Giethner Confirmed as Secretary of Treasury

By a 60-34 vote the US Senate confirmed Timothy Giethner as Secretary of the Treasury. The following Republican Senators voted to confirm the nomination:

• Corker (R-TN), Yea
• Cornyn (R-TX), Yea
• Crapo (R-ID), Yea
• Ensign (R-NV), Yea
• Hatch (R-UT), Yea
• Shelby (R-AL), Yea
• Snowe (R-ME), Yea

As John McCain once said, "We will know their names! "

Say No to the Freedom of Choice Act

During the campaign President Obama was asked what he would do to preserve reproductive rights of women, he response was "The first thing I'd do, as president, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That's the first thing that I'd do."

As written, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is a shallow piece of legislation that was introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer and co-sponsored by then Sen. Barak Obama. The stated policy of the act declares that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to bear a child, to terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability, or to terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect the life or health of the woman.

A week following the November elections, the U.S Conference of Bishops, headed by Cardinal Francis George, released a statement that the Freedom of Choice Act “…was so sweeping and draconian that it would not only repeal every single state restriction on abortion, it would seriously jeopardize the right of Catholic hospitals and doctors to opt out of performing abortions.”

Supporters of FOCA state that a religious facility is protected by Federal Conscience Law and does not mean that simply because a they may receive public funding will it require them to perform abortions. This is true, but the FOCA contains a provision that states that any individual aggrieved by a violation of this act may obtain appropriate relief in a civil action. Meaning that it would allow one lawsuit after another against any facility refusing to perform abortions. If concerns for the religious facilities were genuine then specific language protecting them would be written in to this law. It is not and that speaks volumes.

FOCA states that the fetal viability is the stage of the pregnancy where there is reasonable likelihood of sustained survival of the fetus outside of the woman. This means the repeal of the ban of the partial birth abortion. Recent polls have shown that American support of banning partial birth abortions remain above the 70% mark. No one, except Barbara Boxer, can say that partial birth abortion procedure is not inhumane and a violent act against the unborn.

Recently, a 14 year old girl went to a Plan Parenthood facility in Cincinnati, OH, with her soccer coach, 21 year old John Haller. Haller had been engaging in sexual activity with the girl for more than a year. Instead of calling the girl’s parents (and the police), Plan Parenthood called Haller’s cell phone and failed to verify that they were talking to the girl’s parents. Plan Parenthood performed the abortion and sent the girl home with a bag of condoms. Laws protecting minors exist for a reason and this is one of them. FOCA would reverse any regulation restricting access of abortions to minors without parental notification. Currently 36 states has this law and would be subject to repeal these laws or face threat of civil action.

FOCA finds its justification for this congressional act from Congress’ authority over interstate commerce. The act finds since many facilities accept patients who have to cross state borders, employs doctors and nurses who cross state lines to go to work and buy equipment from out of state providers that this gives Congress the right to regulate these facilities based on the Interstate Commerce rules in the Constitution. This stretch of section 8 of Article 1 of the constitution allows the federal government to overturn any state law it might have restricting abortion, such as the 36 states that currently have parental notification laws. Even beyond abortion, this act sets a precident that allows the federal government to infridge on a wide ranging areas currently in the state's jurisdiction. Certainly, if this law is sign, expect a battle in the Supreme Court to rule on its constitutionality.

The Freedom of Choice Act may appeal to the Democratic Party's core constituency but hardly reflect the values of everyday Americans. FOCA is bad legislation and should not be supported. Please contact your representative in US House and Senate and urge them to vote against this act.

When Cats and Dogs Love Each Other

No one has ever excused me of being left of center however in the past couple of days I have supported a Kennedy (see post on Caroline Kennedy) and now the Washington Post editors are echoing the same sentiment I posted yesterday on the economic stimulus. Here is the link their editoral and a brief snippet of their comments.

"...some in Congress and the new administration apparently see the country's present recession as an opportunity to change the federal government's spending priorities more generally or simply to reward loyal political constituencies. This is understandable, given that the voters endorsed the Democratic Party and its priorities in November. But it's risky to make new, multiyear commitments in the middle of a crisis without debate over competing priorities -- and without paying for them through some means other than borrowing.

Helping hire, equip and pay police, a $4 billion item under the bill, might be a good idea, but writing checks to individual households for the same amount would do more to stimulate the economy. Ditto for $16 billion in Pell Grants for college students, $2.1 billion for Head Start and $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. All of those ideas may have merit, but why do they belong in an emergency measure aimed to kick-start the economy?"

