More Islamic Lunacy

So enraged that Pope Benedict XVI referenced an ancient quote that claimed Muhammed advocated conversion "by the sword", Islamic groups are again hitting the streets. Effigies of the pope are being burned in Iraq, Muslims are striking and burning tires in Kashmir, and Indonesians are protesting outside the Vatican Embassy claiming the Pope is building a religion based on "hatred". People, look in the freaking mirror!

But the most outlandish response came from the Mujahedeen Shura Council, which is a Sunni Muslim umbrella organization. Claimed this "council", "We will break up the cross, spill the liquor and impose head tax, then the only thing acceptable is a conversion (to Islam) or (killed by) the sword."

Are these people pure imbeciles, blood thirsty vermin, or both? They're so enraged that the pope referenced a 14th century quote about Mohammed converting "by the sword", that they're now claiming they'll convert Christians "by the sword". Hello, morons! If that's really you're method of spreading Islam, then it seems that the 14th century quote was 100% accurate. Perhaps the Mujahadeen Shura Council should simply say "Thank You" to the pope for accurately characterizing their preferred evangelization technique.

Bloody Irony

Last week Pope Benedict XVI made an address at the University of Regensburg, devoting a portion of his talk to the early spread of Islam. Quoting 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus, the pope stated: "God, is not pleased by blood -- and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature." The pope went on to quote the emperor: Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.

As one would expect, the Muslim world is outraged. Specifically, 6 Catholic churches have been attacked and a Catholic nun serving the poor in Somalia has been shot in the back and killed. Sheikh Abubukar Assan Malin, an Islamic cleric in Somalia, has stated that the Muslims should "hunt down" and kill the pope for his comments. Furthermore, anybody who offends the prophet Muhammed "should be killed on the spot by the nearest Muslim". Can we characterize this response from the Muslim world as "peaceful", or do the descriptions "evil, inhuman", and "by the sword" paint a more accurate picture? The bottom line is that some Muslim clerics and militants are so angry for Muhammed's teachings being labeled "evil and inhuman" that they shoot nuns in the back, call for the pope's assassination, and call for Muslim to immediately kill any person who merely offends Muhammed. I assume this irony is lost on much of the Muslim world.

In one of the more peaceful responses, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, who's chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, claimed the statements show the West and it's "politicians and clerics are hostile to Islam". Gee Mohammed, who's terrorizing whom in this global jihad? Who has been kidnapping and murdering Christians for the past 25+ years, going back to the Iranian Islamic revolution? Which religion was behind 9/11? Which religion was behind the bombings in Spain? England? The failed airline attack recently uncovered in the UK? The murder and kidnap of Israeli soldiers in northern Israel? Pssst, Mohammed, I don't think you understand what the word "hostile" means. Furthermore, if the West is hostile, what do you call all your jihadi buddies? Evil and perhaps inhuman?

Are all Muslims violent wagers of jihad? Of course not. But it sure would be nice if Muslim leaders would, at the very least, recognize that extremist members of their religion are the cause of widespread violence, and 100% of the world's terrorist acts. More importantly, clerics like Malin should be condemned for advocating murder. Looking inward to resolve those problems would be far more productive than worrying about the pope quoting a 14th century emperor.

CNN story here.

America Hypnotized

Congratulations "progressives", your incessant insults of Bush, your hysterical claims of conspiracy theories, and your propensity to blame America for all the world's problems have basically hypnotized 45% of Americans to take the following absurd position: President Bush is either to be blamed a "great deal", or a "moderate amount", for the attacks of 9/11.

How proud liberal America must be. Whatever it takes to gain power, I guess.

CNN story here.

Survival of the Fittest?

CBS recently announced that their hit reality show, Survivor, will feature a new twist this season. In the past, contestants have been divided up into tribes, and those tribes competed for various awards such as food, fishing gear, etc. The show has divided contestants by gender, by age, and through random processes over the years.

This year contestants are divided by race. There will be four teams of five contestants, including white, black, latino, and Asian teams. As a longtime Survivor fan, this is a great twist on the show. I'm often times fascinated by the behavior of contestants as they battle for a single twinkie, or as they plot to vote out a member perceived to be the strongest. Throwing race into the mix may add some new wrinkles, but then again, it may not.

But the real story in all of this is the criticism being heaped on the show. Some say the racial division is a gimmick intended to boost ratings. Wow! Can you believe network executives want to boost ratings? There's a shocker. Others chastise the show creators because we shouldn't divide up people by race. But what's amazing to me is that race-based political advocates are crying about the show.

In New York, the Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus (BLAC) (otherwise known as Anybody But Whitey) is demonsrating today in protest of the show. Apparently BLAC believes it's OK to divide people up by race when you are handing out government contracts (whites to the back of the line), and it's OK to divide people up by race when you're handling college admissions (bonus points for blacks and latinos only!), but it's not OK to group people by race for a meaningless TV show. Does anybody else see the double standard here?

Story on NY City Council and BLAC's hypocritical response here.

Fool's Victory

A fragile peace has taken hold over southern Lebanon and northern Israel. More than 1 million refugees are cautiously returning to their homes. Nearly 1,000 people have been slaughtered in the conflict, and damage to property is sure to cost hundreds of millions of dollars to repair.

History will never forget that Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, started this conflict. Hezbollah has played the role of war-mongering pests, while Israel has been the stern victims of Hezbollah's murderous antics. Meanwhhile, the Lebanese people have suffered immensely. They have endured the most casualties, and it is their communities which have been leveled by Israeli artillery.

The goal of Hezbollah and Iran is to wipe Israel off the map. The goal of Israel is to defend itself against the aggression of it's jihadi neighbors, who are hell-bent on terrorizing civilians. Clearly, Israel accomplished their objectives of defending their borders and punishing Hezbollah for the initial attack on Israel.

But who is claiming victory? Said lunatic Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "Those who said our army is unbreakable and undefeatable (Israel) and (vowed to) create major destruction within 30 days were defeated against the power of the young people. And these young people managed to raise the flags of victory across Lebanon."

Said Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah: "We are today before a strategic, historic victory, without exaggeration. We emerged from the battle with our heads high, and our enemy is the one who is defeated."

Iran and Hezbollah pretend to support Lebanon in their "struggle" against Israel. But the recent conflict has made it clear Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah care nothing for Lebanese civilians if they think 900 dead and widespread destruction in Lebanon constitutes victory. Let's hope the people of Lebanon wake up to the fact that Hezbollah and Iran are cancers, whose presence and influence must be eliminated.

I Woke Up a Liberal!!

Last night intelligence authorities revealed the terrorist plot to blow up as many as 10 transatlantic flights. Somehow, I woke up a liberal this morning, and had these thoughts:

One of the big tragedies in all this is that those 21 were probably identified with one of those nasty and illegal intelligence programs. I just wonder how many people's civil liberties were trampled upon, just to stop those 10 planes from blowing up? I shudder to think that some innocent people have their phone numbers stored in a government database!!!!! What have we become?

And I think of the poor people getting searched in England and in the USA today. I'm convinced that anybody of Arab descent is getting a longer look, as racial profiling rears its ugly head. Better for a plane to get blown up than for 1 innocent Arab to get profiled. I can only rest better knowing that the airports are probably teeming with ACLU attorneys, making sure that as many whitebread grandmas get searched as do young Arab men.

And who knows how much evidence Scotland Yard really has? You just know they're busy trying to figure out how to keep these guys locked up as long as possible, when in fact none of them were caught with a bomb in their hands. Personally, I won't rest easy until I'm convinced these 21 won't spend 1 day longer in jail than is permissable by law.

Finally, it's pretty clearl these guys were all victims of oppression at the hands of America and its only neocon ally. It's no wonder these guys wanted to make a statement. We MUST find away to make these misunderstood and oppressed people of the world like us!


OK - I'm done. I've recovered those 50 points missing from my IQ, and I'm now back to being a thinking man. Lock up these 21 scummy, murderous vermin and throw away the key. Get serious about profiling Muslims in the west. And whatever we do, do not play nice with states that sponsor terrorism.

$Billions Against Babies

Warren Buffet has announced his philanthropic intentions this weekend. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the winner, and unborn babies are the losers.

Buffet has pledged a series of annual gifts (in the neighborhood of $1.5 billion) to the Gates foundation, which works towards the prevention and treatment of diseases around the world, such as AIDS and malaria. The Gates foundation also contributes significantly to improving graduation rates in US high schools, to college scholarships (for attendees to Cambridge and for minority applicants), and to the building/improving of libraries in low income and disadvantaged communities.

Buffet is also giving $2.5 billion to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, whose principal focus is on "reproductive health, family planning, and pro-choice causes". Certainly Buffet's generosity is to be admired, but do pro "choice" causes really need $2.5 billion? The nation's abortion industry is slaughtering roughly 1.5 million unborn babies per year in the USA, so I for one am at a loss as to why Buffet thinks pro "choice" causes need more money.

So to summarize the results of Buffet's plan:

Some of the Winners:

Third world nations

Minority high school students

Attendees to Cambridge

Low income children in the Pacific Northwest

Homeless people in the Pacific Northwest

Libraries in low income communities

LOSERS:

Unborn babies

To reiterate, Buffet (and Gates) is to be commended for his generosity. But it's clear Buffet is making a social statement with his giving. He is not building a world class business school, he's not helping the US scientific community, he's not offering seed money to promising entrepreneurs, and (fortunately), he's not giving his money to political causes. Rather, Buffet is attempting to improve the conditions for the worlds most needy and vulnerable. Unfortunately, unborn children don't meet Buffet's criteria as the most needy and vulnerable. So not only does he fail to give a penny to save an unborn child, he donates $2.5 billion dollars to better fund America's abortion industry. What a sick irony the Buffet fortune has become.

