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Odd: scientist commits suicide after learning would be charged in anthrax attacks

Bruce Ivins - a biotechnology researcher at Fort Detrick in Maryland - apparently committed suicide using Tylenol 3 and died Tuesday. That was after he learned that the government would charge him in the anthrax mailings of a few years ago. According to this the story was uncovered by the L.A. Times, but at post time the headline on their site returns a "page not found". However:

Henry S. Heine, a scientist who had worked with Ivins on inhalation anthrax research at Fort Detrick, said he and others on their team have testified before a federal grand jury in Washington that has been investigating the anthrax mailings for more than a year... Ivins was the co-author of numerous anthrax studies, including one on a treatment for inhalation anthrax published in the July 7 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

Related posts on the strange deaths of biodefense researchers, microbiologists, and the like here, here, and here.

Posted to Miscellania at 11:08 PM

Far-lefties protest NAFTA Superhighway at Cato Institute, Washington Post

From [1]:

On Monday, July 28, SDS, backed by [activists] from both Potomac Earth First and Roadblock Earth First, staged the "Funk I-69" protest, treating the CATO institute, an office of I-69's surveyor, and the dual target(I-69 and ICC) Washington Post they way SDS normally treats military recruiters.

The first target on the menu was the neoliberal Cato Institue, one of the thinktanks responsable for NAFTA. I-69 is being built as one of several "NAFTA superhighways."

They apparently stormed the Cato lobby and were repelled by the pigs, er, the police. There are videos of the event here and here.

I support them opposing Cato and the WaPo, but, as could be expected from the groups named, they went about it the completely wrong way. What they should do instead is a) behave rather than acting out, and b) work to discredit Cato and their friends.

And, in fact, Cato and their friends are extremely vulnerable to being discredited due to the huge gaps in their thinking. SDS and their friends should go to public appearances by Cato reps and ask them questions designed to reveal those gaps, then upload their responses to video sharing sites like Youtube.

If all they want to do is have a party, then they should continue to do things like this. But, if they want to have an actual impact, work to reduce Cato's credibility.

See the posts in this category for more on the NAFTA Superhighway.

[1] news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080730121249994

Posted to NAU at 04:35 PM

Barack Obama's "Low Road Express"

The Barack Obama campaign has launched a new mini-site called "Low Road Express". While when I first heard about it I thought it was about BHO playing the race card, it actually turns out to be a site about John McCain's supposed "negative attacks and false charges" (lowroadexpress.com).

So, why is this here? Because the last time the BHO campaign started a site they forgot to register the various TLB combos. This time around, they've registered the .org, and they or someone else has registered the .net.

However, I note that the .us version is not, at post time, registered. I doubt whether anyone would type in that URL by mistake, but it might get up there in search results for those who are searching for "Low Road Express". Since I don't think too many people are going to do that, I think I'll take a pass this time. But, if anyone else is looking for a new URL that's one possibility.

Posted to Politics at 04:16 PM

CIS sees reduction in number of illegal aliens; others disagree (Dave Marcus, Paul Krawzak)

The CIS has released a study called "Homeward Bound: Recent Immigration Enforcement and the Decline in the Illegal Alien Population" (link) which says that due to enforcement "the illegal immigrant population has declined by 11 percent through May 2008 after hitting a peak in August 2007... [t]he implied decline in the illegal population is 1.3 million since last summer, from 12.5 million to 11.2 million today."

Not surprisingly, others disagree. Paul Krawzak of the San Diego Union-Tribune quotes Wayne Cornelius of the University of California San Diego as saying that there may have been a decline but "the most likely cause is the poor state of the U.S. economy". Krawzak also says that CIS is "an anti-illegal group", falsely implying an animus against illegal aliens themselves (link).

Dave Marcus of Newsday gets even worse when quoting a few others who dispute the report (link). While he refers to "illegal immigration" a few times, he also uses the terms "undocumented workers" and "undocumented residents". And, he refers to "[o]rganizations that support immigrants' rights". While that may be true of some groups in some cases, for most groups and in most cases they actually support giving rights to illegal aliens to which they aren't currently entitled. The report is also labeled as "controversial" and:

While the Center for Immigration Studies defines itself as nonpartisan, some liberal groups say it is a thinly-veiled Republican group started 20 years ago as a spinoff of the conservative Federation for American Immigration Reform.

I don't know whether that's true or not, but I strongly suspect that it's more a case of correlation rather than causation: those who support our laws tend to be some Republican leaders. And, I don't think the CIS would refuse support from Democratic leaders if they also supported our laws. But, at least that description is not as bad as it could have been.

Marcus also quotes the New York Immigration Coalition, saying that they "advocate[] for undocumented workers", which at least is more accurate than they'd probably describe themselves.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:22 PM

Minutemen protest SF sanctuary policy; Gavin Newsom still defends that policy

Jim Gilchrist's Minuteman Project held a protest today in San Francisco against their sanctuary policy. A report is here, some pictures and links to video are here. The MMP was counterprotested by a group waving signs including many from ANSWER; two were arrested, both from the pro-illegal immigration side.

The MMP called for Newsome, "District Attorney Kamala Harris and William Siffermann, head of the city's Juvenile Probation Department" to resign. And, per this:

Newsom has put a stop to the controversial practice of protecting juvenile offenders. And no, he won't be resigning. Newsom says the Minutemen is not a group he turns to for advice.

Indeed. I'm going to imagine that most Frisco'ans - even including those who are shocked by the recent triple murder allegedly committed by an alleged illegal alien - are going to think of the Minuteman Project as being some combination of out-of-towners, yahoos, and Hayward residents. To some Frisco'ans, being protested by the MMP might even be a credibility boost for the mayor.

And, after the protest (link):

[Newsom] accused critics of misunderstanding both the law and the intent behind it... [he] said the goal of San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance, enacted in 1989, is to promote public safety... [he said] the law was intended to allow undocumented immigrants to feel they can safely report crimes in their neighborhood, or bring their sick children to the hospital, without the threat of deportation... Newsom also said the ordinance's establishment was "directly connected with the failure of the federal government" to address immigration reform "in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner."

We'd already had "reform", i.e., amnesty, just a few years before the ordinance was established, so apparently Gavin is mixed up on his dates.

..."I believe in its principles and its purpose," Newsom declared, adding that several other major U.S. cities, including Oakland, San Jose, New York City, Detroit and Chicago, also are sanctuary cities yet have not provoked the ire of groups like the Minuteman Project in the same way that San Francisco has... "The sanctuary status was never to be a shield to break laws," Newsom later responded... [...details of the supposed missed communication that resulted in the alleged murderer being set free...] ...Newsom said his staff last week began "a comprehensive analysis and review" of San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance, in order to "tighten up the language" in a way "that maintains the spirit that brought us here in the first place," he said... "Which I will not back off on," Newsom added.

The way to deal with people like Newsom isn't through relatively ineffective things such as protests. The way to resolve this issue is to have an impact on his career by discrediting him on video. Newsome wants to run for governor of California, and publicly showing that he's a liar or is unable to think things through will even cause many in San Francisco to turn against him.

The problem then becomes thinking up a difficult question to ask him, since he's slick enough to come up with a weasely reply to most questions. But, I'll bet if someone wanted to they could come up with questions that would make him look very bad. The only remaining problem becomes finding someone willing to perform the simple task of reading one of those questions. Too many people are unwilling to do something that would be very effective.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 08:17 PM

Camp Obama: two-day training sessions for BHO volunteers to promulgate Barack's message to the countryside

The BHO campaign has sent out emails to me and probably millions of other lucky recipients encouraging us to sign up for a local "Camp Obama" (my.barackobama.com/page/s/campobamaus, my.barackobama.com/page/s/campobama08la), a two-day session where we'd learn how to be effective organizers for the campaign. Hopefully a citizen reporter will sign up to report back with a critical eye, but for now all we have are the positive and very many negative connotations brought to mind. You can see a full copy of the email here, and if you want to be creeped out even more see the description of last year's "camps" here:

Rivals of Obama know that while he may at times appear to channel Martin Luther King Jr., his methods sometimes give evidence of his allegiance to [Saul Alinsky], who shunned starry-eyed idealists and recommended purging do-gooders from organizations. Alinsky wanted results. And his methods often forced the hands of elected officials... It's not enough to want to help others, [an Obama campaign staffer] says. These campers need to focus on people's self-interests. What do they want? How can Obama help them? ..."We want you to stop thinking about Barack Obama and be Barack Obama," she says.

Keep chanting "it's not a cult and these aren't indoctrination sessions" over and over again as you read the BHO-produced blog about last year: campobama.blogspot.com:

Steve Westly, Chair, California Leadership Committee makes a brief 8 minute speech to the Northern California volunteers assembled on the morning of 8.11.07 that Barack Obama is among the most outstanding candidates to ever grace our lives... ...[Marshall Ganz, PhD Sociology, Harvard] goes into how we can develop our own stories of self so we can relate with voters on a deeper emotional level than just to transfer information. Features analysis of Barack's 2004 Democratic National Convention Speech opening.

It's not a cult, I swear!

Note also that camp is "led by experienced Obama campaign staffers and other professional organizers"; who falls into the latter "camp" and what organizations they're with would definitely be interesting to know.

Posted to Politics at 03:11 PM

U.S. Catholic Church's 2008 National Migration Conference: Roger Mahony, others support illegal immigration

The U.S. Catholic Church is currently conducting their 2008 National Migration Conference in Washington DC, and today they visited various offices on Capitol Hill to push their agenda. The conference program is in this PDF file. Workshops included "How to respond to federal raids." Cardinal Roger Mahony was there and as could be expected spoke out in favor of illegal immigration, engaging in logical fallacies and promoting horrible public policy:

"[enforcement of our laws has led to] the separation of families, the harassment and profiling of U.S. citizens and legal residents, the expanded use of detention against those who are not a flight risk or a danger and, tragically, deaths in the United States desert." ...The recent national policy described as "deportation by attrition" has a goal of creating "such a dangerous and unwelcoming atmosphere that immigrants and their families leave the United States because they have no other choice," said Cardinal Mahony... It has led to fear among immigrant communities and a hostile atmosphere, "fanning the flames of intolerance, xenophobia and, at times, bigotry," he continued... "Such a national policy is doomed to fail because it underestimates the human spirit, the spirit of hope that we celebrate in this gathering," the cardinal said... The very act of migration is a hopeful one, he said, because it is based in the belief that a better life is possible for the migrant and his family... "While we are bound to respect our laws and not violate them, we also are bound to correct unjust laws," Cardinal Mahony said. "The terms 'rule of law' and 'national security' should no longer be used to justify the harsh and inhumane treatment of immigrants, refugees or asylum seekers. While we acknowledge the right and the need for our government to enforce the law, we must remind our fellow Americans that man-made law does not permit the violation of God's law."

So wrong. So very, very wrong. Why he's wrong has been covered here and here. Regarding the "better life" part, Mahoney is supporting draining other countries of their human capital instead of working to make sure they can be successful in their own countries. And, I'm pretty sure that enforcing our immigration laws in a humane fashion doesn't violate "God's law". Mahoney is corrupt and an embarrassment to the church.

Others there included "New York Cardinal Edward M. Egan; Guatemalan Bishop Alvaro Ramazzini Imeri of San Marcos; Bishop John C. Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the bishops' migration committee; Bishops Jaime Soto of Sacramento, Calif., Thomas G. Wenski of Orlando, Fla., Frank J. DeWane of Venice, Fla., and Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, N.Y.; and Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio J. del Riego of San Bernardino, Calif" and Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired DC Cardinal.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:56 PM

Rep. Pete Hoekstra staffer served on Mexican government advisory board

From 2003 to 2005, Beatriz Mancilla served on the Mexican government's Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an advisory council to that government [1]. Serving on that council is basically an admission of divided loyalties, and Mancilla served alongside illegal immigration supporters such as Hector Flores and Enrique Morones.

At the same time, she received thousands of dollars working as a staff member (District Representative) for Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan.

Hoekstra is a Republican who gets an career B grade from NumbersUSA (link), making this a bit more curious a case than if he were, say, Barack Obama.

If you're one of his constituents, please ask him about this at his public events and get video of his response.

[1] The page www.ime.gob.mx/ccime/directorios/dir_ccime_03_05.htm lists the members from 2003 to 2005. Mancilla is listed as being from Detroit with an email address of beatriz.mancilla *at* mail.house.gov

Posted to Politics at 12:37 PM

Chicago City Council to try blocking immigration enforcement (Danny Solis, Roberto Maldonado, Emma Lozano)

From this:

Activists and several Chicago aldermen are investigating dozens of claims that city and county authorities violated immigrant rights, including federal immigration laws affecting jail inmates.

...''We understand the value that immigrants hold in our society, whether documented or undocumented,'' said Chicago Alderman Danny Solis, who is leading the hearings.

Solis is the brother of Patty Solis Doyle, who previously worked for Hillary Clinton and who now works for Barack Obama.

[...alleged abuses at jail, jail says they've instituted reforms...] ...Other allegations made by Chicago aldermen and the group, called the Intergovernmental Commission on Latino Immigrant Rights, involve the Chicago Police Department.

Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado alleges that some officers have pulled over individuals who appear Latino and questioned them their immigration status, which is prohibited by a 2006 Chicago ordinance.

Immigrant rights activists also claim Chicago police officers have reported the immigration status of individuals to ICE.

The CPD denies both charges. And, Emma Lozano from Centro Sin Fronteras - more well known for her involvement in the Elvira Arellano matter - is involved, trying to get "immigrants" to testify at the hearings. The article also quotes Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda of UCLA.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:06 PM

ICE to start voluntary self-deportation program?

[See *both* updates; it makes sense now.]

According to a press release supposedly from Frank Sharry of America's Voice [1]:

In an interview on the Univision television program "Al Punto" last Sunday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary Julie Myers announced the latest Bush Administration plan to tackle the problem of undocumented immigration: voluntary self-deportation. Myers announced that ICE would soon launch a program encouraging undocumented workers to "turn themselves in" in an "organized" way. According to Myers, this program would give workers a chance to make the necessary arrangements before leaving their families behind in the U.S.

A "report to deport" program was part of the Cornyn-Kyl amnesty scheme; under that, illegal aliens would report to DHS, be deported, and then be able to come back legally at some point. However, unless Myers said something other than what's provided above (a possibility), there's little incentive for someone to turn themselves in. There's very little chance that a non-criminal illegal alien will be picked up in a raid. What game the DHS is playing is left to the reader's imagination.

Voluntary self-deportation would work over time, but for that to happen there are going to have to be a lot more raids and at least some reduction in the numbers of services that illegal aliens can take advantage of. Some high-profile prosecutions of company executives or even crooked politicians would be nice as well, but reducing the jobs and services available would do the trick without a formal process having to be in place.

[1] The press release is here: dos-centavos.blogspot.com/2008/07/americas-voice-responds-to-self-deport.html
While there's no link provided and there's no such press release at AV's site, I also don't think most people would bother faking a press release. I'm not going to bother discussing the rest of the PR, but that part of it has little validity.

UPDATE: The program has been confirmed, and is called "Operation Scheduled Departure" (link). Those on both sides of this issue both make the point that without an incentive this isn't going to work too well. And:

Under the new program, those still walking free will have the chance to walk into ICE offices, be processed and get a few weeks to arrange their affairs, pack their belongings and ship out of the country without being detained... Myers said the program would allow immigrants to avoid the increasing risks of being picked up in a raid at home or at work, but would offer no additional incentives to turn themselves in - no chance at qualifying for an amnesty, for example...

UPDATE 2: This makes a lot more sense now (link):

The self-deportation program is only for people who have received deportation orders and who have not committed crimes, said Lori Haley, ICE spokeswoman... "We've gotten a lot of criticism when we make fugitive operations arrests and go to people's homes or businesses," Haley said. "People say that it's very difficult for their family members to deal with. This is a way people can have control over their own removal."

I'm going to assume that ICE came up with this program to deflect criticisms from far-left/racial power groups after those fugitives are arrested at their homes (example), and that ICE will point out that those fugitives could have turned themselves in. So, it appears to actually be a good idea.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 08:44 PM

Doesn't the left realize how embarrassing Max Blumenthal is? (Toby Keith, lynching)

The latest example of Max Blumenthal's abject stupidity is called "Toby Keith's Pro-Lynching Publicity Tour Hits Colbert, CBS and More" (huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/toby-keiths-pro-lynching_b_115526.html) and concerns the song "Beer For My Horses" which is apparently also a movie. Discussing all the ways it's wrong is left as an exercise (actually, don't bother), but:

The terrifying spectacle outside the courtroom prompted Jewish families to flee Atlanta in droves. Two years later, after the governor commuted Frank's sentence, a lynch mob spirited Frank from his prison cell, dragged him into the woods and lynched him -- from "a tall oak tree," as Toby Keith sang.

