HT: JunkYardBlog and Opfor
Sunday, June 25, 2006
SWIFT: Not News, Either
The Counterterrorism Blog makes the point that monitoring large international transactions for purposes of tracking terrorist financing is not exactly news:
But reports on US monitoring of SWIFT transactions have been out there for some time. The information was fairly well known by terrorism financing experts back in 2002.
The information was incorporated in our report to the UN Security Council in December 2002. That report is still available on the UN Website. Paragraph 31 of the report states:
“The settlement of international transactions is usually handled through correspondent banking relationships or large-value message and payment systems, such as the SWIFT, Fedwire or CHIPS systems in the United States of America. Such international clearance centres are critical to processing international banking transactions and are rich with payment information. The United States has begun to apply new monitoring techniques to spot and verify suspicious transactions. The Group recommends the adoption of similar mechanisms by other countries.”
The fact is that there is really very little privacy today when it comes to the international transfer of funds. That is why criminal networks, money launderers and terrorist groups have increasingly turned to Hawalas and cash couriers for such transactions.
The NY/LASlimes' handling of the material, of course, is a different matter. They were asked NOT to publish the information, but did so anyway. While the information was known beforehand, their defiance of national security interests is telling.
But reports on US monitoring of SWIFT transactions have been out there for some time. The information was fairly well known by terrorism financing experts back in 2002.
The information was incorporated in our report to the UN Security Council in December 2002. That report is still available on the UN Website. Paragraph 31 of the report states:
“The settlement of international transactions is usually handled through correspondent banking relationships or large-value message and payment systems, such as the SWIFT, Fedwire or CHIPS systems in the United States of America. Such international clearance centres are critical to processing international banking transactions and are rich with payment information. The United States has begun to apply new monitoring techniques to spot and verify suspicious transactions. The Group recommends the adoption of similar mechanisms by other countries.”
The fact is that there is really very little privacy today when it comes to the international transfer of funds. That is why criminal networks, money launderers and terrorist groups have increasingly turned to Hawalas and cash couriers for such transactions.
The NY/LASlimes' handling of the material, of course, is a different matter. They were asked NOT to publish the information, but did so anyway. While the information was known beforehand, their defiance of national security interests is telling.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
Jessica Nails It--Again
Heh.
Sprightly, earnest, and curious, Jessica asks:
If the media are so outraged over any terrorist tracking programs that infringe on the privacy of average Americans in any way, shape, or form, why do they advocate searching little blue-haired ladies at airport metal detectors?
...as she cocks her head to one side and fixes the innocent stare on the ACLU twit...
Good one.
Sprightly, earnest, and curious, Jessica asks:
If the media are so outraged over any terrorist tracking programs that infringe on the privacy of average Americans in any way, shape, or form, why do they advocate searching little blue-haired ladies at airport metal detectors?
...as she cocks her head to one side and fixes the innocent stare on the ACLU twit...
Good one.
"Whopper" Dan Maguire's "Scholarship"
As a public service, here's the REAL story behind "Church-approved ceremonies [uniting] 'gay/lesbian' couples" which "Whopper" Dan Maguire mentions in his pack-of-lies for Congress:
Reviewing a book in First Things which makes the same claim as does Whopper Dan (Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. By John Boswell. Villard Books), Robin Young has a few salient points:
...There our host, Archbishop Dionysius Behnam Jajaweh, remarked that since we had survived the rigors of Syria and Eastern Turkey in amicable good humor, we two women must be good friends indeed. Would we like to be joined as sisters the next morning after the bishop's Sunday liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Intrigued, we agreed, and on a Sunday in late June of 1985, we followed the bishop and a monk through the Old City to a side chapel in the Holy Sepulchre where, according to the Syrian Orthodox, lies the actual tomb of Jesus. After the liturgy, the bishop had us join our right hands together and he wrapped them in a portion of his garment. He pronounced a series of prayers over us, told us that we were united as sisters, and admonished us not to quarrel. Ours was a sisterhood stronger than blood, confirmed in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he said, and since it was a spiritual union, it would last beyond the grave
...If this were all that Professor Boswell [or in the instant case, Whopper Dan] were claiming to have "discovered," neither I nor anyone else would be likely to dispute his findings. It seems reasonable to assume that ceremonies like the one Susan Ashbrook Harvey and I went through continue to take place in those eastern churches that preserve the rite of adoption (adelphopoiesis) for friends. In fact, scholars of the liturgy have known for years of these rituals.
...I will say flatly that neither Boswell's reconstruction of them nor his method of argumentation can possibly support the interpretation he proposes. First, it is highly implausible that homosexual unions either in antiquity or in the Middle Ages would have been blessed by a religion that promoted ascetic devotion to the kingdom of God rather than that condition which contemporary Americans understand as the healthy expression of erotic drives.
But even more disturbing than its implausible assumption is the book's promotion of a contemporary cause, i.e., homosexual marriage, through the invention of precedent. [This "invention of precedent" is not unknown in the Church. "Liturgists" have done it for years.]Even the most cursory examination of Boswell's documentation exposes the way he has struggled to force a group of documents to conform to his conclusions. Despite its facade of scholarship, the book is studded with unwarranted a priori assumptions, with arguments from silence, and with dubious, or in some cases outrageously false, translations of critical terms. And Boswell's insouciance about historical accuracy would be unacceptable in an undergraduate paper.
But hey, it works for Whopper Dan...
The rest of the review is here.
"...a priori assumptions...outrageously false translations...unacceptable in an undergraduate paper..."
You wonder if Ms. Uihlein knows what she PAID MONEY for, eh?
Reviewing a book in First Things which makes the same claim as does Whopper Dan (Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe. By John Boswell. Villard Books), Robin Young has a few salient points:
...There our host, Archbishop Dionysius Behnam Jajaweh, remarked that since we had survived the rigors of Syria and Eastern Turkey in amicable good humor, we two women must be good friends indeed. Would we like to be joined as sisters the next morning after the bishop's Sunday liturgy in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Intrigued, we agreed, and on a Sunday in late June of 1985, we followed the bishop and a monk through the Old City to a side chapel in the Holy Sepulchre where, according to the Syrian Orthodox, lies the actual tomb of Jesus. After the liturgy, the bishop had us join our right hands together and he wrapped them in a portion of his garment. He pronounced a series of prayers over us, told us that we were united as sisters, and admonished us not to quarrel. Ours was a sisterhood stronger than blood, confirmed in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, he said, and since it was a spiritual union, it would last beyond the grave
...If this were all that Professor Boswell [or in the instant case, Whopper Dan] were claiming to have "discovered," neither I nor anyone else would be likely to dispute his findings. It seems reasonable to assume that ceremonies like the one Susan Ashbrook Harvey and I went through continue to take place in those eastern churches that preserve the rite of adoption (adelphopoiesis) for friends. In fact, scholars of the liturgy have known for years of these rituals.
...I will say flatly that neither Boswell's reconstruction of them nor his method of argumentation can possibly support the interpretation he proposes. First, it is highly implausible that homosexual unions either in antiquity or in the Middle Ages would have been blessed by a religion that promoted ascetic devotion to the kingdom of God rather than that condition which contemporary Americans understand as the healthy expression of erotic drives.
