Finally, a democrat who seems to get it when it comes to Border Security

During the latest amnesty travesty, Senator Mark Pryor wrote the following preceding the vote for cloture:

June 7, 2007
Press Release

Pryor: The Senate Can Do Better To Fix Our Immigration System

The immigration system we have on the books right now is broken. I am for immigration reform that is tough, fair and realistic. Tough means strengthening border control and enforcement efforts. Fair means fair on taxpayers. Realistic means restoring the rule of law and fixing the immigration system once and for all. Unfortunately, this bill fails this test.

I want immigration reform that is good for Arkansas.  I believe a comprehensive approach with strong enforcement mechanisms can work, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates that this proposal will only reduce annual illegal immigration by 25%. We can do better, and I will continue working with my colleagues to do just that.    

Meanwhile, President Bush can and should immediately step up border enforcement and crack down on companies who employ illegal immigrants.  Since he came into office, enforcement of immigration law is down 30 percent.

http://www.senate.gov/~pryor/newsroom/details.cfm?id=277684

Senator Pryor ended up voting against shamnesty at the end of June, proceeding the flood of phone calls he recieved from Arkansans who told him “no”.  Instead of blaming talk radio and the “bigots” on the far right like several Republicans did, he got the message, at least in word, and put out the latest press release:

June 28, 2007
Press Release

Statement by Senator Mark Pryor On Immigration

We must reform our nation’s broken immigration system with tough, fair and realistic legislation.  I voted against the President’s immigration plan today because the border security and enforcement measures are inadequate and the bill fails to effectively address the individuals who are already here illegally. We should not pass a plan the Congressional Budget Office estimates will only reduce annual illegal immigration by 25 percent. 

The Senate has now failed to pass immigration reform for the third time. It’s time for a new approach. I advocate that we strengthen and implement the enforcement measures in this bill and show we can fully enforce immigration laws. As the Senate works behind the scenes to draft a stronger and more sensible bill, President Bush can and should take immediate steps to enforce the laws already on the books. He can do better, and so can the Senate.

http://www.senate.gov/~pryor/newsroom/details.cfm?id=277995

 I recieved the extended version of this message in a one and a half page type written letter from his office after I returned home from vacation in Florida in the middle of July.  I applaud Senator Mark Pryor for the courage to stand against the president and even the leaders in his own party, and stand for America with this vote.  It takes courage to vote your convictions.  It takes even more courage to boldly proclaim the flaws with a bill that the president and leaders in your own party supported.  But, the real test of courage will come when he puts those bold proclamations into the form of a bill with his name on it that he votes for.  Proclamations like, ” It’s time for a new approach. I advocate that we strengthen and implement the enforcement measures in this bill and show we can fully enforce immigration laws.”  Here is the extended part of that statement which was left out of his press release, but put in the letter sent to me from his office:  “We must restore the integrity of our laws and the trust of our citizens”.  That is so correct and crucial to understanding why America rebelled against this bill, it is kind of surprising to me that he left it out of the public statement.  Regardless of that, I look forward to seeing the Pryor Immigration Bill which would mandate border security, fully fund it, mandate that the fence be built in the next two years, crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants, and mandate that no amnesty will occur until these benchmarks have been met and maintained for at least 10 years.  Remember, it is about restoring the integrity of our laws and the trust of our citizens. 

 I also look forward to a bill that keeps our government from playing games with the lives of those who come here legally and do things the right way, even pass the citizenship test, and are still not citizens.  It is unfair and unjust, and an abomination that we have allowed this kind of abuse to occur.  I look forward to seeing a bill from Senator Pryor that addresses this issue and more.  I look forward to a bill which makes English the official language of the United States of America.  Senator Pryor, if you truly want to restore confidence and trust in our government, I believe these suggestions would be a good start.  Please let me know when you introduce your bill doing these things so I can really get excited about it and work to build support for it.  Don’t just play political games and talk a good talk.  Take a stand for America and walk the walk.

