Listen for the silent majority, Mr. DeWine

I just dashed off a letter to Ohio Sen. Mike DeWine, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which decided to grant concessions and remove the teeth from immigration legislation coming before the Senate. The NY Times story says there is a broad divide among Republicans, but I think the wider gap is between the desires of the voters and the response of the representatives in failing take tough action against this problem.

I think our representatives will hear from the "silent majority" they've ignored on this issue.

The letter:

To the Hon. Sen. DeWine:

Please don't take this the wrong way, but is every elected representative in Washington, D.C. out of his/her mind?

For months, even years, American citizens (note that I did not say residents) have been clamoring for action to stop illegal immigration. The voices have been most strident among your own party, the Republicans. So what do we get from the Senate Judiciary Committee when legislation finally moves? More of the same-old, same-old designed not to offend anyone.

Well guess what? Your committee failed miserably. I'm offended that you've made it your intention to reward flagrant disregard for my country's laws with guest worker concessions and in-country paths to citizenship. I'm offended that the vociferous protests by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of ILLEGAL immigrants has apparently intimidated the people representing LEGAL CITIZENS into granting concessions.

You're telling our young people it's okay to intentionally break the rules if you can protest loud enough to escape punishment. That's not a message I want to send to my children, Mr. DeWine, and I'm pretty sure most of the people who voted for you would likewise abjure such a message.

For an immigration policy to work, it must have teeth. There must be penalties for people who ignore our sovereignty and flout our laws...and the fact that the lawbreakers may be our friends and neighbors should have nothing to do with it. Illegal is illegal, Mr. DeWine...perhaps if you left the Beltway more often that principle would again become apparent.

I'm not sure how you can PRETEND to represent the people of Ohio when the concept of illegal versus legal apparently eludes you.

The Rantmeister
(redacted, of course)