Perri Nelson's Website 

Biden places illegal immigration blame on wrong party.

The A.P. reports on Joe Biden's presidential campaign this evening.

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Sen. Joe Biden, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's incoming chairman, wants to get tough with Mexico, calling it an "erstwhile democracy" with a "corrupt system" responsible for illegal immigration and drug problems in the U.S.

Biden, D-Del., was in Columbia on Monday in his first postelection trip to this first-in-the-South presidential primary state as he continues to line up support for his presidential bid.

During a question-and-answer session before more than 230 Columbia Rotary Club members, Biden was asked about immigration problems.

Biden, who favors tightening the U.S.-Mexico border with fences, said immigration is driven by money in low-wage Mexico.

Sen. Biden is only partly correct. We need better border security, but illegal immigration is only partially driven by money in low-wage Mexico. The other part is the obvious fact that if you break our laws and stay long enough, our congress, and indeed our president, will make sure that you not only get away with it, you get rewarded for it.

And why can't Sen. Biden come out and say it straight. Immigration isn't a problem. Illegal immigration is.

"Mexico is a country that is an erstwhile democracy where they have the greatest disparity of wealth," Biden said. "It is one of the wealthiest countries in the hemisphere and because of a corrupt system that exists in Mexico, there is the 1 percent of the population at the top, a very small middle class and the rest is abject poverty."

Unless the political dynamics change in Mexico and U.S. employers who hire illegal immigrants are punished, illegal immigration won't stop. "All the rest is window dressing," he said.

Punishing employers in the U.S. that hire illegal immigrants is a necessary step. What goes on on the other side of the U.S. Mexico border is none of our business. Yes, it would be good if the political dynamics changed in Mexico, but that's not something a U.S. Senator is charged with doing anything about.

On the other hand, ensuring that the administration has the funds to enforce our immigration laws is something the Senator can and should do something about.

"I warn all of you, all of you making more than a million bucks - I hope you all are - I'm taking away your tax cut," Biden said. "I'm not joking."

The extra revenue would generate $75 billion a year and pay for a backlog in national security and local law enforcement programs, Biden said.

That wouldn't bring in extra revenue, it would decrease it. The Federal Government took in record revenues in recent years. They wouldn't have done that if the economy hadn't rebounded after tax cuts gave business owners an incentive to invest in their business and to create jobs.

"Tax cuts for the rich" is a myth anyway. If you're going to give a tax cut, you can only give it to the people that actually pay taxes. Giving tax cuts to people that don't pay taxes is just another way to redistribute income, to punish success, and to reward failure.

Haven't Democrat Senators learned yet that when you subsidize a behavior you get more of it? We subsidize illegal immigration by looking the other way when businesses hire illegal aliens. We subsidize illegal immigration when our politicians grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens every dozen years or so. Is it any wonder we get more of it?

Mexico isn't the reason we have so much illegal immigration. The majority of illegal immigrants may be from Mexico, but not all of them are. The real reason we have so much illegal immigration is because we encourage it, and because we aren't really serious about enforcing our own laws.

Until we do, nothing that happens in Mexico is likely to even slow down the pace of illegal immigration.

Part-time "teaching to the test" isn't working.

From the Seattle Times:

Current high-school students can pass math classes as an alternative to the math section of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, under a joint proposal by Gov. Christine Gregoire and state schools Superintendent Terry Bergeson.

Passing three sections of the WASL, including math, became a graduation requirement starting with this year's high-school juniors, the class of 2008. Gregoire and Bergeson announced today they will propose to the Legislature a temporary suspension for the classes of 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Why? It's obvious the math classes aren't working. If they were, then maybe more than 51% of students would be passing the math section of the WASL. Maybe if they actually taught mathematics instead of the dreck that passes for mathematics in the new "Reform" method of teaching the students might actually be competitive.

Mathematics isn't about a consensus. It's not about self esteem. It's about rigor, logic, and above all getting the correct answer. I don't want someone that couldn't pass the 10th grade math section of the WASL doing the engineering calculations for the replacement for the Alaskan Way Viaduct if and when it ever gets started.