But even more disturbing than its implausible assumption is the book's promotion of a contemporary cause, i.e., homosexual marriage, through the invention of precedent. [This "invention of precedent" is not unknown in the Church. "Liturgists" have done it for years.]Even the most cursory examination of Boswell's documentation exposes the way he has struggled to force a group of documents to conform to his conclusions. Despite its facade of scholarship, the book is studded with unwarranted a priori assumptions, with arguments from silence, and with dubious, or in some cases outrageously false, translations of critical terms. And Boswell's insouciance about historical accuracy would be unacceptable in an undergraduate paper.
But hey, it works for Whopper Dan...
The rest of the review is here.
"...a priori assumptions...outrageously false translations...unacceptable in an undergraduate paper..."
You wonder if Ms. Uihlein knows what she PAID MONEY for, eh?
Dan Maguire: Cancer
Below we noted that Dan Maguire, ex-priest and heretic who teaches "theology" at Marquette University, authored a pack of lies sent to each Congressman. In this pack of lies, Maguire attempts to make the case that Homosex "marriage" is a grand old tradition, sometimes approved by the Church.
Well, that's not a surprise to anyone who knows Maguire's history. The surprise and disappointment is that Marquette University insists on retaining this jackass on its payroll.
Apparently Dan Maguire has sold his soul to some very influential friends:
Board of Directors [Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin]
Elected Members
Stephen Adams, Andria De Toro Balda, John Bigler, Portia Brazil, Geraldine Bruno, Maggi Cage,
Karen Campbell, Dennis Christensen,MD, Jane Delzer, Bela Roongta Eitel, Heidi Fields, Enrique Figueroa, Colleen Fitzgerald, Caroline Fribance, Judith Hartig-Osanka, Joanne Huelsman, Leigh Meier, Donna Luebke, Karen Musser, Kathie Zieve Norman, [Chair], Will Olive, [Treasurer], Carmen Pitre, Sheila Reynolds, Azara Sanatiago-Rivera, Jay Schamberg, MD, Tia Torhorst, Martha Vukelich-Austin, [Secretary], Julie Worlzala.
Ex-officio
La Don Love, Scott Spear, MD, Anna Windsor, MD
Honorary
Chris Abele, Sara Aster, Barbara Brumder, Donald Buzard, William Chester, Jr., Linda Davis, Joan Hardy, D. Winthrop Hass, Bonnie Bockl Joseph, Bea Kabler, Jane Kaiser, Daniel Maguire, Linda Mellowes, Edie Brengel Radtke, Robert Slater, Lois Smith, Polly Van Dyke, William Willis
The link above is to Planned Parenthood's 70th anniversary dinner program here. Pictures of the event show BagManJim Doyle sucking up to Dan Maguire and Alex Sanger (related to the racist, Margaret Sanger) curiously interposed with a picture of Willie Davis, a former Green Bay Packer (and beer distributor whose main line was Schlitz.) By no co-incidence, Ms. Lynde Uihlein (a Schlitz brewing heiress) was also pictured...
Maguire made some remarks:
The audience also enjoyed the erudite, insightful and often hilarious remarks of the evening’s master of ceremonies, Professor Dan Maguire, Milwaukee’s own Catholic theologian who has written extensively about a woman’s sacred right to manage her own body and life. “These 70
years of Planned Parenthood have been an epic profile in courage,” said Maguire. “Family planning in theocratic America is dangerous." (Apparently Maguire did not credit his co-author, the Father of Lies)
Follow the money, folks:
Jim Stewart, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, presented the 2005
Margaret Miller Award, PPWI’s highest honor, to Lynde Uihlein. “Lynde is a great friend and champion of women’s health…
And, of course, a low-level bought-and-sold "Catholic" comic:
Milwaukee Comedian John McGivern treated the audience to his memories of growing up in a working class Catholic neighborhood. John’s performance was in honor of a friend he had in his youth who became pregnant at the age of 19 and was in a bad relationship. Her friends told her they would help her and took her to Planned Parenthood. Twenty some years later, she says she has a family—two daughters and a husband—because of Planned Parenthood.
The woman has a husband and two children "because of Planned Parenthood"? Really! Did PP officiate at the wedding?
Well, Dan, you have your friends.
Will Marquette University grow a backbone?
Well, that's not a surprise to anyone who knows Maguire's history. The surprise and disappointment is that Marquette University insists on retaining this jackass on its payroll.
Apparently Dan Maguire has sold his soul to some very influential friends:
Board of Directors [Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin]
Elected Members
Stephen Adams, Andria De Toro Balda, John Bigler, Portia Brazil, Geraldine Bruno, Maggi Cage,
Karen Campbell, Dennis Christensen,MD, Jane Delzer, Bela Roongta Eitel, Heidi Fields, Enrique Figueroa, Colleen Fitzgerald, Caroline Fribance, Judith Hartig-Osanka, Joanne Huelsman, Leigh Meier, Donna Luebke, Karen Musser, Kathie Zieve Norman, [Chair], Will Olive, [Treasurer], Carmen Pitre, Sheila Reynolds, Azara Sanatiago-Rivera, Jay Schamberg, MD, Tia Torhorst, Martha Vukelich-Austin, [Secretary], Julie Worlzala.
Ex-officio
La Don Love, Scott Spear, MD, Anna Windsor, MD
Honorary
Chris Abele, Sara Aster, Barbara Brumder, Donald Buzard, William Chester, Jr., Linda Davis, Joan Hardy, D. Winthrop Hass, Bonnie Bockl Joseph, Bea Kabler, Jane Kaiser, Daniel Maguire, Linda Mellowes, Edie Brengel Radtke, Robert Slater, Lois Smith, Polly Van Dyke, William Willis
The link above is to Planned Parenthood's 70th anniversary dinner program here. Pictures of the event show BagManJim Doyle sucking up to Dan Maguire and Alex Sanger (related to the racist, Margaret Sanger) curiously interposed with a picture of Willie Davis, a former Green Bay Packer (and beer distributor whose main line was Schlitz.) By no co-incidence, Ms. Lynde Uihlein (a Schlitz brewing heiress) was also pictured...
Maguire made some remarks:
The audience also enjoyed the erudite, insightful and often hilarious remarks of the evening’s master of ceremonies, Professor Dan Maguire, Milwaukee’s own Catholic theologian who has written extensively about a woman’s sacred right to manage her own body and life. “These 70
years of Planned Parenthood have been an epic profile in courage,” said Maguire. “Family planning in theocratic America is dangerous." (Apparently Maguire did not credit his co-author, the Father of Lies)
Follow the money, folks:
Jim Stewart, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, presented the 2005
Margaret Miller Award, PPWI’s highest honor, to Lynde Uihlein. “Lynde is a great friend and champion of women’s health…
And, of course, a low-level bought-and-sold "Catholic" comic:
Milwaukee Comedian John McGivern treated the audience to his memories of growing up in a working class Catholic neighborhood. John’s performance was in honor of a friend he had in his youth who became pregnant at the age of 19 and was in a bad relationship. Her friends told her they would help her and took her to Planned Parenthood. Twenty some years later, she says she has a family—two daughters and a husband—because of Planned Parenthood.
The woman has a husband and two children "because of Planned Parenthood"? Really! Did PP officiate at the wedding?
Well, Dan, you have your friends.
Will Marquette University grow a backbone?
Shock! Surprise! JS Editorial Is Lies!
Many of you think that JS editorials are written on a different planet and beamed down.
You're right.
