By Andrew L. Jaffee

Talk about the tail wagging the dog, war hysteria, propaganda — whatever you want to call it: the terms so easily thrown about by the rabidly left-wing, X-Files, conspiracy theorists. Cuba’s communists, darlings to the limousine liberals, are suffering from a major case of paranoid schizophrenia. From the Houston Chronicle:

Former revolutionaries promised to keep fighting for Cuba today as the island beefed up security, saying it fears a U.S. attack during Fidel Castro’s health crisis.

The government, under the control of Castro’s brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, has mobilized citizen defense militias and asked military reservists to check in daily. …

The Communist Party daily newspaper Granma issued a front-page statement by the Association of Combatants of the Cuban Revolution expressing confidence that Castro would be back on his feet soon.

Yeah, and the Pope ain’t Catholic. Castro will be “back on his feet soon,” i.e., plugged into a wall-socket. Remember Brezhnev and Chernenko? Their own people laughed at them, though only among trusted friends, for fear of the KGB and NKVD. Same batty time, same batty channel…

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By Randy A. Sprinkle

“The United States will make no concessions to terrorist demands and strike no deals with them. We make no distinction between terrorists and those who knowingly harbor or provide aid to them.” - George W. Bush

This statement made after the September 11th attacks resonated with America. It was clear and concise and readily understandable. There were not many at that time however who realized the great complexity of this statement in terms of application - it seemed a very simple yet effective strategy. First, there were the terrorists. Second, there were “those who knowingly harbor” them. Thirdly, (and this is where it became complicated) there were those who “provide aid to them.”

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Note that when I refer to Hugo Chavez as “number 2,” I am in fact making the bathroom humor analogy. I was not surprised, but saddened, to find an article posted on the BBC entitled, “Venezuela press freedoms ‘worsen.’” Yes El Jefe II (#1 being reserved for Castro) has struck against his nation’s press. Could things get any worse in Venezuela? Remember that the rise of democracy in South America started in Venezuela. From the BBC:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

It seems all but a given fact that Mexico’s pro-free-markets candidate Felipe Calderon has won the presidential election. But the loser, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, won’t give up — and now he’s produced a questionable video to try to sway Mexico’s Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) into invalidating the people’s will. From the BBC (note that the Beeb refers to Obrador just as a “candidate,” while it labels Calderon a “conservative candidate” — some objectivity):

Mr Calderon secured 35.88% of the 2 July vote, against 35.31% for Mr Lopez Obrador.

The latter’s 900-page lawsuit alleges violations before and during the election.

Mr Lopez Obrador’s complaint includes accusations that Mr Calderon overspent on his campaign and claims that there was unfair government support for him.

He also alleges that some polling areas had more votes than registered voters, and that a computer software programme skewed the initial count of votes.

Mr Lopez Obrador has asked the electoral tribunal to order a full manual recount of all the ballots.

He said he would wait to see the court’s ruling on his lawsuit before deciding if he would accept it.

The shaky amateur video footage aired at Mr Lopez Obrador’s campaign headquarters showed two incidents which he claimed were examples of “old-style fraud”. He said that that they had been sent in by some of his supporters.

One tape, filmed in Queretaro state during a recount of votes for the presidential election, showed what seemed to be an election official refusing to recount the ballots in a box which had been declared in favour of Mr Calderon.

The other showed an alleged supporter of Mr Calderon’s National Action Party (Pan) apparently stuffing six ballots into a box being used for congressional elections, which were held on the same day as the presidential race.

The Federal Electoral Institute (IFE) said the man was putting some ballots that had been put in the wrong box into the correct box and that this had been witnessed by representatives of all the main parties.

“The images in this video, related with supposed irregularities, have been misinterpreted,” an IFE statement said.

“This is just noise making. It is trying to throw the election into the trash can,” Cesar Nava, an official from Mr Calderon’s party, told a news conference.

Add to this the fact that:

Election monitors from the European Union say they found no irregularities in last Sunday’s hotly disputed presidential election.

The EU said its 80 monitors nationwide did not witness any wrongdoing.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

¿Quién pensaría que el PRI perdería energía política en México? Well, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) lost control, and Vicente Fox became president of Mexico in 1990. In some ways, the PRI’s loss was a milestone in Mexican history, in others — to quote Pete Townsend — “meet the old boss, same as the new boss.” Fox is not a mestizo, nor an indio, whom make up the bulk of Mexico’s population — rather, he is from the clase predominante mexicana, “born … to a wealthy Mexican family of mixed Spanish-Irish descent,” Harvard-educated, and became “supervisor of Coca-Cola’s operations in Mexico, and then in all of Latin America.” Will it really matter who wins today’s Mexican elections, a contest between “conservative” Felipe Calderon and “leftist” Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador?