The quote leads to a presumed picture of the lynching showing a tree. Usually when someone puts something in quotes it involves someone else saying something, but the tree is not identified and could be anything. The only hits for "leo frank" "tall oak tree" are from Blumenthal's article; when the "tall" is removed it gets more hits and apparently the tree was in fact an oak. None of that has anything to do with the song since there's nothing in the song even implying a connection to Leo Frank. To Blumenthal, however, that doesn't matter.

Further, the song may be referring to unlawful lynchings, or it may be referring to hangings as ordered by a court; perhaps Max should see some Westerns. The song also references "the long arm of the law", so presumably Keith is promoting lawful executions rather than lynchings.

I'm as sorry to have to put anyone through that as I am at wasting my time discussing this.

Posted to Bloggage at 12:02 PM

Banned by Alternet!

A couple weeks back Alternet deleted a comment I left. Now, after having successfully left another comment, I've been banned. The comment that drove them over the edge is below.

Alternet frequently posts articles supporting illegal immigration, and until the last two incidents I've been able to post a dozen or two comments pointing out issues with those posts without a problem. Due to the non-abusive nature of my comments, the issue is that Alternet is afraid of an open debate and only wants an echo chamber.

Here's the email they sent me:

AlterNet commenting privileges suspended
Grounds: Violations of AlterNet's community policies and/or complaints from other readers.

As previously discussed, I can't find those "community policies" and they didn't respond to the email I sent after the earlier comment was removed.

Here's the comment that apparently caused the ban, which still appears at post time on alternet.org/blogs/peek/93035:

The people being discussed are IllegalAliens, i.e., citizens of another country who are here illegally. Needless to say, giving them discounted educations would encourage even more people to come here illegally with their children. In other words, it would be horrible public policy. Not only that, but every college spot or discount given to an IllegalAlien is one that's taken away from our own fellow citizens. That's even worse public policy.

(Note: the last time I posted a comment here, Alternet deleted it. Hopefully that won't happen again.)

Posted to Bloggage at 11:51 AM

Barack Obama: please choose Tim Kaine as your vice presidential candidate

If I have any pull with the Barack Obama campaign - and I know I do - I urge them to select Virginia governor Tim Kaine as their vice presidential candidate. And, I do so because Kaine is a veritable genius. But, it's not just that. He's also known for making intelligent nominations to state panels. And, he can be counted on to keep the votes flowing in.

Obama/Kaine '08!

Posted to Politics at 08:08 PM

Ramos/Compean convictions upheld; to Supreme Court?

From this:

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today affirmed the major counts against former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, reversing only a minor obstruction of justice count.

Ramos and Compean are serving 11- and 12-year prison sentences, respectively, after a jury convicted them of violating federal gun laws and covering up the shooting of a drug smuggler as he fled back to Mexico after driving across the border with 743 pounds of marijuana in February 2005. U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's office gave the smuggler, Osbaldo Aldrete-Davila, immunity to serve as the government's star witness and testify against the border agents...

The court affirmed all convictions except for tampering with an official proceeding, which it vacated and remanded for resentencing.

The bulk of their sentences, however, stem from a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence imposed by Congress for anyone convicted of discharging a weapon in the commission of a crime. Only a reversal of that count could remove 10 years from their sentences...

[Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas], deeply disappointed and clearly upset by the appellate court decision, told WND he would encourage Ramos and Compean to have their lawyers make a further appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court...

Posted to Immigration2008a at 08:06 PM

Is my.barackobama.com trollproof? No, you just need to work at it

Back on the 22nd, "Bill Hawkins" started a blog at Barack Obama's site and posted an entry (my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/billhawkins) entitled "Which hate sites should be banned?" The post suggested that BHO take his push to drive hate off the airwaves to the Internet as well, and solicited BHO fans to list some sites that should be banned. Perhaps as a coincidence, I saw this post immediately and watched it over the next several days. Unfortunately, I was shocked to learn that the post only received one comment, and that was generally supporting free speech.

Now, I have absolutely no idea whatsoever who "Bill Hawkins" is, but just in case "Bill Hawkins" is a made-up name and this was a troll, I want to assure others that the weak response doesn't necessarily indicate that trolling BHO's site isn't going to be fruitful. What "Bill Hawkins" should have done is promoted it in some way or some. I'll be sure to recommend that to "Bill Hawkins" if I ever meet him.

The original post is still on BHO's site and is in the extended entry.

"Bill Hawkins'" post follows:

Recently, Obama spoke out forcefully against hate on our airwaves, and promised to do something about it:

The 12 million people in the shadows, the communities taking immigration enforcement into their own hands, the neighborhoods seeing rising tensions as citizens are pitted against new immigrants... they're counting on us to stop the hateful rhetoric filling our airwaves – rhetoric that poisons our political discourse, degrades our democracy, and has no place in this great nation.

I trust Obama, and I know that as president he's going to work with the FCC to make sure that hate is driven off our airwaves. However, that's only part of the problem. There are plenty of websites that spread hate as well.

For instance, as I read this story about a college professor tracing smear emails back to freerepublic.com and other sites, I became more and more outraged. How could a site like that be allowed to even exist? All they do is spread lies.

I feel that Obama must do more. In addition to speaking out - and supporting action - against those who spread hate on the airwaves, he also has to speak out against those who spread hate on the Internet.

I encourage my fellow Obama supporters to offer detailed proposals on what actions President Obama should take against these hate sites. I also suggest we start a list of the most noxious hate sites for future reference.

Together, we can stop the hate!

Posted to Bloggage at 03:32 PM

New DailyKos slogan: Liar, liar, pants on fire, you f#$%ing liar

Presented for your amusement is the diary entry from one "clammyc" called "John McCain, f#$%ing liar" (dailykos.com/story/2008/7/28/165138/698/993/558351):

It's long past time for people to not only give McCain a total pass on his outright lies, smears, "McCain moments" and other absolute nonsense that comes from his mouth. And if he isn't lying, then he is goddamn near senile and shouldn't be President for that reason alone, notwithstanding all of the other very valid reasons that he shouldn't be President... So let's start calling him what he is. A full on liar. Not only "forgetful", not only "misinterpreted", not only "misquoted", not only mean-spirited and stretching the truth... A liar. As in "pants on fire"...

Now you know why I run sites, not "blogs".

Posted to Bloggage at 03:24 PM

Moira Herbst/Business Week: local enforcement of immigration laws is "ugly"

Moira Herbst of Business Week - a magazine that's promoted profiting from illegal activity - offers "The Immigration Fight Gets Ugly" and, yes, it's terrible. She only offers one example of that "ugly", and it's not a good example since it's just an allegation:

Atlantic Scaffolding, which employs nearly 400 at a Pascagoula (Miss.)-based Chevron (CVX) refinery, has let go at least eight workers this month. The company says some workers were laid off for economic reasons, and others may have been terminated for just cause. But at least three of the workers have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging they lost their jobs because of their Latino ethnicity. The workers say although they are legally eligible to work, they were fired on July 2, following the July 1 implementation of a Mississippi state law cracking down on undocumented workers and their employers... Brandon Munn, a spokesman for Atlantic Scaffolding, denies the workers were let go in reaction to the law taking effect. Chevron declined to comment on the allegations against the contractor.

In addition to approvingly quoting Frank Sharry, she approvingly quotes "Bill Chandler, executive director of the Jackson (Miss.)-based Mississippi Immigrants' Rights Alliance (MIRA)" (yourmira.org), who - needless to say - paints a dire picture. MIRA (not to be confused with the more famous group in Massachusetts) is a coalition of labor and other groups (Laborers International Union, NAACP, Bricklayers International Union, etc.) Their homepage solicits those who have "suffered discrimination from S2988" to contact them. They link to the SPLC in their sidebar, but discovering whether they have more tangible links to that or other questionable groups isn't known. Their board president is state Representative Jim Evans, also with the AFL-CIO and the SCLC.

The article also serves as yet another example of corrupt business interests joining with corrupt far-lefties in opposition to what the majority of Americans favor.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 02:10 PM

San Bernardino school board promotes college discounts for illegal aliens

From this:

The San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools office has put out a new brochure informing illegal-immigrant students of their right to pursue higher education in California [under 2002's Assembly Bill 540 that gives illegal aliens the in-state rate at public universities and colleges].

..."The reality is undocumented students feel there is no life after high school," said Gil Navarro, a San Bernardino County school board member. "They can't get a job (legally). They don't have a Social Security number. With this law being in existence, it will give them a new opportunity they weren't aware of before."

Navarro pushed the county superintendent's office to create the brochure, available in English and Spanish, through the Parent Information Resource Center. The pamphlet is similar to one put out by the Colton Joint Unified School District.

..."Education is an opportunity that should be available to students," said Christine McGrew, spokeswoman for the county superintendent's office. "This is a law that has made that available. We have a role to at least provide that information."

...Elsa Valdez, a San Bernardino City Unified School District board member, said the law is another way to increase the number of college-bound students.

AB540 was from the late Marco Antonio Firebaugh. In 2004, before getting elected to the school board, Navarro proposed giving illegal aliens local voting rights.

And, on a related note, from peekURL.com/zy8i4b8:

[Now ex-Speaker Fabian Nunez] and the USC Center for Higher Education Policy Analysis have collaborated to create The College & Financial Aid Guide for:AB540 Undocumented Immigrant Students.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 11:22 AM

Luis Gutierrez demagogues Agriprocessors raid, accuses DOJ of lying (Joe Baca, Albio Sires, Jens Manuel Krogstad)

Jens Manuel Krogstad of the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier offers the inaccurate "Hispanic congressmen gather information in Postville" (link), informing us that Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Joe Baca, and Albio Sires visited that city for a meeting at St. Bridget’s Catholic Church to discuss the Agriprocessors raid.

We're told that Baca "wiped tears from his eyes" as he heard tales from relatives of those involved in the raid.

Then, we get to the inaccurate part:

In an unprecedented move by the Department of Justice and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more than 300 of the 390 people arrested in the raid were convicted of aggravated criminal identity theft under a plea deal.

During congressional testimony on Thursday, the plea deal was criticized as so coercive that it violated the due process rights of the immigrant workers.

An aggravated identity theft charge usually requires a person to knowingly steal someone else's identity, or intent to use a person's identity for personal gain, such as to run up credit.

Gutierrez argued the immigrants, many of them illiterate, could not have been guilty of the crime.

Actually, many were just charged with "aggravated criminal identity theft", but they were given the choice of going to court on it or pleading to lesser offenses, and all or almost all took the latter route. The pleas involved "false identification to obtain employment", "false use of social security number", etc. and are listed on these pages:

usdoj.gov/usao/ian/press/June_08/6_10_08_Postville.html
usdoj.gov/usao/ian/press/May_08/5_20_08_Agriprocessors.html
usdoj.gov/usao/ian/press/May_08/5_22_08_Agriprocessors.html

Needless to say, the actual facts mean little to a vile supporter of illegal activity like Gutierrez:

"Illegal immigration is not an aggravted felony," Gutierrez said. "What they did here in Postville is unprecedented."

The Illinois Congressmen took particular exception to the Justice Department not allowing the arrested workers immediate access to immigration attorneys. After the raid, criminal lawyers were allowed to visit with their clients, but a handful of immigration attorneys were turned away.

"The Department of Justice came to us to tell us personally this process was done in compliance with the law," Gutierrez said. "I don't believe them. They're lying to us, they’re lying to you, and we need to find the truth."

Posted to Immigration2008a at 08:44 PM

1000 protest in Postville in support of immigration-related abuses; a Rubashkin blames enemies

From this:

About a thousand protesters descended on a small town in northeastern Iowa [Postville] on Sunday, decrying the raid of a meatpacking plant [Agriprocessors] that arrested nearly 400 residents and calling for a change in federal immigration policies...

Sunday's protesters — many arriving by bus from the Twin Cities and Chicago — circled the streets of Postville on a route about a mile long. Some clutched banners and signs such as one that read, "United for immigrant and worker rights."

The alleged abuses at the plant would not have occured without illegal immigration, something that many of those on the left rush to support. But, wait, there's more:

Getzel Rubashkin, an Agriprocessors employee and a member of the family that owns it, approached reporters outside of the plant as the rally moved on. He said it was unfair to blame his family and Agriprocessors for the raid and suggested that unspecified competitors and enemies of the plant were behind the enforcement action.

UPDATE: There's video of some of his statements to reporters here.

UPDATE 2: There's a video on the march here; I didn't watch it but I'd imagine it's from the "liberal" perspective. There are pictures here and here.

UPDATE 3: Julia Preston of the New York Times offers "Iowa Rally Protests Raid and Conditions at Plant". She doesn't point out that those protesting in favor of illegal immigration are in effect helping those who'd abuse their workers. She says that FAIR "opposes illegal immigrants and proposals to give them legal status", implying that they have personal animus against illegal aliens. After a long discussion of the kosher certification-related issues, she brings on Getzel Rubashkin. Saying he's only speaking for himself, he says among other things:

"The high number of illegal people who were working here is more a testimony to the quality of their deceit, of their papers... Obviously some of the people here were presenting false documents... Immigration authorities somehow picked it up and they did what they are supposed to do, they came and picked them up. God bless them for it."

Posted to Immigration2008a at 08:39 PM

Zogby: 18% would support secession of their state; 43% of Hispanics think states have right to secede

The Middlebury Institute sponsored a Zogby Poll about secession and the results are here:

One in five American adults - 22% - believe that any state or region has the right to "peaceably secede from the United States and become an independent republic"... the percentage was slightly higher in the South (26%) and the East (24%)... the highest percentage agreeing with the right to secede was among Hispanics (43%) and African-Americans (40%). Among white respondents, 17% said states or regions should have the right to peaceably secede...

Asked whether they would support a secessionist movement in their own state, 18% said they would, with those in the South most likely to say they would back such an effort. In the South, 24% said they would support such an effort, while 15% in the West and Midwest said the same...

The full data for the poll doesn't appear to be online, but the percentages of Hispanics supporting secessionist movements in their states for the Southwest would be good to know.

Posted to Politics at 02:32 PM

Pew Hispanic: interest in immigration lags behind education, cost of living, jobs, healthcare, and crime

The Pew Hispanic Center has released their "2008 National Survey of Latinos: Hispanic Voter Attitudes". It finds that a great majority of those surveyed support Barack Obama over John McCain (66% vs. 23%). And, interest in immigration is lower than that in education, the cost of living, jobs, healthcare, and crime. The figures:

Extremely Important/Very Important/Total

Education: 47/46/93
The cost of living: 44/47/92
Jobs: 41/50/91
Healthcare: 42/48/90
Crime: 38/44/82
Immigration: 30/45/75
Iraq: 40/35/75

Note also that the question didn't ask for their specific stance on those issues, just asked whether they were important or not. So, some (probably small) percentage of the Important percentages for immigration might actually be from those who support our laws and some percentage might even be from those who want immigration restrictions. (According to Pew's 2007 survey, 56% of native-born Hispanics think there should be a check for immigration status before granting a driver's license; they don't appear to have asked about that this time.)

When it comes to the question of who would do the better job on immigration, BHO leads McCain by 59% vs. 19%.

John McCain probably doesn't want to see the results of which candidate is better for immigrants: BHO leads 50% to 12%. The outliers from that 12% are those making more than $75,000 per year (40% for BHO vs 27% for McCain) and Republicans (28% for BHO, 35% for McCain), with smaller increases for weekly churchgoers and college graduates.

The question of which party is better for Hispanics is even more bleak for the GOP. They get just 6%, versus 50% saying the Democrats would be better. The highest that goes is 12% for those making over $75,000 a year.

It's not possible to draw a clear conclusion from the non-specific data they've provided. Better questions might ask about specific immigration proposals, from something approaching open borders to restrictions. And, those questions might also ask about their knowledge of the candidates' plans. Do they understand that McCain's stance on immigration is nearly the same as Obama's, or have they bought the lies from MediaMatters et al?

However, it's clear that all McCain's pandering either hasn't worked or has been counteracted by lies from the Democrats trying to pretend that he wouldn't grant amnesty. He's probably going to assume it's the latter and double-down on his pandering. A wiser stance - the only one that's good public policy - would be to drop amnesty and support our laws. Lacking an external event - such as citizens doing their jobs and calling him on the flaws in his policies at his public events - don't expect him to choose the wiser plan.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 05:20 PM

Barack Obama's "scary globalist" speech (Berlin, Germany)

Barack Obama spoke in Berlin, Germany today in what shall be called (by me at least) his "scary globalist" speech. I'll leave it to specialists to discuss the rest, but here are some of his prepared remarks:

...the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more - not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.

