USA Immigration

Without borders, language, laws, a flag, and allegiance in your country, you have no country. --Hairpinandarrow

If you listened only to the news media, you would think we have become a nation of weaklings--

.willing to allow our Southwest to become overrun with Mexicans (including the Mexican military) who want to reclaim the part of this country that they believe is rightfully theirs,

.willing to allow terrorists to cross into our country via air, land, and sea, (in fact we'll lease it to them in good faith) in order to do us whatever harm they can dream up,

.willing to believe that our legislators are in Washington DC doing what is right for our nation above all else,

.and, willing to emulate the impotent French or Dutch by allowing the fear of public demonstrations to write our laws.

Well, you'd be wrong.

In spite of what stories reach the news media, rest assured, show us the candidate who sticks to his guns and says, "No Amnesty" in any form, and I'll show you the person 75 percent of our voters will select to lead our country.

When illegals across the country demonstrate for their "US Rights" in large public arenas, why does the INS not gather them all up and check their credentials? If they have legal status, fine. If they do not, they need to be deported. Not 11 million at once, but in busloads of 43 (or however many seats there are on school buses). If they whine that they have family members here, INS should get those addresses, check them out, and send them back also, if undocumented.

If they have legal family members, then they have a decision to make. Place them with other legals that they know, or take them home until they are old enough to come back themselves or until legal status is afforded someone in the family. I'm just not crying for the person who came here to have a baby just so the baby could attain legal status, thereby providing an "in" excuse for the illegal mother to stay, too. Bu-zit! Wrong answer! A baby is NOT a free pass to allow disobedience of US laws.

And, if you do not come here with the intent to obey our laws, you should not be allowed stay. If you are unwilling to give up allegiance to your former country and declare allegiance to the USA, you should not be allowed to stay here. If you are not a citizen, you should not be enrolled in public schools, or demand unemployment, US drivers' licenses, or health insurance coverage--including Medicaid--or any other "right" enjoyed by citizens.

When we are abroad, we are required to follow the rules of each country we visit. And so should immigrants who come to this country. When abroad legally, we still need to be polite and considerate of the people and places we visit--and vice versa. We should not entertain ridiculous excuses by terrorists to study here in our universities providing--choke--DIVERSITY on campuses. Deadly diversity, you mean! Or we should not think twice about sending people back to where they came from if we find out they have committed crimes here or in their home country. To not do so is a crock of major trouble!

What would happen if an American should go to Mexico or Iran or Russia and demand to receive benefits ahead of other countrymen already waiting on a list to receive those same benefits? Well we know the answer to that. Forget it!

We help countries around the world in every crisis they encounter and we have gone into deep debt in order to do so. Listen, we are good, kind, generous people, but there are limits to our patience if you come to our soil illegally, start demanding your "rights," and threaten those who have earned their place in our law-abiding society. If this is you, here's your invitation: "Come back soon--but not until you're legal." Bu-Bye.

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Cartoon credit: Cox and Forkum (March 28, 2006) at www.coxandforkum.com

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Related Information:
If You Don't Secure The Border, You Don't Have a Country

Title 8 CFR, Immigration and Naturalization Laws

My Favorite Related Quote

Be An American First -- And Willing To Stand Up For Your Country

These are the times which distinguish the real friend of his country from the town meeting bawler and the sunshine patriot. --Andrew Jackson, 1812.

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people." --Theodore Roosevelt on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

We have a great many sunshine patriots and town meeting bawlers these days. Republicans, Democrats, and Indies alike. They want to impeach a President when they disagree with him on even a single issue, they want to absolve the police of enforcing our immigration laws--on the books for decades--and enforced until recently, they want to retreat from the war on terrorism because "it's taking too long," costing too much, or the parameters for winning have changed during the course of it.

They want all the benefits of freedom without paying its price. We have raised them to be spoiled, selfish, senseless brats who hide behind their so-called "rights" of free speech and the ability to dissent. Luckily for them, there are others who have grown up with a notion of duty to country and their countrymen, the knowledge of the difference between right and wrong, and courage enough to fight the bad guys in order to promote freedom at home and abroad.

The "spoiled" among us don't have time much time to think about those who ARE putting blood, soul, and regular family life at risk so that they--the ungrateful--may behave like the aforementioned spoiled, sunshine patriots.

While the soldiers' sons and daughters are being born, their parents dying, their spouses loving and leaving them, they are away fighting for our (and Iraqi) freedom. Every minute of every day. At the same time, the spoiled live among us, whining and complaining, pontificating, undermining, naysaying, and being generally obnoxious. Bestowing children without even the smallest glimmer of real character upon society also has a produced a hefty cost to us and our future.

If you want to hear two young men with the kind of character I'd like to see every time I look at a person under 35, go listen to Iraq Unplugged--a terrific album written, performed and produced by two US Soldiers serving in Baghdad, Iraq. If you visit the soldiers' site, you will be able to get a free listen to many of the album's songs. This is not a commercially produced album but one produced in Iraq--unplugged as the title says. Beautifully pure music, by any standard.

Every cut will touch you because these songs are the real deal. The guys are real people experiencing every emotion served up by real life and death every day in the middle of a war--and telling you about it through their music. Heros, yes. Good guys, yes, indeed. Men we admire and to whom we owe everything we have, absolutely!

Thank you, Nick and JR! I, for one, will always remember your music, your names, the things you've sacrificed, and that you fought honorably for your country. And we will be forever grateful that you saw fit to write it all down and share so much of yourselves through your music. This is my nominee for Album of the Year.

Godspeed to you both! May all your dreams come true!

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Photo credit: http://www.iraq-songs.com/

WMDs moved to Syria

When I think of work, it's mostly about having control over your destiny, as opposed to being at the mercy of what's out there. --Gary Sinise

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I've always maintained that the WMDs did exist in Iraq--that there's plenty of documentation backing up that fact--and that they were moved somewhere else. Now we learn where from one of Saddam's confidants, General Georges Sada. Logic has always indicated they were there and that our intelligence (and even UN intelligence) was not merely "bad." The tapes mentioned by Janet Parshall below will be historically very important to this administration. Won't it be interesting to compare who the naysayers were and to find out why the no WMD issue developed "legs" so easily. And why everyone (including the administration) caved to acknowledging that our intelligence was bad rather than that the weapons were simply relocated.

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March 17, 2006

Learning Saddam's Secrets
—Janet Parshall

People like Cindy Sheehan and Howard Dean don't support the president on Iraq because, they say, the president lied about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction. But newly-captured tapes and Iraqi documents show that Saddam was, in fact, planning on rebuilding his WMD program once the inspectors had left. The tapes and papers also indicate that Saddam really was seeking uranium from Africa and that prohibited missiles were buried.

