Reporting from US/Mexico border in Arizona, Fox News' Sean Hannity was visiting parts of the fence that divide the two nations with a member of the Minutemen project. Hannity was shown areas of the small fence where there were large holes you could easily walk right thru...proving that our border is dangerously porous. At one point, Hannity stuck his leg thru a hole in the fence to show how easy it is for any illegal to cross into the United States and head anywhere. Al Qaeda has called for using the porous Mexican border to cross into the US with WMD to attack US cities, so this is a VERY serious issues, and Hannity pointed out a major flaw that might lead to mass destruction if a terrorist were able to enter into the country via a fence like this and use a small suitcase nuke or some other type of WMD in our cities.
After this aired, an Arizona State Representative named Kyrsten Sinema issued a press release (which can be read here) attacking the Minutemen and border patrol, claiming that they have a double standard when it comes to the border. She is upset that they didn't arrest Hannity for putting a leg thru the border fence (Hannity said on his show that 3 feet of land PAST the fence is still US soil, and beyond that is Mexico, if that's true, he never crossed into Mexico to begin with), and that Hannity gets special treatment over illegals whom she calls "hard-working people" who just want to find a job here in America. You see clearly that her attitude is- the Mexican illegal aliens just want to find work, and that's okay, so we should let them in...forget the fact that they're breaking the law.
She then goes on to compare what Hannity did to what illegals do at the border everyday, saying:
This is the very same crime that Minutemen have traveled across the country to Arizona to stop. While some may argue that Mr. Hannity's actions were not significant, he committed the same crime that all individuals who enter the country illegally commit. In fact, ACLU observers were warned that they would be arrested if they accidentally or deliberately crossed the border and tried to reenter the U.S.
Her reasoning that Hannity "committed the same crime all individuals who enter the country illegally commit"?? A section of US Legal Code 19 U.S.C. Section 1459(a)which states:
Individuals arriving in the United States other than by vessel, vehicle, or aircraft [to] enter the United States only at a border crossing point designated by the Secretary; and immediately report the arrivals and present themselves, and all articles accompanying them for inspection; to the customs officer at the customs facility designated for that crossing point."
She continues:
According to 19 U.S.C. Section 1459(e), anyone who intentionally enters the United States at a place other than a designated border crossing can be imprisoned for up to one year and fined up to $5,000. Mr. Hannity faces neither of these penalties. Individuals apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol do.
Of course, Hannity committed no crime. He is a US citizen and not bound by the sections of this law. You can't report the "arrival" of a US citizen, of course, and she proves with this comment that all of this is one big publicity stunt...a stunt that is going to backfire on her if I and many other bloggers have anything to say about it.
She so easily equates Hannity's making a point on TV to the actions of millions of illegal aliens who have no respect for our laws and our national sovereignty, and from what I read from other blogs, her view on immigration is quite radical, so this comes as no surprise.
I E-Mailed her about this issue, and I will continue to monitor this situation for any further developments. I told her in my E-Mail (which I have pasted below) that I will expose her childish outbursts online, and I will do just that. Arizona taxpaers deserve better than to have one of the representatives waste their time like this with childish grandstanding.
(The Radio Equalizer has more on this story here)
Rep.Kyrsten Sinema
I just read your press release in regards to Fox News' Sean Hannity crossing a small section of the fence at the Arizona border and crossing into what is, in fact, US territory, but close to Mexico itself. You call for punishment for Mr. Hannity, claiming US code that states:
["individuals arriving in the United States other than by vessel, vehicle, or aircraft [to] enter the United States only at a border crossing point designated by the Secretary; and immediately report the arrivals and present themselves, and all articles accompanying them for inspection; to the customs officer at the customs facility designated for that crossing point."]
Of course, you're little stunt here doesn't work well, since you don't even have your facts straight. That law obviously is meant for illegal aliens coming into the country from Mexico. Legal citizens of the US are clearly not part of this regulation, and putting one leg over a fence to show how easy it is for TRUE ILLEGALS to come into the US is clearly not a violation of the above law. Only a state rep. wanting attention and publicity would claim such nonsense.
You also claim:
[While some may argue that Mr. Hannity's actions were not significant, he committed the same crime that all individuals who enter the country illegally commit.]
This is also nonsense, considering the fact that Mr. Hannity is an American citizen and not covered under such a regulation. Only illegals who are not American citizens or don't have visa's in some form to visit the country are covered under this law. I know that, and you know that. Do you think the people of Arizona aren't smart enough to see through your lame tactics?
The people of Arizona deserve better, so why don't you stop wasting their time with your radical nonsense, and actually do the job you were elected to do? It's people like you that give politicians in general a bad name...and you should be ashamed of yourself.
Do your job, and stop looking for cheap publicity based on ignorant interpretations of US law. Your actions are totally transparent, and this will only backfire on you. If you continue to act out like this, I will make sure that as many voters in Arizona I can possibly reach via my website are made aware of your childish outbursts. And I DO mean childish.
Only a bitter woman with radical views on immigration would say the following, claiming that Mr. Hannity has committed any crime, let alone the "same crime that all individuals who enter the country illegally commit."
[While some may argue that Mr. Hannity's actions were not significant, he committed the same crime that all individuals who enter the country illegally commit.]
Again, it's absurd to claim that Mr. Hannity who stuck his leg thru a fence to prove a point committed a crime...and no one in their right mind would relate his actions to those of the illegals who come into a nation besides their own, in an unlawful manner at that.
You end your press release by saying this:
[There is only possible conclusion. The Minutemen and the Border Patrol have one set of rules for television celebrities, and another for hard-working people who cross the border in search of work.]
You call these illegal aliens "hard-working people" and that they merely come here in search of work...as tho it's alright for them to come here and break our laws, because gee- they're all hard workers, and they're just looking for work. You do realize that you were elected to serve the people and uphold the laws of the United States and the state of Arizona, correct? If you ARE truly aware of that, then you're also aware that making the argument this way exposes you for what you are- a representative who actually condones the rights of "hard-working people" to come into our country illegally. Like I said, anyone can see right through your poor attempt at publicity.
Stop wasting the people's time. You're not getting paid to grandstand.
Thanks so much
Joshua Taj Bozeman
www.thebluesite.com
You can contact Rep. Kyrsten Sinema yourself:
Kyrsten Sinema Democrat District 15 House of Representatives 1700 W. Washington Room 324 Phoenix, AZ 85007 Phone Number: (602) 926-5058 Fax Number: (602) 417-3015 Email Address: ksinema@azleg.state.az.us website
UPDATE: (6:31 AM)
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