My wife is of Ulster-Scot descent, including on one side a slight Dutch-Cherokee mix, and is a Stephens College business grad inter alia whose heroes remain Queen Elizabeth II and Jean Kirkpatrick; she spent much of yesterday telling me it's not my style to be politically or lawfully inert just because in past some have tried to kill, maim, or use Courts against me on account of truth or views, that I would not be happy with myself ever again if I shut up especially (SHE told ME) "in Illinois where NOBODY ever does anything to ANYBODY, you just imagine it or work in cahoots with strangers", and that I would not be the man she married and is happy with were I to not at least stay with Conservatives through this year's elections...in that spirit, and while we still plan to go elsewhere by this Fall, I will stay involved through the election.
 
I see at my email today Obama is going to have three thousand "we worship YOU for change" gatherings this Saturday; he claimed to have as many last Summer, but outside Chicago most seemed to have no more than the neighborhood organizer attend; maybe huge crowds all at once across America will be flashed by all media, together with "change" specifics.
 
Two other things seem more interesting as Obama reaches out with nebulous "change" palavers...Mayor Daley, after at least ten years, has finally noticed Chicago porches fall apart on first use, most folks today with crummy porches are new immigrants, and is going to nail those "right-wingers" who built and own them; and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) is going to start suing Countrywide inter alia mostly for immigrants and slightly for nationals re giving them homeloans and expecting them to pay without having work ( which Obama will tell you itself is due to all this xenophobic and nationalistic racism because too MANY jobs exist; q.v., must go green for global warming, as long as it doesn't involve work or land to produce own fuels or alternatives against U.N. LOST wishes).
 
You know, in re consumer credit protection here, one institutionalized thing with Chicago and Illinois Democrats is the practice of doing away with centuries-old doctrines hich make employers and those serve by contractors liable for acts and omissions of their agents; e.g., I have a Court order which requires Mid America to give good references on any inquiry ever-after, but Mid America filed for sheriff door knock-down after first seeing we had all possessions and ourselves moved into Oregon; you catch them on that or anyting else re CRAs, all they have to do is say "they didn't intend their agents, lawyers, or contracted services to do that", ditto can anyone say including your employers, and just like ab initio, Courts and Madigans feel it would be unfair to then have a proper party sign a reference or relevant verification and present it to you through them as part of any record. Correlatively, although a shopbook entry in usual course, unsigned CRA printouts are deemed "hearsay" if a CRA tells the State or a Court "not MINE!"...and anyone saying it is or that's what they got? Oh, more evidence of a vast, right-wing conspiracy trying to gain political advantage, ignore them.
 
As to Illinois Democrats and Attorney General consumer credit protection over actual matter, like Daley on the sub-State level with his porches or anything else, Madigan excels at winning suits, which always have deadlines for victims to contact her for settlement shares, but too often, wouldn't you know, so many people just never get in touch with her office in a timely or well-documented fashion; comes to mind the victory Madigan won a few years ago re Household: like the one my wife got, tons of folks around late 2000 et seq got bulk-mailed live checks in amounts of thousands of dollars, which enticed them to cash it and use money for anything at all, or tear up and throw out if they didn't want it; yep, wouldn't you know, my wife and I then living in Nashville TN, no matter what proofs of content and mailings and relevant contact attempts we had, doggone it!! We were just to stupid, lazy, or both to get a "timely" claim in, just like all the other sluggards obviously working with Bush and McCain in a vast right-wing conspiracy to make good folks look bad.
 
So anybody gets a settlement entitlement via Madigan, maybe videotape what you do to timely comply and put it on Youtube or whatever as backup; wouldn't want to have your USPS proofs called part of a vast conspiracy, would you?
 
As to porches and Obama as the Lord Of Job Creation: Um, 287g also works here such that you round up as many immigrants as you set up in homes, in election years "round up and get out of town" all those "illegals" a vast conspiracy let in, put up cinder block and facade quickie little warehouses and store fronts which then remain eternally "for sale" as proof of attracting commerce and jobs, move all the "287 g roundups" to a town or State a little farther away from town than most folks go, build so many exurbanite New Urban communities with crummy porches and all, the mind reels how commerce (or structural perfection) can possibly compete with new super-fast build ups of such communities. Ususally, in "off" years, new immigrants go to the old town as nationals lose homes, process of packing 287 g's elsewhere repeats, easy election, easy big paychecks for officials...nobody gets work, equity becomes more political will than money or dignity.
 
Something to think about as Democrats eye HR 1955 to quash nationals AND immigrants to make mainstream lives for those demanding jihad against the USA or anyone else ala Atta and 9/11, instead of constraining them abroad as Bush does.
 

Our response to terrorism cannot be confined to a set of security measures. We must also examine our capacity to respond to attacks and focus on the prevention of terrorism and terrorist recruitment. Prevention must include fighting root causes of terrorism such as social exclusion, poverty, inequality and discrimination and political resentment.

The Madrid agenda is right to stress that "While poverty is not a direct cause of terrorism, economic and social policy can help mitigate exclusion and the impact of rapid socioeconomic change, which give rise to grievances that are often exploited by terrorists".

Fighting the root causes of terrorism must be based on promotion of universal values. This means upholding the civil liberties of all, promoting social inclusion, fighting discrimination and pursuing the better integration of minorities and migrants.