Aided and abetted by the media "elite," anti-gun groups continue to attack NRA's efforts to protect confidential law enforcement data from abuse in court. Over the past several years, amendments to appropriations bills for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) have contained provisions to prevent access to firearm trace data and firearm dealers' records, except for legitimate criminal investigations. H.R. 5005, the "Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act," introduced by Representative Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), includes language to strengthen those limits and make them permanent.
Right on schedule, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and New York Times editorials erroneously claimed H.R. 5005 would (as the Journal Sentinel put it) "throw behind bars cops who shared that information with officers from other jurisdictions." New York City's anti-gun mayor, Michael Bloomberg (R), floated the same argument in his March testimony before the House Crime subcommittee. Bloomberg claimed that under H.R. 5005, the NYPD wouldn't be able to get trace information on guns sold in New Jersey.
Once again, the mayor and his anti-gun media cronies are wrong. Under H.R. 5005, if information on a gun sold in New Jersey is relevant to investigating a crime in New York, there's no reason it couldn't be disclosed to a New York agency.
H.R. 5005 doesn't create any new crimes for police officers or anyone else; it simply blocks anti-gun governments from trolling through nationwide data to support reckless and politically motivated lawsuits against the firearm industry--the very type of suits enactment of the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" was intended to stop. In doing so, it protects gun owners' privacy, the integrity of investigations, and the safety of law enforcement officers. That's why both the Fraternal Order of Police and BATFE have supported the appropriations amendments on this issue over the past several years.
(Source: NRA/ILA Newsletter Vol 13 #25, 6/23/06)
This distortion (really, it's a lie) is parallel to Cdl. Mahony's lie about the House's immigration-bill language.
Both the JS editors and Cdl. Mahony hope that you don't read the actual texts in question. That way, their distortions and manipulations will seem real.
Suppose it's just a co-incidence that Mayor Tommy was in NYC meeting with Bloomberg--and both the NYSlimes and the JS wrote these pieces of fiction? Hmmmmmm?
You're right.
Aided and abetted by the media "elite," anti-gun groups continue to attack NRA's efforts to protect confidential law enforcement data from abuse in court. Over the past several years, amendments to appropriations bills for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) have contained provisions to prevent access to firearm trace data and firearm dealers' records, except for legitimate criminal investigations. H.R. 5005, the "Firearms Corrections and Improvements Act," introduced by Representative Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), includes language to strengthen those limits and make them permanent.
Right on schedule, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and New York Times editorials erroneously claimed H.R. 5005 would (as the Journal Sentinel put it) "throw behind bars cops who shared that information with officers from other jurisdictions." New York City's anti-gun mayor, Michael Bloomberg (R), floated the same argument in his March testimony before the House Crime subcommittee. Bloomberg claimed that under H.R. 5005, the NYPD wouldn't be able to get trace information on guns sold in New Jersey.
Once again, the mayor and his anti-gun media cronies are wrong. Under H.R. 5005, if information on a gun sold in New Jersey is relevant to investigating a crime in New York, there's no reason it couldn't be disclosed to a New York agency.
H.R. 5005 doesn't create any new crimes for police officers or anyone else; it simply blocks anti-gun governments from trolling through nationwide data to support reckless and politically motivated lawsuits against the firearm industry--the very type of suits enactment of the "Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act" was intended to stop. In doing so, it protects gun owners' privacy, the integrity of investigations, and the safety of law enforcement officers. That's why both the Fraternal Order of Police and BATFE have supported the appropriations amendments on this issue over the past several years.
(Source: NRA/ILA Newsletter Vol 13 #25, 6/23/06)
This distortion (really, it's a lie) is parallel to Cdl. Mahony's lie about the House's immigration-bill language.
Both the JS editors and Cdl. Mahony hope that you don't read the actual texts in question. That way, their distortions and manipulations will seem real.
Suppose it's just a co-incidence that Mayor Tommy was in NYC meeting with Bloomberg--and both the NYSlimes and the JS wrote these pieces of fiction? Hmmmmmm?
By Any Measure, Wisconsin Taxes are HIGH
You could buy BagManJim's story about Wisconsin's tax burden being 14th in the country.
OR you could read the numbers which make Wisconsin 3rd in the country.
OR maybe we're #6.
Madison-based Wistax, as [Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance] calls itself, compiled its main ranking by tabulating the tax revenue collected by all state and local taxing bodies - which encompass revenue for property, income, gasoline, cigarette and retail sales taxes - and dividing it by the state's total personal income, including wages, salaries, dividends, interest and certain other income. Wistax said it looked at all tax levies except those from federal authorities, which apply uniformly to all states.
Under that reckoning, Wisconsin collects 12.2% of the state's income in taxes, compared with the national average of 11%.
New York had the highest state and local taxes by that measure, at 14.7%, followed by Wyoming (13.9%), Maine (13.4%), Hawaii (12.6%) and Vermont (also 12.2%, but hundredths of a point ahead of Wisconsin), the group said. Among neighboring states, Wisconsin was higher than Minnesota (11.2% of income, 16th highest); Illinois (10.6%, 30th); and Michigan (10.5%; 33rd). Alabama (8.9%) had the lowest "tax take."
BagMan's story comes from this guy:
Andrew Reschovsky, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also broke out the census numbers and showed Wisconsin ranks No. 14 nationally. His calculations, however, included other government fees and service charges that each state assesses in addition to the revenue that state and local authorities collect through taxes.
"In Wisconsin, we have made a choice to finance government by relying more heavily on taxes and less heavily on fees and charges than the average state," Reschovsky said.
"Thus, university tuition is relatively low in Wisconsin, automobile license and registration fees are much lower than in many other states, and we don't charge tolls on our highways."
Of course, it's possible that residents of other States can avoid "other government fees..." such as tolls, by not driving on toll roads.
Wistax has traditionally compared Wisconsin's average per-capita INCOME with that of other States; this sharpens the focus of the tax burden. A few years ago, it was the case that Wisconsin's per-cap income was about 85% of the national average.
With taxes running about 110% of the national average, the pain is serious.
OR you could read the numbers which make Wisconsin 3rd in the country.
OR maybe we're #6.
Madison-based Wistax, as [Wisconsin Taxpayers' Alliance] calls itself, compiled its main ranking by tabulating the tax revenue collected by all state and local taxing bodies - which encompass revenue for property, income, gasoline, cigarette and retail sales taxes - and dividing it by the state's total personal income, including wages, salaries, dividends, interest and certain other income. Wistax said it looked at all tax levies except those from federal authorities, which apply uniformly to all states.
Under that reckoning, Wisconsin collects 12.2% of the state's income in taxes, compared with the national average of 11%.
New York had the highest state and local taxes by that measure, at 14.7%, followed by Wyoming (13.9%), Maine (13.4%), Hawaii (12.6%) and Vermont (also 12.2%, but hundredths of a point ahead of Wisconsin), the group said. Among neighboring states, Wisconsin was higher than Minnesota (11.2% of income, 16th highest); Illinois (10.6%, 30th); and Michigan (10.5%; 33rd). Alabama (8.9%) had the lowest "tax take."
BagMan's story comes from this guy:
Andrew Reschovsky, an economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, also broke out the census numbers and showed Wisconsin ranks No. 14 nationally. His calculations, however, included other government fees and service charges that each state assesses in addition to the revenue that state and local authorities collect through taxes.
"In Wisconsin, we have made a choice to finance government by relying more heavily on taxes and less heavily on fees and charges than the average state," Reschovsky said.