In a way he's right, but I suspect what he'd support in the way of partnerships are a bit more expansive than what most Americans would want.

The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down... We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity.

Likewise, the fence between your neighbor's property and yours can't stand. Oh, wait: that doesn't make any sense either. Walls frequently serve a useful and necessary purpose and whether a wall is good or not depends on the situation. Taken to its extreme, he's calling for world communism. He's also comparing rule by a few EU bureaucrats to the fall of things such as the Berlin Wall.

Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century... If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York...

More globalism; while the last bit makes some sense, BHO would of course take it much further.

This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.

Presumably he's just pandering to the far-left; there will never be a world without nukes.

This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad.

He supports something sounding like self-determination for the countries of Europe, followed immediately by supporting Europe being run by bureaucrats out of Belgium. "Security and prosperity" is also part of the name of Bush's SPP.gov.

Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don't look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?

Even in Germany he can't avoid pandering to those who can't vote.

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived - at great cost and great sacrifice - to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom - indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares.

How ironic, considering that BHO has continually tried to use ethnic nationalism to his own advantage.

Posted to Politics at 11:44 AM

More proof of GOP stupidity (Digg division)

I'll leave it to political scientists, political analysts, and psychologists to try to figure out why the Republican Party (GOP) is unable to use the internet to their advantage and I'll just point out one example of how the Democrats and Barack Obama are eating John McCain's lunch.

In the US Elections 2008 subsection on Digg right now, almost all of the popular and "hot" (upcoming) stories are anti-McCain, a couple are anti-GOP in general, and almost all the rest are pro-Obama. Not a single pro-McCain story makes either list. And, several are from the Huffington Post. The only one that doesn't fit that pattern and that saves it from being a complete rout is a mostly impartial joke posting from the lightweight site Gawker.

The titles of both sets are in the extended entry; note that the last "hot" story is the HuffPost entry described here.

Part of the reason why the GOP can't break into either list is partly because many of their leaders probably wouldn't even have a clue what this post is about. Part of the reason is lack of enthusiasm. Part is lack of organization. And, another issue might be that the Democrats are working the system in some way. Since Obama supporters frequently infest blog comments with a swarm of sockpuppets, it's not too difficult to imagine them using multiple Digg accounts to bump up some of those stories. No doubt a large number of the Diggs of those articles are legitimate and obtained through networking on Facebook or similar, but it's inconceivable that all of them are legitimate. And, some might even involve payments to those who supposedly do such sockpuppeting as a sideline.

** Here are the titles of the popular stories **

McCain On The Run: Cancels Press Availability
McCain Attacks Obama's Holocaust Museum Statement
Why McCain's Iraq "Surge" Success Story Is A Lie
Devastating New YouTube Video: John McCain's Neverending War watch!
John McCain's Never-Ending War In Iraq
McCain Gets History Of The Surge Wrong, CBS edits out gaffe
3,000 GIs Mob Barack in Baghdad (Video and Goodies)
McCain Makes False Claims On Iraq Timeline (VIDEO)
McCain Adviser Points to 2020 Iraq Withdrawal Date
McCain is Getting Desperate, As the World Embraces Obama
McCain Camp "Frustrated" With Obama's Trip
Sen. Ted Stevens Falling Down Series Of Tubes In Latest Poll
Obama Far More Popular Among Jews Than Lieberman
S.C. State Senator Posts Osama-Obama Photo On His Website
What Will Our President of Tomorrow Look Like in the Future? [joke story]

** Here's the "hot" list **

The Greatest Threat America Has Ever Faced: the GOP?
Seth Colter Walls: Wexler: McCain Attack On Obama's Holocaus
McCain cancels press avail in light of his Iraq deception
Laugh, clown, laugh [note: anti-McCain, anti-GOP editorial]
Seth Colter Walls: McCain Tries To Cover Surge Mistake With
Clueless McCain Suggests Rationing Vets Health Care
McCain Implies That Oil Prices are Psychological
John McCain says "F**K You!" during Interview
CBS Busted Violating its own Standards to Help McCain
Spreading Lies About Obama's Health Care Plan

Posted to Bloggage at 08:24 PM

CDC: increased TB due to immigration; others: tropical diseases due to immigrants, others

From the AP as printed in the Washington Post (link):

Tuberculosis cases continue to fall in the United States, but some immigrants have disturbingly high rates of the disease, according to a study released Tuesday that called for more aggressive action... TB rates were highest among residents from lower Africa and parts of Southeast Asia. Most drug-resistant TB cases also were from foreign-born residents, the study noted...

The study is from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and will be published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), so it's pretty solid.

And, on June 25 the Los Angeles Times discussed another study from Dr. Peter Hotez, "chairman of George Washington University's department of microbiology, immunology and tropical disease" and "published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases":

Despite plummeting mortality rates for most infectious diseases over the last century, a group of largely overlooked bacterial, viral and parasitic infections is still plaguing the nation's poor... ...Many of the diseases are typically associated with tropical developing countries [and] have become significant public health problems in the United States. In the Los Angeles area, a pork tapeworm infection called cysticercosis which spreads in crowded, unsanitary conditions, accounts for 10% of seizures resulting in emergency room visits... The diseases are largely concentrated in poverty-stricken regions, including Appalachia, inner cities, the Mississippi Delta and the border with Mexico...

It's important to note that the second study seems to indicate that some of the conditions may not be related to immigration, however it would be incredibly surprising if the pork bit isn't directly related to immigration.

Note also that supporters of illegal activity like the ADL seem to think it's "hate" to point out that some immigrants are indeed bringing some diseases into the U.S., so feel free to turn those responsible for the reports above and for reporting on them into your local hate speech monitoring center.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 08:02 PM

RightMarch plans (possibly ineffective) anti-illegal immigration rally at Democratic Convention

The group RightMarch is planning a "massive" rally at the Democratic Convention next month to protest illegal immigration. It "will feature dozens of prominent speakers and leaders in the fight for border security". And, it probably won't have much of an impact:

Imagine -- 35,000 people, including 15,000 reporters, hearing YOUR message AGAINST illegal immigration, LOUD AND CLEAR!

The vast majority of reporters won't care. Most of those who do will just feature it as a sidenote. Perhaps a few will write biased reports. Obviously, they need to be somewhat nice to the press just in case, but they also have to realize that the press is more or less in the enemy camp.

However, if they get enough people it might send a bit of a message to the conventioneers, but probably not much: they'll soon forgot it.

If Right March wants to have an impact, they should try to get into the convention and ask candidates and DNC officials difficult questions on video, and then upload their responses to video sharing sites. Sending a clear message that supporting illegal immigration is a career limiting move will have a far greater impact than even a "massive" rally. If someone's willing to go to Denver to attend a rally, then surely reading a question off a card shouldn't be that difficult, right? Attendees can repurpose the questions here, call Obama on this, this, this, or this, or use one of these questions already in printable form. For extra credit, they could videotape interactions with MSM reporters and present them with specific examples of their biased reporting.

Posted to Politics at 03:55 PM

A standing army for the United Nations? See the candidates who support it.

Globalist forces are pushing to give the United Nations a standing army consisting of 15,000 troops and personnel who could respond within 48 hours under the command of the U.N. Security Council (called the "U.N. Emergency Peace Service"). While that might make sense under certain circumstances, it could obviously be severly abused and might even result in U.N. troops - i.e., blue helmets - being deployed inside the U.S. Combined with the U.N.'s push for global taxation (such as through LOST), this would hasten the development of a world government.

The far-left internationalist group Global Solutions gave a questionnaire about U.N.-related issues to various candidates (globalsolutions.org/politics/elections_and_candidates/races/2008?action=cq) which included this question:

Will you cosponsor a resolution in Congress supporting the establishment of a U.N. Emergency Peace Service if one is introduced?

The answers to the other questions are interesting as well, but here are the responses from those who answered that question in support, ranked generally from worst to least worst:

Bob Alexander (D-MI 08)
Yes, as a former Peace Corps Volunteer and Teacher Corps Intern I fully support the needed Emergency Peace Service.

Daniel Seals (D-IL 10)
I believe that the establishment of UNEPS would drastically improve our ability to respond to humanitarian crises.

Stephen Todd Sarvi (D-MN 02)
The U.N. Emergency Peace Service is an idea whose time has come. It would enable quick responses to situations such as East Timor and Darfur However, the United States has very serious military readiness issues that must be addressed in order for us to participate responsibly in such a service. Additionally, questions need to be answered about command of the force and how it's paid for. This initiative must have wide backing and support within the world community as well, and the United States should not have to be the primary operator.

Darcy Burner (D-WA 08)
Yes, I would support a resolution in Congress supporting the establishment of a U.N. Emergency Peace Service if one is introduced. The ability of the U.N. to respond to deadly emergencies quickly is vital to their mission of ensuring peace and protecting human rights throughout the world.

Tom Udall (D-NM)
The creation of UNEPS as a permanent humanitarian crisis raid-response structure would go far in stabilizing how the international community reacts to emergency conflicts and situations. Although I would need to see the specific proposal, I am a strong supporter of international peacekeeping missions; I would support a permanent structure as long as it establishes clear goals, clear responsibility, and is fully equipped to deal in conflict resolution, emergency medical situations, natural disasters, and other emergency conditions around the world.

Jill Morgenthaler (D-IL 06)
As a former peacekeeper in Bosnia, I am keenly aware of how the rapid deployment of resources can minimize both dangerous situations and long term costs. The current mechanisms within the United Nations for addressing global hotspots take too long to spring into action. An emergency peace service would be able to match stated desires with desired action.

Jigar Ashwin Madia (D-MN 03)
I support an international conference to explore the concept of a U.N. Emergency Peace Service. Such an organization could greatly reduce U.N. response time in dealing with emerging crises. It is important for such an organization to have a narrow and clearly defined mission that is appropriately tailored to its humanitarian purpose.

Linda Stender (D-NJ 07)
I would need further information before I make a decision on this issue. One of my principal concerns in Congress would be to restore fiscal responsibility back to the federal government. I would be interested in seeing if, through efforts to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending, existing funding can be shifted toward the establishment of a UN Emergency Peace Service.

Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11)
The U.N. should have the capacity to respond to crises immediately and without having to convince member nations to contribute personnel.

Al Franken (D)
I would support anything that helps shorten the time it takes for peacekeepers to be deployed.

Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Although I would need to see the specific proposal, I am a strong supporter of international peacekeeping missions.

Thomas Perriello (D-VA 05)
I believe the US and the UN have an affirmative obligation to prevent and stop genocide and crimes against humanity. In the absence of UN authority, the US can and must lead a multi-lateral effort in this regard, as was the case in response to ethnic cleansing in Kosovo.

Eric Massa (D-NY 29)
I believe that the current framework that exists within the United Nations in adequate, and I feel that we should operate within the framework of what already exists, while working to make sure that that framework is fully funded and fully functioning.

UPDATE: Here's a trick question you can try asking one of those who supports this plan. Pretend that you support the plan and ask something like:

You support the UNEPS, a standing military force for the United Nations that could be used in places like Darfur. Couldn't it also be used in case of a natural disaster inside the U.S. where our resources are strapped, such as in case of a terrorist attack or something like Katrina?

There's a good chance they'll say yes. The talking point will then become that they support U.N. troops operating inside the U.S., something that hopefully the vast majority of their potential voters would find repellent.

Posted to Miscellania at 11:19 AM

43 illegal aliens arrested... in Hawaii

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 43 illegal aliens from Mexico at an apartment complex in Waipahu, Oahu, Hawaii last weekend (link). They're apparently agricultural workers, and it should be interesting to find out how they got there. Another interesting thing to consider is the contortions the Mexican government would have to go through to claim Hawaii as part of the Mexican Nation.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 04:05 PM

Obama camp implies healthcare plan doesn't include illegal aliens; another lie?

Dick Morris recently suggested that John McCain highlight his contention that Barack Obama's healthcare proposal covers illegal aliens. Lester Feder at the Huffington Post asked the BHO campaign about this:

David Cutler, senior health care adviser to the Obama campaign, says Morris's argument flies in the face of the plain language of the Obama plan. He notes that it reads, "My plan begins by covering every American." Cutler added in an email, "That should have been enough for" Morris.

It's not enough because many Democrats have used "Americans" to mean various things, from U.S. citizens to U.S. citizens plus immigrants to U.S. citizens plus immigrants and illegal aliens to everyone in North and South America. In the mind of many Democratic Party leaders, the word "American" is a bit fluid.

Further, the numbers don't add up: The 45 to 47 million people that BHO touts as covered by his plan include millions of people who aren't U.S. citizens.

For instance, BHO's page (barackobama.com/issues/healthcare) includes this quote from his May 29, 2007 Iowa City, IA speech:

If you are one of the 45 million Americans who don't have health insurance, you will have it after this plan becomes law.

In the text of the page, it says this:

47 million Americans — including nearly 9 million children — lack health insurance with no signs of this trend slowing down.

Now, let's turn to the Census Bureau chart in this PDF file (link). On Page 21, the number of those without health insurance in 2006 is indeed 47 million (rounded). However, only 35.7 million of those are native born or naturalized.

10.2 million of the 47 million are listed as "not a citizen". The Census Bureau doesn't say what status those 10.2 million have, but some will be visitors, some will be those working towards citizenship, and some will be illegal aliens. Most likely a good percentage or a majority will in fact be illegal aliens.

Now, of course, there is a sneaky way that Obama might not be lying but simply being very misleading, as has been seen before. He could be thinking forward to his other plan, the one to give a massive amnesty to illegal aliens. If that's enacted, all those millions of illegal aliens would be magically transformed overnight into legal residents on the "path to citizenship" and they'd eventually become U.S. citizens, i.e., "Americans". Under that BHO plan, almost all of those 47 million would be U.S. citizens eventually, so, a few years after his plan was enacted, BHO will not have lied.

There are a lot of possibilities here:
1. The BHO campaign is lying/being very misleading about who would be covered by their healthcare plan.
2. The BHO campaign has a flexible definition of "Americans".
3. The BHO campaign has a circuitous, trans-Clintonian "out" involving the massive amnesty they'd grant.
4. Other explanations even beyond anything Bill Clinton could ever come up with.

I'll try contacting Cutler to see which it is.

7/23 UPDATE: No reply has so far been received from Cutler. And, Morris does the math for the BHO campaign again:

The senator is either misrepresenting when he says he'll cover 47 million or when he denies that he'll cover illegal immigrants. We choose, given his liberal pedigree, to believe that his denial is inaccurate and his original statement, repeated again and again, is controlling.

7/23 UPDATE 2: I sent the email again, this time to Cutler's faculty assistant. She replied that she'd pass the message along but she couldn't guarantee when/if he'd reply.

7/27 UPDATE: Still no word from Cutler. In comments, a presumed BHO fan tries to claim that the 10.2 million is just legal immigrants. First, it doesn't matter: legal immigrants are neither citizens nor (in our dictionary) Americans. Second, the linked PDF from the Census Bureau says absolutely nothing regarding the immigration status of those 10.2 million. At the beginning it does says this:

The data in this report are from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC) to the 2007 Current Population Survey (CPS). The population represented (the population universe) is the civilian noninstitutionalized population living in the United States.

And, this CB page describes the CPS, saying:

Because all residents of the United States living in households are represented in the sample of households interviewed by the CPS, undocumented immigrants or illegal aliens are probably included in CPS data. Because the CPS makes no attempt to ascertain the legal status of any person interviwed, these individuals cannot be identified from CPS data.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:34 PM

Sasha Baron Cohen (Borat) in "Accidentes" (immigration-related movie)

Word out of Hollywood is that Sacha Baron Cohen ("Borat") will be producing and probably starring in a movie called "Accidentes":

The protag will be a lawyer of Latin descent who transforms from contingency attorney [personal injury] to hero of the working class when he helps an immigrant win a judgment against his wealthy employer after a landscaping mishap. He also becomes the enemy of L.A.'s power elite.

While I'm sure the movie won't come out for immigration enforcement, just how bad it will be remains to be seen.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:19 PM

Dick Morris: McCain should stress that Obama's healthcare plan covers illegal aliens

Former Vicente Fox payee Dick Morris has previously stated that one of John McCain's key talking points should be that Barack Obama's universal healthcare plan covers illegal aliens. He has a point, but as he himself admits McCain is probably too wimpy to mention that out of the misguided belief that - since the NCLR would disapprove - he'd hurt himself with the largely mythical Hispanic vote. From his latest:

...Obama has said, proudly and often, "I am going to give health insurance to 47 million Americans who are now without coverage." But are they "Americans?"

