The Media Leak Contest Has Begun!

Being involved in politics, you nose becomes trained to smell Bullsh#% from a mile away.

This time it involves CNN accidentally receiving access to the audio of a conversation private conversation between Condi Rice and Russian Ambassador Lavrov about Iraq.

Oh but here's the kicker....CNN accidentally covered it because of course it became news and they accidentally broadcasted the conversation.

Click here to see the video and news coverage
(my source - Hot Air)


So is this a contest now? That is what it seems like to me with the major news organizations. They have forgot that their job is to educate the nation's public and instead they would rather be Sherlock Holmes of politics.

But honestly, who accidentally gets access to audio of a private conversation between two diplomats?

Smells of vodka to me.

Senate Wasting No Time...

[Hat Tip: Hot Air]

Bills are being introduced in the Senate in response to the Supreme Courts hearing on whether trials could be held against prisoners in gitmo. Though, I am still very disappointed in the Senate's "handling" of the immigration issues, this does make up for a little.

Senator Specter has already introduced a bill that would authorize military tribunals and set certain due process guidelines. Also, Senator Frist should be introducing a bill next week. Hearings for Specter's bill will start on July 11th and both John Warner and Carl Levin say the Armed Services Committee will hold hearings on procedural requirements with the intentions to pass legislation in September.

For more check out the blog post here on Hot Air

Sounds like the debate will center on whether the Gitmo gang should be entitled to full courts-martial or some lesser specie of military hearing. The difference is the extent to which the government can present classified info as evidence without letting the defendant see it. Pelosi and Feingold doubtless will demand the full court-martial enchilada, which is fine by me: if they want to argue that terrorists are entitled to the same procedural benefits as U.S. soldiers with a midterm election coming up, so much the better.

Seems like the pedal is to the metal now in the Senate. I still wonder where this vigor was when the issue of immigration came up?

New York Times Controversy...

I'm not completely sure of my feelings in reaction to the NY Times release of a classified government program that monitored suspected terrorist bank accounts.

However, here is a great video that does make you think...It also highlights my point in a previous post about as time passes on people forget their reaction to attacks and want to go back to being on defense against terrorism.

Never Again? We must stay on the offensive against our enemies to ensure that another tragedy does not strike our soil.

Click here for the video...

[Thanks to Michelle Malkin for the link]


Her blog post on the video is here.

Technorati Tags: terrorism, nytimes, news, politics

Supreme Court Protects Al Qaeda Members

AP Photo - The Former Body Guard of Osama bin Laden.
I have no sympathy for this man.

The Supreme Court ruled that trials on Gitmo prisoners was against American law and International Geneva conventions...That the President overstepped his authority...

Here's the AP article...

The Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Guantanamo Bay detainees.

The ruling, a rebuke to the administration and its aggressive anti- terror policies, was written by Justice John Paul Stevens, who said the proposed trials were illegal under U.S. law and international Geneva conventions.

The case focused on Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who worked as a bodyguard and driver for Osama bin Laden. Hamdan, 36, has spent four years in the U.S. prison in Cuba. He faces a single count of conspiring against U.S. citizens from 1996 to November 2001.

Two years ago, the court rejected Bush's claim to have the authority to seize and detain terrorism suspects and indefinitely deny them access to courts or lawyers. In this follow-up case, the justices focused solely on the issue of trials for some of the men.

The Prison commander says the ruling will have little impact on the everday running of Gitmo.

GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE (Reuters) - A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on war crimes tribunals being held at Guantanamo navy base will have little effect on the detention camp that holds 450 foreign captives, the camp commander said.

"I don't think there's any direct outcome on our detention operation," Rear Adm. Harry Harris, the prison commander, said in an interview this week.

The high court upheld on Thursday a Guantanamo defendant's challenge to President George W. Bush's power to create the military tribunals to try suspected al Qaeda conspirators and Taliban supporters after the September 11 attacks.

Harris said he would build a second courtroom if the tribunals are allowed to proceed but little else would change because the court was not asked to rule on Guantanamo itself, a prison camp that human rights groups, the United Nations and foreign governments have sharply criticized.

This is a thin line that the Supreme Court is walking on. It is a very big stretch of interpretation to say that under the Geneva Convention, a terrorist group such as Al Qaeda, is protected.

