California Conservative

Editor’s note: While it may seem that we, concerned Americans, can breath easy for a brief respite, the battle for real immigration reform must — and will — continue.

Heartland America breathed a premature sigh of relief when the Senate’s ill conceived “immigration reform” (read: amnesty for illegals) bill was not ramrodded through the legislative process as quickly as its proponents originally intended. Yet the most dangerous time for America is still ahead.

Various amendments are being considered in an effort to make it sufficiently palatable to one opposing group or another, the long-term goal being that they might ultimately give it their support, or at least mute their opposition to it. But beneath any veneer, the bill’s actual objective of amnesty remains intact.

Sadly, a requisite level of cynicism is necessary in order to make any sense out of the seemingly insane direction in which the Bush Administration and the Congress are attempting to take the country, since neither is dealing honestly and revealing their true intentions. To properly grasp the political gymnastics currently taking place inside the Beltway, the end goal must be identified.

Regardless of any flowery rhetoric, the ugly reality is that Democrats desire a massive influx of new voters, while Republicans seek to please their big business supporters with a cheap and pliable labor force. All other reasons and excuses offered for the bill are either ancillary or completely fraudulent.

The last thing that anyone among the Washington elite has any intention of allowing is some action that might infringe, even to the tiniest degree, on the continual inflow of cheap labor that enriches the corporate donors of one party or the dependency class that empowers the other. And despite Washington’s initial retreat from this position during the past week, an unabated stream of illegals remains their ultimate objective.
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While hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens take to the streets of major US cities to protest their treatment by the US government, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested 148 illegal aliens, criminals and immigration fugitives during a four-day enforcement operation in Dallas.

Called Operation Cross Check, this localized, targeted enforcement initiative is part of an ongoing nationwide initiative focused on arresting criminal aliens. During this operation, ICE officers arrested 148 illegal aliens, including 41 with criminal convictions. Among those arrested were 124 men and 17 women; seven juveniles were also apprehended and returned to their countries of origin. Of the 148 aliens arrested, 84 have already been returned to Mexico.

“ICE will continue to fulfill our Congressional mandate to apprehend and deport those who entered our country illegally, especially those who have committed criminal acts,” said Nuria Prendes, field office director for the ICE Office of Detention and Removal Operations in Dallas.

“Our job is to help protect the public from those who commit crimes, and to protect the integrity of the nation’s legal immigration system.”

Those arrested included aliens from the following countries: Argentina (1), China (1), Colombia (3), El Salvador (10), Guatemala (4), Honduras (5), Mexico (118), Nepal (3), Venezuela (1), Vietnam (1) and Zambia (1).

The May Day protests scheduled throughout the country today are significantly smaller than previous anti-sovereignty demonstrations, but the sentiment of their organizers still serve to undermine the laws of the United States by championing illegal alien amnesty and open borders legislation in the U.S. Congress, according to activists such as the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. (more…)

After their 2006 Communist May Day march, illegals and their handlers are at it again. They have resumed their “we want our rights” march. 1 May has become the illegals in the US new protest-against-the-US-and-its-“European”-population-day. Last year, the illegals carried Mexican flags, flew the US flag upside down at half-mast and demanded US citizenship. Groups including MEChA and the Mexica Movement also demanded all US citizens of European ancestry be deported. Note: Bear in mind, these demands are coming from illegal entrants to our country—not legal ones. But, then hordes invading countries have historically issued demands. The only thing that is new, this time, is that hungry-for-votes US politicians are listening to them. “Anything for power and anything for a buck,” appears to be the politicos’ mantra. For the illusion of power, they are willing to sacrifice not only the US’ national security but, anyone and everyone who gets in their way. These include we-the-people.

This year, the illegal aliens are not only demanding immediate US citizenship but that the US stop arresting and deporting them. Using their new excuse that ICE (US Immigration Control and Enforcement) is ‘splitting up families’, illegals are demanding that the US cease and desist the enforcement of its immigration laws. Carrying signs that say “Justice for Children of Immigrants” and “No Human Being is Illegal”, illegals have the support of local California councilmen and others. As examples, in San Jose, Councilmen Dave Cortese and Sam Liccardo are marching with the illegals and, apparently, support the ignoring US immigration laws. Councilman Liccardo commented: “We have too good of a community here not to be heard. And I know we are going to win!” With politicians behind them, the illegals no longer need to hide their crimes. They can now proclaim them with pride and in the light of day—then tell us that enforcing our country’s laws is the real crime. (more…)

A couple of news items appeared over the wires during the past week that should have generated outrage from coast to coast. Yet they were barely noticed. And insofar as the “mainstream media” took notice of them, it was only to invoke them as fuel for their anti-terror war, anti-Bush, and ultimately anti-American crusade.

In Spain, Judge Santiago Pedraz “indicted” three American soldiers for “a crime against the international community” in relation to the death of Jose Couso, a Spanish reporter in Baghdad, during the initial invasion of that city. It seems the reporter was occupying a building in which Iraqi officials were under attack from American forces, and was caught in the crossfire.

According to then Secretary of State Colin Powell, an investigation of the event showed that the soldiers did not use excessive force, and were justified in their actions. Nonetheless, Pedraz demands they “stand trial” in Spain and has issued “warrants” for their arrest.

Similarly, American Army Spc. Mario Lozano is on the “wanted posters” in Italy, and faces similar charges for killing an Italian Nicola Calipari, who was in a vehicle that behaved erratically at a checkpoint in Iraq.

Although none of the Americans in question are to be extradited to the countries where they are charged, they are limited in their worldwide travels, since they might inadvertently end up in a nation that has a mutual extradition treaty with Italy or Spain, and could be arrested there.

Nonetheless, the very nature of these situations is reflective of an undeniable international contempt for America, which is increasingly erupting into open hostility.

Reasons for this contempt are many, ranging from the long-standing disdain Europeans have for the comparatively raw and unrefined American history and culture, to the accompanying jealousy over America’s ability, despite its apparent social insufficiencies, to vastly eclipse the rest of the world in technology, economics, and prosperity.

Yet among the factors that undeniably contribute to the current worldwide hatred of this nation, its own liberal culture, and the poisonous propaganda disseminated by the American left, add considerable fuel to the fires of hatred burning against this country throughout the world. (more…)

A few weeks ago Hillary Rodham Clinton surprised a San Francisco audience with the announcement, “I’m not running as a woman candidate.” But then HRC had a change of heart, and on March 6 she unveiled her “I Can Be President” effort designed to appeal to women.

That was a smart move, because the last few weeks the Hillary-for-First-Mom bandwagon has hit some rather unpleasant road-bumps. Now Barack Obama is closing in on Hillary’s once insurmountable lead.

First the New York Post revealed that her campaign had agreed to buy the endorsement of South Carolina state Senator Darrell Jackson to the tune of $10,000 a month. A few days later the Washington Post reported that Mrs. Clinton had failed to list a family charity on her Senate financial disclosure report – not once, but five times.

More proof, I assume, of Hillary’s claim that “the presence of women raises the standards of ethical behavior and lowers corruption.”

Then in late February media mogul David Geffen took a swipe at the Clintons by saying, “Everybody in politics lies, but they do it with such ease, it’s troubling.” And a week later former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called Hillary “a nasty woman” who runs an “endlessly ruthless” campaign machine.

Ouch, that hurts! (more…)

America has just witnessed another amazing episode of hypocrisy from the left, specifically, the recent controversy over former Vice-President Al Gore’s extravagant usage of a private jet. But while breathtaking, given his status as supposed high priest of environmental awareness, Gore’s behavior is also entirely typical. As such, it is illustrative of the real arrogance and indifference driving American liberals.

Issues of the day are never determined as a result of the concerns and needs of the citizens, but rather by their ability to be utilized to further accrue prestige (and thus, power) to the political left. Within this framework, amazing “about faces” regularly occur. And some of them vastly eclipse former presidential candidate John Kerry’s schizophrenic proclamation of “I actually voted for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it.”

On occasion, certain Democrats such as Hillary Clinton have strayed too far off of the liberal reservation, at which point they are taken to task for their duplicity. Since declaring her intentions to run for President, Clinton has had to perform an impressive political tap-dance away from her previously staunch support for the Iraq war.

Conservative leaders correctly characterize the Democrat Party as having a vested interest in securing defeat in Iraq. Consequently, any postures by Clinton that might appear to support America and thereby jeopardize the desired outcome, run counter to the current leftist orthodoxy and cannot be tolerated.

