Problems with Z Visas Explained (Jim DeMint)

South Carolina has TWO Senators - just like all the other states in the Union. But unlike other states, one of our Senators is outspoken in his support for Amnesty. The other is outspoken in his opposition to Amnesty. Senator Jim DeMint has gained significant credibility by speaking out across the state against the Immigrant Amnesty Bill currently being considered in Washington. I received a letter from Senator DeMint explaining the problems with the Z Visa Provisions - which are the specific provisions in the bill.

• Z visas allow illegal immigrants to permanently stay in the United States without having to return to their home countries.
• Z visas allow illegal immigrants to cut in line for citizenship in front of approximately 800,000 legal applicants.
• Z visas allow illegal immigrants who are gang members, thieves or fugitives, sex offenders, and DUI felons to gain legal status.
• Z visas allow illegal immigrants to have access to administrative and judicial review of visa revocations, including those for terrorists.
• Z visas allow illegal immigrants access to public health benefits, thereby burdening American taxpayers.
• Z visas allow illegal immigrants to get Social Security benefits for illegal work performed in the United States.
• Z visas allow illegal immigrants to avoid any serious English-speaking requirement for at least 8 years.
  

DeMint's letter finishes with "Americans are extremely pro-immigrant. But they are upset that their government has lied to them for twenty years on this issue and they have lost confidence in our ability to control our borders. Let me be clear. I am pro immigrant. I believe in legal immigration. I want people to come here, respect our laws, embrace our values, and become American citizens. But we must reject amnesty if we ever expect that to happen. And that is why eliminating the amnesty provisions in this bill is the most compassionate, pro-immigrant thing we can do."

Lindsey Graham Is No Conservative

Turn on any mainstream newscast today and you'll hear the name Lindsey Graham - either as an introduction for a personal appearance or a preface to his Immigration Reform Bill. Well... the blame for the bill currently being considered by the Senate does not rest solely on the shoulders of Senator Graham - it's also the fault of John McCain, Ted Kennedy, and George Bush. That's right - President George W. Bush is pushing for Immigration Reform. But those few who've read the bill call it the Illegal Immigrant Amnesty Bill. This bill would give 12 million Mexican illegals (most of whom live in my neighborhood) a clear path to citizenship.

John McCain proved himself to be a Republican In Name Only (RINO) several years ago. Now he has made a deal with the devil - the godfather of everything unholy in the Kennedy Compound (Ted Kennedy). If Chappaquiddick weren't enough to steer clear of the Senate's bumbling drunk, the motivation for making 12 million Mexican illegals immediate citizens should be. Many SC voters were surprised to find Lindsey Graham giving outspoken support to the Amnesty Bill. Remember fellow-voters, Graham only made a name for himself because he was instrumental in the Clinton impeachment hearings.

The truth is that Lindsey Graham is not a conservative. It should have been apparent when he became attached to John McCain's hip just before "the candidate" made his big announcement. Conservative voters in South Carolina (Graham's homestate) have begun a concerted effort to boot Lindsey - who is up for re-election in 2008 - out of office. The rest of the country should not underestimate the power of conservative voters in SC. Remember American historians, we made a name for ourselves because being the first state to secede from the Union. Graham has met the immovable object!!

Lebanon Making Headway Against Al Quaeda

Who is Lebanon? Much of the world has thought of this small Mideast country as an unfortunate mess - but the eyes of the world are gaining a new perspective this week. The Lebanese Army is engaged in a serious fight with an al Quaeda sect - Fatah al Islam. This group is led by a Palestinian named Shahr al Abassi and came into existence only last year as a break-off from a Syrian-backed Sunni fighting group. Fatah al Islam is composed of Syrian, Lebanese, and Palestinian fighters. Lebanon's new nemesis was created in the image of al Quaeda, espousing al Quaeda beliefs and pursuing al Quaeda goals.

Fatah al Islam is sponsored by Syria - as most of the terrorists in the Mideast. The ultimate mission of this group is to bring disorder and unrest to Lebanon. The short term goal is to act as a distraction thereby preventing any investigation into the assassination of anti-Syrian leader Harriri - believed by the Lebanese and the free world to have been brutally murdered by the Syrians. The fighting is fierce. In one day of battle the death tally was nineteen for Fatah al Islam, thirteen for the Lebanese army, six civilians caught in the crossfire and sixty civilians wounded.

