King Philip High School backs off West Point ban

If one were a high school principal and two graduating seniors were chosen to attend West Point one would be pretty proud wouldn't one. Then realizing that the awards banquet was scheduled for the day after Memorial Day and the Army was sending officers to present the offers of acceptance one might be planning an appropriate ceremony. But not if one was in charge of King Philip High School in Wrentham, MA. No you would ban the military from showing up.

The academy, in recognition of appointees' hard work, has a tradition of officially offering acceptance at school banquets and graduations. But when West Point officials approached King Philip Principal Elaine Hanson, they were told it was against the school's policy, according to parents and public officials.

State Sen. Scott Brown (R-Wrentham), who is a major in the National Guard, said the high school only allows access to local groups that give scholarships, not academies or universities. "It just takes away from the accomplishments of the school, the teachers and the kids - and that's the sad part," Brown said. "To have two students accepted from the same class is unheard of. It's such an honor."

Only 100 students are accepted each year. To have two from one school is remarkable. But school policy is school policy and one cannot ever deviate form it because that would require purposeful decision making and that is way too much like leadership. It's somewhat like suspending a kid for drawing a picture of a gun because you have a zero tolerance policy against guns. Once again there is that school policy thing and one wouldn't want to use one's brain for something other than fertilizing one's hair.

All is not lost however. The principal and her cohorts have decided that it would be OK if the presentation were given out at the graduation ceremony this weekend.

Facing a deluge of criticism, Wrentham school administrators have relented on their refusal to allow West Point officials to honor two student appointees and will allow the presentations to occur at this weekend's graduation, state officials said.

King Philip High School seniors Jeffrey Chin and William Small will receive their official appointments at commencement ceremonies this Sunday, marking accomplishments won through years of hard work and perserverence.

"The public has spoken," Jeffrey Chin's mother, Pam, said today. "I've gotten so many calls. It's so nice to see how caring and respectful people are."

School administrators had initially prevented West Point from appearing at a school banquet planned for tonight to present the appointments, citing a school policy of allowing only local groups to attend. But they devised an alternative plan for graduation after parents, congressmen and town officials flooded the school with phone calls.

Administrators did not return phone calls yesterday and have not been reachable for comment today.

No comment necessary, just a good wood shampoo for future reference.

Military education

Pedophile Politicians in the Netherlands

The founder, Ad van den Berg

Charity, Freedom and Diversity is the name of a new political party in the Netherlands. These days one should be suspect of anything with such a politically correct title as this. The trend in politics is toward Orwellian names designed to mask the true intention of their effort. This organization has gone to the extreme in choosing a name aimed to deflect criticism of what they wish to inflict on society.

The Charity, Freedom and Diversity Party want's to legalize pedophilia, bestiality, drugs, public nudity and require free train travel for all. I guess the free train travel issue was thrown in to make them look like they were more than just a one issue party. That these people feel free to form a political party in the first place is disturbing. According to the founder, Ad van den Berg, the subject of pedophilia was shoved into the closet since the 1996 Marc Dutroux pedophile killer scandal in Belgium and he want's to renew the discussion. Fortunately the Dutch, in spite of their tolerance for drug use, prostitution and gay marriage, were shocked by the announcement.

An opinion poll published Tuesday showed that 82 percent wanted the government to do something to stop the new party, while 67 percent said promoting pedophilia should be illegal. "They make out as if they want more rights for children. But their position that children should be allowed sexual contact from age 12 is of course just in their own interest," anti-pedophile campaigner Ireen van Engelen told the AD daily.

That only 62% think promoting pedophilia should be illegal is evidence of the depravity of Dutch society. One hears the arguments against gay marriage and gay couples adopting children that claim the next thing will be the legitimizing of pedophilia being dismissed as extremist rhetoric, yet look at the Netherlands. Is this not what has happened?

This sort of non sense does not just come out of the woodwork. The efforts to legitimize all manner of sexual deviancy have been going on for a good while. Mush of the Sex Ed curriculum that is pushed in schools is geared toward desensitizing children. AIDS education has been a vehicle of such efforts especially in Europe.

In Belgium the World Aids prevention day is a day of celebration for many. First and foremost for those who earn a living by it, especially the many government funded social workers who never need to go near an AIDS patient but spend their time "increasing awareness" among the masses...

...Because AIDS is such a terrible thing, no-one dares to question or criticize these people's activities. Their funds increase with every AIDS campaign and the government gives them any other convenience their work may require. Such as access to the nation's schoolchildren through the school curriculum and extracurricular activities...

"We want to teach the children that willies come in all shapes and sizes. There are hands-on activities for six-year olds, with crooked, straight and circumcised willies", the organizers tell another newspaper. Yet another paper: "Onto a doll covered in Velcro they can stick bodyparts at will, choosing between small breasts or sagging tits, between big willies and small ones that stick out in all directions." The local councillor for education proudly proclaims: "We have no taboos here."

Don't think this is an isolated effort that can't get into the US. The fact that NAMBLA still exists is testament to our weakness in confronting the issue. Our judicial system turns child rapists back onto the streets with impunity. Our politicians may carp about the problem but until the citizen gets serious and demands that our children be protected and this scourge be dealt with decisively the pervert lobby will only feel more empowered to twist our children.



pedophile education politics

Day 7 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

A famous Iranian proverb says: ‘If you want to learn the truth, listen to children.’

We can learn much about Iran by looking at the children of Iran. Nearly 40% of Iran’s population is under the age of 18 – that is about 28 million children. According to Iran’s own Ministry of Health, over two million of these children suffer from depression - a staggering statistic that speaks much of the ills of the nation.

All born after the Islamic revolution, they have been brought up under the strict Islamic regime. Virtually all of them have never had the opportunity to hear the Gospel and to learn about the Jesus who welcomed children into His presence.

Unless the Lord in His mercy touches and transforms the nation of Iran, the future for 28 million children in Iran is bleak. Millions of innocent children are being brought up in homes ravaged by the effects of drug addiction, abused mothers and very unhappy marriages. In addition, the economic future is grim with unemployment for 15-29 year olds expected to reach 50%.

Never before has a new generation of Iranians been so open to hearing and learning about Jesus. If somehow every child in Iran could learn of the love of Christ and be told the story of the cross, then Iran could be just one generation away from becoming a Christian nation.

Can we pray with such faith today for the children of Iran?

* Let us pray that millions and millions of Iranian children will be reached with the compelling love of Christ in the next five years.

* Pray that God will raise many workers and visionaries who will be used to proclaim the Gospel to this generation of young Iranians.

* There are currently less than 10 Christian children’s books available in Persian and there is a desperate need for more. Pray for projects going on now to develop more books and materials to help reach and disciple Iranian children.

Thanks again for praying.

Former Marine Fends Off Armed Robbers with Knife

In Atlanta a man was attacked while walking from his waiter job. Four people jumped from a car and began to chase him in an apperant robbery attempt. One assailent had a shotgun while another was armed with a pistol. When they caught up with him he kicked the shotgun out of the hands of one assailent and pulled a knife from his backpack. He stabed both attackers who then fled in an automobile. They were later located at a local hospital, one died the other seriously wounded.

