McCain plays the sympathy card at the You Tube debate.

Unlike the open borders and ethnocentric illegal immigrant La Raza crowd who try and label any U.S. citizen who wants our borders protected racist. McCain played the sympathy card for illegals at last nights You Tube debate:
"We must recognize these are God's children as well," McCain said. "They need our love and compassion, and I want to ensure that I will enforce the borders first."

Please Senator McCain just stop this nonsense. God's children? How about God's taxpayers? Yes that's right the unwashed middle class taxpayers who are forced to subsidize the illegals that you want sympathy for because of you and your colleagues failures to secure our borders. Now you say you want to secure our borders first. Sorry you had your chance and failed. To paraphrase the Soup Nazi on Jerry Seinfeld "NO VOTE FOR YOU!"

Speaking of journalism.

The Washington Post has an interesting article on a woman named Faye Anderson and who is a blogger and Citizen Journalist. It's an interesting article about the rise of blogs like this one and many others offering critiques, rebuttals and original reporting beyond the what the mainstream media provides or does not cover. It explores this brave new world of information. Here is one of the money quotes:
"It's not you, the journalist, it's the institution," Ms. CJ tells Mr. MSM. "You're not telling the whole story. . . . You've lost your credibility."

BCP UPDATE:
Ms. Anderson reacts in her blog to the Washington Post story about her and those of us who labor in front of the keyboard for no pay other than trying to find the truth and bring it out into the light so others can see it.

Eh tu New York Times

Speaking of liberal mainstream corporate media. This New York Times in a piece by Nina Bernstein plays the sympathy angle about recent immigration raids in Greenport Long Island that were aimed at gang members but, also picked up illegal immigrants in the sweep.

To which I say: And the problem is?

You don't have to look to far to see the bias of "The paper of record". The headline reads "Immigrant Workers Caught in Net Cast for Gangs " A little fact the Times editors seemed to have forgotten is that illegal immigrants are not supposed to be working in this country in the first place. But, the Times does not seem to let facts get in the way. Just like the law does not seem to stop the wealthy folks out in the east end of Long Island from hiring the illegals (or paying $10,000 for their bail). There is a priceless photo in the piece of Charlotte Gemmel and Maureen Sanders the "retirees" petting their dog and in the forground their illegal immigrant gardener they provided bail for. It is a photo over looking their gardens and water view property.

John McCain crys in the Sonara desert alone.

Those who are pro illegal immigrant apologists including the Washington Post and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain have only one argument to the American people in defense of illegal immigrants. That is the sympathy argument. The Washington Post tried to use it again yesterday. Here are the money quotes:

"It was the issue of immigration that hurt my campaign," he said. "I have not encountered a domestic issue that has provoked the emotional response that this issue does with a lot of Americans." -John McCain

Ya think Senator? Perhaps maybe people get emotional when they pay hard earned tax dollars to the Federal Government to "protect and defend" the country and it's borders. But, on the way to work in the morning to earn money to pay those taxes they see a hundred or so illegals standing on street corners in their community which is 1500 miles from the border.

"People are continuing dying in the Sonoran desert, and it's just a very sad thing to see,"

And who exactly is to blame for that Senator McCain? The U.S. citizens who want our borders secure so that illegals can not start the trek across the desert some to die others to end up in our communities. Or people like you in Washington and those businesses that are hiring illegals that look the other way and ignore the laws that our Federal Government is supposed to enforce. Save your tears Senator McCain for when you look in the mirror to see who is really causing those deaths in the desert.

The View From Washington- Black Friday

While others begin the offical crazy Christian Chri$tma$ season on "Black Friday" with trips to the malls. I prefer a walk through Rock Creek Park here in D.C. thinking about Teddy Roosevelt and Jusserand.

Gloria Steinheim meet Heidi Krum

You've got to feel sorry for all the woman who went out marching for the woman's movement back in the sixties. All that "consciousness raising" and we end still end up with Britanny Spears, Paris Hilton and Heidi Krum.

What Clinton, Obama & Bush don't understand.

