NATIONAL SECURITY

Illegal Immigration | Radical Islamists | Energy Independence

Illegal immigration - A matter of National Security.

What are the measures Jim Rutledge would propose to address the issue of illegal immigration?
First, the federal government must fulfill its duty to enforce a uniform law of citizenship and immigration in every state. States and local governments that create safe-haven rules and refuse to enforce the laws against illegal immigration should be prosecuted in federal court.

Second, we must reduce and eventually eliminate any and all federal funding to states based upon the census or any other enumeration.  States must not be encouraged to count illegal immigrants to increase their portion of federal funding.  Furthermore, since representation in Congress is based upon the census, illegal immigrants skew proper representation for all American citizens.  Lastly, once States adapt to a lack of federal funds perhaps their own policies and behaviors towards illegal immigrants will change.

Third, to ensure a fair playing field the government should require all employers use the e-Verify system.

Fourth, we must improve border security.  This is a pressing matter of both national security and immigration policy.

The long-standing failure of the federal and state authorities to apply uniform and consistent enforcement of our federal immigration laws has undermined our National Security and constitutes a breach of loyalty they owe to the citizens of the United States of America.

Congress has failed in its duty to hold the executive branch accountable for its refusal to enforce the immigration laws that they have sworn to uphold as the supreme law of the land.

The time has come for the citizens of Maryland to hold their representatives accountable and demand loyalty to the citizens whom they have been elected to serve.

Harms to our National Security by unchecked illegal immigration

What we need to do

Radical Islamists - A matter of National Security

Thanks to the diligent efforts and personal sacrifice of America's men and women in uniform and the unsung heroes of America's intelligence community, al Qaeda and its alliances of Radical Islamists have not struck American soil since September 11, 2001.

This is not a matter of luck. It is the result of hard work.

Congress needs Senators who have a 100% commitment to maintaining America's edge in combating and dismantling Islamic terrorists at home and abroad through a commitment to excellence:

• Superiority in intelligence, with technology and with effective human intelligence on the ground.
• Special Forces such as Marine Force Recon, Navy SEALS, Delta Force, and other rapid response forces must be fully supported.
• Rules of engagement that are effective and put the American soldier first. No American soldier should be committed to battle without full authority to destroy the enemy before the enemy destroys him. When War is waged, half-measures and half-support for the troops are not good enough because we send our very sons and daughters to fight and die, and we owe them our very lives and liberty and uncompromised gratitude.
  

To maintain vigilance against Radical Islamists, Americans and our leaders must be transparent and realistic about the ideological determination and religious motivations of our enemies. Minimizing the nature of the threat will only weaken the public's resolve and leave us vulnerable to attack.

On the home front, Congress needs to take action

Energy Independence -  A matter of National Security

Offshore Drilling and the Gulf Oil Leak Disaster:

As many of you know, initial stages of offshore oil exploration has been conducted along Maryland, Delaware and Virginia's coastal waters, with indications of potentially productive wells. This could mean substantial employment and revenue for Marylanders if the oil industry finds these areas to be favorable, and can move us forward on the long road to energy independence, but environmental challenges abound.  

Senators and Representatives were quick to blame BP for the disaster that occurred on April 20, but the fact is that Senators and Representatives have responsibility for oversight of the federal agencies that monitor companies such as BP and Exxon to conduct oil drilling in a safe, proven manner.  In fact, Barbara Mikulski is a member of the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, but she, like other members of the majority, failed to exercise oversight, instead choosing to blame the disaster solely on BP.  She ignored the GAO's report in 2008 that cited severe deficiencies and gross misconduct in the US Minerals Management Service.

As your Senator, Jim Rutledge will hold federal Agencies and Departments, like the Department of Interior, accountable for performance using common sense tools that were developed for solid program management and product development.  For example, NASA's Technology Readiness Level or TRL* rating system is used to help decide if a new process or product is ready to move into the next stage of development or production.  Had the MMS applied TRL principles to evaluate BP's application to drill a deep well, approval would not have been granted because BP could not demonstrate their state of readiness to proceed to the next stage - - the actual drilling. 

The difference between Rutledge and Mikulski is that as your Senator, I'll be working for you, the American Citizens, and not the oil companies or foreign businesses. A Democrat-led Congress was lax on holding federal agencies accountable for performance and ethics.  When you send Jim Rutledge to the US Senate, he won't permit Agencies or oil companies to use our oceans as offshore laboratories to try unproven ideas that can jeopardize our shores, our seafood, and our Bay. As your Senator, Jim Rutledge will demand that companies engaged in off-shore drilling have developed and tested disaster management plans and equipment before new, risky processes are approved.

* An Expanded TRL Assessment Chart can be downloaded from www.Voters2010Guide.com   

Jim Rutledge comments on the smart use of our domestic gas and oil resources-
"Energy is multi-faceted issue. We must consider all possible energy sources as solutions. That includes traditional energy sources such as clean coal, natural gas, oil, and nuclear. We must harness the competitive brilliance and industry of the people to develop new and emerging energy technologies. To accomplish this, we must reduce regulation, increase competition, and let people and companies invest in research and development. Meanwhile, we must leverage traditional sources of energy such as oil and natural gas. I fully support tapping into domestic oil and natural gas. I do support drilling in ANWR and off-shore drilling. During Hurricane Katrina, the off-shore rigs suffered no spills. Also, safe slant drilling is now a reality. That is a testimony to advanced technology. We can no longer make public energy policy based on false assumptions."

Dependence on foreign oil is a threat to our National Security.

No Nation can maintain its sovereignty and independence when it is dependant upon foreign sources of energy.

When a nation's economy is beholding to foreign oil, it is vulnerable to embargo and blackmail and is forced to engage in military action to ensure the free flow of oil.

To be free, America must reduce and eventually eliminate its dependency on foreign oil.

The pathway to energy independence requires a new approach free from the political forces that have dominated our national energy policy for decades.

Steps to success and freedom

The Energy Trap in American Government - a failure of leadership