Anti-illegal-immigration group draws controversy

"Buoyed by conservative support and undaunted by criticism, Botwin says his group is gearing up for the immigration reform debate."There's an old saying from Mahatma Gandhi -- first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win," Botwin said. "Now they're fighting us." --excerpted.

[This article currently gets 377 web hits after 2 days for wire-service pick up on papers and blogs!]

Anti-illegal-immigration group draws controversy

By TINA IRGANG, Capital News Service

Published 11/01/09

WASHINGTON - Brad Botwin has been called an extremist and even a Nazi.
Others say he is an asset to the discourse on illegal immigration in the state, and Botwin himself maintains he is merely a concerned citizen asking questions about how the government spends his taxes.

In just two and a half years, Help Save Maryland, the anti-illegal immigrant group Botwin founded, has grown from a small protest movement in Rockville to a statewide organization with volunteer coordinators in almost every county. The organization protests at day labor centers, attends public meetings, publishes a blog and sends out regular newsletters.

Botwin said Help Save Maryland counts roughly 2,000 members, and organizes its protests and appearances mostly by e-mail.Illegal immigration is likely to become the subject of contentious national debate in coming months, as Congress is expected to take up immigration reform after finishing the current health care reform effort.

Representatives from both parties have said reform must address illegal immigration and make sure visa quotas align with employer needs.But Botwin said his group is ready to fight reform: "Right now our position is: the system isn't broken."

Help Save Maryland was founded in response to the opening of a day labor center in Gaithersburg in 2007. Botwin said Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett built the center contrary to popular opposition."He just took it upon himself to plop it on county land without any public hearings," Botwin said. "This was an egregious act on his part and that just prompted me to start this group."

Patrick Lacefield, a spokesman for Leggett, said: "It's a free country and we understand that they think what they think, but basically our feeling is that in Montgomery County, we value our diversity, we value our immigrants."

Help Save Maryland garnered national attention this spring, when Alabama-based non-profit The Southern Poverty Law Center listed it among 'nativist extremist groups,' a category that stops short of the label 'hate group,' which the center awards to overtly racist organizations.A nativist extremist group, Southern Poverty Law Center spokeswoman Heidi Beirich said, is usually an "aggressive anti-immigration group."

"They're not necessarily groups going out and using slurs," Beirich said. "But these are organizations that don't debate policy -- they don't lobby their legislators or have what we would call a civil and democratic debate. They're people that get in the face of immigrants and confront people rather than legislators."

Botwin, who is Jewish, said he views the listing as an "anti-Semitic act against me.""We're not radicals. We are all tax-paying, working American citizens, all walks of life, every ethnic group, every nationality, we've got them," Botwin said. "We are just questioning what our elected officials are doing with our money on this issue."

One of Help Save Maryland's tax-paying members is Pree Glenn-Graves, a coordinator for Prince George's County. Glenn-Graves says she joined Help Save Maryland after her husband lost his home improvement business. She said the business failed because her husband was unable to compete with cheaper rates offered by businesses using illegal labor.

"If he was willing to do a job for $4,000, illegal immigrants would do it for $1,500."Glenn-Graves said she seeks to raise awareness of the effects of illegal immigration on Prince George's County's black community.

"None of our children are hired by McDonald's or KFC because they can pay illegals below the minimum wage," Glenn-Graves said. "Even though we're the ones paying taxes, our children aren't the ones getting jobs."

KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow responded, saying, "KFC's policy is to comply with all state and federal employment laws, including only hiring individuals who can verify their legal status and right to work in the United States."

McDonald's spokeswoman Danya Proud said: "As an employer, we do not knowingly hire or employ undocumented or unauthorized workers. McDonald?s USA has strict policies in place regarding hiring and employment practices -- this includes, abiding by all applicable local, state and federal employment laws."

Among Help Save Maryland's most active members is Steve Berryman, a coordinator for Frederick County. Berryman writes the group's blog and is a regular contributor to other regional blogs. He describes himself as Libertarian-leaning and a member of the "NRA Grassroots movement."Berryman said Brad Botwin asked him to become involved in the group after he had read some of his writing.

Berryman was happy to join Help Save Maryland because "my views coincide with (Botwin's) very closely."The Help Save Maryland coordinators, Berryman said, "act as a communication nexus. We will pass along information about protests or speaking opportunities on e-mail chains, which are sometimes different by region."

Frederick County Sheriff Charles Jenkins has spoken at several events organized by Help Save Maryland. The group, Jenkins said, supports his participation in 287(g), a government program allowing local police to enforce federal immigration laws. Frederick County is the only participating jurisdiction in Maryland."Steve (Berryman) has been supportive by calling in to talk radio shows, making public comments, writing letters to the editor, things like that," Jenkins said.

Help Save Maryland also cooperates with People for Change in Prince George's County, a predominantly African-American organization that lobbies for government accountability. The group describes itself as non-partisan, but it has expressed strongly conservative positions on issues such as immigration and gay marriage.

"The black community is really picking up on the illegal immigration issue," Botwin said. "When I told some of the members of People for Change that Prince George's Community College was running a training program for illegal alien day laborers, training them to be construction workers, the report back from the crowd was: 'We don't see very many black construction workers anymore.'"

Deirda Hill, director of PGCC's marketing department, said the college checks immigration status for all students who take classes for credit. If a potential student does not seek credit, the college asks only for a local address.

Help Save Manassas, another Help Save Maryland affiliate, was an inspiration for his own group, although the two rarely coordinate their protests, Botwin said.Help Save Manassas founder Greg Letiecq is known for the frequently inflammatory statements he makes on his blog, Black Velvet Bruce Li. In a recent blog post, Letiecq referred to President Obama as "Dear Leader," a title used by North Koreans for that country's chief, Kim Jong-Il.

Help Save Maryland's ire is mostly directed at immigrant advocacy groups such as CASA de Maryland and Identity Inc., and by extension liberal Democratic politicians who support them.
Still, Candace Kattar, Identity Inc.'s executive director, said she has found members of Help Save Maryland to be courteous at public meetings they have attended."I think they have a very singular issue, which is to get rid of undocumented people," Kattar said. "So if there are discussions about any issue, the question is always whether or not the individual is undocumented."

Others have reacted more strongly to the group's often confrontational rhetoric."The general perspective of the group seems very hostile," said Bruce Adams, director of the Office of Community Partnerships in Montgomery County. "The county executive is dedicated to building the nation's most multicultural community, and so the work of this group really undermines our ability to do that."

Maryland Delegate Victor Ramirez, D-Prince George's, said he calls the group "Help Divide Maryland.""They're spreading hate and disruption," Ramirez said. "Until they become more reasonable and stop preaching division and hate, I don't see how they're adding anything to the conversation or the solution."

Delegate Ben Barnes, D-Prince George's, has written two letters opposing Help Save Maryland. In the most recent, published Oct. 8, Barnes wrote: "This type of divisive and offensive rhetoric has no place in our rich diverse community and has been used by the right wing for far too long."On the other side of the political spectrum, many conservative delegates support the group.

Delegate Susan Krebs, R-Carroll, said: "Their contribution has been to try to get the facts out about the impact of illegal immigration on schools, services, budgets and health care. Those discussions need to occur.""They've testified in favor of a number of my bills, and they're always well-prepared," said Delegate Patrick McDonough, R-Baltimore County, who has introduced several pieces of legislation to limit services to illegal immigrants. "They're a great asset, and I wish there were a lot more of them all around the state."

Buoyed by conservative support and undaunted by criticism, Botwin says his group is gearing up for the immigration reform debate."There's an old saying from Mahatma Gandhi -- first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win," Botwin said. "Now they're fighting us."

TWO OPPORTUNITIES TO LET CONGRESS KNOW THAT WE OPPOSE HEALTH CARE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS!!!

US SENATE - I want to invite you to join Senator Barbara Mikulski for a special statewide conference call Monday, November 2nd.Senator Mikulski will discuss health reform legislation as new momentum surges in support behind reform. Get the latest updates on where the legislation stands, what it contains, and where we go from here.RSVP to the call now -- when you sign up at the link provided, you'll be sent a call-in number and passcode to join the call. Here are the details:

What: Conference Call about Health Reformwith Senator Barbara MikulskiWhen: Monday, November 2nd3:00-3:30 p.m. EasternConference call information will be sent to everyone who RSVPs

On the conference call, you'll hear about OFA's recent successes in Maryland and how you can get involved. And you'll get a special briefing from Senator Mikulski and have a chance to ask her questions. http://md.barackobama.com/MikulskiCC


US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Sent: Sat, October 31, 2009 11:58:44 AMSubject: Michelle Bachman wants us to walk with her inside the capital and tell them NO WAY ON THIS HEALTH CARE OR NO VOTES FOR THEM. ALSO VETS DAY FOR ALL VETS AND FAMILIES. STARTING AT 8 AM.
Media and Patriots..