While Hilary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards continue to do a John Kerry on the issue of illegal immigration. They just don't seem to get what is so infuriating to many Americans on the issue of illegal immigration. These political elites just do not seem to understand the anger of U.S. citizens. John Derbyshire at the National Review has an excellent primer for these clueless elites:

"It was noticed years ago that the gap between elite opinion and public opinion on immigration issues is extraordinarily wide, as these gaps go. Some of this is naked self-interest: wealthy business types liking cheap, docile labor forces, rich folk of all stripes appreciating cheap & meek domestic servants. Some part arises from the guilty conscience that rich people always have, even in the U.S.A., known that all wealth and success is to some degree a product of dumb luck. From this you get patronizing noblesse oblige attitudes directed most particularly at those who are obviously poor. (The lower-middle classes don't seem to get much noblesse oblige directed their way.) Some comes from the "diversity" indoctrination that most elite types got while passing through their elite colleges and law schools. A big part arises from the simple and inescapable fact that elites don't share the anxieties of ordinary folk. They don't worry, as the rest of us do, about property values, losing a job, or affording health care."

He also has a spot on explanation the surprise that those in Washington got when they tried to ram through the "Comprehensive" Immigration Amnesty Bill earlier this year:

"Our Senators stir themselves from their oak-paneled offices and antique-leather armchairs to cook up a new scheme to amnesty all those polite, nice folk who are doing their yard work for them. Seems like a great idea! Then suddenly they can't hear themselves talk for the roar of phone calls and faxes coming in from their constituents. Elite Back-Down Two. It's all totally baffling to them. Who are these people making such a fuss about a perfectly reasonable, humane proposal?
It's us, buddy, the great unwashed. This is still a democracy we have here. Try to keep that in mind, eh?"

I would also add that these elites had also better understand that the United States is a Republic and not an employment agency for Mexico or any other country.

Why does this not surprise me.

From Diggers Realm
"Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, the drug smuggler who was given immunity by US Attorney Johnny Sutton to testify against Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean, was arrested on drug charges at the Zaragoza Bridge along our southern border yesterday, Nov 15, 2007. He will appear in court this afternoon and faces a total of 5-40 years and $2 million dollars in fines for drug smuggling."

Why does this not surprise me.

The Flame Trees of Ronkonkoma

I am not sure what kind of tree it is but, then add a nice bit of fall beauty to the Long Island Railroad parking lot at Ronkonkoma Long Island

I am woman watch me steal.

Like the Virginia Slims cigarette ads that proclaimed to women "You've come a long way baby!" It's women have indeed come a long way especially when it comes to corruption and stealing from the public. The Washington Post has an article about one of the biggest fraud cases in the Washington D.C. Here are some of the ill gotten money quotes:

"FBI agents who descended on the Northwest Washington home of D.C. tax manager Harriette Walters found a nondescript brick rambler, but just inside was the wardrobe of a princess."

"The inventory, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court, provided new insights into the lifestyle of the woman who prosecutors say masterminded the biggest fraud ever perpetrated against the D.C. government: $20 million and counting, they say. It details items seized by nine agents who went through every room of the house near Rock Creek Park.

Walters, 51, co-worker Diane Gustus and four others are charged with taking part in a conspiracy to generate illegal property tax refund checks for themselves. In a separate court filing yesterday, authorities alleged that at least $12.7 million of the stolen money flowed directly into accounts controlled by Walters's niece, Jayrece Turnbull, whom they described as Walters's principal partner in the scam."

Equality marches on and it appears women can be just as corrupt as men.

Pelosi: Another Delusional Democrat

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today blamed Congress' failure to bring an end to the war in Iraq and deal effectively with the reform of immigration laws as the primary causes of the institution's near-record low approval ratings.

In an interview at the U.S. Capitol, Pelosi said the Democratic takeover of Congress had raised expectations on action to end the conflict in Iraq, and that the Senate's initial willingness to tackle immigration reform followed by its failure to do so left the American public disappointed in Congress"- Washington Post

The failure to deal effectively with reform of immigration? You've got to be kidding me Nancy. The answer that Democrats, George Bush and a few Republicans were pushing in the immigration bill was amnesty. The reason for the failure and the low ratings of Congress is the American people will not stand for rewarding illegal immigrants with such an amnesty. Once the Democrats get it through their head that amnesty for illegal immigrants, unprotected borders and lack of enforcement is unacceptable to the American people maybe then the ratings of congress will improve.

Spitzer to drop drivers license for illegals

"ALBANY, Nov. 13 — Gov. Eliot Spitzer is abandoning his plan to issue driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, saying that opposition is just too overwhelming to move forward with such a policy."-New York Times

Well, there may be hope for Spitzer after all. At least there is hope for our democracy. Listening to the people and not rewarding those here illegally is a good policy. Let's hope that more of the politicians in Washington get the message that New York Governor Spitzer got and act accordingly.

