Okay, I'll Bite

Does anybody know how Google decides which ads to place?  The last couple of days I have noticed that I have a "Crist for the Senate" ad here.  As they say, how many levels is that wrong on? 

We're talking about Charlie "I'm open to supporting a Democrat for Senate majority leader" Crist, the World's Tallest Oompa Loompa.  But while Crispy was giving his "principals are passé" spiel on Meet the Press, Marco Rubio had this to say on CNN's "State of the Union":

"I'm not ever running away from the title" of conservative, Rubio said. "I think that limited government -- conservatism -- is what most Americans are. I think that's mainstream American thought."

Rubio added, "I'm not an anarchist. I believe government has an important role to play in society. I just don't think it should play a dominant role. I don't believe government is the most important institution in society. I believe in entrepreneurship. I believe in the free market. I want to live in a country where people can open up a business in the spare bedroom of their home, even if it's in violation of the zoning code. I want them to be able to pursue their dreams."

In particular, Rubio pointed to his view on the need for a tax rate structure that encourages reinvestment in order to spur job creation.

"I think that's a very reasonable position," he said.

It is "unreasonable" to expect investment in the American economy when Democratic policies appear to be geared toward redistributing wealth and limiting the creation of it, Rubio said.

"I think that's where you get away from moderation," he said.

So on one hand we have Crist who is busy busting his ass to walk back everything he said he stood for up to just a few days ago, and on the other, we have Rubio who is proud to stand up and say, "This is who I am and this what I stand for" without pulling any punches.  Talk about your "clear choices."

I said Crist wouldn't be doing himself any favors if he choose to go Independent.  Now that he has, he is just digging his hole deeper.  No matter what he says now it will point back to him being a cheap opportunist.  It makes me wonder if he actually pays the people who advise him.

Let Me Tell You What Makes Me Nervous

Allahpundit:

What makes me nervous is the use of propane. Remember that London bombing plot three years ago, in which jihadis tried — and failed — to set off a bunch of car bombs around the city?...

Fuel-air bombs are hugely destructive, as this harrowing Danger Room article published after the London plot broke made all too clear. A fuel-air bomb properly detonated in Times Square on a Saturday night likely would have killed hundreds of people. If that’s what this was — and the feds evidently aren’t sure yet, despite reports of “fireworks” going on in the back seat and someone running away from the vehicle — then there’s a seriously dangerous individual running around NYC right now. Stay tuned. While we wait, check out this PowerPoint presentation generated by the NYPD after the London plot was foiled. The last slide is the one you’re interested in.

I tell you what makes me nervous, that we keep getting lucky.  I don't want to live in a police state but I also don't want to rely on luck.  Both 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings are prime examples of what happens when luck runs out.

I expect law enforcement to be smarter than the average dumb ass terrorist and I am willing to support law enforcement and give them the tools they need to do their jobs.  If they have to "profile" to do their jobs, well, it's better than sending in the SWAT team to hassle little old ladies singing God Bless America. 

Janet Napolitano, and the president she serves, need to pull their collective heads out of their tailpipes, quit worrying about law abiding Tea Partiers and get about the business of securing our borders and keeping track of who is coming in and who is going out.

A second bomb has been found at the site of a marathon being run in Pennsylvania.  If anyone thinks that is a coincidence I've got some real sweet waterfront property for you.  The current Administration is all about control-controlling the air we breath, the food we eat, the roof over our heads.  How about they cut the crap and exercise an ounce of control over our national security.  I read somewhere that that is their job.

Read the rest of Allahpundit's post.

Everything I Know About Che I Learned from Reading Babalu UPDATED

Ah yes, what would an immigration rally be without the obligatory Che flags, posters and tee shirts?  I really didn't know very much about Che Guevara before I started reading Babalu.  Appropriate in the context of yesterday's rallies is this quote I came across at Babalu:

“Mexicans are a rabble of illiterate indians.” (Ernersto “Che” Guevara, June 1956.)

I strongly suspect that those who honored Che at yesterday's rallies (and elsewhere) are as ignorant of Che as I once was.  The difference is, I never lifted up Guevara as a hero.  If you are going to site someone as a shining example of freedom, you should, at the very least, learn the truth about what your hero represents.