Michelle Bachman will hold a protest rally against obama care on November 5th at 12 noon on the capital steps in dc.

http://logisticsmonster.com/2009/10/30/michelle-bachman-a-call-to-storm-the-capitol-on-november-5th-2009/

Patriots,Rep Michele Bachmann, R-MN has just announced a "storm the capitol" next Thursday, November 5th at 12:00 Noon.This appears to be in conjunction with Vets For Freedom action that is occurring the same day.......see PFA homepage.Any and everyone that can make it to the US Capitol, Washington, DC to meet Rep Bachmann on the Capitol steps at 12:00 noon is desperately needed.

The goal is have hundreds or thousands show up and walk with Rep Bachman through the US Capitol advising Representatives to reject the House of Representatives Healthcare Bill.........
If the HealthCare Bill Pelosi announced on Wednesday is passed, Rep Bachmann said, "it will be the crown jewel of socialism" in America.......everyone will be forced into a single payer, government run healthcare program.......

I am personally urging, pleading, for everyone to give this request the most serious consideration....if you can possibly be in DC and meet Rep Bachmann on the US Capitol steps at 12:00 Noon, please, please do it.....

www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

Forward email


Help Save Maryland PO Box 5742 Rockville MD 20855



http://tinyurl.com/ykb9fa2

The 287(g) Program

The 287(g) Program

Protecting Home Towns and Homeland

[Contact: Jessica Vaughan, (508) 346-3380, jmv@cis.org]

WASHINGTON (October 27, 2009) – The 287(g) program was created by Congress in 1996 to enhance cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The Obama administration has imposed new rules for the 287(g) program that unduly constrain the local partners and could allow more alien scofflaws identified by local agencies to remain here. But even with these changes, based on unsubstantiated criticism from ethnic and civil liberties groups, the 287(g) program remains an effective tool in immigration law enforcement and local crime-fighting.

A new report from the Center for Immigration Studies examines in detail the 287(g) program’s history, status, and results, concluding with a number of recommendations for improvement. The report, “The 287(g) Program: Protecting Home Towns and Homeland,” by Jessica Vaughan and James R. Edwards, Jr., is based on interviews with participating local law enforcement agencies (LEAs), statistics and reports provided by local LEAs, and data provided by ICE through a FOIA request.

Among the findings:

About 1,000 officers from 67 law enforcement agencies have been trained and participate in the program. With 9 new agencies joining and a handful of agencies dropping out in 2009, the total number of participating agencies as of October 2009 is 73.


287(g) officers lodged immigration charges on more than 81,000 illegal or criminal aliens between January 2006 and November 2008, according to data provided by ICE.


In 2008, the number of 287(g) arrests (45,368) was equal to one-fifth of all criminal aliens identified by ICE in prisons and jails nationwide that year (221,085). The program has flagged a large number of known serious and/or violent offenders, as well as some low-level offenders still at the bottom of the criminal behavior escalator. Illegal aliens targeted by the program have been identified as a result of involvement in local law-breaking in addition to immigration law-breaking.


While 287(g) agencies use the authority mainly to identify and process illegal aliens who have committed additional crimes, Congress never intended the program to be limited to that use. Lawmakers intended for local agency partners to use the authority for local law enforcement priorities and according to local needs, which may or may not be the same as federal priorities.


Participating agencies credit the 287(g) program as a major factor in reduced local crime rates, smaller inmate populations, and lower criminal justice costs.


287(g) is cost-effective — much less expensive than other criminal alien identification programs such as Secure Communities and Fugitive Operations. For example, in 2008 ICE spent $219 million to remove 34,000 fugitive aliens (mostly criminals). In 2008, ICE was given $40 million for 287(g), which produced more than 45,000 arrests of aliens who were involved in state and local crimes. In Harris County, Texas, the billion-dollar ICE Secure Communities interoperability program found about 1,718 removable aliens in its first six months beginning late in 2008; meanwhile the locally paid 287(g) officers in the same jail system charged about 5,000 criminal aliens over the same time period.


287(g) is a force multiplier. In 2008, the Colorado state 287(g) unit alone made 777 immigration arrests. In that same year the entire ICE investigations office based in Denver, which covers all of Colorado and several other states, made a total of 1,594 arrests. In Maricopa County, Arizona, the local ICE detention and removal manager supervises five ICE deportation agents, who are supplemented by 64 additional locally paid county jail 287(g) officers who also identify and process criminal aliens.


The largest number of agreements have been signed for 287(g) programs in correctional institutions, such as county jails or state prisons. These programs were responsible for 91 percent of the 287(g) arrests over the period we studied.


The task force/investigative 287(g) programs provide equally important crime-fighting benefits and are a useful tool to address such illegal immigration-related crime problems as alien smuggling, drugs, street gangs, and identity theft.


The Colorado, Arizona, and Alabama 287(g) programs have boosted ICE efforts to combat alien smuggling, which has been neglected since the agency’s formation.


Notwithstanding allegations from immigrant and civil liberties advocates, there have been no confirmed instances of racial profiling, discrimination, or other abuse of authority under the 287(g) program. There is no evidence whatsoever of a “chilling effect” on crime reporting in the 287(g) jurisdictions.


The waiting list for 287(g) is long — reportedly one to three years from the time of request to join until implementation.


The biggest obstacle to improving and expanding the 287(g) program is the lack of funding for bed space to detain illegal aliens discovered by local agencies to have committed crimes. As a result, ICE currently is removing fewer than half of the criminal aliens identified under 287(g). Several states have submitted proposals to ICE to help alleviate this problem, but ICE has not acted to increase funding for bed space, even as it claims to prioritize the removal of criminal aliens.


# # #


The Center for Immigration Studies is an independent research institution that examines the impact of immigration on the United States.

Safety & Trust Needed, Not Helicopters

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Help Save Maryland Newsletter

CITIZEN SAFETY & TRUST NEEDED, NOT HELICOPTERS

During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. - George Orwell

Despite the continued economic downturn and severe state and county budget shortfalls, Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett and his Police Chief Tom Manger are making the rounds begging for a Police Aviation Unit ("Helicopters improve safety, make sense financially", Gazette, 9/23/09). It's a seemingly two-year "free lunch" as Uncle Sam provides the helicopters while confiscated drug and organized crime monies pay the fuel and maintenance costs.

But Leggett and Manger are being less than truthful with the citizens of Montgomery County regarding all aspects of their law enforcement strategy. The false bravado of helicopters being "force-multipliers to fight crime" and making police "smarter and more efficient in keeping our community safe", are just hollow promises. Recent unpublicized and unwarranted changes in Montgomery County Police policy and procedures have effectively neutered police officers in the field, jeopardizing the safety and well-being of all County citizens.

Last year, almost a dozen Montgomery County citizens were brutally murdered by illegal alien gang members and day laborers, including 14-year old honor student Tai Lam and 83-year old Holocaust survivor Lila Meizell. The public uproar was such that Leggett, Manger and Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy modified and strengthened police procedures regarding illegal aliens. A major part of the February 11, 2009 policy modification, forced in part by the actions of Help Save Maryland, Judicial Watch and other citizen organizations, was the ability of police officers to freely communicate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) regarding the "legal presence" of all suspects before they committed a serious criminal act. It was a positive step toward eliminating Manger's "post-mortem" police tactics and was approved by Leggett despite heavy lobbying from CASA of Maryland and other taxpayer funded illegal alien support groups.

On September 1, 2009, with the stroke of a pen and under a total media blackout, Leggett, Manger and McCarthy fully striped the rights of all police officers to communicate with ICE. This new policy ban covers all operations and discussions with ICE except in the most heinous of crimes. Equally devastating, officers can no longer routinely run the names of potential suspects though ICE's vast database of wanted illegal aliens, actions that could have saved the lives of Tai Lam, Lila Meizell and countless other crime victims (Chandra Levy for example, would be alive today had DC Police months earlier run her suspected killer's name through ICE). Helicopters won't solve the needless pain, suffering and loss inflicted on the Community because of this new lax and secretive policing policy. Montgomery County is now an official, full-fledged sanctuary for illegal alien criminals.

Most disturbing, the September 1 policy change shockingly places the Montgomery County Police in a weaker position to serve and protect citizens then prior to Leggett's highly publicized earlier February 11 modifications. We can thank the illegal alien support group Identity Inc, a sister organization of CASA of Maryland and Catholic Charities for causing Leggett, Manger and McCarthy to backtrack and abandon community safety and their professional credibility for the fool's gold of Hispanic community political support. Our three County officials cling to the delusive phantom of illegal alien amnesty as their savior from the coming community backlash over weakened law enforcement leadership and procedures.

Chief Manger and his senior officers of course denied the existence of the September 1 policy change memorandum. It was only when Help Save Maryland members waved the "non-existent document" under their collective noses at the Chief's October 17 monthly Latino Liaison meeting did the Chief's tone change. But it's too late for Leggett, McCarthy and Manger, as this poorly attempted cover up and backdoor appeasement to the illegal alien community regarding citizen safety will have consequences far beyond the secretive three page policy memo.

