Known Associate of Terror Group Got White House Meeting....

From The Hill:

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-N.Y.) has asked the Obama administration to explain why a member of a known terrorist group was allowed to enter the United States last week and participate in high-level meetings at the White House and State Department.

King wrote to Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Sunday to ask several questions about Hani Nour Eldin's visit last week. Eldin is a member of Egypt's parliament, but he is also a member of Gamaa Islamiya, or the the Islamic Group, which has been linked to violence in Egypt and is a designated terrorist organization.

"Mr. Eldin's membership in the Islamic Group is a matter of public record, and reportedly even disclosed on his Facebook page," King wrote.

"I am aware that there may be legitimate diplomatic reasons to grant a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization a visa to visit the United States, such as for example in furtherance of peace negotiations," he added. "However, the nature of Eldin's visit suggests an absence of full vetting rather than a policy choice, or perhaps a break-down in the screening missions of and coordination among our federal agencies."

King noted that last week, Eldin met with senior State Department officials and reportedly requested the transfer of the jailed leader of his group to Egyptian custody.

Geez, no wonder Obama and Big Sis are pulling back Homeland Security enforcement against illegals....they can't even keep a terrorist from visiting the White House!!!!

Operation Fast and Furious: Heads Beginning to Roll...Where's Holder's?

The figurative guillotine is being fed in DC and Arizona. Two key people involved in the disastrous Operation Gunwalker/Fast and Furious are being replaced or asking for reassignments. The operation that was going to be used by the Obama Justice Dept. to incite a new era of gun control laws but only succeeded in arming drug cartels and leading to the deaths of 100s of civilians and 2 federal agents. From Fox News:

Acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson has been reassigned to a lesser post in the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney for Arizona was also pushed out Tuesday as fallout from Operation Fast and Furious reached new heights.

Melson's step down from his role as head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to the position of senior adviser on forensic science in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Programs is effective by close of business Tuesday, administration officials announced. U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota B. Todd Jones will replace Melson.

U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke, one of the officials closely tied to Fast and Furious, is also a casualty in a shakeup tied to the botched gun-running program. Burke was on the hot seat last week with congressional investigators and, according to several sources, got physically sick during questioning and could not finish his session.

The purge of those responsible for the firearms trafficking scandal continued as new documents reveal a deeper involvement of federal agencies beyond ATF.

In Phoenix, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory Hurley, who oversaw Fast and Furious on a day-to-day basis, was reassigned from the criminal to civil division. Also in Phoenix, three out of the four whistleblowers involved in the case have been reassigned to new positions outside Arizona. Two are headed to Florida, one to South Carolina.

Hurley's reassignment came after three ATF supervisors responsible for the operation were promoted. William G. McMahon, a former deputy director of operations, took over the Office of Professional Responsibility. Field supervisors William D. Newell and David Voth also moved up despite heavy criticism.

The moves follow a series of reports by Fox News detailing the face-off between Attorney General Eric Holder, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., and Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, whose investigators have recently broadened their probe. It now reportedly shows a deeper involvement of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.

"While the reckless disregard for safety that took place in Operation Fast and Furious certainly merits changes within the Department of Justice, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee will continue its investigation to ensure that blame isn't off-loaded on just a few individuals for a matter that involved much higher levels of the Justice Department," Issa, chairman of the House panel.

"There are still many questions to be answered about what happened in Operation Fast and Furious and who else bears responsibility, but these changes are warranted. ... I also remain very concerned by Acting Director Melson's statement that the Department of Justice is managing its response in a manner intended to protect its political appointees," Issa continued.

The cards are being reshuffled so as to hinder the investigation. This is a national and international disgrace. We disrupted law enforcement in Latin America so as to try and stick it to gun shop owners here in the states, and all our government did was provide aid and comfort to criminal drug lords, who then killed police officers, women, children, and at least two federal agents. Nice work, JustUs Department.

Is the TSA Going to do Vivisections on Grandma Now?

You know, we have this bloated and inefficient and invasive system of screening passengers right now, with the excuse of "it's for security." Better to be groped or exposed nude via scanner than get blown up in an airplane. So I guess the next level is better to have limbs severed or have grandma vivisected for inspection rather than have a bomb go off. It seems al queda has already moved past bombs that are grope proof:

Jihadis bent on concocting a "new kind of terrorism" are brainstorming how to surgically implant explosives to make undetectable Frankenbombers.

"What is your opinion about surgeries through which I can implant the bomb ...inside the operative's body?" an apparent mad surgeon recently asked an online forum used by Al Qaeda affiliates.

He called on bombmakers and doctors to cook up the perfect solution to murder "larger numbers of unbelievers and apostates."

I mean, seriously, when are we going to stop with the PC garbage and get real? The answer, not the 100% answer or the most kind answer, but the best answer, is to profile and do what Israel does. Israel is in terrorism central geographically, and I don't hear about their planes blowing up or anything. Something to think about before we start cutting off arms and legs and such.

How to Deal With WikiLeaks Shows "Brave New World"

Between the Global War on Terror, Al Queda, and now Wikileaks, how we deal with internal and global security may have to be totally reevaluated. Jay Tea over at Wizbang has some salient thoughts and ideas:

What we are seeing with WikiLeaks is very akin to what we are seeing with militant Islam and the War On Terror: a non-state entity taking on some of the powers and influence previously accorded only to nation states. WikiLeaks is acting like the intelligence agency of a nation hostile to (if not at war) with the United States. They, like the terrorists, have declared a modern form of war against us, and are waging it just like the KGB would. They are violating our secrets and publicizing them for their own ideological ends -- which are inimical to our own national security.

In the old days, we had ways of dealing with that sort of thing. We could arrest, try, convict, and imprison them. We could swap them for our own intelligence agents. We could identify them and turn them to our own use, or feed them false information. We could even, in extreme circumstances, kill them. (Usually behind some euphemism like "sanction" or "terminate" or "vanish.")

But all those options, save the first and last, were contingent on one element that we lack here: a nation-state behind the opposing intelligence agency that which we could deal with. A counterpart, with clearly identifiable leadership and goals.

Here, like in the War on Terror, we are seeing a group take on some of the aspects of a nation-state, but not enough to qualify as such. They still qualify, under the old and still existing rules, as "civilians" and have the protections accorded thereto.

Quite frankly, the world has outgrown the presumptions behind those principles. Civilians were protected because they were seen as largely helpless and harmless.

No longer. Groups like Al Qaeda and WikiLeaks can actually cause more harm, in different ways, than many actual nations.