The documents, ordered by Saddam to keep a record of his own discussions, have been given to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Saddam also says on the tapes, "terrorism is coming with the Americans--terrorism with weapons of mass destruction."

Only time will tell where the WMDs went but General Georges Sada, a chief advisory to Saddam and author of "Saddam's Secrets" has stated Saddam knew the Americans were coming and ordered the WMDs moved into Syria.

These tapes should change not only the political debate but prove that our decision to go into Iraq was the right one all along.

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www.beyondthenews.com (March 17)

Cartoon credit: http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000275.html

Americans--Soft, Spoiled, Indoctrinated?

Americans are soft, spoiled, and in denial. We are in a real war--one that can be lost. And most are not even aware of the real consequences of what losing this war will mean to them. We must snap out of our self-imposed state of denial before it's too late.

You know, I remember Khruschev telling us that they (Communists) would get us through our children. We thought, sure, it's possible, but we're too smart to let THAT happen. And our children would be too.

Even before Nikita, Joseph Stalin said, "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." They both KNEW, even then, that we were so enamoured with indiscriminate knowledge that those in charge at our educational institutions could be lured into embracing, exploring, and encouraging the flourishing of ideas, even self-destructive ones, amongst our student bodies.

They also knew that concepts sometimes work well on paper, but not historically in reality. And that some theoretical ideals are easier to embrace before one lives long enough to experience much. Of course, those people are the most vulnerable--those easiest to brainwash. They are also the next generation of our country's leaders, and, in order to further an agenda where there is no difference between right and wrong, the "teaching" our youth began.

Today we have bell hooks* an example of the grave depravity of values influencing our college youth:

"In addition to encouraging the students at Southwestern to condemn the future because caring about it is a patriarchal capitalist construct, hooks slammed the war on terrorism and equated conservatism with murder. Consider this rubbish from her castigation of the assembly:

The radical, dissident voices among you have learned here at Southwestern how to form communities of resistance that have helped you find your way in the midst of life-threatening conservatism, loneliness, and the powerful forces of everyday fascism which use the politics of exclusion and ostracism to maintain the status quo. Every terrorist regime in the world uses isolation to break people's spirits.'

Unfortunately...she plays a major role in deciding what will be taught at universities regarding issues of race, gender, and social construct..."*

"The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), a non-profit group dedicated to academic freedom, reported on a whole host of extraordinarily revealing comments made by faculty and staff at respected universities across the country. If you're wondering what mentality drives those who have been charged with developing and molding the minds of the next generation, here are some examples:

. "Anybody who can blow up the Pentagon gets my vote,"--professor of history, University of New Mexico.

. "{W}e should be aware that, whatever its proximate cause, its ultimate cause is the fascism of US foreign policy over the past many decades."--professor of English, Rutgers University

. "[The American flag is] a symbol of terrorism and death and fear and destruction and oppression."--professor of physics, University of Massachussetts--Amherst

. "[I]magine the real suffering and grief of people in other countries. The best way to begin a war on terrorism might be to look in the mirror."--professor of anthropology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.**

These comments represent an Intellectual Elite that is completely out of touch with the attitudes and values of the average person in this country. When faced with a monumental tragedy, those in charge of higher learning exposed their moral vacancy by blaming America first....**

Anti-Americanism is part of the doctrine on campuses across our country.

"The left are no longer able to see the simplest of truths embodied by 9/11: American stands for progress, equity, and freedom. We educate people (both men and women, thank you), help make dreams for the future come true, and create a society in which individuals can thrive. Radical Islamists, as a cultural phenonmenon, cut people's throats, destroy buildings, murder huge numbers of people, and condemn the future.***

"...instead of trying to subvert Americans whose character were already formed, the Left decided to start from the ground up--by parasitically infesting our nation's secondary schools, colleges, and graduate schools to indoctrinate each generation as it came along. They hate themselves and hate this country, and they are determined to not be alone.

The first step for the Intellectual Elite is to unmake and then remake history itself. Smear the Founding Fathers, cast patriotism as jingoistic, and classify the United States as a genocidal nation bent on terrorism, from its founding to today. On campuses across the country, pride in our country and patriotism are deemed "offensive" and banned. Fewer high schools and colleges are requiring students to take US history courses, and when history is discussed, men like George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson are deconstructed and maligned. Someone like Ronald Reagan usually isn't discussed at all, and if he is, it is to complete the vilification. Courses on Western culture and history are attacked as "racist" and often eliminated because the reality of white European men's role in the shaping of world history offends and upsets multiculturalists. Ever since the 1960s, students have been told that everything is relative, judgment is verboten, and if it feels good, do it, while decency and morality are cast as deviant concepts used by the oppressor... Society's reward for allowing malignant narcissists to take control of our universities is a series of political and business scandals replete with lies, abuse, theft and the ruination of lives.****

The malignant narcissists are in the process of indoctrinating our youth with socialism, multiculturalism and moral relativism. And remembering the quote from Stalin that I opened with: "Education is a weapon whose effects depend on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed." we should not be pleased, nor wonder why. With their proud national history erased from current curriculum, our children will never feel the need for (self)preservation of our Nation and the principles on which it was founded. The larger question is, "To what end are we allowing this hostile takeover of our children's minds?"

Teaching western civilization's history and other real academics in our public schools is vital. Our students are turning out in record numbers with less ability in science, mathematics, history, languages, and literature. The place to learn an accurate accounting of the past so we are not doomed to repeat it is in our schools. The place for value setting is in the child's home and his or her place of worship.

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*bell hooks- "...radical teacher City College of NY who tours the country giving speeches specially designed to reach young minds with her gutter message of hate, self-loathing, and hopelessness..." Source: Tammy Bruce, The Death of Right and Wrong, C. 2003, Prima Publishing, Roseville, CA., p 158. www.primapublishing.com

** Ibid, pg 160

*** Ibid, pg 161

**** Ibid., pg 162

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Source: The Death of Right and Wrong, Tammy Bruce,, Prima Publishing, Roseville, CA, C. 2003

Cartoon credit: http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000795.html

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Related anti-Americanism additional quote from bell hooks:

...I think that nationalism has undermined revolutionary Black struggle. It’s no accident that people like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King were destroyed at those moments of their political careers when they had begun to critique nationalism as a platform of organization; and where, in fact, they replace nationalism with a critique of imperialism; which then, unites us with the liberation struggles of so many people on the planet. If we don’t have that kind of global perspective about our social realities, we will never be able to re-envision a revolutionary movement for Black self-determination that is non-exclusive, and doesn’t assume some kind of patriarchal nationhood. Many of our African nations have failed precisely because they lacked a revolutionary vision for social change that worked, and not because they didn’t have a nation. So, Black Americans must be very, very cautious in embracing the notion of a nation as the redemptive location. The redemptive location lies in our radical politics and the strategies by which we implement those radical politics--not with the formation of a nation.

