Where’s the Outrage?

• Walmart takes home the bronze. Keith Olbermann has decided that he will continue to run this story until Walmart stops suing a 52 year-old, brain injured, wheelchair-bound former employee.
• Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina gets the silver for trying to convince us that John McCain never said that winning the war in Iraq would be easy. He said it a bunch of times.
• Michael Chertoff of Homeland security gets the gold. With our high-tech equipment, we were able to catch a cat, who received radiation treatment a couple of days earlier, in a car going 70 miles an hour . Yes,  a radioactive cat. They want to ease drop our conversations. They want to seal the borders. And we have equipment sensitive enough to detect a cat who received radiation therapy for a tumor several days earlier.

Tags: Border Security, Countdown by ecthompson
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Mike Huckabee, after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, talked about the numbers of Pakistanis who have illegally come into this country. What? When asked where he got his number of 660 from, he said he thought that they came from the CIA? The CIA is releasing immigration estimates? What?

Just for one second, let’s look at the absurdity of this statement. There is somewhere between 12 - 15 million undocumented economic refugees in this country. There is somewhere around a 400 - 500,000 folks crossing our borders every year. Mike Huckabee is talking about 600 people?  According to Homeland Security, there are far more economic refugees from the Philippines, Korea, China and Vietnam.  Talking about grabbing for straws to save a candidacy.

This story dovetails into yet another poll. The Democratic race is tightening up. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee is fading fast.

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From McClatchy News:

John Edwards has clawed his way into contention to win Iowa’s caucuses on Thursday in the first vote for the Democratic presidential nomination, gaining strength even as rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have lost ground, according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll.

At the same time, Mitt Romney has regained the lead among Iowa Republicans as Mike Huckabee has lost momentum and support, even among the evangelical Christians who had propelled him into the top spot just weeks ago. (more…)

 

 Huckabee - Pakistani immigration [2:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Border Security, Election 2008, Immigration by ecthompson
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The Bush administration has been pounding the table about security and the lessons of 9-11.  Besides exploiting 9-11 what did the Bush administration learn?  They learned how not to find their best weapon against the democrats - Osama Bin Laden.  They learned how to talk tough and do nothing but line the pockets of corporations like Halliburton and Blackwater USA.

I wonder how many terrorists can hide in a crowd of 21,000?

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From CNN.com:

Government watchdogs have found that thousands of people who shouldn’t have been admitted to the United States were mistakenly allowed in last year because of security lapses at legal border crossings.

The number of inadmissible aliens who managed to enter through official ports of entry in 2006 was not disclosed in Monday’s report from the Government Accountability Office.

However, a source who has seen a full version of the report, in which those statistics were included, put the total at 21,000.  (more..)

Tags: Border Security by ecthompson
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Whenever you think that prejudice is gone in our country just look around.  We all still have it.  Some of us do better than others squashing our prejudice.  Mencia finds a few people in South Cali who let it all hang out.

 

 Mencia - Road Signs [3:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Border Security, Fun by ecthompson
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Keith takes a moment to reflect on Michael Chertoff’s very weird statement to the Chicago Tribute.  He believes and I agree with him that there are 5 possibilities.

 

 Special Comment - Gut Check [6:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Al Qaeda, Border Security, Countdown by ecthompson
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One of my biggest problems is that I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I have tried that with Newt Gingrich. Every time that I cut him some slack, he proves that the slack wasn’t warranted. So, Newt has a new commercial. The commercial starts off with Newt saying, “Muhamed Atta and several of the 9/11 hijackers entered the United States illegally.”

Wow. Really? Man, I figured I would of known that. I read that book by Senator Bob Graham, Intelligence Matters. I don’t remember reading that in there. I also read, well, to be honest, I skimmed the 9/11 commission report. I don’t remember reading that the 9/11 hijackers were in the country illegally. So, I decided to do some research, something that Newt Gingrich and his handlers should have done. From the Staff Statement #1 of the 9/11 Commission, “Beginning in 1997, the 19 hijackers submitted 24 applications and received 23 visas. The pilots acquired most of theirs in the year 2000. The other hijackers, with two exceptions, obtained their s between the fall of 2000 and June 2001. Two of the visas were issued in Berlin, and two were issued in the United Arab Emirates. The rest were issued in Saudi Arabia. One of the pilots, Hani Hanjour, had an application denied in September 2000 or lack of adequate documentation. He then produced more evidence in support of his student visa application, and it was approved. Except for Hanjour, all the hijackers sought tourist visas.”

As a matter of fact, the Staff Statement is so bold as to say that the hijackers could have tried to sneak in this country illegally but they didn’t. “As we know from the sizable illegal traffic across our land borders, a terrorist could attempt to bypass legal procedures and enter the United States surreptitiously. None of the 9/11 attackers entered or tried to enter our country this way.”

My only conclusion is either Newt Gingrich didn’t know or is lying. Newt is a very smart man. You decide. (BTW, this guy is thinking of running for President. Please. Give me a break.)

 

 Gingrich immigration commercial [0:58m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Border Security, Election 2008, Immigration by ecthompson
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Okay, by now, everyone should have heard about the man with TB who flew to France then flew to Canada and crossed the border into the US. Our President has repeatedly told us that we are safer. Now, this is an episode of The Agency. Several things - Since SARS, why don’t we have a plan to deal with airborne diseases that could be lethal? The plan can’t be to tell all of the networks to publish a flight itinerary. Next, how does the CDC (Not the FBI or the CIA) put someone on the no fly list? Thirdly, where was the coordination between agencies that we heard so much about. Because he was on the No Fly List should he be barred from re-entering the country?

