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Mexican Tourism Ad (illegal immigration satire)
One of the companies that sells parodies to radio stations has put together a quite funny Flash animation satirizing illegal immigration in the form of an ad for Mexican tourism.
Since satire has occasionally been an effective tool against powerful forces, please send the link to your favorite politicians: link, backup.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 07:00 PM
Help Gregory Clark (UC Davis) reduce illegal immigration
Gregory Clark - professor of economics at UC Davis - offers "Illegal immigration: our best foreign aid":About 160 million people with incomes a fifth or less than the average U.S. income now reside less than 1,500 miles from our southern border. Given this huge income gap, more border agents and more miles of fence cannot prevent substantial illegal migration. But such migration is actually the United States' most effective foreign aid program, helping some of the poorest people in the world. Some believe such migration should be tolerated, not fought to the death. [...globalism - sold by people like Clark - increased the wealth gap between countries...] ...Across such a long border, more agents and better technology can slow the inward march of migrants, but it cannot halt it... ...In such a situation, recognizing that there will be some flow of labor across this wealth divide, and periodically legalizing those who manage to find their way to the U.S. labor market, is not a bad option...Of course, Clark forgot to mention one of the other ways that, if we did it, would greatly reduce illegal immigration: conducting stings against crooked employers and imprisoning them.
And, he goes on to promote remittances, without mentioning their huge downsides. Is he unable to figure those out, or don't the costs of massive political corruption and propping up corrupt foreign governments figure into this "economist's" calculations?
There's yet another way to reduce illegal immigration: discredit hacks like Gregory Clark by pointing out the things they forgot to mention.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 03:59 PM
Mitt Romney opposes "special" pathway to citizenship, emphasis on "special"
Mitt Romney is a real slippery eel when it comes to immigration, and neither professional "journalists" nor the citizen kind have so far been willing to find out what he actually supports. For example, parse the following ad he's running in Iowa very closely:
He doesn't want to give illegal aliens a "special" pathway, but the ad doesn't rule out giving them some sort of pathway, and until he says "no pathway under any circumstances" he's still supporting amnesty, no matter what he tries to call it. He even says that "people who are here illegally are going to have to get in line with everyone else", strongly implying that he supports an amnesty.
Please go to his campaign appearances and ask him to clarify whether he supports any form of legalization, regularization, status adjustment, or any other procedure that would allow current, in-country illegal aliens to change their status to legal immigrant or worker. (I think that should cover all the bases, but the eel might yet be able to slip free).
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:08 AM
DailyKos delenda est! Bill O'Reilly highlights Hunter Lieberman pic
Unlike Bill O'Reilly, I don't want to see DailyKos destroyed. It would be nice, however, to see them twisting uncomfortably in a strong, very cold wind.
O'Reilly's weapon of Kos destruction is the Photoshop of Joe Liberman and George Bush attached right. The URL of this photo is:
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/lieberman.jpg
A visit then to dailykos.com/user/uid:1054 takes us to the diary of one "Hunter" (hunter.dailykos.com), who appears to be a prominent Kossack. Peeling back the first URL takes us to a few dozen other images and reveals someone with a particular obsession with ABC:
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/DisneyPathTo911.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/GOP_TV.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/MickeyBush.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/goofyabcrx6.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/wd_abc911.jpg
As well as with General Wesley Clark:
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/uc_clark.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/YK_diary10.jpg
And, in addition to some Iraq war images, inside baseball:
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/YKCONF2006HEADER.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/YK_diary11.jpg
images.dailykos.com/images/user/1054/uc_cover.jpg
UPDATE: Now, Mike Stark offers "I just returned from Falafel Bill's house" (dailykos.com/story/2007/7/31/9920/91146). He visited Bill O'Reilly's house, spoke with him in his driveway, and planted a few signs regarding the "falafel" incident outside. While some commenters decry his actions, much other moral relativism ensues.
Posted to Bloggage at 08:28 PM
LHF: DUmmies on John Roberts' seizure
Earlier today, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts had a seizure followed by a fall. He's been hospitalized, but apparently only for observation.
For some very low-hanging fruit, here are some words of hope from Democratic Underground posters. Bear in mind that aside from "la la" (530 posts) all are from "Donating Members" with over 1000 posts:
---------------
aquart: Unless he fell on his head, it ain't nuttin'. He can break pretty much anything and still go back to work. Look at Corzine.
ThomCat: I hate to wish anyone ill, but I hope his tenure on the supreme court is a short one.
kaygore: If there is a God, then he is not too young to become the right-hand maiden to Satan in the inner reaches of Hell.
antifaschits: [responding to a request for prayers] why? karma, if it exists, will probably kick this SOB in the teeth. Except, unlike 40,000,000 americans, he has access to the best of the best health care plans in the world. If, unexpectedly, he sees his own frail human life, his ability to suffer and die, his future pass before his eyes, like it does to hundreds of thousands each day in this country, if it educates him about the harm he inflicts on others, then, yeah, I can see hoping for him. But more likely than not, he won't. He will not recognize life as most of us see it. He will continue in his neocon way of viewing things, and simply add fat to the fire when he recovers and returns to the bench.
aquart: Was there lightning?
aquart: [responding to the request for prayers] Okay: Dear Lord, May the evil John Roberts does come back to him and only him, from every place it has gone, from everyone it has harmed.
kaygore: Better prayer. Dear God, Please release Satan's hand-maiden, John Roberts, from his worldly cares and allow him to join once again with the Prince of Darkness in the lowest reaches of Hell. We pray this in the name of your son, our lord, Jesus. Amen.
Bornaginhooligan: I prayed. But it didn't come true.
NoodleyAppendage: See. That's what happens when you attempt to goose step down the stairs. Neocon, pro-fascist horseplay is inherently dangerous.
GoddessOfGuinness: After a fall...He must have tripped on his preconceived notions... ...the ones he didn't bring with him to the job.
Onlooker: I think the hatred is tongue in cheek, but .... How can he be decent when he uses his power to infringe on women's rights, civil rights, and worker's rights? He's a person whose decisions can affect the well-being of millions, and he has done far more harm than good. He may be a decent man in his private life, but he's a dangerous man on the SC.
youngdem: Just because he looks like a decent man doesn't mean he is..He is an evil, UNAMERICAN man... Ted Bundy also looked like a decent man. This one is just a serial killer of fundamental rights.
mitchum: Fuck that noise; he's a goddamn lowlife fascist
la la: was a pretzel involved? n/t
Massachusetts: May Roberts and every other Bu$hco appointed treasonous Bastard rot in hell for their interpretive abuse and misuse of OUR (WE THE PEOPLES), Constitution and Rights! NO SYMPATHY HERE! MAYBE EXXON OR ONE OF THE BIG CORPS WHO CARE LESS ABOUT OUR COUNTRY AND PEOPLE WILL SEND HIM SOME LILIES.
eppur_se_muova: Great, just don't bring him back. nt
mitchum: Fuck him; it wouldn't bother me if that was a one way trip
Posted to Bloggage at 04:49 PM
Carlos Gutierrez, Larry Craig get plaques from American Nursery and Landscape Association
From this:Attendees at the 2007 [American Nursery and Landscape Association] Legislative Conference visited approximately 250 House and Senate offices representing 40 states. Attendees visited Capitol Hill to lobby Congress for a solution to the labor and immigration crisis and to support specialty crop provisions in the 2007 Farm Bill reauthorization. Research funding and water policy were also addressed.Instead of sending bricks or toilet brushes, perhaps we should send plaques with sarcastic messages.
United States Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez [shown right receiving a plaque "in thanks for his work to secure comprehensive immigration reform"] and Senator Larry Craig (R-Idaho) [also got his own plaque] both addressed the attendees, encouraging them to maintain their efforts to achieve a necessary solution for securing a viable workforce for our country's agricultural and seasonal industries...
...Confirming the importance of continued lobbying, the very evening the conference concluded Senators Larry Craig and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) engaged in a 40-minute debate on the Senate floor in an attempt to introduce AgJOBS provisions, agricultural worker immigration reform, in response to anti-immigrant language introduced into the Farm Bill...
...The partners include ANLA, OFA (An Association of Floriculture Professionals), the Irrigation Association (IA), the Perennial Plant Association (PPA), ANLA’s Lighthouse Partner state associations, the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), The National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), and the National Association of Plant Patent Owners (NAPPO)...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 02:17 PM
Tennessee: lawsuit over disabled vet tasered at anti-illegal immigration rally
From this:
A civil lawsuit has been filed against the city of Morristown, Hamblen County [Tennessee], numerous police and deputies and other officials in U.S. District Court in Greeneville by Teddy Ray Mitchell, a disabled vet who is claiming various violations of his civil rights and for injuries he claims he received when he attempted to carry an American flag and a lawn chair into the location of an anti-immigration rally held last June in Morristown.
The brief complaint is here.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 02:13 PM
Lindsey Graham border security-only amendment did pass
Sen. Lindsey Graham's border security-only amendment did eventually pass:The contentious debate last month on a failed immigration overhaul plan was key to the Senate's approval of $3 billion that will tighten security along the nation's borders, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said Monday.
The money will be used to hire border patrol agents, build fences in urban areas and erect observation towers, Graham said.
"I think we're going to find more success that could not have been achieved without the prior debate," Graham said. "I took some political heat for being involved in that process, but here's where the political payoff is."
...Graham will continue to push for votes on other pieces of the overhaul including:
- A tougher visa law that cracks down on people who stay in the U.S. illegally.
- A system keeping illegal immigrants from getting jobs and allowing more legal immigration for highly skilled and unskilled labor.
- Some means of addressing the estimated 12 million people now in the nation illegally...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 02:08 PM
Should Harold Koh continue as Yale Law School Dean?
If a law school dean - especially the dean of the Yale Law School - supports widespread illegal activity and public corruption, should they continue in their present role? Consider the following statements [1] from Harold Koh regarding the ID cards that New Haven, Connecticut is distributing to their residents (including illegal aliens):
"If you look on the coin, it says 'E Pluribus Unum' - so they're right on the money!" said Yale Law School Dean Harold Koh... before snapping a photo for his city ID. The Yale Law School, through professors Bob Solomon and Mike Wishnie and the Yale law clinics, has pledged to represent the city in any legal battle over the ID... Of those who oppose the plan, Koh said: "I'm not sure how their life is diminished by people being able to prove they're part of the city."
If he can't figure out the many problems with this ID, is he in any way qualified to be Yale's Law School Dean? If he can figure out the many problems but he's simply lying, isn't he just as unqualified?
Please write presidents.office *at* yale.edu and suggest they find a law school dean who supports our laws rather than supporting attempts to subvert them.
[1] newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/07/immigrants_line.php
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:54 PM
Mexican consul from Little Rock encourages advocacy for illegal immigration
Andres Chao - Mexico's consul for their new outpost in Little Rock, Arkansas - visited Memphis and spoke to the "local Mexican community" at an event organized by the Hispanic Business Alliance:...The office has faced heavy demand for Mexican passports and matricula consular identification cards since its official opening in April, he said. Chao said there's a six-week waiting list for the in-person appointments required to get the documents...He is, in effect, encouraging those "civil leaders" to advocate for illegal immigration.
...Chao said the Little Rock consulate, which is about two hours' drive from Memphis, doesn't plan more mobile consulate events here this year. It will hold them in places much further away from Little Rock, such as southern Mississippi.
In response to a question about new laws in Tennessee and other states meant to crack down on illegal immigration, Chao said he can only go so far in his advocacy.
"As a diplomat, I have a limit," he said. But he said the civil leaders gathered in the room could do more and expressed hope that many such laws would be found unconstitutional.
Recall that in 2003, Arkansas governor Mick Huckabee asked Vicente Fox to build their new consulate in Little Rock. He even temporarily housed them in a state agency office at a rental rate of $1 per year.
Posted to Immigration_consul at 01:15 PM
Anthony Ramirez/NYT spins Morristown rally for illegal immigration supporters
You know the rule: if a politician commits a crime and his party affiliation isn't mentioned, that means he's a Democrat. Anthony Ramirez of the New York Times offers the corollary to that rule in "Unrest and Arrests at Immigration Rally", about an event that took place on Saturday in Morristown, New Jersey.All five of those arrested were counter-protesters who support illegal immigration. Despite having eight paragraphs to work with, Ramirez fails to explicitly note that. In fact, the only clue to the affiliations of some of those arrested comes from this:
In the most serious clash, a man threw two small metal cylinders at a pickup truck. When the driver of the truck and his female companion confronted the man, they were set upon by about 10 other men, said Lt. David Ackerman of the Morristown police.Most people will probably have tuned out by that point, and others who aren't paying attention won't realize that those who support illegal immigration were the ones arrested. And, there are still two more arrests that Ramirez doesn't cover, both from the illegal immigration-supporting side. And, even those paragraphs don't note that the ones who threw the cylinders were from the other side; some people might end up thinking it was a disagreement among those on the same side.
Three men were arrested and charged with assault, disorderly conduct and other charges. The rest fled, Lieutenant Ackerman said.
The woman was treated at Morristown Memorial Hospital, he said. The injured man had been one of the speakers at the rally, organized by the ProAmerica Society, which urges stricter enforcement of immigration laws...
Maybe the NYT could learn something about real reporting from their country cousins over at the Daily Record, who disclose the affiliations of those arrested in the third paragraph.
