2007 A BCP year in review

JANUARY

Also in January the Scooter Libby trial was underway.

There were some rumblings about the firing of a few U.S. Attorney's.

The Drug and Pharmaceutical companies were all of a sudden hiring Democratic lobbyists. I wonder why that is?

Toys R US gave America a wake up call with a contest to give $25,000 to the first baby born after the first midnight. Unfortunately, the baby was born to a mother who was in the U.S. illegally. So they gave it to the runner up baby who was born to legal U.S. mother. In the end Toys R US gave out three $25,000 awards. The third baby being born to a couple from El Salvador where they here illegally? Don't ask because the liberal mainstream media does not either.

Also in January the BIG news was that I opened up the Beer Can Politics Store. So far I am my best customer. Good thing I don't live from the proceeds.

FEBRUARY
The first murmers of an attempt to give amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants begin in the Senate.

Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham gets an award from La Raza and in a few months would help lead an unsuccessful attempt to give amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.

Congressman Charlie Norwood dies. Led battles for the patients Bill of Rights and fought against illegal immigration:
"After years of listening to 'advocates' whine about compassion for those who intentionally break our laws for financial gain, I'm glad to see us finally showing some compassion for our own poor and sick who abide by the law,"

Also in February Molly Ivans passed away leaving taking though she she still left a few laughs behind:"During a recent panel on the numerous failures of American journalism, I proposed that almost all stories about government should begin: "Look out! They're about to smack you around again!"

Speaking of the failures of American Journalism cable news showed it's how use less it can be by going 24/7 on the coverage of Anna Nicole Smiths death.

I first mention Ron Paul as a candidate for President.

MARCH

Fred Thompson first pops up on my radar.

Speaking of popping I pop Mike Bloomberg's trial balloon. But, never underestimate the power of a billionaire to do what he wants.

New Haven Connecticut becomes a sanctuary city. Hola suckers!

The gang of four start to work behind closed doors on the illegal immigrant amnesty bill.

APRIL

I attend the HOLD THERE FEET TO THE FIRE event in Washington D.C.

The racial lynch mob goes after DON IMUS including in the mob with their manufactured outrage are some media hypocrites like Keith Obermann and Al Roker. Meanwhile after firing IMUS NBC NEWS make the Virginia Tech campus shooter a star and gets shot down in the process.

The man without a country Kurt Vonnegaut dies.

The White House quote of the year is made: "We screwed up, we are trying to fix it."

MAY
May was the month of illegal immigration mostly because it was the month where forces both inside and outside of Washington tried to ram through the illegal immigrant amnesty bill but, the American people fought back. Twenty Five reasons why the Senate illegal immigration amnesty bill should be defeated. Did somebody say assimilation? Senator Grassley gets it!
La RAZA Award Winner Lindsey Graham does not. Meanwhile the illegal immigration insanity keeps going on on Capitol Hill. Hispanic Journalists try their hand at an Orwellian spin. And a few politicians try to spin the issue too.

JUNE

Some good news on illegal immigration. A bomb plot at JFK foiled. WHERE'S THE ???? The American people win one for democracy. Democrat Byron Dorgan asks the right question from the Senate floor. While Ted Kennedy is always good for a few laughs on illegal immigration. Who is burning down our house? Fugitives hiding in plain sight.

JULY

Libby pardoned! Ramos & Compean are not. Al Gore's son arrested. Bush administration creating problems where there were none on immigration. Taxes My 1986 car died. Senator Arlen Spector tries to beat a dead horse

AUGUST

Dick Cheney develops amnesia. Credit markets start shaking. Iraq money poof! Karl Rove has left the building. Domestic spying from above approved. Elvira Arellano is hiding in plain sight. Finally Arellano brought to justice! Three college students killed by illegal immigrants in New Jersey. Leona Helmsley dies. Alberto Gonzales going, going gone

SEPTEMBER

The political bathroom scandals. I still like Fred. More sub prime shaking. We ride the magic bus with the illegals. The Kennedy's try to control the wind. Blackwater is in hot water. Eliott Spitzer's great idea! Driver's licenses for illegals. Spitzer's other great idea taxpayers pay for medical care for illegals.

