New Orleans~a moment of silence for all we lost that day.
Two years later.....we should be ashamed.
A new fact check orginization for all of us to access the "truthiness" of the canidates~have fun and play nice Folks!
We have company!
August 28, 2007
"PolitiFact.com" will monitor truth in 2008 presidential claims.
We're often asked if there are other sites like ours, trying in a nonpartisan way to help voters sort out fact from fiction. Now, there is.
The St. Petersburg Times of Florida and Congressional Quarterly of Washington, D.C. announced a new Web site called PolitiFact.com. The official launch date is Tuesday, Sept. 4th, but the site has been available to the public for several days.
The new site does something we don't. It offers a "truth-o-meter" that rates statements by the 2008 presidential candidates on a scale from "true" through "half true" to "pants on fire." We tend to leave "truth" to theologians and philosophers and aspire to nothing more lofty than sorting out mundane facts and figures. We admire their panache.
So far we like what we've seen. The writing is crisp and clear, sources are clearly cited with hyperlinks where appropriate, and the Web site is nicely organized. Visitors can browse the articles by candidate or ad sponsor, by issue, by truth-o-meter ruling, and in the case of attack ads, by who is attacking whom. The site also lists a staff of 21 researchers, writers and editors who work for Congressional Quarterly and the St. Petersburg Times, bringing considerable journalistic talent to bear. If there is a partisan tilt we've yet to detect it. Both sponsors are affiliates of the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by the Poynter Institute, a center for journalism education.
Naturally, we don't necessarily endorse everything PolitiFact says or might say in the future. We may even see things differently from time to time. But if you like FactCheck.org we think you also will like PolitiFact.com, and we invite you to give it a try.
-Brooks Jackson
|
|
Copyright © 2003 - 2007, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
FactCheck.org's staff, not the Annenberg Center, is responsible for this material.
|
Mother Teresa and I share the same birthday, along with Martha Raye, Tuesday Weld and countless other unknowns like myself. I was reading about her letters to her Superiors, questioning her belief , I thought how typical of us Virgo’s~ second guessing ourselves and being our own worst critics. No matter your religious beliefs, or lack of them, most people consider this woman to have done much good in her life, yet she felt empty inside. I can relate to that and the self doubt. This is my third birthday without my boys, and I am making a better “go’ of it each day, but the veil that seems to be between me and the rest of you is still there. It flaps more in the wind than before to be sure, but the sense of not quite being “here” is still very real to me. I know this is part and parcel of my ongoing quest to heal from something that I will never heal from completely. As with the good Mother T. , it is my calling, my burden, my path, my gift from the universe .
On my birthday, as a lark and for some fun I read my horoscope~ not seriously, but just a sometimes interesting experiment. Five years ago it said my path for the next few years would be hard, dark and terrible. That has certainly been true, but I also have had moments of such Peace and clarity, epiphanies in and for my spirit. This years horoscope promise’s to forebode better days ahead, if I can stay away from negativity, relax(! See my natural Virgo up-tightness!) and open up to my subconscious. Those words in ink promise me strong answers. I hope this holds to be true.
I could not help but reflect on the woman who gave birth to me this day, it is her birth day also. She had left her husband and two other children back on the other coast, coming to Santa Barbara. There in a misguided attempt at “trapping” a man, she became pregnant with “it”, as she so eloquently put it to me. All she wanted was to be rid of me, and strangely I understand her, sympathize with her and abhor the choices she made. I ponder my inner nature that has always been to try and understand you, my fellow travelers. Through that understanding be able to forgive your sometimes harsh actions, and ultimately forgive myself my own lack of “correct behavior“. I do hold myself to impossibly high standards and silencing the inner judge is a life long commitment. I wonder at nine months in uteri being considered a bother, unwanted and unwelcome , if that somehow gave me a more introspective bent, or just made me stubborn as all get out? Perhaps both. That and my nurturing, such as it was, seemed certain to insure both those qualities.
So it is with love that I Thank the two women who saw me through to this life. The two distant men, one who called me into being, the other fathering as much as he was able, also deserve Thanks for their respective parts . It is to my Grandmother the most pure love and Thanks is to be given~ she was and is my gold standard. My soul “mate” in the sense of what we owe this world and our fellow inhabitants. Here is to the next few years, days or moments that lie ahead. May I get where I am going . You too. Blessed Be.
Stranger Than Fiction
directed by Marc Foster. Staring Will Ferrell as Krick, Emma Thompson as Kay Eiffel , Maggie Gyllenhaal as Anna. Kricks watch is a pivotal character and the true hero in the tale. A great Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, Tom Hulce, Linda Hunt and a always funny Christina Chenoweth round out the ensemble. I saw the trailer and found it a mix of broad comedy that Ferrell is famous for ,yet with an interesting plot. A definite DVD viewing I thought, adding it to my list at Netflix. I am so glad that I did. This film may well be Ferrell’s “Razors Edge”, the undervalued Bill Murray masterpiece.
Krick is an I.R.S. agent , with OCD, who begins to hear a voice “describing with accuracy and a better vocabulary” what is happening to him. Is this schizophrenia? Or has he somehow become a character in a story and the voice his narrator?
After several twists and turns in an enjoyable plot Krick contacts the narrator, and is given the story to read . He consults with Hoffman’s character and this scene results:
Hoffman acting as life guard, setting in a guard chair made by Paragon, is handed the story ,Krick can not bring himself to read it. He tells Hoffman “I can’t read it~ you have to tell me what to do, if I can avoid it, tell me what to do.” After giving away himself, his story , Hoffman tells him he must follow the plot and die. It is the writers finest work, and will be the greatest novel of the 20th century.
