EU lawmakers back new rules on expelling illegal immigrants

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved new rules for expelling illegal immigrants from the bloc, overcoming opposition from left-leaning lawmakers and ignoring protests from human rights activists. The move comes amid a tide of anti-immigrant feeling across the wealthy bloc, with Italy blaming foreigners for a spike in violent crime and France grappling with tensions in the immigrant-heavy suburbs ringing urban centers.
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Then there's California...

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Governor's bond plans add to debt

Since his election in 2003, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has helped persuade voters to let the state borrow more money than it did in the previous 30 years combined.

According to state figures, the amount of voter-approved bonds has more than doubled – from $70 billion in 2003 to $144 billion today.[snip]

The more the state borrows, the more the state has to set aside each year to pay debt. It's a commitment that has siphoned off general fund money that could otherwise go toward public services such as law enforcement and health care.

California's debt burden as a percentage of personal income has nearly doubled since 2000. In 2008, the state's debt accounted for 4.3 percent of personal income, compared with 2.4 percent in 2000, according to Moody's Investors Service.

California now ranks 10th among states in debt burden per capita with $1,685 worth of debt for every man, woman and child in the state...
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Flurry of state fees - new or higher - pushed as budget boost
Californians would pay higher traffic ticket, parking, car registration, property insurance and other fees under dozens of proposals flying around the Capitol. Whether taxes ultimately are raised, state officials are looking to cut a $15.2 billion deficit by increasing other revenue...

[and thanks to the gerrymandering that occurred after 2000 {which, ironically, Schwarzenegger tried to fix with an initiative that failed}, virtually all of our incumbents will be re-elected dispite their continued mismanagement of the state]
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Willful Blindness: The Sequel

In the last month, Encounter has had two titles on the extended New York Times best-seller list: Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor by Roy Spencer, and Willful Blindness: A Memoir of the Jihad, by Andrew C. McCarthy. But that list is the only place you will find these books mentioned in the pages of The New York Times…. [snip]

The Times in general has lost influence as the paper has receded into parochial, left-liberal boosterism and politically correct reportage. And where its news and comment have become increasingly politicized, its cultural coverage has become increasingly superficial and increasingly captive of establishment, i.e., left-liberal, pieties and “lifestyle” radicalism.

... it is pointless for us to send copies of our books to the Times—worse than pointless, because by so doing we help to perpetuate the charade that the Book Review is anything like even-handed in its treatment of conservative books. There is also this fact: the real impetus in selling books has decisively shifted away from legacy outlets like The New York Times towards the pluralistic universe of talk radio and the “blogosphere.”

That is why Encounter can see its books on the Times’s bestseller list without ever making it into the paper’s review columns.

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ABC Finds New Losers in Gas Price Highs: Nevada Brothels

From the Disney-owned Web site that brought you concerns that college co-eds were foregoing textbooks to pay for birth control comes the latest tale of high gas price-induced economic woes.

"Nevada Brothels Hit Hard by Gas Prices," ABCNews.com trumpets in a teaser headline in the top headlines slideshow on its front page. The editors showed a bit more leg in the photo caption: "Owners fight back: free $50 gas cards for high-spending customers."

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[ok, NOW we'll do something about our energy dependence...]

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“The Boumediene five also ignored the Constitution's structure, which grants all war decisions to the President and Congress. In 2004 and 2006, the Court tried to extend its reach to al Qaeda terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay. It was overruled twice by Congress, which has the power to define the jurisdiction of the federal courts. Congress established its own procedures for the appeal of detentions.

“Incredibly, these five Justices have now defied the considered judgment of the president and Congress for a third time, all to grant captured al Qaeda terrorists the exact same rights as American citizens to a day in civilian court.”

— John Yoo,
Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Currently Berkeley Law Professor and American Enterprise Institute Visiting Scholar, On the Supreme Court’s 5-4 Ruling in Boumediene v. Bush Affording Certain Rights to Terrorist Detainees
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Beginnng of the End of Al-Sadr

[part II]

A sure sign of the weakening power of Moqtada al-Sadr is that his militia is just a shadow of its former self. The Iraqi army, backed up by a much smaller number of US troops, are rousting the militia out of their hiding places and the once feared fighters are running like dogs:

[FLASHBACK: http://netizennewsbrief.blogspot.com/2008/06/without-shot.html]

The significance of this is dramatic. I think we can conclude that law and order is coming to Iraq and that the bad guys know it. A psychological turning point may have been reached where the forces of civilization may be gaining the upper hand.

There is still plenty of time for this to change for the worst. We're not out of the woods by any means. But slowly and surely, the Iraqi government and army are asserting what any nation state must do in order to gain the confidence of the people; they are proving their right to govern.

