Latino Issues, A Conservative Blog

After listening to various opinions, and evaluating the facts we know so far, I am cautiously endorsing Bush's nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court. I posted a round up of key opinions here . These are my reasons. The negative stories that have come out, such as donations to the Democrats, have been reasonably addressed by those that know Miers best. Those who have spoken of her faith, character, and commitment to values are trustworthy people who know her well and know her personally. As Dr. Dobson asserts, Bush has not gone wrong on his nominations, so I am trusting he is making a solid choice in Miers. Also, I am taking into consideration Dr. Dobson's trustworthy opinions, and the facts he is privy to regarding Miers. She is professionally qualified. While I believe there could have been more qualified nominees, I cannot pretend to understand or know the political battle that these nominees face, and have to acknowledge that Bush may be making the sma...

Solid analysis by Mile High Delphi on the Ref. C & D campaigns . Some members of the Colorado political prognosticati believe that since the Vote Yes on C and D campaign has out raised the Vote No on C side (by dramatic margins in fact) then Referenda C and D have a better chance of passing. Looking back at the most recent off year election it appears that the Pro C side may quickly face diminishing returns, especially as extra issue groups, such as the Backbone Issues Committee and the Independence institute, pile on. As things currently stand now, the main anti C issue group Vote No; It's Your Dough has spent $129,550 as of 10/03. This doesn't take into account hundreds of thousands of dollars in adds by ally groups. As of 9/19 (they are late on filing their 9/19 report) the main pro C issue group Vote Yes on C & D has spent $3,141,000. That is a margin of 24-1. However, estimates are that the Independence Institute has purchased $400,000 of radio ads that basically ...

Graet story via Citizen Link . They are reporting that Park Gillespie, the political reality TV show winner, is running for a real-life congressional seat. You can see his campaign web site here . We need more candidates like him--people who are willing to stand up for what is right, and speak out regardless of political correctness. I hope he does well and wins. An evangelical Christian and public-school teacher who took the top prize in the Showtime reality series "American Candidate" last year is planning a real-life run for Congress. Park Gillespie, whose upset victory on the cable-TV competition show about a mock race for the White House was fueled by the phone-in votes of Christians nationwide, is poised to announce his candidacy for South Carolina's 5th House District -- a seat currently held by longtime Democratic Congressman John Spratt. Gillespie, who will run in the Republican primary next June for a spot on the November 2006 ballot, said he plans to be as unc...

In light of the discussion on immigration, I thought this was a relevant quote. I can say that both the left and the right can be accused of pretend patriotism. We should ask ourselves what is the correct posture in regards to patriotism? As we have seen among some reader's comments here, some can take patriotism to an racist extreme. I don't think this is what George Washington would have called true patriotism. "Guard against the postures of pretended patriotism." George Washington, "Farewell Address," Sept. 17, 1796

Many thanks to Adam's Blog for his comments, and his perspective on the subject of immigration. I must be clear--I don't pretend to understand the whole issue, and I don't know all the elements that relate to the challenge of immigration. As Colson says, this at times seems like a no-win problem. Adam responds to Katie's Dad's anti-immigration, anti-Hispanic comments. Katie's dad's anti-hispanic and anti-Cuban and not pro-immigration reform. In other words, his view of America is that its only going to be suitable for White Europeans, to hell with everyone else whose here. I see this country founded by English colonists, but each group that's come has left its mark: The Italians, the Scots, the Germans, the Blacks, the Asians, and the Hispanics. The miracle of America is that while this country was founded by White Europeans, freedom can work for any race of people. My family's been here for four generations, and my mother's even more. My wi...

I have to stand by Allard on this one . Illegal immigration is a liability to this country, and to law abiding immigrants. Damascus Road has more: Senator Wayne Allard, Republican senator from Colorado, has recently come under fire regarding his remarks concerning higher crime rates and their relationship to illegal aliens. As usual, Democrats and immigration activists are lining up for their chance at whacking on Allard. However, even though the “loyal opposition” won’t ever admit it, Allard has the facts on his side . In Los Angeles, 95 percent of all outstanding warrants for homicide (which total 1,200 to 1,500) target illegal aliens. Up to two-thirds of all fugitive felony warrants (17,000) are for illegal aliens. • A confidential California Department of Justice study reported in 1995 that 60 percent of the 20,000-strong 18th Street Gang in southern California is illegal; police officers say the proportion is actually much greater. The bloody gang collaborates with the M...

A few days ago I wrote about sending Sen. Allard an email asking for comments on cutting pork. That was posted here . I didn't even get an auto responder on that, but that's not a problem--I'm still holding out for an actual response. Of course, I realized after-the-fact that the best thing to do would be to get a regular snail-mail letter to their local office. I also took several reader's comments to heart, and wrote the same letter to Sen. Salazar. The letters where hand-addressed, so there is no confusing it with junk mail, and I basically ask them both the same question--what are you doing or going to do to reduce pork spending in the State of Colorado. You can find the letter for Sen. Salazar here , and the letter for Sen. Allard here (PDF format). For those without PDF readers, here is the basic body of the letter, after the more personalized introduction, of both letters. Of course, I am a conservative, and a registered Republican, so I naturally expressed sligh...

Via IconCulture : The Immigration Policy Center reports that the number of female immigrant entrepreneurs in the U.S. has grown nearly 190% since 1990. Since 1980, the number has soared by 468%. AUSTIN BUSINESS JOURNAL 9.9.05 Tags: Politics , Current Affairs , California , Immigration .