That 47 million statistic includes illegal immigrants - who virtually all lack insurance. In fact, about one in four of those lacking insurance is here illegally. And they are, by far, the group most in need of health insurance...

...But do we really want to give them federally paid coverage equal to what US senators get, as Obama proposes?

... Covering illegals adds dramatically to the cost of any program - and would encourage more folks to enter America illicitly.

Obama's plan will likely have a horrific effect on some local health-care systems...

...But now [illegal aliens would] be eligible for the entire range of medical services, all free of charge. That would trigger severe rationing: bureaucrats deciding who gets to see an oncologist, who can have an MRI - and even who can have bypass surgery and who'd die for lack of it...

Posted to Politics at 10:34 AM

Are you an embarrassment to Barack Obama? Take the quiz and find out!

In cooperation with the Barack Obama campaign (OK, not really), we've developed a quiz to help you find out whether you'd embarrass Barack Obama or not. The quiz includes math (are you good at ObamaMath?), geography (example: how many states are there?), and other questions, and after taking it you'll find out whether Barack Obama wants to be your president or not.

So, please head on over to ObamaTest.com and take the quiz and tell all your friends about it.

Plus, after taking the test you'll get this nifty widget that you can put on your own webpage.

Privacy note: the results of your test will not be shared with the Barack Obama for President Campaign. However, just make sure and increase the score on your widget after BHO forms his Civilian National Security Force.

Posted to at 06:55 PM

John Trasvina of MALDEF lists his demands

Discussing the National Latino Congreso, Teresa Watanabe of the Los Angeles Times says:

John Trasvina, president of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund [MALDEF], said he wanted to see the next president end immigration raids, put a moratorium on the use of local police in immigration enforcement, and appoint a Homeland Security chief who would suspend immigration raids during the 2010 Census to ensure a more accurate count, among other things.

I'm going to guess that his first demand was actually more like stopping immigration raids until "reform" is enacted, although he might have said exactly what she's written above.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 05:41 PM

"Slaying suspect once found sanctuary in [San Francisco]"

From this:

The man charged with killing a father and two sons on a San Francisco street last month was one of the youths who benefited from the city's long-standing practice of shielding illegal immigrant juveniles who committed felonies from possible deportation, The Chronicle has learned...

Related:
Feds probing San Francisco's sanctuary city policy; city-paid flights for drug dealers
San Francisco's IDs for illegal aliens plan may spread to East Bay
San Francisco: ID cards for illegal aliens (Tom Ammiano, Gavin Newsom, banks)

Posted to Immigration2008a at 05:35 PM

Newsweek at least tries to ask about Juan Hernandez (John McCain)

Trying to get answers out of the John McCain campaign about their Hispanic outreach director Juan Hernandez - a former cabinet-level official with the Mexican government - is even harder than hunting snipes. Many have tried, all have failed. The latest are Jessica Ramirez and Holly Bailey from Newsweek (link). They tried to interview him at the NALEO convention where he'd been scheduled, but someone else replaced him at the last moment. Their calls regarding him have gone unanswered. While their article contains several of the expected problems, at least they tried. Let's just hope they haven't given up completely.

But, if anyone wants to do a public service in the meantime, go to a McCain event and ask him about this on videotape, and then upload his response to video sharing sites.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 07:59 PM

Julia Preston/NYT uses unique case to advocate against 287g program

Julia Preston of the New York Times offers "Immigrant, Pregnant, Is Jailed Under Pact" (link), an attempt by the NYT to advocate against the 287g program under which localities contact ICE regarding jail inmates. A pregnant illegal alien was stopped without a driver's license, taken to jail, and gave birth after being shackled to a bed. The article, as most ones from NYT do, contains the seed of its own destruction:

"Whether this lady was documented or undocumented should not affect how she was treated in her late pregnant condition and as she was going through labor and bonding with her new baby," [her lawyer Elliott Ozment] said.

Indeed. The issue here is how that jail treats pregnant inmates. Julia Preston, the New York Times and others want to jump from there into blocking the 287g program. The more the New York Times advocates for illegal activity, the more I have to wonder whether they've got a sideline or something.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 07:51 PM

Shaun Casey, Barack Obama's faith advisor, supports illegal immigration, engages in false compassion

No big surprise there. Late last month, the Barack Obama campaign hired Shaun Casey - a professor at Washington DC's Wesley Theological Seminary - as a religious affairs advisor. His exact title varies from report to report, but he'll be leading their outreach to evangelicals. And, he'll be stressing leftwing to far-left topics. See the complimentary profile here, with negative information provided here including the fact that he's a visiting fellow at the Center For American Progress.

And, back on September 4, 2006 he offered a stock leftwing justification for bad public policy in "Jesus Was An Illegal Immigrant" (faithfuldemocrats.com/content/view/104/108).

I left the following comment a few weeks ago under the title "Shaun Casey's false compassion":

Shaun Casey is deeply confused, he's engaging in false compassion, and if he had his way the situation would be far worse for everyone involved.

Deporting illegal aliens isn't like infanticide, it's simply returning people to their home countries. And, returning illegal aliens to their home countries - provided it's done in accordance with our laws and with generally accepted standards - is the best thing for all concerned.

By enforcing our laws, we'd raise wages for our own low-wage earning citizens, our own citizens wouldn't be prevented from going to college because an illegal alien was given their spot or discount, and, among many other benefits, we wouldn't have to listen to people like Shaun Casey trying to hide his support for illegal activity behind a highly questionable interpretation of the Bible.

And, that would work wonders on Mexico and other sending countries. Rather than trying to profit by sending us people, Mexico would be forced to take care of their own people. Those illegal aliens who returned home would press for reforms and would help build up Mexico rather than the current situation where large parts of their countryside have been emptied. And, since many fewer would try to cross the desert, many fewer would die while trying.

I urge the reader to think everything through, and hopefully the reader will see that if we follow Shaun Casey's advice, we'll just make the situation even worse.

Posted to Politics at 01:52 PM

Anarchists coordinating "action" for illegal aliens on July 21

Presented for your amusement. From "Call For Anarchist Solidarity Actions With Immigrants July 21st" (la.indymedia.org/news/2008/07/218957.php):

Take Nationally-Coordinated Action To Show Solidarity And Fight ICE on July 21st!
We have begun the attack by spraypainting an ICE van with many anti-Migra(ICE) slogans. May our spark spread into a wildfire...

...Let us continue, and expand our solidarity with hyper-expolited and terrorized immigrant communities by taking action on July 21st.

Some Ideas For Possible Actions:
-Banner Hangs of Solidarity
-Protests at ICE Facilities (Detention Center List: http://www.bordc.org/threats/detention.php)
-Protests at Federal Buildings
-Protests at Employers Known To Under-Pay or Exploit Illegal Workers
-Street Theater to Show What Happens When A Family is Torn Apart by an ICE Raid
-ICE Copwatch (Use a phonebook to find ICE locally)
-Murals Dedicated to Illegal Immigrants
-Stencils saying "No ICE Zone" or "Anti-ICE Safe Space" in your neighborhood and in front of your house. (In Spanish: "Zona No ICE" or "Espacio Seguro: No Migra Aqui")
-Vandalism of ICE and DHS Property
-Breaching a Detention Center to Free Imprisoned Immigrants (In Australia and Europe this has been done!)
-Get creative and participate!

Needless to say, I don't take this seriously, and for all I know it might have been planted by ICE or some other federal agency. A quick search for the vandalized van didn't result in anything. And, I think any anarchists who try to breach an ICE facility are going to get a lot more than they bargained for.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 11:48 AM

American allegedly assaulted at National Latino Congreso

A small number of people from the group No More Invasion protested in front of the National Latino Congreso/National Latino Congress yesterday, and one of their elderly female members was allegedly assaulted during the protest. There are pictures here. The LAPD arrested someone for the assault, and based on the picture and the text he appears to be from a group of anarchists/far-lefties who apparently work as independent bike messengers. No video is provided.

As I suspected, neither Barack Obama nor John McCain showed for the event, despite claims from unnamed organizers who said they'd be there.

Unfortunately, protests like this are part of a long line of largely ineffective events stretching back years. The MSM refuses to portray those being protested in a negative light, meaning that they're basically just preaching to the choir. And, as with past events, they apparently failed to bring back video. Those who go to such events should always have at least two people videotaping what's going on.

Unfortunately, groups like this don't seem to understand what massive odds they're up against and are unable to figure out how to strike where their opponents are weakest and in an effective way. Asking a locally or nationally known politician a question that reveals their lies or inability to promote good public policy would have a far greater impact than street-level protests like this. If, for instance, they went to L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's public events and tried to ask him questions (not just rants) that showed he wasn't qualified for higher office, that would send a loud and clear message to the others. Or, if they were able to produce a video showing how the MSM lied about something, or tried to ask MSM reporters similar questions, that would help send a message to the rest of the MSM.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 11:22 AM

Alex Johnson/MSNBC, Marian Albornoz/Telemundo: "Illegal immigrants spurn needed benefits" (welfare)

Alex Johnson of MSNBC and Marian Albornoz of Telemundo team up to offer "Illegal immigrants spurn needed benefits/Fear of immigration agents means available resources go unclaimed", a slap in the face to those illegal alien advocates who frequently claim that illegal aliens aren't eligible for welfare. The article lists some of those welfare benefits and quotes at least one advocates who no doubt promotes them to their clients. The article goes further and features quotes regarding sanctuary cities and one quote supporting giving illegal aliens even more benefits than they currently receive. A section is headlined "Anti-immigrant pressure builds". A few quotes are provided from those who support our laws, but the overall theme is support for illegal immigration.

if you are an illegal immigrant, there is a third, crippling barrier — fear of arrest and deportation, especially in an anti-immigrant political climate that has fueled record numbers of arrests and deportations.

Most illegal immigrants have no idea that a limited number of benefit programs don’t exclude them, said Betsabe Pabon, director of the Food Stamps Program at the nonprofit Sunnyside Community Services in the New York borough of Queens.

By law, illegal immigrants are ineligible for food stamps — unless there is at least one U.S. citizen in their household, which describes all U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants.

In many cases, illegal immigrants can also receive emergency medical treatment, short-term government disaster relief and immunization against communicable diseases. Their children can attend public schools.

States may provide other benefits, such as driver's licenses and worker's compensation, In Kansas, for example, illegal immigrants can get tuition breaks at state universities and colleges.

Other advocates quoted are: Ernesto Campos, "who works with the Latino community for the Arlington County, Va., public schools"; Eduardo Crespi, "director of Centro Latino de Salud, a Hispanic outreach group in Columbia [Missouri]"; Robert Smith, "superintendent of the Arlington County schools"; Caroline Keating-Guerra, an organizer for the Austin, Texas, Immigrant Rights Coalition; and Carol McDowell, "president of McDowell Enterprises, a metal plating company in Elkhart, [Indiana].

Posted to at 11:01 AM

Teddy Kennedy to get award from Mexican government

Decades of hard work have finally paid off for Massachusetts Senator Teddy Kennedy, as the government of Mexico announces that they'll be giving him their "Aguila Azteca" award for his work on immigration "reform" and, per the AP, denounc[ing] injustices against migrants. He'll be presented with a sash in Washington DC at some unknown future date.

Related:
Rick Noriega proud of taking college educations from U.S. citizens and receiving award from Mexican government because of it
Arlington's Walter Tejada gets Mexican government award at NALEO convention
Jared Polis, Colorado Springs awarded by Mexican government (Ohtli award)
Douglas Mayor Ray Borane sells illegal immigration to L.A. Times

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:33 PM

"Greater Mexico"? You're living in it. (IME report)

Mexican partisan Louis E.V. Nevaer of New America Media offers "Mexican Middle Class Fuels Ascendance of 'Greater Mexico'" (peekURL.com/zdrldr1) about a report from the Mexican government's Institute of Mexicans Abroad (IME) finding that such an entity is growing as Mexico's European upper classes establish companies and lives on both sides of the border:

...[Someone says the border doesn't matter since they can jump between countries at will] That reality – and attitude – has caught Mexican officials by surprise. IME Director Carlos Gonzalez y Gutierrez calls these white middle class Mexicans in the United States "Mexico’s transforming agents," adding that, "although they send many things that benefit us, they also send other things that harm us. But we are tied to each other."...

Posted to Immigration2008a at 10:21 AM

Mexico-linked ACLU, MALDEF, Steptoe & Johnson sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio for "profiling"

As part of an agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio takes part in enforcing immigration laws; ICE has given his efforts a clean bill of health. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and their Arizona chapter, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), and the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP have sued Arpaio, his Sheriffs Office (MCSO), and the county itself claiming racial profiling. Also involved is the local group Somos America.

The details on the case are here: aclu.org/immigrants/gen/36011prs20080716.html. That also promotes Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon's complaints about Arpaio; Gordon's opponents may have enough signatures to force a vote on his recall.

Meanwhile, the ACLU of AZ and MALDEF are part of a group headed by Peter Schey, someone with a series of links to the Mexican government. Their San Diego branch is directly collaborating with that government. Perhaps they should just cut out the middleman and sue him directly.

The lawyers involved:

ACLU of Arizona: Legal Director Dan Pochoda
ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project: Robin Goldfaden and Monica Ramirez
MALDEF: Kristina Campbell and Nancy Ramirez
Steptoe & Johnson: David J. Bodney, Peter Kozinets, Karen Hartman-Tellez and Isaac Hernandez

UPDATE: Per this, the sweeps might have decreased the MCSO's ability to respond to calls, but there might be other factors involved.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 10:20 AM

Nevada McDonald's franchisee fined $1 million over illegal aliens (flashback to supporters)

The Nevada-based McDonald's franchisee Mack Associates Inc. has been fined $1 million after pleading guilty to employing illegal aliens. Two executives of the company - but not apparently Luther Mack himself - have pleaded guilty and may face fines and jail time.

The backstory on this is here, with a panoply of Reno-area Hispanic groups opposing the original September 2007 raid and in effect supporting identity theft purely out of race-based reasons. IIRC, several news reports from that time portrayed Mack as a victim if not a hero; if anyone would care to research that leave a link in comments.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 09:35 AM

Bob Barr still trying to fool people on immigration

Bob Barr has released a slightly more detailed immigration plan: bobbarr2008.com/issues/border-security-immigration, which I'll henceforth refer to as the Farcical Boob Bait For Bubba Plan That Has No Chance Of Ever Happening ("FBBFBPTHNCOEH").

Under the FBBFBPTHNCOEH, Barr would push through at least two Constitutional amendments: one to block illegal aliens from receiving K-12 education, and the other to end birthright citizenship. More generally, he wants to end non-emergency benefits to illegal aliens. He wants to end foreign language ballots and make English "the national language for government and official public business". He also wants to "secure the borders to the extent possible".

The biggest problems with the FBBFBPTHNCOEH is that few of his proposals have any chance of coming to pass. Moreoever, in those eight paragraphs he doesn't even hint what he intends to do about current illegal aliens. Based on his previous talking point - the same employed by Barack Obama, George W. Bush, John McCain and others - we have to choose between mass deportations and a massive amnesty. In other words, until he says otherwise, Bob Barr supports a massive amnesty for current illegal aliens. By giving that amnesty, Barr would give even more power inside the U.S. to those groups - including the far-left, business groups, and the Mexican government - who would vigorously (to say the least) oppose his other proposals.

Barr is just a dishonest hack, and his supporters would be wise to understand that now rather than before investing any time or money on his campaign.

UPDATE: On a WashTimes live chat, Barr sounded once again exactly like John McCain. Asked how his position differs from McCain, he says:

Immigration is certainly an important topic during this campaign season. To be certain, I do not support amnesty. Our immediate duty is to secure the borders quickly and efficiently. To enter our nation, you must identify yourself, prove you're not a criminal, prove you're not infectious and when you are in our country legally, you cannot receive any of the benefits from our system unless you're paying into them. Let me emphasize that we must end government benefits to those who enter our country illegally. Obviously, there is much more to address on this topic.

John McCain doesn't support amnesty either. No one does (unless they slip up). What they support is "earned legalization". Or, they "require undocumented workers to come out of the shadows". Or, some other euphemism for amnesty. A better question is going to need to be asked to show that, as he's said before, Barr wants to legalize current illegal aliens. And, when he refers to "those who enter our country illegally", he's referring to those who would enter *after* his amnesty.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 04:37 PM

Ethnocentric Lionel Sosa working for John McCain (money from Mexican government?)

