How can Sen. Harry Reid (D - WBC) stand so close to the sainted Barrack Obama and it not rub off? Why it was a mere 5 months ago when he stood there with the annointed and begged the Republicans to join him in cleaning up government. A reminder Senator, if you have to ask if something is ethical then there’s a good chance you should stay away from it. Accepting $1400 boxing tickets when you are about to vote on related legislation is proably close to the line. Even if you voted against the lobby it kind of smells when the legislation was subsequently never enacted.

If there is no problem with accepting the comp tickets then why issue a statement saying you’ll never take them again? As with most politicians, it never crosses their mind until they are caught. So much for the “culture of corruption” line.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 10:29 PM EDT

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As such we owe our fighting men and women the benefit of the doubt. We cannot excuse cruel or abhorrent actions of the misguided few but we can give the military as a whole a little leeway. The recent events in Haditha, Iraq bring that home. We have seen instances like this in every war. When people are put under the stress of combat and witness the killings of their comrades in arms, things can sometimes snap. We have no way of knowing what went on in Haditha and should wait for the whole story to come out before passing judgement. Congressman John Murtha (D- Pelosi) appears to be enjoying his role in the publicizing of this story a little too much and should be ashamed of himself, especially as a former Marine.

Every war has had such tragedies that while not excusable, are at least understandable. I have linked a recent finding about such an incidence at No Gun Ri during the Korean war. A recent AP story chronicles how it was US policy at the time to fire warning shots at refugees attempting to cross the lines and of they did not heed the warning, to shoot the refugees themselves. A big worry was that the North Korean soldiers would be hiding among the civilians.

When our enemy continues to use the civilian population as pawns by hiding amongst them, using them for shields, take them hostage for leverage and any number of other decidedly non-military and dishonorable actions that put the lives of innocents at risk, we will have these tragic incidences. Our soldiers are brave but human and when pushed to the limits of human capacity, may make these deadly and unforgettable errors. The issue is that it happens in the heat of a battle or attack on their persons or unit and is borne out of a survival instinct. Wrong as it may be, we must never excuse it but we can understand the origins of such a cataclysmic and sad event. This is in sharp contrast to our enemies in this war who use the death of civilians by beheading, suicide bombing, car bombing, assasination and various other means as accepted policy and normal tactical operations.

Rep. Murtha’s glee at scoring political points over this tragedy is reprehensible and should be remembered at the polls. The New York Times and the rest of the left leaning media is quick to condemn our troops when an incident happens that may impugn them and their mission but rarely points out how it is the exception to the rule in the case of our military while it is the rule with our terrorist enemies.

Watch your buddy get blown in half by a roadside bomb and tell me how you would react in the immediate aftermath. If you weren’t curled up in a fetal position my guess would be nowhere near as courageous as our military members do on a daily basis.

We are the good guys. Our troops deserve our support for herculean but thankless tasks they perform for us every day. Thank them for your freedom and don’t jump to conclusions. God Bless them all and God bless America.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics, War on Terror at 6:30 AM EDT

2 Comments »

No pontification or long-winded, breezy speeches. Remember those we memorialze today. Memorial Day is a remembrance of those who have served bravely and dutifully in the service of their country, in service to us. It is their sacrifice that allows our freedom to live and breathe in a free society and it is imperative we remember their ultimate sacrifice and the cause of American liberty for which it was offered. It’s not a car sale or an extra school day off in a calendar year with too many. It is to honor our heroes. God Bless them and their families.

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 6:32 AM EDT

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Have you ever had someone ask you if your children were “real” brother and sister? Perhaps you’ve been questioned if you know anything about their “natural” parents, as if you are their unnatural set. Maybe you’ve heard how lucky they are to have you. If you have, then chances are you are an adoptive parent.

Adoption is a different way to make a family but it doesn’t make a family different. There are all the necessary ingredients found in any family; patience, perseverance, dedication, kindness, discipline, worry, and most of all, love. Adoption is not settling for something less, as some may believe. We are talking about children, little human beings endowed with the same human rights bestowed upon the rest of us, you don’t settle for children that you adopt; you are blessed by having them.

