FISA Judges: Bush's Wiretaps Were Lawful

In a stunning development yesterday, a panel of former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA) testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that President Bush "did not act illegally when he created by executive order a wiretapping program conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA)."

In an article today in the Washington Times, reporter Brian DeBose illustrated a reality that most people are unaware of - FISA judges actually agree with President Bush and his authorization for NSA to monitor International/American communications involving suspected terrorists.

"If a court refuses a FISA application and there is not sufficient time for the president to go to the court of review, the president can under executive order act unilaterally, which he is doing now," said Judge Allan Kornblum, magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida and an author of the 1978 FISA Act. "I think that the president would be remiss exercising his constitutional authority by giving all of that power over to a statute."

Hmmmm....given the shrill anti-Bush rhetoric flooding our newspapers and airwaves, this comes as a bit of a surprise.

"If a court refuses a FISA application and there is not sufficient time for the president to go to the court of review, the president can under executive order act unilaterally, which he is doing now," said Judge Allan Kornblum, magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida."

Of course, Presidents have been using similar policies toward eavesdropping on conversations, but like the rest of this article, you will here NADA of this story in the NYT and WP newspapers.

Umm...What Say We BUILD A FENCE Already!

...Or start to learn Spanish

Ever think to yourself "Man! This being in the Silent Majority thing kinda' sucks!?" Well, as I watched half a million people march through Los Angeles on Saturday screaming about legislation that would curb illegal immigration and secure our borders, I wondered two things. ONE - why not arrest these criminals NOW while so many are in one convenient place, and TWO - where do I sign up for the statistically MUCH BIGGER rally against these bastards?

Now, let it be said for the record that I really do understand why a poor Mexican family would want to come here. Mexico, for all of its charm for the tourist, is a corrupt government with a stagnant economy. And I also understand the argument that these folks do the kind of work that Americans (for the most part) don't want to do for such low wages. And YES, I get it about how some farms and industries would take it in the rear-flap of their ponchos if this windfall of cheap labor disappeared tomorrow.

But what I DON'T understand is why I, as a law-abiding tax-payer, should have to pay for the burden they place on the rest of our society. If they come here to work illicitly - then get education, healthcare and welfare, then it is our lucky citizenry who have to pick up the check. And don't get me started on the Spanish in schools and on tests!

If I hear "America is a nation of immigrants" just one more time I'm gonna go and kick the neighbor's yappy little chihuahua right in the chalupa! More than 85% of us were born here! I did not come in on any banana boat - so turn off your old Harry Belafonte record and get a grip!

Here is what I propose we do - it is a simple 3-step process (should be a no-brainer for you 12-steppers out there! ;-)

1. Build a REALLY KICKASS STATE-OF-THE-ART FENCE - sort of like the one described by WeNeedAFence.com
   
2. Require illegal aliens to register for temperary work permits, but they must submit their requests from their homes-of-record in Mexico (or wherever else they come from). Those who do not should be rounded up and deported - and never allowed to return.
   
3. Reform our ridiculous LEGAL immigration laws so that law-abiding folks who want to share the American Dream can apply for immigration and expect to be heard in a reasonable time.

With estimates ranging from one to three million illegals crossing over every year, something has to be done. As I pointed out in an article two weeks ago, current proposed legislation is moving us in the right direction. My only hope is that the infuriatingly silent majority finds its voice very, very soon - or it may find itself speaking Spanish.

Actor Belzer Knows Better Than "Uneducated" Troops

Ugliest Man In Hollywood Gets Uglier

Okay, so while I'm on an anti-Hollyweird kick I might as well get this one in, too. Only this will likely upset and amaze you.

Richard Belzer, a 'recognizable' face from the T.V. series "Law and Order," was recently a guest on the uber-liberal "Real Time with Bill Maher." While debating about troops in Iraq with Republican Congresswoman Ileanna Ros-Lehtinen (who's stepson is a Marine Officer), Belzer got so unhinged that even Maher (of all people) had to step in. Twice.

