The Real Che Was No T-Shirt Idol, As Cuban-American Author Finds

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

Posted Tuesday, July 10, 2007 4:20 PM PT

Cuba's late Marxist revolutionary, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, is experiencing something of a revival these days. His fiery-eyed visage and rock-star good looks, immortalized in an iconic snapshot by photographer Alfredo Korda in 1961, seem to epitomize the youthful idealism of revolution, rebellion and free-spiritedness.

Since then, the famous communist's face has shown up on T-shirts, car decals, wristwatches, baby clothes, CD cases, hubcaps, jewelry, backpacks, and in Manhattan classroom posters, ironically advertising value of his image to capitalist markets.

Hillary Clinton has been spotted at campaign rallies with Che T-shirt wearers. Carlos Santana has paraded his shirt at award shows. Angelina Jolie reportedly sports a Che tattoo. And Hollywood has idealized the Argentine-born revolutionary in glossy movies like "The Motorcycle Diaries."

The only problem with this romance is there's not a wisp of truth to it. Guevara was a deadly "killing machine" whose legacy was to enslave and impoverish Cuba.

Cuban-American author Humberto Fontova researched the man behind the image, exploring why pop culture seems so enamored of Che Guevara. Speaking to dozens of Cubans who knew and fought with Guevara (1928-1967), Fontova pieced together a very different picture of Guevara for his book, "Exposing The Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him."
We spoke with Fontova about the real Che, one of history's most undeservedly idolized mass murderers.

IBD: You spent some of your childhood in the first years of the Cuban revolution before your family managed to escape in 1961. How did your family manage to get out?
Fontova: Filmmaker Michael Moore said that the reason Cubans live so well in the U.S. is that they brought all their loot from Havana. But almost all Cubans came to the U.S. with only the clothes on their backs.

We managed to get out by plane, not raft, or inner tube in 1961. The totalitarian bureaucracy allowed some people to get out legally, but it took a year to get the paperwork done, and as we got to the airport, Cuban troops yanked my mother's earrings off her ears and my sister's crucifix off her neck, letting them take only one suitcase.

They said the items belongs to "la revolution," or "the people" and what they meant by "the people" was the Stalinist functionaries' family. My father drilled holes in (the) soles of his shoes and hid his wedding rings.

But at the last stage before the flight, when were leaving from the airport, security forces came and grabbed my father and said he's not going anywhere. Just before they dragged him through the door, my mom said we aren't leaving. My dad told her she had to leave, and we figured he was going to the firing squads. He told my mom "Whatever happens to me, I don't want my children growing up in communist country." We were just ages 8, 5 and 7 years old but we knew something was wrong.

IBD: Why did your dad want to flee?
Fontova: My dad doesn't like to take orders. There's this myth that anyone leaving Fidel Castro's revolution had to be a millionaire, a gangster or a crook. All he wanted was to not be a slave.

We got to Miami, and my mom called Havana. She learns my father is in G2 security headquarters where people were taken for questioning. A lot of people didn't emerge from that questioning and you can imagine my mom's terror, in a strange country, not a penny to her name, three kids and probably a widow. My family moved to New Orleans to stay with relatives.
New Orleans had a fair number of Cubans, and we lived in a small apartment. A few months went by and my mom picks up the receiver again. This time, her reaction was markedly different, this was a screech of joy. My father was calling from the airport, and I remember my dad emerging from the door of the plane and she was running and that embrace I'll never forget. Our story had a happy ending.

What I am trying to do is remind and inform people that thousands of Cuban families did not have a happy ending.

IBD: You mention that the regime imprisoned people. What kinds of figures are you talking about?
Fontova: Cuba in 1961 had 6.3 million people. According to Freedom House, 500,000 Cubans have passed through Cuba's prison systems, proportionately more than went through Stalin's Gulag. At one time in 1961, 350,000 Cubans (were) jailed for political crimes and 1 out of 18 Cubans was a political prisoner. These were people who were overheard talking badly against regime. It's very difficult for people to visualize what a totalitarian regime is — after all, doesn't Latin America always have dictatorship?. Yeah, but Latin America does not have totalitarian Stalinist dictatorships, except in Cuba.

IBD: How did Che create this?
Fontova: It wasn't two weeks after Castro entered Havana that Soviet agents entered. Che was the main conduit with Soviet intelligence agencies.
The Cuban regime executed more people proportionately in its first three years in power than Hitler did in six. Think about that execution rate and then think about that slogan associated with Che — "resist oppression." The ironies are so rich, comparing what Cuban-Americans read and what they experienced.

IBD: Guevara bragged from the podium of the United Nations that "we do executions."
Fontova: And he said "we will continue to do executions" in 1964. According to the Black Book of Communism, published in Paris, 14,000 men and boys were executed in Cuba by that stage, that would be the equivalent of 3 million executions in the U.S., and yet that man who carried them out was hailed by Jesse Jackson, who wrote a book condemning capital punishment.

IBD: Speaking of communist chic, Cameron Diaz got into trouble for toting a Mao bag in Peru, where people knew Maoist terror.
Fontova: But you will notice that Cameron Diaz apologized, so I attribute 80% of the Che paraphernalia seen on people to ignorance. Especially when I am in a generous mood. I hate to think people are that dumb. With ignorance, it's different, they just don't know. After all, if you were to see Korda's picture of Che from a distance, you might say that's a pretty cool picture because it looks like Jim Morrison of The Doors. They have big notions, especially the young kids who see Che as a hero — that he is a revolutionary, that he fought "The Man." No, sir, I say, he was "The Man" that rebellious people fought against. You got it completely backwards.

IBD: You wrote about how Che loathed rock 'n' rollers, gays, artists, black people, and anybody who was part of the establishment.
Fontova: I do this in (the) book by simply quoting Ernesto "Che" Guevara. There is a misperception that he was a free spirit. He had cold Stalinist personality. He used to sign his early correspondence "Stalin II." He said early on that he saw the solution to all the world's problems behind (the) Iron Curtain. But this was not some hippie dippie Marxist, Guevara said in speech in 1962 that he regarded the very spirit of rebellion as anti-revolutionary. Figure that out, he said individualism must disappear in Cuba. If you tried to do your own thing under his regime you wound up in a prison camp.

IBD: What about his personality?
Fontova: He had an arrogant nature. I interviewed people who visited him and tried to save their sons from firing squad executions without trial. He liked to toy with them. He liked to pick up the phone in front of weeping mothers and bark out, "Execute the Fernandez boy right now!"
He was clinically a sadist. Fidel, you could call a psychopath. Murders didn't affect him one way or another. For him, it was a utilitarian slaughter to consolidate his one-man rule.
Che, from all the people I talked to, relished the slaughter. He had a section of a wall knocked out of his second story office so he could watch his beloved firing squads at work.

IBD: Did he kill minors?
Fontova: Lots of boys that went to the firing squads were 15, 16, 17 years old. They were poor boys who joined the military for benefits, much as is done in this country sometimes. They were the ones who got stuck holding the bag. They were killed for the Stalinist regime to say, "We are running the show now" and "This is what is going to happen to you if you question what we are doing here."

They did not make secret of these executions. They wanted make them public as an example similar to what the Stalin forces did to the Polish officer corps in the Katyn Forest Massacre. One reason was to behead the officer corps of the former Cuban army — because they knew that when the time came for a counterrevolution, they'd be the leaders to defeat. But they also wanted to cow the population.

