Republican, Ice Cream Social

Ahhhh! There's nothing like a rootbeer float after several hours in the hot sun. Asa and Jim Holt doling out the ice cream. Of course, there were speeches.


Jim LaGrone, citing election problems and 2 lawsuits filed in U.S. District Court, said that he intents to get rid of voter fraud in Arkansas.




Gunner DeLay spoke of making sure that the Attorney General represents the legislation and the people of Arkansas.



Jim had to leave but Bobby thanked everyone for their support.





Asa compared the plans he had for Arkansas and the ones from Mike Beebe. Ummmm, we're still looking for them.

Republican, Rodeo of the Ozarks Parade

Washington County Republican Womens float. It was HOT! Most people rode on various candidate floats.


Nearly all the local and state wide candidates were present. Asa Hutchinson.


Cephus Richard with Matt Mendenhall.



The Holts came well prepared. Along with tall Uncle Sam, they had bicycles and a horse-drawn carriage.




What a trooper Jim Lagrone was! He must have run the parade route at least twice meeting people and shaking hands. Did I say it was HOT?

A Sunday Morning

It's an absolutely gorgeous morning. I'm trying to enjoy my books and coffee. Bows decides that I need to pay attention to her. I just take a couple of pictures and go back to my books.





She decides to take a bath. She's not sitting on my books and I'm left in peace. We're both happy.

Carnival of the Cats at Watermark

Eli's Dead Cat Poses

Eli would like to know which one looks more realistic. Is it number 1?

Or number 2? (I was laughing all the time I was taking these.)

Or number 3? (In between these poses he was rolling around and pushing himself across the lawn. What a clown!)

Carnival of the Cats at Watermark

Casey, Building Jumps

Casey is supervising the building of jumps I'm making out of PVC.

Casey trying out the jumps. The agility class he's been in has ended for the summer and will start up in Sept. I'll be doing a few private lessons during the summer. It'll be early in the mornings when it cool.

More at Carnival of the Dogs

What's Tyler Eating?

I'm getting to know what Tyler likes to eat. His favorite is tomatoes and bananas. He likes melon and Cheerios. He doesn't like raisins.

U.N. In Court

With all the attention going to the ruling of the Supreme Court today, this little item went mostly un-noticed. The first federal trial linked to the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food program opened this week. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will not be happy about it, since he's tried to sweep it under the rug and is hoping nobody remembers it.

Whatever the outcome for Park, his trial — expected to last about three weeks — looks likely to provide an unprecedented view into the workings of U.N. backroom politics. Not least, this comes as a timely warning to beware whatever might be going on today in any back channels the U.N. might have opened with nuclear-happy, sanctions-threatened, oil-rich Iran.

We are going to hearing some of the juicy details of how the operation worked and who was involved.

some of the private players who got caught up in the epic scandal that was Oil-for-Food have by now had to tangle with prosecutors, or at least have been required to face inquiries conducted in broad daylight. Also under federal indictment are a number of Saddam’s former business partners, who face trial in the Southern District of New York this November. In Australia, the Cole Commission has been delving in public hearings into misconduct under Oil-for-Food

.
We won't be hearing anything from the U.N. officials involved in the administration of the program. They are hiding under the rock of diplomatic immunity.

Hamdan, SCOTUS Ruling

When the ruling came out this morning, all I heard on talk radio was how bad this ruling was. How could the terrorists be given protection under the Geneva Convention? It was ruled that President Bush did not have authority to set up the tribunals so that they were illegal under both military justice law and the Geneva Convention. This meant that the terrorists were to have trials under the federal law as if they were citizens of the U.S.

Well, people have had time to chill out and digest the ruling. Although the MSM has been hailing this as a failure for President Bush, from what I have been reading it maybe a great gift for him.

Since the Court has declared that it was not questioning the government's power to hold Hamdan "for the duration of active hostilities", the government is not under any obligation to release Hamdan or any other Gitmo prisoner. Which is fine by me! Since this war will be lasting a number of years, I am quite content to let the terrorists rot in Gitmo.

If the government really does what to put the terrorist on trial, the court has said either trial them as ordinary criminal defendants or have Congress establish the military commissions that are needed. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jon Kyl have stepped up:

"We intend to pursue legislation in the Senate granting the Executive Branch the authority to ensure that terrorists can be tried by competent military commissions. Working together, Congress and the administration can draft a fair, suitable, and constitutionally permissible tribunal statute."

Really, it appears to be a win-win for President Bush. Give the MSM and the cry-baby liberals a few days. They'll realize that they really didn't win anything today.

Thanks!
Scotusblog
Captainsquarters
Andrew Cochran
Dennis Byrne
Powerline

NY State, Banning Christian Music?

Times Herald-Record

Skate Time 209 offers residents a new wooden roller skating rink and a fancy skateboard park. In its hunt for customers, the business has "tot" skates and "tween" (ages 6-13) skates. There are family nights and adult disco parties.

And there are "Christian skate times" on Sunday afternoons, Skate Time's ad in the April 19 Ulster County Press said. That ad is evidence of a human rights violation, according to the state Division of Human Rights.

The state of New York is going after a skating rink owner because they have regular Sunday afternoons in which they play Christian music. Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous? The idea and the advertisement don't discriminate against non Christians because "Christian Skate" only refers to the music that is being played at this event. Non Christians are not forced to attend this event. If they don't like it, they don't have to go to the rink.

"This is crazy," said the Rev. Lou Sheldon, director of the Traditional Values Coalition in Washington. "These people are exercising basic constitutional rights on private property to the exclusion of no one and the state government is treating them like dangerous criminals. "¦ This is political correctness run amok."

If NY state is allowed to discriminate against a roller rink having a skating session featuring Christian music, there is no telling who they will go after next. Will they ban the Christian literature section of Barnes & Noble for human rights violations. Even better, will they force Christian Book stores to close because they violate the rights of non-Christians.

Len and Terry Bernardo own and run Skate Time 209 on Route 209. ...The couple has hooked up with the American Center for Law and Justice, a Washington firm which has argued conservative causes before the U.S. Supreme Court.

It's a good thing the owners have hooked up with the American Center for Law and Justice. If the State of NY gets away with discriminating against the Bernardos you can be sure that liberal activists will start doing this in other states.

LATimes, Justifying Our Crime

LATimes

And we weighed that assertion against the fact that there is an intense and ongoing public debate about whether surveillance programs like these pose a serious threat to civil liberties.

