Peaceful Protest Or Race Baiters?

Via American Power

I wonder if this reminds the Queen Witch of San Francisco in the 70's? Now if this was a Tea Party event the LSM would have been all over it. Instead the mediots focused on the poor illegal immigrants and their "peaceful" march.

Well here are some photos courtesy of Donald Douglas at American Power showing just what these "peaceful" protesters really believe, which is that anyone in Arizona (or in the rest of the country) who supports our national sovereignty is a Nazi, Klansman and racist.

See more at American Power

The Sestak Bribe Timeline

Something is not right here. If, as the administration is saying, Rep Sestak was only offered an unpaid advisory position why did it take the White House three months to come out with an official explanation of the offer? I'm no genius but wouldn't have been the wise thing to come clean immediately instead of letting the controversy go as far as it has?

I don't believe for a minute that the White House version of the "truth" is real but that is just my opinion. Something bigger was offered to Sestak to stand down against Specter and even though former President Clinton was the go-between, the offer came from the administration and they surely had to know it was in violation of 18 USC 595 and 18 USC 600. Saying this is business as usual in DC is not going to make it go away. An independent investigation is the only way to get to the bottom of this.

DougRoss@Journal has put together a timeline of the goings on, starting with Sen Arlen Specter's switch to the Democrats and has found many inconsistencies with the official version and what Sestak said in the past. Chief among them is that the offer came directly from the White House which Sestak replied in the affirmative.

The following contradictions exist between the official White House account and the original Sestak interview:

• White House: "White House staff did not discuss these options with Congressman Sestak."
•: Sestak: Replied "Yes" to the question "you were offered a job by someone in the White House?"

• White House: "It has been suggested that discussions of alternatives to the Senate campaign were improperly raised with the Congressman. There was no such impropriety. "
• Sestak: Replied "Yes" to the question "Were you ever offered a job to get out of this race?

• White House: "It has been suggested that the Administration may have offered Congressman Sestak the position of Secretary of the Navy in the hope that he would accept the offer and abandon a Senate candidacy. This is false."
• Sestak: Replied "No comment" to the question "Was it Navy Secretary?", when a simple "No" would have sufficed. In a separate interview, MSNBC says that Sestak did confirm the offer of the Secretary of the Navy position.

See the full timeline here and draw your own conclusion.

Via Memeorandum

Repeal ObamaCare - Support Ron Paul And HR 5444

On Thursday Rep Ron Paul R-TX stepped up the fight to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with a free market solution by introducing HR 5444 the Private Option Health Care Act.

This bill has everything that I believe would fix the broken health care we currently have. It allows a 100% tax deduction for heath care expenses, allows for the interstate purchase of health insurance, addresses medical malpractice and allows for prescription drug importation. The most important thing is that it puts health care back in the hands of the individual and takes it away from the government.

Contact your Representative and ask him or her to co-sponsor and support HR 5444. It is the right of all of us to determine what is in our best medical interest, not the federal government.

Statement of Congressman Ron Paul
United States House of Representatives
Statement Introducing the Private Option Health Care Act

May 27, 2010

Madam Speaker, I rise to introduce the Private Option Health Care Act. This bill places individuals back in control of health care by replacing the recently passed tax-spend-and-regulate health care law with reforms designed to restore a free market health care system.

The major problems with American health care are rooted in government policies that encourage excessive reliance on third-party payers. The excessive reliance on third-party payers removes incentives for individual patients to concern themselves with health care costs. Laws and policies promoting Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) resulted from a desperate attempt to control spiraling costs. However, instead of promoting an efficient health care system, HMOs further took control over health care away from patients and physicians. Furthermore, the third-party payer system creates a two-tier health care system where people whose employers can afford to offer "Cadillac" plans have access to top quality health care, while people unable to obtain health insurance from their employers face obstacles in obtaining quality health care.

The Private Option Health Care Act gives control of health care back into the hands of individuals through tax credits and tax deductions, improving Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Savings Accounts. Specifically, the bill:

A. Provides all Americans with a tax credit for 100% of health care expenses. The tax credit is fully refundable against both income and payroll taxes;

B. Allows individuals to roll over unused amounts in cafeteria plans and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA);

C. Provides a tax credit for premiums for high-deductible insurance policies connected with a Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and allows seniors to use funds in HSAs to pay for medigap policies;

D. Repeals the 7.5% threshold for the deduction of medical expenses, thus making all medical expenses tax deductible.

This bill also creates a competitive market in heath insurance. It achieves this goal by exercising Congress's authority under the Commerce Clause to allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines. The near-monopoly position many health insurers have in many states and the high prices and inefficiencies that result, is a direct result of state laws limiting people's ability to buy health insurance that meets their needs, instead of a health insurance plan that meets what state legislators, special interests, and health insurance lobbyists think they should have. Ending this ban will create a truly competitive marketplace in health insurance and give insurance companies more incentive to offer quality insurance at affordable prices.

The Private Option Health Care Act also provides an effective means of ensuring that people harmed during medical treatment receive fair compensation while reducing the burden of costly malpractice litigation on the health care system. The bill achieves this goal by providing a tax credit for negative outcomes insurance purchased before medical treatment. The insurance will provide compensation for any negative outcomes of the medical treatment. Patients can receive this insurance without having to go through lengthy litigation and without having to give away a large portion of their awards to trial lawyers.

Finally, the Private Option Health Care Act also lowers the prices of prescription drugs by reducing barriers to the importation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved pharmaceuticals. Under my bill, anyone wishing to import a drug simply submits an application to the FDA, which then must approve the drug unless the FDA finds the drug is either not approved for use in the United States or is adulterated or misbranded. This process will make safe and available imported medicines affordable to millions of Americans. Letting the free market work is the best means of lowering the cost of prescription drugs.

Madam Speaker, the Private Option Health Care Act allows Congress to correct the mistake it made last month by replacing the new health care law with health care measures that give control to health care to individuals, instead of the federal government and politically-influential corporations. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Via Campaign For Liberty

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill And The Nuclear Option

We are now hearing that "top kill" has failed and BP is exploring other options. Enough with trying to cap the gushing oil spill a mile below the surface in the Gulf of Mexico, the time has come to go nuclear.

