Californian Sojourn

Mr Thompson Has Himself a Blog

   So if you haven't seen it yet Fred Thompson has launched his blog on his imwithfred.com website (located here).  It's a decent little thing with a small blogroll with some of the top names in the Center to Right blogosphere though that's about it right now.  His welcome message talks about the time he's spent sharing his opinions online and how now it's time those opinions are going to go on the road.  Seems like he's beginning to build up steam now for his announcement to become a candidate for President which will hopefully occur soon (seems there some itchiness among the Right about Fred and they're either unimpressed with what's come so far or they're turned off because he hasn't already declared).  I suggest you check out his YouTube page as well.  There's a lot there defining his stance on the issues and certainly enough to appease though who say they don't know where he stands (something that absolutely boggles my mind considering everything I've already seen, heard and read from him).

   And if you get a chance here's the latest video involving his stance on the issues interviewed by Peter Robinson who can probably deliver better questions then Jay Leno:

*Blogging at work is not the optimal place to blog, fyi.*

Immigration Bill Dead....For Now.

    If you hadn't heard by now the Senate failed to bring the Immigration Bill that has been hogging the airwaves the past few days (that is till lil Miss Sunshine, Paris Hilton, cried for her mommy) to an actual vote.  That is, they voted against bringing it to an actual vote.  Anyways the how isn't as important as the why; and the why being a conservative base moved by anger and resentment at their elected officials for not only ignoring the fundamental issue of national security but also labeling those who disagreed with the bill bigots.  They got on the phones and they sent the emails that let the Senators know that right now ENFORCING our current immigration laws must occur BEFORE we go about dealing with those already here (numbering 12 to 20 million).

    But now that the bill is dead (and hopefully the President doesn't do anything more stupid then he already has in pushing the damn thing, like pushing it again) it's time to turn to what is already currently on the books and to those who obeyed the law, namely LEGAL immigrants.  Our current system for a legal path to citizenship is horrendously flawed with green card holders waiting upwards of decades for a chance to become citizens as well as trying to bring in families members they have not seen for years.  We're going to have to reform this system as it stands and welcome the numerous amounts of well-educated and hard working people who have a desire to dwell within our borders.  These are the people who should be rewarded (and citizenship is a reward) for their adherence to our laws and have legally immigrated here.  Too much of the talk I've heard from Senators on the Left and Right these past few days have sought to reward law breakers.  Many who are good people and are certainly hard workers (living in Southern California you not only meet these people but get to know them as friends) but have still broken our laws and, at the very least, should not be rewarded with forgiven taxes and the other benefits that were bandied about the Senate.

    My main beef though is not with those people who have come here and stayed because they've seen the prosperity that this lands can afford to it's dwellers; it's with those who endanger all who live here.  Members of international gangs, murders even terrorists.  The number of news reports I've read of  illegal immigrants who have multiple criminal infractions that have not been deported due to our lax enforcement of national laws, only to culminate in the shooting death of a police officer or the tragic car accident death of parents due to a drunk driver are far more then should have to wake our government up to the major problem we already have.  But yet even after passing more laws to prevent these things we fail to enforce, and that's what should be the highest priority for Congress if they truly wish to reform our system.  Enforce our laws, keep the borders secure and safe and after the American people are satisfied with the results of those efforts then can we look to passing legislation that allows many of the migrant workers (blue collar, white collar, no collar, whatever) to come into our country and not fear ICE or be in "the shadows" as so many liberal pundits like to proclaim these people are doing right now.

I don't blame people for coming here and I certainly can't blame the illegals who saw a wide open door and decided that it would be more beneficial here then it would be in their own country.  I can never blame anyone for seeking a better life.  But there are laws, there are rules that must be followed.  The rules are for the protection of all, for if we remain wide open and elements of destruction that are certainly there make their way here and succeed in their plans to bring about our downfall, where will the people go?  That is what we must seek to protect, the very reason why Lady Liberty stands will here torch high, to light the way.

From The We Don't Have A Stomach For This Anymore Files...

    LGF provides a story  from the A.P. I'd rather not read, Archaeologist Aids Army on Sensitivity. Winning quote:

    “You don’t want to be dropping bombs on cemeteries and mosques, or blow up some important historical site that’s been there for thousands of years,” said Mitchell. “That’s certainly not going to make us any friends.”

    I've already seen the statements about how the expansive amount of aid we provide the rest of the world hasn't really "made us any friends" either but I figure it is worth mention again since we don't seem to have woken up to that reality as of yet.  Do I believe this signals the end of our ability to win the war?  Well as much as I'd love to no it's always those little nagging things that get you in the end.  You know, like how the way the husband popped his gum in Chicago and ended up dead at the hands of his companion.  The fact that the above quote comes from a citizen soldier doesn't paint the picture anymore bright in my opinion as well.