Al Qaeda mutilates and be-heads are soldiers every chance they get. It's disturbing that our Supreme Court will not even put these monsters on trial.

Other blog posts : Scotus Watch: Bracing For Hamdan (Michelle Malkin)

Technorati Tags: News, Politics, Gitmo, Terrorism, Current Affairs, Bush.

Immigration - The disconnect between elites and the American public

Great post on Michelle Malkin's new immigration blog...

ELITES WANT U.S.-MEXICO MERGER — HENCE THE FLAW IN H.R. 4437

[Original posting in the Juan Mann Archive on VDARE.com]

The focus of VDARE.com is on immigration and the National Question. It's a noble endeavor, but I believe it represents only one component of a much greater problem.

The root of the evil: our apparent forced march toward a "comprehensive" New World Order of regional and ultimately global government, where nation-busting mass immigration is just one part of the process.

Though hardly a recent development, the excellent recent work by Jerome R. Corsi exposing the North American Union, the Amero currency, the NAFTA Superhighway and its Texas highway segment which is already underway —leaves little doubt that the collectivist, internationalist agenda of America's ruling elite continues full steam ahead whether the public likes it or not.

The late Dr. Sam Francis identified this danger.

Shortly after the Mohammedan jihadist attacks of September 11, 2001, Dr. Francis wrote that a "large bucket of cold reality has been splashed into my face" by a Chicago Council on Foreign Relations poll on elite vs. public attitudes concerning mass immigration. [10/24/02 - Poll Exposes Elite-Public Clash On Immigration]

Dr. Francis wrote:

"The [Summer 2002] poll shows that there is a vast gulf between the elite and the public at large on immigration, but more than anything it also shows that if the American majority that favors reducing mass immigration because they see it as a ‘critical threat to themselves and their nation really wants to meet that threat, then they must first remove from power the entire class of ‘leaders’ who are unable to perceive the dangers of immigration even when its dangerous consequences literally blow them out of their own skyscrapers."

Yes, America's ruling class already knows that America is being transformed by massive legal and illegal immigration. And they reply: so what?

They want it that way. They made the decision long ago.

The made-for-TV conflict between dueling immigration bills (S. 2611 and H.R. 4437) illustrates that the wishes of the American people —not to be transformed in their nation and displaced out of their livelihoods —only go so far in influencing the will of Congress.

In the U.S. Senate, the mass immigration fix is in. But in the people's House of Representatives, there is hope . . . well, at least a glimmer of hope.

But what should real immigration law enforcement fans be hoping for anyway?

As I have written before, one of the most critical components of the so-called "enforcement" provisions of H.R. 4437 is really a serious step backward for immigration law enforcement.

As I wrote (Michelle Malkin) in December, 2005:

H.R. 4437 undercuts the [Immigration Act Section 235(b) Expedited Removal] laws already on the books by scaling back the expedited removal authority granted (but never implemented) by Congress in 1996. The bill allows the summary removal of illegal aliens found within 100 miles of a land border within 14 days of entry. But in 1996 Congress previously authorized the removal of any [illegal] alien found anywhere in the U.S. within 2 years of entry!

So not only has there been a quiet rigging of the nationwide expedited removal provisions by successive administrations, but now the much-celebrated H.R. 4437 "enforcement" bill actually destroys the possibility of there ever being nationwide summary removal (outside of border areas).

And without the summary removal of illegal aliens —sending them packing without years of immigration litigation there will be no real immigration law enforcement in this country . . . because no one will be leaving anytime soon.

[ . . . Read the full story on VDARE.com]

[Michelle Malkin's Immigration Blog]

I couldn't agree with Michelle more. There is a huge disconnect between the American public and the political elites on this issue. Also, I believe that even though it is not the right option at the moment for there to be a massive removal of all illegals that removing a previous law that allowed that option (summary removal) would be unwise. Amnesty should not be an option. The American government would completely lose the respect of its citizens if it awarded illegal behavior with a privledge.

I would add that real enforcement of our immigration laws starts with stoping the bleeding (the daily flow of illegals into our country) and then taking care of the wound so that it can heal (enforcing the current laws on the books). Only then and only should we take preventive measures from letting the same injury occur again (reforming the laws to increase enforcement).

