Tom Needs to Chill with the Dirty Jobs Guy

Guest blog from Howling Hurricane:

America's bridges are deteriorating, and we can't seem to build roads that don't get torn up in a couple of years. But New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is impressed with a high school student's "software navigation system that would enable spacecraft to more efficiently 'travel through the solar system.' "

Our big cities' infrastructure is crumbling, their schools are frequently failing, unemployment numbers are scary, and our national debt is mind-boggling. Yet Friedman touts the research of a 17-year-old who "used spectral analysis and other data to expose information about the chemical enrichment history of 'Andromeda Galaxy.' "

Because these students have names suggesting they are children of recent immigrants (for which he offers no evidence to support), Friedman justifies being a "pro-immigration fanatic." And he believes legal immigration is the key to keeping us "ahead of China." Mr. Friedman, how are we ahead of the Chinese? Who owes whom trillions of dollars? Who depends on whom for most of their manufactured goods (and now even food)? Who has more Chinese brain-power, the U.S. or China?

Don't get me wrong, Sir, I think students mastering tough material is a praisworthy accomplishment. They deserve credit. But the problems our country faces (many of which have been caused by faulty immigration policies) can be solved with good old-fashioned American ingenuity. Leave space travel to others; let's work on highway congestion.

Photo: Thomas Friedman thinking deep thoughts.

Unemployment & Illegal Immigration

A message from the co-chairs of this bold, new caucus:

Weasley Bart Stupak

The News Real blog reminds readers that Congresscritter Stupak was
going to vote all along for health care reform.

They link to this video from Cheboygan, Michigan.



Hmm, he, more or less, said the same thing in Petoskey at the event I attended and wrote about here.

On a sidebar note: Stupak is also Michael Moore's rep. Yup. That Michael Moore.

'Nother sidebar: Rep. Jason Murphey (R-Oklahoma) has a response to socialist-style federal health care schemes: The Tenth Amendment. Read his full statement here.

Update: Media Matters got a kick out of my calling B. Stupak "a cheap date."

'Nother Update: Legion members ain't buying what Madame Speaker is selling. (See comments.)

'Nother, nother update: This AOL writer says I accuse Congressman Stupak of being a "liar." Not true. That word is only used in the headline which I didn't write.

Is that a Piñata of an ICE official?

Scene from yesterday's immigration rally ...

Because Silence Implies Consent

A i-buddy, Henry Cate, has started a new venture (Or, is that adventure?):"Minuteman Lobbyist: Spend a few minutes a day contacting your representatives."

It's not related to the group of patriots that helps watch our border. Rather, it's one-man's effort to engage more of his fellow citizens in political activism.

Henry, and his wife, Janine, are also foster parents and homeschooling parents. Here's their other blog.

Get Well Soon!

Shout out to Dr. Dale Herder who is recovering from surgery.

Dr. D, who teaches writing to undergraduates and is an accomplished sailor, is the author of Common Sense Rediscovered: Lessons from the Terrorist Attack of America.

The book (easy on the brain thanks to his clean prose) is dedicated to Todd Beamer (and his fellow United Airlines Flight 93 passengers) who “fought back against the terrorists.”

The Detroit Way

The editors at Big Journalism added several, er, lively videos to my column about how the Detroit News fawns over edukashun in the Motor City but hasn't shied away from smearing homeschooling parents.

On the other hand not everyone views Detroit as a national punchline. Newcomers to the United States don't mind relocating to Motown.

BTW: Jon Voight, the actor, is now a contributor to Big J. Read his maiden blog entry.



Update: Speaking of homeschooling, The Pioneer Woman is going to morph into a Hollywood "romantic comedy" featuring (allegedly) Reese Witherspoon.

E-Verify Legislation in Michigan

(Another one of these ... yah!)

State Rep. Dave Agema, a Republican from Grandville and sometime consultant for the tool and die business, is the sponsor of HB 4355 - the Public Contract and Employment Eligibility Verification Act - which would require Michigan employers, with public contracts, to use an electronic verification system to verify that their workers are legit.

Says Rep. Agema: "The job market is very tight and could be getting tighter, so there's a lot of competition for the work that is available. Michigan needs to take steps to ensure that people here legally can feed their families and pay their bills."

Last year the bill passed through the committee process, but no date yet (C'mon, House Speaker Dillon. Get going.) for when it will be voted on by the Full House.

Honoring a Champion of Personal Liberty

Dr. David Yeagley has bestowed the "Bad Eagle Award for American Patriotism" upon Randy Brogdon for eschewing divisive identity politics politicking. Brogdon, you may recall, is the conservative State Senator from Oklahoma who is running for governor. The award (and the web site) is named in honor of Dr. Yeagley's great-great-grandfather, Bad Eagle (pictured), a Comanche leader.

Video: ¿Por qué marcharás? (Why will you march?)

The Carnegie Corporation has provided some of the funding for this commercial, broadcast on Univision, for the upcoming pro-illegal alien march.



Update: FAIR is countering this push for amnesty with a virtual march.

SEAL Over a Rino? No contest.

Scott Taylor is running for a seat in the 2nd Congressional District of Virginia. What a terriff campaign promo and who better to advocate for secure borders than a Navy SEAL?

Update: Illegal Education Populat. Bill

(If you are just tuning in, I wrote about State Rep. Randy Terrill's bill here.)

The following press release, sent to me from the Oklahoma House of Representatives Media Division, contains welcome news:

OKLAHOMA CITY – State lawmakers have voted to require education officials to determine the number of illegal aliens in public schools and the taxpayer cost of educating those individuals.

