One of the main issues holding up a Congressional vote on legislation to enact the 9/11 Commission's anti-terrorism recommendations is border security.  Rep. James Sensenbrenner is demanding language that would prevent states from granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants. 

Intelligence-reform efforts will be wasted if we fail to address other security loopholes that the 9/11 hijackers studied to hatch their deadly plans. Once the 19 hijackers arrived here, they were able to secure 63 validly issued driver's licenses. Using these licenses, they were able to blend in and eventually board U.S. planes. (USA Today – Nov. 23, 2004)

Sensenbrenner’s concerns seem to be falling on deaf ears.  President Bush is proving once again, that he has little concern for the security of our nation’s borders, by demanding that legislation be passed as quickly as possible and without language addressing illegal immigration.  Liberals are responding as they always do when a Republican expresses concerns about border security and illegal immigration – they are portraying Sensenbrenner as a racist, xenophobic kook.  Perhaps the liberal elites, who seldom encounter an illegal immigrant, think Sensenbrenner is overstating the problem – I don’t. 

My home state of North Carolina has a strong farm economy.  Most of those who work the fields and factories are illegal immigrants from Mexico and South America.  Consider this:

Charlotte, North Carolina, Oct 29 (EFE). - A round-up by authorities of undocumented immigrants has transformed a North Carolina municipality into a ghost town, its streets deserted and its factories begging for workers.

The Hispanic areas of Lincolnton, a town of almost 10,000 people located west of Charlotte, have been empty since Wednesday, when local police and Lincoln County sheriff's deputies arrested 24 undocumented immigrants…

We don’t know how many illegal immigrants are here, where they are or who they are.  We know that Islamic terrorists are targeting our borders; Time Magazine reported recently that al Qaeda plans to smuggle a nuclear bomb into the United States, across the Mexican border.  Considering that we cannot keep at least 500,000 illegal immigrants from strolling across our borders each year, it would probably be very easy to bring in a nuclear weapon.  However, it would be much easier to contaminate our food!

WASHINGTON (AP) - Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson resigned Friday, warning of a potential global outbreak of the flu and health-related terror attacks. "For the life of me, I cannot understand why the terrorists have not attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do," he said.

Every year, thousands of Americans get sick (and many die) from eating accidentally contaminated food.  The latest out-break occurred, coincidentally, in North Carolina, when more than a hundred people were exposed to e-coli at the state fair.  A quick search of recent headlines showed most incidents of e-coli exposure result from unwashed fruits and vegetables contaminated with common fecal matter.    That, in itself, is enough to make me wash my fruits and vegetables more thoroughly! 

How hard would it be for terrorists to cross the Mexican border and pass themselves off as Mexicans (if they are Middle Eastern in origin, which need not necessarily be the case as Mexico and South America are becoming terrorist hot spots) to take jobs in towns like Lincolnton, NC and similar agriculture areas across the nation.  Imagine the panic and economic damage if just one or two batches of various fruits, vegetables, grains and meats were contaminated with chemical or biological agents.  Perhaps some would be caught, but chances are, if the contaminated foods were originating from different regions, much of it would make it to the market and on to our tables.  Terrorists would likely target agricultural companies that contract with school and hospital cafeterias for maximum damage. 

In all likelihood, the only reason we have not suffered such attacks before now, is that President Bush shifted the focus of Islamic terrorists to Iraq.  If all of the terrorists that flooded Iraq to fight our soldiers were as determined to sneak into America and do us harm, we would see blood in the streets and poisons in our food. These people want to kill us.  Their religion commands them to kill us and/or convert us to Islam.  Both our Christian traditions and our secularism threaten them.  There is no way to appease them.  We either fight or die.  The only choice is the battleground.  Regardless, so long as our borders are not secure, we have no security.