Energy Independence

Tired of paying high gas prices? DRILL:

...I got this e-mail from the American Conservative Union:

Prices at the pump are over $3.00 for a gallon of unleaded gasoline. The United States is horribly dependent on foreign oil from America-hating third world dictators and despots — Hugo Chavez comes immediately to mind...And how do liberals propose to "solve" this crisis... their solution? Expand the misery... drive the price of gasoline up even further and continue to block the drilling and refinement of oil in the United States...it may shock you to know that according to some estimates, over 80% of our nation's recoverable oil is OFF-LIMITS due to idiotic "greenie friendly" federal regulation.

I can't vouch for the details they cite, but I've noticed a lot of Democratic politicians speaking favorably about "energy independence," then acting to thwart it. When you talk sense about this, you get the response, "Oh, that's all you ever say, just drill more oil."

Well, yeah. We need more oil. People put gasoline in their tanks, not biomass or wind power or "clean coal" any other imaginary source of energy that you feel like subsidizing. For now, Democrats should either stop paying their bogus lip service to "energy independence," or else support more drilling in Alaska, off shore, in the Great Lakes, and everywhere else we can find oil or natural gas.

Oil imports are what make us "energy dependent," ...

There is no doubt we will be using oil for a long time to come.

What would probably happen once we started drilling OUR oil is OPEC and Company would start charging a fair price for THEIR oil.

DRILL!

Dana Perino To Replace Tony Snow

I wish Tony well:

Tony Snow, the highly visible White House press secretary, will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino, an administration official said Friday.

President Bush was to announce the changes during an appearance in the White House briefing room.

Snow, ailing with cancer, had said recently he would leave before the end of Bush's presidency because he needs to make more money.

I like Tony, even though I do not always agree with him.

UPDATE: Red State: Fred To Announce Today

Second Update: September 6th is the day.

Update: It looks like he may not do it today. I am not going to post any more about it until it is official. That way I won't look like an ass.

At 4:30pm:

It's official: Fred Thompson will formally enter the Presidential race today, with an announcement to be made at 4:30pm.

For all who have waited for this for months -- here you go.

I don't know if it is true or not. I sure hope it is.

Win, Fred, Win

Tom Delay VS Matt Lauer

This is an excellent post on Tom Delay' website:

MATT LAUER: By all accounts these are some tough times for the Republican party. Last fall Democrats took control of both houses of congress, largely because of opposition to the war in Iraq. In 2006 the Republican party was also hit with distracting scandals involving Congressman Mark Foley's inappropriate emails to male congressional pages and lobbyist Jack Abramoff's corruption case that brought down several prominent Republican congressmen. This year the phone number of Republican senator David Vitter turned up in the records of a Washington, DC escort service, and now recent polls show voters prefer a Democrat over a Republican by 51-27% and at least one poll found the most popular choice among Republican presidential candidates is "none of the above." The question now is can any of the damage be reversed? Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay served in congress for 22 years and knows personally how scandals can impact a party. He's also the author of a new book called No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight. Tom DeLay, congressman, good morning.

TOM DELAY: Good morning, Matt.

LAUER: So I went through a litany there, and maybe I should start by stepping back. We've got two members out of 49 Republican senators in office right now embroiled in controversy. So do we have a party embroiled in scandal or do we have two bad apples?

DeLay wasted no time in confronting Lauer with his bias.

DELAY: Well, I hate to say this Matt, but you just showed the problem, the double-standard, and you just participated in it. You listed a whole lot of scandals that involve the Republicans but you didn't mention one Democrat.

In response, and throughout the ensuing exchange, Lauer clung to the fig leaf of his "bad apple" query.

LAUER: But you didn't hear me. I also just said do we only have two bad apples or is there a case of an entire party embroiled in scandal?

DELAY: I think in your premise if you had listed all the Democrats that are having problems right now it would have been different. You see the Democrats re-elect the people with their problems; the Republicans kick them out. If you look at what's going on, it's how you handle it as a party and as a political group.

Go read the rest at the link above.

The money quote is near the end:

DELAY: About the situation that's going on in Washington today and including both Democrats and Republicans. There are scandals that need to be addressed. Republicans address them, Democrats re-elect them.

Tom Delay telling it like it is.

When Did 38% Become A Consensus?

Oh I forgot when the topic is Al Gore's baby, Global Warming:

Michael Asher
August 29, 2007 11:07 AM

In 2004, history professor Naomi Oreskes performed a survey of research papers in climate change. Examining peer-reviewed papers published on the ISI Web of science database from 1993 to 2003, she found a majority
supported the "consensus view," defined as humans were having at least some
effect on global climate change. Oreskes' work has been repeatedly cited, but as
some of its data is now nearly 15 years old, its conclusions are becoming
somewhat dated.

Medical researcher Dr. Klaus-Martin Schulte recently updated this
research. Using the same database and search terms as Oreskes, he examined all
papers published from 2004 to February 2007. The results have been submitted to
the journal Energy and Environment, of which DailyTech has obtained a
pre-publication copy. The figures are surprising.

Of 528 total papers on climate change, only 38 (7%) gave an explicit
endorsement of the consensus. If one considers "implicit" endorsement (accepting
the consensus without explicit statement), the figure rises to 45%. However,
while only 32 papers (6%) reject the consensus outright, the largest
category (48%) are neutral papers, refusing to either accept or
reject the hypothesis. This is no "consensus.

"The figures are even more shocking when one remembers the watered-down
definition of consensus here. Not only does it not
require supporting that man is the "primary" cause of warming, but it
doesn't require any belief or support for "catastrophic" global
warming. In fact of all papers published in this period (2004 to February
2007), only a single one makes any reference to climate change leading to
catastrophic results.

The truth is that scientists are unsure about the existence of or the cause of global warming. Gore and his bunch have done a great job of advertising but the facts to back it up just are not there.

Marine May Sue Loud Mouth Murtha

If he is exonerated, he may sue Murtha for libel:

If Marine Col. Jeffrey Chessani is exonerated of the charges against him he may haul Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha, into court, suing him for libel, one of his lawyers told NewsMax.com.

Brian Rooney, one of the attorneys at Michigan's Thomas More Law Center representing Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani and a former Marine captain himself told NewsMax.com that his client, who is alleged to have failed to fully investigate the killing of 24 Iraqis in Haditha November, 2005 and not reporting an alleged Law of War violation, may follow the example of another Haditha Marine, SSgt. Frank Wuterich who is suing Murtha for libel.

Murtha set off a media firestorm last year when even before the matter had been fully investigated he charged members of Kilo Company, 3rd Bn, 1st Marine Regiment had gone on a rampage and slaughtered 24 Iraqi civilians in cold blood to avenge the killing of a member of their unit in an IED explosion. He also said that the incident occurred in the absence of any firefight, although it occurred as part of a day-long battle with insurgent ambushers that wounded 11 Marines.

They should sue him. I hope they do. It is disgraceful for a member of Congress to slander or military personnel for political gain, and that is clearly what Murtha did.

H/T: Hot Air

A couple of good posts by HWT

The first:

From The Washington Times:

About 20 percent of students enrolled in D.C. public schools were absent on the second day of class this week, according to attendance records provided by school system officials.

