Mexican Journalists Surrender

Luis Carlos Santiago Orozco, a photographer for "El Diario", the Juarez, Mexico daily newspaper became the 11th journalist murdered this year in the Mexican drug war. He was gunned down in his car on September 17th by cartel members that didn't like the stories he was writing. He was just one of over 2200 people murdered so far this year in Juarez, the murder capital of the world.

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But this is not a story about Mr. Orozco. Journalists have been putting themselves in harms way for decades. Some in search of the truth, some for self-aggrandizement, always to get the story to their readers. This is a story about the pusillanimous publication that employed him. El Diario is the major daily newspaper in Juarez, and is well circulated in El Paso, just across the border. This newspaper with a paid circulation of over 120,000 and a readership of over 600,000 is the major source of news for this war-torn city in Northern Mexico.

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The day after the shooting of Mr. Orozco, El Diario ran a front page headline story ... Was it a tribute to a brave journalist? ... Was it a scathing rebuke of the cartel's tactics? ... NO. The story was an open letter to the cartels, asking what they could do to avoid further attacks (Mr Orozco was the second reporter from the newspaper in the past 2 years). Translated, the letter stated, "We do not want more deaths. We do not want more injuries or even more intimidation. It is impossible to exercise our role in these conditions. Therefore, tell us what you expect of us as a medium." The letter also referred to the cartels as "the de facto authorities in this city".

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So I guess now the cartels are controlling the news in Juarez. The total capitulation by El Diario is indeed an ignominious eulogy for a brave man ... trying to bring the truth to the people of his beleaguered city. And the citizens of Juarez, are faced with yet another example of the establishment abandoning them. They no longer trust their government, police, army ... and now their news sources.

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The GOP Still Doesn't Get It

Whenever I start thinking that the Republican Party is going to take advantage of the discontent the American Public is feeling with the way things are going in this country ... they revert back to form.

I am of course referring to the win by Christine O'Donnell in the GOP primary for the Delaware Senate Seat once held by Joe Biden. Tea Party backed O'Donnell defeated GOP favorite Mike Castle ... and the sour grapes started almost immediately. Establishment Republicans, led by Karl Rove, slammed the candidate for having no shot at winning in the General Election. There were rumors that the NRSC would not be helping to fund her campaign. Mike Castle has refused to back her (or even call to congratulate her).

This is all because the GOP elite felt that Castle, who is a liberal Republican had a better chance to defeat Democrat Chris Coons in the General Election of this very blue state.

What the GOP fails to realize is that the tea party movement does not care about whether a candidate has a R or a D after their name. This movement wants to elect people that will go to Washington and fight for them. The American Public is disgusted with business as usual in DC. Karl Rove is also wrong in assuming that O'Donnell can't beat Coons. Though Delaware leans left ... the people aren't stupid. None but the die-hard liberals would vote for Coons, a self-described Marxist.

For what it's worth, I would like to do something that the GOP should have done from the start and offer my congratulations to Christine O'Donnell on a well run campaign, and a well deserved victory.

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Will The President Sue California Next?

It seems that the Obama Justice Department had no problem suing Arizona when they passed SB 1070, getting tough on illegal immigration. Now they are faced with a bit of a quandary. The Justice Department sued to uphold the Supremacy Clause … which simply put, says that if State Law and Federal Law are in conflict, Federal Law wins. I am by no means agreeing with the Obama Administration that a law that mirrors the Federal Immigration Statute is actually in conflict with Federal Law. Rather, I am wondering if the Administration will continue to defend Federal Supremacy … even when it is not in their political interests.

I am talking about the upcoming ballot initiative in California, making it legal for adults to possess up to one ounce of marijuana. If passed, this new law will most definitely be in conflict with Federal Statutes. Yet I do not hear a peep coming out of Eric Holder or the Justice Department. So, if Californians pass Prop 19 this November, I fully expect the Obama Administration to sue California under the Supremacy Clause.

After all … What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Unless of course, Democrats feel that stoned citizens are a protected minority (and likely to be Obama voters)

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9 Years Later

On this the 9th anniversary of the horrific attacks on our nation by Islamic extremists, I am sad, concerned, resigned, appalled and a plethora of other verbs.

Right after the attacks, I felt that this country had finally come together with a singularity of purpose and a unity that I had never felt before. When President Bush gave his "bull-horn" speech from the ruins of the Trade Center ... I could feel the entire Nation join with him and his vow to bring the terrorists to justice.

9 years later, where are we? There is still a hole at ground zero ... Osama Bin Laden is still hiding in a cave somewhere ... Our politicians are more concerned with re-election than with the American public ... Our economy is teetering on ruin ... and our President is dividing the nation, pitting us in socio-economic class warfare.

As I watched the 9-11 remembrances on TV this morning ... and yes, the tears were flowing ... I felt despair at the loss of our resolve. There is no HOPE left in the American people's hearts ... there is no resolve. As I watched the horrendous video of people jumping off the twin towers to avoid being burned to death ... I realized that this was a perfect representation of the loss of hope. And I cried.

America, can we regain our hope?

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