Story here.

Why Can't USA Compete in Soccer? Title IX

The US just lost their final World Cup match to tiny Ghana by a score of 2-1. In 3 games against the Czech Republic, Italy, and Ghana, the US managed only 1 goal (the goal against Italy was scored by the Italian team).

Why is it a sports crazed nation of 300,000,000 people can't beat the Czech Republic nor Ghana? To put this into perspective, the USA has lost soccer matches to these two nations:


Ghana - about the size of Michigan with the population of NY City metro area.



Czech Republic - about the size of South Carolina with the population of LA metro.

We all know that soccer is far down on the list of favorite US sports. Baseball, football, and basketball surely top soccer. But in my experience, you have more youth playing soccer today in the US than either basketball or football. Young kids love the game, and we have countless leagues devoted to developing talented young players. Why can't we compete globally? Title IX.

Title IX is the provision that requires colleges to award as many athletic scholarships to women's sports as they do men's sports. On the surface, this sounds great. Women should have the opportunity to compete at the college level. But we should all quit pretending that women are just as likely to make a career out of sports as are men. Why the need to ensure equality of scholarships if it's the male athlete who is 10 times more likely (an understatement) to pursue a career in professional sports?

More importantly, football programs provide for 85 full ride scholarships. As a result, athletic programs offer a wide array of scholarships for women athletes, including soccer, to meet Title IX requirements. On the other hand, you will be hard pressed to find a university which offers scholarships to play soccer. As of last year, there were only 21 Division 1 programs playing men's soccer, including traditional collegiate powers Akron, Winthrop, Niagra, and Birmingham Southern.

The implications are clear. Our very best male athletes have very little incentive to pursue soccer in high school, other than for the pure love of the game. Soccer players who are skilled in multiple sports drop soccer in favor of the sport in which collegiate scholarships are available. Those that do stick with soccer will graduate with limited, if any, opportunities to become world class soccer athletes. Furthermore, many are faced with the dilemma of attending a school such as Missouri State, which offers soccer scholarships, or attending a major university such as Michigan or Texas A&M, which do not.

The bottom line is that to fix US soccer, we need major universities to create soccer programs and to offer full ride scholarships. For that to happen, we either create new women's sports programs to meet Title IX requirements, or we modify Title IX in a manner that better meets the demands for male athletes.

Now for something completely different....

.....what you get when you combine Mentos and Diet Coke. Press the play button in the player below...that's the little triangle for the technology-impaired. No, not the one pointing down, the one pointing to the right. ;-)

Thank You, Palestinian Style

As posted on Little Green Footballs today, here's the latest example of political cartoons coming from the Palestinian government:



Can anybody help me understand why the United States sent these vermin $274 million last year? To put this into perspective, the budget of the Palestinian Authority last year was $1.8 billion, so the United States financed over 15% of the entire cost of running the Palestinian government. Part of this funding was a result of George Bush using his congressionally authorized waiver to redirect $50 million of USAID funding directly to the Palestinian Authority. The cartoon above does a great job in conveying the gratitude of the Palestinian government. (Details of Palestinian funding can be found in this Congressional report.)

As we consider whether or not to continue financial support of the Palestinan government, let's remember that these are the same people who:

Called for the death of anyone who published Mohammed cartoons

Send children armed with toy guns to the border fence of the Gaza strip hoping to promote a violent (and presumably deadly) response from Israeli security forces

Use suicide bombers as a primary diplomacy tool with Israel

Will not recognize Israel's right to exist.

It's time to end this charade of pretending the Palestinians will ever be partners in peace. It's time to end all financial support for the Palestinian government, and let nature take its course in Gaza and the West Bank.

Italian-American Catholic Values

Check out this great article from the NY Times about House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

In addition to pointing out Ms. Pelosi's public speaking deficiencies, the article (inadvertently) highlights the unmitigated hypocrisy in her political beliefs. Said Pelosi recently on Meet the Press: "I am an Italian-American Catholic grandmother," she said, "very traditional in terms of values." Pelosi went on to repeat this phrase 3 times, as if repetition breeds the truth.

In what comes as little surprise, Pelosi's version of "traditional values" is widely divergent from the values of my mother-in-law, who also happens to be an Italian-American Catholic grandmother. Furthermore, her politic ideology bears little resemblance to the dozens of other Italian-American Catholic grandmothers in our extended family.

Let's examine "traditional values" of Italian-American Catholic grandmothers. The Catholic church explicitly states that abortion is wrong. Most practicing Catholics are in agreement with the teaching of the Church. Pelosi, on the other hand, is rabidly pro choice (against partial birth abortion ban, against parental notification, etc.) and has spent a good part of her life working to ensure mothers have the right to destroy their unborn children. Clearly she's deviating from traditional Italian-American Catholic grandmother values on this front.

Pelosi also favors homosexual marriage. The Church and the majority of Catholics oppose homosexual marriage. I suspect that even Catholics of the "Italian-American grandmother" variety oppose homosexual marriage. Again, Pelosi is out of step with her Italian-American Catholic grandmother peers.

During her time in the US House of Representatives, Pelosi has voted against every single tax cut initiative that's ever been put to a vote. Obviously I have no idea where the majority of Italian-American Catholic grandmothers stand on the issue of tax reform, but I think it's safe to say that most could find at least one tax cut proposal to their liking. Pelosi, on the other hand, wants our money in government coffers for the purposes of redistribution.

Somehow, I don't think there are too many Italian-American Catholic grandmothers who think their money is better served if it's handed out for the liberal causes of Nancy Pelosi. More importantly, I'm sure most Italian-American Catholic grandmothers would prefer that Nancy Pelosi refrain from labeling her extreme liberal values as "traditional" within her peer group.

Is Entering a Nation Illegally a "Human Right"?

Yes, according to Mexico's president, Vicente Fox. Said Fox, in response to the US Senate's proposed 370 mile border fence:

"Building walls, constructing barriers on the border does not offer an efficient solution in a relationship of friends, neighbors and partners. We will go on defending the rights of our countrymen without rest or respite. With passion we will demand the full respect of their human rights."

Hey Vicente, how about demanding the full respect of the laws of the United States of America? And while you're at it, tell me when it became a "human right" to ignore a nation's sovereignty? And if you're really after "efficient solutions" to our immigration problem (let's be clear, this is America's problem, and Mexico's welfare solution), how about doing something in your own nation so that it's not such a miserable place to live for millions of Mexican people?

Seriously, think how out-of-touch Vicente Fox must be to stand there and criticize United States immigration policy, when it's his government's incompetence and corruption that are causing his citizens to evacuate Mexico by the millions.

Story here.

Catch Us Breaking Your Laws and We'll Sue!

So says the Mexican government.

In a radio interview today, Mexican Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez told a radio station "If we see the National Guard starting to directly participate in detaining people ... we would immediately start filing lawsuits through our consulates."

Wow. So Mexico will file lawsuits against the United States if Mexicans entering our nation illegally are apprehended by the National Guard? And I thought I had lousy neighbors! (just kidding Chris)

Here's the full story.

Apparently I'm not the only one who thinks the government in Mexico is as incompetent as they are corrupt. The liberal Mexican presidential candidate, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, spoke out today about Mexico's role in the current crisis. Said Obrador about the Vicente Fox administration: "They are the ones mostly responsible for what is going on because there is no employment, there are no jobs in Mexico so people need to emigrate." At last, somebody south of the border gets it. Story from Reuters here.

Proponents of US Immigration Laws Branded "Racists"

Today the Minutemen demonstrated in Washington DC. Unfortunately, the Minutemen, unlike recent Hispanic demonstrators, were greeted with slanderous counterprotestors playing the same old race card. Let's be clear: The Minutemen are not singling out Hispanics in this debate, they're just asking that immigrants obey the laws of the United States.

Question: What do race activists call any white person who cares about border security?
Answer: A racist

Question: What do race activists call any white person who thinks immigrants should obey our immigration laws?
Answer: A racist

Question: What do race activists call any white person who thinks illegal immigrants should not be granted citizenship?
Answer: A racist

Can't these race baiting activists ever, once in their lives, separate race from arguments and make an argument that goes farther than skin deep? Can't they at least demonstrate an iota of respect for the laws of this nation? It appears the answers are no. These guys would rather come to this nation illegally, consume our educational and health care resources for little or no cost, then label as racists any US citizen who expect our laws to be followed.

Do you think Guatemalans who enter Mexico illegally behave this same way? Doubtful.

"The Border Crossed Us!" - Say What?

Perhaps you've seen the signs and/or heard the rhetoric from immigration activists looking to legalize 12,000,000 illegal aliens (which by the way, is NOT a racist term). One of their latest slogans has become "We didn't cross the border, the border crossed us". This little catch phrase is so absurd it's a wonder that immigration activists haven't seen holes in their logic.

