License, ID card policies stir concerns over illegal immigrants voting

Thank You Mr. Obama! This is how the Democrats win, with non-citizens.

As more states begin providing illegal immigrants and their children with driver's licenses and ID cards, officials are concerned some also are registering to vote -- some by mistake, and others on purpose. 
The problem came to light recently in North Carolina, which compared its voter rolls against a federal immigration database. The cross-check of 10,000 voters found 1,425 likely non-citizen voters, including 109 illegal immigrants or so-called "Dreamers." Almost 10 percent registered to vote when getting their driver's license. But election officials say the problem is nationwide. 
"In terms of a check and balance that would prevent an individual who is a non U.S. citizen from registering to vote, that doesn't exist. There's absolutely nothing stopping them," said Neal Kelley, Orange County registrar of voters and chairman of the California Association of Election Officials.
The problem, officials say, dates back to the 1993 federal Motor Voter Act, which requires states to offer residents the ability to register to vote when they obtain a driver's license or ID card. In some states, the driver's license and voter registration application are on the same form, and the applicant simply signs. In small print, the form says applicants acknowledge they are U.S. citizens. In other states, voter registration is a separate form and applicants check a box. In either case, once signed, the forms are automatically sent to the county or state registrar of voters, and the name is added to voter rolls. 
State DMV officials are not required to authenticate citizenship.
"They're asked to check a box that they're a U.S. citizen, but that's not good enough," said Kris Kobach, Kansas secretary of state. "We have so many aliens on our voter rolls who check that box -- either because they're trying to break the law or because they didn't know exactly what they were doing." 
There are two ways to eliminate or slow the problem. While only U.S. citizens can vote, only four states require proof before registering: Kansas, Arizona, Georgia and Alabama. States can also compare voter rolls to a federal immigration database known as SAVE, or the Systemic Alien Verification System for Entitlements. Four states tried, but the ACLU and others sued, stopping Virginia, Iowa and Florida from purging voter rolls of non-citizens.
"We want the public to understand that people are not being proactive in dealing with this massive problem," said Jay DeLancy, director of the North Carolina Voter Integrity Project. "Any state that has DACA licenses, any state that offers any sort of driver's licenses to people who are not citizens has the problem."
The ACLU claims the federal immigration database isn't perfect and could disenfranchise voters.
Under the National Voter Registration Act, states are required to remove from their registration lists ineligible voters. But U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder refuses to enforce the statute. Not a single such lawsuit has been filed since the beginning of the Obama administration, according to author John Fund. 
"This is such a huge problem," Kobach said. "And once the aliens get on the voter rolls, solutions don't solve the problem. If you want to work with the federal government, they’re going to make you jump through a whole bunch of hoops."
Use of the SAVE database, while not perfect, isn't cheap. Each name cross checked costs a state or county 50 cents.
In Maryland, a voter integrity group obtained a list of residents who were removed from jury duty because they were non-citizens. Among them, 509 were also registered to vote. The group, Virginia Voters Alliance, claims up to 7 percent of Maryland's registered voters could be non-citizens.
"Yes that can occur," said Kelley. "Whether they're a felon on parole or a non-U.S. citizen or somebody else who may be ineligible to register to vote, they can end up on the rolls."

ISIS militants line up, kill 50 tribesmen and women in Iraq town

BAGHDAD –  Islamic State group extremists lined up and shot dead at least 50 tribesmen and women in Iraq's Anbar province, officials said Saturday, the latest mass killing committed by the group.
The shooting happened late Friday in the village of Ras al-Maa, north of the provincial capital of Ramadi, Anbar councilman Faleh al-Issawi said.
Militants accused men and women of the Al Bu Nimr tribe of retaliating against them after being displaced from their homes when the group seized the Anbar town of Hit last month, al-Issawi said.
"These killings are taking place almost on a daily basis now in the areas under the control of the Islamic State group and they will continue unless this terrorist group is stopped," al-Issawi told The Associated Press.
An official in the Anbar governor's office confirmed the death toll. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to brief journalists.
On Thursday, authorities found the bodies of 48 Sunni tribesmen killed by the Islamic State group in Anbar.
The Islamic State group has overrun a large part of Anbar province in its push to expand its territory, which currently current stands at about one-third of both Iraq and Syria. Officials with the Iraqi government, as well as officials with the U.S.-led coalition targeting the extremists, repeatedly have said that Iraqi tribes are key in the fight against the Islamic State group since they are able to penetrate areas inaccessible to airstrikes and ground forces.
Meanwhile Saturday, the United Nations mission in Baghdad said that at least 1,273 Iraqis were killed in violence in October, a slight increase compared to last month amid the Islamic State group's assault.
The U.N. report said violence killed 856 civilians and 417 members of Iraq's security forces, while attacks wounded 2,010 Iraqis.
The worst-hit city was Baghdad, with 379 civilians killed, the report said.
The U.N. figures do not take into account causalities in Anbar province nor some other militant-held parts of Iraq.
The U.N. has said September's death toll was 1,119 Iraqis killed.

Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi freed from Mexican jail, immediately returns to US

After 214 days in a Mexican prison, Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi crossed the US – Mexican border Friday night, boarding a private jet for Florida shortly after 9 p.m., after a strong diplomatic push convinced a judge to release the former Marine on humanitarian grounds.
His release comes after a lengthy trial and a Congressional hearing in September highly critical of Obama Administration efforts to secure his release and Mexico’s refusal to let him go.  Tahmooressi said he made an innocent mistake the evening he crossed into Tijuana with three weapons in his truck on March 31.
While his defense rested its case several weeks ago, Tahmooressi’s release came only after a strong diplomatic push from former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and Reps. Ed Royce (R-CA) and Matt Salmon (R-AZ).
The three officials, along with Tahmooressi’s mother Jill, have spent the last week in Tijuana pressing officials for his release.
Speaking by phone on his way to board a plane with Tahmooressi, Richardson said the trio, along with talk show host Montel Williams, met with Mexico’s Attorney General and Ambassador to the US, advocating for his liberation.
Upon release, Mexican officials processed him quickly through immigration, Richardson said.
“He was happy.  He was smiling.  He's looking good.  His spirits are high,” Richardson told Fox News, adding that Tahmooressi said he wants a steak dinner and stone crabs.
But Richardson also said Tahmooressi is seeking privacy and still needs to receive treatment for his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, something that wasn’t available in Mexican prison-- a key argument put forth by defense attorney Fernando Benitez.
FoxNews.com covered Tahmooressi's seven-month ordeal extensively, with numerous reports from the Tijuana court where hearings were held, interviews with the jailed Marine by telephone and several guest opinion columns by military, medical and legal experts critical of his treatment in Mexico. 

Fox News Channel's Greta Van Susteran also covered the case extensively, even driving the poorly-marked and confusing route Tahmooressi took the night he was detained and going to the prison where he was held. But other national media outlets largely ignored the plight of Tahmooressi, and the White House was heavily criticized for not doing more to secure his release despite the fact that Tahmooressi  served two tours of duty in Afghanistan and suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Benitez said that Tahmooressi was continuing to deteriorate and Mexico didn’t have the expertise or facilities to treat his PTSD, which he suffered after two tours in Afghanistan.  
The defense attorney also alleged that customs agents held Tahmooerssi illegally, denying him access to a translator, lawyer and consular access.
But after the seven-month ordeal, it was the PTSD argument that ultimately pressured the judge to acquit Tahmooressi.

Stepped In It Cartoon

Warrant issued for husband of Delaware lawmaker over GOP sign swiping

Sen. Bethany Hall-Long

WASHINGTON –  Police in Delaware are looking for the husband of a state senator who was caught on video taking down political signs put up by Republican challengers.
Middletown police reportedly have issued an arrest warrant for Dana Armon Long, the husband of state Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, for allegedly stealing campaign signs.
Police responded Wednesday following complaints about the repeated theft of the political signs. 
In a video that was posted to YouTube on Wednesday, Long is shown carrying an armful of Republican signs. The takedown was filmed early Wednesday morning and was posted online. In the clip, which was taken over several hours, a man with a video camera appears to take Long by surprise.  
The man videotaping Long asks him, “What are you doing this for?” to which Long replies, “Hey, don’t stop me."
Long did not comment on the allegations when contacted by the Delaware News Journal.
Both Republican and Democratic party leaders condemned the thefts on Wednesday.
"When you only have a track record of high taxes, unemployment and lower wages for private sector employees to stand on, the Democrats must resort to breaking the law to win elections because they are scared of being held accountable for their dismal performance," John Fluharty, executive director of the state GOP, said in a written statement to the newspaper.
John Daniello, chairman of the state Democratic Party, said in a statement that, "Each campaign season, we deal with candidates removing their opponent's signs. This behavior is absolutely unacceptable. There are more positive ways in which to support your candidate regardless of party affiliation."
If he’s found guilty of the Class A misdemeanor, Long could spend up to a year in prison and face a $2,300 fine.