The key to Thomas Autry's successful defence was his training. As a former Marine he was taught self defence. Any person who must put themselves in questionable situations should find training in some form of self defence. Weapons training can enhance one's survivability. When a juristiction or situation precludes the use of a personal firearm, the knife is a good second choice. There are self defence systems that can teach one to use any available object in self defence.

One instructor who can be useful is Larry Lindenman He teaches a combined martial arts concept. He will be doing a weekend seminar at Ruthless Training Concepts in Manassas, VA next week.

LARRY LINDENMAN
WILL BE DOING A KNIFE FIGHTING, STICK FIGHTING AND HAND TO HAND COMBAT WEEKEND SEMINAR
JUNE 3 & 4, 2006
PRICE IS ONLY $150.00
CONTACT ASHLEY FOR MORE INFORMATION AT
703-517-8104
FOR MORE INFO ON LARRY VISIT Here

Military Self Defence

Senator Reid Accepted Free Boxing Tickets

While Sen. Harry Reid was pushing legislation to increase government oversight of boxing that included a federal boxing commission, he accepted front row tickets to three boxing events. Of course he maintains that he was in no way influenced by receiving tickets worth an estimated $1400 each. He even makes the claim that the citizens of Nevada would be happy to know he was on the job attending those events.

"Anyone from Nevada would say I'm glad he is there taking care of the state's number one businesses," he said.

Oh I'm sure there are plenty of people in Nevada who are just feeling warm and fuzzy because their Senator is busy looking out for the interests of the electorate in the front row of a boxing match 90% of those citizens could not afford to attend. He would never allow such gifts to influence his decisions, it's just part of the job of being Senator to get down there and see the problem up close. He wouldn't want the poor citizen to be exploited by the boxing profession.

With all the criticism the Senator has heaped on Republicans over the issue of ethics he has little room to now say he is above reproach for accepting gifts from people looking to influence legislators. The man donating the tickets to Sen. Reid made no bones about what he wanted.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada Athletic Commission when Mr. Reid took the free tickets, said one of his desires was to convince Mr. Reid and Mr. McCain, who were pushing legislation to create a federal boxing commission, that there was no need for the federal government to usurp the state commission's authority.

"I invited him because I was talking with his staff" about the legislation, Mr. Ratner said. "This was a chance for all of my commissioners, who are politically appointed, to interact with them. It was important for them to see how we in Nevada did things." He added that he hoped the two senators, at the very least, would be persuaded to model any federal commission after Nevada's body.

Mr. Reid said he remembered talking to Mr. Ratner briefly at the fights and knew Mr. Ratner was working with his Senate staff on the federal legislation.

If the Senator is not guilty of violating Senate Ethics Rules, he is guilty of raw arrogance. In that he is not alone. Arrogance afflicts elected officials at all levels. From Capitol Hill to the town councils we are daily reminded of the public servants who think it's the public who serves them. Sen. Reid it so overcome by a sense of his own importance that a good wood shampoo may not be sufficient to give him a clue.

Basil's



politics ethics

Day 6 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

Iran and its nuclear ambitions are in the headlines, constantly reminding us that Iran is at the centre of a global crisis that could lead to a devastating war.

The Bible tells us to pray ‘for kings and all those in authority that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ (1 Tim 2:1-2) So today we want to focus our prayers on Iran’s political leaders. We want to pray in faith, knowing that God is in control and that there is no panic in heaven over this issue.

As we read through the Bible, we see that God at key times spoke to leaders of nations and peoples. God showed Himself in dreams to the rulers. In one case, the King saw handwriting on the wall.

So let us go to the Lord in prayer and intercession for Iran and its leaders:

* Let us pray that the Lord will reveal Himself to Iranian authorities and draw them to the knowledge of the Truth. Pray for Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamanei, who has the final say in this nuclear crisis. Also pray for the President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Minister of Defence Mostafa Mohammad-Najar, the Foreign Minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, the Parliament and the entire leadership.
* Pray that all determined efforts to develop and use nuclear technology for any non-peaceful means, which will inevitably provoke military action against Iran, will stop. Pray that the spirit of hatred and destruction will cease, that war will be avoided, and that peace will reign in the region.
* Pray for the leaders of the international community to have wisdom in this crisis.
* Pray that the Lord will intervene in Iran, that any scheme or plan that is contrary to the will of God will not stand.

Thank you so much for praying

Menorial Day

This Memorial Day I think of how few men and women we actually have under arms in light of all that we have asked them to do. Yet with all the demands they have accomplished much. I catalogue the day's war on terror news at the Religion of Peace and have a good feel for how the effort in Iraq and Afghanistan is going. Underneath the reports of bombings and fighting I see steady progress in a region that has been hopeless for centuries. Without the Soldiers Sailors Airmen and Marines that serve our nation this hopelessness could easily engulf our own nation. On reflection of this I a reminded of the speech from Shakespeare's Henry V known as St. Crispin's day

This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Our great nation's freedoms came at a great cost paid by those few. They deserve our honor and memorial.

Memorial Day Weekend Linkfest ay Stop the ACLU

Memorial Day military

Day 5 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

The most significant development in communication and information management has to be the Internet. Any individual who has a computer and phone line can in the comfort of his own home have access to information on any subject and have interaction with people from around the world at any time. Where once the only way to get the Bible into the hands of people in countries hostile to Christianity was to take it there and hope the distribute it unhindered. Now the whole of the scripture can be found on line in many languages. Seven Million Iranians have Internet access. The country is one of the top users of the Internet outside of the western world.

For many isolated believers, the Internet is their only means of finding and communicating with other Christians. It is also an extremely valuable tool for follow up ministries once people have been reached through other means such as Satellite TV (which we will pray for on another day).

So today let us pray that the Lord will continue to bless the use of the Internet as a tool to impact Iran with the Gospel.

* Pray for all ministries reaching out through the web. Pray that they will be strengthened and will be able to produce materials that speak to the hearts of the people. Pray for all those who write and prepare resources. Pray also that they will clearly answer peoples' questions about the Christian faith.

* Pray for all Iranians who have read about Christianity on the web. Pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to them as they consider what the Bible says. Pray that they will accept Christ and repent and be saved.

* Pray that more Iranians will find Christian websites and will be attracted to the claims of Christ.

Thank you so much for interceding.

Troops Find Gratitude, Entertainment at Indianapolis 500

Kissing the bricks an Indy 500 tradition
Photo by Samantha L. Quigley

I'm going to stop in at my local Checkers Restaurant this weekend. I seldom eat fast food these days since I've started an effort at getting back in shape. But I've been good so a visit to Checkers will be nice. That's not the reason I'm going though.

The fourth annual Checkers/Rally's Indy 500 Pit Stop Challenge was host to about two dozen sevicemembers who were brought there by Checkers as part of their involvement in Operation Gratitude, an organization that sends packages to troops. The company joined the group as a corporate team member last year.

In addition to hosting the servicemembers, Checkers/Rally's used its track-based food stands to collect support messages on "Thanks to the Troops" post cards. The company expects at least 10,000 cards to be signed this weekend. They are part of Operation Gratitude's Patriotic Drive to collect personal, convenience and snack items, and personal notes for packages for troops serving overseas.

"People think it's really great that we're (collecting messages). They really appreciate the support, and they've been happy to join in," Shelley Kinser, a local models, said about her experience collecting messages for Checkers/Rally's.

