"Eees not my chob!"
Posted on 05/08/2005 9:27:10 AM PDT by suspects
When opponents of the “Real ID” legislation announced a rally for illegal immigrants and their allies in Montgomery County, MD, there was one immigration-related group I was absolutely certain would not show up: The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the people responsible for actually enforcing our immigration laws. Casa de Maryland and others claimed 5,000 people would gather on Saturday to protest the “Real ID” Act working its way through Congress, and many of these people would be illegal immigrants themselves, we were told. If I were looking for immigration criminals, it’s exactly where I would be.
That’s why I’ll never be appointed head of the ICE.
I decided that I should show up anyway. Why shouldn’t one American who thinks we should have the same border controls other nations (including Mexico) have show up and support the concepts of secure borders and national security? I figured somebody ought to make that point, even in a liberal enclave like Montgomery County.
And that’s how it came to pass that I arrived at Richard Montgomery High School on Saturday dressed like this:
I was just trying to make a point. And in case you think I was attempting to impersonate a federal official, it should be noted that a) the INS is no longer in business, having been replaced by the ICE; and b), the letters actually stand for “I Need border Security!” (Unfortunately I didn’t have enough room on the shirt, so I had to leave off the “B”)
The illegals and their allies were gathered to protest tightened ID requirements for driver’s licenses. The shouted “No license, no justice, no peace,” and insisted that the only people who wanted legitimate IDs to be, well, legitimate, were racists and bigots—which they frequently abbreviated to “Republicans.”
Because they have such a bad attitude about IDs in general, it came as quite a surprise when I was barred from the anti-Real ID rally because of insufficient identification.
Around 3:20pm, I approached the gate in my “INS” t-shirt and was promptly stopped by a man presenting himself as a security person. He told me that the public rally—which I learned about from the pages of the Washington Post—was an “invitation-only event.” I showed him my ABC Radio ID and asked again to be admitted. He and several large people, none of whom had displayed any badges or ID, blocked my way and still refused to let me enter. The continued to examine my ABC Radio ID. When I tried to see the one ID on display, the man who appeared to be in charge covered it with his hands.
I kept pressing: “With whom am I speaking? Who are you?” One of the thuggish looking men replied, “Do YOU have any ID.”
“Sure,” I replied, and showed my ABC Radio ID again.
“Other than that?” he asked.
“Are you saying you’re not going to accept my ID? Are you saying you need tighter IDS at this event?
The continued to question my press credentials.
“This is my ID,” I insisted. “This is my media ID. So you’re not going to let me in because I don’t have a good enough ID, is that what you’re saying? An AMERICAN CITIZEN can’t get in here because he doesn’t have the right ID, is that what you’re saying?”
They continued to block my way and refused to show any ID. Two people claimed to be “Montgomery County Public School security officers,” but one again showed no identification. So I announced “This is a public event, I’m working media, I’m going in.” I started walking through the gate.
That’s when they jumped me.
Five or more people started shoving, grabbing and pulling me, moving to block my way as I tried to walk into a public high school venue. Several times someone knocked at the tape recorder I had in my hand, recording this event, and at some point they must have turned it off. I continued to walk forward as best I could, my arms held straight down, working my way between the bodies blocking my path. That’s when they began to seriously grab and shove me. They knocked me entirely away from the gate, pulling and pushing me backwards. Then someone shouted for the police. “Finally,” I thought, “they’ll get these goons off me!”
And that’s when the cops jumped me.
Three from behind—one on each arm and one around the neck and shoulders—and one in front. At least one of the thugs who jumped me started accusing me of assault. Once again, I haven’t pushed, shoved or hit anyone. I was just trying to walk into the gates of a high school sports field for a public rally. OK, so maybe they didn’t like my shirt, but it wasn’t any more offensive than their shouts of “anti-immigrant Republican abuse!” coming from the podium inside.
The cops grabbed my tape recorder, my ABC Radio ID and detained me. Ignoring my questions about why I was being held but the people who illegally prevented me from entering the rally weren’t, the police escorted me back to my car and demanded more ID. Then they kept me there for approximately 15 minutes. They never detained any of the people who jumped me.
By sheer coincidence, columnist and blogger Michelle Malkin happened to be covering the pro-illegal immigration rally too. She and her husband saw what was happening and approached my police guards. She started asking questions and the Montgomery County Police suggested she find somewhere else to be. She did, however, get a photo of me being escorted by the cops.
After several phone calls and conversations, the police official in charge made a very disturbing comment: “Look, we can’t stop you from going in there in that shirt,” he said. “But if you do, I can’t guarantee your safety. And when people in there start jumping on you, I’ve got to send my officers in to get you out and that puts them in danger.”
In other words, he was confident that the people at the rally would kick my a…er, would react with violence. I wasn’t worried about it, but the officer seemed all but certain of it.
So we came to an agreement: I would turn my shirt inside out in deference to the concerns of the police.
I walked in the front gates—right past the entirely unmolested, unidentified group of thugs who jumped me—and down to the poorly attended rally.
That’s when I discovered I was being followed.
Several activists followed me through the crowd, some speaking in Spanish to the people around me. I said nothing. I just went toward the front to hear the speakers. And who is the emcee of the event? Why, it’s the guy who stopped me at the gate to begin with! It’s Juan Carlos Ruiz—he’s just some stooge with Casa de Maryland. He wasn’t a cop or security guard of any kind.
He was ranting away about “No License—No Peace” and how Maryland better not start actually checking to make sure the IDs presented at the motor vehicle offices are real, so I took a good look at the crowd. Very small. Casa de Maryland predicted 5,000 people, but it was closer to 300. I started to take a crowd shot, and that’s when I was jumped AGAIN!
