Praise for Sheriff Frank McKeithen (May 2007)

I want to praise Sheriff Frank McKeithen and the Bay County Sheriff's Department for their recent actions regarding illegal aliens. This is a problem, not just in Bay County, but also across the nation. In Howard County, Maryland, on Thanksgiving night of 2006, Eduardo Raul Morales-Soriano, an illegal alien – I'm sorry – illegal immigrant, killed Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews and Jennifer Bower while they were at a stoplight. Cpl. Ma In March Andrew Stear, a 21 year-old here on Spring Break was run down on Panama City Beach by Hugo Rodriguez Colindrez. In Virginia Beach, Alison Kunhardt, and Tessa Tranchant, were killed when Alfredo Ramos slammed into their car while they were stopped at a red light. In April, Dacus Lamont Sims, a 32 year-old man was killed in North Carolina by an Luciano Melendres, while he (Sims) was crossing the street! Here's the kick in the head. All of them; Morales-Soriano, Colindrez, Ramos and Melendres were all illegal aliens and all but Hugo Rodriguez Colindrez had previously been arrested! The question to ask is not why weren't they detained, but why were they still in this country? Why weren't they deported?

However immigration attorney Richard Alvoid has the nerve to say, ""That is a blatant violation of constitutional rights," What constitutional rights? They aren't citizens of the United States, therefore, how can they be entitled to any of the rights of this country? If they chose to become legal citizens of this country, then I'm all for protecting their rights because, as citizens, they have them. But why should they make the effort to become United States citizens? They sneak into the country, break the law and go virtually unpunished, receive medical care and other services due citizens and now their so-called constitutional rights are being taken into consideration. Like the old saying goes, why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?
Think of it this way. What would you do if someone broke into your house? Would you feed them, clothe them and add them to your medical insurance? NO! You'd call the police. Why? Because they are breaking the law! That's exactly what illegal aliens, illegal immigrants, undocumented workers, undocumented citizens, or whatever politically correct term is in the wind today, are doing – breaking the law! If they were not breaking the law, then why, like the incident on the bridge last week, do they scatter when they see a law enforcement vehicle? Why do they run when the Sheriff Deputies arrive? Just the term ILLEGAL says it all.

Are illegal aliens the only people who kill? No, but if Eduardo Raul Morales-Soriano, Alfredo Ramos, and Luciano Melendres had been deported when they committed any of their prior offenses, then their victims – 21 year-old Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews, 24 year-old Jennifer Bower, 17 year-old Alison Kunhardt, 16 year-old Tessa Tranchant, and 32 year-old Dacus Lamont Sims would still be alive. If Hugo Rodriguez Colindrez had been prevented from entering this country, then 21 year-old Andrew Stear would have returned to his family after Spring Break.

Sheriff McKeithen, keep up the good work, and when you run for office again – and I pray that you will – you can count on my vote!