WUI (Writing under the influence)

My garden needed some work. The old fence was completely disintegrated and so were the old plant beds. The flowers were often stepped on by the children running wild. So on Sunday I started working on new plant beds and an arbor.
  

If I have to consume a lot of empty calories in a short period of time, let it be beer. And because we are actively supporting the Danish people for their courage standing up to Islamofascism, let it be a case of Carlsberg. Can you say 24 beers in the case?



23 beers still to go...

...OK, I have a poker party on St. Patrick's Day so I will leave at least one of those green six-packs with green bottles with green labels with a reasonably good beer inside for that occasion...

Otherwise, it's the last day before lent. This year, the biggest test of will yet: no beer for six weeks except on some special occasions (like St. Patrick's Day.) So bottoms up!

...17 beers in the case...

Somebody on Grovenet wrote this last November:

Joseph Gale 4th grade classes each have 35 kids with barely room to turn around in the classroom.

The level of noise in the classroom is distracting to say the least. In my daughter's class the students have a huge range of (dis)ability with some who can barely read and one reading at 12th grade level. Some who can barely add, some doing long division. (This besides the mainstreamed "special needs" kid who is learning to button his shirt.) I don't know how the teachers cope, but I know it can't be easy.

Some parents are preparing to riot, through all the proper channels of course.

I don't know if those parents rioted or not. But they probably should have. The situation in Oregon's public schools is getting worse by the day.

Fueled by a 10 percent jump in Latino students, Oregon public school enrollment grew by nearly 7,000 students this school year, the largest growth in a nearly a decade.

State enrollment rose to 559,228 students in fall 2005 from the previous fall, including 84,246 Latino students.

"The surprising increase in the number of public school students this year will continue to put pressure on Oregon schools and districts," said Susan Castillo, state school superintendent. She said increased enrollment means bigger classes, which makes it more difficult for teachers to reach every child who needs extra help.

Oregon school districts conduct a student count every October, but it has taken this long for all of them to report this years' results to the Oregon Department of Education. The enrollment figures show:

Latino enrollment grew by nearly 7,500 students, with the biggest numbers in primary grades.

How bad can it get? This story from Colorado may not be the worst case scenario.

As a teacher, I sat dumbfounded last May 16, 2005, when the Rocky Mountain News inked a story, "What Happened?" to a stunned Denver, Colorado audience. In a five year study starting in 1999 in Denver Public Schools, 5,663 students started the eighth grade. Five years later, only 1,884 graduated from high school. That's a 65 percent drop out/flunk out rate! That's pathetic, if not frightening.

What was the cause? First of all, 30,000 illegal aliens, speaking 40 different languages, attended Denver schools. Our classrooms suffered thousands of kids functionally illiterate in English with parents functionally illiterate in English and Spanish. The classrooms featured so much incompatible diversity that it created horrific tension, stabbings and death. Thus, American kids suffered a profoundly dumbed-down educational process. One in five teachers quit or transferred out of those Denver classrooms every nine month cycle during those five years.

Last week, the Denver Post announced that 30 percent of teachers in Denver schools were not coming back next year. This is a nationwide travesty. Why? As a teacher, I taught in the inner city in the 1970s. It's exasperating beyond understanding to walk into a classroom where children suffer learning disabilities, broken homes, teen pregnancies at 14, 15, 16, multiple languages and violent confrontations with other ethnic groups. It's impossible to teach. I left my idealism in the ghetto and escaped to a suburban school. But, today, teachers can't escape because over 1.5 million illegal alien students with more than 100 languages attend our kids' schools nationwide. We witness a national breakdown in education. Last week, Superintendent Roy Romer of Los Angeles public schools resigned in frustration and defeat. California schools match the violence of a war zone.

Can you imagine such a failure rate across the country? Can you imagine the consequences of an illiterate generation leading this Republic into the 21st century? Folks, this country won't make it. Where is the outrage?

I hope those Forest Grove parents get outraged eventually and do something about the scandalous situation in their public schools.

