U.S. Sells Citizenship to Wealthy Immigrants

By Sarah McBride | Reuters – Fri, Jun 29, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Shera Bechard, the Canadian-born former girlfriend of Playboy Enterprises founder Hugh Hefner, would not be an obvious candidate for the special visas that the U.S. government reserves for "individuals with extraordinary ability."

Playboy magazine named Bechard Miss November in 2010, and she also started an online photo-sharing craze called "Frisky Friday." Neither seems quite on the level of an "internationally recognized award, such as a Nobel Prize," which the government cites as a possible qualification.

But Los Angeles immigration lawyer Chris Wright argued that Bechard's accomplishments earned her a slot. The government ultimately agreed.

That kind of success has put Wright on the map as the go-to visa fixer for both Hollywood and Silicon Valley. It also highlights the use of so-called genius visas known as O-1s and EB-1s, which have largely escaped political controversy and are now the immigration solution of choice for many entrepreneurs.

[Related: 102-year-old man becomes U.S. citizen]

As many immigration lawyers see it, the paucity of immigration options for the most entrepreneurial foreigners mean they must use any avenue they can. This approach, along with seeming flexibility in Washington on what constitutes "extraordinary ability," means the O-1 is gaining traction in technology circles. Wider use could ultimately land it in political trouble.

For example, the H-1B visa, which allows employers to hire foreigners temporarily in certain specialized fields like technology, has drawn accusations from union groups and others that companies use it to bring in lower-skilled labor.

The O-1 visa allows individuals of "extraordinary ability" to come to the United States for up to three years, and can be extended. British journalist Piers Morgan used one when he replaced Larry King on his late-night TV show, Wright said.

The EB-1 is similar, but leads to a green card and permanent residency rather than a temporary stay, with "extraordinary ability" being one of the ways to qualify - along with being an outstanding professor or researcher, or a multinational executive.

[Related: Ariz. implements immigration law as feds push back]

Foreign entrepreneurs have another option - the Immigrant Investor Program, or EB-5 visa - but it requires a capital investment of at least $500,000 and the creation of at least 10 full-time jobs for U.S. workers.
By contrast, no proof of personal wealth or investment in the United States is required for the O-1 or the EB-
1.

There is also no cap on the number of O-1s that the government can award each year; about 12,280 were approved in 2011, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said, up from 9,478 in 2006. It issued about 25,000 EB-1s last year, below their cap of 40,000.

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Rise Our American Youth - Rebellious Truths

You as a group have contributed least to the ominous problems now plaguing this country. Yet the heaviest burdens will be forced upon the already aching backs of your futures by the previous generations. Many of you are hoping, and have been told, that a good college education will be your guiding light in these dark times, but do you know the truth? Do you understand what's happening in the world of education: absurd tuition raises, loan schemes, and youth graduate unemployment? You must all seek out the truth because, if not, you will be yet another victim of the system. But don't despair, for we can save our futures and create something new and beautiful together if we American Youth cast off tainted labels and false ideology and unite in truthful rebellion, and demand truth, accountability, and integrity from our political and media systems. Let the truth and nothing but the truth prevail.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: COLORADO GOP DELEGATES FORM PAUL-SANTORUM COALITION TO COUNTERACT STATUS QUO ROMNEY

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‘CONSERVATIVE UNITY SLATE’ OF PAUL-SANTORUM SUPPORTERS DEMANDS VOICE AHEAD OF, AND AT, TAMPA

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – Colorado supporters of 2012 Republican Presidential applicant Ron Paul have teamed up with earlier White House wannabe Rick Santorum, counteracting moderate Mitt Romney’s supporters in a battle over how the Centennial State will represent itself at the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

The move represents the diminished confidence of many Republican activists who are unhappy with Washington insiders’ inflated pressure to coronate an establishment candidate rather than pursue a discussion over whether an authentic conservative will play a pivotal role at the summer’s RNC.

Colorado Republicans split delegate votes between Romney, unified Paul and Santorum supporters


By Lynn Bartels
The Denver Post
Colorado Republicans are heading to their national convention with their most conservative delegation in years, as supporters for Ron Paul and Rick Santorum masterminded a stunning upset in electing delegates.

At the state convention in Denver today, Paul forces easily were the most vocal, adding their candidate’s name at almost every opportunity. When Republicans sang “Hey, hey, hey, good-bye” to President Barack Obama, Paul backers changed the words to “Hey, hey, hey, Ron Paul.”

The momentum was painful for Mitt Romney supporters, who had assumed when Santorum dropped out of the presidential race this week they’d have a much easier time in winning Colorado’s delegate and alternate seats to the Republican National Convention in Tampa in August.

Instead, some of the Santorum’s supporters united with Paul’s backers to form the “Conservative Unity Slate” to win a slew of delegate slots. Four years ago, only one Paul supporter was elected to attend the national convention.

“This is a revolution,” said Florence Sebern of Denver, an “unpledged” delegate who was wearing a Paul pin. She was part of the slate.

Slate supporters said they wanted to send a message to Romney about the importance of sticking to conservative values.

More than 800 Republicans — easily double the number who sought to attend the RNC in 2008 — ran for the 33 elected delegate and 33 elected alternate slots.

At congressional assemblies Thursday and Friday, Republicans elected 21 delegates and 21 alternates. Thirteen of the 18 winning delegates elected Friday were on the Paul/Santorum unity slate…

To read the full article online, please click here.

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Ron Paul Talks About Santorum Dropping Out of the Race – Apr 10 2012 | Ron Paul videos - Ron Paul Flix

Ron Paul Talks About Santorum Dropping Out of the Race – Apr 10 2012 | Ron Paul videos - Ron Paul Flix

LAST NIGHT RON PAUL WAS IN BERKELEY, CA!

UNPRECEDENTED CROWD OF SUPPORTERS AND UNDECIDED VOTERS GREETS DR. PAUL AT FINAL OF THREE CALIFORNIA EVENTS HELD DURING THIS VISIT

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul attracted a peculiar 8,500-plus voters to the third of three town hall meetings he held in California this week, this time at UC-Berkeley. In drawing such a huge crowd to Berkeley, the 12-term Congressman from Texas shattered his unrivaled town hall meeting attendance record.

At similar events held yesterday and Tuesday, respectively, Dr. Paul drew remarkable crowds of 6,200-plus voters to Cal State – Chico, and 6,000-plus at UCLA.

Ron Paul’s college campus town hall meeting took place at 7:00 p.m. PST at UC-Berkeley’s Memorial Glade, where he addressed the crowd from atop the steps of Doe Library, Berkeley, CA 94720.

Dr. Paul spoke about his platform of constitutionally-limited government, the enduring bonds between economic and civil liberties, and elements of his ‘Plan to Restore America,’ a fiscal blueprint the cuts Washington spending, shrinks the national debt, and reverses the federal government’s harmful growth and intrusiveness.

Ron Paul’s town hall meetings in California were organized by ‘Youth for Ron Paul’ (YFP). YFP, an initiative of the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign, launched in September 2011, and since its inception, students nationwide have organized 591 chapters and recruited more than 53,600 people. To learn more about ‘Youth for Ron Paul,’ including how to sign-up and establish a local chapter, visit the YFP website by clicking here.

Photographs of Ron Paul’s UC – Berkeley town hall meeting with 8,500-plus voters follow.

MIND MASTERY