No Reservations

Amnesty

2007-06-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

John McCain dismisses critics of the immigration bill by saying that what we have today is a “de facto amnesty.” He’s right. The status quo reflects Washington’s decades-long unwillingness to enforce the immigration laws. It is that track record that has made the public justifiably skeptical about politicians’ latest round of promises about border and workplace enforcement. According to a Rasmussen poll taken earlier this week, by a three to one margin voters think that the government should enforce its current laws before considering new ones.

The top immigration priorities for voters are to improve border security and reduce illegal immigration. Harry Reid’s priority, on the other hand, is to “bring the 12 million undocumented Americans out of the shadows.” The bill he is backing provides legalization now and promises of conservative enforcement measures and green-card reforms later. Read More

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Fatah vs. Hamas

2007-06-12T11:01:00.000-07:00

CFR.org: Toward the Brink in Gaza.

For two decades, at least, events within the Palestinian political world pointed to a day of reckoning some time in the future pitting the secular against the religious in Palestinian life. When the words “civil war” emerged Tuesday in headlines around the world, some suggested the dreaded day might have dawned. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, amid bloody battles in Gaza, issued an order that read, in part: “Confront the seekers of the coup. Defend your dignity and your military honour. Defend the security of your people (AlertNet).”

The target of the order from Abbas, of course, is Hamas, the senior partner of his Fatah movement in the Palestinian coalition government. Cooler heads may yet prevail. Yet, since Hamas’ election victory in January 2006, one effort after another to forestall direct conflict between Fatah and Hamas has failed, including the most recent mediation attempts by Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Dennis Ross, the longtime U.S. Mideast envoy, put his finger on the explosive nature of things in Gaza (WashPost) earlier this month. The debate, he writes, no longer focuses on a comprehensive solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Instead, “it was about the conflict between Palestinian organizations in Gaza— Hamas vs. Fatah—and whether Gaza was in fact already lost to the Islamists. Both Israelis and Palestinians were wondering about the consequences of Gaza’s becoming, in their word, ‘Hamastan.’” Read More

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Just A Bumper Sticker

2007-06-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

Fox News: Edwards Calls War on Terror Bush's 'Bumper Sticker' Slogan.

Democratic White House hopeful John Edwards, in a major foreign policy speech Wednesday, minimized the Bush administration's War on Terror as nothing more than a "bumper sticker slogan" used to justify the war in Iraq and "bludgeon political opponents."

"It is now clear that George Bush's misnamed 'War on Terror' has backfired — and is now part of the problem," Edwards told the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. "The War on Terror is a slogan designed only for politics, not a strategy to make America safe. It's a bumper sticker, not a plan." Read More

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Chavez Revolution

2007-05-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

AP: Venezuelans Protest As TV Station Shuts.

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuelan police fired tear gas and plastic bullets Monday into a crowd of thousands protesting a decision by President Hugo Chavez that forced a television station critical of his leftist government off the air.

Police fired toward the crowd of up to 5,000 protesters from a raised highway, and protesters fled amid clouds of tear gas. They later regrouped in Caracas' Plaza Brion chanting "freedom!" Some tossed rocks and bottles at police, prompting authorities to scatter demonstrators by firing more gas.

It was the largest of several protests that broke out across Caracas hours after Radio Caracas Television ceased broadcasting at midnight Sunday and was replaced with a new state-funded channel. Chavez had refused to renew RCTV's broadcast license, accusing it of "subversive" activities and of backing a 2002 coup against him. Read More

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Immigration Bill

2007-05-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Washington Times:Camouflaged amnesty.

I wish I could believe the president and those senators who claim their agreement on immigration legislation will "fix" the problems of open borders and illegal aliens. I can't, because the public has had no input into the measure; the last time Congress "fixed" the problem, it got worse; and it appears Democrats and Republicans care more about harvesting votes for their respective parties than doing what's best for their fellow citizens.
The bill would allow for the hiring of 18,000 additional border patrol agents, construction of 370 miles of fence and 200 miles of vehicle barriers, ground-based radar, camera towers and aerial vehicles. Employers would have to electronically verify new hires within 18 months and all existing employees within three years. Read More

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Hamas Mouse

2007-05-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Jihad Watch:Mickey Mouse converts, takes new name, promotes jihad on children's show.

