Obama awarded

"Person of the Year" award

Bleeding hearts. Don't you just love them? Remember when Carter allowed a huge of Cuban immigrants in to the US and he allowed them to stay. It turned out that they were exiled criminals. Crime skyrocketed in FL and it took years to recover. Illegal immigrants bring crime, drugs, illegal weapons, and Obama wants them to stay?? Is he out of his mind? Yeah, right, they all work in meat packing and fertilizer plants and all they want is a job.

When we're up against Al-Queda who could cross the border just as easily as Julio; with a dirty bomb, we need to mak sure it's secure. It's time to build the Great Wall of America! China did it!

So we should just leave those exhiled criminals to die in the Gulf of Mexico? We are, if nothing else, a Humane state. When others turn people away, should we not open our arms and give people a second chance on life.

Further more, the MASS Majority of Illegal Immigrants are here for the right reasons(the ol' American Dream if you will): Make a buck, take care of their family. Obviously there are drug traffickers, and other criminals...but some of those here legally break the law too.

Most illegal immigrants come here looking for better opportunites, not looking to harm America. However, we cannot ignore the ones that do harm America, like the illegal immigrants who shot the college kids in Newark. If we do not have laws, freedom is diminished, even for those we intend to help. I hope Obama understands this. This kid (probably with Democratic parents) had a point. I think Obama missed it.

Obama is right, again. Most unlawful immigrants work at hard, low-wage jobs and do their best to stay within the law--they have to, because they want to stay here and not be sent back to countries where conditions are so bad that they undertook the long, often dangerous and expensive journey to the USA. How many people who want to send all unlawful immigrants back are really ready to pay more for the food on their table, or to go out to a restaurant, where the prices are kept low because unlawful immigrants provide a source of cheap labor? No responsible American believes that those who enter the country illegally should just be given the gift of residence or citizenship, but we should recognize that we encouraged them to come and often let them enter with a wink and a nod, because we wanted their hands and backs for work. Those who have lived within the law (apart from having entered unlawfully) and stay within the law should be given a path to citizenship--a longer, harder path than for legal immigrants, but a way to stay here legally nonetheless. The nation will benefit, even more than the immigrants.

Having been deployed to the southern border of the US, I can tell you absolutely that terrorism and illegal immigration are not seperate issues. If you think that terrorists are not comming into this Country across ALL borders you are not paying attention. We have already been attacked by illegal immigrants.
If you think that the idea of illegal immigrants bombing us is silly talk from a little kid, think again, the kid hit the nail on the head, its B. Hussein Obama who got it wrong...........out of the mouths of babes.........

Margolis, they are crimnals, they broke the law to come here, they break the law to stay here, its against the law fro them to work here, its a felony that put put you and I in Federal prison to present false SS numbers to gain employment, on and on. They started by breaking the law and continue every day, they are by definition criminals.
Also you should know thay the minimum cost of maintaining a work force does not just disapear because an employer is not paying it, it is transferred to the tax-payers of this Country. If you think you are not ALREADY paying more than the 'sticker price' for your foods and services you are wrong, its just not on the label, it comes out of your taxes. There simply is no way around the minimum, someone pays it or the workforce disapears.

The only documented case of a possible terrorist crossing a border came over from CANADA.

Obama handled the question beautifully. It the report is accurate, he responded clearly and sincerely, educating the boy to the truth of life in America today.

How about that killed those people at the shopping mall. Could a terrorist attack have been worse than that?

Shouldn't we water board that kid's parents to see if it is part of a bigger plot?

How about the shootings at the seminary?

If they had been terrorists who would we have bombed?

J Margolis - Obama was speaking to a 5th grader. Would you rather he had gotten into a policy discussion and explained the nuances of border control, homegrown terrorist, Al Qaeda, etc.? That child's parents should handle what specifics/details/complexities are explained to the child but Obama gave a perfectly good answer fitting the atmosphere he was in.

"The only documented case of a possible terrorist crossing a border came over from CANADA. "

Thats absolute BS

OTMs are other than Mexicans
Based on U.S. Border Patrol statistics there were 30,147 OTMs apprehended in FY2003, 44,614 in FY2004, 165,178 in FY2005, and 108,025 in FY2006. Most of them were apprehended along the U.S. Southwest border.

The sheer increase of OTMs coming across the border makes it more difficult for Border Patrol agents to readily identify and process each, thereby increasing the chances that a potential terrorist could slip through the system. Moreover, there is no concrete mechanism for determining how many OTMs evade apprehensions and successfully enter the country illegally.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) pays particular attention to OTMs apprehended by the Border Patrol who originate from thirty-five nations designated as “special interest” countries. According to Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar, special interest countries have been “designated by our intelligence community as countries that could export individuals that could bring harm to our country in the way of terrorism.”

