Tom Tancredo for President 2008

There were other people this week who announced Exploratory Committees, and one of them was Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO). His website is here, and I have cribbed a letter from his website below:

Dear Friend,

I am writing to you today as a friend, and as a fellow believer in the cause of securing America's borders. My purpose is to obtain your support as I embark upon a path that may lead to the Republican nomination for the presidency of the United States. The decision to pursue this arduous and undeniably uphill battle is because I, like you, have a duty to do everything I can to keep faith with those who risked their "lives, fortunes and sacred honor" to create this wonderful place we call America. I am considering this campaign because of my commitment to real immigration reform: reform that first and foremost is dedicated to the security and well-being of the citizens of the United States, and to respect for the rule of law in our beloved nation. I am also considering this campaign because I believe the Republican Party and its leaders must recommit themselves to limited, smaller government; fiscal responsibility; and honesty in public office. Last November, the Republican Party paid a high price for abandoning those principles; we will not regain the trust of the voters and a congressional majority until we reclaim them. I am proud that I was one of a handful of Republican members of Congress who voted against both "No Child Left Behind," a federal betrayal of local control of education, and the fiscally irresponsible Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit. When I was elected to Congress in 1998, I made immigration reform my top priority, much to the scorn and derision of the political and business elites who are addicted to the flow of cheap illegal labor into America. But, as I look at the current presidential candidates, Republican and Democratic, I simply do not see one who reflects the grassroots, majority belief of Americans that our borders must be secured, that employers who hire illegals must be prosecuted, and that no one who has broken our immigration laws should ever be put on a "pathway to citizenship." After a lot of prayer, and long talks with my wife Jackie and our children, I have decided I am willing to put myself forward as a candidate for president in order, above everything else, to advance our immigration reform agenda, and to reclaim the Republican Party for its core conservative values. So, I am seeking your advice and counsel. I am doing so by asking you to answer two questions for me. Do you believe I should seek the Republican presidential nomination, to fight to secure our borders and to reassert traditional conservative Republican principles including limited, smaller government, fiscal responsibility and honesty in office? Will you back up your support with a financial contribution to my presidential exploratory committee, "Tancredo for a Secure America?" But this campaign cannot just be about me. It has to be about securing our nation at its borders, protecting American jobs, respecting our laws and our cultural identity, and reclaiming the Republican Party for its best values. That means for this campaign to go forward and succeed, it must be about us...you and me. You and I need to agree that we will work together to battle the special interests which now control both parties, and which are so committed to open borders and amnesty for illegal aliens. You and I need to agree that we will dig in, work hard, and raise the money to effectively challenge the deep pockets of the Republican candidates who are talking a good game about immigration, but who are, in fact, supporting amnesty. If you and I decide I should run, I am not going to ask you to travel with me to Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in the months ahead, on the many weekend and overnight trips away from my family that I will commit my time to between votes in Congress. That will be my job. But I will count on you to tell your friends, your neighbors, your co-workers and your family about our campaign....and invite them to join it! And I also will count on you to help me with your financial support, especially now. I simply cannot move ahead without your help, and the help of thousands of patriotic Americans like you . I am ready to be David against the establishment's Goliath, but I need you to help me load my sling-shot! Thank you for your commitment to the struggle to secure our borders. I look forward to hearing back from you soon. Sincerely, Tom Tancredo P.S. So many wonderful people in the critical primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina have already asked if they could volunteer to help us. There is tremendous excitement building! It would be a big help to me as I make my decision if I could hear back from you as soon as possible. Tom Tancredo

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Nathan Hale Died for a Dumb Nation

John Armor has posted another good one at Free Republic, so get thee hence.


A taste:

A Google News search for terrorist, rules and trials turned up 353 articles on the regulations just established for the trials of terrorists by military tribunals. The leading articles were by the New York Times and the BBC. Interestingly, none of them mentioned Nathan Hale.

The articles get in a high dudgeon because terrorists can be tried “based on hearsay,” and might be “executed.” Most importantly, all of these writers and editors act as if this were a brand-new phenomenon. Apparently both history education and books are in short supply in the mainstream media.

Let’s review.

