Friday, April 29, 2005

Public Service Announcement Shoot with Scott Walker

In spite of starting off the morning on the wrong foot (waking up much later then I had anticipated), I felt wonderful by the middle of the afternoon having just wrapped up work for the County Executive’s office. Being an extra in the public service announcement commercial with County Executive Scott Walker (no one need fret over my lack of acting skills – I am merely an individual in the background) was an amazing change of pace from the use drudge of scanning invitations and writing up regret letters. Don’t get me wrong, I love working as an intern there. In fact I will continue working there over the summer (obviously for fewer days but longer hours then I am now). But the melancholy work of writing regret letters and such can be tedious at times or downright boring after so many weeks. Things like this truly keep me energized for the job. Below are some of the photos I took during the shoot. I also want to take the time now and thank Dashal Young, director of community relations, and Matt O’Malley from the County Executive’s office for giving me the privilege to be a part of this experience. Thanks again!


Me with County Executive Scott Walker at the taping


Voice recording for the radio spot


They needed to hear him smiling ...


Me and Crystal (a senior at Marquette University whose mentor is Dashal Young, director of community relations at the County Executive's office)


Me and Crystal (we were extras in the public service announcement commercial)

Party's Over Boys!

This pretty much speaks for itself.

The Warrior News Magazine Debuts!

"It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them"

- Mark Twain

"What the mass media offers is not popular art, but entertainment which is intended to be consumed like food, forgotten, and replaced by a new dish"


- W.H. Auden

"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the journalist is to destroy the truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell the country for his daily bread. You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press. We are the tools and vassals of the rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes"

- John Swinton

"All censorships exist to prevent anyone from challenging current conceptions and existing institutions. All progress is initiated by challenging current conceptions, and executed by supplanting existing institutions. Consequently the first condition of progress is the removal of censorships. There is the whole case against censorships in a nutshell"

- George Bernard Shaw


Thursday, April 28, 2005

Gyllenhaal Blames America First

I can not understand why some people are obsessed with actress, to be used loosely, Maggie Gyllenhaal. First off, much like her brother, Jake, she can not act to save her life and secondly, I do not find her the least bit attractive. To be honest, she looks too much like her brother which makes her appearance all the more disturbing to look at. In any event, it would appear as though she got in some decent publicity this week. Finally, after The Passion of the Christ and Fahrenheit 9/11, Hollywood has gotten the message … controversy breeds popularity. Sure, this has often been the tactic of the washed up and the limited performers with high ambitions, but until as of late it could easily backfire severely and the risk wasn’t worth taking. Now these days you can not be somebody unless you have done something to have earned the respect of your fellow celebrity peers … spitting on the generosity of the country who gave you the freedom and opportunity to do what you do is always a fantastic start.

The following entertainment news article from IMDB
will fill you in on the comments the young starlet has made and how her response to the controversy has only added fuel to the fire …
Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal has sparked controversy after declaring her native America "is responsible in some way" for the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington DC. The 27-year-old Mona Lisa Smile star made the comments in an interview last week, provoking a strong reaction from her patriotic countrymen. In a statement issued by her publicist, Gyllenhaal says, "(September 11 was) an occasion to be brave enough to ask some serious questions about America's role in the world. Because it is always useful as individuals or nations to ask how we may have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to this conflict. Not to have the courage to ask these questions of ourselves is to betray the victims of 9/11."

Seeing as how time this evening is precious, I will attempt to keep this conversation as short and sweet as possible. In America, we believe that common everyday citizens can make their own life choices with little, if any, true governmental intervention to restrict them in the pursuit of their dreams and goals. The leaders of Islam on the other hand seek to impose on Muslim followers what they believe is in the best interest of Mohammed and Allah and will eliminate anyone who objects to their vision. Nothing, and I mean nothing, can justify terrorist attacks against innocent citizens such as what occurred on September 11th, 2001. We must be able to stand strong once more, dust ourselves off from the horrific tragedy of this event and bring retribution and justice to those who did this to us. We must not rest until our enemy has been destroyed. Gyllenhaal’s comments are nothing the repetitious ravings of the “Blame America First” crowd which makes up the vast majority of the Hollywood community. The individuals who enacted these vile acts of terrorism hate us not for our policies but for what we stand for – freedom, democracy, and opportunity for all. They resent America’s superiority in nearly every aspect of the modern world – our military prowess, the acceptability of our culture, the strength of our economy, etc. I find it laughable how these Muslim leaders find pleasure in critiquing the United States’ lack of morality while at the same time lending a deaf ear to the cries and screams of the exact same people they claim to be fighting for. Taxpayers shell out more in charitable contributions, most of which goes to benefit Islamic nations, then the rest of the world combined. Our citizens pay exuberant gas prices for oil stemming from the Middle East region, which is the basis of their economy and without our money it would collapse. We have contributed humanitarian aid to a wide variety of Islamic ruled countries, including Somalia and Afghanistan, and this is the thanks with which we are to be repaid? Generosity and appeasements are direct signs of weakness to these people. The gloves are off now. I say it ends now. The enemy will lose and America will prevail in this war against terrorism.

Tribune Promotes Affirmative Action at MU Law School

Seriously, whenever a newspaper, particularly one from a private college institution such as Marquette University, uses the term “whitest” in an article about diversity within a particular branch of the university, in this case the Law School, automatically you know there is going to be trouble. For the affirmative action advocates at The Marquette Tribune, I ask you this question – What will your limit be before you call off this stupid charade? How many individuals from different racial minority groups will it take before you deem the student body of the Law School ‘fair’ and balanced? Should one person who happens to be an individual from a racial minority group receive more of an opportunity to be accepted into the Law School then a white person nearly identical qualifications just because you believe there should be a balance? How is that fair? Leave the school alone and allow them to continue conducting business as they have.
Marquette Law School is the ninth-whitest in the nation with a 92.6 percent white student body, according to a new study by University of Dayton Law School professor Vernellia Randall.

According to Randall, law school admissions of minority students are down across the country.


"The number of African American and Latino students taking the LSATs and applying to law schools are increasing, but the number of those minorities being admitted is decreasing," Randall said.

Marquette tries to enroll a variety of different racial, ethnic, geographic, gender and age groups, said Sean Reilly, assistant dean for admissions at Marquette Law School.

"Diversity is important to us," Reilly said. "It is a challenge for us, but we try to enroll as diverse and as qualified of a class as possible."

Reilly said the law school recruits at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, University of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

The school also recruits at three law school forums in New York City, Atlanta and Dallas.

"I was pleased with the number of African Americans and Latinos who came up to us in Atlanta and Dallas," Reilly said. "Our hope is that they choose to apply and enroll at Marquette."

The number of diverse applicants applying to the law school this year is hopeful, Reilly said.


Randall said potential explanations for Marquette's lack of diversity are higher tuition costs and the law school simply is not admitting minority students.

"Plenty of people of color will pay the money and take out loans like everybody else to go to a good law school," Randall said.

Randall used statistics from a variety of published sources, including the 2004 American Bar Association Law School Admission Test Guide, the LSAT statistics report on the percentage of minorities who took the law school entrance test and the U.S. Census Bureau.
Randall based her study on a series of different calculations.


"I used statistics to calculate straight-up whiteness; I compared the number of minority applicants to minorities in the school; and I subtracted the law school age population from the percentage of minorities in the region," she said.

Randall said she did not attempt to explain why there were discrepancies in minority enrollment.

"If they don't want to be the whitest law school in the state, then they need to figure out why they are," Randall said of Marquette.

As one of only two law schools in the state (UW-Madison is the other school), Reilly said the private versus public dynamic has an impact on minority enrollment.

"We try to use scholarship dollars to attract people who may not be able to afford our school," Reilly said.

The 2005-'06 Marquette Law School tuition will be just over $26,000, Reilly said, compared to the $10,730 tuition for in-state law students at UW-Madison.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School Assistant Dean Cayolyn Butler said UW-Madison's law school is active in recruiting a variety of students.

