Immigration Reform - "If I Only Had A Brain!"

The fight over immigration reform rages.  The Senate wants comprehensive reform - to tackle the issue in one fell swoop.  The House wants to take it in increments.  The latter makes more sense to me.  At least there is a fighting chance we'll know who sticks the pork where.

One of the biggest fights is whether we should make those illegals legal including a path to citizenship first or secure the border.  I'd suggest neither.  My idea which would never be implemented would be that no one who entered the country illegally shall ever have the privilege of being a citizen.  Legal yes, citizen - no.  That's the price. Actions have consequences.  But that's hardly the end of it. There are those, fully one third of the estimated 11 million illegals, who came here legally.

Having said that it seems to me no one is looking at the issue from the right perspective. First of all, no one should be looking at immigration reform as a way to get votes.  That's about as self serving as you can get and a large part of what's wrong with  the country today.  The law makers are self serving.  They don't care about the immigrants, only the way they may vote. They've made that abundantly clear.

It comes to light in one of those now famous audits that come about too infrequently that the Department of Homeland Security has lost track of 1 million people it knows entered the country.  They have no idea where they are now.  Still here?  Have they returned home?  This is ridiculous.  All the special visas in the world that allow people to enter the country legally aren't worth squat when it's so easy to over stay knowing the likelihood of getting caught is slim to none! We have nothing in place to track them.  Until that glaring gap in the system is closed what's the point of everything else?

Those who cross illegally will remain a problem until guest worker programs are put in place but so far Homeland Security has done nothing other than push back deadlines for even coming up with a plan as to how to do it.  We're supposed to feel good because the figure is down to 1million from 1.6 million two years ago?  One million is a lot of people!

It seems no one is utilizing brain power here all for the sake of votes.  I would think the money used for the purchase of 40 million rounds of hollow point ammo per year might have bought some brain power but then that's a pretty tall order in of itself.  They'd need to do brain replacements or enhancements not only for Homeland Security officials but for all of Congress as well! The Wizard of Oz's Scarecrow could have done better.

The Hypocrisy Of Immigration Reform

Does Congress really wonder why the voters have such a low opinion of them?  Just look at the Immigration Bill. It's at 1200 pages and counting.

Remember Obamacare? The legislation no one read in it's entirety before voting on it?  Remember the special exemptions that were made to get crucial votes?  Fortunately many were backtracked, but never-the-less, the offers were made and initially accepted.  Forcing many into legislation they didn't want any part of while those lucky enough to have a Senator who resisted were exempted.  Bah!

You'd think there would be a few in leadership who understand that these comprehensive bills just don't work.  Better no bill than a bad one, especially when the President threatens to veto anything but the bad one.

This is a bill being formulated for a host of wrong reasons.  It shouldn't be about getting the Hispanic vote nor  cheap labor.  It should be about fixing the incredible holes in our current system along with ways to attract the most able of people who wish to come to this country.

The way it's being presented by the media is that it's a fight with the illegal migrant workers trying to sneak into the country. So build more fence, hire more border patrol and incorporate more electronic devices and drones.  At the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security.  Rubio says he would take this out.  He hasn't.  And Madam Secretary thinks the border is already secure.

You'd think the idea that people come into this country perfectly legally and over stay their visas never occurred to them.  What kind of system has one way tracking? Well, ours does. Do these people give a whit about becoming citizens?  Probably not. The bigger question then would be what do they want?   And where have they gone.

 And that employers that don't use e-verify can be punished.  What's the point of having it if employers who don't abide by it go scott free?

Perhaps the most irritating of all is the hypocrisy of some of the "bipartisan" gang of eight who have added pork to favor their constituents,  Big names.  Lindsey Graham, R-SC, more visas for the meat industry in his state.  Marco Rubio, R-FL, of all people, added additional visas for cruise ship workers in his state.  Not to leave out the Democrats there is Chuck Schummer, D-NY, adding visas for Irish workers.  Irish workers??  Because NY has a lot of them?  Please!

Then too, others that have jumped on the pork mobile include Harry Reid, D-NV, we all know him, allowing the Secretary of the Treasury to  flood the travel industry with up to $100 million to promote travel in certain areas of the country with no cut off date.  You don't suppose that includes Las Vegas and Reno do you?

And to woo Alaska's Murkowski, D,  the bill has deemed seafood processing jobs to be shortage occupations allowing for low skilled cheap labor to be brought in.  Alaska will be the only state to have this privilege.

I won't even get into idiocy like genius visas that allow the likes of Piers Morgan entry.