Russia has had an 80% success rate with this method but apparently it is not even considered an option by BP or the US government due to the fears of failure and radiation. It has also been surmised that if a nuke or an other large bomb were successful to collapse the wellhead that BP would not be allowed to drill in the area again and they would lose billions.

It sounds radical but nothing else has worked and thousand of gallons of oil continue to pump into the gulf unabated. It's time to think outside the box.

CS Monitor

Using a nuclear explosion to try to plug the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico might sound like overkill, but a Russian newspaper has suggested just that based on past Soviet successes. Even so, there are crucial differences between the lessons of the past and the current disaster unfolding.

The Russians previously used nukes at least five times to seal off gas well fires. A targeted nuclear explosion might similarly help seal off the oil well channel that has leaked oil unchecked since the sinking of a BP oil rig on April 22, according to a translation of the account in the daily newspaper Komsomoloskaya Pravda by Julia Ioffe of the news website True/Slant.

Via Memeorandum

Obama Too Busy To Meet Brewer Over Illegal Immigration Law

So we now know how serious the Chosen One is to deal with the illegal immigration issue in this country. It falls somewhere below a US/India partnership, Paul McCartney and, men's soccer.

But why should we be surprised. The Chosen One has shown us in his 16 months in office that he is not willing to tackle tough issues and that he would rather let things fester than to address them head on. Sure he'll speak out before he has the facts but when it comes to actually taking action he is AWOL.

Fox News

President Obama has turned down Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's request to meet while she's in Washington next week as tensions mount between his administration and Arizona over the state's new law cracking down on illegal immigrants.

Brewer will be in Washington to meet with other governors. She said Friday that she had asked to meet with Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss border security and immigration. But Obama's schedule "doesn't allow for a meeting" with her, White House spokesman Adam Abrams said, adding that the president "does intend to sit down with the governor in the future."

When Obama returns from his Chicago vacation on Tuesday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Peru President Alan Garcia at the White House. On Wednesday, Obama is meeting with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, before heading to an event in Pittsburgh and hosting a concert at the White House to honor Paul McCartney.

On Thursday, Obama will speak at Secretary Clinton's reception for a new partnership between U.S. and India. On Friday, the president will welcome the Major League Soccer men's championship team, Real Salt Lake, to the White House.

Via Memeorandum

They Call Me The Working Man

It's been a busy week and I've been too tired to think, let alone blog, so in honor of me, I dedicate this great Rush song to me. Crank it up and enjoy.

Breaking: Simmons To Quit, Schiff Vows To Fight On In CT Senate Race

H/T HotAirPundit

Breaking news in the CT Senate race as former front runner, Rob Simmons, will drop out of the Republican Primary race on Tuesday and throw his support behind former WWE CEO Linda McMahon.

Hartford Courant

Rob Simmons will hold a press conference for this morning in New London to announce he's leaving the U.S. Senate race, sources said late today.

The former congressman and Vietnam War veteran lost the Republican convention's endorsement on Friday to former World Wrestling CEO Linda McMahon.

In other news, Peter Schiff, who did not win enough delegates in the convention to get on the ballot, can still get on if he can get enough signatures, but he needs our support. Peter has raised almost $2.7M for the campaign but McMahon has raised $16.6M but of that, $14M is her own.

Peter Schiff needs our help if he is going to see this through and and keep Linda McMahon from buying the election. You can make a donation at Schiff for Senate.

Our campaign has never been about garnering the support of the state's elite Republicans or the political establishment in Washington. Our campaign is about earning the grassroots support of voters across the state and around the country. Prior to the convention I received the endorsements of 28 grassroots organizations, including: I-Caucus, The Connecticut Patriot Alliance, Connecticut Resistance, Distressed Patriots for America, the Connecticut Grassroots Alliance, and all three of the major Tea Party Organizations within the state.

The party establishment didn’t want the grassroots candidate on the ballot. Delegates were pressured to support another candidate by convincing them that I couldn’t win. And if you think we will sit back and allow the political establishment to keep us off the ballot, you are dead wrong. The Connecticut Republican elite may have rallied the convention delegates to support their candidate of choice, but we are the candidate of choice for the voters. And on Primary Day, that is what matters.

Today we begin the second phase of our signature drive. I am confident my hard-working team will successfully collect all certified signatures necessary to ensure my spot on the August 10th ballot. But it won't be easy, and it certainly won't be cheap.

I'm turning to you once again as a fellow patriot. This is crunch time, and I need your immediate financial support to help launch our signature petition drive. Follow this link right away to make an emergency contribution of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more. Whether you live in the state of Connecticut or not, your contribution will ensure my name appears on the ballot August 10th and bring me one step closer to arriving in Washington and saving the American economy.

MA State Rep Rear Ended By Drunk Illegal Immigrant

H/T American Power

The money line, according to MA State Police after they apprehended the subject who had also fled the scene of the accident, "... he just laughed slurring that he was going back to 'my country' Mexico. 'Nothing is going to happen to me, man.'". The irony, Rep Moran voted to essentially kill a bill that would have made it tougher for illegal immigrants to receive benefits from the state.



Fox25

State Rep. Mike Moran of Brighton was rear-ended by a suspected illegal immigrant this week. The suspect was wearing a Mexican costume at the time of the crash where he slammed into Moran at 60 mph.

The suspect, 27-year-old Isaias Naranjo, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, leaving the scene of an accident and driving without a valid license. According to the report, when told of the serious charges he would be facing, he just laughed.

But because of action taken by Gov. Deval Patrick, state police were unable to notify immigration authorities that Naranjo might be illegal.

Three years ago, Patrick revoked an order by former governor Mitt Romney which gave state police power to investigate immigration violations.

Progressive Hypocrisy And Rand Paul

First let me say that this has been blown way out of proportion. The left is claiming Rand Paul is against the Civil Rights Act and a racist because he believes in the free market.

The funny thing about this is that the members of the Raaaaacism Industrial Complex are the biggest racists of them all because they support the most obvious forms of racism, namely affirmative action and quotas. They believe that it is just fine to favor a person or group based on their race or gender at the expense of another person or group who are of a different race or gender. And why is it that the progressives don't rail against exclusionary groups in our own government such as the Black Congressional Caucus or the Congressional Hispanic Caucus that are not open to members of other races? Are you beginning to see the hypocrisy?

