Friday, February 29, 2008

The Me-trick-you-HA card

An AFLA supporter sent us this snapshot of an Elgin car dealership. The thing that caught my eye was the fact that they are touting the “Matricula Consular” card to attract business.

The Matricula card is issued by the Mexican government. They go around the country (sometimes using our public schools as gathering places) and hand these cards out to their citizens.

Now, the interesting thing is that if you have a valid passport with an unexpired visa you do not need a Matricula card. If you have a green card issued by the United States, you do not need a Matricula card.

The only people who need Matricula cards are illegal aliens. Read this congressional testimony by the FBI to understand the problems with the Matricula Consular cards:

http://www.fbi.gov/congress/congress03/mccraw062603.htm

So, why is a car dealer soliciting business this way? Maybe he doesn’t know enough about the Matricula Consular card. Maybe he knows and doesn’t care, because a buck is a buck, even if it comes out of the wallet of an illegal alien.

And why on earth would anyone extend credit to someone who doesn't have lawful presence in the United States? I suppose if you jack up the interest rate to cover your losses you'd be OK, but at some point you hit a limit.

And I suppose if you've got some loans out and you are selling cars to these people, you'd become an advocate for amnesty rather than enforcement. You can't have the government deporting your debtors! It's crazy.

I’ll send a copy of this to the dealership and let you know if I get a response.

As of Tuesday, the banner is gone. I drove by tonight. There could be lots of reasons. The dealership took it down because of complaints from customers. Or the city made them take it down until they have a permit for it. Or it was taken down because of high winds. Or they only fly it during promotions.

Whatever the reason...it is gone.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Elgin's priorities

You read about my “violation” in the eyes of our fair city (see post below). Here’s a photo of my unpaved driveway apron.



Now here’s a photo of a situation just two blocks from my home on a busy street. The address is 619 Hiawatha. Note the fine parking situation. But there is more. TWO MORE CARS are parked on the street. (I was unable to get them all in one picture.) When the snow ban goes into effect, they park the other two cars on the sidewalk, parallel to the street. How do I know so much about this place? Because I drive past it every morning on my way to work.




But that’s OK. We’ve got to stomp on a 20 year resident for having a gravel apron next to his driveway, but loading up a duplex with seven or eight cars is OK because we can’t do anything about that. The feds won’t let us. We’ll get sued.

I’ve heard it all before.

There is something wrong with this picture and some how, some way, some day our government is going to get the message.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Elgin strikes again

I suppose I should learn to keep my mouth shut. (Fat chance of that, you say.)

One of the things that attracted us to our home when we moved to Elgin in 1988 was the beautiful Zen garden on the east side of the property. It was just a patch of gravel to some, but to us it was a place for silent reflection before we got in the car in the morning and headed off to work.

Here's a picture of a Zen garden in Japan, just so you know. One man's parking apron is another man's garden.










Many a visitor was able to use my garden as a place to pray for safety as they turned their car around before venturing out into traffic on the four lane highway at the end of my driveway. Route 58 can be a challenge, especially when the cars are coming at you at 45 miles an hour. My timid friends always turned around in the gravel garden so they were at least entering headlights first on to 58.

But alas, someone (with the purest of motives, I'm sure) called the city to complain and the inspector came out to determine that I had unpaved parking. (I’m not sure how he could tell under all the snow and ice but he said it was gravel, and gravel is not permitted for an apron next to the driveway even if it was that way when I bought the house in 1988.)

Elgin cannot make room for this Asian diversity. They are stifling my religious expression by making me take out this gravel meditation garden. They must have a problem with this brand of multiculturalism. And Elgin doesn’t have an Asian Outreach Worker on the payroll.

