Islammunism v. Freedom
Welcome to the Fifth edition of the Second Amendment Carnival!It's late. But as I prepare everything for the Carnival tomorrow, I can't help but post this video. It is very relevant, and largely IS the essence of what our Constitution serves to prevent.
Tiananmen. June, 1989
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freedom
Cross Posted from the Uncooperative Blogger:
From the San Bernadino Sun:
Congressmen who visit the U.S.-Mexico border unannounced are being monitored by the Department of Homeland Security, and at least one U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent has been suspended for speaking to a congressman without first getting supervisory clearance, according to documents obtained by the Daily Bulletin.
Congressional members interviewed by the newspaper said they were unaware until recently that Border Patrol agents were required to file Significant Incident Reports - normally used for shootings and other serious border incidents - when congressional members made unannounced visits in the summer along the U.S.-Mexico border.
A second document obtained by the paper reveals that one agent was suspended for 10 days without pay for speaking with Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, who made an unannounced visit to the border in May.
“Preventing Congress from speaking freely to federal employees violates at least two federal statutes, and agents are fearful of telling the truth,” said King, who recounted several visits to the Mexican border when Border Patrol agents would not speak with him for fear of reprisal.
“Filing these reports is a form of intimidation. If anyone is going to be punished, then they should be punished for not speaking to a member of Congress, rather than for telling the truth.”
Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, who also has made unannounced visits to the border, said he is concerned congressional oversight of border matters has suffered as a result of the Homeland Security monitoring. Poe echoed King’s assertion that forcing agents to file reports is a form of intimidation, and said Congress is prepared to call for hearings and issue subpoenas to investigate the matter.
“Members of Congress should not be under surveillance by Homeland Security because we ask the tough questions (of) border agents, and border agents should not be intimidated into having to report our visits and conversations with them like we are criminals,” Poe said. “Members of Congress are not the enemy because we want to find out the truth at the border.”
I keep wondering what they have to gain from playing down the situation on the border? You would think the opposite would be true, that they would want them to know how bad it is so they get more men, tools and money; that is usually the way it works.
A Tucson Border Patrol agent, whose name is being withheld for fear of reprisal, was suspended on Aug. 21 for 10 consecutive days without pay for speaking with King while on duty, according to a suspension letter obtained by the newspaper.
Office of Border Patrol officials, who had heard that congressional members were making unannounced visits to the border, discovered the identity of the agent while performing an Internet search, when they found a photograph of the agent with the congressman.
“On May 6, while on official duty, you met with your friend, Congressman King, and three other individuals,” the letter stated. “You took them to an area west of your office and gave them a tracking demonstration, and you spent approximately three hours with these individuals. You did not have prior supervisory permission to perform these activities while in an on-duty status.”
King said he is “seeking a positive resolution to that matter.”
Numerous field agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin over the past month said directives from U.S. Border Patrol headquarters have also kept them from filing accurate reports about incidents along the southwest border.
“It feels like we just can’t speak the truth,” said an Arizona Border Patrol agent, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They want to know what we say and who we say it to. If we say something that doesn’t fit with the agency line, then we’re reprimanded.”
There you have it, the government goes out of its way to prosecute two decorated border patrol officers for an encounter with an illegal alien drug runner and now they are hidding the truth from congress.
Well we will get a fence Bill with high tech gadgets to help seal our border, but it seems like those in charge don’t want the border sealed. During the time the fence is being built, I guarantee, in the next Congress, they will be pushing for amnesty and an increased guest worker program.
Hat tip: American Freedom Riders
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.
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caii,
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Updates below...
Florida Republican Congressmen Mark Foley has resigned, and for the better, apparently:
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., abruptly resigned from Congress on Friday in the wake of questions about e-mails he wrote a former teenage male page.Predictably, the Lefties are all over it, naturally gluttonous with the hasty ingestion of every last morsel of Foley's reputation."I am deeply sorry and I apologize for letting down my family and the people of Florida I have had the privilege to represent," he said in a statement issued by his office.
His departure sent Republicans scrambling for a replacement candidate less than six weeks before midterm elections in which Democrats are making a strong bid to gain control of the House.
Ten years ago, I outed Foley as a gay man for The Advocate, the national gay and lesbian newsmagazine...*UPDATE*
...asking a lawmaker if he was gay and how his sexuality affected his vote was just not acceptable. It wasn't in 1996, and I doubt many reporters would do it today. It's not homophobia per se. It's really more like homo-aversion.
Six-term Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida resigned... on Friday following reports he sent sexually inappropriate e-mails to underage congressional interns.Foley, chairman of the House caucus on missing and exploited children, said he would resign immediately after ABC News reported he sent messages to current and former congressional pages with repeated references to sexual organs and acts...
Foley was the author of the key sexual predator provisions of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, which Bush signed in July.
Foley, who represents a district in southern Florida, also was a member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees tax and trade policy.
Six weeks to the election and this Republican turns out to be, or if not, will be made out to be a hideous child-molesting monster.
The Second Amendment Carnival is here tomorrow. If you have any submissions, they're due tonight.
The All-American Convenience Store, dropping Hugo:
7-Eleven Inc. is dropping Venezuela-backed Citgo as its gasoline supplier after more than 20 years as part of a previously announced plan by the convenience store operator to launch its own brand of fuel.Maybe I'll stop by for a Big Gulp.
Citgo Petroleum Corp. is a Houston-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state-run oil company and 7-Eleven is worried that anti-American comments made by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez might prompt motorists to fill-up elsewhere.
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communists,
other,
venezuela
Why Liberals are wrong, and why the GOP may lose:
"That's one of the main reasons why we think that we need an American presence, even symbolical, in the country to prevent our neighbors attacking us," he said at a forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think thank.
Talabani also said Baghdad could not "further tolerate" neighbors' interference in its internal affairs. "I think that our neighbors must understand that our patience is limited..."
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iraq
Cross Posted from InMuscatine:
See if you can spot the pattern in these headlines from today, September 26, 2006 :
U.S. fence a cynical appeal to voters
EDITORIAL: Fence not the answer
Mexican president-elect criticizes fence plans
EDITORIAL: Fence is hardly immigration ‘reform’
Fence won’t mend broken border policy
Gee… I wonder how the enemies of American sovereignty are going to spin immigration ENFORCEMENT into a negative? Anyone have any ideas?
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let us know at what level you would like to participate.
**I have updated this post and put it back on top (7:30pm). Scroll for updates.**
It started with a leak from certain "U.S. officials" to the media that an intelligence report had come to the conclusion that the Iraq war actually increased the threat of terrorism to the United States.
Naturally, the Democrats took this opportunity to bash the Bush administration:
Rep. Rahm Emanuel, head of the Democratic effort to take control of the House, said, "Unfortunately this report is just confirmation that the Bush administration's stay-the-course approach to the Iraq war has not just made the war more difficult and more deadly for our troops, but has also made the war on terror more dangerous for every American.So far the politicians and the press only have what was leaked. The entire intel report has not been declassified, yet the reporting and bashing continues as if the entire document had been thoroughly examined:
So Nancy Pelosi, bent on impeachment, holds a secret meeting.At a news conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Bush said political opponents had disclosed only select parts of the National Intelligence Estimate, a U.S. global report on terrorism, and he decided to make the document public so "you read it for yourself."
"Somebody has taken it upon themselves to leak classified information for political purposes," Bush said.
The Iraq conflict has become the “cause celebre” for jihadists, breeding a deepSome key phrases which provide more context:
resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world...
Anti-US and anti-globalization sentiment is on the rise and fueling other radical
ideologies. This could prompt some leftist, nationalist, or separatist groups to adopt
terrorist methods to attack US interests...
United States-led counterterrorism efforts have seriously damaged the leadership ofKeep in mind that this intel report was completed in April, and that this is only part of it. Probably a small part.
al-Qa’ida and disrupted its operations...
We assess that the global jihadist movement is decentralized, lacks a coherent global
strategy, and is becoming more diffuse...
The loss of key leaders, particularly Usama Bin Ladin, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and
al-Zarqawi, in rapid succession, probably would cause the group to fracture into
smaller groups. Although like-minded individuals would endeavor to carry on the
mission, the loss of these key leaders would exacerbate strains and disagreements.