Lionel Sosa is an extremely ethnocentric GOP advertising consultant who worked on George W. Bush's presidential campaigns. Last year, he crossed over and supported Bill Richardson because, as he said at the time, "Blood runs thicker than politics".

Now, he's switched back and is working for John McCain:

Sosa, the son of Mexican immigrants, said his San Antonio-based team is editing a five-minute video and a series of 30-second television spots featuring McCain. They're also taping testimonials from Hispanics who know McCain, including Frank Gamboa, his Mexican-American roommate at the Naval Academy.

The ad discussed here might be one of those.

Flashback to January:

[Casey Wian reports] Lobbying groups for the U.S. construction, agriculture and other industries with large illegal alien work forces are funding a series of pro-amnesty TV ads scheduled to air after this year's presidential conventions. And Mexican funding for the ad campaign is quote, "a very, very strong possibility", says the executive director of matt.org [Lionel Sosa], Mexicans and Americans thinking together. It is hoping to raise $100 million for the ad campaign.

A good question for townhalls or conference calls would be whether McCain's videomaker is also getting funding from the government of Mexico to push their agenda inside the U.S.

Posted to Politics at 12:00 PM

DailyKos' Netroots Nation has Mexican government-linked group

All rightthinking comrades will be in Austin, Texas this weekend for DailyKos' Netroots Nation, a convention formerly known as YearlyKos.

A search of the site shows just one session relating to immigration, called nutrootsily enough "How to Win the Immigration Debate and Beat Back ICE's Emerging Police State" (netrootsnation.org/node/864). Put on your diving cap and try to follow their logic:

With Congress held hostage to a vocal minority of hard-line immigration restrictionists stirred up by right-wing websites and talk-radio, the Bush administration has launched a series of showy "crack-downs" that have divided working families and transferred billions into the hands of well-connected DHS contractors, but done nothing to reform a deeply dysfunctional immigration system. We can do better.

Actually, the ones holding Congress at bay are the citizens; left to their own devices Congress would have easily passed amnesty. The contractors bit makes some partial sense, even if I imagine their numbers are off a bit. However, the people who've played a major role in the Bush administration putting on a show are those who support illegal immigration, including DailyKos and others on their side. If they would simply support the enforcement of our laws then there'd be no need for things such as the fence. Likewise, it's those who promote disorder - such as DailyKos and other "liberals" - who make it easy for those whose goal is power over others to push "police state"-style proposals.

As for the presenters at that session:
* Marisa Trevino of the blog Latina Lista
* Joshua Holland of Alternet
* "Duke 1676" of the blog Migra Matters
* Jackie Mahendra of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

The last group is headed by someone linked to the Mexican government. What's a Kos convention without a little collaboration?

On a general note, they also have "identity" caucusi (netrootsnation.org/agenda-2008?topic=identity), including those for African Americans, Asian American Pacific Islanders, Latinos, and Women. Oddly enough, there aren't ones for Whites or Men, for some strange reason. All have the same generic description:

Connect with like-minded folks and talk with others from your community in our identity, issue and regional caucuses.

And, what would the Nutroots Nation be without those who are only known to bloggers, with book signings by notables such as Cliff Schecter, Matt Yglesias, and Amanda Marcotte.

If you register now, you can save 10% if you use the special code GUSHALL at checkout.

Posted to Bloggage at 09:18 PM

Obama favored over McCain at NCLR meet, PWW reports (Fairness Doctrine)

Comrade Rosalio Munoz from People's Weekly World reports from the National Council of La Raza convention where John McCain and Barack Obama spoke:

"Incredibly, McCain did not even address the issues of the war in Iraq or his policy on health care. On immigration it was more of the same: secure the borders and no stop to the raids," said Angela Sambrano, an NCLR board member and director of the National Alliance of Latin-American and Caribbean Communities.

...Irene Godinez, 26, of Raleigh, N.C., who leads statewide public policy advocacy for the organization El Pueblo, said she thought "McCain was diplomatic and stressed his priorities like border security, cushioning it by saying the immigrants were 'God's children.'"

But a significant language difference gained Godinez's attention. "I noticed McCain spoke of serving American children while Obama stressed everyone," she said. "This is important for me because our Legislature just passed a law excluding undocumented students from community colleges."

Whoa, score one for McCain! This one time he was able to differentiate between U.S. citizens and the rest of the world.

Health care advocate Teresa Quezada, vice president of Mujeres Latinas of Modesto, Calif., took a more critical tone... "McCain said he opposed immigrant bashing, but he stressed 'criminals and drugs' coming across the borders time after time. That's really bashing to me."

Obviously, having large numbers of people who think that it's "bashing" to worry about those who don't "just want to work" coming across our borders is not in the U.S.'s best interests.

The article then quotes someone named "Joshua Messiah", before confirming once again that the NCLR wants to push the Fairness Doctrine or similar in order to silence their critics:

Former [NCLR president Raul Yzaguirre] echoed the sentiment. "The issue of the media has to be a big issue for us like education, health care and housing," he said. "We have to confront Lou Dobbs, Rush Limbaugh, O'Reilly and right-wing radio."

He added that electing a Congress to return the public airwaves to serve all the people and not just the huge monopolies is a critical fight. "We have to find the ways to tell our story."

Even Frank Sharry admits that the print media is in their corner, aside from Lou Dobbs and Glenn Beck most of those on television are some degree of massive/illegal immigration supporters, and the two highest-rated talk radio hosts (Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity) aren't exactly strong amnesty opponents. Apparently that's not enough for the NCLR.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 06:14 PM

Alternet deletes comment (Kyle de Beausset, NCLR)

I've left several comments on Alternet's immigration entries, and as far as I know none had been deleted until the last. That last comment was left on the entry "Minutemen Scream "F@$k You Brown Boy!" at Latinos Attending Obama Talk" by Kyle de Beausset (alternet.org/blogs/peek/91440). That post is just the latest in that leftwing site's long line of far-left articles supporting illegal immigration; note that in contrast to some other leftwing sites, left-leaning commenters occasionally call Alternet on their biases.

The comment is included below; how exactly it violates their "community policies" isn't clear since I've been unable to find out what those are. It doesn't seem to violate the rules of other sites, and I'm going to ask Alternet to explain exactly what the problem is.

De Beausset (aka "kyledeb") operates the site Citizen Orange (citizenorange.com) and contributes to The Sanctuary (thesanctuary.soapblox.net) and he starts the post with the following:

I'm here in San Diego where Barack Obama just spoke at the annual National Council of La Raza (NCLR) conference. NCLR flew me out here and provided with me accommodations at the luxurious San Diego Marriot Hotel Marina. I was given the opportunity after I helped publicize NCLR's latest We Can Stop the Hate video using Digg and StumbleUpon, among other new media tools.

The comment that was deleted follows; unfortunately, I forgot to call them on their false headline in that there was just one supposed "Minuteman":

Thank you, Alternet!
Whenever someone's confused over the meaning of the word "irony", I'll send them to this post. It's truly ironic that the only incident of racism at a La Raza convention Alternet can find is an alleged incident from one loon. "Brown boy" isn't exactly a common slur, and it's quite likely that it was said in response to him being called "white boy". There are also plenty of goons on Alternet's side. Oops: I didn't mean to reduce myself to the NCLR-funded kyledeb's side by engaging in guilt by association.

If Alternet is going to continue publishing open borders articles, let me suggest at the least getting better writers.

Posted to Bloggage at 02:30 PM

John McCain isn't listening to you, but there's something you can do

Imagine for a moment life without the Internet. Imagine that your only source for information was the MSM, government officials, politicians, lobbyists, screened voters at townhall meetings, and protective staffers with their own agendas. That's a very close approximation to the knowledge base of John McCain:

"I am learning to get online myself, and I will have that down fairly soon, getting on myself. I don't expect to be a great communicator, I don't expect to set up my own blog, but I am becoming computer literate to the point where I can get the information that I need." Asked which blogs he read, he said: "[Press secretary] Brooke [Buchanan] and [senior adviser] Mark [Salter] show me Drudge, obviously. Everybody watches, for better or for worse, Drudge. Sometimes I look at Politico. Sometimes RealPolitics."

Does anyone expect "Brooke" or "Mark" to show McCain any of the thousands of posts or comments pointing out issues with the National Council of La Raza, immigration "reform", or all the rest? The link above has a round-up of "liberals" mocking McCain, but the far more important issue is that he's cocooned and is unable to research or direct others to accurately research groups like the NCLR. In brief, McCain isn't listening to you.

Since McCain won't come to the information, we have to take it to him by going to his public appearances, asking him tough questions about his policies, and then uploading his response to video sharing sites.

Posted to Politics at 01:09 PM

Carla Marinucci/SF Chronicle misleads about the phrase "la raza"

Carla Marinucci of the San Francisco Chronicle offers '"La Raza" defined', a supposed attempt to define the term "la raza". She misleadingly states (sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=28138):

Literally, yes''la raza'' is ''the race.'' But what it means: ''my people, my community,'' as in ''my peeps,'' or the Italian ''paisanos.'' As a Spanish-speaker myself, I can attest: this is one of those phrases (think outside the box) where the literal translation isn't accurate... ''La Raza" as it is used by organizations, disc jockeys, musicians, and in common conversation doesn't translate into -- as many of the critics in my mailbox suggest -- an Arayan Nation-style racial supremacy reference.

Whatever its origins (which may include supremacism along the way), the word "raza" signifies that someone is a member of a certain group and that group is almost always differentiated from others by racial means. What Marinucci fails to address is Obama's attempt to declare himself "raza", when no one who's generally considered to be "raza" would agree. The word doesn't just mean "people in general", or "my peeps", or "my friends". It means people who share some characteristics, and those characteristics are at heart defined by race.

For instance, few of those who are considered "raza" would consider an Argentinian of German descent to likewise be "raza". A similar example comes from the the meanings of the German word "Volk"; while it may mean "people in general", it also means the set of Germans and those of German descent.

To pretend that "raza" is something other than racially exclusionary is completely false, and Marinucci is just a hack who's lying in order to support the National Council of La Raza.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 07:48 PM

John McCain pledges to stop immigration raids? (NCLR convention)

[UPDATE: Thank you, MyDD! After listening to the tape, it turns out that the "We will" in McCain's answer was little more than throat-clearing; the audience is still applauding the question as he says that, then he pauses and says the rest. He is, however, implying that raids will no longer be necessary after reform.]

After speaking at the National Council of La Raza convention, John McCain held a Q&A session. A live-blog of his comments is here: mydd.com/story/2008/7/14/17446/4277, but hopefully an accurate transcript will be provided. But, for now:

Q: "I am ashamed of these raids that are separating children from parents. As president will you stop these inhumane raids?"

A: "We will. With all due respect, you're talking about a symptom of the problem rather than the problem itself."

So, after McCain passes immigration "reform", there will be no more immigration raids? That doesn't square with one of the selling points hacks like McCain have used, that "reform" would include stepped-up enforcement against future illegal immigration. And, since those future illegal aliens would bring children with them or have children once they were here, family separations would continue as they do now.

On the one hand, he could just be telling them what they want to hear. On the other hand - the even worse hand - he might actually believe what he's saying.

He also apparently said he supports the DREAM Act, an anti-American bill that lets foreign citizens who are here illegally take college educations from U.S. citizens. While he's supported that in the past, he dropped his support a few months back. While many of those who claim that McCain has flip-flopped on immigration are lying, that is indeed a flip-flop.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 03:01 PM

John McCain at National Council of La Raza convention (charter schools, immigration "reform")

[UPDATE: Did McCain pledge to stop immigration raids?]

Yesterday, Barack Obama spoke at the National Council of La Raza convention. Today, it's John McCain's turn to pander to that far-left, extremist-funding, racist-awarding group, and his prepared remarks are here.

"La Raza runs one of the largest housing counseling programs in the country that has helped tens of thousands of Latinos become homeowners with secure mortgages."

Yes, indeed. And, they've made it quite clear that that or a similar program is racially-specific.

He then says that he's an "unapologetic supporter of NAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement" and once again promotes a "hemispheric free trade agreement".

Then this bit of "conservative" thinking:

I'm a strong believer in charter schools. La Raza has helped establish 100 charter schools and the results they are producing are very encouraging.

One of the charter schools funded by La Raza is has a "reconquista" nature, the Academia Semillas del Pueblo. See this for more on some others. Does McCain know the nature of those schools? Does he care?

He then reiterates that he supports amnesty:

I don't want to fail again to achieve comprehensive immigration reform. We must prove we have the resources to secure our borders and use them, while respecting the dignity and rights of citizens and legal residents of the United States. When we have achieved border security goal, we must enact and implement the other parts of practical, fair and necessary immigration policy. We have economic and humanitarian responsibilities as well, and they require no less dedication from us in meeting them.

Then, McCain reads an excerpt from the Arizona Republic's article "205 Migrants Die Hard, Lonely Deaths", the same excerpt he read into the Congressional Record on July 12, 2005 in support of McCain-Kennedy (PDF link):

Several years ago, the leading newspaper in my state published an article putting faces on the tragic human costs of illegal immigration, and I would like to briefly quote from it: 'Maria Hernandez Perez was No. 93. She was almost 2. She had thick brown hair and eyes the color of chocolate... [two other cases deleted]... We can't let immigrants break our laws with impunity. We can't leave our borders undefended. But these people are God's children, who wanted simply to be Americans, and we cannot forget the humanity God commands of us as we seek a remedy to this problem.

Needless to say, he's being extremely sleazy. If our laws were enforced - something that both McCain and the NCLR have opposed - many of those deaths would not have occurred. It's those who support illegal immigration - including McCain and the NCLR - who are partially responsible for those deaths, not those who want our laws to be enforced.

Then, as if the above wasn't enough, he confirmed his support for amnesty yet one more time:

"I spoke recently at both the NALEO and LULAC conferences, as did Senator Obama. I did not use those occasions to criticize Senator Obama. I would prefer not to do so today. But he suggested in his speeches there and here, that I turned my back on comprehensive reform out of political necessity. I feel I must, as they say, correct the record. At a moment of great difficulty in my campaign, when my critics said it would be political suicide for me to do so, I helped author with Senator Kennedy comprehensive immigration reform, and fought for its passage. I cast a lot of hard votes, as did the other Republicans and Democrats who joined our bipartisan effort. So did Senator Kennedy. I took my lumps for it without complaint. My campaign was written off as a lost cause. I did so not just because I believed it was the right thing to do for Hispanic Americans. It was the right thing to do for all Americans. Senator Obama declined to cast some of those tough votes. He voted for and even sponsored amendments that were intended to kill the legislation, amendments that Senator Kennedy and I voted against. I never ask for any special privileges from anyone just for having done the right thing. Doing my duty to my country is its own reward. But I do ask for your trust that when I say, I remain committed to fair, practical and comprehensive immigration reform, I mean it. I think I have earned that trust.

Then, even more Hispandering:

"Let me close by expressing my respect and gratitude for the contributions of Hispanic-Americans to the culture, economy and security of the country I have served all my adult life. I represent Arizona where Spanish was spoken before English was, and where the character and prosperity of our state owes a great deal to the many Arizonans of Hispanic descent who live there. And I know this country, which I love more than almost anything, would be the poorer were we deprived of the patriotism, industry and decency of those millions of Americans whose families came here from other countries in our hemisphere. Latinos are among the hardest working most productive people in our country. The strength of your religious faith and the strength and closeness of your families are a great force for social stability and individual happiness. In my recent visit to Mexico, I visited the Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and was greatly moved by the experience, and came to appreciate all the more your deep devotion to the God who created us and loves us all equally. I will honor your contributions to America for as long as I live. We would not be the special country we are without you.

Then, he smears those who support our laws:

I know many of you are Democrats, and many of you would usually vote for the presidential candidate of that party. I know I must work hard to win your votes, but you have always given me a respectful hearing, and I appreciate it. I know many of you were disappointed and hurt by those who used the debate on immigration last year, not to respectfully debate the issue, as most did, but to denigrate the contributions of Hispanics to our great country. I denounced those insults then, and I denounce them today.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 01:28 PM

John Harris/The Politico offers sham immigration "debate" ("Dear 44: Ideas for the next president")

The Politico is running a series called "Dear 44: Ideas for the next president" (politico.com/dear44) featuring two people on "different" sides debating various issues and offering advice for the next president. The Politico's John Harris offers an introduction to the series at politico.com/news/stories/0608/11113.html and has background on the two "sides" in the running debate.

The topic this week is immigration.

On one "side" is Randel Johnson of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

On the other "side" is Daniel Restrepo of the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

On the American side, well, there's no one around to present the views of the great majority of Americans and to present a case that's in the U.S.'s best interests, because The Politico is running a sham debate with both "sides" supporting the same basic thing: "comprehensive immigration reform", aka amnesty. [1]

This is a stock trick employed by those who want to profit from illegal and/or massive immigration: conduct sham "debates" with just one side. For past examples, see the Politico presidential debate as well as the PBS Newshour's treatment of this issue.