“This is an important transparency and reporting requirement that is long overdue for our school system,” said state Rep. Randy Terrill, R-Moore. “For too long, policymakers have had to rely on guesswork and anecdotes to deal with this issue. It’s time we had concrete data.”

House Bill 3384, by Terrill, would require schools to determine the number of illegal alien students enrolled and the direct-and-indirect costs of educating them. The legislation would also require schools to determine the impact that added expense has on other services and programs for Oklahoma students.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling requires the state to pay to educate illegal alien children.

“This legislation is not about defying that Supreme Court ruling,” Terrill said. “All we are seeking are accurate numbers. After all, you cannot develop good public policy without accurate data.”

It has been estimated that the cost of educating illegal aliens in public schools is $160 million per year, but Terrill noted that figure is more guesswork than true analysis.

Terrill said schools can request and collect data on citizenship status from students.

“The argument that we are prohibited from collecting that data is an urban legend,” Terrill said. “Federal law does not preclude ascertaining a student’s legal status. It just obligates the state to provide them with an education whether we want to or not.”

With renewed discussion of immigration reform at the federal level, it is more important than ever to determine the true costs to the state, Terrill said.

“Taxpayers have a right to know how much those so-called ‘reforms’ would cost us,” Terrill said.

In addition, he noted that certain media outlets routinely equate growth in Hispanic enrollment in Oklahoma schools with growth in illegal immigration.

“Just because someone is Hispanic does not make them an illegal alien,” Terrill said. “This legislation will help undermine that stereotype and reduce the mischaracterization of legal U.S. citizens.”

House Bill 3384 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives on a 71-26 vote. It now proceeds to the state Senate.

In the Year 2050

An op. ed by Joel Kotkin, a fellow's fellow (get it?), about immigration, population, and fertility rates. Go here.

The Madness has Begun

Have you filled out a bracket? If so, who are you picking to win the D-1 Men's basketball championship? My hubby's choice is Kansas. I'm sticking with Syracuse (my alma mater), although I have a soft spot for Keiton Page of Oklahoma State and the Michigan State Spartans.

The opening round game is tomorrow.

Reviewing the Dystopian Novel

I wrote a review-column of 2045: A Story of Our Future for the Belgrade News. Go here. You can order Peter Seidel's book here. Parental caution note: Some (but not very much) 'adult' content.

The Little Group That Did

How a small band of citizens have been effectively impacting state government in Oklahoma. Read it here, and note the part about immigration reform.

March Madness: Brackets Gone Wild

Nice column by Harlan Coben about a great sports tradition and an enjoyable pastime. Only in America does a best-selling author of creepy novels get all misty-eyed about March Madness and write about it for Parade.

The Currys are one interesting, tight-knit basketball family. But, of course, not everyone is a fan of the Curry man-child that transferred to Duke. LOL. Only in America. Natch.

My two cents: Go 'Cuse!

In the photo: Stephen Curry who now plays in the NBA.

The Fake Educators and the Illegal Visas

My mamacita sent me this Miami Herald article about a small foreign-language school whose administrators were running the mother of all visa scams.

The operators of the Florida Language School - Lydia Menocal and Ofelia Macia - convinced the INS to grant over 200 visas to foreign nationals who didn't bother to go to class, although they were "fraudently" enrolled as students in the school.

The 'students' hailed from Japan, Honduras, Syria, Turkey, Venezuela, Thailand, etc. A truly diverse bunch of con artists. As of now, immigration officials don't know why these 'students' were in the United States.

The Herald article reminds readers that one of the 9-11 terrorists (who was in the USA on a student visa) was also a no-show California language school enrollee. Shudder.

Busted, Indeed

The goal of BustedHalo.com, which claims to be "powered by the Paulists" (an order of Roman Catholic priests), is to reach out and engage youthful spiritual seekers. Seems hunky-dory, no? Unfortunately, the web site/organization/mission also contains a component called "Busted Borders," which offers the sob-story view of illegal immigration.

Go here, and see for yourself.

Now observe by whom and why this video project is funded: "With the help of a grant from the Carnegie Corporation, BustedHalo.com began covering the issue of immigration in a unique way. Instead of contributing to the glut (What glut?) of coverage about immigration, BustedHalo is featuring stories by immigrants themselves about the issue. We distributed Flip video cameras to undocumented individuals and agencies across the country and asked them to start video blogging for a period of at least three months.

Busted Borders is an attempt to use the web’s unfiltered nature to move the immigration debate away from abstractions and statistics. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, we hope to give a personal glimpse into the humanity of these strangers in our midst. For reasons of safety, some of the participants have opted to keep their last names and locations secret."

How sweet of them to eagerly accomodate lawbreakers. How noble of them to care not a whit for the law-abiding neighbors in their midst who have been negatively impacted by undocumented terrorists, drug dealers, child molesters, etc. etc. How humane of them to not give the other side of the story.

But there's more. Two contributors (Dawn Eden and William Doino, Jr.) to BustedHalo smarmily took to task those colorful muckrakers - James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles - for the tactics the duo employed in exposing ACORN.

They even offer unsolicited advice to O'Keefe, encouraging him to return to school: "But if he (O'Keefe) is sincere about wanting to 'change hearts and minds,' he is far more likely to do so on a wide and lasting scale by finishing his graduate degree and living virtuously in the real world, than by trying to extend his 15 minutes of recognition as an Internet insurrectionist."

You think Eden and Doino would recommend that ... let's see .. the illegal folk (being immortalized in video clips on the web site they're affiliated with) do the right thing and quietly return to their countries of origin, instead of trying to achieve 15 minutes of fame by being 'Internet insurrectionists'?

Just wondering.

No Title Needed

(Populist) Thought for the Day

Considering the paperwork and fees involved in legal migration to the U.S., ain't that the truth? Sticker available here.