Somehow, though, I'm not holding my breath. I can't say anything about the person who wrote the original post, but many on Grovenet are associated with people who defend illegal immigration. For example, West County Council for Human Dignity, in my opinion, a radical left-wing organization, is fighting any effort to stop the flood of illegal immigrants from Mexico. The following is from a recent newsletter I found somewhere on the web.

The second campaign we are doing is opposing HR 4437 - an extreme anti-immigration bill passed by the US House and being introduced to the Senate. This bill makes being an 'undocumented immigrant' an Aggravated Felony. It makes helping any undocumented person a felony - 'transporting aliens' - something that will be used against unions that organize immigrant workers. It will set up a nation-wide computerized employment registry - you will need to prove you are a US citizen to get a job, and the Federal Government will keep track of all employment. THIS IS BEING PUSHED AS AN 'ANTI-TERROR AND BORDER ENFORCEMENT' BILL. We are asking people to write to Senators Smith and Wyden to stop this legislation.

The newsletter ends with this:

It was suggested that a list of web sites be published, where people can connect to new ideas promoting peace, war-tax resistance, and social justice. What fllows [sic] is a short list of sites and organizations. The following groups have a personal relationship with West County Council for Human Dignity, and the Rural Organizing Project. We have worked together for a long time and support each other's struggles. There are many other great sites and organizations out there. Please feel free to post them for our benefit.

www.rop.org Web site of the Rural Organizing Project - Promoting democracy in rural Oregon. Linking 60 local grassroots groups together across 30 counties of Oregon, to work for peace, social justice, equality. Come to the People's Convention and annual ROP Caucus, May 6-7, in Woodburn @ PCUN Union Hall. Contact cara@rop.org.

www.peaceworks.org voice of Oregon's peace movement, especially outside the Portland area. Links to many other peace groups such as the war tax resisters.

www.theportlandalliance.org newspaper voice of the Portland left.

www.afsc.org American Friends Service Committee - Quaker based social justice and peace group, long time activist organization. Currently taking a lead to fight the anti-immigrant backlash.

www.kboo.org Our favorite radio station

www.pcun.org Voice of Oregon's farmworker 's union - Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste. Fighting for farm workers' rights, the rights of immigrants - saying 'No human being is illegal' MARCH FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS - SAT. MARCH4, 12 NOON, PIONEER COURTHOUSE SQUARE, PORTLAND.

www.mfso.org Military Families Speak Out - the voice of families with loved ones in the military. The most remarkable development in the peace movement is the anti-war military families' movement. Cindy Sheehan's group, as well as our local friends, Michelle DeFord, Eric Blikenstaff, and many others.

Somebody on Grovenet:

This isn't going well. We should be accepting this proposal [Dubai Ports World taking over the management of several terminals in US ports] because all the security details have been reviewed by the same Administration that thoroughly reviewed the existence of WMD's in Iraq, before plunging that country into chaos.

Given what the latest developments on the WMD front are, maybe we should.

Now that Leno and Letterman have had their way with Vice President Cheney's hunting accident and the port controversy, maybe we can get back to something really important — like Saddam's WMD program.

Yes, the linchpin of opposition to the Iraq War — never really strong to begin with — has taken some real hits in recent weeks. And "Bush lied" — the anti-war mantra about the president, Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction — looks the most battered.

Inconveniently for critics of the war, Saddam made tapes in his version of the Oval Office. These tapes landed in the hands of American intelligence and were recently aired publicly.

The first 12 hours of the tapes — there are hundreds more waiting to be translated — are damning, to say the least. They show conclusively that Bush didn't lie when he cited Saddam's WMD plans as one of the big reasons for taking the dictator out.

Nobody disputes the tapes' authenticity. On them, Saddam talks openly of programs involving biological, chemical and, yes, nuclear weapons.

War foes have long asserted that Saddam halted his WMD programs in the wake of his defeat in the first Gulf War in 1991. Saddam's abandonment of WMD programs was confirmed by subsequent U.N. inspections.

Again, not true. In a tape dating to April 1995, Saddam and several aides discuss the fact that U.N. inspectors had found traces of Iraq's biological weapons program. On the tape, Hussein Kamel, Saddam's son-in-law, is heard gloating about fooling the inspectors.

"We did not reveal all that we have," he says. "Not the type of weapons, not the volume of the materials we imported, not the volume of the production we told them about, not the volume of use. None of this was correct."

