Monday, June 26, 2006

Guard the Borders Blogburst

The following article is reprinted with permission via Minuteman HQ email.



An Update from the Minuteman Fence Project Manager


First, let me say thanks to the brave ranchers who are stepping up to put their lives on the line to stop the illegal invasion. They live and work within spitting distance of the Mexican border every day. These brave men and women are working side by side with Minutemen in this war zone they call home, allowing us to secure America.

Second, let’s be clear. Not every single mile of the border or every ranch or rancher is the same. The full-on Israeli-style Security Fence is our primary design and first choice for construction. However, when circumstances dictate adjustment to a Border Fence with barbed wire and a vehicle barrier or another design to meet local requirements, we will make the necessary adaptations—and keep building.



Our plan: Do the job until our government does its duty.




    * Announce the need for the Minuteman Border Fence.

    * Ask again that President Bush do his duty and secure the border.

    * Schedule a groundbreaking to get the Border Fence launched.

    * Begin raising the $55 million needed for 70 miles of fence in AZ.

    * Work with ranchers to design fence to meet specific private landsite requirements.

    * Get steel and contractors to manage the sites.

    * Register and vet fencing volunteers.

    * Build a Minuteman Fence Security Plan to patrol fencing.

    * Set up Volunteer Crews administration and crew management

    * Continue to build fence as fast as resources allow.

    * Start more sites in TX, CA and NM as donations and volunteer capacity permit.

    * Continue Border Watch and Fence Operations until the border is secure.



Click to view details of fence diagram.

Fence_Idea.jpg




A Comprehensive Design


Numerous fence design variations will be required to effectively deal with border crossings by illegal aliens, drug dealers and livestock. Derivation from the primary design is necessary to accommodate local ranchers’ specific terrain, topography, herds and other factors.

The important point to remember is that MCDC will not let Vincente Fox tell us or the US ranchers we are working with where or what we can build. No matter what the fence design, MCDC will erect a well-built fence—and fences work. We know they are effective, because we see the results; incursions reduced, and all of the opposition groups and open border supporters screaming to stop the fence.

1) Security Fence - Illegal alien crossing design: A physical barrier capable of stopping people and vehicles has been designed to fit the general terrain. It is also a daunting psychological deterrent that cuts illegal crossings by 95% or more. The security fence will not be easy to compromise by climbing over with a ladder, cannot be cut with wire cutters, breached by ramming with a vehicle, or tunneling under undetected. While no fence can be a 100% impenetrable barrier—the Minuteman Border Fence is an excellent design and will prove time-consuming enough that Border Patrol agents can be alerted and respond before the incursion can be completed.

Our fence plan will keep costs near $150 per foot.

2) Border Fence – Halting drug dealers, illegal aliens and livestock: This style of fence is necessary where full Security Fencing cannot be installed. A physical barrier with a 5 wire barbed wire fence 5' 6" high, a vehicle barrier with a horizontal steel barrier in 12’ sections welded to steel post 30” high and razor wire on the ground between the wire fence and the vehicle barrier. This barrier will stop vehicles and cattle and slow down illegal aliens.

This design similar to Border Patrol designs is intended to accomplish the following: Mexican drugs are coming across the border in vehicles and on the backs of mules. The steel barrier stops drug vehicles and is high enough to stop mules from walking over and low enough to keep them from going under. The barbed wire fence keeps Mexican livestock in Mexico. Thousands of diseased Mexican cattle are presently allowed to walk freely into the US unchecked, and MCDC is working with our ranchers to stop the spread of disease. This design is cheaper and faster to erect where urgent conditions warrant, especially in cases of diseased cattle incursions.

Schedule Facts:

April 20, 2006 – Chris Simcox announces the Minuteman Border Fence is to be built if President Bush does not send armed troops to secure the US – Mexico border by Memorial Day 2006.