Chief Manger, less than three years from a needed retirement, has truly lost what little credibility he has left with Montgomery County citizens. He has sold out public safety and the fleeting memories of the near dozen citizens murdered at the hands of illegal alien criminals. Equally important, Manger has lost the trust and respect of his rank and file officers who are now helpless in getting criminal illegal alien gang members and day laborers off our streets. Relations with ICE have also been severely strained.

Leggett, McCarthy and Manger are mere pawns of the Hispanic illegal alien community and their taxpayer funded support groups. As the ramifications of the September 1 policy memo continue to unfold and become public, all three gentlemen may be looking for a helicopter ride out of town.

Brad Botwin, DirectorHelp Save Maryland

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov

Montgomery County Council county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov

www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

Proposal would count illegal immigrants

Proposal would count illegal immigrants

Originally published October 22, 2009

The Frederick News-Post [photo is Charles Jenkins]

By Nicholas C. Stern

The contentious subject of illegal immigration and how to tackle its effects on a local level has not stayed for long off the minds of county commissioners.

On Tuesday, Commissioners Charles Jenkins and John L. Thompson Jr. and Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins introduced a plan to force the FrederickCounty Board of Education to provide commissioners with a count of students whose legal presence in the country cannot be reasonably determined.
The plan was among several under consideration to be introduced in the county's 2010 state legislative package.

If approved by the full board of commissioners next week, the proposal will go to the county delegation of state lawmakers for approval.
Successful proposals will be introduced in the Maryland General Assembly during the 90-day regular session that convenes in January.

In October 2008, county commissioners voted to ask whether a local school system could collect data "to support the proposition that a student is lawfully present in the United States."

In March, the state board of education ruled in part that unless the school system has a valid reason, officials cannot seek immigration status of students.

Commissioner Jenkins said the school system receives more than half the county's budget and so is an important area to understand the cost of undocumented students.

"We've got to start somewhere," he said.

Jenkins said he did not think collecting the information would be a burden on school officials, or an unfunded mandate.

"Until we stop making this an attractive place where everybody who gets rewarded for breaking into our country É it starts at the local level," he said.

Gary Brennan, president of the Frederick County Teachers Association, spoke out against the proposal at the commissioners' meeting.

"In effect, this proposal would force the Board of Education into an administrative role for which it is entirely unequipped," he said.

Brennan thinks federal agencies designed and trained to determine immigration status should be the ones to do so.

"This is a poorly developed and unfunded mandate that will provide data with no clear benefit or application," he said.

He also said the proposal could have a chilling effect on some students and families who may become concerned about attending school.

"Public schools have a legal and moral obligation to educate any students who come through their doors," he said.

Thompson said that, for the most part, the proposal would not ask students or their parents for more information than the school system already does.
The idea, he said, is not to determine who is in the country legally or illegally, who is a citizen and who is not.

The proposal has nothing to do with who gets educated or not, he said.
Instead, the plan is to get a rough count of people whose legal presence can't reasonably be determined, and then to give the number to federal officials.

"The more opposition I hear from people, the more concern I have that the number's a lot higher than we think," he said.

Frederick County delegation Chairman Paul Stull said it was too early in the process to determine how the delegation may vote on such a proposal.

He said he has been approached by some citizens who expressed their concerns about how many tax dollars are going to educate illegal immigrants.

Staff writer Meg Tully contributed to this article.

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[my commentary on this subject is: http://thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=2730 still valid today!

--Steve Berryman. ]

Please send comments to webmaster or contact us at 301-662-1177.Copyright 1997-09 Randall Family, LLC. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.The Frederick News-Post Privacy Policy. Use of this site indicates your agreement to our Terms of Service.

Sheriff Jenkins on Immigration Reform

Sheriff: Immigration detention

reform wouldn't change local program

Originally published October 11, 2009 Frederick News-Post

by Nicholas C. Stern

Photo by Staff file photo

Sheriff Chuck Jenkins:

Plans by federal immigration authorities to reform an expanding, multibillion-dollar detention system will probably not affect a local contract regarding the housing of immigration detainees, Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said.

National plans include cutting costs, providing detention alternatives for nonviolent violators who are not a high flight risk, improving medical care and hiring more personnel to oversee facilities, among other initiatives announced last week by federal officials.

The local contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as an Inter-Governmental Service Agreement, started at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center in July 2007.

From its inception through 2008, about 1,850 immigration detainees have been housed under the agreement at the county jail. The jail has been reimbursed more than $2.5 million from the federal government for holding the detainees.

About 30 percent of those housed under the agreement are arrested by local law enforcement agencies, then have their immigration status checked as part of a separate program that allows trained sheriff's deputies to enforce federal immigration laws.

That program is known as a 287(g) agreement.

Jenkins said he hasn't seen concrete plans by federal authorities about new initiatives for detaining illegal immigrants.

"We run this thing the way it's supposed to be run, and haven't received any criticism from the Department of Homeland Security," he said.

Reformed system

The ICE budget for jailing detainees was about $2.6 billion in fiscal 2009, according to a review of ICE's detention system published Tuesday by Dora Schriro, former director of detention policy for the Department of Homeland Security.

In fiscal 2008, ICE detained 378,582 illegal immigrants, more than any other detention system in the nation, the report stated.

Currently, federal, state and local police hand over about 60 percent of the unauthorized immigrants ICE further detains through its Criminal Alien and 287(g) programs, the report stated.

In fiscal 2009, about 41 percent of the average daily Criminal Alien Program detainees, and 57 percent of the initial book-ins, did not have criminal convictions.
During the same time frame, about 53 percent of the average daily population of 287(g) detainees and 65 percent of initial book-ins did not have criminal convictions, the report stated.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton announced in a statement Tuesday that ICE will work to identify suitable candidates for alternative detention.
This process can reduce costs and speed up judgments in immigration cases, the press release stated.

Alternative facilities could include converted hotels, nursing homes and other residential facilities, the officials said.
Within six months, ICE will create a medical classification system to monitor immigration detainees' physical and mental condition while in detention, officials said.

Jenkins said people caught up in the 287(g) program have been arrested on suspicion of committing other crimes. He didn't think an alternative detention program should apply in Frederick County.

"I don't agree with it," he said.

He also said medical treatment at the jail for immigration detainees meets state and federal standards.

Ajmel Quereshi, an attorney for the ACLU of Maryland, said the proposed changes to detention policies are a step in the right direction.

But "until the DHS issues regulations creating legally binding standards, we're just not sure that changes are really going to occur," he said.

The ACLU would like to see shorter delays for suspected illegal immigrants as they wait for their cases to be heard by a judge, and an adequate medical standards and alternatives to detention for low-risk detainees, Quereshi said.

Another ongoing ICE initiative has been to prioritize the arrest, identification and removal of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of violent crimes or major drug or sex offenses.

In July, Napolitano announced plans to standardize and create new memorandums of agreement for 287(g) participants that would reflect those priorities.
Jenkins said he has already signed a new agreement and sent it to ICE.

But the new agreement still does not create binding requirements or oversight methods to make sure local police are focusing immigration arrests on violent or dangerous offenders, Quereshi said.

There are still no requirements that localities prosecute those processed through the 287(g) for their original crimes before ICE picks them up, he said.
Moreover, the ACLU continues to be concerned about the possibility this situation may lead to racial profiling under the program.

Jenkins has repeatedly denied that Frederick County sheriff's deputies are using racial profiling.

"A lot of the MOA, in general terms, would clarify authority under the program," he said. "I don't think the changes will affect us."

Quereshi also said some of the data local agencies are supposed to collect on the program may be shielded from public scrutiny.

Other information about the program may have to be collected directly from ICE and available to the public only under federal regulations and laws, an ACLU study of the new agreements concluded.

Jenkins said he didn't think the previous agreement with ICE had allowed him to share some information with immigrant advocacy group CASA de Maryland, which sued him for access to the information.

The new agreement makes that clear, he said. "I think it's something we'll clean up."

"Prissy Attacks on Citizens of Maryland..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Help Save Maryland Action Alert



Look who is back for another round of prissy attacks on the good citizens of Maryland. With the assistance of the Gazette Newspaper, owned by the Washington Post, it's Prince George's County's junior state delegate Ben Barnes (D-Dist 21).

Barnes is a Nancy Pelosi style, San Francisco liberal who denounces anyone who disagrees with his anti-citizen, pro-illegal alien agenda. After recently attacking the African-American group People for Change in Prince George's County, Barnes now points his hate attack at the multi-ethnic citizens of Help Save Maryland and, amazingly, ALL participants in the historic 9-12 Taxpayer March on Washington!
Looks like another bee has gotten into in Ben's stylish bonnet.

Contact Delegate Barnes and let him know that his anti-citizen, hate agenda must end.