"Thus, university tuition is relatively low in Wisconsin, automobile license and registration fees are much lower than in many other states, and we don't charge tolls on our highways."
Of course, it's possible that residents of other States can avoid "other government fees..." such as tolls, by not driving on toll roads.
Wistax has traditionally compared Wisconsin's average per-capita INCOME with that of other States; this sharpens the focus of the tax burden. A few years ago, it was the case that Wisconsin's per-cap income was about 85% of the national average.
With taxes running about 110% of the national average, the pain is serious.
Feds to Wisconsin Election Board: FIX IT!!
The Wisconsin Elections Board, attempting to save BagManJim's next election try, voted to defy Federal law at its latest meeting:
...the State Elections Board on Friday refused to back down from its earlier decision to allow people to register to vote on election day by providing part of their Social Security number if they cannot or will not produce their driver's license number.
...the U.S. Department of Justice reviewed the board's May 17 decision to permit people to register at the polls on election day using the last four digits of their Social Security numbers if they did not have their valid driver's licenses with them or if they did not remember the numbers.
In a letter to Kevin Kennedy, executive director of the Elections Board, John Tanner, chief of the voting section of the Department of Justice, said the provision to allow registration using the last four digits of Social Security numbers by people who possess valid driver's licenses is clearly a violation of the requirements of the Help America Vote Act.
Tanner said federal statutes require a driver's license number for everyone registering to vote on election day who possesses a valid driver's license.
People who have not been issued a valid driver's license may use the last four digits of their Social Security number to register. Anyone without a driver's license or a Social Security number will be issued a special state identification number.
"In essence, we gather that the Elections Board believes that state legislation that was enacted to implement HAVA can nonetheless be read to eviscerate the clear and superior requirements of that federal statute," the letter says, noting the agency's power to initiate litigation to ensure compliance with the law.
The REAL laugher is the JSOnline's headline and sub-head on the story:
Board sticks with voting policy
GOP-controlled panel to review decision on voting requirement
Another suggestion:
Board defies Federal Law
Democrats vote to authorize election fraud
Seems to me that's a more accurate header/sub, eh?
...the State Elections Board on Friday refused to back down from its earlier decision to allow people to register to vote on election day by providing part of their Social Security number if they cannot or will not produce their driver's license number.
...the U.S. Department of Justice reviewed the board's May 17 decision to permit people to register at the polls on election day using the last four digits of their Social Security numbers if they did not have their valid driver's licenses with them or if they did not remember the numbers.
In a letter to Kevin Kennedy, executive director of the Elections Board, John Tanner, chief of the voting section of the Department of Justice, said the provision to allow registration using the last four digits of Social Security numbers by people who possess valid driver's licenses is clearly a violation of the requirements of the Help America Vote Act.
Tanner said federal statutes require a driver's license number for everyone registering to vote on election day who possesses a valid driver's license.
People who have not been issued a valid driver's license may use the last four digits of their Social Security number to register. Anyone without a driver's license or a Social Security number will be issued a special state identification number.
"In essence, we gather that the Elections Board believes that state legislation that was enacted to implement HAVA can nonetheless be read to eviscerate the clear and superior requirements of that federal statute," the letter says, noting the agency's power to initiate litigation to ensure compliance with the law.
The REAL laugher is the JSOnline's headline and sub-head on the story:
Board sticks with voting policy
GOP-controlled panel to review decision on voting requirement
Another suggestion:
Board defies Federal Law
Democrats vote to authorize election fraud
Seems to me that's a more accurate header/sub, eh?
Friday, June 23, 2006
Maguire Lies to Congress--With Link to "Whopper"Dan's Text
Dan Maguire, a strange but not wonderful creature, now inflicts his heresies on the US Congress:
Dr. Daniel Maguire, professor of theology at Marquette University, A Jesuit university in Milwaukee, is at it again. The frequent defender of legalized abortion and euthanasia is now lobbying Congress, claiming that same-sex marriage is compatible with Catholic teaching. As part of a project of the Brico Fund, Maguire has authored a pamphlet called “A Catholic Defense of Same-Sex Marriage,” which has been sent to every Congressman’s office on Capitol Hill. The cover letter says, “There are two views on [same-sex marriage] in traditional Catholic theology, one in favor, one opposed. Both have equal standing.” Yes, he really claims that.
See, in Maguire’s theological view, there is no such thing as Sacred Tradition nor there is a teaching authority known as the Magisterium of the Church. What really counts is that theologians, like himself, can come up with inane theories based on tortured readings of Scripture, historical texts, and completely made-up histories.
He then lists common objections, such as “The Bible says all homosexual activity is evil and sinful” and “The Catholic hierarchy condemns all homosexual sex,” with responses that boil down to “ignore these authorities and accept my interpretation of the facts.” It would be easy to dismiss Maguire as a heterodox crank, but the reality is that those looking for a reason to declare their dissent from solid Catholic teaching [will find it here.]
Somebody called "The Brico Fund" paid for this crap--and whaddya know? Other beneficiaries of the Fund include: the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network; ACLU of Wisconsin; NARAL Pro-Choice America; Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. ("Brico Fund" used to be the Lynde Uihlein Foundation. Think of that the next time you quaff an Old Milwaukee--or Schlitz Beer.)
For THIS crap Fr. Marquette camped out in Wisconsin? I doubt it.
HT: Bettnet
Dr. Daniel Maguire, professor of theology at Marquette University, A Jesuit university in Milwaukee, is at it again. The frequent defender of legalized abortion and euthanasia is now lobbying Congress, claiming that same-sex marriage is compatible with Catholic teaching. As part of a project of the Brico Fund, Maguire has authored a pamphlet called “A Catholic Defense of Same-Sex Marriage,” which has been sent to every Congressman’s office on Capitol Hill. The cover letter says, “There are two views on [same-sex marriage] in traditional Catholic theology, one in favor, one opposed. Both have equal standing.” Yes, he really claims that.
See, in Maguire’s theological view, there is no such thing as Sacred Tradition nor there is a teaching authority known as the Magisterium of the Church. What really counts is that theologians, like himself, can come up with inane theories based on tortured readings of Scripture, historical texts, and completely made-up histories.
He then lists common objections, such as “The Bible says all homosexual activity is evil and sinful” and “The Catholic hierarchy condemns all homosexual sex,” with responses that boil down to “ignore these authorities and accept my interpretation of the facts.” It would be easy to dismiss Maguire as a heterodox crank, but the reality is that those looking for a reason to declare their dissent from solid Catholic teaching [will find it here.]
Somebody called "The Brico Fund" paid for this crap--and whaddya know? Other beneficiaries of the Fund include: the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network; ACLU of Wisconsin; NARAL Pro-Choice America; Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin. ("Brico Fund" used to be the Lynde Uihlein Foundation. Think of that the next time you quaff an Old Milwaukee--or Schlitz Beer.)
For THIS crap Fr. Marquette camped out in Wisconsin? I doubt it.
HT: Bettnet
Company Policy Manual--Do YOU Work Here?
Dress Code It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday & Sunday.
Bereavement Leave This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Toilet Use Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
HT: Anniston Star via ShopFloor
Sick Days We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturday & Sunday.
Bereavement Leave This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Toilet Use Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy.
