The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill

Burning in hell, Zarqawi confused...

While the rest of the world is busy impugning their ability, honor and even their humanity US Servicemen and women working alongside our allies the Iraqis sent to hell someone who richly deserved it. Zarqawi who embodied the very definition of terrorist lived by the bomb and in the end died by the bomb. There are some reports that he lived for sometime after being hit by the air-strike. Let us

These attacks on Coulter are a bunch of crap!

Yea lets not get too vocal in our defense of principles....lets make sure we state all of our points in a nice modulated tone because heaven forbid that anyone should think we are passionate about our cause. This is why the left has been eating the rights lunch for years....they play to win, we play to look good. Looking good does not, however much conservatives might want wish it to, put points on the board. It merely is the stuff that losers can consul themselves with after the game is over and they are left nursing their injuries.

Whenever the right has been passionate about its principles it has won big in elections. Reagan was not a moderate who minced words. Newt Gingrich is not a moderate who minces words. Both of those politicians won big. Yea Newt was brought down by the MSM but that was mainly because the "moderates" on the right deserted him in a fit of what they call principle. Yea the principle of letting the left win because its more important to look good than to win.

Lets all stand around once we are in chains and declare how pious we all are to our supposed principles. Make no mistake many on the left are dying to shackle us into a permanent minority status. Some are even willing to see us lose the war to enable that end result...and yet some on the right seem to think that we must be moderate in responding to them.

That moderation has seen us lose the colleges, newspapers, Television and any other significant form of communication to the left's corrupt philosophy. No doubt that we have the right answer to most of the significant policy and philosophy questions raised but somehow we keep losing. And like any loser we keep avoiding the sort of self critical analysis that might show us the way out.

Ann Coulter was exactly correct to state in clear terms that the 9/11 Widows of whom she spoke in the book were trading on their husbands deaths to attack our war effort. If that doesnt deserve the strongest condemnation then exactly what does? Standing on their husbands graves to raise themselves up high enough to have their voices heard and then they agitate for the defeat of the US. That deserves a lot worse than what Ann Coulter did.

Captain's Quarters is such a nice guy that its not odd he should be upset but I believe he is wrong.
AJ Strata is having a tough time deciding whether he is a conservative or a moderate...
Right Wing Nuthouse needs to breath into a paper bag.
Anchoress is her usual calm self, wrong on this but calm.
Michelle Malkin hits it out of the park pointing out that long ago the Opinion Journals Dorothy Rabinowitz had the Jersey Girls figured.
Ace of Spades is only happy if he is doing the attacking of the left...he was pretty darn harsh on Sheehan.

Technorati Tags: coulter Ann Coulter Liberals

Being interviewed on the Tammy Bruce show was as exciting as my first Instalaunch...

I have been terribly remiss in not thanking Tammy Bruce and her wonderful producer for being so kind to me. The minutes up to the interview felt like the last few seconds before the start of huge Open Class Desert Race on my Husky 430 back in the day. I needn't have worried as Tammy helped me through the process.

My posting has been light because of another classic Legrand crisis that has me distracted. It is almost unbelievable that we are involved in another crisis but we sure are...

The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill: "UPDATE ON RADIO SHOW INTERVIEW: I will be on the Tammy Bruce Radio Show tomorrow 6/2/2006 at 10:05 Pacific 12:05 Central. Scheduled for one 10 minute segment but if I sound especially brilliant or absolutely, hilariously, idiotic they might hold me over for 2 just to keep people laughing. Bumped this back up to the top..."

By Hook or Crook The Senates Comprehensive Illegal Importation Bill.

Statistics are a wonderful thing...especially when they tell you what you already had figured out by observation. Hey lets import 66 million more poor people from Mexico. Yea that sounds good lets make sure that they:

Don't value being an American Citizen...because we don't want anyone here who actually wants to be here.
And lets make darn sure that they are race concious that way victimhood will come easily to them.

And George Bush tries to wag the dog by backing the Marriage amendment. Yea that is gonna work...yea. Sure. I was diverted from hating his pro illegal immigration amnesty nonsense for all of 3 seconds.

Anyways take a look at this terrific look at exactly what sort of people President Bush is so anxious to import into our country by hook or crook. oops pardon the pun.
ParaPundit: Ron Guhname Compares Ethnic Groups

Other posts on immigration

Kabuki Theatre in DC, Fun Facts I Wished I Didn't Know About Illegal Immigration
Doing the work that Americans won't do...and other Bush Fables
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Technorati tags
Congress Politics GOP conservatives Corruption The Washington Post The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Holding up low wages, no insurance and unsafe workplaces to blame for our expansion...hmmm.

John Podhoretz can be counted on to defend the Bush Administration, that much is sure. But not sure that I would want him defending me if he actually means what he posted here.

The Corner on National Review Online: "Um, Mark Krikorian... [John Podhoretz]
You write: 'Watching a show with that Honda robot walking up and down stairs and the rest, all I could think of is that the Japanese are developing humanoid robots and we're importing illiterates from south of the border who's going to end up with the better deal?'
Gee, which country's economy grew from $3 trillion to $5 trillion between 1990 and now and which country's economy more than doubled, from $5 trillion to $12 trillion? The country that did vastly better is the county that 'imported illiterates.' Posted at 12:20 PM"

Does he actually want to attribute our terrific economic performance to the fact that we employ people here illegally? Does John really think it is a good idea to attribute our stunning economic growth to the fact that some employers use illegals to avoid the costs of legal employees. You know stuff like the expense of paying them minimum wage, paying workman's comp insurance, unemployment insurance, observing workplace safety laws (Meatpacking industry's safety record has plummeted since they discovered illegals) and other untidy little details. Does he want to trumpet the fact that if you employ illegals you get the added benefit, aside from the lower direct costs of insurance and wages, of having a nearly captive audience not likely to run to the Government to complain about safety since on one hand the illegals may not even realize we have laws against that stuff and on the other hand they certainly don't want to bring legal attention to themselves. Does John consider those sorts of facts pluses?

Is John trumpeting the fact that those illegals are lowering the working conditions for all the workers in those brackets? Is it ok since many of them don't have a high school education? Is being an elitist snob a pre-requisite of being a Bush Bot.

Finally does John actually believe that cheap/slave labor is the secret of economic growth? Wonder why the South didn't do so well...? Does John really believe that our productivity relies on the backs of the day laborer who recently swam the Rio Grande?

Mark Krikorian of Center of Immigration Studies does a better job than I explaining the matter to Bush Bot Jpod.

Don't miss this New York Times article The Worker Next Door

Other posts on immigration

Kabuki Theatre in DC, Fun Facts I Wished I Didn't Know About Illegal Immigration
Doing the work that Americans won't do...and other Bush Fables
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Technorati tags
Congress Politics GOP conservatives Corruption The Washington Post The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Selling arms to both sides...cynical realist foreign policy back in style?

So we sign a 10 year pact with India, who by the way has been fighting the Islamic facists much longer than we have, to provide them with missile defense among other things, then we sell Pakistan the missiles to shoot at India's new Missile Defense. Hmmm is this some sort of test? Geopolitical nonsense of the highest order.
US plans "significant" Pakistan missile sale - Netscape News

Trust an easy thing to lose. Why did President Bush fritter it away on illegal immigration? Ver 2.0

UPDATE ON RADIO SHOW INTERVIEW: I will be on the Tammy Bruce Radio Show tomorrow 6/2/2006 at 10:05 Pacific 12:05 Central. Scheduled for one 10 minute segment but if I sound especially brilliant or absolutely, hilariously, idiotic they might hold me over for 2 just to keep people laughing. Bumped this back up to the top...

UPDATE: Edits and links ...just got an offer to do an interview on a National Radio Show regarding this piece. Wow! Details to follow...naturally. Thanks PJ Media! Added more links to interesting illegal immigration information below.

When mainstream sites like Powerline and National Review start calling what the President and some Republicans are trying with their "comprehensive reform" a pack of lies it means trouble for the President and the Republican Party. Here is a powerful message to the Republicans from Powerline a site that is watched and read by the White House and Republicans in office. A snippet read the whole thing!

Power Line: What the Base Thinks: "Here's what they're missing, and it is the principal reason, in my opinion, WHY the anti-ILLEGAL forces are so upset -- and so powerful.

It has to do with the bad faith, calculated deceit, Orwellian propaganda, dishonest sophistry, misdirection,arrogance, presumption, indifference to, and, indeed, contempt for the beliefs of huge numbers of ordinary Americans --including LEGAL immigrants and Hispanic natives! --- on the part of political/media elites.

The damage this does to the President is incalculable since his main strength with the base is our trust in his decency. We didn't believe that he would lie to us and with immigration he has done so repeatedly. Honor lost is not so easily regained. It is a tragedy of the highest order that he felt so strongly about immigration that to him the ends justified any means. What remains to be seen is are the Republicans ready to leap off of the cliff behind him.

1. When you match willing worker with willing employer on a job Americans won't do...

Aside from the tremendous insult to Americans the truth is in most cases it is jobs Americans cannot do because it is against the law to work without insurance and for less than minimum wage. Here is the President from that same speech at the border.

2. Amnesty would be a mistake. Granting amnesty to the people who have come to our country illegally would invite others to come to our country illegally.

Q. Mr. President, on the immigration proposal that you're weighing, sir, is there some reason that only Mexican workers should be considered? What about those from other countries?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we'll consider all folks here. Let me make this very clear to people, that there was -- a word was creeping in the vernacular about this issue, called amnesty. I oppose blanket amnesty..

What does ex-attorney general for President Reagan Ed Meese say about that particular lie? From a scathing article in yesterday's New York Times.

Beyond this, most illegal immigrants who could establish that they had resided in America continuously for five years would be granted temporary resident status, which could be upgraded to permanent residency after 18 months and, after another five years, to citizenship.

Note that this path to citizenship was not automatic. Indeed, the legislation stipulated several conditions: immigrants had to pay application fees, learn to speak English, understand American civics, pass a medical exam and register for military selective service. Those with convictions for a felony or three misdemeanors were ineligible. Sound familiar? These are pretty much the same provisions included in the new Senate proposal and cited by its supporters as proof that they have eschewed amnesty in favor of earned citizenship.
The difference is that President Reagan called this what it was: amnesty. Indeed, look up the term "amnesty" in Black's Law Dictionary, and you'll find it says, "the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act provided amnesty for undocumented aliens already in the country."

President Reagan called it what it was, amnesty. That President Bush has continually attempted to call it anything but says a lot about President Bush and none of it good. Trying to sneak something by us is a betrayal of those values we all believed were his strongest points. This is terrible news for the war on terror. Let me explain why I think so.

In our war against Islamic radicals I believe we are engaged in two different sorts of war. One waged by our armies against foes so outmatched that their only chance of victory is to hold on long enough to allow the second war to be won.