(410) 841-3046, (301) 858-30461-800-492-7122, ext. 3046 (toll free) ben.barnes@house.state.md.us

Contact Other Key Barnes supporters in Annapolis:

Delegate Michael Busch, House Speaker, (D-Anne Arundel County) michael.busch@house.state.md.us
Delegate Joseline Pena-Melnyk (D-PG County)
joseline.pena.melnyk@house.state.md.us
Delegate Victor Ramirez (D-PG County)
victor.ramirez@house.state.md.us
Delegate Joseph Vallario (D-Calvert County)
joseph.vallario@house.state.md.us


Write a response to Barnes at the Gazette Newspaper at letters@gazette.net

Let's not let Barnes get away with his lies and misinformation.

Brad Botwin, Director, Help Save Maryland


Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 Gazette Business and Politics

Taking on Help Save Maryland

I wrote a letter to the editor of my local paper this summer taking on an anti-immigrant group, Help Save Maryland, for its message of intolerance. On its Web site, the group has created a fictional bad guy by the name of "Jose Illegal" and [its members] have pronounced themselves proud participants in one of the now infamous tea parties where we saw such disturbing, disgusting and racially charged images as our president portrayed violently as the Joker from the latest Batman.

One woman affiliated with the group (and listed on its website) even went so far as to come to Annapolis and hand out a flier with a sombrero superimposed upon the head of the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. I believed (and still believe) that as a public official I had an obligation to speak out against such ugly and blatant racially-motivated stereotyping. This type of divisive and offensive rhetoric has no place in our rich diverse community and has been used by the right wing for far too long. Now this group has attacked me by lying about my record on education.

Well, I want to set the record straight on this because nothing could be further from the truth. I am a strong supporter of teachers and education and was proud to receive the endorsement of the Maryland State Teachers Association during my last campaign. In fact, I received an "A" rating from [the teachers association] just this summer. I don't mind having an honest debate on the issues with these extremists, but I just wish that they would stick to the truth. The right wing has had a rough time doing this in the past (see for example their attacks on President Obama and his health care plan). Perhaps it is the truth that they are afraid of.

Delegate Ben Barnes, College Park

Montgomery County Council to Host Gaithersburg West/N. Potomac/ Darnestown Area Town Hall Meeting

Please attend this event. Time to tell the Montgomery County Council to end all funding for CASA of Maryland, the Latino Economic Development Corp, Identity Inc, Centro Familia, Catholic Charities and other illegal alien supporting groups. Demand Legal Presence in Maryland for all state and county services.

No more day laborer centers, college educations, non-emergency healthcare or welfare for non-citizens. Our citizens come first! Bring a sign and come prepared to challenge our current elected officials. ROCKVILLE, Md., September 29, 2009-The Montgomery County Council will continue its efforts to find out what issues most concern residents when it hosts a Town Hall Meeting for the Gaithersburg West/North Potomac/Darnestown area on Wednesday, Oct. 7. The meeting at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville will start at 8 p.m. A pre-meeting reception will begin at 7:30 p.m.This will be the second Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Council in 2009. The Council is composed of President Phil Andrews, Vice President Roger Berliner and Councilmembers Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, Mike Knapp, George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro and Duchy Trachtenberg. In 2008, the Council held Town Hall Meetings in downtown Silver Spring, Clarksburg, Bethesda and Burtonsville. Most meetings have attracted more than 200 residents.The Universities at Shady Grove are located at 9630 Gudelsky Drive in Rockville. The Town Hall Meeting will be in Building No. 2.

The meeting will be taped for later broadcast on County Cable Montgomery (CCM-cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). Susan Kenedy, a producer for the county station, will moderate the meeting.For more information about the Town Hall Meeting or about the broadcast times, call 240-777-7931.

www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

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Obama: Legalize Illegals to get them Healthcare!!

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Help Save Maryland Newsletter

Based on the article below, I think its a good time to remind all HSM members to get ready for the coming battle on Amnesty. And lets not forget the on-going fight to keep illegal aliens off the proposed healthcare dole.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the National Council of La Raza ("The Race) continue to pressure Democrats at the federal and state level to push for comprehensive immigration reform. Its Amnesty pure and simple for the illegal alien criminals who continue to enter and setup shop in our country.

We all know that enforcing the law through programs like E-Verify for businesses, 287g for law enforcement, demanding "Legal Presence" for all taxpayer funded programs and services as well as cutting off funding for support groups like ACORN, La Raza and CASA of Maryland will do the job.

By creating an environment where illegal aliens are faced with no employment opportunities, no healthcare or safety nets, they will self-deport to their home countries. This humane and family-oriented process will slowly but steadily become a fiscal bonanza for the American taxpayer.

As HSM is focused on Maryland issues we recommend the following:

1 - Join the national groups NumbersUSA www.numbersusa.com AND FAIR www.fairus.org . Both do an excellent job in keeping citizens aware of daily immigration issues on the national level.

2- Subscribe to the Washington Times circulation@washingtontimes.com Like FOX TV, the Wash Times provides more balance and coverage than that other Washington paper. Less expensive too!

3- Please don't forget to donate to HSM. Please mail a contribution to:

Help Save Maryland
P.O. Box 5742
Rockville, MD 20855


4 - Don't ever think that what you do doesn't matter. Write that letter to the editor or to our worthless Maryland elected officials (federal, state and local). Pickup the phone and call them as well. Participate in meetings, rallies and town halls.

Be polite, have fun, challenge and stick it to the opposition. The historic 9-12 Taxpayer Rally in DC was a success because hundreds of thousands of Americans each made the individual decision to work together.

Keep the Faith! We will not Fail!

Brad Botwin, Director, Help Save Maryland


Originally published 04:45 a.m., September 18, 2009, updated 07:49 a.m., September 18, 2009

Obama: Legalize illegals to get them health care

Stephen Dinan (Contact)President Obama said this week that his health care plan won't cover illegal immigrants, but argued that's all the more reason to legalize them and ensure they eventually do get coverage. He also staked out a position that anyone in the country legally should be covered - a major break with the 1996 welfare reform bill, which limited most federal public assistance programs only to citizens and longtime immigrants.

"Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don't simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system is broken," Mr. Obama said Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. "That's why I strongly support making sure folks who are here legally have access to affordable, quality health insurance under this plan, just like everybody else.

Mr. Obama added, "If anything, this debate underscores the necessity of passing comprehensive immigration reform and resolving the issue of 12 million undocumented people living and working in this country once and for all."

Republicans said that amounts to an amnesty, calling it a backdoor effort to make sure current illegal immigrants get health care. "It is ironic that the president told the American people that illegal immigrants should not be covered by the health care bill, but now just days later he's talking about letting them in the back door," said Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. "If the American people do not want to provide government health care for illegal immigrants, why would they support giving them citizenship, the highest honor America can bestow?" Mr. Smith said.

But immigrant rights groups see the speech as a signal that Mr. Obama is committed to providing health care coverage for anyone in the United States legally, regardless of their citizenship status. "It's the first time I've certainly heard, publicly, him talking more about legal immigrants," said Eric Rodriguez, vice president for research and advocacy at the National Council of La Raza (NCLR). "I think that was certainly positive progress. We were absolutely concerned about not hearing that."

On Wednesday, hours before Mr. Obama's speech, the NCLR had given the administration a public scolding, demanding that Mr. Obama needed to make "a public commitment ... to ensure that those who are here legally are covered."

A White House spokesman did not respond to questions about where the White House would make the cutoff for eligibility, and Mr. Rodriguez said he's still waiting for an answer from the administration. "We don't know where they mean to draw the line," he said. "Our biggest concern is that most people don't realize legal immigrants are currently barred from receiving health care benefits for the first five years in the country."

Under the 1996 welfare overhaul, most federal aid programs are restricted to citizens and legal immigrants who have been in the country for at least five years. Democrats have tried this year to chip away at that rule. Immigration has dogged Mr. Obama in the health care debate. Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican, shouted, "You lie," when the president, in an address to Congress last week, said his plans wouldn't cover illegal immigrants.

Lawmakers - who got an earful from constituents back home during August - have insisted on extra checks to make sure illegal immigrants do not have access to taxpayer-funded programs. Senators have worked on language that would prevent illegal immigrants from buying insurance through a proposed insurance exchange envisioned in the health care reform package. But the NCLR said that could lead to situations where some members of a family would be covered and others, including children of illegal immigrants, wouldn't be.

Mr. Obama said legalizing illegal immigrants is a way to take the sting out of the entire issue. But Republicans said by pushing to legalize illegal immigrants, Mr. Obama is signaling that those here illegally eventually will get access to taxpayer-funded benefits. Still, the push to pass a legalization bill is beginning to gain steam, even as advocates fret that the White House is moving too slowly. On Thursday, Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat and an outspoken advocate for legalization, agreed to take leadership in writing a new, more generous bill.

"We simply cannot wait any longer for a bill that keeps our families together, protects our workers and allows a pathway to legalization for those who have earned it," Mr. Gutierrez said. "Saying immigration is a priority for this administration or this Congress is not the same as seeing tangible action, and the longer we wait, the more every single piece of legislation we debate will be obstructed by our failure to pass comprehensive reform."