Washington Post, January 25, 2009

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/24/AR2009012401616.html

Back to Parsing Words and what the Economic Stimulus Really Means

I think the day has come to define the difference between and emergency economic stimulus bill and pork barrel spending. During President Obama's weekly radio address he highlighted several key points to his plan:

• Double within three years the amount of energy obtained from renewable resources.
• Upgrade 10,000 schools and improve learning for about 5 million students
• Save 2 billion dollars by making federal buildings more energy efficient
• Triple the number of undergraduate and graduate fellowships in science
• Tighten security at 90 major ports.

All of these plans have merits on their own but none of these will stimulate our economy. Let me make my point clearer, tightening security at our ports might be a good thing, increasing science fellowships might be a good thing, investing in renewal energy might be a good thing, but none will provide an economic stimulus that is needed immediately.

Maybe we could use a little transparency on President Obama's intentions. These are projects that President Obama has wanted since the day he has started campaigning, but he is putting an "economic stimulus" cloak on them in the hopes that people would support this because we are in such serious economic trouble and no one would notice.

The Presidents claims that his infrastucture programs will alone create 600,000 new jobs. That should be comforting to the 5,000 employees Microsoft laid off yesterday. They may be able to get jobs paving streets.

Mr. President let me give you some ideas on what would have an immediate impact on our economy:

• Reduce taxes on corporations by a third. That would still be nearly twice as much as corporations in Ireland pay.
• Do a two year furlough on capital gains taxes. With the huge losses we have seen in the past few months no one is going to have capital gains anyhow.
• Since the unemployment roles have nearly doubled in the past year do you think that maybe a time for an aggressive job training program? Duh.
• Allow people to dip into to their 401k savings without penalty taxes to get caught up on their bills.
• Repeal many of the SOX compliancy regulations that prevent companies from upgrading information systems.

President Obama ends his address by telling the American people "It's a plan that will save or create 3 to 4 million jobs over the next few years." Are we back to a time when we are going to parse every word that a President says? Save or create? What does that mean? We may have 10% unemployment but he can take credit for saving 4 million jobs that would have been lost had he not been there to help us?

Mr. President your plan is an $800 billion pork barrel!

President Obama and His Childish First Week

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation. But in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.

President Barak Obama – January 20, 2009

The first week President Obama has held office isn’t over and one is left with wondering how much conviction Obama has in the very words that he wrote and spoke. In separate events today President Obama was at the least extremely arrogant and at worst downright insulting.

Early in the day Obama warned the Republicans in Congress they need to quit listening to Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and his administration. First off, if Republicans had listened to Rush Limbaugh, they wouldn’t have supported the government bailout in October and John McCain would not have won the party’s nomination. Second, Democrats control the House, the Senate and the White House, but you, Mr. President, are insisting that the new emergency stimulus has to have bi-partisan support. President Obama this is your spending bill, and with the strangle hold the Democrats have on Washington you can pass your spending bill without a single Republican supporting it. So if you want this bi-partisan support then it’s the Democrats responsibility to go out of their way to get along with Republicans.

Now if the new administration was concerned about transparency they would publish the White House Press Briefings transcripts on their web site, much like President Bush and President Clinton did. But President Obama has no plans on doing that. So please accept my apology if I don’t get the quote correct from today’s press briefing. Several reporters asked about Republican concerns about the so-call emergency stimulus bill. All the White House could say is that they heard the Republican leadership concerns but that there was not going to be any movement on the spending spree planed by the House Democrats.

Adding insult to injury the New York Post reports, “While discussing the stimulus package with top lawmakers in the White House's Roosevelt Room, President Obama shot down a critic with a simple message.

"I won," he said, according to aides who were briefed on the meeting. "I will trump you on that."
The response was to the objection by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) to the president's proposal to increase benefits for low-income workers who don't owe federal income taxes.

Not that Obama was gloating. He was just explaining that he aims to get his way on the stimulus package and all other legislation, sources said, noting his unrivaled one-party control of both congressional chambers. “

Mr. Obama you are the one that wants bi-partisan support, but you don’t have to be genius to see that you only want that so you can have political backup. I can hear it right now, well the Republicans supported the bill too. Mr. Obama if you want Republican support then you are going to have to make concessions, if you choose not to then not one Republican should support this bill. Pass it yourself!

Guatanamo Bay Closing in 1 year

President Obama issued an executive order to shutdown the terrorist detention at Guantanamo Bay by the end of the year. The Obama Administration does not have a plan to do with detainees currently being held there, but expects to have one before the end of the year.