Full article here from Challenging Capitalism and Patriarchy

Can The Media Report Just The Facts? Probably Not.

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. --Voltaire

News media honchos seem to be issuing a united cry that the President hasn't been, but needs to "communicate" his goals for the War Against Terrorism better. No matter which network--they are all in agreement on this one. Well, what a crock!

What is needed, in fact, is for the news media to communicate all the events as they occur in Iraq--both war acts and acts of progress.

Further, they need to look only as far as their own reporting and their selective coverage on what's happening in Iraq for the poor and incomplete information we get in the USA.

The President tells his story over and over, then the media ignores his story over and over. Then the President's political foes attack his statements with great zeal and emotional arguments and then THOSE become the story of the day. Puh-lese! This does not pass the media stink test.

Journalists need to get over the thought that if the facts support the President, and if they report those events, factually as they occur, that they are somehow sell-outs. The facts need reporting--actually ONLY the facts need reporting. Wouldn't it be a lovely world without media spin? Wowsa! There's a fresh idea!

The other day, I heard an early AM TV account of two suicide car bombers self-destructing in Iraq. The pictures showed lots of people running and general chaos ensuing, but the death and injury toll was 2 dead. Somehow, they didn't report that the two who died were the suicide bombers, but that's where I'm putting my money, since they were each sitting inside of their own car bomb at the times of explosion. No one else was hurt, but that's NOT what the pictures looked like back home. That's not the full story--that's a spun half-story, with the details left out. (If I could find a copy of this incident in the print media online, I would have linked to it, but, alas! and no surprise, no such record has been found to date. I will keep looking and update if it is found.)

Both the destruction and the construction in Iraq are "stories"--nevermind that the progress side of the news isn't full of graphic pictures of explosions and bodies littering the ground, perfect for your evening TV viewing. Could it be more clear that it is all about ratings (and advertising dollars), rather than National Security, or winning, or allegiance to our country in a time of war, or even a report with the facts in context? Can we please admit at least these ugly media facts?

The lazy so-called reporters need to speak to people actually there and to not be immediately dismissive of the progress that's happening. And they need to stop accusing the administration of lying to the public in order to sway public opinion falsely when that's exactly what THEY are doing (transference--Psych 101?)

This "negative only" accounting of the unfolding events has a self-destructive bent to it. It's not imaginable to me how an American can wish for a loss for his or her own country in a war waged by terrorist against us. Being responsible for creating a negative atmosphere in a country during a time of war is a crime. It's already on the books and it's called sedition. Further, it's also highly immoral when it's done for personal or political gain. (Personal or political gain at the expense of one's own country's existence? Unheard of by anyone who is not a traitor heretofore.)

In a time when almost half of us do not connect that behavior with support for the people who want to eliminate the USA and Israel (not from power, from existence), it just staggers the mind.

You can read more about Iraq's progress here, here, here, here, here, and the most recent updates here.

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Cartoon Credit: Cox and Forkum - http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000789.html

Short Memory? Action Needed--Let's Roll!

Here's a notice I received in my email today. For background on the issues click here. Please don't adopt a short memory. This memorial needs to be seen through to completion and it needs YOUR help.

To All 9/11 Families, Friends and Supporters,

On January 24, 2006 the LMDC Family Advisory Council (FAC) met with LMDC President Stephan Pryor and WTC Memorial Foundation President Gretchen Dykstra as well as several members of their staff. At this meeting numerous issues were discussed including: the proper listing of the Names; putting Artifacts like the sphere and tower facades at the street level of the WTC site; preserving the Footprint remnants at bedrock; moving the Memorial Museum above ground; and the security and safety of visitors to the site. LMDC President Pryor and his representatives were noncommittal in their response to the concerns raised.

On February 27, 2006, the Advocates for a 9/11 Fallen Heroes Memorial with support of the NYPD and FDNY unions held a rally at the WTC site demanding that the LMDC address the issues outlined above as well as the issue of raising the Memorial itself above ground.

A week after the rally and 6 weeks after the FAC meeting, LMDC President Pryor chose to respond to the concerns in a letter addressed to the FAC. Mr. Pryor chose not to tell the FAC that this letter had already been released to the NY Post. Pryor's letter to members of the Families Advisory Council was misleading. Transcripts we have obtained through a Freedom of Information Request belie his assertions.

Despite as he claimed in the letter that the LMDC has always worked in "good faith" this is clearly not good faith. We consider this highly unprofessional act the final straw and will no longer deal with the LMDC. We demand a meeting with Governor Pataki and his Chief of Staff John Cahill.

We are asking each of you to email and/or phone Governor Pataki telling him that the LMDC does not act in good faith and that the Governor and his Chief of Staff must meet with the Take Back the Memorial representatives and historic preservation groups prior to the commencement of construction. Additionally, to increase the pressure, please contact NY State Senators Schumer and Clinton as well as your state representatives asking for their support.

Time is short; on March 13th construction will begin on this seriously flawed Memorial. America deserves more.

Email Governor Pataki: http://www.ny.gov/governor/contact/index.html
Phone Governor Pataki: (518) 474-8390

Thank you for your continued support.

There's No Free Lunch

There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either IN or you're OUT. There's no such thing as life in-between. --Pat Riley

Federal funding for colleges and universities is now tied to the colleges (and Law Schools) allowing military recruiters on their campuses for recruiting purposes. (Full story here.)

The justices said Congress was within its rights to say any college that gets even a dime of federal money has to allow military recruiters, CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports.

The decision was a setback for universities that had become the latest battleground over the military policy allowing gay men and women to serve only if they keep their sexual orientation to themselves.

Colleges and universities are too quick to accept handouts and spoiled enough that they expect to be able to bite the hand that feeds them in the process. This ruling is a very good thing!

Next step: countries who are UN members that accept money from the USA yet vote against our efforts more than half the time. Cliche warning! Everything has its price. You can't have it both ways. You can't have your cake and eat it too. There's no free lunch. No more Mister Nice Guy. You're either with us or your with our enemy. There are at least SOME strings attched. OK, cliche coast clear for a while.

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Related story:
ACLU Expresses Disappointment Over
Supreme Court Ruling...