Nothing in it supports the Pelosi-Dean-Reid-Murtha Democrats' demand to cut-and-run from Iraq. Just the opposite in fact: "If democratic reform efforts in Muslim majority nations progress over the next five years, political participation probably would drive a wedge between intransigent extremists and groups willing to use the political process to achieve their local objectives."Hugh places a lot of courage in that word probably. To be fair so do I. But I don't have the same courage in the administration of that reform nor in its execution. I do agree that cutting and running would embolden the insurgency and Iran to the point that the Iraqi government would largely collapse and prove ineffective against instability and the breeding of terrorism.
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democrats,
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terrorism
I listened to Glenn Beck today, and it seems his show is the only media outlet extensively covering the Iranian threat. Since it's a talk show, the style is not very fact-checker friendly, but so far, the amazing chain of events that have thus far taken place in Iran and the behavior of their president Adolf Ahmadinejad fits Glenn's assessment.
Glenn pretty much said Iranian President Tom (Ahmadinejad) and his staff are members of the Hojjatieh, and they have usurped the power of the Ayatollah (Supreme Leader, especially in Iran) by claiming that he was appointed by Allah to bring back the 12th Imam, who is viewed as the Shi'ite Messiah to redeem mankind. As you know, war, chaos and Armageddon must happen before the return of the Messiah, and the Iranian President plans to bring just that. Hence the desire to acquire nuclear weapons.
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iran,
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Cross Posted from the Uncooperative Blogger:
From the NY Times:
I know, the NY Times, but I can’t imagine them messing up reporting on this story.
The Senate voted overwhelmingly today to add hundreds of miles of fencing along the border between the United States and Mexico and to bar illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors from remaining in the United States and having a chance at eventual citizenship.
The measure calling for an additional 370 miles of fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers carried by 83 to 16. Since the House of Representatives has already approved some 700 miles of additional fencing, it is likely that whatever immigration legislation emerges from the full Congress will provide for extra barriers.
Let me see the House passes a 700 mile long fence and the Senate only 370 miles. It seems to me that we ALWAYS run into trouble getting anything really accomplished in the Senate. In my opinion, the Senate is not interested in really accomplishing anything.
No Republican voted against the fence measure, which attracted wide support from Democrats. The 15 Democrats who voted against it (as did the independent James Jeffords of Vermont) were Daniel Akaka and Daniel K. Inouye, both of Hawaii; Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico; Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both of Washington; Christopher Dodd and Joseph I. Lieberman, both of Connecticut; Richard J. Durbin and Barack Obama, both of Illinois; Russell D. Feingold of Wisconsin; Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts; Frank R. Lautenberg and Robert Menendez, both of New Jersey; Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and Paul Sarbanes of Maryland.
There are your traitors, but to only fence 370 miles is no heroic act by any in the Senate.
Earlier, the Senate voted 99 to 0, on an amendment offered by Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Jon Kyl of Arizona, both Republicans, to deny citizenship chances to those illegals guilty of a felony or three misdemeanors. But this afternoon, the Senate rejected by 66 to 33 an amendment offered by Senator David Vitter, Republican of Louisiana, that would have denied citizenship chances to illegal immigrants who have been in the United States more than two years.
They voted to deny citizenship to those illegals guilty of a felony or three misdemeanors. This is telling me that they are still wroking on Amnesty for those in this country illegally and that would be WRONG and will destroy this country. On top of that they voted against an amendment that would have denied citizenship chances to illegal immigrants who have been in the United States more than two years! Not that this would make me happy because you do not reward illegal aliens with citizenship. Becoming a U.S. Citizenship is valuable and must be earned, not stolen.
The bottom line is the President, and Republicans in the Senate, want to give amnesty to illegal alien invaders. They obviously do not put the good of our country above their political goals.
They want a ‘comprehensive’ immigration plan, let’s give them one!
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.
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immigration,
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Falling oil prices -below $60.00 a barrel.
'Talks' with Iran are 'on track.'
Pope meets with Muslims.
North Korea may wait out the Bush Administration.
Things are seemingly about as calm as they can possibly get, considering the Muslim protesting/rioting has largely subsided, the good news about falling oil prices and that the Brits killed an al-Qaeda leader.
That is of course, unless you want to talk about Bill Clinton.
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From DeMediacratic Nation:
Ruben Navarette, a syndicated columnist, member of the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board and editorial writer at CNN.com calls the Republicans 10 enforcement measures, "Immigration Reform for Dummies."
I get the sense that he doesn't support them. According to Navarette they just caught a glance at the calendar and realized they had better do something; odd that Democrats aren't doing the same type of thing.
At CNN.com Navarette says:
"So they hurriedly cobbled together a slate of 10 enforcement measures, as if the immigration problem could be fixed with spit and glue."10 measures consisting of no more than "spit and glue," sounds more appropriate to "comprehensive" reform, especially since if it had passed there would be less border/illegal immigration discussion; so we and our elected could all go back to sleep for a few more years on this issue.
"First, as any border patrol agent will tell you, there's no fence that can keep out someone who is desperate to feed his family and who's willing to go around, go over, or go under."The quote isn't that different than the defeatist attitude of Arizona governor Janet Napolitano's recent comment:
"You show me a 50-foot wall and I'll show you a 51-foot ladder at the border."To which I say, you show me a 50 foot wall and I'll show you someone trying to enter the country illegally while hampered by a 51 foot ladder.
Next, every time we crack down on the border, it enhances the bottom line for these multimillion-dollar smuggling outfits. Whereas it used to cost about $500 to cross the border, now the price is closer to $3,000. If we build more walls, the smugglers will raise prices again. That's bad. It creates an incentive for smugglers to stay in business since business is so goodIncentive for smugglers? Would they easily get 10 customers at $3K a head or more so at $500 per head? Eventually the price would become too high, no? 3 grand? Do they have $3 grand? If so, perhaps they're not as bad off as they thought. Every step we take on immigration reform or anything else for that matter has it's own side effects; with the exception I guess of Navarette's plan, right?
In an interview with a German magazine, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said why our embassy was almost bombed.
From Reuters:
"This seems to have been the background of the attack, a reaction to America's policy in Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan."Could that be the one against exremists?
"Because they contribute to hopelessness here, to silencing dialogue between cultures."We're starting to believe you communicate with bombs.
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iraq,
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Freedom of Speech and of the Press can be mutually exclusive, at least according to this guy:
"... everything we’re about is promoting the values of diversity. To air things of that sort would go against our mission statement."
Diversity; I have grown to hate that word. More good things have been wasted in the name of diversity than the number of hot dogs sold in Yankee Stadium. Diversity itself should be allowed to take it's natural course, not promoted nor inhibited.
Wouldn't this ad bring more diversity to the kinds of ads out there?
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Not too many bloggers have continued to cover Thailand's military coup, probably because it is considered a relatively peaceful done deal.
I will. It's still getting considerable news coverage, and the importance of what is taking place is significant. We can better judge the motives of the coup by the outcome. We're not at that point just yet.
The international significance of Thailand is that it is a key geographic area in southeast Asia, largely encompassing the gulf of Thailand, with access to the Indian Ocean. It also has a small, but significant Muslim population. It neighbors Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, and Burma. All of which are suffering from a combination of either widespread corruption, instability, military dictatorship, or excessive subordination to the state. It is largely a semi-suppressed, instable and potentially volatile region.
Here's what's happening after the coup, during the supposed interim military rule:
According to an AP story, Thailand military will investigate and possibly seize overthrown Prime Minister Thaksin's fortune. This very well may be a legitimate action, for Thailand has suffered from a lot of corruption, and Thaksin is a billionaire.
Keep in mind that Thailand has also been suffering from a Muslim separatist insurgency which Thaksin had been vigorously trying to end. Guess who leads this military coup. A Muslim General. Some food for thought.
In another AP story, the military rulers criticize foreign reporting about the coup. What are they criticizing? Reportedly, they won't say. But the story suggests it has something to do with the possibility of the monarchs frustration with Thaksin's administration, and that "it is taboo even to suggest that the king - a constitutional monarch with limited powers - might play a role in politics." Why aren't they criticizing the domestic media? Oh yeah it's state controlled.
