Recent News

Senator Jeff Sessions just released a report [pdf] documenting that the Obama Regime’s Administrative Amnesty is much wider that previously understood. [Sen. Jeff Sessions: Obama Giving De Facto Amnesty to 12 Million, by Melanie Batley, Newsmax.com, March 26, 2014.] But, incredibly, the Regime is planning to widen it even further. Until recently, its primary beneficiaries have been illegal aliens in the US—because of the effective end of interior enforcement; the reorientation of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigation to enforcement of any local, State, or Federal law other than immigration law; the DREAM Act Administrative Amnesty; etc.. Now, however, the Regime, observing the lack of pushback, has floated trial balloons that Administrative Amnesty will be expanded to include aliens outside the US—specifically, former deportees and (get this) aliens with links to terrorists.

• “Family Separation” As An Excuse For Admitting Former Deportees

The first trial balloons feature the execrable Elvira Arellano, archetypical loathsome illegal alien, welfare moocher and arrogant Reconquista:

TIJUANA, Mexico (AP) — A Mexican immigrant rights advocate who gained international attention in 2007 when she took refuge in a Chicago church before being deported from the United States has presented herself to U.S. border inspectors and asked for asylum on Tuesday.

Elvira Arellano and 20 other Mexican and Central American migrants crossed into the United States from the border city of Tijuana as part of a protest to demand an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws and an end to deportations.

Arellano was deported to Mexico after seeking sanctuary at a Chicago church for a year. She was deported without her U.S.-born son.

Arellano, 38, said she is asking for asylum in the U.S. because she has received threats in Mexico because of her activism and because she wants a better future for teenage son.

"I am requesting asylum in the United States on humanitarian grounds, because I am a defender of human rights in Mexico and I have received kidnapping and violence threats," Arellano said before entering the U.S. and violence.

Arellano was deported on Aug. 19, 2007, to Tijuana, where she founded a home for deported migrants and began speaking publicly speaking about the complex reality of migrant families and how deportations are making their lives more difficult.

Deported Immigrant Activist Asks For US Asylum, by Omar Millan, MySanAntonio.com, March 18, 2014

Arellano’s claim for asylum is absurd. No-one in Mexico would threaten her for supporting illegal immigration. Everyone in Mexico supports illegal immigration, from El Presidente on down. [ Mexico Criticizes U.S. Deportation Policy | Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto said the deportations make him "indignant.", TRNS, February 27, 2014] Remember, this is a country where half the population wants to immigrate to the United States. The truth is that she just wants to return to the US.

She is quoted as saying:

"But more importantly, because they have separated my son for his chance to have a good upbringing."

My emphasis. But Arellano’s son, whom she abandoned in Chicago, will be 16 in December—almost done “upbringing.” And her insinuation that she has been “separated” from her son is not true: as a Mexican citizen

[VDARE.com Note: Michelle Malkin isn't responsible for the second half of the title above, or our decision to run photographs of all the accused pols. Rather than tell you which of them are minorities, it would be faster to say which are white: Gordon Fox, of Rhode Island, and Keith Farnham of Illinois. (Fox is gay, if that matters.) Also one of the five mayors mentioned in paragraph four is white: Bob Filner of San Diego. To quote  USA Today, "The challenge of dealing with minority officials who run afoul of the law is a pre-eminently Democratic problem..."]

Has Nancy Pelosi seen a newspaper lately? (Pro tip, hon: Like the Obamacare monstrosity, you have to read it to find out what's in it.) I'd love to see her face in the wake of the veritable epidemic of Democratic corruption now sweeping the country. Pelosi's blink count must be off the charts.

I'm going to make it easy on Pelosi and put all of the latest cases in one handy rogue's gallery reference list. But let's not be naive. It's clear to me that the Barack Obama/Eric Holder DOJ is clearing the decks before the midterms. Prediction: The FBI's GOP corruption shoe will drop right before the elections for maximum distraction and damage. For now, let's take stock of the jackassery:

• The Dirty Democratic Mayors' Club: Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Patrick Cannon, who bragged about partying with the Obamas to help grease the wheels for city projects, was arrested this week on federal corruption and influence-peddling charges. He's accused of accepting gobs of cash payoffs and Las Vegas trips.

