Mexican Legislators Complain About Immigration Laws

...at a press conference in freaking Arizona:

A delegation of nine state legislators from Sonora was in Tucson on Tuesday to
say Arizona's new employer sanctions law will have a devastating effect on the
Mexican state.

I am so blown away by this I can scarcely form the fucking words. Although I find the illegal aliens' sense of entitlement here in the U.S. galling as hell, for members of the Mexican government to openly display the same mindset is just appalling.

Here's my favorite quote:

"Mexico is not prepared for this, for the tremendous problems" it will face as more and more Mexicans working in Arizona and sending money to their families return to hometowns in Sonora without jobs, [Representative Leticia Amparano Gomez] said.

Boo hoo, Ms. Gomez.

Boo hoo.

The Amnesty Bill Lives On

Here we go again.

Key senators tentatively agreed on a plan to revive a stalled immigration bill on Thursday, aided by President Bush's support for a quick $4.4 billion aimed at "securing our borders and enforcing our laws at the work site."

Most opponents of the bill view this latest move as a last ditch attempt to prove their enforcement chops. But Senator Jim DeMint points out the elephant in the room (and it sure ain't a Republican!):

"I appreciate the effort to fund border security, but there's simply no reason why we should be forced to tie amnesty to it. If the administration was serious about fulfilling the border security promises, then this funding should have been supported all along, not offered at the last minute to attract votes to a bad bill."

It's hard to argue with that. Besides, it seems we've been down this road before.

Paris Goes Back To Jail

Judge Michael Sauer ordered Hilton back to jail to serve the rest of her 45 day sentence.

Screaming and crying, Paris Hilton was escorted from a courtroom and sent back to jail Friday after a judge ruled that she must serve out her entire 45-day sentence behind bars rather than in her Hollywood Hills home.

Although there had been some rumblings about holding Sheriff Lee Baca in contempt of court for releasing Hilton early, Judge Sauer took no action on that issue.

Hilton's attorneys also asked the judge to hear testimony about her medical condition; Sauer also took no action on this request.

The judge interrupted several times to say that he had received a call last Wednesday from an undersheriff informing him that Hilton had a medical condition and that he would submit papers to the judge to consider. He said the papers never arrived.

Every few minutes, the judge would interrupt proceedings, state the time on the clock, and note that the papers still had not arrived.

Hilton's family are currently preparing an appeal to the decision, which should be filed either today or Monday.

For now, though, Paris Hilton is now back in her cell.

Not So Fast, Paris Hilton!

I know I said I was through posting about Paris, but this is huge! If she didn't have a breakdown before, our girl probably will now!

Paris may be headed back to jail after only being out less than a day!

Hours after Paris Hilton was sent home under house arrest Thursday, the judge who put her in jail ordered her into court to determine whether she should be put back behind bars. Hilton must report to court at 9 a.m. Friday, Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini told The Associated Press.

So, I guess outrage wasn't limited only to the unwashed masses who could never score similar leniency in a million years. I am, however, honestly surprised that someone is doing something about it.

Kathy Hilton must be apoplectic over this latest abuse of taxpayer funds.

If that wasn't enough, the city attorney is also talking about having Sheriff Lee Baca, the one who authorized Paris' release, held in contempt.

UPDATE: TMZ.com is reporting that L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has filed a motion requesting that Paris Hilton be returned to jail to serve her full sentence. In addition,

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is also asking Judge Michael Sauer to hold a hearing, demanding that the Sheriff's Department show why it should not be held in contempt of court for violating Judge Sauer's May 4, 2007 order, which expressly stated "no electronic monitoring."

One question - by "full sentence" is Delgadillo refering to the 23 days or to the full 45 days she was originally sentenced to? Since he's appealing to the judge that sentenced Paris and has jurisdiction over her case, I'm guessing it's the 23 days.

Absolutely The Last Paris Hilton Post!

Barring any more monumental outrages on her part.

I just saw this posted on Perez Hilton's website. Face it America, Paris is laughing at you...

"I want to thank the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and staff of the Century Regional Detention Center for treating me fairly and professionally. I am going to serve the remaining 40 days of my sentence. I have learned a great deal from this ordeal and hope that others have learned from my mistakes."

