Thursday, November 30, 2006

Like James Brown...

I FEEL GOOD!

I had the best sleep I've had in a month. I woke up really, really refreshed.

Ate a healthy breakfast. Stretched.

It's a miracle - I can move!

OK, not like James Brown, but still...

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Gifts Ideas for Elders

Time Goes By came out with a worthwhile post, giving gift suggestions for those who have an Elder on their list. It's filled with ideas that are useful, for all price ranges, and most of which, I would enjoy having myself (expecially that Netflixz subscription).

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Another Great Book!

I finished America Alone late last night. This morning, I made the mistake of starting another:

The Rage and the Pride
The Rage and the Pride



Why was that a mistake? Is it a bad book?

No. It's just that I have to create 2 mid-term tests and 2 study guides this week, and I really don't have the time. But, I just can't put it down.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Stop! Buy This Book!

I came home after the Thanksgiving holiday to find my books had arrived. I immediately started with the Mark Steyn book,

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It



If you don't own this book, buy it. I'm not kidding - right now. If you DO own it, why are you reading this when you could be reading this?

America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It
America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Update on the Taser Incident

From Hot Air site, via of Spades comes a link to a student who gives some background information on UCLA policies.



As a current UCLA student and one who has been involved with this university for over 8 years now, I can tell you the late-night ID
checks in Powell are neither random nor unprecedented. I’ve had this happen many times through the years. The CSOs come by (CSO = enrolled student, not cop, who has a radio and pepper spray and the authority to do not a lot more than ask you to comply with university regulations or state, local, and federal laws, then use aforementioned radio to call in someone to enforce your compliance if/when you refuse) and announce in a loud voice that they’ll be checking IDs and that anyone not possessing a Bruin Card will be asked to leave. This is a well-known policy. It is a posted policy. It is also a policy that I have observed being enforced every night I’ve been in the library after hours on every student present without regard to sex, color, manner of dress, or size of latte consumed. When you don’t have a Bruin Card, you’re asked to leave. If you don’t leave, you’re told the cops will come. If you still don’t leave, the cops are called.
So, apparently, the CSOs (yes, they ARE students) were the first officials involved in the incident. After the individual refused to comply, the regular cops were called, who then applied the taser. As the link states, what is NOT seen on the video is what caused the student to start screaming to not touch him. Did he resist leaving? Was his resistance physical as well as vocal? The video doesn't show that. I'm hoping the investigation brings out ALL the facts in the case.

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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

I Have Only 1 Complaint...

...why didn't you write this about a month before the election?

But, even late, Villainous Company is a marvel. She reaches back to 2003, and lays out, AGAIN, the plan for Iraq, which the Democrats agreed to, as did the majority of the country.

The Web is an amazing thing. 10 years ago, this wouldn't have happened. The opposing parties would have been free to re-construct history, without interference. The major papers and TV stations would have been free to spin their stories without fear of contradiction.

Today, we, the people, can go into the Wayback Machine, and check out history's trail for ourselves. Just the other day, I found a link to the Pentagon Papers - remember them? They were the smoking gun that PROVED that the president LIED, LIED, LIED.

Or did they? The following is from the Wall Street Journal
Journalist Edward Jay Epstein has shown that in crucial respects, the Times coverage was at odds with what the documents actually said. The lead of the Times story was that in 1964 the Johnson administration reached a consensus to bomb North Vietnam at a time when the president was publicly saying that he would not bomb the north. In fact, the Pentagon papers actually said that, in 1964, the White House had rejected the idea of bombing the north. The Times went on to assert that American forces had deliberately provoked the alleged attacks on its ships in the Gulf of Tonkin to justify a congressional resolution supporting our war efforts. In fact, the Pentagon papers said the opposite: there was no evidence that we had provoked whatever attacks may have occurred.

In short, a key newspaper said that politicians had manipulated us into a war by means of deception. This claim, wrong as it was, was part of a chain of reporting and editorializing that helped convince upper-middle-class Americans that the government could not be trusted.
We bloggers have an opportunity that has not existed before this time - the ability to fact-check with no cost except our time. Unlike amateur pundits of previous eras, we have powers that have the ability to transform our society. We can take the long-held Liberal Dream of "Power to the People", and USE IT.

The newspapers are dying. The TV Empire isn't very far behind. They only hang on now by their toenails, pushing shlock shows, trash TV, and gossip.

As they used to say on The X-Files - "the truth is out there" - so, what are you waiting for?

Go get it.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Guard the Borders Blogburst

By Heidi at Euphoric Reality

Last week, two Muslim leaders in Boston were arrested for immigration fraud - illegally filing fraudulent visa documents and obtaining religious workers' visas. The arrests were the culmination of a multi-year investigation in Boston and New York:
The ICE agents arrested Hannan Wednesday along with 32 other people in eight states and the District of Columbia in connection with an alleged nationwide scheme to help many foreigners, mostly from Pakistan, immigrate and remain in the U.S. by filing false applications for religious workers' visas. Most of those taken into custody did not have religious training or experience to qualify for the visas, and held secular jobs here in the U.S., such as working at gas stations and factories or driving trucks, according to the ICE. Others were religious workers but had used fraudulent identity documents to get their visas, the agency said.

The agency claims the petitioners of the visas took substantial cash fees from the foreigners for the false paperwork filed on their behalf.
Despite the fact that the imams were not arrested precipitously, but only after a multi-year investigation, they have an excuse ready:
"All it is is a minor administrative technicality error" in his immigration paperwork, said Vilal Kaleem, associate director of the American Muslim Society's Boston chapter. "It's completely disgraceful in the manner they dealt with it," he said of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

[...]