The Hamas Television is using a clone of Disney’s Mickey Mouse to teach children to hate Israel and America, and aspire to Islam’s inevitable and impending world domination.
The squeaky-voiced Mickey Mouse lookalike, named Farfur, is the star of a weekly children’s program called Tomorrow’s Pioneers on the official Hamas TV station (Al-Aqsa TV).
Farfur and his co-host, a young girl named Saraa’, teach children about such things as the importance of the daily prayers and drinking milk, while taking every opportunity to indoctrinate young viewers with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the US and support of "resistance" – the Palestinian euphemism for terror.
Farfur tells children that they must pray in the mosque five times a day until there is “world leadership under Islamic leadership.” The earnest and soft-spoken Saraa’ explains that the nucleus of this world Islamic leadership will be from “all of Palestine,” i.e., including Israel. Farfur refers to Israel as “the oppressive invading Zionist occupation,” which the children must "resist." Read More

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Women's Lib

2007-05-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: For Some Muslim Wives, Abuse Knows No Borders.

One was a shy, slender young woman who spoke no English when she was brought from Pakistan to enter an arranged marriage with a stranger in Virginia. The other was a self-confident professional, born in Turkey but raised in the United States, who thought she knew what she was doing when she married an educated Muslim man in Maryland.
Yet both women fell under the sway of the same powerful pressures that sometimes reach around the globe to keep Muslim wives in the Washington region imprisoned in abusive marriages, unable to fight the gossip and shame that come with defying their culture and religion, isolated from help that is just a three-digit phone number away. Read More

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Illegal Immigration

2007-04-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

From ReportIllegals.com: Click Here To Report Illegal Immigrants.

From CNS: Let's See A Immigration Reform Bill, Senate Republicans Say.

A group of conservative Republicans has sent a letter to Sen. Harry Reid, asking the majority leader to let Americans see what's in the Democrats' immigration reform bill before it comes up for debate and a vote.
"We understand that you are committed to working to enact comprehensive immigration reform legislation, and that you plan to bring a bill to the Senate floor in the next few weeks," the letter said.
"Due to the seriousness and complexity of the issue, we ask that you make any comprehensive immigration reform legislation publicly available online at least one week prior to moving it on the Senate floor."
The letter is signed by 15 Republican senators. In early January, Sen. Reid introduced S. 9, the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007."
It's described as "a bill to recognize the heritage of the United States as a nation of immigrants and to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, to prevent illegal immigration, and to reform and rationalize avenues for legal immigration, and for other purposes" . Read More

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True Colors

2007-04-23T09:45:00.000-07:00

From the Post Chronicle: Losers: Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Dems Embrace Defeat In Iraq
By Oliver North

WASHINGTON -- If Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is right, nearly 60 percent of Americans agree with him that the war in Iraq is already lost. And if he is correct in saying that losing the war will increase Democrat majorities in future elections, then it may be fair to conclude that Americans now love losers. I'm not buying any of it -- and neither are the troops who are fighting this war.
In the days since Reid announced "this war is lost," I have heard from dozens of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines that I have covered in eight trips to Iraq and two to Afghanistan for FOX News. Some of those who correspond with me are there now, others are home. Some are preparing to deploy again. None of them agree with Reid's assessment. Read More

Iranian 'National Nuclear Day'

2007-04-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

From NewsMax.com : Ahmadinejad: 'National Nuclear Day' in Iran.

NATANZ, Iran -- Iran on Monday celebrated the one-year anniversary of the country's first success in enriching uranium, as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad prepared to announce new progress in the key process that the United Nations has demanded Iran halt.
Ahmadinejad was attending ceremonies at the Natanz enrichment plant, where the Iranian press has speculated he will announce the installation of 3,000 centrifuges, a dramatic expansion of the program. State-run TV said only that he would announce "good nuclear news" in a speech at the ceremony. Read More

PORK!

