The Tar Pit

Schwarzenegger wants to legalize 12 million illegals

2006-04-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

Mark Arnold Schwarzenegger as another Republican turncoat who favors a large amnesty for 12 million illegal aliens. A stronger border also requires real solutions, not soundbites or symbolic gestures. Building a wall sounds good and a fence may do some good in certain places. But every wall can be scaled with a ladder. Brick walls and chain link fences will not stop the desires and dreams of a

RealClearPolitics' John McIntyre shills for amnesty

2006-04-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

John McIntyre of RealClearPolitics.com comes out for an illegal alien amnesty today: -there needs to be some pathway to citizenship provided for the 11 million illegals here right now. The right is going to cry amnesty at any process that puts illegals on a pathway to citizenship while still being able to live in the U.S. The left is going to balk at a real fence and shutting down the border.

Hugh Hewitt comes out of the Amnesty closet

2006-04-10T09:21:00.000-07:00

Hugh Hewitt has publicly embraced his inner elitist and called for an amnesty for illegal aliens, in so many words last Friday: ...if you look at the "compromise" that collapsed today, it said begin the process of exploring the initiation of a potential fence sort of stuff. Why not just do what the House said, mark the 700 miles, and say we'll make the amnesty effective the day the 700 miles are

John Campbell's troubled victory

2005-12-07T16:47:00.000-08:00

Newly minted Congressman John Campbell won the special election for Califronia's 48th Congressional District seat vacated by new SEC Chairman Chris Cox yesterday, but beneath the results the numbers reveal just how weak a campaign Campbell ran in the two months since the primary: John Campbell picked up only an additional 30 votes between the primary and special elections, out of over 90,000

Bush Amnesty fallacies from the Cato Institue

2005-12-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

In "Bush Bungles Immigration Reform Speech," Alan Reynolds of the Cato Institute demonstrates Lesson #1 of the pro-illegal alien method of journalism, or "thought," or tossed at the wall desperation, "Don't bury your stupid." Reynolds leads with: President Bush has reopened a badly needed discussion about comprehensive immigration reform. Even with the few issues he talked about, however,

Taking Hannity to Amnesty School

2005-11-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

Ian over at the invaluable Political Teen has a clip from last night's Hannity and Colmes. Ian writes. Sean Hannity and Texas Representative Gene Green (D) duke it out on the topic of illegal immigrants in the US. Hannity schools Green on the definition of "amnesty" because the latter says it isn't allowing illegals to stay here after they pay a fine. Well, sort of. Listening to Hannity and

Bush immigration speech blurs the truth

2005-11-28T22:24:00.000-08:00

Update 11/29: Welcome, Instapundit readers! See also Bush Admin. now redefines Reagan Amnesty. President Bush's immigration speech today was not altogether truthful. While there were some welcome, if belated, highlights in Bush's most recent effort to get some credibility on the subject of illegal aliens, it was once again his inability to grapple honestly with the facts about his new and

WH 'joke sheet' -- "President opposes amnesty"

2005-11-28T15:51:00.000-08:00

The White House issued a "Fact Sheet" today in conjunction with the President's speech this afternoon in Tucson, Arizona, outlining his new and improved approach to dealing with the problem of illegal aliens. According to the White House website, "to secure the border, the President is pursuing a three-part plan." The the first two and a half steps of the plan are common sense proposals that

Bush Admin. now redefines Reagan Amnesty

2005-11-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

For years President Bush and members of his Administration have been trying to redefine the word "amnesty" as it's been understood to apply to illegal aliens. The problem they've had is that there are enormous similarities between the Bush Amnesty and the Reagan Amnesty. The basic difference is that the Bush would legalize many millions more illegals than Reagan, though not as large a percentage

Fred Barnes pimps the Bush Amnesty

2005-11-27T17:20:00.000-08:00

This is Fred Barnes. This is Fred Barnes on peyote: WHEN PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNED THE Homeland Security Appropriations Act six weeks ago, he did it in the East Room of the White House in a glossy ceremony befitting an occasion of Republican unity. Which is what it was, right up to the moment when Bush started talking about illegal immigrants. "They want to provide for their families," he said

Happy Linksgiving!

2005-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Well, the link scrooges are out and about, preaching the gospel that miserliness is next to Godliness. The theory seems to be that links given by the generous should be devalued, and that the most precious of links are given only by the stingy. Imagine a blogospheric barometer that creates incentive not to link very often, and most days you've got an incentive not to link at all. This is blogging

Open Letter to N.Z. Bear: Sabertooth confesses!

