Cry Me A River

So, it is ok for millions and millions of their citizens to break our laws and cross the border illegally, break our laws and work illegally, break our laws and use our benefits illegally, and break our laws, but then we have hell to pay for this?

U.S. border fence protrudes into Mexico---

COLUMBUS, N.M. - The 1.5-mile barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border was designed to keep cars from illegally crossing into the United States. There's just one problem: It was accidentally built on Mexican soil. Now embarrassed border officials say the mistake could cost the federal government more than $3 million to fix.

The barrier was part of more than 15 miles of border fence built in 2000, stretching from the town of Columbus to an onion farm and cattle ranch.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman said the vertical metal tubes were sunk into the ground and filled with cement along what officials firmly believed was the border. But a routine aerial survey in March revealed that the barrier protrudes into Mexico by 1 to 6 feet.

James Johnson, whose onion farm is in the disputed area, said he thinks his forefathers may have started the confusion in the 19th century by placing a barbed-wire fence south of the border. No one discovered their error, and crews erecting the barrier may have used that fence as a guideline.

Wow, the fence goes over between 1-6 feet. Unlike Mexican citizens who are illegally over the border hundreds and thousands of miles in all directions of the US. But that doesn't matter. Not at all.

The Mexican government was notified and did what any landowner would do: They sent a note politely insisting that Mexico get its land back.

"Our country will continue insisting for the removal (of the fence) to be done as quickly as possible," the Foreign Relations Department said in a diplomatic missive to Washington.

Our country will continue insisting for the removal (of the illegal aliens) to be done as quickly as possible, We the People have said.

But, unfortunately for us, that's not happening. Instead, we have a President and Congress determined to give amnesty to all those illegal aliens.

Mexico just ought to think of it this way: if our fence is 6 feet into Mexico in a couple of small spots, then that's 6 feet less of Mexico that Mexicans have to cross to break into the US. Think of the advantages . . . for those illegals!

Rated PG-13

Well.

Because:

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

suicide (3x)
torture (1x)

Don't Mess with the US

Victory! We did it!

Thankfully, the Amnesty bill has been voted down:

WASHINGTON - The Senate drove a stake Thursday through President Bush's plan to legalize millions of unlawful immigrants, likely postponing major action on immigration until after the 2008 elections.

"Unlawful immigrants"??? That's sort of like saying "unlawful life-removers" (aka murderers). Call a spade a spade: these people are, legally, illegal aliens, not immigrants, not "undocumented workers," not "unlawful immigrants."

And, actually, the Senate didn't drive a stake through the Amnesty. We the People did that.

It was a victory for Republican conservatives who strongly criticized the bill's provisions that would have established pathways to lawful status for many of the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants. They were aided by talk radio and TV hosts who repeatedly attacked the bill and urged listeners to flood Congress with calls, faxes and e-mails.

Excellent work, Americans!

After the stinging political setback, Bush sounded resigned to defeat.

"Legal immigration is one of the top concerns of the American people, and Congress' failure to act on it is a disappointment," he said after an appearance in Newport, R.I. "A lot of us worked hard to see if we couldn't find common ground. It didn't work."

Yes, We the People are concerned about legal immigration, but this Amnesty had nothing to do with that, and our top concern (in the realm of immigration) is illegal immigration, illegal aliens, and the amnesty that the President and our other elected "representatives" were shoving down our throats.

And, to the contrary, we are in no way disappointed that Congress failed to pass this travesty of an amnesty, but rather euphoric that we have been victorious.

The bill's Senate supporters fell 14 votes short of the 60 needed to limit debate and clear the way for final passage of the legislation, which critics assailed as offering amnesty to illegal immigrants. The vote was 46 to 53 in favor of limiting the debate.

And how did our "representatives" vote?

From the beginning, the bill's most forceful opponents were southern Republicans. GOP Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana, Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Jeff Sessions of Alabama led the charge, often backed by Texan John Cornyn.

Two southern Republicans — Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Mel Martinez, Fla., who was born in Cuba — supported it.

Also crucial to the bill's demise was opposition from three Democrats recently elected from GOP-leaning states: Jon Tester of Montana, Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Jim Webb of Virginia.