IBD: Was Che an idealist?
Fontova: The book could have been titled that everything you read about Che is not just wrong but upside down. When Che moved to Havana in 1959, it was to the most luxurious mansion inside Cuba. It had waterfalls, it had what would be considered a plasma TV, it had a yacht harbor, a sauna. Its completely documented.

IBD: Yet Che is considered the brains of Cuban revolution.
Fontova: Ariel Dorfman wrote huge economium for Time magazine naming him among the heroes and icons of the 20th century, alongside Mother Teresa. Parisian intellectual Jean Paul Sartre called him "the most complete human of the 20th century." Che was often called the brains of the revolution, but Castro was pulling strings behind him. Guevara seemed like an intellectual because he consorted with French intellectuals as some Argentines did, but in fact he was Castro's puppet and chief executioner.

IBD: The media missed all this. Will it ever change?
Fontova: The mainstream media monopoly is being broken. Alan Colmes of "Hannity and Colmes" once asked me, "Why are these stories coming out now as opposed to 20 years ago? All of a sudden, you discover all this horrible information on Che."
I said, "No, Alan, people have been talking about this since 1959, but it never made it past the mainstream media filter." That monopoly is over, so our side can tell its story to middle America. I like to think this book is an example of that.

Mass Deportations Coming for Jailed Illegal Immigrants

Not so fast. President Bush is still not serious about border enforcement and deportation of the illegal aliens already here.

The real reason deportation is taking place? BECAUSE AN ELECTION IS COMING, and the Republican party "leadership" knows that illegal immigration is a huge issue for the rock-rib conservative. They don't respect you, which is why they are pandering to you with this token round-up of illegal immigrants. Mark my words - this will not last. As soon as the election is over, the status quo will return to normal.

Let's use our heads for a second, shall we? Does it make sense that, whenever there is a recall of bad beef, the USDA is able to pinpoint exactly which cow in the right ranch was infected, what the cow ate, how old it was, and other vital stats? And the same government empty suits are telling you and me that we can't find 30 million illegal aliens? I'll tell you - they don't want to solve the problem. They can - if they wanted.

So, read the article below, and leave a comment to tell me what you think
-Aaron

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The U.S. Homeland Security department has launched an ambitious nationwide effort that would cost $2 billion to $3 billion a year to identify and deport the estimated 300,000 to 450,000 illegal immigrants locked up each year in jails and prisons.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation was denounced by immigrant rights groups and received cautiously by those favoring tighter enforcement.

''We can do something few law enforcement agencies can do: Not only ensure criminals are off the streets, but ensure they are removed from the country," said ICE spokesman Tim Counts. ''Removing hundreds of thousands of criminals from the country is sure to have a positive impact on community safety."

ICE has a presence in only 10 percent of the nation's 3,100 local lockups. Last year, it filed deportation charges against 164,000 illegal immigrants in jail, and removed 95,000, Counts said.

''It's a broad-stroke outline for a plan to locate more of the illegal aliens located in jails and prisons throughout the country," Counts said.

The recently announced ICE effort, known as "Secure Communities," will upgrade computer technology in jails and allow local jailers to access ICE's fingerprint database to quickly identify prisoners with immigration violations as they are booked. The $200 million in funding already allocated for the program this year would also add an unspecified number of ICE detention and removal officers, Counts confirmed.

The program would also:

• Prioritize removal of criminal immigrants based on their danger to the community.

• Expand an early parole program for non-violent immigrants who agree to deportation.

• Add staff in field offices so ICE detention officers are available around-the-clock to assist local jailers in deportation.

• Increase the 287 (g) program, which trains state and local law enforcement officers to perform immigration duties.

Counts said the first priority would be removing "level one" immigrants, those convicted of major drug offenses and violent crimes including murder, manslaughter, rape and armed robbery. Removing those offenders would cost around $1 billion a year. ICE estimates the cost to remove all convicted criminal immigrants in custody would be $2 billion to $3 billion annually.

"We estimate it will take approximately three and a half years to remove all level one criminal aliens, and to test the program's effectiveness," Counts said.

Sheriff's office interested

Harris County sheriff's officials, who are awaiting approval for ICE training for a dozen jail deputies, said they would be interested in access to the ICE database.

''I would assume that as the nature of our relationship with ICE expands, it would be made available to us," said Maj. Don McWilliams, commander of the department's public services bureau. ''As we get our people trained to assist ICE, we certainly would like access to any and all databases ICE has access to."

The Secure Communities initiative expands ICE's Criminal Alien Program, which focuses on identifying deportable immigrants incarcerated in federal, state and local facilities.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office participates in the program by asking county jail inmates if they are in the country legally. Jail officials then refer illegal immigrants to ICE, which can place detainers on them to prevent their release and subject them to deportation.

The same program ignited protests last year in Irving, the Dallas suburb where ICE agents worked closely with city jailers to deport hundreds of illegal immigrants. Activists there complained Irving police were targeting immigrants in raids.

Fire from both sides

The new multiyear ICE operation has raised questions from groups on both sides of the immigration debate.

Curtis Collier, president of the U.S. Border Watch in Houston, said illegal immigrants should only be deported after completing their sentences.

''Deportation is not punishment. We are adamantly opposed to removing people prior to their serving their sentence, because it's basically early release," Collier said. ''And once they deport them, they'll be right back in this country."

Arnoldo Garcia, program coordinator for the National Network of Immigrant Refugee Rights, said the ICE effort could result in profiling of immigrants.

''They're wasting resources," said Garcia, whose group is based in California. ''And how are they going to verify the rights of those individuals who are jailed?"

Oil for War - by Michael Savage

Savage makes a very interesting point here. If you will remember, it was promised that Iraqi oil from the newly liberated nation would (at least partially) pay for the war cost. As you should, that has not been happening - no money from Iraqi oil revenue has gone to pay for the initial invasion and daily operations by the US military. Having said that, read Savage's analysis below.

---

For years, I have been calling for Iraq to pay us back for the cost of liberating them from the torture chambers of Saddam Hussein. Iraq's sustainable oil production capacity is almost 3 million barrels per day. The earth beneath Iraqi sands holds more than 112 billion barrels of oil – the world's second largest proven reserves – and unexplored regions could yield an additional 100 billion barrels, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Iraq also contains 110 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. And yet this war has nearly bankrupted our treasury.

I was surprised to hear Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat from Michigan, call for this very idea at the Petraeus hearings this week he said, "We need to put continuous and increasing pressure on the Iraqis to settle their political differences, to pay for their own reconstruction with their oil windfalls, and to take the lead in conducting military operations."

It is fascinating to hear a liberal congressman repeat my idea while the so-called "conservatives", the Whig Party of our time, the Republicans continue to pump money from American taxpayers to support this unpopular war instead of pumping Iraqi oil. We have spent 500 billion, half a trillion dollars so far on making the Sunni triangle safe for democracy, but it hasn't even kept our own Marines safe from prosecution. The month that President Bush was sworn into office, gas was $1.40 a gallon. This week, gas is averaging $3.30 a gallon, and near $5 a gallon in Los Angeles. Two dollars a gallon more for the war on terror! Make the Iraqis foot the bill for their own liberation!

When the Republican Party stops depleting the tax base for this endless war, Iraq's oil can be used to rebuild their country and pay us back. Now it is time for the 24 million liberated Iraqis to pay back their liberators. With the one resource they have – oil.

