In New Orleans, Dean Criticizes G.O.P. on Lack of Aid - New York Times

There is a lump of coal hidden within Howard Dean's comments released today, regarding the Gulf Coast victims of Katrina:

In New Orleans, Dean Criticizes G.O.P. on Lack of Aid - New York Times:

NEW ORLEANS, April 22 — Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman, offered a broad attack on the Republican Party on Saturday, saying that the White House has "cut and run" in its approach to rebuilding this hurricane-ravaged region.

"Our current Republican government will be judged by how they treated Americans on our Gulf Coast, and how that government has mistreated our American community," Mr. Dean said. "The Republicans have cut and run when it comes to rebuilding the Gulf Coast. And we will not do it."

The lump of coal could be polished to a diamond with the right amount of pressure and heat. What is this lump of coal? Why, Howard Dean and the DNC telling the states hit by Katrina that it is the Federal government's job to rebuild the devastated areas - it isn't state responsibility.

I am dismayed the GOP missed it but its in there. And really, this is what the DNC is all about - bigger government, government as your papa, your mama, your wealthy, all-caring and all-knowing DNC "Papa Sam".

Yes, Papa Sam knows all, sees all and does all in the glorious, future dream-state of the DNC. States do not matter, aren't part of the problem nor part of the solution, no indeed. Nope - its all up to Papa Sam. If it doesn't get fixed, its Papa Sam's fault.

The way reality looks to the DNC? The only way it can get fixed is with the DNC's chosen candidate for Papa Sam - was there ever any doubt?

Perhaps we should allow that some DNC members (and their affiliates) may even say Mama Sam if they have their way in the next presidential elections.

So keep in mind when you hear the rhetoric, the chants, the raving and oh yes, the ocassional screams, the DNC does not believe in state's rights, nor holding accountable the individuals elected to govern the individual states.

After all - if states have no rights, then how can they, or their lawfullly-elected officials be held responsible?

Every problem is the same to the DNC. "Papa Sam is to blame!" "Papa Sam is the only one who can fix it!" "Papa Sam has screwed it up!" "Look to OUR Papa Sam to deliver you!"

All hail Papa Sam!

And what did Mayor Nagin have to say about Dean's comments?

"But we are having a little problem finding the talent, finding a clear message and connecting with the people. This is our time."

A problem finding the talent? Fifty points off, Mayor Nagin, for not towing the party line. Finding a clear message? Another fifty points.

This is our time? Well, I don't know about you, but to state you have a problem finding the talent, finding a clear message while acknowledging this as your time tells me one thing:

You are as ready to capitalize on "our time" as you were to utilize city and local district school buses to move your citizens out of harm's way.

The future, and elections belong to those prepared to meet it.

Technorati tags: DNC, Howard Dean, Republican Party, Gulf Coast, Katrina

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Congrats Tom & Katie - But Bahama Works Better

The "long anticipated wait" (for everyone but me apparently) is over - it's a girl. And she's been named Suri. Well, interesting choice for a Scientologist, since (from what I can uncover) it is an aka for "Lord Krishna" or at the least, an empowering name devoted to LK.

My research indicates "Suri" is typically a Hindu boy's name - so its a break from tradition you want, is it?

My first choices? "Bahama" Cruise for a girl. And of course, "Alaska" Cruise for a boy. Now as to why non-Hindu parents, believers in 'Scientology' would choose a Hindu boy's name for their baby daughter which ties into the Hindu faith, as opposed to an exciting name like Bahama or Alaska, who can say?

This is of course the final entry on the subject - I wonder if they considered the future, potential promotional value of choosing "Carnival" for a boy or a girl?

Ah well - they missed the boat.

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Tom Cruise's Placenta Snack - Would You Like Fries with that?

Tell me this ain't for real, folks...

Sky Showbiz - Tom's Placenta Snack:

Tom's Placenta Snack

Whatever next?

Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise are expecting their baby any minute now and it's causing all sorts of speculation.

First, there was the Scientology-inspired silent birth... then there were clues that it might be a girl...

And now, something that some might find rather unpalatable has presented itself.

Apparently, the loved-up star is planning to eat Katie's placenta when baby Cruise is born.

Let's ask the average, western man what he thinks of this idea.

"Excuse me sir, but would you like to share your feelings on Tom Cruise's statement, ""I'm gonna eat the placenta. I thought that would be good. Very nutritious. I'm gonna eat the cord and the placenta right there.""

"Huh? Eat the what?"

"Placenta - pla-cen-ta - you know, sort of the gift wrapping all newborn babies arrive within? His wife's due any minute now you know..."

"Oh - WHAT? Why in God's name would he eat THAT?"