You have got to be kidding me. The man has been campaigning on this issue for nearly three years and he doesn’t have a plan? Good Lord, even if winning the election was surprise to Obama he has had since November to come up with a good idea to present to the American people. It's almost like he is winging it!

I Know J LO and Caroline Kennedy is no J LO

Yesterday, citing personal reasons, Caroline Kennedy informed Gov. David Paterson that she wanted her name withdrawn from consideration to fill Hillary Clinton vacant Senate seat. It’s not often (if ever) that I have empathy for a Kennedy, but in this case I do. I can’t help feeling that the elitist attitudes of Democratic Party and the media (New York Times in particular) did Caroline Kennedy in. Their opinions and actions have demonstrated they do not feel a citizen legislator is worthy of holding office. Shame on them, as they used the same tatics they perfected on Sarah Palin against Ms. Kennedy.

Understand, I would not agree with 99% of what a Senator Caroline Kennedy would advocate in the Senate, but I can say the same thing about any appointee coming from Gov. Patterson. This is not about ideology; it’s about the belief that the experience of being a productive citizen is just as valuable as one has enjoyed the ‘favors’ of office.

Caroline Kennedy has asked for none of the spotlight or the responsibilities her last name carries, none the less she has performed her duties with dignity and grace. Sure she is only famous because of her last name, causing Congressman Gary Ackermann to snipe “I don't know what Caroline Kennedy's qualifications are, except that she has name recognition, but so does J.Lo.”

Ackerman thinks he is being coy but in reality he is showing his ignorance! Part of what separates Caroline Kennedy from celeb-retards like J. LO, is that she has not craved for the headlines by exploiting the over indulgent media with one love affair after another. We don’t see unflattering mug shots of her like we have of Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohen and half of her Kennedy cousins. She simply goes about her life being a mother of three children, a wife of twenty years, a student of law at Columbia and Harvard, an author of several history and law books and a concern citizen who raised nearly 70 million dollars to improve NYC public schools. I’ll say it again, I do not agree with a whole host of issues that Caroline Kennedy supports but I cannot take away her qualifications that would make her a U.S. Senator from New York.

So why has the possibility of her becoming the next Senator Kennedy caused all this controversy. I don’t think it would surprise anyone that Gary Ackerman has been a staunch supporter of Hillary Clinton. This same support of Hillary Clinton can be said of several members of the NY Times Editorial Board, who just so happened to ask the most insulting questions and then decide to publish the transcripts of Kennedy’s interview with them with every “you know” in the transcription. Deliberately making her look bad. The Clintons may not have ordered this bashing of Caroline Kennedy but her supporters cannot get over the fact that the Kennedy endorsed Obama for President.

Biden Steps In It...... Again!

After only two days Joe Biden (and his wife) is responsible for the first two embarrassing moments for the new administration. The first was on the Oprah Show where Dr. Jill Biden states Obama offered Joe his choice of VP or Sec. of State, which I'm sure Hillary was happy to hear.

On Day 2 the Vice President was given the simple task of swearing in the new White House staff and it turned into an insult to Chief Justice Roberts. Make sure you check out the icy look on President Obama's face after the remark - priceless!

It's clear that Obama is going to have to do something to keep Biden from being seen. I hear that there is going to be vacancies at the Guantanamo Hilton.

Bailout Banks Big Contributors to Obama's Inaugaration

Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley all beneficiaries of the government bailout show up on the largest contributor list to the Obama Inaugration.

Obama's Choice to run IRS did not pay taxes

Timothy Geithner has paid over $48,000 in back taxes and interest, including $26,000 just last November, right before his nomination papers went to the Senate. As secretary of the Treasury, his job includes oversight of the Internal Revenue Service.

Geithner reportedly has no explanation for his failure to pay the self-employment taxes even though he was notified by the International Monetary Fund where he worked at the time that he was responsible for them and had signed documents to that effect. Obama continues to back Geithner, who was head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York at the time of his nomination and has been heavily involved in high-level government discussions about economic rescue measures in recent months.

My Thoughts: This man didn't pay taxes for three years! This was not a simple oversight, it is an example of habitual criminal behaviour. Lets ask Wesley Snipes where Giethner should begin his term as Secretary of the Treasury!

The Left Makes Me Laugh

I am a political junkie. The section of the paper I go to first is always the op-ed section. Nothing gets the mind stirring like the free exchange of ideas. It doesn't matter if the columnist is left wing or right wing, I enjoy reading it.