"We recruit all around the country," Butler said. "We go to all the major forums and also recruit at historically black colleges."

Madison Law School's minority enrollment rate is 35 percent, according to Communication Coordinator Dianne Sattinger. The figure is five times more than Marquette Law School's enrollment. According to the Marquette Law School admission council, the school has a 7 percent minority enrollment rate, a figure that corresponds with the study.

Butler said Madison has a strong history of emphasis on recruiting diverse students.

Matthew Holemon, a second-year law student at Marquette, does not think diversity at the Law School is an issue but does think the school could benefit from a broader student body.

"Unless something really comes from it, like learning opportunities or new viewpoints, then it's just a numbers game," Holemon said.

Air America Crosses the Line on Free Speech

This is what truly gets me steamed. Here I am getting screwed over by a number of individuals for making a comment they deemed offensive. Just to be straight with anyone who has visited the site in the past few days, the term ‘wetback’ which I used was neither aimed at anyone directly at Marquette University nor was it meant to offend anyone beside the group it had been directed toward (in which case they have no right to complain for stealing from us). All the while Air America, the so-called liberal radio ‘competitor’ to conservative-icon Rush Limbaugh, and their “comedic stunt gone wrong” has barely received a bit of notice on the weblogs of the university’s left-wing faction. Now there's a surprise!



If you have no idea what I am talking about, please visit The Drudge Report and read the following article about a comedy skit aired during the Randi Rhodes show which caught the attention of the Secret Service and why an investigation into the piece is being conducted …

The red-hot rhetoric over Social Security on liberal talkradio network AIR AMERICA has caught the attention of the Secret Service, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Government officials are reviewing a skit which aired on the network Monday evening -- a skit featuring an apparent gunshot warning to the president!

The announcer: "A spoiled child is telling us our Social Security isn't safe anymore, so he is going to fix it for us. Well, here's your answer, you ungrateful whelp: [audio sound of 4 gunshots being fired.] Just try it, you little bastard. [audio of gun being cocked].

"The audio production at the center of the controversy aired during opening minutes of The Randi Rhodes Show.

"What is with all the killing?" Rhodes said, laughing, after the clip aired.

"Even joking about shooting the president is a crime, let alone doing it on national radio... we are taking this very seriously," a government source explained.

White House Spokesman Scott McClellan called the clip "very inappropriate and over the line."

AIR AMERICA President of Programming and co-COO Jon Sinton said in a release: "We regret that a produced comedy bit that was in bad taste slipped through our normal vetting process. We do acknowledge that it was an internal error and internal discipline will be enforced."

Rhodes apologized for the skit on Wednesday. "It was a bit,” Rhodes said. “It was bad. I apologize a thousand times."


The Tsar of Madison is Digging His Heels

This is a quick note to be passed onto the voters of Wisconsin who are sick and tired of the ridiculously loose voter registration laws in this which have left elections within our borders wide open to fraud and manipulation, particularly from the left-wing faction of the state …
In the face of mounting support and more evidence that photo ID's at the polls will greatly improve our election system, Gov. James E. Doyle is digging in his heels and remains poised to veto the photo ID bill that is currently sitting on his desk.

Call Gov. Jim Doyle TODAY and tell him to sign this much needed election reform law.


Governor Jim Doyle
608-266-1212

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

MUCR Meeting Tonight with Guest Speaker Professor Barrett

This is simply a reminder to all Marquette University College Republicans that there is a meeting being held this evening in the Alumni Union Hall, Ballroom C at 8pm. Professor Andrew W. Barrett (who I believe I have teaching my Comparative Politics class in the Fall) will be the guest speaker and he will discuss “What Your Professors Don’t Want You to Know: The Truth About U.S. Presidents”. Also, elections for Marquette University College Republican positions for next year will be held at this meeting as well. I will unfortunately be unable to attend due to a previous engagement, but I thank you for your time and I hope everyone has a pleasant evening.

A Veiled Global View

The following are a few comments I have made concerning Salma Khaleq’s staff editorial, The Global View, which appeared in this past Tuesday’s edition of The Marquette Tribune ….

As I bombarded you with complaints about American foreign policy, Ambassador Ross' class or the lack of diversity at Marquette, you must have been wondering who I am.
Other then yet another vitriol spewing flaming liberal stemming from an already heavily recognizable left wing biased university newspaper? No, not really. Here’s a question though – how much damn diversity do you want on this campus? If anything the university celebrates or recognizes nearly every ethical group represented on campus with the exception of one – Caucasians.

If anything has spoken to you these past couple months, it's probably that I'm Arab, Muslim and for some reason really angry or frustrated, however you would like to put it. Believe me, I'm not the only one.

Well there is a statement of the obvious.

As for myself, I identify with the American society of which I've been been a part since the Gulf War and at the same time, I am a product of the Arab culture and traditions of my family. In the America we live in today, it's difficult to combine the two and remain rationally attached to one or the other, when neither is accepting of its counterpart.
Let us see here – you come to America, take full advantage of our educational institutions and our hospitality (which you have all right to), and yet you continue to associate yourself with the people who despise us, our way of life, the ideals of freedom and democracy we represent, and would enjoy nothing more then to see this country and its people obliterated from the face of this Earth? You would think Arab Muslims dancing in the streets at the sight of the planes crashing into the World Trade Center Towers on September 11th would have been reason enough for you to be ashamed of where you came from, but apparently the message didn’t stick, if it ever existed within you to begin with.
The more years I spend at Marquette searching for the evidence that may reclaim for me a bit of dignity for the Arab people — which I myself cannot reconcile inside my mind — the more disappointed I have become at reality. I guess that's the price paid by the political. The more time I work wholeheartedly to dismantle stereotypes of Arab society, the worse the accusations become of my loyalty to this pluralistic identity.

As long as they [Arabs] continue to persecute the Jewish people, engaging in a clear act of ethical cleansing disguised as justifiable retribution for injustices laid on them (even if those claims were true, which they are not, they are still no excuse for [attempted] extermination of the Jews), and desire nothing more then bring about death and destruction upon the United States and our allies, they [Arabs] will never retain their dignity as far as I am concerned.

the rubbles of Palestinian history

If by ‘rubbles’ you mean rubbish! Those who would care to dispel the myths surrounding the current Arab/Israeli conflict within the Middle East region can be properly educated by learning the truth of matter here, here, here, and here.

the apathy of American life

If that is the case, why are you still here? Are you not an adult? If you find American society or life in our country so shallow then why continue living here? The thing I do not understand about U.N. American Idiots is that they whine and moan about how horrible this country and what a narrow-minded society exists here and yet no one is pointing a gun at their head forcing them to stay, unlike most countries they seek to return to.

Yet, I still have hope that you've listened, even if reluctantly, and perhaps you have realized that we too have a voice to be heard. If you haven't heard the message yet, at least you've seen us calling.
Sure we have. The calls of fanatical Muslims were heard loud and clear on September 11th, 2001. Actually, to be accurate, it had been received years before that horrific event but a certain President known simply as “Slick Willy” refused to do a damn thing about in the eight years he held public office, more then he ever deserved. I understand that not all Muslims, especially those in living in American, condoned the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on that tragic day, but, as I said before, the images of Muslims in the Middle East dancing in the streets and cheering at the top of their lungs upon witnessing images of innocent American suffocating to death in the damaged buildings was evidence enough to show they were not that eager to condemn the individuals who enacted these attacks against us either.

I do not finding all that shocking, then, that she ended her article with a poem written by a misguided, yet still clearly talented, Palestinian poet.

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

The Cry of the Anti-Semites

Although a majority of the editorials which appeared in this morning’s edition of the Marquette Tribune were complete rubbish (as they have been for the past few editions – without either Mr. Zabrowski or myself creating controversy, is the Tribune reduced to scraping the bottom of the barrel?), there were two articles at least that stood out for me. There was the staff editorial written by Salma Khaleq, which I will discuss in far greater detail later on (perhaps not this evening, but some time later this week), and then there was the one which truly caught my one, the editorial written by Nathan Zimmermann which I took to be well-spoken and brilliant in its argumentative style.
The Viewpoint by William Gartland on April 19 proclaims that the war in Iraq is merely to make the Middle East safe for Israel; also, that its main proponent Paul Wolfowitz is a tool of Israel. The idea that the war is all about Israel is certainly consistent with the anti-Semitic myth that Jews are responsible for everything and that Jews have a dual loyalty[.]