OCTOBER

Al Gore wins Nobel prize for what? Al Gore talks the talk. BCP walks the walk on Blog Action Day. Verizon spies on customers. Hillary drinks Spitzer's Kool Aid. Solar Decathlon, Bush again a no show. DREAM ACT defeated without me. Damn! New York Times still being dishonest. Is California burning? Again? Spitzer still stuck on stupid.

NOVEMBER

Writers strike begins. Hello You Tube. Record oil prices thanks day traders! Subprime meets Citibank. An election day warning. Norman Mailer dies. Bank of America profits down. I wonder why? Hillary's Jeff Gannon moment. Coming soon to a school district near you. Spitzer unclogs his ears and drops illegal drivers license plan. No surprise here. The big disconnect on illegal immigration explained. McCain plays the sympathy card at You Tube debate.

2007 Begins and ends with death.

I decided to spend some time this morning looking at some of my blog posts over the year and was struck that the year began and ended with deaths in the news. There is of course the death of Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto which is very much in the news. But, I also thought it interesting that one of my early blog post in January also concerned the deaths of some prominent people. There was Gerald Ford and some guy named Saddam Hussein who hanged remember him?

2007: A big story you might have missed. I did.

I am not sure how I missed this story but, being a sailor to me it is big news! 2007 was an historic year because the first transatlantic passage by solar power was achieved. It seems to have been covered by most of the major news organizations (at least online) but, I guess Brittany Spears probably got more air time. Anyway you can read about this historic crossing here and here and there are some great clips on You Tube also. This is big news! The kind of big news that the big oil companies want you to forget about as soon as possible.

Stupidos at the Zoo

CNN reports that the three youths who were attacked by the Siberian Tiger at the San Francisco Zoo may have been taunting the tiger.
"Sources close to the investigation told the San Francisco Chronicle that police are probing whether one of the Siberian tiger's three victims climbed over a fence Christmas Day and then dangled a leg or other body part over the moat. Police said Carlos Sousa, 17, of San Jose was killed just outside the tiger's enclosure. The two others, who were injured, were about 300 yards away by a cafe. "

If that's the case my sympathies lie with the Tiger on this one. But, of course that won't stop the families from filing a lawsuit. Good thing I won't be on that jury because I would never give a reward for stupidity. I'm also sick and tired of parents who try to place blame every else:


"The killed teen's father, Carlos Sousa, told CNN on Thursday that the zoo should do more to protect visitors. "

To which I say: How about you raise your children not to be so stupid as to taunt tigers in zoos!

Huckabee is just a huckster on illegal immigration enforcement

The Immigration Watchdog has the goods on both Mike Huckabee and his "plan" on dealing with illegal immigration and you know what? It is almost as bad as the amnesty plan that McCain, Kennedy and Bush tried to ram down our throats early this year. Listen and learn especially those good people voting in the Iowa Caucas:

In Mexico it's sex, drugs and death.

The Washington Post has an article on the Mexican music industry here are some of the money quotes:

"Sergio Gómez, 34, was the latest of a dozen pop musicians to have been killed in the past year in Mexico. Nearly every one of the slayings bore the hallmarks of the drug cartel hitmen blamed for 4,000 deaths in the country in the past two years."

"Among music industry insiders, Sergio Gómez's death and the previous killings are also forcing a quiet assessment of the influence drug trafficking kingpins wield over the business. It is common knowledge in Mexico's music industry, but not known to the general public, that drug cartels finance the careers of some budding musicians, then launder money through unregulated concert ticket sales, according to industry sources, musicians and law enforcement. "

Just as the drug gangs of Mexico help some of these Mexican muscians achieve fame they also help illegal immigrants cross our borders by giving them backpacks full of drugs to carry across the in exchange for coyotes to guide them into our country. Of course the mainstream media often ignores this little tidbit in their stories of illegal immigrants.

What would Jesus watch?