This isn't like dealing with the KGB or the Mossad or MI-5 or other intelligence organizations. There isn't a nation state to cajole. This may necessitate drastically changing our worldview and how to deal with threats in this new age:

What we are seeing very well could be the beginning of the end of the modern nation-state. Non-state actors are becoming more and more powerful, taking on many of the powers that have been traditionally been reserved for nation-states -- but without the corresponding responsibilities and liabilities and weaknesses. They are, in their own way, waging war against the United States and other nations -- and doing so in a way that our own laws and customs regarding warfare limit our ability to fight back.

We need to adapt to this new reality. We need to rework how we deal with these trans-national organizations, to come up with new rules that cover groups that wage war on the US while still pretending to be "civilians."

In the case of WikiLeaks, my personal sentiment is to treat them precisely how they have become to be: a hostile foreign intelligence agency at war with the United States. Espionage charges, counterintelligence, information warfare, and even -- if necessary, "wet work" -- targeted assassinations.

That's the game they have chosen to play. And by choosing to play in the big leagues, they have forfeited their right to the protections accorded civilians.

My gut says, right on right on! However, the notion of targetting assassinations for things like this could produce that ever present slippery slope. Where will the line be drawn? Will the proprietors of WMD become targets because they disagree with an administration? That last idea--wetwork--is one that must be considered only in the most grave situations, I think. Time will tell.

TSA: Groping AND Stealing?

Yes, folks, the TSA agents, who aren't subject to psychological screening, apparently grope AND steal. From a Washington Examiner editorial:

If you've flown lately, the odds are good that you had a rubber-gloved Transportation Security Administration agent touch you in places that would otherwise result in the issuance of an arrest warrant for unwanted groping. Even so, despite years of imposing increasingly invasive new security procedures, the TSA has yet to catch one terrorist. By contrast, the Washington Post reported in May that "at least 23" TSA agents have been fired since 2007 for stealing from passengers. There were also "at least eight unrelated incidents involving practical jokes played on air passengers, drug use, leaving a security post and falling asleep on the job."

OUTRAGEOUS!

Hey Hey! Ho Ho! Eric Holder's Gotta Go!

At least, that is what Ed Morrissey says. And I agree with him:

The failure of Holder’s DoJ to win anything more than a single conspiracy count against Ghailani as a result of using a process designed for domestic criminals than wartime enemies shows that the critics had it right all along. It also shows that both Obama and Holder have been proven spectacularly wrong, since a man who confessed to the murder of over two hundred people will now face no more than 20 years, with a big chunk of whatever sentence Foopie receives being reduced by time already served. . . . There could be no greater failure by the DoJ in this war on terror than to get these decisions wrong, especially in light of the avalanche of criticism over those decisions and the administration’s reaction to it

Between having KSM being tried in NYC, wanting to house terrorists in Illinois, as well as the whole Black Panther Voting Case debacle, this statist leftist hack needs to go.

More Reactions from Gitmo Detainee Trial Results

Peter King (R-NY), rips into the incompetent administration of Barack Obama and the inept Attorney General Eric Holder:

“I am disgusted at the total miscarriage of justice today in Manhattan’s federal civilian court. In a case where Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani was facing 285 criminal counts, including hundreds of murder charges, and where Attorney General Eric Holder assured us that ‘failure is not an option,’ the jury found him guilty on only one count and acquitted him of all other counts including every murder charge.

“This tragic verdict demonstrates the absolute insanity of the Obama Administration’s decision to try al-Qaeda terrorists in civilian courts.

“This case was doomed from the beginning when the judge excluded DOJ’s key witness who admitted selling the explosives to Ghailani. Where is the justice for the more than 200 people killed and 4,000 injured in the terrorist bombings of our U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania?

“This is a tragic wake-up call to the Obama Administration to immediately abandon its ill-advised plan to try Guantanamo terrorists like the admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed in federal civilian courts. We must treat them as wartime enemies and try them in military commissions at Guantanamo.

“As the next Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, I intend to hold hearings and conduct the necessary oversight on this critical homeland security issue in the 112th Congress.”

Go get em Pete!

Keep America Safe, headed by Liz Cheney issued the following:

“Bad ideas have dangerous consequences. The Obama Administration recklessly insisted on a civilian trial for Ahmed Ghailani, and rolled the dice in a time of war. The Department of Justice says it’s pleased by the verdict. Ask the families of the victims if they’re pleased. And this result isn’t just embarrassing. It’s dangerous. It signals weakness in a time of war. The Ghailani trial was supposed to be a test case for future trials of 9/11 terrorists.

We urge the president: End this reckless experiment. Reverse course. Use the military commissions at Guantanamo that Congress has authorized. And, above all--accept the fact that we are at war.”

Thomas Joscelyn calls it a miscarriage of Justice:

The Department of Justice, which moved Ghailani from Guantanamo to New York for the trial, says it is “pleased” with the outcome since Ghailani will face a minimum of 20 years in prison and possibly serve a life sentence.

It is difficult to square the DOJ’s rhetoric with the carnage that was unleashed in Africa more than a decade ago. The man who helped murder more than 200 civilians was acquitted of their murders even though he is obviously guilty.

Let’s review some of the evidence presented at Ghailani’s trial. According to CBS News, government prosecutors presented all of the following facts to the jury:

1. Ghailani and another al Qaeda operative “purchased the used refrigeration truck converted to a weapon of mass destruction in Tanzania.”

2. “Ghailani then obtained some of the oxygen and flammable acetylene gas tanks joined to the TNT to enhance the explosion.”
3. “Ghailani also stored electric detonators - one and a half inch, aluminum coated, PETN charged blasting caps -- in the armoire of his Dar es Salaam house. The FBI found one, along with clothing tainted with TNT residue.”

4. Ghailani gave the suicide bomber who blew himself up in Tanzania the cell phone he used in plotting the attack. The suicide bomber made calls from this phone both the night before, and the morning of, the attack.

5. The government produced “numerous witnesses” who “placed Ghailani in 1998 in the company of known al Qaeda operatives and embassy bombers, at [a] ‘safe house’ in coastal Mombasa, Kenya, at the house Ghailani shared in Dar es Salaam, and riding in utility vehicles the conspirators used to ferry supplies to their bomb making locations.”

CBS News explains that two of the men “seen with Ghailani” have already been convicted for their role in the embassy bombings and are “serving life sentences.”

6. “Ghailani fled Tanzania using a fake name and passport the day before the bombings” and “three senior al Qaeda leaders involved with the East Africa's cell were on Ghailani's flight to Karachi, Pakistan."

It is a mystery how the jury could find that these facts failed to add up to a guilty verdict on all of the murder counts. How can a terrorist be guilty of conspiring to blow up two buildings, but then be found not guilty of the ensuing deaths?

The verdict doesn’t make any logical sense even if there is a lawyerly explanation. (One juror reportedly held out, disagreeing with the other 11 jurors until a verdict was finally reached. It may be the case that the jurors could only agree on a compromise.)