To quote one commenter on Perez's site: "What a pile of shit!"

According to Michael Ventre at MSNBC, Paris' early release sets a horrible precedent. Gee, ya think?


Ok, so TMZ.com is ground central for all things Paris. Among other things:

L.A. City Attorney "extremely troubled" by Paris' early release:

My office was not advised of this action. We learned of it this morning through news reports, just like everyone else. Had we been provided with the proper notification, we would have opposed the decision on legal grounds.

Hey, better late than never, right?


L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe uses the words "Paris" and "load of crap" in the same sentence.


And finally, Paris' "medical condition" is revealed to be mental, not physical:

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Paris Hilton's medical condition was purely psychological and that she was in peril of having a nervous breakdown, and that's why she was released early this morning.

So the bad news is, it was all in Paris' head. The good news, I guess, is at least she's got something floating around in there.

Famous Last Words

"...I feel like the media portrays me in a way that I'm not and that's why I wanted to go to county, to show that I can do it and I'm going to be treated like everyone else. I'm going to do the time, I'm going to do it the right way."

Paris Hilton
Formerly Inmate #9818783

Yeah, that worked out real well!

Paris Hilton Jail Watch - Day 3

Well, that didn't take long.

After serving only three days behind bars, Paris Hilton was released from jail early Thursday, partly due to "medical" reasons — but she has been fitted with an ankle bracelet and must remain confined to her home for 40 days, according to sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore.

The spokesman wouldn't say what the medical reasons were, citing privacy issues. However,

there have been reports of Paris crying after visits by her therapist and her refusal to eat most of the prison food.

I suppose a potential emotional breakdown might be considered a reason to get out of jail early...if, you know, you throw that whole "jail-as-punishment" thing out the window. But refusing to eat? This is California - I thought starvation was "in" with all the Hollywood It Girls.

So, as a result of her undisclosed medical issues, Paris' "punishment" will now be a whopping 40 days of house confinement. Ah, but what house? Perhaps some crack house on the southside? Nope, her multi-million dollar Beverly Hills mansion. She will have to wear an ankle bracelet for the duration of the confinement, but don't worry - the bracelet will be mink-lined to prevent chafing, and Paris' people are already working on releasing a faux monitoring device as part of her new "Prison Chic" fashion line. It's Hot!

Oh yeah, and those three days she spent in jail? Well, seems like she'll be credited for five days served. Nice.

Hell, is there really any point in being outraged? We all knew there was never going to be any justice in this case. Frankly, I don't know why they even bothered to try Paris, or for that matter charge her in the first place. The whole thing has been a waste of time. All we have done is reinforce in Paris' mind that she literally can get away with anything. Unfortunately, the bar of accountability has been raised so high for her that, in order to see real jail time, she'll probably have to kill someone.

In broad daylight.

On national television.

I was watching Bill O'Reilly the other night. Michelle Malkin was on, and she said that, while Paris deserved to be punished, she didn't deserve the extreme negativity people were pouring on her. Michelle chalked it up to class envy. Now, while I dearly love our Mz. Malkin, I have to disagree with her on that point, at least in my case. I have no problem with the fact Paris is rich. I also have no problem with the fact that she was born into a life of wealth, privilege and opportunity. My problem is that Paris has been able to improve her already favorable situation despite the fact she has absolutely no appreciable talents whatsoever. She can't sing. She can't act. She's uneducated. She's not that attractive. She's condescending and dismissive. And yet, she enjoys a tremendous amount of fame and notoriety because people can't seem to get enough of her. So that's when it hits me. Maybe it's not Paris I hate; maybe it's the society that props her up that's deserving of my scorn.

Has our society become so diminished and jaded the only things that amuse us anymore are these human trainwrecks? How much of what is popular today achieved that popularity because we "love to hate" things? Instead of championing excellence and achievement, we make heroes out of those who suck the most.

When did that get fun?

Well Said, Senator Sessions!

Maybe I should move to Alabama?

"No one has a right to come to America. We get to decide...we allow on our terms and conditions... our immigration system is set up to serve the national interest...No one has a constitutional legal right to demand entry into America. It amazes me the lack of comprehension shown...We set the standards. Se have the most generous set of laws in the world. Se're not going to end immigration or act irrationally. To set reasonable standards, as [Senator] Cornyn is attempting to do, only makes common sense."

