PROTECT WASHINGTON NOW

Initiative 946 has been put into law in Colorado

2006-07-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Initiative 946 has been put into law in Colorado
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 · 8AM
BY MARTIN D RINGHOFER
Protect Washington Now

Now is the time for Protect Washington Now to organize by having Leaders and Teams in each of our 39 counties. We have leaders and teams in five counties now, and are looking for the same in the remaining 34 counties.

We need an organization to get our legislature to pay attention.

Volunteer to head up or volunteer in your county, and we will finish the job Bob Baker led with I-946.

Now is no time to throw in the towel.

Bob Baker deserves to be recognized for heading up an effort valiantly, and doing the best he could with the resources he had at his disposal. Send Bob Baker a BIG THANK YOU to let him know how much you appreciate all of his efforts.

Let’s RALLY together – all of us – and lets each of us get these news to all of our friends, family members, others, asking them to join us in implementing Initiative 946 in our state, as Colorado has.

Colorado Legislators implemented I-946.

Let’s get organized and get our legislators do the same.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1110AP_Colorado_Immigration.html

Seattle Post Intelligencer
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 · Last updated 7:00 a.m. PT

Colorado OKs toughest U.S. immigration bills

By STEVEN K. PAULSON AND JON SARCHEASSOCIATED PRESS WRITERS

DENVER -- Colorado lawmakers ended a five-day special session on illegal immigration with a resounding approval of several bills that Democrats call the toughest in the nation and Republicans say don't go far enough.

The legislation sent late Monday to Republican Gov. Bill Owens would force a million people receiving state or federal aid in Colorado to verify their citizenship.

It would deny most non-emergency state benefits to illegal immigrants 18 years old and older - forcing people to prove legal residency when applying for benefits or renewing their eligibility. The state Senate passed it 22-13 and the House voted 48-15 in favor. Both chambers are controlled by Democrats.

"At the end of the day, everybody who serves in this building as senators or representatives knows we're making Colorado history," said the bill's sponsor, Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald. "We want to be able to look in the mirror and say we did legislation that is tough, enforceable and humane."

Republicans said the legislation still left glaring loopholes, including allowing benefits for minors and denying voters the chance to have a direct say on the issue.
The bill would apply to Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, energy assistance programs and aging and adult services. Owens has said an estimated 50,000 illegal immigrants could be thrown out of those programs.

"It simply puts teeth into existing federal regulations," Owens said.

Sen. Dan Grossman, one of four Democrats to vote against the measure, said: "I don't think the poor people of the state of Colorado or businesses of the state of Colorado should have to pay because we want to play politics with immigration."

Congress has been debating immigration reform for months, sparking demonstrations this spring involving millions of illegal immigrants and their supporters in several cities. With no major federal changes yet, however, some local governments have been taking matters into their own hands.

Last month, the City Council of Hazleton, Pa., tentatively approved a measure that would revoke the business licenses of companies that employ illegal immigrants; impose $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants; and make English the city's official language.

"Illegal immigrants are destroying the city," Hazleton's Republican Mayor Lou Barletta said then. "I don't want them here, period."

Two Florida communities, Palm Bay and Avon Park, are considering similar immigration measures.

Idaho's Canyon County took a different tack - it filed a racketeering lawsuit against agricultural companies accused of hiring illegal immigrants. A federal judge threw the case out, but county commissioners voted to appeal.

Protect Washington Now launches renewed effort statewide

2006-07-07T17:50:00.000-07:00

Stand by for a renewed effort which plans to launch imminently, with a statewide organization with team leaders and supporters in each of our 39 counties. The first order of business is putting up a professional interactive web site which will provide current status of activities, and do it at both county levels and statewide level.

We currently have team leaders in five counties. We are looking for team leaders to head up each of the 39 counties. As soon as we reach 20 counties with team leaders in place, the team leaders will elect a statewide Team Leader for the group – and establish the vision and mission for the organization.

We have three immediate ways to eradicate the ILLEGAL aliens and non-citizens from our midst:

#1. JUROR POOLS. All 39 county judicial bodies (be they county, municipal, or other local jurisdictions) are required to maintain current Juror lists, selected under strict state guidelines. The potential jurors used to be selected randomly from registered voter lists until 1992. In 1994, all states were required to adopt legislation compatible with the 1992 Motor Vehicle Voter Registration Act, and when it was implemented, all 50 states began to draw potential jurors from a combined pool of [A] registered voters, and [B] people who applied for and were issued a drivers license.

The DMV does not ask for proof of citizenship for applying for a driver’s license, or registering to vote. As a matter of routine for the past 12 years, every driver's license applicant or renewal is asked if they would like to register to vote -- which nearly everyone says SURE -- YOU BET.

We have a potential of 100,000 to 200,000 registered voters in our 39 counties who are not eligible to register to vote and have -- and coincidentally, the five reasons for disqualification are the same for voting, as they are for serving as a juror:

[1] You have to be a US citizen;
[2] You must reads, write & speak the English language;
[3] You have to be at least 18 years of age;
[4] You can't be a felon without rights restored; and
[5] You have to live in the jurisdiction you will serve as a juror, or vote.

Picture illegal aliens and non-citizen green cards -- receiving a WARRANT to serve as a Juror where they have to sign an affidavit, punishable by fine and prison, that they meet all the eligibility requirements. It's one thing to register to vote without being asked to prove they are eligible; it’s another to meddle with jury duty and blow their cover.

In King County alone, in 2002 and 2003, the Superior Court disqualified 40,000+ jurors for failure to meet all the eligibility requirements. They have the names, addresses, etc., though we have not mounted a campaign yet to get them released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). When we get names, we will cross match the names with the statewide HAVA list -- and will find between 50,000 and 100,000 registered voters who are NOT QUALIFIED to be registered and have been voting.

Registering is one Class C Felony with 5 years jail time and a $10,000 fine. Voting in any election, going back seven years, will each be one count. Anyone who not qualified will [1] be challenged via the local election office, [2] charged with multiple felonies, and [3] subject to stiff fines and jail time.

And the politicians want us to believe Christine Gregoire won the election by 108 votes?

#2. ICE DATABASE. Cross checking registered voters in all 39 counties with ICE (formerly Immigration and Naturalization Services) database to identify green card non-citizens who may be registered to vote. This won't get at the illegal aliens as ICE doesn't even know who they are. But -- there will be plenty of green cards found who thought they would not be found. Kim Wyman, Thurston County Auditor, has gone to ICE with a written request -- and w are in pursuit to get to the bottom of where her request stands. We suspect nowhere because of political pressure to ignore the request. Our group will go after the facts, and put pressure to get this done.

#3. IRS. Each year, in March, the Internal Revenue Service issues a press release announcing how many million$ are being defaulted from 3 years earlier by people who fail to file for an average $800-$1,000 refund. In March 2006, the IRS issued a release stating that $60,000,000 have again not been filed by 60,000 to 70,000 Social Security Washingtonians. Does this number sound suspect? $800 - $1,000 average ... 60,000 to 70,000 people in our state? Again, the illegals, non-citizens who have fake ID's, use someone else's SS number or identity, a fake SS number, or one belonging to a dead person -- they are not about to blow their cover. The $800 - $1,000 is a small price to pay for all the FREEBY benefits they get courtesy of the US citizens. :o)

*** FORWARD THE LINK TO THIS SITE TO ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS *** WE ARE ACTIVELY LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AND TEAM LEADERS IN EACH OF THE 39 COUNTIES *** HAVE THEM WRITE BACK DIRECTLY TO US -- OR YOU -- AND FORWARD TO OUR ATTENTION ***

WASHINGTON PROTECT NOW looking for citizens in 39 counties

2006-07-05T18:10:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON PROTECT NOW is looking for citizens in all 39 counties to build a volunteer association that will decide the best course of action to stop non-citizens from taking what is reserved for US citizens. Desirable qualifications include a High School Diploma or GED. See: http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

We now have County Team Leaders in Cowlitz, Grays Harbor and Pacific Counties. We are looking for leaders and volunteers in the remaining 36 counties. First come basis gets the spot.

As soon as we have team leaders in 20 of the 39 counties, we will have a VIRTUAL meeting and select a statewide Team Leader for the organization. At the same meeting, we will begin the process of deciding the best course of action to take back what is reserved to lawful U.S. Citizens.

We have retained a well-known and very successful WEBSITE Management Group to create and put up a winning fully interactive website, which will provide DAILY UPDATES and status reports on the activities of PROTECT WASHINGTON NOW to keep the citizen volunteers fully informed on how we are doing. All citizen volunteers will have a vote in the organization and the group will be self-directed by a leadership elected by the group.

You are actively encouraged to raise your hand and volunteers for the team in your county, as well as recruit friends, family members, neighbors, and associates, to join this group. Give them our website, and have them volunteer on:
http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

Law and Order: I-946’s champion says it’s not about race

2006-06-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

June 16, 2006
By CYDNEY GILLIS
Staff Reporter

The first thing to know about Bob Baker is that he sees himself as a patriot. He’s a father and Sunday school teacher who quotes Thomas Jefferson on vigilance being the price of freedom and James Madison on the privilege of citizenship.

The second thing to know about the amiable Mercer Island resident is that he’s a Minuteman. He’s always packing a 40-caliber Heckler & Koch — a semi-automatic pistol typically carried by police — and joins about 30 to 40 of his fellow self-appointed border watchdogs for occasional weekend and month-long camp-outs at 22 posts along the Canadian border.

Because of his odd hours as a fill-in Alaska Airlines pilot, says Baker, 53, “I’m usually the night guy. It’s cool because I get to use NVGs — night vision goggles. You can just see everything.”

But, “I’m not going to go out and shoot people,” he says. “We have ROE, rules of engagement.

[If] I see a guy coming across, all I’m doing when I’m there is observe and report. I have a cell phone, I have a radio, I have a signal flare. All I’m doing is saying, ‘Border Patrol, come and look at this guy.’

Baker is the man behind Protect Washington Now and Initiative 946, which would strip illegal immigrants of certain state assistance and penalize state workers who knowingly provide aid.

“I’m for immigration. That’s not what this is about,” says Baker, a retired “Top Gun” Air Force pilot who moved from California three years ago. “We should have an immigration system that brings people into our country and makes them productive members of our society [who] speak English, assimilate, and become nothing more and nothing less than Americans.”

Baker says most of the illegal crossings up north are made by drug smugglers, not people seeking jobs, as thousands do from Mexico each year. They cross into states such as Arizona, where the Minuteman Project and an initiative similar to Baker’s got their start.

Protect Washington Now is a spinoff of Protect America Now, which formed in Arizona after Proposition 200 passed in 2004. PAN’s founder, Kathy McKee, wrote I-946 a check for $200, which was the campaign’s first monetary contribution. But Baker says he doesn’t intend to take any more out-of-state money — something that his opponents at From Hate to Hope, an immigrants advocacy coalition, worry he’ll do at the last minute to help pass I-946 in November.

Between now and then, Baker must gather nearly 225,000 valid signatures by July 7 to get I-946 on the ballot. So far, he says roughly 40,000 signatures have been gathered by an all-volunteer operation of 550 people, all of whom Baker says clamored to get petitions once they heard about the intiative.

Martin Ringhofer, a Moses Lake resident who is working with Baker, failed to get a similar initiative (I-343) on the ballot last year. Through May 10, the state’s Public Disclosure Commission lists a total of only $2,280 in contributions to this year’s initiative, which opponents point out would affect every low-income resident who applies for state assistance by making them show a passport or certified birth certificate to prove citizenship.

Baker says Washington’s Mexican nationals — estimated at more than half a million — have access to $360 million in state benefits. According to the Department of Social and Health Services, the total is around $145 million and goes to programs such as emergency medical aid, pregnancy care, and child care for low-income children.

Baker acknowledges Mexican nationals pay taxes but says it doesn’t cover what they use in services. “They’re being paid a sub-living wage, so the rest of us taxpayers are paying for the rest of their living: their children’s education, their health care [and] babysitting,” he says.

He insists that I-946 is not racist, that it’s merely intended to stop lawbreakers — a label that Paul Lawrence, an attorney working with From Hate to Hope, rejects.

“The whole notion of criminalizing a person because of their immigration status seems terribly wrong,” Lawrence says. “This is just a punitive effort to go after a segment of the population that needs our support.”

Baker says his activism on the issue began after serving six months on a federal grand jury in Los Angeles, where many of the felony cases involved repeat deportations of Mexican nationals.

“I’m talking about armed robbery,” Baker says. “They don’t serve any jail time, they get deported to Mexico to the city of their choice, and they don’t serve any jail time in Mexico. So, literally, the next day they can come back across the border.

“One guy, it was his fifth deportation in about six years,” he says. “He gets up on the stand and he says very arrogantly, ‘Yes, I do not see my family for a while, so I commit a felony so I get to go home for free.’ And I mean, I almost jumped out of the box and strangled him right there on the spot.”

Rally shows support for ban on services for illegal immigrants

2006-06-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

by MARK MOREY
YAKIMA HERALD-REPUBLIC

A better immigration policy for the United States starts with locking down the country's borders, deporting illegal residents and punishing the employers who hire them, organizers of a Yakima rally said Tuesday night.

About two dozen people who attended the rally also heard from members of the 21st Century Paul Revere Ride, a group of motorcycle riders traveling across the country to voice their concerns about illegal residents, and from Republican congressional candidate Claude Oliver of Kennewick, who wants to unseat veteran GOP Rep. Doc. Hastings of Pasco.

Ruth Drollinger of Yakima organized the rally to boost local signatures for Initiative 946, which would restrict state and local governments from providing social services to undocumented residents unless the federal government mandates it.

Opponents of the change say that reform is needed, but believe I-946 could create public health problems and harm children.

Drollinger said she formed Grassroots on Fire, affiliated with the I-946 campaign, to raise awareness about the broader impact of illegal immigration. About 80 people belong to the group, Drollinger said.

She said many of the Valley's problems — including access to social services — can be tied to illegal immigration.

"The cost is exceeding the benefit of having them here to work in the agricultural area," she said in an interview.

Members of the rally audience signed bricks that they planned to mail to members of Congress to show support for immigration reform.

Oliver, a Yakima native who has spent 25 years as a Benton County treasurer or commissioner, said he hasn't studied I-946 to develop an opinion yet on the measure. But he said Hastings and other members of Congress have failed to administer their immigration responsibilities, including investigations of border security and illegal entry.

"What has taken so long for you to address our broken border security and immigration laws? We can only survive as a nation if we are a nation under law — the law of the United States," he said in prepared remarks.

Frosty Wooldridge, a member of the Paul Revere Ride, which arrived in the Yakima area Tuesday on the way to Olympia, recounted statistics that he said demonstrate that illegal immigration will flood and destabilize the country.

At the current growth rate, the U.S. population could pass 500 million by 2050, Wooldridge said. Based on the birth rate, the population would reach a peak of 255 million if only 200,000 immigrants were allowed per year, he said.

The speakers' messages appeared to hit home with the audience.

"I'm not against guest workers, but I'm against opening our borders and letting people come here by the millions," said Harvey Mushman of Yakima.

$25,000 to distribute 600,000 petitions statewide through several major newspapers.

2006-06-07T06:40:00.000-07:00

There are more facts and statistics then anyone can fully understand, so they won’t be part of this communiqué.

The purpose of this letter is to underscore something so basic that most of us forget it: we are under an invasion of 12-18 million illegal aliens, and have been for the past twenty years. The impact to our quality of life is beyond comprehension. The invasion has been so gradual, and the impacts downplayed so much by the mainstream media, that most of us dismiss how we are being affected.

We are living through a paradigm shift which has altered our reality, and has accelerated since 9/11. Most of the 19 illegal alien highjackers had valid driver’s licenses, and several were registered voters. Besides being quite easy to get, fake ID’s are available to anyone who wants them. Unlike the past, when 189 Texas & Tennessee patriots stood up against Santa Anna at the Alamo, giving their life for this country – and unlike a time we had Paul Revere to warn us the enemy was coming – we have elected representatives and civil servants at all levels of government who PROTECT the illegal aliens, instead of the US people who they are supposed to represent.

We have pricing from several newspapers to distribute copies of I-946 petitions statewide. We need $25,000 to distribute 600,000 petitions statewide through several major newspapers. With only 30 days before we need to turn in 225,000 valid signatures, the I-946 campaign is making a final push with confidence that I-946 will pass by an 80% to 20% margin on the Fall ballot.

Toward the goal of raising $25,000, I make a challenge pledge of $1,000 to urge you to join me in getting our petitions to enough registered voters to help qualify the measure for the Fall ballot. Your matching challenge pledge is triggered by a total of 24 other donors making a similar pledge. Only when a total of $25,000 is raised in such pledges, will we know if there are enough with a “Paul Revere” passion to help qualify the measure for a vote by the people. Consider an alternate challenge pledge of only $500 and see if we get 49 others to take on the challenge!

How to make a $1,000 or a $500 challenge pledge? It’s simple: respond with an e-mail indicating you make a matching challenge pledge of either or both amounts, subject to sufficient other donors making a matching donation to raise the $25,000.

If 5% are returned with 20 signatures each, we'd collec tollect 600,000 signatures.

If 2% are returned with 20 signatures each, we'd collec tollect 240,000 signatures.

Help make this happen. Together we will succeed and start taking back what is being taken away from us without our permission. If we don’t act: who will act for us besides our elected officials and civil servants who are giving away the farm while we are trying to figure out how to save it?

We want to hear from you with your thoughts, views, comments, suggestions, and hope you will take the time to respond: with a challenge pledge of either $1,000 or $500 - but if not - we want to hear your thoughts on this cause, which aims only at holding on to what belongs us, the American people, not the illegal trespassers.

Coward abusive anonymous posters who do NOT identify themselves have made this a moderated blog

2006-05-27T21:29:00.000-07:00

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Deal, or NO Deal? I-946 campaign geared up to distribute 544,000 petitions in two major newspapers statewide":

Posted by Anonymous to PROTECT WASHINGTON NOW at 5/27/2006 06:54:49 PM

Deal, or NO Deal? I-946 campaign geared up to distribute 544,000 petitions in two major newspapers statewide

2006-05-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

IINITIATIVE 946 has pricing from two major statewide newspapers to INSERT or PUBLISH a total of 543,000 petitions in Sunday June 11 editions.

The I-946 campaign is working on a plan to qualify for the November ballot for as little as a $53.43 pledge (based on 500 donors of the same amount), or $1,068.52 pledge (based on only 25 donors of the same amount).

BOB BAKER has taken the initiative as far as he can, and because of it we have a once-in-a-life opportunity to make history by saying: "Enough is ENOUGH." Now is the time for all of us to make a commitment to get INITIATIVE 946 on the ballot to give the people the final say: "Deal, or NO DEAL?"

With as few as 5% of the 543,374 petitions returned with 20 signatures each, we will have collected 326,025 signatures; 101,025 MORE signatures than needed to qualify for the ballot.

We have pledges to join as many as will join to get the petition distributed to 543,374 people. With as few as 100 of us donating only $267.13, we will make this happen. Should more PLEDGE to make this happen, as few as 300 DONORS will make the cost to each $89.04.

This petition at this time in the history is of GREAT significance.

Unlike the passengers of UNITED 93, who gave their LIFE, we need only pledge to a few dollars to get BOB BAKERS's I-946 on the ballot. The time is before us to act.

We look forward to hear from each of you with your pledge. The MORE pledge, the lower the cost to each of us. Send your pledge, contingent on sufficient funds pledged, to martinringhofer@aol.com.

STAND UP and be counted.

As soon as we have sufficient pledges to get 543,364 petitions distributed -- we will move out.

"Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us; to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it" ~ Abraham Lincoln

"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit."
~ Harry Truman

"The time is near at hand which must determine whether Americans are to be free men or slaves." ~ George Washington

Initiative 946 campaign mirrors U.S. trend: Measure called hurtful

2006-05-22T07:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday, May 7, 2006
By KATHIE DURBIN , Columbian staff writer
metrodesk@columbian.com

The coalition opposing Initiative 946 intends to focus on a simple message: This measure will punish children. Opponents point out that seven state health and social service programs that would be closed to illegal immigrants serve children or pregnant women.

"You are hurting people at the most basic level," said Leno Rose-Avila of the Seattle-based Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. "Most immigrants pay taxes, pay into Social Security and never collect benefits. This is a misguided attempt to mislead the people of Washington. Washington is much better than this initiative."

Baker said the goal of the campaign is not to punish those who are in this country illegally but to require them to follow the same path to citizenship that immigrants have taken for 200 years.
"We want them to follow the law," he said. "Millions of people have come to our country legally. They have the same opportunities we do to prosper and to flourish in our country.

Unfortunately, what we have done, although I don't think it was the intent, is create an underclass of people. They are not learning English, they are not assimilating into our society, therefore they don't have the same opportunities. What I want is for them to all become good Americans."

Initiative 946 also is about letting a free-market economy work, Baker said. "If employers paid people a decent wage, there would be Americans who would do the work. A free-market economy depends on supply and demand. If these businesses (that employ illegal immigrants) had to compete with businesses that do it right, they would be paying these people a living wage. The taxpayers of Washington are subsidizing the businesses that don't pay a living wage."

Opponents say the measure does not address the long-term best interests of Washington residents or the state's economy, including the agricultural industry, which relies on undocumented farm workers to get Washington crops to market.

Dean Boyer, spokesman for the Washington Farm Bureau, said his organization has taken no position on the initiative, which has not yet been presented to its board of directors.

"Many groups wait to see what is on the ballot before they take positions," Ramos said. "But the agricultural community has indicated on a number of occasions that what we need is comprehensive immigration reform that creates pathways to citizenship, allows families to be reunified, and respects the basic civil rights of hard-working, tax-paying immigrants."

The majority of the American public appears to agree. According to an April 11 Washington Post-ABC News poll, 63 percent of Americans support a plan backed by President Bush and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that would allow illegal immigrants who have lived here for many years to apply for legal status and eventually become permanent citizens if they pay a fine and back taxes. Just 20 percent of those polled said they favor declaring all illegal immigrants felons and forbidding them to work here legally, as a bill that passed the House in December would do.

The immigration issue requires people to move past their narrow views of the world and get in touch with the most basic human values, said the Rev. Perez, whose church is the only one in Clark County that ministers to Latinos. Perez said he baptizes about 100 Spanish-speaking children each year and holds Mass in Spanish.

"Obviously, many that come here are illegal," he said. "We get caught up in our governments, our means of control. We have created these borders, we have created this nationalism. Someone has to be the bad guy, and right now it's the illegal immigrants. The defenseless, the one who has no rights, no control, is the enemy. It's absurd."

"There is an argument that if we give too much, we lose," Perez said. "But it's the opposite. We want life to be better for our children. We're all called to sacrifice, even for the illegal immigrants."