I spent Christmas Eve making a nice homemade cream of mushroom soup and watching Jesus Camp. A frightening but, humorous documentary about America's answer to the Muslim fanatics and as usual it ain't a pretty picture. The Jesus Jihadists are just as scary. It even includes a special appearance by Ted Haggard the former evangelical homosexual advisor to George Bush. I think even Jesus would be shaking his head after seeing the film. One thing is for sure this former Catholic will not be celebrating Christmas. I'll continue to celebrate the Halcyon Days and I welcome you to join me.

Teachers with political agendas

Erica Vieyra is a high school teacher with her own political agenda and her agenda is to show students how to break U.S. laws and encourage sympathy for those who do. Here is her lesson plan::
"Erica Vieyra told her 40 senior Spanish students at Olentangy Liberty High School. Fill out the correct documents, follow the proper steps. And then, after they spent days completing the actual paperwork from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, she took out her red ink pad and stamped a big, fat DENIED across every request.
Now, she told the students, come illegally. Forge your documents, find a way across the border. Then, research real ads and find a place to live in Columbus. Figure out what it would cost, how to get food. Plan how to survive.
The students had to go to real businesses and ask for Spanish-language job applications. They had to visit a bank and ask for new-account documents written in Spanish.
Vieyra promised them that the process -- even in make-believe -- would frustrate them."

What teachers like Vieyra FAIL to understand that coming into this country illegally is meant to frustrate people who want to break our laws. It is not suppose to be easy. BECAUSE IT IS ILLEGAL! If she wants to see real frustration have about five of her students role play Spanish speaking border patrol agents or ICE agents and have the rest of the class role play being illegal immigrants. Then let the student "border patrol" agents try and apprehend the "illegal immigrant" students wandering around the school. That would be a lesson in frustration. The Ohio school district where she is employed should fire this teacher immediately and tell her to take political agenda with her.

Two unbelizable taxi rides

My trip to Belize was a wonderful week away week away from TV, Internet and various other media. Just a week of being on a boat, snorkeling, swimming and staring. Along with a few beers (of course) and a rum punch or two at sunset. My trip to this corrupt though beautiful Central American country was bookended by taxi rides from and too the airport. On arrival as we drove toward Belize City I noticed some fellows fishing along a river. I asked the driver what they were fishing for. He scowled they were probably Mexicans who came across the border looking for work. Then said that the river use to be full of fish before they came in and fished it out. It seems immigration from Mexico is an issue on both sides of the Mexican border.

On the way to the airport I also had another moment that also tied into immigration. Our cab was stopped at a Police checkpoint where a Belizian Police officer sternly but, politely asked our taxi driver for his license as check. As the driver opened his wallet I noticed that he also had a California drivers license. Though I doubt anyone would check to make sure he was in California legally before he got it. As the saying on the front of the bar in the photo says "It's a sunny place for shady people".

Belize it or not. A place to follow the money

While I enjoy posting on this blog daily. There are times to take a break and this is one of those times. I will be heading to Belize where I will be spending a week on board a 47 foot sailing catamaran out of sight of the mainland and modern communications as much as possible. Please try to keep the country safe so that I have a country to come back to. In the meantime take a look at this site USAspending.gov. If you want to see where our money goes this may be the site to see. I like to spend more time looking at it but, I still have to pack. Be back in a week.

Another clueless WAPO editorial

As I mentioned a few days ago it did not take long for the elite liberal editorial writers at the Washington Post to show their clueless disdain for the will of the American people. Today's editorial was par for the course and also shows the WAPO liberal view and frustration in understanding the rising voices of the great "unwashed" American voters who have said enough is enough when it comes to allowing illegal immigrants to remain in this country after blatantly ignoring our laws. Their feeble attempt to make an illegal act of entering the United States appearing to be legal begins in the first paragraph:

"THE IDEA that 12 million illegal residents of the United States can be induced to quit the country en masse within four months...."