2005-11-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Dear N.Z. Bear, About the open track back mini-controversy, you wrote to Don Surber: "I'll explain my reasoning more when I post about it. Given that I haven't done so yet... where did you hear about the change?" I confess, Don heard about it from me, and I'll explain how I figured out the change after addressing a few points from your post today. You wrote: Over time, I've noticed that some

Woodward's LKL gaffe reveals source was a man

2005-11-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

In an interview on Larry King Live tonight, Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward inadvertently revealed that his unnamed source in the Valerie Plame case was a man. I've transcribed the following exchange from about the middle of the interview: Larry King: "Your source, did the source indicate whether Mrs. Plame was an undercover agent, or desk analyst?" Bob Woodward: "Good question, and

Don Surber's hostile takeover of Open Source Media

2005-11-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Don Surber posts a good rant today, OSM=MSM -- WTF?, which catalogues a series of gripes against the new OSM "Open Source Media" megablog. Everything has its growing pains, but Surber struck quickly, using a stealth method of taking over the whole darned enterprise. Take a look at #21, Open Source Media, in the current TTLB Blogosphere Ecosystem: Higher Beings1.Instapundit.com (4168) details2.

Monday Open Tar Pit #5

2005-11-21T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yet another Open TrackBack thread! Have fun! Linking to: Cao's BlogEuphoric RealityPoint FiveThe Political TeenBasil's BlogJo's CafebRight & EarlyBIG DOG's WEBLOGChoose LifeStop the ACLUCalifornia ConservativeStuck on StupidAdam's BlogMacStansburyDon SurberSamantha BurnsPeakah's ProvocationsNIFMyopic Zealthird world countyEverymanOutside the Beltway The Business of America is Business!Wizbang!The

Woodwardgate scorecard: Armitage is #1!

2005-11-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

While Woodwardgate rumors swirl around both Richard Armitage and Steven Hadley, it's becoming clear that it was Armitage who informed Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward that Valerie Plame worked covertly for the CIA. In his -press conference last week, Bob Woodward stated that he'd been questioned by Plame leak presecutor Patrick Fitzgerald about inteviews Woodward had with "three current or

WP Woodwardgate editorial spams red herrings

2005-11-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

With sharks circling around embattled Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward, the Post editorial board tried to distract its readers this morning with a few choice red herrings: It's not in the public interest for reporters to be forced to reveal their confidential sources in cases such as this. That's why Post reporter Bob Woodward should not be vilified for protecting the identity of his source

Woodwardgate: cuckolded Downie stands by his man

2005-11-18T09:20:00.000-08:00

Marc Cooper has a hilarious deconstruction of Chris Matthews' interview with Bob Woodward's journalistically cuckolded WaPo editor Len Downie. Here's a sample from Translating The Woodward Tapes: DOWNIE: Chris, at the time that this conversation took place back in June of 2003, Bob was conducting a series of interviews with this and other sources for his book, “Plan of Attack.” …And this came

Woodward and source: chum for the sharks

2005-11-18T02:49:00.000-08:00

In defense of of the First Amendment some reporters have been willing to risk jail time to protect their sources; Bob Woodward is willing to let other people go to prison to protect his sources. Doesn't have the same ring, does it? Dorsal fins can be seen above the surface, but the action is below. Woodward's wounded and his embarrassed editors at the Washington Post are hanging him and his

Friday Open Tar Pit #4

2005-11-18T02:00:00.000-08:00

A round up of some current Open TrakBak posts today: Cao's BlogEuphoric RealityPoint FiveThe Political TeenBasil's BlogJo's CafebRight & EarlyBIG DOG's WEBLOGChoose LifeStop the ACLUTMH's Bacon BitsCalifornia ConservativeStuck on StupidAdam's BlogMacStansburyDon SurberThe Conservative CatSamantha BurnsPeakah's ProvocationsNIFRandom Yakthird world countyMyopic ZealEverymanOutside the Beltway And

Howie Kurtz pimps lefty bloggers' "passion" for Woodwardgate

2005-11-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

Readers of the Washington Post didn't get the whole story from Bob Woodward, and now they aren't getting it from Howard Kurtz. Kurtz has a long Media Notes column, Woodward Bombshell, in this morning's Washinton Post about the revelation that Bob Woodward withheld information about the Valerie Plame case. It's a round up of what's been covered elsewhere, and toward the end Kurtz writes that the "

Hillary: If "Saddam does not comply, then we can attack him" with "legitimacy"

2005-11-16T04:10:00.000-08:00

During the prelude to the 2003 invasion of Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power and enforce regime change, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton declared on the Senate floor that if Saddam Hussein didn't fully comply with weapons inspections, then we could attack him with legitimacy. Unfortunately, Terrence Jeffrey gets it all right while completely missing the point when he asks the rhetorical

Open Tar Pit TrackBack #3!

