Monday, April 29, 2013

Russian View of Northern Manpower Problems

 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a5/Eduard_de_Stoeckl.jpg/220px-Eduard_de_Stoeckl.jpg

Edouard de Stoeckl served as Russian Minister at Washington during the War between the States, having first come to this country in 1841 as an embassy attaché.  He placed the blame for John Brown’s murderous rampage in 1859 on the agitation of New England abolitionists.  At the time, Stoeckl informed a Russian colleague that….“John Brown was proclaimed from the very roof tops [in the North] as the equal of our Savior. I quote these facts to point out how far Puritan fanaticism can go. Little by little the extreme doctrines of New England have spread throughout the land.”
 Bernhard Thuersam, Chairman
North Carolina War Between the States Sesquicentennial Commission
"The Official Website of the North Carolina WBTS Sesquicentennial"


Russian View of Northern Manpower Problems:

”Stoeckl persisted in his belief that the North could never subjugate the South. The Union, he felt, could not endure. he was sure it was divided forever. “In my opinion, the permanent separation of the North and the South will be the inevitable consequence of the American crisis. It is difficult to witness events without being convinced that a return to the old system is impossible.”

A born aristocrat, Stoeckl blamed the plight and tragedy in which the nation found itself on the “ultra-democratic system.” He pointed out that “only a handful of demagogues were able to accomplish this work of destruction. “ He never ceased deploring the “rule of the mob.” He hoped the north would accept the inevitable and seek cooperation with the South. The sooner the bloodshed could be ended the better for all concerned. He never overlooked an opportunity to offer his services as a conciliator.

With Washington again in danger of attack, “General Halleck has been ordered to Washington to take charge of military operations.” Stoeckl wrote that Lincoln was experiencing great difficulty in replenishing the depleted military ranks. “The government has been compelled to offer a premium of twenty-five dollars a man.”
Later he reported that premiums up to fifty dollars have been offered, yet there are few volunteers. Two weeks later, Lincoln issued another call for volunteers, with premiums up to three hundred dollars.

“Mr. Lincoln told me himself one day that in case of necessity he could count upon two or three million men. Experience has demonstrated that such estimates are inaccurate….At the outset the armed services absorbed the adventurous types, the poor, the unemployed laborers and the foreigners who filled the large cities. Not many of these classes remain. The new recruits must come from the farmers, businessmen and, in general, the prosperous classes who are opposed to the war.

Those who volunteered at the outset never dreamed of the dangers and privations which awaited them. It was generally believed that the mere presence of the Northern army would coerce the South into rejoining the Union. The ever-increasing number of mangled, sick, crippled or maimed soldiers who have returned to their homes has opened the eyes of the Northerners to the horrors of war. Men no longer volunteer for military service. Bonuses of $250 to $300 are being offered to volunteers without spurring enlistments. As a result, the
government was forced to resort to conscription. But it is doubtful if the government will succeed in recruiting the number Lincoln has fixed in his call. General Halleck, now in command of federal forces, admitted to me that not more than 300,000 to 350,000 men can be recruited, the majority for a term of nine months….”

When the House of Representatives passed a bill authorizing the President to arm 150,000 Negroes, Stoeckl reported that “the Democratic Party regarded this measure as humiliating for the nation, since it was an admission that an army of a million men cannot win without the help of some 100,000 Negroes”: [Stoeckl continues] “Mr. [Thaddeus] Stevens, the author of this measure, said that the federal army scarcely numbered 500,000 men under arms; that half these troops were scheduled to return home soon since their term of service expired next May; that volunteers are no longer enlisting; and that conscription was so unpopular that the government hesitated to invoke it again.”

“In spite of all these [Northern] disasters, the federal government refuses to modify its policy with regard to the army. All the generals are politicians. McClellan is the only exception, so he has been removed from command. Burnside, Pope and Hooker owe their positions to their political connections. As for the division and brigade chiefs, they are for the most part lawyers and journalists whose only merit is that they made some contribution to putting the present administration in power.”