Many students who had enrolled were not present because they had not registered for classes, Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee said last night. It was not clear yesterday how much of the attendance problem was due to students who had not registered on time and how much was due to students who didn't show up for other reasons.

"I think we can improve attendance overall," Mrs. Rhee said. "Attendance is something we can definitely work on."

Ya think?

What a coincidence 20%. Isn't that the same percentage of Americans that can't find the USA on a map?

The second post:

You see it is like this. Republicans are in the main decent people who uphold decent standards and we police our own. This isn't a matter of "shooting our wounded" or some such. It is simply upholding a minimum level of acceptable conduct and requiring consequences for those who violate that standard.

Liberal Democrats, on the other hand, have no such standards. They are, in the main, little more than animals and have the behavioral ethics of the beasts of the barnyard, forest and field.

If only the Department of Fish and Wildlife would institute a hunting season for them so that their numbers could be controlled. . . but that's a topic for another day.

Craig will resign. Unlike Bill Clinton who was having an affair with an intern young enough to be his daughter in the Oval Office (leftists will be completely at a loss to understand why the location of the trysts was important - if you explain it to them they'll think you are joking) and he was credibly accused of rape by another woman.

Craig will resign. Unlike Ted Kennedy who, along with another Democrat Senator, tried to forcibly rape a waitress in a Washington restaurant's private dining room. That is it, BTY, with Democrats and rape? Maybe the feminists need to rethink their knee-jerk support for the Democrat Party?

Craig will resign. Unlike Rep. Barney Frank who was caught running a prostitution business out of his apartment. He claims that he didn't know what was going on but his lover (a homosexual prostitute that Frank knew was a prostitute because Frank admitted to paying him for sex) who was managing the operation tells us that Frank knew all about it and enjoyed hearing all about his encounters with customers. Another prostitute claims that Frank would call the apartment to make sure that he didn't walk in on a customer who was being "entertained".

That is in response to this story.

I have talked with and been in forums with people that are running this hypocrite (Craig) republican in the ground. If this were anyone other than a republican, these same people would be defending this persons rights. I guess when you are a democrat and have no standards you can do whatever you want. But if you are a republican you should be ran out of town.

That being said I do thing Craig should resign. We can not allow ourselves to become the same perversion the democratic party has become.

Poor Jesse Jackson

This is a great post from the Junk Yard Blog.

It seems the good Reverend could only muster up less than 500 people in 6 of the more than 20 cities for his big national day of protest against guns. And only 200 people in Chicago.

CNN's Religion Series Labeled As Offensive

I have to admit I did not catch any of these shows. But I have read enough reports and heard a lot of it from different news outlets to know the meat of it. I can't say that I am surprised by this:

In response to uproar from angry viewers and a media watchdog report, CNN advertisers have distanced themselves from a special series that aired last week entitled "God's Warriors," produced and anchored by the network's chief
international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour.

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America called an episode of the series that focused on Judaism "one of the most grossly distorted programs" ever aired on mainstream American television.

...

The first part of "God's Jewish Warriors" compared Jewish and Christian "radicals" to Muslim supporters of suicide terror, presented anti-Israel commentators with no counterbalance, falsely labeled the West Bank as Palestinian land and minimized Jewish rights to the Temple Mount – Judaism's
holiest site, the critics said. During last week's program, Amanpour also conducted a friendly interview about Israel with former President Jimmy Carter, whose most recent book, "Palestine: Peace, not Apartheid," criticized the Jewish state's treatment of Palestinians. The book was slammed for a series of falsehoods and was widely labeled anti-Israeli by a number of media critics.

The CAMERA said the CNN series is "false in its basic premise, established in the opening scene in which Jewish (and Christian) religious fervency is equated with that of Muslims heard endorsing 'martyrdom,' or suicide-murder. There is, of course, no counterpart among Jews and Christians to the violent jihadist Muslim campaigns under way across the globe."

Comparing Jewish and Christian radicals to Muslim extremists is insane.

Sure there are some pretty crazy Jews and Christians out there. Sure some have resorted to violence to get there point across. The thing that really separates them is the fact that Jewish and Christian beliefs are not founded on the grounds that they are obligated to kill anyone who does not worship as they do.

How Democrats Support The Troops

From Right Wing News:

Over at the Democratic Underground Forums, there's a thread asking, "Why are people still joining the military?"

...

*obama_girl: 2 things. Blood money and blood lust.

*catmandu57: Offhand I'd say poverty and lack of hope. there are many areas of this country where there isn't any hope of employment, or meaningful employment from the rural areas to the inner cities. I can speak more to the rural situation, in the town where I lived when I was a young adult there should have been a sign at the limits saying abandon hope all ye who live here.

It hasn't changed, for some there may be some misguided sense of patriotism, but mostly I think it's the avenue of last chance for many.


*lonestarnot: Sanctimonious sacrificers. Pat themselves on the back for "doing their duty."

*Solon: As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. n/t

*Karenina: (#57) Why? A lifetime of miseducation. How? It can't be by anyone who has the critical thinking tools to view it.

This is what the democrats really think about our troops.

Farming Manhattan?

The red dots on this picture represents people receiving farm subsidies from the Government.

Via The Corner on NRO:

The larger red blobs mark people receiving more than a quarter of a million dollars in farm subsidies annually.


The farm bill passed by House Democrats in July would continue giving millionaires farm subsidies (setting the income threshold for payments at $1 million a year, and keeping loopholes in place that allow some making much more to qualify). The Bush administration has proposed sharply reducing the income threshold to $200,000 a year and ending many of those loopholes. That would reduce the number of subsidy recipients by less than 40,000 (of the current million or so recipients)—though I suppose it might put some rooftop gardens on Park Avenue out of commission.

More than a quarter of a million dollars for a farm in Manhattan! Damn!

This is the problem with turning over control to the government. It rarely ( if ever) helps the people it is supposed to help.

H/T: Ace of Spades.

World Net Daily: "Israel offers Palestinians control of Temple Mount"

I posted on this a few weeks ago, here.

Now Olmert has presented a plan to implement giving control of Temple Mount to Muslim control:

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office today presented the Palestinian Authority with a formal plan in which the Jewish state would forfeit the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – to Muslim control, according to top Palestinian sources.

The sources said Olmert's plan calls for the entire Temple Mount plaza to fall under Arab sovereignty; Jerusalem's Old City holy sites near the Mount to be governed by a Jewish, Christian and Muslim task force; and the Western Wall plaza below the Mount to be controlled by Israel.

I hope the US officials that have been involved in talks with Israel and the Palestinians don't have anything to do with this. But it looks like they do:

Israeli and Palestinian diplomatic sources said U.S.-brokered biweekly meetings between Olmert and Abbas are being utilized to draft the outline of a permanent status deal, ultimately yielding a Palestinian state, scheduled to be aired in public at the November summit.

Why are we so willing to deal with terrorists all of a sudden?

We're Number 1

As the most heavily armed society in the world:

The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

Good News From Arizona

Via Captain's Quarters, Enforcing the law on illegal aliens actually works:

Yesterday's Arizona Republic reported on an interesting phenomenon taking place as a new workplace identification law approaches implementation. Those workers with no documentation -- in other words, illegal aliens -- have begun to sell off their property and leave the state:


Undocumented immigrants are starting to leave Arizona because of the new employer-sanctions law.

