Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Russell Pearce's Lying Substitute Teacher Friend A Wife and Dog Beater!

Russell Pearce's friend, State Congresswoman Lori Klein, read a letter from a substitute teacher, Anthony Hill, on the floor of the Arizona Senate. Klein read the letter from this sub teacher to "prove" that ALL Latino Students are a threat to all White Americans and to suggest these students "Hate America" and support "Reconquista." Klein did not name the sub teacher nor the school, nor any PROOF that the allegations in the letter were true. Yet, they READ the letter into the State Congressional Record, as FACTS to support their supposition that ALL Latinos are a "Threat to WHITE America." AZ Rep Steve Gallardo stood up to Klein and immediately repudiated her racist rant into the Congressional record. However, State Senator Russell Pearce supported both Klein and the sub teacher, Anthony Hill claiming Hill's accusations were TRUE. Pearce even challenged Gallardo, providing the name of the teacher, Anthony Hill. Hill himself, continued to spout his allegations about what happened on that one day as substitute teacher in the one day class. He went so far as to say to those who accused him of racism, "How can I be racist? I have a Latino wife." Now, investigative reporter Paul Rubin, reports the results of his research into the background of sub-teacher Anthony Hill. Rubin's research includes court documentation that says the teacher: 1. Choked his Latino ex-Wife (legally separated) 2. Abused their pet dog 3. Required "Anger Management" training 4. Awarded his estranged Latino wife with SOLE Custody of their children 5. Awarded his estranged Latino wife a RESTRAINING ORDER Hill also: 1. Threatened his work supervisor 2. His estranged wife "fled the marital home with the minor children and all pets! (That's why the restraining order was granted) 3. All the children are in fear of their father and agreed their father was NOT sincere about his past behavior! 4. Court files indicate he was suspended from his job at a supermarket for his "Irrational behavior" and he was hospitalized for depression. This is Senator Pearce's friend. This is the man whose words were read, by State Rep Klein into the Congressional Record. It is clear that Pearce and Klein's agenda is to instill FEAR and HATRED into their WHITE Supporters AGAINST All American Latinos! I hope they read this investigative report and read the court records about this substitute teacher who spent one day in a classroom and Chastised the ENTIRE LATINO COMMUNITY, reading this man's very volatile and negative words into the State of Arizona's Congressional Record with NO FACTS to support them! SHAME ON PEARCE AND SHAME ON KLEIN! I HOPE THEY LEARN FROM THIS!! To read the entire report by Investigative Reporter Paul Rubin, READ HERE!

Friday, March 25, 2011

GUILTY! MINUTEMAN JASON "GUNNY" BUSH GUILTY OF MURDERING 9 YEAR OLD BRISENIA FLORES AND HER DAD!

GUILTY! A Pima County Superior Court jury found Minuteman Jason "Gunny" Bush GUILTY of murdering 9 year old Brisenia Flores and her Dad. On May 30, 2009, Bush, the 36-year-old friend of Shawna Forde, murdered 9 year old Brisenia by shooting her twice, at point blank range in the face, as she pleaded for her life.

The jury found White Nationalist Bush guilty on 2 counts of first degree murder, a count of burglary in the 1st degree, one count of attempted first degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a weapon, armed robbery, and aggravated robbery. Jurors now will determine whether 36 year-old Bush is eligible for the death penalty and eventual sentencing.

Bush also faces two murder charges in Washington: second-degree murder in the July 1997 fatal stabbing of Hector Lopez Partida, 29, in Wenatchee; and first-degree murder in the September 1997 shooting death of Jonathan Bumstead, 18, in the Palisades area.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

ICE DEPORTATIONS ARE BASED ON THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN!

Look at the Picture!
Whether Citizen, whether you are brought here legally or NOT, your status does NOT matter. Look at the Picture. Which person is ICE leaving alone, free to live in our country though he is an "illegal alien?"

ICE HAS MADE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR! ALL THAT MATTERS IS THE COLOR OF YOUR SKIN!

UPPER LEFT: Ninety-five-year-old Leeland Davidson discovered recently that he's not a U.S. citizen, despite living nearly 100 years in the country and serving in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Davidson said he discovered he wasn't a U.S. citizen when he was turned down for an enhanced driver's license he needed for a trip to Canada to visit relatives. Davidson was born in British Columbia (Canada) in 1916. He checked up on his citizenship before joining the Navy and was told by an inspector at the U.S. Department of Labor Immigration and Naturalization Service he had nothing to worry about. Now he worries that he won't be able to prove his citizenship, because his parents were born in Iowa before local governments started keeping records of birth certificates in 1880. Schoolcraft said his family tried to dissuade him from pursuing the matter. Employees at the local passport office scared them, telling their father "If he pursued it, (he could) possibly be deported or at risk of losing Social Security." DAVIDSON IS WHITE WITH NO WORRY! ICE IS LEAVING HIM ALONE!

UPPER RIGHT: 4 Year-Old CITIZEN Emily Ruiz. While re-entering the U.S., she even had her birth certificate and a certified letter from her parents. ICE Deported her to war-torn, poverty stricken Guatemala.
LOWER LEFT: Jonathan Chavez, an honors student at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, was on his way home to visit his parents when immigration authorities nabbed him on a bus and hauled him to a private detention facility in Florida. His crime? Despite the fact that his parents have legal status in the United States, Jonathan does not possess legal status because his naturalization process was stalled when he turned 18. Jonathan came from Peru as a minor under his parents' work visas. He grew up like any other American kid in Rogers, Arkansas. Jonathan sang solos in the church choir and graduated from high school with a 4.0 grade-point-average. Not only was he accepted to the University of Arkansas, he is a member of their celebrated Honors College and is only two semesters away from graduating. Besides being a sharp student and beautiful singer, Jonathan is a young man who wants to give back to his community. Everyone who knows Jonathan speaks about him in glowing terms. His community is waiting for him to come home and his friends started a petition at Change.org on his behalf requesting immigration authorities for deferred action.
LOWER RIGHT: Valente and Manuel Valenzuela both served their country in the Vietnam War. Valente Valenzuela was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his bravery in Vietnam. Their mother was a U.S. citizen born in the United States. No other proof should be needed to prove U.S. citizenship. Because their mother was a U.S. citizen born in the U.S., they should have been issued citizenship documentation in 1955. ICE is planning on deporting them!

Guest Voz - Ruben Navarette: US Citizen DEPORTED Because She Was Latina!

Guest Voz - Ruben Navarette
San Diego (CNN) -- Under our system, two things are crystal clear: Law enforcement agencies are required to treat children with more care than adults, and U.S. citizens have certain rights that are not to be abridged -- including the right to due process. Just don't try telling any of that to the parents of Emily Ruiz. They know better. Those principles didn't apply in the case of the 4-year-old from Brentwood, New York, who -- after traveling to Guatemala to visit relatives with her grandfather -- was denied entry into the United States on March 11 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and instead sent back to Guatemala.

That is no way to treat a U.S. citizen. You see, while both of her parents are illegal immigrants, Emily was born in the United States and so she is a U.S. citizen. That is supposed to mean something in this country. At the very least, it should mean that authorities shouldn't have done anything more than greet the little girl with a polite and sincere: "Welcome home." Instead, according to her family's attorney, Emily was detained alone for several hours at Dulles International Airport while authorities tried to figure out what to do and while her grandfather was treated for what seemed to be a panic attack.

"It's outrageous," David Sperling, the family's attorney, told me. "Effectively, she (Emily) was deported. They treated her like an 'anchor baby,' like a second-class citizen. I can't imagine that they would treat any other U.S. citizen this way." Speaking of so-called anchor babies, an offensive term used by some on the right to describe the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants who supposedly keep their parents anchored in the United States, this case shows that the whole concept is bogus. Emily couldn't even keep herself anchored in the United States, let alone her parents.

