Wyatt Earp, Doc Holiday and William Barclay "Bat" Masterson are samplings of tough guys who governed Dodge City in yesteryear. Fort Dodge, Boot Hill and the Long Branch Saloon were well known locations back then. And gambling, buffalo hunting, cattle trading and bullfighting drove local forms of commerce for the less than 1,000 citizens of that American West legendary town.

Today, the more than 25,000-resident "Queen of the Cowtowns" has also been nicknamed "Little Mexico," because of its extensive Latin influx and influence. Mexican restaurants and stores now line Main Street, and Mexican flags fly at many homes. Even Fourth of July events include local favorite Spanish songs. Only a decade ago 70 percent of students were English-speaking whites. Today, 70 percent of the 5,800 students are Hispanic. Roughly 44 percent of students have limited English proficiency.

So how did Dodge get so diverse? Forbes magazine comments:

Just as the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad here in 1872 brought white settlers to populate the dusty towns and farms of a fledging country, the relocation and consolidation of the meatpacking industry has transformed these icons of the American West. The result: Diverse, multicultural communities that challenge breadbasket notions of wheat fields, white fences and even whiter demographics.

Forbes finishes, "But no one is living high on the hog or cow. Dodge City's per capita income of $15,538 in 2000 may be an improvement, but it still remains far below the $21,587 national average."

Get out of Dodge?

With watchdogs estimating Kansas' illegal immigrant population at roughly 70,000 or two percent of the population, one would expect a tough city like Dodge to lead the way in cracking down on the crisis. But, like the actions of leaders in sanctuary cities across America, Ford County Sheriff Dean Bush purports, "If these people can get past the gauntlet of the border, we welcome them here with open arms."

While it is good to hear Kansas is reducing the benefits of illegal immigrants, "Little Mexico" can bet its last dollar it will graduate to "Big Mexico" sometime in the near future. It is only scratching the surface of a much bigger and deeper problem. As the London Telegraph concluded, "As the area attracts more and more poor migrant workers, Dodge City has become emblematic of another U.S. battleground – the war over immigration."

(Column continues below)

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore

Dodge City is not the only one making Kansas news. As recently reported by WND, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that, while the laws of land "make it illegal to enter the United States without authorization, being in the United States after entering illegally is 'not necessarily a crime.'"

Even more frightening (and almost too difficult to believe) is the news Kansans might face the import of 360 detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the historic Army post of Fort Leavenworth. Have you ever heard anything more ludicrous?

I wholeheartedly agree with Republican Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri:

The prison holds some of the world's most dangerous terrorists from around the globe. They have threatened Americans, and in some instances they have killed Americans. Having terrorists held so close to Americans would pose a significant risk if they were to escape or if the prison were to become a target for other terrorists.

What military strategist would ever propose fighting a war on terror by increasing the numbers of terrorists within our own borders? With accused crimes ranging from aiding the attacks of 9/11, to working to establish al-Qaida networks around the world, America would finally prove it has lost its heart, mind and will by welcoming such a prison transference. I implore Kansans to rise up and resist this extremist arrival of detainees from Cuba.

The only legal way out

As illegal immigrants continue crime sprees from New Jersey to Oregon, and our government fails to produce a suitable resolution to the immigrant crisis, now more than ever is the time to beat the doors of change and save the shores of Americana. With the possible creation of a North American Union and NAFTA Superhighways, illegal transport of immigrants, terrorists and other contraband is only going to increase and intensify.

I love rural America and am a strong advocate for it. After all, I was born in Ryan, Okla. (population 894). I've always been a country boy at heart and believe we need to fight to preserve the heartland as it is.

I agree with leaders like Newt Gingrich, who I believe has some excellent resolutions to the illegal immigration dilemma. Here are a few of his ideas and a few others I think are worthy of implementation:

• First and foremost, control the borders and enforce the laws we have. Immigration laws aren't effective if we dodge or ignore them. And amnesty is not the answer.

• We need to quit condoning illegal immigration through couching language and compromising justifications. Using terms like "undocumented immigration" only complicates the issue. Illegal is illegal. To justify or exempt one illegality will only open the floodgates for others. Haven't we condoned enough already?

• Don't just write your representatives – hound them about the issues of illegal immigrants and terrorist importations. To speak against illegal immigration is not racist but humane and American. Immigration – yes. Illegal immigration – no!

• We must tighten the loops through which illegals dodge deportation.

• We need to immediately quit subsidizing the costs for illegal immigrants' residency in America. How long will we allow them to siphon millions upon millions from honest, taxpaying Americans by supporting their health care, welfare, education and criminal expenses?

• If arrested, law enforcement needs to check the immigrant status of criminals. If they're illegal, deport them. Far cheaper is their deportation than the lifelong leeching from genuine taxpaying citizens.

• Cut off all federal aid to any city, county or state that refuses to investigate if a criminal is here illegally. Sanctuary stations are merely potential harbors for fugitives.

• The IRS and law enforcement needs to audit and prosecute employers who hire illegal aliens. Illegals often come to this country because they can earn a better wage than in their own. If Americans stop employing them, many simply won't come.

• To preserve our heritage, distinction and encourage one common language, we must make English the official (though obviously not the exclusive) language of the U.S.

• And for the remaining illegal immigrants already in this country, I agree again with Newt: "Workers who came here illegally, but have a good work relationship and community ties (including family), should have first opportunity to get the new temporary worker visas, but instead of paying penalties, they should be required to go home and get the visa at home."

  As we approach the 6th anniversary of 9/11, the least we can do is show the surviving family members of the victims that we've learned from our mistakes. Transferring terrorists to rural America and condoning illegal immigration is not exactly reflective education! In fact, it reminds me of a proverb in the Bible, "Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who repeats his folly."

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