The state's strong economy has been a magnet for illegal immigrants for years. But a growing number are pulling up stakes out of fear they will be jobless come Jan. 1, when the law takes effect. The departures are drawing cheers from immigration hard-liners and alarm from business owners already seeing a drop in sales.

It's impossible to count how many undocumented immigrants have fled because of the new law. But based on interviews with undocumented immigrants, immigrant advocates, community leaders and real-estate agents, at least several hundred have left since Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the bill on July 2. There are an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona.

Some are moving to other states, where they think they will have an easier time getting jobs. Others are returning to Mexico, selling their effects and putting their houses on the market.The number departing is expected to mushroom as the Jan. 1 deadline draws closer. After that, the law will require employers to verify the employment eligibility of their workers through a federal database.


The immigration hard-liners appear to have proven one of their main arguments. Illegal immigrants who face a loss of employment due to strict employer sanctions will move elsewhere, and rather quickly. One talk-radio host that caters to what the Republic calls "undocumented immigrants" estimates that the departure rate has already hit 100 per day. It will likely increase until most of them depart before the end of the year, when their jobs will disappear.

I have been saying this tactic would work. Now I have a little proof to back me up. They are here for the money. They could care less about becoming American citizens. When the money is no longer available then they leave. I applaud Arizona on this. If the Federal Government will not take up this type of " enforcement" approach, then all the States should follow Arizona's example.

Texas Fred on Fox News?

It is true:


I just got off the phone with the folks from FOX News and I will be a guest on E.D. Hill’s show between 10:10 AM and 10:30AM CDT on Tuesday morning, we will be talking about pedophiles and locating/tracking them, Jack McClellan in particular… I hope you will all tune in if possible, I will try to not make a fool of the conservative blogosphere, I promise…


I am sure Fred will do fine. Tune in if you can. I will have to record it and watch it when I get home.

William Kristol On Vietnam, And Iraq

In an article from The Weekly Standard:

Like a pig in muck, the left loves to wallow in Vietnam. But only in their "Vietnam." Not in the real Vietnam war.

Not in the Vietnam war of 1963-68, the disastrous years where policy was shaped by the best and brightest of American liberalism. Not in the Vietnam war of 1969-73, when Richard Nixon and General Creighton Abrams managed to adjust our strategy, defeat the enemy, and draw down American troops all at once--an achievement affirmed and rewarded by the American electorate in November 1972. Not in the Vietnam of early 1975, when the Democratic Congress insisted on cutting off assistance to our allies in South Vietnam and Cambodia, thereby inviting the armies of the North and the Khmer Rouge to attack. And not in the defeats of April 1975. As the American left celebrated from New York to Hollywood, in Phnom Penh former Cambodian prime minister Sirik Matak wrote to John Gunther Dean, the American ambassador, turning down his offer of evacuation:


Dear Excellency and Friend:

I thank you very sincerely for your letter and for your offer to transport me towards freedom. I cannot, alas, leave in such a cowardly fashion. As for you, and in particular for your great country, I never believed for a moment that you would have this sentiment of abandoning a people which has chosen liberty. You have refused us your protection, and we can do nothing about it. You leave, and my wish is that you and your country will find happiness under thissky. But, mark it well, that if I shall die here on the spot and in my country that I love, it is no matter, because we all are born and must die. I have only committed this mistake of believing in you [the Americans].

Please accept, Excellency and dear friend, my faithful and friendly sentiments.

S/Sirik Matak


The Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh a few days later. Sirik Matak was executed: shot in the stomach, he was left without medical help and took three days to die. Between 1 and 2 million Cambodians were murdered by the Khmer Rouge in the next three years. Next door, tens of thousands of Vietnamese were killed, and many more imprisoned. Hundreds of thousands braved the South China Sea to reach freedom.

This is a great article. Read the rest at the link above.

Kristol draws a parallel between the horrible events that took place after we left Vietnam and what will be the case if we pull out of Iraq before they are ready to govern themselves.

Gonzales Resigns As Attorney General

His last day is September 16th:

"Yesterday, I met with President Bush and informed him of my decision to conclude my government service as attorney general of the United States effective as of September 17, 2007," Gonzales said in a brief press conference in which he thanked the Justice Department's employees for their service.

I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did. I was not really exited about him getting the job in the first place. But I hated to see how the Democrats were able to drive him out.

UPDATED: Fred to announce tomorrow?

Update: I guess not. I hope by Labor Day.


I hope so:

In a radio interview in Richmond with guest-host George Allen (yeah-THAT George Allen):


"[E]verybody seems to be announcing a lot earlier than normal, but he's operating on a more traditional time frame. He says the law allows potential candidates to take some time to get their organization together, raise money and assess public reaction. "

He said, quote, "We're not allowed to announce before we announce, but I can tell you that it won't be very many more days before I'll be making a statement on it."

Now, those of you who (like me) suffer from a snidge of "Fratigue™, take heart. The announcement is rumored to be subtle, quick, and in-line with a normal day of talking about where he stands on America and the issues we face as a nation.

And, it is rumored he will announce his candidacy TOMORROW.

He isn't looking for cameras and parades. He's looking to do a few things for the country that need doing, and that he thinks only a President can do.

I hope he does, the suspense is killing me. Not the suspense of whether he is running, that fact is obvious. I can't wait to find out who all has been waiting to show their support.

Win, Fred, Win

Can We Secure The Border Now?

This from World Net Daily:

President Bush's top intelligence aide has confirmed that Iraqi terrorists have been captured coming into the United States from Mexico.

The confirmation comes from National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell, who talked about the situation in an interview with the El Paso Times recently.

"Coming up through the Mexican border is a path," McConnell said. "Now, are they doing it in great numbers? No, because we're finding them and we're identifying them and we've got watch lists and we're keeping them at bay."

But, he said, "There are numerous situations where people are alive today because we caught them (terrorists)."

Read the rest at the link above.

We must secure our borders, NOW!

Ah, To Be Famous

Lindsay Lohan gets a day in jail for DUI and cocaine charges :

Lindsay Lohan reached a plea deal Thursday on misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges that calls for her to spend one day in jail, serve 10 days of community service and complete a drug treatment program.

Michael Vick is going to get off easy:

A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the terms are not final, told The Associated Press Wednesday that prosecutors will recommend a sentence of one year to 18 months. However, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson is not bound by that recommendation or by federal sentencing guidelines that will call for less than the five-year maximum.

Nicole Richie served 82 minutes for driving under the influence of drugs:

Nicole Richie was released from jail Thursday after serving 82 minutes of a four-day sentence for driving under the influence of drugs.

The reality show star, who checked into a women's jail at 3:15 p.m., was released at 4:37 p.m. "based on her sentence and federal guidelines," Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Maribel Rizo said without elaborating.

Under a federal court mandate to manage jail overcrowding, arrestees sentenced to 30 days or less for a nonviolent offense are usually released within 12 hours, the sheriff's department said in a statement.

Mexico's Immigration Law

Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:

*in the country legally;

*have the means to sustain themselves economically;

*not destined to be burdens on society;

*of economic and social benefit to society;

*of good character and have no criminal records; and

*contributors to the general well-being of the nation.