Posts on Victory Briefs Daily

As I searched Google for my name, I found these gems (you can go to the link to see the names of the guy that posted this)...

By the way, I recommend Michael Savage’s SAVAGE NATION. He covers a variety of topics, all of his positions laughable. A good read.

Also, I’m sure Patrick would like to recognize Aaron Cichon, a student at Strake Jesuit who wrote a very racist case for the pofo topic last year in Mr. Crist’s freshman speech class. It was he who gave us the ideas for the ironic part of the AC.

Some of the cards we used/were considering:

Michael Savage: “Man, this is what we’re fighting for. We’re working to preserve the freedom that enables a family to play and love each other without fear of being harmed. Which is why we must do everything in our power - including racial profiling as needed - to snuff out those who are here, right now, waiting to snuff out the American dream.”

“This will shock you, but it’s a fact: 25 to 30 percent of all prisoners in our jails today are illegal immigrants. You better read that again. Do you understand what that means to your paycheck? Americans are being taxed to fund the cost of housing, feeding, entertaining, and guarding one in the four prisoners who don’t even belong in this country! That’s insanity”

“There’s a third class who come to America. These dirty thieves come here not to mooch, not for the ACLU-care benefits, not to study, not for the host of other liberal handouts. They come to kill us. They come to poison your daughter’s lunch box. They come to fly planes into buildings. These snakes pretend to be one of us. They might blend in as they await their orders to stab America in the back.”

Pat Buchanan: “Who can guarantee that, of the untold millions of illegals here, and the scores of thousands ordered deported for crimes who have disappeared into our midst, none is a terrorist waiting for orders to blow up a subway or mall and massacre American citizens? Most of these illegals come to work to send money back to their families. They are not bad people. But because they are predominantly young and male, they commit a disproportionate share of violent crimes. Why should U.S. citizens be assaulted, robbed, raped and murdered, and have their children molested, because their government will not enforce its own laws? Is this not an indictment of democracy itself? What dictatorial regime would put up with this?” Buchanan also attacks various ethnic groups in the US (”hyphenated Americanism”) — including Jews, Blacks, Hispanics, Greeks, and Armenians — for exerting too much political influence and weakening the foundation of the United States’ traditional Anglo-Saxon culture.

Irony solves.

Here is a reply from an anonymous poster named John:

This is a response to the post by Brian Kwik (#63):

So, everyone who is a conservative is supposed to agree with other conservatives who are in “professional politics” (meaning that they are nationally recognized)? Not everyone in America is a “Bush-bot” like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity. Here is what Buchanan has posted on his website, theamericancause.org:

“Since he [President Bush] took office in 2001, Bush said in Tucson, Ariz., U.S. border agents have apprehended and sent home 4.5 million illegal aliens, ‘including more than 350,000 with criminal records.’”

What is so ironic about the Michael Savage and Pat Buchanan quotes? They have the same positions on abortion, affirmative action, foreign aid, gun rights, immigration, and taxes - all of the biggest issues that really matter.

One last thing: any sensible human being should know that ALL of the positions described in Michael Savage’s book THE SAVAGE NATION are not laughable, as you say, Brian Kwik. Certainly, if you disagree with Savage about something, you may find it funny that he says it. But the pro-life stance he takes is “laughable?” How about anti-terrorism - is that funny, too? What about his standing up for the tradionial family: were you rolling on the floor, trying to keep your sides splitting from the humor?

If they are, then I would like to know what turkey baster you were born in. Your opinions were most likely taken from your parents - as they raised you, correct? or am I incorrect in that assumption, too? - and no child could possibly withstand the tools an abortionist uses to rip an unwanted child to pieces.

So now, this is where the mental disorder of liberalism comes to expose its ugly head; the response to the anonymous post:

I’m gonna respond to this cause it’s funny.

“What is so ironic about the Michael Savage and Pat Buchanan quotes? They have the same positions on abortion, affirmative action, foreign aid, gun rights, immigration, and taxes - all of the biggest issues that really matter.”

Yeah, and their positions are laughable.

“One last thing: any sensible human being should know that ALL of the positions described in Michael Savage’s book THE SAVAGE NATION are not laughable, as you say, Brian Kwik. ”

They are if you’re educated.

“But the pro-life stance he takes is “laughable?””

Yeah, it’s laughable. It’s also archaic, but laughable is part of it.

“How about anti-terrorism - is that funny, too? ”

To essentialize it like that? Yeah, it’s funny. Us against the terrorists, right? Yes, the position is absolutely laughable.

” What about his standing up for the tradionial family: were you rolling on the floor, trying to keep your sides splitting from the humor?”

Yup. Between getting irritated by the reactionary homophobia that is vital to the “traditional family” position. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so offensive and stupid.

” and no child could possibly withstand the tools an abortionist uses to rip an unwanted child to pieces.”

Fallacy. Appeal to emotion. In all honesty, if someone doesn’t want their baby, they should probably have it aborted. Not three weeks before it’s due, but within a reasonable time frame.

And yeah, your positions are pretty laughable, too.

That's the cost of being a conservative in modern America. Ain't that sweet.

-Aaron

John McCain - A Fraud

As you now know, John McCain is the leading Republican candidate so far for the 2008 Presidential election. All the other major-leaguers have bowed out because they couldn't win, or because they just ran out of money (Fred Thompson, Rudy, and today, Mitt Romney).

This leaves us with three very exciting possibilities...

• a Congressman from Brazoria county who says mall security does a better at securing America than the Marines (Dr. Ron Paul, OB/GYN)
• a Joel Olsteen-like preacher who thinks he's funny, but really not (Mike Huck-a-schmuck)
• and the "Clinton of the Right," John McCain the war hero.

You will hear a lot about McCain's war record. That is because he wants to remove the focus from his terrible domestic policy record, and focus us on just his heroism from many years ago.

Let me tell you though, McCain's heroism in Vietnam was much more real than John Kerry's ever was.

But McCain's record is one of secrets and deceit - a record of fraudulent and adulterous Republicanism.

Here is his trail of tears:

• Gang of 14
• He stopped conservatives in Congress from preventing unconstitutional Democrat filibusters of true conservative Supreme Court nominees. All SC nominees deserve an up-or-down (yes-or-no) vote, but McCain the Liberal led the fight on the other side of the aisle - with the Democrats.
• McCain/Feingold
• This is campaign finance reform, which allows only the rich to run for President and other high office. This leads to the destruction of our First Amendment, as this completely prevents the "little people" from purchasing ad time on television (the easiest way to reach lots of people at the same time) to inform others about candidates.
  
• Drilling in ANWR
• McCain compares ANWAR to the Everglades and the Grand Canyon.
• John Kerry's Vice-President
• Yes, it's true. Thought about being VP for Frankenstein.
  
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A34742-2004Jun11.html
  
• McCain/Kennedy amnesty
  
• Do you like illegal immigration? John McCain does! McCain wrote amnesty legislation in the summer of 2007 with Ted Kennedy to grant amnesty for 12-30 million illegal immigrants in America. If we disagreed, we were racists or bigots.
  
