Top Political News:

Chrysler LLC says it will shut down all of its manufacturing operations from the end of this week for at least a month

The shutdown marks an increase in the financial crisis for the U.S. auto industry and came as Chrysler and  rival General Motors Corp both seek a federal bailout to survive.

Chrysler says its dealers are getting shoppers into showrooms but losing between 20 percent and 25 percent of those potential sales because of the lack of consumer financing for new car purchases

"As a result of the financial crisis, the automotive market remains depressed due to the continued lack of consumer credit for potential buyers," the automaker said in a statement

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/081217/business_us_chrysler_shutdown.html?.v=7

Ohio official caught spying on “Joe the Plummer” during campaign, resigns

Two other officials who were suspended from their positions for their role in the computer search of background information on the plumber will not be returning to their jobs, an agency spokeswoman said.

Department of Job and Family Services Director Helen Jones-Kelley said in a statement accompanying her resignation that she won't allow her reputation to be disparaged and that she is concerned for her family's safety.

"This decision comes after a time of pause, in which I realize that I continue to be used as a political postscript, providing a distraction from urgent state priorities," she said in her statement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081218/ap_on_re_us/director_resigns

The Illinois supreme court Wednesday rejected a bid to remove the state's corruption-tainted governor from office in the wake of charges he tried to sell president-elect Barack Obama's vacant senate seat.

The state's attorney general asked the court last week to impose a restraining order stripping Rod Blagojevich of the bulk of his powers while considering her request to have him temporarily replaced by the state's lieutenant governor.

The court denied her request without comment, an order filed Wednesday showed.

Blagojevich has so far refused mounting calls to resign after he was arrested on December 9 amid an FBI investigation that accuses him of a staggering pattern of corruption, including refusing to free up funds for a children's hospital until he received a 50,000-dollar campaign contribution.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=081217203439.jg5zko58&show_article=1

Opinion:
It’s time to get back to the threat of illegal immigration

The flood of illegal immigrants as a crisis, got shunted to the back of the issues during the recent presidential campaign.

No wonder.

Republican John McCain was hardly positioned to make any sort of viable point in confronting the issue – after all, for reasons known only to him, McCain chose to partner with Teddy Kennedy in proposing immigration reform opponents saw as a path to amnesty for illegal aliens.

Why McCain would choose Kennedy – before his recent illness among the least respected people on Capitol Hill among grass roots Americans – left many heads shaking.  At the very least, Kennedy’s involvement served as a red flag for many who were otherwise somewhat ambivalent about the issue.

The ill-considered measure gained the enthusiastic support not only of the US Senate – but also of the Bush White House and the mainstream media.  By all fair elements of judgment, that should have been an irresistible force – a means of shoving the measure down the throats of any who objected to its amnesty provisions.

It failed – in an amazing (and very reassuring) marshalling of public response, waves of objections from normal Americans created a tsunami of opposition so great the forces trying to sell the bill were forced to cave.

McCain and Kennedy’s amnesty efforts failed.

Of course Obama had no suggestion of any viable plans through which to conftront the illegal alien challenge.  No Democrat has spoken out on the issue and most savvy political types see illegal aliens as a massive inventory of potential bodies for traditional Democrat vote theft and fraud efforts.  Can anyone say “ACORN”?

So illegal immigration was shunted to the back of the bus, and the rest is history.

Now the campaign is over, and its time for the issue to be visited again.  While the financial crisis will continue to grab headlines, and the inaugural will follow along, normal America must begin organizing to take on and (hopefully) take out those promoting the illegals.

Don’t forget, Obama is on the record as favoring giving drivers licenses to illegals.

A Florida teacher reports:

“This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school?
 
“One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn't want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting a PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money leftover.
 
“She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program (check it out - I did) for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US Citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she 'loves HER country.'
 
“I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn't bother her, because that is what the money is there for!
 
“I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US Citizen, you don't qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.
 
“Something is wrong here. I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. No where did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY.”

Buddy

Today’s top Blogs:

1.