Every time I see a glimmer of hope, these bone heads slip right back into their wayward mode.  They see nothing on the outside.  They hear nothing they don't want to hear. And they speak with forked tongues.  It's absolutely pathetic.

It's Time To Profile - Period

Here we go again!  We now hear that al Qaeda in Yemen, according to The Wall Street Journal, plans are being considered to implant explosive devices inside suicide bombers with the possible intent of targeting US airliners.  Note the italics.  Nothing concrete, mind you.  Just more chatter which seems to be what airport security is based on.

Homeland Security has warned the airlines that they're trying to make this functional.  Wow.  Now, among other things, they're experienced surgeons and engineers who can perfect an implanted explosive that can be set off with an injection of some sort of chemical.  Why do I not think this is imminent?  Sounds pretty sophisticated to me!

Of course the TSA has said it will intensify security procedures across the nations airports since the current invasive ones, from pat downs to x-rays, won't be able to detect an implant! What the heck is left to be searched by the 'enhanced tools and technology' they propose to use.  What the heck does that mean?  It makes me cringe just thinking about it.

Frankly, enough is enough.  It has long been way out of hand and is getting worse.  They will kill the airline industry pure and simple.  I don't fly.  Many of my readers have indicated they no longer fly.  Talk about destroying the American way of life!  The ability to get from point A to point B without being mentally and physically molested!  The inability to take a vacation anywhere we may like without the same.  Don't even think about the poor business traveler!

When will we, en masse, say no more.  We have to if we want it stopped.  The politicians won't.

It is time to profile.  If I appeared to be of middle eastern ethnicity, even if an American in good standing, I would accept the fact that those of a similar ethnicity are the perpetrators of this type of terrorism.  If it meant a more thorough questioning and going over I'd like to think I'd endure it, when appropriate, for the greater good.  That doesn't include every single time I might fly with no good reason.

But I'm not.  I'll never see 69 again, am Caucasian and have a bad back.  No one is going to plant a bomb in me and I'm not going to inject a chemical into myself to set it off.  Neither will anyone I know from the tiniest infant to those with even more years than my own.

Anyone who thinks knows who should be scrutinized more than others.  It has gone beyond the point of being ludicrous.  It's nearing criminality and it's about time someone, no, everyone, calls the government on it.

Right Michele?  Mitt?  The rest of you?  Are you paying any attention at all?

The Terrorists Get The Last Laugh

Did you ever, in your wildest dreams, expect to witness the demise of the airline industry? I sure didn't but I fear it may be fast approaching.

Meanwhile back in the cave the terrorists are getting one more good laugh. The industry is going broke. We are now paying extra for everything including our luggage. Crews have been cut to the bone and their attitudes show it. Pilots are under trained and over tired. Forget the possibility of a passenger having explosives tucked in his BVDs. If all the afore-mentioned is true how can you possibly feel safe on a plane? I would not bet that maintenance shines where all else does not.

Never-the-less, we must be kept safe at all costs because another terror attempt may succeed. We are patted and probed and puffed with air. Now we are to be bared for total strangers to see. Yet that isn't enough. Security personnel are going to be roaming the concourses choosing people at random for more searches and swabs. Tell me. I've never, ever seen it. How many "terrorists" have been stopped by any of this?

So here we are. It takes longer to fly from Spokane to Seattle than to drive yet both Boeing and Air Bus are working on planes that will seat up to 800 passengers. We'll have to get to the airport a day ahead of our flight to get everyone through security and still hope all the gadgetry works!

You know what? The terrorists are still getting the last laugh. Every time we go berserk from a near miss they are busy figuring out their next tactic. They are way ahead of us.

Just today a flight from Denver to San Francisco was diverted to Salt Lake City. Who and what got through? A note. Pencil to paper. A bomb threat. Found in the galley.

The plane is being searched. Luggage is being "sniffed" on the tarmac. Passengers are being rescreened. Plans delayed. Nerves frayed. The industry in chaos once again.

Will they find who wrote the note? What price will we pay when they don't?

We Have Nothing To Fear...But The Bush Administration

My more liberal friends, at least those who are still enthralled with President Obama, have continually admonished me to be patient ever since I began hedging my support.

The Obama administration has been in place for a few days shy of a year now. They own it all. Though the "Democratic strategists" who are often foils on the talking head shows don't seem to agree. Have you ever noticed that whenever asked a direct question they always fall back to what the Bush administration did? I've got a hot flash for them. The Bushies have been out of office for a year now!