Nathan Hale was hanged by the British in 1776 as a spy. On his first assignment he revealed his mission to a lady who was a British spy. He made a memorable statement just before his execution, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country,”

Compare that with the execution of Major John Andre by the Americans in 1980. Andre was captured behind American lines in civilian clothes. Hidden in his boot was the plan for the betrayal of the garrison at West Point by General Benedict Arnold. Arnold got word of Andre’s capture, and fled to the British lines. Andre was convicted as an “illegal combatant,” and hanged.

What relevance do these two trials and execution have to do with the events of this week? They are foursquare examples of the conduct of such trials. They happened under the Law of War, centuries old at the time of the American Revolution and still appling today.

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Barking Moonbat Hall of Fame 2006

The Barking Moonbat Early Warning System has announced the new inductee into the Hall of Fame for 2006.

Go on over and read the announcement.

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Hillary Clinton Makes It Official: She's "In To Win"

This is a developing story, and I will have links available at my Drudge-Clone...West Carolina Report. Check in there to see my developing list of links.

Here is the announcement from her website:

I'm in. And I'm in to win.

Today I am announcing that I will form an exploratory committee to run for president.

And I want you to join me not just for the campaign but for a conversation about the future of our country -- about the bold but practical changes we need to overcome six years of Bush administration failures.

I am going to take this conversation directly to the people of America, and I'm starting by inviting all of you to join me in a series of web chats over the next few days.

The stakes will be high when America chooses a new president in 2008.

As a senator, I will spend two years doing everything in my power to limit the damage George W. Bush can do. But only a new president will be able to undo Bush's mistakes and restore our hope and optimism.

Only a new president can renew the promise of America -- the idea that if you work hard you can count on the health care, education, and retirement security that you need to raise your family. These are the basic values of America that are under attack from this administration every day.

And only a new president can regain America's position as a respected leader in the world.

I believe that change is coming November 4, 2008. And I am forming my exploratory committee because I believe that together we can bring the leadership that this country needs. I'm going to start this campaign with a national conversation about how we can work to get our country back on track.

This is a big election with some very big questions. How do we bring the war in Iraq to the right end? How can we make sure every American has access to adequate health care? How will we ensure our children inherit a clean environment and energy independence? How can we reduce the deficits that threaten Social Security and Medicare?

No matter where you live, no matter what your political views, I want you to be a part of this important conversation right at the start. So to begin, I'm going to spend the next several days answering your questions in a series of live video web discussions. Starting Monday, January 22, at 7 p.m. EST for three nights in a row, I'll sit down to answer your questions about how we can work together for a better future. And you can participate live at my website. Sign up to join the conversation here.

I grew up in a middle-class family in the middle of America, where I learned that we could overcome every obstacle we face if we work together and stay true to our values.

I have worked on issues critical to our country almost all my life. I've fought for children for more than 30 years. In Arkansas, I pushed for education reform. As First Lady, I helped to expand health care coverage to millions of children and to pass legislation that dramatically increased adoptions. I also traveled to China to affirm that women's rights are human rights.

And in the Senate, I have worked across party lines to get billions more for children's health care, to stop the president's plan to privatize Social Security, and to make sure the victims and heroes of 9/11 and our men and women in uniform receive the fair treatment they deserve. In 2006, I led the successful fight to make Plan B contraception available to women without a prescription.

I have spent a lifetime opening opportunities for tens of millions who are working hard to raise a family: new immigrants, families living in poverty, people who have no health care or face an uncertain retirement.

The promise of America is that all of us will have access to opportunity, and I want to run a 2008 campaign that renews that promise, a campaign built on a lifetime record of results.

I have never been afraid to stand up for what I believe in or to face down the Republican machine. After nearly $70 million spent against my campaigns in New York and two landslide wins, I can say I know how Washington Republicans think, how they operate, and how to beat them.

I need you to be a part of this campaign, and I hope you'll start by joining me in this national conversation.

As we campaign to win the White House, we will make history and remake our future. We can only break barriers if we dare to confront them, and if we have the determined and committed support of others.

This campaign is our moment, our chance to stand up for the principles and values that we cherish; to bring new ideas, energy, and leadership to a uniquely challenging time. It's our chance to say "we can" and "we will."