The bust follows former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's conviction in January on corruption charges; former Trenton Mayor Tony Mack's February conviction on cash bribes for a downtown parking garage; and former San Diego mayor and serial groper Bob Filner's disgraceful resignation after conviction on sexual harassment-related charges; former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's conviction on extortion, bribery and conspiracy charges; and former Birmingham, Ala., Mayor Larry Langford's corruption and bribery conviction.

• California state Democratic Sen. Leland Yee, gun grabber by day, alleged arms-trafficking gangsta by night: Yee made a decades-long career out of sanctimoniously demonizing gun owners and railing against the Second Amendment. He was arrested this week on corruption charges after an FBI sting found probable cause to believe Yee had conducted wire fraud and engaged in a conspiracy to deal firearms without a license and illegally import firearms. The Chinatown pol went so far as to discuss "details of the specific types of weapons" with a prospective donor. Yee is currently a candidate for California's secretary of state office.
• Pennsylvania state Democratic Sen. LeAnna Washington, party animal: This week, a judge ruled that the Keystone State could proceed with a trial against Washington, who reportedly forced her legislative staff for eight years to use taxpayer time and money for an annual birthday party whose proceeds were diverted to her campaign account. She is charged with felony theft of services and felony conflict of interest. More than a half-dozen former employees blew the whistle. "I am the f---ing senator," she screamed at one staffer who objected. "I do what the f--- I want, and ain't nobody going to change me."
• Rhode Island state Democratic House

State Sen. Leland Yee, (D-Calif.) shows a bowl of shark fin soup during a news conference to oppose a bill to ban the sale of shark fin soup, in San Francisco's Chinatown, February 14, 2011.

Here's some rare amusing news from big blue California. State Senator Leland Yee, an immigrant long a staple in San Francisco’s Chinese diversity racket, has been arrested for corruption and gun trafficking.

Here’s a report of the bust from Wednesday afternoon:

State Sen. Leland Yee was arrested on public corruption charges Wednesday after federal authorities said he solicited money from undercover FBI agents for his current campaign to be secretary of state, promising to use his role in Sacramento to help the moles in return for the cash.

Yee, a Democrat representing San Francisco and a portion of San Mateo County, participated in a discussion with the undercover agents about an illegal gun-trafficking deal at one point, the FBI said.

Yee was one of 26 people arrested after a lengthy racketeering, gun-running and money laundering investigation that also targeted Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow, a notorious former San Francisco gangster, officials said.

Yee was charged in U.S. District Court with conspiracy to traffic in firearms without a license and to illegally import firearms, as well as with participating in a scheme to defraud citizens of honest services.

California State Sen. Leland Yee arrested in corruption case, by Henry K. Lee, Carla Marinucci and Marisa Lagos, San Francisco Chronicle, March 26, 2014

Yee’s numerous earlier misadventures have not suggested hard-core crime connections, so his big-time arrest with hundreds of officers was a new side to the Senator. The case looks like it might shine some light on the local Chinese criminal underworld, given that convicted gangster Raymond "Shrimp Boy" Chow—also an immigrant—was pinched in the same raid. [Raymond “Shrimp Boy” Chow Arrest In San Francisco Brings New Spotlight On Notorious Past,  CBS, March 26, 2014]

The criminal complaint [PDF] listed more than two dozen arrested persons, with Yee being one. He was named with two others as being “involved in a conspiracy to traffic firearms.” That charge is particularly interesting since the Democrat Yee has a record of being an energetic gun grabber.

Leland Yee was born in a Guangdong village under Mao in 1948, where his storekeeper father thought it would be wise to leave. Young Leland arrived with the family in San Francisco Chinatown at age three. The Yees spoke a village dialect so he attended a Chinese school to learn Cantonese. "Everything you needed you could get in Chinatown," Yee remembered. "You never had to leave."

 Later, Leland and his mom ventured to downtown San Francisco and shopping at the Emporium department store. “It was like walking into a different country,” he said. “If you didn't know English, they didn't have time for you.”