Kaleem said Hannan was driving his family to an immigration office for an interview for the green-card proceedings on Wednesday when the federal agents arrested him. Hannan's son and daughter were crying following the arrest, Kaleem said.
So, so sad. My heart breaks.

Meanwhile, the Muslim community in Boston is doing what Muslims do best: seething.
Muslim leaders in the Boston area expressed outrage yesterday over the arrest and jailing of two senior clerics..."It's just so flabbergasting the way they would do this" ..."This seems to be a direct attack at our religion and community"..."it is deeply humiliating when a man of such high religious status in our community is treated as a criminal in front of the world"..."Why do you just arrest some respected members of the community and haul them away?"..."People are attached to the imam. They will be very upset. Everyone loves him."
Oddly enough, it is apparently not humiliating for "a man of such high religious status" to act as a criminal. Because though our government rarely enforces it, it is still technically illegal to break our immigration laws. Unfortunately, when it comes to our immigration law, this will likely turn into the following scenario: They broke the law. They got arrested for breaking the law, but now it's the government's fault for enforcing the law.

The Muslim American Society provides contact information to their community so that they can demand a "safe and speedy return" and to demand "fair, speedy, and respectable treatment" of the imams. I'll provide the contact info here for you should you prefer to register thanks that our laws are actually being enforced:

The MAS provides contact information, so folks can insist on "fair, speedy and respectable" treatment of the imams.
Senator Edward Kennedy (617)565 3170

Request to speak to Tom Cohan, (ext. 119)

Senator John Kerry (617) 565-8519

Request to speak to Carmen Velazquez
Yeah, I know - fat lot of good it will do to contact those two Senators, but if you've got nothing better to do, have at it.

At a time when Muslim immigration to America is at an all-time high, even more are sneaking into the country illegally than ever before. In July, Homeland Security discovered that more than one-third of religious workers visas were obtained using fraudulent means, and the fraud was particularly rampant among Muslims.
The probe found a particularly high fraud rate among applicants from countries the government deemed to pose a security risk, such as Egypt, Algeria, Pakistan, Syria and Iraq, the report found.

[...]

Some immigration watchdogs say that the program should be seriously curtailed because, even in cases where the applications are legitimate, the visas could bring radical clerics into the country.

Last year, for example, the FBI arrested three Pakistani men associated with a mosque in Lodi, California. All had entered on religious-worker visas. Two were accused of ties to a terrorist training camp in Pakistan before coming to the United States, and the third, an imam, allegedly delivered sermons endorsing violence against non-Muslims before he came to America.
This is only one more reason among many why our immigration enforcement is the front line of our national defense. The two issues are inextricably intertwined. To remain lax in immigration enforcement is to invite infiltration and attack. This is why all those whose first act on American soil is a criminal one MUST be deported, no matter their ethnicity or nationality. Our immigration laws have to be strictly enforced if we are to have any hope of future security.


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 admin at guardtheborders dot com.

Sunday, November 19, 2006

UCLA "Tasing"

At SFGate.com">, a CA newspaper online, the taser incident is explored.
Tabatabainejad, 23, was shocked Tuesday night after arguing with a campus police officer who was conducting a routine check of student IDs at the University of California, Los Angeles, Powell Library computer lab.

Campus police say he refused to show his student ID and refused to leave the building when asked.
Several things occur to me:
  • First, other reports have said that this was technically NOT a tasing, which is a pretty potent weapon, that would likely make speech more difficult than the recording (on YouTube). That doesn't totally excuse the apparent overkill on force, it just puts it into perspective.

  • There is absolutely no evidence that the student was targeted because of ethnicity. In fact, since the student refused to show ID, it would be difficult to prove that the campus cops even knew his ethnicity.

  • These were campus cops, NOT LAPD. They were students with low-level orders, training, and weaponry. It illustrates the bad decision-making that puts in place security with little training.

    As a teacher, I can forthrightly say, you give the order. If they do not comply, repeat - ONCE! After that, either get physical (i.e., pick him up), or call in back-up. Don't continue repeating the order.

  • What a malignant, whiny, wimp! He got pissy when told to either prove his right to be there or move. He started screaming about brutality even before they used the stun gun on him. He made the decision to continue resisting.


The only reason he screamed and yelled, and continued resisting is that he wanted to provoke a riot. If I were on a jury for a lawsuit, I'd give him one dollar. And the advice of Chris Rock, who created the famous How Not to Get Your Ass Kicked.

I watched it - it's good advice.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Name Your 3 Books

Hugh Hewitt has an outstanding idea!

He was a part of the bloggers who interviewed leadership candidates for the Republican House Conference. He asked 4 of them the same question:
I had asked three other congress-people the following:

What books have you read about Islamic terrorism against America and the West?

None of the three were able to name a single book. Boehner followed suit, saying that he had read books on the subject but that he couldn’t give me any names.
Assume they're not blowing smoke - i.e., just SAYING that they had, of course, read several books on the subject (and how likely is that - when you read something on a subject, you generally remember the author's name, or part of the title, or the book cover picture), what does that say for their retention of information?

Hugh has asked for input on the 3 books YOU would recommend. Go there, and give your input. I will - right after I order the new Mark Steyn book, America Alone.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

But what about the Christian violence?