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Cartoon credit: http://www.cincypost.com/2004/07/19/jeff071904.html

You Have To Be Carefully Taught

It is well for people who think to change their minds occasionally in order to keep them clean. For those who do not think, it is best at least to rearrange their prejudices once in a while. --Luther Burbank, environmentalist

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One night I caught the rerun on C-Span of Tammy Bruce's Q & A session following the release of her newest book (I believe). Almost immediately, I was shouting back at the TV, "That's Right" "You Know It It" "Holy Cow! That's Just What I Said Last Week!" I don't know how I'd missed Tammy's popularity until then. I do watch Fox News mostly--should have seen her there. I did belong to NOW back in "the day"--should have remembered her name from then. I read incessantly--should have seen her 3 books on the New York Times best sellers list. But, no, it took C-Span to introduce me to the genius (well, I agree with almost everything she says, of course she's a genius!) that is Tammy Bruce. Her ideas are extremely well documented and clearly written--she's a beacon of intelligence and common sense for us. Her three books, The New Thought Police : Inside the Left's Assault on Free Speech and Free Minds, with Laura C Schlessinger, The Death of Right and Wrong, And The New American Revolution are spot on and full of moral clarity that is missing in the MSM and the malignant left (her words but you've heard me use the terms--they are now part of my everyday descriptive speech).

Spontaneous Acts of Kindness in Action

A beautiful example of the acts of kindness we recommend in our Spontaneous Acts of Kindness for our Military Program. This had nothing to do with my program--but just the true spirit of giving back to those who put their lives on the line for freedom for the rest of us. My source was a story entitled, Got Your Back in Sgt Grit newsletter, March 2 edition.

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Cartoon Credit: http://www.grunt.com/scuttlebutt/corps-stories/humorous/reid.asp

Oh Crap! Now the World Council of Churches Goes Bonkers Too

It isn't enough that the National Council of Churches spirited a huge campaign to undermine and defame our military last July 4, now the American members of World Council of Churches are embarrassed for the "sins" of their own country--and so they feel the need to go public with their angst.

Could they please just worry about representing and assisting their member churches and stay out of the PAC business? Methinks a trip back to their Bibles to find some clarity of purpose is in order. They will see that both right and wrong are found there--and moral relativism is NOT.

I'm the opposite of thrilled to find my church among the WCC member churches. If I can figure out a course of effective action, you'll read about it right away. Don't you just love the sentence where the WCC leaders lament how the country's leaders "turned a deaf ear" to their voices. Waaaaaaa, waaaaaa, waaaaa. Did I miss an election or something? I didn't know our country's leaders were supposed to take their marching orders from the WCC.

Here's a quote from the Weekly Standard:

AMERICAN CHURCH OFFICIALS pleaded for forgiveness for the sins of the United States last week--from the Iraq War, to Bush's rejection of the Kyoto Accord, to the racism exposed by Hurricane Katrina, to economic exploitation, and for the more general American sin of idolatry. (As though these are undisputed facts. Hang your heads, you self-important, crazy wackos.)

The clerics were representing 34 Protestant and Orthodox denominations in America at the Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) meeting in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

"Our leaders turned a deaf ear to the voices of church leaders throughout our nation and the world, entering into imperial projects that seek to dominate and control for the sake of our own national interests," lamented the apologetic Americans (As though "in our National interest" is a BAD thing!) that are nothing short of idolatrous. Nations have been demonized and God has been enlisted in national agendas. (Read full story)

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Cartoon Credit: sacredcowburgers.com

What A Loser!

...Derek Poarch, chief of the university's police department, confirmed Saturday that Taheri-azar, a native of Iran, told investigators he wanted to "avenge the deaths or murders of Muslims around the world." Poarch would not provide any other details of Taheri-azar's motive...

...No one was seriously hurt in the incident just before noon Friday at The Pit, a sunken, brick-paved area surrounded by two libraries, a dining hall and the student union near the center of campus.

Five students and a visiting scholar were treated for minor injuries and released from UNC Hospitals, the university said in a statement. Three other people declined treatment at the scene, police said... (Full story here.)

The Religious Policeman On The Riyadh International Book Fair

I was going to excerpt the following but just couldn't decide where to cut it. So I didn't. There are photos missing here that you'll find on his site, but the rest is word for word. The Religious Policeman, a Saudi who is living in the United Kingdom, writes powerfully. Step into his world with this entry. Visit his site here. Each entry is as rivoting as the next. I hope he doesn't take offense at my shameless attempt to add his "rivoting true story" to my entries. I do want to share this voice with as many as possible, hoping they'll visit his Religious Policeman site often.

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Just when you thought it was safe.....
.... to go back into the Riyadh International Book Fair. The throb of the Toyota trucks' exhausts recedes into the night air, the "Imam University Gang" have finally left. It's time to get back to some civilized discussion about books, perhaps even meet the authors, just as happens in the real world.....

And indeed, Wednesday was the day for women writers. We could actually get to meet women writers, have them sign the books. This is great! This is what Saudi Arabia should be like! Are we finally, at last, making some progress? Let's hear the story, as recounted by the "Arab News".

Women for the first time in the history of the Riyadh International Book Fair were allowed to meet their fans.
These inaugural book signings, which occurred on Wednesday — the day reserved for families — were not announced in advance like the ones for men authors. Nevertheless, fans of poet Fawziyah Abu Khaled and novelist Ala’a Al-Hathlol flocked around tables for a chance to meet their literary heroines.

I wish I'd been there. But....

Despite the lack of publicity for the occasion, another group showed up to greet the women writers....

....Uh, oh....

Men, some of whom were visibly wearing badges identifying themselves as members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice.

Ugh! But perhaps they've come for the books? Sorry, forgot, they can't read. And even when they pick their noses, still the words don't make any sense. So what will they contribute to this literary gathering?

The commission members, on the other hand, went about their work. They raised their voice demanding that the two women cover their faces. The women were modestly attired, wearing abayas and headscarves, showing no hair.

That is something they are good at, raising their voices. That, and picking their noses. But shouting at women makes them look kinda tough.

So how did the authors react?

“It is really humiliating to be treated this way,” said Ala’a Al-Hathlol during the signing. She said that throughout her book signing, some commission members kept coming up to her shouting. She is a Muslim, she said, and no one has the right to judge people and treat them in such a manner.

Theologically correct, Ala'a, but they can't even read the Quran. And they certainly don't like being corrected by a woman, especially one who can not only read, but also write. Anyway, she stuck to her guns.

She ignored the shouts from them and continued to sign her books.

Like the ranting bag-lady next to you in the subway train, best ignored. They have a limited attention span if no-one takes notice, like every five-year-old, so they got bored and moved on to another target.

Later, it was poet Fawziyah’s turn to receive a dose of verbal attack. During the interview, some men were standing in front of the book-signing section yelling at the poet, telling her that if she was an educated woman she wouldn’t be sitting in front of men showing her face.

No, guys, it's actually the other way round, if anything. Anyway, the security guy, who was of course powerless to do anything about them, had some useful advice.

“If you argue with them they won’t go, just don’t answer them back,” a security man said to Fawziyah.