Lunch Break Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
HT: Anniston Star via ShopFloor
NYSlimes: Enemy of This Republic
The NYTimes' history of arrogance was looking a bit anemic--there were no major Communist regimes to support in the last several years (other than Red China.) So Pinch Sulzberger is hitting for the fences, with the opposing team being the United States of America's Bush Administration.
A few months ago, the Slimes published its stories about "domestic spying" which wasn't exactly "domestic," nor was it exactly "spying." But that wasn't the point, after all.
NOW the Slimes, against the expressed and vigorous entreaties of the Administration, has published another story which will cripple intelligence-gathering in the War on Terror.
...like the NSA phone taps this program simply monitors wire and financial transfers from a Belgian clearinghouse (Swift) that is a nerve center for billions of dollars worth of international financial transactions. Counter-terrorism officials say that it has been a valuable tool in fighting the war on terror and identifying previously unknown terrorists, as well as bolstering cases against others.
...data has provided clues to terror money trails and ties between possible terrorists and organizations financing them, the officials said. In some instances, they said, the program has pointed them to new suspects, while in others it has buttressed cases already under investigation.
Among the successes was the capture of a Qaeda operative, Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, believed to be the mastermind of the 2002 bombing of a Bali resort, several officials said. The Swift data identified a previously unknown figure in Southeast Asia who had financial dealings with a person suspected of being a member of Al Qaeda; that link helped locate Hambali in Thailand in 2003, they said.
The most galling part is that both Republicans and Democrats specifically asked the NYT not to publish the story because of the nature and success of the program. Did the Times care? Of course not.
Ankle Biting Pundits has the rest here.
A few months ago, the Slimes published its stories about "domestic spying" which wasn't exactly "domestic," nor was it exactly "spying." But that wasn't the point, after all.
NOW the Slimes, against the expressed and vigorous entreaties of the Administration, has published another story which will cripple intelligence-gathering in the War on Terror.
...like the NSA phone taps this program simply monitors wire and financial transfers from a Belgian clearinghouse (Swift) that is a nerve center for billions of dollars worth of international financial transactions. Counter-terrorism officials say that it has been a valuable tool in fighting the war on terror and identifying previously unknown terrorists, as well as bolstering cases against others.
...data has provided clues to terror money trails and ties between possible terrorists and organizations financing them, the officials said. In some instances, they said, the program has pointed them to new suspects, while in others it has buttressed cases already under investigation.
Among the successes was the capture of a Qaeda operative, Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, believed to be the mastermind of the 2002 bombing of a Bali resort, several officials said. The Swift data identified a previously unknown figure in Southeast Asia who had financial dealings with a person suspected of being a member of Al Qaeda; that link helped locate Hambali in Thailand in 2003, they said.
The most galling part is that both Republicans and Democrats specifically asked the NYT not to publish the story because of the nature and success of the program. Did the Times care? Of course not.
Ankle Biting Pundits has the rest here.
Hastert: Not the Emperor He Thought He Was
We've commented a lot recently about Dennis Hastert's imperialistic attitude, which has (inter alia) had him crossing swords with GWB over the Porter Goss dumping, and delaying the Immigration Reform Act through "hearings."
Now it seems that Mr. Hastert faces another small problem with genuine conservatives and Democratic advocates of good government; the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
From the Spectator blogsite:
What is at issue NOW, though, is the IMpermanent Section Five of the act, which never was supposed to last beyond about a decade and instead has been in place for some 40 years -- and now is threatened to be renewed for years more. The most important part of Section Five requires that southern states and a few other scattered counties receive "preclearance" from the Justice Department for ANY change in voting procedures, even ones as small as moving a polling location from, say, a high school gymnasium to the same school's cafeteria. The idea is that these southern states are guilty of racist intent until they prove themselves innocent...
...Meanwhile, some provisions in the pending legislation would mandate bilingual ballots in many places. Intelligent people have written volumes about why doing official government business in languages other than English is a big mistake, so I won't belabor the point -- other than to say that those provisions are particularly disturbing, and rightly so,
...Although the Post (predictably) said only that "some Republicans" in several southern states complain about the unfairness of singling out only certain states for the provisions at issue, the fact is that the respected opposition to most of Section Five is bipartisan and biracial. For instance, Thurbert Baker, the black, Democratic Attorney General of Georgia, is on record in court filings as being opposed to much of Section Five
Mr. Hastert, perhaps you need a hearing aid.
Now it seems that Mr. Hastert faces another small problem with genuine conservatives and Democratic advocates of good government; the renewal of the Voting Rights Act.
From the Spectator blogsite:
What is at issue NOW, though, is the IMpermanent Section Five of the act, which never was supposed to last beyond about a decade and instead has been in place for some 40 years -- and now is threatened to be renewed for years more. The most important part of Section Five requires that southern states and a few other scattered counties receive "preclearance" from the Justice Department for ANY change in voting procedures, even ones as small as moving a polling location from, say, a high school gymnasium to the same school's cafeteria. The idea is that these southern states are guilty of racist intent until they prove themselves innocent...
...Meanwhile, some provisions in the pending legislation would mandate bilingual ballots in many places. Intelligent people have written volumes about why doing official government business in languages other than English is a big mistake, so I won't belabor the point -- other than to say that those provisions are particularly disturbing, and rightly so,
...Although the Post (predictably) said only that "some Republicans" in several southern states complain about the unfairness of singling out only certain states for the provisions at issue, the fact is that the respected opposition to most of Section Five is bipartisan and biracial. For instance, Thurbert Baker, the black, Democratic Attorney General of Georgia, is on record in court filings as being opposed to much of Section Five
Mr. Hastert, perhaps you need a hearing aid.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
The Problem with PC
(Then-) Cardinal Jos. Ratzinger:
Political correctness…seeks to establish the domain of a single way of thinking and speaking. Its relativism creates the illusion that it has reached greater heights than the loftiest philosophical achievements of the past. It prescribes itself as the only way to think and speak - if, that is, one wishes to stay in fashion. Being faithful to traditional values and the knowledge that upholds them is labeled intolerance, and relativism becomes the required norm. I think it is vital that we oppose this imposition of a new pseudo-enlightenment, which threatens freedom of thought as well as freedom of religion. In Sweden, a preacher who had presented the Biblical teachings on the question of homosexuality received a prison sentence. This is just one sign of the gains that have been made by relativism as a kind of new ‘denomination’ that places restrictions on religious convictions and seeks to subordinate all religions to the super-dogma of relativism
In other words, there is no such thing as truth.
HT: Sacramentum Vitae
Political correctness…seeks to establish the domain of a single way of thinking and speaking. Its relativism creates the illusion that it has reached greater heights than the loftiest philosophical achievements of the past. It prescribes itself as the only way to think and speak - if, that is, one wishes to stay in fashion. Being faithful to traditional values and the knowledge that upholds them is labeled intolerance, and relativism becomes the required norm. I think it is vital that we oppose this imposition of a new pseudo-enlightenment, which threatens freedom of thought as well as freedom of religion. In Sweden, a preacher who had presented the Biblical teachings on the question of homosexuality received a prison sentence. This is just one sign of the gains that have been made by relativism as a kind of new ‘denomination’ that places restrictions on religious convictions and seeks to subordinate all religions to the super-dogma of relativism
In other words, there is no such thing as truth.
HT: Sacramentum Vitae
NeoCon-Tastic Returns to Life
After a lengthy absence from blogging, Neo seems to have revived himself--in MILWAUKEE, of all places--and is posting again.