Bob Baker to Vincente Fox: We want to convey to Mr. Fox that we don’t appreciate what he’s doing to our state and our country

2006-05-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

VICENTE FOX - GO HOME
MAY 22, 2006
by Bob Baker
206-275-2684

Protect Washington NOW (PWN), in conjunction with Washingtonians for Immigration Reform, Oregonians for Immigration Reform, and other supporters of Proposition I-946, are sponsoring a protest/rally at the Yakima Airport on Wednesday, May 24, 2006, at 1:30 p.m.

PWN Chairman Bob Baker explains the purpose: "We want to convey to Mr. Fox that we don’t appreciate what he’s doing to our state and our country. He can say all he wants that Mexico is ‘our neighbor, our friend, our partner,’ but his exportation of millions of his country’s poor people and a staggering amount of drugs into the United States belies those words.

Washingtonians are generally caring and hospital, but only a fool would welcome their own assassin. We respectfully request that Mr. Fox go home immediately, and take his 12-20 million Mexican nationals currently in this country with him . . . pronto.

Mexico is the #1 source of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and methamphetamine – not to mention illegal aliens – coming into the U.S., and Mexican nationals in the U.S. sent $20 billion back to Mexico in 2005. Some friend, eh?"

Baker continues, "PWN feels that if people are legally in the United States, welcome to America–how can we help you? If you’re here illegally, please go home, get in line and follow the rules to come here legally.

Mexico is a rich country, having the world’s 6th or 7th largest economy, and can easily take care of its own people.

But why should it, when politicians in this country force taxpayers to subsidize Mexico’s corruption by taking care of the needs of the 20% of Mexico’s population living in this country?

We say –and will say it to his face, ‘ Vicente Fox–GO HOME, and take your 12-20 million citizens with you.’

Any elected official who caters to Mr. Fox will be remembered at election time.

I-946 shifts into high gear: 20,000 petitions now distributed statewide

2006-05-14T15:39:00.000-07:00

The I-946 Campaign has now distributed over 15,000 petitions statewide, with a potential of 400,000 signatures. Bob Baker, I-946 Sponsor, said "We need everyone to get petitions and get signatures," adding "Weve had a big break-through in Eastern Washington where people have finally woke up and are getting involved."

Bob Baker was on a radio show for an hour on Friday, with great results.

The campaign is working to get coverage at several local radio and TV stations -- some affiliated with national networks.

To download a .pdf file of I-946, go to:

http://www.protectwashingtonnow.info/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1.

Retired Border Patrol Agent Speaks TRUTH about Illegal Aliens

2006-05-04T06:59:00.000-07:00

by David J. Stoddard
U.S. Border Patrol
(RET) Hereford, Arizona
A very interesting letter sent to Senator Frist from a retired border patrol agent.

Dear Senator Frist: There is a huge amount of propaganda and myths circulating about "Illegal Aliens", particularly "Illegal Mexican, Salvadorian, Guatemalan and Honduran Aliens".

1. "Illegal Aliens" generally do NOT want U.S. citizenship. Americans are very vain thinking that everybody in the world wants to be a U.S. citizen. Mexicans, and other nationalities want to remain citizens of their home countries while obtaining the benefits offered by the United States such as employment, medical care, in-state tuition, government subsidized housing and free education for their offspring. Their main attraction is employment and their loyalty usually remains at home. They want benefits earned and subsidized by middle class Americans. What "Illegal Aliens" want are benefits of American residence without paying the price.

2. There are no jobs that Americans won't do. "Illegal Aliens" are doing jobs that Americans can't take and still support their families. "Illegal Aliens" take low wage jobs, live dozens in a single residence home, share expenses and send money to their home country. There are no jobs that Americans won't do for a decent wage.

3. Every person who illegally entered this nation left a home. They are NOT homeless and they are NOT Americans. Some left jobs in their home countries. They come to send money to their real home as evidenced by the more than 20 billion dollars sent out of the country each year by "Illegal Aliens". These "Illegal aliens" knowingly and willfully entered this nation in violation of the law and therefore assumed the risk of detection and deportation. Those who brought their alien children assumed the responsibility and risk on behalf of their children.

4. "Illegal Aliens" are NOT critical to the economy. "Illegal Aliens" constitute less than 5% of the workforce. However, they reduce wages and benefits for lawful U.S. residents.

5. This is NOT an immigrant nation. There are 280 million native born Americans. While it is true that this nation was settled and founded by immigrants (Legal Immigrants who were proud to be Americans and did not want to destroy it), it is also true that there is not a nation on this planet that was not settled by immigrants at one time or another.

6. The United States is welcoming to "Legal Immigrants. "Illegal Aliens" are NOT immigrants by definition. The U.S. accepts more lawful immigrants every year than the rest of the world combined.

7. There is no such thing as the "Hispanic Vote". Hispanics are white, brown, black and every shade in between. Hispanics are Republicans, Democrats, Anarchists, Communists, Marxists and Independents. The so-called "Hispanic Vote" is a myth. Pandering to "Illegal Aliens" to get the Hispanic Vote is a dead end.

8. Mexico is NOT a friend of the United States. Since 1848 Mexicans have resented the United States. a) During World War I Mexico allowed German Spies to operate freely in Mexico to spy on the U.S. b) During World War II Mexico allowed the Axis powers to spy on the U.S. from Mexico. c) During the Cold War Mexico allowed spies hostile to the U.S. to operate freely. d) The attack on the Twin Towers in 2001 was cheered and applauded all across Mexico. e) Today Mexican school children are taught that the U.S. stole California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. If you don't believe it, check out some Mexican textbooks written for their schoolchildren.

9. Although some "Illegal Aliens" enter this country for a better life, there are 6 billion people on this planet. At least 1 billion of those live on less than one dollar a day. If wanting a better life is a valid excuse to break the law and sneak into America, then let's allow those one billion to come to America and we'll turn the USA into a Third World nation overnight. Besides, there are 280 million native born Americans who want a better life. I'll bet Bill Gates and Donald Trump want a better life. When will the USA lifeboat be full? Since when is wanting a better life a good reason to trash another nation?

10. There is a labor shortage in this country: This is a lie. There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of American housewives, senior citizens, students, unemployed and underemployed who would gladly take jobs at a decent wage.

11. It is racist to want secure borders: a) What is racist about wanting secure borders and a secure America? b) What is racist about not wanting people to sneak into America and steal benefits we have set aside for legal aliens, senior citizens, children and other legal residents? c) What is it about race that entitles people to violate our laws, steal identities, and take the American Dream without paying the price?

For about four decades American politicians have refused to secure our borders and look after the welfare of middle class Americans. These politicians have been of both parties. A huge debt to American society has resulted. This debt will be satisfied and the interest will be high. There have already been riots in the streets by "Illegal Aliens" and their supporters.

There will be more. You, as a politician, have a choice to offend the "Illegal Aliens" who have stolen into this country and demanded the rights afforded to U.S. citizens or to offend those of us who are stakeholders in this country. The interest will be steep either way. There will be civil unrest. There will be a reckoning. Do you have the courage to do what is right for America? Or, will you bow to the wants and needs of those who don't even have the right to remain here? There will be a reckoning. It will come in November of this year, again in2008 and yet again in 2010. We will not allow America to be stolen by third world agitators and thieves.

Illegal immigrants' aid targetedBackers start gathering signatures for an initiative to cut off access to social services

2006-05-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

HeraldNet

Published: Saturday, April 29, 2006

Illegal immigrants' aid targetedBackers start gathering signatures for an initiative to cut off access to social services

By Jerry CornfieldHerald Writer
jcornfield@heraldnet.com

OLYMPIA - Backers of an initiative to cut off benefits to illegal immigrants began their quest for signatures Friday with high hopes of earning a place on the November ballot.

"We're on our way. I've got people champing at the bit to get started," said initiative proponent Bob Baker of Mercer Island.

Baker had to wait until Friday because opponents of Initiative 946 had challenged some of its content. Friday morning, a Thurston County Superior Court judge made some of the requested alterations and rejected others.

The changes did not weaken the intent of the measure, Baker said.

By lunchtime, petitions were being printed and distributed for signing.

Shawna Forde of Everett waited to receive a stack.

"I am in total support of this initiative," Forde said. "I don't know why it is a problem. If you are not a legal citizen, you should not be getting the benefits."

Today, there are believed to be 11 million to 12 million illegal immigrants in the country. In Washington state, the number is estimated to be between 150,000 and 400,000. Those with low incomes might qualify for help under several state-run programs.

Baker's initiative would deny illegal immigrants access to taxpayer-financed benefits such as food stamps, prenatal care, child care and nonemergency medical care. Under federal law, emergency medical care cannot be denied.

The initiative would require state and local government workers to verify the identity and immigration status of those seeking benefits. If government workers were to fail to tell federal authorities when they encountered an illegal immigrant, they could be charged with a misdemeanor.

"It is a punitive measure against hard-working, faith-filled and family-oriented taxpaying immigrants," said Michael Ramos, co-chairman of From Hate to Hope, a Seattle-based coalition of 45 groups opposed to the measure. The coalition includes labor unions, businesses and churches.

"The immigrants we know come here to work and not to use social services," he said. "It is a measure designed to sow fear into our communities."

The initiative will have a broad chilling effect, Ramos said. Those who provide services may do less outreach. Immigrants may stop seeking needed medical treatment and refuse to tell police if they've been the victim of a crime out of fear of being turned over to federal authorities.

For the initiative to qualify for the November ballot, the signatures of 224,880 registered voters must be turned in to the secretary of state's office by 5 p.m. July 7.

Baker said he's established a statewide network of people ready to circulate petitions.

The leader in Snohomish County is Forde, 38, who is making her voice heard in the debate on immigration.

Six weeks ago she launched a company, Take Back America, that sells T-shirts with slogans such as "Just say no to illegal immigration" and "Illegal Immigration is not a race issue, it is a criminal issue."

Now she's primed to help pass Baker's initiative.

"Because I'm pissed off," she explained. "I'm sick and tired of the middle class getting kicked in the teeth. We can't even get benefits and medical treatment. They do and it all comes out of our money, our taxes."

Forde said she has no problem with legal immigrants, "as long as they are paying into the system, not taking from the system." Reporter Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623 or jcornfield@heraldnet.com.

Campaign Update: I-946 NOW available at all 34 KINKO's Copy Centers in the Greater Puget Sound Region – More Locations Soon

2006-05-03T17:57:00.000-07:00

Go to this LINK to find the closest KINKO's Copy Center:

http://fedex.kinkos.com/locations/locator_results.php?LOC=47.603502024213277%3A-122.32973988406056&IC=47.603502024213277%3A-122.32973988406056%3A32%3ASeattle%2C+Washington&GAD2=&GCITY=Seattle&GSTATE=Washington&GZIP=&GAD3=Seattle%2C+Washington&GAD4=United+States&AD4=USA&AdvSearch=&SCH=

After you locate the store of your choice, upload the petition .pdf to the KINKO's store of your choice at:

https://docstore.kinkos.com/defaultAccount/ExceptionPathRouterAction.do

If you prefer, download the petition on to a CD ROM from the following LINK:

http://www.protectwashingtonnow.org/946%20PETITION.pdf

and take to the KINKO's store of your choice. KINKO'swill charge a nominal 32 cents for each double sided petition that will hold 20 signatures on the front side.

For More Information:

Mr. Robert D. Baker
PO Box 911
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Cell (206) 300-8682
protectwa@hotmail.com
bobbaker88@hotmail.com
Phone: 206-275-2684
http://www.protectwashingtonnow.org/Initiatives.htm

News Flash: Get your I-946 NOW as a download

2006-04-30T14:39:00.000-07:00

Protect Washington Now announced on Saturday April 29, 2006, that finial wording has been approved for the initiative and 10,000 copies are being printed. For those who would like copies of I-946, you may download your own copy of the initiative onto a CD ROM by visiting:

http://www.protectwashingtonnow.org/Initiatives.htm, take to any copy shop and print as many as you need for yourself and others to help collect the 225,000 signatures needed by July 5, 2006, to qualify for the November 2006 Election.

Protect Washington Now is a grass roots organization which aims to preserve the quality and accessibility of community services in the State of Washington. The group’s mission is: “to allow the citizens of Washington the right to chose what standard of law to apply to those who live in and receive services with the State of Washington. To this end, we are sponsoring an initiative, I-946, which will require all recipients of publicly funded state programs provide proof of legal immigration status.”

You may reach Protect Washington Now as follows:

Telephone: 206-275-2684

Postal address: PO BOX 911, Mercer Island, WA 98040

Electronic mail: General Information: info@ProtectWashingtonNow.org
Webmaster: Web@ProtectWashingtonNow.org

For More InformationMr. Robert D. BakerPO Box 911Mercer Island, WA 98040Cell (206) 300-8682protectwa@hotmail.com bobbaker88@hotmail.com http://www.protectwashingtonnow.org/Initiatives.htm

Also:
Protect Washington Now Blog
http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

Protect Washington NOW http://www.pan2005.com/washington.html

Protect Washington NOW (PWN): Although state coordinator Bob Baker is fairly new to political activism, he's ready, willing, and able to build the grassroots organization necessary to get citizen initiatives on the ballot in Washington, as well as get more candidates in office "who understand what the word 'representative' means.

Washingtonians will be well educated as to which public officials care about their oaths of office, the constitution, and their constituents, and which ones have sold out to the special interests pushing illegal immigration. Arrogant, unresponsive public officials need not apply for reelection."
Protect Washington NOW P.O. Box 911 Mercer Island, WA 98040 Protect WA@hotmail.com

The Columbian: In Their View - This Idea Is Absurd

2006-04-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday, March 9, 2006
Columbian editorial writers

If you tried to come up with a "make-work" project for employees of the state and its 39 counties, you'd be hard pressed to top an initiative that would require all 3.5 million state voters to re-register.

But that's the absurd and perhaps illegal goal of an offshoot of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, which fancies itself a protector of Washington taxpayers.

In the meantime, the secretary of state's office and the Clark County auditor's office this week provided fresh evidence that the "problem" of ineligible voters casting ballots is being addressed nicely right now, thank you very much.

Two weeks ago, the Olympia-based Evergreen Freedom Foundation (www.efawa.org) created Washington Grassroots, and called a press conference to announce the new group would file an initiative and begin collecting signatures in hopes of getting its silly and expensive scheme on the November ballot. Their idea is to force all voters, including those already registered, to show their birth certificate, passport or other official document to voter registrars to prove they are legal residents who are who they say they are. In short, start from scratch.

"It's something we have to address in order to ensure that we have clean voter rolls," EFF's Booker Stallworth said at the time. On Wednesday, he told The Columbian the same thing, but was unable to make his case. (He did concede, when asked, that he is not a Washington state voter himself, despite starting work at Evergreen Freedom Foundation on March 1, 2004.)

If Washington Grassroots ever gets around to filing the initiative, voters should turn their thumbs down and noses up when approached by someone asking them to sign the petitions. In the first place, the act of disenfranchising present voters and requiring them to register again might be illegal, as the secretary of state's office suggests.

"The National Voter Registration Act says we may remove names if they are duplicates, deceased or a felon," said Steve Excell of the secretary of state's office. "It doesn't talk about citizenship checks and it doesn't say we can make them re-register." Furthermore, the state's new effort to ensure clean voter rolls is working very well.

For example:

* 16,610 duplicate registrations have been canceled, mostly people who failed to notify election officials when they moved to a new part of the state and registered in their new county. Excell said there has not been evidence of even one of those duplicates voting twice in the same election.

* Names of 14,470 deceased people have been removed from voter registration lists. The state gets names of deceased from the state Health Department and the Social Security Administration.
* In Clark County, 257 voters have been identified as deceased so far this year thanks to the new state database, said Tom Godkin, assistant director of county elections. Another 873 were canceled because they are duplicates, mostly folks who moved and didn't notify the elections office.

Next, the state and counties will go after any felons who are registered to vote but should not be.

The Evergreen Freedom Foundation ought to call off the salivating dogs at Grassroots Washington and let the process work.

Seattle Times:Initiative would force all voters to reregister

2006-04-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Page updated at 12:17 AM

By RACHEL LA CORTE
The Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Voters would have to prove they are U.S. citizens and reregister to vote under an initiative that supporters said they will file this week.

Conservative think tank Evergreen Freedom Foundation has formed Grassroots Washington, which is backing the initiative that is expected to be announced today.

The group takes issue with the state's new $6 million voter-registration database, which has been checked for duplicate and dead voters since last month.

Booker Stallworth, the foundation's spokesman, said he was concerned with the number of duplicate voters the system has found, as well as the number he believes the system hasn't caught.

The initiative would make all voter registrations inactive until people proved their citizenship and reregistered. Voters who show up at the polls and find they are inactive can vote by provisional ballot until their registration is verified, he said.

Grassroots Washington must collect nearly 225,000 valid voter signatures by July 7 to qualify for the November ballot.

But Assistant Secretary of State Steve Excell said it's a wrong move. "Just because we don't happen to think that every voter record is perfect, we can't, wholesale, disenfranchise everybody," he said.

Excell said investigators had not found any evidence of illegal votes, and noted that most of the questioned registrations were inactive.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company

The Immigrant Vote: Proposed initiative would crack down on illegals at the polls and on welfare rolls

2006-04-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

By Nina Shapiro
http://www.seattleweekly.com/authors/ninashapiro/

A group, called PROTECT WASHINGTON NOW http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/, has decided to focus on state benefits.

Protect Washington Now is affiliated with Protect America Now, an Arizona-based national group spawned by the effort to pass Proposition 200.

The local offshoot is headed by Bob Baker, a Mercer Island resident who is an Alaska Airlines pilot and who, before that, spent two decades flying Navy fighters.

Baker says he intends to file an initiative in the next two weeks using language from Proposition 200, which requires state officials to verify the immigration status of applicants for "state and local public benefits that are not federally mandated."

Such broad language created confusion as to what benefits were at stake until the Arizona state attorney general's office ruled that it affected a limited number of welfare programs. In spite of that confusion, Baker says, he has no plans to make the initiative more specific. "Arizona was so successful," he says.

Baker, who ran unsuccessfully for Mercer Island City Council last year, says he is launching this effort for reasons of national security.

"I've really been shocked 9/11 hasn't brought more attention to closing our borders," he says.

"They're here. There are potential terrorists here."

He maintains that cutting off access to welfare will make it less advantageous for illegal immigrants to come.

==================

For More Information

Mr. Robert D. Baker
PO Box 911
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Cell (206) 300-8682
protectwa@hotmail.com
bobbaker88@hotmail.com

Protect Washington Now Blog
http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

FREE HEALTH & FAMILY CARE FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS?

2006-04-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

Should illegal immigrants be able to tap into free health and family services for the poor?

That’s the question behind an initiative filed in Washington State this week. The measure would require state employees to verify immigration status of anyone seeking benefits under a handful of programs funded by the state Department of Social and Health Services.

Workers would also have to report suspected illegal immigrants to federal officers. Mercer Island resident Bob Baker is sponsoring the initiative.

Baker: “I just got a document from D-S-H-S that shows that illegals have access to $360 million dollars a year from our state in benefits. And I don’t think anybody feels that’s fair, that it’s something that we as the taxpayers of the state should be paying for these people that are here in our state illegally.”

Baker’s measure is based on one passed by Arizona voters two years ago.

Immigrant advocates say the initiative would spread fear, and make immigrants reluctant to seek emergency help when they need it.

Nearly 225-thousand signatures must be gathered by early July for the measure to make the November ballot.

(Cathy Duchamp) Copyright 2005
KUOW Posted: Monday, March 27, 2006

Group files initiative to deny illegal immigrants public aid

2006-04-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A group has filed an initiative to deny illegal immigrants public benefits, such as free prenatal care for poor women or subsidized child care for seasonal workers.

Protect Washington Now, headed by Mercer Island resident Bob Baker, needs to collect nearly 225,000 valid voter signatures by July 7 for the measure to make the November ballot.It would require state employees to verify the immigration status of anyone seeking benefits not mandated by federal law, such as emergency medical care, and report suspected illegal immigrants to federal authorities.

The state has an estimated 136,000 illegal immigrants, though officials say they don’t know how many use the handful of programs administered by the Department of Social and Health Services.Like other needy families, illegal immigrants might qualify for help under at least seven programs administered by the state Department of Social and Health Services.

In most cases, families must meet federal poverty guidelines to qualify.The programs include short-term child-care services for homeless families as they try to find employment, and money for pregnant women and families with children for emergency food, shelter, clothing and medical care.

But Baker, a pilot for Alaska Airlines, said any use of the programs by illegal immigrants is an inappropriate use of his tax dollars.“

They come here and have their babies born at one of our hospitals at our expense; they have it all,” he said.

The measure is patterned after one passed by Arizona voters in 2004 that denied public benefits to illegal immigrants and forced residents to prove their citizenship to vote.

For More Information:

Mr. Robert D. Baker
PO Box 911
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Cell (206) 300-8682
protectwa@hotmail.com
bobbaker88@hotmail.com

Protect Washington Now Blog
http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

Your papers, please

2006-04-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

by Cydney Gillis
Staff Reporter
cgillis@realchangenews.org
(206) 441-3247 ext. 209

While Hispanics march nationwide to stop a bill that would criminalize illegal immigration, a Mercer Island resident is taking a different track here at home.

On March 15, Bob Baker filed an initiative requiring public agencies to verify a person’s legal status before providing any services or benefits, such as food stamps or welfare, that aren’t federally mandated.

The Protect Washington Now initiative is modeled, in part, on Arizona’s Proposition 200, an initiative passed in 2004. To get on the November ballot, Baker needs to collect the signatures of 224,880 voters by July 7 — something he says people are calling left and right to volunteer for.

Baker says illegal immigration isn’t fair to taxpaying Americans or to the people who come here. Elected officials just don’t get that “the people in this country are overwhelmingly for controlling our borders,” he says.

What Baker doesn’t get is that, documented or not, immigrants work in service jobs that few Americans would take and pay the state sales tax like everyone else, says George Cheung of From Hate to Hope, a coalition of 60 groups that formed last year to fight a similar initiative (I-343) that failed to get enough signatures.

The new measure isn’t about fairness, says Cheung, whose parents immigrated from Hong Kong in 1974. It’s about limiting who is an American and who should be included in our society.

INITIATIVE 946

2006-04-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Ballot Title

Initiative Measure No. 946 concerns immigration status of applicants for public benefits.This measure would require state and local government employees to verify the identity and immigration status of applicants for non-federally mandated public benefits and report immigration violations, making failure to report a misdemeanor. Should this measure be enacted into law? Yes [ ] No [ ]Ballot Measure

Summary

This measure would require state and local government employees to verify the identity and immigration status of applicants for non-federally mandated public benefits, which the measure describes as including TANF, Medicaid, food stamps, WIC, and public housing, and cooperate in providing such information. Identification issued without verifying immigration status would not be accepted. Failure to report discovered immigration violations to federal officials would be a misdemeanor, and private suit to remedy violations would be authorized.

