THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH

First .. the email.  I reviewed a couple of pages of emails from listeners this morning.  Truth be told, I didn't find one single email from anyone who actually liked the president's speech last night. (transcript & video)  I just checked again as I was writing this paragraph ... still not one positive comment.

Well ... as it happens, I thought that the speech went rather well, though I don't particularly agree with all of the steps the president wants to take.  My main point of contention with Bush is that he says that any immigration bill or immigration reform right now has to be "comprehensive."  By that Bush means that we have to have a bill that both deals with the porous border between the U.S. and Mexico, and deals with the 12 million invaders who are here already. 

Nonsense.

Nowhere is it written that both issues have to be tackled at the same time.  Here's an analogy.  Let's say that you have some pipes burst in your house.  You wake up in the middle of the night to hear water flowing out of the ceiling onto your furniture, your carpeting ... everywhere.  Now you have two problems here.  One is how to stop the water.  The other problem is how you're going to fix up the damage the water has already done.  So ... are you going to sit there and tell me that you just can't go outside and turn off the water until after you've decided which pieces of furniture you're going to save, and which you're going to throw away and how you're going to clean the carpeting and fix the rest of the water damage?  Pardon me, but only a complete idiot would take that approach.  Your first step is going to be to run to the water shut-off valve for the entire house and stop the flow of water!  Then, and only then, will you start to worry about how to clean up the mess.

Well ... not President Bush!  Oh .. and not the Democrats in the Senate either!  They don't want the flow of water shut off until you have developed a detailed plan on just what you're going to save, what you're going to throw away, and how you're going to fix the rest of the damage.  This is pure idiocy!  The only people who could benefit from a plan like this are those who get paid to clean up the mess!

Bush's plan for comprehensive immigration reform has five elements. 

1. First ... he says that the U.S. must secure its borders.  This is his offering to the 8 out of 10 Americans who want the invasion to stop ... now!  And that includes a majority of Hispanics living legally in this country.  Bush says he will deploy up to 6000 members will be deployed, but they'll generally be pushing pencils and buttons, and not involved in direct law enforcement duties.  Bush says that the U.S. is not going to militarize the southern border and that Mexico is our friend.  Sorry .. this invasion is being promoted by the Mexican government.  Any government that promotes an invasion of our country is not our friend.  By the way, does anyone remember Vicente Fox ever saying that it is wrong for some of these gate-crashers to call themselves "reconquistadores" and that Mexico does not, in fact, place any claim on Los Angeles?
    
2. Bush wants to create a temporary worker program.  He says he wants to create a legal path for foreign workers to enter our country in an orderly way for a limited period of time.  Temporary workers must return to their homelands at the end of their stay.  First of all, I'm not convinced that a temporary worker program is necessary ... but if one is needed, permission to enter this country to participate in this program should  be granted to those who have played by the rules, not those who have broken the law by coming here uninvited.  There are millions of Mexicans who are waiting patiently for their approval to enter this country.  Give them precedence.  Those that are here should be required to register for the temporary worker program IN MEXICO!
    
3. Bush wants to hold employers to account for the workers they hire.  Yeah?  Let's see how harsh the penalties will be.  He wants a new ID card for every legal foreign worker. Good idea.  Here's a better one.  Those ID cards can ONLY be issued by American embassies and consulates outside of this country.
    
4. The president says that we need to face the reality that millions are here already.  Face the reality?  Does he think that we somehow missed those threatening marches with all of those Mexican flags waving a few weeks back?  Bush says that they should not be given an automatic path to citizenship, that this would be amnesty.  Sorry ... allowing them to stay here is amnesty.  Giving them an automatic path to citizenship would be something much worse than amnesty.  How about a nice slap in the face to every single immigrant in this country who played by the rules to get here?  He says that deportation is not wise or realistic.  Sure, it would be wise .. but it would be unrealistic.  Any attempt to deport 12 million illegals would be met with violence.  There is a way.  Look to yesterday's Nealz Nuze.  Bush also says that we should recognize the differences between illegals who crossed border recently and the ones who have been here for many years.  Yeah .. I can see the difference.  Those who have been here for many years just have been getting away with it longer.   Bush says that his plan is not amnesty.  Sorry, Mr. President, it most certainly is.  When you do not punish those who have violated the law, when you legitimize them .. that's amnesty. 
    
5. Bush then said that we should honor American tradition of the melting pot.  Good words.  There is also an American tradition of legal immigration.  How about honoring that tradition also! 