The gang that had been following me circled me with their protest signs to stop me from taking photographs. They called in English and Spanish to the people around us to create a “sign wall” around me. It was hilarious. It was like that TV commercial with the woman who has some credit card and is surrounded by Secret Service. Every time I moved, they moved with me, trying to block the lens of my camera, all the while calling me a “racist,” a “bigot” and a bunch of stuff in Spanish that didn’t sound very nice.
There's much more to tell, and we'll be talking about it on my radio show at 9am Monday on 630 WMAL in Washington, DC. Listen over the web at www.michaelgraham.com
Don't try to change the subject. We will deport them all, and then you will have no friends left.
Rather have no friends, than the friends you have TSR, hollywood leftists.
The problem is, even when these illegal alien criminals show up at a public rally in the heart of tthis country and publicly identify themselves, the authorities don't do anything. Instead, they threaten and abuse American citizens who want something done about it. I see something horrible wrong in that picture.
This isn't a "race" thing. It's a "survival of America" thing. But, nice try attempting to deflect the argument from the real issue, anyway.
Uh maybe you should give your lecture to travis. He's the one posting pictures of gang memebers to, IMO, smear a whole ethincity, while being silent of those actually promoting gang culture and other destructive societal behaviors, the hollywood left.
As far as I know, even though I'm actually no friend of theirs, Hollywood leftists are here LEGALLY, which is more than I can say for YOUR friends.
Uh, I have no illegal "friends", but again nice try at a smear, as you defend the hollywood left.
BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! What kind of sh*t are you smoking, Dane? I don't endorse the Hollywood left or M & M, although I'd sooner associate with them than with some illegal alien enabler like you.
So thats where Michael Graham ended up after he left WRVA in Richmond. Looks like he is up to the same stuff he was up to here. Good for him.
Dane is a FOQNA (Freepers Of Questionable National Allegiance), and is busy flacking for the illegal aliens 24/7. You will find it impossible to deal with this race baiter if you believe strongly in American sovereignty, secure and protected borders, and the preservation of American culture, customs, traditions and language. These are values embraced by all true conservatives but mocked by Dane and the rest of the FOQNA loon hyena pack. Though a small minority, they stir up as much trouble as possible on the immigration threads, with the goal of getting anti-illegal alien posters suspended/banned and the threads either pulled or sent to the Smoky Backroom.
Now you know.
There you said it, you'd rather associate with eminem and the hollywood left(barbara streisand et al).
Thank you for being honest about the people who would kiss ass for to climb the ladder.
You may continue with your rhetoric with the people whom you wish to associate with,(hollywood leftists, elitists, racists, dividers, et al.)
Like I asked travis on a previous thread, where is the re-education center that I(this FOQNA) should report to, czar.
>>“No License—No Peace”<<
What would happen if some people start shouting: "No border security-no peace"?
They will be duly arrested for hate speech/crimes!
Why is everything turning on its head?
[[Dane is a FOQNA (Freepers Of Questionable National Allegiance), and is busy flacking for the illegal aliens 24/7. You will find it impossible to deal with this race baiter if you believe strongly in American sovereignty, secure and protected borders, and the preservation of American culture, customs, traditions and language. These are values embraced by all true conservatives but mocked by Dane and the rest of the FOQNA loon hyena pack. Though a small minority, they stir up as much trouble as possible on the immigration threads, with the goal of getting anti-illegal alien posters suspended/banned and the threads either pulled or sent to the Smoky Backroom.]]
EXACTLY!
Compared to you, Eminem sounds like a good deal to me. Don't get me wrong, though, I'd pick a good bunch of real American conservatives over both Eminem and you FOQNAs.
She can't answer my tagline quiz either! LOL
While the way he was treated is disgusting, an "ABC Radio" ID card is not a "press credential", and Graham is wrong to represent it as such, both at the event and in this blog entry.
ABC, like all the other MSMs, has specific ID cards for members of its news division. If you work for ABC in a news capacity, you carry two IDs, one that specifically says "ABCNEWS" on it, and another one that just says "ABC", which is nothing more than your company ID card that lets you past the guard in your own building every day. (Oh, and also grants you a very substantial discount at the Disney Store down at the mall.)
What Graham was carrying was the latter, and it gives him no more privileges to gain access to any event than the company ID card of someone who works at Burger King. In fact, he technically committed a fireable offense by using it as such, though given that his job is to make waves (and thus get ratings), I'm sure his bosses won't care. They sure would if anyone else at WMAL got caught trying something like this, though.
"Eees not my chob!"
Hey bub, the ABCNEWS card also gives him no more privileges to gain access to any event than the company ID card of someone who works at Burger King as well. A "press pass" is issued by the people providing security at that particular event. They control access to their own events. A person carrying an ABCNEWS ID has no more rights than any other person in the United States -- even if they work at Burger King. Now it's true that ABC News division may have negotiated access rights with certain law enforcement officials or other government agencies, but all that is is an agreement between ABC and the agency involved where that agency is providing security such as at a freeway accident or courthouse. No additional "rights" are bestowed.
Hey pal.
There's a reason I used the word "privileges" instead of "rights" in my post.
We're all getting pretty PO'd by:
an immigration department that isn't enforcing immigration laws,
a homeland security department that isn't interested in protecting our homeland security,
leftist special interest groups who have everything to gain by increased illegal immigration,
hollywood leftists who support illegal immigration, because that's where they get their nannies, pool boys, gardeners, etc.,
and local governments that turn a blind eye to law-breaking by radical groups - because dealing with them may cause them to break a fingernail or muss their hair.
Apparently you don't know a whole heckuva lot about Montgomery County, MD - we have a hugely diverse population of LEGAL immigrants from Latin American countries, African countries, near and far east countries, as well as some from european countries, and now we are being invaded by ILLEGAL immigrants from all over the place, but mostly from south and central american countries.
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