Kalpen Suresh Modi

The stars come out in DC. Rock stars recruit movie stars to work for them.

Kal Penn is an example of name recognition (and the time-honored tradition of rewarding your political hacks) over qualifications.

Modi (er, Penn) is a first generation American born to Indian parents.

His moral dilemma over a role in the TV series 24 is instructive. He was supposed to play the role of a terrorist but almost turned it down. When I read it, I thought I might actually like this guy. I thought, “Good for him. He doesn’t want to be portrayed as a whack job who wants to blow up innocent people.”

But my hopes were dashed. His ethics alarm went off all right, but not because the character was a terrorist. He was worried about the racial profiling aspect of the role. Check this out from Wiki:
In January 2007, Penn appeared in the first four episodes of the sixth season of 24 as Ahmed Amar, a teenage terrorist. Penn says he nearly turned down the role due to personal ethics, stating, "I have a huge political problem with the role. It was essentially accepting a form of racial profiling. I think it’s repulsive. But it was the first time I had a chance to blow stuff up and take a family hostage. As an actor, why shouldn’t I have that opportunity? Because I'm brown and I should be scared about the connection between media images and people's thought processes?"

Well, he does have a strong sense of morals. While filming for his White Castle movie he refused to eat meat so they prepared soy burgers for the restaurant scenes.

As for his credentials for the post, he did go to UCLA and majored in film and sociology. And he has been a guest lecturer in Pennsylvania. He is regarded as a poster child for Asian stereotypes.

What can a 32-year-old with a BA in movies do at the White House? Well, Kal will be working for Valerie Jarrett, the Secretary of Community Organizers. As an actor, he’ll be getting the message out.

Another example of this administration’s fixation over image.

Here's the Kal Penn photo album, in all its decorum and sophistication:

Primed for a role at Homeland Security?

Experience as Surgeon General?

His White House portrait, perhaps? (Hey Valerie, did you check his tax returns?)

I've come to discover the fun the libs had with Ronald Reagan and his old film roles, especially Bonzo. They were on to something.

We've been punked...

...by Washington.
Imagine that. Something we've been told by the government turns out to be hype.

You know that "fact" from the administration that 90% of the weapons used by drug lords in Mexico come from the United States?

Well, it turns out that they were off a bit. That figure is more like 17%. Off by quite a bit, don't you think?

You see, the Mexican government sends us weapons to have the US government determine their origin. But Mexico doesn't send us any weapons that are obviously NOT from the US, and that's the bulk of the weaponry.

When you take into account those guns that are unidentifiable, the number is actually about 17%.

So, why is Napolitano spending $400 MILLION right now in an effort to screen vehicles headed into Mexico?

Beats me. Maybe Obama wants us to be a good neighbor. Maybe he wants to support Calderon in his drug war. Maybe it's just Washington as usual.

Here's the news report. (Note that Fox is the only network to cover the real data. The rest of the world continues to believe th 90% number.):

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/04/02/myth-percent-guns-mexico-fraction-number-claimed/

Shame on you, Congressman Gutierrez!

Here’s what Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez said, after hearing the congressional testimony of a father who lost his daughter to an illegal alien driving drunk:
“Mr. Tranchant, can I share with you as the father of two daughters, I thank you for bringing your testimony here, but I suggest to you that if we refer to people as banditos, as you referred to them in your testimony, it does not help to solve the problem.”

May I suggest to Rep. Gutierrez that he listen to Mr. Tranchant and the thousands of other family members who have lost loved ones to illegal aliens. The man who killed Tessa Tranchant, Alfredo Ramos had a BAC THREE TIMES THE LEGAL LIMIT. Furthermore, he had been arrested twice before for causing accidents while driving drunk.

Yet Gutierrez had the nerve to say, “I think we’re missing the point of the testimony here this morning and just so we have it very clear, no one ever has debated, promoted law that does not deport drunks.” Well, that statement isn’t true, Mr. Gutierrez. There have been bills before Congress that mandated deportation for illegals driving drunk, BUT YOU VOTED AGAINST THEM. Like HR 4437 in 2005. Title VI, section 606 would have covered it. BUT YOU VOTED AGAINST IT, Mr. GUTIERREZ.

And you have helped keep funding away from interior enforcement efforts that would have saved Tessa and Ali.

And, you were the sponsor of the rally in the Chicago church where Cardinal George solemnly proclaimed, “To separate families, wives from husbands, children from parents, is to diminish what God has joined.”

Well, Luis, there’s no greater separation of families on earth than a funeral of your own child. Deportation doesn’t even come close to death.

As for the term “banditos,” my dictionary defines a bandit as “anyone who cheats, steals, etc.” I’d say that describes illegal aliens rather well. It surely applies to Alfredo Ramos.

And that’s the key here; Gutierrez fails to see the illegality of his “undocumented” friends, choosing instead to whitewash their status and pretend they are refugees. But the American public sees them for what they are: lawbreakers.

Bush blueprint found

It appears that the Obama administration has found some of the old George W Bush files on comprehensive immigration reform. And they are using them!

