Breaking News

[Tom]

1. Evans and Ashcroft resign cabinet posts today.
2. Colin Powell is in Mexico fighting to make illegal aliens lega in this country. Mt Bush, fire this worthless bum. He is a loose cannon who contributes nothing to our cause. To Hell with Powell.
3. FRANCE invades Ivory Coast WITHOUT UN authorization...what they criticized US for doing! Hehe. And already they are asking for our help!
Mr. Bush, give that POS Cirac the good ole American finger and tell him to kiss your southern states! Better yet, let's weigh in this thing....as an ALLIE of Ibvory Coast, and then invade France!
ROTFLMYO.
When are the protest marches planned in Michigan? Where is Ljb when we need him?

[doophus]

2. Colin Powell is in Mexico fighting to make illegal aliens lega in this country. Mt Bush, fire this worthless bum. He is a loose cannon who contributes nothing to our cause. To Hell with Powell.

Tom... This is ALL Bush. He's wanted to make all Mexicans, even the non-residents, able to walk across border with impunity. This aspect of Bush has been very troubling to this Southerngentleman, I mean, er, Redneck.

Where is Ljb when we need him?

We could sure use the chap, huh? I should see him in Ponca City in the next couple of days. I'll keep you informed.

[Buckeye]

Losing is a very powerful lesson.

Mexicans, we don't need not s***king Mexixans. What's the problem , afraid of competition? Free enterprise is what we need more of. Let them come and I for one welcome them.

[doophus]

Originally posted by Buckeye
Losing is a very powerful lesson.

Mexicans, we don't need not s***king Mexixans. What's the problem , afraid of competition? Free enterprise is what we need more of. Let them come and I for one welcome them. As soon as we disallow all illegals from SSI and voting, I won't be quite so harsh, maybe.

[Equineer]

Doophus,

You are quite right. Bush wants to confer legal status on 5-to-7-million illegal aliens that now work in America. Legal rights and privileges first... naturalization as an afterthought.

As Secretary of State, Powell has been dispatched to Mexico to work out the aftermath details. After the workers are legalized, they can hardly be denied re-unification with family members left behind.

What has to be worked out is how the U.S. and Mexico will process the 10-15 million family-unification immigrants that will be invited to America.

As all these families arrive, one can certainly foresee both jobs in two-income families becoming threatened by the influx of cheap labor.

This issue, plus a tragically flawed strategy for winning the war on terrorism by invading Iraq, are the two reasons that I didn't vote for Bush this time.

I do agree with Bush's agenda for Social Security reform and Tax reform. However, many of the extreme neo-cons appear clueless about the detailed aspects of Bush's domestic agenda items.

Given only so much political capital to spend, it is disheartening to watch Bush make legalization of aliens his first domestic initiative.

I hope Bush is not setting up Powell as the scapegoat... some folks have apparently already been suckered in this regard.

[Tom]

Originally posted by Buckeye
Losing is a very powerful lesson.

Mexicans, we don't need not s***king Mexixans. What's the problem , afraid of competition? Free enterprise is what we need more of. Let them come and I for one welcome them.

I welcome LEGAL immigrants, not illegal felons. Bush's refusal to protect our borders is inexcusable. I am not afraid of competition either. I am afraid that as long we allow anyone at all to enter this country, who knows what terrorists will be entering?
If you think illegal immigration is not a seriuos problem, you are sadly mistaken. Mexico is a threat to this country and it should be considered amoung the axis of evil. I have no doubt that Mexico poses a far greater threat to our security than Osam Bin Laden, Iraq, North Korea, or Al Qeada. It seems pretty clear to me that Bush has ignored the problem to court votes. Free enterprize? You consider it free enterprise when anyone can illegally enter our counrty and demand medical benifits, jobs, driver;s licenses, the right to vote, etc.? BS. If you are not a citizen, you have no business being here and no business enjoying ANY benfits of citiszenship.

[Tom]

EQ...we agree on something. Bush need to be bitch slapped for his ridiculous priorities. Had the dems put up anyone with some credibiitly, I would not have voted for Bush. He was the lesser of two evils and certainly a very POOR choice for a president. I hope the dems get their act together quickley, because we need someone with real abilities in that office. We have had that since Regan left office. Bush is going down a dangerous path. With Kerry out of the way, Bush is now the greatest danger to America. He cannot make this country secure by fighting only one battle.

[Dick Schmidt]

Today, the French Army in the Ivory Coast opened fire on a crowd of protesters, killing at least 9 and wounding a reported 200. Can you imagine the headlines if U.S. solders did that?? Bet most papers won't feature it on the front page. If they do, I doubt the word "massacre" will be used. We'll see.

Dick

[Equineer]

Originally posted by Dick Schmidt
Today, the French Army in the Ivory Coast opened fire on a crowd of protesters, killing at least 9 and wounding a reported 200. Can you imagine the headlines if U.S. solders did that?? Bet most papers won't feature it on the front page. If they do, I doubt the word "massacre" will be used. We'll see.CNN/AP seem to be providing more coverage than is usual for a conflict in a predominantly black African nation.

