American Rattlesnake urges you to vote for Bob Turner, the Republican candidate.  While immigration has not been a key issue in this race, Mr. Turner has vocalized his opposition to both the DREAM Act and broader amnesty legislation during an interview with Brian Lehrer of WNYC. He has also spoken out vigorously against the Ground Zero Mosque.  He will caucus with the Republicans, who have generally been on the right side of the issue when it comes to illegal immigration.

His opponent, David Weprin, doesn’t even live in the district he wants to represent.  He was picked by the local Democratic Party boss, Joe Crowley, in a cynical attempt to cater to the Jewish vote.  David Weprin is a party hack who can be depended upon to toe the line whenever his liberal masters order him to.  Any Democrat dismayed by the ineffectual and corrupt leadership of their party can send no stronger message than to vote against a toady like Weprin.

Bob Turner is a successful television executive, born and raised in the 9th district, with a practical sense of right and wrong.

Please send a message to Congress and the Democratic Party that business as usual is not acceptable.  Vote for Bob Turner.

 Today I attended the counterprotest held by supporters of Representative Peter King’s investigation into Islamic radicalism. A rally that was held approximately three blocks away from an event staged by radical leftists and Islamic extremists opposed to the very notion of Rep. King’s proposed hearings. Sponsored by the Liberty Alliance-and co-sponsored by numerous anti-sharia organizations throughout the area-it attracted a wide variety of individuals, including many New Yorkers opposed to the construction of the Ground Zero mosque, such as the man pictured above.

The rally was in large part organized and emceed by Andy Sullivan from Blue Collar Corner, an indefatigable opponent of Islamic extremism and supporter of the men and women who sacrificed so much in the hours and days after the 9/11 attacks.

He was assisted by Beth Galinsky of the Jewish Action Alliance, an organization dedicated to fighting those who seek to demonize Israel and the United States and/or advance an agenda of stealth jihad.

There was also an impassioned plea by one of Andy Sullivan’s fellow construction workers, who urged the crowd gathered in the unrelenting rain to fight back against the media campaign engineered by individuals like Imam Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan.

There was also Anne from New Jersey, a last-minute speaker who voiced the concerns of many who are looking to Rep. King for answers about the extent of Islamic extremism in their country and plans for what they can do to address this unsettling development politically.

There were representatives of almost every major faith in attendance, including Judaism:

Hinduism:

And Christianity:

The testimony from Simon Deng, who was once enslaved by Arab-Muslim neighbors in his homeland of South Sudan but who is now a human rights activist who leads the annual Sudan Freedom Walk, was particularly inspiring. As were the many creative signs on display throughout the afternoon.

Overall, I’d say the event was a success, and hopefully achieved the goal of its organizers. Namely, to exert whatever influence we have upon Rep. Peter King to continue his pursuit of answers to questions that have yet to be fully resolved. Hopefully, his investigation will be a fair, thorough examination of what the Muslim commuity believes, and give us an inkling into how it has participated in the domestic front of our nation’s war against terror.

Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of attending one of the first New York City screenings of The Ground Zero Mosque: Second Wave of the 9/11 Attacks. Produced and directed by Pamela Geller, with the assistance of her friend and colleague, scholar Robert Spencer, the documentary attempts to explore the at times dubious motivations behind Cordoba House’s financiers and spokespeople, including Imam Rauf and his wife, Daisy Khan.

As you can see from the pictures below, the film attracted a capacity crowd, one that was very animated in its opposition to the concept of locating what many view as a triumphal mosque within walking distance of the site where thousands of Americans were murdered on September 11, 2001. 

One of the highlights of the evening was the Q&A session which followed the conclusion of the film, during which family members of those who perished in the 9/11 massacres voiced their unique perspective, which has very seldom been aired by media outlets intent on supporting the aims of Sharif el-Gamal, Imam Rauf, and other Park 51 mosque benefactors. 

There was a moving testimonial from Nelly Braginskaya, whose son Alex-an employee at Reuters-was taken from her on September 11th. There were other families who had lost brothers, sons, and daughters on that horrific day who spoke passionately of their opposition to the mosque, including Sally Regenhard, whose son Christian had served with valor as a Marine Corpsman for five years before becoming a probie with the FDNY and ultimately being murdered by Al Qaeda on 9/11/01. 

Founder and Chairwoman of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign, Sally has not only traveled throughout the country in order to prevent the construction of the planned mosque at Ground Zero, she has also devoted countless hours to battling city and state authorities that continue to ignore the pleas of 9/11 families who want a fitting burial for the remains of their loved ones. To that end, she has created an organization dedicated to preserving the memory of those who can no longer speak for themselves, which you can contact by going to a website she established, Respect Human Remains at the 9/11 Memorial. 

Also present throughout the evening were Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, the two individuals who more than anyone else put together the evening, and are responsible for raising legitimate questions about the rationale behind Park 51′s creation, the motivations of its founders, and the questionable past of many of its benefactors and trustees. 

For more information about what you can do personally to get involved in their efforts, I’ve posted some photos with information about their organization Stop the Islamization of America, as well as their websites, Atlas Shrugs and Jihad Watch, below. 