NOTE:  U.S. now only 2 states away from rewriting Constitution as a call for convention goes unnoticed
Critic: 'This is a horrible time to try such a crazy scheme'
Such a convention would be empowered to discuss and consider any imaginable change to the Constitution – although ratification by 2/3 of the states would be required for passage.
By Bob Unruh
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A public policy organization has issued an urgent alert stating affirmative votes are needed from only two more states before a Constitutional Convention could be assembled in which "today's corrupt politicians and judges" could formally change the U.S. Constitution's "'problematic' provisions to reflect the philosophical and social mores of our contemporary society."

"Don't for one second doubt that delegates to a Con Con wouldn't revise the First Amendment into a government-controlled privilege, replace the 2nd Amendment with a 'collective' right to self-defense, and abolish the 4th, 5th, and 10th Amendments, and the rest of the Bill of Rights," said the warning from the American Policy Institute.

"Additions could include the non-existent separation of church and state, the 'right' to abortion and euthanasia, and much, much more," the group said.

The warning comes at a time when Barack Obama, who is to be voted the next president by the Electoral College Monday, has expressed his belief the U.S. Constitution needs to be interpreted through the lens of current events.

Tom DeWeese, who runs the center and its education and grassroots work, told WND the possibilities stunned him when he discovered lawmakers in Ohio are considering a call for a Constitutional Convention. He explained that 32 other states already have taken that vote, and only one more would be needed to require Congress to name convention delegates who then would have more power than Congress itself.

"The U.S. Constitution places no restriction on the purposes for which the states can call for a convention," the alert said. "If Ohio votes to call a Con Con, for whatever purpose, the United States will be only one state away from total destruction. And it's a safe bet that those who hate this nation, and all She stands for, are waiting to pounce upon this opportunity to re-write our Constitution."

DeWeese told WND that a handful of quickly responding citizens appeared at the Ohio Legislature yesterday for the meeting at which the convention resolution was supposed to be handled.

State officials suddenly decided to delay action, he said, giving those concerned by the possibilities of such a convention a little time to breathe.

According to a Fox News report, Obama has stated repeatedly his desire for empathetic judges who "understand" the plight of minorities.

For more on this story, go to:
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=83364

2.
 
What's in a Middle Name?

David Limbaugh

When I first heard that Barack Obama said he had decided to include his middle name, "Hussein," in his swearing-in ceremony, I wondered whether the satirical Web site ScrappleFace had tricked the mainstream media.

Surely, after Obama's acolytes scolded commentators for using Barack's Muslim-sounding middle name during the campaign, the president-elect himself wouldn't so quickly reverse course. But, in fact, he did.

In an exclusive interview with the Chicago Tribune, Obama said he'll use his full name in the ceremony like every other president.

I have no problem with that, as far as it goes. But Obama went further. He's not using his middle name simply because it's his middle name, but as part of a deliberate strategy to "reboot America's image" among the world's Muslims. He also plans to deliver a major speech in an Islamic capital, possibly within the first 100 days of his presidency.

Why, you might ask, is all this necessary?

Simple: because of President Bush's myriad sins against Muslims since 9/11. The Associated Press reports, as if imparting objective fact, "The U.S. image globally has taken a deep hit during President George W. Bush's two terms in office, primarily because of opposition to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, harsh interrogation of prisoners, the indefinite detention of terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and mistreatment of inmates at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq."

What (SET ITAL) is (END ITAL) an objective fact is that Obama is communicating that very message. In elaborating, he says we must employ a new diplomacy, which would emphasize inclusiveness and tolerance, as well as an unflinching stand against terrorism. In other words, American diplomacy under President Bush has been intolerant and noninclusive.

This is just a rehashing of the tired Democratic talking point that Bush is a go-it-alone unilateralist who didn't build a broad international coalition to join our invasion against Iraq.

Democrats always have distorted the record on this issue. Bush tried tirelessly to talk our "Old Europe" allies into joining our coalition, but many declined because of their corrupt self-interests.

