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24 Apr 2010 22:49

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Politics: Lindsey Graham angry over immigration bill push

  • Moving forward on immigration — in this hurried, panicked manner — is nothing more than a cynical political ploy. I know from my own personal experience the tremendous amounts of time, energy and effort that must be devoted to this issue to make even limited progress.
  • South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham • On why he’s pulling his support for the climate change bill. Simply put, with the new restrictive Arizona law fresh in people’s minds, Democrats seem to want to push immigration ahead of climate change, and it’s making Graham pretty angry. Just a note, though: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has not made a decision one way or the other.  He just hasn’t firmly said that climate change will go first, and that’s what has Graham so angry (understandably). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Apr 2010 17:12

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U.S.: Arizona governor signs super-harsh immigration bill into law

  • What the law does The law gives law enforcement the right to question those they think are illegal immigrants. It forces them to keep their papers on them at all times. And it punishes those that help harbor them – by hiring them or knowingly transporting them.
  • Why it’s controversial Simply put, critics of the law feel that it gives into racial profiling. Obama, specifically, calls the law “misguided” and says the law threatens “to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans.”
  • A key compromise Republican Gov. Jan Brewer signed the bill into law, but also pushed through an executive order designed to train law enforcement officials not to engage in racial profiling. Will it work? Who knows, but it might be a fun ride. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2010 10:20

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World: Turkey’s PM tries to remind Armenians who’s the boss

  • 170,000 the number of Armenians currently living in Turkey
  • 100,000 Armenians could be forced out for living there illegally
  • » Why them, why now? It’s a purely political statement by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey’s upset that the U.S. and Swedish governments are pushing to label the atrocities Turks enacted on Armenians during World War I as genocide. The two countries have a fragile diplomacy going on, and while Turkey has let the Armenians peacefully live in Turkey, it’s something that could be taken away. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Mar 2010 09:22

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U.S.: Bush’s U.S./Mexico border security just got dumped for Obama’s

  • Not only do we have an obligation to secure our borders, we have a responsibility to do so in the most cost effective way possible.
  • Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano • On her decision to take $50 billion away from the controversial Bush-era Secure Border Initiative and use it to buy proven off-the-shelf technology that does the same thing. Napolitano is also freezing most other SBI money and creating a great opportunity for the right to say that she’s soft on illegal immigration. This outghta be fun. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Feb 2010 12:39

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Politics: Tom Tancredo’s speech not the best way to start a Tea Party

  • People who could not even spell the word ‘vote,’ or say it in English put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama.
  • Former U.S. Rep. from Colorado Tom Tancredo • At the beginning of the Tea Party convention in Nashville last night. Can we list the ways this statement is offensive? 1.) It’s borderline racist in not one, but two ways (three if you think the part about not being able to spell the word “vote” is a slight on a certain race), 2.) It points out Obama’s middle name in a way to discount him, and 3.) It suggests that people who voted for Obama are idiots. It’s not like he doesn’t have a history of incendiary comments, either; this is the guy who called Miami a “third-world country.” Is this the guy you want opening up your Tea Party convention? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Dec 2009 23:13

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U.S.: Immigration: Hey, let’s throw another thing on Obama’s plate, OK?

  • Couldn’t this battle wait for now, guys? Today, Democratic Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez introduced a bill to reform immigration. Now, obviously, this battle needs to come up, especially considering how heated it got during the Bush years. But let’s play devil’s advocate here. You have a president who is dealing with these things (among others), in order of importance: Unemployment, health care, the economic crisis, Afghanistan, Iraq, closing Guantanamo, gay rights and making sure Bo the dog gets kibble. And now we want to throw immigration on top of all of this? This seems like it could wait until year three. We’d rather see Obama deal with all that other stuff the right way. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2009 11:14

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U.S.: The CIA wants to hire more Arab Americans. Good luck, guys

  • People have been told, ‘Your name is Mohammed; your name is Ahmed; you must be a terrorist.’ How do you bring people into the government when they have been subjected to a great deal of discrimination?
  • Arab American News publisher Osama Siblani • Discussing the CIA’s plan to try to hire Arab-Americans in Dearborn, Mich. The Detroit suburb, currently the heart of the U.S.’ Middle Eastern community, is being targeted by the CIA to help boost its intelligence ranks and diversity. Many applaud the decision but question the trust Arabs can have with the organization, especially considering the way they’ve been treated by the government post-9/11. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

12 Nov 2009 10:32

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Politics: Could Lou Dobbs be headed towards political office?

  • He’s got name recognition, he has a following, he surely knows how to give a speech. He’s mastered the art of sophistry, and of sounding like he knows what he’s talking about while actually not. I mean, he’s about perfect.
  • Guardian columnist Michael Tomasky • Tossing around the same idea we had when we watched Lou Dobbs’ show last night – his wording was open-ended enough that he may not be leaving to go to another show, but angling towards political office. Not that Tomasky supports it – he refers to Dobbs as a “stupid man” – but he might actually make sense in that role. The only thing to keep in mind is that he’s something of an in-betweener: His opinions on climate change and immigration (and birthers!) make him conservative, but his populist, pro-middle-class stances are actually pretty leftist. We can see it now – Palin/Dobbs 2012. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Aug 2009 21:22

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U.S., World: Barack Obama puts immigration on the backburner for later

  • Now, am I going to be able to snap my fingers and get this done? No. But ultimately, I think the American people want fairness. And we can create a system in which you have strong border security and an orderly process for people to come in.
  • President Barack Obama • Discussing immigration reform in Mexico during a summit with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He can’t really focus too much on it now – “I’ve got a lot on my plate,” he admitted – but hopes to improve the process for everyone overall. For some conservatives who have made a game out of criticizing illegal immigration, it can’t come soon enough. (On the plus side, they’re busy complaining about health care reform.) • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 May 2009 09:15

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Offbeat: Love, immigration status tear mayor apart from Texas city

  • It’s true love, but his gay lover needs a visa. J.W. Lown, the mayor of San Angelo, Texas, stepped down from his position abruptly yesterday, preferring not to use his power to help his boyfriend in Mexico make it to the U.S. before others. Lown was a very popular mayor in San Angelo, and was last elected to office with 89% of the vote. He holds dual citizenship in the U.S. and Mexico. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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