A few more points:

Georgia Republican Senator Johnny Isakson is said to be ready to introduce an amendment to any immigration reform bill that would require that the Department of Homeland Security certify that our borders are secure before a guest worker program can be instituted.  Pundits say that this would chase the Democrats away. Why?  This one is easy.  It's because Democrats don't want secure borders.  Democrats see the invasion force as a ready source of future Democratic votes.

Now ... as for the guest worker program.  This idea is certainly not original with me, but I have presented it here before.  There is a way to insure that anyone in this country to participate in such a guest worker program would not stay here once their time is up.  It's really very simple.  You don't pay them.  You pay the agency that arranged for them to be here.  When their time is up, the money is gone. 

Here .. let me explain.  There is necessarily going to be some government involvement in this program, but we can keep it to a minimum.  You set up some employment agencies that specialize in obtaining Mexican guest workers for U.S. businesses that need the extra or seasonal help.  These employment agencies are hired by and paid by the private businesses who need the workers.  They obtain the workers from Mexico and provide for their transportation to their place of employment in the U.S.  The employer pays the agency for the workers, and then the agency pays the workers.  When the temporary guest worker assignment is over, the employer stops payment to the agencies and the money to the guest worker dries up.  We would need harsh -- extremely harsh -- penalties for any employer that tries to pay a guest worker directly.  Under this system the agencies are responsible for transportation to and from the U.S. and making sure the workers get paid.  These agencies, of course, would work under strict federal regulatory supervision.

The key to this ... and the key to removing any suggestion of amnesty ... is that all guest workers in this country must sign up for the program in their home country, not here.  All ID cards for guest workers must be issued ONLY in that worker's country.  If you want American dinero, you go home to sign up.  For the rest who chose to stay here ... yank out the welcome mat.

No ... I don't want to run for president.

ROVE BLAMES WAR FOR LOW POLLS

Karl Rove, the president's political adviser said yesterday that the cause of President Bush's low poll numbers was the war in Iraq.  He said people generally liked the president, but just had gone sour on the war.  Oh really?

A quick scan of the transcript from President Bush's prime time speech last night reveals hardly any mention of Iraq.  It was all about the problem of illegal immigration.  If Iraq was the reason for the low poll numbers, why was last night's speech all about border security?

That's because there's more to the 30% approval ratings than the war in Iraq.  There's the illegal alien invasion...there's the ever-expanding by leaps and bounds size of the federal government.  There's the problem of high gas prices and our dependency on foreign oil. 

The war in Iraq has been going on now for over 3 years...and Bush was re-elected right in the middle of it.  There's more to his low poll numbers than the war, no matter what Karl Rove likes to tell himself.

CNN'S LATEST 'MISTAKE'

This is getting to be a regular thing over at CNN.  Last night, CNN went to President Bush for his speech...but wait, it wasn't his speech. (video)  The president got a bad cue from the NBC pool cameras.  The video they aired was 16 seconds long...just enough to embarrass George W. Bush.  CNN called it a mistake.  Sure it was.  Not one other cable or broadcast news channel aired this false start ... but CNN did.  Can you see where this might  lead people to one conclusion: somebody at CNN did it on purpose.  Of course, they've done stuff like this before...remember the black X over Cheney's face during a speech he gave?

Then again .. it could just be a lack of skill in the control room.  Good help is hard to find these days.

THE DAVINCI CODE EMAIL

I've said this many times before ... so why not go ahead and say it again.  In my 37 years of experience in doing talk radio shows there is nothing --- not one thing --- that I have seen or experienced that can compare to the viciousness of letters and emails that come from people who hold themselves up to be Christians when they think I've done something to question their religious beliefs.  Death threats, nasty comments about my family, threats of hellfire and damnation --- it's all there in those emails I've received from these devout, and apparently very frightened, people.  Well ... yesterday I mentioned that I am reading The DaVinci Code.  You would have thought that I had said that Jesus Christ was a con man ... the email erupted instantly.  I am truly sorry that I didn't save it to post here, but I was reading it on the air --- and they are automatically deleted as I scroll through.  One did escape the purge however, and I share it with you here.  Believe me, Charles Hendrix was milder than most:

I finally turned you off after you repeatedly attacked Christ, the Bible, and Christianity in general. It will be a long, long time before I'll bother to listen to you again. You are obviously a very confused person.       Charles Hendrix