Please write Clark Hoyt with your thoughts: public *at* nytimes.com
Related:
Attacks on illegal immigration protesters
AP: Minuteman march turns violent
Los Angeles Times: Covering for Commies
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:23 PM
Bill Richardson misleads on immigration (again, and again...)
Not content to simply lie about the border fence or to be a shill for the OAS, on June 12, 2007 Bill Richardson made two misleading statements about immigration:
1. He offered the now-standard "false choice" between a massive legalization plan (i.e., amnesty) and mass deportations. He forgot to mention a third choice: "attrition". Under that plan we'd enforce our current laws in order to encourage many illegal aliens to return home voluntarily.
2. He claimed that legalization was not amnesty, ignoring how any such plan will be perceived by millions and millions of people around the world. They will definitely see it as amnesty, and they'll come a-running to take part in either the current or a future amnesty.
Even Arlen Specter and the New York Times have admitted that it's amnesty; can't Bill Richardson reach even their low standards for telling the truth?
Posted to Immigration2007a at 03:37 PM
Rep. Luis Gutierrez still promoting immigration "reform" (and serf labor)
Rep. Luis Gutierrez ("El Payaso"; D-IL) offers "Congress should restart immigration reform process". Even his co-author of the STRIVE Act, Jeff Flake, says their bill is dead. But, whether he knows that and is just playing to his base or whether he actually thinks it has a chance, he's keeping on keeping on:As most people who are familiar with the legislative process understand, being against something is easy. Embracing heated political rhetoric is easy. Pandering to conservative radio hosts and playing into people's fears is easy.Talk radio sure got under their skin, didn't it? Note also that in this context, "immigrant" means "illegal alien", because that's who 'reform" is targetting. And, as he did before, Gutierrez is in effect supporting low-wage workers working in undesirable conditions.
You know what is not easy, and what was often overlooked during the debate, is the struggle and sacrifice of the immigrant who gets up at the crack of dawn each morning to go take care of someone else's kids, or the young father working the midnight shift on a cleaning crew, or the woman picking vegetables in oppressive heat for 12 hours a day. You know what is not easy is worrying each day that your husband will not come home from work or that you will be swept up in a raid and your U.S. citizen children will be left helpless and alone.
He goes on to mislead and display how he's not doing his job:
Let's start with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). He is on record as saying "if it hurts the bill, I'm for it." Let's put aside the fact that he was trying to hurt our efforts to add thousands of additional border agents and create the most robust employment verification system in our nation's history, and that he was effectively advocating for the horrific status quo of porous borders, workplace discrimination and exploitation and the continued destruction of families.Obviously, the bill did much more than Gutierrez lists above, and those parts (the massive amnesty for instance) were what DeMint was opposed to. And, Gutierrez could do something about the negatives in the last sentence... by opposing illegal immigration. Instead, he supports illegal immigration, and I think we know why:
First, we must better organize and mobilize our immigrant community and our true allies. We need to redouble our efforts to naturalize immigrants, register them to vote and turn them out on Election Day. Immigrants will remember who stood with them for fairness and justice and will elect leaders and representatives who stand for border security, economic vitality and family unity.In brief, Democrat Luis Gutierrez is willing to put better working conditions and his oath to support our laws aside, just as long as he can get votes out of the deal.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:47 PM
Shocker: politicians are scared of citizen questions
Mitt Romney is apparently going to pull out of the next CNN/Youtube "debate" because he doesn't want to answer questions like those from snowmen. Rudy Giuliani is likewise unsure. Hugh Hewitt thinks it will turn into a chance for CNN to ask a series of leftwing questions, and is suggesting against taking part.
A look at the questions for the debate submitted so far shows that they have little to fear. Unless, of course, they're afraid of asking a question from a hot dog (link). Maybe Sharon Fox has them scared. Maybe it was the worthless question asking them to simply state their position on illegal immigration. Maybe it was the question giving them a golden opportunity to nail Bill Richardson for his support for giving universal healthcare to illegal aliens. In any case, none of the questions are as difficult as the ones I've made, and I haven't even got around to making any videos for the GOP.
If these candidates can't even withstand these puffballs, just think how they'd handle some really tough questions, such as those at the last link, or these for John Edwards or John McCain. All it takes is a few people to get out on the campaign trail with a video camera and ask some tough questions and then publicize the answers, and not only would that have an effect on the presidential race, it would also help reveal even more just how corrupt the mainstream media is.
Since we now know where the candidates are weakest, why isn't anyone taking advantage of it?
Posted to Politics at 11:48 AM
WSJ: open the borders so hurling players can come here
No headline I can create would outdo the actual ones supplied by the Wall Street Journal and/or their crack writer Conor Dougherty:Hurling in America Has a Problem -- Too Few Irishmen/The Lure of the Old Sod And Immigration Issues Make for a Player ShortageIt goes on like that.
For five years straight, the Clan Na nGael sports club in Atlanta sent a team to the North American Hurling Championships. That ended a year ago: Try as it did, Clan Na nGael could muster only 12 players, and it takes at least 13 to make a team.
...Hurling -- a centuries-old sport that has elements of field hockey and lacrosse -- has an immigration problem. With the Irish economy booming and the U.S. tightening borders, Irish expatriates are returning home and fewer newcomers are taking their place...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:18 PM
Arlen Specter floats new amnesty plan (apartheid version) (Kyl)
From this:Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said he's floating a plan that would grant legal status to the nation's 12 million illegal immigrants, but offer no path to citizenship.And, here we thought it wasn't amnesty. What Specter proposes - even if it worked - would create a permanent group of "second-class citizens" akin to that in Germany. Even Lindsey Graham says "Europe has paid a heavy price for that stuff."
"It might be the equivalent of a green card," Specter said Thursday. "The main thrust is to bring the 12 million out of the shadows," and eliminate the fear of arrest or deportation.
Specter said conservatives who last month derailed a comprehensive immigration bill might accept his plan because it would not allow the 12 million to seek citizenship status.
"We litigated amnesty and that lost," Specter said...
But, it probably wouldn't work as planned, with new marches designed to give citizenship to those newly out of the "shadows". He also says he's been in touch with the Grand Bargainers including the White House.
UPDATE: Continuing the attempt to get amnesty after some initial window dressing, Senator Jon Kyl is also going to introduce a security-first bill in August.
UPDATE 2: From this:
"[Specter is] a fairly classic negotiator trying to figure out a way to square the circle," Kyl said. "He's good at that. He's come up with an idea. I'm just dubious he can pull it off right now."
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:14 PM
National Guard border force to be halved; "private contractors" to augment Border Patrol?
From this:The number of National Guard troops posted near the southern border nationally and in Arizona will drop by half in September, but federal officials have assured Gov. Janet Napolitano that key personnel will remain... While those numbers will drop by half within the next couple of months, Napolitano said the drawdown will involve troops performing administrative duties, not those conducting surveillance and other security functions... "They're not moving Guard from actual observation posts," Napolitano said Wednesday. "What they're doing is removing people from back-office duties."Meanwhile, from July 7:
The U.S. Border Patrol could dramatically increase its presence on the nation's southern frontier by adding hundreds of private contractors [aka "mercenaries"] to its ranks, according to a proposal presented to Congress last month.
DynCorp International, a Virginia-based military security firm, said it could train and deploy 1,000 private agents to the U.S.-Mexico border within 13 months, offering a quick surge of law enforcement officers to a region struggling to clamp down on illegal immigration.
...So far, the idea has received a tepid response from officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who say their hiring efforts are on schedule.
"That's not even something the Border Patrol would consider," said Ramon Rivera, a Washington-based spokesman for the agency. "We are on track (for hiring) and should be meeting our numbers for 2008."
But the proposal has gained early support from some Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., who introduced a bill last summer that would mandate the addition of 5,000 to 8,000 contract agents.
The bill died in committee, but Rogers may reintroduce it if the Border Patrol fails to meet its hiring goals, his staffers said...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 04:54 PM
Hazleton ordinance blocked by judge James Munley; ACLU wins for now
U.S. District judge James Munley (a Clinton appointee) has struck down Hazleton Pennsylvania's Illegal Immigration Relief Act, a big win for the ACLU, a group indirectly linked to the Mexican government.
You can download the 200 page ruling in a PDF linked from either of these:
lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2007/07/breaking-news-p.html
aclupa.blogspot.com/2007/07/we-won.html
I just scanned the beginning, but the judge's arguments regarding the harm that the plaintiffs endured seem rather weak. For instance, the Lechugas complained about a police car parked outside their restaurant and said that played a part in it being shut down because people said it was there to take away their customers:
Lechuga blamed his lack of business on the City's activities. A police car was often parked across the street from the restaurant, and after a police officer paid a visit, "people began to comment that the police [were] there to take the clients away when they came to eat."
Should Hazleton be held responsible for such myth-making? Regarding Lechuga's first claim, see: ACLU's anti-Hazleton star witness admits myth-making.
Regarding a landlord plaintiff the judge says:
We disagree with the defendant that these injuries cannot be recognized by the law because they constitute a complaint about an inability to rent to illegal immigrants. The plaintiffs testified that they were unaware of the immigration status of their renters. No evidence, therefore, indicates that the renters they lost were illegal immigrants. Such tenants may have been legal residents who did not desire to live in a town that appeared (to them) to seek to exclude Spanish-speaking residents. Such tenants may also have concluded that they did not want to register with the town and provide private information to the City as a condition of residing there. Perhaps they found the fees required for a permit onerous. In any case, we will not assume that the renters plaintiff lost were necessarily illegal immigrants.
Bolding added. Once again, if they have such unjustified feelings, should Hazleton be held responsible? Should the judge strike down all other cases where residents of a town have to provide personal information, such as when obtaining a building, dog, or bike license? Those involve fees as well.
Hopefully this will be appealed and a higher court will have more sense.
I've pointed out many times before how you - yes, you - can resolve this issue: discredit those who support illegal immigration. If that's done, judges like Munley will just be far-left voices in the wilderness.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:51 AM
New Haven: John DeStefano has financial interest in illegal immigration?
As previously discussed, New Haven Connecticut is passing out ID cards to their residents, including illegal aliens. The program was designed by a current city employee who used to head up a non-profit organization (Junta for Progressive Action) that's collaborating with the Mexican government.
Now, it turns out that Mayor John DeStefano or others may have a financial stake in the matter. It involves DeStefano possibly going to work for a bank that was started to give loans to serve the low income "immigrant" community, and the bank was started with part of a "contribution" from another bank that wanted to change their charter. This is all just speculation, but it does need to be investigated.
7/29/07 UPDATE: From newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/07/immigrants_line.php
The [unnamed] group claims DeStefano will profit from the ID because he is on the board of directors at the First City Fund Corp, a $25 million fund formed as a benefit to the community when the New Haven Savings Bank got converted into NewAlliance Bank. The mayor said he would probably sit on the board of directors of the new community bank, which has agreed to let patrons open a new bank account using the Elm City ID... DeStefano dismissed the issue as a bogus argument veiling underlying bigotry. "There is no compensation whatsoever" to board members, he said. "[Protesters] are afraid to articulate their ignorance and their prejudice about this population, so what they do is they lie. They lie, and they cloak themselves in the American flag as they do it."
I'm sure we're all looking forward to one day seeing DeStefano doing the perp walk.
There's more on the bank here: newhavenindependent.org/archives/2007/02/a_banker_a_drea.php
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:54 AM
Welcome the latest member of Team Lonewacko!
In order to get into Google News, I'm converting this site into a group blog. Sure, some might have thought it was a group blog already, given that both Robert Hilburn and an apparent Clintonian agent have all posted here. But those were all just very clever fakes.
This time it's for real. Due to a recent downsizing at his company, next week we'll be bringing on board famed journalist and thought leader Ed Anger. Please welcome him to the team.
Posted to WackyHumor at 10:45 PM
Fred Thompson shows how to deal with truthers!
Go, Fred, go! On the following clip, Fred Thompson is asked about his membership in the Council on Foreign Relations and their support for the (internet hoax known as the) North American Union by the "truther" who runs houston911truth.org (her musings on the event). He responds smooth as silk to her concerns. At the end, she's forcibly ejected by the Houston police after she starts screaming about WTC 7 being an inside job! This is how you deal with scum like this:
While some might say she obviously has a few issues, I'm prepared to say she's completely nuts. The only thing I wish is that Thompson or his staff had been more directly involved in her ejection; perhaps they need to learn from the masters.
Previously:
Fred Thompson linked to Bush family
Fred Thompson: illegal alien amnesty supporter?
Posted to Politics at 10:05 PM
Harry Reid blocks Lindsey Graham's border security-first bill
No, you read the title correct: Lindsey Graham tried to tack on an amendment to a Homeland Security funding bill that would have provided $3 billion just to be spent on border security. Yes, that Lindsay Graham, the one who said there were no votes for enforcement-only. A list of the provisions is at [1]. Now Graham says:"Border security is the gate that you must pass through to get overall comprehensive reform."Just part of the wranglings are further described:
Democratic leaders were scrambling after the Republican senators announced their proposal. The leadership did not want to put its members in the position of having to vote against border security. But there were parts of Graham's amendment that Democrats could not accept, such as mandatory jail time for people who crossed the border illegally after having once been deported.Further wranglings involved Sen. John Cornyn.
At one point, Majority Leader Harry Reid offered an amendment to Graham's amendment that would have tacked on the Ag Jobs guest worker and legalization plan and the DREAM Act.
But in the end, Reid used a procedural maneuver to sideline the Republican amendment as well as his addition to it. He objected to the amendment because its provisions, he said, would be making legislative policy on a spending bill, something the Senate does not do.
