Hazleton, Pennsylvania set up a site called SmallTownDefenders.com, to solicit donations to help defend its model Illegal Immigration Relief Act.

The problem was that Hazleton's enemies include many well-funded foundations and organizations like the ACLU, MALDEF, and for some reason, Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund. (I mentioned it here.)The reason they have to ask for money is that the legal costs cut deep into the budget of a small town. The reason people gave them money is that Hazleton's enemies are America's enemies too. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader went to court to get the names of the people who supported Hazleton:

Hazleton settles TL suit | Wilkes-Barre News | timesleader.com - The Times Leader Paper will get Illegal Immigration Relief Act defense fund names.

By Steve Mocarsky [email protected] February 12

HAZLETON — City officials have agreed to turn over financial records The Times Leader requested more than 15 months ago as part of a settlement agreement that ends a lawsuit the newspaper filed against the city in 2006. The newspaper in October 2006 requested to review receipts and expenditures to and from the city’s Illegal Immigration Relief Act Defense Fund — an account set up to accept public contributions to defray the cost of a lawsuit filed against the city by Relief Act opponents.

The city provided an account of expenditures and a list of the donation amount and hometown of each donor but refused to provide the names of the donors.

The newspaper notified the city it was violating the state Right to Know Law, but the city refused to budge from its position that the name of a donor was personal information exempt from the law and that releasing donors’ names could cause them harm.

The newspaper sued the city in Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas that December.

In the settlement reached Monday, the city agreed to provide the names, addresses and contribution amounts of all donors to the fund as well as the names and addresses of all recipients of any money paid from the fund.

The Times Leader agreed not to record or publish the Social Security, bank account, credit card or personal identification numbers of any donor or payee.

Of course, the concern here is that any such list of names will be used to attack Hazleton, if there's a "racist" on the donor list. Equally, if you are a donor, you can be attacked for contributing to something "racist." They'll get you coming or going.

I would much rather see an investigation into the sources of funding for the other side. In 2007, Investor's Business Daily reported that the massive 2006 demonstrations, with their large and expensive Mexican flags, had been financed by George Soros. [The Soros Threat To Democracy, September 24, 2007 ] Do you think the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader could investigate that? Email Editor and Publisher Richard L. Connor and ask.