This from the AP today:
Mexico, U.S. form immigration working group
Associated Press
Published: 4/4/2009 12:01 AM Daily Herald
MEXICO CITY -- Mexico and the United States have formed a high-level, joint working group to make immigration safer and more orderly, Mexican officials announced Friday.

The working group will focus on making documented migration easier, protecting migrants' rights and improving procedures for repatriating migrants, the Mexican Foreign Relations Department said in a statement.

It also will focus on steps to inform the public about the dangers of trying to cross the border without documents.

The group was formed following meetings between U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa.

The two officials also want to create a long-term study group on border issues such as the environment, water and health.

While the outflow of Mexican migrants has fallen dramatically, immigration remains an important bilateral issue.

The net outflow of Mexicans -- both legal and illegal -- declined by more than 50 percent in the 12 months ending in August 2008, compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the Mexican National Statistics, Geography and Information Institute.

The net outflow of Mexicans -- those leaving the country minus those returning from abroad -- dropped to 204,000 people between August 2007 and August 2008. That was down from 455,000 for the year ending in August 2007.

And now this from the SAME DATE in 2001.
Press Statement
Richard Boucher, Spokesman – Secretary of State
Washington, DC April 4, 2001
Joint Statement of the US-Mexico High Level Working Group on Migration
The US-Mexico High Level Working Group on Migration signed a joint statement on April 4 in Washington, D.C. Following is the text of that statement.

The governments of Mexico and the United States today began talks intended to achieve a framework for orderly, legal, safe and humane migration and for the protection of worker rights. As Presidents Vicente Fox and George W. Bush directed during their recent meeting in Guanajuato, the talks are chaired by the Secretaries of Government and Foreign Relations of Mexico and the Secretary of State and the Attorney General of the United States.

Other signs that "change" looks like same-old, same-old:
*Like Bush before 2006, Obama is scaling back interior enforcement efforts simply by changing operational directives.
*Like Bush, Obama is working closely with the Mexican President with visits focused on immigration.
*Like Bush, Obama is listening to special interests rather than the will of the people.

But Obama has a tougher task here. The Internet not only has a long memory but also is an effective tool for contacting people directly.

People know what to watch for. They know more about immigration.

Homeland Security didn't exist in the early days of the Bush Administration. The whole issue of terrorism is now on the front burner.

The border wars are a new twist.

More immigrants and amnesty are a hard sell in a country with 8%+ unemployment and social services stretched to the limit.

Obama is fast losing an immigration reform ally in the Catholic Church. Cardinal George doesn't seem to notice the hypocrisy, but the parishioners do!

Happy 8th anniversary to immigration rhetoric from Washington.

Call Washington

Not that it'll help, but you can call both Homeland Security and the White House and tell them you are upset about Napolitano's amnesty for the 27 illegals from Bellingham, Washington.

It might make you feel better.

At least they'll know someone noticed.

White House Comment line: 202-456-1111 (9-5 EST)
Homeland Security Comment line: 202-282-8495 (the voice mail was full yesterday)

And send a message to your Congressmen as well. They are probably oblivious.

Note that Congress didn't have to vote for this to happen. Obama didn't write an Executive Order. It was all done through the operational authority of Secretary Napolitano.

You can be sure that potential illegal aliens around the world are taking notice.

Napolitano again

In a further move to establish the rule of law (snicker) Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano announced yesterday that the 27 illegal aliens arrested in an engine rebuilding plant in Bellingham, Washinton will be given work visas and allowed to work in the US.

That's right. I thought it was just a bad April Fools Day joke but it turns out to be true.

I suppose if Obama can fire the president of GM, Napolitano has enough authority to grant a pardon and issue work papers. I wonder what law she used to do that?

It is believed that she is giving out these work papers based on witness cooperation as they build a case against the employer. BUT, and this is very important, the employer was already enrolled in a verification program AND was in full cooperation with ICE agents as they planned the raid. They had been working with ICE since last fall. That visa rule clearly does not apply in this case.

But the Obama administration will make it fit.

The Weatherman speaks for himself

Bill Ayers, a political activist who once hosted a campaign party for Obama himself was disinvited to speak at a Naperville high school. I think it was the wrong thing to do, but I found Ayers’ reaction rather humorous.

The University of Illinois-Chicago education professor sent this e-mail after being informed of the cancellation: "This cancellation provides terrible lessons for these young people about the limits of freedom and the importance of obedience, and it must be painful for many of them to watch people they admire collapse under pressure. It has all the hallmarks of suppression of speech: incitement of fear, intimidation of well-meaning folks, mob rule."

Remember his phrases:
“limits of freedom”
“importance of obedience”
“incitement of fear”
“intimidation of well-meaning folks”
“mob rule”

What’s that character flaw where you get most agitated when you see your own weaknesses in the actions of others?

Well, here’s Ayers’ rap sheet. It includes bombs and a dead policeman. I wonder if he detects the irony in his own words?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ayers

But that was then. Where’s his mind in 2009? His office door is decorated with pictures of (cop killer) Mumia Abu-Jamal, Che Guevara and Malcolm X.

Like I say, I think it was wrong to cancel his visit. The problem was the goof who invited him to speak in the first place.