2005-11-16T02:09:00.000-08:00

A round up of some current Open TrackBack posts today: California ConservativeCao's BlogEuphoric RealityPoint FiveThe Political TeenMacStansburyBasil's BlogJo's CafeStop the ACLUDon SurberAdam's BlogThe Conservative CatbRight & EarlyStuck on StupidSamantha BurnsBIG DOG's WEBLOGPeakah's ProvocationsChoose Life This is also an open trackback thread. Have fun! Updating trackback posts... The Real

Hillary: "inherent" U.S. authority for force in Iraq since 1991

2005-11-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, Instapundit readers! On October 10, 2002, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton declared in a Senate speech on S.J. Res. 45, A Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq that the authority for the use of military force in Iraq to enforce weapons inspections derived from a 1991 United Nations Resolution following the removal of Iraq's invasion forces from Kuwait:

Jordanians outraged at being treated like Jews

2005-11-15T02:39:00.000-08:00

Dennis Prager writes that Jordanians are shocked -- shocked! -- that a wedding would be blown up. The money quote: Now there is widespread condemnation of Zarqawi's terror in Jordan. There is even a fear that the name of Islam will suffer. Unfortunately, however, it is only because Zarqawi was foolish enough to massacre Jordanian civilians, and not confine his massacres to Iraqis and non-Arabs.

Alito: no Constitutional "right to an abortion" -- Open Tar Pit #2

2005-11-14T13:11:00.001-08:00

In this morning's Washington Times, Bill Sammons reports Reagan Era writings in which U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito rejected abortion as a right "It has been an honor and source of personal satisfaction for me to serve in the office of the Solicitor General during President Reagan's administration and to help to advance legal positions in which I personally believe very strongly," he

Jailed Egyptian blogger Abdolkarim is freed!

2005-11-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman, the Egyptian blogger who was detained after criticizing Islam following the October 22nd Muslim riots against Coptic Christians in Alexandria, has been released according to a post on his blog. An English translation of the Arabic, via the Committee to Protect Bloggers "(I have been released) after 18 days, six of them spent at Alexandria State Securit office of

Jailed Egyptian blogger's anti-Islamic post - English translation

2005-11-14T00:34:00.000-08:00

Curt at the Committee to Protect Bloggers has a translation of the internet post that landed Egyptian blogger Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman in jail. The post was written October 22nd, after Muslim riots in Alexandria led to a crowd of thousands surrounding a Coptic church, death threats against the Coptic Pope, and the stabbing of a nun. As Curt notes, Abdolkarim comes from a Muslim family, but his

Open Tar Pit TrackBack #1

2005-11-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

For something a little different, I thought I'd try my hand at one of these Open TrackBack posts. Welcome to Open Tar Pit TrackBack #1! Today it's anything goes, though I'm thinking that down the road I might try to do posts that are more thematic. I've installed the Open TrackBack Provider Blogroll in my right sidebar, and used my own graphic header for it, to keep conisistent with the look of

Dick Morris gets silly about immigration reform

2005-11-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Dick Morris makes some decidedly unserious recommendations to President Bush in Get serious about immigration reform. In addition to the President (finally) ramping up and enforcing our immigration laws, Morris says that... Bush, searching for a way to recapture the national agenda, needs to seize this issue and make it his own. A full and reasoned program will galvanize national support and

Eleventh Hour

2005-11-11T07:03:00.000-08:00

While unknown soldiers battled for their friends,As unknown sailors sortied for their mates,And unknown airmen fell to certain ends,A thoughtless freedom's granted for their fates. For those of us enjoying life's sweet clime:Each instant's bought with sweat, and tears, and bloodOf unknown men who dared forsake their time,Whose fields were young, whose death came like a flood. The heavens shower;