I, Sam Reed, Secretary of State of the State of Washington and custodian of its seal, hereby certify that, according to the records on file in my office, the attached copy of Initiative Measure No. 946 to the People is a true and correct copy as it was received by this office.

AN ACT Relating to illegal immigration; adding a new section to chapter 74.04 RCW; creating new sections; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. INTENT. The intent of this act is to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving public benefits unless mandated by the federal government. Public Benefits as used herein shall mean all non-federally mandated programs in RCW Chapter 74, in addition to all non-federally mandated state and local welfare programs including TANF, Medicaid, Food Stamps, WIC, public housing, and their successor programs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. SHORT TITLE. This act may be known and cited as the Washington taxpayer and citizen protection act.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:

VERIFYING APPLICANTS FOR PUBLIC BENEFITS--VIOLATION--CLASSIFICATION--CITIZEN SUITS. (1) An agency of this state and all of its political subdivisions, including local governments, that are responsible for the administration of state and local public benefits that are not federally mandated shall do all of the following:

(a) Verify the identity of each applicant for those benefits and verify that the applicant is eligible for benefits as prescribed by this section;

(b) Provide any other employee of this state or any of its political subdivisions with information to verify the immigration status of any applicant for those benefits and assist the employee in obtaining that information from federal immigration authorities;

(c) Refuse to accept any identification card issued by the state or any political subdivision of this state, including a driver's license, to establish identity or determine eligibility for those benefits unless the issuing authority has verified the immigration status of the applicant; and

(d) Require all employees of the state and its political subdivisions to make a written report to federal immigration authorities for any violation of federal immigration law by any applicant for benefits that is discovered by the employee.

(2) Failure to report discovered violations of federal immigration law by an employee is a misdemeanor. If that employee's supervisor knew of the failure to report and failed to direct the employee to make the report, the supervisor is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(3) This section shall be enforced without regard to race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or national origin. Any person who is a resident of this state shall have standing in any court of record to bring suit against any agent or agency of this state or its political subdivisions to remedy any violation of this section, including an action for mandamus.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. The provisions of this act are to be liberally construed to effectuate the intent and purpose of this act in favor of Washington state residents.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6. Captions used in this act are not any part of the law.

--- END ---

For More Information:

Mr. Robert D. Baker

PO Box 911

Mercer Island, WA 98040

Cell (206) 300-8682

protectwa@hotmail.com

bobbaker88@hotmail.com

Local Coalition Decries Proposed Initiative

2006-04-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Nationally, the battle over immigration reform is red hot. And Washington State residents could be asked to vote on major changes for the local immigrant population

April 2, 2006 By Tracy Vedder
TracyV@komotv.com
kOMO 4 NEWS

SEATTLE - They build our houses, clean our skyscrapers and work in our fields. And some argue they take more than they give back. We're talking about illegal immigrants.

Nationally, the battle over immigration reform is red hot. And Washington State residents could be asked to vote on some major changes for the immigrant population.

All week long, students around the state have rallied, protested and marched. The target: a federal House bill that would make illegal immigration a felony. Up at the border, self-named Minutemen are patrolling - doing the job they say the federal government won't.

And now voters will be asked to sign onto a new initiative that brings the argument over immigration home in a very personal way.

"If the federal government was doing it's job right, we wouldn't be here," said Bob Baker, who is a member of the Minutemen. Baker is also the initiative sponsor.

If approved, the measure would prevent the state from giving illegal immigrants any benefits not required by law. "I am trying to do at the state level what the federal government should be doing," said Baker, "and that's taking incentives away for people to come here illegally."

Baker's initiative would keep illegal immigrants from receiving benefits like food stamps, education, and medical care. But a coalition of church, labor, medical and business organizations is fighting Baker's plan.

"The initiative is designed to try to sow fear into our communities," said Michael Ramos, who co-chairs the Coalition From Hate to Hope. The group says the Minutemen are a vigilante organization and that Baker's initiative is racist.

The coalition adds that undocumented workers bring in more to the state economy than they take out. "It's unacceptable," says Ramos of the initiative. "It's immoral and it's a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars and would be far more expensive to implement than anyone knows."

Baker denies he or the initiative is racist and says it's a simple matter of numbers. He adds that if federal immigration laws were enforced, and if businesses paid fair wages for all work, then there wouldn't be an immigration problem.

Protesters are focusing now on the national debate over immigration reform. But if Baker's initiative gets enough signatures, the future of immigration law in Washington state will be in everyone's hands.

Baker's group, Protect Washington Now, needs to collect 224,000 signatures by July 7th to get the initiative on the November ballot.

The state estimates 136,000 immigrants are in Washington state illegally.

For More Information:

Mr. Robert D. Baker ~ PO Box 911 ~ Mercer Island, WA 98040 ~ 206) 300-8682 protectwa@hotmail.com ~ bobbaker88@hotmail.com

Protect Washington Now Blog

http://www.protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

Five Years is UNFAIR

2006-04-11T20:15:00.000-07:00

In a message dated 4/11/2006 5:43:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time, anonymous-comment@blogger.com writes:

Its unfair, it takes 5 years for my wife to get her brother here, plus, a $1000 and all the legal background checks, from the philippines, and they speak English. Make it 5 years for the illegals to become legal...2nd build the fence.

Glen

Posted by Anonymous to PROTECT WASHINGTON NOW at 4/11/2006 05:43:31 PM

Initiative would force state to deny some benefits to illegal immigrants

2006-03-26T08:28:00.000-08:00

Thursday, March 23, 2006 - Page updated at 09:01 AM

By Lornet Turnbull
Seattle Times staff reporter

Washington voters may be asked to decide in November whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to receive public benefits.

Bob Baker, a Mercer Island resident who heads a group called Protect Washington Now, has filed an initiative to force the state to deny illegal immigrants benefits like those in a handful of programs administered by the Department of Social and Health Services.

One such program provides free prenatal care for poor pregnant women and 10 months' family planning after delivery.

Another subsidizes child-care services for seasonal workers in the state's fruit orchards and tree farms.

Officials say they don't know how many of the state's estimated 136,000 illegal immigrants use these programs — most combine state and federal funding — but they know that many do.
Baker calls that an inappropriate use of his tax dollars.

"They come here and have their babies born at one of our hospitals at our expense; they have it all," said the 53-year-old Alaska Airlines pilot, who ran unsuccessfully for Mercer Island City Council last year.

Programs available to illegal immigrants

Along with other needy families in Washington, illegal immigrants may qualify for help under at least seven programs administered by the state Department of Social and Health Services. In most cases, families must meet federal poverty guidelines to qualify.

Working Connections child care provides child-care services for children who are citizens. The parents' immigration status is irrelevant.

Pregnancy program for women provides prenatal care plus 10 months' family planning after delivery.

Emergency medical program: Mandated and funded by the federal government, it covers emergency-medical services for immigrants. They must meet all Medicaid qualifications but be ineligible for Medicaid because of their immigration status. Welfare reform made most noncitizen immigrants ineligible for Medicaid.

Children's health program resumed coverage this past January after suspending the program in 2003 as a way to save money. It's for noncitizen children under 18 years old whose immigration status makes them ineligible for other medical assistance programs.

Seasonal child care provides child care for seasonal workers who produce crops or harvest trees.

Homeless child care provides short-term child-care services for homeless families as they try to find employment, keep health care or substance-abuse appointments, secure permanent housing or other social services.

Consolidated emergency assistance provides funds to pregnant women and families with children for emergency food, shelter, clothing and medical care. It's available only once in a 12-month period.

Source: Department of Social and Health Services

"And that's the real tragedy. Where does it stop? Do we allow the entire nation of Mexico to come here?"

Baker volunteers with the Minuteman Project, which got its start in Arizona two years ago to spot and report illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico.

Critics have called members of the group vigilantes and racist.

Baker said he and his supporters should have no trouble collecting the 224,000 signatures needed to get the issue on the November ballot.

The measure is patterned after one passed by Arizona voters in 2004 that denied public benefits to illegal immigrants and forced residents to prove their citizenship to vote.

It bitterly divided the border state and forced the issue into the forefront nationally. Opponents branded it racist.

In Washington, Baker's initiative would require state employees to verify the immigration status of anyone seeking benefits not mandated by federal law — such as emergency medical care — and to report suspected illegal immigrants to federal immigration authorities.
"Public benefits"

The proposal does not define "public benefits," but Baker said they would fall generally in the categories of health care, the state prison system and education.
Employees and their supervisors would face misdemeanor charges for refusing to report violations. The measure also would allow anyone to bring a suit against state agencies for refusing to enforce the law.

Immigrant advocates say such a measure would spread fear in immigrant communities, making people reluctant to contact authorities or seek emergency help when they need it.
"Washington residents won't stand for this form of imported initiative," said Michael Ramos, co-chairman of From Hate to Hope, a coalition of 40 local groups formed to campaign against the measure.

"They're proposing to deputize social-service providers as immigration agents and hold them accountable for service the state provides, when it will be a rare case that an undocumented person will be provided such a service."

Estimated figure

Nationwide, an estimated 12 million people live in this country illegally, and are not eligible for such benefits as food stamps or Medicaid.

In fact, under changes to the welfare program, even legal immigrants — those here on green cards — are not entitled to such benefits, which are reserved for U.S. citizens.

But many noncitizen immigrants have U.S.-born children who do qualify, and federal law mandates emergency-medical care for everyone — regardless of their immigration status.

Though many states consider the influx a problem of the federal government's making, they are scrambling for ways to mitigate the drain on their resources; they feel it most in their schools and in health care.

Several have proposed legislation and initiatives to cut benefits to illegal immigrants or penalize companies that employ them.

California was the first.

Its Proposition 187, which sought to deny public education and other benefits to that state's expanding population of illegal immigrations, passed in 1994. But a federal judge later overturned major provisions in the measure.

Programs for poor

In Washington, DSHS administers at least seven programs for the state's poor, to which illegal immigrants have access. For those programs available only to citizens, application forms ask whether a person is a citizen to determine his or her eligibility.

Applicants are also asked if they are in this country legally, said Leo Ribas, operations manager and special assistant in DSHS' division of employment and assistance.

Unless citizenship is an eligibility factor for receiving benefits, the immigration status of an otherwise qualified person is not relevant.

In January, the state reinstated a health program for noncitizen children that it discontinued in 2003 in a money-saving move.

The program, with a two-year budget of $21.2 million, provides free health coverage for children whose immigration status makes them ineligible for any other medical programs.

Jim Stevenson, a DSHS spokesman, said that when the state ended the program in 2003, officials had hoped many poor immigrant children would shift to the state's basic health-care plan.

But there were out-of-pocket costs associated with that plan that some families couldn't afford, leaving many without coverage and renewing the need for the program, he said.

Immigration impact

Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which is supporting many of the states' initiatives, said illegal immigration affects everyone.

"People see it in their daily lives — it affects their children's education, their trip to the hospital or the local Home Depot," he said.

"The federal government has dropped the ball on this and states are forced to deal with it because they are the ones paying the bills. It's perfectly legitimate for states to determine how they are going to spend their own money."

Baker thinks that if you dry up benefits for illegal immigrants — including jobs — they will go away. "You either address the supply side or the demand side.

The problem, he said, is most acute in emergency care, which illegal immigrants use for regular care: "They know [emergency rooms] have to accept them."

But advocates say that making immigrants fearful of seeking medical care when they need it poses a health risk that affects everyone.

And the idea that illegal immigrants will simply go away fails to recognize the role they play in the state and national economies.

"The reality is that much of our service sector relies on labor of immigrants — some of whom are documented and some of whom are not," Hate to Hope's Ramos said. "If you want to pull the carpet out from under the economy of this state pass an imitative like this."

Leon Donahue, of the Washingtonians for Immigration Reform, doesn't buy that argument.
"There was a time when Americans — black, white, yellow — were doing these jobs," he said. And Americans would do those jobs again "if employers were willing to pay a decent, living wage."

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com

14 Illegal Aliens Reportedly Voted

2005-08-08T18:41:00.000-07:00

Proof of citizenship before registering to vote is needed to protect the integrity of the ballot

The article below addresses voting by illegal aliens. This violation of the law has captured the limelight because it is so purely outrageous. Legal aliens, that is green-card holders, are not citizens and they are not entitled to vote. They can become voters, but only after being naturalized and becoming citizens.

.................................................................................................................................................................

14 Illegal Aliens Reportedly Voted

KSL NewsRadio 1160 (Salt Lake City, UT), August 8, 2005
http://radio.ksl.com/index.php?sid=224157&nid=19

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Elections Division of the Lieutenant Governor's Office is looking into the report during last winter's legislative session that at least 14 illegal immigrants may have voted in an election.

The issue was raised during discussion of legislation on drivers' licenses for undocumented workers.

Legislative Auditor General John Schaff said more than 58,000 illegal immigrants had Utah drivers' licenses, nearly 400 of them used their license to register to vote in Utah, and a sampling of that group revealed at least 14 actually voted in an election.

As a result, the Legislature enacted a measure that provides undocumented workers may not get a regular driver's license but may get a driving privilege card that is not a valid form of identification.

Elections director Michael Cragun said he wants information on the possible illegal voters so county clerks can look at it and take appropriate action.

'If we find we've got someone who is not a citizen who has registered ... someone at the polling place can challenge their right to cast a ballot,' he said. 'As far as someone proven to be a noncitizen who did cast a ballot, that would be referred to the county attorney for prosecution.'

Schaff said he has received the Election Division's request for records but may only be able to release them to the attorney general's office.

Assistant Attorney General Thom Roberts said his office might try to obtain the information if the lieutenant governor can't.

While lawmakers originally said they'd seek a more in-depth audit, Sen. Curt Bramble, R-Provo, who sponsored the legislation, has since said the audit served its purpose by identifying a problem and the legislation was designed to solve it. Bramble has said any follow-up should by handled by state investigative agencies.

A Department of Public Safety investigation, a joint effort with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. postal inspectors, has since been closed, according to Sgt. Dale Neal of Highway Patrol Investigation.

Neal said two suspects are being sought for federal mail and being in the country illegally. They allegedly charged people $800 to help them get a driver's license in Utah.

Activists on both sides of the immigration debate said they have tried unsuccessfully to gain access to the voter registration information mentioned in the auditor's survey.

Frank Cordova, director of Utah Coalition of La Raza, said the survey was inconclusive but 'has implicated the entire Latino community. They've made us all look suspicious and legally ineligible voters. That isn't true.'

Cordova said he and others have worked for several years to register voters and have worked closely with Salt Lake County elections officials. It has always been made clear that only citizens can vote, he said.

Cordova said he wants to know 'how many people registered, where they registered and if there is some fraud going on. Right now there's no answer to any of those.'

Russell Sias, vice chairman of Utahns for Immigration Reform and Enforcement, has also been trying to access the information. Sias believes there are more undocumented individuals voting than the audit suggests, and he would like to see a full audit of the state's voter rolls.

Thank you John, Kirby, Mike, Stefan, Josef, and all

2005-07-28T02:43:00.000-07:00

Write martinringhofer@aol.com if you would like to be put on distribution of our Journal

I express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have responded, provided feedback, offered suggestions, indicated support and a desire to help collect signatures. Your thoughts and comments overwhelm me as being thoughtful, caring, non-judgmental, and reflective only of your love of the United States of America.

I apologize if I inadvertently failed to include your comments in our first journal. It is late and I am a staff of one at the moment, not for lack of offers to help – only due to the virtual explosion of support and emails I’ve been inundated with. It did not escape my attention that you all have an underlying desire to fix the problem but not harm the illegal aliens, and others who are not citizens – not entitled to register to vote, and vote.

It is obvious that all of you take the mission and vision of ProtectWashingtonNow seriously, embrace it, and have a strong desire to find a solution which to date no political party has managed to address to the liking, wishes, and aspirations of the US citizens who in fact are appalled that our elected representatives simply refuse to recognize that they are elected by the people to represent the people, and not themselves.

I-912 offers all the evidence necessary to make the point that the voters of our state are not amused. Nearly 450,000 signatures in 32 days is astonishing and a powerful message which resonates loud, and it is not a message the elected representatives and senators of this state really want to hear, or address.

John Carlson, Wilbur Kirby and Mike Siegel are champions of the airwaves. Without a doubt, without their steadfast support and stick-to-it attitude, in giving the citizens the latest bit of news in regard to the I-912 effort, I-912 would not have collected sufficient signatures to make it. Thank you John, Kirby and Mike.

Stefan Sharkansky from http://soundpolitics.com/ has proven to be a true patriot, great American, fearless leader, with a never-give-up tenacity to leave no stone unturned in a quest for the truth. Stefan was recognized by KVI for his great contribution in the arena of putting the truth out there for all to know, read, and comment on. What a powerhouse Stefan has created with his blog, and team of contributing blogers like himself. With journalists in the finest tradition of journalism like Stefan and his team of blogers, using the Internet as the new source of news that apparently the mainstream meadia has no stomach to reveal to the people: the future looks bright… very bright. Thank you Stefan and team.

Though there are many blogers who are doing a superb job, another who well deserves mentioning as having proven to be every bit as effective as Stefan, is Josef Kunzler, of http://josef-a-k.blogspot.com/. A prolific writer, investigative reporter, journalist, and champion for the truth himself, Josef has managed to blog numerous first time news BEFORE anybody got a wind of it, and many which to date nobody has even published. The astonishing part about Josef is that he is a student and an internet consultant who has tought himself all he knows to broadcast to ALL who want to know just what happened and what is going on when it comes to elections, politics, and an endless list of topics. Way to go, Josef. Keep up the great work. You are a great American.

AMNESTY for non-citizens: Don't just deport them... fine them first!

2005-07-25T23:53:00.000-07:00

by Deborah
expose@tb2k.com

OK...

So let's say I-343 passes by a huge margin. The LIBERAL PINHEADS are at a loss as how to pick up more illegal aliens, felons and dead voters....They lose terribly and shrink back to their Bohemian sewers in France and Canada...

Now....

What the heck do we do with the 11 million illegals who are now in our country? Can we offer a strict amnesty program? I hesitate to do this unless our borders get secure. But - we DO need to document these people somehow and we need the ability to weed out the dangerous criminal element among them..

One way to inspire illegals to try for amnesty is to get tough on our laws. Don't just deport them....fine them first! Charge their employers too! Can you imagine how much revenue that would generate? They are coming here for our money! Take it away from them until it hurts!

I-343 is the beginning - but we need to have some solid ideas for dealing with the illegal aliens in our country now. The lack of serious discussion about the subject is what gives the liberals power in their rhetoric. They try to stop any dialogue on the subject of illegals because they know once the subject is brought out into the open a solution will arise and there goes their cash-cow!

That's why any talk of illegal aliens is immediately met with a cry of racism from the liberal left! They want to shame us into silence with their false accusations! It's worked for far too long! Now the illegals are not just in our pocketbooks, not just bringing disease to our childrens schools...they are voting in our elections!

It's time to talk about this.

Councilor Reagan Dunn to Dean Logan: Purge King County voter registrations of non-citizen voters

2005-07-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

July 25, 2005

Dean Logan
Director
King County Elections
500 4th Ave, Room 553
Seattle, WA 98104

Dear Mr. Logan:

Due to the recent inconsistencies in King County Elections, I request that you do your best to purge the voter lists of non-citizen voters. It has been brought to our attention that there may be non-citizens who have registered to vote in King County when applying for driver's licenses or social services. These names must be removed from the voter lists.

I know that your office is unable to investigate the citizenship status of registered voters without a formal voter registration challenge being made by another registered voter. Because of this, I would ask you to please contact Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) and request that they help you purge King County voter registrations.

The CIS database may be a source that would help the county identify non-citizens who are registered to vote. Thurston County has asked CIS to help them clean their voter lists and King County should do the same. We must make sure that our elections are honest and only citizens are allowed to vote.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Reagan Dunn

I-343 on KVI 570AM Dial 7/26 7-7:30AM

2005-07-25T23:24:00.000-07:00

I-343 will be the topic on KVI 570AM Tue 7/26, 7-7:30AM. Join the discourse.

Include citizenship, ID requirements in election reforms

2005-07-24T21:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Any election reform package that comes out of this session of the Legislature would be seriously flawed if it omitted requiring voters to show photo identification at polling places before they receive ballots and prospective new voters to verify their U.S. citizenship with election officials.

Senate bills backed by both Democrats and Republicans include these requirements, but the bills were amended in committee by House Democrats to eliminate them.
Elections officials may find the identification-citizenship requirements inconvenient to enforce. Too bad. They are sensible, reasonable protection against voter fraud, although ID at polling places is a moot point in Lewis County now that it has gone to all-mail voting in elections. But that makes the citizenship requirement all the more important.

Many Republican legislators also want to require all voters to reregister by August 2006 to clean up registration lists and other discrepancies that were brought to light by the near tie in the governor election in November. Reregistration also might well be seen as an inconvenience or unfair, but the point is, registration lists need better updating.

In any event, the absence of adequate identification and verification requirements with reliance mostly on trust leaves the door wide open for fraud and inaccuracies. The need for accurate, honest elections outweighs any inconvenience that might occur because of the new safeguards.

“Our current system is skewed too far in the direction of convenience, openness and speed and has sacrificed security, integrity and accuracy,” said Rep. Toby Nixon, R-Kirkland, ranking Republican on the House committee that deals with elections.
Note further that at least the photo ID requirement at the polling places is supported as well by Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, who led a task force on election reform, and Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, who appointed the task force.

If House Democrats don’t accede to Republican efforts this week to restore the ID and citizenship provisions to the Senate bills and they aren’t part of any election-reform package ultimately passed this session, it could end up on the ballot for voters to decide.

Conservative radio talk-show host Mike Siegel and others vowed Monday to pursue an initiative to the voters that would require the ID and proof of citizenship. It probably wouldn’t make it to the ballot, if sufficient voter signatures are gathered, until a year from this November.

‘‘If they (the Legislature) don’t do the reform, we will, and that’s a promise,” Siegel said. It’s likely such an initiative would draw widespread voter support.
Meanwhile, there is more agreement on a number of other worthwhile election reforms. They include allowing voter records to be randomly investigated by elections officials, statewide standards for handling of ballots, regular audits of county election departments, changing the look of provisional ballots cast at polling places to avoid their being counted with regular ballots before they can be authenticated, and regular reviews of voter registration lists to eliminate errors.
The worst thing that could happen is no election reform legislation at all this year, even provisions most agreed on, simply because legislators couldn’t agree on everything.

VOTER DATABASE: An election reform that should make a major difference in preventing illegal votes is already under way in this state, apart from the legislative battles over reform.