From Michelle Malkin, who's live blogging the debate in the Senate on S. 1348.

NY Post Slams NY Times For Downplaying JFK Plot

As I've mentioned before here and here, there are those who have a strong desire to downplay the fact (yes, fact) that certain people want to kill as many of us as they can. Which is why I was glad to read about this in the New York Post:

Terror plot? What terror plot?

That's what The New York Times seems to be asking, even as most news outlets are giving front-page coverage to the recently foiled scheme to blow up JFK Airport's fuel pipeline.

The article outlines how the Times piece completely downplayed the story, how they placed it on Page 37 when every other major newspaper had it on Page 1, as well as highlighting what stories the NYT did think were Page 1 worthy (Brick laying in India, anyone?). The Post calls it an agenda, and I agree. They also point out something that I've been stressing since the weekend:

The point is, an unknown number of ruthless actors around the world - some in
our backyard - continue to emerge and threaten the nation. No doubt the 9/11
plot also once seemed like something no one could pull off.

Whether these plots succeed or not, the potential, the threat of danger, is still there. It simply makes sense to be vigilant, to take these stories seriously. Eventually, one of these plots will succeed.

Experts Doubt JFK Plot's Potential For Disaster

Apparently, we were all stupid to give it any thought at all.

Once again, nothing to see here.

An alleged plot to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at New York's JFK airport had little chance of success, according to safety experts, who have questioned whether the plot ever posed a real threat.

According to the experts, the most the plotter could have hoped for was a fire and maybe a contained explosion; certainly not the total destruction of the airport and surrounding areas. The plotters simply didn't have the explosives, the financing or the expertise to pull off anything close to what they had envisioned.

Apparently, that means the story shouldn't have been reported to the extent that it was (wall-to-wall all day coverage).

Neal Sonnett, a former federal prosecutor, told the New York Times there was also a danger in overstating how serious or sophisticated a plot really was.

"There unfortunately has been a tendency to shout too loudly about such cases," he said. "To the extent that you over-hype a case, you create fear and paranoia," he said.

The New York Times on Sunday pointedly avoided giving much coverage to the alleged plot, devoting only a brief on its front page continued on the local section, despite the story breaking in the early afternoon on Saturday.

So, what's the solution? Bury the story on page 37 like the Times did, pooh poohing the whole thing as another exercise in fear-mongering? Were the plotters going to be successful in causing the carnage they desired? Probably not. Should we report that fact honestly? Sure, why not? But, at the same time, let's not overlook the other aspect of the story, which is that certain people are actively trying to think of new and exciting ways to kill a lot of Americans! Just because they didn't succeed doesn't mean they didn't try. More than likely, they will try again. If we're lucky, all we'll ever get are these Keystone Cop jihadists and nothing will ever come to pass. But eventually, one of them is going to come up with a plan that will work. Maybe there will come a time when these homegrown terrorists opt for small, totally doable acts of terrorism rather than shooting for some huge disaster with a high body count.

Reporting on these failed attempts may create fear and/or paranoia in some, but it may also create a heightened state of vigilence, which is certainly a good thing.

Paris Hilton Jail Watch - Day 1

Paris Hilton is officially behind bars. She reported to the Century Regional Detention Center is Lynwood, CA around 10:30 p.m.

Hilton surrendered to sheriff's deputies after making a surprise visit to the MTV Movie Awards in the afternoon.

"I am trying to be strong right now," she told reporters on the red carpet. "I'm ready to face my sentence. Even though this is a really hard time, I have my family, my friends and my fans to support me, and that's really helpful."

Courage, Paris. Courage! But wait, it gets better.

With Paris' "people" on image red alert, we get what has to be the quote of the century from Hilton (and she's said a lot of stupid things over the years):

"I did have a choice to go to a pay jail," Hilton said Sunday, without giving details. "But I declined because I feel like the media portrays me in a way that I'm not and that's why I wanted to go to county, to show that I can do it and I'm going to be treated like everyone else. I'm going to do the time, I'm going to do it the right way."