The law also ensures that:

*immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;

*foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;

*foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country’s internal politics;

*foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;

*foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;

*those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.

Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect sense. The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens -- and the denial of many fundamental rights to non-citizens, illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the Ley General de Población, orGeneral Law on Population, spells out specifically the country's immigration policy.

It is an interesting law -- and one that should cause us all to ask, Why is our great southern neighbor pushing us to water down our own immigration laws and policies, when its own immigration restrictions are the toughest on the continent? If a felony is acrime punishable by more than one year in prison, then Mexican law makes it a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.

If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism and bigotry.

We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican constitution. [1] Now let's look at Mexico's main immigration law.

Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican society:

*Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their possibilities of contributing to national progress." (Article 32)

*Immigration officials must "ensure" that "immigrants will be useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents. (Article 34)

*Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence upsets "the equilibrium of the national demographics," when foreigners are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," when they do not behave like good citizens in their own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and when "they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy." (Article 37)

*The Secretary of Governance may "suspend or prohibit the admission of
foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest." (Article 38)

Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country:

*Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)

*A National Population Registry keeps track of "every single individual who comprises the population of the country," and verifies each individual's identity. (Articles 85 and 86)

*A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants (Article 87), and assigns each individual with a unique tracking number (Article 91).

Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be imprisoned:

*Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned. (Article 116)

*Foreigners who sign government documents "with a signature that is false or different from that which he normally uses" are subject to fine and imprisonment. (Article 116)

Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:

*Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)

*Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)

*Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico -- such as working with out a permit -- can also be imprisoned.

Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says,

*"A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally." (Article 123)

*Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico
instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)

*Foreigners who "attempt against national sovereignty or security" will be deported. (Article 126)

Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered
criminals under the law:

*A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)

*Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into
Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)

A great read from Human Events via Mark Levin here http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14632

Surprise, Mexican Senate Sides With Deported Elvira Arellano

From the USA Today:

A Mexican Senate committee passed a measure Wednesday urging President Felipe Calderon to send a diplomatic note to the United States protesting the deportation of an illegal migrant who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year.

The committee also approved a scholarship to help her 8-year-old U.S.-born son, Saul, who is an American citizen and stayed in the United States.

Elvira Arellano, 32, became an activist and a national symbol for illegal immigrant parents by defying her deportation order and speaking out from her sanctuary in the Adalberto United Methodist Church. She announced last week that she was leaving to try to lobby U.S. lawmakers for immigration reform.

Maybe the Mexican Senate should concentrate on making life better for their citizens rather than trying to "export" them. When up to 10% of their population is in OUR country illegally this should be a low priority for them. Hey Mexico, how about trying to keep YOUR citizens from wanting to leave THEIR country.

We will take care of our business. Mexico should do the same.

It Seems The "Newark Massacre" Was Not Just A Robbery Gone Bad

Via Michelle Malkin:

Local NY/NJ media outlets reported chilling new details about the attack by criminal aliens on young Newark students Iofemi Hightower, Doshen Harvey, Terrance Aeriel, and Natasha Aeriel. From today’s NYPost

Read the rest at the link above.

We have got to start taking this thing serious.

Call your Attorney General now. Contact information is at the Michelle Malkin link.

Texas Rangers Set (modern, since 1900) Major League Run Record

30 runs:

The Texas Rangers rounded the bases at a dizzying pace and became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record Wednesday in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.

"This is something freaky. You won't see anything like this again for a long, long time. I am glad I was on this end of it," said Marlon Byrd, who hit one of two Texas grand slams.

From Duncan Hunter To President Bush

Mr. Hunter is wondering why only 17.9 of the 854 miles of fence has been built:

It is my understanding that approximately $800 million is currently available for the installment of border infrastructure. Despite this funding, only 17.9 of the 854 miles of fencing called for in the Secure Fence Act have been completed as of August 10, 2007. This lack of progress is unacceptable, especially when adequate funding is available to earnestly proceed with fence construction.

My recommendation is that you immediately direct the Department of Homeland Security to execute contracts in such a way that all fencing locations identified in the Secure Fence Act are constructed concurrently. This will allow the construction of fencing to continue as necessary while ensuring specific fence construction deadlines are met.

This along with the SPP thing, as well as the secret meetings with the Mexican and Canadian leaders has me worried. We need to protect our borders.

Build the damn fence already!

A Chandler, Arizona Boy Gets Suspended For Three Days For A Drawing That " Resembles" A Gun

From World Net Daily:

A 13-year-old boy has been suspended for three days by an Arizona public school because he sketched a picture that resembled a gun, something school officials said they "absolutely" believed could pose a threat.

According to a report by KPHO Television, it's not the type of greeting the Mosteller family expected when they moved from Colorado Springs to Chandler, Ariz., a few weeks ago.

"My son is a very good boy," Paul Mosteller told the television station. "He doesn't get into trouble. There was nothing on the paper that would signify that it was a threat of any form."

The picture:

Offending drawing (Photo KPHO-Television)

How does this picture justify getting suspended from school?

Texas Governor Rejects EU's Appeal To Stop Executions

From Breitbart:

Texas governor Rick Perry bluntly rejected an appeal from the European Union to bring in a moratorium on the death penalty as the state prepares Wednesday for its 400th execution since 1976.

"While we respect our friends in Europe, welcome their investment in our state and appreciate their interest in our laws, Texans are doing just fine governing Texas," Perry's spokesman, Robert Black, said in a statement.

"Two hundred and 30 years ago, our forefathers fought a war to throw off the yoke of a Europan monarch and gain the freedom of self-determination. Texans long ago decided that the death penalty is a just and appropriate punishment for the most horrible crimes against our crimes."

On Tuesday the EU voiced "great regret" at Wednesday's impending 400th execution in Texas since the death penalty was restored in 1976 and urged the United States as a whole to stop all imminent judicial killings.

I love that Texas Attitude:

" While we respect our friends in Europe, welcome their investment in our state and appreciate their interest in our laws, Texans are doing just fine governing Texas,"

I have stated many times that we can not, and should not follow in the footstep of Europe. I am glad to see politicians that will stand up for what they believe. I only wish we had more of them.

Gateway Pundit: 'Another-- "Lazy" Fred Thompson Morning'

From Gateway Pundit:

A friend of mine was at the event this morning and emailed this report. This is what he said about Thompson's "lazy" morning:

Breakfast
Policy Meeting
Policy Meeting
Speech
Rope line
Photo op with VFW members
Radio Interview
Radio Interview
Newspaper Interview

And, all of that reportedly happened before 10:45 am in the morning!

That's not exactly the picture you get from the liberal media.

Fred Thompson is not lazy. He is also very smart. Everyone is scared of Fred. That is good news for him.

Win, Fred, Win

Fred on Gun Control

What Fred thinks about New York's gun control laws:

When I was working in television, I spent quite a bit of time in New York City. There are lots of things about the place I like, but New York gun laws don’t fall in that category.

Anybody who knows me knows I’ve always cared deeply about the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. So I’ve always felt sort of relieved when I flew back home to where that particular civil liberty gets as much respect as the rest of the Bill of Rights.

Unfortunately, New York is trying, again, to force its ways on the rest of us, this time through the courts. First, they went after U.S. gun manufacturers, seeking through a lawsuit not only money but injunctive control over the entire industry. An act of congress in 2005 blocked, but did not end, that effort.