Note that little Leland had to learn Cantonese before people in Chinatown had time for him. But that doesn’t seem to bother him. [The real Leland Yee, By Tim Redmond, SF Bay Guardian, August 30, 2011]

Yee is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, as shown by

For legal reasons, as Craig Ferguson likes to say, I’m not accusing GOP House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (whose obvious weaseling on the Establishment-backed Amnesty/ Immigration Surge has resulted in his being primaried by economics Professor Dave Brat), Mrs. Eric Cantor, or anyone mentioned below of accepting bribes as defined by the US Code, or even honest services fraud.

I am accusing them of treason, but that’s a political statement—justified by the fact that I can show that they’re betraying their country by supporting an actual invasion, of millions of foreigners, and then legalizing them to make them voters.

The influence of donors in American politics is paradoxical—the banking, agribusiness, and tech industries give hundreds of millions of dollars one way or another, and politicians seek them in order to keep their “phony baloney jobs”, but the salary of a Congressman like Eric Cantor is only $193,400.  That’s because he’s Majority Leader—a regular Congressman gets $174,000. And that’s all they’re allowed to keep.

If they spend campaign funds on themselves, they get in trouble. In a typical case (in more ways than one) Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr was sent to jail for spending campaign contributions on a Rolex watch, Martin Luther King and Michael Jackson memorabilia, and a bunch of similar expenses,

Saying he used his campaign fund as “a personal piggy bank,” a federal judge sentenced former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. to 2 ½ years in prison for misusing $750,000 in campaign money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Both Jacksons Going To Prison For Misusing Campaign Funds, CBS Chicago, August 14, 2013  

So you can see that if plutocrats want to reward loyal supporters in Congress, they’re going to have to be subtle. You may remember Hillary Clinton’s sudden, extremely fortunate windfall in cattle futures, a result, apparently, of the Governor of Arkansas’ loyalty to Tyson Foods Inc. interests.

Tyson didn’t actually give Hillary any money, it gave her an opportunity to make money, and seems to have ensured that that opportunity paid off. [Hillary's Bull Market| Was that $100,000 profit from cattle futures a bribe? By Claudia Rosett, Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2000]

That’s why it was fascinating to read recently how much money immigration enthusiast Eric Cantor was receiving (outside of any campaign contributions that he’d have to give back) from fast food giant Domino’s Pizza

Domino’s has delivered cash, stock, and stock options currently worth more than $3 million to Diana Cantor since October 2005 – all for her part-time work as a director. She has collected or cashed out more than $1.7 million of that money and is sitting on another roughly $1.4 million in Domino’s holdings, as the stock hovers near an all-time high.…

The Cantors, who have been married since 1989, were millionaires before Diana Cantor joined the board of Domino’s, but the company’s success has nonetheless dramatically swelled their wealth. In 2006, her first full year on the board, the Cantors had a net worth of between $1.97 million and $6.51 million, according to calculations by the Center for Responsive Politics.

That means her $3 million in Domino’s compensation has boosted their total net worth by roughly between 50 percent and 150 percent since 2006.

[Domino’s Pizza Delivers Big for Eric Cantor, By Shane Goldmacher, National Journal, June 13, 2013]

Of course, for this to be considered a reward for the Amnesty/ Immigration Surge,

Recently, NBC 10 News Philadelphia ran the usual “Robbery Gone Wrong” story (Teen Beaten to Death While Walking Home With Groceries, by David Chang, February 17, 2014) about a killing in Trenton NJ. The victim was Julio Cesar Cruz, an “immigrant” from Guatemala.  Two black teenagers allegedly beat him to death.  

The original story included the MSM weasel phrase “Police have not yet released a detailed description of the suspects,” which apparently now means that the police told the reporter that all they know was that it was “two black teens”, but the reporter isn’t going to tell you that, because it’s not news and will just give you bad feelings about black teens.

When the perps were caught and charged, the same station did run a picture—but no description, of course:

This is a common story in Trenton. Guatemalans, who have recently begun flooding into Trenton, are viewed by the Black underclass as easy marks.  They are small of stature and, being mostly illegals and working for cash, carry a lot of money.   There have been literally hundreds of such robberies. 

