America Focus on PAN

NEWS & ANALYSIS

America’s Focus on Arizona’s PAN Initiative

By Dennis Durband, Editor

On Thursday evening, the eyes of America focused on Arizona, ground zero in the border invasion that tears at the fabric of the nation. Lawmakers and immigration experts came to Phoenix to encourage volunteers to do everything possible to succeed in getting the Protect Arizona Now (PAN) initiative qualified for the fall ballot.

PAN aims to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, photo I.D. when voting and proof of eligibility to receive non-federal mandated public benefits. By June 30^th, PAN must submit 122,000 valid signatures to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office in order to get it placed on the official voting ballot for the November election. Recently, the signature tally was over 60,000.

One by one, a high-profile parade of speakers strode to the podium to implore Arizonans to make PAN succeed. The only person absent was PAN director Kathy McKee, who is feuding with fellow initiative leaders and is mistrustful of FAIR.

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, the foremost federal lawmaker in fighting the border invasion, flew in to rouse the PAN troops. So did Bay Buchanan, the sister of Pat Buchanan and director of Team America, Los Angeles talk show host Terry Anderson and several members of the Federation of Americans for Immigration Reform (FAIR). Based in Washington, D.C., FAIR is spending $100,000 to pay people to gather the necessary signatures. FAIR sponsored Thursday’s rally.

Tancredo said, “I love Arizona and will come to Arizona at the drop of a hat. The task you have ahead of you is a difficult one. Some good things are happening. You can tell momentum is shifting in this country. Little things are happening."

The congressman said that President Bush ignited a firestorm of protest in January when he introduced a Temporary Worker Program.

“That prompted a response I’ve never seen,” Tancredo said, “1,000 calls to my office in four hours, 99.999 percent of which were negative. People were saying, ‘I’ve been a Republican all my life and I’m not going to vote for him (President Bush).’”

Pat Buchanan said last week that the president has abandoned that plan.

However, at a Republican congressional retreat in Philadelphia two weeks after the Bush announcement, Tancredo felt that immigration reform would surely be placed on the agenda.

“It’s the one thing people agree on,” Tancredo said. “People by the throngs say, ‘yes, secure the borders!’ We have two problems to get anything accomplished: the Democratic Party – it’s a source of votes. On the other side we’ve got the Republican Party, which sees a source of cheap labor. These two power brokers are tough to beat. Karl Rove (senior advisor to Bush) and the White House people were at the retreat. At the end of the second day, I went up to speak. There were 30 members in line. Every person who spoke said, ‘this immigration thing … is he (Bush) crazy? Tell him to knock it off!’

“Some of these people had been lukewarm on immigration before this. Cong. Phil Gingrey of Georgia, who’s a doctor and speaks with a Georgia drawl, said, ‘Tell the president I took an informal poll on his immigration plan in my office and it came out right below genital herpes.’ Congressmen who were lukewarm now are using their websites to let people know they have been defending the borders since day one.”

PAN will face a battle, Tancredo predicts, because major interests with a lot of money oppose it.

“Come to this effort with enthusiasm … and with no animus in your heart,” Tancredo said. “Do it because it’s right for the country. That is a good, solid reason! Take up this issue for all the right reasons.

“It’s not just a local issue,” said Tancredo, a frequent speaker in Arizona’s border invasion ground zero. “You are the front line and will send a message. I want it to be the right issue. I ask you for your prayers for this country. I believe in the power of prayer. Come to it with the right hearts. I challenge you now. Do all you can do. It’s all He (God) expects of you. This will succeed. Our nation is at risk. Do what you can. God bless you for your efforts and God bless this country.”

FAIR director Dan Stein announced that his organization had released a report Thursday showing that the border invasion costs Arizona $1.3 billion a year, or $700 per household.

“Each year, special interests are involved in this ponzi scheme,” Stein said. “There is no cheap labor, just cheap employers. We are supposed to sit idly by while they ask us to subsidize college for illegal aliens. We are in this mess because special interests for 30 years opposed efforts to strengthen border control and have made our border laws virtually impossible. Leaders of the two parties say ‘shut up, we are moving to a free-trade zone.’ And they are letting the middle class dissolve. Both political parties conspired to stifle debate and thwart this effort.”

State Rep. Russell Pearce (R-Mesa), a senior co-advisor for PAN, said the FAIR figure is actually conservative.

