Illegals account for share of DUIs here

No one should drink and drive. Regardless of whether you're from Poland and fond of vodka or from Latin America and fond of tequila or from South Carolina and fond of moonshine.

On Sept the fourth I lost my best Army friend when a drunk American plowed into him at an intersection it was 12:00 noon. Neither his culture, social standing, age, gender nor his ethnic grouping played any role in this killing. He made the decision to get into his pickup and drive after drinking.

Retired army, methinks you must have been exposed to agent orange. The subject of the article is illegals, and they should go straight from jail back to where they came from. I have signed internet petitions until I am sick of reading them. It is almost as if nothing is going to be done, especially if left up to people like retired army. Ostrawski sounds more American than you do.

RetiredArmy is right. February 8-14 is seven days and Mr. Ostrawski sounds like he's trying extrapolate that to all DUIs. If he really wants to make that argument, he needs dig up the numbers for 2007 and see what percentage of DUIs were held for ICE. He then rails against a federal form that he doesn't identify, slams a bill that he doesn't identify, and says our rights are being taken away without listing any specific rights that are in danger. This is not the way to make your case, Mr. Ostrawski. Back it up with real data and real information.

Retired army, there are no American names other than names like Sitting Bull, Running Horse, and Pocahontas all names of native Americans. I agree with your statistical assessment but you are out of line making fun of the writers last name. I suggest an apology is in order.

I am new to Augusta. I would like to know how an illegal alien can get a drivers license here in the State of Georgia, anyway? At my latest visit to the motor vehicle department, I presented my passport (picture ID) to proove my ID and citizenship. Driving with a foreign or forged drivers license is illegal. Add drunk driving on top of that, someone would need the brains of a rock to even consider driving while intoxicated and no valid drivers license. Our own citizens and lawfull residents would have it bad enough if they were caught driving under the influence. An illegal alien would be facing jail time, ending in deportation. Do we really have an illegal alien drinking problem here?

johndupree, if 1 illegal got away with it, that is too many for me. Disregard all the technical jibberish that you bring up, and do what is right. Get rid of those who are not legally in this country.

SC has always been a backwards state. It wouldn't suppries me about the new legislation they've passed.

That good ol' boy network makes sure that can get cheap labor at any cost. Remember slavery!

S.C Dawg, I presume, then, you won't be voting for a Democrat this time? The Democrat candidates all favor "bringing illegals out of the shadows," better known as amnesty.

DonH, the Democratic candidates favor saying whatever helps them get votes, which in my eyes means keeping illegals here and giving them citizenship just to get their vote. If my choices are a vindictive woman or a Muslim, I will write in.

Retarded Army, the 30 per cent sate in Aiken County alone is a FACT that probably would hold up and even be higher in other sections of the US such as LCA, AZ, TX, etc. As for the writer's heritage, his family may just be one of the earliest to come and settle here LEGALLY. Fear mongering? Damn right, I am afraid of our national identity being destroyed by allowing the invasion of illegals that do not assimilate but merely illegally work here and send billions out of the country that could better be used here.

(corrected ersion) Retarded Army, the 30 per cent stat in Aiken County alone is a FACT that probably would hold up and even be higher in other sections of the US such as CA, AZ, TX, NM etc. As for the writer's heritage, his family may just be one of the earliest to come and settle here LEGALLY. Fear mongering? Damn right, I am afraid of our national identity being destroyed by allowing the invasion of illegals that do not assimilate but merely illegally work here and send billions out of the country that could better be used here.

For starters, Mr. Ostrawski uses interesting math. There were 16 DUI arrests in that period, not 10. So the percentage is far lower. But that's quibbling. A search of the period from Jan 25 to Jan 31 shows NO immigrant arrests for DUI out of the 10 reported. Should I conclude that Citizens are responsible for all DUI's? Of couse not. Cherry-picking statistics to make your point is a time honored form of obfuscation which politicians have used to muddy the waters since the beginning of time. But it doesn't point to a reasonable solution, it only foments hate and distrust. It's a not so subtle form of racism. Using emotional buzz words like Amnesty to describe punishment by fining is a great example. By and large, DUI offenders are fined. Is that amnesty? No. Is the punishment less than adequate? Perhaps. The same goes for solutions to the Immigrant problem. If you disagree that bringing illegal immigrants into the tax base by fining them as punishment for their transgression and then providing a path to citizenship, than the reality is you just don't want them here. That's your prerogative, but let's call it what it is.