• Rights for terrorists
• "Supports giving lawyers and American rights to foreign terrorists, bringing them to our homeland, then setting them free to roam about with zero interrogation. No understanding of the War on Terror, this being his evidence of it."
• Lies
• "Frequently lies about his record including smearing Romney for something he didn't say, ie. "timetables". An action condemned by nearly every conservative and media op in the country."
• Anti-Tax Cuts
• "Voted against the Bush Tax Cuts before he voted to make them permanent. The latter being only so he could attempt to run for President as a 'Republican'."
• Anti-Capitalism
• "Constantly speaking out against big business including all the jobs Romney created in the private sector. All for the sake of a cheap shot in a debate on TV."
• Anti-Conservative judges
• "Mentioned specifically that he would not have nominated Sam Alito to the SCOTUS. Unforgivable."

The structure of this post was borrowed from a post by "Cary" on PatGray.com
http://www.patgray.com/content/view/1143/21/

Now, the most attentive reader will recognize that I did not mention McCain on pro-life issues. He is abysmal on that as well. This is from Ann Coulter's most recent column:

"Although McCain has the minimum pro-life record demanded by the voters of Arizona, in 2006, McCain voted in favor of using taxpayer funds to harvest stem cells from human embryos. He opposes a constitutional amendment to protect human life. And he frets that if Roe v. Wade were overruled, women's lives would be "endangered." This is the same John McCain who chides Mitt Romney today for "flip-flopping" on abortion. At least Romney flips and stays there.

Of course the most important issue for pro-lifers is the Supreme Court. As long as Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, it doesn't matter how many hearts and minds we've changed. So it's not insignificant that McCain has called Justice Samuel Alito too conservative."

Now can you finally understand the conservative outrage amongst the party faithful? McCain talks a good game of "uniting the party," but he is the one DIVIDING us. It's him and his liberal foolishness that will cause us to loose the next election - lest we find a true conservative in the next nine months.

-Aaron

(sickening, by the way)

Proton May Develop "Islamic Car"

UALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — So what constitutes an "Islamic car"? A vehicle with a compartment to store a Qu'ran and prayer scarf, as well as a built-in compass that points the way to Mecca.

Described as an Iranian initiative, the concept is under consideration by Malaysia's state-owned Proton, which just won an order to supply Tehran's taxi fleet with 5,000 Waja compacts.

A Proton executive, in Iran to secure the deal, described his company's dream of an "Islamic car" that could be produced in Malaysia, Iran or Turkey and sold in various global markets, including countries with large Muslim populations such as Indonesia and Pakistan. Such a car, he added, "will have all the Islamic features," including the aforementioned way-to-Mecca compass and storage for the Muslim holy book.

What this means to you: Niche marketing and culturally sensitive marketing join together in this unusual display.

From Edmunds.com

Hillary and Taxes

Hitler Speaks at Columbia

Speech by President Sarkozy Before Congress

Read it; it's good.

-Aaron

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Madam Speaker,
Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen of the United States Congress,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

The state of our friendship and our alliance is strong.

Friendship, first and foremost, means being true to one's friends. Since the United States first appeared on the world scene, the loyalty between the French and American people has never failed. And far from being weakened by the vicissitudes of History, it has never ceased growing stronger.

Friends may have differences; they may have disagreements; they may have disputes.

But in times of difficulty, in times of hardship, friends stand together, side by side; they support each other; and help one another.

In times of difficulty, in times of hardship, America and France have always stood side by side, supported one another, helped one another, fought for each other's freedom.

The United States and France remain true to the memory of their common history, true to the blood spilled by their children in common battles. But they are not true merely to the memory of what they accomplished together in the past. They remain true, first and foremost, to the same ideal, the same principles, the same values that have always united them.

The deliberations of your Congress are conducted under the double gaze of Washington and Lafayette. Lafayette, whose 250^th birthday we are celebrating this year and who was the first foreign dignitary, in 1824, to address a joint session of Congress. What was it that brought these two men—so far apart in age and background—together, if not their faith in common values, the heritage of the Enlightenment, the same love for freedom and justice?

Upon first meeting Washington, Lafayette told him: "I have come here to learn, not to teach." It was this new spirit and youth of the Old World seeking out the wisdom of the New World that opened a new era for all of humanity.

From the very beginning, the American dream meant putting into practice the dreams of the Old World.

From the very beginning, the American dream meant proving to all mankind that freedom, justice, human rights and democracy were no utopia but were rather the most realistic policy there is and the most likely to improve the fate of each and every person.

America did not tell the millions of men and women who came from every country in the world and who—with their hands, their intelligence and their heart—built the greatest nation in the world: "Come, and everything will be given to you." She said: "Come, and the only limits to what you'll be able to achieve will be your own courage and your own talent." America embodies this extraordinary ability to grant each and every person a second chance.

Here, both the humblest and most illustrious citizens alike know that nothing is owed to them and that everything has to be earned. That's what constitutes the moral value of America. America did not teach men the idea of freedom; she taught them how to practice it. And she fought for this freedom whenever she felt it to be threatened somewhere in the world. It was by watching America grow that men and women understood that freedom was possible.

What made America great was her ability to transform her own dream into hope for all mankind.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The men and women of my generation heard their grandparents talk about how in 1917, America saved France at a time when it had reached the final limits of its strength, which it had exhausted in the most absurd and bloodiest of wars.

The men and women of my generation heard their parents talk about how in 1944, America returned to free Europe from the horrifying tyranny that threatened to enslave it.

Fathers took their sons to see the vast cemeteries where, under thousands of white crosses so far from home, thousands of young American soldiers lay who had fallen not to defend their own freedom but the freedom of all others, not to defend their own families, their own homeland, but to defend humanity as a whole.

Fathers took their sons to the beaches where the young men of America had so heroically landed. They read them the admirable letters of farewell that those 20-year-old soldiers had written to their families before the battle to tell them: "We don't consider ourselves heroes. We want this war to be over. But however much dread we may feel, you can count on us." Before they landed, Eisenhower told them: "The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you."

And as they listened to their fathers, watched movies, read history books and the letters of soldiers who died on the beaches of Normandy and Provence, as they visited the cemeteries where the star-spangled banner flies, the children of my generation understood that these young Americans, 20 years old, were true heroes to whom they owed the fact that they were free people and not slaves. France will never forget the sacrifice of your children.

To those 20-year-old heroes who gave us everything, to the families of those who never returned, to the children who mourned fathers they barely got a chance to know, I want to express France's eternal gratitude.

On behalf of my generation, which did not experience war but knows how much it owes to their courage and their sacrifice; on behalf of our children, who must never forget; to all the veterans who are here today and, notably the seven I had the honor to decorate yesterday evening, one of whom, Senator Inouye, belongs to your Congress, I want to express the deep, sincere gratitude of the French people. I want to tell you that whenever an American soldier falls somewhere in the world, I think of what the American army did for France. I think of them and I am sad, as one is sad to lose a member of one's family.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The men and women of my generation remember the Marshall Plan that allowed their fathers to rebuild a devastated Europe. They remember the Cold War, during which America again stood as the bulwark of the Free World against the threat of new tyranny.

I remember the Berlin crisis and Kennedy who unhesitatingly risked engaging the United States in the most destructive of wars so that Europe could preserve the freedom for which the American people had already sacrificed so much. No one has the right to forget. Forgetting, for a person of my generation, would be tantamount to self-denial.

But my generation did not love America only because she had defended freedom. We also loved her because for us, she embodied what was most audacious about the human adventure; for us, she embodied the spirit of conquest. We loved America because for us, America was a new frontier that was continuously pushed back—a constantly renewed challenge to the inventiveness of the human spirit.

