Mumbai or Bombay

In regards to the latest bombing of India, this is a relevent article.

"Terrorists Strike in Indian City"
That was the rather long and uninformative headline a few days ago in the local newspaper. They couldn't say "Terrorists Strike in Mumbai" because few of the local rag's the readers know in what country "Mumbai" is. Readers have heard of "Bombay." They've eaten at Bombay Bicycle Club restaurants and they've bought end tables from Bombay Co. Furniture stores, so they mostly know Bombay is a city in India. But, Mumbai they don't know from Kolkata or Chennai. So, the headline writer has to refer to "Indian City" because the English-language media recently stopped using the place name that has been used in English for centuries.
The effect, of course, is what normally happens when names are changed. The Name Game just makes most people more ignorant (while giving a few people another reason to self-congratulate over their superior sensitivity). Older Americans who grew up hearing about Bombay can't understand today's news; and younger Americans who are growing up hearing about Mumbai won't be able to understand all the books in the library that refer to Bombay.
Fortunately, there's a double standard that prevents the media from junking Anglicized spellings of places in the white world. We're in no danger that "Florence" or "Germany" will disappear from the AP stylebook to be replaced by baffling references to "Firenze" and "Deutschland."

http://isteve.blogspot.com/

Sarah Palin for Saxby Chambliss: Rebuilding the Conservative Movement *Bumped*

Originally here: http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/sarah-palin-for-saxby-chambliss.html

Previously, I put this post http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/rebuilding-conservative-movement-what.html to explain what you can do now for the conservative movement.
Now you can join Sarah Palin in her rally for Saxby Cambliss here http://www.saxby.org/Home.aspx

SARAH PALIN

Monday, December 1, 2008,Governor Sarah Palin will be in Georgia with me at four different locations around the state. The events will be held in Augusta, Savannah, Perry, and metro Atlanta. The event times and locations are below.Please pay close attention to the following information in order to RSVP to one of these events!
Please click this link : RSVP for Palin Events**Select location of event you want to attend****
Fill in ALL required fields**
Augusta, GA8:30 a.m.James Brown Arena601 Seventh StreetAugusta, GA 30901
Savannah, GA11:00 a.m.Savannah Civic CenterMLK, Jr. Arena301 West Oglethorpe AvenueSavannah, GA 31401
Perry, GA1:30 p.m.Georgia National Fairgrounds & AgricenterMiller-Murphy-Howard Building401 Larry Walker ParkwayPerry, GA 31069
Atlanta Metro4:00 p.m.Gwinnett Arena6400 Sugarloaf ParkwayDuluth, GA 30097
Doors will open 1 hour before the event.
Seating is first-come, first-served. Please remember you must RSVP.Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

If you can give $5, $10, or more, that would be GREAT http://www.saxby.org/Home.aspx

Also, If you are in Minnesota or watching it:
The second is the recount in Minnesota's senate race that you can contribute to here Minnesota's Norm Coleman against the attacks of the worst of the '08 Dems, Al Franken.

New England Frontier - A Thanksgiving Primer

http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-england-fronier.html

I wanted to send you information about this book which might be a good book to read before thanksgiving. It tries to give a fair, but accurate account of the times of the pilgrims. Anyway, let me know if you have any comments about it.

http://www.amazon.com/New-England-Frontier-Puritans-1620-1675/dp/080612718X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195246537&sr=8-1

http://worldcat.org/oclc/466398&referer=brief_results

Browse Sample Pages:Front Cover Copyright Table of Contents Excerpt Index Back Cover Surprise Me!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
The Early, Early Show, May 19, 2007ByBomojaz (South Central PA, USA)
A sensitive and sensible look at English-Indian relations in New England, 1620-1675. Vaughan attempts to dispel a number of myths (myths that have only intensified over time), by demonstrating that: 1) The Puritans did not push the New England Indians off their land. Indians owned and sold their land. 2) The Puritans did not deplete the food source of the natives. Game did decrease as more and more English settled in, but Indians were agricultural and grew most of their food. 3) The Puritans did not upset the Indians' economic pattern by underpaying them for goods and services. The tools Indians received from the English as payment for furs and land, for instance, were highly prized. 4) The Puritans did not kill off the Indians in a series of military actions. Warring tribes probably caused as many Indian deaths as the English, and the immediate causes of the Pequot War and King Philip's War were complicated and emerged from both sides. 5) Indians were not mistreated out of hand by the English in legal cases; for example, the death penalty for murder applied to all, regardless of race. Indians were frequently compensated for damaged property caused by the colonists' livestock. 6) The Puritans were not indifferent to the physical, moral, and spiritual well-being of the Indians. Puritans did not even regard the natives as a different race, but rather as white men with different features caused by their environment and "debased" by the Devil. Like themselves, they viewed the Indian as a creature fallen from Grace, and worthy of salvation. I am not expert enough to know exactly on which side of these "myths" the truth actually lies, though I suspect Vaughan is more correct than not. The political incorrectness of his views, however, seem fairly obvious and would probably receive little consideration today or be dismissed out of hand. This would be unfortunate, however, for much of what Vaughan has to say seems fair and reasonable. For all that, it's an interesting book, well written, and, in a provocative way that older historical works often are, a breath of fresh air.
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Tribes and Colonies, June 17, 2002By"guiscard" (Toms River, NJ United States)
In 1620 the English Puritans settled in the region they called New England. There they met the natives, the Indians. This book explains how the Puritans and Indians related with each other until 1675. Vaughan demonstrates that the Puritans did not exploit the Indians as often believed but dealt fairly with them. He neither denigrates nor whitewashes either the Puritans or the Indians, but is fair to both sides.Vaughan describes the Indians, their beliefs and customs, and what they thought of the Puritans. Vaughan also portrays the beliefs and customs of the Puritans and their attitudes towards the Indians. Vaughan recounts how the Puritans and the Indians allied together to destroy the aggressive Pequot tribe in the Pequot war in 1637.Vaughan sketches the trade between Puritans and Indians, at first trading furs for items and later for wampum. Then he describes how the Puritans tried to fit the Indians fairly into their legal system. Finally he recounts the Puritans attempts to convert the Indians to Christianity.This is an excellent account, based on extensive primary and secondary sources, of the little known period before King Philips attack on the Puritans changed how the colonists and the Indians saw each other.

Sarah Palin for Saxby Chambliss: Rebuilding the Conservative Movement

Previously, I put this post http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/rebuilding-conservative-movement-what.html to explain what you can do now for the conservative movement.


Now you can join Sarah Palin in her rally for Saxby Cambliss here http://www.saxby.org/Home.aspx

SARAH PALIN

Monday, December 1, 2008,
Governor Sarah Palin will be in Georgia with me at four different locations around the state. The events will be held in Augusta, Savannah, Perry, and metro Atlanta. The event times and locations are below.
Please pay close attention to the following information in order to RSVP to one of these events!Please click this link : RSVP for Palin Events

**Select location of event you want to attend****Fill in ALL required fields**

Augusta, GA8:30 a.m.James Brown Arena601 Seventh StreetAugusta, GA 30901
Savannah, GA11:00 a.m.Savannah Civic CenterMLK, Jr. Arena301 West Oglethorpe AvenueSavannah, GA 31401
Perry, GA1:30 p.m.Georgia National Fairgrounds & AgricenterMiller-Murphy-Howard Building401 Larry Walker ParkwayPerry, GA 31069
Atlanta Metro4:00 p.m.Gwinnett Arena6400 Sugarloaf ParkwayDuluth, GA 30097

Doors will open 1 hour before the event. Seating is first-come, first-served. Please remember you must RSVP.
Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

If you can give $5, $10, or more, that would be GREAT http://www.saxby.org/Home.aspx

Thanksgiving - A Violation of Church & State?

