Illegal Protest

Hold the phone people - but new best friend of Barack Obama, Al Gore, has a FATHER who as a Senator, voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964. So as Drinking with Bob aptly puts it [video]- if Al Gore’s father had his way, Barack Obama would have been picking cotton and sitting in the back of the bus instead of running for President of the United States in 2008. How strange that Barack Obama feels that people like Al Gore are his friend and that he tries to portray Republicans as racists when in fact, the majority of people who voted FOR the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were REPUBLICANS.

I thought this little tidbit was important enough to post on my Illegal Alien Protest site.. because .. frankly, we are in DEEP DO DO if Barack Obama becomes our next President. Not only does he have very little experience in general - he’s only been in the Senate for ONE TERM and most of that term he spent running for President. Do we REALLY want such inexperience in the White House??? Do we really want someone like AL SHARPTON for our next President??? Here is a handy link to his voting record - starting in 2005… According to one tally he has spent 143 DAYS in elected office.

Here are the GOREY details - muahahahah

It is easy to control the minds of a people. All one has to do is change history by lying about the past. This is exactly what has happened with the legacy of former Democratic U.S. Senator Al Gore, Sr. of Tennessee - the father of our current vice president - and his mythical “support” of civil rights.

In a recent speech to the NAACP, Vice President Gore said his father lost his Senate seat because he supported civil rights legislation. Fellow black Americans, let me set history straight. Al Gore, Sr., together with the rest of the southern Democrats, voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Congressional Quarterly reported that, in the House of Representatives, 61% of Democrats (152 for, 96 against) voted for the Civil Rights Act as opposed to 80% of Republicans (138 for, 38 against). In the Senate, 69% of Democrats (46 for, 21 against) voted for the Act while 82% of Republicans did (27 for, 6 against). All southern Democrats voted against the Act.

In his remarks upon signing the Civil Rights Act, President Lyndon Johnson praised Republicans for their “overwhelming majority.” He did not offer similar praise to his own Democratic Party. Moreover, Senate Minority Leader Everett Dirksen, an Illinois Republican, collaborated with the White House and the Senate leadership of both parties to draft acceptable compromise amendments to end the southern Democrats’ filibuster of the Act. It was Dirksen who often took to the Senate floor to declare, “This is an idea whose time has come. It will not be denied.” Dirksen’s greatest triumph earned him the Leadership Conference of Civil Rights Award, presented by then-NAACP Chairman Roy Wilkins, for his remarkable civil rights leadership.

Read more

Good news for all Pennsylvania residents…. I wonder if Reading, Norristown and Philadelphia will get the memo that their days as “sanctuary cities” are numbered? I urge you to call your PA rep and tell them you support the entire legislation package sponsored by Daryl Metcalfe… It’s ALL good as they say and is a BIG step in the right direction for Pennsylvania.

I live near Norristown and it makes me SICK to see an entire section of the “West End” turned into a Little Mexico. The sign at the bottom of the strip says “Historic Shopping District” but it should say “Historic Puebla Mexico” instead. Several blocks of West Marshall Street are now exclusively Mexican restaurants, Mexican bodegas and even their own little indoor Mall called La Plazita.. A big real estate guy in the area even advertises his rentals IN SPANISH in that area. What is wrong with this picture???? Norristown USED to be Germans and Italians for the most part. Now it is almost 35% Mexican!!! And we are more than 2000 miles from the southern border. If I wanted to live near a border town I’d move to Texas or Arizona for crying out loud.

I have approached the Norristown Town Council and the Montgomery County Commissioners. All of them have felt it is “not their yob” to solve the invasion of illegal aliens into Norristown. One particular councilman, Bill Procyson, makes the point that the Mexicans are “nice” and why should it be his problem to pick out who is here illegally? My point - we shouldn’t have to wonder at all - that is if our GOVERNMENT was DOING ITS JOB.

Now with this legislation package - people like Bill Procyson won’t get to say - “not my yob” and they will be forced to deal with the growing problem of an increasing TAX BURDEN without an increasing TAX BASE from the invasion of illegal aliens into our state and our towns.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

_____________________________________________

News Advisory
Office of State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe
June 10, 2008 FOR INFORMATION: Ty McCauslin (717) 772-9979

State Lawmakers to Unveil “No Sanctuary” Legislation to Offset Increasing Taxpayer Costs Fueling PA’s Illegal Alien Invasion

WHAT: State Representatives Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), Tom Creighton (R-Lancaster), Mark Mustio (R-Allegheny), Scott Perry (R-Cumberland/York) and Harry Readshaw (D-Allegheny) will introduce the newest additions to the National Security Begins at Home package.

