Excellent article on Powerline succinctly stating the beliefs of most Americans

John Hinderaker has a fantastic article at Powerline entitled "What the Base Thinks."  It is the clearest, shortest explanation I've read.  Read and savor.

Good Morning from Arizona

The Minute Chicks made it safely to Arizona yesterday afternoon.  After checking into the hotel, we enjoyed the swimming pool, and the very dry Arizona climate and gorgeous scenery.  The town we are staying at, Sierra Vista, is at the foot of some rugged hills, so the view is desert and high hills.  Add a clear blue sky, and a pina collada, and the result was some very happy Minute Chicks.

Later, we drove to the nearby town of Palominas where the Minuteman CDC operation will be head-quartered.  We ate at the Trading Post, which is a tiny little place in a tiny little town.  The food was great.  It is definitely worth planning lunch or dinner around if you are ever in the area.  There was a long list of homemade pies, but we decided to save that for pie and coffee sometime this afternoon.

We are light-hearted on this trip, but we are still doing serious work.  The border here is a rickety little one or two strand barbed wire nothing fence.  That's not any kind of a border as far as I'm concerned.  We did see some of the Border Patrol aerial surveillance equipment, which was interesting, but that is woefully insufficient for the sheer numbers of invaders crossing the border (rickety fence) here.

Today we will spend with other volunteers, to start the Minuteman Border Fence Project.  Tonight, we plan to post out on the now infamous Naco Line.  It will very interesting for us, since we understand that the operations are very different here than Texas.  I would imagine that operations must be tailored for each location if they are to be effective.

I was glad to note that Fox News has the MCDC as the lead story on its homepage.  Thanx Fox News! 


Cross-posted at: Minute Chicks Road Trip

200 Troops to the Texas Border

According to the Drudge Report, a whopping 200 National Guard troops are headed to the Texas border next week. I for one am completely disgusted at our government sending our warriors to do paperwork when we desperately need warriors on the border to guard our country. Get it? National Guard. Guarding the Nation..... ain't rocket science folks.

Cowgirl is en route to AZ, and you can keep up with the adventures of Cowgirl and the Minute Chicks at: http://minutechicks.blogspot.com/

Mark Steyn from Wasington Times

This is one of the best "immigration" articles I've read.  Read it and think about it.

From last Friday's edition of The Washington Times: "The Senate voted
yesterday to allow illegal aliens to collect Social Security benefits
based on past illegal employment."

    Well, I think that's the kind of moderate compromise
"comprehensive immigration reform" package all Americans can support,
don't you? Some mean-spirited extremist House Republicans had proposed
illegal aliens should receive 75 percent of the benefits to which
they're illegally entitled for having broken the law.

    On the other hand, President Bush had proposed illegal aliens
should also be able to collect Social Security benefits for any work
they had done in Mexico (assuming, for the purposes of argument, there
is any work to be done in Mexico).

    On the other other hand, Republican Sens. Trent Lott of
Mississippi and Ted Stevens of Alaska had added earmarks to the bill
proposing that the family of Mohamed Atta should be entitled to receive
survivor benefits plus an American Airlines pilot's pension based on
past illegal employment flying jets over the Northeast corridor on
Tuesday mornings in late 2001.

    Fortunately, the world's greatest deliberative body was able to agree on this sensible moderate compromise.


    Meanwhile, from the Associated Press: "Mexico warned Tuesday it
would file lawsuits in U.S. courts if National Guard troops detain
migrants on the border."

    On what basis? Posse Comitatus? It's unconstitutional to use
the U.S. military against foreign nationals before they've had a chance
to break into the country and become fine upstanding members of the
Undocumented-American community? Or is Mexico taking legal action on
the broader grounds that in America it's now illegal to enforce the
law? Which, given that Senate bill, is a not unreasonable supposition.

    Whatever. Under the new "comprehensive immigration reform"
bill (Posse Como Estas), a posse of National Guardsmen will be
stationed in the Arizona desert but only as Wal-Mart greeters to escort
members of the Illegal-American community to the nearest Social
Security Office to register for benefits backdated to 1973.

    Meanwhile, Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, in a
quintessentially McCainiac contribution to the debate, angrily denied
the Senate legislation was an "amnesty." "Call it a banana if you want
to," he told his fellow world's greatest deliberators. "To call the
process that we require under this legislation amnesty frankly distorts
the debate and it's an unfair interpretation of it."

    He has a point. Technically, an "amnesty" only involves
pardoning a person for a crime rather than, as this moderate compromise
legislation does, pardoning him for a crime and also giving him a cash
bonus for committing it. In fact, having skimmed my Webster's, I can't
seem to find a word that does cover what the Senate is proposing, it
having never previously occurred to any other society in the course of
human history. Whether or not, as Mr. McCain says, we should call it a
singular banana, it's certainly plural bananas.

    The senator raises an interesting point. In Confucius'
Analects, there's a moment when Zi-lu swings by and says, "Sir, the
Prince of Wei is waiting for you to conduct his state affairs. What
would you do first?" And Confucius say, "It must be the rectification
of characters." By "characters," he doesn't mean lovable characters
like Arlen Specter and Trent Lott, but "characters" in the
Chinese-language sense -- i.e., words. Confucius means that, if the
words you're using aren't correct, it becomes impossible to conduct
public policy. If you're misusing language, your legislation will be
false -- or, as Confucius puts it, your "tortures and penalties will
not be just right." When the "torture and penalty" for breaking U.S.
law over many years is that you get a big check from the U.S.
government that would seem to be an almost parodic confirmation of
Confucius' point.