The other is a propaganda war meant to demoralize and destroy the American People's will to resist. In that sort of war our leaders job is to stand in front of us and tell us what we need to know to take heart, sacrifice, rearm, say goodbyes to our children as they go off to war, bury our dead and in general to give us backbone when we lose sight of the fight. A leader who squanders his credibility will face an impossible task fulfilling those goals. Without that sort of leader our will to sustain our fight may falter.

This is so because regardless of what strategy we use it is our will alone that will keep us engaged to a successful conclusion. It is perhaps redundant to remind readers that wars are not won by destroying particular armies on battlefields because new armies can always be raised, witness our own history in the American Revolutionary War. Wars are won by destroying the civilian populations will to win. The British were never able to completely destroy our will to win and so they were destined to lose regardless of their reputation as the best army in the world and regardless of their overwhelming numbers compared to us.

The will to win is sustained by leaders who are trusted by the populations asked to make the sacrifices to win. FDR sustained our will to win because with his fireside chats he gave the bad news with the good and explained what we needed to hear to carry on. We trusted him.

The incredible spectacle of President Bush standing in front of us and repeatedly lying is destroying his ability to lead us as we prosecute our war. Our war on terror should be the center of his focus, not fulfilling some promise made to Vicente Fox to legalize 11 million people violating our laws. The fact that even sites as conservative as National Review and Powerline have declared the President to be lying on immigration is destroying his ability to tell us facts which rely upon us trusting him in the war on terror.

It was always going to be hard for him to come to the American people and make the case for denying Iran nuclear weapons. Since most of that case absent some large mushroom cloud expanding over an American city would rest on our trusting his judgment and his word. Do we continue to value a President's judgment, who did so much right in the past, who now squanders his trust by using cheap parlor tricks to pass a bill he realizes needs the distortion to pass? At what point did the President go from realizing that truth had to be spoken to power, regardless of the consequences, to a President who believes that hiding what he is doing is the best way to get what he wants when he is dealing us?

Ask yourself how long will it take the left to seize upon the fact that even bastions of Conservative thought like Powerline and National Review are calling the President a liar. Ask yourself whether they will make much of that when it becomes necessary for the President to step in front of the cameras to declare that the Mad Mullahs need to be taken down and we have to take him at his word.

Would you trust a man who lied to you once? Isn't one of life's lessons that once a person lies to you never trust their word again? But we live in a grown up world and President's at war do have to lie from time to time. Lying about his plans for amnesty was a useless lie since it does not move the war closer to victory. Indeed some might argue that some of the security proposals actually move us farther away from victory. At this point anything that doesn't contribute to victory is best left aside. Especially if it promises to destroy your credibility and fracture much of your strongest political support.

Finally when the President looks around the room and takes stock of those who are in the fight on his side does he feel good? Is he comfortable working with Senator Kennedy? Exactly when has anything that Senator Kennedy touched turned out well? What about Senator McCain, is President Bush so happy about the McCain Feingold campaign finance reform bill that he feels comfortable with any other bill McCain supports? You can tell a lot about a man by the company he keeps in the real world. In the Kabuki Theatre world of Washington DC Politics can you tell a lot about a bill by the sponsors?

At this point I will reissue my warning to the Republicans. If amnesty passes there will be problems for you come this November. I will not be lied to and then be expected to turn around smile and vote for you. No, thank you sir may I have another, from this boy.

Here is a round up of some of the immigration debate going on around the web. The Senate's 'Tough' Immigration Bill by Thomas Sowell, I don't believe Thomas is amused...witness these other articles here, here and here.

When Thomas Sowell starts declaring you are playing fast and loose with the truth well then only AJ Strata can defend you.

What Not to Legislate How not to fix our immigration laws. By Rick Santorum I am proud to say that I recently donated money to Rick because of Polipundits recommendation! Senator John Kyl another one of those dastardly radical Republicans that some folks rail against is not amused either...Securing the border must come first

oops Looks like that Heather Mac Donald piece on the illegal immigrant crime wave might have a point or two in its favor!

Now a timely article pointing out the advantages of having the Democrats winning in 08...sure to set some teeth agrinding.

What a novel idea for the Republicans...listening to the Voters. Who knew that was a strategy? Immigration Deal at Risk as House GOP Looks to Voters

More Heather Mac Donald on the myths of illegal immigration.

Powerline is back beating the drum with this powerful article, damn radical conservatives don't they know they are upsetting some people?

Washington Times weighs in with us "radical far right nuts". Where do we go from here?

The Washington Post decides our fate...hehe. House-Senate Battle On Immigration Likely gee ya think? But the funny part is the bit about some people seeing Bush as key to winning the day for the "amnesty now" folks.

Polipundit who has done some amazing work on the immigration issue is on fire. Something in the Water? Occam’s Razor on Support of Illegal Immigration Derbyshire on CIRA

And to wrap up our little trip around the web lets let Michelle Malkin get your hackles up: DO-IT-YOURSELF BORDER CONTROL "EARNING" CITIZENSHIP MEXICO GETS VETO POWER? "CONSULTATION" REQ'D THE MOST IMPORTANT DEBATE OF THE YEAR Michelle as far as I am concerned is kicking ass taking names especially over at Hot Air...check her out here and here.

John Hawkins over at Right Wing News one of the first major blogs to link to me has been driving home runs over the center field wall...this latest is no exception. 22 Problems With The Senate's Illegal Immigration Bill

Anyone see a war on terror running around here??? We must be kicking that ass if we have all this time to waste on an issue that didn't need us messing with it if we weren't going to commit to upholding the laws we already have on the books. Pain in the ass sentence but I am Bushed...oops pardon the pun...its 1:30am and I am tired.

Other posts on immigration

Kabuki Theatre in DC, Fun Facts I Wished I Didn't Know About Illegal Immigration
Doing the work that Americans won't do...and other Bush Fables
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Technorati tags
Congress Politics GOP conservatives Corruption The Washington Post The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Welcome to the Party Captain! President, McCain and Kennedy in cahoots...truth suffers.

This President and the Republican "Front Runner" Senator "Grandstand" McCain are rapidly approaching a stage where allowing Democrats into power might actually be a better choice. At least then we can spend our time forcing them to act like adults. At least then all Republicans will be rightly suspicious of the motives of a Democratic President or Senate or some combination thereof. At least if a Democrat would suggest something as wrongheaded as the Senate Comprehensive "Illegal Importation act" Republicans might ask a few tough questions if only out of partisan concerns.

As it stands right now we have a Republican President in cahoots with the erstwhile Republican Front runner for President actually indulging in some of the most underhanded evil sorts of tactics to ram a bill down our throats and Republican Senators are going along with them. As if the last time those two collaborated anything good came of it...or have we all forgotten McCain-Feingold? Remind me again why I worked so damn hard for the Republicans in 2000 and 2004!

These "representatives" of the people are trying to see if they can wait us out. They are putting out so much damn smoke that they hope we won't see the fire that threatens to get us to the same spot Europe is in with their "cheap labor".

Well Captain Ed is starting to come around to the view that the Senate bill sponsored by of all people Senator Grandstand McCain and Senator Submarine Kennedy is not in the countries best interests.

Other posts on immigration
Trust an easy thing to lose. Why did President Bush fritter it away on illegal immigration? Ver 2.0
Kabuki Theatre in DC, Fun Facts I Wished I Didn't Know About Illegal Immigration
Doing the work that Americans won't do...and other Bush Fables
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Technorati tags
Congress Politics GOP conservatives Corruption The Washington Post The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Captain's Quarters

Remembering those who died of our way of life

Start at Blackfive's excellent round up of Memorial Day posts then make your way over to Greyhawks Mudville Gazette.

Remember that your rights come from their sacrifices. Never forget that while we remember every year their families remember each day. Thank god for our service men and women.
BLACKFIVE: Memorial Day - Round Ups

Interesting story at Strata Sphere regarding how late into the 90's the CIA was collaborating with Al Queda

Sort of puts an interesting spin on the lefts fascination with the Put options that the 9/11 omission commission decided didn't happen. Had forgotten the reports of a substantial amount of money being made by mysterious investors who just happened to know that both United and American Airlines might be in for a rough ride after 9/11 until I was perusing Left Wing Moonbat sites amused by their beliefs that the Bush administration orchestrated 9/11. One of those sites not quite as crazy at the rest made some mention of some plausible reasons why the 9/11 commission might have ignored or dismissed the strange stock trading that went on prior to 9/11. This moonbat makes the claim that it was those at the highest reaches of the CIA who were driving the investments. Absolutely the craziest thing I have heard in a while...until I came upon Strata Sphere's article.

Sort of makes you go hmmm...doesnt it? Would not be the first time our government had some bad apples inside of it causing problems. Its always been a mystery to me why we have seemingly ignored the possibility that there are those inside of our government who might not see their self interest and the countries interest as being related. Traitors of the worst sort have been part of our nations history since the beginning. Disgruntled Generals anyone, or have we forgotten the traitorous behavior of Benedict Arnold who right up until he betrayed us was one of our Greatest Fighting Generals.

The Strata-Sphere Blog Archive Did CIA Ally With Al Qaeda During Clinton Years?: "Sort of puts an interesting spin on the lefts fascination with the Put options that the 9/11 omission commission decided didn't happen. Didn't remember the reports a substantial amount of money was made by mysterious investors who just happened to know that both United and American Airlines might be in for a rough ride after 9/11 until I was perusing Left Wing Moonbat sites amused by their beliefs that the Bush administration orchestrated 9/11."

The nature of our enemy stated clearly

Pithy comment in the comments of Robert Spencer's disassembling of Dean Esmay the US's resident 5th columnist for Islam.
Jihad Watch: On assertions without evidence: "A moderate muslim is one who has read too little of their Koran. A Jihadist is one who has read too much."

Vicente Fox telling us how to run our country some more.

So then if our pack of liars in the Government are so intent on interior enforcement here is a candidate for investigation, G&G Orchards. But we all know its all Kabuki Theatre in Washington DC and that there is no stomach for the sort of enforcement that would make a difference.

BREITBART.COM - Fox Says Immigration Challenges Friendship: "'Right now, so far, we're looking for a bigger crop this year, and I'm getting nervous,' said Rene Garcia, who owns G&G Orchards, believed to be the only Hispanic-owned apple warehouse in Washington state. 'We're not seeing the people circulating around looking for jobs.' "

Other posts on immigration

Kabuki Theatre in DC, Fun Facts I Wished I Didn't Know About Illegal Immigration
Doing the work that Americans won't do...and other Bush Fables
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Technorati tags
Congress Politics GOP conservatives Corruption The Washington Post The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Iranians have a lot of experience in marking those who are unclean

Amir Taheri made quite the splash when he pointed out some new laws about to take effect in Iran which would have religious minorities wearing a color so that they could be identified. A practice that was not originated by the Nazis as some believe but by those darling multiculturists in Islam. Some consider the matter closed because the Iranians have dismissed Amir's accusations as fantasy. Hmmmm....this sounds like just about the same thing, businesses being forced to declare they are being run by a religious minority. This was done back in the 1990's according to Sheema Kalbasi of Can't Keep Quiet.

zaneirani: "Most of these people left Iran because of discrimination. I remember in 1990's food stores run by religious minorities had to put a paper on their door: This store is run by a religious minority....why is that? Because for many Islamists religious minorities are 'Najes' or dirty!!! Christians & Jews lost their own private schools and Islamic government controls all."