Sponsored by Metcalfe, both pieces of legislation would provide legal and economic sanctions against any city, municipality or other local government entity that adopts ordinances, policies or informal procedures to encourage illegal aliens to reside within its borders or otherwise hinders law enforcement activities.

WHO: Offering support for this bipartisan legislation and providing insight on the ever-increasing social and taxpayer costs resulting from Pennsylvania’s ongoing Illegal Alien Invasion will be Kathleen Appell, research and media coordinator, Citizens for Immigration Control and Enforcement; Marianne Davies, Esq. vice-chair, You Don’t Speak for Me; and Yeh Ling-Ling, executive director Diversity Alliance for a Sustainable America.

Other state lawmakers scheduled to attend include: Reps. Jim Cox, (R-Berks), Rob Kauffman, (R-Cumberland/Franklin), Sam Rohrer (R-Berks) and RoseMarie Swanger (R-Lebanon).

DATE: Wednesday, June 11
TIME: 10 a.m.
WHERE: State Capitol Rotunda
LIVE WEBCAST: Log on to www.RepMetcalfe.com, www.RepCreighton.com, www.RepMustio.com or www.RepPerry.com beginning at 9:55 a.m. on Wednesday morning.

_______________________________________________

Last summer, Digger and I attended a press conference in Philadelphia with many of the people leading this charge. Read about it here on Digger’s Realm

Here is an excerpt from a 2003 article in The Times Herald which tried to answer the question - Why Norristown?

Puebla and Acapulco are the two largest sending cities, officials said. But nobody is sure who was first or why Norristown was chosen. Officials only have assumptions. The most widely accepted beliefs are:
1. Immigrants arrive in larger cities and towns such as Philadelphia and West Chester, naturally sprawling to Norristown.
2. Inexpensive housing in Norristown encourages immigrants to establish lives here, rather than more expensive surrounding townships.
3. The abundance of service jobs in landscaping, retail, restaurants and hotels creates a demand that immigrants supply. Mexican immigrants are most often single men working in these jobs six to nine months of the year, who return to Mexico for the rest of the year.
4. Once immigrants establish homes here, they send for their families and friends, and in turn, these families and friends tell more people, creating a domino effect.
5. Less than 500,000 immigrants each year stay in the country. Though it looks like many immigrants are here, what people mostly see are immigrants in the country using temporary visas.

The journey is not easy.

Some people have visas and other proper documentation to live in the United States, but about half of the Mexican population does not.

“It’s not easy to make that decision - to leave behind everything you know,” said Miguel Dones, president of Conecciones, a social services and economic organization serving the Norristown community.   Officials from the United States and Mexico agree that the reason for the great wave of immigration is money. “The opportunities are on this side of the border,” said Deputy Consul Jacob Prado of the Mexican Consulate of Philadelphia. “Nobody wants to leave their hometown or families. If they come here, it’s because economic opportunities are available in this country.”

There you have it. Remove the ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES for illegal aliens and they will not come here!

More on how the population of Norristown has changed from the same article:

Between 1990 and 2000, Norristown’s Hispanic population jumped nearly 400 percent, with most of the expansion within the last five years.

Nobody is exactly sure why thousands have chosen to live here, but Norristown has the largest population of Hispanics in Montgomery County.

While the Hispanic population increased by nearly 2,500 individuals, the total population of the borough only increased by 500 people.

This means at least 2,000 non-Hispanics moved out of Norristown, while 2,000 Hispanics moved in.

In the early and mid 90’s, Puerto Ricans were the largest Hispanic minority in Norristown, but now Mexicans have taken over that distinction.

The entire reason for controlling immigration and enforcing immigration laws in ANY country is to prevent the cultural hijacking of any part of a country through large numbers of “immigrants” - legal or illegal - to a community. The reasoning behind immigration control is to PRESERVE the cultural identity of our towns and cities. But instead we have allowed the population of Norristown to be INVADED through a 400 PER CENT INCREASE in Hispanics - most of whom are here illegally. I hold the leaders of Norristown fully responsible for allowing this to happen and I whole heartedly support the efforts by Daryl Metcalfe and others at our state government level for leading the charge to turn this tide and reclaim Norristown and other places in Pennsylvania for the native population.

Here is a nice list of the globalist elites who are coming together to try to plan the global government which will involve having THEM as the royalty and the rest of the people of the world as a single class of peasants. They are not interested in preserving personal freedom. They are interested in securing their place among the elites so they get their piece of the pie and are not counted among the peasantry of the world. Their interests, no matter what country they hail from, are in maniuplating global politics, including our Presidential election. It is a known fact that every President in the last 20-30 years has been an attendee at Bilderberg. Anyone outside Bilderberg will never have a chance at securing one of the most powerful positions in the upcoming global government.

