TAKE THE FENCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS?

Are you believing this nonsense?

It's as if we're not even a sovereign country any more. The United States doesn't exist. There are no borders. The U.S. is nothing but a grandiose economic system providing jobs to Mexicans and shoring up the corrupt Mexican government in the process.

Why the outrage? Well, as you should know, Bush is saying he is going to sign a bill that calls for the construction of a fence along about 700 miles of the U.S. border with Mexico. That fence will be built on our side of the border. On U.S. territory --- if there is any such thing any more.

Well .... actually the Mexicans don't seem to think that there is any such thing as "U.S. territory." They're raising hell about the fence and -- now get this -- they want the United Nations to stop it. The message here is that we have no right to protect our border. We have no right to keep people from entering into this country illegally.

Vicente Fox only has about seven weeks left in his presidency, but he has dispatched his foreign secretary, Luis Ernesto Derbez, to Europe on a mission. Part of that mission is to complain about the border fence. So far Sr. Derbez has talked to the French foreign minister about the fence, and now he's on his way to complain to the governments of Spain and Italy. Derbez says he will continue his campaign against the border fence until Fox's last day in office.

What the hell? This payaso is traveling around Europe complaining that the United States is building a fence to keep his countrymen from crossing into our country illegally? This is absurd?

Well .. .maybe not so absurd if you look at it through the eyes of Derbez and his cronies in the Mexican government. First -- they truly feel that the border is illegitimate in the first place. That border runs along the states of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Those states, and the southern half of Colorado, are what many Mexicans refer to as the "Republica del Norte." The area used to be part of Mexico -- or whatever preceded Mexico -- and is now being "re-conquered." Go ahead. Google "Republica del Norte" and take a trip through the 12,000+ hits you'll get.

This stream of Mexicans across our border is an invasion, not a migration. They're invaders, not immigrants.

I don't give a flying leap how many bales of pine straw they spread, how many square miles of sheetrock they hang, how many homes they build, how many cars they buff up as they emerge from the car wash .... I don't care. It's an invasion just the same. No real attempt is being made to assimilate into American culture. No interest is shown in learning to speak anything past basic English. Why should they? The ultimate goal is their own country, or a brand new northern state to be part of Mexico. Instead of trying to become part of our society, they write magazine articles informing us that "Los Angeles is Ours."

So .. .along comes this idea for a border fence, and they react is if they are being fenced off from something that belongs to them! They react that way because they feel that way.

In case you are one of the few out there who are wondering how it is that the Republicans came to be in such trouble in this upcoming election .... look at the stream of Mexican invaders coming across our borders. What have the Republicans done to stop it? The border fence? Hey, it's about 1400 miles too short. Besides ... and here's the key ... it hasn't been funded yet, and there are some serious doubts as to whether or not the congress will fund that fence at all.

READ THE FINE PRINT: NO BORDER FENCE!!!!!

“No sooner did Congress authorize construction of a 700-mile fence on the U.S.-Mexico border last week than lawmakers rushed to approve separate legislation that ensures it will never be built, at least not as advertised, according to Republican lawmakers and immigration experts.”

— Washington Post, October 6, 2006

Surprise, surprise. What Congress gives, Congress takes away. In the last days of the Congress, both the House and Senate passed bills that would allow the construction of a 700 mile fence–or so we thought. As Perot said, “the devil is in the details”. Looks like everyone in Congress winked and had their fingers crossed behind their backs when they passed the “Border Fence” bill.

It is nothing of the sort. In fact, it is the type of legislation that makes people feel sick about government and politics. They tell us one thing, send out press release busting their buttons. But the truth is just the opposite of what they are crowing about. This measure along with the Presidents call today for a “path to citizenship” for those that have violated our immigration laws, will cause some GOP’ers to lose — when their base realizes they had been had by the DC crowd.

“You can’t kick 12 million people out of your country,” President Bush said at the White House celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. “We must figure out a way to say to those that if you’re lawful and if you’ve contributed to the United States of America, there is a way for you to eventually earn citizenship.”

Does anybody buy this? He says, “if you’re lawful”. Well, they are illegal aliens, they broke the law — they are not lawful. They use phony ID’s, they are not lawful. They use phony Social Security numbers, they are not lawful. By definition, the 12 million are not, and can never be “lawful”.

Now, the Washington Post has exposed this canard on the honest citizens of the United States. With all the exceptions, permissions, regulations, individuals and agencies that must approve “every inch” of the fence–it will never be built. I wonder when they were going to tell us? This was to be a 700 mile fence, yet even Senator Gregg says we will only get 300-400 miles–he was being kind–if we get 100 miles we should be happy.

What do you think, is this the right way to treat the honest people in the U.S.? Should the President, Hasert or Frist mentioned that it will be impossible, with the bill they passed, to build a fence?