But I try to obey the law. When the weather breaks I will get rid of the gravel and plant grass. But I will also be more careful to notice other problems in town. Like the lights at the ball field …or the noise from the PA system…or the height of the fence… or interference from the cell tower…or the lack of city maintenance clearing the sidewalk next to the baseball field…or when they dig up the sod when they do plow the walk…or when the city lawnmower cuts the sod off the right-of-way…or when they don’t trim the weeds around the poles…or the fact that they dug up my sidewalk and didn’t replace it yet…or the street light that has been dark on my street for months (that would be a State question, I will be told)…or the damaged utility pole at Preston and Summit that was mended but not replaced last year…or people drinking in the park…or the noisy cars…or the noisy dogs…or the loud music…or cars speeding down Summit Street……

Like for instance, every day I drive up Hiawatha and notice seven cars parked out in front of the duplex on the corner of Hiawatha and Jefferson. Today, one of the cars was parked sideways on the sidewalk because of the snow parking ban. Otherwise, every night there are three cars parked on the street. And that duplex isn’t that big.

I hesitate to call it in because I’ve reported a guy in my neighborhood parking on his patio with one car and parking the other on patio stones set in the grass on his lawn. Three times I told them about it. Nothing has changed.

The city has made it clear; they don’t like my kind of people around here. If only I can get a job somewhere else and sell my house, our four-bedroom place will become home to a family and their four “cousins” and their families. That will be much better for Elgin, don’t you think?

Maybe the city will buy it for a halfway house and put me out of my misery. (For you literalists out there, it is not really a Zen garden.)



Friday, February 22, 2008

In loco parentis

We are very serious about the responsibilities of the state when it comes to our children. Shootings on college campuses, cases of teachers using duct tape to restrain students, and sexual relationships between students and teachers are all in the news far too often. And we are very careful to impose stiff sentences when drug and gang activity are detected near a school. And sex offenders are kept far away from school children.

The Fox River Grove train accident in October of 1995 is an example of our resolve to keep kids safe. Seven students died on the school bus that morning when the bus driver, thinking she was driving a shorter bus, drove across the tracks and stopped at an intersection. The back of the bus was struck by a passenger train.

As a result, railroad crossings throughout Illinois (and much of the United States) were redesigned to prevent another accident. Millions of dollars were spent in changing the timing of the lights, painting hashmarks on the pavement, adding signs to indicate the amount of clearance between the tracks and the stop line, and changing the speed limit of the trains.

All this effort could not stop illegal alien Epifania Alvarez from killing her two sisters and infant nephew at an “improved” Elgin railroad crossing in December of 2006.

And now we have another opportunity to spend millions of dollars in memory of children killed on a school bus. In Cottonwood Minnesota this week, four children were killed when an illegal alien ran a stop sign and t-boned a school bus that subsequently tipped over.

This illegal alien was arrested in 2006 for driving without a license, but nothing was done about her unlawful presence in the United States. She carries a Minnesota Identification Card. As recently as January of this year she was working at a Hormel turkey processing plant as though she had a right to work here.

Perhaps now we will get serious about illegal aliens in this country. Perhaps now we will spend millions of dollars to identify and deport them rather than praise them. Perhaps now cities like Chicago and Minneapolis will rescind their sanctuary status. Perhaps now it will take something less than eight DUI convictions before Immigration will even respond to requests for deportation.

Then again, illegal aliens are a protected class and chances are this will be quietly swept under the rug as irrelevant. It’s funny how we can be selective about in loco parentis.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

A nutty problem

Sorry for the length of this post, but government problems can be rather complicated.

The papers carried a news item today about a woman arrested at the Fisher Nut plant in Elgin. She was using someone else’s identity and the problem was traced back to her at work.

Lot’s of things have to work right in order for someone to get caught.
1) The IRS has to give you enough detail to investigate
2) The local police have to be willing to help the victim
3) The police on the other end have to take action
4) Prosecutors and judges have to take it seriously

Doug’s experience with ID theft has not been so pleasant. When we filed our taxes a year ago we were told by the IRS that Mrs. Heaton’s SSN had already been used to file taxes by someone else. The burden was on US to prove who we were, although we’ve been filing jointly for 31 years!

And logically, we wanted some details from the IRS about who was using her identity and where. There was no way the IRS was going to tell us. But maybe they would tell our local police.

So, we contacted the Elgin Police Department. They told us to request a Social Security earnings report and look for suspicious earnings. The only trouble with that suggestion is that it takes FIVE WEEKS to receive that information, and when it came 2006 earnings had not yet been posted. (This was JUNE, mind you.)