That's true. After all, because they have acne, crooked teeth, bad breath, a dirty thobe, spindly hairy legs, and endearing habits like adjusting their genitalia and gobbing onto the sidewalk (sometimes simultaneously), they sort of crave female attention, but never seem to get it. So when they "chat you up", don't encourage them. But self-restraint can be difficult.

Finally, she could not take it any more and told the men politely that she is wearing an abaya and covering her hair. She told them that many Islamic schools do not oblige women to cover their face.

True again. But they never went to that school. At their school, they used to put the yellow brick on top of the red brick, then the blue brick on top of the yellow brick. Then the bricks fell over, and they had to start over again.

Time to put her in her place....

The men replied to her that she was wrong, that covering the face is a must.

....and a practical solution....

One man blocked the entrance to the signing area, shouting at the book fair organizers to erect a partition.

So the idea is that she signs the book behind the partition. Presumably you toss a book over, she signs it, and then tosses it back. Sounds fun. Well, Saudi fun.

But one woman observer has had enough of all this....

“Why are you harassing her? She is a poet signing a book. What’s wrong with that?” asked one of the women standing next to Fawziyah.

If there's one thing the Muttawa can't stand, it's getting a stream of verbal from a woman, especially a woman with obvious "attitude". It's bad enough that she's not locked in at home, cooking for her husband, minding the children, being a good wife. Instead she is out in public, obviously without a male relative, and has the temerity to question a Muttawa in the execution of his religious duties. Time for some straight talking....

“Mind your own business, woman,” replied one of the men.

There you have it. International Book Fair meets Religious Policeman. The twenty-first century meets the seventh century. The Enlightenment meets the Dark Ages. Which will eventually win?

I have a dream. Our Muttawa wins a lottery and goes on an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii. He suddenly comes across Beth, of "Dog the Bounty Hunter" fame, in the street. Shocked by her immodest attire, he tells her to "Cover up, woman." Beth is having a bad-PMT-day. Will it be the Mace, as an aperitif, or will she just go with the fists?

Then I wake up.

***

See, I told you! Good, wasn't it?

***
Photo Credit: http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/216/519/1600/Mutt%20One1.jpg

Boycott Academy Awards Broadcast

You know what, man? I don't have time to worry about what people think. I'm focused on the youth of America. I'm focused on the kids who are dressing like whores. Because that's the message in the media. --Stephen Baldwin

Everytime I surf the cable news channels, I'm noticing huge blocks of time on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC dedicated to the upcoming Oscars ceremony.

Looks like they're scared to death ABC's ratings won't even equal the recent disappointing Olympics ratings.

Everybody has an interest in bolstering buzz--explaining this media blitz. John Stewart's the host (and I hear they're worried that ratings will drop dramatically after he delivers his opening address), everyone in the fashion industry can't wait to copy the gowns and sell them to the pitiful star-emulating teens for 2006 prom attire and to their teen-emulating Moms for their cocktail soirees.

Every media entity has some kind of parasitic plan to use this made-up marketing event to add to its bottom line. All this to celebrate so-called American Royalty: Hollywood starlets and hunks selling sex, malignant cultural narcissism, and anti-American rhetoric, for a living.

I heard today that the new James Bond will be the first Bond to go nude on screen. Well, isn't THAT special. Glad to see he plans to elevate the series. And since BBM seems to be the darling of the event, I thought I'd share a Lego/BBM site with you that surely you will enjoy. I agree with most Americans who, yawn, say, "Who cares?" about this insipid broadcast.

Mel Gibson, one of the good guys, plans, it seems, to bring the 'Academy" down a few pegs by sending his pre-recorded message in Maya. Full article here. I have to also include among the good guys, KISS's Gene Simmons who identifies himself as an independent but admits voting for "Rottweiler" President Bush both times and is glad of it.

Until Hollyweird can zone into its American market like Mel Gibson has done, I'm not contributing to its coffers. At least, not knowingly. If you agree, why not take the Boycott Pledge and, instead, do something to enrich your life on Sunday evening other than watching the Royal narcissists behave badly?

My Pledge

Because I like to put my money where my mouth is, and because I have better things to do, I hereby pledge to watch not one minute of this year's Broke Back Academy Awards Oscar presentation broadcast.

***

Cartoon credit: Coxandforkum.com

Dump the Deal

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope. --Winston Churchill

The National Review Online editorial today offers up a way out of the Dubai ports debacle: dump the deal. (Full article here)

...The 45-day delay for more investigation into the United Arab Emirates-owned Dubai Ports World looked last week like a port in a political storm. Now it looks more like a trap.

The 45-day review at best freezes the debate in place, preserving a status quo in which the White House is taking a political pounding. At worst, it allows the opponents of the deal, who have the offensive, to keep picking away at it, whether by airing (and distorting) past Coast Guard concerns about DP World or highlighting the company's participation in the Arab boycott of Israel. The White House, incredibly, is on the wrong side of a 70-20 national-security issue that has more resonance than the Patriot Act and the National Security Agency wiretapping program. This is simply a debacle, shaping up as a lose-lose for Bush. If he loses on the Hill, he will be humiliated and identified with the unpopular deal. If he wins, it’s hard to see how he won't be doing so against the grain of public opinion, harming himself on national security in a cause — having DP World manage the terminals — that is not of fundamental importance...

...Nixing the deal will be a blow to our relationship with the UAE, but Bush should get credit from them for fighting for the deal and sticking up for Dubai. Surely there will be some subtle way to compensate the UAE in another area. Bush's credibility with Congress — after his veto threat and saber rattling — will take a blow. But not as large a blow as he would suffer if he kept fighting and lost (or if the issue were to stay red hot and contribute to a GOP loss of Congress). Republican members of Congress will surely be relieved to put the controversy behind them...

***

Cartoon Source: http://www.cartoonclipart.com/pages/dump.html

Chilling View of Dubai Ports World

This is really what we fear. Listen in on Warchick and Alex--together again--with A Chilling Conversation. Here's part of it. The full article is Here.

...WARCHICK: Alex, from someone who knows Islam thinking inside and out, tell America about the dangers of the port sales and the Iranian Bourse. Give your take on the sales of the US ports to Dubai first.

Alex: Well... it makes perfect sense that Dubai wants to control US ports. Ports are how they made their money in the first place. Dubai has zero oil-wealth, but it is one of the largest trade zones in the world.

WARCHICK: Bush keeps saying that the UAE are our allies...are they?

Alex: Nope... they are closest to Saudi... and after that to Pakistan. It's a liberal country with a very conservative Wahhabi underbelly... but they let people do what they want because it brings in tons of money.

WARCHICK: Then why would Bush want enemies in charge of our ports?