Boy, my roomie really sounds like Rosie O'Donnell sometimes.



We were talking about philosophy (don't ask how we got on that subject), and I happened to mention the skewed mentality of some Muslims, who threaten violence whenever something threatens their view of reality.



He said, "But what about all that Christian violence?"



I told him, "There has to be a statute of limitations - after, oh, about 1000 years or so, you really can't bring that one up."



I told him of the ongoing martyrdom of Christians in many parts of the world.



He asked where I was getting that from.



Is it any surprise that he gets his news from NPR, the BBC, and the New York Times?





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Don't worry about it

On Something...and Half of Something, Linda asks

"What if?

So. Let's say the democrats manage to age to impeach Bush, and Cheney.

Nancy Pelosi becomes the next President."

Not to worry, as the Brits used to say.

Hillary won't let that happen.

Nothing - and I do mean NOTHING - is going to stand between HRC and the acclaim of being the First Woman President.

Even if she has to keep Bush and Cheney from being impeached. Or have Nancy taken out. Whatever it takes.





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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

The Push to Leg,alization

In the wake of this week's Blogburst, I started thinking about the future of Hispanics in America.

It's not pretty.

For Hispanics.

Mind, I'm not saying that the backlash of Americans fed up with the influx of undereducated and unassimilated illegals will lead to actions against them. I doubt that will happen - we've been pushed hard already, and still haven't triggered armed response against the tide. On the contrary, we have watched as the illegals gathered in large numbers, taunting us, arrogantly insisting that this is THEIR land, and daring us to do anything about it.

No, I'm thinking about what the future in America will hold for them, EVEN if they achieve the liberal goal of amnesty.

  • Will they suddenly become bi-lingual? Unlikely. And without mastery of the English language, they will be unable to take advantage of the educational opportunities we have.

  • The economy won't continue to allow them to take advantage of it for long. Once their status is regularized, the IRS comes in, and takes a healthy chunk of their wages. It has not been worth the effort, but once they can easily be located, and are unlikely to leave, watch out. There goes the extra chunk of untaxed income.

    Can you say, welcome to the underpaid and overtaxed class? Just like the gringos.

  • Wait until the Black population gets their claws into them. Blacks have enjoyed a near-monopoly on preferences and entitlements. They aren't going to want to share. Expect a MAJOR backlash. And the party that lets Hispanics get the upper hand will share in the blame.

    Good-bye, Democrats. Hello, Republicans.

  • The Hispanics have benefited from taking the "jobs Americans won't do". Is that a viable strategy in the long term?

    Worse, there remains the possibility that they could lose those jobs. They already have, in many cases - automation has eliminated many of the least-skilled occupations.

    Other jobs in the bottom tier have been taken by OTHER immigrants, such as Africans and Asians. And they have the advantage that they are generally pleasant.

    Not like THIS.


Guard the Borders Blogburst

By Heidi at Euphoric Reality

Last Tuesday, the Democrats won the majority in both the House and the Senate. Within a day, President Bush was gloating on national TV about how he could now finally pass his Amnesty bill with a Democrat-controlled Congress. This galling statement by the President was reinforced by the White House spokesman:

White House spokesman Tony Snow reacted to the change in House control by allowing they’re disappointed, but that it presents some intriguing opportunities, such as passing comprehensive immigration reform which failed in the previous Republican House.

Meanwhile, conservatives are shocked - SHOCKED! - by this open defiance of the vast majority of Americans’ wishes. “What on earth is Bush thinking?!,” they wonder. Howard Sutherland says there’s no need for such surprise, and here’s why:

If George W. Bush has been consistent about anything it is his determination to keep the United States open to the mass migration of Mexicans and other Latin Americans.
[…]
George W. Bush is a true believer in amnesty for illegal aliens, at least for Mexicans, and perhaps in some sort of EU-style shotgun marriage of Canada, the United States and Mexico as well.
[…]
That he is sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States, not the welfare of Mexicans, does not faze him. The amnesty/guest worker program is President Bush’s lodestar, the legacy he sincerely wants to leave America. In the teeth of all the evidence, he believes that we would be better for it and it’s just the right thing to do. It is more important to him than Iraq, so important that he jettisoned the GOP’s best chance to hold on to the Congress rather than back away from it.

So with the President dancing on the political graves of the massacred GOP, it looks like a plan for amnesty is a sure thing. Now pundits everywhere, on both sides of the aisle, are breathlessly calculating where millions of new voters will fit into the political landscape of the future. I’ve watched and taken part in several debates on which party will end up scooping the Newly Amnestied Immigrant vote.

Here are a few viewpoints I’ve seen expressed about the powerful new Latino voting bloc:

• A conservative sees it as political suicide for the Republicans: “It’s still baffling why Bush wants to legalize millions of potential Democrat voters.”

• A liberal who believes the Republican loss of power will be permanent: “Good luck getting it back after we give citizenship to 10 million new Democratic voters and annihilate you in the Southwest.”

• An independent conservative is convinced that the Latino voting bloc will vote along traditional family values: “They’re mostly very traditional catholics. When the Dems overreach on gay marriage, completely unrestricted late term abortion, etc., they’re going to hit a brick wall in that demographic.”

• A Hispanic-American voter ascribes his own values to the new voting bloc: “Hispanics are not a monolithic voting bloc that can be easily manipulated with this one issue. We’re too fragmented for that.”