(Lincoln and the Russians, Albert A. Woldman, World Publishing Company, 1952, pp. 191-192; 196-197; 201, 205-206)

Guardian Against Tyranny: The Writ of Habeas Corpus

 http://anthonygregory.com/power_of_habeas_426x648.png

VERBATIM

To live under tyranny is to live in fear—especially the fear of being arrested and jailed at the whims of the rulers. This is why America’s Founders regarded the right not to be detained arbitrarily as a cornerstone of liberty, and why they cherished the legal device they believed had secured that right: 

the writ of habeas corpus. If we are to live as a free people and avoid the clutches of oppression, it is imperative that we learn the history of this Anglo-American right—a task made immensely easier with the publication of the landmark new book, The Power of Habeas Corpus in America: From the King’s Prerogative to the War on Terror, by Independent Institute Research Fellow Anthony Gregory.

Habeas corpus is often thought to have originated as an individual right against unjust detention. But Gregory shows that the truth is more complex—and far more dramatic—than the mistaken notion that habeas corpus as we know it arrived fully formed from the brows of the barons who forced King John to sign Magna Carta. The Great Writ, as scholars have called it, began as a court’s and a king’s prerogative to challenge the detainment of a particular person (hence the Latin meaning of habeas corpus: “have the body”). It evolved into a pillar of individual liberty over the course of centuries of power struggles.

The Power of Habeas Corpus in America tells the story of those struggles, offering insights on numerous pivot points of American history: how the American colonists’ overestimated the extent of the legal protections enjoyed by English citizens; why the Anti-Federalists criticized the U.S.

Constitution’s Suspension Clause; how state writs of habeas corpus were used both to support slavery and to challenge it; how Lincoln planned to escape prosecution for suspending habeas corpus during the Civil War; how the states lost their authority to use habeas against federal detention; how the Great Writ freed many immigrants who’d been detained under the Chinese Exclusion Act; how the Supreme Court rationalized the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II; why federal habeas review in the late 20th century expanded and contracted; and how the round-up of immigrants in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks underscores the importance and limitations of habeas protections. (The book devotes five of its eight appendices to dissecting Supreme Court decisions regarding the detention of suspected terrorists during the Bush and Obama administrations.)

Although Americans celebrate habeas corpus as a safeguard against tyrannical imprisonment, it has been an imperfect remedy. What would make it fully reliable? For habeas to live up to this ideal, Gregory argues, ultimately there is only one solution: legal thinkers—and the public—must champion an ethos that elevates the principle of individual liberty above government power. Readers who absorb Gregory’s nuanced and erudite book will be well equipped to articulate the value of a legal right that unfortunately remains vulnerable to the machinations of the state—and will be better able to defend liberty, too.

The Power of Habeas Corpus in America: From the King’s Prerogative to the War on Terror, by Anthony Gregory

Video: Anthony Gregory on “Waco, Twenty Years Later—What Statism Is All About” (4/17/13)

Video: Anthony Gregory on Rand Paul’s Senate Filibuster (3/8/13)

Anthony Gregory on Scott Horton’s Radio Show (4/19/13)

Goodies from Ol' Remus


1935-arkansas-tenant-farmer-kids.jpg
1935, children of an Arkansas tenant farmer 

(& proud, as they should be. BT) 

===========================


 art-link-symbol-small-rev01.jpg "Can you use a 3D printer to print a gun?" The answer to that question might come sooner than anybody expected, as Wilson says he will 3D-print an entire handgun in just a couple of weeks. If Wilson does print an entire handgun, he will reach a milestone that many thought couldn't be reached so soon, says Lorenzo Bicchierai in this article, 3D-Printed Weapons Builder Says He's Ready to Print Entire Handgun, at Mashable.

art-link-symbol-small-rev01.jpg A Skokie, Illinois police officer engaged in a gun battle with a Gangster Disciple bank robber, one highly motivated bad guy, took 13 hits from a .45 auto – including six fatals – before a trio of head shots finally put him out of the fight 56 seconds into it, in this article, Why you carry extra ammo and full capacity magazines, at Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership.

B-2 stealth bombers are currently dropping leaflets over the city of Pyongyang warning its citizens of an impending attack. At the time of this posting, the U.S. government or its military has not made a statement regarding this late breaking story. CNN has obtained a copy of the leaflet.
DB at investmentwatchblog.com 

 Housing is consumption, a bridge to nowhere is consumption, particle board shelving is consumption, and a $180,000 bachelor's degree in a field of study with near-zero economic premium in the real economy is also consumption. The Keynesian Cultists and their fellow apologists/neofeudal apparatchiks attempt to mystify this consumption by labeling it "investment." The misdirection may fool craven politicos seeking to buy votes, but the real world is not fooled.
Charles Smith at oftwominds.com 

Ayers recalled the fundraiser: "We were friendly, that was true; we served on a couple of boards together, that was true; he held a fundraiser in our living room, that was true." It was all true, everything that was said about Obama and Ayers back in 2008 that was denied is all true, and Ayers has now admitted it.
Rush Limbaugh at gulagbound.com  

NC: Dorkhead Barber and 16 others arrested at General Assembly protest

 Via Cousin John

Barber arrested at General Assembly

Seventeen people were arrested Monday evening during what the state chapter of the NAACP called a nonviolent "pray in" protest at the General Assembly.

