I Like President Bush, BUT

How on earth the President can say with a straight face that illegal immigrants "live in the shadows of our society" is beyond me. Did he somehow not notice hundreds of thousands of them waving Mexican flags and calling for the southwest to again become part of Mexico? Did he somehow not notice the traffic jams, school-age truants and the calls for a very different immigration "reform" to throw open the borders even wider? I'm pretty sure this stuff was covered in the news in Washington like it was here. I know he famously claims not to read the papers or watch the news, but you would think at least one staff member might have mentioned the millions of illegals marching in plain sight through our cities and towns. They may be many things, but living in the shadows they most certainly are not.

A Brief Policy Memo for the Democratic Party

This week another non-new "news" story broke in USA Today (the New York Times had the same story last year before Christmas!) regarding NSA datamining of phone calling records. Again, some prominent Democrats (and a few idiot Republicans) dashed to the cameras to denounce the Bush Administration. Folks this is a dead loser of an issue for the Dems. It is simply not possible to credibly campaign on the platform that the President is taking the war on terror too seriously. (In addition to failing the political test, it fails the logic test. I'd argue he isn't doing enough on things like border control and fighting the war in Iraq with ferocity.)

There is plenty of room to the right of Bush and the Republicans on many issues--immigration, spending, the war on terror. The problem for the Democrats is that those positions, though attractive to the vast political middle are anathema to their base. Their political candidates are going to find it almost impossible to go where the votes are.

One of the greatest problems for the Dems in the upcoming 06 elections isn't being talked about much yet, and that is the fifth anniversary of 9/11. The party that refuses to take the war on terror seriously, and there is no other way to characterize the profound mendacity of John Kerry (who as James Tarranto likes to note, by the way served in Vietnam) is going to suffer when attention inevitably turns to it less than two months before the voters go to the polls. I still think that despite the best self-destructive efforts of the Republicans and President Bush, the Democrats are still in a worse position for this fall.

NBC Promotes Abstinence

Tonight in a report on the new drug approved by the FDA to help people stop smoking, Robert Bazell of NBC News was commenting on the difficulties of quitting. Even with assistance like the new drug, only 1 in 5 people who try to quit will still be smoke-free one year later. So Bazell intoned on the message to young people "The easiest way to stop smoking is not to start." Since NBC now believes abstinence education works, I look forward to seeing them address the problems of teen pregnancy in the same vein...NOT.

Tax Revenues WAY Up; Corporate Taxes Up Most

Because of my seasonal affliction preparing tax returns, I try to pay attention year round to what's going on. At TaxProf blog today, I came across this little nugget of information:

Tax revenues for the first four months of the year are up more than 10% over 2005. The Treasury Department took in almost $140 billion more than last year! Shame how Bush's tax cuts are starving the government and we can't affort to extend them isn't it? To top that off, corporate tax receipts are up 29%!!!! (Compared to 10% for individuals.) When you hear politicans lying (I mean talking) that we "can't afford" the tax cuts, remember this. The problem is NOT that the government is taking too little; it's that they're SPENDING TOO MUCH.

Guard the Borders

This week's Guard the Borders post by Rahel Avraham exams the Spanish "national anthem" in some depth. Please take time to read this before you assume that the people behind it are promoting patriotism and loyalty to the USA.


Nuestro Himno: Is It Really "Our Anthem?"
By Rahel B. Avraham of CustomerServant

The pro-illegal immigration folks now have their own campaign song. It’s called “Nuestro Himno,” (our anthem), and it’s peddlers say it’s just a re-interpretation of our national anthem, “The Star-spangled Banner.” Let’s see if that claim actually holds water.

First, an English translation of “Nuestro Himno.”

Verse 1

It’s sunrise. Do you see by the light of the dawn
What we proudly hailed last nightfall?
Its stars, its stripes
yesterday streamed
above fierce combat
a symbol of victory
the glory of battle, the march toward liberty.
Throughout the night, they proclaimed: “We will defend it!”

Chorus

Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?

Chant:

It’s time to make a difference the kids, men and the women
Let’s stand for our beliefs, let’s stand for our vision/What about the children, los ninos ?

These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws.
See this can’t happen, not only about the Latins.
Asians, blacks and whites and all they do is adding
more and more, let’s not start a war
with all these hard workers,
they can’t help where they were born.

Verse 2

Its stars, its stripes,
Liberty, we are the same.
We are brothers in our anthem.
In fierce combat, a symbol of victory
the glory of battle,
(My people fight on)
the march toward liberty.
(The time has come to break the chains.)
Throughout the night they proclaimed: “We will defend it!”
Tell me! Does its starry beauty still wave
above the land of the free,
the sacred flag?

And now, to put things in perspective, the lyrics to “The Star-spangled Banner.”

The Defense of Fort McHenry
September 20, 1814
By Francis Scott Key

Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe’s haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o’er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning’s first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines on the stream:
‘Tis the star-spangled banner! O long may it wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle’s confusion
A home and a country should leave us no more?
Their blood has wiped out their foul footstep’s pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and the war’s desolation!
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

As you can see, there’s very little similarity between these two pieces, and that’s just scratching the surface. The fact is “Nuestro Himno” is not a simple translation of our national anthem into Spanish. It’s an attempt to take what is now a very familiar tune, which carries with it very vivid associations for some of us, and slap a pro-invader anthem on top of it.

