Protecting borders

An Examiner editorial cites a study "by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse affiliated with Syracuse University":

"...of more than 800,000 immigration court cases between 2004 and 2006, however, found only 12 involving illegal aliens that the government charged with terrorism. A mere 114 illegals were brought up on “national security” charges during the same period, according to TRAC. Only 31 of these people were actually deported."

I think these statistics do the opposite of bolstering the editorial's pithy "31 down and how many millions to go."

There's not millions of terrorists in the country. Almost every single illegal immigrant is here to work, not terrorize. Just because white Americans think they're being terrorized by the help (that they need) doesn't mean that's actually happening.

Catching flak

Hotline's On Call has carried the story of a war of words between Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain. After McCain criticized Sens. Hillary Clinton and Obama about their vote for the Iraq war funding supplemental, Obama responded:

“And if there ever was a reflection of that it's the fact that Senator McCain required a flack jacket, ten armored Humvees, two Apache attack helicopters, and 100 soldiers with rifles by his side to stroll through a market in Baghdad just a few weeks ago."

McCain jumped on the apparent misspelling in subsequent the press release, noting that:

"By the way, Senator Obama, it's a 'flak' jacket, not a 'flack' jacket."

FWIW, spell check in Microsoft Word for the sentences, "I am wearing a flack jacket" and "I am wearing a flak jacket" both escape without need for correction.

Interestingly, the word "flak" is an acronym from German. If Obama deems the criticism worth responding to in the future, I hope it's just as smarmy.

True believers

The Rev. Al Sharpton has gotten himself into some hot water for saying:

"And as for the one Mormon running for office, those that really believe in God will defeat him anyway. So don't worry about that. That's a temporary, that's a temporary situation."

His statement came during a debate with Christopher Hitchens, the author of the recent book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything.

NewsBusters notes that:

"...Sharpton and [Paula] Zahn discussed the fact that until 1965 [according to CNN], or 1978, according to Sharpton, the Mormon church did not accord blacks full status. That engendered the following exchange:

SHARPTON: ...prior to '65, '78, whenever it was, they did not see blacks as equal, I do not believe that as real worshippers of God, because I do not believe that God distinguishes between people."

Considering that the founders of this country and several generations of its people afterwards put into place and accepted laws that "did not see blacks as equal" this is a curious statement. Sharpton is supposed to be clergy, hence the "Reverend" (licensed and ordained a minister at age 9, says Wikipedia).

Sharpton was ordained by someone who was ordained by someone who was ordained by someone who was ordained by someone who was white. And that person's religion (Christianity) had members who did not view blacks as equal.

I am so thrown, I cannot elucidate my point.

Fit & Smoke

BusinessWeek lists Phillip Morris USA as No. 29 on its "Best Places to Launch a Career" list. The accompanying graphic shows a stylized shot of a Marlboro advertisment, presumably outside a gas station.

I wonder if enterprising new-hires of Phillip Morris would even smoke. For that matter, I wonder if middle-management with mortgages and families smoke. My guess is no. At least, not the ones inclined to be healthy. I make the assumption that Phillip Morris USA has health-inclined employees and even caters to them because, ironically, BusinessWeek notes that the nation's largest tobacco company:

"...offers on-site fitness facilities at some locations--and even concierge services."

Are the employees on the stair-stepper with Marlboro in hand? Right. That's what I thought.

What we really are

From Wikipedia:

Amerigo Vespucci used a Latinised form of his name, Americus Vespucius, in his Latin writings, which Waldseemüller used as a base for the new name, taking the feminine form America.

Amerigo itself is an Italian form of the medieval Latin Emericus, which through the German form Heinrich (in English, Henry) derived from the Germanic name Haimrich.

So...we are the United States of Henry.