“I can’t die right now” Krick says. But he is told that death is inevitable, that this death is poetic and meaningful, and that death will come for him anyway. He finally reads his story, accepts the end and tells the author “ I love the book. You should finish it”. He sets his life to rights, but the author has a change of heart and other plans…
The author has a brilliant bit at the end, where she considers that a character who knows he must die, knows he could stop it, but chooses to die anyway `“Isn’t that the sort of man one should try to keep alive?” She goes on to illustrate that Bavarian sugar cookies, a loving embrace, the touch of a familiar hand, subtle encouragement, a kind and loving gesture, an offer of comfort ~ that all these are here to save our lives.
I will spend some time considering the parallels of the author as God, Hoffman’s character as priest, and finally Kricks courage to know and tell his own story. But that is the sort I am, always seeing meaning. For those who enjoy “just fun” I still recommend this movie~ strange as it may sound it was really fun and G.U.I. Set in the beautiful Chicago~Woof you are so right!
.
The Aurigid meteor shower will peak early on September 1, around 4:37 a.m., a meteor shower that is not found in many astronomy books. This year, even during a full moon, it is worth your time to try to catch a glimpse. It is this summer’s wild card shower.
Aurigid outbursts are infrequent; they have been seen only on three occasions:1935,1986 and 1994. These shows were unexpected and had few observers. Comet Kiess, responsible for the shower, last appeared in 1911, previous to that Julius Caesar may have wondered at the comet in 82A.D.
At the prime viewing time, the constellation that the shower appears to come from will be about 2/3 up in the northeast sky. It should last around an hour. The twilight and the moon may hamper observations, but the meteors are expected to be large and fast. They may be as bright as the brightest stars, and rival Saturn or Jupiter. Try to get some pictures! These folks are interested in your observations~ follow this link- http://aurigid.seti.org/
See everybody lies ~
Liberal Lobby Lacks ContextAugust 23, 2007
Coalition distorts the words of two generals in an ad attacking Republicans.
Summary
A liberal coalition calling itself Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is running a TV ad that says the U.S. will be in Iraq for a decade to come and that the military draft will be reinstated. But the ad supports those conclusions by twisting the words of two senior generals.
- The ad falsely claims that Gen. David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said that the U.S. will "have to stay there for 10 more" years. Petraeus didn't exactly say that. He said insurgencies tend to last that long and hinted that some U.S. forces may have to stay there for a long time.
- The ad says flatly that the draft will have to be reinstated should the U.S. remain in Iraq for a decade. But it supports its conclusion with a selective quote from Bush's war czar, who said no such thing. Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute actually called reimposing the draft "a major policy shift" that isn't currently needed. And the Pentagon said afterward that "no one in the Pentagon is considering a return to a military draft."
The ad targets four Republican lawmakers who are up for reelection next year. In addition to the ad campaign, the group says it plans to take its message about Iraq and a possible draft to young people through the popular site facebook.com.
Analysis
Americans Against Escalation in Iraq is a coalition composed of several liberal groups, including MoveOn.org, the Service Employees International Union and the Center for American Progress, which is headed by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta. The coalition announced Aug. 17 that it would run four ads as part of a broader effort to "turn up the heat on members of Congress who have opposed setting a timeline to bring a safe and responsible end to the war in Iraq." The ads use the same script to target four members of Congress. They are being run in Kentucky against Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and also in the House districts of Republican Reps. Phil English of Pennsylvania, Thelma Drake of Virginia and Fred Upton of Michigan.
What Petraeus Said
The ad says, "Bush's general says we have to stay [in Iraq] for 10 more" years. That's not exactly true. The ad refers to a July 9 interview that the U.S. commander in Iraq, David Petraeus, gave to British journalist John Simpson of the BBC. In that interview, Petraeus said he saw "progress on the ground" and spoke of a gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
AAEI Ad:
"Upton and Draft"
Announcer:Fred Upton has supported Bush’s endless war in Iraq for four years. Now Bush’s general says we have to stay there for 10 more.
Petraeus: The average counter-insurgency is somewhere around a 9- or 10-year endeavor.
Announcer: Where are we going to get the troops to stay that long? The draft.
Lute: I think it makes sense to certainly consider it. This has always been an option on the table.
Announcer: Tell Fred Upton to end this war. Paid for by the campaign to defend America.
It's true that Petraeus also warned that pacifying Iraq is a going to be a "a long-term endeavor" and even compared it to the conflict in Northern Ireland. But he avoided saying directly how long U.S. troops would have to be there.
The ad would have been correct to paraphrase him as saying "some U.S. forces may have to stay there for 10 more" years. Here, in full, is the pertinent portion of the BBC interview: BBC: How long, realistically, do American troops have to stay here to stabilize this country?
Petraeus: Well, I don't know if that's the right question or if it's at what level? I think your own country, anybody who, in the UK would recognize that these are long-term endeavors. Northern Ireland I think taught you that very, very well. My counterparts in your forces really understand this kind of operation. And arguably, it took 10 years to really scope that, 10 years to do it right, and 10 years to negotiate. Again, I may have the timeline wrong, but it took a long time, decades. I don't know whether this will be decades, but the average counter-insurgency is somewhere around a 9- or a 10-year endeavor.
The question, though, is not that. I think the question is, at what level? And so, really the question is how can we gradually reduce our forces so we reduce the strain on the Army, on the nation and so forth.
Petraeus is scheduled to give an official report and possible testimony to Congress next month.
Doctoring a Headline
The ad also shows a doctored headline. It cites The Hill, a Washington, D.C., newspaper, as saying in an Aug. 10 headline, "Petraeus hints at decade-long Iraq presence." But the actual headline says, "Rep. Schakowsky: Petraeus hints at decade-long Iraq presence."
The problem here is that the words in the headline don't represent the conclusions of the newspaper; they are the words of congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat who is a co-founder of the House Out of Iraq Caucus, an ally of the coalition running the ads.
