tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28970762764123451242024-03-13T01:48:10.777-07:00alien rantsOne Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.comBlogger1078125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-91572505535120041712013-06-15T09:23:00.000-07:002013-06-15T14:49:20.431-07:00Amnesty Defined<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Last Wednesday Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) resurrected the
old semantics argument regarding Comprehensive Immigration Reform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The basis of his statement is the real
meaning of the word AMNESTY.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is an important talking point of those who want to pass
this reform bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They got out the word
that they need to control the narrative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The public is against an “amnesty plan.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But if you can get them thinking it is something else, they are more
open-minded about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, Paul Ryan (who has a reputation of being a budgetary
conservative) said this last Wednesday:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <span style="color: red;"><i> </i></span></span><span style="color: red;"><i>“Earned
legalization is not amnesty. I will debate anybody who tries to suggest that
these ideas that are moving through Congress are amnesty. They’re not. Amnesty
is wiping the slate clean and not paying any penalty for having done something
wrong. Nobody’s suggesting that that takes place.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source link: <a href="http://paulryan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=338876#.UbyKmdiP1Mw">http://paulryan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=338876#.UbyKmdiP1Mw</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Way back on July
16, 2001, Ari Fleischer, Press Secretary for George W. Bush, was
attempting to define amnesty in a White House press conference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The exchange went like this:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i>“Question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go back
-- what is the distinction on that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
mean, because that is a point of confusion I think for many of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the President is against an amnesty
program, but one of the options is to regularize status, which would eventually
allow people to qualify for citizenship, isn't that an amnesty?</i></span></div>
<span style="color: red;"><i>
</i></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<span style="color: red;"><i>
</i></span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><i>“MR. FLEISCHER:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No,
amnesty is an automatic granting, as opposed to a formalized process that
everybody who comes to the United States,
in accordance with the laws, has to go through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It's a very lengthy process and it's very different.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source link:</div>
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<a href="http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/07/20010716-5.html#immigration">http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2001/07/20010716-5.html#immigration</a></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, the problematic nature of the definition has been around
for quite some time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we take the
Ryan/Bush definition of the word “Amnesty,” we must conclude the following in
the definition:</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Wiping
the slate clean.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Not
paying any penalty.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Automatic
granting.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">No
formalized process.</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, here are a couple of dictionary definitions:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Oxford</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span class="definition">an official pardon for people who
have been convicted of political offenses</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span class="definition">Origin:</span> <span class="definition">late 16th century: via Latin from Greek amnēstia
'forgetfulness’</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="definition">Webster</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span class="definition">the act of an authority (as a
government) by which pardon is granted to a large group of individuals</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span class="definition">Law. an act of forgiveness for past
offenses, esp. to a class of persons as a whole.</span></i></div>
<i>
</i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span class="definition">Cambridge</span></b><span class="definition"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span class="definition">politics & government. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a decision by a government to forgive people
who have committed particular illegal acts or crimes, and not to punish them:
[C] The state has declared an amnesty for individuals who pay their outstanding
back taxes.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="definition">It is interesting to note that politicians
regularly create tax amnesty programs where people come forward and pay their
back taxes, but the penalties, fees and jail time are waived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely Paul Ryan is aware of how these
amnesty programs work.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="definition">In protecting the precious narrative
Ryan has made himself look foolish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
reminds me of the child who lies through parsing of words to avoid
punishment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“I did not hit my sister,”
he declares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A closer examination of
events is that he swung at her with a book and the book hit her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="definition">Such tactics are not reserved for
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bill Clinton, in his finest
courtroom manor, taught us the varied meanings of the word, “is.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="definition">The GOP Platform of 2012 clearly
illustrates that Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio are on the wrong side of this issue:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><span class="definition">“In this country, the rule of law
guarantees equal treatment to every individual, including more than one million
immigrants to whom we grant permanent residence every year. That is why we
oppose any form of amnesty for those who, by intentionally violating the law, disadvantage
those who have obeyed it. Granting amnesty only rewards and encourages more law
breaking”</span></i></span></div>
<span style="color: red;"><i>
</i></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="definition">Perhaps these advocates of some sort
of legalization program ought to ponder the above statement for its meaning and
the warning it gives about the future.</span></div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-27723496817657646662013-05-27T11:20:00.000-07:002013-05-27T11:27:48.524-07:00Another One Gets Away<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->The case of Heriberto Estrada-Morales<br />
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<br /></div>
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First contact: December
8, 2008.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrest record
number 08-12-1532.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was arrested by the Elgin Illinois Police
Department for driving with a suspended license.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time ICE identified him as being in
the country illegally but did nothing about it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Second contact:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>January 9, 2009.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Arrest record number 09-01-1263.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was arrested for driving without a license by EPD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>ICE once again identifies him<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as an illegal alien, subject to deportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once again, he was not picked up and detained
by Immigration.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Then we lose track of Heriberto for a time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably the police had contact with him but
they stopped sharing the information with us…until March 6, 2011 when he went ballistic on us.</div>
<br />
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Here's the street in question:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIsxgw7lPjtWsSwypSwBiWyXODoTnb5bSU5VoP6s07WaBbCa2pl-G1SaYsSCjLlhlkmDiPp5Z4pHDXo5rCwleejA6bJLErLIpcu38tBihag3PjY4NGxY41dkL5_FBkDoyoiL6gVuuySg/s1600/Heriberto+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIsxgw7lPjtWsSwypSwBiWyXODoTnb5bSU5VoP6s07WaBbCa2pl-G1SaYsSCjLlhlkmDiPp5Z4pHDXo5rCwleejA6bJLErLIpcu38tBihag3PjY4NGxY41dkL5_FBkDoyoiL6gVuuySg/s400/Heriberto+2.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And the house before it was hit:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPXo3qWMNW2TDVEywAnY94fOTJ2Y6Lby0qLCkkhTcTuo9w3MlLmN2lscQstCJ7BrNoii8CvQd08RTJkInvA5z1jA_7l9IFlnW0XplxykG6mYDTg5QV7c3eH-PeWJiPOGubQlTv34sRas/s1600/Heriberto+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcPXo3qWMNW2TDVEywAnY94fOTJ2Y6Lby0qLCkkhTcTuo9w3MlLmN2lscQstCJ7BrNoii8CvQd08RTJkInvA5z1jA_7l9IFlnW0XplxykG6mYDTg5QV7c3eH-PeWJiPOGubQlTv34sRas/s400/Heriberto+1.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And after: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPSo5zOs3NuUZQMsh8JubBZTg2iRjfUnW7u8ogk-3j826NHqxZS8uPiEQHF5SvHglcn-PRgpQI2gVxGkv60lx7unjNIB6xZ7zXduxfpTbuh5ymt_UI2TyeG9RuWxESfRgiRX9br2-soA/s1600/Heriberto+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPSo5zOs3NuUZQMsh8JubBZTg2iRjfUnW7u8ogk-3j826NHqxZS8uPiEQHF5SvHglcn-PRgpQI2gVxGkv60lx7unjNIB6xZ7zXduxfpTbuh5ymt_UI2TyeG9RuWxESfRgiRX9br2-soA/s400/Heriberto+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110307/news/703079910/">http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110307/news/703079910/</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There were jokes around town of him being a pilot in the
Mexican Air Force.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one of Elgin’s
old money neighborhoods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of large
homes on large lots.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The house, which was for sale at the time, was finally
repaired structurally and sold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
believe it went for $325K.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve lost track of Heriberto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some say he died in the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no follow-up coverage of the case
in the press.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What we DO KNOW is that he was known to local police and Immigration but wasn't detained and deported before he wiped out a house, leaving the financial liability (and his emergency care costs) to others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-83470087318007249902013-05-24T15:26:00.000-07:002013-05-24T15:26:20.448-07:00Rewarding Bad Behavior<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the key points against any amnesty plan is that it is
bad policy to reward someone for not obeying the law.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The GOP 2012 Plaform puts it this way: “…we oppose any form
of amnesty for those who, by intentionally violating the law, disadvantage
those who have obeyed it. Granting amnesty only rewards and encourages more law
breaking.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But let me take a different approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It involves bad behavior, but not on the part
of the illegal aliens themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m
talking about systemically ignoring the law that is taking place by our
politicians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is their bad behavior I
wish to address.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 1986 amnesty plan was accompanied by a stern warning
that strong enforcement was necessary to prevent another round of illegal
immigration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heck, even the 1981 report
prepared by Jimmy Carter’s own commission warned that we would need to plan to
arrest, detain and deport illegal aliens or the problem would return.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In fact, if you study the commissions on immigration over
the years they are sickening in their similarity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They all call for the same thing –
enforcement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key elements that are
repeated over and over again are:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 50.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 45.35pt; text-indent: -32.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: -.4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Border security</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 50.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 45.35pt; text-indent: -32.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: -.4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Visa enforcement</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 50.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 45.35pt; text-indent: -32.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: -.4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Employment documentation</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 50.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 45.35pt; text-indent: -32.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: -.4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Abuse of benefits</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 50.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 45.35pt; text-indent: -32.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: -.4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Unfair labor competition</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 50.4pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 45.35pt; text-indent: -32.4pt;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; letter-spacing: -.4pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Deportation (until it became a dirty word around
the year 2000)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What has happened is that Congress has failed to adequately
fund immigration enforcement and the White House has failed to enforce the laws
on the books.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please do not interpret
this as a criticism of the current Congress and Executive Branch alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely those in power are to blame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But this problem has persisted since the last
amnesty plan in 1986 so it includes both parties.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The last serious enforcement bill passed was in the House in
2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was HB4437.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Senate failed to respond and it died at
the end of that year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Washington
politicians have not been passive participants in this non-enforcement
problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have been active in
defunding the fence as well as various interior enforcement programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Worse, they have regularly promoted
lawlessness in campaigns and speeches calling for amnesty.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sooooo…this “bad behavior” really belongs to our
rulers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Granting legalization rewards
their cowardice over the years and lets them off the hook for decades of
non-enforcement.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No amnesty for the ruling class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The time has come to enforce the law.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-90257107744895401482013-05-20T16:14:00.000-07:002013-05-20T16:14:41.187-07:00How Extreme NON-Enforcement Really Is<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdWnQ9FckF11YACtW7vAgiTk_XsM-DjUq48xozxhAXoXv17acdw66Yip800gkeni_euvi8c1yqDDvu-AmO8vjVbIJozNJqkH45hvoFms5VQhRJAqEEdrUqVpHHg7NNmWoF33481mD8Sc/s1600/Valentin+Sierra+Martinez+10132010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdWnQ9FckF11YACtW7vAgiTk_XsM-DjUq48xozxhAXoXv17acdw66Yip800gkeni_euvi8c1yqDDvu-AmO8vjVbIJozNJqkH45hvoFms5VQhRJAqEEdrUqVpHHg7NNmWoF33481mD8Sc/s1600/Valentin+Sierra+Martinez+10132010.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Strange Case of Valentin Sierra-Martinez</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is a timeline of a famous illegal alien:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
April 26, 2008
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was arrested in Elgin, Illinois
for Failure to Appear/Driving with License Revoked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they ran his information through the
Homeland Security computer (Law Enforcement
Support Center
, Williston, VT)
they got a hit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that time Immigration
(ICE) was notified by the Elgin Police.The answer came back from ICE that he
was not in the United States legally but he is not picked up for deportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
EPD report # 07-111276</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
June 27, 2008</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was arrested again, this time the charge was Unlawful
Possession of a Controlled Substance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, Elgin Police use the LESC system and Immigration is contacted.
