The latest telephone poll taken by the Governor of California yielded results on whether or not people who live in California think illegal immigration is a serious problem:

41% of the respondents answered: "Yes, it is a serious problem."
59% of the respondents answered: "No es un problema serioso!"

New data on home sales indicate which metro areas have the narrowest gaps in housing prices—and which ones have the widest. by Peter Coy

Who hasn't driven around a city and marveled at the disparity in the sizes and prices of houses, from ordinary tract homes to palaces? The gaps seem to be bigger in some metro areas than others. Miami, for example, stands out as a city with a huge spread between the glittering precincts of Fisher Island and the vast areas of old, small, and slowly deteriorating homes.

by Tina Grazier

The soldiers in the “protest surge” seem to think that marching Johnny home will mean victory for them. They haven’t thought beyond the rush they anticipate when they have “ended” the war. After all, those silly Al-Qaeda guys are just going to drop everything and go home…to plant flowers and raise kittens…right? Yeah, sure they will, as soon as the evil warmongering efforts of that illegitimate White House “occupant” are crushed!

‘Spose they’ll notice the big door that swings wide open as they snuggle happily in their "safe" little beds? I anticipate one of those deer in the headlights moments myself...temporarily at least...then we'll all be subjected once again to a lesson learned the hard way.

Ultimately the enemy want to crush our economy and bring us under subjugation. Consider the thousands of men around the world like the ones featured in this story out of Canada:

An online message, posted by The Al-Qaeda Organization in the Arabian Peninsula, declares "we should strike petroleum interests in all areas which supply the United States ... like Canada," the No. 1 supplier of both fuels to the U.S.

Last week's message is contained in Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Jihad), the group's online magazine. A feature article, titled "Bin Laden's Oil Weapon," encourages al-Qaeda operatives to continue to follow directives from Mr. bin Laden to strike oil targets not only in Saudi Arabia, but elsewhere, according to a translation by the SITE Institute, a non-profit U.S. group that monitors terrorist websites

Three western countries are singled out in the call-to-arms -- Canada first, followed by Mexico and Venezuela. Would-be attackers are instructed to target oilfields, pipelines, loading platforms and carriers.
It also is "an operational suggestion to the 'homegrown jihadists' and independent groups that follow the inspiration message of al-Qaeda. To them, it outlines a suggested list of potential new targets. Canada is at the top of that list."

They are committed and continue to plan and plot “death to America” The war against the West will continue…they will follow Johnny when he comes marching home.

A post from Tina

Jack, your observations are right on. As congress busies itself covering butt on the war for the next election cycle, none of us out here can afford to hold our collective breath on the issues of the border and drugs. I'll leave the drug enforcement issue to you who are expert.

I know that 911 shifted the focus in many ways and made some issues come forward with even more emphasis and necessity. The border certainly is a big part of that. The need to concentrate energies and attention on issues in Iraq have, no doubt, preoccupied the president in ways he didn't expect. Words don't get it done unless they are followed by continuing actions until the desired result is achieved.

Unfortunately the drug problem is, I believe, a societal problem first and foremost. I'm not sure anything but thankless tail chasing can be done unless we can change the culture. If the market goes away so will the need for law enforcement. Changing our society will take a concerted effort over many years but it is the heart of the problem. Our president agrees:

by Jack Lee

Our Libertarian friend and writer, Jeff, has made some interesting points about the drug war and our failed policies and I can't really disagree with him, but perhaps I can ad a new perspective...as an insider. I was a drug warrior in combat for many years.

Our drug enforcement system is seriously broken and it is most broken on our border with Mexico where the illegal drugs flow into the USA freely. What we are doing and have been doing for years is so outrageously expensive and ineffective, it is an abomination on the integrity of the White House and Congress who have long known the seriousness of this situation and the many failures along the way.

Currently up to 96% of all drug shipments make it across the Mexican border. That's not my statistic, this comes from the agency that I was trained by and worked with, the DEA! This is the unpublished, confidential statistic for in house use only. But, don't fault the DEA, Border Patrol or Customs or the many narcotic task forces...the deck is stacked against them, so much so that they can't make a dent in this problem no matter how hard they try.

by Tina Grazier

A more mainstream progressive vision can be found in a talk given by Bill Moyers titled For America’s Sake. Bill begins by painting a picture of the down and out and then ,i>progresses by taking pot shots at Reagan:

Here is the real political story, the one most politicians won't even acknowledge: the reality of the anonymous, disquieting daily struggle of ordinary people, including the most marginalized and vulnerable Americans…blah, blah, blah… searching for dignity and fairness against long odds in a cruel market world. Everywhere you turn you'll find people who believe they have been written out of the story. Everywhere you turn there's a sense of insecurity grounded in a gnawing fear that freedom in America has come to mean the freedom of the rich to get richer even as millions of Americans are dumped from the Dream.