Egypt frees Sadat assassin, Luxor terrorists, blogger still jailed

2005-11-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

The Egyptian government has released an assassin of Anwar Sadat and several Luxor terrorists for renouncing Islamic violence; while at the same time holding blogger Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman for denouncing Islamic violence. Reminds me of the Talmudic line: "he who is merciful to the cruel will be cruel to the merciful." Ibn ad Dunya at Fustat points to this report from Reuters: "The leaders and

Al Qaeda homicide bombers hit Hashemite Jordan

2005-11-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Fox News is reporting that three hotels in Amman Jordan were attacked by homicide bombers. AMMAN, Jordan - Three explosions hit hotels in Jordan's capital Wednesday night, killing at least 18 people and wounding 120 others in an apparent coordinated terrorist attack, police said. Citing a security source, Reuters reported that at least 23 people were killed. Jordanian police say the three

Illegals to speak at radicals' forum in Kansas City

2005-11-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

Several far left groups have invited illegal aliens to speak out at a forum tonight in Kansas City. From today's Kansas City Star: Forum planned for temporary workers A meeting billed as "Temp Workers Speak Out" is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at the Southeast Library, 6242 Swope Parkway. The event will be a forum to discuss Hurricane Katrina reconstruction jobs, Mexican day labor, "permatemp"

Get a Clugh

2005-11-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

From always the last man to know, Hugh Hewitt: Paris: The Beirut of Europe? Michael Totten wrote it first. Nice piece by Totten, but Ace had the Beirut line four days earlier: Once upon a time Beirut was called the Paris of the Middle East. Now Paris is Beirut on the Seine. Ouch!

Brownback, Wolf to hold press conference on attacks against Egyptian Copts

2005-11-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

There's an opportunity tomorrow to apply U.S. pressure on the Egyptian government for the release of detained blogger Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman. Seliman is being held without charge for posts critical of Muslim riots against a Coptic church in Egypt last month in which a nun was stabbed. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), Congressman Frank Wolf (R-VA), and U.S. Copts Association President Michael

France arrests three bloggers for riot incitement

2005-11-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Article in French here. Took the French text over to Free Translation.com: Three arrests for incentive to the émeute on "blog"PARIS (Reuters) - A minor and two young major suspected ones to have launched on internet of the calls to the émeute and to the aggression against policemen were stopped Monday to Aix-in-Provence and in parisian region, learns one of judicial source. The three "blogs"

Google News: affirmative action for oldstream media

2005-11-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

While researching the internet for information on the jailed Egyptian blogger, I came across a post from the other day called "Google blindspot," by emigre at Iraq Blog Count: Was just looking about to see to see if anyone'd created a petition for Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman, and noticed a few things. *Google searching "Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman" returns 0 on the main page, and 2 on google news. *

Jailing of Egyptian blogger: impact on Islamic reform

2005-11-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

From the Blogger profile of Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman: I am down to earth Law student; I look forward to help humanity against all form of discriminations. I am currently studying Law in Al Azhar University. I am looking forward to open up my own human rights activists Law firm, which will include other lawyers who share the same views. Our main goal is to defend the rights of Muslim and Arabic

Barone gets amnesty wrong

2005-11-07T00:38:00.000-08:00

Michael Barone, usually a smart guy, manages to get a lot wrong in Getting immigration right: There is less consensus on what should be done about illegals currently in the United States. In his 2000 campaign, George W. Bush called for a guest- worker program, allowing illegals to legalize their status. Many other Republicans, the loudest of them Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, have said that this

Jailed Egyptian blogger located, outlook dim

2005-11-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

Updates, contacts and roundups on Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman of Alexandria, the Egyptian blogger arrested and missing following posts he'd written that were critical of aspects of Islam. The Committee to Protect Bloggers reports some good news, that Seliman's whereabouts are now somewhat known, though his prospects otherwise are not good: The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights has spoken to

Detained Egyptian blogger missing, Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman

2005-11-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

The autocrats of the Muslim Middle East have looked at the new media of the blogosphere and are applying the same old oppression, not just in Moammar Qaddafi's Libya, but also in Hosni Mubarak's Egypt (embassies around the world). From Miss Mabrouk of Egypt: Anti-Islamic Blogger Detained, Missing The whereabouts of blogger Abdolkarim Nabil Seliman who was abducted from his home by Egyptian state