The parental bonds are no less; you love and nurture the children until you ache from exhaustion and heartbreak, the same pain that comes from watching a child experience the harsh realities of life. Realities you knew were coming but were powerless to prevent. There is also the tremendously rewarding upside of parenting, the joy and pride experienced when you watch a child grow, learn and succeed. Those are the times that reassure us why we have children in the first place.

There is a physical pain that precedes the miracle of birth; to the infertile it is a spiritual pain but both subside with the arrival of a child. It is after that arrival when the real work begins, the physically and emotionally trying, but rewarding beyond belief experience of raising that child. Adoption brings about families like yours, albeit families that were formed in a somewhat different manner than most.

Adopted children contribute in many ways; they complete a family and weave their spirit and contributions into the fabric of our society. We may see the people next door raising the doctor who discovers an end to alzheimers or the scientist who finally unlocks the secret to a viable, renewable energy source. Maybe we see the less heralded but equally important mother or father of some of the children of our next generation. The generation that will take care of us in our old age. All children are important and we are blessed to share our lives with them. But in order for them to reach their promise and achieve, we must give them a chance to live first. As a society we benefit from the children as much as they benefit from us. I fervently believe that all children deserve a family and a loving home. We should treasure them as all precious things; protect them, nurture them and help them to flourish. They are children, just like yours.

This is what we deprive ourselves of when we depersonalize the debate and call it a woman’s “right to choose“. It is time we put a face on the children lost to abortion, those who will never be. Next time when you are arguing choice…

…Choose Life

Posted by Biloxi in Biloxi Says at 11:28 PM EDT

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How nice it must be for a candidate to have their own paper, or at least a personal columnnist. Tammy Duckworth doesn’t exactly own the Obama News (aka Chicago Sun-Times) but she does have her own personal shill in Washington correspondent Lynn Sweet. (pictured right) Sweet is fiercely partisan, as is her right, and makes no bones about it in her columns that are informative but definitely slanted to favor Duckworth. Today’s column is no different.

A poll of 400 likely voters in the west suburban 6th Congressional District taken by the Duckworth campaign May 9-11 shows that 26 percent of the respondents identified the Iraq war and bringing the troops home as the most important problems they wanted their next representative to address. Issues associated with immigration came in second, at 19 percent.

Nice Lynn, which 400 likely voters were these - Duckworth campaign workers? College students? Members of the DuPage County Democratic organization? Maybe some of the illegals with stolen identities the politicians are trying to court.

Duckworth is the wounded Iraq war vet who lost her legs and partial function of an arm when her helicopter was attacked, so that Iraq sentiment is clearly helpful. Roskam, an attorney, is a state senator.

Here we have the ubiquitous mention of her war injuries. Lynn knows this is a potential selling point for her favorite 6th District candidate and never neglects to mention it. This is the strategy handed down by 5th District Congressman Rahm Emmanuel who recruited her for the race even though she lives outside the district. A big part of the strategy to recruit her was because she is a wounded veteran and not any perceived political strengths; that is a rather cynical position indeed. This follows how the press in Chicago (and now nationwide) likes to remind us that St. Barack is black. Duckworth’s opponent Peter Roskam gets a dismissive mention as if his actual legislative experience is not helpful or beneficial to the people of the district.

I usually don’t write about candidate polls because campaigns offer only self-serving summaries. With some worry about what I don’t know, I am reporting on the Duckworth poll because a portion of the actual survey — not all of it — was shared with me.

So why mention this one Lynn? Because a partial actual survey was provided? Was there anything in the portion not provided that could possibly have steered the results? It does not matter to Lynn because this self serving summary helps her candidate of choice.

The part that ties in to the title of this post is how situations like this can affect close campaigns in the final days when McCain-Feingold restricts certain types of political advertising. (Read free speech) Roskam may well be restricted from receiving beneficial advertising while Duckworth gets all the favorable press she can handle because of people like Sweet. Campaign finance reform my eye, they’ve just shifted the power to a friendly press.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 9:00 PM EDT

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In a theme reminiscent of a generation ago, Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has announced a proposal to privatize or lease the Illinois Lottery and use the proceeds to fund education.