Unintentional Humor

Hat tip: Scenic Michigan.

Ernesto Guevara's Groupies

Among leftists and celebs, the revolutionary known as Che, who was born in Argentina, is an icon. Humberto Fontova writes about him here and discusses his legacy on Glenn Beck's show.

Assimilated American & Proud Cuban

This is part 3 of Marco Rubio's (who wants to be the next U.S. Senator from the Sunshine State) speech at CPAC. It is riveting and a beautiful tribute to his industrious parents.



Update: My mamacita, who attends Wayside Baptist Church in Miami, reports that Marco dropped by her church, yesterday, and, after the worship serivce was over, gave a 'personal testimony' about his faith.

Zogby: Hispanics Favor Enforcement, etc.

Dr. Steven Camarota writes: "While it is sometimes assumed that minorities, particularly Hispanics, favor increased immigration and legalization for illegal immigrants, a new Zogby survey finds that minority voters’ views are more complex. The poll of Hispanic, Asian-American, and African-American likely voters finds some support for legalization. But overall each of these groups prefers enforcement and for illegal immigrants to return home. Moreover, significant majorities of all three groups think that the current level of immigration is too high. These views are in sharp contrast to the leaders of most ethnic advocacy organizations, who argue for increased immigration and legalization of illegal immigrants. The survey used neutral language, avoiding such terms as 'amnesty,' 'illegal alien,' or 'undocumented.' "

Go aqui for more about this poll.

In Praise of the Serious Pujols

The March issue of ESPN, the magazine, is out, and the cover story is about how serious and hard-working a guy Albert Pujols is. And what an inspiring story it is. Besides being the best of the best in the MLB, Albert is a devoted family man and a humanitarian. His charity helps the poorest of the poor in the Dominican Republic (where the big guy was born). In the states, his community service is all about helping adults and kids with Down syndrome. (Dee Dee, Albert's wife, has a daughter, Isabella, who was born with Down syndrome.) Unfortunately, the article is not online, but here's a quote from Todd Perry, the director of his foundation, about the Pujols' annual trips to the Dominican Republic:

"There's one thing people should know about Albert and Dee Dee. They are among the people - the lice, the scabies. We've even seen leprosy. They are not the type of people who say 'You guys take care of this, we'll be by the pool.' It's remarkable to see someone of his stature humble himself the way he does."

More about the Pujols Family Foundation here.

Full disclosure: This blog's mascot, Albert the tabby cat, is named in honor of Mr. Pujols.

GW: Happy (Belated) Birthday

Poll results to the contrary, you've hardly been forgotten.



Since George Washington was an 'above parties' kind-of-president, here's a link to a HuffPo piece about him. (My tiny stab at bi-partisanhip or non-partisanship.)

And Rubio is a Gator and 'Cane

Besides Roy Beck, the second-most sensible person in this Wall Street Journal* piece (about the GOP courting Hispanic voters) is Marco Rubio, the candidate for the U.S. Senate in Florida. Rubio, whose mom and dad are Cubans, objects to having illegal aliens counted in the U.S. Census.

*Whose editorial page writers, cozy with Big Business, have been staunchly open-borders for quite some time - ugh.

Update: Donny Deutsch smears Candidate Rubio.

Border Wars: Of Coyotes & USBP

RE: The National Geographic Channel's show, "Border Wars" - my husband watched this episode (one scene dealt with a sting operation on a house in Nogales) and said it was outstanding. He said he thinks the Border Patrol agents are vastly underpaid* given how dangerous their jobs are (especially when you compare their salaries to what overpaid big kahunas in higher ed. make).

The next episode of "Border Wars" will air on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m.

*Base starting pay is around $37,000

Smith College Hearts Rachel Maddow

Well, well, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow will be the speaker for the Smith College (the all-gal college in Massachusetts) commencement.

A perfect fit.
Rachel, hanging with John McManus and William Jasper, of the John Birch Society at CPAC.

Bonus: Bill Jasper interviews J.D. Hayworth, the Republican, who is running against U.S Senator John McCain. Among other issues, the pair discuss amnesty.

Only Humble, Non-Gringos Should Apply?

It's not the ugly American, it's the arrogant American.

Fox News is reporting that an IT staffing firm, advertising for a technical writer, created an unusual help-wanted ad:

"Exelon is looking to provide these proposals to Chinese businesses, so someone who is respectful and understands Chinese culture is preferred. An arrogant American will not work well in this role."

Actually, arrogant people, of any ethnic background, are awful to work with and for.

The company has apologized for the tacky ad.

Constant Clash: Burqa & Western Society

The French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy, writing at The Huffington Post, wants the burqa banned (from public places) because “The burqa is not a dress, it's a message, one that clearly communicates the subjugation, the subservience, the crushing and the defeat of women.”

While I’m sympatico to the ‘woman aren’t chattel’ argument that BHL is making, and I don’t find the burqa a particularly attractive garment, unlike, say, a modest sari or a plain Amish dress, I don’t think Levy's argument is the appropriate reason to bar women of faith from covering their faces.

One of the commentators to Levy's piece, however, does makes the better case for burqa bans in non-Muslim societies.

Writes Joel Cohen: "People in Western society are not allowed to wear facial masks in public. Everyone has a civil right to be able to identify the person who sits next to him/her on a bus, or who shops next to him/her at the market, or who stops and asks for directions. This is a matter of civil security and civil peace, and has nothing at all to do with religion, ideology, Islam, Judaism, Christian Science, or any other such concern.

I do not think that in a democracy there are convincing arguments against the wearing of crosses, headscarves, turbans, yarmulkes, and other such accoutrements. People should be free to dress as they like, for tribal or religious or personal reasons. But masking the face is where the line must be drawn."

