I wasn't aware of this:
"No fewer than three Republican contenders -- John McCain , Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney -- have approached Gov. Bob Riley to gauge his interest in joining them on a ticket, according to officials close to the governor..."
(link here: http://www.al.com/news/press-register/index.ssf?/base/news/1199873825273260.xml&coll=3)
This is an old piece-- even before Super Tuesday, but I just saw a little snippet on the 10pm news about McCain and Riley as possible running-mates, and that lead me to an internet search, and this is the only relevant thing I've turned up so far... maybe tomorrow I'll do some more searching. Anyway... my point... (I sometimes have a hard time getting to that!)
I like Bob Riley, he did a lot of good for Alabama, and I think that he would certainly be an asset to McCain's campaign. For one thing, he doesn't look like he's sitting on the porch in front of Death's door... the same cannot be said for McCain. ;-) But on the other hand (and a more serious one, as well), if Riley were to leave his post as governor, it would put a Democrat back in that office. What a conundrum...
Of course all of this is simply speculation, and Riley is on the record more than once as saying that he has no designs for the White House.
And now, I'm going to bed. More tomorrow... maybe.
Good night! :-)
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Well...
Ok, it's been several days since I've posted anything... I've been a little busy. It happens...
Unfortunately, today seems to be a slow news day. Well... slow of items of interest to me, anyhow. There are some that have received national attention. Fidel Castro has decided not to seek re-election (gee, how considerate of him... always in tune with what the people want, that one!). Michelle Obama stuck her foot in her mouth (her "adult lifetime" amounts to my entire lifetime, and I can think of soooo many times I've been proud to be an American). There's going to be a lunar eclipse tonight (Ben wants to see it, so he's been being extra good so we'll let him stay up past his bedtime).
Hmm... guess that about sums it up!
Unfortunately, today seems to be a slow news day. Well... slow of items of interest to me, anyhow. There are some that have received national attention. Fidel Castro has decided not to seek re-election (gee, how considerate of him... always in tune with what the people want, that one!). Michelle Obama stuck her foot in her mouth (her "adult lifetime" amounts to my entire lifetime, and I can think of soooo many times I've been proud to be an American). There's going to be a lunar eclipse tonight (Ben wants to see it, so he's been being extra good so we'll let him stay up past his bedtime).
Hmm... guess that about sums it up!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Why I Like Tancredo -or- A Heavy Dose of Common Sense
The following is an open letter to Mexican President Felipe Calderon, written by Tom Tancredo (who, incidentally, was one of my picks for POTUS).
President Calderon:
I was disappointed by misguided comments you recently made regarding U.S.-Mexico relations and U.S. immigration laws. Purveying misinformation and absurd allegations is hardly a positive step to building a constructive partnership.
According to the Associated Press you recently said, “You have two economies. One economy is intensive in capital, which is the American economy. One economy is intensive in labor, which is the Mexican economy. We are two complementary economies, and that phenomenon is impossible to stop.” Yes, both countries benefit by the 85% of Mexico’s manufacturing exports that come to the U.S., but people are not commodities. While I appreciate your concern for our joint prosperity, the economic and social ills that plague your country cannot be resolved by simply exporting your citizens to the United States.
It is undeniable that Mexico faces major challenges. Endemic corruption and the power of violent drug cartels still dominate everyday life across Mexico. Beyond the headlines, Mexico has deep institutional maladies. Mexico’s absurdly antiquated Napoleonic-inquisition styled legal system and the squandering of robust energy-industry opportunity by a poorly managed, state-run Pemex monopoly are just two examples of the kind of self-inflicted wounds that hobble your troubled nation.
I understand that you are attempting to resolve some of these problems and applaud your leadership in trying to do so. But what would contribute more to the long term stability of your economy and your country would be to focus more energy on addressing your domestic challenges and less on lobbying the U.S. to provide amnesty for Mexicans who have illegally entered this country with the blessing of your government. In doing so, you might be able to keep Mexico’s “best and brightest young men” in Mexico – where they can contribute more to Mexico’s economy than remittance payments. Unfortunately, your recent comments indicate that Mexico will continue its policy of encouraging illegal immigration and treating the United States as little more than a dumping ground for your social and economic problems.
In your speech yesterday to the California State legislature, you lectured the American people on how to improve our immigration policies. Why did you not propose that we model our policies on Mexico’s own policies toward illegal entry across your own southern border? Mexico expends enormous resources to prevent Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans from entering the country illegally, but you castigate the United States for wanting secure borders. Mr. President, in my neighborhood that is called hypocrisy.
