SOME BCP AWARDS FOR 2006

Well as 2006 comes to an end I thought it might be a good time to hand out some year end awards.

BEST EXAMPLE OF A POLITICAN SHOOTING HIMSELF IN THE FOOT:

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR BILL RICHARDSON

BEST EXAMPLE OF A POLITICIAN SHOOTING SOMEONE ELSE IN THE FACE:

DICK CHENEY

BEST LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

TO THE WASHINGTON POST

WORST REPORTING BY A NEWSPAPER:

NEWSDAY

SMELLIEST DEAL MADE BY AN INSTITUTION THAT RECEIVES PUBLIC FUNDS:

SMITHSONIAN

These are just a few of the items that aroused my attention in 2006. There were MANY more but, tonight it is time to celebrate the New Year arriving and to paraphrase Dorothy Parker see what fresh hell the new year brings. Happy New Year Everyone!

SADDAM HANGED AND GOES TO HELL...

and takes the prestige of the United States with him.

“This is the man who tried to kill my dad.” -George W, Bush Sept. 26,2002

Gee, and it only took the deaths of 3,000 U.S. troops to kill him.

"Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial — the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime." -George W. Bush 12/29/06

OOPS! Wrong victim.

"We are reminded today of how far the Iraqi people have come since the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule — and that the progress they have made would not have been possible without the continued service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. " George W. Bush 12/29/06

"Dec. Deadliest Month in Iraq for U.S." -Washington Post

"Many difficult choices and further sacrifices lie ahead."-George W. Bush 12/29/06

Except for his children.

Truth and Justice?

As Saddam Hussein counts down to his last hours or weeks depending on which news story you believe I came across two blogs that I found very interesting to read this day.
There is this one by Paul Craig Roberts on truth or the lack there of today:

"Recently, Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House, said that freedom of speech is inconsistent with "the war on terror."

If it takes a police state to fight terror, the country is lost even if Muslim terrorists are defeated. Americans have far more to fear from a homeland police state than from terrorists."

"The challenges that America faces are not terrorism and oil supply. The challenges that we face are the police state that Bush has created and the disrespect for truth that is endemic in government, the universities, and the media. The US has entered a dark age of dogmas and
unaccountable power."

Then there is this commentary by Josh Marshal at Talking Points Memo on the justice of Saddam Husseins trial and how Bush's and America's legacy will be judged down the road by the pre ordained nature of the judgment that would have been one of the hallmarks of someone like Hussein himself:

"Try to dress this up as an Iraqi trial and it doesn't come close to cutting it -- the Iraqis only take possession of him for the final act, sort of like the Church always left execution itself to the 'secular arm'. Try pretending it's a war crimes trial but it's just more of the pretend mumbojumbo that makes this out to be World War IX or whatever number it is they're up to now. "

"This whole endeavor, from the very start, has been about taking tawdry, cheap acts and dressing them up in a papier-mache grandeur -- phony victory celebrations, ersatz democratization, reconstruction headed up by toadies, con artists and grifters. And this is no different. Hanging Saddam is easy. It's a job, for once, that these folks can actually see through to completion. So this execution, ironically and pathetically, becomes a stand-in for the failures, incompetence and general betrayal of country on every other front that President Bush has brought us"

Indeed, Truth and Justice have new meanings in Bushworld and it won't be long before freedom is no longer mentioned in the United States if things keep going they way they have in the past few years.

Bad economic news is goods news on illegal immigration.

Being an optimist (most of the time) I believe in the saying "When one door closes another opens". That seem to be the case in this story reported by Washington Post reporter Nick Miroff showing how the downturn in the Washington DC area housing market is affecting the illegal immigrant population in regards to jobs. While the down turn in housing construction may seem like bad news the silver lining is the illegal immigrants are finding it harder and harder to get work and some are even returning back to the countries they came from. Here is the money quote:

"On Jan. 20, he is taking his family back to El Salvador, with plans to open an auto repair shop with the money he has saved. "There's no work here anymore," he said, having spent the past month unemployed. "And when there's no work, it's time for Latinos to go back to the countries where they came from."

This is good news. Let's hope the pro illegal immigration pols in Washington like John McCain and Ted Kennedy along with my congressman Tim (give them amnesty) Bishop don't screw up this self deportation movement by the illegal immigrants by doing something stupid like continuing to push for amnesty for the illegal who violated U.S. Immigration law. As the door to self deportation is being opened by the illegals returning back to their native countries it is time for the U.S. to shut the open border doors that allowed them into the U.S. in the first place.

The 12 deaths of Christmas

I was driving back from Fairfax Virginia last night after having a Christmas dinner at a friends house. Listening to WTOP Washington's all news station the news came that 12 U.S. soldiers had died over the weekend in Iraq. News items such as this hardly prominent in newscasts anymore the numbers are just another news items. But, for me it I always get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as hear such news. I think of the soldiers who died and the families they leave behind.
I think the following quote from an Iraqi citizen sums up the feelings of many of us.

"I hope next year will bring good things and unite all Iraqis because there is no difference between Christians and Muslims," said Abu Fadi, a worshipper who does not use his Christian name because he fears for his safety. "May God bring relief from this."

Meanwhile, today the Washington Post reports the amount of U.S. soldiers deaths has exceeded the amount of deaths from the 911 attacks. Which makes me wonder how much is enough?

Someone got Christmas presents but, not the taxpayers

All taxpayers are waking up this Christmas morning with their wallets a little lighter because of the presents some received from the practices of the Federal Government as reported in the Washington Post.

"The Defense Department paid two procurement operations at the Department of the Interior to arrange for Pentagon purchases totaling $1.7 billion that resulted in excessive fees and tens of millions of dollars in waste, documents show."

Inquiring taxpayers want to know how does this happen?

"In one instance, Interior officials bought armor to reinforce Army vehicles from a software maker. In another, Interior bought furniture for Defense from a company that apparently had not previously been in the furniture business."

Merry Christmas fellow sucker taxpayers!

Forget Christmas enjoy the Halcyon Days

These are the days that try men's souls! Or at least their wallets. Instead of getting wrapped up in the hoopla of Christmas where my neighborhood here on Long Island begins to look more and more like Las Vegas as the neighbors try to out do each other with lights and lawn ornaments. I have over the years began being turned off by all the craziness surrounding the Christmas holiday season. My girlfriend and I have even stopped buying gifts for each other. We have all that we need and also have each other. We both grew up in middle class families. She in a project in Astoria Queens and I in suburban Long Island we both know the value of things and what makes a persons life happy and to us it is not the accumulation of goods.
So instead of celebrating Christmas I have decide to celebrate the Halcyon Days which are the seven days before and after the Winter Solstice a time when the Halcyon bird suposedly builds it's floating nest in the Aegean Sea. It does this because it is supposed to be a time of calm. The Halcyon bird's ability to "calm" the winds is based in Greek mythology. Calm is what we all need this time of year. I usually avoid driving as much as possible and especially this time of year. It seems almost everyone is out rushing around going shopping buying last minute gifts etc... So I will sit back and enjoy these Halcyon Days and let the other Christians go crazy.

GIMME SHELTER

"Four U.S. Marines were charged with multiple counts of murder yesterday for their alleged roles in the deaths of two dozen civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha last year. The accusations set up what could be the highest-profile atrocity prosecution to arise from the Iraq war."-Washington Post

"Sixty-four U.S. service members have been charged in connection with the deaths of Iraqi civilians since the war began in March 2003. Eighteen have been sentenced to prison time, including a 90-year term for an Army soldier who admitted his role in raping an Iraqi teenager in Mahmudiyah and killing her and her family."