I asked Sperling if he believed that Emily was treated shoddily because she is Latina. "Absolutely," he said. "If this was a Caucasian girl from some European country, this would never have happened."

According to multiple accounts, here is what happened. At the end of their stay in Guatemala, Emily and her grandfather boarded a plane to return to New York. The grandfather had a work visa and a notarized letter from Emily's parents authorizing him to travel with her. The girl had a U.S. passport. But because of bad weather, the flight was diverted to Washington. When the two landed there, and went through the processing for re-entry in the United States, it was discovered that the grandfather's visa was no longer valid and that he had a prior arrest for illegal entry in the 1990s. Agents took him into custody and prepared to deport him back to Guatemala.

But what about Emily? When she and her grandfather didn't get off the plane in New York, her father, Leonel, called the airline, and a representative told him that U.S. immigration officials had detained his loved ones in Washington. So then the father called the immigration officials. And, when he was asked about his own immigration status and that of his wife's, he acknowledged that they were both undocumented. According to Sperling, the father then was given a choice: Emily could be left in a children's detention facility or sent back to Guatemala with her grandfather. The father said he would prefer that Emily stay with her grandfather, and so Emily was deported from the country -- her country. But oddly enough, the attorney said, the one option the father wasn't given was to go pick up his daughter in Washington. That's what he planned to do, he told The New York Times, but he was never given the chance. (The same article said that officials at Customs and Border Protection gave Ruiz the opportunity to collect her at the airport.)

Officials with Customs and Border Protection declined to comment to me on the record. The best they would do is a statement sent to news agencies declaring that "CBP strives to reunite U.S. citizen children with their parents," without actually saying that it happened in this case.
Sperling told me he plans to travel to Guatemala next week to retrieve Emily.

The idea of an illegal immigrant voluntarily meeting with U.S. immigration officials is not as far-fetched as you might think. Leonel Ruiz is an illegal immigrant, but he is also a father. Besides, if he had come forward, according to immigration lawyers and immigration enforcement officials I've spoke to over the years, he might not have been apprehended and deported. Immigration officials have wide discretion, and they don't have to deport every illegal immigrant with whom they come into contact. Don't lose sight of the facts through the PR. Or is it CYA? Even if it's true that that Emily's father gave permission for the government to send his daughter back to Guatemala, that doesn't let U.S. officials off the hook. Emily is a minor, but she is also a U.S. citizen with a right to due process -- what Thomas Jefferson called an "inalienable" right granted her not by her father but by her creator. It's not fair or appropriate for Customs and Border Protection to pawn off the awesome responsibility of whether Emily stays in the United States or goes back to Guatemala to the father just so they can wash their hands of this case and claim they were just following orders.

There are established rules and procedures for how U.S. immigration enforcement agencies are supposed to deal with minors, and those guidelines are set by years of legal precedent. Most of them deal with minors who are in the country illegally and yet still have rights. U.S. citizens have even more rights. The unanswered question in this case is whether Customs and Border Protection followed those rules and its own procedures and did everything it could to reunite Emily with her family. It doesn't look like it. Rather it looks like U.S. immigration officials couldn't wait to get this girl on a plane and get her off their hands.

What has happened to our country? Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano seems to brag about the Obama administration's record number of deportations every few weeks, to counter claims that her department is soft on illegal immigration. Has the administration so depleted the pool of illegal immigrants that it's moved on to deporting U.S. citizens? The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs should look into this case, and the Department of Homeland Security should launch an internal investigation. And if it is ultimately decided that Customs and Border Protection officials acted hastily and irresponsibly, they should lose their jobs --as swiftly and as easily as Emily Ruiz lost the freedom that was her birthright.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette Jr.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Survey of Latino Citizen VOTERS Indicates NEGATIVE View of GOP!

A recent survey of Latino Voters indicates they have a very negative view of the GOP. The survey, conducted by a GOP pollster and consultant, found that Latino voters hold "widely negative" views about the Republican party. The poll began as the starting point of understanding Latino registered voters. The results of the poll were NOT surprising to those of us that have been studying the current political landscape.

The poll found:
1. Latino Voters are Positive about the Democratic Party and hold negative views about Republicans and Tea Partiers.
2. Republicans do not understand that the most important issue for Latino Voters are Jobs and the Economy; then Education; then Taxes & Government Spending.
3. The Major Concern Latinos have about Republicans include:
a. Republicans Favor the rich/wealthy
b. Republicans are Selfish and are out for themselves
c. Republicans have a negative Immigration agenda and do not represent the average person.
4. The vast majority of Latino Voters support Immigration Reform and a Pathway to Citizenship.


When it comes to Immigration (which is Number 4 on their list, most Latino Voters favor:
1. A Pathway to Citizenship. Next, Better Border Security.
2. There is Wide Support of a Pathway to Citizenship
3. Latino Voters much prefer legalizing those here and securing the border Vs Mass Deportation.
4. The Vast Majority of Latino Voters OPPOSE Arizona's Racial Profiling sb1070 Immigration bill(s).


Perhaps the most enlightening aspect of the survey indicates the rate of Latino Citizen Voters is growing significantly and 61% of those surveyed indicate they will vote in 2012 and will VOTE Democratic!

This obviously ALARMED the Republican pollsters and suggested to their sponsors that Republicans make a radical change toward Latino Voters if they hope to be successful in the 2012 elections!

(Read ENTIRE SURVEY HERE!)

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Reason Pearce's Bill Failed: Fellow State Senator READ Racist eMail from FAKE Sub-Teacher!

Tucson Citizen reports: VIDEO: State Senator Lori Klein’s shocking and racist speech
Lori Klien, the state senator from Anthem, gives one of the most racist speeches ever heard on the senate floor this last week. Lori Klein tries to take the biggest racist title away from Russell Pearce. (see her Racist tirade re: email from FAKE Teacher here)
Note to Lori Klein: you really think because you read a racist letter it is valid and representative of the real situation? You use all the buzzwords and nonsense of the right, including mentioning Mexico’s immigration policy. Last I checked the United States was not a third-world country, and comparing our laws to the laws of a nation where people are escaping due to corruption is silly and stupid.
Klein’s speech is one of the most racist and outrageous speeches I have ever heard on the Arizona senate floor, and that is saying a lot when Russell Pearce is senate president.
Thank you to Steve Gallardo for calling out this horrendous piece of trash spoken on our senate floor.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Arizona's Russell Pearce Upset That His Hate Bills Did Not Pass!

animations

CryBaby Pearce

BREAKING NEWS - A Resounding defeat for Az Senate President Russell Pearce

Guest Voz - My friend Porter Corn from Immigration Clearinghouse:
BREAKING NEWS - A Resounding defeat for Az Senate President Russell Pearce
The Arizona Senate has defeated bills intended to force a Supreme Court ruling against automatic citizenship for U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants. Three other major bills aimed at illegal immigration — one to require hospitals to check legal status of patients, another that would require schools to do the same of its students and an omnibus bill that would strip rights ranging from owning a vehicle to getting a marriage license — also went down in defeat in the state Senate.

The automatic citizenship bills were defeated on votes of 12-18 and 11-19 as majority Republicans split on the issue. That’s right folk, a solid win for human and civil rights as the hateful agenda of Arizona Senate President Russell Pearce was rejected on a bi-partisan vote.