The same answer came back from ICE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
is here illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is not picked up
for deportation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
EPD report # 08-061774</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
July 14, 2008</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ICE does a sweep of known gang members in the Chicago Area
under their Community Shield program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mr. Valentin is one of the 49 people they pick up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Link: <a href="http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/0807/080718chicago.htm">http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/0807/080718chicago.htm</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
August 6, 2008</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ICE in Washington DC
issues a press release about the 49 arrestees and specifically names Mr.
Valentin as the 10,000<sup>th</sup> person arrested under the Community Shield
program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They give us an insight into
his criminal history with the following statement: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Arrested July 14 in </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elgin</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ill.</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">, Sierra-Martinez is an illegal alien from </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mexico</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> with prior criminal convictions for
residential burglary, domestic battery, possessing drug paraphernalia, and
knowingly damaging property. He remains in ICE custody pending deportation to </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mexico</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Link: <a href="http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/0808/080806washingtondc.htm">http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/0808/080806washingtondc.htm</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
gangbanger is on his way OUT of the United
States.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But wait; there’s more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A year later he appears in the local police blotter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Police Report</b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><b>Courier News</b></i> (of <i>Chicago Sun-Times</i> fame)</span></b></span><br />
September 29, 2009
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
• False report: Valentine S. Martinez,
of 383 Division St., Elgin,
was arrested Monday on a felony charge of disorderly conduct after he allegedly
filed a false police report. Martinez
on June 15 told police that his car had been stolen, a police spokesman said.
On Sept. 23, according to police, Martinez's
missing car was recovered in Hanover Park. Martinez
then admitted he had sold the car to another man, a report said. Apparently,
the car buyer had only partially paid for the vehicle, so Martinez
reported the vehicle stolen, authorities said. Martinez's
bail was set at $10,000. He is to appear in court Oct. 13.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another account by another local newspaper:</div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Fox Valley
police blotter<i> </i></span> </b><br />
<b> <span style="font-size: large;"><i>Daily Herald</i> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Staff Report
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Published: 9/29/2009
12:04 AM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Elgin</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">• Valentin S. Martinez, 21, of the 300 block of Division
Street, Elgin, was charged
with felony disorderly conduct Sunday. The charge alleges that in June he filed
a police report falsely claiming his 1998 Mercury Grand Marquis had been
stolen. Martinez's bail was set at
$10,000 and his next court date is Oct. 13 at the Kane
County Judicial Center.
He faces up to three years in prison if found guilty.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">The same name shows up in the police blotter in Elgin,
Illinois.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The age is the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the
<b>SAME GUY </b>who was the 10,000<sup>th</sup> customer in the ICE Community Shield
program.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">But this time he’s the victim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it turns out he sold a car to someone who
promised to make payments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he
stopped making payments, Valentin turned to the police and reported it stolen.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">The city attorney explained to me why he was still here: </span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">(From an e-mail dated September 29, 2009 11:11
PM)</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deputy Chief Beeter
contacted ICE today about Mr. Martinez to inquire into his status. ICE advised
Deputy Chief Beeter that a judge has now granted Mr. Martinez authorization to
be in the country. ICE further advises that it will not be able to deport </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Martinez</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> unless he commits a deportable offense
which would include certain drug offenses or violent felonies.</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">William A. Cogley</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Corporation Counsel</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">City of </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Elgin</i></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">So he was never deported.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And despite his rap sheet and convictions, he was not going to be
deported without future felonious activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some judge intervened and allowed him to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His new status was never explained.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">October 13, 2010</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">But he continued his life of crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s three years older but no wiser.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a mugshot of our guy, still in Elgin,
Illinois, with a charge of “Prowler.”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">Link: <a href="http://www.mugshotsonline.com/illinois/elgin/valentin-sierra-martinez/22987871">http://www.mugshotsonline.com/illinois/elgin/valentin-sierra-martinez/22987871</a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">At this point I can’t seem to find our boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This statute basically applies to
intimidation or disturbing the peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is generally a misdemeanor with some community service time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who knows?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He doesn’t appear in the IDOC inmate computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe he’s moved on to another state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe he’s living down the street.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">What’s clear at this point is that government didn’t protect
me from him given two easy opportunities (in handcuffs in the local jail).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even with the ICE sweep of gangbangers he was
turned loose by a judge.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">His stunt of filing a police report to satisfy a car loan
obviously didn’t have long-term consequences because he was out on the street
in October of 2010.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;">What’s wrong with this picture?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And why should we believe Homeland Security
and Marco Rubio this time around?</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<![endif]--></span>One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-83702969157532526392013-05-17T05:30:00.002-07:002013-05-17T15:53:27.403-07:00Obama's Management StyleA pattern is emerging here of a detached presidency that
goes beyond the president himself to his cabinet as well.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not only does Obama have deniability when it comes to
critical activities, his cabinet members as well are in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes them days to get information from
their rank-and-file employees.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Take for example:</div>
<ul>
<li>Treasury and IRS
harassment of conservative groups</li>
<li>Homeland Security and ICE detainee releases</li>
<li>Attorney General and, well, lots of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AP reporter phone records for example</li>
<li>State Department and embassy security</li>
<li>CIA and intelligence
warnings</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pattern is the same for all; Obama didn’t know what was
happening, the cabinet member didn’t know what was happening, and getting to
the truth takes weeks and months to uncover.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
No Drama Obama has created a culture in the White House of a
cabinet that only brings him good news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All the data is rosy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one
wants to bring him a crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is all
about making him look and feel good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, he wants 8% unemployment or lower, and his Labor
Secretary gives it to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wants
record-setting deportation numbers and Napolitano obliges. That mentality rolls
downhill to the department heads and the individual employees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole system is geared to propaganda at
all costs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Such a system can only work when Obama’s people work around
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve got Valerie Jarrett (not
subject to review or censure) who theoretically could be working with
departments of government a couple of layers down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would know the real truth and do the
actual work of the executive branch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
the deniability of Obama and his cabinet would be intact.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I’m not sure Obama is that smart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Government could simply be on auto-pilot with
bureaucrats doing what bureaucrats do best.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-6287276927574798782013-05-14T11:41:00.002-07:002013-05-14T11:43:08.989-07:00Amnesty Bedfellow ReportSenator Alan Simpson once claimed that the immigration issue
brought about "the goofiest ideological bedfellow activity I've ever
seen."<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And although Simpson was talking about the congressional
negotiations in the 1980s, things haven’t changed much.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You have Mark “Facebook” Zuckerberg with his faux
conservative band of pals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fwd.us
includes:</div>
<ul>
<li>Mark Zuckerberg (the public face of the group)</li>
<li>Joe Green (founder and president of the group) </li>
<li>Microsoft founder Bill Gates</li>
<li>Dropbox employees Drew Houston and Ruchi Sanghvi</li>
<li>LinkedIn CEO and founder Reid Hoffman</li>
<li>super-angel Ron Conway</li>
<li>venture capitalists Jim Breyer (of Accel Partners)</li>
<li>Matt Cohler (of Benchmark Capital)</li>
<li>John Doerr (of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers)</li>
<li>Chamath Palihapitiya (of The Social+Capital Partnership)</li>
<li>Steve Ballmer (CEO of Microsoft)</li>
<li>Brian Chesky (founder of Airbnb) </li>
<li>Chris Cox</li>
<li>Paul Graham (co-founder of Y Combinator)</li>
<li>Reed Hastings (CEO of Netflix)</li>
<li>Chad
Hurley</li>
<li>Josh James</li>
<li>Max Levchin (former CTO
of Paypal)</li>
<li>Joe Lonsdale (founder of Palantir and Addepar)</li>
<li>Andrew Mason (founder and CEO of Groupon) </li>
<li>Marissa Mayer (CEO of Yahoo!)</li>
<li>Mary Meeker</li>
<li>Dave Morin (CEO of Path)</li>
<li>Mark Pincus</li>
<li>Keith Rabois </li>
<li>David Sacks </li>
<li>Eric Schmidt (executive chairman at Google Inc)</li>
<li>Brad Smith (Microsoft executive vice president of legal
affairs)</li>
<li>Kevin Systrom (CEO of Instagram)</li>
<li>Padmasree Warrior (CTO of
Cisco)</li>
<li>Fred Wilson (of Union Square
Ventures)</li>
<li>Elon Musk (CEO of SpaceX and of Tesla Motors) was originally
listed as a major contributor, but left the group in the wake of advertisements
put out by FWD.us supporting some political activities that conflicted with
Musk's environmentalist priorities.</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source: Wikipedia, 5/12/13</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This bunch looks more like the address book of David Plouffe
than that of a group that calls itself Americans for a Conservative
Direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want you to believe they
are conservative, but they aren’t. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s another one, called Partnership for a New American
Economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Boy, does that sound like a
New World Order front group.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are
the main players:</div>
<ul>