Besides Babalu, Reason.tv is a excellent source.



Technically, May 1st is celebrated as "Workers Day" but in addition to celebrating Communism, Arizona's immigration law was the cause of the day.   With that in mind, read George Moneo's post, A Fable.

UPDATE:

More pictures, first from American Power:

And from Doug Ross:

And this:

Some how this doesn't look like a Tea Party rally yet, we're the dangerous ones who spout over-the-top anti-American rhetoric.   Right.  I don't guess that it would occur to any of these morons that they aren't exactly helping their cause by carrying signs that call for the deaths of "US Imperial-Fascists"  also known as "tax paying citizens." 

Your "No Sh*t" Post of the Day

Via Instapundit:

Democrats Are Manipulating the Marchers

Amnesty isn't going to happen anytime soon. Democrats should stop holding effective border control hostage to a legalization plan they're using to rev up the Latino vote.

Participants in Saturday's pro-amnesty marches are being used by the Democratic party elite, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mickey Kaus charged today.

"There is not going to be an amnesty this year, or next year. The majority of the American people don't want it, for good reason. They want to secure the borders first," he said. "Amnesty before we secure the borders would only encourage yet another wave of illegals and hurt the wages of unskilled Americans (and legal immigrants)."

"But every time Democratic politicians in D.C. need to rev up the Latino vote, they dangle the false promise of an amnesty bill. At some point. Latino voters are going to realize they're being used." (emphasis added)

Why should Latinos realize that they are being used?  It has been decades and blacks haven't figured it out yet.  Anyway, isn't using groups what the Democratic party does as a matter of policy?  They've been stringing gays, women, blacks, and Latinos along forever but they do it with a sort of "smiley face fascism" that leads the targeted group to believe that they are being offered a hand up when in reality, the Dems keep a foot firmly planted on the small of their backs. 

I'm starting to like Mickey Kaus more and more.  California needs a strong dose of common sense and Kaus appears prepared to administer it. 

Fish Gotta Swim, Birds Gotta Fly and Cheaters Get Elected President

Carol at No Sheeples Here:

The Drudge Report, Death By 1000 Papercuts, The National Enquirer, Don Surber and Swiss newspaper Le Matin are shouting with the headlines of an Obama affair with Vera Baker.

Either the story is true and one helluva shocker OR The Enquirer is in a world of hurt.

They can expect a SWAT team at their doorstep any minute I suppose.

Nah, the SWAT teams are stretched too thin and are plum tuckered from chasing after blue hairs. 

I don't doubt the reports, The Enquirer has been right more often than not in the past but honestly, I thought Obama was gay.  Seriously.  Take a look at Michelle and tell me "feminine" is the first word that jumps in your head.  The perfect couple and the perfect cover.  Anyway, let's wait and see if this thing has legs.

Meanwhile, Carol has all the links.

So Much for Taking an Oath to Defend the Law

Rep. Gutierrez arrested outside of White House in immigration protest

Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) was arrested outside the White House on Saturday during a May Day protest for immigration reform.

Guiterrez had been speaking to a crowd of hundreds at Lafayette Square when he announced that he was going to go to the White House fence with other protesters, sit down, and not move until he was arrested or until comprehensive immigration reform was signed.

I assume Guiterrez wasn't speaking to the crowd about the Pinal County deputy who was gunned down in Arizona yesterday afternoon by an illegal immigrant with an AK-47?  No, Guiterrez doesn't concern himself with our citizens or the brave members of law enforcement who risk their lives to protect Guiterrez's "subjects." 

Nothing in The Hill's post indicates that Guiterrez was actually thrown in a jail cell.  After all, that is for the little people.  I doubt that Guiterrez will pay at all for his "brave" act of disobedience.  But for those in Arizona and other states with high concentrations of illegals they pay every day for Washington's inaction.  Too often, they pay with their lives.

My Neighbor's Cats

Actually, the cats don't "belong" to my neighbor at all.  They are feral. 