Congratulations, GOP. You've succeeded in terrifying fifth graders (and Republicans of all ages) to the point where reason flies out the window. This was handled well by Obama, and anyone who gets kicks out of observing that his middle name is "Hussein" has already demonstrated their level of intellectual acumen: i.e., zero. Maybe you can join that fifth grader on the playground and crack jokes about it while the adults get to work fixing everything that Bush and the GOP have done to undermine fairness and freedom during their disastrous reign.

But have fun with the name-calling. See you on Inauguration Day.

BOO! Vote Republican.

"How about that killed those people at the shopping mall. Could a terrorist attack have been worse than that?"

Your kidding right? What could be worse?

Since 1993, 48 Foreign born radical Muslims have been arrested after been implicated in terrorist activities in the US, of those, 14 entered the US illegaly, others still were here illegaly after over staying visas. Many of the Sept.11 terrorist were here illegaly as well.

Whatthe, that's a tenuous argument at best. The handful of 9/11 conspirators who were in the country "illegally" (the majority were here legally, so by your logic we should deport EVERYONE to keep us all safe from the big bad guys, no?) were here on expired visas, not after having evaded Minutemen at the border, genius.

What are you guys so afraid of that we can't handle with transparency and virtue? You know, like Americans? For the party of the "tough guys," all I hear coming from the Right in this country is a lot of terror and knee-knocking. Fine, you made your bed, now wet it. The rest of us won't be cowed into voting for those who exploit the very fear they've sown.

P.S. Podunk, Wyoming ain't on Al Qaeda's' list of top targets, in case you were wondering. So you can stop lecturing those of us who were, you know, actually attacked on 9/11 about the appropriate level of fear we should demonstrate when cowering in the voting booth come November.

Over 650 suspected terrorists arrested trying to come in from Mexico in 2004

WASHINGTON, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox (R-CA) delivered the following remarks during today's news conference on the REAL ID Act:

...

"Border agents have reported an increased number of individuals from countries of national security interest -- countries known to harbor terrorists -- who have been smuggled recently across our borders.

"In 2004, border patrol agents arrested over 650 suspected terrorists from countries of national security interest trying to cross the southern border, and they expect the number will rise this year...

Im not afraid of anything, I am not name calling (unless that includes someones actual name) or fear mongering or making false statements, nor am I telling you to vote Republican or die. I am pointing out that terrorist coming into this Country illegaly and doing bad things is not a far fetched idea.

And yes I am suggesting that NO person be allowed to remain ILLEGALY in the US.
That is also, by the way, the LAW!
I know thats a radical idea to enforce the law....

Whatthe, you ignored the fact that the majority of 9/11 conspirators were here LEGALLY. Your argument falls apart once you process that little inconvenience. I have a good friend with the Border Patrol and do not disagree that we should enforce current laws, but if you don't see illegal immigration as the smokescreen/fear tactic as it's being exploited by the GOP in this election, then I don't know what else to tell you.

First, it was "they took our jobs." Until it was pointed out that high-paying manufacturing jobs were (are) being sent overseas thanks to GOP-approved "free" trade agreements and largely unrestricted corporations. My apologies if you were a migrant farmer in California who lost your low-paying, dangerous job to illegal immigrants, but somehow I doubt that's the case.

Now, it's "they want to kill us all."

What's next, "they're coming for our women"!?

The immigration policy in the US is flawed. So let's fix it. But demonizing is for demagogues. Who wants to keep us in fear and what's their incentive? A good question for further reflection, no?

"Whatthe, you ignored the fact that the majority of 9/11 conspirators were here LEGALLY."

And some were not, are YOU ignoring that little fact? Are YOU ignoring the FACT that according to the DHS, suspected terrorist are indeed attempting (and most likely succeeding) to cross the borders? How is staing what is happening right now demagoguing?

By the way, I am not exploiting the issue on one side of the spectrum or the other, it was NOT the GOP who blocked the so called 'comprehensive reform', after all it was Bush pushing it. It was the people who crashed that car, because they are sane) for the most part) and want the borders secured.

If you want to advocate that we ignore a law if enough people violate it go ahead. You are free to advocate your position. However I must point out you have in no way claimed that what I have stated is untrue, only that it does not fit with your point of view, so be it. You are entitled to be as wrong as you like.

"First, it was "they took our jobs." Until it was pointed out that high-paying manufacturing jobs were (are) being sent overseas thanks to GOP-approved "free" trade agreements and largely unrestricted corporations."

I dont know why you make every thing a Dem vs Rep thing, but if you want to go there, it was Clinton who pushed NAFTA through, it was Clinton who signed GATT (illegaly), and enrolled the US in the WTO (illegaly), in was Clinton who gave China MFN status...blame jobs going overseas on the 'GOP free trade' if you like, but it makes you look silly.