<li>Mark Hurd <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Chairman,
CEO and President of Hewlett-Packard</li>
<li>Robert Iger <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>President
and CEO, Walt Disney Co.</li>
<li>J.W. Marriott, Jr. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Chairman
and CEO of Marriott International, Inc.</li>
<li>Jim McNerney <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Chairman,
President and CEO of Boeing</li>
<li>Rupert Murdoch <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Chairman,
CEO and Founder of News Corporation</li>
<li>Julián Castro <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Mayor
of San Antonio</li>
<li>Michael Bloomberg <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mayor
of New York City</li>
<li>Michael Nutter <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mayor
of Philadelphia</li>
<li>Antonio Villaraigosa <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Mayor
of Los Angeles</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source: Wikipedia, 5/12/13</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those two groups alone mean there is all sorts of
pro-amnesty money being thrown around for lobbying and media buys.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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important than sovereignty and that the same pressure is applied whether the
job is a chambermaid or a computer programmer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And it is proof positive that the elites have gone post-American all the way. </span>One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-16755455965090029092013-05-12T07:08:00.000-07:002013-05-12T07:09:33.484-07:00Obama's Deportation Record<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->The State of Utah
is an interesting place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly
Mormon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heavily conservative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They're kinda quaint in the things they are proud of,
like Mitt Romney and the Jazz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Utahns
bust their buttons over odd things sometimes and tend to think everything was
invented by a Mormon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rumors abound
about who IS a Mormon in films and politics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Like I say, it’s kinda quaint.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But there are some serious rankings that Utah SHOULD be
proud of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like these:</div>
<ul>
<li>“Utah has the
nation’s highest percentage of stroke patients who receive clot-busting drugs
in the 'golden hour,' within 60 minutes of arriving at a hospital
emergency room, shows an analysis by the American Stroke Association.”</li>
<li>“...Census estimates released Wednesday show 35.7 percent
of U.S. babies
in 2011 were born to unwed women, continuing an upward trend that started in
the 1940s. Utah had the
lowest-in-the-nation rate of just 14.7 percent.”</li>
<li>“The most generous state, according to the latest study, was
Utah, where residents gave 10.6
percent of their discretionary income to charity, followed by Mississippi,
Alabama, Tennessee
and South Carolina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The least generous was New
Hampshire, at 2.5 percent, followed by Maine,
Vermont, Massachusetts
and Rhode Island.”</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now for the bad news.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Utah is climbing in the
area of immigration enforcement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actually, I don’t care about the ranking here, but rather the OTHER story
buried within the story; proof that Obama is cooking the books on
deportations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note the highlighted parts
of the story below.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Utah</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> now among
top 10 states for immigration prosecutions</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Courts » Utah
is ranks 10th, far behind leaders Texas
and Arizona.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By Brooke Adams</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Salt Lake Tribune
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
First Published May
10 2013 10:38 am • Last
Updated May 10 2013 05:13 pm</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Utah is among
the top 10 states for immigration prosecutions for the first time ever, though
its case count is a sliver of that in leading states Texas
and Arizona.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Utah ranks 10th in immigration prosecutions with 135 cases
filed in U.S. District Court for Utah during the first six months of fiscal
year 2013, according to the report from the Transactional Records Access
Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University.
Utah ranked 13th a year ago.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Southern District of Texas in Houston
topped the list with 17,022 prosecutions, while the Western District of Texas
in San Antonio ranked second with
13,379 prosecutions. Arizona,
with 11,476, is listed third.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those three courts have been at the top of the list for the
past five years, according to the report, which is based on Justice Department
data.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
TRAC found that the<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: red;"> lead charge in more than half the cases was "entry of
an alien at improper time or place." The second most common violation was
"reentry of a deported alien."</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nationwide, there have been 50,468 new immigration prosecutions
filed so far. If filings continue at that pace, the total prosecutions for the
year will top 100,000, a nearly 10 percent increase over the previous year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection division
accounted for 73 percent of the case referrals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source Link: <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56292171-78/prosecutions-utah-immigration-texas.html.csp">http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56292171-78/prosecutions-utah-immigration-texas.html.csp</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What that tells us is that Obama isn’t draining the
swamp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s not deporting the 11 million
who are already here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s calling
himself The Great Deporter when he’s really counting the border captures.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The president of the ICE union, Chris Crane, reveals that
Obama is making border captures, then converting them over to ICE arrests and
deporting them right away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source Link: <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV?id=%7b2062476F-34FE-4F67-88A0-B113A269A7F7%7d&title=ICE-Union-Pres-Obama-Administration-Cooking-Books-On-Deportation-Numbers">http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV?id={2062476F-34FE-4F67-88A0-B113A269A7F7}&title=ICE-Union-Pres-Obama-Administration-Cooking-Books-On-Deportation-Numbers</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the truth is that Obama’s deportation numbers are
pathetically low when compared to past administrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half of his numbers are an apples-to-oranges
comparison and do nothing to relieve the problem in the interior.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a candid moment to Hispanic journalists Obama admitted
his scheme (for a political purpose, of course):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: blue;">"The statistics are actually a little
deceptive," Obama said last month during a discussion with Hispanic
journalists. There has been "a much greater emphasis on criminals than
non-criminals." And "with stronger border enforcement, we've been
apprehending folks at the borders and sending them back. That is counted as a
deportation even though they may have only been held for a day or 48
hours."</span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source Link: <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/politics/deportation-record">http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/19/politics/deportation-record</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the next time someone tells you Obama has deported more
illegal aliens than any previous president, keep in mind how he’s doing
it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His data is meaningless.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-54814512813188376572013-05-10T15:47:00.002-07:002013-05-10T15:47:20.722-07:00Doublespeak and AmnestyIf there is an award for Doublespeak, this one is surely in the running.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Americans for a Conservative Direction</b></span><br />
That's a mouthful.<br />
You would think it was a solid conservative organization.<br />
<br />
But you'd be wrong. It is funded by Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook fame. He is throwing money around in an effort to get cheap IT labor for his web schemes. And he really doesn't mind the illegal aliens at the lower end of the scale either. (I guess he has a pool and a great deal of landscape to tend.)<br />
<br />
They've co-opted Marco Rubio, who has already sold his soul to the Gang of Eight. Marco is the talent in front of the camera pretending that their amnesty plan is something it isn't. Even Fact-Check caught some of the lies he tells.<br />
<br />
Here: <a href="http://factcheck.org/2013/05/zuckerberg-backed-group-spins-immigration/">http://factcheck.org/2013/05/zuckerberg-backed-group-spins-immigration/</a><br />
<br />
There's nothing "Conservative" about the backers or the message. They just want you to think that conservatives favor amnesty. Of course, we don't. <br />
<br />One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-49523774772997009462013-05-08T17:27:00.002-07:002013-05-08T17:28:04.881-07:00The Effectiveness of Sanctuary CitiesAs the Senate debates the latest amnesty plan, along comes a
study that suggests there is a stifling effect from immigration
enforcement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that illegal
aliens (and immigrants in general) are less likely to cooperate with local
police because they fear investigation and deportation as a result.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The study is a collaboration between PolicyLink and U of I
Chicago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The survey was done by Lake
Research Partners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(You can do your own
research about these organizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
found them to be far left of center in their projects, leaders and staff.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You can read the report here:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.policylink.org/atf/cf/%7B97c6d565-bb43-406d-a6d5-eca3bbf35af0%7D/INSECURE_COMMUNITIES_REPORT_FINAL.PDF">http://www.policylink.org/atf/cf/%7B97c6d565-bb43-406d-a6d5-eca3bbf35af0%7D/INSECURE_COMMUNITIES_REPORT_FINAL.PDF</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Three things struck me about this study:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Sanctuary
city policies are NOT having the intended effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they are in place to instill cooperation
between police and the foreign-born…THEY AIN’T
WORKIN’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All four of the cities studied
are sanctuary cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
surrounding counties in three of the four are also sanctuaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chicago and LA have long-standing sanctuary
policies, dating back to 1985 and 1979 respectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And yet 40+% of the target population
responded that they were not likely to cooperate with police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Sheriff Joe’s Maricopa
County (the toughest Sheriff in the
nation) scored nearly as well in the areas of reporting crime and cooperation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Given
the lack of willingness to cooperate with police regarding crimes in the
community explain to me why we want to grant amnesty to these illegal aliens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
TIMING of the release of this study seems fishy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The data was collected in November and
December…and it comes out just as the Senate is marking up the Gang of Eight
plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I’m not shocked; the client list
of Lake Research Partners reads like a Democratic primary ballot.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I suppose the intended result of this study coming out now
is to generate sympathy for the plight of illegal aliens and as a byproduct
imply that Obama has been strong on enforcement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A rational look at the study in context
should dismiss it as agenda-driven hype.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-40066175092887011272013-05-07T15:46:00.002-07:002013-05-07T15:46:09.441-07:00Immigration Enforcement<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]-->As the Senate debates the latest immigration “reform” bill
some critics have rightly criticized Washington
for not enforcing existing immigration laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They question, “What makes you think you’ll enforce the new laws any
better than the current ones?”
