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Submitted by Thomas Budds –
The sign in the rear window of the car in front of me read, “Blind Man Driving this Car”; see below.
A big thanks to all those TN officials working for our security, but recent commercial driver license “compliance reviews” for illegal aliens by our traffic safety division are inadequate to deal with other attendant security implications.
Airplanes brought down the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Our highways are replete with tanker trucks carrying 12,000 gallons of gasoline, diesel fuel, pesticides, agricultural chemicals, and other toxic and hazardous materials. Like airplanes, trucks and their cargoes can also be formidable mass-casualty “weapons”, especially if employed against any of the numerous events being celebrated during our nation’s 250th birthday.
Like many of you, I’ve recently watched videos of reported illegal aliens unable to speak English or read our traffic signs, slaughtering families on our highways using 40-ton deadly weapons, semi-trucks. Russell Shoup, an official with the Driver Services Division, stated 8,800 TN commercial driver’s licenses will be reviewed for proof of citizenship to ensure records meet today’s state and federal requirements in line with the President’s EO. This “records review” is welcome but broad-based kinetic actions are needed to address illegal drivers, their vehicles, and their cargos to avert further and even larger catastrophes.
TN needs a truck inspection regimen for drivers, reallocating highway patrol officers teamed with a hazmat specialist at existing highway weigh stations. The legislature needs to add a section to the existing asset forfeiture criminal and civil statutes, allowing for the confiscation of a truck and its cargo should it be determined it is being operated by an illegal alien or otherwise disqualified operator. The “new” statute should address the criminal and civil liability of the cargo and owner of record for the truck, to include possible seizure of personal assets. Cargos can be auctioned or reclaimed by the cargo owner commensurate with the cargo’s value, i.e., 10% of total evaluation, perishables can go to veteran facilities and food banks, et al.
Asset forfeiture is a proven way to get compliance with safety and security measures. “Businessmen” will be dissuaded from trying to use low wage unqualified illegals at the risk of losing their inventories especially knowing all trucks are being made to transit intra and border weigh stations. This practice should remain in effect until all states can reach an interstate compact guaranteeing trucker license qualification equality. This will enhance the safety of our families traversing our highways.
Answer: The “clever” businessman in front of me sold Venetian blinds, but it’s not so funny when it’s an unqualified “blinded” illegal alien behind the wheel of a Semi truck at 70 MPH.
