This is a clip from CNN's Parker Spitzer show in which they interviewed British Imam Anjem Choudary (I'm not sure when it aired). Choudary explained the beliefs of Islam and how he expects his fellow Muslims to live that out. Greg Hengler at TownHall posted the video.
I don't know why TownHall included the clip of Obama at the end. It doesn't belong.
Here's the key exchange:
SPITZER: Mr. Choudary, are you communicating with individuals within the United States and encouraging them to participate in attacks of this sort?
CHOUDARY: Of course I am. You know I am participating in communication with people all around the world. As you know, the internet makes the world a very small place....
SPITZER: Mr. Choudary, based upon your answer I believe, and I'm sure many prosecutors will listen to your answer. You violated US law. You deserve to be arrested, prosecuted, jailed for the rest of your life. That is what you, sir, deserve. You are a violent and hated terrorist. You could speak it from behind prison bars as far as we're concerned, sir.
CHOUDARY: My invitation is a peaceful one to people to embrace Islam and to warn them obviously of the consequences of occupying Muslim land. I think that's a very decent thing. If we said to you, "Look, there's not going to be any consequences by people attacking Muslims," I think that would be not a very honorable thing to say.
Yes, the imam's invitation is a peaceful one. But if you don't accept it, be prepared for violence. Oh, that sounds fair!
I find Spitzer's reaction surprising, considering his Democrat background and his employment by CNN , but he handled Choudary's answer perfectly. If he worked for NPR, though, he might have been fired by now.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Moving to Mexico
A commenter named Oracle1 in Atlanta, over at Town Hall had this to say in response to Virgil Goode's column, Who's Really Dividing the Country?
Dear President Obama:
I'm planning to move my family and extended family (a total of 20 or so) into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me. We're planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico , and we'll need your help to make a few arrangements.
We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your amigo, President Calderon, that I'm on my way down? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. Please print all Mexican Government forms in English.
4. I want my grand-kids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.
5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my grand-kids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles at their school.
7. Please plan to feed my grand-kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico , but I don't plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won't make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my housetop, put U S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.
13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy.
14. I want to receive free food stamps.
15. Naturally, I'll expect free rent subsidies.
16. I'll need income tax credits so that although I don't pay Mexican taxes, I'll receive money from the government.
17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican Government pays 4,500 dollars to help me buy a new car.
18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican Social Security program so that I'll get a monthly income in retirement.
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all his people who walk over to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that President Calderon won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
Thank you in advance for your kind help in assuring that Mexico does for us what you and the Left are doing for their citizens who come up here illegally.
American Citizen John Doe
The oracle is on target. If a principle is right and good one way, it has to be right and good when it's reversed. If it's wrong in the reverse, maybe, just maybe it's wrong no matter which way you look at it.
Dear President Obama:
I'm planning to move my family and extended family (a total of 20 or so) into Mexico for my health, and I would like to ask you to assist me. We're planning to simply walk across the border from the U.S. into Mexico , and we'll need your help to make a few arrangements.
We plan to skip all the legal stuff like visas, passports, immigration quotas and laws. I'm sure they handle those things the same way you do here.
So, would you mind telling your amigo, President Calderon, that I'm on my way down? Please let him know that I will be expecting the following:
1. Free medical care for my entire family.
2. English-speaking government bureaucrats for all services I might need, whether I use them or not.
3. Please print all Mexican Government forms in English.
4. I want my grand-kids to be taught Spanish by English-speaking (bi-lingual) teachers.
5. Tell their schools they need to include classes on American culture and history.
6. I want my grand-kids to see the American flag on one of the flag poles at their school.
7. Please plan to feed my grand-kids at school for both breakfast and lunch.
8. I will need a local Mexican driver's license so I can get easy access to government services.
9. I do plan to get a car and drive in Mexico , but I don't plan to purchase car insurance, and I probably won't make any special effort to learn local traffic laws.
10. In case one of the Mexican police officers does not get the memo from their president to leave me alone, please be sure that every patrol car has at least one English-speaking officer.
11. I plan to fly the U.S. flag from my housetop, put U S. flag decals on my car, and have a gigantic celebration on July 4th. I do not want any complaints or negative comments from the locals.
12. I would also like to have a nice job without paying any taxes, or have any labor or tax laws enforced on any business I may start.
13. Please have the president tell all the Mexican people to be extremely nice and never say critical things about me or my family, or about the strain we might place on their economy.
14. I want to receive free food stamps.
15. Naturally, I'll expect free rent subsidies.
16. I'll need income tax credits so that although I don't pay Mexican taxes, I'll receive money from the government.
17. Please arrange it so that the Mexican Government pays 4,500 dollars to help me buy a new car.
18. Oh yes, I almost forgot, please enroll me free into the Mexican Social Security program so that I'll get a monthly income in retirement.
I know this is an easy request because you already do all these things for all his people who walk over to the U.S. from Mexico. I am sure that President Calderon won't mind returning the favor if you ask him nicely.
Thank you in advance for your kind help in assuring that Mexico does for us what you and the Left are doing for their citizens who come up here illegally.
American Citizen John Doe
The oracle is on target. If a principle is right and good one way, it has to be right and good when it's reversed. If it's wrong in the reverse, maybe, just maybe it's wrong no matter which way you look at it.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Beltway Adventure
Oh my goodness! This is priceless.
IowaHawk writes satire. Friday's post is written in the form that many of you may remember. For you youngun's, this is what computer games used to look like back in the days before computers had any graphics. Here's how it opens:
WELCOME TO ADVENTURE! WOULD YOU LIKE INSTRUCTIONS?
>YES
YOU ARE SOMEWHERE IN BELTWAY FOREST, WHERE SOME HAVE FOUND TREASURES OF GOLD ALTHOUGH SOME HAVE ENTERED AND NEVER BEEN SEEN AGAIN. MAGIC IS SAID TO WORK IN THE FOREST. I WILL BE YOUR EYES AND HANDS. DIRECT ME WITH SIMPLE COMMANDS.
YOU ARE IN AN OVAL OFFICE. THERE IS SNOW OUTSIDE. YOU ARE BEHIND A DESK. ON DESK THERE IS A BUST OF CHURCHILL.
YOU HAVE A CONGRESS.
YOU HAVE A SENATE.
YOU HAVE A MEDIA.
YOU HAVE A TELEPROMPTER.
YOU HAVE A MILITARY.