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Obviously, they can write laws that are very tough but if
they aren’t enforced we are no better off than before.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, let’s take an example from the 1986 amnesty plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1986 the government made a Social Security
card mandatory for children over 5-years-old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 1990 that was changed to 1-year-old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You cannot claim a dependent on your taxes without one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So it has become customary to get one along
with a birth certificate before the baby leaves the hospital.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">everyone</b> has
a Social Security card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Presumably there
is a giant database with the information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we get a job our employer sends money to the government to build
our account.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every few years we get a
report from the Social Security Administration showing our earnings history and
other information based on our number.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Between the IRS and the
SSA we have a pretty good idea about the payroll activity of every card out
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when someone retires we have
additional information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we report to
the SSA when we die so they don’t keep sending out retirement checks.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So far, so good.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m not sure if Washington
gets sloppy or lazy, but we know that these problems regularly occur:</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">People
make up fake Social Security cards with made-up numbers.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">People
use the Social Security numbers of other adults.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">People
use the Social Security numbers of their anchor baby children.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">People
use the Social Security numbers of other children.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">People
use the Social Security numbers of dead people.</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And when they do it is perfectly feasible to believe that
the clerk in the personnel office would accept a card without knowing it
doesn’t belong to the person in front of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But rather quickly the government knows or should know that
there has been a mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely made-up
numbers, children and dead people would be easy enough to spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And enforcement would be fairly
straightforward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The employee has a
problem with their card.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go to the
government and sort it out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After 30
days you either have the issue resolved or you don’t have a job.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If a pattern emerges or the same number pops up in one
geographic area, perhaps ICE gets involved.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But as it now stands, the Social Security number is widely
compromised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take for example the
blatant and wide-spread fraud described here: <a href="http://alienrants.blogspot.com/2012/05/paying-for-global-children.html">http://alienrants.blogspot.com/2012/05/paying-for-global-children.html</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You would think that if the government wasn’t going to
require E-Verify at least they would enforce Social Security number fraud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, ONE
THIRD of all the foreign-born people living in America
are here illegally.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, pardon me if I don’t believe Marco Rubio and his Gang
when they talk about tough enforcement measures in the new bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes money, effort and the political will
to enforce the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And all three of
those are in short supply in Washington.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When even the union representing immigration
officers complains that Obama won’t let them do their job you know we have
reached a new low.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-73447103160656572962013-05-05T06:41:00.002-07:002013-05-05T06:46:45.321-07:00Priest Acts out the Stations of the Border Crossing<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">This story stru<span style="font-size: small;">ck me as o<span style="font-size: small;">dd. The messages from it are mixed. I<span style="font-size: small;">'m just going to ma<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">k</span>e my comments as you read along:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;">Chicago</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16.0pt;"> priest
crosses U.S.-Mexico border to better understand parishioners</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
April 29, 2013|By Jennifer Delgado, Chicago Tribune reporter</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Rev. Gary Graf, of St. Gall Roman Catholic Church in Chicago,
tells his parish during a Spanish-language service Sunday about his experience
crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just days after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border by climbing
a wall, a Chicago priest says what
he did was wrong and urged parishioners in his Southwest Side church to
apologize if they had done the same.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"And by recognizing you did something wrong, you can't
keep<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>doing it," said the Rev. Gary Graf of St. Gall Roman Catholic
Church in Chicago's Gage Park neighborhood. "I'm begging the people to
take a different tactic."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: red;"><i>So, this priest is calling for repentance here. It is wrong to cross the border illegally. He tells them not to do it again, whatever that means. Wouldn't righting the wrong of trespassing be to get off the property? Go back home? Turn yourself in to ICE? Apparently not. </i></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After speaking to a packed Sunday morning Mass, Graf said he
traveled to Mexico
this month with the intention of returning to U.S.
soil by scaling a 20-foot iron wall.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The 54-year-old pastor, a U.S.
citizen, said he wanted to understand what many of his Hispanic parishioners
went through. Now that he does, he feels it's important they make amends for
their actions by having a conversation with U.S.
citizens about it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="color: red;"><b>Here are his instructions for repentance: Have a conversation with a citizen about the subject. Huh? </b></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With only his backpack, Graf flew to Tucson,
Ariz., almost two weeks ago and then rode a
bus to Mexico.
Graf paid for the trip but took about $3,000 from a church collection to pay
coyotes, or people who smuggle others into the U.S.
for a fee.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><b>Is that the best use of church funds? </b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He spent three days in a home with 27 people waiting for
smugglers to take him to the U.S.
before abandoning his plan. Graf said he then hitched a ride and walked hours
through the desert until he came to the border.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At nightfall Wednesday, Graf said he sat, prayed and looked
at the fence for about an hour before climbing it. He thought he'd get arrested
as soon as he landed on the other side, in Nogales,
Ariz., but didn't see anyone around.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><b>Our border is as secure as ever, says Big Sis. But Nogales isn't exactly remote territory. </b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning, Graf said he turned himself in to the
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's office, which later called U.S. Customs and Border
Protection. Neither agency arrested him, and he was let go, he said. A
representative from the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's office could not be reached
for comment Sunday.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Chicago on Sunday said
Cardinal Francis George did not know of Graf's actions in Mexico
until Saturday evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><b>It's always a good idea to let the boss know what you are doing. Apparently the Cardinal did not have anything to say about the matter. You would think the press would ask for his opinion on illegal aliens or the actions of the priest. I guess not. </b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The pastor said he believes he is the first Chicago
priest to cross the U.S.-Mexico border by climbing a wall. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><b>Is he trying to get in the Guinness Book of World Records? The first Chicago priest (not Detroit) to cross the border by climbing a wall (not through a tunnel or a hole in the fence or an unguarded section). Perhaps he should add, "With a ham sandwich in his pocket."</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He added that he
wants his parishioners to speak thoughtfully about immigration instead of
rallying and protesting on May Day.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><b>Now, here's the rather strange point. To make amends for entering illegally and getting a job by fraud, you should not march in the streets demanding amnesty. According to Father Graf, you should speak to someone thoughtfully about what you did. (I think he means outside the confessional.)</b></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"I really feel that as pastor my goal is to engage both
sides of the conversation, and this is my attempt to do that," said Graf,
who plans on returning the parish money.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Outside of the Southwest Side church, many parishioners
showed their support for Graf. Many said they did not know the pastor scaled
the border wall until a few days ago.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"We're so happy he did that for us," said
Jacqueline Portero, 31, as she stood next to her 10-year-old daughter. "He
just wanted to experience what the people experienced. He wanted to show the
people he's there for them."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: red;"><i><b>His congregation loved it. I suppose that's because having a conversation about breaking into the United States uninvited is a lot easier than returning home to Mexico.</b></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-29/news/ct-met-border-crossing-priest-20130429_1_border-wall-parishioners-gary-graf">http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-29/news/ct-met-border-crossing-priest-20130429_1_border-wall-parishioners-gary-graf</a></div>
<br />One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-78992662969962815862013-05-04T06:38:00.000-07:002013-05-04T06:38:02.065-07:00The Religious Life of President Obama<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Easter Sunday 2013 – The Obamas, in their Easter finery, walk to church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All’s right
with the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The image rings true to
Christian families throughout the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But that’s where things get a little crazy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The First Family walked over to St. John’s
Episcopal church to hear Reverend Luis Leon tell the congregation, <span style="color: blue;"><i>“It drives
me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling us
back…for blacks to be back in the back of the bus…for women to be back in the
kitchen…for immigrants to be back on their side of the border.”</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I guess Obama liked the sermon because he didn’t make any
comment about it.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His behavior since then has been decidedly unchristian in my
opinion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He’s been to the national convention of Planned Parenthood
with the message, “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a slap in the face to Christians
everywhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then he went out of his way to call and congratulate Jason
Collins, a mediocre NBA player, for coming out of the closet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He’s also sent his Secretary of Defense to get the word out
that his policy is “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” when it comes to religious
conversations in the military.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He rang in on the Plan B abortion pill for 15-year-olds with
a two-faced answer that pleased no one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Mostly he said he had some concerns about it but that it wasn’t his
business.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that has just been since Easter.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Obama has regularly gone after religion in America
over charitable contributions and the voice of churches in public discourse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His battles with church organizations over Obamacare defines
him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And though he is willing to issue
waivers to his union pals, he’s not so willing to do so with Christian-owned
corporations like Hobby Lobby.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One must be careful in declaring the president
anti-Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before the election he
sounded very Christian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After November 3<sup>rd</sup>,
he shifted to the progressive mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a
lame duck, I don’t expect the moderate Obama to return…except for selected
appearances for midterm candidates.</div>
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<![endif]--><br />One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-21967708159560613272013-04-30T18:02:00.001-07:002013-05-01T04:24:54.536-07:00Immigration Reform Meets Doublespeak<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisp_HX46yeAOmwSFDs-fWz9yJg6a65w6AoVbbk523JbycgJ2l56MthfXPrUWWKBzn6uo7gbgKQszHl_naN1hXa3U9iIt3qCJdGcMVCfP4yuh5GEJHlLoDX8uK-6r4eYWJPLHIVia4SyjE/s1600/NOT-YOURS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisp_HX46yeAOmwSFDs-fWz9yJg6a65w6AoVbbk523JbycgJ2l56MthfXPrUWWKBzn6uo7gbgKQszHl_naN1hXa3U9iIt3qCJdGcMVCfP4yuh5GEJHlLoDX8uK-6r4eYWJPLHIVia4SyjE/s320/NOT-YOURS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The Gang of Eight Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill is a
prime example of what George Orwell called Doublespeak, the political practice
of masking the real meaning of words in an effort to deceive the people.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let’s take the word “sovereignty” for example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s the definition:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">sov·er·eign·ty </span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">1. Supremacy of authority or rule as exercised by a
sovereign or sovereign state.</span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">2. Royal rank, authority, or power.</span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">3. Complete independence and self-government.</span></div>
<span style="color: blue;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: blue;">4. A territory existing as an independent state.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note that the word suggests an independent nation with
borders and self-rule over its own affairs, not manipulated by the wishes of
outsiders.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, in the preface to the Gang of Eight bill they freely
use the term “sovereignty,” suggesting that it enhances our independence over
foreign desires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s what it says:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The passage of this
Act recognizes that the primary tenets of its success depend on securing the
sovereignty of the </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United States of America</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> and establishing a coherent and just system
for integrating those who seek to join American society.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“All parts of this Act
are premised on the right and need of the </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United States</i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> to achieve these goals, and to protect its