I wanted to let you know about this interesting article from Chuck Norris, yes the martial arts man! Anyway, I hope you find this interesting.

Thanksgiving - A Violation of Church and State?
Chuck NorrisTuesday, November 25, 2008

Is the government's observance of Thanksgiving a violation of the separation of church and state?
This past week, a Newsweek/Washington Post editorial labeled presidential Thanksgiving Day proclamations as "cracks in the wall of separation." The author explained, "The problem with these proclamations, it seems to me, is that they pave the way for public acceptance of gross violations of the constitutional separation of church and state." What?!
Forget for a moment that nearly every president since George Washington (and the Continental Congress before him) has given Judeo-Christian proclamations for Thanksgiving (except between 1816 and 1861) and also has declared other national days of fasting and prayer. Secularists, such as the author of the editorial, get almost giddy every time they highlight that Thomas Jefferson rejected the notion of proclaiming Thanksgiving spirituals and prayers. But the truth is Jefferson was far from the modern-day secularist they make him out to be.
Sure, Jefferson was adamant (as we all should be) that there should be no federal subscription to any one form of religious sectarianism. That is largely what the First Amendment is all about -- establishing the free exercise of religion and restricting sectarian supremacy in government, as well as government intrusion in churches.
But secularists make two grave mistakes when it comes to Jefferson and the First Amendment. First, they misconstrue his understanding of separation. Second, they overlook how Jefferson himself endorsed and intermingled religion and politics, even during his two terms as president. Let me explain, as I believe it is a timely reminder.

The phrase "separation of church and state" actually comes from a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1802 to the Danbury Baptists. He told them that no particular Christian denomination was going to have a monopoly in government. His words, "a wall of separation between Church & State," were not written to remove all religious practice from government or civic settings, but to prohibit the domination and even legislation of religious sectarianism.
Proof that Jefferson was not trying to rid government of religious (specifically Christian) influence comes from the fact that he endorsed the use of government buildings for church meetings and services, signed a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians that allotted federal money to support the building of a Catholic church and to pay the salaries of the church's priests, and repeatedly renewed legislation that gave land to the United Brethren to help their missionary activities among the American Indians.
Some might be completely surprised to discover that just two days after Jefferson wrote his famous letter citing the "wall of separation between Church & State," he attended church in the place where he always had as president: the U.S. Capitol. The very seat of our nation's government was used for sacred purposes. As the Library of Congress' Web site notes, "It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809) and of James Madison (1809-1817) the state became the church." Does that sound like someone who was trying to create an impenetrable wall of separation between church and state?
Let's face the present Thanksgiving facts. President Bush likely will give the last explicit Judeo-Christian Thanksgiving proclamation that Americans will hear for the next four to eight years, as President-elect Obama likely will coddle a form of godliness in his Thanksgiving addresses (if he indeed gives them) that appeases the masses with a deity that fits every politically correct dress.
But I'm an optimist. And because so much attention is being given right now by the media and the president-elect himself regarding his parallels to and lessons learned from President Abraham Lincoln, I recommend Obama heed Lincoln's Thanksgiving wisdom. Don't mince or water down the God of the Pilgrims, as is being done in public schools across this land through the retelling of the first Thanksgiving.
Obama doesn't even need a speechwriter for Thanksgiving 2009. He simply can recite Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, in which Lincoln thanked the Almighty for America's bountiful blessings and providential care despite enduring a war and grave economic hardships. The content seems divinely timed for even such a wintry season as our own:
"No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God, who while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. … I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens … to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father, who dwelleth in the heavens. And I recommend to them that, while offering up the ascriptions justly due to him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged and fervently implore the interposition of the almighty hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and union."
Whatever your religious persuasion, don't hesitate this Thanksgiving to bow your head, give thanks to God, and follow Lincoln's advice. And when you do, don't forget to say a prayer for our troops and their families. While they serve us so we can serve our Thanksgiving feasts safely, the least we can do is serve them a little honor and remembrance.
http://townhall.com/Columnists/ChuckNorris/2008/11/25/thanksgiving_-_a_violation_of_church_and_state?page=2

Break Up America?

I wanted to let you know about an analyst who is predicting the eventual break-up of the United States. Even if the specifics are not quite right, it might be interesting to read this article along with re-reading our booklet about this topic http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/US/

RUSSIAN ANALYST PREDICTS DECLINE AND BREAKUP OF USA
Tue Nov 25 2008 09:04:22
ETA leading Russian political analyst has said the economic turmoil in the United States has confirmed his long-held view that the country is heading for collapse, and will divide into separate parts. Professor Igor Panarin said in an interview with the respected daily IZVESTIA published on Monday: "The dollar is not secured by anything. The country's foreign debt has grown like an avalanche, even though in the early 1980s there was no debt. By 1998, when I first made my prediction, it had exceeded $2 trillion. Now it is more than 11 trillion. This is a pyramid that can only collapse." The paper said Panarin's dire predictions for the U.S. economy, initially made at an international conference in Australia 10 years ago at a time when the economy appeared strong, have been given more credence by this year's events. When asked when the U.S. economy would collapse, Panarin said: "It is already collapsing. Due to the financial crisis, three of the largest and oldest five banks on Wall Street have already ceased to exist, and two are barely surviving. Their losses are the biggest in history. Now what we will see is a change in the regulatory system on a global financial scale: America will no longer be the world's financial regulator."
When asked who would replace the U.S. in regulating world markets, he said: "Two countries could assume this role: China, with its vast reserves, and Russia, which could play the role of a regulator in Eurasia." Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."
He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions." He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong. He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all." Panarin, 60, is a professor at the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and has authored several books on information warfare.

Sharia Law Threatens America

I wanted to let you know about this billboard which gives a warning about a threat from Sharia. This was also mentioned in our own church's newsletter Prophetic Times at the link for November 19 here http://www.kubik.org/pt/2008/PT112208.pdf which explains Sharia Law further. I hope you find this interesting.

November 23, 2008
Billboard: Sharia threatens America http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023609.php#comments
The United American Committee has this week put up a billboard on the Detroit-Toledo expressway. As you can see, it says “Sharia Law Threatens America.” You can see it for yourself in Luna Pier, about 10 miles north of Toledo, 20 miles south of Detroit on I-75.Just in time for the Thanksgiving traffic! Bravo, UAC.
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Who's who in the Middle East!

I wanted to let you read this article that you can click through to find some interesting items about the Middle East. This goes well with our own book the Middle East in Bible Propecy http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/ME/ and I think you'll find the article itself interseting. All of the links are very intersting!! If you know more yourself, please let me know.

Unfortunately, although we are increasingly involved in that part of the world, we poor dumb naive Americans still don't have a clue just how Byzantine the sociology and politics of the ancient Byzantine Empire remain. Just when you've finally figured out the difference between the Sunnis and Shi'ites, you discover that the place is also stocked with a baffling array of pseudo-Muslim crypto-religions.
For example, there are the arguably quasi-Christian Alawites who run the Syrian dictatorship; their allegedly angel-worshiping cousins, the dissimulating Alevi who make up somewhere from 10 to 30 percent of Turkey; the Lucifer-loving Kurdish Yezidis of Iraq; and, strangest of all, the Donmeh, secret followers of the Jewish false messiah Shabbetai Zevi, who comprise much of the secular elite of modern Turkey.
In Lebanon, the local mystery sect is the Druze, who refuse to explain the nature of their religion. No mutually satisfactory slice of the political pie could be found for this fourth most important ethnic group.
http://www.vdare.com/Sailer/060716_diversity.htm

Recommended Charities For End of the Year Giving

RECOMMENDED CHARITIES FOR END OF THE YEAR GIVING -

Maniacal gay activists have helpfully assembled
this list of individuals and organization who helped save marriage in California.

