The Doggy Diaries... gone to the dogs!

The Iraq War - John Kerry in His Own Words

The Republican National Committee has released a video of John Kerry's stance on the Iraq War. The interesting thing about this video is that its entire content is comprised of footage of John Kerry describing his position in his own words, actual quotes made by John Kerry and voting record facts straight from the U.S. Senate.

The video is a bit lengthy, probably about 10 minutes in its entirety, but I recommend watching it if for nothing more than to educate yourself about just how often and easily Mr. Kerry will change his position on things as important as engaging in war. Personally, I did not know just how often he had flip-flopped on the this issue until seeing his voting record on waging war against Iraq as far back as January 1991.

Yes, this is a propaganda piece. Please don't say you have not been forewarned. It was produced by the RNC, so I would expect no less. The interesting thing, however, is that the RNC has done none of the traditional mud-slinging as would be typical of a propaganda video. They have actually done a very good job of documenting and clearly laying out Mr. Kerry's numerous flip-flop opinions on the Iraq War which cannot be refuted because his votes are part of the Senate's voting records and his opinions have been recorded on video as part of his guest appearances on shows such as Hardball, The O'Reilly Factor, and Face the Nation. As the common cliche goes, “Hindsight is 20-20.” In this case, seeing Senator Kerry's voting record and video-documented changes in his position on waging war against Iraq has served to convince me even more that to elect him as Commander and Chief of our armed forces would be a self-destructive move on our part.

As much as I disagree with much of what President Bush has done with respect to national prescription drug benefits through Medicare, his open embrace of illegal aliens and cow-towing to Mexican President Vicente Fox, I still believe he is the best person to lead our armed forces in this very volatile time. In our post- September 11th world, an era of worldwide terrorism on the part of Al Qaida, Hamas and Hezbollah, we need a Commander who will stand firm on his decision to protect America and her citizens from physical harm. We need a Commander who is not afraid to do what is in the best interests of his country even when it is contrary to what the U.N. wants. Remember, our President's job is first and foremost to his own people, not to the United Nations. Based on his record alone, I do not think Senator Kerry is the man for the job.

Many thanks to Jeremy Chrysler of pacetown for providing the link to this video.

Beware of the New Brand of Illegal Alien

We've been warned for quite some time now that if our government does nothing to seal our borders, especially our border with Mexico, we will soon see Middle Easterners, perhaps with the intention of causing harm to Americans and the United States, sneaking into the U.S. through our Southern border so as to avoid those pesky immigration officials who might well find some reason to keep them out of our country. Well, my friends, the chickens have come home to roost. The cow has jumped over the moon. Hell has frozen over. Whatever “it-will-never-happen” phrase you prefer, you need to wake up and smell the coffee because the “it-will-never-happen” scenario has become an “it-has-happened” reality.

The weekly newspaper of Tombstone, Arizona, The Tombstone Tumbleweed, reports that bands of Middle Eastern men, ensconced in large groups of Mexican illegal aliens, have been apprehended as they attempt to cross the border in Cochise County, Arizona. I am willing to extrapolate that if large numbers of Middle Eastern illegal aliens have been caught, there are probably as many, if not more, that have not been caught and have made into this country undetected.

As a resident of the “overrun by illegal aliens” state of California who follows the immigration news carefully, I can safely say that we have never seen such a large invasion of Middle Eastern illegal aliens as in these past couple of years, and even more recently, these past six months to one year. The fact that this is a relatively recent phenomena indicates that these Middle Eastern men are not immigrating illegally for the sake of financial relief. Had that been the case, we would have historically apprehended more Middle Eastern illegal aliens in proportion to other illegal alien ethnic groups than we have. To be sure, some of these men may indeed be coming here for work. However, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that all, or even a majority of them, are looking for financial opportunity. No doubt many are coming to this country to meet up with their brethren and wreck havoc on us.

I don't know what I can do to shed more light on this situation other than write about it here in my little blog. I am not even a big player in the blog world, so it is highly unlikely that anyone in an important position who could effect change on the situation (e.g., close the damn borders) would even find this post of mine in such an obscure blog. To make up for the shortcomings and obscurity of my blog, I'd like to ask that you all please forward this article from the Tombstone Tumbleweed on to others you know, or post it in your own blog. We need as much coverage and publicity for this matter than it would get from the Tombstone Tumbleweed and my little blog alone.