You proposed in your Sacramento speech that “migration” be made “legal, safe and organized.” Mr. President, we already have such a program and it is called legal immigration. Over one million legal immigrants come through our ports of entry each year, not across our border fences. The American people set limits on the number of legal immigrants through our immigration laws, and it is not the job of the Mexican government to revise or expand those limits.
President Calderon, you are insulting the American people when you tell us that fifteen to twenty million illegal aliens in our country bring only benefits and no costs. I challenge you to give one concrete example of how the enforcement of our existing immigration laws violates anyone’s human rights. The people of Oklahoma are not anti-Mexican for passing laws to require verification of employment eligibility. The people of Indiana are not anti-immigrant for passing laws to require photo identification for voting. The people of California are not anti-Mexican for denying driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. The people of Arizona are not anti-immigrant for passing laws that deny welfare benefits to people who are in that state unlawfully.
It is no secret that the purpose of your visit is to influence the American election, and in fact your trip has been billed as a high-stakes effort to shape the immigration debate underway in the U.S. presidential race. What is perhaps more disappointing, however, is your attempt to insinuate that anti-amnesty sentiment here in the U.S. is the same as anti-Mexican sentiment. I am referring to your statement, “I need to change in the perception that the Americans are the enemy, and it is important to change the perception that the Mexicans are the enemy.”
It is both disingenuous and dangerous for you to inject this kind of xenophobia into this debate. The fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans support the enforcement of our immigration laws and take issue with the notion that we should reward illegal behavior, hardly qualifies as ethnic animosity or international enmity. What you must understand is that a treasured aspect of our national foundation is a respect for the rule of law. Perhaps if corruption were not so widespread and commonplace in Mexico, it would be easier for you to understand this.
President Calderon, in many ways your trip thus far has been a long series of mixed messages. You accuse the United States of recent protectionist trends, yet you heavily restrict foreign entry into Mexico’s energy sector through a massive, state-run Pemex monopoly. You assure American politicians that an open flow of cheap Mexican labor is not only benign but vitally necessary, but you take great care in securing your own southern border with Guatemala. You come to the United States purportedly to promote better political and economic ties with the U.S., but then issue a thinly veiled threat that Mexicans will regard the U.S. as an enemy if we refuse to provide millions of illegal aliens with unconditional amnesty.
President Calderon, I respectfully suggest that the next time you visit our country, rather than trying to influence U.S. policymakers or our election process, you take time to listen to Americans rather than lecture them. If you want to make changes in government policies, apply your energies to Mexico’s laundry list of problems rather than meddling in domestic American politics.
President Calderon:
I was disappointed by misguided comments you recently made regarding U.S.-Mexico relations and U.S. immigration laws. Purveying misinformation and absurd allegations is hardly a positive step to building a constructive partnership.
According to the Associated Press you recently said, “You have two economies. One economy is intensive in capital, which is the American economy. One economy is intensive in labor, which is the Mexican economy. We are two complementary economies, and that phenomenon is impossible to stop.” Yes, both countries benefit by the 85% of Mexico’s manufacturing exports that come to the U.S., but people are not commodities. While I appreciate your concern for our joint prosperity, the economic and social ills that plague your country cannot be resolved by simply exporting your citizens to the United States.
It is undeniable that Mexico faces major challenges. Endemic corruption and the power of violent drug cartels still dominate everyday life across Mexico. Beyond the headlines, Mexico has deep institutional maladies. Mexico’s absurdly antiquated Napoleonic-inquisition styled legal system and the squandering of robust energy-industry opportunity by a poorly managed, state-run Pemex monopoly are just two examples of the kind of self-inflicted wounds that hobble your troubled nation.
I understand that you are attempting to resolve some of these problems and applaud your leadership in trying to do so. But what would contribute more to the long term stability of your economy and your country would be to focus more energy on addressing your domestic challenges and less on lobbying the U.S. to provide amnesty for Mexicans who have illegally entered this country with the blessing of your government. In doing so, you might be able to keep Mexico’s “best and brightest young men” in Mexico – where they can contribute more to Mexico’s economy than remittance payments. Unfortunately, your recent comments indicate that Mexico will continue its policy of encouraging illegal immigration and treating the United States as little more than a dumping ground for your social and economic problems.
In your speech yesterday to the California State legislature, you lectured the American people on how to improve our immigration policies. Why did you not propose that we model our policies on Mexico’s own policies toward illegal entry across your own southern border? Mexico expends enormous resources to prevent Guatemalans, Hondurans and Salvadorans from entering the country illegally, but you castigate the United States for wanting secure borders. Mr. President, in my neighborhood that is called hypocrisy.