borders and maintain its sovereignty.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(page 7-9 of the bill)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But when you read the bill you will quickly realize that it
does just the opposite of securing our sovereignty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bill proposes giving legal recognition to
people who have sought to disregard our laws and violate our borders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It rewards trespassers whose first encounter
with the United States
was to enter illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To make matters
worse, they break the law every day they go to work, knowing that they have no
authorization to work here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The bill seeks to ignore the fact that they are unlawfully
present and disregard their lawbreaking as they worked here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We already have borders and immigration laws that, if
enforced, would demonstrate our sovereignty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What has caused our sovereignty to erode is the long line of
apologists who defend the illegal aliens and seek amnesty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such behavior by politicians and preachers is
shameful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now they seek to legalize the
very people who have weakened our sovereignty.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-11299436291726014072013-04-28T07:07:00.000-07:002013-05-04T06:43:11.877-07:00Immigration “Reform” and Unintended ConsequencesCongress is once again tackling the topic of Comprehensive
Immigration Reform, this time attempting to pass the Gang of Eight proposal aka
SR744.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1936 a Harvard professor by the name of Robert Merton wrote
a paper about unintended consequences and how they come about when making
public policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based upon Merton’s
outline, I shall explain why this bill is bad public policy and will produce
negative unintended consequences.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">First, identifying
the wrong problem.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Merton says that
sometimes we are so blinded by politics that we address the wrong problem
altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problems Washington
addresses are:</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Our
immigration system is “broken.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">We
have 11 million people “living in the shadows.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">There
are a million<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> de facto</i> citizens
who came here as children and have no papers to advance in society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">We
are separating families.</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a moment of candor, they might even tell you that they
would like to tap into this potential voter pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely the political analysts have crunched
some numbers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
May I suggest than the real problems relative to having
millions of illegal aliens are these:</div>
<ul style="margin-top: 0pt;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Depressed
wages and benefits.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Unemployment
of low-skilled workers (mostly minorities and teens).</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Unemployment
of scientists, engineers and IT professionals.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Excess
population.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Stressed
school districts and social services.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Fraud
and ID Theft.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt;">Loss
of tax revenue.</li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The real problem here is that we have failed to enforce the
law for decades now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have not
deported people whom we knew were here illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have not self-deported because we have
made excuses for them and defended their presence at the highest levels.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is an interesting phenomenon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traditionally when there is a rash of
disobedience to a specific law the answer has been more enforcement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, if there is a problem of people
speeding in a school zone, they set up a speed trap to catch and/or deter
speeders in the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there is a gang
problem in town, they bring in extra officers and form a gang task force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Second, bad data.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good public policy requires solid
numbers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this immigration debate,
those solid numbers are hard to come by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The assumption made by Washington
is that there are 11 million illegal aliens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It used to be 12 million but the poor economy has reduced it to 11
million.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But some sources tell us that there may be 20 million, or
even 38 million.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not an easy
number to come by.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It would appear that they don’t <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">WANT</b> to know the real number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A few states and other groups have tried to determine the costs of
illegal aliens in schools, social services, prisons and jails, local
communities…only to be told by Washington
that those numbers are “wrong.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well,
let’s see the official number then.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
don’t exist.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Indeed, true numbers are nearly impossible because you are
trying to measure people who don’t want to be counted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of the enforcement problem is that we
have not done a good job of following up on ID theft problems.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People can live for years with a fake social security
number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can buy cars, even
houses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can get jobs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And at the government level (school
districts, social service agencies, marriage license bureau…) they don’t bother
to check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although databases such as
E-Verify and SAVE exist, they are not mandatory.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Third, the imperious
immediacy of interest.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means a
rush to do something; anything to meet the immediate political need.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gang of Eight had hoped to get this thing
passed within 48 hours of its introduction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And they would have succeeded if not for a few brave Congressmen who
insisted on some review and debate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here
they crafted this plan behind closed doors with input only from pro-amnesty
people they had selected, pitched its unknown contents on the Sunday talk
shows, and expected passage without peer review.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And this effort is a fulfillment of Obama’s promise to the
Latino voters that he would deliver “Reform” within the first year of the new
term.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But rushed policy is bad policy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a far greater risk of unintended consequences
when something is not fully reviewed, analyzed and debated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span class="st">“We have to pass the bill so
that you can find out what is in it,”…is not a way to run government.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I might add that we are finding all sorts of
unintended consequences in Obamacare.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fourth,
creating the wrong solution.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
should know by now that any sort of legalization will only lead to another
round of people sneaking into the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s the lesson from the 1986 amnesty plan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to develop the political will to deport
people simply because they are here illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We’ve never been able to do that.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">Government is far better at saying YES than
telling people NO.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t get many
votes by cracking down on people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">Even if they seal the border they haven’t
fixed the visa problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>US-VISIT is not
an enforcement program.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All it does is
give government credit for those who have left the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would still need to find, process, detain
and deport those people living here on expired visas</span><span class="st">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">Another red herring here is whether or not the plan offers citizenship. The citizenship debate is meaningless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These illegal aliens don’t want to
naturalize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even their legal brothers
and sisters don’t want to become citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fewer than 25% of Mexican green card holders become citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They retain their Mexican citizenship and are
content to have a green card so they can work and send money home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only the politicians want them to become
citizens so they can vote.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fifth,
poor execution of the plan.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely
if there is any area where enforcement implementation was not carried out it
would be immigration laws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Over 30% of
all foreign-born people living in the </span><span class="st">United States</span><span class="st">
are here illegally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, both Bush
and Obama have chosen not to enforce significant parts of immigration law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By fiat, Obama has called for new immigration
hearings for 300,000 deportable aliens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also created his own DREAM Act without so much as a Congressional
vote.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">The Supreme Court has made it nearly
impossible to prosecute someone for aggravated identity theft.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">Just last week Secretary of Homeland Security Janet
Napolitano told a Congressional hearing that her agency sets the enforcement
priorities regardless of what the law says.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In other words, since you cannot afford to do it all, you choose the laws
you will enforce.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="st">So, on all counts the proposed immigration
reform bill is a disaster in public policy just waiting to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is fraught with errors and unintended
consequences.</span></div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-28196355808176255002013-04-21T14:24:00.001-07:002013-04-21T14:24:43.929-07:00An Unfamiliar TermA million people in the Boston area were locked in their homes on Friday under orders from the "authorities."<br />
These Federal/State/Local law enforcement people were looking for a 19-year-old boy who blew up the finish line at the Boston Marathon.<br />
<br />
On Thursday night police had a gun battle with the boy and his brother. And pipe bombs were thrown at police as these young terrorists tried to escape. The older boy, age 26, died Thursday night. (If we are to believe these incomplete accounts, he died when he was run over by his brother.)<br />
<br />
So, the "authorities" shut down the buses and trains, closed the schools, and strongly suggesting that businesses close for the day.<br />
<br />
And their plan worked. Boston was a ghost town Friday.<br />
<br />
The instruction to the public was to "Shelter in Place." The term had been used in the past for things liked chemical spills and leaks. If there were an ammonia cloud in the neighborhood, people would turn off the furnace fan, gather in a small room in the house, and close off the gap at the bottom of the door.<br />
<br />
But the terrorist application is to stay in your home with the doors locked and do not open for anyone but a uniformed police officer.<br />
<br />
"Shelter in Place," belongs in the Newspeak dictionary. It's a fancy term for "cower in fear" or "hunker down." My what they won't do to protect their precious narrative.One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-81601224852832980992013-04-21T08:22:00.002-07:002013-04-21T14:25:08.079-07:00The Boston ConnectionThe Gang of Eight is worried that the Boston Bombing will
make it impossible to pass their amnesty bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And comment boards around the country are crying foul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say that these two bombers were here
LEGALLY and that Congress should disregard what happened in Boston
when considering their bill.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it has nothing to do with the immigration status of the
two terrorists and everything to do with Homeland Security.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are expected to believe that Homeland Security is doing a
great job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We are expected to believe that Homeland Security can screen
and vet 11 million applicants for amnesty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They can’t.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-87116051584292592732013-04-21T07:25:00.000-07:002013-04-21T14:25:19.649-07:00Narrative ShapingIn the days between the detonation of the bombs at The
Boston Marathon and the identification of the suspects the news agencies
engaged in speculation that exposed the worst in journalism; and confirming the
bias of which they are accused.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In subtle, and not so subtle ways, they were hoping for
another Timothy McVeigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Unibomber
would not do. And certainly not a foreigner. A Mormon would be fine, but no Muslims.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Media outlets have become guardians of the narrative at all
costs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if the truth doesn’t fit they
will trim it here and there until it does.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Salon.com even hoped out loud that they were right-wing
whites because they could be convicted without creating animosity toward and suspicion of global terrorist organization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How
nice of them.<br />
<a href="http://www.salon.com/2013/04/16/lets_hope_the_boston_marathon_bomber_is_a_white_american/">http://www.salon.com/2013/04/16/lets_hope_the_boston_marathon_bomber_is_a_white_american/</a><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are some of the comments and theories of the media,
preserved:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NPR correspondent Dina Temple-Raston:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"The thinking, as we have been reporting, is that this is a
domestic, extremist attack and officials are leaning that way largely because
of the timing of the attack. April is a big month for anti-government and right-wing
individuals. There's the Columbine anniversary, there's Hitler's birthday,
there's the </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oklahoma City</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
bombing, the assault on the Branch Davidian compound in </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waco</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">."</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CNN national security analyst Peter Bergen:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I'm
reminded of </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oklahoma City</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">,
which was a bombing, which was initially treated as a gas explosion. First
reports are often erroneous.</i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Once
the device -- if it is a device -- is found; what kind of explosives were used.