"Rape, murder! It's just a shot away It's just a shot away"

GIMME SHELTER

(M. Jagger & K. Richards)

My personal foreign aid program..

I just returned from my vacation in Mexico to catch some pre winter warmth, feel a soft warm breeze and once again smell the sea . I spoke Spanish to the locals and the staff at the hotel though many also spoke English. When I travel I try and speak as much as I can in the native language of the country. Unlike many illegals in this country who despite being here for even ten or twenty years have never picked up any English. A situation made easier for them by federal and state policies that print forms in Spanish which does not encourage illegals to assimilate into the American mainstream.
The resort I stayed at was an all inclusive resort right on the water. I spread my money around generously in tips. The people there worked hard and the service was good. But, I also looked at from a different perspective. I was not there to exploit the situation of those residents of Mexico. It was cheaper for me to spread some of my money there than exploit the locals so much that they find it better to come across the U.S. border illegally and settle in our communities increasing, school and social service taxes. It's my personal foreign aid program and if more tourists did the same perhaps the illegal immigration problem in this country would start to diminish.

Time: Person of the Year.

Well imagine coming back to the United States after being away from keyboards, monitors and the mainstream media for a week to read this:

You were named Time magazine "Person of the Year" on Saturday for the explosive growth and influence of user-generated Internet content such as blogs, video-file sharing site YouTube and social network MySpace. -Reuters 12/17/06

BCP has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year! Well, me and millions of other bloggers anyway. I humbly accept this honor and pledge to continue speaking truth to power, holding the mainstream media to account and keep on with the struggle to make sure both parties in this country stop harming the middle class who have made a country like the United States great. Here is the money quote from Time:

"It's about the many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing and how that will not only change the world, but also change the way the world changes," -Lev Grossman

However, this is no time to be uncorking the champagne as there are forces out there who want to take away the freedom and power we bloggers now enjoy on the net as Jonathan Rintels points out. So the struggle for freedom and the free flow of ideas continues as it has over the ages and it is a struggle that we all as individuals need to win. So I will take a few moments to bask in the glow of the Time Person of the Year honor, knowing full well that the work to keep freedom alive for the individual requires constant vigilance.

Pack my bags and don't be to slow!

That's the lyrics from the Steve Miller Band song GOING TO MEXICO. Which is where I'll be heading for the next week. Even though there are reports 1 of 7 Mexicans are here in the U.S. and many are here illegally. I'll be entering Mexico through the proper channels and will be spending my money in Mexico and not wiring it back to the U.S. I'll also do my best to speak Spanish as that is the language of the country and I will not demand that all the signs also be in english.

Another dumb Democrat.

From the Washington Post:

"Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will announce on Wednesday a wide-ranging set of measures meant to better integrate immigrants, legal and illegal, into the state's economy, education system and workforce."

There's nothing like rewarding those that violate our laws to encourage respect for U.S. laws.

"Key points of the New Americans program include increasing the number of dual-language schools, English-as-a-second-language programs and bilingual staff members at state agencies, as well as providing job training for skilled and unskilled immigrants. The program is described as the first of its kind nationwide."

You can just feel those local school taxes rising! Though the good news is maybe other areas in the country can encourage the illegals in there local community to head to Illinois.

When Irish eyes are illegal.

There was a letter in the New York Times on Tuesday by Niall O’Dowd Chairman, Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform. O'Dowd's comments about the hardship of illegal Irish immigrants in this country is pathetic ploy to disregard the laws of our country and use sympathy as an argument for their illegal behavior: Here are the money quotes:

"he might have heard Mary,an undocumented immigrant from County Kerry, describe how after her brother’s death in a car accident in Ireland, she held a wake without a body in the Bronx because she could not return home."

The only person who stopped Mary from returning to Ireland is Mary herself. She could have left to attend her brothers wake but, she was more concerned about staying here illegally than attending her brothers wake.

Then there is the woeful tale of another illegal Irish immigrant:

"He might have heard Samantha relay her elderly parents’ heartbreak that their daughter cannot join them again in Dublin this Christmas because she is undocumented."

Again, No one is preventing her from leaving to spend Christmas with her parents. Even in the Christmas season I have no patience for any illegal immigrant or organization who try to use sympathy as an excuse for their illegal behavior and for violating U.S. immigration laws.

Swift action required!

It was good to see the raids by ICE officers starting to enforce United States laws regarding identity theft and immigration that resulted in the round up of several hundred illegal immigrants. Enforcement of our laws shows people that we are a nation of laws and that corruption will not be tolerated. But, it seems a tolerance of corruption is occurring at Swift Foods judging from the comments of it's CEO and President Sam Rovit. Who yesterday instead of praising the enforcement of U.S. law and the weeding out from his company's workforce law breakers. Instead CEO Rovit criticized the actions of our Federal law enforcement officers. Here is an example:

"Swift believes that today's actions by the government . . . raise serious questions as to the government's possible violation of individual workers' civil rights." -CEO Sam Rovit

What about the rights of those U.S. citizens who have had their identity stolen by employees your company hired Mr. Rovit? It seems Mr. Rovit would rather have employees who violate our laws working for him than have our government enforce our laws. If this is the attitude at the highest levels of the Swift Corporation consumers should consider it when buying Swift products in the supermarket and also send Mr. Rovit and Swift Foods a message. Here is the corporate contact information:

Swift & Company

1770 Promontory Circle

Greeley, CO 80634

Tel. 970.506.8000

emailus@Swiftbrands.com

Nueva Orleans

The New York Times had a front page article yesterday about the population boom in the New Orleans area caused by the influx of illegal immigrants in the area followig Katrinia. here are the money quotes:

"Because many immigrant mothers cannot afford to pay for prenatal care or delivery services, New Orleans’s newest citizens are adding an unexpected load to the decimated health infrastructure in a city abandoned by many of its doctors."

“The demographics of the health units used to be 85 percent African-American, who had Medicaid, and 15 percent other,” Dr. Work said. “When the clinics reopened, I started seeing the faces changing. Now 85 to 90 percent are Hispanic undocumented, and only 10 to 15 percent have Medicaid.”

The article discusses the problem but, like the politicians in Washington there is no discussion of what the actual costs to the community and taxpayers are. File this under Hola Suckers!

Oil: a burning issue?

Around 6 am on Friday morning I was on the New Jersey Turnpike returning from Long Island back to Washington. My attention was drawn to a cloud of black smoke and an orange glow in the sky that seemed to come from the Hess oil storage and refinery site. At first I thought one of the oil storage tanks must be on fire. Flames were shooting over the tree tops. But, as I passed the site I saw that the flame was rising from a big chimney. This flame was much larger than what I was use to seeing in normally refinery operations. It looked like someone was trying to burn off a large quantity of some type of oil or gasoline. I thought this curious. Why would an oil facility be doing that? With oil dropping down to $62 a barrel burning off too much fuel/oil would help to create a shortage and would then cause prices to rise. Ah, never mind.

Got Milk? Got Lobbyist?

The Washington Post has another excellent article in a series about how U.S. farm and food policies are costing U.S. taxpayers money. This time it is about how the dairy industry crushed an upstart dairy owner who was able to sell milk twenty cents cheaper until the big dairy producers along with some recently passed legislation tried to put a stop to his business. You just know Washington politicians and lobbyists are involved and U.S. taxpayers and consumers are the losers. Here are the money quotes:

"I had an awakening," the 64-year-old Dutch-born dairyman said. "It's not totally free enterprise in the United States."