Before you READ THE TRANSCRIPT, or WATCH THE VIDEO CLIP, I'll give you a little background on Belzer:

• Kicked out of every school up until junior college - from which he dropped out.
  
• He enlisted in the Army and, realizing his mistake, tried to get out of that.
  
• His Dad committed suicide when he was 22.
  
• Insisted that a hesitant Hulk Hogan demonstrate a wrestling move on him for a T.V. show - ended up passing out, then sued Hogan.
  
• While filming a cop show in Baltimore, a real criminal running from police burst onto the set. The criminal surrendered to the actors. Belzer testified for him at his trial, saying the look on the man's face was adequate punishment.
  
• His trademark is that he always wears sunglasses, even indoors (mug like that, can't blame him).

In other words, the guy is a Freak Show who is, himself, uneducated. Keeping all that in mind, WATCH THIS! Then, consider NOT EVER AGAIN watching "Law & Order: Special Victim's Unit." This poor lost soul is subconciously crying out for us to shut him down. We really should help him, don't you think!?

Cindy Sheehan ~ Bushwacked by Michelle Malkin

Great Video Clip

Okay, so I'm going back on a promise to NOT mention Cindy Whatsername again, but this I just couldn't pass up!

While marching on the Pentagon with a noticably reduced following of Moonbats, the confident "rock-star" Cindy Sheehan is being interviewed by none other than Michelle Malkin - and has no idea with whom she is speaking. After haplessly walking into some leading questions, when Michelle asks Cindy why her son Casey still has no gravestone, it dawns on that child-like mind that this is no ordinary "liberal" correspondent. After managing to ask Michelle who she is, Ms. Sheehan finds herself cornered - and her response, well...words just cannot do this clip justice. See the video here.

Afterward, we see Cindy (having collected her thoughts on the matter) with a microphone spouting about missing gravestones for Katrina and 9-11 victims. Guess that hit a nerve!

Still later in the clip, Michelle has a hilarious interview with a marching "Abu Gharib Inmate Impersonator" while he is eating his sandwich and getting Malkin-whipped - without even realizing it. Again, words won't cut it - so WATCH THIS VIDEO!

Lastly, since I'm doing a piece on Cindy again, I might as well point out that she is in talks about a movie with (are you sitting down?) Susan Sarandon, who will be portraying this Moonbat Mom -- and I can think of no one better to play this part! Check out Chazz's site for his rant on this very subject (and guess who is the Dumbass Of The Week?)!

Ben Stein Blasts Hollywood and its Duplicity

American Troops Snubbed at Oscars

I just got an email from an active-duty Marine that included this news item (which is mysteriously missing from the main-stream news) - one I think worthy of my humble blog.

Ben Stein - humorist, writer, economist, actor, speaker and political commentator - has taken umbrage to the "bravery" shown by Hollywood at the Academy Awards and had lots to say about it. Given the ad nauseum liberal ranting of George Clooney, Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore and others on Oscar nights, it is worth noting that the Hollywood elite live and play on the shoulders of a society that is protected by resolute and largely uncelebrated men and women in uniform. Here is what he had to say:

Missed Tributes
By Ben Stein

Now for a few humble thoughts about the Oscars.

I did not see every second of it, but my wife did, and she joins me in noting that there was not one word of tribute, not one breath, to our fighting men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan or to their families or their widows or orphans. There were pitifully dishonest calls for peace -- as if the people we are fighting were interested in any peace for us but the peace of the grave. But not one word for the hundreds of thousands who have served and are serving, not one prayer or moment of silence for the dead and maimed.

Basically, the sad truth is that Hollywood does not think of itself as part of America, and so, to Hollywood, the war to save freedom from Islamic terrorists is happening to someone else. It does not concern them except insofar as it offers occasion to mock or criticize George Bush. They live in dreamland and cannot be gracious enough to thank the men and women who pay with their lives for the stars' ability to live in dreamland. This is shameful.

The idea that it is brave to stand up for gays in Hollywood, to stand up against Joe McCarthy in Hollywood (fifty years after his death), to say that rich white people are bad, that oil companies are evil -- this is nonsense.

