OMG moment at GOP debate

Texas. Gov. Rick Perry criticized a border fence as being unrealistic during Monday night's GOP debate. Instead of a fence or wall, he suggested more boots on the ground and high-tech solutions to reduce illegal immigration.

And here's a shocker. I basically agree with him.

"The idea that you're going to build a wall from Brownsville to El Paso and go left for another 800 miles to Tijuana is just not reality," said Perry.

He's right. A border fence is nothing more than an emotional response to illegal immigration. It's red meat for Tea Party people and other far right-wing fanatics. It's not a real solution.

Fences make some people feel better but rarely do they work. A ladder or tunnel would easily defeat the purpose of a costly and unguarded fence. In addition, a massive fence along the entire border with Mexico is an environmental nightmare for animals needing to migrate.

Even more border police and aerial patrols aren't enough to address the illegal immigration problem, but they are a start. Preventing undocumented people from entering the U.S., regardless of whether they are coming from the south or flying into JFK, requires smarter immigration policies and some societal changes. That's another blog item for another day.

Perry also talked about how providing in-state tuition for illegal aliens who want to better themselves by going to college was something he supported in Texas. He said the alternatives, which may include illegal immigrants not contributing to society, was far worse.

Again, I concur, although this too is a complex issue with no single solution.

Of course, through all of this, Michelle Bachmann's head nearly exploded, which in my view elevated Perry. Bachmann, the Tea Party favorite, was giving the audience what they wanted. And what they wanted was what they always want -- mean-spirited, shallow remarks that show zero vision and would set us back 200 years if implemented. Remember, these are the same people who applauded the number of executions in Texas at the last debate.

For one night, and probably one night only, Perry had moments of sounding rational. I guess that's not hard to do when Bachmann is sharing the stage.

Still, this group of Republicans is awful. Patti Davis, the daughter of Ronald Reagan, is going around to different media outlets blasting these GOP candidates for aligning themselves with her father. She points to what she saw as compassion in her father and says there is no evidence that modern-day Republicans possess an ounce of empathy for anyone. That perception is once again looking like reality as the GOP is lined up to shoot down President Obama's jobs bill, mostly because the bill raises money by eliminating certain deductions for the extremely wealthy -- the people they insist are job creators, even though there is no data to support that.

The lack of compassion and patriotism in these Republicans should disqualify them from ever aligning themselves with any past Republican president because the GOP has simply decayed into something that is so unsavory that even Reagan would condemn them. If Perry was trying to distance himself from that perception on Monday night, well, he has a long way to go, but I am not holding my breath.

Fences rarely provide solutions

Before there was an Arizona law on illegal immigration, there was a Manassas and Prince William County, Va., law that I have written about in a earlier post. In my opinion, and the opinion of a federal judge in Phoenix yesterday, there are aspects to these local laws that are unconstitutional. I might add, on a humanitarian level, there are also unfair elements to these types of laws born out of desperation to solve an undeniable problem that impacts many communities across the country.

However, I've been in Manassas several times in recent weeks and there is no denying that an illegal-alien problem still exists there, maybe more so than most areas around the state. Some estimates claim that illegal immigration costs Virginia more than $1 billion a year. I imagine the state of Arizona is facing an even bigger bill. Small towns in particular, like Manassas, simply can't afford these kinds of expenses.

Something does have to be done to guard our borders. That's just commonsense. We are living in the worst economic times of our lives. Just from an economic standpoint, moderating the flow of people into this country, regardless of where they come from, seems fairly prudent. We must fight this recession on several fronts and reduce expenses where we can. War and illegal immigration are just two areas where we could save billions.

It is important to look at immigration (legal and illegal) as a economic issue and not a race or emotional debate. In better times, there were some economic benefits to having some illegal immigrants here, working for minimum wage and spending money in various communities. Those times have probably passed with the loss of jobs. Many of those immigrants are still here and are unemployed and not circulating money back into the economy.

The federal government is charged with protecting our borders, issuing work visas and should not be undermined by the states or municipalities. But the feds should also understand that we can't continue to give jobs away to whomever wants to come over here, whether they come legally or illegally, whether they work for minimum wage or hold white-collar jobs. There aren't enough jobs for everyone. We have to shut off the faucet and allow jobs to catch up with the population.

Leaders in Washington should act soon so that states that are already running huge deficits don't have to add to the red ink by providing services to folks who aren't here legally. Police need a clear set of rules to work under in addressing illegal aliens -- rules that don't endanger them or inflame the situation. Employers must also play by the rules when hiring workers. And we all need to bite the bullet and accept that our veggies and fruit might cost a bit more if we really want to solve the problem of illegal workers.

No fence along the Southwest border is going to solve all our problems. Immigration regulations in general need a major overhaul. We need laws that allow people in under a fair system while protecting the economic and security interests of America. Times change and smart legislation needs to reflect that. To do nothing is to ask for more trouble, more court battles, more bad laws and more expenses we can no longer absorb.

A familiar source of hatred for America

Faisal Shahzad, 30, was arrested at JFK Airport. He was trying to flee to Dubai and was literally pulled off the plane by U.S. authorities. Notice that he was trying to escape to Dubai, not Cancun.

Preliminary reports indicate that Shahzad is a Pakistani man who is allegedly a naturalized American citizen. The attempted Times Square bombing is an act of terrorism, but officials haven't yet determined what formal ties the accused Shahzad might have to organized groups. One thing for sure, it wouldn't surprise anyone if Shahzad is connected to the Taliban, Al Qaeda or another terrorist group.