Let's go to work. America's future is calling us.

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Video: Cruise Missilies Flying in Formation

This is a cool sight!



Hat Tip: Garfield Ridge

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The Rise and Fall of Jimmy Carter

Excerpts taken from Commentary Magazine.
Read the Entire Article Here. [Be advised to have plenty of Duct Tape on hand. --Ed.]


The Rise:

Carter ran for governor of Georgia against Carl Sanders, who had served in the post previously, earning a reputation as one of the early “Southern moderates.” (Georgia law prohibited serving two terms consecutively.) In the campaign, Carter presented himself as, in his words, “a local Georgia conservative Democrat . . . basically a redneck.” This formulation was calculated to convey a message about his stand on racial issues: a message of resistance to racial integration, if not of out-and-out racism. He reinforced the same message by making a campaign stop at a whites-only private school, and by promising to invite Alabama Governor George Wallace, the champion of segregation, to address the state legislature.

Topping it off was Carter’s reaction when, as a result of the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Lester Maddox emerged as his running mate. Maddox, a restaurateur and Sanders’s successor as governor, had gained notoriety by distributing to the customers of his whites-only establishment ax handles with which to batter any blacks who might seek to be served there. Carter took the pairing in stride, characterizing Maddox as “the essence of the Democratic party.”

But no sooner had he won office than he executed his remarkable shift on race, a move that landed him on the cover of Time as the apotheosis of the “new South” and made him a nationally recognized figure. The cause of this about-face is still a matter of conjecture. Since he was barred from running for re-election, it is possible that he was already weighing a presidential run and thinking in terms of a national audience. Or he may have long harbored liberal views that he had deliberately concealed. In any event, one of his associates later explained that it was Carter’s way to “run conservative and govern liberal.” He was soon to put that formula to use again.

The Hypocisy (Or Pinnacle)

The effect was exacerbated by one of Carter’s personality tics, strange in a man who boasted so often of his honesty: a compulsion to engage in flattery. At times, this could manifest itself toward a rightist ally like the Shah of Iran. Just months before the outbreak of the revolution that culminated in his toppling, Carter declared in a toast that Iran was an “island of stability” thanks to the “love which your people give you.” But the impulse expressed itself most strongly toward leftist strongmen. Carter hailed Yugoslav dictator Josip Broz Tito as “a man who believes in human rights” and as a “great and courageous leader” who “has led his people and protected their freedom almost for the last forty years.” Visiting Poland, then ruled by the Stalinist hack Edward Gierek, he offered a toast to its “enlightened leaders” and declared that “our concept of human rights is preserved in Poland . . . much better than other European nations with which I am familiar.” He outdid himself in receiving Romania’s iron-fisted ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, enthusing:

"Our goals are the same, to have a just system of economics and politics, to let the people of the world share in growth, in peace, in personal freedom, and in the benefits to be derived from the proper utilization of natural resources. We believe in enhancing human rights. We believe that we should enhance, as independent nations, the freedom of our own people."

The Fall

When it comes to Israel, it would take a book to catalogue all of Carter’s false or wildly misleading statements on matters historical, political, military, and diplomatic. Kenneth Stein, a Middle East expert at the Carter Center who had helped write The Blood of Abraham, resigned to protest the latest book. “It is replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments,” Stein wrote. “Aside from the one-sided nature of the book . . . there are recollections cited from meetings where I was the third person in the room, and my notes of those meetings show little similarity to points claimed in the book.”

What is to explain Carter’s passion against Israel? This question is not easy to answer. A recent article in the online journal FrontPage enumerated some of the millions of dollars that the Carter Center receives from Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Arab states, but it is hard to know whether this is inducement or merely a benefit of Carter’s position. It is also true that opposition to Israel fits seamlessly into the ex-President’s leftist/third-worldist outlook in general. But this too does not explain the blind intensity of his obsession.

Commentary

From a man who promised "I will not lie to you," there has been nothing but lies.

The Carter Center has received most of its funding from anti-Israeli sources, many of them from the Saudi Royal Family. [Investors Business Daily] [Discover The Networks]

I guess we all should have seen his vicious response to a poor, helpless rabbit trying to get out of the water as a window into his soul.

