Submitted by:
Joseph P. Doherty
Elizabeth, New Jersey
On April 10, I appeared before the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders to express my opinion on the subject of Union County Government and its lack of involvement in the illegal immigration crisis. Unfortunately, I was not able to deliver the entire text of my prepared statement, as the Board Chairman claimed I had exhausted my five minutes of "public comment" time. I did not get any satisfaction when I wondered aloud..."by whose watch?" The following is the complete thrust of my remarks:
I would like to preface my remarks by saying that my comments are critical of county government and may be considered "offensive" to the delicate sensibilities of some listeners.
As a concerned citizen I would like to know what this Board, the Prosecutor's Office, the sheriff's Department and the County Police are doing to address the illegal alien crisis that is impacting the quality-of-life in this city (Elizabeth), county, state and nation. Allow me to answer my own inquiry....little, if anything, and not enough! It is a well-known fact that this issue has reached the critical stage and the majority of American citizens want a comprehensive immigration reform initiative that includes border security, no amnesty and an aggressive campaign against the illegal interlopers who plot, plan, scheme and scam their way into this country, using forged documents and stealing the identities of American citizens in the process. The smuggling of people, weapons and drugs into America has reached epidemic proportions. The violence associated with such activity is staggering! Murderous cross-border drug wars have engulfed once-peaceful sleepy towns, turning them into killing fields and are spreading throughout the land at an alarming rate. While the local scene in Union County has yet to rise to the level of murder and mayhem I just described, it has the potential to do so, as we are plagued with gang and drug-related violence on an almost daily basis. Take Elizabeth, it is a prime example of a dying city, that despite the political propaganda spouted by its defenders to the contrary, has been transformed from a once-upon-a-time typical American city into a seedy, shabby, trashy environment, thanks in part to the scourge of illegal immigration. Let us not, however, ignore the generous contributions of that certain home-grown element amongst us who also bear a huge responsibility for this disgraceful destruction and downfall of a once-clean and wholesome city.
Let me cite just one local example of the negativity involved as it pertains to the abuse of county property. Some people may regard this example as trivial, irrelevant and even silly, but in fact, it is a vital snapshot of a much broader picture. Warinanco Park, a tax-payer funded facility is being transformed from a reasonably well-maintained facility into an abused stomping ground by hordes of soccer players, many of whom are, I suspect, much like the congregating day laborers we see and hear so much about, of questionable legal residency. On any given weekend hundreds running, romping, stomping and scampering feet scar the landscape, laying waste to everything in their path. They pick their spots, set up shop and proceed to destroy public property with impunity, content in the knowledge that they will not be challenged by any authority. In short, they come, they see, they conquer! Once pleasant and serene fields of green are now "brown and bald" as a result of this relentless onslaught. Hastily constructed goal posts dot the landscape, cutting across the domain of once-manicured baseball fields, resulting in a sloppy, shabby, ghetto-like atmosphere. allowing such conditions to take root, flourish and become accepted routine is just another example of the lunacy that reigns supreme in our politically-correct "New America," where illegal alien invaders are treated with a "DO NOT DISTURB" attitude by public officials and law enforcement agencies, who, by their failure to act for the common good, are granting rights and privileges to foreign nationals that are generally reserved for American citizens. Such outrageous conduct poses a potential threat to our national security, while assaulting our sovereignty, ignoring the rule of law and abusing the American values of honesty and fair play. By not acting, the peoples' elected representatives, along with bureaucratic civil servants and "selective" law enforcement officials are lending credence and legitimacy to the presence of foreign feet on American soil. The day I saw a county police officer standing on the sidelines watching a soccer game with his hands in his pockets and cheering, while a cast of questionable characters ran circles around him, I knew we had gone from the ridiculous to the sublime on the illegal immigration issue.
It is time for the mute and mummy-like amongst us to rise up and demand action on this issue. It is time to cast off the yoke of political-correctness, servitude and repression and put a stop to this foreign free-for-all! Do not allow the white flag of surrender to be raised over Warinanco Park or any other part of Union County! Stop embracing a sanctuary-like philosophy! Help enforce immigration laws! I may be old-fashioned and naive and in some ways even corny, but I still believe that politicians are elected by the citizenry to represent the people and conduct the peoples' business in a manner consistent with the wishes and best interest of their constituents, and that discharging those responsibilities in an honest, forthright manner is paramount, and must trump all other conditions and influences that might bring pressure to bear to do otherwise.
In conclusion, may I be so bold as to say that if this Board spent just a fraction of the time on the illegal immigration issue as they do on figuring out ways to raise taxes, Union County might be a better place.
P.S. Why is the Warinanco Park "water works" project taking so long to complete?
NOTE: The above commentary may be considered somewhat lengthy by some standards, but in order to get the "full meaning and flavor" of the words and appreciate the emotional passion and impact of same, one must deliver them in an inflective manner, not in a "rapid fire" voice that is more like hurry up and "beat the clock." While the Board Chairman exercised his right to restrict my comments, it is my opinion that he did so because he heard enough truth for one evening and did not want to hear anymore. His utterance of a few Spanish words to me as I prepared to leave the podium was an obvious "dig" and a feeble attempt to ridicule an American citizen who was exercising his right to free speech and expression, as granted by God and the founding fathers of this great land. A Board member also displayed contempt for my presentation by laughing as I neared the exit door. Such a public display of mocking ignorance and arrogance directed towards a concerned citizen with a legitimate complaint is a prime example of a political coward, who lacks the courage to confront an "adversary" to his face, opting instead to snicker and sneer when his back is turned.
This one-party lock on the Board of Freeholders has dealt a death blow to true democratic representation and produced a breed of politician that stifles dissent and is not responsive to the will of the people.