YOU HAVE A BIG JET.
YOU HAVE $3 TRILLION OF GOLD.
YOU HAVE 82% APPROVAL HEALTH.
THERE IS 7.2% UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE FOREST.
YOU HAVE A RACE CARD.
YOU HAVE INAUGURAL PARTY LEFTOVERS.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
>EAT LEFTOVERS
>RETURN BUST
YOU ARE IN AN OVAL OFFICE. YOU ARE BEHIND A DESK. ON DESK THERE IS NO BUST OF CHURCHILL. THERE ARE NO MORE LEFTOVERS. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
>GIVE SPEECH
Read the whole thing. It just gets better.
IowaHawk writes satire. Friday's post is written in the form that many of you may remember. For you youngun's, this is what computer games used to look like back in the days before computers had any graphics. Here's how it opens:
WELCOME TO ADVENTURE! WOULD YOU LIKE INSTRUCTIONS?
>YES
YOU ARE SOMEWHERE IN BELTWAY FOREST, WHERE SOME HAVE FOUND TREASURES OF GOLD ALTHOUGH SOME HAVE ENTERED AND NEVER BEEN SEEN AGAIN. MAGIC IS SAID TO WORK IN THE FOREST. I WILL BE YOUR EYES AND HANDS. DIRECT ME WITH SIMPLE COMMANDS.
YOU ARE IN AN OVAL OFFICE. THERE IS SNOW OUTSIDE. YOU ARE BEHIND A DESK. ON DESK THERE IS A BUST OF CHURCHILL.
YOU HAVE A CONGRESS.
YOU HAVE A SENATE.
YOU HAVE A MEDIA.
YOU HAVE A TELEPROMPTER.
YOU HAVE A MILITARY.
YOU HAVE A BIG JET.
YOU HAVE $3 TRILLION OF GOLD.
YOU HAVE 82% APPROVAL HEALTH.
THERE IS 7.2% UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE FOREST.
YOU HAVE A RACE CARD.
YOU HAVE INAUGURAL PARTY LEFTOVERS.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
>EAT LEFTOVERS
>RETURN BUST
YOU ARE IN AN OVAL OFFICE. YOU ARE BEHIND A DESK. ON DESK THERE IS NO BUST OF CHURCHILL. THERE ARE NO MORE LEFTOVERS. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO?
>GIVE SPEECH
Read the whole thing. It just gets better.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Quote of the Day
"It takes a high IQ to evade the obvious."
-- Thomas Sowell
He said this in reference to the intelligensia's failure to recognize the problems inherent in multiculturalism.
-- Thomas Sowell
He said this in reference to the intelligensia's failure to recognize the problems inherent in multiculturalism.
Smarter Than a Fifth Grader
I saw this at Michelle Malkin's blog. Sweet Justice!
The Los Angeles Times reported today on a speech Sarah Palin gave in Reno at a Tea Party Express event. In it, the Times quoted Palin as saying they "couldn't 'party like it's 1773' until Washington was flooded with like-minded conservatives."
Of course, that launched a thousand left-leaning ships proclaiming to the world that the stoopid doofus Sarah Palin is, well, a stoopid doofus when it comes to knowing her history. Cuffy at the Perfunction blog has the run-down of the big-name opinionators who felt it was their citizenly duty to point out Palin's abject ignorance. People like Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos, and Presidential Debate Moderator Gwen Ifill, people whose job it is to know things and be accurate. Because EVERYBODY knows NOTHING of interest happened in 1773. Right?
Oh snap!
The Los Angeles Times reported today on a speech Sarah Palin gave in Reno at a Tea Party Express event. In it, the Times quoted Palin as saying they "couldn't 'party like it's 1773' until Washington was flooded with like-minded conservatives."
Of course, that launched a thousand left-leaning ships proclaiming to the world that the stoopid doofus Sarah Palin is, well, a stoopid doofus when it comes to knowing her history. Cuffy at the Perfunction blog has the run-down of the big-name opinionators who felt it was their citizenly duty to point out Palin's abject ignorance. People like Markos Moulitsas of the Daily Kos, and Presidential Debate Moderator Gwen Ifill, people whose job it is to know things and be accurate. Because EVERYBODY knows NOTHING of interest happened in 1773. Right?
Oh snap!
The Palin-bashers are backpedaling, now that they've obviously been handed a fifth-grade history lesson. "Just satire, ha-ha. No, really!"
And I bet Sarah Palin didn't even have to write "1773" on her hand...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
President Obama's Health Challenge
Vice President Joe Biden, who can always be relied on to blab things that shouldn't be known to the general public, has let slip the news of a serious challenge to President Obama's health:
If the president's brain is bigger than his skull, that means he's suffering from intracranial pressure, usually caused by a head injury. Based on the fact that President Obama's judgement has been very impaired (Obamacare, Cap & Tax, GM takeover, etc.), I suspect his injury was caused by beating his head against the wall so many times over Biden's gaffes, slips, foul-ups, and general oratory ineptitude. The frontal lobe is the portion of the brain that controls rational judgement and decision-making. It's just so sad.
Here's how Wikipedia describes the implications of the president's injuries:
An increase in pressure, most commonly due to head injury leading to intracranial hematoma or cerebral edema can crush brain tissue, shift brain structures, contribute to hydrocephalus, cause the brain to herniate, and restrict blood supply to the brain.
Goodness! It could even get worse.
If the president's brain is bigger than his skull, that means he's suffering from intracranial pressure, usually caused by a head injury. Based on the fact that President Obama's judgement has been very impaired (Obamacare, Cap & Tax, GM takeover, etc.), I suspect his injury was caused by beating his head against the wall so many times over Biden's gaffes, slips, foul-ups, and general oratory ineptitude. The frontal lobe is the portion of the brain that controls rational judgement and decision-making. It's just so sad.
Here's how Wikipedia describes the implications of the president's injuries:
An increase in pressure, most commonly due to head injury leading to intracranial hematoma or cerebral edema can crush brain tissue, shift brain structures, contribute to hydrocephalus, cause the brain to herniate, and restrict blood supply to the brain.
Goodness! It could even get worse.
Friday, October 15, 2010
The "Ignore Us" Ad
This is the perfect political ad for this year (HT: Power Line). All the candidates who weren't in lockstep with the Pelosi-Reid legislative full-court press should run it.
Watch it over and over. And send it to your friends.