But this one triggered something different:

Cruz’s murder galvanized the community as they rallied and coordinated with law enforcement seeking justice. Days after Cruz’s death, a rally of 350 people

In late April, 2013, Oregon’s legislature passed senate bill SB833 [PDF], which allows illegal aliens to obtain “driver cards.”  On May Day—no coincidence, according to Jim Ludwick of Oregonians for Immigration Reform [OFIR]—Gov. John Kitzhaber, a Democrat, signed SB 833 into law. 

Driver cards supposedly have the sole purpose of bestowing driving privileges upon those who can pass the usual driving tests but who lack legal presence in the U.S. But it’s all part of the Treason Lobby’s relentless campaign to dismantle US sovereignty—one of the primary documents acceptable as ID for getting an Oregon driver card is the notorious Mexican matricula consular card.

Of course, it’s got some way to go. The Oregon DMV’s FAQs list about SB 833 helpfully points out that “It will be up to each [other] state to determine whether or not to recognize the Oregon Driver Card as valid driving privileges in their state.  Before traveling, you may wish to contact the state in question.” The FAQ list also pleads ignorance about the cards’ possible acceptance for identification by other entities, whether commercial or governmental, even including the TSA—or, as Michelle Malkin calls it, Thousands Standing Around).)

The Driver Cards were to become available on January 1, 2014.  But instantly upon SB 833’s enactment, OFIR’s dedicated activists began the process of qualifying a referendum for the November 4, 2014 general election so that Oregon’s voters would have a chance to nullify what their depraved political class—thank you, Mark Steyn, for that all-occasions description of America’s governing elites— had inflicted upon them. 

In an intense and expensive 90-day effort, the OFIR-ites collected enough valid signatures from registered voters to clear comfortably the 58,142-signature threshold needed to put the referendum on the ballot.  This nullified the January 1, 2014 effective date. A majority of “No” votes on the referendum this November will cancel the law completely.  But if a majority is bamboozled into voting “Yes,” the driving cards will become available after all, on December 4, 2014.

But the Oregon Treason Lobby struck back. By phone, Jim Ludwick told me how, even before really gearing up for its fall “Vote No on SB 833” campaign—OFIR had to fend off machinations by the state’s mendacious “public servants.”  He pointed me to editorials from major newspapers around the state, even some who favor the driver cards for illegal aliens, that share OFIR’s outrage over the legislature’s galling attempt to monkey-wrench the process. 

The Bend Bulletin succinctly described the situation and its implications:

It’s a remarkable scenario of legislative overreach.

• The Legislature passed a bill.

• Seeking to reverse that action, opponents successfully gathered signatures to put the issue on the ballot.

• The attorney general, as provided by law, wrote the ballot title.

• Now the Legislature wants to rewrite the ballot title to obscure its meaning…

The attorney general’s office wrote the ballot title, which

According to How to Fix Detroit in Barron’s Magazine [by Jonathan Lang, March 17, 2014], there is great optimism about the coming recovery of the Motor City. The plan seems to be to bring in skilled workers to gentrify the city and create a stable tax base. The price of this plan: general obligation bond holders will take an 80% (!) haircut and retired workers will endure major cuts to their pensions.

Detroit’s former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is serving 28 years in prison as a result of multiple corruption charges. But a new breed of Detroit leaders such as CEO of Quicken Loans Dan Gilbert, new mayor Mike Duggan, and state-appointed administrator Kevyn Orr are trying to attract creative entrepreneurs.

Unfortunately, although I am a Democrat, I am more pessimistic. I hear what University of Pennsylvania historian and former Detroit resident Tom Sugrue is quoted as saying:

I question how the influx of 10,000 to 20,000 hipsters, artists, techies and young professionals into downtown and midtown can provide enough trickle-down for blacks, who make up 83% of the city’s population and are desperately poor. No Rust Belt city—not Cleveland, not Pittsburgh—has a black underclass nearly as large or a history of racial conflict as fraught as Detroit’s".

Of course we all hope the revitalization of Detroit will succeed. And perhaps it will. After all, Pittsburgh was able to convert