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A Glaring Omission

After years of telling us the war on terror was creating more terrorists, the mainstream media has mysteriously woken up to the fact that Islamic extremism is on the wane. Newsweek is the latest publication to run a support-for-jihad-is-fading piece. Readers of CONTENTIONS should by now be familiar with the evidence: Iraqis have turned against radical clerics, Pakistani voters have rejected Islamist leaders, Turkey’s ruling AKP party is trying to modernize Islam, etc. [snip]

But there is an important omission in the sudden coverage of moderate Muslims: No one talks about the effect of the Iraq War. The MSM can dodge the issue all they like, but the fact remains that the Coalition’s toppling of Saddam facilitated the first organized rejection of fanatical Islam in the Middle East...

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0-7

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“Yet another U.S. Marine, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani, had charges dropped Tuesday in the so-called Haditha massacre — bringing the total number of Marines who've been cleared or won case dismissals in the Iraq war incident to seven. ‘Undue command influence’ on the prosecution led to the outcome in Chessani's case. Bottom line: That's zero for seven for military prosecutors, with one trial left to go.

“I repeat: Haditha prosecution goes 0-7. But you won't see that headline in the same Armageddon-sized font The New York Times used repeatedly when the story first broke.”

Michelle Malkin,
Regarding the U.S. Marines Charged with Civilian Deaths in Haditha, Iraq
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I'll Fight To Strip Telecom Immunity From FISA

[HT:GJ]
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., issued a statement in support of the House's update of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but said he would try to strip a provision granting immunity to telecommunication companies when the bill comes to a vote in the Senate next week.

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Analysts: Hezb'allah Preparing an attack

ABC News is reporting that western analysts believe the Iranian-Lebanese terrorist group Hezb'allah is preparing to attack "Jewish targets" someplace in the west, perhaps North America:

Intelligence officials tell ABC News the group has activated suspected "sleeper cells" in Canada and key operatives have been tracked moving outside the group's Lebanon base to Canada, Europe and Africa. [snip]

In addition to Canada, it is believed that South America is also a likely target. Translations of some Spanish language articles on Fausta Wertz's site of suspected Venezualean connections to Hezb'allah reveal a disturbing alliance between Hugo Chavez and Middle Eastern based terrorists.

"A few days ago, Fausta reports that Venezualeans of Arab ancestry were training at Hezb'allah sites in Lebanon. Then the State Department designated a Venezualean diplomat as a supporter of Hezb'allah..." [snip]

It was in 1994 that Hezb'allah attacked an Argentina Jewish Community Center killing 85 people. Clearly the terrorists have the will to strike but do they have the means?

Given their massive support from Iran, there can be little doubt of that.

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China denies hacking into US computers

Beijing - China denied accusations by two U.S. lawmakers that it hacked into congressional computers, saying Thursday that as a developing country it wasn't capable of sophisticated cybercrime...

[evidently said with a straight face]

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The great carbon bazaar

Evidence of serious flaws in the multi-billion dollar global market for carbon credits has been uncovered by a BBC World Service investigation. The credits are generated by a United Nations-run scheme called the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).

The mechanism gives firms in developing countries financial incentives to cut greenhouse gas emissions. But in some cases, carbon credits are paid to projects that would have been realised without external funding. (Snip) Arguably, this defeats the whole point of the CDM scheme...

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The Climate Alarmist Manifesto

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Just as class struggle forms the nucleus of Marxism, so does it sit at the very core of the Left's climate alarmism. At a glance, the regressive nature of fiscal Carbon control schemes, be they taxation or cap-and-trade, would appear to be antithetical to liberal thinking. But beneath the veneer of both the domestic and international green agenda lies a devious wealth-redistribution plan compared to which all predecessors pale. [snip]

"The bill sets aside a nearly $800 billion tax relief fund through 2050, which will help consumers in need of assistance related to energy costs. The precise details of the relief will be developed by the Finance committee."

And if Senator Boxer's plan of doling out $800 billion in industry profits to the "needy" sounds like class warfare to you, just wait until you hear what's brewing down the hall... [snip]

before a House Judiciary Committee, Maxine Waters apparently cared little for Shell Oil President John Hofmeister's response to her questions about guaranteeing a drop in oil prices were he allowed to drill off US shores. Visibly flustered, the California Democrat let slip to an astonished audience:

"And guess what this liberal would be all about? This liberal would be all about socialize -- uh, uh, would be about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies."

What still escapes me is just why anyone might be surprised by her faux-pas. Such is precisely the Left's rationale for jumping aboard the bogus GHG bandwagon in such earnest almost to the very man and woman...[snip]

In his book, Blue Planet in Green Shackles, Vaclav Klaus wrote:

"The largest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity at the beginning of the 21st century is no longer socialism. It is, instead, the ambitious, arrogant, unscrupulous ideology of environmentalism.''

With all due respect to the wise Czech President, they are indeed one in the same.