About two years ago a couple of cats showed up.  Kittens really.  Small, dirty, underfed and wild.  My neighbor trapped them, had them "fixed" and had them immunized.  Over time more showed up including a a Siamese that was due to pop at any moment.  The neighbor again trapped, fixed and immunized-at considerable expense to herself.  There are now ten cats, all feral, who call this neighborhood home. 

The cats are quite territorial and do not allow other feral cats in to the neighborhood.  While I am not thrilled about having cats begging at my feet when I eat out on the patio or finding one sitting in my chair when I take my coffee out on the porch I am thrilled that it has been two years since I've seen a snake, mouse or cockroach in the area. 

 Conservation Groups don't like spay and neutering programs and have been successful in halting such programs through lawsuits.  Is there anything that Progressives won't interfere in?  The truth is that even with trap and release programs thousands of cats end up euthanized each year.  It makes no sense to halt these programs particularly programs that are funded by private donations rather than taxpayer dollars.  It is also true, that cats kill and eat birds.  That is part and parcel in life.  Why should one animal species be favored over another ?

The neighbor's cats keep me company, albeit from a distance.  I would never tell them, but, I kinda like them.

Saturday on the Porch

Some links to kick your Saturday in to high gear.


Somebody has been a very bad boy! Wyblog

NICE isn’t so nice. Pundette

Putting the wolf in charge of the hen house. Protein Wisdom

Don’t boycott, BUYCOTT! The Daley Gator

I do believe in Global Warming. I do, I do I do… Troglopundit

Those who don’t know history are doomed to screwup over and over again. Paco

Scary foresight. POWIP

Beware of Grey Panthers carrying canes. Potluck

Not black enough. No Sheeples Here.

Keeping an eye on the ball. The Camp of the Saints

There is something big going on out there. The Other McCain

Who says your doctor needs a full range of options? And So it Goes in Shreveport

I can’t even organize my pantry, now they want me to organize my garbage? At The Point Of A Gun

Dream a little dream with me Legal Insurrection

Some laws are more equal than others. Ruby Slippers

More later.

My Home, Sweet Home

Let’s see if I’ve got this right:


Self confessed pioneer “credit default swaps” and profiteer off mortgage foreclosures. Check.

Best man was a rapist, wife beater and cannibal.  Check

Lived with a famous hooker.  Check.

Well, at least Florida politics is never dull.

Quick Thoughts

I've had some kind of weird stomach virus for two weeks now and it has really put me behind the eight ball.  I overslept this morning and had to scramble to catch up when I finally made it to the office.  Now that I've settled in I was looking at Memeorandum and a few things caught my eye:

Three-year-old boy arrested as suspected terrorist in France

Aren't they all little terrorists at that age?  The stories that I could tell about my son, Jason, when he was young and don't even get me started on my granddaughter Olivia.  Turns out, it was the three year old's father who was the suspected terrorist, but that wouldn't have been a catchy headline.

Mack (R) compares Ariz. law to Nazi Germany

I think that people making the "Nazi" comparison need to read the law and when they are finished, read a little history.  This is total foolishness and only serves to belittle the dumbasses making the comparison.  While we are at it, why is Marco Rubio's position continually being misrepresented on this?  He said he had some concerns about certain provisions but supported the bill as a whole.  My favorite line from his reaction:

Throughout American history and throughout this administration we have seen that when government is given an inch it takes a mile

It is hard to argue with that.

I'm sure I'll have more on the turncoat, Charlie Crist, later but for now, Jimmie Bise put it best:

And so the World’s Tallest Oompa-Loompa has decided that he doesn’t want to actually run in a competetive primary where Florida Republicans, who he has been wooing with all the fervor of a drugged sloth, could bruise his fragile ego with a resounding defeat. He’s going maverick and will take his beating as an independent (via memeorandum). Of course, he won’t be giving back all the millions of dollars Republican donors gave him when Crist was the darling of the NRSC because, though he may hold Republican voters in contempt, he loves their money.

Jimmie, I am so stealing the World’s Tallest Oompa-Loompa tag!
Enough for now.  Looking at the computer screen causes very unpleasant side effects. 
.

What Would Charlie Do?