So we got the report and called the Elgin Police again. They didn’t want to take the report because we couldn’t prove any loss. We tried to explain that we wanted a report on file so the IRS would release information to them. The “loss” may not show up for years, but someone is using my wife’s Social Security number. This is a problem. They didn’t get it, but finally in September they agreed to register a complaint so we have a case number.

Part of the ID theft problem is that the victims do all the work and elected officials pay lip service, but when it comes to enforcement you have to show a loss before anyone will do anything.

And when you do catch someone the judges and prosecutors are such fools that they set a low bond and the people disappear.

AFLA wants our government to protect us. That’s what we elect them for and pay them to do. Specifically:
The city – Become an example and an educator to local businesses (as explained in our link to the AFLA website: http://www.legalamericans.net/cnSSN.html )
The police – Cooperate with citizens who want to file a complaint
The police – Investigate and file charges (Good work at Fisher Nuts, guys!)
The police – Identify immigration status and notify ICE
The States Attorney – Recognize flight risk and recommend high bail
The judges – Go beyond admonishing the defendant and involve ICE
The County Clerk – Fix the voter registration loopholes

We’ve got proof that Kane County States Attorney doesn’t have a clue about the seriousness of this problem, as explained in this news item from October:
Man pleads guilty to identity theft
By Harry Hitzeman Daily Herald Staff
Published: 10/22/2007 11:25 PM
A Carpentersville man was sentenced to two years' probation after pleading guilty Monday to identify theft.
Felipe Osornio, 29, of 812 Monroe Ave., faced up to 30 years in prison for using a stolen Social Security number of a California teen to take out a $173,000 mortgage on his home, a car loan, open several credit card accounts and sign a wireless phone contract.
Osornio was up for a jury trial in Kane County but agreed to less serious identity theft charges instead.
If he violates probation, prosecutors could push for a five-year prison term. Osornio also must notify all of the victim's creditors that he borrowed money using her information.
Osornio was arrested and charged in February. Because he is an illegal immigrant, he could be deported because of the felony conviction.
It was unclear whether authorities planned to pursue that course of action.

Authorities began investigating earlier this year after the victim, then 19, went to get a wireless phone and a sales clerk asked why she wanted a second one.
Police learned the victim's information had been used since she was 14. Carpentersville police said they tracked the lead to Osornio, who used his own name when he set up the accounts and paid his bills.
Assistant State's Attorney Brian Mirandola said Osornio does not have to pay restitution because the victim did not suffer any out-of-pocket expenses.
"(The defendant) did it basically to live, to work, to get a house and car loan," said Mirandola, who added: "I think it's a fair disposition (of the case)."

Or this one from November:
Woman charged in identity theft
By Gene Haschak Daily Herald Staff
Published: 11/7/2007 12:18 AM
A 30-year-old McHenry woman was charged Monday with identity theft, accused of stealing someone's personal information to get a job, Carpentersville police said.
Adriana E. Campos of 1615 Knoll Ave. was charged with possession of fraudulent identification and financial identity theft, police said.
A 34-year-old Belvidere woman recently contacted Carpentersville police after she got a bill for more than $300 from the Internal Revenue Service for nonreported earnings from Trim Rite Industries, 801 Commerce Parkway, Carpentersville.
The victim said she never worked for the company and felt someone was using her identity, police said.
Two detectives went to Trim Rite and recovered a fraudulent resident card given to Trim Rite when Campos started her employment on Oct. 18, 2005, police said.
The detectives then arrested Campos in McHenry. Campos said in court she is not a U.S. citizen and has a 3-year-old child at home.
Furthermore, Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed a hold on her for possible deportation.
Campos was unable to post a $1,500 bond and was taken to the Kane County jail.
Campos' next court date is Nov. 29 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

