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[11/30/05 Wednesday]

[Eric Hogue - radio talk show host KTKZ - Sacramento] 12:01 am [permalink]
Democrat to Lead Governor's Staff The "Special Election" loss was more costly than expected. I just received word that Pat Clarey is out as Governor's Chief of Staff, and Democrat Susan Kennedy is the replacement.

This item is now being confirmed around the state's blogger-mill, here is the Flash Report yesterday...

I previously reported on rumors that Pat Clarey, the Governor's Chief of Staff (and a loyal Republican) would be stepping aside after the special election. Well, apparently the Governor has decided to name Susan Kennedy as his Chief of Staff.

Susan Kennedy's resume...

Kennedy previously served as Executive Director of the California Democratic Party and as Executive Director of the California Abortion Rights Action League. She managed two of the most successful Get-Out-The-Vote campaigns in recent California history, including the 1992 Coordinated Campaign for Clinton/Gore and the 1998 Coordinated Campaign that elected Governor Gray Davis.

Can this interpreted as nothing more than a big'get lost' to the California Republican Party?

How should 'conservatives' feel now...after losing the 'special', this will be the 'new direction' for the Schwarzenegger Administration.

Another point to the Governor's "possible" placement of Susan Kennedy as his 'new' Chief of Staff.

I'm told tonight (by source) that Susan Kennedy is a radical 'Pro-abortionist, and she is a 'Lesbian'; and she married her partner in Hawaii.

What does this mean to Assemblyman Mark Leno's "Same Sex Marriage Legislation"? Hard to say no and veto, when your number one administration official is a lesbian and married. [Hogue Blog - email: onair@ktkz.com]

[11/29/05 Tuesday]

[Sharon Hughes - radio talk show host, columnist] 12:15 am [permalink]
President Bush's New Illegal Immigration Policy - "I Oppose Amnesty" "I oppose amnesty," said President George W. Bush in his speech before a group of border enforcement personnel at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona. He also said, "Our responsibility is clear...We are going to protect the border - We're going to expand interior repatriation..We want to make it clear when they (illegal immigrants) violate U.S. immigration laws they are going to be sent home and they are going to stay at home."

In brief, here is a summary of the President's remarks outlining his new policy on illegal immigration. Citing successes by the border patrol, such as catching over 1,000 illegal gang members, over 2,000 smugglers, and the increase of funds and agents on the border since September 11, 2001, the President outlined a new three part plan to address America's illegal immigration problems. His speech and plan will definately be the topic of debate on talk shows this week.

Bush's Plan:
1) Return all illegals back across the border - through Interior Re-Repatriotion to their home towns far from the border. Sited success when implemented: only 8% cross the border again. Non-Mexican illegals are detained, but not enough beds at detention centers, thus 4 out of 5 that are caught are released into society and only given a date to appear in court date: 75% don't show up. This 'catch & release' policy has been in place for decades and the President said it "is going to end." Will change to a 'catch and return' policy, as will expand detention facilities as well as expediting removal of non-Mexican illegals faster (within 30 days).

2) Correct/enforce existing immigration laws - cited the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which ruled that illegals can re-argue their cases as often as they want; and that businesses must abide by immigration laws. To help with this he proposed a new temporary worker plan where 'honest workers' can register for a legal worker's permit for a set period of time and then sent home. Also, is proposing a new tamper-proof ID card which he says will document fraud and make it easier for businesses to comply with the law. He acknowledged there is alot of controversy surrounding such a card.

3) Stop illegals from crossing the border in the first place - described the bill he signed last month that puts 1,000 more agents on the border (most of them will be in Arizona); $139 million to upgrade technology including the use of drones to spot and catch illegals; $70 million to install and improve barriers and fencing.

As cited by WorldNetDaily, Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said, "This administration has a sustained track record of ignoring reality when it conflicts with what the corporate interests want it to do. The president's plan is nothing more than a massive illegal alien amnesty on a six year time delay, while his temporary-worker program ˆ which will be anything but temporary ˆ is the death knell for America's middle class...Unless the American people see real, tangible immigration law enforcement in the interior, no one will believe there is a serious commitment from this president." His organization is urging the administration to back a "genuine immigration enforcement," as in H.R. 4313, authored by Reps. Duncan Hunter and Virgil Goode.

[11/28/05 Monday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
Fred Barnes: Bush Comeback Via Immigration Reform? Fred Barnes outlines the problems and prospects for the Bush immigration reform plan. The key, of course, is Texas Senator John Cornyn. "The most difficult part would be creating a path to citizenship for those who came to the United States illegally but before a cutoff date."

Other difficulties are evident from this survey of the paradoxes of illegal immigrant reception and the successful political use of the issue (Janet Hook, LAT). Hook exaggerates the success of Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist in the congressional race to replace Chris Cox. Single issues can attract attention but without further support do not create adherents.