The Senate voted 52-44 on that procedural vote. It would have taken 60 votes to make it possible to vote on the Republicans' measure...
UPDATE: See Lindsey Graham border security-only amendment did pass
[1] lawprofessors.typepad.com/immigration/2007/07/republicans-int.html
Posted to Immigration2007a at 07:36 PM
John Edwards: Silky Pony now roadie
From this:
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards squeezed into a pair of Spandex bike shorts today and pedaled on the RAGBRAI route with champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.
In fact, here's a picture:
The candidate was sweaty after about a dozen miles, but there was no evidence of helmet hair.
Look, I ride my bike on the road and on bike paths too, so I can't be too critical. However, "roadie" is a state of mind, and one that I thankfully don't have. It's no surprise that Edwards would fit right in with the "lifestyle".
Some may have seen this coming: this, this.
Posted to Politics at 04:53 PM
"Declaration of North American Integration" doesn't mean North American Union!
Just because two mayors (Kay Barnes, formerly of Kansas City MO and Mick Cornett currently of Oklahoma City) and various other officials and business leaders from the U.S., Mexico and Canada signed something called the "Declaration of North American Integration" back in 2004 doesn't mean they support the fabled "North American Union", which is just an invention of Internet conspiracy kooks.Just because this document (PDF) consistently refers to "North American integration" and treats the three countries as if they were one doesn't mean anything!
No sirree!
The document was presented at the May 2004 summit meeting of the North American International Trade Corridor Partnership, or NAITCP. According to an Internet-archived summary report of the meeting, held in Kansas City, Mo., the document was signed by 90 people...Others signing on included Chris Gutierrez of the Kansas City SmartPort, James Jones (Former Ambassador of the United States to Mexico), Geronimo Gutierrez, and the ubiquitous Robert Pastor. Corporations involved included Bayer and Kansas City Southern Industries.
"Oklahoma has been at work for almost 15 years to get I-35 designated as a NAFTA superhighway," [Adam Rott, founder of watchdog blog Oklahoma Corridor Watch] said. "I want to wake Oklahomans up to the reality that Oklahoma is on the front lines of the battle being waged by investment bankers, foreign investment consortia and politicians who stand to benefit to expand the TTC-35 north into Oklahoma."
...On June 24, 2005, NAITCP signed a memorandum of understanding with the North America SuperCorridor Coalition, or NASCO, effectively absorbing NAITCP into NASCO. An archived NASCO webpage no longer displayed on the current NASCO website documents that NAITCP had its origin as a "non-profit organization in Mexico dedicated to economic development and improving trade relations through the heartland of America to Canada and Mexico."
FWIW UPDATE: OKC mayor Mick Cornett now says:
"I do not favor the North American Union... It was a pretty stupid thing to get involved with three years ago. I don't necessarily remember what I was thinking at the time, but I can speak for now and I do not favor a North American Union."
Posted to NAU at 12:15 PM
MovableType wouldn't load, and what I did
I hate Perl. Hate, hate, hate. Absolutely hate it. Did I mention how much I hate it? Unfortunately, Moveable Type is written in Perl, although later versions also have some PHP. Also unfortunately, this site uses MT. So, when I was recently unable to login to my site, I ran through a checklist of things that could be the matter and I eventually assumed that it had something to do with Movable Type trying to reach some URL that was down, and I assumed that URL was one of the ones affected by today's outage at (I guess) Mae West in San Jose (UPDATE: it was at a company called 365 Main, link). Despite hating Perl, I searched through the source and found what I thought was the culprit, and it appears that I was right: MT was trying to access this address: http://www.movabletype.org/news/newsbox.html which, at present, doesn't load.
Bottom line: to stop this behavior (at least on 3.14 or whatever I'm using), add the following line to mt.cfg:
NewsboxURL disable
That goes to this chunk of code:
my $newsbox_url = $app->{cfg}->NewsboxURL;
if ($newsbox_url && $newsbox_url ne 'disable') {
...
Posted to Bloggage at 09:45 PM
Send CNN a message about the Youtube "debate"
The Youtube/CNN debate sucked. The questions that CNN selected were little different from what MSM hacks would have asked; the videos from "average citizens" were little more than props. Of course, that's to be expected: if CNN had selected any of the small number of tough questions, it would have revealed them and the rest of the mainstream media for the corrupt hacks they are.
If you'd like to send CNN a message, please view and rate the following 1 second video. All it says is, "CNN's choice of questions for the debate really sucked", with Frosty the Snowman or whatever it is in the background. He had the toughest question of the night: "what do you intend to do about global warming?" I'm sure the candidates were quaking in their loafers as they realized they'd have to answer that incredibly difficult question.
Posted to Politics at 09:44 PM
LULAC, National Council of La Raza, "liberals", and the Fairness Doctrine
When the left-wing support for free speech meets racial power groups like the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Council of La Raza, watch out. Consider:The nation's largest Hispanic advocacy group says it must come up with a strategy to combat "a wave of hate" its leaders say came from talk radio's efforts to sink the Senate's immigration bill.While they don't appear to have specifically come out for the Fairness Doctrine, a couple weeks before that event, Laura Elizabeth Morales of the Young Conservatives of Texas said:
"That had an extraordinary impact in the Senate, and as a nation, I don't think we should be comfortable with the fact that the United States Senate responded to what was largely a wave of hate," Cecilia Munoz, the National Council of La Raza's senior vice president for research, advocacy and legislation, told The Washington Times after meeting with NCLR affiliates to talk about a new strategy.
I talked with a spokesperson from the National Council on La Raza. When discussing the right wing's alleged anti-immigrant rhetoric she said:And:
"[The Fairness Doctrine] is a partial solution."
Domingo Garcia, the national co-chairman of the civil rights commission of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), announced at the group's annual convention last week that he has asked U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to introduce legislation to re-regulate broadcasters through the "Fairness Doctrine."On a related note, from "Some in Congress pushing for reinstatement of Fairness Doctrine" (link):
"These are public airwaves and the public should be entitled to a fair presentation," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who is considering whether the Fairness Doctrine should be restored... in January, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), who is running for president, announced that with Democrats back in the House majority, he planned to hold hearings on reviving the policy because media consolidation has made it harder for some voices to be heard... "Talk radio is running America. We have to deal with the problem," said Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.). And Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) said they favored restoring the Fairness Doctrine... Rep. Maurice D. Hinchey (D-N.Y.) said the rest of the media presented a balanced view of controversial issues, and the Fairness Doctrine would simply reimpose that requirement on talk radio... Hinchey is readying legislation to reinstitute the doctrine as part of a broad package of media ownership reforms.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:41 PM
CNN/Youtube Democratic debate: live coverage
[UPDATE 5: 10/15/08 McCain/Obama coverage here.]
[UPDATE 4: 10/07/08 McCain/Obama coverage here.]
[UPDATE 3: 10/02/08 Palin/Biden coverage here.]
[UPDATE 2: 9/26/08 McCain/Obama coverage here.]
[UPDATE: If you too think the debate sucked, please vote up this 1 second video saying... the debate sucked.]
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One of the people who selected the extremely puffball questions is Sam Feist, their Political Director. Could everyone send him an email letting him know what you think? He's at sam.feist *at* cnn.com and I'm sure he'd love to hear from you.
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For an example of just how badly CNN screwed America, consider the question about whether their universal healthcare plans would include "undocumented" workers. First, I'd be surprised if that's not the case for each of their plans. Second, as with all the other useless questions, that information is no doubt available on their websites. Third, if I were able to ask that question - and several follow-ups - on national television I have absolutely no doubt that I could end the political career of whomever I was interrogating.
Instead of doing anything like that, all the question did was give Dodd a chance to go back to the earlier healthcare question, and then Cooper asked Richardson to answer the question. Richardson, of course, answered that his plan would cover not just the "undocumented", but any "American". And, of course, Cooper didn't point out that illegal aliens aren't Americans. Neither did Anderson Cooper ask Richardson any of the tough follow-up questions that could have easily ended Bill Richardson's political career.
So, why didn't he? Could it be that CNN and Anderson Cooper are simply completely corrupt, and this debate was just a show? Of course not. Not at all.
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Taking a break from the news-making and the hard-hitting discussion of policy issues, CNN's Anderson Cooper is showing some "personal stories".
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Who knew? Barack Obama support social security. Thanks CNN!
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Was that Sally Jessy Raphael or the Christina or something from Univision in the audience?
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Here's a "stumper" of my own: why have there been zero questions about immigration so far, when a large percentage of Americans rate it as "important" or "very important" in several polls? And, especially since the Dems are so weak on that issue that asking them a series of tough questions about immigration could end any of their political careers? Could it have anything to do with the MSM and the candidates being both afraid of discussing this vital topic and supportive of massive immigration?
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Why I never! A talking snowman asking an oh-so-tough question about global warming! How will the candidates respond to such a tough, meaningful question? Why, with their stock speeches of course.
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Who was your favorite teacher? Look, CNN dudes, you do realize these people want to be the leader of the free world, right? Don't you think you could choose questions just a wee tiny bit more substantial?
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During the break, let's all compare the crappy questions that have been asked so far to my question for Hillary. How happy do you think she would have been if she had been asked that question on national TV? Shouldn't asking them tough questions and making them defend their policies be the whole point?
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One thing I've noticed from the beginning but I haven't mentioned so far is that Hillary is indeed looking quite peach tonight. However, her ears are a slightly less-peach shade, leading me to suspect that she's been painted and/or sprayed that color... developing...
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Now, Hillary and Dodd are bloviating for the creation of a Young Pioneers mandatory public service program...
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A question on Darfur has given Bill Richardson and Joe Biden chances to bloviate.
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Why am I doing this? Who am I? Why am I here?
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Finally, the very first question about a candidate's actual policies, albeit still a week question: why doesn't John Edwards support gay marriage? This avenue actually was a bit productive, including putting Edwards on the spot.
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Now here's another gutsy question: do the candidates support gay marriage? Wow, without Mary and Jen asking that question, I don't know where the f I would look for that information. I heard about candidates having f'ing websites and making f'ing speeches where that information might be found, but I've never ever seen one of those.
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This is really turning into a race-baiting fest now, with a question about whether the response to Katrina would have been different if it had occured in an upscale white community and about whether Hillary is feminine enough or Obama is black enough. If that upscale white community had been San Francisco or Portland, the response from the Bush administration probably would have been the same. And, rather than giving Bill Richardson an opportunity to make empty promises, how about asking him whether he supports illegal aliens being able to rush in and take rebuilding jobs from American hurricane victims? Wouldn't that be a better question?
John Edwards doesn't want the votes of those who'd vote against Hillary because she's a woman or Obama because he's black. Such guts to play the race card like that!
Edwards also wants to raise the minimum wage to $50 $9.50 an hour by 2012.
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OK, I spoke too soon. Asking about reparations is a bit controversial. Edwards: against it; now going into spiel about insurance companies. Obama: also apparently against it; going into his own spiel. Kucinich only one for reparations; he's also going to take on the insurance companies.
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Wow. CNN is really getting these candidates out of their comfort zones and doing a great service to the nation.
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Holey moley! Now, Rob Porter has the earth-shattering question relating to how Hillary defines "liberal" and whether she considers herself one. This has enabled the Hildabeest to launch into a spiel about how she's a "progressive", a word that most people consider a euphemism for "crypto-socialist".
Thank God for Mike Gravel, who's now calling Obama on his BS. Obama disagrees; Gravel wanted to respond but Anderson Cooper - like an idiotic tour guide on schedule - wanted to get back to the "real" questions.
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Wow! It gets even better! Davis Fleetwood wants Dennis Kucinich to tell us why he'd be better than Hillary or Obama. I'm sure that information isn't already on Kucinich's website, and I'm sure he hasn't already answered that question 10 million times.
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Zach Kempf asks a very good question about what the candidates are going to do different. That question will give the candidates a great change to launch into their standard "I am different" speeches. Thanks Zach, thanks CNN!
Oh no! They aren't going to feature people in masks.
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In a few short hours, this site will be providing live coverage of the ChrisMatthewsWolfBlitzerPuffballPart2 debate, aka the CNN/Youtube Democratic debate. We will be offering not just coverage, but meta-coverage and even some meta-meta-coverage if we can find any other meta around.
Posted to Politics at 12:33 PM
Obama proud of "walking the walk" on supporting illegal immigration
Some senators just talk the talk on being supporters of massive illegal activity. Senator Barack Obama walks the walk and he's not afraid to point that out. Speaking at the convention of the extremist-funding National Council of La Raza yesterday, he said:
"Find out how many senators appeared before an immigration rally last year. Who was talking the talk, and who walked the walk — because I walked [in the May 1, 2006 rally]...I didn't run away from the issue, and I didn't just talk about it in front of Latino audiences... [the recent 'debate' over the Senate bill] was both ugly and racist in a way we haven't see since the struggle for civil rights."
Now, here's a minor problem for B. Hussein Obama: the rally he marched in was organized by people linked to the Mexican government and Mexican political parties. Extensive documentation at the link, and a question that I strongly urge everyone to try to publicly ask Obama here.
Should U.S. Senators really be marching in rallies organized by those linked to foreign governments? Is Obama confused about which country signs his paychecks?
He also promised that if he were elected president he'd make sure and pass immigration "reform" during his first term. He also reiterated his support for the anti-American DREAM Act.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:12 AM
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama speak to extremist-funding National Council of La Raza
From this:Two top Democratic contenders in the presidential race are in South Florida to address the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights group.It does so much more: it also allows illegal aliens to take college discounts from U.S. citizens.