By the way, the terrorists DO want to kill us, and they ARE comming after our women, in case you have not noticed.

Street gangs like MS13 are smuggling drugs back and forth across the border and terrorizing neighborhoods in cities like Los Angeles...aren't these illegals 'terrorits'? You don't have to be arabian and blowup buildings to be a terrorist.

whatthe?,

Nicely done. Straight to the point. Facts included. Ad hominem and bias free.

It's very enjoyable to read someone completely eviscerate such weak and baseless arguments.

Mr. Lisboa, how can you make the argument that the illegal immigration issue isn't tied in to protecting our country from terrorists when ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WERE ALREADY INVOLVED IN SEVERAL TERRORIST ATTACKS IN THIS COUNTRY???

Michael Charlton:

Who do you think will end of building this great wall you are talking about? Will you be there to help build it? Or perhaps some undocumented workers from the south? Which do you chose Mike, buddy?

If you are so much wanting to protect our borders, I suggest less talk from you.....just go help out yourself.

Obama is my Illinois Senator, when he is actually their to vote. I recieved many letters and e-mails from Obama on immigration.
Obama and others in Congress, the media, businesses intentionally continue to group legal immigrants with the 8 to 30 million illegal alien immigrants present in America today. Obama could have explained the difference to the young man. or wait....
the 5th grader should have told Obama the difference between legal an illegal immigrants. he chose not to.

Set him straight? he lied to the kid. The kid is obviously smarter than Obama, illegal immigration just shows the terrorist how weak we are and how to sneak a bomb into country. He scares me now.

Listen up, every single one of the 9/11 terrorists entered the U.S. legally. If you don't believe it, take two minutes to look it up.

According “Staff Statement No. 1 - Entry of the 9/11 Hijackers into
the United States” by the The National Commission on Terrorist
Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission),
none of the 9/11 attackers entered or tried to enter the United States
illegally through land borders.

Quote:

“As we know from the sizable illegal traffic across our land borders,
a terrorist could attempt to bypass legal procedures and enter the
United States surreptitiously. None of the 9/11 attackers entered or
tried to enter our country this way. So today we will focus on the
hijackers’ exploitation of legal entry systems."

Boy!! All of you are so smart! You point the blame at groups of people and not the individuals, this would include groups like mexicans, middle easterners, democrats and republicans. Last time I took a look at our nation, there are millions of all of these groups running wild in our streets now, should we gather them up in groups and point the blame at that particular group we blame the most? Sounds alot like something Germany did back in the 30's! I have read all these comments and parts of all of them have good and bad, but are all of you one or the other? The answer is no!!! Dont get so caught up in the politics that you cant see the facts. Terrorist do want us dead, not all the people behind these tools (terrorists) are terrorists, they are just people that support them and their beliefs but otherwise live a normal life not unlike you or me. Illegal immigration is a problem, but not all of them are bad, again, some are just like us trying to build a dream for their family. As far as our party system goes, all of it is BS!! Republicans and Democrats buy their way into office with the support of people like you and me pointing fingers at the other side and saying "they did it". Our country was built on free speach, and the freedom to do our own thing, after all thats why we came here in the first place, we are all immigrants, dont forget that. We need to remember why we are even having this discussion, bad people came here and murdered 3000 people in one shot and as a nation we stood up and said enough, we wont ever forget you or this tragedy! 90% national support days after the attack!! Now we have forgotten those mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, and chose to wage war on each others opinions of how republicans screwed this or democrats did that. We must protect ourselves in order to survive and there is absolutely no way to do that without offending someone, but we cannot rip this wonderful nation apart by stereotyping groups no matter who they are! Open your eyes people, we need to pull together and fight the fight, not each other. Elect a man with his own ideas, not his parties, quit blaming and take ownership, accept that some people will not like what has to be done but do it anyway because its necessary for long term survival of the best way of life in this world. Secure the border but dont close it, monitor it, most of these people are good, the mexicans that come here didn't cause this, they are just the unfortunate recipients of the focus because our country borders theirs and people traverse that border illegaly every day which opens us to the possibility of one of those people being someone that should not be allowed here. Dont forget, we basically stole a large portion of this country (california) from them (mexico) many years ago! No system will ever be perfect for screening immigration, even legal immigration, all we can do is attempt to fix areas of concern and fix problems as they occur. Finish the war, whether its right or wrong its there and we have to support the young men and women that are fighting it because they are doing it for us without a choice of their own. We cannot pull our troops out until this is stabilized, do you want to explain to someones mother that your sorry her son or daughter had to give his life, but, we changed our mind and they died for nothing?!!! Quit bickering about political parties and put someone in office that can utilize their own brain, not the collective brains of the money doners, love your neighbor and stand up for each other instead of pointing your finger and blaming everyone but yourself. Open your eyes and survive, we are not cattle that have to be kept inside a fence and guided to slaughter. Stand united or die divided, your choice.