In this case Schakowsky was probably fair in her characterization of an off-the-record briefing by Petraeus, assuming that what he said in that briefing was similar to what he said in the BBC interview. But it is still wrong to attribute words to a newspaper when they actually came from a partisan source. Doing so gives the words greater credibility than they deserve, and it can deceive viewers.
Drafting Trouble
The ad overstates the likelihood of bringing back the military draft, using an unjustified logical leap and a cherry-picked quote from the administration's war czar.
After raising the idea that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for a decade, the announcer says, "Where are we going to get the troops to stay that long? The draft." In fact, the Pentagon says nobody there is considering asking Congress to reinstate conscription.
The ad uses a clip from an Aug. 10 National Public Radio interview with the White House's Pentagon liaison, Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, in which he says of the draft: “I think it makes sense to certainly consider it … this has always been an option on the table.” Not mentioned is that Lute also made clear that bringing back the draft would be "a major policy shift" and that he doesn't see a need for it.
Here is the pertinent part of the full interview with NPR's Michele Norris:
NPR: [C]an you foresee, in the future, a return to the draft?
Lute: You know, that's a national policy decision point that we have not yet reached, Michele, because the –
NPR: But does it make sense militarily?
Lute: I think it makes sense to certainly consider it, and I can tell you, this has always been an option on the table, but ultimately, this is a policy matter between meeting the demands for the nation's security by one means or another. Today, the current means of the all-volunteer force is serving us exceptionally well. It would be a major policy shift – not actually a military, but a political policy shift to move to some other course.
Three days after that interview the Pentagon released a statement saying "no one in the Pentagon is considering a return to a military draft," and pointing out that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates is on record as being opposed to any return to conscription.
The ad also makes an unjustified logical connection between what Petraeus said in the BBC interview and a return to the draft. As noted earlier, Petraeus was actually speaking about a gradual reduction of U.S. troop levels in Iraq, specifically "to reduce the strain on the Army." If current levels have been reached without a draft, it simply does not follow logically that keeping fewer troops there over time would require one.
Who Supported What Now?
Finally, the four lawmakers targeted by the ads are said to have "supported Bush's war in Iraq for four years." That's true enough, but two congressman have since stopped backing the president's Iraq policy. Reps. Phil English and Fred Upton are Republican defectors who voted against the surge in a symbolic February vote.
Upton spoke against the surge on the floor. English released a statement explaining his vote and has even co-sponsored a bill to redeploy the troops.
The AAEI coalition announced that once school begins in the fall, it would follow up on the ad campaign with a digital "flyering" campaign on the popular social networking site facebook.com. Flyering is a means of messaging between members of the site. We advise students to do their homework before accepting this ad at face value.
– by Justin Bank
Sources
"All Things Considered," NPR. 10 Aug. 2007.
"US Iraq chief warns of long war." BBC. 9 July 2007.
Garamone, Jim. "All-Volunteer Force Meets Nation's Needs, Official Says." American Forces Press Service. 13 Aug. 2007.
Fitgerald, Patrick. "Rep. Schakowsky: Petraeus hints at decade-long Iraq presence." The Hill. 10 Aug. 2007.
Marre, Klaus, "Petraeus likely to testify on 9/11 anniversary." The Hill. 20 Aug. 2007.
U.S. House of Representatives, 110th Congress, 1st Session. House Vote No. 99.
Related Articles
|
|
Copyright © 2003 - 2007, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
FactCheck.org's staff, not the Annenberg Center, is responsible for this material.
|
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/...
(Thanks Woof hopefully this one will~I checked it during preview and it worked~weird)
I just saw this on Yahoo news and am pleased to provide alink to what some ex~fans of Vicks are doing with their collectables fof this person. Perhaps if any of you have items it will spark ideas for you of ways to dispose of them in a positive fashion.
Even my favorite for the job:Richardson's Job Boast
August 22, 2007
He claimed he had created 80,000 jobs when government figures put the total at 68,100.
Summary
Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson boasts of creating 80,000 jobs since becoming governor of New Mexico. Not yet, he hasn't. The state has gained fewer than 76,000 payroll jobs since he took office, and official figures showed a mere 68,100 gain when he first started making his inflated boast last year. He bases his claim on a definition of "jobs" that includes unpaid workers in family businesses and freelancers who don't draw a paycheck.
Richardson also claims he "made New Mexico 6th in job growth," which is misleading at best. In fact, the state already ranked 6th for the 12-month period before he took office. It has ranked 6th for a few selected months since, but it currently ranks 17th.
Analysis
We'll start by saying that the truth about Richardson's job record is actually quite respectable and hardly needs the sort of petty exaggeration we find in Richardson's TV ads, interviews and stump speeches.
As can be seen in the chart below, the number of payroll jobs in New Mexico has increased by nearly 10 percent since Richardson took office Jan. 1, 2003. The state is far from being the standout in the fast-growing Sun Belt region, lagging well behind neighboring Arizona and nearby Nevada, each of which has experienced job growth more than twice as fast. Utah and Wyoming, to which New Mexico state labor officials regularly compare their growth, also outpaced the state handily. But New Mexico's job growth is nicely above the 6.1 percent gain for the nation as a whole during the same period. The unemployment rate for the state is now 3.7 percent, substantially below the 4.6 percent rate for the nation.
Not true then ...
The job picture is not, however, quite as rosy as Richardson keeps claiming. As early as Dec. 13, 2006, he said on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company" program, "Our economy is growing. We're - created 80,000 new jobs." When he made that statement the most recent figures available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics had been announced in a news release issued Nov. 21, covering the month of October 2006. The preliminary figures in that release showed a gain of 68,100. That was later revised upward to 69,000 and still later to 69,100. But the governor couldn't have known that when he spoke, and even the revised figures fall far short of the gain he claimed.