You know, Paris should really think about going into politics; she's positively "Hillaryesque" in her belief that people will believe anything that comes spewing out of her mouth. How do the words "I'm going to be treated like everyone else" come out of Paris Hilton's mouth without her tongue bursting into flame? We already know the judge in her case ruled out the option of a pay jail (Paris must assume we pay as little attention to the details as she does). As for doing the time and doing it the right way - well, I don't know too many people who get half their sentence dropped for "good behavior" before they've had an opportunity to demonstrate any good behavior.

Being housed in a special needs wing and getting the celebrity treatment makes a three-week stint in county jail about as grueling as a camping trip. If incarceration was like that for everybody, it's value as a deterrent would be about 0%.

As for the media portraying Paris as some spoiled, empty-headed, amoral snob with no sense of right or wrong? Well, there's a difference between the media portraying Paris' behavior and the media reporting Paris' behavior. Since I'm sure that subtle distinction would be lost on her, allow me to put it another way: Paris, you are a spoiled, empty-headed, amoral snob with no sense of right or wrong. And no amount of time in "celebrity jail camp" will convince me otherwise.

Considering that Paris will be trying mightily to cash in on this and make it pay off for her, I hope the rest of America stays just as resolute.

Thousands Rally In Support Of Hugo Chavez in Venezuela

Only after they were paid and/or forced to attend by the government.

I guess Hugo was bummed about all of his citizens protesting his decision to shut down a popular independent TV station. See, that's the good thing about being ruled by a dictator - you've just got to love him...or else! From Fox News' Adam Housley, who's in Caracas covering the protests:

I see all sorts of government vans and trucks, with paintings on the side with sayings like "Socialism or Die." There are pictures of Chavez and Che everywhere. Most people are wearing red shirts with the logo of their government employer.

There are busses everywhere and some have been taken to a place across the city, as if to hide the fact that most people here were bussed and given a free shirt, hat and lunch. I am also told by several here that they were paid 50,000 bolívar's to attend. That's roughly 25 dollars plus a free lunch, not a bad day for many that were brought here free from the countryside.

EXTRA: Hot Air has video of Adam Housley calling former Black Panther and current NY City Councilman Charles Barron a "son of a bitch". As a good little liberal, Barron dismisses Adam's reporting for Fox News as one-sided. He accuses Housley of cherrypicking a single anti-Chavez protestor when there are thousands of pro-Chavez protestors he could interview. Housley angrily defends his reportage, saying they've covered all of the protests, including the pro-Chavez one's (he also claims they were threatened at those) and accuses Barron of not being informed on the issue. He goes on to encourage Barron to watch Fox News and see the whole story for himself. Barron then gives us the quote of the day, "I don't have time to sit at home and watch T.V., I'm an activist."

Whatever.

Shock! DUers Don't Believe The Plot Was Real

As sure as day follows night, you can always count on the "reality-based" community to refuse to believe...well, reality.

"...after all the administration needs some positive press! I'm sorry but I don't believe most of this stuff anymore. When they have the proof I'll listen."

That's right. It's a publicity stunt.

"I smell more Rethuglikkkan bullshit. There was no plot. These are dupes."

Ah, the name calling, and the absolute certainty that there was no plot. Of course, there's never a plot.

"Four guys with CRIMINAL aspirations were foiled before they could do anything. not really much news there, IMO."

Whatever, dude. Call me when they actually blow something up!

"This plan was more inspirational than operational meaning, they didn't have the resources, skills, manpower, etc. to carry out their acts....But I'm sure the Republican spin bull-shit machine will act like they just prevented WW III."

That's right, the Republicans don't deserve any credit for foiling the plot. But God knows they'll surely deserve the blame if a plot is ever carried out.

The Left's slavish refusal to accept these threats are real never ceases to amaze me. And yet, we should have no problem allowing them to be responsible for the country's security.

I wonder what it must be like to actually be one of those Muslim extremists; to pour your heart and soul into striking at your infidel enemy, only to realize that a sizeable segment of population you wish to destroy thinks you're a figment of some Republican scaremonger's imagination!

Of course, we already know what the Left will say if a plot is ever successfully carried out.

UPDATE: Newsbusters asks "How long before they question the timing?"

Little Green Footballs points out the deafening silence on the Left side of the Blogosphere:

Maybe they’re still trying to settle on the spin. “Question the timing?” or “blame Bush?” Choices, choices...

