Situation Update (2-12-2008): Illegal immigrants continue the exodus
Looks like laws can work when it comes to curbing the illegal immigrant problem

Illegal immigrants packing up and leaving Arizona - CNN.com

So, I guess there is a way to clean house and not arrest 20 million people. Much to the dismay of the illegal immigrant defenders, it turns out that if you punish companies who wire illegals, they won't hire illegals any more and those illegals will go home. What a novel concept!

The state of Arizona is proving this theory with a new law, scheduled to take effect January 1, 2008, which punishes employers who knowingly hire illegal aliens. Many companies are taking a look at their HR records and firing those who can't prove their legal status. And once the jobs are gone, the illegals are going home. One criminal actually said the law was absurd and without illegal aliens, the US economy would stop! It seems the education system is Mexico isn't worth much because he has no concept of how a capitalist economy works.

I agree with the author of the legislation when he states that our economy will survive and the dwindling illegal population is a good thing. It will reduce crime and improve the standard of living for those legally allowed to work here.

Now we just need the rest of the U.S. to learn the same lesson!

Lakota group declares sovereign nation status

I've been a supporter of the Native American cause for as long as I can remember. Maybe it was where I've lived, or maybe the people I've known, or maybe my time in the Boy Scouts. Or maybe just a good upbringing from worldly parents. But regardless of reason, I have always supported Americans.

I wish a better resolution had been found to the broken promises perpetrated by the U.S. government. Since that has not happened (and certainly won't happen with this Congress or President), I congratulate the Lakota on taking a step towards self-determination. I hope they have the patience, will-power, and means to make this move a success. The tribes within our nation deserve more than they receive in a variety of areas. How can we, as a nation, espouse the values of human rights if we continue the injustices committed against our own Native population?

I-35 is the "holy" highway

You've got to be kidding...

For a few months now, you have heard me say that Mitt Romney may be the best hope for traditional conservatives in 2008. I have no compunction about clearly stating the following:
I WAS VERY WRONG!

This battle between Romney and Giuliani about immigration really got me interested in their records. So I've done some research and found some information voters may actually care about, with regard to Mitt Romney's immigration policies. Some of you (in the early voting states) may have seen a commercial in which Romney says he ordered State Police to enforce immigration laws while he was Governor of Massachusetts. What he doesn't mention is that the order never took effect and was only made at the end of his term. He also claims in this ad that as President, he will cut funding to sanctuary cities (the same type of city he accused Giuliani of running in New York). Unfortunately, he never did that to any sanctuary city while he was Governor of Massachusetts. So why would he suddenly be a different person as President?

Bottom line, Romney is obviously not going to defend this nation against illegal immigrants. He didn't do it as Governor, he didn't do it at his own house, and he won't do it as President. This is yet another shining example of a CTP (Campaign Trail Promise). Don't fall for it!

You can read the full research article below, courtesy of FactCheck.org.
http://www.factcheck.org/tough_guy_on_immigration.html

Far be it from me to only criticize one group of religious zealots. Now a small group of Jews is giving us plenty to work with!

A group of environmental activists in Israel is asking Jews to burn one less candle during Hanukkah, in an effort to reduce the impact on the Earth's environment. They seem to think one less candle will help the situation.

The "Green Hanukkiah" (yes, that is spelled correctly) campaign claims that each candle produced 15 grams of carbon dioxide when fully burned. They say that if each Jewish household burns all 9 candles during Hanukkah, it can have a significant impact on the Earth's atmosphere.

Once again, I have to ask: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! Jews make up something like one-half of one percent of the world's population. Assuming each household has two parents and two children (divorce rates are lower among Jews, so the two-parent assumption is safer), that means only one-fourth of the total Jews in the world will be represented by a menorah. So these tiny little candles from one-eighth of one percent of the world will cause significant damage to the environment? One car on the road for a month would cause more damage!

Here's my recommendation: GO DO SOMETHING USEFUL!