Agreed.

Laws, as Frederic Bastiat, another intellectual from France, once believed, should exist to protect an individual's person, property, and liberty. The proper role of government vs. social engineering.

Narcocorridos: Sing at Your Own Risk

Narco and immigration corridos are a controversial musical genre, popular in Mexico, which immortalizes the lives of drug dealers, gangsters, and illegal immigrants. Mexico's international reputation as a Narco State in song, if you will.

The music, as you can hear in this video, about the Tijuana cartel, comes across as folksy and upbeat.



But crooning about drug dealers can mean a soulful singer's death.

So, Jerry Kammer, writing for CIS, wants to know why Univision, the Spanish-language television station, “glorifies” narcocorridos by running their ads: "Jorge Ramos grilled the mayor of Juarez today on his Spanish-language television program, Al Punto. The Univision newsman expressed indignation at the unrelenting violence that drug traffickers have inflicted upon that border city across from El Paso. He asked why the mayor hadn’t resigned. Noting the five thousand killings in Juarez during the last two years, Ramos asked Mayor Jose Reyes Ferriz, 'Isn't that a terrible sign of failure?'

Here's a question Ramos should ask the business side of the Univision, especially those who sell advertising and schedule it into the network's programming: Why would you follow the Ramos-Reyes interview with an advertisement for the 'narcocorridos' that glorify the drug-trafficking life?"

What say you, Mr. Ramos?

Costa Rica Overwhelmingly Picks a Mujer

Laura Chinchilla Miranda just made history by becoming Costa Rica's first woman president. Ms. Chinchilla, an attractive 50-year-old who is a mother to a teenage son, is a protege of Oscar Arias, the Nobel Prize winner and former president of the country. She also speaks English as she attended Georgetown University.

Laura's politics are progressive-conservative. Interesting mix, and if you know anything about the small Central American, you'll agree she's representative of the views held by a majority of 'Ticos.' As this article points out, "But most Costa Ricans were reluctant to shake up the status quo in a country with relatively high salaries, the longest life expectancy in Latin America, a thriving ecotourism industry and near-universal literacy."

However, the libertarian candidate also did well, in this presidential election, which is in keeping with Costa Rica's freewheeling side.

But there's immigration trouble in paradise. Costa Rican officials are restricting visas to Jamaicans, due to a spate of serious problems with Jamaican gangs who have illegally entered the country.

Among the Orphans of the Earthquake

Doug Phillips, and the Vision Forum team, are in Haiti lending a hand and gathering information. Lots of pics and vignettes. Good on them, and all Americans who are going the extra mile for the homeless and hungry of this nation.

Now this story, that Doug brings up, is really interesting. Geraldo Rivera defended - very forcefully - the American missionaries who were accused of abducting Haitian children. He also lets the (very corrupt) Haitian government have it. Are these missionaries still in custody?



Update: Justice for the missionaries!

Que Chévere

U can buy these tees here.

Breitbart Wants to Control Narrative

The opening for this NPR feature is chuckle-worthy and funky: "The conservative online news entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart is, for the moment, doing little to dispel stereotypes about bloggers. During a recent visit to his home on the west side of Los Angeles, Breitbart, 41, is working from his own basement. Barefoot. At the beck and call of his own kids."

The piece talks about the Big Journalism, Big Hollywood, and Big Government websites.

Soldier & Baby Mum: When Worlds Collide

Hoover Institute Research Fellow Mary Eberstadt, willing to incur some public wrath, valiantly tackles a sacred cow: The American military's propensity for sending mommies off to war zones, and the consequences of such policies.

She writes, " ... American laws like most others delineate what kind of civilization ours is. And currently, ours is one in which military and political and cultural leaders appear to believe that there is nothing intrinsically wrong about deploying mothers away from their children and into the wars. This apparent near-consensus brings us to another reason the status quo has continued without public protest: because the parties that ordinarily might be expected to be paying attention to this military-social experiment have sidelined themselves for reasons of their own."

Read the whole essay, and ponder the titanic clash between equality and reality.

Update: Will Grigg has written about maternity and the military in "Leviathan's Orphans."

'Nother Update: A U.S. Serviceman, who lives in the Heartland, shared his thoughts with me on this one: "When I was in Iraq, there was even a mothers-of-young-children support group composed of soldiers who were mothers of young children, to help each other get through the deployment while missing their children. Now is that not sick and insane?

But there's not much criticism of it, in part because too many conservatives are just gung-ho about the military and are not willing to question anything about the military for fear of not supporting the troops. They seem oblivious to the fact that today's military is a PC-run organization."

'Nother, nother update: Pastor Baldwin discusses another troubling angle to this story - military women and rape.

Meet Joan of America

In her hometown of Dallas, Holly Dutton is known as "Joan of America," because of the one-woman, 18-month long campaign she conducted on behalf of the "Free Ramos and Compean" cause. (Which, as many of you know, had a happy ending.)


Ms. Dutton recently wrote TCC about another issue she is passionate about: "Since the news media always featured pro-illegal (alien) Catholic leaders, I wondered for a long time if ANY Catholics besides my family and friends and other fellow patriots in the pews opposed illegal immigration. Then this past year Father (Patrick) Bascio's book On the Immorality of Illegal Immigration came out. It is so dynamic and factual! Better yet, it was great to find out that a noted Catholic clergyman actually opposed illegal immigration! I want Father Bascio to know that there are lots of Catholics who really appreciate patriots among our leaders!"


"Joan of America" (on the left) with Jose Compean and his wife, Patty. Cindy, another friend of justice, is on the right.