"We actually have had some people that have said they just got back from Iraq that are sending messages over there saying, 'You'll be home safe too. I just got back,'" she added.

In addition to collecting messages this weekend, the restaurant chain also is collecting items in 750 of its stores across the country.

The drive started May 8 and will continue until June 14. They expect to be able to send 40,000 packages on July 4 to servicemembers.

While models from local agencies were busy asking Checkers/Rally's customers to write messages to troops, the servicemembers in attendance got a visit from a top supermodel. Linda Evangelista took a break from the Pit Stop Challenge to pose for pictures with the troops.

"It keeps the morale high." Lance Cpl. Chris Offringa, of Company A, 1st Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, said of Evangelista's visit. "To have a supermodel (pose for pictures), I think for anybody is just fantastic."

The servicemembers later attended a concert by popular bands the B-52s and Third Eye Blind at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Allen Warden, of the Army's Armor Center, at Fort Knox, Ky., said the event was a great opportunity for the soldiers and Marines. "Look at these guys; every one of them has a smile on his face. (You) can't beat that," he said.

Hope to see you at Checkers. God Bless Our Troops.

military

Day 4 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

God holds His word in high regard. So much so that he equates it with His name.

you have exalted above all things
your name and your word. Psalm 138

Faith is instilled by the hearing of His word so it is for this reason that today the prayer for Iran is focused on getting the Word of God into the hands of the nation's people.

There has never been such a hunger for the Word of God in Iran as there is now, and the Scriptures play a very important role in Iranians coming to Christ. However, realising the power of the Word of God, the government closed down the Bible Society in Iran in 1988 – and they do not give permission to the Church to print, import or distribute Persian Bibles in the country. So the Scriptures are like gold dust in Iran.

However, by God's grace, Scriptures have got into the country and thousands have been distributed. But the demand is such that millions of copies are needed. Today, let us unite in prayer that doors will open and that Iran will soon be flooded with the Scriptures so that hungry hearts can be satisfied with the Word of God.

* Pray that permission will be given to print and openly distribute the Scriptures in Iran.
* Pray for current projects to print and send the Scriptures to Iran. Pray for the safety of those who are bravely involved in distribution. Ask the Lord to protect them and to guide their steps and deliver them from those who oppose the Word of God.
* Pray that every Iranian who is seeking truth will have copy of the Word of God.
* Pray the Holy Spirit will reveal the Lord Jesus Christ to Iranians as they read the Bible.

"For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword…" Hebrews 4:12

Thanks again for praying.

Day 3 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

Although Iran has been closed to the gospel it is not closed to God. People have come to a knowledge of Jesus through dreams and then seeking out those who will preach the good news.

The Lord, in His grace, has heard and has been drawing men, women and children to himself. Many Iranians have come to faith through dreams and visions. 'I was about to commit suicide,' testifies one young lady who had been studying Islamic theology. 'But then I had a dream that I was in a church building and was given a New Testament. I refused it at first, but was told to try it and see if Jesus would answer my questions. I woke up and I was changed. I later gave my heart to Christ and He has given me the sweetness of salvation from my sins.'

Sick people have called out to Jesus and He has brought His healing. 'My son was seriously ill and I did not know what to do', shares another lady, 'I had prayed for 35 years but not one prayer had been answered. So I decided to try praying to Jesus. I was amazed when the next day my son was miraculously healed.'

There are many testimonies like these and today we want to pray that God will continue to meet many people whose hearts are longing for truth in Iran.

* Pray that these supernatural visitations will continue and intensify and pray that new believers will soon meet Christians who can teach them the word of God and help disciple them.
* Pray that the family members will accept the new believers and give attention to the word of their testimony. Pray that right across Iran whole extended families will repent and be saved.
* Pray that there will be a house church in every village and local area of Iran.

Once again, please go to the website to view today slide show.

Thank you for praying.

Immigration Bill Puts Illegals Before Citizens

The US Senate has worked very hard to produce a comprehensive immigration bill that could best be described as counter productive. Months of work and hours of debate resulting in six hundred pages of law that gives us less than we already have. The average person could screw up and do a better job than these clowns did working hard.

What is most objectionable about this bill is the disdain our Senators have for citizens of this country. They have written into this law benefits and protections for people who violated the law to come into our country that citizens do not enjoy. Yet advocates what more.

Some of the most egregious discrepancies are in the employment benefits and protections. The bill forces employers to pay a Davis-Bacon "prevailing wage". In other words union wage scale. In a Right to Work state such as Virginia, citizens could be paid less than illegal immigrants. The illegal immigrant would be paid union wages without being a member of a union. While the illegal is getting an inflated wage he also enjoys better job security than the citizen. Temporary guest workers cannot be fired except for just cause, whatever that may entail, the citizen can be fired for any reason except discrimination. If there is a dispute between a illegal immigrant and his employer, the taxpayer must pay for the illegal's legal costs.

Regarding free legal counsel, the AgJOBS amendment goes further than paying for arbitrators, it also provides free legal counsel to illegal aliens who want to receive this amnesty. The AgJOBS amendment specifically states that recipients of "funds under the Legal Services Corporation Act" shall not be prevented "from providing legal assistance directly related to an application for adjustment of status under this section." Interestingly, page 414 of the bill requires the alien to have an attorney file the application for him. Not only will AgJOBS give amnesty to 1.5 million illegal aliens, it would have the American taxpayer pay the legal bills of those illegal aliens. This is unbelievable and unacceptable. We should not be rewarding illegal aliens who break our laws with free legal counsel and a direct path to citizenship.

The Temporary Guest Worker provision is deceptive in its title because the bill gives "Temporary Workers" permanent green cards after four years. To satisfy the requirement to claim work for a year the illegal need only work 40 days in that year. To qualify for working a day the illegal would need only to work one hour of that day. The standard for proof of employment is a joke since the illegal need only swear he was working.

There are a myriad of harmful provisions in the Senate bill. The bottom line is this has nothing to do with illegal immigration except the Republicans found when they took the majority that
the vote buying schemes that attract citizen votes have already been passed. Some of those schemes such as Social Security and Medicare are on the verge of bankruptcy. The democrats bought the incompetent, incarcerated and interred leaving only the illegal up for grabs. So the good Senators have to chase after illegal immigrants as the new voting block that can sustain their grasp on power.

Granted this bill must go to conference committee to hammer out the differences between it and the House version. Whatever they toss up we could do just fine if this whole mess was stuck in the dumpster and the current law vigorously enforced. What a concept.

immigration politics Mexico

Day 2 Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

Today the focus of prayer for Iran will be for the Iranian Church. In a country ruled by Mullahs it can't have been easy to be a Christian. The further radicalization of Islam has driven the Church underground. It has been demonstrated throughout history that the persecuted Church is a growing Church.

The church has faced much persecution since 1979. Church growth has happened despite much opposition as the Islamic government is hostile to evangelical Christianity. There has been constant intimidation of Protestant Christians. Many have been imprisoned, and at least eight senior church leaders have been martyred for their faith. Over the last two years there has been an increase in the intimidation and restrictions placed on believers.

