Author: Alanna

A nine-page document was sent to police and sheriff’s departments across the United States on April 7 under the headline, “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment.” It says the federal government “will be working with its state and local partners over the next several months” to gather information on “rightwing extremist activity in the United States.”

From the report –

(U) Illegal Immigration

(U//FOUO) Rightwing extremists were concerned during the 1990s with the perception that illegal immigrants were taking away American jobs through their willingness to work at significantly lower wages. They also opposed free trade agreements, arguing that these arrangements resulted in Americans losing jobs to countries such as Mexico.

(U//FOUO) Over the past five years, various rightwing extremists, including militias and white supremacists, have adopted the immigration issue as a call to action, rallying point, and recruiting tool. Debates over appropriate immigration levels and enforcement policy generally fall within the realm of protected political speech under the First Amendment, but in some cases, anti-immigration or strident pro-enforcement fervor has been directed against specific groups and has the potential to turn violent.

(U//FOUO) DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremist groups’ frustration over a perceived lack of government action on illegal immigration has the potential to incite individuals or small groups toward violence. If such violence were to occur, it likely would be isolated, small-scale, and directed at specific immigration-related targets.

— (U//FOUO) DHS/I&A notes that prominent civil rights organizations have observed an increase in anti-Hispanic crimes over the past five years.

— (U) In April 2007, six militia members were arrested for various weapons and explosives violations. Open source reporting alleged that those arrested had discussed and conducted surveillance for a machinegun attack on Hispanics.

— (U) A militia member in Wyoming was arrested in February 2007 after communicating his plans to travel

Also, this section which should sound fairly familiar from the passage of the Immigration Resolution with the wording of ‘economic hardship & lawlessness’ —

(U) Economic Hardship and Extremism

Historically, domestic rightwing extremists have feared, predicted, and anticipated a cataclysmic economic collapse in the United States. Prominent antigovernment conspiracy theorists have incorporated aspects of an impending economic collapse to intensify fear and paranoia among like-minded individuals and to attract recruits during times of economic uncertainty. Conspiracy theories involving declarations of martial law, impending civil strife or racial conflict, suspension of the U.S. Constitution, and the creation of citizen detention camps often incorporate aspects of a failed economy. Antigovernment conspiracy theories and “end times” prophecies could motivate extremist individuals and groups to stockpile food, ammunition, and weapons.

These teachings also have been linked with the radicalization of domestic extremist individuals and groups in the past, such as violent Christian Identity organizations and extremist members of the militia movement.

Here’s the story from Politico. The accompanying youtube videos can be found at the bottom. What do you believe is happening, are Republicans holding Democrats accountable or are they simply attacking freshman Congressman?

Peril awaits any first-term lawmaker who ventures to the House floor unprepared for a duel, but Ohio Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy had a particularly rough go of it the other day.

Kilroy took the floor to support an amendment to a popular public-service bill — only to face an ambush from Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), who hit her hard for her vote on an unrelated American International Group measure.

It wasn’t an accident.

Foxx is part of a team of Republican members that House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) has put together to create embarrassing, YouTube-worthy moments for vulnerable Democratic freshmen.

Cantor’s floor staff has created a photo album to help identify the 42 most vulnerable Democrats. The aides send daily e-mails to the members of the attack team and alert lawmakers when these targeted members are speaking on the floor. They even draft quick scripts to help focus the questioning.

The tactic seems to be working.

Democrats have begun pulling their vulnerable members from the floor as soon as the attacks begin. And even if the targeted Democrat doesn’t take the bait, video of the episode inevitably finds its way to the Web as evidence of either ineptitude or cowardice.

The Foxx-Kilroy smackdown was so rough that Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) tapped Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.), a ferocious debater, to play the part of Foxx during a subsequent exercise with his freshmen on floor procedure.

Team Cantor says it’s just holding Democrats accountable.

“This is about accountability and being the party of honest opposition,” says Cantor spokesman Brad Dayspring. “Members speaking on the floor have an obligation to talk straight with the American people, and if Democrats are going to run this place, they have a responsibility to know what it is they are talking about before they try to pass it.”