May 27, 2006
- Successful groundbreaking was held in Arizona on Memorial Day weekend. First 2.5 miles of 10 miles of Border Fence erected. Continue fence fundraising through direct mail, email, national radio affiliates and national speaking tours.



May 27 to June 30
– Finished the first 2.5 mile section of fence, applied for permission on next 7.5 miles, repaired vandalized fence, ordered steel, finalized fence design/civil engineering specifications, retained two local Arizona contractors who hire legally, started vetting volunteers for work crews, completed volunteer delivery of donated construction truck, continue next 7.5 miles, acquire vehicle barrier steel, install vehicle barrier, test/install fence camera technology, plan and implement 24x7 fence security.



June 27
- Second site layout to be finished.



July 6-15
– Security Fence at second location starts.

Peter Kunz

Project Manager

MinutemanHQ.com

Minuteman Border Fence

******************




MINUTEMEN CONTINUE BUILDING BORDER FENCE


A Successful Start on a Security Fence

The successful groundbreaking was held in Arizona on Memorial Day weekend, as President Bush refused to immediately deploy National Guard and reserve troops to secure America’s out-of-control southern border with Mexico.

Hundreds of volunteers—along with Minuteman Founder Chris Simcox, Ambassador Alan Keyes, Congressman Steve King, AZ gubernatorial candidate Don Goldwater, WeNeedAFence.com founder Colin Hanna and AZ Congressional candidate Randy Graf—dug holes, mixed concrete, put up fencing while opposition groups jeered and skeptics said it could not be done. Now MCDC continues with dedicated volunteers, engineers and contractors using LEGAL crews to work with local Arizona land owners in building mile after mile of border security fencing on private land along the border with Mexico. The first site is 10 miles long and the first 2.5 miles of Minuteman Border Fence already has been completed.

How can You Help?

Build the Minuteman Border Fence by sending donations and volunteering to participate in making the US border secure.

Donate to Build the Minuteman Border Fence


VOLUNTEER to Build the Minuteman Border Fence

Sign up as a volunteer and get access to the “Minutemen Border Cams” an active web based surveillance link on the fencing project. The Minuteman Border Fence is placing cameras which will be monitored via computer over the Internet by registered Minutemen across the country, so that Minuteman volunteers can observe and report illegal crossings from the computer in their living rooms 24/7.



The Border Fence is already making a difference.


Local reports indicate that drug and human trafficking has already been reduced. There are fewer vehicles in the area where the fence is under construction—proving again that having a presence and taking positive steps to do SOMETHING to secure the border reduces the flow of illegal aliens, potential terrorists, drug and human traffickers, murderers, rapists and thieves in these areas.



More than 1,500 have volunteered to build the fence.


Planning and organization continues as volunteers, materials and contractors are being coordinated in an unprecedented alliance with over 1,500 Minuteman Border Fence volunteers. In the true spirit of the Minutemen of the American Revolution these patriots have joined together to form an army of volunteers to secure our borders and protect America’s sovereignty, security and prosperity.

“The undertaking is monumental and historic” says Chris Simcox.

MCDC is beginning construction of the Israeli-style border security fence at a second ranch location in early July and later throughout the year in TX, CA and NM as more resources are marshaled. Two fencing companies that hire legally have been retained to run the jobs sites and coordinate volunteer construction crews as Minutemen volunteers are scheduled to provide labor and security. Crews of four to ten volunteers under the guidance of professional fence installers can install as much as 3 miles of fence in a week.

The nay-sayers are wrong. The reality is the Minutemen are here to stay, and this mission will be completed. In April of 2005, over 800 volunteer men and women took action to secure the border. This year there are more than 200,000 Minuteman Civil Defense Corps activists not only guarding the border but building fence, faxing our elected representatives, making phone calls, voting open border politicians out of office, starting local chapters and contributing their time, money and expertise. MCDC is an explosive grassroots effort enjoying the energetic support of political Democrats, Republicans and Independents—all American patriots who have earned the trust of the public by keeping our word to remain vigilant until our borders are secure.