When Illinois first instituted the lottery, the money was supposed to be used to fund education. At the time I was too young to purchase a ticket and here 30 or so years later we have another proposal to fund education in a similar manner. Some time ago I attended a local candidates forum for those running for state legislative offices and asked the question of what happened to this as a means of funding education. (I knew the answer but was looking for reaction). The question was greeted with laughs and giggles from the candidates of both parties. The intended increased education money went into the general fund and was used to dole out favors to the friends of the connected as well as to pay for pet projects for the individual districts. In the meantime education costs have risen and so have our property taxes. Massive amounts of funding have gone into administration and building at the expenses of the ed funds and many unqualified teachers are kept in their positions becuase of a tenure system that rewards time over performance.

Governor Blagojevich’s deal with State Senator James Meeks may save his re-election chances but does little to help the people of the state and does nothing to reform education as it is currently handled. First and foremost this newest education boondoggle being foisted upon us offers no property tax relief to those of us currently being buried under the sheer weight of the portion going to local school districts. Secondly this money is targeted at “chronically low performing school districts” without a mention of the reason (or investigation as to why) of said low performance. If only throwing money at education were the answer, we’d all be Rhodes Scholars.

This is where the deal with Sen. Meeks hurts the totality of Illinois. It does nothing but throw money at the schools without requiring accountability or tackling the underlying problems that contribute. Is all day kindergarten going to end the socioeconomic problems that are at the root of the cause? Will “classes” make parents care and take an interest in their child’s education? I like the consolidating school districts idea but it is one gem among a pile of wishful thinking and unregulated spending. How much of this newly appropriated money will end up funding the enormous bureaucracy that is customary to run any Illinois governmental agency?

In the end will the leasing or privatizing of the lottery be a worthwhile deal for the lessee or contractor? If they pay such a fee to administer it the pots will surely be lower as more money is pulled out for administration. This kind of thing doesn’t happen for free. If people don’t like the lower payouts then they may stay away. It seems like the answer for every problem facing this Governor is to privatize and spend. What will he do when he has nothing left to lease?

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics at 4:00 PM EDT

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I blogged earlier about an attempt to circumvent the Electoral College system by a group of former legislators calling their plan Campaign for the National Popular Vote.

While ruminating this afternoon I had an epiphany that really pulled things into perpective. How is it the many of the same people who push unconstitutional nonsense such as this are the same ones who oppose the Constitutional option in the Senate? They seemed to be okay with it when Senator Byrd was changing filibuster rules but now withold the 60 vote supermajority rule to be sacrosanct. Where is the desire for a simple majority vote in the Senate chambers? The tyranny of the majority argument often used to invoke obstructive filibusters is the same argument that would hold true as a reason for keeping the electoral college system in place. If we are truly worried about some states being left out of the process or ruled irrelevant, why don’t we try a uniform primary? If a state is overwhelmingly voting blue, (as Illinois does) why would a candidate from the opposition party spend the resources to visit during the final push to election day? That appears to be one of the arguments used as a rationale behind the popular vote theory. What we need is a consistency of philosophy, something we so rarely see out of politicians of either party these days. Political expediency as a means to holding on to power seems to rule the day, regardless of belief, platform or what one thinks is truly best for the constituents. One need only watch the recent reactions over the Dubai Ports deal or the recent immigration debate where politicians seems to change their whole perspective to score political points based on what they think is the mood of the public. We are watching politicians stick their finger in the wind with one eye on the polls and then we see them offer a reaction that is more for appearance than principle. This is not serious intellectual introspection folks, it’s called pandering.

I go on record in support of the Constitution which includes the electoral college and our system of electing Presidents. I also withold that there is a right (and precedent) to change the rules of the Senate to reflect a simple majority. At very least we need to make the bums enact a real filibuster and actually have to hold the floor and speak instead of just serving notice that they tend to obstruct indefinitely.

