muddysmind.com

Louis Barletta, the mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, has thrown down the gauntlet to those who think America belongs to anyone who can walk across the border. The ACLU and a Puerto Rican group have taken up the challenge. And the mayor has upped the ante by hiring as defense counsel the former head of immigration in the Department of Justice.

Step one in this legal clash, likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court, was a series of three ordinances passed in Hazleton. Propelled by several local crimes apparently committed by illegal aliens, and inspired by the mayor, the city council decided to fine landlords who knowingly rent space to illegal aliens. It also decided to deny licenses to local businesses which knowingly hire such aliens. Lastly, it declared that English would be the official language of the town.

Step two is the federal suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against the town, claiming that it was “unconstitutionally” seeking “to enforce immigration laws.” Joining the ACLU in filing the case was the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. This is an odd partner because legal residents of Puerto Rico are American citizens. Laws directed at illegal aliens don’t have any application to them.

chronwatch.com

Speaking to veterans at the American Legion's convention in Salt Lake City Tuesday, Rumsfeld compared critics of the war to those who favored appeasement of the Nazis, and he warned that "any kind of moral and intellectual confusion about who and what is right or wrong can severely weaken the ability of free societies to persevere."

This is really outrageous. Of course the American people - including critics of the war - have no trouble understanding the difference between terrorists and the people we have elected to run our government.

Newsday.com