And why does the Legacy Media not pick up on the distortions, plagiarisms, lies, and outright hate spewed in his latest book? I hold that they share his bigotry.

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Subs lost in Underground Ocean

While waiting for the news on XM Radio 165 this morning, I overheard someone saying that U.S. Submarines Thresher and Scorpion were really lost while exploring the ocean underneath the United States.

Of course, the program was discussing the Hollow Earth Theory. At least there are people that are stupider than the Flat Earthers, but not the 9/11 Conspiracy Retards.

Kind of puts the Theory of Evolution into perspective, don't it?

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Asheville Police criticize Dr. Mumpower's efforts to Combat Drug Dealers

The article I am responding to is here.

In the article, two officers are listed as sending emails opposed to Dr. Mumpower's efforts. A Sgt Michael Yelton, and a Lt Chris Young.



Michael Yelton

Sgt. Mike Yelton, in an e-mail to his supervisor, said Mumpower distracted an officer watching for signs of trouble in a stop that involved a cocaine seizure.

“I immediately thought this was a strange occurrence, but assumed he was conducting another of his many forays into law enforcement,” Yelton wrote.

“I was left with the distinct impression that Dr. Mumpower desired an immediate and personal response to his presence and waiting was not an option,” he wrote.

Hogan and City Manager Gary Jackson were included in the exchange of messages.

Mumpower made them public Wednesday, saying he heard of the complaints only one hour before a City Council meeting Tuesday night during which he criticized police.

Hogan would not comment Wednesday and would not say whether Mumpower should have been criminally charged.

First things first...Sgt Yelton's attitude toward Mumpower per his statement "forays into law enforcement" reveals a "group think" attitude. He seems to think that law enforcement is the domain of a knighted few, instead of every citizen's duty. APD has always had a bad rep, and their response isn't helping. I still remember the way APD handled demonstrators against the war in 2003. While I strongly disagree with the anti-war movement, they have a right to peaceably assemble.

Sounds like a typical strategy of attacking the messenger when the message is too dangerous. I can't help but wonder what the Asheville Police Department would do with photographic and Video Evidence of Drug Activity. Would they go after the providers of such data? I think so.

As a resident of a far western county, I can report that Asheville has been perceived as the regional hub of drug activity.

Chief Hogan should capitalize on this effort by Dr. Mumpower, and work with him, instead of against him. I smell a bureacratic tendency to 'protect his turf' from competition. Bureaucrats are the petty little tyrants that will destroy the fabric of our once free Republic. This is so sad. It is too bad that we are headed down this path.

I think of all the minds going to waste, and I wonder if Chief Hogan should set up a parallel hotline to Crime Stoppers for the Drug Dealers, and objecting APD Officers (And Mayor Bellamy) to use to report Dr. Mumpower's activities and call it Crime Enablers.

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Benny Parsons 1941 to 2007

Benny Parsons passed away on January 16, 2007 in Charlotte, NC.


He was a NASCAR Champion, Broadcaster, and All-Around Good Guy.


My prayers are with his family and friends.



The only eulogy I will offer is this, "You couldn't help but like the guy."


That, I believe says it all.


More information

Wikipedia Entry

Website

Radio Show

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The Quranic Concept of War

Strike Terror Into Their Hearts

By Sean Osborne, Associate Director, Military Affairs

15 January 2007: This past Friday I began reading a review essay written by my friend, Lieutenant Colonel Joseph C. Myers, of a book commissioned by the late-President of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq. The book was written by Pakistani Army Brigadier General S.K. Malik and entitled “The Quranic Concept of War” (Also variously spelled Qur'anic). In performing my due diligence research for this article it occurred to me that LTC Myers review of this book, in all truth, is the first ever done by a senior western military officer. As cited by LTC Myers in his essay, an observation made by Paul Sperry in his article posted December 14, 2005 on the FrontPageMag.com website (http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20539 ) was the truth of the matter until LTC Myers review came along:

“Four years into the war on terror, US intelligence officials tell me there are no baseline studies of the Muslim prophet Muhammad or his ideological or military doctrine found at either the CIA or Defense Intelligence Agency, or even the war colleges.”