Libya imprisons a blogger, Abdel Raziq al-Mansuri

2005-11-05T01:39:00.000-08:00

Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi has looked the blogoshpere straight in the eye and dared it not to blink: From the Associated Press: Libya has sent to prison for 18 months a blogger who criticized the government on the Internet, Human Rights Watch says in a report that inspired a series of Web tributes to the dissident Friday. A Tripoli court convicted Abdel Raziq al-Mansuri of illegal

French Muslim riots roil the Blogosphere

2005-11-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

A semi-random round-up of blogosphere coverage of the Muslim riots in Paris... Ace: Once upon a time Beirut was called the Paris of the Middle East. Now Paris is Beirut on the Seine. Get Religion: The religion ghosts are clashing, on both sides, but journalists hesitate to name or explain them. Has anyone out there seen a MSM story that really explains, for the average reader, the Sunni vs.

Middle East coverage of Muslim riots in France

2005-11-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

A round-up of the sparse coverage in the Middle Eastern world of the Muslim riots in Paris... This story at Islam Online is shocking on several levels: The riots have also taken on an increasingly dangerous tone, with buckshot fired at riot squad vans -- and prosecutors revealing that a handicapped woman was deliberately set on fire the night before. According to prosecutors Friday, November

Bush Amnesty smoking gun: Found. Again.

2005-11-03T15:01:00.000-08:00

The smoking illegal alien amnesty gun behind President Bush's recent tough-sounding rhetoric on border security has turned up, buried all the way at the bottom of yesterday's Department of Homeland Security press release, DHS Announces Long-Term Border and Immigration Strategy: SBI will serve as the enforcement complement to the Temporary Worker Program that President Bush proposed last year.

Deconstructing Alberto: Gonzalez' Amnesty Code

2005-11-03T12:12:00.000-08:00

Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez gave a speech yesterday at the Latino Leaders Luncheon , which included comments on the Bush Administration's Secure Borders Initiative (SBI) against illegal aliens. In that context, as I did yesterday for Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff's SBI speech, I've excerpted some of Gonzalez' remarks for commentary: I am Hispanic. I am Latino. I love my

Chertoff on legalizing illegals

2005-11-02T18:05:00.000-08:00

According to today's El Paso Times: Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Tuesday that securing the border is a big challenge for the government."We are not in control," said Chertoff, who capped a tour of the El Paso border region with a nighttime news conference at Tom Lea Park in West El Paso.Chertoff also said immigration policy should incorporate undocumented immigrants who

Chertoff talks tough, sort of, on illegals

2005-11-02T16:33:00.000-08:00

Department of Homeland Security Secretary held a press conference in Houston today, outlining some new initiatives from the Bush Administration against the growing national problem of illegal aliens. These proposals would have earned an A- had the President sought them in the aftermath of the attacks September 11th, 2001. It's now November of 2005. While the proposals are still a good, if very

Alito on abortion and asylum

2005-11-02T14:00:00.001-08:00

Strict constructionists take notice: Judge Alito isn't easy to pigeonhole in abortion cases. From today's New York Times: The Board of Immigration Appeals ruled in 1997 that husbands were eligible for asylum based on their wives' forced abortions. Last year, Judge Alito, writing for a unanimous three-judge panel, declined to extend that decision to boyfriends and fiancés. The petitioner in the

Men want 'Oestrogen' (and we want it NOW)

2005-11-02T07:28:00.000-08:00

In a stunning blow to the National Organization for Women, research suggests that a woman's attractiveness rises and sets with her perceived femininity, which ebbs or flows with the tides of her 'oestrogen' levels (estrogen for Yanks). From The New Scientist: Miriam Law Smith and colleagues photographed 59 women, aged between 18 and 25, every week for six weeks. On each occasion, they provided a

Lee v. Aschroft: majority opinion w/ Alito's dissent

2005-11-01T21:14:00.000-08:00

Taking a cue from The Hedgehog Blog, who encourages us to "focus on the real opposition: People for The American Way, NARAL, and all that crowd," and SCOTUSblog, which warns: Liberal observers of the Court immediately pointed to a handful of Judge Alito's opinions on the Third Circuit as indications of just how conservative they expect him to be. Among those cited, for example, by

Alito and prison Islamists (Five Percent Nation)

2005-11-01T11:10:00.000-08:00

Reacting to President Bush's most recent Supreme Court nomination, the People for the American Way wasted no time getting into the mud of demagoguery: Samuel Alito: Leading the Attack on Fundamental Legal Rights and Protections for All Americans "This overview report is not limited only to cases in which People for the American Way disagrees with Judge Alito's reasoning; the inclusion of cases

