HARPER’S MAGAZINE

Morris Dees: A Life Fighting Poverty
By Ken Silverstein

I’ve written in the past on various occasions about Morris Dees, head of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the bogus “civil rights organization” whose chief (and wildly successful) mission has been to separate wealthy liberals from their money. Last time I checked, the SPLC had more than $150 million in its treasury, more than the GNP of some of the world’s smaller countries, yet it did very little work to advance civil rights or fight poverty.

At a personal level, though, Dees has been able to avoid deprivation of any type. Over the weekend a friend sent me a slide show from a recent story in the Montgomery Advertiser, which offered an inside look at the local Dees estate.

Dees made a lot of money prior to founding the SPLC so he didn’t just get rich off of his “civil rights” work. But does a man this wealthy really need a compensation package worth — according to his group’s latest tax filing — $350,000?

HERE for photos and links to interesting facts.

FAIR
If Washington Won’t, Arizona Will

State Passes Tough, Sensible Illegal Immigration Laws to Protect Arizonans

April 15, 2010

(Washington, D.C.) After decades of failure by the federal government to properly secure the border, Arizona lawmakers, led by State Senator Russell Pearce, have once again responded to their constituents who want immigration enforcement. By a vote of 35-21, the State House passed Arizona SB 1070 “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhood Act.” Already passed by the Senate, the bill is now on its way to an expected signature from Governor Jan Brewer.

“It’s no surprise that the State of Arizona, one of the hardest hit by illegal immigration, now has one of the toughest laws,” said Dan Stein, President of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). “SB 1070 is a no-nonsense, common-sense example of a state acting where the federal government is failing, a reaction to the inaction in Washington. There is a leadership vacuum on this issue. Arizonans and their lawmakers like Senator Russell Pearce are filling it.”

SB 1070 grants Arizona law enforcement the authority to inquire about immigration status, and to act on it. The new law will make it a state misdemeanor to fail to comply with federal law requiring that foreign nationals register and carry their documents with them. It also requires Arizona police officers, if they have a “reasonable suspicion” that someone is an illegal immigrant during a lawful stop, to determine that person’s immigration status and authorizes them to transfer verified illegal aliens into federal custody. SB 1070 also prohibits state and local agencies from adopting “sanctuary” polices that prohibit police from inquiring about immigration status.

“SB1070 embodies the concept of ‘attrition through enforcement,’” continued Stein, “Making it tough for illegal aliens to live and work in Arizona means that those illegal aliens already living in the state are more likely to self-deport, and it certainly reduces the incentive to come. Arizona will soon have a law that both represents the interests of legal Arizonians and serves as model legislation for other states.”

FAIR’s legal affiliate, the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) assisted Senator Pearce in drafting the language of SB1070. IRLI, the nation’s leader in developing immigration enforcement legislation at the state level, has counseled lawmakers across the country on every innovative approach in the field of cooperative state immigration enforcement law since 2001.

About FAIR

Founded in 1979, FAIR is the country’s largest immigration reform group. With over 250,000 members nationwide, FAIR fights for immigration policies that serve national interests, not special interests. FAIR believes that immigration reform must enhance national security, improve the economy, protect jobs, preserve our environment, and establish a rule of law that is recognized and enforced.

Contact Bob Dane at 202-328-7004.

KVOA-TV — Tucson

Community mourns slain rancher

Douglas — Memorial services for Robert Krentz, 58, drew a standing room only crowd to the Douglas High School gymnasium Saturday morning. — Krentz was shot to death on his ranch March 27. — At the request of the family, News 4 did not enter the memorial…

HERE

New York Times

From Senate Majority Leader, a Promise to Take Up Immigration Overhaul
By JULIA PRESTON
Published: April 10, 2010

The Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, told an exuberant crowd at an immigration rally Saturday in Las Vegas that Congress would start work on an immigration overhaul as soon as lawmakers return this week from a recess… “We’re going to pass immigration reform, just as we passed health care reform” …

HERE

Rasmussen Reports

Obama’s approval rating sinking further

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 30% of the nation’s voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-three percent (43%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -13…

HERE

Macon Telegraph

Immigration enforcement bills die under the Gold Dome

By DA KING – Special to The Telegraph

The Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal Authority are not exactly well-known names to the average Georgian. They should be.

They are two of the largest and most powerful lobbying groups in the Georgia Capitol. And they don’t seem to be on the same side of the illegal immigration/illegal employment fight as the citizen majority.

Including the ACLU, it would be difficult to find any organizations that are more effective in keeping meaningful punishments for violations out of the 2006 Georgia law aimed at illegal immigration.

Wait until you find out the source of their income…

HERE

Washington Post

SEIU whining about Obama’s immigration enforcement policies

…Eliseo Medina, international executive vice president of Service Employees International Union, said SEIU members want DHS “to stop these crazy, irrational policies,” while seeking to turn up pressure on Congress to take up overhaul legislation. SEIU is holding vigils and demonstrations Thursday in Oakland and Sacramento, Calif…

HERE

New York Times Editorial

Open-borders rag bewails 287(g)

The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general has affirmed what sheriffs, police chiefs, civil-rights lawyers and immigrant advocates have said for years: Outsourcing immigration enforcement to an ill-trained and poorly supervised assortment of state and local law enforcement agencies creates a lot of problems…

HERE

HERE

“Since the late 19th century, the United States has restricted immigration into this country. Unsanctioned entry into the United States is a crime, 8 U.S.C. § 1325 and those who have entered unlawfully are subject to deportation, 8 U.S.C. §§ 1251 1252 (1976 ed. and Supp. IV). But despite the existence of these legal restrictions, a substantial number of persons have succeeded in unlawfully entering the United States, and now live within various States, including the State of Texas.” HERE