Richardson for President
"Focused"
Announcer: The New Mexico comeback, a model for the nation. Governor Bill Richardson started with tax credits for creating jobs that pay above the prevailing wage. He passed a permanent rural jobs tax credit and invested in brand new industries like wind and solar energy, aerospace and laser technology. Over 80,000 new jobs, up to 6th in the nation for job growth.
Richardson: I'm Bill Richardson and I approve this message because we need a president who is focused on good paying jobs again.
Nevertheless, Richardson has continued to use the 80,000 figure as a centerpiece of his presidential campaign. On Feb. 2, Richardson told the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting: "We have created 80,000 new jobs." He says the same thing on his Web site, in news releases and in TV ads, including a 60-second ad that ran in New Hampshire and Iowa during April and May, and a spot that started running in Iowa Aug. 14.
... And not true now
New Mexico has continued to gain jobs but still hasn't caught up with Richardson's inflated figure. The most recent BLS figures put the state payroll employment for July just 75,800 above where it stood the month before Richardson was sworn in. His recent ad would be stretching things only a little if it said "nearly 80,000 jobs," but saying "over 80,000" simply doesn't square with payroll figures.
Richardson's definition of "jobs"
Here we should explain that the standard definition of "jobs" that is used by practically all economists, journalists and political leaders of both parties is payroll employment. This is the figure that journalists refer to in monthly stories about job gains or losses in the economy and that the Bureau of Labor Statistics posts prominently on its Web site as the prime indicator of job growth or loss. This figure (technically called "total nonfarm employment, seasonally adjusted") is projected from payroll records of 400,000 business establishments nationwide, sampled monthly in what is known as the "establishment survey."
When we asked Richardson's aides to justify the 80,000 figure, they pointed to a different BLS survey, called the "household survey," which is used to calculate the unemployment rate but not normally cited to gauge the number of jobs gained or lost. The household survey uses a much smaller sample, for one thing. It covers 60,000 households, while the payroll records of the establishment survey include millions of workers. But more importantly, the household survey counts as "employed" a lot of persons who don't have payroll jobs. Included, for example, are unpaid workers in family businesses, domestic help and self-employed workers such as day laborers. The Richardson campaign makes a point of saying, as it did in an Aug. 17 news release, that "many" of the new jobs are "in high tech and other new industries that pay well." That may be so, but they get their 80,000 figure by counting some unpaid workers, day laborers and others without a paycheck.
Weasel words
Richardson's latest ad says New Mexico was "up to 6th in the nation" in job growth under Richardson's governorship. This is highly misleading. The state ranked 17th in June, according to the New Mexico Department of Labor. It has ranked 6th in only three months out of the 41 months since Richardson's first year in office. The most recent month it ranked 6th was August 2006.
Saying the state ranks "up to" 6th is therefore literally true, since it has ranked that high at least once. But the words "up to" are the sort of qualifiers that voters and consumers need to question. Such qualifiers are called "weasel words," because they suck the meaning out of a phrase the way weasels supposedly suck the insides out of an egg. It would be equally true to say that under Richardson, the state has ranked "as low as 23rd," which it did for one month, February 2005, according to the New Mexico Department of Labor.
We also find it misleading for Richardson's Web site to proclaim that "we have made New Mexico 6th in job growth." The fact is, according to BLS figures, the state already ranked 6th before Richardson took office. It ranked 2nd, 3rd or 4th for most of his first months in office. But a year after he was sworn in, it had dropped to 12th – and slipped to 16th the following month.
To be accurate, Richardson should say that "we briefly regained 6th place" under his leadership. And he could truly say, "We're going to hit 80,000 additional jobs any month now." We have little doubt that the 80,000 figure will be right, eventually. But then, you could say the same thing about a stopped clock.
– by Brooks Jackson
Sources
"Kudlow & Company." "Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico discusses immigration reform." CNBC News Transcripts. 14 Dec. 2006
New Mexico Department of Labor, "Total Nonfarm Employment Growth Rankings, New Mexico and United States," New Mexico Labor Market Report, issues of January 2003 through July 2006 inclusive; 7.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics survey (State & Metro Area), figures for New Mexico and various states downloaded from BLS website Aug. 16 - 22.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, New Mexico unemployment rate downloaded 22 Aug 2007
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment From the BLS Household and Payroll Surveys: A Summary of Recent Trends. 5 May 2006.
Related Articles
|
|
Copyright © 2003 - 2007, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
FactCheck.org's staff, not the Annenberg Center, is responsible for this material.
|
This message was sent from FactCheck.org to %Member:Email% . It was sent from: FactCheck.org, 320 National Press Building, Washington, DC 20045. You can modify/update your subscription via the link below.
|
The Immigration ShowdownAugust 20, 2007
Romney's and Giuliani's chest-thumping on immigration leaves behind context and, in some cases, the facts.
Summary
In recent weeks, Republican presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney have sparred over their immigration records and policies. We find some problems with what both of them have been saying.
- Giuliani released a radio ad in which he says of persons applying for citizenship, "we should make certain that they can read English, write English and speak English." Actually, those already are requirements for citizenship.
- Giuliani's ad also said illegal immigrants convicted of crimes in the U.S. should be deported. He should have said the government needs to expel more of the convicts than it currently does.
- Earlier, Romney said New York City was at "the top of the list" of "sanctuary cities" for aliens. That's slightly off. It's true that Giuliani wouldn't allow New York City officials to turn in the names of otherwise law-abiding illegal aliens to federal immigration officials. But the city never called itself a "sanctuary city," and we find no list of such cities that puts New York at the top.
Analysis
As early as July, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney accused Rudy Giuliani of presiding over a "sanctuary city" for illegal immigrants while mayor of New York. The battle over the candidates' immigration records heated up in early August when Romney repeated the charge. Giuliani responded with boasts of decreased crime in New York City during his tenure. He also released a new radio ad, promoting a tough-sounding stance on immigration. While the two Republican presidential candidates were flexing their political muscles, they left out plenty of context.