Technorati Tags: Immigration, Politics, News

Why We Must Stay on Offense Against Terrorism.

AP Photo: Could this have been the next tragedy?

Well I hope this reminds Americans that the War on Terror is not over and is not something we can just let up on. Just today 7 individuals were indicted for plotting to blow up a FBI building in Miami and America's tallest building, the Sears Tower, in Chicago.

As posted previously, I have heard Rudy Giuliani speak on the War on Terror and he could not have put it better. Before 9/11, America was on defense against terrorism but now even after the shock of 9/11 fades we must continue to be on the offense. This should be proof alone that we must remain on offense or this could be the next tragedy...

Full article here...

WASHINGTON - A group of young men seized in a Miami warehouse have been charged in a federal indictment with conspiring with al-Qaida to "levy war against the United States" by committing acts of violence including blowing up Chicago's Sears Tower.

The seven individuals indicted by a federal grand jury were taken into custody Thursday when authorities swarmed the warehouse in the Liberty City area, removing a metal door with a blow torch. The indictment also alleges plans to blow a federal building in Miami in conjunction with the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and other top-level Bush administration officials scheduled a news conference for later Friday and a similar briefing was in Miami. The seven were expected to appear in court later Friday.

According to the indictment handed up Thursday, a young man identified as Narseal Batiste, beginning in November 2005, recruited and trained the others "for a mission to wage war against the United States government," including a plot to destroy the Sears Tower.

********************************************************

Update : Former Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge : "Terror war likely to last decades"

Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge, speaking at the opening of a new RAND Corp. office, said the war on terror is likely to last for decades, much like the Cold War.

"For every (Osama) bin Laden, there's a bin Laden wannabe. And for every al-Qaida, there's a like organization," Ridge said Wednesday in Pittsburgh.

"I don't know if anyone in the 1950s thought the Cold War would last close to half a century, but it did," Ridge said. "The challenge is global and it may take a generation or two or more to reduce."

Federal, state and local authorities now share more intelligence that they did before the attacks, but they will have to continue to improve to if they are to prevent future terrorism, Ridge said.

This is the war of our generation...When will America open its eyes?

Technorati Tags: Terrorism, Politics, News

AP Photo: Mayor Lou Barletta
Not in my city!

Hazleton, PA?!? Has anyone ever heard of Hazleton? I hadn't till today but now I will remember it as the city that had a Mayor dedicated to enforce the laws of his city, state, and country. While our national politicians can't come to an agreement on whether to enforce current immigration laws; Mayor Lou Barletta is doing what's right for his city and it's citizens.

Read more here...

HAZLETON, Pa. - With tensions rising and its police department and municipal budget stretched thin, this small northeastern Pennsylvania city is about to begin what the mayor calls one of the toughest crackdowns on illegal immigrants in the United States.

"Illegal immigrants are destroying the city," said Mayor Lou Barletta, a Republican. "I don't want them here, period."

Last week Barletta introduced, and the City Council tentatively approved, a measure that would revoke the business licenses of companies that employ illegal immigrants; impose $1,000 fines on landlords who rent to illegal immigrants; and make English the city's official language.

As Congress debates changes to the nation's immigration policy, some cities are taking matters into their own hands, saying they have no choice but to crack down on illegal immigrants themselves.

Thanks Mayor Lou! You are truly a great American.


Technorati Tags: illegal immigration, immigration, politics, news.

Al Qaida Treasure Found!

(AP Photo) that piece of paper is al qaida's treasure?

It was annouced today that after a raid of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's hideout that Iraqi intelligence has found a "huge treasure."

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's national security adviser said Thursday a "huge treasure" of documents and computer records was seized after the raid on terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's hideout, giving the Iraqi government the upper hand in its fight against al-Qaida in Iraq.

National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie also said he believed the security situation in the country would improve enough to allow a large number of U.S.-led forces to leave Iraq by the end of this year, and a majority to depart by the end of next year. "And maybe the last soldier will leave Iraq by mid-2008," he said.

Al-Rubaie said a laptop, flashdrive and other documents were found in the debris after the airstrike that killed the al-Qaida in Iraq leader last week outside Baqouba, and more information has been uncovered in raids of other insurgent hideouts since then.

