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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 8, 2005
/ 29 Shevat, 5765
Getting serious About Illegal Immigration
By
Ruben Navarrette Jr.
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
The American people say they want their leaders to get serious about illegal immigration.
Well then, the American people should set the example. As I look around the country, I don't see much seriousness. More like foolishness.
In Texas, a group of conservative students at a university staged a mock roundup of illegal immigrants in which some of the students wore shirts that said "Illegal Immigrant" and "Catch me if U can," and those who nabbed them were rewarded with candy bars.
Insisting that illegal immigration hurts the economy (and thereby demonstrating that they need to take more economics courses), the students said the stunt was intended to sound the alarm for tougher enforcement of federal immigration laws. They also criticized the immigration reform plan being proposed by President Bush, a conservative the young conservatives apparently believe isn't conservative enough on this issue.
In Arizona, more than 200 people have signed up for the "Minutemen Project," a civilian posse planning to head for the Arizona-Mexico border this spring to help the U.S. Border Patrol block the entry of illegal immigrants. Insisting that they are not vigilantes, project organizers say the response has been encouraging and that volunteers are coming from 36 states. Not bad for an effort that has run afoul of the Border Patrol. A spokesman says the agency frowns on civilians taking the law into their own hands. So does the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups. A spokeswoman for the center says it is monitoring the Minutemen Project after seeing "a lot of interest" in the project on neo-Nazi Web sites.
Is this a great country, or what? Conservative college students put their ignorance on display by oversimplifying a complicated debate. Meanwhile, a bunch of yahoos plan an "immigrant-palooza" that could turn into a hoedown for bigots.
How appropriate given that much of the hostility to illegal immigrants is rooted in racism. If those streaming across the border had light skin, blue eyes and spoke English, I suspect there wouldn't be such an uproar even if they were coming illegally.
Even President Bush can't seem to be serious or realistic in how he goes about grabbing hold of the thorny issue of illegal immigration. Much of what Bush proposes sounds reasonable: increasing the government's allotment of green cards; creating a national registry where U.S. employers could post job openings which, if not applied for by Americans, could be filled by additional allotments of guest workers; and establishing 401(k)-style savings accounts where these workers could deposit earnings for them to tap into when they return to their home countries.
Far less reasonable is Bush's plan to grant temporary work visas to millions of illegal immigrants already here. Under the president's plan, people who once could be deported would be at least for a period of three years undeportable. I don't care what the administration says, that's amnesty with a capital "A."
Nor is there much that's reasonable about the open-border rhetoric the president often slips into in promoting his plan. He did it in the State of the Union address when he said, to scattered applause: "We should not be content with laws that punish hardworking people who want only to provide for their families." He also did it at a Dec. 20 news conference where he seemed to say that the Border Patrol should turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants and concentrate on apprehending "crooks and thieves and drug runners and terrorists, not good-hearted people who are coming here to work."
Wow. These may well be "good-hearted people who are coming here to work." But if they come illegally, they're also lawbreakers. The answer isn't for law enforcement officers to ignore them and focus on more dangerous criminals.
If that's the way we're going to play it, then why have a Border Patrol at all or immigration laws for that matter? Why not just open the border and welcome anyone who comes to the United States to work?
By even suggesting as much, President Bush detracts from the debate, just as surely as those behind the immigrant hunt and the Arizona Minutemen.
The immigration debate has been spoiled by the extremes. We've seen enough theatrics and had our fill of pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. What we need now is a serious discussion one that recognizes the right of the United States to protect the sovereignty of its borders and the reality that there will continue to be illegal immigrants as long as Americans continue to hire them.
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01/21/05: Where does the money go?
01/18/05: Latinos are own worst enemy
01/13/05: Keeping the score on Gonzales
01/10/05: Parents on Strike
© 2005 WPWG
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