ONE OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY'S "FINEST", ILLEGAL ALIEN LOVER TOM PEREZ CONTINUES HIS LONG WAIT FOR SENATE CONFIRMATION! Friday, September 18, 2009 EDITORIAL: Perez's positions give pause:

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Sometimes there is more than one good reason for a slowdown. That's the case when it comes to Thomas E. Perez, the nominee to head the U.S. Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.
Mr. Perez is the Maryland secretary of labor. His resume -- two graduate degrees from Harvard University and a previous staff role in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department -- looks solid on paper. But several published reports have said that Republicans have slowed Mr. Perez's nomination in protest of the Obama administration's dismissal of already-won voter-intimidation cases against agents of the New Black Panther Party. Those reports may or may not be entirely accurate. Either way, that's not the only reason to hesitate before confirming Mr. Perez.

Mr. Perez's record involves more than just his curriculum vitae. He has served as president of the board of CASA de Maryland, an immigrant-advocacy organization known for taking several rather extreme positions. For instance, CASA has fought against keeping illegal immigrants from getting state drivers' licenses. Mr. Perez himself has supported efforts to grant in-state tuition rates to undocumented immigrants. And he has been a strong proponent of giving preferential treatment to members of some races or ethnicities in admissions to schools to train health professionals.

On that latter point, Mr. Perez argued that racial preferences could be used not just for "remedial" purposes -- not just to make up for past discrimination -- but to meet other social objectives as well. Perhaps none of these positions individually is so radical as to be disqualifying. But for a division already being turned by the Obama administration into a veritable hotbed for providing legal cover for racial grievances, Mr. Perez's cornucopia of leftist positions should give senators pause. He should not be confirmed without a full and open airing of all these issues.
http://www.helpsavemaryland.com/

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Help Save Maryland Newsletter

Help Save Maryland was interviewed by A. R. Avery, Host, Seniors Talk Radio, www.seniortalkradio.com . You can listen to the show Sunday night (tonite) at 8:05 PM on http://www.wfmd.com (stream)

Rebroadcasts can be heard at http://www.seniorstalkradio.com/Page_2.html at your convenience.
Also, you can check out some interesting blogs at the Carroll County Times and Frederick News Post, at http://www.seniorstalkradio.com/Blogs.php
Brad Botwin, Director, Help Save Maryland

From the "Front" in DC on 9/12

Help Save Maryland Newsletter

What an amazing experience to be able to participate in today's Tea Party Rally in DC. The number of participants were off the charts, with hundreds of thousands of citizens from around the U.S. in attendance.

Freedom Plaza could not even begin to handle such a large crowd. The march to the Capital Building was started almost 2 hours early because of the unprecedented number of rally participants.

Kudos to Freedom Works for bringing this event together, to FOX and CNN for fully covering this historic event and to all the Americans who spent their precious time and money to come to DC to express their disgust with our elected officials in Washington.

I enjoyed meeting and talking with so many like minded citizens. A good turnout from HSM and other MD groups. HSM PG Coordinator Pree Glenn-Graves did a wonderful job during her interview with FOX Baltimore TV.
One thing is clear. Citizens united in cause and spirit can not be denied by our lawless representatives in Congress.

Healthcare and Amnesty for Illegal Aliens are TOAST. But only if we work together in the coming months to give a proper burial to both concepts. Help Save Maryland!

Brad Botwin, Director
Help Save Maryland
www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

Civil Complaint Filed Against PG Exec. Johnson

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Help Save Maryland Alert

HELP SAVE MARYLAND FILES CIVIL COMPLAINT AGAINST PG COUNTY EXECUTIVE JACK JOHNSON

In December 2008, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU-MD) filed a Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request with all 24 Maryland Counties (including Baltimore City) to obtain information related to any internal or public statutes, ordnances, executive orders, policies, procedures or regulations relating to the treatment, classification or regulation of undocumented immigrants by the County government or its private citizens.

HSM was very concerned that the ACLU filing was conducted in an attempt to intimidate local governments from routinely complying with federal immigration laws, which outlaw the presence of illegal aliens in the United States and restrict the activities in which they may engage. In January 2009, HSM, with assistance from the Immigration Law Reform Institute, filed an MPIA effectively seeking copies of all the documents provided by each jurisdiction to the ACLU-MD. Twenty-three of 24 jurisdictions complied except Prince George's County.

Under the ineffective leadership of County Executive Jack Johnson, Prince George's County has become a major sanctuary for illegal aliens and their support groups, closely following Montgomery County in terms of numbers of residing illegal aliens. Johnson and the Prince George's County Council spend millions of tax dollars annually attracting and supporting illegals through day laborer centers, welfare, healthcare, housing assistance and other programs and services. The illegal aliens are a major reason for growing gang violence, overcrowded schools, bankrupt hospitals and rising citizen unemployment. Democratic Governor O'Malley and the entire Prince George's County delegation in Annapolis are also part of the problem, providing additional funds to aid and abet illegal aliens and their key support group CASA of Maryland in PG County.

PG County uses a discriminatory dual standard for immigration-related freedom of information requests and other basic access to county agency operations, based on the requestor's perceived political opinion. PG County has a lot to hide regarding its use of illegal alien front groups to provide political support. HSM would not be surprised if unlawful lobbying, electioneering and other activities involving illegal aliens and county officials is occurring.

HSM needs access to the requested documents and records in order to preempt or prepare to challenge any ACLU-MD actions against PG County, which would have adverse effects on the enforcement of immigration laws in PG County. Elected officials in PG County are not above the law.

HSM will keep you posted on the progress of our civil complaint - Help Save Maryland Research and Education Fund vs. Prince George's County!

Brad Botwin, Director, Help Save Maryland 240-447-1884

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PG COUNTY DELEGATE BENNIE BARNES ATTACKS HSM PARTNER PEOPLE FOR CHANGE IN PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

In a vicious, unprovoked and seemingly racist attack on the integrity of the African -American citizens that comprise People for Change in Prince George's County, PG State Delegate Bennie Barnes highlighted why every PG citizen should join People for Change. Barnes, a flaming liberal in Annapolis known for wasting tax dollars on CASA of Maryland's anti-citizen activities as well as supporting drivers' licenses for illegal aliens and in-state tuition for those without legal presence in MD and other unnecessary programs.

He is part of the PG delegation in Annapolis that needs to be flushed from office come November 2010. Bennie even took a shot at the multi-ethnic citizen members of Help Save Maryland. Careful Bennie or your single Mom may have to wash your mouth out with soap.

Message of exclusion doesn't mix with club's work for kidsPosted 9/03/09 Laurel Leader

I saw a recent flier asking Laurel citizens to join the Friends of the Boys and Girls Club at the rally with People for Change of Prince George's and others. I am sure we are all aware of the discord that has persisted between the Laurel Boys and Girls Club and the city of Laurel. As a state official, I have appropriately stayed out of this fight. As a son of a single mother and someone who relied on recreation centers and youth programs growing up, I have made supporting youth a priority and fought successfully with my 21st District colleagues to bring state money back for the Boys and Girls Club.

But I cannot now stay silent on this most recent development. The People for Change of Prince George's is a group that many of us in the county have derided because of their anti-immigrant, anti-gay message. It is ironic that they have stolen President Obama's moniker when their ideas are so opposite of his. Indeed they have aligned themselves with such organizations as "Help Save Maryland," an extreme right wing anti-immigrant organization. In a city where immigrants are part of what makes us special, what makes us diverse and what makes us great, it is especially disappointing to see our Boys and Girls Club team up with such an organization.

People for Change has also aligned themselves with radical right wing politicians. Some of these politicians make Newt Gingrich seem liberal and are the key proponents of anti-gay and anti-immigrant legislation in Annapolis. In fact, one of the People for Change's own leading members ran for school board on a platform of banishing gay high school students to a "gay only" high school (not sure how he would accomplish this, perhaps through an inquisition?).

But really, all of this is fine, it is a free country after all and if they want to push such an agenda, as misguided as it is, it is their right. What is disturbing, however, is that an organization whose mission is supposed to be mentoring children right here in our community (and hopefully teaching them tolerance) would align themselves with such a group.

I, like many in our community, remain committed to supporting youth activities such as after-school programs, mentorship groups and recreation programs. I'm just not sure what any of that has to do with People for Change, their message of exclusion and the upcoming referendum election in Laurel.

State Del. Ben Barnesrepresents District 21, which includes Laurel

CONTACT BENNIE AND TELL HIM WHAT YOU THINK OF HIS ANTI-CITZEN VIEWS

(410) 841-3046, (301) 858-30461-800-492-7122, ext. 3046 (toll free)e-mail:

ben.barnes@house.state.md.usfax: (410) 841-3346, (301) 858-3346

www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

"Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal" (a comparison)

> Here is an example of why hiring illegal aliens is not economically productive for the United States. Try to follow along.> >

You have two families: "Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal".