• And a conservative Hispanic-American in NY doesn’t believe that all Latino votes will automatically side with the Democrats: “If ever there was a constituency that voted with its wallet, and with an eye on social issues, it’s the Hispanic.”

Suffice it to say, an unprecedented and massive influx of voters presents a vast unknown. Before either party gets too excited counting their chickens before they’re hatched, I’d like to offer some personal insight into how this demographic shift will impact the American political landscape.

Any stereotypes of how second, third, and fourth generation Hispanic-Americans have voted in the past need to be discarded. The Latino trends in America prior to amnesty will not apply. There are currently 20-30 million illegal aliens inside our borders that Bush and the Democrats would like to give citizenship to. Among that number, there are exceptions to what I’m about to say, but I won’t be discussing those exceptions today. I will be discussing the largest majority of illegals, most if which come from Mexico, Central, and South America - and my experience living in Mexico and observing the Mexican election system.

The vast majority of illegals are, to a very large extent, semi-literate, poorly educated, and unskilled laborers. They come to America to take what they can get, and most really have very little interest in American citizenship, and the duties and responsibilities thereof. Thus, they will not be dashing to the polls in the first election after their amnesty, either to vote Democrat out of gratefulness for their brand-new citizenship (which they don’t care much for), or to vote Republican because they have an urgent religious objection to same-sex marriages. They will, in fact, not be too interested in voting at all - unless they can get something out of it. Even then, they will have to be shepherded to the polls by their Latino leaders; at best, lured by promises of freebies, or at worst, covertly paid for their vote.

I lived in Mexico in 2000, the year that Vicente Fox was first elected. The week of the election, the little town that I lived in was a-swarm with poll workers and party volunteers. I’ll let you in on the dirty little secret about elections in Mexico: they are bought and paid for at the local level by party workers. Twenty pesos and a cerveza could buy a vote from the day laborers. Those with a little more education were lured by the promise of government programs and hand-outs. Those with the most education believe in Mexican reconquista and will vote for anyone who can stick it to the U.S.

Fox was largely voted for because he actually campaigned on the issue of his access and influence with George W. Bush. There was a lot of talk about how much cooperation and concessions Mexico would be able to squeeze from the U.S., and how much it would benefit Mexico. BINGO - jackpot for Vicente Fox!

Why was the status of Mexican influence over American affairs of such paramount importance to the voters of Mexico? Because a full 20% of Mexico’s population is already residing inside America. It is crucial that the billions of dollars of free money flowing into Mexico be safe-guarded, and the promise of more realized.

Once elected, Vicente Fox’s election promises to his people were published in a five year plan called the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2001-2006. I need to make something very clear here: this plan is NOT for implementation in Mexico, it is Mexico’s plan for AMERICA. The Mexican government has been implementing this plan for the past five years. They’ve met many of their goals for forcing concessions from the U.S., and for manipulating and controlling how the issue of illegal immigration is defined and presented to the American people.

Here’s a sampling:

The issue of migration, especially in the United States, needs a new focus over the long term to permit the movement and residence of Mexican nationals to be safe, comfortable, legal and orderly, and the attitude of police persecution of this phenomenon must be abandoned and it must be perceived as a labor and social phenomenon. This requires a complete negotiation that strikes at the structural roots of [migration], its manifestations and consequences, and that considers migration a shared responsibility. (Section 4.8., page 61)

This element of the plan indicates how Mexico wants to be sure the debate over illegal immigration is never framed around the issue of law enforcement, but instead focused on the social aspects. This is where we get the emotional but fallacious arguments of “racism”, “forced mass deportations”, “forcibly separating legal children from illegal parents”, etc.

There’s more:

Make Mexican sovereign decisions with respect to migratory flow and movement count, and offer and demand decent treatment for our countrymen who travel or reside abroad.

Encourage a long-term international migration policy …, with other nations and international organizations, that defends the rights of Mexicans abroad and strengthens their sense of belonging [to Mexico]. Play an active role in ensuring the labor rights of our countrymen [abroad], in the context of international competition.

Devise and implement government programs to recognize and value the contributions that migrants make, as much in the societies that receive them as in their societies of origin, insisting on full respect for their rights during their transit to and from Mexico. At the same time, raise the quality and efficiency of migration services. (Section 7.3.1(g), page 132)

The second point indicates Mexico’s realization that to keep their exported laborers sending money home, they need to remain strongly connected to Mexico. With that type of determined focus on retaining nationalistic pride, which country do YOU think will hold the loyalty of the Newly Amnestied Immigrants?

Furthermore, Mexico has implemented a plan to create programs - not in Mexico - but in America, that recognize and honor migrants. It also speaks of raising the quality and efficiency of migration services. Thus, we now have train loads of illegals trucked to the border gratis, and the Mexican government has published and distributed pamphlets on how to break into America and remain undetected.

Listen, Mexico’s plan has already been successfully implemented for five years now while we Americans wallowed. But don’t take my word for it. Juan Hernandez is a Mexican official in Fox’s cabinet. He is supremely confident, even cocky, in recent U.S. op-eds and television appearances. On June 7th, in USA Today, he said what is all too obvious to anyone who will pay attention:

“Mexico knows where it wants to go even more clearly than the United States knows where it wants to go.”

That evening, on Nightline, he made it even clearer for us:

“We are betting that the Mexican-American population in the United States … will think Mexico first.”

