Friday, August 31, 2007

Governor 39% shows why he's Governor 39%

Rick "39%" Perry spoke in Mexico City this past Tuesday. Talk about not getting it.

Leading a large delegation of Texas executives trying to drum up business in Mexico, Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday criticized the U.S. Congress for failing to pass an immigration bill that would legalize millions of workers.

"I don't think this is that difficult an issue if Congress would have the maturity to sit down and really discuss it and cut out all the mean rhetoric," Perry said during a break in the third day of meetings with Mexican officials and business executives.

"We need those individuals to continue to grow our economy," he said of Texas' undocumented workers, most of whom hail from Mexico. "The vast, vast majority of those individuals want to come and work and take care of their families."

Perry made the remarks in Mexico City, where immigration is nearly as big a hot-button issue as it is in Washington. He spoke at a press conference shortly before meeting with President Felipe Calderon who, like past Mexican presidents, has lobbied for changes in U.S. immigration law that would include a guest-worker program.

Perry's statements seemed to put him at odds with many in the Republican Party's base who regarded the immigration overhaul bill that collapsed in the Senate in June as nothing more than an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
You know you're on the wrong side of the debate when the Houston Chronicle mentions your conservative opponents, even if it is in the fifth paragraph.

But wait, there's more! Now remember, we live in Texas. When people in this state commit heinous crimes, we execute them. As Ron White has so eloquently stated, "other states are trying to abolish the death penalty...mine's putting in an express lane."

Consider the case of Kenneth Eugene Foster. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1996. He drove the getaway car for a botched robbery that resulted in the murder of Michael LaHood. He participated in the needless extinguishing of a human life. What did Rick 39% Perry have to say about it?
"Foster sought to have his death sentence commuted to a life sentence arguing that he did not shoot the victim, but merely drove the car ... that the actual killer was riding (in)," Perry's office said in a statement.

"After carefully considering the facts of this case, along with the recommendations from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, I believe the right and just decision is to commute Foster's sentence from the death penalty to life imprisonment," Perry was quoted as saying.
If you have the time, please read the entire article. Let me know if, in the eight paragraphs that form the article, you read a mention of Foster's earlier arrest and probation for shooting two men in 1994.

Worst of all, it might be that Rick 39% Perry commuted the sentence in response to pressure...from the European Union. (see: picante made in New York City)

Thursday, August 30, 2007

If you're bored in Houston, it's your own fault.

Houston, my home town, is today's featured article at Wikipedia.


I tell many people who are unfamiliar with Houston this sentence: "if you're bored in Houston, it's your own fault." And it's true. Our housing costs are comparatively low in Houston, so we have more disposable income than in other cities. Here are some places that surplus income can be diverted to:

  • the restaurant scene has really stepped up to the plate (sorry, punny) with over 4,000 restaurants featuring of a wide array of cuisines
  • the sports scene (such as it is) covers all three major sports (football, baseball, and basketball) with tax-payer-built stadiums
  • the museum district featuring the Grand Opera, the Symphony, and Ballet, plus numerous theater stages outside downtown
  • Johnson Space Center between Houston and Galveston
  • Galveston and its beaches (such as they are) only an hour south of town
  • parks throughout and wilderness (camping and hiking) only an hour or two outside of town
Of course, there's a downside to everything. In Houston, there are three big ones: hurricanes, bugs and humidity. For hurricanes, we have satellites that tell us when and where they form and when they enter the Gulf of Mexico. And we all have cars, so we can use our brains and leave the city when needed. For bugs, we have bug spray. And for the humidity, we have air conditioning.

It's not perfect, but it's a great place to live.

Ron Paul is this generation's Woodrow Wilson School of Government flunkee with a Texas Twang Twist

Amazingly there are still a formidable number of people vying for the Presidential nomination on both sides of the aisle. I say amazingly, because I thought a number of them would have been weeded out by now. Indeed, some have been: Tommy Thompson, Jim Gilmore, Tom Vilsack. But there are still eight Defeat-o-crats and eight Republicans in the race, not including Fred Thompson.

Anyway, at Playwriter Girl's Buh-Bye Chemo Pool Party Extravaganza a couple of weeks ago and after the "in an alternate reality" question, some folks and I got into a discussion of the current Republican candidates. And the name Ron Paul was mentioned, which was fortuitous timing for me. You see, earlier that day I had begun thinking about some of the Tier 2 candidates and how to sum them up. I came up with this summation for Representative Paul; he is this generation's Woodrow Wilson School of Government flunkee with a Texas Twang Twist.

Why do I call him this? Like Wilson, he would never have sent American troops into Iraq. (Wilson was forced into joining World War I, but kept us out of it for far too long.) He is an isolationist. Check out this snippet from his web site on "War and Foreign Policy":

Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women.

We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing America and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution.

Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations.
Indeed, we should not abdicate our sovereignty to the United Nations, ever. But President Bush's policy of fighting the terrorists over there so that they don't attack us here is the correct one. "No-win police action"? Really. How about 79.6% voter turnout in a new democracy? For me, this issue alone disqualifies Mr. Paul. Additionally, he's the only 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate to have voted against the 2002 Iraq War Resolution.

But wait, there's more. Mr. Paul doesn't get anything done in Congress, because he doesn't work with anyone. Again like Wilson, he's an elitist. Oh, but he has worked enough with fellow representatives in order to make $400 million worth of earmark requests - check out this PDF. Some people describe him as a conservative. Yet his American Conservative Union rating for 2006 (and 2005) is 76. I'm not joking. Check out that link for yourself. But what really seals the deal for me is his 1988 Presidential candidacy. On the Libertarian ticket. Game over.