Now, the same activist federal judge from Brooklyn who provided Mayor Giuliani’s administration with the legal ruling it sought to sue gun makers, has done it again. Last week, he created a bizarre justification to allow New York City to sue out-of-state gun stores that sold guns that somehow ended up in criminal hands in the Big Apple.

The lawsuit has been a lesson in out-of-control government from the get-go. Mayor Bloomberg sent private investigators to make “straw” purchases –
illegally buying guns for somebody else. According to the ATF, NY’s illegal
“stings” interfered with ongoing investigations of real gun traffickers.

Obviously, New York won’t get much cash out of the few dozen shops being sued in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia; so the purpose can only be political. Some of those sued have already buckled under the financial strain of legal defense and agreed to live by New York City rules.

Ironically, all of this comes at a time of historically low violent crime rates and historically high gun ownership rates nationally. States where it is legal to carry guns are also at an all-time high, up to 40 from 10 in 1987 by NRA reckoning.

While this attack by New York City on the Second Amendment reinforces the importance of appointing judges who apply the law as written, there is another important legal point. Federalism, though usually seen as a protection of the states from the federal government, actually grew out of the need to protect states from other states that interfered in free commerce beyond their borders – as New York is doing today. In this case, we need Federalism to protect states from a big bully in New York City.

Win, Fred, Win

Congress has set a record

Not one to be proud of though:

WASHINGTON — A new poll shows Americans' approval of Congress sinking to all-time lows.

The latest Gallup Poll found that approval of the legislative branch of the federal government hit 18 percent in an Aug. 13-16 survey. Those disapproving of Congress stands at 76 percent.

• Click here to see the Gallup Poll results.

Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrats have really straightened out Congress haven't they.

Texas Fred on the plan to allow Mexican trucks full access to the US

Texas Fred:

WASHINGTON — Some Mexican trucks will be allowed to carry cargo anywhere in the United States as soon as a federal inspector general certifies safety and inspection plans, the Bush administration announced Friday.

The latest step toward implementing a controversial provision of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement drew instant condemnation from labor and driver-owner groups that fear the program will erode highway safety
and eliminate U.S. jobs.


This is a mistake of the worst kind folks, and it’s not Bush’s fault, it’s going to be implemented under his reign, but it’s not his ‘baby’, so to speak…NAFTA was born on Jan. 1, 1994, during the administration of William J. Clinton, but it wasn’t his ‘baby’ either, not really, NAFTA was conceived during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, the presidents father and globalist mentor…

Having a trade and trucking agreement with Canada is a good thing, as I have pointed out before, they DO, for the most part, speak English, they have stringent trucking regulations and they CAN be counted on, none of that can be said for Mexico…

NAFTA is nothing more than the original inception of the North American Union and the 1st step towards taking the USA into that union, and we can thank a Bush for getting it going and we can thank a Bush for finally allowing it to come to fruition…

This will be a huge mistake.

More bad news for China

Formaldehyde found in children's clothing:

China's massive export industry has provided ginger contaminated with a pesticide, fish food raised in untreated sewage and toothpaste containing a solvent – and now children's clothing containing the poison formaldehyde.

According to a report in the Auckland, New Zealand, Sunday Star Times, an investigative team from the city's TV3 Target program has detailed how
scientists found formaldehyde, a chemical preservative, in wool and cotton
clothing at levels hundreds of times higher than levels considered safe.

...

Research by the World Health Organization has concluded that exposure to formaldehyde in concentrations of 20 parts per million can cause eye, skin and nasal irritations, asthmas and cancer.

However, the testing for the television program resulted in some startling finds.

"Our results were shocking, ranging from 230 ppm to 18,000 ppm," Target producer Simon Roy told the newspaper, following tests on a girl's top, school shorts, a Spiderman T-shirt and pajamas.

This is almost unbelievable. Some of the clothes Target tested having a reading 900 times the level that actually causes harm," he said.

This is bad folks. Recalls of toys, clothes, and food from China has dominated the news over the past couple of months.

Among problems reported so far:

Foods imported for consumption by American humans may be, in some cases, as dangerous as the pet food. A WND study found the vast majority of imported
foods rejected as unfit for human consumption by the Food and Drug Administration are from China. FDA inspectors report tainted food imports
intended for American humans are being rejected with increasing frequency
because they are filthy, are contaminated with pesticides and tainted with
carcinogens, bacteria and banned drugs.

China, the leading exporter of seafood to the U.S., is raising most of its fish products in water contaminated with raw sewage and compensating by using
dangerous drugs and chemicals, many of which are banned by the Food and Drug
Administration.

The deadly contaminant found in Chinese-made toothpaste – diethylene glycol – is a solvent used in antifreeze that killed 107 Americans when it was introduced in an elixir 70 years ago.

A resurgence in lead-poisoning cases in U.S. children is being linked to Chinese
imports – toys, makeup, glazed pottery and other products that contain significant amounts of lead and are being recalled by the CPSC on a regular basis.

Imports from China were recalled by the CPSC twice as often as products made everywhere else in the world, including the U.S., showed a WND study of 2007
government reports.

The rising cost of fireworks, almost all of which are made in China, as well as
safety concerns and human rights concerns about the conditions of those
manufacturing the products resulted in a decrease of Independence Day displays
in the U.S.

WND revealed there are currently no safety standards established between the U.S. and China on food, drugs and other imports. As a result of WND's
series, members of Congress began working on setting new standards.

WND revealed how China is shipping to the U.S. honey tainted with a potentially
life-threatening antibiotic as well as adulterating exports with sugar.

Kevlar school uniforms

From the London based Daily mail:

Parents are sending children to school in stab-proof uniforms to guard against knife crime, it has emerged.

They are paying a firm which makes body armour to line blazers and jumpers with a stab-resistant material called Kevlar.

The precautions are aimed at protecting pupils from knife attacks as street crime spills over into schools.

A wave of stabbings involving teenagers includes the killing of promising footballer Kiyan Prince, who was knifed just yards from his school gates in north London.

Stab proof vests? I think it is a shame that people have had to resort to this kind of thing. I can understand a parent wanting to protect their children. What bothers me is the fact there is a need for this.

Congress gives President Bush a warning about SPP agenda

I hope this worries you as much as it does me:

Twenty-two members of the U.S. House of Representatives – 21 Republicans and a Democrat – are urging President Bush to back off his North American integration efforts when he attends the third summit meeting on the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America next week in Montebello, Quebec.

They make it clear that continuing any such agenda at this point would be disregarding growing apprehension in Congress about the plans.

"As you travel to Montebello, Canada later this month for a summit with your Canadian and Mexican counterparts, we want you to be aware of serious and growing concerns in the U.S. Congress about the so-called Security and
Prosperity Partnership (SPP) you launched with these nations in 2005," the
letter said.

...

The last paragraph of the letter called upon the president "not to pledge or agree to any further movement in connection with the SPP at the upcoming North American summit."

The letter concluded that, "in the interest of transparency and accountability, we urge you to bring to the Congress whatever provisions have already been agreed upon and those now being pursued or contemplated as part of this initiative, for the purpose of obtaining authorization through the normal legislative process."