"He said it was very nutrious, the placenta and the cord."

"ohmygod..."

"Sir?"

"Well - you DO realize this could be the start of something every woman might ask of her man, don't you?"

"No sir, we never considered it..."

"Oh yeah - the doctor not only presents the husband the new member (or members) of his family but says "Eat this - it'll make your wife happy - after all, you want to be HER Tom Cruise, don't you? Here's some steak sauce, salt and pepper and a slice of lemon and lime... and oh yeah, here's a solid pint of tequila... most men prefer it over whiskey..."

"A good point..."

"Of course, some of the seedier fast food joints will run with this too you know... can't you see them advertising their "Double-Decker Cruiser" or the "TC Special". Imagine their advertising campaigns..."

"No sir - please, no..."

"I can see it now... woman struggling to give birth, lots of noise and sound effects too... A spokesperson turns to the camera and says, "It was a difficult nine months, an even more difficult delivery; but she came through okay and the newest member of your family cries her first sounds into the world. Now its your turn - Afterbirth, the meal of real men."

"Well, uh thanks sir for your opinion..."

"Wait - I'm not done! Wait till Saturday Night Live gets hold of this! Or MAD! Or good God above - wait till Fox News, Hannity and Colmes... oh CRAP - wait till O'Reilly gets ahold of this! I wonder though... will CNN come out with an in-depth story? You know, how men around the world have done this for centuries and how its a good thing and..."

"Really sir, we need to move on..."

"Imagine the video rights - I mean, how much would a major news or media outlet PAY to videotape TC eating the first Cruiser? And oh boy - wait till the woman movements get ahold of this... and ohmygod... think about..."

"Right... Okay - thanks again for your comments..."

"Wait!"

"No SIR - WE MUST BE GOING!"

The funny part of it is this...

Well, some people do claim that eating afterbirth can help to prevent post-natal depression.

Although, not if dad eats it rather than mum.

Uhm... I wonder if it would do "mum" good to see dad puke his guts out or run from the delivery room like a chicken with its tail feathers on fire?

Or worse yet, how would "mum" feel as she watched dad pull out a bottle of his favorite steak sauce, liberally coat everything put in front of him on a dinner plate by the doctor, and chow down like some half-starved wolf, all the while smiling at his wife and saying, "umm, umm, good!"

Oh now this story will really go over well with the Scientology folks, don't you bet? "Uhm Tom, about that placenta thing..."

Please tell me it's not real. PLEASE!!!

Technorati tags: Tom Cruise, Believe It Or Not, Get Real

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Recommended Reading - Why I Left Jihad

For those of you who know about Revelations but always believed the modern interpretations and explanations seemed hard to grasp, I recommend "Why I Left Jihad" by Walid Shoebat.

I am a writer, "in search of" a publisher for my first complete novel. One day not too long ago, as I sat down to lay out the chapters of my second book, I visited Zola Levitt's website.

If you've never been, go and watch his video programs - they are outstanding. But it is there, on Zola's website that I first came upon Walid Shoebat's story.

Sad at first, then joyous after, I watched Zola's interview of Walid Shoebat. A former terrorist finds Jesus Christ? I would think this would be earth-rattling news.

When I heard mention of his book I had to read it. And am I glad I read it - I highly recommend it for anyone wondering of Revelations.

Walid was immersed in Islam teachings from his very early youth. Well - I won't give his story away - but Walid makes his way to Jesus Christ and becomes a Christian. But not some easy-going, once-a-week for an hour Christian, oh no. He is adamant, outspoken and antimated, a very passionate follower and believer of Christianity.

Walid's knowledge of Islam - now exposed to his passionate Christian Faith - helps Walid bring Revelations together in a way I'd not encountered before.

Classic interpretation of Revelations tell you the next and final antichrist will come from "Rome". Some even suggest he will rise up from the Catholic faith and a few will tell you the antichrist will be a pope.

Yet many of the actions of this antichrist simply do not and have never tied back to Rome (directly), especially the Catholic church. Think of the passages which speak of the "Great Mystery Babylon", or the nations of the world weeping for the loss of a city... and the beheading of those who refuse to follow the antichrist.

This is where Walid's knowledge of Islam benefits Christianity immensely. He maps out Revelations clearly, precisely and in a way I've not read or heard of before or since. He provides ample citations for reference checking and is very thorough in his delivery.

As you read Walid's book you'll likely get the impression he wrote it quickly and it was edited even quicker. It is not perfect in punctuation nor in literary form; but it is powerful.

There is an energy inside this book, an energy of necessity to get what has been revealed from his life onto paper and out into the world.

