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...