The difficulty of campaigning solely against illegals is seen in our paradoxical public policy (Anna Gorman and Jennifer Delson, LAT). The heart of the matter, in all the frustrations of immigrant, policymaker, and angry citizen:

"What we have now is a dishonest immigration policy," said Mark Krikorian, who runs the conservative Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, D.C. "We make it tough to get across the border but easy to get a job. This is really the central conflict. Everything stems from that."

Or, as I have frequently put it, our public policy does not know what to demand from citizens (though we most certainly ought to). And hence we aren't sure what to require of immigrants. It's not the number of immigrants that's the problem; it's the number of Americans. See for example this critique of Pat Buchanan and Paul Weyrich. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[Jim Kouri, contributor] 12:03 am [permalink]
Latino Gang Targets African-Americans for Murder A federal grand jury returned an indictment that adds a fifth gang member to an indictment that had previously charged four others in connection with a six-year conspiracy to assault and murder African-Americans in the Highland Park area of Los Angeles.

Porfirio Avila was named in a conspiracy charge that alleges numerous violent assaults against African-Americans, including murders that took place in 1999 and in 2000. The indictment alleges that Avila was the driver of a vehicle that carried the shooter who fatally shot Christopher Bowser on December 11, 2000.

Four of Avila's fellow gang members were previously indicted in August 2004 and are also named in the new indictment. The four previously indicted were allegedly directly involved in the murder of Kenneth Kurry Wilson, an African-American man gunned down in Highland Park on April 18, 1999.

Avila, 31, is currently serving two life sentences in state prison for the murder of Christopher Bowser and another African-American man.

The indictment charges that the five defendants, all members of the Avenues street gang, conspired with each other and with other gang members to violate the civil rights of African-Americans in the gang's neighborhood by attacking and sometimes killing the victims.

The conspiracy charge alleges that the defendants attacked numerous African-American residents of Highland Park and murdered Kenneth Kurry Wilson in 1999 and Christopher Bowser the next year. The second count of the indictment alleges that the four defendants who participated in Wilson's murder did so because Wilson was African-American and because he was using the public streets of Los Angeles. The final count of the indictment charges the same four defendants with using a firearm during the commission of a conspiracy and hate crimes.

The previously indicted suspects are:

- Gilbert Saldana, 27, an alleged triggerman in the Wilson murder, who is currently serving a life sentence in state prison for another murder;
- Merced Cambero, 27, the second alleged triggerman in the Wilson murder, who is currently a fugitive;
- Alejandro Martinez, 28, who allegedly served as a look-out during the Wilson slaying;
- Fernando Cazares, 25, another alleged look-out in the Wilson murder who is currently serving a 34-month sentence in state prison on various unrelated charges; and

If convicted of the crimes alleged in the indictment, the defendants face life without parole in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department and is being prosecuted by attorneys from the United States Attorney's Office in Los Angeles and the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
Kaus Calls Out LAT on Murtha Mickey Kaus ( ripped the LA Times and got to the heart of the matter; it's not a right-wing attack either.

Note to hapless LAT publisher Jeffrey Johnson: Instead of reviving Robert Scheer's dormant career by firing him, or having your telemarketers boast that you've extirpated liberal Michael Kinsley's insidious influence, why not pay attention to the bias on the pages people actually read--like the embarrassing deception in the second paragraph of Friday's front-page, two-column-headline lead story [Maura Reynolds], which seemingly proclaimed that "no Democrat was a firmer ally" of Bush's war against Saddam than Rep. John Murtha, when in fact Murtha had been a critic of the current Iraq war in 2002, before it started? Funny how those propagandistic mistakes in the news pages never get made in a pro-Bush direction, isn't it? ....

P.P.P.S.: That Murtha error smells like an editor's mistake to me. That's why your absurd anti-Kinsley spiel won't convince anybody. The L.A. Times' peculiar bias--a chloroform-like combination of liberalism and lifelessness--runs deep in the paper's DNA, in layers and layers of editorial middle-bureaucracy. Short of laying off 80% of the staff, you will not root it out in our lifetimes. Conservative readers know this...

Mac Owens whacks Murtha's logic, at NRO. "Murtha has been a critic of U.S. policy in Iraq for some time despite his vote to authorize the war." A decorated Marine veteran of Vietnam and professor at the Naval War College, Owens concludes that Murtha

dishonors the sacrifice of these men by treating them as victims rather than the heroes they are. We owe it to the American soldiers who have been killed or wounded in Iraq and the Iraqis who have fought to create a new state to see this effort through to the end, preventing a replay of the disgraceful episode three decades ago when the U.S. Congress betrayed and abandoned our South Vietnamese allies.