And be sure to vote! (Unless you want more Pelosi-Reid 2000-page legislation. Then just stay home on election day.)
Watch it over and over. And send it to your friends.
And be sure to vote! (Unless you want more Pelosi-Reid 2000-page legislation. Then just stay home on election day.)
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Obama Warns the Nation
The Hill reported yesterday that President Obama warned of the dire consequences we face if Republicans are elected.
President Obama warned Wednesday that his agenda will be stuck in gridlock for the next two years if Democrats lose control of the House.
“Unless we are able to maintain Democrats in the House and Senate, then we’re going to be stalled for two years or four years, and we’re going to start going backwards,” Obama said in remarks at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New Jersey, according to a pool report.
Gridlock and stalling are good. Going backwards is even better!
Obama said the struggling economy and high unemployment is hampering his party and giving the GOP momentum.
And that's a problem how...? Our country needs a shift in momentum to stop us from going even deeper into the tank than we've already gone in the last two years.
“Now when unemployment is still at 9.5, 9.6 percent that gives an enormous advantage to whoever is not in power because they can simply point at the status quo and regardless of causation say, ‘You know what? It’s the folks who are in power that are at fault,’” Obama said. “So that gives a natural momentum” to Republicans, he said.
I love that part about "regardless of causation." Just as President Obama can't quit smoking, he also can't quit his Blame-Bush addiction. Of course, I don't think he's really trying to quit.
Rather than taking this as a warning, I'm hoping it's a promise.
I can see November from my house...
President Obama warned Wednesday that his agenda will be stuck in gridlock for the next two years if Democrats lose control of the House.
“Unless we are able to maintain Democrats in the House and Senate, then we’re going to be stalled for two years or four years, and we’re going to start going backwards,” Obama said in remarks at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser in New Jersey, according to a pool report.
Gridlock and stalling are good. Going backwards is even better!
Obama said the struggling economy and high unemployment is hampering his party and giving the GOP momentum.
And that's a problem how...? Our country needs a shift in momentum to stop us from going even deeper into the tank than we've already gone in the last two years.
“Now when unemployment is still at 9.5, 9.6 percent that gives an enormous advantage to whoever is not in power because they can simply point at the status quo and regardless of causation say, ‘You know what? It’s the folks who are in power that are at fault,’” Obama said. “So that gives a natural momentum” to Republicans, he said.
I love that part about "regardless of causation." Just as President Obama can't quit smoking, he also can't quit his Blame-Bush addiction. Of course, I don't think he's really trying to quit.
Rather than taking this as a warning, I'm hoping it's a promise.
I can see November from my house...
Monday, October 04, 2010
Let That be a Warning
Fire is an ever-present danger. My roommate never leaves the dryer running after she leaves the house or goes to bed, because someone she knows came home to a burned-up house that started from a dryer left unattended. So I only leave the dryer running when I go to bed if it's set on Air Fluff. Nobody's dryer ever caught fire from cold air, at least that I'm aware of.
But house fires are caused by other things than dryers. There's the cigarette or cigar left smoldering in the sofa, which catches fire after everyone has gone to bed.
Pattern: Never go to bed. This will prevent most fires.
No, wait. That's the wrong lesson. Because about 10 or 12 years ago, my ex-husband's house caught fire in the afternoon right after my son had used the old electric typewriter (circa 1970) on his bed then turned it off and left the room. The fire department blamed the typewriter.
I mention this, because I saw an article in the Las Vegas Sun that said somebody's candle was left unattended, at which time it decided to run amok and catch the house on fire. It caused $180,000 in damage. That's a very expensive candle.
Pattern: Never be inattentive. This will prevent most fires.
Actually, the candle issue isn't a problem for me. I know people who love candles. There are whole industries and businesses built around selling nothing but candles. But for some reason, I never seem to get the candles to work right. I smell the scented ones more when they're NOT lit than when they are. One candle (was it gardenia or camelia? I don't remember, except that it ended in "-ia") was so powerful unlit that I had an allergic reaction to it and had to keep it in a gallon-size Ziploc for my protection. But mainly, what I smell is the aroma of a freshly blown-out wick when I'm done, and what's the point of giving my house the dead-wick smell? I just don't do candles.
However, the article reminded me of one of my favorite Dave Barry columns: The Pop Tart story, in which Dave conducts a scientific experiment on Pop Tarts and their generic equivalents, following the story of a man whose kitchen was burned down by Pop Tarts left too long in the toaster.
No matter what it is - dryers, cigarettes, electric typewriters, candles, Pop Tarts, or some other fire hazard waiting to surprise you - let that be a warning to you. Don't light things up, don't type, don't toast, and for heaven's sake, don't go to bed. You may wake up to more heat than you can stand.
But house fires are caused by other things than dryers. There's the cigarette or cigar left smoldering in the sofa, which catches fire after everyone has gone to bed.
Pattern: Never go to bed. This will prevent most fires.
No, wait. That's the wrong lesson. Because about 10 or 12 years ago, my ex-husband's house caught fire in the afternoon right after my son had used the old electric typewriter (circa 1970) on his bed then turned it off and left the room. The fire department blamed the typewriter.
I mention this, because I saw an article in the Las Vegas Sun that said somebody's candle was left unattended, at which time it decided to run amok and catch the house on fire. It caused $180,000 in damage. That's a very expensive candle.
Pattern: Never be inattentive. This will prevent most fires.
Actually, the candle issue isn't a problem for me. I know people who love candles. There are whole industries and businesses built around selling nothing but candles. But for some reason, I never seem to get the candles to work right. I smell the scented ones more when they're NOT lit than when they are. One candle (was it gardenia or camelia? I don't remember, except that it ended in "-ia") was so powerful unlit that I had an allergic reaction to it and had to keep it in a gallon-size Ziploc for my protection. But mainly, what I smell is the aroma of a freshly blown-out wick when I'm done, and what's the point of giving my house the dead-wick smell? I just don't do candles.
However, the article reminded me of one of my favorite Dave Barry columns: The Pop Tart story, in which Dave conducts a scientific experiment on Pop Tarts and their generic equivalents, following the story of a man whose kitchen was burned down by Pop Tarts left too long in the toaster.
No matter what it is - dryers, cigarettes, electric typewriters, candles, Pop Tarts, or some other fire hazard waiting to surprise you - let that be a warning to you. Don't light things up, don't type, don't toast, and for heaven's sake, don't go to bed. You may wake up to more heat than you can stand.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Quote of the Day
"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."
