Posts Tagged ‘Misguided’

On Monday, within a few hours of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let stand a key portion of Arizona’s immigration law, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a video on Youtube offering advice to illegal aliens on how to avoid detection if they found themselves being questioned by law enforcement in Arizona.

While it may seem outrageous that any organization would work to protect those who have no respect for our laws or sovereignty, this is merely the ACLU’s latest such action on behalf of illegal aliens.

-In June 2011, the ACLU announced plans to sue Utah’s Salt Lake County over the detention of an illegal alien who was being held in the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.

On June 13, 2011, Enrique Antonio Uroza, 22, was arrested on suspicion of theft by deception, forgery and failure to appear in court.

On Monday, within a few hours of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to let stand a key portion of Arizona’s immigration law, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) released a video on Youtube offering advice to illegal aliens on how to avoid detection if they found themselves being questioned by law enforcement in Arizona.

While it may seem outrageous that any organization would work to protect those who have no respect for our laws or sovereignty, this is merely the ACLU’s latest such action on behalf of illegal aliens.

-In June 2011, the ACLU announced plans to sue Utah’s Salt Lake County over the detention of an illegal alien who was being held in the Salt Lake County Metro Jail.

On June 13, 2011, Enrique Antonio Uroza, 22, was arrested on suspicion of theft by deception, forgery and failure to appear in court.

Because Uroza was believed to be in the country illegally, deputies reported him to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

However, ICE refused to pick up Uroza.

Darcy Goddard, the legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah, told FOX13: “It’s [...] a blatant violation of the 4th Amendment. You have a right not to be held on a mere suspicion that you have possibly committed a civil violation of federal law. What you have here is the jail second-guessing a judge’s bail determination and holding people, in this case with Enrique, indefinitely in the hopes that, eventually, [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will come pick him up.”

-In January 2011, the ACLU filed a lawsuit in both state and federal courts against the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and the city of Tavares, Florida. The suit alleged that the constitutional rights of an illegal alien were violated when she was detained and turned over to federal authorities in February 2009.

The woman, Rita Cote, 23, a Honduran national, was detained by Tavares police while they were investigating a domestic violence case between her sister and her boyfriend, after Cote could not produce any identification other than a debit card.

When police ran her name through a federal database, it was discovered that she had actually been slated for deportation years earlier. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was notified and she was handed over to the agency eight days later.

The ACLU claimed that Cote’s rights were violated because while being held, she was not charged with a crime nor taken before a judge.

ACLU of Florida senior attorney Glenn Katon stated: “Local law enforcement agencies do not have any authority to enforce immigration laws and when they do it, it’s illegal. We hope this case will make clear what can happen when agencies engage in these illegal practices.”

Katon continued: “Because she looks Hispanic and speaks English with a strong accent they take it upon themselves to investigate her immigration status even though they have no authority to do it.”

Lt. John Herrell, of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office told the Orlando Sentinel: “If we come across an illegal immigrant and Border Patrol or immigration enforcement authorizes us to detain her, we do that.”

Last year, the ACLU claimed that there were at least another 200 cases in which the illegal alien has been detained and turned over to ICE, without committing any other crimes.

Of course, it is a crime to ignore a removal order and a felony to re-enter the country after being deported.

Did you know the president’s controversial health care law helps guarantee “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?” That’s what Nancy Pelosi said on the House floor on Wednesday.

“I appreciate [my colleague's] leadership on helping us honor what our founders put forth in our founding documents, which is life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” Pelosi told her colleagues, citing the Declaration of Independence. “And that is exactly what the Affordable Care Act helps to guarantee.”

She wasn’t done.

“A healthier life, the liberty to pursue happiness, free of the constraints that lack of healthcare might provide to a family,” she said. “If you want to be photographer, a writer, an artist, a musician, you can do so. If you what to start a business, if you want to change jobs, under the Affordable Care Act, you have that liberty to pursue your happiness.”The fact that Pelosi would use the Declaration to defend Obamacare is likely to flummox many, especially considering the administration’s past move forcing Catholic employers to provide birth control to their employees.