Alex: Probably because they are paying very, very good money, and the US is severely strapped for cash.

WARCHICK: I sense something's not right here. I mean, the Chinese already control the Panama Canal, which is vital for movement of Navy ships between the two oceans. Why would we want another enemy nation owning any part of America, let alone eight of its ports?

Alex: Look, Bush just asked for a huge budget for the war, didn't he?

WARCHICK: Yep... I get where you're going. That doesn't make me feel any better.

Alex: Don't forget the huge naval/trading port the Chinese are financing in Pakistan on the Arabian Sea. Remember I once told you about China's blue water navy controlling oil shipping through that base?

WARCHICK: That's right...you told me all about that. You wanted to know why China was helping to build a "commercial port" that was large enough to handle aircraft carriers and massive warships.

Alex: Exactly. And remember... the one who controls a commodity (ANY commodity) is not the one who produces it, or who transports it, buys it, or sells it... the REAL control lies with he who can DESTROY it... get the picture? All you need is to position some resources at strategic "choke points."

WARCHICK: It just sunk in....

Muslim on Muslim Crime

This is too quotable to bypass:
(Full article here).
...It appears that some naughty Islamofascist became a little too excited this morning when packing his bomb-laden chariot of Allah's wrath (also known as a car). The explosion killed three others, injured 52, and left a crater 8 feet wide by two feet deep. The injury of dozens of innocent bystanders was a small price to pay in exchange for a strike at the representative of the Great Satan.

Islamic rage should be directed at those who callously disregard the safety of fellow Muslims. While, on some intellectual level (deep, deep down), murdering one's infidel enemies can be understood, causing the injury and death of one's coreligionists is unintelligible. When will Muslim on Muslim crime come to an end? How can anyone be expected to take the fight to the Great Satan when no one is safe?

***

Cartoon Credit: CoxandForkum.com

Do Minor Students Have The Responsibility To Attend At Overland?

Too little liberty brings stagnation and too much brings chaos.
--Bertrand Russell (1872 - 1970)

Why are students allowed protest the personnel action against the teacher in Aurora, Colorado???? Are there no attendance rules in their schools? Again, if the answer is no, then we certainly must understand why there is little respect shown for anything in our culture by our over-indulged youth. Here's a clue. If we don't teach it, and don't require it, we aren't going to see it.

I certainly hope that those who protest will learn that they are free to protest but that they will have a price to pay for their actions. At the very least, they should receive zeros for the schoolwork that they miss while out protesting. There should be a policy that requires an acceptable written excuse for every absence from school. And believe you me, protesting the school's personnel actions is NOT a valid reason for students to leave class.

Suspensions should follow for any student who violates the school's formal attendance policy. (Oh, please God let there be one.) I tried to get information on the school's web site but for some reason the site appeared to be disabled. Embedded in the site at the top of the page for parents who plan to encourage this exercise in civil disobedience for their minor children is a number they might want to use. Here it is: Remember to call the Attendance Office for your child's attendance. (720) 747 - 3896.

Why Do We Not Arrest Him?

Law is order in liberty, and without order liberty is social chaos.--Archbishop Ireland

See, if it were the good old days, INS would visit Yale today, arrest and deport (or send to Gitmo for interrogation) the known Taliban associate, Ramatullah Hashemi. We would also take in for questioning anyone who facilitated his setting up camp in this country. That would be Dean Richard Shaw of Yale University among others.

***

Cartoon Credit: http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/images/bltalibanjokers.htm

Are The Gods Crazy?

This is one for the books! But Yale doesn't surprise me--after all, it gave Hamas its start back in the late 80s when students wrote the covenant of hatred--The Avalon Project--that is still on the University's web site. We need to search out Richard Shaw, the Dean of Yale Undergrad Students, and put his feet to the fire (figuratively, I mean) (he "didn't want to miss out on a student of the caliber of Rahmatullah Hashemi?" Why the Hell not?) How would you like to sit next to this character--who is there tuition free--in a class? We also need to see who at the State Department, as the Wall Street Opinion Journal asks, approved this student visa? Are there ANY standards in place for issuing student visas? If a Taliban spokesperson can get a State Department student visa for a non-degree program, we have to assume that anyone can get a student visa. Security is a priority? My great aunt's patooty it is!

If this same institution is so unpatriotic to NOT allow ROTC training on the campus, the world is truly upside down. And, you do have to ask what kind of a self-destructive path we are following these days. This morning I was hopeful about the President and the purpose of his trip to South Asia. Tonight, I just don't know. Maybe we've just lost our collective minds....

Former Taliban Spokesman Now Yale U. Student
NewsMax
Monday, Feb. 27, 2006 10:59 a.m. EST

A one-time member of the Taliban has apparently taken up studies at Yale University.

While his former colleagues in Afghanistan’s former Taliban government are dead, hiding, or imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi is studying at Yale on a student visa.

Once the Taliban’s "ambassador-at-large,” Rahmatullah was the subject of the feature article in this weekend’s New York Times magazine.

He surfaced at Yale through the efforts of Mike Hoover, a CBS News cameraman, whom he met while serving as an interpreter for the Taliban. Rahmatullah was admitted to Yale despite only having a fourth-grade education and high school equivalency certificate.

"[Yale] had another foreigner of Rahmatullah’s caliber apply for special-student status,” explained Richard Shaw, Yale’s dean of undergraduate admissions, to the Times.

"We lost him to Harvard,” he continued. "I didn’t want that to happen again.”

And so, Rahmatullah enjoys the pleasures of coed life in New Haven, Conn. The man who criss-crossed the United States on a speaking engagement in 2001 to defend the subjugation of women and the annihilation of ancient Buddhist cultural monuments now attends classes with women and Harvard-Yale football games among a diverse student body.

He has already taken one class of peculiar interest: Political Science 145, Terrorism: Past, Present and Future. The class meets in Luce Hall, the same location where Rahmatullah gave a speech as "roving ambassador” for the Taliban on May 27, 2001.

John Fund of the Wall Street Journal met Rahmatullah on his U.S. tour in 2001 and is incensed by the revelation that he is now studying at Yale. "There is something to be said for the instinct to reach out to one’s former enemies,” he wrote in Monday’s Journal. "But there are limits."

He continued: "[Rahmatullah] willingly and cheerfully served an evil regime in a manner that would have made Goebbels proud. There are many poor, bright students – American and foreign alike – who would jump at the opportunity to attend Yale. Why should Mr. Rahmatullah go to the line ahead of them all?”