--Agatha Christie
--Agatha Christie
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Quote of the Day
"Brett Carter, the Democrat nominee to fill the 6th District seat in Tennessee for the ougoing Bart Gordon — a seat once held by Al Gore — is trying to fulfill his lifelong dream of waking up next to the severed head of a horse."
-- Doug Powers
OK, a little background: Carter is urging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi NOT to seek the speakership next year. (via Michelle Malkin)
-- Doug Powers
OK, a little background: Carter is urging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi NOT to seek the speakership next year. (via Michelle Malkin)
Friday, September 17, 2010
Not Working
I'm working. That's not the problem. It's the things around me that are the issue.
First, it was the lamp in my room. It's a pole lamp with the main bulb on top, hidden by a nice upward-facing shade, and a reading lamp halfway up the pole, which I keep turned off. The main bulb has been getting dimmer, and I figured that just meant it was close to burning out. That seems to be the way those fluorescent twisty bulbs work. Then, earlier this week, the bulb went out.
No problem. I turned on the reading lamp and made the darkness flee again. But that only lasted about 20 minutes, and then that bulb went black.
So I went outside my room and flipped on the hallway light switch, but nothing happened. I deduced that the circuit breaker must have been tripped. At the box, none of the switches had tripped, not even the one marked "Bedroom lights & outlets." Hmmm... The outlets were working, just not the lights. I gave up and went to bed.
The next morning I put a new bulb in the top socket (it was incandescent, not fluorescent) and tried again. Nothing. Put the old bulb back in and went to work.
After work, when I came home, out of habit I flipped on the light switch in my room. The light came on. I checked the light in the hallway. It was on too. Much happiness!
I ran some errands (turned the lights off when I left), came back, and my lamp was dark again. Hallway too. Later, the lights worked again and have ever since.
Meanwhile, we have an alarm system in the house. Over a month ago, it woke us up in the middle of the night with the slow beeping that tells us the battery is running out of steam. Unfortunately, the battery is in the attic, and neither one of us wants to go up there. Creepy things like spiders probably live up in the attic. Uh-uh. No thanks. Not me. No sir.
But after beeping at us now and then over the course of a week or so, it must have figured we knew already, and it hasn't done that anymore. Instead, this week it decided that it wasn't going to let us set the alarm. It tells us when we open a door (beep, beep, beep), but it's as though the thing doesn't have the strength to go on patrol.
My roommate scheduled the alarm company to come out and check things out, but then the alarm started working again. When it let us set the alarm when we left the house and unset it when we came back home, she canceled the appointment, because it wasn't worth spending the money for something that was working.
Yesterday morning she left for a long weekend visiting family. Shortly after her departure, I tried setting the alarm when I was heading to work, but it wouldn't go into alarm mode. Great! No alarm and no appointment.
Last night before bed, I tried again, and this time it worked just fine. I was protected from bad guys for the night.
Until 4:00 am, when a scary loud beeping woke me up. I punched the "I'm home and everything's fine" code, but it wasn't paying any attention to me at all. It just kept beeping while I tried all kinds of combinations of setting the alarm then disarming.
Then after about five or ten endless minutes, it stopped. I went back to bed. I couldn't get to sleep. I finally got up and turned on my computer.
It started beeping again at 4:30 am. I punched buttons again, hoping to shut it off, and then I tried calling the alarm company, but it said it was the customer service number, so I hung up. And then the beeping stopped.
Back to bed. Try to sleep. Start to doze off. Beeping again at 5:00.
This time I called the alarm company and finished listening to the message. It said to hit '4' if it's an emergency. It was for me, so I hit '4.' After giving the secret password and other locater info, I explained to the guy what was happening. He had me try stuff, while the beeping continued, but nothing worked. Then he said he'd have a Tech guy call me.
The beeping stopped by itself again, and a while later a very sleepy-sounding Tech guy called. After I described what had happened, he said that the only fix was to find the main box where the battery is, remove the battery, and unplug the alarm system. Oh. The attic. No. I thanked him, we hung up, and I went back to bed. It beeped at 5:30.
This time, I tried pushing buttons again. No dice. Then I thought of smothering the thing. I grabbed a big, fluffy throw blanket from my room and held it over the buttons in a homicidal embrace. The sound was muffled. Bingo!
I got a broom from the garage and propped up the blanket on the end of the handle, but the broom wanted to slide on the floor. A kitchen chair shoved against the broom kept it and the blanket in place, and I went to bed in peace. I dreamed that my roommate came home, and I told her what happened with the alarm, so she went out to the garage to turn off the circuit breaker to the alarm system, but I noticed my alarm clock start flashing from losing power and having it returned, and I thought that I should get up and reset my clock so I wouldn't be late for work, but I slept...
My alarm clock went off, and I looked at it, and it said 6:06. I thought it would say sometime after midnight from my roommate having flipped the power off... Oh... It was really my roommate's clock going off, because she must have accidentally turned it back on before she left for the airport yesterday. I got up to turn it off and realized the house alarm hadn't beeped at 6:00. So I pulled the blanket away, and it let me disarm it to say I was happily at home and not in danger. Then I went back to bed for another half hour until my clock woke me up to get ready for work.
My lamp and the hallway light were still working and the alarm system was still silent when I left the house this morning.
First, it was the lamp in my room. It's a pole lamp with the main bulb on top, hidden by a nice upward-facing shade, and a reading lamp halfway up the pole, which I keep turned off. The main bulb has been getting dimmer, and I figured that just meant it was close to burning out. That seems to be the way those fluorescent twisty bulbs work. Then, earlier this week, the bulb went out.
No problem. I turned on the reading lamp and made the darkness flee again. But that only lasted about 20 minutes, and then that bulb went black.
So I went outside my room and flipped on the hallway light switch, but nothing happened. I deduced that the circuit breaker must have been tripped. At the box, none of the switches had tripped, not even the one marked "Bedroom lights & outlets." Hmmm... The outlets were working, just not the lights. I gave up and went to bed.
The next morning I put a new bulb in the top socket (it was incandescent, not fluorescent) and tried again. Nothing. Put the old bulb back in and went to work.
After work, when I came home, out of habit I flipped on the light switch in my room. The light came on. I checked the light in the hallway. It was on too. Much happiness!
I ran some errands (turned the lights off when I left), came back, and my lamp was dark again. Hallway too. Later, the lights worked again and have ever since.