Teachers I've listened to when I go to parent-teacher conferences complain that with the WASL they have to "teach to the test" instead of teaching what they want to teach. That's just too bad. Maybe if they taught to the standards that students are expected to meet the students might meet the standards. And then, maybe those students wouldn't need remedial education just to make the grade in college, or in the business world.

The Seahawks squeak by with a win 34-24

It was a sloppy game. I missed the first half and about 7 minutes of the third quarter driving home in the snow. Listening to the game was painful. Interceptions, missed tackles, it was pretty bad. When I finally got home to watch the game things still didn't look too good.

The game was ugly, but Matt Hasselbeck appeared to get his act together in the second half, and Shaun Alexander ran for 201 yards, only the fourth player to rush for 200 yards on Monday night.

The defense was still missing tackles, and the offense was still dropping passes. Green Bay fell apart in the fourth quarter, and the Seahawks managed to squeak by with another win. I had a lot of fun watching the second half, and I'm glad that Matt Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander managed to pull the team out of a funk.

Hopefully the rest of the team can pick it up now. If they do, they'll have proved the Seattle Times right.

Cross posted at NWBloggers.com.

A.P. Iraqi reporting based on fraudulent sources

I recently wrote a post based on an A.P. report of Shiite militiamen burning 6 Sunni worshipers alive. Now it turns out that the A.P.'s source for that report was fraudulent, and that the incident never happened.

Once upon a time the Associated Press was a respected news organization. Now it seems that they are just a propaganda arm for the Jihadists and Terrorists. This type of reporting is irresponsible and leads the public to false conclusions about the War on Terror.

The Associated Press has done the American people a disservice with this kind of propaganda reporting, and they're not alone. The so-called objective media has painted public opinion on the War on Terror into a corner. News outlets, pundits and politicians have called the war in Iraq unwinnable. The comparisons to Vietnam are everywhere.

If we pull out of Iraq before the Iraqis are both ready and able to take responsibility for their own security it will be a disaster for the Middle East, for the War on Terror, and four our security at home. And the blame will lie at least in part to our enemy's willing accomplices in the media. Particularly those accomplices in the Associated Press.

Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit. Linked at NWBloggers.com, Leaning Straight Up.

Much praise and high expectations for Hasselbeck, but is it deserved?

Today's Seattle Times heaps tremendous praise on Matt Hasselbeck. It also pins a lot of responsibility on him. Matt Hasselbeck is expected to be the cure for a defense that can't seem to get a grip on opposing running backs. He's expected to be the cure for a flagging offensive line. Indeed, according to the Times he's "the best quarterback in the NFC."

A month ago, this game with Green Bay looked like another cakewalk on the way to the NFC West title, another sure thing on the pudding-soft Seahawks' schedule.

But that was before Matt Hasselbeck got hurt. And it was before the defense's tackling lapses. It was before Sean Locklear's lingering injury. And Robbie Tobeck's sick hip. And before the Seahawks' inexplicable ho-hum first half in their loss at San Francisco eight days ago.

...

The postseason that seemed assured since the first day of training camp nearly will be guaranteed.

Tonight, after missing 4 ½ games with a right knee sprain, quarterback Hasselbeck returns. And he is expected to make everything good again.

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He not only has to be good, he has to be better than he was before he got hurt. He has to be the Matt Hasselbeck of last season, from the first series of this game through the end of the season.

If Hasselbeck is good, the Seahawks still can be good. If he can complete the third-down money passes like he did last season, he can rally the Hawks out of the funk that has infected them for large chunks of this year.

"We've been inconsistent," Holmgren said. "I think I know how they're capable of playing."

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But the Hawks haven't played like a Super Bowl team. Haven't tackled like a Super Bowl team. Haven't had the fire that Super Bowl teams have.

Can one player change all of that?

Every bet wagered on a return trip to the Super Bowl is hedged on Hasselbeck. It's a lot to ask of one man with one gimpy knee. But it is the reality of this six-week stretch drive.

His return makes Monday night big again. Because the march to February begins only if Hasselbeck looks sharp tonight and the offense rolls as inexorably as it did last season.