So, the kid asked a raw version of a question the MSM refuses to ask, and Obama responded with an ad of his own, this time promoting what is in large part illegal activity?

Can anyone imagine how ABC would spin this report if they didn't support illegal immigration?

Poor kid doesn't know that Bush is the terrorist and did 911 and made up a lie to go to war. Obama should be telling the student; there is more to fear from our own Government than immigrants, who are forced to leave their countries because their leaders succumb to the Bush lies, coercion, murder, crime rate and lack of jobs.

Do the California Indians agree that this land was stolen from Mexico? What are Mexicans anyway? Indians, Spaniards, other races? They are not very united in Mexico. When did Mexico come into being?
As far as legal or illegal immigrtants coming here, the main problem is numbers and overpopulation, not who is good or bad, deserving or not. Check the numbers!
Why do Mexicans and others flee their countries, then sit here complaining and trying to pull their corrupt politicians, diseases and other problems with then. (Check incidence of T.B., for example). Protest in your own country and fix it.
Obama is insulting to say that "immigrants" are all working in meat packing, etc. Many have advanced degrees. Maybe he just can't say the correct term "illegal alien."
Well, the hispanics are not supporting him anyway. They prefer white Hilary to black/minority Obama.
His website is about minorities, not about Americans. Divisive.
For a story about wealthy, well educated immigrants who are not taking jobs, read article "The World's Retirement Home." (Lots of these in Los Angeles). For legal immigrants hitting a welfare jackpot research the Refugee Program.(Lots of these in Los Angeles also). Contact the State Department for more info.
A

Obama did not answer the question, instead blamed the GOP. Widows of vetrans ask me the same question, so it is not just a 5th grader. Is Obama smarter than a 5th grader?

I am totally appalled by this. Instead of reassuring a 5th grader that immigrants are not going to blow us up, Mr. Obama says don't worry about the immigrants -- its just the terrorists that want to kill us. That is really how to reassure a 10 year old that the adults have it under control and that all he has to worry about is doing good in school. Unbelievable!! Does this guy ever think before he speaks?

so is obama saying that we should just let illigal immigrants into our country without thinking anything of it. It sou nds to me like he is avoiding the fifth graders question by making it sound like illigal immigrants are not capible of being harmful to us at all while in reality can be very harmful. personally i don't think oboma had a answere to that question which is why he changed the subject and attention directly iver to Mitt Romney

The system is corrupt. The government doesn't care what happens to our country or its legal citizens. We're on our OWN!!

This is why I support mandatory civics education like I got in grade school and high school. (1) People are ignorant to the meaning of participating in a democracy and how government works. (2) People are ignorant to the basics of the social problems we're facing as a country.

Ignorance equals stupid voting and stupid policy. And for younger generations, ignorance equals apathy.

While this kid is in the process of learning how to participate in a democracy (glad to see him excited about being at a presidential forum), unfortunately there are hundreds of thousands of older voting Americans out there who are not equipped with basic knowledge of the issues to make smart choices at the polls. They're civics-illiterate.

More civics education, please!

Though, you do have a point. Obama answered that question as if none of the illegal immigrants wants to harm our citizens when some do!

I think what all this discussion shows is that erecting a fence is not going to stop illegal immigration. Illegal Immigrants don't migrate because its easy, and anyone who thinks they do should try it sometime! Put a challenge in the way and they will find a way around it. But then thre is also grading the illegals. Anyone in the US illegally who took part in the 9/11 attacks entered the country legally, and only count as illegal through expired visas. The whole issue is far more complicated than many republicans would have you believe, and shold be handled sensitively. Thankfully on this occasion Obama was able to show some judgement and intelligence... Experience isn't everything.

Hey Bill, instead of putting your wife out there could you afford us the same courtesy you afforded yourself and give us Monica Lewinski for president? I mean, if youre not happy with your own wife why do you wish her on us??????

There is another group that you are forgetting that makes it possible for illegals to get here, that no "wall" will stop. They load up their uhauls/trucks/ whatever and drive them across, only to let the illegals die over here after taking all their money, some of these criminals are Americans too, by the way.

I agree that most terrorists here are here legally.

Do not fall for the "fear" factor that allows these wars to go on and on and the innocent poor of the world become expendable for their millions of dollars in revenue for the defense contractors and the civilian contractors that make their money off war.

I do however support the troops and the sooner they come home the better