Both families have two parents, two children, and live in California.> >

Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.> >

Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".> >

Ready? Now pay attention...> >

Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000 .00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.> >

Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or $31,200.00 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00.> >

Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $24,031.00.> >

Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.> >

Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.> >

Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.> >

Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $9,631.00.> >

Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $25,200.00.> >

Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.> > Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has $25,200.00.> >

Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to p ay utilities, gasoline, etc. > Jose Illegal has to make his $25,200.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.> >

Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work.> > Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.> >

Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored breakfast and lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.> >

Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.> >

Do you get it, now? If you vote for or support any politician that supports illegal aliens You are part of the problem!> It's getting way PAST time to take a stand for America and Americans!> > > > -- >

Bill Bracco> >

"All wealth is the product of labor." > -John Locke

[OK, man.....STOP making sense!! --Berryman.]

ICE Enforcement Trends // Sheriff's "Take" on it

Photo by Susan Freis Falknor

Feds: Wash. company hired undocumented workers
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h3DevbOqZibmHXCxBZNc5_mDlveAD9A4UP6O4


ICE boss says he suspended use of arrest quotas
By AMY TAXIN (AP)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7YH6upLaKMMA47eojCQU8F1F9UAD9A4VE280

LOS ANGELES — The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday the agency is no longer using arrest quotas in a program aimed at tracking down immigrants who have ignored court orders to leave the country.
John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for ICE, told reporters that eliminating the quotas in the program was one of the changes he made since taking office this year.
Morton declined to state how widespread the use of quotas was previously or which quotas he suspended. He said the change would not affect the agency's work to find and arrest immigrants who don't heed their deportation orders.
"I just don't think that a law enforcement program should be based on a hard number that must be met at the end of the day," Morton said. "I just don't think that's a good way to go about it and so we don't have quotas anymore."
Agency records from ICE's fugitive operations program show that beginning in 2004, teams were assigned to arrest at least 125 so-called fugitive immigrants. In 2006, each team's quota was increased to 1,000 fugitive arrests.
Immigrant advocates voiced outrage at the quotas and accused agents of racial profiling to net more arrests. An internal ICE report released earlier this year showed that agents arrested two dozen Latinos at a Maryland convenience store in 2007 after their supervisor told them to boost arrests because they were behind reaching their goal.
ICE's fugitive operations teams made more than 34,000 arrests during the 2008 fiscal year, more than double the number of arrests made two years earlier.
Morton, who spoke with reporters on a two-day visit to Southern California, said the teams would increasingly focus on finding immigrants with criminal backgrounds.
Karen Tumlin, a staff attorney with the National Immigration Law Center, said a key concern has been agents' practice of arresting undocumented immigrants with no prior contact with law enforcement while out trying to track down criminals.
"Having a quota system really drove a lot of that profiling and inappropriate enforcement," Tumlin said. "It could be a positive sign. It is one of those only time will tell."
Morton also said he expects a relatively new program that lets local law enforcement check arrestees' immigration status eventually could reduce the need to train local officers to run immigration checks in jails.
The program, dubbed "Secure Communities", gives local law enforcement access to an immigration database. That way, when an arrestee's fingerprints are taken, their immigration history is checked along with their criminal background. ICE aims to finish rolling out the program nationwide in 2013.
Immigrant advocates said they worry that both Secure Communities and the jail check program can lead local police to carry out minor arrests with the intent of checking a person's immigration status.
On Monday, ICE reported that 10 people died in the agency's custody whose names were not included on its list of detainee deaths. The omission was discovered after a freedom of information request, the agency reported.
David Shapiro, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Prison Project, said the failure to report detainee deaths shows a lack of accountability. The update pushes the total number of detainee deaths to 104.
"This forces us to question even further whether there are still more deaths that somehow have gone unaccounted for," Shapiro said in a statement.
In response to the omission, Morton called for a review of the agency's documents and databases.

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Sheriff Jenkins Keynotes the Maryland Thursday Meeting

--Steve Berryman. [from The Tentacle, full post below]

Last Thursday I traveled with our sheriff, Chuck Jenkins, to Sykesville for the 94th regular gathering of the politically Center-Right-Conservative Coalition known as the Maryland Thursday Meeting.

Sheriff Jenkins was the keynote speaker for this two-hour session moderated by Conservative insider Richard Falknor and hosted by Larry Helminiak, both professional level political operatives and activists.

The presentation elucidated upon our sheriff’s very successful relationship with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to project federal laws deeper into the county level.

Although Frederick County is highly successful with this program, known as 287(g), as measured by citizen response, or plaudits from peer sheriffs’ groups, the game may be changing:

Among the sheriff’s points were…

*President Obama may be undercutting these local cooperative efforts to stem the tide of crime from illegal-criminal-aliens by enacting “Secure Communities” which will spread the verification of citizenship status to the national level, but only for certain crimes; for instance, NOT for drug offenses.

To make matters worse, this new Federal program that seems like progress in the battle has the devil in the details; it may take up to four years to implement, stalling others beyond the point where a potential “amnesty” program may be granted in 2010. This potentially could justify a funding cut-off for 287(g).

*Immigrant Obstructionist group, CASA of Maryland is continuing to pursue a law suit against the Frederick Sheriff’s Department about the release of public records, some specific to the ICE that man not even be within his purview to allow.

[full column is: http://thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=3312]

Also see www.MarylandThursdayMeeting.com

* * * * * * * * *

Get off your KEESTER!! (like Blaine Says @ WFMD)

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Help Save Maryland Action Alert

[get off your keester!!]


Time to get off the computer and couch. Get involved by attending the events listed
below and signing up for membership/additional information as requested.

Please go to our website and printout a copy of the newly revised Help Save Maryland
Membership Form. Sign up a friend or neighbor. Donations are always welcome.

Brad Botwin, Help Save Maryland


1- MONTGOMERY COUNTY - HEALTH CARE TOWN HALL MEETING
- TUESDAY AUG 25

Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD 4th)
Tuesday August 25, 6:30PM -8:00PM
Plum Gar Community Center (Gymnasium)
19561 Scenery Drive
Germantown, MD 20874

All HSM Members Should Attend. Lets get Edwards to commit to requiring legal presence
before giving anyone health care credits. Citizens first! No non-emergency health care
for illegal aliens in Maryland.

Where in Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen? No town halls for Chris?
Too busy servicing the needs of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?
Chris what about the voting citizens of your district?

Contact Van Hollen's Office and ask where Chris is hiding.
www.vanhollen.house.gov
202-225-5341 fax 202-225-0375
301-424-3501 fax 301-424-5992



2 - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED - Montgomery County - Sept 8 - Chevy Chase
Hand Out Help Save Maryland flyers at an Organizing for America Event- "Listen Tour".
They can listen to our demand for no non-emergency health care for illegal aliens.
Require legal presence for health care in MD!
Contact HSM Paul Mendez for further details paul.mendez@erols.com

Time:
Tuesday, September 8 from 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Location:
Jane E. Lawton Community Recreation Center (Chevy Chase, MD)
4301 Willow LaneChevy Chase, MD 20815

3- FIRST EVER TAXPAYER MARCH IN DC - SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 12
- SIGN UP TODAY!

Help Save Maryland is going to participate in this event.
A massive Tea Party like event near the Capital in DC. No Amnesty for Illegal Aliens.
No Tax Dollars to Attract and Support Illegal Aliens.

Please sign up for the event at www.912dc.org

Help Save Maryland will provide additional information on signs, meeting location, etc
in future emails.


4- FAIR'S HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE 2009 - September 14-16 in DC.

HSM members will be participating in this event. Sign up using the FAIR website link below.


Register below for the FAIR's Lobby Days 2009 in Washington, D.C.

This event will be held September 14th through 16th in conjunction with Hold Their Feet to the Fire.
We thank the many FAIR members and supporters who came to Washington, D.C. last year to march the halls of Congress as part of Hold Their Feet to the Fire 2008. We were able to inform Congress just how much the American people want true immigration reform - not amnesty by another name.
This year the stakes are even higher. With a battered economy, hundreds of thousands of foreclosures, and a real unemployment rate of 16 percent, the last thing that politicians should be thinking about catering to big business employers who want cheap labor at the expense of the American worker and the American taxpayer.
Now is the time for you to come to Washington and remind your Representatives that you will hold them accountable for what they do - or don't do - to get control of our borders, go after employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens, and restore integrity to our immigration system.

http://www.fairus.org/site/PageNavigator/fttf2009_registration/


5- JOIN NUMBERS USA - Help Save Maryland is focused on local immigration issues,
so its important to be part of a national group like NUMBERS USA (and FAIR) to participate
in the upcoming battle against amnesty for illegal aliens.

Go to www.Numbersusa.com and become a member today..
www.HelpSaveMaryland.com
Forward email

Senator Cardin's Healthcare TownHall info

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Help Save Maryland Newsletter


Please welcome Edward Hunter as our new HSM coordinator for Talbot County Maryland!