History will determine who is responsible for what has happened in Iraq. Wolfowitz will probably get his share of the credit or blame, depending on your view. However, Wolfowitz is being vilified for being a Jew by Gartland. The suggestion that Jews are behind the war is a fairy tale, which is so far removed from historical fact, that it can only be described as anti-Semitic drivel. According to polls, American Jews support the war in equivalent proportions to the American public as a whole. Among Jews in Congress, proportionally fewer voted for the war's resolution than the body as a whole.

Wolfowitz has always looked out for American interests; moreover, he has always been an ardent champion of freedom and justice. We have seen this over the course of his career, whether in the Philippines, Indonesia, Central and Eastern Europe and of course the Middle East. Gartland has given too much credit to Wolfowitz for the situation in Iraq. What about Condoleezza Rice and George Tenet? What about Donald Rumsfeld and Collin Powell? What about Dick Cheney? What about the president? How about Tony Blair for that matter? Are these people merely accessories to the so called "Wolfowitz Doctrine"?

To assert that Wolfowitz influenced the United States to war at the behest of Israel assumes the president, vice-president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, national security advisor and the director of the CIA had no better reason to go to war than to do Israel's edict.

Furthermore, I was shocked that an award winning newspaper in an academic atmosphere would publish such propaganda. In doing so, it has given some momentum to this anti-Semitic canard. Also, it trivializes what the Americans fighting for our freedom and security have sacrificed. I hope that The Marquette Tribune can better determine what is newsworthy and what is hogwash.
I apologize for the lack of commentary this evening but once I have completed these essays and exams are over with, things should begin to return to normal around here.

The Radical Centrist Debuts

Do any frequent visitors to this weblog recall the name Patrick Whitty? If you do not, he was the first quasi-Democrat (I of course use this particular term because, unlike a majority of the liberals who have run the Democratic Party into the ground as much as they have today, he is anti-abortion) to respond to March 2005 Viewpoint editorial, Brian Koch's Left-Wing Lie Diffuses Truth About War, in which I criticized Brian Koch, along with a majority of the left-wingers of the university, in protesting a justified war. In any event, it seems as though he has jumped on the weblog bandwagon with his own site entitled The Radical Centrist (a name which Bradon Henak and myself have disagreement about). I will be sure to have comments pertaining to particular article entries in the near future, but for the time being check out the site and let me know what you think.

Working in Near-Perfect Harmony

There are those out there who claim that I enjoy nothing more then to point out the substantial differences between Democrats and Republicans. And though I do take certain pleasure in doing exactly that, I also find it to be quite beneficial, not only for myself but for visitors to the site as well, to point out instances where the two vastly different ideological parties can cooperate with each other and work together for a certain cause, such as the call for the resignation of Pamela Peters from the Office of Student Development (OSD). It is a rare site indeed when I point out an article in The Marquette Tribune I actually agree with, but believe me when I say I will try and not make it a habit.

In a joint effort, members of Marquette's College Democrats and College Republicans are petitioning to have Pamela Peters, coordinator for student organizations and leadership in the Office of Student Development, fired.

Ryan Alexander, a College of Arts & Sciences junior and a member of College Democrats, started the petition.

"We feel that based on our dealings with OSD that she's not qualified to deal with student organizations in general, especially political organizations," Alexander said. "She just doesn't seem to have special knowledge needed to work with political organizations."

Peters was contacted but declined comment.

Brandon Henak, chair of College Republicans and a College of Business Administration junior, acknowledged the move to request the university fire Peters is controversial, but he supports change in OSD.

"We both support serious changes within the Office of Student Development and the way it works," Henak said.

The official College Democrat and College Republican groups do not endorse the petition, Alexander said.

The petition stems from past problems that College Democrats and College Republicans have had seeking OSD approval.

The College Republicans' main problem with OSD was a result of the January "Adopt a Sniper" controversy, where a miscommunication resulted in OSD officials removing the fundraising display. Henak said the group also had a problem when OSD declined their request to have an animal rights barbeque, to oppose animal rights extremist groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, six hours before the event was scheduled.

The controversy surrounding "Adopt a Sniper" stemmed from the table's display of bracelets featuring the words "One shot, one kill, no remorse, I decide." The story became national news, and the university came under fire for College Republicans' claim of restricting free speech.

"Our main problems stemmed from Adopt a Sniper," Henak said. "There were also problems getting approval for signs that Peters said weren't worded correctly during the election season."

Alexander said Marquette could have avoided the negative publicity received from the Adopt a Sniper controversy if not for Peters.

"The blame for all the negative publicity the university received from Adopt a Sniper squarely falls on Pam Peters," Alexander said. "She should have asked what (the College Republicans) were selling and where the money was going to. She didn't ask any of that. If she had, she probably would have rejected the approval and Marquette wouldn't have had the negative publicity."

Mark McCarthy, assistant vice president of Student Affairs and dean of Student Development, said OSD was made aware of the petition.

"I invited Ryan Alexander to meet with me because I was interested in hearing more of his concerns, particularly in light of policies and procedures," McCarthy said. "I left the door open for further conversation on how to improve services."

McCarthy would not comment on OSD's intention to retain or fire Peters.

Alexander said both College Democrats and College Republicans have been negatively affected by Peters' decisions.

"Her job performance is not all that great on a very consistent basis," Alexander said. "She's a very nice lady but that has no bearing on one's job performance."

One of the petition's several recommendations is the creation of an independent appeals board that would review OSD and Marquette Student Government decisions and perhaps overturn those decisions.

"Our biggest frustration is that we have absolutely no say in whether an event is approved or not," Alexander said. "There is no appeal process and no avenue to present our case."

Monday, April 25, 2005

Don't Shoot ... That One's My Yardman!

I am pretty much swamped once again this afternoon. I am going to be in the library for the better part of evening putting the finishing touches on my theology art paper, which is due tomorrow morning at 9:35am, and begin work on the Western Civilization 002 paper which is due this Friday. The fact that I might be coming down with something (mainly it has been only a stuffed up nose and dry, scratchy throat, but no temperature, which can be attributed to allergies – I will just have to wait and see) doesn’t help matters much. Getting a goodnight’s rest, prior to midnight that is, would definitely be good for me, but with so much stuff to do, it is going to be pushing my schedule a bit. I am definitely taking off work on Thursday in the worse scenario that little work has been accomplished on the history essay at that time, which I hope will not happen. In any event, I am going to attempt to make this response entry as short as is possible for me right now before I have to head back to the dorm hall, eat dinner, and spend the rest of the evening putting the finishing touches on my theology paper.

The following is an e-mail message sent to me by Alex Parets, a fellow student at Marquette University, is a response to the last weblog entry where I referred to illegal aliens as wetbacks …

Do you understand that the Latin Americans that cross the border make up the majority of the population of janitors, landscapers and housebuildrrs in this country? Without these people the United States wouldn’t survive. Your use of the word "wetbacks" is a disgrace to all Latin Americans like myself. How about you become tolerant of other people and see that these people are the most important economic group in the United States. I am Cuban-American and we Cubans have a higher probability of graduating college and earning more then $100,000 than white Americans have. Don't be surpirsed if a Cuban, which 80% are conservatives, takes the job you are looking at very soon. All I ask is that you respect and not insult my people. I read your blog in order to see your insight on certain issues but today you have crossed the line between being a readable blogger and a racist. Grow up and see that there are other people in the world.