The fencing will be built on private land with privately donated funds, engineering and labor. Its construction at every step will serve as an example to educate the public about the feasibility and efficacy of fencing to secure America’s borders from illegal invasion by aliens and international criminal cartels. An IRS-authorized charitable non-profit organization is facilitating, administering and reporting tax-deductible donations specifically and solely for construction of this Minuteman Border Fence project. Monetary and in-kind contributions for this effort will go directly into meeting hard costs such as building materials for this private fencing operation.

We have a monumental challenge ahead to raise $55 million. We urgently need your help for this effort to succeed. With your help MCDC can make America more secure by continuing to urge citizen volunteers to support the Minuteman Border Fence.

Be sure to send this to EVERYONE you know who wants to help STOP illegal aliens at the border! Thank you!



Donate to Build the Minuteman Border Fence




VOLUNTEER to Build the Minuteman Border Fence



Go www.minutemanborderfence.com and join with us TODAY .

Sincerely for America,

Chris Simcox, President

Minuteman Civil Defense Corps

_________________________________


This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our Blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.



Tags = Immigration

Friday, June 23, 2006

And I Thought My Voice Was Ghastly!

I just heard the Connie Chung "musical" rendition of the Bob Hope classic "Thanks for the Memories". Michelle Malkin has the video.

I'm going to tell my kids - if you ever joke about my voice again, I'm going to play the video - over and over and over. Loud.

Like my mother, I like to sing. All through my childhood, I'd hear her singing the songs of her youth - WWII love songs, Andrews Sisters classics, silly nonsense songs. She sang with gusto, if not any special talent, but she could basically carry a tune.

I have, if anything, less talent. More than some of the hapless American Idol hopefuls, but nothing anyone would ever pay me for. Except maybe to shut up.

But, Chung's singing goes way beyond that. It approaches the exalted level of William Hung's "She Bangs" performance. (hmmmm...they're both ethnically Asian. Is it possible that there's a genetic link to being tone-deaf?)

I don't know why Maury Povich didn't level with his wife. Maybe he truly has the dreadful taste he exhibits in his show's topics. Maybe he hears her through love-deafened ears.

Maybe he needs a hearing aid.

Whatever. Apparently leaving with a shred of tattered dignity is beyond either of them.

Tags = Stupid People

Touched by an Angel

A funny thing happened on the way home from Winthrop University, in Rock Hill, SC.

I was tired (asthma challenges made me lose sleep last week), and I was mulling about my husband's situation. He's had a tough year; he's had some strange physical symptoms that took an inordinate amount of time to resolve. Work - well, let's just say that he can't retire until next February. So, our living-apart situation will continue until then. All of which combined to a very low emotional state for him.

As a result, he's been distractible and unfocused. I've been truly more than a little worried about him. He's the only husband (past or present) I've got.

As I drove, I started talking to God, asking him to take care of my family, with a special emphasis on the hubby. I began to feel a little better - it does lighten the load to give some of it to God.

Just then, a dove flew by, right in front of my car. Not close enough to worry about hitting it, just close enough for it to get my attention.



Did I mention that Touched by an Angel was my husband's favorite show?

Tags = Personal

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

Some Housekeeping Issues

I've begun posting again, at least 3 times a week. Unfortunately, my schedule and my access to the Internet right now makes it unlikely I'll be able to update more often at present. July should be better.

I'm out of town, and rather busy. I generally don't get to see the news in the evening. So, catching up online is the only way I have to know what's going on.

I'm giving in to a frivolous impulse - I've decided to join some other participants in an evening at a Mexican restaurant. I'm probably going to indulge in either beer or Margaritas as well, so expect tomorrow to be a non-posting day. In the afternoon, I'll be leaving to drive home.

And, this is the sacred Watermelon Festival week, so there will likely be more wild times. Well, at least a little giddy.

If you're in the SC area, do stop by.