Do you think the monarch had something to do with the coup? I just don't know what would give you that idea.
But at least the Thailand Coup is a happy coup.
But really, coups are generally bad, and this coup was no exception. Hopefully the end will bring some justification to the means, but I remain skeptical.
*UPDATE* Chatumongol Sonakul is reportedly favored by military rulers to be the interim Prime Minister (Oddly, this story was removed from the Bangkok Post). This is interesting; back in 2001, this guy was fired by Thaksin. Things seem to be pointing toward the idea that this was a monarchial influenced military coup against the will of the people. Thaksin after all, was a very popular democratically elected prime minister, of course the legitimacy of his popular vote is questionable.
More to come.
This looks like it's straight from the '50s, and somewhat relevant today:
About 1,000 Pakistani clerics and religious scholars have demanded the removal of the Pope for making "insulting remarks" against Islam, and warned the West of severe consequences if it didn't change its stance regarding Islam.Severe consequences?
Oh how the dictators enjoy their free speech.
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I am not sure of the credibility of this source, but it fits the bill.
According to this story, Iranian intelligence is seriously undertaking the establishment of a network of operations against the United States all over the world, especially in Cuba, and Venezuela:
Exclusive intelligence and counter-terror sources disclose that the three teams were made up of intelligence officers and civilian officials on the staffs of the three rulers; their job is maintaining clandestine ties with underground and terrorist organizations...If this is true, it is time to starve and cripple Iran. Build a coalition promising to sanction, freeze every last bank account, take out known and suspected locations of top government officals, destroy all logistical lines, take out all known and suspected nuclear, military and terrorist sites, and every top government office. Peace would be up to them.
Iranian sources report that Ahmadinejad also talked persuasively to Chavez about making a show of deploying a few Iranian-made 2,000-km range Shahab-3 missiles – first in Venezuela then in Cuba – as a menace to the United States.
The three-way talks have thus far yielded a solid decision for Iranian intelligence agents, some of them sabotage specialists, to be sent soon to Cuba and Venezuela. They will operate in the guise of road network and industrial development experts. Their real mission will be to conduct surveys on the practicability of using Cuba and Venezuela as bases for subversive activities against the United States and other parts of Latin America.These actions are the textbook precursors to war.
Iran is also busy... in E. Africa... Sudan... Somalia... Yemen... In Mogadishu...
Iranian ambitions to harm American know no limits.They are literally asking for it.
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communists,
cuba,
iran,
islam,
terrorism,
venezuela
I don't know the specifics of the bill, but in the small Idaho town of Greenleaf the proposed legislation with the objective of crime prevention, is not like your ordinary gun law.
The Civil Emergencies Ordinance will ask the citizens legally able to own a firearm, to do so:
The proposed ordinance is modeled after a similar plan that went into place in 1982 in Kennesaw, Ga. In that instance there was a dramatic decrease in criminal activity. Although crime isn't a huge problem for residents of Greenleaf, the growth in neighboring counties leads them to believe they too are in for some changes."There's not a lot of crime here, but I think it's coming, it's getting worse everyday," said Art Bailey, owner of the Greenleaf Store.
While the plan does encourages firearm ownership, the ordinance goes beyond that.
"The largest part itself deals with emergency capabilities," said Belt.
The plan will establish an emergency response plan, and promote its citizen response teams and neighborhood watch volunteer groups, a proactive approach to keep the crime rate to a minimum. So how have residents responded? According to almost everyone we spoke to, they already owned a gun or multiple guns, so this would have no effect on them either way.
I am impressed. It's the return of the American Militia.
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2nd amendment,
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Let me see if I've got this in perspective:
The Pope quotes a 14th-century Byzantine emperor: "Show me just what Mohammed brought new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
The Muslim reaction:
At Islam's third-holiest shrine, the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem, hundreds of worshippers hoisted black flags and banners that read, "Conquering Rome is the answer." Protesters chanted, "The army of Islam will return."
Could they try any harder to prove the point? And why is it the Religion of Peace is increasingly oxymoronic in practice?
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islam
As I doubted before, the potential Palestinian unification between Hamas and the more moderate Fatah, will apparently be put on hold. Probably forever.
From the AP:
Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Friday he will not head a government that recognizes Israel, striking a potential blow to President Mahmoud Abbas' attempts to create a national unity government.
Haniyeh spoke a day after Abbas indicated at the United Nations that a coalition government of Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement would recognize the Jewish state.
"I personally will not head any government that recognizes Israel," Haniyeh said in a mosque sermon in Gaza City, laying out his group's position in coalition talks with Abbas.
They say this as if there is a real chance of Israel being "wiped from the map."
Of course, given France, Venezuela, China, and Russia's reactions to Iranian President Adolf Ahmadinejad's behavior, they have hope.
The chance for a sustained peace between Israel and the Palestinians may have been slim, but thanks to Iran and the other idiots at the UN, that slim chance just evaporated.
Just a reminder, the Second Amendment Carnival will be held here next Saturday, September 30th.
Submit articles here or email to freeconstitution-at-gmail.com
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Cross Posted from Border Pundit:
Over the 2000-2005 period, immigration levels remained very high and roughly half of new immigrant workers were illegal. This report finds that the arrival of new immigrants (legal and illegal) in a state results in a decline in employment among young native-born workers in that state. Our findings indicate that young native-born workers are being displaced in the labor market by the arrival of new immigrants.
Between 2000 and 2005, 4.1 million immigrant workers arrived from abroad, accounting for 86 percent of the net increase in the total number of employed persons (16 and older), the highest share ever recorded in the United States.
Of the 4.1 million new immigrant workers, between 1.4 and 2.7 million are estimated to be illegal immigrants. This means that illegal immigrants accounted for up to 56 percent of the net increase in civilian employment in the United States over the past five years. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of young (16 to 34) native-born men who were employed declined by 1.7 million; at the same time, the number of new male immigrant workers increased by 1.9 million.
Multivariate statistical analyses show that the probability of teens and young adults (20-24) being employed was negatively affected by the number of new immigrant workers (legal and illegal) in their state.
The negative impacts tended to be larger for younger workers, for in-school youth compared to out-of-school youth, and for native-born black and Hispanic males compared to their white counterparts.
It appears that employers are substituting new immigrant workers for young native-born workers. The estimated sizes of these displacement effects were frequently quite large.
The increased hiring of new immigrant workers also has been accompanied by important changes in the structure of labor markets and employer-employee relationships. Fewer new workers, especially private-sector wage and salary workers, are ending up on the formal payrolls of employers, where they would be covered by unemployment insurance, health insurance, and worker protections.
I, Prophet of prophets commend the righteous leader of the Freedom Fighters known as Hizbollah, for he fights the infidels and Little Satan with great perseverance. Of course, my beloved follower Sheik Hassan Nasrallah doth bask in the pleasures and advantages of those given unto him from my beloved Persian President Ahmadinejad, seeker of the coming Al-Masih or Messiah to you infidels, and conquerer of the weak infidel nation of France.
And thus, Freedom Fighter Nasrallah vows to surrender the sword, for he doth not obey the laws of the infidel, and protects the spread of my Peaceful faith in Allah.
Speaking to hundreds of thousands of flag-waving supporters in bombed-out southern Beirut, he said giving up Hezbollah's weapons now "under this government ... means leaving Lebanon exposed before Israel to kill and detain and bomb whoever they want, and clearly we will not accept that."I, Prophet of prophets, am pleased to see the President of Persia, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad usurp the power of the Great Satan's allies in the UN, and the feable-minded in Europe, to enable my Freedom Fighters to push Little Satan into the sea.
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akbar,
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iran,
israel
Cross Posted from the Uncooperative Blogger:
From The Las Vegas Sun:
A man pictured in a photo found at the crime scene was arrested in the death of a woman whose body was found after she was dragged behind a vehicle for at least a mile, authorities said Wednesday.
Jose Luis Rubi-Nava, 36, was arrested Tuesday night on a charge of first-degree murder and was being held without bail in the Douglas County jail, Sheriff Dave Weaver said.