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Mumpower deserves backing for tough stance on drugs

by Jeff Goss
published January 16, 2007 12:15 am


I am writing in response to the article, “Mayor: Mumpower’s actions are ‘overstepping’ boundaries,” (AC-T, Jan. 7), by Adam Behsudi.

It is a fact that Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower has taken on hard drugs and their dealers almost single-handedly, save for a few concerned citizens and some good folks at the Chamber and in school administration. But I don’t think that he is tackling this project alone by choice; I happen to know he welcomes help from anyone willing, especially the city and police department.


Mumpower has spent his time heading a weekly meeting as chairman of the Asheville-Buncombe Drug Commission, with a mission to eliminate hard drugs and their dealers from our homeland. He has organized countless walks in drug-ridden neighborhoods to protest the dominance of drug dealing, often with children within sight, and orchestrated educational forums in schools and neighborhoods. Mum-power has spent countless hours creating and printing posters and billboards, and campaigning to help steer the vulnerable teen away from drugs, offering a reward to those who turn in a “hard drug” dealer.

Is Mumpower overstepping his boundaries? Maybe overstepping his own personal boundaries by giving too much of his personal time and money to campaign against the force of “hard drug dealers.” Meanwhile, little if any of our high property taxes are being spent on this rising problem to prevent Asheville from becoming like other larger metropolitan areas, steeped in drug dealers and the crime that goes along with it.

Link to Entire Artice at Asheville Citizen-Times

Commentary

Hold on Dr. Mumpower, reinforcements are on the way!

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Fallacy of the Chickenhawk Argument

Senator Barbara Boxer used the equivalent of the Chickenhawk Argument that has been used to shut people up when they offer a cogent argument that cannot be refuted.


SFGate Coverage.




You Tube of Dr. Rice Responding

Here is the best response to the chickenhawk fallacy:

CHICKENHAWKS

Let’s shag a few easy fly balls to warm up, shall we?

The Chickenhawk argument goes something like this: anyone who favors military action should not be taken seriously unless they themselves are willing to go and do the actual fighting. This particular piece of work is an anti-war crowd attempt to silence the debate by ruling that the other side is out of bounds for the duration. Like all ad hominem attacks, (argumentum ad hominem means “argument against the person”) it is an act of intellectual surrender. The person who employs an ad hominem attack is admitting they cannot win the debate on merit, and hope to chuck the entire thing out the window by attacking the messenger. This is a logical fallacy of the first order, because the messenger is not the message.

The messenger is not the message. That’s all you need to throw away the entire Chickenhawk response. But why stop there when this one is so much fun?

If you ever see this charge again, you may want to reflect that person’s own logical reasoning in the following fashion: You may not talk about education unless you are willing to become a teacher. You may not discuss poverty unless you yourself are willing to go and form a homeless shelter. How dare you criticize Congress unless you are willing to go out and get elected yourself? Your opinion on a National Health Care System is negated out of hand since you are unwilling to get a medical degree and open a clinic. And as far as your opinions regarding the Democratic Underground or The Huffington Post are concerned, well, you can just keep them to yourself, mister, unless you can produce an advanced degree in Abnormal Psychology and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Using the internal reasoning behind the Chickenhawk argument means you cannot comment on, speak about or even hold an opinion on any subject that is not part of your paying day job. It is simple-minded and profoundly anti-democratic, which is why it so deeply appeals to those who sling it around the most.

But wait! There’s more!

If you accept the Chickenhawk argument – that only those actually willing to go and fight have a legitimate opinion on the subject of war – then that means that any decision to go to war must rest exclusively in the hands of the military. Is that what this person really wants? To abandon civilian control of the military? That’s the box they have trapped themselves in with this argument. Now to be perfectly honest, I think Robert Heinlein made a very compelling case for just this line of reasoning in Starship Troopers (the book, not the clueless projected travesty). Heinlein said that the only people who should be allowed to vote are those that have served in the military, since only they are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the state. I don’t agree with that. I think civilian control of the military has been one of the pillars of our nation’s success, and it has withstood the test of both World Wars and Civil ones. But that is the world you are stuck in when you toss that little Chickenhawk grenade.