There's more. Indeed, as late as 2000, Saddam can be heard in his office talking with Iraqi scientists about his ongoing plans to build a nuclear device. At one point, he discusses Iraq's plasma uranium program — something that was missed entirely by U.N. weapons inspectors combing Iraq for WMD.

This is particularly troubling, since it indicates an active, ongoing attempt by Saddam to build an Iraqi nuclear bomb.

"What was most disturbing," said John Tierney, the ex- FBI agent who translated the tapes, "was the fact that the individuals briefing Saddam were totally unknown to the U.N. Special Commission (or UNSCOM, the group set up to look into Iraq's WMD programs)."

Perhaps most chillingly, the tapes record Iraq Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz talking about how easy it would be to set off a WMD in Washington. The comments come shortly after Saddam muses about using "proxies" in a terror attack.

9-11, anyone?

In short, let us repeat: President Bush was right. We had to invade to disarm Saddam — otherwise, he would have completely reconstituted his chemical, nuclear and bio-weapons programs when inspectors left.

Saddam probably knew better than to use them himself against the U.S. But it's likely he wouldn't have hesitated giving one or more to terror groups with which he had routine contact.

Lest you think we're making the case entirely based on these tapes, let us assure you that other evidence — mounting by the day — points to the same conclusion.

We've been very impressed by the story told by Georges Sada, the former No. 2 in Iraq's air force. He has written a book, "Saddam's Secrets," that details how the Iraqi dictator used trucks, commercial jets and ships to remove his WMD from the country. At the time, the move went largely undetected, because Iraq pretended the massive movement of materiel was to help Syrian flood victims.

Nor is Sada alone. Ali Ibrahim, another of Saddam's former commanders, has largely corroborated Sada's story.

So how was Saddam able to use his "cheat and retreat" tactics without being found out? He had help, according to a former U.S. Defense Department official.

"The short answer to the question of where the WMD Saddam bought from the Russians went was that they went to Syria and Lebanon," said John Shaw, former deputy undersecretary of defense, in comments made at an intelligence summit Feb. 17-20 in Arlington, Va.

"They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special ops) units out of uniform that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence," he said.

These are extraordinary developments. They deserve a full airing in the media, since they essentially validate part of Bush's casus belli for invading Iraq and deposing the murderous Saddam.

But once again, the mainstream media have dropped the ball. They seem more interested in Dick Cheney's marksmanship and American port management than in setting the record straight about one of the most important developments of our time.

Also, one doesn't have to agree with Bush. But at least he stands for something while most Democrats stand for nothing.

Because will not likely leave the country as they leave certain states.

This is really not a big surprise. The war on Wal-Mart is really about expanding government. Call it the Wal-Mart shakedown.

First, it was Radio Free Europe. Now it's Radio Reason.

Poland funding radio station to broadcast into Belarus

Warsaw, Poland February 23, 2006

The Government has decided to fund an independent radio station aimed at promoting democracy and freedom of speech in Belarus.

Radio Racja (Radio Reason) will begin broadcasting before Belarus’ March 19th presidential election. The station will be based in the city of Bialystok, in the Northeast.

Some of Radio Racja's programs will be broadcast on FM frequencies via a local radio station in Vilnius (Wilno) to areas in Belarus close to the border with Lithuania.

The plan will likely further inflame tensions with the Lukashenko government, which has been busy stifling cultural expression by Poles living in Belarus.

Poland's Government, for its part, wants to play a pivotal role in removing the last dictatorship in Europe.

The domino theory works.

This is how long it takes in the state of Oregon to listen to people's will. I started this blog just before the 2004 elections. The most important issues in that election were Measure 36 and 37. I'm not even sure where we are with the 36 but at least the 37 has been finally resolved. Until, of course, the next election when so called friends of Oregon will present the voters with another property-anti-rights measure. Or until the next lawsuit. But let's savor the moment as long as it lasts.

I went to Trader Joe's today to load on wine, olive oil, and beer, and .... Danish cheese.
  