He called it a "huge treasure ... a huge amount of information."

My favorite line of this article was when the reporter asked how he knew the information was authentic...the response "there is nothing more authentic then finding a thumb drive in his pocket."

Priceless.

Technorati Tags: al qaida, Iraq, War, Politics

It's About Time We Cracked Down On Immigrants.

This just in...

Operation Return to Sender

A swarm of federal immigration agents sped silently, headlights off, down a Boston side street early Wednesday and surrounded an apartment house.

"Police! Policia! Police!" yelled Daniel Monico, a deportation officer, holding his badge to a window where someone had pulled back the curtain. "Open the door!"

Moments later, agents led a dazed-looking Jose Ferreira Da Silva, 35, out in handcuffs. The Brazilian had been arrested in 2002 and deported, but had slipped back into the country. He now faces up to 20 years in prison.

In a blitz that began May 26, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested nearly 2,100 illegal immigrants across the country. Officials said the raids are aimed at child molesters, gang members and other violent criminals, as well as people like Da Silva who sneaked back into the country after a judge threw them out.

The crackdown is called Operation Return to Sender.

Thank you ICE and Homeland Security for making the news about illegal immigration enforcement.

Technorati Tags: illegal immigration, news, politics, national security

Bad Politics: Why the Media Should Protect the Marine Corps Honor.

It is my understanding as an American that you are innocent until proven guilty. This is a precedent that is championed in the way our criminal system is setup. It is also prided throughout American society as the standard when these accusations arise.

So why does the media hold our American service men to a different standard?

Another idea championed in western thought is that what is evident of a small group is not necessary an accurate reflection of the whole group. Yet the media has portrays an isolated incident in Haditha to be telling of the whole Marine Corp.

Why is this wrong?

First, most people believe that the mission of America's service men, especially the Marines, is honorable. Most parents with a son or daughter in the service are proud of their children's sacrifice to this country. Why are we smearing our protectors of freedom in our own papers? This is appalling not to mention ungrateful.

I do not think that the behavior of those select individuals should be excused but the media does nothing to protect the Marine Corps dignity. No, instead they do publicity stunts and publish what is rumored to be a marine singing a song about the incident.

The media has a unique way of shaping public opinion. By publishing any rumor about misconduct in the military on the front page they are only advancing a left-winged mindset that putting on an American uniform is not honorable.

Not to mention, Imagine if you were a Marine manning a road block in Iraq and everyday you heard reports of men dying at these blocks. On top of the first reports you hear of front page newspaper and media reports of Marines being court marshaled and how dishonorable our military men are. I believe this would kill the motivation and moral of any person when they feel the reason they are risking their lives is to protect those people that are writing such reports.

Another relative article is: The Nobility of the United States Marine Corps - by. Tom Bevan

Techonrati Tags: Marines, Media, Politics, News, Iraq, Haditha, Military.

Say No to Amnesty! How Dennis Hastert Plays Politics.

Tell them you want a long look.

Just in....Dennis Hastert to the rescue! The Speaker of the house made it clear that he wanted to take a "long look" at the Senate Immigration Bill.

Finally, the leadership's politics in the House are on par with the American people. I think it's about time that the conservatives came together to say no to the Senate's run of a muck immigration bill. I previously posted about the problems with this bill and I applaud the conservative leadership in the House for their initiative to take a detailed look at what is in the Senate's bill.

Hopes for a quick deal on an immigration bill were dealt a blow yesterday after House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert said he wanted to take a "long look" at a Senate bill offering potential citizenship to millions of illegal aliens.
Mr. Hastert, Illinois Republican, said hearings on the Senate bill should be held before appointing anyone to a House-Senate committee to negotiate the differences between the two chambers' bills. Later, he said he was unsure what the House's next move would be.
"We're going to take a long look at it," Mr. Hastert said last night.
House Majority Leader John A. Boehner agreed. "I think we should know clearly what's in the Senate bill," the Ohio Republican said, adding that there are many ways to understand its contents.

Other links: Michelle Malkin - Killing Amnesty Softly

Technorati Tags: Immigration, Politics, Amnesty, Congress, News.