Could budget cuts have hampered the CDC’s effort?

BTW, I was suppose to be a Drinking Liberally tonight. Every time that I go I have a good time. After a week of nights and a week of days, I was beat. I’m starting to get a cold (NO, it is not TB.) More blogging this weekend.

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From WaPo: The government is investigating how a globe-trotting tuberculosis patient drove back into the country even after his name was put on a no-fly list provided to border guards. The failure exposed a major gap in a system that is supposed to keep the direst of diseases from crossing borders.

But the communications breakdown at a U.S.-Canada border crossing was only one of a series of missed opportunities to catch the Atlanta man and his wife who seemed determined to elude health officials. (more…)

 

 What Border Security? [3:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Border Security, Healthcare by ecthompson
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If immigrant (economic refugees) were the only thing that Healthcare had to worry about then we would be sitting pretty.  This short segment doesn’t begin to touch the problem.  Individual large hospitals are doing between $10 - $100 million of free care per year.  This care that they can’t collect on.  Economic refugees are just another added burden. 

My good friend, John Porter, is a star in this clip!

(BTW, how to tackle any subject “In Depth” in 2:38?)

 

 Immigration's toll on Healthcare [2:38m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Border Security, Healthcare, Immigration by ecthompson
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The last time the President demanded a bill from Congress then delayed signing it - it was the Detainee Bill.  The White House was hoping that sign the bill with a lot of fanfare would boost ratings.  Nope.  I’m guessing we are going to see more fanfare with this Border Bill signing. 

 

 Border Bill Delay [1:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Border Security, Immigration by ecthompson
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President Clinton was on ABC news this week.  He was discussing many topics including the British breaking up the terrorist plot in London, Lieberman’s loss in Connecticut and the need for the Democratic Party to come together.

 

 Clinton on ABC news: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tags: Al Qaeda, Border Security, Domestic Issues, Party Politics, Terrorism by ecthompson
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Are Republicans looking to their base or to the census numbers? What happens if all the illegal immigrants are allowed to become citizens? Do the majority of them become Democrats? Is this behind the stalmate in Washington? I’m just asking?

Tags: Border Security, Immigration, Talkin' out Loud by ecthompson
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Where did all of the mojo go? The senate was going to steam roll a compromise thru by today. Yesterday there was a breakthrough. Today - nothing. No agreement. No Nothing. Aren’t we paying these guys to work together for the good of the country?

Tags: Border Security, Immigration by ecthompson
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Government investigators smuggled radioactive materials into U.S.
From David de Sola
CNN
Monday, March 27, 2006; Posted: 7:55 p.m. EST (00:55 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Two teams of government investigators using fake documents were able to enter the United States with enough radioactive sources to make two dirty bombs, according to a federal report made available Monday.

The investigators purchased a “small quantity” of radioactive materials from a commercial source while posing as employees of a fictitious company and brought the materials into the United States through checkpoints on the northern and southern borders, according to a Government Accountability Office report prepared for Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Norm Coleman, a Minnesota Republican.

“It’s just an indictment of the system that it’s easier to get radiological material than it is to get cold medicine,” said a senior subcommittee staffer about the findings.

The report, along with two others by the GAO on the subject of smuggling and detection of nuclear materials, were provided to reporters by congressional sources in advance of the first of two hearings by the subcommittee scheduled to begin Tuesday.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/27/radioactive.smuggling/index.html
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this is no surprise. Progressives have been stating for years that the Bush administration has not been serious about border security. This is simply more evidence to prove our point.

Tags: Border Security, Domestic Issues by ecthompson
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February 26, 2006
Dubai Expected to Ask for Review of Port Deal
By DAVID E. SANGER
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 — After two days of behind-the-scenes negotiations with the Bush administration and Congress, the Dubai company seeking to manage terminals at six American ports is expected to announce by Monday a deal inviting the government to conduct a broad new review of security concerns, senior administration officials and a company adviser say.

If an agreement is completed, the state-owned company, Dubai Ports World, will “voluntarily” ask the Bush administration to pursue the lengthier, deeper investigation that Democrats and Republicans in Congress have been demanding since controversy over the transaction erupted at the beginning of the week.

The White House plans to portray the action as the company’s own decision, giving administration officials a face-saving way of backing away from President Bush’s repeated declarations in recent days that there is no security risk in having the port terminals operated by a company controlled by the emir of Dubai, part of the United Arab Emirates.

The people who discussed the negotiations, two senior administration officials and the company adviser, spoke on the condition of anonymity because final details had not been worked out. Dubai Ports lawyers and lobbyists spent Friday and Saturday talking with Congressional leaders, including the Senate majority leader, Bill Frist of Tennessee.

The goal was to try to delay, if not circumvent, a collision with Republican leaders who have been threatening to support some form of Congressional action next week, possibly including a bill to block the company from taking over.

more from the NY Times article

Tags: Border Security, Bush Administration, Economy by ecthompson
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a company in the United Arab Emirates is now in charge of security at six of our seaports? The president feels so strongly about this that he is willing to use a veto to make sure that this deal goes through. Is this not the craziest thing you’ve ever seen?

It is my opinion, that the United States should be in charge of the security of the United States. Not Great Britain, not France, not Dubai and not China.

Tags: Border Security, Domestic Issues, Other Political Thoughts, Talkin' out Loud by ecthompson
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