Funny how ideology and politics can make you see things so differently. Why I have titled this post "Senate Finaly Takes a Stand With Border Fence Bill," our friend's headline on the left side of the debate says, "Senate Caves In on Border Fence Bill." The NY Times wrote yesterday about the vote:


It's just commone sense, but I guess thats not all that common any more.


Now thats what I call being smart. I'm sorry (not really) that it makes the liberal left feel so down...poo, hoo, hoo!


They got their pity party going on...call the WHAAaaambulance!


NO! Not politics. Liberal "cut-and-run" radical multiculturalist ideas suck! Politics is politics. Could it be, just maybe, that this has more to do with what voters want? Could it be that America wants our border secured, and immigration to happen in an orderly and secure fashion?

Now, I didn't have time to look up the vote count, but 19 Senators voted against it. Now, my understanding is that there are more than 19 Democrats--so a lot of them voted in favor. Why do you suppose that is? Because thats what constituents want!!

Not that I could care any about what Mexico's government thinks about our own border security--seeing how they certainly don't worry about it--but Lonewacko had some related news:


Boo hoo!! Memo to Mexico's politicians: suck it up and deal with it.

Better yet, pay attention to your own economy, and do something about your unemployement rates. You might want to start with corruption and socialist-based policies that are hindering growth among your hard-working population. Mexicans are a great people who are desperate to provide a better life for their families.

HotAir has the story. Is anyone surprised? What I don't understand is how Big Ideas Productions went into this deal without hammering out those sort of HUGE details?? Did they get to excited about making it big time, that they forgot to check the fine print? Or, is NBC backstabbing them, slicing out the core value of the show after agreeing to allow it?

Go to your local Christian bookstore and get yourself a copy or two of the latest Veggie Tales--show your support and let them know you DO like the unedited version!! I'm not even going to go into the hypocrisy of the whole thing, considering Madonna, Mohammed cartoons, etc. Ugh!

I found a post by "WindTalker" I thought was worth responding to. In his post, "Biblefan08" makes some good points, and challenges Christians to live out their faith the way Scripture intends us to live. But, I think he goes to far in making generalizations about the condition of modern day Christianity. Frankly, if the Christian faith was so weak and fake, we would not be seeing so much opposition to it in the media and among liberals.


While you are right that there are many who go "to church on Saturday or Sunday, then promptly goes on unaffected throughout the rest of the week." I can also tell you there are MORE Christians out there that are sincerely living out their faith. I have met them and know them.

Liberals hate religion NOT because of the fakes--but because of the radical real Christians! If most Christians where fake, they would care less, and would treat Christians with the same respect they treat other religions.

And while I agree that Christians should not be afraid to be identified as such, we need to be know for standing for truth, and for being good citizens, for having good marriages, and for being men & women of character. Basically, we need to show the "fruits of the spirit." Our faith will be evident in that way.


See, I think he misses the key issue all together. How many great Bible-carrying, Sunday-wearing, Cross lapel pin-showing Christians have we seen on TV being exposed as cheats to their wives, or worst? God doesn't care about what's on the outside, but what's inside a man (or woman, for the PC readers). Me; I would rather make my wife real happy, and be faithful to her, and never say a word about my faith. Let people wonder what's different about me when I celebrate my 30th wedding anniversary, and divorce rates are going up (I'm only on year two, by the way...its a real challenge I have before me).

It's not what's on the outside that identifies us as Christians, but how we live, and how we act before others. We should worry less about defending the Bible--which can stand on its own--and be more concerned with our character, and and what's inside.

Had I known that all I had to do was go on a long diet to get an Instalaunche, I would not have worked so hard in the past to get the few links I have gotten (like this one, and this one)!! There I was staying up to insane hours of the night fighting pork, reading entire books to review, and more! All of that just to try get something decent enough to be worthy of Reynold's attention!! LOL


Well, if it works, it works! This was just to funny to pass over.

My blogging is a bit slower since I started working for Townhall.com, but I'm learning a lot by watching one of the best. Look for my first Townhall.com column as well. I'll let you all know when its up.

I came across this cool video through a banner on Fast Company. It's the "wearable" car!"

The car is Toyota's iSwing, a personal mobility vehicle of sorts. It can be driven as a three-wheeler, for road driving, and it also goes up on two wheels, like a Segway. What caught my attention is a connectivity feature that allows one iSwing to connect to a nearby second iSwing, making one of them the "lead" vehicle that decides direction, while the second iSwing just tags along for the ride.  The way cNet puts it,  that they "can form a relationship." It's social networking--My Space style--for vehicles. Scary!

The vehicle also features a sort of screen space that allows the owner to "decorate" his or her iSwing in any way they choose, including playing videos or animations. Talk about putting your personality on display! Sounds like an interesting concept.

Val Prieto reports on an explosion in Havana's largest refinery. He has photos and predictions. Check it out.

Wow. I have totaly lost track of who's who in the Spanish music world! Its the signs of the time--I'm getting old...or, maybe its just because I'm no longer in Miami.


