"The last thing we want is military action....the Iranians might (with some justification) treat it as a declaration of war" -- Nigel, London

This is amazing. How come no one sees the blatant truth that capturing uniformed military personal, which were clearly in performance of their lawful duties in another country, is itself an act of war.

We in the west tend to forget that we are not dealing with a western mindset. The people in these extreme Arab countries generally understand only thing: strength. The UK should have given Iran 48 hours to return the troops, or else it would reign down the full force of the Her Majesty’s forces on Iran.

Of course we all want the sailors to be returned safely. But, we must remember that England’s course of action must be firm enough to send a signal that such actions will not be tolerated lest Iran becomes enabled by a weak response.

Mr. McGlaughlin, a citizen of Maryland, has a great idea about how American citizens can save thousands of dollars by becoming illegal. By taking advantage of all the programs and support avaliable, becoming an illegal is looking more and more attractive...

Read Mr. McGlaughlin's letter below
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Honorable Paul S. Sarbanes
309 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC, 20510

Dear Senator Sarbanes,

As a native Marylander and excellent customer of the Internal Revenue Service, I am writing to ask for your assistance. I have contacted the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to determine the process for becoming an illegal alien and they referred me to you.

My primary reason for wishing to change my status from U.S. Citizen to illegal alien stem from the bill which was recently passed by the Senate and for which you voted. If my understanding of this bill's provisions is accurate, as an illegal alien who has been in the United States for five years, all I need to do to become a citizen is to pay a $2,000 fine and income taxes for three of the last five years. I know a good deal when I see one and I am anxious to get the process started before everyone figures it out.

Simply put, those of us who have been here legally have had to pay taxes every year so I'm excited about the prospect of avoiding two years of taxes in return for paying a $2,000 fine. Is there any way that I can apply to be illegal retroactively? This would yield an excellent result for me and my family because we paid heavy taxes in 2004 and 2005.

Additionally, as an illegal alien I could begin using the local emergency room as my primary health care provider. Once I have stopped paying premiums for medical insurance, my accountant figures I could save almost $10,000 a year. Another benefit in gaining illegal status would be that my daughter would receive preferential treatment relative to her law school applications, as well as "in-state" tuition rates for many colleges throughout the United States for my son.

Lastly, I understand that illegal status would relieve me of the burden of renewing my driver's license and making those burdensome car insurance premiums. This is very important to me given that I still have college age children driving my car.

If you would provide me with an outline of the process to become illegal (retroactively if possible) and copies of the necessary forms, I would be most appreciative. Thank you for your assistance.

Your Loyal Constituent,

Pete McGlaughlin
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the election draws near, it is clear that the central issue seems to be a referendum on the performance of President Bush. Most Americans, Democrat and Republican alike, are displeased with the President. His handling of the war over the last two years has left many, including myself, wondering if it isn't time for a new strategy. Although I think (given the facts at the time) going into Iraq was the right decision, winning the peace has been ineffective. I will explain in another blog entry my "solution" to Iraq, but for now lets just say it's a problem.

President Bush has also made "enemies" in his own party. Many conservatives, including myself, are disappointed is the liberal spending habits of the President. Sadly, he spends money like it is going out of style. This departure of conservative principle is troubling. With the control of Congress and the Executive Branch, the opportunity to institute a more limitation government has been wasted. The problem is that although spending is bad now, having the democrats in charge of congress would be even worse.

Worse than the President's spending habits, Congress seems to be enjoying the spending of Trillions of dollars too much. Having a Republican controlled congress was supposed to help prevent the over spending. However, except for the tax cut, there has been little to none of the conservative platform implemented.

Illegal immigration is another black mark on this president's performance. He has been, like he predecessors, a total failure in stopping the massive influx of illegal aliens. His failure to support a border fence and strict enforcement of the law has been a deep disappointment to hundreds of millions of Americans on both sides of the aisle.

The failure of the president and congress to stand by their "principles" has created a huge array of "less than enthusiastic" Republican voters.

