AFGHANISTAN: Today the Iraq Sun reported details of recent coalition battles with the Taliban. It seems the death of Mullah Dadullah decapitated their leadership to some extent. Even before his demise, however, the Taliban have consistently been handed their heads in battles with coalition forces. Twenty Taliban were killed in several encounters, the largest of which was an attack on an Afhan police station that resulted in three dead cops and twelve dead insurgents. Numbers from various sources indicate approximately 1,800 people have been killed in Afghaninstan so far this year, the vast majority of them insurgent Taliban. Late news today was not as good. A Chinook carrying five Americans and two other coalition troops crashed, killing all aboard. The helicopter was reportedly taken down by an RPG in the Kajaki district at night. Little suprise reports of combat successes in Afghanistan are rarely if ever reported in the mass media. Even when American combat forces are eliminating the enemy in droves, the media continues their slavish devotion to battering the CINC.
RUSSIA: I have no idea what President Bush saw in Putin's eyes, but it must have been the sickle and hammer on his retinas. Putin has jacked up his rhetoric about the proposed U.S. missile defense deployment in Europe. To add a little emphasis the Russkies tested two new nuclear missiles, one an ICBM and the other a short range high precision model. This may indicate he is ready to abandon the 1987 ban on intermediate range missiles, even though he has to realize the full deployment of our purely defensive system is designed to counter rogue nation attack and not the massive Russian nuclear force. What we are actually talking about is an anti-missile system built with North Korea and Iran in mind. Putin must long for the old days when the Soviet Union dominated Eastern Europe. Now he has to settle for stirring up anti-American sentiment in democracies. This system should be offered but not forced on Europe. If those governments do not wish to defend themselves against the mullahs in Iran or Kim Jong Illin', then so be it. Refusing the system seems petty and ignorant. Perhaps Putin needs a little help at home and feels acting like Stalin wins points. He is a dangerous and authoritarian figure who should be closely watched by President Bush at their upcoming meeting at Kennebunkport.
IMMIGRATION: "All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills." That is the first paragraph of Section 7, Article I of the Constitution and seems very clear. The Kennedy-McCain immigration bill adjusts payment levels and thus must be immediately rejected by the House on constitutional grounds. Almost every media discussion of the issue involves some Einstein pointing out that "We can't just deport twelve million illegal immigrants". The fundamental issue of port and border security must be addressed first and foremost. The story of the TB traveler is very instructive as to the weakness of our current system. The idea of ever granting citizenship or even temporary residency to those who do not even respect our sovereignty or borders is ludicrous. The age in which we live dictates a tight border security system and heavily regulated immigration. We fail to maintain our borders at our own peril, and that danger has never been more threatening.
MR. PRESIDENT: I would like to take issue with your statement that opponents of the Kennedy-McCain immigration bill "don't want what's best for America." I am loathe to criticize the CINC in time of war, so I hope you will retract your statement. Because I generally try to follow the Eleventh Commandment, I'll stop there.
JINGOCON
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