The bills defeated were:
SB1611– “Immigration Omnibus” or the “Throwing Arizona Under-the-Bus”bill –Sponsored by Senator Russell Pearce, this bill is a 30-page, measure requiring business owners, police officers, apartment renters, school employees, and others to verify citizenship, notify immigration and in some cases, failure to do so could result in loss of licenses, certification or imprisonment.
SB1308 and 1309 – “Eroding Children’s Futures and the Constitution” bills. Two bills introduced by Senator Ron Gould to create a new Arizona Citizenship that excludes children born to parents in the U.S. without immigration authorization. The bills were an attempt to ignite a national legal battle challenging the 14th amendment of the Constitution’s recognition of birthright citizenship.
SB1407 and 1141 – “Schools as Immigration Checkpoints” bills. Two bills introduced by Senator Steve Smith that would have required K-12 schools to report on the immigration status of their students. Failure to comply would have resulted in loss of funding.
SB1405 –“Turning Health Providers into Health Deniers” bill. This bill introduced by Senator Steve Smith would have required hospital employees to verify the citizenship of people seeking emergency and non-emergency medical attention and to notify immigration agents if someone could not prove they are authorized to be in the U.S.

Thanks to BORDER ACTION NETWORK for above explanation.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Guest Voz - Ruben Navarette: Is US becoming Hispanic?

Guest Voz - Ruben Navarette: Is the USA becoming a Hispanic Country?
According to an analysis of newly released 2010 U.S. Census data by the Pew Hispanic Center, the Hispanic population in the United States is growing more quickly and more dramatically than demographers had estimated. In the 33 states for which data has been released so far, there are almost 600,000 more Hispanics than previously thought. Twenty-eight states had more Hispanics than expected. And, while the current count is 38.7 million Hispanics, there is still data coming from 17 states, making it likely that the final figure could surpass 55 million, or 17% of the U.S. population. What is really interesting is that this "Hispanicization" of America is most noticeable in states that are not typically thought of as being places where Hispanics live.

The real story isn't what's happening in Texas, California, Florida or New York, which have long been home to significant numbers of Hispanics. It's about the demographic changes in states such as Alabama, Louisiana, Kansas and Maryland, where Hispanics are a relatively new commodity -- and the accommodations that have to be made between new arrivals and longtime residents. One day soon, Hispanics will help define the worlds of media, politics, commerce, fashion, music, entertainment, sports and science. There will be no turning back.

But you knew that already. Maybe your first hint was the Latina models on magazine covers. Or that salsa is more popular than ketchup. Or the Spanish-language billboards you see on rural highways. Or that some members of Congress gather weekly for Spanish lessons. Or maybe you figured out that the Hispanic population in the United States was exploding when you saw the quixotic efforts of some to stop the trend by cracking down on illegal immigration and -- for an encore -- trying to limit legal immigration as well.

Most immigrants to the United States, legal and illegal, come from Mexico and the rest of Latin America. But in states such as Arizona, Texas, Colorado and New Mexico, you also have Hispanic families that can trace their American roots back hundreds of years. Still, for many Americans, changing demographics isn't cause for celebration. Rather, it's cause for alarm. It brings a sense of fear, anxiety and desperation. They know enough to know that the country in which they grew up is changing, and they'll do whatever they can to reverse those changes and return the cultural landscape to what it used to be.

In fact, Hispanics have become so accustomed to this sort of reaction that I know many of them who actually dread the census and all the related media coverage. Every 10 years, there is the possibility of a backlash. For Hispanics, being counted is a mixed bag. They gain numbers and prominence, but they also have to contend with resistance and hostility from those who feel threatened.

This partly explains what happened in Arizona, where a surging Hispanic population so panicked the state's residents that they began pushing lawmakers to pass immigration-related bills aimed at making the state less hospitable to illegal immigrants. This wasn't about reaffirming the rule of law. It was about returning Arizona to what it looked like 50 or 60 years ago, when the number of Hispanics in the state was much smaller than it is now.

It seems to have worked. The analysis of census data done by the Hispanic Pew Center shows that in Arizona, the number of Hispanics came in at 1.9 million, or 180,000 fewer than expected. But many of those immigrants had simply moved on to other states. This approach would not be much of a national strategy; besides, who is to say that many of those people won't return to Arizona when the economy improves or some of these excessively punitive laws are dismantled.

Ultimately, you can't fight demographics. Hispanics are already here, and most of them aren't going anywhere. Instead of wishing otherwise, Americans would be better off accepting this new reality. While they're at it, they should acknowledge the positive impact to their communities and their country of having a growing population of people who are, by nature, conservative, hardworking, optimistic, patriotic and entrepreneurial. Hispanics aren't a threat to the United States; they're an essential component.

Visit any military cemetery in the United States and count the Spanish surnames. You'll see that Hispanics have already contributed so much to this country. And, in the decades to come, they and their children stand ready to contribute so much more -- if we put aside our prejudice and let them. That's the path to a better country.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Ruben Navarrette.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

60 Arizona Executives say 'NO' to Russell Pearce and "NO" to more Immigration Bills

So much for Latinos, Immigrants and "Illeegals" being a "drain" on States' Economies! Today, 60 Arizona Businesses sent a direct message to Arizona's ANTI-Latino/ANTI-Immigrant (legal or not) State Rep. Russell Pearce.
azcentral.com reports:
More boycotts, more protests, more lost business. Arizona doesn't need this. The state Senate is looking at a reckless, costly and counterproductive package of immigration bills. Senate President Russell Pearce said, in a meeting with the Editorial Board, that he saw no downside to last year's misguided Senate Bill 1070.

Sixty top Arizona executives know the reality. In a virtually unprecedented move, they sent a joint letter to Pearce urging him not to pass any more immigration bills. These are the leaders who cross the economic spectrum in Arizona, from health care and development to tourism and automotive. Their company names are familiar: US Airways, PetSmart, Sunbelt Holdings, Intel Corp. They include The Arizona Republic. They can point to the cancellations, the missed opportunities and the lost jobs.

They know how much Arizona, a state that depends so much on tourism, feels the bite of controversial legislation that clouds our reputation. SB 1070 created such a noxious cloud of bad P.R. that Gov. Jan Brewer put $250,000 into repairing the state's image. And now the Senate is deciding whether to give Arizona another self-inflicted bad eye. Imagine the spectacle of mass protests as Arizona hosts Major League Baseball's All-Star Game for the first time in July.

Arizona is getting a global brand, and it's not the Grand Canyon State, but the place that is hostile to Hispanics and immigrants. The latest package of bills is profoundly divisive in a state with a Hispanic population of 30 percent - and growing. There's a problem: The federal government hasn't dealt with illegal immigration. But it requires a federal solution.

Arizona's latest package of immigration measures is particularly misdirected:
1. There's the unilateral attempt to revoke birthright citizenship and reinterpret more than a century of rulings on the 14th Amendment, an issue that is clearly not for individual states to decide.
2. There's the preposterous attempt to turn hospitals into immigration agents, requiring them to check the status of emergency-room patients. This would be expensive and legally difficult, if not impossible and outright dangerous (if you're injured while jogging and don't have ID with you, do you want the E.R. to waste time trying to figure out if you're legal?).
3. And then there's the "omnibus" immigration bill, which vacuums up half-baked ideas that range from driving to education.

The unintended consequences are breathtaking. And so risky that 60 executives are sounding the alarm. The Senate should listen.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Kansas GOPer: Let's Shoot Illegal Immigrants Like Pigs; PLEASE SIGN PETITION TO CENSURE REP. VIRGIL PECK NOW

On Monday, Kansas Republican Rep Virgil Peck said it would be a good idea to control illegal immigration the way the feral hog population has been controlled: "with gunmen shooting from helicopters."

Peck made his comment during a discussion by the Kansas State House Appropriations Committee on state spending for controlling feral swine. Appropriations Chairman Marc Rhoades, R-Newton, said Peck’s comment was inappropriate. Rhoades said he thought Peck was joking, but added, “Hopefully he won’t do it again.” Asked about his comment, Peck was unapologetic. “I was just speaking like a southeast Kansas person.” He said most of his constituents are upset with illegal immigration and the state and federal government response. He said he didn’t expect any further controversy over his comment. “I think it’s over,” he said.

Peck's response was more appalling then his original racist comment. To think that everyone in Southeast Kansas believes that we should respond to immigration by sniping down brown people from a helicopter. Is he saying everyone in Kansas thinks as he does? You might think so if you listen to the comments made by Republican State Rep Connie O'Brien who said in February when she described people with "olive complexion" as immigrants potentially in the country illegally.

Both Peck and O'Brien were unapologetic and said their comments were "innocent" and they were "joking." Peck did NOT apologize until the Governor and others distanced themselves from Peck's racist comments.

Peck's apology was released less than one hour after Gov. Sam Brownback, also a Republican, said Peck should apologize. Ashley McMillan, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party, was also seen early Tuesday visiting with Peck in the Statehouse.

Peck's weak apology on Tuesday said: "My statements yesterday were regrettable. Please accept my apology." He did NOT say this out loud, instead, the coward sent this in a written statement. It appears his apology was to the Governor.

Thankfully, two other southeast Kansas legislators apologized for Peck: "With our rich coal mining history, southeast Kansas is the melting pot of our state," said state Rep. Bob Grant of Cherokee. "I have no intention of letting Rep. Peck brand me with his own extremist views just because I live in the same region."

State Rep. Doug Gatewood of Columbus said, "We want to make it absolutely clear to the people of southeast Kansas that we absolutely do not share Rep. Peck's point of view," he said.

It is obvious that both Peck and O'Brien have been influenced by their Secretary of State, Kris Kobach, the author of Arizona's sb1070. Kobach has represented the (ADL identified) Hate Group F.A.I.R. (John Tanton Network) for years and was elected Secretary of State in Kansas in 2010. He also trained Sheriff Arpaio's (masked goon) volunteers on "how to recognize illegal aliens." As I recently reported, Arpaio recently lost multi thousands of dollars in a racial profiling lawsuit against him.
Viewers: Let's send a message to Rep. Peck that his words ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE and his VERY WEAK apology is NOT ENOUGH! Please SIGN the Petition at Change.org to CENSURE VIRGIL PECK NOW!

Monday, March 14, 2011

States Kicking Granny to the Curb!

CNN Reports: States Kicking Granny to the Curb! For the elderly, state budget cuts could mean no more daily hot meals and exercise classes to help prevent falls. At worst, some could even lose their beds at the nursing home. These and other lifelines for seniors may disappear as governors and lawmakers slash spending to close an estimated $112 billion in budget shortfalls, advocates say. Many state officials say they don't want to reduce senior services, but they have little choice due to massive deficits. But it's not all bad news. The funding for one senior program in Georgia was restored after legislators agreed the service was too important to cut.

Here's a look at what's at risk for many of the nation's elderly.
Shuttering nursing homes
Among the most dramatic of the proposed cuts is the severe reduction in Medicaid reimbursement rates to nursing homes in Texas. Facing a shortfall of up to $27 billion, state lawmakers want to reduce the rate by 10%. But payments to nursing homes would plummet by a total of 34% because they would also lose federal matching funds.

Happy 65th birthday, boomers. Now what?
This could result in the shuttering of 850 of the state's 1,000 nursing homes, forcing up to 45,000 elderly residents to find other accommodations, said David Thomason, chair of the Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition. Texas nursing homes already lose money on Medicaid patients so they could not absorb another reduction, facility operators say. If rates were cut further, many would be forced to stop participating in the Medicaid program and would need to either close the buildings or convert them to other health-related uses.
As it is, Sears Methodist Retirement System in Austin has to solicit donations and charge private patients more to make up the $4 million loss it suffers on its Medicaid residents, said Keith Perry, who heads the non-profit. If the cuts go through, Sears Methodist would have to stop caring for its roughly 400 Medicaid patients, whose average age is 84. "There's no way we could staff those facilities at those reimbursement rates," Perry said. This scenario is terrifying Carol Poor, whose 83-year-old mother lives in an Alzheimer's unit at Christian Care Centers in Gunter, a town north of Dallas. If her mother were discharged, Poor said she would have to retire early from her secretarial job to care for her mother since neither can afford to pay for a nurse or nursing home. "My mother worked and paid taxes all these years," said Poor. "She deserves someone to be there for her." Texas lawmakers did not return calls seeking comment.

Losing their center
On a recent Wednesday in March, dozens of elderly New Yorkers gathered at the Clinton Senior Center in midtown Manhattan for an hour-long yoga class, followed by a hot lunch of pork chops, potatoes, and carrots.
But they soon may have to fend for themselves if New York State does not restore $27 million in funding for New York City's senior centers. Without this money, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he'll have to close 105 of the city's 256 centers. Clinton would be one of them.
The center's services are critical to keeping these low-income senior citizens living at home, said David Gillcrist, executive director of Project Find, which runs Clinton. They receive a nutritious meal and take classes that improve their balance, strength and confidence. Equally as important, they are able to socialize with friends and not become isolated and depressed. All these services help keep the seniors out of hospitals and nursing homes, which would ultimately cost the city a lot more than the $367,000 it provides to Clinton, Gillcrist said. "It makes no sense to gut one-third of the support network that lets senior citizens age independently," he said.
The city's Department of Aging is trying to blunt the impact of the cuts by maintaining as many services as possible, said a Bloomberg spokesman. But the city, which is facing a $4.6 billion shortfall, cannot make up for the elimination of the state funds. A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not return an email seeking comment.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Remember Arpaio's Racial Profiling Attacks! Victims -- please take Arpaio to Court!

Arpaio has had so many Racial Profiling abuses. He and his masked goons have been violating Latino Americans' rights for years! Recently, he LOST a racial profiling case. Here are more of his abuses. Hopefully the people who have been abused by him will ALSO take him to court and finally achieve Justice for the wrongdoings perpetrated by Arpaio and his volunteer masked goon squad.
I hope all of them find a lawyer TODAY! May Justice be Served!

HERE IS THE CONFIRMATION MASS WHERE ARPAIO RACIALLY PROFILED THE INNOCENT LATINO CHILDREN!


ONE OF ARPAIO'S MASKED VOLUNTEER GOONS!

Arpaio Loses! Guilty of Racial Profiling!

FB Reports: Joe Arpaio Victim Scores $30K for False Arrest
As Sheriff Joe Arpaio tosses cots in Tent City with Steven Seagal, a woman in Guadalupe, Arizona is looking forward to a check cut by the county for $30,000. This, due to her false arrest and imprisonment at the hands of Sheriff Joe's boys in beige. You may recall the name Elaine Sanchez from a March 2009 feature by Village Voice Media Executive Editor Michael Lacey, "Are Your Papers in Order?" That piece told the story of the Sanchez family, and how they'd been targeted for harassment by the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, which provides police services to the little town of Guadalupe.

The article also kicked off a series documenting incidents of racial profiling in Maricopa County, telling the stories of those who had been profiled.
Lacey lays out the details of Sanchez's 2008 run-in with MCSO deputies, thus: Tracked for nearly a mile by Sheriff Joe Arpaio's deputies last May, when the Dodge still ran, Elaine became alarmed, and then terrified, as the lawmen followed closely without ever turning on their lights. Her anxiety surpassed anything associated with an ordinary ticket; her family had already exchanged tales about this sort of enforcement.

Elaine drove the van into her backyard. After banging on the back door and screaming for her own mother, she was wrestled to the ground by the sheriff's men. Sanchez's boys emerged from their home to find their mother flat in the dirt with a deputy's knee in her back as she was roughly handcuffed.

The light over her license plate was out.

Sheriff's deputies actually made a U-turn to follow her. That is, before they could even see her back license plate. Sanchez was not cited for the dead license plate light, though. Instead, she was hit with a disorderly conduct charge. She was processed at the Guadalupe substation and subsequently released.

The charge? It was dismissed, of course. MCSO deputies had arrested her, and held her prisoner without probable cause. Not to mention roughing her up in the process.

Phoenix attorney Danny Ortega took up the case and filed a notice of claim with the county for $135,000, citing false arrest and imprisonment, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, gross negligence and violations of federal law and the Arizona Constitution. In 2009, Ortega brought suit in federal court against the county, Joe Arpaio, the sheriff's office, and the deputies involved. On March 2 of this year, the county settled for $30,000.

"I was glad we were able to achieve a settlement," Ortega told me. "It shows there are consequences for police misconduct."

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Utah's Misguided Immigration Bill Package and the Laughable Attacks by the ANTI Immigration Reform Forces!

In recent weeks, Utah has passed a series of Immigration laws they said were intended as a collaborative approach to Immigration Reform. These bills are awaiting the governor's signature next week. The three bills are: HB 497, HB 116 and HB 466. (see Description below)

Overall, the bills are not supported by PRO or ANTI Immigration Reform groups.


PRO IMMIGRATION REFORM OPPOSITION:
The vast majority of Immigration Reformers primarily oppose HB 497. This bill promotes Arizona style Racial Profiling (eg: sb1070) and if signed, goes into effect in 60 days.

ANTI IMMIGRATION REFORM OPPOSITION:

The ANTI Immigration Reform Crowd, particularly Alipac, are up in arms against HB116. Why? Because the bill defines a Guest Worker type program with a clause that allows for a pathway to citizenship for some current undocumented workers IF they meet certain criteria. Alipac's William Gheen is so up in arms about this bill that he and his goon squad are calling for the "ouster of incumbent Senator Orin Hatch (R) and Governor Gary Herbert due to their support for Amnesty for illegal aliens, which would destroy America's borders." Gheen is also angry at the Mormon Church for supporting this bill and added "With the full backing of the Church of Latter Day Saints in Utah, these men are trying to pass an Amnesty that will increase the pain and suffering that innocent American workers, students, taxpayers, and voters are experiencing due to illegal immigration."
This bill does NOT go into effect until 2013 and even then, it will only go into effect IF the Federal Government grants a "waiver." An additional note in the bill indicates they recognize this bill is unconstitutional.
Utah has no intent on having this portion of the bill enacted. You would think that even Gheen could see this is merely a placebo to appease the masses on the side of Comprehensive Immigration Reform.


ACTUAL INTENT OF THESE BILLS:
The most interesting aspect of these bills is the third leg of the bill, HB 466. This bill sets up a "Sister State" program between Utah and Nuevo Leon, Mexico. This allows Utah to bring in temporary workers from Nuevo Leon, Mexico to pick their crops each summer and to ship them home at the end of the summer. Now we get to the ACTUAL INTENT OF THESE BILLS and why these bills were passed.
Who is pushing these bills? The state's Farm Bureaus, Big Business and the Mormon Church.

Why? They need Farm Workers to pick the crops. We currently have an AgJob worker shortage and as I have been reporting, with the bulk of our Baby Boomers reaching retirement age, we will soon be experiencing a severe worker shortage, particularly in the AgJob industry. Utah Farm Bureaus are seeing this, so is Big Business in Utah, so is the Mormon Church, and soon, so will other States.

My View:
It is clear. Utah's Immigration Bills do NOT support the PRO position. HB497 is clearly a redux of sb1070. HB116 is clearly a sham - a fake carrot. It was intended to appease the Pro Immigration Reformers. It is merely a false hope. The actual intent of these bills is clear. There is an AgJob worker shortage in Utah and this shortage will become massive over the next few years. Utah Big Business, Farm Bureaus and the Mormon Church have recognized this early. There is a NEED that MUST be filled. My suggestion: Try Real Immigration Reform and a pathway to citizenship. However, Big Business and Farm Bureaus don't want this. They want to continue to pay low wages, have unsafe working conditions and exploit workers so they can expand on profits.
My message to the PROs and the ANTIs: If you want to fight this battle, fight it for the RIGHT reasons and expose the Governor and Big Business and Farm Bureaus for what they are actually doing here.

DESCRIPTION - UTAH IMMIGRATION BILLS:

. HB 497: It is the same as Arizona's sb1070. It is a racial profiling bill that grants state and local law enforcement officers broad authority and discretion to enforce federal immigration laws whenever they stop, detain or arrest individuals. And, once signed, can go into effect as soon as 60 days.
. HB 116: This bill establishes a state "Guest Worker" program (separate from the federally-administered farm worker program), where Utah would set eligibility criteria to grant state temporary worker permits that allow some immigrants to work and reside in the state. Under the program, a small proportion of the state’s current undocumented residents who meet certain eligibility criteria would be eligible for state residency and work authorization. (pathway to citizenship) This legalization is contingent on the federal government granting a "waiver" to the state to issue these permits, and would not take effect until 2013, or 6 months after the federal government issues such a waiver. (NOTE: This portion of the bill is unconstitutional since only the Federal government is authorized to grant these work authorizations/visas and this is so noted in the bill).
. HB 466: This bill creates a 27 member state commission to issue Immigration recommendations and policy for the state. It also authorizes Utah’s governor to enter into a “Memorandum of Understanding” with the Mexican state of Nuevo León to allow Mexican temporary workers to work in Utah.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

STOP Arizona's Racial Cleansing Bill: HB2281 -- Support Our Childrens' Education for the Future!


On January 1, 2011, Arizona's HB2281, the Ethnic Studies BAN went into effect. This racist bill seeks to silence the true history of our nation. It seeks to ethnically cleanse the educational system to a Northern European view of American History -- no Manifest Destiny, No Trail of Tears, No Cesar Chavez, No Martin Luther King. Instead, a rewrite of what all students are taught in History Class to an Anglicized rewrite of what people like Rep. Pearce wants them to see!

This Arizona Bill DEMONIZES Latinos. Loyal Americans. This law terrorizes ONE Community! Many in the community wonder, "How did we get under the SPOTLIGHT! We've been Loyal, Hard Working Americans ALL OF OUR LIVES! Why are our Classroom Studies Now Targeted? Profiled! Targeted, in an unfair way!"

Now, a NEW FILM is documenting the thoughts of AMERICANS of Latino descent that have been DEMONIZED by this RACIST, RACIST Arizone Bill! I ask that ALL of my Viewers SEE this video and see this film! I ask ALL of my viewers to VIEW this Youtube Video then GO TO This Facebook Page and Join! Only "in force of numbers" can WE THE PEOPLE win this debate and enable our children to experience the Education they Deserve!

HISTORY OF THIS RACIST BILL:
In January, Tom Horne -- author of HB281, in his last act as Superintendent of Schools (now, newly elected AZ Attorney General), declared Tucson Unified School District in non-compliance with the law, thus setting off a 60-day period (deadline: March 4th has been extended) to prove compliance. Horne declared a Tucson school district's Mexican-American program illegal -- while similar class programs for blacks, Asians and American Indians were left standing. The most heinous part of the bill is that it clearly says that compliance with the law can be solely determined by the state superintendent. There is no clear explanation of what getting in compliance means, or any other metrics of compliance, except that the state superintendent, at that time Tom Horne (author of the bill), can decide whether you are in compliance or not.The penalty is 10% of the school district’s budget. If Tucson High School wants to have Ethnic Studies courses, then the second largest school district in the state gets a 10% across-the-board cut, thus pitting teachers against teachers as some faculty may blame those darn Mexican-American History teachers for their own budget cuts. Budget cuts mean layoffs.

How do you prove compliance? You have to convince the new superintendent, John Huppenthal, who ran ads that said “John Huppenthal is one of us, he stopped bilingual education, he will stop La Raza” that Raza studies should continue. The racism is pretty clear, and even worse is that John Pedicone says he respects Huppenthal for his strong convictions. And the new Attorney General who gets to defend the law? Tom Horne.
The members of the TUSD board and the Superintendent say that they want to defend Ethnic Studies. After the new HB2630 was introduced which would end this whole saga, I wondered how many of them would put their words into action. Only one did. Adelita Grijalva. Additional Good News: AZ Rep Sally Gonzales has authored a bill to repeal HB2281, the Ethnic Studies BAN.

Monday, March 7, 2011

America's Economy: Within 5 years we will have a Severe Worker Shortage!

Paul Krugman and Michael Moore have written excellent articles about the state of our country's current economy. Both articles cite the need for more jobs residing IN America (vs off-shoring) and suggest Unions are vitally needed to give the working middle class a voice and strength through collective bargaining. Otherwise, greedy Big Business will continue to drive down wages and benefits and continue to outsource jobs offshore. Krugman also said technology lessens the need for advanced degrees in certain areas (eg: the growing use of software to conduct legal research vs armies of lawyers and paralegals conducting this research). Instead, study of the future labor needs in our country suggests an increasing need for service and manual labor type jobs.
I decided to test out Krugman's and Moore's theories re: future labor needs. First, I studied the current US Census Bureau statistics. I studied the rate of population, by AGE, between the years 2000 to 2008. Then, based on these numbers, projected the population, by AGE, over the next 20 years, through to 2028. What the data tells me is, over the next 20 years, the rate of Baby Boomers in retirement age is going to double the current rate. The working population, those between 20 and 50, will need to increase in order to meet the needs of the Boomers. Boomers are going to need plenty of "IN America" - service workers to assist them through their Golden Years. These are jobs that CANNOT be outsourced offshore.
America's Future Job Needs include:
. Medical: Doctors, Nurses, Hospital Workers, Home Healthcare and Hospice workers
. Assistance: Drivers, Delivery (Food, Products), Maid Service, Lawncare, Home Protection-Electronics, Monitoring
. Entertainment: Home; Electronics, Vacation/Hotel
. End of Life Planning: Nursing Homes vs In-Home Care Decisions; Funeral Planning (Caskets; Funeral Homes; Cemeteries; Groundskeepers; Cremation)
. Financial: Investments; Annuity, Insurance, Retirement Planning and Account Assistance.
. Service: Call Center Support for Healthcare, Medicare, Social Security, Life Planning, Financial, Nursing.

Other than Doctors and Nurses, many of these jobs DO NOT require advanced degrees, however they do require on-site, manual labor. Most of these are jobs CANNOT be out-sourced and MUST remain here, in America.
If I were President Obama, I would focus on Jobs that America needs in the future. He should have weekly or monthly chats with us to explain the changing demographics and our country's future needs. As the Boomers continue to age and approach social security, we are going to need MORE workers in America, NOT Less. Between 2018 and 2028, we will be facing a severe worker shortage soon. The shortage will be particularly in young, strong workers required for the Home Healthcare industry.
What we should be doing is focusing on how to build the rate of YOUNG, strong workers in our workforce, here in America. As we build this new workforce, more taxes will be paid and more money will be put back into the economy. Young entrepreneurs should be thinking about how to best meet the needs of America in our near future.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Tea Party Favorite, Republican Peter King Wrongfully Targeting Muslim Americans in Senate Hearings

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Republican Peter King (R-NY), is targeting Muslim-Americans in hearings this week. King says he sees an international movement with elements in the United States of Muslims (Muslim-Americans) becoming more "radical" and identifying with terrorists.

Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the House, says that while it's proper to investigate "radicalization", he thinks it is wrong for these hearings to single out a religious minority. "I worry about it," he said. "Everybody I talk to worries about it, and we're concerned about the breadth of this. It's absolutely the right thing to do for the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee to investigate radicalization, but to say we're going to investigate a religious minority, and a particular one, I think is the wrong course of action to take."

These McCarthy-esque hearings are appalling to many Freedom-Loving Americans, especially to mothers like Talat Hamdani, whose Muslim-American Firefighter son died rescuing people during the 9/11 attacks. She said, "the American Muslim community has been singled out for scrutiny by Rep. King on the flimsy theory that American Muslims do not cooperate with law enforcement. This perspective is disputed by law enforcement and counter-terrorism experts ranging from the sheriff of Los Angeles County to the former director of transnational threats at the National Security Council."

As Congressman Ellison and Mrs. Hamdani said, these "radicalization" hearings should be investigating ALL Domestic Terror groups and not racially profile ONE Group. This "radicalization" is coming from a variety of groups. Prior to 9/11, the largest domestic terrorist attack was in Oklahoma City, perpetrated by Timothy McVeigh and his partners in his local Militia group. Since 9/11, we've seen significant numbers of attacks from people like White Supremist Richard Poplawski, the Hutaree Militia (Detroit) and Andrew Stack who flew into the IRS building in Austin.

Let's be absolutely clear on what Tea-Party Favorite, Republican Rep. King is doing here. These hearings are part and parcel of the overall demonization of non-Northern European minorities and should NOT be tolerated. They are racial/ethnicity/religion profiling. They are McCarthy-esque. They remind me of Peter King's friend, Tom Tancredo's recent quotes:
- "Latinos and Muslims are members of 'problem' cultures."
- "Throughout history, people who are NOT WHITE Anglo-Saxon (Northern European) have become American by adopting a WHITE Anglo-Saxon (Northern European) culture."

Rep. King admits to this racial/ethnic profiling himself when he said:
"at this stage in our history there's an effort to radicalize elements within the Muslim community. And I've said, when we were going after the Mafia, we looked at the Italian community; the Westies, the Irish community. In New York, they go after the Russian mob, they go into the Russian community in Brighton Beach and Coney Island."

These hearings can only proceed if they are CHANGED to investigate ALL Radicalization by ALL groups and not single out ONE American group simply due to their religious beliefs. This would violate everything our country stands for. Our country was founded on Religious Freedoms. There are many religions that have practices I do not believe in and I do not adhere to including the Amish, the Mormons, Jehovah Witnesses and the Church of Latter Day Saints. Many people say these religions violate Women's Rights. If we target Muslim Americans for their religion, are they next?



For those of us who LOVE America and believe in the words of our Founding Fathers, it is imperative we stand strong for the rights of ALL of our people:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men/women, of all ethnicities, religions, are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed!"

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Guest Voz -- Talat Hamdani: This is My Son's America Too! -- or-- Why is Republican Rep Peter King Targetting Muslim Americans!

Guest Voz -- Talat Hamdani: This is My Son's America Too!
I was appalled when I learned that House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King planned to hold hearings on the threat of homegrown Islamic terrorism. (The hearings are scheduled for next week.) Once again, I realized that in the continuing discussion of how to secure our country against future attacks, American Muslims would have to defend themselves against the broad stereotypes that have become embedded in our collective psyche since 9/11. I am, as much as anyone else in America, acutely aware of the need to prevent future attacks. My American Muslim son Salman Hamdani was among the nearly 3,000 Americans of diverse ethnicities, faiths and political perspectives who died in those terrorist attacks. Salman was a paramedic and a New York Police Department cadet who died trying to save his fellow Americans. He did not stop to think about the faith of the people he was trying to rescue. Instead, like scores of other first responders, he acted to save them. Despite his noble instincts, the tabloid media initially suggested that because of his Pakistani-American heritage, he might have been involved with the attacks.

My grief was compounded by the suspicions that clouded Salman's name and the suggestion that his faith -- my faith -- not the acts of 19 murderers, was somehow responsible. Now, nearly a decade later, the American Muslim community has been singled out for scrutiny by Rep. King on the flimsy theory that American Muslims do not cooperate with law enforcement. This perspective is disputed by law enforcement and counter-terrorism experts ranging from the sheriff of Los Angeles County to the former director of transnational threats at the National Security Council.

In fact, a recent study by a research group affiliated with Duke University found that 48 of the 120 Muslims suspected of plotting domestic terrorist attacks since September 11, 2001, were turned in by fellow Muslims. These include parents, mosque members and even a Facebook friend.


Make no mistake: As a mother who lost a son, I am aware of the need to ensure that our country is secure, that an event like 9/11 never happens again, and that other mothers do not have to bury their sons. And I understand that it is the job of our elected officials to ensure that we are safe. But I reject the notion that it is mainly Muslims in America who pose a threat to our security. Domestic terrorism stalked America before 9/11, and it continues to come in all forms. That is why I support the call from Rep. King's fellow congressmen and a coalition of Muslim, civil rights and interfaith groups to expand the hearings to include a consideration of extremists of all kinds, not just those who are Muslim.

History teaches that extremism is not a feature of any one ideology, and certainly should not be used to single out and discriminate against an entire community. This is my son Salman's America, too. It is our duty as American citizens to honor his sacrifice and that of all those people who died that day by making sure that while we strive to keep this nation safe, we do not compromise the values of tolerance and fair play.

As one of those who paid the ultimate price on September 11, I believe that the healing we must do as family members and as a nation involves moving beyond our fears and seeking truth and justice. I urge Rep. King to hold fair and objective hearings that cover the full scope of potential threats to our country.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Top 10 Shocking Attacks from the GOP War on Women

Top 10 Shocking Attacks from the GOP War on Women
1) Republicans not only want to reduce women's access to abortion care, they're actually trying to redefine rape. After a major backlash, they promised to stop. But they haven't.
2) A state legislator in Georgia wants to change the legal term for victims of rape, stalking, and domestic violence to "accuser." But victims of other less gendered crimes, like burglary, would remain "victims."
3) In South Dakota, Republicans proposed a bill that could make it legal to murder a doctor who provides abortion care. (Yep, for real.)
4) Republicans want to cut nearly a billion dollars of food and other aid to low-income pregnant women, mothers, babies, and kids.
5) In Congress, Republicans have proposed a bill that would let hospitals allow a woman to die rather than perform an abortion necessary to save her life.
6) Maryland Republicans ended all county money for a low-income kids' preschool program. Why? No need, they said. Women should really be home with the kids, not out working.
7) And at the federal level, Republicans want to cut that same program, Head Start, by $1 billion. That means over 200,000 kids could lose their spots in preschool.
8) Two-thirds of the elderly poor are women, and Republicans are taking aim at them too. A spending bill would cut funding for employment services, meals, and housing for senior citizens.
9) Congress voted yesterday on a Republican amendment to cut all federal funding from Planned Parenthood health centers, one of the most trusted providers of basic health care and family planning in our country.
10) And if that wasn't enough, Republicans are pushing to eliminate all funds for the only federal family planning program. (For humans. But Republican Dan Burton has a bill to provide contraception for wild horses. You can't make this stuff up).

Guest Voz - Robert Reich: The Real News on Jobs

Republicans and the TeaParty continue to tell us the Middle Class is responsible for our Economic Crisis. They say Unions must be demolished. They say Teachers, FireFighters and Police should continue to take salary & benefit cuts and their pensions eradicated.
While President Obama's Jobs Bill has enabled an increase in jobs, the middle class continues to lose Salary and Benefits. Economist Robert Reich explains the REAL NEWS on Jobs!
Guest Voz -- Robert Reich: "The REAL NEWS on Jobs!"
Are we making progress on the jobs front? The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 192,000 new jobs in February (220,000 new jobs in the private sector and a drop in government employment), and a drop in the overall unemployment rate from 9 to 8.9 percent. We're heading in the right direction but far too slowly to make a real dent in unemployment. To get the unemployment rate down to 6 percent by 2014 we'd need over 300,000 new jobs a month, every month, between now and then.

Overall, the number of unemployed Americans -- 13.7 million -- is about the same as it was last month. The number working part time who'd rather be working full time -- 8.3 million -- is also about the same. But to get to the most important trend you have to dig under the job numbers and look at what kind of new jobs are being created. That's where the big problem lies.

The National Employment Law Project did just that. Its new data brief shows that most of the new jobs created since February 2010 (about 1.26 million) pay significantly lower wages than the jobs lost (8.4 million) between January 2008 and February 2010. While the biggest losses were higher-wage jobs paying an average of $19.05 to $31.40 an hour, the biggest gains have been lower-wage jobs paying an average of $9.03 to $12.91 an hour. In other words, the big news isn't jobs. It's wages.

For several years now, conservative economists have blamed high unemployment on the purported fact that many Americans have priced themselves out of the global/high-tech jobs market. So if we want more jobs, they say, we'll need to take pay and benefit cuts. And that's exactly what Americans have been doing. Employers have demanded wage and benefit concessions from their unionized workers and often got them. Detroit is creating auto jobs again -- but new hires are getting about half the pay that auto workers were getting before. Airline workers are taking home 30 to 50 percent less than they did years ago. And so on.

Conservatives say it's not enough. That's why unions have to be busted -- and why some governors are seeking to abolish laws requiring workers to become dues-paying union members in order to get certain jobs. Hence, the fights brewing in the Midwest.
Meanwhile, millions of non-union workers have accepted cuts in pay and benefits just to keep their jobs. Health benefits have been slashed, pension contributions from employers dramatically cut, wages dropped or "frozen."

Millions of private-sector workers have been fired and then re-hired as contract workers to do almost exactly what they were doing before, but without any benefits or job security. The current attack on public-sector workers should be seen in this light. The charge is they now take home more generous pay and benefit packages than private-sector workers. It's not true on the wage side if you control for level of education, but it wasn't even true on the benefits side until private-sector benefits fell off a cliff. Meanwhile, across America, public-sector workers have been "furloughed," which is a nice word for not collecting any pay for weeks at a time. At this rate, the unemployment rate will continue to decline. But so will the pay and benefits of most Americans.
Conservative (Republican) economists have it wrong. The underlying problem isn't that so many Americans have priced themselves out of the global/high-tech labor market. It's that they're getting a smaller and smaller share of the pie.

Tea Party Favorites-Republicans: Debbie Riddle, Jan Brewer, Orly Taitz -- SWITCHED AT BIRTH!

The new Bad Anon, with all of their threats, caused me to re-look at the pictures on Google Images which many bloggers reference for their blogs. I reviewed the pictures of Debbie Riddle and saw quite a resemblance between Riddle and Jan Brewer and Orly Taitz. I also looked at associated cartoons of them on these sites. (Note: Most flamboyant personalities in the public domain have cartoons drawn of them to illustrate their often ludicrous views.)
For these three elderly "ladies," the cartoons appear to be interchangeable. Do you agree? Some would say they appear to be "Switched at Birth!" That's funny considering they all have reputations for being ANTI-Obama (Birthers?). Look at the cartoons of them that appear on the web. Can you tell who is who? Hmmmm...they could be used interchangeably.