Tags = Blogging
've been only seeing TV sporadically over the last week, and haven't spent too much time on the Web, so I hadn't seen this clip from Curmudgeonly & Skeptical. All I can say is:

WOW!

BTW, the outraged woman is E.D. Hill, who is on Fox & Friends. I've never seen her before, but I REALLY like her passionate defense of the troops. You can read her on the Fox blog.

If the MSM wants to know why we're watching and reading less, consider that NO prime-time journalist, nor major paper had the guts to state the truth plainly like E.D. does.

Tags = News & Media

Watching MSM

I watched C-Span yesterday afternoon. Boy, those guys look old and fashion-challenged.

I watched this vote:
Adopted:
By 64 yeas to 34 nays (Vote No. 177), McConnell Modified Amendment No. 4272, to affirm the Iraqi Government position of no amnesty for terrorists who have attacked U.S. forces.
From the votes I saw, it looked like the Democrats were going to try to make up the ground lost by their votes on pulling out of Iraq.

Tags = Politics

Saturday, June 17, 2006

What is America?

WARNING!

This post may be long; it may ramble a bit. If you can't abide that, move on. Nothing to see here.

For the rest of you, have patience. I've been on the road a lot in the last 2 weeks; I'm more than a little tired.

But, I've been reading blogs for the last few hours, and a few things have begun to crystallize (nice science reference, isn't it? Amazing how many of the concepts have crept into common thought).

I was reading Right Wing Nut House's homage to the US flag. A classic, BTW - you should read it, if you haven't. A long excerpt (read the full post, please):
What is it about the flag that brings to the surface such overpowering emotion and devotion? Grown men weep at its passing. And thank God there are still men and women willing to die protecting what it represents. But as a symbol, why does it take up such a large corner of our hearts?

There are so few things that actually unite Americans in a traditional sense that make us a nation. Other countries have hundreds even thousands of years of cultural touchstones and myth that are almost hard wired into their brains to make them a “nation.” The United States on the other hand, is too young for myth making. Instant legends like Davey Crockett or George Custer exist alongside their more unattractive and definitely human historical selves, taking the luster off some of their accomplishments. And other symbols of nationhood found elsewhere like castles or palaces or ancient battlefields are absent here.

For Americans, it is in the flag that we infuse all of our feelings of love and respect for country, for home, for each other. Each of us are reminded of something different as the flag passes. This is what makes it a personal icon, a talisman to be touched and stroked so that the longing in our hearts to belong to something greater than ourselves is fulfilled. The flag is home. And no matter where home might be, we, the most mobile of modern societies, carrying that feeling of home with us in our travels, see the flag as an anchor, a permanent standard representing all the good and decent things in ourselves and our country.
Yeah, that's how I feel. Think about it - what is it that makes us Americans?

We originate from different continents, different cultural, social, educational, religious, and ethnic backgrounds. Many of us never master the common language well enough to communicate above the most basic level with our fellow residents.

So what melds us together?

Choice.

We choose to be Americans. Oh, I can hear the protests now - what about the native-born who get the free pass?

What about them? Generations of parents knew what their children had been granted by the sheerest luck of birthplace, and worked very hard to teach them about their precious heritage. About their rights and responsibilities. About the men and women who sacrificed everything - as the Declaration says in the last sentence, "for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."

Many of the signers did, in fact, lose everything. But they gained a nation.

Schools used to teach Civics. I remember it as a largely boring class, filled with factoids to memorize. But, I also remember one special day.

Our teacher read something. It was short, which surprised me. I expected it to be as long and tedious as the Constitution we'd been picking about and analyzing.
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Regular guys wrote that. True, they were a fairly influential bunch, but not a hereditary noble or ruler in the group.

They said, We get to direct our destiny. We get to decide our future. We get to make the rules.

Ideally, everybody gets a say. The group who can persuade the greatest number of the rightness of his view wins. The losing side has to suck it up, and abide by that decision. No IEDs in the road. No beheadings. No blowing things up 'cause you're mad you lost.

