Brian Miller released this statement: “Though we have run a tremendously successful
grassroots campaign on a limited budget, at this point I do not have the funds to continue
this race. My competitors have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on advertising
– and it is impossible for me to make up that gap. We are looking to the future, and I
believe the only candidate who can beat Gabrielle Giffords in November is Jonathan
Paton.

“I want to thank all of my supporters and volunteers from the bottom of my heart. This
has not been as easy decision for me, but I think it is best. I will not give up the fight for
the Constitution and freedom, because this is an ongoing battle – for me, my family, and
all Americans.”

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http://www.azpm.org/news/story/2010/7/30/1648-gop-candidates-in-congressional-district-8/

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What is the problem?

1.0 – 1.5 million illegal border crossings every year … that we know of!  No one really knows how many.  Estimates of how many actually occur vary between 3 – 15 million.

The sheer number is impossible for our Border Patrol and court system to deal with.  No one denies this.  This is why you hear of repeat offenders going through the immigration court system dozens of times and the Border Patrol looking the other way for “small” amounts of drugs.

The biggest threats are the violent criminals:  drug cartel operatives, human smugglers, gang members, and potential terrorists.  While these are the small minority of the whole picture, they are the most compelling reasons why we must maintain operational control of secure borders.

The vast majority of illegal entrants have traditionally been economic migrants who, aside from breaking immigration law, are not inherently criminal.  While more and more economic migrants are operating as “mules” for Mexican drug cartels, they do so for the simple reason that it is the quickest and safest way to gain access to the U.S.  Because we have allowed a system to develop where the cartels control the border to a much greater extent than our own government, it should be no surprise that the cartels set the rules for crossing.

Video 1

Why does the problem exist?

In a word:  incentive.

With more than 3,000,000 people in the queue to immigrate legally, our quota-based immigration system letting in fewer than 10% of those per year, waiting times measured in decades, the promises of welfare and birthright-citizenship, the looming potential of amnesty, and a federal government which does not enforce the law, it is not difficult to see why someone who wants the opportunities of America would risk life and limb – and those of their family – to cross the deadly Sonoran Desert.

One more word:  politicians.

Politicians from across the political spectrum love this problem.  Some are controlled by special interests that demand cheap, black-market labor, some advocate amnesty for potential votes, and others are simply avowed statists who want ever-increasing welfare rolls.  These all have a common denominator:  the illegal immigration problem is good politics – border security be damned.  Finally, this is an extremely emotional issue for Americans, and professional politicians, like experienced investors who make money regardless of what the market does, use emotional issues to win election after election.

This politically driven agenda which thrives to the detriment of the American people must be stopped and the problems at our borders must finally be solved!

The false solutions of enforcement only.

The Wall.

For several vital reasons, Conservatives ought to recoil at the prospect of giving the federal government the power to construct a 2000-mile wall and man it with armed, government agents.

Fiscal Conservatism:  When Rep. Duncan Hunter proposed to build The Wall in San Diego, he estimated the construction cost to be $2 million per mile.  According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, the cost to you (in 2005 dollars), was actually $9 million per mile! The maintenance alone, however, is $2 million per mile per year. And did you know that the wall has a life expectancy of a mere 25 years?

Despite an existing force of 20,000 Border Patrol agents, I’ve heard no one advocating The Wall who is not also advocating more Border Patrol agents.  Indeed, The Wall must be manned to be effective.

Assuming a mere 25% increase to the number of Border Patrol agents plus The Wall, we reach the astronomical figure of at least a quarter $TRILLION over the life of The Wall.

I would argue that such a price tag is worth it to secure the border … unless the same result could be achieved for a fraction of the price and without growing the federal government.  And it can.

Effectiveness:  A wall works well in a populated area, but not as well in a desert.  Watch this video that highlights why walls don’t work in the middle of the desert.

Securing Liberty:  Giving the federal government the authority to construct a 2,000 mile wall and man it with armed government agents should make the hair on the back of the Conservative neck stand on end.

Here is James Madison, author of the U.S. Constitution, encouraging a healthy distrust of increasing the enforcement capability of the federal government.

“The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.”

“It is a universal truth that the loss of liberty at home is to be charged to the provisions against danger, real or pretended, from abroad.”

Military Troops.

Article 4, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution states, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion…”

The most appropriate use for actual military force is in response to the incursions by Mexican military, drug cartel paramilitary, or any other paramilitary forces.  Sovereign American soil that is controlled by external forces, such as the recent example of the Buenos Aires National Park, is an example where outright military force may be used.