The part of politics that tends to disgust more and more these days is the inconsistency within a given philosophy and a severe disconnect with the principles that make this country great. There is a tendency with elected officials to act in a manner that seems to say, “the rules are to be adhered to by the folk, but need not be followed by Congress”. After the 2000 election and again after 2004 we heard from politicians suggesting we abolish the Electoral College, including a high profile statement from Sen. Hillary Clinton. The Junior Senator from New York has decried the unfairness of the college and suggested it is obsolete. Do we really want a President that is elected by New York, Boston, Chicago and LA? Does Montana or Rhode Island have a place in the process? The answers should be no to the former and yes to the latter. Remember, we are a Representative Republic and not a straight democracy. It is the very system that many wish to tear down that has held us together and made us great in the first place. Keep a vigilant eye in your state and look out for this group who wishes to attack the Constitution using the side door. Let your elected officials know what you think and hold them accountable if they don’t listen. God bless America.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 9:04 AM EDT

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Chicago Sun-Times curmudgeon Neil Steinberg has taken demagoguery to new heights with today’s column. He starts by praising the neo-nazis, klansman and gang banger types for being honest about their racist views and then ties foes of illegal immigration to them by inferring racism is at the root of their opposition to the illegal alien issue. He then dives right into one of the worst analogies I’ve seen yet.

For instance: I’ve been writing about immigration. So I hear a lot from the anti-immigration crowd, who insist they don’t, don’t, don’t have anything against Hispanics. Oh, no no no! What upsets them is ILLEGAL immigration. It’s ILLEGALITY that sends them rushing to defend the borders with their night-vision goggles and custom jackets.

Fine, I ask them, if ILLEGALITY is the issue, then what other lawbreakers besides Latino immigrants upset you? Tax cheats? Jaywalkers? White-collar criminals? It isn’t as if illegal immigration is the only lawbreaking that goes on in this country.

Silence. They don’t answer. They never answer, because they don’t really care about illegality, they care about keeping Mexicans the heck out of their country.

His middle paragraph is the canard that shows the holes in his boat and sinks his entire point. I’ve seen it used before and it is was just as tiring, inaccurate and intellectually lazy then as it is now. Many lawbreakers upset us collectively as a society and assault our sense of decency as individuals but there is one main difference here. Illegal aliens break the law intially to enter the country and then follow it up by violating our laws day in and day out by their continued illegal presence. They use forged documents to gain fake identities, many drive without licenses, work for cash under the table and avoid taxes, or various other violations. The obvious cases are Mexican because they are on our southern border and can walk in but many are Irish, Asian, Arab and various other nationalities. Many conservatives like myself are equally opposed to all illegal entry, not just Mexicans. The other crimes mentioned by Steinberg are of a singular nature and do not compound themselves by their mere presence as does the presence of an illegal within our borders. Steinberg goes as far as to call opponents anti-immigration instead of foes of illegality. Such a stance shows he has the leftist trait of lack of originality to go with his penchant for wild, untrue and off the mark commentary. No other criminal group marches in force, clogs our streets and paralyzes traffic to DEMAND that we pardon their breaking of our governmental edicts. No other group does so with impugnity and a virulent disrespect for our legal system. Finally no other group does the aforementioned while steadfastly refusing to assimilate into our culture at the same time they disrupt our economy by driving the salary structure down, all the while sending large chunks of money out of our country.

No Neil, we respect immigrants, Hispanic or otherwise but we expect that they go about their day in an honest fashion. We feel pride as we see their children achieve the American dream, and we welcome them as equals. We honor their hard work and willingness to become Americans, the legal way. We realize that you disagree; just try to do it in an honest fashion in the future, without the lies and gross misrepresentation that has been your signature tactic. People do not respond to your rhetoric because to engage such inanity is giving it the respect it does not deserve. If you cannot make the distinction between the two positions it would be best not to comment on it at all. Alas, that could only be wishful thinking.

Posted by Biloxi in Immigration at 10:42 PM EDT

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Favored visitor to the Republic; our good friend Dude, Truth Surgeon, Master Infidel and the only Knave lowlier than me posted the commentary below in the comments section following my Broadview post:

As one of the progeny of a fireman, I know the effort they put into their job. I have seen them race home to rest a few hours, get back in the car- run back to the fire- while the lumber yard in River Grove blazed for days. I have seen him in bed, hacking up a lung for days after the can company in Maywood burned. I know what these people do. Let me disabuse you of the notion it is all lights and sirens; perhaps Mayor Vicenik would prefer to be on hand at some of the disgusting things they must clean up. Decorum prevents me from listing them here.

I have seen the politics inside the firehouse where a person passes the lieutenant’s test, scoring in the top three each time, and is passed over for promotion. But still they run INTO the burning building.