First off, for as much I have been feeling like crap over the past few days due this exasperating cold (or allergies … whatever it may turn out to be), the opening two lines of this e-mail message life my spirits to be quite honest. Right, the entire United States economy would collapse because some yahoo in New Mexico or Arizona can’t make his own hotel room bed or take care of his/her children without a Latino maid there to do it for them. Seriously, put down that copy of A Day without a Mexican and face reality … illegal aliens are not essential to our economy. They never have been and they never will be. It is people like you who make the excuse for allowing illegal aliens into this country claiming they do the jobs we White Americans don’t want to do. That is flat-out wrong. The more accurate observation would be that illegal aliens do the jobs we White Americans don’t want to do for the current wage rates. True, if all illegal aliens were to mysteriously vanish one morning, there would be a disruption. I have no doubts about that. But it would not last long. Companies would adjust the wage rates or else invent some way for machines to fill in for the migrant worker. Is it not easier and cheaper to have a machine pick grapes in a field then an illegal alien? And again, our economy would not collapse because illegal immigrants are not making hotel room beds. How many illegal immigrants do you find working at a hotel in Iowa or Kansas? Few, if any at all.




Secondly, if you are a Cuban-American (in other words, an American), why are you getting so upset over this? The term “wetback” is a reference to “an illegal Mexican immigrant or worker who crosses the Rio Grande into the United States, sometimes swimming to get across”. Therefore, it does not apply to you.

Third, stop this hyphenated American rubbish. This should not apply only to you but to every immigrant within the United States. You are not an African-American (a majority of which have never been to Africa), a Cuban-American (why you would ever want to remind yourself of the place you escaped from is beyond me), or a Mexican-American … you are an American, end of story. Immigrants to the United States should learn to acclimate themselves, not only in respects to speaking English properly, but also ethnically as well. I do not see the reason taxpayers should be burdened with the costs of bilingual education because some Mexicans down in Arizona or New Mexico don’t want to learn how to speak English.



And to those who claim we should have a diverse ethnic culture within the United States, let us turn to countries such as Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Bosnia, and India where such practices are prominent. Is that what is to come of the United States in the near future? Oh boy! I can not wait!

And lastly, based on those numbers you presented to me about Cubans who immigrate to America, I have no idea how accurate those are or where you retrieved them from (the claim that a graduating Cuban in America is making $100,000 seems a tad high to me – the US Census in 2000 had a Cuban family making $39,000 on average but I have idea what it may have been an individual level – that would still seem unlikely to me, though they are the most successful of the Latino groups in America), nor do I have the time to research those facts at this current time. Again, if you go back and re-read the weblog entry I was referring to illegal immigrants crossing into the United States, not those who come here legally and contribute to the prosperity of this nation’s economy. Those, for example – the Cubans, who are willing to acclimate themselves into American society and culture and contribute to the United States economy, they are more then welcome here. Those illegal immigrants on the other hand who leech off taxpayer money and do nothing to contribute significantly to the United States economy are not. Every nation has the right to defend its borders, which includes the United States, from unwanted foreign invaders, whether they are future Mexican housekeepers or terrorist plotting our destruction.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

Ain't Fonda Jane

Okay, I am going to attempt to make this post as short and sweet as is physically possible for me right now. If I end making a mistake or two, please be kind enough to point out to me. I seriously under a lot of stress right now, with several essays due within the next week. But that is to be expected as we come down to the final weeks of class for the year. Here’s a basic run down of what I need to get done within the next four days – Theology art paper on Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” and the whole controversy created by “The Da Vinci Code” (due on Tuesday), History paper on the comparisons and contrasts of different groups during WWI and II (due on Friday, April 29th), International Politics paper on Global Capitalism (due May 4th, whatever day that is – I believe it may be a Friday but I do not have a calendar right in front of me now), an English paper in letter format on voter ID legislation (due on May 3rd), and a revision of my Unit Three English paper, which was honestly a piece of (-), that is due on May 12th, the week of finals (acting of course as our exam for the course). Throw into the mix a quiz here and an eight in the morning discussion group there and I am an absolute wreck. Seriously, I will be lucky to make it to summer vacation without collapsing of an ulcer (I do not know if that is even possible – if there are any medical students out there, please inform me about this) at least once.

In any event, there were four articles recently which came to my attention and I thought post them here along with my own commentary on the subjects, albeit briefly.

The Washington Post reported a startling find, at least as far as the liberal college establishment is concerned, in which they found that supporters for Bush outranked critics. True, the percentage of college students polled in this survey (1,206 to be precise) that showed approval of President George W. Bush was rather closer to the percentage of students who disapproved of his percentage (a difference of roughly one percent, though it could be less then that), there were still six percent who were unsure of their opinion (not uncommon, but demonstrates that they had not been exactly swayed the leftist opinion of their college university) and the fact that it was even this to begin with demonstrates quite a dramatic shift in the way politics are handled within the university system today. What is of even far greater importance is that the survey showed that fifty-two percent of those students polled favored private accounts for Social Security, the plan of reform the Bush Administration has adamantly been pushing for throughout the year thus far, while forty-six percent favored investing in the stock market. The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University conducted the survey and more information about the college student poll can be found through their website.

An amusing article, though not at all surprising if you think back to whom this article is focused on, appeared on World Net Daily which reported that “legal observers” to the Minute Men project in the state of Arizona were found smoking weed. The South East Arizona Republican Club placed photographs on their website which appear to show members of the ACLU of Arizona “smoking-up” a joint. Even after visiting their website and observing the photographs, I can not exactly tell what the “legal observers” are doing. From my perspective they appear to be smoking a regular cigarette, but since I am neither a smoker nor am I a drug user, I cannot say for sure what is being conducted in the photos. If anyone else has an opinion on this, feel free to send in a comment about what you think.

Want to know my opinion about the illegal alien problem? I say we construct a gigantic concrete wall and place it exactly on the border between the United States of America and Mexico. If those wetbacks want to get into this country so badly, they will have to either do a Hell of a lot of work in order to do so or else fill out the proper paper work like everyone else. Honestly, I realize conditions within Mexico are not the best, but it is not like it’s Communist Cuba or anything like that.



Here is a disturbing article I found from the Telegraph News that I thought would be interesting fodder for those within this country who believe we should be more like Europe. I will not say much about it, the article pretty much sums up my disgust of the incident, but if this is the direction in which the Democrats want this country to head towards, we are all officially screwed. But you probably were aware of that anyway.



And lastly, ending this evening’s discussion on a rather lighthearted note, an article was sent to me via e-mail from Yahoo News which reported that a Missouri Man spat on Jane Fonda while visiting the state on a book-signing tour for her recently published memoirs, “My Life So Far”. Apparently the man, who was eventually arrested for disorderly conduct, though never formally charged with the crime by Fonda, was a Vietnam War veteran who was upset with her protests during the war, more specifically the now infamous “Hanoi Jane” photographs which showed her giving comfort to the Communist enemy. Again, the following article speaks for itself, but I thought I would pick out one line I found especially intriguing and briefly comment on it.

In regards to the disreputable photographs, the article has this to say …
She has apologized for that photo, but not for opposing the war.
Apologizing for the photograph(s) or not (though in all honesty I believe she is apologizing more for the fact that she was caught rather then the actual course of actions she partook in), there can be no excuse for the selling out of her country in the name of the Communist enemy as she did. Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution clearly states that the charge of treason falls under the category of giving aid and comfort to the enemy during a time of war, something of which Jane Fonda, having visiting the VC soldiers in Hanoi while the war was still going on, is clearly guilty of. And this of course is not even taking into account the number of United States POWs who may have died because of her treacherous propagandist acts. Seriously, what happened to the charge of treason in this country? Jane Fonda should be six feet under right now pushing up daisies after having been hung from the highest branch on the closest tree the executioner could find but instead is traveling across the country promoting a book that may not even be worth the paper it’s printed on. This is not justice, ladies and gentlemen. Not even close.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Forget Housewives, Democrats are the Ones who are Desperate

Judging by the article that ran in this morning’s edition of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, you might be led to believe that the actions of County Executive Scott Walker, who will be running for the governorship of Wisconsin in 2006, in using taxpayer money to advocate for the passage of the county’s pension-bond referendum was a clear violation of interest. But further examination of the four county supervisors questioning Walker’s actions as well as the facts behind the matter, you would be surprised to discover a clear sign of political partisanship and bickering emanating from the left.