In this post, Jacob G. Hornberger breaks down the issue from which you can see that the progressives are merely spinning it for political gain.

Future of Freedom Foundation

This week, thanks to Rand Paul’s win in the race for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Kentucky, we are treated to another grand spectacle of liberal hypocrisy when it comes to race. The liberal community has gone into emotional hyper-drive over Paul’s opposition to the section of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that banned racial discrimination by private businesses. The liberals are just shocked and outraged that anyone would honestly suggest that private businesses should be free to discriminate. And, of course, underlying all this is the suggestion that anyone who advocates such a position must be a secret bigot.

To examine into this latest instance of liberal hypocrisy on race, let’s delve into a few basics.

Suppose a certain white homeowner in a community publicly announces that he is holding a weekly TGIF cocktail party at his home every Friday night. He publicly invites everyone who lives within a one-mile radius of his home to his parties, but with a big exception. He says: Blacks and Jews are not invited and will not be permitted into his home.

How would libertarians respond? We would say that that man has every right in the world to take that position. We might criticize him, we might condemn him, we might ignore him, we might boycott his parties. But we would defend his right to discriminate against anyone he wants, as a matter of principle. After all, we would argue, it’s his home — his private property. To paraphrase Voltaire, we might not agree with how he uses his property, but we would defend his right to use it any way he wants. That’s what private ownership and a free society are all about.

How would liberals respond to that hypothetical? They would take the same position as libertarians! They would say that a man’s home is his castle and that he has the right to keep anyone he wants, even on racial grounds, from his home. They would defend the homeowner’s fundamental right to associate with anyone he wants, even if his choices are abhorrent and offensive to everyone else. They would not call on amending the 1964 Civil Rights Act to apply it to private homeowners.

What? Could this actually be possible? Could liberals actually be defending the right of a bigot to be a bigot in his own home? Wouldn’t this make a liberal himself a bigot? After all, isn’t that what liberals claim about people who call for the right of discrimination in private businesses — that their support of such a right makes them a closet or overt bigot?

Liberals would respond, “No, we’re not bigots simply because we support the right of homeowners to discriminate against blacks, Jews, Catholics, Hispanics, the poor, and anyone else. We simply believe in the principle of private ownership of one’s home and we’re willing to defend that principle, even when homeowners make racist choices.”

Well, then why don’t liberals extend that reasoning to people who support the right of private business owners to discriminate? Why are they so quick to claim that they’re not bigots when they stand on principle when it comes to the right of homeowners to discriminate but so quick to label libertarians who call for the same principle to be applied to business owners as racists and bigots?

Like I say, two-faced and hypocritical.

Read the article in it's entirety here

Via Campaign for Liberty

Edmonds WA Rapist Deported 9 Times

This is exactly what happens when you fail to enforce border security. Dangerous illegal immigrants who are deported just waltz back across the border to commit more crimes. I really don't care if 100 or 1,000 or 10,000 or 100,000 honest illegal immigrants come in for every scumbag like Jose Lopez Madrigal because one piece of shit like him is too many.

Lets see the Raaaaacism Industrial Complex attempt to defend their open border position on this one. People wonder why we are so defensive in Arizona. It's because we have thousands of criminal illegal immigrants just like Jose Lopez Madrigal infesting our state every month.



KING5 News

The KING 5 Investigators have learned that an illegal immigrant accused of raping a woman in Edmonds Sunday has been deported nine times. That's much more than previously reported.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement won't comment on the case of Jose Lopez Madrigal. But KING 5 got the information through confidential sources and documents.

[L]earning his identity took much longer because of some 30 aliases. It was only through fingerprints that they identified him as Madrigal, a Mexican citizen.

In reviewing records and talking with confidential sources, the KING 5 Investigators learned just how extensive Madrigal’s immigration and arrest record is.

They found he was first deported in California in 1989 and since then he’s returned from his Mexican homeland and been arrested for drug crimes, a sex assault in Colorado and other offenses.

One criminal justice source says Madrigal is a "poster boy" for the federal governments ineffectiveness at keeping the most serious "criminal aliens" – illegals who commit crimes – out of the United States.

Via Memeorandum

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Lost in all the hoopla of Mexican President Felipe Calderon's criticism of Arizona's illegal immigration law and the standing ovation that Congressional Democrats gave him, Byron York of the Washington Examiner points out that while Americans are still facing economic difficulties, no expense was spared in a dinner to honor the Mexican President, when afterward the 200 guests traveled by trolley to a nearly football field sized tent on the South Lawn to see a performance headlined by Beyonce.

Washington Examiner

At a time when the unemployment rate stands at 9.9 percent, when jobs are still being lost, when worries about the global economy are causing breathtaking volatility on Wall Street, when millions of Americans who still have jobs are worrying more than ever about the safety of their retirement savings — at a time when all that is going on, the Obama White House has turned itself into a showcase of glitzy extravagance.

It was a scene the most ostentatious party-giver would have envied: the White House turned into a luxurious, high-dollar nightclub. (Club 1600, perhaps?) But there’s no need for further description, because the White House photographer has posted several pictures of the action on the White House Flickr photostream, and they tell the story best.

And just one more thought in closing, while they are celebrating at taxpayer expense, maybe the Chosen One, President Calderon and the other critics of the Arizona should look at Mexico's stance on illegal immigration, because it does not seem like they have the welcome mat out for central American immigrants who are trying to get into that country.

[C]onsider Mexico's immigration policies, codified in that country's General Law on Population adopted in 2000. Under Mexican immigration law, illegal immigrants are sentenced to up to two years in prison for a first violation and up to 10 years for a second violation. Foreigners in Mexico who violate their visas can be jailed for six years. Mexican law also empowers the government to deport any foreigner whose presence authorities deem to be harmful to Mexico's "economic or national interests, or who is not "physically or mentally healthy," or who lack the "necessary funds for their sustenance" for them and their dependents.

Via Memeorandum

Van Hollen Has It All Wrong

I don't pretend to speak for the Tea Party movement. I don't even know of I consider myself to be part of it even though I agree with many of the same ideals. Evidently though, Nancy Pelosi man-bitch Rep. Chris Van Hollen D-MD thinks that he can speak for the Tea Party when it comes to the new regulations that Congress wants to place on Wall Street.