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Colombia’s President Alvaro Uribe has easily coasted to re-election victory, garnering 62% of the vote. According to the BBC, “Correspondents say his tough policies against drugs and militants paid off.” This is absolutely true. Colombia was being split up into right-wing and left-wing enclaves — fiefdoms if you will — whose life-blood was drug money.

Uribe got reelected precisely because he has started to clamp down on the feudal gangs. Like the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which murdered 17 peasants, including 6 women and 4 children, who were gathered to celebrate New Year’s Eve last year.

But Uribe has also taken down right-wing murderers, like the AUC (United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia).

Uribe is countering the current trend in Latin America:

Mr Uribe has been an ally to Washington, at a time when other Latin American countries, for instance Venezuela under Hugo Chavez and Bolivia under Evo Morales, have been turning against the US.

The result suggests Colombians have rejected left-wing alternatives, as well as the traditional liberal and conservative parties that have dominated Colombia’s political life since independence from Spain, says our correspondent.

Government figures suggest Mr Uribe’s hardline policies have been successful, with the 15,000 murders last year fewer than half the figure three years before, when Mr Uribe was elected, and kidnappings cut by two thirds.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

President Bush plans to address the nation on Monday night at 8 PM to con the American public into buying into his ludicrous immigration policies. His approval ratings are at an all-time low, with only 31% of Americans approving of his job performance, while “68% believe the United States is worse off today than it was before Mr. Bush became president.” Bush’s immigration policies would open the floodgates to illegals, and Americans do not approve — and it looks like the Senate agrees. Another poll shows support for the House’s tough and very sensible immigration legislation, HR 4437:

…69 percent said it was a good or very good idea when told it tries to make illegals go home by fortifying the border, forcing employer verification, and encouraging greater cooperation with local law enforcement while not increasing legal immigration; 27 percent said it was a bad or very bad idea.

In an attempt to assuage American concerns about the unfettered illegal immigration tidal wave, Bush has proposed using the National Guard to patrol our borders:

President Bush, trying to build momentum for an overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, is considering plans to shore up the Mexican border with National Guard troops paid for by the federal government, according to senior administration officials.

One defense official said military leaders believe the number of troops required could range from 3,500 to 10,000, depending on the final plan.

That’s a great idea, except that Bush wants to provide amnesty to the millions of illegals already present in the U.S., and he wants to allow 400,000 “guest workers” to enter the U.S. every year. This is a recipe for disaster.

There are at least 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., and 10,000 pouring into our nation every day. One study predicts there will be 5 million more Latin American immigrants in the U.S. by 2015, while another prognosticates that illegals will push the American population to 1/2 billion people by 2050. Since the U.S. government is failing dismally at stemming this unfettered tidal wave, a group of concerned citizens, the Minuteman, has tried to prevent illegal immigration, but it appears that Bush has betrayed them.

And it looks like the Republican-controlled Senate is on the verge of betraying the American people by planning to push through legislation which will implement Bush’s disastrous proposals. If the Republicans are looking to retain the Senate in the 2006 elections, they may just be shooting themselves in their collective feet.

The problem with Bush and many Republicans is that they are looking at immigration solely in 2 modalities: 1) trying to court the Latino vote, and 2) looking at immigration solely in near-term economic terms.

President Bush and Mexico’s President Fox are colluding in an unholy alliance. Bush wants cheap Mexican labor — forget the problems illegals pose to American society. Fox, an arrogant racist, wants to dump his economic problems on the U.S. instead of enacting much-needed reforms in his own corrupt society. It looks like Senate Republicans have joined the alliance.

It is time for the U.S. to criminalize illegal immigration as a felony offense. We need to build a wall along the Mexico border and provide enough personnel to patrol that border. We need to make it very painful for employers who hire illegals.

Are we to sit by idly while illegal immigrants openly march through our streets, trying to intimidate our policy makers, defame our flag, and rewrite our national anthem? Complacency will lead to the end of our prosperity and democracy.

Perhaps most importantly, it is time for the Third World to start dealing with its own problems (like corruption and overpopulation), and stop trying to dump those problems on the U.S.

