Fighting back

Farmers Branch, a northwest suburb of Dallas, enacted through its city council a series of strict measures against illegal immigrants Monday. Among them: a requirement that apartment renters provide proof of citizenship or legal residency, that all city business be conducted in English only and an avenue for police to participate in a federal program that would enable them to check residency status of criminal suspects in custody and begin deportation proceedings in some cases.

Kudos to that city's leaders for having the guts to assert that this country has laws and an established immigration system that desperately need to be enforced.

Now comes the fight. Opponents, including the anything-America-loathing ACLU, vows to drag the city into federal court. And this is where everyone's vote in national elections comes into play. The president and Congress determine who sits on federal benches. Will Farmers Branch opponents find a liberal federal judge who will say the city does not have the right to run its own affairs? I, for one, pray not, but almost every day in this country, judges make decisions on multitudes of issues that common sense tells the majority in this country are just plain wrong.

This one's worth watching, folks. If Farmers Branch rightly prevails, a trickle of this nation's cities that follow suit will become a torrent.

The state of Texas' elected representatives also have filed more than 300 bills for the upcoming session. Among them are proposed laws and/or constitutional amendments that would prevent illegal immigrants from benefiting from state services such as health care, welfare and education, requiring proof of citizenship to vote (we actually need a law for that????) and to require proof of citizenship or residency to receive any kind of business or occupational or professional license.

If you're of a mind, let your state congressional leaders know you're watching. I certainly am.

(Imported from Nov. 20, 2006)