The evidence outlined above is consistent with that which was presented during Ghailani’s combatant status review tribunal (CSRT) at Guantanamo – with one noteworthy exception. Ghailani purchased some of the TNT used in the attacks, but the judge in this case barred the witness who sold the TNT to him. During his CSRT, Ghailani came up with the unconvincing excuse that when he purchased the TNT he thought he was really purchasing “soap for washing horses.”

It does not appear that the jury ever heard this absurd excuse because Judge Kaplan barred the TNT seller from testifying. Ghailani’s lawyers used equally lame excuses in their attempt to explain away the other damning evidence. They portrayed Ghailani as a “dupe” and “naïve” innocent who just happened to take part in al Qaeda’s most successful attack prior to September 11.

Instead of dispensing with Ghailani’s unconvincing story once and for all, the jury waffled. Thus, a terrorist who helped kill 224 people was found “not guilty” of their murders.

No one should be “pleased” with that verdict, even if Ghailani will likely serve many years in prison.

ABSOLUTELY. BEYOND. THE. PALE. WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT!?!?!?

TSA: Even Suspects in Afghanistan Are Not Groped Like Airline Passengers

Something I just noticed from a earlier article I referenced:

In any case, such extreme, invasive searches are forbidden even for soldiers in Afghanistan searching citizens there, unprotected by the presumptions granted Americans in the US Constitution. TSA officials are not above the law, and they should not have full discretion to decide when they can violate American’s constitutional rights. Writes a US Army staff sergeant at The Atlantic:

At no time were we permitted or even encouraged to search children or women. In fact, this would have been considered an extreme violation of acceptable cultural practice and given the way word travels here, been a propaganda victory for the Taliban.

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

TSA: No Psychological Testing? Really?

You do not have to go through any psychological testing to be a TSA agent, at least that is what the Washington Examiner is reporting:

To become a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent fully empowered to aggressively pat down passengers -- even inside passengers' underwear -- applicants need not pass any psychological testing despite having full federal backing.

I spoke to TSA's Human Resources department to find out what is required to become an officer. “Cynthia” (no last name, though TSA requires callers to supply spelling of first and last names before anyone will speak to you) told me that applicants must pass a background check and credit check, and then they interview with the hiring office. “No psychological evaluation?” I pressed: “Absolutely none?” Absolutely none.

The background check currently required of TSA applicants merely clears TSA applicants from the possibility that they might be friendly with terrorists themselves or blackmailable. They might include questions like: "Do you love your country?" and "Do you have a history of violence?" Background checks do NOT include such questions as: "Do you have a history of sexual assault?"

I would think, if part of your job description is invasive body searches, one might ask some psych questions or get a psych profile. But, I guess that is too much to ask. I agree with the author on this point especially:

If TSA officers want to be given authority similar to exercise discretion like police officers can, they should also face the same screening process we use for police. Nearly every police jurisdiction requires officer applicants to undergo psychological screening.

Lawsuits against police officers also take place in the jurisdiction where the cop lives, before a jury of his or her peers. Liability for police exists on both the city, county, and state levels. Not so for suits against individual TSA officers, which contend with the legal morass that is federal indemnity, granting federal TSA officials even more procedural protections.

Cops are charged with doing what they deem necessary to stop alleged criminals from bad behavior and can face penalties if they violate the privacy of innocent citizens without cause. Meanwhile, TSA officials may do whatever they deem necessary to treat passengers however they want, including fining innocent Americans and ejecting them from airports should they refuse to comply with TSA’s determination to treat them like criminals -- a consequence of merely entering an airport.

For heaven's sake, these people are groping us and we don't find out if they get off on it or have some type of deep seated psychological disorder? Come on now.

TSA=The Sexual Assault Squad Update: GOP Response

From Byron York:

Did you know that the nation's airports are not required to have Transportation Security Administration screeners checking passengers at security checkpoints? The 2001 law creating the TSA gave airports the right to opt out of the TSA program in favor of private screeners after a two-year period. Now, with the TSA engulfed in controversy and hated by millions of weary and sometimes humiliated travelers, Rep. John Mica, the Republican who will soon be chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, is reminding airports that they have a choice.

Mica, one of the authors of the original TSA bill, has recently written to the heads of more than 150 airports nationwide suggesting they opt out of TSA screening. "When the TSA was established, it was never envisioned that it would become a huge, unwieldy bureaucracy which was soon to grow to 67,000 employees," Mica writes. "As TSA has grown larger, more impersonal, and administratively top-heavy, I believe it is important that airports across the country consider utilizing the opt-out provision provided by law."

I wonder how many private security firms will be getting calls now that the TSA has decided to allow and endorse groping as security measure? However, the problem is even deeper:

what really worries critics is that the TSA has become dangerously ineffective. Its specialty is what those critics call "security theater" -- that is, a show of what appear to be stringent security measures designed to make passengers feel more secure without providing real security. "That's exactly what it is," says Mica. "It's a big Kabuki dance."

Now, the dance has gotten completely out of hand. And like lots of fliers -- I spoke to him as he waited for a flight at the Orlando airport -- Mica sees TSA's new "naked scanner" machines and groping, grossly invasive passenger pat-downs as just part of a larger problem. TSA, he says, is relying more on passenger humiliation than on practices that are proven staples of airport security.

So, instead of just theater, why not offer some real solutions? Who does it better than anyone? The Israelis:

experts have urged TSA to adopt techniques, used with great success by the Israeli airline El Al, in which passengers are observed, profiled, and most importantly, questioned before boarding planes. So TSA created a program known as SPOT -- Screening of Passengers by Observation Techniques. It began hiring what it called behavior detection officers, who would be trained to notice passengers who acted suspiciously. TSA now employs about 3,000 behavior detection officers, stationed at about 160 airports across the country.

The problem is, they're doing it all wrong. A recent Government Accountability Office study found that TSA "deployed SPOT nationwide without first validating the scientific basis for identifying suspicious passengers in an airport environment." They haven't settled on the standards needed to stop bad actors.

"It's not an Israeli model, it's a TSA, screwed-up model," says Mica. "It should actually be the person who's looking at the ticket and talking to the individual. Instead, they've hired people to stand around and observe, which is a bastardization of what should be done."

Even when they have a successful model, government bleeding heart p.c. bureaucrats still can't get it right. But, all this groping means no terrorists get on our planes, right? WRONG-O:

the GAO "discovered that since the program's inception, at least 17 known terrorists ... have flown on 24 different occasions, passing through security at eight SPOT airports." One of those known terrorists was Faisal Shahzad, who made it past SPOT monitors onto a Dubai-bound plane at New York's JFK International Airport not long after trying to set off a car bomb in Times Square. Federal agents nabbed him just before departure.