Or this one, also from December:
Rolling Meadows men accused of identity theft
By Gene Haschak Daily Herald Staff
Published: 12/5/2007 12:34 AM
Two Rolling Meadows roommates were accused Monday of using a Carpentersville man's personal information to get jobs, credit and loans.
Emilio Velazquez-Villa, 30 and Gabriel Fuentes-Garcia, 26, both of 4964 Algonquin Parkway #A, were charged with identity theft, according to court records.
Velazquez-Villa also was charged with two counts of possession of fraudulent identification cards and was wanted on warrants from DuPage and Cook counties, police said.
The victim told police that when he attempted to obtain employment benefits earlier this year, Social Security informed him he was employed at a Woodfield mall restaurant.
When he tried to get a credit card, he was informed he had multiple delinquent accounts totaling more than $17,600, police said.
Velazquez-Villa bought the fraudulent Social Security and resident alien card for $70 eight years ago in Georgia, police said.
Velazquez-Villa used the two cards to get jobs at five different businesses in Schaumburg, police said.
Fuentes-Garcia used the two cards to get a job at a Woodfield mall restaurant because he did not have papers to legally work in this country, police said.
Fuentes-Garcia posted $2,000 bond but was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Tuesday.
Velazquez-Villa was taken to the Kane County jail with a $10,000 bond, but ICE also placed a hold on him.
The two men have scheduled court dates on Dec. 19 at the Kane County Judicial Center.

Or this one from January:
W. Chicago man accused of stealing 11-year-old's ID
By Gene Haschak Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/10/2008 12:23 AM
A West Chicago man Tuesday was accused of stealing an 11-year-old girl's Social Security number nine years ago and using it to buy a house and get a job, among other things, police said.
Police caught the theft when the victim, now 20, tried to collect Social Security benefits and get a cell phone.
Ambrosio DeJesus-Flores, 39, of 133 W. Blair St., was charged with felony identity theft, an offense that could land him in prison for four to 15 years if he is convicted.
During the past nine years, police said, DeJesus-Flores used the Social Security number to secure a $149,000 mortgage on his home, to maintain employment, to receive cellular telephone service, to obtain credit and to register two vehicles.
DeJesus-Flores bought the Social Security number for about $200 nine years ago in Chicago, police said.
The victim, who lives in Carpentersville, learned of the theft recently when she tried to collect benefits from the Social Security Administration and was told she shared the same number as DeJesus-Flores, police said.
She also attempted to open up a cellular phone account and was told someone already started one using her Social Security number.
DeJesus-Flores was being held in the Kane County jail on $15,000 bond with a Jan. 24 court date at the Kane County Judicial Center.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement also put a hold on DeJesus-Flores.

Here’s an article about a case involving 16th Circuit Judge Susan Clancy Boles, the same one who let our Nutty ID Thief out on $4,000 bond (that is $400 in street money). Note she uses the same warning, “This could affect your status in this country,” in both cases. No wonder they run around town without fear! Even in court they aren’t worried!

Carpentersville man is charged in drug raid
By Gene Haschak Daily Herald Staff
Published: 2/10/2008 12:06 AM
Three men were arrested and 37 grams of cocaine were seized at 6:50 p.m. Friday when Carpentersville police entered a home with a search warrant, authorities said.
One of the residents, Gary Lagunis, 24, of 113 Madeira Circle, Carpentersville, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and possession of a controlled substance, according to court records.
Lagunis had been wanted previously on a warrant for charges of Class X felony delivery of a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance, police said.
Two other men in the home were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents; their names haven't been released, police said.
Lagunis said in court Saturday that he was employed in a warehouse, was not on probation or parole and was not a citizen of the United States.
Kane County Judge Susan Clancy Boles said if Lagunis is convicted of any or all of the charges, it might affect his status in this country.
The bonds for the five charges against Lagunis were set at a total of 10 percent of $500,000.
He was unable to post bond and was taken to the Kane County jail.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 22 in the courtroom of Judge Patricia Golden at the Kane County Judicial Center.