My generation shared all the American dreams. Our imaginations were fueled by the winning of the West and Hollywood. By Elvis Presley, Duke Ellington, Hemingway. By John Wayne, Charlton Heston, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth. And by Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, fulfilling mankind's oldest dream.

What was so extraordinary for us was that through her literature, her cinema and her music, America always seemed to emerge from adversity even greater and stronger; that instead of causing America to doubt herself, such ordeals only strengthened her belief in her values.

What makes America strong is the strength of this ideal that is shared by all Americans and by all those who love her because they love freedom.

America's strength is not only a material strength, it is first and foremost a spiritual and moral strength. No one expressed this better than a black pastor who asked just one thing of America: that she be true to the ideal in whose name he—the grandson of a slave—felt so deeply American. His name was Martin Luther King. He made America a universal role model.

The world still remembers his words—words of love, dignity and justice. America heard those words and America changed. And the men and women who had doubted America because they no longer recognized her began loving her again.

Fundamentally, what are those who love America asking of her, if not to remain forever true to her founding values?

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today as in the past, as we stand at the beginning of the 21^st century, it is together that we must fight to defend and promote the values and ideals of freedom and democracy that men such as Washington and Lafayette invented together.

Together we must fight against terrorism. On September 11, 2001, all of France—petrified with horror—rallied to the side of the American people. The front-page headline of one of our major dailies read: "We are all American." And on that day, when you were mourning for so many dead, never had America appeared to us as so great, so dignified, so strong. The terrorists had thought they would weaken you. They made you greater. The entire world felt admiration for the courage of the American people. And from day one, France decided to participate shoulder to shoulder with you in the war in Afghanistan. Let me tell you solemnly today: France will remain engaged in Afghanistan as long as it takes, because what's at stake in that country is the future of our values and that of the Atlantic Alliance. For me, failure is not an option. Terrorism will not win because democracies are not weak, because we are not afraid of this barbarism. America can count on France.

Together we must fight against proliferation. Success in Libya and progress under way in North Korea shows that nuclear proliferation is not inevitable. Let me say it here before all of you: The prospect of an Iran armed with nuclear weapons is unacceptable. The Iranian people is a great people. It deserves better than the increased sanctions and growing isolation to which its leaders condemn it. Iran must be convinced to choose cooperation, dialogue and openness. No one must doubt our determination.

Together we must help the people of the Middle East find the path of peace and security. To the Israeli and Palestinian leaders I say this: Don't hesitate! Risk peace! And do it now! The status quo hides even greater dangers: that of delivering Palestinian society as a whole to the extremists that contest Israel's existence; that of playing into the hands of radical regimes that are exploiting the deadlock in the conflict to destabilize the region; that of fueling the propaganda of terrorists who want to set Islam against the West. France wants security for Israel and a State for the Palestinians.

Together we must help the Lebanese people affirm their independence, their sovereignty, their freedom, their democracy. What Lebanon needs today is a broad-based president elected according to the established schedule and in strict respect of the Constitution. France stands engaged alongside all the Lebanese. It will not accept attempts to subjugate the Lebanese people.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

America feels it has the vocation to inspire the world. Because she is the most powerful country in the world. Because, for more than two centuries, she has striven to uphold the ideals of democracy and freedom. But this stated responsibility comes with duties, the first of which is setting an example.

Those who love this nation which, more than any other, has demonstrated the virtues of free enterprise expect America to be the first to denounce the abuses and excesses of a financial capitalism that sets too great a store on speculation. They expect her to commit fully to the establishment of the necessary rules and safeguards. The America I love is the one that encourages entrepreneurs, not speculators.

Those who admire the nation that has built the world's greatest economy and has never ceased trying to persuade the world of the advantages of free trade expect her to be the first to promote fair exchange rates. The yuan is already everyone's problem. The dollar cannot remain solely the problem of others. If we're not careful, monetary disarray could morph into economic war. We would all be its victims.

Those who love the country of wide open spaces, national parks and nature reserves expect America to stand alongside Europe in leading the fight against global warming that threatens the destruction of our planet. I know that each day, in their cities and states, the American people are more aware of the stakes and determined to act. This essential fight for the future of humanity must be all of America's fight.

Those who have not forgotten that it was the United States that, at the end of the Second World War, raised hopes for a new world order are asking America to take the lead in the necessary reforms of the UN, the IMF, the World Bank and the G8. Our globalized world must be organized for the 21^st century, not for the last century. The emerging countries we need for global equilibrium must be given their rightful place.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to express one last conviction: Trust Europe.

In this unstable, dangerous world, the United States of America needs a strong, determined Europe. With the simplified treaty I proposed to our partners, the European Union is about to emerge from 10 years of discussions on its institutions and 10 years of paralysis. Soon it will have a stable president and a more powerful High Representative for foreign and security policy, and it must now reactivate the construction of its military capacities.

The ambition I am proposing to our partners is based on a simple observation: There are more crises than there are capacities to face them. NATO cannot be everywhere. The EU must be able to act, as it did in the Balkans and in the Congo, and as it will tomorrow on the border of Sudan and Chad. For that the Europeans must step up their efforts.

My approach is purely pragmatic. Having learned from history, I want the Europeans, in the years to come, to have the means to shoulder a growing share of their defense. Who could blame the United States for ensuring its own security? No one. Who could blame me for wanting Europe to ensure more of its own security? No one. All of our Allies, beginning with the United States, with whom we most often share the same interests and the same adversaries, have a strategic interest in a Europe that can assert itself as a strong, credible security partner.

At the same time, I want to affirm my attachment to NATO. I say it here before this Congress: The more successful we are in the establishment of a European Defense, the more France will be resolved to resume its full role in NATO.

I would like France, a founding member of our Alliance and already one of its largest contributors, to assume its full role in the effort to renew NATO's instruments and means of action and, in this context, to allow its relations with the Alliance to evolve.

This is no time for theological quarrels but for pragmatic responses to make our security tools more effective and operational in the face of crises. The EU and NATO must march hand in hand.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I want to be your friend, your ally and your partner. But a friend who stands on his own two feet. An independent ally. A free partner.

France must be stronger. I am determined to carry through with the reforms that my country has put off for all too long. I will not turn back, because France has turned back for all too long. My country has enormous assets. While respecting its unique identity, I want to put it into a position to win all the battles of globalization. I passionately love France. I am lucid about the work that remains to be accomplished.

It is this ambitious France that I have come to present to you today. A France that comes out to meet America to renew the pact of friendship and the alliance that Washington and Lafayette sealed in Yorktown.

Together let us be worthy of their example, let us be equal to their ambition, let us be true to their memories!

Long live the United States of America!

Vive la France!

Long live French-American friendship!

Don't You Just Love Big Government?

Thomas Paine said it best: "the government that governs least governs best." I guess I have always been correct to assume that people are, on average, dumber than a warm bucket of hair. Read this and weep...
-Aaron
---
State report says Texas has too many reports

AUSTIN (chron.com, from AP)— The Texas State Library and Archives Commission is declaring there are too many state reports.

It says so in a 668-page report.

The project took 18 months and included the commission's small team canvassing more than 170 agencies, and public colleges and universities, checking on all the reports they are assigned to do.

In the past, the state regularly compiled a list of about 400 reports that agencies were required by the Legislature to produce. But the commission found more than 1,600, and state records administrator Michael Heskett is pretty sure his team hasn't found them all.