This particular battle took place in a refugee camp just outside of Tripoli. Fatah al Islam claims that their group is being targeted unjustifiably by the Lebanese army. Turns out that in this case members of the group had robbed a bank and the army was merely attempting to arrest the culprits. The emergence of Fatah al Islam in Lebanon and the response of the Lebanese army offer us several important insights into the new workings within Lebanon and the new reality of al Quaeda terrorists. Al Quaeda is in Lebanon, but they have been weakened by the American troops.

Today, al Quaeda is a very loosely linked structure. New terrorist groups all agree with the principles of al Quaeda - they are tutored through the al Quaeda DVD box set. They tune in to al Quaeda websites and receive spiritual support from the network that al Quaeda established and continues to develop. But this new generation of al Quaeda terrorists has never been to an al Quaeda training camp in Afghanistan. This new generation is locally trained and sponsored - and emerging in Lebanon. The Lebanese Army is at last making a stand for honor, country and control.

The World Cannot Co-Exist With Islamic Terrorists

We are experiencing religious difficulties in the Mideast. The Bible provides ample prophecies of the events currently unfolding in the region - and they are bound to get worse not better. The Muslim religion and the ideas it teaches are the source of the problems in the Mideast. In truth, most all problems between folks around the world and throughout history can be linked to religious difficulties. Political correctness is a philosophy we cannot employ with radical Muslims (Islamic Extremists) - although some say that not all Muslims are like that.

Let's suppose the radical Muslims did manage to gain some type of control over the United States (as they have in Europe already). Here's a key question: Who do you think our calm, Muslim neighbors will side with? Many people are beginning to wake up to the fact that our Muslim neighbors will NOT side with Americans. Indeed, when the time comes to take sides, they will join their "brothers" and suddenly our Muslim neighbors and co-workers will become what they have always been.

Most Americans would like to see world peace - but world peace is an idea that is best left to the fantasy books and movies. It will not happen until after the Tribulation. We hate having to go to war, but reasonable people know that war is sometimes unavoidable. It may require another terrorist attack of some great degree to remind the short-memory Americans that these people DO NOT want to peacefully co-exist with non-muslims!!! They want us GONE... DEAD... and ERADICATED from their earth.

Take a look at the Mideast. It's apparent that Muslims are not compassionate people - not towards their own and certainly not towards others. I just hope and pray that Americans wake up and stop trying to see Muslim radicals as peaceful co-inhabitants. They think we are weak for even trying to reach out to others with love, peace and compassion. Since they defy our diplomacy, we must not be afraid to defend ourselves and join with others in the world also willing to defend themselves. If we don't fight them in the Mideast, we will have to fight them here in the United States.

Pop Culture Saturday: Diet Soda and Weight Gain

Choosing a diet soda over a regular soft drink won't help you lose weight - it will, in fact, help yuo pack on even more pounds. A study conducted by the University of Texas Health and Science Center links diet sodas with weight gain - and startles even the experts. "We knew total soft drink use was linked to obesity," says researcher Sharon Fowler. "What was surprising was that when we looked at people only drinking diet soft drinks, their risk of obesity was even higher." Amazingly, when researchers closely examined the data, they found nearly all of the obesity risks associated with soft drinks came from diet soda.

The study looked at data on 1,550 Mexican-American and non-Hispanic white Americans aged 25 to 64, over a span of 8 years. One-third of the 620 participants who were of normal weight at the beginning of the study were classified as obese at the end. "There was a 41% increase in the risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soft drink a person consumes each day," Fowler said. One possible explanation is that when the body thinks it's going to get calories in the form of a sweetened drink, then doesn't get them, it may seek revenge.

"People think they can just fool the body," says nutrition expert Leslie Bonci. "But maybe the body is not fooled. If you are not giving your body those calories you promised, maybe your body will retaliate by wanting more calories. Also, some soft drink studies suggest that diet drinks stimulate the appetite." I say whatever you're craving, perhaps we should all cut out soft drinks completely. Gimme a good ol' Southern Sweet Tea!! Of course, with all that pure granulated sugar, there's just no winning the battle of the bulge.