Tebow Nation Debates Tebow

My blog about QB Tim Tebow, faith, and the pro-life commercial he's starring in during Super Bowl XLIV is live at Bigjournalism.com. Can this young man start a national conversation or what? Chime in!

Photo: Tim with my son, Wid III, at the Heisman Trophy press conference, in NYC, in December, 2008.



Update: Michael Walsh, Big Journalism's editor, says that the newbie site has already made the Technorati 100 list.

Immigrant Finds Spiritual Riches

Aurelio Barreto III, the Cuban-born creator of Dogloo, Inc. and a self-made millionaire, achieved the American dream through ingenuity and hard work. But that wasn't enough for him. Mr. Barreto was hungry for than money and 'wordly' successes. Here's what he shares:

"Why was I no happier now than before I’d graduated to the millionaire club? I started wondering what would happen if I were to die, and why I was even born. What was the point?

I was a responsible, moral man; I loved my family and prayed every night, but I had never heard the gospel nor did I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

In March 18, 1998, while visiting my children’s school (Woodcrest Christian in Riverside, California), I chatted with the school superintendent, Randy Thompson. He mentioned my daughter’s CoLene's faith, and I wondered out loud how a sixth-grade girl could possibly truly know God."

You can read the rest of his heart-felt story here, but some of you can already guess where this is going.

Mr. Barreto is also the founder of the C28* stores. A portion of the proceeds from purchases are donated to the ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ and Mercy Ships.

More about his spiritual odyssey in this interview.

C28 stands for the Bible verse Colossians 2:8 — “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”

Debra Medina for Texas

Debra Medina, a native Texan and a Republican, is running for governor of Texas. She could be dubbed the "Tea Party" candidate or the "9-12" candidate. Mrs. Medina, age 47, is a well-spoken nurse, mother, wife, rancher, and homeschooler. Here's her official campaign site. She has been endorsed by U.S. Border Watch. Photos from the Open Carry BBQ.

Video 1 is her being interviewed by two (somewhat snotty) establishment journalists. She more than holds her own explaining why she wants to eliminate the property tax and why she's not a "spoiler" (She has to face Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson in the March 2 primary.) and why she wants to court the Latino vote. Videos 2 and 3 are her interview with Alex Jones, the antithesis of a snooty pundit. Mr. Jones, and his callers, are very excited about Debra's candidacy.







Update: Pastor Chuck Baldwin does a little cheerleading for Debra.

'Nother update: Debra's interview with G. Beck, about truthing, forces her to clarify her comments.

I don't think D.M. answered that question very well (perhaps, she was trying to be diplomatic?) given what she later said. However, Glen seemed to be indulging in a game of gotcha, because he has admitted he does enthusiastically agree with her 'states right' message.

Be a Video Fellow at FIRE

Opportunity for an up-and-comer: “FIRE is seeking one energetic full-time Video Fellow to play an integral role in forwarding FIRE's mission using the canvas of video and the paintbrush of cutting edge technology. The position has been fully funded for one year.”

FIRE, btw, stands for The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. This is an exciting non-profit outfit whose mission it is to defend free speech, individual liberty, religious freedom, due process, and academic freedom on American college campuses.

One example of why this organization’s work is important is here. (This one has to do with the immigration debate.)

Another one is here.

Another one.

And another one.

The Dark Side of the 'School Culture'

Six months ago, a mother and her daughters, from County Clare, Ireland, arrived in the United States. They settled in quiet South Hadley, Massachusetts eager to experience American culture and live near the Irish relatives who made their home in the picturesque town. (South Hadley is in the western part of the Bay State. The real estate is pricey; it's also where Mount Holyoke College is located.)

Alas and alas. Pretty Phoebe Nora Mary Prince, the 15-year-old, committed suicide, earlier this month, apparently anguished over the cyberbullying, harassment and 'dating spats' she had experienced at her new high school, South Hadley High. Several (female) students were jealous that Phoebe had become the school's new It Girl and were incessantly picking on her. (Although one took it further and committed assault and battery by throwing an object at her.)

“Criminal harassment, stalking, and threats” are prohibited under existing Massachusetts' laws, but public officials are mum as to whether any of Phoebe’s tormentors will be criminally charged. Two students, however, have been disciplined by school officials.

Equally as tragic, it was Phoebe's 12-year-old sister who found the body.

For more, go here and here and here and here and here.

Phoebe's online obituary is here. She had so much going for her! What a shocking story.

Update: Sizeable public turn-out to discuss the bullying issue at South Hadly High School. If the problem is indeed that serious, with kids getting regularly assaulted, why aren't the cops ever called? What a lame response by the superintendent.

A Massachusetts attorney sent this comment: "If nothing else, these kinds of situations leads me to conclude that we made the right decision to home school and to send our children to schools that had more accountability than can be found in the government edu-gulags.

I often wonder if kids are nastier and more conscienceless than in the past. I suspect not, its just that in our wired, 24/7 society there is no escape from the buzzing of the bees in the hive. Certainly in our fragmented, value-free zeitgeist there exists reinforcement and validation for even the most unpleasant of behaviors. In this case, it does seem as though the worst of the tormentors were indeed sociopaths."

American Samoa, Football, & the Minimum Wage

Peter Schiff, who is running for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut and is a financial guru of sorts, videoblogged an interesting response to the interesting CBS/60 Minutes story about football in American Samoa and how federal government mandates (regarding the minimum wage) are destroying the tuna canning industry in this tiny, peaceful island. Peter is responding to the job issue, not the NFL issue.



Here's Part 1 and Part 2 of the original 60 Minutes story. "Football Island" can be watched in its entirety here. And don't those tough guys wearing lava-lavas (skirts) look adorable?

