As part of the next step in the evolution of the Conservative Outpost, we're launching the first of what will soon be many Internet based campaigns from within our site.  The goal is to eventually have a section of our site where any registered user can go and create his or her own campaign, add petitions, fax messages, e-postcards, discussion groups, share files, etc..  In other words, be more effective.  More on that in the future.

For now, the first such effort is our own "Stop Amnesty" campaign.

Those familiar with this site know how we feel about the amnesty issue.  And you also probably know that the proponents of amnesty seem to never sleep... they just wait for us to go to sleep.  They're there, in Congress, still working to pass some form of amnesty for illegal aliens. They've attempted to give tax rebates to illegals. They balk at building an actual border fence, focusing instead on a "virtual fence" - which we now find out is behind schedule too!

Our elected officials still haven’t gotten the message that the American public DOES NOT want amnesty for illegal aliens in any way, shape or form.

Don't let them get away with it!  Sign the petition today and let your member of Congress know how you feel.

Even today, 14 members of Congress are suing the government to STOP building of the border fence alltogether - claiming that construction of it would violate the Clear Air Act!

These people have to be sent a message that the American people are fed up.  Add your name to the petition today and then fax your members of Congress.  A copy of the petition and signatures will be forwarded to Congress.

Then help us spread the word and forward a link to this website on to others!

Prepare to yell out loud.

The Bush administration has scaled back plans to quickly build a "virtual fence" along the U.S.-Mexico border, delaying completion of the first phase of the project by at least three years and shifting away from a network of tower-mounted sensors and surveillance gear, federal officials said yesterday. ...

The announcement marked a major setback for what President Bush in May 2006 called "the most technologically advanced border security initiative in American history." The virtual fence was to be a key component of his proposed overhaul of U.S. immigration policies, which died last year in the Senate.

Investigators for the Government Accountability Office had earlier warned that the effort was beset by both expected and unplanned difficulties. But yesterday, they disclosed new troubles that will require a redesign and said the first phase will not be completed until near the end of the next president's first term.

Those problems included Boeing's use of inappropriate commercial software, designed for use by police dispatchers, to integrate data related to illicit border-crossings. Boeing has already been paid $20.6 million for the pilot project, and in December, the DHS gave the firm another $65 million to replace the software with military-style, battle management software. ...

Boeing has said that the initial effort, while flawed, still has helped Homeland Security apprehend 2,000 illegal immigrants since September. It estimated in 2006 that it would spend $7.6 billion through 2011 to secure the entire 2,000-mile southern border, an ambition that was meant to win support from conservatives for legislation creating a guest-worker program and a path to legalization for 12 million illegal immigrants. ...

And then there's this: 

The virtual fence was to complement a physical fence that the administration now says will include 370 miles of pedestrian fencing and 300 miles of vehicle barriers to be completed by the end of this year. The GAO said this portion of the project may also be delayed and that its total cost cannot be determined. The president's 2009 budget does not propose funds to add fencing beyond the 700 or so miles meant to be completed this year.

Well, as Gomer Pyle would say, "Surprise!, Surprise!, Surprise!".  We're just shocked.  You see folks, that's why conservatives don't want to hear ANY talk about amensty, or special visas, or guest-worker blah-blah-blah...not until you demonstrate that you can, will, and then DO secure the border.

For crying out loud, this is the United States of America.  We put a man on the moon with computers that pale in comparison with today's pocket calculators, but we can't do something that countries have been doing since, well, since we learned how to stack rocks on top of one another.

The Chinese did it...

The Romans did it...

And now the Israeli's are doing it...

It's NOT complicated.  This is NOT something that absolutely requires space-age technology and software programs that may or may not work.  It's a fence.  It keeps people out.  Build it!

We the undersigned call upon Congress to stem the tide of illegal immigration into our country by securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws.

We support legislation that will:

• Better protect our borders with more border patrol and the construction of a physical barrier against illegal entry into our country

• Punish businesses that knowingly hire illegal aliens

• Enlist local officials in the battle to enforce our immigration laws

We oppose legislation that will:

• Grant amnesty to illegal aliens in our country

• Give a “fast track” to US citizenship to those who have come here illegally

We feel that massive waves of illegal aliens are a burden to American taxpayers and a cultural burden to our society.

We demand that all members of the United States Congress support measures that will strictly enforce our laws and better protect our borders from illegal immigration.