Preliminary results of an autopsy indicated the woman died of asphyxiation and head injuries from being strangled by being dragged by a vehicle.
Weaver said federal officials had placed an immigration hold on Rubi-Nava but did not say whether he was an illegal immigrant. Weaver refused to take questions after reading a brief statement at a news conference.
Of course not, we don’t talk about those things anymore. Of course he is an illegal alien invader, otherwise why would they need the immigration hold?
Weaver said Rubi-Nava was the man pictured in a photograph found near the woman’s body when it was discovered Monday in a subdivision about 20 miles south of Denver.
The photo had been released to the public, and Weaver said without elaborating that tips from citizens had helped lead to the arrest. The picture shows a couple who appear to be in their 30s; he is leaning with his arm on the woman’s shoulder; she is looking away from the camera.
Neighbors discovered the woman’s body before dawn. Her face was unrecognizable and an orange tow rope was found around her neck, said Nancy Foley, who lives nearby.
Preliminary results of an autopsy indicated the woman died of asphyxiation and head injuries from being strangled by being dragged by a vehicle.
Yup, doing the jobs Americans don’t want to do…
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.
Also reporting:
Red Hot Cuppa Politics
Everybody has covered Crazy Man's 'Devil' speech so I'll just point out the good ones:
Hot Air with video, Ace with Leftist reactions, and Malkin.Thailand's Military Coup Leader says they will appoint a new Prime Minister in two weeks, this supported by the king.
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Capitalizing on the anti-American & anti-Semitism sentiments world-wide, Iranian President Adolf Ahmadinejad gave a speech to the UN General Assembly tonight just hours after President Bush spoke, where Ahmadinejad often invoked 'human rights,' the 'Almighty God,' 'love' and 'peace.'
I suppose if one were inclined to distrust the United States, Israel or Britain; the speech -rich in rhetoric, might enflame the passions of the human spirit. Of course that is exactly what Adolf desires.
In the speech, (video provided by Hot Air among others, and a transcript here), Ahmadinejad criticizes the United States and Britain for the war in Iraq, and Afghanistan:
Some occupy the homeland of others, thousands of kilometers away from their borders, interfere in their affairs and control their oil and other resources and strategic routes, while others are bombarded daily in their own homes; their children murdered in the streets and alleys of their own country and their homes reduced to rubble...And here he labels Israel the 'aggressor' in the conflict with Hezbollah:
...Occupation of countries, including Iraq, has continued for the last three years. Not a day goes by without hundreds of people getting killed in cold blood. The occupiers are incapable of establishing security in Iraq. Despite the establishment of the lawful Government and National Assembly of Iraq, there are covert and overt efforts to heighten insecurity, magnify and aggravate differences within Iraqi society, and instigate civil strife.
For thirty-three long days, the Lebanese lived under the barrage of fire and bombs and close to 1.5 million of them were displaced; meanwhile some members of the Security Council practically chose a path that provided ample opportunity for the aggressor to achieve its objectives militarily.Ahmadinejad continues declaring its right to nuclear power, and implies the Security Council's lack of recognizing that right:
All our nuclear activities are transparent, peaceful and under the watchful eyes of IAEA inspectors. Why then are there objections to our legally recognized rights? Which governments object to these rights? Governments that themselves benefit from nuclear energy and the fuel cycle. Some of them have abused nuclear technology for non-peaceful ends including the production of nuclear bombs, and some even have a bleak record of using them against humanity...More Anglo-American bashing:
...The question needs to be asked: if the Governments of the United States or the United Kingdom who are permanent members of the Security Council, commit aggression, occupation and violation of international law, which of the organs of the UN can take them to account? Can a Council in which they are privileged members address their violations? Has this ever happened? In fact, we have repeatedly seen the reverse.Ahmadinejad then implores the UN to regain its legitimacy and effectiveness by, you guessed it, putting anti-Western representatives on the Security Council with veto power:
It must be acknowledged that as long as the Council is unable to act on behalf of the entire international community in a transparent, just and democratic manner, it will neither be legitimate nor effective...And then he continues on with love, peace, progress, etc. etc. etc.
...the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the African continent should each have a representative as a permanent member of the Security Council, with veto privilege.
So quick to feed the alligator.
From Hot Air:
Just ahead of the big Iranapolooza at the UN, France announced that it no longer supports sanctions against the Islamic Republic and that there is in fact now a split on the Security Council on the question of whether Iran has to freeze its enrichment programs as a precondition to entering talks. This abrogates France’s previous support for sanctions, and gives the Russians and Chinese an out on sanctions both clearly were reluctant to support. Like its backdoor support for Iraq in the run-up to that war, France’s move combined with its veto power on the UNSC all but guarantees that either a) Iran gets nuclear weapons, or b) there will be a nasty war to make sure that Iran doesn’t get nuclear weapons.Could this be related to the French Commander's decision to NOT disarm Hezbollah?
Yet the Iranians now have France by the short hairs, because French troops are within shooting distance of Nasrallahs goons, and it’s clear to everyone that Nasrallah’s goons will fire if told to do so. This gives Iran an important wedge on the UNSC. That probably wasn’t the outcome the Iranians hoped to achieve when Hezbollah kidnapped Israeli troops and started launching those Khaibar missiles. But for the Iranians, it’s not a bad outcome. Not bad at all. (Hot Air)In this Reuters story, French President Chirac throws a red herring of a statement:
"I do not believe in solutions that do not involve dialogue, in any case a dialogue taken to its limits. I am never in favour of sanctions. I have never observed that sanctions were very effective."This move, among others, simply reflects for the most part, French opposition to American superpower. It's no secret France is buddying up with China, and shows ambivalence toward the U.S.
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france,
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Thailand has suffered a military coup in favor of the monarch. Good or bad, I can't tell. I am no expert on Thailand, but do know that their government has been plagued with allegations of corruption and more recently, lack of a working legislature.
From the AP:
Thailand - The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king. The army commander took over the government and declared martial law.Prime Minister Thaksin is currently in New York City for the UN General Assembly, and for whatever it's worth declared a state of emergency.An announcement on Thai television declared that a "Council of Administrative Reform" with King Bhumibol Adulyadej as head of state had seized power in Bangkok and nearby provinces without any resistance.
"The armed forces commander and the national police commander have successfully taken over Bangkok and the surrounding area in order to maintain peace and order...
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coup d'état,
other
It's about time for another Quote of the Week, and for better or worse, Mr. Codrea never ceases to amaze me:
If you're unfit to live in a free society, you're unfit to live free.Speaking on the legislative affront to our inalienable right.
My beloved Fighters of Freedom known to infidels as Hizbollah, will be victorious against Great Satan's ally. For Allah hath shown favor to my fundamentalists in their extermination of Little Satan, and great disdain for the Western infidels; thus the leader of the infidel forces hath no choice but to submit unto His will:
The French general commanding U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon said Monday his troops would not intervene to disarm Hezbollah, even as French President Jacques Chirac said the militant group should not keep a military wing.The Western infidels are weak, especially those they call French, and my Islamist Freedom Fighters will not surrender the sword, for it is Allah's will. But even I, Prophet of prophets, understandeth not, the workings of the Great Satan and his allies, for Great Satan and Little Satan deliver blows to my people, only to then let my people picketh up the sword at a later time.
Maj. Gen. Alain Pelligrini told reporters the main task of his U.N. force is to ensure southern Lebanon cannot be used as a base for attacks on Israel.
"The disarmament of Hezbollah is not the business of UNIFIL. This is a strictly Lebanese affair, which should be resolved at a national level," he said.Pelligrini's assessment underscored the constraints facing the beefed-up U.N. mission despite a tougher mandate and far greater manpower.
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akbar,
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islam
Cross Posted from Pursuing Holiness:
“HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT:
Injured illegal workers often left with nothing. He came for the American Dream and found an American nightmare”
The Charlotte Observer has the sad, sad tale of Francisco Ruiz.
Thousands of immigrant workers are hurt and killed each year as they take on some of America’s most dangerous jobs. U.S. workers’ compensation laws require most companies to pay injury benefits, even if the employees are working illegally. But many are denied those benefits. Those workers, unaware of their rights and unable to withstand a drawn-out legal battle, go home to their families to heal.