No, you thought that this would make President Bush look bad like the NSA surveillance program did. You had no concern about people's civil liberties. In fact, most people view your disclosure of classified information at a direct threat to the American people both here and abroad. You published it because you could, and damn the consequences.

But we also have an obligation to cover the government, with its tremendous power, and to offer information about its activities so citizens can make their own decisions. That's the role of the press in our democracy.
The founders of the nation actually gave us that role, and instructed us to follow it, no matter the cost or how much we are criticized. Thomas Jefferson said, "Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government

I thought the role of the press was to offer the news of the day not to govern the government. I'd like to know where in the Constitution does it say that the Freedom of the Press includes reporting American's secrets to its enemies? Can you believe the arrogance of these people? They are going to be the ones to decide what's critical to national security. The last people on earth who I would want making calls regarding the security and safety of the nation are the liberal twits represented by the LATimes.

Coffee Drinkers Rejoice!

Hallelujah!

Drinking lots of coffee cut women's risk of developing diabetes in an 11-year study, researchers report. But it was the antioxidants, not caffeine, in the brew that probably did the trick.

Adjusting for those risk factors, the researchers found that women who drank more than six cups a day of any type of coffee were 22 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, the kind that occurs in adult life, compared to those who avoided coffee

Finally, one of my bad habits has been declared good for me! No more lying about how much coffee I'm actually drinking. I'm going to proudly slurp through my 6 cups of coffee. Every cup I nurse will bring me comfort knowing that I am lowering my risk of diabetes. Viva Juan Valdez!

NY and LA Time, Treachery

Townhall

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee urged the Bush administration on Sunday to seek criminal charges against newspapers that reported on a secret financial-monitoring program used to trace terrorists.

Rep. Peter King cited The New York Times in particular for publishing a story last week that the Treasury Department was working with the CIA to examine messages within a massive international database of money-transfer records.

I really hope that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales does something about the newspapers that feel they can print about classified programs anytime they feel like it. The freedom of the press shouldn't take precedence over national security.
The NY Times and the LA Times have made it quite clear they hate President Bush, the American people and America. I don't think this is about money, because they'd have to know that they would be losing more readers upset about what they've done. No, they are hoping to destroy anything that would help us win the war on terror. It just boggles my mind. We actually have newspapers that are determine to make sure the United States fails.

Paron HS, Closure Temporarily Halted!

Good News!
Pulaski County Circuit Judge Jay Moody has

granted a temporary restraining order halting plans to shutter Paron High School pending a full hearing in a lawsuit that seeks to keep the small rural school open.

Congratulations to the people of Paron who brought the lawsuit. Their efforts not only kept Paron open for another year, but it could lead to some changes for rural schools. It's time the Arkansas Legislature looked into how children in these rural areas are affected. They need to decide how long should a student be on a bus during the day. They also need to develop distance learning classes for students at rural schools like Paron. The technology is available so that students aren't limited in instruction to only what can be taught by teachers at their schools.

Lap Dog, Not!

Casey is much too big to be a lap dog, but he keeps trying.


Want more? Check out Friday Ark and Carnival of the Dogs

Family Portrait

Enjoy it while you can! This doesn't happen very often. (Left to Right) Eli, Bows, and Tigger.



Want more? Check out Friday Ark and Carnival of the Cats

What Goes In, Comes Back Out

Tyler is getting quite comfortable around me. I see him every morning now. There is one thing I didn't think of when I started to feed him. Just like the cats and the dogs I have to pick up his poop. He does it close to his feeding spot so I have to clear it out. {Sigh!}

Want more? Check out Friday Ark

Paron School Closing Case

Debbie Pelley has a great post on the Paron School Closing Court Case.

After reading what she wrote I can't help but wonder what in the world were the State Board of Education and the Arkansas Department of Education thinking. Obviously not about the children. Spending 4 hrs a day on the bus! Debbie described the convoluted method by which the students had to make. OMG!

That is a long, long grueling day for elementary and kindergarten students

There was absolutely no reason to close Paron. It was a excellent school and they could have used long distance learning to make sure they offered all the required subjects.

Testimony was given by superintendents that distance learning can be used for courses that will provide interactive learning where students can see the teacher and other students in other schools and even get college credit. Superintendent Smalley at Alpena said some of his students obtained 30 hours of college credit at his small school by time of graduation through distance learning.
The Paron attorney pointed out that there is zero discipline problems at Paron, there are no students requiring college remediation, there are no drop-out problems, and the students are scoring above state average on tests. Several parents testified about their involvement with their children at school activities on a daily basis. They all related that they would not be able to be involved with their children's activities if they moved to Bryant because of time and the transportation financial burden

Back to the question of why close this school, especially since the reasons they gave to close it were invalid?

Superintendent Abernathy admitted that they had enough money to keep the school open for now. Bryant school district received $838,000 from the State in "consolidation incentive funding" as well as fund balances and other property from the Paron School District for a total benefit to the Bryant School District of more than $1,000,000.

Yeah, somebody's pockets get lined with money. These administrators were more concerned about getting money than for the welfare of the students. Sheesh!

Democrats Surrender to Terrorists

Breitbart

The Republican-controlled Senate rejected one resolution, proposed by former presidential candidate Senator John Kerry, calling for combat troops to be withdrawn from Iraq by July 1 next year, by a vote of 13 to 86.
The second bill, calling for troops to begin moving out of Iraq this year but without setting a hard timetable for final withdrawal, was dismissed 60 votes to 39.

I can't imagine getting up in the morning and thinking "Things have been difficult in life, however, there has been some improvements lately, so I'll just give up." How can the Democrats just discard all the hard work the United States has been doing in Iraq. What about all the sacrifices our troops and the Iraqi people have made? How can they just toss out all the good things that are happening in Iraq? How can they trash the hopes and dreams of the Iraqi people?
Here's a history lesson for the Democrats. Those who stick to a job and a vision will win. In the words of Winston Churchill:

We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffer. You ask, what is our policy? I say it is to wage war by land, sea, and air. War with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpasssed in the dark and lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory. Victory at all costs - Victory in spite of all terrors - Victory, however long and hard the road many be, for without victory there is no survival. May 13, 1940

Arkansas, City and State Taxes

NWAnews
The Fayetteville tax vote has been set for Sept. 12th. On the ballot will be the extension of the current ¾-cent sewer tax and adding a ¼-cent, bringing Fayetteville’s sales tax to 9.25-cents.
The extension of the sewer tax comes because the mayor and city council did not keep on eye on the project. Now the sewer project is 3 years behind schedule and is about $63 million over budget.