"I still think this is a great country," "In Mexico, they would have just shot me."

Newsday: The paper that can't report straight!

Two more deaths by illegal immigration occured here on Long Island recently. Though, you would not know it by the reporting of Newsday the major Long Island daily newspaper. The story reported by Christine Aramario, Wil Cruz and Stacey Altherr all Newsday Staff Writers does not tell you that the person who killed the two people in a DWI accident was here illegally. You need to read between the lines:

"The crash came just two months after Torres-Paredes was stopped by a sheriff's deputy for driving without a license, speeding and following another vehicle too closely. During the Sept. 23 arrest, he also was charged with forgery and criminal impersonation, likely for driving with a fake license, officials said."

Gee, I wonder which group of people often have fake identification in the U.S.?

Then as if that was not enough to raise questions concerning the legal status of the driver by the Newsday reporters and their editors the following info should have:

"In 1996, Torres-Paredes was arrested and later convicted on assault charges. He was subsequently ordered to be deported the following year. There is no record, however, of his re-entry into the United States, prosecutors said."

Translation: He was here illegally!

When it comes to reporting on illegal immigration Newsday colors it's reporting and either ignores the crimes committed by illegal immigrants or hides the facts. The bias and contempt for the facts shown by Newsday's reporting when illegal immigrants are involved in crimes is one of the reasons why people no longer trust mainstream media outlets like Newsday to give them the news.

The Iraq Study Groups sings a new song but, will Bush sing along?

I've been reading about how the bipartisan Iraq Panel Proposes Major Strategy Shift in Iraq. I keep thinking about this song by Pete Seeger which though written in 1963 seems to speak to the situation in Iraq and the mindset of George W. Bush today.

The Sergeant said, "Sir, with all this equipment No man will be able to swim."
"Sergeant, don't be a Nervous Nellie,"The Captain said to him."
All we need is a little determination;
Men, follow me, I'll lead on."
We were -- neck deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool said to push on.

All at once, the moon clouded over,We heard a gurgling cry.
A few seconds later, the captain's helmet
Was all that floated by.
The Sergeant said, "Turn around men!
I'm in charge from now on."
And we just made it out of the Big Muddy With the captain dead and gone.

We stripped and dived and found his body
Stuck in the old quicksand.
I guess he didn't know that the water was deeper
Than the place he'd once before been.
Another stream had joined the Big Muddy'Bout a half mile from where we'd gone.
We were lucky to escape from the Big Muddy When the big fool said to push on.

Well, I'm not going to point any moral;
I'll leave that for yourself
Maybe you're still walking, you're still talking
You'd like to keep your health.
But every time I read the papers That old feeling comes on;
We're -- waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep in the Big Muddy And the big fool says to push on.
Waist deep!
Neck deep!
Soon even a Tall man'll be over his head,
we're Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
And the big fool says to push on!

-lyrics by Pete Seeger

A Cheney bombshell but, a happy one.

From the ever thickening Hypocrisy file of the Bush administration comes this news from Reliable Sources at the Washington Post:

"Mary Cheney, the vice president's openly gay daughter, is pregnant. She and her partner of 15 years, Heather Poe, are "ecstatic" about the baby, due in late spring, said a source close to the couple."

I have this image of Christian conservatives all over the country spiting up their coffee at the breakfast table as they read about this impregnation. I wonder if the White House will attempt to spin Mary Cheney pregnancy "as a miracle" in a vane attempt to try to hold on to as much of the Republican Christian base as possible. While gay couples having children is no big deal when it happens to members of an administration that uses gay bashing as a political tool they need to be exposed for their hypocrisy. Though on the other hand it might be God's hand working behind the scenes or Karma. Still, I'm sure it will shock many of the Christian base of Bush supporters. What crazy revelation will come out next? That Karl Rove had two daddy's? Ah...never mind.

Paper works!

I'm a sailor and go sailing all around Long Island Sound and the Northeast United States. I use electronic technology on board from autopilots to help steer the boat to electronic position indicators like LORAN and GPS. But, despite all these wonderful and handy electronic devices I still carry on board paper charts. Why? Because when these wonderful electronic systems fail. And they do fail! My paper charts keep on working. That's why I find it strange and suspicious that a Congressional appointed committee would reject the requirement to have a paper trail on electronic voting systems. The Washington Post has a story. Ronald Rivest, a computer science professor at MIT who heads a subcommittee on transparency and security understands the problem.

" Rivest told committee members that software errors in paperless machines could go undetected, leading to a situation in which "an election result is wrong and you have no evidence to show that it's wrong."

Then there is Committee member Brit Williams, a computer scientist who has conducted certification evaluations of Georgia's paperless electronic voting system, opposed the measure who said:

"You are talking about basically a reinstallation of the entire voting system hardware,"

No Mr. Williams we are talking about ensuring that the votes of the American people will be counted correctly. Just as I don't trust the electronics on board my sailboat I don't trust anyone who wants the American people to go into an electronic voting booth without a paper backup.

Are we being had by Hadley?

George (the decider) Bush's National Security Advisor Stephen J. Hadley was on MEET THE PRESS yesterday spinning the White House line which in this administration usually means lying to the American people. What caught my ear in the interview was this comment by Hadley:

"Tim, people forget that, that we had hoped to have 150,000 to 200,000 Iraqi army forces to help in the security proposition, and those forces melted away at the
close of the war."

While Bush and company hope that the American people forget how badly Bush and the Neocon artists screwed up things in Iraq. Hadley's attempt to revise history with the above comment shows how delusional the people in this administration are. Contrary to Hadley's spin the reality is the Iraqi Army forces did not "melt away" they were disbanded by our guy in Baghdad Paul Bremer. They were being paid by us until Bremer disbanded them. Hadley's comment shows that he and others in this administration are either delusional or lying to us... again!

Rumsfeld rues.

The Washington Post reports today:

Two days before he resigned from the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld sent to the White House a classified memo recommending "a major adjustment" in Iraq strategy and acknowledging slow progress there. "Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough," Rumsfeld wrote in the Nov. 6 memo.

Rumsfeld's memo must have been classified as: DUH!

A present for the ACLU.

I've come across a grass roots movement to send a message to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The plan is to spend 39 cents and send a Christmas card to the ACLU because of their opposition to Nativity & Christmas displays on government property at christmas time. While I do agree with the ACLU in preventing such religious displays on government property. I am very opposed to the actions of the ACLU in fighting local governments actions to try and control the illegal immigration problem in local communities.
The ACLU has lost it's way. When they should be standing up for the American citizens and their rights. They seem to be spending all their time defending illegal immigrants who have broken our laws rather than the U.S. citizens whose tax money is being spent to subsidize the illegals. I'll be sending a letter to the ACLU wishing them a Merry Christmas and reminding them that their name is the American Civil Liberties Union not the the Alien Civil Liberties Union. You should too! Here is their address:

ACLU
125 Broad Street
18th Floor
New York , NY 10004

It is estimated that two tons of Christmas letters would freeze their operations because they wouldn't know if any were regular mail containing contributions. Maybe then they would realize that they should be helping the U.S. citizens like there name says rather than the illegal immigrants who have already shown they have no respect for the laws of the United States.

Another dumb Democrat.