They deserve our support.

Bush & Socialism

It genuinely pains me that George W. Bush did this in his last year of office. Of the three branches of conservatism he has been very successful in
1. Military strength by avoiding attacks on the homeland for over seven years,
2. Social issues by defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), keeping stem cell research illegal, banning partial birth abortion, and appointing two good Supreme Court Justices,

but on the other he has only been partly
3. Free-enterprise capitalism by keeping taxes low, however he was unsuccessful on deficits, prescription drugs, education reform, and now this.

Bush's Legacy: European Socialism
Dick Morris and Eileen McGann http://townhall.com/Columnists/DickMorrisandEileenMcGann/2008/11/19/bushs_legacy_european_socialism The results of the G-20 economic summit amount to nothing less than the seamless integration of the United States into the European economy. In one month of legislation and one diplomatic meeting, the United States has unilaterally abdicated all the gains for the concept of free markets won by the Reagan administration and surrendered, in toto, to the Western European model of socialism, stagnation and excessive government regulation. Sovereignty is out the window. Without a vote, we are suddenly members of the European Union. Given the dismal record of those nations at creating jobs and sustaining growth, merger with the Europeans is like a partnership with death.
At the G-20 meeting, Bush agreed to subject the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and our other regulatory agencies to the supervision of a global entity that would critique its regulatory standards and demand changes if it felt they were necessary. Bush agreed to create a College of Supervisors.
According to The Washington Post, it would "examine the books of major financial institutions that operate across national borders so regulators could begin to have a more complete picture of banks' operations."
Their scrutiny would extend to hedge funds and to various "exotic" financial instruments. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), a European-dominated operation, would conduct "regular vigorous reviews" of American financial institutions and practices. The European-dominated College of Supervisors would also weigh in on issues like executive compensation and investment practices.
There is nothing wrong with the substance of this regulation. Experience is showing it is needed. But it is very wrong to delegate these powers to unelected, international institutions with no political accountability.
We have a Securities and Exchange Commission appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, both of whom are elected by the American people. It is with the SEC, the Treasury and the Federal Reserve that financial accountability must take place.
The European Union achieved this massive subrogation of American sovereignty the way it usually does, by negotiation, gradual bureaucratic encroachment, and without asking the voters if they approve. What's more, Bush appears to have gone down without a fight, saving his debating time for arguing against the protectionism that France's Nicolas Sarkozy was pushing. By giving Bush a seeming victory on a moratorium against protectionism for one year, Sarkozy was able to slip over his massive scheme for taking over the supervision of the U.S. economy.
All kinds of political agendas are advancing under the cover of response to the global financial crisis. Where Franklin Roosevelt saved capitalism by regulating it, Bush, to say nothing of Obama, has given the government control over our major financial and insurance institutions. And it isn't even our government! The power has now been transferred to the international community, led by the socialists in the European Union.
Will Obama govern from the left? He doesn't have to. George W. Bush has done all the heavy lifting for him. It was under Bush that the government basically took over as the chief stockholder of our financial institutions and under Bush that we ceded our financial controls to the European Union. In doing so, he has done nothing to preserve what differentiates the vibrant American economy from those dying economies in Europe. Why have 80 percent of the jobs that have been created since 1980 in the industrialized world been created in the United States? How has America managed to retain its leading 24 percent share of global manufacturing even in the face of the Chinese surge? How has the U.S. GDP risen so high that it essentially equals that of the European Union, which has 50 percent more population? It has done so by an absence of stifling regulation, a liberation of capital to flow to innovative businesses, low taxes, and by a low level of unionization that has given business the flexibility to grow and prosper. Europe, stagnated by taxation and regulation, has grown by a pittance while we have roared ahead. But now Bush -- not Obama -- Bush has given that all up and caved in to European socialists.
The Bush legacy? European socialism. Who needs enemies with friends like Bush?

El Paso's Barrio Azteca

I wanted to let you know about this local area story that is being covered in the national news. I hope you find it interesting