“The FAIR report didn’t deal with AHCCCS, a Medicaid program,” Pearce said. “In 2001, we spent $200 million on AHCCCS. In 2003, we spent $1.2 billion. Folks, we can’t afford this. Eighty percent of the violent crime in this Valley can be attributed to illegal aliens. When are we going to put America first and not pander? This FAIR report is very conservative. Private hospitals lost $1.4 billion last year in uncompensated costs.”

Pearce did agree that PAN faces formidable opposition from people with vested interests.

“It’s hard to stand up against the P.C. crowd,” Pearce said. “Shame on us for wanting to have standards as high as Blockbuster, which requires two forms of ID to check out a video, to vote. This is a very simple, modest initiative. It requires us to enforce the laws. People who don’t uphold the oath of office they took ought to be removed from office. That Constitution does mean something. I’m not afraid of conflict. Thirty legislators signed on to this. It’s about fraud; some think fraud is okay. “

Pearce said his neighbor, Nancy Martinez, knocked on hid door and asked if he was involved with the PAN initiative.

“I said yes, and she said she is solidly behind me and it’s about time, we came here legally,” Pearce said. “A couple of Jeff Flake’s relatives live my district and they are moving to Idaho because they aren’t putting up with the violence.”

It was Anderson who whipped the audience into a frenzy. The descendant of southern slaves, Anderson’s program can be heard on KRLA Los Angeles and KFNX (1100 AM) in Phoenix on Sunday nights. Anderson was one of a group of speakers who told the audience that all eyes nationally are on Arizona and its attempt to pass an initiative that will create a strong message about border enforcement.

“You are going to be in the history books forever,” Anderson said. “You took a stand that nobody would take before you. You guys have to prove you can do it here. You must get done. You’ve done what other Americans didn’t do. There is hope; it is changing. Talk radio is 80 percent immigration – the boards are lighting up. People are upset. I want to come back again to celebrate when it’s (PAN) put on the ballot and again when it passes. If you ain’t angry, you ain’t payin’ attention.”

Anderson delivered harsh words for Southwest region congressmen who are compromising and sponsoring guest worker legislation.

“We’ve got a lot of politicians that suck,” Anderson complained. “(Arizona Congressman Jim) Kolbe sucks. (Arizona Congressman Jeff) Flake sucks. (Utah Congressman) Chris Cannon sucks. When you vote for the lesser of two evils, you get evil. Start acting like Republicans!”

Bay Buchanan said, “There is a security threat here, jobs are on the line and there is a cultural aspect here. It is imperative that this initiative pass. We cannot wait for the officials to wake up. They are gone, and we can’t count on them. Reach out to others to join in this cause. It is incumbent on us to become involved. And Randy Graf must be elected … and others like him. He is going up against the establishment and the press.”

Graf is a state representative opposing Kolbe in the District 8 Republican primary Sept. 7.

Linda Purdue, who handles FAIR’s membership database, defined the issue in more precise terms.

“This PAN initiative is the No. 1 project going in the country and will send a shock wave all the way to the White House,” Purdue said.

A couple of the speakers mentioned the inner turmoil revolving around McKee and predicted the squabble would soon be resolved.

Stein said: “We have an internal dispute, which won’t last more than a couple days.”

“There has been a little family feuding,” Pearce acknowledged. “I wish Kathy McKee was here to be recognized for all her hard work.”

McKee has in recent months been airing dirty laundry in public, issuing news releases and email messages highly critical PAN’s leaders and volunteers, as well as FAIR. She has fired several people, including treasurer Rusty Childress, who was in attendance at Thursday’s rally. Nevertheless, Pearce, co-advisor Randy Graf, PAN volunteers and FAIR all plan to continue onward in their desperate race against the calendar.

The mayor of Gilbert, Steve Berman also addressed the audience and explained that his community had bucked a Maricopa County trend and refused to accept Matricula Consular cards.

“We are the only city so far to say ‘no’ to the card. “The Matricula Consular card is really about illegal immigration. We are a country at war. Every country has a right to know who is in their country. There is no tangible reason in my town to accept the card. I would advise other cities not to accept it. It’s not about Hispanics; it’s about illegal immigrants. I am not about to accept driver’s licenses for people from Saudi Arabia and Iraq either.

Meanwhile, as thousands of uninvited invaders pour across the Arizona border, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), a co-sponsor of guest worker legislation, focused his efforts in Washington this week on the burning issue of steroid use in professional sports.