What are the costs?

A Washington Post by Daniel de Vise like many liberal mainstream media news organizations on illegal immigration puts out some smokey journalism. The latest is about how little English students attending schools in the DC area know. Of course there is no mention of illegal immigration in the article or of the costs to the legal taxpayers who pay for the schools. Here are some of the money quotes:

"This year, for the first time, more than half the students at the Silver Spring school spoke limited English. It's a milestone for the school and for the Montgomery County school system, where the term "English language learners" was seldom heard before the middle of the last decade."

A milestone for the school? Is that a good thing to have half the student population speaking limited or no English?

"The population of students learning English is rising briskly in school systems in the Washington suburbs. Elementary school students with limited English proficiency (LEP) now number 20,000 in Fairfax, 10,000 in Montgomery, 9,000 in Prince William and 8,000 in Prince George's counties. Just seven years ago, those four counties accounted for 23,000 elementary-grade LEP students."

Thanks to George Bush, open border Democrats and cheap labor businesses who allowed the illegal immigrant population to soar in this country. The burden to pay for additional English language programs falls on the middle class taxpayers of the school districts which the article makes no mention of.

"Students often arrive at Highland unable to read, write or speak fluently in Spanish or English. In response, the school has placed a growing emphasis on pre-kindergarten and Head Start, which, as of this year, is a full-day program. Sixty of this year's 97 kindergartners attended pre-K programs at Highland."

Guess who is paying for these programs? The illegals? Guess again.

"Families sometimes live three or four to a home."

So even though the house where the families live pays some school taxes. With three or more families are living in the house the increased burden falls on the legal one family households in the district. Hola suckers!

Hillary Clinton's Jeff Gannon moment

Hypocrisy in politics? I am shocked. It seems the Hillary Clinton's campaign has been using people planted in the audience to ask questions at some of her campaign stops. Many Democrats including this one where outraged when the White House use a similar technique using "journalist" Jeff Gannon to lob softball questions to President Bush at a White House press conference. People should be equally outraged by the actions of the Clinton campaign.

Bank of America profits going down. What a surprise!

"In a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the bank said it has some exposure to collateralized debt obligations _ complex financial instruments that combine slices of different kinds of risk. CDOs are often partly backed by subprime mortgages, or loans given to customers with poor credit history."-AP

TRANSLATION: I guess the great financial geniuses at The Bank of America who came up with the plan to give credit cards and sub prime mortgage loans to illegal immigrants may not have had such a great business idea after all. What's next? Listen to this guy:

The view from Washington- Veterans Day

I arrived back in Washington D.C. late Saturday night and was reminded that this time of year is not just about three day weekends and sales in malls.

Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer has died. When I think of Norman Mailer I recall going to The Laundry restaurant in East Hampton Long Island a number pf years ago. As luck would have it we were seated next to a table with Norman Mailer and a woman companion. I don't recall hearing any conversation between the two and certainly Mailer did not look like he was in the mood for any. That's the Norman Mailer I know. He may be dead but, his ego lives on and I'll head butt anybody who says different.

Bernake & Schumer's B.S. solution

From the Washington Post:


"The economy is likely to slow through the first half of 2008, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday, as members of Congress called on him to take aggressive action to prevent a worsening mortgage crisis."

I have to dissagree. Like rewarding illegal immigrants with driver's licenses you do not correct bad behavior by bailing out the banks and those who got sub prime loans with a bailout as Washington seems intent on doing. Here is exhibit A:

"Among other steps, Schumer said, Bernanke should move quickly on a series of regulatory policy changes to prevent banks from making irresponsible mortgage loans and use his stature to convince the Bush administration to provide federal money for nonprofit organizations that help people with mortgage problems."

Schumer is wrong in following in the footsteps of George Bush by trying to funnel taxpayer money to these "non profit organizations". Anytime taxpayer money money gets further away from the government there is less oversight and is more open to abuse no matter how noble the idea is.

Clinton: Drivers licenses for illegals complicated. Huh?