Reagan's story of freedom superficially alludes to the Founding Fathers, but its substance comes from the Gilded Age, devised by apologists for the robber barons. It is posed abstractly as the freedom of the individual from government control--a Jeffersonian ideal at the root of our Bill of Rights, to be sure. But what it meant in politics a century later…is the freedom to accumulate wealth without social or democratic responsibilities and the license to buy the political system right out from under everyone else, so that democracy no longer has the ability to hold capitalism accountable for the good of the whole.

There are several points to be made here since this same old sob story has been used by democrats for decades. Reagan’s story of freedom was not superficial. It did rely on the notion that in America anyone can achieve his dream…and that to do so he must define it and work toward it responsibly with his own will, brains and energy. And Reagan didn’t believe, as progressives do, that most people can never achieve their dreams without the aid of some government program. Reagan’s story never meant “freedom to accumulate wealth without social or democratic, (I would call it civic) responsibility”. Indeed, the proof that this is pure fantasy is revealed in a new book, “Who Really Cares” by Arthur C. Brooks. According to Professor Brooks:

"If liberals and moderates gave blood at the same rate as conservatives, the blood supply of the United States would jump about 45 percent."

by Tina Grazier

“California, the nation-state, the harmonious state, the prosperous state, the cutting-edge state, becomes a model, not just for the 21st-century American society, but for the larger world.” Arnold Schwarzenegger quoted by Prof. Gar Alperovitz

“We have the economic strength, we have the population and the technological force of a nation-state.” Arnold Schwarzenegger quoted by Prof. Gar Aperovitz

I hope you had a chance to read part one of this story on Walid Shoebat . Now, as promised, I'm going to give you the opposing view as presented by the UC Davis Muslim Student Association (MSA). I think you will find their arguments interesting and it may shed a little light into the concerns of the Muslim-American community. They gave me a prepared statement and I will include that first and then my comments:

"We repudiate and unequivocally condemn terrorism, as a grave and serious crime that should be punished in the strictest means possible. We are concerned that a self-confessed "ex-terrorist" is walking

by Tina Grazier

The next time democrats scream foul accusing the GOP of voter fraud and stealing elections keep
this story in mind. You'll notice that the writer fails to mention any ties or associations with a political party. Here's a hint for you, Jesse Jackson has been known to “associate‿:

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man who worked for an advocacy group that signs up new voters pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to voter registration fraud, the U.S. attorney's office said. *** Dale D. Franklin, 44, was hired by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, to work with Project Vote, another not-for-profit group that helps register voters.

New contribution from Jeff:

There is a general misconception about Libertarians, especially by Republicans, that I feel compiled to clear up. People assume that we Libertarians advocate drug use and support the legalization of drugs out of self interest.

I know how nicely conservatives will defend that 2nd Amendment, and how quick they point to statistics, the Constitution, American history and so forth. And that's a good thing, for they are right.

And Liberals want to ban guns and blame manufacturers, while exaggerating the dangers of them.

For the previous sentence, substitute the words "Conservative" for "Liberals," and "drugs" for "guns," and you have the same faulty reasoning for the left as well as the right. Conservatives, please use your power of logic and apply it to what you preach-personal responsibility. Then take the next step: ask yourself if spending tens of billions of dollars on the futile "Drug War" is fiscally conservative. Then, go get some real statistics, and pour over them (this may be eye-opening even to the most bias "drug warrior"). Finally, go to the Constitution, read the 9th and 10th Amendments. If you ignore the Constitution, real statistics, personal responsibility and blame inanimate objects, be aware that you're using the same method as Liberals. And it's wrong.

Again, Libertarians only advocate personal responsibility, not drugs. It only appears to be an important plank of the Libertarian philosophy because it's the one big thing Conservatives keep trippin' on.

Jeff

Posted by Nick F.

I want to thank Mike Wacker for his suggestion to watch Maurice McTique's speech to the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. It was great to hear so much common sense in one 45min session. If you are interested in what would happen if we actualy implemented the suggestions of men like Milton Freidman you need to watch this!!!

Type in www.uccs.edu/~csgi/mctigue2004august.shtml....if that fails type in "Rolling Back Government" and it will be the first link.

Thanks again Mike.

by Jack Lee

Metered overtime parking in the City of Chico will cost you $15 and that's bad enough, but, IF you fail to pay it within 15 days, you will be charged another $30 !

Why the huge $30 penalty for a $15 ticket? Well, it seems this is the "lowest penalty" set by the City Council and it applies to fines starting out at $15 and all the way up to $250. That makes the least of all City Code infractions (overtime parking) the highest penalized and that makes no sense to me whatsoever.

People living on social security likely pay their bills once a month and that means they will pay a late penalty if they don't pay that parking ticket within the two week window and the elderly/disabled can least afford to pay this fine, let alone a whopping 2X penalty...thats really unfair. But, don't talk "unfair" to our liberal city council, they approved this injustice.

It gets worse: Fail to pay the $45 and City will turn you in to the credit bureau and stop you from registering your car next year and all over a few minutes of overtime parking....me thinks this is a little too "Cool Hand Luke".

By the way the cities of Oroville, Paradise and Gridley have abandoned their metered parking as being bad for PR and cost ineffective. The Chico Downtown Merchants Association might want to take this parking fine/double penalty up with the City Council, because it's just another reason for consumers to shop the malls where the parking is free.

by Jack Lee

Walid Shoebat, pictured on the left, is a former member of the PLO who grew up hating Jews. According to his autobiography, his grandfather was the Muslim Mukhtar (chieftain) of Beit Sahour-Bethlehem and a friend of Haj-Ameen Al-Husseni, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and notorious friend of Adolf Hitler in WWII. Walid's great grandfather, Abdullah Ali Awad-Allah, was also a fighter and close associate of both Abdul Qader and Haj Amin Al-Husseini, who led the Palestinians against Israel.

Today, many in this world would like to see him dead, ... not for his terrorist activities, but because he renounced terrorism! Shoebat's life is an amazing story that comes with a warning.

Walid Shoebat is the author of "Why I Left Jihad" and he's currently on a lecture tour that includes a number of California Universities. His new book, "Why We Want To Kill You" is about to be released this month. I caught up with him last night at UC Davis, where he was the honored guest speaker, sponsored by the Foundation For the Defense of Democracy.

Security at the event was to say the least, obvious and intense. And justifiably so, given the recent death threats against Shoebat. Attendees were treated like airport passengers and with the exception of the media, cameras or recorders were NOT allowed inside. Thanks to the high level of security the crowd filtered slowly into the 1300 seat auditorium which caused the show to open about 25 minutes late. This gave me an opportunity to interview some guests, that included a few Muslim students that occupied an entire center section near the press seating.

It was hard not to notice each Muslim student wore red duck tape on their right arms, which they later used to cover their mouths when Shoebat began speaking. The consensus answer was, this was to protest the extent to which their voices were being shut down by on campus racist groups such as the group that set up this event. When I asked for specifics exactly how they were being denied their free speech or were victims of bigotry I didn't get one example, but some vague generalities. I moved on to ask why they had a problem with a reformed terrorist and the consensus answer was, he's a phoney and a hate monger, and he stereotypes all Muslims as terrorists. More on this later. Now it was time for Shoebat to take the stage and he came out of a side door about 10 feet away from my "press" box.

Just before Shoebat took the podium to a nearly packed house, the MC reminded the audience of the First Amendment and that it was illegal to engage in certain disruptive activities and that violators would be arrested and prosecuted. The majority of the crowd gave a loud and extended applause! The Muslim students simply sat silent and observed. When Walid Shoebat walked on stage to take the podium he received a warm welcome with most of the audience, a fair mix of students and adults, standing. At this time the Muslim students in the center seats removed the red tape from their shoulders and placed it over their mouths. As Walid started to speak they stood up for a moment, made their presence known and then sat down.

Shoebat's speech summarized his childhood growing up in Jordan and later in Isreal and the occupied territory among Palestinians. He focused on his public school education where he was said he [indoctrinated] to hate Jews from day one and his eventual evolution of hate led him to being a radical Muslim terrorist. He concluded with his view of radical Islam, its growth and why we need to fight it.

by Tina Grazier

I remember fondly the "old liberal cause" of NO NUKES. Martin Sheen himself showed up quite often to protest in front of the gates at the Lawrence Livermore Lab. The rag tag bunch of twenty or so t-shirt and bell bottom clad sign carrying screamers paraded in a circle for a day and really thought they had "made a difference". Barbra Streisand acting boldly, held her first concert ever, inviting friends and neighbors to her backyard for the outdoor event. She used the concert to announce the creation of a foundation dedicated to the elimination of nukes. She generously donated her Malibu compound to the "cause"
(...and, I imagine, avoided taxes at the same time).

Tina's War Front Snips:

With the prospect of three civil wars looming over the Middle East -- and Iran poised to gain from them all -- Saudi Arabia has abandoned its behind-the-scenes checkbook diplomacy and taken on a central, aggressive role in reshaping the region's conflicts. (snip) "Usually the Saudis prefer to maneuver behind the scenes. Lately they've been noticeably active." New York Times

Baghdad - Iraqi and US forces killed a top official of radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's organisation in a raid on his home north of Baghdad on Sunday, calling him a ''rogue leader'' of Sadr's Mehdi Army militia. An official in Sadr's political office, Abdul-Mehdi al- Matiri, called the killing of Khadhim al-Hamadani in the village of Huweidar near Baquba an ''assassination''. The US military said in a statement that Hamadani had reportedly been responsible for attacks on US and Iraqi troops Reuters

Deep in the mountains of eastern Iraq, a cluster of mud huts and the chatter of machinegun fire reveal another