So for instance, if it was hydrogen peroxide, this is a signature of al
Qaeda. If it was more conventional explosives, which are much harder to get
hold of now -- that might be some other kind of right-wing extremist. … We've
also seen, for instance, right-wing groups trying to attack the Martin
Luther King parade in </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oregon</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> in 2010.”</i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
MSNBC's Chris Matthews:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">"…as a category, normally, domestic terrorists tend to be on the
far right."</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Luke Russert of NBC News:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I was at </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fenway</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Park</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> with
my dad during </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waco</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
which was on Patriots Day in 1993.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Speculating on possible link.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">"
</span>(Twitter post)</i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Nicholas Kristof, columnist for the New York Times:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“…explosion is a reminder that ATF needs a director.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shame on Senate Republicans for blocking the
appointment.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(another Tweet)</i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
David Axelrod (Obama’s former PR chief):</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"I'm sure what was going
through the president's mind is -- we really don't know who did this -- it was
tax day"</i></b></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CNN: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A senior </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">U.S.</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">
counterterrorism investigator told CNN that pressure cooker bombs have also
been a signature of extreme right-wing individuals in the </i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">United
States</i></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> who he said tend to revel in
building homemade bombs.”</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Esquire’s Charles P. Piers: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I would caution folks jumping to conclusions about foreign terrorism
to remember that this is the official Patriots Day holiday in Massachusetts,
celebrating the Battles at Lexington and Concord, and that the actual date
(April 19) was of some significance to, among other people, Tim McVeigh,
because he fancied himself a waterer of the tree of liberty and the like.”</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Huffington Post’s Nida Kahn:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“We don't know anything yet of course, but it is tax day & my first
thought was all these anti-gov groups, but who knows.”</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-79153721812718525622013-04-20T05:19:00.001-07:002013-04-21T14:25:38.659-07:00The Super Bowl of NationsI am copying this here for two reasons:<br />
1) It's a great analogy<br />
2) It is getting ZERO coverage from media<br />
<br />
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</xml><![endif]-->Dateline Washington DC<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
April 19, 2013</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At a Thursday press conference, Bristol
County, MA sheriff Tom Hodgson
compared the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill to having no security or ticket
process to get into the Super Bowl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The proposal that the Gang of Eight has put forward, and I
do want to commend them for even at least seriously beginning the conversation
about immigration reform, albeit far too short,” Hodgson said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What is happening here is we’re effectively allowing the Super
Bowl to be played in a stadium where three quarters of the entrances to that
stadium have no ticket-takers and no security to check people in,” he added.
“So people wander into the game year after year after year, and finally after a
period of time, it’s unstable."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
"And if we’re able to do so, we’re going to allow them
to become season-ticket holders," he explained. "But, ultimately, we
still haven’t solved the problem because those gates still don’t have
security.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hodgson made sure to point out that neither he nor his
fellow speakers at the Thursday press conference were “anti-immigrant.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Not one person behind this podium is anti-immigrant,”
Hodgson said. “All of us have ancestors who immigrated to this country. My
father immigrated directly from the country of England,
raised thirteen children and did it the right way.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Source Link: <a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/04/19/MA-sheriff-Gang-of-8-bill-lets-illegal-immigrants-into-USA-like-if-Super-Bowl-had-no-ticket-takers-and-no-security">http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/04/19/MA-sheriff-Gang-of-8-bill-lets-illegal-immigrants-into-USA-like-if-Super-Bowl-had-no-ticket-takers-and-no-security</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The trouble is that the enforcement side of the illegal alien problem is getting ZERO press coverage. It is all focused on the Gang of Eight pitch. And the Gang of Eight didn't allow the other side to even approach the throne. Like congressional hearings over the years on the subject, we are only hearing what the chairman of the committee wants us to hear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's hope this proposal fails just like all the rest.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-65485725175375244382013-04-13T07:39:00.001-07:002013-04-21T14:25:48.728-07:00Then and NowObama's push for amnesty has some similarities to that of George W. Bush.<br />
<br />
First, both had an <i>amnestia interruptus </i>problem. For Bush it was 9/11. In fact, Presidente Fox was in the White House a week before 9/11 and both were talking about some sort of legalization program within months. For obvious reasons, legalizing foreigners would not have been very popular after they discovered who flew the planes into the WTC and Pentagon. And how they got into the country.<br />
<br />
For Obama the problem was the economy. You cannot sell amnesty when the headlines are screaming double-digit unemployment. And his chief-of-staff, Rahm Emmanuel, was NOT a fan of amnesty. For him, it is the third-rail of politics.<br />
<br />
So, Obama's promise of amnesty in the first year didn't happen. But when you compare Obama's amnesty push of 2013 with GWB's of 2006, some things are the same and some are different.<br />
<br />
What's the same?<br />
The crowds are back. At least the photos of protesters show big crowds. Bush had the same thing in April/May of 2006. Hundreds of thousands turned out. For Bush those crowds would dwindle. They tried additional May Day parades but by the time Obama took office they were a footnote at best.<br />
<br />
Additionally, Bush made speeches at Hispanic Prayer Breakfasts, the convention of the National Restaurant Association and meetings of Contractors/Home Builders to push for amnesty. Obama has taken the same sort of approach to grab headlines and rally the troops.<br />
<br />
Gang activity is back. In 2007 it was Ted Kennedy and his Gang of 12. Schumer has his Gang of Eight.<br />
<br />
What's different this time around?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBblFKAUctaR5Z8KGMbPHvQx2hgW5PBA5Ki8pnmeuOEwRsHTMh03H0U2wgG0mvPEbh0-aJ5oDYUrgJYka7Gl3dNXsJpBJ3nR9cqxKfGK77DSKSjFa9Ls8j_npcXWGMqsRdIjWtQxOTGzY/s1600/Illegals+w+american+flag+041013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBblFKAUctaR5Z8KGMbPHvQx2hgW5PBA5Ki8pnmeuOEwRsHTMh03H0U2wgG0mvPEbh0-aJ5oDYUrgJYka7Gl3dNXsJpBJ3nR9cqxKfGK77DSKSjFa9Ls8j_npcXWGMqsRdIjWtQxOTGzY/s640/Illegals+w+american+flag+041013.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
They are mastering the optics (or at least the MSM is doing a better job of cropping and framing).<br />
There are still some Mexican flags in the streets, but more are sporting the red-white-and-blue.<br />
<br />
And they are exploiting the children more this time. More placards are cropping up with the "Stop separating families," theme.<br />
<br />
And more of the cards are talking about citizenship. That is a detail that has been pushed by the unions. They don't want temporary work permits. They want a path to citizenship. I firmly believe this is a dream of the politicians more than the people themselves. I say that because the Mexican naturalization rate has been (and still is) pathetically low. It ranges in the 20-25% range. Despite national drives, threats of fee increases, lowering the requirements, even grants to pay the application fee...Mexicans in particular don't care about becoming US Citizens.<br />
<br />
This is a BIG issue for the politicians. If they want to tap into this huge minority voting block they have to make them citizens first. The Democrats are OK with this because they get the family vote, the anchor babies and the undetected voter fraud. (If a guy has a valid Social Security number he is automatically registered through Motor Voter. Nothing else is really required. Don't get your undies in a bunch here; I'm not saying huge numbers of non-citizens vote. I'm just saying they have the DOCUMENTS to be able to vote.)<br />
<br />
Another difference this time around is the REAL unemployment rate. In 2006 there were 22 million unemployed people competing with the garden variety illegal alien. I would characterize them as 18-64 with a high school diploma or less. In 2012 that number is 27.7 million. The number of illegal aliens filling those jobs is around 8 million. That number still doesn't get the attention it deserves, but more people are starting to figure it out.<br />
<br />
Three members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights wrote a letter to the Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, Marcie L, Fudge, letting her know in no uncertain terms that the illegal aliens were making it harder for minority citizens to get jobs.<br />
<br />
Yet another way things are different this time is the approach by the White House. Bush had two <b>cabinet members</b> on the Hill lobbying on his behalf for amnesty. Chertoff and Gutierrez were both active with congress and the press. Bush himself was floating plans and ideas in front of Ted Kennedy. He'd send over plans he had worked up about fees, fines, enforcement triggers...<br />
<br />
In other words, GWB was an active negotiator.<br />
<br />
Obama is more aloof when it comes to policy. Or at least he's letting others do the heavy lifting. But Obama is a master at forming a parade. He has been out recruiting for the cause. Recently he hosted 13 religious leaders at the White House. This resulted in a photo op and nice statements about compassion from these ministers.<br />
<br />
He gave the Chavez award to the author of the Utah Compact, a model for state-level amnesty.<br />
<br />
Note, Obama is telling us that CONSERVATIVES want amnesty.<br />
<br />
Also joining the parade is a joint effort by The Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. (Talk about strange bedfellows!)<br />
<br />
The parade also has a statement from the Attorneys General of 35 states pushing for amnesty. And the usual collection of Police Chiefs from liberal cities.<br />
<br />
The Obama ground game is better than the one GWB had going.<br />
<br />
This time around we have the DREAMers who have "Come out." I guess it worked for gays. Obama has fallen short of his goal of getting these DREAM applicants to register and apply for the path. He's got maybe 60% of the turnout he expected. But those who are out make nice poster children for his cause.<br />
<br />
Time will tell what the outcome will be this time. Congress ignores the general public and continues to pander to special interests. They don't care about their low approval rating which is below 10%. All of them (from both parties) want a slice of the brown vote.<br />
<br />
And the mid-terms are still a year away. This is the amnesty silly season. May Day parades. Nice weather for protesting. Obama needs to get this thing done before Labor Day 2013 or it won't happen.<br />
<br />
Let's hope it doesn't happen.One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-33489004231634595792012-12-01T06:26:00.002-08:002012-12-01T06:26:32.993-08:00The economic bubble<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8yqbd-KOtsG6FjRYIa4gRzCQADMtbBKN2AlzM6qDLi6TB-PmLa_zrNjPECOdgZFyGsnYDLoggG0sAZcZTuGnNxJjmveBaQUtgceObOuOS36eq2IQdO6xiEHVzfob1q5tZ_5ACUGT0Pw/s1600/bubble+burst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8yqbd-KOtsG6FjRYIa4gRzCQADMtbBKN2AlzM6qDLi6TB-PmLa_zrNjPECOdgZFyGsnYDLoggG0sAZcZTuGnNxJjmveBaQUtgceObOuOS36eq2IQdO6xiEHVzfob1q5tZ_5ACUGT0Pw/s400/bubble+burst.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
Our wild and crazy politicians have teamed up with the Fed to see just how much hot air it takes to burst the bubble.<br />
<br />
And Wall Street is playing along by responding to every tidbit of news to run up the DOW. (But these are institutions and funds playing the speculation to deliver good numbers. These trades are based on perception rather than real value.)<br />
<br />
All this Fiscal Cliff talk only nibbles at the edges of the problems. Key among them are government debt and our valueless money.<br />
<br />
According to Washington, the Holy Grail is GROWTH. The QE3 program, for example, was initiated to stimulate housing growth. The assumption of QE3 is that people won't buy/build houses because the interest rates are too high. Since when is a 4% mortgage rate too high? And how is qualifying buyers based on a 3.5% rate good for the market? Didn't we just have a collapse because people were in homes they couldn't afford?<br />
<br />
But the conventional wisdom says more mortgages, more jobs, more money in the economy...<br />
<br />
But even if you are successful in getting more people qualified to pay a mortgage, how does that fix the problems of government spending, public sector pensions, a service economy that doesn't work and the national debt?<br />
<br />
Well, in a few words, it doesn't. It just makes the bubble larger and thinner.One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-91605106229324874642012-11-19T20:43:00.000-08:002012-11-20T05:23:42.957-08:00Mama Mia, what a story<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The embellished résumé has been a problem ever since there
were résumés.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And politicians
embellishing their backstory has been around since there have been politicians.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Internet has improved our memory for such tall