Finally, if the only legitimate opinion on Iraq, say, is that held by the troops themselves, then they are overwhelmingly in favor of being there and finishing what they started. I recently received an e-mail from an Army major who is heading back for his fourth tour. The Chickenhawk argument, coming from an anti-war commentator, legitimizes only those voices that overwhelmingly contradict the anti-war argument.

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Which Sci-Fi Crew Would You Best Fit In With?

All I can say is YES!!!
I'm also glad that Battlestar Galactica and Deep Space Nine made it high on the list.

You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and don't enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you. Serenity (Firefly) 100% Bebop (Cowboy Bebop) 81% Galactica (Battlestar: Galactica) 81% Deep Space Nine (Star Trek) 75% Millennium Falcon (Star Wars) 75% Moya (Farscape) 69% Nebuchadnezzar (The Matrix) 63% Babylon 5 (Babylon 5) 56% Enterprise D (Star Trek) 50% Andromeda Ascendant (Andromeda) 44% SG-1 (Stargate) 38% FBI's X-Files Division (The X-Files) 31% Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com

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Frankly Hilarious

Someone just IMed a link to this video...since I'm on dial-up, it's gonna take another 10-15 minutes for it all to load, but what I've seen so far so hilarious. Congressman McHenry played the Chair like a fiddle.


The next two years might have some entertainment value, after all, like the ASheville City Council Meetings.

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Comet McNaught Now Visible in Daylight

I found this at Space Weather, and I can't wait to try it. I've also got a new camera that might be up to the task of recording my find. Updates later. Find a copy and paste of the article below:

DAYTIME COMET: Comet McNaught is now visible in broad daylight. "It's fantastic," reports Wayne Winch of Bishop, California. "I put the sun behind a neighbor's house to block the glare and the comet popped right into view. You can even see the tail."

This trick is best performed around local noon: Go outside and stand in the shadow of a building. Face south. The comet lies 5 degrees to the left of the sun. (Five degrees is the width of your fist held at arm's length.)

Photo credit: Thorsten Boeckel of Bavaria, Germany

You may not see anything at first, but don't give up. Scan the blue sky until your eyes alight upon the comet. Once seen, you'll wonder how you could've missed it.

This weekend is a special time for Comet McNaught because it is passing close to the sun. Solar heat is causing the comet to vaporize furiously and brighten to daylight visibility. At magnitude -4 to -5, McNaught is the brightest comet since Ikeya-Seki in 1965.

Binoculars dramatically improve the view of the comet, allowing you to see structure within the tail. But please be super-careful not to look at the sun. Direct sunlight through binoculars can cause permanent eye damage.

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Nancy’s Culture of Corruption, Part II by John Armor

You may find this article in its context at Free Republic. I have swipped the whole thing, and posted it here. The comments at Free Republic are eloquent, so I won't add to them.

---

So, the House of Representatives has passed its Federal Minimum Wage Act as one of its “first 100 hours priorities,” per the new Speaker, Nancy Pelosi. But it turns out that the “raise” for all Americans contains two exemptions. One is for the Northern Mariana Islands and one for American Samoa.
The Mariana Islands have a special low minimum wage. They have a Republican “representative” to Congress, who is not a “Congressman.” Their interests have, until recently, had the disgraced Jack Abramoff as their spokesman and operative.

American Samoa has a better deal. They are totally exempt from the minimum wage. They have a Congressman, Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, who is a Democrat, and who has voting rights in committees and on the floor of the House (so long as his vote doesn’t control the outcome). Congressman Faleomavaega is well funded by Starkist, whose tuna-packing plant in American Samoa now pays $3.60 an hour as opposed to the new federal minimum of $7.25 after two years.

So, the difference if the federal minimum applied would be about $3.65 an hour. Assuming 40 hour weeks, and 50 weeks a year – it is doubtful that the tuna packers in American Samoa are getting paid vacations – the difference amounts to $7,300 per worker, per year. So, 150 workers represent $1 million off the bottom line of Starkist, if they had to pay the federal minimum wage.

My understanding is that the plant employs about 300 Samoans. So, that’s $2 million a year saved by the exemption. If the plant is running two shifts, that would be $4 million a year saved.

