From WWW.ILW.com

There are two items of particular interest from www.ilw.com:

More Immigrants in the Military

Currently the 30,000 immigrants serving in the U.S. military make up about 2 percent of the active-duty force. About 100 have been killed in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As it struggles to meet its recruiting goals, Pentagon is considering expanding the number of immigrants in the ranks, by putting more immigrants on a faster track to U.S. citizenship if they volunteer and by opening recruiting stations overseas. http://www.ilw.com/weekly/#Editors-Comments

Tom Tancredo and Friend

In July 2005, the fanatically anti-immigration Rep. Tancredo of Colorado advocated the nuclear bombing of Mecca and other muslim holy sites, as the proper response to a future nuclear attack on a US city by Islamist terrorists. In December 2006, the avowedly anti-immigration Rep. Goode of Virgina objected to the fact that Democratic Rep. Ellison of Minnesota will use the Koran instead of the Bible during the swearing-in ceremony at the House of Representatives in the coming days. We believe that this direct attack on the first amendment by Mr. Goode, and the bombastic statements by Mr. Tancredo are related, not merely in their anti-immigration perspective, but more importantly, in being an explicit declaration by two men elected by the people of their districts to the Congress of the United States, to destroy the ancient foundations of freedom in our country and to wilfully disregard the central tenet of our country’s organizing document – the US constitution. Here’s why. It is hard to see how Mr. Tancredo or Mr. Goode can honestly take the oath required of Congressmen: “I … do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States … ” when they have repeatedly publicly attacked the foundation of that same document and repeatedly publicly advocated acting against it. Accordingly, we respectfully urge: Incoming Speaker Pelosi to remember the ancient right of assemblies to seat their own members and to consider asking the House to refuse to seat the two gentlemen until they recant their statements The incoming House of Representatives to consider censuring these two gentlemen or to consider passing a sense of the House resolution to condemn those who would attack the first amendment The Democratic Party to take a principled stand on the issue of religious freedom and foment a confrontation between the honorable patriots in the Republican Party and the few religious extremists who label themselves Republican The Republican Party to heed the admonition of their late senior statesman, Barry Goldwater that “Religious factions will go on imposing their will on others unless the decent people connected to them recognize that religion has no place in public policy”; and condemn religious bigotry in their midst Mr. Goode and Mr. Tancredo to realize that there is an ongoing war between those who uphold freedom of religion and tolerance on one hand and religious extremists who preach intolerance on the other and that should search their souls to decide which side they each wish to be on (Should they have the courage to apologize and seek forgiveness, they should realize that forgiveness will be swiftly forthcoming) Every one of our readers to take this issue of freedom of conscience most seriously as it is the most sacred of rights – a place within a man’s soul where the use of coercion would destroy all that is holy, and to take such measures of advocacy on this issue as are within their power http://www.ilw.com/immigdaily/#comment

KJ