Back to the Blogosphere (Hugh Hewitt prevails, for once)

2005-10-31T12:14:00.000-08:00

After a lot more downtime than I anticipated when I took a hiatus last February, Hugh Hewitt has cajoled me into getting back to blogging. Hugh obviously missed the blogosphere's leading Hugh Hewitt hate site, and coming off the success of his anti-anti-Miers campaign, he was evidently feeling a little cocky. Must be a Big Ten thing. OK, Hugh, you get to win one. Make it two in a row, and root

Al Jazeera cartoon depicts U.S. troops targeting journalists

2005-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here's the thumbnail: The link to the flash animation is at the Al Jazeera Homepage. Nice work, Eason Jordan. Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt.

The Gigot Prophecies:Divining the Bush Amnesty down

2005-02-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

In the early, heady, first term, pre-9/11 days of the President George W. Bush, the President and Mexico's President Vicente Fox were boon companions, partners with a "new vision" of the American-Mexican border, where illegal aliens were not to be looked on as lawbreakers but as victims of inhumane American immigration laws. In those simpler, kinder, gentler, more naive times, Wall Street

Cornyn Amnesty finds a friend in Frist

2005-02-14T18:46:00.000-08:00

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R - Tenn) offered support, last week, for the Cornyn Amnesty, a so-called "guest worker" program which would legalize millions of illegal aliens. From Frist's interview in the Washington Times: Q: Have you thought through what principles you would support in a guest worker program? Do the folks now here illegally have to return home before applying? A: I

How not to oppose Amnesty for illegals

2005-02-14T16:44:00.000-08:00

In today's Intellectual Conservative, W. James Antle III writes: According to a Washington Post report last week, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay distanced himself slightly from the president on immigration reform. DeLay's proposal wasn't much better. He would offer illegal aliens guest-worker status, but only if they go home first. It doesn't benefit lawbreakers as much as Bush's version,

The American Dinosaur

2005-02-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

A belated growl of gratitude goes out to Arizona blogger BillyBudd at The American Dinosaur: I blogrolled The Tar Pit today, but after reading all this great stuff coming out of my home state I might never go back! Just kidding, it is a great blog that I have missed somehow, please check it out. Any extinct, prehistoric conservative is a friend of mine. Take a look at The American Dinosaur.

Prescription for Bloat: Bush threatens veto to protect runaway spending

2005-02-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

Attempting to stifle criticism of his budget busting new prescription drug entitlement, President Bush waved his never-used veto pen on Friday: Because we acted, Medicare now covers preventive medicine, including screenings for heart disease and diabetes, and a "Welcome to Medicare" physical. Instead of waiting to get sick or facing costly treatments, seniors can now identify problems early and

Mexico repudiates U.S. bill to protect border

2005-02-11T00:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings from our good friends, the Mexican government: The Mexican government believes that the effort of the U.S.A., to strengthen its southern border through H.R 418 by building fences/walls and limiting the use of driver's licenses for immigrants, will not resolve the immigration problem nor guarantee a secure border for both nations. Geronimo Gutierrez, Undersecretary for North America of

Res Ipsa Loquitur has great taste in blogs!

2005-02-10T22:56:00.000-08:00

A big growl of gratitude goes out to Berkeley Bloggers Res Ipsa Loquitur for their very generous post today: Introducing some new sites to which we've recently linked: Gringo Unleashed: A bilingual blogger with reasonable views on immigration. Much facing page translation from the Spanish language press. The Tar Pit: An excellent new blog dedicated to tracking national immigration items.

Mock gay weddings at California High School

2005-02-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Listen to the sound of a civilization eating it's seed corn: Mock gay weddings at Silverado Parents protest, but district attorney gives green light to Gay-Straight Alliance event Friday at Victorville school By EMILY BERG/Staff Writer VICTORVILLE — Six simulated gay weddings presented by student members of the Silverado High School Gay-Straight Alliance are scheduled for the school's two

House Passes REAL ID Act, 261 - 161

2005-02-10T13:41:00.000-08:00

One for the good guys... House Approves Sensenbrenner Terrorist Travel Legislation WASHINGTON, D.C. - The House today by a 261-to-161 vote approved legislation introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) aimed at disrupting terrorist travel and bolstering border security. H.R. 418, the Real ID Act, includes a number of anti-terrorism provisions the