More often than not however, ideologues of the political left are content to ignore the glaring inconsistencies among their members, since they know that the “mainstream” media will never point such contradictions out to the general public. A few sterling examples of recent weeks, when considered in conjunction with the virtual media blackout in response to them, prove this point.

It is striking that, at the same time Gore’s fossil fuel squandering escapades are coming to light (at least among the “alternative media” and conservative circles), Democrat House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has brazenly voiced a demand for the Defense Department to provide her a Boeing 757, essentially for her personal use.

Her pretext for insisting on such lavish arrangements is that she needs to be able to travel coast-to-coast without stopping to refuel. Yet past speakers managed to scrape by with a commuter class Gulfstream jet, which is fully capable of making the non-stop trips to Pelosi’s home district in California, rendering her excuse to be wholly without merit.

So, where are the sincere liberal environmentalists (an oxymoron to be sure) who should be decrying Pelosi’s excesses along with Gore’s, as they callously risk the very future of the planet? Their cause being deemed so noble and worthy, Gore and Pelosi get a “pass,” as is invariably the case among liberal icons. (more…)

A woman holds up a flag of Kenya as Democratic presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), D-Ill., greets supporters during a rally in Austin, Texas, Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

How many Americans would vote for a presidential candidate who was the member of a church that professed the following credo?

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the White Community
3. Commitment to the White Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the White Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the White Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting White Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all White leadership who espouse and embrace the White Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the White Value System.

The question is rhetorical, of course. The answer is that such a candidate wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting elected dog catcher (apologies to America’s animal rescue and public safety personnel) let alone President, because that candidate would be instantly branded a racist, among the most vile and frightening of white supremacists.

And those holding the branding irons would be 100% right.

Yet, in the “About” section of the U.S. Senate website for Barack Obama, Democratic senator from Illinois and contender for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, it states that Obama and his family “live on Chicago’s South Side where they attend Trinity United Church of Christ.”

So…?

Well, to say that the Trinity United Church of Christ (http://www.tucc.org) is afrocentric in the extreme would be a gross understatement. It’s not simply afrocentric, it’s African-centric. In fact, one could argue that this organization worships things African to a far greater degree than they do Christ, and gives the impression of being a separatist “church” in the same vein as do certain supremacist “white brethren” churches – or even Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam.

Shocking? An overstatement? An overreaction?

One can see for oneself on the Trinity United Church website, which is replete with confirmation of what I present here. What follows is an excerpt from their Mission Statement:

“We are a congregation which is Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian… Our roots in the Black religious experience and tradition are deep, lasting and permanent. We are an African people, and remain “true to our native land,” the mother continent, the cradle of civilization. God has superintended our pilgrimage through the days of slavery, the days of segregation, and the long night of racism. It is God who gives us the strength and courage to continuously address injustice as a people, and as a congregation. We constantly affirm our trust in God through cultural expression of a Black worship service and ministries which address the Black Community.

“Trinity United Church of Christ adopted the Black Value System written by the Manford Byrd Recognition Committee chaired by Vallmer Jordan in 1981. We believe in the following 12 precepts and covenantal statements. These Black Ethics must be taught and exemplified in homes, churches, nurseries and schools, wherever Blacks are gathered. They must reflect on the following concepts:

1. Commitment to God
2. Commitment to the Black Community
3. Commitment to the Black Family
4. Dedication to the Pursuit of Education
5. Dedication to the Pursuit of Excellence
6. Adherence to the Black Work Ethic
7. Commitment to Self-Discipline and Self-Respect
8. Disavowal of the Pursuit of “Middleclassness”
9. Pledge to make the fruits of all developing and acquired skills available to the Black Community
10. Pledge to Allocate Regularly, a Portion of Personal Resources for Strengthening and Supporting Black Institutions
11. Pledge allegiance to all Black leadership who espouse and embrace the Black Value System
12. Personal commitment to embracement of the Black Value System.”

[Editor’s note: What defines the Black Value System?]

Sound familiar? Of course it is, since it’s identical to the 12-point list at the beginning of this column – the one from the theoretical white supremacist candidate’s church; the only difference is the substitution of the word “Black” for “White.”

Trinity United Church of Christ’s congregation also claims to hold to a “10-point Vision” which is similarly afrocentric, or if you will, separatist. Again, like the Nation of Islam, a white separatist church or the Branch Davidians, Trinity United more resembles a cult than a church. Only this one has as one of its most prominent members a serious contender for the White House.