The Barrio Azteca Trial and the Prison Gang-Cartel Interface
November 19, 2008

By Fred Burton and Ben West
Related Links
Tracking Mexico’s Drug CartelsOn Nov. 3, a U.S. District Court in El Paso, Texas, began hearing a case concerning members of a criminal enterprise that calls itself Barrio Azteca (BA). The group members face charges including drug trafficking and distribution, extortion, money laundering and murder. The six defendants include the organization’s three bosses, Benjamin Alvarez, Manuel Cardoza and Carlos Perea; a sergeant in the group, Said Francisco Herrera; a lieutenant, Eugene Mona; and an associate, Arturo Enriquez. The proceedings represent the first major trial involving BA, which operates in El Paso and West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The testimony is revealing much about how this El Paso-based prison gang operates, and how it interfaces with Mexican drug cartel allies that supply its drugs. Mexico’s cartels are in the business of selling drugs like marijuana, cocaine and heroin in the United States. Large amounts of narcotics flow north while large amounts of cash and weapons flow south. Managing these transactions requires that the cartels have a physical presence in the United States, something a cartel alliance with a U.S. gang can provide. Of course, BA is not the only prison gang operating in the United States with ties to Mexico. Prison gangs can also be called street gangs — they recruit both in prisons and on the street. Within the United States, there are at least nine well-established prison gangs with connections to Mexican drug cartels; Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos, the Mexican Mafia and the Texas Syndicate are just a few such groups. Prison gangs like BA are very territorial and usually cover only a specific region, so one Mexican cartel might work with three to four prison or street gangs in the United States. Like BA, most of the U.S. gangs allied with Mexican cartels largely are composed of Mexican immigrants or Mexican-Americans. Nevertheless, white supremacist groups, mixed-race motorcycle gangs and African-American street gangs also have formed extensive alliances with Mexican cartels. Certainly, not all U.S. gangs the Mexican cartels have allied with are the same. But examining how BA operates offers insights into how other gangs — like the Latin Kings, the Texas Syndicate, the Sureños, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and transnational street gangs like MS-13 — operate in alliance with the cartels.
Barrio Azteca Up CloseSpanish for “Aztec Neighborhood,” BA originated in a Texas state penitentiary in 1986, when five inmates from El Paso organized the group as a means of protection in the face of the often-brutal ethnic tensions within prisons. By the 1990s, BA had spread to other prisons and had established a strong presence on the streets of El Paso as its founding members served their terms and were released. Reports indicate that in the late 1990s, BA had begun working with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s Sinaloa Federation drug trafficking organization, which at the time controlled drug shipments to Ciudad Juarez, El Paso’s sister city across the Rio Grande. According to testimony from several different witnesses on both sides of the current trial, BA now works only with the Juarez cartel of Vicente Carrillo-Fuentes, which has long controlled much of Mexico’s Chihuahua state and Ciudad Juarez, and broke with the Sinaloa Federation earlier in 2008. BA took sides with the Juarez cartel, with which it is jointly running drugs across the border at the Juarez plaza.BA provides the foot soldiers to carry out hits at the behest of Juarez cartel leaders. On Nov. 3, 10 alleged BA members in Ciudad Juarez were arrested in connection with 12 murders. The suspects were armed with four AK-47s, pistols and radio communication equipment — all hallmarks of a team of hit men ready to carry out a mission. According to testimony from the ongoing federal case, which is being brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, drugs are taken at discount from the supplier on the Mexico side and then distributed to dealers on the street. These distributors must then pay “taxes” to BA collectors to continue plying their trade. According to testimony from Josue Aguirre, a former BA member turned FBI informant, BA collects taxes from 47 different street-level narcotics operations in El Paso alone. Failure to pay these taxes results in death. One of the murder charges in the current RICO case involves the death of an El Paso dealer who failed to pay up when the collectors arrived to collect on a debt. Once collected, the money goes in several different directions. First, BA lieutenants and captains, the midlevel members, receive $50 and $200 per month respectively for compensation. The bulk of BA’s profit is then transferred using money orders to accounts belonging to the head bosses (like Alvarez, Cardoza and Perea) in prison. Cash is also brought back to Ciudad Juarez to pay the Juarez cartel, which provided the drugs in the first place.BA receives discounts on drugs from the Juarez cartel by providing tactical help to its associates south of the border. Leaders of Carrillo Fuentes’ organization in Juarez can go into hiding in El Paso under BA protection if their lives are in danger in Juarez. They can also order BA to track down cartel enemies hiding in El Paso. Former BA member Gustavo Gallardo testified in 2005 that he was sent to pick up a man in downtown El Paso who had cheated the Juarez cartel of money. Once Gallardo dropped him off at a safe house in El Paso, another team took the man — who was bound with rope and duct tape — to Ciudad Juarez, where Gallardo assumes he was killed.
BA and the World of Prison Gangs Prison gangs are endemic to prison systems, where safety for inmates comes in numbers. Tensions (usually along racial lines) among dangerous individuals regularly erupt into deadly conflict. Prison gang membership affords a certain amount of protection against rival groups and offers fertile recruiting ground. Once a prison gang grows its membership (along with its prestige) and establishes a clear hierarchy, its leader can wield an impressive amount of power. Some even wind up taking over prisons, like the antecedents of Russian organized crime did. It might seem strange that members on the outside send money and answer to bosses in prison, since the bosses are locked up. But these bosses wield a great deal of influence over gang members in and out of prison. Disobedience is punishable by death, and regardless of whether a boss is in prison, he can order a hit on a member who has crossed him. Prison gang members also know that if they end up in prison again — a likely outcome — they will once again be dependent on the help of the boss to stay alive, and can perhaps even earn some money while doing time.BA’s illegal activities mean its members constantly cycle in and out of prison. Many BA members were involved in smaller, local El Paso street gangs before they were imprisoned. Once in prison, they joined BA with the sponsorship of a “godfather” who walks the recruit through the process. BA then performs a kind of background check on new recruits by circulating their name throughout the organization. BA is particularly interested in any evidence that prospective members have cooperated with the police. Prison authorities are certainly aware of the spread of BA, and they try to keep Mexican nationals separated from known BA members, who are mostly Mexican-American, to prevent the spread of the gang’s influence. BA has organizations in virtually every penitentiary in Texas, meaning that no matter where a BA member is imprisoned, he will have a protection network in place. BA members with truly extensive prison records might personally know the leader of every prison chapter, thus increasing the member’s prestige. Thus, the constant cycling of members from the outside world into prison does not inhibit BA, but makes its members more cohesive, as it allows the prison system to increase bonds among gang members.Communication challenges certainly arise, as exchanges between prisoners and those on the outside are closely monitored. But BA seems to have overcome this challenge. Former BA member Edward Ruiz testified during the trial that from 2003 to 2007, he acted as a clearinghouse for jailed members’ letters and packages, which he then distributed to members on the outside. This tactic ensured that all prison communications would be traceable to just one address, thus not revealing the location of other members.BA also allegedly used Sandy Valles New, who worked in the investigations section of the Office of the Federal Public Defender in El Paso from 1996 to 2002, to pass communications between gang members inside and outside prison. She exploited the access to — and the ability to engage in confidential communications with — inmates that attorneys enjoy, transmitting information back and forth between BA members inside and outside prison. Taped conversations reveal New talking to one of the bosses and lead defendants, Carlos Perea, about her fear of losing her job and thus not being able to continue transmitting information in this way. She also talked of crossing over to Ciudad Juarez to communicate with BA members in Mexico. While BA had inside sources like New assisting it, the FBI was able to infiltrate BA in return. Josue Aguirre and Johnny Michelleti have informed on BA activities to the FBI since 2003 and 2005, respectively. Edward Ruiz, the mailman, also handed over stacks of letters to the FBI.