The Hill

"They are understandably very suspicious of Washington Republicans because Washington Republicans would love to use them but then not adopt any of their policies and I think the Wall Street reform bill is case and point," Van Hollen said in an appearance on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program.

"I think a lot of the Tea Party movement is a reflection of the tough economic times we've been through," he said. "I bet if you were to ask members of the Tea Party movement if they wanted to rein in Wall Street...they would say 'yeah, let's rein in Wall Street. Yet not a single Republican in the House voted for Wall Street reform and in the Senate there were only four."

Say what? Maybe someone should point out a couple of things to Rep Van Hollen, so let me take the opportunity to do so. First, there were regulations in place it's just that the regulators from both parties choose to let Wall Street do as they wished because things were fine on the surface and the economy was humming along just fine. Or so it was believed.

The next flaw in his thinking is that in many cases DC was in bed with Wall Street and the other mechanisms that led to the collapse of the economy. Whether it was Chris Dodd and his support of Country Wide, Barney Frank along with Dodd propping up Fannie and Freddie or even worse that most politicians are in the pocket of the very people that they are supposed to protect us from.

Where Rep Van Hollen really doesn't get it however, is what may of us small government advocates already know, that the federal government was implicit in this because instead of letting Wall Street pay for it's bad business decisions, it was well know that DC would cover any losses because Wall Street is "too big to fail". Where is the incentive to make sound business decisions that are in the best interest of the country when you know your losses would be covered at the taxpayer's expense? In cases where bad behavior and judgment should have penalized, the perpetrators were bailed out in the form of TARP instead of let pay the price for their poor judgment.

If Mr Van Hollen and the rest of Congress want real reform, which is doubtful, they would have started in their own backyard and supported a full audit of the Federal Reserve. All the rest is just cheap rhetoric and pandering.

What he and the rest of his cohorts fail to grasp is that regardless of which party you belong to you either stand with We the People or against us and if you stand against us we will shake you off like a flea. But since he is one of Pelosi's lap dogs, he doesn't quite get it.

Via Memeorandum

If ICE Won't Enforce The Law, Sheriff Joe Will

55% of Americans support Arizona for it's tough stance on illegal immigration yet the federal government, in particular former AZ Governor and current Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and John Morton, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), believe that current federal law regarding illegal immigrants does not need to be enforced. Napolitano has even gone as far as saying "ICE has the legal discretion to accept or not to accept persons delivered to it by non-federal personnel. It also has the discretion to deport or not to deport persons delivered to it by any government agents, even its own."

So what will Arizona do? Well they certainly not backing down. Governor Jan Brewer on her Secure the Border website has a new video taking to task those who have criticized the law but haven't bothered to read it and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has said "Instead of taking them to ICE take them to me. I have plenty of room in the tents. I will never be overwhelmed, as long as I'm sheriff I will take everybody if I have to put up tents from here to Mexico." in reference to his infamous Tent City Jail.

So here's the message to the Chosen One, his lackeys and the pro-illegal immigration progressives, you have picked the wrong state to screw with.



Via Memeorandum

Did You Read The Law?

H/T teresamerica

I am so proud of Governor Jan Brewer (even though she just raised our taxes) for not backing down to the pressure that has come to bear because of Arizona's anti-illegal immigration stand. Where most politicians would have backed down long ago, Gov Brewer continues to fight back and even has a website, Secure the Border, to promote her cause.

In her latest video, she takes a swipe at all those, including her predecessor current Secretary of Homeland (In)Security Janet Napolitano, who have derided AZ and criticized the law but have not even read it. Now we all remember when we were kid that we were told the Reading is Fundamental, so maybe the critics should take this to heart and READ THE DAMN LAW.

Secure the Border

AZ Gov Jan Brewer Helps Raise State Sales Tax

That's right folks the pro-gun, anti-illegal immigration hero of AZ, Gov Jan Brewer, who was the main supporter for Prop 100 which will raise the state sales tax from 5.6% to 6.6% for the next 3 year, won by a margin of 64-36.

Don't get me wrong, I love what the gov has done on defending the rights of Arizonans but for her to then fall on the side of income redistribution raises some serious doubts about her. You can't be for freedom and state sponsored theft at the same time. What's worse are the threats made if the referendum didn't pass. We were told that funding to schools and universities would be cut along with police/fire services and criminals would be released from prison early if we didn't give the state more money.

Here's an idea try saving money. The state had a $600M surplus 5 years ago.

Arizona Republic

Arizona voters Tuesday gave a resounding thumbs-up to a temporary sales-tax increase, handing Gov. Jan Brewer a victory in her yearlong crusade to raise money for a strapped state budget.

Proposition 100 was passing by more than a 3-2 ratio late Tuesday, according to preliminary returns.

The measure increases the state sales tax by 1 cent per dollar, to 6.6 cents. It will take effect in two weeks.

"This is the beginning of Arizona's comeback," Brewer said as victory appeared certain.

Hey Los Angeles, Boycott This

H/T Hot Air

So the City of Angels wants to boycott Arizona, that's cool. They can do it in the dark.

You see, this goes both ways. San Diego is already crying about Arizonans canceling trips to that city, maybe LA will be next. When it comes down to it, the people of Arizona could give a rat's ass about what other people think about our anti-illegal immigration law, especially since no one seems to have actually read it.

So here's what AZ Corporation Commissioner Gary Pierce has to say to LA.

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa,

I was dismayed to learn that the Los Angeles City Council voted to boycott Arizona and Arizona-based companies — a vote you strongly supported — to show opposition to SB 1070 (Support our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act).

You explained your support of the boycott as follows: “While we recognize that as neighbors, we share resources and ties with the State of Arizona that may be difficult to sever, our goal is not to hurt the local economy of Los Angeles, but to impact the economy of Arizona. Our intent is to use our dollars — or the withholding of our dollars — to send a message.” (emphasis added)

I received your message; please receive mine. As a state-wide elected member of the Arizona Corporation Commission overseeing Arizona’s electric and water utilities, I too am keenly aware of the “resources and ties” we share with the City of Los Angeles. In fact, approximately twenty-five percent of the electricity consumed in Los Angeles is generated by power plants in Arizona.