Now Bill Clinton is trying to defend the indefensible:

"At the end of a televised Democratic presidential debate last week, Hillary Rodham Clinton hedged on whether she supported a plan by her home state governor, New York's Eliot Spitzer, to issue licenses to illegal immigrants. Republicans — and her rivals for the Democratic nomination — quickly criticized her answer, accusing her of trying to have it both ways.
But Bill Clinton said the issue is too complicated for sound bites." -AP

Too complicated Bill? How's this:

Illegal immigrants have the right to be deported.

Not a right to get a drivers license

-

See Bill it's not complicated at all.

-

-

Amtrak Autumn

Some shots from Amtrak train 148 from Washington D.C to New York that I took on my trip back to Long Island to vote.

The colorful show was much better than television. I think Monet and Van Gogh would agree.

Clinton, Spitzer and voter fraud.

Speaking of threats to democracy, Forget Pakistan there is a more immediate threat to our own democracy. Hillary Clinton says she knows why Eliot Spitzer wants to give illegal immigrants a license. I'll bet she does:

"The background here is the National Voter Registration Act, commonly known as 'Motor Voter,' that President Bill Clinton signed into law in 1993. It required all states to offer voter registration to anyone getting a driver's license. One simply fills out a form and checks a box stating he is a citizen; he is then registered and in most states does not have to show any ID to vote.

"But no one checks if the person registering to vote is indeed a citizen. ...

"Under pressure from liberal groups, some states have even abandoned the requirement that people check a citizenship box to be put on the voter rolls. Iowa has told local registrars they should register people even if they leave the citizenship box blank. Maryland officials wave illegal immigrants through the registration process, prompting a Justice Department letter warning they may be helping people violate federal law."-Washington Times

Is diabolical too strong of a word for this threat to our democracy by people like New York Governor Eliot Spitzer and others like Hillary Clinton. I think not.


P.S. Remember today is election day VOTE!

George Bush's Shahing moment.

As people get arrested and Pakistan goes under Marshall Law. George Bush in a White House photo op is hopping mad and tells General Musharraf to take off his uniform. Looks like people seem to have forgotten about the Shah of Iran and how it works out in the end when you tolerate tyrannies because the tyrant is friendly to us. Here is the money quote:

"A Bush administration official who works on Pakistan issues acknowledged that with the United States having already invested so much in General Musharraf, there was little Washington could do in response to the Pakistani president’s actions that did not have the potential to undermine American goals."-New York Times

You can take this to the bank.

" NEW YORK, Nov. 4 -- Citigroup has installed former Treasury secretary Robert Rubin as chairman after the widely anticipated resignation of Charles Prince, the embattled chairman and chief executive who faced mounting criticism in the wake of a $6.5 billion write-down for the third quarter.
After an emergency board meeting Sunday, Citigroup, citing significant declines in the value of subprime-related securities in the past month, estimated that it would take additional write-downs of $8 billion to $11 billion." - Washington Post



How could this have happened? Just because the banks had tapped out America's middle class and started giving out subprime loans to people who had no ability to repay them. That seems like an ok business practice. I mean when they give out a $650,000 mortgage to an illegal immigrant making $18,000 a year. What could go wrong? Adios Citibank, Hola Bank of America.

First we kill the Day Traders.

As many middle class tax payers head off to work and take another non employer pay cut due to the increased price of gasoline in their commute. Some of the more intellectually curious among them may be asking the question why have prices risen so fast? There may be an answer in today's Washington Post. Here are the money quotes:

"In the past 10 weeks, the price of crude oil has shot up $25 a barrel, closing at $95.93 in New York on Friday, near an all-time inflation-adjusted peak. Unlike earlier spikes in oil prices, which came on the heels of war in the Middle East, this latest ascent does not appear to be linked to any one conflict or to any physical shortage.
Instead, traders who treat oil like any other commodity are widely thought to be driving prices upward, bolstered by a weak dollar and money flowing out of stock markets and other investment vehicles. "

To paraphrase William Shakespeare "First we kill the Day Traders" or at least cut their fiber, high speed cable and phone lines.

Is Real ID a real problem? I don't think so.