[Highly Recommended > ]

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ON U.S. COASTS, A RETHINK ON OIL DRILLING

A new Rasmussen poll, taken prior to the Bush and McCain proposals to expand offshore oil drilling, found 67 percent of voters supportive of more offshore drilling. The Department of Interior's Mineral Management Services estimates there are 18 billion barrels of oil offshore under federal moratorium and another 10 billion to 12 billion in Arctic National Wildlife Reserve (ANWR). Also:

• As for environmental impact, each year 47 million gallons of oil seep out naturally into US ocean waters; this far exceeds the 870,000 gallons of petroleum leaked in offshore exploration and drilling, according to the National Academies of Sciences.
• Opponents of drilling overestimate the time frame for new development; some projects have turned around in 18 months.

Ironically, expanding drilling in U.S. waters would add to the pool of oil from stable, reliable sources -- helping to curb speculation - whereas continued refusal to develop new supplies fuel it...

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Has Affirmative Action run its course?

In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order instructing federal contractors to take "affirmative action" to ensure against discrimination. Three years later, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act which prohibited race-based discrimination by large employers, public or private. In doing so he created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which became the driving force in AA policies.

Soon, the policy was expanded to include all other minorities and women, and mandated that they receive favored treatment in hiring and promotions... [snip]

To say that some prejudice still exists is to say that the sun still rises in the east. "Some" prejudice will always exist, but as long as it is relegated to a narrow-minded coterie of ignorant malcontents and not identified with the overwhelming majority of decent people, it shouldn't be used to justify what is merely another form of discrimination.

Furthermore, the very idea of continuing a policy which drives home the message that blacks can't make it in this country without racial quotas and preferences makes a mockery of, not only Obama's political success, but of every black person's efforts to reach personal goals without the stigma of having done so only because the government gave them an unfair advantage... [snip]

Then the question will be, how many African-American presidents, senators, governors and billionaires will it take to cause a psychological shift among blacks toward less dependence on government...

[how much longer are we going to ignore the vast state-sponsored racism being perpetrated here? A: until the major political party enabling it is replaced]

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Judicial Supremacy Strikes in Oklahoma

[HT:MD]
The elected representatives in Oklahoma passed a law to stem the tide of illegal immigrants and, faster than you can say "judicial supremacy," a federal judge blocked its enforcement. The court suspended key sections of the law even before it was due to take effect on July 1.

The Oklahoma law passed the State Legislature by overwhelming, bipartisan, veto-proof majorities (88-9 in the House, 41-1 in the Senate) and was signed by Democratic Gov. Brad Henry. Public opinion polls reported that the law enjoys 88 percent public approval, and it was recognized as a model for other states to copy.

The law required employers who have contracts with the state of Oklahoma to use the Oklahoma Status Verification System to verify the legal status of their employees. [snip]

The employment picture in Oklahoma is quite different: Oklahoma's unemployment rate is now only 3.1 percent and dropping. That's because after the Citizen Protection Act was passed a year ago, illegal immigrants began leaving the state. [snip]

The judge granted standing to the Chamber of Commerce to sue - even though it had not been hurt one iota by the law that had not yet taken effect. The judge, in effect, legislated from the bench by blocking the statute from taking effect, so all its benefits might never be known...

[our judges are usurping our democracy - we ought fix that]

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The Fairness Doctrine at Work

Conservative talk radio has been successful, i.e. profitable--and liberal talk radio has not--because of the most basic of reasons: it supplied a market demand. Listeners mean ratings. Ratings mean advertising revenues.

The failure of liberal radio shows to achieve similar success is the underlying motivation behind Democrats' efforts to impose the 'Fairness Doctrine'. Among those who have spoken up for the position are Senators John Kerry and Dick Durbin and Representatives John Dingell, Dennis Kucinich, and Louise Slaughter.

According to Accuracy In Media Editor Cliff Kincaid, with Democrats in control of both the White House and Congress, a Democratic-appointed F.C.C. could easily re-impose the Fairness Doctrine. "This may be what is planned," he told the Cybercast News Service .

Their stated goal: to require every radio station that airs a conservative host, to air an equal, and similarly day-parted, amount of time for a liberal to espouse their views. [snip]

Forced to provide equal time to liberal hosts -- an enterprise that has proved financially ruinous time after time -- broadcasters would soon have to pull the plug on all talk shows that addressed anything 'political', in the process silencing some of the most prominent and influential voices on the right.

And that's what the those supporting the Fairness Doctrine are really after.

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Racism in Retreat

A year and a half ago, often I was sweetly dismissed when I said that Barack Obama was possibly on his way to the White House and would certainly trounce Hillary Clinton for the nomination. ''You don't know what they'll do to him,'' they'd say. As often as not, the idea was that America could not seriously support a black man for its highest office. I didn't get this. The America I live in today does not seem as deeply stamped by bigotry as these people seemed to think. (Snip) Well, here we are...

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