BA and the Mexican Cartels As indicated, BA is only one of dozens of prison gangs operating along the U.S.-Mexican border that help Mexican drug trafficking organizations smuggle narcotics across the border and then distribute them for the cartels. Mexican drug trafficking organizations need groups that will do their bidding on the U.S. side of the border, as the border is the tightest choke point in the narcotics supply chain. Getting large amounts of drugs across the border on a daily basis requires local connections to bribe border guards or border town policemen. Gangs on the U.S. side of the border also have contacts who sell drugs on the retail level, where markups bring in large profits. The current trial has revealed that the partnership goes beyond narcotics to include violence as well. In light of the high levels of violence raging in Mexico related to narcotics trafficking, there is a genuine worry that this violence (and corruption) could spread inside the United States. One of the roles that BA and other border gangs fill for Mexican drug-trafficking organizations is that of enforcer. Prison gangs wield tight control over illegal activity in a specific territory. They keep tabs on people to make sure they are paying their taxes to the gang and not affiliating with rival gangs. To draw an analogy, they are like the local police who know the situation on the ground and can enforce specific rules handed down by a governmental body — or a Mexican cartel. Details emerging from the ongoing trial indicate that BA works closely with the Juarez cartel and has contributed to drug-related violence inside the United States. While the killing of a street dealer by a gang for failure to pay up on time is common enough nationwide and hardly unique to Mexican drug traffickers, apprehending offenders in El Paso and driving them to Ciudad Juarez to be held or killed does represent a very clear link between violence in Mexico and the United States. BA’s ability to strike within the United States has been proven. According to a Stratfor source, BA is connected to Los Zetas — the U.S.-trained Mexican military members who deserted to traffic drugs — through a mutual alliance with the Juarez cartel. The Zetas possess a high level of tactical skill that could be passed along to BA, thus increasing its effectiveness.
The Potential for Cross-Border Violence The prospect for enhanced cross-border violence is frightening, but the violence itself is not new. So far, Mexican cartels and their U.S. allies have focused on those directly involved in the drug trade. Whether this restraint will continue is unclear. Either way, collateral damage is always a possibility. Previous incidents, like one that targeted a drug dealer in arrears in Phoenix and others that involved kidnappings and attacks against U.S. Border Patrol agents, indicate that violence has already begun creeping over from Mexico. So far, violence related to drug trafficking has not caused the deaths of U.S. law enforcement officials and/or civilians, though it has come close to doing so. Another potential incubator of cross-border violence exists in BA’s obligation to offer refuge to Juarez cartel members seeking safety in the United States. Such members most likely would have bounties on their heads. The more violent Mexico (and particularly Ciudad Juarez) becomes, the greater the risk Juarez cartel leaders face — and the more pressure they will feel to seek refuge in the United States. As more Juarez cartel leaders cross over and hide with BA help, the cartel’s enemies will become increasingly tempted to follow them and kill them in the United States. Other border gangs in California, Arizona and New Mexico probably are following this same trajectory. Two primary reasons explain why Mexican cartel violence for the most part has stopped short of crossing the U.S. border. First, the prospect of provoking U.S. law enforcement does not appeal to Mexican drug-trafficking organizations operating along the border. They do not want to provoke a coordinated response from a highly capable federal U.S. police force like the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or FBI. By keeping violence at relatively low levels and primarily aimed at other gang members and drug dealers, the Mexican drug-trafficking organizations can lessen their profile in the eyes of these U.S. agencies. Conversely, any increase in violence and/or the killing of U.S. police or civilians would dramatically increase federal scrutiny and retaliation.The second reason violence has not crossed the border wholesale is that gangs like BA are in place to enforce the drug-trafficking organizations’ rules. The need to send cartel members into the United States to kill a disobedient drug dealer is reduced by having a tight alliance with a border gang that keeps drugs and money moving smoothly and carries out the occasional killing to maintain order. But the continued integrity of BA and its ability to carry out the writ of larger drug-trafficking organizations in Mexico might not be so certain. The Nov. 3 trial will undermine BA activity in the crucial trafficking corridor of El Paso/Ciudad Juarez. The indictment and possible incarceration of the six alleged BA members would not damage the gang so badly — after all, BA is accustomed to operating out of prison, and there must certainly be members on the outside ready to fill in for their incarcerated comrades. But making BA’s activities and modus operandi public should increase scrutiny on the gang and could very well lead to many more arrests. In light of the presence of at least two FBI informants in the gang, BA leaders have probably moved into damage control mode, isolating members jeopardized by the informants. This will disrupt BA’s day-to-day operations, making it at least temporarily less effective. Stratfor sources say BA members on both sides of the border have been ordered to lie low until the trial is over and the damage can be fully assessed. This is a dangerous period for gangs like BA, as their influence over their territory and ability to operate is being reduced. Weakening BA by extension weakens the Juarez cartel’s hand in El Paso. While BA no doubt will survive the investigations the trial probably will spawn, given the high stakes across the border in Mexico, the Juarez cartel might be forced to reduce its reliance on BA. This could prompt the Juarez cartel to rely on its own members in Ciudad Juarez to carry out hits in the United States and to provide its own security to leaders seeking refuge in the United States. It could also prompt it to turn to a new gang facing less police scrutiny. Under either scenario, BA’s territory would be encroached upon. And considering the importance of controlling territory to prison gangs — and the fact that BA probably still will be largely intact — this could lead to increased rivalries and violence. The Juarez cartel-BA dynamic could well apply to alliances between U.S. gangs and Mexican drug-trafficking organizations, such as Hermanos de Pistoleros Latinos in Houston, the Texas Syndicate and Tango Blast operating in the Rio Grande Valley and their allies in the Gulf cartel; the Mexican Mafia in California and Texas and its allies in the Tijuana and Sinaloa cartels; and other gangs operating in the United States with ties to Mexican cartels like Mexikanemi, Norteños and the Sureños. Ultimately, just because BA or any other street gang working with Mexican cartels is weakened does not mean that the need to enforce cartel rules and supply chains disappears. This could put Mexican drug-trafficking organizations on a collision course with U.S. law enforcement if they feel they must step in themselves to take up the slack. As their enforcers stateside face more legal pressure, the cartels’ response therefore bears watching.