    This is not an "immigration" issue. "Immigration" is when you
go into a U.S. government office and there's 100 people filling in
paperwork to live in America, and there are a couple of Slovaks, couple
of Bangladeshis, couple of New Zealanders, couple of Botswanans, couple
of this, couple of that. Assimilation is not in doubt because, if
you're a lonely Slovak in Des Moines, it's extremely difficult to stay
unassimilated.

    This is not an "illegal immigration" issue. That's when one of
the Slovaks or Botswanans gets tired of waiting in line for 12 years
and comes in anyway, and lives and works here and doesn't pay any
taxes, so the money he earns gets sluiced around the neighborhood
supermarket and gas station and topless bar and the rest of the local
economy, instead of being given to Trent and Arlen and Co. to toss into
the great sucking maw of the federal budget.

    But a "worker class" drawn overwhelmingly from a neighboring
jurisdiction with another language and ancient claims on your territory
and whose people now send so much money back home in the form of
"remittances" that it's Mexico's largest source of foreign income
(bigger than oil or tourism) is not "immigration" at all, but a vast
experiment in societal transformation. Indeed, given the international
track record of bilingual societies and neighboring jurisdictions with
territorial claims, it's not much of an experiment so much as a safe
bet on political instability.

    By some counts, up to 5 percent of the U.S. population is now
"undocumented." Why? Partly because American business is so
overregulated there is a compelling economic logic to employing
illegals. In essence, a chunk of the American economy has seceded from
the Union. But, even if you succeeded in reannexing it, a large-scale
"guest worker" class entirely drawn from one particular demographic has
been a recipe for disaster everywhere it's been tried.

    Fiji, for example, comprises native Fijians and ethnic Indians
brought in as indentured workers by the British. If memory serves,
currently 46.2 percent are native Fijians and 48.6 per cent are
Indo-Fijians. In 1987, the first Indian-majority government came to
power. A month later, Col. Sitiveni Rabuka staged the first of his two
coups.

    Don't worry, I'm not predicting any coups just yet. But, even
in relatively peaceful bicultural societies, politics becomes tribal:
loyalists vs nationalists in Northern Ireland, separatists vs
federalists in Quebec. Sometimes the differences are huge -- as
between, say, anything-goes pothead bisexual Dutch swingers and
anti-gay anti-drugs anti-prostitution Muslim immigrants in the
Netherlands.

    But sometimes the differences can be comparatively modest and
still destabilizing. Pointing out that America has a young fast-growing
Hispanic population and an aging non-Hispanic population, The
Washington Post's Bob Samuelson wrote, "We face a future of
unnecessarily heightened political and economic conflict."

    The key words are "unnecessarily heightened," In Europe, the
political class sowed the seeds of massive social upheaval for the most
shortsighted reasons. If America's political class wants to do the
same, it could at least have the integrity to discuss the issue in
honest terms.

    


    Mark Steyn is the senior contributing editor for Hollinger
Inc. Publications, senior North American columnist for Britain's
Telegraph Group, North American editor for the Spectator, and a
nationally syndicated columnist.

Don't just blame the President; there's plenty of blame to spread around

Tapscott's Copy Desk has a good article this morning, reminding the Conservatives, that they should ration a huge hunk of the blame regarding Congressional impotence on Congress.  Although in the majority, the Republicans have almost completely failed to do anything except act like Democrats.  Had they gotten behind their President, and steam-rollered the whining Democrats, many changes for the good would have occurred in the past 5 years.

My comment at TCD was as follows:  <i>Although I am a Minuteman, there is no one else I would rather have in the White House now than President Bush.  I cannot explain his border policy.  That completely stumps me.  But, when the chips are down and it all hits the fan, that man reverts to the Cowboy I voted for, and acts accordingly.

The Congress, on the other hand, except for a handful of people (my Texas Senators are 2 of the exceptions) are totally worthless.  This abomination of an immigration bill that they are working on, should be completely tossed out.  As should the Senators who hatched it.  They are selling out their constituents and their country.

Securing our borders and enforcing our laws has nothing whatsoever to do with "immigration."  It has everything to do with things like national sovereignty, national security, and repelling an invasion.</i>

TB:  http://haloscan.com/tb/tapscottm/114829525317148636

Sometimes it is better to do nothing and talk about it a whole lot

Paul at Power LIne has a good post on The Virtue of Being a "Do Nothing Congress."

He reports that while Fred Barnes contends that the House should pass an abomination of an immigration reform bill to match the Senate's bill,  Paul, to the contrary argues that the best chance of the GOP retaining House majority, is to make "sure that a Senate-style bill does not pass, and to campaign on the basis of (a) having blocked amnesty and inadequate border security provisions and (b) representing the only obstacle to that approach."  I would suggest that Paul is spot on.