A European approach to social inclusion

We have recently seen growing social unrest in several European countries. In this age of globalisation, debate about welfare reform and a stronger European social model is closely linked to social inclusion.

In recent decades, EU member states have had different approaches to the integration of people living on the edges of society. While this has produced substantial improvement in living conditions and recognition of citizenship rights for some, new generations now face new forms of disillusionment. In most European towns and cities, these new generations experience the contradiction between successful cultural and civic integration and the perception of growing social and economic marginalisation.

Our duty as European social democrats is to set out political solutions to these new challenges. We begin with some reflection on different national experiences and promoting best practice to find new ways of promoting economic and social inclusion and equality.

A European strategy should be founded on two principles:

1. Inclusion begins not only with recognition of fundamental rights and citizenship rights, but when people really exercising these rights.
2. Fighting discrimination and promoting equal opportunities – in particular in education, training and employment – should be a cornerstone of all policies.

Promoting and developing the integration of minorities and migrants

The London attacks led to new political initiatives and a wide-ranging public debate about how to strengthen community cohesion and speed up integration.

Although all individuals have the same fundamental rights, causes of exclusion often build up. Victims of ethnic discrimination often have poor access to housing and education. This in turn threatens their job chances, bringing a real risk of exclusion from mainstream society. This lack of opportunity can help terrorist recruitment.

The EU must therefore make full use of its wide-ranging powers against discrimination. We insist on full respect for Article 13 of the Treaty and full implementation of European law in all member states.

Finally, the EU must actively promote civil and political rights, for failure to integrate and empower migrants can also help terrorist recruitment. The EU must set minimum standards for integration, such as civil and political rights, including the right to vote. " (End of EU PSE citation)

 

PSE is sort of the "muscle" for the EU, works most usually with U.N. types like Doudou Diene; the USA is always automatically assumed to be a population from which NO national or non-extremist, non-Socialist thereto immigrant may travel into PSE's world. Read for yourselves on PSE at their own site: http://www.socialistgroup.eu/gpes/media/documents/47230_47230_terrorism_fin_070710_en.pdf .

 

Obama has a lot of pols and activists rooting for him, but only like he's going to include all these folks, straight or gay, citizens or not in the 2008 Presidential election (or at least no-trail votomatics will); the only "change" so far pre-DNC Convention appears to be a shut-up/shut off forever case-closer that the USA WILL arrange as a Socialist oligarchy as the European Union and its friends demand (and would not otherwise have).

 

But, who talks anymore about Obama or for that matter his running mate (oh, that's right...he doesn't need one!)...on that point, McCain fares no better. The reason for this media was kind enough to excuse replays of Obama speeches, Democrat LOST/HR 1955/DREAM/LA offering to pay extremists, and so forth, meaning in such vacuum ANYBODY grinning and saying "change!" might be worth a shake; since USA politicians and officials are content to wait until the DNC and GOP Conventions to state what their ideas of change and progress and security are, your ol' curmudgeon and very interested USA citizen is on vacation until August 22, 2008, the tentative start of the DNC Convention (GOP tentatively starts Labor Day)...besides, even Congress.org has taken to using can't-read anti-robots on ALL letters to leaders til then, and Associated Press is crying that it will sue anyone who uses its video IF its video even if showing acta of officials and candidates.

 

While I understand some in Congress will necessarily be concerned about conserving over-all oil should President Bush add to the strategic reserve, taxing it if domestic and tax breaking it if foreign not only seems flailing for "goodwill" of Chavez and other dictators who NEVER are satisfied with the USA, since dictators et al will cut supplies anyway to constrain USA strategics, but seems to undercut the big commerce and good-paying jobs...the kind of good things Illinois Democrats now promise through "all-at-once" road resurfacings/widenings, promise to not use Neighborhood Stabilzation Act funds for but new immigrants/subprime/foodstamps/higher attendant costs, and building of strip malls smaller than the failed area businesses; these are important considerations, what with H&R Block now saying the stimulus payments are to be repaid from future refunds and are not "special".

It seems normal status quo market producers can cut back release of oil to the public with eye to job-making industry use as part of the strategic reserve effort, and really...unless and until one has income and purpose, what is the pressing need to drive or tool about anyway...I'm hardly "well-off", and enjoy health benefits (mental and physical) of walking, yet I walked from the day I was born through EVERY level of my income.

For these reasons, the here within following balance of text is verbatim as received from Americans For Tax Reform; having read and agreed with same, I endorse it, said text being, to-wit (addressed to U.S. Senators): 

As the economy shows some signs of entering a recession, it is disconcerting to hear Congress continue to talk about raising taxes, especially on domestic energy production.

Congress should be considering proposals that increase our nation's energy security and lower Americans' overall tax burden, not discouraging investment, hindering domestic production and killing jobs. 

It is essential to oppose all legislation that directly interferes with free-market enterprise and the basic fundamentals of a market-driven economy

I urge you to reject any tax increase on energy and instead work to promote a sound and diversified energy policy for the United States that does not punish our existing sources. I ask that you vote AGAINST any tax hike provisions that come to the floor.

Whether standalone, or part of a larger package, our economy cannot afford tax hikes on energy production.