***
Why, indeed!

****
Photo credit: http://www.gg2.net/upload/taliban27022006.jpg

The Republican Split and the Super Powers Alliance

I don't mind how much my Ministers talk, so long as they do what I say. --Margaret Thatcher

Here it is! In plain language--spelled out for everyone who may be confused by the split in the Republican party over the Dubai Ports World "deal." Wes Pruden is on target--as usual, I might say--and as he suggests there are two factions in the Republican party but there is still time before the 2008 elections to learn something from the split. (Full story here.)

...John W. Snow, the secretary of the Treasury, and Michael Chertoff, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, offered a succinct summary of the creed of the Corporate Republican in an op-ed essay in this newspaper: "On this issue, the United States has a responsibility to act according to established procedures and to act without bias." ([Emphasis] mine.)

Without bias? The Heartfelt Republican -- indeed, most Americans of whatever partisan hue -- will always act with bias if it's bias in favor of the United States. If it's good for America, it's good enough for General Motors, and not the other way around, as a chairman of GM famously put it in another time, another place. Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask instead what you can do for your country, even if it means upsetting the schemes of the elites. Arguments by the Corporate Republican that the Dubai deal is "a good business deal" will never resonate with the Heartfelt Republican. Making a buck is important, but "loving your country more than anything else in the world" is most important of all.

Belief and conviction puzzle the elites. Since the elites often regard a church as merely a convenient place to marry their daughters and bury their parents, they imagine that our Islamist enemies don't really believe that religious stuff, either. A good business deal, struck over brandy and cigars, is what's worth fighting for.

Do read his full story, my excerpt is incomplete. (Full story here.)

Let's shift gears a little
First, I do want to say that we DPW detractors haven't been completely wrong. We did not learn enough information soon enough about this deal and the President's grander goals to evaluate them properly. And we do still hold out hope that future legislation will curtain future business enterprises for foreign government-owned entities at our points of embarcation. Grandfather clauses probably would be okay.

Some will complain about the way these events unfolded. They will have wanted the MSM to carry every detail in time to ruin the success of every agreement, or perhaps put our President's life and the lives of those who travel with him, in jeopardy on this trip. Then they could make political hay out of second-guessing each issue before it was presented. They, too, could virtually have been at the negotiating tables, undermining their own country's efforts as each proposal unfolded.

See, the electeds have a lot of time on their hands. They aren't really doing anything--they plot, they introduce legislation (mostly grand-standing legislation), but they don't actually accomplish much. Their next big job will be getting their parties elected in 2008 and they've already gone to work on that task.

Their concerns are small potatoes compared to the issues our President wrestles with daily: imagine the burden of carrying the future of this country on your shoulders while all the while people are second-guessing you and nipping at your heels to try to make you stumble. Even if the future of the Country would be the price we would pay if you did.

Well, as I watched the live press conference between Prime Minister Singh of India and President Bush last night, I had a flash of insight. Now, I admit to being slow on the uptake sometimes, and this was one of those times, but as the two leaders stood discussing the agreements they'd reached, once again I could see the pure genius of our President's plan.

Fearlessly going where no President had gone for 50+ years (Afghanistan) and now taking his arguments for agreement on nuclear power proliferation directly to the heads of state of Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan--and coming away with trade agreements as well--well, I've got to tell you, I'm thinking Ronald Reagan and Russia, and Nixon and China. Those were huge feats of accomplishment. And, honestly, this bull dog of a President seems determined to take this country to a place of protected safety from nuclear despots before he's done. I looked on with nothing but admiration for his ability to accomplish his "big picture" goals in spite of obstacles from his political opposition and, even, from within his own party.

I still don't love the Dubai deal. But if it goes forward with enough assurances for safety to our infrastructure and systems, and, at the same time, really causes us to do whatever is necessary to tighten airport security at all our airports and water port security at all our ports to a comfort zone about which the collective US population can feel secure, I can live with it. And I can admit having underestimated my President on several fronts. Aren't I glad that I live in a country where I CAN opine willy nilly to my heart's content and where I CAN be wrong about my President's decisions?

I'll have been wrong that President Bush handed the 2008 elections to the malignant narcissistic left on a silver platter, and that he has put a biased emphasis on Corporate Republicans' concerns at the expense of the Heartfelt Republicans--and Democrats, as well. And NOTHING could make me happier.

We'll wait and see, but these alliances are going to just "kill" our enemies' plans for overtaking the world. The radical Muslims and the wacko Iranian leadership may go out in a blaze of something, but it won't be glory and it won't mean they've won anything. Because now, thanks to our President's leadership, their geographic neighbors, together with the major powers around the world, will be in agreement that barbarians and despots should not have nuclear weapons. And that they should not have an opportunity to annilhilate any of the rest of mankind.

***

Both photo credits: Eric Draper, White House Photographer

Reports From Baghdad Dishonest

Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.--Sir Winston Churchill

***

OK. I love Ralph Peters. He just makes me want to cheer. Enjoy the following from NY Post Online. (Link below.)

March 1, 2006 -- THE reporting out of Baghdad continues to be hysterical and dishonest. There is no civil war in the streets. None. Period.

Terrorism, yes. Civil war, no. Clear enough?

Yesterday, I crisscrossed Baghdad, visiting communities on both banks of the Tigris and logging at least 25 miles on the streets. With the weekend curfew lifted, I saw traffic jams, booming business — and everyday life in abundance.

Yes, there were bombings yesterday. The terrorists won't give up on their dream of sectional strife, and know they can count on allies in the media as long as they keep the images of carnage coming. They'll keep on bombing. But Baghdad isn't London during the Blitz, and certainly not New York on 9/11.

It's more like a city suffering a minor, but deadly epidemic. As in an epidemic, no one knows who will be stricken. Rich or poor, soldier or civilian, Iraqi or foreigner. But life goes on. No one's fleeing the Black Death — or the plague of terror.

And the people here have been impressed that their government reacted effectively to last week's strife, that their soldiers and police brought order to the streets. The transition is working.

Most Iraqis want better government, better lives — and democracy. It is contagious, after all. Come on over. Talk to them. Watch them risk their lives every day to work with us or with their government to build their own future.

Oh, the attacks will continue. They're even predictable, if not always preventable. Driving through Baghdad's Kerada Peninsula District, my humvee passed long gas lines as people waited to fill their tanks in the wake of the curfew. I commented to the officer giving me a lift that the dense lines of cars and packed gas stations offered great targets to the terrorists. An hour later, one was hit with a car bomb.

The bombing made headlines (and a news photographer just happened to be on the scene). Here in Baghdad, it just made the average Iraqis hate the terrorists even more.

You are being lied to. By elements in the media determined that Iraq must fail. Just give 'em the Bronx cheer.