I said in a recent post that our fears of terrorism shouldn't be so centered on immigrants from Mexico. All of the major terrorism attacks in the U.S. in the last 20 years have come from the Middle East or from within our own borders. Not a single Mexican has shot up a military base, flown jets into skyscrapers, blown up federal buildings or threatened South Park cartoon producers. Not one Mexican that I know of has worn exploding underwear or put bombs in their shoes with the intent of killing of Americans. We are not at war with Catholicism, which is the prominent religion in Mexico.

We know what the problem is. We know where the extreme hatred for us is coming from. Instead of profiling Mexicans in Arizona or Prince William County, Va., maybe authorities need to take a harder look at the fanatics coming here legally and illegally who have nothing but contempt for America.

Neighbors have said that Shahzad mostly kept to himself. No crime in that. I live in an area where keeping to yourself is a way of life, especially among certain groups. However, I do wonder what other potential behaviors people might have seen in Shahzad that could have been a red flag. Understandably, it is not always easy to report those behaviors without sounding like a racist or appearing to be paranoid. Yet, with the current state of the world, we do have a responsibility to err on the side of caution.

Some people claim Mexicans do not want to assimilate into American culture. I disagree with that broad assessment. In fact, if you want to see real non-assimilating cultures, come to Northern Virginia where large mosques are surrounded by unwelcoming iron gates and where getting a simple hello from some neighbors is nearly impossible.

I suppose it's easy to go after Mexicans, particularly in the Southwest. Illegal immigration does cause certain problems. But if it's potential terrorism that you're worried about, my guess is that any future car bombs or exploding planes will be caused by people who hate America, not by people who risk their lives to get here.

Lessons from Northern Virginia for Arizona

Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, I was driving through a small town in Maryland. I was at a four-way stop in my brand new Ford Explorer. To my left was a police officer in his cruiser. The light turned green and I drove on. Within a half a mile, I was pulled over by the cop. He asked to see my license and registration, which I presented to him without question, and he let me go shortly afterward. I don't know why I was pulled over that day. Was it my new, black SUV with the tinted windows that somehow raised his suspicion? Was it that I looked like someone who might have stolen the vehicle? This wasn't a checkpoint where everyone was being stopped, nor did I commit any traffic violation. So was this some kind of errant ethnic profiling in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks? I can tell you that as an American citizen, it was a very unsettling feeling for me.

In essence, this is what is wrong with the new Arizona law that tries to curb illegal immigration based on how people look rather than how they actually behave. This was the same problem that Prince William County, Va., faced in 2007 with its push for tougher laws that eventually had to be curtailed. If you get a chance to see the film 9500 Liberty, you will see what these types of laws do to communities. In Prince William County and Manassas, Va., even the police chief was against the tougher laws for reasons he outlined to a county commission that didn't seem to listen. The chief made a strong case about how the law would make policing tougher and actually result in more crime.

Eventually, the county's economy began to collapse because so many people left the area. Hispanic kids, even the ones here legally, weren't going to school out of fear of being targeted by authorities. Community policing efforts became fractured because of a lack of trust. This is what Arizona will face on a state-wide basis.

I have included the 9500 Liberty trailer here, but it doesn't totally capture the complexities of what went wrong in Northern Virginia when misguided politicians tried to push the law to its limits. The documentary is currently being shown in various movie houses in Arizona. Perhaps it will provide some insights on why laws like this often make matters worse and why the authors of these bills sometimes have less than honest or honorable intentions.

There are functional and fair laws already on the books to address certain problems created by illegal aliens, or anyone else, who violate the law. Federal enforcement and immigration policies do need to be beefed up to curtail the flow of illegal immigrants from all countries, not just ones from south of the border. But Arizona, like Prince William County, should not take matters into its own hands by creating laws that go against common decency. Arizona has embarrassed itself enough in the past by doing things like not recognizing Martin Luther King Day. And it paid an economic and moral price for it.

Don't blame it all on Mexico

Let's face it, when people talk about illegal immigration, they are usually referring to folks coming from Mexico. They speak about how illegal immigration is straining our resources. Rarely do they mention how over-population in general is stretching us thin.

It is also worth reminding ourselves that illegal immigrants don't only come from Mexico. Many "illegals" come from across the oceans on first-class flights, with money in the bank and family businesses awaiting them, and with little intention of assimilating into our culture. These immigrants are here just as illegally as those captured in the desert. And some might have worse intentions. At the very least, they are adding to our population problems.

I understand that conditions and fears in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas might be different than in Virginia, and that those states have a right to protect their interests. But we also have to fess up to why a lot of Mexicans are currently fleeing their country. The drug wars have escalated. Drugs are big business in Mexico largely because of Americans buying the illegal substances. If I were the father of kids just across the border, and dozens of people were being killed weekly by drug lords, I'd do anything to get my family to safety in the U.S.

I am not saying that we don't need to get control of our Southwest border, but we also should understand that over-population, fear and lack of opportunities are root causes for many things that ail us globally, and no security fence or ethnic profiling policy will stop that. Whether the population explosion is fueled here more by illegal immigration or by our own overflowing American maternity wards is almost irrelevant. The end result is the same -- too many people competing for limited resources. No one country can provide a haven for an endless stream of consumers in need of everything from jobs and health care to clean water and personal safety. Our infrastructure won't support it. Our tax structure can't pay for it. Yet, we need to hold on tightly to our sense of decency.

President Obama spoke about Arizona's bill on illegal immigration today. He's not a big supporter of it. He is putting a lot of the blame for "misguided" laws on the federal government's lack of a coherent policy regarding immigration. I agree that it is time that we have one cohesive and fair policy that addresses all immigration from all countries, regardless of ethnicity, wealth or how illegal aliens got here. And that law needs to be enforceable. I also believe we need to rethink population strategies on an individual and global level. That will be a much harder nut to crack.