Mexico first. Thus, we come to my final point. When the 20-30 million illegals are finally amnestied, they will be voting en masse for the party that best benefits them and Mexico. That will have to include concessions, hand-outs, special programs, and entitlements at all levels. Thus, either party that can devise and deliver advantages especially for them and their native country (remember that they still won’t think of themselves as Americans, despite their cheap citizenship), will “buy” their vote. A few free cervezas won’t hurt either.

So please, party pundits, don’t hold out hope that you will woo scads of new voters with your traditional party platforms. You’ll have to get busy devising ways to buy the Newly Amnestied Immigrant vote. You Republicans won’t recruit millions of Latino voters with family values and tax cuts (they don’t pay taxes anyway!). And you Democrats can’t just pose as the Enlightened Party of Brown People - you’ll have to deliver billions in pork to this very specific demographic in order to buy their vote. We’ll see how well that goes over with Real Americans.

Remember, those newly amnestied Mexican voters will NOT be loyal to the U.S., and they won’t care what is best for the U.S. economically, politically, or socially. Nor will they be vested in the communities that are supporting them. They won’t have any interest in performing the duties and responsibilities of citizenship out of patriotic pride, because their dual-citizenship will ensure that they remain loyal to Mexico.

Last thought: the influx of tens of millions of new "citizens" will be unprecedented in our history and has the potential of breaking our system of government beyond repair. So any politician that naively thinks he will reap a windfall of uneducated voters needs to rethink his strategy. Because unless he's working for Mexico, he'll have little to offer. A canny Azltan politician, on the other hand, acting in the best interests of Mexico, will have a willing base of millions of drone voters. How long do you think the Reconquista will take, considering the projected population explosion due to unchecked illegal and legal immigration? So Mr. Senator and Congressman, you'd better be careful what you ask for. ¿Hay alguien aqui que hable inglés?

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 admin at guardtheborders dot com.

Sunday, November 12, 2006

This Woman Has NO Shame!

From New York Daily News, courtesy of Mudville Gazette the news - former Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski is out to get even with the big, bad men who didn't buy her lame excuses for letting Abu Ghraib prison get so off track.



She's testifying in a law suit in Germany, accusing Rumsfield of being the EVIL genius behind the disgraceful tormenting of the prisoners. That would be because, as a woman, you know, she just couldn't have been incompetent.



Which, at best, she was.



At the worst, she knew what was going on, and didn't stop it because she agreed with it.



She was slapped on the wrist for her inaction, as a result of the investigation. The investigators went on record: Karpinski was extremely emotional during much of her testimony. What I found particularly disturbing in her testimony was her complete unwillingness to either understand or accept that many of the problems inherent in the 800th MP Brigade were caused or exacerbated by poor
leadership and the refusal of her command to both establish and enforce basic standards and principles among its soldiers. (ANNEX 45 and the Personal Observations of the Interview Team) I especially disliked about her was her multiple appearances on TV, batting her eyes and claiming that she just couldn't do anything about the actions of those bad men.



From an interview with Karpinski:

General, a commander is responsible for everything her unit does or fails to do. You were ultimately responsible, were you not? Are you attempting to deflect blame by saying it was a "shared responsibility?"



Brig. Gen. Janis L. Karpinski: No. I accept responsibility for
my soldiers and it is not uncommon in a military deployment for
soldiers to be assigned or attached to another command or take orders
from another commander. In this case, the soldiers were reacting or
following the orders of people they felt were in authority. However
that comes out as a result of the investigation will not and does not
diminish my responsibility. I am responsible for those soldiers and I
take responsibility to the appropriate extent.




For example, if I had knowledge or if I were standing in close
proximity and heard another officer giving orders to my soldiers and I
ignored my responsibility, that is a failure of leadership. If I had no
knowledge that my soldiers were ordered to do specific things, then it
becomes a shared responsibility because the person giving the orders is
accepting the responsibility for those orders and those actions. If the
person giving the orders is not in my chain of command, I can't
influence him or hold him responsible because I have no authority over
him.

What a pathetic excuse for a soldier!





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Saturday, November 11, 2006

Late Veteran's Day Post

I was reading of the awarding of a medal to a Marine - unfortunately, as often happens, posthumously:
Bush announced on Friday that the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration, will be awarded posthumously to Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham.

In April 2004, Dunham was leading a patrol in an Iraqi town near the Syrian border when the patrol stopped a convoy of cars leaving the scene of an attack on a Marine convoy, according to military and media accounts of the action.

An occupant of one of the cars attacked Dunham and the two fought hand to hand. As they fought, Dunham yelled to fellow Marines, "No, no watch his hand." The attacker then dropped a grenade and Dunham hurled himself on top of it, using his helmet to try to blunt the force of the blast.

Still, Dunham was critically wounded in the explosion and died eight days later at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland. would go so far to protect people who are not biologically related to themselves. It's a tribute to the fact that soldiers, sailors, and Marines become related in the most important way - they become, through their service, blood brothers to those they serve with.

In the aftermath of this year's election, I can only hope that, when these men and women return, they give serious consideration to standing for political office. The last group of veterans that had a major impact on the nation was the so-called "class of 1946", that contained many vets elected that year, including among them, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. It's time that Congress benefited from an influx of fresh faces and ideas.





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WOW!

I just tested out the Performancing add-on, which has a new build that lets me use the new Beta.Blogger. Not only was it fast, but it also allowed me to do something that I've long wanted to do - post from right in the page I'm browsing. No more tabbing back and forth to see the page that triggered the post, then writing the post.



This is a truly awesome piece of programming! I definitely recommend it.