Or this information from Jack Cunningham, Kane County Clerk, about voter registration fraud:
Illegal immigrants may be registering to vote
January 24, 2008 Courier News
By DAVID GIALANELLA Staff Writer
It's a question many have asked: Is it possible for an illegal immigrant or a legal noncitizen to end up an illegally registered voter?
It appears the answer is "yes."
"It's a very difficult thing to handle," said Kane County Clerk Jack Cunningham, who is in charge of elections and overseeing voter registration. "We never single out any group. There has to be a presumption that they are citizens unless it's proven otherwise. We, at this level, don't have much control over the issue."
According to a mail-in form provided on the clerk's Web site, voter registration applicants must answer "yes" or "no" to the question: "Are you a citizen of the United States?" Applicants also are given the option to submit a driver's license number or Social Security number, but doing so is not required, according to the form. Either a photo identification or another document -- such as a utility bill or paycheck -- can be submitted, the form states.
In Illinois, the counties hold authority over elections, and different counties handle the responsibility in different ways. For instance, some print their own registration documents, while others enter into contracts with outside companies for the forms.
While it likely butts up against constitutional law to ask for proof of citizenship only from applicants who "appear" to be foreigners, requiring a more stringent process may be only slightly more feasible, Cunningham said.
"You're also talking about staff and money," something he feels his office could use more of.
Though it hasn't been a hot topic in Springfield, illegal immigrants and other noncitizens voting remains a concern, according to one local lawmaker.
"It's absolutely possible, and it's a problem," said Illinois Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin. "I'm not sure how to combat that. I'm open to suggestions."
Even though illegal immigrants and those with temporary visas could fall through cracks in the registration process, Noland said he doesn't believe it's the result of some nefarious effort to get folks to the polls illegally.
One unexpected problem arose with Illinois' "motor voter" program, whereby some driver's license applicants accidentally were handed voter registration materials at the same time, Cunningham and Noland said.
Immigrants with temporary visas are given temporary Social Security numbers, so some can drive legally, but none can vote legally. While documented noncitizens can obtain licenses legally, illegal immigrants cannot because a Social Security number must be provided, a spokeswoman from the Illinois Secretary of State's Office said.
"They're not even attempting to do it," Noland said of noncitizens who end up on the county's voter rolls. "It's not like they made the attempt to become voters."
Still, a "series of bills" is needed to add more statewide safeguards, Noland said.
"There's got to be some strong indication that you are indeed a citizen," Noland said. "I don't have a problem with that."
According to Cunningham, just because not every registrant is asked to show a passport, it doesn't mean his office isn't keeping an eye out for suspicious entries on the county's master list of registered voters.
While errors can be made, Cunningham said he's not too concerned. But one thing is for sure, he said: it's a divisive issue.
"I'm very concerned that everyone who's on our list is legal," Cunningham said. "I don't think in Kane County it's a particular problem at this point. We have groups that come in and say it is, and we have groups that say it isn't. It's a very difficult issue."

Well, Mr. Cunningham, why don’t you at least answer our e-mails. There might be an idea or two for you to consider to get a handle on this problem.

The bottom line is that government at all levels has proven they have turned the asylum over to the inmates. AFLA wants to talk about it and EXPOSE every foolish example of inept government. Please contact these agencies and write to the papers.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

No answer

It is time to make a list of elected officials who never call you back. In fact, they never acknowledge that you even exist. Of course, they allow themselves the liberty of making campaign phone calls (a la telemarketing) to tell you what great people they are, but you really only matter to them one day during their term.

Lisa Madigan, Attorney General – I sent her a request way back in August to consider an action similar to that of the Attorney General in New Jersey. No reply, even after three follow-up e-mails.

Rodney Blagojevich, Governor – After no response from Madigan I used his on-line form to request that his office get an answer for me. No reply.

Pat Perez, Kane County Sheriff – I sent him an e-mail asking about alien screening and requesting that he post immigration status on the inmate registry. No reply. I have sent six follow-up requests for the same information.

Jack Cunningham, Kane County Clerk – I sent him an e-mail regarding the problem of loose rules for voter registration. It has been three weeks.

Dan White, State Board of Elections – I e-mailed him and the rest of the board at the same time I did Cunningham. No answer there either.

Patricia Reid Lindner, State Rep – Can’t even acknowledge receipt of a book I sent her.

Brent Hassert, State Rep – Can’t even acknowledge receipt of a book I sent him.

Ron Stephens, State Rep - Can’t even acknowledge receipt of a book I sent him.

Dan Rutherford, State Sen – Can’t even acknowledge receipt of a book I sent him.

In case you haven’t noticed, some of our elected leaders make it harder to contact them. Instead of just giving you an e-mail address, they require you to fill out a form and submit it to them.