Signatories to the letter included the following members of the House of Representatives:

Rep. Terry Everett, R-Alabama
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado
Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas
Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kansas
Rep. Walter Jones, R-North Carolina
Rep. David Davis, R-Tenn.
Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Georgia
Rep. John Boozman, R-Arkansas
Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn.
Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Virginia
Rep. Tom Price, R-Georgia
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Florida
Rep. Sue Myrick, R-North Carolina
Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Alabama
Rep. Gary Miller, R-Calif.
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Oregon
Rep. Michael Rogers, R-Alabama
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Michigan
Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama
Rep. Todd Akin, R-Missouri

I was happy to see my representative, David Davis in there.

Another Democrat changes his views on Iraq

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird who voted against going into Iraq in 2002 has changed his mind:

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird said Thursday that his recent trip to Iraq convinced him the military needs more time in the region, and that a hasty pullout would cause chaos that helps Iran and harms U.S. security.

"I believe that the decision to invade Iraq and the post-invasion management of
that country were among the largest foreign-policy mistakes in the history of our nation. I voted against them, and I still think they were the right votes," Baird said in a telephone interview from Washington, D.C.

"But we're on the ground now. We have a responsibility to the Iraqi people and a strategic interest in making this work."

Baird, a five-term Democrat, voted against President Bush ordering the Iraq invasion — at a time when he was in a minority in Congress and at risk of alienating voters. He returned late Tuesday from a trip that included stops in Israel, Jordan and Iraq, where he met troops, U.S. advisers and Iraqis, whose
stories have convinced him that U.S. troops must stay longer.

...

Baird said he would not say this if he didn't believe two things:

• "One, I think we're making real progress."

• "Secondly, I think the consequences of pulling back precipitously would be potentially catastrophic for the Iraqi people themselves, to whom we have a tremendous responsibility … and in the long run chaotic for the region as
a whole and for our own security."

I wonder what Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid think about it. Speaking of them, has anyone heard from them in a while. I have not.

Cincinnati mayor refuses to use a starter pistol to start a 5K road race

Mayor Mark Mallory says he don't like what the gun symbolizes:

Cincinnati - Mayor Mark Mallory refuses to fire a starter pistol to kick off an upcoming road race, saying he doesn't like the gun's symbolism in a city that set a record for homicides last year.

Mallory said he will blow a whistle at Saturday's Rhythm Race 5K instead. A pistol filled with blanks is traditionally used to start races and track meets.

"I think the symbolism is just bad," he said. "It's just something I don't do."

Silly me, I thought it symbolized the start of the race.

More Liberal hypocrisy

John Edwards ( hero of the poor) has bashed lenders for foreclosing on Hurricane Katrina victims. Guess what:

The Wall Street Journal has identified 34 New Orleans homes whose owners have faced foreclosure suits from subprime-lending units of Fortress Investment Group LLC. Mr. Edwards has about $16 million invested in Fortress funds, according to a campaign aide who confirmed a more general Federal Election Commission report. Mr. Edwards worked for Fortress, a publicly held private-equity fund, from late 2005 through 2006.

Read the rest here.

Good for Mr. Burnett

The father of one of the flight 93 passengers has banned the use of his name in the memorial:

The father of one of the heroes of 9/11, Tom Burnett, who led other passengers in an effort to overcome terrorists on Flight 93, is banning the use of his son's name at a memorial planned for the heroics performed by a planeload of ordinary Americans that tragic day.

Tom Burnett Sr. told a blogger who also has been campaigning against the "Crescent of Embrace" design for the memorial that he won't allow his son's name to be used on any memorial with Islamic components.

"He described his own efforts to stop the crescent design, including letters to the press that were never published. With the crescent design still going forward, he has decided that it is necessary to up the ante, and has authorized me to publicize his decision to protest the crescent design by insisting that Tom Jr.'s name not be inscribed on one of the 44 glass blocks emplaced along the flight path, or used anywhere else in the memorial," wrote Alec Rawls.

It is sad this type of action is required. More on the memorial to the terrorists here.

Olmert is going to destroy Israel

According to this report, he is considering give control of Temple Mount to the Palestinians:

Palestinian negotiators drafting an agreement behind the scenes with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office have made clear they will not accept any final peace deal with Israel unless the Jewish state forfeits the Temple Mount, Judaism's holiest site, WND has learned.

According to a report in Israel's Yediot Aharonot daily yesterday, Olmert is willing to discuss joint Israeli-Palestinian control over the Temple Mount complex. The report didn't state the positions of the Palestinian side on the issue.

A chief Palestinian negotiator, speaking to WND on condition his name be withheld, said yesterday, "there can be no agreement with Israel unless we get complete sovereignty of the Mount. Once Palestinian control over the [Temple Mount] is fixed, then we will make assurances for Jewish visits to the site."

The chief negotiator said aides from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization have been hammering out the parameters of a final status agreement for presentation in November at a U.S.-backed international summit regarding the Middle East.

...

Issues already discussed between Israel and the Palestinians reportedly include the division of parts of Jerusalem and debates regarding permanent borders between Israel and the PA. The November international conference and talk from the Bush administration the past few weeks has led many here to speculate the U.S. will push in the near future for intense Israeli-Palestinian negotiations leading to a Palestinian state.

With a year and a half left in office, President George Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been urging meetings between Abbas and Olmert to establish a framework for momentum leading to a breakthrough at
November's conference. Olmert and Abbas have been meeting bi-monthly in summits brokered by the U.S.

Asked by WND whether Olmert is willing to forfeit the Temple Mount in an agreement with the Palestinians, David Baker, a spokesman for the prime
minister, had no comment.

I do not understand this. Do they really think Abbas is going to honor any deal they come up with. I have said this before, Fatah is just as bad as Hamas. Maybe worse, because they will pretend to be willing to make a deal, even though they will NOT honor it.

Mel Martinez needs to go

Mel Martinez (the Republican Party's national chairman) has attacked two presidential hopefuls. Your thinking Hillary and Obama right. Wrong. How about Rudy and Mitt:

Martinez has not been seen or heard from as Republican Party Chairman in a very long time. In fact, he's been an absent chairman. But yesterday he opened his mouth and attacked Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney for their opposition to illegal immigration.

I can see next August's ads right now. The Democrat, whoever it is, uses a black and white picture of the nominee, whether you think it will be Rudy or Romney, and then quotes Mel Martinez bashing them.

Do. No. Harm. That is the base, the foundation from which the party chairman should start.

Mel Martinez needs to go. Call your state party and make sure they know it.

Do as it says and call. With leaders like the GOP has we do not need enemies.

Fred to shake things up

David S. Broder had coffee with Fred while they discussed his announcement and plans for the future. Fred plans to go where no other candidate is willing to go:

When Fred Thompson makes his long-delayed entrance into the Republican presidential race, he will not tiptoe quietly. Instead, he will try to shake up the establishment candidates of both parties by depicting a nation in peril from fiscal and security threats -- and prescribing tough cures that he says others shrink from offering.

In a two-hour conversation over coffee at a restaurant near his Virginia headquarters, the former senator from Tennessee said that when he joins the battle next month, he "will take some risks that others are not willing to take, in terms of forcing a dialogue on our entitlement situation, our military situation and what it's going to cost" to ensure the nation's future.