Unless you were born before 1848, when the US acquired the 4 border states after the Mexican-American War, I can assure you the border has not moved. And if you were born after 1848, then the chance that you were born in the USA is actually greater, since the border moved south. People crying that the border moved don't seem to understand the fact that if you were born in Mexico, the acquisition of Texas, California, New Mexico, and Arizona is completely irrelevant. Yes, Mexico would have a larger land mass, but Mexican land mass is not the issue. The issue is US citizenship, and those born south of the current border would lack US citizenship regardless of the national affiliation of the border states.

Let's assume for a moment that the US never acquired the border states. Does anybody believe that Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California would be as free and prosperous as it is today? Of course not - they'd have the standard of living equivalent to the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. Rather than crossing Rio Grande like they do today, Mexican immigrants would be crossing the Red River to get into Oklahoma.

In conclusion, the only people whose citizenship has been impacted by the 1848 land acquisition are US citizens who were born in a border states, and don't have the luxury of Mexican citizenship. Quite honestly, I suspect we could poll every resident of the 4 border states and use my right hand to count the people upset because they're US citizens rather than citizens of Mexico.

What We Learned Yesterday

Uno de Mayo has come and gone, and we're all a little wiser about the realities of the current US immigration crisis. Here is what we've learned:

Some businesses were impacted, and had to work with smaller staffs. A few businesses even shut down plants entirely for the day.

The economic impact of Latino's efforts to boycott all things Gringo seems to have been minimal.

The thousands of protestors still seem to love their mother country of Mexico.

Michelle Malkin's Site has many pictures that you won't find in your local paper, so go take a look. You won't see any images of a people's desire to become Americans. But what you will see are Hispanics who would toss Old Glory in the garbage, Hispanics who follow the teachings of madman socialist Che Guevara, Hispanics who hate Bush (even though he supports their cause - so much for being informed), a dimwit who things "USA" means the United States of Mexico, and a host of other Mexicans who seem to have such a great love for their mother country (leaving one to wonder why the heck they're over here in the first place).

In the midst of all this debate, let's not forget that of all the nations surveyed recently in an opinion poll about their opinions of other countries, Mexico had the least positive view of the United States out of all nations surveyed. Only 10% of Mexicans had a favorable opinion of the United States, vs. 55% who have a negative opinion. Basically, Mexicans hate the United States of America more than any other group of people on earth, moreso than the Iranians and the French. Don't believe me? Why are we listening to them? Why are debating granting amnesty to lawbreakers who hate our nation?

Let's get sane about immigration, and let hard working Hispanics register to enter our country to work. Let's expand the number of work visas we grant to Hispanics to meet current labor market demands. But by all means, let's deport those who won't obey our laws and who don't respect the sovereignty of the USA.

Nuestro Himno

It's been widely reported that a new Spanish language National Anthem is in the works. I'm just wondering which nation this anthem will honor....Mexico? Honduras?

Anyway, the song itself doesn't seem too problematic to me assuming the lyrics are translated accurately, and the song retains it's original purpose: to honor the United States flag and everything else for which it stands.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. Hip hop record producer Adam Kidron is behind this new rendition, and it's clear the objective is to politicize the US immigration debate as opposed to honor Old Glory.

First of all, Kidron is urging Hispanic radio stations to play the song at 7 pm on Monday, May 1. That is the day Hispanics hope to "shut down" major US cities by walking out on their jobs and demonstrating in the streets. Apparently they're also going to refrain from purchasing anything from evil American gringos. Quite constructive, indeed. So Kidron is jumping on the bandwagon, perhaps hoping his production will be the anthem for Hispanics seeking change in American immigration laws.

That's just what we need - a "national" anthem that caters to just one ethnic group. So much for the melting pot. But if you need any further proof that the aim of this song is political, check out the lyrics from the remix:

"These kids have no parents, cause all of these mean laws ... let's not start a war with all these hard workers, they can't help where they were born."

There you have it - open borders propaganda with poor language and rhetoric meant to stir the masses. Who would have thought that the United States, with a 200 year history of welcoming immigrants from all nations, would have our immigration laws labeled "mean". Would be interesting if these fools got their way and 50,000,000 million Chinese came to the states and took all of their jobs. Still think they'd be open borders proponents? Me neither.

Story here.

Life is Good, Thanks be to God

No politics today. Only a few moments to comment on life's blessings. It's a beautiful morning in Houston. The Honeysuckle is in bloom, and their fragrance is permeating the entire back yard. There must be 10,000 blooms surrounding the 40 foot telephone pool. One Hibiscus bush has 15 blooms, and my Gardenias are just beginning to bloom.

I've got the waterfall turned on in my new pool, and my two youngest boys are having a blast in the pool. Our dog Astro is still fighting the streams of water falling over the hot tub into the pool. Poor fool doesn't understand it's a battle he'll never win, until I turn the pumps off, that is.

And I've even managed to turn some bad news into good. My oldest son and daughter, who are both in big-time trouble for grades, have been put to work cleaning out the garage. So I'm left here to enjoy some good Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee on my back patio, and just soak in the morning.

Of course, these are all small blessings in the big picture. We all live in the greatest nation on earth, and our nation's promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness seem secure for generations to come. High gas prices, illegal immigration issue, and the war in Iraq are just a few more challenges which are sure to be overcome by our great nation. God bless America.

A Day Without a Gringo

Proponents of illegal alien rights are planning a boycott for May 1. They hope to shut down the Los Angeles airport and the port of Los Angeles. Michelle Malkin's blog today offered some insight into the rallying cries of the boycott, and it should be no surprise that these groups are the recipients of organizational emails:

layouthcollective@lists.riseup.net

dope_x_resistancela@yahoogroups.com

la-anarchists@lists.mutualaid.org

copwatch@agitatorindex.org

anarchist-poc@yahoogroups.com

socalicollectivenetwork@lists.riseup.net

lalaborcollective@lists.mutualaid.org

So you have a bunch of anarchists, anti-law enforcement types, and socialists rallying together. This should be good. Even Mexican citizens are calling for a boycott of all things "gringo".

It seems organizers want to live the premise of the movie "A day without a Mexican", which attempts to show what would happen to the USA if one day we woke up and no more Mexicans were living in our midst. Turning the tables for a moment, let's consider what it would be like for Mexicans if they woke up one day and there were no more Americans.

A Day Without a Gringo

Most of the 12,000,000 hispanics living in the US illegally would be unemployed and would likely head back to Mexico seeking federal aid.

Mexico would miss out on $20,000,000,000 in cash every year from the newly unemployed workers, triggering a huge recession.

The price of oil would plummet, further damaging Mexico's economy.

There would be no market for 90% of the goods currently exported by Mexico. Mexican fishermen, farmers, and employees of firms like CEMEX would find themselves unemployed overnight.

Over $50,000,000,000 would disappear from the Mexican stock market, triggering a market crash.

The poverty rate, currently at 40% in Mexico, would likely hit 60% or 70%.

Over half of all US doctors and roughly 80% of teachers would be gone.

Say adios to future technical advances from IBM, Apple, Intel, and Microsoft. Hasta la vista to medical advances from Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Merck.

Mexican youths living in the US would have nobody to kick around in soccer.

Wall Street, State Street, and pretty much all of corporate America would shut down.

You think corruption is bad in Mexico today? Take away the USA and you'll find out what real anarchy is all about.

In sum, it might be prudent for Mexicans (and all Hispanics for that matter) to step back and consider for a moment what a jewel the United States of America is. We employ, teach, and cure millions of Hispanics who otherwise would have no such opportunity in their home countries. To top it off, the wealthy classes in Mexico and Central America prosper because the USA buys their goods and services by the billions. Rather than economic extortion, how about a simple "Thank You"?

Racism - ACORN Style

Yesterday thousands of Hispanics demonstrated in Houston. The demonstrations were peaceful, and for the most part productive save for the call for a worker strike beginning May 1 by Teodoro Aguiluz

But at the rally, Toni McElroy somehow managed a place at the microphone. McElroy is president of Texas ACORN, which is an organization working for social justice for low and moderate income families. McElroy, who is black, said to the crowd: "We as black and brown have more in common than the oppressors would have us believe. Traditionally, the Man has played one community against the other."

Let's step back for a moment and consider the absurdity of McElroy's comments. Over 10,000,000 people have broken laws just to get a chance to live in the USA. Many of these people are now demonstrating to help promote their cause - that is to maintain the right to live and work in this great country, and to be afforded a path towards citizenship.

So how does demonizing white people serve to further the cause of immigrants? And does McElroy really believe that thousands of hard working Hispanics will buy for a moment that white people are "oppressors"?

Hispanic immigrants are desperately seeking the American Dream, while the likes of Tonyi McElroy are desperately trying to sell an image of an American Nightmare. Adios Toni, I don't think anybody's buying your story of racism and oppression.

Here's the story from the Houston Chronicle.

American Flag Cause for Suspension in Colorado

As a result of tensions at a Colorado middle school related to the ongoing immigration reform debate, the incompetent administration at Shaw Heights Middle School has put a ban on all patriotic clothing!

Let's examine the facts:

• The USA is such a great nation, and Mexico is so limited in economic opportunities, that millions of Mexicans break laws to move here.
  
• These lawbreakers are now demonstrating in the USA about the "greatness" of Mexico and the unfairness of United States immigration laws.
  
• Fearing a controversy, bureaucrats in the USA muzzle American youth?