No immigration reform is better than the mess the Senate has going.  It is worthy to note that immigration reform and securing the border and enforcing our laws do not necessarily have to go hand-in-hand.  Immigration has to do with people coming into this country legally.  Securing the border has to do with stopping people (and armies) from entering this country illegally for whatever reason (work, terrorism, free healthcare, etc.).  Enforcing our laws is what should be happening because we are a nation of laws, that is why we have laws. 

From Michelle Malkin, "Something doesn't seem right"

Michelle Malkin has a post about two young men from Saudi who hopped on a school bus in Florida.  The men are supposedly enrolled in the English Language Institute of South Florida, and gave police several different stories as to why they got on a high school bus.  Did they think perhaps that wearing a trench coat over shorts, and speaking Arabic as they trespassed on the bus would calm any of the kids down.

The article then goes on to detail the vast number of Saudis in Tucson AZ, as well as the Arizona/Saudi/9-11 connection.

TB: http://www.michellemalkin.com/mt/oct05-tb.cgi/4573

What goes around, comes around.....

This is pretty funny.  Gateway Pundit has a post about Fatah members torching two vehicles in Ramallah, belonging to al-Jazeera, because the incendiary news agency failed to  cover a Fatah rally.

Ya just gotta love it when something like this happens.

Kingdom of the Illegals

With this article, I am introducing a new character, Ali Obombu.

Kingdom of the Illegals by Paul Sperry sets forth chilling evidence that Islamofascists are attempting to convert Hispanic illegals by facilitating their illegal existance in this country.

Read the whole article, but here's a snippet:

This month's defeat of local politicians who built the equivalent of a day-care center for illegal Hispanic immigrants in a leafy Washington, D.C., suburb was a victory not just for immigration reformers but also anti-terror watchdogs.

Angry voters in Herndon, Va., swept out their bleeding-heart mayor and two of his allies on the town council and replaced them with candidates who are not expected to renew the lease of a controversial hiring site set up to help illegal aliens find work.

Lost in all the controvery, however, is the more disturbing fact that the site -- a covered building featuring picnic tables and bathrooms -- was founded by a Muslim charity with ties to suspected Saudi-backed terror front groups. Its town operating permit won't expire until the fall of 2007, allowing the group not only time to aid and abet hundreds more illegal immigrants, but possibly recruit
them.

The hiring center -- called the Herndon Official Workers Center -- is a charitable front for da'awa, or Islamic outreach to non-Muslims. Local law enforcement officials say the Saudis see new Hispanic arrivals to America as particularly ripe for conversion to Islam, and have even added an annex to their madrassa in another Washington suburb to help indoctrinate the beholden immigrants.

Years ago the Saudis and their Wahhabi lobby set up a terror-support network in Northern Virginia, right across the Potomac from the White House. Not coincidentally, Northern Virginia now boasts the fastest-growing Muslim population in the nation. Immigrants from the Middle East are flocking there, along with immigrants from Mexico and Central America attracted by a local construction boom. Authorities fear the demographic convergence is facilitating the religious conversion of possible future Jose Padillas.

On any given day, Hispanic day-workers can be seen loitering in convenience store parking lots up and down Route 7 (known by authorities as the "Wahhabi corridor") hoping to get picked up for odd jobs. Some of those jobs have included facilitating Muslim terrorists. Hispanic illegals at a 7-11 in Falls Church turned a quick buck by helping the 9-11 hijackers obtain fake
IDs.

Catch & Release..... Si?

Tip leads Border Patrol to 91 illegal entrants in truck. You think maybe this is all escalating? If the BP only catches 1/4th of the invaders, that means around 300 made it safely. Note the article mentions that the invaders were from Mexico and Central America. Guess who has training camps in Central America?

Meanwhile, our esteemed Senate screws around passing one senseless amendment after another to a bill which should never have been born, and our borders remain unsecured during the GWOT.

It's just great that the President said he is sending 6000 troops to the border. It's too bad that they aren't there, and even if they were, their hands will be just as tied as the Border Patrol agents'.

Mass insanity inside the Beltway? Yep.

Are we in big trouble? Yep.

Juan Waytrip says "Muchas gracias, U.S. Senate"

This is the letter I sent to Sen. Frist after receiving his email update (below) of this week's events in the Senate regarding the border/immigration.

Sen. Frist,
Thank you for your email update on this week's abominations relating to border security/immigration.

I believe our southern border is approx 2000 miles long.  Congratulations on authorizing fencing for 350 miles.  I'm sure that will help a lot.

Also congratulations on passing Sen. Cornyn's amendment excluding criminals from obtaining legal status.  I also note that in another amendment, illegals who have committed identity theft and numerous instances of fraud related thereto, are to be rewarded with full credit in our Social Security system for wages reported on said stolen identity.  So, do I understand that fraudulent use of a social security number is no longer a crime?  Or does this apply to non-citizen felons onlyl?

On its face, the amendment adopted restricting green card validation to employer sponsored applications sounds reasonable.  Why do I think there must be another amendment to negate this amendment?

I am completely disgusted with the Senate.  Sadly, my Sen. Cornyn appears to be Don Quixote trying to do what is necessary to actually solve this problem and the rest of you being the windmills flapping in the wind and stirring up a lot of hot air.

It would be far better for all of you, politically, to rescind the posse comitatus law to allow for troops to defend our border, and go for sealing the border and enforcing the laws we already have, rather than passing a bill that appears to be the biggest piece of BS I have ever seen.