Posted by: Barry Secrest
The new year has greeted Americans with the highest January gas prices ever, and some analysts say prices could get close to $5 a gallon in some areas during the warm-weather driving season.

The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States on Monday was $3.39, according to motorist group AAA. That’s nearly 30 cents higher than a year ago.

Obama Administration: “Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe,”

The national average reached a peak of $4.114 in July 2008.

Experts say there are a variety of factors placing upward pressure on prices at the pump. For one thing, the U.S. economy appears to be in a modest recovery, heralding a likely uptick in gasoline demand.

For another, the possibility of conflict with Iran over its threat to close the Strait of Hormuz has driven a rally in crude oil prices over the past few weeks, increasing input costs for refineries.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping lane, with 17 million barrels of oil per day passing through in 2011, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. That’s about one-sixth of global oil production and nearly 20% of all the oil traded worldwide.”The potential surrounding the Iranian situation is much worse than Libya,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at gas price reporting website GasBuddy.com, recalling the oil spikes that accompanied Libya’s civil war last year. “The stakes are much higher.”

Gas prices on the rise again

Looking ahead, continued geopolitical risk as well as speculative interest in oil and emerging market demand could push prices higher.

Although U.S. demand is still lukewarm, American refineries are increasingly exporting gasoline abroad, where strong demand is keeping prices high, said Kyle Cooper, director of research at IAF Advisors.

“The U.S. consumer is competing with the emerging market consumer, namely Brazil, China, and India,” Cooper said. “You throw on top of that the fear of anything happening with Iran, and most likely prices are not going to come down significantly in the next few months.”

But Cooper only sees a modest boost in gasoline prices coming, to an average of around $3.50 per gallon by the beginning of the summer.

GasBuddy.com expects bigger increases coming, predicting that the median U.S. gas price will stand at $3.95 a gallon in May.

Some cities could experience record prices by Memorial Day, GasBuddy says, with Chicago residents paying up to $4.95 a gallon and New Yorkers shelling out up to $4.55.

But other analysts say consumers may get some relief in the months to come.

Gas spending and prices by state

Richard Soultanian, co-president of NUS Consulting, said that barring a confrontation with Iran or some other disruption in the Middle East, some of the current risk premium in the market “is going to be leaking out.” That should bring gas prices back to the low $3 range, he said.

Peter Beutel, an oil analyst at Cameron Hanover, said prices would likely drop by the end of February, since Iran is unlikely “to go through with any of its threats.” He expects prices to bounce back beyond that, but was hesitant to make a precise prediction, saying consumers are likely in for another roller-coaster year.

“I don’t see any way to get rid of volatility,” he said.

CSantarelli

Supporters of Occupy Seattle have reportedly “occupied” lectures at Seattle Central Community College. And now, according to the Seattle Times, instructors who work at the college have started teaching classes in support of the movement:

“The classes are scheduled to be held in the plaza of Seattle Central Community College. They will focus on subjects such as legislative lobbying, the art of the protest sign and filming to document human rights violations.”
MSNBC reports that the ‘Occupy’ classes began at SCCC Sunday night, and were titled “Why We Support Occupy,“ ”The Art of the Protest Sign,“ and ”Filming to Document Human Rights Violations.”

Occupy Seattle protesters moved their location to Seattle Central Community College Saturday after administrators said they would tolerate protesters camping on campus.

“We’re excited to work with Occupy Seattle in recognition of the fact that the employees and students of the Seattle community colleges are the 99 percent,” said Karen Strickland, president of the American Federation of Teachers-Seattle to KOMO News. The SCCC president has said that legal ambiguities allow the encampment at the community college.

President Kilpatrick told KOMO that while he has allowed the camp, he fears it will end up costing the school up to $100,000 in extra security. Protesers are welcome to enter classrooms if invited by a faculty member. Since the Occupy Seattle protests began four weeks ago there have been nearly 60 arrests.
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