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Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Obama loaned half $billion to build cars - in Finland!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 10/21/2011 13:22 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
Napolitano: DHS Authorizing Illegal Aliens to Work in U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that under the administration's policy of exercising "prosecutorial discretion" in the enforcement of the immigration laws, her department is currently authorizing some illegal aliens to work in the United States.

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, asked Napolitano: "According to the information from your department, some individuals who are given relief will obtain work authorizations. So people with no right to be in the country will be allowed to work here. Is that correct?"
Bah. Just a drop in an ocean. There are around 8 million illegal aliens working in the US. That equates to 5.2% of the 154 million jobs in the US w/ an "official" (read "bullshit") unemployment rate of 9.1%. BTW, there are 100,000 fewer jobs in the civilian work force than 1 year ago while the population has grown by 3 million. I.e. the US must add 1.5 million new jobs just to tread water.
Posted by: Eohippus Phater7165 || 10/21/2011 00:38 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  (1) Reform the Visa laws to allow more folks with skills to come in legally and to monitor them (2) Pass eVerify to stop the hiring(3) Build fences to lesson the reamining flow (4) Have the military practice interdiction in the remaining desert areas (5) Pass a law that holds illegal federal offenders to especially long sentences. (6) Promote the whole thing as an effort to help the poor immigrants and migrant workers and stop the drug and human trafficing.

Problem would be solved fairly rapidly.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 10/21/2011 10:25 Comments || Top||

#2  Who authorized DHS to authorize illegals to work here? Doesn't that come under the jurisdiction of the State Department? I'm no lawyer but it sounds like Big Sis is overstepping her bounds.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 10/21/2011 11:49 Comments || Top||

#3  simpler solution rjschwarz:

increase the fine for illegally employing illegal aliens to the neighborhood of $10K per illegal. then pay out 1/2 the fine as a reward for 'dropping the dime' on an employer who is in violation.

everyone that works at acme corp knows they use illegals, and would happily rat them out for $5k. acme corp knows this, so they purge their payrolls.

without a money line, those here illegally self deport.

word spreads in the home country, the flood stops.
Posted by: abu do you love || 10/21/2011 12:08 Comments || Top||

#4  let me guess what's next.... DHS allows them to vote next year?
Posted by: Frank G || 10/21/2011 12:22 Comments || Top||

#5  It's your local Registrar of Voters who lets them vote.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 10/21/2011 13:06 Comments || Top||

#6  Why not AUCTION the right to work legally.

Those who paid who have an incentive to inform on free-loaders.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/21/2011 13:23 Comments || Top||

#7  It's your local Registrar of Voters who lets them vote.

Tell me about it. Of course those same registrars seem to have had a lot of problems getting the absentee ballots to the troops IAW federal law in a timely manner. Not that DoJ is concerned about that either.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/21/2011 13:40 Comments || Top||

#8  #6: Why not AUCTION the right to work legally.

You're kidding, right?

The people who can get in legally are already those who are willing and able to fork over $400 to $600 per document, repeatedly, and wait however many years for the bureaucrats to look at their papers, again. Middle daughter's first wedding anniversary came and went with her husband still waiting for his visa. She has spent more than $2000 on documents so far, plus fees for her immigration lawyer. Between the time she filed the first set and the time, nine months later, when ICE got around to looking at it, they changed the rules and rejected her application even though it was correct according to the rules at the time it was filed.

Meanwhile, the UndieBomber got his visa with no trouble because his daddy was rich enough that Immigration figured he had a good enough life in Nigeria that he'd be willing to go back to it. And his daddy had he money to keep on filing forms as needed.

Our son in law is from a small village, started school at age 11, won a high school scholarship at age 16 and then won a prestigious university scholarship, one of maybe 800 to be accepted out of 80,000 applicants, and is now a teacher whenever the govt has actual money to pay teachers (when it doesn't, our SIL unloads freighters). He's not considered worthy enough of a US visa by our bureaucrats, apparently.
Posted by: mom || 10/21/2011 13:41 Comments || Top||

#9  What about those companies that in good faith submit employee information for eVerify, only to get in trouble when illegals are found? It's been known to happen, though less often than the other way round...
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/21/2011 14:02 Comments || Top||

#10  The legals bust ass and pay bills to be so, a general hand waive amnesty is really a disservice to those who do so.

Auction, don't think so, rather be around one good man from Mexico than 10 of these Undiebomber Princes.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 10/21/2011 15:05 Comments || Top||

#11  It's your local Registrar of Voters who lets them vote.

as well as the dead, felons, and imaginary friends.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/21/2011 15:24 Comments || Top||

#12  mom - I feel your pain. Just want until the state department gets a hold of it. (State is the ones who conduct the interview and issue the actual Visa). Been there... done that. Didn't even get a frigging T-shirt. (did however get a wonderful wife - in spite of them.).