Francisco Ruiz is a Tampico native who decided to stay in America and fight.
He was partially paralyzed and brain damaged when he fell 30 feet at a construction site near Lake Wylie. His employer, Belk Masonry Co., and its insurer refused to pay injury benefits because, they said, Ruiz was an “illegal alien.”
But Ruiz wouldn’t go home disabled to a wife and three children, with no money and no way to earn it.
What followed was a six-year struggle between the Mexican laborer and his employer’s well-financed insurance company.
I love how the Observer put scare quotes around the phrase, illegal alien, as if that made it less true. Here are the relevant facts in this guy’s tale of woe.
-He’s from Tampico Mexico where he dropped out of school in the 8th grade.
-He got work as a taxi driver, groundskeeper at a cemetary, and selling tacos.
-He got married at 19.
-When he was 36, the economy in his area tanked and he needed more money to support his family.
-He illegally crossed the border twice, and the second time he made it to Charlotte, N.C. where he had friends living illegally, and where there is “one of the nation’s fastest growing populations of illegal immigrants.”
-He bought a Social Security card for $10, bringing the number of his known crimes to at least three. If the card he bought had a real person’s information on it, make that four, for identity theft.
-He got a job as a laborer for $300 a week, 8am - 5pm. That’s $7.50 an hour, and I’m sure he got no benefits.
-A “crane hoisting Ruiz along with a load of bricks collapsed. He plunged at least 30 feet onto a concrete floor and was pelted with falling bricks.” [Hello? OSHA?]
-The insurance company paid his initial medical bills, but when they found out he was illegal they cut him off.
-Ruiz is now permanently disabled.
-While this made its way through the court system, the state made the insurance company pay him $200 a week.
-In spite of his permanent disability, after three years Ruiz managed to go home for a visit and then sneak across the border yet again, this time with some extra help.
-Finally, Ruiz won in the court system and the insurance company had to pay him $438,000.
-He’s back where he started in Tampico. But his son in law is living illegally in Charlotte, N.C. and working at a fast food restaurant.
Now, this is legitimately a sad story. I don’t wish ill for anyone. In spite of the fact that he deliberately and repeatedly broke the law, I’m not going to say that Ruiz deserved what he got. But a couple of notes about this… The Observer story reads like something written by Ruiz’ attorney. It is in no way objective. It’s loaded with phrases that illlustrate how eeeevil the insurance company is. But the insurance company has an obligation to its stockholders to not pay out unless they have to. And the concept that Ruiz is partly responsible for his problems is completely absent. Had he come here legally, the insurance company would have had to pay promptly, there would have been no question about what was right. Finally, while the insurance company is vilified, Ruiz’ employer, Belk Masonry, gets a free pass for hiring an illegal alien and violating OSHA regulations.
This is a disgrace, and somehow I doubt that Belk Masonry is chastened by the whole experience and now only hires legal workers. We need interior enforcement of our immigration laws, and we need to crack down hard on the employers. At the end of the day, severe employer sanctions will do more to stop illegal immigration than any other single action. If there are no jobs here, they won’t come. And if they don’t come, or if they come legally, wages will rise.
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.
Cross Posted From the Uncooperative Blogger:
From the Seattle P.I.:
Trailer parks lie abandoned. The poultry plant is scrambling to replace more than half its workforce. Business has dried up at stores where Mexican laborers once lined up to buy food, beer and cigarettes just weeks ago.
This Georgia community of about 1,000 people has become little more than a ghost town since Sept. 1, when federal agents began rounding up illegal immigrants.
The sweep has had the unintended effect of underscoring just how vital the illegal immigrants were to the local economy.
Excuse me is that what this story underlines? I think not…
More than 120 illegal immigrants have been loaded onto buses bound for immigration courts in Atlanta, 189 miles away. Hundreds more fled Emanuel County. Residents say many scattered into the woods, camping out for days. They worry some are still hiding without food.
Federal agents also swarmed into a trailer park operated by David Robinson. Illegal immigrants were handcuffed and taken away. Almost none have returned. Robinson bought an American flag and posted it by the pond out front - upside down, in protest.
“These people might not have American rights, but they’ve damn sure got human rights,” Robinson said. “There ain’t no reason to treat them like animals.”
You sir, are a moron. They were not treated like animals, they were treated like criminals. Also, flying the USA Flag upside down is a sign of distress and in need of help.
Other than the Crider plant, there isn’t much in Stillmore. Four small stores, a coin laundry and a Baptist church share downtown with City Hall, the fire department and a post office. “We’re poor but proud,” Mayor Marilyn Slater said, as if that is the town motto.
You are proud people are you? Making money of illegal alien slave laborers is a proud and honorable thing to do?
There's more.The righteous anti-Great Satan kingdoms of the Non-aligned movement speaketh strongly against all that oppose the divinely bestowed rights of my benevolent Islamist freedom fighters in Lebanon, Palestine, and Iraq.
Behold, the virtues of such a monumental occasion:
Denounces the brutalization of peoples under foreign occupation as the gravest form of terrorism. Asks that terrorism not be associated with any religion, nationality or ethnic group and that it be recognized that the struggle of peoples under colonial or alien domination does not constitute terrorism.They are inspired with the infinite wisdom of Allah. Let it be known to the Great Satan, that he must cease to marginalizeth my Islamist freedom fighters with the cunning of their blasphemous tongue.
Strongly condemns "the relentless Israeli aggression launched against Lebanon."Such infinite wisdom doth great things for my freedom fighters to push Little Satan into the sea.
...Calls for a "nuclear-weapon-free zone" in the Middle East, including Israel.
Defends the right of all countries to use atomic energy for peaceful purposes...The great kingdom of Iran shall be blessed by Allah himself with great gifts of nuclear proportions.
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akbar,
islam,
israel,
terrorism
Spreading the Religion of Peace:
Stressing that they were not his own words; [Pope Benedict] quoted Emperor Manual II Paleologos of Byzantine, of the Orthodox Christian Byzantine Empire which had its capital in what is now the Turkish city of Istanbul...
The emperor's words were, he said: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
Pope Benedict said "I quote" twice to stress the words were not his and added that violence was "incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul".
...the Mujahadeen Army, posted on the website used by militant groups, was addressed to "you dog of Rome" and threatened to "shake your thrones and break your crosses in your home".
"We swear to God to send you people who adore death as much as you adore life," said the message, which contained links to video recordings of what the group claimed were rocket attacks on US bases.
The same group has claimed responsibility for scores of attacks in Iraq, including the April 2005 downing of a helicopter carrying 11 civilians, including six Americans.
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islam,
terrorism
Not much time so here's a roundup of today's news:
DOW Jones nearing an all time high currently at 11,560.77
Probably in part from the other good news about falling oil prices.
Muslims Angry at Pope for his Jihad comments. Honest remark, typical reaction.
Baghdad to build a trench around the city. With Moat potential? A common-sense approach given the influx of and consistent car-bombings.
President Bush on the anti-terror/interrogation/tribunal legislation, angry at the GOP's blockage:
Bush urged lawmakers to quickly approve legislation authorizing military tribunals and harsh interrogations of terror suspects in order to shield U.S. personnel from being prosecuted for war crimes under the Geneva Conventions, which set international standards for the treatment of prisoners of war.But I do think the McCain lemmings may have a point, albeit not what one would think. The bill is supposed to clarify a treaty on the treatment of detainees, but one provision of it says no to torutre and yes to "coercive interrogation". I understand such a difference, but don't think it would do justice in clarifying the law to people who think torture is plucking eyebrows. Perhaps McCain thinks plucking eyebrows is torture, or perhaps he thinks SCOTUS will throw it right back. Stupid.
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From Uncooperative Blogger:
A few minutes ago, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a stand-alone border security and fence bill (H.R. 6061).
H.R. 6061 was introduced just this week (as a result of the special hearings) by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY).
VOTING YES
GOP——219
DEM—–64
————————
Total——283
VOTING NO
GOP——6
DEM——131
IND——1
————————
Total——138
See how your own Representative voted.
Probably the most encouraging news in this vote was to see 64 Democrats vote for the fence.
That is up from the 49 who voted for a fence amendment last December.
