6/27/2006

Leading a Divided Party

The President is really in an unenviable position politically these days. His own party is deeply divided, and that usually spells trouble. With the November elections now just over four months away, the Republican divide is threatening the elephant's control of Congress. Some of this is normal "sixth year" stuff that goes along with the historical pattern that the President's party loses seats. But Bush has bucked that trend before (in 02) and maybe he will again. Here's what I think needs to happen:

1) Go back to basics. When a football team gets off track, they start practicing blocking and tackling again. Being able to execute the fundamentals is essential to success. Presidential cheerleader Hugh Hewitt has it down to fifteen words, and the administration would be wise to listen. (A lot of us think they aren't.)

2) Quit shooting yourself in the foot. From Harriet Miers to Dubai Port World to the immigration fiasco to failing to prosecute the war in Iraq with vigor to failing to sell the good news on everything from the economy to the war on terror, the President has suffered a lot of self-inflicted wounds.

3) Pick a side. Many of us have known that the President isn't as conservative as we'd like, but he's usually done enough to keep the right wing of his party happy. Lately it seems like he's decided he just doesn't care about us anymore. If that's indeed the case, he should at least wait until after November before revealing it!

It's not an easy position to be in, but a lot of people have "misunderestimated" him before. I'm hoping the President will regain his focus in time to make him once again a powerful force on the campaign trail, and that the semi-conservative party triumphs over the totally unconservative one.

6/25/2006

Happy Blogiversary to Me

One year ago, this little venture into the world of public Internet blathering begin. I feel a little like Abraham Lincoln, "the world will little note, nor long remember" these postings. But I've had a lot of fun. I've written some stuff that got noticed and linked in prominent corners of the greater blogosphere. I've been able to vent about things that drive me crazy (fortunately there are only a few hundred of those). And I've made some new friends and reconnected with some old ones.

I hate to break it to you, but I think I'm going to be around for a while longer...

6/24/2006

All the News That's Fit to Help Terrorists

Again this week, over the objections of the people whose job it is to keep us safe from terrorists, the New York Times published details of how we're doing the job. This pathetic exercise in self-interest is as close to an act of treason as you can come without being named Benedict Arnold. They are not defending the public's right to know; they are not defending the freedom of the press--plain and simple, they are helping our enemies in a time of war.

To give them the benefit of a very dubious doubt, they do not believe we are in a war. How they can reach this conclusion given the proximity of their office to Ground Zero is a mystery, but it is a reality. These unelected and unaccountable "deciders in chief" believe that we are at more risk from those who are trying to defend us than we are from those who have already repeatedly attacked us. There's no other reason I can think of for the behavior that knowingly helps the terrorists. And that's what the NYT is doing. In light of their behavior, the fact that their stock price and their circulation are both in steep decline is hardly enough punishment for their sins.

It's almost enough to make me subscribe to their treasonous rag just so I can have the satisfaction of cancelling it.

6/18/2006

Gray Hawk Down

Today on Meet the Conflict of Interest Challenged Future Libby Witness, Rep. John Murtha reprised his role as the Dem's leading critic of the war in Iraq. But it was a bumbling and disjointed performance to say the least. He failed to even swing at the softball questions Russert lobbed his way (and Russert's failure to challenge Murtha's false assertions was just the latest in a disappointing string of performances from him) rambling and stumbling over his words. But when he spoke clearly, he performed even worse.

He actually cited Clinton's performance in Somalia as a model for fighting the war on terror! This is truly scary. Here is the exact quote: "like Clinton did in Somalia, you just have to say, “OK, it’s time to change direction.”

If you need a(nother) reason not to trust the Democrats when it comes to our national security, here it is. What Clinton did in cutting and running from Somalia after the Black Hawk Down incident had a direct formative influence (cited by bin Laden himself) on the tactics and operational philosophy of Al Qaeda. Yet that foolish and cowardly retreat is the operational philosophy of a significant portion of one of our two major national political parties.

This is madness. You do not have to like or agree with everything the President has done in regards to Iraq to realize that we must win the battle there. There is no other real-world alternative. Yet Murtha is hardly speaking only for himself. He represents the thinking that will lead to disaster--again. Murtha deserves credit and honor for his distinguished service to our nation as a Marine in Vietnam. But this "Gray Hawk" deserves nothing but contempt for his current defeatist folly.