"Illegal residents"? I wonder if the Washington Post would have called the 9/11 hijackers terrorist "residents" and come out against any plan to make it uncomfortable for them to remain in the country. What about "resident" foreign drug dealers? Using the Washington Post logic they do provide a service (distributing drugs) for various communities and U.S. citizens. Having them leave the country would also cause a "disruption" in that part of the economy. The Post writers also ignore that many of the illegals coming across the U.S. Mexican border act as "mules" carrying backpacks full of drugs for the drug smugglers. Should we look the otherway on this illegal behavior too! As has often been said what part of the word "illegal" do the liberals in the editorial offices of the Washington Post not understand. Even the Post admits that the candidates are starting to get the message:

"Virtually all the presidential candidates now tip their hats to tougher enforcement of existing laws,..."

The editorial writers need to ask themselves why that is? It's called democracy stupidos! Perhaps if the elite editorial writers would get out of their offices and spend some time with the middle class taxpayers who have finally had enough of rising school taxes, social services costs and crime that comes along with a flood of illegal immigrants they may begin to understand the outrage of many middle class taxpayers and voters.

Fear, greed and tears

"The Federal Reserve cut a short-term interest rate yesterday to try to keep problems in the housing and mortgage markets from dragging the nation into recession, but Wall Street judged the move as too timid and financial markets tanked. "-Washington Post

Only on Wall Street can good news be looked on as bad news because greed seems to know no bounds. Meanwhile:

"The chief executives for two of the nation's dominant mortgage-finance companies traveled to Wall Street yesterday and delivered competing words of regret for having to take painful steps to shore up their businesses.
The two government-chartered firms recently cut the dividends they pay shareholders and borrowed billions of dollars of relatively costly capital to stay in compliance with regulatory requirements and ride out the turmoil in the housing market.
"We wanted to dilute the common shareholders like we wanted to shoot ourselves in the head with a gun," Richard F. Syron, Freddie Mac chairman and chief executive, told a gathering of investment analysts.
"I wanted to cut off both my arms, and both my legs, and my head and my kidney," Fannie Mae chief executive Daniel H. Mudd said later in the day. "

TRANSLATION: We felt bad all the way to our second homes.

Washington Post ignores the facts in a murder..

One notices that many mainstream media outlets in reporting on certain stories are leaving out important facts. Especially when it sheds a negative light on their editorial position. The latest violation of truth in reporting comes from the reporting of Theresa Vargas of the Washington Post concerning a triple murder. Nowhere in the Washington Post article on the murders does it mention that the alleged murderer is an illegal immigrant. A little fact that would no doubt reflects badly of the Post's sympathetic portrayal of illegal immigrants in our communities. To get the real hard facts you have to look to other more truthful reporting like that of Dan Genz of the Baltimore Examiner to get the truth:

"Illegal immigrant held in triple murder
Prince William County police said the suspect in a Woodbridge shooting that left three dead and two injured Sunday morning was an illegal immigrant. Anastacio Sanchez-Miranda, 39, of Dumfries was awaiting extradition from Pennsylvania to Northern Virginia to stand trial for the slayings. The two injured victims were in stable condition, Officer Erika Hernandez said Monday. "– Dan Genz

Is it any wonder why many are not trusting some of the reporting of the mainstream media these days.

Earmarks: Meet the new boss same as the old boss

"Even as House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer has joined in steps to clean up pork-barrel spending, the Maryland congressman has tucked $96 million worth of pet projects into next year's federal budget, including $450,000 for a campaign donor's foundation. "

It seems Democrat Hoyer is now one of the top ten earmark providers in Congress. So much for change now that the Democrats are in power. What kind of important projects is Hoyer funding with his ear marks?

"Consider the $450,000 that Hoyer inserted into a 2008 education spending bill for the California-based InTune Foundation Group, whose Web site describes it as a music-education nonprofit group.
In 2005, InTune got a previous earmark for nearly $500,000 to develop lesson plans on funk music and Nobel Peace laureates. Asked recently how effective that program had been, Education Department officials said they didn't know. InTune hadn't turned in a report on what it did, officials said. "

I think Leslie K. Paige of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste says it best: "Don't we deserve to know where this money is going and who these people are?"