Apparently if the choice is between doing the right thing for his party and his state or throwing everyone under the bus for the sake of his ego, Charlie Crist has with all due reflection decided to screw the pooch. 

Doug Ross:

The unshakable core beliefs of Arlen Crist

Asked five times last month by Chris Wallace whether he would run as an independent for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida, Gov. Charlie Crist responded "no" five separate times.

Crist reaffirmed his gelatinous reputation today, with advisers informing the Wall Street Journal that he would announce he's running as an independent.

Crist doesn't have a principled bone in his body. He supported President Obama's outrageous "stimulus" package and has shifted positions on every issue imaginable.

To be fair, Crist does have one unshakable core principle. He will stop at nothing to ensure that Charlie Crist gets elected or appointed to high office.

 Yeah, I know.  I'm the idiot that held firm to belief that in the end Charlie would do the right thing.  The next question is:  Will the Dems stick with their candidate, Kendrick Meek, or toss him for Crist?  On the one hand, it was only four years ago that Dems thought that Crist was the anti-Christ but on the other, it doesn't matter, Meek sucks as a candidate. 
 
There is one great big bright side to all this-when Meek and Crist split the Dem vote Rubio will be elected and we will never have to look at Crist again. Come on, November!

Legal Crookery

Ponzi schemes and pyramid schemes are illegal in this country UNLESS they are perpetrated by the government. Social Security and Medicare depend on tax dollars for fuel. Increased unemployment and/or lowered birthrates decreases the money paid in to the social pool, whereas, increased longevity increases the number of people withdrawing from the social pool. Eventually, more is withdrawn from the pool than is paid in and either the scheme collapses or the pool must be rebalanced through increased taxes or lowered benefits. Unfortunately, no politician wants to look a voter in the eye and say, “We need more of your money.” Equally distasteful is telling older voters that after a lifetime of paying in to the pool their benefits are going to be cut. As a result, the typical politician ignores the situation and hopes that the problem will wait until after they have left office.


But the current bunch of Dems in Congress and the Administration decided against the “wish and a prayer” style of politics. Instead, with Social Security and Medicare imploding they decided to act and they did so by creating an additional entitlement program in the form of ObamaCare. As Ronald Reagan once said, “There you go again.”

So now we have a program that, according to the Administration, will provide health “care” to an additional 30, 40, 50 million people with no increase in costs and no decrease in coverage and anyone who can’t afford the coverage will be taken care of by the government. Problem is, most Americans are well aware that “the government” doesn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. The only money that “the government” has is that which it has confiscated from its working citizens in the form of taxes.

We know that we will be expected to contribute ever increasing amounts to the entitlement pool. We know that even at confiscatory levels our money won’t be enough. We know that rationing of what will eventually pass for “care” will ensue. We know from observing Great Britain and Canada where we are heading.

Explain to me why Bernie Madoff is in jail while Congress roams free.

h/t Instapundit

There are No Progressive Liberals in Fox Holes

I suspect that is because for the "Progressives" among us their principals are about as deep as spittle.  Consider this from Mark Steyn:

At the end of last year, in National Review, I wrote about a London Times writer's call for a "secularist and liberal defense of the principles of a pluralist society." I was skeptical, and I wound up the column with one of those itsy-bitsy nuthin' foot-of-page-37 stories that crop up somewhere around the western world every day now - something about Jewish teachers getting taunted by, ahem, certain pupils:

Around 2002 she began to encounter explicitly anti-Semitic speech from Muslim students: “Does someone smell a Jew? It stinks here.” “You are not human, you are a Jew.” Had Anglo-Saxon skinheads essayed such jests, Oliver Kamm’s warriors of secular pluralism would have crushed them like bugs. But when the teacher went to the principal, and the school board, and the local “hate-crimes unit,” they all looked the other way and advised her that it would be easier if she retired. Sixty out of 75 French teachers at the school opted to leave: A couple were Jewish, a few more practicing Catholics, and most of the rest were the liberal secularists on whom Oliver Kamm’s defense of the West rests. The francophone children withdrew, too. And now the principal and most of the students and faculty are Muslim.