However, simply making blanket statements that the American military should be sent to the border are pure political rhetoric since specifics are rarely offered.  Will they execute military operations, augment the Border Patrol, be armed, or engage in law enforcement activities?  Clearly there are not only posse comitatus issues, but also Constitutional questions to be resolved.

We must think beyond stage one.  Suppose we deploy our military to our border, we are then left with a choice:  leave the border militarized in perpetuity – an unconstitutional and anti-liberty policy if ever there was one – or eventually remove them and have the same problem we have now.  Nothing will have been accomplished except expanding the power of the federal government and the careers of some politicians who would bill themselves as “tough on the border.”

I support the military being deployed to the border in a manner consistent with the Constitution:  to protect against invasion.  As with any use of the military, not only should it be the method of last resort, it must be done legally, swiftly, lethally, and with a clear definition of victory to bring an end to military action.

There has virtually no move to solve this problem, so we have not reached the point of a last resort.  Not even close.

Video 2

Video 3

The Solution.

To actually solve the problem of our porous borders, we must take immediate action to dramatically slow the illegal immigration flow as well as change our current immigration system in a way that will benefit American citizens, our economy, our security, and our liberty.

Efficient use of the Border Patrol.

With an existing force of 20,000 agents at a cost to the American taxpayers of $4 billion/ year ($200,000 per agent), our Border Patrol must be on the border.  Not 30 miles in.  Not 90 miles in.  Not in our backyards.  On the border.

The Border Patrol is a huge bureaucracy and, like all bureaucracies, strives for an ever-increasing piece of the budgetary pie.  To justify increased funding, it has traditionally presented numbers of arrests and confiscations as justification for increased funding.  Unfortunately, these arrests and confiscations occur inside our border.  They operate under the moral hazard of securing the border or increasing their numbers.

While I have consistently been the only candidate to demand that the Border Patrol deploy agents to the border to secure it, it was not until mid-July that I was made aware of a new strategy implemented in summer 2010 by new Chief of U.S. Border Patrol, Mike Fisher.  Chief Manjarrez of the Tucson Sector has called it “pressing the line.”  In other words, putting the Border Patrol on the border.

Comparing the first twenty days of Jul 2010 to the first 20 days in Jul 2009, the results are staggering:  60% increase in the probability of apprehension, 72% decrease in daily apprehensions, and 38% decrease in marijuana seizures.  The numbers mean the border is becoming more secure.

Border Patrol Chief Mike Fisher has decided to keep the illegal entrants and drugs out of our country, and let the results speak for themselves.  A courageous leader has taken a stand to do the right thing.  And it didn’t cost one extra nickel.

De-unionize the Border Patrol.

In the wake of 9/11, when the DHS leviathan was being pieced together, an effort to de-unionize the Border Patrol failed under pressure from unions like National Treasury Employees Union.  Because there was a massive merger under DHS, they had an interest to unionize everyone.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many agents at the static checkpoints on the highways?  Due to union regulations, the x-ray operator cannot be the camera operator; the camera operator cannot be the K-9 handler, etc.  Union-imposed over-specialization results in agents who are not well rounded and a massive waste of taxpayer dollars.

The Border Patrol, like the U.S. Military is a layer of our defense.  The U.S. military is not allowed to unionize, and the U.S. Border Patrol should not be allowed to unionize, either.

Video 4

The New System.

But we cannot stop there.  We owe our Border Patrol the support of giving them a more manageable problem.  We need to allow them to be able to readily focus on the dire threats attempting to cross our border and not be overwhelmed by the sheer number of non-violent illegal immigrants.

The only way to do this is by changing our immigration system to benefit Americans.  An orderly system that is executed at our ports of entry where we can screen for health and criminality.  A system that encourages assimilation and work, not animosity and welfare.  A system that boosts the American economy and does not steal Americans’ jobs.  A system of transparency and accountability that is readily enforceable.

Such a system is called a market-based immigration system and includes a temporary worker program.  It does not necessarily increase immigration, and it does not rely on arbitrary quotas conjured up by politicians and bureaucrats.  Only the market decides because only the market knows.

By making temporary workers accountable to their employers, and withholding a percentage of their paycheck to be redeemable only upon return to their home country, the system would be nearly self-regulating.