Heskett's initial findings indicate more than 400 report requirements are obsolete, duplicative or not needed as frequently as currently required.

"At first, we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of reporting requirements," Heskett said. "We haven't begun our evaluation yet. But I think we can reach our goal of eliminating the deadwood without compromising the need for accountability in our state agencies."

Agencies stand to save thousands of staff hours and tons of paper, although the commission hasn't estimated yet exactly how much of either, Heskett said.

In a typical legislative session, lawmakers call for about a dozen new reports to meet the requirements for a new law. Another 20 or so reports are attached to appropriations bills as a way of making sure allocated money is properly spent.

Unless these reports are repealed by the Legislature, agencies are required to prepare them, even if the need for the report — or the agency — no longer exists.

One of the obsolete reports is the Funds Received and Disbursed report. One of the oldest required reports, it is still dutifully done, though there's a report under the Uniform Statewide Accounting Act that requires much the same data, Heskett said.

Report 1473 calls upon the Department of Aging to prepare a report, although the Department of Aging no longer exists.

There are still report requirements for the Human Rights Commission, which the Legislature abolished in 2003, Heskett said.

The Texas Workforce Commission is required annually to report on creating equal opportunity guidelines for employees that have been in place for years and are in no need of re-creating.

Heskett's team found was a huge backlog of reporting requirements, the volume of which has increased in the past 20 years with added emphasis on transparency and open records in state government.

The Library and Archives Commission has only just begun assessing the report requirements one by one, which Heskett expects will take at least another year.

The Library and Archives Commission runs the state's publications depository system, which warehouses untold tons of paper reports and keeps an electronic records and information locator to search and sort that data.

As for the commission's massive report on reports, Heskett predicts it won't go away.

"For the report to be effective, it must be ongoing," he said.

Audiences Reject Iraq War - At Box Office

This is a great article - read it! This article proves that most Americans are for the action in Iraq, and that we dislike those who speak ill of it.
-Aaron
---
-by Christian Toto

It doesn't matter how many Oscar winners are in front of or behind the camera — audiences are proving to be conscientious objectors when it comes to this fall's surge of antiwar and anti-Bush films.

Both "In the Valley of Elah" and, more recently, "Rendition" drew minuscule crowds upon their release, which doesn't bode well for the ongoing stream of films critical of the Iraq war and the Bush administration's wider war on terror.

"Rendition," which features three Oscar winners in key roles, grossed $4.1 million over the weekend in 2,250 screens for a ninth-place finish. A re-release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" beat it, and it's 14 years old.

"Rendition" follows an Egyptian-American who gets kidnapped by U.S. authorities who think he's a terrorist. Reese Witherspoon plays the man's wife, Meryl Streep dials up her dark side as the official who keeps his disappearance a secret and Alan Arkin is a senior senator with the power to influence the case. Meanwhile, the man is shipped off to an unnamed North African country, where he is tortured for information.

"Elah" boasts Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon, another Oscar-winning triumvirate, under professionally red-hot director Paul Haggis, who won his own Oscar for "Crash." Mr. Haggis' drama focuses on the disappearance of an Iraq war veteran upon his return home.

Beyond the fiction features, the anti-Iraq war documentary "No End in Sight" (box office: $1.4 million) couldn't capture the indie crowd, beating a swift retreat to DVD next Tuesday despite glowing reviews.

Brandon Gray, president and publisher of www.boxofficemojo.com, says audiences seek out movies for inspiration, for laughter and to be moved.

"Many of these recent dramas fail on all those fronts," Mr. Gray says. "They're too heavy handed in their presentation."

"Rendition" director Gavin Hood — who wrote and directed "Tsotsi," winner of the 2006 best foreign language film Oscar — has been quoted as saying he doesn't want his new film to preach. But audiences who can't figure out where he stands on the rendition policy must have dozed off after the opening credits.

The current crop of antiwar films simply don't offer new insights into the Iraq conflict, Mr. Gray says.

"You might hear this stuff from the commentators or on the Internet," he says. "It's not that interesting to see it fictionalized."

"The Kingdom," a more ambivalent film, which shows U.S. forces smiting a terrorist cell, has pulled in a more respectable $43 million (so far).

" 'The Kingdom' looked like 'CSI: Riyadh.' It danced around the issues," Mr. Gray says.

Hollywood shouldn't soft-pedal its beliefs, he argues.

"You really can't try to take on subject matter like this and appeal to all views at the same time," he says. "They act like they're saying something when they're actually not saying anything."

A film that took a principled stand, particularly against terrorism, might fare better with audiences, Mr. Gray says.

Films with bold perspectives also spark op-ed flurries which can lead to more ticket buyers, says Dan Vancini, movies editor with Amazon.com.

"Then, you'll get your audience in who already resonates with the message," Mr. Vancini says, though he adds such free publicity isn't always a good thing.

Such may be the strategy of splattermeister Brian De Palma, director of "Redacted." Scheduled for a December release, the low budget/no stars movie is based on real events involving American soldiers who raped a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, then killed her family. Mr. De Palma has been complaining publicly that disturbing photos, which run at the end of the film showing dead and dying Iraqis have, ironically, been redacted by the distributor, Magnolia Pictures. (The faces are blacked out for legal reasons, the studio says.) The Drudge Report picked up on the controversy — generally not bad for business.

Hollywood's antiwar drive continues Nov. 9 with "Lions for Lambs," in which Tom Cruise, Miss Streep and Robert Redford spar over matters of patriotism and war. And "Grace is Gone" follows a father (John Cusack, no shrinking violet when it comes to his anti-administration rhetoric off-screen) who can't bear to tell his children their soldier-mother died in Iraq.

Mr. Vancini predicts "Lambs" could fare well thanks to its starry cast.

"They have a word-of-mouth following," he says, particularly Mr. Cruise.

Mr. Gray remains skeptical, citing a lack of clarity from early peeks at the film.

" 'Lions' will be an interesting test," Mr. Gray says. "Is it simply them sitting in rooms giving speeches? That's what it looks like," he says.

Iraq: Why?

-by Aaron

Despite how politically controversial the War on Terrorism has been since its inception, I firmly believe that Operation Iraqi Freedom was the correct mission to undertake directly after the conclusion of major battles in Afghanistan. Americans have seemingly forgotten the events that have led to our current situation of war in the Middle East. Because of this, citizens have vociferously questioned the validity of the invasion. The facts are needed to maintain complete historical accuracy.

Back in September of 2001, the United States was attacked by 19 Saudi Arabian terrorists; President Bush swiftly took action against Afghanistan, a country which unequivocally harbored al-Qaeda leaders and training camps. Despite what is common thought on Main Street, USA, Hussein did have connections to al-Qaeda. According to the 9/11 Commission Report, “friendly contacts” and “numerous high-level meetings” between Saddam Hussein's regime and al-Qaeda terrorists took place. The position of this report, which was compiled by, according to 9-11commission.gov, an “independent, bi-partisan commission,” runs contrary to the position of the Clinton administration and Richard Clark, a former White House terrorism “czar.”

