I saw where immigration agents have targeted illegal immigrants that are felons and fugitives to deport them. There are supposedly 600,000 of these on our streets. I think it would be of good value to the pocketbooks of American citizens if they also removed illegals in our jails for minor crimes and deport them also. There are undoubtedly hundreds of thousands of them throughout the jails in our country. Of course you couldn’t do that with illegals of serious crimes, such as murder, rape, assault, and so forth. The money saved could be used to offset some of the education and medical costs now on the backs of American taxpayers.

Now on the subject of the celebrity mom given sanctuary by a church. She came here illegally as a lot of the immigrant women do with the intent of giving birth here and having their children become American citizens immediately. Then they want to stay with them. In this case, she tried to use Americans’ tendancies to have compassion for the downtrodden. When deported, she didn’t take her son with her - finally had him come to Mexico, but says she’s going to send him back to go to school here. I am sure Mexico is going to underwrite these ccosts - wanna bet?

I think the immigration laws, as written, should be changed to say that any child born here to an illegal should have that right taken away. Illegal immigrants, whether Muslim, South American, Asian, or whatever are destroying our country from within with very few people aware of this. I have one suggestion… deport Geraldo Rivera.

I am hearing of the pessismism of the New Orleans residents and how they are so down-hearted and many feeling suicidal because they had believed their city would be rebuilt immediately - not that they would do it, but that the government would do it for them. Then they went an elected the same person who let them down during the hurricane. To me, that is another election won by the O.J. syndrome. There has been more money spent on hurricane Katrina than any other hurricane. Graft and corruption have taken a large toll. There have been many cities and towns wiped off the map by tornadoes, but with the help of their state, their own hard work, and head-down attitude, their city or town was rebuilt and reborn. See attached:

From: PTK.ORG:

Kansas Chapter Helps Town Destroyed by Tornadoes

Phi Theta Kappa members at Pratt Community College in Kansas recently organized a relief effort to help a community destroyed by a tornado. The chapter worked with their college and organizations within the community to provide support for storm victims.

During the late hours of Friday, May 4, 2007, a possible F-5 tornado swept through Greensburg, Kansas, damaging about 95 percent of the town. Many homes and businesses were destroyed by the violent storm, which claimed the lives of at least ten people.

The chapter, which is located about 30 miles from where the tornado struck, quickly responded to the tragedy. Members set up a collection station in their college lobby for food, toiletries and clothing. The items were then distributed to those in need.

Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisor Tom McGovern says the chapter has been doing all they can to help the victims of the storm.

“We have been helping in every fashion possible,” says McGovern. “Members who are Red Cross trained have been involved from the start,” he continued.

The chapter has been working with groups to help clean up areas of the community affected by the storm, including local farms that were completely wiped out by the tornado.

McGovern says members are coordinating with the Kansas Region to implement a “work weekend.” Chapters from across the state plan to come together to help with the community’s clean up efforts.

While donations for food and clothing are welcomed, McGovern says the greatest need is for monetary assistance for the victims.

To learn more about disaster relief efforts in the Midwest or to make a donation visit the Red Cross or the United Way online.

Another attachment:

News-Leader.com | Springfield, Mo.

Published Sunday, February 27, 2005 Towns make comeback after tornadoes

New buildings in Pierce City and Stockton boost residents’ morale.

By Ryan Slight
News-Leader

© 2005, Springfield News-Leader

Mounds of debris no longer cover the streets. Fresh brick businesses line the downtown squares.

Yet the sounds and sights of hammering and sawing linger in Pierce City and Stockton.

Construction continues nearly two years after tornadoes ripped through southwest Missouri on a Sunday evening, reducing many longtime establishments to rubble.

Forty-two of the city’s 45 downtown businesses were destroyed. But with more new structures than vacant space dotting the area, Gene Kluck felt life outside his rebuilt Pierce City’s hardware store windows finally appeared normal again.

“It’s been a godsend to them, I think,” the Friendly Supply owner said of the city’s revitalization. “Everybody’s happy to see people get back in business so they don’t have to drive so far.”

When the sun rose to reveal massive ruins on May 5, 2003, residents faced a choice on how to respond to the disaster. Officials recalled people wanting downtown rebuilt bigger and improved.

“It’s not like everybody came and saw the disaster and had their heads in the sand,” said Ron Bertalotto, Pierce City Chamber of Commerce president. From that moment on, the city adopted a “contagious” cooperative effort and began fund-raising efforts, he said.

Armed with collection buckets, Pierce City residents raised more than $23,000 during the 2003 Memorial Day holiday to help maintain city services, which took a hit from lost sales taxes, Mayor Mark Peters recalled.

More than $3 million in federal and state funding seemed to fuel the community’s efforts, officials said.

“If they see the state recovery people are here and going to be here for a while, then they know investing in Pierce City and Stockton isn’t putting money down a rathole,” Peters said.

Carmen Archer, who saw her home, antique business, rental apartments and her husband’s music studio destroyed, said the city’s determination to rebuild developed quickly the day after the tornado.

“We’re survivors, and just knew that we would be all right,” she said.