I hadn't realized that there are 6,000 U.N. troops deployed in a buffer zone, plus 4,000 French troops stationed at various bases.

Here is a CNN/AP report: http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/11/09/ivory.mbeki.ap/index.html

[PaceAdvantage]

Originally posted by Dick Schmidt
Today, the French Army in the Ivory Coast opened fire on a crowd of protesters, killing at least 9 and wounding a reported 200. Can you imagine the headlines if U.S. solders did that?? Bet most papers won't feature it on the front page. If they do, I doubt the word "massacre" will be used. We'll see.

Dick


Kind of makes that whole prison abuse scandal look like a walk in the park in comparison.....but of course pictures of people with bullets through their heads won't be on the front page of international papers....just pictures of LIVE folk looking like they're dressed for some Halloween parade in the village (you know, the Iraqi prisoner with the black hood and dress standing on what looks like a podium...that famous picture....)

Yup, perception is a WONDERFUL thing....

[Equineer]

The French are not being condemned by most sources for their presence in the Ivory Coast.

The civil war peacekeeping forces in the Ivory Coast come from the African Union nations (6,000) and France (4,000). The African Union has consistently applauded French participation because the official language and legal system of the Ivory Coast are French. Moreover, French involvement has been praised by Muslim nations because Islam has emerged as the most popular Ivory Coast religion.

The current civil war violence erupted after a cease-fire was broken by Gbagbo's airplanes and loyalist forces. The French responded by destroying Gbagbo's air force on the ground (2 jets, 3 helicopters). The lives of 130,000 Lebanese and 14,000 French are endangered because Gbagbo incites hatred towards all non-native ethnic groups.

The AP reports that machete-wielding mobs have been hunting house-to-house for foreigners.

As also reported by the Associated Press:

"South African President Thabo Mbeki has flown to Ivory Coast to launch an African effort to reign in chaos here, amid four days of sudden mob and government confrontations with French troops that have wounded more than 600 and killed at least 20 others.

The mission comes with the U.N. Security Council, African Union, European Union and a West African leaders bloc all condemning President Laurent Gbagbo's government in the violence."

[boxcar]

Yo, Eq! Top of the day to ya.

Condemning is one thing...but did France have a formal mandate from the U.N. to go into the Ivory Coast and invade it? Did France have the backing of a U.N. resolution?

Have a good one,
Boxcar

[Equineer]

Originally posted by boxcar
Yo, Eq! Top of the day to ya.

Condemning is one thing...but did France have a formal mandate from the U.N. to go into the Ivory Coast and invade it? Did France have the backing of a U.N. resolution?

Have a good one,
Boxcar Invasion? Not Applicable.

The U.N. peacekeeping forces were already authorized and in the Ivory Coast, just as Belgian and African Union troops were in Rwanda when violence erupted. Belgium immediately withdrew its troops, and 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered during the next few weeks.

France is receiving praise for not pulling out like Belgium.

As I posted, the AP reports the U.N. Security Council, African Union, European Union and a West African leaders bloc are all condemning President Laurent Gbagbo's government for the violence.

[Equineer]

Boxcar,

For an inspiring and heartwarming experience, see the journalistic documentary about Rwanda: "The Last Just Man."

The U.N. commander, a Canadian general, defied official evacuation orders, rallied a tiny detachment of African troops, and managed to save several thousand Rwandans during the genocidal slaughter.

[boxcar]

Equineer opines with:

Invasion? Not Applicable.

Try telling that to the pro-government loyalists who hate the French!

Boxcar

[Steve 'StatMan']

Yup, the French are definetely too busy now to join our coalition in Iraq, no matter how much Kerry would like to have worked with them/buttered them up.

[boxcar]

Steve'StatMan'BTW writes:

Yup, the French are definetely too busy now to join our coalition in Iraq, no matter how much Kerry would like to have worked with them/buttered them up.

Not only are they "too busy", they're undermanned! I have to think 4,000 French troops represents about half the number enlisted in their armed forces. (The other half are busy providing homeland security for Chirac. :eek:

Boxcar

[cj]

The French don't need as many troops, they don't need anyone to set up showers.

[Equineer]

The neo-con extremist dilemma... they cannot even support our own State Department position that condemns Gbagbo's backers for rejecting the results of the last free election, staging a military coup, and then installing President Gbagbo.

Likewise, the U.N. Security Council, African Union, European Union and a West African leaders bloc all blame President Laurent Gbagbo's government for the civil war and current violence.

[Dave Schwartz]

CJ,

LOL

That was brutal. Accurate, but brutal. <G>

Dave

[Larry Hamilton]

They could save on soldiers too, after all, they hit the beach looking for an official to whom they could surrender.

[Tom]

We just gotta side up with Ivory Coast and take out those French dipsticks. We could send over a troop of Boy Scouts and take 'em!