I also saved one from Robert Kincl:

I truly enjoy your perspectives concerning American and other cultures.  Today, you spoke of the Da Vinci Code.  I did not appreciate your unwarranted attack upon the Catholic Church.  You really seem to have an anti-Catholic attitude. Robert Kincl

Oh ... so now I'm "anti-Catholic" because I'm reading the DaVinci Code?  Seems like some nerves are a little frayed out there.  If anything will make me "anti-Catholic," as Mr. Kincl charges, it will be The Vatican taking up the cause espoused by some Cardinals that Dan Brown, the publisher of the book, and the producers of the movie ought to be sued.  When the Catholic Church starts attacking freedom of speech and expression I will indeed become anti-Catholic. 

There were several emails like this one:

I've only two words to say about the DaVinci Code (and yes, I've read it) - It's FICTION!    Beth Taylor

Well ... there's a nice little dodge around the issue.  Sure, the main characters are fictional, and the narrative is a fictional one, but dismissing The DaVinci Code by simply stating that "it's fiction" is like trying to disclaim World War II and the actions of the Third Reich by saying that Hogan's Heroes is fiction.  

Get a grip, folks.  Why do you have to go so far out of your way to prove how intolerant and, yes, ignorant you are every time you hear me say something that causes you a bit of unease? 

AND WHILE WE'RE SPEAKING OF EMAIL

Just a few more to share with you.  Some good, some bad:

Every day you sit around and just bash Bushes all of your ideas on immigration are unrealistic as most of your ideas. You start shooting off your mouth and writing stuff on your web site  before the guy even makes a speech how bad is going to be. You are just a Bush bash-er.  You write some little tax book which wasn't even your idea and you will not even show up at a rally unless there are thousands of people there saying Neal you are so wonderful thank you, oh thank you. Give me a break! If this tax plan is so great why do you run for office and get it passed. Until you start doing some thing you will be nothing but a Bush bash-er.  Tom Pfieffer

Well!  Now I'm a Bush "bash-er!"  Mr. Pfieffer's email goes to prove my assertion that you seldom get any comment worthy of serious consideration from someone who uses the word "bash" or a derivative thereof in their missive.  The same goes for "neo-con" and "progressive."

Welcome to Cape Cod.  After listening to your broadcast for a few mornings I want to say welcome. Your brand of political savy and humor is a nice change on my radio.  I will be listening most mornings.  Bill Imlach          

Well thank you, Mr. Imlach.  We're proud to be on the air in Cape Cod.  We know that some listeners were upset that the G-Man is now no longer part of the lineup, but after they get over the initial shock we think we'll get more emails like yours!

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

Rednecks sure know how to arrive in style.  More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

News Flash!  The Islamic terrorists were only 32% responsible for the 1993 attempt to destroy the World Trade Towers in New York!  You remember that terrorist attack, don't you?  That's the one where Bill Clinton was so un-concerned that he didn't even visit New York to survey the damage.

Three cheers for the Minnesota Senate:  legislators there have approved a bill dramatically curtailing the ability of government to steal private property through eminent domain.  A House vote is expected soon, and the governor supports the plan.  49 more states to go!

1....of course, is people talking on cell phones. #2 is slow drivers in the

fast lane.  Now we're talking.

This is nice to know.  The Senate immigration bill currently being kicked around would allow 193 million new legal immigrants over the next 20 years.  That's more than 60% of the whole US population right now. 

Debra Saunders comes out swinging against Bush's proposal to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the border.  She calls the whole thing an insult, and says it's a shoddy way to treat troops worn out from Iraq and Katrina duty.

So now we've had a third indictment in the Duke rape case...and Thomas Sowell is following the whole thing closely.  He calls the decision by the DA to delay the trial for a year the real smoking gun.

Karl Rove made a speech the other day at the American Enterprise Institute and here is a transcript.  Rove talked about the strength of the economy during his bosses' year in office.

Professor Mike Adams has been taking on Bucknell University and as a result, the hate mail has begun to flow.  Today's column focuses on one such letter.

Morale is slipping in Iraq, but not among the American troops there.  Cal Thomas reports the real truth in Baghdad, which is that the insurgents are facing hard times.

Christopher Hitchens has a great idea.  He says President Bush should reply to the president of Iran's letter....but by speaking directly to the Iranian people.  That would be something.

See, The FairTax Book debuted at number three on the NY Times Best Sellers list for Paperback Nonfiction!

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