Rather than "changing" what the Bushies did wrong, it seems to me they are continuing the same practices. Mainly, governing by fear. Take health care. Mandating that everyone buy insurance or face fines or jail time. If that isn't fear, I don't know what is! Add to that the uncertainty of a plan being put together behind closed doors that the President would like to have voted on the day Congress returns. That's darned scary!

That's pretty mild, however, when compared to the national security fiasco. Why is it the American public is being made to pay for their foul ups? It isn't the American public that didn't connect the dots. It was the administration! The Islamic radicals are not boarding planes in this country; they're coming from overseas. Yet we're being put through intrusive hoops of questionable value. It isn't the American public who had a Muslim Major counseling soldiers returning from combat. Counseling them about what? Killing Muslims! It was them!

Somehow they always manage to tie it back to the Bush administration. One thing they won't be able to tie back is the decision to try these Islamic extremists in our civilian courts. What if, just what if, one of them was to be acquitted? Maybe the underwear bomber. Due to inability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. What we we do with him?

Sorry. This wouldn't even be close to a reasonable question if the Bush administration was still in power. No way. No how. I'm not defending Bush. I am saying Obama is proving to be very much the same. That to me is something to fear.

A Dysfunctional Government

When commenting on the Christmas day terror attempt, the President had this to say, "We will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable."

He might begin by looking within. You see, as bad as Napolitano's flip flop on how security measures are working was, there's an even more egregious element. The TSA, which answers to her, has no permanent administrator. First, it took Obama eight months to even nominate one. Then Jim DeMint, Republican from South Carolina, objected on the basis the nominee might allow the screeners to join a union.

While I'm no supporter of Unions, Obama is. Consider, too, that the American Federation of Government Employees, around since 1932, already has 600,000 members! Organizing screeners might well be on the drawing board. Frankly, I'd rather have them organized than to be without leadership!

All the puffery by Senators about the system being , lost and bloated or complaining about there having been five administrators in eight years ought to look at themselves!

So who is this administrator waiting in the wings? One Erroll Southers, a former FBI special agent, LA airport's assistant chief of homeland security and intelligence plus being a professor on counter-terrorism and associate director of the USC Homeland Security Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events.

Having read about him I think perhaps he should have Napolitano's job. He certainly has the credentials she lacks!

So there you have the problem. The President awards the top job as political payback then drags his feet on the nomination of the man who would cover her, uh, you get the idea. Then a Senator holds it up because of his own ideology and political agenda. The other Senators weighing in know this so disregard their self-rightous outrage.

It's called politics. When it's realized that the world today calls for more than playing the game, we might be safer. Until then our government, not al Qaeda, will be our own worst enemy.

It's Time For Profiling

I'm sorry. Our government has done it again. In Obama's remarks this afternoon he said this. "As Americans we will never give into fear and division."

We already have. To put the traveling public through what they are now enduring is criminal. Old ladies and men, children. Come on. I heard one story this morning about an elderly lady wearing a leg brace being forced to remove it. None of this is keeping us safe. It is one more example of the government not doing it's job and the public pays. Do you really want these people running our health care?

You have to understand the man with the potential explosive did everything right when it came to boarding the plane. He had a legal visa, in Nigeria one pays cash for everything so cash for the ticket was not an issue there, he was coming here to go to school hence the one way ticket. He has a home here and a home in Nigeria hence the small carry on bag. What's to question?

It's the inner workings that are lax. The inner workings are not going to be fixed by searching every man woman and child in the world. Not to mention destroying the airlines.

To be fair, this didn't start under Obama but he hasn't helped it any. By putting a state governor into the position of Secretary of Homeland Security just because she governed a border state is sheer madness. Had she resolved the problem of illegals from Mexico entering Arizona I might think she has a clue. But she didn't and doesn't. After all, she's the one who claimed the system worked before being taken to the wood shed and recanting.

That the man's father was concerned enough about his son's radical views that he warned American authorities doesn't indicate an internal family matter to me. Had I been the authority I'd have done some checking. Boy, what I would have found!

The watch and no fly lists are so huge they're impossible to monitor effectively. Obviously. Once it's found your on it, it's nearly impossible to get off. Senator Edward Kennedy could have told you about it. He was on it. As is CNN's Drew Griffin. Explain it!

Congress is so anxious to pass laws let them pass one allowing profiling. It is in our national interest! Forget political correctness and let the old ladies, men and kids be!

Oh, along with that law include this. Every member of Congress must fly commercial and go through the same security procedures that we do. No special lines to side step it. Remove shoes. Get wanded. Get patted down. Get a full body scan at airports that employ it. Get the air puff test. Stay in your seat the first half hour after take off and the last hour of the flight. Makes it interesting for a 90 minute flight doesn't it? And Senator Schumer, stay off your cell phone or lose it. No more delaying flights or having a crew member suffer your verbal abuse.

