House Dems try to halt Congressional pay

MoonHowler

 

Washingtonpost.com:

A potential Department of Homeland Security shutdown would directly affect lawmakers’ pocketbooks under a bill introduced in the House this week.

The Democratic measure, sponsored by Reps. Brad Ashford (Neb.), Gwen Graham (Fla.), Scott Peters (Calif.) and Ami Bera (Calif.), would halt pay for members of Congress if they don’t agree to a new round of funding for the agency by Friday, in which case DHS would partially close.

The legislation is similar to several bills that would have halted lawmakers’ salaries during the government-wide shutdown of 2013. Those measures never made it out of committee that year.

Federal statute only allows lawmakers to change the salaries of future members of Congress, so the new House bill would put their wages in an escrow account until the potential Homeland Security shutdown ends.

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Shooter at Sikh Temple known to hate group watchers

MoonHowler

Washigntonpost.com:

OAK CREEK, Wis. — The gunman who killed worshipers at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin on Sunday had become deeply embedded in the white-supremacist music scene and was well known to anti-hate watchdog groups, one of which said it had been tracking the 40-year-old for more than a decade.

In 2000, Wade Michael Page, an Army veteran, sold everything he owned aside from his motorcycle and journeyed from Colorado, eventually settling in rural North Carolina. He joined prominent “white power” rock bands. And over time, he became frustrated with what he viewed as “people’s apathetic ways” and the lack of “strict discipline in our sick society,” according to an interview he conducted with his record label.

Who are the hate-group watchers?  Anti-Defense League (ADL), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) all are hate group watchers and you do not want to get on their list.    These hate group watchers do watch and they continually alert law enforcement about those who seem to target others with literature or speech.

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Senator Sessions Belittles DHS Secretary Napolitano

MoonHowler

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano was called before the Senate  Judiciary Committee to get dressed down by this esteemed governing body and to answer a few questions about immigration,  TSA,  and other things that fall under the Department of Homeland Security.  Not everyone was on their best behavior.

According to the Washington Times:

Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano says her department has the resources to deport about 400,000 aliens each year, and the new guidance her department issued will only change the makeup of who gets deported.

“There are 10 million or so illegal immigrants probably in the country and the Congress gives us the resources to remove approximately 400,000 per year,” she said, testifying to the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The question is, who are we going to prioritize. And we’re very clear. We want to prioritize those who are convicted criminals. We want to prioritize those who are egregious immigration and repeat violators. We want to prioritize those who are security threats, those who have existing warrants.”

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Tough Consequences for Jerks

MoonHowler

From Huffington Post:

Military jets escorted an American Airlines plane to a safe landing at New York City’s JFK Airport on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

NBC LA reports that the two F-16 fighter jets were called into action after three passengers refused to come out of a bathroom on a flight originating in Los Angeles.

There was initially some confusion as to whether the jets had been called, with NBC New York noting that a security official first said fighter jets had been launched and then another security official said they had been set to launch.

A law enforcement official told the AP that the incident isn’t thought to be terrorism.

Pardon my stridency.  What is wrong with people?  3 people who will not come out of the bathroom? How much did it cost us, the taxpayers, to send up those F-16 fighter jets?  How about sending the jerks the bill for that scramble?  If they don’t pay it, get a judgement on them.  Furthermore, how about a year in jail?   I am also ready to ban people who do stupid things on planes from boarding a plane in the United States for life.

From NBCLosAngeles:

The three men were later questioned and released at the airport, an FBI spokesman said.

Passengers told NBC New York after landing that they didn’t even know there was an incident on board until they saw police meeting the flight on the ground.

The three men were drunk.  Each week we read about some fool who wants to do something incredibly stupid on an airplane.  It should be painful and expensive to be stupid.  I don’t care how stupid the rules get.  The airlines and the government rule here.  I have a choice whether to fly or not.  If I don’t like rules, I can stay off planes (and I do stay off these days). 

Why are three people in the bathroom?  Is this a mile high club with a kink or two?  Get a motel room, on the ground, jerks.   They should not have been released.  They should have to pay for the expense to the taxpayers.