Meanwhile, we have an alarm system in the house. Over a month ago, it woke us up in the middle of the night with the slow beeping that tells us the battery is running out of steam. Unfortunately, the battery is in the attic, and neither one of us wants to go up there. Creepy things like spiders probably live up in the attic. Uh-uh. No thanks. Not me. No sir.
But after beeping at us now and then over the course of a week or so, it must have figured we knew already, and it hasn't done that anymore. Instead, this week it decided that it wasn't going to let us set the alarm. It tells us when we open a door (beep, beep, beep), but it's as though the thing doesn't have the strength to go on patrol.
My roommate scheduled the alarm company to come out and check things out, but then the alarm started working again. When it let us set the alarm when we left the house and unset it when we came back home, she canceled the appointment, because it wasn't worth spending the money for something that was working.
Yesterday morning she left for a long weekend visiting family. Shortly after her departure, I tried setting the alarm when I was heading to work, but it wouldn't go into alarm mode. Great! No alarm and no appointment.
Last night before bed, I tried again, and this time it worked just fine. I was protected from bad guys for the night.
Until 4:00 am, when a scary loud beeping woke me up. I punched the "I'm home and everything's fine" code, but it wasn't paying any attention to me at all. It just kept beeping while I tried all kinds of combinations of setting the alarm then disarming.
Then after about five or ten endless minutes, it stopped. I went back to bed. I couldn't get to sleep. I finally got up and turned on my computer.
It started beeping again at 4:30 am. I punched buttons again, hoping to shut it off, and then I tried calling the alarm company, but it said it was the customer service number, so I hung up. And then the beeping stopped.
Back to bed. Try to sleep. Start to doze off. Beeping again at 5:00.
This time I called the alarm company and finished listening to the message. It said to hit '4' if it's an emergency. It was for me, so I hit '4.' After giving the secret password and other locater info, I explained to the guy what was happening. He had me try stuff, while the beeping continued, but nothing worked. Then he said he'd have a Tech guy call me.
The beeping stopped by itself again, and a while later a very sleepy-sounding Tech guy called. After I described what had happened, he said that the only fix was to find the main box where the battery is, remove the battery, and unplug the alarm system. Oh. The attic. No. I thanked him, we hung up, and I went back to bed. It beeped at 5:30.
This time, I tried pushing buttons again. No dice. Then I thought of smothering the thing. I grabbed a big, fluffy throw blanket from my room and held it over the buttons in a homicidal embrace. The sound was muffled. Bingo!
I got a broom from the garage and propped up the blanket on the end of the handle, but the broom wanted to slide on the floor. A kitchen chair shoved against the broom kept it and the blanket in place, and I went to bed in peace. I dreamed that my roommate came home, and I told her what happened with the alarm, so she went out to the garage to turn off the circuit breaker to the alarm system, but I noticed my alarm clock start flashing from losing power and having it returned, and I thought that I should get up and reset my clock so I wouldn't be late for work, but I slept...
My alarm clock went off, and I looked at it, and it said 6:06. I thought it would say sometime after midnight from my roommate having flipped the power off... Oh... It was really my roommate's clock going off, because she must have accidentally turned it back on before she left for the airport yesterday. I got up to turn it off and realized the house alarm hadn't beeped at 6:00. So I pulled the blanket away, and it let me disarm it to say I was happily at home and not in danger. Then I went back to bed for another half hour until my clock woke me up to get ready for work.
My lamp and the hallway light were still working and the alarm system was still silent when I left the house this morning.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
Hanging Out in Texas
I arrived in Cisco Saturday night. It was an uneventful trip until about half an hour before I got there, probably somewhere around Clyde. I was driving about 5 or 6 mph over the limit, when I saw a law enforcement vehicle's lights go on. There was nobody else on the road near me who could have been the target, so I pulled over.
The officer was nice-looking with a strong jawline reminiscent of the evil terminator in Terminator 2. It left me unsure what to expect. He told me I was driving a bit fast and asked me where I was headed, and I said, "Cisco." Then he asked me why I was going there, without conveying any sense of surprise that anyone, especially from California, would choose to go there. I told him, "Family."
He took my license back to his car to check to see if I was a wanted fugitive from the law, then he returned with my license and a small piece of paper. "I'm giving you a warning. There's no cost." I thanked him and drove away at slightly under the limit and then got to my mom's house.
When I told my family about my warning, they all agreed that Clyde's speeding enforcement is brutal, and it's usually the local cops, rather than the state troopers, who are patrolling the interstate in that area. Duly noted for my return trip.
I had expected my arrival at my mom's house to be announced by her little dog Misty, but I managed to get there while Misty was away for her every-other-month grooming. Not long after I arrived, Misty was delivered by her groomer, who lives only a block away from my mom. Small towns sure are different from city living!
Misty had two bows on her head, one of which she lost almost immediately, and a pink and blue bandana around her neck. She started biting on the end of the bandana, and soon it was her newest tug-of-war toy.
Unlike Scooter, who kept my mom and me entertained on our big trip together, Misty doesn't play by herself. Scooter's favorite toy was one of my dad's old socks with a knot in the middle, and he would shake it until it was dead. And then he'd kill it some more. Scooter chewed on balls, but he didn't chase them.
Misty, on the other hand, loves nothing more than to chase a ball and bring it back so you can throw it again for her. She allows the variety of occasionally playing tug of war with her rope or her grooming scarf. This is Misty:
And here she is in the back yard yesterday morning, when I was trying to wear her out so she'd be calm in the house (she still, at just over a year old, has puppy levels of energy and relentlessness). Going for a catch:
Successful capture of prey:
Coming back for more:
My efforts were rewarded when Misty took the ball with her through the doggie door, dropped it on the kitchen floor, and drank lots of water. Then she found a spot in the living room to take a nap.
I was without internet access for over a day, because my mom's modem konked out since the last time I was here, and she had a new one with a new secret code that nobody knew. Only my nephew, who is the computer guy of the family, knew what the code was because he set it up, and he couldn't come over right away to give his sister and me access to the wireless. We're good to go, now.
Yesterday, my mom and I went over to Eastland to get groceries at Wal-Mart. The countryside around Cisco is mostly flat with occasional slightly rolling hills. Here are a couple shots from road to Eastland:
Once we got to Wal-Mart, we spotted this truck parked near us, and I snapped a picture right when the owner was coming back. "You like my truck?" she asked. We chatted for a bit.