Kids Nag, Parents Cave In

I wanted to send you this story to let you know how children are being marketed to these days. If you know anyone with children, you might want to forward this to them as a warning.

Kids nag, parents cave
“They realize that it’s our habit that if they ask again, that after enough times, ‘Mom, please, I didn’t get to do it … I haven’t seen so and so in so long,’ then… you’ll give in.”
– Kris Lee, mother of eight
Whether Colin wants a bigger mini-bike or his sister Sarah wants to go out with friends, they use the same approach.
“I ask, and if she says no, I’ll ask [again and again,]” says Sarah, 14.
“Maybe five times, but you can kind of tell if they’re gonna give in or not,” says Colin, 16.
According to a study by the Center for a New American Dream, a Maryland-based consumer group, a survey of 750 families found that if a child gets a “no” but keeps asking for a product seen on television, by the ninth time the average parent will give in to the demand.
For busy, tired parents, it’s simply easier to say yes.
“They realize that it’s our habit that if they ask again, that after enough times, ‘Mom, please, I didn’t get to do it … I haven’t seen so and so in so long,’ then… you’ll give in,” says Kris Lee, the mother of Colin and Sarah.
But psychologist Tony Levitas says that when parents constantly cave in, kids learn a damaging lesson.
“In the big picture of things, it creates a society of budding narcissists who think they’re entitled to whatever they want,” he says.
Experts recommend that parents make a clear rule – no means no. After that, if a kid keeps asking, they should enforce the consequences – loss of a privilege or a timeout.
“I would have the parent sit down with the child and say, “Look, I know we’ve been doing it this way for a while, but I don’t think that’s a good thing for you, and this is what we’re gonna do now … and we need you to respect what we say, and if you don’t, this is what’s gonna happen,’” Levitas says.
Sarah says she knows she has to change her ways.
“It’s not a very good habit to have when you’re getting older because you keep on asking the same question … people will be like ‘No, I already said that,’” she says.
Tips for Parents
Television advertising may have more of an effect on your child than you realize, according to a survey released by the Center for a New American Dream (CNAD). The consumer group, which polled more than 750 families with children between the ages of 12 and 17, found that if children continually ask for a product they have seen on television, parents will likely give in on the ninth attempt, even after eight straight “no’s.” Consider these additional findings from the survey:
More than 10% of “tweens” – kids aged 12 or 13 – will ask their parents more than 50 times for stuff they see in television ads.
Nearly a third of kids surveyed said they felt pressured to pressure their parents for items like clothes, shoes and CDs because their friends had them.
Approximately 53% of kids aged 12 to 17 said buying certain products made them feel better about themselves. That number jumped to 62% among 12- and 13-year-olds.
About 81% said they routinely ask parents for money or permission to buy a product, even though 40% said they knew before asking that the answer would be no.
Six in 10 kids are prepared to keep nagging, and 55% said this strategy usually pays off in the long run.
Among kids who said they’d asked for products their parents disapproved of, 59% said they felt if they didn’t give up, they’d win. Kids 12 and 13 years old were more likely to aggressively pursue the “nag factor.”
CNAD says that advertisers and retailers are targeting kids through television because youth aged 12 to 19 spend or influence spending $155 billion a year. Consider these additional statistics about kids, money and advertising cited by the National Institute on Media and the Family:
The average American child views 20,000 television ads per year (2,000 of which are for beer and wine).
Children as young as age 3 recognize brand logos, with brand loyalty influence starting at age 2.
Young children are not able to distinguish between commercials and television programs. They do not recognize that commercials are trying to sell something.
And the influence of advertising on children is even documented in a study, published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, showing that children who watch less television make significantly fewer demands for toys.
How are advertisers targeting your child? The Center for Media Literacy cites the following common advertising strategies may influence the degree to which your child may nag you to purchase a particular product:
Ideal Kids: The kids in commercials are often a little older and a little more perfect than the target audience of the ad. They are, in other words, role models for what the advertiser wants children in the target audience to think they want to be like. A commercial that is targeting 8 year olds, for instance, will show 11- or 12-year-old models playing with an 8-year-old’s toy.
Heart Strings: Commercials often create an emotional ambience that draws you into the advertisement and makes you feel good. The McDonald’s commercials featuring father and daughter eating out together, or the AT&T Reach Out and Touch Someone ads are good examples. We are more attracted to products that make us feel good.
Amazing Toys: Many toy commercials show their toys in life-like fashion, doing incredible things. Airplanes do loop-the-loops and cars do wheelies, dolls cry and spring-loaded missiles hit gorillas dead in the chest. But many of the toys never perform in this manner.
Life-like Settings: Barbie struts her stuff on the beach with waves crashing in the background, space aliens fly through dark outer space and all-terrain vehicles leap over rivers and trenches. The rocks, dirt, sand and water don’t come with the toys, however.
Sounds Good: Music and other sound effects add to the excitement of commercials. Sound can make toys seem more life-like or less life-like, as in a music video. Either way, they help set the mood advertisers want.
Cute Trademark Personalities: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sell pizza. Spuds McKenzie sells beer. “Joe Cool” camel used to sell cigarettes. All of these ads are ways of helping children identify with products either now or for the future.
Selective Editing: Selective editing is used in all commercials but especially in commercials for athletic toys like Frisbees or footballs. Commercials show only brilliant catches and perfect throws. Unfortunately, that’s not the way most children experience these toys.
Family Fun: “This is something the whole family can do together!” or “This is something Mom will be glad to buy for you.” Many commercials show parents enjoying their children’s fun as if the toy will bring more family togetherness.
Excitement: Watch the expressions on children’s faces. The children never appear to be bored. How can your child help thinking the toy’s great?
Star Power: Sports heroes, movie stars and teenage heartthrobs tell children what to eat and what to wear. Children listen, not realizing that the star is paid handsomely for the endorsement.
If your younger child develops a habit of nagging, you can take several steps to curb the undesirable and often materialistic behavior. The National Parent Information Network offers the following tips:
Set a good example. At this age, kids still look up to their parents more than to their peers, so you’re the best role model for helping your child cope with a complicated material world. If you want to discourage him or her from developing an insatiable appetite for possessions, let him or her see you behaving with restraint and wisdom. Enjoy window-shopping together without buying anything to show that while it’s fun to look at store displays and gather ideas for gifts and other purchases, you don’t need to buy something every time you go to a store.
Turn off the television. Advertising is everywhere in our culture, but television probably wields the greatest influence on children, who watch commercials as avidly as they watch programs. Toy company executives know that children are forces affecting their parents’ buying decisions, and they advertise relentlessly during children’s programs. Limit your child’s exposure to television commercials, and he or she will be less likely to develop a lengthy wish list.
Don’t fulfill every request. Children who get everything they ask for don’t learn to handle disappointment, and they don’t learn to work – or even just wait – for items they desire. Do yourself and your child a favor by saying no to unending requests, even if that provokes tantrums in the toy store at first. Enlist the aid of friends and grandparents – who often delight in “spoiling” your child – by suggesting they buy only one gift at birthdays or holidays, instead of half a dozen.
Teach your child about money. Grade-schoolers can learn about the value of possessions by paying for them themselves. Giving your child an allowance provides him or her with cash and you with the opportunity to teach your child how to use it.
Show an appreciation for the deeper value of things. Your child can learn that you appreciate objects not for how costly or trendy they are but for their inherent quality or sentimental value – “This chair means a lot to me because it was Grandma’s when she was little.” Your child may not begin to adopt your reasoning right away, but over time he or she will see that popularity and high price tags aren’t the only factors that make objects beloved, and that quality is better than quantity.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says that you can help your older child or teen understand how advertisers influence the desire to purchase a product by teaching him or her these basic points about media education:
People create media messages. Any media message, whether it’s a magazine article or a television talk show, is created by a team of people. Those people write it, decide what pictures to use and what elements to omit. All of these things give the message a purpose.
Each media form uses its own language. Newspapers make headlines large to attract readers to certain stories. Media with sound may use music to make people feel a range of emotions. When your child learns about these techniques, he or she is able to understand how a message is delivered instead of only being affected by it.
No two people experience the same media message in exactly the same way. How a person interprets a message depends on aspects unique to that person’s life. These can include age, values, memories and education.
Media messages have their own values and points of view. These are built into the message itself. Your child should compare the promoted values against his or her own values. It is important for your child to learn that he or she has a choice in whether to accept the values that are being promoted in any media message.
References -Look these up yourself!!!
American Academy of Pediatrics
Center for a New American Dream
Center for Media Literacy
Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
National Institute on Media and the Family
National Parent Information Network

Return of the Pirates!

If you hadn't noticed in the news, there is now a resurgance of Piracy, and not the ones from the Carribean movies. If you click the links in the story below, you'll see what is going on in this including the historic story of Redbeard and also the background of "... to the shores of Tripoli" . I hope you find this interesting.

Good Feeling on the High Seas: Return of the Pirate
http://www.badeagle.com/journal/
Somali Muslim pirates are attacking international cargo ships with rigour.
November 17, 2008, Pirates seize another ship in Gulf of Aden. A Hong Kong cargo ship loaded with 36,000 tons of wheat headed for Iran was captured by Somali pirates (old style Muslim terrorists at sea) of the coast of Yemen. (The liberal FinancialTimes, however, cannot bring itself to say that the pirates are Somali.
November 17, 2008 Drama on the high seas Somali pirates (old style Muslim terrorists at sea) captured a Saudi oil tanker carrying $100 million dollars of crude oil--off the coast of Obama's beloved Kenya (--450 miles, anyway).
Also, September 21, 2008, Norwejian Warship Fights Pirates near Somalia This is clearly an international affair on the high seas.
Of course, September 25, 2008, Ukrainian ship seized by pirates off Somali coast. Somali pirates (old style Muslim terrorists at sea) captured a Ukranian ship loaded with tanks and military equipment (though the news does not say where the ship was bound for).
The only thing coming out of Africa is trouble. The "good feeling" is Not Out of Africa, as Mary Lefkowitz might say. And it's not coming Out of America, as Keith Richburg might say--at least not out of the Obama election.
FinancialTimes
The Muslims terrorists on the high seas are clearly disrupting the course of world supply lines--for ransom money. Money to contribute to more terrorism, obviously. Muslims terrorists may not be able to depend on the Al-qaeda command directly. They have to develop their own resources, which they are quite capable of doing. So, it's out of the mountains onto the high seas. It's a whole lot more difficult to control pirates than terrorists on land. Land security is easy in comparison. (And air security always happens on land first.) Water is a different venue. Quite unlimited. Muslims will never, ever give up. They're here to accomplish their purpose. Death. And death is no obstacle to them, personally, or collectively. As much death as possible. It is a wonderful thing.
The world is scarely aware of the role cargo plays in world affairs. But the Somali pirates, the old style Muslim terrorists on the seas, have valiently brought that role to light. No doubt, such efforts will continue, until the world realizes that the Muslim murderers are in control. But not to worry, they won't be for long. They want to see the entire world end. That is their real goal. To rule, then to ruin. Pirates of the past may not have been so theological, but effective nonetheless, in wreaking the greatest havoc of their era, allegedly delivering over a million white Europeans into slavery. All in good faith, awaiting the coming of the 12th Imam.

Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet

Here's an unfortunate story about how peace is not breaking out in the world.