"For most conservatives, Bush is not perfect but he is far better than the alternatives that were on offer in 2000 and 2004. Those on the left who look at the right and see blind loyalty for the most part are actually viewing a reflection of their own blind hate." -- James Taranto, Best of the Web Today, 2/16/2006

Two interesting articles on Wal*Mart and how certain "Americans" fight against it and how other Americans fight against them.

From WSJ:

America's retailers announced last week that they aren't especially keen to follow the steel, airline and perhaps auto industries into bankruptcy court. If Big Labor really wants a fight over mandated health insurance, it now has one.

The announcement came in the form of two federal lawsuits filed by the Retail Industry Leaders Association against the state of Maryland and Suffolk County, New York. At issue are the "Wal-Mart" laws that both jurisdictions recently passed, which would require a few large companies to pay more for their workers' health care. The lawsuits argue the statutes are "discriminatory," which may be the legal understatement of the year since both target only a few employers.

From IBID:

What were these people who are being "forced" to apply for Medicaid doing before they were employed by Wal-Mart? Are we expected to believe that people leave jobs with health care benefits to go to work for Wal-Mart as part-timers and receive no health care benefits? Just how does the addition of a Wal-Mart to a community cause an increase in Medicaid spending?

Simply put, it doesn't. A study by Michael Hicks -- "Does Wal-Mart Cause an Increase in Anti-Poverty Program Expenditures?" -- found that a 1% increase in Wal-Marts's retail share is associated with a 1.5% increase in Medicaid expenditures per capita. Put another way, "each new Wal-Mart worker is causing the average state to expend just under $900 a year in Medicaid benefits."

Via Powerline:

Some 45% of all Republicans report being very happy, compared with just 30% of Democrats and 29% of independents. This finding has also been around a long time; Republicans have been happier than Democrats every year since the General Social Survey began taking its measurements in 1972.

"People with a sense of fulfillment think the world is good, while the frustrated blame the world for their failure." -- Eric Hoffer

[Fernando Sanchez, general consul for the Mexican government in Oregon] said Mexican workers boost the economy of an agricultural region such as Umatilla County, raising the value of farms and ranches, adding retail purchasing power and increasing county tax revenue.

In the letter he mailed to Fox last week, [Umatilla County Sheriff John] Trumbo argued that "each time an illegal immigrant from Mexico was booked into our jail, we were forced to release local prisoners to make bed space available to your citizens."

Trumbo, as an example, cited Juan Carlos Solis, 25, of Mexico, who has been in jail since December 2004, when he was accused of murder and robbery in a home invasion.

It's been very cold here lately. For example, the low on Friday is forecasted to be around 22. So just as I was wondering where was "global warming" when you needed it, the Oregon Daily Emerald published this editorial:

OFIR (Oregonians For Immigration Reform) members are correct in asserting that illegal immigrants should not be able to receive government-funded social services such as health care and food stamps. The Oregon Department of Human Services currently has a $172 million budget deficit. Those who want to benefit from government services offered in the United States should be legally deemed allowed to do so beforehand.

This also makes me think of the priorities of our own News-Times. It has been inexplicably silent on the issue even though a similar event took place on its territory not even a month ago.

The new editor must be aware that other papers are printing stories on the subject. He probably watches some TV from time to time and sees stories like the one by Frontline that talks about how Mexican Mafia and illegal migrants are setting large and small Meth labs all around Oregon. He must know this has bigger impact on our communities than a Wal*Mart super center.

Is he being silenced by the publisher? Is he personally biased? I wonder how it feels when you discover that the editorial board of a college paper has more integrity and courage to say anything, even things, with which I would not agree, while you keep silent?

First, you must know that you are cheating your readers. My subscription renewal form will probably go unanswered this year. I will be watching News-Times website for signs of improvement before I renew my subscription.

Second, you must know that there are people who get their news from other sources and they know you are not doing your job. And they wonder about your motives.

There is always the possibility that he is simply afraid. That Frontline story would put some fear in anybody. I know I would think twice before crossing Mexican Mafia, La Razza or another, similar organization. This is very like what's going on with those Muslim cartoons. But couldn't he get inspired by actions taken recently by other college papers?