Add Mississippi Democrat Rep. Bennie Thompson to the dumb as George W.Bush list in regards to illegal immigration enforcement. The Washington Times reports that:

Rep. Bennie Thompson said in a letter to Cintas Corp. it could be charged with "illegal activities in violation of state and federal law" if any of its 32,000 employees are terminated because they gave incorrect Social Security numbers to be hired.

The real frighting thing is this dumb Mississippi Democrat is in line to become chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Yet, here he is warning the nation's largest uniform supplier that it faces criminal charges if it tries to recheck workers with mismatched Social Security numbers and fire those who cannot resolve the discrepancy in 60 days. This should be part of Homeland Security enforcement. Requiring employers to verify that the workers they hire are not illegal immigrants and are in this country legally. This action by corporations should be encouraged not discouraged as Congressman Thompson is doing. If this is an example of how the Democrats are going enforce immigration laws they can't be booted out of office fast enough.

No Oil left behind!

"Suppose, for a minute, that Bush and his war advisers aren't simply bullheaded boobs, feckless fanatics, or delusional dunderheads (the proposition strains credulity, I realize, but bear with me). Let's go down this path, as a thought experiment. "

John Seery's blog gives a reminder of why after so many years after the U.S. military completed the mission which we were told was removing Saddam Hussein from power. We still continue to take causalities while the situation on the ground gets worse instead of better. Even as the Washington Post reports that the Iraqi Study Group is calling for a withdrawal of U.S, troops from Iraq George W. Bush refuses to acknowledge it. Why? Again, John Seery has an answer:

"Bush and Cheney, as wily and wangling ex-oil executives, aren't simply going to walk away from those vast oil reserves without a fight."

Yep, it's no oil left behind!

Well, I'm not impressed.

"Several members of a government board appointed to guard privacy and civil liberties during the war on terror say they're impressed with the protections built into the Bush administration's electronic eavesdropping program," -Associated Press

But, as Justin Rood points out we really need to take this boards report with a grain of salt. Here is the money quote from Rood's report:

"As Kate Martin of the watchdog group Center for National Security Studies told me today: "They're using this board for public window-dressing, which is what we were worried they would do.""

Why should we citizens be skeptical of the Bush Administration actions on important issues like this? Perhaps this quote from a Bush Administration officals will refresh your memory:

"The [Bush] aide said that guys like me were ''in what we call the reality-based community,'' which he defined as people who ''believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality.'' I nodded and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ''That's not the way the world really works anymore,'' he continued. ''We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality -- judiciously, as you will -- we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors . . . and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

-Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush

By RON SUSKIND October 17, 2004

Crossing Jordan on Illegal Immigration

The Washington Post reports on how the Democrats may go slow on certain legislation. One of them is immigration reform. here the article only quotes Josh Bernstein of the National Immigration Law Center, which supports broad-based changes to help illegals.

Bernstein said, A major rewrite of immigration laws "is enormously complicated,"

Enormously complicated, Mr Bernstein?
Not if you look at immigration the way the late Democratic Texas Congresswoman Barbara Jordan did when she said:

"Credibility in immigration policy can be summed up in one sentence: Those who should get in, get in; those who should be kept out, are kept out; and those who should not be here will be required to leave." "...for the system to be credible, people actually have to be deported at the end of the process."

Let's hope the Democrats will remember those words from this wise black woman from Texas when they tackle the problem of illegal immigration.

Good Kennedy, bad Kennedy & dead Kennedy's

When it comes to looking at the elite owners of political America. Two names comes to mind the Bush's and the Kennedy's. Both dynasties try real hard to scrub their images so it looks clean for the history books. However, when it comes to bad Karma the Kennedy's seemed to have acquired more than their share. Though with the continued carnage in Iraq George W. Bush may be filling up the Bush family bad karma bucket faster than the Kennedy's lately.
I'm thinking about the Kennedy's lately not only because of the new Emilio Estevez film BOBBY about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. But, also because of commercials I have seen here in the Washington D.C. area promoting former congressman Joe Kennedy's Citizen's Energy project which provides low cost heating oil to individuals and families who can not afford the cost of heating oil to heat their homes. A good noble cause indeed. I contrast Joe Kennedy's good work with that of his uncle Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy who worked to make sure that a wind energy farm was not erected anywhere near property he and his wealthy neighbors owned because it would spoil their views. The fact that wind power would help to wean this country off of a dependence on imported oil does not seem to matter to limo liberals like Ted Kennedy. So while Joe Kennedy tries to help Americans, Senator Ted Kennedy hurts America by his actions against wind power projects and that does not make for good karma.

Oil: The good, the bad and the reality!

Funny how an election can change the corporate mindset of some companies:

"While the political debate over global warming continues, top executives at many of the nation's largest energy companies have accepted the scientific consensus about climate change and see federal regulation to cut greenhouse gas emissions as inevitable."

-Washington Post

Not to mention where it spends its money:

"Exxon Mobil Corp., the highest-profile corporate skeptic about global warming, said in September that it was considering ending its funding of a think tank that has sought to cast doubts on climate change. "

-Washington Post (11/25/06)

Instead of funding "think tanks" to try and make the science fit their wishes. Companies like Exxon Mobil could save shareholders a lot of money and get some free information on issues such as global warming elsewhere. How do I know? A little bird told me! But, I do not need the information from it or even Al Gore to tell me that something is going on I saw it with my own eyes last year.

Be thankful...

You are not living in Iraq!

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace"

-George W. Bush

"Death Toll for Iraqis Reaches New High"

-Washington Post Headline Thanksgiving Day 2006

A small step...

The Homeland Security Department will require virtually all air travelers entering the United States after Jan. 23 to show passports _ even U.S. citizens.
Because of a 2004 law passed by Congress mandated the change to require passports as the only acceptable travel document, with few exceptions, but the exact date had been in question.
Well, this is a first good small step in securing the U.S. and helping to keep out those who enter this country illegally. Now about those land borders Mr Chertoff....

Hats off to Hazelton and it's Mayor Lou Barretta!

60 Minutes ran a piece last night about the problems the community of Hazelton Pennsylvania is facing regarding illegal immigrantion. Hats off to Hazelton Pennsylvania mayor Lou Barretta who is showing some extraordinary leadership as Mayor of Hazelton in address the illegal immigration problem in his community. Unlike other mayors like Michael Bloomberg of New York who ignore the problem of illegal immigration and even condone lawbreaking.
Mayor Barretta has the money quote about the REAL cause of the problem:

"Immigration is a job that has always been handled by the federal government. Asked why he is getting involved, Barletta tells Kroft, "Well, obviously if the federal government was doing something about it you wouldn't be here today. And I wouldn't be talking about it. "

Baretta is right on where the problems lies. But, when the Federal Government fails as it has on enforcing our immigration laws it is good to see that local governments can succeed.

Is New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson dumb as George Bush?

It's always interesting to see when a politician shoots himself in the foot. Yesterday, was one of those days. There was a story in the Washington Post about New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's call on President Bush to come to the aid of Elvira Arellano an illegal immigrant who is currently hiding in plain sight behind the doors of a church in Chicago. She entered this country illegally more than seven years ago and was also convicted of using a false Social Security number. Otherwise known as fraud! Does the Richardson know anything about enforcing the law I think he just blew his chances of running for President with this stupid stand on illegal immigration.
Here's some of Richardson's idiotic logic:

"Inaction puts our most vulnerable citizens _ the estimated three million American citizen children of illegal immigrants _ at risk."

