Posted on 12/07/2006 10:11:21 PM PST by ruination
George W. Bush isn't the first Republican president to face a full-blown immigration crisis on the US-Mexican border.
Fifty-three years ago, when newly elected Dwight Eisenhower moved into the White House, America's southern frontier was as porous as a spaghetti sieve. As many as 3 million illegal migrants had walked and waded northward over a period of several years for jobs in California, Arizona, Texas, and points beyond.
President Eisenhower cut off this illegal traffic. He did it quickly and decisively with only 1,075 United States Border Patrol agents - less than one-tenth of today's force. The operation is still highly praised among veterans of the Border Patrol.
Although there is little to no record of this operation in Ike's official papers, one piece of historic evidence indicates how he felt. In 1951, Ike wrote a letter to Sen. William Fulbright (D) of Arkansas. The senator had just proposed that a special commission be created by Congress to examine unethical conduct by government officials who accepted gifts and favors in exchange for special treatment of private individuals.
General Eisenhower, who was gearing up for his run for the presidency, said "Amen" to Senator Fulbright's proposal. He then quoted a report in The New York Times, highlighting one paragraph that said: "The rise in illegal border-crossing by Mexican 'wetbacks' to a current rate of more than 1,000,000 cases a year has been accompanied by a curious relaxation in ethical standards extending all the way from the farmer-exploiters of this contraband labor to the highest levels of the Federal Government."
(Excerpt) Read more at csmonitor.com ...
bttt
What a concept.
bump
But we can't. Rove said it.
L
Thanks for posting this article. President Eisenhower is often dismissed as a passive, mediocre president, but the more I learn about him the more I admire him.
Karl Rove in this video shows exactly why the Republicans lost. His rant is full of outright lies. He claims that since July, no illegal alien caught was released, unlike the prior catch-and-release game. He did not say that this only applied to those caught in the border areas. If you made it deeper into the country, catch and release is still the game.
He also said that we need amnesty because there is a big difference between someone who came here illegally yesterday and someone who's been here 13 years. Yeah - the latter has been breaking the law 4,748 days longer.
It is this arrogant, elitist disregard for the majority of voters wishes that has turned them off to the Republican Party. And it will get worse if this arrogance continues.
Rove then equated the immigrants who came here legally to this illegal invasion.
Rove the Genius? He's a smug, smarta$$ moron. He almost blew the 2004 election against a pompous loser, he did blow the 2006 election, and he has set the seeds for an even worse blowout in 2008.
When all you Rove loyalists start losing your jobs to the cheap alien labor, and see your home equity halved, and your hospitals closed, Rove will be on K Street making millions showing up on TV lecturing to all of you. He will be the Republican Carville - a loser who just won't go away.
Karl and the other party members are badly mistaken if they think they are off the hook on immigration.Voters were pissed off at the way the president and his party thumbed their nose at them and ignored their pleas.They better hope that they wake up and put a stop to this before their ignorance causes many to lose their lives.
By mid-July, the crackdown extended northward into Utah, Nevada, and Idaho, and eastward to Texas.
By September, 80,000 had been taken into custody in Texas, and an estimated 500,000 to 700,000 illegals had left the Lone Star State voluntarily.
IMHO, half the illegals here would go home if we had a president who would ask them to.
Stop Microsoft lobbyists swarming Senate to double foreign workers
Should the U.S. increase its H-1B visa program? Wages belie claims of a labor shortage
VIVA!!! Operation wetback. This article is one of the few treatments in the press. Because Operation Wetback was so effective it was scary. ACLU lawyers would try to jam such an approach these days. Mexico would cut off oil shipments and so would Hugo Chavez
He's set for life and could care less about the invasion
The "peasants" fight wars for this POS and suffer the consequences of the Mexican/Central American invasion
hope this article can "go national" AGAIN!
Yeah, Republicans showed extaordinary cowardice leading up to the 2006 elections. They didn't please the base and didn't present a clear choice, even on the war in Iraq. Don't cut and run wasn't descriptive enough a strategy to win in that country and voters know that. Some Republicans waivered on Rumsfeld, gave in to the Democrats even before the election. While our troops are bleeding and fighting our elected leaders are surrendering. What in the hell did Bush say to Rummy after the election? Now you be a good soldier while I cut you off at the knees? And what the hell are the troops fighting for anyway if we are just going to throw away our sovereignty?
Note to self: When serving up bullshit don't forget the folksy drawal, lobster appetizers, and a nice California zinfandel.
*BUMP*! . . .
For you, JVB.
DC Chapter short list ping.
bflr
I Like Ike !
One of the positive consequences of the '06 elections is the possible marginalization of Karl Rove.
Imagine how the situation in Iraq might be different if Ike was in charge: First, we cut off the border with Syria and Iran by eliminating everyone and anyone within five miles of the border, no exceptions, no excuses, no apologies. At the same time we initiate a sweep from the Kuwait border and from Bagdad that fans out in all direction until we reach both borders and eliminate all resitance in between. The goal is to win the war first, then stabalize the country, then turn the policing over to the Iraqi government and let them worry about winning the hearts and minds of the people.
Thanks for posting this again...
Should be titled, "When grown-ups were in charge"...
The sea voyage was "a rough trip, and they did not like it," says Don Coppock, who worked his way up from Border Patrolman in 1941 to eventually head the Border Patrol from 1960 to 1973.
Won't you let me take you on sea cruise Woo-ee, woo-ee baby.
What we need now is a 21st century "Operation Wetback" to begin ASAP, please.
Also, see this thread: Stop Microsoft lobbyists swarming Senate to double foreign workers (H1B visa program expansion - bringing in lower wage foreigners legally to take jobs from skilled Americans). That article links to a website where you can read more, and look up phone numbers to make calls to your Senators about that bill.
It doesn't look like our politicians want to save our country, so we have to do it.
To whatever degree of success Operation Wetback had back then, it has lead to more illegal immigration today.
Those fleeing Operation Wetback were stuck on the border resulting in signficant problems for the area. As a solution to these problems, the Maquiladoras were concieved of and created. This led to the industrialization of Mexico's north which attracts workers from all of Mexico, who have/had no intention of entering the US. When their prospects for employment on the Mexican border don't pan out, it is cheaper and easier to continue north, rather than return home.
Someone recommended this article to me today, and I would have posted it if you had not. Thank you!
Bump
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