The Washington Post has an article about how the Department of Homeland Security may be backing down on the Real ID program and pushing it's implementation back to 2018. Because some states are whining they can't take the time to really make sure the people getting a license are who they say they are. You can't make this stuff up. Here is the money quote:



"In 2005, Congress passed legislation mandating Real ID to standardize information that must be included on licenses, including a digital photograph, a signature and machine-readable features such as a bar code. Under the law, states also must verify applicants' citizenship status, check identity documents such as birth certificates, and cross-check information with other states and with Social Security, immigration and State Department databases. The new licenses must include features to thwart forgery and fraud, and drivers born after 1935 will have to present birth certificates or passports to obtain them. "



And the problem is? I wonder if any of the states that complain about the burden of complying have ever heard of computer technology? Businesses can find out almost instantly your credit history but, states are crying it's too much of a burden to find out if the individual requesting a license is actually who they say they are. Oh I forgot they are governmental organizations,

The View from Washington

During my extended stay in Washington I decided to head over to the National Gallery of Art on Thursday to see the Edward Hopper exhibit. As I crossed Pennsylvania Ave. I noticed there was virtually no cars on the street even though it was midday. So I took this shot of the Capitol. I soon found out why there were no cars.

It seems Bush, Cheney or both were off to somewhere and that's why the streets were empty of cars. Because I was taking this picture I could not give the proper salute that I really wanted to give.

A writers strike may be a good thing.

There is a writers strike set for Monday. This could be a good thing. The world may be a better place if people start getting away from such lean back technologies as corporate television and actually start watching or producing their own content on places like You Tube, writing blogs and maybe actually reading a paper or a book.

The greening of New York City

My girlfriend and I attended the annual Conservation International dinner here in Washington D.C. last night. We donate to this organization because of it's efforts to protect and promote sustainability of the earths resources around the world. Last nights speaker was Republican New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Who through New York's PLAN NYC is probably going to do more to help the planet than Al Gore and his Power Point presentation. As an example there is requirement of all the owners of NYC taxis (which need to be replaced every seven years) to become more fuel efficient either through buying hybrid vehicles or other high mileage vehicles. This move alone is the equivalent of removing 32,000 vehicles off the streets. Bloomberg is leading the way in this and other energy saving goals for the city. He may be making more of an impact on helping the earth than all of Al Gore's talk. He and his administration deserve much credit for moving things forward. in regards to energy conservation. Now about that Sanctuary City policy Mayor Bloomberg.

From the desk of Donald Rumsfeld

There was an interesting article in the Washington Post about the "snowflakes" aka memos that Donald Rumsfeld wrote while he was Secretary of Defense. Whenever I hear about Rumsfeld I often recall some of my posts which were often critical of him and the way the war was going. One of the posts had someone someone from the Office of Secretary of Defense looking at it two times that day. I have always wondered who that might have been and why.

Hey Hillary Clinton! I got your shadow right here.

It appears that some in the mainstream media are finally waking up to the issue of illegal immigration. It was certainly highlighted as an issue that Clinton has been trying to avoid. At the Democratic debate her liberal mindset showed where her feelings on the issue are. They certainly are not with her constituents in New York State or in the rest of the country. So her campaign people are in full damage control mode:

"Senator Clinton supports governors like Governor Spitzer who believe they need such a measure to deal with the crisis caused by this administration's failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform. As President, her goal will be to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would make this unnecessary," the statement said. Campaign advisers, pressed to explain her view more clearly, said that she ultimately supports the driver's-license proposal." -Washington Post

Translation: Because George Bush and some of the Democrats had failed to push the Illegal Immigrant Amnesty Bill through the Senate against the wishes of the American people where she could have swept the illegal immigrant problem under the rug. She is now forced to side with Governor Spitzer because giving drivers licenses to illegals may allow for enough massive voter fraud allowing her and the Democratic party to win the elections.

Clinton and Spitzer keep blowing smoke on the issue with statements like that by giving licenses to illegal immigrants will allow them to "come out of the shadows":

Does this look like the illegal immigrants are hiding in the shadows Hillary?

What's next from Hillary Clinton? Perhaps Scrappleface has a tongue in cheek look at Clinton/Spitzers next big idea:

"2007-11-01) — As Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton continues to work round the clock with advisers to determine exactly how she feels about granting automobile driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants, the Senator today announced she may support New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer’s new proposal to allow undocumented workers to receive airline transport pilot certification from the FAA, allowing them to fly commercial jets.
“Giving a pre-documented immigrant a license to fly a jumbo jet would certainly bring him out of the shadows,” said Sen. Clinton. “In addition, since the flight certificate requires fluency in English, it would inspire him to learn one of our nation’s most important languages. So there’s a big potential upside.”