House Homeland Security Chairman Cox: terrorsuspect border crossings "will rise this year"

2005-02-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

Remarks of Homeland Security Committee Chairman Cox During the REAL ID Act News Conference Washington, DC (Wednesday, February 9, 2005) -- The following are excerpts from remarks delivered by House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Christopher Cox (R-CA) during today's news conference on the REAL ID Act: "Today, we're going to be considering legislation that is going to make America

AZ Gov Napolitano sues for illegal alien fundsafter opposing Proposition 200

2005-02-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

Get out your irony meters. Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano, no staunch foe of illegal aliens, is a piker: PHOENIX -- Gov. Janet Napolitano announced Tuesday that she has billed the federal government for nearly $118 million in unreimbursed costs for imprisoning illegal immigrants who committed crimes in Arizona. If the federal government doesn't pay, it should take custody of some 3,600

Paper of Record: online archive of pre-internet newspapers

2005-02-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

Something I found today while looking up something else: Paper of Record. This is an ambitious project which seeks to create an archive on the world wide web for researching news stories that predate the internet era: Paper of Record is an historical archive of full-page newspaper images that you can search for unique coverage of past events. The archive is created from newspaper

Washington Post opposes REAL ID Act,appeases illegal aliens... and terrorists too!

2005-02-10T08:21:00.000-08:00

The Washington Post has skipped right past the dogs to lie down with the fleas: THE HOUSE of Representatives is to vote today on the REAL ID Act of 2005. As championed by Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. (R-Wis.), the bill's principal purpose is to establish federal security controls over driver's licenses issued by states, so that federal officials at airports and

Bush Admin. "strongly supports" REAL ID Act (Sensenbrenner drivers' licence bill)

2005-02-09T16:57:00.000-08:00

This is outstanding. Kudos to President Bush. From the Office of Management and Budget (transcribed from pdf): The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 418, to strengthen the ability of the United States to protect against terrorist entry into and activities within the United States. In particular, the legislation tightens procedures for non-citizen entry into and presence

Bush Prescription Drug entitlement becomes a budgetary abyss

2005-02-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

From today's Washington Post: The White House released budget figures yesterday indicating that the new Medicare prescription drug benefit will cost more than $1.2 trillion in the coming decade, a much higher price tag than President Bush suggested when he narrowly won passage of the law in late 2003. The projections represent the most complete picture to date of how much the program will

Could Bush Blink on Amnesty?

2005-02-08T23:10:00.000-08:00

Just maybe, if there's anything to this piece from the New York Times WASHINGTON, Feb. 8 - Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, said Tuesday that conservatives might be able to compromise with President Bush on his proposal allowing illegal immigrants to work in the United States legally. Such a compromise could entail, for example, requiring illegal immigrants to

Study indicates male brain four per cent faster

2005-02-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

Read about it here. That's why we don't have to ask for directions. Hat tip: Freeper West Coast Conservative

More Bush Budget Border Hypocrisy:scraps SCAAP funding he demanded as Governor

2005-02-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

The Budget Request that President Bush submitted yesterday seeks the complete elimination of the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP), which reimburses sate governments for the costs of incarcerating illegal aliens. From page 201 of OMB pdf file explaining the rationale for eliminating the SCAAP: The President's Budget reduces or eliminates a number of programs that do not have a

Cox calls Bush shortchange of Border Patrol "wholly inadequate"

2005-02-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

House Homeland Security Chairman Christopher Cox (R-CA) issued the following statement on the Bush administration fiscal year 2006 budget released today: One of the greatest challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security is the integration of its 22 legacy agencies into a coherent counter-terrorism focused organization that can effectively pursue its mission. The creation of a new

Bush Budget stiffs new Border Patrol hiring

2005-02-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

President Bush submitted his Budget Request today for FY 2006 that only hires 210 of the 2,000 new Border Patrol agents required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which he signed just last December 17th. From the Department of Homeland Security: Border Patrol Staffing would increase along the southwest border and coastal areas, in part to replace some

McCain and Craig seek to thwart anti-illegal alien drivers license measure

2005-02-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Republican Senators John McCain (Arizona) and Larry Craig (Idaho) have threatened to introduce illegal alien Amnesty amendments against legislation by House Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-Winconsin) for federal standards for state drivers licenses. Sensenbrenners legislation that would require the federal government disallow the use, for federal identification purposes, of drivers

