(This will be kept at the top for the next several days. New posts below)

UPDATES:
You can help promote the petition. Details are here.
– Signature Count (Confirmed by reply — last 3 checks):
04.22.06 07:20 EDT — 15 confirmed | 9 States (CA leads with 5)
04.22.06 23:30 EDT — 17 confirmed | 10 States (CA leads with 6)
04.23.06 05:35 EDT — 18 confirmed | 11 States (CA leads with 6)

Earlier this week The MaryHunter had a post that talked about The “Secure America” Pledge suggested by Frank Gaffney, Jr., and The Center for Security Policy. The Pledge is as follows:

1. The purpose of U.S. immigration policy is to benefit the citizens of the United States.
2. Since immigration policy can profoundly shape a country, it should be set by deliberate actions, not by accident or acquiescence, with careful consideration to ensure it does not adversely affect the quality of life of American citizens and their communities.
3. Immigration policy should be based on and adhere to the rule of law. Immigration laws must be enforced consistently and uniformly throughout the United States.
4. Noncitizens enter the United States as guests and must obey the rules governing their entry. The U.S. government must track the entry, stay and departure of all visa-holders to ensure they comply fully with the terms of their visas, or to remove them if they fail to comply.
5. The borders of the U.S. must be physically secured at the earliest possible time. An effective barrier to illegal entry of both aliens and contraband is vital to U.S. security.
6. Those responsible for facilitating illegal immigration shall be sought, arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law and shall forfeit any profits from such activity. This applies to smugglers and traffickers of people, as well as to those involved in the production, procurement, distribution or use of fraudulent or counterfeit documents.
7. U.S. employers shall be given a simple and streamlined process to determine whether employees are legally eligible to work. Employers who obey the law shall be protected both from liability and from unfair competition by those who violate immigration law. The violators shall be subject to fines and taxes in excess of what they would have paid to employ U.S. citizens and legal residents for the same work.
8. Those who enter or remain in the United States in violation of the law shall be detained and removed expeditiously. Illegal aliens shall not accrue any benefit, including U.S. citizenship, as a result of their illegal entry or presence in the United States.
9. No federal, state or local entity shall reward individuals for violating immigration laws by granting public benefits or services, or by issuing or accepting any form of identification, or by providing any other assistance that facilitates unlawful presence or employment in this country. All federal and law enforcement agencies shall cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities, and shall report to such authorities any information they receive indicating an individual may have violated immigration laws.
10. Illegal aliens currently in the United States may be afforded a one-time opportunity to leave the United States without penalty and seek permission to re-enter legally if they qualify under existing law. Those who do not take advantage of this opportunity will be removed and permanently barred from returning.

Although there may be difficulties with implementing some of the provisions of the pledge, I think that as a guide to work on legislation and policy they are dead on.

As I thought about this I tried to come up with a way to show support for this pledge. The result is the “project” I mentioned here and again this morning. I wanted to create a petition to help show our representatives in Congress and the administration that people support a fair, tough, comprehensive policy on immigration.

I have created an online petition to show that support. It’s taken a few days to complete (my php coding skills are a little rusty). The results are here. My goal is to have as many people as possible sign the petition while congress is in recess. Should there be a significant number of signatures I will send the petition on to the administration, leaders of the House and Senate, and (where there are sufficient numbers) to individual members with the signatures of their constituents.

I’ve tried to make the process both secure and simple. I ask for email addresses simply to send a confirmation notice, eliminating possible spam submissions. The email address is then encrypted to prevent multiple signings from the same email address. The unencrypted version is not stored, and I will clear even the encrypted portion of the database at the end of the collection process. (No later than May 15, 2006).

I ask that you:

1. Sign the petition — please use your real name and complete all the information.
2. Point others to the petition, either at this post or directly to the petition at: http://www.brightandearlyblog.com/petition.php
3. If anyone with some artistic talent would like to create a button or banner please send it to lakelandjim AT gmail DOT com.
4. Please let me know if you encounter any problems using the same email address.

Thanks! God Bless America!

Linked with:
Wizbang’s Carnival of the Trackbacks LIX
Michelle Malkin looks at a different project that’s flush with possibilities.
Also — The Mudville Gazette Open Post and the Outside the Beltway Beltway Traffic Jam