REVIEW OF SENATOR CARDIN'S HEALTHCARE TOWN HALL MEETING

HSM PERSPECTIVE

Massive turnout! Huge contrast from Cardin's Largo meeting. I estimate crowd at high hundreds or more, not counting the 500 people allowed inside the hall.Anti-Obamacare outnumbered Cardin supporters at least 5-1. Probably more, since there were lots of people milling around without signs. Crowd was noisy but friendly.Rumor was that Cardin pulled some sort of stunt and called a "meeting" for his supporters in the hall at 5:00pm, so they'd already be inside when the doors opened at 7:00. Lots of people got turned away. Hundreds of HSM membership forms were handed out.

Cardin skipped around the illegal alien issue - when asked if he could look the questioner in the eye and tell him they're not included in the bill (HR 2300, the one he was talking about at that moment) herightly said, no, they're not in the bill. I've listened to the recent House hearings and amendments specifically calling for EXCLUSION of coverage for illegal alien have been voted down again and again by the majority!

Baltimore ABC affiliate (channel 2) gave the Towson Town Hall the first 3 minutes of their 11:00pm news last night. It was VERY accurate -- showed people yelling at Cardin inside the hall, and only showed anti-Obamacare signs outside. Commentary was that people are angry & Obamacare is in trouble. They also estimated the crowd as 5-1 against. This morning's DC Channel 9 news also mentioned the Towson event. Again, they only mentioned the opposition, and showed Cardin being shouted down. PERSPECTIVE OF MARYLAND DELEGATE RICK IMPALLARIA

I hope you all are enjoying your summer. As you know, I try not to bombard you with emails. But having attended Sen. Cardin's Town Hall Meeting on health care reform last night, I want to share with you my observations, especially because of the inaccurate media reports, which said that there were a "few hundred" inside listening and a "few hundred" outside.Inside the meeting there were 500 people -- the hall was filled to capacity. Outside, I and others estimated there were between 2000 and 3000 (thousand) people. The entire crowd could have been accomodated in the gymnasium across the street, and I believe this would have been better than having so many left outside in the heat.The "organized" group of anti health care reform bill protesters well outnumbered the supporters. They came disguised as ordinary people. Many made themselves appear old, and many made themselves appear young. They intentionally wore clothing that would make them not seem to be an organized group. Their most ingenious ploy was to carry home-made, rather than professionally made signs.The "unorganized" pro-Obamacare group, which numbered between 100 and 200, curiously all wore the same shirts, and somehow all managed to accidentally used the same sign shop to have their professionally printed signs made.Both groups were loud and spirited. I personally witnessed no inappropriate behavior, especially from such a large group of people.Now for what occurred at the meeting. The first speaker was a young lady who has a young child with medical disorders. While all the attendees respectfully listened to her and her family's plight, it was seen as a ploy by Sen. Cardin to jerk at people's heartstrings and to eat up time before taking questions. The good news about the young lady is that her family's medical problems were fixed -- without health care reform. Mr. Cardin then presented a slide show on the health care bill. For the most part the crowd attempted to pay attention, but as the presentation went on, it seemed clear to the majority that the information was not wholly truthful, and was seen as another attempt to burn up time before the question and answer portion.While the crowd was spirited and boisterous, their responses were directed not at Mr. Cardin personally, but at the misinformation they believed he was giving. Mr. Cardin constantly talked about things not being in the Senate bill, but my understanding is that there is no official version of a Senate bill at this time. There are at least three House versions, which Mr. Cardin danced around, not having read them, as he admitted. One question from the audience that got loud applause was "Why not support tort reform [civil lawsuits against doctors] before changing health care as we know it?" Mr. Cardin, a life-long trial lawyer, had absolutely no answer. Is it a coincidence that 80% of the elected officials in Washington are lawyers, including Barak Obama? (I wonder what this bill would look like if 80% of Congress were doctors and nurses.)Another question was, would Mr. Cardin put in and vote for an amendment requiring Congress to be on the government plan. This yes-or-no question was not answered yes or no. He said, "I'm already on a government plan." But as you and I know, Congress has the best plan anyone could have, but it is available only to Congress and high-ranking government officials.Mr. Cardin praised Medicaid and Medicare as examples of how efficiently government can run health care programs. He failed to mention that these programs are subsidized by the taxpayers and by those having private insurance, or that the government has done a horrible job of monitoring and prosecuting fraud in those systems. He avoided all questions on specifics in the bill, including questions of death counseling. He said that illegal aliens will not be eligible under this new program, but every attempt to put language in the bill to exclude illegal aliens has been blocked. He said that no additional money will be spent on abortions by the government, whereas sections of the bill clearly state otherwise.As one gentleman so eloquently stated, "Mr. Cardin, I have never heard so many mistruths and out-and-out lies being told by an elected official," and he proceeded to explain the provisions in the bill concerning pre-existing conditions. Mr. Cardin then asked the gentleman whether he would hear him out. The gentleman replied, "That would be fine, Senator, if you stop lying." Mr. Cardin finally admitted that the gentleman was much more informed on the issue than he was, and asked if the gentleman would agree to sit down with him and help him understand the issues (the very issues that Cardin was at the meeting to explain!).All in all, I don't believe that Mr. Cardin swayed anyone to his side. Having spoken to some of his supporters afterwards, they came in supporting the idea of free health care for all, not understanding the overall ramifications of Obamacare. But they left feeling that they needed to not merely support the general concept of health care, but to understand what the bill would do before supporting it.I must hand it to Mr. Cardin. He stood up to the firing squad, and was always polite and respectful to the audience. The attendees, while very spirited, did not indulge in personal attacks on Sen. Cardin or Pres. Obama, but attacked the policies they proposed. It was a wonderful exercise of free speech.

Rick ImpallariaDelegate, District 7

rick.impallaria@house.state.md.us

CONGRESSMAN STENY HOYER CALLS CITIZENS "UN-AMERICAN" FOR PROTESTING OBAMACARE!

Let's return the favor. Please contact Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer and let him know that these verbal attacks on Maryland citizens are unacceptable. Tell Steny that citizens have the right to petition our government and express dissent. It's right there in the First Amendment to the Constitution! No Healthcare for Illegal Aliens!

Brad Botwin, Help Save Maryland

Steny Hoyer (D) - Maryland 5th

www.hoyer.house.gov 202-225-4131 fax 202-225-4300301-474-0119 fax 301-474-4697

'Un-American' attacks can't derail health care debate By Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer
Americans have been waiting for nearly a century for quality, affordable health care. Health coverage for all was on the national agenda as early as 1912, thanks to Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose presidential run. Months after World War II came to an end in 1945, President Harry Truman called on Congress to guarantee all Americans the "right to adequate medical care and protection from the economic fears of sickness." From President Lyndon Johnson to President Bill Clinton, to President Obama's winning campaign on the promise of reform, there hasn't been a more debated domestic issue than the promise of affordable health care for all. (Steny Hoyer)

(Nancy Pelosi/USA TODAY)
We believe it is healthy for such a historic effort to be subject to so much scrutiny and debate. The failure of past attempts is a reminder that health insurance reform is a defining moment in our nation's history - it is well worth the time it takes to get it right. We are confident that we will get this right.

Already, three House committees have passed this critical legislation and over August, the two of us will work closely with those three committees to produce one strong piece of legislation that the House will approve in September.In the meantime, as members of Congress spend time at home during August, they are talking with their constituents about reform. The dialogue between elected representatives and constituents is at the heart of our democracy and plays an integral role in assuring that the legislation we write reflects the genuine needs and concerns of the people we represent.

However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue. These tactics have included hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted "Just say no!" drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion.

Let the facts be heard These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views - but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.Health care is complex. It touches every American life. It drives our economy. People must be allowed to learn the facts.

The first fact is that health insurance reform will mean more patient choice. It will allow every American who likes his or her current plan to keep it. And it will free doctors and patients to make the health decisions that make the most sense, not the most profits for insurance companies.Reform will mean stability and peace of mind for the middle class. Never again will medical bills drive Americans into bankruptcy; never again will Americans be in danger of losing coverage if they lose their jobs or if they become sick; never again will insurance companies be allowed to deny patients coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

Lower costs, better care Reform will mean affordable coverage for all Americans. Our plan's cost-lowering measures include a public health insurance option to bring competitive pressure to bear on rapidly consolidating private insurers, research on health outcomes to better inform the decisions of patients and doctors, and electronic medical records to help doctors save money by working together. For seniors, the plan closes the notorious Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" that denies drug coverage to those with between $2,700 and $6,100 per year in prescriptions.

Reform will also mean higher-quality care by promoting preventive care so health problems can be addressed before they become crises. This, too, will save money. We'll be a much healthier country if all patients can receive regular checkups and tests, such as mammograms and diabetes exams, without paying a dime out-of-pocket.