Portland gets a 'D-plus' for disaster preparedness

The American Disaster Preparedness Foundation gave Portland a "D-plus" and ranked the city in a tie for 24th with Boston in a study of emergency preparedness among 30 major U.S. metropolitan areas.

And then our citizens will ask for a lot of money and spend it on porn, diamond rings, and tattoos.

"The 10 most dangerous words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help you." -- Ronald Reagan

I've received the following e-mail from a very good friend of mine who was born in Denmark and, like me, lives in the Northwest now.

Hello friends!

Just wanted to ask for your support in helping out Denmark which is being attacked by muslim extremists who would like to take away the freedom of press. This is all due to the cartoons printed in a Danish newspaper.

Now several muslim countries are boycotting Danish goods.
Danes make great havarti cheese, ham (often found in cans), cookies (the kind in the metal tins), and beer (Tuborg and Carlsberg). We are sure you consume at least one of those!!;)

Thanks or as they say in Danish... Tak!

Well, I've managed to find a place that sells Carlsberg (although I prefer Tuborg) and purchased all Carslberg that was available: 2 six-packs.

Next time, I should call a couple of days before coming so there may be a case waiting for me. Will do. I will also look for other Danish products the next time I shop at Trader Joe's.

Part 2

Fat Tuesday

During the height of our discussions on GroveNet, I asked the following question:

And related question for peace mongers is: what if American "artists" start desecrating Islamic symbols such as the Koran the way they frequently desecrate Christian symbols and call it art and some Muslim country asks the US government to make them stop or it will go to war with us? Are you willing to compromise our civil liberties (you and ACLU hold so precious when Bush and Republicans want to make us more secure) to placate Islamofascists?

I thought at the time mine was a rhetoric question. I thought that the obvious answer would be that we would never compromise our values. Considering how many on GroveNet complain about the Patriot Act somehow compromising our civil liberties I thought it was safe to assume that nobody would ever compromise on freedom of speech.

Well, it turns out I was wrong. It seems it's OK to offend Christians constantly but a seemingly innocent cartoon of the Muslim prophet is labeled as too offensive by the US media. How pathetic! How incredible! I thought there was nothing sacred for US media. I was wrong. When faced with real possibility of violence they give in. But they do so without admitting what the real reasons are. They are not saying that they are scared to reprint those cartoons because they don't want to die. They claim they are too offensive. What about the crucifix dunked in urine? Wasn't that offensive enough for them? If I remember correctly they were making fun of people who were offended.

We are losing this war. We are giving in to people who have no respect for freedoms. We are not worthy of those freedoms. So please spare me next time you complain Bush is taking your civil liberties away from you. You have forfeited them the moment you say that cartoons that correctly depict "religion of peace" are too offensive to publish. What makes me even more sad is that I just realized I have some respect left for Europeans.

If there is one thing we expect from local newspapers it is covering of local news. For a few months now, the Forest Grove News-Times has been covering every single -- no matter how miniscule and inconsequential -- development regarding the proposed plan to build a Wal*Mart store in Cornelius. In fact, in its latest issue, the News-Time has a first-page article about the Cornelius Planning Commission approving the last of four applications Wal*Mart was required to submit. It was a good article. So was the article about a house fire, and the one about the annual community meeting as well as the one about shooting in Cornelius. On the editorial pages there were, as usual, a lame latter to editor from Walt Wentz who, this time, was venting against Wal*Mart, two very lame guest columns: one about how children in our schools are better off because of a new tobacco-free rule even though they are set for a total failure because there is no corresponding rule that would require advance math and science; the other about how IRS is bad because it doesn't hand out the Earned Income Credit money without verification that recipients are really eligible (the audacity of the author is really impressive.)

But there was one thing missing. There was no mention of a very important event that took place in Cornelius almost two weeks ago. Why? Is it possible that any objective description of the event would engender strong resentment from the majority of the readers of the News-Times and possibly cause some of them to take some action? It must be so. It must be so because the editor of the News-Times, lied to me when he promised he would look into this subject and even meet with me to discuss it further. Now, after almost two weeks, he has a good excuse not to cover the story because it's not news anymore. But as much as Wal*Mart's plans to build a new store in Cornelius has been "news" for the past few months, the (negative) impact of illegal immigration on our area has also been news. Yet, the editor has been derelict in his duty to cover it.