First, we look at Giuliani's radio ad, which was released Aug. 15, airing in New Hampshire and Iowa, and the following day in South Carolina. In it, he fails to explain how some of his proposals differ from immigration policy that's already in effect.
Citizens Must Speak English
The most questionable of Giuliani's pronouncements is his call for citizens to speak the language.
Giuliani, radio ad: And then, if anybody becomes a citizen, we should make certain that they can read English, write English and speak English, because this is an English speaking country.
The federal government agrees. Speaking, reading and writing basic English is already a requirement for those applying for naturalization. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, "Applicants for naturalization must be able to read, write, speak, and understand words in ordinary usage in the English language." The exceptions to this requirement include those age 50 and above who entered the country legally and have been permanent residents for 15 to 20 years, and those with medical conditions that impair their language abilities.
When we asked the Giuliani campaign what exactly he was calling for, a Giuliani policy adviser said that the candidate wanted "more strenuous" requirements to prove that applicants truly understood the language. The USCIS is in the process of updating the civics portion of the naturalization test, and Giuliani would like to make changes to the English portion as well. "The current requirement on reading is that you may have to read out loud some portion of the N-400 (the naturalization application), some simple sentences or some civics questions," the Giuliani adviser told FactCheck.org in an e-mail. "Reading a portion of their own application – which they are presumably very familiar with – is a bit of a gimme."
Actually, this isn't quite correct. Prospective citizens do discuss their applications with a federal officer during an oral interview. But that's not part of the specific English test, says Chris Rhatigan, a spokeswoman for the USCIS. For the language test, applicants are asked to read out loud a sentence that is placed in front of them. Another sentence is dictated to them by the interviewer – a "very short, simple sentence," Rhatigan says – and they are asked to write what they hear. The civics portion of the test consists of 10 questions, also given orally in English. According to a USCIS evaluation, she says, there is an 87 percent pass rate on the English portion of the test.
How much of a problem is there with citizens who don't speak English very well? According to the Census Bureau’s 2005 American Community Survey, 61.3 percent of foreign-born naturalized citizens said they spoke English “very well” or they only spoke English. About 39 percent said they spoke English “less than very well.”
We think Giuliani's ad falsely suggests there is no English-speaking requirement for naturalized citizens. What he should have said is that he wants to make certain those applying for U.S. citizenship can read, write and speak English better than the law now requires.
Deporting Criminals
Giuliani says in his radio ad, "It frustrates me that if someone comes here illegally, in addition to everything else that’s involved in that, if they commit a crime, we don’t throw them out of the country."
There's a valid point to be made here, but Giuliani exaggerates. The fact is the U.S. does deport illegal aliens convicted of crimes, and the number of deportations for those with criminal charges or convictions was about 28,000 more in 2005 than it was in 1998, according to the most recent numbers available on the Department of Homeland Security’s Web site. (Illegal immigration in general increased during that time period as well.) Giuliani would be correct to say that the U.S. does not deport all aliens who are convicted of a crime and serve their sentences. To do so would cost an estimated $1 billion more than is being spent now, according to the DHS.
Rudy Giuliani Radio Ad: "Fences"
Announcer: Here's Rudy Giuliani.
Giuliani: It frustrates me that if someone comes here illegally, in addition to everything else that’s involved in that, if they commit a crime, we don’t throw them out of the country. As the mayor of New York I wanted to see if I could get the Immigration Service to help me. Let’s see if you could get rid of the drug dealers who are coming out of jail. It makes no sense – after they have been in jail for selling drugs in the United States – we now have to keep them in the United States. They couldn’t do it because they had other people lined up to throw out. They had like a professor who over-stayed his visa. I had a drug dealer who had maybe killed people. A person who comes here illegally and commits a crime should be thrown out of the country. People that come in illegally we gotta stop. You stop illegal immigration by building a fence, a physical fence and then a technological fence. You then hire enough Border Patrol so they can respond in a timely way. And then, if anybody becomes a citizen, we should make certain that they can read English, write English and speak English, because this is an English speaking country.
Granted, context on an issue doesn't always make for a good sound bite, but we think some explanation is needed here. When asked what Giuliani was calling for beyond current law, a campaign policy adviser said the candidate wants to "prioritize" the deportation of illegals convicted of felonies. The adviser cited a 2006 DHS report that outlined the challenges facing the agency in this regard. DHS estimated that in 2007, 302,500 removable aliens would be incarcerated. "Most of these incarcerated aliens are being released into the U.S. at the conclusion of their respective sentences," the report says, "because DRO [the Office of Detention and Removal] does not have the resources to identify, detain, and remove these aliens under its Criminal Alien Program (CAP)." DRO has a plan to change that and deport all illegals, but, the report says, it would need "sufficient resources [$1.1 billion], political will, and the cooperation of foreign governments." Giuliani, his policy adviser says, will implement a national strategy to expand CAP and the Institutional Removal Program at state and local levels "to once and for all address this gaping hole in community safety."
We take no issue with that proposal. But Giuliani's ad gives the misleading impression that the U.S. is not deporting criminal illegals at all.
The Sanctuary Charge
Giuliani's radio ad comes amid an ongoing spat between his and Romney's campaigns over just which candidate is and has been tougher on immigration. The bluster began when Romney again made his "sanctuary" charge:
Romney, Aug. 2007, Bettendorf, Iowa: If you look at lists compiled on Web sites of sanctuary cities, New York is at the top of the list when Mayor Giuliani was mayor. He instructed city workers not to provide information to the federal government that would allow them to enforce the law. New York City was the poster child for sanctuary cities in the country.