And George W. Bush’s born-again Christian status scares people? Read the full report by Erik Rush.

UPDATE: (3/2)
VIDEO: Obama’s Pastor Embarrasses Entire Congregation

Since I’m on a global warming kick (not actually…this is basically just a continuation of the other day’s post), I’ve decided to show Al Gore (mainly Gore and his “environmentalist” Democrat cohorts) and his “carbon credits” scheme for the absolute frauds they are.

The first news to set me off on this tangent was that Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth was Paramount Studios’ most profitable release ever (via Variety). How absolutely sad is that? What’s even sadder is that Paramount, AFAIK, own all rights and distribution of all the Star Trek movies and series. So, Al Gore’s science fiction is more popular than Star Trek? The only thing inconvenient about An Inconvenient Truth is how many of the competing global warming theories it leaves out. According to Gore, there is only one truth, and it’s that “the sky is falling.”

Read the whole thing at TexPundit.

As al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups in Iraq have not been able to defeat the United States of America, Democrats and RINOs (Republicans in name only) are finally making the moves to do it themselves. The first step for the Democrats is the ‘non-binding’ vote of ‘no confidence’ in President Bush’s plan to add reinforcements into the Iraq arena, which was passed on Friday. The second is to defund US troops. Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) who vocally denigrated US troops in 2006 when he said they were murdering Iraqis “in cold blood continues to call for an immediate cut and run policy from Iraq. New Speaker of the House Pelosi (D-CA) said she concurs with an abrupt withdrawal. But, the Democrats’ non-binding and feckless proposal is just the beginning.

Murtha has said that he and the House Democrat majority will now work to pull all the financial plugs from the military and place our troops in Iraq in extreme harm’s way. While advising that the Democrats will vote to defund our troops, Murtha said jubilantly: “They [our troops] won’t be able to continue. They won’t be able to do the deployment. They won’t have the equipment, they don’t have the training and they won’t be able to do the work!”

Note: The only thing missing from this unprecedented anti-American and ‘we can defeat the USA’ remark was a hearty laugh from Murtha and a video showing him gleefully rubbing his hands.

In an attempt to explain his statements [AKA “manipulate” them] for the more uninformed liberally-indoctrinated population, Murtha added: “We’re trying to force a redeployment—not by taking money away [but], by redirecting money.” Translation: “Even though we Democrats know our soldiers will now be killed by the terrorists, we’re taking all congressional money away from them. Besides, their lives aren’t as important as the money I’ll be able to use for my own pet projects.” (more…)

So many invaluable lessons can be gleaned from the spectacle of this year’s thoroughly politicized Grammy Awards that it is difficult to know where to begin. One in particular should be driven home to the GOP hierarchy, if they have any intention whatsoever to listen or learn.

By far the big news coming out of the Grammys was the virtual “sweep” of those awards taken by the Dixie Chicks. Yet the event should come as no surprise, given the guiding philosophy of that segment of the recording industry.

Though not as widely understood as Hollywood’s “Oscars,” the inner circle of the recording business operates in a manner similar to the “Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.” Far from being the “vindication” of the group’s leftist ideology, as claimed by liberals within the industry along with the Dixie Chicks themselves, the inordinate attention they received simply proves the existence of a similar mindset among the industry’s insiders.

America has grown weary and disgusted with incessant attempts by the Hollywood counterculture to remold the nation into its own image. Were their philosophies actually representative of the mainstream, movies such as “Brokeback Mountain,” the predictable tale of “romance” between two gay sheepherders, would indeed enjoy popularity commensurate with the enormous publicity it received.

Instead, Americans remain frustratingly loyal to the traditional depictions of courage, heroism, and masculinity more appropriately reflective of its values and its roots.

Similarly, the Dixie Chicks repertoire has all but gone extinct among the country music stations of the American heartland. And despite efforts by recording industry “elites” to tell America otherwise, this situation will assuredly remain unchanged by Sunday’s love fest.

Instead those unenlightened country stations will go on playing the sort of time-honored flag-waving, America celebrating fare that real Americans have grown to love, and are not ready to abandon simply because Natalie Maines, Jane Fonda, or Barbara Streisand tell them they should. (more…)