I know that Amir can expect an apology from Dean Esmay after all Dean isn't a tool for Islam, right? And yes when you have guest bloggers you are still responsible for the content.

Dean Esmay
War on Terror satanic verses Military Cartoons Religion Politics Jyllands-Posten jyllands-posten mohammed Denmark muhammad cartoon Islam Terrorism 60 minutes

OUTRAGEOUS! Vicente Fox Says Walls Won't Fix Problem

UPDATE: Thanks to the Ron in comments for letting me know about the typo in the title.

Well ok so now we have the privilege of being lectured to by a Foreign President of a Failed State on how we should run our country so that his country doesn't simply explode from sheer the bloody incompetence and corruption of its politicians. Yea I am good with that crap, thanks for nothing President Vicente Fox and thank you President Bush.

Hey, Vicente how about going back to Mexico and fixing the shit that is broken. Then maybe not all of your citizens would be risking death in our deserts to escape the results of your “enlightened” rule. Yea I know it’s not all your fault but now it is your responsibility and instead of coming here and blaming us, shut the hell up and take care of your own shit. Then maybe one day we might respect you enough to invite you back.

But as it is now…just go away, don’t go away angry, just go.

BREITBART.COM - Fox, in U.S., Says Walls Won't Fix Problem: "Kicking off a four-day, three-state tour, Mexican President Vicente Fox said Tuesday that his nation wants to be part of the solution in the immigration debate, not the problem.
'We don't set up walls, and that's not the way you're going to fix this situation,' Fox said in Spanish to representatives of groups active in Utah's Mexican community. 'It's not with fences that we are going to solve this problem.' "

Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Technorati tags
Congress Politics GOP conservatives Corruption The Washington Post The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Pretty Funny Cartoon....no its not Allah...heh

Accompanying this funny cartoon is a comment left at No Pasaran that reminds me what a terrific defender of Capitalism Ayn Rand could be. So much stronger a defense than most so called conservatives because it springs from the moral right to be free.

Comment on that cartoon
"All of human progress is due to industrial progress, and it is for this reason that the human lifespan has increased, from 28 years on the average during the stone age to over 72 years today.
So if you are over 28 years of age, my advice is to go out and hug the dirtiest, grimiest smokestack you can find, then go home and get down on your knees and pray to whatever gods you believe in, that those smokestacks keep belching out pollution, because they are the signposts of human progress."
-- Ayn Rand

No Pasaran!: Heh!

I panicked and got the Katrina story wrong...lesson learned I hope.

Reading this story on Katrina I am struck by how badly I did in reporting this story. Perhaps being in the middle of the story isn't the very best way to report a story? Nevertheless other more professional sorts are able to be inside of a story like Katrina and report the truth, I failed.

What is obvious is that instead of sitting around listening to the news on the radio I should have said my goodbye's to my wife and went to help. Perhaps by helping I might have seen with my own eyes what was going on or not going on. The wifey and I could have kissed and made up afterwards. Course one of the reasons I stayed home was my wife was desperately trying to find her mom who was stationed in the Superdome. Her mom would call and was sounding increasingly distressed by the ordeal. Which sent the wife into a panic.

Actions instead of words are the stuff that matters. How embarrassing that I messed up so badly. Needless to say you must read this story. We can quibble about the rapes and the extent of the crime but overall this reporter gets it far more right than I did. The heroics of the National Guard and Coast Guard are the stuff of legends...lets not forget the wildlife and fisheries people who themselves saved thousands. I missed all the heroics completely and did a major disservice to those who did so much to avert a greater tragedy.
RealClearPolitics - Articles - Katrina: What the Media Missed

On Immigration, are we better off now than when we had Democrats in office?

UPDATES BELOW:

Let's have some fun. Let's look at Republican Senator Mel Martinez's positions before he was elected compare them with after and then we can all sit around and wonder why we should trust any Republican who is pro-illegal immigration including the President. Here he is before the election. (Hat tip Polipundit)

Mel Martinez for Senate: "We are nation of immigrants. The hard work and contributions of millions of legal immigrants are an important part of our Americas history. "

This is pretty standard stuff, we are all immigrants etc etc, but is it exceptional? Since this is the common refrain from those who advocate nearly unlimited immigration, exactly which nations in the world were NOT a products of immigration? None. All nations are nations of immigrants. Some nations because of unfettered immigration manage to change into something the original inhabitants would never have dreamed of agreeing to had they the chance to choose.

Several examples spring to mind, one that might be dear to liberals, the American Indian. Wonder about the Indians who broke bread with us on Thanksgiving day, would they be so welcoming if they could have seen the future? What about the Britons, did they think that the immigration of the Romans was a good thing? Or later, perhaps the Britons agreed with the changes the Normans brought to the Island. Maybe they did want to wait 300 years before the Royal Court Proceedings were again conducted in English. Unfettered immigration doesn't look so peachy now and illegal immigration is exactly that unfettered. For an unvarnished take down of those who make that pious claim that we are a nation of immigrants please take a look at this article Time to Rethink Immigration? by Peter Brimelowfrom National Review, June 22, 1992 reprinted at VDARE.

So lets look a bit deeper into Candidate Martinez's heart to see what he was promising in regards to illegals. From the same statement on his page prior to the election.

Our immigration policy, however, must first and foremost ensure the security of our great nation and its citizens. Especially during these treacherous times, our focus must be on preventing those who would harm us from entering our country and in providing the resources our border agents need in order to accomplish this. I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens. I support a plan that matches workers with needy employers without providing a path to citizenship. Immigration to this country must always be done through legal means.

Wow...sounds serious eh? Alright of course a guest worker program is not a very good idea but other than that he is making the right sounds eh?

Here is the bill this Senator sponsored once he was elected. Promises forgotten?

S. 2611 effectively would divide the unauthorized alien population (estimated at
12 mil.) into 3 groups:
• “Group 1:” Aliens who resided in the United States for at least 5 years prior to April 5, 2006, were unauthorized on that date, and have worked for 3 of those 5 years.
• This group would receive Permanent Residency (i.e., “green cards”) after 6 more
years of work. (Note: all green card holders can apply for citizenship in 5 years, or in 3 years, if married to an American citizen).
• “Group 2:” Unauthorized aliens who resided here for 2 to 5 years (since January 7,
2004).
• To become legal, these individuals must register and essentially “touch home base” (leave the U.S., most likely for a border town U.S. consulate); and then they
would either (a) receive an almost-guaranteed temporary “H-2C” work visa (and
apply for a green card once back in the U.S.), or (b) apply for a green card from

Oops where did we go wrong? Did Senator Martinez promise one thing and deliver another?

Ok so what else is new politicians always promise stuff they have no intention of delivering or honoring. But aren't these the same gentlemen who are promising to enforce our new laws against illegal immigrants as long as we allow them to pass a law prior to enforcing the old law which states that those who broke the old law won't get...wait hold up I have to duct tape my goddamn head to keep it from exploding...prosecuted for breaking the old law. But all the guys that come after we make the law promising to enforce the old law but before we awww...screw it. We are supposed to take these louts on their honor?

Not amused with the Republicans. Not amused with those partisan hacks on the right who constantly berate me for calling the Republican party on its contradictions regarding illegal immigrants. Democrats are supposed to be irrational...Republicans are supposed to be the adults that fix the mess. Just about now I would say that the Republicans are on track for making a bigger mess. Far more illegals have come across the border since President Bush came to office.

President Bush's casual remarks about amnesty at the very beginning of his administration caused millions to rush our border. Obviously if the person in charge of enforcing the laws starts talking about pardoning those who are breaking the law everyone and their family is going to break it. In this report from the Los Angeles Times verified here we can take a somewhat spooky look at the President's amnesty plans prior to 9/11.

Yea I know he was against amnesty even back then. Of course do you know that instead of amnesty they called it regularlize...we were going to regularize the estimated 3 to 4 million illegals. Just a friendly reminder at this point in time estimates place the illegals around 11 million, though some have estimated upwards of 20 million, thanks perhaps in large part to President Bush's casual remarks. For some fun take a read of Ari Fleischer trying to explain what regularize means.

In hindsight its worth remembering what President Bush at the time was saying in response to a question: Q. Mr. President, on the immigration proposal that you're weighing, sir, is there some reason that only Mexican workers should be considered? What about those from other countries?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we'll consider all folks here. Let me make this very clear to people, that there was -- a word was creeping in the vernacular about this issue, called amnesty. I oppose blanket amnesty. Yes we know Mr. President you oppose amnesty, wink wink, nudge nudge....oops there goes another 2 million of those people who do the Jobs Americans Won't.

At that moment in time 19 illegals were making plans to commit the most terrible terrorist attack in history. I wonder if Atta knew he could have gotten amnesty if he had waited a bit longer. Compassionate Conservatism in action?

President Bush's supporters parade around crowing about the 6 million people his INS/DHS/ICE (whatever the hell its now called...a turd is a turd) have deported. Not mentioning or probably not even knowing that President Clinton managed to deport 7 million in a 5 year period. Not only that but a President, who is absolutely vilified by Republicans as a liar, managed to do it when there wasn't a rush to the border. Even a Democratic President, who by the way was also pro illegal, understood that if you hinted at amnesty millions would rush across the border. President Bush on the other hand feigns ignorance and throws his hands up wondering where all these new illegals came from...well gee I wonder. And we are supposed to consider this man more honest than President Clinton?

We must keep the attack up on the President's plans. Not a single word out of those who advocate this amnesty/regularization/normalization should be believed. The damage that this fight does to the war on terror is incalculable since all those people we have to trust to fight this war have violated that trust by telling some whoppers on a subject they approach with a near religious intensity. It is difficult if not impossible to regain trust once its been lost.

To those who argue that I should support the Republicans, I ask why aren't the Republicans working harder for my vote. Why am I seeing things like the contradictions in Senator Martinez's positions and why is President Bush inviting 5 or 6 million people in our country illegally with his offhand remarks? Why are the Republicans engaging in newspeak on immigration? Why are both the current President and the Republican Frontrunner trying to lie about the amnesty they are proposing?

Amnesty/Regularization/Normalization amounts to....card please, people who broke the law being forgiven and gaining the benefits that drove them to break the law in the first place. Those who say that by demanding fines and constructing other minor hoops, illegals are paying their debt for breaking the law, need to explain a couple of things for me. For example if we were to fine someone who robbed a bank it is beyond doubt that they would not be able to pay the fine with the funds they stole. Indeed any rational person would have expected the robbers to return the funds prior to being allowed to pay a mere fine to escape jail time. And yet these illegals get to keep that which they stole a spot in the greatest country in the world...hmmm. Sounds like amnesty to me, but hey maybe if the Republicans lie a bit more I will believe them. Nah.