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Performancing for Firefox

I'm testing out Performancing for Firefox, an extension for Firefox that lets you blog right from within the browser window.



If you see this, it works. It wasn't totally intuitive to set up, but, once I checked out the Getting Started section of the Performancing webpage, it really wasn't difficult.





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Friday, November 10, 2006

A "New" Direction? Oh, Brother!

At the direction of Michael Kinsley, I downloaded A New Direction, the Democratic plan to bring the sunshine into Washington and the rest of America.

I'm sitting here at 2am, wishing I hadn't started. I could use the sleep. It's grandiose and sweeping. And, probably, expensive - IF it works. Which I doubt it will.

Let's just take one section:
COLLEGE ACCESS FOR ALL
Make college tuition deductible from taxes, permanently. Cut student loan interest rates. Expand Pell Grants.
Who could be against that? Disclaimer: I was a beneficiary of student loans, scholarships, and grants, including Pell. Without them, I doubt I could have finished college.

The trouble is, not everyone belongs in college. If college access means that everybody should get an initial chance, well, OK. That chance might be the opportunity to go to a community college at first (as I did), and shore up skills. It's a relatively low-cost option that many use.

For too many people, however, it means that they want to go away to a college (forcing the rest of us to subsidize their living expenses), however expensive. Even if they have to take remedial classes.

I'm against most colleges offering remedial classes. I think that those should be available at the technical, junior, or community colleges, for a relatively low fee. But, let's not call them college classes - they are really high school-level classes.

Too many students waste college time, and money, just getting their skills up to speed. It's time we stopped subsidizing that.

Another questionable part of the plan:
LOWER GAS PRICES
Free America from dependence on foreign oil and create a cleaner environment with initiatives for energy-efficient technologies and domestic alternatives such as bio fuels. End tax giveaways to Big Oil companies and enact tough laws to stop price gouging.
The biggest part of your high gas prices is the taxes, which, I might add, are imposed by your friendly neighborhood congressperson.

So, are the leadership saying they will reduce Federal taxes on gas? Fantastic!

But unlikely. What this asks for is that magic money give-away to the wild-eyed researchers who will use the money to create gas from recyclables. Or, at least, live a cushy life while spinning gold from straw.

Yeah, I know that it's possible to create the so-called "bio-fuels". The ability exists today.

The trouble is that it's generally not cost-effective to do so. There's where the scientist is less helpful than the businessman. It's not research that is needed (except, possibly, for hydrogen cell technology - and both government and industry are already funding that), it's a way to make it economically feasible.

What's funny is that, in a 3-page document, one page is title and logo, one explains what the Democrats will do, and one page bashes everything the Republicans have done.

What's NEW about that direction?

Tell Me Again How Women Understand Math

From Michael Barone, at USNews.com:
The late Warren Mitofsky, who created the first exit poll for CBS News in 1968, went back and examined the 2004 results and found that the biggest discrepancies between actual precinct votes and the exit pollsters' results occurred in precincts where the exit poll personnel were female graduate students. All those discrepancies overstated the Democratic vote. Joe Lenski, the current EMR boss, tried to hire fewer young women as exit poll interviewers.
OK, the problem may not exactly be math, but rather that young women may be approaching more friendly-looking people for their input. These women were grad students, who PRESUMABLY understand stats well enough to know the term "valid sample". They should have had the smarts to get their feedback from the requested sample - how hard is that? I don't buy the idea that, somehow, the more conservative guys are less approachable. If anything, that should have made it easier - guys of just about any age want to talk to young women - not just the pretty ones, guys, in my experience, are suckers for "da chicks". It's one of those hardwired things.

It seems that the exit polls overestimated the actual vote in favor of Dems by 6-8% - EXACTLY what the Republicans have been saying all along. While the Dems have been screaming about their suspicions that, somehow, the difference between exit polls and actual votes were evidence of a deep and dark conspiracy.

Morons.

I don't see this as a sea change in the electorate. I think this election is a temporary blip, much as the election of Jimmy Carter was. It's a throw the rascals out frenzy, which will result in a 2008 "let's not go through THAT again" lurch away from the new guys. They'd have to be exceptional to avoid that. Just voting pork won't cut it - they now have 2 years to establish themselves as leaders. Some may do the right thing, and win themselves a place in Washington. Some will be lambs to the slaughter, and find the lobbies and staffs keep them from fulfilling their plans.

The worst part of this is some good people are gone. No, the worst part is that some really BAD people are not. Note to electorate: if you are going to throw the rascals out, THROW THE RASCALS OUT. I mean it - get rid of the deadweight - like Kennedy. He's really too old for the job. Not to mention Methuselah's younger brother - Robert Byrd.

Next time a new broom sweeps in, try to get out the old. It's time for some younger representation in Washington. We need the new ideas.

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Really Good News

The computer is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would have bet 1/2 the month's salary that it was gone forever. I am, in some ways, the ultimate pessimist. I try not to hope, lest I be disappointed.

Wow!

I really needed this to happen.

Mind you, it was terribly inconvenient. I had to spend countless hours re-entering grades (which were due today).

Still, it really made my day. And to top it off, I had a doctor's appointment, and I'm basically healthy again. With some new meds, to ensure that I stay that way.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Where's Waldo?

I was just watching the election coverage, and I was suddenly struck by a thought - where's Clinton?

Bill, I mean, not Hillary.

If there's any man living who knows how to count the votes, it's him. so, why are the networks not using him to discuss the outcomes?