You represent us. Be one of us! Maybe then the review of the system Obama asked for might be actually be worth while!

They're Keeping Us Safe?

We were driving past Colorado Springs when we picked up the Allen Hunt Show on the radio. He was in the middle of taking the media and military and the President to task for dancing around the Fort Hood slaughter. His view was it was an act of jihad pure and simple.

It puzzles me why the argument over semantics. When someone shoots 13 people to death and wounds dozens more, how can it be anything other than an act of terror? Even more to be terrified of is the lack of backbone to address it for what it is.

I think the problem goes beyond what the talking heads and the military are dithering over. I think it's a matter of order. One thing about Islamic jihadists, extremist Muslims, is that they are Muslims before citizens. Islam is a religion, not a country. They believe in the teachings of the Koran. The view of those teachings seems to vary. Some claim it's peaceful. Others say it's a dictate to eliminate, kill, infidels. Us. The non-believers.

What I see is the difference of how America views things versus other countries. We have Black Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, and so on. Herein lies the problem. The distinguishing factor is always placed before America rather than after.

How are people with different ethnic backgrounds referred to if citizens of France or Italy or Great Britain? Are they Black British or Black French? Or are the merely British and French? Do they merge into the society with distinction no greater than happening to be black or brown?

Okay, that's race. Now religion. Are they Muslim Americans or American Muslims? Jewish Americans or American Jews? Do you get the drift? American should come first. Period.

But America didn't come first. He dressed as a Muslim when off duty. That should be his right? If so then why should our military women be required to cover themselves when off base in Islamic countries? Or our reporters for that matter. You see it all the time. Respect for the Islamic way? Absolutely. How about respect for ours.

Our political correctness and quest for diversity needs to be examined. This incident will make every Muslim suspect. Militia recruiting is likely to surge.

As Americans continue to be strip searched, literally, at airports in the guise of "keeping us safe", we've been missing the boat. The enemy is within. They are those of the 'Muslim first' mind set.

Mr.Hunt did some research to educate his readers. He counted the number of Muslims in the U.S. who had been arrested, tried, or convicted of attempted terrorist activity. He came up with 66 since the first of this year. Sixty six. It's out there. Here. Is it time to start paying more attention to those who are suspect? Is it time for some degree of profiling? It's going to happen again. Next time it may be a shopping center rather than an Army base. Who knows? What is known is they are here and they are active.

That scares me. It's a terrible way to live. You see, I'm just a plain American. It doesn't matter what color I am nor what faith I profess. I'm an American, pure and simple, and I'm terrified of terror glossed over by those who should know better so as not to offend those who hate us because we don't believe as they do.

Too Many Intelligence Chiefs?

Let's see. We have Leon Panetta as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, James Jones as National Security Advisor and Dennis Blair as National Intelligence Director. Do we really need three? Especially since Panetta and Blair are engaged in a turf war with Jones as the designated referee?

It seems to me when we're at war on multiple fronts with more looming, it is not the most opportune time for these boys to be at one another's throats!

The issue is whether or not Blair, whose job was created after 9/11 to better coordinate intelligence efforts, should be allowed to place people of his choosing in our embassies. This has been under the purview of the CIA for decades. With 16 intelligence operations, the oversight for purposes of cooperation makes sense. Their unwillingness to share information is thought to have been a major factor in the 9/11 attacks. Would it be prudent of Mr. Blair to work on the cooperation end of the deal rather than creating conflict?

Granted, the CIA hasn't been doing the best job possible in recent years yet with Mr. Blair's plan I foresee a conflict of loyalties among the personnel which would lead right back to protecting information which has failed us before!

This hit the news yesterday noon full bore yet has disappeared from sight today. It didn't even last one news cycle and I was beginning to think I had imagined it. But no. With some searching, I found it today on Newsmax.com.

It is too serious an issue to be under reported. If it means embarrassing those involved then so be it. If Jones can't sort it out Obama had better. We wouldn't want the world to burn because our Intelligence operations are fiddling. Would we?

With Ahmadinejad having won the Iranian election, we have a pretty good idea how his masters feel about the U.S. We're going to need all the good intelligence we can muster!

Who Are The Uighurs And Where The Heck Is Palau?

In Obama's rush to close down Gitmo, he has found himself with a problem. What to do with the detainees. Though one is already in this country for trial, Congress had said none would be allowed. So much for Congress.