You will notice several names from large newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal. Why is it that the Wall Street Journal finds it appropriate to not give this meeting even a mention in their paper? Do you think they are participants in the world government coverup of this annual secret meeting of the global elites? This is not tinfoil hat stuff.. this is real.

Notice that Eric Schmidt from Google is there and so are several state governors (Kansas, South Carolina).. why only a few governors? Could it be that these two are being groomed for upcoming increasing leadership roles dictated by the Bilderberg elites?

Funny thing is.. I know that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were attendees but they are not on this list. So how many names were NOT on this list and why?

From Teknosis blog at this link:

Bilderberg 2008 Attendee List : Bilderberg Attendee List 2008 :

Shouldn’t we have a science of peace (ala Alfred Korzybski “Science and Sanity”), be exploring the universe and not be driving around gasoline powered vehicles right now? I’ll bet they are planning and discussing how to fix these problems right away!

Bildeberg Attendee List 2008

Chantilly, Virginia, USA
5-8 June 2008
CURRENT LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Honorary Chairman
BEL Davignon, Etienne Vice Chairman, Suez-Tractebel

DEU Ackermann, Josef Chairman of the Management Board and the Group Executive Committee, Deutsche Bank AG
CAN Adams, John Associate Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chief of the Communications Security Establishment Canada
USA Ajami, Fouad Director, Middle East Studies Program, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, The Johns Hopkins University
USA Alexander, Keith B. Director, National Security Agency
INT Almunia, Joaqui’n Commissioner, European Commission
GRC Alogoskoufis, George Minister of Economy and Finance
USA Altman, Roger C. Chairman, Evercore Partners Inc.
TUR Babacan, Ali Minister of Foreign Affairs
NLD Balkenende, Jan Peter Prime Minister
PRT Balsemão, Francisco Pinto Chairman and CEO, IMPRESA, S.G.P.S.; Former Prime Minister
FRA Baverez, Nicolas Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
ITA Bernabé, Franco CEO, Telecom Italia Spa
USA Bernanke, Ben S. Chairman, Board of Governors, Federal Reserve System
SWE Bildt, Carl Minister of Foreign Affairs
FIN Blåfield, Antti Senior Editorial Writer, Helsingin Sanomat
DNK Bosse, Stine CEO, TrygVesta
CAN Brodie, Ian Chief of Staff, Prime Minister’s Office
AUT Bronner, Oscar Publisher and Editor, Der Standard
FRA Castries, Henri de Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, AXA
ESP Cebrián, Juan Luis CEO, PRISA
CAN Clark, Edmund President and CEO, TD Bank Financial Group
GBR Clarke, Kenneth Member of Parliament
NOR Clemet, Kristin Managing Director, Civita
USA Collins, Timothy C. Senior Managing Director and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC
FRA Collomb, Bertrand Honorary Chairman, Lafarge
PRT Costa, António Mayor of Lisbon
USA Crocker, Chester A. James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies
USA Daschle, Thomas A. Former US Senator and Senate Majority Leader
CAN Desmarais, Jr., Paul Chairman and co-CEO, Power Corporation of Canada
GRC Diamantopoulou, Anna Member of Parliament
USA Donilon, Thomas E. Partner, O’Melveny & Myers
ITA Draghi, Mario Governor, Banca d’Italia
AUT Ederer, Brigitte CEO, Siemens AG Österreich
CAN Edwards, N. Murray Vice Chairman, Candian Natural Resources Limited
DNK Eldrup, Anders President, DONG A/S
ITA Elkann, John Vice Chairman, Fiat S.p.A.
USA Farah, Martha J. Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience;
Walter H. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
USA Feldstein, Martin S. President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research
DEU Fischer, Joschka Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Ford, Jr., Harold E. Vice Chairman, Merill Lynch & Co., Inc.
CHE Forstmoser, Peter Professor for Civil, Corporation and Capital Markets Law, University of Zürich
IRL Gallagher, Paul Attorney General
USA Geithner, Timothy F. President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York
USA Gigot, Paul Editorial Page Editor, The Wall Street Journal
IRL Gleeson, Dermot Chairman, AIB Group
NLD Goddijn, Harold CEO, TomTom
TUR Gögüs, Zeynep Journalist; Founder, EurActiv.com.tr
USA Graham, Donald E. Chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company
NLD Halberstadt, Victor Professor of Economics, Leiden University; Former Honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings
USA Holbrooke, Richard C. Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC
FIN Honkapohja, Seppo Member of the Board, Bank of Finland
INT Hoop Scheffer, Jaap G. de Secretary General, NATO
USA Hubbard, Allan B. Chairman, E & A Industries, Inc.
BEL Huyghebaert, Jan Chairman of the Board of Directors, KBC Group
DEU Ischinger, Wolfgang Former Ambassador to the UK and US
USA Jacobs, Kenneth Deputy Chairman, Head of Lazard U.S., Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
USA Johnson, James A. Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC
SWE Johnstone, Tom President and CEO, AB SKF