What is wrong with this picture (besides everything)? Myla Shepherd, the principal at Shaw Heights Middle School, said she banned all patriotic clothing because she wanted to avoid confrontations. So basically she punished everybody in the process.

Let's follow Shepherd "logic" to solve other problems:

To prevent deaths by drunk drivers, sober people can no longer drive after dark.

To eliminate inequities caused by tax invaders, nobody will have to pay taxes.

To reduce arrests related to sexual assault, all sexual activity will be labeled consensual.

Wake up, Myla! You don't solve a problem by silencing law abiding citizens! You don't remove immigration controversy by outlawing patriotism!

Here's the story.

Miriam McCreary - Arrogant Grandmother

CNN has a story today about a grandmother who flies from Minneapolis, Minnesota to Sioux Falls, South Dakota once or twice a month. Why does this 70 year old woman make this flight so frequently? Perhaps her grandchildren live in South Dakota?

Believe it or not, she flies into South Dakota to destroy unborn babies. Says Dr. Miriam McCreary: "I want every child that's born, to be born into a family that wants a child. I don't want children to be born into a family where they are not wanted and can't be cared for carefully. That's the tragedy."

Wow! McCreary apparently has the ability to judge whether or not an unborn child will be "wanted" and determine whether or not a child will be cared for "carefully". I know plenty of people who weren't cared for "carefully" as children, but I'd be willing to bet they'd much prefer their lives over having been dismembered en utero by the likes of McCreary. How unfortunate that 50+ lives a month are ended by this woman, who claims to know that these exterminated lives would not have been worth living.


Full story here.

Can Mexican Flag Wavers Influence American Policy?

CNN has a report today about Los Angeles teachers discussing the effectiveness of recent pro-immigration (anti US border?) student walkouts. See the story here..

First of all, why is this newsworthy? Since when is American policy driven by the whims of thousands of 16 year old truants? Since when does prancing around a city with the flag from a foreign nation serve to influence the US political agenda? Am I the only one who sees the absurdity of TV commentators stating "Washington is sure to take notice" when they see thousands of high school kids waving the Mexican flag and skipping school?

In what's sure to be a typical response, one boy waxed poetic on why walking out of school Monday was a good thing: "Because we let them know what's up". Really? By walking out of your high school you showed American politician's what's up? In what way? Do you think law makers are unaware of the fact that 10's of millions of Hispanics live in our nation? Do you think waving the Mexican flag will cause politicians to change US borders? Maybe I'm the ignorant one, but I don't see how student walkouts showed anybody "what's up". Gee, the 11,000,000 Hispanics living in the US illegally want amnesty? Big surprise there.

The more likely result of the student walkouts and demonstrations is that Americans are angry. It's perhaps an odd thing about Americans, but we respect the American flag. We respect our borders. Our ancestors came to this nation and learned the English language, and they came here legally. Most of us work with residents from China or India who are in the 6 year process of obtaining a green card. We respect their tenacity, and appreciate that they respect our laws. No amount of Mexican flag waving will make people believe that Mexicans should jump to the front of the immigration line.



More importantly, the student protests have confirmed suspicions that Mexican immigrants are not here to become Americans. The resistance to learn English is real, not imagined. The propensity to root for the Mexican national team when they play the US team is not a short-term by-product of recent immigration, it's a systemic attribute of the Mexican community. The goal appears to be to establish the Mexican culture and an allegiance to the Mexican nation within the borders of the United States. This of course begs the question of why they came to the US in the first place.

Just to be clear, nobody is stating that Mexicans residing in the US should change their culture, their food, their customs, nor their religion. Mexican citizens are welcome to jump in our melting pot as fast as the INS can process the paperwork. But if they sincerely want to become Americans, they should abide by our immigration laws, learn our language, put away their Mexican flags and pledge allegiance to the American flag. If on the other hand they want to remain Mexicans and retain their allegience to Mexico, then they should go back home.

Hillary Clinton the Hypocrite

Hillary Clinton spoke out today about a recent immigration reform proposal which would criminalize illegal entry into the United States. The bill would make illegal entry into the United States a felony, whereas today the crime is considered a civil offense.

Clinton said that the bill was "mean spirited". She further stated:

"It is certainly not in keeping with my understanding of the Scriptures," Clinton said, "because this bill would literally criminalize the Good Samaritan and probably even Jesus himself."

This coming from a woman who's "understanding of the Scriptures" makes it OK to dismember an unborn child? Are you kidding me? If criminalizing the criminal entry into the United States is "mean spirited", what is partial birth abortion Hillary?

Soccer News from Houston, Mexico

I've reported previously on the muchos problemos caused by Houston's new soccer team name, 1836. This name was soooooo offensive to local Mexicans, that the team president, Oliver Luck (Olivar Suerte), has changed the name to the Houston Dynamo. See the latest.

I'm sure this comes at a tremendous relief to all of the Mexican residents of Houston. I'm sure they've been awake at nights, shuddering at the prospects of seeing the year "1836" emblazoned on soccer jersies. After all, that was the year Texas won her independence from Mexico. How could gringos be so insensitive as to rub that year in their faces! Forget the fact that 1836 was also the year Houston was founded - how could the city be so mean-spirited? How did Texas get to be so racist that she continues to celebrate the year she gained independence?

In all seriousness, I suspect maybe 2% of Mexican-Americans were offended by the team name. Perhaps 10% of the Mexican citizens living in Houston were offended (which begs the question - why is the team owner of Houston's soccer team trying to please the citizens of Mexico?). But as is usually the case when a few politically correct wingnuts start crying in the press - insanity rules.

University of Houston professor Raul Ramos, writing a guest editorial in the Chronicle, wondered if the name meant "the team wants Latino [fans] but only on their terms … leaving your heritage, identity and family at the door." This guy is a professor at the University of Houston (note to self - never send a child to U of H)? The name "1836" means Latinos have to leave their heritage and identity at the door? Does the moron Ramos think Americans of Japanese descent cry about V-J day commemorations? Does this fool think Americans of British ancestry "leave their heritage" at the door when they go see the New England Patriots play? Or is it only Hispanics who cry at every perceived "injustice"? Or maybe Ramos thinks that because Houston is now a majority Hispanic, the city is better served functioning as Houston, Mexico than Houston, Texas?

As for Senor Suerte and his soccer team, he's doing a great job keeping me and my insensitive gringo family away from Major League Soccer.

Major Pro-Life Supreme Court Victory!

Today the Supreme Court ruled (by a vote of 8-0 with Alito abstaining) against the National Organization of Women (NOW) in their fight to bring Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges against pro-life activists.

In a bitter press release, NOW stated:

"Today the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that could add to the increasing difficulty women face in obtaining reproductive health services. If the Court's 8-0 decision in Scheidler, et al., v. National Organization for Women (NOW), et al. and Operation Rescue v. NOW, et al. ushers in a return to clinic violence in the United States, NOW stands ready to fight in every jurisdiction.

First of all, it should be noted that only the most ardent pro-infanticide activists of NOW believe the dismemberment of a living human being constitutes "reproductive health services". Secondly, the fact that the Supreme Court voted 8 to 0 against them illustrates just how far from the mainstream NOW has become. Relying on RICO statutes which where put in place in response to organized crime, and on the Hobbs Act which bans extortion, NOW achieved a "victory" in 1998 when a federal judge issued a nationwide injunction against pro-life demonstrators. Today's ruling makes it clear that organized pro-life demonstrations are not criminal acts. NOW's desperate and bitter press release reveals that perhaps they're on the outside looking in on mainstream political debate, so rapid in their desire to protect infanticide that they miss the entire free speech aspect of the case.

Of course, ever reliable CNN frames the issue in an ultra liberal fashion, stating in their headline "Court Deals Setback to Abortion Clinics". Does CNN really believe that abortion clinics should stand above other American enterprises, and remain free from all opposition and protests? Only CNN could take a look at a major victory for free speech and label it a setback to abortion clinics.

Bryant Gumbel: White Bad, Black Good

In what has made barely a ripple on the national news scene outside talk radio, Bryant Gumbel recently gave a commentary on HBO about the Winter Olympics. Said Gumbel:

"Count me among those who don't care about them and won't watch them. So try not to laugh when someone says these are the world's greatest athletes, despite a paucity of blacks that makes the Winter Games look like a GOP convention"

The messages are clear: White athletes are only at the Olympics because blacks are not competing. How can an athlete possibly be considered among the world's greatest if he's white? Worse yet, Gumbel's implication is that blacks are somehow prevented from playing. If this were a simple matter of blacks choosing not to compete, wouldn't Gumbel's message be delivered to the black community? Wouldn't he encourage all races to participate in speed skating, snowboarding, etc.? And why would he feel the need to bring in the GOP if he wasn't trying to paint a mental image of racist white men running the show?

Gumbel is a fool and should be fired today. Since when is it acceptable to state that an event is not worth watching because the participants are of a certain race? Had a white man stated "I have no interest in watching the NBA because it's blacker than an NAACP convention", do you think he'd keep his job? Of course not.

But HBO's decision to keep Gumbel on staff, and the national media's failure to report this story are just two more indications of our national culture of reverse discrimination. White bad, black good.


Here's another take on the story from the Sporting News:

Houston 1836 Name Deemed "Offensive"

Houston has a Major League Soccer franchise. The team used an internet poll to select the new name, and fans selected 1836, which was the year in which the city of Houston was founded. In European soccer leagues, incorporating years into team names is quite common, so this name seemed to have appeal due to it's distinctiveness and similarity to big time soccer in Europe.

Unfortunately, some Mexicans (apparently these folks wouldn't want to be considered Mexican Americans) don't seem to like the name. They're offended because 1836 was also the year that the battle of the Alamo was fought. It was the year that Sam Houston's troops defeated Santa Anna (just outside Houston), and the year Texas declared their independence from Mexico.

Fast forward 170 years (yes, 170 years), and some Mexicans seem to still be bitter. Some say the name signals a "lack of respect". Others say they won't go to games if the team is named 1836. In a recent Times interview, Tacho Mindiola, director of the Center for Mexican-American Studies at the University of Houston stated "It's unfortunate because sport is an integrating mechanism in society, and unintentionally or not this is a blunder. Do they think we're going to wear a T-shirt with the year 1836 on it?"

Yes Tacho, I do. It suspect sane Mexicans aren't carrying a 170 year old grudge. If he has such a disdain for the United States of America and our history, then he certainly has other options regarding his place of residence. How anybody could reach the conclusion that it's insensitive or inappropriate to recognize US victories in the USA is beyond me.

Am I some insensitive racist? Well consider the city of Philadelphia for a second. Their basketball team name is the 76'ers, after our declaration of independence from England in 1776. Do you see any Brits crying over that name? Do we have to listen to Americans of British descent cry about our July 4th celebrations? Of course not, because they're not hyper-sensitive morons accustomed to racial coddling.

Unfortunately, the word today is that the Houston franchise will change the name. Once again, Americans adapt to please a few outspoken immigrants. Something is backwards in all this.

Does News Travel to Syria?

Condoleeza Rice yesterday accused Syria and Iran of fanning the flames of violence in the middle east in response to cartoons of Muhammed. Said Rice: "Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to inflame sentiments and to use this to their own purposes, and the world ought to call them on it."

So what is Syria's response? Syria's US ambassador Imad Moustapha told CNN: "We in Syria believe anti-Western sentiments are being fueled by two major things -- the situation in Iraq and the situation in the occupied territories, the West Bank and Gaza. We believe that if somebody would tell Secretary Rice that Syria is not the party that occupies Iraq and is not the party that occupies the West Bank and Gaza, then probably she would know it is not Syria who is actually fueling anti-Western sentiments."

Maybe somebody should tel Ambassador Moustapha that nobody but Palestinians occupies the Gaza strip. Perhaps the news did not make its way to Syria, but Israel pulled out of the Gaza strip months ago. Also, it might help if somebody told Moustapha that Americans have no interest in staying in Iraq. When Syria stops supporting the insurgency in Iraq, American troops will back their bags and head home.

CNN story here.

Buy Danish!!

Show your support, and render the Arab world's boycott of Danish goods irrelevant. Need some top of the line home electronics? Check out the BeoCenter2 at Bang and Olufsen's homepage. Very cool.

How about some toys for your kids?
Lego Homepage

How about some great coffee for you? Check out the Gevalia Homepage

Mexicans Like Americans the Least

Check out the results of this poll on world public opinion.

Some of the highlights.

Of all 31 nations surveyed, Mexicans likes America the least. Only 10% of Mexicans have a favorable view of teh United States. Quite a strange position for a citizenry who flocks to our borders looking for a better life. Why are they in such a hurry to get here if they have such a disdain for the USA?

In Europe, we are liked most by the Poles. This was my experience at World Youth Day in Germany this past summer. The Poles were a great people, eager to get to know us and eager to trade for USA flags and pins. To top it off, they sang and danced all night, so they must be a great people.

South Korea has a mainly negative view of the USA. Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if we stopped supporting Seoul. Do you think Kim Jung Il would want to make a "visit"? I do too. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when a nation owes their very existence to you, and they still don't like you.

The Philippines has the most favorable view of America, with 85% having a positive view of our nation? Is this due to our common religion?

72% of those in Afghanistan have a favorable view of the USA, but only 27% of those in Iraq share that view.

62% of Chinese have a mainly negative view of the USA. Don't the Chinese people have any concept of "customer appreciation"?

Finally, notice the support for the USA in Africa. All 8 nations survey have a more positive than negative view of the USA. Finally, a people who truly appreciate humanitarian assistance. A dollar spent in Africa is clearly money well spent.

Great Gift Idea!

Send a message of support to Denmark (and a message of disdain to Islamo-fascists), buy a box of Royal Dansk cookies.

Unrest over Cartoons

Tempers flared today throughout the Islamic world. Students marched in Pakistan shouting "Death to Denmark" and "Death to France". Masked Palestinian gunmen shut the European Union office Thursday in Gaza City, writing on the door that the office would remain closed until the Europeans apologize to Muslims. The Palestinian men, from Islamic Jihad and the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades fired bullets into the air and one of them read their demands. In Gaza, gunmen threatened to kidnap European workers unless the European Union apologized. The rational new government will certainly restore order to the West Bank, right? Check that - Hamas is the new Palestinian government. So much for law and order.

Why all the threats of violence? Why the intimidation of EU workers in the West Bank? A cartoon. Yep, a political cartoon published in Denmark initially which depicted Muhammed. Said outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia about the pictures: they "provoke all Muslims everywhere in the world."

Wow - so the beheading of westerners doesn't provoke Christians? 9/11 didn't provoke Christians? The claims that Israel has no right to exist and the holocaust is a myth don't provoke Jews? Once again, the hypocrisy of the Muslim world is on center stage. This could be the new radical Muslim motto: "We'll kill you for your religious beliefs, but don't you dare even write a cartoon about ours!"

Who is CAIR?

Bill Handel is the talk show host in Los Angeles who has recently come under fire from the Council on American-Islamic Relations for his comments about Muslim pilgrims who were killed in a stampede this year. Apparently Handel made some light of the situation, stating that perhaps better traffic management should be employed at Mecca during the pilgrimmage. CAIR is insisting he apologize, and Handel has stated he will gladly apologize as long as CAIR does the following:

• CAIR must denounce all bombing or attacks where intended victims are innocent citizens
  
• Acknowledge Israeli sovereignty
  
• Verify that the group has never had connections with any terrorist group or sponsor.

This should be easy right? After all, isn't CAIR merely a US based organization intent on improving relations between America and the Islamic world? Think again. CAIR does not want to improve relations, they don't simply want to protect the rights of Muslims, they don't want to simply encourage Americans to convert to Islam. They want Islam to become the ONLY religion in the United States. CAIR wants an Islamic theocracy in America.

Witness this quote from the founder of CAIR, Omar Ahmad:
""Those who stay in America should be open to society without melting, keeping Mosques open so anyone can come and learn about Islam. If you choose to live here, you have a responsibility to deliver the message of Islam ... Islam isn't in America to be equal to any other faiths, but to become dominant. The Koran, the Muslim book of scripture, should be the highest authority in America, and Islam the only accepted religion on Earth."

So the next time you hear about CAIR in the news, don't think "peaceful group trying to help Muslims integrate into America". Think radical Muslims who are spending all their time and resources trying to bring and Iranian style theocracy to our nation. As such, trust nothing they say, and understand everything they do is only done to further their agenda.

Kerry, Clinton, and Kennedy: Out of Touch Again

A few desperate neoliberal Senators dropped a bomb on Senate proceedings today in attempt to filibuster the nomination of Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Fortunately America was spared the mind numbing misery of having to listen to the likes of John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, Joe Biden, and Dick Durbin drone on and on for hours. By a 72-25 vote, the Senate voted to abort the attempts of the extreme left wing to stop democracy in its tracks. Word on the street is that this is the first time these senators had opposed an abortion of any kind.

Fortunately, many Senators in the Democrat party took the high road and voted to end the filibuster. A disappointed Kerry stated the nomination posed a threat "to the balance that the Supreme Court has upheld in all the years that Justice O'Connor has served there." Kerry further droned "This nomination is an extraordinary circumstance. What could possibly be more important than an entire shift in the direction of the Supreme Court of the United States?"

Wow. Basically Kerry is saying "I want a liberal court. If I don't get it, then I say we obstruct senate proceedings indefinitely." Can you say Sore Loser?

MLK Day Reflection

Today we remember the great civil rights leader, Martin Luther King Jr. King is remembered and honored for many things, but his biggest legacy is his "I Have a Dream" speech, made August 28th, 1963. Of course, the highlight of King's speech was this line:

"I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I wonder what Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, and other proponents of race-based college admissions, affirmative action, and minority set-aside government contracts would have to say would King give that speech today? "Pssst. Hey Martin....let's not get carried away here. We're trying to rig the system so that race does matter. It's just going to matter in our favor! So if you're going to talk this nonsense, you better register Republican!"

In any event, it's worth all of our time to say a prayer of thanks for the work of Dr. King. Clearly America is a better place with respect to race relations than it was in 1963. Full text of MLK's speech is here.

Aunt Jemima the Protestor?

What does the city's "small business" law have to do with minorities?

Story

Robin Hood Alive and Well

The state of Texas has used a school funding system that takes money from wealthy schools and school districts, and passes the funds along to other schools. The goal is to balance school fundings so that all students have an equal opportunity for a good education. Although this is just a little socialistic, I can understand the need to adequately fund schools with low tax bases. I would have no problem if the goal were simply equality.

Unfortunately the state of Texas has gone overboard. Equality is apparently not enough. Wealthy schools must give up so much money that they end up below average with respect to school funding. I just received our annual Texas Education Agency Report Card for our school. Although the tax base for our school is well above average (median home price of school neighborhoods exceeds $250,000), our school receives only $3,951 per student. The average for our "school group" (whatever that is) is $5,067, and the average for all schools in the state of Texas is $5,323. Does anybody else find it odd that my kids are the recipients of over 20% less funding because they attend a wealthy school? Doesn't this seem to cause cries of "limited opportunity" and kids getting "failed by the system" to ring hollow? What more are Texans supposed to do to balance the scales?

It seems that even Robin Hood didn't go this far.

More Katrina Fallout

Another Houstonian is dead at the hands of a Katrina evacuee. Very sad, especially in light of the fact that evacuees receive free housing, free meals, $2,000 debit cards, and a general outpouring of support from the community. While most of the storm victims are using federal benefits to get back on their feet, New Orleans criminals have simply brought their ways to the streets of Houston.

It seems that this unplanned sociology experiment is proving that throwing money at criminals is not an effective method of reducing crime.

Story here.

35% of CNN Readers Confirmed NeoLiberals

Today's poll asked whether the Senate should filibuster Samuel Alito's confirmation vote. As we all know, a filibuster is a tactic designed to short-circuit democracy, and essentially prevent an issue from even coming up for a vote. Who in their right mind, outside of a career politician in Washington, would prefer that Democrat congressmen filibuster as opposed to debate the merits of an Alito confirmation head-on?

It what comes as little surprise, 35% of CNN respondents advocate a filibuster. The surprising aspect of these results is that the poll also included the option to "decide after the confirmation hearings". So basically, these lemmings (35% of respondents) say categorically "we don't want to hear anything Alito has to say, just short circuit the process so the Senate can't vote on Alito".

CNN Poll Results

Belafonte the Traitor

Harry Belafonte and Danny Glover were the noteworthy members of a "delegation" of US activists who spent 6 hours with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. Recall Chavez is the lunatic leftist hell-bent on alienating himself from the democracies of the world and inciting a socialist revolution in the Americas.

In a perverted sort of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" move, Belafonte coddled up to Chavez this weekend, stating that George Bush is the "world's biggest terrorist". In what might be the most ludicrous and ill-informed statement ever made, the pinhead Belafonte actually said to Chavez: "No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people ... support your revolution." I don't know about you, but if I were to make a list of people I'd let speak for me, Harry Belafonte wouldn't even sniff the top 100 million.

Harry and Danny, there are many one way flights from the US to Venezuela. How about purchasing a one-way ticket, and tranferring all of your wealth to the Venezuelan state in your sign of support for the "revolution"? Oh wait, you don't want to give all your money away? You really don't support the revolution - you just want to bring some attention to yourselves? Hypocrites.

Here's the story.

More Katrina Race Baiting

This news is a couple weeks old, but I can't help but comment on the Queen Victim Race Baiter, Leah Hodges. Here is a snippet of what the Louisiana had to say to congress about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina:

First of all, I would like to offer condolences to the approximately 10,000 people who lost family members, and what certainly appears to me to be a mass act — an act of genocide and of ethnic cleansing.

Anyway, I’m chair of a committee called Causeway Concentration Camp. Causeway Concentration Camp arose directly from the harsh military treatment and the tensioned fascist style under the I10 in Jefferson Parish at the causeway exit.

The one person who was there to actually help people, he just vanished and we just never saw him again. The next morning all we saw was what appeared to be a bunch of hardened rednecks scowling and growling at us in military uniforms, just hostile, full of hatred, and pointing guns at us and treating us worse than prisoners of war. And in over 100 degree temperatures we were forced to stand out in that hot sun with a hundred percent humidity. We were exposed to skin cancer. We were tortured with sleep depravation. They created a garbage dump and they made us live on it and sleep on it and they flew helicopters over our heads and blew the garbage, the muck and the toxic mire back into our faces.

But, you know, I will answer questions but I will say this, we have been exposed to genocide by ethnic cleansing, the rights of our children have been violated, women’s rights against discrimination have been violated, our economic, social and cultural rights have been violated, our human rights have been violated, our rights against torture have been violated, our rights as prisoners of war within the scope and jurisdiction of the Geneva accords have been violated, migrant workers’ rights have been violated.

These and all other violations both expressed and implied arise directly from the failure of the United States’ government to eliminate apartheid practices and all other forms of oppressive government practices against poor and working poor citizens of the United States who are mostly African-Americans or otherwise people of color. These violations are historical and continuing.

Wow! I'm almost speechless. What the moron Hodges fails to recognize is that whites died at a higher per capita rate in New Orleans than did blacks. But let's not let facts stand in the way of her "I'm an oppressed black who is owed everything from racist cracker America" agenda.

I'm left to wonder who in their right mind invited this race-baiting buffoon with a 5 ton chip on her shoulder to speak to Congress? Secondly, did anybody call her on her ridiculous claims of "genocide", "ethnic cleansing", and "apartheid"? Thirdly, how does a racist wingnut allowed to hurl racist venom, calling whites "hardened rednecks"? Finally, what does the Geneva convention have to do with Katrina?

As it turns out, Hodges appears to be a member of the Black Panther Party. For more background (from Newsbusters), check out this story from 1970, where Hodges' "party" describes beating up under cover "pigs". And I'm still left to wonder how in the world the likes of Hodges could get a forum before Congress.

God save our country from fools like Leah Hodges.

Texas Longhorns: Doing What it Takes to Win (and keep players eligible).

I admit I'm biased against the Texas Longhorn athletic program. As a graduate of the top academic institution in the state, Texas A&M, I've come to root against the Longhorns whenever they take the field, in every sport.

The football team is enjoying their greatest season in years, and are playing for the national championship against USC in the Rose Bowl. Even though the Ags out-gained the might Longhorns by 60 yards, we still came out on the short end of the scoreboard. Clearly, Texas is deserving of playing in the Rose Bowl.

But how did they get to this position? How did they accumulate so much talent in Austin? Why is it that every junior who's a first-rounder-to-be stays in Austin for their senior years? Think Ricky Williams, Roy Williams, Cedric Benson, and Derrick Johnson. Each of these players was a sure-fire first rounder after their junior years, but chose to forego millions of dollars to return to Austin for their senior years. Care to guess what Vince Young will do after this year?

Another point of interest is the criminal behavior on the Longhorn team. Every program has their share of issues, but most teams discipline accordingly. A&M, for example, dismissed two of their young stars from the team (including their starting cornerback) after they were busted with marijuana. Here is a quick list of recent criminal issues in Austin:

Kwame Cavil and Aaron Humphrey among 4 kicked off the team for toking at the Cotton Bowl hotel. 2000 (not arrested)

Brock Edwards convicted of assault where the victim required facial reconstruction surgery. Edwards remained on the team. 2002

Benson arrested on posession and paraphenelia charges, 2002. Charges were dropped, and Benson remained on the team.

Larry Dibbles, Aaron Harris, Edorian McCullough and Selvin Young arrested for possession, 2003 The charges dropped after DA says illegal search and seizure, but players remained on the team.

Cedric Benson breaking and entering for his plasma, 2003. He was convicted, but remained on the team.

Matt Nordgren and Cedric Griffin assault and criminal mischief, 2003. They were convicted, but remained on the team.

Aaron Harris gets into a fight on 6th and gets breaking his jaw. Arrested along with Kaelen Jakes, 2003. Players remained on the team.

Erik Hardeman arrested for dealing in 2004. The trial is pending, and Hardeman is no longer on the team.

Ramonce Taylor, Cedric Griffin, and two other players investigated for aggravated robbery this December. Investigation underway, but both players will play vs. USC in the Rose Bowl.

That's 9 incidents involving 12 players (including a couple multiple-offendors) in 6 years. Congratulations to Mack Brown to winning his first-ever conference championship in 20+ years as a head coach. Who cares if he has to play part-time warden?

11 Million Americans Can't Read

In what comes as no surprise to anybody outside of the Department of Education and perhaps the editors at CNN, a recent National Assessment of Adult Literacy has shown that 11 million Americans are illiterate. Gee, that 11 million number sure sounds familiar. Hmmm - where have I heard that figure before? Oh yeah - that's how many illegal immigrants are supposed to be in the United States.

For further support of my thesis that illegal immigration is to blame, consider these three important facts from the study:

• Whites made no advances in literacy rates from 1992 to 2003, but did show advances in computational skills.
  
• Blacks made advances in every area of the test during this same time period.
  
• Hispanics declined "sharply" during the 11 year period.

Unfortunately, the results of recent immigrants have skewed the results of the Hispanic population, so we really have no idea as to whether English speaking Hispanics have made literacy gains or not.

How do you fix this problem? Perhaps if our Houston Metro buses would stop blaring information in Spanish, immigrants would learn to comprehend English. Perhaps if we didn't spend hundreds of millions of dollars coding ATM machines, printing government forms, and creating Spanish speaking phone services, Spanish speaking immigrants would actually learn to speak English. The Poles did it. The Italians, Germans, French, and every other immigrant group that came to this country over the past 200 years managed to learn English. Why is it that simpletons at LULAC push dual language services, and why is it that our short-sighted government complies?