BPopos and others slamming people that are concerned about illegal immigrants breaking the laws of our land. Do you pay car insurance? Do you have a valid license? Do you avoid drinking and driving? Do you pay taxes out of your hard-earned pay? Okay, good. Now, what do you think happens when an ILLEGAL immigrant with no insurance and no driver's license hits your car, totals it, and injures or kills you or your loved ones. Who pays the bills? Still feeling so magnanimous?

Help us STOP these illegals from showing up in Augusta. Join www.technopatriots.com and stop them form your home ! YES, you can!

S.C.Dawg if you think it is just a Democrat problem you are very, very, very, very ignorant to the ways of this country. What party do you think does the most to allow businesses to run rough shot (be free of government restrains as they would say) over anything and anyone? Republicans. They want the businesses to have the freedom to do whatever it takes to make the best profit possible for stock holders (even if it includes outsourcing or hiring illegal aliens here in the states).

Good point, baroness, that is why I have coverage for uninsured motorists included in my auto insurance

Imdstuf, so it is Republicans that have allowed those illegals to come here and work cheap, eh? What did BJ Cliton do about it for eight years-NOTHING. Reagan made two great errors as President-1. retreating from Lebanon when he should have put Beirut 3 inches off the ground after the Marine Barracks bombing, and 2. signing the amnesty bill given him by the DIMocRATS which has encouraged the current invasion. I admit, GW Bush has done nothing to stop it an supported the Kennedy-Grahamnesty-McCain amnesty bill (which luckily the American people stopped). You are right, I and the vast majority of Americans don't want illegals here. Legal immigrants who assimilate, work hard, and pay their way are always welcome, not a bunch of leaches that we have here now.

Retarded Army, Bpopos, try this on for size. Just a sample:http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55965

Baroness asks the question "what do you think happens when an ILLEGAL immigrant with no insurance and no driver's license hits your car, totals it, and injures or kills you or your loved ones. Who pays the bills?" The same thing that happens when it's an American citizen. (unfortunately there are many such "citizens" in SC) What,s your point?
Baroness says "BPopos and others slamming people that are concerned about illegal immigrants breaking the laws of our land."
Read the post. I never slammed anyone for being "concerned", just made a reasoned argument for legitimate discourse vs distortions to support an argument. AND, I don't want illegals here anymore than you do, but I do have Christian compassion and understand WHY they are here. I simply choose not to engage in hatespeech and scare tactics. Evidently, your forte.

Jack...Believe it or not I've seen it. That's the same outfit that gathered statistics showng almost 30% of violent criminals in federal prisons were illegal immigrants...later reported as fact by a reporter on Lou Dobbs' CNN show. Trouble is, the so-called statistics were ...shall we say "flawed". Dobbs was required to retract those statistics since in fact about 6.5% of federal prisoners were non-citizens, and it was 30% ot THAT group who were in country illegally!!!!
DUI is illegal period and should not be tolerated, but using it as a scare tactic to imply the dangerous nature of illegals in general is inappropriate. All it does is smear a whole group of people who are in general just hard working albeit breaking the law by being here illegally. I ask these questions..How do we stem the tide of immigration and how do we deal with the millions already here? I submit that despite the impact on school and healthcare systems nationwide, there is also positve impact on the economy. So solutions need to address this dichotomy and I choose to not foment racism or hate for a people in general in my discussions.