USA Jordan, Jr., Vernon E. Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC
FRA Jouyet, Jean-Pierre Minister of European Affairs
GBR Kerr, John Member, House of Lords; Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc.
USA Kissinger, Henry A. Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.
DEU Klaeden, Eckart von Foreign Policy Spokesman, CDU/CSU
USA Kleinfeld, Klaus President and COO, Alcoa
TUR Koç, Mustafa Chairman, Koç Holding A.S.
FRA Kodmani, Bassma Director, Arab Reform Initiative
USA Kravis, Henry R. Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
USA Kravis, Marie-Josée Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc.
INT Kroes, Neelie Commissioner, European Commission
POL Kwasniewski, Aleksander Former President
AUT Leitner, Wolfgang CEO, Andritz AG
ESP León Gross, Bernardino Secretary General, Office of the Prime Minister
INT Mandelson, Peter Commissioner, European Commission
FRA Margerie, Christophe de CEO, Total
CAN Martin, Roger Dean, Joseph L. Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
HUN Martonyi, János Professor of International Trade Law; Partner, Baker & McKenzie; Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Mathews, Jessica T. President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
INT McCreevy, Charlie Commissioner, European Commission
USA McDonough, William J. Vice Chairman and Special Advisor to the Chairman, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
CAN McKenna, Frank Deputy Chair, TD Bank Financial Group
GBR McKillop, Tom Chairman, The Royal Bank of Scotland Group
FRA Montbrial, Thierry de President, French Institute for International Relations
ITA Monti, Mario President, Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi
USA Mundie, Craig J. Chief Research and Strategy Officer, Microsoft Corporation
NOR Myklebust, Egil Former Chairman of the Board of Directors SAS, Norsk Hydro ASA
DEU Nass, Matthias Deputy Editor, Die Zeit
NLD Netherlands, H.M. the Queen of the
FRA Ockrent, Christine CEO, French television and radio world service
FIN Ollila, Jorma Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
SWE Olofsson, Maud Minister of Enterprise and Energy; Deputy Prime Minister
NLD Orange, H.R.H. the Prince of
GBR Osborne, George Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
TUR Öztrak, Faik Member of Parliament
ITA Padoa-Schioppa, Tommaso Former Minister of Finance; President of Notre Europe
GRC Papahelas, Alexis Journalist, Kathimerini
GRC Papalexopoulos, Dimitris CEO, Titan Cement Co. S.A.
USA Paulson, Jr., Henry M. Secretary of the Treasury
USA Pearl, Frank H. Chairman and CEO, Perseus, LLC
USA Perle, Richard N. Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
FRA Pérol, François Deputy General Secretary in charge of Economic Affairs
DEU Perthes, Volker Director, Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik
BEL Philippe, H.R.H. Prince
CAN Prichard, J. Robert S. President and CEO, Torstar Corporation
CAN Reisman, Heather M. Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.
USA Rice, Condoleezza Secretary of State
PRT Rio, Rui Mayor of Porto
USA Rockefeller, David Former Chairman, Chase Manhattan Bank
ESP Rodriguez Inciarte, Matias Executive Vice Chairman, Grupo Santander
USA Rose, Charlie Producer, Rose Communications
DNK Rose, Flemming Editor, Jyllands Posten
USA Ross, Dennis B. Counselor and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy
USA Rubin, Barnett R. Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center for International Cooperation, New York University
TUR Şahenk, Ferit Chairman, Doğuş Holding A.Ş.
USA Sanford, Mark Governor of South Carolina
USA Schmidt, Eric Chairman of the Executive Committee and CEO, Google
AUT Scholten, Rudolf Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG
DNK Schur, Fritz H. Fritz Schur Gruppen
CZE Schwarzenberg, Karel Minister of Foreign Affairs
USA Sebelius, Kathleen Governor of Kansas
USA Shultz, George P. Thomas W. and Susan B. Ford Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
ESP Spain, H.M. the Queen of
CHE Spillmann, Markus Editor-in-Chief and Head Managing Board, Neue Zürcher Zeitung AG
USA Summers, Lawrence H. Charles W. Eliot Professor, Harvard University
GBR Taylor, J. Martin Chairman, Syngenta International AG
USA Thiel, Peter A. President, Clarium Capital Management, LLC
NLD Timmermans, Frans Minister of European Affairs
RUS Trenin, Dmitri V. Deputy Director and Senior Associate, Carnegie Moscow Center
INT Trichet, Jean-Claude President, European Central Bank
USA Vakil, Sanam Assistant Professor of Middle East Studies, The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
FRA Valls, Manuel Member of Parliament
GRC Varvitsiotis, Thomas Co-Founder and President, V + O Communication
CHE Vasella, Daniel L. Chairman and CEO, Novartis AG
FIN Väyrynen, Raimo Director, The Finnish Institute of International Affairs
FRA Védrine, Hubert Hubert Védrine Conseil
NOR Vollebaek, Knut High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE
SWE Wallenberg, Jacob Chairman, Investor AB
USA Weber, J. Vin CEO, Clark & Weinstock
USA Wolfensohn, James D. Chairman, Wolfensohn & Company, LLC
USA Wolfowitz, Paul Visiting Scholar, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research
INT Zoellick, Robert B. President, The World Bank Group