Sunday morning, New York Senator Hillary Clinton told the gathering at the Miami Beach Convention Center, she would prefer to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that would provide a path to legalization for immigrants in the United States.
But, she was quick to add, there were some aspects of the current immigration reform proposal that she believes have a chance of passing on their own. For example, she pointed to the so called "Deam Act" that would help students who are brought to the U.S. as young children go to college and eventually become citizens.
Barack Obama may have already appeared this afternoon; others who spoke to the extremist-funding group included Florida governor Charlie Crist, Lee Scott (president of WalMart) and the right reverend Al Sharpton. Mitt Romney, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani were invited but had scheduling conflicts, or something. The NCLR is also kicking off a voter registration drive for immigrants; of course, if someone is eligible to vote they are technically speaking no longer and "immigrant".
UPDATE: From this:
Mrs. Clinton said she has been trying "to understand where all of the venom and the incredible anxiety came from" in the immigration debate."I am very disappointed, and I was really quite offended by the tone of the debate and some of what was said by outside parties who were trying to influence the debate," she said... "Until recently, I did not hear the kind of insecurity and opposition to bringing immigrants into American society as I hear today," she said, adding that when her husband was in office, "people were too busy getting a better future for themselves... They didn't talk to me about what was or wasn't on their minds about immigration..."Of course, unlike Obama's outright promise to pass immigration "reform" during his first term, Hillary would only promise her "best efforts." And:
In response to two audience questions, Mrs. Clinton would not promise to end large-scale raids on illegal aliens in the workplace, which have led to families being separated. Instead, she said she would ask her Homeland Security Department to target employers as well... "It is time they start going after the employers who abuse and exploit undocumented workers instead of just going after the workers themselves," she said... Mrs. Clinton spoke in an informal setting designed more like a late-night TV-interview set. Sitting in a red armchair, she first fielded soft questions from Monica Lozano, publisher and CEO of La Opinion, and then answered five questions from the audience.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 02:54 PM
Enter the CNN/Youtube "Debate" Contest Meta-Contest!
As we all know by now, on Monday CNN and Youtube will be holding a debate which will most likely be a "debate". The moderator is none other than Super Puffball Anderson Cooper, former anchor for a news program for kids (Channel 1). Some of the questions will be provided by users of that service, and in fact there have been over 2000 entries so far. However, CNN itself is choosing the questions that will be asked (via this):
At CNN, a small group led by led by Senior Vice President David Bohrman and CNN Political Director Sam Feist [contact info: sam.feist *at* cnn.com] is looking over the questions... Bohrman said there may be some questions that challenge the candidates... "There's not going to be a foolish, gotcha question because we're not out there to stump," Bohrman said. "We're out there to actually see how people who want to be president think and handle issues and questions and people that are slightly outside of their comfort zones... There are questions that we, the journalists, we, the mainstream media, would never think to ask in the presidential debate."
Ooooo... I'm sure the candidates are scared. Those who want what may be the most powerful job in the world might be "challenged" by some of the questions... they'll be taken out of their "comfort zones" just a tiny bit. And, I'd imagine that my question for Hillary Clinton falls under the "foolish gotcha" banner. Is asking questions designed to stump someone who'd have to deal with North Korea really that "foolish"? If Hillary can't deal with that question, how is she going to deal with Iran?
(If you aren't mainstreamed out enough already, you can watch Howie Kurtz interview Ana Marie Cox and Glenn Reynolds about the debate.)
On his TV show and in various promotional videos Cooper has telegraphed just about as loud as he possibly can that this is going to be the touchiest-feeliest, puffiest of the puffball debates possible, spiced with comic reliefs designed to contrast the wacky, wild internet vs. the respectable, responsible world of journalistic hacks.
So, in order to make it somewhat interesting, I propose a contest. The winner who's closest with the answers to the following questions will win a date with either Anderson Cooper, Marc Cooper, or Larry King (subject to the winner's, their doctor's, and their approval):
Q: How many video questions will feature people wearing masks? (My answer: 3)
Q: How many will feature either a puppet, a muppet, an animated character, or similar? (My answer: 1)
Q: What are the chances that my entry will be shown? (My answer: 1/infinity)
Q: How many questions will not be greeted with a sigh of relief by the candidates, as they go on to say "Good question!" followed by their standard stump speech? (My answer: none).
Posted to Politics at 02:11 PM
Mexican ambassador admits mistakes, hypocrisy, changes tactics not goal
From this:Mexico's ambassador to the United States yesterday said previous Mexican officials made a "dumb mistake" by issuing comic books to aid illegal aliens crossing the border, and said his government cannot criticize U.S. treatment of illegal aliens as long as Mexico has harsh laws on its books.You betcha:
"It's very hard for Mexico to preach to the north what it does not do to the south," Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan said in a meeting with editors and reporters at The Washington Times, referring to Mexico's felony penalties for, and sometimes cruel treatment of, those caught crossing its southern border.
"Unless we correct the fundamental challenge of the violation of human rights of Latin American or Central American migrants crossing the border into Mexico, it's very hard for me to come up and wag a finger and say you guys should protect the rights of my citizens in this country," he said, adding that changes to the Mexican law are now pending.
..."The debate over immigration is an internal debate of the United States, and as such, I hope, this house noted a dramatic shift in the positioning of the Mexican government as of Dec. 1..."
From May 18, 2007: "The Mexican government has been in permanent communication with distinct actors in the [immigration] debate."
From April 1, 2007 (no, not a joke): Mexican government wants to take Minuteman Project members "into custody"
From February 21, 2007: Mexico to push even harder for a massive illegal alien amnesty
But Mr. Sarukhan said Mexican officials understand Americans' trepidation and desire for a secure border, and he said they are well aware of the consequences if a breach of the U.S.-Mexican border were to be involved in a future attack on U.S. security.No doubt he means as "guest" workers, or via massive chain migration, or perhaps even as part of the "North American Community".
"The day that happens, this relationship as we have known it, is over," he said. "I would say Mexico and the United States are working extremely well in trying to ensure that border is not used to underpin or challenge the national security of the United States."
...The ambassador said Mexico's eventual goal is the same as that of the U.S.: "The end game for us, the Mexican government, is to ensure every single Mexican who crosses this border does so legally."
Posted to Immigration_consul at 03:36 PM
Agrigeddon! WSJ says fewer cukes being grown this year
The Wall Street Journal offers "Immigration Non-Harvest" (PDF), which is designed to promote the AgJOBS amnesty. The tale is not to be taken seriously and is presented here only because it's so funny:
...This spring, labor shortages forced Michigan growers to leave asparagus rotting in the fields, while farmers in North Carolina lost nearly a third of their cucumber crop last year. They're growing fewer cukes this summer... Growers who can't find enough workers to pick cantaloupe and eggplant are already substituting row crops such as wheat, corn or soybeans that are more highly mechanized. The irony is that specialty crops are also the fastest-growing segment of agribusiness and the least subsidized by taxpayers. So the farm labor shortage could push growers toward government-subsidized crops that distort the world trading system...
Because, as we all know, illegal labor is completely free to the rest of us and isn't subsidized in any way.
...But a more heavily fortified southern border and government immigration raids have busted up this efficient North American labor market...
I would hope that most non-hack economists wouldn't consider a market that relies on massive political corruption to be a real market at all.
The resulting labor shortage is leading some employers to desperate measures. In upstate New York, dairy farmers have formed informal networks, so that when one farm is raided and loses workers, surrounding farms spare some of their own labor to help minimize the economic damage.
*cough* conspiracy charges *cough*
According to Tim Chelling of the Western Growers Association, whose 3,000 members in California and Arizona generate half of the nation's fresh produce, "there's a quiet exodus going on already, tens of thousands of acres and millions of dollars in economic activity."
Can he be trusted? Even if he's telling the truth should we really care? Could the exodus be a bit louder so we could show up to say good-bye to them?
If the U.S. can't import foreign workers to help harvest American farm products, the U.S. will have to import more foreign farm products harvested by foreign workers. Either that, or Americans will pay a lot more for fruits and vegetables as their supply shrinks. Blame Mr. Dobbs and Tom Tancredo the next time you're appalled by prices at the grocery.
I'm sure many of the readers of the WSJ have someone else do the shopping for them, and in any case no one who's serious thinks that restricting illegal labor would raise prices by any great amount. And, while there are certainly risks involved in importing food from other countries, perhaps moving production to where the cheap labor is rather than the other way around is the more natural and better way to do things.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 01:12 PM
Barack Obama: some genocide is acceptable
Unlike others, I'm not going to call this "Obama: Genocide Is Okay" (link) or "Barack Obama, The Pro Genocide Candidate" (link), because I feel that the title is correct: presidential candidate and Democrat Barack Obama is simply saying that some level of genocide is perfectly acceptable. Kind of like background noise:Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there.Ah, for the good old days when "liberals" actually opposed things like genocide. Wave bye-bye to Mr. B. Hussein Obama, kids.
"Well, look, if that's the criteria by which we are making decisions on the deployment of U.S. forces, then by that argument you would have 300,000 troops in the Congo right now - where millions have been slaughtered as a consequence of ethnic strife - which we haven't done," Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press...
"Nobody is proposing we leave precipitously. There are still going to be U.S. forces in the region that could intercede, with an international force, on an emergency basis," Obama said between stops on the first of two days scheduled on the New Hampshire campaign trail. "There's no doubt there are risks of increased bloodshed in Iraq without a continuing U.S. presence there."
The greater risk is staying in Iraq, Obama said.
"It is my assessment that those risks are even greater if we continue to occupy Iraq and serve as a magnet for not only terrorist activity but also irresponsible behavior by Iraqi factions," he said...
Posted to Politics at 10:55 PM
Rudy Giuliani wants your thoughts on 12 Commitments to the American People (he just won't print them)
Rudy Giuliani has a new video at Youtube where he:
asks You Tube viewers for their opinion on his 12 Commitments to the American People. Voters are encouraged to leave their video or text responses here on You Tube or on Rudys12Commitments.com.
At post time, no comments are showing. Now hold on there, reaching for your Orwellian allusions and all: it could be a technical glitch. I know for a fact there were 12 comments or so there earlier today (almost all positive), and in fact the comment counter says there are 12 comments. I'm also sure there are more than that number, since I left a couple pointing out errors in pledge #2 ("I will end illegal immigration, secure our borders, and identify every non-citizen in our nation."):
I strongly suspect Rudy will "end illegal immigration" through a name change: sooner or later converting every illegal alien into a legal worker through a series of massive amnesties. Presto, chango, no more illegal immigration.
And:
As for identifying "every non-citizen in our nation", to be effective and to avoid racial profiling that will eventually expand to include every citizen. Welcome to a police state.
I'm sure the comments will come back, just as soon as they figure out what to do.
7/20 UPDATE: The video has recorded almost 200,000 views, and the comment counter still reads 12... none of which are shown. This is certainly the guy we want putting everyone in the U.S. in a database.
7/22 UPDATE: Now the video has over 300,000 views, and the comments are back! All 40 of them, with only one of them raising even the slightest of questions. There are also some more marked as spam, including laudatory comments for some reason.
7/23 UPDATE: Now almost 350,000 views, and the number of comments is up to a whopping 51! I'm sure - except for the couple I posted - that represents all the comments that have been left, since most YT videos have a view/comment ratio of 7000 to 1.
Posted to Politics at 10:01 PM
Jeff Flake: STRIVE Act (House amnesty) doesn't have a prayer. But...
Some comments from Rep. Jeff Flake ("Smiley"; R-AZ) on the Flake-Gutierrez STRIVE Act (House amnesty) are here. Asked whether it has a chance:
Not a prayer. No, I just don't see the Democrats wanting to take it up. I mean with the Senate bill dead I just don't think there's going to be any serious comprehensive legislation to move. There may be some political statement legislation or some single elements go through... maybe [agriculture] jobs [AgJOBS] or something, but I just don't see comprehensive reform moving at all.
In a way, this is actually a bad thing: it's harder to push through something "comprehensive" like the Senate bill or the STRIVE Act, but it's easier to push through bits and pieces like AgJOBS or the DREAM Act.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:52 PM
Dennis Kucinich hospitalized with "food poisoning"
At least, that's the official tale. We here suspect extreme exhaustion:
Of course, it might be something other than his wife. We could in fact be witnessing Hillary Clinton starting to bump off this round of her enemies.
Posted to WackyHumor at 07:42 PM
David Gonzalez/New York Times on white power obtained through anchor babies
David Gonzalez of the New York Times has a shocking report on plans by some Irish and other white illegal aliens to gain political power in NYC through the use of anchor babies:
Lucky enough to be born in New York, Daisy and Sean are citizens, for whom voting and civic participation are a birthright and duty. They grew up as pint-size bilingual guides helping their parents understand what was happening at school meetings and visits to the doctor's office. They are active in a youth group at Hope of the Neighborhood, a local advocacy group that started out helping street vendors. And while they have to wait to cast their first ballots — Daisy is 17 and Sean 15 — they already feel a special responsibility to help their neighbors.
Of course, by "neighbors", Gonzalez is refering to illegal aliens from Ireland and other European countries. He is specifically not refering to all those who live in their neighborhood, just whites.