As a result of congressionally mandated reforms, the state is putting together its first-ever computerized voter database, paid for by $6 million from the feds. It brings together all the separate county lists and will help local election officials ensure felons, dead people and noncitizens can’t vote. It will also help ensure people aren’t registered in more than one locale or voting more than once per election.

Cleaner voter lists will help ensure ballots are sent only to valid voters (which can only be fully assured by requiring proof of citizenship) and that only properly cast ballots are counted.

Initiative I-343 is a sound measure

2005-07-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

Initiative I-343 is a sound measure
Posted by Amused by liberals rdjones131@juno.com
http://www.usefulwork.com/blog/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=4811

The PI article by John Iwasaki Initiative 343 assailed was revealing enough of the sharp divisions to clearly define this issue. Fear-based labeling of the proponents of I-343 (rather than the initiative itself) by Eric Ward, and Soya Jung Harris characterized the typical liberal nonsense used to distort and obfuscate the real issue. These hide-bound liberal activists used shameless irrelevant and overblown emotionally charged invective to recast a straight forward common sense measure into a hate campaign, and cover up their own motives.
THE REAL ISSUE IS ALL TOO CLEAR. There are actually only two ways to go here:

1)One is to pretend that our national sovereignty and state integrity is no longer important and “illegals” should be allowed to vote here so long as they support the liberals who ***pay lip service*** to them as racial items or social pawns.

2)The other is to insist that we are still a sovereign nation and a state that should be composed of laws not personalities, and that voting in America counts for something other than a scam to keep liberal Democrats in power by firther immersing ourselves in radical socialism.

The key words in the PI article that give the anti-initiative side away entirely for any honest intelligent reader are the words of Eric Ward when he says the initiative "does nothing to address immigration reform . . . What it does is build on people's frustrations with a system that's broken."

REALLY? . . . WHO’S FRUSTRATIONS THERE WARD BOY?
Eric Ward regurgitates a stock liberal line of tangled pseudo-reasoning based purely on scurrilous emotional appeals. Someone surely explained to him that Initiative I-343 is not supposed to address immigration reform directly, it is to require that a voter supply proof of citizenship, because it is illegal for illegal aliens to vote, AND IT DAMNED WELL SHOULD BE. What could be more clear and unambiguous? Nevertheless, doing so makes too much sense for liberals whose motivations have nothing to do with the interests of immigrants (illegal or otherwise).

How can enforcing the law possibly build on people's frustrations with a system that's broken, if the disorder is caused by failing to enforce it?
ONLY if liberals speciously change the subject and pretend that the whole issue is one of hate, bigotry, and racism in order to vilify those who speak the truth about our essential need to establish and maintain our national and state integrity.

SHOP AND COMPARE--YA JUST GOTTA LOVE IT.

Initiative I-343 Martin Ringhofer said the initiative is about “U.S. citizenship status,” and the “serious problem with illegal aliens that needs to be addressed."
Anti - Initiative I-343 In contrast, Ward and Harris discussed the initiative by referring to an "anti-immigrant" movement that threatens the "soul of America, part of a national effort to make immigrants a scapegoat by those uncomfortable with diversity,” and generally claimed that “critics, troubled by what they say are the initiative's racial overtones, . . . being driven by a deeply cynical anti-immigrant [oh gee they must have forgot -illegal alien immigrant once again] movement that's working to divide our nation along racial and ethnic lines." Further, “[T]hat "brand of bigotry ... threatens to relegate not just immigrants, but families who have been in this country for generations, to second-class citizens (“generations” means as little as one day because it refers to anyone who has offspring born in America and second-class citizens means scofflaws treated as scofflaws)."

If all of that was not enough, “Ward said such efforts [by Ringhofer] to curb illegal immigration use "racially coded words.” How very diabolical indeed.
UNBELEIVABLE IDIOCY? Not coming from liberals.

The liberals who exploit such cynical tactics in order to castigate any who oppose their cynical game plan are the very same liberals who exploit the futures and fortunes of mass numbers of immigrants (especially illegal ones) solely in order to gain partisan advantages for their failing policies. These liberals are truly the movement that threatens the "soul of America." One of abject bigotry, cynical opportunism, division amongst and between people of all otherwise irrelevant varieties, offering open opportunities for terrorism, fiscal calamities, and social collapse.

Nice work liberals Ward and Harris. Another prescription for disaster from the nihilists who just keep on giving . . . the certain promise of enslavement through deceitful emptiness.

SUPPORT INITIATIVE I-343

Initiative 343 assailed as attack on immigrants: Issue is fairness, backers say

2005-07-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/233650_immigrantvote22.html

Friday, July 22, 2005

By JOHN IWASAKI
johniwasaki@seattlepi.com
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

An initiative aimed at halting voting rights and other benefits to illegal aliens in Washington was derided last night as an "anti-immigrant" movement that threatens the "soul of America."

Initiative 343 is part of a national effort to make immigrants a scapegoat by those uncomfortable with diversity, said Eric Ward, a field director of the Center for New Communities in Chicago, a faith-based organization that seeks social and economic justice.

He spoke at a briefing sponsored by more than 40 immigrant, ethnic, human rights, social service and labor groups. About 75 people of various races and ethnicities attended the meeting at NewHolly Hall in Rainier Valley.

Among other requirements, I-343 would mandate that a voter supply proof of citizenship, a telephone number, occupation and former residence.

Agencies that administer public health benefits would have to verify a voter's eligibility for benefits and report immigration-law violations.

To qualify for the 2006 ballot, the initiative needs 224,880 valid signatures by Dec. 30.

Critics, troubled by what they say are the initiative's racial overtones, aren't waiting for it to qualify. Supporters say the issue is fairness.

I-343 was filed by Martin Ringhofer of Soap Lake in Grant County. Ringhofer had led an unsuccessful recall effort against Secretary of State Sam Reed earlier this year. He had accused Reed of malfeasance and a violation of the oath of office for his role in certifying Christine Gregoire as governor in December.

In interviews before the meeting, both sides laid out their arguments.

The initiative campaign is "being driven by a deeply cynical anti-immigrant movement that's working to divide our nation along racial and ethnic lines," said Soya Jung Harris, who helped organize last night's briefing.

That "brand of bigotry ... threatens to relegate not just immigrants, but families who have been in this country for generations, to second-class citizens," said Harris, grants and program director at Social Justice Fund Northwest in Seattle.

Ringhofer said his initiative has "nothing to do with immigration status (and everything) to do with U.S. citizenship status."

"We have a serious problem with illegal aliens that needs to be addressed," he said. "Illegal aliens are ripped off badly by employers, who hire them at below minimum (wage). Those who are caught in this syndrome are blackmailed into staying illegal. We need to help the illegal aliens become legal. Step No. 1 is to stop the enabling, allowing them to pass as (legal) immigrants when, in fact, they are not."

Ringhofer said he supports legal immigrants because he is one himself, having arrived nearly 30 years ago from Austria.

Michael Scheele of Seattle, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Japan, said I-343 upholds valid elections, national security and fiscal responsibility.

"Why do we want to reward lawbreakers -- illegal immigrants -- by allowing them to receive government services unchallenged?" he asked, calling it an unfair burden on taxpayers.

Ward said I-343 replicates Arizona's Proposition 200, which passed in November to become the nation's first such approved initiative. He said foes of that measure underestimated its support and warned his audience last night not to do the same.

The initiative "does nothing to address immigration reform," Ward said. "What it does is build on people's frustrations with a system that's broken."

Ward said such efforts to curb illegal immigration use "racially coded words. When people hear 'immigrants,' they're not thinking of Canadians coming down from the north."

During the meeting, he called national immigration reform supporters "xenophobic" and stopped just shy of equating them with white supremacists.

King County Councilman Larry Gossett said that in the aftermath of the controversial gubernatorial election, the County Council narrowly defeated a resolution that would require proof of citizenship for voters. I-343 has "a great potential to pass in Washington state," he said.

THE KEY POINTS OF I-343

Initiative 343 would require:

Voter registration applicants to supply proof of citizenship and other information.

Additional identification at the polls to vote.

Agencies administering public benefits to verify citizenship and report immigration violations.

To read the full text, go to the Initiative 343 link at http://www.secstate.wa.gov/elections/initiatives/legislature.aspx

P-I reporter John Iwasaki can be reached at 206-448-8096 or johniwasaki@seattlepi.com .

Great News resources:

Russ & Dee on-line http://www.voiceofalabama.com/
SundayNite News http://www.sundaynite.net/
Glenn Spencer's American Border Patrol http://www.americanpatrol.com/
The American Resistance http://www.theamericanresistance.com/
The Minute Man Project http://www.minutemanproject.com/
The Federal Observer http://www.federalobserver.com/index.php
Lou Dobbs http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/
The Anderson Report http://www.azanderson.org/
Lewis News http://www.lewisnews.com/main.asp
Stand Up For America http://www.sherricorrell.com/
Texas Minutemen http://www.txminutemen.com/
News With Views http://www.newswithviews.com/
Covenant News http://www.covenantnews.com/blog/
Sierra Times http://www.sierratimes.com/
Idaho Observer http://www.proliberty.com/observer/
Sonoran News http://www.sonorannews.com/
The Citizens Review On-Line http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/current_news.html
Buy AMERICAN - http://www.buyamerican.com/
** Judicial Forum http://www.judicialforum.org/
How To Buy American http://www.howtobuyamerican.com/
Bush Revealed http://bushrevealed.com/
Arnold Exposed http://www.arnoldexposed.com/

MUEHLER et al. v. MENA certiorari to the united states court of appeals for the ninth circuit No. 03-1423.Argued December 8, 2004--Decided March 22, 2005

BORDER ISSUES
The Laws that are NOT being enforced

8 USC Sec. 1325 (ILLEGAL ENTRY)
8 USC Sec. 1324 (Hiring an ILLEGAL)
8 USC Sec. 1644 ("No local ordinance, rule, or measure shall stop law enforcement officers
from enforcement of this section")

8 USC Sec. 1325
Any alien who -

1. enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or

2. eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or

3. attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under Title 18 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under Title 18, or imprisoned not more than two years or both.

(b) Improper time or place, civil penalties - Any alien who is apprehended while entering (or attempting to enter) the United States at a time or place other than as designated by immigration officers shall be subject to a civil penalty of -
(1) at least $50 and not more than $250 for each such entry (or attempted entry); or

(2) twice the amount specified in paragraph (1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil penalty under this subsection. Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be imposed.

(c) Marriage fraud - Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, or fined not more than $250,000 or both.

(d) Immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud - Any individual who knowingly establishes a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than 5 years, fined in accordance with title 18, or both.

Section 1324a states: "Any person who knowingly hires/harbors/transports any illegal alien is guilty of a felony punishable by 10 years jail + $2000 fine per illegal alien + forfeiture of the vehicle or property used to commit the crime".

Section 1324c states, "All officers whose duty it is to enforce criminal laws shall have authority to make arrests for a violation of any provision of this section" (affirmed US v Perez-Gonzalez 2002 Fed App 0360, 6th Circ.).

Section 1644, same title states, "No local ordinance, rule, or measure shall stop law enforcement officers from enforcement of this section" (affirmed Southern District Court of NY, US v Rudy Guiliani,1996).

George W. Bush (BushWhacker) has made it exceedingly clear that he has no intention of dealing with the INVASION OF AMERICA BY FOREIGN ILLEGALS. He has made it clear that he intends to open the doors of America even wider to accommodate these ILLEGALS. America is suffering from that Trojan Horse we allowed to enter our government offices. We have allowed the Enemy to rule from within our own house.

We have no one to blame except ourselves. Continued SILENCE is CONSENT for it to continue.

The goal of America's enemies is to destroy us financially. Financial destruction can occur in many ways, not all are obvious. Just as water can disappear by diversion, evaporation, overuse, or filled with debris to absorb it - so can the financial holdings of America disappear. It can be by use by those not entitled (Illegals), outsourcing of jobs, moving of manufacturing outside the country, writing off debts due to America, spending money in foreign aid to those unworthy or not in true need (funneled by the despots), redirecting funds to political uses. Start paying attention to how those funds extracted from us in taxes, fees, permits, etc. are being used to bring America down financially.

"Federal Funds" - "Matching Funds" - "State Funds" these are all fraudulent terms as government in America has no funds of any kind except those funds it first takes from the private citizen, you and me. All these so-called "funds" are those monies government has creamed from excessive taxes (handling fees) which they then turn around and *gift* us with (including ropes with a hangman's noose) to coerce another level of government to hang us with. All that *sugar* they dangle in front of the eyes of the greedy tax hogs is filled with poison but it isn't tasted until it is too late. A spoonful of sugar helps the poison go down.

We would all be much better off if we would handle all projects at the local level and didn't swallow all that *sugar*. Stop sending your resources to Washington DC for them to siphon off those "handling/laundering fees" before 'gifting us' with those phoney 'matching funds'

It is these same siphoned off funds they are handing over to ILLEGAL INVADERS, assisting in the overthrow of America.

Seattle Community Briefing on Anti-Immigrant Measure

2005-07-18T21:29:00.000-07:00

July 21st Seattle Community Briefing on Anti-Immigrant Measure
When: July 21, 5:30p.m.

Where: New Holly Community Gathering Hall (7054 32nd Ave. S. on Beacon Hill in Seattle)

The Social Justice Fund NW is proud to partner with social justice organizations on an important community briefing this month. Please join us to learn more about a recently filed anti-immigrant initiative in Washington State that would require proof of immigration status for voting and any public benefit. This is a copycat of Proposition 200, passed in Arizona last fall. The briefing will take place on Thursday, July 21st at 5:30pm at New Holly Community Gathering Hall (7054 32nd Ave. S. on Beacon Hill in Seattle) and will include an overview of the national anti-immigrant movement by Eric Ward, Field Director of the Building Democracy Initiative at the Center for New Communities.

To date, this event is co-sponsored by the Arab American Community Coalition, Asian Counseling and Referral Service, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition of King County, Bainbridge Unity Coalition, the Children’s Alliance, Comite Pro-Amnistia y Justicia Social, Fremont Public Association, Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington, Immigrant Worker Justice Project / National Employment Law Project, Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) Seattle Chapter, Kitsap Human Rights Network, Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington State, the Nonprofit Assistance Center, NW Federation of Community Organizations, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Washington Citizen Action, Washington State Labor Council AFL-CIO, and the Western States Center. For more information, email Soya Jung Harris, Grants & Program Director at soya@socialjusticefund.org

The Power of the Internet: Bill Schumacher makes history

2005-07-13T00:31:00.000-07:00

by Martin D Ringhofer ©

An e-mail forwarded to me a month ago by virginia.abernethy@Vanderbilt.Edu about a resolution to the Alabama State Executive GOP Committee on Illegal Immigration was just ADOPTED unanimously by the Cowlitz County GOP Central Committee. Introduced and led through its unanimous passage was made possible by the leadership of Bill Schumacher, Washington State GOP Committeeman.

This feat was no small task, ladies and gents: it was only a month ago that russfine@mindspring.com, a popular radio talk show host in Alabama led an effort from outside the GOP party, at the urging of Hugh McInnish from Alabama, to the state executive group. The Resolution and the pressure came from radio hosts, "Russ and Dee in the Morning" ---- not to mention from Alabama voters who feel betrayed by their elected leaders right and left.

A letter went to the Alabama State GOP Executive Committee, and said in part as follows:

"If you do not adopt this anti-illegal immigration resolution as it is written, we promise you that the most politically powerful radio voice in Alabama, Russ and Dee in the Morning, will make certain that every potential ALABAMA voter - Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian knows of your absolute betrayal ... your cowardice and your unwillingness to do what is 100% right. No More Excuses. You Are On Record. No More Excuses. You Are On Record. If this resolution is not adopted as written and submitted by Hugh McInnish, we will make certain that Alabama Republicans running for state office, county and local office are battered in the next election ... and if you don't think we can and will crush statewide.

Republican incumbents and candidates at the polls with the illegal immigration issue ... ask soon to be Former Governor Bob Riley to remind you what Russ & Dee and the Alabama Tea Party did to his cockamamie Amendment 1 proposal. The Tea Party is not kidding. If you want to lose the battles and the war ... Ignore This Warning. If you have a lick of sense ... you will pass this resolution unanimously. You will know your political fates and that of the Alabama Republican party after the vote on Saturday. GIRLY MEN: THIS IS A NO BRAINER."

Though we have some very progressive and topnotch radio talk hosts in the Seattle area, such as John Carlson, Kirby, and the dynamic rising star David Boze (KVI) and the most dynamic Mike Siegel of KTTH who has single handily been on a 15 year on-the-air campaign to reshape the political map of Washington -- they have to date remained silent on this subject of illegal immigration and how it is affecting elections and taxpayers pockets.

It is befitting that Bill Schumacher, long time hard working member of the Republican Party from Cowlitz County should take up the cause and strike a blow for liberty. Enough is enough, and it has nothing at all to do with being anti-immigrants. This great nation was forged by immigrants. Yet, there is a vast difference between LEGAL, and ILLEGAL immigration. Myself included, I know no-one who does not fully support reform which will address immigration, as well as find ways to fix the problem which forces the illegal aliens to live in the shadows of our communities.

This is not about politics; nor about Democrat vs. Republican; or any labels. This is simply about keeping America strong and work together to stop a problem which the "politically correct" and our elected representatives at all levels of government have failed miserably to address.

Time has come to make our government of and by the people and stop pointing fingers.

Bill Schumaker has launched the first shot for much needed reform on Illegal Immigration, and it should not escape anyone's attention that it would not have been made possible, were it not for the Internet, Russ Fine, Hugh McInnish from Alabama, and more importantly, Virginia Abernethy from Tennessee -- who is a prolific e-mail communicator, passing on tidbits such as Russ Fine's effort on this Resolution in Alabama -- without which this resolution would not today have been passed unanimously under guidance and hard work by GOP State Committeeman from Cowlitz County.

In a message dated 7/12/2005 9:03:38 PM Pacific Daylight Time, wschuma@adelphia.net writes:

Martin,

Out central committee unanamously passed the following resolution this evening. I will be sending it to other counties and to the state party.

Bill

R E S O L U T I ON 2005-2

Whereas, there are in the United States an unknown number of illegal immigrants estimated to be from 12 to 18 million; and

Whereas, there are in Washington State an unknown number of illegal immigrants estimated to be from 350,000 to 400,000 costing Washington State taxpayers millions in various government benefits intended for US citizens; and

Whereas, the failure of the Federal Government to enforce our immigration laws is creating a dangerous situation in which terrorists are given easy access; andWhereas, there are other serious consequences of our present unchecked illegal immigration, and these include:

a. Providing an open door through which terrorists can easily enter our country,

b. Creating a bilingual country which could compromise our unity,

c. Encouraging disrespect for the law,

d. Placing a monumental burden on our welfare system,

e. Straining our schools by requiring instruction in two languages,

f. Depressing wages,g. Displacing legal American workers,

h. Intensifying environmental problems,

I. Increasing the tax burden on American families; and

Whereas, polls repeatedly show that Latino-Americans, together with all other segments of American society, strongly support reform of this country’s immigration policy; and

Whereas, advocating reform would be a healthy confluence of doing what is right and doing what is politically wise; now therefore,

Be it Resolved by the Cowlitz County Republican Party, that this Party urges the Federal Government to move expeditiously to seal our borders against this flood of illegal immigrants, and to employ all practical and legal measures required to achieve this end, not excluding the erection of physical barriers and the use of military personnel; and

Be it Further Resolved, that no amnesty should be granted to illegal aliens, but that this country’s immigration laws should be enforced, and illegal aliens removed from the country in accordance with those laws; and

Be it Further Resolved, that the Cowlitz County Republican Party of Washington furnish copies of this Resolution to the Governor of Washington State, to the Washington State Republican Congressional Delegation, and to the President of the United States.

In a message dated 6/18/2005 8:25:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time, russfine@mindspring.com writes:

This is wonderful news ... and I am humbled by your generous for a portion of the credit ... but #1, you are the person who deserves the credit because of your tenacity and your courage ... and #2 ... the importance of the issue far outweighs any and all other considerations. I once heard someone say ... "Success has many fathers."

No doubt there will be many who now try to reinvent their past neglect and attempt to cast themselves into the que of those who have long been fighting for this ... If they choose to pick up the banner and march with us ... I can only say: Better late than never.With Great Respect and Affection. Russ

On Jun 18, 2005, at 9:16 PM, Hugh McInnish wrote:

Russ and Dee,

The immigration resolution passed! After some negotiating during the last 48 hours during which some very small changes were made, it went through on a voice vote with only a few weak no votes. What a change!I lost count of how many people told me they heard you and me on your show. There is no doubt but that you made a big impact. No doubt at all. And I can't thank you enough.

Can there be any doubt but that the tide is turning? Both in the state and in the country? I don't think so.Let's see how to proceed from here.And thanks again.Warmly,

Hugh

In a message dated 6/15/2005 12:32:18 AM Pacific Daylight Time, russfine@mindspring.com writes:

Thank You !RussOn Jun 14, 2005, at 11:19 PM, MartinRinghofer@aol.com wrote:Your effort is all over WASHINGTON STATE. Way to go!

http://protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

Re: Illegal Immigration & Your Failure to Address It.

Will the Alabama Republican Party leadership vote to condemn illegal immigration at their meeting on Saturday, June 18th in Birmingham ... or will they kill the anti-illegal immigration resolution for yet a 3rd time?

Here's a message to the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee:

If you do not adopt this anti-illegal immigration resolution as it is written, we promise you that the most politically powerful radio voice in Alabama, Russ and Dee in the Morning, will make certain that every potential ALABAMA voter - Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian knows of your absolute betrayal ... your cowardice and your unwillingness to do what is 100% right. No More Excuses. You Are On Record. No More Excuses. You Are On Record.

If this resolution is not adopted as written and submitted by Hugh McInnish, we will make certain that Alabama Republicans running for state office, county and local office are battered in the next election ... and if you don't think we can and will crush statewide Republican incumbents and candidates at the polls with the illegal immigration issue ... ask soon to be Former Governor Bob Riley to remind you what Russ & Dee and the Alabama Tea Party did to his cockamamie Amendment 1 proposal. The Tea Party is not kidding.

If you want to lose the battles and the war ... Ignore This Warning. If you have a lick of sense ... you will pass this resolution unanimously. You will know your political fates and that of the Alabama Republican party after the vote on Saturday. GIRLY MEN: THIS IS A NO BRAINER.

