Must Be Factored In

Over at Sir Humphreys we find out about the dreaded Al-Gebra organization:
At New York's Kennedy Airport today, an individual later discovered to be a NYC public school teacher was arrested trying to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, protractor, set square, slide rule and calculator.

At a morning press conference, a White House spokesman said authorities believe the man is a member of the notorious Al-Gebra movement. The man is being charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of maths instruction.


Go learn more about this dreaded terrorist group.

Eeeww! Every Liberal's Dream ...

Every conservative's nightmare.

Most disturbing.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Mexican Immigration Law

Pardon My English sends us to a Center for Security Policy paper (in PDF), Mexico's Glass House, which is a good rundown on Mexican immigration policy and a recommendation that we reciprocate by asking Mexico to change its immigration laws, or changing our own to reflect Mexico's.

Some of those points are:
• Immigrants and foreign visitors are banned from public political discourse. [I.e., no demonstrations - PJ]
• Immigrants and foreigners are denied certain basic property rights. (Limitations on the type of real estate and the percentage of certain types of companies non-citizens can own.)
• Immigrants are denied equal employment rights. (Hiring preferences for citizens.)
• Immigrants and naturalized citizens will never be treated as real Mexican citizens.
• Immigrants and naturalized citizens are not to be trusted in public service. (Non-citizens can't serve in the military, police forces, and even naturalized citizens are barred from serving in the legislature, supreme court, or as president -- for president, even your parents have to be native-born Mexican.)
• Immigrants and naturalized citizens may never become members of the clergy.
• Private citizens may make citizens arrests of lawbreakers (i.e., illegal immigrants)
and hand them to the authorities.
• Immigrants may be expelled from Mexico for any reason and without due process.

http://www.directory.com.mx/immigration/ is webpage, maintained by pro-Mexico individuals, that details disparities in Mexican and US immigration law, and advocates Mexico change its immigration laws. What I find most interesting are some fairly clear indications of racism enshrined in Mexican law. Here are some interesting points:
Mexicans, and people of Mexican parentage can become dual citizens of Mexico and the USA. Nevertheless, U.S. citizens who are NOT of Mexican descent are still prohibited from becoming citizens of Mexico, unless they are willing to formally ... represent that they have renounced their U.S. citizenship. ... By the way, Article 20 I c) is an example of how Mexico gives preferential treatment to folks from Latin American nations or the Spanish peninsula when awarding nationality status versus their "gringo" competitors, despite the existence of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

We are not aware that Mexico allows foreign-born citizens to hold truly significant governmental posts, especially not if they are of non-Mexican ancestry and if they want to maintain dual citizenship elsewhere. In contrast, the U.S.A. has allowed various foreigners to hold truly prominent federal and gubernatorial offices without requiring that they renounce their citizenship abroad. Among them are Madeleine Albright, Henry Kissinger and Arnold Schwarzenegger. ...

Wouldn't our governents' finally addressing the abovementioned legal differences help elevate Mexico's $9,000 annual GDP per capita to more closely resemble the USA's $38,000 figure? We would like nothing better for our beloved friends in the USA's neighboring trading partner of Mexico than to see them get to leave their country only when they truly want to, instead of out of economic desperation. Is Mexico's current governmental administration doing nearly enough to help Mexico's people though?


Alan Wall, an American legally living and working in Mexico, tells the story of 18 Americans deported from Mexico for participating in a demonstration:
The Americans’ offense was to participate in May Day marches in Mexico City and Guadalajara. The ones in Mexico City were college students, visiting with their professor from Washington State. They had joined a group protesting the expropriation of land near Mexico City for a new airport and were waving machetes with the other protestors. They might have gotten away with it, except that some of them were heard on the TV news shouting protest slogans in broken Spanish, which in turn caused Mexican journalists to express outrage.

The INM wasted no time. The offenses were committed on May 1st, and by the evening of May 2nd, the offending gringos were on their way back to the U.S.A., their Mexican visas revoked.


Wall then goes on to show the heavy influence the Mexican government is exerting in the US through its 47 consulates and President Fox.

###



Apparently, Rush Limbaugh beat me to the punch on this one. I would link the article on his website, but it's members-only.

It seems to be going around. This is a well-written article!

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

'Undocumented Migrants' in Mexico Brutalized, Robbed by Officials

AP writer Mark Stevenson reports:

Undocumented Central American migrants complain much more about how they are treated by Mexican officials than about authorities on the U.S. side of the border, where migrants may resent being caught but often praise the professionalism of the agents scouring the desert for their trail. ...

Jose Ramos, 18, of
El Salvador, said the extortion occurs at every stop in Mexico, until migrants are left penniless and begging for food.

"If you're on a bus, they pull you off and search your pockets and if you have any money, they keep it and say, 'Get out of here,'" Ramos said.

Maria Elena Gonzalez, who lives near the tracks, said female migrants often complain about abusive police.

