Over and over, President Bush said that nations harboring terrorists will be brought to justice, that such nations are just as much our enemies as the individual terrorists that attack our people, and other statements to that effect. But how does that apply to ourselves? Isn't it obvious that we allowed the suicide fanatics of September eleventh into our country, let them live and train here while plotting their attack, and never bothered to keep track of what they were up to until it was too late?

Where do you draw the line at sponsoring terrorists? If we allow them entry without proper identification and background checks, let them train and attend flight schools, fail to keep track of their movements, and so forth, aren't we almost as guilty as anyone who might openly encourage and support them?

Wasn't it just about this time last year that we went through two months of turmoil over our election process and the more than obvious need for improvement, at least in the phenomenology of counting ballots? What's been done in this area since then? Have we all forgotten "chads" and the twenty-four hour tabloid news coverage?

Did you know that the Census Bureau just released a special report estimating some 8 million illegal aliens currently in this country? A record for the highest number ever estimated in raw number or percentage of migration.

Back in the seventy-year reign of Tammany Hall in New York City, one of the most infamous tricks was to grant wholesale citizenship just before an election. Thousands of new and waiting immigrants would be given quick-take status just before the booths opened and precinct captains would be waiting to sign them up as they left with their new citizenship papers in hand. People from oppressed countries are especially cognizant of who helps them. Don't we have an election year coming up?

Have we forgotten that David Shipper, independent lead prosecutor in the Clinton impeachment, devoted the entire fourth chapter of his subsequent book "Sellout" to immigration irregularities his staff was finding in the Immigration and Naturalization Service while just warming-up to their new quarters and job in Washington?

While the media drags out everyone from Al Haig to Ollie North and B-1 Bob Dornan, have you seen anyone like Shipper with criticism of our immigration policies and weaknesses? What do our so-called watchdog investigative reporters have to say about this subject? Or doesn't it matter while George W. Bush seems to be adopting the same trick by widening our doors to the south?