Look, the American people want real solutions. Let's get real. Grandma isn't a terrorist and doesn't need to be given a pap smear before boarding a plane. Let's get to the business of focusing and studying bad actors and focus on those who are more at risk. Of course, that requires something bureaucrats don't have: courage.

MATT'S UPDATE: This post was so informative, I thought I'd link to the TSA's Blog so that everybody could learn that AIRPORTS can opt out too!

Feds Take Control of BP Leak Website

Whenever you hear someone from the government say a takeover is to produce more "transparency," don't expect it. The Department of Homeland Security has decided it wants to shutter info coming from the dot com website that covers the BP oil leak. From the Washington Examiner:

The Department of Homeland Security has announced the government will assume control of the joint website between BP and various organizations in charge of providing information about the BP oil spill and recovery.

The website has been jointly owned and updated since the spill occurred in March. Once it switches to dot-gov, instead of dot-com, the government will be able to police the content posted. BP is also funding the website and may be required to continue doing so after the site is moved.

DHS, which has no current connection to the site, said it wanted to create more transparency, according to AP reporter Harry R. Weber:

The Department of Homeland Security wants a one-stop shop for information that is completely overseen by the government as it settles into the long-haul of dealing with the response to the disaster. The U.S. Coast Guard falls under Homeland Security's authority.

BP and the federal government are part of a unified command that is working together to try to contain the oil gusher, but the government has been directing BP at every turn.

A DHS spokesman told The Associated Press on Sunday that the joint relationship won't change when the website is given a dot-gov address instead of a dot-com address.

But who can post information to the site would change.

And I bet the content will change as well. More destruction of your rights and liberties and more covering up by the Obama regime.

Obama Admin's Elitism: He Golfs, Big Sis Goes to Opera, While Nation Suffers

Barack Obama slept while the Christmas Day Bomb attempt went down, then he went golfing. He is now on his 2nd vacation since the oil spill started. The elitism of this administration is galling. Big Sis, Homeland Insecurity Chief Janet Napolitano, she likes to go to the opera:

Napolitano was a VIP guest at the Washington National Opera Ball at the Russian Federation Embassy last Friday, a luxurious event that featured Fabergé egg cakes, 30,000 pounds worth of ice sculptures, and Russian ballerinas and singers—bringing in some $1.5 million for the opera. The Homeland boss says she's been to all the company's performances this season, including last Saturday's Hamlet at the Kennedy Center. It's one of the best insider perks of a top-level Washingtonian. Top Obama aides have dibs on the center's Presidential Box tickets that the first family doesn't use, which is pretty often.

Wow, way to be on top of things. I guess, in her mind, as long as she gets to go to the opera, the system works.

The Whole Dang Round Up 1/9/2010

Well, folks, it has been a long time since I have posted, except for my book review below, so I will put together some thoughts about some recent events.

Nice Job, Brownie Redux?

Janet Naopolitano, the current Homeland Security Secretary, is a walking disaster. In the wake of the Christmas Day Bomb plot, she goes out on national TV and says, "the system worked". Um, excuse me? The terrorist not only gets on a plane to America with a bomb, he begins to activate it, all despite being on watch lists and no fly lists. Oh yeah, and his own family turned him in to us and told us he was an islamic extremist. And this moronic hairhelmet dunce has the audacity to say the system worked? and while I am on this, where in the hell was the US President? Oh yeah, he was in bed. His aides didn't think he needed to be informed until six hours or so after he event took place. Yet, for an award he did nothing deserving to win, they woke him up immediately. Kind of let's you know the priorities of the Obama White House. And the best that Team Obama could come up with in the immediate wake of this mess? No potty breaks in the last hour or something of a flight, and no blankies allowed either. Well, considering the condition of most airline blankets, I don't mind that at all. Naopolitano's ignorance and arrogance is hardly surprising considering her background. She helped prosecute Tim McVeigh in the OK City bombing. She thinks the only terrorists are those who love the country, the military, and the Christian God. She even put out a report attacking our brave men and women coming home from the war on terror. Is it any surprise she is totally clueless about this situation? Yet, there is ol Obama, keeping this senile dumbarse around. Could this be his "Katrina" moment? I mean, the best he can do is come out and finally (a day or so ago) declare war on al qaeda anew? Do you think they are going to think you are serious, captain Apology? Come on now.

Maybe He is Getting Tough After All

The one good thing to come out of this is that the administration has now put out a list of about 12 nations, I believe, whose citizens must face more serious scrutiny at airports before boarding planes. Of course, the CAIR folks and the other aiders and abettors of criminals (the ACLU) are already getting their attack dog lawyers ready, but this really is something WE SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN DOING. Little old Jewish Grandma was never a suspect. The ones who want to kill us are radical ISLAMIC extremists, typically from Islamic dominated countries. It is not profiling, morons, it is using your resources most efficiently. I wonder how long this newfound vigilance by the Obama team will last, considering how much he apologizes to every other nation and bows to every foreign leader he comes across.

And While We Are on Counter Terrorism and Intelligence

Do you know why in part this underwear bomber was able to get through all the warnings and watchlists and such? It is because the morons in Congress on both sides of the aisle decided after 9/11 that it was better to create MORE bureaucracy in the intelligence system and the counterterrorism area. Yes, the efficiency of the Post Office or the DMV is at work getting the latest intel to the proper people. Give me a break. We need less bureaucracy and less agencies to jump through. Could we please buy a clue before AQ really does succeed and blow something up?

But don't worry, I am not just going to pick on my liberal friends....

Wanted: A GOP Chair with Some Stones

Mike Steele has been trying to say the right things. He was out there talking about the dangers of stimulus and the like. He has spoken out on healthcare. But when it comes to motivation and a plan for true victory: HE SUCKS. Recently in interviews he doubted that the GOP could take back the House or the Senate. Wow, Mike, way to motivate the troops. If you would have been at Valley Forge, we would be sending our tax dollars to England instead of China today. If you had been the leader in the Argonnes forest, you wouldn't have been able to hold out for Patton. Whatever happened to victory, and whatever happened to being optimistic and motivating our forces and grass roots?

And then there is the OH GOP

In Ohio, we have leaders who are too chicken#### to take a stand on much of anything. Despite overwhelming disdain for former US Senator and Gang of 14 member and hater of 2nd Amendment rights Mike DeWine, the ORP State Central Committee has chosen not to endorse his more conservative and more directly experienced primary opponent, Dave Yost. And, instead of castigating five senators who crossed over and voted to raise party taxes, people tell me the party helped pick out the designated lambs to slaughter because most or all of them are either term limited or aren't running again. Yet at the same time, the ORP tries to claim the mantle of fiscal responsiblity and lowering budgets, all the while less than four years removed from the idiocy of the Taft Administration. And then, as my friend Tom Blumer wrote a few days ago, you have the pet of Party Chair Kevin DeWine, Jon Husted, running for secretary of state. This guy skirts over the integrity of Ohio election law, not even really living in the district he represents. Then, he castigates those who voted to increase taxes in the Senate (he is currently a state senator). What Kevin and Jonny won't tell you is Jon didn't mind raising your taxes when he was Speaker of the Ohio house, in fact he voted for damn near every tax incrase that came his way while he was in the House.