...

Thompson repeatedly cites two texts as fueling his concern about the country's future. One is "Government at the Brink," a two-volume report he issued as chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee at the start of the Bush administration in 2001 and handed to the new president's budget director as a checklist of urgent management problems.

The difficulties outlined in federal procurement, personnel, finances and information technology remain, Thompson said, and increasingly "threaten national security."

His second sourcebook contains the scary reports from Comptroller General David Walker, the head of the Government Accountability Office, on the long-term
fiscal crisis spawned by the aging of the American population and the runaway
costs of health care. Walker labels the current patterns of federal spending
"unsustainable" and warns that unless action is taken soon to improve both sides
of the government's fiscal ledger -- spending and revenue -- the next generation
will suffer.

"Nobody in Congress or on either side in the presidential race wants to deal with it," Thompson said. "So we just rock along and try to maintain the status quo. Republicans say keep the tax cuts; Democrats say keep the entitlements. And we become a less unified country in the process, with a tax code that has become an unholy mess, and all we do is tinker around the edges."

I have posted about Fred's time on this committee before.

Fred is not lazy. He does the job he is employed to do. I think he will shoot to the top of the heap in a hurry if he comes out firing. The people of this country want to be talked to as if we matter. We can tell the difference between someone actually trying to communicate with us and someone feeding us a line of bulls**t.

Win, Fred, Win

Should Hunter and Brownback call it quits

I think the answer is yes. So does Michael Medved:

Both these veteran Republicans count as distinguished, thoughtful public servants and admirable patriots. They’ve both compiled formidable records on Capitol Hill. And they’ve both been running for President for several months, participating in all televised debates and, particularly in the case of Duncan Hunter, impressing many observers with their articulate and accomplished performances. Both candidates have also joined me on my radio show and answered questions in a forthright and effective manner.

But both Brownback and Hunter have failed utterly in generating momentum, enthusiasm or grassroots support for their Presidential campaigns and after last Saturday’s Iowa straw poll it’s time for them to help clear the field to provide more breathing room for viable candidates.

I hate to say it about Hunter, because I really like him and he is probably more in line with me on the issues as anyone. I do not think he would stand a chance in the general election.

The State of Michigan likes Tennessee boys

According to this article, Al Gore leads democrats, while Fred Thompson leads republicans in Michigan:

Former Tennessee Senator and TV star Fred Thompson would lead the GOP pack and former Vice President Al Gore would top the Democratic slate should they decide to run, according to a statewide survey of 400 likely Republican and 400 likely Democratic primary voters in Michigan conducted last Wednesday through Monday by EPIC/MRA of Lansing.

When his name is included in the field, Gore gets 36 percent support compared to 32 percent for New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, 16 percent for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and 8 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, the poll shows. When voters stick to announced candidates only, it's Clinton with 45 percent, Obama at 26 percent and Edwards at 16 percent.

...

On the Republican side, Thompson, who is strongly considering joining the fray, draws 22 percent of the GOP primary vote, followed by former New York
City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 19 percent, Arizona Sen. John McCain at 16 percent,
former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia at 15 percent and former
Massachusetts governor and Michigan native Mitt Romney at 12 percent. Gingrich also has not announced he's running.

Win, Fred, Win

Peta versus Hamas

Who is more ruthless?

An animal rights group on Wednesday criticized a program on a Hamas-run television station in which a man swings cats by their tails and throws stones at lions in a zoo to teach children not to abuse animals.

The segment on the children's program "Tomorrow's Pioneers" features one of the show's characters, a man in a bee costume named Nahoul. It's followed by a warning from the show's young host that children should not imitate Nahoul's behavior.

"They say this is supposed to be educational on how not to treat animals, but it is common knowledge that children will mimic the behavior they see," said Martin Mersereau, spokesman for Norfolk, Va.-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Hamas had better watch out. They have never dealt with anyone quite like PETA.

Good news about Venezuela

Evidently Hugo Chavez is liked by Hollywood more than he is liked by Venezuelans:

Contrary to what Americans hear constantly from the media, Venezuelans have a poor opinion of their president, Hugo Chavez, and a positive opinion of Americans and the United States.

...

The intense propaganda machine installed by Chavez in the U.S. (that costs the Venezuelan Embassy well over a million dollars per year) is trying to sell U.S. public opinion on the idea that Hugo Chavez is universally loved by Venezuelans while the United States is bitterly hated.

In fact, neither of these two claims is correct, judging by all credible polls, both in Venezuela and outside the country. In Venezuela the most professional and respected polling company, Hinterlaces, produced its poll for the month of June, with a 95% reliability. Some of the results are quite interesting:

• Hugo Chavez is rejected by 43% of those polled and approved of by
39%;

•Attacks against the U.S. by Chavez are rejected by 75% of participants and approved of by 14%;

• To give money away to other countries, as Chavez is doing from the Venezuelan oil largess, received the support of only 9% of those polled, while 87% rejected it;

• The pretense of Chavez to re-elect himself indefinitely by modifying the existing constitution is rejected by 63% of those asked and approved of by 19%.

• 81% of Venezuelans would generally like to see new political leadership in the country.

This column was written by Gustavo Coronel ( a former member of the Venezuelan congress).

So it is not as bad as the MSM and the idiots in Hollywood have been saying. Imagine that.

Bush labels Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as Terrorist organization

We all have known this for a long time. I have posted on this plenty of times. Now the US has decided to say it officially:

The United States has decided to designate Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country's 125,000-strong elite military branch, as a "specially designated global
terrorist," according to U.S. officials, a move that allows Washington to target
the group's business operations and finances.

The Bush administration has chosen to move against the Revolutionary Guard Corps because of what U.S. officials have described as its growing involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for extremists throughout the Middle East, the sources said. The decision follows congressional pressure on the administration to toughen its stance against Tehran, as well as U.S. frustration with the ineffectiveness of U.N. resolutions against Iran's nuclear program, officials said.

A lot of people will be up in arms about this. I think it should have been done years ago. We have known about Iranian involvement in Iraq for a long time. Why is this significant?:

The order allows the United States to block the assets of terrorists and to disrupt operations by foreign businesses that "provide support, services or assistance to, or otherwise associate with, terrorists."

I have posted on this before. Like it or not this move is the first step to resolving our problems in Iraq. One of the most important goals in a war is to cut supply lines. This is the first step in cutting a major supply line in the war with Iraq.

Chávez to Propose Removing His Term Limits

Scary stuff:

CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug. 14 — President Hugo Chávez will unveil a project to change the Constitution on Wednesday that is expected to allow him to be re-elected indefinitely, a move that would enhance his authority to accelerate a socialist-inspired transformation of Venezuelan society.

The removal of term limits for Mr. Chávez, which is at the heart of the proposal, is expected to be accompanied by measures circumscribing the authority of elected governors and mayors, who would be prevented from staying in power indefinitely, according to versions of the project leaked in recent weeks.

Willian Lara, the communications minister, said Mr. Chávez would announce the project before the National Assembly, where all 167 lawmakers support the president. Supporters of Mr. Chávez, who was re-elected last year with some 60 percent of the vote, also control the Supreme Court, the entire federal bureaucracy, public oil and infrastructure companies and every state government but two.