I'm sorry, but I can't quite agree with all of that. Sure, Matt Hasselbeck is a good quarterback, but he's been out for quite a while. Shaun Alexander is a great running back too, but his performance last week, on his first week off of injured reserve was less than stellar. I expect good things from Matt Hasselbeck, but he's only one man on a team that hasn't been playing very well.

Last week the Seahawks had some serious problems at quarterback, but lets face it, Seneca Wallace wasn't the only thing that was wrong with the offense, and the Defense was horrible. Lets not forget that there were some really outstanding plays by Seneca Wallace and Maurice Morris in the weeks before the 49ers showed us that we can't get by on a few good plays and luck every week.

It's going to take more than the return of a star player to fix what has been wrong with the Seahawks. It's going to take a concerted effort by the whole team. Without that even our stars can't really help us.

Tonight's game should be fun to watch, and a lot of hope is riding on Hasselbeck's return. The Seahawks still have a chance to stay on top, but they won't do it as a one or even two man show. It's going to take eleven players on the field working together on every play to get the job done, for the rest of the season and into the post season as well.

The stars are back. The Seahawks should be out of excuses now.

Cross posted at NWBloggers.com

Gene Nichols Doesn't Get It

Gene Nichols still doesn't get it... From the W&M News Service via Conservative Beach Girl... 

Some have thought that my steps disrespect the traditions of the College, or, even more unacceptably, the religious beliefs of its members. That perception lies heavy on my heart. I understand that I tread on difficult ground.

That doesn't stop you from continuing though does it? More than the perception that your actions disrespect the religious beliefs of the members should weigh heavily on your heart. You are disrespecting a sanctuary consecrated to Christ. The building may belong to the college, but the sanctuary does not.

It is, by now, well known that I am taken with William and Mary students. All William and Mary students. And though we haven’t meant to do so, the display of a Christian cross—the most potent symbol of my own religion—in the heart of our most important building sends an unmistakable message that the Chapel belongs more fully to some of us than to others. That there are, at the College, insiders and outsiders. Those for whom our most revered place is meant to be keenly welcoming, and those for whom presence is only tolerated. That distinction, I believe, to be contrary to the best values of the College.

Actually, that distinction is not contrary to the best values of the College. It may be contrary to your values Mr. Nichols, but that is because you are apostate. The display of a Christian cross, in a Christian chapel, sends no such message. Opening a place of Christian worship to the practice of other religions is a desecration of that place of worship. It most certainly does not honor the One to whom the chapel is consecrated.

It is precisely because the Wren Chapel touches the best in us—the brightened lamp, the extended hand, the opened door, the call of character, the charge of faith, the test of courage—that it is essential it belong to everyone. There is no alternate Wren Chapel, no analogous venue, no substitute space. Nor could there be. The Wren is no mere museum or artifact. It touches every student who enrolls at the College. It defines us. And it must define us all.

This is precisely why your actions are seen by many as an abomination before the very God you claim to serve Mr. Nichols. In your misguided attempt at political correctness you've stepped over the line. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to be inclusive, you have forgotten what the true purpose of a chapel is. People of all faiths are welcome in the chapel, but because of its very nature as a place dedicated to Christian worship, they should be led to the Christian faith.

Your actions instead lead to the perception that you view the Christian faith as somehow inferior to the faith and belief of non-Christians. This should more than weigh heavily on your heart. It should shame you.

Just a light dusting of snow

This morning I'm hearing reports of traffic accidents causing snarls and delays on the roads. All from a light dusting of snow. This was the scene from my rear window this morning.

As you can see, not too much snow. It may stick around for a day or two, but it will be gone by Wednesday.

Lucas was disappointed that there wasn't more snow. It probably had something to do with the fact that he still had to go to school today. Oh well, we don't see a lot of it here by the Sound anyway.

At least there's more snow in the forecast.

King County Council conflicted over morality

The King County Council has to get its priorities straight. Either they want to do what is morally right or they want a regional transit-tax package. This should be a no-brainer, but not to a group that has yet to see a transit-tax they didn't like...

Someone booked into the King County Jail on a criminal charge or a conviction will likely stay there an average of nine to 35 days.

