Sort of…
In one of the more bizarre admissions we’ve seen in some time, The Oklahoman editorial Thursday touting the results of a study by the Center for Immigration Studies, a pro-immigrant group, suggesting tougher enforcement of immigration laws is leading many illegals to leave the country voluntarily. It’s a tacit admission that paper was wrong about Rep. Randy Terrill and HB 1804 all along; we’re just not sure if they actually realize what they’ve done.
The report says the illegal outflow began in August 2007, and in a spectacularly illogical conclusion, cites Congress’ refusal to deal with meaningful immigration reform as one of two reasons. We thinks not.
The second reason? Returning to life on this planet, the report claims “..that and stepped up efforts to penalize employers who hire illegal aliens were identified as key factors in the decline,” something the paper and their pro-illegal friends in the legislature have continued to battle to this very day. On this we agree, but you didn’t get “stepped up” efforts from a snoozing congress, do you?
Now let’s think this through: just where was it that stepped up efforts to penalize employers who hire illegal aliens? Could it be Oklahoma? We thinks so!
What seems more plausible is the role of HB 1804, Terrill’s immigration reform bill. The law was signed into effect on May 11, 2007, and the report says by August, the illegal tide was begin to flow the other way. It’s no coincidence: HB 1804 was much more than a little law in a small state, as the law and Rep. Terrill became part of the national conversation about illegal immigration. In short, HB 1804 became famous and popular nationwide as a symbol of the the common man and woman’s frustration with congress’ refusal to act on the issue. To remind you just how popular, State Sen. Harry Coates politely shared polling results with OKPNS readers. Terrill and HB 1804 were, to quote ZZ Top, “Yeah we bad, we’re nationwide.”
Perhaps printing this study is a signal that the editorial staff and the business leaders who continue to flood the legal system with frivolous lawsuits (tort reform, anybody?) that seek to elevate the rights of criminals over the rights of the law abiding have finally seen the light. Is it an admission of defeat, or can they not read between the lines? They’ve tried and failed to harm Terrill’s reputation and at the ballot box, and have failed miserably. Perhaps they’re ready to get on board with what’s good for America, and drop their anti-American pro-criminal stance. We sure hope so.
Bad advice can be bad for your reputation
And speaking of Randy Terrill, capitol insiders say Devon Energy CEO Larry Nichols is hopping mad at Terrill for publicly lumping his company in with the spectacular failure by the business group that failed to defeat the Moore Representative.
Devon, through Nichols personally and the Devon PAC, contributed $10,000 to Terrill’s opponent, who he then stomped at the polls. Terrill then laughingly called out the business leaders who had wasted their reputations and money, something the Devon CEO probably did not anticipate. But as they say, politics is a full-contact sport, something at which Terrill excels.
Observers say Chesapeake’s Tom Price, whose poor political instincts are well documented, is the one responsible for talking Nichols, who has a sterling reputation for integrity, into the ill-fated venture.
Read the Editorial in The Oklahoman: “A new analysis of census data argues enforcement activities other than deportation apparently are working in getting illegal immigrants to return home voluntarily.“
Related:
Tulsa World: Judge orders reopening of Terrill bankruptcy
“Why are the Oklahoma Senate Republicans putting their caucus’s lone HB 1804 opponent, an outspoken opponent of enforcing immigration laws, in charge of the Business and Labor Committee?…” Read more…
It’s a shame that it took an embarrassing elapsed time clock – and frankly Mike McCarville following up on our lead – for Dirty Harry Coates to admit that he himself ended the senate investigation into the alleged theft of his emails. After the House surveillance tapes showed no suspicious characters “breaking into his office,” Coates quietly ended the investigation and hoped and prayed the sleepy Oklahoma media would let the story die. Loyal readers of OKPNS knew we weren’t going to let Sen. Turncoats off the hook that easy.
From the “way too much time on your hands” department, we came across a
The writer also implicates more co-conspirators: including the Regents for Higher Education, (“Burns Hargis … is in agreement with our effort”), and state treasurer Scott Meacham (“Amy Sparks who is the Chief of Staff offered her help last week”).