R E S O L U T I O N

Illegal Immigration

Whereas, there are in the United States an unknown number of illegal immigrants estimated to be from eight to 12 million; andWhereas, the failure of the Federal Government to enforce our immigration laws is creating a dangerous situation in which terrorists are given easy access; andWhereas, there are other serious consequences of our present unchecked illegal immigration, and these include:

a. Providing an open door through which terrorists can easily enter our country,

b. Creating a bilingual country which could compromise our unity,

c. Encouraging disrespect for the law,

d. Placing a monumental burden on our welfare system,

e. Straining our schools by requiring instruction in two languages,

f. Depressing wages,

g. Displacing legal American workers,

h. Intensifying environmental problems,

i. Increasing the tax burden on American families; and

Whereas, polls repeatedly show that Latino-Americans, together with all other segments of American society, strongly support reform of this country’s immigration policy; andWhereas, advocating reform would be a healthy confluence of doing what is right and doing what is politically wise; now therefore,

Be it Resolved by the Alabama Republican Party, that this Party urges the Federal Government to move expeditiously to seal our borders against this flood of illegal immigrants, and to employ all practical and legal measures required to achieve this end, not excluding the erection of physical barriers and the use of military personnel; and

Be it Further Resolved, that no amnesty should be granted to illegal aliens, but that this country’s immigration laws should be enforced, and illegal aliens removed from the country in accordance with those laws; and

Be it Further Resolved, that the Secretary of the Alabama Republican Party furnish copies of this Resolution to the Governor of Alabama, to the Alabama Republican Congressional Delegation, and to the President of the United States.

Cowlitz County GOP shows True Leadership...

2005-07-12T22:44:00.000-07:00

R E S O L U T I ON 2005-2
12 July 2005

From the grassroots.

Whereas, there are in the United States an unknown number of illegal immigrants estimated to be from 12 to 18 million; and

Whereas, there are in Washington State an unknown number of illegal immigrants estimated to be from 350,000 to 400,000 costing Washington State taxpayers millions in various government benefits intended for US citizens; and

Whereas, the failure of the Federal Government to enforce our immigration laws is creating a dangerous situation in which terrorists are given easy access; and

Whereas, there are other serious consequences of our present unchecked illegal immigration, and these include:

a. Providing an open door through which terrorists can easily enter our country,
b. Creating a bilingual country which could compromise our unity,
c. Encouraging disrespect for the law,
d. Placing a monumental burden on our welfare system,
e. Straining our schools by requiring instruction in two languages,
f. Depressing wages,
g. Displacing legal American workers,
h. Intensifying environmental problems,
i. Increasing the tax burden on American families; and

Whereas, polls repeatedly show that Latino-Americans, together with all other segments of American society, strongly support reform of this country’s immigration policy; and

Whereas, advocating reform would be a healthy confluence of doing what is right and doing what is politically wise; now therefore,

Be it Resolved by the Cowlitz County Republican Party, that this Party urges the Federal Government to move expeditiously to seal our borders against this flood of illegal immigrants, and to employ all practical and legal measures required to achieve this end, not excluding the erection of physical barriers and the use of military personnel; and

Be it Further Resolved, that no amnesty should be granted to illegal aliens, but that this country’s immigration laws should be enforced, and illegal aliens removed from the country in accordance with those laws; and

Be it Further Resolved, that the Cowlitz County Republican Party of Washington furnish copies of this Resolution to the Governor of Washington State, to the Washington State Republican Congressional Delegation, and to the President of the United States

Ringhofer response to County Council Member Larry Phillps

2005-07-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

"I would like to understand exactly what King County has done, is required to do, or any explanation as to exactly what it will do to ensure that EVERY DEAD VOTER is removed from receiving registration forms, and what King County has done or will do to make sure we don't have any more DEAD people voting."

Dear Mr. Phillips.

Thank you for the offer to help with the situation concerning absentee ballots being mailed to DEAD VOTERS, or to someone for DEAD VOTERS. As we have learned in the past few months, this is a common occurrence.

Yes, of course, my dead parents should not have received voter registration cards AGAIN in the mail, as they have both been dead for nearly nine years. In addition, they have NOT voted since they died, as I have not had a forwarding address for them beyond their grave site at Abbey View Cemetery in Snohomish County. As if that is not sufficient reason for King County NOT to send my dead parents new voter registration cards, my parents NEVER lived at my address. Further, they have missed every local and several presidential elections since they died, which by itself should have resulted in being dropped off from the voter registration list.

It is also my understanding that by RCW and Election Rules established by the Secretary of State, the county election offices as supposed to receive death notices on a quarterly basis, though it is unknown whether in fact such notices are sent to the county election offices, received, or acted on by election offices in our 39 counties.

I kindly request you to provide to me an explanation as to how it is possible for me to be receiving registration cards for my dead parents under these circumstances. Furthermore, I would like to understand exactly what King County has done, is required to do, or any explanation as to exactly what it will do to ensure that EVERY DEAD VOTER is removed from receiving registration forms, and what King County has done or will do to make sure we don't have any more DEAD people voting.

I, and every citizen in this county and state, expect the ELECTION OFFICE to make sure DEAD PEOPLE are removed. For starters, the County Election and Records is the very office responsible for keeping accurate birth and death certificates. It cannot be left to those whose dead relatives or family members continue to receive voter registration cards for the dead -- to file anything to have them removed as voters once they have died. It is a function of government to ensure that its records are accurate, and that death notices and certificates already available to you from the state and your own records be the basis and foundation for removing dead people from receiving voter registration cards which can too easily be intercepted and used by anyone, as has been proved to be the case in our most recent general election.

Please be kind enough to provide me with a written response in regard to the points I raise, to help me understand why I even have to face this situation when my parents have been DEAD going on nine years, NEVER lived with me at my address, have not voted in nine years, etc. Please do me a favor and do NOT deflect by ignoring my questions and blowing off what obviously is a ridiculous situation which must be fixed.

One sure way to make sure that no-one is registered to vote who is not ALIVE and a US Citizen is your support of an Initiative to the Legislature No. 343. It requires nothing more then is already required by our US Constitution and our State Constitution. Besides looking forward to your personal response, I would like to offer you this opportunity -- the first offered to ANYONE -- to review the text of I-343 and give it your endorsement and support. If you should NOT support it, I certainly would solicit the reason(s) you have for not supporting something already required of you as County Council member, having sworn to uphold the laws of this nation and our state in particular.

Again, thank you and I look forward to your response.

Martin D Ringhofer
martinringhofer@aol.com

INITIATIVE TO THE LEGISLATURE No. 343

AN ACT Relating to the Washington taxpayer and citizen protection act; amending RCW 29A.08.210, 29A.44.201, and 29A.44.210; adding a new section to chapter 29A.08 RCW; adding new sections to chapter 29A.44 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 74.04 RCW; creating new sections; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

1. NEW SECTION. Sec. SHORT TITLE. This act may be known and cited as the Washington taxpayer and citizen protection act.

1. NEW SECTION. Sec. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.

Illegal immigration is causing economic hardship to the taxpayers and citizens of this state and illegal immigration is encouraged by public agencies within this state that provide public benefits without verifying immigration status. Illegal immigrants have been given a safe haven in this state with the aid of identification cards that are issued without verifying immigration status, and this conduct contradicts federal immigration policies, undermines the security of our borders, and demeans the value of citizenship. Therefore, the taxpayers and citizens of this state declare that the public interest of this state requires all public agencies within this state to cooperate with federal immigration authorities to discourage illegal immigration. Upon enactment of this act, all citizens who have voted before in any county will be required to provide proof of citizenship just one time before voting again in that same county. When voting in a particular county for the first time such as when a citizen moves, this act will, for that first time, require that citizen to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote in that new county or be allowed to vote when attested proof of citizenship is received from the preceding county in which that voter lived and voted.

Sec. RCW 29A.08.210 and 2005 c 246 s 11 are each amended to read as follows:

An applicant for voter registration shall complete an application providing the following information concerning his or her qualifications as a voter in this state:

(1) The address of the last former registration of the applicant as a voter in ((the)) this state or in another state;
(2) The applicant's full name;
(3) The applicant's date of birth, and state or county of birth;
(4) The address of the applicant's residence for voting purposes;
(5) The mailing address of the applicant if that address is not the same as the address in subsection (4) of this section;
(6) The applicant's telephone number, unless the number is unlisted;
(7) The applicant's occupation;
(8) The applicant's father's name or mother's maiden name;
(9) The sex of the applicant;
(((7))) (10) The applicant's Washington state driver's license number or Washington state identification card number, or the last four digits of the applicant's Social Security number if he or she does not have a Washington state driver's license or Washington state identification card;
(((8))) (11) A check box for the applicant to indicate that he or she does not have a Washington state driver's license, Washington state identification card, or Social Security number;
(((9))) (12) The applicant's Indian census number, if applicable. This information may be included at the applicant's option;
(13) A check box allowing the applicant to indicate that he or she is a member of the armed forces, national guard, or reserves, or that he or she is an overseas voter;
(((10))) (14) A check box allowing the applicant to confirm that he or she is at least eighteen years of age;
(((11))) (15) Clear and conspicuous language, designed to draw the applicant's attention, stating that the applicant must be a United States citizen in order to register to vote;
(((12))) (16) A check box and declaration confirming that the applicant is a citizen of the United States;
(((13))) (17) A check box and declaration confirming that the applicant has not been convicted of a felony, or if so, that the applicant's civil rights have been restored;
(18) A check box and declaration confirming that the applicant is a resident of this state and of the county in which the applicant is registering;
(19) The following warning:
"If you knowingly provide false information on this voter registration form or knowingly make a false declaration about your qualifications for voter registration you will have committed a class C felony that is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to ten thousand dollars, or both."
(((14))) (20) The following affirmation by the applicant:
"By signing this document, I hereby assert, under penalty of perjury, that I am legally eligible to vote. If I am found to have voted illegally, I may be prosecuted and/or fined for this illegal act. In addition, I hereby acknowledge that my name and last known address will be forwarded to the appropriate state and/or federal authorities if I am found to have voted illegally."
(((15))) (21) The oath required by RCW 29A.08.230 and a space for the applicant's signature;
(22) The date the applicant signed the application;
(23) If the applicant is unable to sign the form, a statement that the application was completed according to the applicant's direction;
(24) A statement that if an applicant declines to register to vote, the fact that the applicant has declined to register will remain confidential and will be used only for voter registration purposes;
(25) A statement that if an applicant does register to vote, the office at which the applicant submits a voter registration application will remain confidential and will be used only for voter registration purposes;
(26) A statement that the applicant shall submit evidence of United States citizenship with the application and that the county auditor shall reject the application if no evidence of citizenship is attached; and
(((16))) (27) Any other information that the secretary of state determines is necessary to establish the identity of the applicant and prevent duplicate or fraudulent voter registrations.

This information shall be recorded on a single registration form to be prescribed by the secretary of state.
If the applicant fails to provide the information required for voter registration, the auditor shall send the applicant a verification notice. The applicant may not be registered until the required information is provided. If a verification notice is returned as undeliverable or the applicant fails to respond to the notice within forty-five days, the applicant shall not be registered to vote.

A duplicate voter receipt shall be provided with the form that provides space for the name, street address, and city of residence of the applicant, and the date of signing. The voter receipt is evidence of valid registration for the purpose of casting a ballot to be verified by each auditor.

The county auditor may establish procedures to verify whether an applicant is a program participant under chapter 40.24 RCW, and whether the applicant's address, telephone number, or registration number is exempt from public disclosure.

3. NEW SECTION. Sec. A new section is added to chapter 29A.08 RCW to read as follows:

VERIFICATION OF REGISTRATION.

(1) Except for the mailing of sample ballots, a county auditor who mails an item to an elector shall send the mailing by nonforwardable first class mail marked with the statement to receive an address correction notification. If the item is returned undelivered, the county auditor shall send a follow-up notice to that elector within three weeks of receipt of the returned notice. The county auditor shall send the follow-up notice to the address that appears on the general county register or to the forwarding address provided by the United States postal service. The follow-up notice shall include a registration form and shall state that if the elector does not complete and return a new registration form with current information to the county auditor within thirty-five days, the name of the elector will be removed from the general register and transferred to the inactive voter list.

(2) If the elector provides the county auditor with a new registration form, the county auditor shall change the general register to reflect the changes indicated on the new registration. If the elector indicates a new residence address outside that county, the county auditor shall forward the voter registration form to the county auditor of the county in which the elector's address is located. If the elector provides a new residence address that is located outside this state, the county auditor shall cancel the elector's registration.

(3) The county auditor shall maintain on the inactive voter list the names of electors who have been removed from the general register for a period of four years or through the date of the second general election for federal office following the date of the notice from the county auditor.

(4) On notice that a government agency has changed the name of any street, route number, post office box number, or other address designation, the county auditor shall revise the registration records and shall send a new verification of registration notice to the electors whose records were changed.

(5) The county auditor on or before May 1st of each year preceding a state primary and general election, or more frequently as the auditor deems necessary, may use the change of address information supplied by the postal service through its licensees to identify registrants whose addresses may have changed. If it appears from information provided by the postal service that a registrant has moved to a different residence address in the same county, the county auditor shall change the registration records to reflect the new address and shall send the registrant a notice of the change by forwardable mail and a postage prepaid preaddressed return form by which the registrant may verify or correct the registration information. If the registrant fails to return the form postmarked not later than twenty-nine days before the next election, the elector shall be removed from the general register and transferred to the inactive voter list. If the notice sent by the auditor is not returned, the registrant may be required to provide affirmation or confirmation of the registrant's address in order to vote. If the registrant does not vote in an election during the period after the date of the notice from the auditor through the date of the second general election for federal office following the date of that notice, the registrant's name shall be removed from the list of inactive voters. If the registrant has changed residence to a new county, the county auditor shall provide information on how the registrant can continue to be eligible to vote.

(6) The county auditor shall reject any application for registration that is not accompanied by satisfactory evidence of United States citizenship. Satisfactory evidence of citizenship shall include any of the following:

(a) The number of the applicant's driver's license or nonoperating identification license issued after October 1, 1996, by the department of transportation or the equivalent governmental agency of another state within the United States if the agency indicates on the applicant's driver's license or nonoperating identification license that the person has provided satisfactory proof of United States citizenship;

(b) A legible photocopy of the applicant's birth certificate that verifies citizenship to the satisfaction of the county auditor;

(c) A legible photocopy of pertinent pages of the applicant's United States passport identifying the applicant and the applicant's passport number or presentation to the county auditor of the applicant's United States passport;

(d) A presentation to the county auditor of the applicant's United States naturalization documents or the number of the certificate of naturalization. If only the number of the certificate of naturalization is provided, the applicant shall not be included in the registration rolls until the number of the certificate of naturalization is verified with the United States immigration and naturalization service by the county auditor;

(e) Other documents or methods of proof that are established pursuant to the immigration reform and control act of 1986; or

(f) The applicant's bureau of Indian Affairs card number, tribal treaty card number, or tribal enrollment number.

(7) Notwithstanding subsection (6) of this section, any person who is registered in this state on the effective date of this section is deemed to have provided satisfactory evidence of citizenship and is not required to resubmit evidence of citizenship unless the person is changing voter registration from one county to another.

(8) For the purposes of this section, proof of voter registration from another state or county is not satisfactory evidence of citizenship.

(9) A person who modifies voter registration records with a new residence ballot shall not be required to submit evidence of citizenship. After citizenship has been demonstrated to the county auditor, the person is not required to resubmit satisfactory evidence of citizenship in that county.

(10) After a person has submitted satisfactory evidence of citizenship, the county auditor shall indicate this information in the person's permanent voter file. After two years the county auditor may destroy all documents that were submitted as evidence of citizenship.

4. Sec. RCW 29A.44.201 and 2004 c 271 s 136 are each amended to read as follows:

A voter desiring to vote shall ((give)) announce, in a clear, audible tone of voice, his or her name and place of residence to the precinct election officer who has the precinct list of registered voters or present his or her name and residence in writing and one form of identification that bears the name, address, and photograph of the voter or two different forms of identification that bear the name and address of the voter. This officer shall announce the name to the precinct election officer who has the copy of the inspector's poll book for that precinct. If the right of this voter to participate in the primary or election is not challenged or the voter presents a certificate from the county auditor showing that he or she is entitled by law to vote in the precinct, the voter must be issued a ballot or permitted to enter a voting booth or to operate a voting device. For a partisan primary in a jurisdiction using the physically separate ballot format, the voter must be issued a nonpartisan ballot and each party ballot. The number of the ballot or the voter must be recorded by the precinct election officers. If the right of the voter to participate is challenged, RCW 29A.08.810 and 29A.08.820 apply to that voter.

5. NEW SECTION. Sec. A new section is added to chapter 29A.44 RCW to read as follows:

A voter who is listed as having applied for a ballot under chapter 29A.40 RCW but who states that he or she has not voted and will not vote an absentee ballot for this election or surrenders the absentee ballot to the precinct election officer on election day shall be allowed to vote.

6. Sec. RCW 29A.44.210 and 2003 c 111 s 1120 are each amended to read as follows:

Any person desiring to vote at any primary or election is required to sign his or her name on the appropriate precinct list of registered voters. If the voter registered using a mark, or can no longer sign his or her name, ((the election officers shall require the voter to be identified by another registered voter)) an inspector or judge may sign for the voter, and in that event the name of the voter shall be written with red ink, and no attestation or other proof is necessary. This subsection does not apply to voters casting a ballot using early voting procedures.
The precinct election officers shall then record the voter's name. The voter's name shall be numbered consecutively by the election officers, with the number upon the stub of the ballot delivered to him or her, and in the order of applications for ballots. The election judge having charge of the ballots shall also write his or her initials upon the stub and the number of the voter as it appears upon the precinct register. The judge shall give the voter only one ballot and his or her name shall be immediately checked on the precinct register.

7. NEW SECTION. Sec. A new section is added to chapter 29A.44 RCW to read as follows:

A person offering to vote at a special district election for which no special district register has been supplied shall sign an affidavit stating his or her address and that he or she resides within the district boundaries or proposed district boundaries and swearing that he or she is a qualified elector and has not already voted at the election being held.

8. NEW SECTION. Sec. A new section is added to chapter 74.04 RCW to read as follows:

VERIFYING APPLICANTS FOR PUBLIC BENEFITS--VIOLATION--CLASSIFICATION--CITIZEN SUITS.

(1) An agency of this state and all of its political subdivisions, including local governments, that are responsible for the administration of state and local public benefits that are not federally mandated shall do all of the following:

(a) Verify the identity of each applicant for those benefits and verify that the applicant is eligible for benefits as prescribed by this section;

(b) Provide any other employee of this state or any of its political subdivisions with information to verify the immigration status of any applicant for those benefits and assist the employee in obtaining that information from federal immigration authorities;

(c) Refuse to accept any identification card issued by the state or any political subdivision of this state, including a driver's license, to establish identity or determine eligibility for those benefits unless the issuing authority has verified the immigration status of the applicant; and

(d) Require all employees of the state and its political subdivisions to make a written report to federal immigration authorities for any violation of federal immigration law by any applicant for benefits that is discovered by the employee.

(2) Failure to report discovered violations of federal immigration law by an employee is a misdemeanor. If that employee's supervisor knew of the failure to report and failed to direct the employee to make the report, the supervisor is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(3) This section shall be enforced without regard to race, religion, gender, ethnicity, or national origin. Any person who is a resident of this state shall have standing in any court of record to bring suit against any agent or agency of this state or its political subdivisions to remedy any violation of this section, including an action for mandamus. Courts shall give preference to actions brought under this section over other civil actions or proceeding pending in the court.

9. NEW SECTION. Sec. If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.

10. NEW SECTION. Sec. Captions used in this act are not any part of the law.

Larry Phillips ~ Metropolitan King County Council

2005-07-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

"In order for deceased voters to be removed from voting lists, King County must be informed of the voter's death"

From: Phillips, Larry [mailto:Larry.Phillips@METROKC.GOV]
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2005 5:27 PM
To: 'josefk@wavecable.com'
Cc: Logan, Dean; Huff Menees, Sherril; Irons, David; Pelz, Dwight; Constantine, Dow; Edmonds, Carolyn; Hague, Jane; Hammond, Steve; Lambert, Kathy; Dunn, Reagan; Ferguson, Bob; Gossett, Larry; Patterson, Julia; Alvine, Michael; 'jfalconerreid@comcast.net'; von Reichbauer, Pete
Subject: Ringhofer Voter Registration

Dear Mr. Kunzler,

Thank you for writing regarding Martin Ringhofer's deceased parents who recently received voter registration cards in the mail.

On July 6th one of my aides left a phone message for Mr. Ringhofer at (206) 784-5920, offering to send him "Request for Voter Registration Cancellation" cards that need to be filled out in order to remove his parents from the voter rolls. If you know of a better way to reach Mr. Ringhofer, either via mail, email or phone, we would appreciate it if you could let my office know. My contact information is listed below.

In order for deceased voters to be removed from voting lists, King County must be informed of the voter's death, and receive an official notice such as a death certificate, a published obituary, or a signed "Request for Voter Registration Cancellation" card, which the County provides upon request.

If you know of others who have voter registration questions or issues, I encourage you to urge them to call (206) 296-VOTE to talk to someone who can help them individually. Information is also available online at the King County Elections website: http://www.metrokc.gov/elections/

Sincerely,

Larry Phillips, Chair
Metropolitan King County Council
King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue, Room 1200
Seattle, WA 98104-3272
206.296.1004
larry.phillips@metrokc.gov

Guest Commentary: Election Reform and Illegal Immigration

2005-06-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

By Hanna

My passion at this point is election reform. I really like this initiative because it also addresses ILLEGAL immigration and the drain this puts on our society. It is amazing to me that a person will be called every name in the book because they are against ILLEGAL activity. That has to be the biggest joke on society there ever was.

I too am all for legal immigration. I have a daughter-in-law who is a legal immigrant. The process is not easy, but I don’t think it should be. Nothing worthwhile is easy. Those that complain about the low wages these illegal immigrants are being paid need to realize that those that fight against legislation that will curtail illegal immigration or restrict services to illegals are the ones who want them here because they can pay them low wages. As usual, as the economic cycle goes, the taxpayer pays the bill in the end.

Just think of the benefit to legal citizens, states and the country if illegal immigration were curtailed. Less crime, less drain on services, which would free up dollars that could be used for other purposes such as education, transportation, and providing services to our own citizens? It makes no sense whatsoever to continue to support illegal immigration, and even less sense to allow them to vote.

I have to wonder who those that would be opposed to this legislation are afraid of.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" - "Who will watch the watchers?"

2005-06-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

By Chuck Ling

Democracies are inherently unstable because people will vote their own selfish interests without regard to anyone else beyond their immediate concern and within several generations, all democracies known in the western world will have beggared themselves and otherwise will have come to grief and evolved into a tyranny. Should there be no one within their immediate concern, persons in a democracy will vote without a shred of altruism connected to their vote and, in point of observation, many will not even consider the welfare of their loved ones and will vote to increase their own agrandization.