Thanks.

San Francisco puts Non-Citizen Voting Rights on November Ballot

The City of San Francisco continues to prove why America should force it to secede from the Union. With each additional crazy idea spewed forth by the people who live in and run that morally-devoid city, I am convinced that we need large fences around it in the spirit of the Berlin Wall to keep the rest of us safe and out of harm's way of the lunatics who inhabit and/or work for the City of San Francisco.

We already know that Mayor Gavin “Any-Twosome Newsom” (Unfortunately, I cannot take credit for that creative moniker. A listener to the Michael Savage radio talk show brainstormed it.) has created a firestorm by taking the law into his own hands and has snubbed California's voters by issuing marriage licenses to and performing marriage ceremonies for gay couples.

This time, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is pushing the envelope by attacking the very foundation upon which every country is based ... citizenship. They have decided to place a measure on the November ballot that would allow non-citizens to vote in local school board elections. Did you hear that?!? They want to let non-citizens vote! Not only that, but the measure would also allow ( !! politically-correct alert !! ) “undocumented immigrants”, otherwise more aptly known as illegal aliens, to vote.

To be sure, much of the civics and history education I received has fallen by the wayside, but I do recall very clearly from fundamental civics and history lessons in junior high school and high school that one of the privileges of citizenship was the ability to shape our country by having a voice in electing its leaders. In fact, voting is one of the primary privileges of citizenship. Now the SF Board of Supervisors wants to let non-citizens and illegal aliens vote? I'm feeling rather sick. Please excuse me while I race to the ladies room to vomit ...

... Whew. That was a close call.

This asinine (that's been my catch word for the last several days) attempt at devaluing American citizenship has got to be stopped cold. Yes, I realize that there are already other cities in the U.S. that allow non-citizens to vote in school board elections. But just because it is already being done elsewhere does not make it right.

Proponent of the measure, Carlo Petroni, is the founder of Movement for Immigrant Rights. (Actually, Movement for Immigrant Rights is a translation of the Spanish name the organization has chosen for itself. I refuse to print the Spanish-language name here because I believe English should be the official language of the United States.) In Petroni's words, “It's important because it integrates residents of the city who are disenfranchised in the decision-making process in schools.”

Well, paaaaardon me Mr. Petroni, but perhaps you had better pull out a dictionary before spouting off at the mouth like that. Look up the definition of 'disenfranchise.' Go ahead, I'll give you a minute.

*Jeopardy music plays in the background.*

What did you find Mr. Petroni? What's that? You don't want to tell us? That's OK. I'll tell everyone for you since the cat seems to have got your tongue. Here we have it folks, straight from the Webster's II New College Dictionary, ISBN 0-395-96215-5, Copyright © 2001.

dis·en·fran·chise vt. -chised, -chis·ing, -chis·es. To disfranchise.

Then, the definition of 'disfranchise' ...

dis·fran·chise vt. -chised, -chis·ing, -chis·es. 1. To deprive (an individual) of a right of citizenship, esp. of the right to vote. 2. To deprive (e.g., a corporation) of a franchise or privilege. - dis·fran'chise'ment

So, are the non-citizens and illegal aliens of San Francisco really being disenfranchised as Mr. Petroni claims? No. As non-citizens, they never had the right to vote in the first place! So Mr. Petroni's claim that they are being denied one of their basic rights (simply because they reside in San Francisco, whether legally or illegally) is nothing but hogwash and a lie. But then again, that's exactly what Liberals do. They spout off at the mouth with falsities, and in many cases, outright lies, that they hope will sink into our subconscious mind without question. Well, Mr. Petroni, I have news for you. I question. And I have found fault with your argument. And I will never agree to your idiotic claims at any time that we should give illegal aliens and non-citizens the right to vote.