•  Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports that the Nebraskan city of Fremont is watching the recent Hazleton, Pennsylvania court case carefully. Fremont has instituted similar rules to discourage the hiring of illegal aliens and to prohibit the renting of property to them.  Fremont attorneys believe that their version of the law will ultimately pass legal scrutiny.

•  The San Bernadino Sun reports on local perspectives on illegal immigration numbers in California. The recent Pew Hispanic Center report  that claimed net illegal immigrant numbers have declined is supported by the observations of  local contractors and social workers. The study is still controversial, and debated by activist and academics.

•  The Detroit Free Press editorial board writes in favor of amnesty and open borders. The newspaper claims that immigrants are a net postive for the economy, especially in economically challenged Michigan. The editors’ greatest concern is that without amnesty, illegal workers will stay in the shadows, be exploited, and depress wages and working conditions for all workers.

•  Lawmakers from Georgia and Arizona plan on taking part in hearings about the children of illegal immigrants who are automatically granted US citizenship. The question of “anchor babies” and their rights under the 14th Amendment has excited considerable controversy, not least of which within the pages of American-Rattlesnake

•  The head of Russia’s Federal Migration Service thinks that immigration is needed to help solve that country’s population problems. Russia, like much of Europe, is suffering from low birth rates and a declining aging population. In 2006, then-President Vladimir Putin called the Russian demographic crisis the country’s greatest challenge. Russia has an estimated 4-5 million illegal immigrants in a country of 141 million.

•  Meanwhile, last week in New York City, Democratic candidates for State Attorney General vied to show who was the most immigrant-friendly. In a debate sponsored by the New York Community Media Alliance, the candidates fielded questions from local ethnic newspapers on subjects ranging  from workplace protections for undocumented workers to the Park51 mosque. New York State and City will hold  their primaries on Tuesday, Septemeber 14th.

•  If immigration is not a controversial enough topic, the Washington Post is reporting on perceived discrimination by newly-married part-immigrant gay couples. While new state laws may sanctify their unions, the marriages are unrecognized by the federal government, and so do not confer the same chance of naturalization as heterosexual marriage. Much support for amnesty and open-borders comes from the Catholic and Latino Evangelical churches, who are against gay marriage.

•  And finally, rattlesnakes are most upset and dangerous when they are woken from sleep. In this way, they are much like us humans, especially on Mondays.

•  Colorado State Representative Randy Baumgardner (R–Hot Sulphur Springs) is working on Arizona-style legislation to fight against illegal immigration in the Mile-High state. Mr. Baumgarden says that illegal immigration costs Colorado over $1 billion dollars a year in added costs for health care, education and other social services.

•  Rahm Emanuel, current White House Chief of Staff and future Chicago Mayoral candidate, has been a drag on the Obama administration’s prioritizing of amnesty and open-borders for illegal aliens, says Chicago Congressman Luis Gutierrez. Should Mr. Gutierrez decide to run for Mayor of Chicago against Mr. Emanuel, Congress could lose one of its strongest advocates for legitimizing illegal immigration.

•  The Christian Science Monitor reports that Arizona’s fund to defend SB 1070 has raised over $3.6 million from contributors throughout the country. While the legal costs so far have only been $440,000, experts estimate that the costs will eventually reach over $10 million.

•  Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Black blames anti-immigration sentiments for stirring up violent protests against the shooting of a day laborer by Los Angeles police officers. The day laborer had been threatening passers-by with a knife, refused police commands in Spanish and English, and was shot as he advanced towards the officers with his knife raised above his head.

•  The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) is seeking public comment on proposed changes to their detention policies. Citing limited resources, ICE wants to severely cut back its detention policy, detaining only the most dangerous individuals and letting the rest free. ICE is seeking comments from the public by email at ICEDetainerComments@dhs.gov .

•  Fidel Castro called continued deportation of Gypsies as “another kind of racial holocaust“. The French were less than amused, calling the Cuban dictator’s words “unacceptable”. Scotland’s Herald newspaper reports that the Gypsies are retaliating against French leaders with a “blood curse“, apparently the most potent kind.

•  Dutch politician Geert Wilders was in New York City on Saturday to speak against the proposed Park51 Mosque. “…[W]e must draw the line,” said Mr. Wilder, “So that New York, rooted in Dutch tolerance, will never become New Mecca.” Mr. Wilder’s party, which is against the continued influx of non-assimilating Muslim immigrants into the Netherlands, is currently in talks to take part in a coalition government to lead the country after its most recent elections.

•  India, China, and the Philippines are Canada’s biggest sources of immigration.  Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is asking foreign governments to cooperate in stopping immigration fraud.   Thriving industries of document forgers and human traffickers in all three countries undermine the fair and efficient working of Canada’s immigration process.

•  In Wichita, Kansas, ICE agents are cooperating with local law enforcement to crack down on massage parlors acting as fronts for prostitution. Seven Chinese women, in the United States as refugees seeking asylum, were arrested for prostitution, but will not be deported since prostitution is only a misdemeanor.

•  In captivity, rattlesnake breeding pairs are often encouraged to successfully mate by the introduction of a second male into the mating habitat.