"They force them to strip, supposedly to search them, but the purpose is to sexually abuse them," she said.

Others said they had seen migrants beaten to death by police, their bodies left near the railway tracks to make it look as if they had fallen from a train.

The Mexican government acknowledges that many federal, state and local officials are on the take from the people-smugglers who move hundreds of thousands of Central Americans north, and that migrants are particularly vulnerable to abuse by corrupt police. ...

In the United States, mostly Mexican immigrants have staged rallies pressuring Congress to grant amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants rather than making them felons and deputizing police to deport them. The Mexican government has spoken out in support of the immigrants' cause.

While Interior Secretary Carlos Abascal said Monday that "Mexico is a country with a clear, defined and generous policy toward migrants," the nation of 105 million has legalized only 15,000 immigrants in the past five years, and many undocumented migrants who are detained are deported.

Although Mexico objects to U.S. authorities detaining Mexican immigrants, police and soldiers usually cause the most trouble for migrants in Mexico, even though they aren't technically authorized to enforce immigration laws.

And while Mexicans denounce the criminalization of their citizens living without papers in the United States, Mexican law classifies undocumented immigration as a felony punishable by up to two years in prison, although deportation is more common.


(Mug tip to Wizbang.)

###



Related: My Mexican Immigration Law post and Some Random Illegal Thoughts.

Monday, April 17, 2006

45th Anniversary: La Brigada Asalto 2506

And the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Val Prieto & co. at Babalu Blog (where else?) has it covered:
My father in law was a member of La Brigada 2506 and fought in the Bay of Pigs in what was called Operation Mongoose by the US Government. He has a million stories to tell, everything from the moment he decided to join La Brigada and fight for the freedom of Cuba, to the training, the embarcation, the invasion, the battle on the beaches, his capture and incarceration and the subsequent torture -- physical and mental -- at the hands of fidel castro, to his release and reunification with his wife and daughter here in the States. My words can do his story no justice, but someday it will be told. Until then, Edgar, Happy Birthday. The following articles are for you and your brothers and sisters in arms to assure you that this generation, our generation, has not and will not forget your sacrifice and love for una Cuba libre.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Mark Steyn on Iran

A perfect metaphor:

You know what's great fun to do if you're on, say, a flight from Chicago to New York and you're getting a little bored? Why not play being President Ahmadinejad? Stand up and yell in a loud voice, "I've got a bomb!" Next thing you know the air marshal will be telling people, "It's OK, folks. Nothing to worry about. He hasn't got a bomb." And then the second marshal would say, "And even if he did have a bomb it's highly unlikely he'd ever use it." And then you threaten to kill the two Jews in row 12 and the stewardess says, "Relax, everyone. That's just a harmless rhetorical flourish." And then a group of passengers in rows 4 to 7 point out, "Yes, but it's entirely reasonable of him to have a bomb given the threatening behavior of the marshals and the cabin crew."

Friday, April 14, 2006

Random Illegal Thoughts

Visiting Permanently and Other Things I Don't Understand, a good post on immigration issues by the good doctor, Dr. Demarche.

I agree that we should secure the border first, then decide what to do about the illegal aliens already here. Why is securing the border controversial?

I have a retired Japanese-born friend who became a naturalized US citizen and made his career here in the US. His oldest son is Japanese, but grew up here, then decided to try Japan out for a while. He wasn't able to fit in there, and so is trying to move back to the US. But since he left the US, he hasn't been able to get a visa to come back. They have applied, and have waited three years already. No telling when his visa will be approved. His entire life is pretty much on hold. But had he just come on a tourist visa and stayed illegally, well, that would be fine, apparently. I'm thinking of counseling him to do so, actually. Why not?

Why can the latino & immigrant communities stage demonstrations with tens of thousands, but there's no group that is organizing counter-demonstrations with tens of thousands? Could such a group be started, and what would it look like? In fact, every interest group out there has an organization or ten, but there's not one for your basic American citizen. At least, not one I know of. Organization counts; a small, strident group can have more impact than a large, quiet one. I'm tired of being in a quiet group.

Signs and slogans for a good border security / anti-illegal immigration rally:

Why are YOU above the law? (maybe written over an image of the Mexican flag?)

Amnesty = Injustice

Justice for Law-Abiding People

Say 'NO!' to the Reconquistadores!

I (heart) *LEGAL* Immigrants!

Thank You *LEGAL* Immigrants!

What's wrong with illegal immigrants? What's wrong with vigilantes?

*Border Security
*Easier Immigration
*NO Amnesty

Don't break into my home at night, then ask me to feed you breakfast.

Want more crime? Reward it!

We Are Either
A Nation of Laws
- Or -
A Lawless Nation

A quiet, law-abiding group of links:

Protesting, A Job for Immigrants?
Reconquistadores
A little bit of agitation at Michelle Malkin's
Why so many US flags?
Big Instapundit roundup

Feel free to add your own slogans and links, and comments of course, in the comments.