Risk of what? Growing up in Mexico? I guess Richardson thinks if Alellano takes her son to Mexico when she is deported her son will "risk" the lost opportunity to join a U.S. Latino street gang. And another thing, if going to Mexico is so risky maybe the State Department should ban all travel there.

"The governor, whose mother is from Mexico, said that deporting Arellano will create a "terrible choice" for the family _ forcing the boy to leave his mother if he stays in the U.S. or "forfeit his right to grow up an American."

What nonsense! Following Richardson's logic no parent should be allowed to take their children outside of the U.S. to live. Because it would violate the child's "right" to grow up American. Hey Bill! No one is "FORCING" the boy to leave his mother. We are just forcing his mother to leave the country BECAUSE SHE BROKE OUR LAWS! Don't you get it Governor or are you as dumb as George W. Bush! The message that will be sent to other illegal immigrants by Gov. Bill Ricardson's call to allow Elvira Arellano to remain in the United States will be that if you ignore U.S. immigration laws, get pregnant, they will let you stay. That is the wrong message Governor Richardson! But, maybe you are as dumb as George Bush on the idea of allowing illegal immigrants to continue violate our laws with impunity.

There was some good comments in the article that there are still some people in our government who really get it but, it did not come from Bill Richardson. It came from Gail Montenegro, an ICE spokeswoman in Chicago. Here are the money quotes from the article:

"She said the agency considers Arellano one of "nearly 600,000 immigration fugitives residing in the United States."

"The agency "is required to enforce immigration laws fairly, regardless of a person's ability to generate publicity,"

"This country's immigration system, as generous as it is, is not to be exploited,"

It comments like those that show at least there are some people in our government know what enforcement really is about. Meanwhile some of our politicians like George W. Bush, Congressman Tim Bishop, Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator John McCain and now Governor Bill Richardson show they don't have a clue.

ENRON & the numbers racket.

In the Business section of today's Washington Post is an article about the sentencing of ENRON's chief accountant Richard A. Causey. It's too bad that news like this is not more prominent in the news. Because it would serve as a lesson to those in business that ethics and morality don't stop at the door of a corporations headquarters. The "money" quote from the article:

"But prosecutors on the Justice Department's since-disbanded Enron Task Force contended that fraud could not have flourished without Causey's actions and his failure to blow the whistle on others."

Causey got off easy at least he is not joining Ken Lay in Hell. But, I guess unlike the criminal mindset of some of the Enron executives we have to realize that we can't have it all!

The sanctity of marriage?

The Washington Post had a front page article on an illegal immigrant marriage scam that was occurring in Arlington Virginia. Where illegal immigrants would pay to get married in order to obtain citizenship in the U.S. It took four years for authorities to complete the investigation of this scam. But to me the money quote comes at the very end of the article where the judge in the case shows at least he gets what the basic problem is in regards to illegal immigration:

"U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee offered a few words of comfort to Chepkwony at her recent plea hearing. But his sympathy only went so far.
"America is composed of -- is a nation of immigrants," he said. "Everyone here came from somewhere else. However . . . there are rules on how one can immigrate to live here permanently."You did not follow the rules."

Immigration Insanity!

Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria (Another Chance on Immigration. WP 11/6/06) shows the typical corporate elite media response to the illegal immigration issue. First, he tries to downplay it's importance to the American people by claiming it is only fifth on a list of concerns. After Iraq, terrorism, the economy and health care. The fact that is one of the top ten issues should make any politician (except maybe George Bush) wake up and take notice.
He then goes on to say it will make “political sense” for the politicians to come together and make a “deal”on illegal immigration. He cites that John McCain because of his pushing the McCain/Kennedy amnesty bill in the senate needs to get the illegal immigration of the table before his run for President. Oh really? So rather than be concerned about the effect and costs of the influx of illegal immigrants into communities around the country it is more important for the Washington politicians to get the issue hidden from view as soon as possible. The public be damned! Zakaria's elitism is showing again.
He then says “comprehensive reform” aka amnesty is the only way forward. But, ignores the history of illegal immigration policy. In 1986 Congress granted an amnesty to the three million illegal immigrants estimated to be in the U.S. at that time. Today, there are an estimated twelve to twenty million illegal immigrants in the U.S. and he wants the politicians to do another amnesty. Of course he and the other elites call it “comprehensive reform”. Expecting different results from another amnesty program as Zakaria proposes is the very definition of insanity.

More Bush butt covering.

One thing you can say about the Bush family they know how to cover their butts (as do the Kennedy's) and they seem to get away with it because most people are not looking, or they hide the evidence so well that only the most intrepid investigators can find it. That is if it is not protected behind the walls of a presidential "executive order".
Maureen Dowd lays this all out in her column yesterday. A very funny yet insightful piece about what is really going on in Washington. While most of America sleeps Bush operatives work behind the scenes including the new Secretary of Defense Bob Gates cleaning up the mess the blundering boy George W. Bush has created. Heres some of Dowd's funny and insightful column:
The Problem:
"Poppy Bush and James Baker gave Sonny the presidency to play with and he broke it. So now they’re taking it back." "They are dragging W. away from those reckless older guys who have been such a bad influence and getting him some new minders who are a lot more practical. "

On Rumsfeld's sacking:
"In a scene that might be called “Murder on the Oval Express,” Rummy turned up dead with so many knives in him that it’s impossible to say who actually finished off the man billed as Washington’s most skilled infighter. (Poppy? Scowcroft? Baker? Laura? Condi? The Silver Fox? Retired generals? Serving generals? Future generals? Troops returning to Iraq for the umpteenth time without a decent strategy? Democrats? Republicans? Joe Lieberman?)

The Plan:
"Mr. Gates, already on Mr. Baker’s “How Do We Get Sonny Out of Deep Doo Doo in Iraq?” study group, left his job protecting 41’s papers at Texas A&M to return to Washington and pry the fingers of Poppy’s old nemesis, Rummy, off the Pentagon."

BCP NOTE: My advice to anyone working at the Pentagon or even the Whitehouse is make sure you write down everything you see that is going on. Because as the political whitewash begins a lot of history may be covered over!

Rumsfeld is now a real dead ender!

With the "thumpin" yesterday of Donald Rumsfeld the admited Liar in Chief George Bush let go of the most loyal Neo-conartists in his administration. In a perfect example of "be careful what you wish for you may get it" Rumsfeld was one of the people who signed the 1998 PNAC letter calling for an attack on Iraq sent to Bill Clinton. Rumsfeld and the other Neo-conartists who signed the letter had to wait until 2003 to find someone dumb enough to listen to this advice in the form of George Bush. However, the wisdom of listening to Rumsfeld and the other Neo-conartists should be apparent by reading these quotes:

"It is unknowable how long that conflict [the war in Iraq] will last. It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months." -in Feb. 2003" -Don Rumsfeld

or

"If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly."

-Don Rumsfeld

Adrienne Shelly and Mary Nagle have a lot to talk about.

The horrible murder of actress Adrienne Shelly is one more reminder to me of how important this election day is. Politicans from President George Bush and my Congressman Tim Bishop along with Hillary Clinton , Ted Kennedy, John McCain , Chuck Schumer etc.. continue to push for amnesty for illegal immigrants and continue look the other way when it comes to the enforcement of current immigration laws. I wonder how many more murders of American citizens like Adrienne Shelly and Mary Nagle will occur before they realize that we can not allow illegals to break our immigration laws because it decreases respect for our laws and results in the deaths of people like Adrienne Shelly and Mary Nagle. The spirts of Adrienne and Mary where ever they are will have a lot to talk about. While the families they leave behind will have only their memories.