John Whitehead is Afraid, Very Afraid

Mr. Whitehead, a constitutional attorney and religious liberties champion, has written a fierce column about 'the state of the nation' in which he laments the surveillance culture, unemployment rate, unprotected borders, apathetic young Americans, a Congress whose lifestyle mimics those of Hollywood celebrities, global wars - all the ingredients for a 'perfect storm.'

Here's a part of it: " ... can freedom in the United States flourish in an age when the physical movements, individual purchases, conversations and meetings of every citizen are under constant surveillance by private companies and government agencies?

We are metamorphosing into a police state. Governmental tentacles now invade virtually every facet of our lives, with agents of the government listening in on our telephone calls and reading our e-mails."

Admittedly, he's too much of a realist (or a prophet?) to be doing cartwheels over the election of a Scott Brown.

Read the rest of his column here.

U.S. Cabbies are Hosts & Heroes

File this one under "only in America."

Ever watched "Cash Cab"? You know, the show where unsuspecting New Yorkers get into sly Ben Baily's taxi and become contestants in a quiz show. The questions Ben gets to ask range from super hard to fairly easy. It's always amazing to watch a solo passenger answer question after question, correctly. But, of course, the Big Apple, for all its quirks, is the home to more than a few well-read characters. The perfect locale for an engaging show which also features mobile and street shout-outs.

And it's also the perfect place for real-life dilemmas to occur in real-life taxi cabs driven by real-life drivers.

Last month Felicia Lettieri, of Italy, left $21,000 in a NYC cab.

Mukul Asadujjaman, an American-Bangladeshi cabbie, discovered the cash, and had to answer a question or two of his own:

Do I keep the money?

Or, do I return it?

He chose well. He chose wisely. In fact, he went the extra mile to track down the likely distraught passenger. Mukul drove 50 miles to return Felicia's handbag which, besides the money, also contained passports and jewelry.

He didn't even accept a reward.

Good on you, Mukul.

Spotlight on "Coach Nacho"

Ignacio Ramos (of Ramos and Compean) is making headlines again.

While his life has returned to some normalcy, thanks to President Bush's commutation of his prison sentence, the former Border Patrol agent still wants to clear his name.

Here's the scoop.

Kudos to Texans for Immigration Reform for stepping up to the plate to help out this pair of men (and their families), as well as to the supporter who gave Mr. Ramos a job, as well as to all the Americans who advocated on his/their behalf. It took a village to bring justice.

The government's zeal in prosecuting these two men (while ignoring these thousands of lawbreakers) is truly bewildering.

I Was a Trucker's Wife

My Belgrade-News column, about how the recession and shrinking manufacturing base, is negatively affecting the U.S. trucking industry, is here.

In the beginning: "For four years, my husband Wid worked as an over-the-road trucker.

Like the fella in the Johnny Cash song, he’s “been everywhere, man,” criss-crossing the country umpteen times.

First he worked as a company driver for Covenant Transport (The back of every Covenant truck carries a sign reading: “It is not a choice. It is a child.”); next he was an owner-operator with Landstar Ranger.

Despite the dangers of sharing the road with texting teenagers and the onerous government regulations (Truckers are required to keep a daily log book, and random inspections are not uncommon.), Wid thoroughly enjoyed owning an orange, white, and green Peterbilt 387."

Hubby even gave his truck a name - El Don. The previous owner was a nice gentleman from Missouri named Eldon.

The Social Networking Revolution

Check out this video!

BigJournalism.com

The visionary Andrew Breitbart, creator of Big Hollywood and Big Government, has launched another site. This one is called Big Journalism.

Mr. Michael Walsh, author of Hostile Intent and a New York Times bestselling author, is the editor.

And I joined Team Walsh/Breitbart as a contributor.

Here's my first piece.

Aren't all these alternatives to the MSM kewl?

The Ever Diminishing American Manufacturing Base

Jobs in northern Michigan are going South:

"Two dozen manufacturing jobs in Traverse City will be packed up and are moving to Mexico. The announcement comes from the parent company of Grand Traverse Stamping."

This particular plant stamps automotive electrical distribution systems' parts.

Just what we needed: More laid-off Americans, in the Wolverine State, filing for unemployment benefits, thanks to offshoring. Sigh.

Update: Speaking of Mexico, this story notes that the country had 69 murders in one day. One day? Shudder. A couple of these crimes were gasp-aloud-worthy.

The NBA Star and the National Anthem

Remember the Brandon Roy/Star Spangled Banner story? (Go here.)

I asked the Portland Blazers front office about it, last week, and here's what they said:

"Brandon no longer stands in the tunnel during the national anthem. He changed his pre-game routine the day that story came out."

January 1, 2010

and off to a New Year we go!

TCC will return on 1/4/10. Thanks for reading.

TeeHee

Spotted at WorldNetDaily

Silent Night, Holy Night

Merry Christmas! The Castillo Chronicles is taking a holiday break. Blogging will resume on Monday, 12/28.

For spiritual reading, on the eve of Christmas, don't forget Luke, Chapter 2.

For holiday music, here's my friend Carol MacDonald, blessed with a VOICE (and a delightful personality), performing in Handel's Messiah:



Amazing, no?

A Family Remembers Their Slain Son

From Bob and Bonnie Eggles' holiday newsletter:

"As we approach the 8th Christmas (8-9-02) without Kristopher, memories take us back to when he and Jennifer were little and all the beautiful moments we shared. Our loneliness is still evident, and the 'hole in our hearts' will never be healed, but days are easier now. There is more joy in our lives as we look forward and upward. Someday soon, we will be reunited with our beloved Kris and then life for us will be complete once again."