If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona’s utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona’s economy.

People of goodwill can disagree over the merits of SB 1070. A state-wide economic boycott of Arizona is not a message sent in goodwill.

Sincerely,

Commissioner Gary Pierce

Via Memeorandum

Rand Paul Rolls In KY Republican Primary

Even though all the votes have yet to be counted, it's a Rand-slide (thanks Left Coast Rebel) as Rand Paul looks to be a double-digit winner over Trey Grayson. The Kentucky Republican voters sent a message to not only the establishment in their state but to all the the business as usually politicians that their turn at screwing this country up is over.

Now its on to November and Rand still needs our support. Please go to Rand Paul 2010 and help him finish what he started.

"We've come to take our government back."



Editor's note - with 99 percent of the precincts reporting Rand is up 59% - 35%. That is an old fashioned whoopin'.

Via Memeorandum

The Folly Of Intervention

One of the arguments used against those of us that believe in non-intervention is that we are weak or pacifists and in many cases, this could be no further from the truth. The problem is that the interventionists have framed their argument eloquently and have lead the masses to believe that by taking preemptive action it makes us stronger and more feared. Unfortunately the action taken has far worse unintended consequences and in most cases it only serves to embolden and empower our enemies.

This could not be any more true than the debacle that our country is in in the Middle East. The more we increase our involvement over there, the stronger the Islamists get as we are only supplying them with more recruiting tools. Instead of putting all of our military effort into crushing al-Qaeda, we chose to also go into Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein at the cost of over $700 billion and over 4,000 US causalities. Now we have chosen the same path in Afghanistan. For what? And if the Neocons have their way, the next stop on the tour is Iran.

Think of this quote from The Art of War and then think about how our leaders are proceeding. Are they acting like the victorious strategist or are we destined to defeat?

Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist
only seeks battle after the victory has been won,
whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights
and afterwards looks for victory.

Non-Intervention.com

Thus, the Obama administration’s decision, with Republican support, is to lose in Afghanistan and Iraq. This means monumental victories for the Islamists led or inspired by Osama bin Laden. Since the Afghan mujahedin beat the Soviets in 1989, only bin Laden consistently has predicted that Islamists would have an easier time defeating the second superpower. He has argued U.S. leaders are soft, risk averse, impatient, and unwilling to use the full measure of U.S. military power. With twin U.S. defeats, bin Laden will be proven correct and many Muslims will join the jihad; as Osama said on another occasion, people follow the strong horse.

So, it is time to leave Iraq and Afghanistan, but we must face facts. The price of military intervention is always exactly the same; if you do not irrefutably win, you will surely irrefutably lose. After 9/11, Afghanistan was a mandatory target for a short, decisive punitive military expedition; Iraq was a fool’s errand from the start. We will lose in each place because we are unwilling to win, but no one should believe withdrawal without victory will bring peace. Most wars should never be started, but once a Great Power starts one it must not be lost, especially to a weaker enemy. Losing emboldens the enemy, and today the emboldened enemy is a growing number of the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims.

Our bipartisan leadership’s fatal combination of interventionism and defeatism have created an Islamist foe more dangerous today than on 9/11. More remarkable, it has made Osama bin Laden appear a master strategist, one who, it increasingly appears, is on the verge of bringing his emboldened jihadis to the cities and streets of the United States.

RIP Ronnie James Dio

Today is a sad day in music as one of the greatest vocalists in not only heavy metal, but in all of music, Ronnie James Dio passed away at age 67 after a 6 month battle with stomach cancer. Diminutive in stature, Dio was a giant in metal and his vocals in such bands as Black Sabbath, Rainbow and Dio set the bar for a generation of metal singers. He was still a force to be reckoned with, up until last year, as he toured with his former Black Sabbath mates under the name of Heaven and Hell.

I had the pleasure of seeing him live a couple of times back in the 80's and he was just a phenomenal showman.

RIP Ronnie, you will be missed.

ronniejamesdio.com

Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45am 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all. We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us. Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss. Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.

- Wendy Dio

Secure The Border

If the Chosen One and his pro-illegal immigration minions thought that the State of Arizona was going to back down from the rhetoric out of DC and elsewhere, along with their threats of an economic boycott of the state, they got another thing coming.

Sarah Palin has joined AZ Governor Jan Brewer with a new online petition, in support of AZ, at Secure the Border. Please sign the petition and let those that support illegal immigration know that you are fed up with the federal government's failure to defend our sovereign borders.



Via Memeorandum

I Heart Chris Christie

H/T Hot Air

I don't know much about the NJ Governor but any politician that puts a mediot in his place like Christie did is ok in my book. Besides how can you hate a politician that is for smaller government, lower taxed and less spending?

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

Via Memeorandum

New KY Senate Poll: Rand Paul +16

With the Republican Senate Primary in Kentucky next Tuesday, Rand Paul has opened a 16 point lead over Trey Grayson according to a new WHAS11 poll and this is in a closed primary where only registered Republicans can vote. If this lead hold and Rand wins the GOP spot on the ballot, imagine what he will do when his libertarian and independent supporters have the ability to cast their ballots in November.

You can show your support for Rand at RandPaul2010.com.

WHAS11

It's the Senate race the entire nation is watching -- as Trey Grayson -- the choice of some of the biggest names in the Republican party is trying to overcome a tidal wave of tea - as Rand Paul is coasting on that tea party wave.

The Rand Paul phenomenon in Kentucky shows no signs of ebbing tonight - as the Bowling Green opthamologist's double digit lead continues over Secretary of State Trey Grayson. He says his message is behind his 16 point lead.

Paul 49%
Grayson 33%
Stephenson 3%
Martin 3%
Scribner 1%
Undecided 11%

"I come from the Tea Party movement," Paul said Wednesday, "and the tea party movement really feels like government is out of control, that we're being consumed by this debt."

Via Memeorandum

Baseball And Politics Don't Mix - G20 Forces Move Of Philly/Toronto Series

In a normal year baseball and politics don't often mix but this year is different. First Congress wanted to further investigate the steroids problem in baseball then just the other day a NJ Senator called for a boycott of the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix and now this, the June series between the Blue Jays and Phillies has been moved from Toronto to Philadelphia over security concerns with the G20 Summit in Toronto during that same period.