And Walid has intimated (in interviews and in passages within his book) he is most likely marked for death. Makes sense - especially when you read his discourse on Revelations and End Times and how they relate to Islam.

His analysis of the history of Islam and therefore, Islamic Nations, ties Revelations together so completely, so easily, that when you finish the book, you'll want to slap your forehead and say, "Duh!"

You will wonder how you missed it all these years. And you'll also wonder why others have "missed it" and continue to miss it. And then, you'll suddenly appreciate how the Spirit moved within Walid Shoebat and brought this knowledge to the world.

Then, you'll start telling others what you've read, how it makes sense and really, how important it is for them to read his book too.

IMHO, Walid Shoebat has hit the proverbial nail on the head. Get it, read it and feel a bit better knowing how it all really fits together. Amen!

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Online NewsHour: Politics of Citizenship -- March 4, 1997 | PBS

Think immigration reform is something "timely" and all about the rights of the millions of individual law-breakers now wanting to become US citizens?

Here's a blast from the past... and a very stable indicator of why the US is in the pickle it is right now with regards to illegals:

(Doris Meissner was at the time, the INS Commissioner)

Online NewsHour: Politics of Citizenship -- March 4, 1997 | PBS:

Did election year politics play a role in the rules of citizenship?

Chairman Rogers cited a report in today's "Washington Post" that suggested Vice President Gore's office had pressured the Immigration Service to increase the number of naturalizations before election day.

REP. HAROLD ROGERS: You waived all normal standard common sense procedures to check these people for criminal records. You waived that in order to get them so they could vote in the election. And I find that reprehensible.

DORIS MEISSNER: Mr. Chairman, I must dispute that assertion. That is not what occurred. We at every step along the way strengthened the procedures where fingerprints were concerned. We were strengthening a system, as I say, that had been functioning since 1982--

REP. HAROLD ROGERS: You naturalized them without even hearing from the FBI.

DORIS MEISSNER: The--the method that we were using at that time we did not realize was a system vulnerability.

So you know - it was all about getting votes and cheap labor then and nothing has changed.

Period.

Technorati tags: Old News, Same News - Immigration Policy Equals Voters

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US Federal Judge Upset About Denial of Asylum to Convicted Felon

Don't believe judges try to legislate from the bench?

Judge Decries Rigid U.S. Immigration Laws - Forbes.com

"Judge Maryanne Trump Barry complained that judges have no discretion in applying harsh and complex laws, and she urged the federal government to intervene in the case of a man from Northern Ireland denied asylum this week by the panel on which she sits, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals."

The facts of this case are quite disturbing, actually. The individual denied asylum is...

...Malachy McAllister, a former member of the paramilitary Irish National Liberation Army convicted in the 1981 wounding of a British police officer.

McAllister served three years in a Northern Ireland prison for his role as a lookout in the attack.

There were (apparent) retaliatory attacks on McAllister... most likely after McAllister served his three years in jail...

In 1988, British loyalists stuck assault rifles through the windows of his home in Belfast and fired 26 rounds when only McAllister's mother-in-law and young children were there. No one was hurt.

The conflict between Ireland and England is complex, goes back many years and in reality, is only material in this case because the convicted felon (was) "a former member of the paramilitary Irish National Liberation Army (NLA) and denied asylum".

The judge may complain about "no discretion in applying harsh and complex laws" but that is the way our government functions. Judge Barry bemoans the fact judges are not part of the legislative branch while side-stepping the more important issue of the legal admission of an individual convicted in the wounding of a British Police office via the broad scope of asylum.

The individual's respect for the rule of law obviously runs deep as evidenced by:

1. his entry into the USA via a tourist visa in 1996
2. over-staying that visa
3. working illegally
   
4. and applying for asylum!

Fact is - his original application for a visa ought not have been approved under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It precludes convicted criminals from entering the USA with only minor exceptions - McAllister does not fall into any of the exceptions.

How did he obtain a tourist visa in the first place? Isn't that a question the Judge ought to be asking? It certainly is material to the case.

Once again we have judges pontificating, berating the structure of our government and intimating their roles and lack of discretion in interpreting "harsh and complex laws" established by our elected representatives.

If more judges thought like this one folks, imho - we'd be a nation ruled by judges, who express pity, concern and are outright supporting the wrong category of people for legal immigration.

Summing it up: Breaking the law, especially in attempting to kill an individual, has certain consequences or ramifications. It is not the policy of the United States (nor has it ever been) to freely admit a convicted felon into the US, to permit said felon to overstay their tourist visa, to claim asylum and seek permanent residency within the US.

The case was decided properly, in accordance to law and fortunately, in alignment with good, common sense.


Technorati tags: Immigration Judge Law

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