Is it just me or does it seem the immigration controversy can be solved much in the same manner as the “gun control” debate?

ENFORCE THE CURRENT LAWS!

Vigorously I might add. In both cases we are excusing the lawbreakers and overlooking the fact that the problem would not exist without people who willfully break he law. We do not assign culpability to the lawbreakers and instead blame inanimate objects or undesirable situations. It’s time to admit that crime cannot exist without the criminal to carry it out and punish the criminal accordingly, to the fullest extent of the law.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 12:27 AM EST

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Abdul Rahman was released from prison in Kabul Afghanistan today. The authorities claim he was mentally unfit and thus would not be executed for converting to Christianity. While I am thrilled that Mr. Rahman’s life was spared, I think the reasoning behind the release was a complete and total cop-out. The international community, lead by the United States (and other coalition countries that continue to risk the lives of their men to assure that Afghanistan remains free), must continue to bring pressure upon Hamid Karzai and the Afghani government to respect the freedoms of the citizens. A constitution that guarantees religious freedom while allowing sharia law to be used as reasoning to kill those that utilize said freedom is not worth the effort it took to put it on paper.

Afghanistan is still a better place than it was in September of 2001 because Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda are no longer able to use the country as a base to plan further attacks on Americans. That does not mean that as a country they don’t have a long way to go. Afghanistan has a road full of promise in front of them, they only need follow it.

Posted by Biloxi in Radical Islam at 11:46 PM EST

2 Comments »

…before you can raise it back up again. Call it a high colonic for the Illinois Republican Party. It has been a more than few years since Illinois has had anything resembling a true two party system. Our state is one where the Democrats act like Democrats and the Republicans act like…well, Democrats. The recent primary victory of Judy Baar Topinka is proof of that. One school of thought is that Republicans and/or conservatives should fall in line behind the Polka Queen because she is “our” nominee and anything is better than re-electing Rod Blagojevich (D - Elvis) to the State’s highest post. You can get some interesting perspective from the commentary following this Illinois Review article.

I reject that theory out of hand. Since the era of Big Jim Thompson we have been subjected to insider politics where the connected have enriched themselves either politically or financially, with no concern for the citizens of Illinois. Deals have been cut to benefit the inner circle at the expense of fiscal sanity, common sense or any kind of reasonable progress that would benefit the citizenry. In that same period we have seen our newly minted “Republican” nominee (and I do say that very loosely), support a Democrat for Congress over a viable Republican candidate. She presided over the group behind the ouster of Senator Peter Fitzgerald, the independent conservative who decided not to run for re-election rather than waste his money fighting his own party. Judy Baar Topinka steadfastly refuses to call for the ouster of Bob Kjellander, the insider’s insider who is the current state Republican National Committeman and the RNC’s treasurer. The man who made over $800,000.00 in investment deals with the current administration. Today’s Chicago Tribune brings us this message from Ken Mehlman, Chairman of the Republican National Committee:

“Elections are about a choice, and someone you agree with on 80 percent of the issues is much more likely to get your vote,” Mehlman said.

He said Topinka’s support for parental notification before a minor can obtain an abortion and her opposition to so-called partial-birth and late-term abortions were a “much more common sense, centrist approach” than Blagojevich’s opposition to more abortion restrictions.

“And that’s the question,” Mehlman said. “Do [conservatives] want someone who will agree with them on things they care about?”

It’s hard to judge if we agree on 80 percent of the issues because JBT has yet to flesh out any real platform beyond “the guys are picking on me”. On the other hand we DO have Topinka’s record which might suggest we agree on far less than 80%. The RNC’s support of Kjellander is troubling as well; he has been National Committeman as our state party crumbles around him. Mehlman also pledged national support for Topinka. Where was all this support when Illinois had a candidate running against Dick Durbin in 2002? The National Party left Jim Durkin high and dry in both verbal support and funding when they had a chance, yet now want to support a RINO for Governor. Judy Failed to support a fellow Republican in the 3rd district but now wants to make the unity plea?