We make no judgments as to whether being a sanctuary city or not is good policy. We do provide some context. While New York City has never officially declared itself a "sanctuary city," as other cities have, it is included in lists of jurisdictions that have provided some degree of protection for illegal immigrants. In New York, that protection came in the form of executive order 124 issued in 1989 by Mayor Edward Koch. The order, later renewed by Mayor David Dinkins and Mayor Giuliani, said that city employees were not to give federal immigration authorities the names of aliens unless the disclosure was required by law or the alien was suspected of criminal activity, "including an attempt to obtain public assistance benefits through the use of fraudulent documents."
Indeed, Giuliani has not backed away from his support of the executive order. He said in 1996 that the order was intended to protect illegal immigrants "from being reported to the INS while they are using city services that are critical for their health and safety, and for the health and safety of the entire City." For instance, it would encourage an illegal alien to report a murder he or she witnessed or to seek treatment for an infectious disease. Giuliani even filed an unsuccessful lawsuit in federal court in 1996 to challenge federal welfare and immigration policies that allowed – but did not require – city employees to turn in the names of illegals.
However, as many news organizations have pointed out, three cities in Massachusetts were "sanctuary cities" when Romney was governor: Cambridge, Orleans and Somerville, according to statements by Somerville's mayor and a Congressional Research Service report. We find no evidence that Romney took a hard stance against those cities' policies as governor. His campaign says he "vetoed in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for illegal immigrants, opposed driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and signed an agreement with the federal government to allow state troopers to enforce federal immigration laws." That agreement to use troopers to catch aliens, however, was signed in the waning days of Romney's time in office, six months after he first promoted the idea, and was promptly rescinded by his successor.
As for Romney's claim that New York is "at the top of the list" of sanctuary cities on Web sites, we find no evidence to support the statement. We could find no list with New York at the top. We asked Romney Communications Director Matt Rhoades for an example of such a list, but he did not provide one.
– by Lori Robertson, with Justin Bank
Sources
U.S. Census Bureau. 2005 American Community Survey. “Selected Characteristics of the Native and Foreign-Born Populations.”
Department of Homeland Security. “Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2005.” Table 41. Accessed 20 Aug. 2007.
Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General. “Detention and Removal of Illegal Aliens.” Apr. 2006.
Congressional Research Service. “Enforcing Immigration Law: The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement.” Updated 14 Aug. 2006.
Associated Press. “Mitt Romney Blasts Democratic Frontrunners for Economic Credentials.” FoxNews.com. 22 July 2007.
“Fox and Friends.” Interview with Former Governor Mitt Romney. Fox News Channel. 9 Aug. 2007. Video posted by Romney campaign on YouTube.
Fater, Rebecca. "Romney: State Troopers Should Have Power To Arrest Illegal Immigrants," Lowell Sun. 22 June 2006.
Tapper, Jake and Claiborne, Ron. “Romney: Giuliani’s NYC ‘Sanctuary’ for Illegal Immigrants.” ABCNews.com. 8 Aug. 2007.
Tapper, Jake and Simmonds, Jan. “Giuliani Vows to End Illegal Immigration.” ABCNews.com. 14 Aug. 2007.
Related Articles
|
|
Copyright © 2003 - 2007, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
|
Cross posted at sirenchronicles.com
It is August here. Hot, dry interminable….. the days just drag on. Even though ,due to the Zaca fire it has been a cool 90 degrees, the air is heavy, leaden with smoke and ash, our lives colored in a ash-orange hue. August is my birth month, a month I both anticipate and dread. It has been over 114 for weeks on end before, and no matter what is it long and drawn out, my “day” at the end of the month. Then at least another month till the cool of autumn. It reminds me of that last half of a fuse one watches progress to the dynamite, knowing the blast and the clean up to come.
This year my personal sadness is still right on the surface, the third birthday without my sons. There is something else in the air too, indefinable but the senses pick it up. The bridge disaster, the miners deep underground. The mortgage scandal, the roller coaster stock market. The Iraqi special needs orphans I wrote about over at Bakersfield.com. More dead, more wounded. A Watergate smell in the air, the fear of what tomorrow will bring. The real threat to our way of life here and abroad. Will there be elections, will they be fair, will it all matter? Our lives covered in more ash-orange hue. We look at each other asking silently “will we be enough for each other”? “Will you be there?”
My personal way of shedding all this fear and angst, is a metaphorical shake off, lowering my head, and a forced march~ take one foot, pick it up, plunk it down, pick up the rearward foot , plunk it down repeat. My inner mantra “October will come, I live in a good and just world” repeated as a cadence to each step. I do believe we call into form, into our personal and collective lives, what we fear and what we desire. This month, this political time of year remind me of my first Grand Canyon Hike. A group of seasoned hikers took three of us first timers to the Canyon, believing we could match their pace. A serious mistake they realized half way down the Bright Angel Trail. This error in judgment necessitated we hike back up what we knew was a steep trail to the “surface”. I managed well enough till at one point I literally could see the legs of tourists, knew I was but five or six switchbacks to the top. I began to think “I can’t~ I’ll just have to stay here forever, they can lower food and water..”. At that moment two of my comrades appeared with cool water, and one before me, one after got me to the top laughing and joking with me to the surface. I learned an important lesson that day, to watch my thoughts and that I could count on my fellow travelers. We will be there for each other~ you can count on me.
I re- watched “300” the other night, the graphic novel by Frank Miller made into film. The most beautiful violence, the most beautiful cause, and some of the best men’s bodies in red Speedos I have had the pleasure to view, ever. Watching this film explode across the screen I thought about how many seem to love comparing our society to the Roman one. Watching the actions of the “300” ,I thought about what I had said about the heroes of 9/11. The things I value about America are not those of Imperial Roman, but those of the city states of Greece. Perhaps we should reclaim our true roots.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stor...