First we have Peggy West, 12th District Supervisor, who serves on the Executive Committee of the Milwaukee Democratic Party. Gerry Broderick, 3rd District Supervisor, would appear to be clear of such accusations if it were not for the fact that his wife is a teacher within the MPS educational system, a teacher-union that has vehemently opposed Scott Walker, not only in his role as county executive but also in his efforts to run for the governorship as well. Though I was unable to dig up a whole lot of information concerning Dan Devine, those within the Milwaukee County Courthouse confirmed that he was indeed a Democrat. And leading the charge in this shenanigan of course is John Weishan, 16th District Supervisor, infamously remembered for his attempt to blackmail Clear Channel Communications and force the firing of radio host Mark Belling for a comment he made nearly five months before and had apologized several times since then.

While working at the County Executive’s office as an intern, I was invited a few days ago to a press conference in which Walker directly addressed the issue concerning the pension-bond referendum and how it would be resolve without the threat to Milwaukee taxpayers of having their property-tax raised. He emphasized this point repeatedly, clearly implying to the Democrats that there was nothing that they could do that would force him to relinquish his promise to the citizens of Milwaukee County. It is truly astonishing to watch the childish bickering being conducted by the liberal members of the County Board, each clamoring for the County Executive to resolve the issue of the pension-fund while at the same time rejecting every single reasonable proposal he has placed on the table.

On the Walker for Governor blog, County Executive Scott Walker responded to the attacks made against him by John Weishan and three other liberal county-supervisors, stating:
The story today about four liberal Democrat County Board Supervisors trashing me for fighting for taxpayers is a good example of how much the liberals fear us. When we advocate for lower taxes, they go on the attack. Needless to say, we will continue to fight for ways to lower our tax burden.

Do Not Let the Tsar of Madison Sign Away Your Vote

This is merely a quick note to pass onto the voters of Wisconsin who are sick and tired of the loose voter registration laws which have left elections held within the state wide open to fraud and manipulation ...
Dear Friend,

This is your last chance to show your support for fair and responsible elections law in Wisconsin.

In the 2004 fall elections, more than 12,000 questionable ballots were cast, effectively canceling out the legal votes of entire cities and communities in Wisconsin. Was your vote one of them?

After surviving a long debate since its introduction on Feb. 1, the Photo ID bill has passed through the State Senate this last Wednesday with an impressive 21-12 vote. In addition to the bipartisan support in our legislators who have voiced their support, studies have shown that 70% of Wisconsin’s Municipal Clerks, and 84.3 percent of Wisconsin’s likely voters are in favor of a photo ID requirement to prevent voter fraud and identity theft.

Despite the incredible support that is being voiced from everywhere around the state, Governor Doyle still vows to veto the bill. Knowing full well that the will of Wisconsin’s voters is against him, he continues to stubbornly oppose progress.


Please tell the Governor that you want your vote to count. Sign the Photo ID petition online today before Governor Doyle signs away your vote again.

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Papa Ratzi

As if the left-leaning mass media of the United States needed yet another reason to despise the recently elected Pope Benedict XVI, who is already being grilled by the news networks for his staunch conservative views on Catholic teachings not to mention the brief time he spent within the Hitler Youth movement during his childhood in Germany (strategically leaving out the word 'forced' of course), Yahoo News is reporting that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was the leading figure of the Roman Catholic Church who demanded that Bishops deny pro-abortion candidates communion, Senator John Kerry being among them.

Here we go once more. It’s the whole “moral values” argument from the 2004 presidential election all over again, only this time the media has taken a cue from Michael Moore and spliced in a conspiratorial plot twist to give off the appearance that they actually put some effort behind this. Ratzinger was merely performing his duty to enforce Catholic teachings. Catholicism has been known to have a staunch view on the concept of killing, essentially outlawing it in nearly every circumstance. Though not altogether idealistic, it is a view that even a majority of Catholics view as being unrealistic. But abortion is one area in which no debate should exist as science has proven without a doubt that life begins at conception. The left should just face facts – their candidate was an absolute dud. End of story. Hilary has set them all up like a bunch of bowling pins, waiting in anticipation to knock them down in order to become president.

Flipper Denied His Right to Die

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, especially on the day in which the successor to the late-Pope John Paul II was named by the Roman Catholic Church, but I do so only for your benefit in demonstrating once again the incomprehensible hypocrisy of the liberal Democrats in this country. I take the time now to warn everyone that the following information I am about to present directly relates to the Terri Schiavo case and for those who emotionally affected by this event, they may not want to be brought down on such a day of jubilation as this.

For anyone who watched CNN (the Communist New Network, formerly referred to as the Clinton New Network) in the midst of the Terri Schiavo debate this past March, first off, give yourselves a pat on the back, you just performed your charitable deed for the month. And secondly, you will recall one reporter of the struggling cable news network focusing a lot of attention upon the protestors gathering peacefully outside of the hospice where Terri was being held and how he drew comparisons between those protestors and the individuals who murdered abortion doctors within the state ten years prior to this event. The very same individual who covered the Terri Schiavo case for CNN recently reported a story in which he applauded the efforts of volunteers who were rehabilitating dolphins that required feeding tubes to be inserted in them to eat and drink.

Here is a portion of the exact transcript from that report and you can click here to read the rest of it along with insightful, humorous commentary from conservative radio talk-show host, Rush Limbaugh:
The dolphins needed her help. More than two dozen rough tooth dolphins required around-the-clock care. For 25-year-old Kate Banick and the others who came to save the dolphins, this was the most challenging, demanding part of the work, the animals in a penned off area of a rehabilitation facility had to be hand fed three times a day. Members of Banick's team held their mouths open with pieces of cloth as she fed them dead herring. To provide the required round-the-clock care, hundreds came to work four-hour shifts. The volunteers are in the pool 24/7 holding the animals and keeping their blowholes out of the water so they can breathe. A veterinarian injects the dolphins with vitamin E to help with muscle cramping. These mammals are unable to eat on their own. Kate Banick uses a feeding tube to get them the nutrition they need.

Habemus Papam!

Oh God, the shepherd and guide of all the faithful,
Look with favor upon Thy servant Pope Benedict XVI,
Whom Thou hast been pleased to place as pastor over Thy Church.
Grant him, we beseech Thee, to help by word and example those over whom he rules, so that, Together with the flock entrusted to him, he may reach everlasting life.

Amen.







"Dear brothers and sisters, after the great Pope John Paul II, the cardinals have elected me - a simple, humble worker in the vineyard of the Lord. The fact that the Lord can work and act even with insufficient means consoles me, and above all I entrust myself to your prayers. In the joy of the risen Lord, trusting in his permanent help, we go forward. The Lord will help us and Mary his very holy mother stands by us"





Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany has been elected the 265th leader of the Roman Catholic Church on this day, April 19th, 2005, and has taken the name of Pope Benedict XVI.

In Memoriam

O my God,
Relying on your almighty power and infinite mercy and promises,
I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of your grace,
And life everlasting,
Through the merits of Jesus Christ,
My Lord and Redeemer.

Amen
.




For those unaware of what this post is supposed to be dedicated towards, today marked the tenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing which killed one-hundred and sixty-eight people on April 19th, 1995, and was the largest terrorist attack on American soil prior to the attacks of September 11th, 2001. Although Timothy McVeigh was executed in June 2001 for his enactment of this crime against humanity, the scars left upon the survivors and the families of the victims will never be truly healed. If the subject of the Oklahoma City Bombing or the tragic effects experienced in the aftermath are intriguing to you or you feels as though you want to contribute to the recovery efforts of the survivors as well as the children of the victims in this horrific act, I suggest that you visit the Oklahoma City National Memorial website and make a donation today.