No ID, No Vote

In response to Outside the Beltway's Open LinkFest offer, I'm linking to the blog. Outside the Beltway is one of the featured bloggers on the CNN Blogparty - it sounds as though it's a lot of fun - wish we all could be there. Maybe in 2 years.


Does South Carolina take its voter ID rules seriously?

Just ask the Governor, Mark Sanford. He was turned away at the polls, because he didn't have his voter ID, and the ID he had didn't match the registration information (his ID was issued to his office).

So the Poll Worker Nazi said, "No vote for YOU!"

PS - that's a parody on the Soup Nazi - the worker was absolutely right to turn him away. Folks like JFKerry and I have to explain our jokes - we're sort of humor-impaired.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Something to Think About When Going to the Polls

I got this reference from Euphoric Reality - you DO have that one Blogrolled, don't you?

It's just in time for Election Day - a guide to what the candidates think about immigration. Yes, it's one-issue - that's the point. It's an issue not covered enough in MSM.

Guard the Borders

This Blogburst is also available as a Podcast.

Why the United States Has Lost So Much in Latin America

By LomaAlta at Linknzona

The facts are not in dispute. During this Administration’s “watch”, the geopolitical situation in Latin America has deteriorated well beyond the tragic losses of any previous Administration. Communist tyrants rise in Venezuela, Bolivia, and now Nicaragua and socialism is on the march in other countries. President Reagan’s successes in spreading democracy and freedom in Latin America appear to have been stopped. Let’s examine some of the possible reasons.

Negligence. This Administration appears to be focused on the war on terrorism, particularly the Middle East and has neglected the problems arising in the countries of our neighbors to the south. Indisputable evidence of Middle Eastern terrorists increasing their presence in Latin America and illegally crossing our southern border with help of Latin American gangs is readily available [1]. These facts have been well known for years but emphasizing them goes against President Bush and his Administration’s open border, pro-illegal immigration policies as well as against most of the Democratic leadership and their Mainstream Media. Thus, little is heard about this growing threat. Even less is heard about its impact in Latin America. This leads directly to the President and his Administration’s relationships with Latin American leaders and through them, its people.



Submission, not Partnership.
Latin Americans, and particularly Mexicans, like most people, respect power and its just and successful application. In addition, the cultural implications of power and weakness are viewed through the lens of machismo throughout Latin America and especially in Mexico [2].

The USA, as the world’s undisputed Super Power, must look weak and ineffectual to the rest of the World and downright mariposa-like to our friends south of the border as it panders to Presidente Fox, leaves its borders open during war time, and sacrifices the security and well being of its citizens to foreign invaders. Such weak and foolish behavior engenders disgust and dislike of the USA throughout Latin America in proportion to how much they take advantage of us. Mexico is first in line, of course, but can you imagine a president of any South American country calling our President the devil at the UN in New York? Hugo Chavez, the dictator of Venezuela did exactly that this fall. There were no repercussions. This will embolden other thugs and bullies to spit in our President’s face and regard the USA as a weak, stumbling, and blinded paper tiger.

Bumbling. How unsuited for representing the USA is Secretary Condi Rice? With the exception of John Bolton at the UN, I have yet to see any diplomatic courage and vision from this Administration. It seems Secretary Rice has fallen into the trap of so many of our diplomats. She sees her clients as other diplomats, world opinion is of paramount importance to her, and the national interests of the USA appear to be lost in the swirl of trips, functions, receptions, parties and all types of activities we call “form over substance”. A good example of this is diplomatic meddling in Nicaragua [3].

This is a brief overview of how the Bush Administration has mismanaged USA activities and interests in Latin America. Why is this Administration so much worse than previous ones? Previous administrations have bumbled, submitted to Mexican presidents, and neglected Latin America. But President Bush is the first president to put the interests of a foreign power – Mexico, above the interests of the USA.

How can a foreign leader respect a President who does not put his country first in negotiations? We all grew up with bullies. The vast majority of us learned that the quickest way to stop a bully from attacking or extorting something from us was to resist, and, to fight back if necessary. Sure it was scary and rough to be hit or beaten; but just the knowledge that you would not submit was almost always enough to send the bully in search of weaker victims.

Bullies are cowards and seek out the weakest victims they can find. The weaker you are, the more the cowards bully you, and the less they respect you. This is true on every school ground; and it is true among nations as we have learned over and over. To be weak is to invite attack.

For a nation to submit is for it to surrender its freedom and sovereignty. This is the principal reason our relations with Latin America are so bad and why communism is on the rise again there. The USA, through President Bush and the political leadership of both parties, has submitted to Mexico. Illegal immigration is the occupation of one peoples’ country by another people. President Bush not only submits to Mexico, he encourages and supports their continued bullying.

---------------------

[1] For example see: Daniel Sheehy’s 2005 book, “Fighting Immigration Anarchy”, AuthorHouse, Bloomington, IN, 329 pp, and J. D. Hayworth’s 2006 book, “Whatever it Takes”, Regency Publishing, Inc., Washington, DC, 230 pp.

[2] ma•chis•mo

Pronunciation: (mä-chēz'mō, -chiz'-, mu-), [key]

—n.

1. a strong or exaggerated sense of manliness; an assumptive attitude that virility, courage, strength, and entitlement to dominate are attributes or concomitants of masculinity.

2. a strong or exaggerated sense of power or the right to dominate: The military campaign was an exercise in national machismo.

[3] More freedom lost in Latin America?