With this in mind we want to unite in prayer for the persecuted church in Iran:

* Pray that all Christians will live in the knowledge that 'God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline'. Pray they will be bold to declare the message of the Gospel, even in the face of adversity.
* Pray for leaders of the 'overground' church who are under surveillance and are often questioned about their activities. Pray that the Lord will give them wisdom when they speak to the authorities. Remember also leaders of the growing number of underground house churches. Pray they will have discernment to protect their underground churches and the ability to meet without being intimidated.
* Pray that new believers all over the country who are being targeted for harassment will be protected and will overcome their fear. Pray they will experience the peace of God and that the joy of the Lord will be their strength.
* Pray for leaders who are in prison for their faith and also for their families. Remember Hamid Pourmand, who has been in prison since September 2004. Pray for his wife and two children. Pray also for Ali Kaboli, 51, who was taken into custody on May 2, 2006. With the exception of one brief telephone call, he has been refused contact with any visitors. Ask the Lord to be with his wife and grown children.

Thank you for praying.

Christianity Iran

Treasury Announces End to Long-Distance Telephone Excise Tax

In 1898 the congress needed money to finance the Spanish American War. To raise the funds a luxury tax was placed on long distance telephone use. The war came and went but the tax lived on. Long distance telephone calls became ubiquitous quite quickly so the luxury tax just became an excise tax. But out of the blue after 108 years, a legal ruling took the tax on phones out back an shot it. The IRS has been instructed to return three years of tax to taxpayers!

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Treasury Department today announced it is conceding the legal dispute over the federal excise tax on long-distance telephone service. The Department of Justice will no longer pursue litigation and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will issue refunds of tax on long-distance service for the past three years. Taxpayers will be able to apply for refunds on their 2006 tax forms, to be filed in 2007.

Treasury Secretary John Snow states, "Today is a good day for American taxpayers; it marks the beginning of the end of an outdated, antiquated tax that has survived a century beyond its original purpose, and by now should have been ancient history.

"The Federal Appeals courts have spoken across the board. It's time to `disconnect' this tax and put it on the permanent `do not call' list.

"In addition to ending the litigation, I would like to call on Congress to terminate the remainder of this antique tax by repealing the excise tax on local service as well."

The Treasury Secretary also called for congress to repeal the telephone tax. Fat chance, but you never know. The vote buying aspect may appeal to them in an election year. Here are some of the details

* No immediate action is required by taxpayers.
* Refunds will be a part of 2006 tax returns filed in 2007.
* Refund claims will cover all excise tax paid on long-distance service over the last three years (time allowed given statute of limitations). Interest will be paid on refunds.
* The IRS is working on a simplified method for individuals to use to claim a refund on their 2006 tax returns.
* Refunds will not include tax paid on local telephone service, which was not involved in the litigation.
* Originally established in 1898 as a "luxury" tax on wealthy Americans who owned telephones, the federal excise tax on telephone calls is not compatible with today's modern information-age society.

The last three points are interesting. The first states that the IRS is working on a simplified form, like that will happen. Simple in their estimation may require two or three pages. The second leaves a fairly large tax in place, while the third point is a nice way of saying that long distance service is almost obsolete. I know I'm nit picking. Any time a tax dies and we get money back is a good thing.

'Path to citizenship' Faces Liberal House foes

While our Senators are determined to ram some kind of amnesty down our throats the stand against it in the House is becoming more solid. When the RINO's come out in support of what is considered a right wing issue you can bet that the people back home have laid down the law.

Christopher Shays of Connecticut, who is about as Democrat as a Republican can get, returned from a short visit to the district he represents with renewed conviction that no amnesty will be offered until the border is secure. His constituents showed up at the 18 various meeting he held to discuss issues with them. At the first one he got his head handed to him on the guest worker amnesty provision. He saw the light and it was a train wreck for him in November. He quickly abandoned the amnesty idea and want's nothing of it.

"There were real questions about that," Mr. Shays said yesterday. "There is not much tolerance for allowing people to become citizens who came here illegally."...

..."They have very little tolerance for those marches that took place, the upside-down American flags and the Mexican flags," he said. Also, they worried that immigrants' resistance to learning English could create a splintered "Spanish Quebec" in the U.S.

Mr. Shays said he still supports a guest-worker plan that allows illegal aliens to work here temporarily. But, he said, illegals should return home and get at the very back of the line if they want to apply for citizenship.

Then, he said, the government must "really clamp down on employers" who hire illegals. "We have to start throwing the book at them."

Tom Davis in Northern Virginia is also steadfast. He has a district that includes many liberals so he often dances around issues. But not on this one.

"This is not just hard-right conservatives," he said. "These are seniors, these are liberals. Everybody thinks the border ought to be enforced, the rule of law should be preserved."

Politically speaking, Mr. Davis said Democrats should be "very, very careful" about getting too cozy with the illegal alien lobbyists if they want to make gains in the House or the Senate.

But, he said, the issue could be equally perilous in November for Republicans, who are already "on the ropes." If a Republican Congress fails to pass immigration reform -- without amnesty -- the GOP will face harsh consequences.

"This will be a test for voters in terms of 'Are Republicans capable of governing?' " said Mr. Davis.

He has it summed up exactly correct. The voters have made this the defining issue. Any politician who will stand for the sovereignty of our border and respect the laws we have will receive the support of voters across the board. This kind of bipartisan support from the electorate is the holy grail of politics and we can begin to see politicians reaching for it with determination the nearer the election we get.

immigration politics Mexico Virginia

Forty Day ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

Today is the first day of the ‘Pray for Iran’ Campaign.

Over the next forty days we want to intercede for Iran and ask the Lord to demonstrate His grace and mercy - remembering that He loves Iran and her 70 million people. Each day we will send you prayer requests for specific issues relating to the nation or the church in Iran.

Today, however, we want to begin with a general cry out to the Lord on behalf of Iran. Join Christians around the world today in praying:

* That God will hear the cry of the oppressed and the anguish of the afflicted, and see the rampant injustice and the threat of the ungodly.
* That God, in His mercy, will visit this ancient land bringing healing, understanding of truth and radical transformation. Let us plead that His grace and love will bring about a true spiritual revival within the nation.
* That God will raise righteous leaders who would fear and honour the God of Daniel, and who will also honour the sanctity of human life and human freedom.

We encourage you to view the slide show on the website as you pray. The pictures of Iran and the Persian worship music will help you intercede for the country. Click the link below to view slide show.

Thank you so much for praying.

www.prayforiran.com

Persecution Blog Carnival #2

George Allen on Immigration Bill

The Washington Post has a nice compendium of the vote in the Senate for all the senators. You can see George Allen's here

The expanded information for individual Senator's is informative. Well worth visiting if you want to get a feel on the details of a senator's thinking on the issue. From what I read it looks like Sen. Allen has a grip on this issue.

immigration politics

Democrat Election Plan: They're Worse Than Us

I detailed the clueless election strategy of the Republicans, but that was not to imply the Democrats were set to clean up with their brilliant plan. If ever there was a party out of touch it has to be the Democrats.

Early on they placed their bets on a campaign focused on the corruption of the Republicans in general. The big problem with this strategy is it ignores the issues that are important to voters and it will be viewed as the pot calling the kettle black. With Representative William J. Jefferson, Louisiana Democrat having been video taped taking a cash payoff, the Democrat strategy of exposing Republican corruption looks like a non starter, but they won't realize this until it's too late. The more comical aspect to their reliance on such a strategy is the blind willingness to ignore their own weakness in this area and plow on with statements such as Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"They are different scales," Mr. Emanuel said. "One is a party outlook and operation; the other is an individual's action. They have institutional corruption."

