Whose country is this anyway?

Riding the Long Island Railroad toward New York on my way to Washington DC I noticed a construction company in the Queens with a very tall flagpole. From it flew an American flag but, underneath that a Mexican flg was flying. What is the meaning they were trying to send? Was it a call for Mexican workers? Do they discriminate against workers of other countries? Or is it an outpost for the Mexican government?

A local offical doing what the Federal government does not!

Even as my Senators Hillary Clinton and Chuck Shcumer along with my Congressman Tim Bishop fail to represent the hard working taxpayers on the illegal immigration issue. I am glad to see that some local Democrats like Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy continue to do what they can to discourage illegal immigration in our communities. Newsday has a story that begins:

"Many social service agencies, charities and town governments with contracts from Suffolk County would be required, along with private-sector contractors, to verify their employees are eligible to work in the United States under a proposal unveiled Wednesday by County
Executive Steve Levy."

It's the local leaders like County Executive Steve Levy who are truly representing the people while Clinton, Schumer and Bishop continue to fail in that regard at the Federal level. Something voters should remember in November. I will!

Another one for the What's Bush hiding now file!

Well it seems George Bush still thinks he is a King and the Republican congress are his ladies in waiting as they let King George (the blunderer) Bush decide what the American people need to know or not know and ignore their oversight duties. If the Congress let this one by they should change the name to House of potted plants.

The Unholy Alliance!

The Washington Post has an article today about how illegal immigration has changed a the town of Dalton Georgia. Buried in the article is how the businesses who hire the illegal workers and the Catholic church work hand in hand to encourage the situation to continue. The businesses use tax deductible contributions to help the church continue to promote illegal immigration while the Federal Government sticks it's head in the sand. Here is the money quote:
"Even when the raids were going on, Dalton's civic leaders were sending a different message. When Latino parishioners overflowed Dalton's 130-seat St. Joseph's Catholic Church -- even after pews were extended and aisles narrowed -- industry executives helped pay for a new, 600-seat church whose bilingual priest now leads both masses and misas. Parishioner Carl Burkhardt, president of Dalton's No. 3 carpetmaker, Beaulieu of America Inc., gave $1 million while Shaw Industries chief executive Bob Shaw "godfathered" the project, according to Father Daniel Stack, the priest at the time. "He said we were taking care of his workers, so he wanted to help take care of us," Stack said."

Who is taking care of tha middle class taxpayers who are paying increased school and local taxes because of the influx of the illegals into the community.

See no evil!

Watching America's mainstream media cover the Israeli bombardment and invasion of Lebennon l is a smoke and mirrors act. Just like in Iraq. We only see the smoke from the Israeli bombs hitting civilain areas but, of course never see the bodies torn apart by, the explosions. Then there are the mirrors the Israeli spin doctors justifying their bombing of airports and other civilian targets.
Where are we to go to find out what is REALLY going on. Certainly not the American mainstream media! Justin Riamondo is one and former Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski is another. Both have insight that takes you behind the scenes as to what is really going on behind the scenes and what is not being shown on our TV screens!

The news from Newport News.

I headed south from Washington to attend a wedding in Virginia Beach. Along the way I stopped at the mariners museum in Newport News and picked up a copy of The Flagship the local newspaper of the "Hampton Roads Navel Family" every article was about the local industry: the Navy! One of the articles was about former President George H.W. Bush attended the landing of "the island" ( the 700 ton superstructure) of the aircraft carrier being named for himself. He was pleased to be able to attend and have a ship named for him while he was alive. Most people have ships named after for them after they are dead but, somehow the current elitist group of people running this country get such honors now. I think it would be better to name ships in honor of regular military personal who have died in the service of this country. But, of course there will never be enough ships, bases and outposts to give names to all the TRUE hero's of this country the enlisted members of the armed services. So I guess the ruling elites will continue to get their names on ships, bases etc... But, I maybe we should also start to name things for leaders like the current President George Bush even before he leaves office something like the "George W. Bush military cemetery". Bring it on indeed!