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 admin at guardtheborders dot com.

Positives & Negatives

Positive:
I'm feeling a great deal better. My breathing has returned to virtually normal.

Negative:
My voice is, sadly, lagging - I need to baby it for a week or so, or I may lose it entirely.

Positive:
Classes went smoothly today. I finished 4 labs today on electric circuits with no problem.

Negative:
My new (to me) laptop was stolen.

Positive:
My husband took the loss well - no yelling.

Negative:
I'm using that crappy "ghetto" laptop - which needs an external keyboard to function. (BTW, "ghetto" was the term of my students).

Positive:
I HAVE a laptop, however shoddy.

On balance, not too bad. I may yet get the laptop back - however unlikely it seems. Still, if I'm out some money, at least it's not a total financial disaster - it could be worse. I do have some spare cash (frugality has it's rewards).

How can I possibly complain? I have been so blessed in life.

No matter what - I have a husband of more than 30 years who still loves and desires me. I have children I am proud to call mine, who are adults I respect and cherish. I have friends - both in my old home, and in my new.

What a country - what a life!

Saturday, November 04, 2006

No Huevos!

Every time Kerry hits the headlines, I try - I really do - to think of the most innocuous possible interpretation of his words. But, alas, I am finally led to the only conclusion possible

No Huevos!



My Sweet Winnie

I just love to read Winston Churchill's speeches and writings. When I return to Cleveland for the Thanksgiving holidays, two things will I take back with me - the 6 volume set of WWII histories, and my Shakespeare collected works. I grew up with the sound of those words in my head - they still bring a thrill to my heart.
And now it has come to us to stand alone in the breach, and face the worst that the tyrant's might and enmity can do. Bearing ourselves humbly before God, but conscious that we serve an unfolding purpose, we are ready to defend our native land against the invasion by which it is threatened. We are fighting by ourselves alone; but we are not fighting for ourselves alone. Here in this strong City of Refuge which enshrines the title-deeds of human progress and is of deep consequence to Christian civilization; here, girt about by the seas and oceans where the Navy reigns; shielded from above by the prowess and devotion of our airmen-we await undismayed the impending assault. Perhaps it will come tonight. Perhaps it will come next week. Perhaps it will never come. We must show ourselves equally capable of meeting a sudden violent shock or-what is perhaps a harder test-a prolonged vigil. But be the ordeal sharp or long, or both, we shall seek no terms, we shall tolerate no parley; we may show mercy-we shall ask for none.
How much more uplifting this than the tiresome and low "call-out" of modern politicians! BTW, I was visiting a blog (forget which one) and found a link to the famous Zell Miller speech of the Republican convention.



It still brings a lump to my throat. D--n, where have the DEMOCRATS gone?

Friday, November 03, 2006

Long-Delayed Guard the Borders Blogburst

It seems as though procrastination is catching - we got the blogburst later than usual. Hey, it happens - few bloggers are professionals, we have lives, and sometimes they take precedence.

I've also had personal issues. This week, my asthma sent me to the hospital for a few days of observation. Hope the eventual charges don't break the bank - I've been insulated from medical costs for some time - my former HMO had very low co-pays, and none for hospital admits.

I'm in Myrtle Beach, at a Science conference. I'm not doing as much running around this time - I'm still convalescing. Still, I've been able to learn more about the evolution vs. ID debate (yes, the issue still comes up, like those old-time movie monsters you just can't kill), network with other teachers, check out the latest technology and curriculums - the usual.

No time to get to the beach - boo-hoo. I'm going to walk along the beach before I head back to the convention center.



Yeah, it's like that.


I know I'm losing it - I posted this originally, but forgot to add the Blogburst. Here it is below.



The Nightmare on Main Street Edition of the GTB Blogburst

So Bush signed a law to create a border fence. Here is an image of the fence as designed by a joint committee of Mexicans and Liberals, and approved by Bush...


"Report an illegal to the Feds and watch the Feds sit on their hands!"


Minuteman 2.0.: The Minuteman project was a publicity stunt; we now need to take it to the next level and have citizen patrols guarding the border.

"Needed: Border Billboards": As soon as sniper posts are erected along our borders, we'll need some billboards erected that read something like this...

The Carpentersville Saga: Carpentersville Illinois is pursuing a Hazelton style ordinance, but as these two videos show, not if the pro crime Hispanics and their supporters have anything to say about it!

  • The C'Ville Video


  • New Freedom Folks Video: C'ville Video Update

  • "The US Border Patrol and Border Police are Out Gunned, Out Manned and Facing an Enemy with Technological Superiority Over Them!": You knew illegals were coming into the USA daily, but did you know that down in Mexico they are literally being brought up to the border by the train load? The report has the pictures to prove it!

    illegals_on_train.jpg

    Trains from Central America and Mexico en route

    to the U.S. border


    illegals_on_train2.jpg

    Wild Thing sent some more jarring photos of our uninvited and unwelcome and undocumented "guests"- and no, these are not crazy Halloween costumes:

    rally.jpg

    rally1.jpg

    rally2.jpg

    rally3.jpg


    If you think illegal immigration is nothing more than "good hard-working people, with good intentions" sneaking in here for a little harmless Trick-or-Treat, then these posts from some of the strongest contributors to Guard the Borders will convince you of the ghoulish truth.

    Many thanks to Third World County, Mr. Ogre, Freedom Folks, PC Free Zone, and the Independent Conservative.


    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 admin at guardtheborders dot com.

    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...