The “Butcher of Baghdad” sponsored terrorism and encouraged “martyrdom” in the teaching of radical Islam. For example, Deroy Murdock, a media fellow at Stanford University and publisher of husseinandterror.com, states that Hussein gave “bonuses” of “up to $25,000 to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.” Tariq Aziz, the deputy prime minister in Hussein’s former regime, confirmed the validity of this. Also, in Disinformation by Richard Miniter, a group created to “moderate Kurds” – to control and kill them – was founded with the “joint help of Saddam Hussein” and al-Qaeda; money was given from both groups for the same common goal. Hussein also provided safe haven for terrorists around the world. Murdock says that Abu Abba, an Iraqi-supported terrorist who hi-jacked a passenger cruise ship in 1985, was found in Iraq. Abu Nidel, who attacked a ticket counter at Rome’s Leonardo de Vinci airport, killed 17 people in 1985. Five Americans were killed in that attack in the airport. Harboring these villains violated UN Security Council Resolution 687, which strictly forbade this action.

Saddam’s regime did have weapons of mass destruction – just not in the amounts thought. As it is written in Disinformation, US forces “seized 1.77 metric tons of enriched uranium,” which is used to “make fuel for atomic bombs.” On August 8, 2005, American soldiers found “1,500 gallons of chemical agents.” How those agents got to Iraq is still being debated. And in May of 2004, a roadside bomb with mustard gas inside was found; this gas is thought to “be part of the eighty tons of such gas still unaccounted for.” Apparently, Senator John Kerry believed also so on January 23, 2003 in a speech while campaigning for president: “…he is miscalculating America’s response to… his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction… the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real.” Clinton National Security Advisor said this on February 18, 1998: “He will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983.” And Senator Ted Kennedy had this to say: “We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” George W. Bush was not the only one to say Saddam had WMDs.

It is a positive that America took action against one of the world’s most formerly dangerous men. The political outcry has been deafening, but Americans have accomplished tasks more difficult than this. The disinformation pervading common thought and media is something that must be corrected very soon, and it can be done with the straight facts.

SOURCES:
http://www.husseinandterror.com/
http://www.glennbeck.com/news/01302004-print.htm
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/357lnryy.asp
http://www.9-11commission.gov/

Pro-Life Story & Devotional

Thanks to Mrs. Granados for sending this to me:

Late yesterday afternoon, the e-mails began pouring into my inbox from pro-lifers around the country:

"Have you seen this?"

"They're advertising 40 Days for Life for us!"

"This is the best response Planned Parenthood has to 40 Days for Life? Wow. How pathetic."

"They wouldn't do this if 40 Days for Life wasn't working!"

These comments were attached to forwarded copies of the latest mass e-mail sent out by Planned Parenthood to abortion advocates across the nation. What was all the commotion about?

You guessed it: the growing impact of 40 Days for Life!

The message comes directly from Planned Parenthood's national president, Cecile Richards. She starts off:

"From Aurora to America... The battle to open our clinic in Aurora, Illinois, might be over -- thank you for all your support -- but the war against Planned Parenthood and the women we serve continues. The anti-choice people have just begun their '40 Days for Life' campaign, and you can imagine what that means. Right now, there are picketers outside... more than 80 Planned Parenthood clinics across the country, 24 hours a day for 40 days. They're claiming it's 'the largest and longest simultaneous pro-life mobilization in American history.'"

Then Richards rolls out Planned Parenthood's response to 40 Days for Life:

• They created a fictional character named "Emily X" (who is supposed to represent a blend of different Planned Parenthood workers and activists) to post stories online of what it's like to work at the abortion operation.
• They set up a blog to post pictures and videos of 40 Days for Life volunteers (in an apparent attempt to harass and intimidate faithful people).
• They falsely characterize the motivations of 40 Days for Life volunteers.
• They ask abortion advocates to participate in the tired, old "pledge-a-protester" fund raising drive.
• They encourage abortion supporters to come volunteer at Planned Parenthood.
• They beg abortion activists to write notes of encouragement to boost the morale of Planned Parenthood workers during 40 Days for Life.
  

Tragically, the "Emily X" character even reveals the shame and guilt that some Planned Parenthood workers feel about their jobs:

"Last night, my mother-in-law called me at home. She told me that she just read an ad in the local paper about the '40 Days for Life' campaign. She said that she wanted to get involved, she wanted 'to get out and do something about Planned Parenthood.' See, she doesn't know that I'm a doctor at a Planned Parenthood health center. It's a part of my life that I don't share with her."

The bottom line: Planned Parenthood is investing quite a bit of energy in response to 40 Days for Life.

Would they do this if the campaign wasn't hurting their business and tarnishing their public image?

Read this report I just received from a 40 Days for Life location, and YOU decide why Planned Parenthood is so worried...

"Despite today's steady downpour, the sidewalk was full of people praying for LIFE today! What a beautiful sight to see sometimes 20-30 people with umbrellas and raincoats, all united in prayer to bring about conversion of our nation and an end to abortion.

For those of us who have spent years at the Sidewalk all alone, having all of you there today was a miracle!

Tuesday and Fridays are normally killing mornings at the downtown Planned Parenthood, but again today like last Tuesday, we never saw the abortionist arrive. The escorts were getting frustrated at the no-show, looking at their watches frequently.

Last Tuesday, he didn't show up either and appointments had to be rescheduled.

God is answering our prayers, so we PRAISE Him even in the storm. As you go to bed tonight, just think of those good people who will be standing in the cold rain tonight in prayer."

God is certainly bigger than Planned Parenthood's $902 million abortion empire, and with tens of thousands of people praying, fasting, and participating in peaceful vigils outside of Planned Parenthood offices, I believe the abortion giant now realizes that its days are numbered.

One more quick thing -- I just flew back home from an exciting pro-life event in Newark, New Jersey, where I met local 40 Days for Life leaders and volunteers and delivered a 28-minute talk specifically about Planned Parenthood in response to this breaking news.

The audio recording of the presentation has just been uploaded on today's blog posting at http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=22. I hope you take a few minutes to listen, so you can understand the growing importance this campaign has for the future of America.

Here's today's devotional...

40 DAYS FOR LIFE: DAY 18, OCTOBER 13

Daily Devotional by: Fr. Frank Pavone

INTENTION: Pray that God will forgive our nation for inflicting pain on its youngest children
SCRIPTURE: "Pilate...had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified. The soldiers...put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him...Then they led him out to crucify him." -- Mark 15:15-20
REFLECTION: Jesus endured pain for us. In reflecting on his pain, we see again the revelation of the love God has for us. Abortion, too, brings pain to our innocent brothers and sisters -- a pain we cannot imagine or understand. We are not afraid to reflect on that pain, because our Lord has taught us to love them, and to suffer with them. Their pain is yet another reminder that they are truly our brothers and sisters in the one human family. Maybe that's why abortionists themselves often don't allow themselves to think about the pain of these children.

Consider the following exchange that took place in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, between Judge Richard Casey and abortionist Timothy Johnson. (Johnson was testifying in the case National Abortion Federation, et. al. v. Ashcroft, which dealt with the ban on partial-birth abortion. The date was March 31, 2004.):

COURT: If you are all finished let me just ask you a couple questions, Dr. Johnson. I heard you talk a lot today about dismemberment D&E procedure, second trimester; does the fetus feel pain?
WITNESS: I guess I --
COURT: There are studies, I'm told, that says they do. Is that correct?
WITNESS: I'm aware of fetal behavioral studies that have looked at fetal responses to noxious stimuli.
COURT: Does it ever cross your mind when you are doing a dismemberment?
WITNESS: I guess whenever I --
COURT: Simple question, Doctor. Does it cross your mind?
WITNESS: Does the fetus having pain cross your mind?
COURT: Yes.
WITNESS: No.
COURT: Never crossed your mind.
WITNESS: No

PRAYER: Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive our nation for inflicting pain on its youngest children.As we reflect on the pain your Son Jesus Christ endured for us, so we reflect on the pain that abortion causes the unborn

Father, let us never forget. Let our awareness of this tragedy make us all the more string and determined to move forward in our prayer and witness for life, until all pain is swallowed up in the victory of the resurrection.