[Mayor] Coody took the lead in trying to shape the debate over the sales tax, trying to play down the problems associated with the sewer project and instead play up the transportation projects that could be financed by increasing taxes to the level they were in 2001.
Although Coody took some blame for the fact that the sewer project is about $ 63 million over budget and three years behind schedule, he did not offer a detailed explanation of where the project broke down.

So, residents will have to pay for it either by taxes or a rate increase. I hope the mayor and the city council have a good explanation for the public. People aren’t going to be happy about paying for such a big mistake. It may endanger the ¼-cent tax that would go for city streets. Fayetteville desperately needs the tax to widen, expand and extend existing streets. Traffic is one of the biggest issues people complain about, so they may go ahead and vote for it. The mayor and city council will really have to get out and talk to people about these taxes.

While I’m on the subject of taxes, let’s look at what the state has. NWAnews

By June 2007, [Governor] Huckabee said it is estimated the state will have more than $ 600 million in surplus funds.

That’s a whole lot of surplus money. It means that Arkansas is collecting too much money. While the rebate being proposed would be nice, I think politicians should be talking about lowering our taxes. The state could just lower the sales tax ¼-cent so that Fayetteville residents won’t feel the pinch. I have heard more about a tax rebate rather than tax cuts. I'm worried that the politicians will think that it's more money for them to budget with. They may think they can increase the next budget because there is more money coming in. It would be a qood question to put to the candidates running this year.

Rising Global Stupidity

ABC News has taken the "global warming" to a whole new level of stupidity.

Witnessing the impact of global warming in your life?

ABC News wants to hear from you. We're currently producing a report on the increasing changes in our physical environment, and are looking for interesting examples of people coping with the differences in their daily lives. Has your life been directly affected by global warming?

We want to hear and see your stories. Have you noticed changes in your own backyard or hometown? The differences can be large or small — altered blooming schedules, unusual animals that have arrived in your community, higher water levels encroaching on your property.

Isn't ABC News suppose to be the part of the intelligentsia and yet they're falling for junk science? I can't figure out if they really know that global warming doesn't exist, but it make good headlines, or they aren't as smart as they claim and have been duped by poor science.

Hey, ABC! A few days ago it was nice, temperatures in the low 80's. Now it's up in the 90's, and really uncomfortable. I have to water my plants because it's so dry. I think it's that global warming. What should I do!

Sheesh! What a bunch of twits!

It's Tough for the Democrats

It’s amazing how things can change in just a few weeks. Democrats were sensing victory in the air. They were looking at taking back the House and Senate. Nancy Pelosi, anticipating her new position as House Speaker, was checking out color schemes for her new office. President Bush’s approval ratings were sucking sewage and rumours flew that Karl Rove was about to be hauled out of the White House in handcuffs.
Then one after another the bomb shells went off. Over the Democrat mantra of “Culture of Corruption”, Rep. William Jefferson’s congressional office was raided by the FBI. The Republican and Democrat temper tantrums made sure that Jefferson’s “cold cash” stayed in the news for awhile.
The Democrat’s planned House takeover was dashed by Republican Brian Bilbray’s defeat of his Democrat opponent. Supporting the “enforcement of the border” helped Bilbray defeat his opponent. This was a defeat of the Democrats amnesty and guest worker programs.

In one day, the Democrats were hit with 2 blows. While the Iraqis were finishing forming their new government, a precision air strike killed Abu Musab Al-Qarqawi. It made for a huge boost for the Bush administration and made the Democrats gnash their teeth in frustration. To make it even more frustrating, Bush makes a surprise visit to the new Iraqi government. It’s going to be hard for the Democrats to make the case that the war is going badly.

The Democrat’s mouth watering tidbit of an indictment against Karl Rove turned to sour-lemons as Fitzgerald said that he would not seek an indictment. Bush’s Brain is back in business and ready to get the Democrats with a new vengeance in 2006.

Do I feel sorry for the Democrats? Hell, no! I'm having a good laught at their expense.

U.S. Soldiers Bodies Recovered

Breitbart

The bodies of two U.S. soldiers reported captured last week have been recovered, and an Iraqi defense ministry official said Tuesday the men were "killed in a barbaric way." The U.S. military said the remains were believed to be those of Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore.

Of course, my prayers and thoughts go out to the families of these soldiers. I am always thankful for soldiers such as these who give their lives for us.
I wonder if the human rights groups and the Democrats will condemn the terrorists responsible for the way the soldiers were "killed in a barbaric way." They've been bitching and complaining about "Club Gitmo" and Abu Ghraib so their sensibilities must really be offended by this. See Koscomments:

The bodies of the two captured U.S. soldiers were found in Iraq - bearing signs of "barbaric torture."
How quaint.

Our torture policy brought the chances of our captured troops being tortured in turn from "likely" to "guaranteed". Mark H

If my brother, friend, or wife is tortured by the US for information I won't show a lot of compassion for the American soldiers. This is basic human psychology. Dauphin.

Apparently, not. It's all Bush's fault, we shouldn't be in Iraq and since the US is "torturing terrorists" we got what we deserved.
The terrorists are barbaric and evil. What the terrorists did was horrendous. Yet, there are people who support these evil people. To them, American is evil and barbaric. This people are well and truly sick, sick, sick!

Dixie Chicks on Patriotism

It would appear that the Dixie Chicks have no desire for an American audience. You would think that they'd learn to keep their mouths shut if they want to entice the Country Music fans.
Emily Robison

"A lot of pandering started going on, and you'd see soldiers and the American flag in every video. It became a sickening display of ultra-patriotism."

"The entire country may disagree with me, but I don't understand the necessity for patriotism," Maines resumes, through gritted teeth. "Why do you have to be a patriot? About what? This land is our land? Why? You can like where you live and like your life, but as for loving the whole country… I don't see why people care about patriotism."

Ok, the Dixie Chicks don't understand patriotism. It even appears that they hate patriotism. How dare people honor and love their country! The Dixie Chicks have a problem. Patriotism is one of the core values in Country Music. Insulting Bush is one thing, but insulting Country Music is another.

FundRaiser for Cephus Richard

I've had errands to run in Fayetteville, so I was able to stop in at Cephus' fundraiser at Applebees. It was very nice, just sitting around and chatting. Cephus is a charming young man. I really love that name, Cephus.