[Orignal post. This post will be updated with new information as it becomes available. The post will be kept at the top of the blog for the next few days. This way, the new editor of the Forest Grove News Times will have no problem finding it.]

[Update 4. It's been a week since I first posted this and then asked the editor of the Forest Grove News-Times to write something about this story in particular and illegal immigration in general. He promised me would research the subject and maybe even get back to me to talk about it. The next issue of the News-Times will be out in two days. We'll see...]

[Final update. I'm moving on. Today's Forest Grove News-Times had no mention of what happened almost two weeks ago in Cornelius. By moving on I mean taking the matter in my own hands.]

There finally is a story for the Forest Grove News Times. After weeks of printing lame stories on Wal*Mart, especially the one on people watching fake documentaries about how bad Wal*Mart is, there is a chance for News Times to deliver on new editor's promises of fair and balanced journalism.

On last Saturday morning, in Cornelius a big fraud was perpetuated on the citizen of that great town and on all citizens of the State of Oregon. According to eyewitness accounts (see below) the so called Centro Cultural hosted what's called Mexican Consulate Carousel whose purpose is to help illegal immigrants obtain Matricula Consular cards. Those cards are then accepted by DMV as valid documents so illegal aliens can get driver licenses.

But that's not the end of it. What's worse is that the State of Oregon sends its employees to those events to advertise and sell services. What made the last event even more interesting was that, unlike that coward Riley in whose district this highly improper activity took place, Senator Bruce Starr showed up and after a short inspection declared that somebody would have to answer for what went on inside.

When I stopped by around 2:30pm, I was "greeted" by one of the organizers who forcibly escorted me to the door. Apparently this is a private property. Fine. I have respect for private property and for law in general so I left. Almost at the door, I asked whether it was true that Centro Cultural didn't in fact accept any tax money. I was assured that no one cent of my money went to fund its activities. But the truth may be slightly more complicated.

As Rino Watch reports, at least "$15,000 in Washington County [...] Strategic Investment Program [...] has been donated by [...] commissioners to the Cornelius Centro Cultural." I understand that grant money doesn't automatically turn a private property into a public one. Forest Grove, for example, uses grants to encourage property owners to make repairs to their properties in the Old Town district. I'm against such programs but I wouldn't just walk into somebody's house uninvited just because it was repaired with such a grant. I would however look upon such a grant much less favorably if the property owner was a public nuisance. And I would have to classify the activity taking place in El Centro Cultural of Cornelius as such.

In any case, there is plenty of material for News Times to publish a good story on the first page of its paper for the next few weeks. And with all those "journalists" it employs maybe it could dig deep and find out how much money illegal immigrants really cost us. If they just applied half of their journalistic zeal so finally exhibited while they were chasing every Wal*Mart angle...

Just in case they wouldn't know where to start, I decided to compile all I could find about the subject below and I will keep it up to date. Now that both Lars Larson and Victoria Taft are taking about it on the radio, this thing will not go away. Please, read the comments as well as the posts as you will find a lot of useful information there as well.

What happened in Cornelius and related stuff:
Rino Watch
Where's Rep Chuck Riley
Community Center
Workers Comp for Illegal Aliens
Upcoming Schedule for the Criminal Carnivals
Daniel's Political Musings
My favorite thing about "El Centro Cultural"
Cornelius consulate visit
Cornelius Protest: Part dos
Cornelius Protest: Part tres
Cornelius Protest: Part quatro
My morning laugh
Another blogger posts on El Centro Criminal
How a few Americans struck fear into a foreign government
Oregon Billboard
A Day at El Centro Cultural
Let's get it straight!
MAX Redline
Beautiful downtown Cornelius
Victoria Taft
Carousel of Crime: A Smash Hit with Illegal Aliens

The post originally created on Jan 22 at 12:23AM.
Update 1 on Jan 22 at 12:44PM.
Update 2 on Jan 22 at 9:11PM.
Update 3 on Jan 23 at 6:50PM.
Update 4 on Jan 30 at 10:44PM.
Last update on Feb 1 at 10:05PM.