tales.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, a candidate for a
small local office tells his story and it goes on the record.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That story shouldn’t change. And politicians
have been held accountable for such things as military service (or lack
thereof) and academic degrees.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The most famous tale is Obama’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s been around the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he’s sealed his college records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now why would he do that?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s already told us he was a lousy student
at Occidental College.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And he seemed to have done well at
Harvard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some think it has to do with
his minority student status; that maybe he claimed to have been something other
than a U S Citizen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, that
doesn’t prove he was born in Kenya,
but the alternative explanation is worse; that he fibbed about his citizenship
to claim a foreign student spot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And there is written evidence that his publicist claimed he
was born in Keyna in an effort to sell his books.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then there was the Elizabeth Warren story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oy vey!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The story goes like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Warren’s
mother told her she was part Cherokee and she went with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boy, did she go with it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She claimed to be a “woman of color” in order
to get a teaching job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she milked
that story until she gained tenure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She rode that trail of tears all the way to the U S Senate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now my mother used to call me her Superman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She even sewed me a red cape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But she wouldn’t let me play on the roof of
the garage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my brother used to
remind me that, “Just because you have rust in your shorts doesn’t mean you’re
a man of steel.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What mother told you may be an embellishment not suitable
for the political arena.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you’ve
told mother’s story in an earlier campaign, expect to have to back it up later
on…or admit it was just a quaint family story.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Enter Mia Love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back
in January of 2011, before she was a candidate for Congress, Mia was the
subject of a Deseret News story by Lee Benson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was a fluff piece really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Benson wanted to highlight Mia Love because she’s black and successful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could be better for Martin Luther King
Day?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And Mia told her story about how she was the reason her
parents got to stay in the United States
and she was the reason her siblings got to emigrate from Haiti.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was quite a detailed account, claiming
that her birth in December of 1975 was just in time for the deadline of January
of 1976.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mia went on the run for Congress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She even spoke at the GOP convention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What could be better than a woman who is
black and successful?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she spoke
about her parents coming from Haiti
with $10 in the pockets, but not a peep about her role in their immigration.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Along comes Mother Jones, claiming that Mia was an anchor
baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, that’s a non sequitur.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mia never said her parents were ever illegal,
only that her birth qualified them to remain and bring over her brother and
sister.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here’s the critical part: Mia denied she ever told that
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She got all indignant and claimed
the liberals were picking on her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
claimed her opponent planted the lie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
extension, she implied that the reporter made up the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(It’s funny that she never said anything when
the story ran in January of 2011.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Further, she would not allow people to talk to her parents.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So if she’s stonewalling, let’s play a little game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s think about possible endings to the
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is she hiding from?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s SPECULATE:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #1: Mia wanted to distance herself from the “anchor
baby” label, even though her parents were legal throughout.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #2: Her parents are illegal aliens and never did
legalize.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #3: Her parents are Obama supporters.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #4: Her siblings are illegal aliens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #5: Her parents are green card holders but never
bothered to become citizens.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #6: The story was nothing more than an anecdote she
liked to tell with no basis in fact.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #7: Lee Benson is a liar who never liked her and made
it all up, knowing that someday Mia would be more than the mayor of a small
town in the Utah desert.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ending #8: Have at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You make up your own ending.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are the stories:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The original:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700101394/Kings-dream-certainly-thrives-along-the-shores-of-Utah-Lake.html?pg=all">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700101394/Kings-dream-certainly-thrives-along-the-shores-of-Utah-Lake.html?pg=all</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The exposure:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54960191-78/campaign-citizenship-family-haiti.html.csp">http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/54960191-78/campaign-citizenship-family-haiti.html.csp</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
…or this one:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865563132/Questions-raised-about-Mia-Loves-immigrant-parents-story.html?pg=all">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865563132/Questions-raised-about-Mia-Loves-immigrant-parents-story.html?pg=all</a><br />
The reporter’s side of the story:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765609953/Mia-Loves-amnesia-raises-some-concerns.html?pg=all">http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765609953/Mia-Loves-amnesia-raises-some-concerns.html?pg=all</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-39926504841373848542012-11-17T08:22:00.000-08:002012-11-17T08:24:04.829-08:00Baiting the narcissitic voterRecently, the defeated Mitt Romney summed up his loss to Obama by declaring that the democrat won by offering "gifts" to swing voters. And they responded.<br />
<br />
Some went to the polls thinking, "Obama is more likely to preserve Medicare than Romney. I'll vote for Obama."<br />
<br />
Others thought, "Obama is sure to deliver amnesty to my illegal alien family members, so he gets my vote."<br />
<br />
Still others mulled over the entitlements of food stamps, unemployment benefits, free cell phones, child tax credits for illegal aliens, mortgage forgiveness, free college, school loan relief...and voted for Obama over Romney.<br />
<br />
Strangely, Romney wasn't a real hard-liner when it came to entitlements. In fact, if he did what he was talking about on the campaign trail, he would be a bigger spender than GWB. Maybe he wouldn't set records like Obama has, but he didn't talk like a slash and burn candidate.<br />
<br />
As for taxes, if you listened closely Romney was proposing a plan to give you your money back with one hand and take it away with the other.<br />
<br />
And just like the campaign, we see this fiscal cliff rhetoric as more of the same dabbling in the sand with a tidal wave at our backs. No one is paying the least bit of attention to the debt clock. It looms so large that both parties are pretending it doesn't exist.<br />
<br />
Obama is stuck in a loop like a pull-string doll. "All I am asking is that the richest 3% of Americans pay a little bit more." The GOP response is that we must cut spending, meaning a few hundred billion to make them look fiscally responsible.<br />
<br />
The truth is Washington hasn't even tried to be fiscally responsible for decades. Those Washington shut-down days were alarms that went unheard by our elected leaders. Efforts to require a balanced budget have been replaced with years of no budget at all.<br />
<br />
Why? Because telling Americans the truth is a negative message. Politicians do not win elections by telling people, "No." Responsible parents know that you have to deny some things to your children. They always want a pony and a trip to Disneyland and a car and a spring break trip...but it is neither wise nor affordable to give it to them.<br />
<br />
Apparently, no one in Washington has ever raised children. So fate will take over and teach us all the austerity lesson. Time will tell if the children will, like the Greeks, take to the streets demanding their entitlements from a broke treasury.<br />
<br />
But for now it seems that bread and circuses will win the day. The blinders are firmly in place.<br />
The trapeze performers were better last year, don't you think?<br />
<br />One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-36393535765478413182012-11-13T16:26:00.000-08:002012-11-13T16:26:24.911-08:00After the election<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s always interesting to note the things that happen after
the election.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year is no exception.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
head of the CIA resigns over an adulterous relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The administration knew about it since July.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Syria
and Israel escalate their hostile intentions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Could it be a Romney win would have changed this outcome?)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
stock market immediately falls back to its level before the summer run-up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
Elmo puppeteer admits to a homosexual relationship with a young man half his
age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In typical “he said-he said”
fashion, they are debating the boy’s age (under 18 or over).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>An
energy breakthrough is announced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
United States will be the world’s #1 oil producer within a decade, thanks to
fracking and shale.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Obama
returns to his hard line position on taxes while claiming to fix the fiscal
cliff.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Jesse
Jackson Jr faces pressure to resign, proving it really is about politics, not
the will of the people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8)<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>The
media is now looking into the Benghazi scandal, now revealing that the compound
may have been home to a secret prison and the attack was a jailbreak.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just think what Obama can do without having to worry about
winning another term.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-91403306654872992422012-10-20T06:31:00.000-07:002012-10-20T06:31:13.262-07:00Debate answers on illegal alien crisis<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Below is a very direct question that speaks to the crux of
the illegal alien question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obama dances
around his lack of effort.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Romney talks
about enforcement of work permit laws and a hybrid DREAM Act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are important statements because they
are made late in the campaign and to a large, general audience.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY
PARTICIPATE IN A CANDIDATES DEBATE, HOFSTRA
UNIVERSITY, HEMPSTEAD,
NEW YORK</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OCTOBER 16, 2012
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SPEAKERS: FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CANDY CROWLEY,
MODERATOR</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
QUESTION: Mr. Romney, what do you plan on doing with
immigrants without their green cards that are currently living here as
productive members of society?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ROMNEY: Thank you. Lorraine?
Did I get that right? Good. Thank you for your question. And let me step back
and tell you what I would like to do with our immigration policy broadly and
include an answer to your question.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But first of all, this is a nation of immigrants. We welcome
people coming to this country as immigrants. My dad was born in Mexico of
American parents; Ann's dad was born in Wales
and is a first-generation American. We welcome legal immigrants into this
country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I want our legal system to work better. I want it to be
streamlined. I want it to be clearer. I don't think you have to -- shouldn't
have to hire a lawyer to figure out how to get into this country legally. I
also think that we should give visas to people -- green cards, rather, to
people who graduate with skills that we need. People around the world with
accredited degrees in science and math get a green card stapled to their
diploma, come to the U.S. of A. We should make sure our legal system works.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Number two, we're going to have to stop illegal immigration.