UPDATE #1: The Captain asks Republicans to consider what will happen if we withdraw our support. I ask why aren't the Republican Senators considering what happens if they drive us away from the party with their headlong rush into idiocy on a wide range of issues, not the least of them being Immigration.

UPDATE #2: Right Wing Nuthouse thinks that calling people like me names will win the argument. Perhaps it is indeed better for them to stay away from discussing the issues. To call the illegal immigration of upwards of 8 million people in the years of the Bush administration, petty is remarkable.

The Anchoress is writing a paen to the President.

Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
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Geek's' 9/11 analysis sheds light on NSA activities

Very interesting article on amateur efforts in regards to using software to build relationship maps of terrorist organizations. Also has some explanations and cautions regarding the NSA's efforts. Good read. Hat tip Free Republic

Cleveland.com's Printer-Friendly Page: "Geek's' 9/11 analysis sheds light on NSA activities John Mangels Plain Dealer Science Writer

Valdis Krebs is pretty sure he knows why the super-secret National Security Agency is rooting around in the nation's phone-calling records. It's the same sort of electronic sleuthing he did following 9/11 to uncloak some of al-Qaida's secrets.
Krebs isn't a Fort Meade spook; he's a Cleveland-based management consultant and self-confessed 'techno-geek' whose specialty is the esoteric field of network analysis. That's a computer-aided method for tracing where and how information moves within an organization, and who's connected to whom.
Usually Krebs works with Fortune 500 companies. But terrorists operate in networks like businesses do. Both groups have obscure but important communications channels and alliances among their members that network analysis might reveal. Maybe Krebs could learn something about how the 19 hijackers pulled off the attacks.
Shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Krebs started plugging information gleaned from news accounts about the terrorists into his computer and sifting it with InFlow, the network analysis software he developed.
By mid-October 2001, linkages began to appear on his screen like the wispy strands of a spider's web -- a pattern called the 'emergent organization.' "

NSA Bush War on Terror spying

Nagin wins, proves New Orleans filled with the dumbest people in the world

All we need now is for Blanco to win and it will prove beyond a shadow of doubt that inbreeding is a disaster of biblical proportions. Really this is too much. Flabbergasted. Maybe we should make a law that marrying your cousin gets you 25 to life?

At this point New Orleans shouldn't get a single dollar of Federal aid and not a single levee should be fixed. Let that poor excuse of a city sink beneath the waves. The people who built that city have long since died, all that is left are the village idiots. Why continue to insult the marvelous folks who built one of the most beautiful cities in the country by saving it?

City with one of the highest crime rates in the country that keeps going back to the well hoping that this time no one has pissed in it. Goddamn it. Wait no, I am not angry this is hilarious....after all its not every single day that you can watch a city so obviously filled with idiots give such a marvelous demonstration of its idiocy. Only the people of Washington DC have done better by re-electing Marion Barry, repeatedly.
Nagin Is Reelected In New Orleans
Nagin blanco Hurricane Katrina New Orleans

The Bear offers some constructive advice to the officers of the Titanic

The Bear tries to offer some constructive advice to those responsible in the White House in charge of the "message" but it ain't gonna help. See the President knows, with a religious conviction, that what he is doing is right and the rest of us, even his most hardcore supporters of the past, are wrong. With an attitude like that I am surprised that he hasn't simply come right out and stated plainly that it doesn't matter what the base thinks.
The Truth Laid Bear

Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
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conservatives
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Ann Coulter, Stick a fork into President Ramirez..oops Bush he is done

When Ann Coulter, Rush and Sean are all attacking your policies on immigration you have trouble. Course not that this matters to President Ramirez/Bush he is on a religious mission from god. He wants to import every single person South of the Border before he leaves office.

Here are some choice bits from an article you simply cannot miss.

RedStatesUSA.com - The Majority, Silent No Longer Bush has also apparently learned that the word "amnesty" does not poll well. On Monday night, he angrily denounced the idea of amnesty just before proposing his own amnesty program. The difference between Bush's amnesty program and "amnesty" is: He'd give amnesty only to people who have been breaking our laws for many years -- not just a few months. (It's the same program that allows Ted Kennedy to stay in the Senate.)

Why not use immigration the way sports teams use the draft -- to upgrade our roster? We could take our pick of the world's engineers, doctors, scientists, uh ... smoking-hot Latin guys who stand around not wearing shirts between workouts. Or, you know, whatever ...

Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
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A House Republican shows me the way back to the ballot box

Jack Kingston is the sort of Republican I can support. This short interview with him at Right Wing News caught my eye and proved to me that perhaps all is not lost.
Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
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Is the assumption that because I want the border controlled that I don't like immigrants?

What a ridiculous survey. It presumes that those of us who vote that immigrants are a net gain also agree with idea that we should allow illegal immigration to continue. Additionally it assumes that we don't want our borders to be secure.

My father was an immigrant. My great grandparents were immigrants. None of them illegals.

Either we are a nation of laws or we are not.
EconLog, Immigration: Seeing is Understanding, Bryan Caplan: Library of Economics and Liberty
Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Congress
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The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...

Mickey, the question is, are we suffering a labor shortage or are we suffering a shortage of people who will accept below minimum wage. Are we suffering a labor shortage or are we suffering a shortage of people who will work without Workman's comp and other workplace niceties that legal workers must by law be provided? Are businesses like Tyson foods and Mohawk Carpet employing illegals simply because no one will work for them or because no one can work for them on their terms aside from illegals? What will businesses like Tyson Foods and Mohawk Industries do after the current crop of illegals are brought forward into the system and those businesses are forced to treat them as legal employees with all the attendant costs?

Is it possible that these companies having developed this addiction for employees who cannot run to the E.O.C. and who cost so much less to employ through direct costs of wages and insurance and indirect costs in the form of workplace safety, will suddenly see the light and hire legal employees?

Additionally if those illegal employees see their advantage in the workplace over American workers vanishing should they become legal will they desire to price themselves out of the market just for the privilege of paying taxes?

Enforcement in the workplace and a border fence must come first. Real enforcement carried out over the course of years against multiple companies where executives find themselves in jail for violating all sorts of labor laws. That might go a long way to assuring the American public that this latest amnesty program isn't merely some smoke and mirrors dog and pony show by politicians looking out for the most important person in the world, themselves.

Tony's got a deal for you! By Mickey Kaus: "I agree that this is the deal that can be cut--in part because there seems to be nothing all that terrible about a legal guest worker program, as long as it draws its workers from those waiting in line outside the country (and not those who've jumped the queue and already snuck in). Guest workers aren't illegal immigrants, after all--and one way to discourage illegals is to give opportunities to legals. A flexible guest worker program could offer some insurance against a labor shortage, just in case border security measures actually work. "

Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
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The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"

Captain Ed and others miss the point entirely by saying that were it not for our war on terror we would not need comprehensive immigration reform. Whether we are at war or not controlling our borders and punishing employers who go looking in the underground for illegal workers makes sense. What doesn't make sense is normalizing/amnesty of the current illegals in country.
Quoting Captain Ed:

If we were not at war, if terrorists did not target us for attack, this would not be necessary. However, we need to proceed realistically and figure out a method in which we can deliver some punishment for illegally entering the country while incentivizing the illegals to declare themselves -- and that is predicated on border security and much more robust enforcement.

Corrupt and disingenuous politicians allow companies to break our laws and employ people without giving them Workman comp insurance or minimum wage. Why else would those illegals be attractive if it weren't for the fact that they cost considerably less per hour to employ than a comparable US worker. In addition those companies employing illegals can be sure that workplace violations will go unreported by those illegals since obviously they are scared and do not want to bring attention to themselves.

Because of those fears the working conditions of those sorts of businesses plummet. If you can imagine that the cleanliness of an institution rises in those sorts of conditions then I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn. If you think that cleanliness isn't important in the food industry then you simply haven't read enough.

And it bears repeating that an American worker cannot compete, not because he won't but because by law he cannot work for less than minimum wage. By law he must be paid Workman's comp.

Now if we get this amnesty/normalization/or whatever other euphemism the political class is using this week to hoodwink us, what will happen? Well all those illegals who used to be employed because they cost so much less will now cost a good bit more to employ. Does anyone actually believe that companies like Tyson Foods and Mohawk Industries will merely accept that their labor pool has just gotten more expensive? After all the millions of dollars those companies have spent in political donations to get cheap labor that is quiet and compliant in the face of terrible working conditions will those companies simply fold up tent and hire legals? No of course not. This entire fiasco will repeat itself in a few years.

That this might be exactly what President Bush wants to happen is contained in a document all of us would do well to read and understand. This isn't being talked about by those agitating for support of the Presidents sell out of the United States sovereignty.

Building a North American Community Report of an
Independent Task Force

President Bush described the significance of the SPP as putting forward a common
commitment ‘‘to markets and democracy, freedom and trade, and mutual prosperity and security.’’ The policy framework articulated by the three leaders is a significant commitment that will benefit from broad discussion and advice. The Task Force is pleased to provide specific advice on how the partnership can be pursued and realized.

To that end, the Task Force proposes the creation by 2010 of a North American community to enhance security, prosperity, and opportunity. We propose a community based on the principle affirmed in the March 2005 Joint Statement of the three leaders that ‘‘our security and prosperity are mutually dependent and complementary.’’ Its boundaries will be defined by a common external tariff and an outer security perimeter within which the movement of people, products, and capital will be legal, orderly, and safe. Its goal will be to guarantee a free, secure, just, and prosperous North America.

Further on we get a better idea of what that means to us in that quaint idea the United States of America.

Our economic focus should be on the creation of a common economic space that expands economic opportunities for all people in the region, a space in which trade, capital, and people flow freely.

Thats not all.

Expand temporary migrant worker programs. Canada and the United States should expand programs for temporary labor migration from Mexico.

Implement the Social Security Totalization Agreement negotiated between the United States andMexico. This agreement would recognize payroll contributions to each other’s systems, thus preventing double taxation.

Captain's Quarters
Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
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Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!

UPDATE: Please make sure to read Mark Tapscott's take on Republican discontent.

At the bottom of this post is the hall of shame of Republicans who voted to kill a bill sponsored by Senator Johnny Isakson, Republican of Georgia, (Hat Tip Michelle Malkin) that would have demanded that border security be instituted before any sort of amnesty program was acted upon. Apparently these folks don't think controlling our border is important enough to demand control be asserted before any sort of amnesty program is instituted. And yes I know the President and probably these Republican Senators are against "amnesty".

They have the polling data that shows you people out in the hinterlands don't really think amnesty is such a good idea. So being good little politicians, with an agenda they cannot put aside, they simply switch labels. It is a measure of exactly how stupid the DC political class believes you are that they think a simple switch of labels will make it all feel better.