Los Angeles Immigration Protests End in Violence

We have been invaded by a foreign army!! Have you been reading the reports of violence during the "national wetback protest day" across the country? Here's a sampling from the largest gathering of illegals: Violence broke out between immigration rights advocates and police officers May 1 after a day of peaceful marching through downtown Los Angeles. About 25,000 people waving American and Mexican flags marched from City Hall to MacArthur Park, including 1,480 Los Angeles Unified School District students. Organizers had predicted lower turnout, blaming stepped-up immigration raids for keeping wetbacks at home.

The violence erupted at MacArthur Park after protesters threw rocks and bottles at police officers. Officers fired rubber bullets and used batons to push the crowd out of the street and back onto the sidewalk. Dozens of officers were deployed to the area, but it was unclear whether anyone was injured. Though fewer in number, protesters did show up in cities from Miami to Chicago to Los Angeles - but violence was worst in Los Angeles. These are the same Mexican illegals who believe we should give them citizenship.

For example, one illegal is quoted as saying: "After working 22 years here, paying taxes and being a good citizen (No... good citizens are legal), I think it's fair they give me residency," said Los Angeles protester Manuel Hernandez, 38-year-old Mexican who along with his wife and two children are undocumented. "It's not fair we don't have documents." (No... what's not fair is that you are still here). But enforcement through deportation is sporadic at best!! If these Mexican illegals feel terrorized in the United States, perhaps they should try going back home!!

Bill Clinton Rakes In $40 Million from Speeches

Apparently, words can make you filthy rich, especially if you're former President Bill Clinton. Slick Willy earned $40 million stringing words together on the lecture circuit over the past 6 years. According to the Washington Post, last year Clinton earned approximately $9 million for an incredible 352 speeches. However, the Post also reports that only 20% of the fees went into the Slickster's pockets. The rest (they say) went to charitable causes, and many speeches were made for free.

According to his wife's Senate ethics reports, Bill Clinton earned $31 million in speaking fees between 2001 and 2005. Among his most lucrative speeches are $150,000 appearances before landlord groups, biotechnology firms, and food distributors. There were also speeches in England, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia that snared more than $1.6 million. In fact, on particularly good day in Canada, Clinton made $475,000 for two speeches. The obvious question is this: What's the big deal?

Here's the big deal - when the Slickster left the White House, he had minimal financial resources and owed $12 million in legal debts stemming from Whitewater and the Monica Lewinsky affair. The Washington Post found a relationship between those firms that pay him six-figure speaking fees and those who support Hillary's campaign for the White House. New York investment giant Goldman-Sachs, for example, shelled out $650,000 for four speeches in recent years. The firm's employees and PAC have given Hillary $270,000 since 2000 - making it second on the list of her most generous political patrons.

Al Quaeda Leader Assassinated in Iraq

The death of Abu al-Masri (al Quaeda's leader in Iraq) illustrates the internal power struggle going on within the insurgent group. Masri's death comes nine months after he succeeded al-Zarqawi - the notorious Jordanian-born thug who was killed last June by U.S. troops during an airstrike in Diyala province. It was also reported that U.S. forces killed an al Quaeda kingpin who had sent 12-year-old Iraqi boys to their deaths as suicide car bombers. Our troops in Iraq are winning the War on Terrorism - despite what the media in America would have you believe.

Speaking for the new Iraqi government, al-Dabbagh released a statement on April 30 admitting that reports of Masri's death at the hands of Sunni tribesman had been received but that his death could not yet be confirmed. If the reports prove to be true, Masri's death would signal a widening split among insurgents. There has been increasing friction between Sunni Extremists and other Sunni Arab groups - particularly over al Quaeda's indiscriminate killing of civilians in Iraq.

Dabbagh told local media that word of Masri's purported death was based on "intelligence information" - adding that DNA tests will be performed to confirm the identity of the body. Accounts were vague about when and where Masri supposedly died. "We will make an official announcement when we confirm that this person is al-Masri," Dabbagh said. "The Iraqi government will work to identify him." Tribesmen in the western Anbar province have been fighting al Quaeda for weeks and claim to have killed dozens of them.