ICE to Release Illegal Immigrant Names

MoonHowler

From the Manassas News & Messenger:

Prince William County, Va. – Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials will release to Prince William authorites the identities and final disposition of every convicted criminal illegal immigrant apprehended in the county and turned over to ICE, said Chairman Corey A. Stewart on Saturday.

Stewart indicated that this reversed three years of “stiff-armed” responses by ICE to the same question. “They’ve also said they will increase detention center space in Virginia to hold illegal aliens until deportation. It won’t solve the problem, but it will help alleviate the problem.”

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I.C.E. Director John Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven get Union Vote of No-Confidence

MoonHowler

I.C.E. Director John Morton and Assistant Director Phyllis Coven got a vote of No-Confidence from the 259 I.C.E union members.  There are approximately 7000 I.C.E agents in the United States. 

Who is John Morton exactly?  According to the Washington Post:

Morton, 43, is a boyish-looking former career federal prosecutor who took over ICE last year in May. Described by colleagues as earnest and apolitical, he said he is seeking a middle ground on the debate, enforcing immigration laws while calling for comprehensive reform in Congress and viewing legal immigration as “a good thing for our country.”

“You develop a thick skin in a job like this,” said Morton, who admits to reading many of the brickbats that come his way but says they don’t consume him. “I’d imagine that for some other senior leaders in government, the day when someone calls for their resignation would be the day they’d remember throughout their career. That’s just part of the territory here.”

Sure enough, Morton and his agency evoke strong opinions from all sides. Crystal Williams, executive director of the pro-immigrant American Immigration Lawyers Association, faults him for overaggressive deportations and moving too slowly on promises to reform the immigrant detention system.

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Drill Baby Drill?

MoonHowler

 

 

How is that off shore drilly thing working out for everyone? 

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has called out the National Guard and declared a state of emergency a few hours ago to protect the State of Louisiana’s natural resources.  Yesterday the wind blew the oil away from shore.  Today, just the opposite was happening.

Last month, President Obama discussed the possibility of off shore drilling.  Will people be so willing to go along with this plan after BP’s oil rig explosion?  4 gulf states stand in harm’s way as 5000 gallons of oil leak daily.

Are the environmental hazards just too great? How far off our coastlines are other countries drilling? If other countries are reaping the benefits, shouldn’t we? Who knows what causes these kinds of disasters. Can they even be avoided? Meanwhile, 11 people are missing, presumed dead. There is also the human element, which has not gotten the amount of attention that the environmental elements have gotten. This much oil can ruin the fishing economy. Will BP be under the same oil albatross as Exxon was?

Border Security and Environmental Protection on a Collision Course

MoonHowler

In a remarkably candid letter to members of Congress, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said her department could have to delay pursuits of illegal immigrants while waiting for horses to be brought in so agents don’t trample protected lands, and warns that illegal immigrants will increasingly make use of remote, protected areas to avoid being caught.

The above quote from the Washington Times makes one take note. In fact, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) has been crusading to shore up the gaps between DHS border control and environmental rules coming from the Dept. of the Interior. He confirms his displeasure over border initiatives to install towers associated with the virtual fence being denied because of wilderness designation.

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Janet Napolitano Calls for Immigration Overhaul

MoonHowler

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has called for an overhaul of US immigration policy early next year. The move is expected to rekindle the immigration flames, which could be problematic in an election year.

Additionally, opponents and conservative media is billing any reform initiative as giving illegal immigrants amnesty. The Huffington Post quotes Napolitano:

Ms. Napolitano said the immigration landscape has changed sharply since 2007, when attempts at a comprehensive overhaul failed because many members of Congress lacked confidence in the government’s ability to enforce existing laws, she said. Immigration overhauls backed by the Bush administration and some congressional leaders from both parties foundered in part because critics portrayed them as rewarding illegal immigrants with “amnesty” for violating U.S. law.

Since then, government statistics show a 23% drop in the number of illegal immigrants caught trying to enter the U.S. in the past year, and a 67% decline since 2000, a trend Ms. Napolitano attributed to the weak economy and stronger enforcement. The government has also stepped up efforts to audit employers’ compliance with immigration laws, she said.