2007-03-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

From Say Anything: Pork Abounds in Pelosi’s Micromanaged War

This bill has everything the modern military doesn’t need. There’s $25 million for spinach, designed to attract the vote of Sam Farr, a California farm-region liberal. Perhaps spinach growers who lost business due to last year’s E. coli scare need this taxpayer bailout, but it won’t intimidate the Taliban unless Mr. Farr plans to draft Popeye.
Other lowlights include $20 million to restore farmland damaged by freezing temperatures, and $1.48 billion for livestock farmers. And don’t forget the $74 million “to ensure proper storage for peanuts,” an urgent national-security need. This happens to be about the same amount that House Democrats propose to increase spending for operations of the Army Reserve, so it’s good to see Congress has its priorities in order. Read More

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A Mixed Message

2007-03-05T07:44:00.000-07:00

From News Blaze: Illegal Immigration Coalition Boycotts Bank of America.

The National Illegal Immigration Boycott Coalition, which includes over 100 organizations, is launching a boycott of Bank of America because of the bank's offer to issue credit cards, mortgages and accounts to illegal aliens in the US.
"People are already canceling cards and accounts with Bank of America over this news," said William Gheen of Americans for Legal Immigration PAC. "The goal of the boycott is to get tens of thousands of Americans to complain to the Bank, ask Congress for action, and to cancel their accounts, until this bank respects public opinion and federal law." Read More

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Clinton vs Obama

2007-02-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

From ZD Net: Obama trounces Clinton in online campaign money grab.

Barack Obama is spoiling Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign fundraising celebration, big time.Hillary Clinton snags $4.2 million online in first quarter 2007, I reported Monday. Obama for America, however, now announces its campaign raised $6.9 million on the Web, from a total of 50,000 online contributors.What’s more, Obama is nipping at Clinton’s total fundraising heels: Clinton bagged $26 million in new receipts, while Obama brought in a very close second, $25 million. In perhaps the greatest “User Generated Politics” victory over Clinton, Obama succeeded in convincing 100,000 donors to support “Obama for America,” double the 50,000 donors backing “Hillary for President.” Read More

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Air Pelosi

2007-02-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

N.Y. Post: AIR PELOSI

THURSDAY morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stepped out of her Georgetown home and into a government-owned black Chevy Tahoe SUV. That gas-guzzler truck took her directly to the Rayburn House Office Building - where she was the lead witness at a Science and Technology Committee hearing on global warming.
This, the day after word broke of Pelosi's request for regular use of a U.S. Air Force C-32 - the same plane that flies the vice president and first lady. Read More

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A Kerry No-Go

2007-01-29T00:47:00.000-07:00

AP: Kerry won't run for president in '08.

WASHINGTON --An emotional Senator John F. Kerry today said he will not run in the 2008 presidential race and vowed to use his Senate perch to hasten an end to the war in Iraq, saying he would work with lawmakers from both parties to reverse President Bush's troop "surge" and force him to withdraw virtually all troops from Iraq by early next year.
Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat, used the unusual forum of the Senate floor to announce his political ambitions. Choking up as he harkened back to his service in Vietnam, Kerry said he would work to make sure the next president doesn't have to cope with the consequences of a "wider war" sparked by the failed policy in Iraq. Read More

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Hillary To Run

2007-01-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

FOX News: Senator Hillary Clinton Announces White House Bid.

The former first lady acknowledged her plans to take the first step of forming a presidential exploratory committee. "I'm not just starting a campaign, though. I'm beginning a conversation with you, with America," Clinton says in her web message. She announced that she will be holding live, on-line video conferences with Americans starting Monday.
"Let's talk about how to bring the right end to the war in Iraq, and to restore respect for America around the world," she said. Read More

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110th Congress

2007-01-08T11:29:00.000-07:00

Washington Post: The 110th Congress Arrives.

Less than two months after voters swept Republicans out of their House and Senate majorities, the 110th Congress is set to convene today with Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) as the new Speaker of the House and Harry Reid (Nev.) as the Senate Majority Leader. Read More

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