Relaxing in the Garden

Eli has found a spot under the Tiger Lilies.

Bows had decided that the rock wall is an ideal place to lie.

Carnival of the Cats

Friday's Dog Pics

Boy, it's hard to get a picture of Casey. He just doesn't stand still.

Trixie, on the other hand, poses quite well.

Carnival of the Dogs

Turtle Time

I've seen it a few times in the back and front yards. I decided to see if I could see it more often if I fed it. I left out some fruit, vegetables and cereal with a saucer of water. What do you know! It's been coming out in the mornings to eat. I've named it. Tyler, Tyler the Turtle.

Enforcing the Border, It Works

KVOA News
It's getting tougher to cross the Arizona border since the National Guard has come. Illegals are finding it's not as easy as it once was. Just the few Guards on the border is starting to have an effect.

None of the Mexicans hoping to reach the United States could pay the $3,000 the smugglers demanded to hide them in a car and drive them across the border, a trip that just weeks ago cost $2,000.
The sharp increase in smugglers' fees is due to the arrival of National Guard troops at the border and plans by Washington for even greater border security, all of which will make the sometimes deadly trip into the United States even more difficult and dangerous.
The higher fees have persuaded some to cancel plans to sneak into the United States, while others have decided to go it alone.
Mexican and U.S. authorities are already seeing a drop in illegal migration, although it isn't clear if that will last.

Hopefully Congress is watching what's going on. The illegals crossing the border can be reduced if they just put in the National Guards and more Border Patrol. Once people realize how hard it is to sneak across, maybe they'll consider coming to the USA legally. However, I'm just waiting for some Democrat to propose some kind of program for "smugglers assistance".

A Word of Warning for Wal-Mart Bashing Democrat's

Thomas Riehle has a warning for Democrat candidates.

For the Democratic candidate who has the idea of making Wal-Mart the issue, ding! No Sale!!

You see they did a poll and found

results from a recent RT Strategies poll indicate such a campaign strategy would be counterproductive. By a 3-to-1 margin, 62% disapprove and only 21% approve of "Democratic candidates making Wal-Mart an issue in November's elections," in the RT Strategies poll conducted June 1-5 with a representative sample of 1,209 adults nationwide. !

Thomas is really warning those Democrats who are not in tune with Middle America. These Democrats more than likely don't shop at Wal-Mart and frankly shudder at the idea of doing so. They believe that those who shop at Wal-Mart are those red-necked, gun toting, God fearing, trailer trash hicks. Thomas cautions these Democrats,

By staying out of the stores themselves, anti- Wal-Mart Democrats might have missed the fact that:

· 84% of Americans shopped at Wal-Mart in the past year, probably because 81% say it is a good place to shop, according to a December 2005 Pew Research Center poll; · It is not uncommon for thousands to apply when a few hundred new jobs open up at a Wal-Mart, provoking comparisons that Wal-Mart's hiring team can be more selective than Harvard undergraduate admissions or the high-IQ organization MENSA in choosing which candidates to hire. · For the average family of a Wal-Mart employee, the company represents opportunity: The vast majority of Wal-Mart store managers rose to that post from hourly jobs on the floor. · For the average family of shoppers, the savings at Wal-Mart are over $2,000 per year.

Have there been a number of Democrat candidates attacking Wal-Mart? I know of Hillary Clinton's attempt to erase it from her past.

But in recent months, as the company has become a target for Democratic activists, she has largely steered clear of any mention of Wal-Mart. And late last year, Clinton's re-election campaign returned a $5,000 contribution from Wal-Mart, citing "serious differences with current company practices."

Then there is Maryland's Wal-Mart bill.

Hmmmm, I need to remember. If it's good for the American people, the Democrats are against it.

UPDATE:
RCP reports that

Thomas Riehle's recent article failed to properly disclose a business relationship between his polling firm, RT Strategies, and the pro-Wal-Mart group, Working Families for Wal-Mart. The data cited in Riehle's article on Wal-Mart is derived from questions Working Families for Wal-Mart paid to have added to RT Strategies' monthly omnibus poll

Thomas Riehle has acknowledged the mistake of not disclosing the relationship and has apologized.

Out to Get KFC

Watch out! The Food Police are at it again. This time they are after the Colonel.

A doctor and a consumer group have sued KFC in an effort to stop the chicken chain from cooking with high-fat partially hydrogenated oil. Dr. Arthur Hoyte, a retired physician from Rockville, Md., and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, want a judge to order Kentucky Fried Chicken to use other types of cooking oils or make sure customers know about trans fat content immediately before they make a purchase

How about exercising your free will and not eat at KFC, if you don't like the oil they use for cooking? Holy cow! Everyone knows that the food at KFC has a ton of calories and not particularly healthy.

Hoyte said he is suing to force KFC to change its cooking practices "for my son and others' kids, so they may have a healthier, happier, trans-fat-free future."

Why in the hell should KFC change their product? If you want a healthier, happier future, eat at home. Dr. Twit, if KFC wants to fry their chicken in Pennzoil, it'd still be their business and your choice not to eat it.

Illegal Rally, Voter Registration

I have an update on the illegal immigration rally post I did in May. This is in regards to efforts to register voters at the rally. It was report that approximately 30 people were registered. I call the Washington County Voter Registration today to ask about them. Boy, are they really nice there! I found out that they received 9 of the registrations. Only 1 was found to have problems. They were not able to tell me which party people joined. As for the rest of the registrations I'm assuming they went to Benton County.

Cleaning Up the Voter List

Arkansas is cleaning up it active voter registration list. So far over 20,000 voters have been found to be duplicated on the list.

Election officials attributed the problem, revealed in an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette examination of the new statewide list, to people who registered to vote upon moving to a new county while their old registration remained active.

This is just a start to correcting the voter rolls, but it is a good start.

Since the system became operational and began using data from those agencies, the counties have removed the names of 3, 835 dead voters and 1, 299 convicted felons who have not completed their sentences and remain ineligible to cast ballots, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Once the list is cleaned up it should be easier to keep it up to date and accurate.

Article

What Did Happen in Haditha?

What really happen in Haditha? Before the Pentagon could finish it’s investigation of the incident, Time has already painted the Marines as revenge seeking murders, slaughtering innocent children and women. But now Time is starting to backpedal. They have added corrections to the very bottom of it’s two blockbuster exclusives on Haditha in their current online versions.

sweetness & light has been investigating and finds that there are questions regarding the veracity of their sources. Clarice Feldmen at the American Thinker has a narrative piece on the so-called massacre.

