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Help Save Maryland Newsletter
Sunday, February 15, 2009 EDITORIAL: Nobles and Knaves -from the
Washington TimesNoble:; Brad Botwin of Help Save Maryland, for his Herculean efforts to force local officials in Montgomery County, Md., to take a more serious approach to dealing with criminal behavior by illegal aliens - efforts which have begun to bear fruit.
For years, elected Montgomery County officials have preened about their "progressive" political views, even making the county an official sanctuary for illegal aliens and banning county employees (most prominently police and corrections officials)) from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. But after several recent arrests of illegal aliens in high-profile murder cases of constituents, local politicians and police realized this sanctuary policy was politically (if not morally) indefensible.
So, last week, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and Police Chief Thomas Manger announced that county police will start providing federal immigration authorities with the names of all suspects they arrest for violent crimes and handgun violations. How darn nice of them.
Other local jurisdictions like neighboring Frederick County, Md. have officers undergo special training on immigration enforcement and turn over the names of illegal immigrants arrested for any crime - violent or otherwise. Mr. Botwin and others ask very sensibly: Why shouldn't illegal aliens arrested for burglary or drug trafficking also be subject to deportation?
And why shouldn't illegal aliens involved in embezzlement, credit-card fraud or receiving stolen goods be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement? And what about hoodlums carrying knives or machetes? (Illegal aliens arrested in the Nov. 1 murder of an honor student on a country transit bus had been arrested on charges linked to carrying a machete and carrying a switchblade.)
The new Montgomery County policy is just a modest step in the right direction, but even this might not have taken place if it weren't for the work of Mr. Botwin, a federal employee who spends much of his free time working to make Montgomery County's policies more sensible.
Last month, his group won a meeting with Mr. Leggett to discuss the county's permissive policies toward illegals - something that would have been unthinkable a year ago. To the extent that the county is making any progress in the right direction, the public can thank Mr. Botwin.
For working to change Montgomery County's absurdly permissive approach toward illegals, Brad Botwin is the Noble of the Week.
Knave:; Mohammed Naji Mohammed, a member of the Iraqi Parliament with the United Iraqi Alliance, who is leading a campaign for a parliamentary resolution requiring the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to seek reparations for Israel's 1981 air strike on Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons facility.
When it comes to arrogance and chutzpah, few politicians anywhere can match Mr. Mohammed, who is demanding billions of dollars in reparations for the June 7, 1981, air strike by Israel against Saddam's Osirik facility - which destroyed the Iraqi dictator's best opportunity to develop nuclear weapons. Israel acted when it did because of reports that the reactor was about to be loaded with nuclear fuel - which would have made it impossible to destroy it without catastrophic nuclear fallout that would have put countless Iraqi civilian lives in danger.
Had Saddam developed nuclear weapons, he would have been in a much stronger position - perhaps strong enough to deter the 1990-91 U.S. military action to liberate Kuwait, and the 2003 invasion that came in response to Saddam's defiance of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions. If Saddam had nuclear weapons, he might have been able to thwart those U.S. military operations - the very military operations that liberated Mohammed and his Shi'ite friends from the Ba'athist ruler's tyranny.
For his arrogance and ingratitude, Mohammed Naji Mohammed is the Knave of the Week. REAL ID & REAL LAWMAKERS WELCOME
Montgomery County Sentinel 2/13/09 The 2009 Legislative session in Annapolis is off to a predictable start. Democratic "leaders" on the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee for example, are making the usual shrill sounds about how the federal REAL ID Act, which will limit Maryland drivers' licenses to citizens and legal immigrants, just won't work. Committee Chairman Senator Brian Frosh (D-Montgomery) believes that REAL ID is a tremendous financial burden on taxpayers despite the known benefits of deterring terrorism and removing illegal aliens from our roadways. Senator Jennie Forehand (D-Montgomery County) is quoted in the Examiner ("REAL ID plans face challenges" 1/22/09), making the shocking statement "In those 47 states [that require drivers to have legal status], I bet there are a lot of people driving without licenses". What?? Ms. Forehand must have been proud that the 9/11 terrorists had multiple drivers' licenses not only useful to drive cars but to board and fly the friendly skies above New York and Pennsylvania. Frosh and Forehand, joined by the relentless illegal alien cheerleader Delegate Ana Sol Gutierrez (D-Montgomery) are somehow pleased that Maryland is one of the last remaining states not to cutoff licenses to illegal aliens. These three elected officials also have no qualms about killing REAL ID outright, even if it means Maryland drivers' license holders will not be able to enter federal buildings or use their licenses to fly on airplanes. Even Governor O'Malley who consistently welcomes illegal aliens to our state is finally getting religion on implementing REAL ID. Gutierrez is now floating a plan in Annapolis to force the Maryland MVA to devise a costly two-tier system of licenses. One for citizens that is REAL ID compliant and one for illegal aliens so they can continue to drive to work, earn tax free wages and conveniently travel to CASA of Maryland taxpayer funded service centers for guidance and assistance. Some unscrupulous illegal aliens will truly praise Gutierrez's plan which will allow them to continue to utilize their lawless skills of burglary and murder while driving from location to location with impunity. When unemployment, crime, home and business forecloses, and state/county budget deficits continue to rise, taxpayers must seriously scrutinize the spending decisions and overall "thinking" coming out of Annapolis. It is not a pretty and clearly change is needed. Help Save Maryland, a number of citizen minded legislators and national organizations are hosting a citizens' rally, "Making Maryland Safe for Citizens" at Lawyers Mall in Annapolis on Monday, February 16, 6-8pm. REAL ID and a number of other pro-Maryland, pro-citizen topics will be raised to help educate Frosh, Forehand, Gutierrez and others on what their legislative priorities should be. Brad Botwin, DirectorHelp Save Maryland
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