Admittedly I usually end up reading the liberal columnist because I find them entertaining. I mean if you can not laugh at Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet then you are devoid of any humor. Her schoolgirl crush with Barak Obama has started my day for the last 3 months. The is the columnist that wrote about wanting to go into the locker room with the Senator. If she ever looses her job with the Sun-Times I'm sure she could fill the pages of Penthouse Letters with her fantasies of the African-Indian-Irish-Muslim-Irish presidential candidate. For crying out loud, the main feature on her blog is Obama's public schedule. And here you thought Eleanor Cliff's infatuation with Bill Clinton was embarrassing, Lynn Sweet verges on being a stalker!

Not all liberal columnists are nut cases. One I have great respect for is Susan Estrich. The majority of the time I disagree with her, but her reasoning is downright challenging for a conservative like me. Sometimes I find myself actually agreeing with her. I am telling you if you don't have her web page bookmark you should. In fact her column this week defending Ken Burn's documentary from the censorship of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus is extraordinary! Ms. Estrich gets it right when she states:

"Hispanic Americans have real issues to worry about in America today, starting with immigration reform, equal employment opportunity, education, health care, etc. Ken Burns is the least of their problems. And people who call themselves leaders, much less take an oath to uphold the Constitution in the process, should be expected to recognize that.

The whole incident leaves you feeling sorry for Hispanics — not because they've been left out of a PBS film about what happened 50 years ago, but because their leaders today leave so much to be desired."

How can you not respect someone that is willing to talk straight to one of the key voting blocks in the nation?

Lloyd's Joins Green Hysteria

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest insurer, offered a gloomy forecast of floods, droughts and disastrous storms over the next 50 years in a recently published report on impending climate changes.

"These things are fact, not hypothesis," said Wendy Baker, the president of Lloyd's America in an interview on Monday. "You don't have to be a believer in global warming to recognize the climate is changing. The industry has to get ready for the changes that are coming."

In a report on catastrophe trends Lloyd's is disseminating to the insurance industry, a bevy of British climate experts, including Sir David King, chief scientist to the British government, warn of increased flooding in coastal areas and a rapid rise in sea level as ice caps melt in Greenland and Antarctica.

Northern European coastal levels could rise more than a meter (3 feet) in a few decades, particularly if the Gulf Stream currents change, the report says.

Floods, which now account for about half of all deaths from natural disasters, could multiply and become more destructive, with annual flood damages in England and Wales reaching 10 times today's level, according to some studies.

At the same time, drought patterns that are already forming in some parts of the world are going to get worse, particularly in southern Africa.

Even the lush Amazon may dry up, and with less vegetation, more carbon dioxide will leak into the atmosphere, making the global warming problem even worse, the Lloyd's study says.

My Thoughts:

The way the story is written it gives the impression that the Ms. Baker is saying that her predictions of the catastrophic future are facts that are indisputable. Is Wendy Baker just plain stupid or is this story intentionally misleading? I'll give Ms. Baker the benefit of the doubt for no other reason than a track record of a national media that continues to push an agenda without any regard of what facts are.

A fact, by definition, is something processing the qualities of being actual. I agree drought patterns could worsen, the ice caps could melt and coastal levels could rise, but none of this constitute a fact. Only when it happens will it be a fact. I actually think that stories like this is a disservice to the "green" political agenda because when the global warming debate is framed in such a disingenuous way it diminishes any creditability the argument and the people who frame the argument might have.

The only fact we have is that the planet in the last hundred years has gotten warmer. Do we have to do something about global warming? I'm not sure we can. However, it might be a good idea to conserve as a means to preserve. Lets not let the propaganda get hotter than the planet.

Something's Wrong Here

2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays Team Payroll $24,124,200

05/06/07: Yankees Sign Roger Clemens for $25,900,000

Hero of the Week - Judge Michael Sauer

Judge Michael Sauer deserves a pat on the back. This man is responsible for locking up Paris Hilton for 45 days and he did it without a single camera on him. Unlike the Anna Nicole fiasco in Florida where the courts allow their judges to ham it up in front of lights of the national press corps, Judge Sauer took a low key approach and acted judiciously.

Judge Sauer stayed so far from the limelight that the only image I could find of the man was a court drawing with him in the background as Paris Hilton was embarrassing herself on the witness stand. I thought to myself, Paris Hilton doesn't deserve to be in the same frame as this honorable man and quite frankly, I am sick of seeing her. So on this website Paris Hilton has been photo-shopped!