UPDATE:
Michelle Malkin isn’t surprised.

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Steve Frank is the publisher of California Political News and Views and a Senior Contributor to CaliforniaConservative.org. He is also a consultant currently working on gambling issues and advising other consultants on policy and coalition building.

Read more of his work here or at his blog.

WE ARE IN RANGE; ANOTHER TEST COMING?

By Michelle Malkin

A military reader sends an illustration of the various ranges of North Korea's missiles. He writes: "Looking at their Taepo Dong 2 (two stage) missile range, nearly half our country is in range."

Good morning to you, too.

***

Taken with a grain of salt, but Russia's defense minister sez:

North Korea's nuclear test was equivalent to 5,000 tons to 15,000 tons of TNT.

That would be far greater than the force given by South Korea's geological institute, which estimated it at just 550 tons of TNT.

By comparison the bomb the United States dropped on Hiroshima during World War II was equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT.

In 1996, France detonated a bomb beneath Fangataufa Atoll about 750 miles southeast of Tahiti that had a yield of about 120,000 tons of TNT.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it recorded a magnitude-4.2 seismic event in northeastern North Korea. Asian neighbors also said they registered a seismic event, but only Russia said its monitoring services had detected a nuclear explosion.

No one has reported detecting any radiation.

Pajamas Media editor Richard Fernandez interviews Dr. Robert Ayson of the Graduate Studies in Strategy and Defence at the Australian National University to gauge how Australia and Japan might react to the North Korean nuclear test.

Update: Via Reuters...

The chief of South Korea's intelligence agency told lawmakers on Monday it was possible North Korea would carry out a second nuclear test, Seoul's Yonhap news agency quoted one MP as saying.

The lawmaker also quoted Kim Seung-gyu, head of the National Intelligence Service, as telling a closed-door parliamentary committee meeting that unusual signs had been detected at a North Korean town in the afternoon.

SWANN RIDICULES RENDELL'S REFORM AGENDA

Just days after mopping the floor with Rendell’s quid pro quo agenda, Lynn Swann has positively put Rendell on the defensive. According to this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, the Swann campaign is keeping the pressure on Rendell. That pressure is starting to show up in the Rendell campaign’s not responding directly to the core issue:

“This is another reckless charge from Lynn Swann, the latest in a pattern of false and misleading charges he and his running mate have made,” said Dan Fee, Mr. Rendell’s campaign press secretary. “The fact is, as even Lynn Swann admits, Governor Rendell was not on the plane with any gaming lobbyist and the use of the plane is disclosed, which is how Swann even knew who was on it.”

Mr. Fee is attempting a little political slight-of-hand here because he knows that Rendell is married to the status quo. As I said here, Rendell comes across as disingenuous when he’s talking about specific reforms. Rendell isn’t serious about reforming the system. He’s worked hard to create the current system, starting in 197 as Philadelphia’s District Attorney, as Philadelphia’s mayor from 1991-1999 and now as Pennsylvania’s governor since 2002.

Rendell ran a Chicago-style political machine in Philadelphia, then brought that machine to Harrisburg. It’s noteworthy to notice that he didn’t start proposing reforms until Swann buried him on the issue.

I’d bet the proverbial ranch that Rendell’s ‘reform fever’ subsides a minute after winning re-election. What happened Wednesday night was that Lynn Swann exposed Rendell as a status quo politician. Now that Swann found a winning issue, expect him to exploit that issue from now until Election Day. Expect Pennsylvanians to positively respond to that message. Expect Pennsylvanians to elect Lynn Swann this November.

PELOSINOMICS

That’s the title for this IBD article, an article that takes a number of swipes at Pelosi’s rhetoric about the Bush economy. Make sure you read it all. Here’s my favorite section:

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has been all over the place talking about what Democrats will do after they win Nov. 7. But it’s hard to take her seriously when she promises to “jump-start our economy and reform our economic policy…to address the needs of working families.”
Huh?
“Jump-start the economy”? That’s what President Bush did in 2003, when he pushed through bold, broad tax cuts to end a slump that began in 2000 under a Democratic administration. Since the cuts took effect, the economy has added $1.26 trillion in real output, $14.4 trillion in net wealth and 5.8 million new jobs, while productivity has grown 10% and business investment 24%. Since 2000, total consumer spending has risen $1 trillion, nearly $8,000 per household, after adjusting for inflation. The Dow Jones industrial average is hitting new highs.
Then there’s the budget deficit, which the Congressional Budget Office reckons will come in around $250 billion. By our calculations, that’s about 1.9% of total output. In early 2004, when Bush vowed to halve the shortfall, it stood at 3.6% of GDP.