Take action: Support LEGAL immigration.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

There are at least 12 million illegal immigrants in the U.S., and 10,000 pouring into our nation every day. One study predicts there will be 5 million more Latin American immigrants in the U.S. by 2015, while another prognosticates that illegals will push the American population to 1/2 billion people by 2050. Since the U.S. government is failing dismally at stemming this unfettered tidal wave, a group of concerned citizens, the Minuteman, has tried to prevent illegal immigration. It appears that the U.S. Border Patrol is undermining their efforts. From the Los Angeles Newspaper Group:

While Minuteman civilian patrols are keeping an eye out for illegal border crossers, the U.S. Border Patrol is keeping an eye out for Minutemen — and telling the Mexican government where they are.

According to three documents on the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Web site, the U.S. Border Patrol is to notify the Mexican government as to the location of Minutemen and other civilian border patrol groups when they participate in apprehending illegal immigrants — and if and when violence is used against border crossers.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman confirmed the notification process, describing it as a standard procedure meant to reassure the Mexican government that migrants’ rights are being observed.

I know of no violence committed by the Minuteman. Rather, President Bush and Mexico’s President Fox are colluding in an unholy alliance. Bush wants cheap Mexican labor — forget the problems illegals pose to American society. Fox, an arrogant racist, wants to dump his economic problems on the U.S. instead of enacting much-needed reforms in his own corrupt society.

Even official border patrol agents are disturbed by our government’s betrayal of the Minutemen:

TJ Bonner, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a union representing more than 10,000 Border Patrol agents, said agents have complained for years about the Mexican consulate’s influence over the agency.

“It worries me (that the Mexican government) seems to be unduly influencing our enforcement policies. That’s not a legitimate role for any foreign nation,” Bonner said, though he added, “It doesn’t surprise me.”

Border Patrol agents interviewed by the Daily Bulletin said they have been asked to report to sector headquarters the location of all civilian volunteer groups, but to not file the groups’ names in reports if they spot illegal immigrants.

“Last year an internal memo notified all agents not to give credit to Minuteman volunteers or others who call in sightings of illegal aliens,” said one agent, who spoke on the condition he not be identified. “We were told to list it as a citizen call and leave it at that. Many times, we were told not to go out to Minuteman calls.”

Our own government, complicit in our society’s destruction. What a world…

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

El Jefe, Fidel Castro, admired by the Left for “standing up” to the U.S., doesn’t exactly fit Marx and Engels’ definition of a communist leader. From the Australian:

Cuban President Fidel Castro was furious when Forbes magazine estimated his fortune at $US550 million ($715million) last year. This year, the magazine upped its estimate to $US900 million.

Dr Castro, who says his net worth is nil, is probably the beneficiary of up to $US900million, based on his control of state-owned companies, the US financial magazine says in its annual tally of the fortunes of “Kings, Queens and Dictators”.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

AOL today posted an AP article about the immigration “protests” held today across the U.S. The online service added an interactive poll to the article asking users, “Should illegal immigrant status be a felony crime?” As of 9:27 PM EST tonight, 67% of 160,209 users had voted “Yes.”

AOL is mainstream — and one of the nation’s largest Internet service providers. AOL has about 20.8 million users, giving it approximately 22.1% of the ISP market for dial-up users. AOL certainly cannot be considered right- or left-wing; in fact, its choice of news stories is usually quite politically correct. It should also be noted that most “scientific” polls (e.g., Gallup) only survey 1000 or less people. So my “unscientific” conclusion here is that most Americans do not support an unlimited flood of illegal immigrants.

Let us just hope that U.S. House and Senate members are listening to Americans as a whole, not just mobs of illegal aliens that take to the street to make (intimidate) national policy.

Take action: Support LEGAL immigration.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

Though I oppose President Bush’s policies for illegal immigrants (e.g., the “guest worker” and amnesty provisions), at least Dubya has publicly condemned the Spanish rewrite of our national anthem. Presumably, scads of illegal immigrants will be parading through our streets tomorrow singing the “Nuestro Himno” — on May 1 no less, a communist holiday, coincidentally? (No coincidence when you consider the labor union involvement in all this “protesting.”) Think about it: Law-breakers will be openly “protesting” in our streets. Perhaps the fact that these illegals’ supporters have rewritten the national anthem has raised a little ire from Bush. From ABC News:

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

On May 1, illegal immigrant protestors plan to “‘close’ US cities” to intimidate local, state, and the federal government into throwing open our nation’s gates to a flood of foreigners seeking American economic prosperity. Illegals, who by definition are in the U.S. by circumventing legal immigration rules, are now trying to set the nation’s policies. These people do not pay taxes, nor have earned the benefits of our democracy. They do not and should not have the right to vote. They should not be allowed to influence policies agreed to by natural and naturalized citizens. Rather, the illegals seek to intimidate local, state and federal governments into accepting an open-door immigration policy. Such a policy will surely destroy our nation’s most cherished values of freedom and democracy. And the protests themselves are doing great damage to our society already.