La Raza supports Bush Amnesty for illegals

2005-02-07T09:35:00.000-08:00

The National Council of La Raza has expressed optimistic support for the guest worker Amnesty for millions of illegal aliens that President Bush wants to push through Congress this year: "If we do this right, it should be historic," said Cecilia Munoz, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a large and influential Hispanic civil rights group. "You can see the coalition that's

The Bush Administration's Illegal Alien Sex Predator and Murderer Protection Program

2005-02-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

From Mark Tapscott via Lonewacko: By law, illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes -- rape, murder, child molestation -- are to be deported once they've served their jail terms. But lately, thousands of them have simply been let go. And Justice Department officials have refused to release a government database that could help journalists and private citizens find these aliens... The

The Battle of the Bulge in the Snake

2005-02-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

The Powerline guys are guest-hosting the Hugh Hewitt Show today, and one of them (Hindrocket, I think) tried to draw an analogy between the Democrats' position in the coming fight over Social Security reform and the Maginot Line. The reasoning is that the Democrats are using an outmoded defense, etc. Well, okay... but as (I think) Big Trunk observed, the Maginot Line analogy makes President Bush

Pro-reform Social Security Blogging on the Right is Lagging

2005-02-03T15:32:00.000-08:00

Last week Hugh Hewitt asked: Pro-reform Social Security Blogging --Where Is It? The short answer is that there isn't much pro-reform blogging on the Right when compared to the anti-reform blogging from the Left. Take a look at the latest Technorati search on "social security privatizing" and you'll see what I mean. Click back a few pages; the Left is on top of Social Security privatization in

Pat Buchanan grasps for isolationist straws in Iraq

2005-02-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday saw this little gem: from Pat Buchanan: "We must recognize what a large and growing number of Iraqis now believe," said Sen. Ted Kennedy last week, that "the war in Iraq has become a war against the American occupation." Even with the heroic and heartening election turnout, Kennedy is not entirely wrong. The insurgency has always been a war against the U.S. occupation and those

State of the Union 2005

2005-02-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts on the President's State of the Union Speech: The best parts of the domestic policy laundry list of Bush's SOTU speech were that he kept it relatively brief, courageously and correctly addressed the vital areas of judges, litigation reform, a Constitutional Marriage Amendment, and Social Security reform. The laundry list is typically the most boring part of typically overlong

Bush will reach out to Kennedy tonight

2005-02-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

That's my irresponsible prediction, and I'm sticking with it... for a couple of hours, anyway. President Bush will get all new-toney and wound-healy and begin the political rehabilitation Senator Ted (Splash) Kennedy tonight, despite Kennedy's savaging the past few weeks of Condileeza Rice, Alberto Gonzales, and Bush's military policy in Iraq. Why would the President reach across the aisle to

Colorado's online illegal alien guide gets deleted

2005-02-02T13:04:00.000-08:00

Get the feathers: Colorado unplugs online guide for illegal immigrants DENVER — Colorado Gov. Bill Owens has removed an online pamphlet from the state Web site that offered advice in Spanish to illegal immigrants on living and working in Colorado. Titled "Enterese!" which means "Inform Yourself," the 50-page pamphlet was posted on the Colorado Department of Education Web

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review saysBush Amnesty is "dumb"

2005-02-02T12:30:00.000-08:00

From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: ...the president tonight also is expected to renew his push for a "guest-worker" plan. It's amnesty for illegal aliens. We have a real four-letter word for that -- dumb. Administration allies say opposition to the president's plan is a "knee jerk." Give it a chance, they argue. Well, the only "chance" we see is for "guest workers" to become the newest

More Bush Administration failures in border enforcement

2005-02-02T11:22:00.000-08:00

Following up an earlier story about how, whether through negligence, incompetence, or premeditation the Bush Administration is strangling America's border enforcemen: Infighting Cited at Homeland Security Squabbles Blamed for Reducing Effectiveness John Mintz - Washington Post - February 2, 2005 The department's investigative arm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has operated

Latino sex predators become Caucasians in Arizona

2005-02-02T09:30:00.003-08:00

Something remarkable is happening to sexual predators in Arizona, if they happen to be Latino. At some point between conviction and placement on the official Arizona Sex Offender Website, Latinos are transformed into Caucasians. Here are a few examples: