Dem Debate "Love-In" a WIN for the Party!

CNN Transcript Summary:

Iraq: Both Obama and Clinton said they support ending the war.

Healthcare: "It is so important that as Democrats, we carry the banner of universal health care"

Immigration: Both support Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR):

1. tighten our borders

2. crack down on employer who exploit workers, both those who are undocumented and those who are here as citizens, or legal, if we can do more to help local communities cope with the cost that they often have to contend with, if we do more to help our friends to the south create more jobs for their own people, and if we take what we know to be the realities that we confront.

3. For the 12 to 14 million people here:

a. come out of the shadows

b. register everyone. if felonious criminal, deport.

c. Vast Majority, path to legalization by paying fine, pay back taxes, learn English, wait in line.

d. Against MASS Deportation: "Voices from the other side of the aisle... are living in some other universe, talking about deporting people, rounding them up...Don´t Agree!"

Once we have those conditions met.. then, they will not be in a labor market that undercuts anybody else's wages.

Differences:

1. Driver´s License Now: Obama Yes, Hillary No - wait for CIR

2. Impact to African American wages: Obama - "All poor are feeling economically insecure right now. Attributing Innercity poverty to immigrants is scapegoating." Hillary - "employers who exploit undocumented workers and drive down wages, there are job losses...So, I know that what we have to do is to bring our country together to have a comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) solution."

Best One-Liners:

. "It did take a Clinton to clean up after the first Bush, and I think it might take another one to clean up after the second Bush," she said.

. The Republicans are going to call you "tax-and-spend" liberal Democrats, and that's a charge that's been effective in the past. How are you going to counter that charge? OBAMA: "Well, first of all, I don't think the Republicans are going to be in a real strong position to argue fiscal responsibility, when they have added $4 trillion or $5 trillion worth of national debt. I am happy to have that argument."

. CNN's Wolf Blitzer noted that many Democrats have said they'd like to see a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton ticket in November. (Neither ruled out the possibility of selecting the other as a running mate. )

Prez Pushes Free Trade in Colombia, Panama & South Korea

Is Free Trade good for the economy? Should more US Companies GO GLOBAL?
GW, speaking at a helicopter plant in Torrance, CA, asks Congress to approve FREE TRADE Agreements with Colombia, Panama & South Korea. Prez sez deals will create jobs in U.S.
LA Times reports:
Bush pushes three trade agreements
By James Gerstenzang, LA Times Staff Writer January 31, 2008 Declaring that "free trade means good-paying jobs for Americans," President Bush used the nation's largest helicopter manufacturer as a backdrop Wednesday to pressure Congress to pass three trade agreements that are among the top priorities of his final year in office.Singling out a proposed trade agreement with Colombia, Bush said its approval would mean jobs for Americans and support for an ally battling drug crime and political insurrection.
Bush made his comments at Robinson Helicopter Co. in Torrance, a firm thriving on the strength of its international business.Frank Robinson, who started the company in 1973, said the firm was selling 70% of its products overseas.But Robinson has not been shy about pointing out the benefits that his company has found in the cheap dollar -- a reality Bush ignored as he and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the spotless plant... He coupled his cross-country sales pitch with events to raise money for Republicans. At a luncheon at the Bel-Air home of venture capitalist Elliott Broidy and at an early dinner in Hillsborough in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bush expected to raise more than $3.2 million for the Republican National Committee, a party official said. Bush also plans fundraising stops today and Friday in Nevada, Colorado and Missouri. Bush, promoting trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea, could hardly have found a better example of the effects trade can have on a company than Robinson Helicopter. The president's backdrop was a collection of orange, red, yellow, gold and blue two- and four-seat helicopters, each a shiny symbol of the company's sales growth.Robinson produces more helicopters than better-known manufacturers Sikorsky and Bell combined, and has service centers in 50 countries, including China and Russia. Nor could Bush have found a better advertisement for the beneficial effects of the low-value dollar.When prices are set in dollars, stronger foreign currencies reach further -- and can buy more American goods. That is the flip side of Washington's oft-stated goal of a strong dollar, which makes it cheaper for American consumers to buy imported goods.
Bush pointed out that the proposed Colombia free-trade agreement would eliminate that nation's tariffs on helicopters, currently as high as 10%, and its 5% duty on helicopter parts." It matters to our economy, and it matters to the jobs right here," Bush said. In Washington, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade, promised to hold up the agreements until a new program was approved to aid U.S. workers who lost their jobs because of foreign competition. "I simply cannot support, or consider moving, these agreements in the Senate until we realize the goal of expanded and reauthorized trade adjustment assistance," Baucus said in a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Baucus, like other leading Democrats, cited other concerns about the trade agreements. He questioned whether Colombia had "made sufficient improvements in the apprehension and prosecution of persons responsible for the killing of labor leaders." And he has indicated he will hold up the South Korea agreement until the nation lifts its ban on U.S. beef. The Panamanian agreement is also in trouble with lawmakers from both parties because the country's legislature elected a leader who is wanted in the slaying of a U.S. soldier. But Bush praised efforts by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to fight drug lords, and he emphasized that the U.S. needed allies in the region."If we reject this opportunity to support a friend with good economic policy, if we turn down this free-trade agreement, it will hurt our relations in South America," he said."It will give the voices of false populism something to say," he added, referring to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez."It is in our strategic interests that we support democracies in our neighborhood. And it's in our strategic interest and our economic interest that the US Congress passes this free-trade agreement with Colombia." As much as lowered tariffs would mean Robinson's helicopters would cost less overseas, the real price advantage has come from the falling dollar."We love to see the dollar get as low as possible," Robinson said in the fall.The math is simple: The lower the dollar, the cheaper his $400,000 R44 Raven II helicopters are for foreign customers, who buy about two-thirds of the 800 commercial helicopters his company makes each year.Regardless of the role of the cheap dollar, Bush said, "You can't tell the people at Robinson Helicopter that trade isn't good. "When 70% of that which you manufacture gets sold somewhere else other than the United States, they ought to have a sign walking in here and say, 'Trade is not only good, it is great; and we want the federal government to make it easier for us to sell products.' "

PHOTO GALLERY - Helicopter Plant - GW & Friends

Michigan´s Conflicting Economic Story: Losing Auto & Manufacturing "Union Pay Scale" Jobs; Workers leave State vs taking Low Wage Jobs!

As I study the Economic News about Michigan, I can only be heart-broken. I am a Michigan girl at heart, born and raised in the shadow of the Capital. What is curious to me are the conflicting stories. Below I am sharing three articles. The first two focus primarily on the Auto Industry, GM laying off thousands of workers and staffing new jobs at half the salary. The third about the AgJobs Labor Shortages and Michigan´s quest to immigrate in migrant laborers from Texas and Mexico.

My question is, if the ROOT CAUSE is Business Profitability and Government policies, and we compound this with there are in fact jobs Americans won´t do (e.g. AgJobs, Manufacturing Jobs at Non Union Scale), then what will be the impact if there are no more manufacturing jobs in the U.S. at Union Scale?

Newsweek Reports: ECONOMY - Driving Towards Disaster By Keith Naughton Newsweek Web Exclusive - Jan 28, 2008 Michigan has been an economic wasteland for virtually the entire decade. Its fortunes riding shotgun with America's ailing auto industry, Michigan has lost more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since 1999. Its unemployment rate, 7.6 percent in December, has been at or near the highest in the nation since 2003. FOR SALE signs dot the landscape, even in the neighborhood of GM chairman Rick Wagoner. But there are few buyers: Foreclosures have quadrupled in the last two years, according to the Web site RealtyTrac.com. The Sunday Detroit Free Press recently printed a 121-page section listing thousands of homes facing foreclosure. And in the last year, 30,500 people have left Michigan, Census officials estimate. "Michigan is the worst economy in the country, by far," says economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com. "But the financial pain Michigan is suffering now will become evident in many other parts of the country by this summer." ...Sure, the auto industry is to blame for Michigan's malaise. (Just last week, Ford, which lost $15.3 billion in the last two years, offered buyouts to all 54,000 of its U.S. factory workers). But many of the factors that drove Detroit into the ditch--$100-a-barrel oil, the credit crisis, globalization--also are preying on the rest of the nation.

WSJ Article: Ford Looks to Trim Up to 13,000 More Jobs One of Ford's goals with the latest buyouts is to replace many workers with new employees who will earn a lower wage under terms of its recently negotiated labor agreement. New hires will earn a little more than $14 an hour, about half of what current union workers earn.

From Dispatch.com:

Michigan officials seek to attract Hispanic farm workers
Associated Press - Friday, February 16, 2007 7:02 AM
Michigan officials are trying to lure more migrant farm workers to the state this year, hoping to avoid labor shortages that hurt the agriculture industry last harvest. The marketing pitch is "Venga a Michigan", which is Spanish for "Come to Michigan." The slogan is part of a promotional effort that Michigan's Department of Labor and Economic Growth is using to try to lure potential workers to the state. Department officials last week visited nine sites throughout Texas, targeting areas with large Hispanic populations that also have high unemployment rates. The goal was "to promote Michigan agriculture and the various services available," Rick Olivarez, a state monitor advocate, said during a meeting this week of the Michigan Interagency Migrant Services Committee. The Michigan group met with 400 to 500 families, according to The Muskegon Chronicle. State officials are planning a similar recruiting trip to Florida later this winter. Agriculture is the second-largest industry in Michigan. According to state census estimates, approximately 90,000 migrant laborers -- including their families -- come to Michigan each year. State officials want to avoid a repeat of last year, when some employers had difficulty finding enough migrant workers, Olivarez said.

Mainstream Media´s Slobbering Over Obama Takes Votes Away from Obama!

Chris Matthews makes me sick!

As I have stated a NUMBER of times, I am NEUTRAL between Obama vs Hillary. I will vote for the Democratic Candidate in November, 2008.

It is obvious the Mainstream Media (MSM) is supporting Obama and they HATE Hillary.

This OFFENDS Me!

Every day, I watch MSNBC, Fox and CNN to keep up to date on the issues. Every day, Chris Matthews slobbers over Obama while throwing daggers at Hillary. It is disgusting! What on earth is his Hate Affair with Hillary? He is like a scorned lover. It just gets on my nerves. Today, that big xxx Tweety - Matthews said any newspaper that supports Hillary is showing favoritism. He is such an ignorant idiot! Even Pat Buchanan called him on this! Shame on him!!!

My message to Obama: The MSM slobbering over you does NOT HELP YOU! Today, I just removed my membership off of the Kerry and Kennedy sites. Their slobbering just got on my nerves!! (BTW, Teddy reminds me of Matthews. They both spew spittle off the sides of their mouths! Watch them and see for yourselves! I am not being offensive, just factual!)

I am like every other voter in America. I study the issues. I am informed. Your pandering and slobbering DOES NOT INFLUENCE me. In fact, it does the opposite. (you get on my last nerve!)

Obama, I still like you. Don´t let these foul panderers divert your message. Please!

PS: Hillary, Congratulations on Florida! You Go Girl!! ;-)

ANTIs Bogus Arguments Attempt to Stir Up Antagonism between Hispanics and African Americans!

I have been participating on a few political and immigration blogs this weekend. On a few of the blogs, the ANTI side continues to blame the illegal immigrants for lower wages for African Americans. They cite various wage studies, however they never blame the true culprits, the greedy employers. To understand this, we should look at a very real and current example. Let´s look at what is happening in Detroit right now.

GM and Chrysler just had massive auto worker layoffs. I suggested to one ANTI responder on the Reich Blog to "READ THIS AND WEEP then try, in your farthest fetched imagination, to try and blame Illegal Immigrants for Reduced Wages of African Americans!! I wonder how Professor B will work this into his figures!"

US auto workers denounce UAW betrayal at Ford “The union is so intertwined with the company they are giving away the whole store”By Jerry White, 6 November 2007Ford workers reacted with disgust and anger Monday as they learned further details about the four-year labor agreement that the United Auto Workers union reached with Ford Motor Company over the weekend. The new contract covers 54,000 workers employed by the second largest US automaker.The concessions go even further than the historic rollbacks granted to General Motors and Chrysler. The contract will allow Ford to accelerate its plans to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs and replace higher-paid workers with a smaller, more brutally exploited workforce, making half the wages.

Another Article - Wall Street Journal: Ford Looks to Trim Up to 13,000 More Jobs

One of Ford's goals with the latest buyouts is to replace many workers with new employees who will earn a lower wage under terms of its recently negotiated labor agreement. New hires will earn a little more than $14 an hour, about half of what current union workers earn. That was a key cog in the deal that helped Ford to narrow its competitive cost-gap with nonunionized Asian rivals such as Toyota Motor Corp. The number of these so-called second-tier wage workers is capped at 20% of Ford's work force under terms of the new pact.Ford hopes to replace all workers at its Rawsonville and Sterling plants outside Detroit with lower-wage hires, a person familiar with the matter said. Those jobs don't count toward the 20% cap on lower-wage workers under the labor accord.

Oklahoma´s New Restrictive Immigration Laws Creating Massive Labor Shortages

Oklahoma Newspaper Tulsa World is reporting:

Builders' Hispanic workers leaving

By ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer 1/24/2008
The crackdown on illegal immigrants creates a labor shortage, they say. Hispanic construction workers who are illegal immigrants have been leaving their jobs and the state since July because of fear rooted in House Bill 1804, says Dave Kollman, president of Flintco Cos. Inc., a major Tulsa contractor. Now, even legal Hispanics are vanishing due to the effects of the Oklahoma law that cracked down on illegal immigration, he said. "There's a scare component running through the Hispanic community," Kollman said. "Even if they're legal, they're leaving because they're family-oriented, and people they know are leaving." Kollman spoke during a discussion of H.B. 1804 at a Wednesday breakfast sponsored by the Tulsa chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Also sharing their experiences with the law, which took effect Nov. 1, were Jake Nabholz, vice president of Nabholz Cos.; and Ray Miller, president of Fleming Building Co. Miller said he's lost good men due to the law and hasn't been able to replace them. "I've had employees for 15 years who are good, hard workers," he said. "They're not taking anybody's jobs. The kids graduating from high school don't want to go into construction." Nabholz said fallout from the law continues to grow. "There's a lot of fear, and it'll get worse as the days come," he said. All three said the labor shortage requires builders to pay more overtime, which allows them to meet schedules but drives up costs. Nabholz said builders might not be able to rely on overtime if the loss of workers accelerates. "At some point, overtime won't be enough," he said. Kollman said Hispanics' fear of being conspicuous has generated other expenses. He cited, for example, how construction crews from Tulsa might drive to a place such as Stillwater to work on a project. "It used to be everyone would pile in one vehicle and drive there together, but now they're driving up on their own in separate cars," he said. Rising labor costs, combined with higher prices for construction materials, have driven up building costs significantly in this decade, Kollman said. The panelists said they would like to see some way to streamline the citizenship process for workers, which now takes up to five years.

2nd ARTICLE - MSNBC reports: OKLAHOMA LAW BLAMED FOR HISPANIC EXODUS

The law, billed by its backers as the toughest U.S. legislation against illegal immigration, took effect Nov. 1. It bars illegal immigrants from obtaining jobs or state assistance and makes it a felony to harbor or transport illegal immigrants. "The sad part of it was the child didn't have to die if House Bill 1804 didn't ever come around," said Laurie Paul, who runs the clinic where Edgar was finally taken. "It was a total tragedy because the bill was there to create the myths and untruths and the fear." ...While it is difficult to characterize which U.S. state has the toughest immigration-related law, Oklahoma's goes beyond most because it includes the clause about harboring and transporting illegal immigrants, said Ann Morse, program director for the National Conference of State Legislatures' Immigrant Policy Project. "What I think these laws may have are unintended consequences on the general public," Morse said recently. "How does the law get implemented? Who is the target?"...The crackdown and its consequences: The crackdown has caused Hispanics to leave for neighboring states, with as many as 25,000 leaving northeastern Oklahoma alone, according to the Greater Tulsa Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The law's fallout also can be seen in struggling businesses, worker shortages and widespread fear among immigrants who say they are afraid to drive to church or the market because police might pick them up..."I feel like I'm in some kind of Nazi country where if they see your color, you'll be stopped" ... Leaving Oklahoma all together: Even workers with proper paperwork are leaving for jobs in neighboring states rather than split up their families. "My guy who runs my framing crew, he had 70 workers, and as of Nov. 1, he lost 35 of them," said Caleb McCaleb, who runs a homebuilding company in Edmond. "My painter has lost 30 percent of his work force, my landscaper has lost 25 percent of his work force." Some in Terrill's own party doubt the wisdom of his legislation. "We've removed not only those here illegally and working, but those who are here legally," said state Sen. Harry Coates, a Republican who voted against 1804 and wants to repeal portions of the bill. "I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I understand economics." Vicente Ruiz, a 47-year-old legal immigrant who runs his own electrical contracting business, put it more bluntly: "It's all about making money, and if everybody moves away, the whole state is going to suffer."

McCain´s Communication Director is Juan Hernandez? ANTI SITES ARE IN AN UPROAR!!

Michelle Malkin is reporting:

“Hispanic Republicans here in Nevada had a chance to speak by conference to Sen. John McCain and many of us were appalled to learn that his National Director of Hispanic Outreach is none other that Dr. Juan Hernandez, notorious for his open borders stance. How can McCain reconcile the fact that he says he “learnt his lesson w/the American people” with choosing as his Hispanic Ntl. Dir. someone whose views and interests are so clearly anti-security and not in the interest of the American people or for that matter us legal Hispanic immigrants. Can someone question him directly on this?”

...Hernandez was a close advisor to Vicente “Welcome to North America” Fox and headed up a Mexican bureaucracy called the “Presidential Office for Mexicans Abroad.” It was designed to allow Hernandez to travel across the country, meddling with local, state, and federal immigration enforcement on behalf of millions of illegal aliens in America. He lobbied for illegal alien driver’s licenses and Mexico first, defended Mexican bus operators carrying illegal aliens to the USA, and promoted extending banking privileges to illegal aliens.

The ANTI websites are in an UPROAR over this! Here is what they are saying:

ANTI COMMENTS:

. Sorry I am so pissed I misspelled the word Traitor.

. McCain at this point I would almost say is an agent of the mexican govt He is activly working to subvert this country and annex it to mexico

. Traitor is an understatement!

. Help get this dusturbing News development regarding the McCain campaign out to newspapers and talk radio, Patriots!!!

. Good info we can use. We have to stop McCain now.

These ANTI sites are sending mass, form emails to all the Florida and major newsites calling JM a traitor and not to vote for him.

Hmmmmm..... I thought he was the Leading Republican Candidate.

What will come of this?

Credible Sightings Covered Up? Why?

UFOs are being spotted all across our skies. Over the past few weeks, credible sources have spotted them in Texas and Chicago. Some of the credible sources include Pilots and United Airline employees. In Texas, at first the military denied any sightings or involvement. Then, this week, they confirmed there were F-16s conducting tests in the area. What is interesting is the witnesses (some pilots) said they saw the F-16s chasing the UFOs. In the Chicago area, United Airline supervisors and airport employees saw the UFOs and reported them to the authorities, yet the authorities did NOT maintain public record of these reports. It was only after a detailed investigation by reporters that these sighting reports were confirmed.

Additionally interesting is that in both of these sightings, the UFOs were generally described as silent, apparently changing speeds and passing over populated areas. Some of these UFOs were as large as "a Wal-Mart building."

With all of these confirmed sightings by credible witnesses, one thing is clear. Something is happening. Is the Government conducting tests of equipment they do not want revealed to the public? Or are they trying to cover up actual UFO sightings? In either case, it is time the government lets us know what is really going on.

California´s Republican Governor´s CIR Enlightened Perspective

Ruben Navarette Reports:

Governor's wise words on immigration

UNION-TRIBUNE
January 23, 2008

Republicans love to talk about immigrants.
Rudy Giuliani has promised to end illegal immigration in three years. Mike Huckabee has a plan that calls for 12 million illegal immigrants to leave the country in 120 days. And Mitt Romney says things that please restrictionists, and yet many can't figure out if he believes what he says. Now for real insight, let's turn to a Republican who is also an immigrant. With the California primary approaching on Feb. 5, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has advice for Republican presidential hopefuls who intend to come to the Golden State and exploit the immigration issue: Don't. During a recent meeting with the Union-Tribune's editorial board, I asked the governor, who hasn't endorsed any of the candidates for the upcoming primary, what advice he'd give them. Specifically, I wanted to know what he thought about how some have been using the immigration issue to scare up votes. “In a way, I understand why they're doing it,” he said, “because when it comes to close elections, it's all about winning. It's not about sending a good message.”
Schwarzenegger understands immigration better than just about any elected official in the country, from a policy perspective and a personal one. And he has a lot to say. About the possibility that California might grant driver's licenses to illegal immigrants: “It'll never happen. It'll never get past me because I made it very clear that we have to have immigration reform” first and not address the problem piecemeal. About the fact that foreign workers have become a permanent part of the American economy: “We have our domestic workers . . . but we fall short of the workers (we need) on the farms, and in construction and other places.”
About what that should mean for immigration reform: “We should have the right for companies to go outside of the state, outside of the country . . . and find those workers and bring them in on temporary worker permits.”

That's the policy part of Schwarzenegger. I then asked the governor about whether there wouldn't still be some people upset that these immigrants were here – legally or not – because of the impact on the culture. At that point, things got personal. “I would say that there would always be a problem,” he said. “There is always a certain percentage of people who just don't like foreigners. But that's OK. That's not the problem that we have right now. The problem we have right now is that, every single day, you hear about illegals, people coming in here illegally. That creates hostility," he said. Yet, unlike the nativists, Schwarzenegger doesn't blame the immigrants themselves. Contrary to the popular myth that illegal immigrants cut in line, the governor realizes that there is no line – not if you're poor and from a country where the number of people who want to come to the United States far exceeds the visa allotment. “Those people didn't choose (to come illegally),” he said. “It's the only way they can get in here. . . . It's not like you can stand in line and wait a few days and then you can get in. There's no way. There is a system that has been created on purpose to look the other way and to bring them in because everyone knows that we cannot function without them.” That dependence creates more hostility. Schwarzenegger encountered some of that himself when he came to California more than 30 years ago, but not to the degree he sees it today.
“I felt it a little bit in my own case,” he said. “I felt a little bit of prejudice, people saying 'What's the Nazi doing here?' and stuff like that. They imitated my accent, and made jokes about it, and they came into the gym sometimes and said, 'Heil Hitler.' ” And so, he said, foreigners have to be aware that xenophobia is out there. Government has the duty to devise a reasonable policy, he said. But newcomers can also ease tensions by assimilating and “infiltrating into the American society.” Schwarzenegger knows immigration. And it's a shame that, because of an outmoded provision in the Constitution prohibiting anyone born on foreign soil from running for president, he can't enter the race and put what he knows to good use in this campaign – and for the good of the entire country.

Obama Beyond the Pale!

I have to tell you. Obama is starting to get on my nerves. First, he gives kudos for New Ideas to Reagan, then he bashed the former President for calling him on it.

Let me say, up to now, I have been totally nuetral between Hillary and Obama. I, like most Democrats, are comfortable with either "people selected" candidate that wins the primaries and is selected, by the people, as an electable candidate.

I have personally written both candidates and asked them to stop bashing each other! Please! There is far too much at stake and there is far too much of this bashing going on. The bottom line is, we Democrats MUST WIN THE ELECTION IN NOVEMBER and for this bashing to go on is inexcusible!

To date, the only person who has gone beyond the pale is Obama. Come on! Promoting Reagan is inexcusible! I like his son and Nancy. They are both good people. I am sure Ronnie was a good parent. As far as President, he, like Bush, allowed the Neocons to run the show to all of our detriment.

Hand-Off to Next Generation

I had several good and interesting conversations with many of my nieces and nephews this week. As with most people, each of my relatives have varying opinions about issues.

My nephew "L" is a career military man in his early forties. He is a recruiting sargeant. He is about 5´11", very fit, with a booming, newsman voice. He looks a little like my Dad as a young man. (click on book link and scroll to bottom of page). L has had two tours in Iraq and may be going back again later this year.

My niece "R" is former military. She proudly calls herself a "housewife", married to her husband for 20 years. She is also in her early forties. Her oldest son is currently in Iraq.

A number of us were in my nephews hotel room, quietly visiting and reminiscing. Then the conversation turned to politics and Iraq. The exchange was quite strong between L and R.

L is Republican. He believes the Republicans pay for and support the military and it is important that Republicans stay in office. Right or wrong, we are in Iraq and no one should ever vocalize arguments against our being there because this only helps the enemy cause.

R is Democrat. She strongly believes we should not be in Iraq although she supported the deployment to Afghanistan to hunt down Bin Laden after 9-11.

To listen to the two of them argue back and forth, my heart filled with pride, knowing that our next generation is well informed and ready to take over for all of us.

It was interesting to find out (though I could have guessed) that L was for McCain and R for Hillary. This leads me to believe they will be the two candidates in November.

Things My Mother Taught Me

When I was a little girl, my mother taught me three very important lessons. They were the most important lessons in life and I carry them with me today.

Faith - Family - Country

Faith: My mother taught all of her children to believe in God. We are Catholic. Every Sunday, we woke up early, we put on our Sunday best, we went to Church. She taught us that if we believed in God and followed his commandments, going to church filled up our souls each week and we would walk back into our week refreshed, filled with love and truth, ready for the challenges of the upcoming week.

Family: After church, our entire family gathered together for our family dinner. We all sat around the table, said Grace, and talked as family. We were taught to always rely on Family First. Friends may come and go, but you always have family in the end.

Country: We were taught to love our Country, this land of opportunity, but it came with responsibility. We must work hard, maintain a strong work ethic, complete our education, have a good career, support our country in time of peace and war, honor the military and obey our laws. We were also taught to remember where we came from, our ethnicity and never be ashamed of the fact that we were migrant workers who worked hard and had the opportunity to succeed in this great country of ours.

My beautiful mother passed away last Monday. At her funeral, family and friends came to remember and honor her. Her funeral was both a celebration and a send off to her Heavenly journey. We miss her, but we also know she is in Heaven with our father.

No Prison Time for Employers, Meanwhile Illegal Immigrants Build the Fences and Paid $60K

"Neither the judge nor the young prosecutor could name even a single U.S. employer who went to jail for hiring illegal immigrants even though the practice is widespread."

Forbes Reports - Associated Press
Immigration Crackdown Hits Fence Builder
By ELLIOT SPAGAT 01.12.08, 2:56 PM ET SAN DIEGO -
That the government wanted to put Mel Kay behind a prison fence is an irony, though one that neither he nor his accusers would find amusing. Mel Kay builds fences. His was the largest fence-building company in Southern California; he rode the nation's housing boom to $150 million in annual sales. His fences are just about everywhere - at gated subdivisions, on military bases, at prisons. He even built fences at two immigration jails, a Border Patrol station and the U.S.-Mexico border. Which is the second irony, because he admits now that many of his company's fences were built by illegal immigrants. Federal authorities knew it, and they went after him tenaciously, determined to send him to prison as an example to other employers who hire undocumented workers. They had plenty of evidence. Prosecutors determined that about a third of his 750 workers were illegal immigrants. They told Kay's lawyers of videotaped interviews with about a dozen employees who had been caught in raids at Golden State Fence Co. in 1999 or 2004 - exposed as illegal immigrants - and then were rehired by the company, regardless. Kay thought he was toast. But this lean, sun-beaten 65-year-old had two things going for him: He was tough, and he was tender.
The story of Kay's rise and fall - based on court documents, ...Kay returned to California to start Golden State Fence in 1984 with five employees and was on a roll by the early 1990s. Almost from the start, he relied on illegal immigrants. Nearly all his workers took advantage of the 1986 amnesty but he soon struggled to fill jobs. He shunned applicants who came in off the street, instead relying on Mexican employees to recruit family and friends. "They were more trustworthy and more apt to stay long term," Kay told The Associated Press at his office in Riverside, a sparsely furnished room with a white linoleum floor and an empty desktop. Kay admits depending on illegal workers as the housing market grew in the 1990s and exploded in the first half of this decade. "I'd never experienced any boom like that," he says. "It was almost out of control." Installing fences is punishing labor, especially in Southern California's desert heat and rocky soil. Kay requires job applicants to raise 60 pounds over their heads and move wheelbarrows of dirt. About 75 percent of his workers are Hispanic. But Kay compensated his employees well. New hires start at $35,000 a year and jump to about $60,000 after three years. Full-time workers get health and life insurance, sick leave and at least two weeks vacation.

The business prospered. An array of small companies bought fences from Kay's factory. Other customers include major homebuilders and the government, which accounts for about 30 percent of revenue.
In letters to the judge in Kay's case, they lauded the variety of Golden State's designs and materials and its track record on big projects. "Golden State Fence is able to take on the larger government fencing projects that most other fence companies just simply could not perform on," read one from the Army Corps of Engineers, which hired Golden State for work on several military bases and, in 1997, on a mile-long stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in San Diego.
Joe Flores was Mel Kay's nemesis. The El Paso, Texas, native and son of Mexican immigrants began policing federal immigration laws in 1987 after 10 years as a Texas state trooper. A year earlier, the government made it a crime to hire an illegal immigrant; the offense became a felony in 1996. Now, at age 53, he is a group supervisor for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. From his office on the second floor of downtown San Diego's federal building, he directed the raid on Golden State Fence. Flores strongly believes that American jobs should go to citizens and legal residents. He is skeptical of Kay's claims that Golden State couldn't find enough of them to dig ditches for $60,000 a year, with benefits. "If you're paying good wages, why risk your company? Why put yourself in that situation?" Flores says.
The government's enthusiasm for punishing employers waned after Flores' first few years on the job and, by the mid-1990s, his focus turned to illegal immigrants who got into gangs and violent crime.
The Bush administration has renewed enforcement at factories and offices but scored few legal victories. There are many reasons: some 7 million illegal immigrants are part of America's work force, making a crackdown on more than a handful impossible for prosecutors with limited resources; employers easily shield themselves by saying they didn't know illegal workers had phony documents; prosecutors refuse cases because it is extremely difficult to prove businesses are complicit. In one prominent case, a federal jury acquitted Tyson Foods Inc., the nation's largest poultry producer, and three former managers in 2003 of conspiring to hire illegal immigrants. Some recent raids, from meatpacker Swift & Co. last year to McDonald's restaurants in Reno, Nev., in September, produced big arrest tallies but all were rank-and-file workers.

Golden State Fence was different. Investigators stumbled on the company when they were auditing military contractors in a nationwide post-Sept. 11 crackdown and determined 48 of 182 workers at Golden State's Oceanside branch were illegal. In the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 21, 2004, agents arrested 12 as they left home.
As they pored over files, investigators discovered a government audit in 1999 that found 15 employees were illegal immigrants, including three they had just arrested. They needed to find them and have them admit they were rehired with the company's knowledge. It is a crime only if 10 workers are knowingly hired.
Investigators picked up two outside their homes. They staked out a warehouse across the street from the Oceanside branch and videotaped workers as they came and went for a week, resulting in six arrests.
There would be other evidence against Kay - 368 workers had Social Security numbers that did not match their names - but rehiring workers flagged in the audits would be the crux of the government's case.
Kay says he ignored the warnings not to rehire the men: "They had been working for me a long time."
"I didn't figure it was that big a deal," he says. "I didn't give it enough thought. Poor decision on my part. Very poor decision." Shortly after Kay arrived at work at 5 a.m. on Nov. 30, 2005, federal agents stormed his 14-acre headquarters in an industrial part of Riverside, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. In 14 hours, they would fill a 16-foot truck with boxes of documents and computer hard drives. Simultaneously, a helicopter with a loudspeaker circled over nearly 200 agents who raided the largest of Kay's 10 branches, in Oceanside, north of San Diego. In all, agents arrested 17 employees at their homes or as they came to load their trucks at 6 a.m.
Finally, Kay recognized he had a very serious problem. But it was too late. He signed up for a voluntary federal program to electronically verify a job applicant's immigration status, which the White House wanted to make mandatory under a proposed immigration overhaul that failed last year. Only 37,000 of an estimated 7.5 million eligible employers have enrolled. Kay's new, high-profile immigration attorney insisted he stop relying on employee referrals to fill jobs. The company put help-wanted ads in newspapers and on its fleet of 225 trucks. It sought workers at job fairs, halfway houses, probation departments, unemployment offices and community colleges. Kay offered to plead guilty to a felony and pay a fine but Carol Lam, then the top federal prosecutor in San Diego, took a hard line. Lam was one of eight U.S. attorneys who were fired last year by the Bush administration after criticism that she was lax on immigration. Kay says Lam wanted him to serve 18 months in prison. Prosecutors were ready to file criminal charges against 10 to 12 managers.
The government relented, agreeing to recommend six months prison time and charge only Kay and Michael McLaughlin, manager of the Oceanside branch. .."They give you some ground, you give them some ground," Kay says. "That's the best I could get." When Kay arrived at his sentencing in March, U.S. District Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz said his initial instinct was to send him to prison. Moskowitz joined the federal bench in 1986, the year that President Reagan gave amnesty to 2.7 million illegal immigrants and promised to crack down on employers who broke the law. The crackdown never came, and the judge felt it was long overdue. Neither the judge nor the young prosecutor could name even a single U.S. employer who went to jail for hiring illegal immigrants even though the practice is widespread.
Moskowitz knew Kay's prison term could set a national precedent to determine how much time other employers would spend behind bars. But Moskowitz noted Kay's strong work ethic and support from employees who overflowed the courtroom into the hallway. The judge said he couldn't ignore that Kay and McLaughlin treated employees like family. After a federal raid forced them to fire about 200 illegal immigrants, they paid each two weeks' severance, though they were not legally obligated. "Are these the poster children for being the first ones to get jail time?" Moskowitz asked. "I think the answer is no."
Kay and McLaughlin were confined to their homes for six months with permission to leave only to go to the office. Golden State and the two executives forfeited $5 million in a deal with prosecutors.
Still, the government didn't get the six months prison time that it badly wanted. Flores struggles to hide his disappointment. "Jail time would have really sent a strong message," he says. Kay, whose electronic monitor was removed from his ankle in September, doubts the government can mount an effective crackdown on employers. "On a smaller scale there are thousands of companies like me in Southern California," he says. "Just go down, take out a company and bust 'em. They won't do it. They don't have the manpower." Kay has postponed retirement for three years, when he finishes probation, and is trying to repair a business that was stricken by bad publicity. The Navy, his largest government contractor, wrote in February that he was "lacking in the honesty and integrity necessary to do business responsibly with the Federal Government." It banned him from seeking federal contracts but allowed him to finish existing projects, including a job awarded in 2006 for a chain-link barrier at a Border Patrol station east of San Diego.
Golden State appealed, noting that it revamped hiring and that none of its illegal workers were ever found on a federal job. The Navy lifted the ban in June.
Golden State, now renamed Fenceworks Inc., has seen sales slow severely amid the housing slump and its payroll has shrunk to 450. Kay says most of the workers hired at halfway houses and job fairs didn't pan out. Kay, a longtime Republican, hopes the government overhauls laws soon to permit some illegal immigrants to stay in the United States. If not, he says, he may struggle to fill jobs when the housing market rebounds. Meanwhile, Kay is relying more on government work. One contract he bid on, but did not get: a seven-mile extension of the U.S.-Mexico border fence in California.

Hillary of the People!

Las Vegas Review Journal is Reporting:

LAS VEGAS STOP: Clinton pitch hits home

People in the Las Vegas neighborhood saw all the cameras and trucks and buses and police on the streets Thursday, and they began to trickle out of their houses to find out what was going on. Soon, as a sherbet-orange desert sunset filled the sky, they got their answer, as New York Sen. Hillary Clinton began walking up the street of low-slung houses near Eastern and Washington avenues, accompanied by the area's representative, state Assemblyman Ruben Kihuen. Clinton hugged Kihuen around the shoulders and asked about his family, and then the two began knocking on doors, the same doors Kihuen knocked on nearly two years ago in his first campaign. Clinton spent more than an hour in the predominantly Hispanic and black neighborhood.

Gilberto Santana, 38, sat on the edge of a chair as Clinton sat on the brown leather sofa in his living room next to his wife and two young children.Santana told Clinton how his wife, Elizabeth, a housekeeper on the Strip, was barely supporting the family single-handedly while he was unable to work for two months because of an operation. "We're sort of struggling," he said. "We're getting there, but you have to be strong to make it."
Clinton asked the couple questions about their mortgage and his disability payments, and answered his questions about immigration and the war and health care costs. Stroking the 4-year-old girl's head, Clinton said, "I feel so strongly that if we don't take care of our children, we don't take care of our future." Santana said, "We are going to do everything we can to make sure that everyone in Las Vegas votes for you."

That is the warm, earnest, human side of campaigning, politicians comforting people with detailed explanations of how they will solve their problems and flattering them with their presence.

There was nobody who didn't know who the Democratic presidential candidate and former first lady was, even if they didn't speak English or weren't old enough to vote. They flocked to her for camera-phone pictures, and she posed in tableaux of adorable multicultural children...

Today, Clinton is scheduled to travel to Los Angeles, where she will give a policy speech about the economy and what kind of stimulus she believes it needs. "I think we're slipping toward a recession," she said. "A couple of people that I met on the street, they work in construction. They tell me it's slowed down." She reiterated her doubts about the caucus process, which requires in-person, on-time participation. "That is troubling to me," she said. "People who work during that amount of time, they're disenfranchised. People who can't be in the state or are in the military, they cannot be present. ... If people feel like there's no reason to participate or they can't, then that's the same thing. So I think it's a problem."

Clinton and her busload of traveling press moved from there to the popular local Mexican restaurant Lindo Michoacan, where a "roundtable" that was actually square passed a microphone around to tell her people's concerns about the mortgage crisis and foreclosures. She took notes and munched on tortilla chips. In broken English, one woman told Clinton how she wasn't making money as a broker anymore. "I have no income at all," she said. "So how will I survive?" Choking up with emotion, the woman said, "In my neighborhood, there are brand-new homes, but the value is nothing. I'm glad you are here so I can tell you, because you're going to be the president, I know." A man shouted through an opening in the wall that his wife was illegal. "No woman is illegal," Clinton said, to cheers. Summing it up at the end, Clinton said, "We've only talked to a few people, but each of them talk about some part of the problem we are confronting. This is a problem that is only going to get worse if we don't address it."

Chris Matthews is a Big Fat Idiot! Part 2!

I just posted this on MSNBC.com:

Hillary WON New Hampshire because she "got real." She connected with WE THE PEOPLE!

I am so sick of some people in the media, especially Matthews, Tucker, Scarborough and the extremist Buchanan. These "boys" and Many media pundits were drooling at the thought of Hillary´s defeat and her crying about it. You could see Matthews drooling out of the sides of his mouth as he spit all over his guests. Haw Haw! Tucker was hopping up and down like a rubber ball on crack. Scarborough was overtalking beautiful Mika and gloating at Hillary´s demise, barely letting her speak a word as she edged to get a word in over the top of his right elbow.
Tucker "This sets back Feminism" when Hillary teared up. As Tucker Boy sweated and spouted and his voice cracked like the weak girly boy he is!

Tonight, Matthews went over the top. He started today by trying to say this was an Obama Race Card vs a Hillary Woman-Feminism issue moment. WHAT AN IDIOT!! When Buchanan disputed the racism factor, the drooling idiot Matthews said, "Pat Buchanan, you are a Liberal, Alan Alda kinda guy."
What is Matthews smoking? Is he on Crack!?! There can be no other explanation for such a Delirious Exclamation by Matthews about Buchanan!!
Buchanan, author of the racist "State of Emergency: The Third World Invasion and Conquest of America," one of the leaders of the racist ANTI Immigration groups, brother of Bay, Leader of One of Tanton´s groups "Pro America PAC", is a Racist who fears the word Racist. Of course he is going to argue against this word, in any terms, in any scenario.
What happened in New Hampshire is, voters rallied and proved the Pollsters wrong, embarrassingly wrong. Hillary connected with the voters, as Obama connects with the voters. Don´t you guys get it? Don´t you understand the privacy of the voting booth? Don´t you understand we are the Land of the Free? Home of the Brave? Don´t you understand you make your money off of predicting your own agendas? Don´t you understand that WE THE PEOPLE can choose? We the People will Vote? And We the People will Elect our Next President in the Polling Booths and not in your Breaking News moment you so relish?
There is Racism in America. There is animosity against women by not only you pundits like Matthews, Tucker and Scarborough, but by many people.

My advice to you MSNBC... get rid of Matthews, Tucker (get him off NOW! NOW!!!) and Scarborough!
We The People love the guy you don´t even understand... like Keith Olbermann! We like FAIR people like Tim Russert, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, Matt Lauer and Al Roker.

We like your women newspeople like Andrea Mitchell, Ann Currey, Meredith Vieira and Mika Brzezinski.
Come on MSNBC! Be on the side of the American People!We don´t expect much from Fox, but we hoped for more from NBC!

Bush in Israel Amid Tight Security

CNN is Reporting:

Calling it a "historic moment, historic opportunity," Bush met with Olmert hours after arriving in Israel on the first leg of a six-nation Mideast tour aimed at jump-starting the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The same day that Israel reported short-range Qassam rocket attacks from Hamas-controlled Gaza into Israel, Olmert said Palestinian leaders "understand that Gaza must be a part of the package. "And as long as there is terror from Gaza, it will be very very hard to reach any peaceful understanding between us and the Palestinians," said the Israeli prime minister. National security adviser Stephen Hadley expressed concern to reporters aboard Air Force One about "distractions" to the peace process. "The Palestinians are very concerned, obviously, about settlements; the Israelis are very concerned, obviously, about the rocket attacks coming out of Gaza. These issues need to be addressed," said Hadley...

Security was tight for Bush's visit to the region. Large parts of Jerusalem as well as much of the West Bank, including Ramallah, will be, in effect, shut down. Over the weekend, American al Qaeda member Adam Yahiye Gadahn released a videotape calling on the militant group's followers to "receive [Bush] not with flowers or clapping but with bombs and booby-trapped vehicles." ...

The efforts to restart serious peace talks have also been overshadowed by ongoing rocket assaults from Hamas-controlled Gaza that have prompted a heavy Israeli military response. On Wednesday, Palestinian militants fired three Qassam rockets into the Israeli city of Sderot, damaging a house. After an earlier mortar attack, Israel launched an air strike on a rocket-launching cell, killing one militant and wounding six others.

SCROLL ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF FOXNEWS.COM -- Iran ‘attack’ on three US warships released by Pentagon

From Reuters: JERUSALEM, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush warned Iran on Wednesday of "serious consequences" if it attacked U.S. ships in the Gulf, adding that all options were on the table.

NOTE: I just had a horrible thought. With all the danger the Prez is facing on his trip, if anything happens to him, not only will we be forced to retaliate as in WW3, and who will be leading the charge? None other than Cheney! He can then run for 2 more terms! What a horrible thought!

New Giuliani Ad appeals to Hispanic voters

CNN is Reporting ... Hypocrites Abound!

(CNN) — As the New Hampshire primary contest wound down Tuesday, Republican Rudy Giuliani released a new Spanish language television ad in Florida – a state critical to his presidential bid. The former New York mayor has wagered his campaign on the Sunshine State after disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire. Illegal immigration is a top issue for Republican voters this cycle, and the candidates have stressed their get-tough position on border security and enforcement. But now the race shifts to vote-rich states with large Hispanic populations — such as New York, California and Florida — which tend to support a slightly different approach.
The 30-second spot — titled “Liderazgo,” or Leadership — stresses his crime-fighting and job creation record. “Se pudo en Nueva York y se puede en Washington. Rudy Giuliani: Experiencia, Resultado, Liderazgo,” says the announcer. (English translation provided by the campaign: “It was done in New York. It can be done in Washington. Rudy Giuliani: Experience, Results, Leadership.”) The ad also features a line from Giuliani himself.
The former New York City mayor spent more time in New Hampshire than any GOP candidate except the former governor of neighboring Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, only to finish a distant third, with 10 percent of the vote – tied with Ron Paul. He finished behind Paul in last week’s Iowa caucuses.

Legal Papers On Demand!

Mexican Nationals Deluge Mexican Consular Services Requesting Passports due to Increased State Enacted Illegall Immigration Enforcement Laws and the increase in Racial Profiling!

Reuters is reporting:
Mexican Consular Office Head in Washington Enrique Escorza Talks About Immigration
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Azteca America (Hispanic television network in the United States) hosted the head of Mexican Consular Services in Washington, Enrique Escorza, on this week's broadcast of "Issues: Caras y Voces" (Issues: Faces and Voices)...

"The request for documents by Mexican nationals residing in the UnitedStates has increased sharply as anti-immigration policies are on the rise. To meet demand, many Mexican consular offices, including that of Washington DC, have mobile units that go on-site to areas with high Mexican concentration to provide documentation and other services to residents."

"Despite increased demand, the consular office in Washington DC has reduced the time for processing passports by 25%. The office is one of the most efficient consular offices in the United States, generating about 2 milliondollars' worth of services with a staff of nine people. "

Christian Science Monitor:
Mexican ID is ticket to US mainstream
With this coveted card, 'undocumented' immigrants move a step closer to legal status
HOUSTON – Hugo Godinez Sosa hears his name over the Mexican consulate loudspeaker and pushes through the throng to pick up what is possibly the most valuable item an illegal immigrant can now possess in the US – an official Mexican ID card. The matricula consular – a nondescript, laminated card that bears a person's name, residence in Mexico, and photo – is fast becoming a ticket out of the shadows and into the American mainstream. Many public institutions – such as schools, hospitals, social services, law enforcement agencies, and banks and other businesses – around the US are suddenly beginning to accept the cards as legal identification. And, so, that combined with the renewed emphasis on security and documentation in the US in recent months has caused a rush of tens of thousands of both legal and illegal immigrants to Mexican consulates in the US to get their cards.

Inasmuch as the great debate over the rights and status of "undocumented" immigrants hinges on a piece of paper, this document promises to bring a whole class of marginalized people a step closer to legal recognition in the US. Groups that favor reduced immigration and strict adherence to immigration law, believe the acceptance of these ID cards undermines US law and sets a dangerous precedent. "States need to be part of the solution to illegal immigration. But accepting these documents makes state agencies part of the problem," says Dan Stein, executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington.

But proponents see it as a security issue – both for the immigrants themselves and for the American public.
"After Sept. 11, when it became clear that there were so many people without any documentation at all, these matriculas started gaining more strength and more significance throughout the United States," says Enrique Buj Flores, the Mexican consul general in Houston. While his matricula proves that Godinez is a resident of Mexico and nothing more, it suddenly opens doors in the US system. For one thing, the air-conditioning factory worker no longer has to keep his weekly pay in a wad in his pocket because he can now open a bank account with the card. And as of last week, he can use the ID to file a police report in Houston.

The Mexican Consulate here has been pushing hard to get the cards accepted more widely, as have many cities with large pockets of illegal immigrants.
In the past few months, for instance:
• San Francisco became the first city in the country to require hospitals, schools, and other public agencies to accept the ID cards as official documentation.
• In Arizona, the Maricopa County Sheriff's Department joined the Phoenix Police Department in accepting the IDs on reports and other police business.
• Bank of America, while not the first to accept the ID for bank accounts, became the most aggressive by setting up a branch at the Mexican consulate in Santa Ana, Calif.

Soap Opera Politics Vol 1, Issue 4

My observations and what the Blogs are saying:

Democrats:

All the Democrats have asked for is a candidate that can win in 2008. It appears they have their man.

OBAMA (BHO): The Only Candidate Now! Not only does he have the support of the 50% of Americans (Democrats) who voted in the last election, he also has many who did not vote or who voted Republican. He has young people, all minorities, Hollywood and, the most critical of all, the Independents. Biden, Dodd, Kucinish and Richardson have asked their followers to support Obama. My advice to Obama: Wait until the Dem Convention to name your VP. That way, the GOP will not attack him yet. My predictions: he will pick someone completely different for VP, none of the other Dem candidates. I believe he will pick a man and someone under 50. I expect the GOP will start massive attacks against him now! They will have a bit of a problem however. The media, especially the MSM, already like him.

For those of you who are not Obama believers, I read something on the internet yesterday that absolutely convinced me Obama has the election in the bag. I was reading some ANTI discussion boards and one of them had this huge debate about Obama. One of the old "Dee Haters" (my frequent readers might remember "WMM") was on his soapbox preaching many kudos in favor of BHO. The ANTIs (including our buddy STI) were just bashing WMM, yet he continued even through all the bashing (he probably got banned). WMM said about BHO: "Frankly, I don't feel anymore sorry for him because he's black any more than I do for Hillary because she's white, why would the fact that he's black be a reason to "feel sorry for him" or anyone else that is black for that matter? There are plenty of black people who feel sorry for white people who risk cancer trying to emulate the skin color black folks. He's worked hard to become who he is, no white daddy with tons of money, connections and big business corrupting the system behind him to slither him into the highest office of the US. If Boosh had been a black guy that was cheated into office, he would have been assasinated 7.5 years ago. As for his brilliance, Obama is a Harvard graduate. A former attorney and rock star at Sidley and Austin one of the top firms in the US, so you can't dismiss him or discount his achievement because he's black either. No legacy or daddy with money, no brother in Florida rigging the votes, just hard work and determination." Afterwards I thought, "Wow!! If some of the ANTIs are true believers, then BHO has this election in the bag!"
BTW, I will make a peace offering to WMM. Come visit my blog. Talk to us about your BHO views and any new insights you may have on CIR. The only rules I ask we keep here are, keep it civil and "Don´t Tase me Bro!"
Hillary: UPDATE: HILLARY is the COMEBACK KID and CAME IN 1st in NH! Monday night, she cried during an interview. (Showing her Human Side Helped!) To put the cherry on this disaster, her husband Bill is quoted as saying, "I can't make her younger, taller, male.'' When Hillary heard he said this, I´m sure she thought, "And I can´t make this idiot shut up!" The bad news for Hillary, the talking heads are saying Hillary is bringing on the old Carville, Begala team to lead them out of this mess. I do not think this will help. I only hope they don´t try too much mud slinging. That never works. We need Hillary to stand strong as the good Senator from NY.
Edwards: It is over! Polls are saying he is a distant 3rd in NH. He was on MSNBC saying he is not giving up until the Convention. I hope he gives up soon so his wife can take a rest.

Republicans:

Two and three times as many Americans are coming out to participate in the Democratic primaries vs Republican, even in the Red States. The New Hampshire polls are saying McCain will win this one, Romney will come in 2nd and Huckabee 3rd. The rest of the candidates are completely out of the running. Guiliani is still holding on to his strategy of chaos lasting until late January, when he thinks he can clobber his rivals in Florida. I think the American people are Voting for NONE of the ABOVE.

If the GOP wants a viable candidate, they are going to have to find a totally NEW Candidate. My advice is, the new candidate should look like this guy.

Americans Living Beyond their Means Create Climate Ripe for RECESSION!

My hero Robert Reich is sounding more and more like Lupita every day! From Robert Reich´s Blog:

The Widening Trade Deficit With China, in an Election Year
America’s trade deficit with China looks like it will exceed $250 billion for 2007....the trade deficit numbers are deceptive. Much of what we buy from China today we used to buy from Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. China has been importing more and more parts from these countries and merely assembling them. But because the final goods are exported from China, they’re counted as Chinese... Remember, we’re dealing with big global companies that are seeking the lowest costs from anywhere around the world — companies often headquartered here in the United States. ..The real problem isn’t our trade deficit with China. The problem is that America as a whole is living beyond its means. If anything, China has been an enabler – lending us heaps of money to continue our buying binge, including (at least until the bubble burst) homes with low-interest mortgages. That binge seems to be coming to a close. But if American politicians succeed in forcing China to raise its currency another 10or 20 percent, the binge will end faster than you can say the word “stagflation.” But not all Americans feel they've been living beyond their means. For most, wages continue to stagnate, inequality is widening, and jobs are less secure. The median wage, adjusted for inflation, is below what it was in 2000. Almost all the benefits of American economic growth have gone to the very top. Don't make China a scapegoat for this, either.

Soap Opera Politics Vol 1, Issue 3

Iowa Results, my observations and what the Blogs are saying:

Democrats:
The Dems brought out twice as many supporters in the IOWA cacuses vs the GOP. It is a clear sign Americans want a change!
Obama: 38% The Clear Winner! His message: CHANGE! As he approached the podium last evening, he hugged his wife and children and began his powerful and passionate speech, "We are choosing hope over fear. We're choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America. " I noticed he was surrounded by many young people of many ethnicities. They were all energized, like a pep rally. Afterwards, the old blowhard Chris Matthews was just gushing about Obama´s speech. The MSM loves Obama!
Edwards: 30% . Number 2. A good showing. His wife introduced Edwards before he talked to his supporters last evening. She looked very tired. I felt sad for her. Edwards did a good job with not much money.
Hillary: 29%. A disappointing Number 3. Hillary´s message to her troops, "We've got more work to do." Behind Hillary stood Bill, Chelsea and Madeleine Albright. The supporters in the background all had gray hair. They all looked exhausted, especially Bill (who clapped with just the palms of his hands, like his hands were burning) and Madeleine. You gotta give it to Madeleine. She is 70 years old and still out there, plugging away. Watching the three speeches all in a row made the comparisons so obvious. The nomination is going to go to Obama unless some huge scandal blows him out of the water.
The Dropouts: Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, soon -Dennis Kucinich. It appears they are passing their supporters on to Obama. Speculation is Richardson will drop out after the next one. It appears he will be passing his supporters on to Obama. Gravel should have dropped out long ago.

Republicans:
Only brought out half as many supporters as the Dems! America wants a change!
Huckabee: 34% The Clear Winner! I watched his speech afterwards. Chuck Norris and his wife stood directly behind Huckabee. They both kept bobbing their heads and trying to soak up the camera throughout Huckabee´s speech. Huckabee´s poor wife looked lost. She barely got an acknowledgement from the old man. His wife seems like a nice, older woman. Not a trophy wife like Thompson, Romney or Kucinich have. Huckabee should be bringing her to the forefront and treat her as a partner, not leave her off to the side! The ANTI sites are just seething about Huckabee´s win. They blame the win on the Evangelicals who "don´t listen to anything the ANTIs are saying on their blogs!" I think its only a matter of time before Huckabee falls down the rabbit hole.
Romney: 25%. For all the money that Romney spent in Iowa, this was a very, very disappointing 2nd place finish, especially considering the overall low showing by Republican supporters and virtually no support from Independents. Some bloggers are blaming Romneys "loss" on his negative ads.
Thompson and McCain: 13%. Tied for 3rd Place. There are blog rumors that Thompson is dropping out but Thompson´s team denies this. The ANTI sites are angry that McCain is getting any kind of support. They also blame the Evangelicals who don´t listen to anyone and will do what they want.
Paul: 10%. Coming in 4th surprises the MSM. His supporters may be wacky, but they are very loyal and they give money. For the GOP, it is still anybody´s game.
Guiliani: 4% and Rudy does not care. His entire campaign is predicated on chaos lasting until late January, when he thinks he can clobber his rivals in Florida. Some of the MSM are predicting, based on Iowa results, that Guliani´s strategy is working!
Hunter: 1%. Last!! His supporters blame his poor showing on the MSM. Whatever the reason, he should just drop out.

Irrational Nativism in Iowa - Deja Vu All Over Again!

Ruben Navarette´s latest column:

According to the 2000 census, Iowa is about 94 percent white, 3 percent Hispanic, 2 percent black and 1 percent Asian. That is not exactly a majority-minority state in the offing. And yet, we're told the outcome of the Iowa caucuses – especially on the Republican side – could come down to the candidates' views on immigration. ...some of them give the impression that Mexican immigrants are launching a full-scale invasion of Iowa, soaking up public benefits, subverting the culture and undermining the English language. They never acknowledge that immigrants are making their way to the heartland because someone there is offering them jobs, profiting from their labor and pumping tax dollars into the local economy to the benefit of everyone – even the complainers.

Someone needs to tell that to the retiree who grilled Fred Thompson at a gathering at the Music Man Square museum in Mason City. Concerned that Mexicans were plotting to retake the Southwest and insisting that illegal immigrants were a burden to taxpayers, the woman finally quit beating around the bush and got around to what really bothered her. Surprise: It's the changing culture, and specifically how – even in Iowa – the Spanish language pops up at the most inopportune moments. In what was obviously a gross exaggeration, the questioner claimed that, when Iowans call the power company, “everything is in Spanish” and that she finds it all “sickening.”

You want sickening? Consider Thompson's lily livered response. “You are so, so right,” he told the retiree. He even suggested that English be the national language. Instead of providing leadership by telling the woman to knock off the nativist lingo and acknowledge that illegal immigration is a self-inflicted wound, Thompson opted to pander. Just like everyone else. Doesn't any of this immigration narrative sound familiar to native Iowans? It should. Nearly 100 years ago, another ethnic group found itself on the cultural skillet in that state. Its members had last names such as “Schultz” or “Braun” or “Kalb.”

As Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dale Maharidge points out in his insightful book, “Denison, Iowa,” the first German immigrants arrived in Iowa shortly after it became a state in 1846. For several decades, they built “Germantowns,” created German schools and churches, and founded German brotherhood associations. And, about this, no one seemed to mind much. But then the United States entered World War I in 1917. And an anti-German crusade began. It may have been cloaked in concerns over the war, but it quickly focused on the German language, German newspapers and German culture. In Denison, which is now a town of about 8,000 people, German-Americans were beaten and piles of German books were set afire. English-only laws were passed. Critics will reject the comparison and point out the obvious: that many of the Latino immigrants now streaming into Iowa are coming illegally and that the Germans came legally. That's true. German immigrants who helped settle Iowa in the late 1800s did come legally. There was no way to come illegally until the 1920s. And yet it made little difference. They were still mistreated. That's because the issue was never legality. It was the same thing that fuels the discussion today: fear of change.

It all makes for an ugly chapter in history that Iowans would be wise not to repeat.