Ed Meese: A fair immigration proposal
December 14, 2006 | By Nathaniel Ward
Former Attorney General Edwin Meese poses an important question in Human Events: What would Ronald Reagan do to solve the problem of illegal immigration? “For one thing, he would not repeat the mistakes of the past, including those of his own administration.”
Meese, the Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow in Public Policy and Chairman of the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at Heritage, explains that the late president would understand that “secure borders are vital, and would now insist on meeting that priority first.” To meet this goal, we should work to “strengthen the enforcement of existing immigration laws” and employ new technologies to “make enforcement and verification less onerous and more effective.”
Heritage’s impact on the military
The Heritage Foundation continues to influence those who make America’s military policy. Two recent developments demonstrate why this is true.
First, the Pentagon plans to create a new military command for Africa in the next few months, according to outgoing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. The military currently operates five regional commands, which oversee America’s military operations around the world. Nile Gardiner, director of Heritage’s Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, originally made the case for an African command to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Heritage defense experts Jack Spencer and Baker Spring followed up with fleshed-out proposals for the top brass. Click here to read the 2004 proposal from Nile Gardiner and James Carfano.
Second, the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves has added Mackenzie Eaglen’s November research paper on Guard equipment to its online list of recommended reading. This is an important placement because it means the decision-makers in the National Guard are aware of Heritage’s work—and think it worthy of careful consideration. Click here to read Eaglen’s paper, “Equipping the Army National Guard for the 21st Century.”
Religion and good behavior
Teenagers are often rebellious, to say the least, and are likely to find themselves in a fair amount of trouble. As it turns out, not all teens get into the same kinds of trouble—and religion and family structure play a vital role in how this plays out, according to new data compiled by Heritage’s FamilyFacts.org.
Compared to teens from non-intact families and those with infrequent religious attendance, teens from intact families with frequent religious attendance:
- Earned the highest GPA, on average.
- Are least likely to have ever gotten into a fight.
- Are least likely to have ever used hard drugs.
Click here to view the whole list.
In other news
- Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) underwent emergency brain surgery last night after suffering stroke-like symptoms. His condition remains critical. The Heritage Foundation extends to him our best wishes for a speedy recovery.
- Immigration officials arrested more than 1,200 suspected illegal immigrants in the largest-ever raid against a single firm. Authorities raided the meatpacking facilities of Swift & Co. in six states after learning that hundreds of employees had used false identification to gain employment.
- A federal judge has upheld the recently-passed Military Commissions Act, which bars enemy combatants from challenging their detentions in court.
- Ban Kai Moon was sworn in this morning as the new U.N. Secretary General. The South Korean replaces Kofi Annan, who presided over ten catastrophic years at the organization.
- In my article Tuesday on Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick’s important achievements, I mistakenly referred to her in one instance as Ambassador Fitzpatrick. Thanks to Heritage member Judy W. for catching the error (since corrected).
Coming up at Heritage
To attend these or any other Heritage Foundation events, RSVP at Heritage’s events website. Or you can watch these events live online at Heritage.org. All times are Eastern.
- On Friday, December 15 at noon, Heritage’s James Carafano is joined by outside experts to discuss what steps America can take to stay ahead in military technology.
- On Monday, December 18 at noon, author Arthur Brooks explores what inspires charitable giving in America.
Nathaniel Ward is the Editor of MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation.