**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let me know at what level you would like to participate.
From Right Truth:
Many states say that local police, sheriffs deputies, highway patrol are not allowed to arrest or detain illegal aliens. This is just not true and is a sign of lazy and uninformed local law enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement directorate authorized 16 additional Alabama state troopers to enforce federal immigration law, following their completion of ICE training at the Center for Domestic Preparedness in Anniston, Ala.A Florida deputy sheriff was also authorized to enforce federal immigration law after participating in the same class. Today's graduation boosts the number of Alabama troopers trained and certified to a total of 60.
The Immigration and Nationality Act includes section 287(g), added in 1996, that grants local and state jurisdictions the ability to enforce immigration law with proper training and supervision by federal authorities. In 2003, Alabama became the second state in the nation to participate in the program by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Homeland Security. Florida was the first state to participate, in 2002.
While many politicians claim their police officers are not allowed to conduct immigration laws, their excuse for ignoring illegal aliens is a canard. Too few police agencies are taking advantage of the training offered by ICE and DHS. source
Perhaps more states will learn their options and responsibilities when it comes to detaining, arresting, deporting illegal aliens.
*This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, email the coalition and let us know at what level you would like to participate.
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immigration,
invasion,
police
Many are hospitalized, and one victim was killed.
An unstable killer, despite very strict gun control laws, gets his hands on a gun and takes out as many unarmed innocent people as he can.
Sure enough, the police think they did a good job:
Police credited aggressive new procedures with stopping the gunman, who died in a shootout with police.Tell that to the family of the woman killed. Tell that to the others who remain in critical condition. The sad thing is you police officers did as good of a job as police can do, but an unarmed citizenry must wait for you to do that good job.
Montreal Police Chief Yvan Delorme said the lessons learned from other mass shootings had taught police to try to stop such assaults as quickly as possible.
"Before our technique was to establish a perimeter around the place and wait for the SWAT team. Now the first police officers go right inside. The way they acted saved lives," he said.
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2nd amendment,
crime
With the advent of the internet, an astronomical surge of international communication capability at an individual level resulted. This dramatic change in the world obviously will continue to usher in the good with the bad, and a lot of it.
Henry Kissinger points out what many don't want to hear, the erosion of the nation-state, which is arguably inevitable, but changing nonetheless, and speaks of a war of civilizations.
From the AFP:
Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger warned that Europe and the United States must unite to head off a "war of civilizations" arising from a nuclear-armed Middle East...I think he's right, no government can stop the flow of information, which include dangerous cocktails of religion, ideology and hate. And with the international community's record on handling rogue states, failed states, and common thugs, placing our eggs in the community's basket is hardly a good idea. The United States must take the initiative, more so than it has with the War on Terror. Isolation is out of the question. Pursuing a soft American empire would much better serve the interests of free people world-wide.Kissinger wrote that the big threat lay in the erosion of nation states and the emergence of transnational groups. Iran was at the centre of the challenge, he said, with its support for Hezbollah, radical Shiite groups in Iraq and its nuclear program.
Washington must accept that many European nations were more optimistic about talks designed to convince Iran to halt uranium enrichment -- a process Tehran denies is aimed at making weapons, he wrote.
But in return, he said, Europe should accept the process must include a "bottom line" beyond which diplomatic flexibility must not go and a time limit to ensure talks did not become a shield for "developing new assaults."
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iran,
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terrorism
They said they would unite, largely out of necessity, but can they really pull it off?
From Reuters:
Hamas and President Mahmoud Abbas voiced conflicting views on Wednesday on unity government policies central to resumption of international aid to the Palestinian Authority.Doubtful.
The governing Hamas movement said in a statement its agreement to form a coalition with Abbas's Fatah faction should not be seen as a softening in the Islamic group's position toward Israel.
"Hamas does not and will not recognize the occupation and will not accept any government agenda that may imply a recognition of the occupation," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, using the Islamic group's term for the Jewish state.
His comments seemed to challenge remarks Abbas made earlier to reporters in which the moderate leader said that under his deal with Hamas, a unity government "will respect the agreements (Israel) signed with the PLO."
Abbas was referring to interim peace accords that Hamas, which advocates Israel's destruction, has long rejected.
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hamas,
israel
I got this in an email via the Coalition Against Illegal Immigration, and I find it an authentic affront to Patriotism and free speech. The group has been shut down, without provocation or given an explanation, and the following is one of many attempts to get some answers out of Yahoo:
To whom it may concern. I was the person who formed the Pro-American yahoogroup site called Stop_Amnesty_Now@yahoogroups.com and email address @ Stop_amnesty_now@yahoo.com For some reason , with no explaination and no warning , was shut down by someone at yahoo. When I called (File number 4173806) They were unsure of any details other then they think terms of service , something to do about the possibility of someone being offended by the conversation.And the response:
I spoke to 3 different people in two days of calling. Even your supervisior was surprised that no warning was ever given and that the site was simply turned off with out contacting me for my side of any complaint which could have been made. Zero warning was ever written at all. The site we have is a Pro-American that is protesting legally in support of current immigration LAWS. We post articles by various legal groups and news agencies like CNN ( Lou Dobbs ) and other LEGAL organizations against those who are breaking our US Laws. We research and find information that other groups and Citizens have a great interest in.
Certainly groups that support illegal activity like illegal border crossing, illegal immigration and alike DO NOT like organizations that research the legal and economic problems this does to American Citizens. I believe what has happened is that they simply made an effort to have this group shut down to silence concerned American citizens across the USA who use this site to obtain important information, news and talk which is then brought back to other Pro-American and Pro-LEGAL Immigration groups. Certainly anyone doing anything illegal wants any
spot light placed on them, turned off.
The supervisior also said I should have received a "warning" as well, if ANYTHING was indeed "accidently" done. But, again, I believe this to be an organized and crafted way to censor and shut off the information flow among American Citizen Groups...
Thank you for writing to Yahoo! Groups.Yahoo does stipulate that "Yahoo! and its designees shall have the right to remove any Content that violates the TOS or is otherwise objectionable." Taking a stand against illegal immigraion does not violate the terms of service (TOS) but, provided the ambiguity of "objectionable" Content, opens a few doors to the malevolent.
Yahoo! may, in appropriate circumstances and in its sole discretion,
remove or edit any content and/or terminate the accounts of users who
appear to have violated the Terms and Conditions.
Please feel free to visit the Yahoo! Terms of Service at:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
Thank you again for contacting Yahoo! Customer Care.
Regards,
Kirk Morrison
Yahoo! Customer Care
http://www.yahoo.com/
26014179
This may come as a shock to many of my readers and may offend some political sensibilities, for what I am about to say is a criticism of Libertarianism. It should be noted that I am a Republican, and a reluctant one at that.
The Libertarian Party founded on Libertarian ideals, is still a political party nonetheless, which is not to say it is necessarily bad, but doesn't mean it is as benevolent a party as one could hope for.
The party platform is to rid government as much as possible.
This idea I am sympathetic to. It doesn't take a political scientist to witness the intrusions of government into our lives, or notice the money, time and effort wasted on failed government policies run through large, inefficient and slow bureaucracies administering a filtered down meaning of the original idea, often too little, too late and too expensive.
What I am not sympathetic to is the full replacement of vital government programs with private organizations, rather than a slashing of the government waste-line or serious reform.
For example, speaking on the environment, predictably blaming government for pollution and ineffectiveness, and special interests, the Libertarian Party sidesteps the whole issue and promotes the idea of turning over National Parks to the Audubon Society. Well, if handing huge chunks of land over to private organizations is contrary to special interest, I really don't know what would be more tempting to a corrupt politician.
And say the Audubon Society runs our Parks better, would they continue to be our Parks, because that would negate the concept of private over government. Let's assume the Libertarians had regulated the new private management of Parks to include public use, wouldn't our public use be excessively hindered by a private organization, who inherently had more rights to such land than of the government, of and for the People? Yet, the Libertarians claim to represent the ideology most closely aligned with the founder's intentions. So does every party.
I'm not always an absolutist, and would like to have the option to roam free on public lands, to hunt, fish, camp, hike, or 4-wheel. Replacing the management of public lands from an organization of and for the People, with a private organization would inevitably result in a balance of rights struggle, a struggle that is not necessary.