[1] From the USCofC (politico.com/news/stories/0708/11690.html):

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports a comprehensive immigration reform plan with the following components: increased border security; an improved verification system that is fast, accurate, and reliable for determining whether an employee is truly authorized to work in the United States; a new temporary worker program that allows employers to recruit workers from abroad when they cannot find U.S. workers; and, under certain strict qualification criteria, a reasonable pathway to legal status for undocumented workers presently in the United States.

From CAP (politico.com/news/stories/0708/11683.html):

Any such proposal must require illegal immigrants to become legal. It is unacceptable to have 12 million or more people living in the shadows of society. And it is impractical to try to drive them out of the country through deportation. The president must work with Congress to establish mechanisms that require the undocumented to pay back taxes, learn English, pass criminal background checks and get to the back of the line for citizenship as keys to legal status.

Aside from minor details, those two positions are identical.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:24 PM

Barack Obama praises **Enrique Morones**

Even I am shocked by the how far Barack Obama is willing to take Hispandering and support for illegal activity. Before reading the script for his speech to the National Council of La Raza convention (the one where he accused his own government of terrorizing people), he praised open borders loon Enrique Morones (link):

Obama, at the podium, had just thanked two top NCLR officials before his speech when he thanked Morones of Border Angels, a group that stocks desert water stations and lobbies intensely for immigrant rights, often with a theatrical flair and a blunt style that has drawn the ire of anti-illegal immigration activists.

Morones said that prior to the speech he, several elected officials and others had attended a meeting with Obama and his campaign staff, and that he'd handed the candidate a t-shirt from his "Marcha Migrante III," the third in a series of cross-country trips he and other activists have made to lobby elected officials for immigrant-friendly law changes.

In 2003-2005, Morones was a member of the Institute for Mexicans Abroad, an advisory council to the Mexican government. They joined him on one of his marches. Other very questionable people were involved in that march, including the Mexican government-linked Peter Schey, Isabel Garcia, and a Mexican government official. The march was held on the day that the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. And, in February 2007 he read an email threatening diners with tainted food at a restaurant where a Minuteman meeting was to be held; he recommended that "our community" not eat there that week. Also, of course, he's affiliated with the San Diego branch of the Democratic Party.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 10:37 AM

Barack Obama at National Council of La Raza convention (ICE as terrorists)

Barack Obama spoke at the National Council of La Raza convention earlier today. See below for more on the NCLR. BHO's prepared remarks are here.

BHO said many of the things he's said before; apparently his scriptwriters engaged in a lot of copy-and-paste. And, of course, he said many things that once again show he's not qualified to be president:

The system isn't working when 12 million people live in hiding, and hundreds of thousands cross our borders illegally each year; when companies hire undocumented immigrants instead of legal citizens to avoid paying overtime or to avoid a union; when communities are terrorized by ICE immigration raids – when nursing mothers are torn from their babies, when children come home from school to find their parents missing, when people are detained without access to legal counsel.

He's referring to lawful, necessary activities by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as "terroriz[ing]"? And, he's repeating the lie he told earlier (the "babies" bit). Since much of that part was repurposed from his LULAC speech, see the last link for a discussion of the rest.

And, there's this:

By living up to the ideals that this organization has always embodied – the ideals reflected in your name – La Raza, the people. I'm told that the original phrase was "La Raza Cosmica" – the cosmic people – a term big enough to embrace the rich tapestry of cultures, colors and faiths that make up the Hispanic community. Big enough to embrace the notion that we are all part of a greater community – that we all have a stake in each other; that I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper; and we rise and fall together as one people.

Whatever it's origins, "raza" means one thing nowadays, and Obama isn't "raza" (note the use of the word "we"). That's not as bad as going to a Bund meeting in the 30s and misunderstanding "das Volk" or similar, but it's close. The idea that the NCLR and the phrase "raza" is anything other than racially exclusionary is incredibly stupid, and dangerously so.

And, for yet another disqualifier, he shows he doesn't understand democracy and the concept of free speech:

The 12 million people in the shadows, the communities taking immigration enforcement into their own hands, the neighborhoods seeing rising tensions as citizens are pitted against new immigrants... they're counting on us to stop the hateful rhetoric filling our airwaves – rhetoric that poisons our political discourse, degrades our democracy, and has no place in this great nation.

BHO would try to drive speech he (and the NCLR) consider "hateful" off the airwaves; he's singled out Lou Dobbs by name in the past, and the NCLR and those linked to them have likewise targetted Dobbs, Glenn Beck, and Bill O'Reilly. If he becomes president, he'd take actions to drive them off the air.

About the NCLR: they're a far-left organization that supported giving a break to those who engage in identity theft, they gave an award to a vile racist, their leaders frequently mislead, and they have links to and fund extremists. And, Karl Rove spoke at their 2006 event. And, there's more.

UPDATE: This post was augmented from when it originally referred to the imperfect live-blog here: mydd.com/story/2008/7/13/15348/3308

Posted to Politics at 12:59 PM

New York Times supports illegal activity, identity theft

The New York Times editorial board continues to hit new lows, this time offering "The Shame of Postville, Iowa" (link) about the May immigration raid at Agriprocessors meat packing plant in that town.

Under the old way of doing things, the workers, nearly all Guatemalans, would have been simply and swiftly deported. But in a twist of Dickensian cruelty, more than 260 were charged as serious criminals for using false Social Security numbers or residency papers, and most were sentenced to five months in prison... No one is denying that the workers were on the wrong side of the law. But there is a profound difference between stealing people's identities to rob them of money and property, and using false papers to merely get a job. It is a distinction that the Bush administration, goaded by immigration extremists, has willfully ignored. Deporting unauthorized workers is one thing; sending desperate breadwinners to prison, and their families deeper into poverty, is another.

One wonders exactly what sort of sentence an American citizen would get for the same crime, and the NYT would probably support that citizen being prosecuted instead of making lame excuses. And, one wonders whether the NYT has any sympathy for those U.S. citizens and legal immigrants whose lives were affected by their identities being stolen. While the law occasionally makes distinctions, the New York Times thinks those who engage in identity theft should just be let free, just as long as they're foreign citizens.

The NYT also links to a PDF essay by Erik Camayd-Freixas, a professor of Spanish at Florida International University who's also a federal interpreter and worked in that capacity in Postville. I only scanned the first part, and nothing I saw in that part was anything but an extremely biased screed that, among other things, referred to the ad hoc detention center as a "concentration camp".

And, his and the NYT's prescription is horribly wrong: the U.S. can't serve as a safety valve for every failed country in the world. Those countries' people have to take charge of their own fates. The standard leftwing response is to lay all the blame on the U.S. and justify illegal immigration that way. In other words, the left's policy prescription is to make things worse for all concerned and not really solve the problem.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:39 PM

Barack Obama's "civilian national security force" (????)

Back on July 2, Barack Obama read his "public service" address, and it contained this line that hasn't received much notice:

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set... We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded."

What the Sam Hill? There's nothing at his Service page (barackobama.com/issues/service) discussing anything near such a program. He wants to increase the size of Americorps, create a "Homeland Security Corps", create other specialized groups, and give more power and equipment to the Reserves and Guard. But, considering that the U.S. military budget is nearly half a trillion dollars and they've got bunker busters and nuclear submarines and things like that, one might expect some sort of inkling of a plan.

And, of course, there's the creepy nature of his proposal, but nothing new there.

UPDATE: VOA News also has the BHO quote here. You can hear the quote at around the 16 minute mark of the video below. As discussed here, the quote is missing from the remarks as prepared for delivery as printed in the Denver Post and the WSJ. Why he'd say something in his speech that was different from the prepared remarks isn't clear, and it will be interesting to see which version the campaign puts on their website, if they ever do put it on their site.

UPDATE 2: Also see this discussion of the funding for whatever BHO was proposing. And see these:

Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuel want mandatory community service?; contradicts earlier statements; 100 hours/year in college

Obama spins Civilian National Security Force as for Iraq rebuilding

Brooks Jackson/FactCheck spins Obama's Civilian National Security Force

Posted to Politics at 07:41 PM

Parents: watch for Southern Poverty Law Center's Cesar Chavez "documentary"

The Southern Poverty Law Center - a group indirectly linked to the Mexican government - is producing a "documentary" on Cesar Chavez which they'll be distributing free to schools across the U.S. starting in September (splcenter.org/news/item.jsp?aid=318, via this). Since the SPLC is a strong supporter of illegal immigration, the fact that Chavez opposed illegal immigration is probably going to be left on the cutting room floor. Please watch out for their video and, if your local school district will be taking them up on their offer, review the video for balance and fill in any facts they "forgot" to mention. The fact that UFW co-founder Dolores Huerta is involved at least as an interviewee is not in the least a good sign.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 03:29 PM

Violent hate: protesters beat effigy of Sheriff Joe Arpaio (Isabel Garcia/Derechos Humanos)

On Thursday a protest against Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio was held in front of a Tucson Barnes and Noble where he was holding a book signing. Arpaio is working with Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) to enforce immigration laws in his area, and, needless to say, those who support illegal immigration don't like that one bit.

In front of the store, protesters savagely beat an effigy of Arpaio, severing it's head (video link). Then, Isabel Garcia of Derechos Humanos carried the severed head around (video link). Then, the protesters carried the body around (video link). See the writeup from Jon Justice of the radio station 104.1 FM The Truth here.

As of 2006, Derechos Humanos was collaborating with the Mexican government, and to make it even worse Garcia is on the payroll of Pima County (home of Tucson) as their Public Defender.

Needless to say, the Arizona Republic downplays the violent protest ("Arpaio's appearance at Tucson bookstore draws protesters" by Blake Morlock, link), saying only that the protesters "also pummeled a pinata meant to resemble Arpaio". Morlock also quotes far-leftie Reverend John Fife, an associate of Reverend Robin Hoover of No More Deaths, another person who is/was collaborting with the Mexican government.

And, also needless to say, the Arizona Daily Star offers a protester-friendly, race- and age-baiting report ("Fans and non-fans flock to Sheriff Joe event here" by Dan Sorenson, link). Per Sorenson, smashing the "pinata" was "mostly for their own amusement". Yes, they certainly look amused in the first video above.

Deanna Morgan of Fox 11 News doesn't mention the protest at all, but does note that they ran out of copies of Arpaio's book (link).

UPDATE: There's some more here, including letter they sent to Garcia's boss, Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry.

9/17/08 UPDATE: It was all just a dream. From this:

After initiating a review, Huckleberry issued a report last week, in which he concluded Garcia was acting as a private citizen on her own time, had nothing to do with the Arpaio piñata being brought to the event, did not encourage student protesters to strike the piñata, did not advocate any actual physical threats against Arpaio and, therefore, did not violate any county policies.

Although Huckleberry’s review focused on this single incident, Pima County citizens have complained for over a decade that Garcia’s conduct is unbefitting a public employee. In his report, Huckleberry stated, "In my conversation with Isabel Garcia ... she is truly remorseful regarding this matter. I had previously instructed her to not respond to media inquiries relating to this incident. She has complied. I asked her to fully document her recollection of the incident. She has complied. I asked for her apology regarding the difficulty incurred by Pima County regarding this incident. She has complied ... My expectations regarding this matter as it may relate to future activity have been clearly conveyed to Ms. Garcia."

Posted to Immigration2008a at 11:27 AM

Federal, state investigations of Agriprocessors (maybe the left will stop playing games)

Neither Alternet nor New America Media are reputable sources, but, for what it's worth, Wendy Feliz Sefsaf of NAM offers "Meat-Packing Giant Raided by ICE Faces Criminal Investigation" (alternet.org/immigration/91182). Discussing the Agriprocessors raid from May, she says:

No fewer than seven federal and state agencies are coordinating on investigations of Agriprocessors.

The Iowa Division of Labor Services, the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Equal Employment and Opportunities Commission (EEOC), the Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Iowa Attorney General's Office are all either conducting or cooperating on investigations into the plant.

Doris Meissner, a former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute said, "From everything we hear about this, it sounds like the federal government is marshalling all of the authorities that it has in order to bring the broadest set of charges -- and that's what it should be doing. It's a positive sign that they seem to be working with the state attorney general...

...According to lawyers in the case and agency representatives, there are likely to be civil charges related to immigration, wage enforcement, safety and other labor issues which usually result in fines, however, criminal charges related to immigration, child labor and sexual harassment and assault are far more serious and potentially wide reaching. Anyone with "knowledge or intent" of child laborers for instance is subject to criminal prosecution -- in theory this could include management, human resources representatives and owners alike...

One of the dodges some on the left use to support illegal immigration is to demand that those who employ illegal aliens should be arrested. They want the illegal aliens themselves to stay in the U.S. for various reasons. What they fail to understand (or state) is that by blocking enforcement against illegal aliens that keeps a pool of illegal labor in the U.S., and they'll just go to work for someone else. But, hopefully if Agriprocessors' management is actually prosecuted they'll stop trying that dodge at least temporarily.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 06:17 PM

John McCain's Hispandering gets even worse ("God's Children", Tancredo)

John McCain is a sleazy panderer, but he's now shown he can do even worse. The same ad McCain released on Memorial Day - commemorating the service of Hispanics and none others - has been re-released under the title "God's Children". The video is below, and if anyone sees any differences between the two versions leave a comment.

Everything that was wrong about the earlier ad is still wrong, but the new title makes it even worse. And, thanks to a "review" from either John Broder or Larry Rohter of the NYT (link) I noticed that the ad features this:

At one point, Representative Tom Tancredo of Colorado, a leading opponent of liberalized immigration laws, sits poker-faced as Mr. McCain praises the contributions of Hispanics to the armed forces and American life.

People who support our laws and who oppose ethnic nationalism really irk McCain, don't they? Also, needless to say, whichever NYT hack penned the "review" they failed to note how disreputable the ad is, and they also pretend that McCain has an "emphasis on legal immigration" when he's uttered statements in favor of illegal immigration and supports a massive amnesty for illegal aliens.

Posted to Politics at 06:01 PM

Barack Obama: "I ended up loving Texas!... It is fun to be in Fargo" (Jeff Zeleny/NYT)

The exact motivations for the Jeff Zeleny/New York Times article "As America Learns About Obama, He Returns the Favor" (link) aren't clear. I don't know whether he thinks he's doing him a favor, or whether his bosses have realized that BHO needs more experience before being selected for something and are trying to get him to withdraw from the race. However, in the recount of his travels across the U.S. - mostly to places he's never been before - he comes off sounding - pardon me - a bit "special". And, also more than a bit foreign:

"A place that I’ve come to love, which I did not expect until this campaign, is Texas... I ended up loving Texas! I've been struck by how many beautiful places there are in the country that you don't necessarily think of as beautiful. Pittsburgh, for example, is a really handsome town with the rivers and the hills... ...It is fun to be in Fargo. But it doesn't look like it does in the movie... [he's fast with the facts, too:] Oregon actually is the size of Great Britain, except it has 3 million people and Great Britain has 80 million... You pick up facts like that, and you realize again how lucky we are... [other quotes and interesting Zeleny comments]... ...I will make it to Alaska at some point, but maybe after I'm president. I can't wait."

I've never been to Pittsburgh but I'll take BHO's word for it that it isn't as bad as people say.

Posted to Politics at 07:49 PM

Frank Sharry launches Immigration08.com

Frank Sharry of America's Voice has launched the site Immigration08.com, featuring "expert analysis" from Pete Brodnitz of Benenson Strategy Group, Celinda Lake of Lake Research Partners, and Simon Rosenberg from the New Democratic Network. At post time it mostly consists of links to news articles and the candidates' (Obama and McCain) positions on their websites.

Now, as it happens, one of my neglected web properties is Immigration2008.com, so I guess I'll have to keep that more up-to-date in order to keep up with my new web neighbor.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 03:23 PM

Barack Obama wants a bilingual, English-Spanish U.S. (+more American bashing)

One of Barack Obama's most shocking statements was issued earlier today at a high school in Powder Springs, Georgia, where he said, among other things, the following (link):

"We live in a global economy. And, you know, I don't understand when people are going around worrying about, 'We need to have English- only.' They want to pass a law, 'We want English-only'... Now, I agree that immigrants should learn English. I agree with that. But understand this. Instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English - they'll learn English - you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish. You should be thinking about, how can your child become bilingual. We should have every child speaking more than one language."