So here it is in all it's weirdness. The games will be played in Philadelphia with the Phillies as the visiting team and the Blue Jays as the home team. This means that the Phillies will wear their road grays and bat first in their home ballpark while the Jays will wear their home whites and bat in the bottom of the inning on the road. They will also play under American League rules in a National League park, so for the first time in its 7 year history, Citizens Bank Park will see a designated hitter.

Leave it to the politicians to complicate a kids game.

ESPN

Global politics has upstaged baseball in Toronto.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced Tuesday that the Phillies-Blue Jays series will be played in Philadelphia because of the G20 Summit.

The three-game series June 25-27 will be relocated from Toronto's Rogers Centre to Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park because of security issues for the G20 Summit. World leaders will gather at a convention center near the Toronto ballpark.

"After reviewing all of the options with the parties and taking all of the security considerations into account, it was determined that the best course of action is to play the series in Philadelphia," Selig said in a statement.

The G20 summit will be held June 26-27 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The stadium falls within an "outer security zone" surrounding the convention center, which means that fan access to the stadium would have been detoured around secure areas.

Via Ballbug

Send A T-Shirt And Send A Message

America is under attack. Our history, our culture and our way of life has been assailed by forces from within to the point to where if you celebrate America and what it stands for, you are called a racist, a Nazi or a tea-bagger.

The latest assault on America came last week when five high school students in California were sent home for the day because they chose to be patriotic and wore t-shirts depicting the American flag on Cinco de Mayo. This act of patriotism was deemed incendiary by one school official and offensive and disrespectful by students of Mexican descent who claimed that this was their day to celebrate Mexico.

This cannot be tolerated. Even though the school's principal has since apologized, that does not begin to address the issue which is this is America and every day we are a free nation is a cause to celebrate that.

To this end, we need to band together to show the anti-America crowd that we will not accept these assaults on free speech and patriotism. We also need to show, not only these five student but, students across the country that they should not be ashamed or fearful of showing their pride in America at any time.

To let these kids know that America has their backs please show your solidarity and send a flag adorned t-shirt or any other representation of the flag to

Flags for Free Speech
c/o Live Oak High School
1505 East Main Ave
Morgan Hill CA 95037

There are approximately 1300 students at Live Oak HS and we would like to see that they each get one.

Thank you

NJ Senator Calls For Boycott Of 2011 All-Star Game In Arizona

If you keep telling the lie enough times it becomes the truth. At least that's what the race baiters on the left are hoping for anyway. Today's installment comes from Sen Robert Menendez D-NJ who wrote a letter to MLBPA Executive Director Michael Weiner asking the union to boycott the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix. Mendezez's rational being that foreign born players and their families will be "subjected to the humiliation and harassment" by law enforcement in AZ. Apparently, according to the fantasy land Mr Menendez has dreamed up, it is now the responsibility of law enforcement to racially profile people to make sure they are in the country legally.

Umpire, please throw the bum out.

NY Times

May 10, 2010

Dear Mr. Weiner:

I first want to thank you for taking a public stand and expressing your opposition to Arizona law SB1070. I would also respectfully ask that you and your players consider boycotting the 2011 All-Star Game until SB1070 is repealed or the game is moved to an another location. The Arizona law is offensive to Hispanics and all Americans because it codifies racial profiling into law by requiring police to question anyone who appears to be in the country illegally.

As you and I both know, Major League Baseball (M.L.B.) is truly a multicultural, international sport. In fact, Latinos represent 27 percent of all M.L.B. players and 28 percent of M.L.B. players are foreign born. These players come to the United States legally and should not be subjected to the humiliation and harassment that SB1070 would inflict. Imagine if your players and their families were subjected to interrogation by law enforcement, simply because they look a certain way. Imagine if M.L.B. fans – many of whom are Hispanic – were subjected to that same type of interrogation if they were to attend the All-Star Game. That would truly be an embarrassment and an injustice, not only to M.L.B., but to the values and ideals we hold as Americans.

In every century and generation, immigrants have contributed to the progress, prosperity and vitality of this nation. This law undermines that shared history by promoting discrimination against one group of people. As someone who has and continues to fight for comprehensive immigration reform, I believe the Arizona law is a call to action for reform of our nation’s broken immigration system. However, while I understand the frustration about the failures of our current system, states should not be permitted to enact their own discriminatory immigration laws while the federal government works to reform our laws. The Arizona law is an embarrassment to our country and a call to action to our communities to stand up against injustice.

For these reasons, I ask that you consider boycotting the All-Star Game in Arizona until SB1070 is repealed or the League decides to move the game to an alternate location. Thank you for your attention to this important issue. It is my hope that we can work together now and in the future.

Via Memeorandum

Putin To Biden - Stay Home Joe

There is a little noticed news item that US troops marched in this year's Moscow Victory Day Parade for the first time ever. Also taking part in the parade for the first time were troops from France, Poland and the UK along with dignitaries from all over the world including Chinese President Hu Jintao, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy. President Obama was also invited but could not attend because he had other things going on so in his stead, the administration offered to send Vice President Biden to which Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said nyet. Apparently Biden's friendship with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili is a little bit of a sticking point. Instead the US was represented by US Ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle.

Guardian UK

Putin, Russia's prime minister, also snubbed Biden, who had planned to go to Moscow and has been left kicking his heels in Brussels. Biden is close to Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia's president. During the 2008 Russian-Georgia war Putin famously threatened Saakashvili, pledging to "hang him by the balls".

The White House is privately furious at the snub. Barack Obama told Russia's president, Dmitry Medvedev, he was unable to attend but had confidently offered Biden as his replacement. Moscow's diplomatic corps has been abuzz all week with news of Putin's unexpected veto.

Holder On AZ Immigration Law: "I don't think it's racist "

We there you have it, US AG Eric Holder agrees that Arizona's law to combat illegal immigration is not racist.

I assume an apology will be forthcoming from all the leftists who have accused us of being racist and Nazis because our state has chosen to enforce federal law. Maybe the Chosen One himself will apologize for his criticism of us too.

Yeah right.