Pretty sure it doesn't feel so good for those Americans with legal employee's and all the attendent costs associated with those employees. Costs that the Government, the same government which now declares that there are jobs Americans won't do, burdened them with, costs like Workmans Comp and a minimum wage. Costs that companies that donate lots of dollars to the campaigns of both Democrats and Republicans don't burden themselves with since they simply avoid the problems by hiring people whose illegality and ignorance of our system insures their silence with the authorities. Silence regarding the fact that they are not covered with Workmans Comprehensive insurance meaning when they are injured on the job you and I pay, instead of Tyson foods for example. Silence about the fact that they are paid below minimum wage.

Remember that American company with the legal employee's? Well their choice is lose the business or adopt the same sort of illegal business practices. They are driven to the same seach for cheap labor, driven to the same dangerous workplace practices. Did you know for example that the Meatpacking industry is now a much more dangerous place to work then it was a mere 20 years ago? And we are not just talking about the Meatpacking Industry this cancer is pervasive.

Let's take a look at the disaster of illegal immigration on a smaller scale. On a scale where most of us operate this could be your business or your son's. Lets take a look at what happens to a drywall contractor who happens to believe that hiring illegals is actually not something you should do even if the authorities turn a blind eye towards breaking the law. Is that Drywall contactor rewarded or does he simply lose his business. Here is one such story. Channel3000.com - I-Team - Construction Controversy:

Jobs Americans won't do indeed! If President Bush wanted to repair much of the damage he has done himself with his base, apologizing for that insult would have been a tremendous start. This is work that Americans are not allowed by Law to do. The same Laws that sink American companies who naively follow the laws of the land also betrays those workers who cannot compete against a worker who will be paid less money and cost less due to his employer not being forced into buying Workers Comp insurance for him. It was an eye opening moment for me to watch a President I have idolized, utter such a lie as "jobs Americans won't do".

The base has stood by powerless until we discovered that by threatening to stay home this November people who had ignored us suddenly were all ears. All of a sudden those very same politicians who thought they knew better than us what we needed were all ears. All of a sudden many on the right began to be scared of losing the majority we all worked so hard for so many years to gain. A majority that this class of Republican politicans seems intent on squandering. Yet somehow, it was us, the base, that would be to blame should the Democrats win in November. It was not that our Senators, House Members and President ignored our feelings and refused to move an inch towards our position, no it was all our fault according to many pundits. And not only was it our fault but we should stop threatening to sit on our hands because that is somehow unpatriotic, unjust and just plain nasty for us to throw out the bums.

Not once in any of those articles chastising the base for being so upset with the Republicans did I hear anyone recommend that it was those Senators, House Members and a stiff necked President who should bend to our will. Not even when all we are asking for is simple enforcement of our existing laws, laws those very same politicians are charged with upholding. We are supposed to set aside the ridiculous spending habits and crazy spending priorities, set aside the fact that Republicans who were once rightly skeptical of running to the Government for help, are now identified with the worst habits of those who think the Government is the answer. We are to set all this aside and declare that right or wrong we are Republicans while at the same time those same politicians thumb their noses at our desires.

No not once, instead, our arguments are misrepresented and strawmen are constructed and knocked down with a speed that would bring shame to the 101st Airborne in a competition of destructive power. For instance, no one is calling for the Government to round up and deport between 11 million and 20 million folks. It is the vilest form of demagoguery to suggest that to be the case.

Jim Geraghty suggests that he is tired of those of us who are threatening to stay home. In a good article outlining the ways we can reassert power over the Republican Party he suggests that we must support the Republicans should we fail to change the party to reflect our views. Which at this stage with the results we are getting in finally getting our voices heard is merely another way of allowing the President to get his way. This must not happen. Perhaps Geraghty should direct his ire towards those stiff necked Republicans who are themselves causing this rift to occur and by doing so threatening that which Geraghty considers so important, control of the House and Senate by a party I don't recognize anymore.

So in a spirit of controlled anger with a Party that has run rampant against my wishes I present these Senators. These Senators who have decided that contrary to the publics often stated desire to gain control of our borders they voted against that desire. Please do not send them emails. Please take the time to call them and in a rational tone tell them how you feel. Phone calls are very powerful with these folks. You taking the time and spending the money to call will leave an indelible impression. Warn them that by their refusal to bend they are condemning the Republican party to the wilderness they were so familiar with just a few years ago.

Bennett, Robert F.- (R - UT)
Class III
431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5444

Brownback, Sam- (R - KS)
Class III
303 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6521
Web Form: brownback.senate.gov/CMEmailMe.cfm

Chafee, Lincoln- (R - RI)
Class I
141A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2921

Coleman, Norm- (R - MN)
Class II
320 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5641

Collins, Susan M.- (R - ME)
Class II
461 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2523

Craig, Larry E.- (R - ID)
Class II
520 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2752

DeWine, Mike- (R - OH)
Class I
140 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2315

Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC)
Class II
290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5972

Lugar, Richard G.- (R - IN)
Class I
306 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4814

Martinez, Mel- (R - FL)
Class III
317 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3041

Murkowski, Lisa- (R - AK)
Class III
709 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6665

Shelby, Richard C.- (R - AL)
Class III
110 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5744

Snowe, Olympia J.- (R - ME)
Class I
154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5344

Specter, Arlen- (R - PA)
Class III
711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4254

Stevens, Ted- (R - AK)
Class II
522 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3004

Voinovich, George V.- (R - OH)
Class III
524 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3353

Warner, John- (R - VA)
Class II
225 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2023

Other posts on immigration
Mickey Kaus makes some good points on immigration but...
The Reason Amnesty won't work even if President Bush hoodwinks us into passing the "comprehensive bill"
Call your senators, ask them why they are condemning the Republican party to minority status!
Congress
Politics
GOP
conservatives
Corruption
The Washington Post
The Washington Examiner Immigration border Illegal immigration

Are you Bushed by Anxiety, and Depression in regards to Immigration???

Then take a wiggle over to this blog and read all about the sorts of things you can do to self medicate...oops wrong site. In any case this site looks really interesting with their latest article covering "Insufficient Sleep Tied to Obesity in Children"

Yea I know, lame ass title but its late and I am reeling from a lack of sleep and one killer Margarita.
Anxiety, Addiction and Depression Treatments

Ditto...American Workers lazy bums who need Mexicans to help!

We be a bunch of lazy bastards and we need the help of those brave souls who have done such a fine job with their own countries to the south of the great states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Been wanting a cardboard city set up in Ft. Worth for quite some time to humble those Texans.

Anyways Derb got it exactly right.
The Corner on National Review OnlineTemporary Worker [John Derbyshire]

I'm baffled as to why anyone would want to hire these temporary workers.
The entire point of illegal immigrant labor is that it's cheap *B*E*C*A*U*S*E***I*T*S***I*L*L*E*G*A*L*. If you legalize it, it ain't cheap any more. You've got minimum wage laws, workmen's comp, benefits regulations, etc., etc. to comply with, and all sorts of litigation possibilities (harassment, discrimination, etc.) to hedge against. You might as well hire Americans.
Unless you think that Americans are crappy workers—lazy, shiftless, ignorant, ill-motivated, and unreliable.
If our politicians actually do think this, will one of them please say it out loud?
Posted at 6:29 PM

PJ Media will be all over the Immigration story today keep a close eye on them for the latest!

Not sure that there is anything this President will say that will have me singing his praise but hey stranger things have happened. At this point I cringe when he talks.

Naturally this has a lot of people upset, no not because I have a lot of power but because a lot of people feel like me. Republican party hacks are all running around beating their chests and screaming the end of the world is near. Oooh you JUST HAVE to support the Republicans or those nasty Democrats will gain power. Which means that I am supposed to ratify policies in the Fall that are an anathema to me. Not likely.

All of this assumes that all of the compromise must come from those who feel like me. That not one jot of compromise can issue from the Congressional Republicans and a President whose first instincts on issues as diverse as immigration, Islam and Government spending are increasingly at odds with reality. Not only that but I simply cannot trust the Republicans to actually hold to their word. The base will be promised anything and exactly one minute after the election where we turn out like Bushbots to vote them in again, they will be acting like Democrats all over again.

Tonight I expect that the President will promise to start enforcing the immigration laws against employers, why did he stop? (I was under the impression we have had laws all along) This will be seen by me and others on my side in the very same light as that dog and pony show we had a couple of weeks ago. Where all of a sudden ICE started actually enforcing the laws. Putting lie to those claims that illegals were simply too hard to catch these days. We have always had the ability to arrest those employers who use illegals in ways that Americans simply would refuse to be used, we simply didn't.

Illegals do indeed do the jobs that Americans won't do. This is so for a couple of reasons. One it is against the law to employ an American and not provide them with Workman's comprehensive insurance. Second no American can work for less than minimum wages. When you support the illegals this is what you are encouraging. Ask Tyson foods where they stand on illegals...

The Republicans stance on Islam has finally worn me out. For the longest time I have been unwilling to say that Islam is not reformable because I felt that the Bush attempts at reform in the Middle East should be given a chance. Now I understand the real absurdity of President Bush, he actually doesn't think that Islam needs to reform. It's A-Ok with him. It is a truly scary thought that the Leader of the Free World doesn't think that one of the greatest engines for oppression in the world today does not have to reform. Neat. We are sure to win the battle of idea's with a leader who is so blind. Maybe he can have an audience with the Pope and get educated?

Government spending...all I want to say is this. In a time when we are fighting for our lives against an enemy capable of murdering 3,000 of us in our greatest city and capitol we are pinching pennies in our military and spending like drunken sailors everywhere else. Great set of priorities Republicans. Sure I see that its important to get you back into office. I understand we need a few more bridges and railroads to nowhere. It is worth repeating that as a percentage of GDP our defense spending is trailing where it was under that most evil Democrat President Clinton. (1990=5.6, 1991=5.0, 1992=5.2, 1993=4.8, 1994=4.3, 1995=4.0, 1996=3.7, 1997=3.5, 1998=3.3, 1999=3.3) Defense spending in 2003 was 3.1% of GDP.

Lets not even get into the fact that the CIA still exists, Norman Mineta is still employed and the education system is worse today than it was when he took office.

So according to the Bush right or wrong supporters, I need to stop declaring that I plan on staying home since it is ok for me to throw away the only bit of leverage that has somewhat slowed the Republicans rush to the left. Sure Jim Geraghty, AJ Strata, Anchoress that makes a lot of sense. Let's see some movement from the Congressional Republicans to actually uphold the law for starters and their promises for seconds and have them give a stern talking to El Presidanti Hernando Bush about his responsibilities to uphold even the laws he disagrees with...you know immigration laws.

Oh and when you are trying to convince me to vote this Fall its best if you don't use words like Normalization in the place of amnesty. I value honesty.
Pajamas Media: Immigration Nation: News and Views

Doing the work that Americans won't do...and other Bush Fables

According to the President Mexican illegal aliens are doing the work that Americans won't do. President Bush likes to paint these workers as people merely struggling to help us keep our hands clean. The truth is a bit dirtier than what Mr. Bush would have us believe.

At the bottom of the page I am highlighting a story which shows how dirty it can be. Imagine losing your business in drywall to President Bush's desire to have people here doing the work that Americans won't do.