Illegal immigrant campgrounds coming to your town!

Once again thanks to the failure of our Federal Government it is local Town officals who have to clean up the mess. This time it illegal immigrants erecting tent cities in the woods in Suburban communities on Long Island.
Newsday reports on the story. But, even more outragous than the tent city once again exposing the failures of our Federal Government to protect and enforce our borders is the comment from the illegal immigrant advocates who complain (get this) "that the town should have contacted church, social services or other organizations to help relocate them."

NO! The town should have turned them over to Homeland Security and had them deported! Good luck with trying to get the Federal Government to do it's job! Perhaps the next best thing would be take the illegals and drop them off in front of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's home so they can set up camp there and deficate on his lawn! Since he is so keen on providing services for the illegals who have broken our immigration laws. I'm sure he would not mind.

The Journalist who came in from the cold.

From the Washington Post:
"Syndicated columnist Robert D. Novak acknowledged for the first time yesterday that he identified three confidential administration sources during testimony in the CIA leak investigation, saying he did so because they had granted him legal waivers to testify and because Special Counsel Patrick J. Fitzgerald already knew of their role."

The question remains why was Karl Rove confirming classified information? Bush should have fired him for that! "Loose lips sink ships!" But, in George Bush's world that seems to be ok as long as it helps his political agenda.

Illegal immigrants and I agree on something.

There was a op-ed by Lawrence E. Downes in yesterday's New York Times talking about the plight of "Day Laborers" which of course glossed over the fact the they were ILLEGAL "Day Laborers". It also hid the fact that these day laborers were also subsidised by the tax payers because the churches and other organizations who help these day laborers continue to llive in our communites are using our tax dollars to do it. Downes also mentioned that these same Day laborers get together in the chiurches and form ad hoc unions where they refuse to work for less then $10.00 and hour. There goes the cheap labor argument for businesses.
But, the one interesting point immigration was this:
"The day laborers' group held a forum in a Manhattan church basement recently to discuss the bills, and the general mood was pessimistic. Members spoke of a disconnect between grass-roots organizations like theirs and the large immigrant-advocacy groups in Washington. They had little good to say about the Senate bill, which has been held up by many immigrant advocates as the best deal obtainable. "

Well that is something the illegal immigrants and I can agree on. Yes the Senate Bill sucks but, the difference is I think it rewards the illegal immigrants for breaking our laws!

GIMME SHELTER!

" Military investigators brought charges against four more American soldiers accused of taking part in the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and the killing of three members of her family, the U.S. military said Sunday."-Washington Post

"Rape, murder! Its just a shot away Its just a shot away"- Rolling Stones

Bloomberg: Terrorists, Illegals come break our laws!

The authorities also reported that a terorist plot against New York City was broken up. Meanwhile, the greatest threat to New York City elitist Mayor Michael Bloomberg once again opened his mouth and invited illegal immigrants to come break U.S. laws by working illegally in new York;
"Although they broke the law by illegally crossing our borders," Bloomberg said, "our city's economy would be a shell of itself had they not, and it would collapse if they were deported. The same holds true for the nation."
Translation: It's ok to break U.S. immigration laws as long as you wash the dishes at my favorite restaurant!

or as he said in April:

"You and I are beneficiaries of these jobs," ... I both play golf. Who takes care of the greens and the fairways in your golf course?"

The law does not seem to matter to Bloomberg as long as it does not affect his lifestyle.

Ken Lay's Karma.