Not likely to become a member of the BirdWatcher's Society soon, either.
Not likely to become a member of the BirdWatcher's Society soon, either.
What Did Coulter ACTUALLY Write?
Not too surprising to find out that there's more to the Coulter "quote" than the MSM found:
The 9/11 Commission was a scam and a fraud, the sole purpose of which was to cover up the disasters of the Clinton administration and distract the nation's leaders during wartime. Not only did the Jersey Girls claim credit for this Clinton whitewash machine, they spent most of the hearings denouncing the Bush administration for not stopping the 9/11 attacks from the weak position handed it by the Clinton administration."
The gist of what Kristen Breitweiser, Lorie Van Auken, Mindy Kleinberg and Patty Casazza claimed was that an August 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing should have alerted Bush to order immediate action to prevent 9/11.
..."Mostly the witches of East Brunswick wanted George Bush to apologize for not being Bill Clinton," was her take on the Jersey Girls, but "the rest of the nation was more interested in knowing why the FBI was prevented from being given intelligence about 9/11 terrorists here in the United States more than a year before the attack..."
The answer - well-known by now - is that Clinton's deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, "had specifically prohibited intelligence agents from telling law enforcement agents about suspected terrorists in the country."
Does "Able Danger" ring a bell?
So now we know what Ann ACTUALLY wrote--and why the MSM/Clinton-News-Network(s) don't quote the entire passage.
HT: Newsbusters and Al Caruba
The 9/11 Commission was a scam and a fraud, the sole purpose of which was to cover up the disasters of the Clinton administration and distract the nation's leaders during wartime. Not only did the Jersey Girls claim credit for this Clinton whitewash machine, they spent most of the hearings denouncing the Bush administration for not stopping the 9/11 attacks from the weak position handed it by the Clinton administration."
The gist of what Kristen Breitweiser, Lorie Van Auken, Mindy Kleinberg and Patty Casazza claimed was that an August 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing should have alerted Bush to order immediate action to prevent 9/11.
..."Mostly the witches of East Brunswick wanted George Bush to apologize for not being Bill Clinton," was her take on the Jersey Girls, but "the rest of the nation was more interested in knowing why the FBI was prevented from being given intelligence about 9/11 terrorists here in the United States more than a year before the attack..."
The answer - well-known by now - is that Clinton's deputy attorney general, Jamie Gorelick, "had specifically prohibited intelligence agents from telling law enforcement agents about suspected terrorists in the country."
Does "Able Danger" ring a bell?
So now we know what Ann ACTUALLY wrote--and why the MSM/Clinton-News-Network(s) don't quote the entire passage.
HT: Newsbusters and Al Caruba
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
WMDs, Lots, in Iraq: Intelligence
Yah, in the car, listening to Cong. Curt Weldon with Savage.
Seems that Weldon forced the release of some Intel documents which state that yes, indeed, our pal Saddam DID have WMD's--rockets equipped to toss chemicals--sarin or mustard gas.
Sure enough, here's the article:
The U.S. has located some 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003 with more likely to be found, according to two Republican members of Congress trumpeting a newly declassified portion of a government report.
"We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said at an afternoon news conference.
Santorum read from a declassified portion of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center, a Defense Department intelligence unit, which noted: "Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist."
Now for the most interesting question:
"Probably more important is why has the administration not made this public beforehand," retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerny said of the report. "I think the fact is that the Russians moved large stocks [of WMDs] out in the fall of 2002. ... They went into three locations into Syria, in one location in the Bekaa Valley. If you get in there and if you found those weapons and found the precursors, the fingerprints would go back to Russia, China and France. Now those are the three countries that had the most conventional weapons sales to Saddam Hussein. ... I believe they were complicit. So I don't think the administration wants to trash three of the five members of the [U.N.] Security Council."
Our Friends: PRChina and France! Say it isn't SO!!!
Seems that Weldon forced the release of some Intel documents which state that yes, indeed, our pal Saddam DID have WMD's--rockets equipped to toss chemicals--sarin or mustard gas.
Sure enough, here's the article:
The U.S. has located some 500 chemical weapons in Iraq since 2003 with more likely to be found, according to two Republican members of Congress trumpeting a newly declassified portion of a government report.
"We have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons," Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., said at an afternoon news conference.
Santorum read from a declassified portion of a report by the National Ground Intelligence Center, a Defense Department intelligence unit, which noted: "Since 2003, coalition forces have recovered approximately 500 weapons munitions which contain degraded mustard or sarin nerve agent. Despite many efforts to locate and destroy Iraq's pre-Gulf War chemical munitions, filled and unfilled pre-Gulf War chemical munitions are assessed to still exist."
Now for the most interesting question:
"Probably more important is why has the administration not made this public beforehand," retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerny said of the report. "I think the fact is that the Russians moved large stocks [of WMDs] out in the fall of 2002. ... They went into three locations into Syria, in one location in the Bekaa Valley. If you get in there and if you found those weapons and found the precursors, the fingerprints would go back to Russia, China and France. Now those are the three countries that had the most conventional weapons sales to Saddam Hussein. ... I believe they were complicit. So I don't think the administration wants to trash three of the five members of the [U.N.] Security Council."
Our Friends: PRChina and France! Say it isn't SO!!!
Jack Murtha's Feet--Is It Clay, or Is It Money?
"St." Jack Murtha, who has no problem whatsoever with absurd troop-redeployments, may have some problems a LOT closer to home:
Last June, the Los Angeles Times reported how the ranking member on the defense appropriations subcommittee has a brother, Robert Murtha, whose lobbying firm represents 10 companies that received more than $20 million from last year's defense spending bill. "Clients of the lobbying firm KSA Consulting -- whose top officials also include former congressional aide Carmen V. Scialabba, who worked for Rep. Murtha as a congressional aide for 27 years -- received a total of $20.8 million from the bill," the L.A. Times reported
[A Roll Call article from 2004] also reported how Mr. Murtha has been behind millions of dollars worth of earmarks in defense appropriations bills that went to companies owned by the children of fellow Pennsylvania Democrat, Rep. Paul Kanjorski. Meanwhile, the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign-finance watchdog group, lists Mr. Murtha as the top recipient of defense industry dollars in the current 2006 election cycle.
Almost sounds like there could be a pattern here...
Last June, the Los Angeles Times reported how the ranking member on the defense appropriations subcommittee has a brother, Robert Murtha, whose lobbying firm represents 10 companies that received more than $20 million from last year's defense spending bill. "Clients of the lobbying firm KSA Consulting -- whose top officials also include former congressional aide Carmen V. Scialabba, who worked for Rep. Murtha as a congressional aide for 27 years -- received a total of $20.8 million from the bill," the L.A. Times reported
[A Roll Call article from 2004] also reported how Mr. Murtha has been behind millions of dollars worth of earmarks in defense appropriations bills that went to companies owned by the children of fellow Pennsylvania Democrat, Rep. Paul Kanjorski. Meanwhile, the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan campaign-finance watchdog group, lists Mr. Murtha as the top recipient of defense industry dollars in the current 2006 election cycle.
Almost sounds like there could be a pattern here...