From this reasoning, questions immediately surface: who should manage the public roads, or the schools or anything not delegated by the Constitution. Which private organization would best represent the public, or for that matter, are they obligated to serve the public's interest? Even if we could answer those questions, who is to decide.
The Libertarian Party completely avoids the abortion debate. In party politics, especially in our two party winner-take-all system, sensitive issues are vaguely addressed if not ignored as to not alienate important voting blocs. It is reality, and it is cowardice. There is no doubt that a beating heart of the human fetus is the beating heart of a small living person. Such a person is already alive and thus has a right, according to our founders, to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Of course it is up to you to accept the intention of our founders, or to take on one that diminishes the importance of the unborn. In this regard, power politics has taken a priority over principle and therefore, motive is hidden.
Another problem:The principle of non-intervention should guide relationships between governments. The United States government should return to the historic libertarian tradition of avoiding entangling alliances, abstaining totally from foreign quarrels and imperialist adventures, and recognizing the right to unrestricted trade, travel, and immigration.
This opens a can of worms. Unrestricted trade, travel, and immigration. How soon one forgets the perils of disease, or the contagious cancer of hate-ideology. The Libertarian would accept a devastating nuclear attack because it wouldn't commit the effort to prevent it through the much-dreaded alliances, or even worse, the thought of pre-emptive action against an inevitable, not necessarily imminent threat. This is largely an absolutist position, holding the rights of every individual, over the the right to self-defense, or life. There will come a time when one must choose with little foresight and weighty consequence, to side with life and nation, or of the foe.
I would choose life and nation every time hands down -no hesitation.
Another problem I have is with the Libertarian's proposal to downsize the military considerably. In a free and democratic society, a volunteer army proves most effective, and is most compatible with such principles. Yet to downsize our military would mean to render its combat effectiveness generally less able, and the nation less prepared. If a major war should knock on our door, and the need for more troops presents itself, we would need to impose a draft with a Libertarian army, which needless to say would be contrary to its principles. And it is common knowledge that a professional volunteer army is more morally acceptable than having conscripted soldiers forced to fight; the will is stronger, morale is better sustained, and freedom is less jeopardized.
One more problem I will mention is with the following:Government does not have legitimate authority to define or license personal relationships. Sexuality or gender should have no impact on the rights of individuals.
Yet absent from this is whether or not government has the right to acknowledge definitions. As it acknowledged certain rights, certain freedoms, enumerated in the Amendments to the Constitution, and some acknowledged by courts which were not enumerated.
Can Marriage as it is and has been historically defined by a vast majority around the world, especially amongst the cultures inside the United States, be acknowledged? Granted no government consented to govern from the people can assume authority to define or outlaw such a significant cultural act preceding its existence, but acknowledgement of common practices is authorized. Banning gay marriage is arguably unconstitutional, but to not acknowledge gay marriage by acknowledging the traditional definition, is clearly withing the authority of the government, especially if it is the will of the people. The Libertarian Party tends to think otherwise for whatever reason.
I do lean Libertarian for reasons of limited government and individual liberty, and absolutely correct on the Second Amendment, but to support wholly the Libertarian Party itself is to support a multi-faction-pacifying political party, and I am unable to do that.
Much of the information used was found at the Libertarian National Committee's site.
Note: I'm not saying the Republicans are much better either.
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freedom,
other,
social policy
Yet another attempt to contain assertions of American sovereignty:
When cities are no longer sovereign enough to try and protect themselves, we cease to be a federal republic. And when did it become unconstitutional to discrimitate against crime?Civil rights campaigners have filed to sue the Pennsylvania town of Hazleton, seeking to block one of America's toughest local laws against illegal immigrants.
The suit says Hazelton's City Council violated the U.S. constitution when it passed a law denying business permits to companies that hire illegal aliens and fining landlords who rent homes to them.
The measure, which also establishes English as the town's official language, has made Hazleton a focus of the national debate on immigration. The plaintiffs say their suit is the first in the country to challenge a local immigration ordinance.
The suit was filed in federal court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania by groups including the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union. They accuse Hazleton of overstepping its authority on the federal matter of immigration and say the law discriminates against immigrants.
"We must avoid using misleading and offensive terms that link Islam with those who subvert this great religion or who distort its teachings to justify terrorist activities." -Senator Feingold.
So Islam is not connected to those who kill in its name?
Of course not.
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democrats,
islam,
terrorism
Or is it?
In an AP story, anonymous Iranian diplomats revealed what is believed to be confidential information after talks with the EU. They said Iran would consider suspending uranium enrichment for up to two months.
This coming so soon before Iraninan President Hostage-taker is scheduled to speak in New York at the UN General Assembly, while he wines and dines with the prominent Latin Communists.
Could Iran be a turning a new leaf? I wouldn't bet on it. They have goals other than nuclear energy.
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iran,
nukes
He's lost too much political capital, but according to this AP story, he hasn't ruled it out:
"I haven't completely ruled out running for president again in the future but I don't expect to," Gore said before the Sunday night premiere of "An Inconvenient Truth."
"I offer the explanation not as an effort to be coy or clever. It's just the internal shifting of gears after being in politics almost 30 years. I hate to grind the gears," he added. (via Drudge)
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democrats,
elections
One of the co-bloggers here, at Liberty and Justice, Isaac Schrodinger is currently involved in the fight of his life. Better said: a fight for his life.Western civilization needs outspoken people like Isaac today, especially in the midst of the most important struggle of the century.
...Isaac is very critical about radical Islam. He witnessed the results of a culture of radical Islam, he saw the effects of this ideology of hatred and ignorance, how people are forced to live, first-hand.
As a result, it should be obvious to anyone with any basic knowledge about this subject, it is not exactly safe for him, an apostate, to live in a country in which Muslim extremists have quite some power.
...He is currently involved in the battle of his life: in January 2007 one judge will decide whether he should be granted refugee status in Canada or be deported to Pakistan.
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blogging,
islam
"We hold that the University lacks the authority to enact firearms policies in contravention of Utah statutory law."
...it is less immediately clear whether the current policies, which prohibit firearms that are hidden in a student’s purse or an employee’s desk, would survive an individual’s constitutional challenge.There is hope.
We are truly living in the Bizarro world when the First and Fourteenth are seriously proposed as counterweights to the Second.Short on time, but I think I recall the Constitution or maybe a Supreme Court case saying something about matters of constitutional self-contradiction. I don't think the dueling amendment argument can legally hold water.
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.Article VI of the U.S. Constitution:
This Constitution... shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution... to the contrary notwithstanding.To spell it out for some critics, the 9th says the First nor the Fourteenth shall not be construed to deny the right to keep and bear arms.
Yet another video!
Wayne LaPierre on the UN gun ban.
Enjoy.
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2nd amendment,
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According to this AP story, the UN adopted a "counterterrorism strategy," coming no later than 5 years after 9/11. This concocted "strategy" requires nations to follow these intricately detailed and stringent rules:
...nations would be encouraged to give money to U.N. counterterrorism assistance projects. Border controls would be stepped up to prevent terrorists from crossing state lines or smuggling arms such as nuclear weapons.And of course, according to UN tradition, hard-line definitive objectives are laid out... clear as day:Nations would vow to do more to exchange information that could be used to fight terrorism and to "take appropriate measures" to make sure that people seeking asylum have not committed terrorist acts or will not use their new status to do so.
The strategy includes a resolution to "make every effort" to come up with a comprehensive convention on international terrorism. Progress on defIning terrorism has been stymied because one country's terrorists can be another's freedom fighters.
...many nations lamented that it does not include a definition or say anything about states that commit terrorist acts.To summarize, the winning strategy to fight terror lies in these key phrases: encouraged to give money... take appropriate measures... make every effort... no definition... terrorists or freedom fighters... nothing on state-sponsored terrorism...
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terrorism,
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It's about time people started turning a deaf ear to PETA and hypocrite environmentalists after witnessing the destruction to good fertile land from prarie dogs.
Not too long ago environmentalist hypocrites and their commie friends inside state and federal agencies like the BLM put harmful restrictions on cattle ranchers, farmers, and sportsmen.