Does Starkist have any friends more powerful than Congressman Faleomavaega? Why, yes. Starkist is owned by Del Monte, headquartered in San Francisco, represented for the past two decades by, tah dah, new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. And the total exemption of American Samoa is not new, it has been around for about two decades.

Have the good folks at Del Monte made significant contributions to their Congresswoman, Nancy Pelosi? I imagine they have, and leave the interesting research to others at www.fec.gov. Cross reference that with the Board of Directors and top employees of Del Monte and Starkist – both lists available on the Internet.

But there is one final wrinkle in this story. The Democrats, and an unfortunate majority of the economically-illiterate press, have been describing this as a “raise for all Americans.” It is a raise for some, imposed by law. But it is a pink slip for some Americans. A basic law of economics is that when you raise the price of anything, you decrease the amount that will sell. This is a fundamental law, like gravity, or the fact that water runs downhill.

The press, mostly, and the Democrats, universally, pretend that there is no downside to any increase in the required minimum age. But there is. The situation in American Samoa may prove this point nine ways from Sunday.

When confronted with the American Samoan situation yesterday, Speaker Pelosi blinked continuously while saying that this “mistake” would be “corrected.” I thought she was surgically incapable of blinking, but there she was on TV looking like a perp in a spotlight. She didn’t say how the “mistake” came to be. It remains to be seen whether the “correction” will be made.

But if the minimum IS applied in American Samoa, Starkist will likely move its plant one island over, from American Samoa to the independent island of Samoa, where American law does not apply. Then the plant can continue operating with a pay rate of $3.60. And 300 or so American jobs will have disappeared as a direct result of the federal minimum wage law. Neither Speaker Pelosi nor any other Democrat wants that economic fact proved in such an obvious way that even the sleepiest reporter would notice it.
Is Nancy Pelosi an example for women? Yes. She’s an example that women can be just as bought and paid for as men, when they take money from major benefactors and then do favors for those donors. Not exactly a bright and shiny example, but an example, nonetheless.

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Mass Murderer: The Life and Death of Che Guevera

Photo of Che I swiped from The Freedom Fighter's Journal.


Find out the true story behind the scum of the earth worshipped by lefty America-haters.

Click here to go to The Freedom Fighter's Journal.

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Asheville Citizen-Times Sides With Drug Dealers Part II

The following is in response to a comment to Asheville Citizen-Times Sides With Drug Dealers:



Screwy Hoolie said...

What are you talking about, TP? I can't figure out your point. You quote the article that explains that we've increased enforcement and prosecution of drug laws, yet you find fault because...???

...the way the drug laws are enforced locally serve to support an entire industry in the court system, social services, mental health, and associated fields who are parasites to the problem. Cut down on the open air drug dealing, and some people might have to work for a living in the above industries.


I guess you're saying that government needs to do more to arrest drug users, but inferring that the newspaper, the television, and the city council are pro-drug dealer is, frankly, untrue.

The article you quote is the most damning evidence against your strange theorem. The city has done more, not less, and will continue to do so.

The above mentioned people are acting as enablers for the problem to continue by halting a whistle-blower who has exposed public corruption in these people, and ourselves. We have been complacent with this problem. By their actions, those who oppose Dr. Mumpower's efforts now become complicit in allowing the drug dealers to operate openly.


I don't think keeping Dr. Mumpower out of the police cars is going to make a difference.

Au contraire, it has made all the difference in the world!!!
Keeping Dr. Mumpower out of police cars was supposed to have kept him from making the problem public. Their clumsy political effort has backfired. Now people are talking about the problem of open air drug dealing in Asheville, NC.
And now, Dr. Mumpower is not alone in his quest to free the victims of the drug trade.

Further, when the man stole crack from someone in the projects, he became a drug thief.

If you truly believe that, file charges.

Strange days when the conservative blogger attacks the police for increasing enforcement of drug laws while getting behind the crack thief...

Strange days indeed.

Strange days, indeed. The conservative blogger wishes to see people freed from misery; not to be used as cogs in the wheels that support an entire industry that profits from their misery.

There is enough blame to go around...will you join Dr. Mumpower in solving the problem he has exposed?