This month, despite the disruptions, members of Congress will listen to their constituents back home and explain reform legislation. We are confident that our principles of affordable, quality health care will stand up to any and all critics.Now - with Americans strongly supporting health insurance reform, with Congress reaching consensus on a plan, and with a president who ran and won on this specific promise of change - America is closer than ever to this century-deferred goal.

This fall, at long last, we must reach it. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is speaker of the House and Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is House majority leader.

www.HelpSaveMaryland.com

The latest illegal-immigration attitudes! // More-on Medicine!

"Americans Return to Tougher Immigration Stance"

WASHINGTON, D.C. --

With some U.S. lawmakers and immigration rights activists stepping up calls for the Obama administration to pursue immigration reform, Gallup finds Americans less favorable toward immigration than they were a year ago.

Half (50%) say immigration should be decreased, up from 39% last year. A third (32%) say immigration levels should be kept the same, down from 39%, and 14% say they should be increased, down from 18%.The 61% of Republicans who now say they would like to see immigration decreased is up from 46% in 2008. At the same time, the 46% of Democrats and 44% of independents who would like to see immigration decreased represent shifts in the same direction, up from the 39% and 37%, respectively, who said the same in 2008.BOTTOM LINE: Americans have returned to a tougher stance on immigration than has been evident for the past few years. Thus, as lawmakers consider when and how to pursue immigration reform, they should do so mindful that Americans of all political persuasions are generally more resistant to immigration in broad measure than they were a year ago.

SOURCE: http://www.gallup.com/poll/122057/Americans-Return-Tougher-Immigration-Stance.aspx?CSTS=alert

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ALSO: Below is the latest from yours truly: http://www.regularfolksunited.com/index.php?tab=article_view&article_id=2081

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[from The Tentacle of August 3, 2009]

More-on Medicine!

Steven R. Berryman

Call me crazy, but I want to live longer, and into a fruitful old age. All events surrounding healthcare reform convince me of the opposite!

In the late 1970s future-world movie classic Logan’s Run, there was no issue with eldercare and Social Security expense: An indicator permanently embedded in everyone’s hand at birth began to blink red as one approached age 30.

At that point, all those coming of this age – called “Last Day” – had to attend a pseudo-religious event held in a large coliseum called “carousel” for their judgment day. Participants were levitated up into the air to a place where they could, in theory cross-over magically to some other place in their mythical culture…and live.

Or they could get zapped out of existence and disappear, in each and every attempt to win at carousel, as the system was a fraud.

The mythology of the movie kept hope alive for most participating in their domed Utopia of a world. If one “ran” away instead of participating at the end of their idea of a useful lifespan, the police of the state, called a “Sandman” shot you after you were hunted down, with a Hitler-like sense of compassion for your age.

Back to August 2009:

Congress is about to rush passage of comprehensive healthcare reform so they can recess to vacation. (Editor’s Note: The House of Representatives has already adjourned.) Solving healthcare intelligently obviously not being of large enough concern to debate the contents…

A member of Congress who shall remain unnamed was overheard commenting that under the new Obamacare health plan – ostensibly to fix costs – by adding extra funding into the Hospice Care system, we could solve both end of life expense and reduce paying out into the bankrupt Social Security plan as a side benefit!

Hospice Care offers pain reduction and facilitation of end-of-life work by those terminally ill. But under the financially-based program under consideration, the very definition of who is too sick to save, and the criteria, and what expenses are reasonable for extraordinary life-saving measures will be up to a government doctor with incentive to cut costs.

Presumably, additional funds paid into Planned Parenthood under the same Obamacare program could accomplish the same reductions in costs from the other end of the same problem!

Recently, a close family member in his mid-70s had a near death experience, and family members were advised on decisions to be prepared to “let him go” should his condition worsen.

He found his way to that decision point and, despite this advice, he was ventilated, brought back from the edge, and was functional and ambulatory with full mental function within a 45 day recovery window.

At the decision point, the doctor had been visibly unhappy with our choice to treat him instead of to “medicate.”

Under a revised Veterans Administration plan, he may have been directed to just die, his life not worth the costs.

But simply considering present issues:

Currently our family is covered under a Blue Cross group plan offered by SEARS. We have a family of five and are happy with our HMO Parkview Medical. How will Obamacare help me and my distinctly middle-American family?

We don’t know, as we have not been given any estimates of impact, and we are already satisfied. So, we must rely on logic and speculate rationally.

Under Obamacare:

Would our costs go down? NO. As others are brought into a government paid system for free, such as illegal-immigrants and the truly poor, how could they? The state of Massachusetts in their social healthcare experiment is going broke, and they are currently taking drastic measures to stop the money-bleeding by reducing coverage and liability.

Would the quality of our current care go up? NO. The only plausible ways to reduce costs significantly – making room for more insurance give-away is to reduce the numbers of procedures, and to deny care to the elderly after a certain age.

Would we get faster access to care? NO. With added layers of government control, approvals, and intervention, that would not happen. With additional free-loaders enrolled, that would not happen. Consider: Would we suddenly have more doctors?

Would access to certain types of care be denied? YES! Simply look at European Socialized medicine and its experiences. Hip or joint replacement is years away, treatment for cancers can be so long off as to be too late…any pacemaker delay could be fatal.

“The problem of healthcare in America” itself is still open for debate.

By all information at hand, we in America have the best quality of healthcare – by far – in the entire world, virtually by any measure!

Seventy percent plus surveyed are currently happy with their healthcare. So, why ruin it for everyone? I suggest a piecemeal approach to a solution.

*A small percentage of Americans are refusing to participate in medical insurance because they don’t think it’s a good deal for the money. Fine: Deal with them separately with a choice between joining-in to a current insurance plan, or paying a sin tax.

*A small percentage of Americans can afford insurance, but chooses the recreation vehicle and a week at the beach instead. Deal with them separately with a choice between joining-in to a current insurance plan, or paying a sin tax.

*A small percentage of Americans claim poverty and cannot afford medical insurance.

This group first must be purged of those free-loading the system. Unfortunately, this group uses up actual cash-costing medical services when included in programs at a rate three times higher than all the other insurance participant categories, due to lifestyle choices, nutrition, and so on.

But after filtering out the fraud, subsidizing this group of deserving folk, mostly just down on their luck, or serendipitously born into the wrong family…would be preferable to just completely upsetting and altering the very fabric of the medical system we have today.

And we know that President Barack Obama is not seriously trying to reduce the price of our healthcare as a priority, as he refuses to even touch tort-reform, as the factor bumping costs the most is easily sham-lawsuits and frivolous litigation.

Our president is in bed with the Trial Lawyer’s Association to be sure! Yet another paid-up campaign promise.

Now, take two aspirins, and call me in the morning.

srbmgr@comcast.net

Don't fall for it! [Impact of illegals & free Obamacare]

Don't fall for it

Originally published in the Frederick News-Post of July 26, 2009

I grieve when I read articles that use statistics with no backup favoring single-payer health insurance sponsored by the federal government. The statistical numbers trend upward from even what the media claim without even providing a reference.

A letter writer used the statistic of 50 million uninsured. The number is given in order to make us gasp and demand the government take over and insure all Americans.

Roughly half of that number includes illegal aliens. Most of what is left are people who choose not to have insurance. Using false statistics like this leads people to believe that they will then receive free health insurance from the government. Perpetuating this is irresponsible in the extreme.

The president says that it will be paid for by taxing only the "rich," and most people believe him. This has never worked and never will. Even if the "rich" had all of their money taken from them, it could never approach half the cost of the president's plan. If you believe the rest of the cost will magically appear out of nothing, then maybe it is too late for this country. You, the average working citizen, could eventually expect to see half of your paycheck taken to support this.

The FNP publishes political cartoons showing how cruel and thoughtless the insurance companies are because they won't insure people for free. I beg all who read this letter to stop and think of the cost of socializing all health care. This includes not just the monetary cost but the cost to our doctors, nurses, hospitals, treatment centers and even our personal liberty.

Having the government determine who will treat you and how much treatment you can receive will never work because the government can control prices but they can never control costs. At that point, health care will be rationed, just like in England and Canada.

Getting the government out of the health care business is the solution. The more government is involved in your health care the less you will receive and the more it will cost. To understand this just look at the costs of the government's War on Poverty and then the War on Drugs and then look at how successful they've been in eradicating poverty and illegal drugs.

There are so many simple solutions to the health insurance "problem," but they involve the government getting out of the way. But the government does not want to get out the way, and that's the entire point of these crises the government creates. If you propose a market-based health insurance solution to Sens. Mikulski or Cardin you'll get laughed out of the door. They do not want to hear a solution that doesn't include them doing something, otherwise you may think you don't need them and not vote for them the next time.

Am I being cynical? No, I'm being realistic. Feminists told us to keep the government out of the bedroom, and I say while we're at it, let's keep them out of the doctor's office and out of our lives in general. More government means less individual liberty.

Jonathan Tross

writes from Frederick .