And this detritus and garbage are supposed to inspire us to vote for them? Meanwhile, true dedicated public servants who don't have super huge donors and do massive fundraising like Mary Taylor remain disrespected and overlooked. Mary Taylor has done a hell of a job as Auditor of State. Mostly because SHE'S BEEN DOING HER JOB MORE THAN CAMPAIGNING.

And sitting on this pile of poo is one Kevin DeWine, a guy who comes in with a fancy website talking about taking back ohio with some core principles, but the website and principles disappear when Kevin is called on the fact he hasn't followed most of what he laid out, epsecially when it comes to matters of integrity and being who we claim to be. Of course, he and his ilk are only about dollars and not about the principle. And with such visionary and motivational leaders as Mike "well, we might win a few, maybe" Steele at the head of the party, can you expect any more from a guy who is related to Mike DeWine? I mean, really, what did we expect?

On the plus side

Spent time with the family this Christmas season and saw two good films. Sherlock Holmes is an excellent movie, but only if you check images of Basil Rathbone at the door. It is a more modern take on the character, but the essence of the deductive genius is still there. Also, for crazy family fun, check out the Chipmunk Squeakuel. It is quite humorous and it has Zach Levi from Chuck in it. And, while you are at it, go read Vince Flynn's Pursuit of Honor. It is fantastic.

And finally....

Roll Tide, Roll! Alabama was able to outlast and outplay Texas in the national championship game last night. Heisman trophy winner Mike Ingram was able to break the jinx of Heisman winners in championship games by leading Alabama to the win and being named offensive player of the game. Sadly, Texas QB Colt McCoy got hurt in the first quarter and never returned. However, Texas rallied and made a game out of it. And thankfully, there was no Thom Brennaman to do the game. Yes, that Thom Brennaman, son of Marty, the hall of famer. Thom Brennaman lost all respect this season for his rather lusty and ridiculous praise of Florida's Tim Tebow. During the debacle of the Sugar Bowl, Thom couldn't help drooling all over Tim Tebow and singing his praises. Earlier in the season, Thom became a national laughingstock with his drooling quote of: "if you spend just a minute or two with Tim Tebow, your life is changed and you are a different person because of him." Um, I didn't see Tim walk on water yet. It was quite disgusting and embarrassing. If Thom wants to prostitute himself out like that, then please take the last name of Grande and quit claiming any relation to Marty, who has never ever gushed over someone like that. I mean, it bordered on a bromance. It was pathetic and I will change the channel when Thom is doing games for the Reds. Oh yeah, and the guy who thinks Jim Tressel walks on water took many shots at the University of Cincinnati. Thom, this is your hometown team, could you at least be fair to them? How about some perspective from a Cincy resident? Nope, he just sucked up to Tim Tebow and the Gators and Troy Aikman. It was sad and a disgrace to his father. If I were Tebow, I think I would see about a restraining order, because Thom might want to take this to the next level.

Adios, farewell, and see you next time.....

Kerry Wants Law Library of Congress to Change its Mind...Or else...

From a report:

The chairmen of the House and Senate foreign relations committees are asking the Law Library of Congress to retract a report on the military-backed coup in Honduras that they charge is flawed and “has contributed to the political crisis that still wracks” the country.
The request, by Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. and Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., has sparked cries of censorship from Republicans who say the Democrats don’t like what the August report said: that the government of Honduras had the authority to remove President Manuel Zelaya from office.
Zelaya has been holed up at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa for several weeks, and high-ranking U.S. officials arrived Wednesday to try to broker a resolution.
Critics of the Obama administration — which condemned Zelaya’s removal in June — have pointed to the report as evidence that the White House was wrong when it sided with most Latin American countries in calling for Zelaya to be returned.

The only political “crisis” that the report stoked was the one in the US, when people wondered why we were suddenly taking the same side as Hugo Chavez, Daniel Ortega, and the Castro brothers against one of the more stalwart US allies in the region.

This effort shows you how much the Dems are all in for Obama. They will seek to rewrite history, to force people to rewrite history. They have already cowed the Congressional Budget Office. Remember when the CBO excoriated the stimulus bill as well as the original proposals for healthcare, only to flaccidly give a nod toward teh disastrous Bacchus bill when the time came, with inaccurate lowballing of the cost? These people care only for their own power and that of the beloved leader.

Obama is trying to make us liked, at the cost of our national prestige and security. Going to bed with thugs like Chavez and Co. and not giving full support to a valued ally like Israel is ignorant and denotes a rather startling naivete of the way the world is at present.

The efforts by Kerry and Co. show you that the Left is not about truth and divergence of opinion and never has been. It is only about the castration of thought and the acquiescence of the masses to whatever excrement falls from the mouth of the annointed one.

Alcee Hastings Wants Concentration Camps....

...and he thinks Eric Holder should have wide authority in deciding who goes into them, which if you judge by what DHS says, would include Christians, People who believe in the Bible, People who believe in the 2nd Amendment, and those who fought for their country, and nuclear families who believe in solid family values as top priority to go to the American Auschwitzes:

An amendment to a bill swiftly moving through the US Congress will allow the Obama Administration's Attorney General to classify Americans as domestic terrorists if they are pro-life, pro-gun and anti-big government.
Impeached Florida judge — now a Democrat Party member of the House of Representatives — Rep. Alcee Hastings introduced what some claim is a disturbing piece of legislation. Hasting's amendment calls for the Attorney General to have discretion over who is called a terrorist and what groups will be treated as terrorist groups.

Remember, Eric Holder was the guy who wanted to send Gitmo prisoners HERE to the US:

Attorney General Eric Holder said some detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may end up being released in the U.S. as the Obama administration works with foreign allies to resettle some of the prisoners.
Mr. Holder, in a briefing with reporters, said administration officials are still reviewing individual cases of the approximately 250 detainees to determine which will be put on trial and which may be released to comply with plans to close the detention facility by next year.

But, he wants to put Granny in prison because she owns a gun or because she reads the Bible and prays in public. Disgusting. Remember, Holder has sided with terrorists against the US before:

Attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. repeatedly pushed some of his subordinates at the Clinton Justice Department to drop their opposition to a controversial 1999 grant of clemency to 16 members of two violent Puerto Rican nationalist organizations, according to interviews and documents.