John Paul II on Immigration--Complete Text
Since there is a great deal of confusion about the "Catholic position" on immigration, this is the complete text of JPII's address on World Immigration Day, 1995. Although this brief address is not a comprehensive restatement of the Church's entire teaching on the topic, the general principles will certainly emerge as you read this.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. The phenomenon of migration with its complex problems challenges the international community and individual States today more than ever. The latter generally tend to intervene by tightening migration laws and reinforcing border control systems.
Thus migration loses that dimension of economic, social and cultural development which it had in the past. In fact, there is less and less talk of the situation of "emigrants" in their countries of origin, and more and more of "immigrants", with respect to the problems they create in the countries where they settle.
Migration is assuming the features of a social emergency, above all because of the increase in illegal migrants which, despite the current restrictions, it seems impossible to halt.
Illegal immigration has always existed: it has frequently been tolerated because it promotes a reserve of personnel to draw on as legal migrants gradually move up the social ladder and find stable employment.
2. Today the phenomenon of illegal migrants has assumed considerable proportions, both because the supply of foreign labor is becoming excessive in comparison to the needs of the economy, which already has difficulty in absorbing its domestic workers, and because of the spread of forced migration. The necessary prudence required to deal with so delicate a matter cannot become one of reticence or exclusivity, because thousands would suffer the consequences as victims of situations that seem destined to deteriorate instead of being resolved. His irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights, which can neither be violated nor ignored.
Illegal immigration should be prevented, but it is also essential to combat vigorously the criminal activities which exploit illegal immigrants. The most appropriate choice, which will yield consistent and long-lasting results is that of international cooperation which aims to foster political stability and to eliminate underdevelopment. The present economic and social imbalance, which to a large extent encourages the migratory flow, should not be seen as something inevitable, but as a challenge to the human race's sense of responsibility.
3. The Church considers the problem of illegal migrants from the standpoint of Christ, who died to gather together the dispersed children of God (cf. Jn 11:52), to rehabilitate the marginalized and to bring close those who are distant; in order to integrate all within a communion that is not based on ethnic, cultural or social membership, but on the common justice. "God shows no partiality, but in every nation one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35).
The Church acts in continuity with Christ's mission. In particular, she asks herself how to meet the needs, while respecting the law, of those persons who are not allowed to remain in a national territory. She also asks what the right to emigrate is worth without the corresponding right to immigrate.
She tackles the problem of how to involve in this work of solidarity those Christian communities frequently infected by a public opinion that is often hostile to immigrants.
The first way to help these people is to listen to them in order to become acquainted with their situation, and, whatever their legal status with regard to State law, to provide them with the necessary means of subsistence.
Thus it is important to help illegal migrants to complete the necessary administrative papers to obtain a residence permit.
Social and charitable institutions can make contact with the authorities in order to seek appropriate, lawful solutions to various cases. This kind of effort should be made especially on behalf of those who, after a long stay, are so deeply rooted in the local society that returning to their country of origin would be tantamount to a form of reverse emigration, with serious consequences particularly for the children.
4. When no solution is foreseen, these same institutions should direct those they are helping, perhaps also providing them with material assistance, either to seek acceptance in other countries, or to return to their own country.
In the search for a solution to the problem of migration in general and illegal migrants in particular, the attitude of the host society has an important role to play. In this perspective, it is very important that public opinion be properly informed about the true situation in the migrants' country of origin, about the tragedies involving them and the possible risks of returning. The poverty and misfortune with which immigrants are stricken are yet another reason for coming generously to their aid.
It is necessary to guard against the rise of new forms of racism or xenophobic behavior, which attempt to make these brothers and sisters of ours scapegoats for what may be difficult local situations.
Due to the considerable proportions reached by the illegal migrant phenomenon, legislation in all the countries involved should be brought into harmony, also for a more equitable distribution of the burdens of a balanced solution. It is necessary to avoid recourse to the use of administrative regulations, meant to restrict the criterion of family membership, which result in unjustifiably forcing into an illegal situation people whose right to live with their family cannot be denied by any law.
Adequate protection should be guaranteed to those who, although they have fled from their countries for reasons unforeseen by international conventions, could indeed be seriously risking their life were they obliged to return to their homeland.
5. I urge the particular Churches to encourage reflection, to issue directives and to provide information to help pastoral and social workers to act with discernment in so delicate and complex a matter.
When an understanding of the problem is conditioned by prejudice and xenophobic attitudes, the Church must not fail to speak up for brotherhood and to accompany it with acts testifying to the primacy of charity.
The prominence assumed by the welfare aspects of their precarious situation should not mean that less attention is paid to the fact that there are often Catholic Christians among the illegal migrants who, in the name of the same faith, often seek pastors of souls and places where they can pray, listen to God's word and celebrate the Lord's mysteries. Dioceses have the duty to meet these needs.
In the Church no one is a stranger, and the Church is not foreign to anyone, anywhere. As a sacrament of unity and thus a sign and a binding force for the whole human race, the Church is the place where illegal immigrants are also recognized and accepted as brothers and sisters. It is the task of the various Dioceses actively to ensure that these people, who are obliged to live outside the safety net of civil society, may find a sense of brotherhood in the Christian community.
Solidarity means taking responsibility for those in trouble. For Christians, the migrant is not merely an individual to be respected in accordance with the norms established by law, but a person whose presence challenges them and whose needs become an obligation for their responsibility. "What have you done to your brother?" (Cf. Gen 4:9). The answer should not be limited to what is imposed by law, but should be made in the manner of solidarity.
6. Man, particularly if he is weak, defenseless, driven to the margins of society, is a sacrament of Christ's presence (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). "But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed" (Jn 7:49), was how the Pharisees judged those whom Jesus had helped even beyond the limits established by their precepts. Indeed, he came to seek and to save the lost (cf. Lk 19:10), to bring back the excluded, the abandoned, those rejected by society.
"I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35). It is the Church's task not only to present constantly the Lord's teaching of faith, but also to indicate its appropriate application to the various situations which the changing times continue to create. Today the illegal migrant comes before us like that "stranger" in whom Jesus asks to be recognized. To welcome him and to show him solidarity is a duty of hospitality and fidelity to Christian identity itself.
With these wishes, I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of abundant heavenly rewards to all those who are involved in the field of migration.
From the Vatican, 25 July 1995, the seventeenth year of my Pontificate.
Taken from: L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English13 September 1995, p. 3.
The situation in Mexico--really, fiefdom/oligarchies, MUST be improved. One hopes that GWB is leaning hard on his close friend, Vincente Fox, to improve the Mexican social situation.
On the other hand, it's also clear that the Church is VERY hesitant to endorse or condone "lawbreaking" in the mode of Cdl. Mahony of L.A. Further, although there is some question as to whether there is or is NOT "enough labor" available in this country, the Pope clearly does not endorse displacement of native-born workers in favor of either legal OR illegal immigrants.
HT: http://coworkersintruth.blogspot.com/2006/05/illegal-immigration-pope-john-paul-ii.html
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. The phenomenon of migration with its complex problems challenges the international community and individual States today more than ever. The latter generally tend to intervene by tightening migration laws and reinforcing border control systems.
Thus migration loses that dimension of economic, social and cultural development which it had in the past. In fact, there is less and less talk of the situation of "emigrants" in their countries of origin, and more and more of "immigrants", with respect to the problems they create in the countries where they settle.
Migration is assuming the features of a social emergency, above all because of the increase in illegal migrants which, despite the current restrictions, it seems impossible to halt.