Monday, April 18, 2005

Norman Finkelstein: Holocaust Denier

A couple of days ago I presented information on this weblog which accused Professor John Esposito of being an Islamic apologist. I then took the opportunity to scold both the Office of Student Development (OSD) and the Marquette University Student Government (MUSG) for sponsoring a presentation/book signing he gave on campus and for taking portions of our tuition payments to pay him for the speech. I return tonight to reprimand four organizations from within the Marquette University campus, two of which have already been covered by this site before – OSD, MUSG, JUSTICE, and ASA (Arab Student Association) – for yet again wasting portions of our tuition payments to pay for a presentation entitled “The Politics of Anti-Semitism” to be given by Dr. Norman Finkelstein tonight at 7pm. Finkelstein, a political science professor from DePaul University in Chicago, has attracted an audience which have categorized him, positively, as a Holocaust revisionist, while others who are more in the know define him more accurately as a Holocaust denier.

While researching information concerning Dr. Norman Finkelstein, one piece of information which I found especially intriguing kept repeatedly popping up in the Google searches I performed – Finkelstein has been and continues to be a close friend of Noam Chomsky, quite honestly one of the most blatant anti-Semites in this country as well as the world, outside of the Middle East region of course. And that was merely the first red flag which gave cause for concern for those who would be attending his speech this evening and how their views on the Jews and the Israeli/Palestinian conflict would be warped by a man who considered the Israeli security as evil as “the Gestapo”, or even more so.



Again, to clarify what I am saying here, I am not stating that Dr. Norman Finkelstein does not have the right to give his opinions concerning the Holocaust, Judaism, Israel, the Middle East region, or terrorism. I believe thoroughly that everyone in this country is entitled to their opinions and has the right to express them as long as they caused no physical harm or endangered the lives of others around them. With that being said, he should be given a soap-box on which stand and express his hate-mongering on any corner of this campus he finds to be most suitable for his anti-Semitic views instead of being paid with funds from our tuition payments expressing within the sanctity of this hollowed institution.

I ask that everyone who is concerned about Dr. Norman Finkelstein venting his hatred of the Jews toward the students of this university or any other hate-monger who is invited to speak on campus corrupting the minds of the student body to voice their objections to both the Office of Student Development and the Marquette University Student Government and demand an explanation for the repeated behavior of booking speakers whose behavior and opinions clearly go against the moral ethics and values on whic this university was founded.

Update – I have made some slight changes to the following entry (as of 7pm this evening). First off, I have replaced the line which stated Finkelstein referred to himself as a “Holocaust revisionist”, when in fact it was a category which the main audience his work has attracted has placed him in, positively of course. I apologize for the mix-up. I wrote this late at night and I must have misread a source, not noticing the mistake until someone had pointed it out to me. And secondly, it was brought to my attention that an article which ran earlier this month on The Marquette Warrior weblog discussed the subject of Norman Finkelstein similarly to what is being divulged here. I have placed a link to this article in this entry for readers to access.

Saturday, April 16, 2005

DeLay Replaces Rumsfeld as Democrats' Designated Bitch Boy

Even after all these years of discussing politics amongst my peers, the hypocrisy of the Democratic Party has never ceased to amaze me. They scold and ballyhoo to every liberally-biased media source they can find whenever a Republican so much as steps a toe out of line, though honestly I fail to see what wrong Senator Tom DeLay has committed, when it concerns a certain course of action they themselves have partaken in numerous times over. Patronage is all part of the political game and it is something we are just going to have to get use to. It has occurred far more times with congressional candidates then we are aware of, including on the side of the Democratic Party. Don’t believe me? Then perhaps you will find the following articles concerning Democratic members of Congress who have partaken in the same course of action, or worse, then they have accused Majority Leader Tom DeLay – Barbara Boxer, Senator John Kerry, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Hilary Clinton, Senator Charles Schumer, and Assistant Minority Leader Harry Reid.



Thanks to The Drunk Report for the news sources!

Dennis Ross Returning to Marquette May 3rd!

John McAdams, Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Political Science Department, has posted the following information over on his weblog, The Marquette Warrior:
Ambassador Dennis Ross will be giving his second public lecture at Marquette on Tuesday, May 3 at 7-9 pm in the Weasler Auditorium.

I am definitely going to attend this event and I would suggest to those who wish to hear a qualified view on the Middle East Peace Process, specifically the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, that you keep your schedule open for the evening of May 3rd and attend this speech.

Democrats Dance Around May Poll

The streak is over! This past Thursday’s edition of The Marquette Tribune was the first issue of the university newspaper, outside of the Pope John Paul II Monday edition, that did not contain an editorial written in opposition to either Douglas Zabrowski or myself since our articles were first published. It is sad to see this day, but we all knew that it was eventually inevitable. All joking aside, the editorials this time around were honestly quite pathetic with none of them particularly pecking my interest. With that out of the way, I thought I would take the time to quickly respond or post comments on three articles within this past Thursday’s edition of The Tribune that caught my eye for one reason or another.

The first article I would wish to discuss, entitled Focus groups help to replace former vendors, does not involve a particular complaint about the subject matter itself – quite on the contrary, I am proud that the administration is finally taking the issue of Campus Town seriously and researching into how they can make it profitable once again not exclusively for the sake of the university but Milwaukee County as well – but rather an annoyance that has developed over the course of the school year and one which has been brought again to the surface by the following paragraph:
“The strip that formerly housed the office of University Apartments and Off Campus Student Services, a bank and Papa John's will be occupied by the Office of the Bursar this month, Peters said, because previous assessments suggested the service the Bursar offers would be best in an area easily accessible to students, he said”
See, this is what annoying to me. Pick a damn spot for the Office of the Bursar and stick with it already. I can remember at beginning of the school year when the Bursar used to be located right next door to the Varsity Theatre, now currently occupied by Career Services. It was then moved to the end of campus within Carpenter Tower. Now they have decided to relocate it once again to the other end of the university campus. Frankly, I thought it was of most convenience for students when it was next door to the theatre, given that it was essentially across the street from the library. And of course this relocation is only temporary and the Bursar will again be moved to yet location, which remains undisclosed at this point in time. But this does leave you questioning where else they can place it once a new business is found to replace the former-Papa John’s location. This is not so much a big deal for me as it is a little annoyance that I feel should be squashed immediately.

The second article from Thursday’s edition of The Marquette Tribune which had caught my interest, entitled Legislator wants to give workers day off to vote for president, governor, deals with a particular political subject which I am opposed to, though certainly not as adamantly as with more significant proposals then this. The following article has a lot more to do with common sense and logic rather then the politics themselves. However I am not the least bit surprised that a Democrat was behind its conception within the state of Wisconsin. Rep. Joe Parisi (D-Madison) has proposed making Election Day a state holiday in an effort he believes will solve the problems resulting at the polls. The Wisconsin legislator was quoted in the university newspaper as saying:
"’When you look at the problems that have occurred in Milwaukee, I think you can trace a lot of them to long lines and overworked poll workers,’ he said”
Here is a prime example in which you can distinctly tell the difference between Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the issue of the state’s election difficulties. The Republican on the one hand actually wants to solve the issue by fixating the problem on voter fraud, an evidential conclusion from the lengthy list of registered voters whose residences did not exist, and proposing legislation which would dramatically revamp the state’s terribly loose voter registration laws. The Democrat on the other hand contributes the difficulties to lingering lines and therefore proposes a piece of legislation which would give off the appearance of accomplishing something without actually contributing something which would go about reducing the problem whether it was in the short or the long term. The average worker in America holds down a nine-to-five job, does he/she not? The polls on Election Day open at eight in the morning and close precisely at seven in the evening. Now it seems to me that all you would have to do is vote before heading off to work in the morning or else head immediately to the nearest polling station after work. How difficult or demanding can that be?
“Parisi expressed the opposite opinion, saying more voting problems arise from poor administration at the polls rather than from voter fraud”
Then why is it, might I be so inclined as to ask, that Democrats are quick in jumping on the Republicans for the issue of voter fraud – for example, Ohio and Florida in the past two presidential elections – when they lose an election but as time has been able to take its course, they are able to quickly assemble in opposition to the legislation which would resolve their earlier resent, amazingly in time for the next election campaign to rev up. And did any else bother to notice that such a proposal would seek to cater to a key demographic of the Democratic Party, which would be the union worker? Purely unintentional I am sure but I view this as a rip-off when hardworking individuals such as my father, who works as a pharmacist, have to remain at work on Election Day simply for the fact that they either refuse to belong to a union or do have one in which to join and yet they are still able to find the time to vote. This legislation is not only unfair, it does nothing to reduce the difficulties the state suffers from improper election resulted caused by voter fraud.