You might remind your fellow Senators that your conservative constituents are not stupid.  We are livid at what has occurred in the Senate this past week, and consider that you are not only selling out your constituents, but also selling out your country.

Please, just secure the border and enforce the laws we have.  Everything else can wait until a non-election year, so that maybe the legislation wouldn't spell the end of our country as we know it.

Here is the text of Sen. Frist's email to me.  Look at the incredible spin on these issues!

Before Easter, the Senate began debate on a comprehensive immigration reform bill, and Republicans were prepared to strengthen the legislation with amendments making the American people safer and more secure. 

Shortly before recess, however, Democrats refused to allow any amendments.   For an issue this complex, important and controversial, that was simply unacceptable. 

My Republican colleagues and I refused to allow tactics of partisan obstruction to stand in the way of achieving meaningful immigration reform.  And when the Senate resumed consideration this week, we began offering amendments that have vastly improved the bill.

I invite you to take the opportunity to read through a few of the Republican amendments that passed with my support this week -- and consider how comprehensive immigration reform legislation might have looked without them.

Bill Frist

The Senate adopted an amendment by Senator Sessions that would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to construct at least 370 miles of triple-layered fence and 500 miles of vehicle barrier at strategic locations along the southwest border.

The Senate approved an amendment by Senators Kyl, Graham, Cornyn and Allen to close a loophole in the bill that would allow criminal aliens to obtain legal status.  The amendment clarifies that any illegal alien who is ineligible for a visa, or who has been convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors, is ineligible for a green card.

The Senate voted in favor of an amendment by Senator Inhofe to require that English be declared the national language of the United States.  It also provides that the English language is the default language for government communication and that no person has a right to have the government communicate in any language other than English unless otherwise authorized or provided by law.  The amendment also establishes goals for the redesign of the ongoing naturalization exam requiring that those taking the test demonstrate an understanding of English and of American history.  Lastly, the amendment would change provisions in the bill that allow an unauthorized alien to meet the current English language exam by enrolling in an English language class.

The Senate adopted an amendment by Senator Cornyn to strike the ability of future temporary workers to obtain a green card by self-petitioning for one.  Green cards could only be obtained if an employer sponsored the application.

President Bush Sends the Ultimate in Border Control

I'm sorry. I just simply couldn't resist posting this pic. No clue to whom the credit for it should go, but this was my biggest chuckle of the day, thus far.

English is now officially the official language of the US....duh....

The Senate passed the imhofe amendment yesterday, making English our official language.  To clarify that mind-blowing concept, the Senate also enacted the translation provided by Democrat Ken Salazar that "English is the common and unifying language of the United States that helps provide unity for the people of the United States."

Yes, that certainly helps explain the parts of "English is the official language" that I didn't understand.

It's really scary that these guys have the jobs they do.

Hat tip:  Powerline

So that's what I've got: Conservative Battle Fatigue

There is a great post at Tapscott about "Conservative Battle Fatigue."  Wow!  I think that's what I have.  Read it and see what you think.

Officially weighing in as one very disappointed Cowgirl

UPDATE: Having had several days to think about things, and cool off, I've deleted some of my original post here. All we can do is the best we can do, and everything is in God's hands anyway. The best I can do is to continue with the faxes/emails/letters/phone calls, etc. to my elected officials, and work very hard on the border fence being built by MCDC. Everything else is out of my hands.

Original post minus some whining....
Well, it's official.  My President has let me down in a big way.

There was nothing new in his speech last night.  And there are no additional troops on the border this morning.

I am disgusted that the President is still lumping immigration and invasion into the same category.  I am livid that the Guard units, should they ever actually get to the border, will be backing up the Border Patrol, rather than enforcing the border militarily, with the BP cleaning up what traffic manages to evade our troops.

Clearly, the President .... my President .... the one I have supported, campaigned for, voted four times for ..... is completely out of step with the people like me, who have supported him, campaigned for him, and voted for him.

I will support John Cornyn in his next election, assuming he holds tough to his current position on the border issue.  I will not be voting for Kay Bailey Hutchinson unless she switches to Cornyn's position.  Art Loux is a Minuteman, and I will be supporting him until and unless KBH gets serious on enforcing the borders.  Rick Perry is toast in my book....milquetoast.  Unless he gets with it on the borders, I'm voting for Kinky.  At least Kinky will be an interesting governor. 

Trying to keep busy

I'm working outside today.  Trying very hard to keep busy and not worry about what the President will or will not say in his address this evening.  I truly hate being disappointed in someone I respect, and so, I am experiencing gut-churning anxiety over this.

Not reading the blogs today.  Just ran inside for a sandwich, and decided to do one quick post.

More tomorrow.  If I'm able.

Close, but no cigar

The AP reports that the plane bearing the immense weight of Sen. Swimmer Kennedy was struck by lightning, but..... the plane landed safely.

Happy Mother's Day

Well, it's 6:18 a.m. and I have finished reading my usual blogs.  As best I can tell, things are pretty much "on hold" until the President's speech tomorrow night.

With that in mind, Cowgirl will be spending today just as she did yesterday.... outside.

Have a great Mother's Day, ya'll.

Rules of War? Possibly inapplicable to GWOT?