One of the news stories this week was the death of Kenneth Lay the founder and CEO of ENRON. He was a crony of George Bush who called him "Kenny boy" when he was governor of Texas and was also in behind the scenes as part of Dick Cheney's behind closed door energy policy meetings early in the Bush administration. He should be remembered for exposing the dark side of capitalism with the failure of Enron. When you are heading a corporation that hires people who actually pray that wildfires will burn through transmission lines so that the price of electrcity will skyrocket and your corporation will get a windfall. You know that these people have no ethics whatsever. It was people like Lay who allowed this corporate culture to thrive. Win at any cost! That even including throwing their own employees to the wolves discouraging or denying them the ability to sell their Enron shares while people like Lay made sure they protected their ASSetts!
What killed Ken Lay? Was it the stress of the trail and the possibilty of spending the rest of his life in jail? Too many steaks with his fellow energy cronies in Houston restaurants? Was it God's wrath? Ken Lay said after his trial:

"We believe that God in fact is in control, and indeed he does work all things for good for those who love the Lord,"

If that's the case God must have been pretty pissed with Lay and the manipulations of his corporation of energy prices hurt so many poor people that maybe God sent him straight to Hell! Or maybe in a similar vein that the evil of Lay and those working for him to manipulate events so that they would reap profits while the rest of us paid may have increased his bad Karma to the point where forces just took him away where he could not cause any more damage to the rest of us.

The Return

Back from sea and back in DC. Spent the past several days around Long Island on the water sailing and staring. What news I got was from the radio. Some comments on a few items I heard are in order but, it's early am Saturday morning and time for some sleep first.

The fourth of July.

I will head out to my boat today and place my American flag in it's holder on the stern. I will be alone and enjoying the fourth of July but, not without thinking about the United States and our soldiers in Iraq, George Bush and the meaning of freedom.
I will be thinking of the pictures this week of George Bush jogging with the wounded Iraqi war veteran around the Whitehouse. I thought it was grotesque to have Bush jogging with a soldier who he sent over to Iraq who then got his legs blown off. But, no one made the soldier jog with Bush he did it on his own. That's freedom and I have to respect the soldier for doing it because he wanted too.
I will also be thinking of our soldiers in that hell hole in Iraq and hope they get home soon to enjoy the BBQ's picnics and beer that many American will enjoy this day. I also hope that the pain I get in my gut as I hear on the radio that another soldier or two or three... has died in a roadside bomb or ambush stops.
Then there are the stories like this one where I put myself in the place of Iraqi citizens who ask how is it that things are better than under Saddam. Sometimes we Americans need to look at how others see us when stories like this come out. This one we know about how many others are never reported but, yet undermine all the good we try to do.
Yes, I will be celebrating our Independence in my own special way but, I will also be thinking about how far we have to go to make this a better country while we still have the freedom to do it!

The American treadmill.

An interesting article about money in today's Washington Post about Warren Buffet giving 30 billion dollars of his money to charity and it also explores the the difference between life and money. I kind of semi retired five years ago from a full time job and currently only work about three days week. Mostly to be able to afford healtcare coverage as I am way to young Medicaid, Social Security etc... Yes I make less money but, have more time for truly living a life. My heart goes out to my co-workers on the American treadmill. You can see the stress and strain of them trying to keep up as the rug slowly gets pulled out from under them. I think of the people who I have known who retired and had maybe three or four years of retirement before death rang their doorbell. I sometimes jokingly remind co-workers to "grab life by the collar wrestle it to the ground and yell give me all you got now!" That's what I try to do as much as possible.

Helping and hurting.

Saturday's Washington Post had another article about the hidden costs of illegal immigration. This one was about a hospital in Silver Spring Maryland that because of the influx of illegal immigrants it is running an operating deficit of $460.000 dollars. They are treating diseases and conditions they did not see a decade ago like Malaria, infectious diarrhea and tapeworm. The hospital also spends about half a million dollars alone on translation services alone.

Thinking about Independence Day

As July 4th approaches and begin thinking about the meaning of independence. That includes independence from our use of fossil fuels that despite the talking points from the Bush administration lies at the heart of why American soldiers continue to die in Iraq, It would be easy to get depressed about the situation in America these days. But, along comes this story about some American patriots who are leading the way independently and helping us all in the process.