While I have no doubt that his supporters will spin that statement in ever more creative ways, the bottom line (in our universe) is that Barack Obama is calling for a bilingual English-Spanish U.S. In the unlikely event that he becomes president, it's not difficult to imagine him pandering by pushing for funding for programs designed to teach Spanish rather than just programs not specific to one language.

Which brings us to a replay of BitterGate, with him also saying this:

"It's embarrassing when Europeans come over here, they all speak English, they speak French, they speak German. And then we go over to Europe and all we can say is 'Merci beaucoup.'"

Per the article, he said that for "comic effect", but somehow I'm not laughing.

UPDATE 4: See the extended entry for an example of the useful idiots who aren't even aware they're assimilating to immigrants rather than the other way around.

UPDATE 3: Obama has "clarified" his remarks by disingenuously suggesting that he only said Americans should learn foreign languages (link):

I said something the other day down in Georgia, and the Republicans jumped on this. I said, you know, absolutely immigrants need to learn English, but we also need to learn foreign languages... This is an example of some of the problems we get into when somebody attacks you for saying the truth, which is we should want children with more knowledge. We should want our children to have more skills. There's nothing wrong with that! It's a good thing...

Unfortunately, there were apparently no real reporters around to call him on misrepresenting his own comments. See this for a related discussion.

UPDATE 2: As expected, BHO's supporters are mischaracterizing his remarks, pretending that he just wants Americans to learn other languages. But, that's not the only thing he said. He wants parents to make sure that their children learn Spanish. He singled out one language, and if he had said they should learn French, people would wonder what he meant. But, because he mentioned Spanish, everyone knows exactly what he means: he wants citizens to assimilate to immigrants, even if he gives lip service to the reverse process.

A press release from US English is here. And, last month Rasumssen Reports did a telephone survey (link):

Eighty-three percent (83%) place a higher priority on encouraging immigrants to speak English as their primary language. Just 13% take the opposite view and say it is more important for Americans to learn other languages... [in different surveys] Among those angry about immigration, 59% believe most government officials encourage immigrants to retain their home country culture... 77% of Americans believed that employers should be allowed to require employees to speak English while on the job... 65% of voters now believe election ballots should only be printed in English. Thirty-two percent (32%) say they should be printed in both English and Spanish... 54% of voters say it is more important to encourage all immigrants to embrace American culture than it is to reduce the number of immigrants. Just 36% take the opposite view and say reducing immigration is a higher priority... Only 26% believe that every American should be able to speak at least two languages...

UPDATE: I replaced the original link with one with a longer transcript. And, here's video:

UPDATE 4: The comments on a post by "smintheus" (dailykos.com/story/2008/7/14/104027/288/892/551357) help show a) how an echo chamber leads to unchallenged and thereby occasionally false statements, b) how BHO's supporters are willing to mislead about his comments and the complaints about them, and c) Americans assimilating to immigrants instead of the other way around.

"smintheus" starts out by pretending that BHO's comments were just about learning new languages, and at the end says "Many right-wingers just skipped what Obama actually said and declared that he wants to forcibly indoctrinate their children in Spanish, or make Spanish the official language of the US." There's a subtle difference between that misstatement of concerns about BHO's comments and the actual concerns outlined above: what Obama said would lead to a bilingual U.S. No one's said he wants to make Spanish *the* official language, but his comments above could lead to him making it one of them. And, it certainly is possible that he'd want to forcibly make Spanish a requirement, but he's only so far made it his personal opinion and hasn't yet come up with a proposal.

And, the comments show Americans assimilating to immigrants:

"...I live in California. I was recently layed off from my jog as a paralegal because my boss retired. There are a lot of Spanish speaking people here in Sonoma County. I just spent $200+ for Spanish learning CD's..."

And:

"...I am in Mexico right this very moment, learning more Spanish to use in my job. Oh, and I will get a multi-thousand-dollar per year biingual stipend, which doesn't suck at all..."

And:

"If I didn't know Spanish... I'd have had a bitch of a time communicating with the movers who loaded my apartment onto a Budget truck last week. The job got done right only because my Spanish was marginally better than their English."

Posted to Politics at 08:16 PM

Obama gives interview to Access Hollywood; MSM pretends they do real reporting

Barack Obama gave an interview to Access Hollywood over the weekend, which was shown on their show as well as the Today Show. He and his family were apparently asked a series of puffball questions (by certified babe Maria Menounos), and they presumably answered with puffball answers.

And, needless to say, this has given the MSM yet another self-inflating, myth-building chance to pretend that they do real reporting and ask real questions.

From the Los Angeles Times' Leslie Hoffecker (link):

Every day, the presidential candidates face probing questions about their plans and policies from the reporters who travel almost everywhere with them. On the weekends, they're grilled by the moderators of the Sunday talk shows. So it must have been a real change of pace for Barack Obama when he sat down in Butte, Mont., over the Fourth of July weekend with "Access Hollywood."

From the Chicago Tribune's/Baltimore Sun's Mark Silva (link):

Considering the range of questions from traveling reporters that the presidential candidates face, and the grilling of moderators on the Sunday morning talk shows, Access Hollywood arrives as a real media vacation.

From ABC News' Jennifer Parker (link):

A hard-hitting interview on Obama's plans for Iraq or the economy, it's not.

The jokers above and all their friends in the MSM wouldn't know a tough question if it fell on their heads, and have no interest in asking anything even remotely difficult.

It would be incredibly easy for regular citizens to make the MSM look incredibly bad by simply going to campaign events and asking the questions "reporters" are too corrupt to ask. Unfortunately, few are willing to do that, but hopefully that will change.

Posted to Politics at 07:54 PM

Barack Obama's LULAC speech (another lie; overload!)

Barack Obama spoke to the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) earlier today. Some of his remarks were already covered here. The facts the MSM won't tell you about LULAC are here. A pre-convention BHO lie is here. However, there's much more. In fact, too much, but I'll try.

Thank you, Mayor. And thank you for what you do every day as one of America's finest mayors. At heart, what Mayor Villaraigosa is doing today is the same thing he was doing as a fifteen year old when he volunteered to take part in a grape boycott led by Cesar Chavez - he's fighting to make this country more equal and just. And he is a shining example of what we can achieve when we build a government that reflects the diversity of the United States of America.

Antonio Villaraigosa is little more than a sleazy, self-centered racial demagogue. He's one of our finest mayors only in the sense that, in some ways, he's not as bad as Marion Barry.

That's something I want to talk about because I'm told that today's theme is "diversity in government." So I've been thinking about why that's important and about what it means to have a government that represents all Americans. It's not just about making sure that men and women of every race, religion, and background are represented at every level of government - though that's a critical part of it. It's not just about sending a message to our children that everyone can lead and everyone can serve - although that too is important. It's about making sure that we have a government that knows that a problem facing any American is a problem facing all Americans.

BHO is calling for quotas well beyond even affirmative action. And, what exactly does he mean by "represented"? Is that in the same sense that LULAC "represents" Latinos? And, as their various proposals make clear, groups like LULAC, NCLR, and so on are only concerned about their own "communities", which conflicts with the last sentence.

...When Hispanics lose their jobs faster than almost anybody else, or work jobs that pay less, and come with fewer benefits than almost anybody else, that isn't a Hispanic-American problem, that's an American problem.

"Almost" is an interesting qualifier: which group loses jobs at a faster rate? And, the problem Obama identifies is related to massive immigration. It's a problem he's helped cause.

When 12 million people live in hiding in this country and hundreds of thousands of people cross our borders illegally each year; when companies hire undocumented workers instead of legal citizens to avoid paying overtime or to avoid a union; and a nursing mother is torn away from her baby by an immigration raid, that is a problem that all of us - black, white, and brown - must solve as one nation.

Illegal aliens aren't living "in hiding"; BHO appeared at an event where tens or hundreds of thousands of them marched through our streets. And, whatever situation they're in is because of choices they made; they won't be "living in hiding" if they return to their home countries. BHO could work to secure our borders, but instead those on his side constantly work to reduce all forms of enforcement.

As for the "nursing mother is torn away from her baby", that's yet another in the long line of Barack Obama lies. The baby was already in the hospital when the raid occurred.

If you assume that Barack Obama is just a crooked politician, everything he says makes perfect sense.

Posted to Politics at 04:08 PM

Barack Obama proud of attending immigration march (LULAC, Mexican government)

Barack Obama's prepared remarks for his speech at the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) convention include him taking pride in having marched in support of illegal immigration at the Chicago event on May 1, 2006. Unfortunately, no one has yet asked him why he'd be proud of marching at an event whose main organizers have links to the Mexican government. One of the main organizers is even an official with Mexico's PRD political party. Who'd be proud of being at the least a useful idiot for possible Mexican government proxies? Barack Obama, that's who:

I marched with you in the streets of Chicago to meet our immigration challenge. I fought with you in the Senate for comprehensive immigration reform. And I will make it a top priority in my first year as President – not only because we have an obligation to secure our borders and get control of who comes in and out of our country. And not only because we have to crack down on employers who are abusing undocumented immigrants instead of hiring citizens. But because we have to finally bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows. Yes, they broke the law. And they should have to pay a fine, and learn English, and go to the back of the line. That's how we'll put them on a pathway to citizenship. That's how we'll finally fix our broken immigration system and avoid creating a servant class in our midst. It's time to reconcile our values and principles as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. That's what this election is all about.

Everything above is something he's said before, and the fix he offers will make things far worse and lead to the rebuilding of the "servant class" over time as those who currently support illegal immigration continue to support it, this time with even more power than they have now.

Related:
Barack Obama statement supports illegal immigration marches
Barack Obama proud of marching for illegal immigration at Mexican government-linked events (Ted Kennedy)

Posted to Immigration2008a at 01:24 PM

Sunset and Cahuenga in Hollywood is now "Larry King Square"

The beautiful corner of Sunset Boulevard and Cahuenga in central Hollywood, Los Angeles, California will, beginning on Thursday, be known as "Larry King Square" after America's favorite CNN talk show host, city officials confirm. However, that designation will only take effect during the day; after sundown, it will be known as "RentATrannyCentral". LRonHubbard Avenue, located a couple miles down Sunset, could not be reached for comment.

Posted to Miscellania at 10:32 AM

Elderly librarian ejected from John McCain event! (Don't worry about the details; ProgressNow)

Denver, Colorado's ProgressNow - a group linked to both the Democratic Party and multi-millionaire illegal immigration supporter Jared Polis - is pushing the story of a poor, helpless, 61-year-old part time librarian who was arrested before a John McCain event just because she was holding a sign saying "McCain = Bush" (progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqyh).

Except, of course, there's more to it.

The "librarian" (Carol Kreck) works part-time for an "education think tank" (link). I haven't been able to determine which group that is, but it screams "Polis or affiliated" group to me. She's also a former Denver Post reporter (apparently under the name Carol Bell), so she's not a civilian either. There's also the question of whether she was on public or private property and whether they had a right to complain about the sign since no one else was allowed to have one. See the comment from someone who claims to be from Progress Now disputing the Denver Post's take, but for now I suggest putting this in the "Agitprop" category rather than the "Violation of First Amendment" category.

UPDATE: Per this:

It was Sen. John McCain's staff who asked security at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts to remove people holding protest signs at the venue — not U.S. Secret Service agents, who were not involved in Carol Kreck's ouster from the galleria... A previous federal appeals court decision determined that the galleria area where Kreck was standing is not necessarily a public spot and that protests can be curtailed there...

The "victim" herself weighs in here. She implies without offering any evidence that the Secret Service is lying. She also says - surprise - the ACLU is on the case.

Video of the arrest:

Posted to Politics at 08:37 PM

Netroots, mondegreen added to dictionary!

America's perkiest newsbabe, Katie Couric, informs us that the words "netroots" and "mondegreen" have been added to the dictionary.

The second word is derived from a song lyric "laid him on the green"; in reference to Katie I'd prefer rondegreen (phwoar), but that's just me.

And, of course, we know about the word "netroots" because it's related to the word "nutroots", the blogging term for FireDogLake, DailyKos, and other sites. Maybe if we write enough letters to whichever company is responsible for the dictionary we can get a montage of their logos added next to that word when it's eventually added.

Posted to Bloggage at 06:56 PM

Barack Obama lies yet again (uninsured Hispanics, healthcare for illegal aliens)

Barack Obama seems to think that just pandering isn't enough, he has to lie while doing it. The latest example is a quote relating to his appearance at the LULAC convention [1]:

"I want to stop talking about the outrage of 15 million uninsured Hispanics in this country, the largest group of the uninsured in the U.S., and start actually doing something about it."

Obama lied about yet another statistic; in 2006 there were 21.2 million non-Hispanic whites who were uninsured (link). Unless we're doing ObamaMath, 21.3 million is greater than 15.3 million. And, since the Census Bureau also counts illegal aliens that implies that Obama wants to extend insurance to illegal aliens as well.

There is, however, one other explanation: unlike the U.S. Census Bureau, BHO doesn't perceive non-Hispanic whites as a "group". In his mind, only Hispanics, Asians, and blacks are distinctive "groups". See, for instance, this example of Barack Obama's racial demagoguery.

So, Barack Obama either lied, or he's more in the Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson mold than many are willing to admit. I'll leave it up to his supporters to decide which it is.

READING COMPREHENSION UPDATE FOR OBAMA SUPPORTERS: It's true that there are more Hispanics as a percentage of their group who are uninsured than a similar statistic for non-Hispanic whites, but that's not what BHO said. However, if you'd prefer that explanation, then there's a third choice. With that choice, BHO was simply being egregiously misleading. Would that work better for you?

[1] hispanicbusiness.com/news/2008/6/6/2008_lulac_national_convention_hosted_at.htm

Posted to Politics at 01:23 PM

Obama, McCain, Clinton at LULAC convention (illegal immigration supporters; reconquista quote)

Barack Obama, John McCain, and even Hillary Clinton will all be speaking at this year's convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), an illegal immigration-supporting group that was once patriotic but has since been radicalized. As shown by the attendees discussed below, the convention will be a nexus of those who do not support what's in the best interests of the U.S. For example, here's a 2007 quote from their national treasurer Jaime Martinez, who'll also be appearing at one of their workshops:

"We must not sell out, and we must fight for the rights of our people that have been here! ...This is our land and we're going to fight for just and humane comprehensive immigration reform!... ...We did not cross the border, the border crossed us."

Needless to say, such sentiments are straight out of Reconquista 101, and both candidates (and Hillary) should be asked why they're speaking to such a group. Please go to one of their public appearances, read that quote, and then ask them to renounce LULAC.

McCain will appear at their "Diversity Luncheon" tomorrow; the "Open Dialogue with Obama" will be later that day. Hillary will speak on Friday. On Wednesday there's an invitation-only Ohtli Reception; whether that's related to the Mexican government's awards with the same name isn't known. Others attending include Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

Their president Rosa Rosales says:

"We are at a turning point for both Latinos and our country's leadership. This is the Latino summer."

On an ominous note, they want to increase the numbers of Latinos working for the federal government. While that might initially seem to be a worthy goal, their actual goal is to embed those who sympathize with their agenda in positions of power [1]:

In partnership with the OPM Management Development Center and the Graduate School, USDA, [LULAC's Federal Training Institute] offers workshops that enable mid and senior level government employees to enhance their leadership competencies skills that develop the Executive Core Qualifications required for entry to the Senior Executive Service...

Their workshops include the following:
* "Election 2008: Mobilizing the Latino Vote", featuring Rep. Mike Honda of the DNC and Mike Duncan of the RNC.

* "The Media Objectivity in Covering Immigration". Mentions "Lou Dobbs, O'Reilly and Glenn Beck"; Ray Suarez of PBS has been invited to moderate. Showing their objectivity, all four panelists will presumably support illegal immigration.

* "Global Warming and its Consequences for Latinos": "Panelist will address why the Latino population is overwhelming vulnerable to this phenomenon..." No, really.

* "Supersize Me: Strategies for Growing Council Membership": features Jaime Martinez, the source for the quote used at the start of this post.

* "Immigration: Redefining the Debate". Senator Bob Menendez and Rep. Xavier Becerra have been invited. Those who've confirmed their presence include "Mauricio Farah, Quinto Visitador General, La Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos de Mexico", Frank Sherry from America's Voice, Tamar Jacoby of Immigration Works USA, and Lori Wallach from Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch.

* "High Powered Latinas and the Challenges They Face" featuring someone from the U.S. Army together with Dolores Huerta and Lydia Camarillo of the Southwest Voter Education and Registration Project.

UPDATE: McCain's remarks are here. Noting any difference between that and his previous speeches is left as an exercise. And, America Blog contributor Joe Sudbay was refused a press pass (americablog.com/2008/07/no-live-blogging-of-mccain-and-obama.html) despite being a LULAC useful idiot. He thinks it's because they don't understand new media, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they got the wrong impression about that domain name.