Wretchard at the Belmont Club, has a great article about how the Rules of War apply when the enemy has no regard for any "constraints whatsoever."  You will probably find yourself pondering this issue for a while.

Great Minds etc.

John Hinderaker at Powerline has some free advice for President Bush's speech the coming Monday night.  I love it!  Sounds like something I would have said.  Come to think of it, I did say it.

Oh My Gosh! This article is a perfect summation of our govt being stuck on stupid!

Hold the presses!  Stop whatever you are doing, and read this article.  NOW!

Listen to the Glenn & Helen (Instapundit) interview

If you haven't listened to the Glenn and Helen Show (Instapundit) where they interview both Ken Mehlman and Michael Baron, you should do so now.  Click here for the dialup download.

The really bad part of this interview was the part with Ken Mehlman.  Clearly, the GOP just doesn't "get it" relating to the border issue.  They simply don't understand that WE KNOW that every day our border remains unsecured, the problem is worse by thousands more invaders crossing the border.  Everything Mehlman said was, "...we are going to do..." this and that, but what are they doing NOW?

I can not afford a Democratic administration or Congress.  The good news is that I would be on a news fast for as long as it takes to get rid of them, but I just really don't want to vote on the basis of, our guys are sucking watermelons, but the Dems are worse.  I would like something positive upon which to base my vote.

However, if the borders are not secured, and I mean SOON, I will have to determine that the GOP is not listening, and aren't going to listen, and are somehow simply clueless.

The GOP must secure the border NOW!  The rest of it can wait.

Two Really Trying Days

Yesterday started out good.  Cowboy and I loaded a steer up and took him to the processor.  The steer loaded easily, actually stunning us by just jumping into the trailer.

When we returned to the ranch, Cowboy counted cows and determined there were 2 missing.  He found one of them, way up in one of the woodlots, with a calf half born and stuck.... it was in poor formation, meaning not all the bits that should have been sticking out were, in fact, sticking out.  So we called the vet to come out, as this was a mess beyond our capabilities. 

While waiting for the vet, we found the other cow, and her newborn calf.  No problem there, and we played with the little calfie for a little while.

Finally, the vet arrived, and the situation deteriorated rapidly.  I will spare you the details, but suffice it to say, the calf did not come out in one piece.

Just as we had finished up with this horrid situation, here comes another cow high-tailing it to the woodlot with a big bubble sticking out of her.  She wanted nothing to do with us, so we let her be, and she delivered a little calf with no problems.

So three little calfies in one day, which means the bull must have had a grand time one day about nine months ago.

Well, that was yesterday.

Today, bright and early, I took off to pick up Cowchild from college so he could come home between semesters.  Despite getting stuck on 2 lane roads behind some incredibly slow traffic, and two construction zones, I made good time and actually arrived a little earlier than planned.  Cowchild had been instructed to be ready to toss his stuff in the car and jump in.  Which he did.

We then had to drive to the metroplex for his orthodontist appointment, and I had my own list of errands to run while in the city.  All went well, and we finished everything in record time, and got back home, with 300 miles added to the odometer today.

So, two busy days, and no time to blog.  Maybe I will be able to get to it tomorrow.

More on Border Patrol/Mexican Government connection

Michelle Malkin has more information on the contradictory stories about Border Patrol officials informing the Mexican government about Minuteman activities.  Read the post and decide for yourself who is and is not lying.

Trackback:  http://www.michellemalkin.com/mt/oct05-tb.cgi/4512

US Taxpayer Money to Terrorists

So, now we are going to support the "government" of Hamas?  What happened to "no aid to terrorists"?  What happened to consequences?

Dafyyd at Big Lizards has a good analysis. 

TrackBack URL for this hissing: http://biglizards.net/mt32/tiddledywink.cgi/743

Border Patrol says report inaccurate

On the US Customs and Border Protection website, a statement was issued today regarding the story by the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin alleging that the BP was tipping off the Mexican government as to the activities of the Minuteman CDC.  Read it and see what you think.

Minuteman Song

I was given permission to post this link to a great song written by a young Minuteman.

The melody is great, and the lyrics accurately portray what it is like to be out in the middle of nowhere at night, with God knows who headed your direction.

Listen and enjoy.  http://freebore.net/minuteman.html

US vs. US Patriots

I have long since suspected this, but it makes me very sad.

U.S. tipping Mexico to Minuteman patrols
By Sara A. Carter, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
While Minuteman civilian patrols are keeping an eye out for illegal border crossers, the U.S. Border Patrol is keeping an eye out for Minutemen -- and telling the Mexican government where they are.

According to three documents on the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site, the U.S. Border Patrol is to notify the Mexican government as to the location of Minutemen and other civilian border patrol groups when they participate in apprehending illegal immigrants -- and if and when violence is used against border crossers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants' rights are being observed.

"It's not a secret where the Minuteman volunteers are going to be," Mario Martinez said Monday.

"This ... simply makes two basic statements -- that we will not allow any lawlessness of any type, and that if an alien is encountered by a Minuteman or arrested by the Minuteman, then we will allow that government to interview the person."

Minuteman members were not so sanguine about the arrangement, however, saying that reporting their location to Mexican officials nullifies their effectiveness along the border and could endanger their lives.