Other elected officials have taken the approach, “Never put it in writing, and NEVER over the Internet.” People like us who aren’t afraid to broadcast responses are the reason. It limits their wiggle room.

But I think if an elected official isn’t willing to stand behind his decision and give a rational reason for it, he isn’t doing his job. No wonder approval ratings are in the toilet.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Our meeting with Noland

E-mail sent by Doug Heaton to State Senator Mike Noland on January 27, 2007:

Dear Senator Noland:

DRAFT OF COMMENTS ABOUT OUR MEETING January 26, 2008
Would you care to comment or make corrections prior to publication?

I suppose that our meeting with Senator Noland was a bit of a disappointment to me. It began innocently enough with a statement by Noland that he wanted to see what we wanted to discuss and he would make comments at the end.

We began by bringing out some of the comment cards and petition sheets. We had found that elected officials from the city (three in all) were very impressed to read a sampling of them. They could tell that these people were concerned, but level-headed constituents.

Dave White handed him two large stacks with the comment, “I don’t expect for you to read them all but you might like to take a look at some of them to get a feel for the passion people have on this issue.”

Noland thumbed through the stack but didn’t take much time to read them.

I believe I launched into the next phase of the presentation too quickly. It was mostly background information I thought we could all agree on. The Pew Hispanic Center selected data on how many illegal aliens, their characteristics, and an interesting analysis of voting patterns.

Somewhere in the middle of that presentation, Noland said he thought it was important to interrupt and make comments. Fine with me.

His comments wound their way through the issue of low Hispanic voter turn-out… to wanting some sort of verification of the 3,000 people AFLA claims to have… to his personal experience regarding illegal aliens without licenses and how they clog the Elgin courts and cost us all money.

Dave White asked him some pointed questions about upholding the law first before making exceptions for illegal aliens, only to be told by Noland that immigration violations are only civil in nature. I challenged that statement based on a report by the Congressional Research Service which I could not cite and did not have with me. I offered to research it and get him a copy but Noland moved on without comment or answer.

Gini brought up the issue of getting a license then canceling the insurance policy. I reminded Noland of previous correspondence from me about the lack of enforcement at the SOS regarding insurance and plate renewal.

I retrieved our 200 page book on state initiatives and placed it on his desk. I opened it to a section about driving certificates and proceeded to tell him that Oklahoma had passed legislation regarding on-line access to valid car insurance policies.

Gini then talked about her personal experiences with two car accidents involving uninsured motorists.

After a few more minutes of Noland explaining his position on driving certificates and warning us to keep LULAC and his wife out of comments regarding his position, Dave White collected the petitions and comment cards and left the meeting in disgust.

Gini and I remained in hopes of presenting the book to him.

Noland went back to his original request that he be given some of the AFLA petitions and cards so he could extract a sample of 300 or so, make sure they were registered voters, and make calls to perhaps 100 of them to make sure they understood what they were asking and how much it costs.

I explained that these petitions and cards were specific to the city issues and were never presented to the city council. Nor were they “referendum quality”. I also explained that I don’t have permission to share their information with him.

I offered to have these people contact his office directly if they so chose. He was firm in wanting our original data. I told him that I did not have the authority to promise that.

As for accepting our book of state initiatives, he refused until such time as he received the AFLA supporter list. At one point he agreed to accept it if I could get that list by Monday.

Gini went back to her notes to attempt to salvage something from our meeting. She said she heard him say during the discussion:
He is in favor of driving certificates for illegals
He opposes amnesty
He believes the federal government should enforce the immigration laws
He believes that one day we will build a fence once we are willing to pay for it, suggesting that the funding was an issue with the people.
(Parenthetically, this is politician view. The withdrawal of funding this year and last was due to quiet political maneuvering at the end of the year, not some public outcry, protest, or contact blitz. The people wanted it and were expecting it. No protests were lodged about the costs during the budget approval process. It is another example of politicians doing what they want rather than carrying out what they voted to do.)

That discussion went through several twists and turns with him feeling he’d given a definitive answer and us feeling confused.