UPDATE: Jean Schmidt, whom Saturday Night Live parodied, for her House speech attacking Murtha has a history of tepid moderation, as Julie Ponzi pointed out when she was elected to replace a member who died. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[11/22/05 Tuesday]

[Jim Kouri, contributor] 12:03 am [permalink]
Snoop Dogg Glorifies Death Row Murderer Snoop Dogg, the celebrated rapper, was once a member of the Crips gang. Since then he's grown in popularity as an award-winning rap artist, actor and advertising spokesperson for a number of products.

Now he's using his celebrity and influence on behalf of a multiple-murderer and co-founder of one of the nation's most bloodthirsty gangs. He wants the California authorities to spare the life of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. Snoop Dogg is the latest addition to the hundreds of people who are protesting against the execution of Williams schedule for December 13.

"Stanley "Tookie" Williams is not a regular guy, he's an inspiration," Dogg said. "All I want to say to the governor is it's about keeping this man alive because his voice needs to be heard."

Unfortunately the four people Williams murdered have had their voices silenced forever. The untold number of people killed, maimed and assaulted by the gang Williams founded also have been denied a voice since they are dead or they lack the celebrity status of a star rapper or the clout of a motion picture studio that made a piece of propaganda about Tookie Williams, with actor Jamie Foxx playing a sympathetic Williams on the big screen.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will decide on Williams' petition for clemency in the coming weeks, and there are many who believe he will cave in to the Hollywood establishment that seems to advocate leniency for murders, cop-killers and other anti-social thugs who suddenly write books, give speeches and tell tales of life in the meanstreets.

Celebrities rubbing elbows with gangsters is nothing new. There's always been a fascination by the denizens of the entertainment industry with the murderers, drug-dealers, pimps and robbers who populate the American underworld.

Snoop Dogg was the highlight of the evening when he was honored as the final speaker of about a dozen at a large protest outside the main gates of San Quentin federal prison, where speakers included former gang members, religious leaders and representatives from the Nation of Islam.

The anti-death penalty activists have made the Williams case the fiercest battle over execution of murderers many have seen in years. California State officials and police officers believe Williams is a brutal and unremorseful murderer who deserves death by lethal injection for viciously murdering four people in 1979 during a spree of robberies.

William is the author of several books aimed at teaching young men and teenagers about the perils of gang life. His conversion has won over high-profile supporters, including actor Jamie Foxx, who portrayed him in a sympathetic film version of his life.

In an interview in prison on Wednesday, Williams continued to claim he was innocent. This in spite of overwhelming evidence of his criminal deeds. Most of his supporters are African-Americans as were his victims.

The anti-death penalty protest had former gang-members testifying how Williams helped them to get out of the "life."

But not everyone is buying it. "Stanley Williams does not deserve this mercy," the Los Angeles district attorney wrote in a response to the Williams' clemency petition.

"Despite the overwhelming nature of the evidence against him and despite the nonexistence of any credible defense, Stanley Williams has steadfastly refused to take any responsibility for the brutal, destructive and murderous acts he committed," he added.

Snoop Dogg grew up in Southern California where the Crips began. He left the gang to become one of rap music's mega-stars after his albums repeatedly topped the music charts. Dogg is also a motion picture actor and is frequently seen in commercials.

Snoop Dogg claims the death of Williams will dash the dreams of kids for a better life outside of the gang lifestyle.

"On the street we don't have no role models, we don't have no leaders," he said. To be sure, Snoop Dogg isn't no role model or leader either.

[11/21/05 Monday]

[Sharon Hughes - radio talk show host, columnist] 12:15 am [permalink]
Red Alert on Code Pink: Code Pink’s invasion on school campuses and recruitment offices last week with their "Not Your Soldier" & "National Stand Down" student days on November 17th & 18th is a disgrace! They have organized students across the country to stand up to say, "We are NOT YOUR SOLDIERS" - "We demand for our schools and communities to be military-free zones" on Thursday, and working together with the National Call for Nonviolent Resistance to stage a "Stand Down Day" at military recruiting stations on Friday.

Every red-blooded American aware of these activities should counter their efforts by getting this information out to as many people as possible, and if possible by showing up at the same recruiting stations to show support for our troops' efforts. And don't think they don't need it!

Just read what this young recruiting officer from southern California wrote to me in response to my previous article on the subject:

"I am currently stationed in Las Vegas, NV with the US Army recruiting command. I read your article and it proved to me that there are still those out there who see the change in Americas youth. As a recruiter I get all the static in the world, the problem is, it is from the youth. I support that students get involved in the political process. In fact it’s been proven that students that do get involved do better in school due to the fact that it takes dedication and hard work to do things of that nature. What truly bothers me is that these students that protest and disagree with the nations policies and involvement in the war on terrorism do not have all the facts. The only thing they know is what their parents want them to know. They have no real idea what is really going on but are fueled by opinions of others and not there own. I would love to debate with a student who really knows the facts. I swear if I hear one more you should pull the troops out of the war I'm going to snap. Like I really have a hand in the whole political process as far as this war goes. And where do people get the idea that if we stop recruiting and no soldiers are joining that they will stop a draft? I'm sorry if I am just running on. I just wanted you to know that I appreciate what you wrote and it warms my heart that someone out there wants to see this nation change it’s views and do it’s research."