Meanwhile this cow is allowing people who violate our laws to come here and take jobs americans are fully willing to do. "prosecutorial discretion" my ass - this is aiding and abedding a criminal act.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/21/2011 15:35 Comments || Top||

#13  Does that not exceed her authority?
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/21/2011 16:57 Comments || Top||

#14  Well, the AG breaks laws all the time, and so far he has not o-fish-ally exceeded his authority......
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 10/21/2011 17:24 Comments || Top||

#15  "Mom",

I cannot see your point? Auction = less bureaucrats.

Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/21/2011 18:27 Comments || Top||

#16  Auction = less bureaucrats.
You're up too late, BP.

Filing the paperwork feels like the equivalent of a crooked auction. I'm reminded of the swine of a realtor who jiggered the auction of my late cousin's property so that a black family couldn't buy the house.

If you're from some countries (a relative of King Abdullah, for example), you get the express lane. If you have a college education from certain countries, you have an easier time. If you're from certain other countries, and don't have the front money as the Undiebombers' daddy did, the bureaucrats drag and drag and drag the process out and hope you go away. Of course they still eat your fees.
Posted by: mom || 10/21/2011 19:41 Comments || Top||

#17  Congress makes the laws, the Executive branch enforces them. Executive agencies cannot make regulations that conflict with the legislation that authorizes the scope of the agency's powers.

DHS isn't making regulations or, incredibly, doing anything illegal. As a member of the Obama administration, Incompetano is an executive official, which decides, as a matter of policy, which laws to enforce. I.e., the executive is just reporting to the legislative specifically how and to what extent they do not plan to enforce certain of their stupid so-called "laws."

Since it's all policy and politics, the only remedy is elections.
Posted by: RandomJD || 10/21/2011 19:44 Comments || Top||

#18  I forgot to add: some political analysts have noticed that BHO seems to have his foot on the gas with his commie wish list, as if to say, TOGA! TOGA! TOGA! since they know Delta House will all probably be expelled next year anyway.
Posted by: RandomJD || 10/21/2011 20:00 Comments || Top||


Announcing Retirement, Dem Congressman Bashes Obama
[National Journal] Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Calif., announced his retirement from Congress this afternoon -- and he issued a scathing parting shot at President B.O.'s track record on his way out.

In a statement explaining his decision, Cardoza, a leader of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, said he was "dismayed" by the administration's "failure to understand and effectively address the current housing foreclosure crisis."

"Home foreclosures are destroying communities and crushing our economy, and the Administration's inaction is infuriating," Cardoza said.

A former chairman of the moderate Blue Dog Caucus, Cardoza also bemoaned the increasing partisanship in Washington, and blamed the media for fueling the ideological divide in the country, not giving enough attention to moderates.

Cardoza is the sixth member -- all Democrats -- to announce plans to retire outright so far. He's also the third member of the Blue Dog Caucus to head for the exits -- joining fellow moderate Reps. Dan Boren, D-Okla., and Mike Ross, D-Ark.

The five-term congressman had become an increasingly-vocal critic of his own party's leadership in recent months, fueled by the skyrocketing unemployment in his Central Valley district. He's previously criticized the administration on its handling of the foreclosure crisis - but it's rare to see a departing congressman blast the president in an official statement.
Posted by: Fred || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The good congressman is wrong - Obama, Dodd, Franks, and the others fully understand the mortgage and forclosure crisis. And they are effectively addressing it.

It's just that they want to exploit it for their own monetary and political gain and not solve it.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/21/2011 0:55 Comments || Top||

#2  I bought an over-priced house I couldn't afford based on the knowledge that 9/10 times I'd make bundles with no work.

Now it's gone wrong TAXPAYERS have a duty to prevent me taking a loss, and to stop houses being affordable!

This is surely capitalism?

/sarc.