All of these are mainstream ideas in Hollywood, always have been, always will be. For the people who made movies denouncing Big Oil, worshiping gays, mocking the rich to think of themselves as brave -- this is pathetic, childish narcissism.

The brave guy in Hollywood will be the one who says that this is a fabulously great country where we treat gays, blacks, and everyone else as equal. The courageous writer in Hollywood will be the one who says the oil companies do their best in a very hostile world to bring us energy cheaply and efficiently and with a minimum of corruption. The producer who really has guts will be the one who says that Wall Street, despite its flaws, has done the best job of democratizing wealth ever in the history of mankind.

No doubt the men and women who came to the Oscars in gowns that cost more than an Army Sergeant makes in a year, in limousines with champagne in the back seat, think they are working class heroes to attack America -- which has made it all possible for them. They are not. They would be heroes if they said that Moslem extremists are the worst threat to human decency since Hitler and Stalin. But someone might yell at them or even attack them with a knife if they sad that, so they never will.

Hollywood is above all about self: self-congratulation, self-promotion, and above all, self-protection. This is human and basic, but let's not kid ourselves. There is no greatness there in the Kodak theater. The greatness is on patrol in Kirkuk. The greatness lies unable to sleep worrying about her man in Mosul. The greatness sleeps at Arlington National Cemetery and lies waiting for death in VA Hospitals. God help us that we have sunk so low as to confuse foolish and petty boasting with the real courage that keeps this nation and the many fools in it alive and flourishing on national TV.

Seized Documents Show Al-Qaieda Ties to Saddam

Recognize THIS Handsome Fella? ======>>>

Republican Senators Rick Santorum and House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra announced today that they have successfully lobbied the White House and intelligence leaders to release millions of pages of documents and audio recordings captured during U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These documents contain compelling evidence that Saddam had a relationship with, and detailed knowledge of, al-Qaieda. Many of these files have been posted HERE.

These senators have had these documents and audio files, most of which have not been translated, posted for public consumption and feedback.

"We are hoping to unleash the power of the Internet, unleash the power of the blogosphere to get through these documents and give us a better understanding of exactly what was going on in Iraq prior to the war," Senator Hoekstra stated today.

How far this will go in the Bush-hating media? Not far - like evidence of WMDs smuggled to Syria, it is yet another significant piece of a puzzle that takes the wind out of the case the media has been trying to build against President Bush and the war in Iraq.

Other must-reads:

• Santorum, Hoekstra push for release of Iraq documents ~ Kimberly Hefling, AP
• Saddam's Terror Training Camps ~ Michelle Malkin
  
• Media Ignores Bush Exoneration ~ Amy Proctor
  
• Saddam's General Sada, "WMDs shipped to Syria!" ~ Yours Truly

Minority Aid Becomes Available to All Students

Now THIS is what I call "affirmative action"

In a surprising (and quiet) development, colleges around the country have flung open the doors of discriminitory financial aid and admissions to all deserving students, regardless of ethnicity or gender. Millions of dollars, formerly available to exclusive groups of minority and female students, is now available to any candidates who meet other qualifying criteria.

Obviously, this has been received well by some students, academics and members of conservative organizations opposed to preferential treatment - while others are none too happy with the news.

Theodore M. Shaw, president of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., voiced his frustration. "How is it that they conclude that the great evil in this country is discrimination against white people? Can I put that question any more pointedly? I struggle to find the words to do it because it's so stunning."

Roger Clegg, president and general counsel of the Center for Equal Opportunity, had this to say, "Our concern is that the law be followed and that nobody be denied participation in a program on account of skin color or what country their ancestors came from."

Why the turnabout? It appears that many universities and colleges, fearing litigation on exclusion programs, are reacting to two 2003 Supreme Court cases that addressed the use of race in admissions at the University of Michigan. Although these cases did not impose an outright ban on the use of race as a factor in admissions to higher education, the findings did not support doing so.