Or will you continue to attempt to score political points at the expense of those poor souls who live in the projects, and those who have erroneously chosen a life of crime?

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LInk: Kennedy Kare

I just found this...get thee hence.

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Asheville Citizen-Times Sides With Drug Dealers

I just read an editorial in the AC-T that has sent me into orbit.


For those of you not familiar with the story so far, a briefing is in order:

There is an Asheville City Council named Dr. Carl Mumpower who has been active in attempting to deal with the very large drug problem in Asheville, NC. Most of it seems to be centered, as it is nation-wide, around the Public Housing Projects. He has been involved with prevention programs, etc. and has been observing the open-air drug markets, and reporting them. Until recently, he has been riding with law enforcement. Asheville has a new Mayor, Terry Bellamy, and a new Police Chief, Bill Hogan. He is no longer allowed to ride with law enforcement.

He made an appearance on a local talk show, "Take A Stand with Matt Mittan."
Right Click to download MP3.
Hour One Topics: Jim Black cocky to the finish, New taxes and fees to pay for what the lottery didn't deliver, APD reports on drug arrests and more. Listen live weekdays 3pm-6pm at mattcave.us

Hour Two Topics: Terror links in NC and more on drugs in Asheville. Guest: Asheville City Councilman Carl Mumpower. Listen live weekdays 3pm-6pm at mattcave.us

Hour Three Guest: Carl Munpower. Listen live weekdays 3pm-6pm at mattcave.us


Here is the end of that editorial:

Mumpower deserves praise and appreciation for his unrelenting crusade against them. He organized and chairs the Asheville-Buncombe Drug Commission, an impressive group of community leaders dedicated to “preventing and addressing the causes and consequences of hard drugs in our community.” He spends his free time holding “community days” in public housing, giving out basketballs, cleaning up litter and other such activities.

It is, however, possible to fault his conclusions about who to blame for the problem. Mumpower wants to blame council and the Asheville Police Department for not doing enough to combat drugs.

However, statistics released by the department earlier this week showed that Asheville police made 127 drug arrests per 10,000 in population in 2005, the highest drug arrest rate among any of the state’s other 10 largest cities. Mumpower’s reaction: It simply shows “we’re failing a little less.”

In October 2004, Police Chief Bill Hogan created a dedicated Drug Suppression Unit.

Since that time felony drug arrests have increased 40 percent.

These are not statistics from a department that is “complacent,” as Mumpower has charged.

No matter how many arrests police make, their efforts will have little deterrent value if drug dealers see the police as more of a nuisance than a real threat to their livelihood. Many of those arrested for drug crimes are bonded out and back on the street before the arresting officers can complete the paperwork, criminal justice officials say.

Once they come to court, short sentences for drug felonies under structured sentencing, a shortage of prison beds and an under-funded court system conspire to put drug dealers back in circulation in a matter of weeks or months, said District Attorney Ron Moore.

Mumpower’s efforts are to be commended because they keep the problem before the public and encourage us to continue trying to find solutions.

But overcoming the scourge of drugs will take more than increasing the number of police officers in public housing, where about 41 percent of drug arrests are made.

That means the other 59 percent are made in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

Societal ills such as poverty, school dropouts and dysfunctional families contribute to the problem.

From a law enforcement standpoint, Mumpower needs to look at the big picture and direct more of his efforts toward state lawmakers, who control the sentencing structure and the purse strings for the court system.

What the power structure, including the AC-T fears most is negative publicity for fear of negatively impacting the Tourist Industry. My Post Title is a bit over the top, but true. In trying to misdirect people to ancillary issues, and muzzle Dr. Mumpower, they enable the drug dealers to keep on dealing drugs in Asheville, NC.

I would like to see a hundred people doing what the Councilman is doing...but with a twist.

Concerned Citizens should show up, armed with video cameras and record the drug trade, then share that information with the world via video sharing sites like You tube. Setting up an account is easy, and free. Youtube will enable us to side-step the Drug-Culture friendly Asheville Citizen Times and WLOS-TV News.

If people force this issue front and center, more resources will be allocated to deal with it, most especially if we threaten their coveted touri$t dollar$.

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