I supported Ron Gidwitz and with the exception of Topinka, I was fully prepared to support any of the other candidates in the event they were successful in the Republican primary. So this is not an issue of close mindedness; rather it is one of principle. With her victory, the people of Illinois do not stand a chance to break free of the cooperative until there is a complete crash. Our state needs a clear alternative and Democrat-lite is not the answer leaving a collapse of the old guard as the only way. We can achieve this by supporting candidates who are free of the combine and adhere to Republican and/or conservative principles. There is opportunity to maintain a Congressional seat in the 6th District by supporting Peter Roskam, regain one in the 8th by helping David McSweeney and pick up another from Rep. Lane Evans by getting behind Andrea Zinga in the 17th. We can support Dan Rutherford for Secretary of State and Christine Radogno for Treasurer without buying into the whole combine. We need to take the state party back from dealmakers and put people in place that are supportive of a true Republican platform with the most important issues being smaller government and fiscal restraint. We will not get this with Topinka as Governor and such a victory would only prolong the reign of the combine.

This position is not one of sour grapes, it is borne of pragmatism. Being a Republican requires more than an (R) by one’s name, and while a diversity of opinion and philosophy is healthy in the shaping of the party it does not mean one can stray so far off the platform that they are indistinguishable from the opposition. Don’t kid yourself that Joe Birkett as Lt. Governor will have any influence on policy in what is largely a powerless office. He would only be able to affect that which would be allowed by the Governor. How far do you think JBT would let him stray to the right considering she calls conservatives the “kooks” of the party? There is also the issue that Lt. Governor is elected independent of the Governor and that brings a real possibility that Pat Quinn is re-elected, pairing Topinka with someone whose ideology is closer to hers.

I join Tom Roeser in the call to sit out the Governor’s race. It is the only way we can get Illinois out of the grip of the combine and back on the road to true representative government. We can not be fooled that the recent Democratic Party successes at the state level are anything more than Republican inability to offer anything in stark contrast to business as usual. This is evident by lackluster voter turnout assuring Democratic victories driven by the vote from the City of Chicago. We cannot defeat the combine by mimicking them and until a clear message is sent that this is unacceptable to the people of our state, we can expect more of the same. It’s time to make a statement and while it may be painful, it is the first step on the road to changing the way business is done in Illinois.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 9:32 AM EST

1 Comment »

So what if it’s gratuitous and tacky. Isn’t this the courage George Clooney was talking about?

By the way, is there jello wrestling on the range?

Hat tip to blakstne for the picture.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 9:03 PM EST

5 Comments »

We’re starting to see a pattern here. In an AP article yesterday Mohammed Taheri-azar stated he read the Koran 15 times and came to the conclusion it jusified his driving a rented Jeep Cherokee through a popular gathering place at the University of North Carolina’s Chapel Hill campus; injuring 9 people.

”I did not act out of hatred for Americans, but out of love for Allah instead,” Mohammed Taheri-azar, 22, wrote in a letter to Amber Rupinta dated March 10 posted on WTVD’s Web site.

Sounds eerily similar to the reasoning used by Afghani Judge Ansarullah Mawlavezada in the Abdul Rahman case where the government is attempting to use shariah law to execute the man for converting to Christianity.

In both cases the advocacy of death is not out of any hatred but a matter of teaching. Now that makes me feel better.

I again call for the main practicioners of the “religion of peace” to stand up for real peace and call for an end to the killing in the name of God. If this act “‘was in retaliation for similar attacks orchestrated by the U.S. government on my fellow followers of Allah in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and other Islamic territories” as stated by Taheri-azar then why not retaliate against the government and not innocent people?

It is this brand of hatred and intolerance to anything ouside of the twisted world of radical Islam and the reluctance of prominent mainstream Muslims to condemn such action that foments further antagonism for the West and Chrisitianity in general. Far more than any supposed actions alleged actions of the “infidels”.