Green Hanukkiah campaign sparks ire

The Catholic Church has told the world to believe a lot of bizarre things in its nearly 2,000 year existence:
1) The Earth is flat
2) The Earth is the center of the universe
3) The Jews killed Jesus
4) Jesus was born on December 25th (something to remember at this joyous holiday time)
5) Priests forbidden to have sex, masturbate, and get married aren't going to molest children

And now, they want us to believe the Cardinal Roger Mahoney is CHRIST-LIKE?!?! Are they serious? How many jugs of sacramental wine did they down before this idea was approved? Obviously there were no children on this decision-making panel!

Cardinal Mahoney is claiming that he was attacked on the streets of Los Angeles sometime in July of 2007, just days after the Church announced a huge settlement with 500 victims of sexual abuse by priests. He says he a man began shouting at him and knocked him to the ground, causing injuries that took one month to heal. As he tells it, he was on his way to drop off some mail in the mailbox when this occurred.

Keeping with the traditions of the Catholic Church and their handling of crimes, Mahoney never reported this to the police. Hmmm...he did the same thing with the victims of pedophile priests. But now he says the attack gives him a better understanding of the suffering endured by the sexual abuse victims. WHAT?!?!?!? How is this pedophile-enabling imitation of a decent human being drawing any sort of correlation between getting shoved and being fondled in confession by a member of the clergy? If I were Catholic, I would be repulsed by this man and his behavior. I'd be offended and furious about his thoughts, words, actions and those of his superiors and defenders.

To top it all off, Father Sal Pilato, principal of Junipero Serra Catholic High School in Los Angeles said, "It was shocking because it was an act of violence and it was someone we know and respect." I'd love to know what he respects about Cardinal Mahoney? His ability to keep a secret? His lack of concern for children and their families? His unending and ill-placed loyalty to his Church? Yeah, Mahoney's a real winner.

But my favorite quote comes from the Rev. Joseph Shea, pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church in Glendale. "Like Jesus, we must offer our lives and even suffer for Christ, even for things we didn't do," he said. DID HE REALLY COMPARE CARDINAL MAHONEY TO JESUS?

I'll wrap up by saying this. No one should be committing acts of assault against Mahoney or any one else. It makes the attacker no better than the priests and Cardinal Mahoney. But I also don't believe this attack ever took place. Cardinal Mahoney is always accompanied by a personal body guard. Where was he when this took place? Also, as a Cardinal, he has a full administrative staff. Are we really to believe he decided to mail the lawsuit settlement checks all by himself at the local mail box? He has a secretary to handle all of his mail for him. And why would he never report it to the police? Does he only believe in justice handed out by the Pope? Are the members of the L.A.P.D. not good enough for him? What advice would he give a parishioner who suffered an attack? Oh, that's right, we already know that answer. He would threaten them, coerce their family, and demand they never tell the police.

Well, at least he's practicing what he preaches.

Church spin machine tries to make Mahoney Christ-like

Romney fires landscaping company over illegal workers

Last week during the Republican CNN/YouTube debate, Guiliani accused Mitt Romney of having a "sanctuary mansion" by knowingly hiring illegal aliens. Romney feigned offense and continued to accuse Giuliani of turning New York into a sanctuary city. Turns out, they were both right.

Giuliani instructed the N.Y.P.D. not to ask or detain anyone with regard to immigration status. That, my friends, is a sanctuary city policy. We can assume Giuliani would have a similar policy as President of the United States. It is documented that Romney hired a landscaping company last year which employed illegal aliens. Instead of firing the company, having the workers deported, and the company's business license taken away, he gave them a warning and asked them to no longer employee illegals.

Fast forward to December 2007. He released a statement today saying he has now fired that landscaping company for failing to comply with his previous requests. In his exact words: "Given your company's disregard for the clear instructions provided on this issue last year, I am forced to terminate my contract with your company, effective immediate," he wrote.

Here's how I would have written the letter. "Due to my complete disregard for the law and overwhelming poor judgment for not reporting your illegal activities a year ago, I have now decided to terminate our business arrangement because I'm running for President and my advisers have listed your company name in the 'Liability' column of the big campaign white board. It's not that I'm terribly concerned about immigration law, theft of taxpayer money, or dangers to my property or family. I just can't risk Rudy pointing any of that out on national television again.
Thanks for your understanding and if you ever need a "green card", I know a guy.
Sincerely - Mitt Romney"

Romney fires landscaping company for employing illegal aliens