The actual metrics on this trend are difficult to measure, given that most schools have chosen to keep these changes under the public radar. But colleges such as Washington University in St. Louis, State University of New York and Southern Illinois University have made such adjustments to their policies.

Travis Reindl, director of state policy analysis at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, has estimated that there are thousands of scholarship and fellowship programs that have been using race as a criterion. Mr. Reindl believes that at least half of the four-year colleges in the United States have now either reviewed or modified such programs.

For me, I am heartened to hear such news. If our lofty goals as a society include the attaining of true equality, then there can be no place for "affirmative action" or other discriminitory practices. A white kid who grows up poor is no better off than a black kid from similar economic circumstances, and a woman should never be given extra points in a college application for her gender. That is not equality - that is a handout.

((Read the New York Times article on this story))

Holland ~ R-Rated Film Test for Muslim Immigrants

A Litmus Test of Social Tolerance

Apparently in an effort to stem Muslim immigration, the Dutch have instituted a new entrance test to be given to applicants from Muslim countries. This will include footage of two homosexual men sucking face in the park and a topless woman. This film will be shown to (mostly Muslim) candidates to determine whether they are prepared for the liberal western culture of Holland. Of course, the Dutch Muslims are outraged.

((See Muslim Migrants to Holland Shown Gay Film Footage As Entrance Evaluation))

Hey, it could be worse! They could have forced these conservative immigrants to run in wooden shoes or put a finger in a dike. The ghosts of the very gay Vincent Van Gogh, and his (muslim-)slain nephew Theo, are probably rolling with laughter on this one!

Illegal Aliens Amass in Chicago - Opportunity Lost?

Missing the Perfect Round-up

In what can be described as a golden opportunity for law enforcement to capture illegal aliens, over 75,000 native latinos-without-green-cards gathered in Chicago Friday for a protest of a bill (Interior Enforcement Bill H.R. 4437) now in the U.S. Senate which would serve to stiffen border enforcement. This comes at a time when it is estimated that the illegal immigrant population has grown from about 8 million in 2000 to nearly 12 million - an increase of 40-50% in just six years - and some estimates are much higher than that.

And unbelievably, there were elected U.S. officials there to cheer them on.

U.S. Rep Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill, shouted "Raise those American flags! This is our country, and this is where we will stay."

Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich addressed the throng in Spanish, regailing them with his story as the son of immigrants - one who understands them. He cried from the platform, "Ustedes no son criminales! Ustedes son trabajadores! (You are not criminals! You are workers!)," elicited loud cheers.

The bill that was the inspiration for this gathering, H.R. 4437, has passed the House (239-182) and is now in the Senate. Although it falls short of what I might like to see, it does contain some healthy steps in the right direction.

It contains measures to prevent mass illegal immigration. Along the Mexican border, it authorizes construction of an additional 700 miles of security fencing - very similar to the highly effective fencing already in place in the San Diego area. It would also require implementation of an electronic verification system to be used by all employers to ensure that the workers they hire are legal residents. Failure to comply with the verification procedure could result in fines of up to $7,000 per violation for a first offense and as high as $40,000 the third time an employer gets caught hiring illegal aliens.

For me, the goal should be a state-of-the-art DMZ between our borders NORTH AND SOUTH, utilizing satellite imagery, unmanned surveillance drones, security cameras, seizmic detectors, staggered entry points and patrols on-call 24/7. This isn't just about poor Mexican farmers making a better life for themselves and their families. It is about indentured slavery, drug trafficking, gang-violence, government corruption (esp. Mexican) and terrorism. They want in, they can do it. Legally.

Illegal Mexican Immigrants might be a boon for some employers (who don't necessarily pass the savings on to the consumer), but they are a drain on our economy otherwise. Their education, healthcare and unemployment (among other costs) are picked up by the American Taxpayer. They contribute little or nothing to maintaining our infrastructure, public services and facilities - but are happy to use them.

