Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Remember the 76 border crossings by the MDR-TB-infected Mexican national?

And remember how the Department of Homeland Security said that he used an alias? Well, he didn't.

The Washington Times last week reported that Amado Isidro Armendariz Amaya made the border crossings from August 2006 to June 2007. Homeland Security (DHS) officials had said the Mexican businessman was traveling under an alias.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) was warned by Mexican health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on April 16 that the frequent traveler was infected with multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis.

But according to internal DHS e-mails obtained by The Times, Mr. Armendariz did not use a fake name but rather used variations of his own name. For example, he customarily went by his middle name "Isidro," rather than his formal birth name, "Amado."

The e-mails show nine variations of his name in a system that is capable of searching two dozen law-enforcement databases.

In this week's hearing, the Senate committee learned that Customs and Border Protection officials had the name of "Isidro Armendariz Amaya" and the correct birth date in April.
I think I'm understanding better what the term Homeland Security means. It means cover up and/or protect government employees at all costs.

Oh, it also means "protect the travel industry".
Using only three of the four names would create tens of thousands of "false-positive" hits creating a logjam at the border crossings, Mr. Rosenzweig said.

"You know, we've had many, many complaints that the lines on the southern border are already too long. As the type of information we get is less and less accurate, and we widen the field to make an examination based upon the name check, we get more and more people who will be overwhelming our secondary inspection capabilities, extending the line beyond belief and inconveniencing lots and lots of people who aren't matches for any of those," Mr. Rosenzweig said.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. The Department of Homeland Security — making sure you're not inconvenienced. Unless you happen to get infected with MDR-TB. That would be inconvenient.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Kay Bailey Hutchison, RINO Extraordinaire

Earning the designation RINO with distinction, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison voted FOR amnesty this past Wednesday. Fortunately, the cloture vote failed.

The DREAM Act failed in the Senate on Wednesday, dashing the latest and best chance Congress had to pass immigration legislation.

The bill would have paved a path to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants if they attended college or entered the military.

...

The bill would have granted conditional legal status to illegal immigrants younger than 30 who completed two years of higher education or served in the military. To be considered for legal status, they would have needed to have lived in the U.S. for five years and have entered before age 16.

After completing the educational or military requirement, they could have applied for citizenship. The legislation would have affected more than 1 million young people, according to the Migration Policy Institute.
Senator Hutchison, what in the world were you thinking? You represent Texans, remember? We Texas are sick of illegal aliens cheating their way into our country. And we don't need you helping them out. How about you and your fellow RINOs voting to build the border fence quicker? That would be refreshing.

It's a good thing that you're not running for re-election. As for your gubernatorial aspirations, part of me hopes you'll pursue that so I can vote against you. Then again, part of me hopes you'll just go away.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

An open letter to Ric Williamson, Chairman of the Texas Transportation Commission

Dear Ric:

Oink oink oink oink. Oink oinky oink oink. Oink oink Public Officials oink oink. Oinker oinker oink, oink oink. Oink oink oink. Oink oink oink. Oinkity oink oink oink. Oink oink, who think, oink oink. Oink oink oink — oinky oinky — oink oink.

Oinker oink. Oink oink talk radio callers oink oink. Oink oink oinkity, oink oink. Oink oink oink oink. Oink oink oink. Oink oinker oinker oink. Oink oink oink! Oink oinkity oinkity oinkity. Oink oink oink oink. Oink are pigs oink.

Oinkity oinkity oinkity oink. Oinker oink oink, oinker oinker oink, oink oink oinker. Oink oink oinky oinky. Oinker oink oink oink. Oinky oink oink disgust me oink. Oink.

Oink oink,

Mr. Light Bulb

Friday, October 19, 2007

76 border crossings by a Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis infected Mexican national led the big parade...

With a hundred and ten red-faced Homeland Security officials close behind.

A Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis crossed the U.S. border 76 times and took multiple domestic flights in the past year, according to Customs and Border Protection interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Times.

The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency was warned by health officials on April 16 that the frequent traveler was infected, but it took Homeland Security officials more than six weeks to issue a May 31 alert to warn its own border inspectors, according to Homeland Security sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Homeland Security took a further week to tell its own Transportation Security Agency.
[emphasis mine]
For the record, here's a description of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. And, from this article, we find out that it can cost anywhere from $200,000 to $1.2 million to treat an MDR-TB-infected individual.