Beyond the ethical and fundamental reasons of why non-citizens are not allowed to vote, there is the ever present human desire to always have what is just beyond our reach. Let's say we were to give non-citizens and illegal aliens the right to vote in SF School Board elections. *shudder* Would it end there? Not on your life. Pretty soon, activist groups would be pushing to allow them to vote in other city elections, then state elections, and finally, national elections, all in the name of “disenfranchisement of these poor, poor, pitiful non-citizens who live here but have no say in how our country works.” It all comes back to the old adage of “Give 'em an inch and they'll take a mile.” Or, in other words, devalue American citizenship to give them the right to vote in school board elections today and tomorrow they'll expect you to devalue American citizenship even more so they can vote in every election just like a true citizen.

I have absolutely no faith in the people of San Francisco, but that's all I can do at this point ... have faith that they will see through the insanity of this measure and nip it in the bud.

If you want to read the entire story, in all its gory glory, please visit the San Jose Mercury News website. Registration is required, but if you need a good blood-boiling session today, I would recommend it. Plus, you are bound to find more hilarious examples of the SF Bay Area's blatant Leftist views and illogical manner of thinking by scanning the pages of the Mercury News.

Signs that you know you're in California

You definitely know you're living in California if the following items apply to you.

• You make more than $300,000 per year but still cannot afford a house.
• You take a bus and are shocked to hear two people carrying on a conversation in English.
• You can't remember . . . is pot illegal?
• You have been to a baby shower that has two mothers and a sperm donor.
• A really great parking spot can move you to tears.
• Your co-worker has eight body piercings, but none of them are visible.
• You pay $1.00 more per gallon for a gallon of gasoline than anywhere else in the country.
• You spot a guy standing in line in a Starbucks at 8:30 a.m. wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses that looks like George Clooney. When he turns around, you see that HE REALLY IS George Clooney.
• Your monthly car insurance payment costs as much as your mortgage payment.
• It is barely sprinkling rain, but every news station you tune in to is reporting on “Storm Watch 2004.”
• You pass an elementary school playground and all the children are busy with their cell phones and pagers.
• You pass more cars proudly displaying a sticker with the Mexican flag than those with stickers of the American flag.

A big thanks goes out to Davis Burnett for sending this to me!

Supporting Our Troops in a Unorthodox Manner

As posted on Backcountry Conservative, a company called Exposure Manager is supporting our troops in an unorthodox way ... by offering free storage of digital photos to all troops currently stationed in Afghanistan, Africa and Iraq.

If you are a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, are currently on active duty in one of the countries listed, and would like free digital photo storage through Exposure Manager, send an email to donovan@exposuremanager.com.

If you have family or friends who are deployed, please let them know of this very generous offer. It is important for our troops to know that they have the support of their country behind them, no matter what they hear from the mainstream news media.

Rep. Culberson of Texas Aims Legislative Amendment at Illegal Aliens

All I can say is "It's about time a politician did the right thing when it comes to illegal immigration!"

According to the Houston Chronicle, Congressman John Culberson (R-Houston) introduced an amendment last Thursday, 15-July-2004, designed to prevent illegal aliens from opening bank accounts and accessing Social Security payments. In an utterly amazing turn of events, the amendment has actually made it through the House Appropriations subcommittee and will be heard before the full committee.

Culberson's amendment would be a first good step towards reducing the illegal alien population in this country. It is clear that our President has no interest in solidifying and defending our borders. In the absence of anything evenly remotely resembling enforcement of our immigration policy, it makes sense that we should be doing everything in our power to remove the tempting carrot from the eyesight of the horse; we need to make it as difficult to live as an illegal alien in this country as we possibly can.

Many illegal aliens come to this country and send money back to their native homeland to support their family members who have stayed behind. Last year alone, $15 billion was sent back to Mexico. As a native Californian who was born and raised in this now asinine and insane state, and who also worked as a public school teacher in a middle school in my hometown, I can tell you without a doubt that illegal aliens are sucking California's coffers dry. The only way our Democratically controlled state legislature knows of replenishing those coffers is to increase taxes and put more burden on the taxpaying, legal residents of California.