How sweet. How sad. The Eggles are the parents of the late Kris Eggle, the U.S. Park Ranger who was murdered, in the line of duty, at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument by an AK-47-toting drug cartel member. Kris was from Cadillac, Michigan and all of 29-years-old when he died in southern Arizona.

In the photo: Kris, as a little boy, with his sister, Jennifer.

Young Men Who Need Work

Phyllis Schlafly's latest column, about the unemployed and underemployed, includes this observation:

"Obama's promise to allow 20 million illegal aliens to stay in the United States is another broadside attack on the job prospects of young American men. Obama's immigration policy betrays our own black and white high school dropouts who desperately need entry-level and other minimum-wage jobs to start building a life."

BTW: Would you believe Phyllis is now 85 years young? She's been writing her syndicated column since 1976.

Aside: One of my co-workers told me, yesterday, that 100 people applied for the entry-level job (involving rental properties) her twenty-something son now holds. What an honor for him, but what an awful job market.

Cruel and Unusual Ways to Treat Kids

Government does education like they do immigration - very, very poorly. Here's a couple of examples ...

Milwaukee Public School assault and battery: Try pulling this cruel stunt on one of your co-workers, without their consent, and then flippantly excuse your action on "holiday stress." Ha!

Students should not be around that wack job of a teacher.

Massachusetts Public School Officials Inflict Emotional Distress: A teacher's assignment: Draw something that reminds you of Christmas. A little boy innocently drew (that picture you see) Jesus on the cross and got suspended! He was required to undergo a psych. evaluation, before he could return to school.

Good thing Rubens wasn't a student at that MA school which is run by hysterical rubes.

Dr. Dobson offers very good advice: Homeschooling can protect children from the wrong kind of socialization (and the wrong kind of teachers).

Why are so many Sooner State women in prison?

Charlie Meadows, longtime conservative activist who lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma, explains why the Sooner State leads the nation in the number of women in prison on a per capita basis: "The answer is really quite simple. We just have a lot of bad girls in the state, and we lock them up! We probably don’t have more bad girls in Oklahoma than in many other states, but we are tougher on crime than many other states.

Just this past week in central Oklahoma, we had three girls allegedly shoplifting. When confronted in a parking lot, they beat the female store employee so badly, she had to be hospitalized. In another event, a woman in Shawnee was accused of stealing an ambulance and leading police on a forty-mile speed chase, before she was apprehended. If found guilty, and especially if they have a previous record, these bad girls will probably go to prison."

Charlie, who has volunteered in inmate ministry, spoke up, because liberals in the Sooner state, along with Oklahoma's “we must be perceived as the best” propagandists, are indulging in the usual hand-wringing (and championing more taxpayer-wasting studies) to explain this incarceration stat.

FYI: 2,721 Sooner State women were imprisoned in 2008. 2,655 for 2009.

Girl Power: Linda Goldthorpe for Congress

Linda Goldthorpe is a pistol! She is running for Rep. Bart Stupak’s congressional seat in Michigan's 1st District

This pro-bono attorney is also pro-gun rights, pro-life, and pro-homeschooling. She's a mom and wife (her husband is a former U.S. Marine) who is a life-long resident of the Upper Peninsula. She describes herself as a “Ron Paul Republican." Her goal is to restore liberty and constitutional government to the country. Yahoo!

Here’s what Linda thinks about immigration: "It is outrageous that the American taxpayer is required by law to encourage and pay for the welfare of those who broke the law by entering this country—many of whom do not pay taxes. It is an insult to the millions who seek to enter this country legally, who must carefully conform to our immigration laws, that others can simply sneak in and be given free health care. It is an insult to our military that we leave ourselves wide open to attack from within while they are defending us overseas. It is an insult to law enforcement that they are required to aggressively pursue American lawbreakers while at the same time to let illegal occupants stay.

These are more than just insults. These are actions, not words. They are attacks. All of the energy the government spends supporting illegal immigrants comes at the expense of the American taxpayer."

Before she can go mano-a-mano with Stupak, she faces an August primary.

Video of Linda speaking at a Tea Party.

White Trash Chic

Carolyn Chute, the prolific novelist who writes about the working poor of the rural Northeast, lives in a Maine village with her illiterate handyman husband and several Scottish terriers. She also owns a cannon.

To describe this artist as 'eccentric' doesn't do her justice. That description is more fitting for the likes of a shallow clothes horse like Lady Gaga. (Although C.C. is making quite the fashion statement in this photo.)

Chute is a one-woman campaign against "The System." Her amenities-free homestead features, not a bathroom, but an outhouse. She's the founder of the 2nd Maine Militia, a non-partisan organization of working-class New Englanders who love guns but are suspicious of the Wall Street Journal and Wal-Mart. She also prefers the "grave silence" of woodsmen to yuppies who yap.

Indeed, the plain-spoken Chute is known for her off-the-grid wit and wisdom. Despite her literary successes, she remains unpretentious.

As she told the New York Times, “We’re poor, and we lead a very different kind of life. We depend on other people so much. They come and bring us vegetables or whatever, and sometimes they tell us their secrets."

As opposed to that fake 'man of the people' shtick that John Edwards attempted during his presidential campaign, Chute's populism is authentic.

Here's a link to her first gritty book The Beans of Egypt, Maine, which is about a hardscrabble family living in a depressed community. It was also made into a movie. (Beware: Kid-unfriendly content.)

Update: Here's my column on Chute.

Immigrant Gangsters Work Day Jobs

Take note of this 50-page report published by the Center for Immigration Studies, called: "Taking Back the Streets: ICE and Local Law Enforcement Target Immigrant Gangs."