I left the meeting wondering if all the groups he entertains are subjected to the same scrutiny of supporter lists (let him pick a 10% sample, check voter registration records, and call 100 people to talk through the issue).

I’ve been in such meetings before. This is the most adversarial I have ever attended. Typically, we would present our information, the elected official would discuss his past voting record, and the request would be left with them for study without comment or promise. I would characterize this meeting with Noland as akin to approaching the altar of the Wizard of Oz.

Now, about direct answers to questions, Noland warned us not to draw conclusions about his position simply because his wife is the LULAC chapter president. And he repeated what he had said before…something like, “Don’t assume that I share my wife’s views on this issue.” Parsing of words is commonplace in his profession as a politician. Excuse me if I continue to wonder why he didn’t say, “My wife and I disagree as to what should be done about illegal aliens.”

Here in Illinois we are a tad sensitive about the perceived incestuous relationship between state government and the Latino activist group, ICIRR. Forgive us for being suspicious of close associations and the potential for conflict of interest. Of course, the only way to eliminate all appearance of evil would be for her to resign her position.

Noland made the comment that he works for the voters, that he was hired by the people to do this job. He is the second politician in as many months to make that statement to me. That one is really hard to swallow from any politician these days, and Noland is no exception.

Follow the money. (A note here: Noland is not a special case here. They all seem to have this problem to one degree or another.)

Here are Noland’s main contributors:
He raised $627,000 in his 2006 campaign.
70% came from one source, the Illinois Democratic Party
18% came from labor unions
4% came from a pro-abortion group

Only $20,000 out of $627,000 even came from zip codes in the 22nd district.
Individuals (the people who “hired” him) only contributed $9,775.
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/StateGlance/candidate.phtml?si=200614&c=417361
Verified against state records at: http://www.elections.il.gov/CampaignDisclosure/D2Semi.aspx?id=335469

Based on what we all saw in Springfield last year, we are simply not buying any politician’s quaint “I work for you” speeches. And when constituents have to jump through hoops to get a state senator to even agree to review our recommendations we have even less regard for that statement.

In the end I left no documents behind. The book was costly to produce and would be put to better use by an elected official who actually wants some background on the matter.

Sincerely,
Doug Heaton

On January 27th, Noland wrote back about my report, saying:
“Be sure to publish this as well: Though disappointed, I’m not surprised. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt in calling for our meeting. I should have known you would take what conversation we had and twist it to suit your needs. You should be ashamed. Publish this as you chose but I am not going to engage in a tit for tat rehash of our conversation. You are welcome to leave any information you wish for me at my office to review and I will look at it.”

Also on January 27th, I responded back to Noland, saying:
Feel free to take any "spin" out of my message, Senator.
Doug Heaton

I did not receive a response from him. I did see him at my polling place on election day (he was a poll watcher) and he said he’d be glad to take a look at any information I wanted to send him. My opinion is that if I wanted to give a copy of our $20 book to LULAC or SOAP, I would do so. I originally offered it because he is MY state senator, but the resources are better spent on those who are willing readers.
Doug

Saturday, February 9, 2008

All politics is "LOCAL"



















Photo of SEIU involvement in a protest rally

The man selected by President Bush to run Homeland Security (including Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is Michael Chertoff. He did an interview with ABC back in October and explained what happens whenever the government starts to enforce immigration laws. Here’s what he said:

“I think what the public may come to see is that for many years the way we dealt with the illegal immigration issue was, we paid political lip service to toughness, but then a variety of groups - whether it be business, or labor, or advocacy groups - essentially frustrated the actual enforcement of the law.” Michael Chertoff on ABC News 10/4/2007

He talks specifically about three groups that howl whenever they enforce the law; Business, labor, and advocacy groups.

So here’s the dirt on SOAP, the local group claiming to be so concerned about prejudice in Elgin. SOAP Co-chairman Arnoldo Fabela actually qualifies to wear two of those hats Chertoff complained about. He is a paid union organizer for SEIU Local #1 (Service Employees International Union). He also led the march in Elgin on May 1, 2006 when illegal aliens protested for their “rights”. He also was one of the 42-mile march leaders on Labor Day. When Fabela marched from Chinatown to Hastert’s office, Fabela told reporters, “This is definitely about winning a path to citizenship for millions of people.”