As regards the above statement, I know of no historical occurrence that lasted for more than two or three centuries wherein the observation and conclusion I wrote above did not happen and I challenge anyone to refute it by citing at least one example of any voting population which numbered more than 5,000 in a democracy where this did not happen; if you think that I am mistaken.

The point that I am making which many have already made is that mankind's social achievements which include voting, is little more than an extension of a wolf pack or a tribe of monkeys where each individual must fight or use other means to achieve a safe position within the troop (or tribe referring to humans) and woe to him or her who does not as they will more likely perish and not have viable offspring than their fellows.

The social constructs which we call civilization are but sophisticated extensions socially organized of the primitive will to survive. This is a driving force in all animals especially social animals and we humans are no different, just more Byzantine than most if not all other kinds of animals.

The concept of voting in a Republic such as was created over 200 years ago has not been sufficient by itself, even with the so-called system of checks and balances which is partially myth and in reality a failure, to have finally but has never solved the ancient question first asked and published by the Romans (Juvenal): Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" - "Who will watch the watchers?" Certainly voting men and women into public office has nothing to do with 'Quis custodiet ipsos custodes." Nor does the hiring procedures to then appoint Apparatchiks to enforce (or not) the laws which are in place.

This then is the problem: Who will watch the watchers and until it is solved, all other remedies are, per force, cosmetic.

The primary problem is not that one's vote doesn't count or is cast for naught or that there are illegal votes being cast; these aberrations are but a resulting symptom of the primary problem and no solution to the illegally cast votes will ever solve the problem of corruption among those appointed or elected to enforce the laws if they choose not to do so and when there is no mechanism in place to compel them to do so.

Having said my piece and vented a little, nevertheless I am extremely upbeat about all of these events regarding voting reform and exposure of such characters as Ron, Dean and Bill because, once one (as I have done) gets rid of the fairy tale baggage about the nature of our fellow men and the world in which we live, and once one can perceive what is, and not what is propagandized to be, one can begin to accept what is and learn to live within THAT world after first casting out the false concepts we have been indoctrinated to believe in. To realize and to accept that the world we live in is much harsher and much more arbitrary than we have been taught, is but the first step in learning how to cope within such a world, the second step being to cast out or certainly minimize chagrin and disappointment.

Robert Louis Stevenson said that life is a journey, not a destination. I agree and recognizing the nature of our fellow men and women and accepting what cannot be changed or removed, we must accept and deal with what is knowable in the past and the present while knowing that eventually in the end we shall leave this world and thus, in a manner of speaking 'remove ourselves.'

In the interim time before we shuffle off this Earth, have some sport with the bullies of this world. Give them some legal punches in the nose and lawful black eyes and both legal and lawful kicks in their butts while putting burrs under their saddles. We have the greatest weapon yet known to man: The WWW with which to accomplish that.

Guest Commentary: King County Machine Politics

2005-06-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

By SMQB

Appealing to them to reform as a matter of law or as a matter of ethics is laughable and no more effective than a bird, who is to be the next meal of a snake can successfully affect an appeal to the mercy of the snake.

The King County elections are probably as bad and maybe worse as any of the elections were which were held in the wards run by Tammany Hall in New York City or the ward heelers in Chicago or the machine politics of St. Louis (Truman was a beneficiary of that mess) etc. They are just bad enough (apparently) to win elections to keep certain rascals in power. All that is needed is to win by less than several hundred votes and the deed is done. Given the negative character traits exhibited freely by Ron, Dean, Bill etc. is should not be any wonder that these persons or persons like them will do whatever it takes to retain their power; and if it should be a wonder, then prudence dictates that one should assume the worst of their characters rather than concede prudence as being subordinate to fair play.

It is refreshing to see how the modern equivalents of the ward heelers of the past who employed Neanderthal like tactics, have been replaced by Apparatchik who use much more refined techniques which are much more invisible until recently (QED). The modern 'refinements,' as evidenced by the actions of Apparatchiks such as Ron Sims and Dean Logan have become the current modus operandi as the payoffs which have been the foundation of the ward heelers have been replaced by the deficit spending and higher taxation employed by these modern equivalent.

Appealing to them to reform as a matter of law or as a matter of ethics is laughable and no more effective than a bird, who is to be the next meal of a snake can successfully affect an appeal to the mercy of the snake. After all the snake has to live and earn its keep by eating its victims which compulsion is a genetically induced passion. In a similar manner, these Apparatchiks 'have(?)' to maintain their living standards by feasting from the harvest they have wrought which harvest is at yours and mine expense.

What is refreshing is this confirmation of the unfailing nature of mankind and especially the rogues who climb to power. No amount of reason will alter their behavior and motivation but as a tactic, it is beneficial to lull them by making repeated appeals to their sense of fair play which they will most likely solemnly be agreeable to receive and consider but will do nothing to implement except maybe come cosmetic actions which change little in the way of their rewards stemming from their venality by their feeding from public moneys. To continue to appeal to their reason is an excellent smoke screen because it might tend to lull them while you wage the war in other fields of combat such as the courts, the referendum road, disseminating information across the WWW, etc.

It is an excellent tactic to appear to be the fools to characters like Ron, Dean and Bill who will most likely swallow your entreaties and pass them undigested and who will regard your righteous protests and published indignations as just the trivialities and nuisances they occasionally encounter as 'normal business' to these creatures who, like their predecessors have usually and successfully dealt with these non threats to their well being. So I applaud your tactics as a smoke screen while you quietly build a grass roots up swelling that will put burrs under the saddles of Ron, Dean and Bill at first and then, maybe just maybe unseat these rascals (only later to have to deal with the next batch who will replace them).

My only caveat is this: If you are relying upon press interviews to get your message out and to swell the ranks of the disenfranchised, you might want to rethink that tactic to that end as simply being ineffective because it is an equivalent of firing upon an enemy using sling shots while the enemy can train the equivalent of 88s** on your positions (if they have to). On the other hand, if you think that a press conference, as ineffective as those usually are, can act as a smoke screen to lull your opponents, namely Ron, Dean and Bill etc. then that probably is OK. In other words, treat the press conference as a feint, not as an end all.

** The 88 cannon in a German tank in WWII was one of the most devastating weapons on tank combat.

Help STOP WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE of legal voters

2005-06-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

Go on record that you are mad as hell and you are not going to take it anymore

Monorail was approved by 800 votes. Were they legal voters?

WHO really won the last Governor's election?

Why is King County STILL sending out voter registration cards to DEAD people, after they PROMISED the citizens in May they would clean up their elections department?

What good is it to pay another expensive Blue Ribbon committee - as Ron Sims has hired - if King County doesn't intend to correct the problems??

How will we know who truly wins the next election in November?

Ron Sims is running for King County executive again ... Why would he ignore the current election department shortcomings , problems and security exposures unless it serves to help him during his upcoming race for King County Executive?

Go on record that you are mad as hell and you are not going to take it anymore.

Call and write Mike Siegel at KTTH, at 8AM every morning, until LOGAN is FIRED or RESIGNS and the holes in our voting systems and laws are plugged. KTTH Mike@MikeSiegel.com 206-726-6906.

Call and write Kirby and John at KVI Siegel at KVI, kwilbur@fisherradio.com
jcarlson@fisherradio.com Call-In Lines: King County: (206) 421-5757 or Toll Free: (888 312-5757

Washington State Republicans have no backbone

2005-06-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

A Resolution was presented to the Washington State Republican Committee at their meeting held in Wenatchee a few weeks back. It was DEFEATED because the Republicans in power in this state have no backbone. They were afraid that the national party might not provide them MONEY in the future if they gave the President a slap in the face by passing this resolution.

Since they did not have the fortitude to pass this little resolution only supporting making the people more aware of the problem, it is doubtful they will support an initiatibe to the legislatur on the subject. The only way it could be done is if there were people like Russ and Dee in Alabama on the radio in Seattle. The Washington State REpublican State Committee would not even take a vote to support the gas tax roll back drive. The Washington State Republicans have become a party of wimps, first class type.

Efforts are under way to present the resolution to ALL 39 County GOP Central Committees, and see what happens.

Resolution that was presented to the Washington State Republican Party

Whereas millions of illegal immigrants are infiltrating into our country each year and the number keeps increasing.

Whereas the border patrol and the INS are not capable of or do not wish to curtail this exodus of people illegally entering the country.

Whereas this illegal immigration problem has been identified for many years and very little seems to be done to address the issue.

Whereas a group of citizens have taken it upon themselves to patrol our border in Arizona and report to the border patrol any illegal activity.

Whereas the level of illegal activity has diminished significantly in the areas patrolled by these citizen “Minutemen”.

Therefore be it resolved that the Washington State Republican Party goes on record of supporting the efforts of the Arizona “Minutemen” to raise the national awareness of the illegal immigration problem.

There is something very wrong going on here...

2005-06-26T16:14:00.000-07:00

Posted by Deborah at June 25, 2005 11:26 PM

The media won't expose it. The courts won't rule on it. The local Attorney General won't investigate it. The Feds -(my buddies) - are simply watching...What in the Hell is going on??

The people of this state are being lulled into acceptance of the machine again - and it's not their fault! They've been waiting for someone to tell them what to do!

Right now - thanks to the luke-warm slap on the wrist from Judge Bridges, the media was able to help King County sweep most of their dirt back under the carpet! The media, is the vehicle most people depend on in this busy world, to get their information!

The blogs (especially SP) have been crucial in getting the word and truth out about the corruption in our state elections! But even the blogs can be as frustrating as talk radio when you are looking for fast updates and information! (am I the only one who pulls their hair out while listening to John Carlson? 8 million damn info-mercials and a 2 million topic teasers with only 1 minute of actual talk? ACK!)

Yes! King County and the rest of the Democrat controlled state is about to screw the people big time and there is very little we can do about it!

The only thing we can do is get the message out. We need to create a list of the history corruption in King County (elections, taxes, transit, CAO, etc...) and a list of the corruption in the state under the Democrats. We need to get this list into the newspaper and on TV. That will cost money and time is running out.

We need to launch an email campaign with the same information urging people to call the news channels, talk radio, newspapers, to complain about what is going on with our elections. Provide phone numbers!

We must use every vehicle available to turn this around. The media can't and won't ignore hundreds or thousands of phone calls.....

Stefan...what do you think we should do?

10 Comments:

At 10:55 AM, cc said...

Deborah,

Where can I sign up for duty?

At 11:02 AM, Deborah said...

I wish I had the resources to put something together! Stefan is the guy who can rally the troops.

I'm just kicking around ideas...Actually - Martin Ringhofer had the idea for an email campaign to get the word out - and he's on the right track! But I'm thinking we have to do more...

I think we need to take an inventory of what actions are currently in the works against King County and the state. Who is suing them? Who is pursuing an investigation? Who has solid grievances against King County and the state?

We need a history of litigation outcomes - as far as citizens suing or filing charges against KC and the state.

I guess - before we go forward..we need to go backwards. We need to get a detailed history of what the heck has gone on in King County and the state over the past 10 years. The Dems like to move fast - forward. They like to get everyone emotional - so they miss the obvious! We learned one thing from the contest - and that is that the Dems do not like being called out on the carpet! They did not like having their deeds exposed and rehashed in public.

They did not know what to do to cover their corruption - so they tried to have everyone focus on the felons.

The liberal Democrats don't want people to remember their deeds. That's how they are able to pass tax hikes for the same phoney purposes over and over again....no one keeps tabs. They always pick a theme....Environment, education, roads,transit,stadiums, health care, children,...but no one has ever truly audited any of these pet themes..and they just recycle them over and over to take more of our taxes and remove more of our rights....

Heck! Just running a history of King County election problems over the past 10 years would read like War and Peace!

We need to do our homework on the history of King County and the State Legislature and Gregoire over the past 10 years.

At 11:03 AM, CC said...

Deborah, I think we are all on the same wave length. I don't live over in your neck of the woods, but I will do what I can!

At 11:07 AM, David Anfinrud said...

Voter Fraud is a national problem. Whether the system is run by Democrats or Republicans. Overall Politicians want to keep their power and some will abuse power to keep their power.

Look at Wisconsin's election.

http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/politics/11969121.htm

A short article but several things appear consistent with WA State Election.

1. 4,600 more ballots than registered voters were counted in the city

2. 2 felon voters found voting so far.

3. Another person was charged with casting two ballots in the election
Again this was a Democratic stronghold. Why do we find in two elections so far appart with the same problems. Maybe there was a driver for organized fraud. More votes than voters in two states so far apart could not happen by chance. This fraud may have given Wisconsin to Kerry. SO fraud can change even national elections. On a side note this is the same city that Democratic activists slashed the tires of the Republican get out the drive vans. I think it was over a dozen vans that had all four slashed just before the election. Another sign that people support let every vote count.

A second article also from Wisconsin.

http://www.gmtoday.com/news/politics/state/topstory176.asp

The measure passed the Assembly on a 63-34 vote. The bill already has passed the state Senate. It now goes to Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, who must sign it before it can become law.

Doyle has vetoed similar legislation twice. He has vowed to veto this measure as well. The governor has said it would strip law-abiding citizens who lack IDs of their constitutional right to vote.

Does that sound familar. Voter reform will never take place as long as arguements like this are used. It seems to be the constant playbook in two states. Washington and Wisconsin. Two states that had their election investigated. I wonder how many other states have similar problems.

Just my two cents worth

At 11:09 AM, Chris said...

This is for Ivan.....

As Chairman, you speak for all of the 34th District....

"Our mission is to educate, empower and mobilize the voters of West Seattle, White Center, Burien and Vashon". I can see where the Democrats (if the 34th) were successful in their mission....

But you only represent a PORTION of this state....As Chairman (of "ANYTHING"), I would think you would have chosen different words to describe your obvious "holyier than though attitude" for those people of this state that don't agree with your "mission or core values"...

I don't live in the Greater KC area....I am just a peon in Lewis County. But IF I was a Dem in your District, I would make sure you were never re-elected as chairman.

Your grade school rebuttal and comments were not professional, and spoke volumes of your obvious ego. The Average Voter cares, your comments posted revealed to me, that you dont care about the average voter, just winning....TES "Typical Ego Syndrome"..

If you post on a blog, and are negative or derogatory of other views, expect the same in return....
At 11:10 AM, CC said...

David,

I agree with you. This is total bull**** that law abiding citizens would not have photo id. If they are law abiding, they will understand the absolute necessity for one. This argument will benefit cheaters only.

When my kids turned 12 years old, I took them and their birth certificates to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a photo id. That's all it was (a photo ID) and it cost $5. (I think they are $12 now) They had jobs and needed to open a checking account. But to cash a check, they needed photo ID. Simple as that. They paid for the photo ID themselves.

You would think after the fiasco here in Washington State and Wisconsin, they would make every effort to purge the voter rolls and demand re-registration with photo ID to clear their sullied reputation as cheaters.

At 11:14 AM, RDJones said...

I AGREE WITH YOU ALL – very interesting and timely comments from these and other SP contributors all summed up very aptly by Deborah and cc, and (I think) missing one crucial thing.

What seems to be missing is a leader. Someone who understands what is being said here who will step up and fill the gap between the corrupt liberal democrat machine and the grass roots.

Someone needs to provide a clear definition of the whole problem in total and empower those who will make the difference.

The problems are numerous, disparate and frustrating largely because they are not coalesced into a clear and easily digested message.

State government is headed for a liberal mortal embrace.

Thankfully, Stefan is providing those of us who are already in tune with the facts a forum to exchange views and express them. As tempting as it may be at times, we are not like liberals.

Our political salvation in Washington State will not come through the blind passion of civil disobedience, or exploitation of a turnabout attitude tit-for-tat. Our reforms will come (if at all) from swing voters who are finally ready to see the light if a stable leader confidently shines it on the subject.

Most democrats are just lazy and they are easily lulled into the foolishness of the left, but some are awakening – don't pander to them, but don't turn them away.

Among those who post here, most are not so naive, but we are not the ones that require a change of heart, or who will make the decisive difference.

Dino Rossi can do exactly what I’m talking about and I believe that he will be along in due time. In the mean time, play fair and reasonable as always (even with the trolls), make the list, make the good arguments, support the No New Gas Tax Initiative, elect David Irons and don’t give in to petty passions or liberals.

Everyone, thanks for the comments and let me know how I can help.

Posted by Amused by liberals at rdjones131@juno.com

At 11:16 AM, Bill said...

David Anfinrud.

Nice post re: Wisconsin - you can bet the exact same setup is in place in any demo-RAT controlled city -- and pointing out the slashed tires occurring in same city as the fraud --

think of all the other attacks, burglaries, and sabotage incidents that were occurring last August-September-October at times almost on a daily basis around the country --

some in Florida come to mind --

and I believe in Kansas City --

OF COURSE NOT TO MENTION THE BURGLARY OF THE REP HQ IN BELLEVUE WHERE THE COMPUTERS WERE STOLEN -- GUESS WHAT FOLKS --

COMPUTERS ARE NOT A TYPICAL TARGET OF BURGLARIES ANYMORE -- NO RESALE VALUE -- BUT THEN THE INFO ON THE HARD DRIVE AND EMAIL RECORDS ARE A WHOLE NOTHER STORY --

tightair@comcast.net

Anyone have any tactical advice for a person who lives in a county which will now have all-mail balloting...Clark. And don't you know that the whole state will soon be there?? So, where does this leave us and what can we do about it? Our county commissioners voted unamimously in favor and I know that the SOS is for it, big time! They think that it's fraud-proof, just to check a signature for verification. So, what if the original signature is from an illegally registered voter? HELP!!!!!

Posted by Susu at June 26, 2005 02:09 PM

Speaking of Stephan, what happened to him and the rest of the SP crew?

No new posts since June 23? That is unusual. Did GreGore send the state police out to arrest them all for exercising free speech?

Posted by BananaLand (aka Iguana) at June 26, 2005 02:34 PM

Mrs. Cantwell 'elected' WA State Representative At Large in 2000.

The former attorney general 'elected' WA State Governor in 2004.

Now those who believe in civil society are told to wait one more election before claiming fraud?

Meanwhile this latest from da gov'ment; 'Emer-gen-cy, everyone to get from streets. Emer-gen-cy, everyone to get from streets.'

Posted by Jericho bluto@heaven'sgate.ocm at June 26, 2005 03:27 PM

A petition for washington state election reform

2005-06-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

"Richard Daly and LBJ are laughing at the ctizens of Washington state from their graves!!!"

An appeal to our legislators and the election reform task force

196 people have signed this petition to date. I have posted some of the comments by supporters.

For the entire list, go:

http://www.petitiononline.com/wareform/petition.html

To: Washington State Legislature/Governor's Election Reform Task Force

As Americans our vote is the most precious thing we have. It is the currency with which we buy influence, and it is the only tool we have to direct our government. People not eligible to vote potentially nullify the votes of legal voters. This is serious, but our government is not taking it seriously at all.

We the people demand meaningful election reforms that protect the integrity of the system as well as the sanctity of our vote. We want every eligible voter to have the opportunity to vote, but we also want every vote cast to be a legal vote, and we expect the accounting of our elections to be accurate.

We the people of the state of Washington submit this proposal and this petition to you hoping you will implement these reforms.

Voter Education Reform:

o Promote voter responsibility by educating voters on voting procedure through school programs, and materials distributed at the time of voter registration.

o Emphasize voter responsibility by teaching voters that it is their responsibility to follow voting procedures correctly if they want their vote counted.

Registration Reform:

o Require all voters to re-register, and populate the new state-wide database with verified legal voters. o Require proof of ID by birth certificates or citizenship papers, rather than other documents which are easier to forge such as driver's licenses, that do not prove citizenship.

o Assign a PIN Number to each voter, to be used like the PIN # for a bank debit card, to verify the identity of the voter at the poll or to verify the identity of the absentee voter.

o Mail a verification letter to the voter at the address of residency. The voter must return this letter, providing his signature and PIN # for the registration to be validated.

o Require voting registration instructions to be printed in English, since reading English is a citizenship requirement and non-citizens are ineligible to vote.

Ballot Design and Accounting Reform:

o Provide a "None of the above" option in every race to eliminate under votes, and help clarify voter intent.

o Provisional ballots must be distinguishable from other ballots and must also be made in such a way as they cannot be fed into the machine at the poll.

o Account for Ballots from the time they are printed through certification of the election. Treat ballots as if they are dollars.

Ballot Casting Reform:

o Prevent Double Voting by immediately recording when a person votes and locking them out from additional voting.

Ballot Collection Reform:

o Train and test poll workers adequately to ensure they follow correct procedures.

o Establish a Chain of Custody for Ballots. If the chain is broken, the ballots are immediately placed in "provisional ballot" status for manual checking.

o Outlaw ballot enhancement by election workers guessing about voter intent.

o Timely absentee ballot collection through postmarking required on Election Day and receipt required within five days of Election Day. o Timely processing of overseas military votes by providing online voting or remote precincts.

Enforcement Reform:

o Require statewide uniform laws and procedures.

o Require officials to enforce existing laws.

o Prosecute illegal voters. o Restore voter confidence by making election information publicly available online, to include the list of registered voters, voting histories, ballot accounting and election return information, including write-in, over and under votes.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Dawn Courtney from Cowlitz:

"There's not one person I've spoken to that believes King County did everything on the up and up, in fact, they believe criminal activity has taken place. These problems have been around for a long time...it's time to clean it up NOW!!!"

DENNIS R COLE from SKAGIT:

"LET'S GET RID OF KING COUNTY UNELECTED POLITICIANS"

Josef Kunzler from Skagit:

"I think this is a sound platform of ideals that should already be in place. I am also willing to pay higher taxes, if need be, to implement these reforms."

Thomas (Bud) Dodgson from Island:

"Give us an honest election!"

Michael R Purcell from Kitsap:

"The election system is broken, let's get on with it and get it fixed."

Lee Eggebroten from King:

"Install security cameras to watch counters, add security at counting locations, do not allow counters to bring in bags or jackets."

TODD LIMBERG from CLARK:

"Politicians from both sides need to look at this. The average person looks at the reforms that are blatantly needed, which most of the politicians look the other way at, election after election. Working in the business world, most of these voter problems can be fixed with a little hard work and some modern technology. I think the most important thing is to have every one re-register to vote. I work with MS Access everyday and know that double registrations, etc can be purged. Also, voter cards need to NOT be given to illegal aliens that should not be fradulently given drivers licenses also. Steps need to be taken so that the average Joe feels that their vote is not being wasted. Also, voters should have to prove they actually live someplace and not have a phony address such as the Democratic headquarters in King County. That was real nice to pull on the people. Thanks King County, Erik Spencer Snohomish The number of votes should not exceed the number of registered voters, likewise when the margin of error exceeds the margin of victory serious questions MUST be asked and answered."

James Sorenson from King:

"King county said in 1998 they were going to fix this and never did. Lets do it now!!!"

Marcus P. Curd III from Kitsap:

"Richard Daly and LBJ are laughing at the ctizens of Washington state from their graves!!!"