Robert C. Smith, a professor of public affairs at Baruch College who has extensively studied New York's white populations, estimated that the city's half-million Irish, German, and Polish could have as many as 150,000 children born in the United States. Another big chunk of children came to New York in the early 1990s, when they were reunited with parents who benefited from a 1986 amnesty law that made them legal residents, allowed them to bring their children here and put them on the path to citizenship. And many more are on the way right here, thanks to a rising birthrate... Currently, they are seeking to keep alive the Dream Act, federal legislation that proposes to offer tuition help and a path to citizenship to immigrant high school graduates.
It does so much more, including letting illegal aliens take college discounts from U.S. citizens, but Gonzalez appears to have forgotten about that minor point. The article goes on in a like vein, including this charming quote from an ethnic advocate:
"I had been thinking about this for a long time... We were just waiting for the time when their children could be able to vote. And we have a lot of children."
If I wanted to continue the charade - which everyone has no doubt by now seen through - I'd give that advocate a German name, perhaps even following his quote with "jawohl!" Except, that wouldn't be fair to modern-day Germans.
Of course, the article isn't about white/European illegal aliens; if it were the New York Times wouldn't have printed it, and an ethno-booster like David Gonzalez wouldn't have written it. In fact, the article is just about Mexican illegal aliens, with the latter quote from Joel Magallan of the Asociacion Tepeyac de New York.
If you'd like to suggest that the NYT does its own racial switcheroo in order to decide whether what they're promoting is on the up-and-up, please write the New York Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt at public *at* nytimes.com
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:49 PM
Emma Lozano, Walter "Slim" Coleman are married
Here's something I did not know. Emma Lozano (of Chicago's Pueblo Sin Fronteras/Centro Sin Fronteras) is married to the Reverend Walter "Slim" Coleman. The latter is the pastor of the church where Elvira Arellano has sought "refuge" rather than abiding by a deportation order. Arellano and Lozano have together called for a "campaign of resistance" to prevent deportations of other illegal aliens.
That kind of puts Lozano's complaint about "small white led leftist organizations" interfering in the "immigrants rights movement" into a bit more of a questionable focus.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:31 PM
Book: "Domestic Enemies: The Reconquista"
From the SPLC* Review of Books comes news of a book called "Domestic Enemies: The Reconquista":
Now, courtesy of former Navy SEAL Matthew Bracken, comes the American version [of Camp of the Saints] - a portrait of the apocalypse Bracken fears will overtake America thanks to undocumented immigration from the south. The book is a fictionalized version of the Aztlan conspiracy theory - the idea that Mexico is secretly planning a "reconquista" (reconquering) of the seven states of the Southwest - that now animates large swaths of the anti-immigration movement. It's being plugged on extremist websites, in gun magazines and similar electronic venues, and on immigrant-bashing radio shows like Peter Boyles' program on KHOW-AM in Denver...
And, for completeness' sake, I'll plug it here too, despite not having read it.
* Note: The Southern Poverty Law Center is indirectly linked to the Mexican government.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:20 PM
Sens. Feinstein, Cornyn criticize Border Patrol agents prosection (Ramos/Compean)
Neither Feinstein (AgJobs) nor Cornyn (curious NAU-related legislation) are on the pro-borders side, so I'm not about to give them a medal for this, but:
Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the 12- and 11-year prison sentences given to ex-agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos, respectively. And they strongly questioned federal prosecutors' decision to charge the pair with using a weapon during the commission of a crime — a 10-year penalty that most often is used against drug dealers and other criminals, not law enforcement officers obliged to carry guns as part of their jobs... "This really is a case of prosecutorial ... overreaction in charging," said Feinstein.
A statement from Cornyn is here.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 08:20 PM
Iraqis being smuggled across Mexican border
Brian Ross of ABC News says that an "FBI intelligence report distributed by the Washington, D.C. Joint Terrorism Task Force" says that a group based in Chaparral, New Mexico is smuggling Iraqis and other Middle Easterners across the border. Few other details are provided, and things like this aren't exactly news to those who've been watching the posts in this category. The Ross article also fails to note that some of the Iraqis illegal aliens caught crossing the border are Christians, and the article also contains a last paragraph saying that until recently, "the United States has kept its doors all but shut to the estimated two million refugees fleeing the violence in Iraq".
Posted to Immigration_terror at 07:59 PM
Jean Pfaelzer is what's scary about the immigration debate
Jean Pfaelzer - professor of English and American Studies at the University of Delaware - offers "What's Scary About the Anti-Immigration Debate" [1]. It's so over-the-top and full of lies that I'm trying to debate whether it's a parody. It doesn't even deserve much of a discussion, since it reads like the rantings of a Hollywood street person, albeit one who's a pathological liar:
...Hazleton's mayor told Sixty Minutes about a 70% rise in violent crime since Latinos came to town in 2001 (the correct number is 20 of 8,500 crimes). Farmers Branch, Texas said that the code would prevent terrorist attacks by purging its Latinos. One third of towns that passed the code are in unemployed areas of Pennsylvania--railroad towns that once sold anthracite coal, steel tubes, and carpets. Now they export Latinos... These gentlemen prefer blondes. The mayor wants Hazleton to remain 94.7% white. Last week in front of a burning cross the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party, recently defunct, announced to ABC Evening News that since they began assaulting, torching, and "bleaching" Latinos, membership has risen 40%...
The "bleaching" part refers to one incident from May. Somehow I doubt that even those groups admitted on camera that they systematically engaged in those practices. And, I'm pretty sure she's mischaracterizing the comments of Hazleton's mayor, Lou Barletta, as well as the comments from those in Farmers Branch. Shouldn't George Mason University's History News Network consider its credibility and at least verify a few of the things they publish?
Please send them an email and suggest they print a retraction of the various lies and mischaracterizations in her article: editor *at* historynewsnetwork.org
[1] hnn.us/articles/40316.html
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:08 PM
Keeping the dream alive
There are some people who appear never to have complied with our wishes, but that doesn't keep people from wishing that they had. One of the latter persons recently visited this site via a search for:
I'm putting it in pictoral format to avoid other such searches, since I cannot comply with their request.
Perhaps that earnest searcher is, like me, a fan of the Star Trek episode "Faces" from Voyager [1], the one where B'Elanna Torres (played by Roxann Dawson, formerly with a "Biggs-" on her last name) turned completely human rather than half-Klingon. I really liked the vulnerable all-human version, especially the scene in the cave or whatever, and I was sad to see her have to have her ridges glued back on. My occasional searches for others sharing my same speciality interests reveals little; perhaps they're too busy arguing over Picard vs. Kirk.
Here's a screengrab from presumably the end of the episode which looks OK, and here's a publicity shot where she's looking really good. Here's a small picture of unknown setting. Nowadays, of course, you can find her hanging out with people who like to play dress up (link, link).
[1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faces_%28Star_Trek:_Voyager%29
Posted to WackyHumor at 10:12 PM
L.A. DA: still investigating priest abuse scandal, criminal prosecutions not ruled out
The Los Angeles diocese of the Catholic Church recently announced they were settling all outstanding civil suits in regards to the priest abuse scandal for $600 million.Now, L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley has released a statement [1]:
"Today's massive civil settlement highlights the institutional moral failure of the archdiocese to supervise predatory priests who operated for years under its jurisdiction.I don't know the extent to which he's under the sway of the local powers that be that have heretofore protected Cardinal Roger Mahoney, including mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles Times, so whether he really means that or not isn't known.
...We are aware there could be records that may become available to us as a result of today's settlement. If these documents reveal evidence of criminal activity on behalf of individual priests or anyone else, we will pursue them.
"The book is not closed on our investigation."
[1] da.co.la.ca.us/mr/071607a.htm
Posted to Los_Angeles at 05:19 PM
Bank of "America" signs up customers at Dallas Mexican consulate
The article "Mexican consul's biggest challenge is immigration" by Dianne Solis of the Dallas Morning News isn't as bad as other articles about a paper's local Mexican consul, but, as with the others, it avoids asking the tough questions, and it gives the consul an opportunity to make questionable statements unopposed. And, there's this:
The fastest-moving product [at the consulate] is the $37 matricula consular, a Mexican identification card, given at a clip of about 1,300 per week. But there are also birth and death certificates to issue. There are kiosks to spread the word on medical plans; videos that explain U.S. laws to lobby audiences; and a platoon of bilingual Bank of America workers who greet prospective customers in need of a special account to send money back to the homeland.
I'm currently trying to determine the exact relationship between the consulate and Bank of America; I'll update when I find out whether they have a satellite branch there or whether another branch sends their employers to go hang out in the lobby. In any case it helps show that money lies at the root of illegal immigration, and just how our system has been corrupted. Without the massive corruption of the Bush administration, banks would not be able to take those Matricula Consular cards, and BofA probably wouldn't be there.
The head of the outpost is Enrique Hubbard Urrea:
His father was fond of joking that the Hubbard surname was Aztec "for son of an Englishman," laughs Mr. Hubbard [editor's note: ho ho ho ho ho!]... Mr. Hubbard even personally answers e-mail from angry Texans... "Once in a while there is someone I can really get a dialogue with," Mr. Hubbard says. "But most are not interested in a dialogue. They just want to scream, yell and vent their hate. There is no other way to describe it."
I'm sure he's telling the truth! There's very little chance he could simply be trying to portray patriotic Texans who oppose an aggressive foreign government's attempts to profit from illegal activity as racist yahoos. Dianne Solis was right not to call him on that.
Related:
Bank of America loses contract over credit card for illegal aliens (Gaston County, NC)
Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis defiantly says won't cancel credit card for illegal aliens
The Bank of America boycott
Bank of "America": credit cards for illegal aliens
"Mexican Consulate seeking free [office] space [in Dallas]"
Posted to Immigration_consul at 01:26 PM
John Edwards' "Road to One America" tour to promote importing poverty
On Monday, lightweight presidential contender John Edwards will be starting a "Road to One America" tour to begin in New Orleans and end in Kentucky three days and eight states later. The supposed goal will be to highlight the apparent fact that 10% of Americans live in poverty; in actual fact the tour will be just as fake as Edwards himself. I am absolutely certain that he will not only not mention illegal immigration's role in increasing poverty in the U.S., he will take steps to support even more illegal immigration.
In New Orleans' Ninth Ward I fully expect one of two things to happen:
1. He will highlight poor "Hispanics" working there without disclosing that they're here illegally, or even support them continuing to work there despite their status and despite the fact that they are indeed taking jobs that Americans should be doing - and should be doing under safer conditions.
2. Or, he will ignore that fact that Bush, the Democrats, and the media helped in the Bush plan to move the former residents of New Orleans to other cities, while moving illegal aliens from Mexico in. This is an issue I've been complaining about for almost two years, and it's surprising how little attention it's received. While Ray Nagin, Mary Landrieu, and Kathleen Blanco complained initially, they were soon silenced by the national establishment. In some cases, even those opposed to illegal immigration - those supposedly on our side - helped the Bush/Dem/MSM cause by making a big deal about a comment Nagin made.
Edwards will also avoid pointing out that Democrats like him were basically in charge of New Orleans before Katrina and could have mitigated poverty there. Instead, their primary concern was getting NO's residents to vote for them.
UPDATE: From this:
It isn't until we arrived in the Mississippi Delta town of Canton and settle into the Greater Mt. Levi Full Gospel Baptist Church that the poverty tour slowed down enough to actually hear from some impoverished people. The church is across the street from Peco Poultry, a vast chicken-processing factory, and we met a group of ten poultry workers, most of them Hispanic, who described the struggle that is their lives. They live in a trailer park beside the plant, as many as 10 or 12 of them stuffed into a single trailer with two beds.
I don't know the status of those workers because so-called reporter Eric Pooley doesn't disclose that. However, I very strongly suspect that that part of the tour falls under #1 above.
Posted to Politics at 02:08 PM
We're all going to regret giving Youtube so many links
I like Youtube, but I feel a bit perturbed every time I link to or embed one of the videos from that site. I'd prefer not to give them any links at all, and I may at some future date convert the current links to them to bare links or add nofollow tags.
1. I use a Firefox CSS one-liner that shows whether links have nofollow tags on them in the salmon color. When I visit a YT page, it's like looking at a Washington river in spawning season. Here's part of a screengrab and here's another; note that since that time they've added a nofollow tag to links in descriptions (the only link shown without the coloration at the second link), and they also forbid even bare links in comments: you have to write things like example dot com. However, here's the kicker: some pages don't have those tags on outbound links, like this one: youtube.com/t/studio_article_05 Gosh, I wonder why that would be like that. In brief, YT is - like Wikipedia - a massive link funneling machine, with a ton of links coming in and very few going out.
2. YT is now owned by Google and is prominently featured in search results. While they certainly might take those results at the top from a database not related to their normal index, I'd imagine that YT videos getting links - especially with relevant anchor text - doesn't hurt and may enable some videos to get the top position over others. Combined with Wikipedia being put so high in search results, this increases the change of mischief and manipulation. That would usually work best for those of a more activist - and thus leftwing - bent. Note also that Google has pretty much invaded every aspect of our online lives, or at least is trying to. They also are making some moves of a political nature. I don't trust Google in the least, and I suspect that sooner or later even more people are going to share that view.
3. I use Firefox's FlashBlock plugin, which requires me to click a button graphic before I even see the preview of a Flash movie. Otherwise, it's just a big "F" graphical button. I worry about the impacts that including even just one YT video has on those who use other setups; even on Firefox when I play a Flash movie it usually messes up the keyboard commands, requiring me to click the page before I can use control-tab to move to another tab.
