April 16, 2008

Vote NO on Amendment 1  Florida voters defeated Amendment 1!! Amendment 1 on the Florida ballot for the General Election on November 4, 2008 asks voters whether or not to remove a clause from the Florida Constitution dealing with property ownership by "aliens ineligible for citizenship."  The ballot question needs 60 percent approval for passage. Quick Voter Guide on Amendment 1 If you like political correctness and don't have concerns about sovereignty Yes If you dislike political correctness and do have concerns about sovereignty No FLIMEN recommends a NO vote on Amendment 1.   FLIMEN believes the Amendment 1 is essentially an exercise in political correctness and there are reasons to keep the clause in the Constitution even though the power has not yet been used.  FLIMEN has found the following points to be salient: The driving forces for Amendment 1 are the Organization of Chinese-Americans, Democrats and newspaper writers.   Although the "vestiges" of the alien land law may have been racially motivated, there has not been proof that the law per se is racist.   The clause "aliens ineligible for citizenship" is not racially discriminatory and the case law referenced by the proponents may not be relevant in new situations brought about by globalization.   As in so much of the obsessive racist name-calling that masquerades as a national debate on the immigration/invasion issue the definition of  "racism is when you disagree with a liberal" seems to be the common use definition in this ballot question as well.   Florida Democrat Senator Geller, the ballot question sponsor, might have a point that the ballot question is "purely symbolic" except that there are reasons to believe that the clause potentially could be useful, if not damaging if removed.    The key to this ballot question is not the history of the law but realization of "aliens ineligible for citizenship."  Given that our bumbling, dysfunction federal government has failed to secure our borders, is failing to protect our assets from foreign ownership and has failed to protect American workers from the illegal invasion, it seems plausible that Florida might someday want the power to restrict property ownership from those defined by the list below. Under current U.S. immigration law, aliens ineligible for citizenship include aliens who: • Have a communicable disease of public health significance; • Have failed to present documentation of certain vaccinations; • Have a physical or mental disorder that may pose a threat to the property, safety, or welfare of the alien or others; • Abuse drugs; • Have been convicted of a crime of moral turpitude; • Have a conviction relating to controlled substances; • Are believed to have been involved in the trafficking of a controlled substance or certain chemicals; • Have engaged in prostitution or intend to engage in prostitution in the United States; • Intend to engage in an unlawful commercialized vice in the United States; • Have committed a serious criminal offense in the United States, but exercised immunity from prosecution; • Have, as a foreign government official, been involved with certain severe violations of religious freedom; • Have been involved with the trafficking of persons; • Have been involved with money laundering; • Intend to engage in espionage, or sabotage, or export certain prohibited technology or information or engage in other unlawful activity; • Intend to act in opposition to, or for the purpose of controlling or overthrowing, the Government of the United States by force, violence, or other unlawful means; • Have engaged or intend to engage in terrorist activity; • Have been involved with terrorist activity; • Have been a member of a totalitarian party or the Communist party; • Have participated in Nazi persecutions or genocide; • Have unlawfully entered the United States or failed to attend a removal hearing or sought admission into the United States through fraud; or • Have falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen. Quotations from two prominent persons who oppose Amendment 1 are provided. 1) Florida Republican Representative Dennis Ross who voted against the bill to put the question to an election contends the constitutional power potentially could be useful. http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/aug/18/me-land-law-amendment-targetsvestigesofracism: "In the global environment we live in, when we see a lot of foreign interests buying up property in the United States, I think we should still have some control," said Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland. "At least now, we still have the ability to regulate it." Ross said there may be lawful, reasonable ways of enforcing that provision against people who are disqualified for citizenship today, such as terrorists and human traffickers. "If they're ineligible, that should be a red flag to us that maybe we don't want them as property owners in the state of Florida," said Ross, who sits on the Safety and Security Council, which heard the proposal in 2007. "Especially if we are talking about homeland security and protecting our interests." Even if the origins of the alien land law are racist, he said, that does not mean automatically that it can serve no purpose now. A land purchase by terrorists or other dangerous foreign interests "could be masked as a very innocent group of foreigners," he said. 2) Michael Hethmon, Director of Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI), offers the following legal comments, calling the amendment "a very serious attack on sovereignty." I think this is a very serious attack on sovereignty and would have adverse implications for immigration control if enacted.  Under the amendment, the state would voluntarily relinquish its sovereignty over land ownership.  The right of states to control ownership of land by non-citizens has deep ancient roots in the common law, and has repeatedly survived challenges to its constitutionality. The implications of the amendment seem to be sweeping.  If an alien “ineligible for citizenship” – an illegal alien or a foreign government proxy is given the unrestricted right of land ownership, he will have acquired at least a colorable claim to a wide range of fundamental rights that are normally – both in the US and abroad – associated with the rights and privileges of citizenship.  This is a big step towards the globalist goal of replacing citizenship as the legal criteria for membership in US society with denizenship – your rights come not from the social contract with your fellow citizens, but from your control of assets; in this case, land.  Purchase of housing by illegals is already a big problem, as you know --  they comprise many of the problem single-family tenements, as illegal aliens rent out the rooms to make the mortgage, and then take the mortgage interest deduction using their ITIN. Links: http://election.dos.state.fl.us/initiatives/fulltext/pdf/10-69.pdf (Text of the ballot question) http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/elections/florida/sfl-flfalienland0915sbsep15,0,5789239.story http://www.panhandleparade.com/index.php/mbb/article/a_look_at_proposed_amendments_amendment_1/mbb779943/ http://www.tampabay.com/incoming/article821389.ece http://www.local10.com/politics/17503127/detail.html http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Florida_Property_Rights_and_Ineligible_Aliens_(2008) http://www.flsenate.gov/data/session/2007/Senate/bills/analysis/pdf/2007s0166.ju.pdf http://www.gainesville.com/article/20081007/OPINION01/810070205/1008/WEATHER?Title=Right_an_old_wrong   October 22, 2008 ----------------------------------------------------------- 2008 Voter Guide Information below provides information on candidates for the 2008 General Election on November 4, 2008.  The two sources are ALIPAC endorsements and NumbersUSA assessments both of which grade the candidates on their pro-enforcement immigration position. ALIPAC Endorsements for Florida: 1st district 2nd district 3rd district 4th district 5th district: ENDORSED Virginia Brown-Waite for US Congress, Republican, Incumbent, ABI Grade A 6th district ENDORSED Cliff Stearns for Congress, Republican, Incumbent ABI Grade A * 7th district ENDORSED John Mica for Congress, Republican, Incumbent, ABI Score A * 8th district ENDORSED Todd Long for Congress, Republican,, Challenger ABI Survey 9th district: ENDORSED Gus Bilirakis for US Congress, Republican, Incumbent ABI Score A 10th district 11th district: 12th district 13th district: ENDORSED Vern Buchanan for Congress,, Republican, Incumbent ABI Grade A- 14th district 15th district 16th district: ENDORSED Tom Rooney for Congress, Republican, Challenger,, 17th district 18th district 19th district 20th district 21st district 22nd district ENDORSED Allen B. West for Congress, Republican,, Challenger, ABI Survey 23rd district 24th district ENDORSED Tom Feeney for Congress,Republican,Incumbent,ABI Score B+ * 25th district NumbersUSA - True Immigration Reform Candidates for Congress NumbersUSA - Florida Congressional Races NumbersUSA - Presidential Candidates On Immigration Issues NumbersUSA - Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus Members Running for Re-election: Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL) Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) Rep. Ric Keller (R-FL) Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL) Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) October 21, 2008