That something really terrible happened in Haditha everyone agrees. Just what exactly happen is the question. Greyhawk says

The accounts given are actually consistent - on the broader story - with reports from Iraqi civilians (houses were entered, non-combatants were killed). But the Devil's in the details, as they say, and in this case (as with most such cases) that's where divergence occurs

It appears that Time got a hold of what they thought was a great story. A story that would make the Marines look really bad. They gave no thought to investigating the information they got or who was providing it to them. They ran the story because they really wanted it to be true. Time is now on the hot seat. They are going to have to do better than their current “TIME regrets the error”. If they hope to survive, the mainstream media needs to think again before they rush to publish. They also need to make corrections or less damning information in a more prominent place in their publication, not hidden in obscure place where no one will see it. Thank God we have bloggers and other alternative media who make an effort to look for the truth without a hidden agenda.

HPV Vaccine

Last week, the FDA approved the first vaccine that protects against most cervical cancer. The vaccine, Gardasil, prevents infection by 4 strains of HPV, two of which are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer. The other two cause most cases of genital warts. HPV is a sexually transmitted virus.

The vaccine needs to be administered before a person has been exposed, that is, sexually active. The suggestion is to vaccinate females ages 9 to 26. The vaccine will not be effective on those who already have those 4 strains.

The vaccine does work and it's really great news. However, it could be a number of years before we see its true effect. Cervical cancer can take as long as 20 years to develop. How long the vaccine is effect is still not know.

Still, there are some issues. The vaccine is quite expensive, from $300 to $500. The people most at risk for developing cancer are the poor, who can't afford the vaccine. Gates Foundation have announced they will provide some free vaccines and Merck & Co. have said they plan a patient assistance program. I'm sure there will be a few government programs in place. Not all who need it will be able to get it.

There are biological issues. There are at least 50 strains of genital HPV and like all virus, they mutate. This vaccine only works on 4 strains, so one can still get pre-malignant changes and cancer. One concern is that a woman gets the vaccine and continues risky sex thinking she is protected. So, while deaths from these 2 strains decrease, we may see an increase of cancer from the other strains. This is why some groups support the vaccine but prefer that is doesn't become mandatory. They'd rather teach not having sex before marriage. This way, a person is protected not only against HPV, but from all other sexually transmitted diseases.


Resources:
National Cervical Cancer Coalition
Merck
E-mail Reminder to schedule a pap smear!

Hijacker Roommate, Flying Lessons

From Jihad Watch
This just sends a chill up my spine!

Rayed Mohammed Abdullah Ali, who lived in Phoenix with Hani Hanjour, who piloted American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon, went to New Zealand and was...taking flight training.

Was Rayed just an innocent bystander who didn't know what Hani was planning?

The minister referred the Weekend Herald to excerpts from the US Government's 9-11 Commission Report on the attacks regarding "Rayed Abdullah". The report says Abdullah lived and trained in Phoenix with Hani Hanjour, the Saudi Arabian believed to have piloted Flight 77 into the Pentagon. Abdullah was a leader at the Islamic Cultural Centre in Phoenix where, the FBI says, he "reportedly gave extremist speeches at the mosque".

Ohhh, I don't think so! One would hope that authorities would make sure they'd be able to keep track of Rayed. Especially since he seems to be following the example of his roommate.

He has been expelled from the country and is back in Saudi Arabia, which of course, as everyone knows, is our Friend and Ally and will not allow him to get into any mischief.

Ahh, Crap! How stupid can New Zealand get? We now have a Islamic extremist free in Saudi Arabia who knows how to pilot an airplane. "SMACK!" Just plastered a TWIT award upside the head of New Zealand!

Gulley Park Concert

Thursday night was a beautiful night for a concert. Ultrasude was absolutely great! Casey enjoyed all the people. He play quite a bit with the children sitting behind us.



Trixie was content to lay on the lawn, but she got her share of attention from the kids.

Mom's Little Helpers

One of the many yard chores I did last weekend was to trim the limbs of a tree. Bows is checking out the cut branches.

Eli decides that the branches make a perfect place to take a nap.

More cats at this week's Carnival of Cats

al-Zarqawi

I have never been happier to see some one dead. I feel like dancing and singing in the streets with the Iraqis. I hope his death enables the Iraqis to step up the reconciliation between its fractured ethnic and sectarian groups.

U.N., Stop the Criticism

U.N Deputy, Mark Malloch Brown sniped at the U.S. over withholding support(money) from the United Nations. He griped about

Washington's tolerance of what he called "too much unchecked U.N.-bashing and stereotyping."

Mr. Mallock Brown was especially critical of the U.N.'s conservative critics.

He lamented that the good works of the U.N. are largely lost because "much of the public discourse that reaches the U.S heartland has been largely abandoned to its loudest detractors such as Rush Limbaugh and Fox News."

Hey Mr. Mallock Brown! It's called the "Freedom of Speech". The United States has a Constitution that protects our right to criticize our government and to speak and publish the truth. I know those of you in the U.N. keep forgetting about things like that.

I'd like to hear about those "good works" the U.N. does, but its hard when you keep tripping over:

1. The U.N. child sex scandals

2. The oil-for-food scandal in Iraq

3. The cronyism of Annan, his son and aides

4. The ridiculous practice of naming tyrannical dictators to the Human Rights Committee

5. The anti-Semitism of U.N. resolutions

6. That stupid wealth redistribution scheme called Kyoto

7. The willful disregard of American laws by "U.N. Ambassadors" and their staff

I agree with John Bolton:

Bolton said Malloch Brown's "condescending, patronizing tone about the American people" was the worst part about the speech.

Newsmax and NYTimes

Arkansas Schools, Not Teaching History

Somehow this story doesn't surprise me at all.

In the study, Arkansas is one of 33 states to get a D or an F, earning a numerical score that ranks the Natural State 36 th out of 48 states

It's common knowledge that history is not being taught in schools anymore. A number of stories have been written on how little students know about history and geography.

"Rather than asking students to look at the birth of Christ or the fall of the Soviet Union, for example, students are encouraged to evaluate major turning points in history," the study said about the standards. "Rather than mentioning the struggle for a balance of power in the wake of the Napoleonic wars, students are encouraged to "probe the interdependencies of nations." This approach does nothing to ensure that students learn world history," the study said

"probe the interdependencies of nations" really means that students are being taught the good old leftist, socialist program. I pulled this out from a search of "interdependencies of nations":

Demonstrate awareness of interdependencies of nations and cultural pluralism within your community and an attitude relating to the importance of helping students become responsible citizens in the community of nations and in their multicultural environment.