4. The upcoming Youtube/CNN debate will perhaps be an even worse disaster - and even worse for democracy - than the previous debates. First, it's hosted by Anderson Cooper, someone who's perhaps even more of a puffball reporter than his co-hort Larry King. Second, questions like the one I submitted, if asked, could both damage political careers and show just how corrupt the MSM is. So, don't expect questions like that to be asked. Instead, Cooper gives a preview of the types of videos that are going to be selected here.
First, all of the videos shown appear to be asking for what the candidates will do in the future; questions like that will simply send the candidates into replay mode. Does anyone think any candidate (except perhaps Ron Paul) is going to not make happy noises signifying nothing when asked how they're going to prevent a future Katrina-style response? So, why ask that question at all? Why not ask a question about something that the candidates have already done? For instance, did any of them support Bush's plan to move illegal aliens in to the affected areas?
Second, there are at least three joke entries, one with Kermit and two of people in masks. These will be shown in order to provide a laugh break, but with a more sinister purpose: to try to portray those on the internet as kooks, in contrast to respectable "journalists" like Cooper.
5. For something else I've been working with ffmpeg (converts mpegs etc. to Flash movies), and I've installed that locally. It wouldn't take much to host videos here, although getting the player issues right might be a bit tricky. For most of my videos that don't get that many views that would work out OK, but my Teddy Kennedy video got 15,000 views over three weeks which, assuming it's 1Meg, works out to 15 gigs of traffic, something which would cost some money: I think around $2 at Amazon's S3, and even more if I went over my limit at my current hosting company. And, of course, a very significant portion of that 15,000 found out about the video through YT; I probably would have only seen a few thousand if the video were only hosted here. On the other hand, a few thousand coming here would be better than several times that amount going to some other site.
Posted to Bloggage at 11:05 AM
Mike Huckabee immigration commercial (border fence, from a supporter)
There are a lot of junky homemade videos out there (I know, I've made a few), and I wish I could say the following takes the cake but I'm sure there are things even worse than someone making their own video in support of Mike Huckabee and his position on the border fence... and using Barbie and Ken dolls to do it.
I think they're actually serious, making it kinda sad too. In our world, the Huckster has some sort of connection to LULAC and Tyson Foods, and on a trip to Mexico he suggested to Vicente Fox that Mexico should open their next consulate in Little Rock. Needless to say, Mexico uses its consulates to support illegal immigration to the U.S., specifically their illegal aliens sending money home. If (in an alternate universe) the Huckster were elected president, he might even be worse than Bush, and if he did build the border fence it would just be for show.
The above is the only video from "SuperMikeHuckabee", who joined that site just yesterday. Hopefully the videos to come will be even worse.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 03:13 PM
Los Angeles archdiocese to settle clergy abuse suits for $600 million
The Los Angeles archdiocese of the Catholic Church - led my Cardinal Roger Mahony, aka "the pedophile protector" - is going to settle its outstanding lawsuits in regards to sexual abuse by priests for $600 million. Unfortunately, this means that Mahoney won't be forced to take the stand, something that would have undermined his authority even further. Part of the tab will be paid for by the archdiocese, part by other orders, and part through insurance. However, they apparently plan to sell of some of their "non-essential" properties.
Considering that Mahony lied to his parishioners about this matter, that he's covered up for priests and perhaps more, and that he strongly supports massive illegal activity (illegal immigration) out of false compassion, and that he admitted stretching the truth about the impacts of HR4437, it's a wonder that anyone takes him seriously.
Posted to Politics at 01:03 PM
The Travis Loller Horror: Illegal aliens in some states not able to get married without SSN!
I was weeping my eyes out by the time I got to the end of "Some Immigrants Denied Marriage Licenses" (WaPo)/"Law puts illegal immigrants’ weddings on hold" (MSNBC) by Travis Loller of the Associated Press. To think: some illegal aliens have to go to other states to get married because their home states actually require applicants for a marriage license to have a Social Security number. What is this world coming to?!?!? Thankfully, there are some states that don't have such rules, or that "turn a blind eye", nod nod wink wink. Why, did you know that there are even edge cases involving legal immigrants and even citizens? Just think about them (for they could be you!), not about the fact that this report was designed to support illegal immigration. Thankfully, the Associated Press has even included a charming photo of one prospective husband of an illegal alien who would be affected (if he can't simply drive to another state). Why, it's almost like I'm looking at a catalog trying to sell me on illegal immigration.
Someone please call Jorge Bustamante of the United Nations, I feel a human rights complaint coming on.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 06:42 PM
Cindy Sheehan: welcome to my world
St. Cyndi Sheehan - America's favorite drama queen - has been ex-communicated (i.e., booted off DailyKos; I have been "warned"; dailykos.com/story/2007/7/12/91014/1295) due to apostasy: she's apparently going to run against Nancy Pelosi... and as an independent! See, DailyKos is a site for Democrats and designed to elect Democrats. Of course, all of this might not matter if we get those staged attacks she warns us of.
Of course, always the trendsetter, I was banned from DailyKos over four years ago, simply for leaving a comment pointing out how Kos was wrong. Welcome to my club, Sindy.
Posted to Bloggage at 02:54 PM
Rudy Giuliani: NYC didn't give sanctuary to illegal aliens (!?)
In a move reminiscent of the debate over the word "amnesty", Rudy Giuliani now appears to be claiming that New York City wasn't a sanctuary for illegal aliens on his watch. That's despite him suing the federal government to try to prevent them from overturning an executive order Ed Koch signed making it such a sanctuary and his support for that order. Get out your Clintonian Parsing Handbook and follow along:At a town hall-style meeting with about 100 voters at a technical college in Concord on Tuesday, Giuliani encountered a voter who asked why the former mayor made "New York City a sanctuary for illegal aliens."
"You must be talking about another candidate," said Giuliani, who went on to argue that his administration urged the federal government to deport as many illegal immigrants as possible.
"Here are the three areas that you have distorted into this view that I gave sanctuary to illegal immigrants," said Giuliani, turning his back on the voter and addressing the other voters, seated on couches and loveseats around him.
He said that, as mayor he had to make sure that all kids went to school, that everyone needed access to hospitals and that illegal immigrants needed to be able to inform the police about crimes without fear of deportation.
"That's why you are wrong," said Giuliani.
"As mayor of New York City," he said. "If I was nothing else, I was rational and sensible."
Posted to Immigration2007a at 02:47 PM
WFMOJALI: Curt Thompson tells illegal aliens to stay in Georgia, get involved
The fourth installment of "Working for Mexico, or Just Acts like it?" continues with Georgia state senator Curt Thompson, who recently wrote an opinion piece for a Hispanic publication in which he told illegal aliens to remain in his state: they should "stay calm, stay put and get involved". Because he refers to voting and also to "immigrants" - without once using even a euphemism like "undocumented" - it's unclear to whom his remarks are directed exactly.
However, since his discussion revolves around recently-passed Georgia laws SB 529 and SB 38, both of which were designed to reduce illegal immigration and as far as I know have no impact on the legal variety, it's clear that he is in fact encouraging illegal aliens to remain in his state.
In the piece he engages in the usual name-calling and compares legalizing illegal aliens to the Civil Rights movement. He also encourages Latinos to vote; while in that case he could be speaking only of those who are eligible to vote, I tend to be a bit suspicious. Perhaps everyone would be better off if Thomson would make it clear whether he supports illegal aliens or non-citizen immigrants voting and whether he only wants legal immigrants to "stay calm, stay put and get involved".
Whether Thompson is far-left, an opportunist, or something else isn't known, but he has made at least three appearances with former Mexican consul general Teodoro Maus, someone who's been very active in supporting illegal immigration in that state. Thomson appeared at a news conference with him, at another event, and also appeared at an illegal immigration march with him (as well as with Pedro Marin.)
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:54 PM
Chris Gregoire: down with border fence, up with serfs
Yesterday, Washington governor Chris Gregoire took a new direct flight from Seattle to Mexico City and:
criticized the construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border and lamented the U.S. Congress' failure to approve an immigration reform bill... She said her state's agricultural industry would greatly benefit from an immigration reform bill... "If we don't have immigration reform ... Washington state will suffer," Gregoire said, adding that a shortage of workers last year forced apple growers to leave part of their crop on their trees.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:29 AM
John McCain campaign manager, chief strategist make selves scarce
John McCain's campaign manager (Terry Nelson) and his chief strategist (John Weaver) have both quit or been fired. While his support for Iraq may have played some role, his immigration stance and his reputation as a RINO and perhaps the fading of his supposed role as a "maverick" probably played the larger role. Needless to say, as with the USA Today link, expect the MSM to downplay the immigration-related aspects, since their narrative is that supporting immigration "reform" is a political winner.
Meanwhile, according to this, multiple persons "close to the campaign" say that another exiting is Mark Salter, "long-time chief of staff and co-author of his five books". And, apparently all three left in a non-amicable manner. Perhaps McCain's last ditch effort could involve borrowing some staff from Teddy Kennedy.
Posted to Politics at 09:26 AM
Mexico-linked Peter Schey advises new sanctuary movement, helps prosecute BP agent
Emily Bazar of USA Today offers "Illegal immigrants find refuge in holy places", all about the "new sanctuary movement" in which churches take in illegal aliens in an example of far-left false compassion. She writes:
But Peter Schey, the lawyer advising the sanctuary movement and president of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Los Angeles, says the churches are within the law. He advises congregations that they're not guilty of harboring if the immigrants aren't in hiding and have active cases pending to legalize their status.
What she fails to note is that Schey has at least three links to the Mexican goverment.
Nicholas Riccardi of the Los Angeles Times - in addition to refering to illegal aliens as "immigrants" - does the same in "Border Patrol shooting underscores peril on both sides":
Peter Schey, executive director of the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law in Los Angeles, represents the three witnesses to the shooting [of an alleged illegal alien by Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett near Bisbee, Arizona], and said that a more restrained Border Patrol might be a good thing... "Violence along the border is an epidemic, and it's not just the smugglers," Schey said. "It's also the Border Patrol themselves. They're just extremely quick to use deadly force."
Other "reporters" who've failed to note Schey's links include: Randal Archibold, Teresa Watanabe, Peter Prengaman, and Martha Mendoza.
Returning to the "new sanctuary movement" article:
It is illegal to harbor illegal immigrants or shield them from detection, says Charles Kuck, president-elect of the [American Immigration Lawyers Association]. Penalties include stiff fines and prison sentences. Providing shelter to an illegal immigrant could be interpreted as breaking that law, he says. "If I were going to advise a church, I would tell them not to do this."
And, of course, Emily Bazar acts only as a transcriptionist and fails to question what she's told:
"We don't accept a broken law that causes separation of families," says Richard Estrada, an associate pastor at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Los Angeles. "We will protect families, those in danger of being separated... We're doing what we think is the right, moral thing to do."
The laws aren't "broken", and what's causing the "separation of families" is people coming here illegally and expecting it to work out OK. And, I'm sure lots of people have mistakenly thought they were doing the "right, moral thing" when in fact they were making the situation far worse.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:17 AM
Time, relentless time
I have little doubt that many of today's youths will not only not know who these people are, but won't even be familiar with them in their later, more poppy, much more famous incarnation. If you're stumped, here's a hint: think goat.
Here's another one, with an intro as creepy as you'd suspect. Surprisingly, there are actually several other videos available from that version of their ensemble.
Posted to Miscellania at 09:51 AM
Al Gore now available in holographic form
Al Gore - before John Kerry the president-in-exile of the United States of America - opened the Tokyo version of Live Earth... as a hologram! Concertgoers invariably said, "kamisata wa merari, holographic-a Al Gore!", which roughly translated means, "The holographic version is even more creepy than the real version!" On the clip he stresses his globalist credentials by literally holding a floating Earth; I had a flashback to watching the (IIRC) United Nations-produced "Big Blue Marble".
Hopefully the holographic data has been replicated on hundreds of servers worldwide so that Gore can continue to spread his global message for centuries to come.
Posted to MultiCultiCult at 10:31 AM
Fred Thompson linked to Bush family
Presumed presidential candidate Fred Thompson has hired someone who gives him extensive links to the Bush family. Needless to say, many of those who have (finally) seen the light on just how horrific George Bush has been will be willing to overlook warning signs like this:
Longtime Republican consultant Randy Enwright will be the Thompson campaign's main operative in Florida... Enwright has ties to the Bush family in Florida and beyond, working for or consulting on behalf of the campaigns of Presidents George H.W. Bush and President George W. Bush, as well as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush... Enwright is a former executive director to the Florida Republican Party and the Iowa Republican Party and served as the Florida political director for the Republican National Committee from 2001 through the 2005-2006 election... According to the book Winning Florida: How the Bush Team Fought the Battle, Enwright, who the book describes as "perhaps the soundest GOP consultant in Florida," played a key role... When the current President Bush was embroiled in the vote counting controversy that was the Florida election in 2000, Enwright was one of the top Florida Republicans that convinced the Bush campaign in Texas that former Vice President Al Gore had not in fact won Florida outright, according to the book.
Related:
Fred Thompson: illegal alien amnesty supporter?
Scratch Mitt Romney off your list (Jeb Bush possible VP)
Mitt Romney linked to Bush family; Jeb Bush encouraged to run for president
Posted to Politics at 08:18 PM
"Girlfriend": Avril Lavigne ripped off the Rubinoos? (A contest!)
[By reading this message you have already agreed to conduct blog-related business in English only.]