And finally, I want to merely touch on the matter of the third and final article, entitled Speaker urges end to Islamic stereotypes, as it will be an extension of the discussion I had covered earlier this week concerning John Esposito speaking at Marquette University.

“Contrary to popular misconceptions, Islam and democracy can be compatible, Esposito said”

Now here is a point of contention that both Professor Esposito and I can come to an agreement on, albeit a rare one. I believe thoroughly that the recent elections in both Afghanistan and Iraq, with tremendous voter turn out that ought to put our citizens to shame next Election Day, should put a direct halt to the debate over whether Islam and Democracy can coexist. But at the same time I am reluctant to accept that fundamentalist Islamic leaders, those who are truly the ones in charge of both the people and the governmental state, will be quick to lay down their grasp on power which they have held for hundreds of years. As an example of what I am discussing, I refer you to Frontpage Magazine which published an article detailing particular difficulties which may arise from combining Islam and Democracy in the Middle East region.

“Muslims are ‘guilty until proven innocent in every sphere,’ even when virtually none have been found directly guilty of terrorism, Esposito said”

Seeing as how I am short on time at the current moment, I was unable to perform as through a search as I had wanted, but merely typing in the words ‘Muslims found guilty of terrorism’ into the Google search engine produced the following results – one is from the BBC, US brothers guilty of aiding Hamas, and the other, Former CAIR Member Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges, is from a site called Israpundit. Furthermore, if anyone is interested in remaining up-to-date on the latest news stories or information concerning Islamic terrorism, please visit Jihad Watch, a highly reliable website.

“This can best be seen in how the media portrays Muslims, in which allegations against Muslims are viewed as more factual than the same allegations against members of other faiths, he said”

Honestly, do you truly believe that Mr. Esposito? Could it be more likely that following the September 11th attacks members of Islam have been engaging in attacks against Americans and the media has finally awaken to the connection between the two? I invite visitors to this site to check out the Media Research Center and type in the words ‘media and Christians’ and read what pops up. I would think the media’s portrayal of the Christian protestors outside Terri Schiavo’s hospice as lunatics and religious zealots would be evidence enough to prove otherwise, but apparently not.

"Separation of church and state doesn't exist in many of these countries"
Again I will say this, point out to me where within the context of the United States Constitution does it say that there exists a “separation of church and state”. Do not bother because it does not exist. It may sound monotonous but it is significant enough that it needs to be drilled into our heads.
“’Do we really believe in democratization, or does it mean we'll support self-determination as long as it's what we want?’ Esposito asked”
Sure we support the concept of democratization to its fullest extent, but if the entire process fails to benefit the United States in the long run, or even go so far as to cause us further harm, then what is the point? People are going to have to realize that we doing this (spreading democracy throughout the world) in an effort to solidify not only our own security and sovereignty, but that of the rest of the world as well. It may be idealistic to want the United States to do something without asking for anything in return, but realistically that does not make sense. We are spending a large amount of taxpayer dollars and risking numerous lives in order to bring freedom and democracy to the Middle East and unless we can guarantee (the key word in this discussion) something in return, specifically an increase in security and a valued ally, then perhaps it is not worth doing.

Friday, April 15, 2005

The Times, They are a Changing

John (not Jim – I apologize for mixing that up earlier) Johnson sent in the following comment in response to the article entitled, “It’s the Only Way They Will Learn”, which was posted this past Thursday:
I'm not sure your response really validates the action you are calling for at all. It is still unethical and unscrupulous, no matter who did it first. If you believe that the Republican Senatorial Candidate is the right candidate for Wisconsin, then he/she shouldn't have to resort to that kind of tactic in the first place. It still reeks of hypocrisy to me.
I believe you are missing my point entirely. I do not like the fact either that candidates running for public office are being judged based on actions or activities in their past which have no valued consequence on the job they wish to perform for the state or the nation. Unless they happened to have committed murder or some other form of egregious crime, I have no desire to have any knowledge concerning the activities of their past, except when they have direct relation to their policies. Sadly, this is the direction in which politics and the media are heading toward these days. Already we have seen the Democrats take the initiative with the press in tow immediately jumping upon the matter, despite its insignificance. You known damn well that the next time a Republican candidate who happens to be divorced from a previous marriage runs for public office in a highly contested race, as the senator’s seat for the state of Illinois was this past November, they will trump up any portion of that divorce record under false assumptions and not logistical facts. Why should we [Republicans] be forced to remain strict to the ‘rules of engagement’ on a level field of play when are opponents are not? Does that seem fair to you? No one ever said the world of politics was not going to be nasty. As I stated previously, I do not like this any more then you but if this is the direction in which politics is going, then we must be willing to adapt to those alterations for the time being.

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Nazism, Communism, and Islam - All One in the Same

Seriously, I am willing to pull a double-shift of typing tonight in order to get myself back on track with the weblog. I still have a comment or two to write responses for, as well as a few articles within the latest editions of The Marquette Tribune, but thankfully the recent batch of editorials were complete and utter tripe, so I will not be bogged down any further, at least as far as this weekend is concerned. I can not wait a minute longer for the weekend to arrive. Even though I will end up having a batch of homework to complete over the next three days, there is nothing tremendous I need to work on right away. The last week of April, on the other hand, will be quite a testing time. I have a theology art paper due on the 26th of April, and then comes the 29th on which I have to turn in my Western Civilization paper, dash down to the Courthouse for the County Executive’s commercial, and then have to rush back to the dorm, eat lunch, and then turn in my International Politics paper. Believe me, it is just going to be a fun day, I know it. Well, I am not going to waste any more of this opportune moment jabbering on about my hectic schedule … let us move quickly onto another reader comment.

Having returned to the dorm room from my theology class at around eleven in the morning on Tuesday, I went into my Marquette e-mail account and found a message from Greg St. Arnold entitled, “Islam”. Greg, for those of you who do not know, operates The Smoking Room, a left-leaning weblog dedicated to responding to event which occur not only within the confines of the Milwaukee area but the nation and the world as well, inquired as to my reasoning behind the claim I had made earlier in this weblog (I can not immediately recall from which article he quoted in his e-mail message, but I do remember making such a statement) that Islam was “our generation’s Nazism or Communism”.

The following is what Greg wrote to me in his e-mail message on Tuesday:

I read you blog occasionally. I am inclined to disagree with a lot of the stuff you post. But I was just wondering, you alluded in one post to Islam being "our generation's Nazism or communism." On what grounds do you base this claim, from a historical, political, and theological perspective?

This is an excellent question to ask Greg and I thank you for sending the following e-mail message to me. In response to your question, I am going to try and break this subject down for you so that I can make myself clear and that there will be no misinterpretation of the words I write down in this entry. I first became aware of the connection between Nazism and Islam through one of the numerous product recommendation lists found on the Amazon.com website. I wish I could tell you what the name of the book was but to be honest, I can not recall at the moment what it was. It was present for some time on one of my own product recommendation lists – conservative oriented books, of course – but over time it was bumped off the list as my collection of political-science books increase and the number of available slots on the list decreased, of which only twenty-five are allotted per list. I may have written it down somewhere, but since I live on-campus during the week, I do not have access at the current moment to where I may have placed it. But if I ever do find out what it was, or someone else has heard of what I am discussing, I will be sure to post it here to let you know.