Does it work like that always? No. But, even if you suspect sneaky dealings, as an American, you're expected to shake hands, smile like you mean it, and walk away. It's OK if you carp over beers later, and spend the time until the next election plotting to take all the marbles. Hey, at worst, there's another election down the road in another 2-6 years. The winning team can find themselves on the outside next time - it happens all the time.

Not so in other countries. Once in power, they start torturing, jailing, and killing their opponents. Dictators can linger on for years (it has to be incredibly good for longetivity - some of these guys are in power for half a century or more).

What makes us Americans is that we chose to play by the rules set up under the Constitution. Those rules, symbolized by the flag, guarantee us a CHANCE at the brass ring. It's not a guarantee that we'll win - it's a guarantee that we can try. Without fear of being tossed in jail.

As Americans, we honor that way of passing the torch. Heck, we even enshrine it in cheesy shows like Survivor and American Idol. When the contestants lose, they don't direct their supporters to rush in with guns. They (generally) smile graciously and walk away. Some of them even end up being bigger successes than the winners.

It's the American Way. And it's symbolized by a flag that got shot the hell out of. A flag that was flown by men who wouldn't give up. A flag that represents the best of us. A flag that deserves NOT to be burned.

You know, it's ultimately dangerous to allow protestors to burn the flag. It's a gesture that is misunderstood by virtually all the rest of the world, who takes our protection of "free expression" as weakness. It makes terrorists think that if they just blow up a few more buildings (and people), make mocking videos of beheadings, and rant hysterically for the MSM, they will win.

Not a chance, mind you. Millions of Americans would use their 2nd Amendment rights to blow them away before they'd let them take away our freedoms.

But it makes his job much tougher.



And hers.



Well, I warned you I was going to ramble. But, if you read this far, think about being an American. It's a wonderful thing.

Now, think about being an Iraqi. They didn't have it so good. Thanks in part to us, they have a chance now for a better future. There's no guarantee, mind. And if we don't help them weed out the folks that want to use armed force to prevent democracy from blossoming, they may never know the sweetness of freedom. It's not a paradise on Earth in Iraq. It's hot, down at the heels, and, often dangerous. But the Iraqi armed forces are getting better. Many of them are relative rookies. Hey, the really experienced police and soldiers were Hussein's homeys - I can't say I want them walking around with guns.

So, I think they've earned the right to try to build a nation. One that isn't run by the few, for the few. They sure stepped up to the plate in January 2005.



Wouldn't it be great if the idea of self-determination spreads around the world? If we were no longer the only game in town? It's hard-wired into us, I think. I'm thinking about little kids - probably the first sentence they utter is "me do, me do". They like being in charge of their environment. So, too, will the rest of the humans on the planet.

Let's give them a chance.

Tags = Culture

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

The Difference between Two Unusual Cultures

Some are calling those of us who push back against fanatic Islamicists as "intolerant". What is so bad about welcoming Muslim culture into our country?

Well, I can give the short answer. I can give the example of two cultures, both with women wearing clothing I would not want to wear.



and



[I changed the Amish picture when I tried it on another computer, and it wouldn't display]

The first picture is the MANDATED attire of all who live in a culture dominated by Islamicists. There are no exceptions for those, like myself, who practice another religion.

The second picture is of a group of women living in a culture that has also has rules about the proper attire of women, whose attire is not that of Western culture.

The difference is that the second culture, the Amish, can live peacefully side-by-side with those who don't follow their religion. They maintain their culture without feeling the need to force all in their vicinity to follow their practices, upon pain of beatings or jail (or death).

I've lived in communities with Amish members. No problems. They have their ways, I have mine.

That sort of laissez-faire approach is anathema to the Islamicists. It's their way, or suffer the extreme consequences.