A Time for Choosing

Recently, I recieved am e-mail from Mike Duncan imploring me to “Stop Hillary” and send money to the GOP.  Quite frankly, as a staunch conservative, if I didn’t have to spend my time trying to stop the Republicans all the time, perhaps I would see an urgent need to stop Hillary.  We have a president who, with the help of several liberal Republican Senators and House members, attempted to shove amnesty down our throats when America has clearly spoken that they want to see action on border enforcement first.  No more talk.  Show that you really mean it when you say that you want to secure our nation instead of selling out our national security to big business and the ILLEGAL immigrant voters you are hoping to get on your side.  When America has the gall to call in and tell them no, we are called bigots and told that we are going to be shut up by the likes of Trent Lott.  Not long after that comes talk of the Fairness Doctrine.  My guess is that Democrats and Republicans alike don’t like to actually hear from regular Americans, so they have to silence on of the greatest sounding boards we have, Talk Radio.  It is the Republicans who have spent money like drunken democrats on making the intrusion of big government even bigger on public education, taking even further control away from the local communities.  They do this all in the name of “bi-partisanship”.  We didn’t elect Republicans to be bi-partisan.  If we wanted that, we would have just elected Democrats.  We elected you to be different.  But, in your attempts to attracted new, liberal voters in the party of the “big tent”, you seem to have lost sight of that.  John McCain sponsored the McCain Feingold bill limiting free speech.  This ought not be in the party that claims to honor the sacrifices of those who died for our freedoms of speech.  The top three candidates in the Republican Primary right now include people who are pro-choice, pro gay rights, pro-amnesty, pro-suppression of free speech, and then there is Romney, who is the GOP Kerry who will say anything he needs to get elected.  First he was pro-choice, and now that he is running for president, he is converted to the pro-life position.  I am not a big fan of Huckabee, but he has a good point when he says he is skeptical of someone who finds religion and becomes pro-life in the middle of a presidential campaign.  So, as a representative of the pro-life, anti-gay rights, “bigoted Christian extremist” wing of your party, let me tell you, I will not send one more penny to you as long as this is what the party is all about.  If you want to continue to embrace the left while limiting the free speech rights of all Americans and making personal attacks against those of us you claimed you cared about…the Religious Conservatives, then be prepared to be in the minority for a good long time.  Anything but Hillary slogans are not going to work this time, especially when the top three candidates so far:  Gulliani, McCain, and Romney aren’t that much different.  The only substantive difference there is on the war on terror.  If the president continues to act in an appeasement fashion on this issue, and doesn’t stop tying the hands of our troops and doesn’t follow the advice of Micheal Scheuer on how to win the war, that issue isn’t going to help much either.  Our nation is falling into liberalism and you guys are trying to get along with them instead of standing on conviction, showing some passion and fighting for the conservative causes.  In the words of Reagan when he became a Republican, “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party.  The Party left me”.  There are many of us who are almost ready to say the same of the GOP.  The unfortunate thing is there is no good alternative right now, excpet to be independent and vote our conscience and suffer with whatever happens.  Believe me, this will not only be bad for us, but will politically cripple the Republican Party as well.  It may be a “Time for Choosing” for us as well.  These same people are also ready and willing, and eager for the GOP to rid itself of liberalism and stop the bi-partisan grandstanding and the ridicule of your base and once again, join the party of the Reagan Conservatives and stand against the tide of liberalism and show us that there really is a difference between the two parties.  I guess this is going to be a “Time For Choosing” not only for me and many people like me, but also for you and the party.  Do you want to get serious about national and border security and build a fence (not just say you’re going to) and crack down on employers who hire the illegal slave labor?  Do you want to get serious about winning the war on terror and stop tying the hands of our soldiers with ridicilous rules of engagement meant to make the Europeans and Liberals feel better about us when they long for our defeat?  Do you want to give back local control of education and end this liberal idea of NCLB that somehow if a teacher pushes the right button, magically, all children will want to learn?  Do you want to take a stand against the fairness doctrine and the campaign facist reform agaionst free speech?  Do you want to present a candidate for president who really is different than Hillary like Tom Tancredo or Fred Thompson?  Or do you want to continue to call those of us who want border security (and no just in name only) bigots and try to shut us up, continue to play paddy cakes with the war on terror, inflate the beauracracy of the failed philosophy of NCLB, and continue to get me to fund candidates I can’t support while trying to scare me with Hillary?  If the latter, please save your time, money, and energy and just merge with the Democrats, because it isn’t working with me anymore.