Guest Voz -- The Week.com: TeaParty Favorite, Republican Rep Debbie Riddle receives Jest & Jeers for Her New "Save My Maid" Bill

I have been getting a few threats from a new Anonymous regarding my posting FACTS about Teaparty Favorite, Republican Rep Debbie Riddle. This "brave" anonymous commenter has sent me half a dozen threats about this since I posted it yesterday. As I referenced back to the new Bad Anon, I always write the TRUTH, the FACTS. Riddle was ridiculed last year by the Mainstream Media for your ludicrous comments to Anderson Cooper on CNN regarding her "Fear of Alien Baby Terrorists." This year, the MSM is ridiculing her for her new ANTI Immigration bill which "targets everyone but my maid." Here is another report on this subject by "TheWeek.com." And New Bad Anon: Quit being a coward. Comment with your real name! Quit hiding behind your "anonymous" label. Also, QUIT YOUR THREATS!"
Guest Voz - THE WEEK.com: Texas' proposal to kick out all illegal immigrants (except the maids)
"A Texas Republican wants to fine or even jail anyone who hires an illegal immigrant... unless that illegal immigrant works in your yard or house. Huh?"
Texas is weighing several immigration proposals modeled on Arizona's strict (and controversial) law, but one in particular is drawing nationwide "jest and jeers." A bill from state Rep. Debbie Riddle (R) would fine or jail anyone who employs undocumented immigrants — unless it's to clean the house, mow the lawn, or do other work "performed exclusively or primarily at a single-family residence." Riddle aide Jon English says exempting maids and nannies is a "clumsy" way to keep from "stifling the economic engine" in Texas. So, is that a nod to reality, or a wink to the wealthy? This is a glaring double standard: Riddle clearly thinks a $10,000 fine and two years in jail would "inconvenience the rich folks," says O. Ricardo Pimentel in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. But "the business guy trying to eke out a profit? Just too bad" for him, and the rest of us. Maybe it's time to "recognize that undocumented workers across the board wouldn't be here if there weren't a demand." "We interrupt our coverage of the Madison showdown to bring you..."

But the bill wouldn't work without this exception: Riddle is just legislating in the real world, not an ideal one, says state Rep. Aaron Pena (R), as quoted by CNN. If she included domestic workers, "with things as they are today, her bill will see a large segment of the Texas population in prison." Hiring undocumented workers to work in your home of on your yard is "extremely common" in Texas, so much so that "it is often overlooked."
"Texas immigration bill has big exception."
Riddle's bill is refreshingly honest... sort of: What's remarkable about Riddle's bill is that a right-wing legislator is actually acknowledging that undocumented immigrants "have become a necessary part of our economy," says L.S. Carbonell in Lez Get Real. "Tea Party, meet reality." But her rationale for the "don't touch my maid!" loophole is bunk. "Hitting farmers and ranchers would have more impact on the Texas 'economic engine' than going after nannies," by far. "Don't touch my maid!"

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Has our Country become a Plutocracy?

Has our country become a Plutocracy? A Plutocracy is ruled by the wealthy, or power provided by wealth.
We've seen what has happened with Wall Street and the Bailouts. We've seen how the Koch Brothers have overtaken the TeaPartiers and brainwashed them into blindly following their Big Business, Anti Obama, Anti Middle Class, Anti Union Agenda.
As Big Business continues to outsource; As older workers continue to face rising unemployment; As the Tea Partiers continue to blindly follow the agenda of the Koch Brother's Big Business agenda:

What will happen IF the Republican/Tea Partiers achieve their agenda?

Their Agenda:
1. Eliminate Social Security
2. Eliminate Medicare / Medicaid
3. Privatize Public Education
4. Eradicate Unions
5. Outsource All/Most Jobs to Offshore Companies
6. Eliminate Safety Regulations
7. Eliminate Securities Regulations
8. Lower Taxes for the Rich!

As our Baby Boomers are encountering Old Age, needing their social security checks since their savings have been devastated by the unscrupulous dealings on Wall Street; as they are in dire need of Medicare/Healthcare; who will help care for our Elderly if the TeaParty/Republicans achieve their Big Business driven agenda?

What is to become of us if they get their way?

TeaParty Favorite, Republican TX Rep. Debbie Riddle Has Done it Again! She Introduces a State Bill Crimalizing Employers Except those Like Herself!

Tea Party favorite and State Republican Rep Debbie Riddle has done it again. Last year she made headlines when she proclaimed her fears of Terror Babies from Outer Space. This year, she introduced House Bill 2012 which creates tough state punishments for those who "intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly" hire an unauthorized immigrant. Violators could face up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. But it is an exception included in the bill that is drawing attention. Those who hire unauthorized immigrants would be in violation of the law -- unless they are hiring a maid, a lawn caretaker or another houseworker.
In a interview with the Texas Tribune, Riddle's chief of staff, Jon English, explained that the exception was to avoid "stifling the economic engine" in Texas. The exception for domestic help has some opponents of stricter state enforcement curious if Riddle, who owns horse ranches, was making an exception for herself.
The exception makes this bill very obvious. Riddle is proposing this bill to placate her racist ANTI-Latino supporters. There is no intention of making changes in Texas.
Texas is a majority minority state. It would be impossible to implement an Arizona-esque bill in Texas. As many sheriffs indicate, the jails would be filled with workers vs felonious criminals with these Mass Deportation type laws.


What many Texans, including Republicans recognize is: Texas continues to be a thriving state. The unemployment rate is low, at 8.3 vs the national avg rate of 9.4. The deficit problems we have in our state are primarily due to the housing bubble burst and the crooks on Wall St. wreaking havoc with their deregulated, shady investment manuevering. Why wreck our economy with nativist "Mass Deportation" type bills?

All you have to do is look around. In my neighborhood, most of the residents are older and it is difficult for them to do manual labor for themselves. Lawncare workers are here every day, tending lawns. During Holiday seasons, workers are putting up lights before the season, taking them down afterwards. When we have hail storms, workers are fixing the roofs. Many people hire semi-weekly house cleaning services. Pool servicing is performed by workers.

The way this entire process works is that the homeowner hires a contractor. The contractor goes to day labor sites or has a pool of workers he knows and he picks them up to do the work. This entire scenario happens every day in neighborhoods in Texas and all across the country. Everyone knows it. That is why we have 12M workers here.

For those that are hiding their heads in a rabbit hole, you have to stop and think about this a moment. Our baby boomers are aging. They are my age or ten years older. We cannot do the manual labor we could do back in our twenties. A few months ago, a package was delivered to my house. I opened it. It was filled with adult diapers and toiletries. It was meant for our neighbors next door. They are two retired teachers. They hire workers to tend their lawn, fix their fences, fix their roof, housecleaning. They have their groceries and supplies delivered to their door. It is an effort for them to go to the store themselves.

My husband still does our yardwork. Yesterday, when he was working on our lawn, a worker came by and asked if he needed help. My husband thanked him, but said no. The worker was working on a neighbors lawn and just came by to see if he could pick up extra work.

The bill Riddle is proposing will do nothing. None of my neighbors will be jailed for hiring these workers. My neighbors need these workers. My neighbors live on their small pensions and want to remain independent. They cannot remain independent unless they have the ability to hire workers. This is occurring in neighborhood after neighborhood across our state and across the US. Riddle knows this. However she wants votes. Therefore Riddle submitted this useless Hate bill just to appease the Haters. Sad!

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