Via Memeorandum

No Love For Nashville

H/T Gateway Pundit

So as Nashville sits under water in one of the worst non-hurricane disasters to hit the US, the Chosen One decide it was a good day to go golfing. It has been a tough week for him with the BP oil spill, the attempted car bombing in Times Square and the near Stock Market crash so I guess he needs a little time to unwind. Besides, this has also been a non-story with the LSM anyway so whats the fuss?

So will he take time out of his busy schedule to visit the flood ravaged area? Your guess is as good as mine but if this were Bush, he would have been pilloried by the mediots by now.

Boston Herald

As floodwaters recede, damage estimates skyrocketed to $1.5 billion yesterday in the home of country music, and are expected to keep rising, officials said. Federal officials toured the city and said aid is on the way.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was among those visiting the devastated city, joined by Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate and Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen. The department head said $4.1 million in aid had been approved for Tennessee so far.

Napolitano would not confirm whether President Obama would visit the disaster area, but she said he was being briefed regularly, the Tennessean newspaper reported. Other members of Obama’s Cabinet are expected later this week.

Via Memeorandum

Rising Unemployment Means Things Are Getting Better

Huh?

I heard this on my way into work Friday and was stunned by the hypocrisy of the statement. The rational being that those "discouraged workers" who have not been looking for work now feel confident that things are getting better and they will now be able to find a job.

Now this is just pure spin. The mediots trumpeted the fact that we had the biggest increase in the number of jobs created in 4 years but at the same time explained away the jump in the unemployment rate from 9.7% to 9.9%. This is all smoke and mirrors anyway because the true unemployment rate, number of people who are unemployed, plus all discouraged workers and those working part-time because full-time work is not available, rose to 17.1%. Ouch.

US News & World Report

The number of unemployed jumped from 15 million to 15.3 million as people who had left the labor force returned—a common response to improving job market conditions. When workers are discouraged by a lack of available jobs, they may quit their job search and drop out of the unemployment count, but they're often then drawn back to their searches when they think hiring is picking up.

Via Memeorandum

Were The Federalists Wrong?

The Constitution is the greatest document of any nation and created the United States of America as we know it today. What many don't know is that its creation at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia was counter to the original intention to merely revise the Articles of Confederation, the laws that governed our nation from 1777 until 1788.

Under the AoC the US was a confederation of sovereign states that were self governed and only allowed the federal government limited powers such the ability to declare war and enter into treaties/alliances with other nations, set weights and measures particularly with coinage and postal rates and to settle disputes among individual states. A comparison today would be the European Union.

The main argument against the AoC by the Federalists was that the federal government was too weak and would not be able to hold the confederation together. They argued that a strong federal government was needed and in no way would the rights of the states and their citizens be trampled. As we see today, just the opposite is true.

I will grant that we would not be the nation that we are today had the AoC stayed in force but would have things been better if it were revised instead of replaced? What if we were still a nation of sovereign states with a strong federal government that still had to answer to them instead of the other way around? Part of the problem with the Constitution is that the three separate but equal branches of the federal government are given the opportunity to create powers for themselves that are not specified in the Constitution at the expense of the states. It is almost as the framers left things, such as the commerce clause, intentionally vague as a way for the government to figure out ways of gaining power over the states.

If you want to read more on this subject, here and here are two great articles to start with. You can also find the anti-Federalist Papers here and the Federalist Papers here.

Video: Sean Hannity Interviews Gary Johnson 5/7

Here it is folks, well most of it anyway, the last few minutes are cut off but you get the gist. Overall it is a positive interview and while Hannity does disagree with Gov Johnson on his position on marijuana legalization, he is respectful, which is more than you can say for him most of the time.

Enjoy.

Gov Jan Brewer Of Arizona Fights Back

That's right Barack, you break the law in Arizona and it's adios amigos.

Watch Gary Johnson On Hannity 5/7

Be sure to tune into Sean Hannity on Fox tonight as he interviews former NM Gov Gary Johnson. Should be an interesting show.

To learn more about where he stands on the issues, please check out OUR America Initiative.

Editor's note: The available video is now posted here

Sen Bernie Sanders Sells Out To The Fed

Sen Sanders I-VT is a Socialist and I have no problems with that, everyone is entitled to their own views. However today he decided to make some last-minute adjustments to his bill to Audit the Fed and bowed down to the White House and Chris Dodd and stripped out the Paul-Grayson language from his Fed transparency amendment which would limit the scope of the audit. By doing so, Sen Sanders will prevent a full audit and continue to allow the Fed to hide their role in the collapse of our economy through their questionable monetary policy.

This is not in the best interest of the American people and Ron Paul has called him out on it. If you want to see the damage the Fed has done to our nation I highly suggest reading Dr Paul's End the Fed.

The Hill

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) said Thursday that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) "sold out" on a measure to audit the Federal Reserve.

Sanders agreed to modify the measure in a way that requires audits of the Fed during the financial crisis but not of the bank's monetary policy.

On his Facebook page, Paul lashed out at Sanders. Paul is a longtime critic of the Fed, and pushed audit legislation in the House that drew more than 300 cosponsors.

"Bernie Sanders has sold out and sided with [Sen.] Chris Dodd to gut Audit the Fed in the Senate. His 'compromise' is what the administration and banking interests want," Paul wrote on Facebook.

Paul said transparency of the Fed's interest rate decisions are important.

The Federal Reserve and Obama administration had strongly opposed earlier drafts of the Senate amendment.

The central bank said the earlier version would have threatened the independence of monetary policy in the United States.

Via Memeorandum

Wearing An American Flag Means You Are A Racist

H/T Pajamasmedia

"It's disrespectful to do it on Cinco de Mayo," said Jessica Cortez, a Live Oak sophomore. "They can be a patriot on some other day. Not that specific day."

Up is down and down is up lately. First in Arizona we are called Nazi racists for trying to enforce federal immigration laws now, 5 students from Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, CA were sent home for wearing American flag t-shirts. All I can say is Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

I bet 90% of the students who walked out of the school in protest over the flag wearers don't even know the significance of the day since Cinco de Mayo is nothing more than a made up holiday to sell crappy beer and is barely celebrated in Mexico. More importantly what message does this send to kids that their country's flag will not be tolerated regardless of what day it is.

If the school was worried that these students were going to incite violence, why didn't they warn the students that violence would not be tolerated instead of saying that the American Flag would not be tolerated.