A fully secured border, orderly immigration through U.S. ports of entry, the proper amount of immigration and labor, cultural assimilation, and an economic boon to Americans will all be achieved by creating the proper incentives and getting politicians out of the way.

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Today, Ann Coulter (http://www.anncoulter.org/) asked for the resignation of Bill Kristol and Liz Cheney over their criticisms of Michael Steele. Brian Miller, for many of the same reasons as Coulter, sent this letter to Bill Kristol last week, shortly after his comments.

The entire letter is below.

Dear William Kristol,

As an American Conservative I ask you to consider, over this July 4 weekend, doing an act of service for the party to which you belong: stop destroying the GOP.

You have consistently advocated increased foreign entanglements, attempts to make the world “safe for democracy”, and more unconstitutional wars funded by more debt. Still, I respected you as a serious thinker. But now you have said, about Michael Steele’s comments on the war in Afghanistan, “It’s an affront, both to the honor of the Republican Party and to the commitment of the soldiers fighting to accomplish the mission they’ve been asked to take on by our elected leaders.”

Comments like yours, which equate criticism of our foreign policy with lack of honor and non-support of our troops, undermine your credibility. The longer your opinion holds sway in the Republican Party, the longer the Republican Party will be irrelevant.

Needless to say, the continued war in Afghanistan absolutely is “a war of Obama’s choosing.” With a new administration, we had a golden opportunity to refocus on the unconventional al Qaeda threat that exists diffusely around the world. Instead, we doubled-down on an unmitigated nation-building and social-engineering experiment while propping up one of the most corrupt governments in the world – the Karzai government – and destabilizing the most dangerous country in the world – Pakistan.

We have willingly marched further into the Graveyard of Empires with 140,000 conventional American and allied troops – each soldier costing $1,000,000 per year. According to U.S. military estimates, we outnumber al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan by more than 1,000 to 1. It is true that Mr. Steele was factually incorrect when he said, “the one thing you don’t do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan … because everyone who has tried, over a thousand years of history, has failed.” It’s actually closer to 2,500 years.

This is not a trivial matter. That a majority of Republicans support the Sisyphean and unconstitutional war being waged in Afghanistan does not make it right. It is merely a symptom of the fact that progressive, Wilsonian foreign policy has found a home in the 21st century GOP. Any Republican candidate doing his “best to rally … fellow citizens behind the mission” is either not a Conservative, is completely ignorant of the devolution of the Afghanistan War, or simply a demagogue looking for votes and power.

There are, of course, others like you who believe we should expend more blood, money, and liberty in the Graveyard of Empires, but I do not. I have made my own case at: brianmillerforcongress.com

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Watch his fundraising video here: https://secure.piryx.com/donate/edbnTrxc/brianmiller/1776

“1776 signifies the founding of our country. July is not just about Independence Day, but also celebrates our American experiment. My campaign has always been about independence, limited government, and individual freedom – what our founding fathers envisioned for this great country. I am proud to run a campaign on these timeless ideas which are as relevant today as they were 234 years ago.”

The 1776 Contribution Revolution is aimed at getting as many people involved in this grassroots campaign as possible – not a targeted dollar amount. Brian Miller’s campaign, which began a little over one year ago, is a grassroots effort, focused on the voters.

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Tucson, Arizona
June 22, 2010

Brian Miller is proud to announce the launch of the Afghanistan Learning Center, a page on the BrianMillerforCongress.com website which aims to educate voters about the war in Afghanistan.  The page includes videos from Brian Miller, links to reports, news articles, and short video documentaries.

Brian Miller, candidate for U.S. Congress from Arizona’s 8th District and combat veteran of Afghanistan, has been critical of the administration’s foreign policy throughout his campaign.

“I have raised specific concerns about the current war at many debates over the past few months. My opponents have not countered back with any studied response, but rather rhetorical comments and out-dated talking points.  I believe the issue of war is too important for that – and so I hope the Afghanistan Learning Center will be a resource, not just to voters in this district, but also for my opponents to educate themselves.”

Last week, Congresswoman Giffords met with General Petraeus on Capitol Hill. This meeting took place after we lost over thirty American soldiers in Afghanistan this month. The burning question on Ms. Giffords’ mind, however, was: what are we doing to “green” our bases?

This is a disgrace. Ms. Giffords sits on the House Armed Services Committee and yet seems unaware of the ever-changing and deteriorating situation in our longest war ever – Afghanistan. Instead, she used that meeting for political grandstanding to please the Obama Administration.