As for the police, sure, I get a little steamed at them when they have a roadblock to check for seat belt violators- but what are you going to do when some gremlin knocks over the 7-11? Form a posse? Broadview cops are the nicest people in the world. They don’t have time for trivial *stuff* like that; you have to be pretty stupid to get on their bad side.

Public works artisans may seem like they don’t do much, but think back to the last big snowstorm when the Broadview streets were the only streets in the county that were cleared. Broadview public works cleared the streets faster than the 200- odd villages in Cook County. The side streets were cleared before Cermak Road.

When a water line bursts, Public Works would repair it- well not anymore- Hizzoner the Mayor now has his cronies do it. But public works loans the plumbing company the equipment to do the work they had been doing for years.

In closing, let me just say that when thirty-eight people are terminated, it doesn’t stop there. Those people have children. Do the right thing, Mr. Mayor. Open the books. Do it for the children.

Such commentary brings truthful insight to the lasting effect such dishonesty in government can have on the governed. As such I felt obligated to bring it to the fore. Maybe the Mayor needs to open the books, drop the politics and think about what representative government really means. For the safety and future of his village, for the people and for his own conscience… if he has one. Government is to serve and I don’t see a lot of service to the people of Broadview here.

Posted by Biloxi in Illinois Politics, Politics at 8:25 PM EDT

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What if we really change the immigration rules? President Bush’s speech last night did address many pressing issues and is definitely a step in the right direction, though I will have to disagree with his stance that allowing those who broke our laws to get here the privilege of citizenship is somehow not de facto amnesty. Is their act somehow less illegal because they have been here for more than two years? Does buying a home (using forged documents) somehow cleanse the dishonesty of their method of entry into our country?

I have a suggestion that will give all the pandering politicians fits: Propose legislation that denies the right to vote to any person who entered our country illegally or overstayed their visas to remain here illegally after their legal entry period expires. Even if President Bush’s wishes become policy and those lawbreakers who are here should be allowed citizenship rights after “paying a meaningful penalty” (whatever that means), I believe those who have so little respect for the rule of law do not deserve the privilege and responsibility that comes with voting. As you can see both parties are falling all over themselves to legitimize the unlawful acts of those “who do the work Americans won’t do” in an effort to garner votes should this group become citizens, and thus a voting block. Such a step might help them ease the challenge to their principles which are shaky at best and put an end to the shameless vote grubbing on this issue.

A second step would be to repeal the 14th amendment to the Constitution or amend it to put in meaningful wording that cannot be interpreted as giving automatic citizenship to those who are born on American soil. This has long been an excuse for the illegal community as they cry, “but what about the children”? While it is no fault of the children born to them, “anchor babies” further perpetuate the problem and gives incentive to the violators in hope of gaining some type of foothold as they jump the line. As the President said, we are a Nation of laws. The 14th amendment was enacted to protect the children of slaves who were born here after their parents were forced to come to America against their will, in the holds of slave ships. The Amendment righted a grievous wrong and is now being misused by lawbreakers. The need for such a codicil is most certainly passed. We should extend automatic citizenship to those children born with at least one parent who is a US citizen. All others can get in line and apply like the rest.

A final consideration on real immigration reform should be carefully debated. Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama has highlighted some serious considerations for debate in the senate before the passage of any bill. As we raise the quotas and allowable amount of immigration we have to consider factors such as “chain migration” where the new citizens are allowed to bring in parents, siblings and other family member after they achieve naturalization. The current average is 1.2 family members for every immigrant. The extrapolation could mean as much as 217 million immigrants in the next 20 years which is 66 percent of the current population of the United States. Low end estimates still bring us an influx equal to 25 percent of the current population. All the more reason to give any such reform careful consideration.

Our immigration laws need some tweaking as to levels and we should consider all aspects but it should not be done with strictly political motives in mind; currently that seems to be the major motivation coming out of Washington. Knee-jerk reactions to hot button issues almost always lead to bad law, just look at McCain-Feingold. The only thing that needs to be done immediately is to secure our borders; something the President addressed in his speech. The remainders can be carefully studied so that sensible reform can be undertaken.

Posted by Biloxi in Politics at 7:12 AM EDT

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