What I don't quite understand here is why such an opportunity in Chicago was squandered - imagine rounding up 75,000 criminals and deporting them. A massive undertaking, to be sure, but it's not like it was a secret meeting. Isn't the Governor the Executive Officer of Law Enforcement for his state? Instead of committing an illegal act himself (aiding/harboring criminals, among others) he could have done the right thing - uphold the law of the United States. Seems to me that with a coordinated effort between federal forces, Illinois National Guard, neighboring State National Guards, immigration, border patrol and state, county and Chicago police forces - this could have been pulled off. And it would send a very powerful message to illegals and those who employ them.

"Change is coming. Here is your Wake-up Call."

Denmark's Official Apology to the Muslim World

What the hell are they thinking?

Yeah, I could not believe it when I saw this either but, once I did I just knew (once I calmed down) that I just had to share it with my readers. Whether you agree with this outrageous gesture from the Danes or not, I guarantee that you will have a strong emotional response to this (of one form or another). Hey, I just deliver the news so DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! Click on the title of this article or the image to check it out - if you think you can handle it!

SCOTUS to College Campuses: Allow Military Recruiters or Lose Funds

With so much bad news out there, it's even nicer when something good happens. On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold a law that stated colleges and universities accepting federal funding must allow military recruiters on campus. In other words, they sent these whiny socialists packing with their tails tucked resolutely between their legs - with nary a peep about stoically giving up the 35 billion dollars in annual funding on "principal."

The latest battle ensued in Law Schools - where they imagined that they should be able to bar the military from campus due to its "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays.

Chief Justice John Roberts:

"Nothing about recruiting suggests that law schools agree with any speech by recruiters, and nothing in the Solomon Amendment restricts what the law schools may say about the military’s policies. We have held that high school students can appreciate the difference between speech a school sponsors and speech the school permits because legally required to do so, pursuant to an equal access policy - Surely students have not lost that ability by the time they get to law school....A military recruiter's mere presence on campus does not violate a law school's right to associate, regardless of how repugnant the law school considers the recruiter's message."

Talk about hypocricy! Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, once the Deputy Foreign Secretary of the Taliban, is accepted into Yale (with a 4th-grade education). So, these AMERICAN SCHOOLS want NO AMERICAN MILITARY RECRUITERS, but are good with accepting SWORN ENEMIES OF THE UNITED STATES as students? I mean, one could laugh if it wasn't so damned sad and stupid!

Kudos to the Supreme Court, who voted unanimously to shoot down this nonsense. What's next?

Oscar Night - Anne Coulter Style

Commies and Racists and Gays ~ OH MY!

I couldn't help but laugh when I read Anne Coulter's take on the Academy Awards (airing in about 15 minutes). Here is how she summarizes the plots of the five Best Picture Nominees:

"Brokeback Mountain" (gay)

"Capote" (death penalty with bonus gay lead)

"Crash" (racism)

"Good Night, and Good Luck" (McCarthyism)

"Munich" (Jew athletes at Munich had it coming)

((Read her article here))

As Hollyweird has spun ever-more to the left side of all things, it will be interesting to see who will be the winners of this lackluster season - if only because they will feel vindicated for ramming their social ideals down our throats. And since most of these are not even close to being blockbusters, most of this will be unfamiliar to main-stream America.

And with John Stewart as the MC, ya gotta wonder if there will be another dumbass "Michael Moore moment" this year!

---

*Post Oscar Update: Wow - kind of like the movies this last year, the Oscars tonight were pretty unremarkable and largely forgettable. A few highlights/lowlights:

• CRASH beat out BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN for Best Picture
  
• CLOONEY won Supporting Actor for SYRIANA (then just had to get in some lefty points)
  
• STEWART was surprisingly benign (politically) - and his BJORK/CHENEY hunting joke was kinda' funny
  
• PARADISE NOW, the film glorifying Palestinian Terrorists, did NOT win for Best Foreign Film
  
• SALMA HAYEK (doing a presentation) still looks REALLY good
  
• JESSICA ALBA (doing a presentation) looked like a walking skeleton
  
• REESE WITHERSPOON won Best Actress for WALK THE LINE - and is the consumate (and still grounded) cutey pie
  
• Best of all, MICHAEL FATASS MOORE was nowhere to be seen! (So he must not have been there - cuz how could you possibly miss him!)

