WASHINGTON (AP) — Bowing to President Bush, the Democratic-controlled Congress grudgingly approved fresh billions for the Iraq war Thursday night, minus the troop withdrawal timeline that drew his earlier veto.

“The Iraqi government needs to show real progress in return for America’s continued support and sacrifice,” said the commander in chief, and he warned that August could prove to be a bloody month for U.S. troops in Baghdad’s murderous neighborhoods.

The Senate vote to send the legislation to the president was 80-14. Less than two hours earlier, the House had cleared the measure, 280-142, with Republicans supplying the bulk of the support.

-The Associated Press

To be entirely honest, I haven’t been keeping up with the War in Iraq very much, but it seems to me that this is a sign the Democrats aren’t all insane people wanting to destroy our nation. That may be an exaggeration, but the point remains, that Congress should leave control of the military to the military.

I don’t know the slightest bit about military strategy, but it sure seems to me that in order for a nation to win a war, they should give the best commanders and generals nearly full control. In my mind, in finally passing a spending measure without a timetable, Congress is both sending a message that they still support American troops, and recognizing that sometimes the good of our nation must transcend politics.

I also find this to be an interesting turn, especially with so many prominent Democrats recently speaking out against bills without timelines. My best guess would be that, once the ball’s rolling - the war had begun - it’s not something any amount of political power can stop and it must come to an end on it’s own time.

What does this hold for the future and what will September bring? I guess only time can tell.

A bloodbath just south of the Mexican border has alarmed neighboring Arizona towns that have nervously monitored a rise in violence in the Mexican state of Sonora the past two months.

Mexican police killed 15 armed assailants in a fierce gun battle Wednesday after tracking a group that killed four policemen, leading to fears this morning that an armed outlaw convoy was headed to the U.S. border.

About 40 assailants apparently related to Mexico’s powerful drug gangs, drove in a convoy of up to 15 vehicles into the town of Cananea, 20 miles south of the U.S. border, to seize the policemen Wednesday. Mexican state police confronted the gunmen in the mountains 60 miles south of Cananea and reportedly killed 15 of the gunmen.

Source: WorldNetDaily

I’m really not sure what to say of this, but I guess it just goes to show further reasons that we need to be as careful as possible when it comes to border security and drug law enforcement. It seems to me that the best way to deal with these Mexican Drug Gangs would be to increase enforcement of our own laws and to more severely prosecute those who are caught smuggling drugs - or anything for that matter - across the border. Is that really too much to ask?

Then again, especially with Thursday’s travesty of an amnesty bill, I’m really not sure I have much faith left in our national leadership to make this happen. Even as Bush was pushing for immigration ‘reform’, I had confidence that the Republican congress would be smart enough to avoid it. When the Democrats took over, I was just about ready to start praying that they would never agree with Bush enough to get a bill through. Now that they all seem to agree, I guess the only option left is for public opinion to squash the bill - something I don’t see us having the power to do.

Yes, the proposed bill includes many security and enforcement procedures, but I refuse to accept any form on amnesty until every inch of the border is walled off with high fencing, barbed wire, and under video surveillance. Until every vehicle legally crossing is inspected and the cargo x-rayed, and until every police officer in the country is required to check immigration status when making an arrest. If all of this was done, then I’d be willing to discuss amnesty.

At the same time, I have to give props to the Senators for working out such a difficult agreement and, despite my many dislikes, making a number of important and needed reforms. Taking a look at the White House Fact Sheet, some of it actually looks decent.

• The plan establishes a merit based system for immigration, granting priority to the best of the best
• New English requirements and a push for greater assimilation
• An end to extended family (uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.) family migration benefits, which apparently account for nearly 2/3 of green cards issued
• Temporary worker program - although I don’t really support it, it seems like a good way to reduce future illegal immigration or at least track people - if we enforce the laws
• Increased sanctions on companies who hire illegal workers

Despite the good aspects, there are a few major things I still really want to see

• Recognition of English as the official language of the United States
• An end to the ‘birth right’ citizenship of the 14th amendment - you should be born a citizen if and only if one or both of your parents is a citizen
• Severe increases in the penalties for future illegal immigrants, including no-questions-asked deportation and a permanent bar from gaining a green card once that occurs, for both those who sneak in and those who overstay visas

If someone had a bill which included all that, I’d be ecstatic. Until then, down with amnesty and immigration ‘reform!’ Congress and President Bush, please give the American People what we want, don’t give in to illegals and huge corporations.

