Some interesting notes in this news video below on Postville, Iowa. Rallies and protests occurred this Sunday in Postville, Iowa both for continued illegal activity and against it. Agriprocessors Inc., a "kosher" meat packing processor, claims that they lost 3/4 of their workforce during the raid and had to import homeless people from Texas to work in their plants after the raid. In addition in the video below you will see Mayor Robert Penrod state that the town lost 1/3 of its population during the raid. A third!

If this is not a direct example of outright ignoring of the law and aiding and abetting of illegal immigration in a town-wide fashion I don't know what is. Postville was once a small town dominated by American workers. Since having an influx of investment from Hassidic Jews from New York and New Jersey, a good portion of those workers were replaced over the years as they brought in illegal labor for a lower wage. This illegal labor included kids as young as 13 who worked in the plants - in other words sweatshops. Remember this quote below as you read about the Postville rally because it is what those opposed to immigration enforcement are marching in favor of.

One, a Guatemalan named Elmer L. who said he was 16 when he started working on the plant’s killing floors, said he worked 17-hour shifts, six days a week. In an affidavit, he said he was constantly tired and did not have time to do anything but work and sleep. “I was very sad,” he said, “and I felt like I was a slave.”

Even a former pastor of the church, Father Paul Ouderkirk of St Bridget's, supporting the illegal aliens said it was "the dirtiest, unsafest plant I've ever been in". Kosher indeed!

Yet this same church supported the continued existence of Agriprocessor through lack of action. They supported the workers there, but nowhere is it mentioned them ever protesting against the mistreatment of the people it claims to defend, including the most vulnerable - the children. Hypocritical? I think so because also noted in the video is Father Paul Ouderkirk saying they were treating the injured, "the kid without the three fingers and the one with his hand". How can a church that claims to care sit by while such exploitation continues around them and never speak out?

Also noted in the video is that many of the illegal aliens are serving up to 5 month sentences for identity theft, a charge I applaud. These people are knowingly using someone else's identification to obtain work illegally in this country and they should be punished just as any other resident of this country would be for stealing someone's identity, a felony. Five months seems a little weak to me though for identity theft, something that would take the victim literally years to clear up and untold anguish.

St Bridget's church in Postville is actively participating in intervening in the situation, helping during the recent rallies and providing support for illegal aliens in the community. Support that includes food, rent money and health care and other services. I guess this is the church paying back the people who have been donating to them for years and years. For that is why these churches are in this fight against enforcing the law, they see donations. Postville is everything that is wrong with this country when it comes to breaking immigration laws.

As usual, those in favor of illegal aliens - and the illegal aliens themselves - would follow the path of Elvira Arellano and use their children as pawns. As you can see they had their kids go up on stage and perform for "immigration reform", march with signs for a photo op - and then whip out a Mexican flag. To the Hispanic woman in the video above who wasn't thrown in jail like her husband because she has three kids, I have an answer to what you should do now. Go home! Go back to your country.

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Oppositions viewpoint on the rallies states that they had 1,500 people turn out in favor of illegal immigration. Almost all of these people were bussed in from outside the area and include such left wing anti-American groups as the Socialist Worker's Party, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Socialist Party and the Jewish Council On Urban Affairs. In addition to this, people were spotted wearing the shirts of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMNL), a revolutionary guerrilla group out of El Salvador that was appeased by the El Salvadorian government in the 1990's and is now one of the two major political parties in El Salvador.

For anyone who thinks that communism is a thing of the past in the United States, think again. These groups have latched onto any movement in this country that is disruptive and put their numbers behind it. Their ultimate goal is an overthrow of the government and illegal immigration is just one way they see to divide the country. So while the numbers at these rallies that show thousands, you can be sure that many there attend for other purposes than humanitarian as they claim.

For if they were humanitarians they would be marching to close such illegal, oppressive and exploitative companies as Agriprocessor.

Here's what one opposed to the raids in Postville had to say:

What seemed like hundreds of little children were banging drums, waving Mexican and Guatemalan flags and singing and yelling in spanish. ... There was a short argument between some of us and the police over dispersal orders, which was diffused quickly. ... People were in good spirits and seeing groups of Latino kids taunting the Minutemen types was worth the trip alone.

There always seems to be dispersal problem when it comes to rallies by these groups. Maybe it is because they are rallying in support of breaking the law? They are also joyous that foreign flags are waved in the streets and that one race can taunt another group of diverse people as being enjoyable is quite telling on why they were at the rally. Maybe Obama could have been there to talk to these young "Latino kids" about Unity '08, for he marched with these same types of groups and peoples during the May Day protests in 2006.

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Carmen and Joe of You Don't Speak For Me made the trip to Postville all the way from New Jersey. Here is what Carmen sent in regarding the rally.

Just to let you know that we had a very good turnout. I spoke and was interviewed by many of the media and some college reporters. Everything went well very peaceful no confrontations whatsoever and the police presence kept everything under control it was amazing, how many people I met that I have been in contact with for many years but never having the opportunity to meet personally until today. The people of Iowa were wonderful too.......many friendly people supporting us.

Jake and MJ of the Freedom Folks were on the ground for the protest after your generous support sending them there (by the way you can still head over there and donate for their future endeavors opposing illegal immigration).

They sent in these pre-rally pictures from Postville which show a "little South America" in our heartland. Contrary to belief, myself and many of my fellow Americans - are not threatened by different cultures. Personally I have been to more than a dozen different countries. The threat comes when more than a third of your community is a different country and feels they have the right to make demands to "change America" to the way their country is. In other words lack of assimilation.

Things like having all notices posted at the city hall being in three languages. I'm actually surprised that English is on top. More images from their walk around Postville.

Pro-Americans rally against illegal immigration and for enforcement of the law. Images - Freedom Folks.

I'll be expecting the Freedom Folks video of the rally to come in soon. I'll post it when it does.

Other Commentary and sources:

Iowa Independent
Freedom Folks and opposition and pro-american