Lookng for Jimmy Hoffa

Dear editor:

Would someone please explain to me why our financially (and morally) bankrupt federal government is spending money looking for Jimmy Hoffa, a convicted felon and union-mobster chief, who disappeared over 31 years ago. Why are we spending money on such a fool's hunt? I've heard of cold cases, but this is ridiculous.

Executive vs. Legislative

Pres. Bush, in his desire to appear as an interested third party, has announced the sealing of Rep. Jefferson's files for 45 days. But, let's face it, he is not a "third party."

The FBI and the Justice Department are a part of the Executive Branch and report to the president. Anyone who believes that the raid on the offices of a member of the legislative branch by members of the executive branch took place without the acknowledgement, knowledge and direction of the White House is living in a fool's world. Either Bush or Cheney had to give a go ahead to this effort.

Bush now acting as a cool headed third party is a joke and an insult to America.

I Agree With Ann Coulter??????????????

I usually never read a column by Ann Coulter (in our local rag called the Lake Charles American Press), but for some reason this morning, I did. Don’t exactly care for her extremist views, for she makes Rush Limbaugh look like a left leaning, Kennedy supporting liberal, if that’s possible. Evidently I read it on the right day.

Ms. Coulter has turned into a Bush hater, not a Republican Party hater, and has taken off on him and his latest plan for immigration reform. While I do not agree with all she has to say, which will surprise no-one, one part of her column was very interesting, with a viewpoint I hadn’t thought about, but agree with.

She derides Bush’s plan for a “rational middle ground,” and I quote, “because it recognizes the difference between ‘an illegal immigrant who crossed the border recently and someone who has worked here for many years.’ Yes, the difference is: One of them has been breaking the law longer. If our criminal justice system used that logic, a single murder would get you the death penalty, while serial killers would get probation.” Interesting analogy I had never thought about.

Penalizing Seniors

Dear editor:

Medicare Rx (Part D) is meant to be a financial prop for the elderly, allowing them to buy prescriptions at a reduced rate. For those on a fixed income in their senior years, this program will help those who take expensive medications on a regular, usually lifetime basis. And although the work to weave your way through the maze of plans available, all at different prices, is not easy, the effort has its rewards.

In my case the savings are almost $1,200 per annum, against what I was paying for reduced prices from Canada, and close to $1,600 when compared to domestic drug costs. It took about a month to work my way through all the plans available in my state, but with the help of a computer, a telephone, and information received in the mail, I was able to make an informed decision on what was best for me. But, there are approximately five to six million seniors, who are not in a position yet to understand all the information available, that find themselves in a quandary as to which plan is best for them.

So what did President Bush and the Republican Congress do to help these fixed income seniors who couldn’t make an informed decision on which plan to buy for prescription drugs by May 15th? They are allowing the insurance industry that writes these policies, to penalize them. That’s right, these unsigned Medicare seniors will pay a penalty for not signing up by the May 15th date. And for every month they wait, even if the cost of the plan doesn’t warrant their signing on yet, their penalty will grow until they finally sign on at a higher cost. That’s helping those that need help?

Why was this penalty provision put into the Medicare Rx law? Because it accomplishes two things for the insurance industry, which probably wrote the law: 1) It forces into the plan those who aren’t using enough medication to warrant paying for the plan now, as they are afraid of paying an ever increasing penalty when they finally do join, based upon their needs; 2) It is a financial gift of increased income to those insurance companies that supported Mr. Bush and his party.

Methods such as this make one wonder who the Medicare Rx law was really written to help, seniors or the insurance industry that is receiving a bonanza of financial aid from the government, putting our government further into financial debt. After all, seniors on fixed incomes can’t afford to pay for golf trips to Scotland, use of private jets, high paying do-nothing jobs for relatives, meals at the finest restaurants, lobbying jobs after leaving Congress, etc, etc.

So instead we penalize five or six million seniors.

Success Story?

Another of Bush’s statements shows how he doesn’t have the slightest idea of what is going on in Iraq, or even in the rest of the world. He was wrong about WMDs, Mission Accomplished, and on and on. Has he been lied to, or is he the liar?

In March he cited the city of Tal Afar, 260 miles northwest of Baghdad, as a success story after U.S. troops regained control there last year. U.S. and Iraqi forces launched an operation in September aimed at cleansing the city of insurgents—the second such attempt in a year. Mission accomplished?