With all the bad ,indifferent news out of Iraq I thought I'd share this with you all. There are a million "spins" to this ..but these boys are my Kelsey. I saw this on the news the other night and sat transfixed and horrified, tears flowing. I want one of these boys so bad I can taste it. Except for the reality of my back I would try to adopt one of these beautiful boys. The link will take you to the story,and the video. I am not proud about much of this war, but that these boys were rescued is a wonderful thing.
Mr. Sage has had the most disturbing luck of late. He just brought home the makings for lunch. A delightful surprise quickly turned disturbing and points to something I think Homeland security needs to look into~ Open packages!
For the 3rd time this month alone he has brought home a pizza with one slice gone, a container with half of the french fries gone, and now this latest~ an open bag of Cheeto's. Which somehow in the check out process went both unnoticed and amazingly did not sling Cheeto's all over. I suspect something along the lines of Katatak's post regarding quantum tunneling maybe responsible... but what if something more sinister is a foot?
He is baffled about these events,I have dark theories and conspiracies swimming in my head. I suspect the exercise equipment can come none to soon, as I have also noticed some additional girth about his person.
*Tongue firmly planted in check* ;-p
I had the pleasure of watching the two greatest actress of the British screen and stage last night in an odd fairy of a tale. Nancy I think you'd like this one.
The story centers around two spinster sisters, the incomparable Maggie Smith and the ever luminous Judi Dench. Together they lead a ordered steady life, in a Cornwall seaside cottage. One has never had the embers of love sparked to life within her, the other lost her love to WWI. One morning they discover a nearly drowned young man, who speaks no English, and must be nursed back to life. Compounding matters are his talent for the violin, a mysterious young woman, a Don Juan of a local doctor, and the looming drum beat of WWII. The end result is a subtle commentary on love. It was refreshing to see a movie in which the elderly had feelings of lust, love and loss. The movies backdrop, the ocean, evokes the ever changing quality of life, storms, quite and the deep. I recommend it.
Several seemingly unrelated things got me to thinking, as they often do. Prayer and believing doom is around the corner .
One of many religions I have studied has a precept: What you believe you call into form. It is a common thread through most religions, belief systems,dogmas, and get rich/get what you want schemes.
"You reap what you sow"
Scientists wonder and then create.
You allow devils or angels into your life~ bringing either evil or good into it.
You ensure your child has "good friends"~ increasing their chance at a "good 'outcome.
There will never~use that word , you ensure it.(that nothing will occur)
If you play Scrabble with a better player,your score goes up.
Many in America, in our own blogsphere, spend time, energy and words to predict dire circumstance, end times, apocalyptic change. All, some, or none of these things may come to pass.
This is not so much about exchange of ideas, or where one see injustice,wrong or evil. Where debate is allowed, encouraged freedom grows. Addressing wrong and providing solutions for those wrongs are the mark of civilized nations.
The idea of thought being a means to call into form should be considered. For myself I try to balance my perception of doom , with envisioning perfection, as far as I am able.
So, do you believe in strife? Do you believe in peace?
Do you see a glass half full? Or a half empty glass?
Or in a glass that is too small? ~
with appreciation to ALLRed, and apologies for stealing~
The snake in many cultures represents the throwing off the past, rebirth and renewal. The outer form changes , grows but stays within it’s core the same.
One thing we know about 9-11 ~ an indisputable fact ~ is that those lucky few who knew they faced death reached out to those they loved. These messages were not composed of hate, but rang of love, clear bright human moments. That very human emotion was one thing we all ~ with some sad exceptions~ could relate to that day of unimaginable events. We saw or heard about so many acts of love that day. The fellow office workers, a man and a woman, facing fire, who chose to leap to their deaths .Holding hands. The two long time fellow employees, one severely dis~ abled, the other looking at the young nurse who cared for his friend saying “Go, I’ll stay”. That brave soul then calmly called his friend’s family, then his own, to tell of their love for their families. To all the firemen, some coming in from days off, to the emergency rescue teams, to the police, rushing into what others flew from. “Just doing their job” was the phrase heard at many funerals. The Priest, grabbing his Bible and rosary, rushing to his death, so as to be able to administer last rites, comforting who he could till he was no more. Brave selfless Americans all, that is what I remember of 9-11. As another poster so eloquently put it~ these souls chose to “be the kennel bitch” , they gave up their “bone”, gave up what that poster called the “lead dog’ spot. Or did they?
I think not. I know these Americans are what I will always admire in our collective spirit. The ability to express a higher good, the without a thought for self, the rush to save another. None of these humans “turned and ran” or “laid down and rolled over”. But they to a man and to a woman thought of others~ gave away their “ bone” metaphorically and literally. That’s the America I remember. Blessed Be them all. Blessed Be the United States of America.
I have a hot water heater~that works! After one month of water boiling on my stove~between not so handy me and the much more handy husband par excellence.. TA DAH, real hot water out of a tap. Old house, water pipes run under it, so the water was cold, not luke warm. I am now going to apply hot water to most surfaces of my home and person. I just had to share.
P. S. Freshly scrubbed from head to toe, I must say a long hot bath is akin to a religious experience.The absolutely longest I have ever been from hot running water~ something I wish to never experience again.
I have just learned I have around $400.00 available for me to purchase one piece of fitness equipment.*We* are two adults~both overweight over 50,not big sporty/fitness types(surprise!)~so my question for all you slim fit healthy people,or those in quest of a new lifestyle,what works? I am leaning towards a treadmill~but admit this is not my area of expertise.Any ideas? Thank You for any help.
I was stuck in bed most of last week ,having watched all my movies ,aimlessly clicking between channels ,avoiding commercials and day time television .Click.. there he was Dr. Feel (Phil McGraw) dispensing wisdom to the mass’s. He was talking to married should we divorce couples, discussing name calling. What he said struck me~” When the relationship has come down to that~ name calling~ it is almost certainly headed for divorce. You just can’t go on like that” .. hum ,sound familiar?