“These are major differences that should change the immigration conversation,” said Ms. Napolitano. Without congressional action, “what I fear is we will see another wave of illegal immigration” when the economy improves, she said. “When Congress is ready to act, we will be ready to support them.”

The Washington Times, a conservative newspaper, puts a different spin on Secretary Napolitano’s words:

Declaring success in border security and immigration enforcement, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Friday that the federal government has done its work and now it’s time for Congress to pass a broad bill to legalize illegal immigrants.

Her speech signals President Obama will make good on his promise to push Congress to pass an immigration bill next year – adding yet another hot-button issue to an already long and contentious list.

Ms. Napolitano said members of Congress and voters who balked at an immigration bill two years ago, fearing a repeat of the 1986 amnesty that only made the problem worse, can be assured this time is different. She said in those two years, the flow of illegal immigrants across the border has dropped dramatically and the government is doing more to catch fugitive aliens inside the U.S.

I have tried for several days to find a direct quote that sounds like what Ms. Napolitano was quoted as saying in the Washington Times. I have not been able to find it. It sounds incendiary to me and quite a stretch from what actually was said.

Here is the link to what DHS Secretary Napolitano did say. It is too lengthy to post here.

US Cannot Track Visitors on Foreign Visas

MoonHowler

Last year 2.9 million foreign visitors checked in on temporary visas but never officially checked out, according to immigration officials.  It is estimated that several hundred thousand of them simply do not leave. according to the New York Times:

Since 2004, homeland security officials have put systems in place to check all foreigners as they arrive, whether by air, sea or land. Customs officers now take fingerprints and digital photographs of visitors from most countries, instantly comparing them against law enforcement watch list databases. (Canadians and Mexicans with special border-crossing cards are exempt from those checks.)

But homeland security officials said that a series of pilot programs since 2004 had failed to yield an exit monitoring system that would work for the whole nation. They have not yet found technology to support speedy exit inspections at land borders. And airlines balked at an effort last year by the Bush administration to make them responsible for taking fingerprints and photographs of departing foreigners.

The current system relies on departing foreigners to turn in a paper stub when they leave.

Last week’s terrorist plot brought this problem to a head, once again.  New concerns over national security were sparked by a 19-year-old Jordanian who had overstayed his tourist visa and who has been accused  of plotting to blow up a Dallas skyscraper. 

Congress has repeatedly mandated verification that visitors have left the country but it still is not being done.  Verification of entry and exit of the United States is a must  for both national security and if the government is serious about curbing illegal immigration.  Currently, estimates indicate that about 40%  of all illegal aliens living in the United States overstayed a visa.

All the ‘Secure our Border’ signs in the world won’t take care of 40% of the problem. 

 Further reading: New York Times

Bone-Chilling Winter Predicted plus Tom Ridge

MoonHowler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Farmer’s Almanac 2010 goes on sale September 1. It predicts an extremely harsh, cold winter this year. The Farmer’s Almanac, which has been printed since 1818 says that ‘numbing cold will predomintate the nation’s midsection.’ Oh joy.

According to the Huffington Post:

The almanac, which has been published since 1818, issues annual forecasts using a formula based on sunspots, planetary positions and the effects of the moon.

This winter, the 200-page publication says it’ll be cool and snowy in the Northeast, bitterly cold and dry in the Great Lakes states, and cold and snowy across the North Central states.

It says the Northwest will be cool with average precipitation, the Southwest will be mild and dry, the South Central states will be cold and wet, and the Southeast will be mild and dry.

The almanac’s forecast, however, is at odds with the National Weather Service, which is calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures across much of the country because of an El Nino system in the tropical Pacific Ocean, said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the NOAA Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Md.

It all boils down to who you are going to believe. Winter is winter. Make sure you have a warm coat, hat and gloves. We aren’t even through hurricane season yet. That isn’t over until November 30. We are at the half way point.

Meanwhile, the much-anticipated Tom Ridge book The Test of Our Times: America Under Siege…And How We Can Be Safe Again is due out tomorrow. That ought to start everyone fighting. Hard cover is $17.15 Kindle is $14.29 for those of us who like instant gratification.