Loosely translated he is saying "I'm rubber, your glue, what you say bounces off me and sticks on you." Few people are naive enough to think politicians are beyond the temptations of human nature. Most agree they are more prone to succumbing to such temptations by virtue of their arrogance. The sad thing is we are going to have to vote for the Bozo party or the Pee Wee Herman party. Not somthing I relish. The race will turn on which gets a clue first. Time is running short, it could happen but don't bet on it.

politics

Iranian Christians Seek Global Prayer

I expend a lot of hot air on clueless politicians and other nitwits at home and abroad. I also offer my opinion on addressing the problems of the world in the hope that someone may see in a different light or take heart that there are others out here that see as they do. In all of this I understand that the world is a messed up place because the free will of human nature is messing it up. Yet there is one who is aware, knows the way out, has a sovereign will and is willing to hear. It is because of this I present to you the following.

On May 25th, Ascension Day, Iranian church leaders are launching 40 days of prayer and fasting for Iran.

These are extremely critical days for Iran as neither the USA nor Israel has ruled out military action if the Iranian government does not halt the enrichment of uranium for their nuclear programme. In response Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadenejad, has claimed he has over 100,000 suicide bombers to wreck havoc on Western interests.

These are also extremely critical days for the church which is facing fiercer oppression and intimidation since the election of the hard liner President Ahmadenejad last year.

Because of the serious danger facing the people of Iran, and the new pressure the church is facing, the Iranian church is calling God's people to a special prayer campaign starting on May 25th, Ascension Day.

If you would like to take part, go to www.prayforiran.com on May 25th where every day you will find up to date information for intercession.

These are not people who are using religion as a vehicle of social activisum, but believers seeking to bring the light of truth to their nation and Divine help in fostering peace. The Christian is called to be a light to the world, by his actions and his words. He is also called to pray "on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." Because " This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

Yeghnazar believes the "small but rapidly growing Iranian church is on the brink of unprecedented growth."

"Despite the prospect of persecution, men and women, young and old are putting their faith in Jesus Christ – many as a result of dreams and visions," he said. "We need to thank God for the open hearts and we want to cry out for a great revival. A strong church in Iran will impact the entire region."

Yeghnazar, who runs a Farsi-speaking Bible college and missionary training center, wants people to pray for the church, which "has experienced severe persecution and restrictions since the 1979 revolution."

See the Christian Carnival at Wittenburg Gate
Christianity Iran religion

GOP's Strategy, Win Election

The Republicans are banking on winning the midterm elections to get their agenda back on track. Problem is it's their agenda that has got them into this mess. Hoping for the war to produce some good news is not a strategy. Ignoring the desire of 80% of the citizens for a secure border before any guest worker program or other form of amnesty is a bad strategy.

It is typical of political operatives to miss the obvious. Most of them are too concerned about what the Post is saying than what the citizens are. The press is impressed by staff shake ups because it involves people they know. But the people who count are the ones who vote and the politicians are slow to notice what they are saying because they rely so heavily on what they read in the paper. Trying to balance the editorial page punditry with the public outcry is the dance that they do when they have no core principles.

Right on the border with Mexico is the answer to their dilemma. Secure it and the voters will reward them in November. Rely on political mauvering or any form of amnesty and there will be a high price to pay.

Update: See my take on the Democrat's plan.

immigration politics Mexico

Nagin Reelected in New Orleans

Here in the Wash. DC Area we had for the longest time one Marion Barry as Mayor of the Nation's Capitol. Mayor Barry was one of those politicians who made one wonder how he stayed I office. He was not just a jerk like your run of the mill politician, he was a stupid jerk. It seemed that not a day went by that the news didn't report some antic of the Mayor's followed by a statement so ridiculous that one knew he couldn't be that stupid by accident. It never failed that a big snow storm would paralyze the city and Marion Barry was vacationing in the Bahamas, or he was found carousing with some floozy like what many thought was a career ending act, caught at a hotel smoking crack with a strange woman uttering his most famous quote "The b***h set me up." Yet year after year he was Mayor of the city. Even after his release fom jail on the drug charge he won reelection.

All good things come to an end and so it was with Marion Barry's terms as Mayor. All the corruption of the city and the incompetence of its employees became too much and new blood was brought to the mayor's office. Things got so bad that people were suggesting the Congress could do a better job! High hopes for change were soon dashed as people realized that the problems of the nation's capitol were beyond the responsibility of one person. Nothing changed except the lack of entertaining non sense coming from the Mayor's office. Barry tried to make a comeback to no avail. He found a seat on the city council but age and life style have taken their toll. Now he just gets pulled over for traffic tickets and has little to say.

For those who have forgotten or have never had the pleasure, here are just a few of Marion Barry's most memorable quotes.

"I promise you a police car on every sidewalk."

"If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very very low crime rate."

"I read a funny story about how the Republicans freed the slaves. The Republicans are the ones who created slavery by law in the 1600's. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and he was not a Republican."

"Bitch set me up."

"I am clearly more popular than Reagan. I am in my third term. Where's Reagan? Gone after two! Defeated by George Bush and Michael Dukakis no less."

"The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist."

My purpose in this reminiscence is not just for your entertainment but to draw a parallel with a mayor of another city who could become another Marion Barry. None other than Ray Nagin who has just been reelected Mayor of New Orleans. Mayor Nagin would have remained an anonymous mayor of a failing city had it not been for Katrina. The crisis of the hurricane laid bare his ineptitude and threw the spotlight on his every statement. Most famous are his proclamation that God was punishing America with hurricanes and his promise to make New Orleans a Chocolate city. Many thought the citizens couldn't possably return Nagin to office, but they did. The big difference is Marion Barry was entertaining because he was a stupid jerk, Ray Nagin is just a jerk. But if New Orleans is going to stay a messed up place for the foreseeable future, it might as well have Mayor Nagin at the helm so we can snark at his latest imitation of a Jackass.

Nagin politics New Orleans

Project Hero

QandO has the next Silver Star recipient tribute up on their site.



Our hero this week is SFC David Lowe, Silver Star

It was midafternoon last June when Lowe's team, accompanied by Afghan forces, began climbing a steep mountainside to reach the 82nd Airborne paratroopers fighting off pockets of enemy on all sides.

Lowe's team moved through the brush without talking. The sun cast shadows on the hills, making it difficult to see. Lowe was uphill providing cover ahead of Sgt. 1st Class Victor Cervantes, who walked below through a dry streambed, when fire from a Kalashnikov broke out near Cervantes's position.

Lowe turned and dashed back, catching a glimpse of a camouflage coat and a figure ducking between the trees and rocks. Lowe fired at it with his M-4 and the gunfire stopped. Then he began yelling, "Vic!" "Vic!" trying to find his teammate.

"So anyway, Vic was dead," Lowe recalled, choking up at the memory. But Lowe, the team medic, said he controlled an urge to charge blindly up the hill in revenge.

Instead, according to his medal citation, during a six-hour firefight, Lowe moved deliberately to aid the wounded -- at one point dashing over 150 yards of open ground. He climbed an exposed rock pinnacle to shoot down a fighter who had a teammate pinned down, and helped kill six other attackers, including some who shot at the soldiers as they attempted to carry out Cervantes's body.