This is not history and it's why American students are so ignorant of history.

Canada, Playing Nice Doesn't Work

Canada had hoped that being perceived as a friend to Islam, they'd be left alone and not face a terrorist attack. Well, Canada has learned that trying to ignore or placate evil doesn't immune you from it. Canada is a fine example of how trying to be "nice" and making sure one doesn't do or say anything to offend Islam just isn't going to work.
The problem is that the elitist, left view of appeasement and political correctness makes it impossible to criticize any perceived minority even if they clearly violate laws, traditional mores, and values that are critical to Western civilization. Muslim extremists are not be held responsible for their evil and those who dare to criticize Muslims are declared racist. If we don't have the courage to stand up and declare that the extremist Muslim is wrong and evil, we are going to lose values inherent in our civilization. Already, Europeans are losing the freedom of speech(thought and inquiry) and expression (art and music), and the freedom of religion(to change religions or profess no religion). It's time to tell the elitist intelligentsia to go stuff it.

.

NARTI's 17th Annual Celebration of Life

I've been extremely busy this week, so blogging has been light. Sunday, NARTI celebrated National Cancer Survivors' Day. They had a one-mile walk, a luncheon, guest speaker, and drawings.


It was great to see so many who have survived cancer. It struck me that most were in great health. Cancer wasn't debilitating to any of these people. We were having fun and enjoying life.



This is Don Pryor, the World's Worst Waiter. He provided the entertainment during lunch and was the "guest speaker". He was really funny! I had a nice time in spite of not winning any prizes. I did get a great T-shirt!

A New Resident in the Garden

Casey has found our new resident in the back yard. A turtle! Since the backyard is enclosed I don't know how it got into the yard.

Of course, since I was taking pictures and making a fuss over Casey, Trixie(left) and Eli(center) decided that they needed to be included.




Need more cat pictures? Stroll over Sunday to the Carnival of the Cats hosted this week by TacJammer. If it's dogs you want, head over to Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings
For animals, any animal, check out Friday Ark.

Cat Got Your Tongue!

I'm taking a picture of Bows because she looks so cute. She decides to spoil it by sticking out her tongue. Don't you just hate it when your kids do that?




Need more cat pictures? Stroll over Sunday to the Carnival of the Cats hosted this week by TacJammer. If it's dogs you want head over to Carnival of the Dogs at Mickey's Musings
For animals, any animals, check out Friday Ark.

God's Promise.

A double rainbow after tonight's storm.

Michael Yon's Soldier Story

Michael Yon has a new dispatch up. A great story about one of our soldiers wounded in Iraq.

I asked Walt about all these transitions— from immigrant to American, from soldier to baker, from rolling out into combat, to tucking the kids in and reading bedtime stories.

Lance Armstrong, Cleared of Doping Charges

Finally! Lance Armstrong has been clear of doping in the 1999 Tour de France. A Dutch lawyer hired by the International Cycling Union issued a report that said drug tests conducted on urine samples from the 1999 Tour de France were mishandled so that the test results could not be linked with Armstrong or any other athlete.

I have always admired Lance, even more so since my own diagnosis of cancer. He has been very inspirational about getting on and not letting cancer get in the way of living. I do hope that the recommendation to convene a tribunal to discuss possible legal and ethical violations by the World Anti-Doping Agency happens. It would be a shame to allow WADA's attempts to get Lance on trumped up drug allegations go unpunished.

Just For Pun

In my E-mail:

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married..The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm and says: "A beer please, and one for the road."

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?"

7. Patient: "Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home'"
Doctor: "That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."
Patient: "Is it common?"
Doctor: "Well, 'It's Not Unusual'"

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to Dolly, "I was artificially inseminated this morning."
"I don't believe you," says Dolly.
"It's true, no bull!" exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman... The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but I couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted, Doctor, doctor, I can't feel my legs!" The doctor replied, "I know you can't - I've cut off your arms!"

13. I went to a seafood disco last week... and pulled a mussel.

14. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says "Dam!"

16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. "But why," they asked, as they moved off. "Because", he said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

18. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named "Ahmal."
The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him "Juan." Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. This made him ..(Oh, man, this is so bad, it's good)...
A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20. And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them laugh. No pun in ten did.

Mike Masterson on Jim Holt

Mike Masterson gets why Jim Holt won. Jim is just a normal, everyday person.

Here's how I think Holt won the GOP end. This devout Christian father of nine, a plain-spoken state senator, believes as the majority of conservative Arkansans do when it comes to constitutional precedence, taxation, immigration and needless law-making, to cite only a few issues. While some detractors with their own agendas enjoy painting Holt as a raving fundamentalist-Christian, extremist, reactionary, contentious zealot, the majority who voted obviously see through such character assassination.

I wonder if the Democrat party, some of the Republican party and the MSM really understand the regular Arkansan. Jim Holt's issues resonate with most people.

How many mainstream Arkansans do you suppose are opposed to a candidate who is a devout Christian ? Are conservative mainstreamers here against following our nation's constitutional principles ? Do most citizens, liberal or conservative, enjoy paying exorbitant taxes without voting on them ? Do the majority believe that our sovereign country should not strictly enforce immigration laws ?

Has the label of radical and extremist been pinned on Holt because he is an unabashed, committed Christian?

Apparently, his faith didn't much bother the 33,000 or so conservatives who voted for Holt statewide

I agree with Mike about Jim's love of talking. I thinks he puts it nicer than I have. The worst I can think to say about Holt is that occasionally he talks before he thinks.

The worst I can think to say about this man is boy, does he love to talk.

The Absurd Radicals

I finally managed to get time to check out AETN: Unconventional Wisdom
Thanks Bullwhiz

Guests on the show were Republican Chairman Gibert Baker and Democrat Chairman Jason Willett. I found it interesting that Jason tried to lump the top three spots on the Republican ticket as radical right wingers. He particularly attacked Jim Holt, calling him an absurd, radical right winger. I find this really strange coming from a Chairman of a party whose main base is the looney left. This party has even started to attack their own moderate politicians.

We're talking about a primary here, not controlled by the vascillating sheeple in the middle but by activists like you and me. I don't see most Dems getting too excited about interrupting their day to go out and vote in a primary for Jo-mentum. I do, however see a lot of excited grass roots Dems ready to volunteer or contribute to someone who makes sense and is not the kind of opportunist tool of the Bush administration that Joe Lieberman certainly is.