Anti-war activists who belong to organizations such as CODE PINK, ANSWER, ANTI- WAR.COM, and the others, just don't get it (or don't care, because their leftist rose-colored glasses have blinded them) that passivity and appeasement never work with dictators and governments that want to take over the world. History has put a huge exclamation mark on that truth. And make no mistake, radical Islamic forces want to dominate the world! Plus, remember, many of the anti-war groups have communist roots or affiliations.

What drives CODE PINK? For one thing - Medea Benjamin, who heads the organization and is "a Castro-loving neo-communist and perennial anti- U.S.activist" as FrontPageMagazine describes her. She is also involved with the counter recruitment movement of the Ruckus Society, which she's worked with to provide training camps for teen counter- recruiters. By the way, the Ruckus Society is an off- shoot of the eco-terrorism group Earth First! Benjamin was also involved in organizing protests against the World Trade Organization (WTO) Seattle meeting in 1999 which resulted in violent riots. Other driving forces may be Cindy Sheehan who has joined their ad efforts. Oh, and then they have their very own letter from God extolling on their efforts...

When one of the most important things a soldier needs while in battle is the moral support of his countrymen, CODE PINK is working against them by their actions, no matter what they say.

Last week we observed Veterans Day, now it's time to take a stand to show our troops we're on their side, we understand what they are doing, and appreciate their bravery and commitment during this terrible time in history, the unprecedented war of, and against, terrorism.

[11/18/05 Friday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am [permalink]
More Misrepresentation of the Ethnic Japanese Relocation The House passed by voice vote legislation designating $38 million to preserve sites used for relocated ethnic Japanese in WW II (David Whitney, Sacbee).

recommendation to give the Tule Lake center national historic status is on the desk of Interior Secretary Gale Norton. This year, Rep. John Doolittle, R-Roseville, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., worked to get $200,000 to preserve the center's jail.

In a letter to Norton in April, the Japanese American Citizens League said that, of all the detention centers, "Tule Lake camp is perhaps the most historically significant," in part because of the structures that still remain.

The Tule Lake camp is also important because of its unique role. In operation from 1942 to 1946, the center was infamous because, in its later period, it is where Japanese Americans were taken who refused to sign loyalty oaths or who had criminal or behavioral problems.

[11/17/05 Thursday]

[permalink]
California Windfall Has Consequences--Unfortunately Remember what the Governor said early on: We have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. Now that California's tax revenues have increased beyond public expectation, the legislature will play catchup and feel room to create further spending problems. From the Sacbee, Clea Benson:

Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill said the state will have about $4 billion more in its bank account at the end of the the current fiscal year than lawmakers estimated when they approved the budget in July. She said the difference is enough to balance next year's budget without raising taxes or making cuts.

But Hill cautioned that California will still have an operating deficit in the future, peaking at about $4.3 billion in a couple of years.

"The state has to keep its foot on the gas pedal of getting its fiscal house in order. We're not out of the woods yet," Hill said at a press conference this morning. [visit Local Liberty Blog]

[11/16/05 Wednesday]

[HJTA] 12:01 am [permalink]
Third Annual "California Piglet Book" Now Available The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Foundation (HJTF) and Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) today released the "2005 California Piglet Book" at a press conference in Sacramento. For the third year in a row, the report exposes some of the worst examples of waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in California's state and local government.

The California Piglet Book combines elements of two perennial CAGW publications, the "Congressional Pig Book" and "Prime Cuts," with HJTF's knowledge of the California state budget. The report is but a sample of areas in the state budget where wasteful or corrupt spending can be eliminated, providing a valuable resource to legislators, local officials, the media and taxpayers.

"Californians are threatened with immense tax increases while the waste and fraud of tax dollars runs rampant," said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. "From payroll and pension abuse to tens of millions of dollars for a pretend railroad, the 'California Piglet Book' gives enough examples to make any California taxpayer cringe."

The entire report is available for reading or downloading at http://www.HJTA.org/CalPigletBook2005.pdf . For a hard copy, call HJTA at 916-444-9950 or send an e-mail request including your complete mailing address and zip code to PigletBook@HJTA.org

[11/15/05 Tuesday]

[Ken Masugi - Local Liberty Blog - Claremont Institute] 12:01am