Aiding and Abetting

Is what the officials of New Haven, CT. will be doing, starting tomorrow.

At a time when a rising number of states and cities are cracking down on illegal immigrants, New Haven, Conn., is reaching out to them with a unique perk: an ID card.

The card can serve as identification for bank services, and it can be presented if police ask for ID. It also can be used at municipal locations such as libraries, beaches and parks, and it works as a debit card at parking meters and 15 downtown shops.

Cities — and critics — across the country are watching closely as New Haven prepares to hand out its first batch of cards July 24. The idea is to integrate illegal immigrants into the community, protect them from crime that can happen because of a lack of documentation, and encourage them to be more willing to report crimes to police. Reaction to the first-of-a-kind program has been swift and sharp, illustrating the wide divide in U.S. public opinion over immigration.

“We’re the only city nationwide to have this program, so it’s an opportunity we have to take to be a part of normal life in the community,” says Maria, an illegal immigrant living here, who plans to pick up her card when it’s available next week.

I’ve said tough tortilias before, when those in the country illegally whine about being vicitimized because of their illegality, and I’ll say it again.

You cannot and should not be “normalized” into a community if you are breaking the law just by being here.

New Haven’s idea is almost as bad as this one from Maryland State Police Superintendant, Colonel Terrence Sheridan

After this spring’s carnage at Virginia Tech University, carried out by a student who was able to buy guns in spite of a history of mental illness, many states began looking at their regulations governing handgun purchases. With little fanfare, the newly appointed Maryland State Police superintendent, Col. Terrence Sheridan, last month sent a letter to state gun dealers requiring that anyone who applies to purchase a handgun after July 31 sign a release allowing police access to the applicant’s mental health records.

According to a published report, by signing, the prospective buyer will be agreeing to let health agencies in Maryland and other states disclose any information about whether he or she has ever suffered from mental illness, has a history of violent behavior or has been confined in a mental health facility for more than 30 consecutive days.

Anyone who refuses to sign the release will be prevented from purchasing a handgun in Maryland.

Currently, state police search more than a dozen databases when conducting background checks on prospective gun buyers. But until now, medical information has been confidential and unavailable.

While Gov. Martin O’Malley’s administration argues that the extra step does not intrude on privacy rights, some gun rights advocates, predictably, are blasting the action as unlawful and unnecessary.

They maintain that the action is not needed because mental health commitments are already reported to police. And, they say, the policy is illegal because it exceeds what is allowed by a 1996 state gun law.

Proponents, on the other hand, say that when it comes to guns, additional scrutiny for people who may be a danger to themselves or others is a positive step.

It isn’t a stretch to say that these proponents would probably be in favor of Connecticut’s ID idea, what with most gun-bigots being on the liberal side of politics. Basically, they’d be in favor of giving non-citizens rights they have not earned, while stripping actual living, breathing, law abiding citizens of their right to purchase firearms by stripping them of their right to privacy (hit that link and give it a ponder).

And I’m sure that these proponents would consider it a positive step if the same background check was performed whenever someone bought gasoline, or matches, or rope, or a chainsaw, or a new set of Ginsu knives too, right?

I know, I know. Don’t give them any ideas