A BCP energy reminder!

With the mid term elections coming up tomorrow here is a reminder to fill up you gas tanks today. Even though there is a stockpile of oil and oil prices are under $60 a barrel there is that little factor of refining capacity. If the Democrats win at least one of the houses there will be little incentive for the Bush administration to keep gas prices low as they did before the election to help the Republicans. So expect Bush's oil buddy cronies to once again make a whole lot of money in the next two years of the Bush administration. Unfortunately, that money will be coming out of our pockets!

Congressman Tim Bishop can you read me?

As the election nears political signs are springing up here on Long Island. So I decided to put up my own political sign on my car as I drive around. This election will be the first time this life long registered Democrat will be voting for the Republican congressional candidate Italo Zanzi. Even though I have voted for Democrat Tim Bishop twice before I won't be pulling his lever on November 7th. The reason is written on this sign!

Someone smack Shakira's butt!

Latin pop star Shakira dominated the Latin Grammy awards last night but, she also took the time to put her butt into the illegal immigration issue here in the states. I love it when wealthy millionaires, billionaires and Washington politicians who live in seclusion behind their gated palaces and have no clue as to what is going on in middle class communities in the United States regarding illegal immigration speak out.
Here's how the pro-illegal immigration Long Island newspaper Newsday described her statement:

"She threw her support to those trying to become citizens as they work without documentation.
"I hope soon they will receive they recognition they deserve from the government," said the Colombian superstar said."

I agree Shikira. I too hope they get the recognition they deserve from our government too! The recognition that they are in this country illegally and need to be deported ASAP!

Bush vs Kerry jokes.

Well, John Kerry has finally issued an apology about his botched joke but, the Bush Administration never has on some of the things they have done and said. As this Washington Post article points out:

"Cheney also jumped into the fray, his office so eager that in a rare move it sent out advance excerpts from a speech given later in the day. "Senator Kerry said he was just making a joke and he botched it up,"

Where as the Bush administration only made war in Iraq and BOTCHED that up right Dick!

Meanwhile...

"Bush for the second day took aim at his old foe as well. "It didn't sound like a joke to me," he said in an interview with news services. In a separate interview with radio host Rush Limbaugh, Bush said, "Anybody who is in a position to serve this country ought to understand the consequences of words ..."

Indeed! Let''s roll back the tape to December 20, 2000 when then "President Elect" George Bush said this after meeting with some Congressional leaders:

"I told all four that there were going to be some times where we don't agree with each other. But that's OK. If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."

Well, that does not sound like a joke to me either President Bush!

Only in Washington

"The U.S. Border Patrol apprehended 8 percent fewer illegal immigrants last fiscal year than the year before, reversing a two-year increase in the historically volatile benchmark, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced yesterday."- Washington Post

Well ,that seems like good news until you look at some of the other figures. That even though the apprehensions of illegal border crossers (other than Mexicans) had dropped 35% they still caught 108,026 people. Which makes one wonder how many they did not catch. Look here to see a perfect example of what a circus the border is.

A Roving Democrat.

The Washington Post has an article today about Karl Rove and the up coming election. There was this quote that stood out to me:

"There are two questions. Is Rove just acting cocky as a way of lifting GOP morale, or does he really believe it? And, if the latter, is he deluding himself, or does he once again know something that Democrats do not?"

I think it may be that Rove may know something the Democrats don't. While the Democrats are reading their own press releases about how they are set to win both houses of Congress on November 7th. Rove may be counting voters like me lifelong registered Democratic voters who will be voting Republican at the national level this November for the first time. It is ironic to me to be doing this. But, while I would vote against George Bush in a heartbeat I find that my current Congressman Democrat Tim Bishop on Long Island is actually agreeing with President Bush's position on illegal immigration. So I will be voting for the Republican candidate Italo Zanzi in the upcoming election. But, when I think about it beyond partisan politics I am actually voting against George Bush by voting Republican. Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows.

A BCP PBS Newshour smackdown!

I was watching the PBS Newshour on Friday and they had some people around a table to discuss the upcoming election and it's issues. Unlike most of the mainstream media even moderator Gwen Ifill had to acknowledge that Illegal Immigration was an issue that came up often.

REALLY? Imagine that! There followed a few comments on the issue that almost made me start throwing stuff at the TV. Where do they get these people.

There was Republican PAT THIELEN who works in the hotel industry (no illegals are hired in that business I'm sure) :
"In Arizona, if you have a person working for you whose Social Security number doesn't match up, you will get a letter. And you have 60 days to get that person legal. And if you can't do it in 60 days, which is almost an impossibility, then you have to let that person go, but they're completely unemployed.

Yes, they are unemployed Ms. Thielen because THEY ARE HERE ILLEGALLY! This is what is called ENFORCEMENT of our laws. GET IT! If you don't maybe people should stay at one of your hotels and skip out without paying the bill. I mean after all they just came there for a good nights sleep not to hurt anybody. You would not mind if they break the law by not paying you for the room .

Then there was EDUARDO ROMERO of the Non Profit Roundtable in Washington who said this:
"I think we heard this is an economic challenge, but it's also a moral challenge. "

You got that right Eduardo! It's an economic challenge to the middle class U.S. taxpayers who are paying the taxes for school districts and social services that must be provided to the illegals and their children. It's also a moral challenge because you need to make sure people have respect for our laws like immigration.
He goes on:
" I remember when amnesty was not a dirty word. "

Could it be that the American people have a problem that when someone enters our country illegally and violates our laws. Maybe they feel that they should not be rewarded for doing that!

Romero's arguments are so thin that he has to top it off with the "R" word and I don't mean RAZA!:

"When you say that person's illegal, we know, I would assume -- and forgive me, I don't want to assume for everybody -- we're thinking immediately of a Hispanic, of a Latino. We're not thinking about an Eastern European in Boston; we're not thinking of that Eastern European in Chicago, where there's plenty of that activity. But there's not that language being spoken that way. And so I hear that there's an economic reason to make change, but there is a moral reason. This is racism at its root, and the political language just lets it slide. "

Racism my butt! Illegal is illegal! That includes Irish as well as Mexican! What Romero completely ignores is that most of the illegal immigrants coming across our borders are Mexicans. But ANYONE who is here illegally should be deported and those who hire them should be fined also.

World Series of Death

I woke up to dreay stormy day here on Long Island. I turned on the radio to WCBS one of the all news stations here in the New York area and the top story was that some team won the World Series. Another item was about another unamed U.S. soldier who became the 97th casualty in Iraq in October. I don't follow sports or the entertainment industry and really could care less about who won the world series or which movie made number one at the box office this weekend. But, I keep thinking about that unamed soldier who died in Iraq and also thinking about Rudyard Kipling:

If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied. – Rudyard Kipling

As I don't follow sports but, I wonder what inning it is in the World Series of Death taking place in Iraq. I want it to end soon because I'm not sure anybody is ever going to win anyway.

NY Mayor Bozo Bloomberg is at it again!

When it comes to real threats to U.S. Homeland Security security two people come to mind one is the blundering President (no border security) Bush and the the other Republican clown is New York City Mayor Mike (Bozo) Bloomberg. The latest act of stupidity to be approved by Bloomberg is that of dropping the requirement that those seeking a taxi license would no longer have to prove they are in the country legally. All they would have to show is a drivers license and Social Security card (like there is no fraud with illegals using bogus cards).
New York City council member Peter Vallone Jr. calls it correctly:

"It's not only shortsighted, it's pure stupidity."