“With their remarks or lack thereof about our ongoing war in Afghanistan, all of my opponents in this congressional race, including Gabrielle Giffords, have shown little respect for the gravity and seriousness of the office they are campaigning for. Foreign policy is not just a game – it is the lives of those who defend us and the security of our nation.  It’s time the voters of District 8 had a representative who understands foreign policy.”

The Afghanistan Learning Center

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The most recent instance came with this quote in the Tucson Weekly (June 10, 2010) “Kelly says there’s “no question” that the country needs to adjust its immigration policies to allow more immigrants to enter the country legally…”

However, in his recent response to the NumbersUSA questionnaire, he answered “Yes” to the question: “Do you favor reducing overall immigration numbers toward the traditional levels?”

Mr. Kelly is labeled a “True Reformer” by NumbersUSA.

NumbersUSA is a front organization founded by radical, zero-growth environmentalist John Tanton. Tanton, a professed progressive, advocates population control and wants to force a national 1 child policy on the United States. He founded Planned Parenthood of Michigan, was president of Paul Ehrlich’s Zero Population Growth, and started and chaired the population committee of his local Sierra Club chapter. He has funding ties to eugenicists and white nationalists. His ultimate goal is to decrease U.S. population to protect the environment.

NumbersUSA is explicitly devoted to decreasing immigration levels in the U.S.

So which is it, Mr. Kelly: reduce legal immigration or expand it?

Brian Miller has remained firm in his commitment to protect Americans. As a Conservative, he advocates policy which eliminates incentives to enter illegally, strengthens the American economy, promotes assimilation to American culture, and protects Americans’ lives and liberty. “A market-based immigration system does not rely on an arbitrary number conjured up by a government bureaucrat. The amount of legal immigration is determined by the market place. Conservatives understand the magic of the market – and of course that includes the labor market.”

Mr. Miller has not changed his position on the immigration issue or any other issue during the course of his campaign. Perhaps Mr. Kelly hasn’t yet determined which answer is more popular.

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Last week, Congresswoman Giffords met with General Petraeus on Capitol Hill. This meeting took place after we lost over thirty American soldiers in Afghanistan this month. The burning question on Ms. Giffords’ mind, however, was: what are we doing to “green” our bases?

This is a disgrace. Ms. Giffords sits on the House Armed Services Committee and yet seems unaware of the ever-changing and deteriorating situation in our longest war ever – Afghanistan. Instead, she used that meeting for political grandstanding to please the Obama Administration.

“With their remarks or lack thereof about our ongoing war in Afghanistan, all of my opponents in this congressional race, including Gabrielle Giffords, have shown little respect for the gravity and seriousness of the office they are campaigning for. Foreign policy is not just a game – it is the lives of those who defend us and the security of our nation.  It’s time the voters of District 8 had a representative who understands foreign policy.”

Brian Miller introduces the Afghanistan Learning Center

Brian Miller on National Defense

Criticism of policy, not the military; how they are different:

* Please note 1:10-1:25 on this video

Brian Miller on why the Afghanistan War is important in this election

Rethink Afghanistan: Pakistan, the “Most Dangerous Country in the World”

• General Jones says fewer than 100 AQ in Afghanistan
• Karzai Threatens to Join the Taliban
• Fighting on the Afghans’ behalf

The Cost of War

• America’s Longest War

Brian Miller talks about the history of war in Afghanistan

Brian Miller talks about how we can defeat Al-Qaeda

Brian Miller talks about the constitutional basis for the war in Afghanistan

Brian Miller talks about Nation-Building in Afghanistan

• McChrystal’s Request

Brian Miller asks: what would Reagan do?

• Afghanistan: Lost Opportunity for the GOP?

Brian Miller on the War in Afghanistan: Conclusion

More Links

• Rethink Afghanistan – video series.

Rethink Afghanistan – effect on women and children

Glenn Beck: April 15, 2010

Gen. Petraeus CNN Interview May 10, 2009

*Please note 6:45-7:35 in this video.

• Escaping the Graveyard of Empires
• Afghanistan: Lost Opportunity for the GOP?
• Night Raids in Afghanistan

Fighting along side stoned Afghan soldiers

You can hire an Afghan army, but you can never buy one:

• Video 1
• Video 2

The Seven Fatal Assumptions of our Afghanistan policy

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