If the politicians would pull their heads out of their rear ends and eliminate any and all social program benefits being given to illegal aliens, I can assure you that the $15 billion sent back to Mexico would be much, much smaller. If illegal aliens are actually forced to pay for the state-funded services they use rather than leech off the hardworking, taxpaying legal residents of California, they will have very little money left over to send back to Mexico. It would be a win-win situation for all legal California residents. Not only will we pay out fewer taxes into social benefits for illegal aliens, but a good portion of that $15 billion will be returned to our nation's economy, thereby making it stronger in the process.

That's where Rep. Culberson's amendment is nothing short of simple brilliance. If illegal aliens are denied the ability to open bank accounts, the process of sending money back to their motherland becomes much more difficult, if not potentially impossible in some cases. How many illegal aliens come to this country to support their families back home? I don't have any numbers to answer that question, but I do firmly feel that it is a significant portion of them. If it is made extremely difficult or impossible for them to send that money back home, then maybe, just maybe, they won't bother trying to come here at all. Hey, we can all dream, can't we?

Furthermore, Culberson's amendment would deny Social Security benefits to illegal aliens. Again, all I can say is "It's about time!" I refer you back to my previous comment wherein I stated that I was born and raised in California and served as a middle school teacher in a public school district. What I failed to tell you was that my hometown just so happened to be located in the heart of California's San Joaquin Valley, the promised land of illegal aliens and ground zero for their invasion of California.

I spent 26 years living in my hometown. My father owns his own small, service industry business that provides industrial cleaning services for the entire county and for portions of the neighboring counties located to the West and North. I spent 14 years working with him in one capacity or another on a part time basis, usually on weekends as school permitted. During my 14 years working with him, I must have met every family in the county and then some. I was also given a unique inside look into the homes, businesses and lives of some of the areas most prominent farmers and had many occasions to talk to them about their businesses.

Did you know that most illegal aliens are paid under the table? Their wages are not reported to the Internal Revenue Service because (1) it is a crime to hire an illegal alien, and (2) if the employer reports wages to the IRS, he/she must then pay taxes on those wages. Employers are required by law to pay 50% of an employee's Social Security taxes, so the Social Security taxes you see being taken from your paycheck represent only half of what is actually being paid to the government; your employer is paying the other half.

So, let's see if we can't do some fundamental reasoning here. A farmer needs to hire someone to help harvest his crops. He hires an illegal alien. There is no motivation on his part to report his newly hired illegal alien employee to the government, so he pays this new employee under-the-table, cash, and does not report those wages to the IRS. If no wages are reported, then no Social Security taxes are being paid. Hmmm. Many illegal aliens are paying no Social Security taxes, yet there must be some provision in the law that allows them to receive Social Security benefits; otherwise, there would be no reason for Culberson to deny Social Security benefits to illegal aliens in his amendment.

Why didn't someone do something about this sooner? Oh, silly me, I forgot where I was for a moment. I am in politically correct U.S.A. where it is considered blasphemy to love your country and want to support your fellow citizens instead of illegal aliens. If someone were to have said anything in opposition to making it easier for illegal aliens to live here and leech from our system, they would have been branded with a scarlet letter 'R' for racism, tarred and feathered, and then run out of town.

Culberson must be one of the bravest politicians in our Federal Government today. With the exception of Tom Tancredo, one of Colorado's state senators, he is the only politician I have heard of in recent years who is actually trying to do something about our illegal alien problem. I would like my readers to support Culberson's efforts. I encourage you to send him a letter to thank him for standing up not only for what is right but for what will ultimately reduce the tremendous financial burden illegal aliens place on our country and add to our nation's security by hopefully reducing the tidal waves of illegal aliens who make it through our porous border each and every day. Do this even if you do not live in his district. In fact, if you live outside his district, it is even more imperative that you contact him so he will know that his work is making an impact across the nation and is felt from sea to shining sea.

Culberson's website is http://www.culberson.house.gov. His other contact information is as follows.

Congressman John Culberson
1728 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-4307
Phone: (202) 225-2571
Fax: (202) 225-4381

To email him, you must use the contact form located on his website.

If you write or call and receive a response from Rep. Culberson, please forward a copy of his response to me, and I will post it here on this blog.