If you are a legitimate drywall contractor and have to compete against these sorts of challenges, you will be finding another business. It is simply not possible to compete with a Contractor willing to use illegals. Since he doesn't pay Workman's comp and he likely pays below minimum wages he is unbeatable by anyone following the laws of our land. Mind you that he doesn't pay them the wages he would have to pay legal citizens in many cases because of laws stating what the minimums are for legal citizen. In short even if a legal citizen wanted to market himself at the going rate of an illegal it would be against the law.

Exactly why this practice should be defended by anyone much less the President of the United States is a mystery. Only the basest motives can be imagined since it would be simple enough to vastly expand the legal workers visa program so that those current illegals could take advantage of being covered by insurance in case of injury and making a decent living. But in my mind any sort of vast expansion of the Workers visa must be accompanied by a demand that illegals apply for such Visa's in their homecountry.

We must not reward those who have thumbed their noses at our laws.

Channel3000.com - I-Team - Construction Controversy: "At the heart of the issue: cheap labor.

Sources tell News 3 that certain drywall contractors access $5-$10-an-hour workers by hiring a Mexican middleman, often called a 'coyote.'

The 'coyote,' or broker, brings in other Mexican workers and pays them cash. All tracks are covered, sources say, by cheap worker's compensation insurance policies designed for sole proprietors.

Sources say that makes the 'coyote' looks like a legitimate subcontractor when he really isn't.

'These coyotes, they claim they got worker's comp, they'll go out and get a certificate,' Hollis said. ''Employees: zero, if any.' They got 40 guys on the job and nobody under their workman's comp.'

'All those guys got insurance for ? control a lot of Mexicans,' said Saul Mendoza (pictured, left), a drywall worker who used to work for cash. 'One guy controls 20 guys, 30 guys.' "

Technorati tags: Immigration Bush Weblog Politics MEXICO unions

Sitting out the election...why we might do such a thing!

In response to Captain Ed's article I left this comment. First a snippet of a well reasoned article instead of the usual polemic which compares people with my views to Kos kidz...course what else would we expect from Captain Ed.
Captain's QuartersBy all means, if faced with a choice between Hitler and Mussolini on the November ballot, I would choose to write in Winston Churchill. However, the notion that we face that kind of choice is really nothing more than an expression of anger resulting in futility. It's eminently understandable, but it results in disaster. The only evil that we likely face is that the American electorate has grown so dismissive of the political process that it may squander its birthright. People across the political spectrum need to stay engaged in the process through the vote in order to get a government that most truly represents us -- and if we don't like the final choices presented us, then we must work harder in the next cycle to ensure that the final choices improve
Captain,

The only problem I see with your hypothesis is it takes away the only leverage those of us unhappy with the Republican party have. For if they know I will vote for them no matter what sort of violation to Conservative Values they put up for election then my desire for small less intrusive government is lost. My voice is not heard.

Contrary to what many declare by avoiding to vote I have made my voice as clear as those who have voted. I have chosen to declare that neither side has the sort of answers I want to see. My responsibility in the matter is to be clear to my party what it is about them that I find so wrongheaded. I believe I have done that in repeated phone calls, in responses for donations, in articles and in every other fashion possible.

They have chosen to ignore my wishes. I can do nothing else at this stage than to avoid honoring their wishes.

The immigration solution being bandied about in Congress right now does not meet my criteria of a solution. That issue is important enough to me to have me sit it out. My sitting it out will mean no money, no volunteering and no vote. The Republican party has gambled that no matter what they do I will answer their call for help, money and a vote. They have misread me. The question will others feel the same way I do and sit it out and if they do can the Republicans succeed with their new voting bloc the illegals...ooops the undocumented Americans.

Pierre

A letter on Instapundit that captures my feelings...

This letter to Glenn Reynolds lays out one of my beefs with the Bush administration.
Instapundit.com -

If "jobs Americans won't do" is a central part of Bush's address his approval ratings may be in the single digits Tuesday morning. I honestly do not understand where are political class has gotten the idea that calling the average american lazy and worthless is good political strategy.

"Read the whole thing"(tm)

Reagan on immigration...

To those who bemoan my repudiation of the Republican party for among other things its stance on illegal immigration. Let me remind you that I have Reagan on my side. You have Senator Kennedy. Congrats. This article on Foxnews deserves a read.

In exchange for legal status for the group, Reagan insisted that the magnet attracting illegal aliens to the United States be removed by extinguishing any incentive for U.S. employers to hire illegal aliens. In tandem with the amnesty, Reagan campaigned for employer sanctions for hiring illegal aliens, sanctions so stringent that many at the time regarded them as draconian.

Exactly correct as usual Reagan had the right idea. But watch who sabotages his efforts at a sweeping reform.

Reagan reasoned that if an employer were fined for hiring an illegal alien (as much as $1 million in the worst cases), any payroll savings achieved by the hiring would be wiped out by the fine. In effect, it would be more expensive to hire illegal aliens than to hire Americans or lawful permanent residents. The few illegal aliens who continued to take the gamble and cross the border would be intercepted by a robust and more generously funded Border Patrol.

While Reagan’s 1986 immigration reforms (search) can at least be called rational, they were a failure. Today, there are between 8 million and 11 million illegal aliens in the United States. The majority of them crossed our southern border and has found employment — illegal employment, but employment nonetheless. This is attributed to Sen. Ted Kennedy’s eventual gutting of the enforcement mechanism for Reagan's employer sanctions, and successive administrations refusing to give our Border Patrol the resources it needs to achieve its mission.

Hey look at that, Senator Kennedy destroyed immigration reform by gutting the employer sanctions portion of the Reagan reform. Boy I bet that today's Republicans would never be on the same side as Senator Kennedy. Oops President Bush's enforcement of employer sanctions has been dismal, more dismal than Clinton by a long shot. Furthermore those who warn me of dire consequences should the Democrats gain power, do they realize that Republicans of today are acting like Democrats of yesterday? If I continue to support them pretty soon I expect to see them in Che workouts. Nope not anymore. Republicans need to prove themselves to me. Show that they are serious about Republican values.
FOXNews.com - GOP Immigration Stance Far From Reagan Reforms

Malkin smoking hot...

Michelle Malkin video report is sweet to watch. Course I bet that the Bush administration doesn't think so since it is their Dept. Of Homeland security that is alerting the Mexican government to the positions of US Citizens, vigilantes according to our fearless leader Bush. Something smells rotten here and the Bush administration better do some fast containment.

Malkin is red hot and this video proves the viability of this new medium.
Hot Air Blog Archive More Border Disorder

Republicans need to put the crackpipe down!

Updates: A response to AJ below.

Article at Tapscott's got me to thinking about being in the minority or the alternative accepting what is defined as a Republican these days. Here is my answer.

Now, with another legislative subterfuge in the offing, we see all too clearly that we've been taken for a ride. Come November, the ride will be over for a bunch of Republicans who think the base "has nowhere to go."
Tapscott’s Copy Desk

Here is a newsflash for the Republican party I don't believe I have nowhere to go! No matter if it means that Hillary gets in I am not voting in the coming election. In the past two elections I have manned phones and donated money to Republican causes. They can kiss my ass now. They have absolutely betrayed the trust I placed in their hands.

On Republicans spending like drunken sailors, isn't ironic that the first spending bill that Bush promises to veto has spending for the military on it, typical. I don't have a problem with increasing Military Spending past the anemic 3.5% of GNP it stands at now. Actually it is scandalous that Clinton's average military spending as a percentage of GNP was higher with no war than we are spending in the fight of our lives. But instead of spending to defend ourselves against maniacal head choppers, we spend idiot amounts of money on programs that must have Reagan spinning in his grave, education bill, prescription drug... Clue bat to the side of the head Republicans, anytime Kennedy is smiling in regards to a program you have passed you have messed up.

Many tell me that it will be disaster if the Democrats get into office. Perhaps, but I don't think so. Instead Republicans will get back to fighting to end programs they cannot tolerate while not being able to spend money on programs they love. Deadlock sounds great to me these days. As it stands right now with no deadlock we are spending like drunken sailors. And the worst of it is all this money is being spent on the most frivolous of items while crushing needs go unanswered. Count me out Republicans.

You have gotten cute once too often on immigration. I don't like participating in the slavery of a ethnic group because you don't want to enforce laws you don't like. We don't get to choose which laws we obey and you don't get to choose which laws you enforce.

Once too often with that Islam is peace nonsense you have been selling. Islam and peace are not in anyway related and you insult us by continuing to preach that nonsense.

Once too often on the bridges and railroads to nowhere shtick. Not amused anymore.

Not amused to see that after the center of our greatest city was attacked and 3,000 of us died, the main agency responsible for gathering intelligence to stop such attacks was not cleaned out but went on to attempt a virtual Coup d'état against a sitting President. Not amused.

Not amused that the answer to fixing that mess turned out to be adding one more layer of incompetent bureaucracy on top of the already bloated fat cat tea drinking "spy" bureaucracy. Bourne Supremacy was a hilarious fantasy since there is absolutely no chance that anyone that competent in a position of power exists inside of our intelligence agencies. Was Bourne Supremacy a bit of propaganda put out by Tenet?

I hired you bunch of virtual incompetents to run the government not make excuses on why it isn't happening. Mineta is still in office...arrrgggghhh. My 74 year old mother is still being subjected to hour long searches when she flies simply because there isn't one single person in our government who thinks that is fucking absurd. Besides its easier to pick on a German Grandmother than Ali the bomb carrying Islamic fanatic, we wouldn't want to get the Muslim Voting blocs panties in a wad (as if the average Muslim is ok with allowing bombs on board because of PC worries). Nope no longer amused. I am used to being in the minority and long for the days when I didn't have to watch my side act like a bunch of knuckleheads. Bring on the minority status we did better then!

Or convince me in the next 180 days that you actually remember what it is to be a Republican. Show me by enacting permanent tax cuts. Show me by confirming judges, quit whining about the Democrats being mean. The Democrats would have rolled over you had they the same circumstances, while our side gets to watch you whimpering about procedures. Win dammit. Raise military spending to at least 5% of GNP, we can afford it and it would show we are serious about defending ourselves. Fund another 2 divisions of soldiers with the proper equipment. That sort of spending I can wholeheartedly back. Fire the goddam losers in the CIA, starting with Plame. Start enforcing our immigration laws, now.

Oh well a man can dream.

UPDATED A RESPONSE TO AJ STRATA:
AJ it is not simply because the pace of change is slow that I find myself deciding to sit it out this election. It is mainly because the Republicans are going in the wrong direction. In 4 years I won't recognize the Republican party.

They are going in the wrong direction on Immigration where a sitting President is deciding to not enforce the laws he doesn't like. We do not have the option of disregarding laws we don't like, politicians don't have the option of not enforcing laws they don't like. The depth of my anger about this abrogation of responsibility on the part of Republicans is vastly underestimated. Its time to send a message.