Talking about the subject of immigration, I think Chuck Colson said it best. I think I posted on this column before, but I am posting it again in light of the recent attacks and lies regarding my position on immigration. If people are determined to misunderstand me, and are blinded by their own prejudice, so be it--I think I have been open and clear. This article comes via townhall.com and was published on Aug 22, 2005. Consider this my official position on immigration--as a US citizen, born in this country, and as a Christian called to compassion and truth. For extreem secularist--this is a statement made from a Judeo-Christian worldview, and should be read as such. If it would be offensive, you may want to skip this article. by Chuck Colson ( bio ) There's an issue that refuses to go away even though many politicians wish it would. Since it engenders great passion on both sides of the political divide both parties view it as a "no-win" issue: For every one potential v...

Interesting data via the Wall Street Journal. Here is what they had to say: "With term-limited Gov. Bill Owens set to step down, this race promises to be a shootout...Should the Democrats nominate liberal Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, Rep. Beauprez is the GOP's best hope for defeating her. The more conservative Bill Ritter, Denver's district attorney (sic), would be a more formidable opponent and is in a close race with all three Republicans. If Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper -- who has said he has no intentions of running for governor -- enters the race, he is poised to defeat any GOP challenger handily." Here's the other races presented by the WSJ: Bob Beauprez vs. Bill Ritter Beauprez: 43.6% Ritter: 39% John Hickenlooper vs. Marc Holtzman Hickenlooper: 48.2% Holtzman: 36.1% Bob Beauprez vs. Joan Fitz-Gerald Beauprez: 45.4% Fitz-Gerald: 38.6% I really have not been following the race enough to comment on the candidates or the polls. I would love to read com...

Vote no on Referendum C & D. In advocating more government spending, supporters of Referendum C often claim that there there is simply no fat to cut in the state budget, so taxpayers need to give up their refunds for the next five years. This is simply not true .

It seems I have managed to get the attention of a real direct descendant of an American colonizer--you know, one of those pilgrims pioneer people you read about in the history books. (just being sarcastic) Katie's Dad over at American Kernel doesn't think well of me, and of immigrants, it seems. Truth be told, I was never looking to pick a "fight" (I mean that very loosely), but welcomed the discussion that would open my eyes to a rich history I only know from reading. So, I think I will try to respond to some of the acusations, and clarify my position on some issues. Perhaps I should be clear on my position on immigration, and some basic related principles: Immigrants should be encouraged, and even required in many cases, to quickly learn the English language. No bilingual education should happen, except in teaching it as a second language. Residency and citizenship should require extensive study of American history and mores. Citizenship should be a special p...

Headlines via DrudgeReport.com . Drudge is calling it "The Big Gamble." It says a lot. BUSH CHOOSES WHITE HOUSE COUNSEL HARRIET MIERS FOR SUPREME COURT... Miers Led Bid to Revisit Abortion Stance... Had Stormy Tenure at Texas Lottery... LIMBAUGH: 'A PICK MADE FROM WEAKNESS'... TIME: Bush Makes a Safe Supreme Court Pick... Harriet Miers: Profile of a Tireless Competitor... CONSERVATIVE GROUP SUPPORTS... CONSERVATIVE GROUP OPPOSES... William Kristol: 'I'M DISAPPOINTED, depressed and demoralized'... AFP: REACTION MIXED... BUSH COURT PICK GAVE MONEY TO GORE?... Tags: Harriet Miers , Miers , SCOTUS , News , Current Affairs , Religion , Media , Culture , News and politics

The news is buzzing about Harriet Miers nomination. As far as I am concerned, the jury is still out, and may well be out even after she is confirmed--assuming she is confirmed. I'll have to second Olasky's words, "I'm in the 'we report - you decide' camp." This nomination, in combination with Roberts, will have a huge impact in a thousand ways for the future of our country. I have to agree with Dr. Dobson in that no one can really "know absolutely about matters of integrity and philosophy until a jurist is given the tremendous power and influence of their position." Let us all hope that Bush is keeping his promise to nominate originalist judges who will "not use the bench to write social policy." It's all on his word at this point. Here is the round-up: Rush Limbaugh : "This is a pick that was made from weakness. There was an opportunity here to show strength and confidence, and I don't think this is it. There are plenty of...

Here is an op-ed from Jon Caldara . Consider this is my official opposition statement on Colorado's C & D. It's really basic economics, and should be rather easy to understand for anyone willing to step away from left-wing ideologies and political agendas, and seek what is best for the economy overall. Caldera makes a very good, fact-based, common sense argument as to why there is no reason why the State should be seeking more money, and why C & D really amounts to nothing more than a tax increase. C stands for Cash . D stands for Debt . It is as straightforward as that. Ref. C is a massive tax increase, plain and simple. If passed it would cost a family of four over $3200 in the first five years alone. But that’s just the beginning. Since it ratchets up the state’s spending and taxing baseline permanently, it is a forever tax increase. And Ref. D would put the state further into debt, committing our children to repay the billions of dollars spent by politicians tod...

This via RedState.org . From last month's First Things: Six years ago, economist Steven Levitt and law professor John Donohue sparked a brouhaha with their claim that abortion is probably the greatest crime-prevention measure ever invented. Now that argument has received renewed currency in the bestselling book Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Levitt and his co-author Stephen Dubner. In recent years there has been a 30- to 50-percent drop in crime, and many explanations are offered: new policing methods, more than two million people behind bars, the drop-off in the use of crack, and on and on. But a careful analysis of the data, say Levitt and company, indicates that the biggest factor, far and away, is that the millions of young men most likely to commit crimes were killed early on. A refreshing note of candor in the current discussion is that nobody is denying that all those fetuses killed in the womb were really human beings. So it seems ...