2008 went by so fast I'm not sure I didn't just dream it all. I must admit though that in as many ways as it seemed like a nightmare, it was also very promising and rewarding. Everyone in the fight against illegal immigration should be encouraged by our accomplishments. Millions of people now know that 287(g) exists. This law has been on the books since 1996. In the past two years scores of law enforcement agencies have signed up for the program.

I can tell you from personal experience that when I began polling law enforcement officers across the country in 2006, 95% or higher had never even heard of 287(g). The FIRE Coalition and countless other groups and individuals across the country worked together, shared information, strategies, and wisdoms gained about real solutions to our nation's problems. That included ways to spread the word about solutions within our grasps. Attrition through enforcement works. 

Now, in the beginning of 2009, my best estimate is that well over 70% of law enforcement officers are aware of the 287(g) program. That didn't happen because the government decided to do its job. It changed because "We the People" informed their discretion as Thomas Jefferson advised we do. Millions more Americans are aware of this program because patriotic Americans made conscious efforts to educate themselves, their families, neighbors, and co-workers. They sacrificed their time, money, and even their sanity at times to bring the real change we need: education.

Directly as a result of patriotic Americans doing their civic duty, state and local governments accelerated doing the job Uncle Sam won't: protecting their citizenry from the poison to our country that the largest invasion in world history has wrought. Don't worry too much about what you hear or don't hear in the mainstream media. If you believe in our constitutional republic, believe in protecting the Constitution and those inalienable rights bestowed by your Creator, then you are NOT in the minority of American citizens. Rest assured your efforts are making historical, measurable differences.

In the grand scheme of things, the truth will set us free from the insanity ignorance has shackled us with. And while we may feel our objectives are monumental and incredibly complex, they are noble. Look in the faces of your children and grandchildren. You will find both the questions and the answers to all that is worrying you. Don't let them down.

2009 will challenge us in ways we never thought existed, and we have a lot of hard work ahead of us. I tell people often that we didn't get in this mess overnight, and we won't get out of it overnight either.

It snowed this week in eastern North Carolina, the most we've had in years. So much for global warming, eh?

Working from home on numerous FIRE Coalition projects this past week, I occasionally would find myself passing by a window and realizing all over again that there was a healthy blanket of snow on the ground. It reminded me of Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Eve." Google it if you haven't read it. It's a classic.

I paused each time for a few moments, reflecting on a lifetime of moments in time when a healthy snow on the ground meant exploration, snowmen, and the like. Just as suddenly I would snap back into 2009 and back to my desk I would go, thinking on my way those words made famous by Robert Frost:

"And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep."

As an afterthought: In case being the youngest NFL coach to take his team to the Superbowl wasn't enough, or giving my favorite team the opportunity to be the first team with six Lombardi trophies, Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin, in the locker room after winning the AFC Championship told his players, despite their success,

"And miles to go before we sleep. And miles to go before we sleep."

I knew I liked this guy. Go Steelers!!