WASHINGTON: The Supreme Court on Wednesday narrowly upheld a federal law banning an abortion procedure, giving the anti-abortion movement one of its biggest legal victories in years.

The justices ruled, 5 to 4, that a law passed by Congress in 2003 and signed by President George W. Bush did not violate the Constitution by imposing an undue burden on a woman’s right to end a pregnancy. The majority said its ruling reflected the government’s “legitimate, substantial interest in preserving and promoting fetal life.”

“The act, on its face, is not void for vagueness and does not impose an undue burden from any overbreadth,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court, rejecting key arguments by opponents of the law.

Source: International Herald Tribune

Needless to say, I’m pretty excited about this ruling. What it means to me is that one of, if not the, most barbaric procedures in medical history will no longer be taking place in the United States. There may only be three to four thousand of these particular procedures in any given year, but by all accounts, they are unbearably gruesome.

For those who think this will snowball into a larger trend toward limiting or removing a women’s ‘right’ to choose to legally murder another human being, I really don’t think you have to worry. The judges have made it pretty clear that this was upheld because it did not interfere with that ‘right’ and that the old precedents still stand.

Regardless, congratulations to the Supreme Court on making a very good decision, and congratulations to the thousands of babies whose lives are now safe.

If you want to read the actual ruling or get more information about the case, it’s all available over at FindLaw.com.

A 76-year-old Jewish-Romanian lecturer was hailed a hero after blocking his classroom door long enough for many of his students to escape the Virginia Tech gunman, before being shot dead.

Liviu Librescu, a Holocaust survivor, pressed himself against the door of the classroom while shots were fired in the corridor and surrounding rooms. He stood firm, attempting to barricade the door, while his students clambered out of the windows.

His son, Joe Librescu, said in an interview from Tel Aviv that the professor e-mailed his wife to say that he had prevented the gunman getting into the classroom. However, the next e-mails received by the family were from students in the class informing them that Mr Librescu had not survived the shootings.

“My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee,” Joe Librescu said. “Students started opening windows and jumping out.”

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk

This article really got to me. The fact that a college professor was willing to risk - and as it unfortunately turned out, sacrifice - his life to help buy his students more time to escape is probably the most touching story to come out of this terrible tragedy.

In a world where ever so many college professors seem to be soulless monsters set on indoctrinating the youth of America, it’s truly amazing to see one who clearly cared for his students and was willing to take such risks to help protect them.

May God bless Liviu Librescu, all the victims, and their families.

Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, sacrificed his life to save his students

I honestly don’t know what to say about this one. The very idea that someone can have the heartless contempt for humanity and human life to engage in such a terrible act. At this point I’m not going to offer any analysis or try and politicize anything.

Thirty-two and the gunman dead. The worst single shooting, school or otherwise, in US history.

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. May God bless.

Links:
Multiple Associated Press Articles
Virginia Tech Website
Wikipedia Article with many sources

(CBS/AP) Terrorism charges brought Friday against the administrator of a loan investment program claimed that he secretly tried to send $152,000 to the Middle East to buy equipment such as night vision goggles for a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan.

Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari, 53, of Ardsley, N.Y., pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Manhattan to an indictment accusing him of terrorism financing, material support of terrorism and other charges. The charges carried a potential penalty of 95 years in prison.

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/02/16/terror/main2488520.shtml

First of all, I’d like to offer a hearty congratulations to the investigators and prosecutors who brought this case to trial. Thanks to them, we are one step closer - even if it is just a tiny step - to defeating terrorism both in the United States and around the world.

I suppose that slightly more than $150,000 is really not all that much in the whole scheme of things, but the fact of the matter is that every bit of money that is removed from or kept out of the hands of terrorists, terrorist groups, and terrorist harboring nations is going to make a difference. Yes, I’m sure that they’ll be able to get the money from other sources, but in stopping this transaction, a message has been sent that the United States simply won’t allow funding of terrorism.

I’m also going to be very interested in seeing what sentence Alishtari ends up getting, considering that the 95 year maximum is just that - a maximum. Considering that he’s 53 already, I hope he gets at least 50 years without probation and ends up rotting in prison. Funding terrorism is just about the worst crime that does not involve direct violence against another that I can think of. In fact, if it were up to me, I’d like to see him charged with treason. But as far as I know, that’s not how the laws work.

On the other hand, I have to wonder how much he really knew about what he was doing. Something just seems funny that a successful businessman would put so much on the line to help with a wire transfer for terrorism.

There was one other aspect of the case - or rather Mr. Alishtari - that surprised me. According to CBS News, he was a member of the Republican Party and had donated over $15,000 to the Republican National Committee between 2002 and 2004. I find something strange in that, namely why in the world would a man who clearly supports terrorism want to be a part of the party that wants to fight terrorism around the world.

I had intended to get this up sooner, but I was having some very annoying problems with various video sites. Without further adieu, the State of the Union Address 2007, as aired on C-SPAN.

Read the rest of this entry »

All right, as promised, the following is my interpretation of the State of the Union Address with a bit of commentary thrown in. I was typing this out as I was watching the Address on C-SPAN, so I do want to make it clear that I missed a few things. These, however, are what stuck out to me. I’ll be adding a video later.

Introduction
As usual, I find the entry of all the officials a bit strung out and tedious, all the applause gets a tad annoying, but at the same time it is kind of nice.

Introduction seems to have the usual positive tone, as would be expected, but I’ll hold of my own comments for the real meat and potatoes of the speech.

It seems that Bush is calling out to the Democrats (and possibly fellow Republicans) to try for bi-partisan cooperation to do their best for our nation.

Economy
Forty-one months of job growth, wow, over seven million new jobs - the economy seems fairly decent. Balancing the federal budget gets a good set of applause, as does the goal to do so without raising taxes. He wants to cut earmarks through budget reform and cut the number and cost in half by the end of the session. Nice - I hope it works.

We need to keep Social Security and Medicare in tact and doing well for the children (such as myself). Bush thinks they can be fixed and saved, but how?

Education
We need to build on the success of the No Child Behind Act, through the right to choose to leave failing schools and special help for those who struggle. We need to strengthen math and science education, but he offers no real ideas how.

Healthcare
We need to increase availability of health insurance and make it more available, via a standard tax deduction, this will make it possible for people to purchase their own healthcare and make insurance more affordable.

Federal funding for states that provide free or discounted healthcare to the citizens in need, grants for the states.

We need to expand health savings accounts, make small business insurance cheaper.

Price transparency, medical liability reforms (a very good idea), make sure patients and doctors retain the right to make decisions.

Immigration
We need fair laws and secure borders. We are doubling the border patrol and increasing technology on the border.

Increase enforcement at workplaces, make verification easier.

No animosity and no amnesty, but we need to handle those already here. This means a call for comprehensive immigration reform.

Energy Policy
We need to lessen our dependence on foreign oil to protect our economy and national interests and security. We need alternative energy (solar, wind, nuclear), hybrid and clean diesel vehicles, new ethanol production methods.

He wants to reduce gasoline usage by 20% in the next 10 years - we will be able to cut imports by 75% from the Middle East. We also need to increase targets for alternative fuels and domestic oil production.

We need to double the capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

We need to work to help reduce emissions.

Justice
Federal court nominees should be given fair hearings and prompt votes to get approved (great shot of only reps standing)

National Security, Terrorism, and Iraq
National Security and the debates on it are essential - to win the War on Terror, the fight must be taken to the enemy.

There is no way to know what the plots may hold, but the government has stopped a great many since September 11th.

Success against terror brings rejoice, but we must remember that this is a nation at war. The threat will not stop until we win the war. The enemy wants to overthrow government and cause our nation to retreat as a protector of democracy.

In the time since September 11 the dangers have not ended, we must use all lawful means to find the enemies and stop the attacks. This is an ideological struggle and a fine balance. We must remove the source of the terrorism - we need to continue to help moderates and reformers in the Middle East and around the world. We must for the sake of our own security.

Recent developments in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq are examples of what can happen when people are given a choice through free elections. In Lebanon terrorists took the life of the Lebanese Prime Minister and have tried to overturn the government.

Extremists are also destroying places of worship, causing waves of sectarian violence and placing world security at risk - it would not be like us to abandon it.

We need to find our resolve and become victory in Iraq. We need to work with the Iraqi government and reinforce our troops over there - we need to help the Iraqi government secure the national and end the extremist and sectarian violence. More troops will allow this to happen and we will be victorious as will the free Iraq.

The Iraqi leaders need to begin using their own troops and bring security to the nation - to do this; we must help them secure Baghdad. If the US pulls out too soon, Iraq will be overpowered by fighting and could pull the entire region into chaos - this is extremist goal and our nightmare. We cannot allow this to happen; we must remember the lessons of September 11th and not let this happen.

The nation is perusing a new strategy Iraq and we must support them and give them time to end the fighting in Iraq.

Both parties and both houses of Congress should work together - there should be a taskforce to help make Iraq truly work.

Increase the size of the Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in five years. We should also form a Civilian Reserve Corps - giving a chance for more people to help.

We have to send a message to the world that we cannot and will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons. We need to continue work with other nations to establish a Palestinian state.

We are working and need to continue to do so to prevent North Korea from doing anything with nuclear weapons and we need to stop tyranny around the world and the genocide in Darfur.

Foreign Affairs
We need to provide food and medical assistance around the world - including helping with HIV/AIDS in Africa. In three years the people getting drugs has gone from 50,000 to 800,000.

Two and a half billion dollars to help fight malaria.

Trade and debt relief to help lives and eliminate poverty.

These show the strength and generosity and reflect the spirit of our country.

Personal Honors
We are proud of those who come here and become citizens of the United States to make their lives better.

We are proud of our entrepreneurs and those who work to help protect our children.

We are proud of the heroes (even if they refuse the title) who save the lives of their fellow Americans even at the risk of their own.

We are proud of our troops who make sacrifices every day and who put our country ahead of their own lives. They have earned the gratitude and respect of our entire country.

We see the character and spirit of America in there people and others everyday - we must honor and respect them and thank them for their sacrifices.

Closing
The usual thank yous, fanfare, and handshaking as the President left the room.

As I write this, we are mere minutes away from the 2007 State of the Union Address. I’m sure everyone knows that just about every network will be covering it, and it should be easy enough for everyone to find and view it.

I will be posting a video of the Address as soon as possible after it ends and I’ll be sure to include my commentary as well.

I’m a little surprised that I find myself having to concede this, but I’d like to offer the Democrats a hearty congratulations on completing the 100 Hour Plan yesterday evening, and successfully blowing my expectations out of the water. If they manage to maintain the pace, this could prove to be a very interesting two years. As the measures still await a trip through the Senate and the signature or (as the case may well be) veto of President Bush, I’m still willing to bet that about half of the changes will never see the light of day.

As many of you know, the 100 Hour Plan consisted of a number of laws and policy changes that the new Democratic House of Representatives wanted to pass in the early days of their reign. These ranged from repeal of tax cuts to an increase in the minimum wage and just about everything in between. According to Wikipedia, the points were:

• “Break the link between lobbyists and legislation” with new House rules
• Enact all recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission
• Raise the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.
• Grant federal funding to a wide variety of stem cell research projects
• Cut interest rates on student loans in half
• Allow the government to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies, securing lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
• Institute a “pay-as-you-go” policy to reduce the deficit
• End the Bush tax cuts for the Americans “at a certain level” (those making $250,000.00 a year or more)
• End large tax subsidies for large oil companies

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/100_Hour_Plan

I’m not sure that there’s really much more to say on this, but it almost goes without saying that I will be keeping a close eye on what happens in the Senate and when the bills finally get to the President.

I also have a bit of a mistake to admit - I had misunderstood what exactly was meant when they announced the ‘100 Hour Plan’ - I wrongfully assumed that it referred to the first 100 hours of the new Congress, not just the first 100 working hours. Not that it really matters, not that this is any defense of my predictions, I simply want to make my mistake clear and be honest with my readers.