News from 'round the sphere:

On the trail...:

* In Iowa, Bill Clinton Heckled By... a Robot - National Journal

* Romney To Run Ad Against Huckabee - Yahoo

* Bill Says Hillary Was Always The One - MSNBC

* Accountability Needed on Immigration By Next President, Group Says - Agape Press

* Poll: Huckabee Would Lose by Double-Digits To Top Dems - CNN

News:

* Vet Lauds Female Church Guard Who Felled Gunman - Denver Post

* Sen Obey (D-Wis) Threatens To Kill Budget, Iraq Defense Deals - Fox News

* Peer-reviewed Study Says Humans Are Not Heating Up the Planet - Agape Press

* Opposition Group Claims Iranian Weapons Program Halted, Moved, Then Restarted - Fox News

Opinion:

* American Troops Are Winning - Where are the Democrat Leaders? - The Washington Times

* Democrats and Tax Hikes are Linked - National Review Online

* The NIE Fantasy - WSJ.Com Opinion Journal

From 'round the sphere:

On the trail...:

* Gingrich in Iowa; Running for VP? - The Washington Times

* Clinton Endorsement List Debatable - Yahoo

* Tancredo Ad Ties Immigrants to Violence - MSNBC

News:

* Supreme Court to Take Up Guantanamo Rights Case - Yahoo

* US To Press for Iran Sanctions - The Washington Times

* US Defense Chief: A Secure Iraq Within Reach - USA Today

* 5000 Terrorists Detained Since 9/11, Says Author - Agape Press

Opinion:

* Is Iran Irrational? - Cybercast News - Terence P. Jeffrey

* The Story Mike Huckabee Dreads - National Review - Byron York

* Be Intelligent - National Review - Editors

Gotta' love this headline from the AP:

20% of people living in U.S. speak language other than English at home

But check out the details in the story:

Nearly 1 in 5 people living in the United States speak a language at home other than English, according to new Census data that illustrate the wide-ranging effects of immigration. ...

Nationwide, the number of immigrants reached an all-time high of 37.5 million in 2006, affecting incomes and education levels in many cities across the country. But the effects have not been uniform.

In most states, immigrants have added to the number of those lacking a high school diploma, with almost half of those from Latin America falling into that category.

Note that this is the vastly greater percentage of the "illegal" immigrant category.

However, at the other end of the education spectrum, Asian immigrants are raising average education levels in many states, with nearly half of them holding at least a bachelor's degree.

"There is no one-size-fits-all policy that you could apply for all immigrant groups," said Mark Mather of the Population Reference Bureau. "I think most of the attention has been on low-skilled workers coming from Mexico. But we have 10 million immigrants from Asia, a number that's growing." ...

Yes, and most of them are educated (see below) and are net "contributors" rather than "recipients" from the system.  Oh, and aren't here illegally.

...the differences in education levels among immigrants from Asia and those from Latin America. Together, the groups account for about 80 percent of all immigrants.

About 48 percent of Asian immigrants held at least a bachelor's degree, compared with about 11 percent of immigrants from Latin America. Among people born in the United States, about 27 percent were college graduates.

At the other end of the spectrum, 47 percent of adult immigrants from Latin America lacked a high school diploma, compared with 16 percent of Asian immigrants and 13 percent of people born in the United States.

Those numbers are fueling overall increases in the number of high school dropouts in four states: Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Texas, said William Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

And this gives you a hint about how a SANE immigration policy would work.  You import people who improve the overall talent pool.  You don't import the poor and uneducated...just because they'll work for a few bucks an hour.

This just about makes you sick:

If President Bush is serious about getting tough on U.S. employers who hire illegal aliens, he can start with his own administration, which employs thousands of unauthorized workers, says the top Republican on the House immigration subcommittee.

A 2006 audit showed federal, state and local governments are among the biggest employers of the half-million persons in the U.S. illegally using "non-work" Social Security numbers — numbers issued legally, but with specific instructions that the holders are not authorized to work in the U.S.

"Let's clean up our own house, let's especially clean up the federal employment of all those working for the federal government," said Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican and ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee. ...

And get this part...

According to the 2006 audit by the Social Security inspector general, 17 of the 100 worst employers using employees with non-work numbers were government agencies: seven federal agencies, seven state agencies and three local governments. That means the government knows who those employees are, but usually does not go after them.

Incredible.  But not hard to believe.

Finally, however, it seems we're seeing SOME common sense begin to surface, (but not necessarily from the feds), on illegal immigration.  Unfortunately, it took murder to make it happen.  In New Jersey, the cops can now question suspects re: their immigration "status".  (Isn't it a crazy world where THAT is considered a victory for common sense?)

On the political front, the GOP candidates are starting to engage one another on the issue.  And Rudy's support of "sanctuary cities" is being called into question.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal still doesn't get it. 