Krystle Miller from Thurston:

"This sounds great! I am disgusted with the last election and this act might help!"

Jo Beaman from Yakima:

"It's situations like this that give voice to those who say they do not vote because it doesn't make a difference...Let's try to show them VOTING IS A PRIVILEDGE and RESPONSIBILITY of Americans...one vote DOES make a difference...it could by YOURS"

Lucille Diaz from Pierce:

"I believe that there was a manipulation of the votes in King County especially when I remember hearing Christine Gregoire throw her tantrum following the second recount results in which she maintained she would be the next governor. I only wish some of the stations would do a replay of this tantrum."

Mickie L. Postier from Mason:

"We need these reforms immediately to prevent voter fraud. We need to have honest and fair elections with results we can rely on. Please act now."

Mark R. Postier from Mason:

"Stop fraudulent elections. There should be no room for cheating. Please act now."

John Henebry from King:

"This is our most fundamental right and I am sick of politicians who cheapen it with "acceptable amount of error."

Dead People Can Still Vote In King County…

2005-06-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

Saturday, June 25, 2005

HEADLINE: Dead People Can Still Vote In King County…

TODAY – KING COUNTY COUNCIL DISTRICT 4 – LARRY PHILLIPS’ DISTRICT, KING COUNTY: In a stunning reminder of what “a total mess” King County Elections is, Martin Ringhofer again received voter registration cards for his dead parents after he contacted King County Elections about their current status as profiled in the 8 January 2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer HERE. These cards were part of the King County Elections attempt to “keep King County’s voter rolls accurate”.

In fact, King County Elections said in their press release about these voter registration cards:

Countywide mailings are the primary tool election officials use to receive information about voters who have moved. For this process to work, election officials depend on voters’ help.

“This effort really is a partnership with the public.” said Sherril Huff Menees, assistant director of Records, Elections and Licensing Services. “Addresses, names and signatures change over time and a countywide mailing like this is a chance for voters to get their most current information to us before the fall election season begins.”

Last summer following the countywide mailing, election officials received more than 120,000 returned registration cards with information about deceased voters and changes of addresses.

“As a responsible voter, if you receive a postcard for someone else, write ‘addressee moved, return to sender’ and drop it in the mail. Voters need to do their part to keep King County’s voter rolls accurate,” said Huff Menees. “The September primary is too important to miss simply because we can’t find your new address.”
Yet last summer – and several other times before, Martin Ringhofer contacted King County Elections telling them to strike his parents’ names and addresses from the voter rolls.

He said, “It is really beyond the pale that Dean Logan would send new voter registration cards to anyone who has been DEAD for nearly nine years. This adds new meaning to there being an afterlife after dying. Quite frankly, it is astonishing that such a thing is even possible.”

For obvious reasons, Ringhofer thinks that between this incident, the findings of a “culture of fear that dissuades employees from informing their supervisors of problems or offering solutions to them” and “Ineffective implementation of critical operational controls and quality assurance processes that identify and address inevitable human errors before they undermine the elections process” in The Webster Street Memo/The King County Independent Task Force on Elections Draft Initial Findings of the Task Force's Committees, and the many other “troubling” incidents in King County Elections in recent years such as more votes than voters and vote-by-mail materials mailed without a ballot – the King County Council should bring to an immediate vote King County Councilman Reagan Dunn’s Resolution of “No Confidence” in Dean Logan (filed in LegiSearch as 2005-0219).

Ringhofer says, “Aside of the implications for holding honest elections, it is cruel and abusive that I should be receiving yet new voter registration cards for my dead parents. It is not funny; I am not laughing; and Dean Logan has to be brain-dead to go on the airwaves and promise the public that he has fixed the voter registration problems. I sure would like to hear from anybody who can explain how this is possible. How much of this must we put up with before Dean Logan is FIRED, or prosecuted?”

THE ILLEGAL ALIEN SWING VOTE

2005-06-21T22:04:00.000-07:00

The right to vote is precious, the politicians preach. Our democracy hangs in the balance, the pundits screech.

By Michelle Malkin · October 27, 2004

Yes, but if we all value the sanctity of the voting process so highly, why is it that I've never once been asked to produce identification of any kind in the 16 years I've been a voter, from Ohio to California to Washington state to Maryland?

And why is it that we can't protect our elections from people who have no right to vote, no right to be here, and no right to undermine our safety or sovereignty?

While unhinged Democrats spread fear about the alleged discriminatory disenfranchisement of American citizens, they have supported the indiscriminate enfranchisement of untold numbers of foreign outlaws -- including suspected al Qaeda operatives and terrorist sympathizers.

Last week, the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch reported that illegal alien Nuradin Abdi -- the suspected shopping mall bomb plotter from Somalia -- was registered to vote in the battleground state of Ohio by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a left-wing activist group.

Also on the Ohio voting rolls: convicted al Qaeda agent Iyman Faris, who planned to sabotage the Brooklyn Bridge and had entered the country fraudulently from Pakistan on a student visa...

Bear Stearns Says Government Vastly Underestimates Size And Cost Of Illegal Immigration

2005-06-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street investment firm Bear Stearns has published a new report, “The Underground Labor Force is Rising to the Surface” which claims that the illegal alien population is double the official government estimates.

According to Bear Stearns analysts, Robert Justich and Betty Ng:

· The illegal alien population of the U.S. is about 20 million - roughly the population of New York State.

· The report asserts that there are between 12 and 15 million jobs in the U.S. currently held by illegal aliens, or about 8 percent of the work force.

· Moreover, between 4 and 6 million jobs have shifted to the underground economy since 1990. These are not “jobs Americans won’t do, but rather jobs Americans used to do.“

· "On the revenue side, the United States may be foregoing $35 billion a year in income tax collections because of the number of jobs that are now off the books."

· "We estimate that approximately 5 million illegal workers are collecting wages on a cash basis and are avoiding income taxes."

· "The United States is simply hooked on cheap, illegal workers and deferring the costs of providing public services to these quasi-Americans” conclude Justich and Ng.

Bad Employer Directory - Seattle, Washington

2005-06-16T07:40:00.000-07:00

This site has a state-by-state directory of photographs and profiles of employers/individuals who hire illegal aliens. Check this site for the hundreds of employers in the Seattle Area which have been caught red-handed employing thousands of illegal aliens.

The Secretary of State and County election offices maintain they have not had a single incident of any illegal aliens registered to vote, or voting anywhere in the state.

All must prove legal status to get, renew license starting in July

2005-06-15T21:49:00.000-07:00

KELLY WIESE Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - If it's about time to renew your driver's license, be warned: everyone in Missouri will need to sAll must prove legal status to get, renew license starting in Julyhow proof he or she is legally in the country to get a license.

Under a state law passed last year, everyone obtaining or renewing a driver's license, nondriver's license or permit starting July 1 must provide proof of their "lawful presence" in the United States.

For U.S. citizens, the Department of Revenue will require a birth certificate or valid passport, or a certificate of citizenship or naturalization.

However, if a person got married, for example, and has a different last name, a copy of other paperwork explaining the change, such as a marriage license, must accompany the birth certificate.

Non-U.S. citizens must provide documents to prove they belong in the country. Details on which documents will be required, such as a valid foreign passport or visa paperwork, are still being hammered out, but will be determined by July 1, the agency said.

Another part of the law stipulates that licenses for non-citizens must expire when their legal presence in the country ends.

"There's stories throughout the Web of cases where these terrorists have legal identification from somewhere," Sen. Jon Dolan, R-Lake St. Louis, who handled the legislation last year, said Tuesday.

But Dolan expressed concern that U.S. citizens can't satisfy the requirement with something simpler, such as a Social Security card.

"They better implement this effectively and conveniently," he said. The intent is "not to bother Granny who's an 84-year-old citizen. It is to bother a basic illegal immigrant and possible terrorist in some cases."

Agency spokeswoman Maura Browning said U.S. citizens only must provide that extra paperwork once, and after that the state's system will note they showed proof they are legally in the country, making future renewals simpler - a point that somewhat eased Dolan's concerns.

A new federal law also steps up requirements nationwide for obtaining and renewing driver's licenses.

The law is aimed at stopping illegal immigrants from getting driver's licenses to prevent them from boarding planes or entering protected federal buildings. States have three years to meet the new standards that include verifying applicants are American citizens or legal residents.

Immigrants' rights groups have criticized the federal law, saying it will do nothing to make the country safer but shows increasing hostility toward people from other countries.

Agency spokeswoman Maura Browning said that with the state law's effective date looming, the agency hasn't thoroughly reviewed the federal law to see if changes should be made in Missouri.

http://www.belleville.com/mld/belle...al/11893810.htm

In-state college tuition for illegal aliens

2005-06-15T11:49:00.000-07:00

http://www.theamericanresistance.com/issues/in_state_tuition.html

The college tuition that a resident pays to a public college or university in their home state is called "in-state tuition". Typically this is much less than the tuition charged to students who come from out-of-state. Allowing an illegal alien student to pay less than an American student is wrong. Yet this is currently being promoted in Congress under the DREAM act.

Under U.S. law, illegal aliens may not hold any job in the United States. Thus, tax dollars expended on higher education illegal aliens to prepare them for professional careers serves only to draw more illegal aliens to those states offering in-state tuition.

When an illegal alien is granted in-state tuition and admission to a state university, he or she is directly competing with American students for that educational slot. This competition is unfairly biased against American students in other states who must pay out-of-state tuition to attend the university, while the illegal alien student is given in-state tuition preference.

In California in 2003, MALDEF engaged in an all-out effort to promote the news about in-state college tuition for illegal aliens. (MALDEF: see Funding Hate articles). In-state college tuition for illegal aliens contributes to a de facto illegal-alien amnesty.

Federal Law Title 8, Chapter 14, Sec. 1623 states:

"an alien who is not lawfully present in the United States shall not be eligible on the basis of residence within a State... for any postsecondary education benefit unless a citizen or national of the United States is eligible for such a benefit."

Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement is asking American students who pay out-of-state tuition to colleges and universities where illegal aliens receive in-state tuition to sue the colleges and universities for reimbursement of the tuition difference.

Talking points against in-state College Tuition

§ In-state college tuition for illegal aliens will give benefits to adult or nearly-adult children over the age of 18 whose parents are also illegal aliens. This is not a bill that gives benefits to "youngsters". Taxpayers will pay the difference.

§ A 1996 Federal law mandates that if instate rates are given to illegals, those rates must also be given to all applicants of each state's colleges and universities from the other 49 states. Although the law is not actively enforced, giving in-state tuition to illegal aliens is a clear violation of federal law.

§ HB1187 is an amnesty disguised as an educational initiative.

§ College entrants slots are fixed and limited. The bill would place each state's citizens in direct competition with adult illegal aliens for limited slots and tuition benefits.

§ Giving in-state college tuition to adult illegal aliens residing in each state would give them benefits not given to American citizens in other states ( e.g., war veterans).

§ Providing in-state tuition to illegal aliens tells legally applying foreign students they are suckers for not becoming illegal aliens.

§ 50% of Colorado University applicants come from out of state and from out of the country. (March 25 Boulder Daily Camera story, "CU pulls big from outside Colorado").

§ Tuition rates at CU went up 15% last year and there was talk of raising this year's tuition by another 40%.

§ Illegal aliens now pour in from all over the world at a rate of more than 80,000 a month. The Wal-Mart immigration sweep of October, 2003, netted large numbers from Mexico, the Czech Republic, Mongolia, Brazil, Poland, Russia, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Lithuania and some from from African and Asian countries. Because of virtually no internal enforcement, illegal aliens typically bring their entire families into the U.S. There is a potential for a vast number of illegal aliens to receive in-state tuition at taxpayer expense. Thus, the amended HB 1187 would give an adult illegal alien from Uzbekistan and all the nearly 200 countries of the world benefits that would be denied to American citizens, an absurdity.

§ If the claimed 1,000 illegals graduating from Colorado high schools enrolled at CU-Boulder at in-state rates for four years, revenue losses would exceed $65 million (Out-of-state citizen tuition rates = $20,346. Instate rates = $4,022. Loss of one four-year student = $65,296 million.)

§ Colorado's elected officials are now voting on issues influenced by illegal aliens and their supporters residing in the districts of the state elected officials. Democratic representation of Colorado's citizens is being eroded by ethnic pandering that emphasizes illegal aliens.

§ Standard argument and reasoned response: Claim: "Yes, but children of undocumented workers should not be punished for what their parents did." Response: Should America's citizen students be punished for the illegal acts of illegal-alien parents residing?" - Since when is the state government in the business of coming to the rescue of adults whose parents committed illegal or imprudent acts? - Those adult illegal aliens need to go back to mom and dad and hold them accountable.- In the case of Mexican adult illegal aliens, they can easily return to Mexico to receive a virtually free college education at the University of Mexico.

Initiative to the Legislature now on-line

2005-06-14T21:07:00.000-07:00

Protect Washington NOW Initiative to the Legislature now on-line

http://www.petitiononline.com/pobox216/petition.html

Open Letter to the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee

2005-06-14T20:56:00.000-07:00

The Alabama Republican Party leadership is meeting on June 18, Saturday, and will be asked to adopt the following Resolution. The Resolution and the pressure are coming from radio hosts, "Russ and Dee in the Morning" ---- not to mention from Alabama voters who feel betrayed by their elected leaders right and left.

http://www.voiceofalabama.com/

An Open Letter to the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee: Re: Illegal Immigration & Your Failure to Address It.

Will the Alabama Republican Party leadership vote to condemn illegal immigration at their meeting on Saturday, June 18th in Birmingham ... or will they kill the anti-illegal immigration resolution for yet a 3rd time ?

Here's a message to the Alabama Republican Party Executive Committee: If you do not adopt this anti-illegal immigration resolution as it is written, we promise you that the most politically powerful radio voice in Alabama, Russ and Dee in the Morning, will make certain that every potential ALABAMA voter - Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian knows of your absolute betrayal ... your cowardice and your unwillingness to do what is 100% right. No More Excuses. You Are On Record. No More Excuses. You Are On Record.

If this resolution is not adopted as written and submitted by Hugh McInnish, we will make certain that Alabama Republicans running for state office, county and local office are battered in the next election ... and if you don't think we can and will crush statewide Republican incumbents and candidates at the polls with the illegal immigration issue ... ask soon to be Former Governor Bob Riley to remind you what Russ & Dee and the Alabama Tea Party did to his cockamamie Amendment 1 proposal. The Tea Party is not kidding.

If you want to lose the battles and the war ... Ignore This Warning. If you have a lick of sense ... you will pass this resolution unanimously. You will know your political fates and that of the Alabama Republican party after the vote on Saturday. GIRLY MEN : THIS IS A NO BRAINER.

R E S O L U T I O N

Illegal Immigration

Whereas, there are in the United States an unknown number of illegal immigrants estimated to be from eight to 12 million; and

Whereas, the failure of the Federal Government to enforce our immigration laws is creating a dangerous situation in which terrorists are given easy access; and

Whereas, there are other serious consequences of our present unchecked illegal immigration, and these include:

a. Providing an open door through which terrorists can easily enter our country,

b. Creating a bilingual country which could compromise our unity,

c. Encouraging disrespect for the law,

d. Placing a monumental burden on our welfare system,

e. Straining our schools by requiring instruction in two languages,
f. Depressing wages,

g. Displacing legal American workers,

h. Intensifying environmental problems,

i. Increasing the tax burden on American families; and

Whereas, polls repeatedly show that Latino-Americans, together with all other segments of American society, strongly support reform of this country’s immigration policy; and

Whereas, advocating reform would be a healthy confluence of doing what is right and doing what is politically wise; now therefore,

Be it Resolved by the Alabama Republican Party, that this Party urges the Federal Government to move expeditiously to seal our borders against this flood of illegal immigrants, and to employ all practical and legal measures required to achieve this end, not excluding the erection of physical barriers and the use of military personnel; and

Be it Further Resolved, that no amnesty should be granted to illegal aliens, but that this country’s immigration laws should be enforced, and illegal aliens removed from the country in accordance with those laws; and

Be it Further Resolved, that the Secretary of the Alabama Republican Party furnish copies of this Resolution to the Governor of Alabama, to the Alabama Republican Congressional Delegation, and to the President of the United States.

Court unlikely to overturn Arizona illegal immigration law

2005-06-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

By DAVID KRAVETS, AP Legal Affairs Writer
Monday, June 13, 2005

(06-13) 15:43 PDT San Francisco (AP) --

A federal appeals court was urged Monday to overturn a voter approved Arizona law denying welfare and other benefits to illegal immigrants.

A three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, however, appeared inclined to leave intact the nation's only such law requiring state and local welfare workers to report suspected illegal immigrants to immigration officials.

Lawyers for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund argued that the law was a "scheme" to deport illegal immigrants, and therefore must be nullified because only Congress can adopt immigration laws. "The state has no authority to enact it," MALDEF lawyer Hector Villagra said of Proposition 200.

The measure, the only one of its kind in the nation, passed with 56 percent of the vote in a state with porous borders along Mexico. Arizona, the busiest illegal entry point on the country's southern border, spends millions of dollars annually on social services for illegal immigrants.

The passage of the law emboldened Arizona legislators to propose other anti-immigration bills. Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed a number of them, including one that would have given local police the power to enforce federal immigration laws.

Arizona Deputy Attorney General Mary O'Grady urged the court not to tinker with the law that denies monthly general assistance payments, assistance in paying utility bills, and help with vision benefits.

She told the judges that the law is not pre-empted by Congress because it does not dictate who can enter the U.S. lawfully.

"This isn't a regulation of immigration," she said. "We are simply verifying eligibility."

Two judges appeared to question why MALDEF was even in court. They noted that the main plaintiff in the case was a private social service organization, Friendly House, and was not a person denied benefits or even deported.

Judge Alfred Goodwin suggested that the courts cannot intervene until somebody is denied benefits and sues, an assertion backed by Judge Johnnie Rawlinson.

"Suppose it is a mean-spirited, foolish law," Goodwin asked. "Until somebody is injured in fact by it, courts don't go around deciding these foolish laws unconstitutional."

Villagra, of MALDEF, said Friendly House was being injured because it was besieged by illegal immigrants too afraid to seek the government's assistance. Since the passage of Proposition 200 in November, he added, illegal immigrants are less frequently using emergency room services and baby delivery services — areas not covered by the law.

He said some illegal immigrants are afraid to take their children to hospitals for emergency care "because of Proposition 200."

State welfare officials have reported only two illegal immigrants to immigration authorities for seeking state government-sponsored utility benefits under the new law.

After the 45-minute hearing, Villagra said in an interview that MALDEF didn't have illegal immigrants as plaintiffs because they feared being deported if they were part of the lawsuit, and their incentive to sue would be nonexistent if they were deported.

A federal judge declined to block the law and MALDEF appealed to the 9th Circuit. The three-judge panel did not indicate when it would rule.

The measure also prohibits illegal immigrants from registering to vote.

The case is Friendly House v. Napolitano, 05-15005.

Editors: David Kravets has been covering state and federal courts for more than a decade.

"mad as hell and not going to take it anymore"
closebordersgroup@yahoogroups.com

Protect Washington NOW files Initiative to the Legislature

2005-06-12T23:22:00.000-07:00

While illegal immigration has exploded onto the forefront of American politics, this issue has been a hot topic in the States for years on end with no foreseeable end in sight. And while illegal immigration is a national epidemic, the situation seem to worsen on a daily basis.

Illegal immigration is causing economic hardship, contradicts federal policy, undermines border security, and demeans the value of citizenship.

The initiative filed by Protect Washington NOW stands on three principles:

Protect Washington Now would require voters to document their U.S. citizenship when they register to vote, and requires voters to present photo identification at the polling place.

Protect Washington Now would require public agencies to verify identification for eligibility for public benefits, and would make it a crime for government employees to fail to alert immigration authorities of suspected undocumented immigrants who ask for those benefits.

Protect Washington Now will not change the types of benefits that are denied to illegal aliens. Illegal aliens will not be denied access to benefits that are exempted from verification by federal law, including K-12 education, emergency health care, immunization programs, in-kind disaster relief, emergency food assistance, federal school lunch programs, and public services that are necessary to protect life or safety.

Protect Washington Now seeks to protect Washington taxpayers and citizens… those who believe citizenship and the precious rights of citizens are not something people illegally crossing our borders by the millions are entitled to just because they got past the Border Patrol.

On a national level, the ROPER POLL shows 85% of the American population supports tightening our enforcement of immigration laws.

Our forefathers came to this country expecting to work hard in order to survive; it was “The American Dream” to come to America and work your way up. They weren’t lured here with the promise of free government handouts. And that philosophy of free immigration has worked well. The melting pot of America is a big part of the reason why we are #1. Immigrant labor, whether we admit it or not, has been beneficial to this country, and the jobs that immigrants take are recreated in other markets. However, it was hard work that achieved this, not welfare.

Should Illegal Aliens Get Driver's Licenses?

2005-04-16T07:32:00.000-07:00

Phyllis Schlafly
05/14/2003
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:NK1m8zoDNAoJ:www.juntosociety.com/

The hottest controversy in state legislatures today regards allowing illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses. Americans were shocked to discover that most of the 19 hijackers on 9/11 carried driver's licenses from Virginia, Florida or New Jersey.

A driver's license is the pass to board a plane as well as the license to drive car. It confers a sort of quasi-citizenship and, as described by one illegal alien in Texas, "The driver's license ends up becoming our pass to be in this country."

Since 9/11, 21 states have enacted new legislation to make it harder to get driver's licenses, and legislation has been introduced in another 22 states. Even in Idaho, State Senator Cecil Ingram told a public hearing, "This has turned out to be a bigger problem than I thought."

The states embarrassed by the 9/11 hijackers have gotten the message. Virginia passed a bill to stop issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens, and Florida and New Jersey passed legislation to coordinate driver's licenses with immigration visas.

New Jersey, where driver's licenses have been made of paper and do not require a photo, has long been the target of document fraud and counterfeiters. The state is now converting to state-of-the-art digitized driver's licenses with a dozen covert and overt security features, including a mandatory photo, bar code, hologram, and digital signature.

Peter Gadiel, whose 23-year-old son James died in the World Trade Center attack, has traveled from Connecticut to Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee to support beefed-up identification laws. Twenty states do not require applicants to prove they are legally in the United States.

Tennessee, another state known to be casual about issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens, is considering a measure that would require driver's license applicants to present a document showing they are legally in this country. A Tennessee legislative committee also heard testimony about the need to tighten driver's license rules from April Gallop, a survivor of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.

Minnesota is trying to address the controversy through rulemaking by the Department of Public Safety. The proposed rule would require visitors to present documents to prove they are in the country legally, and the license would expire when their visas expire.