Rapporteurs
GBR Bredow, Vendeline von Business Correspondent, The Economist
GBR Wooldridge, Adrian D. Foreign Correspondent, The Economist
AUT Austria HUN Hungary
BEL Belgium INT International
CHE Switzerland IRL Ireland
CAN Canada ITA Italy
CZE Czech Republic NOR Norway
DEU Germany NLD Netherlands
DNK Denmark PRT Portugal
ESP Spain POL Poland
FRA France RUS Russia
FIN Finland SWE Sweden
GBR Great Britain TUR Turkey
GRC Greece USA United States of America

Refs: bilderberg pics: http://cryptome.info/bilderberg08/bilderberg08.htm, http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2008/060608Photos.htm, http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/june2008/060608Photos.htm

http://www.postmanpatel.blogspot.com/

http://www.nolanchart.com/article3995.html

http://athreadofcoherentcommunication.blogspot.com/2008/06/destroy-corporate-media.html

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread361405/pg1
http://wtprn.com

http://eeng.net

http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=&q=bilderberg&btnG=Search+News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlgY6C2Pb4c

Foreign language blog (Portugal): http://rikhard-scientia.blogspot.com/2008/06/fotos-do-encontro

Some good commentary on Bilderberg 2008 here

A description of this secretive meeting between leaders of many countries from their “press release”

“The conference will deal mainly with a nuclear free world, cyber terrorism, Africa, Russia, finance, protectionism, U.S.-European Union relations, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Islam and Iran. Approximately 140 participants will attend, of whom about two-thirds come from Europe and the balance from North America,” the release stated. “About one-third is from government and politics, and two-thirds are from finance, industry, labor, education and communications. The meeting is private in order to encourage frank and open discussion.”

World Net Daily commentary on the Hillary/Obama secretive meeting that may have been at Bilderberg

Apparently these meeting attendees from the US are not aware of the Logan Act:

The Logan Act (18 U.S.C.A. § 953 [1948]) is a single federal statute making it a crime for a citizen to confer with foreign governments against the interests of the United States. Specifically, it prohibits citizens from negotiating with other nations on behalf of the United States without authorization.

Congress established the Logan Act in 1799, less than one year after passage of the ALIEN AND SEDITION ACTS, which authorized the arrest and deportation of ALIENS and prohibited written communication defamatory to the U.S. government. The 1799 act was named after Dr. George Logan. A prominent Republican and Quaker from Pennsylvania, Logan did not draft or introduce the legislation that bears his name, but was involved in the political climate that precipitated it.

And here is another link that should get your blood boiling as pertains to this secretive meeting in Chantilly this weekend.

A Portuguese newspaper has reported on something the American corporate media remains cowardly complicit about and dare not even mention - this week’s confab of nearly 200 of the world’s most influential powerbrokers in Chantilly Virginia for the 2008 Bilderberg Group meeting.

The Sol newspaper carries a story today concerning two of the Portuguese attendees of this year’s conference, the mayors of Lisbon and Porto - Antonio Costa and Rui Rio (pictured top).

Tellingly, the report highlights the fact that Bilderberg has kingmaker power in vetting future Prime Ministers and Presidents, noting how Pedro Santana Lopes and Jose Socrates attended the 2004 meeting in Stresa, Italy before both going on to become Prime Minster of Portugal.