Al-Qaida No. 2 insults Obama with racial epithet

Nov 19 12:20 PM US/EasternBy MAAMOUN YOUSSEF and LEE KEATHAssociated Press Writers

Al-Qaida Number Two Insults Obama With Racial Epithet in Threatening Message
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, describing the president-elect in demeaning terms that imply he does the bidding of whites.
The message appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies. Ayman al-Zawahri said in the message, which appeared on militant Web sites, that Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X, the 1960s African-American rights leader.
In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect—along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice—"house negroes."
Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahri uses the term "abeed al-beit," which literally translates as "house slaves." But al-Qaida supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as "house negroes."
The message also includes old footage of speeches by Malcolm X in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters' house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticize black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the latest message was just "more despicable comments from a terrorist."
The 11-minute 23-second video features the audio message by al-Zawahri, who appears only in a still image, along with other images, including one of Obama wearing a Jewish skullcap as he meets with Jewish leaders. In his speech, al-Zawahri refers to a Nov. 5 U.S. airstrike attack in Afghanistan, meaning the video was made after that date.
Al-Zawahri said Obama's election has not changed American policies he said are aimed at oppressing Muslims and others.
"America has put on a new face, but its heart full of hate, mind drowning in greed, and spirit which spreads evil, murder, repression and despotism continue to be the same as always," the deputy of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden said.
He said Obama's plan to shift troops to Afghanistan is doomed to failure, because Afghans will resist.
"Be aware that the dogs of Afghanistan have found the flesh of your soldiers to be delicious, so send thousands after thousands to them," he said.
Al-Zawahri did not threaten specific attacks, but warned Obama that he was "facing a Jihadi (holy war) awakening and renaissance which is shaking the pillars of the entire Islamic world; and this is the fact which you and your government and country refuse to recognize and pretend not to see."
He said Obama's victory showed Americans acknowledged that President George W. Bush's policies were a failure and that the result was an "admission of defeat in Iraq."
But Obama's professions of support for Israel during the election campaign "confirmed to the Ummah (Islamic world) that you have chosen a stance of hostility to Islam and Muslims," al-Zawahri said.

2010 Senate Recruitment Project

In continuing what can you do NOW and planning for the future, first read here http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/rebuilding-conservative-movement-what.html and then follow below.

Big hat tip to Patrick Ruffini http://www.thenextright.com/patrick-ruffini/2010-senate-recruitment-project

A big part of the Rebuild platform is running everywhere and not giving any Democrat a free pass. That should start in the 2010 races for the Senate -- and it needs to start now. Look how many previously popular GOP incumbents were taken out in 2006 and 2008 because popular Democrats decided to stake their careers on taking them out.
I've put together this prelimary list of potential challengers to all Democrat incumbents up in 2010. Many of these are simply readouts of statewide officeholders, and a couple of others come from this insightful Free Republic thread (go John Elway!). But we should not limit ourselves to this list. Who are the rising, outside-the-box leaders in the state legislatures or the private sector who could be enticed to take on the total Democratic stranglehold on government in the midst a deep, deep recession (wink, wink)? I want to hear some in the comments.
Among the most promising and potentially gettable recruits on this list are Elway (Colorado), Linda Lingle (Hawaii), John Hoeven (North Dakota), and Rob McKenna (Washington).
Arkansas - Blanche Lincoln
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee - Run Huck Run! I really wish he would recognize that he has a hard ceiling for any POTUS primary run, but could be elected in a cakewalk back home. The Dems have no shortage of self-sacrificing figures like Mark Warner who could have gone higher but instead performed a valuable service to their party by limiting their longshot national ambitions, keeping themselves in the game, and growing the party.
Former Rep. Asa Hutchinson
Rep. John Boozman
Note: Despite this being a McCain +20 state, there are NO Republican statewide elected officials and only 1 out of 4 GOP representatives. Arkansas is probably ripe for a some sort of organized project akin to Karl Rove's turning Texas red in the '80s and '90s and Tim Gill et al. turning Colorado blue in the 2000s.

California - Barbara Boxer
Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (declared)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Rep. David Dreier
Rep. Devin Nunes
Rep. Mary Bono Mack

Colorado - Ken Salazar
John Elway
Former Gov. Bill Owens
Attorney General John Suthers
Rep.-elect Mike Coffman - former Secretary of State just elected to replace Tancredo, so it's unlikely he'd make a race in 2010, but he should be noted as a potential future statewide candidate

Connecticut - Chris Dodd (potential retirement)
Gov. Jodi Rell
Lt. Gov. Michael Fedele
Rep. Chris Shays - defeated for re-election and would clearly not be a perfect Republican vote, but still has the best track record of surviving in Connecticut
Former Rep. Rob Simmons

Delaware - Biden vacancy
Auditor General Tom Wagner
All ears for any potentially talented State Reps or Senators. We need to start somewhere.

Hawaii - Daniel Inouye
Gov. Linda Lingle - term-limited in 2010

Illinois - Obama vacancy
Rep. Peter Roskam - safely re-elected 58-42% in a close seat against the Obama tide; ran a great campaign in 2006
Rep. John Shimkus
Rep. Mark Kirk - hung tough in a liberal seat against an Obama-esque Dem nominee
Mike Ditka

Indiana - Evan Bayh
Rep. Mike Pence
Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman
Sectetary of State Todd Rokita
State Treasurer Richard Mourdock
State Auditor Tim Berry

Maryland - Barbara Mikulski
Former Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (if not elected RNC Chairman)
Former Gov. Bob Ehrlich
Because of its proximity to DC, there may be somebody of national prominence who lives in Maryland, though they would have to start making a name for themselves statewide now

Nevada - Harry Reid
Former Gov. Kenny Guinn
Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki
Rep. Dean Heller

New York - Chuck Schumer and potential Clinton vacancy
Rudy Giuliani
It's pretty slim pickings to find a good statewide figure or a non-parochial GOP Congressman, so we may be left looking to business or sports for other options

North Dakota - Byron Dorgan
Gov. John Hoeven - declined to run in 2008 because of re-election bid, but wouldn't be up in 2010 and would be the ideal GOP statewide nominee
Secretary of State Al Jaeger
Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem
State Senate Majority Leader Bob Stenehjem (Wayne's brother)
State Tax Commissioner Cory Fong

Oregon - Ron Wyden
Sen. Gordon Smith
Rep. Greg Walden
Former Gov. candidate Kevin Mannix

Washington - Patty Murray
Dino Rossi
Attorney General Rob McKenna
2006 Sen. nominee Mike McGavick

Wisconsin - Russ Feingold
Rep. Paul Ryan

Rebuilding the Conservative Movement - What YOU can do now!

Continuing from previous posts here
http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-to-do-now-rebuilding-conservative.html
and here
http://brianleesblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/election-2008-continues-what-can-you-do.html, which I recommend that you re-read. I wanted to let you know that there are two races that you can contribute to RIGHT NOW.

The first is the runoff election in Georgia's senate that you can contribute to here Georgia's U.S. Saxby Chambliss

and,

The second is the recount in Minnesota's senate race that you can contribute to here Minnesota's Norm Coleman against the attacks of the worst of the '08 Dems, Al Franken.

Now is a good time to contribute what you can, $5, $10, or more if you are able.

Also, you can visit these three sites for strategies Beyond 2008
http://www.rebuildtheparty.com/
http://www.thenextright.com/patrick-ruffini/2010-senate-recruitment-project
http://www.redstate.com/

Twilight - The Movie

If you hadn't heard about the movie "Twilight", I wanted to send you this movie analysis because it is something that is going to be up and coming in the near future. Basically, it is a teen-age vampire movie. Anyway, I did want to let you know about this so that you are prepared for it.


I'm in Love with a Vampire
The Subtle Messages of Twilight
An article from Jonathan McKee and David R. Smith at TheSource4YM.com
What happens when a 17-year-old girl falls helplessly in love with the sexiest boy in the world… who’s also a vampire? Millions of dollars are made off the story.Such is the pop culture phenomenon known as Twilight. Seventeen million copies of the books have been sold worldwide, and midnight showings for the upcoming movie are selling out. But what is this story really teaching young people about love?Romeo and Juliet Meets Bram StokerWhen Bella Swan leaves her mom in sunny Phoenix to move in with her chief-of-police dad in dreary Forks, Washington, she meets Edward Cullens, the most mysterious and handsome guy she’s ever seen. She couldn’t take her eyes off him… and he couldn’t take his mind off her. Not only was she smitten with love, but she was in danger of being bitten as well. After all, Edward was a vampire.That’s right, a vampire. But that didn’t seem to bother Bella very much. She says,
“About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him – and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be – that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.”The rest of the 512 page novel, Twilight, tells the story of these two star-crossed lovers as they seek to understand their emotions for one another, and engage in a life-and-death battle against a coven of evil vampires. The story has captivated a global audience and has claimed some very prestigious accolades since its release in late 2005. It’s been a #1 New York Times Bestseller and was voted “Best Book of the Year” by Publishers Weekly. Teen People made it their “Hot Pick,” and since then, the novel has been translated into twenty different languages. This is worthy of some celebration in light of the recent decline in teen reading. Not since the Harry Potter books have so many teens had their noses in a book. Edward and Bella’s tale doesn’t end on the last page of Twilight, however. When her first book sold millions of copies, Brigham Young educated author Stephanie Meyers did what any writer would do. She wrote another one…. and another one… and another...And so, the Twilight Saga was born, and teen and tween readers, mostly female, have been captivated since page one. A Scary Love StoryI grabbed a copy of Twilight to see what the buzz was about, and I must say, it was a good enough read that I tore through it in a few hours. It’s your typical “boy meets girl, saves girl’s life, falls in love with girl, saves girl’s life again” young adult romance novel… but with a vampire.Meyers provides readers with a (somewhat) original twist on the whole vampire legend in her story. Her vampires have a “superfluous” amount of superhuman abilities and can survive in sunlight; plus, there are good vampires as well as evil ones. Meyers also does an excellent job with suspense and cliff hangers, so I stayed up past midnight feverishly flipping pages to find out what happens in the end.If books were rated like films, Twilight would probably land at PG-13, with minimal swearing (a couple of “damns”) and a wee bit of violence. The sensuality is what helped push Twilight to the PG-13 mark. The MPAA seemed to agree concerning the upcoming film, rating it PG-13 for “some violence and a scene of sensuality.” You can watch one of the TV spots to judge for yourself.Subtle MessagesMany people in religious circles are worried about the “vampire” elements in the books. But our chief concern gravitated more toward Bella’s emotional vulnerability and the graphic sensuality described in the romantic scenes between she and Edward. We’re not talking Harlequin Romance material, but it was enough to make me wonder how young readers would react to the content. For instance, in one scene in her upstairs bathroom, Bella found herself regretting leaving her Victoria Secret silk pajamas in Arizona while Edward waited in her bedroom. In the book, nothing sexual happens, but we catch a pretty accurate glimpse into the thought process of the modern teenager.Today’s young girls will most definitely identify with Bella’s concern for self image and consistent need for validation. In the books Bella is portrayed as very plain. Most girls can relate to this. Seven in ten girls feel they do not measure up in some way, including their looks and in relationships.What about the sensuality? Parents are going to have to be the judge if they want their 12-year-old girls absorbing Meyers’ descriptions.In chapter 13 of the book, Bella describes a private moment in a meadow with Edward.
Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold check against the hollow at the base of my throat. I was quite unable to move, even if I’d wanted to. I listened to the sound of his even breathing, watching the sun and wind play in his bronze hair, more human than any other part of him.With deliberate slowness, his hands slid down the sides of my neck. I shivered, and I heard him catch his breath. But his hands didn’t pause as they softly moved to my shoulders, and then stopped.His face drifted to the side, his nose skimming across my collarbone. He came to rest with the side of his face pressed tenderly against my chest.Listening to my heart.And a little later in the same scene…
And then his cold, marble lips pressed very softly against mine.What neither of us was prepared for was my response.Blood boiled under my skin, burned in my lips. My breath came in a wild gasp. My fingers knotted in his hair, clutching him to me. My lips parted as I breathed in his heady scent.Believe it or not, this scene is actually what prompted Meyers to write the book in the first place. On her official website, she gives an unusual explanation for the origin of the entire story line…a dream.
In my dream, two people were having an intense conversation in a meadow in the woods. One of these people was just your average girl. The other person was fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire. They were discussing the difficulties inherent in the facts that A) they were falling in love with each other while B) the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately.In spite of these steamy scenes, the lead characters actually remain chaste. Even though the Mormon author doesn’t allow Edward and Bella to have sex before marriage, she may be a bit naïve about what tends to happen when passionate teenagers get alone in a field. From the preview, the movie seems to take it a step further. In one clip, Bella is seen in her underwear kissing Edward in the bedroom. As a parent, how would you react to this reality?Interestingly enough, it seems that many parents aren’t all that concerned with the amount of sensuality, because in this story, it doesn’t lead to sex. But what message does this mentality send to our kids? (There’s been a lot of debate about these messages lately.)The studio producing the film, Summit Entertainment, is hoping that the absence of sex scenes will expand its marketability to young kids. According to this Advertising Age article (subscription required), Summit is “counting on an unexpected group to help evangelize the film beyond its pubescent base: moms.” The studio won’t be disappointed, because PG-13 is deemed “okay” by most parents today. “No sex? Oh, it must be clean, then.”What’s Our Role?There are lots of points to consider when deciding if our kids should read this book and/or watch the movie. First, we must remember to monitor our kids’ reading material in addition to their media choices. The Internet is not the only place where kids come across unhealthy messages. Reading engages the mind in a different way than music, TV, or movies; there’s much more imagination involved. Knowing that reading makes an impact on our kids, let’s be sure to keep an eye on what our kids have on their book shelves. Secondly, let’s note that kids are devouring a book that focuses on love, passion, and romance. Young readers have questions; this book provides answers. Unless you want your kids to only hear Edward and Bella’s take on the subject, speak up. Love and romance are issues that most teens struggle to understand. We must be prepared to wade through those questions with them in search of answers. If that means we have to read a few chapters from these books to discover a way to initiate a conversation about love, romance, or even sex with our teens, so be it. Remember to focus on asking questions, rather than giving lectures. Finally, as popular as these books are, the film will reach a much larger audience. While the book audience is mostly female, guys are already expressing interest in the film.We encourage parents and anyone working with youth to go see this film and judge for yourselves. Twilight opens in theaters on November 21st, and The Source will post our review of the film on our movie review page that weekend. The highly anticipated movie is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, whose film debut was the sobering movie Thirteen, which she also wrote. Her later works, Lord’s of Dogtown and The Nativity Story demonstrate Hardwicke’s ability to present a story about young people to today’s youth. Twilight is a love story with a bite. If we proactively engage our kids concerning love and romance, maybe we can help guide them to answers to some of the questions raised by the story. Twilight’s tagline is, “When you can live forever what do you live for?”
What answer does the movie provide?
What are your kids’ answers to that question?