The protest was directed at Republican action on health care, unemployment benefits, education and voting rights. The House passed a bill last week requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls, which the NAACP views as a poll tax.

More @ WRAL

"I wonder what Clausewitz would have said."

Via WRSA


In recent years, I have seen terrorism denounced as a despicable crime. I wonder whether it shouldn’t be accepted frankly as a form of war. I am not sure why blowing up ten people in a restaurant in, say, London is more despicable than blowing up ten children in Afghanistan by a drone. (They are both despicable.) Some terrorists, such as the Unabomber, are merely freelance criminal psychopaths. 

Others, such as bin Laden, engage in terrorism for the same reason why militaries attack countries: to make the other side do what the attacker wants.

From the point of view of cost and benefit, terrorism is a brilliantly effective form of warfare, especially against heavily armed countries of the First World. The reasons are several. First, terrorism offers no target to the basically World War Two militaries of advanced countries. If five Saudis, two Pakis, a Russian and a disaffected American blow up a building in Chicago, against whom does the US seek revenge? Is it against Russia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United States, none of whose governments had anything to do with the attack?

Second, the return on investment is phenomenal. For example, the attack on New York cost perhaps several hundred thousand dollars. Yet it drew the US into multiple drawn-out, losing wars costing hundreds of billions of dollars, and transformed America from a reasonably free country into a rapidly deepening Orwellian gloom. A tiny input, a stunningly large effect. If terrorism were a hedge fund, it would be the hottest buy on the planet.

More @ LRC

Pentagon Recruits Anti-Christian Extremist To Help Craft Tolerance Policy



On April 16th, in an article written for The Huffington Post, Mikey Weinstein says some pretty incredible things. He takes a machete to Christians and Christianity in general; rather happily slicing his way through the Christian faith and those who practice it. The following is an excerpt. It’s a bit long, but worth the read:

“Ladies and Gentlemen, let me tell you of monsters and monstrous wrongs. And let me tell you what these bloody monsters thrive on…I founded the…Military Religious Freedom Foundation to do one thing: fight those monsters who would tear down the Constitutionally-mandated wall separating church and state in the technologically most lethal entity ever created by humankind, the U.S. military…Today, we face incredibly well-funded gangs of fundamentalist Christian monsters who terrorize their fellow Americans by forcing their weaponized and twisted version of Christianity upon their helpless subordinates in our nation’s armed forces…These days, when ANYone attempts to bravely stand up against virulent religious oppression, these monstrosities cry out alligator tears in overflowing torrents and scream that it is, in fact, THEY who are the dispossessed, bereft and oppressed. C’mon, really, you pitiable unconstitutional carpetbaggers? 

… Please, I beseech you! Let us call these ignoble actions what they are: the senseless and cowardly squallings of human monsters…Queasy with the bright and promising lights of the cultural realities of the present day, those evil, fundamentalist Christian creatures and their spiritual heirs have taken refuge behind flimsy, well-worn, gauze-like euphemistic facades such as ‘family values’ and ‘religious liberty.’”

Mikey goes on to compare Christians with 60′s era racists, and rip apart Christianity in the military and in general. He even suggests that chaplains who proselytize are ”treasonous,” and should be punished. Finally, he calls Christian ministry in the military “spiritual rape;” comparing it to physical, sexual assault.

Neighborhood Watch Information

Via Sister Anne

http://ttag.zippykidcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Gen4_G21-courtesy-glock.com_.jpg

1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your
carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your
yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make
my return a little easier.

3. Love those flowers. That tells me you have taste... and taste means
there are nice things inside. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make
me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I
might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to
remove it..

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and
foot tracks into the house.. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead
giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your
alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes
it too easy.

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the
windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom - and your
jewelry. It's not a bad idea to put motion detectors up there too.

8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to
lock your door - understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off
because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere
or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check
dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Here's a helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where
you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.