Tags = Culture

Guard the Borders Hiatus

Just checked my email, and found that Euphoric Reality is temporarily declaring a 2-week hiatus for the Blogburst.

Hmmm. Guess that means I better get busy, and do my own posting. I'll be back again later today or early tomorrow. Meanwhile, check out Dhimmi Watch. There's some interesting information about what it would be like to live in a Sharia state. Not MY idea of heaven.



Tags = Immigration

Monday, June 05, 2006

Guard the Borders Blogburst

Foreword by Heidi at Euphoric Reality
From Spanish-speaking illegal workers, to angry tenured professors and arrogant politicians, we are hearing more and more tenets and demands from a movement called Reconquista. The movement, once dismissed as extreme racist rhetoric, has rapidly gained traction and momentum among millions of ill-educated illegal aliens and well-established Mexicans alike. Reconquista gives voice to the angry demands of present-day Mexicans who mistakenly think they have indigenous rights to the land of the Southwestern United States - which they claim was “stolen” by an imperialist American government. The centerpiece of their agenda is the mythical Aztlan.
In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal “gringo” invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of Aztlan from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of their birth and consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declare that the call of our blood is our power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny.
“From whence came our forefathers…?” Nothing could be further from the truth - not that the facts matter much in their efforts to further “La Raza” - or The Race. Using racially-charged arguments to batter at the traditional guilt mentality of Americans, proponents of Aztlan aim to “reconquer” the Southwestern United States as their due. Apparently, they fail to understand that the tribes of present-day Mexico never inhabited the Southwest U.S., nor for the most part did Mexicans themselves - it was mostly open land [frontier] except for northern Native Americans (as you will see below).
A manifest destiny has been embraced by many within mainstreamed advocacy groups in America such as La Raza, LULAC, and most commonly MECHa, the radical student organization which has specifically embraced the tenets of Atzlan. “Por La Raza todo, Fuera de La Raza nada,” is translated as “For the Race, everything, for those outside of the Race, nothing.” Though that singular statement seems to sum up the demands of today’s angry illegal Mexican aliens, there is much more to their Plan to restore Aztlan:
Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans. We do not recognize capricious frontiers on the bronze continent
Love for our brothers makes us a people whose time has come and who struggles against the foreigner “gabacho” who exploits our riches and destroys our culture … Economic control of our lives and our communities can only come about by driving the exploiter out of our communities, our pueblos, and our lands and by controlling and developing our own talents, sweat, and resources.
Education must be relative to our people, i.e., history, culture, bilingual education, contributions, etc.
Self-defense of the community must rely on the combined strength of the people … For the very young there will no longer be acts of juvenile delinquency, but revolutionary acts.
A nation autonomous and free - culturally, socially, economically, and politically- will make its own decisions on the usage of our lands, the taxation of our goods, the utilization of our bodies for war, the determination of justice (reward and punishment), and the profit of our sweat.
So there is a Plan for Reconquista. But do these emotional and racial claims have any historical basis?
Clearing Up A Misconception About Reconquista
by Loma Alta
Introduction.
Spain conquered what was to become modern Mexico and part of the southwestern United States in 1521. Spanish rule lasted 300 years until 1821 when Mexico gained independence. Mexico ruled what is now part of the southwestern United States for a very, very short time. Mexico ruled Texas from 1821 until 1836, some 16 years. Mexico ruled California from 1821 until 1846, 26 years. Mexico ruled most of New Mexico from 1821 until 1848, 28 years, and the southern most portions of Arizona and New Mexico until purchased by the United States in 1853, 33 years. The United States began ownership of these territories in 1845 (Texas), 1846 (California), and 1848-1853 (New Mexico and Arizona). Thus the United States has owned this land since 1845-1853, 153-162 years.
The ownership has thus been: Spanish 1521-1821 or 300 years; Mexican 1821-36 to 1853 or 16 to 33 years; and American 1845-1853 or 154 to 162 years. Almost all development and modernization came under United States ownership. Please see Spain, Mexico, Texas, California, and New Mexico-Arizona for more details.
Comparison of Ownership Time and Development.
Spain owned the area for 300 years and operated it as a colony. The central area, and most developed part was around Mexico City with much of the current southwestern United States being the frontier, relatively undeveloped, and subject to Indian raids and predations. The situation was much the same in the very, very short period, 16-33 years, of Mexican ownership. With the United States ownership, 154 to 162 years, beginning as territories, exploration and development proceeded rapidly and modern civilization came with, or shortly after, statehood.
The Absurdity of Reconquista.
Whether by time of ownership or degree of development and civilization, Mexico had virtually no temporal or civil weight of authority in the southwestern United States. Mexico never really established military or civil control over the area and it was never really a normal part of Mexico, but was always the frontier with vast expanses of nearly unexplored and lightly inhabited regions far from Mexican rule and authority. So tenuous, unpopular, and corrupt was Mexico’s presence and claim to the areas, and the Mexican government so hated by American and Mexican pioneers alike, that they only lasted from 16 to 33 years.
Thus, Reconquista is another myth, promulgated for racist reasons (it is the spawn of Mexican supremacist groups such as La Raza - literally “the Race”) much as the Germans’ “Lebensraum”, or living space, was for the master race. And, Reconquista is equally racist and equally the deranged product of irrational hate groups.
Therefore, we can dismiss the concept of “Reconquista” as a racist, hate group concept that has no place in America, or in any other just and tolerant society or country. There is no need to give any credence whatsoever to the false and meritless claims of any moral attachment to territory by radical, racist groups. They are as phony as last year’s bird’s nest.
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This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