Posted by Biloxi in Radical Islam at 7:37 AM EST

3 Comments »

I hope Cal Skinner comes back. Here in Illinois we sure could use a real choice for Governor in the fall. With Judy Baar Topinka’s primary victory over conservatives Jim Oberweis, Bill Brady, and fiscal conservative/social moderate Ron Gidwitz, we are assured a spirited race of business as usual versus more of the same. In what was a predictable race that needed to play out, The liberal Topinka garnered 38% of the vote over two conservative rivals and Gidwitz. Current Governor Rod Blagojevich came into office promising reform but instead offered us more insider politics, pay to play, and policies that create an unfriendly business climate.

Cal Skinner is a former Republican State Representative who ran for for Governor of Illinois in 2002 as a Libertarian. You can read his blog here. He would at least advocate lower taxes, support the 2nd amendment and represent a break from the past. Of course this is only dreaming.

Chicago Tribune Columnist Dennis Byrne offered what appears to be an excellent post-mortem on what transpired even though it was published yesterday. Illinois will continue to have a dearth of choices to represent us until the Republican Party drops its current strategy of pushing “moderates” because they are electable.

It wasn’t Republican Peter Fitzgerald’s conservatism that caused his party’s establishment to nix his second term as a U.S. Senator. It was his determined independence. He represented his constituents and their interests, and not the interwoven and lucrative interests of Illinois’ unitary establishment party. It’s why the party opposed him in his 1998 primary race against Loleta Didrickson and tried to undermine his nomination of the fiercely independent Patrick Fitzgerald as U.S. attorney. Peter Fitzgerald, of course, enjoys lasting revenge as Patrick Fitzgerald tracks corruption all the way to the offices of the governor and mayor.

The GOP “leadership” (the ones with the money and power) wants us to believe that they back “moderates” on principle. Hogwash. They don’t care about principles, only about keeping power. They’d back Larry, Curly and Moe if they thought they’d win. They need to be reminded that our last Republican senator was a conservative. They’ll respond that Fitzgerald “lucked out” because his Democratic opponent was the underqualified and ethically challenged incumbent, Carol Moseley Braun. The GOP establishment will say that the next candidate won’t be so lucky in the run against incumbent Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin.

Until the Illinois GOP discovers a spine and breaks from their self destructive policies of selecting candidates that mirror the opposition, we can get used to more of the same. Blagojevich is beatable this year, but only if Illinoisians are offered an alternative that offers a stark contrast to his liberal social policies and destructive fiscal plan that buries us further in debt while passing off the bill to future generations. Currently I see no such choice. Hopefully Bill Brady can develop into the statewide conservative candidate we are looking for but it was not to be this year. While Oberweis made a strong showing he is now a three time loser, a millionaire who has tried to buy his way into office repeatedly while continually coming up short. In a interview last night on WLS Radio Oberweis went as far as to accuse Brady of being a stalking horse who was only in the race to siphon off the conservative vote so Topinka could win. This sounds more like a spoiled child not getting his way than a candidate we can look to to unite Illinois Conservatives. Oberweis always troubled me as a candidate because of his penchant for changing his positions in what appeared to be an effort to position himself to get elected. In the end it didn’t work. Let’s hope the party can get their act together and offer us real choice for the 2008 Senatorial contest and in future Gubernatorial elections. The only way to start trending towards red state status is to field real candidates who offer contrast to the status quo. In John Kass‘ Chicago Tribune column this morning he refers to our two candidates as ” Two Horns on the Head of the Same Goat” and he couldn’t be more correct.

We need the Illinois Republican Party to return to strong conservative principles but we won’t get there without asking, nay, demanding it and holding those in charge accountable. Send Andy McKenna a message via e-mail. If we want to change things it will have to start from the bottom up and there is no better time than the present.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 8:20 AM EST

3 Comments »

An Afghan man faces a possible death sentence for the offense of converting to Christianity. Turned in by his family, Abdul Rahman is charged with rejecting Islam.

We are not against any particular religion in the world. But in Afghanistan, this sort of thing is against the law,” the judge said. “It is an attack on Islam.”

Okay class, see if you can find the contradiction in the judge’s quote.