Democrats were aware of this and ignored it because Old Europe's recalcitrance provided a convenient cover for them to oppose the war they wanted to oppose but were forced to support because of overwhelming public opinion. Just as with their false charge that Bush didn't try a bipartisan approach with them on domestic policy, what Democrats really meant is that Bush pursued policies with which (SET ITAL) they (END ITAL) couldn't agree -- and thus he was unilateralist, intolerant and partisan.
To be more specific, what Democrats have been saying and Obama is now repeating is that President Bush has alienated America from the Muslim world by attacking Iraq without justification. They obviously believe Muslims have a right to be outraged at us and we need to make amends and show them we are decent people.

I don't care how many mind-numbed e-mail responses this generates, but we did have ample justification for invading Iraq, even apart from the WMD question, including Saddam's willful violation of 17 U.N. resolutions and postwar treaties.

But what is most troubling about Obama's plan to "reboot" our image in the Muslim world is its unspoken premise that terrorism is fueled by our mistreatment of Muslims and that if we'd just be kinder to the Muslim world, terrorism would melt away. If you're skeptical, just research Obama's statements about the root causes of terrorism, which to him include poverty -- the left's old economic determinism template. I wonder whether he plans to "spread the wealth" with them, as well. I'm sure a few extra mil would have deterred Osama.

But as I recall, America didn't start this war against Islamic terrorists, who had been waging war against us well before 9/11. We are not the ones whose places of worship and schools indoctrinate our children to hate nonbelievers. We're not the ones who treat our women like chattel, engage in honor killings of family members, target innocent civilians, or dance in the streets when innocents are murdered.

Obviously, it doesn't fit Obama's palette of predispositions to recognize that America was not wrong in liberating Iraq -- something the self-styled compassionate left should be ashamed to have opposed on humanitarian reasons alone; that we do not torture enemy detainees (Abu Ghraib was not the rule, but an aberration); and that we do the opposite of mistreating prisoners at Gitmo.

It also may not occur to Obama that in any negotiations -- his messiahship notwithstanding -- it takes two to make a deal. But he may learn soon enough the hard way if Britain persists in balking on his request that they send more troops to Afghanistan and Iran keeps dissing him.

If Obama truly intends to advocate (SET ITAL) for (END ITAL) America instead of reflexively blaming us first, he's in store for a quick comeuppance.

Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved.
 
http://townhall.com/Common/PrintPage.aspx?g=e99c492c-0999-4d8a-a0a6-3015c887ef67&t=c

3.

--WND Exclusive--

CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Official: Emanuel fast-tracked immigrants to get votes
Ex-Clinton aide now promises to loosen rules as Obama chief of staff

By Paul Sperry
© 2008 WorldNetDaily

A former INS official who attended meetings with Rahm Emanuel when Emanuel was a White House aide says the hard-charging Democrat relaxed rules to naturalize even criminal immigrants and secure their votes for President Clinton ahead of the 1996 presidential election.

President-elect Barack Obama, who has chosen Emanuel to run White House operations as his chief of staff, has promised to sign legislation that loosens immigration and puts even illegal aliens on a fast track to citizenship.

Emanuel coordinated with Hispanic community organizers in Chicago to rubberstamp immigrants for citizenship, the INS official said in an exclusive interview with WND.

It turns out the long-time Chicago political operative was the behind-the-scenes catalyst for Citizenship USA, a project run out of then-Vice President Al Gore's office.

"Rahm was doing it under the guise of Al Gore's Reinventing Government program," said the official, who helped direct INS security policy. "He was definitely the point man and was past his neck in the scandal at INS."

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Emanuel, now caught up in the corruption scandal involving Democrat Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, refused to cooperate with an investigation into the citizenship project by the Justice Department Inspector General.

"He got every rule changed in the hiring of adjudicators so they could naturalize more Mexican nationals to vote for Bill Clinton, not to mention getting the rules changed to naturalize anyone," regardless of their criminal background, said the official, who's still employed by the federal government and requested anonymity to avoid reprisals.

"They had immigration ceremonies at stadiums with DNC (Democratic National Committee) staff registering them as voters right there," he added.

At one Chicago ceremony held inside Soldier Field, some 11,000 new citizens were sworn in.