You proposed in your Sacramento speech that “migration” be made “legal, safe and organized.” Mr. President, we already have such a program and it is called legal immigration. Over one million legal immigrants come through our ports of entry each year, not across our border fences. The American people set limits on the number of legal immigrants through our immigration laws, and it is not the job of the Mexican government to revise or expand those limits.
President Calderon, you are insulting the American people when you tell us that fifteen to twenty million illegal aliens in our country bring only benefits and no costs. I challenge you to give one concrete example of how the enforcement of our existing immigration laws violates anyone’s human rights. The people of Oklahoma are not anti-Mexican for passing laws to require verification of employment eligibility. The people of Indiana are not anti-immigrant for passing laws to require photo identification for voting. The people of California are not anti-Mexican for denying driver’s licenses to illegal aliens. The people of Arizona are not anti-immigrant for passing laws that deny welfare benefits to people who are in that state unlawfully.
It is no secret that the purpose of your visit is to influence the American election, and in fact your trip has been billed as a high-stakes effort to shape the immigration debate underway in the U.S. presidential race. What is perhaps more disappointing, however, is your attempt to insinuate that anti-amnesty sentiment here in the U.S. is the same as anti-Mexican sentiment. I am referring to your statement, “I need to change in the perception that the Americans are the enemy, and it is important to change the perception that the Mexicans are the enemy.”
It is both disingenuous and dangerous for you to inject this kind of xenophobia into this debate. The fact that the overwhelming majority of Americans support the enforcement of our immigration laws and take issue with the notion that we should reward illegal behavior, hardly qualifies as ethnic animosity or international enmity. What you must understand is that a treasured aspect of our national foundation is a respect for the rule of law. Perhaps if corruption were not so widespread and commonplace in Mexico, it would be easier for you to understand this.
President Calderon, in many ways your trip thus far has been a long series of mixed messages. You accuse the United States of recent protectionist trends, yet you heavily restrict foreign entry into Mexico’s energy sector through a massive, state-run Pemex monopoly. You assure American politicians that an open flow of cheap Mexican labor is not only benign but vitally necessary, but you take great care in securing your own southern border with Guatemala. You come to the United States purportedly to promote better political and economic ties with the U.S., but then issue a thinly veiled threat that Mexicans will regard the U.S. as an enemy if we refuse to provide millions of illegal aliens with unconditional amnesty.
President Calderon, I respectfully suggest that the next time you visit our country, rather than trying to influence U.S. policymakers or our election process, you take time to listen to Americans rather than lecture them. If you want to make changes in government policies, apply your energies to Mexico’s laundry list of problems rather than meddling in domestic American politics.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Oh no, it's ManBearPig!! Hurry, someone call Al Gore!!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/lynn-davidson/2008/02/14/alert-global-warming-kills-loch-ness-monster
I just had to share this article with everyone...
First of all, the idea that Global Warming is responsible for the demise of Nessie is just ludicrous in my book. (Well, actually, so is the whole idea of Global Warming, but that's not today's point!)
Second of all, Ted and I joke about ManBearPig all the time, so it was cool to see someone else do it in print!! :-)
I just had to share this article with everyone...
First of all, the idea that Global Warming is responsible for the demise of Nessie is just ludicrous in my book. (Well, actually, so is the whole idea of Global Warming, but that's not today's point!)
Second of all, Ted and I joke about ManBearPig all the time, so it was cool to see someone else do it in print!! :-)
Sunday, February 10, 2008
I Fear This is Where We are Headed
http://michellemalkin.com/2008/02/09/i-have-a-plan-to-destroy-america-by-richard-d-lamm/
Kind of makes you think, doesn't it??
Kind of makes you think, doesn't it??
Friday, February 8, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Another news bit...
Don't you hate it when you defend someone or something and then it blows up in your face? I think this woman is feeling that way now, only on a very grand scale:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329605,00.html
Another reason I am so glad to be living in the USA.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329605,00.html
Another reason I am so glad to be living in the USA.
The Saddest News I've Heard All Day
http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/02/07/time-magazine-blog-romney-to-quit-today/
This means that four out of the four candidates I liked are now no longer running.
This is getting depressing...
This means that four out of the four candidates I liked are now no longer running.
This is getting depressing...
Here I am!
Well, this is my first post... Welcome to my place...! Hopefully before long I'll have this place looking great... until then, hang in there!! :-D
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