Colorado High School Teacher Under Fire for Bashing Uncle Sam

Student Bashes Back!

Man, what is it with Colorado educators? Taking a page directly from the Ward Churchill playbook, Moonbat High School Teacher Jay Bennish was having a great time lambasting the United States, President Bush and Israel to his 10th grade "World Geography" class at Overland High School in Aurora, Colorado - this in the week following the President's State of the Union address. What he didn't count on, while trying his best to misshape young minds, was young Sean Allen and his trusty MP-3 player.

After recording approximately 20 minutes of "quality education" from his teacher, Sean brought the cut home and played it for his Dad, who subsequently got no action from school officials and ended up taking the tape public. The proverbial excrement has since impacted the fan and, in the words of Mr. Bennish, here's a little taste of the "why:"

"He started off his speech (speaking of President Bush's State of the Union address) talking about how America should be the country that dominates the world. That we have been blessed essentially by God to have the most civilized, most advanced, best system and that it is our duty as Americans to use the military to go out into the world and make the whole world like us. Sounds a lot like the things that Adolf Hitler use to say."

What was that class he was teaching again... "World Geography??" Not History, Social Studies, Civics or Political Science - but World Geography?

"We're the only ones who are right. Everyone else is backwards. And it's our job to conquer the world and make sure they live just like we want them to. Now, I'm not saying that Bush and Hitler are exactly the same. Obviously, they are not. Ok. But there are some eerie similarities to the tones that they use. Very, very "ethnocentric." We're right. You're all wrong."

"Ethnocentric?" Bush? Now I would just love to hear him defend that assertion to any reasonably educated, news-savvy adult. But I guess it's much easier to brainwash the young. I can just imagine Doctor Condoleezza Rice walking into the classroom at just that moment.

"So, why does Mr. Bush think that other countries that are democracies won't wanna be like us? Why does he think they'll just wanna be at peace with each other?! What makes him think that when the Palestinians get their own state that they won't wanna preemptively invade Israel to eliminate a potential threat to their security just like we supposedly did in Iraq?! Do you see the dangerous precedent that we have set by illegally invading another country and violating their sovereignty in the name of protecting us against a potential future--sorry--attack?"

Well Jay, historically (I realize this is a bit out of the Geography realm), true democracies don't generally make war on each other. And since when was the invasion of Iraq illegal? Was it an act of war for Iraq to fire upon our aircraft over the No-fly Zone virtually every day? Was it an act of war to attempt an assassination of a former U.S. President? Did we not go to our own Congress and the United Nations before the invasion? Did we not give Saddam every chance to avoid war? If this Geography teacher was presenting a balanced picture, he might have included these arguments for his students to make up their own minds. Guess not.

And here is young Sean engaging the Moonbat (he should get an "A" for classroom participation!):

Allen: "But is it ok to say it's just to attack Israel? If it's ok to attack known terrorists, it's ok to attack Israel?"

Bennish: "If you were Palestinians, who are the real terrorists? The Israelis, who fire missiles that they purchased from the United States government into Palestinian neighborhoods and refugees and maybe kill a terrorist, but also kill innocent women and children. And when you shoot a missile into Pakistan to quote-unquote kill a known terrorist, and we just killed 75 people that have nothing to do with al Qaeda, as far as they're concerned, we're the terrorists. We've attacked them on their soil with the intention of killing their innocent people."

Allen: "But we did not have the intention of killing innocent people. We had the intention of killing an al Qaeda terrorist."

Bennish: "Do you know that?"

Allen: "So, you're saying the United States has the intention to kill innocent people?"

Hey, I like this kid! Seems to me he held his own against a quasi-educated Moonbat teacher pretty well - not bad for 16! And the GREAT thing is, after the dust-up over this recording, a certain World Geography teacher was forced to take administrative leave. Word is, he has lawyered up courtesy of the ACLU - that's the "American Civil Liberties Union." But the true question is this: Who's civil liberties were violated here, if not the students who deserve a non-biased education?

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin