Napolitano: Illegal Immigration NOT a Crime?

From The Heritage Foundation
By Jena McNeill

On Sunday, April 19, 2009, Secretary Napolitano went on CNN’s “State of the Union” and proclaimed that crossing the border illegally is not a crime. This statement left a lot of folks scratching their heads given that U.S. law—the law Napolitano is sworn to uphold—says quite the opposite. Section 8, Title 1325 of the U.S. code clearly states that those who enter the U.S. illegally are committing a crime.

This ‘interpretation’ of the law by Secretary Napolitano seems to be the latest in an effort by the Obama Administration to scale back interior immigration enforcement efforts in the United States. As recently as March 28th, Napolitano made the decision to delay a series of immigration raids and other workplace actions aimed at finding illegal workers. At the same time, both President Obama and Secretary Napolitano have announced new initiatives intending to send the message that they take the issues at the southern border seriously. But the Administration cannot fight cartels while ignoring illegal immigration—people smuggling is part of the problem, not a separate issue. Legalization will only make matters worse. Granting the people here illegally asylum will only encourage more illegal border crossing. Likewise, failing to enforce workplace and immigration laws will only encourage more to ignore the law.

The fight has to go beyond the border. Just adding inspections on people heading south is not going to work. Homeland Security will inconvenience everyone but the smugglers who don’t care if some of their loads get caught and will seek alternative routes. On the U.S. side, there has to be a robust integrated response of federal, state, and local law enforcement at the regional level (meshing with is going on in California, Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico) that targets the cartel and transnational gang networks. At the local level, the U.S. needs more community policing that targets criminal elements in the border community. That means more support and assistance for border county sheriff departments.

Secretary Napolitano’s job is to follow and enforce the law—not to use her authority to undermine it.

Senator's Husband Cashes in on Crisis

Feinstein sought $25 billion for agency that awarded contract to spouse

From The Washington Times
By Chuck Neubauer

On the day the new Congress convened this year, Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to a government agency that had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms.

Mrs. Feinstein's intervention on behalf of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. was unusual: the California Democrat isn't a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct federal dollars.

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"Fr. Jenkins Will Probably Lose His Job": Nine More Bishops Make 42 against ND Scandal

From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

Nine more bishops have publicly acknowledged their disapproval of the University of Notre Dame's invitation to President Obama to speak and receive an honorary law degree at the school's commencement exercises May 17.

Bishop Paul Coakley of the diocese of Salina, KS, told LifeSiteNews.com (LSN) today that he has written a personal letter to Father Jenkins expressing his "deep disappointment" at the invitation.

Citing his grave concern over the President's support for anti-life policies, Bishop Coakley told LSN that he reminded University president Fr. John Jenkins of the USCCB directive that forbids Catholic schools from honoring those whose positions contradict the teachings of the Church.

"The University's invitation undermines the Catholic identity and mission of the institution," said Coakley.

When LSN requested comment on the Obama invitation from Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, OR, the bishop responded simply: "This is just one more sign of the failure of Catholic Institutions to stand up for and support a higher ethical standard."

The Orlando Diocese, where Thomas G. Wenski is bishop, has announced a Mass of reparation for "the many shortcomings and transgressions committed against the dignity and sacredness of human life in our world," specifically for Notre Dame's decision to honor pro-abortion President Obama at commencement. The Mass is taking place at the Cathedral of St. James on May 3, 2009.

In a column on the Orlando Diocese website, Bishop Wenski writes, "Notre-Dame (at least in its Administration and Board) has forgotten what it means to be Catholic."

"Last year, in Washington, D.C., Pope Benedict XVI addressed Catholic educators, including university presidents," wrote the bishop. "He said 'to justify positions that contradict the faith and teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray the university's identity and mission.'

"Father Jenkins, Notre-Dame's president, must have nodded off during the Pope's speech," he concluded.

Archdiocese of Cincinnati spokesman Dan Andriacco has confirmed to CNS that Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk "supports the strong comments of Bishop D'Arcy of South Bend, in whose diocese Notre Dame is located." Archbishop D'Arcy, who is boycotting Notre Dame's commencement, has said that Notre Dame must ask itself whether by this decision it has chosen prestige over truth.

Mr. Andriacco also said the archbishop stands by the editorial 'Prestige over Truth', appearing in The Catholic Telegraph, on April 3, which is critical of Notre Dame's decision to honor Obama.

On Saturday, Bishop Robert Finn of the diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., addressed the scandal in the course of his keynote address for the 2009 Gospel of Life Convention at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.

"It doesn't take another Bishops' Conference statement to know this is wrong: scandalous, discouraging and confusing to many Catholics," said Finn of the Obama invitation. "God knows what all motivates such a decision.

"I suspect that, since Notre Dame will need a scapegoat for this debacle, and Fr. Jenkins will probably lose his job, at this point perhaps he ought to determine to lose it for doing something right instead of something wrong."

Finn suggested that Jenkins disinvite the President, and instead give the honorary degree to Notre Dame's Bishop John D'Arcy, "who has supported and tried to guide the University, despite their too frequent waywardness, faithfully for 25 years."

In a column in the April 17 issue of the Catholic Times, Bishop George Lucas of Springfield, Ill., said that he was prompted to address the scandal after individuals expressed to him their disturbance at the invitation. "I am disturbed, too, at this decision by Notre Dame to sow confusion where there is clarity in Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the evil of abortion," wrote the bishop.

"For some this may be one political issue among many," the bishop continued. "For Catholics it is a matter of worshiping God by the proclamation of the truth. Many students and faculty at Notre Dame know this. The university's administration thinks it knows better.

"It is hard to imagine the university honoring someone, no matter his office, who had consistently spoken against the value of football," wrote Bishop Lucas. "We are not being unreasonable when we expect the value of human life to be a central focus of a Catholic university."

Bishop Leonard Blair recently stated on Toledo's diocesan website that, while dialogue with politicians on the protection of innocent life remains a "priority at every level" for the Catholic Church, the University's decision to honor Obama was not justified.

Paraphrasing the U.S. Bishops Conference 2004 directive, Blair said: "It is not appropriate for Catholic institutions to give awards, honors or platforms to those who promote an abortion agenda. Doing so suggests that Catholics are not really serious about what the Church teaches regarding grave and immoral offenses against the life of the unborn."

Blair called for Catholics to respect the office of the President, and pray for Mr. Obama's conversion, but added: "An invitation to speak and an honorary doctorate from a Catholic University go beyond the bounds of respect, and can only be a source of dismay."

On Friday, Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger of the Evansville, Ind. diocese said that President Obama "has pandered himself to the pro-choice movement," and thus by inviting him Notre Dame and its president "are by affinity also pandering to the pro-choice movement." The bishop agreed with Bishop D'Arcy, who criticized the school for apparently having "chosen prestige over truth."

The Evansville bishop called it ironic that Obama would be given an honorary law degree, as he said, "Clearly that degree will not include the moral law."

"If so, then the honor is shallow - indeed empty - as God is the source from which all law is derived," he continued.

"God is truth. God is the author and guardian of all human life. God does not allow for selective obedience. Do Father Jenkins and the Board of Trustees by their decision see any disconnect of themselves from the Infinite Truth?"

In a preview of his letter to Fr. Jenkins given to the Daily Journal, Bishop Joseph Latino of Jackson, Miss., wrote that he feels the university has sacrificed the church's teaching concerning the sacredness of life for the distinction of having the nation's first African-American president speak at its commencement.

The Notre Dame alumni watchdog group Project Sycamore is circulating a petition against the invitation which states in part: "The ineradicable facts that will stamp this occasion are the University's decision to inscribe in the University roll of honorees the name of the most pro-abortion President in the nation's history and its choice of him as the person to speak to the 2009 graduates about the values they should hold dear." (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/oppose_obama/) (For more information on Project Sycamore, go to: http://www.sycamoretrust.org./)

Another petition, circulated by the Cardinal Newman Society, has been signed by over 320,000 individuals. (See: www.notredamescandal.com)

The bishops who have so far expressed disapproval of Notre Dame's invitation to Obama (in alphabetical order) are:

1. Bishop John D'Arcy - Fort Wayne-South Bend, IN
2. Bishop Samuel Aquila - Fargo, ND
3. Bishop Gregory Aymond - Austin, TX
4. Bishop Gerald Barbarito - Palm Beach, FL
5. Bishop Leonard Blair - Toledo, OH
6. Archbishop Daniel Buechlein - Indianapolis, IN
7. Bishop Robert Baker - Birmingham, AL
8. Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz - Lincoln, NE
9. Archbishop Eusebius Beltran - Oklahoma City, OK
10. Auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantú - San Antonio, TX
11. Bishop Paul Coakley - Salina, KS
12. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo - Houston, TX
13. Archbishop Timothy Dolan - New York, NY
14. Bishop Thomas Doran - Rockford, IL
15. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty - Scranton, PA
16. Bishop Robert Finn - Kansas City-St. Joseph, MO
17. Cardinal Francis George - Chicago, IL; President, USCCB
18. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger - Evansville, IN
19. Archbishop José Gomez - San Antonio, TX
20. Bishop William Higi - Lafayette, IN
21. Archbishop Alfred Hughs - New Orleans, LA
22. Bishop Joseph Latino - Jackson, MS
23. Bishop Jerome Listecki - La Crosse, WI
24. Bishop William E. Lori - Bridgeport, CT
25. Bishop George Lucas - Springfield, IL
26. Bishop Robert Lynch - St. Petersburg, FL
27. Bishop Joseph Martino - Scranton, PA
28. Bishop Charles Morlino - Madison, WI
29. Bishop George Murry - Youngstown, OH
30. Archbishop John J. Myers - Newark, NJ
31. Bishop R. Walker Nickless - Sioux City, IA
32. Archbishop John C. Nienstedt - St. Paul-Minneapolis, MN
33. Archbishop Edwin O'Brien - Baltimore, MD
34. Bishop Thomas Olmsted - Phoenix, AZ
35. Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk - Cincinnati, OH
36. Bishop Kevin Rhoades - Harrisburg, PA
37. Bishop Alexander Sample - Marquette, MI
38. Bishop Edward J. Slattery - Tulsa, OK
39. Bishop Richard Stika - Knoxville, TN
40. Bishop Anthony Taylor - Little Rock, AR
41. Bishop Robert Vasa - Baker, OR
42. Bishop Thomas Wenski - Orlando, FL

The Female 'Schindler'

From The Daily Beast

In CBS' The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, Anna Paquin brilliantly portrays an unsung Catholic Pole who saved Jews during World War II. Kati Marton, author of The Great Escape and Wallenberg, on why the movie is a must-see.

Sixty-four years later, the Holocaust still disgorges astonishing stories of treachery and man’s capacity for evil. We especially need these stories now, as there are ever fewer survivors left, eyewitness accounts yielding to the historians’ more detached version of events. For successive generations to grasp the enormity of the mass murder of millions in the heart of Europe, we need to hear the survivors’ memories. This Sunday, with The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, CBS presents such a story.

Watch the Trailer of The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler

It's a deeply moving drama based on the little-known true story of Sendler, who is credited with rescuing 2,500 Jewish children from the Warsaw ghetto during World War II. We are accustomed to books and films about violent Polish anti-Semitism, but The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler portrays a local Catholic who risked her life to save Jewish children.

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Mr. President, You Need to Apologize to Mexico

Do we need more proof that an apology is needed? Clearly Mexicans at California's Montebello High School are offended by the fact that the United States, in its arrogant nationalism, insists on having borders, and allows some racist Americans to even suggest that those borders should be secured. To top it all off, we fly the symbol of all this nationalist racism atop government buildings and in front of private homes -- flags that can be seen by Mexican colonizers in our country.