"Now we know why it seemed like Mexican officials knew where we were all the time," said Chris Simcox, founder of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. "It's unbelievable that our own government agency is sending intelligence to another country. They are sending intelligence to a nation where corruption runs rampant, and that could be getting into the hands of criminal cartels.

"They just basically endangered the lives of American people."

Officials with the Mexican consulate in Washington, D.C., could not be reached for comment Monday.

Martinez said reporting the location of immigrant apprehensions to consulate representatives is common practice if an illegal immigrant requests counsel or believes they have been mistreated.

"Once an illegal alien is apprehended, they can request counsel," he said. "We have to give their counsel the information about their apprehension, and that includes where they are apprehended, whether a Minuteman volunteer spotted them or a citizen."

Martinez said Mexico's official perception of the civilian groups is that they are vigilantes, a belief the Border Patrol hoped to allay by entering into the cooperative agreement.

One of the documents on the Web site, "Actions of the Mexican Government in Relation to the Activities of Vigilante Groups," states that Mexican consulate representatives stay in close contact with Border Patrol chiefs to ensure the safety of migrants trying to enter the U.S., those being detained and the actions of all "vigilantes" along the border.

"The Mexican consul in Presidio also contacted the chief of the Border Patrol in the Marfa Sector to solicit his cooperation in case they detect any activity of `vigilantes,' and was told to immediately contact the consulate if there was," according to the document.

"Presidio" refers to Presidio County, Texas, which is in the Big Bend region and a gateway to northern Mexico.

The document also describes a meeting with San Diego Border Patrol sector chief Darryl Griffen.

"(Griffen) said that the Border Patrol will not permit any violence or any actions contrary to the law by the groups, and he is continuously aware of (the volunteer organizations') operations," according to the document. "Mr. Griffen reiterated to the undersecretary his promise to notify the General Consul right away when the vigilantes detain or participate in the detention of any undocumented Mexicans."

The documents specifically named the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and its patrols, which began monitoring Arizona's southern border in April 2005, as well as Friends of the Border Patrol, a Chino-based nonprofit.

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing more than 10,000 Border Patrol agents, said agents have complained for years about the Mexican consulate's influence over the agency.

"It worries me (that the Mexican government) seems to be unduly influencing our enforcement policies. That's not a legitimate role for any foreign nation," Bonner said, though he added, "It doesn't surprise me."

Border Patrol agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin said they have been asked to report to sector headquarters the location of all civilian volunteer groups, but to not file the groups' names in reports if they spot illegal immigrants.

"Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens," said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. "We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls."

The document also mentions locations of field operations of Friends of the Border Patrol, which patrolled the San Diego sector from June to November 2005. Mexican officials had access to the exact location of the group founded by Andy Ramirez, which ran its patrols from the Rough Acre Ranch, a private property in McCain Valley.

Ramirez said that for safety reasons, he disclosed the location of his ranch patrol only to San Diego Border Patrol and law enforcement officials. The group did not apprehend or spot any undocumented migrants in that area.

"We did not release this information ... to the media or anyone else," Ramirez said. "We didn't want to publicize that information. But there it is, right on the Mexican government's Web site, and our government gave it to them."

Censure Jimmy Carter.... kinda has a nice ring to it....

Robert A. Hahn at RedState has a great article about censuring Jimmy Carter.  There is also a website regarding same.  I like the idea, even if I did make a pot of money on investments during the Carter Administration, because the interest rates were twenty something percent!!!!


UPDATE: Seaspook has more on this.

Even al-Qaeda knows they are getting stomped

Documents uncovered in Iraq clearly show that the al-Qaeda terrorists know the jig is pretty much up.  They are about out of volunteers, and further terrorist actions, risk killing what remain of their supporters in the general public.

You probably won't hear much about this in our free press, which apparently wants us to lose this war, so you might want to read all about it at Captain's Quarters.

Trackback:  http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/6943

Radio Blogger interview with VDH

Radio Blogger has both the mp3 and the transcript of an interview with the esteemed Victor Davis Hanson regarding the letter from Iran's crazed president, and about the situation in Darfur.  VDH, as always, is brilliant.

You go, Israel!!

AP reported that Vice Premier Shimon Peres (of Israel) said that "... the president of Iran should remember that Iran can also be wiped off the map."  Glad the Israelis are confirming my conviction that they will not wait around for the world to deal with Iran.

Smuggling Town

There is a sickening article in the Star Telegram today about Altar, Mexico, a town at the end of a private 60 mile tollroad, both town and road existing for only one purpose:  to provide a staging area for illegals to cross into the U.S.  The title to the story pretty much says it all:  "Like a big Wal-Mart for smugglers."

Read the whole thing and then send out some hot emails/faxes/phone calls to your elected representatives.

HH Still Believes the Map will be Painted Red

Hugh Hewitt's article: Timing is Everything: Painting the Map Red, is an upbeat account of how the Administration is turning lemons into lemonade, along with an interview with Larry Kudlow about his recent interview with the President, who Larry deems to be in excellent fighting form.

If you want a little upbeat news analysis, read the article.


And for further upbeat, enjoyable reading, check out Daffyd's recent analysis at Big Lizards.

(Note: In case I screwed up the link to the article I was referring to, I added the general Big Lizards blog link.)