By the end of September, a woman suicide bomber slipped into a crowd of recruits, killing at least six people and wounding 30. Since then, the city has been hit by several suicide attacks. In October, a suicide bomber plowed his explosives packed vehicle into a crowded outdoor market, killing 30 and wounding 45. In March, another suicide bomber struck a joint U.S. –Iraqi military base near the city, killing at least 15 and wounding as many as 30. A Month later at least six people were killed in the city in another suicide attack.

And now, a suicide truck bomber hit a crowded public market in Tal Afar late Tuesday. The director of the city hospital said 20 people were killed and 70 injured.

This is a success story? Mission Accomplished?

News Release from Berlin (Reuters):

"Of course Guantanamo is a delicate issue for people. I would like to close the camp and put the prisoners on trial," Bush said in comments to German television to be broadcast on Sunday night. The interview was recorded last week. "Our top court must still rule on whether they should go before a civil or military court," he said. "They will get their day in court. One can't say that of the people that they killed. They didn't give these people the opportunity for a fair trial."

Bush's comments were a reiteration of long-standing U.S. policy, Frederick Jones, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said in Washington. "The United States has no intention of permanently detaining individuals, that is not our goal. We want to see all these individuals brought to justice," he said, whether in their home countries or in the United States.

(But the administration ought to get their act together, using just a single voice, and not using Guantanamo for domestic political reasons. Look at this conflicting statement, which is probably closer to the truth.)

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, however, has dismissed calls for the prison to be closed. "Every once and a while someone pops up and gets some press for saying 'Oh let's close Guantanamo Bay.' Well, if someone has a better idea, I'd like to hear it," Rumsfeld said in a February speech to the Council on Foreign Relations.

International Arrogance

Amazing accomplishment. In only five and a half years the Bush Administration has alienated more countries around the globe, than it has made friends of. Look at the record.

Our pre-emptive attack on Iraq, and the continuing occupation of that country, has cost us the friendship of most of the Arab/Muslim world, no matter how much the White House spins it differently. South and Central America, in deference to the Monroe Doctrine, have lost faith in the USA and are both leaning toward and depending more upon Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro. Iran forget about. China, which holds the “Mortgage on America” puts up with the Bush Administration only because of our money spent in their country, and is busy running all over the globe tying up future oil production from countries we imagined were our friends. Mr. Cheney has practically declared a “Cold War” with Russia, refueling old animosities. He also did a great job insulting “The Old Europe” a couple of years ago.

I guess this is what “good old boy” Bush calls spreading democracy throughout the world; even it isn’t what works best for another country. Our international arrogance is pitiful.

My Opinion on Immigration

Consider this possibility………

Your neighbor next door decides that since food has become so expensive that he will no longer buy food for his family and leaves them on their own to gather what they may. As a result, his wife and children wait until the dark of night and break into your home to steal food. Their apparent success encourages them to hide in your basement permanently so they can feed themselves at will while you sleep. When they are finally caught and turned over to the authorities for breaking and entering and theft, they demand to be allowed to stay since they cannot be fed in their own home. Others enter into the fray, hold marches, glorify your irresponsible next door neighbor, ask for laws to be passed so that they may stay in your home, and encourage others to join the intruders into your home.

Sound ridiculous? Of course it is. But, let’s think of it on a larger scale.

That is exactly what we are facing today with illegal immigrants in the USA. Yes, we are a nation of immigrants, except for Native Americans, but a nation of legal immigrants who made this nation great. Legal immigrants, who applied to enter this country, learned our language, respected our laws, studied our history, served in our armed forces, paid taxes, swore allegiance to our country and became citizens. It didn’t matter if they were Hispanic, Europeans, Asiatics, Far Easterners, Catholics, Protestants, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, or Buddhists. All were welcome. That is, all that were legal.

There is no way that anyone who starts their desired residency by initially breaking our laws can claim anything. Are we a country of laws or aren’t we?

As a child of legal immigrants, who came into this country fleeing the hatred, the pogroms, and mass murder in Russia and Poland, I am proud of their accomplishments, raising their families, educating their children, observing their religion of choice, and becoming voting citizens of the country they loved. Did they forget their heritage of the “old country?” Of course not. But there was never the question of divided loyalty.

Iran Threatens Israel

The President of Iran has once again threatened that if the US attacks them the first target for retaliation will be Israel. Bush wants to solve things diplomatically. That's fine except he doesn't realize that you cannot have a dialogue and solve problems diplomatically with fanatics who still want to live in the 5th century, but with 21st century weapons.