If there is a movement for Joe (I've predicted before) it will come from Republicans injecting themselves into this race, somehow. He is their new Zell Miller, the Democratic MVP! As for me and the people I know, we'll be checking our voting status, changing from unafilliated (if necessary) and voting for Ned Lamont (by absentee preferably). Jimdish25

How about the some of quest speakers at the wacky kook convention being held in Las Vegas. These speakers are the Democrat leaders: Howard Dean, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi and Wesley Clark.

Jason, before you start slinging terms like "radical and extreme" around, you'd better look at your own party. To quote from a person whom you'd like to stay out of politics "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?"

Garage Chemistry

In high school I was one of those science geeks. I was into plants, animals, microbiology and genetics. There were others that were into computers, chemistry and physics. I think they had the most fun. You see, we were occasionally treated to their schemes to make something or to get something to explode. Kids like those are disappearing and it's the government trying to stamp out all the fun of science.

The lure of do-it-yourself chemistry has always been the most potent recruiting tool science has to offer. Many kids attracted by the promise of filling the garage with clouds of ammonium sulfide " the proverbial stink bomb " went on to brilliant careers in mathematics, biology, programming, and medicine.

Since the Oklahoma City bombing and 9/11, the Defense Department, FBI, and other government agencies have strategized ways of tracking even small purchases of potentially dangerous chemicals. Many of these small purchases are those brilliant kids learning in their own homes.

In the meantime, more than 30 states have passed laws to restrict sales of chemicals and lab equipment associated with meth production, which has resulted in a decline in domestic meth labs, but makes things daunting for an amateur chemist shopping for supplies. It is illegal in Texas, for example, to buy such basic labware as Erlenmeyer flasks or three-necked beakers without first registering with the state's Department of Public Safety to declare that they will not be used to make drugs. Among the chemicals the Portland, Oregon, police department lists online as "commonly associated with meth labs" are such scientifically useful compounds as liquid iodine, isopropyl alcohol, sulfuric acid, and hydrogen peroxide, along with chemistry glassware and pH strips.

The chemophobia that's put a damper on home science has also invaded America's classrooms, where hands-on labs are being replaced by liability-proof teacher demonstrations with the explicit message Don't try this at home. A guide for teachers of grades 7 through 12 issued by the American Chemical Society in 2001 makes the prospect of an hour in the lab seem fraught with peril: "Every chemical, without exception, is hazardous. Did you know that oxygen is poisonous if inhaled at a concentration a bit greater than its natural concentration in the air? "More than half of the suggested experiments in a multimedia package for schools called "You Be the Chemist," created in 2004 by the Chemical Educational Foundation, are to be performed by the teacher alone, leaving students to blow up balloons (with safety goggles in place) or answer questions like "How many pretzels can you eat in a minute?"

The lost of the garage lab and a lack of real science education in the classroom is hurting our students. This comes at a time when America is falling behind in the number of science and engineering degrees awarded in the 18-to-24 age group.

"You have to capture kids' imaginations very young or you lose them forever," says Steve Spangler, a former protégé of Mr. Wizard who is now a science correspondent for the NBC affiliate in Denver. "But that's hard when you have teachers required to check out vinegar and baking soda from the front office because something bad might happen in class. Slowly but surely the teaching tools are being taken away, so schools end up saying, "Let's get a college professor to do this demonstration, and kids can watch the streaming video."

It's quite evident that students are not going to get the science education they need from our schools. It's too bad that these amateur scientists have to resort to an underground culture in order for the tradition of home laboratory to survive. America is going to continue to under-perform in the sciences unless it can find a way to accommidate our budding scientists.

"Taking chemicals and lab equipment away from kids who love science is like taking crayons and paints away from a kid who may grow up to be an artist." Bob Lazar

Global Warming Alert

I'm finding very hard to control my laughter as I write about this.

Timberland, the outdoor clothing company, is very conscientious about the greenhouse gases associated with it's manufacturing.

"As it turns out, the vast majority of the greenhouse gases associated with manufacturing leather comes from cows in the field," Mr. Swartz said. "Yes, methane."

To put in layman terms, the cow's farts are the major contributor to the company's greenhouse gases. What's even more hilarious, the company is working to decrease the amount that a cow farts. Timberland is considering ways to change the feed for cows to reduce cow farts.
I wonder, in an effort to control the amount of gas that a cow produces are they going to have fart police? What would be the penalty for farting too much? People really do stupid things to satisfy a theory that has no solid scientific basis.

More thoughts:
You know, a meteor might not have wiped out the dinosaurs. It could have been their farts. Those guys were really big so their farts must have huge. Think of all the gas they dumped into the atmosphere.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day Service at the Fayetteville National Cemetery. Honoring those who sacrificed for us because we love freedom. Giving thanks to those who bore the greatest cost for that freedom.




There were those who came with their friends.








There were those who stood alone.









A young soldier honoring those who served before him.










Volunteers made sure that all the graves had flags. Many people came and left floral tributes.






Flowers weren't the only thing left on the graves.







Unknown but not forgotten.

The New Pool

It's has been very warm this week and the weekend is to be hotter. I got a pool for the dogs to help them keep cool. Casey was in it right away.

Held Hostage

Back off, Jack! This is mine! If you come any closer, I'll shred this to bits!

Immigration, 1986 Revisited

There is another great article about immigration. This is from Edwin Meese III. He takes us back to the 1986 immigration policy, which he supported. He says of the difference between today’s bill and the bill of 1986:

The difference is that President Reagan called this what it was: amnesty. Indeed, look up the term "amnesty" in Black's Law Dictionary, and you'll find it says, "the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act provided amnesty for undocumented aliens already in the country."

He remarked that President Reagan

In exchange for allowing aliens to stay, he(Reagan) decided, border security and enforcement of immigration laws would be greatly strengthened — in particular, through sanctions against employers who hired illegal immigrants. If jobs were the attraction for illegal immigrants, then cutting off that option was crucial.

Wow, 20 years later we’re still asking for this border security and law enforcement. I side with Meese, the points sound very familiar.

Note that this path to citizenship was not automatic. Indeed, the legislation stipulated several conditions: immigrants had to pay application fees, learn to speak English, understand American civics, pass a medical exam and register for military selective service. Those with convictions for a felony or three misdemeanors were ineligible. Sound familiar?