The aim of the overhaul is “to guarantee to the people the largest amount of happiness possible,” Mr. Lara said at a news conference on Tuesday.

Read the rest of the report :http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/15/world/americas/15venez.html

WOW!!! "'TO GUARANTEE TO THE PEOPLE THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF HAPPINESS POSSIBLE' That sounds pretty "progressive" too me! Or would that be communist?

Sorry, didn't know you would have to sign up. For those who have no desire here is the rest of the story:

The project has already led to fierce debate over Mr. Chávez’s expanding power.
Critics in the Roman Catholic Church have been clashing with Mr. Chávez over the re-election proposals, with one cardinal, Rosalio José Castillo Lara, calling him a
“paranoid dictator.”

Mr. Chávez’s proposals would centralize his control over political institutions even further, potentially weakening opponents like Manuel Rosales, the governor of Zulia State, who received nearly 40 percent of the vote in presidential elections in December, analysts said. Mr. Chávez’s current term expires in 2012.

“We are entering a new stage implying more intensive state control of society,” said Steve Ellner, a political scientist at Oriente University in eastern Venezuela.

While the proposal to be unveiled by Mr. Chávez may contain surprises, he recently said that “the Venezuelan people should be given the right to keep a president in power as long as they like, whether it be for 5 years, 12 years, 40 years.”

Since Mr. Chávez’s re-election to a third term in December, he has surprised many with the breadth of the changes in his political and economic policies.

He has nationalized telecommunications, electricity and oil companies; forged a single socialist party for his followers; deepened alliances with countries like Cuba
and Iran; and sped the distribution of billions of dollars for local governing entities called communal councils.

As Mr. Chávez, 53, settles into his ninth year in power, images of him have become impossible to avoid here. On billboards, posters and murals, he is seen hugging children, embracing old women, chanting slogans and plugging energy-saving Cuban light bulbs into sockets.

Still, Mr. Chávez has faced serious setbacks at home and abroad even as his approval ratings remain relatively strong in Venezuela. His decision forcing a major television network critical of him off the public airwaves triggered student protests across the country in May and June.

And Mr. Chávez’s attempts to create a regional development bank to rival the World Bank have encountered quiet opposition from officials in Brazil. He has also
had to abandon plans for a pipeline to transport natural gas across South America after encountering resistance from environmental groups.

Mr. Chávez’s ambitions to remain in power indefinitely run counter to changes in
large Latin American democracies since the demise of military governments in the
1980s. Constitutions elsewhere in the region — with the important exception of
Cuba, Venezuela’s closest ally — deter presidents from such temptations.

But Mr. Chávez has signaled a desire to be president at least until 2021
as part of a project to reconfigure political power structures in Venezuela. A
central feature of this plan is the president’s communal councils.

About 20,000 of the councils are expected to be created this year, with authority over issues like infrastructure and some social welfare projects transferred to them from municipal and state governments. Mr. Chávez’s critics say the councils must remain loyal to his political ideology to receive funding.

The president said one Sunday last month on his television program that the 1999 Constitution, which he fought for after his first election as president in 1998, has become vulnerable to “counterrevolution” and “infiltration” by reactionary elements.

Still, even some politicians within Mr. Chávez’s coalition have expressed concern that his proposals could weaken the authority of regional governments.

Hard-line supporters of Mr. Chávez say the project will win easy approval by the end of the year, though it remains to be seen if it will be subject to national referendum or a vote in the National Assembly.

Answering a good question with an unfortunate answer

This post is an answer to a Human Events article by Kate O'Malley.

The complete article can be found here.

The post is titled: "Do Liberals Raise Their Kids This Way?"

My answer to this simple question is: YES.

Let me explain:

As a parent with a house full of children, I spend a great deal of time discussing consequences. Don’t wait to work on an important report until the night before it’s due? Expect your grade to reflect that. Want to keep computer privileges? Then log off when I tell you and don’t visit sites that you know are off limits. Want the freedom to be out with your friends? Don’t participate in behavior that will make me question that option. The concept of rules and consequences seems like a fairly simple parenting guideline.

Certainly life throws us tricky topics and not all is cut and dry. When President Clinton told impressionable young minds that oral sex was not actually sex, (never mind the dozens of STDs that can be transmitted, nor the impact on tender hearts and minds) it was hard to explain, “But the President said so mom!!”

First of all, I am proud of her for doing the job a parent should do. I have tried to raise my children to follow the rules also. By rules I mean " laws of this country" as well as being a respectable member of society.

I have spent a lot of time teaching my children how they should act. If they do not follow the guidelines I have provided, they have been punished. The first thing I have taught them is: they, alone, are responsible for their actions. I have heard too many people give excuses for their children's behaviour: he fell in with the wrong crowd, they made him do it, he felt he had to to fit in. Bulls**t. If he did something wrong, it was his fault.

The liberal parents I know do not feel the same way about raising their children as I do. The biggest problem that I can see is this statement: you are special ( damn Mr. Rogers). Too many parents treat there kids this way. No matter what the children do they try to come up with a reason why. I addressed these statements in the previous paragraph. In most cases they do not punish their kids at all.


Anyway, the article was dealing with the illegal immigration issue. It is a great article. Read it at the link above.

Do you know what country your food comes from?

According to this Zogby poll 85% want to know:

Survey shows 90% believe knowing the country of origin of the foods they buy will allow consumers to make safer food choices .

As food recalls – from both imported foods from overseas and foods produced here in the U.S. – continue to make headlines, Americans may be paying more attention to where their food comes from. Nearly three in four (74%) say it’s important to them to know the country of origin for the all types of products they buy, but even more – 85% – say knowing where their food comes from is important. But for the vast majority of Americans it’s about more than just wanting to know – 94% believe consumers have a right to know the country of origin of the foods they purchase, a new Zogby Interactive poll
shows.

With the resent recalls of food and toys from China, this is understandable.

Mexico is framing border agent

On Jan. 12, Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett Shot Francisco Javier Dominguez Rivera. The illegal alien was threatening him with a rock while being arrested for entering the country illegally.

Now World Net Daily reports:

Mexico is withholding key witnesses that could exonerate Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett of second-degree murder charges and paying for others to testify against him, asserts a union leader.

...

Judd said the witnesses prepared to testify against Corbett are Dominguez's two brothers and the girlfriend of one of the brothers.

"The Mexican consulate is providing all three with food, housing, and clothing – everything these three individuals need, such that they don't even have to work while they are waiting to testify," Judd said.

Judd further charged that the Mexican government is intentionally hiding three other witnesses who could absolve Corbett.

"There were Mexican aliens who Corbett had arrested prior to the incident with Dominguez," Judd explained. "These three witnessed the shooting from the back of Corbett's Border Patrol van, and they could see clearly exactly what Corbett was doing."

Judd said the two brothers and the girlfriend all testified Corbett was pointing a gun at them while he was driving, "yet the three aliens who were in the back of the van said they never saw Corbett holding a gun."

"Those three witnesses who would have testified for Corbett got sent back to Mexico. Why?" Judd asked. "Why aren't they still here in the United States when they have important information that could prove that Corbett did not do what the Mexican government and the other witnesses say Corbett did."

We need to take better care of the agents that are defending our borders.

Read this entire story at the link above.

Secure our borders!