Yes, I like her truck.
I also like how friendly people are here, although I can hear myself starting to drawl a little. It's one of the hazards of coming to visit Texas.
This morning, we had planned to drive to Abilene to go to Target and maybe Best Buy, but the new day gave us rain sent by Tropical Storm Hermine. The rain should clear up by Thursday, so we'll go then.
For the next couple days, I'll just be hanging out with family. My nephew (the computer guy) will be coming tonight with his wife and little daughter (who won't be nearly as little as she was the last time I saw her). And so far we have no plans for tomorrow. That's the way I like it on vacation.
The officer was nice-looking with a strong jawline reminiscent of the evil terminator in Terminator 2. It left me unsure what to expect. He told me I was driving a bit fast and asked me where I was headed, and I said, "Cisco." Then he asked me why I was going there, without conveying any sense of surprise that anyone, especially from California, would choose to go there. I told him, "Family."
He took my license back to his car to check to see if I was a wanted fugitive from the law, then he returned with my license and a small piece of paper. "I'm giving you a warning. There's no cost." I thanked him and drove away at slightly under the limit and then got to my mom's house.
When I told my family about my warning, they all agreed that Clyde's speeding enforcement is brutal, and it's usually the local cops, rather than the state troopers, who are patrolling the interstate in that area. Duly noted for my return trip.
I had expected my arrival at my mom's house to be announced by her little dog Misty, but I managed to get there while Misty was away for her every-other-month grooming. Not long after I arrived, Misty was delivered by her groomer, who lives only a block away from my mom. Small towns sure are different from city living!
Misty had two bows on her head, one of which she lost almost immediately, and a pink and blue bandana around her neck. She started biting on the end of the bandana, and soon it was her newest tug-of-war toy.
Unlike Scooter, who kept my mom and me entertained on our big trip together, Misty doesn't play by herself. Scooter's favorite toy was one of my dad's old socks with a knot in the middle, and he would shake it until it was dead. And then he'd kill it some more. Scooter chewed on balls, but he didn't chase them.
Misty, on the other hand, loves nothing more than to chase a ball and bring it back so you can throw it again for her. She allows the variety of occasionally playing tug of war with her rope or her grooming scarf. This is Misty:
And here she is in the back yard yesterday morning, when I was trying to wear her out so she'd be calm in the house (she still, at just over a year old, has puppy levels of energy and relentlessness). Going for a catch:
Successful capture of prey:
Coming back for more:
My efforts were rewarded when Misty took the ball with her through the doggie door, dropped it on the kitchen floor, and drank lots of water. Then she found a spot in the living room to take a nap.
I was without internet access for over a day, because my mom's modem konked out since the last time I was here, and she had a new one with a new secret code that nobody knew. Only my nephew, who is the computer guy of the family, knew what the code was because he set it up, and he couldn't come over right away to give his sister and me access to the wireless. We're good to go, now.
Yesterday, my mom and I went over to Eastland to get groceries at Wal-Mart. The countryside around Cisco is mostly flat with occasional slightly rolling hills. Here are a couple shots from road to Eastland:
Once we got to Wal-Mart, we spotted this truck parked near us, and I snapped a picture right when the owner was coming back. "You like my truck?" she asked. We chatted for a bit.
Yes, I like her truck.
I also like how friendly people are here, although I can hear myself starting to drawl a little. It's one of the hazards of coming to visit Texas.
This morning, we had planned to drive to Abilene to go to Target and maybe Best Buy, but the new day gave us rain sent by Tropical Storm Hermine. The rain should clear up by Thursday, so we'll go then.
For the next couple days, I'll just be hanging out with family. My nephew (the computer guy) will be coming tonight with his wife and little daughter (who won't be nearly as little as she was the last time I saw her). And so far we have no plans for tomorrow. That's the way I like it on vacation.
Friday, September 03, 2010
Halfway There
I made it to Deming, New Mexico about 8:30 local time tonight. I had forgotten about the time change I'd have at the New Mexico border, making it an hour later. That'll happen again tomorrow when I get past El Paso, Texas.
It was eleventy-one (111°) when I was outside waiting in line for the lone restroom at a gas station someplace beyond Yuma. And no, Bekah, I didn't sweat. Not at all. That's why it's called a dry heat.
When I was driving along the stretch of road between Gila Bend and Casa Grande, the place where the smuggler warning signs are supposed to be, my car said it was 116° outside. I didn't see the smuggler signs, but I did see an actual "Miss Me Yet?" sign with GW Bush on it, and right after it was a sign with Reagan's picture and the message, "Remember real Hope and Change?"
Not far from there was a yellow diamond warning sign that said, "Do Not Follow Trucks." I have no idea what that was about.
I had brought snacks with me, so I wouldn't have to stop for food too much and could make good time. But when the temperature outside was 116° and the sign for Dairy Queen magically appeared up ahead, I made a decision to splurge. When I pulled off the interstate, I recognized the exit as the one by Picacho Peak, where my mom and I waited for AAA to come and replace the motorhome tire that blew out on our trip. I ate a chocolate-dipped cone, refilled my water bottle, and hit the road again.
Just as a note, the gas prices in Arizona are about 30¢ cheaper than in California. I should drive to Arizona to buy gas more often...
It was eleventy-one (111°) when I was outside waiting in line for the lone restroom at a gas station someplace beyond Yuma. And no, Bekah, I didn't sweat. Not at all. That's why it's called a dry heat.
When I was driving along the stretch of road between Gila Bend and Casa Grande, the place where the smuggler warning signs are supposed to be, my car said it was 116° outside. I didn't see the smuggler signs, but I did see an actual "Miss Me Yet?" sign with GW Bush on it, and right after it was a sign with Reagan's picture and the message, "Remember real Hope and Change?"
Not far from there was a yellow diamond warning sign that said, "Do Not Follow Trucks." I have no idea what that was about.
I had brought snacks with me, so I wouldn't have to stop for food too much and could make good time. But when the temperature outside was 116° and the sign for Dairy Queen magically appeared up ahead, I made a decision to splurge. When I pulled off the interstate, I recognized the exit as the one by Picacho Peak, where my mom and I waited for AAA to come and replace the motorhome tire that blew out on our trip. I ate a chocolate-dipped cone, refilled my water bottle, and hit the road again.