They have been going in the wrong direction on spending for quite sometime. Witness one of the most conservative members of the Senate throwing a temper tantrum when his bridge to nowhere was being attacked.

The Prescription Drug benefit was exactly the wrong sort of medicine to administer to the ailing medical situation in this country. Republicans who don't believe in the market and who look to the government coffers to repair damage wrought by the government itself don't amuse me anymore.

The education bill and no child left behind is a mess. The education system in this country is broken and it is getting worse. Vouchers might have fixed some of it but that was not pushed through.

Islam is not peace and for 5 long years I have been slowly getting more and more pissed off by that bit of nonsense being perpetuated by President Bush. He has dined with the facilitators of terror in the Whitehouse and had them on the campaign trail. At first I merely pushed it off as ignorance but now after 5 years he has had plenty of time to recover his wits.

If I follow your prescription AJ then nothing changes and those in power continue to believe that I can be hoodwinked by their sweet words. I don't view Republicans and Democrats as that different and sadly it is mainly because Republicans have adopted Democrats ideals in an attempt to move to the center.

Have had enough of the moderate Republicans. Neither hot nor cold I spit them out of my mouth.
The Strata-Sphere Blog Archive Pace Of Change Too Slow, So Give Up

Other posts related:
Bush administration on border security, not wrong, merely on the other-side!
Winning's Everything
Another reason to not respect President Bush's second term...caving in to bureaucrats
Heather MacDonald on illegals...err undocumented aliens...oops undocumented Americans.
Politics
Congress
Republicans
GOP
corruption
conservatives

Bush administration on border security, not wrong, merely on the other-side!

President Bush not happy with his 31% poll numbers is working hard on making them even worse. Talk about pissing on your base! Try having your Border Patrol people reporting to a foreign government on the efforts of Americans to control our border. Yea sure lets trust President Bush to actually enforce any sort of border control...virtual or real.

This story outlines how President Bush's Border Patrol agents are contacting Mexican officials to report the positions of the Minutemen who are trying to get illegals arrested. Given the corruption of Mexico it won't be long before that information is given to people like these fun guys and Americans pay with their life doing what our Government should be doing.
Michelle Malkin: OUR BORDER PATROL...OR MEXICO'S?
More at Little Green Footballs...check out the comments.
Excerpt Of The Day: Why A Wall Alone Won't Solve Our Illegal Immigration Problem

Nextonthelist

Feels good to have inspired someone else to blog. One thing for sure Nextonthelist sure is a lot easier on the eye's than this blog. Working on that...

While I fix this blog make sure to include Nextonthelist in your rounds.
Nextonthelist

Winning's Everything

A commenter over at Belmont pointed me to this terrific article on winning. This is exactly correct. Our leaders either don't know how to win or don't think its important. Read this article right now.

desert rat said...
There is a piece by the "Style" Editor, over at the WaPo.
Usually, I'd skip over the "Style", but what Henry Allen has to say in Winning's Everything" is insightful.

I'd say that 'cause the fellow agrees with me.
Bet he didn't even know.

6:21 AM

Winning's

Everything"In war, we have to win," said Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap.

This was on television about 20 years ago, a PBS series about the war in Vietnam. Giap was sitting behind a desk, as I recall, a picture of lethal ease. He seemed amused to think he knew something that the Americans still hadn't figured out. He added: "Absolutely have to win."

For me, a former Marine corporal who'd heard some Viet Cong rounds go past at Chu Lai, Giap spoke and the heavens opened -- a truth seizure, eureka. I finally had a useful, practical explanation for why we had lost after the best and brightest promised we were going to win. And nowadays, thanks to Giap, I have a theory, no more than that, about why winning is so elusive in Iraq.

I suspect that the people who run our wars, particularly the best and brightest, know when we fight a war that:

We have to be fighting for freedom and national security.

We have to get the will of the country behind the war.

We have to maintain a strong economy to pay for the war.

Another reason to not respect President Bush's second term...caving in to bureaucrats

Goss who was doing what needed to be done in the CIA, firing lots of people, was replaced because he clashed with a career Diplomat who was for some bizarre reason the head of all of our intelligence agencies. Negroponte's qualifications for running the most crucial arm of our government during the most brutal war fought on our homeland since the Civil War is his service as an Ambassador to the UN. The absurdity of this is completely aside from the absurdity of creating an entirely new bureaucracy to add yet one more layer of incompetency to our intelligence arm.

Goss was cleaning a house that very much needed cleaning and ran afoul of Bureaucrat Negroponte's desire to create a fiefdom for himself. Be afraid.

For those liberals who want a kinder gentler CIA. Looks like you will be getting what you want.

To those of us who believed that the CIA was supposed to win wars and prevent attacks like 9/11 no matter the tactics, duck. We are being left open to our enemy by a bunch of politicians who wouldn't know reality if it bent them over the kitchen table and spanked them. The CIA isn't supposed to be nice. The CIA is supposed to be brutal, scary, secret, vicious and above all its supposed to win. 9/11 doesn't count as a win, it stands as the greatest failure in intelligence history and enough of a reason to disband the entire agency. Rehiring all those who passed muster into an entirely new agency.

The President reels from one bad decision to another. What is tremendously worrying is whether the Republican party can bring someone to the forefront of the next election who can lead the country effectively or whether we will get a Bush clone.

Goss Forced Out as CIA Director; Gen. Hayden Is Likely Successor Bush Iraq Porter Goss CIA War on Terror negroponte

The Belmont Club: Rummy "lied"

Belmont Club has a good take down of Andrew Sullivan's wet dream that the moonbat proved that Rumsfeld "Lied".
The Belmont Club: Rummy "lied"

United Flight 93 vs Returning to normal...we are at war don't you know!

Not sure that this response to DANIEL HENNINGER'S terrific article will get published so thought to archive it here. Btw if you have not seen United Flight 93 yet ask yourself why. It is important. Perhaps more important than any other movie yet...
First a snippet of Daniel's article then my response.
'United 93' and the 20th Hijacker
Moussaoui will never rot in prison.

But perhaps you no longer know September 11 as well as you think. In this week of the Moussaoui life sentence, it is pertinent to ask whether the days and seasons we've traveled from the time of September 11 have returned the people of America to a routine that feels more normal than perhaps it should. Our sense of normalcy may not be in our best interest.

We have simply followed the President's instructions to return to our lives. We have simply responded to the desire of our political elite to return to the normal graft, corruption, and infighting that marks our style of life. We have followed their example of forgetting we are at war with groups of individuals whose idea of war follows this concept: "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you. Hussein Massawi, a former Hezbollah leader"

Our own leaders do not act as if we are at war except to give us silly slogans that were inspirational at first but now after hearing them 2 million times merely aggravate us. How can we remain at war when we cannot even identify our enemies? Do the political elite truly believe that those of us in the hinterland don't understand that our enemies are Islamic? Do they truly believe that we don't understand that while most Muslims do not want a war with us the Koran fully justifies such a war? Are we viewed as village idiots by our political elite?

On the other hand, more frighteningly does our political elite actually buy into the line that Islam is the Religion of Peace? All along, I have believed that while they publicly stated such nonsense, in view of Islam's history of conquest it is nonsense, they didn't actually believe it. However, lately I have started to worry that they actually buy into that nonsense. Tell me it ain't so.

We are ready to fight but I fear that our political leaders are too timid to name our enemy. What is terribly disheartening to me is I don't think we will get serious again unless we are attacked again. Not only attacked but attacked in such a fashion that tens of thousands die. At that point, those politicians not serious about naming our enemy and fighting them will be swept out of office either by vote or by worse. Our country will be become something none of us recognize and the fault will lie with those whose multicultural training didn't allow them to understand our enemy.

Bush as Nixon and it aint a good thing!

Jonah with a terrific article on exactly why Bush's numbers are falling faster than a porn stars pants.
Jonah Goldberg on National Review Online

Heather MacDonald on illegals...err undocumented aliens...oops undocumented Americans.

This article by Heather does her typically thorough job of asking all the right questions. But of course even people as conservative as Captain Ed buy into the impossibility of illegals being deported. Captain Ed: We cannot possibly forcibly deport 12 million people, and they won't leave the US voluntarily unless we make America a worse place in which to live even without a job than Mexico ... and who among us would want to turn our country into that kind of misery? Captain Ed is an ally in our fight to uphold our laws on immigration but when even he buys into the arguments of the Pro Illegals right to remain we have problems.

The Pro Illegal political bloc wants to conjure up all sorts of unfortunate pictures in our collective minds eye. Can anyone forget the picture of Elian

being forcibly ripped from his family's hands by Agents of Janet Reno. Opponents of efforts to stop illegal immigration want to conjure up the ugliest pictures in our minds so that they can continue to take advantage of people who have no more rights than slaves in our workplaces.

That is the issue. Our enforcement should begin with the employers by arresting and giving jail terms to those who knowingly hire illegals. And yes there are a bunch of them. If we were to make it a lot harder to hire what amounts to slaves by employers illegal immigration would cease. Employers costs of hiring people they believe they can take advantage of, by paying them less and most importantly not insuring, should rise to such a degree that none of them are willing to take the chance.

As it stands right now we have a permanent underclass of sub citizens who are kept in that position by cynical and manipulating politicians who feign compassion but force slavery upon people fleeing terrible conditions. They are kept in near slave quarter conditions by the very fact that they are illegal. We must break the cycle of the slavery of low wages and no insurance perpetuated by a band of cynical politicians who use the worst sorts of tactics to keep an entire people down on the farm. When President Bush insinuates that those of us who want strong enforcement of our laws are racists he is merely protecting the rights of farmers, meat packers and others to violate our wage laws and workplace insurance laws to save nickels and dimes. We must finally realize that we are not helping illegals by buying into the nonsense of the Pro Illegals.

We must insist at the point of a law that everyone employed be a legal citizen. This is the only way to insure that they are treated in accordance with our laws. So as to not reward those who have already broken our laws we must insist that they return to their countries to apply for a workers permit to re-enter our country. There is no reason at all for limiting those who would come into our country to work. But they must come in such a way as to allow our laws to protect them in our cities and workplaces.

In the end we are a nation of laws. When we turn a blind eye to violations of laws we disagree with, as our President has done, we weaken the very fabric of our great nation. Finally to win this argument we must turn away from demonizing illegals. Yes they have broken the law but when the blame is apportioned we should lay most of the fault for allowing this tragedy at the feet of our feckless politicians who used and abused them. Because who among us would not violate a law that was not being enforced to feed our families?
FrontPage magazine.com :: Illegal Immigration Myths by Heather MacDonald Homeland Security Immigration Bush MEXICO Terrorism

Michelle Malkin vents on Islamic Terror and Hollywood Liberals, don't miss it!

Saying what needs to be said over and over again, Michelle Malkin speaks truth to power to borrow a moonbat phrase. The genocide in Darfur is another arena in our war against Islamic Fascism and it is both sad and funny to see Hollywood Limousine Liberals arriving to save the day.