Tags = Immigration

Friday, June 02, 2006

So Young, So Wrong

I had just about given up hope of sighting the rare bird, the Politicus Derangus", when, in a moment, he swooped into my sights (binocular, not rifle - what kind of a girl do you think I am?):
We were force-fed the ideology that there is no alternative to the existing model of neoliberalism and corporate- controlled globalization. If we tried to suggest that we could play a role in molding our own destinies, we were laughed at. What's best for business is what's best for the world, we were told, and if you disagree with the bosses, too bad, because no one's going to listen.

All you can do is face this cold reality, get a good job, and try to keep as warm as possible within the confines of your isolated, insulated home.

Idealism died in this country because the doctrine of "There Is No Alternative" killed it. We don't dream of utopia anymore. So it's no wonder that our parents, not us, are showing up to protest the war in Iraq. They believe in the power of social movements because they saw the civil rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement shape history before their very eyes.

I grew up with the belief that the only people who had real power were CEOs. When you grow up in an age of tax cuts for corporate bosses and slashed social programs, this is what happens.
R-i-i-i-i-g-h-t. The Edulefties that hold the public schools by the short hairs weren't able to overcome the dreaded Right-Wing Propaganda Machine's heavy hands.

But, hey, Sam Graham-Felsen isn't a humorless, self-sacrificing drudge. He has a hedonistic side:
I own a $400, 15-gigabyte iPod. This sounds bad enough, but worse yet, I purchased it after owning a five-gigabyte iPod for only six months. I am, admittedly, a gadget addict. I am one of those guys who actually reads the Circuit City ads in the Sunday paper before getting to the op-eds. If you look at my Internet history, you’ll see endless links to amazon.com, where I look daily to see if the price of the Canon GL2 digital video camera has gone down yet. It’s pathetic, but I can’t help it.

At this point, you might be questioning my apologist tone. After all, plenty of people own iPods, and plenty of people love gadgets. Well, I’m apologizing because I am a leftist, because I believe in redistribution of wealth, because I am philosophically opposed to hedonism at the expense of those who are hungry. And yet, I still buy gadgets, I still have a cool, small cell phone and I still eat at Darwin’s and High Rise for lunch. Everyone who knows me thinks I am a hypocrite. And I most certainly am. In fact, every leftist—with the possible exception of Ralph Nader (who doesn’t even own a car)—is, on some level, a hypocrite.
No, Goodcitizen Nader doesn't own a car, but he isn't a modern-day Ghandi. He has an extimated net worth of nearly $4 million, according to Enter Stage Right, who found Nader's financial worth thanks to a Public Financial Disclosure Report under the Ethics in Government Act with the Federal Election Commission.