Democrat running for lieutenant governor of Arkansas used to be a stripper

Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in Arkansas John Burkhalter said being a male stripper in Little Rock was one of the many “tough jobs” he had in his past.
“I did have that job for a while, a very short time,” Burkhalter told Larry Henry in an interview for 5NEWS, a CBS affiliate in Arkansas. He was asked about being portrayed as a candidate with a “different background, from Chippendales dancer to multi-millionaire.”
“It was when I was in Little Rock,” Burkhalter said. “I’ve always been an athlete, and I was actually buying cows from a farm.”
“I had like 17 acres in a little place called Billy Goat Hill, which is in North Pulaski County, and I was trying to make my way in life,” he said.
On a message board entitled “Old Chippendales,” a user going by the name “verymarried,” recalled Burkhalter’s stripper days.
“John was once a major body builder and moonlighted as a male stripper in so called straight strip joints in a low-end southern Chippendale style circuit,” the message said. “He wore white tuxes with tails and handed out long stem roses to ladies, then took everything off.”

Former Marine banned from daughter’s school after dispute over Islam lesson

A former Marine who served in Iraq says he's been banned from his daughter's Maryland high school after a heated argument over a lesson on Islam.
Kevin Wood told MyFoxDC.com that he went to La Plata High School in La Plata, a town about 30 miles southeast of Washington, and challenged a history assignment requiring students to list the benefits of Islam. He said the meeting with the vice principal got heated; the school said he made a threat and banned the Iraq veteran from school property.
"[Wood] was threatening to cause a disruption or possible disruption at the school," a district spokesperson said.
Wood did not deny getting worked up over the issue, but said he was standing up for the Constitution and is against any religion being taught at the public school.
"I have witnesses that have said I did not threaten anybody," he told the station. "I don't force my religious views on them, so don't force your religious views on me."
The school is allowing his eleventh-grade daughter to spend the class time in the school's library, but defended its assignment and said it is teaching world history, not religion.
Wood's wife, Melissa, wondered how teaching about one religion is considered a history lesson while teaching about Christianity would be viewed diffrerently.
"We cannot discuss our Ten Commandments in school but they can discuss Islam's Five Pillars?"
The three-page assignment asked questions including, "How did Muslim conquerors treat those they conquered?"
A homework assignment obtained by MyFoxDC.com showed the correct answer was, “With tolerance, kindness and respect."

Colorado election law prompts concerns about voter fraud

Colorado's new election system is being panned by critics as a "ridiculous experiment" that could lead to more voter fraud -- in a year of very tight races with nothing less than control of the Senate on the line. 
This election year, every eligible Colorado voter is getting their ballot in the mail. It's a system used by only two other states -- Oregon and Washington. 
"We are only the third state in the United States trying this ridiculous experiment," said Marilyn Marks, an anti-voter fraud advocate with the Rocky Mountain Foundation. What's more, she warns, "We have added to it a toxic mix by adding same-day registration."
One of the most worrisome aspects of the new system, for some, is that once ballots are filled in, they are not required to be mailed back. The ballots can be taken to drop-off locations to avoid paying postage. And the law allows for what is known as "ballot harvesting." One individual can collect the ballots of up to 10 people to drop off.
"I'm as worried about undo influence as I am about straight up fraud," Marks said. "There are ballot harvesting groups going door-to-door, asking people to hand over their ballots. You can imagine some more vulnerable members of the community, particularly the elderly, who may feel under pressure."
"Colorado has no effective way of determining whether an individual has collected more than 10 ballots," cautioned El Paso County Clerk Wayne Williams, who also is a candidate for secretary of state. Williams complained that the state has no requirement that "your vote will count if you give it to a ballot harvester who then never turns that ballot in." 
Adding to the potential confusion, every registered voter will get a ballot. "The new law requires ballots to be sent to people who may not have voted in decades," Williams said. "In El Paso County, we've had voters report to us that they've received ballots from a voter registration drive for a person who has never lived at that address."
Election officials offer reassurances that all ballot signatures will be verified against voter registration records. Yet Colorado's new same-day voter registration law does not require a photo ID.
"You have to provide a driver's license number, specific to Colorado, a state ID number or your last four of your social," Denver Elections Director Amber McReynolds said.
"If the signature that was provided [for registration] was not accurate to begin with," Williams points out, "there is still a very real possibility of a fake registration resulting in a vote that counts and negates the vote of someone who was legitimately entitled to vote."
Those who still want to vote the old-fashioned way can do so, by bringing their unused mail-in ballots to a polling place and handing them in before voting.
While a small amount of voter fraud might not make a difference in the outcome of most races, the Real Clear Politics polling average has the governors' race in Colorado, between incumbent Democrat John Hickenlooper and GOP challenger Bob Beauprez, tied at 45 percent each. 
In the U.S. Senate race, the RCP average has GOP challenger Cory Gardner up by only 3.6 percentage points over Democratic Sen. Mark Udall, who is fighting to win a second term. 
The new election laws were passed by a Democratically controlled state legislature. So far, though, voter turnout numbers provided by the Colorado secretary of state's office show that Republicans are turning in ballots in much larger numbers than either Democrats or those registered as unaffiliated.