"We were a week from going home, and he's putting himself in harm's way -- he's the real hero today," Lowe said of Cervantes, 27, of Stockton, Calif.

Illegals granted Social Security

There can be little doubt our politicians view Social Security as nothing more than a tool for buying votes. Nor can there be any doubt as to whom the Senate's allegiance falls. The only question I have is, were they born this way or are they this stupid on purpose?

If Social Security were meant to be a retirement plan for all Americans it would have been set up much differently than it is. The first clue that it was something less than that is the original exemption of government employees from the plan. It was not until the 1970's that those working for the government were forced by law to join the SS system. They were not added because of a desire on the part of employees to partake in a wonderful opportunity, but they're contributions were needed to hold off impending bankruptcy. If SS were a pension plan the government would be unable to use the funds for anything other than investing for return and paying out benefits because the money in pension plans belongs to the contributors.

Over the years new classes of individuals have been added to the list of beneficiaries, not because they paid a premium to earn such benefits, but because congress wanted to buy their vote. Now the SS system is being looted once more to by votes. Curiously the votes being bought are of non citizens. Not just non citizens who are in line to become citizens, but illegal immigrants who's future citizenship rests with the people who are looking to reward them with SS benefits. With all the angst over SS's return to insolvency for what other reason are they so anxious to hasten its collapse by adding illegal immigrants?

The inmates of the US Senate have finally drew back the curtain and revealed to whom they give their loyalty. It is not to the citizens they claim to represent. It is not to the future citizens they claim they want to help with SS benefits. It is not to the law and constitution they swore to uphold. They are loyal to themselves and the perpetuation of they're own power. The most prestigious legislative body in the land is populated with the most unprincipled and incompetent con artists in the land. The more they try to sop up our support for their "comprehensive" immigration bill the more they reveal the cynical panderers they are.

I would marvel at their accomplishment if I thought they were truly sophisticated con men, but they continue to just enflame the citizens to greater anger. They have relied on the same bag of trick for so long that there is no sophistication evident in their actions. Each statement that comes out of the senate to defend their handing the country over to illegal immigrants sounds more and more ridiculous.

Several years ago much hope was placed in the Republican majority. That hope has been swallowed up by whatever disease afflicts people that enter the asylum on Capitol Hill. Now with such an abysmal outlook on their effort to continue as a majority they are pulling the tired rabbit out of their hat by saying the Democrats are worse. Only by degree as I see it. If the country is going to go to hell in a hand basket with the Republicans in charge, why not let the experts at that job take control by letting the Democrats take over?

In the words of Howard Beale from "Network" "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more.

immigration politics

More Non Sense Comes Out of Ray Nagin's Mouth

Mayor Nagin has a talent for making the most asinine statements in American politics today. How could this guy have elevated himself to the executive office of a major city such as New Orleans? I could ask the same question about the members of the US Senate, but that is my next post. Seems he has rode the race card to its fullest. His rank incompetence in running the city both before and after Katrina is testament to reliance on racial animosity for his livelihood. If he had anything to offer outside of race baiting the city would not have been a swamp of lawlessness before Katrina turned it into just a swamp.

Mayor C. Ray Nagin says a victory in tomorrow's election will send a message on race that "will echo throughout America."

"This election will say in spite of American prejudice, I was able to attract votes from all races and classes and move forward with the process of healing," said Mr. Nagin, who has hinted that whites locally and nationally are working to unseat him from the post, which blacks have held for nearly 30 years.

How he can spout such non sense is beyond credulity. He won the last election with 85% of the white vote, yet he carps about American prejudice. What a jerk. If he is elected tomorrow the only thing it would say is New Orleans deserves to be a swamp.

Nagin politics

Senate Votes English as National Language

The US Senate is cobbling together a "comprehensive" Immigration bill. Comprehensive is the latest word they have chosen to mask their effort to buy votes with an illegal immigrant amnesty bill. They have put provisions in that are aimed at getting the citizens to swallow amnesty such as a border security fence and an English only law, but none of these will be mandated before the path to citizenship is thrown wide open. An effort to make achieving border security the prerequisite for any guest worker law to be offered was shot down quickly. The English only provision got sliced and diced so it would not interfere with any existing bilingual mandates.

In an amusing moment during debate Sen. McCain launched into a passionate double speak defending the guest worker program from those who call it amnesty.

McCain, addressing Vitter, said: "Call it a banana if you want to. ... To call the process that we require under this legislation amnesty frankly distorts the debate and it's an unfair interpretation of it."

Unfair because it is accurate. He was mollified when the Senate eviscerated the English only amendment.

By stipulating that the English-only mandates could not negate existing laws, Inhofe spared current ordinances that allow bilingual education or multilingual ballots. By changing the amendment to label English the "national language" rather than the "official language" of the country, Inhofe may have lessened its symbolic power.

"In my view, we had it watered down enough to make it acceptable," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of the chief architects of the immigration bill.

Watered it down enough to make it worthless would have been a more honest description of what was done. Even this was not good enough for the likes of Sen. Harry Reid and Sen. Ken Salazar who called the English amendment racist and anti American. I just shake my head ruefully when I hear such things coming for the people charged with running this country. A group of school kids could make more sense than these guys. They could at least be more creative in their complaints.

While this comic episode of American history unfolds I feel despair that our nation's sovereignty has been sold cheap by the very people we though were in charge of protecting it. Mexico is actively colonizing our nation with its surplus population because their corrupt socialist government can't afford to keep them. We do ourselves and the Mexican people a disservice by not forcing the issue by having our government enforce the current immigration laws. Spending all this time and energy on some dubious reform is just a smoke screen for our government's belief in the New World Order.

immigration politics Mexico

President Does Not Read My Mail

I was disappointed that the President did not include my suggestion for dealing with the illegal immigrants in the US. He made no mention of having a Saturday soccer game in every major city on the same day. Then after the National Anthem is sung just announce that everyone in attendance must go back to their country of origin.


Mexico immigration politics humor

Reation to the President's Speech

My initial reaction to the President's speech is not very different from my expectations. No real surprise. There was talk of National Guard going to the border. He offered 6000 troops that will likely be standing around with little to do such as was the case in Bosnia. His promise to secure the border with walls and technology will take eons of time to get to since Congress will haggle for ever and stuff the thing with needless pork but that is the way it is. The increase in border patrol agents and detention facilities will only work if his promise to end catch and release. That remains to be seen.

As for the guest worker portion, that I could live with if the border was already secure, but since this aspect does not require the huge infrastructure cost of a wall and high tech surveillance Congress will likely run this through long before they get to building a fence. Guest workers could easily be pandered to for political purposes so one can expect the politicians to be enthusiastic on this provision.

As expected he wants amnesty. Sure he has all kinds of conditions like a long job history and paying fines and taxes, but this leaves a big hole in the logic, specifically if an illegal immigrant cannot be employed how is one going to justify such a record if there isn't some amnesty involved? The reality is we will be offering the illegal immigrant a work permit until he has satisfied the other obligations spelled out in the law for them to become citizens. In other words we give them amnesty for their past of violating the work laws, and we forgive the employer for hiring the illegal immigrant just because the worker has applied for citizenship. Describe this any way you choose it is amnesty.

