Posted on 05/25/2007 8:04:24 PM PDT by Snerdley
If you are having trouble getting through the Capitol switchboard to express your opinion about the Bush-Kennedy shamnesty, there's a special hotline number you might like to try.
1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number) 1-800-417-7666. (English number)
Freepers picked up on it this morning. Bryan Preston dialed it earlier today and captured audio of the hotline. He reports:
The hotline is paid for by something called the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform and it’s being blasted to pro-open borders groups all over the country. The hotline gives its callers access to their senators that average Joes don’t have.
Here's what the "Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform" is directing its pro-illegal alien activists to do:
Call between 9:00am and 5:00pm Eastern time to have a better chance of connecting with the Senate offices.
When you call, you will hear a recording
1) The system will scan your phone number (or ask you to enter it) to verify your Senators.
2) The system will ask which Senator you would like to be connected to.
3) Before connecting, you will hear a brief message about immigration reform to deliver.
4) After the message, you will be connected to your Senator.
5) After you are done, be sure to call again and connect to your other Senator's office.
Now, you can use it, too:
1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number) 1-800-417-7666. (English number)
Operators are standing by...
***
Who is the "Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform?" An umbrella group for every major pro-open borders outfit--many of which receive generous taxpayer subsidies. From a March 2007 press release:
A coalition of local immigrant advocates, national policy groups, labor unions, faith-based groups, and ethnic organizations have come together under the umbrella of the Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CCIR) to mount an unprecedented nationwide campaign to support passage of workable comprehensive immigration reform legislation in Congress this year.
"This campaign is unprecedented in the pro-immigration community," said Cecilia Munoz, Senior Vice President of the National Council of La Raza. "Never before have we brought together under one banner such a formidable political coalition to fight for passage of comprehensive immigration reform. We now have the money, the people and the political will to punch this vital issue over the goal line in Congress and make America a better place to live and work."
The campaign already has approximately $4 million on hand, and is expanding its war chest for what many believe will be a defining legislative debate in Congress this year. The campaign is anchored in the work of leading local and national groups committed to comprehensive immigration reform that will work and that will pass. It will feature a strong central staff headquartered in Washington, DC supported by a bi-partisan team of lobbyists, communications specialists and a field operation in 30 key states.
CCIR launched its effort over the weekend in Washington by bringing together field organizers from 29 states to hammer out strategy and refine legislative targets. In addition, the campaign�s Strategy Council met to consider legislative strategy and policy priorities. The members of the Strategy Council are:
ACORN, Asian American Justice Center, Center for American Progress, Center for Community Change, Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), Denver Area Labor Federation, El Centro, Inc., El Pueblo, Hate Free Zone, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, LA County Federation of Labor, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, LULAC, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, MALDEF, NAACP, NAKASEC, NALACC, National Capital Immigrant Coalition, National Council of La Raza, National Immigration Forum, National Immigration Law Center, Nebraska Appleseed, New York Immigration Coalition, PCUN/CAUSA, SEIU, SEIU 32BJ, SEIU Florida Healthcare Union, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, UNITE HERE, UNITE HERE Local 226 Las Vegas, UNITE HERE New Jersey State Council, United Farm Workers, United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society.
The CCIR Board is comprised of Munoz, (Chair); Frank Sharry, National Immigration Forum; Deepak Bhargava, Center for Community Change; Chung Wha Hong, New York Immigration Coalition; Eliseo Medina, SEIU; and Tom Snyder, UNITE HERE.
Where did that $4 million come from? From something called "The Atlantic Philanthropies:"
Atlantic has made three grants to date in support of this effort: a planning grant in the amount of $100,000, and two core support grants, one in 2004 which was renewed in 2005, totaling $7m.The initial planning grant enabled these twelve advocate groups – from labor, community development, ethnic identified groups, national immigration advocacy, and regional immigration coalitions – to come together at a common table and set a coordinated agenda and strategy.The two core support grants enacted this strategy – through advocacy, lobbying, communications, message and media development, grassroots mobilization and education efforts. To widen the reach and coordination of this “inside/outside” strategy, a sister 501(c)(3) coalition, The New American Opportunity Campaign, was created by the CCIR. Grant Data
* Project: Immigrant Rights * Programme: Reconciliation & Human Rights * Region Served: United States * Grantee: Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform * Amount Awarded: $4,000,000 * Year Awarded: 2005 * Duration: 24 Months (31 Aug 2005 to 29 Aug 2007)
And yes, this philanthropic group has ties to open-borders billionaire George Soros:
Gara LaMarche is President and CEO of The Atlantic Philanthropies. He joined Atlantic in April 2007 to lead the organisation through its final chapter as the foundation disburses its remaining $4 billion endowment and completes active grantmaking by 2016.
Before joining Atlantic, LaMarche served as Vice President and Director of U.S. Programs for the Open Society Institute (OSI), a foundation established by philanthropist George Soros. LaMarche joined OSI in 1996 to launch its U.S. Programs, which focuses on challenges to social justice and democracy.
Both my senators’ offices pretended at first to know nothing about this. When I finally convinced them the Spanish-speaking number goes straight through, Chambliss’ office told me the bill would pass regardless, so the issue was moot. Isakson’s aide told me the number is perfectly legal, Spanish speaking hotline and all. What a shock. And here I had been thinking, when I moved from MA to GA, that I had left liberal stupidity on a wholesale scale behind. (Btw, thanks for the ping. I’ll be out all day, so this is probably my only post. I was glad to see a new thread anyway. Keep up the good work!)
The number may be legal but the callers aren’t. Isakson’s office could neither affirm or deny the caller’s status, i.e. American citizen-taxpayer or illegal alien. I’m not even going to call them illegal immigrant any more. They are illegal aliens.
Nice to hear we have the same view:)
I think the Bible would support the founding fathers and The Constitution as the scriptures are against breaking the law. I’m sticking with the founding fathers and The Constitution since the new crew insists on flouting the will of the American people.
I bet Chertoff has never been to a Home Depot. There are probably lots of stuff he cannot do.
Build the fence, please. STOP GIVING EXCUSES AND BEING STUPID, CHERTY.
I see a graphic of Chertoff trying to build a fence.
bttt
Chertoff is a two-faced A-Hole. But we can all help him see the light. Send them a brick. If we all mail a brick to them it will be like a 5 pound e-mail. They will fill up the place:)
And ship a bag of cement to McCain’s office along with a shovel and a few trowels with instructions in Espanol.
BTTT
The fence works in Israel, so it will certainly work in our country!
Um, let's see....Riverside County and the State of California are going to spend $8.9 billion to drain the Salton Sea so it's 1/5 the size it used to be, which is coincidentally about the same cost to really build a serious fence the entire length of the U.S. / Mexican border.
Odd that the Federal Government can't find either the money (which is a round off error for them) or the technology (which is a lot easier than pumping out and securing the sea bed).
And Mr. Chertoff expects us to buy that.
"Piss in their faces and tell them it's raining" -- Old Texas saying....
(but the pay is good and yes, I do look creepy). MC Homeland
McCain’s never worked in cement but specializes in manure.
How about those bricks for kids that are cardboard? That would be easier to mail? People could share their bricks w/other freepers.
It’s Memorial Day and I got straight through to my two S.C. senators’ offices! Obviously this 800 number reads the caller area code. My Spanish is pretty good and the prompt I heard was unmistakeable: support this amnesty bill (for the children and families, of course).
Of course, their offices are closed. Will call again tomorrow. BTW, the response you got is also typical of our own Sen. Lindsey (Tinkerbelle) Graham. Be quiet, you peasants! The Aristocracy of Conscience knows best!
So who’s funding this? Thank G-d for FReepers!
“our own Sen. Lindsey (Tinkerbelle) Graham”
LOL! That is the best nickname for Senator Graham I have ever heard. Thank heaven for humor; with pending legislation like this, humor is not merely fun but essential.
Sen. Graham is also known as “Flimsey” in these parts.
Just curious, how can Sen. Chambliss’ office tell you the amnesty bill is a done deal, when it probably won’t even make it out of the House?
Another sidenote: the late Sen. Strom Thurmond did not ever once fail to respond, in writing, to a call or letter from a constituent. Graham does not deign to acknowledge such, unless a pledge or a check is involved.
My perhaps naive take on Chambliss’ aide’s comments was that the fix is in. But he was specifically only talking about the senate. He was not referring to what would happen in the house or in conference. As to my state senators, I have emailed each at least half a dozen times. The form I fill out says that constituents will receive a personal reply. I have never received anything but truly insulting standard form replies. I am really disillusioned. After a long exile in MA, I had hoped and believed GA would be different and better. It is depressing that pols of all regions and all stripes—with a few notable exceptions—are so much alike these days.
Arizona’s Senators boxes are full—Try tomorrow!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.