It became apparent that the populous prarie dogs do more harm than good.
From the AP:
In their battle against prairie dogs, land owners in Colorado have a new weapon: explosive gas.But the hypocrites remain:The Colorado Wildlife Commission on Thursday agreed to let farmers and others with too many of the busy diggers to use systems that pump a propane mixture into the burrows, then ignites the gas.
Sterling farmer Matt Fickes said he was "tickled pink" with the new weapon in his war with prairie dogs.
"I've got prairie dogs so thick I can't see straight," he said. "They are born pregnant."
Joe Lewandowski, Division of Wildlife spokesman, said the ruling gives land owners a new option, besides shooting them, sucking them out of the ground with a vacuum, poisoning or drowning them.
What is more depressing and disgusting is that a land owner couldn't pump propane into their own dirt without Uncle Sam's permission."It's very depressing that they would go to this length just to have another way to wage war on wildlife," said Judy Enderle of the Prairie Preservation Alliance. "It's disgusting."
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The 7/7 terrorist bombers were part of Islamic groups which had received rather large government grants, and it's quite probable that those funds were used to recruit terrorists.
Read it. (via LGF)
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islam,
terrorism
This is an absolute-must-read for anyone for or against gun control or for that matter any who own or would like to own firearms.
A bit of a read, but provides well organized evidence as well as the ethics of gun control, the author, Preston K. Covey, Ph.D. of Carnegie Mellon University, presented it to the Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Urban Violence. (via WaronGuns)
Read it, and it will be interesting to see how Pennsylvania follows through.
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2nd amendment,
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From RHCP:
President-Elect Obrador in Mexico has some goals for "immigration".
MEXICO CITY - Mexico's president-elect says he will try to do what his predecessor couldn't in six years: Win an immigration accord that will let millions more Mexicans work in the United States legally.I think we've already assumed that any assistance with illegal immigration reform will not come from Mexico, although Calderon has promised to work on creating more jobs inside of Mexico.
Felipe Calderon said Thursday he is committed to winning sweeping immigration reform in the U.S. Congress before President Bush leaves office in January 2009. Calderon, who spoke with Bush by phone on Wednesday, said he believes the White House is ready for action.
"We will work intensely over the next two years to arrive at a concrete agreement," he said
Pro-immigrant marches began anew this week in the United States as Congress reconvened, though action on immigration is unlikely given elections in November
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immigration,
invasion,
mexico
Just when they thought the mid-term election was in the bag, ABC decides to run a mini-series of 9/11 and the events leading up to it. This does of course require some history beyond George W. Bush.
From Reuters:
... U.S. congressional Democrats urged ABC on Thursday to cancel a TV miniseries about the September 11 attacks that is critical of former Democratic President Bill Clinton and his top aides.
Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada denounced the five-hour television movie, set to air in two parts on Sunday and Monday nights, as "a work of fiction."Reid and other leading Senate Democrats wrote to Robert Iger, president and CEO of ABC's corporate parent, the Walt Disney Co., urging him to "cancel this factually inaccurate and deeply misguided program."
Chronicling events leading to the September 11 attacks, the movie suggests the Clinton administration was too distracted by the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal to deal properly with the gathering threat posed by Islamic militants.
... Democrats have chided Republicans for failing to implement security recommendations by the 9/11 commission, and Republicans have portrayed Democrats as soft on terrorism.
Welcome to the ninth inning of election year politics.
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9/11,
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elections
I don't know about anyone else, but I find myself in awe over great feats of architecture.
According to the New York Times, this is what Ground Zero will look like after construction:
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From Morning Coffee:
A reader pointed this out to me so my thanks and a big hat tip to Boss429.
Through the Freedom of Information Act, Judical Watch has doccumented evideence that describe the chaotic and dangerous situation along the US/Mexico Border. Evidence that shows the Mexican Military and Police are conducting incursions into the US to provide security and escort for drug smuggelers and likely human traffickers as well.
(Washington, DC) Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it has obtained records from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the Freedom of information Act (FOIA) that document 226 incursions by Mexican government personnel into the United States between 1996 and 2005. Released to Judicial Watch on August 28th in response to a November 1, 2005 FOIA request, the records consist of annual intelligence summaries of “Mexican Government Incidents,” compiled over a nine year period. They were designated as “limited official use” by the DHS, requiring “special protection against unauthorized or inadvertent disclosure.”
*Mexican Military Encounter (armed/threatening) Rio Grande valley/Brownsville -“As the boat proceeded to go down river towards the scene, the [Border Patrol] Agent on board advised via radio that several Mexican soldiers were pointing their rifles in his direction. The Agent decided for his safety and the safety of the crew to turn back, but advised that the soldiers were still aiming at them.” (2005)For more illegal immigration news see:
* Mexican Military Sighting - Tucson/Douglas Station - “The
[Border Patrol] Agents were returning to their assigned area when they heard four distinct gunshots coming from Mexico. The gunshots were fired when the Agents were approximately 10 feet away.” (2005)
* Mexican Military Sighting (ARMED) Laredo/Zapata: “This boat, which appeared to be a Mexican Military boat, was providing security and escort for the two others hat were later found to be transporting 2,716.53 pounds of Marijuana.” (2003)
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immigration,
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And again, requests a debate with President Bush over Iran's right to persue and acquire nuclear energy in the UN General Assembly.
From the NY Sun:
His intention to visit New York was reported by the Islamic Republic News Agency, which quoted the Presidential Office Media Department reporting him as saying, "We are ready for a debate with the Americans at the U.N. General Assembly" and that "the American side can even take part in the debate side by side with his advisors, and as a full team, if they wish so." Mr. Ahmadinejad last visited the United Nations last year.
The speculation, however, was enough to prompt sharp questions from reporters to the press spokesman of Secretary-General Annan about whether a precedent existed for America denying a visa to a president visiting the General Assembly. The spokesman replied that he knew of no such precedent.
Perhaps the two can debate individual rights as well -I'm confident Iran would fare well in that category.
The debate or potential debate whether or not it happens is not what is really going on. Iran is doing this to insult President Bush and America in general, because he knows we are weakened by commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan, by increasing global constraints, and by public opinion of the use of force. Iranian President Adolf is using our built in restraints of a free capitalistic democracy to spit in our face.
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iran,
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This is what I have spent way too much time on, but I really was tired of the old Blogger. After tinkering with the new Beta, I realized this suits me much better, although it has its share of problems.
A lot of my links to previous posts won't work until I find and correct each one. Contributing to this indefinite problem is that much of my archived posts going back prior to June 12th, 2006 won't be there until I manually re-post them.
I'm sure with the switch, there will be other problems I will encounter, but that shouldn't affect the main page.
And unfortunately open trackbacks will not be here until I can get Haloscan figured into the new and weird template.
New things I have added include two sidebars obviously, drop down categories, drop down archives, email subscription option, and automatic news headlines in right sidebar.
Soon to be added will be recent comments shown in right sidebar.
Apologies for any inconveniences this may cause. I will email my blogroll members with the url changes that will have to be made soon.
Hope you like it, and if you have any criticisms or suggestions, please leave a comment.
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blogging
From DeMediacratic Nation:
Not much in the way of news on the "21st Century Rosa Parks," these days. The msm tends to be quite supportive of "immigrants" rights; so the assumption is that they know a rotten egg when they see/smell one.
Emotionally, Arellano has both legs to stand on; legally, which is what should matter - she does not, which I believe is the main reason her story has not been abused and used like so many others.
This post is published to list a few quotes that I find pretty weak on the Elvia watch.
From the Chicago Sun-Times August 26, 2006, Vote If you Support Elvira Arellano:
Since I first heard about Arellano, the undocumented worker who has taken sanctuary in Adalberto United Methodist Church to avoid deportation to Mexico, my prevailing question has been this: What about the rights of her 7-year-old son, Saul, who is an American citizen? We should be concerned about his rights. You start trampling on the rights of one citizen, and where does it end?Yes, where does it end? What about the rights of Saul? Well, the rights of the child, as far as citizenship is concerned have not been trampled on as much as Elvira has trampled on the laws of the U.S.