But wait, there's more:
Attempts to identify the subject failed "because information provided to Mexican health officials is not accurate" when an alias is used, Mr. Maier said in an e-mail. "Efforts to obtain solid data ... were achieved on May 31."
Translation: the MDR-TB-infected Mexican national lied about his identity. And that threw those DHS guys for a loop! (More detail here.)

But wait, there's still more:
Other documents reveal that the Mexican government had known for more than five years of the condition of Mr. Armendariz, a businessman from Juarez, a city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas. The officials who spoke on that condition of anonymity said, "Information sharing is still at an all-time low, if not nonexistent, in issues such as these."
[emphasis mine]
And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, here's the stinger:
Homeland Security employees were told in June that they would be fired if the situation with Mr. Armendariz went public. At the same time, DHS officials were preparing to testify before Congress regarding the Speaker case, which had been front-page news across the nation.
[emphasis mine]
Got the full picture now? Let's break it down:
  • An MDR-TB-infected Mexican national
  • crosses into our nation
  • 76 times,
  • sometimes using an alias,
  • putting untold thousands of Americans at risk for contracting MDR-TB themselves.
  • The cost of treating an MDR-TB-infected individual can range from $200,000 to $1.2 million
  • and last up to 18 months.
  • The government of Mexico knew of this health risk
  • for five years
  • and didn't tell us.
  • Our own government knew of this health risk
  • since June (possibly before)
  • and ordered DHS employees not to tell anyone about it
  • probably because they were embarrassed at the ridiculously pathetic job they did in preventing Andrew Speaker from re-entering the country.
I think that about sums it up. Oh, one last thing; Michael Chertoff, please submit your resignation immediately.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Islamic "peace" on display in Karachi

The religion of peace shows its true face to those who dare support freedom and democracy.

Two bombs exploded Thursday night near a truck carrying former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on her triumphant return to Pakistan after eight years in exile, killing at least 108 people and wounding 150, an official said. Party workers and police said Bhutto was unhurt.

Associated Press photographer B.K. Bangash at the scene said he saw between 50 and 60 dead or badly injured people. He said some of the bodies were ripped apart.

An initial small explosion was followed by a huge blast just feet from the front of the truck carrying Bhutto during a procession through Karachi. The blast shattered windows in her vehicle and set a police escort vehicle on fire.
Why Bhutto?
Authorities had urged her to use a helicopter to reduce the risk of attack. But Bhutto, hated by radical Islamists because she supports the U.S.-led war on terrorism, brushed off the concerns.

"I am not scared. I am thinking of my mission," she had told reporters on the plane. "This is a movement for democracy because we are under threat from extremists and militants."

She was squeezed between other party officials at the front of the truck rather than in the bulletproof cubicle toward the rear. Armed guards escorted the truck.

Bhutto recently courted controversy in Pakistan by saying that she would cooperate with the American military in targeting Osama bin Laden, and authorities warned that Islamic militants could launch suicide attacks and roadside bombings against her.
[emphasis mine]
We are at war. Our enemy is known. Our enemy wants to destroy us. Will we surrender, as the Defeatocrats want? Or will we win?

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but Rick "39%" Perry has endorsed Rudy

Rudy may have thought that getting Rick "39%" Perry's endorsement was a good thing.

Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday won the endorsement of Texas Gov. Rick Perry, despite their differences on abortion rights.

Perry, an abortion opponent, said his biggest concern had been Giuliani's support for abortion rights but that he was satisfied Giuliani would appoint judges who view the issue conservatively.

"The one (issue) that I wanted to hear him give me an answer and look me right in my eyes was that issue of who can I expect, what type of individual can I expect on the Supreme Court," Perry said at a news conference with Giuliani.

"He clearly said ... you can look for people like Scalia and Roberts and Alito. Let me tell you, I can live with that," Perry said, referring to conservative Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts.
Indeed, it's a good thing that Rudy will commit to appoint constructionist judges. And it's good that Perry likes that in Rudy.

But where has this conservatism in Perry been for the past couple of years? Does Rudy really want the endorsement of the man who signed into the law the largest tax increase in Texas history? Does Rudy really want the endorsement of a man who tried to use executive order (a power the governor of Texas does not posses) to force girls to receive a vaccine of dubious safety? More importantly though, there is the possibility that this could mean a cabinet position or, horrifically, the Vice Presidency. Message to Rudy: Rick Perry is a snake. He comes from good roots, but they have been corrupted. He is a sell-out to Mexico. But, yes, he does have a terrific head of hair.


By the way, does it concern the Giuliani campaign that Mr. Perry only received 39% of the vote in his last election?