Mr. President, you need to fly to Mexico City and apologize like you did all over Europe and South America for all the many sins of this country's past, letting our Mexican friends know that "Mi casa es su casa."

Sunlit Uplands Reader Calls for Fairness in Pepsi Giving

We posted a story recently about PepsiCo stockholders who are critical of Pepsi's giving $1,000,000 in support of major sodomite advocacy organizations. But a Sunlit Uplands reader calls our attention to judgmental and discriminatory attitudes in Pepsi's giving. Surely, the SC sodomite bloggers will want to address this prejudice:

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "PepsiCo Opposes Resolution Regarding Donations to ...":

I demand fairness and equality for those men born with a natural sexual orientation of attraction to pre-adolescent boys.

As the North American Man-Boy Love Association explains:

"Man/boy love is exceptional only for the degree to which it is still misunderstood in cultures derived from Northwestern Europe. Most man/boy relationships are based on mutual respect and affection, and strongly desired by both partners. Such relationships do not harm anyone, and often entail many benefits for both man and boy. Boy-lovers and boys alike respond to the needs of those they love — needs for affection, understanding, and freedom. Who we are is perhaps best understood from Dr. John Money’s account of two boys, who speak about how they view their adult lovers: Andy – 'Just as normal as anybody else. He is like a second father to me.' Burt – 'He’s neat; and he’s nice, and gives me more respect than anyone ever has ... he treats me like an adult, not like my parents treat me. To me, he’s my best friend.'"

NAMBLA further explains on its website:

"The issue of love between men and boys has intersected the gay movement since the late nineteenth century, with the rise of the first gay rights movement in Germany. In the United States, as the gay movement has retreated from its vision of sexual liberation, in favor of integration and assimilation into existing social and political structures, it has increasingly sought to marginalize even demonize cross-generational love. Pederasty - that is, love between a man and a youth of 12 to 18 years of age - say middle-class homosexuals, lesbians, and feminists, has nothing to do with gay liberation. Some go so far as to claim, absurdly, that it is a heterosexual phenomenon, or even 'sexual abuse.' What a travesty!"

I agree with BodaciousBoi: fairness and equality for all, including boy lovers! Will Bodacious and Pepsi take a stand against all discrimination based on the sexual orientation with which someone is born?

Too Old? Too Plain? No Way!

From OpsLadder

Let me set the scene.

You're a dowdy 47-year-old from Northern England. "Never been married, never been kissed." No love in your life. No job. No luck.

But you have a gift within you. And you know it.

And you've somehow managed to make your way onto a TV Show called "Britain's Got Talent" and you are now standing on a national stage.

The crowd is hooting with derision. That smarmy judge on the left is snickering at you. Simon Cowell is rolling his eyes. Everybody is pretty much certain that "little old you" is going to crash and burn in a way that will be hilarious to all.

You've "never been given a chance before." And it's pretty easy for everybody to understand why. You're an odd-looking lady from the North. They are serving you up to the laughing wolves for the sake of the television audience. This is going to be funny.

What do you do?

What do you do?

Well, if you're my new personal hero Susan Boyle, you wrap your two hands around the microphone and slowly focus and...


Click on image to see video

Then you sing your song to the rafters. Your lift your voice to the heavens. You give a life-defining performance, and you sing an audience of millions into tears.

You hit your high note and bring a lump to the throat of the judges.

You bring the audience to their feet and watch as they realize they can't possibly reach their hands high enough in the sky to applaud you.

You inspire a planet.

You knew you had the gift within you. You just needed to be given a chance, that's all you ever wanted.

And when you got your chance, you shined brighter than any starlet or supermodel ever could.

Readers, I know I've learned a very important lesson from Susan Boyle this morning...

Dream Your Dream.