Just as a note, the gas prices in Arizona are about 30¢ cheaper than in California. I should drive to Arizona to buy gas more often...
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Vacation Coming!
I'm getting my ducks in a row, getting ready for vacation.
Tomorrow morning I leave for Texas to visit my mom and my sister. It's a two-day drive if I can get at least as far as Deming, New Mexico, which is within ten minutes of the half-way point.
Yesterday I checked the weather reports, only to discover that tomorrow will be Phoenix's hottest day (107º) of the next 10 days. My route takes me near Phoenix without hitting any of the city's normal traffic. Depending on the time I go through there, I could hit some Labor Day weekend traffic leaving the city, so I'll try to drag myself out of bed earlier than I want to.
The weather report for Cisco says that I'll be there in time to enjoy thunderstorms. I'm sure that means I may learn how to read all those satellite images on the Weather Channel. People in Texas like that channel. People in California barely know it exists.
Another fascinating development in my vacation preparation came in the form of a news item I saw at Michelle Malkin's blog. It seems the Obama administration's answer to border security is to post signs warning the gringos that Arizona isn't safe.
The federal government has posted signs along a major interstate highway in Arizona, more than 100 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border, warning travelers the area is unsafe because of drug and alien smugglers, and a local sheriff says Mexican drug cartels now control some parts of the state.
The signs were posted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) along a 60-mile stretch of Interstate 8 between Casa Grande and Gila Bend, a major east-west corridor linking Tucson and Phoenix with San Diego.
They warn travelers that they are entering an "active drug and human smuggling area" and they may encounter "armed criminals and smuggling vehicles traveling at high rates of speed." Beginning less than 50 miles south of Phoenix, the signs encourage travelers to "use public lands north of Interstate 8" and to call 911 if they "see suspicious activity."
Perfect! That's where I'll be driving at 107º tomorrow. I'll have to look for the signs.
But once I get to Texas, I'll have fun. And the fun starts just east of El Paso, where the posted speed limit is 80 mph. Love it! Then, when I get to my mom's house, I get to meet her new little dog Misty. (My mom had to put Scooter down a while ago - He had liver cancer.) I've heard Misty already, because when I call my mom, Misty starts barking to say, "Hey! You stopped paying attention to me!"
When I come back, I'll be bringing my telescope with me. I didn't have enough room for it in my car when I came home from The Trip with my mom.
So tonight is serious packing, followed by serious sleeping, followed tomorrow by serious driving. I have some books on tape checked out from the library to keep me company. Life is good!
Monday, August 30, 2010
A Classic
I think I might be getting old.
This brings back fond memories of going to the movies when I was in high school:
This brings back fond memories of going to the movies when I was in high school:
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Abusive Behavior (Updated)
It's hard to know exactly what's going on. A month ago, I fell down and hurt my knees. Those injuries have healed now, except for a few spots that are still a bit pink. I was able to get back to praying on my knees within a few days of the Shameful Incident, and I wore my jeans to work that Friday (and every Friday since) without any pain to my band-aid covered wounds.
I had even begun to believe that perhaps the SI was just a strange aberration, a freak of nature that randomly struck an otherwise steady person.
I was deluded.
Last night, my daughter and a friend of hers and mine came over to play games. I went into my roommate's room (she was out for the evening), where the games were, and turned on her light so I could read the names of the games. After calling out the names, we decided to watch movies instead, and I walked toward the bedroom door. As I did, the door to one of the under-the-bed compartments was slightly open, and I walked right into the top corner, which smacked my kneecap and then banged into the fleshy part below it.
I said, "Damn it!" about five times, with the last one properly spelled in all caps, and this alarmed my daughter, who knows that I don't swear unless I'm really hurt.
She came in the room, and I pulled up my sweats to inspect my knee and check for bleeding. Swelling had already started, but I didn't see blood. She did, though, and mentioned it, and on my second look, I could see one wide drop trying to form.
I washed it, dried it, and applied a band-aid. Then I grabbed the gel pack out of the freezer (I got it from my chiropractor to use on my back when I feel a twinge) and put it on my knee for a while.
The ice didn't help much, and all night my knee had the look of a beluga whale with its bulging forehead. The swelling was about the size of a plum that had been cut in half and attached under the kneecap. I iced it several times while we watched Camille and then the Brothers Bloom.
At one point during the movie-watching, I glanced into my roomie's room and saw that the very door which had attacked me, AND WHICH I HAD CLOSED, was open again, waiting for another victim!
I gave it no quarter. Throwing off my ice pack, I went into the room and rearranged the stuff in the compartment until the evil door acknowledged that I was boss and stayed shut.
By this morning the swelling was down to the size of a large apricot. It doesn't look like there will be any lasting effects, but I can't help but wonder what is going on in me that my walking has suddenly become a danger to my knees.
Maybe I should consider attaching curb feelers to my lower legs as a protective measure...
Update (8/30/10, lunchtime):
I mentioned my new injury to my boss, and I told her I need curb feelers. She suggested rubber pads.
In retrospect, I think this is what she had in mind:
But this is what I thought of when she said it:
One on each knee. It'll look great with a dress.
I had even begun to believe that perhaps the SI was just a strange aberration, a freak of nature that randomly struck an otherwise steady person.
I was deluded.
Last night, my daughter and a friend of hers and mine came over to play games. I went into my roommate's room (she was out for the evening), where the games were, and turned on her light so I could read the names of the games. After calling out the names, we decided to watch movies instead, and I walked toward the bedroom door. As I did, the door to one of the under-the-bed compartments was slightly open, and I walked right into the top corner, which smacked my kneecap and then banged into the fleshy part below it.
I said, "Damn it!" about five times, with the last one properly spelled in all caps, and this alarmed my daughter, who knows that I don't swear unless I'm really hurt.
She came in the room, and I pulled up my sweats to inspect my knee and check for bleeding. Swelling had already started, but I didn't see blood. She did, though, and mentioned it, and on my second look, I could see one wide drop trying to form.
I washed it, dried it, and applied a band-aid. Then I grabbed the gel pack out of the freezer (I got it from my chiropractor to use on my back when I feel a twinge) and put it on my knee for a while.
The ice didn't help much, and all night my knee had the look of a beluga whale with its bulging forehead. The swelling was about the size of a plum that had been cut in half and attached under the kneecap. I iced it several times while we watched Camille and then the Brothers Bloom.
At one point during the movie-watching, I glanced into my roomie's room and saw that the very door which had attacked me, AND WHICH I HAD CLOSED, was open again, waiting for another victim!
I gave it no quarter. Throwing off my ice pack, I went into the room and rearranged the stuff in the compartment until the evil door acknowledged that I was boss and stayed shut.
By this morning the swelling was down to the size of a large apricot. It doesn't look like there will be any lasting effects, but I can't help but wonder what is going on in me that my walking has suddenly become a danger to my knees.
Maybe I should consider attaching curb feelers to my lower legs as a protective measure...
Update (8/30/10, lunchtime):
I mentioned my new injury to my boss, and I told her I need curb feelers. She suggested rubber pads.
In retrospect, I think this is what she had in mind:
But this is what I thought of when she said it:
One on each knee. It'll look great with a dress.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Zebras on the Loose
KGW News reported today about two zebras who got loose in Northern California. (Slideshow here.)
A pair of zebras on the way to Oregon got loose in traffic on a busy California road and it took hours to capture them.
The zebras were getting loaded into a horse trailer in Carmichael, Calif., a small suburb east of Sacramento, when two dogs apparently spooked them and sent them running in opposite directions. Much of the scramble was caught on camera.
Authorities said the zebras darted in and out of traffic and one of them was hit by a car but continued to run. Confused residents reported zebra sightings throughout the downtown area for next five hours.
Both were eventually caught and the animal that was struck by the car was checked over by a veterinarian and given a clear bill of health with just one superficial cut. The second zebra was found in the pool of an apartment complex.
Their owner, Michael Mastagni, was able to finally load the animals onto the trailer and transported his entire herd of seven zebras, including the two runaways, to the ranch in Bly, Ore., on Sunday.
I love that one of them found its way to a pool. It is summertime, after all...
A pair of zebras on the way to Oregon got loose in traffic on a busy California road and it took hours to capture them.
The zebras were getting loaded into a horse trailer in Carmichael, Calif., a small suburb east of Sacramento, when two dogs apparently spooked them and sent them running in opposite directions. Much of the scramble was caught on camera.
Authorities said the zebras darted in and out of traffic and one of them was hit by a car but continued to run. Confused residents reported zebra sightings throughout the downtown area for next five hours.
Both were eventually caught and the animal that was struck by the car was checked over by a veterinarian and given a clear bill of health with just one superficial cut. The second zebra was found in the pool of an apartment complex.
Their owner, Michael Mastagni, was able to finally load the animals onto the trailer and transported his entire herd of seven zebras, including the two runaways, to the ranch in Bly, Ore., on Sunday.
I love that one of them found its way to a pool. It is summertime, after all...
Friday, August 13, 2010
Dereliction of Duty by ICE
Power Line reported Wednesday on a vote by the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council of the American Federation of Government Employees, the union that represents ICE agents and employees. The rank and file unanimously passed a vote of no confidence in the agency's leadership.
Did you get that? The vote was unanimous. Every single person voted against the leadership.
The union "stated that ICE has 'abandoned' its core mission of protecting the public to support a political agenda favoring amnesty. "
The union denounced John Morton, who heads ICE, and Phyllis Coven, assistant director for the agency's office of detention policy and planning. It stated that the integrity of the agency "as well as the public safety" would be "better provided for in the absence of Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven."
Among the other points unanimously agreed to are these:
• The majority of ICE's enforcement and removal officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing U.S. immigration laws outside of the jail setting.
• Hundreds of ICE officers nationwide perform no law enforcement duties whatsoever because of resource mismanagement within the agency.
• ICE detention reforms have transformed into a detention system aimed at providing resortlike living conditions to criminal aliens based on recommendations not from ICE officers and field managers, but from "special-interest groups."
• The lack of technical expertise and field experience has resulted in a priority of providing bingo nights, dance lessons and hanging plants to criminals, instead of addressing safe and responsible detention reforms for noncriminal individuals and families.
• Unlike any other agency in the nation, ICE officers will be prevented from searching detainees housed in ICE facilities, allowing weapons, drugs and other contraband into detention centers -- putting detainees, ICE officers and contract guards at risk.
• Senior leadership ignores reports that ICE internal investigations by the office of professional responsibility conceal agency and supervisor misconduct and are used to retaliate against employees who make whistleblower-type disclosures or question inappropriate policies and procedures.
As Paul Mirengoff, the Power Line writer, says, imagine if this vote had happened during the Bush administration. Imagine if it was only a handful of ICE agents voting against Bush's ICE leadership. Every single paper and every single left-leaning news outlet would be trumpeting the news 24/7.
But under Obama, it's only the right-leaning Washington Times that ran the story.
Did you get that? The vote was unanimous. Every single person voted against the leadership.
The union "stated that ICE has 'abandoned' its core mission of protecting the public to support a political agenda favoring amnesty. "
The union denounced John Morton, who heads ICE, and Phyllis Coven, assistant director for the agency's office of detention policy and planning. It stated that the integrity of the agency "as well as the public safety" would be "better provided for in the absence of Director Morton and Assistant Director Coven."
Among the other points unanimously agreed to are these:
• The majority of ICE's enforcement and removal officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing U.S. immigration laws outside of the jail setting.
• Hundreds of ICE officers nationwide perform no law enforcement duties whatsoever because of resource mismanagement within the agency.
• ICE detention reforms have transformed into a detention system aimed at providing resortlike living conditions to criminal aliens based on recommendations not from ICE officers and field managers, but from "special-interest groups."
• The lack of technical expertise and field experience has resulted in a priority of providing bingo nights, dance lessons and hanging plants to criminals, instead of addressing safe and responsible detention reforms for noncriminal individuals and families.
• Unlike any other agency in the nation, ICE officers will be prevented from searching detainees housed in ICE facilities, allowing weapons, drugs and other contraband into detention centers -- putting detainees, ICE officers and contract guards at risk.
• Senior leadership ignores reports that ICE internal investigations by the office of professional responsibility conceal agency and supervisor misconduct and are used to retaliate against employees who make whistleblower-type disclosures or question inappropriate policies and procedures.
As Paul Mirengoff, the Power Line writer, says, imagine if this vote had happened during the Bush administration. Imagine if it was only a handful of ICE agents voting against Bush's ICE leadership. Every single paper and every single left-leaning news outlet would be trumpeting the news 24/7.
But under Obama, it's only the right-leaning Washington Times that ran the story.
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