When told the charges would be dropped if he converted back to Islam, Rahman refused. You can read the whole story here. On one hand I am extremely awed at Rahman’s devotion to the Christian faith while on the other I am repulsed by yet another affirmation that we are not exactly dealing with a “religion of peace“. To think we have men and women risking their lives and dying over there is disheartening to say the least. In the end it makes their sacrifice all the more impressive.

Posted by Biloxi in Radical Islam at 10:00 PM EST

24 Comments »

In Bill Zwecker’s Obama News column today he referenced Susan Sarandon being “perfectly matched” to play unwashed peace mom Cindy Sheehan in a big screen version of Cindy’s recent cry for attention, ….I mean life. To pull it off Sarandon will need a makeup job worthy of the one done on Charlize Theron for “Monster” or perhaps we can get one of the “Star Wars” geniuses. Let’s face it, Susan gets up in the morning looking better than Sheehan after a full makeover, and that’s being kind. Susan needs to get working on her best shrill voice also, the viewing public demands authenticity. With the recent box office woes of Hollywood, do they really think this picture is going to pull them out of the hole? As soon as they begin to realize that their altered reality is not the real one; things might stand a chance at improving. In the meantime expect another batch of poor selling movies portraying the world as Hollywood wishes it were.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says, Politics at 5:46 PM EST

3 Comments »

The Illinois primary election is this coming Tuesday, March 21. The Republican Gubernatorial race is hotly contested with 5 candidates and could well end up being a shocker though polls show Judy Baar Topinka ahead by a fairly comfortable margin. It is well known this blog endorses Ron Gidwitz for his obvious strengths in education and business. The Illinois Review’s Lee Newcom ran an interesting plea last Friday that was discussed in detail on the Teri O’Brien Show this afternoon. It was a request for Ron Gidwitz to get out of the race and throw his support behind one of the two leading conservative candidates Jim Oberweis or Bill Brady. The theory being that Gidwitz supporters throw their support behind either candidate pushing them past Topinka and over the top in the primary.

This is a huge assumption as many Gidwitz followers may support Topinka for her moderate (I say liberal) social views, one of the two aforementioned candidates, or possibly even sit on their hands. It is a flawed strategy to expect a man to pull out 4 days before the election when he has put so much time, money and effort into a campaign. Oberweis is flawed and as of late he has gotten arrogant; so far as to suggest to the other candidates that they draw straws to decide who stays in the race, with one lopsided codicil; that being that he get 10 straws to one each for Brady and Gidwitz.

Gidwitz, a Chicago businessman, called the request “absurd” but said Oberweis was “totally serious” about it.

Illinois Republicans have an annoying habit of in-fighting and self destructing but quitting at this late stage will serve no purpose. If anything, the withdrawal of either Oberweis or Brady would better serve the cause of uniting behind one candidate as their supporters are of similar ideology. Gidwitz may be polling low but is still a factor and any withdrawal at this stage would rob him of any moral authority with his supporters rendering him unable to bring them along in any case. At this point all the candidates have given their blood, sweat, tears and money to their cause and may as well see it through. If Topinka wins the primary then the Illinois Republicans deserve her. This state ( at least the northern half, especially Chicago) has long been about the status quo, insder dealings and patronage and Topinka will surely give them that, so will her likely challenger Governor Rod Blagojevich. Either of the other three may be flawed but offer a chance to break that cycle. Mid term elections traditionally have low voter turnout and this promises to be no different. To even attempt to make a difference it is imperative that we get out and vote our conscience, regardless of what we feel the chances may be. Everybody is “electable” if enough people turn out. Voting is our way of using our voice and excercising our freedom. Use that voice, over 2000 brave Americans have given their lives over the past 3-1/2 years to insure that right for others, and to safeguard it for us. Don’t waste it. God Bless America.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 9:55 PM EST

1 Comment »

I read this story Friday in the Chicago Sun-Times

Dr. Greg Bales, associate professor of urology at the University of Chicago, said severed penises are uncommon but surgery usually works.

I can only speak for myself, but if Mr. Happy is laying on the sidewalk not attached to my person, I doubt you’d need a TASER to subdue me. Must have been some real serious girlfriend problems. OUCH!

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 3:24 PM EST

3 Comments »