Details of the role played by Holder, who was deputy attorney general at the time, had not been publicly known until now. The new details are of particular interest because Republican senators have vowed to revisit Holder’s role during his confirmation hearings next week.

You remember the FALN, right? The cop killing terror group that gave money to current SecState Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign and got out the Latino vote for her in her Senate races? Yep, selling out our country for power, that's a typical Fascist statist democrat.

And don't think the impeached former judge Hastings or Holder are alone in their disdain for Americans who love their country and defend freedom. Remember DHS Secretary Naopaolitano's report:

In an unclassified report entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," Secretary for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and her agency included the following description of "extremists:"

"Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

First they came for the pro gun people. Then they came for the Christians. When they came for me, there was no one left to fight....don't let this happen in our country.

Voinovich Update

Three items in the Voinovich Update...

Homeland Security Grantfor Driver's Licenses:

U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich (R-OH), a senior member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today announced that more than $1 million is expected for the state of Ohio as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Fiscal Year 2009 Driver’s License Security Grant Program. The program is intended to prevent terrorism, reduce fraud and improve the reliability and accuracy of state driver’s licenses. Sen. Voinovich led the Senate in securing additional funding for driver’s license security by authoring a letter to Senate appropriators seeking the funding. Ohio is expected to receive almost $1.1 million through this program.

“This funding is critical to the safeguarding of our state-issued IDs,” Sen. Voinovich said. “We must do everything we can to protect our citizens from fraud and terrorism on our soil.”

For more information, visit www.dhs.gov.

Some might find this somewhat controversial. I am not one of those... I don't like the price tag but whatever it takes to secure our identification system is okay by me.

Of course, Strickland will find a way to blow this money and not actually achieve the intended results, but that's another story for another time...

Letter sent to Sec. Paulsen regarding the usage of TARP Funds for community banks:

Dear Secretary Paulson:

When Congress passed the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (EESA), Treasury ensured that this act would strengthen the financial infrastructure of our country and encourage banks to start lending again. To date, Treasury’s actions have been focused on bringing stability to the financial markets, particularly providing capital infusions to banks with the largest market share. The Treasury has invested in all but one of the twenty-five largest domestic banks, including several that continue to incur losses. The fundamental shift in the focus of EESA from buying toxic mortgage assets to direct capital infusions shows a rift in the legislative intent at the time of passage and Treasury’s priorities today. Treasury must do more to ensure community banks are receiving the assistance they need so they can continue to play a vital role in providing lending across the country.

In order to truly aid economies like my home state of Ohio, community banks must be a part of the solution to ensure wider stability in the financial sector. It is unacceptable that Treasury only provide aid to the country’s largest domestic banks and ignore the community banks. Community banks are an essential link to capital in smaller communities across the nation. EESA must make restoring credit portfolios a priority, just as it has made large financial institutions a priority.

It is still unclear how Treasury is determining which financial institutions receive a capital infusion. In order to understand why one bank is receiving assistance and another is not, the public must be able to clearly understand the factors Treasury is relying upon to make the decision. It has been said that capital infusions are only going to financially viable banks; if this is indeed the case, Treasury needs to define what makes an institution viable. How can I explain to Ohioans why a bank in Honolulu recently received a capital infusion when they were told directly by a regulator to raise capital to address its financial problems, but banks in Ohio have been denied assistance when regulators determine increased capital is needed? If ailing banks are receiving assistance from the EESA to meet regulatory requirements, then the intent of the program has certainly changed.

In closing, I would like to ask you how have the actions by Treasury to date increased lending? As far as I can see the large domestic banks that have been the receipt of capital infusions are hoarding the funds. Treasury must ensure that capital infusions result in increased lending. The congressional intent was for banks to start lending again and we must demand these banks start lending to spur economic activity. As the Treasury prepares for the transition in January to President-elect Barack Obama’s administration, it is critical that assistance to community banks is at the core of the next steps in carrying out the next stages of the EESA.

Sincerely,

George V.Voinovich
United States Senator

Oddly, I don't see another plea in there to use TARP funds for Auto Bailout.....

Americans for Limited Government: "No Room for Renegades"

For a two-party system to operate effectively, there needs to be a loyal opposition—not a supine pack of whining lapdogs.

The former calls for working with the majority when and where appropriate, and yet adhering to a certain set of principles that will not be compromised under any circumstances. Unfortunately for Republicans, even when the GOP was in the majority, it was more like the latter. The world was upside-down. It was as if they had not even won elections.

Most acts were guided under the prism of gaining consensus. As such, they were not rooted in principle.

And now, as the GOP moves into its third year of a dwindling minority status, two Republican Senators appear committed to preserving the GOP’s lapdog, “go-along-to-get-along,” consensus-driven agenda.
...
Case in point: Senator Patrick Leahy is planning to hold a hearing for Eric Holder to be the next Attorney General on January 8th. To its credit, the Senate Republican Caucus is nearly united in telling Mr. Leahy that is simply not enough time to prepare for the hearings. Mr. Holder, known for his anti-Second Amendment proclivity and his leading the charge in bogus pardons at the end of the Clinton Administration, has a number of background issues that the Senate minority wants to openly explore.

According to top Capitol Hill sources, Senate Republicans want the hearing delayed. And there would be consequences for not giving the opposition enough time to question Mr. Holder and to explore his background if the hearing is held on January 8th.

A letter objecting to the process has been signed by every Republican Senator—even moderate Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins—except for Senators George Voinovich and Richard Lugar of Ohio and Indiana, respectively.

Emphasis added.

We passed this around the Alliance email list today and I asked Team Voinovich what the deal was... Apparently, our senior senator wants it both ways...again. According to my source, Voinovich wants the hearing delayed -- and spoke directly with Sen. Leahy. If I understand my source correctly, Voinovich believes that this is the best course of action to actually accomplish a delay. As usual, I think we're seeing a stunning display of hubris. George Voinovich thinks that he can talk Pat Leahy in to doing the honorable thing all by himself...

More to the point, where is Mitch McConnell on this? Why isn't there an effort to instill a sense of unity in the Senate GOP? Somebody needs to remind Senator Voinovich which party he belongs to...

Boehner Backs Drake Discharge Petition to Force Vote on Bipartisan Border Security Bill

This just in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today released the following statement in support of a discharge petition which Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA) will file to force a vote on bipartisan legislation sponsored by Reps. Brian Bilbray (R-CA) and Heath Shuler (D-NC) – the Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement Act (H.R. 4088) – aimed at strengthening border security and ensuring that employers verify their workers are legal:

“The American people expect their leaders in Washington to work together to secure our borders, but Democratic leaders have been remarkably absent from that effort. In just the past year, this Majority voted to cut funding for the border fence, opened the door for illegal immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded services without showing proof of citizenship, and overturned a successful GOP proposal to prohibit taxpayer-funded federal benefits from being awarded to illegal immigrants. This is not what the American people expect from us, and since the Majority leadership has not stepped up on this important matter, House Republicans will take the lead.