The Santayana moment of the CIA and Congress

"WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department and the CIA's internal watchdog announced Saturday a joint inquiry into the spy agency's destruction of videotaped interrogations of two suspected terrorists as the latest scandal to rock U.S. intelligence gathered steam. "-Washington Post

It is with some amusement to see Washington all in a tizzy about the destruction of the waterboarding videos of the Central Intelligence agency. It seems everybody has forgotten the deeds of CIA employees Sidney Gottlieb and former CIA director Richard Helms who back in the seventies destroyed most of the documents of CIA brainwashing experiments of the MKULTRA, Bluebird and Artichoke programs. Helms even got the National Security Medal. Nothing ever really became of the destruction of these records. As the Grassley axiom states: "If you reward illegality you get more of it!" or perhaps in this latest case of CIA destroying records the outrage being expressed may be short lived as George Santayana said over one hundred years ago:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

Saving energy? Not in the Senate.

An article in today's Washington Post points out that the Senate is about to fold on the new energy bill. Here are the money quotes:

"Democratic leaders in the Senate are planning a vote on a retooled energy bill late next week after they failed to muster enough support yesterday to prevent a filibuster of ambitious legislation passed by the House on Thursday. "

"A new version of the bill will probably scale back some elements of the House's tax package and jettison a requirement that electric utilities use renewable energy for 15 percent of their power generation, but a White House veto threat citing a broad range of objections continued to cast uncertainty over the ultimate fate of the proposed legislation. "

Hmmm Why would anybody in this country not want our utilities to use even a small amount of renewable energy?

"The failure to close debate was a victory for the major oil companies, Southeastern utilities and coal-mining firms that had opposed the legislation. "

Doh! Forget I even asked the question.

I told you so.

To all my fellow taxpayers who took out loans and dutifully paid them back and continue to live within your means I say Hola suckers! As the Washington Post article today the Bush administration is set to announce a plan to bailout those sub prime loan borrowers and of course it involves some of your tax dollars. Here are some of the money quotes:

"The administration's plan appears to be winning support on both sides of the aisle. And perhaps as
importantly, it has backing from key private-sector players, including nonprofit groups, mortgage lenders
such as Countrywide Financial and big banks such as Citigroup. "

Imagine that! The banks and mortgage lenders that gave out these sub prime loans, the non profits that will get an influx of taxpayer money to help support it are all for the plan. Who would have thunk!

"In some ways it's worse than a taxpayer bailout," said John Berlau, director of the Center for
Entrepreneurship at the institute. "It pressures an industry to essentially alter the terms of millions of
contracts, and it's going to make investors think twice about investing in America again."

Not to mention that no one will take loan agreements seriously and those who invest in mortgage backed securities may no longer take the risk.

"Yesterday, lawmakers expressed concern over the accountability of nonprofit groups that would receive
public funds under the administration's plan. Some taxpayer money -- about $200 million -- would go to
nonprofit groups staffing a national credit-counseling hotline for troubled homeowners. Some
Republicans worried that about the expanding role of local housing authorities, which can be difficult to
police."

Yes, hola sucker taxpayers for less than a quarter of a billion of your taxpayer dollars your government will be giving this money to "non profit" organizations. Yeah, what could possibly go wrong with this idea. They are "non profit" but, that does not mean they will be non corrupt with our tax dollars. Stay tuned!

In Phoenix things are changing

"Under pressure from advocates for stricter immigration laws, the mayor of Phoenix said on Monday that he no longer backed a Police Department order barring officers from routinely asking the immigration status of people it arrested and announced a panel to study a policy change."- New York Times

It's heartening to see elected leaders realize that they were elected to represent the people. Especially a Democrat like Mayor Gordon.

"Mayor Phil Gordon discussing illegal immigration Monday.
A spokesman for Mayor Phil Gordon, Scott Phelps, said the policy was “written for another time” on the belief that the federal government “would fulfill all of its immigration responsibilities, and clearly that has changed.”