In any event, basically the book discussed how the Nazis were able to successfully maintain control of the Middle East region while at the same time battling their way through Northern Africa and securing control of Europe within the early stages of the Second World War.

Here is the truth – I could go about jabbering all evening about this, but sadly I do not have quite the time in which to do so. However, I was able to research a little bit this afternoon and found online a news article from Front Page magazine in which the writer discusses the connection found between Nazism and Islam, though to be accurate the book that he refers to is not the book I was discussing earlier, as well as an article present on Newsmax Magazine’s website.

We find ourselves in the midst of the global war against terrorism and, as is custom with all wars, we must face a common adversary together, which in this case is Islam.

There undoubtedly will be those individuals who will be quick to claim that other religions have partaked in terrorists attacks against this country and yet we have not sought to obliterate from the earth. And while that is true to an extent, no other religion in our time period has presented a greater threat to democracy then Islam has. We can not allow ourselves to forget that it was Islamic terrorists who were behind the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, 2001, in spite of whatever conspiracy theory bull-sh*t you may hear otherwise.

Please be aware, however, that I am not suggesting, in spite of what others may claim, that every Muslim is a terrorist and that every single one should be bound, gagged, dragged through the streets, and hung from their legs from the construction cranes along the Marquette interchange. But noting that a certain amount of Muslims, whether it be in this country or overseas, do not partake in terrorist activities, let alone applaud the actions of Osama bin Ladin and al Qaeda, does not take away from the fact that Islam, the true version which many have come to accept as the true faith, is morally transverse to the concept of democracy and therefore must be discarded to the ash-heap of history along with fascism, Nazism, and Communism.

Islam is a dangerous religion which must be dealt away with, and I am not alone in this belief. The only ones who honestly believe Islam is the “religion of peace” as has been claimed on numerous occasions are those who already believe in it and the left-wing faction of this country who simply want to shut their eyes, click their heels three times, and return home to the black-and-white Kansas farm from The Wizard of Oz. Sorry folks, but the world does not operate that way.

Here is the way in which the Muslim world works – you are either with the program and therefore deserve to bask in the glory of Allah, or else you an apostate or infidel and deserve only death. No “wiggle room” for peace can exist within Islam. Appeasement will not divert them from their ultimate goal of destroying America and its interests, specifically Israel, as the Arab world views this as a sign of weakness, which will exuberate their efforts to destroy us.

The left seriously needs to wake up and realize that we are at war with Islam and if we do not properly defend ourselves from another 9/11, or worse, we will lose.

It's The Only Way They Will Learn

Jim Johnson sent in the following comment in response to the article entitled “Demand Feingold to Release His Divorce Record!” which was posted this past Monday:
I thought you said were not a hypocrite. Why then, if you feel that the Democrats using Jack Ryan's divorce records was irrelevant to the campaign, do you urge the Republicans to do the same for Feingold? If what they did was wrong or irrelevant, why do the same? It seems rather hypocritical to me.
Well John, I hate to be the barer of bad news … well, not when it comes to delivering to Democrats, so I will just come out and say that this not defined as hypocrisy. If the Democrats believe they can change the rules of engagement whenever they feel they do not have an edge in an electoral race and view divorce records now as legitimate campaign tool, we have no logistical choice other then to play by their rules. Then and only then will they see the error of their ways (knowing that their actions may come back to bite them in the ass) and revert to the standard rules of political engagement which were held prior to the Jack Ryan "controversy". True, it is harsh, but honestly it is the only way they will learn.

Thanks once again for your comment.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

MUCR Meeting Tonight with Guest Speaker Professor Breeden

This is just a simple reminder to all Marquette University College Republicans that there is a meeting being held tonight, not in the Alumni Union as we are usually situated, but in Cudahy Hall, Rm. 118 (and do not ask why this location because quite honestly I am simply taking instructions from the higher-ups of the organization) at 8pm. Professor Breeden will be our guest speaker for the evening and he will discuss “Discrimination and Prosperity” within the economic market. Also at this time we will be announcing the nominees running for specific positions within the Marquette University College Republicans’ organization next year. If you do decide to throw your own hat into the ring, be prepared to give a concise speech at this evening’s meeting. And of further note, this will be your last opportunity to sign up and volunteer for the Hunger Clean-up project for this Saturday, April 16th.

Thank you for your time and I hope you all have a pleasant evening.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Professor John Esposito: Islamic Apologist

Even after all these years with instant access to the internet I am still amazed at the wonders of the modern Google search. Simply type in a few words and if you are lucky you will be able to connect to websites and access information you would not have otherwise been able to obtain before the mega-search engine site came along. Take for example earlier this week when Marquette University’s Political Science Department sent an e-mail notice out to students announcing a presentation called “Islam, Democracy, and the Challenges of the Post-9/11 World” on April 12th (their original e-mail notice stated it was the 14th, which was not corrected until the day of the presentation sadly) featuring guest speaker Professor John Esposito of Georgetown University, who, according to his biography on the Center for the Study of Islam and Democracy website, had served as President of the Middle East Studies Association of North America and of the American Council for the Study of Islamic Societies.

The bio also went on to say that Esposito worked as a consultant for “governments, multinational corporations, and the media worldwide”, but what it fails to acknowledge, or flat-out refuses to accept, is that he was an advisor to the Clinton administration which dramatically cut funding for both the Department of Defense and the intelligence agencies, among other the CIA and the FBI, it depended on in order to make accurate decisions concerning a course of action against another country, problems we have seen sprung up following the September 11th attacks and the invasion of Iraq, and rejected three different offers to apprehend Usama bin Ladin, which all could have been done at the behest of Professor John Esposito. Frankly I do not want to come off as some crazed conspiracy theorist, the type of individuals the members of the left have survived themselves so commonly with, but the idea that Islam could infiltrate the United States government and undermine our nation’s security is not as far fetched an idea as it may seem. In fact it has already happened.

Do not believe me? As proof, check out Paul Sperry’s book, “Infiltration”. I will be sparse as to the details of the book, which would ruin the surprise, but the bottom-line is that Sperry did some inside investigation into the claims that Islam had infiltrated the United States government and has dug up some startling results.

Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives have Penetrated Washington

There will undoubtedly be those who will not believe that this is feasible, but it was not too long ago that Soviet spies held 1/3 of the positions within the State Department and were placed as operatives within a variety of areas inside the US government including the Department of Defense, the US Army, and even in the office of the president (1/2 of FDR’s administration were known to have been Communists). If one can recall how close the United States came to destruction and defeat in the Cold War, and would well have had it not been for Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Pope John Paul II, this makes the possibility of Muslims infiltrating the very infrastructure of the United States government, the fabric which has held our nation together through both the good times and the bad, a horrific nightmare come to life.

Here is merely a sampling of the vile garbage he has shoved down the throats of hundreds of ignorant college students across the country - Of the Palestinian terrorist group, Hamas, Esposito claimed they were a legitimate organization which “engaged in ‘honey, cheese-making, and home-based clothing manufacture’” (careful of course to downplay the entire concept of suicide bombers), and compared Yasser Arafat’s call for jihad against Israel to the “fight against AIDS”.
For More Information Concerning Professor John Esposito, Click Here and Read Frontpage Magazine's September 2002 Article
I am once again publicly embarrassed that both the Office of Student Development (OSD) and Marquette University Student Government (MUSG) would use funds from our tuition payments in order to pay for Professor John Esposito, a modern-day Islamic apologist, to give a speech and push his manipulative products onto gullible college students, though I am certainly not surprised by this move especially after the Gandhi incident earlier this year.

I as much as the next man believe everyone has the right to free speech, but funds coming from our own pockets should not be paying for his lies and manipulation of the student body here at Marquette University, or any other college campus for that matter.

I realize that there are plenty of curious individuals who would like to know more about the truth behind the lies of Professor John Esposito, but seeing as how I myself am short on time to explain it all, you can read more up on the subject by visiting the National Review, Campus Watch, and The Weekly Standard for more information.