Residents initially had more than the sight of scattered rubble to discourage them. Cars became valuable commodities as residents had to drive to nearby cities just to purchase groceries, Kluck recalled.

“You couldn’t get a loaf of bread, or a gallon of gas, or nothing in town. It was all gone. Everything,” he said.

That changed when Casey’s convenience store opened in late 2003. Suddenly there was not only gasoline, food and drinks, the mayor said, but a considerable boost in city morale.

“It was a convenience store opening, for goodness’ sake, but we had a party,” Peters said. “The town was down there and we partied.”

Other structures have since opened, such as Doug Thompson’s pharmacy, and Town & Country Supermarket, which gave residents a place to grocery shop.

Some buildings still await completion dates, including the National Guard Armory, and a firehouse and storm shelter.

On a snowy February day, Peters glanced out his office window at the city’s new bandstand on the downtown square, which he wished had been rebuilt earlier than last year.

While no music played, it was what the mayor didn’t hear that pleased him. Since its construction, people stopped saying downtown was too depressing, he said.

Residents no longer said they were entering and leaving Pierce City from the north to avoid the sight of fallen buildings, the mayor recalled.

“It was amazing how people responded to that,” Peters said of the bandstand. “It was a piece of Pierce City that actually looked the way it did before.”

While her antique business is no longer part of that sight, Archer said her husband’s studio is rebuilt and they moved into a house.

“We’re doing fine,” she said. “You just get up every day and you don’t think about the past. You think about today and tomorrow.”

stockton rebuilds

Approaching Stockton from a distance, one can see the whole town, which was once partially obscured by massive trees in a pre-tornado landscape, Ray Zumwalt observed.

What he also sees is familiar businesses like his pharmacy — the first to open on the rebuilt square — and a few that hadn’t existed before.

“Most of them are doing even better than they were before,” Zumwalt said. “That’s given me some optimism.”

Even the downtown intersection outside his building is wider, giving vehicles more room to turn. Zumwalt expected the square to be resurfaced this year and have more efficient storm runoff. His pharmacy is among 70 new or remodeled businesses that Stockton Mayor Ralph Steele expects to be complete by next year. The tornado destroyed 80 businesses.

Future projects include a community center and library. A post office and a hospital are under construction.

Yet some confusion existed shortly after the disaster, the mayor said. Individuals were wanting to put up any structure they could to get back in business, he said.

A Downtown Business Community group made a decision two weeks after the tornadoes to temporarily suspend all building. The mayor said an exception was allowed for an insurance agent who had to operate.

Steele said he considered the moratorium a pivotal factor in downtown’s successful return. It kept people from quickly erecting structures that would later have to be torn down and built correctly, he said.

“After they got it done, they now say it was the best thing they ever made us do,” Steele said.

Residents’ spirits were lifted when a brick-front building containing Zumwalt’s Pharmacy, Virgil Beasley’s real estate business and income tax service and Cedar County’s weekly newspaper opened in late 2003, the mayor recalled.

Stockton’s transformation has been more than external, the mayor indicated. Many residents apparently also faced a spiritual change as local churches reported significant attendance increases, he said.

“In my deepest mind, I was fighting the idea that it would never be the same, it would never work,” Steele said of his hometown. “But they made it work. So it’s coming back strong.”

Floods in Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, and the Mid West have had more homes and businesses destroyed than in New Orleans. But I wager, those areas will be rebuilt and reborn by the same means - hard work and head-down attitude. Governor Blanco is not running for re-election - wonder why? New Orleans and Louisiana have both been in a habit of electing people who couldn’t lead a homeless perade. Does the name Huey “Kingfish” Long and Edwin Edwards ring a bell with anyone?

Their energy sources and money received for same is all that has kept their state afloat during the terms of their governors. I think the electorate of Louisiana and New Orleans should keep in mind that old adage “Be careful what you wish for.” What they should wish for is getting some grit and backbone. Seems to me the American taxpayers are paying every year for the maintenance of the sea walls surrounding their city. For what reason?

On another subject… There are nations with vast energy resources that are blackmailing their neighbors, such as Russia and Venezuela. Other nations just having vast resources of energy is giving them clout. Putin of Russia is not only blackmailing Russia’s neighbors with their control of energy, he is also using these funds to rebuild his military as another tool for blackmail. Chavez is just an idiot with ambitions to become dictator.

On to the subject of energy used in this country… The push to switch to ethanol is discouraging since the crops required will push the tilled acres in this country and others to at least three times of tilled acres now. Not only that, but the residue of fertilizers used will run off in streams and lakes and will become an environmental nightmare making the Earth even more fragile than it is currently. The ‘greenies’ refuse to even consider this threat and also the threat to the food sources of all peoples throughout the world. The fossile fuels used now do less harm to the environment than ethanol will. The answer for us lies in ANWR and off the continental shelf. There should also be a massive research program to find ways to extract hydrogen from sources of all kinds. This would be the most clean fuel available and would solve the energy problems for all nations - not only that, but it would take away the blackmail and clout of certain nations. I think it would make for a more peaceful world. Don’t forget water is one part hydrogen and two parts oxygen.