Fighting the good fight: in Fighting Immigration Anarchy, author Daniel Sheehy recounts the stories of everyday American patriots who are battling to save our nation.

Fighting Immigration Anarchy: American Patriots Battle to Save the Nation, by Daniel Sheehy, Bloomington, Indiana: Rooftop Publishing, 2006, 344 pages, paperback, $19.95. (To order through AOBS, use the order form or contact information in the ad on the inside front cover.)

"The best way to make history is to write it," Winston Churchill observed. Author Dan Sheehy is definitely writing history with his new book, Fighting Immigration Anarchy. It is a unique book that chronicles the courage, passion, struggle, and dedication of the leaders in the immigration battle in which America is now engaged. What sets this book apart is its in-depth look at leaders who are changing the course of history. Furthermore, since the book is written from the perspective of a personal narrative, the passion of these leaders, but more importantly Sheehy's passion, for this topic is at play on every page. As a result, the reader will come away after reading this important book with the realization that the love for America still burns brightly.

It has been said that three components characterize great leaders: a great individual, a great country, and a great issue. All three characteristics are evident in the eight leaders profiled by Mr. Sheehy.

Sheehy shows that the human side of the leaders in the immigration fight runs contrary to the demonized characterizations that the media usually show of them. Sheehy's patriots, for that's what they are, aren't what the media would typically portray as "American patriots." They're not paragons of political correctness; they are run-of-the-mill, concerned Americans who have gone to extraordinary lengths to protect America and Americans, despite much vilification in the press. For example, here you will meet a computer programmer, a grandmother, a school teacher, an auto mechanic, a CPA, and a journalist.

Glenn Spencer began as an expert in statistical analysis, and he morphed into a lone citizen-activist writing letters to his local paper on his road to waking up thousands of concerned Americans through eye-opening videos on his organization's website.

Terry Anderson, from South Central Los Angeles, went from fixing cars as an auto mechanic to fixing our nation by becoming a popular talk-radio host and warning the nation about the dangers of the illegal immigration invasion.

Roy Beck, an environmental journalist, saw the connection between unrestrained immigration and the dangers it posed to our local communities. The organization he founded, NumbersUSA, educates the American public about how Congress votes on federal immigration policies.

Barbara Coe, who collected and collated crime statistics for a police department, was forced to resign for doing her duty to report crimes committed by illegal aliens. But she opened another door for herself. She organized concerned citizens into a group, the California Coalition for Immigration Reform (CCIR). As a result, she changed the California political landscape forever with her pivotal role in working to pass Proposition 187, which would have stemmed the tide of illegal immigration in California had not an activist liberal judge nullified it.

Joe Guzzardi went from teaching English as a Second Language classes to immigrants in Lodi, California, to learning about the hard facts on the detrimental effects of mass immigration as immigrants took gross advantage of federal and state services. That gave him the impetus to run for governor of California and gain a platform from which he could warn his fellow citizens of the impending immigration crisis.

Congressman Tom Tancredo, a one-time school teacher turned immigration reform leader on Capitol Hill, has shaken up the beltway and the Bush White House enough for Karl Rove to tell him, "Don't ever darken the door of the White House."

Jim Gilchrist and Chris Simcox, an unlikely duo, a retired CPA and former school teacher, launched the Minuteman Project to catapult the immigration crisis to the media forefront and to the halls of Congress.

With diverse backgrounds, these American Patriot leaders have a common desire that led each of them down a similar path--standing up for what is right to save America from the negative effects of illegal immigration.

Because Sheehy lives in Southern California (ground zero of the immigration crisis) and knows most of these leaders personally, he was able to wonderfully chronicle these patriots' personal transformations from the perspective of an individual looking from the inside-out, rather than from the outside in as most books on immigration are written. Each profile demonstrates that one person can make a difference in his or her respective sphere of influence, regardless of background. Finally, because the book is written from a personal narrative perspective rather than an academic one, Sheehy is able to convey the complexities of the immigration debate in a clear, concise manner for all to understand.

Interesting to note is that the activists profiled have approached solving the immigration crisis by seeking different paths.

Joe Guzzardi became a one-man educational army with his writing pen while Barbara Coe founded an organization, CCIR, to enlist good Americans in a grass roots effort to save America. Terry Anderson utilizes the power of talk radio while Congressman Tom Tancredo echos his message from the halls of Congress, and Roy Beck of NumbersUSA uses the Internet to expose the voting records of our elected representatives.

Glenn Spencer and his organization, American Border Patrol, use modern technology, such as unmanned aerial vehicles, to patrol the southern border, while the Minutemen call upon everyday citizens to stand watch over porous borders in Arizona and California.

There are eight personal stories, but a common thread weaves its way through it all: the love of America and the hope that the common American will answer the call to duty when the need arises.

In this book, Sheehy has made history by bringing to light the struggles of ordinary Americans who have performed valiantly in extraordinary times and chronicling it by putting pen to paper. In addition, these activists are now writing history with their historic, bold moves--from the passage of California Proposition 187 in 1994, to the successful recall of pro-amnesty California Governor Gray Davis in 2003 to the launching of the Minuteman Project.

The last chapter of the book is perhaps the most powerful one. In it, Sheehy clearly connects all the dots on why our own government refuses to secure our borders. Sheehy states, "Open borders and illegal immigration are part of a larger scheme to discard American sovereignty in favor of a regional government."

President Bush and the leaders of Mexico and Canada met in Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2005 to form the "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America." Thus, the merging of the economies and political systems of the three countries in North America. As a result, there will be no more illegal immigration since there will be legal migration!

As Sheehy so aptly states, President Bush "was quietly agreeing with the leaders of Mexico and Canada to erase U.S. Borders and end American sovereignty after 230 years of independence."

Sheehy gives warning to Americans: "Our government's immigration and trade policies are being used to bring down America's middle class, lower wages, and integrate the hemisphere." "These policies are designed to serve the economic interests of the globalists and the multinational corporations and to centralize government power."

While Fighting Immigration Anarchy may frighten some with its startling stories and shocking statistics, its profiles of courageous leaders should serve as an inspiration to many and, as the book title so states, should encourage Americans to fight immigration anarchy.

Sam Antonio is the John Birch Society's national spokesman on immigration.