13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm
system. If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you
can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow
of a real television. (Find it_athttp://www.faketv/.com/_


8 MORE THINGS A BURGLAR WON'T TELL YOU:


1. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and
carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.

2. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

3. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your
neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to
hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was
doing. It's human nature.

4. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy
alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

5. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home,
and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk
through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick
my targets.

6. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than
you think to look up your address. Parents: caution your kids about this.
You see this every day.
7. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way
to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

8. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit
the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , and
Kentucky ; security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs http://www.crimedoctor.com/ and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of  Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Protection for you and your home: 

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck someone's evil
plans for you. 

WASP SPRAY 
 
A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was
concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they
were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about
using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp
spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a
lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close
to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an
attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her
desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can
of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home
protection... Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE:

On the heels of a break-in and beating that left an elderly woman in
Toledo dead, self-defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at Sylvania Southview High
School . For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray
near your door or bed. Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."
Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than
mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone
tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes".
It's a tip he's given to students for decades. It's also one he wants
everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the
spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."
Maybe even save a life.

Put your car keys beside your bed at night.
Tell your spouse, your children, your neighbors, your parents, your Dr.'s
office, the check-out girl at the market, everyone you run across. Put
your car keys beside your bed at night.

If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your
house, just press the panic button for your car. The alarm will be set off,
and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car
battery dies. This tip came from a neighborhood watch coordinator. Next
time you come home for the night and you start to put your keys away, think
of this: It's a security alarm system that you probably already have and
requires no installation. Test it. It will go off from most everywhere inside
your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you
reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It works if you park in
your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to
break into your house, odds are the burglar/rapist won't stick around.
After a few seconds all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see
who is out there and sure enough the criminal won't want that. And
remember to carry your keys while walking to your car in a parking lot. The alarm
can work the same way there. This is something that should really be shared
with everyone. Maybe it could save a life or a sexual abuse crime.

P.S.
I am sending this to everyone I know because I think it is fantastic.
Would also be useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you
can't reach a phone. My Mom has suggested to my Dad that he carry his car keys
with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can
activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem.

Should we all buy silver on May 1st? Twelve reasons I say, “dang straight!”

Via Marton

 http://www.tulving.com/bullion/$500FaceValue90Silver.jpg

An effort has recently been launched on the Internet to get those who believe in “real money” to buy (physical) silver on May 1st.

It’s too soon to know if this grassroots’ appeal goes “viral” and makes a statement that influences not only markets, but the mainstream media and perhaps even the world.

At least some early comments about this fledgling initiative fall in the “Why bother?” “This-is-silly” categories.

Balderdash. I love the idea, am definitely going to participate, thank those who thought of it and hope millions of liberty-loving people do as well.

Ron Paul army? You up for another great cause?

What’s the worst that can come of such an effort? I can think of two things.

1. It falls flat, never takes off, makes no real difference. No one seems to even notice.

2. You buy some silver and you have less fiat currency in your possession.

Now, what’s the best that could happen if this effort DOES go viral? Off the top of my head, I’ve come up with 12 possible outcomes and I like all of them.

More @ Silver Seek

Rubio hit hard after inviting comments on immigration bill

Via avordvet

 

Senator Marco Rubio, the leading Republican behind the Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform proposal, has often challenged those who criticize the bill to come up with ways to improve it.  And not just his fellow lawmakers; Rubio has opened a new page on his Senate website asking for help from the public.

“Visit our website and submit your ideas to ‘Help Us Improve the Bill,’” says an announcement from Rubio’s office Friday. “Since the immigration legislation was introduced, Rubio has received over 1,100 suggestions for how to improve the bill.  Rubio encourages the public to continue reviewing the bill and sharing their ideas on ways to make the bill better when the time comes to amend the legislation.”

A visit to the “Help Us Improve the Bill” page shows the senator has posted just 147 out of the 1,100 suggestions he has so far received.  Rubio’s staff is reviewing each one — a wise move, given the emotions that the immigration issue can involve and the tendency of some people to say nasty things on the Internet. 

But even after screening for foul language and general content, the suggestions Rubio has so far received are remarkably negative.  Actually, they are overwhelmingly, crushingly negative, criticizing a wide spectrum of issues included in the Gang of Eight bill.  The commenters Rubio has invited to speak really, really, really don’t like what he has done.

“This amnesty bill is awful and you should back away from it as you promised you would,” says the very first suggestion, setting the tone for what is to come.