Of course, if LULAC had their way, the next National Assessment of Adult Literacy will be conducted bilingually. Problem "solved"!

Full story on the National Assessment of Adult Literacy here.

Stanley Tookie Williams' Legacy

Last night Stanley Tookie Williams, who was the co-founder of the violent street gang Crips, was executed for murdering four people with a shotgun in 1979. The first man murdered, Albert Owens, was working the night shift at a 7-11. Owens told Williams and his cohorts to take everything. But Williams ordered Owens into a back room and shot him twice in the back, and later laughed about the crime.

Williams' case has drawn national attention because he apparently had a change of heart, and became an anti-gang activist in prison, public speaker (via phone), and an author of children's books. On the other hand, Williams has never admitted his crimes, and has rejected opportunities to help authorities convict other gang members.

Williams' legacy lives on. His son Stanley Jr. joined the gang founded by his father, and is now serving time for second degree murder. The Crips have expanded and are now bringing Williams' brand of violence across the nation. On the other hand, his eight book series titled "Tookie Speaks Out" which are targeted at kids in kindergarten through 4th grade, warn of the dangers of joining gangs.

Today, only God knows whether or not Tookie's change of heart was genuine.

CNN and Reuters at it Again

I'm sure I'm not the only one who notices CNN's propensity to stay on the left side of the news. This is evident on TV, and on their web site. Today is no exception, although this is a Reuters story so perhaps this issue rests with them.

In an article about Iran's lunatic president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today, the Iranian leader is quoted as saying Iran does not accept the claims made in regards to the Nazi holocaust. He goes on to recommend the Europe allocate land for a new Israeli homeland, so that the Jews could all leave Israel.

The story then goes on to say "Historians say that 6 million Jews were killed in the Nazi holocaust". So now Reuters is referring to the holocaust as something that allegedly happened? Why can't they factually claim what all the world understands as a historical fact?

What's next?

George Bush, whom political scientists claim is the President of the United States, addressed the nation today.

December 7th marks the day when Japanese warplanes allegedly bombed Pearl Harbor.

Extremist anti-choice protestors, who claim abortion stops a beating heart, antagonized doctors outside a clinic today.

UPDATE: CNN has actually updated their story, and the "Historians say" preface has been removed. Between X-ing out Dick Cheney and this gaff, perhaps the inmates are running the asylum at CNN. Then again, perhaps it's the leadership that belongs in an asylum.

Story here.

A Different Standard For Evacuees

As is typical with Houston elementary schools, our children's school has welcomed many Hurricane Katrina evacuees. We have purchased school supplies for the children, they are given free meals, and their families are given free housing. We're blessed to live in a neighborhood where our elementary school is rated "Exemplary" by the state of Texas.

Unfortunately, several of the New Orleans children are either incapable of expressing gratitude, or incapable of acting in a decent manner. We recognized the problem early on, when our son in 5th grade came home saying one of the new kids from New Orleans cussed quite a bit. We'd heard this before in years past, but when we got down to it the worse our son heard was "crap", or something similar. But this day, we discovered there was a boy saying "F*** You", and calling kids "d***head". We were of course disappointed, but understood that at some point our son was bound to hear some real cussing.

But a few days later, our son was pushed to the ground and choked by one of the New Orleans kids. One of our good friend's sons was punched. We've heard similar stories from other families. Unfortunately, we heard nothing from the school about this mini wave of violence, and we received no responses to our emails. A few days later, our friend's son was attacked again, this time he had a large bump on his head when he came home from school. During a meeting to discuss the matter, the principal stated the boy was simply "misunderstood".

So not only is the red carpet laid out for evacuees, but our school districts are now ignoring long-held policies that call for suspensions in cases of violence. Fortunately, the boy in my son's class was pulled out of the class for a couple weeks, but he was not suspended nor has he been sent to the alternative school. So if you're just an average Houstonian, you have one discipline policy. But if you're a New Orleans evacuee, in addition to the red carpet, you also are exempt from the disctrict's discipline policy.

There's no doubting that evacuee families are suffering, and I'm very proud of my city for all the hard work and generosity displayed over the past few months. But we'd be foolish to set up a different set of standards for evacuee children and their parents. It's not fair to Houston children being terrorized, and in the long run it will do more harm than good to the evacuees.

Most Dangerous US City - Numbers Behind the Numbers

Once again, Camden, New Jersey has been named the nation's most dangerous city by Morgan Quitno Press. The determination of the most dangerous US cities, which also includes Detroit, Atlanta, New Orleans, and Baltimore in the top 10, is based on per capital crime statistics.

So what do these cities have in common demographically? More importantly, how do they differ from the safest city in the US - Round Rock, TX?

One answer that might seem obvious is that all 5 of these "dangerous" cities have black populations greater than 50%. Is it all that simple - are blacks as a group likely to commit more crimes than their white or hispanic counterparts? I'd venture a guess: of course not.

Looking at other demographics in these 5 cities reveals a few commonalities:

• Single moms in all 5 cities makeup more than 23% of all families. In Camden, 34% of all children are raised by single mothers. In contrast, only 10.7% of families are led by single mothers in Round Rock.
  
• At least 23% of each of the cities' populations are comprised of people with no high school degree (or equivalent). Over 30% of the populations in Detroit and Baltimore have no high school degree, and a staggering 49% of Camden citizens have no high school degree. In Round Rock, only 10% of the population has failed to obtain a high school diploma.
  
• Although nearly 40% of all Camden citizens speak a language other than English at home, less than 10% do so in Baltimore and Atlanta. In addition, more than 20% of families in Round Rock speak a language other than English at home, so it seems that cultural/language assimilation plays little or no bearing in crime rate.
  
• At least 38% of all families live on less than $25,000 per year in the 5 dangerous cities. In Camden, 51.9% of the population falls into the sub $25K category. Only 11.9% of Round Rock families live on less than $25K per year.

So let's add this up and try to draw a conclusion based on this small set of demographic data. Our dangerous cities are all charactized by black populations roughly 5 times the national average. But these cities also suffer from low educational achievement, a breakdown of traditional families, and poverty. This seems to point limited economic opportunities, as well as underachievement in the black community that is fueled by a culture of dependence and irresponsibility. How can we be sure that limited economic opportunities aren't solely to blame? By looking at high school graduation rates and single motherhood - which are two critical factors completely independent of local economic prosperity.

Am I claiming that blacks have some innate tendency to be dependent and irresponsible? Of course not. My experience has been that blacks are as competent, hard working, and diligent as anybody. The difficulties arise when local communities are faced with adversity. Do they rise up and overcome, or do they believe that their problems should be fixed by others? Taken a step further, do they believe that their problems can only be fixed by others? I would argue that any group of people faced with major economic obstacles who believes that they cannot remove those obstacles on their own will stop trying. What is truly sad is that so many young American kids stop trying before they even graduate from high school. Kids as young as 16 are basically opting out, falling for the lie that a high school degree will not help take them where they want to go.

The real issue is this victim culture, and once again, we're back to black social "leaders", such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, as well as black cultural "leaders". Any community consistently fed a message that most of their problems are other people's fault, that the government owes them a decent living, and that thug living is cool, will undoubtedly suffer.

Here's hoping and praying that a new generation of black leaders emerge - leaders who preach educational achievement, independence, personal accountability, and entrepreneurship. After all, Bill Cosby can't do it alone.

What About Afghanistan?

One of the reasons Bush critics have for attacking the war in Iraq is that our military took their eye off the ball in Afghanistan. This is a valid concern, as it's no small task to conduct two major operations simultaneously on the other side of the world.

So for the record, let's examine what has been done in Afghanistan, beyond those little things like removing the Taliban, dismantling terrorist training camps, killing hundreds of Al Qaeda vermin, and sending Bin Laden into hiding. So here's a list, from the USAid website, of the major humanitarian related accomplishments over the past few years:

Over 8 million Afghani men and women have participated in free democratic elections. The US provided 40% of the $200 million to conduct the election.

USAID Primary Education Program provides teacher training, accelerated learning for students, and textbook printing/distribution. Over 600,000 texts for accelerated learning and over 35 million regular textbooks have been printed and distributed. 6,800 teachers have been trained in the accelerated learning program, and over 170,000 students have enrolled.

315 schools have been built or refurbished, and an additional 184 are under construction.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been donated to the Afghan Conservation Corps for reforestation, and Bush has requested $10 million more. In addition, the Combined Forces Command is contributing 150,000 saplings for planting.

Afghanistan is one of only 3 South Asian nations on target to eradicate polio this year. Only 4 cases were reported in 2004.

3 industrial parks have been opened, and the privatization of state-owned businesses is underway. The industrial parks are expected to employ 10,000 people.

A women's dormitory was refurbished in Kabul with $9 million in US aid. The dorm will provide housing for 1,100 Afghani women to pursue higher education. The American University of Kabul has been created.

116 construction projects for roads, bridges, water supply, irrigation, etc. have been completed. Another 106 are under construction, and 126 are in the planning/design phase. A total of $137 million dollars have been provided for these projects.

338 health care facilities have been built or refurbished, and another 354 are in progress. 310 facilities are supported by USAID. 5,000 community healthcare workers and over 700 doctors have been trained. Approximately 235,000 patients receive care monthly from these clinics.

The US led an effort to reorganize all land titling records. Title searches, which used to take 2-3 months, are now completed same day.