“For far too long, the Democratic Majority has failed to deal with internal divisions within their caucus on border security and blocked a vote on this important bill. House Republicans will now give our colleagues – on both sides of the aisle – the chance to force a vote on this long-overdue legislation. I’m hopeful that rank-and-file Democrats will join House Republicans in supporting this effort. The American people expect action to secure our borders, and today’s announcement is a critical first step.”

Breaking: Terrorism in New York? Again? Recruiting Station Bombed

Don't think Homeland Security is an issue anymore? Think terrorism is so 2002? Guess what? It is not.
From Fox News:

DEVELOPING STORY — An explosive device caused minor damage to an empty military recruiting station in Times Square early Thursday, shaking guests in hotel rooms high above.

Police blocked off the area to investigate the explosion, which occurred at about 3:45 a.m., shattering the station's glass entryway. No one was injured.

"If it is something that's directed toward American troops than it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," said Army Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, who is the commander of Army recruiting in Manhattan.

He said no one was inside the station, where the Marines, Air Force and Navy also recruit.

Witnesses staying at a Marriott hotel four blocks away said they could feel the building shake with the blast.

"I was up on the 44th floor and I could feel it. It was a big bang," said Darla Peck, 25, of Portland, Oregon.

"It shook the building. I thought it could have been thunder, but I looked down and there was a massive plume of smoke so I knew it was an explosion," said Terry Leighton, 48, of London, who was staying on the 21st floor of the Marriot.

Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the station in the early morning darkness, and police cars and yellow tape blocked drivers — most of them behind the wheels of taxicabs — from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads. Police began allowing some traffic through around the start of rush hour.

Though subway cars passed through the Times Square station without stopping in the early hours of the investigation, normal service was soon restored, with some delays.

The recruiting station, located on a traffic island surrounded by Broadway theaters and chain restaurants, has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

Anybody know where Code Pink was, the Berkeley City Clowncil, or Earth Liberation First?

Seriously, anyone who thought everything is OK and we can elect a bunch of appeasers needs to wake up and smell the coffee....

If this is some sick anti-military thing, all you pinko lefties remember, high school kids go to these stations....and I think whoever did this, they need to go to Gitmo, whether they are foreign or domestic. Wait, Gitmo is too good for them, with the customized meals and such. They should be severely punished. Thank God no one was injured.

UPDATE
It's 7:23am....Matt Drudge, where are you?

Padilla Found Guilty

Updating on an item from the Blast today, the verdict is in: Jose Padilla has been found guilty of supporting terrorism. Padilla had been accused of being a member of an al Qaeda plot to detonate a dirty bomb, but the jury convicted him of conspiracy to murder, kidnap and maim people overseas in addition to two counts of terrorism material support. Material support of terrorism has a 15 year each sentence and the rest pretty much ensures that Padilla will be behind bars in a federal pound-you-in-the-hindquarters prison for the rest of his natural life. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy... The Associated (with Terrorists) Press has more here if you want more info...

CityBeat Misses the Beat on Combs' Illegal Immigration Bill

Margo Pierce pens a piece for Cincinnati's CityBeat that attempts to smear the intentions of State Rep. Courtney Combs and his attempts to have the state of Ohio enforce immigration laws.

The gist of the piece is that Combs and his proposed law is bigoted and prejudiced against immigrants. That couldn't be farther from the truth. But as usual, leave to the liberals to smear first and get the story entirely wrong. I will give her credit though, she appears to have at least asked for an interview with Combs. I suspect that Combs suspected the smear job her article was and didn't bother. I'll bother though...

A bill in the Ohio House of Representatives would set significant new requirements for law enforcement and businesses, with a mind to making it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to live and work in the state.

They are more than just undocumented, Ms. Pierce, they are here illegally and shouldn't be here at all.

The bill, proposed by State Rep. Courtney Combs (R-Hamilton), is so new that it hasn't yet been assigned a legislative number. But advocates for immigrants are already criticizing the bill, saying it will feed a growing animosity to newcomers, encourage racial profiling and create cumbersome requirements for business and law enforcement.

Of course advocates are criticizing the bill...the bill actually insists that Ohio enforce the law of the land.

The bill would make it a felony to knowingly transport or "conceal" an undocumented immigrant and would regulate the issuing of government ID cards. Other provisions include:

a requirement for businesses that have state contracts to verify the immigration status of job applicants;

a requirement for law enforcement and prisons to verify the immigration status of those who are arrested; and

a presumption that undocumented immigrants are flight risks and should be denied bond.

Sounds like common sense to me...

Immigrants are spurring economic growth, feeding money into the Social Security system -- soon to be stressed by retiring baby boomers -- and expanding the diversity of our culture with the heritage of music, food and art of their upbringing.

Immigrants are great for this country. I welcome them with open arms. America is the great nation we are today because we are a nation of immigrants who have assimilated into the American culture.

Illegal immigrants are a burden on this country and are actually costing this nation far more than we are getting in return. Furthermore, illegal immigrants tend not to want to assimilate in to the culture and prefer to carry on their "business" in Spanish and stay sheltered in their communities. Sure, it would be difficult for an illegal to be welcomed in to a community when they have chosen to ignore the laws of the host, so they have that going for them.

But Comb's bill refers to immigrants as aliens -- an 18th century term for foreigners -- who must be stopped.

They ARE foreigners, Margo. And they don't want to become Americans. The few who do made a mistake...they should have come here legally and they would have been welcomed with open arms.

"People are thinking, 'Look how many millions of illegal immigrants! We've got to do something about this,' " says Maria Zayas-Davis, a Cincinnati immigration attorney.

Yes, Maria, we do need to do something. We have no idea who is in our country and what their intentions are. You may have heard about this little conflict called the War on Terror. Having our borders this wide open is a security risk and represents a clear and present danger to the United States of America. So, yeah, I think we ought to do something about that.

Parts of the bill duplicate existing regulations by requiring "public agencies to verify the individuals who apply for certain public benefits are United States citizens or qualified aliens."

We will never cure this problem without getting at the source of the problem... The people who hire illegal aliens are the source of the problem. Deal with the employers, and the employees will not have a reson to be here. Problem solved.

It also forbids employers from firing an employee with legal status in order to hire one without it.

And you have a problem with that Margo? Because I don't...

"Parts of (this bill) are redundant and perpetuating misperceptions about immigrants," Zayas-Davis said. "The bill talks about people who don't have immigration status not having access to public programs, housing, welfare and food stamps. (Immigrants) fear even thinking about even going to these programs because, if they don't have immigration status, then they're concerned that they're going to be deported. It's not like immigrants sit around master-planning how they're going to get these benefits. The message behind that legislation is that immigrants are taking, taking, taking from the system when it's not even happening."

Pretending the illegal aliens don't engage in this fraud is disingenuous, Ms. Zayas-Davis, and illegals ARE taking, taking, taking from the system. Ever hear of the Center for Immigration Studies? They have a VERY interesting take on this, Ms. Zayas-Davis. Perhaps I should fling some numbers on you:

Households headed by illegal aliens imposed more than $26.3 billion in costs on the federal government in 2002 and paid only $16 billion in taxes, creating a net fiscal deficit of almost $10.4 billion, or $2,700 per illegal household.

Among the largest costs are Medicaid ($2.5 billion); treatment for the uninsured ($2.2 billion); food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches ($1.9 billion); the federal prison and court systems ($1.6 billion); and federal aid to schools ($1.4 billion).

With nearly two-thirds of illegal aliens lacking a high school degree, the primary reason they create a fiscal deficit is their low education levels and resulting low incomes and tax payments, not their legal status or heavy use of most social services.

On average, the costs that illegal households impose on federal coffers are less than half that of other households, but their tax payments are only one-fourth that of other households.

Many of the costs associated with illegals are due to their American-born children, who are awarded U.S. citizenship at birth. Thus, greater efforts at barring illegals from federal programs will not reduce costs because their citizen children can continue to access them.

If illegal aliens were given amnesty and began to pay taxes and use services like households headed by legal immigrants with the same education levels, the estimated annual net fiscal deficit would increase from $2,700 per household to nearly $7,700, for a total net cost of $29 billion.

Costs increase dramatically because unskilled immigrants with legal status -- what most illegal aliens would become -- can access government programs, but still tend to make very modest tax payments.

Although legalization would increase average tax payments by 77 percent, average costs would rise by 118 percent.

The fact that legal immigrants with few years of schooling are a large fiscal drain does not mean that legal immigrants overall are a net drain -- many legal immigrants are highly skilled.

The vast majority of illegals hold jobs. Thus the fiscal deficit they create for the federal government is not the result of an unwillingness to work.

The results of this study are consistent with a 1997 study by the National Research Council, which also found that immigrants' education level is a key determinant of their fiscal impact.

Moving on...

Far from threatening Ohio's prosperity, immigrants are essential to attracting and retaining residents and businesses, according to George Vredeveld, director of the Economics Center for Education and Research at the University of Cincinnati.

Again, immigrants are vital to our economy. Illegal immigrants are not...

He counts himself among the "vast majority" of economists who have shown time and again that economic growth is directly linked to open immigration policies. He invokes the basic laws of supply and demand: More people want more things. For more things to be available, more people must be employed to make those things.

He fails to mention that this supply of cheap labor stunts innovation and growth, but I'm not an economist and they only care about the bottom line anyway...

The difficult part for many people is thinking beyond the next paycheck and the immediate issues faced by relatives and friends.

This is nothing more than socialist boilerplate. It adds nothing to the discussion... I like to think of it as yet another example of horrible editing...

"Immigration augments your labor supply," Vredeveld says. "In this case, you have to look at the short run and the long run, and you have to talk about 'in general' compared to specific cases. You're always going to find some cases where an American is displaced by an immigrant. You'll be able to find many of them. However, if you look at it just a little more broadly, a larger labor supply spurs economic growth. Economic growth spurs increased demand for labor. In the longer term, it's going to generate jobs, not only for immigrants but for Americans, too."

I think the Center for Immigration Studies handled the "in general" situation quite well, thank you very much, Mr. Economist. Numbers don't lie, even for economists...

The bill virtually ensures that racial discrimination will become part of police and business practice, according to Zayas-Davis.

This is just nonsense. Ms. Zayas-Davis has just insulted the very competent law enforcement community in this state. Ms Zayas-Davis, do you support law and order?

"It's giving a way to legalize racial profiling," she says. "We encourage you to ask about immigration status -- the more often, the better. We want employers to ask. We want law enforcement officials to ask. We want everybody to ask. We can't legislate for everybody to ask, but we'll legislate for those people we can."

Let's talk about profiling and prejudice for a bit. Riddle me this, Batwoman: If these illegals are living in such horrible conditions, why on Earth would you want to perpetuate that cycle of poverty and fear?

Having police check immigration status could create an impediment for people who have been victims of crime, making them afraid to call police.

I haven't checked this particular bill out thoroughly yet, but I have heard of other laws that have exemptions built in for reporting crimes. But this is nonsense anyway. There are enough pay phones around that if an illegal witnessed a crime and wanted to report it, they could do without fear of getting caught themselves.

"Police intervention results in an inquiry of your immigration status," Zayas-Davis says. "If you're a victim, what's the chance that you will report the crime if you don't have immigration status? What's the likelihood prosecutors are going to get the victims of domestic violence to show up in court after the passing of that bill?"

This scenario is a real problem, I grant that. I haven't seen any numbers on how prevalent this scenario is, but I suspect that is cause for real concern. But doesn't that say more about the quality of people who are here illegally?

The legislation would require state employees and contractors to look for undocumented workers -- the most obvious being those with non-white skin or an apparent foreign accent.

Every employee has to fill out paperwork when they are hired. I have been asked if I was a legal US resident for EVERY JOB I EVER HAD... For the record, I'm a single white dude, so stop the BS Ms. Pierce, your lies are absolutely unbelievable.

The bill would require verification of legal status through a U.S. Department of Homeland Security "basic pilot program." As the word "pilot" implies, the system is still in the process of being implemented, and all of the bugs haven't been worked out. The verification system already has proven flaws that will limit its effectiveness.

And isn't that the government's problem? Funny, you never hear arguments like this from liberals when they want to talk about "universal" government run "free" health care...

"Immigration (enforcement) itself makes a mistake where someone is eligible for work authorization, and they don't update the records on a timely basis," Zayas-Davis says. "When I say a timely basis, I'm not talking about they wait a day or two. I've had clients where it's taken a month to remedy this. In the meantime they can't work, even though they're eligible to work, because the computers say they can't work. I've had that happen to people who applied to a company that was part of the pilot program."

We're no longer talking about illegals now are we? This is a separate issue and I agree with Ms. Zayas-Davis: government sucks at this sort of bureaucracy. That's why I'm for smaller, more limited government...

Rep. Combs didn't respond to repeated requests for an interview.

I can't imagine why he would...you drew your conclusions before you even sat down to write the article. People don't like hit jobs, Ms. Pierce...they really don't...