Bon jour! Canadian national icon and noted singer Avril Lavigne is accused of ripping off a band (I think) I've never heard of called the Rubinoos. Back in 1979 - five years before the glorious year of the Canadian sweetheart's birth - they apparently had a hit with "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." Now, Avril and writing partner Luke Gottwald stand accused of ripping them off with her latest Welthit "Girlfriend".
You can listen to them both here, and Avril has since called the charges baseless (here). I have to agree with the plucky Canuck: there are some extremely minor differences between the two songs. They are not completely the same, just about 99.9999999%. In other words, it's not like she was blatant about it or anything.
Now, the contest: come up with Avril's best defense in comments. The winner of the best defense will win a date with Avril (subject to her and the winner's approval).
L'UPDATE: Cette message est tout egalement disponible en Francais. Ecrivez-vous a: La Department des Contests Bilingues de la Blogging/12 Rue des Slagues/Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Earth.
Posted to Miscellania at 08:15 PM
Chris Dodd call to ask candidates tough questions goes nowhere
About a week ago, Senator Chris Dodd posted a Youtube video urging citizen journalists to go to campaign appearances by the presidential contenders and ask them about his Dodd Amendment and other issues. The video has been viewed by over 340,000 people, roughly the 2000 population of the Reno, Nevada MSA.
A quick search on that site for both versions of his name as well as his amendment failed to find a single person who had heeded his call. But, hey, there's still time...
Obviously, not all people are so apathetic and there are plenty of activists out there. Is it just that they aren't online video watchers, or that carrying Dodd's water isn't of interest, or that they aren't interested in actually trying to clean up our corrupt political system and the media by asking tough questions, or that they need a reward other than a few hundred views of their video? I really don't know, but I think the only way to get people to do things like this would be to pay them money.
Posted to Politics at 03:07 PM
Take the Al Gore Live Earth Climate Pledge!
Al Gore has a simple demand: that everyone on Earth takes the Al Gore Live Earth Climate Pledge! Whether you're sitting in a theatre, a theater, a [pub/bar/saloon/cantina/lokal] or whatever, raise your right hand NOW and repeat after Al Gore:
Please don't mind the sudden cut when he enumerates the Pledge Conditions; that's only there to help you remember the Conditions. While some might complain about the demand about signing an international agreement, Big Brother assures us it's necessary. As for turning in those who refuse to take the Pledge, that's necessary to avoid the Coming Global Superstorm. And, if you're worried about that nagging feeling that Al Gore isn't just interested in climate change but has bigger things in mind, you're probably right.
UPDATE: I realize watching the Two Minute Gore can put anyone in a bad mood, so as an antidote let me suggest the anti-Al of the Movement, Sexy Simran Sethi:
UPDATE 2: As Live Aid, or whatever it is, continues on somewhere, I now require you to read "How Celebrities Apply Eco-Consciousness to Everyday Living":
Actors such as Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst drive electric or fuel-efficient cars. Canadian singer Alanis Morisette, who earned the 2003 Environmental Media Association Missions in Music Award for campaigning against oil drilling in Alaska, has a solar home and drives a Prius... ...Sitcom star Julia Louis-Dreyfus and her husband, writer/producer Brad Hall, have been environmentalists for years... ...Cate Blanchett's Sydney home is solar-powered... ...Former Agent 007 Pierce Brosnan has been active in environmental causes for years... ...Edward Norton, who grew up with environmentalist parents [ed. note: a so-called "Green Diaper Baby"], has taken eco-consciousness from his solar home to the homes of others by spreading the word among other actors...
Posted to MultiCultiCult at 07:53 PM
Anti-"gringo" animosity on Piolin's illegal immigration bus tour
Radio host Eddie "Piolin" Sotelo recently traveled in a bus caravan across the U.S. in support of immigration "reform", aka a massive amnesty for illegal aliens. It culminated in he and Teddy Kennedy falsely claiming that boxes contained a million letters in support of their efforts, when in fact the boxes were empty. A few days later, Teddy Kennedy broke into song.Someone named Tim Paynter and claiming to be a lawyer from Wheat Ridge, Colorado apparently tried to join the caravan and was subjected to anti-"Gringo" animosity and was suspected of being an infiltrator. I don't know whether he's a completely sincere useful idiot or whether he was indeed there to make them look bad, but he did make them look bad in any case. A Hispanic newspaper wrote the following account:
The national Reporter had the opportunity to know Tim, "a man dedicated to his profession and mainly to serve the Latin community", expressed Doctor Antonio Flores, publisher of this newspaper. "many Hispanic people have come into our offices to complain about the abuse against them or their relatives because of the simple fact of being undocumented”. “We have sent these people to Tim so that he can help them in their immigration problems or offer direction to them”, indicated to doctor Flores.If you have a strong stomach and you'd like a disturbing tour inside the mind of a useful idiot - or if you're interested in hearing about his experiences with Piolin and his friends - read that and the other entries.
The national Reporter, roundly denies that Mr. Paynter has some type of relation with the organization of the "Minuteman".
In spite of his color, of his race, Paynter strongly supports immigration reform for all those who, with great sacrifice, manage to arrive in this "land of opportunities".
But, in spite of his activism with the Latin community, Tim also has felt discrimination in his hands. Recently, after joining the caravan organized by the radio personality Eduardo 'Piolin' Sotelo, the lawyer was accused and presumed a member of the "Minuteman", and was expelled from the march to Washington, with the allegation Tim had infiltrated the caravan to give integral details to anti immigrant groups...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 12:39 PM
AVWatch: Antonio Villaraigosa's *second* girlfriend?
Former MEChA leader and Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently separated from his wife, and the reported reason was because he had a long-running affair with Telemundo newswoman Mirthala Salinas. She reported about him before she was taken off that beat several months ago, and Telemundo reportedly asked her a couple times prior to the big announcement whether something was going on.
Now, it's come to my attention that there might be even more going on. According to an uncorroborated rumor received by Mayor Sam, Tony Villar has a second girlfriend, a Korean developer. And, according to the rumor, Salinas may have been the one who released the news about the affair he had with her as revenge.
While I'd prefer that the scandal that ends Tony Villar's political career involves his past radical involvement and his strong support for illegal immigration and Mexico's agenda, I guess this will have to do.
UPDATE: Tony VillarRaigosaInsertTheNextNameHere's alleged second girlfriend is allegedly named at this alleged link. I know nothing! Except, are those real?
Posted to Los_Angeles at 01:25 AM
Esther J. Cepeda: towns enforcing immigration laws could lead to "neighborhood lynchings"
The column here ("Beginning of the end?/Towns across America are taking illegal immigration control into their own hands — with frightening results. What's next? Neighborhood lynchings?") is pretty jaw-dropping even for Chicago Sun-Times ethno-booster and "reporter" Esther J. Cepeda:
...Towns across the country are so intent on controlling illegal immigration in their backyards, they're taking matters into their own hands... Take Panama City Beach, Fla., where the cops have taken to pulling up to construction sites with sirens blaring, chasing down and arresting those who run. I guess the regard for basic human dignity doesn't apply there... The sheriff has proven it's OK to terrorize certain community members, so how long until the first lynching? How long until it's commonplace for Hispanic immigrants to be murdered in the name of immigration law enforcement while neighbors cluck, "But they were illegal"?
Via this by Dave Gorak (ST contact info at the link), which describes how he appeared on a panel moderated by her and featuring the Mexico/Western Union/Blagojevich-linked Juan Salgado of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:55 PM
"Al Gore's son busted for drugs in hybrid car"
This site and others are frequent critics of Reuters. However, in this case, they deserve a Pulitzer. Give 'em two Pulitzers!The 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested for drug possession on Wednesday after he was stopped for allegedly speeding in his hybrid Toyota Prius, a sheriff's official said.
Al Gore III -- whose father is a leading advocate of policies to fight global warming -- was driving his environmentally friendly car at about 100 miles per hour on a freeway south of Los Angeles when he was pulled over by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at about 2:15 a.m..
Posted to Miscellania at 12:46 PM
Alan Bjerga/Bloomberg propaganda: wheat farmers want cheap foreign labor
For years, newspapers have been printing outright propaganda pieces with growers complaining that unless they get cheap foreign labor crops will rot in the fields. However, Alan Bjerga of Bloomberg offers a new twist: this time it's wheat farmers doing the whining ("U.S. Wheat Farmers Face Grim Harvests as Immigration Bill Dies", link). In the article he takes everything those farmers say at face value, and, if he asked them why they don't simply raise their rates it's not noted:[Thomas Murphy, an Irishman who leads a crew of combine operators from the U.K.]'s crew and 2,500 other skilled, legal immigrants who come from places such as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand to cut grain are among the most productive workers in the U.S., gathering one-third of all the wheat in a $7.7 billion market.People say lots of things. A real reporter tries to find out whether they're telling the truth or not. Bjerga does not.
That's why farmers and the companies that hire the crews say Congress's failure last week to overhaul the immigration laws will heighten an already intense labor shortage by preventing them from importing more of the English-speaking workers, even as the need for them grows. That may lower crop yields, raise food prices and force some growers out of business, they say.
"You'll have labor that simply doesn't get done," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said in a June 28 interview after the Senate rejected the legislation. "We have a system that doesn't work very well, so they're really struggling."Obviously, if Alan Bjerga were a real reporter and not simply a paid propagandist he would have tried to find out the impact of those harvesters raising their rates in order to attract U.S. workers.
...Grain-cutters say they need more of the skilled workers: Their understaffed crews are falling behind in the harvest, leaving crops vulnerable to disease and weather. The wheat harvest was 40 percent complete as of July 1, compared with 62 percent at the same time in 2006, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says. That's mostly because of poor weather.
...U.S. wheat was worth more than the labor-intensive output of grapes, tomatoes and apples combined in 2006, according to the USDA.
...[The H2A visas they use] require employers to buy newspaper and radio advertisements to prove that efforts to hire domestic workers were unsuccessful. That slows hiring and increases costs. Once a foreign worker arrives, the employer must pay the government-set prevailing wage and provide free housing.
...[The AgJobs part of the Senate bill] would also have eased ad requirements, reduced paperwork that delays visas, and permitted employers to give workers housing allowances rather than housing, saving costs.
...Tight job markets in Plains states, where unemployment runs below the rest of the U.S., also make domestic recruitment difficult, as does the seasonal, itinerant nature of harvest work, Baker said.
...For that, a worker bunks with crewmates in a mobile trailer for free while seeing the U.S. heartland on net pay of about $1,800 per month. The high-quality, low-cost labor "keeps costs down and keeps the producer profitable, which keeps the U.S. competitive in the world market," said Kenneth Hobbie, who heads the U.S. Grains Council, a Washington-based group that represents Archer Daniels, Cargill and other companies.
"Any American who would be good at this can find something with better hours and holidays off," [a harvester] said...
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:08 AM
Illegal alien willing to make fake ID for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
One of the frequent claims from supporters and profiteers of illegal immigration is that illegal aliens are just here to work, and no Mexicans/Central Americans have been involved in terrorist attacks. First, that's false: two of the 9/11 hijackers were able to get Virginia driver's licenses with the assistance of an illegal alien from El Salvador.And, one illegal alien was even willing to help provide fake ID that he was told was for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM):
An "admitted illegal alien from Mexico" was arrested Wednesday for producing a half-dozen fake identification, Social Security and permanent residency cards and selling them to undercover police officers, the Butler County [Ohio] Sheriff's Office said Thursday.
Abel Gaston Gudino-Arenas, 33, of Middletown, was charged with six counts of forgery — a fifth-degree felony — and no operator's license — a misdemeanor — for manufacturing fake documents, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Deputies said the man admitted to manufacturing the cards for more than three months.
Gudino-Arenas was arrested after he allegedly delivered a fake ID to undercover officers for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed of Pakistan, the self-proclaimed mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. According to the news release, officers asked Gudino-Arenas to produce the ID for Mohammed "in an attempt to see how far (he) was willing to go."
Posted to Immigration_terror at 08:39 PM
Elaine Chao: American workers are lazy, angry, unkempt, unhygenic
Via this we find this short interview (conducted by someone with the somewhat improbable name of Lyric Wallwork Winik) with U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao:
You could lose your job to a foreign worker—not because he's cheaper but because he has better workplace skills and discipline. That's the message Labor Secretary Elaine Chao hears from U.S. executives who are worried about America's competitive future. While losses are low thus far—one study estimates that only 280,000 jobs in the service industry out of 115 million are outsourced each year—that could change. Beyond the cheaper cost of labor, U.S. employers say that many workers abroad simply have a better attitude toward work. "American employees must be punctual, dress appropriately and have good personal hygiene," says Chao. "They need anger-management and conflict-resolution skills, and they have to be able to accept direction. Too many young people bristle when a supervisor asks them to do something."
As one of the commenters on the story pointed out (although I might put it slightly differently):
I found myself getting caught up in the demoralizing nature of her comments and then it occurred to me that's basic PsychOps mind control: hit the enemy and break their spirit then you can control them. Her comments are far too blantant to have really been her idea. So therefore she's just a patsy for a greater scheme to break the spirit of the American people.
Posted to Politics at 08:20 PM
Stop Racism CA: Unite (with Home Depot) Against Racism!