Maybe it would have wound up like that anyway. But having nothing to stand in your way except liberal progressives certainly accelerated the process. And as it went at one schoolhouse, so will it go on the broader horizon: If you believe in everything, you’re unlikely to stand for something.

Of course, the "secularist and liberal defense of the principles of a pluralist society" only applies to a very narrow segment of society.  It certainly doesn't apply to women or minorities who wonder off the Progressive farm.  And while our Progressive brothers and sisters are certainly "brave" when it comes to standing against grannies like myself in the Tea Party, they are quick to head for the exits when a real threat comes along.  And to be sure, radical Islam is a much greater threat to the Progressive lifestyle than I or my fellow Conservatives will ever be. 

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words:

Image from Geekosystem

A Change of Heart or a Loss of Mind

Apologies to a cherished reader who made it clear that he did not like posts relating to a certain Charles or Andrew.  I am only human and as such, occasionally succumb to weakness.  Tim Blair has gone deep into the archives of LGF, and the days before Mr. Johnson's conversion to the Church of Conservatives Suck, and come back with some precious nuggets reflecting Chuckles former thoughts on our current President.  I have added emphasis but left out the links to LGF.  The links, if desired, may be found in Tim Blair's post.

• “Interesting information about one of the Democrats’ rising stars, who is apparently an unreconstructed Marxist with a slick surface.”


• [Barack Obama and other Democrats are] “going to get us all killed.”

• “Here’s a piece on Barack Obama’s past, based on his own account of his shockingly racist anti-white attitudes.”

• “How would the world’s 249 gazillion Muslims react to having an American president who is also a Muslim apostate?”

• “Howard Slams Obama’s Appeasement Platform.”

• “Does Barack Obama really believe this kind of message is going to work with Americans? This is ridiculous. He’s sounding more like a bad Daily Kos post every day.”

• “We’re supposed to believe that a candidate for president is going around the country giving speeches completely off the cuff. Improvising as he goes. And just happens to end up insulting the military.”

• “Oh yeah. Call the Prime Minister of Australia a chickenhawk. Now that’s presidential."

• “Here’s a close look at the church attended by presidential candidate Barack Obama, the Trinity United Church of Christ—a Christian version of the Nation of Islam.”

• “Truthers Dig Obama."

• “One of the budding young jihadis at IslamicAwakening.com, a ‘Desi Islamic warrior’ posting from ‘Mil-town, USA,’ is feeling rather persecuted and wishing for Barack Obama to save him.”

• ”Barack Obama, meanwhile, speaking to a group of Democrats in Iowa, wants to send the Palestinians more money.”

• “Will Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and John Edwards ever be confronted over their pandering to people who think like (Kos)?”

• “This may be the most cynical and hypocritical batch of Democrats that has ever run for President.”

• ”Obama talks tough on terror. Nation snickers.”

• ”Obama Not Ready for Prime Time.”

• ”Barack Obama tries to have it both ways, as usual.”

• “After he invades Pakistan, and opens diplomatic relations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Barack Obama will eliminate nuclear weapons.”

• “I’m now beginning to put some credence in the idea that Barack Obama is nothing but a stalking horse for the Hillary Clinton campaign, because nobody could really be this stupid.”

• ”Obama Evades, Approval Plummets.”

• “CHANGE! I’m using the occasion of Obama’s change-oriented victory speech in South Carolina to tinker with the LinkViewer while subconsciously counting the invocations of the CHANGE Power Word.”

• “Ted Kennedy is jumping aboard the Obama bandwagon.”

• ”Barack Obama has publicly repudiated Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, but Debbie Schlussel says she’s spoken with an Obama insider, who told her that Obama continues to employ several Farrakhan followers in his campaign.”

• ”Obama and Clinton try to outdo each other on the all-important issues of appeasement and surrender.”

• “I still can’t decide who to vote for. I know who I want to vote against: the Hillary-Obama Appeasement Complex.”

• “Just last August, Barack Obama was pronouncing the Iraq War a ‘Complete Failure.’ That’s with a capital C and a capital F.”

• ”Barack Obama won’t wear an American flag on his lapel, but on the wall of his Houston campaign office: a Cuban flag with a picture of Communist mass murderer Che Guevara.”