It sure is especially since there have been discussions of terrorist plots using Taxi cabs. With Bloomberg just does not get it! But, what do expect from an idiot like Bloomberg who supports amnesty for illegal immigrants even though as he says : "may very well be rewarding lawbreaking.''

How the Republican National Committee helps promote terrorism!

Somewhere in this 24 hour newscyle, internet media connected world of ours there are many voices crying out speaking truth to power including yours truly. However, there are only a few in the corporate media who dare to pull back the curtain and expose some of the ugly truths about how those in power will use fear for political gain. A recent commercial put out by the Republican National committee is one such example that like an al Qaeda terrorists tape is using the same message of fear and terrorism to scare the American public. Keith Obermann shows the commercial for what it is in this special commentary on the MSNBC show Countdown. Exposing this act of pure political terrorism promoted by the Republican National committee.

From the hola suckers file!

The Washington Post has another one of those corporate news media tear jerker articles on illegal immigrants. This one is about children who cross the U.S. border illegally trying to reach their parents many who are here illegally too. Of course they don't pay their taxes but, are perfectly willing to cough up $6.000 to pay a coyote to smuggle their children across the border once again violating U.S. immigration law.
Meanwhile if they are caught by the border patrol they are coddled by Health and Human Services in shelters as this quote shows:
"The shelter in Nixon offers classes in English, math, carpentry and computer skills. The children get round - the - clock supervision, plus counseling, medical care and recreation -- even yoga classes and outings to bowling alleys or local football game pep rallies."

So let me get this straight. While middle class U.S. families struggle with day care costs, health insurance, school taxes the children of illegal immigrants get put into shelters paid for by U.S. taxpayers where they are fed. cloth, taught, have medical care provided and even go on field trips all at taxpayers expense. Hola suckers indeed!

The middle class taxpayers are the real pawns!

Chicago Sun columinst Mark Brown has a column that is almost laughable in it's defense of a Democratic candidate Tammy Duckworth's position on illegal immigration. Here are some of the more amusing quotes:

"You'd think Duckworth was from the Planet of Goo-Goo Liberals if you didn't realize she's backing the same proposal co-sponsored by Kennedy and Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican who might be the GOP standard-bearer for president in two years. Or if you didn't know that the comprehensive Senate immigration package also follows the same general approach favored by one George W. Bush."

Yeah, Tammy Duckworth agrees with George Bush the President with such great ideas like invading Iraq! She also agrees with limo liberals like Ted (NIMBY) Kennedy. Not to mention John (so what if they violated the law) McCain! Duckworth's judgement should be questioned if she aligns herself with these pols on illegal immigration.

"The Senate's immigration plan, the one favored by Duckworth and McCain (and yes, Kennedy), also calls for tougher border measures, but would allow those 12 million illegal immigrants to stay in the country. "

Yes, what a position. Come in and break our immigration laws we'll let you just stick around.

"It would require them to register with the government and earn their legalized status by paying a fine, paying their taxes and learning English, among other requirements. "

Gee let's see you violated our laws did not pay taxes like the working middle class citizens do. But, you will pay a small fine (but, not back taxes and penatlies), you should learn English (in schools also subsidized by taxpayers) Sounds like a great deal but, not for U.S. taxpayers

"It would take 11 years to clear all the hurdles. "

Yep, all the while being subsidized by U.S taxpayers!

"You may consider that a form of amnesty."

Duh!

"A lot of people who have studied this issue, though, think that eventually Congress will adopt some version of the Senate approach, because it will have a much better chance to work in the long run than just cracking down."

Brown's and Duckworth's argument is lacking something major. Something that has not been done regarding the illegal immigration problem in the country. It's a word that McCain, Kennedy, Bush, Duckworth and Brown seem to have forgotten and that word is: ENFORCMENT! If the politicans and officals in Washington and columinst like Brown had understood the meaning of that word, Illegal Immigration would not be the issue in this and many other campaigns across the country.

Separation of church & state my butt!

Here's another example of the Catholic Church's hypocrisy when it comes to illegal immigration and the rule of law. They will ignore United States Immigration law when it suits them. But, when a town tries to enforce some law and order in the local community regarding illegal immigration the Catholic Church has no qualms in using the United States system of laws to fight towns trying to enforce immigration laws. As the quote below shows:

" The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis played a critical role in forming the legal team to fight Valley Park's law. The archdiocese helped more than 20 families relocate from the city and contacted lawyers to help them, spokesman Hector Molina said."

Bailing out boy Bush

O' beautiful, for spacious skies

But now those skies are threatening

They're beating plowshares into swords

For this tired old man that we elected king

Armchair warriors often fail

And we've been poisoned by thse fairy tales

The lawyers clean up all the details

Since daddy had to lie

-Don Henley, The End of the Innocence

Well it looks like once again the Bush family is once again going to rely on close family friends to clear up the blunders of George W. Bush with the formation of the Iraq Study Group a "bipartisan" commission that is supposed to look at the U.S. options now that blundering bozo Bush has completely screwed up in Iraq. It is headed by James Baker the Texas lawyer who also led the legal effort to stop the vote counts in in the 2000 election that gave the Presidency to Bush.
Unfortunately, unlike the bailouts of George W's failed business dealings in the past. The stakes in Iraq are very high and have been for some time. Because this time the blunders of George W. Bush have resulted in the deaths of almost 3000 U.S. troops and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's and there's no way even guys like Baker can make that fact disappear.

Earthquakes and sea states

Hearing about the earthquake in Hawaii brings back a flood of memories for me and very pleasant ones at that. Several years ago I was sailing aboard a 50 foot sailboat around the Big Island during a vacation charter. We had decided to try and sail around the Northern tip of the island to see some of the scenic side on north east side. It would require us to sail all night to reach the area. I said I would help with the sailing and actually wound up doing most of it on a beautiful windy night. We sailed very close if not over the center of yesterday's quake. But, the memory for me was being at the helm of the boat at 3 am and suddenly feeling that I was not alone. Then in a few minutes I began to hear noises coming from around the boat. It was a few scary minutes before I figured out that the sounds were the breathing of a pod of dolphins that were swimming along the sailboat. Yes, I was certainly no longer alone on that dark night.

Eat this taxpayers!

The Washington Post has an excellent article on how we taxpayers are once again getting screwed. This time it concerns excess payments to farmers at taxpayer expense.
Here are some of the "money quotes:

"The result is that farmers often get paid twice by the government for the same disaster, once in subsidized insurance and then again in disaster assistance, a legal but controversial form of double-dipping, a Washington Post investigation found. Together, the programs have cost taxpayers nearly $24 billion since 2000."

"The government pays billions to help farmers buy cheap federal insurance, billions more to private insurance companies to help run the program and billions more to cover the riskiest claims. And on top of all that, it spends billions on disaster payments."

This kind of rip off should be enough to make any U.S. taxpayer sick and not because they've eaten spinach recently!

The Elephant in the room of Homeland Security

Ever wonder how all the illegals can can cross the U.S. border and end up hanging out on the street corners in your community. Republican House candidate Raj Peter Bhakta shows how it can be done and you won't believe your eyes or maybe you will. Click here to see the video.

Biting the hand of illegal immigration.

There was an article yesterday in the Washington Post by Blaine Harden which was about that sometime next week the population of the Umited States would reach 300 million. The headline says it all:
"America's Population Set to Top 300 MillionImmigration Fuels Much of Growth"

Some of the more interesting quotes:

"Hispanics from Latin America, by far the largest share of recent immigrants, are driving the natural increase here. On average, Hispanic women have one more child than non-Hispanic white women."