All the Democratic presidential candidates in the Senate voted to end debate and advance the bill. Among the Republican candidates, only Sen. John McCain of Arizona voted to keep the measure alive. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., at first voted with McCain, but switched his vote when it was clear the bid to end debate would fail.

Wow, Senator Brownback, way to go with the flow. Nothing wishy-washy or indecisive about him. His new nickname is Senator Switch-back. Fits, doesn't it?

UPDATE: The people at Hot Air created this great ad:



Here is the cloture vote roll.

We should take time to celebrate, but then we need to make sure that this Amnesty stays dead and that our laws and borders are enforced.

This just goes to show that We the People are invested in our government, that we care what happens in our country, and that we have the power to make changes. The lesson to all in Washington, D.C. ought to be: DON'T MESS WITH THE US. WE are the United States. WE are the ones in charge. WE are the ones who will decide what happens here. And no one better try to force such a travesty on us against our will. We won! Thank God!

On a humorous note: I love this e-mail sent to NR editor Rich Lowry. Hilarious!

More from:
Michelle Malkin
Hot Air
Amanda Carpenter at Townhall.com
Today in History by Mark Krikorian (at The Corner)
Cop The Truth: Immigration Bill Bleeds Out on Senate Floor

From Bear Creek Ledger: A Little Music to encourage our Senators to vote no on cloture today

Here's a couple songs to get y'all in the mood for today:
Illegals…..the song by Dan Demay
Press 1 for English

The CAII members have been a very prolific bunch in the last day:
CAII Alert for June 26, 2007
Gwinnett County Georgia Fights Back
How the Presidency and America Will Be Changed by Immigration Fraud
President Eisenhower Put Americans First and Closed the Borders
Showdown In San Antonio-Hey Johnny We Are Coming
`Amnesty' fake papers pledged in wiretap
The Sellout Of America
George Voinovich on Sean Hannity: Arrogant, Imperious, and Ignorant
As True Today As In 1907
Amnesty Fence-Sitter Blackberry Addresses (Staff Included)
Senate Will Attempt to Invoke Cloture Again Today

**This was a production of The Coalition Against Illegal Immigration (CAII). If you would like to participate, please go to the above link to learn more. Afterwards, stiknstein-at-gmail-dot-com and let us know at what level you would like to participate.

We win. They lose.

First Name* Last Name* Email* Address City State select AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MNMS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY ZIP Yes, I'd like to receive updates about staying involved. I'm a blogger and I'd like to help. Blog URL:

To: Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Harry Reid, U.S. Senate Democrat Leader

Congress has passed and President Bush has vetoed H.R. 1591, the Iraq Surrender Act of 2007.

This legislation, which you worked to pass, sets a timetable for surrender. It pulls the rug out from under our troops. That is shameful and wrong.

Your actions have already emboldened the enemy. Violent jihadists now know that the elected leadership of Congress would undermine the troops by holding their funding hostage to demands for surrender.

This Congress would bring us back to the dark days of the 1970s, when the world doubted our staying power. Except only much worse. Withdraw in April 2008, and on May 1, Iraq becomes an unchecked den of terrorism at the heart of the Middle East -- a new base for the same people that struck our homeland on September 11th.

I stand with our troops. I stand for victory. I support the President's veto and will urge my representatives to vote to sustain it.

There can be one and only one outcome in Iraq: We win, they lose.

Embed this petition on your blog. Cut and paste below:
'>

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Soldier Was Suggested By Jenn

Staff Sgt. Darrell R. Griffin Jr.
36 years old from Alhambra, California
2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division
March 21, 2007


"He was a really patriotic young man", said Darrell Griffin Sr. "He said that the people there really needed us and he felt it was the right place to be. He wished we didn’t have to have wars, but since that’s the way mankind is, he felt he was contributing an important part to his country".

SSgt. Griffin lost his life in Balad, Iraq when his unit came under fire as it was returning to base after conducting security operations in the Iraqi capital.

The eldest son of six children, SSgt. Griffin worked as an EMT before joining the California Army National Guard in 1999. He enlisted in the Army two years later, and in July 2001, was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, in Ft. Lewis, Washington. He served with that unit in Iraq from October 2004 to September 2005.