REMEMBER: foreclosure is a zero sum game.
Falling Affordability is a sign of falling (not growing) wealth.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/21/2011 6:36 Comments || Top||

#3  REMEMBER: foreclosure is a zero sum game

Don't you mean a "negative sum" (everybody loses)?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 8:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Owner loses
Bank loses
Buyer gains a house at a bargain
Posted by: Cincinnatus Chili || 10/21/2011 8:17 Comments || Top||

#5  In fact, slight positive. If the over-valuation of houses was destroying the economy (as it was).
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/21/2011 8:20 Comments || Top||

#6  That's public good---not part of the players' payoffs.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 8:55 Comments || Top||

#7  Cincinnatus Chili Hello!, Not anymore. Banks are going after properties now. Foreclose then sell. The buyer owes the difference. You can't just walk away now.
In Ireland the government is taking over the foreclosed property then rents it back to the former qualified owner. Part of the rent goes to the original lender. Can you imagine that here. I can.
Posted by: Dale || 10/21/2011 9:24 Comments || Top||

#8  Gives new meaning to "government housing."
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/21/2011 16:50 Comments || Top||

#9  Oops! "buyer owes the difference" the one in default.
Posted by: Dale || 10/21/2011 17:26 Comments || Top||


GOP Finally Challenging Obumble Admin on Junk Science
Several Republican lawmakers are challenging the Obama administration's science czar over what they claim are repeat incidents of "scientific misconduct" among agencies, questioning whether officials who deal with everything from endangered species to nuclear waste are using "sound science."

The letter sent Wednesday to John Holdren, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, cited four specific controversies in recent years where scientific findings were questioned. Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and James Inhofe, R-Okla., and Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., rattled off a slew of questions on what they called "the apparent collapse in the quality of scientific work being conducted at our federal agencies."

"Specifically, we are concerned with data quality, integrity of methodologies and collection of information, agencies misrepresenting publicly the weight of scientific 'facts,' indefensible representations of scientific conclusions before our federal court system, and our fundamental notions of 'sound' science," they wrote. "We identify in this letter important examples of agency scientific misconduct."

Inhofe spokesman Matt Dempsey told FoxNews.com the issues in the letter had been on Republicans' radar screen "for some time." But he said the lawmakers decided to compile them and confront the administration about it out of concern that a "trend" was developing.

"The concern is there's a lot more there," he said.

White House representatives so far have not returned requests for comment on the letter.

The Republicans' letter cycles through several incidents the lawmakers claim to be troubling.

One concerned the controversy over a temporary deepwater drilling moratorium was issued in May 2010. In the announcement, the Interior Department said the report's recommendations had been "peer-reviewed" by experts with the National Academy of Engineering. But those experts later complained, saying the moratorium was not among their approved recommendations -- this led to an apology from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Interior officials later told the inspector general's office probing the incident they did not intend to imply those experts supported the drilling ban.

The GOP lawmakers, though, said the incident shows "blatant political influence" in the decision making.

The lawmakers also questioned an EPA assessment on the dangers posed by formaldehyde -- the National Research Council earlier this year claimed the assessment did not adequately back up some of its claims, including claims that the chemical causes leukemia and respiratory tract cancers.

In another case, the lawmakers highlighted the scolding a federal judge gave the Fish and Wildlife Service last month over testimony in defense of a plan to protect a tiny fish called delta smelt by diverting water in California away from farmland. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger said the testimony was "riddled with inconsistency."

In their letter, the lawmakers focused most on concerns about the 2009 decision to pull the plug on the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste site in Nevada. The project years in the making faced heavy opposition in Nevada.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu in 2009 said the project was simply not a "workable option." In early 2010, the department withdrew its license application for the site, and moved instead to impanel a commission to look at alternative sites. A department filing at the time noted that scientific knowledge on nuclear waste had "advanced dramatically" in the 20 years since the project started.

But the Government Accountability Office said in an April report the DOE did not cite "technical or safety issues" in its decision.

"Amid uncertainty over whether it had the authority to terminate the Yucca Mountain repository program, DOE terminated the program without formally assessing the risks stemming from the shutdown, including the possibility that it might have to resume the repository effort," the report said.

A June report from Republicans on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee also said the panel could not find a "single document" to support claims that Yucca Mountain is unsafe for nuclear waste.

Not all Republicans are united in backing the Yucca site, however.

It's a sensitive issue in Nevada, and at the Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas Tuesday night top GOP candidates said the federal government should not be sticking Nevada with the waste.

"The idea that 49 states can tell Nevada, 'We want to give you our nuclear waste,' doesn't make a lot of sense," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said.
That's a political decision, and fair enough. Just don't use junk science to justify it.
For the incidents cited in the letter to Holdren, the lawmakers asked for more information about how the alleged missteps occurred and what the administration intends to do about them.

Though Inhofe is best known on the scientific front for challenging climate change science and the regulations that emerge from it, the letter did not specifically address climate change.

But in a separate letter, the Competitive Enterprise Institute on Tuesday sent a Freedom of Information Act request to Holdren's office asking for records on coordination between his office and the United Nations climate change panel.