A venture capital and loan guarantee program is being created to assist ex-combatants. Nearly 10,000 loans have been made to farmers, and over $2 million has been used to fund a revolving credit facility for farmers.

In 2004, more than 80 tons of narcotics, 75 drug labs, and 2 opium bazaars were destroyed. 20,000 Afghanis are employed in public works projects, and 2,800 hectares of wheat cultivation is being funded to provide livelihoods for poppy farmers. Poppy cultivation is down 10%, 50%, and 96% in 3 key provinces.

Irrigation has been improved on over 50,000 hectares of land. 17 seed farms have been established, 973 fertilizer dealers ahve been trained, and 347 extension staff have been trained on fertilization and pest control techniques.

236 weapons caches have been discovered, many turned in by Afghan citizens. 22,000 militia troops have been disarmed, and > 40,000 Afghan security forces have been trained. In addition, 19,000 police have been trained.

Thanks to the men and women of America's armed forces, Afghanistan is now a safer place to live with far greater opportunities for education, prosperity, and healthcare.

French Cracking Down!

There's only so much Chirac's government can take. After nearly two weeks of riots which have swept across France, resulting in the destruction of thousands of automobiles and dozens of buildings including schools and churches, Chirac has had enough!

In a dramatic show of force designed to show thousands of rioters who's boss, Chirac has declared............curfews and jobs training! You got it, Chirac is flexing his muscles like never before, and is enacting a national bed time for France's violent thugs. I'm sure they're now quivering in fear, resigning themselves to live out their remaining years as models of peace and tranquility. On top of that, he wants to pursue a program that provides vocational training for children who drop out of school at age 14. That's sure to help the nation build a workforce ready for the challenges of the 21st century.

In all seriousness, why did it take 12 nights of rioting to establish curfews? And why aren't more drastic measures being enforced, such as mobilizing the French military? Police have been asking for military support since the riots began, but Chirac is staying true to form, apparently waiting for the UN to order the deployment of French troops. More importantly, how about getting tough on immigrants, who for years have enjoyed the fruits of France's welfare state? Obey French laws, or go back home. And if you expect to be "integrated" into our society, get an education, quitting doing drugs, and become employable. It's all so simple.

But now that I think of it, not even George Bush has the guts to send that kind of message. Fortunately for America, our immigrants (legal and illegal) find opportunity in this capitalist nation, and thus don't feel the need to riot in the streets for more government handouts.

Muslim Riots in Paris

Last night marked the 8th night in a row that Muslim immigrants have rioted in France. This purportedly started when two youths died running away from police. So tell me why a bunch of Muslims would be angry that two of their youths were evading police, and were stupid enough to jump onto a power transformer?

Certainly the conditions in the suburban slums of Paris are difficult. Unemployment is twice the national average, which is almost incomprehensible as overal French unemployment hovers around 10%. But how can residents justify burning hundreds of automobiles and many buildings? How will that serve to move their communities forward?

As the battle to replace Chirac heats up, Dominique de Villepin and Nicolas Sarkozy are using the riots to build support for their candidacy. But if you thought American politics were ugly, listen to what these two are saying:

• Sarkozy has called the rioters "scum" and vowed to "hose down" the rioters. But at the same time, he's advocating "positive discrimination" measures related to jobs and education which would give preferential treatment to immigrants. He's also advocating state funding for Imams, and for Mosque construction. Yikes.
  
• de Villepin is Chirac's protege. Yikes.

From 10,000 miles away, clearly I'm not qualified to judge whether or not the Muslim immigrants from North Africa, who apparently are mostly French speaking, are being effectively integrated into French society. If not, is it the fault of the French, or the immigrants? More importantly, how much is France's socialistic economy to blame which insufficiently encourages entrepreneurship? In the United States, immigrants quickly setup businesses and go to work, whether or not they can speak the English language.

I would suggest that Chirac, de Villepin, and Sarkozy all take a closer look at the US economic model for guidance on how to solve this challenge.

All Latino Team

Before last night's world series game, the All Latino Legends team was introduced. The players were selected by ballots distributed worldwide. Am I the only one who sees this team as a slap in the face to every non Latino player? Why should Latinos get singled out before a World Series game? When will Poles like Carl Yastrzemski be honored in a special World Series tribute? When will Jews like Hank Greenberg be honored? What about whites like Ty Cobb? The answer? Never. Can you imagine the outrage if the idea of an all white team was ever discussed?

The All Latino team did draw some criticism from White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen because the team was apparently not Latino enough for his tastes.

Said Guillen of Alex Rodriguez "Alex Rodriguez is from New York. He has a USA passport!" So Guillen won't recognize Latinos who happen to be American citizens. The only good Latino is apparently a non-American. And tell me again why the American Pastime came up with this team?

To top it off, it was suggested at one point that Ted Williams should have been on the team because his mother was Hispanic. Guillen went in to a purported rage at this point, stating "Ted Williams on a Latino team? What the (expletive) is this? He never said hola in his life and he's on the (expletive) Latin team?"

So to be a Latino, you have to speak Spanish and you can't be an American. So much for the good ol' melting pot. Ozzie, if you don't want any hint of Americanism nor English languange tinting the All Latino Team, maybe you should get the (expletive) back to Venezuela. I'm sure the all star team there will be authentic Latino, and you'll never have to worry about any all star team member carrying an American passport.

USANow - still waiting for the day when we'll have a nation void of discrimination, scholarships, beauty contests, college admission standards, and government contracts based on race, color, or religion.

Here's the full story.

Back to Blogging

In today's news, the head football coach at the Air Force is under fire for comments he made after a loss to TCU. Said coach Fisher DeBerry, it was clear that TCU "had a lot more Afro-American players than we did and they ran a lot faster than we did."

As you would expect, caucasians are up in arms. They've been categorically labeled as being slow by a head coach at a Division 1 school. This coach shifted blame away from himself, and onto the skin color of his players. So the coach has apologized, saying "I realize the things I said might have been hurtful to many people, and I want everyone to understand that I never intended to offend anyone".

But wait, in a shocking turn of events, it turns that it's not the caucasians who are upset. Says blackathlete.net:

Exactly what was DeBerry implying. Supposedly something sinister about African Americans. Just as Paul Hornung had last year in having the 'lapse in judgment' to say that the problem with Notre Dame football was an insufficient number of Black players so they could win a National Championship.

The subliminal message of both statements of course is that if the Air Force Academy and Notre Dame lower their "academic standards" more African Americans will make it through the eligibility barriers. If that is what they meant to Say look for the biggest Stones to throw at them. But remember about casting the First Stone.

Talk about a chip on the shoulder. DeBerry said nothing about eligibility standards. He was simply complimenting black athletes. But unfortunately even recognizing the color of a black man and complimenting him on his athletic prowess is cause for some to shout racism and oppression.

Riots in Toledo

Today the National Socialist Movement (NSM) planned to bring attention to black on white violence in Toledo, Ohio by marching through city streets. NSM is a neo-Nazi group with a white supremacist agenda. Ironically enough, members of the neo-Nazi NSM were pelted by black residents with bottles and rocks before the march began. At this point, I could almost sympathize with residents for reacting angrily towards the presence of the NSM in their neighborhood. But the march was cancelled, and the angry mob turned their anger towards police and local businesses, bashing in windows of a grocery store and stealing the contents and setting fire to a pub. It's pretty clear that an NSM march isn't required to illustrate the random violence plaguing Toledo. Toledo blacks became poster children for the type of violence against which NSM was protesting.

So America is left again with images of angry and violent blacks taking advantage of a situation to commit random crimes. This is the time for Louis Farrakhan to speak up with words of condemnation....not at the whites who somehow oppressed these gang members, but at the gang members themselves. It's time for Jesse Jackson to recognize that the great majority of social problems in the black community are self-induced. Now's the time for harsh words promoting responsibility and accountability, and condemning violence. It's time for black leaders to do what they're supposed to be doing....lead.

Broussard Fights Back

Recall the Tim Russert interview with Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard. Broussard emotionally recounted a tragedy involving one of his associates, where his associate repeatedly called his nursing-home bound mother in the week following Katrina. Broussard recalled the associate on the phone saying "I'm coming to get you momma" for four days after Katrina hit. Broussard's intent was to support his opening salvo with Russert, where he stated that "America has abandoned us", and "bureaucracy has committed murder".

The only problem with this story is that the man's mother died on Monday, the day the storm hit. There were no phone calls in the days following Katrina. There was no possibility for federal relief agencies to rescue the woman on Tuesday. So Broussard either fabricated the story entirely, or it's possible these events transpired on the Thursday through Sunday prior to Katrina making landfall. In either case, it appears Broussard was attempting to deflect the the fact that local officials failed to evacuate the nursing home.

These inconsistencies have been pointed out to Broussard, who has said "Somebody wants to nitpick a man's tragic loss of a mother because she was abandoned in a nursing home? Are you kidding? What kind of sick mind, what kind of black-hearted people want to nitpick a man's mother's death? They just buried Eva last week. I was there at the wake. Are you kidding me? That wasn't a box of Cheerios they buried last week."

Nobody's has ignored the tragedy of a woman dying in a nursing home as a result of Katrina. However, that "nitpicky" detail of when the woman died completely undermines your characterization of the relief effort. It's not only legitimate to correct your version of the story, it's imperative, especially if we hope to learn from our mistakes.