Happy Father's Day

I've been spoiled rotten today (and enjoyed every minute of it!) by my wonderful wife and kids. It's been a very good day...great food, nice presents, lots of peace and quiet, and I just reveled in it probably more than I should have.

I'm blessed to have a great dad, and I hope that someday my kids will remember the good things (and yes, for the skeptics in our audience, there have been a few) on days like this.

An Expression of Gratitude

I'd like to thank all of you who sent condolences on the death of my grandmother, either in the comments here or by email. I appreciate the kind thoughts and words. We had a very nice funeral service last Thursday in South Carolina. My grandmother's youngest sister, Aunt Edna (who turned 94 the day after the funeral) was able to come, along with a number of relatives. It would good to be together with family members again, and good to be home.

6/11/2006

Esther Cannon Byers, 1907-2006

Got the news this morning that my grandmother had passed away. One of eleven children, she was born when Teddy Roosevelt was President. Raised on a farm in rural South Carolina, she was the kind of person who did whatever it took to get the job done--including killing a poisonous snake when her brother was at the other end of the field with the plow.

I remember her most of all for reading me Will You Come to my Party?...over and over again every time we would visit them. She must have gotten tired of it, but I never did. The story of the hapless squirrel trying to invite his friends to his party but getting turned down (they're all planning a surprise party for him and don't want to blow it) convulsed me with laughter every time she read it.

Well, I say most of all. Perhaps second most would be more accurate. She was famous throughout the family for the portion sizes of her (wonderful) desserts. If you asked for a small piece of cake, it would probably stick off the dessert plate all the way around!

And stubborn? Let's just say I come by it honestly. Once she made up her mind, no power of Heaven or Earth could change it.

The loss of my last surviving grandparent is a little tough to take. You can't exactly complain that a person who lives to be 98 was cheated, but it's another link to the past that's gone. Mama Bear, we'll miss you.

6/10/2006

World Cup? Yawn...

So apparently the World Cup soccer thing is happening again. We're being treated to another round of stories on why we should care about the "world's most popular sports event" and why it's a shame American's don't like the sport more. To which I say...."Yawn."

Look, imagine football (the real football, not the soccer kind) played by soccer rules. Every time a receiver gets behind the defensive back on a pass route, it's a turnover, and the defense gets the ball. Yeah, that'll lead to a lot of high scoring games. Every time a player gets hurt, they make the game longer. Football games would last till Tuesday if the NFL did that. And my personal favorite--every time you actually wipe a guy out (and they have the nerve to call those sissy things tackles!) the ref runs over and cards you! Nope...this is not the game for Americans. Change the rules a little, actually score a few points now and then, and we might watch. Until then, how many more days till football season starts? Wake me up then.

6/08/2006

For Once I Agree with Al Qaeda

The terrorist leaders released a statement today on the death of Zarqawi that said in part, “We want to give you the joyous news of the martyrdom of the mujahed sheik Abu Musab al-Zarqawi." Frankly, I couldn't agree with them more. It is doubly joyous news when you read between the lines that he was apparently sold out by members of his own band of murderous thugs. Could hardly have happened to a nicer guy...and somehow I don't think the eternal destiny that he entered today included any part of paradise, nice fruits, or virgins. Too bad. My only regret is that his death couldn't have been arranged in slow motion so he could have experienced the terror of his many innocent victims. But at least we know one thing for sure--this cretin will never again harm anyone else. May he rest in pieces.

6/06/2006

Sign of the Times

We were at WalMart yesterday, and back near electronics they had a large rack of videotapes. Above them was a sign that said, "Last chance to buy VHS." Talk about a short product life-cycle! Not much more than 25 years from cutting edge (well Beta was cutting edge, but you take the point) to completely obsolete. In Tom Peter's brilliant Reimagine, he makes the point that of the Fortune 500 companies 50 years ago, fewer than 50 are still in business today (at least in their original form). If nine out of ten of the largest companies in America can basically disappear in half a century, it ought to make us reconsider our notions of stability and longevity. The times they are a-changing...and those who do not change with them (or preferrably before them) are going to be left behind on the beach.