A bigger problem concerns those detainees who are of questionable guilt. One such group consists of 17 Chinese Muslims who are not unlike the Tibetans in their desire for independence from China. According to NPR , they were sold to the U.S. military by Pakistani bounty hunters for $5000 per head.

It is now reported by many sources, including Refugee Settlement Watch that two U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, said the U.S. was prepared to give Palau up to $200 million in development, budget support and other assistance in return for accepting the Uighurs and as part of a mutual defense and cooperation treaty that is due to be renegotiated this year.

Wow! $200 million of our taxpayer dollars to a small group of islands encompassing approximately 178 square miles with a population of 20,303. It's religious profile is 49% f Roman Catholics, Seventh Day Adventists, the Assembly of God , Liebenzell Mission, latter Day Saints and 33% Modekngei which is their indigenous religion. The missionaries have sure been busy here for their return on recruitment! This place is virtually in the middle of nowhere!

Now on to the Uighurs themselves. Their province, Xinjiang, borders Afghanistan, several of the "stans", Mongolia, Russia, Pakistan and India.

It is chock full of pipelines and is rich with oil, natural gas and mineral resources. No wonder China wants to keep them in tow! To do so they have been flooding the province with non-Muslim immigrants and are allocating to them the best jobs and housing. Gosh, why would this build resentment?

Having been a major stop on the Silk Road, the Uighur converted to Sunni Islam in the 10th century. Between 1933 and 1944 they established their own independent political state, the Islamic Eastern Turkestan Republic, which was soon quashed by the Red Army to aid the Chinese Nationalist forces.

Much like the Tibetans, it should come as no surprise there is a movement afoot to regain their independence.

Which brings us back to our seventeen. They were in neighboring Afghanistan hoping to receive training and return home to join the fight for their homeland. They have been sitting in Gitmo since 2001.

The Chinese want them so they can execute them. Bermuda has raised all sorts of diplomatic nightmares by agreeing to take two on a temporary basis and of course there is the issue of Palau.

Another fine mess! There is a lot of truth in the statement "One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter". Perhaps things would not be so complicated if some discretionary action was taken before tossing people in prison and literally throwing away the keys! There has certainly been no rush to justice here!

As a footnote, if we are in fact willing to pony up $200 million to relocate this small block of detainees, what's it going to cost us to relocate the rest of them? Just think, if the Uighurs should win their fight against China, they may not be able to lend us any more money!

Is Everyone Who Isn't A Card Carrying Democrat A Potential Right Wing Extremist?

There is an unclassified document from the Department of Homeland Security making the rounds that has certain segments of our society up in arms. I can't say that I blame them. The way it reads, from the title on, makes it seem like anyone who holds a view that is out of step with the current administration is suspect. That would include me. It is entitled Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.

Well, yes. This would not be rocket science. As evidenced by the spate of violence around the country. Be it the killing of a small child, stuffing her in a suitcase and dropping her in an irrigation pond or a mad man slaughtering police officers, when people are desparate enough, they can snap.

Many veterans groups are especially up in arms, not because
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stands behind the report but because of the negative light it shines on returning soldiers. It says, in part:

"Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right-wing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize veterans in order to boost their violent capacities."

It goes on to suggest:

"The return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.

What bothers me about this is the fact that it shouldn't even be an issue. We ask so much of our military, under the most trying of conditions. If they come home alive, many are without limbs or full minds, many have mental problems that may not manifest for years. However, given the proper care and opportunities to return to a "normal" life would certainly help negate some of these suggestions before they become fact. The administration has made lots of promises in this area, but it's time for action, not just rhetoric. I'm also uncomfortable with the assumption that enough of our military return in such an unstable state that such occurrences are likely to happen in the numbers insinuated.

It gets worse. It suggests anyone from those opposed to abortion to animal rights activists may be ripe for recruitment. They've suggested to law enforcement agencies to watch for "suspicious" individuals who may have bumper stickers for third party candidates such as Ron Paul and Bob Barr. That would make a lot of folks here in northern Idaho suspect! There are still a good number of Ron Paul signs to be seen around the area.

The American Legion said that this report unfairly Stereotypes veterans.

John Boehner, House Minority Leader said, "To characterize men and women returning home after defending our country as a potential terrorist is offensive and unacceptable."

He's correct. Take it even further - to lump environmentalists, animal rights advocates, those who prefer local government control over federal, or dare to display the "wrong" bumper sticker - or maybe even having attended a "tea party" as potential extremists sends a harsh message.

Our government doesn't trust us. If the feeling is mutual we're all in trouble. Beware the rip tides.