Minnesota’s Governor Tim Pawlenty, one of the more interesting politicians around, is showing some signs of sensitivity to America’s immigration disaster:

Declaring the nation’s immigration system as “bordering on chaotic,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty went to Worthington, Minn., Tuesday …Worthington, Pawlenty said, is a flashpoint for tensions over illegal immigration as an influx of foreign workers, both documented and undocumented, has put the southwestern Minnesota city of 11,300 in the state’s top five for racial diversity.

[ Pawlenty seeks new immigration approach - Minneapolis Star-Tribune -Conrad Defiebre November 29 2005 Access requires free registration.]

Of course, the key questions are: is he in favor of restriction or facilitation? What about birthright ctizenship?

He did say:

“It’s not appropriate to say that it doesn’t matter whether it’s legal or illegal as long as it’s cheap,”

There it is. Will Gov. Pawlenty go with the interests of his fellow citizens? Or powerful employer lobbies?

Is he a White House hack?

That is the question.

There are many reasons why illegal aliens might get into accidents on the highway :

• They don’t understand English
• They’re driving an unfamiliar (because it’s stolen) vehicle
• They’re drunk
• Their van has 17 passengers
• Unlike the rest of us, they aren’t required to have drivers licenses

And finally, they may be doing it on purpose.

Walter Olson’s Overlawyered.com has a story about an insurance fraud ring which engaged in many deliberately staged accidents in hopes of getting insurance money. The technique is called “swoop-and-squat”; a driver pulls out in front of you and slams on the brakes. (Those of you tailgaters who refuse to keep a two-second distance from the car in front, take note!)

Personal injury lawyer Bernard Laufer, 52, of Huntington Park was arrested Tuesday morning at his office on suspicion of leading the ring, state Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi said.

Although no one was seriously injured in the accidents, one victim was forced to close his business after his truck was totaled, officials said.

“This is extraordinarily important to every citizen who’s on the freeways,” Garamendi said. “Purposely stopping a car on a freeway can lead to death. These schemes are dangerous, they are reckless and they are deadly.”
[Lawyer Held in Car Crash Fraud Ring |An attorney is accused of making millions by arranging for victims, many of them illegal immigran