Another former INS official, William Carroll, said Emanuel "took midnight trips to INS headquarters to meet with (Commissioner) Doris Meissner about Citizenship USA."

He said that in March 1996 he and other INS district directors were given "marching orders" by headquarters to push through as many new citizens as possible ahead of the election, even if no criminal and national security background checks were completed.

INS deportation officer Tom Conklin said that he and other agents were pressured to rubberstamp immigrants "with two or three arrests for crimes like burglary."

According to a November 1993 interview with Mother Jones magazine, Emanuel began pushing Clinton to be proactive on the issue of immigration right after he took office, and years ahead of the 1996 re-election campaign.

"I just wanted to be ahead of this issue and have our staff on it, defining it constantly," Emanuel said, eyeing Texas and California, two key states in 1996 where immigration was a hot issue.

Clinton took his close aide's advice. In September 1994, the president met with the head of the Hispanic group UNO, or United Neighborhood Organization, during a fundraiser in Chicago. The president of Chicago-based UNO, Daniel "Danny" Solis, explained that the growing number of immigrants represented a "great opportunity" to get a million new voters, but "we have to get all these citizens naturalized."

Clinton told Solis to stay in contact with Emanuel. The two then coordinated a scheme to fast-track both legal and illegal immigrants for citizenship before the 1996 election, the INS security official alleges.

"The goal was to speed up the process and turn as many legal residents and illegals into Clinton voters as possible," he said.

The officially stated purpose of Clinton's Citizenship USA program was to eliminate an INS backlog of applicants.

The senior INS official's allegations appear to be corroborated by some of the findings reached by the Justice inspector general in his 2000 report entitled, "An Investigation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service's Citizenship USA Initiative."

Emanuel, who could not be reached for comment for this article, refused to cooperate with the IG's investigation.

At the time of the scandal, he was White House director of special projects. After the election, he was promoted to Clinton's senior advisor for policy and strategy.

The report said Emanuel "often attended meetings" with INS' Meissner.

"According to witnesses at INS and the Department of Justice, Emanuel was increasingly responsible at the White House for issues involving the Department of Justice," the report said, "and his interests in immigration issues were focused primarily on enforcement."

The IG's report also confirmed Clinton sat near UNO's Solis at the Chicago fundraising dinner in September 1994.

Solis, now a Chicago alderman and staunch ally of Mayor Richard Daley, sent a letter dated Sept. 25 to the White House noting that naturalizing Hispanic immigrants at a record pace could give the "Democrats a strategic advantage at next year's Convention" as Chicago's INS applicants "represent thousands of potential voters."

Emanuel, in turn, faxed Solis' letter to Meissner's office and asked the INS to review the document, the IG's report noted. Citizenship USA was launched in August 1995.

Then in January 1996, Emanuel met with Solis and other Hispanic activists in the White House.
According to the report, Solis told investigators that "Emanuel seemed very interested when the representatives noted that the backlog of naturalization applicants represented potential votes for the Clinton-Gore campaign."

"Whether Emanuel's interest was real and reflected political acumen or merely politeness is a question that his refusal to be interviewed has made more difficult to answer," complained Justice's Inspector General Glenn A. Fine.

Meissner was not comfortable with the pressure Emanuel was exerting on her agency, the report said.
"Certainly the possibility that White House involvement in CUSA (Citizenship USA) could be perceived as improper occurred to many people, incuding Commissioner Meissner, who recalled having voiced her concerns to Emanuel and to both Attorney General Reno and Deputy Attorney General Gorelick," the report added.

In 2001, Fine testified his investigation "found that the INS had compromised the integrity of naturalization adjudications as a result of its efforts to process applicants more quickly and meet a self-imposed goal of completing more than a million cases by the end of fiscal year 1996."

Among other things, he said investigators determined that the Clinton administration had followed "inadequate procedures for checking criminal histories and fingerprints."

Fine made a point toward the end of his report to stress that Emanuel, who had "reviewed the 1995 Solis letter and faxed it to the INS," refused his request for an interview.

Seven years later, Emanuel still has not answered questions about his role in the immigration scandal.