Talking those words and applying them to our current political situation and the fear I have is outlined plainly .How long can we last at such logger heads? When our level of respect for the “other side” is none existent? I was told a few weeks ago now was not the time to sing “Kumbaya ”, to call a spade a spade. I can not but help to softly hum the words to that tune while pointing out the shovel in someone’s eye~ offering to help gently remove it.
I think we need each other~ I think we are brothers and sisters, at the least distant relations. I think we are Americans, with hurt feelings. Hurt by the oppositions dispersions ,taunts ,bulling , by names, by slights both perceived and real.
What follows in no way implies everyone here does not have these qualities in abundance ~this is just descriptive generalities.
I need you “conservatives” to quell my lofty ideals ,my sometimes too broad compassion, your unique views of this world so unlike mine. They challenge me .I think you need us “liberals” to show you the possibilities ,to open your minds and hearts ,to poke at the status quo. Those groups are the broadest way to break us down~ politically I believe we all move through out the spectrum, arch conservative ,moderate, libertarian, arch liberal. We need each other, like society needs the practical and the flight of fancy. Like a piston needs a cylinder to operate~ they both need a cam shaft, our government.
So just another plea asking that before we assume the worst of each other, that we might pause and at least every other time assume the best of each other. Let's all of us go look for America.Blessed be America ,long may she stand.
http://ga1.org/campaign/cen... He said we need this on the record:That someone said "hey ,wait a minute".Well a man of his word~ that's the link to sign your agreement~Thanks to Dusty at SirenChronicles for the heads up
From the Annenberg Fact Check org.~
The Republican presidential candidates debated – and sounded some more false notes:
- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney falsely claimed U.S. job growth had been nearly 17 times faster than Europe's. Actually, European Union employment grew faster than that of the U.S. last year. Romney's figures come from a source who told FactCheck.org that he would no longer use them.
- Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani accused Democratic candidates of "appeasement" toward Islamic terrorists. In fact, leading Democratic candidates have spoken out strongly against terrorism.
- Sen. John McCain claimed American families spend $140 billion of their income preparing federal income tax returns. We find no support for that figure, which the Internal Revenue Service puts at $19 billion.
- Rep. Tom Tancredo claimed illegal immigrants "are taking a large part of our health care dollars." But the independent Rand Corp. estimates that undocumented immigrants account for 1.5 percent of health care spending or less.
Just more "keep an eye on them" information for my Republican friends out there.Both parties would be better served with better fact checkers~especially as the candidates know we are watching them,...aren't we?Get the facts straight ~thats for all the candidates!
"Are you like a crazy person?"
Remember, remember the 5th of November
Gun powder treason and plot
We can see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
I finally got a chance to watch “V is for Vendetta”, the comic book graphic novella made into film. Quite entertaining, wonderful word play and lot’s of things blowing up” real good”~ what more could you want? Perhaps what is contained in an inch~ an inch of script, an inch of film, an inch of you. For as one characters words tell us
seems strange that my life should end in such a terrible place, but for three years I had roses and apologized to no one. I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An inch. It is small and it is fragile and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must NEVER let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the worlds turns, and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that, even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you I love you with my heart, I love you.
http://www.imdb.com/title/t...
Indeed that is all we have, that inch it is so easily dismissed, so easily given away or traded for apparent freedom. But the things I speak of are not the freedom of which refrigerator to buy or the freedom of which cell phone plan to choose. But the freedom of three years of roses, and no apologies to anyone. The freedom of being exactly who you are without fear.
While there is action aplenty throughout the film, a love story and political intrigue , it is scenes like the following that kept me in this world:
[Evey pulls out her mace] I can assure you I mean you no harm.
Evey Hammond: Who are you?
V: Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.
Evey Hammond: Well I can see that.
V: Of course you can. I'm not questioning your powers of observation I'm merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.
Evey Hammond: Oh. Right.
V: But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace sobriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona.
V: Voilà! In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin van-guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
[carves V into poster on wall]
V: The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
[giggles]
V: Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V.
Evey Hammond: Are you like a crazy person?
V: I am quite sure they will say so. But, to whom am I speaking with?
Evey Hammond: I'm Evey.
V: Evey? E-V. Of course you are.
Evey Hammond: What does that mean?
V: It means that I, like God, do not play with dice and I don't believe in coincidences.
Beautiful words ,witty words and words I find true ~I don’t believe in coincidences either. Much was made about the film being an indictment about Bush’s politics. However the author Alan Moore distanced himself from the film saying if that was the case the producers(Wachowski brothers) should have used a American figure~ not Guy Fawkes . As I watched the film ,I could not help thinking that the character V would approve. The story has changed yes, but the idea is still there.
The story comes down to one of the status quo versus the “others” ,the outsiders, the disenfranchised, the minority and their right to exist. This may all seem lofty, far removed from your daily life…..and yet.
Some weeks back on the local papers community blog(The Bakersfield Californian) there was the usual dustup. My community is very conservative, changing with an influx of people from other environs, but still decidedly red. After the usual back and forth I saw this both chilling and hilarious statement: That if the paper “allowed” the “take over “ of the blogs(putting aside the argument that when facts can not be found, this is oft trotted out) by the “liberals” they would lose their readership~ suffering the consequences of such an act. The implicit threat such an act would incur in a red county.
This was hilarious for many reasons, that anyone side could “take over” a forum, that there is some unknown “congress’ of both “liberals” and “conservatives” that hold meetings deciding on party “planks”. The chilling part~ did this person actually realize what they had said? They appeared to advocate that only the red “opinion” should dominate a open and free exchange of ideas…in America. No….. I see no reason why the gun powder treason should ever be forgot.
In any democratic country, county, website all viewpoints should not only be allowed ,they should be sought after ,nurtured. Tended to, cared for, encouraged, For it is all we have ~that inch of ourselves, that inch of each other.
|
RSS 2.0
.jpg)