Michelle's new venture Hot Air is always terrific and one of my new daily stops! She has a way with the camera that really comes through when she is produced in such a way as to make it seem like a casual affair.
Hot Air

The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill

Wow no posts in a week someone better get me up off my lazy ass. Been working on a longish post about the contradictions of Candidate Bush compared to President Bush...but everytime I look at it I find something else I want to change.

Had a good mini vacation with the Wife in San Destin...amazing resort. We left the kids with the Grandparents and spent the entire 3 days lounging around and laughing at how much fun we were having.

Mom and Sister visted for a few days and it was a blast.
The Pink Flamingo Bar Grill

Another barnburner of an article on Eurabia

Fjordman hits one out of the park in this latest post over at Gates of Vienna.
Gates of Vienna: A New Oslo Peace Process?: "Leftist"

The Cult of Death and how it may claim you!

Imagine that you go into the hospital for a heart surgery and after the surgery you develop an infection. Then imagine that you declare in your own voice while sick that you want to live and want to keep trying. Then imagine exactly what sort of death cult declares against your wishes to murder you! Welcome to the brave new world where Doctors decide whether you live or die against your wishes. If this isn't wrong then we are in dire straits.
Right Wing News (Conservative News and Views)

Hat tip RWN. Th1onein: KILLING MY SISTER - WE ARE PROTESTING - HELP US

Mods, please don't move this post. I know it's not in the activist section, but there's so little time left now, we need it to reach as many people as possible. We desperately need help.

Fellow DUers:

My sister, Andrea Clarke, is at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, TX. St. Luke's is located at:

6720 Bertner Avenue, Houston, TX. Their phone number is: 832-***-****.

The hospital ethics committee met the day before yesterday and concluded that Andrea's treatment (respirator and dialysis) should be discontinued. We have ten days to move her from that hospital or they will "pull the plug" and let Andrea die. Andrea, until a few days ago, when the physicians decided to increase her pain medication and anesthetize her into unconsciousness, was fully able to make her own medical decisions and had decided that she wanted life saving treatment until she dies naturally. We have learned that this is part of the process, when hospitals decided to declare the "medical futility" of continueing treatment for a patient. But, this is not a Terry Schiavo case; not anything like it. Andrea, when she is not medicated into unconsciousness (and even when she is, and the medication has worn off to some degree) is aware and cognizant. She has suffered no brain damage to the parts of her brain responsible for thought and reason, or speech. She has only suffered loss of some motor control. The reason that the physician gave to medicate her so much is that she is suffering from intractable pain in the sacral region (in other words, she has a bedsore that causes her pain). This is not reason enough, in our books, and we are trying, as we speak, to get Andrea's medication lowered so that she can speak to us.

There is also some disagreement as to whether Andrea is really in that much pain, as well. When she is not medicated to this degree, and she sees her son, Charles, she smiles. She also mouths words (Andrea is very vocal, normally, even with a trach, and asks for food, etc., when she is not medicated to the gills). Once again, this is not like the Shiavo case, where there was brain death. Andrea has voiced her wishes, over and over again, and if she were not on so much pain medication, she would voice them again.

Houston hospitals have a policy in that once the medical treatment of a patient has been deemed "medically futile" no other hospital in the area will accept transfer of that patient to their facility. This means that the patient, who is usually in a very delicate condition anyway, has to be transported over a long distance, in order to receive care.

We received notice of the ethics committee decision the day before yesterday and we are organizing a protest to take place tomorrow, at 2-2:30pm outside St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. Our family members number four and we will all be there, but we need more people. Please help us.

This protest is very likely to be filmed and get news coverage.

For those of you who will reply to this post with more questions, please see my other posts on this topic. I have done my best to answer all of your questions, but as you can imagine, my mind is not working as efficiently as it should, because I am upset. I assure you this is real; this is happening, and in Texas, medical professionals have the right, under the Futile Care Law, to discontinue life saving treatment, under these circumstances, even while the patient and the family is protesting that action. If you need more information, please see my other posts on this topic. For now, we need help, not questions or suggestions as to further courses of action. We are fighting on all fronts, ie., lawyers, news media, churches, internet, etc. We have left no stone unturned in this battle.

Many, many people, even some medical professionals in Texas, and other areas, don't know about this law. They have no idea that this can be done, and it is is being done every day in Texas hospitals, but is not covered by the news media. This needs to become common knowledge and this law needs to be overturned, of course, but we are fighting for the life of our sister. We are fighting to see that her wishes about how she lives, and how she dies, are honored. Perhaps these kinds of battles are fought in just this way, one by one, out of love, and this is how the war is won, in the end.

Please help us. Please lend your presence to our fight at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston, Texas, located at 6720 Bertner Ave. at 2-2:30pm CST tomorrow (Saturday). If you would like to bring a sign, please do so, because we only have a limited amount. If you don't, then please just bring yourself.

My name is Melanie Childers and my cell phone number is: 832-221-****. My sister (not the one in the hospital, but the one handling the protest) is Lanore Dixon and her numbers are: (cell) 214-577-**** and 254-874-****. Please do not call us unless you are calling to request some information that I have not posted here. We have our phones glued to our heads, trying to find a hospital that will take Andrea, before her ten days are up at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. I am posting these numbers only to show you that this is not some kind of scam, or a joke or something even more idiotic.

Please help us.

Sub-Citizens or how we ignore our workplace laws

Highly recommend this article found over at Brussels Journal, linked at the end of my article.

My views regarding immigration run along these lines.

Muslim immigration by and large is legal and our problem revolves around their intent. I cannot state it any better than the article at Brussels Journal: With that in mind, why not simply demand that new arrivals from the relevant faith take an oath, enforceable in a court of law, that they do not and will not support the concept of violent jihad, the idea of the dhimmi, the killing of Jews, et cetera? Surely this is a reasonable request to make of a person.

Illegal immigration is an entirely different matter. Here we have a group of people, sub-citizens, that are being used shamelessly by competing political parties for completely different purposes. Please, I don't use the term, sub-citizens, for any other reason than to show my disgust for the way they are treated by businesses and our political elite.

Democrats see potential voters and given that most of those immigrating have only known Socialism it's a fair bet that Democrats are correct in assuming that immigrants will by and large vote Democratic. But it is the Republicans who support amnesty regardless of the names its masquerading under, for whom I reserve much of my disgust.

President Bush's constant refrain is that illegals, no the President never refers to them as illegals more on that later, "they are doing the jobs that Americans won't do". How insulting can he be towards Americans, we don't consider any work "beneath" us. The only folks who think that certain work is beneath them are the stupidly wealthy. With that constant idiotic refrain he has demolished the illusion that he had created with people like me that he actually understood our lives. He exposed himself as a typical Eastern Elite out of touch with nearly every aspect of our lives. Hell I have put up Aluminum siding, installed garage doors, built pools, worked as a carpenter, and more, don't tell me what work is beneath me.

But I won't do anything for slave labor wages nor will I work without Workers Comp, two items which you can be sure are not offered to illegals. No President Bush is merely a dressed up like a Cowboy Eastern Elite with a Texas accent trying to subvert our laws regarding minimum wages and workers comp. Furthermore he is not saying something this dumb because he believes it is true. He is repeating this dumb statement because he believes we are stupid enough to buy it. No one who graduates from Harvard's MBA program is stupid enough to believe that no one will do a job no matter how much money is offered. Heck offer me enough money and I will immediately begin writing up talking points for President Bush.

Republicans, especially the President are playing games right now on immigration. They surely must know that once they have given quasi legal status to our current crop of sub-citizens that all of those once illegals now quasi legal inhabitants will have priced themselves out of the market. With their quasi-legal status employers will not be able to get away with not paying minimum wage and not covering them with Workman's comp insurance. Now all of a sudden those former illegals are as expensive as legal citizens and the market is immediately created for an entirely new bunch of illegals. Lets not think about what happens to the once illegal cheap labor now quasi-legal expensive labor but it revolves around even more government handouts. Democrats I hear your number being called as I type.

If you think that the Border enforcement is going to be any better at stopping this entirely new bunch of illegals from entering to answer the market demands then I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn, cheap. Its never been about the wall. A wall along the border is sop to the masses to get them to believe that the politicians are doing something. Without the will to stop illegals from coming across the border nothing short of installing hell between our borders will stop the flow. We haven't failed to stem the flow of illegals because of a lack of equipment or manpower, though both could be increased, we have failed because of a lack of will. Our politicians simply refuse to stop the flow. The first step is calling those illegals what they are, illegals immigrants. Hello President Bush???

Witness this shameful record of the upholding or better put non-upholding of our immigration laws by the Bush administration.
Hat tip Michelle Malkin.
Via Edwin S. Rubenstein. Sources: GAO, "Immigration Enforcement: Weaknesses Hinder Employment Verification and Worksite Enforcement Efforts," August 2005. Figures 3, 4, and 5. (1999-2004.); Dept. of Homeland Security, 2003 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, September 2004. Table 39. (1997-1998); Dept. of Homeland Security, 2001 Statistical Yearbook, Table 61. (1992-1996).

Mind you that this is compared against an administration that the Republicans like to portray as being a bunch of lawbreakers a fact I happen to agree with. How much more embarrassing that a Republican administration has done such a pitiful job of enforcing our laws in comparison to the Clinton Administration.

The center of gravity for stopping Illegal immigration lies with enforcing our laws against hiring them. Take away the incentive by locking up a few executives and the rest of the industry will take note that the cost is too high. At once the job market will dry up and while it won't completely eliminate the job market for illegals it will reduce it to manageable proportions.

And no we won't have to have massive deportations as President Bush claims. The immigrants will deport themselves if we tighten up our laws regarding who gets aid and who doesn't.
Immigration: Will America Escape the European Experience? | The Brussels Journal
American immigration: who gets in? Stampede On! Technorati tags: Immigration border MEXICO Border Security aztlan

Why isn't she in cuff's indeed! Because the Bush administration is giving a pass to Clintonistas?

This constant softness by the Bush administration is getting dreary. Sandy Burglar gets a pass... Now Mary McCarthy gets a pass. Everyones making a big deal about her being fired as if that is adequate punishment for leaking our nations secrets during wartime. Lock her up. And while we are asking questions riddle me this? Why did it take so long to stuff a rag into the leaks? Is it ok for CIA Officers to leak to the press? Do they get to decide which secrets are ok to leak?

Andrew C. McCarthy on CIA Leak on National Review Online: "Why Isnt She in Cuffs?
The Justice Department needs to be aggressive in the case of the CIA leaker. There are countless questions that arise out of the CIA's dismissal of a prominent intelligence officer, Mary O. McCarthy (no relation), for leaking classified information to the media. But one in particular springs to mind right now: Why isn't she in handcuffs?"

It is terribly depressing reading European Blogs these days...

This is where Multicultural nonsense being passed to us by our elite leads to, the dissolution of a culture. We are under attack and our very own elite are passing out the valium so that we go quietly into the good night.
Van Holsbeeck Murder: Bending Over Backwards in Brussels | The Brussels Journal