Finally he made learning English a requirement without making it the official language. We can expect that the bilingual non sense will not abate one bit until this happens.

No real surprises meets small expectations in this speech. We citizens must continue to press the legislature to look out for the interests of the citizens it represents. Send a brick, an e-mail, a phone call, a nasty gram but don't stop until they listen or we replace them.


Mexico immigration politics Bush

Tasty Treat Before Bush Speech

Today while anticipating the immigration speech President Bush will give tonight I'm thinking of a diversion that has nothing to do with the issues of the day. I went to the Food Lion and picked up the ingredients for making Mango Habanero Chutney. I also got a bag of Murray's Ginger Snaps. In my opinion Murray's are the top of the line in ginger snaps and nothing is better than dipping them in the chutney.

The chutney is just a couple of mangoes cut up and cooked with ½ c of water, 1c brown sugar, 1/2c vinegar and 1c of white raisins with a tsp. each of cinnamon, ground cloves, ground cardamom and ground ginger. Cook it all together for 15 min. Add one cut up habanero and start dipping those ginger snaps, man is that good stuff.

Note: Habaneros chilies are the hottest pepper you can get. They are 100 times hotter than a Jalapeno. They will have me all fired up for blogging the speech.

Jo's Cafe Right Wing Nation Third World County

immigration food

Mother's Day

Years ago something happened that caused me to see my mother in a different light. A friend called and asked if I would like to join him as he took his two children on a beach vacation. Every year he rented a house on the beach for the week in the summer he had his kids. I was also single at the time and though I was available I was not in a position to afford to share the rent of a house on the beach. He offered that there would be no obligation on my part other that that I cook the meals. I accepted.

At the beach house as I was preparing the first meal I asked him why his girlfriend had not come with them. She had been living with him for several months and he had not indicated that this arrangement had not changed so I was curious. "I left her home because she drives me nuts." Was his reply.

I asked why he did not end the relationship and send her away if that was the case. "I can't cook." was the reason given. I thought of my mother teaching me how to make pancakes when I was 8 years old, and how when I left home for school I covered my room and board by cooking for the guys in the house we lived in. I looked at my friend and thought what a hell he must be experiencing and what a gift my mother had given me. Because I was a man who could not just cook but cook anything and do it well, that I was free from the trap my friend was in. I could wait to marry a woman who's company I enjoyed because I was not dependent on finding one who could feed me ASAP.

Thanks Mom and Happy Mother's Day

Project Hero

QandO has the next Silver Star recipient tribute up on their site.



Our hero this week is Petty Officer 2nd Class Juan M. Rubio, Silver Star

On Jan. 1, 2005, Rubio’s platoon was ambushed on the Euphrates River. The Marines left their boats and pursued the attackers, only to have an explosive set off nearby.

Rubio and three Marines were wounded. Despite having shrapnel wounds in his legs and arms, Rubio belly-crawled to the injured Marines and treated their injuries. He then dragged each of them across open terrain, under fire, to safety behind a wall.

He showed the uninjured Marines how to care for the wounded troops and then began directing covering fire while he helped take the wounded back to the boats.

“Your actions saved lives and you have set an example for future corpsmen and Marines to emulate,” wrote Maj. Gen. R.F. Natonski, who wrote a letter endorsing the medal. “Your service is coveted by each and every Marine in the 1st Marine Division.”

One Marine died that day, Lance Cpl. Brian Parrello. Rubio believes Parrello saved his life.

“He took a big chunk of artillery,” Rubio said. “He absorbed 90 percent of the explosion for me. I owe my life to him.”

Bush May SendNational Guard Patrols to Border

Better get the boots on the political season is opening up with early vote buying non sense. Reports that President Bush will send National Guard troops to the border are circulating in anticipation of his immigration speech tomorrow. No one confirmation so far from the White House. It could be they want to save the news for the speech, but my feelings are any announcement that troops are going to the border will be nothing more than cover for the amnesty crowd. The way Senators Graham and Reid are talking it sounds like the fix is in the works.

What has the President and the Senate all worked up is the House is not interested in anything other than securing the border and stopping the hiring of illegal immigrants. So to throw a bone to the majority of citizens who want the existing laws enforced and the border fenced the Amnesty folks have devised a carrot on a stick with the possibility of troop deployment on the border.

There are big problems with using National Guard troops however. The Guard is the primary force used to respond to emergencies. Hurricane season is just around the corner. By the time congress gets around to doing anything the Guard will be deployed elsewhere. If the congress passes any kind of amnesty the flood gates will open wide on the border and any number of humans will be insufficient to stem the flow. Just since the talk of amnesty began the numbers coming across have increased as much as ten fold.

The President will call it Guest worker, temporary worker, path to citizenship or effort to bring them out from the shadows, but call it what he will it remains amnesty for people who broke our laws and the reward is citizenship. . When seventy percent of the citizens do not favor amnesty then what is the motivation for our senators to pursue it anyway? Form the enthusiasm for amnesty and the willingness to deceive the citizens one has to wonder which nation these people were elected to represent

I'm going to listen to the speech Monday night but I'm anticipating the strong sent of the deli from all the bologna.

immigration politics Mexico

Howard Dean: Democrats Have Much in Common with Evangelicals

Remember that kid in high school who always talked about how cool he was, or the guy at parties that mentions how successful he is and we all have heard the jock who spouts off his great achievements in athletics. All these people have one thing in common, everyone knows they're full of bologna. Such is the case with Howard Dean, DNC Chairman who is telling evangelicals how the Democratic Party is really into the god and values thing.

In an interview with The Christian Broadcasting Network he details all the commonality the Democrats have with evangelicals such as with abortion and gay marriage.

"Well, let's discuss abortion first," Dean said. "I think what we have in common with the evangelical community is that we ought to have a lot fewer abortions than we do. The abortions have actually gone up in the last few years. We should have far fewer abortions…we ought to make sure that there's not just abstinence, but family planning used to get rid of abortion, and that is something that we share. Now the difference is that we don't think making criminals out of doctors and women is a good idea."

He added, "The Democratic Party platform from 2004 says that marriage is between a man and a woman. That's what it says. I think where we may take exception with some religious leaders is that we believe in inclusion, that everybody deserves to live with dignity and respect, and that equal rights under the law are important."

Any discussion of abortion that does not address the moral issue of the right to life is meaningless to evangelical Christians. The reason the Democrats fail to impress evangelicals with their values on abortion is because they view it as a health care concern while evangelicals view it as a respect for life question. There can be no common ground when there is no common value underlying the discussion.

As for gay marriage he may point out the platform states that marriage is between an man and a woman, but the practice is to the contrary. Actions skeak louder than words. His statement says as much. The cluelessness really comes out most vividly in his declaration that Democrats have values just like the evangelicals.

He said, "I'm a Democrat because of my values. My values include inclusiveness -- they include not leaving more debt to our kids than we have ourselves. My values including wanting our values to drive our public policies. My values include not having kids going to bed hungry at night. Now those are values that I bet I share with the vast majority of evangelicals."

Dear Howard, everybody has values, but just having them does not automatically mean they have merit. Wanting your values to drive your public policies is not a value, it is the basis of all decision making. One chooses how to solve problems based on what they believe. Evangelicals have a problem with the Democratic Party not because it has no values, but because of the values it has. When one has to tell another how compatible they are it's usually because the other already knows they are not. From your statements I assume you are either clueless on what evangelical values are or you think evangelicals are clueless so you can snow them just by using the right words.