Not so fast! Daily Kos is on it. Someone posted a diary about the "alleged plot":

Sounds to me like another wanna-be plot, but we'll see.

Once again, nothing to see here. These people simply will not be satisfied until blood is actually spilled. Of course, then it's "Bush's fault". Oh, and make sure you read the comments. otherwise, you won' learn that infiltration by FBI informants = entrapment.

Terror Plot Foiled At JFK Airport

Scroll down for updates.

Pardon me. Alleged terror plot. This is from Fox News, by the way.

Three people arrested and one still being sought in a plot to explode a fuel line that feeds the airport and runs through residential neighborhoods. It seems that, once again, the plot was foiled while still in the planning stages. It also seems that, if executed, the plan had the potential to kill a lot of people:

The New York suspect was identified as Russell Afreitas, a former JFK employee who allegedly planned to attack the airport's fuel supply because he thought he could do more damage than attacking a passenger terminal. Afreitas is a Muslim U.S. citizen from Guyana.

I'm sure that's just a coincidence. Not worth mentioning, really.

Interesting. Here's CNN's report on the arrest. Note how they handle the ethnicity of the suspects:

An official described the suspects as "al Qaeda wannabes."

One suspect, a U.S. citizen who is a native of Guyana and who once worked at the airport, was described by a source as "a very angry Muslim extremist."

Wannabes. Just a bunch of silly little terror poseurs, really. And of course, the suspect is a very angry Muslim extremist.

Also note how the story handles the question of the danger posed by the plot:

Rep. Peter King, R-New York, said law enforcement had had the plot "under control" for some time.

Another law enforcement official said the plot was never "fully operational."

Hey, I'm glad the authorities were on the ball with this, but let's not forget that there was in fact a plot to, you know, kill a lot of people.

But wait, it get's better. Here's the incident as reported by the venerable AP:

The plot, which never got past the planning stages, did not involve airplanes or passenger terminals, according to the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the arrests had not yet been announced.

The plot posed no threat to air safety or the public, the FBI said Saturday.

We keep hearing the plot didn't target airplanes or passenger terminals, but we already know from the Fox report that's because Mr. Afreitas felt targeting the fuel line would cause more damage, so that's not all that reassuring. Speaking of Mr. Afreitas, the only things AP tells us about him is that he's Guyanese and a former airport employee. There is, of course, one glaring omission.

Again, we're told the plot posed no threat to the public except that, until the plot was busted, it did. If anything, the AP report lists several recent "home-grown" terrorist plots that have been foiled. With this many plots being hatched, isn't it reasonable to assume at least one will make it past the "planning stages"? And if it does, I'd say the threat posed becomes considerable.

UPDATE: A press conference was scheduled for 1:00 p.m. The suspects are named.

According to sources, the suspects have been identified as: Russell Defreitas, Abdul Nur, Kareem Ibrihim and Abdul Kadir.

Sources said a cargo worker at JFK allegedly began to plot attacking the US last July or August. The cargo worker sought help in carrying out a plan and went to an FBI informant, who gathered information about the plot.

It looks like the authorities were on top of this for about a year, which is great. I'm genuinely happy that law enforcement agencies are doing their jobs as far as keeping us safe. And as far as earlier reports stressing that plot posed no threat to public safety? Well according to U.S. Attorney Roslynn R. Mauskopf it was in fact "one of the most chilling plots imaginable." At the 1:00 p.m. news conference, she said "the devastation that would be caused had this plot succeeded is just unthinkable."

So much for that.

MORE: As always, Hot Air has lots more on this developing story. Possible Al Qaeda connection? Check. Oh look, one of the suspects was an imam. Charming.

Looks like Russell Defreitas was quite the piece of shit:

"Any time you hit Kennedy, it is the most hurtful thing to the United States. To hit John F. Kennedy, wow ... they love John F. Kennedy like he's the man ... if you hit that, this whole country will be mourning. You can kill the man twice," Defreitas said in another conversation, it said.

"Even the twin towers can't touch it," referring to the September 11 attacks in another comment that the law enforcement authorities said was recorded last month. "This can destroy the economy of America for some time."

Yeah, nothing at all to see here.