Some may say Judge Sauer's decision was too harsh. Most of these people obviously don't know Hilton's driving record, which included a DUI, violations for driving without her lights on, driving a vehicle without license plates, failure to enroll in a court order alcohol-education program and several stops by the police reminding Paris that she was driving on a suspended license. Hilton has demonstrated time and time again that rules apply to everyone else but her.

Ms. Hilton stated (lied) on the witness stand that when she was pulled over on January 22 she was unaware that her license was suspended. Despite the fact she was pulled over by California Highway Patrolmen on January 15 and was forced to sign a statement that acknowledged that she was informed that her license was suspended. Note here that Ms. Hilton was not cited on January 15th as she should have been.

Nonetheless, Paris' mother, Kathy Hilton declared, "This is pathetic and disgusting, a waste of taxpayer money with all this nonsense. This is a joke." You are wrong Mrs. Hilton. What's a joke is that because of your poor parenting skills, disciplining your children is now a burden on the hard-working taxpayer.

Hilton's attorney Howard Weitzman went even further to express his displeasure with the sentence stating, ".....It was clear that she's been selectively targeted in my opinion to be prosecuted because of who she is." Funny, He doesn't mention all the publicity, special perks and privileges Paris Hilton has been awarded in her life has also been based on solely who she is.

The only mistake Judge Sauer made was that he didn't allow Century Regional Detention Facility to charge Paris Hilton the same nightly rate that the Beverly Hills Hilton charges their patrons.

Muppet Humor

Walmart Husband!

A friend sent me this. I liked so I thought I would post for all to read.

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton are retired. Mrs. Fenton insists that he go with her to Walmart. He gets bored with all the shopping. He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Fenton loves to browse. Here's a letter sent to her from the store.

Dear Mrs. Fenton,

Over the past six months, your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and may ban both of you from our stores. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment.

All complaints against Mr. Fenton are listed below.

Things Mr. Bill Fenton has done while his spouse was shopping in Walmart:

1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's carts when they weren't looking.

2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.

3. July 7: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms.

4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone, 'Code 3' in housewares..and watched what happened.

5. Aug 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.

6. Sept 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.

7. Sept 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers he'd invite them in if they'll bring pillows from the bedding department.

8. Sept 23: When a clerk asks if they can help him him, he begins to cry and asks, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?'

9. Oct 4: Looked right into the security camera; used it as a mirror, and picked his nose.

10. Nov 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knows where to find the antidepressants.

11. Dec 3: Darted around the store suspiciously loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme .

12. Dec 6: In the auto department, practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.

13. Dec 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browse through, yelled "PICK ME!" "PICK ME!"

14. Dec 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumes the fetal position and screams "NO! NO! It's those voices again!!!!"

And last, but not least...

15. Dec 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door waited awhile, then yelled very loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"

Iraqis: Life is getting better

This report from the Sunday Times Web Page

Marie Colvin

MOST Iraqis believe life is better for them now than it was under Saddam Hussein, according to a British opinion poll published today.

The survey of more than 5,000 Iraqis found the majority optimistic despite their suffering in sectarian violence since the American-led invasion four years ago this week.

One in four Iraqis has had a family member murdered, says the poll by Opinion Research Business. In Baghdad, the capital, one in four has had a relative kidnapped and one in three said members of their family had fled abroad. But when asked whether they preferred life under Saddam, the dictator who was executed last December, or under Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, most replied that things were better for them today.

Only 27% think there is a civil war in Iraq, compared with 61% who do not, according to the survey carried out last month.

By a majority of two to one, Iraqis believe military operations now under way will disarm all militias. More than half say security will improve after a withdrawal of multinational forces.

Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said the findings pointed to progress. “There is no widespread violence in the four southern provinces and the fact that the picture is more complex than the stereotype usually portrayed is reflected in today’s poll,” she said.

A Poem of No Rhyme or Reason

This past Saturday, Cincinnati, Ohio opened its new Fountain Square with a grand ceremony. But that turned sour when the former Cincinnatian poet/activist Nikki Giovanni recited her poem that turned the event from a display of civic pride to one better fitted for a political rally for the Democratic candidate Ted Strickland.