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By Andrew L. Jaffee

What we do now or perhaps more importantly, what we don’t do now about illegal immigration, will have a dramatic impact on the face of America for 10, 30, and 50 years to come. If the U.S. population explodes to 1/2 billion people by 2050, what will happen to the values we hold so dear, like prosperity and freedom?

This is an average day for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):

• Process 140,000 national security background checks;
• Receive 100,000 web hits;
• Take 50,000 calls at our Customer Service Centers;
• Adjudicate 30,000 applications for an immigration benefit;
• See 25,000 visitors at 92 field offices;
• Issue 20,000 green cards; and
• Capture 8,000 sets of fingerprints and digital photos at 130 Application Support Centers.

President Bush claims to be getting a handle on illegal immigration:

Bush on Monday said that during his administration, increased border patrol and security efforts have led to more than 6 million illegal immigrants being deported, including about 4,000 with other criminal records. He said “expedited removal” of illegals from countries other than Mexico (also known as OTMs) is now down to a processing time of 21 days. He also noted that enforcement funding has increased 42 percent under his watch.

6 million deported but 12 million illegals still present. Sounds like bailing to keep the boat afloat.

There’s the argument that illegals “do the work Americans won’t do.” This sophistry frames our immigration problem mostly in terms of economic supply and demand — supply being a pool of cheap Latin labor, and demand being America’s insatiable appetite for services. While not scientific, I can travel to my hometown’s inner city neighborhoods and easily point out scads of Americans out of work — or unwilling to work. This city’s unemployment rate was 6.7 and 6.1 for the first 2 months of 2006, respectively. That’s about 2 percent above the national average. Why can’t these unemployed become employed? My city’s demography is not by any means predominantly Latino.

Inner city and rural unemployment is a societal problem not to be solved by importing Mexico’s unemployed, but by tackling faults in our education system, and requiring citizens to assume personal responsibility for their actions — and to convince governments in places like Mexico that they need to get their own ducks in a row.

In reality, our current efforts are akin to the story of Hans Brinker, the Dutch boy who stuck his finger in a dyke to prevent a flood. Bush’s “guest worker” (amnesty) and other proposals for dealing with illegal immigrants will lead to an even more uncontrollable tidal wave of squatters pouring into America.

According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR):

Depending on what Congress decides to do about immigration the United States faces a population crisis. Current proposals to increase immigration, give legal status to those currently here illegally, and create a new guest worker program would push U.S. population in 2050 in excess of half a billion people.

What happens say, 10 years from now, when the economy tanks, and we end up with 20 million out-of-work and unskilled illegal immigrants? Economies are like all other natural systems, with cycles, peaks, and troughs. A trough will come. Illegals are already “driving municipal budgets deep into the red;” needless to mention the strain they place on state and federal budgets. Imagine the strain being placed on the police, EMS, hospitals, schools, garbage collection, etc., in towns like LA or Miami. Taxpayers are covering the costs while illegals are not paying taxes. Here’s an example of how out of control things have gotten:

In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens.

We can’t sit around wringing our hands forever. There’s not room enough in the U.S. for 6 billion people. What we need is the U.S. House bill, H.R. 4313. Whether we’ll get it remains very uncertain.

Of course the U.S. should permit immigration. We are a nation of immigrants. I am the son of immigrants, but my progenitors and those of all my peers, friends, neighbors, extended family, etc., came here legally.

Flinging open the U.S. borders is not the solution to the Third World’s corruption and unemployment problems.

Take action now. Support LEGAL immigration.

By Andrew L. Jaffee

Despite the fact that the First Employment Contract (CPE) was approved both by the French Parliament and the highest constitutional court, President Chirac has dropped the law, not because of France’s democratic institutions, but because the mob — the fonctionnaire-minded jeunes de la bourgeoisie — rioted. He has denied France the economic reforms necessary to decrease its appalling unemployment rate:

The BBC’s Caroline Wyatt in Paris says the U-turn on the CPE (First Employment Contract) has almost certainly killed off any chance of reform in the twilight years of Mr Chirac’s long presidency.