“Here’s how to improve the bill,” says another. “KILL IT.” “The only way to improve this bill is to chuck it into the garbage can,” says another.  “We cannot believe you are so naive to believe that this bill would work.” “My suggestion is a simple one,” says another.  “Throw out this bill and enforce our current immigration laws.”

“NO, NO, NO,” says yet another.

Other suggestions focus specifically on the enforcement provisions in the bill.  “Secure the border first, this is not debatable,” says one. “As a Cuban-American myself, I can tell that a lot of Cuban-Americans are against this bill if the border is not secured first,” says another.  “I would not be voting for Sen. Rubio again if border security is not first achieved.”  “NO amnesty for those here illegally,” says another.  Yet another: “Enforce the laws that we already have.”  And another: “Please — no agreement unless the borders will be secured, and no rewards for wrongdoing!!”  “The border must be sealed FIRST,” says another.  “Obama lies. He will not enforce border security.”  Then: “Common sense would dictate STRONGER ENFORCEMENT at the border FIRST!!”  “I suggest that until the borders are secure, nothing else should happen,” says another. 

“We have been promised secure borders before and it hasn’t happened. Once secure, we can discuss the rest of your bill.”  Says yet another: “I have no problems with compassionately dealing with the illegals that are already here, but by giving then amnesty (or whatever else you want to call it) before any real enforcement kicks in is the biggest problem. Don’t tell me no one gets legalized until DHS submits and starts a plan to secure the border. That’s not enforcement.”

Tea Party Senators Prep for Immigration Battle

 Another epic filibuster is brewing

One thing is for sure: Republican establishment senators are definitely feeling the heat from their constituents, as Cruz noted in that FreedomWorks speech.

“We’ve had probably five or six lunches with a bunch of Republican senators standing up and looking at Rand and Mike and me and yelling at us at the top of their lungs, I mean really upset, they said, ‘look, why did you do this? As a result of what you did, when I go home, my constituents are yelling at me that I got to stand on principle!’” Cruz told the conservative activists. “I’m really not making that up. I don’t even bother to argue with them. I just sort of let them yell and say, ‘look, you know, vote your conscience.’”

============================== 

Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) now each appear to be positioning themselves in the fight against the push for the “Gang of Eight” immigration bill in much the same way the Senate’s Tea Party triumvirate knocked down the left’s push for new gun control legislation.
The three are joining Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) in questioning every painstaking detail of the bill, and reframing the narrative that those in favor of the legislation have driven including the need for a “path to citizenship” for America’s at least 11 million illegal immigrants and that the bill is tough on securing the border. Together, the group is using every tool at its disposal in the Senate--public pressure, process disputes and aggressive oversight procedures, among others--to fight against the legislation.

They face an uphill battle, even more so than they did when fighting against new gun control legislation. This time around, right off the bat, the four Republicans in the Gang of Eight already back the bill. Also, they have been a little bit slower to coalesce against this bill because they have been so busy fighting gun control, and immigration reform in and of itself and if done differently is not something they oppose. They just oppose this bill because it does not do immigration reform the way they think it should be done.

More @ Breitbart

Mexico opens door for illegal immigrants from Central America to pass through on way to U.S

 

With her leg snapped and folded excruciatingly over her shoulder, Elvira López Hernández lay flat on a railroad bed as the freight train hurtled above her, clinging tightly to two things: the railroad ties beneath her and the memory of the 4-year-old daughter she had left behind in Guatemala.

 “I said: ‘My God, I don’t want to die! My daughter!’ ” 

She slipped off the train in January, one of scores of migrant stowaways heading to the United States. Now she sat at a shelter here, an amputee. But she had no intention of returning to the crime and desperation of Guatemala City; she was still looking north. 

“What can I do?” she said. 

In Washington, the biggest immigration overhaul in decades would tighten border security between Mexico and the United States to stem the flow of illegal crossings. 

But there is another border making the task all the more challenging: Mexico’s porous boundary with Central America, where an increasing number of migrants heading to the United States cross freely into Mexico under the gaze of the Mexican authorities. So many Central Americans are fleeing the violence, crime and economic stagnation of their homes that American officials have encountered a tremendous spike in migrants making their way through Mexico to the United States. 

Americans fear government more than terror


According to a pair of recent polls, for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist hijackings, Americans are more fearful their government will abuse constitutional liberties than fail to keep its citizens safe.