Back to Mr. Graham-Nelsen. He is a graduate of Harvard, and a few years ago, even embraced the capitalist ideal, and opened his own business - tutoring the children of the evil capitalist class. At least, I think they were capitalists - Sam charged $85/hour for his services.



Look at that face - is that someone who would overthrow the system, or what?

Tags = Stupid People

Post-Holiday Catch-Up

I've been enjoying my summer vacation so far; even had time enough to catch up on politics. For example:

  • The Duke Lacrosse Team status - it seems that the push to purchase the rope and build the scaffold has diminished. Cooler heads are prevailing, and it's likely that the whole thing will peter out.

    But, they're not off the hook. There is always the possibility that the alleged victim will file suit in civil court. And with the looser rules of evidence, and the elimination of need for a unanimous verdict, she could win. Or, at least, get a lot of cash in a negotiated settlement.

    Who wants to bet on the likelihood?

  • From Fox News:
    The state plans to install security cameras with night vision along some of the most isolated and dangerous stretches of the Texas-Mexico border to monitor illegal immigration and drug trafficking, Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday.

    The $5 million project will send the images to state, local and federal authorities, Perry said. The images also will be posted on the Internet in real time, and if citizens see a crime, they can call an 800 number to report it.

    "I look at this as not different from the neighborhood watches we have had in our communities for years and years," Perry said.
    This activity could be a sleeper - I'm guessing that these will be some of the most watched webcams on the Net. It will also provide fodder for those of us who want the borders more closely guarded.

  • Further evidence that the left is math-challenged:
    Most people don't know that the New Deal excluded many people of color from Social Security because until the 1950s, those laws excluded domestic and agricultural workers, the occupations of most workers of color. The parents and grandparents of some African Americans and Latinos in the labor market today missed out on Social Security benefits. As a result, many in the younger generations are supporting their elders instead of saving for their own retirement.
    Uhm, if the person is today in their 90's, that means that they were in their 40's in 1950. That left them at least 20 years to qualify for Social Security, even in their old job. According to the Official Security Website,
    Anyone born in 1929 or later needs 10 years of work (40 credits) to be eligible for retirement benefits. People born before 1929 need fewer years of work.
    There's no reason anyone who worked shouldn't qualify. Oh, unless they were in prison during those qualifying years. But that's not the fault of the SS system.

  • In other lunacy from the left,
    Since welfare reform went into effect in 1997, childcare and transportation assistance have been much more likely to go to white welfare leavers; unpaid ³workfare² has been far more common for welfare leavers of color.
    Could that be because the "white welfare leavers" qualify for the childcare and transportation assistance because they have a JOB? "Workfare" is intended for those welfare recipients that don't manage to get a job. Not racial. Related to the difference of outcome. Earth to Left: Black welfare leavers who get a job qualify for those incentives, too.

    These last two links were from a post written by Betsy Leondar-Wright, Communications Director at United for a Fair Economy, co-authored UFE's new book, The Color of Wealth: The Story Behind the US Racial Wealth Divide (New Press, 2006). Perhaps she needs to take a course in basic economics. I did, long ago. Mind you, I got a C, but I did learn that there is no Magic Money Federal Dollar Tree. Other than that, I learned that it's a good thing economists don't teach teens about sex, or no one would stay awake long enough to learn how to reproduce.


Tags = News and Politics

Lies of the Left

This COULD be a lengthy post. But, I'll try to winnow it down to a reasonable length. The CA Parent Bribery 'Scandal' - the 1...