In addition, the report underscores how both Costa and Rio have ambitions to lead their respective parties and potentially run for Prime Minister in the future.

Details are now emerging about the search warrant on the AgriProcessors, Inc and it shows a definite pattern of KNOWINGLY hiring and taking in illegal aliens by the Hasidic Jewish owners and managers of this plant. Turns out, the taking over of this plant by Hasidic Jews, resulted in the invasion of the little town of Postville with non-assimilating Hasidic Jews and their illegal alien SLAVES. In fact, there was a book written about the struggles between the original residents of Postville and the new invaders who rescued the town by taking over the meat processing plant. I suppose the long term cost of doing this was never considered.

Anyway I digress, here are some interesting details about the search warrant on the Postville, IA KOSHER meat packing plant from GazetteOnline.com:

“Over at least the last two years, (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has received information concerning immigration offenses at and by employees of Agriprocessors, including allegations of harboring illegal aliens… engaging in a pattern or practice of hiring and continuing to employ undocumented aliens… document fraud… misuse of Social Security numbers… and aggravated identity theft. This affidavit sets forth some, but not all, of the information ICE and other law enforcement officers possess concerning potential violations of the above-referenced statutes and potentially other criminal laws, but rather, is a summary of evidence in ICE’s possession sufficient to establish probable cause to support this search warrant.

“This criminal search warrant is sought simultaneously… in connection with the issuance of 697 criminal complaints and arrest warrants against persons believed to be current employees of Agriprocessors… Of the approximately 697 charged by complaint, the government currently possesses copies of photo identification for only about 15 individuals.

“There is reason to believe there will be other employees present at Agriprocessors facility whose lawful authority to reside and work in the United States is unknown. Accordingly, in conjunction with the execution of this criminal search warrant, ICE intends to question any alien or person found on the Agriprocessors property believed to be an alien as to his or her right to be or remain in the United States, for purposes of determining whether the alien should be administratively processed for removal.

The following is an abbreviated version of the testimony of 15 former and current employees of the facility included in the search warrant. The sources identities have been withheld in the search warrant:

— Source #1 was a supervisor at the plant between 2005 and 2006. That person supervised citizens of Mexico, Guatemala and Eastern Europe, and estimated that 80 percent of these employees were illegally present in the United States. There was an incident at Agriprocessors where Source #1 discovered active methamphetamine production in the plant. The source partially destroyed the lab, which led to a physical confrontation with the source’s immediate supervisor. Source #1 said he or she believes the incident led to their termination. There were also incidents of weapons being carried in Agriprocessors. Source #1 described a conversation with the Agriprocessors Human Resources Manager concerning three Social Security cards from three employees that all contained the same Social Security number, and that the Human Resources Manager laughed when it was brought to her attention. The source also described another conversation with the Human Resources Manager regarding Agriprocessors’ employees’ taxes and the fact that they were deducted and deposited in bank accounts belonging to an unknown person or people.

— Sources #2, #3 and #4 were arrested after an Aug. 30, 2007, altercation in Postville. All said they were foreign nationals illegally present in the United States, and that they were former Agriprocessors employees. They said they presented fraudulent Social Security cards and Permanent Resident Alien cards to gain employment there. Some of their Employment Eligibility Verification Forms were not properly certified.

— Source #6 was remanded to ICE custody from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office after he or she was arrested for drunken driving. The source said he or she was employed as an undocumented worker on one of Agriprocessors’ farms between 2004 and 2006. A fraudulent Social Security card and Permanent Resident Alien card were presented to gain employment there.

— Source #7, a legal Hispanic immigrant, was paid by ICE to look for a job at the plant early this year while pretending to be an illegal immigrant. All of the source’s conversations with human resources staff, supervisors and other employees were recorded during the employment process. The first time the source was told that the Social Security number ICE provided for him or her to use did not match his or her name. The next week, the source was provided a different Social Security number to use with the same name and was hired. Source #7 discovered other employees were being paid in cash or with different colored checks than the ones he or she received, possibly by an elementary school worker in Postville identified as the point of contact on letters to Agriprocessors employees noting “misunderstandings” with the employees’ Social Security numbers. The source’s rent also kept being increased by his or her landlord, and was told by other Hispanics that happened to other workers, as well.

In February, Source #7 told ICE agents he or she observed a Jewish floor supervisor duct-tape the eyes of an undocumented Guatemalan worker shut and hit the Guatemalan with a meat hook, apparently not causing serious injuries. The Guatemalan did not want to report the incident because “it would not do any good and could jeopardize his job.” The company fired illegal immigrants on occasion with no explanation.