If the alleged offender is mentally ill, the stay will typically stretch to 158 days, more than five months.

Those numbers, recently presented by jail director Reed Holtgeerts to the Metropolitan King County Council, have helped galvanize an effort to get more mentally ill inmates out of jail and into treatment.

The council is studying whether to increase the sales tax by one-tenth of 1 percentage point to provide treatment and housing for people who are mentally ill or addicted to alcohol or drugs, and to expand therapeutic courts such as Drug Court and Mental Health Court. The tax would raise about $50 million a year.

"In terms of problems that exist and just are not acceptable, this one is at or near the top of the list," said County Councilman Bob Ferguson, D-Seattle. He called it "a moral wrong" to use the jail to "warehouse" people who are mentally ill.

If the council takes action, the sales tax, which will be 8.9 cents next year in most parts of the county, will go to 9 cents on a $1 purchase. The money would primarily help people who are homeless and are frequent inmates of the jail and frequent patients in the Harborview Medical Center emergency room.

Although council members generally support the idea of providing more housing and treatment, they also are concerned that raising the sales tax could hurt chances for voter approval of a regional-highway and transit-tax package next year.

There you have it. The King County Council wants still more money above and beyond what is already being extorted from taxpayers to fund Metro transit options. They are so wedded to a transit system that only provides rides for less than 10 percent of travellers in King County that they're conflicted over whether they should do something about a "moral wrong" that they can clearly see.

It seems to me that if you've identified a "moral wrong" as councilman Ferguson has done that it should be your priority to correct it. The way the Seattle Times article reads though, the council will allow that moral wrong to go uncorrected in order to inflict another moral wrong on the over 90 percent of daily users of King County roads.

We don't need another transit package funded by the majority for the benefit of the minority. We do need to get people into treatment that need it, and to reduce overcrowding in our Jails so that true criminals aren't released early.

Monday's Open Trackbacks

I've decided to host open trackbacks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. If you want to add a trackback feel free, as long as your post complies with my trackback policy.

In other words, no trackback spam, no obscenities, and your post MUST contain a reference to the post you are pinging. My trackback module will reject posts from banned IP addresses and posts that do not reference the URL you are pinging.

Litvinenko victim of "state-sponsored" assassination.

According to the Times Online, British intelligence agencies are claiming that Alexander Litvenenko's death looks like a "state-sponsored" assassination. That lines up nicely with a death bed statement written by the former spy turned dissident in London.

A senior Whitehall official told The Times that confirmation that the former Russian spy, who had become a British citizen, had been poisoned with radioactive polonium-210 and other evidence so far not released pointed to the murder being carried out by foreign agents.

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The quantity of polonium-210 used could only have been obtained from a nuclear instillation, scientific experts said.

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Mr Putin interrupted preparations for an EU/Russia summit in Helsinki to deny involvement. He criticised Mr Litvinenko's entourage, the media, the British secret service and even the Italian Mafia. He claimed that the letter accusing him of being "barbaric and ruthless" was a forgery concocted by Mr Litvinenko's wife and father: "If this note was produced before the death of Mr Litvinenko, I wonder why it was not published when he was alive?"

Could it possibly be that it was not published when he was alive because it was made just before his death? The more I read about this, the more convinced I am that something is rotten in Russia.

I noted on Friday that the amount of polonium used would be easy to obtain for a government, but not something that would be easily obtained otherwise.

Vladimir Putin's denials are beginning to sound more and more hollow to me. It's no secret that the Putin government has not been a true friend of the west. Could this have been motivation to silence Litvinenko and Victor Yushchenko before him?

Litvinenko had been a pro-western dissident voice critical of the Russian government for the last six years. In 2004 Victor Yushchenko, another pro-western voice was poisoned with Dioxins prior to being elected. Poisoning seems to be a very popular method of silencing dissidents in Putin's Russia.

Now, with Putin's criticisms expanding to cover not just Litvinenko and his entourage, the media, and the British secret service, I must admit to being curious about the Italian Mafia's role in all of this.

Hat tip: National Terror Alert Response Center.