This is just more proof that the PC progressives are anti-American and care more about the cultures of other countries than they do about those of the one they live in.

Morgan Hills Times

The blowback started after Live Oak students Daniel Galli, Dominic Maciel, Matt Dariano and Austin Carvalho wore red, white and blue T-shirts - some with the American flag and some with flag shorts - were asked to change their clothing or turn their T-shirts inside-out because it could incite a confrontation. The four refused and their parents were called into a conference with Assistant Principal Miguel Rodriguez and Principal Nick Boden who sent the students home with an unexcused absence, not suspension.

"I just couldn't believe it," said Dominic's mother Julie Fagerstrom Wednesday. "I'm an open-minded parent, but it's got to be on both sides. It can't be five kids singled out."

Dominic Maciel said Rodriguez called the T-shirts "incendiary."

"They said we were starting a fight, we were fuel to the fire," said Dariano, a sophomore.

Hispanic students felt that students wearing American flags were disrespecting the Mexican-American students on Cinco de Mayo - the only day that they celebrate their Mexican heritage.

Via Memeorandum

New Banner Here at My Thoughts on Freedom

Hey folks! This is Wes Messamore writing. As some of you may know- I do a lot of graphic design, web page optimization, and blog consulting for libertarian and conservative bloggers (and a few non-political websites, actually). Typically, this involves a full-blown redesign of someone's website to completely optimize it for accomplishing their goals, along with a lot of personal consulting and coaching, and a big promotional effort to give the blog a nice pop! Examples of blogs I've done this for include LeftCoastRebel, RationalNationUSA, and LibertarianRepublican.

I do this at a pretty ridiculously low rate for web design and creative work (for which people typically charge exorbitant rates), but even so, if you'd like to make your Blogger blog a lot slicker on the cheap, consider my "Sweet & Simple" redesign: a new, professionally-designed banner, removal of your Blogger navbar, and a new favicon to replace that boring and ugly orange "B" with something that expresses your blog's brand and individuality. This takes only one or two hours of work, so you can get amazing results and make your blog ten times more professional- very inexpensively.

I recently did just this for Chris here at My Thoughts on Freedom. Isn't it great? (Oh yeah- and usually when I do work, I like to show it off, so you get some link love as a bonus. I redesigned LeftCoastRebel last year, and still link to it when I make announcements like this, both from my blog, The Humble Libertarian, and on the blogs I redesign, so the sooner you get in on the redesign action, the more love you'll get!)

Is the China Bubble Ready To Pop?

Sound familar? Skyrocketing housing prices, over-valued stock market and the slowing of the economy of a global economic engine. As Yogi Berra once said, "It's like deja vu all over again." except this time it's China that threatens to drive the world into a global depression. With so much of our financial well-being tied up in it's success, a collapse of the Chinese economy would be ugly for the US.

LewRockwell.com

Investor Marc Faber said China’s economy will slow and possibly “crash” within a year as declines in stock and commodity prices signal the nation’s property bubble is set to burst.

The Shanghai Composite Index has failed to regain its 2009 high while industrial commodities and shares of Australian resource exporters are acting “heavy,” Faber said. The opening of the World Expo in Shanghai last week is “not a particularly good omen,” he said, citing a property bust and depression that followed the 1873 World Exhibition in Vienna.

“The market is telling you that something is not quite right,” Faber, the publisher of the Gloom, Boom & Doom report, said in a Bloomberg Television interview in Hong Kong today. “The Chinese economy is going to slow down regardless. It is more likely that we will even have a crash sometime in the next nine to 12 months.”

An index tracking Chinese stocks traded in Hong Kong dropped 1.8 percent today, the most in two weeks, after the central bank raised reserve requirements for the third time this year. The Shanghai Composite has slumped 12 percent this year, Asia’s worst performer, as policy makers seek to rein in a lending boom that’s spurred record gains in property prices.

Faber joins hedge fund manager Jim Chanos and Harvard University’s Kenneth Rogoff in warning of a crash in China.

China is “on a treadmill to hell” because it’s hooked on property development for driving growth, Chanos said in an interview last month. As much as 60 percent of the country’s gross domestic product relies on construction, he said. Rogoff said in February a debt-fueled bubble in China may trigger a regional recession within a decade.

Breaking: Arrest Made In Attempted Times Square Car Bombing

H/T HotAirPundit

Well that was fast, good thing they caught him before he got out of the country. If this is the guy let's hope that they can get him to flip.

MSNBC

Authorities arrested a suspect in the attempted weekend car bombing in Times Square, NBC News' justice correspondent Pete Williams reported early Tuesday morning.

A U.S. citizen of Pakistani descent, Shahzad Faisal, was trying to leave the country Monday night at John F Kennedy International Airport when he was picked up by Customs and Border Protection agents, Williams reported.

NBC's Williams reported the man's name was on an e-mail that was sent to the seller of the car last month, as well as other evidence suggesting he had a role in the attempted bombing.

Via Memeorandum

While AZ Enforces Immigration Laws, NY To Undemine Them

H/T Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion

So while we're a bunch of racist Nazis here in the desert because we value our national sovereignty and choose to enforce the federal immigration laws, soon to be ex NY Gov David Paterson has decided that not only does his broke state need not enforce them but will offer pardons to illegal immigrants convicted of crimes in an effort to keep them from being deported.

I wonder if the Chosen One will admonish Paterson for his utter disrespect of federal laws in the same way that he chastised Arizona for upholding them? Probably not.

NY Times

In a major rebuke of federal immigration policy, Gov. David A. Paterson announced on Monday that he would create a special pardon panel to review cases involving legal immigrants who are at risk of deportation for minor or old convictions.

Mr. Paterson’s move will give many immigrants facing deportation renewed hope and places the governor into the middle of the country’s immigration debate.

The announcement comes as the federal government has taken an increasingly hard line in its interpretation of existing immigration law, leaving a growing number of legal immigrants who have criminal records facing deportation.

“Some of our immigration laws, particularly with respect to deportation, are embarrassingly and wrongly inflexible,” Mr. Paterson said in a speech on Monday at an annual gathering of the state’s top judges.

“In New York we believe in renewal,” he added. “In New York we believe in rehabilitation.”

Via Memeorandum