If border security and immigration laws passed in 1986, why are we trying to pass the damn thing again? How many times are we going to be passing this bill? In another 20 years is Congress going to revisit the bill again? In 1986, 2.7 million illegals got amnesty, the current bill might give 12 million illegals amnesty. How many in 2026? So why didn’t the 1986 act work?

There is a practical problem as well: the 1986 act did not solve our illegal immigration problem. From the start, there was widespread document fraud by applicants. Unsurprisingly, the number of people applying for amnesty far exceeded projections. And there proved to be a failure of political will in enforcing new laws against employers

The key phrase is “failure of political will in enforcing new laws”. Congress has never made a serious effort to enforce immigration laws and they sure aren’t intending to do it in the future. Meese concludes:

President Bush and Congress would do better to start with securing the border and strengthening enforcement of existing immigration laws.

And

The fair and sound policy is to give those who are here illegally the opportunity to correct their status by returning to their country of origin and getting in line with everyone else. This, along with serious enforcement and control of the illegal inflow at the border — a combination of incentives and disincentives — will significantly reduce over time our population of illegal immigrants.

The President and the Senate aren't learning from the failures of the past. I just hope the House will.

Squared Off!

From Boing Boing, growing a square watermelon. Hmmm, I've got a watermelon in my garden. Should I experiment?

Congress, No Drilling Allowed

WASHINGTON -

Despite talk of an energy crisis and the need for independence from foreign oil, Congress seems to be in no mood to open more of the country's coastal waters to energy development.
The House late Thursday rejected an attempt to end the quarter-century ban on oil and natural gas drilling that has been in effect for 85 percent of the country's coastal waters from Alaska to New England despite arguments that new supplies are needed to lower energy costs

Since Congress won't do their part to help us expand our domestic energies supplies, they need to do their part in conserving what we have. I therefore propose the following:

1. Turn off the heat and air-conditioning in their offices. They can wear coats and gloves in the winter. In addition, all that hot air is bound to help with heating. They can go back home in the summer. Quite frankly, the less they do in Washington, the less damage they do to the country.

2. Remove their parking spaces at the Capitol and congressional office buildings. Let them walk or bike to work with the rest of us.

3. Remove their reserved parking spots at R. Reagan Washington National Airport . They can take the Metro. It's a good time to talk to the people they represent.

4. No more foreign junkets. They can use the internet like the rest of us to find information. No more weekend airline trips home to visit the constituents. They have computers and phones, use them. If they have to travel let them take the bus or train.

5. If they have to drive in Washington, make them use those hybrid cars they love so much.

Feel free to add your energy saving ideas for Congress.

Immigration, Debunking the Talking Points

Bordering on Fraud
Thomas Sowell takes on the politician's glib, fraudulent statements on immigration. Of course we all know how important illegals are to our agriculture. Why, without them we'd be paying $10 for a head of lettuce. Wait, Sowell says

The highest concentration of illegals is in agriculture, where they are 24 percent of the people employed. That means three-quarters of the people are not illegal aliens. But when will the glib phrase-mongers stop telling us that the illegals are simply taking "jobs that Americans won't do"?

It's seems that 75% of the those agriculture jobs are done by American's. Are those other jobs being mostly done by American's? What's next? Oh, that amnesty that's really not amnesty. Sowell:

Another insult to our intelligence is that amnesty is not amnesty if you call it something else. The fact that illegals will have to fulfill certain requirements to become American citizens is supposed to mean that this is not amnesty.
But let's do what the spinmeisters hope we will never do -- stop and think. Amnesty is overlooking ("forgetting," as in amnesia) the violation of the law committed by those who have crossed our borders illegally.
The fact that there are requirements for getting American citizenship is a separate issue entirely.

We have to make those illegals citizens. After all, it's impossible to deport 12 million people. Heh, I really like Sowell's answer to this:

There is probably no category of law-breakers -- from counterfeiters to burglars or from jay-walkers to murderers -- who can all be found and arrested. But no one suggests that we must therefore make what they have done legal.
Such an argument would suggest that there is nothing in between 100 percent effective law enforcement and zero percent effective law enforcement

If the politicians are going to grant amnesty to law-breakers, I need to start robbing banks. So, if we were to attempt to deport all these illegals, the economy will take a dive down. Not so, says Sowell:

The reverse twist on this argument is that suddenly taking 12 million people out of the labor force would disrupt the economy. No one has ever said -- or probably even dreamed -- that we could suddenly find all 12 million illegal immigrants at once and send them all home immediately. This is another straw man argument

Ohh, I really like this question. Sowell asks:

Why are people who are so gung ho for punishing employers so utterly silent about needing to punish government officials who openly and deliberately violate federal laws?

It's not only the violation of laws, the government blatantly ignores the laws. It's as if they never existed. And lastly, the issue of getting the border protected.

Putting unarmed national guardsmen on the border is another cosmetic move, a placebo instead of real medicine. The excuse is that it is not possible to train more than 1,500 border patrol agents a year. Meanwhile, we have trained well over 200,000 Iraqi security forces while guerilla warfare raged around them.

President Bush and the Senate need to realize that we aren't being fooled by them. I don't want to hear about "comprehensive immigration reform". They are selling us on the idea that to secure the border we need this huge new complex of laws, and that's a lie. It could be done today, if there is a will to do it. The volunteers already showed that it can be done. If they can't, or won't, secure the border, why should we trust them with immigration reform?

Eminent Domain against Wal-Mart

Hercules's City Council doesn't like the fact that Wal-Mart wants build a store in their town. Their solution:

Wal-Mart's initial proposal for a 142,000-square foot store near Hercules' San Pablo Bay waterfront were rejected by the City Council. So the company submitted a scaled-down plan that included a pedestrian plaza, two outdoor eating areas and other small shops, including a pharmacy.

Hercules said no again, and opponents began raising the possibility of eminent domain, a legal tactic where government agencies can take land from its owners for the public good. Cities sometimes use eminent domain to build roads or redevelop properties, but the owners must be paid fair market value for their land.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that such seizures are allowable if the construction raises the tax base and benefits the entire community. Some residents and city officials say the land, which is currently open space, would be better suited for upscale stores that attract affluent shoppers and give the suburb a classy touch.

The Supreme Court's decision allowing seizures is going to be it's worse decision in history. Even big corporations like Wal-Mart are not going to be safe from the tyranny of local governments. What's really bad about this community is that they don't mind if shops are on that land, they just don't want them to be Wal-Mart.