In a statement, the group charged that a U.N. plan would "hide" online correspondence by using non-governmental accounts. CEI urged the White House to use official email channels.
Posted by: Shomotle Omereger7775 || 10/21/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Isn't that the same Holdren who used to work for Mitt Romney in MA?
Posted by: Iblis || 10/21/2011 0:13 Comments || Top||

#2  It shall take years and years to reverse this damage.
Posted by: newc || 10/21/2011 1:28 Comments || Top||

#3  It shall take years and years to reverse this damage.

What I like about you Americans is your optimism. Me, I'm a natural born pessimist. I'd say generations---if at all.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/21/2011 6:52 Comments || Top||

#4  "The idea that 49 states can tell Nevada, 'We want to give you our nuclear waste,' doesn't make a lot of sense," former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said

The exact same argument is presented for every NIMBY project. Did they ask the citizens of New Mexico if it wanted to be the first placed nuked on the planet?

So, we're going to leave the high level contaminants just sit around in even more exposed and vulnerable locations and continue to accumulate. Great plan. /sarc off
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/21/2011 7:54 Comments || Top||

#5  We could put all the waste in that park the "Occupy" wackjobs are at. Solve two problems at once.
Posted by: Silentbrick - Halliburton Lost Drill Bit Division || 10/21/2011 9:12 Comments || Top||

#6  Not that I disagree with this, but the Republicans should be careful in that a number of them believe in Creationism and/or Intelligent Design and are open to anti-science claims.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 10/21/2011 10:21 Comments || Top||

#7  While they are at it, how about questioning the Donks on junk economics, junk financing, junk governing, junk cronyism, junk health care, junk green poppycock, junk elections, and the stolen money.
Posted by: JohnQC || 10/21/2011 16:56 Comments || Top||

#8  2011 Perts-claimed "PERMAMENT" GLOBAL WARMING + ICE AGE = future "THE GREAT/MIGHTY SLUSHY", courtesy of 1960's-70's Guam Taotamonas.

And to think it only took a mere 35-45 years for non-MADONNA FANS in Govt-Science to find out.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 10/21/2011 20:20 Comments || Top||

#9  Also, WAFF > PROJECT "BLUE BEAM"!, courtesy of NASA-JPL.

Besides having "Eye(s) in the Sky", the US will als be capable one day of projecting HOLOGRAPHS + RELATED IMAGES in the sky.

IOW, the high atmosphere is just one massive, Planet-sized, Internet + CGI-style image "Blue Screen" save wid pesky natural white clouds, etc. frolicking about distorting the transmission.

[BACK TO THE FUTURE III: CYBER/INTERACTIVE SIDEWALK HOLOGRAM SHARK here].

D *** NG IT, WE IN NASA + INTEL-PYWAR ARE STILL TRYING TO TRICK MADONNA FANS + TAOTAMONAS FROM GUAM AGAIN, AREN'T WE?
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 10/21/2011 21:29 Comments || Top||

#10  ION TOPIX > SCIENTISTS FEAR SUPER-VOLCANO FORMING IN BOLIVIA.

Testing HUGO???

ALso, Scientists are loking at whether HAWAII faces a similar UW landslide as the CANARY ISLANDS [Los Palma], wid follow-on tsunami risk for the US West Coast, as due to weak UW volcanic formations.

D *** NG IT, HAWAII CAN'T DO THAT, AS THE "KAMALEN/CAMARIN" EVENT BELONGS TO GUAM!
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 10/21/2011 22:56 Comments || Top||



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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2011-10-21
  Libyan fighters hoist govt flag above captured Sirte
Thu 2011-10-20
  Qadaffy titzup
Wed 2011-10-19
  Libyans push into Qaddafi hometown from east
Tue 2011-10-18
  Shalit reunited with family, Paleo prisoners freed
Mon 2011-10-17
  Mexican Army rescues 61 kidnap victims, seizes drugs
Sun 2011-10-16
  US missiles kill six in South Waziristan
Sat 2011-10-15
  Son of the spiritual head of the Egyptian Islamic Group killed in Afghanistan
Fri 2011-10-14
  10 militants killed in drone attacks
Thu 2011-10-13
  Haqqani big shot confirmed killed in Pakistan
Wed 2011-10-12
  Underwear bomber pleads guilty to all counts
Tue 2011-10-11
  Breaking: Feds Thwart Iran-Tied Terror Plot Against Saudi, Israeli Targets in D.C.
Mon 2011-10-10
  Syria warns countries not to recognize opposition
Sun 2011-10-09
  Yemen president says ready to quit within days
Sat 2011-10-08
  Mexican security forces find 46 dead in Veracruz
Fri 2011-10-07
  Doctor Who Helped U.S. Find Osama Bin Laden May Hang


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