So, at this point, the election is about selecting the lesser of two evils. The hope is that there are a handful of true conservatives still left in the house. Only by supporting these members, we will be able to stop a few of the president's mad spending and immigration plans. This group of true conservatives was able to push through the border fence bill and force the president to sign it. We must ensure this group is still in office for the next 2 years.

Ironically, the only way to stop Bush is to vote true conservative Republicans into office on November 7^th.

I used to teach both Jr. High and High School classes. Let me tell you, besides the difficult task of trying to reach everyone in the class, handling the amount of paperwork is even more difficult. There are consent forms for everything from field trips to Tylenol for headaches. If a student came to me and asked for an Advil, I would have to have permission from the parents before giving it or I might lose my job and find myself in a lawsuit.

Given all the parental notice, it amazes me that young girls can be taken to have a serious medical procedure without their parents consent. Not only does this practice fly in the face of all parents, it also provides an oppurtunity for young girls to be taken advantage of. Young, adult men can seduce these under age girls and "cover up" their actions by compelling the girl to have a "silent" abortion. You can listen to some real phone calls of a "13" girl to Planned Parenthood by clicking here

I think it is time we fix this problem! Parents should have a right to be informed about any medical procedure relating to their children. We must remember that it is parents, not the state, that is responsible to raise their children.

Vote Yes on 85.

California has a problem of theft. The legislature has an awful tendency of stealing the money designated to the roads and using it for all manner of social projects. Finally there is a proposition that stops this practice.

Prop 1A mandates that the gas tax go to the roads and only the roads. Anyone who has been driving for more than a few years can attest to how bad the roads of become and how over crowded they are. We waste an extreme amount of time and gas sitting on the roads waiting for our turn to get home...enough is enough. It's time we invest the money where it is meant to go and fix the failing infrastructure of California.

Vote Yes on Prop 1A

A recent article from our friends across the pond describes how a hospital is discarding of aborted fetuses by tossing them in the incinerator used for trash and chemical waste. View Article

What is interesting is that there is a different procedure for those fetuses that are miscarried. In those cases, they are properly cremated, buried, or given to the family.

Not surprisingly people are upset about the practice of incinerating aborted babies. But, I am left to ask...what did people think? When they don't care enough to protect the life of the baby in the womb, what makes them think those babies should get any better treatment once outside of the womb. Why is it okay to burn or tear the baby apart but not to incinerate it once it is already dead?

The real problem is that we have devalued babies in the womb to be little more than property for which the mother can do what she wants. When this happens, the logical conclusion is that these aborted babies can become nothing more than "trash" to be discarded like any other trash, in the incinerator.

January 22, 1973 was indeed a sad day for all humanity and the sanctity of life. Since then some 40 million babies have been "trashed" one way or another. Perhaps it is time we fix this obvious injustice! 

In June, 2005 the Supreme Court decided the highly controversial case of Kelo v. City of New London. In short, the court decided that a "public good" = "public use" as described under Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. This broad definition opens the floodgates for local municipalities to exercise their power of eminent domain for all manner of projects, many of which, although providing a public good, are little more than private enterprises. Needless to say, the Kelo decision presents a "clear and present" danger to the property rights of individuals.

The Kelo decision and the increased use of eminent domain powers have prompted a proposed Constitutional Amendment in California known as "The Protect Our Homes Act." (Proposition 90) This proposition is short and sweet. It says that eminent domain should be limited to "projects of public use." These projects include "road construction, the creation of public parks, the creation of public facilities…" and the like. It further provides that "whenever government takes or damages private property for a public use, the owner…shall receive just compensation….set at fair market value."

On Tuesday, November 7^th, Californians will get to decide for themselves whether a public good = a public use. Although I do not own property, I think it is critical that Californians vote yes for Prop 90. In so doing, they will be able to kill Kelo in California and restore the proper reading of the Fifth Amendment's Taking Clause.

Government should not have the right to take land from one private owner and give it to another private owner just because the result will be "good" for the community!

Vote Yes on Prop 90 and help Kill Kelo in California.