***
Photo Source: www.frontpagemag.com/ Media/Homepage/ralph.jpg
Source: NY Post, Online Edition
Link: http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/64407.htm

Related Reading:
Counterrevolution in Military Affairs
How To Lose A War
Interview by FrontPageMag, Jamie Glazov, upon release of New Glory, Expanding America's Global Supremacy

The Patriot Act Renewal

Normally, I'd say we need no new bills introduced to make our country safer. We have plenty of very well thought out laws on our books right now. What we DO need to do is to get behind enforcement of our current laws AND to fund the enforcement arms of our various governmental departments. The same goes for the enforcement functions of our many agencies responsible for public safety.

Politicians love to introduce bills that are popular with their constituencies so that they appear to be tough on issues important back home. Often the new bills are Congress and Senate grand-standing time-wasters--and the problems of, say, drugs getting into this country or illegal immigrants leaving it, could very easily be handled with enforcement of laws already on the books. IF the the majority of our officials really want these problems solved.

I remember when it was the JOB of law enforcement to ferret out illegal aliens for the specific purpose of returning them to their countries of record. INS came to local jails, double checked immigration papers, and then gathered up every illegal that was here without documentation and returned them "home" in the course of every day police work. I blame "moral relativism" for our change of heart toward enforcing these laws. That and the fact that our business community has convinced our leadership that our economy would take a severe "hit" if we simply stopped the importation of drugs or illegals. Now, instead, we empathize with the sad stories of those breaking our laws. I agree their stories are sad, but if we are to selectively enforce US laws, we are treading on dangerous turf.

In any case, if the Dubai World Port deal does go through, wouldn't you want these added security provisions (listed below) to be in place?

Come on democrats and republicans, on Thursday, the Patriot Act needs permanent renewal--or at least renewal until the end of this administration's term. This administrations believes it needs the Patriot Act to do its job properly. If the dems successfully win the Presidency in 2008 and think they can get by without it, fine, let it expire then. (Full article here.)

If Senate Democrats were serious about port security they would leap to support the Patriot Act.…

Because here are some of the legal provisions within the Patriot Act that will help law enforcement officials:

Seaport Entry by False Pretenses. It is a federal crime to use fraud or false pretenses to enter federal property, a vessel or aircraft of the United States, or the secured area in an airport. Section 302 expands this law to cover America's ports and increases the penalty for violations.

Obstructing Maritime Inspections. Section 303 establishes a new, general federal crime to forcibly interfere with the boarding of the vessel by federal law enforcement or resist arrest, or to provide boarding federal law enforcement officers with false information concerning the vessel's cargo, origin, destination, registration, ownership, nationality or crew.

Interference with Maritime Commerce. Section 305 establishes a new crime, under which it is a federal crime punishable by imprisonment for any term of years or for life (or the death penalty if death results) to place a dangerous substance or device in the navigable waters of the United States with the intent to damage a vessel or its cargo or to interfere with maritime commerce. Section 305 also creates a second new crime, punishable by 20 years in prison, to tamper with any navigational aid maintained by the Coast Guard or St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

Transporting Dangerous Materials. Section 306 establishes a new federal offense against the transportation of explosives, biological, chemical, radioactive weapons, or nuclear material aboard a vessel in the United States, in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction, on the high seas, or aboard a vessel of the United States. The crime is punishable by imprisonment for any term of years or for life and may be punishable by death if death results from commission of the offense.

Transporting Terrorists. Section 306 also creates a new federal offense for transporting an individual knowing he or she intends to commit, or is fleeing from the commission of, a federal crime of terrorism.

Stowaways. Section 310, increases the penalty for stowing away from imprisonment for not more than one year to not more than five years (not more than 20 years if the offense is committed with the intent to inflict serious injury upon another or if serious injury to another results); or if death results, by death or imprisonment for any term of years or for life.

Port Security Bribery. Section 311 makes it a federal crime to bribe any individual (private or public) within any secure or restricted area or seaport with the intent to commit international or domestic terrorism.
And these are just some of the provisions focusing on port security...

These legal tools will make America's ports safer--they are good steps forward and real reasons to no longer delay the Patriot Act's permanent enactment.

***

Photo Credit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/patriotact/

Is it yes or is it no Mr Bilkey?

I'm so confused. First, during the night, I heard a replay of Barbara Boxer's questions to Dubai Ports World's top exec, Edward Bilkey. I watched him cringe, then looking like a deer in headlights before finally confessing that his yes, his DPW/UAE company, in fact, DOES boycott the State of Israel. Here's what Globes (online), Israel's Business Arena reported.

Responding to questions by Senator Barbara Boxer, the Democrat representative for California, Bilkey acknowledged that the Dubai government complied with the boycott against Israel, and that ports in the Gulf states managed by the company also boycotted Israeli goods. But in response to a question from another Democrat Senator, Bill Nelson, Bilkey stated that he had no knowledge regarding the extent of the involvement of Dubai Ports’ parent company in barring Israeli goods from the Gulf states...

In a parallel move, the Anti Defamation League has launched a public campaign to block the entry by Dubai Ports World to US ports. In a letter to US Secretary of the Treasury John Snow, Anti Defamation League national director Abraham H. Foxman said that security considerations notwithstanding, “If Dubai continues to conduct anti Israel activities, this could be the basis for revoking the agreement.”

But several Jewish activists, speaking privately, said that the issue should remain outside the remit of US Jewish organizations, to avoid giving rise to claims that this was a national issue, rather than one related to ethnic issues.

Now I read the following information that indicates something completely different. (Read the full article here.)

Asked in an interview last week with “CNN” reporter Wolf Blitzer whether Dubai Ports World was doing business with Israel while the UAE refused to recognize Israel, Bilkey replied, “One of our very sound customers is Zim line. It's the largest shipping company. And the president of that company is very close to our company and supports us, because we have good relations with all of our clients.

” We handle their operations in a number of ports throughout the world because it's good commercial business for us. They wouldn't come to us unless we did a good job,” added Bilkey.

Blitzer: “Does the emir know this?”

Bilkey: “Absolutely.”

I'd just like a little clarification, wouldn't you?

Right hand, I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Left Hand. Left hand, meet Mr. Right Hand.

Mr. Right side of the mouth, I'd like you to meet Mr. Left side of the mouth.

My question: how can Mr Bilkey speak out of both Mr Right side and Mr. Left side simultaneously?

***

UPDATE 03-04-06
From Tammy Bruce: Now the Bush admin is "urging" the UAE to end it's illegal boycott of Israel. Gee, if the original investigation cleared all of our concerns, why is the White House making this demand now? Was the boycott okay with them earlier, or were they as "unaware" of this as they claim they were of the deal the deal in the first place?

Dubai Ports World, in the meantime, confirms it does enforce the boycott, but not really. Not everywhere. Not all the time. Sort of like in a pretend way. Full Article Here

***
Photo Credit: http://washingtontimes.com/national/20060301-123445-2061r.htm