On his second tour of duty, SSgt. Griffin had been awarded the Bronze Star for valor in 2005 when he was credited with saving the lives of three U.S. and two Iraqi Army soldiers injured during battle in Tal Afar. He had also received the Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Infantry Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Parachute Badge, and the Meritorious Unit Citation.

"Griff was the type of man you want to have by your side in a fight," Maj. Brent Clemmer, his former company commander, wrote from Iraq. "He was the type of squad leader every young soldier wants to have".

"Darrell was my husband, my Soldier, my gift from God who was also the love of my life and always will be." Said his wife, Diana. "He was also 'a Soldier's Soldier of Strength and Honor' whose commitment to duty, honor and loyalty will be forever remembered by all who know and love him. The news of his death saddens us deeply and we ask for your prayers in our time of grief. Please also continue to keep our Soldiers in your prayers

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Amnesty Cloture Passes

The cloture vote today passed: 64-35. SEVENTEEN Republicans switched their votes. Shame on all of them. This is amnesty and this is wrong.

Lots more at Hot Air and Michelle Malkin.

Battle of the Darcys!

I am a huge Jane Austen fan and have blogged about this on my other blog, A Lady's Diversions. I thought I would post this over here too.

Visit Jane Austen's World and vote in The Battle of the Darcys: Colin Firth vs. Matthew MacFadyen (my favorite Mr. Darcy!).

Colin Firth was winning and then Matthew MacFadyen made a come back. But, Firth is back in the lead by a large margin. All you Matthew MacFadyen as Mr. Darcy fans go vote!

The battle will end on Wednesday. You can vote once a day until then.

Matthew MacFadyen-Colin Firth

Matthew MacFadyen

Roots in British Thought

Via Hot Air and ABC Radio Networks:

The Fred Thompson Report: The Queen and Free Speech

Last week, I was fortunate enough to spend some time in London. Being there, I couldn't help but think how much America owes to British culture and traditions. Even our past disagreements, like that “taxation without representation” thing, had their roots in British thought. The American Revolution can, in fact, be traced directly back to ideas set forth by the great British thinkers such as John Locke and Adam Smith.

For our part, I think what happened in the 13 colonies actually helped the British rid themselves of the “divine right of kings.” Perhaps because of the fact that we fought a war to escape undemocratic monarchy, Americans are sometimes puzzled by Britain's maintenance of royal institutions and traditions.

I've got to admit, though, that I’ve seen things in a slightly different light recently. The efforts by the two princes, Harry and William, to fight in Iraq impressed me . . .

Do read the rest.

Iwo Jima Flag Raiser Dies

AP: Iwo Jima flag raiser Lindberg dies at 86---

RICHFIELD, Minn. - Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86.

Lindberg died Sunday at Fairview Southdale hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, said John Pose, director of the Morris Nilsen Funeral Home in Richfield, which is handling Lindberg's funeral.

Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous Associated Press photograph by Joe Rosenthal, that raised the first flag as U.S. forces fought to take the Japanese island.

In the late morning of Feb. 23, 1945, Lindberg fired his flame-thrower into enemy pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and then joined five other Marines fighting their way to the top. He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

"Two of our men found this big, long pipe there," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2003. "We tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it.

"Down below, the troops started to cheer, the ship's whistles went off, it was just something that you would never forget," he said. "It didn't last too long, because the enemy started coming out of the caves."

[. . .]
By Lindberg's account, his commander ordered the first flag replaced and safeguarded because he worried someone would take it as a souvenir. Lindberg was back in combat when six men raised the second, larger flag about four hours later.

May he rest in peace.

House Conservatives Warn Bush

At least someone in DC is still sort of listening.

Washington Times: House conservatives warn Bush of immigration's cost---

Conservative leaders among House Republicans say that President Bush's upcoming showdown with them on immigration could threaten support for the Iraq war as well as for the president's other top policy goals.

"The White House should keep in mind that if they have a direct confrontation with House Republicans on [immigration], it could affect the vote on the Iraq appropriation in September," said Rep. Peter T. King, New York Republican. "It will not affect me. I intend to stand by the president. But I do think it is something they should keep in mind for other Republicans who are borderline."

Rep. Adam H. Putnam, Florida Republican, warned that a lackluster immigration bill could do "irreparable harm" to House Republican support for the president.

"If the president makes it clear he'll sign any immigration bill that gets to his desk, no matter what it looks like, then it certainly will do more harm than good," said Mr. Putnam, who as chairman of the House Republican Conference is the third-ranking House Republican.

Mr. Putnam said that a speech by Mr. Bush in Glynco, Ga., last month — which the president's conservative base perceived as harsh criticism of its opposition to the immigration bill — was a "major step backwards."

What Would Justice Scalia Do?

He wouldn't convict Jack Bauer. Seriously.

Globe and Mail: What would Jack Bauer do?---

OTTAWA -- Justice Antonin Scalia is one of the most powerful judges on the planet.

The job of the veteran U.S. Supreme Court judge is to ensure that the superpower lives up to its Constitution. But in his free time, he is a fan of 24, the popular TV drama where the maverick federal agent Jack Bauer routinely tortures terrorists to save American lives. This much was made clear at a legal conference in Ottawa this week.

Senior judges from North America and Europe were in the midst of a panel discussion about torture and terrorism law, when a Canadian judge's passing remark - "Thankfully, security agencies in all our countries do not subscribe to the mantra 'What would Jack Bauer do?' " - got the legal bulldog in Judge Scalia barking.

The conservative jurist stuck up for Agent Bauer, arguing that fictional or not, federal agents require latitude in times of great crisis. "Jack Bauer saved Los Angeles. ... He saved hundreds of thousands of lives," Judge Scalia said. Then, recalling Season 2, where the agent's rough interrogation tactics saved California from a terrorist nuke, the Supreme Court judge etched a line in the sand.

"Are you going to convict Jack Bauer?" Judge Scalia challenged his fellow judges. "Say that criminal law is against him? 'You have the right to a jury trial?' Is any jury going to convict Jack Bauer? I don't think so.

"So the question is really whether we believe in these absolutes. And ought we believe in these absolutes."

I love Justice Scalia!

Curtsy to Andrew McCarthy at the Corner

More E-mails Needed!

Don't forget to send an e-mail to the Fightin' 6th Marines and let them know that we are with them to the end!

Here is the address to send your support letters to: RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

The lovely gentlemen of the Fightin' 6th Marines have their own blog. You can read it here! Visit often!

UPDATE: From Blackfive:

Sgt. Deboard writes this morning to tell us that we're at 4,970 emails. The sudden jump -- two days ago we were at 1,700 and slowing -- has gotten him wondering just how many emails will really come in.

The Marines he's been passing them out to are very pleased. They may not have time to write back, of course, but he wanted you to know it's making a difference to them.

So much of a difference, in fact, that the RCT wants to do a little something to celebrate. They've decided to send a gift to the 6,000th person to email them.

They'll fly an American flag at RCT-6 HQ, and them mail it to you. The flags will come with a certificate showing your name and the date on which it was flown. It's the Regimental Combat Team's way of showing you how much they appreciate all the support that has suddenly been flowing their way.

If they get 10,000 emails, they'll do it again for the 10,000th. And if they someday get 20,000 -- it's hard to say how many emails might eventually show up over time -- they will do it yet again.

Send more e-mails!

A Not Surprising Great Divide

MSNBC has this list of journalists who have donated to political causes.

Drudge's big headline: THE GREAT DIVIDE: REPORTERS GIVE DEMS MONEY OVER REPUBLICANS 9 TO 1!.

It really isn't surprising, is it, that the MSM supports Liberals? I don't find it shocking. Anyone watching/reading the MSM and has half a brain knows this.

More over at Michelle Malkin (she's got a new layout and comments are open for registration!).

Send a Marine An E-mail of Thanks

Hey, the Marines, who are allowing us to continue on as Free Americans, are in need of our support!

All you have to do is send an e-mail and tell them thank you!

Visit Blackfive and Michelle Malkin's blog and:

Thanks to the Blackfive team’s efforts so far, 1,700 e-mails have come in.

Help them out. There are 6,000 members of RCT-6. Send your e-mail of support to:

RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil

(CC your e-mail to me at writemalkin@gmail.com so I can print a selection.)

Check out the combat team’s blog here.

So send an e-mail, say some prayers, and give Thanks for the Marines!

Wednesday Hero

Lance Cpl. Hatak Yuka Keyu M. Yearby
21 years old from Overbrook, Oklahoma
3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force
May 14, 2006


Hatak Yuka Keyu Martin Yearby was remembered in funeral services as a small town boy who balanced his Choctaw tribal heritage and his military life.

He did traditional American Indian dances with grace, compassion, discipline and free spirit — "the way he lived his life," the Rev. Timm Emmons said Monday.

"He had a desire to be in the military since he was a young boy. And he believed in what he was doing. He was a warrior, and he was a hero and he finished the course."

Yearby was killed by a roadside bomb, along with fellow Lance Cpl. Jose S. MarinDominguez Jr., in the Al Anbar province of Iraq, two months after he arrived in that country.

Friends and family, fellow American Indians, teachers and classmates filed past his open casket for an hour after the funeral while a U.S. Marine Corps honor guard stood at attention.

About 1,000 people attended a funeral service meant to celebrate the life of the 21-year-old newlywed from Overbrook in southern Oklahoma’s Love County.

Those who spoke in the packed Marietta High School auditorium talked of how he loved to hunt, but never came back with anything. He played tricks, won dancing awards at powwows and appeared on a recruiting magazine for Upward Bound because of a headdress he made from a T-shirt.

Nine of his friends stood on stage to remember Yearby. Jake Barber spoke for them, pausing several times to regain his composure.

"Many great words describe Hatak. The only real word you need to say is 'brother'. He will always be known to us as the ace of spades, the most important card in the deck. He touched us so dearly that words cannot explain,".

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. To find out more about Wednesday Hero, you can go here.

Fred! Gives a Speech in the UK

Fred Thompson was just in the UK and gave a speech for the Policy Exchange. You can read the text of his excellent speech here.

It focused mainly on the alliance between America and Britain (which, as an Anglophile, I am most interested in):

We are profoundly grateful for the friendship of the British people, and in America we’ll always remember Mr. Blair as a gallant friend, even when it did him no good politically.

When we in the States take the measure of your leaders, their party affiliation doesn’t really count for a whole lot. It’s been this way for a while now, at every moment when it mattered. It was true in the days of Churchill and Roosevelt … of Thatcher and Reagan … and Blair and Bush.

Differences of party and domestic policy are incidental, compared to the bigger considerations that define Britain and America as allies. On both sides of the Atlantic, what matters most are the commitments we share, and the work we are called to do in common. This work is based upon the principles we hold – primarily, the right of free people to govern themselves. We also believe that the rule of law, market economies, property rights, and trade with other nations are the underpinnings of a free society.

When historians of the modern era speak of the great democracies, of civilization and its defenders, that’s us they’re talking about – we and our democratic friends across Europe and beyond.

In the long progress of the world toward liberty, it was not by chance that this lowly province of the Roman Empire became a great teacher of democracy and the model of self-government. And it wasn’t just luck that turned a troublesome British colony into the inspiration for all those who seek freedom. There is a reason why Britain and America were thrown together as partners in this world. The things that unite the American and British peoples? They don’t change with the names of leaders or with the passing of years.

Good words, don't you think?

From there, Fred! talked about the threat the world faces, how many in Europe don't see the threat the same way we in America do or think it is only a threat to the US, and how even when this threat goes on the backburner, there will be others. But, he reminded the Policy Exchange, Britain and America will still stand together.

I think it is an excellent speech and, dare I say, rather presidential?

This part at the beginning was a sly bit of humor:

Of course we believe in long presidential campaigns in the U.S. Most American politicians are afraid they won’t be considered serious candidates until they’ve made a promise a hundred times and spent a hundred million dollars. Though every now and then you still get some slow-poke who takes his time before announcing.

I recommend reading the entire speech.

And, of course, there is excellent coverage (including video) over at BritainAndAmerica.com.

Fred's Website: I'mWithFred

My previous post: Fred! to see The Iron Lady