Cowgirl's Saturday News Roundup

I'm singularly uninterested in the news of the world today, being much more interested in helping plan the upcoming Minute Chicks Road Trip.  So, not wanting Cowgirl to slip to the bottom of the blogrolls, I am quickly going to run through the more interesting items in the Drudge Report with a biting comment or two.

1.  China Makes Artificial Rain for Beijing - without bothering to read anything but the headline, my first thought is, "Cool."

2.  Gov. Arnie is blaming Congress and the White House (a building?) for immigration protests.  Wonder what he would say if the Feds had rounded up all the illegals at those protest marches and sent them back to their homeland du jour?

3.  Plame gets $2.5 million advance on book deal.  So, I guess it does pay to betray your country.

4.  Gore promotes his ultimate action movie.  Right.

5.  City wants to invoke eminent domain on Walmart property.  Hope Walmart gets their lawyers on this, and takes it all the way back to the Supremes.  Seriously bad Supreme Court ruling that stomps the hell out of the Constitution.

6.  Bush says fight against terror is WWIII.  No shit.

7.  Moscow media says Cheney's speech marks new cold war.  Well, fine.  We kicked your ass the last time around, and you lost most of your territory; we can do it again.

8.  Students protest McCain at NY college.  Works for me.

9.  Panic as HIV cluster is discovered at resort.  Don't even want to read that article today.

10.  Stuff on Kennedys.  Who cares?  It's not like any of them will ever see the inside of a courtroom.

11.  Mission Impossible III made a bunch of money, and was disappointing.  Yawn.

12.  Nightmare on Downing Street.  Sorry about that, Tony.

Well, that's it.  Back to trip planning.

Out of Control!!!

The New York Slimes is reporting that the Senate has approved an emergency supplemental spending bill far in excess of what the President requested to cover expenses for Hurricane Katrina damage and the war in Iraq, which excess is without a doubt... pork. 

The House Republicans are reported to be holding a hard line against adding pork to the supplemental funding, and one can only hope they continue to do so.

Shall we take this pork, one strip of bacon at a time?

1.  $289 million to compensate emergency workers who might be injured by experimental flu vaccines.  So don't take the experimental flu vaccine.  What happens to the money if no one is injured by the vaccines?  Don't emergency workers have insurance?  This is ludicrous!

2.  $1.6 billion for levees in Louisiana.  Is Louisiana going to rake in yet another pot of gold designated for the levees, when there have been hefty amounts of tax dollars sent to Louisana for decades, all designated for levee work, which no one in the State is able to account for?  Look.  Instead of insulting our intelligence, why don't they just say, "Hey, we are giving $1.6 billion to Louisiana?"

3.  $30 million for Gulf Coast election assistance.  What the hell is this?  Texas is on the Gulf Coast.  We seem to be able to run elections without assistance.  Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi seem to be able to handle elections as well.  Louisiana has far less voters now than before Hurricane Katrina, since many residents of New Orleans are now living in States where elections do not require assistance.  Florida seems to be the main election-challenged state, but somehow I doubt any of this money is allocated to Florida.

4.  $30 million for forest projects.  For $30 million, you could plant trees from sea to shining sea. 

I would say that the Senate is spending money like drunken sailors, but that would unfairly disparage sailors, sober or drunk.  So, what I will say, is a warning to Republican senators.  We did not send you to Washington to spend money.  Would you kindly put a sticky note on the inside of your front door with a reminder to strap on a set of cajones before leaving for the Capitol every morning?

New York Slimes article

Vehicular Accidents Cause Memory Loss in Certain Families

Maybe it's a genetic thing.  Maybe it's a genetic "we are above the law" thing.  Maybe it's a genetic "we can't drive worth a shit" thing.  Whatever it is, apparently Rep. Patrick Kennedy, like his father, Sen. "Swimmer" Kennedy, not only seems unable to avoid driving into things like large bodies of water or concrete barriers, but also suffers from memory loss following motor vehicle accidents.

According to Rep. Kennedy's statements, at some point around 2:45 Wednesday morning, he sleep-walked to his car and crashed same into a barrier on Capitol Hill.  According to Capitol Hill police, he seemed disoriented after the crash.  Kennedy told Capitol Hill police that he was late for a "vote."

This brings to mind a much more serious MVA many years ago, when Sen. Swimmer Kennedy drove his car off a bridge in the middle of the night, leaving a young woman to drown inside the vehicle while he allegedly swam back to his hotel, went to bed, and had no recollection of the mishap.

So, here we have further evidence, of unwillingness to take responsibility for ones actions, and yet members of this family continue to be elected to positions of great responsibility.  If nothing else, and at the very least, it seems clear that these people should not be allowed to drive.

Story here

New Blog Roll in Support of the MCDC

If you support the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, please contact Texas Fred to add your site to his new Blogroll, The Minuteman Volunteers Blog Roll, at http://minuteman-volunteers.blogspot.com/

Americans want immigration laws enforced!

RedState reports that the new Zogby poll reflects that "Americans prefer the House of Representatives' enforcement-only bill by 2-1 over Senate proposals to legalize illegal immigrants and greatly increase legal immigration."

You folks in D.C. gettin' a clue yet?

Cowgirl added to CQ's 101st Fighting Keyboardists!