— On May 4, 2006, sources #8, #9 and #10 were arrested in connection with an investigation of the production of a potential explosive device found in a vehicle registered to a resident of Postville. The materials likely came from the Agriprocessors mechanical shop. Two sources had obtained employment there with fraudulent documents they had purchased, and all were illegal immigrants.

— An Iowa Department of Transportation investigator learned from talking with Des Moines County Treasurer’s Office personnel that Source #14 was involved in making applications to title and register cars on behalf of people living in Postville. The source said that, more than 200 times, he or she received application information and money and had the registrations and titles sent to various Burlington/West Burlington addresses. Source #14 then arranged to pick up the documents and sent them to the vehicle owners in Postville.

Other facts found in the search warrant:

— Agriprocessors was notified of more than 1,000 discrepancies between names and Social Security numbers on workers’ W-2 forms sent to the IRS between 2002 and 2005.

— In 2005, the Iowa DOT audited a Cedar Rapids car dealership that was selling a number of vehicles to an Agriprocessors supervisor. The manager of the unnamed dealership said the supervisor was a “personal friend of theirs,” and that they supplied a large volume of cars to the supervisor for resale to people in the Postville area. That year, more than 50 vehicles were sold in that manner. Sales to Postville residents appeared to represent about 90 percent of the dealership’s business. The sales violated Iowa law, which requires all dealers to be licensed.

Employees said that supervisor coerced them and others into to buy vehicles from him or they would be fired or not promoted.

Full article

And now to the book about Postville which I discovered. The title is Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America.

Interesting investigation into the clash which resulted from the arrival of 150 Hasidic Jews and their “immigrant” workers (aka illegals). Postville Iowa is a VERY small midwestern town. I am talking only about 2000 people in this town. Now we have about 30-40 % of the town are outsiders - either Hasidic Jews who do not even shop in the local stores or eat in the local restaurants - or they are Spanish speaking Mexicans or Latin Americans who also do not really frequent the local establishments - well except for the Walmart that is.

Here is one of the reviews of this book which sums it up quite well:

From Publishers Weekly
Bloom’s account of a vicious clash between the residents of a small, intensely Christian town and the group of Lubavitcher Jews who open a highly successful kosher slaughterhouse there is a model of sociological reportage and personal journalism. In 1987, after a Hasidic butcher from Brooklyn bought a slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, and began to relocate Jewish and immigrant workers to the area, the town began to change. While some residents were suspicious and anti-Semitic, most were happy to see the town rise above its previous financial destitution. But the Lubavitchers, who traditionally live and work within their own closely knit communities, were not interested in fitting into Postville, and many were dismissive of, or overtly hostile to, its original citizens. After the Lubavitchers started buying real estate and exerting greater influence on the town’s finances, longtime Postville residents began to feel marginalized, yet their reactions caused the Jews to become more isolationist. The slaughterhouse also caused problems: workers were paid below minimum wage and were uninsured, women workers were sexually harassed and fighting among the (often illegal) immigrant workers escalated. Finally, the town took legal action to gain more control over the slaughterhouse. Bloom, a professor at the University of Iowa, writes cleanly and with great insight and temperance about these events. As a secular Jew, he also weaves in his own story as he tries to find some common ground with the Lubavitchers. His book proves an illuminating meditation on contemporary U.S. culture and what it means to be an American.

I also found this review of the Postville book from Newsday in the year 2000:

Hasidim in the Heartland

POSTVILLE: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America, by Stephen G. Bloom. Harcourt, 338 pp., $ 25.

Newsday, November 5, 2000

STEVE BLOOM gets his first glimpse of the Hasidic Jews of Postville, Iowa, on a Friday evening. He drives to this rural town of 1,500 souls from his home in Iowa City and parks across the street from the synagogue. Instead of introducing himself as a Jewish visitor away from home on the Sabbath, Bloom observes the Lubavitch men from afar. As they erupt into exuberant song, Bloom leans on his car and munches on a sandwich, a salami-and-cheese on white.

Postville was a withering hamlet surrounded by failing family farms in 1986 when Aaron Rubashkin of Brooklyn bought a defunct slaughterhouse on the outskirts of town. The Hasidim bought homes, and they banked and shopped on Main Street, but in other ways they behaved as if they had no neighbors, ignoring sidewalk greetings from non-Jews and shunning local schools. By the time Bloom arrives in Postville, the Rubashkins’s factory is grossing $ 100 million a year and the Iowans have traded in the welcome wagon for a pickup truck full of resentment.