Giovanni's poem (if you want to call it that) created a fire-storm when she spoke the following lines:

I have watched policemen
Shoot young black men in the back
And have watched my community respond, a people who once saved this city
. . .
I am the Cincinnati Western and Southern Tennis Championships, though I am played in Mason
. . .
I am not a son of a bitch like Kenny Blackwell
...
I will not use the color of my skin to cover the hatred in my heart
I am not a political whore jumping from bed to bed to see who will stroke my need

Officials from Cincinnati City Center Development Corp. (3CDC) said in a statement Monday that Giovanni's remarks, which drew gasps and some applause from the audience, were "completely inappropriate" for the event.

The organizers of the event insist that the poem that Giovanni provided before the event did not contain the controversial remarks. Though the poet claims that it was made clear that what was being submitted was a "work in progress" (I can only guess that it is completed now) and added that she would never submit a poem for prior approval.

In an interview with the Cincinnati Enquirer Giovanni claims, "All I have is my voice, I don't want it silenced. We were on (Fountain Square) where the Klan gathered to speak. I'm not sure as many people called to complain about what the Klan had to say as what I said."

First off, I was in Cincinnati during the time of the Klan rally. Jerry Springer was Mayor and refused to sign the permit allowing the Klan to use Fountain Square for their sick, hate filled message. The case went all the way to the US Supreme Court who ruled that the Klan had a Constitutional right to assemble. This made national headlines, so stop playing the victim Ms. Giovanni.

Second, Giovanni failed to mention the black on black crimes that are tearing her community apart. Despite what she may think, members of the police force put their lives on the line to protect and serve the law abiding public. Isn't ironic only two days after her rant on the Square, Christopher Smith, a 21 year old black man, plead guilty to attempted murder after he admitted that he shot at Cincinnati Policemen. Where is Giovanni's outrage over this?

And lastly, the sole intent of Giovanni's poem was to silence those that disagree with her opinions. Furthermore, I can not help but believe she was targeting members of the African American community who support a conservative agenda. Giovanni was questioning the "blackness" of anyone that doesn't walk in step with her left wing agenda. With this form of public intimidation she is attempting to stifle the free speech and thoughts of others. Shame on her.

Illegal Immigrants Tell Tales of Police Brutality in Mexico

Newsweek reported the following in June:

As tough as the United States can be for workers who slip in from south of the border, Mexico is in a poor position to criticize. The problem goes far beyond the predatory gantlet of thugs and crooked cops facing defenseless transients like Moisés. There's ample precedent in Mexico for just about everything the United States is—or isn't—doing. Calling out the military? Mexicans may hate the new U.S. plan to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops on the border, but five years ago they cheered President Vicente Fox for sending thousands of Mexican soldiers to crack down on their southern frontier. Tougher laws? Hispanic-rights groups are enraged over U.S. efforts to criminalize undocumented aliens—yet since 1974, sneaking into Mexico has been punishable by up to two years in prison. Foot-dragging on amnesty? Fox has spent the past five years urging the United States to upgrade the status of millions of illegals from Mexico. Meanwhile, his own government has given legal status to only 15,000 foreigners without papers.

Some of the worst abuses take place on the coffee plantations of Chiapas state, where some 40,000 Guatemalan field hands endure backbreaking jobs and squalid living conditions to earn roughly $3.50 a day. Some growers even deduct the cost of room and board from that amount. "If you ask them, 'Why are you bringing in Guatemalans to work?' they say, 'You can't depend on Mexicans. They don't work hard; they're irresponsible'," says George Grayson, a political scientist specializing in Mexico at the College of William & Mary. "The truth is, you can pay [the guest workers] a pittance. And if they cause the slightest disturbance, you can send them back to Guatemala."

Help Wanted: How to Avoid Hiring Illegal Immigrants in the UK

Recuriter Magazine pubished a self help guide for UK employers in October's issue:

It is a criminal offence for an employer to employ an individual who does not have the right to live and work in the UK.

Not only could the business itself be liable, but senior management could also be personally liable. Such liability can be avoided if the business checks and copies certain original documents belonging to the employee.

The Home Office and police have wide-ranging powers of enforcement under UK immigration law. They may enter premises and seize documents, and employers will be familiar with the concept of the 'dawn raid' even if they have not experienced one themselves.

The onus is on the employer, so the agency may still be liable in respect of temporary employees on its books.

These temps may well be seen in employment law terms to be employees of the agency rather than of the client, so ultimately you could still be liable and responsible in respect of compliance with immigration law. Even if the agency is providing permanent staff, it is still good practice to ensure that the individual has the right to work in the UK. By doing this you can be sure that, if the individual is later found to be an employee of the agency, the relevant checks have already been carried out.