Who could be opposed to a fine, upstanding site like StopRacismCA.com?Thank you for visiting StopRacismCA.com. We are a state-wide organization that is looking to stop all forms of hate and racism. We are confronted daily with politicians, policies and individuals who are trying to take our state backwards not forward. It is our mission to promote peaceful solutions to stopping racist actions by our government and elected leaders. We are dedicated to reducing hate crimes and prejudice in our neighborhoods.Sounds great, think I'll sign up! Oh, wait, what's that link to a Daily News article [1] they've so helpfully provided? What? It details how residents of the Los Angeles neighborhood Sunland-Tujunga have been fighting against a Home Depot moving in to their area and:
...Organizers originally hired by a public relations firm working for Home Depot say they have independently launched a campaign to expose what they say is rampant racism in the opposition of the big-box home store.[1] stopracismca.com/frame_article_e.php, "Racism charges fuel battle over Home Depot" by Kerry Cavanaugh, 6/6/07
...Daniel Haro said he witnessed blatant racism as he canvassed Sunland-Tujunga to drum up support for the store. About a month ago, he quit his job with Dakota Communications, a public relations and lobbying firm representing Home Depot, to start Stop Racism...
...Home Depot and Dakota Communications said they have no affiliation with Stop Racism, though both acknowledge the organizers were previously paid employees working on behalf of the home improvement chain.
"This organization is not related to Home Depot in any way and they are not employed by Home Depot," said Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher...
Related:
Home Depot, Antonio Villaraigosa, Fernando Guerra, and Microsoft
Los Angeles City Council approves illegal alien day laborer hiring hall
Atwater Village to Home Depot: stop the invasion!
Posted to Immigration2007a at 07:41 PM
What are they teaching Public Policy/Administration students? (NASPAA,MPA/MPP awards)
What I call - and no doubt you will call - one of the World's Dumbest, Saddest, and Most Pathetic Videos has just won the 'MPA/MPP You Tube Public Policy Challenge: Change the World in 1 Minute' contest. The contest was sponsored by the "National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration" (NASPAA, naspaa.org), and the MPA/MPP stands for "Masters of Public Administration/Masters of Public Policy".
The video in question is here; it's called "Crossing Lines: Immigration Reform in America" and the author is Jon Hickey, who's a Masters of Public Administration student at the "Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington in Seattle". In other words, he's in graduate school, not the 2nd grade as you might first suspect.
I'm stunned at how stupid the video is, and I even feel a bit embarassed for everyone involved, even including Youtube's Steve Grove, shown here kicking off the contest.
The video's argument is so self-evidently faulty that I am honestly surprised that no one pulled anyone involved aside and told them that, for instance, there are billions of people worse off than "Carlos". And, one would think something calling itself "public policy" would be able to understand the role the Mexican establishment plays in their current situation and instead of supporting that support reform.
From naspaa.org/youtubechallenge/index.asp:
Hickey also tried to be creative and different and chose to create his video by color cartoon instead of filming real people or places.
Yeah, I do that too, but at least I have a real argument.
These were the judges:
Kathryn Newcomer, President of NASPAA
Chris Wolz, MPA & Founder of Forum One Communications
Jeremy Bronson, Producer with Chris Matthews 'Hardball' on MSNBC
Someone please tell me this is a prank or something.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 04:42 PM
Progressives: urge Clinton, Obama, Richardson, Edwards to support Elvira Arellano's "campaign of resistance"
Dear fellow progressives:Elvira Arellano - the undocumented person from Mexico currently seeking sanctuary in The Right Rev. Walter "Slim" Coleman's church in Chicago to avoid being deported and separated from her U.S.-born son - has issued a call to a "campaign of resistance". I urge all fellow progressives to not only heed the call, but to encourage the Democratic candidates to join with her in her struggle. Please go to campaign appearances by Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, and John Edwards and urge them to at least support Arellano, and perhaps even her "campaign of resistance" if we're lucky.
You can read her declaration here:
Hours after the Senate voted against advancing the immigration reform project, the Mexican activist Elvira Arellano announced a campaign of resistance against the U.S. government.The above is an English translation of the Spanish version of an article at the site of the La Raza Newspaper (laraza.com/news.php?nid=44792). The article is marked as coming from EFE and what's left off from the above version is a call for a "hate moratorium" and for Lou Dobbs' show to be canceled.
In a written statement, the leader of the movement Familia Unida (United Family) said that "if the Democrats and the Republicans cannot summon the courage to fix the broken law we will not sit quietly and see our families and our children cut to pieces on the broken pieces of that broken law."
She demanded an immediate moratorium on all raids and deportations.
Arellano... said [presumably August 15] would be the deadline the government will have to "revive and pass a comprehensive immigration reform."
Otherwise, pro-immigrant organizers will begin a campaign "aimed at bringing this government and this economy to a halt."
Representatives from the Centro Sin Fronteras and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights [press release link] also announced this morning they were prepared to take "economic actions" against corporations that support anti immigrant legislators and programming.
Also, a massive concentration of families and children is scheduled for July 17 in Washington D.C. to "confront the leaders of both parties and the President."
Unfortunately, elviraspeaks.com is still "Bajo Construcction", so we have to turn to this Centro Sin Fronteras page to read more about the movimiento.
At that page - authored by Emma Lozano of Centro/Puebla Sin Fronteras and Elvira Arellano - they discuss how their struggle will continue even after an amnesty passes, they demand full legalization for almost all undocumented persons (quite a concession, since there are apparently some who would be rejected), complain about "small white led leftist organizations" interfering in the people's struggle, discuss the "the militancy of resistance", and say:
We have asserted that our demand to be here and to be fully enfranchised here is a right not a privilige and a destiny of our people to transform this nation.Note to fellow progressives: we did Manifest Destiny, so what they want to do is OK.
They also sound a bit like Dick Morris, the New York Times, and the Democratic/GOP leadership:
Our message of attack is simple: the republicans are anti-family and their proposed system of labor is racist. Our lever of power is simple: Latinos will not vote for republicans. – or democrats that do not vote with us. We will vote against all republicans and will run independent candidates against democrats who oppose us.
UPDATE: I earlier misidentified Walter "Slim" Coleman as 'Walter "Slim" Whitman'. I apologize to the country singer with whose name I got his mixed-up.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 11:50 AM
Art Bell retiring again (round #382)
Art Bell is retiring... again! This is, by my count, the 382nd time that he's retired, at least this decade. The New World Order change agent and pusher of Art Bell's Pizza Punch wants to spend more time with his child bride of full legal age wife Aryn, and intends to stay in Pahrump and work on his giant antenna. Developing...
UPDATE: Of course, it needs to be pointed out the strong possibility that the person now known as "Art Bell" is not the real Art Bell, who may have been whisked away by Grays, Shadow People, Giants, or Bigfoots some time between his 3rd and 4th retirements. We have also been in contact with Major Ed Dames, who, via Remote Viewing, has predicted that Bell will actually end up relocating to Saskatchewan to live at the compound - and home of Peenman Enterprises - started by Dr. Johnson Jameson and designed to weather the Coming Global Superstorm. Maj. Dames informs me that there are gold bars buried several miles from the compound, and he and his team will be looking for them later this year. He, Art, and Dr. Jameson will use those to survive the massive crop failures associated with the cataclysmic solar activity that Dames has been predicting for the last ten years or so... Stay tuned...
Posted to Miscellania at 10:07 PM
Source: Why is Griffith Park still closed?
Earlier today, I was driving through Griffith Park when I saw a very handsome, dashing, and intelligent fellow on a mountain bike. Recognizing the "Lonewacko.com" sign on the side of my car, he flagged me down and related the following tale:"I'm not proud of what I just did, but I just violated a few signs and biked and hiked through Griffith Park. And, what I found there will shock you, my favorite blogger. I biked up from Travel Town up to where the City Fathers have been so kind to build a (green) trash dump. That's where the gate is, and, well, sir, I'm not proud to state that I read the sign saying that the Park is closed 'for your safety', just as I lifted my bicycle over the gate and began continuing my ride up the road.Then, he biked off before I could get any more information. I assure the wonderful and highly esteemed Griffith Park rangers that if I knew who he was I'd definitely tell them.
"I continued biking up the road, after the point where our kind and intelligent City Fathers are building yet another water tank (right next to the building where they've got some kind of a power generator thing) and just before the upper terminus of their (green) waste dump.
"Up and up the road I biked, until the freeway was just a distant roar, until I came to a blockade of hobbyhorses which I confess I biked through... Then, I came upon a dirt road leading up to Mount Hollywood and walked my bike up it - once again going around a set of hobbyhorses warning that the Park was closed - before I locked it up not far up the road, whence I proceeded on foot to the top of Mount Hollywood. All along the way there was absolutely no fire damage...
"As I got near the top of the peak, I saw a large amount of fresh footprints, indicating that other scofflaws have preceded in my footsteps... There was no one else on top, and there was absolutely no fire damage except to the south of the peak... However, that fire damage was indeed extensive, extending all the way from the south flanks of the peak over to hogs back trail, with a couple of the canyons - including the one with the Bird Sanctuary - completely burned out.
"Now I know why Tom LaBonge cried. Just kidding! The Bong is an idiot. Fire is a natural occurence, and no doubt there have been thousands of large and small fires throughout GP's natural history.
"I'm sorry to go on so long, as I know that you're an important and busy blogger, but it's my estimation that there is no good reason to continue keeping the Park closed, as long as new signs are erected pointing out that people should stay away from the burn areas. The tourons who could get into trouble almost always stay on the main, wide trails, and those who take the rougher trails generally know what they're doing. So, that really shouldn't be an issue. I think what we're dealing with here is a combination of idiocy (see: LaBonge, Tom), scared nanny staters who have no knowledge of nature (see: LaBonge, Tom), and those who are more interested in other things like helping illegal aliens (see: Villar, Tony).
"Could you, my favorite blogger, get the word out that Griffith Park should be re-opened, and that those who seek to squeeze every last drop of money out of it should be driven from office and forced to take the Master Plan with them? That'd be great!
Posted to Los_Angeles at 09:44 PM
Ruth Morris, Elizabeth Baier/Sun-Sentinel also concerned re amnesty hurting GOP with Latinos
What a coincidence it is as Ruth Morris and Elizabeth Baier of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel offer "Hispanic voters could make GOP pay for defeat of immigration legislation". If you've already read today's highly similar article from Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times, you probably don't need to bother:With the Senate immigration bill dead and buried, political activists say their next battle will be at the ballot box, where Republicans risk losing hard-earned votes among Hispanic immigrants...Yep, Blut is definitely thicker than what's best for the country.
"Hispanics are not going to forget," said Jorge Mursuli, national executive director of Democracia Ahora, a Hispanic advocacy group active in voter registration drives...
"This is about their mothers or their kids or their best friend," Mursuli said. "It will be with them every single day, up to the ballot box." ..."It hurts me to see all the people who are struggling to be here," [a nobody] said. "I'm Hispanic. I support any reform that helps other Hispanics ... We're all very united."
From a related story:
"Whatever political gain people think may have come out of this vote will be short-lived, especially in light of the growing and increasingly energized Latino electorate," [Janet Murguia, president and chief executive officer of the National Council of La Raza] said. "In the long run, legislators should and will be held accountable for not moving a solution forward."
Posted to Immigration2007a at 09:36 PM
Jennifer Steinhauer/NYT frets massive illegal alien amnesty may have hurt GOP with Latinos
Concern troll/"reporter" Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times offers "After Bill's Fall, G.O.P. May Pay in Latino Votes". It's highly similar to and just as wrong as other such articles and pronouncements from Dick Morris and others. Consider:Yet in terms of the politics of perception, Hispanics may have been deeply alienated by the heated rhetoric that wound around the axle of the debate, most of it stemming from a few Republican opponents and the loud echo chamber of talk radio.1. The Sessions quote is not only factually accurate, I have trouble seeing anything inflammatory about it. If some have a problem with that quote, perhaps Steinhauer should have pointed out the great possibility that the problems lies with them.
"The tone of the debate, and the way it was framed in sort of an 'us against them' way, has done great harm in wooing Hispanics to the party," said [Linda Chavez], who was the director of the United States Commission on Civil Rights under Reagan.
For example, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, a leading opponent of the measure, at one point in the debate, said, "The bill would provide amnesty and a path to citizenship for people who broke into our country by running past the National Guard."
2. The "tone of the debate" was scurillously lowered by sleazy people like Chavez. Instead of pointing out that being opposed to massive illegal immigration or even massive legal immigration from one particular country isn't necessarily anti-Hispanic, Chavez did the opposite, implying that all those opposed to the Senate's bill were racists. The poisonous rhetoric coming from inside the supporters camp is not even alluded to in the entire article.
3. The article doesn't cover whether it's a good idea for the U.S. to in effect turn its immigration policy over to those from one particular country or region.
4. The article assumes that all Hispanics think alike and all are supporters of amnesty. Shouldn't the GOP fight against such Gramscian - and now Democratic Party - concepts? That isn't covered.
5. The article completely fails to note the endless string of horrible provisions in the Senate bill, and that many of those who helped quash it did so because they realized how bad it was and the damage it would do to the U.S.
6. The article says "some [Democrats] held views similar to the Republican opponents of the bill" but doesn't apply its steely analysis to whether this would hurt them in the same way that opposing the bill supposedly hurts the GOP.
In brief, Jennifer Steinhauer is simply a bi-partisan hack, supporting those among the Democratic and Republican leadership who put their own interests ahead of the interests of the U.S.
Please write the New York Times ombudsman at public *at* nytimes.com
UPDATE: Odd! Ruth Morris and Elizabeth Baier of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel have similar concerns for the GOP.
Posted to Immigration2007a at 10:36 AM
