By Michael Cutler
By now, just about everyone is aware of how Michaele and Tareq Salahia, couple bent on publicity, managed to attend a state dinner at the White House even though their names were not on any official guest list.
If you somehow have missed this ongoing saga, check out this link to an article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune a couple of days ago about this breach of security: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-nw-crashers-mod2-1127-1128nov28,0,2284572.story?obref=obnetwork Many of the news accounts of the gate crashing at the White House has described Mr. and Mrs. Salahia as being “intruders.”
I would like you to consider that a search of a thesaurus for the term “intruder” yielded the following: intruder noun the intruder turned out to be a raccoon in the garage trespasser, interloper, invader, infiltrator; burglar, housebreaker, thief, prowler.
As you read the entry I found for the term “intruder” I was caused to think about the analogy I have used, ever too often, in an effort to provide perspectives on the immigration crisis confronting our nation today. I have often stated that the difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien is comparable to the difference between a houseguest and a burglar.
On a microcosmic level, the onetime breach of security at the White House involving two unauthorized visitors (undocumented party goers?) needs to be compared to the abysmal situation to be found at our nation’s borders and within the immigration system in general.
Today, no doubt, thousands of illegal aliens managed, in one way or another, to enter our nation illegally. Today, however, is no different from any other day. Each and every day unknown thousands of illegal aliens enter our country in violation of law by sneaking across our borders and evading the Border Patrol and the inspections process or by gaming the immigration system in a number of feloniously deceitful ways.
Members of Congress and those who chair or hold high positions within several committees and subcommittees are calling for hearings to determine just how this breach of security was carried out. Certainly it is worrisome that anyone could get past what should be the most secure of buildings in our country and actually meet the President, the Vice President and others.
Here is my concern: Why is it that while such Congressional leaders as Bennie Thompson, the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security are outraged and have expressed great concern about the breach of security at the White House by two intruders, are not similarly concerned about the ease with which millions of illegal aliens have been able to enter our nation and make their way into communities from border to border and coast to coast?
Chairman Thompson is demanding a hearing to find out what went wrong with the systems in place to protect the White House and the President from intruders. Of course inasmuch as the Secret Service is one of the agencies under the aegis of the Department of Homeland Security, it is reasonable for the chairman of that committee to delve into the way that the security of the White House was compromised, but it is more than a bit vexing that he has shown relatively scant concern about the presence of millions of illegal aliens our country who also represent a threat to the safety and security of our nation and our citizens even though the enforcement and administration of the immigration laws also fall under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security and hence are also issues that are supposed to be monitored by Mr. Thompson’s Homeland Security Committee.
In all fairness, Mr. Thompson is hardly the only member of Congress to demonstrate this apparent disconnect between failures at border security and failures in the way that the immigration laws are administered and immigration benefits are conferred upon aliens and the impact that his has on national security.
My dad used to tell me that there are no mistakes in life, only lessons, if we learn from our errors and not repeat them. Certainly Secret Service should seize this opportunity to learn how Michaele and Tareq Salahia gamed the systems that were supposed to prevent intruders from entering the White House and then enabling them to have a face to face meeting with the President. The lessons that this may teach the Secret Service should ultimately make the White House more secure than it was before. But why is it that even as thousands of illegal aliens enter our nation each and every week both by running our nation’s borders as well as by gaming the visa system and the visa waiver program, virtually nothing is being done to learn how those systems are proving to be ineffectual at preventing the entry of illegal aliens and the criminals and potentially terrorists among them who easily enter our country and then embed themselves in communities across this nation.
For those members of Congress who are so willing to seize the opportunity for a “photo-op” or a pithy “sound bite” for the evening news, here is something to consider- any member of Congress who calls for the prosecution of the Michaele and Tareq Salahia better make certain that they have not also favored granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens who are present in our country.
Where the Salahias are concerned, at least their true identities are known. We certainly cannot say that about the millions of illegal aliens who are present in our country today.
Hypocrisy does not cut it!
As I noted at the beginning of this commentary- “The difference between an immigrant and an illegal alien is comparable to the difference between a houseguest and burglar!”
In order to be consistent, any member of Congress who seeks to provide a pathway to United States citizenship to millions of illegal aliens whose presence in our country has always represented a violation of our laws makes about as much sense as providing the Michaele and Tareq with a key to the front door of the White House!
An intruder is an intruder!
What I would love to know is what will the Homeland Security Committee do after hearing(s) are held to figure out what went wrong at the White House? Will that same committee or other committees and subcommittees seek to figure out how to prevent the unauthorized entry of millions of illegal aliens in the future? Will any committee or subcommittee in either the House of Representatives or the United States Senate delve into issue concerning rampant fraud in the immigration bureaucracy to prevent aliens from violating our nation’s borders and through fraud and deceit, making a mockery of the system that is supposed to scrutinize applications for immigration benefits such as conferring lawful residency and United States citizenship upon aliens?
Unfortunately we already know the answer- many of these podium thumping Congressional leaders who are outraged at the breach of security at the White House that fortunately did not endanger the safety of the President, his family or other dignitaries this time, are gearing up to provide amnesty for those millions of illegal aliens even though their presence in our country is no less an intrusion than was committed at the White House!
A country without secure borders can no more stand than can a house without walls!
Any politician who refuses to work to secure our borders and create an immigration system that has integrity is either corrupt or too dumb to keep his (her) job. Any politician, irrespective of party affiliation who favors health care for illegal aliens and/or Comprehensive Immigration Reform should be shown the door at the next election!
If you find yourself to be in agreement with this commentary, I ask that you forward it to as many of your friends and family members as possible and encourage them to do the same.
Next year each and every member of the House of Representatives is up for reelection. Next year more than one third of the members of the United States Senate will have to face their constituents. They need to be reminded that they work for us, We the People!
However, the practice of good citizenship does not end in the voting booth, it only begins there. The large scale apathy demonstrated by citizens of this nation has emboldened elected representatives to all but ignore the needs of the average American citizen in a quest for massive campaign funds and the promises of votes to be ostensibly delivered by special interest groups. There is much that we cannot do but there is one thing that We the People absolutely must do- we must stop sitting on the sidelines! The collective failure of We the People to get involved in make our concerns known to our politicians have nearly made the concerns of the great majority of the citizens of this nation all but irrelevant to the politicians. I implore you to get involved!
Any American who has lost his job certainly has enough time on his (her) hands to get involved!
Any American who fears the loss of his job must make effective use of his spare time to make certain he keeps his job! (Remember, the job save may be your own!) If this situation concerns you or especially if it angers you, I ask you to call your Senators and Congressional “Representative. This is not only your right- it is your obligation! You need to politely but pointedly, demand to know what they are doing to protect our nation. You need to ask them how they are protecting you and your families. You can also forward this commentary to them. All I ask is that you make it clear to our politicians that we are not as dumb as they hope we are! We live in a perilous world and in a perilous era. The survival of our nation and the lives of our citizens hang in the balance This is neither a Conservative issue, nor is it a Liberal issue- simply stated, this is most certainly an AMERICAN issue! You are either part of the solution or you are a part of the problem!
http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/11/white_house_gatecrashers_capit.html