So, why do I post this press release when I don't even know who they are? Cause, its interesting. But mostly, cause it brings in good click-through's from Google. So, if this is the first time checking out my blog, welcome. Hope you will check out other stuff I have--just click on the blog name at the top of the page to go to the main page.

The demand for labor is still strong. Arguments that immigrant labor is leaving Americans without jobs is simply not true. Now, enforcement of employees who hire illegals has to improve, but this goes to show that we need to have a way to supply the labor needs of our growing economy.

I'm not saying immigrant labor is the exclusive answer, though its one way. Perhaps we need to look at social attitudes towards construction, carpentry, and other such career paths, in order to encourage America's teens and college students to consider this work a positive and excellent option. I hear some of these jobs pay quite well!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again--Hispanics have a lot to win from a strong Republican adminstration and Congress. We also have a LOT to lose if Democrats take power come this Nov. or 2008.

Unemployment among Hispanics fell sharply this year, and their wages rose after a two-year decline, according to a national study released yesterday.

Bolstered by immigration, the Hispanic labor force is growing rapidly, and those workers are having little trouble finding jobs -- especially in construction, said the report by the Pew Hispanic Center.

"In terms of employment, there are strong gains for Hispanics," said Rakesh Kochhar, the center's associate director for research and author of the report.

Latinos, who represent 13 percent of the U.S. labor force, accounted for 40 percent of all new workers in the year ending June 30, the report said. Eighty percent of jobs filled by Hispanics went to immigrants, who make up the biggest share of the Latino labor force.

The findings come as Congress debates proposals for immigration laws, some addressing the immigrant workforce and the hiring of illegal immigrants, and immigration authorities step up work site arrests and border security.

Kochhar said the number of immigrant workers and the market for them seem to be "stronger than what we may do at the borders."

Although the report did not examine labor trends for illegal immigrants, it noted that previous studies have found that many new Latino immigrants are in the country illegally.

The Latino labor force is growing about three times the rate for all workers, the report found. Hispanic unemployment fell this spring to 4.9 percent from 5.8 percent in the same period last year. Median weekly wages for Latinos rose from $423 in 2005 to $431 in 2006 -- still lower than those of any other ethnic group.

This decade's construction boom drove the Latino job growth, particularly for the foreign-born, the report said. Half the new jobs for Latinos in the past year were in construction, and nearly all those jobs were generated in the South and the West, according to the report, which did not examine trends at the state or city level.

Since 2003, nearly 90 percent of Latinos workers hired in construction have been immigrants, the report found.

I had some additional thoughts on partisanship. I think having two parties improves the quality of our political leadership. Like free market forces on an open economy, having an opposing party helps remind our leadership that if they don't do their jobs and serve their constituents.

Frankly, as it was mentioned in last nights Pajamas Media event on partisanship, district gerrymandering is damaging to our electoral system, and cheats the constituent. When incumbents get comfortable, and lack incentives to compete for their votes, they simply stop serving the public.

So, my point is that partisanship keeps the political process competitive, and engaging. It keeps politicians on their toes, and this is a good thing for our government and for the voters.

Update: Welcome BabaluBlog readers. For those who haven't read it yet, check out Val's thoughts on the priviledge of partisanship.

***

Great event last night. I got to meet Val Prieto of Babalu Blog, Fausta of Faustasblog.com, Austin Bay, Glenn Reynolds, Mike from RedState.com, and others. Overall, I did not find the panel as engaging as I expected. Frankly, responses felt "soft." Glenn Reynolds had some good questions, but I felt like the answers went a bit to long, and just where not as hard hitting as I was hoping. Perhaps I had wrong expectations. Despite that, the event was great, as the pre and post conversations where engaging and interesting. I enjoyed it, and hope they will do it more often.

One key thing was clear from last night's conversations. The MSM is in decline, and the blogosphere is maturing and growing. I'm looking forward to seeing first hand what this means come November and 2008.

I asked a question about the effect of the battle over worldviews--right & wrong, truth, and absolutes--on partisanship, and it seemed to me that the question was completely sidestepped. Maybe I didn't ask the question right, or I wasn't clear. Perhaps. Its too bad, as I would have liked to hear some thoughts on that.

I think we are more partisan because more Americans are understanding what is at stake--a root understanding of how we see the world around us, and how that affects policy makers. If all religions are equal, and if good and evil is relative, or worst--non existent--then why would anyone care about partisanship?

Most people do care because most people understand that there is a right & wrong, and good & evil. In today's political environment, the Democrats have chosen to embrace all sorts of ideologies and a relativistic multiculturalism, basically standing for nothing out of fear of offending someone (except Christians, of course...they don't count for the Liberal left). Most Americans want a leadership that will stand for what most Americans believe in, and the left is just out of touch with this.

Here some additional thoughts from Atlas on why our country is increasingly partisan and what is at stake:


She has a good point. Check out her post, and the pictures, including a shot of our Managing Editor, Mary Katharine.