    And before we say something like I have no appreciation for history and artifacts of cultural significance that would be the farthest from the truth.  I just wish to see we have the ability to preserve such things in the future, rather then end up like the Buddhist statues that once adorned the mountains of Afghanistan.  We've obviously seen how "committed" the Muslim fundamentalists are about preservation.
 

Christianity And War: Do They Co-Exist?

Came across a recent article by Thomas G. West written for the Claremont Insititue entitled Christianity, War, and America and it is quite insightful. I often hear the argument that Jesus would not accept this war in Iraq, that He would not accept war period. Needless to say I believe this ridiculous and a rather narrow and ignorant view of the overall teachings of Christ (you may remember that Jesus is descirbed as the entire Word of God, that is, the Bible) because it doesn't take into the fact the character of God.

To say the least the Old Testament is full of tales of warfare and violence and this is what most people forget (whether that be on purpose or not is up to debate) which, unfortunately, means they don't see the entire scope of the God Christians worship. The article above goes into great detail of how today's American Christians have come to realize why there are moments when we are called to arms in not only defense of this country, but bringing liberty to the world at large because we have been blessed so much as a nation. It's is good stuff anf quote a lot of people I didn't know about before. It's quite academic and that's a good thing.

Speaking Of Heroism...

I meant to post this awhile back but forgot to and since I have given you courageous highlanders now I give you an incredible man and the true definition of heroism. Here's an exercpt:

Ambush city.

The young Marines were being cut to ribbons. Mortars, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades. And the id out of Churchville was in charge. It was do or die and it was up to him.

So he moved to the side of his column, looking for a way to lead his men to safety. As he tried to poke a hole through the Iraqi line his humvee came under direct enemy machine gun fire.

It was fish in a barrel and the Marines were the fish.

And Brian Chontosh gave the order to attack. He told his driver to floor the humvee directly at the machine gun emplacement that was firing at them. And he had the guy on top with the .50 cal unload on them.

Within moments there were Iraqis slumped across the machine gun and Chontosh was still advancing, ordering his driver now to take the humvee directly into the Iraqi trench that was attacking his Marines. Over into the battlement the humvee went and out the door Brian Chontosh bailed, carrying an M16 and a Beretta and 228 years of Marine Corps pride.

Read the rest. You remember the scene in Troy where Achilles charges the Apollo temple and takes apart the defenders alone? Well this tops that and yet no peep on the major news.

Asimov's Take On The Anthem

A little history from a big time Sci-Fi guy...

Is It Really An Issue Of Not Wanting To Do The Job...

Or is it they just can't get those jobs? Seems that today we have the lowest percentage of 16-19 year olds working today and this isn't due to sales at the mall. No, it seems this is due to immigrant workers ability to work longer hours than a teenager would due to varying circumstances. To be honest, I'm not sure what I think about that. I believe that young men and women of that age group should be challenged with some sort of working experience so that they can learn how to budget time and money. Now I don't think they should work 30 hours a week. I myself made the mistake of succumbing to the allure of more money and my studies failed as a result. I did however learn a great deal from going through that fire and have come out the better for it. Perhaps not the best but I'll take better over nothing at all. I understand that immigrant populations need to work. But at the same time this cannot come at the expense of developing our children for adulthood outside of school. I realize in a market such as ours where jobs are coming slightly slower that not everyone will get a piece of the pie and certainly businesses will choose the individuals who can work the best for them, but we do have to find a way to employ the young people of America. Give them a taste of honest work so that later in their lives they may bring a stronger work ethic to their careers.

Certainly not a cut and dried issue but it does question the commonly stated notion, "they do the work no one else wants to."

Ladies, Your President Is Behind You

Damn good speech I think.

Incredible satistic in the speech, I though, was the fact that half of small businesses are owned by women. Impressive.

Mobolization Of The "War Base"

This is fairly significant. The number of people who realize a war is the most important thing affecting the future of our country and our liberty is starting to show and it is in no way small. As I was reading I was struck by how strong the sentiment of seeking the defense of this country is. Is it possible we have allowed ourselves to have our focus shift from the most significant item in relation to the future of our country to issues that won't exist if we fail in our stance against the fantacism of Islam? Now I know we do not stop thinking about everything that affects our daily lives and solely focus on the war, but at the same time I think we forget the gravity of the situation and the very fact that terrorism has succeded on our soil not 3 years ago. Hopefully I'm wrong and this is simply a pessimistic notion but I can't help but feel we are beginning to "forget" too soon.

You Gotta Love This...

Tim Blair let's us know about the "Hammer of God."

Needless to say, me likey...

In fact I always wanted to be a pilot but unfortunately my math skills aren't up to par and I have glasses. Physically I knew I could take it, rollercoasters don't have ANYTHING on me.