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Our Border Patrol claims it has apprehended or turned back at least 25% of those who try to illegally enter this country. If that were our track record we surely wouldn't want it in print. Twenty five percent effectiveness on any other job in this country would earn everyone involved a pink slip. So, the Border Patrol either needs a mass firing, or it needs four times today's manpower.

Emails from every region of the country confirm to this writer that just about everyone has solid answers to our security problems. Everyone has answers except Washington.

Guy Gabaldon is a Marine hero who was nominated for the Medal of Honor and received the Navy Cross after single handedly capturing more than 1,500 Japanese soldiers on Saipan. He later ran for public office. "When I ran for Congress in California part of my platform was to shut down the Tijuana crossing until they got their act together. We are going down fast and are doing nothing to stop the invasion."

From Colorado, Cindy Knox writes "We have a mechanism in place that allows people to immigrate legally. In my opinion, that is the only way people should come into this country, except for students and tourists. Students and tourists should be allowed a specific time to be here. Immigration officials should have a tracking method for them and when their time is up, they should be returned to their country. If they do not go willingly, they should not be granted reentry into the United States."

None of the ideas are unique. What people want are common sense solutions to national problems. Bill Frances writing from California says..."If we know there are millions of illegal aliens living in the United States, why are we not arresting and deporting thousands upon thousands of them every month."

John Boring, who lives in Arizona, writes, "I support an open border policy. A side effect to a program of open border crossings would be that Mexico, with incentives, would become involved and would do their part in catching the bad guys before they got to our gates. If they didn't the incentives would dry up. Sounds to me like a better plan than patrolling endless miles of fences, washes and rivers to catch 25 percent of those risking their lives in such a hostile environment."

Beau Garcia, who identifies himself as a Chicano-Filipino suggests, "Of course, I am for increased Homeland Security...but legality above all, simple as that. And one thing that might help is to come down hard on every apartment manager, business owner, employer who provides for these illegals by giving them a safe harbor."

Take for example the state of New Mexico. From what is heard, there seem to be many "safe harbors" there. The state reports there are 1, 903, 289 illegal aliens in New Mexico. If it can provide such expect numbers right down to the individual, they must have all been counted. If they can be counted....they can be apprehended.

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