Even La Raza Chicago praised Arnoldo for his efforts.

I think we can safely say that Fabela is pro-illegal alien. We are left to wonder if he is being paid overtime by the union to organize SOAP or if this busman’s holiday is a labor of love.

So, Mr. Chertoff, we have begun the process of cracking down on illegal aliens in Elgin, and the unions and advocacy groups have arrived to complain. Let’s hope our elected officials have the resolve to press forward. SEIU throws around lots of campaign cash, so the city council may need some encouragement from the voters about now.

Friday, February 8, 2008

NOT AFLA

Important!
We read in the paper this morning that a local group required police protection for one of their meetings due to "people who threatened to picket outside of the meeting, or attend the meeting with the objective of disturbing the proceedings."

AFLA does not approve of such tactics. We cherish our rights to free speech and assembly. We do not condone confrontation.

Gratefully, it appears those calls were idle threats since there were no published reports of problems.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Another letter from an immigration lawyer

A Daily Herald letter to the editor…

Ask lawmakers to make immigration law just

A U.S. citizen can sponsor a spouse or parent for permanent residence who entered without permission only after that family member stays outside the U.S for 10 years. That is the law.

An employer who wants to legally hire a foreign national must wait a minimum of five years, after having proven that it was unable to find qualified U.S. workers through a rigid Department of Labor process.

A U.S. citizen who wishes to sponsor a sibling or child 21 years or older must wait up to 15 years. A lawful permanent resident who wishes to sponsor a minor child or spouse must wait up to eight years. And add a 10-year wait outside the U.S. to all of those lines if that person has spent more than one year in the U.S. without permission. Those also are the laws.

And if you haven't figured it out yet, Ellis Island is now a museum, not an entry point for those wishing to do it the legal way, as in years past.

Those who say their grandparents came here legally, or that those here should do it the right way, should take a moment to understand how our legal process actually works or, perhaps better said, how it doesn't, and how it differs dramatically from years past.

Perhaps they should stop to think that maybe our current laws and lack of a workable immigration policy are the reasons why we have so many people here without permission and should be changed to comport to reality.

Years ago, it was the law for blacks and whites to attend different schools and use different bathrooms, Years ago, only white men could legally vote. It is only thanks to the hard work of those who realized the fundamental flaws in these laws and policies that we are the greatest nation on Earth.

We all must work toward what is right, what is fair and what approach provides the best solution to a problem that is dividing our communities.

We are strong today because of our immigrant heritage and our policies toward inclusion, not exclusion. Speak out against prejudice and misinformation, and urge your representatives to support federal immigration reform.

Shirley Sadjadi
Elgin

And here is our response to that:
Ms. Sadjadi,
It is a good thing citizenship is so hard to achieve in this country. Otherwise, you’d be out of a job. (It always amuses me when immigration lawyers, bilingual teachers and directors, and Latino studies professors pontificate about discrimination and misinformation. Do they think people won’t see the vested interests of those who make a living off illegal aliens?)

You make a couple of assumptions that need further exploration.
Assumption #1 – America needs more third world immigrants with little education, few skills, and a need for social services. Family unification is a wonderful idea, but there are significant costs involved when these families are overwhelmingly from third world countries.

Assumption #2 – This wave of immigrants wants to assimilate. The numbers do not bear out that assumption. Naturalization rates are about 42% of the foreign-born. At one time (1950) the naturalization rate was near 80%. And don’t be fooled by this latest backlog of citizenship requests. It was created by a pending fee increase, not loyalty to the United States. Also note the pathetic lack of English literacy among the foreign-born today. It is shameful.

Is it good for America to be flooded with low-skill workers? University of Chicago Economist Barry Chiswick says “no”. So does Cornell Professor Vernon Briggs at this link to his Congressional Testimony on real immigration reform:
http://judiciary.house.gov/media/pdfs/Briggs070503.pdf

Yes, we need reform. But it must be reform that benefits the United States of America. Barbara Jordan declared that when her commission on immigration studied the matter in 1994. And surely Shirley, you aren’t suggesting that Barbara Jordan was prejudiced?