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More: Polipundit - LaShawn Barber - Michelle Malkin - The Right Angle -

Seems that SOME people CAN actually get something positive done when it comes to dealing with illegal immigration:

BOSTON —  State lawmakers are increasingly stepping into the void created by the failure of Congress to approve sweeping changes to immigration policy, a new report finds.

Legislatures have passed bills dealing with a range of immigration issues, from employment and health care to driver's licenses and human trafficking — creating a sometimes uneven patchwork quilt of immigration law across the country.

Arkansas approved a law barring state agencies from contracting with businesses that hire illegal immigrants. Louisiana has a new law barring the state from issuing driver's licenses to foreigners until their criminal background has been checked. Oregon made it illegal for anyone other than lawyers to perform immigration consultation work.

In the first six months of the year, 171 immigration bills became law in 41 states. That's more than double the 84 laws approved in all of 2006, according to the report by the National Conference of State Legislatures, being released Monday at the group's annual meeting in Boston. ...

Though immigration previously was largely a concern of border states, it has quickly become a national concern, and lawmakers in all 50 states are weighing legislation this year, according to Sheri Steisel, NCSL immigration policy director.

"Given the absence of federal consensus of national immigration reform, state legislators are stepping into the void and doing their best," Steisel said. "They can't wait. They have to deal with the reality of how immigrants impact their communities now."

You'll note you don't see any reports of states trying to add anything like amnesty or increased benefits for illegals as part of any "comprehensive" reform measures.  No eforts at a "grand bargain" that has "something for everyone"...just straightforward legislation dealing w/the problem in a way that average voters approve of.

And note that these elected officials, acting at the state level, are much closer to the people they represent...and represent smaller districts that are more likely to be responsive to what the grassroots are saying.  Coincidence?

Arlen Specter's still pushing immigration "reform":

Specter circulated a draft last week that would go straight to his colleagues’ sore spot. He would allow the more than 12 million illegal immigrants to receive legal status but would stop short of offering them a path to citizenship, believing that that small change will mollify Republican critics who dismiss legalization as “amnesty.”

That’s not all. Specter also wants to scrap a carefully negotiated point system that would award more green cards based on economic needs.

A number of senators have heard him out, yet few takers have stepped forward because they think it may be too soon to raise the issue again. But Specter said, “I think we have a fair amount of momentum at the moment.”

Yep.  Good idea there Arlen.  You guys haven't done enough with this issue already to rip apart the GOP base...  By all means, let's have another go.  Geez.  And he thinks they "have a fair amount of momentum at the moment"??  Boy, now there's a real "glass is half full" kind of guy!

Thankfully, we've just gotten a commitment out of the Senate for more money for border security, which probably means they amensty guys have lost a little bit of any leverage they might have had right now to get more marginal votes in favor of a comprehensive bill.  Again, thankfully.

It's been a long time coming...  Wes Pruden notes rumors from the government and in the business community of a coming crackdown on employers who hire illegals.

Somebody may be pouting at the White House over the collapse of the comprehensive amnesty legislation.

For seven years, the Bush administration has been unable or unwilling to enforce the immigration laws, leading to an out-of-control deluge of illegal aliens across the nation's Southern border. Suddenly, the feds are about to do what they said couldn't be done. ...

Enforcing the law is always a good thing to do, and a late conversion is better than no conversion at all. The federal government has always enforced the laws it wanted to enforce. You could ask segregationist school boards across the South of a generation ago. So the sudden White House enthusiasm for enforcing immigration law, doing what they said couldn't be done, inevitably raises suspicions about why now. Maybe, say curious minds who want to know, there's a spiteful message here to the millions of Americans who so unceremoniously put the president and his allies in Congress smartly in their place with the collapse of the immigration bill. Rarely has the Washington political establishment been so rudely — and effectively — slapped across the face and told to remember that public servants are, after all, servants of an impatient and long-suffering public. Lessons like this sting and smart, and the pols don't like to be reminded of who they actually are. So the reply is rough and blunt: "You want enforcement? We'll give you enforcement."

Do we want enforcement?  Yes, please.

Meanwhile, local governments that have tried to take care of the problem that the feds woudln't deal with have been shot down by a federal court.

Given that the judge in question is a Clinton appointee, it serves, once again, to bring into sharp focus just how important it is to have a President that will appoint judges to the bench who actually understand our Constitution - and don't make it up as they go along.

Here's hoping this one goes to the SCOTUS.

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More: Bluey Blog - Stop the ACLU - Outside the Beltway