You would think the Democrats would understand what is at stake, and stand up for what THEY believe--gay rights, abortion, and all that. This just goes to point that the left just doesn't really stand for anything.

Simply, that is just the nature of a relativistic worldview that attempts to embrace a poisoned pluralism, and overarching relativism. The Liberal left simply lack the philosophical foundation to understand such things as good & evil, morality, absolute truths, and justice.

I'm not saying the right, or Republicans in particular, are always right, or have a strong clear understanding of right & wrong, justice, absolute truth, etc--I'm saying they are doing a much better job at it than Democrats are.

So, for now, I will be partisan, and I will vote Republican, but until now, they are the only party that has taken efforts to protect life and the unborn (baby steps), and they have nominated judges with a strong understanding of justice and our constitution. Republicans are the ones doing a better job at understanding the evil of radical Islam, and the threat of terrorism and are calling it for what it is (for the most part). So, yes--I am partisan, but it has nothing to do with party and everything to do with worldview.

Update: From Mary Katharine Ham;

I was helping out at a church picnic this last Sunday, and some local kids of Mexican heritage came out to enjoy the moon bounce and free food. I asked them if they had all learned English, and they shouted back together with evident price "Ya!." Got me thinking about this old blog post from my old Latino Issues blog. Enjoy.

***
(April 8, 2006)

With all the attention to the border security problem, and the challenges the nation is facing in regards to immigration, here are some thoughts on why learning English is of such importance to immigrants. More importantly, America would benefit greatly if we put a higher priority on getting immigrants to learn English. We are talking about improvements for the economy, reductions in crime, and much more.

Learning English allows an immigrant to:

1. Spread their wings beyond the urban Spanish-speaking enclaves. This, of course, leads to better integration, and a better understanding of what our country really looks like--nothing like "el barrio" in LA. But it also has implications as far as housing, jobs, and more. If an immigrant feels compelled to only live in certain areas to be close to other immigrants, this will place serious limitations on housing and jobs available. God knows housing prices are bad enough in LA and in Miami.

2. Improve on the job opportunities available. I have heard many talk about how immigrant construction workers have top-notch skills. Yet, if they don't speak English, chances are they won't get very far from a low-level laborer position. Those who learn English are promoted to site-supervisor, foreman, etc.

3. Improve their education. If an immigrant without a higher education decides they want to take a training course, or go back to college for a degree, having learned English makes this process so much easier. Statistics show that just having an Associate in Arts increases substantially the earning potential for an individual. Another key factor is that an immigrant who has learned English can also look forward to better paying work in their home country, should they choose to return at some point.

4. Prevents and reduces crime. An immigrant that does not speak English will be more hesitant to contact authorities when they are victimized, out of fear of not being understood. This is true even for those that are here legally. Knowing English can also make a difference between life and death, when a paramedic is trying to give life-saving treatment, and needs to know about possible allergies or what may be.

4. Better education for their children. Informed parents are better parents. If the parent doesn't speak or understand English, chances are the child can get away with deception at school and with homework. Immigrant parents who learn English will feel more comfortable attending PTA meetings, calling up the teacher to check up on the child, and help the student with homework assignments. With the number of Latino gangs and their explosive growth, I wonder what parents who know English would do to children's success ratio in school?

This is not one area we can afford to be PC about. Children are truly the ultimate victim of immigrant disintegration. Its a great disservice when local governments and agencies don't provice any incentives for immigrants to learning English and fully integrate into society.

HotAir has the screen captures proof. Mary Katharine got one of the few invites, and has a full post about it over on the main blog. Great event and a great success for bloggers.

Update: The Anchoress and Tim Chapman have more thoughts and pictures.

I'll be at the National Press Club for the panel discussion. Val Prieto from Babalu will be there and we're planning on hanging out afterwards. I'm looking forward to it. If you're going to be there, say hello.

That was the title of this morning's sermon at Evergreen Community Church of Mannases, where my wife and I are attending. Its a good reminder. I was thinking about what that means, just shortly after reading some comments left in various Townhall.com articles by people who identify themselves as "Christians."

If more people understood that Christ was more about a relationship, than about traditions, or the law, then I think Christianity would look so differently today. For those who have experienced the not-so-nice side of some Christians out there, give Jesus a chance--don't judge Him for His worst followers. Hey, I'm there too--I've had moments where I just stepped out of bounds, and either wished people didn't know I was a Christian, or was glad they didn't. But, thats life--an ongoing effort to work on living a God-honoring life. We are not perfect--just forgiven. The key event to explore is Christ's death on the cross, but even more importantly, his resurrection on the third day. Explore that. What does it mean to you? What are the implications of it? The answers will change your life.

Just thought I would share those after-church thoughts as I sit enjoying the cool fall weather on my apartment balcony, enjoying a nice glass of wine. Not a bad way to end the week. Hope yours was good as well.

And the winner is http://thepinkflamingo.townhall.com/, published by SJ Reidhead.  Check it out.