6/05/2006

Guard the Borders--Should We Give it Back?

This week's Guard the Borders post is from a fellow Arizona blogger, and examines the claims of the "Reconquista" movement.

Foreword by Heidi at Euphoric Reality

From Spanish-speaking illegal workers, to angry tenured professors and arrogant politicians, we are hearing more and more tenets and demands from a movement called Reconquista. The movement, once dismissed as extreme racist rhetoric, has rapidly gained traction and momentum among millions of ill-educated illegal aliens and well-established Mexicans alike. Reconquista gives voice to the angry demands of present-day Mexicans who mistakenly think they have indigenous rights to the land of the Southwestern United States - which they claim was "stolen" by an imperialist American government. The centerpiece of their agenda is the mythical Aztlan.



In the spirit of a new people that is conscious not only of its proud historical heritage but also of the brutal "gringo" invasion of our territories, we, the Chicano inhabitants and civilizers of the northern land of Aztlan from whence came our forefathers, reclaiming the land of their birth and consecrating the determination of our people of the sun, declare that the call of our blood is our power, our responsibility, and our inevitable destiny.



"From whence came our forefathers...?" Nothing could be further from the truth - not that the facts matter much in their efforts to further "La Raza" - or The Race. Using racially-charged arguments to batter at the traditional guilt mentality of Americans, proponents of Aztlan aim to "reconquer" the Southwestern United States as their due. Apparently, they fail to understand that the tribes of present-day Mexico never inhabited the Southwest U.S., nor for the most part did Mexicans themselves - it was mostly open land [frontier] except for northern Native Americans (as you will see below).

A manifest destiny has been embraced by many within mainstreamed advocacy groups in America such as La Raza, LULAC, and most commonly MECHa, the radical student organization which has specifically embraced the tenets of Atzlan. "Por La Raza todo, Fuera de La Raza nada," is translated as "For the Race, everything, for those outside of the Race, nothing." Though that singular statement seems to sum up the demands of today's angry illegal Mexican aliens, there is much more to their Plan to restore Aztlan:


Aztlan belongs to those who plant the seeds, water the fields, and gather the crops and not to the foreign Europeans. We do not recognize capricious frontiers on the bronze continent

Love for our brothers makes us a people whose time has come and who struggles against the foreigner "gabacho" who exploits our riches and destroys our culture ... Economic control of our lives and our communities can only come about by driving the exploiter out of our communities, our pueblos, and our lands and by controlling and developing our own talents, sweat, and resources.

Education must be relative to our people, i.e., history, culture, bilingual education, contributions, etc.

Self-defense of the community must rely on the combined strength of the people ... For the very young there will no longer be acts of juvenile delinquency, but revolutionary acts.

A nation autonomous and free - culturally, socially, economically, and politically- will make its own decisions on the usage of our lands, the taxation of our goods, the utilization of our bodies for war, the determination of justice (reward and punishment), and the profit of our sweat.


So there is a Plan for Reconquista. But do these emotional and racial claims have any historical basis?

Clearing Up A Misconception About Reconquista
by Loma Alta

Introduction.

Spain conquered what was to become modern Mexico and part of the southwestern United States in 1521. Spanish rule lasted 300 years until 1821 when Mexico gained independence. Mexico ruled what is now part of the southwestern United States for a very, very short time. Mexico ruled Texas from 1821 until 1836, some 16 years. Mexico ruled California from 1821 until 1846, 26 years. Mexico ruled most of New Mexico from 1821 until 1848, 28 years, and the southern most portions of Arizona and New Mexico until purchased by the United States in 1853, 33 years. The United States began ownership of these territories in 1845 (Texas), 1846 (California), and 1848-1853 (New Mexico and Arizona). Thus the United States has owned this land since 1845-1853, 153-162 years.

The ownership has thus been: Spanish 1521-1821 or 300 years; Mexican 1821-36 to 1853 or 16 to 33 years; and American 1845-1853 or 154 to 162 years. Almost all development and modernization came under United States ownership. Please see Spain, Mexico, Texas, California, and New Mexico-Arizona for more details.


Comparison of Ownership Time and Development.