There are 4 million people who are waiting in line to get here legally. Those
who've come here illegally take their place. So I will not grant amnesty to
those who have come here illegally.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I will do is I'll put in place an employment
verification system and make sure that employers that hire people who have come
here illegally are sanctioned for doing so. I won't put in place magnets for
people coming here illegally. So for instance, I would not give driver's
licenses to those that have come here illegally as the president would.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The kids of those that came here illegally, those kids, I
think, should have a pathway to become a permanent resident of the United
States and military service, for instance,
is one way they would have that kind of pathway to become a permanent resident.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ROMNEY: Now when the president ran for office, he said that
he'd put in place, in his first year, a piece of legislation -- he'd file a
bill in his first year that would reform our -- our immigration system, protect
legal immigration, stop illegal immigration. He didn't do it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He had a Democrat House, a Democrat Senate, super majority
in both Houses. Why did he fail to even promote legislation that would have
provided an answer for those that want to come legally and for those that are
here illegally today? What's a question I think the -- the president will have
a chance to answer right now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
OBAMA: Good, I look forward to it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Was -- Lorranna -- Lorraine
-- we are a nation of immigrants. I mean we're just a few miles away from Ellis
Island. We all understand what this country has become because
talent from all around the world wants to come here. People are willing to take
risks. People who want to build on their dreams and make sure their kids have
an even bigger dreams than they have.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But we're also a nation of laws. So what I've said is we
need to fix a broken immigration system and I've done everything that I can on
my own and sought cooperation from Congress to make sure that we fix the
system.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first thing we did was to streamline the legal
immigration system, to reduce the backlog, make it easier, simpler and cheaper
for people who are waiting in line, obeying the law to make sure that they can
come here and contribute to our country and that's good for our economic growth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They'll start new businesses. They'll make things happen to
create jobs here in the United States.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Number two, we do have to deal with our border so we put
more border patrol on the -- any time in history and the flow of undocumented
works across the border is actually lower than it's been in 40 years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I've also said is if we're going to go after folks who
are here illegally, we should do it smartly and go after folks who are
criminals, gang bangers, people who are hurting the community, not after
students, not after folks who are here just because they're trying to figure
out how to feed their families. And that's what we've done. And what I've also
said is for young people who come here, brought here often times by their
parents. Had gone to school here, pledged allegiance to the flag. Think of this
as their country. Understand themselves as Americans in every way except having
papers. And we should make sure that we give them a pathway to citizenship.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And that's what I've done administratively. Now, Governor
Romney just said, you know he wants to help those young people too, but during
the Republican primary, he said, "I will veto the DREAM Act", that
would allow these young people to have access." His main strategy during
the Republican primary was to say, "We're going to encourage
self-deportation." Making life so miserable on folks that they'll leave.
He called the Arizona law a model
for the nation. Part of the Arizona
law said that law enforcement officers could stop folks because they suspected
maybe they looked like they might be undocumented workers and check their
papers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You know what? If my daughter or yours looks to somebody
like they're not a citizen, I don't want -- I don't want to empower somebody
like that. So, we can fix this system in a comprehensive way. And when Governor
Romney says, the challenge is, "Well Obama didn't try." That's not
true. I have sat down with Democrats and Republicans at the beginning of my
term. And I said, let's fix this system. Including Senators previously who had
supported it on the Republican side. But it's very hard for Republican's in
Congress to support comprehensive immigration reform, if their standard bearer
has said that, this is not something I'm interested in supporting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CROWLEY: Let me
get the governor in here, Mr. President. Let's speak to, if you could...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ROMNEY: Yes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
CROWLEY: ...the
idea of self-deportation? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ROMNEY: No, let -- let -- let me go back and speak to the
points that the president made and -- and -- and let's get them correct.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I did not say that the Arizona
law was a model for the nation in that aspect. I said that the E-Verify portion
of the Arizona law, which is -- which is the portion of the law which says that
employers could be able to determine whether someone is here illegally or not
illegally, that that was a model for the nation. That's number one.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Number two, I asked the president a question I think
Hispanics and immigrants all over the nation have asked. He was asked this on
Univision the other day. Why, when you said you'd filed legislation in your
first year didn't you do it? And he didn't answer. He -- he doesn't answer that
question. He said the standard bearer wasn't for it.</div>
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I'm glad you thought I was a standard bearer four years ago,
but I wasn't. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Four years ago you said in your first year you would file
legislation. </div>
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<br /></div>
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In his first year, I was just getting -- licking my wounds
from having been beaten by John McCain, all right. I was not the standard
bearer.</div>
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My -- my view is that this president should have honored his
promise to do as he said.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now, let me mention one other thing, and that is
self-deportation says let people make their own choice. What I was saying is,
we're not going to round up 12 million people, undocumented illegals, and take
them out of the nation. Instead let people make their own choice. And if they
-- if they find that -- that they can't get the benefits here that they want
and they can't -- and they can't find the job they want, then they'll make a
decision to go a place where -- where they have better opportunities.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I'm not in favor of rounding up people and -- and -- and
taking them out of this country. I am in favor, as the president has said, and
I agree with him, which is that if people have committed crimes we got to get
them out of this country.</div>
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ROMNEY: Let me mention something else the president said. It
was a moment ago and I didn't get a chance to, when he was describing Chinese
investments and so forth.</div>
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OBAMA: Candy? </div>
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<br /></div>
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Hold on a second. The... </div>
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ROMNEY: Mr. President, I'm still speaking. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(CROSSTALK) </div>
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ROMNEY: Mr. President, let me finish. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(CROSSTALK) </div>
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ROMNEY: I've gotta continue. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(CROSSTALK) </div>
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CROWLEY:
Governor Romney, you can make it short. See all these people? They've been
waiting for you. (inaudible) make it short (inaudible).</div>
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<br /></div>
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ROMNEY: Just going to make a point. Any investments I have
over the last eight years have been managed by a blind trust. And I understand
they do include investments outside the United
States, including in -- in Chinese companies.</div>
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Mr. President, have you looked at your pension? Have you
looked at your pension?</div>
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OBAMA: I've got to say... </div>
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<br /></div>
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ROMNEY: Mr. President, have you looked at your pension? </div>
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<br /></div>
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OBAMA: You know, I -- I don't look at my pension. It's not
as big as yours so it doesn't take as long.</div>
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<br /></div>
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ROMNEY: Well, let me give you some advice. </div>
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OBAMA: I don't check it that often. </div>
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<br /></div>
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ROMNEY: Let me give you some advice. Look at your pension.
You also have investments in Chinese companies. You also have investments
outside the United States.
You also have investments through a Cayman's trust.</div>
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<br /></div>
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(CROSSTALK) </div>
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CROWLEY: We're
way off topic here, Governor Romney. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(CROSSTALK) </div>
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OBAMA: I thought we were talking about immigration. </div>
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<br /></div>
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(CROSSTALK) </div>
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<br /></div>
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OBAMA: I do want to make sure that... </div>
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<br /></div>
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CROWLEY: If I
could have you sit down, Governor Romney. Thank you. </div>
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<br /></div>
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OBAMA: I do want to make sure that -- I do want to make sure
that we just understand something. Governor Romney says he wasn't referring to Arizona
as a model for the nation. His top adviser on immigration is the guy who
designed the Arizona law, the
entirety of it; not E-Verify, the whole thing. That's his policy. And it's a
bad policy. And it won't help us grow.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Look, when we think about immigration, we have to understand
there are folks all around the world who still see America
as the land of promise. And they provide us energy and they provide us
innovation and they start companies like Intel and Google. And we want to
encourage that.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, we've got to make sure that we do it in a smart way and
a comprehensive way, and we make the legal system better. But when we make this
into a divisive political issue, and when we don't have bipartisan support -- I
can deliver, Governor, a whole bunch of Democrats to get comprehensive immigration
reform done, and we can't...</div>
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ROMNEY: I'll get it done. I'll get it done. First year... </div>
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<br /></div>
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OBAMA: ... we can't -- we have not seen Republicans serious
about this issue at all. And it's time for them to get serious on it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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CROWLEY: Mr.
President, let me move you on here please. Mr. President, (inaudible).</div>
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<br /></div>
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OBAMA: This used to be a bipartisan issue.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2897076276412345124.post-13864683864664868782012-10-09T08:33:00.000-07:002012-10-09T08:34:01.199-07:00So many questionsJose Antonio Vargas was stopped by police near the
Minneapolis Airport last week because he was wearing headphones while
driving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would probably have been
educated about the law and sent on his way…except when they ran his drivers license
they discovered that it had been cancelled by the state of Washington.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because Vargas
himself made headlines in June of 2011 declaring that he was an illegal
alien.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had been using a doctored
Social Security Card for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns
out that the government takes a dim view of such things.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
And so a courtesy stop turned into a quick investigation by
ICE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within three hours ICE let him go,
not because he’s here legally but because they claimed to have bigger fish to
fry.</div>
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So, here are the questions:</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
Why didn’t someone catch up with him and confiscate his
drivers license?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
How many times did he board an airplane with a known invalid
license?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t that against the
law?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or is TSA too busy feeling up
grannies and children?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
What liability does the government have for allowing Vargas
to travel around the country and rent cars?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(By the way, the rental company immediately towed his car once it was
determined that his license is invalid.)</div>
<br />
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Does our government condone his various speaking tours by
not enforcing the law?</div>
<br />
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After all that, why would ICE fail to detain him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does he have some sort of special immunity
because he’s a DREAM Act advocate?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Forget the official explanation that he wasn’t “bad enough” to
deport.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a guy criss-crossing the
country speaking out against the law of the land and that’s not taken into
account here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s simply ignoring the
law.</div>
<br />
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Who is funding the Vargas tour?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How is he legally paying taxes?</div>
<br />
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This has been a bad couple of weeks for Homeland
Security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twice they have shown the
failure of their very mission – to improve communication within and between law
enforcement agencies.</div>
<br />
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The first case was when two different sets of Border Patrol
agents fired on each other in the Arizona desert, resulting in the death of an agent
and the wounding of another.</div>
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Where was the communication between responding teams?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If BP agents can’t even communicate properly,
what hope do we have that these expensive inter-agencies will work when we need
to talk between the local police/fire departments and federal agencies?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
And regarding Vargas, why did he still have a license?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How long can someone go with a cancelled
license?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Apparently at least 15
months.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why wasn’t he placed on the No
Fly list?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where’s the communication
between ICE and TSA?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where does the
PC/Affirmative Action mania in this country come into play when it comes to
immigration enforcement?</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
So many questions…and sadly, Mitt Romney isn’t asking any of
them.</div>
One Votehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14030257066258227671noreply@blogger.com0