UPDATE 2: Here's a discussion of Barack Obama's remarks. He was introduced by L.A.'s own Antonio Villaraigosa (link). And, corporate sponsors included Denny's, Google and Fannie Mae (link). Those at the "Patron" level got a "Web Link", something that Google might frown on.

[1] lulac.org/events/fti08.html
[2] lulac.org/events/convention/workshop08.html

Posted to Politics at 01:02 PM

Rick Noriega proud of taking college educations from U.S. citizens and receiving award from Mexican government because of it

Rick Noriega is running against incumbent John Cornyn for Senator from Texas. While Cornyn is pretty horrid, Noriega is even worse. From his about page (ricknoriega.org/about):

The most significant accomplishment of Rick's second session in 2001 was passage of House Bill 1403.This was an historic bill, making Texas the first state in the country to provide in-state tuition rates and financial assistance for certain immigrant children; today, thousands of them are attending college.

...For his courage in authoring HB 1403 and his leadership in shepherding the bill through the legislative process, Rick received numerous awards including one from the Texas Association of Bilingual Educators, Texas LULAC. He was also selected by the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE) and Hispanic Journal as "2001 Legislator of the Year." The government of Mexico honored Rick with the Ohtli Award in 2002, presented to U.S. citizens of Mexican descent who have distinguished themselves in public service.

As described here many times, bills like 1403 have the impact of taking college educations from U.S. citizens in order to give them to foreign citizens who are here illegally. Noriega is on their side, not ours. And, the Ohtli award is presented to U.S. officials who help that country push their agenda inside our country.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:54 PM

Arlington's Walter Tejada gets Mexican government award at NALEO convention

Walter Tejada is chairman of the Arlington County, Virginia Board [1]. He's also a former leader of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). And, back on June 26 at the convention of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) he was presented with the Ohtli Award, given by the country of Mexico to elected officials in the U.S. who, not to put too fine a point on it, advance that country's agenda [2]. More on the award here; more on Tejada here, here, and here.

Note that both Barack Obama and John McCain spoke at the same convention, and readers are urged to ask both of them whether they have any qualms about appearing at events where awards like that are given out.

[1] arlingtonva.us/Departments/CountyBoard/CountyBoardMain.aspx
[2] naleo.org/DC/program_thurs.html

Posted to Immigration2008a at 12:42 PM

Youtube's Citizentube blog doesn't want to hear from citizens, deletes all comments

Youtube's "Citizentube" (citizentube.com) apparently doesn't want to hear from citizens, because that blog where they post promos for Youtube's political ventures has stopped allowing comments on their entries. They used to allow comments, but they've even gone as far as deleting all comments which were left on their past entries.

I blame myself, since I pestered Youtube's Steve Grove by leaving the three comments in the extended entry, none of which are there anymore.

1. From citizentube.com/2008/04/announcement-general-election.html
Have you ever heard hype about a new band, and when you listen to them it's just elevator music?

Youtube's "debates" are like that. The "debate" will be like the CNN/Youtube "debate", featuring puffball after puffball which the candidates will simply answer with their stock speeches. And, whoever the moderators are won't call them on their lies or press for a followup.

Youtube is already telegraphing what they're going to do by featuring the superlightweight James Kotecki, someone who wouldn't know a tough question if it fell on his head.

Not only that, but their example of a user-generated question is someone asking "do you think your personal qualities will allow you to be an effective president"?

What does anyone expect the answer to be, "no"?

If I were Youtube, I'd watch out: the questions they're going to allow to be asked might give Sergey Brin Soviet Union flashbacks.

2. From citizentube.com/2008/04/announcement-general-election.html
Let me light a candle by offering this proposal. The only way to avoid a repeat of the CNN disasters is to have bloggers and the like vote on the questions. They'll be charged with selecting the *toughest* questions, not the ones they want answered or anything else. And, their votes for each video will be public. So, if they vote up weak videos or vote down tough videos then they can be held accountable by their readers. And, the votes could be sliced and diced by who voted in which categories, a specific blogger's votes, etc.

On the plus side for Google, this would also cause more people to visit whatever site they host that at because the bloggers could link to a list of their votes.

And, this would also give Google plausible deniability when those tough questions get asked and the candidates get angry: it was the bloggers that selected the questions, not Google.

3. From citizentube.com/2008/04/welcome-to-new-citizentube.html
If Youtube wanted to do a public service they'd encourage people to go to campaign events and ask the questions that the MSM is too corrupt to ask. The MSM includes CNN and CSPAN, two Youtube partners that ran contests and then selected the wimpiest questions of the bunch. Regarding the CNN debacle, see these:

youtube.com/watch?v=nIbDAVQMKGM
youtube.com/watch?v=wm0uWz2BS9M

If someone who's familiar with the issue and who isn't afraid to ask real questions ever engages one of the top three candidates on immigration, the candidate is going to end up looking very bad since all three of them have offered unworkable proposals and have frequently lied or made misleading or incomplete statements. Perhaps Youtube is afraid of encouraging people to ask real questions lest they lose their access. Or, maybe it's something else.

Posted to Bloggage at 02:20 PM

Barack Obama's "Global Poverty Act" (S. 2433, United Nations, global tax?)

Need further proof that the Barack Obama candidacy is just an elaborate practical joke? Consider this February story:

Sen. Barack Obama, perhaps giving America a preview of priorities he would pursue if elected president, is rejoicing over the Senate committee passage of a plan [the "Global Poverty Act", S.2433] that could end up costing taxpayers billions of dollars in an attempt to reduce poverty in other nations...

It would demand that the president develop "and implement" a policy to "cut extreme global poverty in half by 2015 through aid, trade, debt relief" and other programs...

The House version is H.R.1302 (link), introduced by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA). From the Obama bill text (link):

The [Struck out->] United Nations [<-Struck out] Millennium Development Goals include the goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting in half the proportion of people suffering from hunger and unable to access safe drinking water and sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, ensuring basic education for all children, and reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sustaining the environment upon which human life depends.

The "Struck out" bits are at the last link above; why they're removed some instances of "United Nations" isn't entirely clear.

What's worrisome also is that even though the bill supposedly only requires us to meet the poverty-related Millennium Development Goal, the other Goals are even more worrisome:

...that declaration commits nations to banning "small arms and light weapons" and ratifying a series of treaties, including the International Criminal Court Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol (global warming treaty), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Millennium Declaration also affirms the U.N. as "the indispensable common house of the entire human family, through which we will seek to realize our universal aspirations for peace, cooperation and development."

Jeffrey Sachs, who runs the U.N.'s "Millennium Project," says that the U.N. plan to force the U.S. to pay 0.7 percent of GNP in increased foreign aid spending would add $65 billion a year to what the U.S. already spends. Over a 13-year period, from 2002, when the U.N.'s Financing for Development conference was held, to the target year of 2015, when the U.S. is expected to meet the "Millennium Development Goals," this amounts to $845 billion. And the only way to raise that kind of money, Sachs has written, is through a global tax, preferably on carbon-emitting fossil fuels...

See the last link for much more.

Posted to Politics at 01:27 PM

John McCain launches new English-language radio ad

From the press release (link):

ARLINGTON, Va., July 3 /Standard Newswire/ -- U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign today released a new English-language radio ad, called "Our Values." The ad features Frank Schmidt, John McCain's roommate at the U.S. Naval Academy, speaking about the values John McCain shares with the Anglo/a community and the leadership he has demonstrated on behalf of Anglos and all Americans. The radio ad will air in Nevada and New Mexico.

LISTEN TO THE AD HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VV8D3ITyd2w

English Script For "Our Values" (Radio:60)

FRANK SCHMIDT: My name is Frank Schmidt, a proud Anglo who wants the best for America and for our community.

My roommate at the U.S. Naval Academy is running for President of the United States and he wants what is best for the Anglo community too.

His name is John McCain and he has stood for our community even in the most difficult of times.

This is because he shares our same conservative values and faith in God. He knows that family is the focal part of our lives and that we value hard work.

Being from Arizona, John knows this. He has earned the trust of Anglos and has a history of supporting us.

This election, it seems to me that the other candidate has just discovered the importance of the Anglo vote. So when it comes to our values and understanding Anglos this election, I know for John it's not political; it comes from the heart.

That's why I am voting for John McCain.

JOHN MCCAIN: I'm John McCain and I approve this message.

ANNCR: Paid for by John McCain 2008.

Posted to Immigration2008a at 01:56 PM

Barack Obama campaign bans user blog with Obama's own quotes (see disclaimer)

Someone created a user blog at my.barackobama.com and posted quotes from Barack Obama's book "Dreams of my Father". The blog was deleted in short order; details here. (Yes, her).

Now for the disclaimer: it's hard to follow the post, so it isn't clear what text is from where; and, the user may have engaged in other activities that caused his account to be pulled; and, I haven't confirmed whether the given quotes appear in the book.

Perhaps someone could do this in a better fashion by simply repurposing BHO's quotes into blog posts then, being careful to not engage in abusive activities, see if the blog could be deleted just for its contents.

Posted to Politics at 06:27 PM

In Colombia, John McCain calls for "hemispheric free trade agreement"

On his swing through Colombia en route to Mexico, John McCain among other things promoted NAFTA, supported the U.S.-Colombian Free Trade Agreement, promoted "free" trade in general, and said "I would like to see a hemispheric free trade agreement" (link). Presumably the "hemispheric" plan would be along the lines of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas, although just going straight to the North American Union might be in the back of his mind.

Bear in mind that Barack Obama is no great shakes on this issue. While he supposedly opposes the Colombia FTA, he also admitted to being misleading about NAFTA and he supports Bush's SPP, a joint venture between Canada, Mexico, and the U.S.

Posted to Politics at 03:31 PM

It begins: FireDogLake wants readers to go to politicians' public appearances

The Netroots/Nutroots is doing something that will hopefully lead to something that I've been pushing for almost two years: regular citizens going to public appearances by politicians and asking them tough questions rather than the puffballs lobbed by the MSM. FireDogLake's Blue America PAC hosts a page where you can search for public appearances or protest/flier distribution activities in your area: action.firedoglake.com/page/event/search_simple

They want their readers to input events and [1]:

use it to coordinate a meeting with a Senator or Representative, and then publish a notice so that other folks can also get involved. Or track public appearances of elected officials in local venues. Or put together a planning meet-up to come up with ideas to educate the public on FISA-- like leafletting or showing up at parades with signs... We've been collecting some information about public appearances for elected officials -- especially for Senators so that we can take immediate action on FISA.

Like as not, if their readers do anything most of them will stage lame demonstrations instead of asking tough questions and then uploading video of the responses. But if some of them do the latter, that might encourage those who oppose massive/illegal immigration to follow suit.

[1] firedoglake.com/2008/07/02/
fisa-blue-america-launching-a-tool-to-help-you-organize-in-your-own-community

Posted to Politics at 01:46 PM

Barack Obama wants Clean Energy Corps to fight global warming; was it my idea?

Barack Obama's speechwriters continue their sales job, today giving BHO a speech to read about public service. And, on his site you can find a "Plan for Universal Voluntary Public Service" (barackobama.com/issues/service), where he informs us that "this will be a cause of my presidency". I can hardly wait!

Further:

Obama will expand AmeriCorps from 75,000 slots today to 250,000 and he will focus this expansion on addressing the great challenges facing the nation. He will establish a Classroom Corps to help teachers and students, with a priority placed on underserved schools; a Health Corps to improve public health outreach; a Clean Energy Corps to conduct weatherization and renewable energy projects; a Veterans Corps to assist veterans at hospitals, nursing homes and homeless shelters; and a Homeland Security Corps to help communities plan, prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Surely it must be a coincidence that back in April I uploaded the video "Green Pioneers: stop global warming & safeguard environment!" which is, unbeknownst to some Youtube viewers, a satire:

If anyone has a blog at Obama's site, let me suggest seeing how many Pioneers features you can propose as part of his plans without anyone catching on.

Posted to Politics at 11:54 AM

NewsHounds edits comments without notice

NewsHounds is a bargain-basement "liberal" site whose tagline is "We watch FOX so you don't have to": their contributors watch that network and then write up reports. No less than two comments I left on the thread "Ingraham criticizes Washington Post for report, but fails to disprove it" by contributor "Chrish" [1] were edited without notice. Which is pretty rich coming from a site that in the past has offered posts like "Bill O'Reilly cuts mic of US Colonel Ann Wright as she defends her service and stance" and "Jane Hall Gets Mic Cut For Exposing BOR's Hypocrisy" [2]. I guess cutting someone off is OK if News Hounds does it.

The first comment I left was this:
----------
Obviously, Ingraham doesn't read my blog!

Because, if she did, she would have been able to point out how the WaPo author is lying.
----------

The change they made was to remove the link. My name's link was left in place, but by removing the link in the text, they reduced my comment to a statement that could be construed as just a simply reflexive disagreement instead of someone offering proof of the author lying. Note also that their commenting system is Javascript, meaning there's no search engine benefit to leaving links there.

After noticing that they'd edited my comment without notice, I left the original comment with a preface:
----------
Apparently there was some sort of odd technical problem, because the link to my proof that the author is lying is now missing from my earlier comment.

Here's the comment as it was before:
----------

The original comment followed the above. NewsHounds edited the last comment to be just the single sentence "Apparently there was some sort of odd technical problem".

For more fun, I'm going to leave another comment with a link to this post.

The depths some bloggers are willing to go to prevent their readers from being exposed to the truth would be funny, except little Stalinists aren't really that funny at all.

[1] newshounds.us/2008/06/30/
ingraham_criticizes_washington_post_for_report_but_fails_to_disprove_it.php
[2] site:newshounds.us cut off microphone

Posted to Bloggage at 10:17 PM

Non-"liberal" coverage of immigration, Iraq, terrorism, multiculturalism, Los Angeles, California, privacy, and occasionally celebrities and wacky humor...

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• 2002: 9  10  11  12 

All Posts(links to each post by title)

• Odd: scientist commits suicide after learning would be charged in anthrax attacks
• Far-lefties protest NAFTA Superhighway at Cato Institute, Washington Post
• Barack Obama's "Low Road Express"
• CIS sees reduction in number of illegal aliens; others disagree (Dave Marcus, Paul Krawzak)
• Minutemen protest SF sanctuary policy; Gavin Newsom still defends that policy
• Camp Obama: two-day training sessions for BHO volunteers to promulgate Barack's message to the countryside
• U.S. Catholic Church's 2008 National Migration Conference: Roger Mahony, others support illegal immigration
• Rep. Pete Hoekstra staffer served on Mexican government advisory board
• Chicago City Council to try blocking immigration enforcement (Danny Solis, Roberto Maldonado, Emma Lozano)
• ICE to start voluntary self-deportation program?
• Doesn't the left realize how embarrassing Max Blumenthal is? (Toby Keith, lynching)
• Banned by Alternet!
• Barack Obama: please choose Tim Kaine as your vice presidential candidate
• Ramos/Compean convictions upheld; to Supreme Court?
• Is my.barackobama.com trollproof? No, you just need to work at it
• New DailyKos slogan: Liar, liar, pants on fire, you f#$%ing liar
• Moira Herbst/Business Week: local enforcement of immigration laws is "ugly"
• San Bernardino school board promotes college discounts for illegal aliens
• Luis Gutierrez demagogues Agriprocessors raid, accuses DOJ of lying (Joe Baca, Albio Sires, Jens Manuel Krogstad)
• 1000 protest in Postville in support of immigration-related abuses; a Rubashkin blames enemies

My trip to Alpine County What not to do, again (September 1-2, 2002)

Boston Market Cornbread Temperatures Please help contribute to this important study (August 28, 2002)

Did The Gap Put Celebrities at Risk? An Open Web Letter to The Gap (May 20, 2002)

Humphreys Peak Arizona's highest point (May 19, 2001)

Go Heavy, Go Slow, Get Lost Bay Area highpoints (December 14, 2000)

Hubris in New England The highpoints of RI, CT, and MA (October 8, 2000)

Let's go to Utah Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon (August 14, 2000)

Your host, climbing Monkey Face (5.14d)

Your host's arm (circled)

Your host's hopelessly outdated conditioning progress

BigMediaBlog.com : "Comments for sites that don't have comments."

BoreAmerica.com: monitoring Air America Radio

tolstoy.com : my business site

Drudge
The John and Ken Show (KFI-Los Angeles)
The Stein Report
Sam Zamarripa
RedState
Res Ipsa Loquitur
PCWatch
Natalie Merchant
Samizdata