Georgia would seem an unlikely state for immigration controversies, but an estimated 435,000 Hispanics live in Georgia, a 300 percent increase over 1990, according to the U.S. Census. A lively big group showed up at a hearing in Gainesville from the town of Hall, where at least 19 percent of the population is Hispanic and 85 percent of those are not citizens.

Georgia has been wrangling over a bill that would allow driver's licenses to be obtained by illegal aliens who come only from the "Free Trade Area of the Americas," i.e., from Canada, Latin America, and some Caribbean islands.

Among those who spoke against the proposed legislation was retired Col. A.R. "Mac" MacCahan (whose Army unit lost 206 of 212 men fighting in the Korean War). He asked, "What part of illegal don't you understand?" Others ask, why reward people who have committed at least three felonies: illegal entry into the U.S., purchasing fraudulent documents to get a job, and misrepresenting the legality of those documents at the workplace?

Kentucky was once one of the easiest states for illegal aliens to get a driver's license. That changed after a 1998 incident in which the Immigration and Naturalization Service arrested a vanload of illegals from Russia who had traveled from New York to Louisville to get driver's licenses.

After that, Kentucky reinstituted a policy of requiring that noncitizens applying for licenses take a written test. County Circuit Clerk Tony Miller said, "We try to be helpful. We offer that test in 21 languages," but Miller didn't explain how it promotes safety to license drivers who can't read the road signs.

Arizona and Mississippi have killed bills to make it easier for illegal aliens to get a driver's license. California Governor Gray Davis has twice vetoed a bill to allow illegal aliens to obtain driver's licenses, but the legislature is still debating this issue.

INS public affairs officer Garrison Courtney identified one of the biggest problems: "If they were illegal when they came here, it's very difficult to determine who they really are because they've created illegal IDs for themselves." The Seattle Times reported that one U.S. Department of Justice raid discovered piles of cash totaling $95,262 plus $10,000 worth of computer equipment and specialty papers that had been used to print 800 fake driver's licenses, green cards, work permits, Mexican birth certificates, and Social Security cards.

Many are concerned about the danger from issuing licenses to terrorists who might use trucks loaded with gasoline or other hazardous materials in the same way that hijackers used commercial airliners on 9/11. The U.S. Transportation Department reported last year that we lack sufficient safeguards, particularly from the many states that do not require applicants to prove they are legally in the country.

Phyllis Schlafly

The Seattle Syndrome

2005-04-16T07:27:00.000-07:00

By Ronald Piana
FrontPageMagazine.com February 12, 2003
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=12070956

In his masterwork "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," Edward Gibbon wrote, "Our sympathy is cold to the relation of distant misery." Sadly, that does seem to be the case, at least sometimes. Consider Seattle, a city apparently locked in a death struggle with Berkley to become the undisputed epicenter of anti-Americanism and radical egalitarianism. Perhaps the citizens of Seattle who have chosen to oppose enforcement of immigration laws and the war on terrorism should have visited Ground Zero the day after 3,000 innocent people were murdered by foreign terrorists in an act of breathtaking evil.

Seattle, rife with its own social problems seems to have developed an unusually powerful taste for politically correct silliness and bizarre mischief. In 1999, the city gained the dubious honor of hosting what is now referred to as the "Battle in Seattle." Some 50,000 protest junkies clad in wacky costumes and black bandannas swarmed into the city to disrupt the World Trade Organization’s evil crusade of ‘global capitalism.’ Not surprisingly, an anarchist-led riot ensued and Seattle, a city that prides itself on a super-tolerant, liberal lifestyle soon fell under civil emergency. More alarming than the rioting malcontents was the tone in Seattle itself. The people were often openly sympathetic; workers on construction sites and in offices were seen cheering as mobs of demonstrators commandeered the streets.

That disgraceful fiasco occurred pre-9/11. Although the rules across most of the country have changed, the festering anti-Americanism gaining momentum in places like Seattle dramatizes a grim wartime reality: The so-called "peace movement" spearheaded largely by America-haters, poisons domestic solidarity and strengthens the resolve of our enemies. Blinded by false piety, they refuse to connect the dots between lax immigration laws, terrorism, and the security of their own nation.

Recently, the nine dunderheads comprising the Seattle City Council unanimously approved an ordinance barring local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities ferreting out illegal aliens. According to a flabbergasted Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), "Under federal law, no public servant can be prevented from cooperating with federal authorities enforcing U.S. immigration laws."

This reckless policy not only discourages police from pursuing a suspicious person’s immigration status, it requires law officers to ignore evidence pointing to that person’s illegal status. Put quite simply, the City Council’s ordinance effectively turns street cops into meter maids when it comes to enforcing immigration laws.

But remember, this is Seattle, where an 18-foot tall statue of Vladimir Lenin is proudly displayed in its trendy Fremont section. That’s right, Lenin, the monomaniacal despot who laid the groundwork for 20th century communism, during which upward of 100 million souls were lost to his totalitarian ambitions. Unthinkable? Not in Seattle.

While the rest of the country prepares for America’s war on terrorism, Seattle has decided to become an outreach center for illegal aliens, irrespective of their potential ties with terrorist organizations. In defense of the Council’s decision, Anita Sinha, a leftist lawyer for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project summed up the sentiments of her guilt-ridden constituents, "In this climate of secret detentions and special registration, it’s clearly important to have a City Council that takes a strong proactive stance." Proactive for whom? We paid an exorbitant price on 9/11 for the proactive policies of absolute inclusion that the extreme Left still advocates!

More disturbing, is the attitude of Seattle’s police department. In response to Attorney General Ashcroft’s circumspect national security entry-exit registration system, Police Chief Gil Kerlowske—in true Seattle-style, PC form—offered this stunning policy statement: "Seattle police will encourage all complainants to communicate with police officers without inquiry regarding their immigration status." Illegal aliens are criminals, yet Chief Kerlowske wants them to feel comfortable around his officers. His affirmative-confusion-style policing countervails the purity of mission in law enforcement. Would he extend the same deference to carjackers?

He offered this explanation to his baffling policy edict: "The best prevention against a future terrorist attack is a police department that has trust and good communication with all of the people it serves." Do "all the people" he’s alluding to include lawbreakers, e.g., illegal aliens? Sorry Chief, but the best defense against terrorism is super-vigilant law enforcement whose sole charter is to protect America and her law-abiding citizens. Let not your heart be troubled, the ACLU will be on hand if you offend the sensibilities of miscreants.

Not surprisingly, the perennially seedy downtown area of Seattle has become more so with an influx of illegal aliens. Drug dealing is now prevalent, along with a host of pesky civility issues. On Second Avenue, where the needle-exchange program does land office business, the police were finally forced to call in the FBI and INS. A crackdown discovered that a consortium of Mexican ranches was dispatching drug runners across the U.S. border, where they worked their way up the coast to the immigrant-friendly streets of Seattle.

It gets worse. The "Emerald City’s" contempt and utter disregard for immigration laws took a dangerous turn with its handling of Somalis engaged in food stamp fraud. Last year, the FBI determined the Al-Barakaat Wire Transfer Co., an outfit with known connections to al-Qaeda, targeted Seattle’s asylee community as a cash cow to fund its nefarious activities.

The scam was easy, especially in a city renowned for an immigration policy that’s no more than a philosophical abstraction and a police department that maintains a pseudo-chumminess with illegal aliens. Al-Barakaat set up a storefront in Seattle. They immediately began selling Qat (a mild narcotic popular with Somalis), and converting the Somali’s food stamps into cash. During their period of illicit operations, the FBI believes that Al-Barakaat skimmed tens of millions of dollars off these two activities, trafficking the proceeds directly to the al-Qaeda terror network.

The INS sought to deport Somalis who had committed crimes in the US, failed to show for court-ordered deportation, or faced final orders for deportation. To a logical mind, this might sound like prudent immigration practice. However, an aggressively liberal judiciary was unconvinced of the danger posed by a group of persons from an Islamic country, who had made themselves eligible for deportation by their misdeeds.

In Seattle, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled against the federal government’s compelling argument that such deportations are vital in the war on terrorism. Pechman’s ruling effectively halted the imminent deportation of thousands of other Somali lawbreakers. Perhaps the thought of returning them to their worn-torn country tugged at her heartstrings. One can only imagine why a federal judge would put the interests of potentially dangerous foreign intruders ahead of her country.

Call it "The Seattle Syndrome," a self-deluded ego trip of hyper egalitarianism that so resents America for being a superior culture that it wants to humble Her a bit, bring Her down to one knee.

In October of 2002, close to 10,000 people turned out in Seattle for an anti-war demonstration. Along with the diehard protesters of all things American were proud parents pushing their children in strollers and business-types in designer jeans. It was, by all accounts, just the pre-game show. For any America-hating "activist," Seattle’s numerous anti-war organizations offer a venue to vent their spleen. Fortunately, in true socialist form, these groups operate by consensus, making them essentially leaderless.

When Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that Iraq was in "material breach" of its weapons disclosure requirements it put the U.S. on a potential path to war. It also fired the engines of dissidence. Seattle’s activist community stated that if war were declared they would take to the streets and bring the city to a standstill. This is post-fact protest at its most illogical extreme; success depends on the defeat of their country.

Seattle residents are more opposed to disarming Iraq than most other Americans, even markedly so when compared with residents of their own state. That’s fine. Policy opposition and raucous public debate are very much in the spirit of America. But when the rhetoric is filled with hate and disaffection for our country, in today’s perilous atmosphere, it bears a troubling likeness to subversion.

Seattle’s mission of fostering an atmosphere of cuddly acceptance for all things kooky is that it becomes a self-perpetuating unstated message that no one ultimately understands, except our enemies. And they decoded that message in the 1960s. The infamy of 9/11 created doubts throughout the world about America’s ability and determination to defend Her people. We cannot permit those doubts to become reality. The grave danger is in allowing the Seattle Syndrome to spread unchallenged, like an opportunistic infection. But rendered harmless through containment, it simply remains one of few discordant notes trying to disrupt a magnificent symphony.

Authorities free 1 million aliens amid proceedings

2005-04-16T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Washington Times
www.washingtontimes.com
By Stephen Dinan
Published April 15, 2005

One million people facing immigration proceedings have been released into the general population, the government's chief of detention and removal told the Senate yesterday , prompting some Republicans to say the Bush administration is "not serious" about the problem.

"We have a million individuals who are in some phase of immigration proceedings released," said Victor X. Cerda, the acting director of detention and removal operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

He said of those people, 465,000 are fugitive aliens who have been ordered deported. About 80,000 of those are criminal aliens who have committed an offense in addition to immigration violations, but he couldn't provide an exact number.

His comments came as an immigration debate in the Senate blocked most progress on the emergency war-spending bill. Pending amendments include cracking down on illegal immigrants' use of driver's licenses, increasing visas for seasonal nonimmigrant workers and legalizing up to 1 million illegal aliens who work in agriculture and their families.

Yesterday's hearing, before two subcommittees of the Judiciary Committee, is supposed to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive immigration bill, said Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and chairman of the immigration subcommittee, which held the hearing along with Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona, chairman of the terrorism subcommittee.

"No serious discussion of comprehensive immigration reform is possible without a review of our nation's ability to effectively secure its borders and enforce its immigration laws," Mr. Cornyn said.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, Alabama Republican, and Sen. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, demanded to know why Mr. Cerda was not doing more to have illegal aliens removed.

Mr. Sessions said ICE is far behind in entering the names of the 465,000 alien fugitives into law-enforcement databases, which means that if those people are picked up in another arrest, they would not be turned over to immigration authorities.

Jonathan Cohn, a deputy assistant attorney general, told the panel that court decisions over the years will result in the government having to release dangerous criminal aliens as well.

"The aliens that are being released include murderers, rapists and child molesters," Mr. Cohn said.

Members of the subcommittees also ended up taking sides on whether the Minutemen patrolling the Arizona border are "vigilantes," as President Bush called them.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, said he agreed with Mr. Bush's characterization, and told Mr. Cerda to let him know what the Department of Homeland Security's policy was on dealing with vigilantes.

Include citizenship, ID requirements in election reforms

2005-04-13T23:17:00.000-07:00

http://www.chronline.com/Main.asp?SectionID=16&SubSectionID=101&ArticleID=20077

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

Any election reform package that comes out of this session of the Legislature would be seriously flawed if it omitted requiring voters to show photo identification at polling places before they receive ballots and prospective new voters to verify their U.S. citizenship with election officials.
Senate bills backed by both Democrats and Republicans include these requirements, but the bills were amended in committee by House Democrats to eliminate them.

Elections officials may find the identification-citizenship requirements inconvenient to enforce. Too bad. They are sensible, reasonable protection against voter fraud, although ID at polling places is a moot point in Lewis County now that it has gone to all-mail voting in elections. But that makes the citizenship requirement all the more important.

Many Republican legislators also want to require all voters to reregister by August 2006 to clean up registration lists and other discrepancies that were brought to light by the near tie in the governor election in November. Reregistration also might well be seen as an inconvenience or unfair, but the point is, registration lists need better updating.

In any event, the absence of adequate identification and verification requirements with reliance mostly on trust leaves the door wide open for fraud and inaccuracies. The need for accurate, honest elections outweighs any inconvenience that might occur because of the new safeguards.
“Our current system is skewed too far in the direction of convenience, openness and speed and has sacrificed security, integrity and accuracy,” said Rep. Toby Nixon, R-Kirkland, ranking Republican on the House committee that deals with elections.

Note further that at least the photo ID requirement at the polling places is supported as well by Secretary of State Sam Reed, a Republican, who led a task force on election reform, and Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, who appointed the task force.

If House Democrats don’t accede to Republican efforts this week to restore the ID and citizenship provisions to the Senate bills and they aren’t part of any election-reform package ultimately passed this session, it could end up on the ballot for voters to decide.

Conservative radio talk-show host Mike Siegel and others vowed Monday to pursue an initiative to the voters that would require the ID and proof of citizenship. It probably wouldn’t make it to the ballot, if sufficient voter signatures are gathered, until a year from this November.
‘‘If they (the Legislature) don’t do the reform, we will, and that’s a promise,” Siegel said. It’s likely such an initiative would draw widespread voter support.

Meanwhile, there is more agreement on a number of other worthwhile election reforms. They include allowing voter records to be randomly investigated by elections officials, statewide standards for handling of ballots, regular audits of county election departments, changing the look of provisional ballots cast at polling places to avoid their being counted with regular ballots before they can be authenticated, and regular reviews of voter registration lists to eliminate errors.
The worst thing that could happen is no election reform legislation at all this year, even provisions most agreed on, simply because legislators couldn’t agree on everything.

VOTER DATABASE: An election reform that should make a major difference in preventing illegal votes is already under way in this state, apart from the legislative battles over reform.

As a result of congressionally mandated reforms, the state is putting together its first-ever computerized voter database, paid for by $6 million from the feds. It brings together all the separate county lists and will help local election officials ensure felons, dead people and noncitizens can’t vote. It will also help ensure people aren’t registered in more than one locale or voting more than once per election.

Cleaner voter lists will help ensure ballots are sent only to valid voters (which can only be fully assured by requiring proof of citizenship) and that only properly cast ballots are counted.

Seattle Times Responds to Request for Correction

2005-04-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

April 11, 2005 12:37:52 PM

From: jvesely@seattletimes.com

cc: lmoriwaki@seattletimes.com; jbalter@seattletimes.com

Mr. Ringhofer:

The editorial you question is within the realm of commentary and opinion of The Times. In addition, the reporting within that editorial by Joni Balter was thorough.

I do not accept that a correction to that editorial opinion is appropriate.

jvesely@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times requested to publish correction

2005-04-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

April 11, 2005
Managing Editor
Seattle Times

On April 5, 2005 your newspaper printed an editorial attacking me. In that editorial you falsely state that I have legally challenged, via the law, the voting status of 1,668 people in 12 counties. ("...Ringhofer of Soap Lake has challenged voting credentials of 1,688 people in 12 counties...The law allows a citizen to question credentials of another voter, but the challenger also must provide personal knowledge that the other person should not be allowed to vote.")

I have not legally challenged any voters status via the law (Washington Administrative Code) much less 1,688 of them. You can call Grant County and any other county in Washington state to confirm this. You should have done this fact checking before running the editorial. All I did was ask county auditors to purge their COMPLETE voter lists of illegal voters; non citizens, felons and the dead: something they are required by law to do. And when they implied that checking their entire voter lists for non citizens was too big a job and too costly I narrowed the list down for them. Are you saying that any time county auditors check registered voter lists for illegal voters they are doing something "nasty" and "hideous"? Asking county auditors to purge voter lists of illegal voters is a different process than challenging individual voters status.

I request that you publish a correction of the false information you printed. Something like, "Information in our 04/5/05 editorial 'A nasty turn in election challenge' was incorrect. Martin Ringhofer has not filed legal challenges to the voting status of 1,688 people. He has not even filed 1. The Seattle Times sincerely regrets this error."

And even if I had filled out the required paper work and signed the affidavit that you refer to in the editorial, but failed to check if 1,688 of them existed much less 1, challenging a voters citizen status is a right protected by Washington Administrative Code and does not violate the Voting Rights Act.

Martin Ringhofer
http://protectwashingtonnow.blogspot.com/

Emergency Rule Enacted by Sam Reed: We Won’t Search Voter Rolls for Illegal Aliens!

2005-04-11T22:53:00.000-07:00

A Seattle man’s efforts to make sure Washington state voters are legal has caused so much ruckus the Secretary of State created an emergency rule to try and stop him. Martin Ringhofer, a naturalized citizen, says all he wanted was for election officials to do their job.

What did Ringhofer do to cause this “emergency”? Given the 2004 election debacle he contacted the Grant County Elections Department in March and asked them to check their complete voter registration list against the INS and Social Security lists for non-citizens, and to purge the list of felons and the dead. They refused to look for non-citizens, implying the job was too big and would cost too much. Ringhofer narrowed the list down for them. He picked out names that sounded foreign, like his own, and requested they check those names. Again the county refused. Ringhofer went to 11 other counties in Washington and asked them to do the same, they all refused.

Ringhofer’s actions triggered the Secretary of State’s new emergency rule, which makes it more difficult to challenge a voters legal standing. The Secretary wrote on the emergency order that the new rule was warranted because he anticipated “thousands” of challenges in the next 90 days based on citizenship and because the U.S. Department of Justice contacted his office expressing “concerns” that challenging a voters citizenship without “prima facie” evidence “could” violate Section 2 of the ‘Voting Rights Act’. The new rule was signed hastily on April 4, 2005.

The public had no idea but the Seattle Times knew about the emergency rule. On April 5, 2005, they published an editorial calling Ringhofer’s efforts “nasty”, “hideous”, and “despicable”. They falsely accused him of legally challenging, via Washington Administrative Code, the voting status of 1,668 people in 12 counties. They also used the same Department of Justice language the Secretary used on his emergency order and suggested Ringhofer was being investigated by the DOJ.

TRUTH: Ringhofer has not legally challenged any voters status. You can call Grant County and any other county to confirm this. All Ringhofer did was ask county auditor’s to purge their voter lists of illegal voters; non-citizens, felons and the dead: something they are required by law to do. Denying a non-citizen voting rights would comply with the law NOT violate it. And even if he had filled out the required paper work to challenge a voters citizens status, that is a right protected by Washington Administrative Code and does not violate the Voting Rights Act.

*Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits “the use of any voting procedure or practice which “results” in a denial or an abridgement of the right to vote on account of race or color or membership in a language minority.”

Excerpt from “Recommendations to the Legislature Regarding the 2004 Election”

2005-04-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

From Bob Williams, President & Senior Research Analyst
Evergreen Freedom Foundation

For the full report, see:

http://www.effwa.org/Recommendations_2004Election.PDF

Free and fair elections are indispensable to political freedom. While we do not know all the details about what is alleged to have happened during the November 2004 elections versus what actually did happen, we know enough to say we had neither free nor fair elections. When interviewed, the Secretary of State cannot say who won the gubernatorial election. Neither can the King County Director of Elections.

This is particularly troubling since Congress and the 2003 Washington State Legislature passed reform legislation that would have prevented nearly all the current mess had it just been implemented. Many elected officials are calling for new laws, and certainly some are needed.

But it is hardly reassuring to get new laws when existing reform laws were mostly ignored. This is not just about the gubernatorial election. It is not about one political party versus another. It isn’t about the recall of a sitting elected official or a re-vote. In fact, conducting a re-vote before cleaning up the current mess means we face the prospect of another election rife with incompetence and fraud.

Our investigation to date has been extensive, and our final report will be issued shortly. We are forwarding suggestions we hope you will consider as you look at what really happened in this election and explore remedies to prevent the same abuses in the future.

Grassroots Washington is a program of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a non-partisan, public policy watchdog organization based in Olympia, and focused on advancing individual liberty, a free-market economy, and limited and responsible government. For more information, visit: http://www.effwa.org.

Evergreen Freedom Foundation Election Reforms Rally

2005-04-10T10:37:00.000-07:00

There will be a “Real Reforms” rally on Monday to urge House leaders to pass meaningful election reform legislation. We need your help! We need you to be there!

Real Reforms Rally
This Monday, April 11
Olympia
10 a.m. on the Capitol steps

Invited guests:

Bob Williams, Evergreen Freedom Foundation
Chris Vance, Republican Party State Chair
Lt. Bryan Suits, Iraq War hero and disenfranchised military voter
Mike Siegel, KTTH radio host
Stefan Sharkansky, Soundpolitics blog

Visit: http://www1.leg.wa.gov/documents/senate/src/RealReform.pdf for more information.

Our message should be clear. We want the legislators to support real election reforms and:

Require that by December 30, 2005, the state conduct a 100% new registration with people required to register in their legal name and show proof of citizenship and a birth certificate. In war-torn Iraq, they were able to accomplish this in 45 days.

Require photo and signature Identification before a voter can vote.

Require state and local election officials to implement the 2002 Federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the 2003 Legislative changes.

For more information, contact:

Alex Bohler
Grassroots Washington
Evergreen Freedom Foundation
360.956.3482 360.352.1874 (fax)

abohler@effwa.org

You can download the Evergreen Freedom Foundation list of legislative recommendation here:

EFF's election reform recommendations to the legislature.

Standing Action Items:

Write letters to your local newspaper editors. Get the ideas out there. Let people know you’re aware of what’s going on and you expect state officials to answer to citizens. Newspaper links

Call your local talk radio shows. Washington Radio Stations

Call or write your state legislators to tell them you insist that they do their jobs and provide this state with meaningful election reform legislation. If you don’t know who your elected officials are, you can find out by going here. Call the Washington State Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000 or look up your legislators online. Ask them to support EFF's election reform recommendations.

Contact Secretary of State Sam Reed and let him know that you expect him to do his job and secure a fair and lawful election. Call (360) 902-4151 or email sreed@secstate.wa.gov.