The floor can be a scary place for first-term lawmakers in both parties. Voices quiver as they read awkwardly from scripts drafted by their staff. Many are flustered by the rules, particularly those requiring lawmakers to avoid a direct dialogue with colleagues on the other side of the aisle by instead addressing whoever sits in the speaker’s chair.

Nervousness — and a lack of familiarity with the rules — make it tougher for new members to deflect political attacks when they find themselves in the cross hairs.

“The freshmen will all take some time getting their sea legs,” Kilroy told POLITICO last week.

Since January, Republicans have been trying to capitalize on that uncertainty.

The strategy took root during a briefing Cantor organized earlier this year with former Rep. Bob Walker (R-Pa.), whose mastery of floor procedure frustrated Democrats again and again during the GOP’s last stint in the minority.

As it evolved, Cantor and his floor team recruited members, like Foxx, to request time to speak when vulnerable Democrats, like Kilroy, offer amendments or bills. The goal is to put these Democrats on the spot to answer tough political questions on sensitive topics. Under the rules of the House, the targeted members are forced to answer the questions or risk embarrassment in front of C-SPAN viewers and YouTube surfers.

The group of attackers includes members such as Foxx, freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and talkative Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert — lawmakers who enjoy mixing it up in public.

Of course, these attacks don’t always work out. Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly, a veteran of party politics, quickly turned a Chaffetz challenge against his attacker. The Utah freshman also appeared flustered when Kilroy left the floor recently as he launched another line of questioning about her AIG vote.

Democrats are now hip to the scam and rarely take the bait. A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quickly ushers most junior members out of the chamber whenever Republicans launch an attack — even if the member is controlling debate.

But the guerrilla tactics — which are just about all the Republicans have — are sure to continue as long as Democratic leaders, in a time-honored bid to help junior members look productive, keep encouraging them to offer amendments and bills.

To this point, the Foxx-Kilroy episode remains the textbook attack.

Foxx reserved time to question Kilroy as the Ohio Democrat was trumpeting her amendment to a recently approved public service bill. Foxx, whose mountain drawl belies her ferociousness as an inquisitor, asked the freshman “why she didn’t serve her constituents” by backing a GOP bill that would grant Treasury the authority to recoup millions in recently paid bonuses to top AIG executives.

The bill was a Republican alternative to legislation offered by Democrats during the AIG bonus scandal, and most freshman Democrats voted against it. But details like those don’t count for much during these made-for-C-SPAN encounters.

The attack caught Kilroy off guard. She stammered as she struggled to regain her rhetorical footing while Foxx kept pressing her into ever-more-awkward responses. Since Foxx controlled the time, she could cut Kilroy off any time she started to gain some momentum. Finally, time expired and Kilroy escaped the interrogation.

But the Columbus paper ran a story on the incident. And the next morning, Democratic leaders gave Kilroy a chance to insulate herself from the attack by offering a resolution to decry the AIG bonuses.

Hoyer backed that up by immediately scheduling a long-planned briefing for freshmen on floor tactics.

The majority leader plans to hold a follow-up briefing for freshmen shortly after members return from the two-week spring recess, a senior leadership aide said. The focus of this next meeting will be on teaching these freshmen to hit back when Republicans put them on the spot — citing Rep. Barney Frank, the sharp-tongued Massachusetts Democrat who regularly embarrasses any lawmaker who questions him on the floor.

“It’s not just getting them off the floor,” the aide said. “It’s teaching them to hammer back.”

Foxx said she’s surprised that her encounter with Kilroy has gotten so much attention.

“As just a country woman from western North Carolina, I’m surprised they’ve paid so much attention to me,” Foxx said.

“I just thought she should be held accountable for her vote,” Foxx said.

Asked if she felt this attack strategy was effective in any way, Kilroy said, “Does rudeness ever work?”

© 2009 Capitol News Company, LLC

update: Here is Sunday’s PW Extra, it basically mirrors what Anti has been saying.