Boy, is this one meaty and well-done and interesting! So interesting, in fact, that I highly recommend it to a college or high student who needs to write a paper (or needs information) for a social studies class or a criminal justice or communication studies course.

Written by Jessica M. Vaughn and Jon D. Feere, the study chronicles the growth of transnational immigrant gangs, like MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha), Surenos-13, and 18th Street. A large percentage of these immigrant gang members hail from El Salvador and Mexico.

The MS-13 gang, of course, is the most famous. It's also the most violent. The gang’s motto is “Kill, Rape, Control.” One estimate reveals there are 10,000 MS-13 members in the United States operating in drug and human trafficking, from coast to coast.

Interestingly, Maras, like other immigrant gang members who are Hispanic, work day jobs (construction, farming, landscaping, etc.). Recruitment of new members is done through the prison and school system.

Since 2005 ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has arrested 8000 gangbangers from over 700 different groups. Most of those arrested had crossed our border illegally.

If that stat isn't scary enough, you’d think that gang members would instantly be denied immigration benefits when they get caught in the act by our authorities. You would be wrong.

As CIS reports: “In one particularly striking case, a judge in Massachusetts blocked ICE efforts to remove a Salvadoran MS-13 member who had been convicted of relatively minor crimes, noting that because of his nationality and date of illegal arrival, the offender was eligible for TPS [temporary protected status], even though he had not applied for it. ICE did get a second chance, as the gangster later participated in one of the most horrifying crimes in the Boston area at the time, the gang rape of two deaf girls in a public park, one of whom had cerebral palsy and was in a wheelchair.”

Blood on that liberal judge's hands.

The authors of the report appear here in a video.

Inflation Association: Collapse is Coming

Rather than trying to do a clumsy job summarizing a spot on editorial, by the National Inflation Association, allow me to quote, verbatim, the first three paragraphs:

"On Friday it was announced by the Bureau of Labor Statistics that the U.S. unemployment rate in November declined from 10.2% to 10%. While the mainstream media would like you to believe we have seen a peak in unemployment and the worst of the economic crisis is behind us, we know that this dip in the unemployment number is phony and the recession is only beginning.

Although the unemployment number dipped in November, we still lost 11,000 nonfarm jobs. Unemployment fell by 0.2% only because the civilian labor force shrunk in November by 98,000 people. This means more people are becoming discouraged and giving up looking for jobs. When you combine both short and long-term discouraged workers who aren't included in the labor force along with those who are underemployed with part-time jobs, real unemployment in the U.S. today is nearly 22%.

The most important area of employment to look at is manufacturing jobs. Increasing manufacturing is the only way for our country to truly recover and build real wealth, because it will allow us to cut down on inflation by exporting real products instead of the money we print. Unfortunately, the U.S. lost 41,000 manufacturing jobs in November and has lost 2.1 million manufacturing jobs over the last two years."

I do appreciate the NIA's plea to expand our manufacturing base. How sad, though, that the reality, today, is shuttered factories throughout the once-glorious Rust Belt.

Please read the rest (warning: it gets gloomier) of the editorial. Hat tip to John P. for sending the link.

In Memory of Border Patrol Agent Rosas

Robert Rosas, who was murdered this past summer while patrolling the U.S.- Mexico border, is remembered in this op ed by D.A. King. D.A. operates the Dustin Inman Society blog.

He writes: "In November, Christian Daniel Castro Alvarez admitted entering the United States illegally from Mexico and killing Rosas. Other individuals suspected to be involved in the murder are still at large.

Maybe they made it into the interior of the United States. Maybe they've been rewarded with business licenses. Maybe they've been hired by an employer trying to save a buck or two on labor expenses. Maybe they will be given a traffic ticket for a broken taillight by an American policeman, and then sent on their way.

Maybe you soon will see some of them marching with other illegal aliens in American streets demanding taxpayer-funded health care, 'justice,' legalization - and U.S. citizenship."

That's the brutal truth and needs to be stated over and over again. Mr. Rosas was married and the father of two young children.

Thanks, D.A. for being a voice for those whose voices have been silenced.

The 75th Heisman: An American Icon

Who will be selected the most outstanding college football player in the United States?

Last night the five finalists for the 2009 Heisman Trophy award were announced. They are: Toby Gerhart (Stanford running back), Mark Ingram (Alabama running back), Colt McCoy (Texas quarterback), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska defensive tackle), and Tim Tebow (Florida quarterback).

For the past two years, I've attended the Heisman press conference in New York City. It was a pleasure to watch Tebow, the first homeschooler ever to be nominated for the award also be the first to win it. On my sidebar, I link to the orphanage that the Tebow family started in the Philippines - Uncle Dick's Home.

McCoy, who was also nominated last year, has also done humanitarian work abroad.

Ingram is from Flint, Michigan, and is the son of a former NFL player, and the odds-on favorite.

Suh has an exotic ethnic background. His mother is from Jamaica, and his dad is from Cameroon. He is also believed, by some, to be the best pro prospect.

Gerhart, in keeping with the scholastic powerhouse he attends, has the hardest major of the five: management, science, and engineering.

Congratulations to the fab five!


Sam Bradford, Oklahoma QB and last year's winner, doesn't strike a pose.

Update: The esteemed Heisman Pundit explains why he voted for Gerhart.

Update: Ingram becomes part of college football's most exclusive club.

The Over-Documented Terrorists

Worth repeating and remembering: "All nineteen terrorists on 9-11 were here illegally. Yet, they were able to procure 65 pieces of identification. They were not 'undocumented immigrants.' Rather they were over-documented imigrants."

- Deb Payne, author of the mini-essay "Mass Immigration: Identification"

Source: Common Sense on Mass Immigration

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