The Star-spangled Banner was written in response, to a real life-or-death battle. If we had lost that part of the war of 1812, we’d be British subjects. On the other hand, this new cheap imitation that wants so desperately to be our national anthem is a plea for acceptance on behalf of those who have broken the laws of this country, and yet want to be forgiven for their trespass without paying any penalty.

“We know we’ve broken your laws, but can we have some of your hard-earned liberty anyway? After all, we’re brothers. And if you don’t give us some of your freedoms and rights, more than we already have, we say that your flag no longer flies over the land of the free and the home of the brave, because we’re in this land, and we’re not free, and though we were brave enough to cross through Central America and Mexico to sneak across the border, you don’t call us brave. But we are brave! We sneaked past your border guards, and we believe we can halt your economy in one day, and we don’t care if you give us free schooling, government subsidies for every baby born in this country. We’ll wave Mexican flags, and even cover your flag with ours, and we’ll even claim that your entire southwest region is ours and we’re going to take it back, but all the same, we want you to accept us as perfectly legal.”

This, at least, is how I interpret this anthem’s message.

And some record company’s CEO has ingeniously figured out how to cash in in a big way on the immigration fight going on in this country. By asking that “Nuestro Himno” be played simultaneously on Latino radio stations yesterday, and marketing it as simply a re-interpretation of the national anthem that will allow Hispanics who don’t speak English to understand what they’re singing, that CEO stands to make a huge amount of cash, and gain himself a lot of publicity.

If anyone is really interested in understanding what the national anthem’s lyrics mean, they could very easily have the lyrics translated in non-poetic form. But this is poetic license gone horribly wrong. And the national anthem isn’t copyrighted, so no one has to pay any royalties. No record producer could have missed that.

To conclude, I would answer the question I posed in this way. “Nuestro Himno” is a shining example of criminality and greed. Nothing more.

_________________________________

This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It was started by Euphoric Reality, and serves to keep immigration issues in the forefront of our minds as we’re going about our daily lives and continuing to fight the war on terror. If you are concerned with the trend of illegal immigration facing our country, join our Blogburst! Just send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

Home!

Almost 19 years ago, we brought a precious little baby girl home from the hospital. First-time parents worry about practically everything...and know practically nothing. But we learned in a hurry. We had a blessing and a "heritage from the Lord" in our home, and everything changed. Words fail even a writer to describe the joy and laughter she brought into our hearts and our home.

Last night, we brought a precious near-woman home from the airport. Her first year of college away from home complete, she is finally back with us again. As I contemplate the future (which I'm trying very hard not to do today) I know she won't be with us forever. But for today, at least, the stars and planets are properly aligned once more, and Rhonda is home.

Kyl Strikes Back

A couple of weeks ago, I posted about Jim Pederson's stealth campaign for Arizona Senator. Now Jon Kyl has unleased a very effective counterpunch ad. It begans with a picture of Pederson from his ad, and both the voiceover and the words on the screen say "Jim Pederson, former Democrat State Party chair." In one swoop it nails a party id in place on a man who's frantically running from it, and sets up an even more devastating blow. They show the clip from Pederson saying his immigration plan "is not amnesty." Then they follow that up with Pederson's praise of the 1986 amnesty. I'm not exactly an unbiased witness, but it really strikes at Pederson's credibility. Then Kyl follows up with praise for his immigration plan from a variety of news sources. By demolishing Pederson's stealth attempt to run apart from party labels and exposing the hypocrisy of his amnesty-oriented immigration plan, Kyl gets a two-fer, and his ad gets an A+ from me.

Voting for Hurricane Rita

There is widespread unrest within the Republican Party. A lot of us are upset that President Bush and the Senate don't have any interest in serious border control. A lot of us are upset that we aren't fighting the war in Iraq more aggressively. A lot of us are angered beyond words by the profligate spending we would expect from the Democrats but not from "our" party. A lot of us feel ignored, taken for granted, and frankly are getting tired of the mushroom treatment. Many pundits are looking at this (and other factors) and predicting a Democratic win in the coming fall elections. But...

Last year's two biggest hurricanes were Katrina and Rita. Both were huge storms, but one was much more devastating than the other. Becuase of where it hit (and the utter incompetence of Mayor Busses Nagin and Governor Hamlet Blanco) Katrina was vastly more destructive. They're both hurricanes, and they're both destructive. But if I'm forced to choose one or the other, I'd vote for Hurricane Rita. Despite their (many) flaws and failings, the Republicans remain a lot more serious about the war on terror, marginally less in favor or government regulation, and slightly more committed to lower taxes.

I am not happy about voting for the Republicans. They haven't done much to earn a vote. In many ways they have no claim to be a conservative party, at least in the way they govern. But the one thing they have done is be less bad than the Democrats. Even though they've abandoned most of what they proclaim as their principles, they're still closer to where I am on most issues. And I as upset as I am at the antics of Bush, McCain, Lott, and their ilk, how could I possibly vote the party of Hillary, Reid, Credit Check Chuck and Kennedy (D-Bourbon)? So while it may be true that the lesser of two evils is still evil, there isn't a viable alternative choice--and I have to vote for Rita over Katrina.

I'm Not Dead

Sorry to disappoint those of you who were hoping, but my complete failure to update this blog is not due to being dead. Came straight out of income tax season into major deadlines and a seriously increased workload...

But I still have things to say, and you aren't rid of me yet!