Rod Blagojevich, godfather to his state's 600,000 illegals, is at it again. On the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Blago signed into law a bill requiring all state agencies to fly Old Glory at half staff to honor Illinois military personnel killed by enemy fire, [Blagojevich signs bill to honor fallen soldiers, Peoria Journal-Star, September 12, 2007] What a guy! "As we remember the anniversary of one of the worst days in our nation's history, Illinoisans should take comfort in knowing that we are not only remembering the tragic events of September 11 but also finding a way to better honor and serve our veterans," said Blago, who in his effort to make Illinois the friendliest of "immigrant friendly" states, has given instate tuition to his illegal compadres, OK'd acceptance of their foreign consulate cards as trustworthy ID, and has said repeatedly he would sign any bill giving illegals driving privileges in the Land of Lincoln. But, wait, because it gets better. Last month, Blago further showed just much he appreciated young Americans sticking their necks out overseas to protect "American values" by signing a bill that discourages Illinois employers from participating in any workplace verification program, including E-Verify (formerly Basic Pilot). In part, the new law reads:

Employers are prohibited from enrolling in any Employment Eligibility Verification System, including the Basic Pilot program . . .until the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) databases are able to make a determination on 99% of the tentative nonconfirmation notices issued to employers within 3 days . . .

Huh? Is there any government agency that is 99 percent accurate on anything? At first blush you think, uh-oh, doesn't this put the business community at odds with the federal law prohibiting the hiring of illegals. And, gee, how are employers supposed to protect themselves from Uncle Sam's wrath? Well, if you read this law closely you will find that employers who receive the necessary training are exempt from this latest legal maneuver to hinder attempts to remove illegals from the workforce. Such training always has been a requirement before participating in the Basic Pilot program. With the possible exception of Blago himself and the bill's sponsors, state Reps. Cynthia Sota and Monique D. Davis, who would be stupid enough to think that any workplace verification system allows just anybody to sit down in front of a computer and begin poking around employees' personal and work-related information? So why then the need for this law? Phone calls to the offices of Blago, Sota and Davis to determine the impetus behind this bill weren't returned. Hmmmmm.