Christianity politics pro-life religion

Da Vinci Code release sparks calls for fatal hunger strikes in India

What is up with the Catholics? The way they are reacting to "The Da Vinci Code" makes one think they have joined the "Religion of Peace." First a Cardinal calls for legal action against the movie, now some group in India wants people to starve themselves to death with a hunger strike. Does no one in the Catholic Church read their Bible anymore? Nowhere does it call for God's people to defend him. Nowhere does it call for people to do harm to themselves or anyone else because someone disputes the Word of God or blasphemes His name.

Get a grip. Christianity is just fine, we don't have to make it Islam. The Religion of Peace wants to enforce god's law on the world. The Bible teaches that Christians should make disciples of all nations. There is a huge difference. Disciples are called to come and have the choice to not answer. Bringing the world under Islam does not leave room for dissent. God does not want goats to live like sheep, all one gets are unhappy goats. Transform the goats into sheep and they will live as sheep by their own volition. Leave the world to look at their movies, but be ready to speak the truth with gentleness and respect.

Christianity Catholic Da Vinci Code religion

Fairfax Killer Had Fled Psychiatric Center

On Monday May 8, Michael W. Kennedy attacked the Sully District police station in Fairfax County, VA killing Detective Vicky O. Armel and severely wounding Officer Michael E. Garbarino. No motive has been discovered nor will be since Mr. Kennedy was shot dead on the scene. From the events leading to this senseless act of violence Mr. Kennedy was another nut job that no one who could have done something did.

Our society has abandoned the concept that people who exhibit anti social behavior need supervision. Even when they begin to engage in criminal behavior there is no serious attempt at intervention. Over and over again I read these stories of people who's friends family and government authorities discount or excuse behavior that signals impending tragedy.

Following is a synopsis of events that led to Mr. Kennedy's attack on the police station from The Washington Post:

... In February, he was arrested for accidentally shooting and wounding his family's dog. Sources familiar with the investigation said he told police he was suicidal but decided against killing himself and then accidentally fired a handgun...

...Police are investigating why Kennedy voluntarily checked himself into the Potomac Ridge Behavioral Health Center, the psychiatric treatment facility in Rockville, on April 18. Less than seven hours later, he broke a window and escaped.

Officials at Potomac Ridge declined to say why they were treating him, and they also would not comment on the escape. They issued a statement saying they did not have contact with Kennedy after he left the facility.

Immediately after escaping, at 6:49 p.m., Kennedy approached a man in a Toyota 4Runner sport-utility vehicle and told the driver he had a gun. The man gave the vehicle to Kennedy, who drove it to Virginia, police say.

Later that night, Kennedy turned himself in at the Sully District station on the carjacking charge. He was extradited to Montgomery County on April 21.

The next day, Montgomery County District Court Commissioner Jonathan Lew set bond at $30,000 after reviewing a detective's summary describing Kennedy's escape and the carjacking, court records show.

It's important to note that a $30,000 bond can be met with a deposit of $3,000. It would not take much scrutiny to determine that keeping Mr. Kennedy off the street would be a good thing so a larger bail would be appropriate. Escaping from a mental institution and car jacking are what some people would consider clues. More disturbing however is the family's negligence after he confession of intending suicide to put the guns under lock and key.

One cannot stop a person who wishes to kill themselves or someone else when they give little warning. But once they try, they express a desire or they go on medication that places them at risk one has an obligation to do certain things. One precaution is to lock up the guns. When a person checks into a mental health facility and then breaks a window to escape and commits a violent crime, don't let them wander the streets. This comment from the Montgomery County Maryland Administrative Commissioner Charles Peters:

... Lew had set "an appropriate bond for the case and the charge."

commissioners have "no authority to order any psychiatric evaluations" of suspects brought before them. Peters said commissioners are instructed to set a bond that will ensure that a suspect returns to face charges and not as a punitive measure.

That is not entirely true. Bond is also to prevent a suspect who is a danger to the community or a risk of flight from doing either of the two. Take for an example the situation in Virginia.

[Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr.] said Kennedy probably would not have been free on bond in Virginia. "Most carjackings in this jurisdiction, you don't get a bond," the longtime prosecutor said

Mental disorders are unfortunate and the people who suffer from them need help not cover. Sometimes that help is simply making sure they take their medication, but other times it requires separation from the general public. It is not punishment to confine a person to protect themselves and others. It sometimes is necessary to save their own and other's lives.

Basil's



Virginia guns law

Government Watching the Minutemen Instead of the Border

This image by Jay D. Dyson can be seen here

There is one issue more pressing than watching our border and enforcing our immigration laws according to the federal government. It is monitoring the Minutemen while they watch our border to help enforce our immigration laws. They want to reassure the Mexican government that illegal immigrant's rights are being protected. This is of course at the expense of the citizen's rights and the countries sovereignty.

According to three documents on the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site, the U.S. Border Patrol is to notify the Mexican government as to the location of Minutemen and other civilian border patrol groups when they participate in apprehending illegal immigrants -- and if and when violence is used against border crossers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed...

Border Patrol agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin said they have been asked to report to sector headquarters the location of all civilian volunteer groups, but to not file the groups' names in reports if they spot illegal immigrants.

"Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens," said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. "We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls."

The government is not just alerting the Mexican government to the actions of the Minutemen on the border, but are giving them information on all their activities throughout the nation.

This Report does not report information told to the MCDC media offices that the Border Patrol chiefs have also been passing along intelligence reports to the government of Mexico on the activities of Minutemen not only at the borders, but in locations such as Utah, Nevada, Illinois, Massachusetts and Tennessee. Perhaps a follow-up story is coming tomorrow or an over zealous editor took the info out?

Part of a report distributed last August to the Mexican government from Border Patrol bureaucrats read over the phone to the MCDC media offices contained not only numbers (estimated chapter membership) of Minutemen in Illinois, but a statement on their activities and that they didn't seem to know any politicians there, indicating that the Illinois Minutemen didn't yet have any political clout.

That is not a report on the location of Minutemen at the border, but political intelligence from our government to a foreign nation about the activities of American citizens petitioning our own government for redress of grievances.

Instead of allocating resources to control the border at it is required to do, the federal government uses them to monitor the citizens who stand in the breach because the government won't. People asked me why I left the Republican Party 8 years ago. It is because of this kind of stupid non sense where they just abandon their principles for some pragmatic cause that I just stopped giving my time and money to the party. So this is nothing new.

The government as a whole is more concerned over the rest of the world than they are the interests of our nation. They are willing to damage our economy to let Mexico use it as a safety valve for their pathetic socialist economy that is struggling to function under the massive corruption of their politicians. Even NAFTA was insufficient for their economy to get going because their political leaders just suck it dry so they can buy votes with social spending. Sounds familiar don't it.

The congressional elections are looming and the Republicans are scratching their heads over how to communicate to the voter that the Democrats are worse than they are. That may be true to a point, but the distinction is becoming harder to make. They would do themselves and the nation a favor if they would just stick to simple stuff like keeping spending down, and protecting the country. I'm afraid they've become too sophisticated for that.

immigration politics