BY LINDA BENTLEY | MAY 24, 2013
Remember 1986 Coalition takes to the streets to oppose amnesty
The message is we are a nation devoid of the rule of law, a nation that has stopped practicing fiscal responsibility and a nation without borders
Rusty Childress, head of the Remember 1986 Coalition, joined by Russell Pearce, Randy Pullen and others, held a rally and press conference on Tuesday outside of Sen. John McCain’s office at the corner of 22nd Street and Camelback Road in opposition to S.744, or what has become known as the Gang of Eight’s amnesty bill.
Photo by Linda Bentley
PHOENIX – As head of the Remember 1986 Coalition, Rusty Childress held a rally and press conference on the corner of 22nd Street and Camelback Road on Tuesday before delivering a petition with 10,000 signatures to Sen. John McCain’s office in opposition to S.744, which has come to be known as the Gang of Eight’s amnesty bill.
Childress said he called for this national day of action, “Because our two senators refuse to represent us on this 844 page monstrosity, which is rife with unintended consequences, one of which was that it cost me $100 just to print it!”
While Congress is pushing to pass yet another amnesty bill to sweep illegal immigration under the rug for a few years, Childress said it fuels it far into the future.
He asked, “Who remembers what happened, and most importantly, what didn’t happen in 1986?
Apparently Senators [Jeff] Flake and McCain do not, so they are dooming us all to repeat history.”
Childress said that is the reason the Remember 1986 Coalition was formed and was holding press conferences that day in over 30 states, in over 50 locations, in an effort to melt down the phone lines in Washington, “just like we did in 2007.”
He said Congress needs to start representing the American people, the American workers, “not the illegal immigration enablers who hire paid lobbyists to do their dirty work in Washington.”
Childress went on to say lawmakers should never represent lawbreakers, but rather American workers, especially those naturalized citizens who came here the right way.
“We believe S.744 is, in fact, a tipping point for America,” said Childress. “If we legalize those who have actively broken a multitude of our laws and those who have been previously deported, it will be a shot heard around the world.”
He said the loud and clear message passage of S.744 will send is that we are a nation devoid of the rule of law, a nation that has stopped practicing fiscal responsibility and a nation without borders.
A handful of anarchists arrived blowing air horns to disrupt the rally while screaming, “No borders, no nation, f—k deportation!”
Photo by Linda BentleyThe coalition decided to drown them out by taking a break to sing “America the Beautiful” and our national anthem.
Coalition activist George Sprankle followed that up by singing “They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!” the 1966 novelty song recorded by Napoleon XIV, to express what he thought of the anarchists.
Childress continued, “Today, united, we demand to have a voice regarding amnesty legislation, because we remember 1986 and we believe immigration should be our strength, not an out-of-control weakness.”
Tim Rafferty spoke on Behalf of Riders USA, the acronym for United for Sovereign America.
He quoted Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who stated on April 29, 2013 while in Goodyear, Ariz., “We have a right as a country to say who comes and on what terms. We have lost our sovereignty as a nation. When you have 11 million people in your country and you don’t know who the hell they are, you’ve lost your sovereignty.”
Rafferty said what was lost in the debate is our country’s continued issuance of blanket amnesties, pointing out Reagan’s amnesty of 1986 was “just the tip of the iceberg.”
He enumerated each of the seven amnesties passed beginning with Reagan’s and 6.2 million people it involved.
Rafferty said Riders USA recommend Sens. McCain and Flake remove any form of amnesty from S.744.
Following the press conference, Rusty Childress delivered 10,000 signatures on a petition in opposition to S.744 to Sen. John McCain’s office.
Photo by Linda BentleyHe said if the bill passes it will be the equivalent of adding the population of Boston, Mass. with illegal aliens to our total population annually for the past 28 years.
Rafferty stated, “We must stop encouraging illegal immigration with continued issuance of blanket amnesties.
Arizona Republican Party Chairman Randy Pullen said we had this battle six years ago this month when McCain tried to pass an amnesty bill.
Pullen, holding up a booklet titled “We Believe in America,” which contained a verse from the Bible decrying amnesty, stated, “No amnesty for lawbreakers! Six years ago we the people defeated amnesty and we will do it again!”
Russell Pearce, representing BAN (Ban Amnesty Now), said it was a sad day due to McCain and Flake’s failure to do their job.
He mentioned numerous murders and crimes perpetrated by illegal aliens and asked, “When is enough, enough?”
Referencing the anarchists, whom he called anti-American, anti-law enforcement and anti-decency, Pearce said, “These are the kind of people who support illegal immigration.”
Pearce said we need to hold our government accountable and stated it had no respect for the Constitution.
Haydee Dawson, a naturalized citizen, said no one talks about the people who cross the border illegally to engage in the sex trade or to sell drugs.
She said, “Amnesty will not fix that. It didn’t in 1986.”
Representing American Citizens United, Anna Gaines, a naturalized citizen from Mexico who is adamantly against granting amnesty to law-breaking foreign nationals, said those who come here illegally will only turn this country into a cesspool, just like the country they left.