Ms. Pelosi has made disparaging statements on everything Bush part of her daily babblings, whether it’s on Iraq, the other fronts on the GWOT or the economy. Her incessant whining is annoying and dishonest at best. She’s ignoring the facts listed above. She’s praying that dishonest talk will persuade more voters than do the facts.

Hoping that the American people are ignorant is a routine practice with Democrats. As you’ve noticed, it isn’t a productive strategy.

VOTE GOP BECAUSE.....

While most of us who call ourselves conservatives struggle for an answer to that question, a look back as to why the question is posed at all might be helpful.

In 1994, the electorate sees a motivated and impassioned GOP come out of the political wilderness and take control of the House of Representatives from a thoroughly scandal-scarred and idea-bereft Democratic Party.

What follows is a slow but steady ideal and ethical erosion of policy that may finally have caught up with the Republican Party. In this, the two major parties in Washington claim a distinction, but may fundamentally lack a difference.

Once upon a time, Republicans had a field day pointing out the inability of one President Bill Clinton and by extension the Democratic Party from stumbling into one scandal after another.

So now, the present-day GOP, led by President George W. Bush, have lately been rocked by illegality, scandal, charges of racism, and anything else that the Democrats and their happy helpers, the mainstream media, can pin on them.

Witness the bizarre yet mammoth troubles of House member Mark Foley, (R-Fla.) who, besides resigning his seat last week immediately after reports that he sent sexually inappropriate e-mails to underage male congressional interns, may now possibly face criminal charges, maybe even a charge of pedophilia.

Preceding Foley’s complete lack of moral judgment and his “thinking with my–ahem–little head” behavior were the over-publicized yet real troubles of former House majority Leader Tom DeLay and his dealings with K-Street’s top super lobbyist and now convicted felon, Jack Abramoff.

Though DeLay was essentially found innocent of any wrong doing in relation to Abramoff, just the association with him was enough to end his political career. But then, the facts never got in the way of a good story when it came to election politics.

Like grass within the cracks of concrete, other political scandals started cropping up. In March of this year, California Congressman Randy “Duke” Cunningham gets eight-plus years in prison for taking bribes from defense contractors.

Ohio Representative and GOP leader Bob Ney pleads guilty to corruption charges in connection with Jack Abramoff and withdraws from his reelection campaign, and further resigns from the House of Representatives.

Even tenuous circumstances–and outright fabrications–like the troubles that now dog Senator George Allen, (R-Va.) over the supposed use of racial epithet to describe blacks seem to take on a new meaning when lumped together with all else that ails the GOP.

And the record for the GOP to run on? Well, it can’t be all terrorism, all the time, can it? If your President Bush, the obvious answer is a resounding “Heck yes, it’s all we got!” Four weeks out from Election Day, it certainly seems as much.

Though the economy is the best that it’s been since the late nineties, it still remains the most underreported story of the last five years. Low unemployment (4.7%)? Budget deficit lower than expected (111 billion less)? Non-threatening core inflation rates?

Who cares? We have the GOP congressman possibly engaged in serious “criminal behavior” with minors. Gas prices plunging nationwide (down 17%)? Hah!

Democrats and the media are too busy happily proclaiming that they were right all along last year when the designated the GOP as being wed to a “Culture of Corruption.”

And right now, as disgraced Congressman Mark Foley packs up the contents of his House office, who can, with unvarnished conviction, argue with them?

During the last two election cycles, Republicans bucked the odds and added seats to both houses of Congress. Thanks largely to the commitment of President Bush to fight terrorism at home and abroad and keep America safe, the GOP managed to stay out of trouble just long enough to get past those elections.

But what will stop a complete slide into minority-status for the GOP now? Don’t count too largely upon Bush, whose popularity and poll numbers resemble college football scores than anything worth shouting about. If the Democrats can manage to actually use these GOP missteps smartly, a change in majority may come to pass next month.

However, that’s a very big “if” when one considers just who comprises the Democratic Party. It is the party that has consistently overplayed its hate against the Republican Party. From the theatrics at the Paul Wellstone memorial, the outspokenness of former Presidents Carter and Clinton, to the made-for-TV assassination of President Bush, the party of FDR can’t seem to roll a rock downhill.

For the GOP though, the nightmare will continue, at least for a few more weeks, anyway. Expect Democrats and the media to sensationalize everything from Mark Foley’s incredible lack of judgment, to Vice President Dick Cheney “menacing scowl” at a New York Times reporter.

But in the end, Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. As this campaign season now goes from bad to worse, the GOP might soon be running campaign ads that will basically say:

“Vote GOP, because the alternative is even worse than we are.”

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Vincent Fiore is a freelance political writer who lives in New York City. His work can be seen throughout the Internet, including the American Conservative Union, GOPUSA, Human Events, and theconservativevoice. Vincent is a staff writer for the New Media Alliance and a contributing writer for NewsBusters.org.