Posted on 02/12/2003 1:26:05 AM PST by JohnHuang2
In his masterwork "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," Edward Gibbon wrote, "Our sympathy is cold to the relation of distant misery." Sadly, that does seem to be the case, at least sometimes. Consider Seattle, a city apparently locked in a death struggle with Berkley to become the undisputed epicenter of anti-Americanism and radical egalitarianism. Perhaps the citizens of Seattle who have chosen to oppose enforcement of immigration laws and the war on terrorism should have visited Ground Zero the day after 3,000 innocent people were murdered by foreign terrorists in an act of breathtaking evil.
Seattle, rife with its own social problems seems to have developed an unusually powerful taste for politically correct silliness and bizarre mischief. In 1999, the city gained the dubious honor of hosting what is now referred to as the "Battle in Seattle." Some 50,000 protest junkies clad in wacky costumes and black bandannas swarmed into the city to disrupt the World Trade Organization’s evil crusade of ‘global capitalism.’ Not surprisingly, an anarchist-led riot ensued and Seattle, a city that prides itself on a super-tolerant, liberal lifestyle soon fell under civil emergency. More alarming than the rioting malcontents was the tone in Seattle itself. The people were often openly sympathetic; workers on construction sites and in offices were seen cheering as mobs of demonstrators commandeered the streets.
That disgraceful fiasco occurred pre-9/11. Although the rules across most of the country have changed, the festering anti-Americanism gaining momentum in places like Seattle dramatizes a grim wartime reality: The so-called "peace movement" spearheaded largely by America-haters, poisons domestic solidarity and strengthens the resolve of our enemies. Blinded by false piety, they refuse to connect the dots between lax immigration laws, terrorism, and the security of their own nation.
Recently, the nine dunderheads comprising the Seattle City Council unanimously approved an ordinance barring local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities ferreting out illegal aliens. According to a flabbergasted Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), "Under federal law, no public servant can be prevented from cooperating with federal authorities enforcing U.S. immigration laws."
This reckless policy not only discourages police from pursuing a suspicious person’s immigration status, it requires law officers to ignore evidence pointing to that person’s illegal status. Put quite simply, the City Council’s ordinance effectively turns street cops into meter maids when it comes to enforcing immigration laws.
But remember, this is Seattle, where an 18-foot tall statue of Vladimir Lenin is proudly displayed in its trendy Fremont section. That’s right, Lenin, the monomaniacal despot who laid the groundwork for 20th century communism, during which upward of 100 million souls were lost to his totalitarian ambitions. Unthinkable? Not in Seattle.
While the rest of the country prepares for America’s war on terrorism, Seattle has decided to become an outreach center for illegal aliens, irrespective of their potential ties with terrorist organizations. In defense of the Council’s decision, Anita Sinha, a leftist lawyer for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project summed up the sentiments of her guilt-ridden constituents, "In this climate of secret detentions and special registration, it’s clearly important to have a City Council that takes a strong proactive stance." Proactive for whom? We paid an exorbitant price on 9/11 for the proactive policies of absolute inclusion that the extreme Left still advocates!
More disturbing, is the attitude of Seattle’s police department. In response to Attorney General Ashcroft’s circumspect national security entry-exit registration system, Police Chief Gil Kerlowske—in true Seattle-style, PC form—offered this stunning policy statement: "Seattle police will encourage all complainants to communicate with police officers without inquiry regarding their immigration status." Illegal aliens are criminals, yet Chief Kerlowske wants them to feel comfortable around his officers. His affirmative-confusion-style policing countervails the purity of mission in law enforcement. Would he extend the same deference to carjackers?
He offered this explanation to his baffling policy edict: "The best prevention against a future terrorist attack is a police department that has trust and good communication with all of the people it serves." Do "all the people" he’s alluding to include lawbreakers, e.g., illegal aliens? Sorry Chief, but the best defense against terrorism is super-vigilant law enforcement whose sole charter is to protect America and her law-abiding citizens. Let not your heart be troubled, the ACLU will be on hand if you offend the sensibilities of miscreants.
Not surprisingly, the perennially seedy downtown area of Seattle has become more so with an influx of illegal aliens. Drug dealing is now prevalent, along with a host of pesky civility issues. On Second Avenue, where the needle-exchange program does land office business, the police were finally forced to call in the FBI and INS. A crackdown discovered that a consortium of Mexican ranches was dispatching drug runners across the U.S. border, where they worked their way up the coast to the immigrant-friendly streets of Seattle.
It gets worse. The "Emerald City’s" contempt and utter disregard for immigration laws took a dangerous turn with its handling of Somalis engaged in food stamp fraud. Last year, the FBI determined the Al-Barakaat Wire Transfer Co., an outfit with known connections to al-Qaeda, targeted Seattle’s asylee community as a cash cow to fund its nefarious activities.
The scam was easy, especially in a city renowned for an immigration policy that’s no more than a philosophical abstraction and a police department that maintains a pseudo-chumminess with illegal aliens. Al-Barakaat set up a storefront in Seattle. They immediately began selling Qat (a mild narcotic popular with Somalis), and converting the Somali’s food stamps into cash. During their period of illicit operations, the FBI believes that Al-Barakaat skimmed tens of millions of dollars off these two activities, trafficking the proceeds directly to the al-Qaeda terror network.
The INS sought to deport Somalis who had committed crimes in the US, failed to show for court-ordered deportation, or faced final orders for deportation. To a logical mind, this might sound like prudent immigration practice. However, an aggressively liberal judiciary was unconvinced of the danger posed by a group of persons from an Islamic country, who had made themselves eligible for deportation by their misdeeds.
In Seattle, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled against the federal government’s compelling argument that such deportations are vital in the war on terrorism. Pechman’s ruling effectively halted the imminent deportation of thousands of other Somali lawbreakers. Perhaps the thought of returning them to their worn-torn country tugged at her heartstrings. One can only imagine why a federal judge would put the interests of potentially dangerous foreign intruders ahead of her country.
Call it "The Seattle Syndrome," a self-deluded ego trip of hyper egalitarianism that so resents America for being a superior culture that it wants to humble Her a bit, bring Her down to one knee.
In October of 2002, close to 10,000 people turned out in Seattle for an anti-war demonstration. Along with the diehard protesters of all things American were proud parents pushing their children in strollers and business-types in designer jeans. It was, by all accounts, just the pre-game show. For any America-hating "activist," Seattle’s numerous anti-war organizations offer a venue to vent their spleen. Fortunately, in true socialist form, these groups operate by consensus, making them essentially leaderless.
When Secretary of State Colin Powell announced that Iraq was in "material breach" of its weapons disclosure requirements it put the U.S. on a potential path to war. It also fired the engines of dissidence. Seattle’s activist community stated that if war were declared they would take to the streets and bring the city to a standstill. This is post-fact protest at its most illogical extreme; success depends on the defeat of their country.
Seattle residents are more opposed to disarming Iraq than most other Americans, even markedly so when compared with residents of their own state. That’s fine. Policy opposition and raucous public debate are very much in the spirit of America. But when the rhetoric is filled with hate and disaffection for our country, in today’s perilous atmosphere, it bears a troubling likeness to subversion.
Seattle’s mission of fostering an atmosphere of cuddly acceptance for all things kooky is that it becomes a self-perpetuating unstated message that no one ultimately understands, except our enemies. And they decoded that message in the 1960s. The infamy of 9/11 created doubts throughout the world about America’s ability and determination to defend Her people. We cannot permit those doubts to become reality. The grave danger is in allowing the Seattle Syndrome to spread unchallenged, like an opportunistic infection. But rendered harmless through containment, it simply remains one of few discordant notes trying to disrupt a magnificent symphony.
Now, Chief Moose is forming a for profit movtivational speaking group, writing a book and profiting from the terror. In one word, tacky!
Doesn't subversion, by its very nature, mean going against established power and practice? In what way is the Seattle stand on illegal immigrants subversive? GWB is no more interested in enforcing immigration laws than the Seattle City Council. The only thing they are guilty of is exposing the hypocrisy and mendacity of the system, and not just on this matter. I mean, try to imagine what would happen if a city voted to opt out of cooperating with affirmative action laws, laws that really matter to the people who really run the society. Bush would send in paratroopers. In a time when the Republican executive is sending envoys to a hostile foreign nation to negotiate how many of their citizens will be allowed to colonize the U.S. and Republican governors openly pine for the elimination of the American borders, the Seattle City Council's actions merely highlight what is the defacto law of the land.
I remember the first time I saw that statue of Lenin after I moved here. I looked back at it to make sure my eyes weren't fooling me. At the time, I laughed it off. Freemont is a strange place, many here call it Freakmont. But as the years went on, every once in a while I found myself back in Freemont passing that statue. The more you see it the more it troubles you.
A few weeks ago, after one of my Senators praised Osama bin Laden's support for working mothers in Afghanistan, I heard Oliver North on the radio encouraging someone to tear down the statue. He promised to raise money for legal defense.
It is so humilating to have a Senator like Patty Murray, a Congressman like Jim McDermot, a worthless governor like John Locke, a county executive that bans Christmas, and a city council that undermines national security.
I tell my friends and family back home in Oklahoma, "You have no idea what its like to live someplace where everyone disagrees with you," or "I've been on the losing side of all but about 3 votes up here."
I'm a very outspoken person, especially when it comes to politics. But I've learned having a healthy dating life and being a Republican are practically incompatible in Seattle, especially now. In bars and coffeehouses I overhear people discussing the racist war mongers in the White House. And it comes up everywhere out of nowhere. At a party the other night I stepped outside to smoke with a few women I had just met. One in particular had taken a liking to me (I'm irresisitable) and things were progressing well. She was very pretty, funny, intelligent and quite charming. They were discussing their upcoming social plans, when she chimed in with "unless Bush gets us all killed by then" or something to that effect. As difficult as it was, I just kept my mouth shut as the conversation switched to why "I'm anti-war" and "What about the trees?" and so-on. Its so disappointing, it happens all the time. Sorry to rant.
Mr. M., you'll want to read this...
February 12, 2003
The Honorable Laurier T. Raymond, Jr.
Dear Mr. Mayor:
I am forwarding this message of concern to the full council for consideration:
As you know, America, Maine, and Lewiston face a national security crisis. News reports reveal that powerful enemies stand ready to attack us with chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction.
September 11th, 2001 was a devastating attack upon our people. But it was not the first. Prior violent attacks upon US sovereign grounds, including Naval ships in port, Marine barracks in foreign lands, and embassy compounds around the world are clear evidence of a unified movement willing and able to wreak death and destruction upon us.
The thousands of citizens killed in a few moments on "9/11" are a drop in the bucket compared to what our sworn enemies are capable of. Considering that we live close to the only NATO base in the Northeast, near the Maine Yankee Plant, and have one of only two combatant shipbuilders in the country (BIW) as a neighbor and major employer of many Lewiston residents, this is all the more chilling.
The United Nations, in an attempt to deal with one aspect of this situation diplomatically, has approved Resolution 1441, the latest of 16 similar resolutions in the last 12 years, which requires Iraq to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction, or face severe consequences. All evidence to date indicates that Iraq, in keeping with its deceptions of the past, has not complied with this and numerous aforementioned resolutions.
The international community may have no other choice than to forcefully disarm Saddam Hussein and his evil regime. President Bush has made it clear that military action is his last choice, but has made it equally clear that he is ready to take such action when Iraq leaves us no other option.
Given the severity of this situation, I believe it is vital that the President, his administration, and our military forces have the full support of the American people in exercising their rightful authority to protect our lives and our land. We face a new national security imperative; the ever-shrinking global community causes issues that were "foreign news" not many years ago to take on the urgency of a local event.
I therefore ask that the Lewiston City Council unanimously endorse a resolution supporting the President in taking whatever decisive action he feels is necessary to protect us. I ask that you approve a proactive position of support at the Council meeting scheduled for 18 February.
I will be happy to come before the Council on that date to speak on behalf of this position, unless you feel that it's best to leave such issues to our National leaders. Either way, I will give you my support; the last thing anyone wants is a repeat of the national divisiveness of the 60's.
Respectfully,
Bogeybob
Actually, no. It turns my stomach. But it doesn't shock me anymore about that place. I think I got out just in time.
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