• “Facts: Barack Obama did explicitly refuse to wear a flag pin, and there are not one, but two Cuban flags with Che Guevara on them at Obama’s Houston campaign office.”

• “If things seem sluggish at LGF today, it’s because of all the incoming links to the Obama-Che Guevara story.”

• ”Barack Obama has sponsored a bill that’s on the fast track to becoming law, that could impose an enormous global tax on the United States under the control of the United Nations.”

• “On February 16, 2008, Barack Obama does appear to have been rather ‘liberally inspired’ by a 2006 speech by Deval Patrick.”

• “An American Expat in Southeast Asia reports on a television series about Barack Obama’s youth as a Muslim.”

• “Hot Air has video of Michelle Obama saying she has not been proud of America in her entire adult life—until now that her husband is running for President. I wasn’t shocked by the statement; it’s pretty standard ‘progressive’ thinking.”

• ”Michelle Obama’s thesis: Racial divide. Institutionalized racism.”

• “Another Photo Of Obama In Muslim Garb? Looks like it.”

• “Hey, Barack and Hillary are going to vie for the coveted Democratic nomination again tonight on MSNBC, grabbing for the brass ring, smiling for the cameras, spinning like dervishes, singing Kumbaya and Change and Diplomacy and Change and Health Care and Change! Changey-change change! Sing it with me, won’t you?”

• “Forget about Barack Obama’s middle name; what matters are his views on foreign policy—and those views are a mixture of idiotarian progressivist cant and embarrassing self-contradiction.”

• “The Kos Kidz see Barack Obama as a pioneer, challenging outmoded concepts like ‘patriotism’ and ‘pride in America’.”

• “Canadian Television has a bombshell story on the hypocrisy and double-dealing of Barack Obama.”

• “After Barack Obama invades Pakistan, one of his close advisers, Samantha Power, may have another target in mind: Israel.”

• “Laptop computers captured from FARC terrorists by Colombia reveal that FARC is hoping and expecting that Barack Obama will be the next US President.”

• ”Michelle Obama: America is ‘Just Downright Mean.’”

• “In April of last year, Sarah Hussein Obama told the New York Times she is a devout Muslim.”

• ”Obama’s promise to remove all troops from Iraq within a year is horse puckey.”

• “Here’s your clearing house for all news related to the ever-widening Barack Obama-Tony Rezko scandal.”

• ”Barack Obama’s campaign of empty self-contradictory promises has apparently hoodwinked the state of Wyoming.”

• “There are some rather serious discrepancies between the stories Obama tells and the reality.”

• ”Obama Fools Mississippi.”

• “With all of the faux outrage from the left directed at people who use Barack Obama’s unmentionable middle name, who was the first one to cross this horrible line of racism and bigotry? Hint: his middle name is ‘Hussein.’”

• “The man Barack Obama calls his spiritual adviser, who is credited for giving him the title of his book, The Audacity of Hope, and who married Obama and his wife and baptized their two daughters, is an America-hating racist.”

• “So how are the major wire services covering the story of Barack Obama’s pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and his insane, hateful statements blaming America for 9/11 … ?”

• “As the news of Barack Obama’s pastor and his racist, America-hating comments slowly spreads …”

• ”Barack Obama chose the radical hub of left-wing hatred on the web to post a response to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy … He denies ever having heard Wright say anything outrageous. Excuse me while I guffaw … Obama is, quite simply, lying when he says he never heard Wright say these kinds of things.”

• “More evidence that Obama is lying about his association with Rev. Wright …”

• “America wrestles with the issue of whether it would be a good idea to elect a President with a 20-year history of associating with people who hate America.”

• “Here’s Barack Obama’s appearance on Fox News, trying to explain his association with America-hating racist Rev. Jeremiah Wright … Notice the relentless head tilt.”

• “The mainstream media are completely, utterly in the tank for Barack Obama.”

• “The official Barack Obama campaign web site has quietly airbrushed away any mention of Rev. Jeremiah Wright, with no statement or explanation … Stalin ain’t got nothin’ on the ‘progressive’ wing of the Democratic Party.”