Even in the wake of the April 15 Boston Marathon bombing – in which a pair of Islamic radicals are accused of planting explosives that took the lives of 3 and wounded over 280 – the polls suggest Americans are hesitant to give up any further freedoms in exchange for increased “security.”

A Fox News survey polling a random national sample of 619 registered voters the day after the bombing found despite the tragic event, those interviewed responded very differently than following 9/11.

For the first time since a similar question was asked in May 2001, more Americans answered “no” to the question, “Would you be willing to give up some of your personal freedom in order to reduce the threat of terrorism?”

Of those surveyed on April 16, 2013, 45 percent answered no to the question, compared to 43 percent answering yes.

In May 2001, before 9/11, the balance was similar, with 40 percent answering no to 33 percent answering yes.

More @ WND

Sex-ed cartoons 'too graphic' for N.Y. Times

 130427sexeducationbirthcontrol

While Americans debate how to best keep school children safe from violence, at least one group is asking why the media won’t help pressure the education system into keeping kids safe from another child predator the group dubs “Sex Incorporated” – also known as Planned Parenthood.

The American Life League, or ALL, issued a statement questioning why major news outlets like the New York Times and Washington Post have declined their recent request to run ads highlighting the methods Planned Parenthood uses to target young kids.

ALL claims the content of the ads came straight out of Planned Parenthood publications ALL says are used to “hook kids on sex.”

“This week, both the New York Times and Washington Post rejected a full-page advertisement from American Life League as ‘too graphic’ and ‘shocking’ for their adult readers,” says an ALL report.
Judie Brown, president and co-founder of ALL, agrees that the images are shocking, but says that the images come directly from Planned Parenthood materials funded by American taxpayers and aimed at those taxpayers’ own children.

“Parents tax dollars are being used to turn their own children into Planned Parenthood’s future sex customers,” says Brown. “Their abortion business is based on exploiting young minds and filling those minds with all manner of sex instruction.

More @ WND

33 Million More Immigrants in 10 Years: Press 4 for English


Haze photo Hating_Wet_Backs.jpg

Mike Scruggs

     The Drudge Report recently revealed that the so-called Gang-of-Eight Senate Immigration bill, also known as Schumer-Rubio, if passed, would bring another 33 million immigrants, both legal and illegal, to the U.S. within ten years. The present population of the United States is about 308 million. Of these, 40 million or about 13 percent are foreign born, most coming since 1980. The 33 million estimate was originated at NumbersUSA, a prominent, pro-immigrant education and research foundation that believes we need to cut down the number of immigrants we admit each year for the benefit of both immigrants and natives.

      Heritage Foundation and Center for Immigration Studies research papers have also substantiated that the low levels of skills and education brought by most immigrants since the 1965 Immigration Reform Act have resulted in an increasing net fiscal drain on the economy and future Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid liabilities. Furthermore, the wages of American workers are being depressed by $2,800 annually per employed person by the massive influx of cheap-labor competition. Those with a high school education or less are hardest hit. These wage losses for American workers are a $437 billion annual gold mine for cheap-labor special interests.

     The March 2013 unemployment rate indicates excess labor supply’s grim impact on minorities and teens. While the overall (U-3) unemployment rate in March was 7.6 percent, the rate for blacks was 13.3 percent, and for Latinos, 9.7 percent. The overall teen rate for 16-19 year-olds was 22.5 percent. Black teens had a 33.9 percent unemployment rate.

     Schumer-Rubio or S.744 is officially titled “The Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act.” Curiously, the underlying theme of its 844 pages is that there is a severe labor shortage! Yet the U-6 unemployment rate, which includes discouraged workers and those forced to part-time by economic conditions is 13.8 percent, numbering among the distressed 21.3 million people who want full time work but cannot find it. Another 2.0 million have dropped out of the workforce since March 2012. Yet S.744 sponsors John McCain and Lindsey Graham are appearing on national TV interviews claiming there is a national labor shortage. Florida’s Republican presidential hopeful Marco Rubio’s statements on Rush and other conservative talk shows indicate he is confused, to put it politely, about the actual language of the bill.

     Schumer-Rubio includes a major amnesty, estimated to be at least 11 million and perhaps as many as 18 million people. The one thing the public must know about amnesty is its MULTIPLIER EFFECT. Because of rampant fraud and poorly enforced criteria, past amnesties have turned out to be much larger than expected. The disastrous 1986 Amnesty was originally supposed to cover about one million illegal immigrants. It turned out to be closer to 2.7 million, followed by six follow-up special amnesties totaling another 3.0 million. In addition, all their relatives began to show up.  Based on the 1986 Amnesty, you can expect two to three additional illegal immigrants over 10-20 years for each amnesty. Amnesty draws more illegal immigrants like bees to honey and begets still more amnesties.