stop all b.s. if an illegal is arrested they should be deported period. also if they are employed then the business owner should be also arrested and jailed. the only way to get a hand on illegal aliens is to make our lawmakers and police do their job. if people in the csra don't belive how big of a illegal alien population,just go to the flea markets and see. also checkout the chinese and mexican resturants, area horse farms and peach farms. quit all the b.s. and let's do something about it if our elected officals won't do their jobs then when election time comes get them out of state and federal positions. the usa needs to do something with our economey as low as it is we have to do something our dollar rate is at it's lowest in recent history and thanks to our top elected offical we are going broke and are the laughing stock of the world. one more thing how in the hell can these oil companies ie; exon post a 7 billion dollar profit for the last quarter of 2007. don't forget the rest of the oil companies also posted gigantic profits for 2007. with oil at 100.00 dollars a barrel it is nothing but greed. how about the senate and house make them justify these enormous profits

Jack, your discussion about the root causes of our present circumstance is interesting. Here's another piece (purely bi-partisan) of that puzzle. George HW Bush started the NAFTA talks prior to Clinton. Clinton believed his advisors that long term it was a good idea (doesnt look so hot now, but some say it hasn't been long enough). So Clinton is RABID to get this thing done. Reticent Republican congress says OK, but you gotta give us better border security down Mexico way for us to vote on it. So the stage is set. Clinton tightened border security (just enough to close the revolving door...not enough to even slow it down). Now that revolving door was normal before Clinton. Illegals came across the border, picked crops, mowed lawns, whatever. They went home several times a year. Then the revolving door closes. Now there's a greater risk so illegal guy says maybe I better not go home, might not get back. Then he goes home but he brings wife and kid back 'cause traveling back and forth is too risky. Now we get a tax burden in education and healthcare that's unjustified, unwanted and unfair. Then illegal guy says seasonal work isn't enough, I'll get a job in the trades...etc.

HOPE, I'm with you to a point. I think trying to deport 12-16 million folks isn't ever going to happen, so looking for another solution. Dollar value, economy. Feds spend like drunken sailors...'nuff said.

BPopos you are judging your fellow citizens. Not only do I not hate illegals, but I never even considered race as part of this discussion. I do not like the heavy consequences when laws are broken by illegal immigrants. They should not be here illegally because when they are, a domino effect of negative consequences regularly occur that are detrimental to not only them, but also American citizens. What I said is not hate speech or scare tactics, it is what happens. And yes our fellow citizens do these things, too, but we still have legal recourse, unless they leave the country, since they are citizens. If you don't get my point, it's because you choose not to. Your forte seems to be judging that people that seem to not agree with you do not have Christian compassion and don't understand why the illegals are here. Wrong. I think that allowing illegals into this country and looking the other way, makes them vulnerable to abuse and inhumane living conditions. This is not a simple problem, because we need the labor they provide and yet our own citizens are not willing to do the work the illegals do under the conditions the illegals are doing it. Hence a supply & demand quandary

Jack, I am not saying Democrats are the answer. I was just pointing out Republicans are no better. Both major parties support NAFTA. Unfortunately they both try to cater to both sides of the argument for different reasons.

Jack, I read the link you referenced. Here is the headline. What follows this headline will make even the most rabid liberal shiver.
INVASION USA
Drunk and dangerous: DUI illegals behind the wheel
Aliens under influence of alcohol turning U.S. citizens into roadkill

imdstuff, you are in your words very very very unable to read a statement and not reflect your liberal bias into it. Read it again .

Baroness, a much more reasoned response. Yes it is a quandary, and it's not black and white, and there are no easy solutions. Further, I will bet that not one illegal immigrant wouldn't prefer to be here legally.
The problem I have is with people charactirizing an entire population based on the actions of a part of that population. It paints broad strokes obscuring the very intracacies that you allude to.
And yes, if you couch arguments against illegal immigrants in inflammatory language (...Now, what do you think happens when an ILLEGAL immigrant with no insurance and no driver's license hits your car,...your words) or "...I do not like the heavy consequences when laws are broken by illegal immigrants." Laws broken by citizens is better? What legal recourse against a broke drunk, citizen or not? Illegals that commit crimes serve time in our jails (if warranted) BEFORE being deported. We already agree that we don't want people here illegally. The problem is we haven't found a solution. Inflammatory statements such as yours and Ostrawski's don't make the point any clearer, they just fuel the fires of jingoism and racism,,,you know, "ooo, scary Mexicans". Yer turn ;)