And much, much more.

I'm sure that Johnson would merely say that he's had a change of heart.  Seems closer to the truth that he has had a loss of mind.

Can We Dial it Down a Bit?

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo) in Politico:

“It is absolutely reminiscent of second class status of Jews in Germany prior to World War II when they had to have their papers with them at all times and were subject to routine inspections at the suspicion of being Jewish,” Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo), who is Jewish, told POLITICO...

...“I think it’s a very fair comparison and I hope that we’re not headed on the same trajectory that Nazi Germany was,” Polis said. “But this was a very recent experience for Jewish Americans and Jews worldwide and it’s something that when we see similarities we start ringing alarm bells.”

There certainly should be alarm bells ringing for American Jews and Jews worldwide but not because of the new immigration law in Arizona but rather because of the absolutely disgraceful way Israel has been treated by the current Administration.  Polis would benefit from reading Prof. Jacobson's thoughtful discussion of the Arizona law in Legal Insurrection:

Again, the law does not authorize unlawful stops, but only permits verification of immigration status once a lawful stop has been made (emphasis mine):

11-1051 B. For any lawful contact made by a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of this state of a law enforcement official or a law enforcement agency of a county, city, town or other political subdivision of this state where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States, a reasonable attempt shall be made, when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person, except if the determination may hinder or obstruct an investigation....

Which raises a question:  when an officer lawfully stops an individual and the officer suspects that the individual may be in the country illegally what exactly do opponents of the Arizona law believe that the officer should do?  If it is perfectly okay for an officer to ask a driver to show their driver's license, to prove that the driver is driving legally, why is a violation of civil rights to ask that same person to show their green card to prove that they are in the country legally? 

Arizona, with 460,000 illegal immigrants, is at the front line of what has become a battle with very real consequences.  They, and other states with high concentrations of illegals, were put in this position by a federal government that has not done its job.  This problem began long before the Obama Administration, but it is the Obama Administration, not wanting to let a crisis go to waste, that is wringing every drop of political advantage out of the situation.  Obama's position has nothing to do with upholding his duty to the American people and everything to do with the midterm elections.

There are solutions to this problem and as usual, not everyone is going to be happy.

First, enforce the border.  Build the fence, send the troops, allow the Minutemen to fill the gaps.  It is time for the Administration, and particularly Janet Napolitano, to show some backbone. 

Second, admit that our failed "War on Drugs" is partially responsible for the violence on the border.  Raise the white flag.  Take the profit out of drugs and the violence will go away.  A person who uses (fill in the drug of your choice) is going to use the drug whether it is legal or not.  Can anybody name any success story from the War on Drugs?  Any battle won? 

Third, go after the people who employ illegals and go after them hard.  Make the punishment for hiring an illegal severe enough and employers will suddenly figure out that it is cheaper to hire Americans.  The same goes for housing an illegal.  And opening bank accounts for illegals or selling them money orders or sending wires for them.  Go after Americans who profit from illegal immigrants.

Fourth, have a system that tracks people allowed in the country legally.  How many simply overstay their visas or don't attend school or meet whatever was set as their condition for entry?  Our government has no clue.  This long after 9/11 there is no excuse for the lack of followup in this country.

Fifth, do not reward people who are in this country illegally.  No amnesty, law breakers go to the back of the line.

We've heard about comprehensive immigration reform forever.  Enough.  The Administration needs to get serious about solving the illegal immigrant problem.  Not for politics, for the American people.

Where Charlie Went Wrong

We're five days away from the April 30th deadline for Charlie Crist to go Indie, if he's going to do it.  From Dan Riehl:

How Crispy Crist Cooked His Own Goose

A concise, compelling one page look at the rise and fall of Charlie Crist. More interested in some next step up, than principles and even commitments, it strongly suggests Crist both preceded and ultimately bought into the Obama is all the rage PR of 2008 and ran with it as fast and far as he could in the pursuit of his own selfish aims. As someone else once said, how's that hopey changey stuff workin' out for ya, Charlie?

A year and a half later, as with Obama and the Democrats, the answer seems to be, not very well, I'm afraid.

Further down in the post:

 "A lot of Republicans tolerated Charlie Crist because he could win,'' said Republican strategist Rick Wilson. "It took a long time (for people to start criticizing him) because the people that were uncomfortable with Charlie's departure from conservative principles were really shouted down and told to shut up because this is the guy who can take it all the way."

There is an axiom that politicians eventually find themselves in trouble and when that happens, they need their base to shore them up. Crist never tended to his base, consuming himself instead with hugging the center and left. (emphasis added)

Yeah, as part of what was Charlie's base, and having voted for him, I almost immediately and consistently found myself thinking, "This isn't what I voted for."  Let's face it, wallflowers don't typically run for office but with Charlie it is all about self promotion.  The state and the voters always come in second to what Charlie thinks is good for Charlie. 

So, within the next five days we'll find out if I am right about my gut feeling that Charlie will ultimately do what is best for Charlie and not run as an Independent.  The odds don't appear to favor my position but I put my faith in Charlie's unbroken record of putting his political future ahead of all other considerations.

Read the rest.

The Coffee Party: Motivated by Hate

Let's face it, The Coffee Party has not been a huge success.  To the opposite, they come off as whiny, hate filled anti-Tea Party wannabes.  In order to be successful you have to stand for something and standing for bigger government, higher taxes and subordinating personal liberty to the state are not exactly winning rallying cries.

Stacy McCain has a great post on the Coffee Party today at The Other McCain:

Annabelle Park’s experience reminds me of the 2002-06 era of liberal impotence, when the general consensus within the left-wing blogosphere was that Democrats were losing elections because they weren’t angry enough or, alternatively, they weren’t liberal enough. This was the impetus, for example, of the doomed Ned Lamont campaign.

Critics of the Tea Party accuse us of all manner of hateful motivations but the Tea Party's success is built on positive energy and a positive message.  We are not about tearing down institutions but building up individuals.  Our message isn't "Yes We Can" it is "Yes You Can".  It isn't a subtle difference.  One is a group-think slogan that enshrines the government as the noble benefactor.  The other recognizes the power of the individual.  It is no surprise that the latter resonates with more people than the former.

Read the rest of Stacy's post.

ObamaCare Opportunities Abound

From The Pirate's Cove:

Old Hotness: Nigerian Lottery Scams. New Hotness: ObamaCare Scams

It’s simply amazing that a piece of legislation that was unread by the people who voted for it, and is over 2,400 pages, should cause confusion. I mean, seriously, “What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?” States Warn Of Obamacare scams

In Illinois, a telemarketer recently sold an elderly woman a fraudulent health insurance plan that supposedly protected her against “death panels,” the state insurance director says.

In Alabama, a con artist has been offering “government health care reform” insurance over the phone in exchange for customers’ bank account numbers, according to the local Better Business Bureau.

And in Kansas, law enforcement authorities are investigating reports of people identifying themselves as government employees and taking payments for “Obamacare” insurance.

Con artists in several states are seizing on the public’s financial struggles and confusion about the recent health care overhaul, the authorities say. So far, the frauds appear to be relatively infrequent and are often no more sophisticated than spam fax messages with blatant misspellings and no company letterhead.

The cons may be unsophisticated, but as someone who has worked in the financial industry for over twenty-five years, trust me, tons of people will fall for them. Health care scams target the elderly, who were thrown under the bus by ObamaCare and are afraid they will lose their coverage because of Medicare cuts, and the poor who have little experience understanding heath care policies. ObamaCare has created a free market for con artists, complete with built-in victims.  I doubt this is the "change" that most people voted for.

Read the rest of the post.

This is Only a Test-UPDATED

The rest of the cartoon is found at Day by Day.

h/t Don Surber

UPDATE:

POWIP weighs in.  No hate mail, please.

And Troglopundit has his This Week in Automotivators up.  My favorite:

What is your favorite?

Spot the Irony

Eugene, OR is a "hate free" zone where they hope that Sarah Palin "chokes".  I guess we should be grateful that it's a hate free zone or they would calling for Palin to be drawn and quartered.

Play "spot the misspelling" at American Power.

h/t Gateway Pundit