It is unfortunate that many government jobs are given by appointment because Janet Napolitano, Director of Homeland Security, is unqualified to hold the position to which she was appointed. In the last two weeks she has done some amazingly stupid things.
About two weeks ago, and just before the TEA Parties, the DHS released its report on radical rightwing extremist groups which basically described all conservatives but threw in baseless accusations such as we are angry at a black man being elected president. The report targets returning veterans as potential extremists. This is a fine way to classify those who have the testicular fortitude to fight for this country.
Then, Napolitano made the statement that the 9/11 terrorists entered this country by crossing the Canadian border. This is absolutely incorrect. They flew into this country on documents issued by the State Department (and a few had MARYLAND driver’s licenses because Maryland gives them to everyone). Though she claims to have been misunderstood, it was quite clear what she said. She also tried to claim she was referring to a long debunked urban legend. She is full of bovine excrement.
The furor began when Napolitano was asked to clarify statements she had made about equal treatment for the Mexican and Canadian borders, despite the fact that a flood of illegal immigrants and a massive drug war are two serious issues on the southern border.
“Yes, Canada is not Mexico, it doesn’t have a drug war going on, it didn’t have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year,” she said.
“Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it’s been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there.”
When asked if she was referring to the 9-11 terrorists, Napolitano added: “Not just those but others as well.” [emphasis mine] CTV.ca
One would think the Director of the DHS might know the truth about the 9/11 terrorists. One might also think that she would know there is a big difference between the northern and southern borders. In the south, people sneak across illegally and stay here. They smuggle in drugs and they kill Americans. In the north, they come across, do business, and go home. They enter legally. Yes, some people have entered illegally via the northern border but nowhere near the scale that they do in the south.
The issue of the border brings us to ILLEGAL immigration. Napolitano is a little fuzzy when it comes to this topic as well. She seems to think that crossing the border illegally is not a crime. During an interview with CNN’s John King, Napolitano was discussing Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his quest to enforce the immigration laws. After she dismissed his efforts she said:
“What we have to do is target the real evil-doers in this business, the employers who consistently hire illegal labor, the human traffickers who are exploiting human misery.
“And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil. But anyway, going after those as well.” [emphasis mine]NewsMax
As the cited article points out, crossing the border is a crime punishable with a fine, jail time, or both. I am no lawyer but I believe that once an illegal is here and is caught it is a civil issue. Crossing the border is the felony. This is the dilemma. We know they committed a felony to get here but if we do not catch them actually crossing the border, it is a civil issue.
I have equated it to a man robbing a bank. If he robs the bank and gets away and a day later the cops find him spending the money, he has dye on his hands and his admits to the robbery, he is still guilty of a felony. Imagine if it were only a felony if they caught him robbing the bank but it was a civil issue if they caught him later. This is the insanity involved in our immigration laws.
Napolitano is one of the people who is supposed to protect the country but she is more interested in going after a law enforcement officer who is trying to uphold the law than the criminals who are breaking it (regardless of her “tough” rhetoric).
She thinks people who have conservative beliefs are rightwing extremists, that the 9/11 terrorists entered through Canada, and that crossing our border illegally is not a crime.
Like I said, it is unfortunate that these positions are political appointments because she has demonstrated that she is incompetent.
She should be relieved of her duties and replaced with someone who knows what he is doing.
Then again, she is what Obama wants. Someone who will be an advocate for the illegals.
Obama wants them as Democratic voters.
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