We pray in Jesus's mighty Name, AMEN.

Food for Thought...

Bush backs Mexico, rapist-murderer
Bush refuses to give a pardon to Ignacio Ramos and Juan Compeon, refuses to prosecute Sandy Burger in his document-stealing case, refuses to close the borders. His only conservative ideals he still keeps are the social issues (mostly gay marriage and abortion). For the next meeting: is Bush a sell-out, a liberal Republican, or exactly what we need? Leave a comment or go to the meeting...

Study: As Many as *38 MILLION* illegal immigrants in the USA
Border mismanagement continues...

GLOBAL WARMING LIE DETECTOR CENTER

More to come on Friday!

09/21/07 Meeting

We signed up new club members today. Also discussed major goals for the year...

• American flags in every classroom
• Pledge of Allegiance every morning (like St. Agnes)
• Young Conservative vs. Young Liberal debates
• Guest speakers

Reference email sent by Aaron. If you have any questions, see Aaron, Chase, or Mr. Romano. Stay tuned to SJET for information on the next meeting!

Attack on America's Borders, Language, Culture

-by Aaron

Illegal immigration is the issue in America today that affects all others. The workforce, taxes, crime, and national security are all influenced by those illegal aliens amongst us. Worst of all, illegal immigration devalues the value and sacredness of US citizenship.

In the heyday of Ellis Island, in 1907, more than 1 million immigrants were processed through that portal. In all the years the Island was open, more than 20 million immigrants passed through. People clamored to get space on ships headed to America. Conditions on the ships were abominable with cramped quarters and inadequate bathroom facilities. Once they arrived, the immigrants faced many uncertainties, including numerous medical tests. If the immigrant failed those tests he or she was quarantined, or sent back across the Atlantic Ocean for another treacherous and dangerous trip.

Fast forward to modern day. 12 to 20 million illegitimate immigrants have snuck into the US through the unprotected Southern border. Today, there is no centralized institution like Ellis Island to detect bad apples from the bunch. How could you, with an open door to Mexico? A giant majority of illegal aliens are from Mexico, while others hail from Guatemala, El Salvador, and other nations around the globe. There are numerous problems with this critical – and totally preventable – situation.

One problem is that illegals take the jobs that Americans would do – if paid fairly and given opportunity. According to ImmigrationTotals.com, at least 10 million jobs have been taken by illegals. These are jobs that Americans would do, if they were not already taken. The catchphrase, “illegal aliens do the jobs that Americans won’t do” is simply a lie. For example, 27% of drywall installers are illegals – that leaves 73% that are not. Only 8% of lawn care specialists are illegal. According to my math, that totals 92% of lawn mowers that are legal. Americans will do those jobs if given fair opportunity and pay.

Another problem is that of taxes. Almost all illegals don’t pay taxes like Americans do. They don’t receive a paycheck with typical tax deductions, as they are paid in cash. If they happen to pay taxes, it is because of the use of fake Social Security numbers and identification. Also, their small incomes cannot cover their cost to society. In 2004, Californians paid $10 billion to educate, immunize, and jail illegal aliens. In New York in 2006, the cost was $5.2 billion. Texas taxpayers paid over $4.7 billion in 2005 to those who do not belong. American taxpayer’s cost for educating illegal children? An astonishing $30 billion.

Crime among illegals is rampant. 30% of those in jail are in America illegally, they have committed heinous crimes, and some are repeat offenders. In August of 2007, Jose Carranza, an illegal alien from Peru, was charged with the execution-style murders of three New Jersey children. He was previously arrested for sexual assault charges, but was never deported back to Peru. In April of ‘07, a Mexican illegal driving drunk killed the director of the movie “Christmas Story,” Bob Clark, and his teenage son. In Houston, September 21, 2006, HPD officer Rodney Johnson was shot and killed by Juan Qunitero, a Mexican fugitive. He was deported in 1999, but returned to America anyway. No doubt, to kill police officers “no American would kill.”

By not enforcing our American law, we open a Pandora’s Box full of uncertainty. The legal Ellis Island immigrants – who yearned to get a small piece of the pie that was America – of yesteryear are not equal to the illegal immigrants that sneak in today. Illegals commit crimes and take jobs in numbers never thought possible 25 years ago. Our problem? Ultratolerance. Americans today are so afraid of being called a xenophobe or a racist for wanting to protect our sacred borders, language, and culture. Politicans turn a blind eye towards the invasion, so as to prevent being labeled as a bigot by La Raza. Citizen patriots need to slap down those who encourage illegal immigration before it is too late.

Non-English Speakers Surging in Population

New Report Finds that Limited English Proficient Student
Enrollment is Surging Nationwide
4.5 Million LEP Students May Cost Taxpayers in Excess of $4 Billion a Year

Washington DC - A new study by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), Limited English Proficiency Enrollment and Rapidly Rising Costs, finds that between 1995 and 2005, the number of children in our nation's public schools listed as Limited English Proficient (LEP) increased by some 1.2 million. In 2005, approximately 4.5 million K-12 children in public schools around the country required special educational programs to help them master basic English, a 38 percent increase over a decade earlier. The total bill to the taxpayers for LEP programs likely exceeds $4 billion annually, finds the report.

Continued large-scale immigration, particularly illegal immigration, is the primary factor in the increase in the LEP student population. FAIR estimates that some 3.5 million children of illegal aliens now attend K-12 schools around the country. Most of the costs for educating LEP students fall on state and local governments that are already straining to provide educational resources to their populations. Between 1995 and 2005, 11 states saw their LEP student enrollment double, while eight more saw enrollment triple.

"Education is by far the largest cost associated with mass immigration generally, and illegal immigration in particular," commented Dan Stein, president of FAIR. "These mounting costs for basic education and special LEP programs come at a time when polls show that the public is increasingly concerned about the overall quality of public education in our country. While every politician in America promises to improve public education, government immigration policies continue to compound the challenges faced by our schools."

The surge in LEP enrollment became a nationwide phenomenon between 1995 and 2005, as virtually all regions of the country experienced a rapid growth in immigrant population. However, six states still accounted for 69 percent of the LEP student population in 2005, with California leading the way. More than a quarter of California students were not fluent in English in 2005.

"In spite of the billions of dollars being invested in LEP programs around the country, it is not clear that we are succeeding in preparing these kids for the challenges they will face as adults," said Stein. "The educational failure rates among LEP students and the school systems that are asked to educate them are alarming. The costs of these failures cannot be measured only by the $4 billion or more a year we are spending on LEP programs today. A far greater cost will be paid by society in the years to come if large numbers of today's LEP students are allowed to turn into a poorly trained adult work force of tomorrow. These are consequences of an ill-conceived and poorly enforced immigration policy that we ignore at our own peril."

The text of the full report, Limited English Proficiency Enrollment and Rapidly Rising Costs, is available at FAIR's website, http://www.fairus.org/.

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