As I told a party attendee a few weeks ago, when choosing a presidential candidate the only question I ask myself is, "who would the terrorists fear?" For me right now, the only answer is Rudy Giuliani.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Katrina Second Anniversary

I'm hesitant to even mention it, but there will undoubtedly be all sorts of lies told about it, so...

Here's my post on the second anniversary of many citizens of New Orleans not having the common sense to leave their city before a hurricane hit and the governments of the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans deciding to not follow their previously agreed upon disaster plans in order to minimize loss of life and property. Does that sound harsh? Perhaps. Can anyone point out an error in that sentence? Let me know if you can, seriously.

We're bound to hear lots of wailing on the news tonight. For some balance, at Reason Online, Daniel Rothschild is doing a three-part series on "The Myths of Hurricane Katrina". The first one is "a lack of federal money". Should be good.

"In an alternate reality..."

Thus began a question posed to me by Playwriter Girl.

Before I continue, I haven't posted in quite a while, so let me get you up to date. Playwriter Girl has finished chemotherapy (complete with Pool Party) and is now in the radiation stage of her cancer treatment. Furthermore, her first PET scan was negative for disease. God is good.

Now to the subject of this post's title. While at the aforementioned Pool Party, Playwriter Girl began a question to me using this phrase. It seemed ominous at first, but then she continued.

In an alternate reality, where you are a Defeat-o-crat, which candidate would you like to see get the Defeat-o-crat nomination? [my paraphrase]
An alternate reality, indeed.

Well, it really comes down to just three names, doesn't it? Hillary, Barry, and John. But the Breck Girl is fading. I think people are sick of the two Americas hypocrisy. So I could scratch him off the short list. So that would leave Mrs. Bill Clinton and the Audacious Barry Obama.

It was at this point that I asked Playwriter Girl if I would be an intellectually honest Defeat-o-crat or a standard say-anything-and-do-anything-to-win Defeat-o-crat. This makes a difference, you see. If I'm the standard Defeat-o-crat, then it's Mrs. Clinton all the way, personal integrity and lack of accomplishment be damned. It's all about getting her in office. Whereas, if I'm an intellectually honest Defeat-o-crat, Barry is it. He is something new and brings a fresh perspective to the Executive Office, not to mention the fact that he's an incredible socialist. And, being intellectually honest, you'd have to think that getting the first black American into the White House would lend some momentum to the effort. Furthermore, continuing in the intellectual honesty vein, Mrs. Clinton's negatives are just to high. Sure she could win the nomination, but the general election?

And that's where we left it. On the Defeat-o-crat side. Other Pool Party attendees and I continued on the Republican side. More on that later.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Here we go again - Senator Craig regrets his guilty plea

Another day, another Republican politician caught in immorality.

"At the time of this incident, I complained to the police that they were misconstruing my actions," he [Idaho Senator Larry Craig] said. "I should have had the advice of counsel in resolving this matter. In hindsight, I should not have pled guilty. I was trying to handle this matter myself quickly and expeditiously."
Well, Senator Criag, you should never have had to handle the matter yourself, because you should never have pursued this behaviour in the first place. Your term ends in 2008. Please don't run for re-election.

I ask again, where are the men of character in the Republican party?

UPDATE - Here's the police report on the incident.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Hey Alberto, please take Johnny Sutton with you!

Alberto Gonzales has resigned.

I'm of two minds about this. First, it's sad that a seemingly good man can be forced to resign due to the unceasing din of lies manufactured by the opposition party. This whole mess about the fired District Attorneys has been completely manufactured by the Defeat-o-crats. District Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the President - 28 U.S.C. § 541(c). End of story. This is yet another notch in the Defeat-o-crats' belt of criticising away their opponents (Scooter Libby, Don Rumsfeld). Meanwhile, William Jefferson, who was caught with cold, hard cash (litterally), still served in Congress.

And yet, Gonzales has been an absolute disappointment. As our nation's chief law enforcement officer, his performance in stopping the flood of illegal immigration across our southern border has been, to be quite charitable, pathetic. While he and the President went around firing District Attorneys, why didn't they fire Johnny Sutton?

Perhaps he just couldn't take the constant critcism. Hey, Alberto, it's called "Washington, D.C." and they're called "Defeat-o-crats". It's what they do. It's all they know how to do. Deal with it.

Anyway, good bye Alberto. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. And seriously, please take Johnny Sutton with you. Please.

Monday, August 13, 2007

The two words they dare not write

Read this article. Can you guess the two words that the drive-by media just can't seem to write?

The 28-year-old Peruvian national charged in the executions of three college students in a Newark schoolyard is to appear in court this morning for a hearing on unrelated assault and child-rape charges.

Jose Lachira Carranza was named in a 31-count indictment in July that accused him of sexually assaulting a little girl over a four-year period, beginning when the child was 5. He was charged in 2006 with assaulting four men with a chair and a broken bottle in a brawl at a West Orange restaurant.
Poor Jose. Or—as the amnesty-or-bust crowd would call him—poor, hard-working Jose. Committing the murders that Americans just can't seem to commit. Sexually assaulting the five-year-olds that Americans just can't seem to assault. Visiting our country from his native Peru only to find himself behind bars. Where is La Raza? Where is LULAC? Why won't they help this hard-working man return to providing for his family?

Is it perhaps because of those two nasty little words?