The Prince William County Police Department released their Annual Crime Statistics Report for 2008; it shows that for the first time in 5 years the overall crime rate has increased. The above chart perhaps demonstrates it best; it shows increasing population from 2004 through the present with a decreasing crime rate UNTIL 2007, after which where the crime rate actually INCREASES. The notion that we were experiencing a crime wave due to an “invasion of illegals” is clearly dispelled by the graph.

The crime rate, which is a percentage of the total number of crimes per population, in Prince William County had been consistently decreasing over the past 4 years even during the time period that our immigrant population was increasing. Prince William’s overall crime rate — the number of crimes per 1,000 residents — dropped from 24.5 to 22.8 in 2005, from 22.8 to 21.6 in 2006, from 21.6 to 19.8 in 2007, then in 2008 we experience a 3% increase with an overall crime rate of 20.1.

Of note, the main drop in violent crimes did not originate with a drop in rapes or murders but rather ‘Aggravated Assaults’. The drop in this particularly category alone was 36.5%. On page 5 of the report, it states that it is possible that some of the reduction in reported crime may be due to a lower reporting rate among minority groups.

Chairman Stewart suggests this decrease in violent crimes is attibutable to the County’s implementation of the “Immigration Resolution” when in fact the reason for the drop of Aggravated Assaults is unknown. Stewart’s assertion that the ‘crackdown’ is working because of a drop in one particular area is patently ABSURD. Why wouldn’t we see drops in other areas as well? Why are the decreases mainly seen just in this one classification? Could it be that domestic violence issues are now going unreported?

Other facts contained within the report include:

• violent crime represents a small portion of the total crime in the County, with crimes against property accounting for the bulk of the total crime.
• most frequently committed crime by ‘illegal’ aliens – driving without a drivers’ license.
• Crimes Against Persons rates have dropped due to lower numbers of ‘Aggravated Assault’
• the number of murders increased by 20% with 0% being committed by ‘illegal’ aliens
• the number of rapes remained the same with 4% being committed by ‘illegal’ aliens
• 3% of the total persons arrested are illegal aliens
• 86.9% of illegal aliens arrested were for misdeamenor or traffic charges

Don’t even know where to start with this cartoon…

March 23, 2009
Coping with the Cost of Health Care

George Mason University Prince William Campus Convenes National Issues Forum on April 3

MANASSAS, VA–George Mason University is convening a National Issues Forum on health care policy called “Coping with the Cost of Health Care,” on Friday April 3 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm in Room 130 of Bull Run Hall at the University’s Prince William Campus.

The public is invited to participate in the dialogue, which will break out into small moderated groups of 12 or less to consider each of three approaches on how Americans should pay for the health care we need: 1) reduce the threat of financial ruin, 2) restrain out-of-control costs and 3) provide coverage as a right. Participants will each receive a National Issues Forum guide.

“A National Issues Forum is more than just talk,” explains Charvis Campbell, Assistant Dean of University Life at the Prince William Campus of George Mason. “This is a face-to-face dialogue to hash out the trade-offs among the various approaches, and take a first step towards finding common ground. George Mason is pleased to be part of the process.”

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The stars appear to be aligning for another opportunity for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Apparently, Federation for American Immigration Reform(FAIR) connects the dots and reads the writing on the wall. Here’s what they report:

1. A “placeholder bill” S-9 has been reserved by the Democratic Senate leadership. The lower the number, the higher the priority. Known as “A bill to strengthen the United States economy, provide for more effective border and employment enforcement, and for other purposes” it is, in fact, the legislative reservation where illegal alien amnesty will ultimately be debated.
2. Amnesty advocacy groups, purporting to represent Hispanic voters, are seeking to leverage those votes to gain amnesty for illegal aliens.
3. President Obama has appointed a disturbing volume of administration officials who are on record as opposing enforcement and/or supporting amnesty. Among them include Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano whose immigration enforcement record as Governor of Arizona is mixed, at best. Others include Cecilia Munoz as Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, formerly a Vice President of La Raza, Hilda Solis, Secretary of Labor who has supported in-state tuition for illegals and opposed REAL ID, and Rep. Gutierrez (D-IL) who continues his 16-city National Amnesty Tour condemning immigration enforcement and encouraging grassroots organizing to pressure lawmakers.
4. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently told a group of both legal and illegal immigrants that enforcement of existing immigration laws, as currently practiced, is “un-American.” The speaker, condemning worksite enforcement efforts by ICE agents, referred to the immigrants she was addressing as “very, very patriotic.”
5. In response to an ICE worksite enforcement effort at a Bellingham, WA plant employing illegal aliens, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano revealed her true opinion of worksite enforcement by saying she had “grave concerns” about the enforcement, and promised to “get to the bottom” of it.
6. Widespread efforts are underway to roll back or entirely dismantle ICE worksite enforcement and the 287g program. This administration appears to be pushing for immigration enforcement only against convicted violent criminal felons and terrorists. While these individuals must be identified, detained, and/or deported, only targeting this population constitutes a hands-off policy for the vast majority of the illegal alien population.
7. E-Verify is still waiting for its permanent reauthorization. It is being held hostage to be used as leverage in a broad amnesty battle. Keeping E-Verify’s existence sputtering along six months at a time with the help of Senator Reid and others maximizes the advantage for the amnesty advocates and their agenda. The expiration of each six-month term represents a new opportunity to use their ace in the hole. “We’ll think about approving E-Verify; you give us amnesty” is the game strategy.
8. Groups like America’s Voice, Center for American Progress, MALDEF, LaRaza, and scores of others have shifted their arguments for amnesty to conveniently fit the current economic turmoil and are now claiming that providing a “path to citizenship” for 12 million illegal aliens will actually improve the economy and increase wages. In a more subtle shift, the opposition is now using three tactics in their efforts and arguments to push for legalization: Ignoring the Facts, Appealing to Emotion, and Intimidating and Attacking their Opposition.
9. Last, but not least, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (R-NV) was quoted in the Hispanic press as saying, “I expect to achieve it (amnesty) before September, and I feel extremely confident that we can pass it. We are 59 Democrats and we need 60 votes, then we are going to need a little help and we are going to need them (the Republicans).” [Ponen fecha para reforma migratoria, El Informador, January 28, 2009]

What is the Dream Act?

The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (also called “The DREAM Act”) was a piece of proposed federal legislation in the United States that would provide certain immigrant students who graduate from an American High School, are of good moral character, arrived in the US as children, and have been in the country continuously for at least five years prior to the bill’s enactment, the opportunity to earn conditional permanent residency. The students will obtain temporary residency for a lapse of six years. Within the six year period, a qualified student must attend college, and earn a two year degree, or serve in the military for two years in order to earn citizenship after the six years period. If student does not comply with either his/her college requirement or military service requirement, temporary residency will be taken away and student will be subjected to deportation.

Getting word that the Dream Act will be reintroduced shortly. The passage of this legislation never looked as promising as it does now. Please consider offering your support.

More information –
http://dreamact2009.com/
http://www.change.org/ideas/932/view_action/ask_your_congressperson_to_support_the_dream_act

County tax assessments are now available on-line. The County had estimated an average drop of $112,500 per property. How does your property compare?

http://www4.pwcgov.org/countymapper/

At tomorrow’s PWC Supervisors’ meeting, an advertised tax rate will be determined.  Last year’s discussion, included no less than 7 votes before a final rate was adopted.  This year should be equally as interesting.

I have concerns about the numbers proposed by Chairman Stewart as he proports to claim an average $548 savings.  Our personal property tax bill is determined by our Assessed Value divided by 100 then multiplied by the tax rate plus some additional fees ie stormwater.  Our previous tax rate was 98 cents, Stewart now proposes $1.19 which is a 21 cent increase.  The proported decrease in the bill will be due to the lowered assessed rates.  So, how much value will you have had to lose in your home to qualify for the $548 ‘savings’?  $112,500.

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