Illegal immigration has always existed: it has frequently been tolerated because it promotes a reserve of personnel to draw on as legal migrants gradually move up the social ladder and find stable employment.
2. Today the phenomenon of illegal migrants has assumed considerable proportions, both because the supply of foreign labor is becoming excessive in comparison to the needs of the economy, which already has difficulty in absorbing its domestic workers, and because of the spread of forced migration. The necessary prudence required to deal with so delicate a matter cannot become one of reticence or exclusivity, because thousands would suffer the consequences as victims of situations that seem destined to deteriorate instead of being resolved. His irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights, which can neither be violated nor ignored.
Illegal immigration should be prevented, but it is also essential to combat vigorously the criminal activities which exploit illegal immigrants. The most appropriate choice, which will yield consistent and long-lasting results is that of international cooperation which aims to foster political stability and to eliminate underdevelopment. The present economic and social imbalance, which to a large extent encourages the migratory flow, should not be seen as something inevitable, but as a challenge to the human race's sense of responsibility.
3. The Church considers the problem of illegal migrants from the standpoint of Christ, who died to gather together the dispersed children of God (cf. Jn 11:52), to rehabilitate the marginalized and to bring close those who are distant; in order to integrate all within a communion that is not based on ethnic, cultural or social membership, but on the common justice. "God shows no partiality, but in every nation one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him" (Acts 10:34-35).
The Church acts in continuity with Christ's mission. In particular, she asks herself how to meet the needs, while respecting the law, of those persons who are not allowed to remain in a national territory. She also asks what the right to emigrate is worth without the corresponding right to immigrate.
She tackles the problem of how to involve in this work of solidarity those Christian communities frequently infected by a public opinion that is often hostile to immigrants.
The first way to help these people is to listen to them in order to become acquainted with their situation, and, whatever their legal status with regard to State law, to provide them with the necessary means of subsistence.
Thus it is important to help illegal migrants to complete the necessary administrative papers to obtain a residence permit.
Social and charitable institutions can make contact with the authorities in order to seek appropriate, lawful solutions to various cases. This kind of effort should be made especially on behalf of those who, after a long stay, are so deeply rooted in the local society that returning to their country of origin would be tantamount to a form of reverse emigration, with serious consequences particularly for the children.
4. When no solution is foreseen, these same institutions should direct those they are helping, perhaps also providing them with material assistance, either to seek acceptance in other countries, or to return to their own country.
In the search for a solution to the problem of migration in general and illegal migrants in particular, the attitude of the host society has an important role to play. In this perspective, it is very important that public opinion be properly informed about the true situation in the migrants' country of origin, about the tragedies involving them and the possible risks of returning. The poverty and misfortune with which immigrants are stricken are yet another reason for coming generously to their aid.
It is necessary to guard against the rise of new forms of racism or xenophobic behavior, which attempt to make these brothers and sisters of ours scapegoats for what may be difficult local situations.
Due to the considerable proportions reached by the illegal migrant phenomenon, legislation in all the countries involved should be brought into harmony, also for a more equitable distribution of the burdens of a balanced solution. It is necessary to avoid recourse to the use of administrative regulations, meant to restrict the criterion of family membership, which result in unjustifiably forcing into an illegal situation people whose right to live with their family cannot be denied by any law.
Adequate protection should be guaranteed to those who, although they have fled from their countries for reasons unforeseen by international conventions, could indeed be seriously risking their life were they obliged to return to their homeland.
5. I urge the particular Churches to encourage reflection, to issue directives and to provide information to help pastoral and social workers to act with discernment in so delicate and complex a matter.
When an understanding of the problem is conditioned by prejudice and xenophobic attitudes, the Church must not fail to speak up for brotherhood and to accompany it with acts testifying to the primacy of charity.
The prominence assumed by the welfare aspects of their precarious situation should not mean that less attention is paid to the fact that there are often Catholic Christians among the illegal migrants who, in the name of the same faith, often seek pastors of souls and places where they can pray, listen to God's word and celebrate the Lord's mysteries. Dioceses have the duty to meet these needs.
In the Church no one is a stranger, and the Church is not foreign to anyone, anywhere. As a sacrament of unity and thus a sign and a binding force for the whole human race, the Church is the place where illegal immigrants are also recognized and accepted as brothers and sisters. It is the task of the various Dioceses actively to ensure that these people, who are obliged to live outside the safety net of civil society, may find a sense of brotherhood in the Christian community.
Solidarity means taking responsibility for those in trouble. For Christians, the migrant is not merely an individual to be respected in accordance with the norms established by law, but a person whose presence challenges them and whose needs become an obligation for their responsibility. "What have you done to your brother?" (Cf. Gen 4:9). The answer should not be limited to what is imposed by law, but should be made in the manner of solidarity.
6. Man, particularly if he is weak, defenseless, driven to the margins of society, is a sacrament of Christ's presence (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). "But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed" (Jn 7:49), was how the Pharisees judged those whom Jesus had helped even beyond the limits established by their precepts. Indeed, he came to seek and to save the lost (cf. Lk 19:10), to bring back the excluded, the abandoned, those rejected by society.
"I was a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25:35). It is the Church's task not only to present constantly the Lord's teaching of faith, but also to indicate its appropriate application to the various situations which the changing times continue to create. Today the illegal migrant comes before us like that "stranger" in whom Jesus asks to be recognized. To welcome him and to show him solidarity is a duty of hospitality and fidelity to Christian identity itself.
With these wishes, I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of abundant heavenly rewards to all those who are involved in the field of migration.
From the Vatican, 25 July 1995, the seventeenth year of my Pontificate.
Taken from: L'Osservatore RomanoWeekly Edition in English13 September 1995, p. 3.
The situation in Mexico--really, fiefdom/oligarchies, MUST be improved. One hopes that GWB is leaning hard on his close friend, Vincente Fox, to improve the Mexican social situation.
On the other hand, it's also clear that the Church is VERY hesitant to endorse or condone "lawbreaking" in the mode of Cdl. Mahony of L.A. Further, although there is some question as to whether there is or is NOT "enough labor" available in this country, the Pope clearly does not endorse displacement of native-born workers in favor of either legal OR illegal immigrants.
HT: http://coworkersintruth.blogspot.com/2006/05/illegal-immigration-pope-john-paul-ii.html
House to Avoid Immigration Vote
In a move spun as "a sign Bush reforms to fail," the House leadership decided that it was more important for Republican-lite members to keep their jobs than to vote on an immigration plan. In all likelihood, a number of Republican Senators pushed House leadership towards this decision.
Realizing that voters are largely in favor of the original House plan, but ALSO realizing that moneyed interests who are in favor of cheap labor will curtail contributions should the plan advance, Denny Hastert has announced "hearings" on the plan.
Hastert's tactic will likely push a vote on immigration reform out to after the election.
Of course, this will also allow House (and Senate) members to vote on a plan which will incorporate a number of features from the Senate's version of the bill, which are unpopular with voters--but their vote will not occur until after the November elections.
Realizing that voters are largely in favor of the original House plan, but ALSO realizing that moneyed interests who are in favor of cheap labor will curtail contributions should the plan advance, Denny Hastert has announced "hearings" on the plan.
Hastert's tactic will likely push a vote on immigration reform out to after the election.
Of course, this will also allow House (and Senate) members to vote on a plan which will incorporate a number of features from the Senate's version of the bill, which are unpopular with voters--but their vote will not occur until after the November elections.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