Which of course means more more education costs for middle class taxpayers. Here in New York State those costs are already costing taxpayers BILLIONS as this report shows:

"Based on estimates of the illegal immigrant population in New York and documented costs of K-12 schooling, New Yorkers spend more than $4.3 billion annually on education for the children of illegal immigrants. This estimate does not include programs for limited English students, remedial educational programs or breakfast and lunch programs available to students from low-income families. An estimated 11.7 percent of the K-12 public school students in New York are children of illegal aliens. "

Also in the article there is a lot of sugar coating and some very BIG if's. Here are some examples:

"So many middle-aged baby boomers who oppose immigration may be biting the hand that could feed them," Frey said.

May be? Hardly sounds like strong evidence for looking the other way on illegal immigration as so many in Washington are doing these days.

Here is another BIG IF quote buried in back of the article:

"This assumes, though, that immigrant children, especially Hispanics and blacks, will be educated well enough in American schools to find competitive jobs in the global economy."

and then there is this little hedge quote:

Hispanic and black children are between three and four times as likely to live in poverty as whites, so their growing numbers may not translate into growing national wealth. In addition, the divide between aging baby boomers in retirement and the younger workers who are supporting them with payroll taxes will have a racial, as well as a generational, dimension.
"Unless we can reduce age, racial and ethnic disparities in poverty," Jacobsen warns, "children from minority groups may be less able and less willing, as they grow up, to support the predominantly white elderly population."

Translation: Contrary to the the BS that George Bush, Ted Kennedy, John McCain and others who wave the pro-illegal immigrant banner are putting out. It looks like a net loss for U.S. taxpayers now and in the long run.

Hello Oil Suckers!

While North Korea and the page scandal dominate the news. Along comes this little item from Alaska. "BP said most of the production in the largest oilfield in the United States, Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, "
Once again the oil company BP is having bad luck with their oil facilities. What a coincidence! This time the blame is a power outage in Alaskan Prudhoe Bay oil field that knocked down the flow of oil from 350,000 barrels to 20,000 barrels. Hmmm, looks like this will be used to justify the oil and gas increases that will probably occur after the elections. This along with the cutbacks by OPEC will be part of the November surprise. Enjoy the low gas prices while they last oil suckers!

Forget North Korea here are the real threats to America!

While people here in Washington and the media go crazy over North Korea blowing up a nuclear bomb. Flying in under the radar were two more insidious threats to America. The two attacks occurred this past week on America were hardly noticed by many people. But, they did occur and they struck at the core of America and they were done by organizations whose primary focus is not aimed at our American values but, the interests of other countries.
One attack occurred at Columbia University when Jim Gilcrist one of the founders of the minuteman project was denied the ability to give a speech by pro illegal immigrant thugs who stormed the stage and refused to let him speak. They did not attack Mr. Gilchrist they attacked the basic concept of free speech that is one of the underpinnings of our American liberties.
Another less known but, equally hideous attack occurred on October 4th where historian, Tony Judt, who directs New York University's Remarque Institute was set to give a talk. But, an hour before Judt was to arrive, the Polish Consul General Krzysztof Kasprzyk canceled the talk. He said the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee had called and he quickly concluded Judt was too controversial. This was an attack not only on Mr. Judt's rights but, an attack on all our rights to free speech. Tony Judt comments on the cancellation should be a warning to everyone about how our basic values in the United States are under attack by these organizations:
"This is serious and frightening, and only in America -- not in Israel -- is this a problem," he said. "These are Jewish organizations that believe they should keep people who disagree with them on the Middle East away from anyone who might listen."
Both of these attacks on America and the concept of free speech occurred within the borders of the United States by organizations who are more concerned with other countries and not concerned with preserving our American rights to free speech and I think that makes these groups more dangerous to American liberties than North Korea.

Bozo Bush speaks again!

President Bush opened his mouth again on Friday on immigration here is some of the quotes from Bozo Bush:

"We must understand that you can't kick 12 million people out of your country _ that we must figure out a way to say to those that if you're lawful and if you've contributed to the United States of America, there is a way for you to eventually earn citizenship," -George W. Bush

No George you must understand that the 12 million are here illegally they are not here lawfully. They have broken the law and YOU as President have not enforced it! As far as kicking out the 12 million who have entered our country illegally. Yes you can! You do it the same way they came into the country 5, 10, 20, 30 at a time. Who says you can't do it except complete failures like yourself. Your "no can do" attitude on deporting illegal immigrant is unamericanly negative. After all which country put a man on the moon the United States or Mexico? Don't try to think to hard about that question George!

"Nobody in our land wants to grant automatic amnesty. But everybody in our land understands these people must be treated with respect and dignity," -George W. Bush

The illegals do not deserve the respect of the hard working middle class taxpayers of the United States because they have not respected our immigration laws. Just as you do not deserve the respect of the American citizens because of your FAILURE to secure our borders.

The Republican Congress crumbles again on border security

Once again the Republicans in Congress have crumbled and put our national security at risk and preformed a bait and switch on the American public. There was much made of the border fence bill passed by Congress earlier this week. But, as usual in Bushworld voters need to see what they do not what they say. Late Friday as reported in this story in the Washington Post the Republicans in Congress passed the ball to the Bush administration to let them choose how much of the border security fence should be built. Which means that we will continue to have porious borders as we have had throughout the entire Bush administration. How long before the American people get truly angry and vote against anyone Republican or Democrat who has FAILED to protect our borders and our communities from people who completly diregard our laws. As for me this registered Democrat will be doing my part this election day. I will be voting but, not for Hillary Clinton or Tim Bishop democrats both of whom I voted for in the past but, have failed to represent me and my neighbors on this important issue just as the Republican controlled congress has once again failed the country by passing this last minute piece of legislation that weakens our border security.

Republicans eating their own?.

It's amazing what little nuggets you find when relaxing on a sailboat with a two day old copy of the New York Times. There was of course them item of Republican Congressman Foley's resignation and the blowback that is coming down on House Republican speaker Dennis Hastert. I found two separate items in the paper onboard that struck my curiosity. One was about how the story of Congressman Foley broke only two days after Bob Woodwards book about the Bush Administration's bungling of the war etc... The Foley story of course overshadowed the bad news about the war and the Bush bungling in the media.
But, what really struck me as curious is that Brian Ross at ABC News who broke the story was tipped off about Foley by someone in the Republican party. It seems there are some Republicans in Washington will do anything to divert the bad news about Iraq. They were not able to divert the journalistic dogs away from the bad news in Iraq so someone in the Republican party threw the media another piece of red meat (i.e. the Foley story) and dutifully the media ran off to eat it.

Living and dying on cable news

Even as the report that 15 American soldiers have died in Iraq since Saturday are out there and the American death toll is increasing . I tune into MSNBC and the have a five minute report on who the father might be of Anna Nicole Smith's baby. It looks like there will have to be another 9/11 before the news media wakes up to what is really important.

A close call.

Last week I was driving to the Ronkonkoma railroad station to get on a Long Island Rail Road train to New York. I was stopped at a traffic light at the corner of Patchogue Holbrook road and the Long Island Expressway. My car was in the right lane (in this lane one can either go straight or make a left turn). After the light changed I began to make a left turn when I was almost broadsided by a pickup truck for a landscape company containing two Hispanic guys. I guess they could not read the sign in their lane which read "LEFT TURN ONLY".