In “Postville,” Bloom, a journalism professor at the University of Iowa, explores the tensions between the Hasidic newcomers and the largely Lutheran old guard, whose families emigrated to northwest Iowa from Germany generations earlier. Locals, who, Bloom says, “by and large, were tolerant,” complain that the Postville Hasidim are secretive, wealthy, ostentatious, deceitful, chauvinistic, unassimilable and disrespectful of local customs. “The complaint I hear most is that they need to live by the same rules as all of us,” says city councilman Leigh Rekow. “It’s not such a great religion if they don’t want to be part of the community.”

The gentiles’ gripes echo anti-Semitic calumnies that predate Iowa, but as Bloom talks to dozens of Postville residents, he finds that many complaints have a basis in reality. The Hasidim don’t say hello to Christians on the street. They don’t attend the annual street fair, and they don’t maintain their lawns. The owner of a shoe store, who at first prospered due to large Hasidic families, extended credit to her Hasidic customers, and they never settled their accounts.

One Hasidic man admits this is just how he does business, telling Bloom about a shipment of computers he bought on credit. Let the vendor sue, says Lazar Kamzoil: “We’ll pay him-eventually-but on our terms, not his.” Kamzoil adds that bargaining is “part of being a Jew” and that Hasidim never had any interest in mingling with the goyim. “It’s the place and the people who have to adapt to us,” he says.

Kamzoil reveals himself while playing host to Bloom and his young son for the weekend. The reporter had a much harder time penetrating Hasidic society than he expected (on the other hand, the longtime Iowans were relatively open with him), and Bloom’s easiest point of entry was to let the Lubavitchers, known for urging assimilated Jews to become more observant, proselytize to him. One of the Rubashkins gets Bloom to strap on phylacteries, and Kamzoil makes sure Bloom participates in a Saturday service. Once the Hasidim figure out that Bloom is only playing along, however, they treat him like a pork-eater.

“Postville” is told in the first person, and the “clash of cultures” mentioned in the subtitle refers not only to the divide between Christian Postville and the Hasidic outpost, but also to Bloom’s relationship to each. A New Jersey-bred, Berkeley-educated reporter who moved to Iowa from San Francisco, Bloom is a creature of the speedy, modern life of the coasts, and his Jewishness manifests itself mostly as a longing for pastrami and a revulsion at the mention of Jesus during Cub Scout meetings. He feels himself as much a fish out of water in Iowa as he imagines the Lubavitchers would be. In fact, they have brought their way of life with them, whereas Bloom feels somewhat rootless.

Bloom writes about his own struggles, at times affectingly. He also shows himself to be a valiant reporter. He is at his impersonal best in a long tangent about a pair of disgruntled Hasidim who go on a crime spree through the Iowa countryside; one, a convert, is severely punished, and the other, from a renowned rabbinic lineage, gets a slap on the wrist.

One area Bloom did not master, however, is Judaism, particularly in his mistaking the whole-hog observance of the Hasidim for complete authenticity. He brings his son to the Kamzoils’ so Mikey can have a “thoroughly Jewish experience,” as though it were impossible to have one at home.

The reporter in Bloom does not judge the Rubashkins for hiring illegal immigrants and flouting labor regulations, much as he bends over backward not to accuse the Postville Christians of anti-Semitism. However, by the end of the book Bloom, whose sense of kinship with the Hasidim brought him to Postville, feels as stung as the Iowans did, and he himself describes the Hasidim of Postville as secretive, chauvinistic and deceitful.

Bloom makes a convincing case that they are, but unfortunately he extrapolates from his experiences to make unsupportable broad generalizations, much as the Iowans do. Bargaining is not “an undeniable part of Bloom’s own culture” just because the Iowans and Kamzoil both say so, and if it is, so is a respect for workers’ rights, which was championed by the secular Jewish labor movement.

Early on, Bloom makes the claim that Postville “seemed like a social laboratory, perhaps even a metaphor for America.” Perhaps, but a more fitting parallel might be Central Europe, where a changing economy brought religious Jews from the east into German Protestant cities and towns. One hopes the Postville experiment goes better.

So now that this raid has happened, it will be interesting to see if the Hasidic Jews take their illegal alien running business to yet another small town and change it forever or if they will clean up their act and stay in Postville. If they pull out of Postville, there will be people who will chastise the ICE raid for ruining the economy of Postville because following the law was SO inconvenient to AgriProcessors, Inc so they folded up their plant and went elsewhere.. perhaps to a place that does not enforce immigration laws.