Yes, things have changed but, it is not because the Federal Government has not "fulfilled" their immigration responsibilities. That failure has been going on for years. It was the death of this man Phoenix Police Officer Nick Erfle who was killed two months ago by an illegal immigrant. It just a shame that it takes deaths of Police officers and innocent U.S. citizens before some politicians begin to take action to do something about illegal immigration.
Like the murders of the three college students in New Jersey earlier this year by illegal immigrants. Which like in Phoenix led to a change in policy of Police looking into the background of those stopped by the Police. It seems it takes deaths before our elected leaders get the message. That is to high a price to get the attention of our politicians.

Sub prime suckers!

As the Washington Post reports today the other shoe is about to drop on the sub prime loan debacle and as I predicted it is going to fall on us taxpayers. In a cryptic speech yesterday Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announced a "plan" to help bailout the sub prime loan borrowers and lenders. Details of which are supposed to be announce "later this week". Let's hope it is not in the dark of night here are some of the money quotes:

"Municipal housing authorities now offer mortgages at lower-than-average rates to credit-worthy, first-time buyers whose earnings are at or below the average household income levels, which vary by region. Cities and states can provide such advantageous loans because they sell tax-exempt bonds backing the mortgages to investors at lower rates, passing on the savings to homeowners. "

Translation: The loan risk will be slid off the banks portfolio and onto the taxpayers, Hola suckers taxpayers!

"The lack of details has made it hard to know how many homeowners the plan would help. In the past two years, about 2 million credit-challenged, or sub prime borrowers bought houses with mortgages that typically had interest rates of 7 to 8 percent. "

Credit challenged? What type of politically correct nonsense is this? The banks and lenders gave these loans out to these people. They are the ones responsible but, there is a slight of hand going on here and these "credit challenged" homeowners are about to become the problem of us taxpayers and not the lenders and banks who gave them the loans.

"Paulson's plan also faces a daunting task of figuring out who is eligible for mortgage relief, because many loans have little documentation of a homeowners income, said Douglas W. Elmendorf, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution"

You can just smell the lawsuits beginning from those who don't get relief. I'm not even going to go into the number of illegal immigrants who have gotten sub prime loans which is the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room that no one wants to talk about.

" Whatever plan Paulson presents, "they are going to need the nonprofit community," said Kenneth D. Wade, chief executive of NeighborWorks America, who spoke at the housing forum yesterday. "

Oh yeah this is a good one. Let the "non profits" run the show. You can see the corruption beginning. The banks will be off the hook and by the time anyone realizes how much money was ripped off from the taxpayers who are subsidizing this bailout it will be too late. Get ready to open your wallets sucker taxpayers!

Don Imus is back.

Don Imus will be back on the air today and all I can say it is about time. My only concern is how I will be able to listen to him here in D.C. At least when I am back on Long Island I can here him on WABC AM. Those who helped manufacture the outrage against Don Imus I hope are a little concerned. From weak kneed executives at NBC and CBS. Not to mention other hypocrites like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Keith Obermann and Al Roker who help lead the lynch mob to get Imus off the air. There should even be some Presidential candidates like Hillary Clinton who should be afraid, very afraid. I for one hope that Imus opens up a big can of "wup ass" on them all. They deserve it just as Imus deserves to be back on the air.

Bobby Van the man.

Bobby Van Velsor has died. He at one time owned the Booby Van's restaurant that was once a literary watering hole in Bridgehampton to the likes of Kurt Vonnegut, Truman Capote, Willie Morris and also the wealthy denizens of the area. He sold the restaurant back in the eighties and wanted to get back to his classical music career. At the time of his death he was driving a cab because he liked the flexible hours. Here is the money quote from the New York Times obit:
"In an interview with The New York Times in 1987, Mr. Van talked about his gradual disenchantment with the saloon business and his desire to reclaim a classical music career.
“I’m still not sure about what I want to do,” he said. “I know what I don’t want, and that’s to return to playing in cafe society. I don’t enjoy it. I don’t want to have to mix my music with that clamor and din. I don’t want to share the spotlight anymore with people eating and talking.”