Gosh!  I was afraid the Captain wasn't going to add me to his list on the new blogroll.  Looks like he was just overwhelmed with submissions for the roll.  Anyway, Cowgirl has now been added to the list.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio.... My Hero!

You've just gotta love this guy!
 
"CBS 5 NEWS) - Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio announced that approximately 100 volunteer posse and Sheriff's Deputies will soon begin randomly patrolling the desert areas and main roadways in southwest Maricopa County as a part of an operation to curb the flow of illegal immigrants entering the county."

Read the whole article!


 

Yikes! The Snakes are Out!!

Living in the country is always interesting. When the feet hit the floor in the morning, you have no clue what the day holds in store. This is true, of course, no matter how or where you live your life, but the more critters one deals with on a daily basis, the more potential for things to happen.

When I was on Minuteman duty in South Texas last month, the rattlesnakes were just "waking up." Almost everyday, someone killed a rattlesnake. I hate snakes... especially rattlesnakes.

Once home, in my generally rattlesnake-free black dirt, I have seen snakes several times a week. It is very disconcerting, as, in my mind, all snakes are bad. So, I have taken to carrying my Glock in my holster whenever I am out in the barn, or working around the property. Quite a few snakes have been rapidly dispatched when they made the fatal error of letting me see them.

Normally, I am a pretty good shot. Yesterday, however, I could not for the life of me, shoot this really huge snake's head off. The thing looked like Swiss cheese when I finally figured it was dead, but try as I might, I could not hit the head. Just ruined my whole day.

Then came the wireless internet technician. He determined that the outside dish will have to be moved so I can have uninterrupted internet service. However, when he left, I had no service at all, except dial-up, because he had apparently monkeyed around with all the settings, thereby leaving me to the mercy of dial-up, until they get around to moving the dish. So, whatever part of my day that wasn't ruined by not being able to shoot straight, was totally ruined by being stuck with dialup. Oh yes, and did I say, that it is a dialup that disconnects about every 5 minutes?

Today, is a better day. Have seen no snakes. I still have dialup though, and no word from tech support as to their ETA on repairing the highspeed internet service.

Perhaps I should just mix a pitcher of margaritas, and take the day off?

"Republicans running on empty"

Concise analysis by Cal Thomas at RealClearPolitics.  I don't usually agree with Cal Thomas, but he is spot on here.  Read this article!

Legal immigrants want to be Americans but illegal aliens do not!

Good article by James Pinkerton at Newsday, "Wall buillders are winning the debate," in which he points out that not only did the intimidation of Americans by illegal aliens demanding citizen-rights not work, but it stiffened our resolve to rollback the policies of the "limousine-liberals" who founded the Great Society in the 1960's and have continued to foul things up ever since.

The combined result is that Americans will demand that legal immigrants become Americanized.

My comments:  This article is another example of comparing apples and oranges, with legal immigrants and illegal aliens being lumped into the same category.  Here is the key.  Legal immigrants want to become Americans, which is why they have spent thousands of dollars, submitted enough paperwork to sink a battleship, endured numerous background and health checks, and waited years (sometimes decades) to be allowed into this country.  As to the illegal aliens among us, who have been disregarding our laws since they stuck their first toe over the border, these people could care less what laws are passed, because they will continue to disregard our laws, with their toughest consequence being deportation, if they are caught.  In other words, illegal aliens are illegal.  What part of that very simple truth is so hard to understand?

Now, off for a day of shopping

To do my part in protesting against the anti-American protestors, I am off for a day of shopping.  This is going to be fun!  And yes, I will be wearing my Minuteman polo shirt!!

UPDATE: The only person who even batted an eye at my Minuteman shirt, was my cousin, who, the instant she saw me, screamed, "What are you trying to do? Get killed?"

Anyway, the stores were busy, but the roads had unusually light traffic. That actually made me feel pretty good, not only because the drive was not a "nail-biter," but also knowing that probably most people on the road had insurance. LOL!

New blogroll at CQ

Being a big fan of Captain Ed's, and hoping that I have sufficient insight and sense of humor to qualify, I've requested to be added to the Captain's new blogroll, The 101st Fighting Keyboardists.  Captain Ed's explanation of the new blogroll can be found here.

Hat tip:  Ace in the Hole

Even the London Times says We may have to bomb Iran

The American Thinker picked up a story from Rod Liddle of the London Times, explaining why it would be a good idea to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, and why we should be more concerned with Iran having nuclear capabilities than other third world countries.  This is a quite interesting common sense approach to this issue. 

Big White Hat on "Life"

Big White Hat has a beautiful essay entitled "Life."  Read and savor.

Finally, someone making sense of the oil prices

As one who definitely belives in free-market capitalism, while I was unhappy about the price of oil (and thus, gasoline), I was not in favor of any type of retribution against the the oil companies.  At most, I advocated a repeal of the Federal gasoline taxes, as a method of immediate relief at the gas pump.

Larry Kudlow, has a great article, at NRO on this subject, aptly entitled, "The Greatest Story Never Told."  Read it.

The Three Major Mistakes Al Qaeda Made During the Bush Administration

There is an interesting article on Strategy Page about "Why Al Qaeda is Retreating From Iraq."  The analysis sets out the 3 major mistakes made by Al Qaeda during the Bush Administration.  It's a quick read, and food for thought.

Hat tip:  Instapundit