     Besides the massive amnesty, the bill calls for legal immigration to increase from 1.1 million per year to 2.6 million per year. Before the 1986 amnesty, legal immigration was about 300, 000 per year.  One major provision of S.744 is the tremendous expansions of additional guest-worker programs, more than tripling the current 900,000 to nearly 3.0 million.  As the Jordan Commission’s six-year study of immigration released to Congress in 1997 pointed out, guest-worker programs result in the same fiscal costs, suppression of American wages, and displacement of American workers as illegal immigration. In addition, they increase illegal immigration by relatives and widespread visa jumping. They also add to medical and hospitalization costs of birthright citizenship babies.

     According to NumbersUSA, the 33 million new immigrants resulting from the passage of S.744 would be 12 million amnestied illegal immigrants, 17.6 million of their relatives, and another 3.4 million in business sponsored immigration. Given the additional number of guestworkers, I am surprised the number is only 33 million. Keeping it under 33 million would be a huge problem, since Obama has demonstrated a strong disposition against enforcing immigration laws— also a continuing boon to terrorists. 

     Even the liberal-leaning Politico website admits the passage of S.744 will be a tremendous bonanza for Democrats, binging in at least 11 million new Hispanic voters within 10 years. Recalculating the 2012 vote based on the projected numbers of new Hispanic voters in 10 years would have given Obama a 7 point lead over Romney rather than only a 4 percent lead. States like Ohio, Florida, and Colorado would not have been close.

     The Bush strategy of going easy on immigration enforcement and favoring amnesty failed to get more than 40 percent of the Hispanic vote. But an additional 5 million illegal immigrants and about 4 million more legal immigrants than the Jordan Commission considered healthy for the country arrived during his eight years in office. Bush’s lenient immigration strategy, actually gave Obama a boost against McCain, who is essentially Senator Amnesty in the Republican Party. As careful academic research has pointed out, the Hispanic vote was never really in play. The myth of Hispanic social conservatism is largely confined to the Cubans (5 percent of Hispanics), Evangelical Church members (18-19 percent), and wealthier, active Catholic families. Bush’s 40 percent Hispanic vote in 2004 was earned by gains and high turnout of Evangelical Church members. 

     Meanwhile, as many as 8 million white conservative voters did not vote in 2008 and 2012. The Republican National Committee needs to figure out why. Competent research and polling indicate Republicans would make no significant gains with Hispanic voters by backing amnesty or open borders immigration policies but would lose a devastating share of their conservative base.  Enforcement is the necessary strategy for Republicans.

Antiabortion group releases videos of clinic workers discussing live births

Via Horace


 An antiabortion group that mounted a six-month undercover investigation has released videos this week that raise questions about what might happen to a baby as a result of an unsuccessful abortion.

One video features a D.C. doctor, Cesare Santangelo, who said that in the unlikely event that an abortion resulted in a live birth, “we would not help it.” Santangelo was answering repeated questions from an undercover operative about what would happen, hypothetically, if she gave birth after an unsuccessful abortion.

“I mean, technically, you know, legally, we would be obligated to help it, you know, to survive, but . . . it probably wouldn’t,” Santangelo is shown telling the woman, who was 24 weeks pregnant. “It’s all in how vigorously you do things to help a fetus survive at this point.”

Live Action president Lila Rose said the group’s videos expose “truly gruesome, illegal and inhuman practices.” She defended the tactics, saying undercover investigations are a powerful method to expose abuses.

Rep. McCaul: Boston Bombing Suspects Likely Had Training

 

VERBATIM

The chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee says he believes the Boston Marathon bombing suspects had some training in carrying out their attack.

Rep. Michael McCaul is citing the type of device used in the attack — shrapnel-packed pressure-cooker bombs — and the weapons' sophistication as signs of training.

Homemade bombs built from pressure cookers have been a frequent weapon of militants in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. Al-Qaida's branch in Yemen once published an online manual on how to make one.

McCaul also tells "Fox News Sunday" that he thinks the suspects' mother played "a very strong role" in her sons' radicalization process and that if she were to return to the United States from Russia, she'd be held for questioning.