Equally, it has ended any hopes Mr de Villepin had of becoming the Right’s candidate for the presidency next year, she adds.

France’s youth unemployment rate is 23%, while its overall jobless rate is 9.6%. In fact, those “protesting” the new employment law will probably not even be affected by it, according to Standard & Poor’s:

“THE WRONG KIDS.” Ironically, the students involved in the most recent demonstrations against the CPE are the ones least likely to be affected by it. That’s because university students in France are often nearly 26 by the time they complete their studies. Relatively few would thus fall under the law’s purview. Similarly, many of the trade unionists and civil servants protesting the CPE are also unlikely to ever be affected by it because they already have extremely strong job protection.

Indeed, the French youth who might benefit the most from the CPE, the immigrant and first-generation youth that burned the suburbs of Paris last year, are rarely seen or heard from in the fevered demonstrations about CPE. “To a certain extent,” notes Six, “It’s the wrong kids marching in the street.”

Employment reforms are just what France needs:

Employment among the middle-age cohort of the French labor force remains high because it’s virtually impossible to fire civil servants, while those in the private sector have protections almost as strong. But because of those strenuous job-protection measures, employers are simply reluctant to hire anyone in the first place, and the unemployment rate among the young is, by U.S. standards, stratospheric.

But the student protestors seem determined to keep themselves, and many other French, out of work. Drag the whole nation down so some can have lifetime security — and let the others eat cake, to paraphrase Marie Antoinette?

What scares me is that the U.S. Congress’s attempts to reform America’s immigration problems may be scuttled for the same reasons, i.e., mobs of illegal immigrants protesting in our streets:

“They are demanding that they be given rights U.S. citizens have when their first act was to break the law by coming into this country illegally,” said Susan Wysoki, spokeswoman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Take action. Tell your senators to support LEGAL immigration.

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Donnel Jones

I know illegal immigration makes billions for the U.S. economy. I don’t support a Gestapo-like tactic of weeding out illegal immigrants and sending them back south. Besides, such a measure is still-born in the Senate.

We can always increase the numbers allowed in legally, build a wall, and hope for the best. Most illegals are, of course, not bad people, but desperate for a way to make a living.

Yet, there are limits to my liberal take on this issue.

In Portland Maine, a youth was beaten and bloodied for simply, well, speaking his mind and protesting that illegal immigrants have no rights. Yet, Rev. Virginia Maria Rincon, a leading activist for illegal immigrants, who can only be described as a demagogue, said of the event:

When you promote violence, you get violence. Our rally is about promoting a peaceful dialogue

Huh? Since when did peaceful dialogue consist of beating someone up because that person doesn’t agree with you? What violence did this youth promote in practicing free speech? After all, the youth was exercising the same rights that the perpetrator possesses–that is, free-speech and the right of assembly, even as the latter just might be an illegal immigrant. No rights? Indeed, the perpetrator, if he’s from Mexico for example, has more rights as an illegal immigrant in the U.S. than he does as a citizen in Mexico. It’s not as if the youth he attacked was the Mexican police!

My second concern is the description of the attacker, who is for the record an Hispanic, as wearing a bandana to hide his face.

Does it remind you of anything? Yes, the attacker reminds one of a Hamas demonstrator, whose identity is hidden behind a bandana. We could also say it is the practice of the KKK. In either case, I have to ask these impertinent questions:

Why is so much rage directed at a nation that is generous toward immigrants when, instead, such anger could be directed at their nations of origin, which refuse to reform, adopt a free market economy, and provide jobs for their native citizens?

Why, then, do they not rise up against their corrupt governments that keep them poor, rather than trail up north to demand something they should get at home?

It is true that for many generations immigrants have been leaving behind their homeland that offered them little and came to live in the U.S., but they did so legally and chose to assimilate. This is not always the case with illegal immigrants from Mexico and elsewhere. Part of this is the severe damage done by the concept of “negritude” and the multi-cultural trends of the past half-century, the history of which is yet to be written.

Another aspect, as Mickey Kaus points out, is that many illegals and leaders like Rev. Rincon are irredentists bent upon reclaiming for Mexicans what was won as war booty after the war of 1848, which Mexico lost. Why assimilate and obey the laws of a sovereign nation when you, by right of ancestry, are already on land you claim to be your own?

Yes, most demonstrators are peaceful, but events like in Maine and the leaders who excuse them are a very dangerous sign that assimilation is not always valued among immigrants and, in the last analysis, some seek to make things in this country resemble more like they are down south, rather than taking a cue and making the south more like home.

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