Spain owned the area for 300 years and operated it as a colony. The central area, and most developed part was around Mexico City with much of the current southwestern United States being the frontier, relatively undeveloped, and subject to Indian raids and predations. The situation was much the same in the very, very short period, 16-33 years, of Mexican ownership. With the United States ownership, 154 to 162 years, beginning as territories, exploration and development proceeded rapidly and modern civilization came with, or shortly after, statehood.

The Absurdity of Reconquista.

Whether by time of ownership or degree of development and civilization, Mexico had virtually no temporal or civil weight of authority in the southwestern United States. Mexico never really established military or civil control over the area and it was never really a normal part of Mexico, but was always the frontier with vast expanses of nearly unexplored and lightly inhabited regions far from Mexican rule and authority. So tenuous, unpopular, and corrupt was Mexico’s presence and claim to the areas, and the Mexican government so hated by American and Mexican pioneers alike, that they only lasted from 16 to 33 years.

Thus, Reconquista is another myth, promulgated for racist reasons (it is the spawn of Mexican supremacist groups such as La Raza - literally “the Race”) much as the Germans’ “Lebensraum”, or living space, was for the master race. And, Reconquista is equally racist and equally the deranged product of irrational hate groups.

Therefore, we can dismiss the concept of “Reconquista” as a racist, hate group concept that has no place in America, or in any other just and tolerant society or country. There is no need to give any credence whatsoever to the false and meritless claims of any moral attachment to territory by radical, racist groups. They are as phony as last year's bird's nest.

__________________________________________


This has been a production of the Guard the Borders Blogburst. It is syndicated 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 in our country, join the Blogburst! Send an email with your blog name and url to euphoricrealitynet at gmail dot com.

6/04/2006

Why the Democrats Support Immigration "Reform"

On the surface the Democratic Party's backing of the immigration "reform" being pushed by the Senate makes no sense. The influx of illegals harms their two most loyal groups of supporters--unions and African-Americans. Low wage workers who have no benefits undermine the efforts of unions to increase wages for their members, and the huge unemployment among the African-American community (in contrast to the near record low 4.6% nationwide) is in large part a direct result of jobs being taken by illegals and therefore not being available. So why are the Democrats so committed to offering amnesty and eventual citizenship to millions?

Just ask Francine Busby. If you've missed this story, here's how it goes. Busby is the Democratic candidate in the special election being held Tuesday in California's 50th Congressional district to replace disgraced Congressman Randy Cunningham. She's in a tight race with huge implications for this fall. If a traditionally safe Republican district send a Dem to DC, the talk of a sweeping win becomes more plausible. If the donkeys can't sell the "culture of corruption" message in Cunningham's old district, where will it play? With that as background...

This week a Latino man asked Busby at a rally how he could help the campaign since he "didn't have papers." She replied, "You don't need papers for voting." Yep, you read that right! She's tried weasling out of her words all different kinds of ways since, but the tape recorders were running, and the audio is up all over the Internet. This is the most (really only) logical explanation for the Dems' position on immigration. They're running a vote farm. With their efforts over the past few years to make it easier for people to register and even vote without ID, they are laying the groundwork for even more massive vote fraud than we saw in 04. (Without widespread fraud, Bush would almost certainly have carried Wisconsin, and Christine "Fraudoire" wouldn't be governor of Washington.)

Now if only there were some logical explanation for Bush and the Republican Senators' position...

Major Life Upheaval

As noted by a couple of commenters, this blog has been observing radio silence ("going dark" in 24-speak) for the past few weeks. Although silence certainly isn't my natural condition, there are mitigating circumstances.

I have accepted a new job in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and in addition to travel back and forth from Arizona, I've been working on getting the house ready to put on the market, keep up with old work while learning an entire new process, and other assorted miscellaneous burdens that have pushed the blog far down life's priority list.

For those of you who pray, we would greatly appeciate your intercession in our effort to sell a house in a horribly flat local real estate market. Last year houses in our area were selling within days of listing; now it's months--if they sell at all. An extra request for sanity as we try to juggle travel schedules, summer school (the kids, not me!), and the pressures of selling the perfect house we were going to live in forever (not to mention trying to find a new one long distance).

Many things are going on in the world that deserve comment. And while I must reserve the right to remain silent, I don't expect that silence to last forever!